identifier
stringlengths
11
32
pdf_url
stringlengths
17
4.62k
lang
stringclasses
120 values
error
stringclasses
1 value
title
stringlengths
2
500
source_name
stringlengths
1
435
publication_year
float64
1.9k
2.02k
license
stringclasses
3 values
word_count
int64
0
1.64M
text
stringlengths
1
9.75M
https://openalex.org/W2945618938
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/coluna/v15n4/1808-1851-coluna-15-04-00290.pdf
English
null
RELAÇÃO ENTRE QUALIDADE DE VIDA E OSTEÓLISE EM TORNO DE PARAFUSOS PEDICULARES LOMBARES
null
2,016
cc-by
6,147
CORRELACIÓN ENTRE CALIDAD DE VIDA Y OSTEÓLISIS ALREDEDOR DE TORNILLOS PEDICULARES LUMBARES Marcelo Italo Risso Neto1 , Sylvio Mistro Neto2, Roberto Rossanez2, Guilherme Rebechi Zuiani1, Ivan Guidolin Veiga2, Wagner Pasqualini2, Marcos Antônio Tebet2, Augusto Celso Scarparo Amato Filho3, Elcio Landim1, Paulo Tadeu Maia Cavali1 1. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, Spinal Surgery Department, Campinas, SP, Braz e Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. e Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 2. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Unicamp, Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, Spinal Surgery Department Campinas, SP, Brazil. C ( C ) C ê é C S e Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 2. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Unicamp, Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, Spinal Surgery Department, Campinas, SP, Brazil. p , , , 2. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Unicamp, Orthopedics and Traumatology Departmen Campinas, SP, Brazil. Campinas, SP, Brazil. 3. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Unicamp, Radiology Department, Campinas, SP, Brazil. Original Article/Artigo Original/Artículo Original Original Article/Artigo Original/Artículo Original RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar se a presença de osteólise em torno dos parafusos pediculares influencia a qualidade de vida de pacientes submetidos à artrodese posterolateral da coluna lombossacral. Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo com pacientes submetidos à artrodese posterolateral lombar ou lombossacral por doença espinal degenerativa. Foram realizadas tomografias computadorizadas dos segmentos operados em intervalos de 45, 90, 180 e 360 dias de pós-operatório. Nesses exames, foi pesquisado a presença de um halo radiolucente peri-implante, que foi considerado presente quando maior que 1 mm no corte coronal. Concomitantemente à realização dos exames de TC foi aplicado o questionário Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) para avaliar o grau de incapacidade dos pacientes. Resultados: Foram avaliados 38 pacientes e 14 (36,84%) deles apresentavam algum grau de osteólise ao redor de pelo menos um parafuso pedicular ao final do seguimento. Dos 242 parafusos analisados, 27 (11,15%) apresentaram osteólise no corte coronal da TC, sendo a maioria dessas ocorrências no nível mais distal do segmento com artrodese. Não se observou relação da presença dessa osteólise com a qualidade de vida dos pacientes. A qualidade de vida tem melhora significativa quando se compara o resultado pré-operatório com os resultados pós-operatórios nos diversos momentos de aplicação do ODI. Essa melhora no ODI mantém a linearidade de melhora com o passar do tempo. Conclusão: Não há relação da presença da osteólise peri-implante com a qualidade de vida dos pacientes submetidos à artrodese lombar ou lombossacral posterolateral no período de seguimento até os 360 dias. A qualidade de vida pós-operatória tem melhora significativa quando comparada ao momento pré-operatório. Descritores: Osteólise; Fusão vertebral; Qualidade de vida; Pseudoartrose; Coluna vertebral. ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate whether the presence of osteolysis around the pedicle screws affects the quality of life of patients who underwent posterolateral arthrodesis of the lumbosacral spine. Methods: A retrospective study of patients undergoing lumbar posterolateral or lum- bosacral arthrodesis due to spinal degenerative disease. CT scans of the operated segments were performed at intervals of 45, 90, 180, and 360 postoperatively. In these tests, the presence of a peri-implant radiolucent halo was investigated, which was considered present when greater than 1mm in the coronal section. Concurrently with the completion of CT scans, the participants completed the questionnaire Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) to assess the degree of disability of the patients. Results: A total of 38 patients were evaluated, and 14 (36.84%) of them showed some degree of osteolysis around at least one pedicle screw at the end of follow-up. Of the 242 analyzed screws, 27 (11.15%) had osteolysis in the CT coronal section, with the majority of these occurrences located at the most distal level segment of the arthrodesis. There was no correlation between the presence of the osteolysis to the quality of life of patients. The quality of life has significantly improved when comparing the preoperative results with the postoperative results at different times of application of ODI. This improvement in ODI maintains linearity over time. Conclusion: There is no correlation between the presence of peri-implant osteolysis to the quality of life of patients undergoing lumbar or posterolateral lumbosacral arthrodesis in the follow-up period up to 360 days. The quality of life in postoperative has significantly improvement when compared to the preoperative period. Keywords: Osteolysis; Spine fusion; Quality of life; Pseudarthrosis; Spine. RELAÇÃO ENTRE QUALIDADE DE VIDA E OSTEÓLISE EM TORNO DE PARAFUSOS PEDICULARES LOMBARES CORRELACIÓN ENTRE CALIDAD DE VIDA Y OSTEÓLISIS ALREDEDOR DE TORNILLOS PEDICULARES LUMBARES Study conducted by the Spine Surgery Group of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil. Correspondence: Depto. de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Área de Cirurgia da Coluna, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas - UNICAMP. Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126, Cidade Universitária “Zeferino Vaz”, Campinas, SP, Brazil. 13083-887. mrisso@mpc.com.br, sylvio.mistro@gmail.com METHOD (Figure 1A) The software Arya Pixeon© version 1.5.5 was used, and sections with thickness of 3 mm. All the patients agreed to and signed the Informed consent Form (ICF), which was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, SP, Brazil, under number 856/2009. For the statistical analysis, the software SPSS 20.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used, and a level of significance of 5% was used for the tests. This is a retrospective analysis study of patients submitted to surgical treatment of the vertebral spine, with lumbar or lumbosacral posterolateral arthrodesis instrumented with pedicle screws. The study was conducted from 2010 to 2013 at a tertiary public hospital. Patients aged between 20 and 85 years were included, of both sexes, with a history of degenerative disease of the lumbosacral spine, who had already undergone conservative treatment without improvement in the symptoms. Patients were excluded who had a history of vertebral spine tumor, congenital deformities, a previous history of surgical procedure to the lumbosacral spine, and patients who did not agree to the research terms and did not sign the Informed Consent Form (ICF). The patients responded to the Oswestry Disability Index in the preoperative period, and at 45, 90, 180 and 360 postoperative days. The ODI questionnaire was always applied by an orthopedic surgeon who was trained and familiar with it. The questionnaire consists of 10 questions with six statements in each, to identify limitations when performing nine activities of daily living, and in the patient’s sex life. The final score expresses the degree of disability, as a percentage, classifying it as minimal, moderate, severe, very severe and bed-bound or exaggerating the symptoms, as shown in annex 1. At the time of application of the questionnaire, except during the preoperative period, computed tomography exams were taken of the lumbosacral spine. Lumbar arthrodesis has been indicated as one of the treatment alternatives in selected cases of degenerative diseases of the verte- bral spine with instability, including scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, and narrowing of the lumbar canal,2,3 proving efficient, when properly indicated, and resulting in an improvement in the pain and other disabilities generated by these pathologies.1-4 Lumbar arthrodeses can be performed via the anterior, posterior, or posterolateral approaches, or a combination of these. RESUMEN Objetivo: Evaluar si la presencia de osteólisis alrededor de los tornillos pediculares afecta la calidad de vida de los pacientes que fueron sometidos a artrodesis posterolateral de la columna lumbosacra. Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo de pacientes sometidos a artrodesis lumbar posterolateral o lumbosacra debido a enfermedad degenerativa de la columna vertebral. Se realizaron tomografías computarizadas de los segmentos operados en intervalos de 45, 90, 180 y 360 días después de la cirugía. En estas pruebas, fue investigada la presencia de un halo radiotransparente alrededor del implante, que se consideró presente cuando era mayor que 1 mm en corte coronal. Simultáneamente http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1808-185120161504147749 Received on 03/27/2015, accepted on 07/13/2016. Coluna/Columna. 2016;15(4):290-4 CORRELATION BETWEEN QUALITY OF LIFE AND OSTEOLYSIS AROUND LUMBAR PEDICLE SCREWS 291 con la realización de las tomografías se aplicó el cuestionario Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) para evaluar el grado de discapacidad de los pacientes. Resultados: Se evaluaron 38 pacientes y 14 (36,84%) de ellos tenían algún grado de osteólisis alrededor de al menos un tornillo pedicular al final del seguimiento. De los 242 tornillos analizados, 27 (11,15%) tenían osteólisis en el corte coronal de la tomografía, estando la mayoría de estas ocurrencias, en el nivel más distal de la artrodesis. No hubo correlación entre la presencia de la osteólisis a la calidad de vida de los pacientes. La calidad de vida ha mejorado de manera significativa al comparar los resultados preoperatorios con los resultados postoperatorios en sus distintos momentos del ODI. Esta mejora en el ODI mantiene linealidad de mejoría con el tiempo. Conclusión: No existe correlación entre la presencia de osteólisis alrededor del implante a la calidad de vida de los pacientes sometidos a artrodesis posterolateral lumbar o lumbosacra en el período de seguimiento de hasta 360 días. La calidad de vida postoperatoria ha mejorado significativamente en comparación con el período preoperatorio. Descriptores: Osteólisis; Fusión vertebral; Calidad de vida; Seudoartrosis; Columna vertebral. Coluna/Columna. 2016;15(4):290-4 METHOD Images were used in the coronal and sagittal planes, so that the image in the coronal plane, used for the evaluation of osteolysis, reflected the image of the screw oriented perpendicularly to the vertebra. (Figure 1A) The software Arya Pixeon© version 1.5.5 was used, and sections with thickness of 3 mm. All the patients agreed to and signed the Informed consent Form (ICF), which was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, SP, Brazil, under number 856/2009. For the statistical analysis, the software SPSS 20.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used, and a level of significance of 5% was used for the tests. INTRODUCTION health professionals to evaluate and better understand the patients’ expectations and anxieties in the period prior to the proposed treat- ment, and during the recovery phase.21 One such questionnaire is the “Oswestry Disability Index” (ODI).27 Low back pain or chronic lumbociatalgia, defined as pain lasting more than three months, is the second biggest cause of visits to the doctor and the main cause of absence from work in the USA. It affects 5% to 8% of the general population, and is reported by 19% of the economically active population, generating costs of more than a hundred billion dollars each year.1,2 There is a wide spectrum of treat- ments available for patients with chronic low back pain resulting from degenerative changes to the vertebral spine, including conservative and surgical alternatives.2 y y ( ) The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of osteolysis around each of the pedicle screws used in surgical arthrodesis pro- cedures and the time to its occurrence during the first postoperative year, and to correlate this finding with the levels of disability of patients during their evolution, through the application of the ODI. METHOD The benefits of the posterolateral approach include its relative ease of execution and the fact that most surgeons are familiar with it, the possibility of direct decompression of the neural elements, and the high fusion rates, which are optimized with the use of pedicle instrumentation, increasing the rigidity of the system.5-9 g g y y Pedicle screw loosening is cited in various studies as one of the complications of vertebral spine surgeries.10-13 This phenomenon can be observed by the presence of a radiolucent halo, indicating peri- implant osteolysis around the pedicle screw, in the coronal sections of the computed tomography. The presence of this halo is a suggestive sign of pseudoarthrosis.8,14-16 Its incidence varies between 0.6% and 25%.8 Schatzker et al.17 describe the histological finding resulting from micromovements in the bone-implant interface, such as the presence of a fibrous peri-implant tissue, which has a radiological image cor- responding to a halo. The sensitivity of the finding of a radiolucent halo for the diagnosis of pseudoarthrosis is 93% and the specificity is 92%.16 It is known that fusion failure of the arthrodesis can be a source of pain, according to some authors, but there are few reports in the literature, and there is no definitive conclusion as to whether there is a direct relationship between the presence of a radiolucent halo and one of the unfavorable clinical outcomes, such as the presence of postoperative pain.8,18 Quality of life refers to the dimensions of life that can be affected by diseases or their treatment.19 It is known that low back pain has a direct negative impact on the patient’s quality of life, and that it is a condition commonly associated with severe pain and great physical, social and psychological disability,20-22 leading to deficits four times greater when compared to the general population, after adjusting for age and comorbidities.23 The exams were evaluated by an experienced radiologist who did not have information about the patient’s disorders or their clinical informa- tion, in order to identify the presence of osteolysis. The observation of a peri-implant radiolucent line greater than 1 mm in the coronal slice of the tomography was considered positive for the presence of oste- olysis,12 as shown in Figure 1. The computed tomography exams were performed using a 64-channel multislice device. METHOD Low back pain and lumbociatalgia are commonly the result of disc disease, which may manifest as intersomatic arthrosis, protrusion and disc extrusion. The degenerative cascade, associated with lesions of the anatomical structures, vertebral instability and narrowing of the canal and intervertebral foramina, generates an environment that could lead to low back pain and radiculopathies.2,3 This is a retrospective analysis study of patients submitted to surgical treatment of the vertebral spine, with lumbar or lumbosacral posterolateral arthrodesis instrumented with pedicle screws. The study was conducted from 2010 to 2013 at a tertiary public hospital. Patients aged between 20 and 85 years were included, of both sexes, with a history of degenerative disease of the lumbosacral spine, who had already undergone conservative treatment without improvement in the symptoms. Patients were excluded who had a history of vertebral spine tumor, congenital deformities, a previous history of surgical procedure to the lumbosacral spine, and patients who did not agree to the research terms and did not sign the Informed Consent Form (ICF). The patients responded to the Oswestry Disability Index in the preoperative period, and at 45, 90, 180 and 360 postoperative days. The ODI questionnaire was always applied by an orthopedic surgeon who was trained and familiar with it. The questionnaire consists of 10 questions with six statements in each, to identify limitations when performing nine activities of daily living, and in the patient’s sex life. The final score expresses the degree of disability, as a percentage, classifying it as minimal, moderate, severe, very severe and bed-bound or exaggerating the symptoms, as shown in annex 1. At the time of application of the questionnaire, except during the preoperative period, computed tomography exams were taken of the lumbosacral spine. The exams were evaluated by an experienced radiologist who did not have information about the patient’s disorders or their clinical informa- tion, in order to identify the presence of osteolysis. The observation of a peri-implant radiolucent line greater than 1 mm in the coronal slice of the tomography was considered positive for the presence of oste- olysis,12 as shown in Figure 1. The computed tomography exams were performed using a 64-channel multislice device. Images were used in the coronal and sagittal planes, so that the image in the coronal plane, used for the evaluation of osteolysis, reflected the image of the screw oriented perpendicularly to the vertebra. Table 1. General patient data. At the end of these 360 days of follow-up, 14 (36.84%) patients presented osteolysis in the computed tomography. The levels of arthrodesis of these patients are shown in Table 2; in the majority of cases, the radiological signal was observed at 90 postoperative days. A total of 242 screws were evaluated, and osteolysis was found in 27 (11.15%) as shown in Table 3. At the end of these 360 days of follow-up, 14 (36.84%) patients presented osteolysis in the computed tomography. The levels of arthrodesis of these patients are shown in Table 2; in the majority of cases, the radiological signal was observed at 90 postoperative days. g g p p y A total of 242 screws were evaluated, and osteolysis was found in 27 (11.15%) as shown in Table 3. ( ) The absolute majority of the screws with osteolysis were those of the more distal level of the area of arthrodesis; 12 patients in S1, two patients in L5, and one patient in L2 (this patient also represented osteolysis in the more distal level) as shown in Table 4. Table 3. Total number of screws evaluated and screws with osteolysis. Screws n(%) 242 (100) Screws with osteolysis n (%) 27 (11.15) Table 4. Location of the screws with osteolysis. Screws with osteolysis n(%) 27 (100) Screws with osteolysis in S1 n (%) 20 (74.1) Screws with osteolysis in L5 n (%) 6 (22.2) Screws with osteolysis in L2 n (%) 1 (3.7) Table 3. Total number of screws evaluated and screws with osteolysis. Table 5 presents a comparison between the Oswestry Disability Index score, recorded as a percentage, and the presence of oste- olysis in the various evaluation times. It is observed that the levels of disability are very similar in the osteolysis group and the group that did not present this finding. p g Looking closely at Table 6, we see that the index of disability presented, on average, difference only between the different evaluation times during the first year of postoperative follow-up, independently of the presence or absence of osteolysis (p < 0.001). This finding demonstrates a gradual improvement in the ODI during the evaluation period. The osteolysis did not statistically influence the disability scores of the ODI (p=0.559). Table 1. General patient data. y (p ) Table 7 shows that there is an improvement in the disability index, with statistical significance, when comparing the preoperative result with the other evaluation periods. However, there is no statistical significance when the improvement in ODI is compared among the other evaluation times, in the different postoperative periods. Table 5. Comparison of ODI with osteolysis in the evaluation times. Table 5. Comparison of ODI with osteolysis in the evaluation times. Time (days) Osteolysis No Yes Mean SD N Mean SD N Preoperative 56.4 14.9 22 54.9 18.9 13 45 25.8 23.1 22 30.4 13.8 13 90 24.7 19.2 22 32.1 17.9 14 180 21.3 19.1 23 22.0 16.8 14 360 17.5 15.5 23 22.4 18.8 14 RESULTS j g g Quality of life questionnaires are a feasible, effective and routinely used tool for monitoring the evolution of patients in treatment with pathologies of the vertebral spine.24-26 These questionnaires also help The study involved 38 patients; 20 male and 18 female, with a mean age of 51.02 years and median age of 51 years, as shown in Table 1. 292 Figure 1. A and B Example of the measurement of osteolysis in the CT. Coro- nal section (1 A) perpendicular to the long axis of the screw (1 B). The arrows show the area of osteolysis and the distance “d” is the measurement used to quantify the halo. d A B d A McAfee et al.32 report, in a study of 526 pedicle screws, that there was no loosening. Essens et al.10 describe a rate of 0.81% of loosening in 617 treated patients. That study also presented a literature review that showed a loosening frequency of between 0.6% and 11%. However, these studies with low screw loosening rates do not describe, in detail, the radiological methods or criteria used to identify the loosening. In three other studies with better detailed radiological methodology, loosening rates of 18%, 21% and 27% were demonstrated.15,29,33 B g Our study showed that of the 242 pedicle screws analyzed, 27 (11.15%) presented signs of loosening, as shown by the tomographic finding of a radiolucent halo larger than 1 mm in the coronal section, described here as osteolysis. These data coincide with the averages described in the literature on the theme. The fact that the highest B Figure 1. A and B Example of the measurement of osteolysis in the CT. Coro- nal section (1 A) perpendicular to the long axis of the screw (1 B). The arrows show the area of osteolysis and the distance “d” is the measurement used to quantify the halo. Table 2. Patients with osteolysis in up to 360 days of follow-up. Levels submitted to arthrodesis Level(s) with osteolysis Patient 1 L3-S1 S1 Patient 2 L2-L5 L5 Patient 3 L4-S1 S1 Patient 4 L1-S1 S1 Patient 5 L3-S1 S1 Patient 6 L3-S1 S1 Patient 7 L3-S1 S1 Patient 8 L3-S1 S1 Patient 9 L1-S1 S1 Patient 10 L4-S1 S1 Patient 11 L2-S1 S1 and L2 Patient 12 L5-S1 S1 Patient 13 L3-S1 S1 Patient 14 L4-L5 L5 Table 3. Total number of screws evaluated and screws with osteolysis. Coluna/Columna. 2016;15(4):290-4 RESULTS Screws n(%) 242 (100) Screws with osteolysis n (%) 27 (11.15) Table 4. Location of the screws with osteolysis. Screws with osteolysis n(%) 27 (100) Screws with osteolysis in S1 n (%) 20 (74.1) Screws with osteolysis in L5 n (%) 6 (22.2) Screws with osteolysis in L2 n (%) 1 (3.7) Table 5. Comparison of ODI with osteolysis in the evaluation times. Time (days) Osteolysis No Yes Mean SD N Mean SD N Preoperative 56.4 14.9 22 54.9 18.9 13 45 25.8 23.1 22 30.4 13.8 13 90 24.7 19.2 22 32.1 17.9 14 180 21.3 19.1 23 22.0 16.8 14 360 17.5 15.5 23 22.4 18.8 14 Table 6. Comparison of ODI with osteolysis, evaluation time, and both. Variable Factor Test statistic gl p Oswestry Osteolysis 0.34 1 0.559 Evaluation time 133.35 4 <0.001 Osteolysis and Time 4.57 4 0.334 Table 2. Patients with osteolysis in up to 360 days of follow-up. Levels submitted to arthrodesis Level(s) with osteolysis Patient 1 L3-S1 S1 Patient 2 L2-L5 L5 Patient 3 L4-S1 S1 Patient 4 L1-S1 S1 Patient 5 L3-S1 S1 Patient 6 L3-S1 S1 Patient 7 L3-S1 S1 Patient 8 L3-S1 S1 Patient 9 L1-S1 S1 Patient 10 L4-S1 S1 Patient 11 L2-S1 S1 and L2 Patient 12 L5-S1 S1 Patient 13 L3-S1 S1 Patient 14 L4-L5 L5 Table 2. Patients with osteolysis in up to 360 days of follow-up. Table 1. General patient data. Variable (N = 38) Sex, n (%) Female 18 (47.4) Male 20 (52.6) Age (years) mean (DP) 51 (12.4) median (min/max) 51 (28/84) DISCUSSION Variable Time Comparison Mean difference or percentage Standard error gl p CI (95%) Lower Upper Oswestry Disability Index All the evaluation times Preoperative - 45 days 28.35 2.77 1 <0.001 20.58 36.11 Preoperative - 90 days 27.83 3.43 1 <0.001 18.21 37.44 Preoperative - 180 days 33.86 3.79 1 <0.001 23.22 44.50 Preoperative - 360 days 36.07 4.02 1 <0.001 24.79 47.34 45 days - 90 days -0.52 2.68 1 >0.999 -8.04 6.99 45 days - 180 days 5.51 3.40 1 >0.999 -4.02 15.05 45 days - 360 days 7.72 3.78 1 0.412 -2.89 18.33 90 days - 180 days 6.04 2.65 1 0.228 -1.41 13.48 90 days - 360 days 8.24 3.37 1 0.145 -1.22 17.71 180 days - 360 days 2.21 2.64 1 >0.999 -5.19 9.61 incidence of osteolysis was found at the distal level, especially in S1, is explained by the high mechanical demand placed on the lumbosacral junction, a region with biomechanical particularities that make fusion of the arthrodesis difficult, with known high rates of pseudoarthrosis, which is a separate subject of discussion in the field of spinal surgery, as described Harimaya et al.14 In this study, we noted an improvement in quality of life in the postoperative period, independently of the presence of osteolysis around the pedicle screws. This improvement in quality of life scores had statistical significance only when the preoperative results were compared with any other postoperative evaluation times. When the quality of life was compared between the different evaluation times in the postoperative period, there was no statistically significant difference. The aim of our study was to correlate osteolysis of the screws, which represents a sign of instability in the area of arthrodesis, with the quality of life of these patients. It would be expected that patients with this radiological sign of loosening of the implant would present greater pain, resulting in a consequent worsening of the quality of life scores. However, this hypothesis was not confirmed, as the patients without signs of loosening of the implant presented similar quality of life scores to those with this sign. This finding is in accordance with the findings published by Kim et al.8 who evaluated the prevalence of loosening of the screws and its clinical significance in a study with 24 women submitted to surgery of the vertebral spine due to stenosis. DISCUSSION The use of pedicle screws as a means of stabilization of the spine gained popularity in Europe in the 1980s, through the work of Roy-Camille et al.28 and became the most prevalent form of spinal fixation in North America in the 1990s. The transpedicle technique enables a rigid, segmental fixation of the vertebral spine under various conditions of spondylolisthesis, tumor, post-traumatic instability, multiple laminectomies, and degenerative arthritis.10 Despite the efficacy of the pedicle screws used in the treatment of various pathologies of the vertebral spine, it is not free of complications.14,26,29-31 One of these is loosening of the screw. However, data on this outcome are very varied in the literature, probably due to the different study designs. Table 6. Comparison of ODI with osteolysis, evaluation time, and both. Variable Factor Test statistic gl p Oswestry Osteolysis 0.34 1 0.559 Evaluation time 133.35 4 <0.001 Osteolysis and Time 4.57 4 0.334 omparison of ODI with osteolysis, evaluation time, and both is loosening of the screw. However, data on this outcome are very varied in the literature, probably due to the different study designs. CORRELATION BETWEEN QUALITY OF LIFE AND OSTEOLYSIS AROUND LUMBAR PEDICLE SCREWS 293 Table 7. Comparison of ODI between the various patient evaluation times. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that in patients submitted to surgical procedures with posterolateral arthrodesis, using pedicle screws for the treatment of degenerative disease of the vertebral lumbosacral spine, the presence of osteolysis around these pedicle screws did not result in worsening disability in the patients, evaluated by the ODI. Further studies are necessary to understand the real significance of this radiological signal. All the authors declare no potential conflict of interest concerning this article. CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE AUTHORS: Each author made an individual and significant contribution to the development of the manuscript. MIRN, RR and SMN were the main contributors to the writing of the manuscript. GRZ, IGV and PTMC performed the surgical procedures. MIRN, RR and SMN followed up the patients and gathered clinical data. ACSAF performed the radiological interpretation of the exams. MIRN and GRZ evaluated the data from the statistical analysis. RR, SMN and MIRN carried out the bibliographic review. EL, PTMC, WP, MAT and MIRN reviewed the manuscript and contributed to the intellectual concept of the study. DISCUSSION Those authors came to the conclusion that the real significance of the phenomenon of osteolysis is not fully understood, but that it did not have any significance in the clinical evolution of the patient. Wu et al.,12 in a study with 126 patients and 658 screws analyzed, came to the conclusion that loosening of the screw may be asymptomatic in its presentation, and that it presents an opportunity for bone integration in future follow-up. Tokuhashi et al.16 concluded that approximately two thirds of the radiolucent zones around the implants disappear with time, and that these are not necessarily diagnostic findings of pseudoarthrosis. On the other hand, it is emphasized that when this zone of radiolucency remains for more than two years after surgery, there is a high risk of the occurrence of pseudoarthrosis. The improvement in quality of life, measured through the ODI, following a surgical spinal procedure in patients with degenerative disease, is well known in the literature.26 Carreon et al.34 in an extensive literature review, showed that patients with degenerative disc disease or spondylolisthesis submitted to surgical treatment had considerable improvements in postoperative ODI. In another study, Carreon et al.25 observed that patients with worse preoperative ODI scores had more significant improvements during postoperative follow-up. Coluna/Columna. 2016;15(4):290-4 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE AUTHORS: Each author made an individual and significant contribution to the development of the manuscript. MIRN, RR and SMN were the main contributors to the writing of the manuscript. GRZ, IGV and PTMC performed the surgical procedures. MIRN, RR and SMN followed up the patients and gathered clinical data. ACSAF performed the radiological interpretation of the exams. MIRN and GRZ evaluated the data from the statistical analysis. RR, SMN and MIRN carried out the bibliographic review. EL, PTMC, WP, MAT and MIRN reviewed the manuscript and contributed to the intellectual concept of the study. surgery to nonoperative care for treatment of chronic back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007;32(7):816-23. 5. Adams MA, Roughley PJ. What is intervertebral disc degeneration, and what causes it? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2006;31(18):2151-61. 6. Kwon BK, Vaccaro AR, Grauer JN, Beiner J. Indications, techniques, and outcomes of posterior surgery for chronic low back pain. Orthop Clin North Am. 2003;34(2):297-308. 7. Lu WW, Zhu Q, Holmes AD, Luk KD, Zhong S, Leong JC. Loosening of sacral screw fixation under in vitro fatigue loading. J Orthop Res. 2000;18(5):808-14. 5. Adams MA, Roughley PJ. What is intervertebral disc degeneration, and what causes it? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2006;31(18):2151-61. 1. Phillips FM, Slosar PJ, Youssef JA, Andersson G, Papatheofanis F. Lumbar spine fusion for chronic low back pain due to degenerative disc disease: a systematic review. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013;38(7):E409-22. 2. Lykissas MG, Aichmair A. Current concepts on spinal arthrodesis in degenerative disorders of the lumbar spine. World J Clin Cases. 2013;1(1):4-12. 3. Herkowitz HN, Garfin SR, Eismont FJ, Bell GR, Balderston RA. Rothman simeone the spine. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2011. 4. Mirza SK, Deyo RA. Systematic review of randomized trials comparing lumbar fusion surgery to nonoperative care for treatment of chronic back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007;32(7):816-23. 6. Kwon BK, Vaccaro AR, Grauer JN, Beiner J. Indications, techniques, and outcomes of posterior surgery for chronic low back pain. Orthop Clin North Am. 2003;34(2):297-308. 7. Lu WW, Zhu Q, Holmes AD, Luk KD, Zhong S, Leong JC. Loosening of sacral screw fixation under in vitro fatigue loading. J Orthop Res. 2000;18(5):808-14. REFERENCES 2012;16(3):238-47. y p y 25. Roy-Camille R, Saillant G, Mazel C. Internal fixation of the lumbar spine with pedicle screw plating. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1986;(203):7-17 of 84 patients. J Neurosurg Spine. 2012;16(3):238-47. 26. Winter RB. Complications after transpedicular stabilization of the spine. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1995;20(16):1847-8. 12. Wu JC, Huang WC, Tsai HW, Ko CC, Wu CL, Tu TH, Cheng H. Pedicle screw loose- ning in dynamic stabilization: incidence, risk, and outcome in 126 patients. Neurosurg Focus. 2011;31(4):E9. 27. Fairbank JC, Pynsent PB. The Oswestry Disability Index. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2000;25(22):2940-52. 13. Aghayev E, Zullig N, Diel P, Dietrich D, Benneker LM. Development and validation of a quantitative method to assess pedicle screw loosening in posterior spine instrumentation on plain radiographs. Eur Spine J. 2014;23(3):689-94. 28. McAfee PC, Weiland DJ, Carlow JJ. Survivorship analysis of pedicle spinal instrumen- tation. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1991;16(Suppl 8):S422-7. 14. Harimaya K, Mishiro T, Lenke LG, Bridwell KH, Koester LA, Sides BA. Etiology and revision surgical strategies in failed lumbosacral fixation of adult spinal deformity constructs. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011;36(20):1701-10. 29. Bechara AHS; Zuiani GR, Risso MIN, Cavali PTM, Veiga IG, Paqualini W et al. Evolução dos questionários Oswestry 2.0 e do componente físico (PCS) do SF-36 durante o pri- meiro ano de pós-operatório de artrodese da coluna lombar em doenças degenerativas. Coluna/Columna. 2013;12(2):128-32. p ; 15. Pihlajämaki H, Myllynen P, Böstman O. Complications of transpedicular lumbosacral fixation for non-traumatic disorders. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1997;79(2):183-9. 30. Kang SH, Cho YJ, Kim YB, Park SW. Pullout strength after expandable polymethylme- thacrylate transpedicular screw augmentation for pedicle screw loosening. J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2015;57(4):229-34. 16. Tokuhashi Y, Matsuzaki H, Oda H, Uei H. Clinical course and significance of the clear zone around the pedicle screws in the lumbar degenerative disease. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008;33(8):903-8. g 31. Kang SH, Cho YJ, Kim YB, Park SW. Pullout strength after expandable polymethylme- thacrylate transpedicular screw augmentation for pedicle screw loosening. J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2015;57(4):229-34. ) ; ( ) 17. Schatzker J, Horne JG, Sumner-Smith G. The effect of movement on the holding power of screws in bone. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1975;(111):257-62. 18. Tokuhashi Y, Ajiro Y, Umezawa N. Follow-up of patients with delayed union after pos- terior fusion with pedicle screw fixation. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008;33(7):786-91. 32. Ohlin A, Karlsson M, Düppe H, Hasserius R, Redlund-Johnell I. REFERENCES 1. Phillips FM, Slosar PJ, Youssef JA, Andersson G, Papatheofanis F. Lumbar spine fusion for chronic low back pain due to degenerative disc disease: a systematic review. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013;38(7):E409-22. 1. Phillips FM, Slosar PJ, Youssef JA, Andersson G, Papatheofanis F. Lumbar spine fusion for chronic low back pain due to degenerative disc disease: a systematic review. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013;38(7):E409-22. 2. Lykissas MG, Aichmair A. Current concepts on spinal arthrodesis in degenerative disorders of the lumbar spine. World J Clin Cases. 2013;1(1):4-12. 3. Herkowitz HN, Garfin SR, Eismont FJ, Bell GR, Balderston RA. Rothman simeone the spine. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2011. p p ; 4. Mirza SK, Deyo RA. Systematic review of randomized trials comparing lumbar fusion Coluna/Columna. 2016;15(4):290-4 294 patients following selected types of lumbar spinal surgery: a pilot study. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2007;5:71. 8. Sandén B, Olerud C, Petrén-Mallmin M, Johansson C, Larsson S. The significance of radiolucent zones surrounding pedicle screws. Definition of screw loosening in spinal instrumentation. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2004;86(3):457-61. patients following selected types of lumbar spinal surgery: a pilot study. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2007;5:71. 22. Otani K, Kikuchi S, Yabuki S, Igarashi T, Nikaido T, Watanabe K, Konno S. Lumbar spinal stenosis has a negative impact on quality of life compared with other comorbidities: an epidemiological cross-sectional study of 1862 community-dwelling individuals. Scienti- ficWorldJournal. 2013;2013:1-9. Disponível em: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/590652 g 9. Carreon LY, Glassman SD, Djurasovic M, Dimar JR, Johnson JR, Puno RM, et al. Are preoperative health-related quality of life scores predictive of clinical outcomes after lumbar fusion? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2009;34(7):725-30. ficWorldJournal. 2013;2013:1-9. Disponível em: http://dx.doi.org/10.1 p 10. Esses SI, Sachs BL, Dreyzin V. Complications associated with the technique of pe- dicle screw fixation. A selected survey of ABS members. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1993;18(15):2231-8. p p g 23. Battié MC, Jones CA, Schopflocher DP, Hu RW. Health-related quality of life and comorbidities associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. Spine J. 2012;12(3):189-95. 24. Davidson M, Keating JL. A comparison of five low back disability questionnaire reliability and responsiveness. Phys Ther. 2002;82(1):8-24. 24. Davidson M, Keating JL. A comparison of five low back d reliability and responsiveness Phys Ther 2002;82(1):8 24 11. Nakashima H, Yukawa Y, Imagama S, Kanemura T, Kamiya M, Yanase M, et al. Compli- cations of cervical pedicle screw fixation for nontraumatic lesions: a multicenter study of 84 patients. J Neurosurg Spine. REFERENCES Complications after transpedicular stabilization of the spine. A survivorship analysis of 163 cases. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1994;19(24):2774-9. 19. Jansson KA, Németh G, Granath F, Jönsson B, Blomqvist P. Health-related quality of life in patients before and after surgery for a herniated lumbar disc. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2005;87(7):959-64. 33. Soini J, Laine T, Pohjolainen T, Hurri H, Alaranta H. Spondylodesis augmented by transpedicular fixation in the treatment of olisthetic and degenerative conditions of the lumbar spine. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1993;(297):111-6. 20. Sirvanci M, Bhatia M, Ganiyusufoglu KA, Duran C, Tezer M, Ozturk C, et al. Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis: correlation with Oswestry Disability Index and MR imaging. Eur Spine J. 2008;17(5):679-85 34. Carreon LY, Glassman SD, Howard J. Fusion and nonsurgical treatment for symptomatic lumbar degenerative disease: a systematic review of Oswestry Disability Index and MOS Short Form-36 outcomes. Spine J. 2008;8(5):747-55. 21. Saban KL, Penckofer SM, Androwich I, Bryant FB. Health-related quality of life of Annex 1. Presentation of the Oswestry Disability Index. Coluna/Columna. 2016;15(4):290-4 Oswestry Disability Index 2.0 Takes into consideration how far the problem in the back (or legs) has affected the day-to-day activities in the following areas 1- intensity of the pain 6- standing 2- personal care 7- sleep 3- lifting heavy objects 8- sex life 4- walking 9- social life 5- sitting 10- travel Interpretation of the results of the Oswestry Index 0% - 20% : minimal disability 21% - 40%: moderate disability 41% - 60%: severe disability 61% - 80% : very severe disability 81% - 100%: bed-ridden or exaggerating the symptoms Oswestry Disability Index 2.0
https://openalex.org/W4317514617
https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/files/351708512/ADHD_social_outcomes_Revised_Manuscript_clean.pdf
English
null
Young-Adult Social Outcomes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
˜The œJournal of clinical psychiatry/˜The œjournal of clinical psychiatry
2,023
cc-by
8,665
Riglin, L., Todd, A., Blakey, R., Shakeshaft, A., Stergiakouli , E., Davey Smith, G., Tilling, K. M., & Thapar, A. (2023). Young-Adult Social Outcomes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 84(2), Article 22m14379. https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.22m14379 Peer reviewed version License (if available): CC BY Link to published version (if available): 10.4088/jcp.22m14379 Peer reviewed version License (if available): CC BY Link to published version (if available): 10.4088/jcp.22m14379 Link to publication record on the Bristol Research Portal PDF-document This is the accepted author manuscript (AAM). The final published version (version of record) is available online via Physicians Postgraduate Press at https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.22m14379. Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher. Riglin, L., Todd, A., Blakey, R., Shakeshaft, A., Stergiakouli , E., Davey Smith, G., Tilling, K. M., & Thapar, A. (2023). Young-Adult Social Outcomes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 84(2), Article 22m14379. https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.22m14379 Riglin, L., Todd, A., Blakey, R., Shakeshaft, A., Stergiakouli , E., Davey Smith, G., Tilling, K. M., & Thapar, A. (2023). Young-Adult Social Outcomes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 84(2), Article 22m14379. https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.22m14379 University of Bristol – Bristol Research Portal General rights This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/red/research-policy/pure/user-guides/brp-terms/ nvestigating young-adult social outcomes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Lucy Riglin PhD1, Andrew Todd MRCPsych1, Rachel Blakey PhD2, Amy Shakeshaft MRes1, Evie Stergiakouli PhD2, George Davey Smith MD FRS2, Kate Tilling PhD2, Anita Thapar FRCPsych PhD1* 1Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, UK. 2Population Health Sciences and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. *Corresponding author. Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff CF24 4HQ. Tel: +442920 688325. Email: thapar@cardiff.ac.uk. Conflicts of Interest. None. Acknowledgements. We are extremely grateful to all the families who took part in this study, the midwives for their help in recruiting them, and the whole ALSPAC team, which includes interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists and nurses. Funding. The UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome (Grant ref: 217065/Z/19/Z) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. RB, ES, GDS and KT work in a unit that receives funding from the University of Bristol and the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00011/1 and MC_UU_00011/3). This publication is the work of the authors and Lucy Riglin and Anita Thapar will serve as guarantors for the contents of this paper. A comprehensive list of grants funding is available on the ALSPAC website (www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/external/documents/grant-acknowledgements.pdf). The primary outcome measures used in the paper were specifically funded by the Wellcome Trust (204895/Z/16/Z) for age 25 data. LR, RB and AS conducted this research while funded by the Wellcome Trust (204895/Z/16/Z) for which funding was acquired by ES, GDS, KT and AT. For (www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/external/documents/grant-acknowledgements.pdf). The primary outcome measures used in the paper were specifically funded by the Wellcome Trust (204895/Z/16/Z) for age 25 data. LR, RB and AS conducted this research while funded by the Wellcome Trust (204895/Z/16/Z) for which funding was acquired by ES, GDS, KT and AT. For 1 1 the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. 2 2 Abstract Objective. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with a range of adverse outcomes in adult life. However it is unclear whether the risk pathways to adverse adult outcomes are established during childhood or whether associations are driven by concurrent ADHD symptoms that have persisted to adulthood. Methods. We examined associations between broadly defined child-limited (remitted) and persistent ADHD (assessed using the ADHD subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) with social outcomes (low emotional and instrumental support, antisocial behaviour, employment, receipt of state benefits as an indicator of socio-economic disadvantage, homelessness) at age 25 years in a UK longitudinal population sample ALPSAC (the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, age 25 data collected between years 2017 and 2018): total N=6439. Results. Up to 20% of young-people with less favourable social outcomes at age 25 had persistent ADHD. Persistent ADHD was associated with an increased likelihood of being not in education, employment or training (NEET: OR=3.71, 95% CI=2.06 to 6.67, p=1x10-05) and receiving state benefits (OR=2.72, 95% CI=1.62 to 4.57, p=2x10-04) at age 25 years compared to those without ADHD. We did not find strong evidence of associations between child-limited ADHD and social outcomes (NEET OR=1.20, 95% CI=0.54 to 2.69, p=0.65; state benefits OR=1.38, 95% CI=0.76 to 2.51, p=0.29). Persistent ADHD associations with negative social outcomes were observed across family-of- origin income groups, sex and were not explained by comorbidity. Conclusion. Our findings highlight the importance of continued monitoring and management of ADHD symptoms and related social as well as clinical outcomes across development into adulthood. Future research is needed to identify what factors promote positive social outcomes, including effective treatment of adult ADHD symptoms. K d ADHD d l i i l ALSPAC Keywords: ADHD, young-adult, persistence, social outcomes; ALSPAC. 3 3 Introduction In the UK prospective twin cohort E-risk, those with remitted ADHD showed worse outcomes at age 18 years than those who have never had ADHD but not to the same extent as those with persistent ADHD.17 The question of what happens to those with ADHD that remits is clinically important: if ADHD appears to have remitted by late adolescence, should these young people be discharged from services or continue to be monitored by adult mental health or primary care services even if this follow-up is provided less frequently than for those with persistent ADHD? In this study we utilise a UK longitudinal birth cohort, followed up to age 25 years to address this question. We set out to examine the adult social outcomes at age 25 years associated with broadly defined ADHD, differentiating those that were child-limited (remitted) and persistent. We hypothesised that those with ADHD who had remitted by age 25 years, as well as those with persistent ADHD, would show adverse social outcomes by age 25 years. Introduction Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder with typical onset in childhood. Although most affected individuals continue to display some ADHD symptoms and impairment after childhood, others remit before adult life.1, 2 ADHD, whether defined categorically as a clinical disorder or as continuously distributed total symptom scores, is associated with multiple adverse adult clinical outcomes such as depression, anxiety, substance misuse and self-harm as well as worse social, occupational and physical health outcomes than those who are unaffected.3-6 Many of these adversities carry great personal, familial and societal cost. The association between ADHD and higher levels of antisocial behaviour is well established7. One meta-analysis estimated fivefold higher prevalence of people with ADHD detained in youth prison populations (30.1%) and tenfold in adult prison populations (26.2%) across a number of countries, compared to general population prevalence estimates at equivalent ages.8 ADHD is also associated with an increased likelihood of not completing secondary school or attending tertiary education,9 employment difficulties, homelessness and financial dependence on parents or government/public assistance in adulthood.10, 11 Finally, studies also suggest an association between ADHD and poorer quality social relationships and support in adulthood.12, 13 A variety of different research designs have been used to infer causal relationships between ADHD and several different clinical and physical health outcomes; these include time-series investigations of prescription data and Mendelian randomisation approaches. These studies suggest that the relationships between ADHD and some adverse outcomes, including depression,14, 15 substance misuse, cigarette smoking, BMI and coronary artery disease16 may be 4 4 causal, arising as a direct result of ADHD. If that is the case, then vigorous and effective support/treatment of ADHD would be crucial for preventing adverse adult outcomes. For many individuals however, the transition from child to adult mental health services disrupts engagement with clinicians and treatment continuity. That may not be a problem if ADHD has remitted and adverse adult outcomes primarily are influenced by concurrent ADHD symptoms. However, if ADHD symptoms in childhood lead to adversities or disadvantages (e.g. victimization, maltreatment and educational failure) across childhood and adolescence, then the risk mechanisms leading to poor adult outcomes have already been set in place. That would support the argument for continued monitoring of those with a history of childhood ADHD even if ADHD symptoms have declined or remitted. One previous study supports the latter hypothesis. Sample Of these initial pregnancies, there was a total of 14,676 foetuses, resulting in 14,062 live births and 13,988 children who were alive at 1 year of age. When the oldest children were approximately 7 years of age, an attempt was made to bolster the initial sample with eligible cases who had failed to join the study originally. As a result, the total sample size for data collected after the age of seven is therefore 15,454 pregnancies, resulting in 15,589 foetuses. Of these 14,901 were alive at 1 year of age. Part of this data was collected and managed using REDCap electronic data capture tools hosted at the University of Bristol.21 REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure, web-based software platform designed to support data capture for research studies. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Law and Ethics Committee and Local Research Ethics Committees. Informed consent for the use of data collected via questionnaires and clinics was obtained from participants following the recommendations of the ALSPAC Ethics and Law Committee at the time. Consent for biological samples has been collected in accordance with the Human Tissue Act (2004). Please note that the study website contains details of all the data that is available through a fully searchable data dictionary and variable search tool: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/our-data/. Further details of the study, measures and sample can be found elsewhere.18-20 Where families included multiple births, we included the oldest sibling. Sample 5 We analysed data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a well- established prospective, longitudinal UK birth cohort study.18-20 Pregnant women resident in Avon, UK with expected dates of delivery 1st April 1991 to 31st December 1992 were invited to take part in the study. The initial number of pregnancies enrolled is 14,541 (for these at least one questionnaire has been returned or a “Children in Focus” clinic had been attended by 19/07/99). Of these initial pregnancies, there was a total of 14,676 foetuses, resulting in 14,062 live births and 13,988 children who were alive at 1 year of age. When the oldest children were approximately 7 years of age, an attempt was made to bolster the initial sample with eligible cases who had failed to join the study originally. As a result, the total sample size for data collected after the age of seven is therefore 15,454 pregnancies, resulting in 15,589 foetuses. Of these 14,901 were alive at 1 year of age. Part of this data was collected and managed using REDCap electronic data capture tools hosted at the University of Bristol.21 REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure, web-based software platform designed to support data capture for research studies. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Law and Ethics Committee and Local Research Ethics Committees. Informed consent for the use of data collected via questionnaires and clinics was obtained from participants following the recommendations of the ALSPAC Ethics and Law Committee at the time. Consent for biological samples has been collected in accordance with the Human Tissue Act (2004). Please note that the study website contains details of all the data that is available through a fully searchable data dictionary and variable search tool: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/our-data/. Further details of the study, measures and sample can be found elsewhere.18-20 Where families included multiple births, we included the oldest sibling. We analysed data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a well- established prospective, longitudinal UK birth cohort study.18-20 Pregnant women resident in Avon, UK with expected dates of delivery 1st April 1991 to 31st December 1992 were invited to take part in the study. The initial number of pregnancies enrolled is 14,541 (for these at least one questionnaire has been returned or a “Children in Focus” clinic had been attended by 19/07/99). ADHD The SDQ ADHD subscale has high validity in identifying DSM-5 ADHD caseness. The category of broadly defined ADHD was applied to participants who scored above the recommended SDQ cut-point for identifying ADHD diagnosis. These cut-points are ≥8 in childhood and adolescence21 and ≥5 for self-reports at age 25 years.23 In-line with previous work24 childhood ADHD was defined as the presence of broadly-defined ADHD at ages 7, 8, 9 or 12 and late adolescent/young-adult ADHD where participants scored above the SDQ-ADHD subscale cut-point at ages 17 or 25. Based on these categories, individuals were categorised as having low ADHD levels (i.e. below the SDQ cut-point in both childhood and late report at age 25 years. The SDQ ADHD subscale has high validity in identifying DSM-5 ADHD caseness. The category of broadly defined ADHD was applied to participants who scored above the recommended SDQ cut-point for identifying ADHD diagnosis. These cut-points are ≥8 in childhood and adolescence21 and ≥5 for self-reports at age 25 years.23 In-line with previous work24 childhood ADHD was defined as the presence of broadly-defined ADHD at ages 7, 8, 9 or 12 and late adolescent/young-adult ADHD where participants scored above the SDQ-ADHD subscale cut-point at ages 17 or 25. Based on these categories, individuals were categorised as having low ADHD levels (i.e. below the SDQ cut-point in both childhood and late adolescence/young-adulthood), child-limited ADHD (i.e. above the SDQ cut-point in childhood but not in late adolescence/young-adulthood) or persistent ADHD (i.e. above the SDQ cut-point in both childhood and late adolescence/young-adulthood). These groups are shown in Figure 1. Sensitivity analyses were conducted investigating “late-onset” ADHD (ADHD symptoms first manifest after the age of 12 years) and are available on request from the author. ADHD ADHD symptoms were assessed using the 5-item ADHD subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ: possible range 0-10),22 a well-established screening measure completed by parents about their children at approximately ages 7, 8, 9, 12 and 17, and by self- 6 report at age 25 years. The SDQ ADHD subscale has high validity in identifying DSM-5 ADHD caseness. The category of broadly defined ADHD was applied to participants who scored above the recommended SDQ cut-point for identifying ADHD diagnosis. These cut-points are ≥8 in childhood and adolescence21 and ≥5 for self-reports at age 25 years.23 In-line with previous work24 childhood ADHD was defined as the presence of broadly-defined ADHD at ages 7, 8, 9 or 12 and late adolescent/young-adult ADHD where participants scored above the SDQ-ADHD subscale cut-point at ages 17 or 25. Based on these categories, individuals were categorised as having low ADHD levels (i.e. below the SDQ cut-point in both childhood and late adolescence/young-adulthood), child-limited ADHD (i.e. above the SDQ cut-point in childhood but not in late adolescence/young-adulthood) or persistent ADHD (i.e. above the SDQ cut-point in both childhood and late adolescence/young-adulthood). These groups are shown in Figure 1. Sensitivity analyses were conducted investigating “late-onset” ADHD (ADHD symptoms first manifest after the age of 12 years) and are available on request from the author. report at age 25 years. The SDQ ADHD subscale has high validity in identifying DSM-5 ADHD caseness. The category of broadly defined ADHD was applied to participants who scored above the recommended SDQ cut-point for identifying ADHD diagnosis. These cut-points are ≥8 in childhood and adolescence21 and ≥5 for self-reports at age 25 years.23 In-line with previous work24 childhood ADHD was defined as the presence of broadly-defined ADHD at ages 7, 8, 9 or 12 and late adolescent/young-adult ADHD where participants scored above the SDQ-ADHD subscale cut-point at ages 17 or 25. Based on these categories, individuals were categorised as having low ADHD levels (i.e. below the SDQ cut-point in both childhood and late adolescence/young-adulthood), child-limited ADHD (i.e. above the SDQ cut-point in childhood but not in late adolescence/young-adulthood) or persistent ADHD (i.e. above the SDQ cut-point in both childhood and late adolescence/young-adulthood). These groups are shown in Figure 1. Sensitivity analyses were conducted investigating “late-onset” ADHD (ADHD symptoms first manifest after the age of 12 years) and are available on request from the author. report at age 25 years. Social outcomes Social outcomes were assessed based on self-reports at age 25 years. Emotional (e.g. having someone to talk to) and instrumental support (e.g. having someone who can provide practical support) were measured by the National Institute of Health (NIH) Toolbox Adult Social Relationship Scales25 (possible ranges 0-32). Low support was defined as the bottom 10% for descriptive purposes. Aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behaviour were measured using the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime26 which assessed engagement in 12 antisocial activities in the past year (possible range 0-12). Antisocial behaviour was defined as engagement in any of the relevant anti-social activities: the aggressive (4 items) and non- aggressive (8 items) antisocial behaviours (details available on request from the author). Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) status was derived in-line with the UK Office for National Statistics definition27 (details available on request from the author). State benefit recipient was defined as receiving unemployment-related benefits, income support, sickness or 7 7 disability benefits, housing benefits (including council tax benefit, rent or rate rebate) or tax credits. We included receiving state benefits as an outcome as a proxy measure of socio- economic disadvantage. Homelessness was assessed using one item from a 27-event checklist that asked about events experienced in the previous 12 months. Variables for sensitivity analyses Sensitivity analyses were conducted stratifying by sex and family of origin (“family”) income. Family income was measured by mother-report at approximately child age 11 years as the average household income including social benefits each week on a 10-point scale from <£120 to ≥£800. Four income groups were generated, with lower/higher income defined based on falling below/above the median and the lowest and highest subsequently identified as bottom/top decile. We also examined whether associations between ADHD and age 25 social outcomes were still present in the absence of child comorbidities. Low IQ was defined as IQ<80, measured using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.28 Autism symptoms were measured using the parent- rated 12-item Social Communication Disorders Checklist (SCDC)29 at ages 7 years (cut-point ≥9). Conduct problems were assessed using the parent-rated 5-item SDQ22 subscale at age 7 years (cut-point ≥4). Emotional problems were also assessed using the parent-rated 5-item SDQ22 subscale at age 7 years (cut-point ≥5). Finally, we examined whether associations between ADHD and age 25 social outcomes were still present in the absence of young-adult emotional problems and when excluding those with ADHD medication use. Young-adult emotional problems were also assessed using the self-rated 5-item SDQ22 subscale at age 25 years (cut-point ≥6). Lifetime ADHD medication use 8 Analyses Analyses were conducted using multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting (IPW/MI),30 including individuals with ADHD data available in both childhood and adolescence/adulthood (N=6439): social outcome data were available for N=3591-3654 depending on the variable (details available on request from the author). We used logistic and linear regression to examine associations with social outcomes, with low ADHD symptoms as the reference group to estimate associations for child-limited and persistent ADHD. Sensitivity analyses examined associations stratified by sex, family income, childhood comorbidities (low IQ, autism symptoms, conduct problems and emotional problems), young-adult emotional problems and excluding those with ADHD medication use. Sensitivity analyses based on MI (without IPW), IPW (without MI) and complete-case analyses are available on request from the author. Finally, sensitivity analyses using different definitions of ADHD were conducted (a) defining childhood ADHD as having high ADHD symptoms at multiple times across 7, 8, 9 or 12 (i.e. at least twice, rather than at least once), (b) defining high ADHD symptoms at age 25 years using the more stringent cut-point of ≥6 23 and (c) defining persistent ADHD based on the presence of high symptoms at age 25 years only (i.e. rather than age 17 or 25 years). Sensitivity analyses using different definitions of ADHD are also available on request from the author. Results Approximately 89% of the sample were defined as having low ADHD symptom levels, 6% as having child-limited ADHD symptoms and 5% as having persistent symptoms. Estimated social outcome means/proportions by ADHD group are shown in Table 1. The proportions of individuals with ADHD by outcome (e.g. of those with low emotional support, the proportion with child-limited and persistent ADHD) are shown in Table 2: up to 20% of those showing less favourable adult outcomes such as being NEET, receiving state benefits and being homeless had ADHD. 9 9 As shown in Table 3, persistent ADHD was associated with lower adult emotional support and an increased likelihood of being NEET and of receiving state benefits compared to those with low ADHD symptoms. There was a trend for persistent ADHD to be associated with antisocial behaviour (aggressive and non-aggressive) and homelessness; we did not find strong evidence of association with lower instrumental support for persistent ADHD. There was also not strong evidence of association for child-limited ADHD with any of the social outcomes at age 25 years. As shown in Table 3, persistent ADHD was associated with lower adult emotional support and an increased likelihood of being NEET and of receiving state benefits compared to those with low ADHD symptoms. There was a trend for persistent ADHD to be associated with antisocial behaviour (aggressive and non-aggressive) and homelessness; we did not find strong evidence of association with lower instrumental support for persistent ADHD. There was also not strong evidence of association for child-limited ADHD with any of the social outcomes at age 25 years. Persistent ADHD was also associated with a higher total number of these adverse social outcomes (defined categorically) compared to those with low ADHD symptoms (OR=2.07, 95% CI=1.47 to 2.93, p=4x10-05), whereas evidence of association for child-limited ADHD was weaker (OR=1.33, 95% CI=0.93 to 1.89, p=0.11). The estimated total number of these outcomes by ADHD group are shown in Figure 2: for those with persistent ADHD, 45% were estimated to have none of the adverse social outcomes assessed at age 25, 30% to have one and 25% to have multiple (this was 56%, 31% and 14% respectively for those with child-limited ADHD and 63%, 26% and 11% for those with low ADHD symptoms). Sensitivity analyses Sensitivity analyses results are available on request from the author. Results Analyses stratified by sex found associations to be generally consistent across males and females, with some evidence that associations for persistent ADHD with lower emotional support may be driven by females and association with NEET status driven by males (although confidence intervals overlapped). Associations stratified by family of origin income also found associations to be generally consistent across income levels, with overlapping confidence intervals across groups. 10 Sensitivity analyses also examined whether associations between ADHD and adult social outcomes were still present in the absence of child comorbidities (low IQ, autism symptoms, conduct problems and emotional problems), young-adult emotional problems and ADHD medication use. Evidence of association between persistent ADHD and lower emotional support, being NEET and receiving state benefits remained when excluding these child comorbidities, young-adult emotional problems and taking ADHD medication although the association with state benefits was somewhat attenuated when excluding those with childhood ASD symptoms and association with lower emotional support was somewhat attenuated when excluding those taking ADHD medication. Missing data sensitivity analyses showed a similar pattern of results across different approaches. Finally, sensitivity analyses using different definitions of ADHD also showed a similar pattern of results, as did those investigating “late-onset” ADHD. Discussion This study set out to examine the adult social outcomes at age 25 of ADHD symptoms across childhood and young-adulthood in a longitudinal birth cohort, differentiating those that were child-limited (remitted) and persistent. The findings observed did not support our hypothesis that adults with both remitted and persistent ADHD would show adverse social outcomes by age 25 years. While we found associations with persistent ADHD, we did not find such strong evidence of association with child-limited ADHD. We found ADHD that persisted into young-adulthood was associated with multiple adverse social outcomes including lower levels of emotional support and an increased likelihood of being NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and of receiving state benefits (a proxy 11 measure of socio-economic disadvantage). Approximately 20% of young people with NEET status, receiving state benefits and who were homeless had ADHD. This pattern of associations was present across sex, family of origin income level, and when excluding childhood comorbidities, young-adult emotional problems and ADHD medication use. While it is beyond the scope of this paper to investigate the mechanisms linking (persistent) ADHD to these social outcomes, possible explanations include ADHD-related core symptoms and emotional regulation difficulties impacting on the initiation and/or maintenance of supportive relationships and upon educational attainment. Interestingly we did not find strong evidence of association between persistent ADHD and lower instrumental support, which may result from a reliance on (and therefore increase use of) others for practical support. Difficulties in ADHD- service engagement (including during the transition from child to adult services) at a time of formal examinations, transitions out of school and future planning may also contribute to poor social outcomes. We also found persistent ADHD to be associated with an increased number of these negative social outcomes even though the sample is a population-based cohort and we defined ADHD broadly. Around 1 in 4 of this group had more than one of these negative social outcomes. Future research needs to identify what modifiable social factors promote better social outcomes. There also was some evidence that women with ADHD may be more likely to have impairments in social relationships (low emotional support) and men with ADHD to have impairments in employment/training (NEET). Further work would be needed to investigate potentially different pathways for men and women between ADHD and social outcomes. measure of socio-economic disadvantage). Discussion Approximately 20% of young people with NEET status, receiving state benefits and who were homeless had ADHD. This pattern of associations was present across sex, family of origin income level, and when excluding childhood comorbidities, young-adult emotional problems and ADHD medication use. While it is beyond the scope of this paper to investigate the mechanisms linking (persistent) ADHD to these social outcomes, possible explanations include ADHD-related core symptoms and emotional regulation difficulties impacting on the initiation and/or maintenance of supportive relationships and upon educational attainment. Interestingly we did not find strong evidence of association between persistent ADHD and lower instrumental support, which may result from a reliance on (and therefore increase use of) others for practical support. Difficulties in ADHD- service engagement (including during the transition from child to adult services) at a time of formal examinations, transitions out of school and future planning may also contribute to poor social outcomes. We also found persistent ADHD to be associated with an increased number of these negative social outcomes even though the sample is a population-based cohort and we defined ADHD broadly. Around 1 in 4 of this group had more than one of these negative social outcomes. Future research needs to identify what modifiable social factors promote better social outcomes. There also was some evidence that women with ADHD may be more likely to have impairments in social relationships (low emotional support) and men with ADHD to have impairments in employment/training (NEET). Further work would be needed to investigate potentially different pathways for men and women between ADHD and social outcomes. Our findings suggest that directing resources to supporting those with ADHD and monitoring symptoms across adolescence and young-adulthood may be a beneficial area of focus. This age captures a period of increasing socio-occupational, personal and financial demands, when young people typically graduate from education into the world of further training and/or employment. The absence of strong evidence of association between child-limited ADHD suggests that the risk-mechanisms linking ADHD and social outcomes in young-adulthood are 12 not exclusively set in place in childhood – that effective ADHD treatment and other interventions that reduce symptoms may help prevent adverse adult outcomes. Discussion Indeed, previous work has found for example that stimulant medication in young people with ADHD is associated with a decreased risk of subsequent smoking and substance use disorders in adolescence (at 5-year follow-up)31: but that this effect may not persist into young-adulthood (10-yearfollow-up).32 However our study design cannot differentiate whether associations with outcomes are a causal consequence of ADHD symptoms. For example, evidence suggests that ADHD persistence is associated with ADHD severity and a higher genetic loading than remitted ADHD.33 Also ADHD symptom persistence into young-adulthood does not exclude the possibility that risk mechanisms for social outcomes were set in place earlier in development for this group. Regardless, our findings highlight the importance of ADHD monitoring and management of ADHD symptoms across development, the transition from child to adult services and the variability in adult social outcomes. Our findings somewhat differ from a previous UK cohort study which showed association between remitted ADHD and life satisfaction, NEET status and criminal convictions (although not social isolation) at the age of 18 years.17 One explanation is that our study focussed on broadly defined ADHD whereas the previous work17 examined ADHD diagnosis, which means that individuals who were categorised as having remitted ADHD (i.e. did not meet diagnostic threshold at 18 years) may still have had (subthreshold) ADHD symptoms at 18.17 Such individuals would have been categorised as having persistent ADHD symptoms in our study. It could be that our (less common) outcomes were defined more stringently and were more severe. Alternatively, differences could be due to follow-up period: it may be that the familial, social, occupational and personal life events and changes that occur between ages 18 and 25 explain the apparent contrasting findings. 13 Our study findings should be considered in light of limitations. As with many longitudinal population-based samples, ALSPAC also suffers from non-random attrition, with those who drop out more likely to be at elevated risk of psychopathology.34, 35 We used multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting to try to minimise the effect of missingness and findings were consistent across different approaches. We focused on ADHD symptoms in a population cohort and although evidence suggests that ADHD behaves as a continuously distributed trait without clear-cut thresholds in terms of associations with adverse outcomes,36 our findings may not be able to be generalised to clinical diagnosis or those in clinical services. Discussion Holistic age-specific 14 ADHD resources, interventions, support and services that span the lifespan may be beneficial in addressing the range of adverse outcomes associated with ADHD, as well as core features. Mental health awareness initiatives are increasingly taking place in educational establishments, however specific ADHD-informed interventions are indicated to anticipate and support young people in making choices around goals for further training and/or occupational activity. Understanding individuals with ADHD and matching strengths and interests (and acknowledging areas of challenge) with appropriate lines of work may serve to increase the likelihood of increased enjoyment, satisfaction and longer-term engagement in meaningful socio-occupational activity. This may in turn have positive effects on navigating supportive relationships, emotional wellbeing and use of maladaptive coping strategies. Early identification and specific careers guidance by resourced practitioners with increased awareness of ADHD would support and highlight to young people with persistent symptoms the wide range of complimentary, realistic and exciting future opportunities for their diverse skill sets. ADHD resources, interventions, support and services that span the lifespan may be beneficial in addressing the range of adverse outcomes associated with ADHD, as well as core features. ADHD resources, interventions, support and services that span the lifespan may be beneficial in addressing the range of adverse outcomes associated with ADHD, as well as core features. Mental health awareness initiatives are increasingly taking place in educational establishments, however specific ADHD-informed interventions are indicated to anticipate and support young people in making choices around goals for further training and/or occupational activity. Understanding individuals with ADHD and matching strengths and interests (and acknowledging areas of challenge) with appropriate lines of work may serve to increase the likelihood of increased enjoyment, satisfaction and longer-term engagement in meaningful socio-occupational activity. This may in turn have positive effects on navigating supportive relationships, emotional wellbeing and use of maladaptive coping strategies. Early identification and specific careers guidance by resourced practitioners with increased awareness of ADHD would support and highlight to young people with persistent symptoms the wide range of complimentary, realistic and exciting future opportunities for their diverse skill sets. In conclusion, our study found ADHD that persists to young-adulthood is associated with a range of less favourable social outcomes, including low emotional support, NEET status and receiving state benefits (as an indicator of socio-economic disadvantage) although these adverse outcomes were not inevitable. Strong evidence of association was not found for child- limited ADHD. Discussion However our prevalence rates of ADHD are not much higher than the rate of ADHD diagnosis in many population surveys. The use of a population sample also limited our power for detecting association with rarer outcomes such as homelessness. Finally, beyond examining young-adult emotional problems we did not examine the potential impact of presence and treatment of additional comorbid psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Our study findings should be considered in light of limitations. As with many longitudinal population-based samples, ALSPAC also suffers from non-random attrition, with those who drop out more likely to be at elevated risk of psychopathology.34, 35 We used multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting to try to minimise the effect of missingness and findings were consistent across different approaches. We focused on ADHD symptoms in a population cohort and although evidence suggests that ADHD behaves as a continuously distributed trait without clear-cut thresholds in terms of associations with adverse outcomes,36 our findings may not be able to be generalised to clinical diagnosis or those in clinical services. However our prevalence rates of ADHD are not much higher than the rate of ADHD diagnosis in many population surveys. The use of a population sample also limited our power for detecting association with rarer outcomes such as homelessness. Finally, beyond examining young-adult emotional problems we did not examine the potential impact of presence and treatment of additional comorbid psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Further research using alternative designs such as those that assess causal inference is needed to test whether the associations we found are causal and work is needed to identify potentially modifiable risk mechanisms, groups that are at highest risk and factors that promote positive adult social outcomes. Identification of such moderating and mediating factors as well as those relating to service disengagement is needed to be able to better address the emotional wellbeing and social marginalisation of at-risk young people with ADHD. The effect of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the social outcomes of young people with ADHD is also as yet unknown: the associated additional challenges that this has posed on young people and understanding how they can be best supported as they progress into wider society remains vital. The funding and expansion of support for young-adults with ADHD in educational/occupational establishments and benefit systems may help reduce negative outcomes. References 1. Faraone SV, Biederman J, Mick E. The age-dependent decline of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analysis of follow-up studies. Psychol Med. Feb 2006;36(2):159-165. 2. Riglin L, Collishaw S, Thapar AK, et al. Association of Genetic Risk Variants With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Trajectories in the General Population. JAMA Psychiatry. Dec 1 2016;73(12):1285-1292. 3. Garas P, Balazs J. Long-Term Suicide Risk of Children and Adolescents With Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder—A Systematic Review. Frontiers in psychiatry. 2020;11. 4. Groenman AP, Janssen TW, Oosterlaan J. Childhood psychiatric disorders as risk factor for subsequent substance abuse: a meta-analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2017;56(7):556-569. y y ( ) 5. Klein RG, Mannuzza S, Olazagasti MA, et al. Clinical and functional outcome of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder 33 years later. Arch Gen Psychiatry. Dec 2012;69(12):1295-1303. 6. Septier M, Stordeur C, Zhang J, Delorme R, Cortese S. Association between suicidal spectrum behaviors and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2019;103:109-118. and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2019;103:109-118. 7. Langley K, Fowler T, Ford T, et al. Adolescent clinical outcomes for young people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Br J Psychiatry. Mar 2010;196(3):235-240. 8. Young S, Moss D, Sedgwick O, Fridman M, Hodgkins P. A meta-analysis of the prevalence y 7. Langley K, Fowler T, Ford T, et al. Adolescent clinical outcomes for young people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Br J Psychiatry. Mar 2010;196(3):235-240. 8. Young S, Moss D, Sedgwick O, Fridman M, Hodgkins P. A meta-analysis of the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in incarcerated populations. Psychological medicine. 2015;45(2):247-258. 9. Erskine HE, Norman RE, Ferrari AJ, et al. Long-term outcomes of attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder: a systematic review and meta- analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2016;55(10):841-850. 10. Gordon CT, Fabiano GA. The transition of youth with ADHD into the workforce: review and future directions. Clinical child and family psychology review. 2019;22(3):316-347. and future directions. Clinical child and family psychology review. 2019;22(3):316-347. 11. Merrill BM, Molina BS, Coxe S, et al. Functional outcomes of young adults with childhood ADHD: A latent profile analysis. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. 2019. 12. Bruner MR, Kuryluk AD, Whitton SW. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptom levels and romantic relationship quality in college students Journal of American College 11. Merrill BM, Molina BS, Coxe S, et al. Discussion These findings support the continued monitoring and management of ADHD across development and the transition from child to adult services, including in areas of functional impairment beyond core ADHD features. Clinical Points • ADHD is associated with a range of adverse outcomes in adult life, but it is unclear whether this is driven by concurrent ADHD symptoms that have persisted to adulthood. • ADHD is associated with a range of adverse outcomes in adult life, but it is unclear whether this is driven by concurrent ADHD symptoms that have persisted to adulthood. • Continued monitoring and management of ADHD into adulthood is important, including in areas of functional impairment beyond core ADHD features. 15 References References The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): an update on the enrolled sample of index children in 2019. Wellcome open research. 2019;4:51-51. 21. Harris PA, Taylor R, Thielke R, Payne J, Gonzalez N, Conde JG. Research electronic data capture (REDCap) – A metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics support. J Biomed Inform. 2009;42:377-81. 22. Goodman R. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. Jul 1997;38(5):581-586. 23. Riglin L, Agha SS, Eyre O, et al. Investigating the validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess ADHD in young adulthood. Psychiatry Research. 2021/07/01/ 2021;301:113984. 24. Riglin L, Wootton RE, Livingston LA, et al. “Late-onset” ADHD symptoms in young adulthood: Is this ADHD? Journal of Attention Disorders.0(0):10870547211066486. 25. Cyranowski JM, Zill N, Bode R, et al. Assessing social support, companionship, and distress: National Institute of Health (NIH) Toolbox Adult Social Relationship Scales. Health Psychology. 2013;32(3):293. y gy ( ) 26. Smith DJ, McVie S. Theory and Method in the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime. The British Journal of Criminology. 2003;43(1):169-195. 27. Watson B. Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK: February 2020: estimates of young people (aged 16 to 24 years) who are not in education, employment or training, by age and sex. Office for National Statistics. 2020. p y g y g ff f 28. Wechsler D, Golombok S, Rust J. WISC-III UK Wechsler Intellige UK Manual. Sidcup, UK: The Psychological Corporation. 1992. 28. Wechsler D, Golombok S, Rust J. WISC-III UK Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: UK Manual. Sidcup, UK: The Psychological Corporation. 1992. 29. Skuse DH, Mandy WP, Scourfield J. Measuring autistic traits: heritability, reliability and validity of the Social and Communication Disorders Checklist. Br J Psychiatry. Dec 2005;187(6):568-572. 30. Seaman SR, White IR, Copas AJ, Li L. Combining multiple imputation and inverse- probability weighting. Biometrics. Mar 2012;68(1):129-137. 31. Wilens TE, Adamson J, Monuteaux MC, et al. Effect of prior stimulant treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on subsequent risk for cigarette smoking and alcohol and drug use disorders in adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Oct 2008;162(10):916-921. 32. Joseph Biederman MD, Michael C. Monuteaux SD, Thomas Spencer MD, Timothy E. Wilens MD, Heather A. MacPherson BA, Stephen V. Faraone PD. Stimulant Therapy and Risk for Subsequent Substance Use Disorders in Male Adults With ADHD: A Naturalistic Controlled 10-Year Follow-Up Study. American Journal of Psychiatry. References Functional outcomes of young adults with childhood ADHD: A latent profile analysis. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. 2019. y f y gy 12. Bruner MR, Kuryluk AD, Whitton SW. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptom levels and romantic relationship quality in college students. Journal of American College Health. 2015;63(2):98-108. 12. Bruner MR, Kuryluk AD, Whitton SW. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptom levels and romantic relationship quality in college students. Journal of American College Health. 2015;63(2):98-108. 13. Wymbs BT, Canu WH, Sacchetti GM, Ranson LM. Adult ADHD and romantic relationships: What we know and what we can do to help. J Marital Fam Ther. Jan 9 2021. 13. Wymbs BT, Canu WH, Sacchetti GM, Ranson LM. Adult ADHD and romantic relationships: What we know and what we can do to help. J Marital Fam Ther. Jan 9 2021. 14. Chang Z, D'Onofrio BM, Quinn PD, Lichtenstein P, Larsson H. Medication for Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Risk for Depression: A Nationwide Longitudinal Cohort Study. Biol Psychiatry. Dec 15 2016;80(12):916-922. 14. Chang Z, D'Onofrio BM, Quinn PD, Lichtenstein P, Larsson H. Medication for Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Risk for Depression: A Nationwide Longitudinal Cohort Study. Biol Psychiatry. Dec 15 2016;80(12):916-922. y y y ( ) 15. Riglin L, Leppert B, Dardani C, et al. ADHD and depression: investigating a causal explanation. Psychological Medicine. 2020:1-8. 15. Riglin L, Leppert B, Dardani C, et al. ADHD and depression: investigating a causal explanation. Psychological Medicine. 2020:1-8. p y g 16. Leppert B, Riglin L, Dardani C, et al. ADHD genetic liability and physical health outcomes - A two-sample Mendelian randomization study. bioRxiv. 2019:630467. 16. Leppert B, Riglin L, Dardani C, et al. ADHD genetic liability and physical health outcomes - A two-sample Mendelian randomization study. bioRxiv. 2019:630467. 17. Agnew-Blais JC, Polanczyk GV, Danese A, Wertz J, Moffitt TE, Arseneault L. Young adult mental health and functional outcomes among individuals with remitted, persistent and late-onset ADHD. Br J Psychiatry. Sep 2018;213(3):526-534. J y y p ( ) 18. Boyd A, Golding J, Macleod J, et al. Cohort Profile: the 'children of the 90s'--the index offspring of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Int J Epidemiol. Feb 2013;42(1):111-127. 16 19. Fraser A, Macdonald-Wallis C, Tilling K, et al. Cohort Profile: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: ALSPAC mothers cohort. Int J Epidemiol. Feb 2013;42(1):97-110. ( ) 20. Northstone K, Lewcock M, Groom A, et al. ntervals in parentheses. References 2008;165(5):597- 603. 33. Caye A, Spadini AV, Karam RG, et al. Predictors of persistence of ADHD into adulthood: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. Nov 2016;25(11):1151-1159. 34. Martin J, Tilling K, Hubbard L, et al. Association of Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia With Nonparticipation Over Time in a Population-Based Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. Jun 15 2016;183(12):1149-1158. 35. Taylor AE, Jones HJ, Sallis H, et al. Exploring the association of genetic factors with participation in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Int J Epidemiol. Aug 1 2018;47(4):1207-1216. g ( ) 36. Thapar A, Cooper M. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Lancet. Mar 19 2016;387(10024):1240-1250. 17 Table 1. Social outcomes means/percentages by ADHD group using IPW/MI to account for missing data Low Child-limited ADHD Persistent ADHD Emotional support 43.04 (42.58 to 43.49) 42.44 (40.47 to 44.41) 39.07 (37.09 to 41.05) Instrumental support 39.41 (38.80 to 40.02) 40.63 (38.31 to 42.95) 38.05 (35.54 to 40.56) Aggressive ASB 5.11% (3.87 to 6.34) 7.05% (2.17 to 11.93) 10.04% (3.28 to 16.81) Non-aggressive ASB 13.04% (11.64 to 14.44) 12.26% (6.42 to 17.68) 19.87% (12.24 to 27.49) NEET 5.54% (4.44 to 6.64) 6.77% (2.00 to 11.53) 18.02% (9.95 to 26.08) State benefit recipient 7.67% (6.52 to 8.83) 10.43% (5.04 to 15.83) 18.56% (10.86 to 26.27) Homelessness 1.63% (0.82 to 2.45) 1.57% (-1.48 to 4.62) 4.65% (-0.04 to 9.71) N=6439. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses. Abbreviations: ASB = antisocial behaviour, IPW/MI = multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting, NEET = Not in Education, Employment or Training. Table 2. Percentage of individuals with ADHD, by social outcome using IPW/MI to account for missing data Persistent ADHD Child-limited ADHD Low emotional support (10%)a 8.87% (5.54 to 12.20) 6.54% (3.22 to 9.85) Low instrumental support (10%)a 5.40% (2.23 to 8.56) 5.47% (2.38 to 8.55) Aggressive ASB (5%) 9.35% (3.27 to 15.44) 7.85% (2.57 to 13.14) Non-aggressive ASB (13%) 7.62% (4.68 to 10.56) 5.63% (3.14 to 8.11) NEET (6%) 14.78% (8.24 to 21.32) 6.58% (1.98 to 11.18) State benefit recipient (8%) 13.34% (-0.66 to 27.33) 5.34% (-5.17 to 15.84) Homelessness (2%) 12.29% (6.72 to 15.86) 7.61% (3.75 to 11.47) N=6439. aFor continuous outcomes, low support defined as the bottom 10%. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses. Table 1. References Social outcomes means/percentages by ADHD group using IPW/MI to account for missing data Low Child-limited ADHD Persistent ADHD Emotional support 43.04 (42.58 to 43.49) 42.44 (40.47 to 44.41) 39.07 (37.09 to 41.05) Instrumental support 39.41 (38.80 to 40.02) 40.63 (38.31 to 42.95) 38.05 (35.54 to 40.56) Aggressive ASB 5.11% (3.87 to 6.34) 7.05% (2.17 to 11.93) 10.04% (3.28 to 16.81) Non-aggressive ASB 13.04% (11.64 to 14.44) 12.26% (6.42 to 17.68) 19.87% (12.24 to 27.49) NEET 5.54% (4.44 to 6.64) 6.77% (2.00 to 11.53) 18.02% (9.95 to 26.08) State benefit recipient 7.67% (6.52 to 8.83) 10.43% (5.04 to 15.83) 18.56% (10.86 to 26.27) Homelessness 1.63% (0.82 to 2.45) 1.57% (-1.48 to 4.62) 4.65% (-0.04 to 9.71) N=6439. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses. Abbreviations: ASB = antisocial behaviour, IPW/MI = multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting, NEET = Not in Education, Employment or Training. Table 2. Percentage of individuals with ADHD, by social outcome using IPW/MI to account for missing data Persistent ADHD Child-limited ADHD Low emotional support (10%)a 8.87% (5.54 to 12.20) 6.54% (3.22 to 9.85) Low instrumental support (10%)a 5.40% (2.23 to 8.56) 5.47% (2.38 to 8.55) Aggressive ASB (5%) 9.35% (3.27 to 15.44) 7.85% (2.57 to 13.14) Non-aggressive ASB (13%) 7.62% (4.68 to 10.56) 5.63% (3.14 to 8.11) NEET (6%) 14.78% (8.24 to 21.32) 6.58% (1.98 to 11.18) State benefit recipient (8%) 13.34% (-0.66 to 27.33) 5.34% (-5.17 to 15.84) Homelessness (2%) 12.29% (6.72 to 15.86) 7.61% (3.75 to 11.47) N=6439. aFor continuous outcomes, low support defined as the bottom 10%. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses. Table 1. Social outcomes means/percentages by ADHD group using IPW/MI to account for missing data Low Child-limited ADHD Persistent ADHD Emotional support 43.04 (42.58 to 43.49) 42.44 (40.47 to 44.41) 39.07 (37.09 to 41.05) Instrumental support 39.41 (38.80 to 40.02) 40.63 (38.31 to 42.95) 38.05 (35.54 to 40.56) Aggressive ASB 5.11% (3.87 to 6.34) 7.05% (2.17 to 11.93) 10.04% (3.28 to 16.81) Non-aggressive ASB 13.04% (11.64 to 14.44) 12.26% (6.42 to 17.68) 19.87% (12.24 to 27.49) NEET 5.54% (4.44 to 6.64) 6.77% (2.00 to 11.53) 18.02% (9.95 to 26.08) State benefit recipient 7.67% (6.52 to 8.83) 10.43% (5.04 to 15.83) 18.56% (10.86 to 26.27) Homelessness 1.63% (0.82 to 2.45) 1.57% (-1.48 to 4.62) 4.65% (-0.04 to 9.71) N=6439. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses. References Abbreviations: ASB = antisocial behaviour, IPW/MI = multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting, NEET = Not in Education, Employment or Training. Table 2. Percentage of individuals with ADHD, by social outcome using IPW/MI to account for missing data Persistent ADHD Child-limited ADHD Low emotional support (10%)a 8.87% (5.54 to 12.20) 6.54% (3.22 to 9.85) Low instrumental support (10%)a 5.40% (2.23 to 8.56) 5.47% (2.38 to 8.55) Aggressive ASB (5%) 9.35% (3.27 to 15.44) 7.85% (2.57 to 13.14) Non-aggressive ASB (13%) 7.62% (4.68 to 10.56) 5.63% (3.14 to 8.11) NEET (6%) 14.78% (8.24 to 21.32) 6.58% (1.98 to 11.18) State benefit recipient (8%) 13.34% (-0.66 to 27.33) 5.34% (-5.17 to 15.84) Homelessness (2%) 12.29% (6.72 to 15.86) 7.61% (3.75 to 11.47) N=6439. aFor continuous outcomes, low support defined as the bottom 10%. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses. Table 1. Social outcomes means/percentages by ADHD group using IPW/MI to account for missing data Low Child-limited ADHD Persistent ADHD Emotional support 43.04 (42.58 to 43.49) 42.44 (40.47 to 44.41) 39.07 (37.09 to 41.05) Instrumental support 39.41 (38.80 to 40.02) 40.63 (38.31 to 42.95) 38.05 (35.54 to 40.56) Aggressive ASB 5.11% (3.87 to 6.34) 7.05% (2.17 to 11.93) 10.04% (3.28 to 16.81) Non-aggressive ASB 13.04% (11.64 to 14.44) 12.26% (6.42 to 17.68) 19.87% (12.24 to 27.49) NEET 5.54% (4.44 to 6.64) 6.77% (2.00 to 11.53) 18.02% (9.95 to 26.08) State benefit recipient 7.67% (6.52 to 8.83) 10.43% (5.04 to 15.83) 18.56% (10.86 to 26.27) Homelessness 1.63% (0.82 to 2.45) 1.57% (-1.48 to 4.62) 4.65% (-0.04 to 9.71) N=6439. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses. Abbreviations: ASB = antisocial behaviour, IPW/MI = multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting, NEET = Not in Education, Employment or Training. Table 2. Percentage of individuals with ADHD, by social outcome using IPW/MI to account for missing data Persistent ADHD Child-limited ADHD Low emotional support (10%)a 8.87% (5.54 to 12.20) 6.54% (3.22 to 9.85) Low instrumental support (10%)a 5.40% (2.23 to 8.56) 5.47% (2.38 to 8.55) Aggressive ASB (5%) 9.35% (3.27 to 15.44) 7.85% (2.57 to 13.14) Non-aggressive ASB (13%) 7.62% (4.68 to 10.56) 5.63% (3.14 to 8.11) NEET (6%) 14.78% (8.24 to 21.32) 6.58% (1.98 to 11.18) State benefit recipient (8%) 13.34% (-0.66 to 27.33) 5.34% (-5.17 to 15.84) Homelessness (2%) 12.29% (6.72 to 15.86) 7.61% (3.75 to 11.47) N=6439. aFor continuous outcomes, low support defined as the bottom 10%. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses. References 18 bbreviations: ASB = antisocial behaviour, IPW/MI = multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting, NEET = Not in Education, Employment or Training. probability weighting, NEET = Not in Education, Employment or Training. Table 3. Associations between ADHD group and social outcomes using IPW/MI to account for missing data Child-limited ADHD Persistent ADHD Emotional support RC=-0.60 (-2.59 to 1.39), p=0.56 RC=-3.97 (-5.94 to -1.99), p=9x10-05 Instrumental support RC=1.22 (-1.13 to 3.57), p=0.31 RC=-1.36 (-3.87 to 1.15), p=0.29 Aggressive ASB OR=1.38 (0.65 to 2.93), p=0.40 OR=2.02 (0.95 to 4.30), p=0.07 Non-aggressive ASB OR=0.92 (0.56 to 1.53), p=0.76 OR=1.64 (1.01 to 2.67), p=0.05 NEET OR=1.20 (0.54 to 2.69), p=0.65 OR=3.71 (2.06 to 6.67), p=1x10-05 State benefit recipient OR=1.38 (0.76 to 2.51), p=0.29 OR=2.72 (1.62 to 4.57), p=2x10-04 Homelessness OR=0.74 (0.08 to 6.50), p=0.79 OR=2.81 (0.86 to 9.12), p=0.09 N=6439. Reference group = low ADHD group. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses. Abbreviations: ASB = antisocial behaviour, IPW/MI = multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting, NEET = Not in Education, Employment or Training, OR = odds ratio, RC = Table 3. Associations between ADHD group and social outcomes using IPW/MI to account for missing data 19 Figure 1. ADHD groups for primary analyses 20 Figure 2. Total number of social outcomes by ADHD group using IPW/MI to account for missing Figure 2. Total number of social outcomes by ADHD group using IPW/MI to account for missing Figure 2. Total number of social outcomes by ADHD group using IPW/MI to account data Abbreviations: IPW/MI = multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting Figure 2. Total number of social outcomes by ADHD group using IPW/MI to account for missing data Abbreviations: IPW/MI = multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting Abbreviations: IPW/MI = multiple imputation with inverse probability weighting 21
https://openalex.org/W4306316097
https://zenodo.org/records/7203332/files/EJAR11110.pdf
Russian
null
ФАКТОРЫ, ВЛИЯЮЩИЕ НА КАЧЕСТВЕННЫЕ ПОКАЗАТЕЛИ ГОТОВОЙ ОДЕЖДЫ
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
2,022
cc-by
2,906
Широкое распространение получило оборудование для выполнения операций внутрипроцессной и окончательной влажно-тепловой обработки с микропроцессорным управлением режимами обработки. С помощью таких оборудований обеспечивается улучшение условий труда и культуру производства. Расширился ассортимент клеевых прокладочных материалов для одежды, соединение которых с основными деталями осуществляется на оборудовании проходного типа в отделе влажно-тепловой обработки. Широко стала применяться сварка для обработки различных видов одежды. В настоящее время значительно улучшилось качества технологии изготовления одежды, основанные на накопленном предприятиями практическом опыте работы с иностранными фирмами и внедрённых научных разработках. Поэтому возникла необходимость в обновлении и пополнении сведений по вопросам обработки швейных изделий, особенно верхней одежде [2]. Качество готовой одежды связано с качеством выполнения соединений деталей одежды. В процессе эксплуатации одежда подвергается различного рода механическими воздействиями: сжатию, растяжению, кручению изгибу и т д Поэтому уже в качество ниточных соединений приведено в схеме-1. При выполнении машинных работ в процессе изготовления одежды необходимо соблюдать общие технические условия к выполнению машинных работ. Для оценки, показателей качества ниточных соединений деталей одежды в основном применяют технические и эвристические методы. Эвристическими методами оцениваются показатели эмоционального, психологического, эргономического воздействия на человека. Наиболее используемым в швейной промышленности является органолептический метод для оценивания показателей, который основан на оценке качества с помощью органов чувств человека. Органолептический метод применяется при оценке эстетических показателей качества ниточных соединений: ровноты линии строчки, целостности строчки, плотности затяжки стежков, симметричности деталей [4,5]. Для оценки показателей качества ниточных соединений также применяются технические методы оценки - измерительный, регистрационный и расчетный. В процессе образования стежков на качество ниточных соединений влияют различные факторы. Эти факторы можно разделить на пять групп: 1 – вид переплетения и структура стежка; 2 – EURASIAN JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 www.in-academy.uz приемов, машины-полуавтоматы, автоматизированные и роботизированные машины. Широкое распространение получило оборудование для выполнения операций внутрипроцессной и окончательной влажно-тепловой обработки с микропроцессорным управлением режимами обработки. С помощью таких оборудований обеспечивается улучшение условий труда и культуру производства. Расширился ассортимент клеевых прокладочных материалов для одежды, соединение которых с основными деталями осуществляется на оборудовании проходного типа в отделе влажно-тепловой обработки. Широко стала применяться сварка для обработки различных видов одежды. В настоящее время значительно улучшилось качества технологии изготовления одежды, основанные на накопленном предприятиями практическом опыте работы с иностранными фирмами и внедрённых научных разработках. Поэтому возникла необходимость в обновлении и пополнении сведений по вопросам обработки швейных изделий, особенно верхней одежде [2]. Эвристическими методами оцениваются показатели эмоционального, психологического, эргономического воздействия на человека. УДК. 687.0 ФАК Нутфу Научный Бух ARTICLE INFO Received: 01st October 2022 Accepted: 05th October 2022 Online: 15th October 2022 KEY WORDS показатели качества, соединения деталей одежды, клеевое соединения, сварное соединения, влажно- тепловая обработка, технические методы оценки, волокнистый состав ткани. В статье изучены методы повышения качества готовой одежды, влияющие факторы при технологическом процессе изготовления швейных изделий. Рассмотрены виды соединения деталей одежды, обеспечивающие прочности, надежности, долговечности швов и красивый внешний вид изделия; посмотрены качество клеевых соединений а также основные задачи влажно-тепловой обработки — придание готовым изделиям товарного вида, формы, обеспечивающей хорошую посадку изделий на фигурах потребителей в соответствии с образцами моделей. Основу технологии изготовления швейных изделий составляют различные способы соединения деталей одежды – ниточные, клеевой, сварной, а также влажно-тепловая обработка. На качественных показателей соединений деталей одежды влияет ряд факторов: свойства материалов, режимы обработки, технологические характеристики применяемого оборудования для технологического процесса и др [1]. Современный рынок швейных изделий для населения предоставляет просто огромное количество моделей, расцветок и текстильных материалов. Но при прочих равных, при наличии такого выбора, подобрать то, что нужного - это тоже иногда проблема. Как минимум, потому, что качественной одежды не так уж и много, а цена далеко не всегда гарантирует это самое, пресловутое качество. Нам известна, что одежда является один из основных предметов первой необходимости для человека. Она выполняет утилитарную и эстетическую функции, покрывает тело человека и защищает его от неблагоприятных воздействий внешней среды. Благодаря одежде человек способен сравнительно легко переносить различные климатические условия, физико- механические, химические воздействия и др. Требования к ней разнообразны и многочисленны. В последнее время все больше уделяется внимания совершенствованию способов соединения деталей одежды, их влажно- тепловой обработке в связи с появлением широкого ассортимента новых материалов с различным волокнистым составом и свойствами. Произошла корректировка режимов машинной и влажно-тепловой обработки материалов. Появилось новое швейное оборудование с автоматизацией вспомогательных В последнее время все больше уделяется внимания совершенствованию способов соединения деталей одежды, их влажно- тепловой обработке в связи с появлением широкого ассортимента новых материалов с различным волокнистым составом и свойствами. Произошла корректировка режимов машинной и влажно-тепловой обработки материалов. Появилось новое швейное оборудование с автоматизацией вспомогательных Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 Page 570 Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 ISSN 2181-2020 Page 570 EURASIAN JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 www.in-academy.uz приемов, машины-полуавтоматы, автоматизированные и роботизированные машины. Наиболее используемым в швейной промышленности является органолептический метод для оценивания показателей, который основан на оценке качества с помощью органов чувств человека. Органолептический метод применяется при оценке эстетических показателей качества ниточных соединений: ровноты линии строчки, целостности строчки, плотности затяжки стежков, симметричности деталей [4,5]. Для оценки показателей качества ниточных соединений также применяются технические методы оценки - измерительный, регистрационный и расчетный. Качество готовой одежды связано с качеством выполнения соединений деталей одежды. В процессе эксплуатации одежда подвергается различного рода механическими воздействиями: сжатию, растяжению, кручению, изгибу и т. д. Поэтому уже в процессе проектирования модели необходимо выбрать такой вид соединения деталей одежды, который обеспечивал бы прочность, надежность и долговечность швов также красивый внешний вид готовой одежде [3]. К й В процессе образования стежков на качество ниточных соединений влияют различные факторы. Эти факторы можно разделить на пять групп: 1 – вид переплетения и структура стежка; 2 – вид и свойства материала; 3 – вид и свойства ниток; – технологические режимы пошива; 5 – параметры швов[6]. Качество ниточных соединений определяется целым комплексом показателей. Эти показатели можно разделить на пять групп, эти показатели Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 Page 571 www.in-academy.uz вдоль строчки в значительной степени определяется видом ниток, структурой материала, режимами стачивания. Внешний вид соединений зависит от размерных параметров и структуры стежков в строчках, ровноты строчек, степени затяжки стежков, целостности строчки. й Клеевые соединения широко применяются при изготовлении швейных изделий особенно верхней одежде. Несмотря на то, что их доля в общей трудоёмкости изготовления верхней одежды невелика, для придания формоустойчивости деталям, многие из них дублируются. Доля трудоёмкости изготовления верхней одежды приведены в таблице. Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 ISSN 2181-2020 Page 572 EURASIAN JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 www.in-academy.uz EURASIAN JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 www.in-academy.uz EURASIAN JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Таблица Трудоёмкость изготовления верхней одежды Швейное изделие в примере Удельный вес операции, % ниточная технология влажно- тепловая обработка клеевая технология Женское пальто из шерстяной ткани Мужской пиджак из шерстяной ткани Мужская сорочка 51,8 40,0 66,0 13,3 33,3 4,4 6,3 8,7 4,4 охлаждении скрепляет их. Наиболее качественное соединение получается при образовании равномерной клеевой прослойки[7]. Склеивание происходит за счёт расплавления клея, помещённого между текстильными материалами, под воздействием температуры и давления. При нагревании под давлением термопластичный клей переходит в вязкотекучее состояние, проникает в материалы на некоторую глубину и при С развитием познаний человека об окружающем его мире используются натуральные клейкие вещества, примеры этих веществ приведены в схеме-2. Схема-2. Виды натуральных клейких веществ Между продолжительностью Основные параметры влияющие на свойства клеевых соединений в й й НАТУРАЛЬНЫЕ КЛЕЙКИЕ ВЕЩЕСТВА яичный белок мука сера смола каучук деготь крахмал пчелиный воск Схема-2. Виды натуральных клейких веществ Между продолжительностью нагревания склеиваемых материалов и температурой существует обратная зависимость. Чем выше температура рабочих прессующих органов, тем меньше продолжительность перевода клея в вязкотекучее состояние. Основные параметры влияющие на свойства клеевых соединений в производстве швейных изделий приведены в схеме-3. Они зависят от вида клея, вида материала и от вида используемое оборудование для дублирования. НАТУРАЛЬНЫЕ КЛЕЙКИЕ ВЕЩЕСТВА яичный белок мука сера смола каучук деготь крахмал пчелиный воск Схема-2. Виды натуральных клейких веществ НАТУРАЛЬНЫЕ КЛЕЙКИЕ ВЕЩЕСТВА яичный белок мука сера смола каучук деготь крахмал пчелиный воск Схема-2. Виды натуральных клейких веществ Схема-2. Виды натуральных клейких веществ Основные параметры влияющие на свойства клеевых соединений в производстве швейных изделий приведены в схеме-3. Они зависят от вида клея, вида материала и от вида используемое оборудование для дублирования. Основные параметры влияющие на свойства клеевых соединений в производстве швейных изделий приведены в схеме-3. www.in-academy.uz Они зависят от вида клея, вида материала и от вида используемое оборудование для дублирования. Между продолжительностью нагревания склеиваемых материалов и температурой существует обратная зависимость. Чем выше температура рабочих прессующих органов, тем меньше продолжительность перевода клея в вязкотекучее состояние. Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 Page 573 EURASIAN JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 www.in-academy.uz Схема-3. Основные параметры, влияющие на свойства клеевых соединений Выбранная температура рабочих ганов оборудования для блирования должна обеспечивать ранение свойств соединяемых териалов, цвета красителя, исключать рушение отделочных препаратов. потребительские свойства. Для синтетических материалов характерны такие свойства как легкость, красивый внешний вид, несминаемость, водостойкость, невысокая цена, легкость ухода. Влажно-тепловая обработка (ВТО) СВОЙСТВА КЛЕЕВЫХ СОЕДИНЕНИЙ Температура Давление Продолжи тельность сжатия и нагревания Влажность текстильного материала СВОЙСТВА КЛЕЕВЫХ СОЕДИНЕНИЙ Схема-3. Основные параметры, влияющие на свойства клеевых соединений Выбранная температура рабочих анов оборудования для лирования должна обеспечивать ранение свойств соединяемых териалов, цвета красителя, исключать потребительские свойства. Для синтетических материалов характерны такие свойства как легкость, красивый внешний вид, несминаемость, водостойкость, невысокая цена, легкость ухода. Выбранная температура рабочих органов оборудования для дублирования должна обеспечивать сохранение свойств соединяемых материалов, цвета красителя, исключать разрушение отделочных препаратов. Если температура рабочих органов оборудования ниже требуемой, то увеличение продолжительности и давления прессования не приведет к размягчению клея. Превышение температуры сопровождается проникновением клея на лицевую сторону основного материала и термоклеевого прокладочного материала. у д Влажно-тепловая обработка (ВТО) наряду с ниточной и клеевой технологиями является важнейшим технологическим процессом при изготовлении одежды. Она позволяет получать такие эффекты, которые недостижимы другими известными способами, и является логическим завершением конструкторских и технологических решений получения изделия высокого качества. Назначение ВТО – придание швейным изделиям требуемой пространственной формы и красивого товарного вида, который достигается путем устранения заминов, помятостей, лас (местного блеска), утонения краев деталей (борт, край воротника …), разутюживания и заутюживания швов и т. д. Развитие производства швейных изделий особенно верхней одежды, улучшение ее ассортимента и увеличение объемов выпуска тесно связано с увеличением доли синтетических волокон в сырьевом балансе. Химические волокна в общем балансе мирового производства волокон всех видов составляют 48,2 %, из них 37,3 % – синтетические волокна, главным образом полиэфирные, полиамидные и полиакрилонитрильные. UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 полуфабрикат - Р, МРа; количество внесенной в него влаги - W, %; и время обработки - t, сек. Числовые значения - называемые параметрами, определяют режимы ВТО и зависят от волокнистого состава обрабатываемой ткани, вида выполняемых операций и применяемого оборудования для ВТО[8]. система взаимодействия средств труда и предметов труда, приводящая к получению готового изделия. Качественная одежда имеет больший запас прочности, она не теряет форму после первых стирок и не вытягивается при носке, не покрывается моментально катышками и у нее не топорщиться молния. Все это завысить от правильного выбора технологических обработок одежды - от ниточных соединений, клеевых соединений и в большем объеме от влажно-тепловой обработки изделия. полуфабрикат - Р, МРа; количество внесенной в него влаги - W, %; и время обработки - t, сек. Числовые значения - называемые параметрами, определяют режимы ВТО и зависят от волокнистого состава обрабатываемой ткани, вида выполняемых операций и применяемого оборудования для ВТО[8]. Технологический процесс изготовления швейного изделия – это References: 1. Ebersol, J. A. & Field, M. L. From reader to reading teacher: Issues and strategies for second language classrooms. New York: Cambridge University Press. (1997).P 37 1. Ebersol, J. A. & Field, M. L. From reader to reading teacher: Issues and strategies for second language classrooms. New York: Cambridge University Press. (1997).P 37 2. Alderson, J. C. Reading in a foreign language: A reading problem or a language problem? In J.C. Alderson & A.H. Urquhart (Eds.), Reading in a foreign language (1984). (pp.1-27). New York: Longman. 2. Alderson, J. C. Reading in a foreign language: A reading problem or a language problem? In J.C. Alderson & A.H. Urquhart (Eds.), Reading in a foreign language (1984). (pp.1-27). New York: Longman. 3. Alderson, J. C. & Luckman, Y. Cognition and reading: cognitive levels as embodied in test questions. Reading in a Foreign Language 5 (2), (1989).253-70. 3. Alderson, J. C. & Luckman, Y. Cognition and reading: cognitive levels as embodied in test questions. Reading in a Foreign Language 5 (2), (1989).253-70. 4. Alderson, J. C. Assessing Reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (200 on, J. C. Assessing Reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (2000).p 19 5. Afflerbach, from reader to reading teacher: Issues and strategies for second language classrooms. New York: Cambridge University Press 2007. p 268 5. Afflerbach, from reader to reading teacher: Issues and strategies for second language classrooms. New York: Cambridge University Press 2007. p 268 6. Geva, E. Facilitating reading comprehension through flowcharting. Reading Research Quarterly, 18, (1983)384-405. 6. Geva, E. Facilitating reading comprehension through flowcharting. Reading Research Quarterly, 18, (1983)384-405. 7. Grabe, W. Current development in second language reading research. TESOL Quarterly, 25, 3, (1991) (p. 378) 7. Grabe, W. Current development in second language reading research. TESOL Quarterly, 25, 3, (1991) (p. 378) 8. Gough, P. One second of reading. In Kavanagh, J., Mattingly, I. (Eds.), Language by ear and by eye: The relationships between speech and reading (1982). Cambridge: MIT Press. pp. 331-335 9. Goodman, K. S. Reading: A psycholinguistic guessing game. In Ruddell, R., Ruddell, M., Singer, H. (Eds.), Theoretical models and processes of reading Newark: International Reading Association. (1976). (pp. 497-508). 8. Gough, P. One second of reading. In Kavanagh, J., Mattingly, I. (Eds.), Language by ear and by eye: The relationships between speech and reading (1982). Cambridge: MIT Press. pp. 331-335 9. Goodman, K. S. Reading: A psycholinguistic guessing game. www.in-academy.uz Синтетические волокна в текстильных материалах позволяют улучшить их При производстве швейных изделий, основное влияние на изменение свойств материала в процессе ВТО и его деформационную способность оказывают такие факторы, как температура гладильной поверхности - Т, 0С; давление на Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 Page 574 EURASIAN JOURN Innovative Ac UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 полуфабрикат - Р, МРа; количество внесенной в него влаги - W, %; и время обработки - t, сек. Числовые значения - называемые параметрами, определяют режимы ВТО и зависят от волокнистого состава обрабатываемой ткани, вида выполняемых операций и применяемого оборудования для ВТО[8]. Технологические процессы изготовления швейных изделий являются основой швейного производства и включают в себя всю совокупность операций по обработке и соединению деталей и узлов в определенной технологической последовательности [9-10]. Технологический процесс изготовления швейного изделия – это URNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH ve Academy Research Support Center www.in-academy.uz во мя я - ют ого да ого сы ий ого сю е и в ой система взаимодействия средств труда и предметов труда, приводящая к получению готового изделия. Качественная одежда имеет больший запас прочности, она не теряет форму после первых стирок и не вытягивается при носке, не покрывается моментально катышками и у нее не топорщиться молния. Все это завысить от правильного выбора технологических обработок одежды - от ниточных соединений, клеевых соединений и в большем объеме от влажно-тепловой обработки изделия. EURASIAN JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 www.in-academy.uz рикат - Р, МРа; количество й в него влаги - W, %; и время и - t, сек. Числовые значения - мые параметрами, определяют ВТО и зависят от волокнистого обрабатываемой ткани, вида емых операций и применяемого ания для ВТО[8]. нологические процессы ения швейных изделий основой швейного ства и включают в себя всю ость операций по обработке и ию деталей и узлов в нной технологической ательности [9-10]. нологический процесс система взаимодействия средств труда и предметов труда, приводящая к получению готового изделия. Качественная одежда имеет больший запас прочности, она не теряет форму после первых стирок и не вытягивается при носке, не покрывается моментально катышками и у нее не топорщиться молния. Все это завысить от правильного выбора технологических обработок одежды - от ниточных соединений, клеевых соединений и в большем объеме от влажно-тепловой обработки изделия. EURASIAN JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 www.in-academy.uz EURASIAN JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.1 | SJIF = 5.685 www.in-academy.uz L OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH emy Research Support Center www.in-academy.uz система взаимодействия средств труда и предметов труда, приводящая к получению готового изделия. Качественная одежда имеет больший запас прочности, она не теряет форму после первых стирок и не вытягивается при носке, не покрывается моментально катышками и у нее не топорщиться молния. Все это завысить от правильного выбора технологических обработок одежды - от ниточных соединений, клеевых соединений и в большем объеме от влажно-тепловой обработки изделия. References: In Ruddell, R., Ruddell, M., Singer, H. (Eds.), Theoretical models and processes of reading Newark: International Reading Association. (1976). (pp. 497-508). 10. Hamdan, J., & Diab, T.Using L1 in testing reading comprehension in English. Journal of the Educational Research Centre, Qatar University (1997) 6, 12, 1-19 10. Hamdan, J., & Diab, T.Using L1 in testing reading comprehension in English. Journal of the Educational Research Centre, Qatar University (1997) 6, 12, 1-19 11. Huang, S. H. Assessing the relationship between referential understanding and academic reading comprehension among EFL college students. (2005). p276 11. Huang, S. H. Assessing the relationship between referential understanding and academic reading comprehension among EFL college students. (2005). p276 Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 Page 575 Volume 2 Issue 11, October 2022 ISSN 2181-2020 ISSN 2181-2020 Page 575
https://openalex.org/W4386860688
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3313718/latest.pdf
English
null
Transcriptome Analysis Identified Dichogamy Regulation Networks in Alpinia mutica
Research Square (Research Square)
2,023
cc-by
10,669
Research Article Keywords: Dichogamy, Sex transition, Flowering plant, Regulation mechanism, RNA-seq Posted Date: September 19th, 2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3313718/v1 License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Page 1/23 Abstract In the sexual reproduction of flowering plants, outcrossing has natural advantages in heredity, and is the reproduction method used by most flowering plants. Dichogamy, accompanied by flower sex transition or differential maturation, promotes outcrossing and reduces selfing and interference with male and female functions, impacting the diversity and evolution of flowering plants significantly. However, due to a chronic lack of available research materials, the regulatory mechanism of dichogamy, an important reproductive trait that has been of great interest since Darwin's time, remains unknown. Fortunately, Aplinia mutica, a species of wild ginger that has two sexes within the same population and achieve dichogamy through sex transition, provides superb research material. In this study, differential expression gene analysis and group screening were conducted to identify the underlying causes and potential regulatory networks that may be involved in the flower sex transition and the maturity of two sex organs, anther, and stigma. Our findings revealed that genes such as MYB-TFs, NAC-TFs, FLA11, KSC6, NADPH, PP1CG2, and VTC2; plant hormones such as jasmonic acid (JA), auxin, and brassinosteroids (BR); environmental factors such as light and temperature; and many other factors, such as phosphorylation and other biological processes, may all affect the sex transition process of A. mutica. the regulation of sex transition and dichogamy is a complex process. Since the regulatory mechanism of dichogamy has been an important open question for a long time, our study has made a novel contribution by identifying and examining its transcriptional regulation in plants at the molecular level. This finding holds immense importance for further investigations in this area. Introduction Sexual reproduction has been the driving force behind the evolution of angiosperms. Sex expression and conversion determine the mating mode of sexual reproduction of flowering plants (angiosperms), determine the inheritance of plant genetic material, play a crucial role in the evolution of angiosperms, and then influence the evolution and diversity pattern of the entire biological realm (Barrett, 2003; Campbell & Kessler, 2013). The diversity of the mating system is one of the characteristics of flowering plants (Barrett, 2002), most angiosperms are bisexual flowers, which express both male and female, allowing them to engage in both selfing and outcrossing. Outcrossing has become the preferred mode of reproduction for most angiosperms due to its advantages in genetic diversity and progeny fitness (Goodwillie et al., 2005), while selfing is mostly considered to play a role in ensuring reproduction under conditions of limited pollination(Zhou et al., 2012). Therefore, how to promote outcrossing is one of the core issues in the evolution of flowering plant reproductive system (Lloyd & Webb, 1986; Sargent & Otto, 2004). A direct method is to turn bisexual into unisexual (dioecy)(Renner & Ricklefs, 1995). In addition, self-incompatibility (SI) can be used to prevent the generation of selfing (Wright et al., 2013), or the functions of male and female organs (stigma and anther) can be separated in space(heterogamy) and time(dichogamy) to reduce the probability of self-pollination(Bertin & Newman, 1993; Glover & Barrett, 1986). In hermaphrodite flower plants, the sex transition of flowers is one of the key processes to achieve dichogamy and this study focuses on this process. Page 2/23 Page 2/23 Surprisingly, there is a group of plants that perfectly combines dichogamy, herkogamy, and dioecy through sex transition. Flexistyly - reported in Alpinia kwangsiensis of Zingiberaceae in 2001 (Li, 2002; Li et al,. (Li, 2002; Li et al., 2001). Dichogamy represents the temporal separation of male and female functions in plant individuals or populations, unlike most dichogamy species, which only have one type: protandry (PA, male first) or protogyny (PG, female first) (Lloyd & Webb, 1986), A. Kwangsiensis has both PA and PG phenotypes and is classified as heterodichogamy (Gleeson, 1982; Li et al., 2001), In the early flowering stage, PG stigma first matures to receive pollen and exercise female function, while PA anther first matures to release pollen and exercise male function. Introduction After half the flowering period, the PG anther matures to release pollen, transitioning from female to male, while the PA stigma matures to receive pollen, transitioning from male to female. This is the dichogamy characteristic caused by the difference in maturity time between males and females and the sex transition. At the same time, when the flower is in the female stage, the stigma will bend downward and move towards the pollinating insect's visiting channel, while in the male stage, the stigma will bend upward and move away from the pollinating insect's visiting channel. This is the herkogamy feature brought about by the sigma bending motion. In addition, the proportion of the two phenotypes in the population is 1:1, which conforms to Gregor Mendel's law. Due to the separation of the male and female stages of the two phenotypes, the population shows the characteristics of dioecy (Li, 2002; Li et al., 2001). The combination of these reproductive characteristics greatly promotes outcrossing, minimizing interference between selfing and male and female function. Surprisingly, there is a group of plants that perfectly combines dichogamy, herkogamy, and dioecy through sex transition. Flexistyly - reported in Alpinia kwangsiensis of Zingiberaceae in 2001 (Li, 2002; Li et al,. (Li, 2002; Li et al., 2001). Dichogamy represents the temporal separation of male and female functions in plant individuals or populations, unlike most dichogamy species, which only have one type: protandry (PA, male first) or protogyny (PG, female first) (Lloyd & Webb, 1986), A. Kwangsiensis has both PA and PG phenotypes and is classified as heterodichogamy (Gleeson, 1982; Li et al., 2001), In the early flowering stage, PG stigma first matures to receive pollen and exercise female function, while PA anther first matures to release pollen and exercise male function. After half the flowering period, the PG anther matures to release pollen, transitioning from female to male, while the PA stigma matures to receive pollen, transitioning from male to female. This is the dichogamy characteristic caused by the difference in maturity time between males and females and the sex transition. At the same time, when the flower is in the female stage, the stigma will bend downward and move towards the pollinating insect's visiting channel, while in the male stage, the stigma will bend upward and move away from the pollinating insect's visiting channel. This is the herkogamy feature brought about by the sigma bending motion. Introduction In addition, the proportion of the two phenotypes in the population is 1:1, which conforms to Gregor Mendel's law. Due to the separation of the male and female stages of the two phenotypes, the population shows the characteristics of dioecy (Li, 2002; Li et al., 2001). The combination of these reproductive characteristics greatly promotes outcrossing, minimizing interference between selfing and male and female function. In addition to its reproductive significance, the greatest value of this unique reproductive strategy lies in providing good materials for the study of rapid sex transition, sex expression control, floral organ movement, and the regulatory mechanisms of dichogamy in plants. Dichogamy, as a reproductive strategy widely existing in flowering plants (Bertin, 1993), is an indispensable part of studying the diversity of flowering plant reproductive systems. Since the Darwin’s time(Darwin, 1877), researchers have conducted many explorations into its adaptive significance in ecology and evolution (Bertin & Newman, 1993; Lloyd & Webb, 1986). However, due to the fact that most dichogamy species only have one phenotype, it is difficult to conduct a detailed comparative analysis, and some species with two-sex phenotypes are both rare and mostly tall trees, making it difficult to compare and analyze. Therefore, unlike the reproductive strategies of SI, dioecy, and herkogamy, which have already been analyzed, the regulatory mechanism of dichogamy remains a mystery more than 100 years later. The sex transition during flowering, as one of the key processes of dichogamy, also lacks relevant research on its regulatory mechanism. In addition, many scholars believe that the heterodichogamy with PA and PG phenotypes may be controlled by a pair of alleles. The PA type is expressed in individuals who are homozygous recessive (gg), while the PG type is exhibited in individuals who are either heterozygous dominant (Gg) or homozygous dominant (GG), It may be one of the pathways for the transformation of monoecy into dioecy(Pannell & Verdu, 2006; Pendleton et al., 2000; Renner, 2001). In summary, A Kwangsiensis and its relatives, as perennial herbs with flexistyly, provide an excellent opportunity to expand our understanding of the diversity of sexual reproduction system of flowering plants, including dichogamy, herkogamy, and dioecy, especially dichogamy and its core regulation of sex transition in the process. Page 3/23 Page 3/23 In this study, due to the difficulty in collecting wild populations of A. kwangsiensis, we selected a closely related species, A. Introduction mutica, which exhibits a similar gender transition pattern (flexistyly) as the research material. We present 46 transcriptome datasets pertaining to A. mutica, these datasets encompass a range of timings, phenotypes, and tissues. Subsequently, comparative analyses and differential gene screening were performed to identify potential target genes associated with sex transition and maturation of male and female organ differences during dichogamy. These findings provide important targets and basic data for future studies of dichogamy and deepen our understanding of the diversity of angiosperms' mating systems. In this study, due to the difficulty in collecting wild populatio related species, A. mutica, which exhibits a similar gender t material. We present 46 transcriptome datasets pertaining t range of timings, phenotypes, and tissues. Subsequently, co screening were performed to identify potential target genes of male and female organ differences during dichogamy. T basic data for future studies of dichogamy and deepen our angiosperms' mating systems. Plant Materials Plant Materials The A. mutica used in this study was planted by ourselves in the nursery of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (101°25′E, 21°41′N), and was observed and sampled from July to August 2020.The flexistyly of A. mutica involves the dichogamy of both male and female sex organs. Therefore, based on the flowering dynamics of A. mutica, we collected anthers and stigmas of PA type and PG type at 4 time points: 6:00, 9:00, 12:00, and 15:00, respectively, each group of samples contained 3 biological replicates. All samples were collected and frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored in a − 80 ℃ ultra-low temperature refrigerator. While collecting molecular samples, we observed and recorded the dichogamy of A. mutica in detail. RNA-Seq Subsequently, we extracted and performed RNA sequencing 3µg of total RNA per sample was used as input material for the RNA sample preparation. Beads with oligo (dT) were used to isolate poly(A) mRNA from total RNA. RNA sequencing libraries were constructed from these mRNA using the TruSeq RNA Sample Preparation Kit (Illumina, San Diego, USA). Briefly, the Elution 2-Frag-Prime (94°C for 8 minutes, 4°C hold) was used to elute, fragment, and prime the mRNA with Elute, Prime, Fragment Mix (Illumina). First-strand cDNA synthesis was performed with First Strand Master Mix and SuperScript II mix (ratio: 1ul SuperScript II/7ul First Strand Master Mix) (Invitrogen). The second strand was synthesized with Second Strand Master Mix (Illumina) and Ampure XP beads (Illumina) were used to separate the double-stranded (ds) cDNA from the 2nd strand reaction mix. After end repair and the addition of a 3’-dA overhang, the cDNA was ligated to Illumina PE adapter oligo mix (Illumina) and size-selected for 350 ± 20 bp fragments by gel purification. After 15 cycles of PCR amplification, the 350 bp paired-end libraries were sequenced using the paired-end sequencing module (150 bp at each end) of the Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform. These raw reads were stored in fastq format, and processed through Trimmomatic (Version 0.32)(Bolger et al., 2014). This step removed reads containing adapter, reads containing poly-N and low-quality reads from the raw data and yielded clean data for downstream analyses. Page 4/23 Page 4/23 DEGs Identification in Different Types of Anther and Stigma of A. mutica To investigate the transcriptional network's impact on dichogamy during sex transition, we utilized transcriptome data from A. mutica across four observation periods (6:00, 9:00, 12:00, and 15:00). Through quantification of gene expression and analysis of differential expression in various groups, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs). These DEGs included genes with differing phenotypes at the same time and in the same tissue, genes with the same phenotype at the same time but in different tissues, and genes with the same phenotype but at different times in the same tissues, the grouping is shown in Fig. 1c, d, and Table. S3. The corresponding trimmed clean reads were aligned to the related reference genome employing TopHat2(Kim et al., 2013) software with default settings. Calculations of gene expression levels were conducted using Cufflinks v2.2.1(Trapnell et al., 2014). Subsequently, we extracted and performed RNA sequencing Fragments per kilobase of exon per million fragments mapped (FPKM) were used to normalize RNA-seq fragment counts and estimate the relative abundance of each gene. The DEGs were decided based on a P-value < 0.05 and at least a 2-fold change between the two FPKMs (adj. P-value ≤ 0.05, | log2FC | ≥ 1). Screening of dichogamy regulation target gene sets- DEGs Analysis Next, because dichogamy of A. mutica involves both male and female functional maturation and transition, we screened DEGs in the anther (male organ) and stigma (female organ) to identify the target gene set associated with dichogamy in controlling A. mutica, which may result in differences between PA and PG types. In anthers, we set 9 sets of screening conditions based on anther maturity and intersected the DEGs of each group (Fig. 2a). Furthermore, in stigmas, we acquired the DEGs of the two phenotypic stigmas at each time, and then took the intersection of the DEGs of the two phenotypes in different time (Fig. 2b). The genes identified in anther and stigma will be used as possible dichogamy-related target gene sets for further analysis Screening of the dichogamy regulation target network-WGCNA Analysis Screening of the dichogamy regulation target network-WGCNA Analysis After screening the target gene sets, we intend to determine which DEGs, among many, are most important in maintaining dichogamy, we conducted WCGNA analysis of the target gene sets of anther and stigma. Two co-expression networks are created using the WGCNA package (version 1.72-1), which is based on the R (version 4.2.3) environment. Genes with a maximum FPKM expression lower than 1 were filtered based on the FPKM expression matrix for all genes, and the FPKM was then converted by log2 (FPKM +  1) for the best soft threshold screening (a.k.a Power value). The clustering modules are separated into clusters following the computation of hierarchical clustering between genes to choose the most important modules for various traits (refers to the four types of An, St, PG, and PA). The co-expression network (Weight ≥ 0.30) of all modules was exported, and the DEGs of the two groups of An and St were Page 5/23 intersected with the total WGCNA expression network, and the final expression network was obtained after screening according to the weight threshold (0.42). Two network maps were created using the Cytoscape software (version 3.9.1), and then a regulatory network with DEGs as the core was obtained. Subsequently, we extracted and performed RNA sequencing After the final expression network is generated, we extend a node along the core node gene network for subsequent analysis. Functional analysis of genes in the core genes network Following the above work, the genes in the anther and stigma networks were subjected to GO enrichment analysis on tbTools (version 1.120)(Chen et al., 2020), and the corresponding protein sequences were compared with the protein (Araport11) obtained in the TAIR database (https://www.arabidopsis.org) using Diamond (version 2.0.14) (http://github.com/bbuchfink/diamond) software, and the possible functions of the genes in the core network were determined. The regulatory mechanism of dichogamy and flexistyly of A. mutica was inferred using the results of GO enrichment and the function of core differential genes, which also includes similar studies that have been reported today. Dichogamy in A. mutica Dichogamy in A. mutica Dichogamy feature in A. mutica, as it is in its sister species A. kwangsiensis, which was the first to report this unique sex transition (Li et al., 2001). According to earlier studies, we observed the state of stigma(St) and anther(An) in flowers at 6:00, 9:00, 12:00, and 15:00 based on their blossoming and sex change processes. (Fig. 1a) Both the PA and PG varieties of A. mutica had flowered by 6:00. The PA stigma has already curved upward, away from the pollinator's flower-visiting channel, and its anther has fractured and begun dispersing pollen. The PA is currently in the male stage. The PG stigma, on the other hand, is located in the floral visiting channel and is bent downward, its anther securely closed and not dispersing pollen. The PG is currently in the female stage. At 9:00, the sex of the two types remained constant, with the PA type stigma at its lowest and the PA type pollen disperse at its highest. The PA stigma began to descend and enter the pollination channel at 12:00. Pollinators had taken a significant amount of pollen from the type. The PG stigma starts moving upward in the pollination channels, and the PG anther dehiscence starts dispersing pollen. Individuals of both types are currently undergoing sex transition. At 15:00, the PA type stigma had reached its lowest point, and pollinators had removed its pollen. The PG stigma reached its peak, and the PG anther pollen disperse reached its peak. At this point, both types have completed sex conversion, with PA becoming female and PG becoming male. Screening of dichogamy regulation target gene sets Screening of dichogamy regulation target gene sets By grouping and screening, the dichogamy target gene sets in anther, and stigma was screened out. In anther, the intersection of 9 groups of screening conditions obtained 67 DGEs as target gene sets (Fig. 2a), and in stigma, the intersection of two phenotype stigma DEGs at different times obtained 52 DEGs as target gene sets(Fig. 2b) (For more information, check Table.S4). With the help of protein sequence alignment tools Diamond v2.0.14 (http://github.com/bbuchfink/diamond), we used Arabidopsis thaliana genome as a reference for the sequence alignment (default parameters), and annotated DEGs with A. thaliana genes description to confirm the potential functions of the corresponding DEGs in A. mutica. Many genes related to pollen maturation, pollen adhesion, anther maturation, cell elongation, photomorphogenesis, auxin metabolism, BR response, and JA response were found in 67 target DEGs of anther and 52 target DEGs of stigma. (Table.1). Among them, the number of DEGs related to light signaling/response was the largest. For example, 5 light morphogenetic genes PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR5(PRR5, 2 high light stress response genes Am15.371 (HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN17.4, HSP17.4), Am19.246(HSP17.4) and Am193.158(NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5-NADPH) were identified (Table. 1). In addition to the genes in the light signaling pathway mentioned above, most of the other genes are involved in BR pathway, auxin pathway, and JA pathway. For example, Am5.758 (MYB DOMAIN PROTEIN, MYB108, MYB78, MYB112), Am14.1921 (ABC transporter G family member 6, ABCG6), Am21.1780 (PHYTOCHELATIN SYNTHASES 1, PCS1) involved in pollen development, Am24.2135 (NAM, ATAF1,2, and CUC2 046, NAC046) involved in the regulation of flower senescence. Am22.1248 (BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1, BRI1) and Am2.30 (BRI1 SUPPRESSOR 1, BRS1) involved in the BR pathway, and Am15.1678 (FASCICLIN-LIKE ARABINOGALACTAN-PROTEIN 1, FLA11) involved in regulating pollen cell adhesion. Among these genes, there are also a few genes involved in cell wall material synthesis and degradation, which may play a role downstream of the genes related to cell elongation and stigma movement, such as Am6.468(NAC075), Am14.1914(PROLINE-RICH EXTENSIN-LIKE RECEPTOR KINASE 13, PERK13) (Table. 1). With the help of protein sequence alignment tools Diamond v2.0.14 ( ) p y ( ARABINOGALACTAN-PROTEIN 1, FLA11) involved in regulating pollen cell adhesion. Among these genes, there are also a few genes involved in cell wall material synthesis and degradation, which may play a role downstream of the genes related to cell elongation and stigma movement, such as Am6.468(NAC075), Am14.1914(PROLINE-RICH EXTENSIN-LIKE RECEPTOR KINASE 13, PERK13) (Table. 1). DEGs in different types of anther and stigma of A. mutica DEGs in different types of anther and stigma of A. mutica A large number of DEGs were discovered in comparison groups of different phenotypes, at the same time and in the same tissue, and the number of DEGs peaked at 9:00 a. m. and then gradually decreased (Fig. 1c). The number of DEGs was highest in the comparison group of the same phenotype, same time, and different tissues, but only the number of DEGs in the PG type decreased gradually over time (Fig. 1c). Page 6/23 Page 6/23 The situation of DEGs was more unique in the comparison groups of the same phenotype, different time, and the same tissue; the number of DEGs gradually increased over time, but the number of DEGs in the PA type anther with the earliest pollen maturation was greater than that in the PG type (Fig. 1d). The most obvious difference was that only PG type had the most DEGs (a small number of up-regulated genes and a large number of down-regulated genes) during 6:00–9:00, which was significantly higher than the number of DEGs in other groups (Fig. 1d). As a result, we hypothesized that the mechanism of dimorphism and style bending was caused by the close correlation of these DEGs between PA and PG types, particularly between 6:00 and 9:00. Screening of dichogamy regulation target gene sets Screening of the dichogamy regulation target network Through WGCNA analysis, we further identified the most important target genes in dichogamy. Page 7/23 Finally, we were able to isolate 15 anther core DEGs (Fig. 3c) and 5 stigma core DEGs (Fig. 3d), the anther core DEGs are Am15.1678 (FLA11), Am193.158 (NADPH), Am2.30 (BRS1), Am3.157 (CYTOCHROME P450 FAMILY 710 SUBFAMILY A POLYPEPTIDE 1, CYP710A1), and Am5.758 (MYB108). The core DEGs for stigma are Am12.2672 (VITAMIN C DEFECTIVE 2, VTC2), Am17.274 (PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE 2C G GROUP 1, PP2CG1), and Am17.286 (3-KETOACYL-COA SYNTHASE 6, KCS6), respectively. In addition, 10 and 2 uncharacterized genes, found in the stigma and anther, respectively, may be crucial for maintaining dichogamy and flexistyly. (For more information, check Table. 1). Finally, we were able to isolate 15 anther core DEGs (Fig. 3c) and 5 stigma core DEGs (Fig. 3d), the anther core DEGs are Am15.1678 (FLA11), Am193.158 (NADPH), Am2.30 (BRS1), Am3.157 (CYTOCHROME P450 FAMILY 710 SUBFAMILY A POLYPEPTIDE 1, CYP710A1), and Am5.758 (MYB108). The core DEGs for stigma are Am12.2672 (VITAMIN C DEFECTIVE 2, VTC2), Am17.274 (PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE 2C G GROUP 1, PP2CG1), and Am17.286 (3-KETOACYL-COA SYNTHASE 6, KCS6), respectively. In addition, 10 and 2 uncharacterized genes, found in the stigma and anther, respectively, may be crucial for maintaining dichogamy and flexistyly. (For more information, check Table. 1). In terms of expression patterns, 15 core genes in the anther showed opposite expression patterns in the PA and PG types (Fig. 3a, b). The expression was high in the PG type at 6:00 and 9:00 and decreased at 12:00 and 15:00, while it was low in the PA type at 6:00 and 9:00 and slightly increased at 12:00 and 15:00. Other genes in the co-expression network have expression patterns similar to core genes, but there are some differences. The majority of PG genes were highly expressed at 6:00, 9:00, and 12:00, but decreased at 15:00. The PA type expression level peaked at 6:00, then began to fall, reaching its lowest point at 12:00 and remaining there until 15:00. The expression pattern of core genes in stigma is slightly complex; three genes displayed different expression trends in PA and PG types, while the other two target genes displayed the same pattern (Fig. 3b). Screening of dichogamy regulation target gene sets The expression of gene: Am17.286 in both types was highest at 6:00 and lowest at 15:00, but the maximum expression in PA type was lower than that in PG type, and it was down-regulated at 9:00, earlier than 12:00 in PG type. The expression of gene: Am17.274 in both types was highest at 9:00 and lowest at 15:00, but the maximum expression in the PA type was lower than that in the PG type. The expression of gene: Am7.1051 in both types was opposite, with consistently low expression in the PA type and a brief increase in the PG type between 9:00 and 12:00 (the high expression in a sample at 15:00 was thought to be an accidental individual difference). The expression of the remaining 2 genes in both types was the same, with high expression at 9:00, and then decreased. The expression patterns of other genes in the co-expression network are different. Most PG type genes are low expressed at 6:00 and high expressed at 9:00, 12:00, and 15:00, whereas the majority of PA type genes are consistently low expressed. The differences in the core genes we screened in stigma are most pronounced between 9:00 and 12:00, which corresponds to the critical stage of A. mutica's sextransition. The expression patterns of other genes in the WCGNA network are similar (Fig.S2). In anther, genes other than the core genes are mostly highly expressed in PG from 6:00 to 12:00, while they remain consistently low expressed in PA. This trend is similar to core genes, but the downregulation of expression lags behind. In stigma, genes other than the core genes are mostly highly expressed in PG from 9:00 to 12:00, while in PA, they remain consistently low in expression. The period during which the movement direction of stigma is reversed is the most significant difference between the two types. Functional analysis of genes in the core genes network Page 8/23 The results of GO enrichment analysis showed that nearly half of the genes in the pollen pocket's core network are enriched in terms linked to phosphorylation and cell wall formation (Biological process), and the majority of them have phosphorylase, hydrolase, and transferase activities (Molecular function). It is worth mentioning that the majority of these genes are engaged in cell wall formation and breakdown. Screening of dichogamy regulation target gene sets The result of enrichment in the core network of stigma is similar to that of anthers, but what distinguishes it is that the genes of the core network of stigma, whether BP, MF, or CC, are almost exclusively associated with terms related to plant response to environmental stimuli, such as phosphorylation and kinase. Based on the enrichment results, we hypothesize that phosphorylation-related genes may play a significant role in responding to environmental stimuli (such as illumination, mechanical touch, temperature, and so on) and regulating the synthesis and degradation of downstream cell wall substances. The genes (including 10 anther and 2 stigma uncharacterized genes) on the other core nodes were not significantly enriched under the exact GO term, except the Am2.30 (BRS1) gene, which was enriched under the catalytic activity (GO: 0003824) and transfer activity (GO: 0016740) terms (Fig.S4, Table. S5). This could be attributed to the fact that most of these genes have unknown functions and have not been thoroughly studied. However, as previously indicated, other node genes radiated by core node genes are enriched for phosphorylation and cell wall material related phrases. Discussion Our study gathered and analyzed 12 anther and 10 stigma transcripts of A. mutica in different phenotypes and at different times, which is the first investigation of the gene expression pattern of dichogamy, an essential plant reproductive feature, to our knowledge. These findings will aid in identifying and interpreting core genes involved in pollen and anther maturation, pollen release, stigma maturation, stigma movement, and dichogamy. The maturity and release of plant anther and pollen are essential for male function completion. It is also a complex process that is influenced by a variety of elements, including external (temperature, humidity, light, etc.) and internal (gene expression, plant hormones, etc. ). Our research begins with gene expression in these processes. We identified many of the genes (including MYBs, ARFs NACs, CYP710A1, BRS1, NADPH, FLA11, KCS6, and others) and their corresponding proteins play significant roles in anther and pollen development, maturity, cracking, and pollen release. Am5.758 (MYB108) is a basic network node in our WGCNA network. MYB transcription factors play a crucial role in the development of plants and pollen. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the MYB108 mutant’s stamen growth, pollen fertility, and anther rupture were severely damaged. MYB108 not only directly controls anther cracking through AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 17 (ARF17), but it is also controlled by MYB21, which increases anther and pollen maturation. (Mandaokar & Browse, 2009; Xu et al., 2019). Another core gene of interest is Am15.1678(FLA11). FLAs is a glycoprotein with complex multi-domain structure, which is involved in calcium complexation and signal transduction, affecting plant growth and development; FLA11 is involved in the development of Secondary cell walls (SCWs) and the response to mechanical stress; FLA3 directly regulates pollen development (Lamport & Varnai, 2013; Lopez- Hernandez et al., 2020; Ma et al., 2022; Ma et al., 2023). The regulatory pathway that controls the initiation and assembly of SCW in plants involves a transcription factor (TF) cascade, with the first Page 9/23 Page 9/23 master TFs being NAC transcription factors, and the MYB TFs being the second master TFs, which directly regulate SCW synthesis genes or regulate downstream MYBs to regulate the development of SCW(McCarthy et al., 2009; Nakano et al., 2015). In addition, the expression of these three genes is regulated by both jasmonic acid (JA) and Auxin, and there is negative regulation between the two pathways(Cecchetti et al., 2007). Discussion In Arabidopsis thaliana, JA directly controls anther cracking through MYB21/24, Auxin regulates pollen release by regulating MYB108 through ARF17, excessive ARF can inhibit anther cracking,(Song et al., 2018), and the expression of OPR3, an enzyme in the JA pathway, is significantly upregulated in ARF mutant strains, Auxin negatively regulates JA synthesis in plants.. (Cecchetti et al., 2007). From the expression level perspective, in A. mutica, Am5.758 (MYB108) and Am15.1678 (FLA11), 2 core genes, persistently low expressed in the PA type, initially high expressed in the PG type, and decreased in expression from 12:00 to 15:00. This is the stage when PG type anther matures and releases pollen. The expression trend of Am13.332 (ARF6) is consistent with core genes. These 3 genes are all in the Auxin pathway. The expression trends of the 3 genes of the JA pathway, Am24.2135 (NAC046), Am12.2797 (12- OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE 1, OPR1), and Am14.1921 (JAT3), are opposite to those of the Auxin pathway. They are initially low expressed in the PG type, upregulated after 12:00, and persistently high expressed in the PA type (Fig.S1). This expression trend demonstrates the negative regulatory relationship between the Auxin pathway and the JA pathway, consistent with previous studies(Cecchetti et al., 2007), At the same time, it also indicates that the accumulation of gene expressions such as MYBs, FLA11, and ARFs is a necessary condition for stamen maturation. In addition, Auxin has been shown to affect the sigma movement of A. mutica(Luo et al., 2012). In addition to the Auxin and JA pathways mentioned above, sterol metabolism may also play an important role in anther maturation. Brassinosteroids(BR) is an important sterol plant hormones, which play an important role in the development and growth of plants, such as seed germination, rhizome elongation and growth, photomorphogenesis, vascular bundle differentiation, tropism and reproductive development(Mandava, 1988). Am2.30(BRS1) is an important gene in the BR signal transduction pathway, and its phosphorylation activation energy activates the synthesis and signal transduction of BR (Yang et al., 2011). Am3.157(CYP710A1) is an important gene in sterol metabolism and may also be involved in BR and synthesis regulation. In A. thaliana, CYP710A1 encodes C-22 desaturase and can synthesize stigmasterol using β-sitosterol as its precursor. CYP710A2 can act on 24-epi-campesterol and β-sitosterol, generating BR and stigmasterol, respectively (Morikawa et al., 2006). An appropriate ratio of β-sitosterol to campesterol may be necessary for normal plant development and sexual reproduction(Benveniste, 2004; Schaller, 2003). Discussion In addition, light and JA may also be involved in the regulation of the BR pathway(Martinez et al., 2018; Ren et al., 2009). The expression trend of the above two genes and other genes(Am22.271(THESEUS1, THE1), Am20.433(THE1), Am12.837(THE1), Am12.3425(THE1), Am18.1541(DON-GLUCOSYLTRANSFERASE 1, DOGT1), Am1.367(ROTUNDIFOLIA 3, ROT3), Am12.454(CDG1-like 1, CDL1), Am22.2344(CDL1), Am24.1436(CDL1), Am13.93(PHYB ACTIVATION TAGGED SUPPRESSOR 1, BAS1), Am15.2024(BRZ-INSENSITIVE-LONG HYPOCOTYLS 4, BIL4), Am22.1464(BIL4), Am17.583(RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTOR 23, RALF23), Am6.379(SHAGGY- Page 10/23 LIKE PROTEIN KINASE 32, SK32) of the BR pathway is similar to that of the Auxin pathway genes, and contrary to the JA pathway genes, the BR pathway and JA pathway show antagonistic effect(Fig.S5), which is consistent with previous studies(Ren et al., 2009) And stigma, we can't find a strong connection between the core genes identified, but there are still some findings worth discussing. Am17.286(KCS6), a core gene identified in stigmas, encodes a key protein of plant synchral long chain fatty acids and is an important part of a pollen coat, which is essential for stigmas to recognize pollen (Fiebig et al., 2000; Mayfield & Preuss, 2000). This gene, which should be highly expressed in pollen, is highly expressed in the PG stigma, 6:00–12: 00, the reason may be that the first time when we collected, the PG stigma has matured and received a large amount of pollen from the PA anther, thus showing the difference between the two phenotypic stigmas. However, the expression trend of this gene in anther is consistent with that of several core genes in anther mentioned above - it is highly expressed when anther is immature and cracking, and its expression is decreased after maturity. It has also been shown that KCS6 can promote the elongation of cotton fiber cells(Qin et al., 2007), There may be a link between this function and stigma's movement, but it is not clear now. We have also found many genes involved in the JA pathway, Auxin pathway, and BR pathway in the WCGNA network of stigma, indicating that these pathways also play a role in the regulation of stigma movement and maturation. However, we have not found evidence to link these roles. The core genes we identified also reflect the role of environmental conditions in dichogamy regulation. Am193.158(NADPH) is a gene closely associated with the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and its light response has been reported in several studies (Martin et al., 2004; Quan et al., 2022). Discussion our network also contains many genes related to calcium ion pathways, ( Am10.991(CALCIUM DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE 3, CPK3), Am15.1822(CPK3), Am13.1768(CPK3), Am14.190(CPK3), Am3.1138(CPK3), Am6.1925(CPK3), Am6.727(CPK6), Am7.1668(CPK8), Am8.1973(CPK8) ), which are briefly highly expressed in PG and 9:00–12:00, while underexpressed in other samples which are briefly overexpressed in PG from 9:00 to 12:00, while underexpressed in other samples (Fig.S6). This trend of expression shows a difference between calcium ions prior to the two phenotypes and is likely related to stigma maturation and downward movement. accurate role in regulating circadian rhythm(Sancar et al., 2009). Our GO enrichment analysis of all genes in the WCGNA network showed that both in anther and stigma, a lot of GO terms (GO:0015914, GO:0015748, GO:0006796, GO:0006793, GO:0016310) with high q-value are related to phosphorylation, indicating that phosphorylation may play an important role in dichogamy regulation (Fig.S4). In addition, calcium ions play an important role in the bending of plant organs, and previous studies have shown that calcium ions can influence stigma movement in A. mutica(Luo et al., 2011). our network also contains many genes related to calcium ion pathways, ( Am10.991(CALCIUM DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE 3, CPK3), Am15.1822(CPK3), Am13.1768(CPK3), Am14.190(CPK3), Am3.1138(CPK3), Am6.1925(CPK3), Am6.727(CPK6), Am7.1668(CPK8), Am8.1973(CPK8) ), which are briefly highly expressed in PG and 9:00–12:00, while underexpressed in other samples which are briefly overexpressed in PG from 9:00 to 12:00, while underexpressed in other samples (Fig.S6). This trend of expression shows a difference between calcium ions prior to the two phenotypes and is likely related to stigma maturation and downward movement. In summary, most of the target genes we identified have been reported to play an important role in plant sexual maturation, especially male functional maturation, indicating that our identification is reliable. Based on the above results and existing research, we summarized the regulatory network of factors that may participate in dichogamy regulation (Fig. 4). Dichogamy is a complex character, and its functional realization includes a series of steps such as the development, display, and maturation of male and female sexual organs, among which the regulation of each process may affect the regulation of male and female heterogamy, so it should have a complex regulatory mechanism. Unfortunately, our study failed to identify a relatively fine regulatory network. Discussion Many of the genes identified in our study have been shown to play an important role in the maturation and motility of plant sexual functions, but we believe that they may be downstream regulated genes in dichogamy regulation, and the upstream of which still needs to be explored (Fig.S3). Among the core genes identified by us, there are still many genes whose functions are unknown, and their roles in dichogamy regulation are worth further exploration. At the same time, transcriptome analysis of one species cannot directly reflect the sequence differences of PA and PG phenotypes and the diversity of their mechanisms, thus further multi-omics analysis including comparative genomes and validation analysis of expanded populations of more species are needed. Nevertheless, for the first time, our work has conducted targeted research on the molecular regulatory mechanism of dichogamy and its rapid sex transition, laying an important foundation and providing an entry point for future related researches. Discussion ROS plays an important role in the degradation of tapetum and apoptosis of cell walls during anther maturation, and its high expression in PG anther in the morning is consistent with previous studies. In addition to the late cracking of PG anther, the whole anther and pollen development of PG anther may lag behind that of PA type Am12.2672(VTC2) identified in stigma is a core gene in plant ascorbic acid(VC) synthesis(Anisimova et al., 2021), L-ascorbate is associated with responses to growth (Pignocchi & Foyer, 2003), hormone response, flowering, and senescence(Barth et al., 2006), and various environmental stresses, as well as ozone, strong ultraviolet radiation, high temperature, and high light intensity(Linster & Clarke, 2008). The expression of VCT2 is proved to be light-regulated and controlled by circadian rhythm (Aarabi & Fernie, 2023). Am17.274 (PP2CG1) encodes a putative protein phosphate 2C, whose phosphorylation can amplify plant temperature sensing signals and enhance plant temperature response (Lv et al., 2021). Previous studies have shown that light treatment can alter the phenotype of dichogamy(Bi et al., 2012), Our field observations found that the flowering phenology of Lanxangia tsao- ko significantly prolongs when experiencing low temperatures, and the maturation of anther and the movement of stigma are also proportionally delayed (unpublished data). At present, we cannot elucidate the specific role of environmental factors in the regulation of dichogamy, but our results also indicate that environmental factors such as light and temperature may be very important Phosphorylation, as an important mode of post-translational covalent modification, is widely involved in plant growth and development, stress response, and signal transduction processes, and plays an Page 11/23 Page 11/23 accurate role in regulating circadian rhythm(Sancar et al., 2009). Our GO enrichment analysis of all genes in the WCGNA network showed that both in anther and stigma, a lot of GO terms (GO:0015914, GO:0015748, GO:0006796, GO:0006793, GO:0016310) with high q-value are related to phosphorylation, indicating that phosphorylation may play an important role in dichogamy regulation (Fig.S4). In addition, calcium ions play an important role in the bending of plant organs, and previous studies have shown that calcium ions can influence stigma movement in A. mutica(Luo et al., 2011). Data Availability All raw data of transcriptomes were deposited in National Center for Biotechnology Information ( NCBI ) under accession number PRJNA1010482. A k l d Page 12/23 Page 12/23 Page 12/23 We thank the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences fo providing us with nurseries for planting samples and helping us in sampling. Funding This research was supported by Joint Project between Yunnan Provincial Science and Technolo Department and “Double First-Class” University Project of Yunnan University (grant 2019FY0030 Postgraduate Research and Innovation Foundation of Yunnan University (grant 2021Z021.) Author information Huang Ao-Dan and Peng Xiao-Chang contributed equally to this work. Authors and Affiliations Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology and Institut Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunna China. Huang Ao-Dan, Peng Xiao-Chang, Luo Pei-Wen, Zhao Jian-Li & Li Qing-Jun  Laboratory of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Util Bio- Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650504, China. Zhao Jian-Li & Li Qing-Jun Yunnan Research Institute for Local Plateau Agriculture and Industry, Kunming, Yunnan 650201 Duan Sheng-Chang & Dong Yang State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Agric University, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China. Duan Sheng-Chang, Xiang Gui-Sheng, Dong Yang & Wang Wei-Bin Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, Yun 666303, China Jiang Li-Ju b We thank the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for providing us with nurseries for planting samples and helping us in sampling. References 1. Aarabi, F., & Fernie, A. R. (2023). Elucidating the role of ascorbate in light signaling. Trends in Plant Science. https://doi. org/10.1016/j. tplants. 2023.05.007 1. Aarabi, F., & Fernie, A. R. (2023). Elucidating the role of ascorbate in light signaling. Trends in Plant Science. https://doi. org/10.1016/j. tplants. 2023.05.007 2. Anisimova, O. K., Seredin, T. M., Shchennikova, A. V., Kochieva, E. Z., & Filyushin, M. A. (2021). Estimation of the Vitamin C Content and GDP-L-Galactose Phosphorylase Gene (VTC2) Expression Level in Leek (Allium porrum L. ) Cultivars [Article]. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology, 68(1), 85- 93.https://doi. org/10.1134/s1021443720060023 2. Anisimova, O. K., Seredin, T. M., Shchennikova, A. V., Kochieva, E. Z., & Filyushin, M. A. (2021). Estimation of the Vitamin C Content and GDP-L-Galactose Phosphorylase Gene (VTC2) Expression Level in Leek (Allium porrum L. ) Cultivars [Article]. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology, 68(1), 85- 93.https://doi. org/10.1134/s1021443720060023 3. Barrett, S. C. H. (2002). Sexual interference of the floral kind [Article; Proceedings Paper]. Heredity, 88, 154-159.https://doi. org/10.1038/sj/hdy/6800020 3. Barrett, S. C. H. (2002). Sexual interference of the floral kind [Article; Proceedings Paper]. Heredity, 88, 154-159.https://doi. org/10.1038/sj/hdy/6800020 4. Barrett, S. C. H. (2003). Mating strategies in flowering plants: the outcrossing-selfing paradigm and beyond [Article; Proceedings Paper]. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 358(1434), 991-1004.https://doi. org/10.1098/rstb. 2003.1301 5. Barth, C., De Tullio, M., & Conklin, P. L. (2006). The role of ascorbic acid in the control of flowering time and the onset of senescence [Article; Proceedings Paper]. Journal of Experimental Botany, 57(8), 1657-1665.https://doi. org/10.1093/jxb/erj198 5. Barth, C., De Tullio, M., & Conklin, P. L. (2006). The role of ascorbic acid in the control of flowering time and the onset of senescence [Article; Proceedings Paper]. Journal of Experimental Botany, 57(8), 1657-1665.https://doi. org/10.1093/jxb/erj198 6. Benveniste, P. (2004). Biosynthesis and accumulation of sterols [Review]. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 55, 429-457.https://doi. org/10.1146/annurev. arplant. 55.031903.141616 6. Benveniste, P. (2004). Biosynthesis and accumulation of sterols [Review]. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 55, 429-457.https://doi. org/10.1146/annurev. arplant. 55.031903.141616 7. Bertin, R. I. (1993). INCIDENCE OF MONOECY AND DICHOGAMY IN RELATION TO SELF- FERTILIZATION IN ANGIOSPERMS [Article]. American journal of botany, 80(5), 557-560.https://doi. org/10.2307/2445372 7. Bertin, R. I. (1993). INCIDENCE OF MONOECY AND DICHOGAMY IN RELATION TO SELF- FERTILIZATION IN ANGIOSPERMS [Article]. American journal of botany, 80(5), 557-560.https://doi. org/10.2307/2445372 8. Bertin, R. I., & Newman, C. M. (1993). DICHOGAMY IN ANGIOSPERMS [Article]. Botanical Review, 59(2), 112-152.https://doi. org/10.1007/bf02856676 8. Bertin, R. Competing Interests The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. Funding This research was supported by Joint Project between Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department and “Double First-Class” University Project of Yunnan University (grant 2019FY003001.), the Postgraduate Research and Innovation Foundation of Yunnan University (grant 2021Z021.) Page 13/23 This research was supported by Joint Project between Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department and “Double First-Class” University Project of Yunnan University (grant 2019FY003001.), the Postgraduate Research and Innovation Foundation of Yunnan University (grant 2021Z021.) Author information Huang Ao-Dan and Peng Xiao-Chang contributed equally to this work. Authors and Affiliations Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology and Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650504, China. Huang Ao-Dan, Peng Xiao-Chang, Luo Pei-Wen, Zhao Jian-Li & Li Qing-Jun  Laboratory of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio- Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650504, China. Zhao Jian-Li & Li Qing-Jun Yunnan Research Institute for Local Plateau Agriculture and Industry, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China. Duan Sheng-Chang & Dong Yang State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China. Duan Sheng-Chang, Xiang Gui-Sheng, Dong Yang & Wang Wei-Bin Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 666303, China Jiang Li-Ju Contributions The research was designed, conceived and supervised by W.W.B, P.X.C and H.A.D. W.W.B, H.A.D, P.X.C, L.P.W, J.L.J and D.S.C collected samples, RNA isolation and DEGs identification. W.W.B, P.X.C, D.S.C, and X.G.C analyzed subsequent data. The manuscript was drafted by H.A.D and P.X.C. All authors contributed to the review of the manuscript before submission for publication and approved the final version. Page 13/23 The research was designed, conceived and supervised by W.W.B, P.X.C and H.A.D. W.W.B, H.A.D, P.X.C, L.P.W, J.L.J and D.S.C collected samples, RNA isolation and DEGs identification. W.W.B, P.X.C, D.S.C, and X.G.C analyzed subsequent data. The manuscript was drafted by H.A.D and P.X.C. All authors contributed to the review of the manuscript before submission for publication and approved the final version. Corresponding author Corresponding author Correspondence to Peng Xiao-Chang & Wang Wei-Bin. Correspondence: qfh20m20m@163.com, wangwb@dongyang-lab.org Correspondence: qfh20m20m@163.com, wangwb@dongyang-lab.org Ethics declarations Competing Interests References I., & Newman, C. M. (1993). DICHOGAMY IN ANGIOSPERMS [Article]. Botanical Review, 59(2), 112-152.https://doi. org/10.1007/bf02856676 9. Bi, T., Zhou, H., Su, Z., Li, D., Li, S., Cui, X., & Luo, Y. (2012). Light Effects on the Style Curvature and Anther Dehiscence of Alpinia mutica (Zingiberaceae) [光对马来良姜花柱运动和花药开裂的影响] [Article]. Plant Diversity and Resourcues, 34(5), 453-458, Article 2095-0845(2012)34:5<453:Gdmllj>2.0.Tx;2-l. <Go to ISI>://CSCD:4662821 Page 14/23 10. Bolger, A. M., Lohse, M., & Usadel, B. (2014). Trimmomatic: a flexible trimmer for Illumina sequence data [Article]. Bioinformatics, 30(15), 2114-2120.https://doi. org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btu170 11. Campbell, S. A., & Kessler, A. (2013). Plant mating system transitions drive the macroevolution of defense strategies [Article]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(10), 3973-3978.https://doi. org/10.1073/pnas. 1213867110 12. Cecchetti, V., Altamura, M. M., Serino, G., Pomponi, M., Falasca, G., Costantino, P., & Cardarelli, M. (2007). ROX1, a gene induced by rolB, is involved in procambial cell proliferation and xylem differentiation in tobacco stamen [Article]. Plant Journal, 49(1), 27-37.https://doi. org/10.1111/j. 1365-313X. 2006.02934.x 13. Chen, C., Chen, H., Zhang, Y., Thomas, H. R., Frank, M. H., He, Y., & Xia, R. (2020). TBtools: An Integrative Toolkit Developed for Interactive Analyses of Big Biological Data. Molecular Plant, 13(8), 1194-1202.https://doi. org/https://doi. org/10.1016/j. molp. 2020.06.009 14. Darwin, C. (1877). The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species. Murray. 15. Fiebig, A., Mayfield, J. A., Miley, N. L., Chau, S., Fischer, R. L., & Preuss, D. (2000). Alterations in CER6, a gene identical to CUT1, differentially affect long-chain lipid content on the surface of pollen and stems [Article]. Plant Cell, 12(10), 2001-2008.https://doi. org/10.1105/tpc. 12.10.2001 16. Gleeson, S. K. (1982). HETERODICHOGAMY IN WALNUTS - INHERITANCE AND STABLE RATIOS [Article]. Evolution, 36(5), 892-902.https://doi. org/10.2307/2408070 16. Gleeson, S. K. (1982). HETERODICHOGAMY IN WALNUTS - INHERITANCE AND STABLE RATIOS [Article]. Evolution, 36(5), 892-902.https://doi. org/10.2307/2408070 17. Glover, D. E., & Barrett, S. C. H. (1986). VARIATION IN THE MATING SYSTEM OF EICHHORNIA- PANICULATA (SPRENG) SOLMS (PONTEDERIACEAE). Evolution, 40(6), 1122-1131.https://doi. org/10.2307/2408941 18. Goodwillie, C., Kalisz, S., & Eckert, C. G. (2005). The evolutionary enigma of mixed mating systems in plants: Occurrence, theoretical explanations, and empirical evidence [Review; Book Chapter]. Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 36, 47-79.https://doi. org/10.1146/annurev. ecolsys. 36.091704.175539 19. Kim, D., Pertea, G., Trapnell, C., Pimentel, H., Kelley, R., & Salzberg, S. L. (2013). TopHat2: accurate alignment of transcriptomes in the presence of insertions, deletions and gene fusions [Article]. Genome Biology, 14(4), Article R36.https://doi. References org/10.1186/gb-2013-14-4-r36 19. Kim, D., Pertea, G., Trapnell, C., Pimentel, H., Kelley, R., & Salzberg, S. L. (2013). TopHat2: accurate alignment of transcriptomes in the presence of insertions, deletions and gene fusions [Article]. Genome Biology, 14(4), Article R36.https://doi. org/10.1186/gb-2013-14-4-r36 20. Lamport, D. T. A., & Varnai, P. (2013). Periplasmic arabinogalactan glycoproteins act as a calcium capacitor that regulates plant growth and development [Article]. New Phytologist, 197(1), 58- 64.https://doi. org/10.1111/nph. 12005 21. Li. (2002). Study on the flexistyly pollination mechanism in Alpinia plants (Zingiberaceae) (vol 43, pg 368, 2001) [Correction]. Acta Botanica Sinica, 44(2), 157-157.<Go to ISI>://WOS:000174339100006 22. Li, Q. J., Xu, Z. F., Kress, W. J., Xia, Y. M., Zhang, L., Deng, X. B., Gao, J. Y., & Bai, Z. L. (2001). Flexible 21. Li. (2002). Study on the flexistyly pollination mechanism in Alpinia plants (Zingiberaceae) (vol 43, pg 368, 2001) [Correction]. Acta Botanica Sinica, 44(2), 157-157.<Go to ISI>://WOS:000174339100006 22. Li, Q. J., Xu, Z. F., Kress, W. J., Xia, Y. M., Zhang, L., Deng, X. B., Gao, J. Y., & Bai, Z. L. (2001). Flexible style that encourages outcrossing [Article]. Nature, 410(6827), 432-432.https://doi. org/10.1038/35068635 23. Linster, C. L., & Clarke, S. G. (2008). L-Ascorbate biosynthesis in higher plants: the role of VTC2 [Review]. Trends in Plant Science, 13(11), 567-573.https://doi. org/10.1016/j. tplants. 2008.08.005 Page 15/23 Page 15/23 24. Lloyd, D. G., & Webb, C. J. (1986). THE AVOIDANCE OF INTERFERENCE BETWEEN THE PRESENTATION OF POLLEN AND STIGMAS IN ANGIOSPERMS . 1.DICHOGAMY [Article]. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 24(1), 135-162.https://doi. org/10.1080/0028825x. 1986.10409725 25. Lopez-Hernandez, F., Tryfona, T., Rizza, A., Yu, X. L., Harris, M. O. B., Webb, A. A. R., Kotake, T., & Dupree, P. (2020). Calcium Binding by Arabinogalactan Polysaccharides Is Important for Normal Plant Development [Article]. Plant Cell, 32(10), 3346-3369.https://doi. org/10.1105/tpc. 20.00027 26. Luo, Y. -L., Bi, T. -J., Li, D., Su, Z. -L., Tao, C., Luo, Y. -J., & Li, Q. -J. (2012). Effects of indole-3-acetic acid and auxin transport inhibitors on the style curvature of three Alpinia species (Zingiberaceae) [Article]. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 34(5), 2019-2025.https://doi. org/10.1007/s11738-012-0955- 5 27. Luo, Y. L., Luo, Y. J., & Li, Q. J. (2011). Subcellular localization of calcium during Alpinia mutica Roxb. (Zingiberaceae) style movement [Article]. Protoplasma, 248(2), 251-256.https://doi. org/10.1007/s00709-010-0154-4 28. Lv, J., Liu, J., Ming, Y., Shi, Y., Song, C., Gong, Z., Yang, S., & Ding, Y. (2021). References Reciprocal regulation between the negative regulator PP2CG1 phosphatase and the positive regulator OST1 kinase confers cold response in Arabidopsis [Article]. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 63(8), 1568- 1587.https://doi. org/10.1111/jipb. 13100 29. Ma, Y., MacMillan, C. P., de Vries, L., Mansfield, S. D., Hao, P., Ratcliffe, J., Bacic, A., & Johnson, K. L. (2022). FLA11 and FLA12 glycoproteins fine-tune stem secondary wall properties in response to mechanical stresses [Article]. New Phytologist, 233(4), 1750-1767.https://doi. org/10.1111/nph. 17898 30. Ma, Y., Shafee, T., Mudiyanselage, A. M., Ratcliffe, J., MacMillan, C. P., Mansfield, S. D., Bacic, A., & Johnson, K. L. (2023). Distinct functions of FASCILIN-LIKE ARABINOGALACTAN PROTEINS relate to domain structure [Article]. Plant Physiology, 192(1), 119-132.https://doi. org/10.1093/plphys/kiad097 31. Mandaokar, A., & Browse, J. (2009). MYB108 Acts Together with MYB24 to Regulate Jasmonate- Mediated Stamen Maturation in Arabidopsis [Article]. Plant Physiology, 149(2), 851-862.https://doi. org/10.1104/pp. 108.132597 32. Mandava, N. B. (1988). PLANT GROWTH-PROMOTING BRASSINOSTEROIDS [Review]. Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology, 39, 23-52.https://doi. org/10.1146/annurev. arplant. 39.1.23 33. Martin, M., Casano, L. M., Zapata, J. M., Guera, A., del Campo, E. M., Schmitz-Linneweber, C., Maier, R. M., & Sabater, B. (2004). Role of thylakoid Ndh complex and peroxidase in the protection against photo-oxidative stress: fluorescence and enzyme activities in wild-type and ndhF-deficient tobacco [Article]. Physiologia Plantarum, 122(4), 443-452.https://doi. org/10.1111/j. 1399-3054.2004.00417.x 34. Martinez, C., Espinosa-Ruiz, A., de Lucas, M., Bernardo-Garcia, S., Franco-Zorrilla, J. M., & Prat, S. (2018). PIF4-induced BR synthesis is critical to diurnal and thermomorphogenic growth [Article]. Embo Journal, 37(23), Article e99552.https://doi. org/10.15252/embj. 201899552 Page 16/23 35. Mayfield, J. A., & Preuss, D. (2000). Rapid initiation of Arabidopsis pollination requires the oleosin- domain protein GRP17 [Article]. Nature Cell Biology, 2(2), 128-130.https://doi. org/10.1038/35000084 36. McCarthy, R. L., Zhong, R., & Ye, Z. -H. (2009). MYB83 Is a Direct Target of SND1 and Acts Redundantly with MYB46 in the Regulation of Secondary Cell Wall Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis [Article]. Plant and Cell Physiology, 50(11), 1950-1964.https://doi. org/10.1093/pcp/pcp139 37. Morikawa, T., Mizutani, M., Aoki, N., Watanabe, B., Saga, H., Saito, S., Oikawa, A., Suzuki, H., Sakurai, N., Shibata, D., Wadano, A., Sakata, K., & Ohta, D. (2006). Cytochrome P450CYP710A encodes the sterol C-22 desaturase in Arabidopsis and tomato [Article]. Plant Cell, 18(4), 1008-1022.https://doi. org/10.1105/tpc. 105.036012 38. Nakano, Y., Yamaguchiz, M., Endo, H., Rejab, N. A., & Ohtani, M. (2015). NAC-MYB-based transcriptional regulation of secondary cell wall biosynthesis in land plants [Review]. Frontiers in Plant Science, 6, Article 288.https://doi. References org/10.3389/fpls. 2015.00288 39. Pannell, J. R., & Verdu, M. (2006). The evolution of gender specialization from dimorphic hermaphroditism: Paths from heterodichogamy to gynodioecy and androdioecy [Article]. Evolution, 60(4), 660-673.https://doi. org/10.1554/05-481.1 40. Pendleton, R. L., Freeman, D. C., McArthur, E. D., & Sanderson, S. C. (2000). Gender specialization in heterodichogamous Grayia brandegei (Chenopodiaceae): Evidence for an alternative pathway to dioecy [Article]. American journal of botany, 87(4), 508-516.https://doi. org/10.2307/2656594 41. Pignocchi, C., & Foyer, C. H. (2003). Apoplastic ascorbate metabolism and its role in the regulation of cell signalling [Review]. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 6(4), 379-389.https://doi. org/10.1016/s1369-5266(03)00069-4 42. Qin, Y. -M., Hu, C. -Y., Pang, Y., Kastaniotis, A. J., Hiltunen, J. K., & Zhu, Y. -X. (2007). Saturated very- long-chain fatty acids promote cotton fiber and Arabidopsis cell elongation by activating ethylene biosynthesis [Article]. Plant Cell, 19(11), 3692-3704.https://doi. org/10.1105/tpc. 107.054437 43. Quan, C., Wei, F., Huang, S., Wei, K., Chen, S., Miao, J., & Tang, D. (2022). RNA editing analysis of some chloroplast transcripts and its response to light and salt stress in Mesona chinensis Benth [Article]. Journal of Plant Interactions, 17(1), 779-788.https://doi. org/10.1080/17429145.2022.2101700 44. Ren, C., Han, C., Peng, W., Huang, Y., Peng, Z., Xiong, X., Zhu, Q., Gao, B., & Xie, D. (2009). A Leaky Mutation in DWARF4 Reveals an Antagonistic Role of Brassinosteroid in the Inhibition of Root Growth by Jasmonate in Arabidopsis [Article]. Plant Physiology, 151(3), 1412-1420.https://doi. org/10.1104/pp. 109.140202 45. Renner, S. S. (2001). How common is heterodichogamy? [Article]. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 16(11), 595-597.https://doi. org/10.1016/s0169-5347(01)02280-7 46. Renner, S. S., & Ricklefs, R. E. (1995). DIOECY AND ITS CORRELATES IN THE FLOWERING PLANTS [Article]. American journal of botany, 82(5), 596-606.https://doi. org/10.2307/2445418 Page 17/23 Page 17/23 47. Sancar, G., Sancar, C., Brunner, M., & Schafmeier, T. (2009). Activity of the circadian transcription factor White Collar Complex is modulated by phosphorylation of SP-motifs [Article]. Febs Letters, 583(12), 1833-1840.https://doi. org/10.1016/j. febslet. 2009.04.042 48. Sargent, R. D., & Otto, S. P. (2004). A phylogenetic analysis of pollination mode and the evolution of dichogamy in angiosperms [Article]. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 6(8), 1183-1199.<Go to ISI>://WOS:000226244300006 49. Schaller, H. (2003). The role of sterols in plant growth and development [Review]. Progress in Lipid Research, 42(3), 163-175, Article Pii s0163-7827(02)00047-4.https://doi. org/10.1016/s0163- 7827(02)00047-4 50. Song, S., Chen, Y., Liu, L., See, Y. H. B., Mao, C., Gan, Y., & Yu, H. (2018). OsFTIP7 determines auxin- mediated anther dehiscence in rice [Article]. Nature Plants, 4(7), 495-504.https://doi. References org/10.1038/s41477-018-0175-0 51. Trapnell, C., Roberts, A., Goff, L., Pertea, G., Kim, D., Kelley, D. R., Pimentel, H., Salzberg, S. L., Rinn, J. L., & Pachter, L. (2014). Differential gene and transcript expression analysis of RNA-seq experiments with TopHat and Cufflinks (vol 7, pg 562, 2012) [Correction]. Nature Protocols, 9(10), 2513- 2513.https://doi. org/10.1038/nprot1014-2513a 52. Wright, S. I., Kalisz, S., & Slotte, T. (2013). Evolutionary consequences of self-fertilization in plants [Review]. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 280(1760), Article 20130133.https://doi. org/10.1098/rspb. 2013.0133 53. Xu, X. -F., Wang, B., Feng, Y. -F., Xue, J. -S., Qian, X. -X., Liu, S. -Q., Zhou, J., Yu, Y. -H., Yang, N. -Y., Xu, P., & Yang, Z. -N. (2019). AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR17 Directly Regulates MYB108 for Anther Dehiscence [Article]. Plant Physiology, 181(2), 645-655.https://doi. org/10.1104/pp. 19.00576 53. Xu, X. -F., Wang, B., Feng, Y. -F., Xue, J. -S., Qian, X. -X., Liu, S. -Q., Zhou, J., Yu, Y. -H., Yang, N. -Y., Xu, P., & Yang, Z. -N. (2019). AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR17 Directly Regulates MYB108 for Anther Dehiscence [Article]. Plant Physiology, 181(2), 645-655.https://doi. org/10.1104/pp. 19.00576 54. Yang, C. -J., Zhang, C., Lu, Y. -N., Jin, J. -Q., & Wang, X. -L. (2011). The Mechanisms of Brassinosteroids' Action: From Signal Transduction to Plant Development [Review]. Molecular Plant, 4(4), 588-600. https://doi. org/10.1093/mp/ssr020 54. Yang, C. -J., Zhang, C., Lu, Y. -N., Jin, J. -Q., & Wang, X. -L. (2011). The Mechanisms of Brassinosteroids' Action: From Signal Transduction to Plant Development [Review]. Molecular Plant, 4(4), 588-600. https://doi. org/10.1093/mp/ssr020 55. Zhou, X., Lin, H., Fan, X. L., & Gao, J. Y. (2012). Autonomous self-pollination and insect visitation in a saprophytic orchid, Epipogium roseum (D. Don) Lindl [Article]. Australian Journal of Botany, 60(2), 154-159.https://doi. org/10.1071/bt11265 55. Zhou, X., Lin, H., Fan, X. L., & Gao, J. Y. (2012). Autonomous self-pollination and insect visitation in a saprophytic orchid, Epipogium roseum (D. Don) Lindl [Article]. Australian Journal of Botany, 60(2), 154-159.https://doi. org/10.1071/bt11265 Table 1 Table. 1.Alignment of the screened target genes with the Arabidopsis database. An = anther, St = stigma, Am Symbol = Gene numbers for A. mutica annotation, Subject ID = Gene ID of the Arabidopsis database. Page 18/23 Group Am Symbol Subject ID Gene Symbol Function Description An Am18.1514 AT1G04250.1 IAA17, AXR3 auxin signaling, senescence An Am17.2675 AT5G25890.1 IAA28, IAR2 auxin signaling, elongation An Am8.2205 AT3G08940.2 LHCB4.2 light signaling An Am10.2654 AT1G22770.1 FB, GI light signaling An Am13.332 AT1G30330.1 ARF6 auxin signaling, auxin response, elongation An Am8.2249 AT1G64760.1 ZET morphology twist An Am14.1914 AT1G70460.1 PERK13, RHS10 elongation An Am12.2797 AT1G76680.1 OPR1, ATOPR1 senescence, JA signaling An Am4.468 AT2G30575.1 GAUT5, LGT5 Pollen tube development An Am3.157 AT2G34500. 1 CYP710A1   An Am13.162 AT3G48520.1 CYP94B3 JA signaling An Am9.112 AT2G39660.1 BIK1 auxin signaling An Am242.186 AT2G45050.1 GATA2 photomorphogenesis An Am24.2135 AT3G04060.1 NAC046 senescence An Am5.758 AT3G06490.1; MYB108, BOS1; pollen development, senescence AT5G49620.1; MYB78; MYB112 AT1G48000. 1 An Am22.1248 AT3G13380.1; BRL3; DWF2, BRI1, BR signaling AT4G39400. 1; BIN1, CBB2; BIR2 AT3G28450.1 An Am10.730 AT3G54110.1 UCP1, PUMP1, UCP photomorphogenesis, light signaling An Am12.1139 AT3G55250.1 PSA3, PDE329 light signaling An Am12.1516 AT4G12800. 1 PSAL light signaling An Am2.30 AT4G30610.1 BRS1, SCPL24 BR signaling An Am14.386 AT4G34280.1 DHU1 light response An Am21.1780 AT5G02190.1 PCS1, EMB24, ASP38 fertility An Am5.1356 AT5G02750.1 SGR9 gravity sensing An Am15.1678 AT5G03170.1 FLA11 Cell wall, adhesion An Am20.1659 AT5G04310.3 PLL12 Cell wall An Am12.570 AT5G50800. 1 RPG2, SWEET13 pollen development An Am193.158 ATCG01010.1 NDHF, NADPH light signaling St Am16.1283 AT1G06040.1 BBX24, STO light signaling St Am15.140 AT1G15820.1 LHCB6, CP24 light signaling St Am18.1550 AT1G29930.1 LHCB1.3, AB140,   CAB140, CAB1 St Am20.2069 AT1G22770.1 FB, GI light signaling St Am6.1047 AT1G50250.1 FTSH1 light signaling St Am17.286 AT1G68530.1 KCS6, G2, CER6, pollen development, elongation POP1, CUT1 St Am17.274 AT2G33700. Table 1 1 PP2CG1 salt tolerance St Am6.468 AT4G29230.3 NAC075, SND4 Cell wall St Am14.31 AT3G22830.1 HSFA6B Heat Stress response St Am15.371 AT3G46230.1 HSP17.4 heat, cold, salt,  drought and light stress response St Am19.246 AT3G46230.1 HSP17.4 heat, cold, salt,  drought and light stress response St Am13.207 AT5G52640.1 HSP81.1, HSP83, disease resistance  HSP90.1 St Am18.637 AT3G50310.1 AIK1, MAPKKK20, osmotic stress response, elongation  MKKK20 St Am10.154 AT4G14690.1 ELIP2 light signaling St Am20.1942 AT4G30270.1 MERI5B, XTH24, BR signaling MERI-5, SEN4 St Am6.2398 AT5G11260.1 HY5, TED5 ABA signaling, light response St Am14.1921 AT5G13580.1 JAT3, ABCG6 JA signaling, pollen development St Am144.28 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am17.1520 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am6.1038 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am24.2245 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am11.1564 AT5G24850.1 CRY3 light response St Am12.561 AT5G50260.1 CEP1 pollen development Figures St Am20.1942 AT4G30270.1 MERI5B, XTH24, BR signaling MERI-5, SEN4 St Am6.2398 AT5G11260.1 HY5, TED5 ABA signaling, light response St Am14.1921 AT5G13580.1 JAT3, ABCG6 JA signaling, pollen development St Am144.28 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am17.1520 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am6.1038 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am24.2245 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am11.1564 AT5G24850.1 CRY3 light response St Am12.561 AT5G50260.1 CEP1 pollen development St Am20.1942 AT4G30270.1 MERI5B, XTH24, BR signaling MERI-5, SEN4 St Am6.2398 AT5G11260.1 HY5, TED5 ABA signaling, light response St Am14.1921 AT5G13580.1 JAT3, ABCG6 JA signaling, pollen development St Am144.28 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am17.1520 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am6.1038 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am24.2245 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am11.1564 AT5G24850.1 CRY3 light response St Am12.561 AT5G50260.1 CEP1 pollen development Figures St Page 21/23 St Am14.1921 AT5G13580.1 JAT3, ABCG6 JA signaling, pollen development St Am144.28 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am17.1520 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am6.1038 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am24.2245 AT5G24470.1 PRR5 photomorphogenesis, light signaling St Am11.1564 AT5G24850.1 CRY3 light response St Am12.561 AT5G50260.1 CEP1 pollen development Figures Figure 1 Flexistyly mode, plant photos, and overview of DGEs in A. mutica. (a) Flexistyly mode: shown the maturation of anther(An) and the location of sigma(St) at different times in different phenotypes. (b) Figure 1 Page 21/23 Flexistyly mode, plant photos, and overview of DGEs in A. mutica. (a) Flexistyly mode: shown the maturation of anther(An) and the location of sigma(St) at different times in different phenotypes. (b) Page 21/23 Page 21/23 Photo of A. mutica. Table 1 (c) DGEs of different phenotypes or tissues at the same time. (d) DGEs of the same phenotypes, same tissues at different time. Figure 2 Screening of core gene set in anther and stigma. (a) Rose plot of screening conditions in anther. The underlined green words represent the sets as non-differentially expressed genes, the black words represent the sets as differentially expressed genes (b) Venn plot of screening conditions in stigma. Screening of core gene set in anther and stigma. (a) Rose plot of screening conditions in anther. The underlined green words represent the sets as non-differentially expressed genes, the black words represent the sets as differentially expressed genes (b) Venn plot of screening conditions in stigma. Figure 3 The target network and the expression trend of core genes in the network. (a) Heat map of core gene expression trends in anther. (b) Heat map of core gene expression trends in stigma. (c) The WGCNA co- expression network of core genes in anther. (d) The WGCNA co-expression network of core genes in stigma. Figure 3 The target network and the expression trend of core genes in the network. (a) Heat map of core gene expression trends in anther. (b) Heat map of core gene expression trends in stigma. (c) The WGCNA co- expression network of core genes in anther. (d) The WGCNA co-expression network of core genes in stigma. Page 22/23 Figure 4 Possible dichogamy regulatory pathways summarized through discussion The solid line with an arrow represents a promoting relationship, the solid line with a vertical bar represents an antagonistic relationship, the dotted line represents a potential but unknown regulatory relationship, the sun pattern represents light, and the thermometer pattern represents temperature. Figure 4 Possible dichogamy regulatory pathways summarized through discussion Possible dichogamy regulatory pathways summarized through discussion The solid line with an arrow represents a promoting relationship, the solid line with a vertical bar represents an antagonistic relationship, the dotted line represents a potential but unknown regulatory relationship, the sun pattern represents light, and the thermometer pattern represents temperature. Possible dichogamy regulatory pathways summarized through discussion The solid line with an arrow represents a promoting relationship, the solid line with a vertical bar represents an antagonistic relationship, the dotted line represents a potential but unknown regulatory relationship, the sun pattern represents light, and the thermometer pattern represents temperature. represents a promoting relationship, the solid line with a vertical bar repres relationship, the dotted line represents a potential but unknown regulatory represents light, and the thermometer pattern represents temperature. Page 23/23
https://openalex.org/W3134929357
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-203095/latest.pdf
English
null
Exposure to 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, pentachlorophenol and risk of thyroid cancer: a case-control study in China
Environmental science and pollution research international
2,021
cc-by
9,899
Exposure to 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, pentachlorophenol and risk of thyroid cancer: a case- control study in China Wan-Jun Yang  Anhui Medical University Hua-Bing Wu  Anhui Medical University Chi Zhang  Anhui Medical University Qi Zhong  Anhui Medical University Ming-Jun Hu  Anhui Medical University Jia-Liu He  Anhui Medical University Guo-Ao Li  Anhui Medical University Zhen-Yu Zhu  Anhui Medical University Jin-Liang Zhu  Anhui Medical University Huan-Huan Zhao  Anhui Medical University Han-Shuang Zhang  Anhui Medical University Fen Huang  (  fenh@ahmu.e Anhui Medical University Ming-Jun Hu  Anhui Medical University Jia-Liu He  Anhui Medical University Guo-Ao Li  Anhui Medical University Zhen-Yu Zhu  Anhui Medical University Jin-Liang Zhu  Anhui Medical University Huan-Huan Zhao  Anhui Medical University Fen Huang  (  fenh@ahmu.edu.cn ) Anhui Medical University Fen Huang  (  fenh@ahmu.edu.cn ) Anhui Medical University Fen Huang  (  fenh@ahmu.edu.cn ) Anhui Medical University License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.   Read Full License Research Article Page 1/26 License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License Page 2/26 Abstract Background: Thyroid cancer (TC) has inflicted huge threats to the health of mankind. Chlorophenols (CPs) were persistent organic pollutant and can lead to adverse effects in human health, especially in thyroid. However, epidemiological studies have revealed a rare and inconsistent relationship between internal exposure to CPs and TC risk. This study was designed to examine the association between urinary CPs and risk of TC in Chinese population. Methods: From June 2017 to September 2019, a total of 297 histologically confirmed TC cases were recruited. Age and gender matched controls were enrolled at the same time. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to determine the levels of three CPs in urine. Conditional logistic regression models were adopted to assess the potential association. Restricted cubic spline function was used to explore the non-liner association. Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate analysis showed that, compared with the first quartile, the fourth quartile concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) and pentachlorophenol(PCP) were associated with TC risk [odds ratio (OR)2,4-DCP =2.28, 95%confidence interval (CI): 1.24-4.18; OR2,4,6-TCP =3.09, 95% CI: 1.66-5.77; ORPCP =3.30, 95% CI: 1.71-6.36, respectively]. When CPs were included in the multivariate model and restricted cubic spline function as continuous variables, presenting significant dose-response relationships. Meanwhile, whether in the TC group with tumor diameter > 1 cm or metastatic TC, the changes of 2,4,6 TCP and PCP concentrations were positively correlated with the risk of TC. Conclusions: Our study suggests that higher concentrations of urinary CPs are associated with increased TC risks. Moreover, 2,4,6-TCP and PCP have certain effects on the invasiveness of thyroid cancer. Targeted public health policies should be formulated to reduce the CPs pollution. These findings need further in-depth studies to confirm and relevant mechanism also needed to be clarified. 1. Introduction Pentachlorophenol (PCP) was a common estrogen-like aromatic compound, which has been widely used in insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, wood preservatives and chemical manufacturing (Cheng et al. 2015; Cui et al. 2017). EPA estimated that 10063 kg of 2,4-DCP and 4295 kg of PCP were released into the environment in 2014 (ECCC and HC, 2016). Studies have shown that PCP levels in surface water/sediments in China increase over time (Zheng et al. 2012). The reason is that sodium pentachlorophenol (Na-PCP) has been widely sprayed since 1960 to control the spread of schistosomiasis, and later in China is higher than in other countries. The annual production of pentachlorophenol reached about 3,000 tons in 2000 (Tan and Zhang 2008; Zheng et al. 2013). Chlorophenols (CPs), a class of aromatic chlorinated compound whose hydrogen atoms on the benzene ring, was replaced by chlorine atoms, widely exists in aquatic environment, atmosphere, sediment and soil. CPs were important raw materials in chemical production and were widely used in industry and agriculture. Among them, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was put into mass production for pesticide production, and 2,4,6- trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) was mainly used as fungicide and dye intermediate (Zhang et al., 2018). The continuous use of CPs compounds in countries around the world suggests that it may further exacerbate environmental pollution and pose potential risks to human health. After entering the human body, CPs can produce a strong interference to the endocrine system, affect the synthesis and metabolism of hormones in the body, and have a certain negative impact on the immune mechanism of the human body (Orton et al. 2009). Up to now, exposure to chlorophenols has been successively reported to be associated with the incidence of various malignant tumors, such as gastric cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer (Cheng et al. 2015; Dorgan et al. 1999; Sharma et al. 2019). The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classified PCP as a group 2B carcinogen (IARC 1999). Accumulating evidence suggests associations between CPs exposure and adverse health outcome in thyroid. Animal studies in zebra fish indicate that long-term exposure to PCP can alter thyroid hormone and mRNAs (tshβ, trβ, dio1, dio2) in thyroid hormone pathway (Guo and Zhou 2013). Kawaguchi et al. 1. Introduction Thyroid cancer, one of the most common endocrine-related tumors originating from follicular or para-follicular cells, constitutes a serious burden of disease worldwide due to its rapidly growing incidence (Kato and Niebuhr, 2018). In American, the average annual percent change from 2005 through 2014 is 3.9% in both men and women (Siegel et al. 2018). According to National Cancer Center of China, the incidence rate of thyroid cancer in 2015 was 14.6 per 100,000, nearly three times higher than that in 2005, and it has become the fourth most common malignant tumor among women (Zheng et al. 2019). Although most of thyroid cancer patients with a favorable 10-year overall survival rate, above 20% of patients remain at risk of tumor recurrence for several years after operation (Dong et al. 2019). In addition, thyroid cancer may produce numerous serious clinical symptoms, including hoarseness, trouble breathing and swallowing, and Horner Syndrome caused by sympathetic nerve compression (Kim et al. 2017). The increasing incidence of thyroid cancer may partly be accounted for advanced diagnostic technology, which leads to an elevated detection rate of occult thyroid cancer (Warrick and Lengerich 2019). However, Page 3/26 Page 3/26 there is evidence that not only thyroid cancer <1cm but diameters >4cm present an obvious increasing rate (Wang and Wang 2015). Moreover, some of the traditional risk factors for thyroid cancer still could not explain this epidemic dynamic situation, including sex, radiation exposure, abnormal iodine intake, a family history of thyroid disease and metabolic syndrome (Kitahara et al. 2018; Rubio et al. 2018). In view of the severe situation of TC prevention and control, it is urgent to explore the relevant pathogenic factors of TC (Zhang et al. 2020). The occurrence of thyroid cancer is the result of interaction between heredity and environment, so the influence of environmental factors cannot be ignored. Chlorophenols (CPs), a class of aromatic chlorinated compound whose hydrogen atoms on the benzene ring, was replaced by chlorine atoms, widely exists in aquatic environment, atmosphere, sediment and soil. CPs were important raw materials in chemical production and were widely used in industry and agriculture. Among them, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was put into mass production for pesticide production, and 2,4,6- trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) was mainly used as fungicide and dye intermediate (Zhang et al., 2018). 2.1 Study population The study participants were recruited continuously from June 2017 to September 2019 in Hefei, Anhui Province, China. Cases were defined as patients who having a definite pathological diagnosis of thyroid cancer, selected from Otolaryngology-Head & Neck surgery departments of First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University and Anhui Provincial Cancer Hospital. Cases who suffered from severe hepatic and renal dysfunction, malignant anemia and mental disorder were excluded. Given the abnormal thyroid hormone level in pregnancy duration, pregnant women were also excluded from this study. Meanwhile, appropriate controls were selected from newly admitted patients collected from non-endocrinology departments of the above three hospitals. In this study, individuals were paired 1:1 according to gender and age (±5 years old).Controls were restricted to individuals with no history of malignant tumors or thyroid disease verified by their biochemical test. Subjects who have receive thyroid-related medication such as euthyrox and adrenocortical hormone were also excluded. Ultimately, a total of 297 thyroid cancer patients comprised the case group and 297 corresponding controls were selected. This study was approved by Anhui Medical University Biomedical Ethics Committee (Approval No. 20170305) and was in accordance with the principle of the Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Prior to the research, subjects completed an informed consent form. 1. Introduction found that when mice were exposed to CPs, the expression of thyroid hormone receptor 1 and brain synaptic protein I was inhibited, leading to impaired thyroid function (Kawaguchi et al. 2008). In addition, the field epidemiological survey (Cui et al. 2017) also indicated that the incidence of TC in community residents increased significantly after exposure to medium and high doses of PCP. However, evidence is rather limited and divided in regard to the effect of CPs on thyroid cancer. Whether actual exposure to CPs causes thyroid cancer remains unknown. This is the first study to investigate the effects of three chlorophenols on thyroid cancer. In this study, a 1:1 matched case-control study design was used to collect 297 TC case-controls from Anhui Provincial Cancer Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from August 2017 to September 2019, and laboratory tests were conducted to determine the levels Page 4/26 Page 4/26 of three CPS in urine. Conditional logistic regression model and restricted cubic spline function were used to investigate the potential association between CPS exposure and TC incidence. 2.2 Data collection Structured questionnaires were adopted to record information by trained and qualified investigators, including socio-demographics, behavior habits, lifestyle, radioactive exposure, and family history of malignant tumor and thyroid disease. The height (m) and weight (kg) of the participants were measured and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on the formula: weight / the square of height. Clinical and pathologic information for the cases was obtained by reviewing of medical records, including thyroid cancer subtypes, primary tumor size, tumor metastasis (lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis), multifocality of tumors (solitary or multifocal). Peripheral blood samples were obtained from each participant by professional nursing staff after an overnight fast for at least 8 h. The serum was separated by centrifugal machine and stored in -80°C refrigerator until further analysis. Serum free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was tested using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (Cobas e411, Roche Diagnostics, Germany). All measurements were in accordance with the instructions of experimental instruments and kits. 2.3 Urinary CPs measurement Page 5/26 Page 5/26 Page 5/26 Considering the photolysis property of CPs, first-morning urine samples were collected by a 50ml centrifuge tube and keep in a portable specimen box during transport to avoid any contact with direct sunlight. Then samples were transferred to the laboratory and preserved at -80 °C refrigerator until analysis. Urine value of CPs concentration was measured by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS, Agilent 7890A, USA) with a HP-5MS column (30m × 0.25mm × 0.25mm, Agilent Co., USA). The procedures for pretreatment of urine samples are as following: A 10ml urine sample was taken and 2-3 drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid were absorbed with a glass dropper to adjust PH to acid-stage. All the samples to be tested were uniformly added with 2,4,6-TBP (5mg/L) internal standard of 200μL and mixed. To prevent emulsification, sodium chloride is added to the solution until saturated. In the liquid-liquid extraction step, the n-hexane (Teida, USA) was used. We draw the n-hexane layer into another 50ml centrifuge tube and add 10 mL of n-hexane for extraction again. After that, the extract liquor of n-hexane was fully combined. In the combined extract, 2ml 0.3 mol/L potassium carbonate solution was added, followed by 1ml acetic anhydride, Then the mixed solution was placed in a constant temperature water bath at 65 °C for derivative reaction. 2.2 Data collection After derivatization, the sample was dehydrated with anhydrous sodium sulfate, and 1.5ml was taken in the brown sample injection bottle to be tested. After derivatization, the sample was dehydrated with anhydrous sodium sulfate, and 1.5ml was taken in the brown sample injection bottle to be tested. Creatinine determination is mainly used to correct the concentration of CPs in urine. Picric acid colorimetric method was used to determine urine creatinine by Beckman DXC800 automatic biochemical analyzer. Arsenic - cerium catalytic spectrophotometry was used to detect the level of urinary iodine (WS/T107.1-2016). - cerium catalytic spectrophotometry was used to detect the level of urinary io 2.4 Statistical analysis 2.4 Statistical analysis Statistical analysis was performed using R 3.6.3 and SPSS 23.0 software. Basic characteristics of cases and controls were compared using two independent sample t-test for normally distributed data or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for skewed distribution variables, and chi-square tests were used for categorical variables. To explore the distribution of urinary CPs concentration in cases group based on different clinical pathologic characteristics, such as tumor subtypes, maximum tumor diameter (≤1cm or >1cm), tumor site (unilateral or bilateral), tumor metastasis (yes or no) and tumor multifocality (solitary or multifocal), CPs were log- transformed and Mann-Whitney U tests was employed. We adopted conditional logistic regression models to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for thyroid cancer and CPs categorized into quartiles according to their concentration distributions among the control group. Potential confounders were thoroughly taken into consideration in different regression models, including, BMI (continuous), household income (≤30000CNY, 30001-59999CNY, ≥60000CNY), living conditions (live together, solitary), alcohol consumption (yes or no), family history of thyroid disease (yes or no), family history of malignant tumor (yes or no), urinary iodine (continuous). Linear trend p-values were derived by entering the quartiles of creatinine standardized CPs concentrations into the models as an ordinal categorical variable. Stratified analyses were performed based on different pathologic characteristics, including tumor subtypes, tumor diameter, tumor site, tumor metastasis and multifocality. In order to explore the possible nonlinear relationship between CPs and thyroid cancer risk, restricted cubic spline function model was used. The concentrations of CPs in urine after natural logarithmic conversion were Page 6/26 Page 6/26 Page 6/26 analyzed as continuous variables, entering into the restricted cubic spline function model with 3 knots (located at the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles) in each group, respectively. The value of chlorophenols in the 10th percentile was chosen for the reference value. In addition, the models were adjusted for BMI, household income, living conditions, drinking, family history of thyroid disease, family history of malignant tumor and urinary iodine. P values were two sided, and P<0.05 was defined as statistical significance. analyzed as continuous variables, entering into the restricted cubic spline function model with 3 knots (located at the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles) in each group, respectively. The value of chlorophenols in the 10th percentile was chosen for the reference value. 2.4 Statistical analysis In addition, the models were adjusted for BMI, household income, living conditions, drinking, family history of thyroid disease, family history of malignant tumor and urinary iodine. P values were two sided, and P<0.05 was defined as statistical significance. 3. Results 3.1 General demographic information and pathologic characteristics of subjects 3.1 General demographic information and pathologic characteristics of subjects Table 1 presents selected demographic and lifestyle characteristics of cases and controls, as well as clinical pathologic characteristics. A total of 594 subjects were enrolled with age and sex matched, including 297 cases and 297 controls. Female patients accounted for 68.7% of the total cases of thyroid cancer. Compared with the control participants, the mean BMI of cases was higher, after grouping BMI, the case group had a higher proportion of BMI in the 24.0-27.9 group compared with the control group. In terms of family income, living conditions and alcohol consumption, the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). Additionally, subjects in cases group were apt to have a family history of thyroid disease and malignancy than controls. For education level, smoking status, exercise frequency and history of radiation exposure, no statistical significance was observed. 3.2 The concentration distribution of biochemical indexes in cases and controls 3.2 The concentration distribution of biochemical indexes in cases and controls The concentration distribution of biochemical indexes in case and control groups was presented in Table 2. Without creatinine correction, the median concentrations of 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP and PCP in the case group were 0.68 μ g / L, 0.36 μ g / L and 0.63 μ g / L, respectively. while those in the control group were 0.50 μ g / L, 0.24 μ g / L and 0.41 μ g / L, respectively. After creatinine correction, the median concentrations of 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6 TCP and PCP in the case group were 0.67 μ g / g, 0.34 μ g / g and 0.62 μ g / g, while those in the control group were 0.51 μ g / g, 0.26 μ g / g and 0.39 μ g / g, respectively. It is worth noting that subjects with thyroid cancer had higher levels of both concentration of urinary CPs and creatinine-adjusted CPs than those without thyroid cancer. The median urinary iodine concentration was 255.76 μ g / L in the case group and 209.08 μ g / L in the control group. The median urinary iodine concentration after creatinine correction was 297.78 μ g / g and 197.54 μ g / g, respectively. 3.3 The association between Chlorophenols and thyroid cancer 3.3 The association between Chlorophenols and thyroid cancer Results of the association of CPs exposure with the risk of thyroid cancer was presented in table 3. For 2,4- DCP, compared with participants in the first quartile, the OR for those in the fourth quarter was 2.28 (95% CI: 1.24-4.18) with adjustment for, BMI, household income, living conditions, alcohol consumption, urinary iodine, family history of thyroid disease and malignant tumor. After adjusting for these confounding factors, the risk of thyroid cancer was increased by 209% (95% CI: 1.66-5.77) and 230% (95% CI: 1.71-6.36) for trichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol, respectively. Given that papillary thyroid carcinoma accounted for 92.9% of the total cases and was the main subtype of thyroid cancer, we performed a subgroup analysis of papillary thyroid carcinoma patients and the results were shown in Supplementary Table 1. For PCP, the adjusted ORs in third and fourth quartile were 2.48 (95% CI: 1.22-5.04), and 3.82 (95% CI: 1.83-7.99). Page 7/26 Page 7/26 3.4 Nonlinear association between chlorophenol exposure and thyroid cancer risk In order to clarify the relationship between three CPs and TC risk more comprehensively, the restricted cubic spline function was used for smoothing curve fitting. The nonlinear correlation between 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6 TCP, PCP and TC could be displayed by setting spline function nodes, and the restricted cubic spline function model of the total population was drawn respectively. After the natural logarithmic transformation of the concentrations of three CPs, the results showed that for 2, 4-DCP and 2,4,6 TCP, the risk of TC incidence increased with the increase of the concentrations, and showed significant linear correlations. It can be seen from Fig 1 that at low concentrations, the correlation between PCP and TC increases with the increase of concentration, and decreases slightly with the further increase of concentration. Some studies have shown that there was a significant gender difference in TC risk. Therefore, the population was divided into male and female groups, and the restricted cubic spline models were carried out to find the difference. The associations of 2, 4-DCP and 2,4,6 TCP with thyroid cancer risk in the male and female subgroups were consistent with the overall population. In the male group, thyroid cancer increased with increased PCP concentration. 3.3 The association between Chlorophenols and thyroid cancer However, in the female group, the risk of incidence first decreased with the increase of concentration, but with the further increase of concentration, the risk of incidence of TC increased significantly (see from supplementary Fig 1). 3.5 The relationship between chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer with different pathological In order to investigate the risk of 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6 TCP, PCP and TC with different tumor diameter, the tumor diameter of TC was divided into two categories: > 1cm and ≤ 1cm, and the subgroup analysis was performed by conditional logistic regression model. Table 4 showed a significant correlation between TC and 2,4,6 TCP (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.10-2.56) in the group with TC diameter > 1 cm, after adjusting for related confounding factors. Compared with the first fractional concentration, the third and fourth fractional concentration of PCP was significantly correlated with the incidence of TC with tumor diameter of > 1cm (OR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.02- 8.00) and (OR = 3.24, 95% CI: 1.20-8.76). As shown in supplementary Fig 2, the restricted cubic spline function was used for smoothing curve fitting to obtain the relationship between the three types of CPS and TC risk of different tumor diameters( > 1cm and ≤ 1cm). 2,4-DCP at the fourth quartile concentrations increased the incidence of metastatic TC by 306% (OR = 4.06, 95%CI: 1.68-9.81). Meanwhile, 2,4,6 TCP at the third and fourth quantile concentrations were positively correlated with the incidence of metastatic TC (OR=3.96, 95%CI: 1.53-10.24; OR=7.78, 95%CI: 2.78-21.74). Notably, urinary PCP concentration was statistically associated with the risk of thyroid cancer in both metastatic and non-metastatic thyroid cancers (see from Table 5).Supplementary Fig 3 shows the relationship between the three CPS and the metastatic and non-metastatic TC risks by smoothing curve fitting using the restricted cubic spline function. Based on the location of primary tumor, it was divided into unilateral TC and bilateral TC. Supplementary Table 2 presented that there were no significant correlations between CPs and the incidence of unilateral and bilateral TC (P-trend > 0.05). However, in the unilateral TC subgroup, the risk of disease first increased with the increase of PCP concentration, and then decreased with the increase of PCP concentration; In the bilateral TC Page 8/26 subgroup, the risk of morbidity increased first with the increase of 2,4,6-TCP concentration, and then decreased with the increase of the concentration (see from supplementary Fig 4). 4. Discussion In recent years, with the development of economy, environmental pollution has become more and more serious. CPs is an important raw material in chemical production, widely used in pesticides, herbicides and preservatives, etc. With decades of use, CPs substances have been deposited in large quantities in the environment and posed a great threat to human health. This study investigated the association between CPs exposure level and thyroid cancer risk, and found that high urine concentrations of 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP and PCP are positively correlated with the incidence of thyroid cancer. After drawing the restricted cubic spline function and fitting the smooth curve, the results showed that the risk of thyroid cancer increased with the increase of CPs concentration, showing a certain dose-response relationship. In the thyroid cancer group with tumor diameter > 1 cm, the changes of 2,4,6 TCP and PCP concentrations were significantly associated with the risk of thyroid cancer. At the same time, urinary concentrations of 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6 TCP and PCP were positively correlated with the risk of metastatic thyroid cancer. So far, there are few studies on the correlation between CPs and TC risk at home and abroad. Cui et al. (2017) found similar conclusions in the field study. Based on the national standard population in 2010, the standardized rate ratio (SRR) of thyroid cancer in the total population exposed to the moderate PCP group was 1.49, 95%CI 1.26-1.76. In addition, the SRR of thyroid cancer in women group exposed to the moderate dose of PCP was 1.79, 95% CI: 1.60-2.01, the SRR of women in the high PCP group was 1.32, 95% CI: 1.17- 1.48. In addition, a cohort study in the United States (Ruder 2011) followed up 2122 PCP producing workers and found that the expected standard mortality rate of thyroid cancer caused by long-term exposure to PCP was 0.49. However, Rooney et al. (2018) did not find a significant correlation between 2,4-DCP and thyroid disease. Similarly, Wei et al. (2016) pointed out that 2,4-DCP had no statistical effect on FT3, FT4 and TSH, while the homolog of 2,4-DCP, 2,5-DCP, might be associated with thyroid dysfunction to some extent in their study on CPs exposure and thyroid function in American adolescents. Therefore, the relationship between CPS and TC is still unclear. 3.3 The association between Chlorophenols and thyroid cancer According to the number of lesions, they were divided into unifocal TC and multifocal TC. Supplementary Table 3 showed that 2,4,6 TCP was significantly correlated with the incidence of single focal TC (OR=2.70, 95%CI: 1.20-6.05). Only in the fourth quartile of PCP concentration was observed significant association in multifocal TC group, with OR value of 5.12 (95% CI: 1.56-16.74). In supplementary Fig 5, as PCP concentration increased, the risk of unifocal TC showed an approximately inverted U-shaped pattern. 4. Discussion This study can fill the gaps in the research on the relationship between CPs and TC to a certain extent, but the relevant conclusions still need to be verified in large-scale cohort studies and experimental studies. The relationship between human exposure to CPS and increased TC risk remains unclear. A number of experimental studies have shown that estrogen plays a key role in the pathogenesis of TC (Rubio et al. 2018; Xue et al. 2019). Yu et al. (2014) founded that PCP showed an antagonistic effect against thyroid hormone receptor at a concentration of 10-5 M, while 2,4,6-TCP showed an anti-estrogen effect. Yin et al. (2008) used denaturing high performance liquid chromatography and DNA sequencing analysis methods to prove that Page 9/26 Page 9/26 Page 9/26 zebrafish exposed to 2,4,6-TCP at a rate of 5mg / L for 10 days would lead to the increase of point mutation of p53 gene in liver genome, thus participating in the carcinogenesis process of organism by inducing point mutation of somatic genome. Normal thyroid development depends on a balanced hormonal environment. CPS have similar molecular structure to estradiol, endowing it with the ability to bind estrogen receptor α or β, thus exerting thyroid interference effect and destroying the normal level of estrogen, eventually leading to the occurrence of TC. In fact, another widely accepted mechanism for causing TC is the HPT axis injury theory. The experiments on zebrafish (Yu et al. 2014) show that PCP exposure can reduce the expression of T4 receptor mRNA in the brain, and change the mRNA levels of deiodinase, cytoplasmic sulfur transferase and thyroxine gene in the liver. Long term exposure to PCP will change the plasma T4 level and change the gene expression related to thyroid hormone signal and metabolism in HPT axis, resulting in abnormal development of zebrafish. Guo et al. (2013) verified the interfering effect of CPs on thyroid gland in vivo and in vitro experiments. The results of in vitro experiments showed that when the rat pituitary GH3 cells were exposed to PCP at a concentration of 1.0M, they could significantly down-regulate the basal transcription and T3-induced Dio1 transcription, indicating that PCP has antagonistic activity in vitro. In vivo experiments, PCP exposure resulted in decreased T4 level and increased T3 level in zebrafish. 4. Discussion Meanwhile, PCP exposure significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of genes on the HPT axis, including thyroid stimulating hormone, sodium/iodide synthase, thyroglobulin, Dio1 and Dio2, thyroid hormone receptors, and uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid transferase. The exercise of normal thyroid function not only depends on the appropriate level of thyroid hormone, but also requires the body to be in a normal immune state. Studies have shown that the immune system plays a decisive role in carcinogenesis. In an animal experiment in India, white blood cells were used for cell apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential analysis, and propidium iodide staining and rhodamine 123 staining were used. The influence of DCP on cell cycle and mitochondrial membrane permeability was analyzed by flow cytometry. The results showed that DCP reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, changed cell cycle, and confirmed that DNA damage caused apoptosis of immune system cells (Lone et al. 2017). Nnodu et al. (2008) pointed out that CPs can reduce ATP level in the body, thereby reducing the tumor killing function of natural killer cells and promoting the occurrence of tumors. However, relevant studies also drew different conclusions. The results in the experiment of rats (Blakley et al. 1998) indicated that when studying the effects of PCP on the immune function of rats, the evidence of PCP induced humoral immune injury was not obvious, and the lymphocyte budding effect observed after PCP exposure was not related to phagocytosis or the expression of lymphocyte surface antigen. In recent years, the relationship between thyroid disease and oxidative stress has attracted more and more attention. Studies have shown that EEDs can destroy cellular biological energy, reduce the production of ATP, and inhibit the complex activity of mitochondria and aerobic respiration (Al-Ghafari et al. 2019). At the same time, the cellular redox defense system is progressively depleted by reducing sod and catalase activity and intracellular glutathione levels. Some environmental pollutants with redox properties, such as CPs herbicides and some aromatic compounds, can increase the content of reactive oxygen species in the body. These environmental pollutants can catalyze the redox reaction in organism, and cause oxidative damage to organisms. Animal experiments (Zhang et al. 2014) showed that 2,4,6-TCP can induce oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress and cell apoptosis in vitro, which together lead to the generation of cytotoxicity Page 10/26 Page 10/26 and promote the occurrence of malignant tumors. 4. Discussion Due to the structure similar to natural hormones, CPs can mimic the formation of hormones in vivo, interfere with the synthesis and metabolism of hormones, and then interfere with some signal pathways and related enzyme reactions of oxidative stress response, causing serious oxidative damage to cells. In view of the close relationship between CPs and TC, oxidative stress should be further studied as an endogenous factor leading to increased thyroid hyperplasia. This study found that in the group with thyroid cancer diameter > 1 cm, increased concentrations of 2,4,6 TCP and PCP were significantly associated with the risk of thyroid cancer. Urinary concentrations of 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6 TCP and PCP were positively correlated with the risk of metastatic thyroid cancer, suggesting that the high exposure level of CPs may be related to the progression of thyroid cancer. The relationship between CPS and the progression of thyroid cancer is not clear, but bisphenol A and polybrominated diphenyl ethers with similar structure and endocrine disrupting effect with PCP have been confirmed to be related to the proliferation, migration and invasion of tumor cells (Allen et al. 2016). The experimental results (Zhang et al. 2017) showed that such endocrine disruptors could target intracellular signals involved in the development of thyroid cancer and promote the proliferation of thyroid cells. Low dose exposure can not only produce estradiol like effect by binding estrogen receptor α and β, but also activate AKT/mTOR pathway by binding estrogen receptor membrane receptor, and finally affect the expression of related genes, promote the proliferation of thyroid cancer cell BHP10-3, and enhance the invasion of thyroid adenocarcinoma. Our study has several strengths. To the best of our knowledge, this study was the first study to systematically research the association between the exposure levels of CPs with thyroid cancer risk. As we all know, since 1960, the Na-PCP had been extensively sprayed to control the spread of snail borne schistosomiasis in China, thus paid a heavy price for environmental pollution and become the most concerned environment problem. For the present research, we focused on the effects of non-occupational exposure to PCP and its homologues in individual urinary sample on TC risk in Chinese population. This could provide little but valuable suggestion for public health department in China. Availability of data and materials The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. 4. Discussion Then, we collected detailed information on potential confounding factors, which were used to conduct detailed analysis in different adjusting models, and restricted cubic spline function were used to explore the non-liner relationship. In addition, we adopted strict quality control procedures in data collection and accurate internal standard method was added into laboratory detection to reduce the potential of bias. Last but not least, we analyzed the relationship between the exposure levels of CPs and the incidence of thyroid cancer with different pathological types, in order to explore the effect of CPs on the progression of thyroid cancer. Several limitations need to be noticed. Firstly, the primary potential limitation to our study is the use of single spot urinary PCP measurements. Although PCP has a long biological half-life and persistence characteristic, the multiple spot urine samples may be a better reflection of long-term exposure due to the metabolism and excretion of PCP in human body. However, this chemical of PCP was detected above 85% of samples in our study, suggesting that PCP is continuous and ubiquitous. In addition, it has been proved that single spot sample may be a reliable predictor for long-term exposure of PCP (Wang et al. 2016). Secondly, this study failed to measure estrogen as a biomarker, so it was limited in the validation of the correlation between estrogen, CPS and TC. Thirdly, most of the TC patients included in this study were PTC, and due to the insufficient sample size of other subtypes, detailed analysis of subtypes becomes unrealistic, which also makes the analysis not comprehensive enough. In addition, although a sequence of likely confounding Page 11/26 Page 11/26 factors was taken into consideration in conditional regression analysis, such as BMI, household income level, living conditions, alcohol consumption, family history of thyroid disease, family history of malignant tumor and urinary iodine, FT3, FT4 and TSH, some potential confounding variables were still out of consideration. For example, it has been demonstrated that exposure to radiation in childhood could be a vital carcinogenic factor (Lubin et al. 2017). However, due to the long interval, the subjects could not accurately recall the relevant information, which needed to be improved in the follow-up study. Finally, because of the nature of a retrospective research, the ability of causal inference was limited and future prospective studies are warranted to conclude a causal relationship. 5. Conclusion In summary, urinary concentrations of 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP and PCP were positively correlated with TC and presented dose-response relationship. This study also found that 2,4,6-TCP and PCP had certain effects on the invasiveness of thyroid tumor. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings, and to evaluate potential mechanisms that might be responsible for the association between CPs exposure and TC risks. In addition, the health department should be vigilant, not only to pay attention to the sharp rise of TC, but also to prevent the environmental pollution of CPs. The government should formulate relevant policies as soon as possible and do a good job in prevention and control. Ethics approval and consent to participate This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Anhui Medical University, China. All participants signed a written informed consent form prior to participating. Conflicts of interest The authors declares that there are no conflicts of interest. Funding Author’s contributions WJY and FH collaboratively designed the study, both making substantial intellectual contributions. WJY analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript together with HBW, and CZ,QZ and FH revised the manuscript. MJH, GAL and ZYZ all contributed in interpreting the data. JLZ, HHZ ,HSZ and WJY all contributed in collecting the data. WJY and HBW contributed equally. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Funding Page 12/26 Page 12/26 Page 12/26 This work was supported by Academic Aid Project for Top Talents (Professionals) in Colleges and Universities of Anhui Province (gxbjZD09), the Project for Anhui Province Academic Technology Leader Reserve Candidates’ Academic Research Activities (2017H108), and the National Key Research and Development Program (NO. 2016YFC1302605). Acknowledgements We would like to thank all the subjects who participated in this research. This work was supported by Academic Aid Project for Top Talents (Professionals) in Colleges and Universities of Anhui Province (gxbjZD09), the Project for Anhui Province Academic Technology Leader Reserve Candidates’ Academic Research Activities (2017H108), and the National Key Research and Development Program (NO. 2016YFC1302605). All authors read and approved the final manuscript. References Al-Ghafari A, Elmorsy E, Fikry E, Alrowaili M, Carter WG (2019) The heavy metals lead and cadmium are cytotoxic to human bone osteoblasts via induction of redox stress. PLoS. ONE. 14(11), e0225341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225341. Al-Ghafari A, Elmorsy E, Fikry E, Alrowaili M, Carter WG (2019) The heavy metals lead and cadmium are cytotoxic to human bone osteoblasts via induction of redox stress. PLoS. ONE. 14(11), e0225341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225341. Allen JG, Gale S, Zoeller RT, Spengler JD, Birnbaum L, McNeely E (2016) PBDE flame retardants, thyroid disease, and menopausal status in U.S. women. Environ. Health. 15(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940- 016-0141-0. Blakley BR, Yole MJ, Brousseau P, Boermans H, Fournier M (1998) Effect of pentachlorophenol on immune function. Toxicology. 125(2-3), 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0300-483x(97)00154-6. Blakley BR, Yole MJ, Brousseau P, Boermans H, Fournier M (1998) Effect of pentachlorophenol on immune function. Toxicology. 125(2-3), 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0300-483x(97)00154-6. Blakley BR, Yole MJ, Brousseau P, Boermans H, Fournier M (1998) Effect of pentachlorophenol on immune function. Toxicology. 125(2-3), 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0300-483x(97)00154-6. Cheng P, Zhang Q, Shan X, Shen D, Wang B, Tang Z, Jin Y, Zhang C, Huang F (2015) Cancer risks and long- term community-level exposure to pentachlorophenol in contaminated areas, China. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. Int. 22(2), 1309-1317. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3469-4. Cheng P, Zhang Q, Shan X, Shen D, Wang B, Tang Z, Jin Y, Zhang C, Huang F (2015) Cancer risks and long- term community-level exposure to pentachlorophenol in contaminated areas, China. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. Int. 22(2), 1309-1317. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3469-4. Cui Y, Liang L, Zhong Q, He Q, Shan X, Chen K, Huang F (2017) The association of cancer risks with pentachlorophenol exposure: Focusing on community population in the areas along certain section of Yangtze River in China. Environ. Pollut. 224, 729-738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.12.011. Cui Y, Liang L, Zhong Q, He Q, Shan X, Chen K, Huang F (2017) The association of cancer risks with pentachlorophenol exposure: Focusing on community population in the areas along certain section of Yangtze River in China. Environ. Pollut. 224, 729-738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.12.011. Page 13/26 Page 13/26 Dong W, Horiuchi K, Tokumitsu H, Sakamoto A, Noguchi E, Ueda Y, Okamoto T( 2019) Time-Varying Pattern of Mortality and Recurrence from Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Lessons from a Long-Term Follow-Up. Thyroid. 29(6), 802-808. https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2018.0128. Dong W, Horiuchi K, Tokumitsu H, Sakamoto A, Noguchi E, Ueda Y, Okamoto T( 2019) Time-Varying Pattern of Mortality and Recurrence from Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Lessons from a Long-Term Follow-Up. Thyroid. 29(6), 802-808. https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2018.0128. References Dorgan JF, Brock JW, Rothman N, Needham LL, Miller R., Stephenson HE, Schussler, N, Taylor PR.( 1999) Serum organochlorine pesticides and PCBs and breast cancer risk: results from a prospective analysis (USA). Cancer. Causes. Control. 10(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1008824131727. Environment and Climate Change Canada/Health Canada (2016) Assessment Report Triclosan. http://www.ec.gc.ca/ese-ees/default.asp?lang=En&n=65584A12-1. Guo Y, Zhou B (2013) Thyroid endocrine system disruption by pentachlorophenol: An in vitro, and in vivo, assay. Aquat. Toxicol. 142-143, 138-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2013.08.005. IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) (1999) Polychlorophenols and their sodium salts. IARC. Monogr. Eval. Carcinog. Risks. Hum. 2, 769-816. http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol71/028- polychloroph.html. Kato E, Niebuhr DW (2018) Screening for Thyroid Cancer. Am. Fam. Physician. 97(6), 406-407. Kawaguchi M, Morohoshi K, Saita E, Yanagisawa R, Watanabe G, Takano H, Morita M, Imai H, Taya K, Himi T (2008) Developmental exposure to pentachlorophenol affects the expression of thyroid hormone receptor beta1 and synapsin I in brain, resulting in thyroid function vulnerability in rats. Endocrine. 33(3), 277-284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-008-9086-6. Kim C, Lee JH, Choi YJ, Kim WB, Sung TY, Baek JH (2017) Complications encountered in ultrasonography- guided radiofrequency ablation of benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. Eur Radiol. 27(8), 3128-3137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-016-4690-y. Kitahara CM, Preston DL, Neta G, Little MP, Doody MM, Simon SL, Sigurdson AJ, Alexander BH, Linet MS (2018) Occupational radiation exposure and thyroid cancer incidence in a cohort of U.S. radiologic technologists, 1983-2013. Int. J. Cancer. 143(9), 2145. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.31270. Lone MI, Nabi A, Dar NJ, Hussain A, Nazam N, Hamid A, Ahmad W (2017) Toxicogenetic evaluation of dichlorophene in peripheral blood and in the cells of the immune system using molecular and flow cytometric approaches. Chemosphere. 167, 520-529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.08.131. Lubin JH, Adams MJ, Shore R, Holmberg E, Schneider AB, Hawkins MM, Robison LL, Inskip PD, Lundell M, Johansson R, Kleinerman RA, de Vathaire F, Damber L, Sadetzki S, Tucker M, Sakata R., Veiga LHS (2017) Thyroid Cancer Following Childhood Low-Dose Radiation Exposure: A Pooled Analysis of Nine Cohorts. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 102(7), 2575-2583. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2016-3529. Nnodu U, Whalen MM (2008) Pentachlorophenol decreases ATP levels in human natural killer cells. J. Appl. Toxicol. 28(8), 1016-1020. https://doi.org/10.1002/jat.1367. Page 14/26 Page 14/26 Orton F, Lutz I, Kloas W, Routledge EJ (2009) Endocrine Disrupting Effects of Herbicides and Pentachlorophenol: In Vitro and in Vivo Evidence. Environ. Sci. Technol. 43(6), 2144-2150. https://doi.org/10.1021/es8028928. References Rooney MR, Lutsey PL, Bhatti P, Prizment A (2018) Urinary 2,5-dicholorophenol and 2,4- dichlorophenol concentrations and prevalent disease among adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Occup. Environ. Med. 76(3), 181-188. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2018-105278. Rubio GA, Catanuto P, Glassberg MK, Lew JI, Elliot SJ (2018) Estrogen receptor subtype expression and regulation is altered in papillary thyroid cancer after menopause. Surgery. 163(1), 143-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2017.04.031. Ruder AM (2011) Mortality of US pentachlorophenol production workers through 2005. Chemosphere. 83(6), 851-861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.02.064. Sharma T, Banerjee BD, Thakur GK, Guleria K, Mazumdar D (2019) Polymorphism of xenobiotic metabolizing gene and susceptibility of epithelial ovarian cancer with reference to organochlorine pesticides exposure. Exp. Biol. Med. (Maywood). 244(16), 1446-1453. https://doi.org/10.1177/1535370219878652. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A (2018) Cancer statistics (2018) CA. Cancer. J. Clin. 60(5), 277-300. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21442. Tan D, Zhang JB (2008) Estimates of PCP-Na consumption in districts and provinces in China by the Top- down calculation method. Environ. Pollut. Control. 30, 17-20. (in Chinese). US EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) (1991) Pentachlorophenol. US EPA. CASRN 87-86-5. Available: http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0086.htm. Wang Y, Wang W (2015) Increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in Shanghai, China, 1983-2007. Asia. Pac. J. Public. Health. 27(2), NP223-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539512436874. Wang YX, Feng W, Zeng Q, Sun Y, Wang P, You L, Yang P, Huang Z, Yu SL, Lu WQ (2016) Variability of Metal Levels in Spot, First Morning, and 24-Hour Urine Samples over a 3-Month Period in Healthy Adult Chinese Men. Environ. Health. Perspect. 124(4), 468-476. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409551. Warrick J, Lengerich E (2019) Thyroid Cancer Overdiagnosis and Malpractice Climate. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 143(4), 414-415. https://doi.org/10.5858/arpa.2018-0490-LE. Wei Y, Zhu J (2016) Para-Dichlorobenzene Exposure Is Associated with Thyroid Dysfunction in US Adolescents. J. Pediatr. 177, 238-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.06.085. Xue L, Yan H, Chen Y, Zhang Q, Xie X, Ding X, Wang X, Qian Z, Xiao F, Song Z, Wu Y, Peng Y, Xu H (2019) EZH2 upregulation by ERα induces proliferation and migration of papillary thyroid carcinoma. BMC. Cancer. 19(1), 1094. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-019-6306-9. Page 15/26 Yin D, Zhu H, Hu P, Zhao Q (2008) Genotoxic effect of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol on P53 gene in zebrafish liver. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 28(3), 603-608. https://doi.org/10.1897/08-317.1. Yu LQ, Zhao GF, Feng M, Wen, W, Li K, Zhang PW, Peng X, Huo WJ, Zhou HD (2014) Chronic exposure to pentachlorophenol alters thyroid hormones and thyroid hormone pathway mRNAs in zebrafish. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 33(1), 170-176. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.2408. References Zhang Q, Jiang C, Li H, Zhang C, Wu H, Huang F (2020) Effect of the Interaction Between Cadmium Exposure and CLOCK Gene Polymorphisms on Thyroid Cancer: a Case-Control Study in China. Biol. Trace. Elem. Res. 196(1), 86-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-019-01904-2. Zhang X, Zhang X, Niu Z, Qi Y, Huang D, Zhang Y (2014) 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol cytotoxicity involves oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis. Int. J. Toxicol. 33(6), 532-541. https://doi.org/10.1177/1091581814557701. Zhang Y, Liu M, Liu J, Wang X, Wang C, Ai W, Chen S, Wang H (2018) Combined toxicity of triclosan, 2,4- dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol to zebrafish (Danio rerio). Environ. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 57, 9-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2017.11.006. Zhang Y, Wei F, Zhang J, Hao L, Jiang J, Dang L, Mei D, Fan S, Yu Y, Jiang L (2017) Bisphenol A and estrogen induce proliferation of human thyroid tumor cells via an estrogen-receptor-dependent pathway. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 633, 29-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abb.2017.09.002. Zheng RS, Sun KX, Zhang SW, Zeng HM, Zou XN, Chen R, Gu XY, Wei WW, He J (2019) Report of cancer epidemiology in China, 2015. Zhonghua. Zhong. Liu. Za. Zhi. 41(1), 19-28. https://doi.org/10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-3766.2019.01.005. Zheng RZ, Zhang QH, He YX, Zhang Q, Yang LS, Zhang ZH, Zhang XJ, Hu JT, Huang F (2013) Historical Long- term Exposure to Pentachlorophenol Causing Risk of Cancer - A Community Study. Asian. Pac. J. Cancer. Prev. 14(2), 811-816. https://doi.org/10.7314/apjcp.2013.14.2.811. Zheng W, Yu H, Wang X, Qu W (2012) Systematic review of pentachlorophenol occurrence in the environment and in humans in China: not a negligible health risk due to the re-emergence of schistosomiasis. Environ Int. 42, 105-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2011.04.014. Zheng W, Yu H, Wang X, Qu W (2012) Systematic review of pentachlorophenol occurrence in the environment and in humans in China: not a negligible health risk due to the re-emergence of schistosomiasis. Environ Int. 42, 105-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2011.04.014. Supplementary Material Page 16/26 Fig. A.1. Association between 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP, PCP and the risk of thyroid cancer in male and female subgroups. The dose-response relationship between the concentrations of three chlorophenols after natural logarithmic conversion and the risk of thyroid cancer in different subgroups was investigated by using restricted cubic spline regression analysis. In the restricted cubic spline functions, three nodes were used, which were the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of each urine chlorophenol concentration. The odds ratios (solid red lines) and 95% confidence intervals (shaded areas) were estimated using the 10th percentile of the natural logarithmic transformation for each concentration as a reference. The horizontal dotted line indicates that each reference value of odds ratio is 1.0. The bars represented histograms of urinary chlorophenols Page 16/26 distribution among male and female participants. The model corrected for urinary iodine (continuous variable), BMI (continuous variable), household income (categorical variable), living conditions (categorical variable), drinking (categorical variable), family history of thyroid disease (categorical variable), and family history of malignancy (categorical variable). distribution among male and female participants. The model corrected for urinary iodine (continuous variable), BMI (continuous variable), household income (categorical variable), living conditions (categorical variable), drinking (categorical variable), family history of thyroid disease (categorical variable), and family history of malignancy (categorical variable). Similarly, the same restricted cubic spline regression analysis was used to obtain the dose-response relationship between the natural logarithmic conversion concentrations of three chlorophenols and the risk of different types of thyroid cancer (see from Fig. A.2.~ Fig. A.5.) Similarly, the same restricted cubic spline regression analysis was used to obtain the dose-response relationship between the natural logarithmic conversion concentrations of three chlorophenols and the risk of different types of thyroid cancer (see from Fig. A.2.~ Fig. A.5.) Fig. A.2. Association between three chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer with different diameters. Fig. A.3. Association between three chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer with different metastatic characteristics. Fig. A.4. Association between three chlorophenols and the risk of unilateral and bilateral thyroid cancer. Fig. A.5. Association between three chlorophenols and the risk of unifocal and multifocal thyroid cancer. Tables Table 3 The association between urinary chlorophenols exposure and thyroid cancer risk * 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Free Triiodothyronine (FT3), Free Thyroxine (FT4), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) Figure 1 Adjusted restricted cubic splines for the relationship between ln-transformed creatinine adjusted urinary chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer. Association between the three chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer. In the restricted cubic spline analysis, three nodes were used, which were the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of each urine chlorophenol concentration. The odds ratios (solid red lines) and 95% confidence intervals (shaded areas) were estimated using the 10th percentile of the natural logarithmic transformation for each concentration as a reference. The horizontal dotted line indicates that each reference value of odds ratio is 1.0. The bars represented histograms of urinary chlorophenols distribution among included participants. The model corrected for urinary iodine (continuous variable), BMI (continuous variable), household income (categorical variable), living conditions (categorical variable), drinking (categorical variable), family history of thyroid disease (categorical variable), and family history of malignancy Figures Figure 1 Adjusted restricted cubic splines for the relationship between ln-transformed creatinine adjusted urinary chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer. Association between the three chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer. In the restricted cubic spline analysis, three nodes were used, which were the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of each urine chlorophenol concentration. The odds ratios (solid red lines) and 95% confidence intervals (shaded areas) were estimated using the 10th percentile of the natural logarithmic transformation for each concentration as a reference. The horizontal dotted line indicates that each reference value of odds ratio is 1.0. The bars represented histograms of urinary chlorophenols distribution among included participants. The model corrected for urinary iodine (continuous variable), BMI (continuous variable), household income (categorical variable), living conditions (categorical variable), drinking (categorical variable), family history of thyroid disease (categorical variable), and family history of malignancy (categorical variable). (A) The restricted cubic spline for the association between ln-transformed urinary 2,4- DCP and the risk of thyroid cancer. (B) The restricted cubic spline for the association between ln-transformed urinary 2,4,6-TCP and the risk of thyroid cancer. (C) The restricted cubic spline for the association between ln- transformed urinary PCP and the risk of thyroid cancer. Tables Table 1 Baseline characteristics and pathologic characteristics of study population Page 17/26 Page 17/26 Page 17/26 Page 17/26 Case (N=297) Control (N=297) P Male Sex, n (%) 93(31.3) 93(31.3) - Age, years ± SD 46.2 ± 12.5 47.0 ± 13.2 0.452 BMI, kg/m2 ± SD 24.3 ± 3.10 23.4 ± 3.40 <0.001 BMI, kg/m2, n (%)     0.010 <18.5 6(2.0) 15(5.1)   18.5- 138(46.5) 165(55.6)   24.0- 120(40.4) 88(29.6)   >28.0 33(11.1) 29(9.8)   Education level     0.129 Junior middle school or less 174(58.6) 192(64.6)   High school or above 123(41.4) 105(35.4)   Household income, yuan/year     0.020 £30000 43(14.5) 69(23.2)   30001~ 118(39.7) 112(37.7)   ³60000 136(45.8) 116(39.1)   Living conditions     0.004 Live together 273(91.9) 250(84.2)   Solitary 24(9.1) 47(15.8)   Smoking status     0.099 Yes 49(16.5) 35(11.8)   No 248(83.5) 262(88.2)   Alcohol drinking     <0.001 Yes 72(24.2) 37(12.5)   No 225(75.8) 260(87.5)   Exercise, times / week     0.318 <1 196(66.0) 203(68.4)   1 53(17 8) 40(13 5) History of radiation exposure 0.165 History of radiation exposure     0.165 Yes 225(75.8) 210(70.7)   No 72(24.2) 87(29.3)   Family history of thyroid diseases     <0.001 Yes 43(14.5) 11(3.7)   No 254(85.5) 286(96.3)   Family history of malignant tumor     0.005 Yes 70(23.6) 43(14.5)   No 227(76.4) 254(85.5)   Pathology       Papillary 276(92.9) -   follicular 7(2.4) -   Medullary 8(2.7) -   Poorly differentiated 6(2.0) -   Tumor Diameter, cm       ≤1.0 111(37.4) -   >1.0 170(57.2) -   Not available 16(5.4) -   Unilateral or bilateral       Unilateral 188(63.3) -   Bilateral 89(30.0) -   Not available 20(6.7) -   Unifocal or multifocal       Unifocal 168(56.6) -   Multifocal 104(35.0) -   Not available 25(8.4) -   Metastasis       Yes 143(48.1) -   No 147(49.5) -   Not available 7(2.4) - Table 2 Concentrations of chlorophenols and biochemical indexes in thyroid cancer and control groups Object Detections Unit Case(n=297)   Control(n=297) P- value Median 25th–75th Percentile   Median 25th–75th Percentile 2,4-DCP * μg/L 0.68 0.35-1.17   0.50 0.24-0.92 0.001 2,4,6-TCP μg/L 0.36 0.17-0.59   0.24 0.12-0.52 0.001 PCP μg/L 0.63 0.31-1.21   0.41 0.13-0.81 <0.001 2,4-DCP a μg/g 0.67 0.33-1.52   0.51 0.21-1.10 0.001 2,4,6-TCP a μg/g 0.34 0.34-0.69   0.26 0.13-0.51 0.001 PCP a μg/g 0.62 0.62-1.28   0.39 0.17-0.95 <0.001 Iodine μg/L 255.76 203.08-494.39   209.08 135.18-303.90 <0.001 Iodine a μg/g 297.78 176.80-524.44   197.54 137.87-301.06 <0.001 Creatinine g/L 1.01 0.57-1.54   1.04 0.68-1.48 0.512 FT3 pmol/L 4.68 4.32-4.94   4.68 4.28-5.20 0.454 FT4 pmol/L 16.25 14.70-16.88   16.24 14.56-17.89 0.286 TSH uIU/mL 2.88 1.78-3.46   2.65 1.66-3.62 0.311 * 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Free Triiodothyronine (FT3), Free Thyroxine (FT4), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) * 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Free Triiodothyronine (FT3), Free Thyroxine (FT4), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) a: Urinary concentration of chlorophenols and iodine had been corrected by creatinine a: Urinary concentration of chlorophenols and iodine had been corrected by creatinine Table 3 The association between urinary chlorophenols exposure and thyroid cancer risk Page 20/26 Chlorophenols Case Control Unadjusted OR (95% CI) P- trend Adjusted OR (95% CI) a P-trend 2,4-DCP *             <0.21 46 74 1 0.013 1 0.060 0.21- 73 74 1.70(0.98-2.99)   1.80(0.94-3.44)   0.51- 80 74 1.85(1.11-3.08)   1.82(1.02-3.24)   ≥1.11 98 75 2.42(1.42-4.14)   2.28(1.24-4.18)   Continuous b 297 297 1.32(1.08-1.60) 0.006 1.27(1.04-1.56) 0.021 2,4,6-TCP             <0.13 40 74 1 0.001 1 0.001 0.13- 65 74 1.62(0.98-2.65)   1.40(0.78-2.50)   0.26- 88 74 2.16(1.32-3.54)   2.52(1.39-4.54)   ≥0.51 104 75 2.85(1.68-4.84)   3.09(1.66-5.77)   Continuous b 297 297 1.40(1.06-1.84) 0.016 1.52(1.12-2.08) 0.008 PCP             <0.18 38 74 1 <0.001 1 0.001 0.18- 60 74 1.82(1.05-3.18)   1.36(0.72-2.59)   0.40- 88 74 2.72(1.57-4.69)   2.46(1.30-4.64)   ≥0.95 111 75 3.80(2.14-6.78)   3.30(1.71-6.36)   Continuous b 297 297 1.20(1.02-1.40) 0.025 1.24(1.06-1.46) 0.008 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Odds ratio (OR), nfidence interval (CI) Adjusted for BMI household income level living conditions alcohol consumption family history of thyroid * 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Odds ratio (OR), confidence interval (CI) * 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Odds ratio (OR), confidence interval (CI) a: Adjusted for BMI, household income level, living conditions, alcohol consumption, family history of thyroid disease, family history of malignant tumor and urinary iodine b: Odds ratio calculated for each 1 ug/g Table 4 The relationship between three chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer with different diameters Page 21/26 Page 21/26 Chlorophenols Microcarcinomas (Tumor Diameter ≤ 1 cm) Larger Tumor Size (Tumor Diameter > 1 cm)   Case Control OR a 95%CI a P- value Case Control OR a 95%CI a P- value 2,4-DCP *                     <0.21 14 25 1   0.336 31 45 1   0.702 0.21- 32 29 2.40 (0.86- 6.60)   36 39 1.36 (0.52- 3.58)   0.51- 36 29 2.19 (0.86- 5.57)   35 42 1.48 (0.62- 3.50)   ≥1.11 29 28 1.88 (0.71- 5.00)   68 43 1.70 (0.66- 4.30)   Continuous b 111 111 1.26 (0.82- 1.95) 0.283 170 170 1.24 (0.92- 1.66) 0.148 2,4,6-TCP                     <0.13 18 29 1   0.422 21 42 1   0.030 0.13- 29 31 1.24 (0.50- 3.02)   31 39 0.99 (0.42- 2.32)   0.26- 33 28 1.55 (0.60- 3.98)   50 41 2.74 (1.16- 6.52)   ≥0.51 31 23 2.16 (0.82- 5.74)   58 48 2.58 (1.01- 6.60)   Continuous b 111 111 1.82 (0.92- 3.60) 0.084 170 170 1.68  (1.10- 2.56) 0.016 PCP                     <0.18 18 31 1   0.344 19 40 1   0.079 0.18- 31 24 1.78 (0.65- 4.87)   28 44 1.62 (0.58- 4.44)   0.40- 29 32 1.98 (0.78- 5.00)   49 36 2.86 (1.02- 8.00)   ≥0.95 33 24 2.51 (0.90- 6.95)   74 50 3.24 (1.20- 8.76)   Continuous b 111 111 1.18 (0.86- 1.62) 0.294 170 170 1.24 (1.02- 1.52) 0.034 * 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Odds ratio (OR), confidence interval (CI) * 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Odds ratio (OR), confidence interval (CI) Page 22/26 a: Adjusted for BMI, household income level, living conditions, alcohol consumption, family history of thyroid disease, family history of malignant tumor and urinary iodine b: Odds ratio calculated for each 1 ug/g Table 5 The association between three chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer with different metastatic characteristics Page 23/26 Chlorophenols Non-metastatic Thyroid Carcinoma Metastatic Thyroid Carcinoma   Case Control OR a 95%CI a P- value Case Control OR a 95%CI a P- value 2,4-DCP *                     <0.21 28 34 1   0.276 18 38 1   0.009 0.21- 46 43 1.46 (0.61- 3.49)   27 28 1.40 (0.50- 3.95)   0.51- 48 35 1.92 (0.85- 4.31)   32 38 1.42 (0.58- 3.52)   ≥1.11 25 35 0.95 (0.35- 2.56)   66 39 4.06 (1.68- 9.81)   Continuous b 147 147 1.03 (0.74- 1.44) 0.864 143 143 1.80 (1.25- 2.60) 0.002 2,4,6-TCP                     <0.13 25 30 1   0.310 14 41 1   0.001 0.13- 39 42 0.92 (0.41- 2.08)   23 32 2.12 (0.84- 5.38)   0.26- 46 44 1.46 (0.64- 3.34)   39 30 3.96 (1.53- 10.24)   ≥0.51 37 31 1.89 (0.78- 4.62)   67 40 7.78 (2.78- 21.74)   Continuous b 147 147 1.55 (0.87- 2.76) 0.137 143 143 1.87 (1.24- 2.84) 0.003 PCP                     <0.18 14 31 1   0.035 22 41 1   0.001 0.18- 33 35 2.26 (0.82- 6.22)   24 39 0.80 (0.30- 2.12)   0.40- 53 46 2.98 (1.12- 7.87)   33 25 3.15 (1.18- 8.40)   ≥0.95 47 35 5.11 (1.67- 15.60)   64 38 4.27 (1.68- 10.86)   Continuous b 147 147 1.37 (0.98- 1.91) 0.060 143 143 1.26 (1.04- 1.53) 0.019 * 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Odds ratio (OR), confidence interval (CI) a: Adjusted for BMI, household income level, living conditions, alcohol consumption, family history of thyroid disease, family history of malignant tumor and urinary iodine b: Odds ratio calculated for each 1 ug/g b: Odds ratio calculated for each 1 ug/g b: Odds ratio calculated for each 1 ug/g Figure 1 Adjusted restricted cubic splines for the relationship between ln-transformed creatinine adjusted urinary chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer. Association between the three chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer. In the restricted cubic spline analysis, three nodes were used, which were the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of each urine chlorophenol concentration. The odds ratios (solid red lines) and 95% confidence intervals (shaded areas) were estimated using the 10th percentile of the natural logarithmic transformation for each concentration as a reference. The horizontal dotted line indicates that each reference value of odds ratio is 1.0. The bars represented histograms of urinary chlorophenols distribution among included participants. The model corrected for urinary iodine (continuous variable), BMI (continuous variable), household income (categorical variable), living conditions (categorical variable), drinking (categorical variable), family history of thyroid disease (categorical variable), and family history of malignancy (categorical variable). (A) The restricted cubic spline for the association between ln-transformed urinary 2,4- DCP and the risk of thyroid cancer. (B) The restricted cubic spline for the association between ln-transformed urinary 2,4,6-TCP and the risk of thyroid cancer. (C) The restricted cubic spline for the association between ln- transformed urinary PCP and the risk of thyroid cancer. Adjusted restricted cubic splines for the relationship between ln-transformed creatinine adjusted urinary chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer. Association between the three chlorophenols and the risk of thyroid cancer. In the restricted cubic spline analysis, three nodes were used, which were the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of each urine chlorophenol concentration. The odds ratios (solid red lines) and 95% confidence intervals (shaded areas) were estimated using the 10th percentile of the natural logarithmic transformation for each concentration as a reference. The horizontal dotted line indicates that each reference value of odds ratio is 1.0. The bars represented histograms of urinary chlorophenols distribution among included participants. The model corrected for urinary iodine (continuous variable), BMI (continuous variable), household income (categorical variable), living conditions (categorical variable), drinking (categorical variable), family history of thyroid disease (categorical variable), and family history of malignancy (categorical variable). (A) The restricted cubic spline for the association between ln-transformed urinary 2,4- DCP and the risk of thyroid cancer. (B) The restricted cubic spline for the association between ln-transformed urinary 2,4,6-TCP and the risk of thyroid cancer. (C) The restricted cubic spline for the association between ln- transformed urinary PCP and the risk of thyroid cancer. Supplementary Files This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download. Page 25/26 Fig.A.1.tif Fig.A.2.tif Fig.A.3.tif Fig.A.4.tif Fig.A.5.tif TableA.1.docx TableA.2.docx Fig.A.1.tif TableA.1.docx TableA.2.docx Page 25/26 TableA.3.docx TableA.3.docx Page 26/26
https://openalex.org/W2107140759
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110126/1/12937_2014_Article_851.pdf
English
null
Effect of calcium supplementation on bone resorption in pregnancy and the early postpartum: a randomized controlled trial in Mexican Women
Nutrition journal
2,014
cc-by
8,193
Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Effect of calcium supplementation on bone resorption in pregnancy and the early postpartum: a randomized controlled trial in Mexican Women Adrienne S Ettinger1*, Héctor Lamadrid-Figueroa2, Adriana Mercado-García2, Katarzyna Kordas3, Richard J Wood4, Karen E Peterson5, Howard Hu6, Mauricio Hernández-Avila2 and Martha M Téllez-Rojo2 * Correspondence: adrienne.ettinger@yale.edu 1Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale Schools of Public Health and Medicine, 1 Church Street 6th floor, New Haven, CT 06510, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Abstract Background: Calcium needs are physiologically upregulated during pregnancy and lactation to meet demands of the developing fetus and breastfeeding infant. Maternal calcium homeostasis is maintained by hormonal adaptive mechanisms, thus, the role of dietary calcium supplementation in altering maternal responses to fetal-infant demand for calcium is thought to be limited. However, increased calcium absorption is directly related to maternal calcium intake and dietary supplementation has been suggested to prevent transient bone loss associated with childbearing. Methods: In a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 670 women in their first trimester of pregnancy to 1,200 mg/day calcium (N = 334) or placebo (N = 336). Subjects were followed through 1-month postpartum and the effect on urinary cross-linked N-telopeptides (NTx) of type I collagen, a specific marker of bone resorption, was evaluated using an intent-to-treat analysis. Women with a baseline and at least one follow-up measurement (N = 563; 84%) were included. Subsequent analyses were conducted stratifying subjects by compliance assessed using pill counts. In random subsets of participants, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) (N = 100) and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) (N = 290) were also measured. Results: Calcium was associated with an overall reduction of 15.8% in urinary NTx relative to placebo (p < 0.001). Among those who consumed ≥50%, ≥67%, and ≥75% of pills, respectively, the effect was associated with 17.3%, 21.3%, and 22.1% reductions in bone resorption (all p < 0.001). There was no significant effect of calcium on bone formation measured by BAP. However, by 1-month postpartum, those in the calcium group had significantly lower NTx/BAP ratios than those in the placebo group (p = 0.04) indicating a net reduction in bone loss in the supplement group by the end of follow-up. Among subjects who consumed ≥50% and ≥75% of pills, respectively, calcium was also associated with an increase of 26.3 m/s (p = 0.03) and 59.0 m/s (p = 0.009) in radial SOS relative to placebo by 1-month postpartum. Conclusions: Calcium administered during pregnancy and the early postpartum period, to women with intakes around adequacy, was associated with reduced bone resorption and, thus, may constitute a practical intervention to prevent transient skeletal loss associated with childbearing. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT00558623 Keywords: Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, Calcium, Clinical trials, Lactation, Pregnancy, Quantitative ultrasound bone speed of sound, Urinary N-telopeptide of type I collagen © 2014 Ettinger et al.; licensee BioMed Central. Study population and design First trimester pregnant women were enrolled from January 1, 2001 to April 26, 2004 at Mexican Social Security Institute prenatal clinics which serve a low-to- moderate income population in Mexico City. In brief, a total of 3,836 women were assessed for eligibility, of whom 1,981 did not meet study eligibility criteria (preg- nancy of no more than 14 weeks gestation; not a high-risk pregnancy; plans to reside in Mexico City for study period; and no other reasons for exclusion) or were not able to be reached for contact (N = 2). When pregnant women were screened for initial recruitment, they were excluded if they exhibited any of the following conditions: any fac- tor that could interfere with maternal calcium metabol- ism, intention not to breastfeed, preeclampsia, kidney or cardiac diseases, gestational diabetes, history of urinary infections, family or personal history of kidney stone for- mation, seizure disorder requiring daily medications, or ingestion of corticosteroids. Of the remaining 1,853 eli- gible women, 670 (36%) agreed to participate, signed in- formed consent, and were randomly assigned to receive a daily supplement of 1,200 mg calcium carbonate (two-600 mg tablets (Lederle, Inc.); N = 334) or placebo (N = 336) (Figure 1). Neither participants nor study personnel were aware of treatment group assignments and placebo tablets were formulated to be indistinguishable from the active treatment tablets. Biochemical markers of bone resorption (osteoclast ac- tivity) and bone formation (osteoblast activity) have been found change drastically during pregnancy suggesting a physiological state of high bone turnover [12]. These markers of bone turnover may identify changes in bone remodeling and microarchitecture within a relatively short time interval (several days to months) before changes in BMD can be detected [13] and, thus, may provide insights into mechanisms of bone loss [14]. The long-term effects of these transient changes in maternal bone on child bone health are not fully understood [15], but new data indicate that maternal dietary deficiency during pregnancy may be associated with lower peak bone mass in offspring [16,17]. p p g [ , ] It is recommended that U.S. pregnant and breastfeed- ing women over the age of 18 years consume at least 1,000 mg calcium per day [18], but these recommenda- tions are based largely on studies in non-pregnant adults [2]. Abstract This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Page 2 of 9 Background to populations with intakes approaching adequacy (such as the general U.S. population). Calcium needs are physiologically-upregulated during preg- nancy and lactation to meet the demands of the developing fetus and breastfeeding infant for skeletal mineralization and growth [1,2]. Maternal calcium homeostasis is main- tained by hormonal adaptive mechanisms that control intestinal calcium absorption, renal calcium excretion, and mobilization of skeletal mineral stores [3,4]. The role of dietary calcium supplementation in altering maternal responses to fetal-infant demand for calcium is thought to be limited; however, increased calcium absorption is dir- ectly related to maternal calcium intake [5,6]. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the ef- fect of dietary calcium supplementation on bone turnover during pregnancy and the early postpartum period using a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial design. The hypothesis was that a daily supplement of 1,200 mg calcium carbonate would decrease bone resorption over the course of pregnancy among a relatively large sample of women with near adequate dietary calcium intakes. Methods Pregnancy- and lactation-associated bone loss has also been demonstrated through decreases in bone mineral density (BMD). An estimated five percent or more of total maternal bone mass may be mobilized [7,8], although, this bone loss is reversible with levels rebounding to pre- pregnancy levels after cessation of lactation [9]. There is clear histological and biochemical evidence that the ma- ternal skeleton undergoes increased bone resorption dur- ing pregnancy [10,11]. Study population and design High dietary calcium intake has been shown to de- crease bone mobilization during pregnancy [19,20] sug- gesting that dietary calcium supplementation may be an effective means to prevent maternal bone loss. A number of studies have demonstrated an association with calcium supplementation and changes in bone turnover in non- pregnant adults [21], but data on the effects among preg- nant women are scarce and there have been relatively few controlled supplementation trials that have studied the relationships directly [22]. The previously published trials of calcium supplementation and bone turnover in preg- nant women [23-25] have been limited by their sample sizes and varying study designs making inferences from their results difficult. In addition, the trials in Gambia and China studied populations with low habitual diet- ary calcium intakes which limit their generalizability Calcium carbonate is ~40% elemental calcium by weight [26]; therefore, for 1,200 mg calcium carbonate, the elem- ental calcium equivalent is: 480 mg. All treatment and control subjects were provided with a daily supplement of 30 mg iron (Fe) sulfate from study entry through 12 months postpartum since prenatal vitamins were not included in the standard of care. Women were instructed to consume Fe supplements at the mid-day “comida” (main meal) to decrease side effects that may accompany Fe ingestion [27]. Supplement levels were selected to meet two criteria: ensured adequacy and safety of total dietary intake. Doses consistent with the AI for calcium [28] and the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Fe [29] to ensure normal physiologic requirements for pregnancy and lactation [30] would be met among women in the Page 3 of 9 Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Figure 1 Study sample profile. Figure 1 Study sample profile. for loss-to-follow up and the final numbers of women included at each stage of the analysis are detailed in Figure 1. lower quartile of intake in our study population. Calcium was suggested to be consumed at bedtime, rather than in the morning, due to recent evidence (at the time of study planning) of potentially greater effects on bone turnover which was shown to be greater during the night than day- time hours [31]. Given potential problems with compliance, a split-dose regimen is not usually suggested for long-term supplementation trials as simplified drug-dosing regimens have been shown to improve adherence to therapy [32]. lower quartile of intake in our study population. Study population and design Calcium was suggested to be consumed at bedtime, rather than in the morning, due to recent evidence (at the time of study planning) of potentially greater effects on bone turnover which was shown to be greater during the night than day- time hours [31]. Given potential problems with compliance, a split-dose regimen is not usually suggested for long-term supplementation trials as simplified drug-dosing regimens have been shown to improve adherence to therapy [32]. The research protocol was approved by the Human Subjects Committees of the Mexican National Institute of Public Health, the Mexican Social Security Institute, and participating institutions and has complied with all federal guidelines governing the use of human subjects. All participants received a detailed explanation of the study intent and procedures prior to signing the informed consent. Participants were assessed at four time points: baseline (1st trimester) prior to initiation of treatment, and after having consumed calcium or placebo at 6 (2nd trimester) and 8 (3rd trimester) months of gestation and 1-month postpartum. Immediately following the baseline assess- ment, women were instructed to consume tablets daily at bedtime and compliance was assessed by pill count at each follow-up visit. Women who had a baseline and at least one follow-up measurement (calcium, N = 288; placebo, N = 275) were defined as having completed follow-up and included in this analysis (N = 563; 84%). The reasons Markers of bone turnover f Urinary excretion of cross-linked N-telopeptides (NTx) of type I collagen was measured in urine from second- morning void collected by participants prior to each visit. NTx is a specific marker of osteoclast activity (bone resorption) that has been shown to be stable and resistant to degradation in stored samples [33]. Samples were ana- lyzed with a commercially available competitive-inhibition Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Page 4 of 9 Page 4 of 9 covariates (linear regression). A second approach was fit- ting a by mixed-effects regression model with a random intercept for each subject in order to adjust for imbalances at baseline and to gain precision in treatment effect esti- mates by including covariates. Mixed-effects models take into account the correlation between repeated measures on subjects over time. In addition, as mixed models are flexible with respect to incomplete data, all subjects with at least one follow-up measurement were included to in- crease the study’s power. The outcome variable was nat- ural log-transformed NTx in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and 1-month postpartum. Models included the following baseline variables: treatment assignment (calcium vs. pla- cebo), age (years), primigravidity (yes/no), NTx (nM BCE/ mM creatinine), daily calcium (g/day) and energy intake (kcal/day), and time. We fitted a model including time*- treatment interactions to test for heterogeneity of treatment effects at different timepoints. To assess if breastfeeding at 1-month postpartum modified the effect of the supplement, a cross-sectional model with an interaction term between lactation (0,1 variable that defines whether the woman was lactating at the time of the 1 month postpartum visit) and supplement group was also fitted. enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Osteomark; Ostex International, Seattle, Washington). NTx concentrations were controlled for urine dilution using creatinine con- centration and expressed as nanomoles of bone collagen equivalents (BCE) per millimole of creatinine (nM BCE/ mM creatinine). The intra-assay CV was 8.9% (at 406 nM BCE) and 8.7% (at 1563 nM BCE); the inter-assay CV was 8.6% (at 427 nM BCE) and 5.6% (at 1513 nM BCE). Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) was measured in plasma stored at −70°C from a subset of participants (N = 100) using the Ostase® BAP immunoenzymetric assay (Immunodiagnostic Systems Inc., Fountain Hills, AZ). BAP levels reflect the metabolic status of osteoblasts and, thus, serve as an indicator of bone formation [34,35]. Dietary intake l k We also fitted a model with the NTx/BAP ratio as the outcome variable, in the subset with both mea- sures available (N = 100 subjects, 270 observations), to observe if the relative levels of bone resorption-to-bone formation changed over the course of the pregnancy and to evaluate if this change was different between treatment groups. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA for Windows, version 12.0 (StataCorp LP, College Station, Texas). Daily intakes of calcium and total energy were assessed at each visit using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire designed to estimate usual dietary intake over the prior month. The questionnaire was modified and validated among women living in Mexico City [40] and included questions specific to pregnancy such as any additional use of dietary supplements. Statistical analysis To assess whether randomization was successful in achiev- ing comparability, baseline characteristics were com- pared between the calcium and placebo groups using the Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann–Whitney U) two-sample test of equality. A similar comparison was performed between those who were included in the analyses and those who were lost to follow-up in order to assess whether selective attrition occurred. All tests of statistical significance were two-sided. Bone ultrasound measurement Bone speed of sound (SOS, in meters per second) was measured at the distal radius using quantitative ultra- sound (QUS) (Sunlight Omnisense 7000, Zicon Ltd. Petah-Tikva, Israel) in a random subset of participants (N = 290). Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the gold standard for measuring BMD [36], however, due to the potential for ionizing radiation exposure to the fetus, its use during pregnancy is inadvisable and specifically pro- hibited by Mexican law. QUS allows for an inexpensive, convenient, and radiation-free method by which to assess bone quality during pregnancy and several previous epide- miologic studies have used quantitative ultrasound to as- sess bone changes over the course of pregnancy [37-39]. A secondary strategy was to estimate the efficacy of the supplement by performing a dose–response analysis to further assess the effect of the supplement by estimated compliance. Compliance was analyzed as the proportion of the expected number of pills taken by subjects be- tween consecutive visits and then categorized into three groups: ≥50% of pills consumed, ≥67% of pills consumed, and ≥75% of pills consumed. Results Table 1 Baseline characteristics of subjects by treatment assignment and follow-up status Treatment assignment Table 1 Baseline characteristics of subjects by treatment assignment and follow-up status aDefined as having at least one visit completed after baseline and included in final model. bp < 0.05 Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann–Whitney U) two sample test of equality of distributions. cGeometric mean and GSD; n = 291 treated, n = 285 with placebo. aDefined as having at least one visit completed after baseline and included in final model. bp < 0.05 Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann–Whitney U) two sample test of equality of distributions. cGeometric mean and GSD; n = 291 treated, n = 285 with placebo. Since response to treatment could depend on baseline dietary calcium intake, we tested a dietary calcium-by- treatment group interaction. There was no significant interaction between dietary calcium intake (either as a continuous variable or as quartiles) and supplement group at baseline. However, when examining lactation status, there was no effect of supplement in the non-lactating women (p = 0.57) compared to a 23% reduction in lactat- ing women (p < 0.0001), indicating that lactation is an ef- fect modifier for the effect of calcium supplementation on bone resorption. were 62.3 (1.7) and 62.9 (1.7) nM BCE/mM creatinine for the calcium and placebo groups, respectively (p = 0.73). A total of 563 women (84%) had at least one follow-up assessment and were included in the analyses. Compar- ing those included in the analysis (placebo N = 275; cal- cium N = 288) to those who were not included (placebo N = 61; calcium N = 46) revealed no significant differences by treatment assignment suggesting that those women who remained in the study were not systematically differ- ent than those who did not complete follow-up. Overall, the proportion of lactating women at 1-month postpar- tum was 89.6% and there were no differences by treatment group (calcium, 89.9% vs. placebo, 89.3%; p = 0.8). When the effect of calcium supplementation was assessed for women “as treated” (N = 563) using models stratified by compliance (Table 3), we saw a dose–response effect of calcium on NTx concentration. Among those women who consumed ≥50% of pills, calcium was associated, on aver- age, with a 17.3% reduction in NTx in comparison to pla- cebo (p < 0.001). Results A total of 670 eligible women were randomized to receive calcium supplementation (N = 334) or placebo (N = 336) (Figure 1). Baseline characteristics were similar for the cal- cium and placebo groups with the exception of maternal age which was one year higher on average in controls (26.9 years) than in the supplement group (25.9 years; p = 0.02) (Table 1). Approximately 35.4% of women were pri- migravid and there were no significant differences by treatment. Dietary calcium intake, also not significantly different between treatment groups, was about 1,100 milli- grams per day on average. Geometric mean (and geomet- ric standard deviation (GSD)) pre-treatment NTx levels The effect of the calcium supplement on bone resorption was evaluated using an intent-to-treat strategy. A first ap- proach was to conduct a comparison of the log-transformed NTx concentrations between treatment groups at each follow-up stage, both unadjusted (t-test) and adjusting for Page 5 of 9 Page 5 of 9 Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Table 1 Baseline characteristics of subjects by treatment assignment and follow-up status Treatment assignment Follow-up status Calcium Placebo Includeda Not included (N = 334) (N = 336) (N = 563) (N = 107) Variable Mean (SD) Mean (SD) Mean (SD) Mean (SD) Age (years) 26.9 (5.6) 25.9 (5.3)b 26.5 (5.5) 26.2 (5.3) Education (years) 10.8 (2.9) 11.0 (3.2) 10.9 (3.1) 10.6 (2.9) Number of pregnancies 2.0 (1.0) 2.1 (1.1) 2.1 (1.0) 2.0 (0.9) Number of children 0.8 (0.8) 0.8 (0.9) 0.8 (0.9) 0.7 (0.7) Number of months previous breastfeeding (cumulative lifetime) 5.6 (8.9) 6.8 (9.0) 6.4 (9.2) 5.1 (7.2) BMI (kg/m2) 25.9 (4.1) 25.8 (3.7) 25.9 (3.9) 25.9 (3.9) Energy intake (kcal/day) 1888 (592) 1862 (637) 1860 (613) 1951 (619) Calcium intake (mg/day) 1108 (492) 1083 (532) 1096 (515) 1091 (497) Hematocrit (%) 39.1 (3.3) 39.1 (3.0) 39.1 (3.2) 39.1 (2.7) NTx (nM BCE/mM creatinine)c 62.3 (1.7) 62.9 (1.7) 62.9 (1.7) 52.2 (1.7) aDefined as having at least one visit completed after baseline and included in final model. bp < 0.05 Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann–Whitney U) two sample test of equality of distributions. cGeometric mean and GSD; n = 291 treated, n = 285 with placebo. Results This increased to 21.3% (p < 0.001) and 22.1% (p < 0.001) for those who consumed ≥67% of pills and ≥75% of pills. In the unadjusted intent-to-treat analysis, calcium was associated with average reductions of 15.1, 16.4, and 20.2% in NTx concentrations in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, and 1 month post-partum respectively (all p ≤0.001). The corresponding visit-specific covariate-adjusted reduc- tion estimates were 13.8, 15.6 and 19.2% (all p ≤0.001) (Table 2). The overall covariate-adjusted average reduc- tion in NTx concentrations relative to placebo was 15.8% (p < 0.001). Table 2 Effect of calcium supplementation on NTX (Log-transformed) (N = 563) Unadjusted Adjusteda N %Δb p-value N %Δb p-value Study visit 2nd trimester 548 15.1 0.001 544 13.8 0.001 3rd trimester 517 16.4 <0.001 513 15.6 <0.001 1-month postpartum 456 20.2 <0.001 453 19.2 <0.001 Average 567 16.8 <0.001 563 15.8 <0.001 aAdjusted for baseline: age, primigravidity, NTx, and dietary calcium and total energy intakes. bPercent reduction: 1- eβ. Table 2 Effect of calcium supplementation on NTX (Log-transformed) (N = 563) Results of the mixed effects regression model with treatment-by-time interactions showed a significantly different effect of the calcium supplementation on bone resorption at each study assessment when compared to baseline difference between treatment groups. The re- duction was more evident at 1-month postpartum than in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, but these reductions were significant for each of the three assessments: 2nd trimes- ter (−13.7% reduction, p = 0.002); 3rd trimester (−15.6% reduction, p = 0.001); and 1-month postpartum: (−18.6% reduction, p < 0.001) (Figure 2). Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Page 6 of 9 Figure 2 Effect of calcium supplementation on urinary N-telopeptides of type I collagen [NTx] (nM BCE/mM creatinine) at each trimester during pregnancy and at 1-month postpartum (Intent-to-Treat Analysis, N = 563); adjusting for baseline variables: NTx, age, primigravidity, dietary calcium and daily energy intake. Figure 2 Effect of calcium supplementation on urinary N-telopeptides of type I collagen [NTx] (nM BCE/mM creatinine) at each trimester during pregnancy and at 1-month postpartum (Intent-to-Treat Analysis, N = 563); adjusting for baseline variables: NTx, age, primigravidity, dietary calcium and daily energy intake. Results The subset of women with serum BAP measurements (N = 100) were not significantly different than those who did not have the measurements available (N = 463) ex- cept for years in school (those with BAP had 0.7 more years, on average, p = 0.04) and hematocrit (those with BAP 0.7 percentage points higher, on average, p = 0.04). There was no significant effect of calcium on BAP alone at any stage (p-values: 0.61, 0.20, 0.32 for 2nd trimester, 3rd trimester, and 1-month postpartum, respectively) (data not shown). Adjusting for age, primigravidity, base- line dietary calcium and total energy intakes, and baseline NTx/BAP ratio, the calcium group had lower, though not statistically significant, NTx/BAP ratio estimates at the 2nd (−10.1%, p = 0.32) and 3rd trimester (−13.4%, p = 0.20) visits. By 1-month postpartum, those in the calcium group had statistically significant lower NTx/BAP ratios than those in the placebo group (−21.5%, p = 0.04) indicat- ing a greater net reduction in bone loss in the supplement group by the end of follow-up. The subset of women with SOS available (N = 290) were not significantly different than those who did not have the measurements available except for years in school (those with SOS had 0.6 more years, p = 0.01) and total energy intake (women with SOS consumed ~190 kcal less, on average, p < 0.001). While radial SOS decreased over the course of pregnancy in both groups, declines in the sup- plement group were relatively attenuated and, by 1-month postpartum, those in the supplement group had higher, though not significantly, radial SOS than those in the placebo group (p = 0.13) (data not shown). Calcium was Table 3 Effect of calcium supplementationa on NTx by treatment complianceb Average (Overall) 2nd trimester 3rd trimester 1-month postpartum Compliance N (Obs) %Δc p-value %Δc p-value %Δc p-value %Δc p-value ALL 563 (1510) 15.8 <0.001 13.7 0.002 15.6 0.001 18.6 <0.001 <50% 161d (270) 11.2 0.110 10.9 0.256 10.7 0.383 12.6 0.361 ≥50% 505d (1240) 17.3 <0.001 14.9 0.003 15.6 0.002 19.2 <0.001 ≥67% 378 (790) 21.3 <0.001 19.0 0.005 19.2 0.001 23.0 <0.001 ≥75% 267 (423) 22.1 <0.001 25.0 0.171 19.0 0.006 21.9 0.002 aAdjusted for baseline: age, primigravidity, NTx, and dietary calcium and total energy intakes. bCompliance assessed by pill count at each visit and analyzed as proportion of expected pills used between consecutive visits. cPercent reduction: 1-eβ. rcent reduction: 1 e . umbers of subjects do not add to 563 because subjects may appear in more than one stratum due to time-varying nature of complian j g p g y y gy ompliance assessed by pill count at each visit and analyzed as proportion of expected pills used between consecutive visits. rcent reduction: 1-eβ. djusted for baseline: age, primigravidity, NTx, and dietary calcium and total energy intakes. ompliance assessed by pill count at each visit and analyzed as proportion of expected pills used between consecutive visits bCompliance assessed by pill count at each visit and analyzed as proportion of expected pills used between consecutive vis cPercent reduction: 1-eβ. Discussion In this randomized controlled trial, a 1,200 mg daily cal- cium carbonate supplement administered during preg- nancy and the early postpartum period was associated with reductions in NTx, compared to placebo, both during pregnancy and at one month postpartum, indicating that dietary calcium supplementation may help to suppress maternal bone mobilization. These effects were stronger with increasing treatment compliance, suggesting a dose– response effect, with a greater than 22% average overall reduction observed among the most compliant women. These results are consistent with a previous randomized crossover trial in a small group of women which showed that dietary calcium supplementation reduced NTx levels by an average of 14% when administered in the third tri- mester of pregnancy [23]. To place the magnitude and dir- ection of these changes into context, this is consistent with a 28% reduction in urinary NTx observed after 1- month of hormone replacement therapy among women randomized to receive 0.625 mg conjugated equine estro- gen (Premarin, Wyeth Ayerst, Philadelphia, PA) [41]. y A limitation of our study is that we used QUS, and not DXA, to assess bone quality in pregnant women and this measurement was available in only about half of the women. QUS has been demonstrated to predict fracture risk [43] and has been widely used in epidemiologic studies to measure bone density particularly where DXA is not available [44] or not advisable, such as during pregnancy [37-39] due to the potential for radiation ex- posure to the fetus. QUS has been found to be well- correlated with DXA at all sites measured over 7 years of follow-up [45] and provides our study with the advan- tage that we were able to include repeated measures of bone density, in addition to biochemical markers of bone turnover, over the entire course of pregnancy and the early postpartum period. The results of this study are also consistent with the findings of a study among 36 pregnant Chinese women with low habitual dietary calcium intake that found cal- cium supplementation was associated with significant decreases in markers on bone resorption; although in contrast to our findings, they also reported increases in bone formation [25]. Unlike our study, calcium was pro- vided by supplementing the “usual diet” with 45 g milk powder (350 mg calcium) or milk powder plus 600 mg calcium supplement (950 mg calcium). Results Table 3 Effect of calcium supplementationa on NTx by treatment complianceb dNumbers of subjects do not add to 563 because subjects may appear in more than one stratum due to time-varying nature of compliance. Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Page 7 of 9 Page 7 of 9 associated with an overall average increase of 9.05 m/s in radial SOS relative to placebo though this difference was not significant (p = 0.216). However, among those subjects who consumed 50% or more of pills (N = 251), calcium was associated with an increase of 26.3 m/s in radial SOS relative to placebo by 1-month postpartum (p = 0.03). Among those subjects who consumed at least 75% of pills, calcium supplementation was associated with an increase of 59.0 m/s in radial SOS relative to placebo by 1-month postpartum (p = 0.009). detect an effect of calcium on SOS. In addition, calcium’s impact on bone density may differ depending on the type of bone. We measured SOS in the distal radius, a site with a predominance of cortical bone, and calcium may be act- ing on bone sites where trabecular bone dominates. In a study of 125 Gambian women, supplementation with 1,500 mg/day calcium was associated with lower BMD measured by DXA in a subset of participants at the distal and midshaft of the radius, but with increases in measures of BMD in the lumbar spine and whole body [24]. Like the Chinese study, the Gambian study also measured the effect of calcium supplementation among women with low dietary calcium intake. However, unlike our study and the one by Liu et al. [25], the Gambian study did not continue supplementation into the post- partum period which may be partially responsible for their findings of rebound demineralization following ces- sation of lactation [42]. We found that the ratio of bone resorption-to-bone formation was significantly lower in the calcium group by 1-month postpartum suggesting that calcium is effective in reducing net bone loss measured after pregnancy. The observed effects at 1-month postpar- tum were being driven by lactating women in our study which suggests that the need for continuation of calcium supplementation may extend into the postpartum period. Discussion In that study, diet- ary calcium supplementation during pregnancy was asso- ciated, in a dose-dependent manner, with greater BMD measured by DXA at 6 weeks postpartum at the spine and whole body (p < 0.05), but not at the hip site. Pregnancy and lactation may impact a woman’s peak bone mass which is an important determinant of subse- quent osteoporosis risk [46]. In addition, calcium may also have potential benefits for child bone health [16,17,47]. The possibility that intrauterine programming of fetal bone growth may be an important determinant of osteo- porosis and the risk of other chronic diseases in later life is now being considered [48]. New evidence indicates that maternal dietary deficiencies during pregnancy may be associated with lower peak bone mass in offspring later in life [16,17]. In the present study, calcium was associated with sig- nificantly higher radial SOS, a marker of bone density, by 1-month postpartum among the most compliant sub- jects. While the overall effect, including all subjects re- gardless of compliance, was not statistically significant, the direction of the effect is consistent with our hypothesis and radial SOS measurements were available in only about half of the subjects, thus, the study was underpowered to Average baseline dietary calcium intake for women in our trial was within the current recommended dietary guidelines of 1,000-1,300 mg/day for pregnant and lactating Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Page 8 of 9 Page 8 of 9 women [18]. It is possible that high amounts of calcium are needed to counterbalance the nutritional needs of the de- veloping fetus [49]; thus, previous trials among women with low habitual dietary calcium intakes may have been unable to detect an effect. Bone mineralization does not depend solely on the availability of calcium: protein, energy, and other nutrients are also important to bone formation and mineralization. Vitamin D is essential for calcium home- ostatis and now recognized as an important nutrient for bone health including modest support for maternal vita- min D status and increased offspring bone mass among [50]. However, this study was planned and carried out on the basis of the 1997 IOM guidelines [28]. Vitamin D was not specifically recommended with calcium supplementa- tion as is currently common practice. Nonetheless, other prior studies of calcium supplementation in adult preg- nancy [23-25], to which we compare our results, also did not measure or administer Vitamin D. Conclusion 1. Prentice A: Calcium in pregnancy and lactation. Annu Rev Nutr 2000, 20:249–272. In summary, dietary calcium intake likely plays a mod- est, but important role in suppressing maternal bone mobilization during pregnancy and the early postpartum. Calcium supplementation during pregnancy may also reduce the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy [53,54], pre-eclampsia [55,56], and lead exposure [57] which themselves pose risks to the mother and fetus. The risks posed by calcium supplementation at levels approximating the upper limit of recommended daily in- take are relatively minor [2,18] and U.S. guidelines for cal- cium in pregnancy and lactation are based on studies in non-pregnant adults [2]. The World Health Organization now recognizes the importance of calcium supplementa- tion in pregnancy [58]. Thus, dietary supplementation of calcium intake among pregnant and lactating women should be considered particularly in populations where dietary calcium intake is low. 2. Hacker AN, Fung EB, King JC: Role of calcium during pregnancy: maternal and fetal needs. Nutr Rev 2012, 70:397–409. 2. Hacker AN, Fung EB, King JC: Role of calcium during pregnancy: maternal and fetal needs. Nutr Rev 2012, 70:397–409. 3. Kovacs CS: Calcium and bone metabolism in pregnancy and lactation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001, 86:2344–2348. 4. Kovacs CS, Kronenberg HM: Maternal-fetal calcium and bone metabolism during pregnancy, puerperium, and lactation. Endocr Rev 1997, 18:832–872. 5. Cross NA, Hillman LS, Allen SH, Krause GF, Vieira NE: Calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism during pregnancy, lactation, and postweaning: a longitudinal study. Am J Clin Nutr 1995, 61:514–523. 3. Kovacs CS: Calcium and bone metabolism in pregnancy and lactation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001, 86:2344–2348. 3. Kovacs CS: Calcium and bone metabolism in pregnancy and lactation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001, 86:2344–2348. 4. Kovacs CS, Kronenberg HM: Maternal-fetal calcium and bone metabolism during pregnancy, puerperium, and lactation. Endocr Rev 1997, 18:832–872. 5. Cross NA, Hillman LS, Allen SH, Krause GF, Vieira NE: Calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism during pregnancy, lactation, and postweaning: a longitudinal study. Am J Clin Nutr 1995, 61:514–523. 6. Ritchie LD, Fung EB, Halloran BP, Turnlund JR, Van Loan MD, Cann CE, King JC: A longitudinal study of calcium homeostasis during human pregnancy and lactation and after resumption of menses. Am J Clin Nutr 1998, 67:693–701. 7. Sowers M, Corton G, Shapiro B, Jannausch ML, Crutchfield M, Smith ML, Randolph JF, Hollis B: Changes in bone density with lactation. JAMA 1993, 269:3130–3135. 8. Abbreviations BCE B ll BCE: Bone collagen equivalents; BAP: Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase; BMD: Bone mineral density; DXA: Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; QUS: Quantitative ultrasound; SOS: Speed of sound; NTx: Urinary cross-linked N-telopeptides of type I collagen. p g y p p 13. Pagani F, Francucci CM, Moro L: Markers of bone turnover: biochemical and clinical perspectives. J Endocrinol Invest 2005, 28(10 Suppl):8–13. p g y p p 13. Pagani F, Francucci CM, Moro L: Markers of bone turnover: biochemical and clinical perspectives. J Endocrinol Invest 2005, 28(10 Suppl):8–13. 14. Hellmeyer L, Ziller V, Anderer G, Ossendorf A, Schmidt S, Hadji P: Biochemical markers of bone turnover during pregnancy: a longitudinal study. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2006, 114:506–510. 14. Hellmeyer L, Ziller V, Anderer G, Ossendorf A, Schmidt S, Hadji P: Biochemical markers of bone turnover during pregnancy: a longitudinal study. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2006, 114:506–510. Acknowledgements The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of the American British Cowdray Hospital in Mexico City for use of its research facilities. This work was supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) [grant numbers: P42-ES05947, R01-ES07821, R01-ES021446, P30-ES00002, and K01-ES014907] and by México Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) (The National Council of Science and Technology) [grant number 4150M9405]. The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Authors’ contributions Study design: HH, MHA, and KEP. Study conduct: ASE, HLF, AMG, KK, RJW, KEP, HH, MHA, MMT. Data collection: AMG, RJW. Data analysis and interpretation: ASE, HLF, MMT. Drafting and revising manuscript content: ASE. Approving final version of manuscript: ASE, HLF, AMG, KK, RJW, KEP, HH, MHA, MMT. ASE, HLF, and MMT take responsibility for the integrity of the data analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Study design: HH, MHA, and KEP. Study conduct: ASE, HLF, AMG, KK, RJW, KEP, HH, MHA, MMT. Data collection: AMG, RJW. Data analysis and interpretation: ASE, HLF, MMT. Drafting and revising manuscript content: ASE. Approving final version of manuscript: ASE, HLF, AMG, KK, RJW, KEP, HH, MHA, MMT. ASE, HLF, and MMT take responsibility for the integrity of the data analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Received: 9 August 2014 Accepted: 11 December 2014 Published: 16 December 2014 Received: 9 August 2014 Accepted: 11 December 2014 Published: 16 December 2014 Discussion One small ran- domized study of pregnant Brazilian adolescents with habitually low calcium intake [51] found that 600 mg calcium carbonate plus vitamin D3 (200 IU) resulted in higher lumbar spine bone mass and a reduced rate of femoral neck bone loss during lactation which is consistent with our results. The maternal response to fetal calcium demand may also be highly individualized and other gen- etic, hormonal, or lifestyle factors may be involved [52]. women [18]. It is possible that high amounts of calcium are needed to counterbalance the nutritional needs of the de- veloping fetus [49]; thus, previous trials among women with low habitual dietary calcium intakes may have been unable to detect an effect. Bone mineralization does not depend solely on the availability of calcium: protein, energy, and other nutrients are also important to bone formation and mineralization. Vitamin D is essential for calcium home- ostatis and now recognized as an important nutrient for bone health including modest support for maternal vita- min D status and increased offspring bone mass among [50]. However, this study was planned and carried out on the basis of the 1997 IOM guidelines [28]. Vitamin D was not specifically recommended with calcium supplementa- tion as is currently common practice. Nonetheless, other prior studies of calcium supplementation in adult preg- nancy [23-25], to which we compare our results, also did not measure or administer Vitamin D. One small ran- domized study of pregnant Brazilian adolescents with habitually low calcium intake [51] found that 600 mg calcium carbonate plus vitamin D3 (200 IU) resulted in higher lumbar spine bone mass and a reduced rate of femoral neck bone loss during lactation which is consistent with our results. The maternal response to fetal calcium demand may also be highly individualized and other gen- etic, hormonal, or lifestyle factors may be involved [52]. Author details 1Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale Schools of Public Health and Medicine, 1 Church Street 6th floor, New Haven, CT 06510, USA. 2National Institute of Public Health, Universidad 655 Colonia Santa María Ahuacatitlán, C.P. 62100 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. 3School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, England, UK. 4Department of Nutrition, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA. 5Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Human Nutrition Program, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. 6Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Conclusion Sowers MF, Scholl T, Harris L, Jannausch M: Bone loss in adolescent and adult pregnant women. Obstet Gynecol 2000, 96:189–193. 9. Kalkwarf HJ, Specker BL: Bone mineral changes during pregnancy and lactation. Endocrine 2002, 17:49–53. 9. Kalkwarf HJ, Specker BL: Bone mineral changes during pregnancy and lactation. Endocrine 2002, 17:49–53. lactation. Endocrine 2002, 17:49 53. 10. Purdie DW, Aaron JE, Selby PL: Bone histology and mineral homeostasis in human pregnancy. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1988, 95:849–854. 11. Naylor KE, Iqbal P, Fledelius C, Fraser RB, Eastell R: The effect of pregnancy on bone density and bone turnover J Bone Miner Res 2000 15:129–137 10. Purdie DW, Aaron JE, Selby PL: Bone histology and mineral homeostasis in human pregnancy. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1988, 95:849–854. 10. Purdie DW, Aaron JE, Selby PL: Bone histology and mineral homeostasis in human pregnancy. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1988, 95:849–854. 11. Naylor KE, Iqbal P, Fledelius C, Fraser RB, Eastell R: The effect of pregnancy on bone density and bone turnover. J Bone Miner Res 2000, 15:129–137. 12. Yamaga A, Taga M, Minaguchi H: Changes in urinary excretions of C-telopeptide and cross-linked N-telopeptide of type I collagen during pregnancy and puerperium. Endocr J 1997, 44:733–738. Competing interests Th h d l h Zhu YI, Haas JD: Response of serum transferrin receptor to iron supplementation in iron-depleted, nonanemic women. Am J Clin Nutr 1998, 67:271–275. 51. Diogenes ME, Bezerra FF, Rezende EP, Taveira MF, Pinhal I, Donangelo CM: Effect of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy in Brazilian adolescent mothers: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2013, 98(1):82–91. 28. Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. In Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes, Food and Nutrition Board. Washington DC: National Academy Press; 1997. 52. Thomas M, Weisman SM: Calcium supplementation during pregnancy and lactation: effects on the mother and the fetus. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2006, 194:937–945. 29. National Research Council: Recommended Dietary Allowances. In Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the RDAs. Food and Nutrition Board. Commission on Life Sciences. 10th edition. Washington DC: National Academy Press; 1989. 53. Hofmeyr GJ, Lawrie TA, Atallah AN, Duley L, Torloni MR: Calcium supplementation during pregnancy for preventing hypertensive disorders and related problems. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2014, 6:CD001059. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001059.pub4. 30. Institute of Medicine: Nutrition During Pregnancy: Part II: Nutrient Supplements. In Subcommittee on Dietary Intake and Nutrient Supplements During Pregnancy. Committee on Nutritional Status During Pregnancy. Food and Nutrition Board. Washington DC: National Academy Press; 1990. 54. Imdad A, Jabeen A, Bhutta ZA: Role of calcium supplementation during pregnancy in reducing risk of developing gestational hypertensive disorders: a meta-analysis of studies from developing countries. BMC Public Health 2011, 11(Suppl 3):S18. 31. Blumsohn A, Herrington K, Hannon RA, Shao P, Eyre DR, Eastell R: The effect of calcium supplementation on the circadian rhythm of bone resorption. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1994, 79:730–735. 55. Hofmeyr GJ, Belizán JM, von Dadelszen P, Calcium and Pre-eclampsia (CAP) Study Group: Low-dose calcium supplementation for preventing pre-eclampsia: a systematic review and commentary. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 2014, 121:951–957. 32. Osterberg L, Blaschke T: Adherence to medication. N Engl J Med 2005, 353:487–497. 33. Hanson DA, Weis MA, Bollen AM, Maslan SL, Singer FR, Eyre DR: A specific immunoassay for monitoring human bone resorption: quantitation of type I collagen cross-linked N-telopeptides in urine. J Bone Miner Res 1992, 7:1251–1258. 56. Patrelli TS, Dall’asta A, Gizzo S, Pedrazzi G, Piantelli G, Jasonni VM, Modena AB: Calcium supplementation and prevention of preeclampsia: a meta-analysis. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2012, 25:2570–2574. 34. Competing interests Th h d l h Prins SH, Jørgensen HL, Jørgensen LV, Hassager C: The role of quantitative ultrasound in the assessment of bone: a review. Clin Physiol 1998, 18:3–17. 43. Prins SH, Jørgensen HL, Jørgensen LV, Hassager C: The role of quantitative ultrasound in the assessment of bone: a review. Clin Physiol 1998, 18:3–17. 44. Knapp KM: Quantitative ultrasound and bone health. Salud Publica Mex 2009, 51(Suppl 1):S18–S24. 21. Weisman SM, Matkovic V: Potential use of biochemical markers of bone turnover for assessing the effect of calcium supplementation and predicting fracture risk. Clin Ther 2005, 27:299–308. 44. Knapp KM: Quantitative ultrasound and bone health. Salud Publica Mex 2009, 51(Suppl 1):S18–S24. 45. Trimpou P, Bosaeus I, Bengtsson BA, Landin-Wilhelmsen K: High correlation between quantitative ultrasound and DXA during 7 years of follow-up. Eur J Radiol 2010, 73:360–364. 22. Olausson H, Goldberg GR, Laskey MA, Schoenmakers I, Jarjou LM, Prentice A: Calcium economy in human pregnancy and lactation. Nutr Res Rev 2012, 25:40–67. 46. Bonjour JP, Chevalley T, Ferrari S, Rizzoli R: The importance and relevance of peak bone mass in the prevalence of osteoporosis. Salud Publica Mex 2009, 51(Suppl 1):S5–S17. 23. Janakiraman V, Ettinger A, Mercado-Garcia A, Hu H, Hernandez-Avila M: Calcium supplements and bone resorption in pregnancy: a randomized crossover trial. Am J Prev Med 2003, 24:260–264. 47. Jones G: Early life nutrition and bone development in children. Nestle Nutr Workshop Ser Pediatr Program 2011, 68:227–233. 24. Jarjou LM, Laskey MA, Sawo Y, Goldberg GR, Cole TJ, Prentice A: Effect of calcium supplementation in pregnancy on maternal bone outcomes in women with a low calcium intake. Am J Clin Nutr 2010, 92:450–457. 48. Cooper C, Harvey N, Cole Z, Hanson M, Dennison E: Developmental origins of osteoporosis: the role of maternal nutrition. Adv Exp Med Biol 2009, 646:31–39. 25. Liu Z, Qiu L, Chen YM, Su YX: Effect of milk and calcium supplementation on bone density and bone turnover in pregnant Chinese women: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Gynecol Obstet 2011, 283:205–211. 49. Johnson MA: High calcium intake blunts pregnancy-induced increases in maternal blood lead. Nutr Rev 2001, 59:152–156. 26. U.S. Pharmacopeia: USP Dietary Supplements Compendium. Rockville MD: U.S. Pharmacopeia; 2012. 50. Harvey NC, Holroyd C, Ntani G, Javaid K, Cooper P, Moon R, Cole Z, Tinati T, Godfrey K, Dennison E, Bishop NJ, Baird J, Cooper C: Vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy: a systematic review. Health Technol Assess 2014, 18:1–190. 27. Competing interests Th h d l h 15. Holroyd C, Harvey N, Dennison E, Cooper C: Epigenetic influences in the developmental origins of osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int 2012, 23:401–410. 15. Holroyd C, Harvey N, Dennison E, Cooper C: Epigenetic influences in the developmental origins of osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int 2012, 23:401–410. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 Page 9 of 9 Page 9 of 9 Ettinger et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:116 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/116 16. Zhu K, Whitehouse AJ, Hart P, Kusel M, Mountain J, Lye S, Pennell C, Walsh JP: Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and bone mass in offspring at 20 years of age: a prospective cohort study. J Bone Miner Res 2014, 29:1088–1095. 39. To WW, Wong MW, Leung TW: Relationship between bone mineral density changes in pregnancy and maternal and pregnancy characteristics: a longitudinal study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2003, 82:820–827. 17. Lawlor DA, Wills AK, Fraser A, Sayers A, Fraser WD, Tobias JH: Association of maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy with bone-mineral content in offspring: a prospective cohort study. Lancet 2013, 381:2176–2183. 40. Hernandez-Avila M, Romieu I, Parra S, Hernández-Avila J, Madrigal H, Willett W: Validity and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire to assess dietary intake of women living in Mexico City. Salud Publica Mex 1998, 40:133–140. 18. Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Washington DC: National Academies Press; 2011. 41. Rosen CJ, Chesnut CH 3rd, Mallinak NJ: The predictive value of biochemical markers of bone turnover for bone mineral density in early postmenopausal women treated with hormone replacement or calcium supplementation. J Clin Endo Metabol 1997, 82:1904–1910. 19. Avendaño-Badillo D, Hernández-Avila M, Hernández-Cadena L, Rueda-Hernández G, Solano-González M, Ibarra LG, Hu H, Téllez-Rojo MM: High dietary calcium intake decreases bone mobilization during pregnancy in humans. Salud Publica Mex 2009, 51(Suppl 1):S100–S107. 42. Jarjou LM, Sawo Y, Goldberg GR, Laskey MA, Cole TJ, Prentice A: Unexpected long-term effects of calcium supplementation in pregnancy on maternal bone outcomes in women with a low calcium intake: a follow-up study. Am J Clin Nutr 2013, 98:723–730. 20. Zeni SN, Ortela Soler CR, Lazzari A, López L, Suarez M, Di Gregorio S, Somoza JI, de Portela ML: Interrelationship between bone turnover markers and dietary calcium intake in pregnant women: a longitudinal study. Bone 2003, 33:606–613. 43. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-13-116 Cite this article as: Ettinger et al.: Effect of calcium supplementation on bone resorption in pregnancy and the early postpartum: a randomized controlled trial in Mexican Women. Nutrition Journal 2014 13:116. Competing interests Th h d l h Garnero P, Delmas P: Assessment of the serum levels of bone alkaline phosphatase with a new immunoradiometric assay in patients with metabolic bone disease. J Clin Endocrin Metab 1993, 77:1046–1053. 57. Ettinger AS, Lamadrid-Figueroa H, Téllez-Rojo MM, Mercado-García A, Peterson KE, Schwartz J, Hu H, Hernández-Avila M: Effect of calcium supplementation on blood lead levels in pregnancy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Environ Health Perspect 2009, 117:26–31. 35. Van Straalen JP, Sanders E, Prummel MF, Sanders GT: Bone alkaline phosphatase as indicator of bone formation. Clin Chim Acta 1991, 201:27–33. 58. World Health Organization: Calcium Supplementation in Pregnant Women. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013. 36. National Institutes of Health: Osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. In NIH Consensus Statement Online. 17th edition. 2000:1–36. http://consensus.nih.gov/2000/2000Osteoporosis111html.htm. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-13-116 Cite this article as: Ettinger et al.: Effect of calcium supplementation on bone resorption in pregnancy and the early postpartum: a randomized controlled trial in Mexican Women. Nutrition Journal 2014 13:116. 37. Della Martina M, Biasioli A, Vascotto L, Rinuncini D, Adorati Menegato A, Liva S, Londero AP, Driul L, Marchesoni D: Bone ultrasonometry measurements during pregnancy. Arch Gynecol Obstet 2010, 281:401–407. 38. Hellmeyer L, Ossendorf A, Ziller V, Tekesin I, Schmidt S, Hadji P: Quantitative ultrasonometry of the phalanges during pregnancy: a longitudinal study. Climacteric 2006, 9:446–451.
https://openalex.org/W4386697637
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-023-01614-1.pdf
English
null
Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a multi-center, cohort study
Signal transduction and targeted therapy
2,023
cc-by
12,063
Received: 13 February 2023 Revised: 14 August 2023 Accepted: 21 August 2023 1Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; 2Clinical Medical Research Center of Hematology Diseases of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510515, China; 3Department of Hematology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China; 4Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China; 5Department of Hematology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510280, China; 6Department of Hematology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200125, China; 7Department of Hematology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400037, China; 8The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China; 9Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin 300020, China; 10Department of Hematology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China; 11Department of Hematology, the First People’s Hospital of Chenzhou, Chenzhou 423099, China; 12Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China; 13Department of Hematology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510799, China; 14Department of Hematology, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing 100044, China and 15Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Digital Medicine and Biomechanics, National Key Discipline of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China Correspondence: Yu Wang (ywyw3172@sina.com) or Qifa Liu (liuqifa628@163.com) or Li Xuan (356135708@qq.com) These authors contributed equally: Ruoyang Shao, Yu Zhang, Jinping He, Fen Huang, and Zhiping Fan Received: 13 February 2023 Revised: 14 August 2023 Accepted: 21 August 2023 ARTICLE OPEN Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a multi-center, cohort study Ruoyang Shao1,2, Yu Zhang1,2, Jinping He1,2, Fen Huang1,2, Zhiping Fan1,2, Kaibo Yang1,2, Yajing Xu3, Na Xu1,2, Yi Luo4, Lan Deng5,6, Xi Zhang 7, Jia Chen8, Mingzhe Han9, Xudong Li10, Sijian Yu1,2, Hui Liu1,2, Xinquan Liang11, Xiaodan Luo12,13, Pengcheng Shi1,2, Zhixiang Wang1,2, Ling Jiang1,2, Xuan Zhou1,2, Ren Lin1,2, Yan Chen3, Sanfang Tu5, Jing Sun1,2, Yu Wang14✉, Qifa Liu1,2,15✉and Li Xuan1,2✉ Ruoyang Shao1,2, Yu Zhang1,2, Jinping He1,2, Fen Huang1,2, Zhiping Fan1,2, Kaibo Yang1,2, Yajing Xu3, Na Xu1,2, Yi Luo4, Lan Deng5,6, Xi Zhang 7, Jia Chen8, Mingzhe Han9, Xudong Li10, Sijian Yu1,2, Hui Liu1,2, Xinquan Liang11, Xiaodan Luo12,13, Pengcheng Shi1,2, Zhixiang Wang1,2, Ling Jiang1,2, Xuan Zhou1,2, Ren Lin1,2, Yan Chen3, Sanfang Tu5, Jing Sun1,2, Yu Wang14✉, Qifa Liu1,2,15✉and Li Xuan1,2✉ Sorafenib therapy improves overall survival (OS) in patients with FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We explored the efficacy of sorafenib therapy in this population with different concomitant genetic patterns. In this multi-center, cohort study, we enrolled patients with FLT3-ITD AML undergoing allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Patients with sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation for at least four weeks were allocated to the sorafenib group, and otherwise to the control group. Endpoints were OS, disease-free survival, and relapse for the whole cohort and OS for genetic pattern subgroups. Among 613 patients enrolled, 275 were in the sorafenib and 338 the control group. Median follow-up was 36.5 (interquartile range (IQR), 25.2–44.7) months post-transplantation. The 3-year OS post-transplantation was 79.6% (95% confidential interval (CI) 74.8%–84.6%) and 65.2% (95% CI 60.3%–70.6%) (Hazard ratio (HR) 0.50, 95% CI 0.37–0.69; P < 0.0001) in both groups. Sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation improved OS in the favorable (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.14–0.77; P = 0.011) and adverse (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.33–0.93; P = 0.026) ELN 2017 risk subgroups. Patients with mutated NPM1, DNMT3A, co-occurring NPM1/DNMT3A, “activated signaling” and “DNA methylation” genes benefited in OS from sorafenib maintenance, while those carrying CEBPA, “tumor suppressors” and “myeloid transcription factors” genes did not. Patients with FLT3-ITDhigh and FLT3-ITDlow AML both benefited in OS from sorafenib maintenance. Our results identify the response of genetic patterns to sorafenib maintenance, providing new viewpoints for the optimal use of sorafenib in FLT3-ITD AML in the transplantation setting. ; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-023-01614-1 Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy www.nature.com/sigtrans ARTICLE OPEN Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a multi-center, cohort study Ruoyang Shao1,2, Yu Zhang1,2, Jinping He1,2, Fen Huang1,2, Zhiping Fan1,2, Kaibo Yang1,2, Yajing Xu3, Na Xu1,2, Yi Luo4, Lan Deng5,6, Xi Zhang 7, Jia Chen8, Mingzhe Han9, Xudong Li10, Sijian Yu1,2, Hui Liu1,2, Xinquan Liang11, Xiaodan Luo12,13, Pengcheng Shi1,2, Zhixiang Wang1,2, Ling Jiang1,2, Xuan Zhou1,2, Ren Lin1,2, Yan Chen3, Sanfang Tu5, Jing Sun1,2, Yu Wang14✉, Qifa Liu1,2,15✉and Li Xuan1,2✉ RESULTS l l Clinical and Treatment characteristics A total of 613 patients with FLT3-ITD AML undergoing allo-HSCT were enrolled in this study between January 2012 and June 2020, including 441 patients from the prospective studies and 172 from the retrospective studies (Fig. 1). There were 294 females and 319 males, with a median age at 36 years (IQR, 26–45 years). For induction therapy, 562 patients received anthracyclines plus cytarabine and 51 patients received other regimens. At transplan- tation, 525 patients were in composite complete remission (CRc), 26 in partial remission (PR), and 62 in non-remission (NR). Two hundred and fifty-one patients underwent HLA-matched sibling donor (MSD), 42 HLA-matched unrelated donor (MUD) and 320 HLA-haploidentical donor (HID) transplants. ELN 2017 risk stratifi- cation was available in 505 patients, including 160 patients with favorable, 159 with intermediate and 186 with adverse risks, and was unavailable in 108 patients because of missing FLT3-ITD AR data. Based on sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation, 275 patients were allocated to the sorafenib group and 338 the control group. Except pre-transplantation sorafenib, prognostic factors such as sex, age, genetics, treatments pre-transplantation, disease status at transplant and transplant modality were balanced between the two groups (Table 1). The treatment and clinical characteristics were compared between patients from prospective and retrospective studies (Supplementary Table 1). Except cycles of chemotherapy pre-transplantation and ELN risk, characteristics were balanced between the prospective and retrospective cohorts (Supplementary Table 1). In the sorafenib group, sorafenib was initiated at a median of 45 days (IQR, 30–115 days) post- transplantation. The median time of sorafenib maintenance post- transplantation was 208 days (IQR, 144–292 days). p FLT3-ITD AML is a group of heterogenous disease. Despite the number, length, insertion site, allelic ratio (AR) of FLT3-ITD itself, concomitant genetic abnormalities also influence the nature of FLT3-ITD AML.18,23,24 For example, some studies showed that the co-existence of NPM1 or CEBPA mutation inferred superior prognosis, but TET2 or DNMT3A mutation predicted inferior outcome in FLT3-ITD AML.6,25–27 Regarding the response to FLT3 inhibitors, several different FLT3 inhibitors were reported to improve the outcomes of FLT3-ITD AML patients with mutated NPM1,18,28,29 while their effects on patients with other genetic patterns were less reported. A recent study by Smith et al. INTRODUCTION FMS lik i newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including two main types of mutation, FLT3 juxta-membrane domain internal tandem duplication (ITD), and FLT3 tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) point mutation.2 An ITD in FLT3 molecule inhibits the negative regulatory function of the juxta-membrane region, resulting in constitutive activation of the FLT3 kinase and its downstream signaling cascades, and consequently improves survival and proliferation of AML cells.2 While the clinical impact of FLT3-TKD is still ambiguous, patients with FLT3-ITD positive AML face shorter FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3), a transmembrane ligand- activated receptor tyrosine kinase, is usually expressed by hematopoietic stem cells, early myeloid progenitor cells, and early lymphoid progenitor cells.1 FLT3 plays a key role in the regulation of proliferation, maturation and apoptosis in especially the early stages of hematopoietic cells via multiple downstream signaling pathways including JAK-STAT, RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK, and PI3K/AKT.2 FLT3 is among the most frequently mutated genes in © The Author(s) 2023 N = 144 (retrospective) N = 83 (retrospective) N = 202 (RCT) 22 without FLT3-ITD mutation before transplantation N = 736 17 duplicate 613 patients analyzed · 6 accepted other FLT3 inhibitors · 32 did not achieve CRc after transplantation, died or relapsed before day 90 post-transplantation · 85 without genomic data N = 346 NCT03620955 (ongoing) Xuan et al 2019 44 Xuan et al 2020 9 Xuan et al 2018 14 Fig. 1 Diagram of the study. FLT3, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3; FLT3-ITD, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. 2 (RCT) Xuan et al 2020 9 N = 202 · 6 accepted other FLT3 inhibitors · 32 did not achieve CRc after transplantation, died or relapsed before day 90 post-transplantation · 85 without genomic data am of the study. FLT3, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3; FLT3-ITD, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem dupli Fig. 1 Diagram of the study. FLT3, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3; FLT3-ITD, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 inte Fig. 1 To comprehensively explore the impact of concomitant genetic patterns to sorafenib efficacy in FLT3-ITD AML patients under- going allo-HSCT, we herein perform a multi-center, exploratory, cohort study in patients with FLT3-ITD AML undergoing allo-HSCT. INTRODUCTION FMS lik i remission duration and higher relapse compared to those with wild type FLT3.3 Therefore, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is recommended by international consensus and guidelines for FLT3-ITD AML patients, but many patients still undergo relapse even after allo-HSCT.4,5 In this study, we identified genetic abnormality subgroups who benefitted or did not benefit from sorafenib maintenance post- transplantation, and further explored the possible molecular mechanisms of sorafenib resistance in patients carrying certain genetic abnormalities via bioinformatic analyses and preliminary experiments. Our results provide new insights for the optimal use of sorafenib in FLT3-ITD AML based on concomitant genetic patterns. Recent years, several different FLT3 inhibitors including sorafenib have been widely applied in FLT3-ITD AML, incorporated with chemotherapy, as maintenance therapy, and as salvage therapy.2,6–12 Prospective and retrospective studies including those from our group demonstrated that administration of sorafenib in FLT3-ITD AML patients, especially after allo-HSCT, could reduce relapse and improve survival.9,13–20 A recent updated report of our phase III randomized controlled trial (RCT) showed that sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation had long-term benefits on relapse rate and overall survival (OS) in FLT3-ITD AML patients receiving allo-HSCT without significantly increasing adverse events or graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).19 Sorafenib is now recommended by the AML guideline of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and ELN as post- transplantation maintenance therapy for FLT3-ITD AML patients.21,22 RESULTS l l showed that relapsed/refractory FLT3-mutated patients carrying DNA methylation/hydroxymethylation mutations like DNMT3A might benefit from gilteritinib.28 Jahn and his colleagues found that FLT3-mutated patients carrying chromatin modifiers and spliceo- some mutations might benefit from midostaurin.29 However, these results were obtained in patients undergoing chemotherapy instead of allo-HSCT.18,28,29 Also, due to differences in molecular structure, sorafenib might also have different performance on sensitivity compared with gilteritinib or midostaurin.30 To the best of our knowledge, there currently lack large-scale study exploring the impact of concomitant genetic patterns on the efficacy of sorafenib as post-transplantation maintenance therapy in FLT3- ITD AML patients undergoing allo-HSCT. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. 3 Table 1. Clinical and Treatment Characteristics Characteristics Sorafenib group (n = 275) Control group (n = 338) P Sex, male/female (n%) 143 (53%)/132 (47%) 176 (52%)/162 (48%) 0.86 Age, median (IQR), years 36 (26–45) 37 (27–47) 0.24 WBC count at diagnosis, median (IQR) 53.1 (15.7–119.5) 52.9 (12.9–118.5) 0.96 Cycles of chemotherapy pre-transplant, median (IQR) 3 (3–4) 3 (3–4) 0.73 Initial induction regimens 0.25 Anthracyclines plus cytarabine 256 (93%) 306 (91%) Others 19 (7%) 32 (9%) Cytogenetics risk stratification (n%) 0.90 Favorable 20 (7%) 26 (8%) Intermediate 229 (83%) 279 (83%) Adverse 26 (9%) 33 (10%) 2017 ELN risk stratification (n%) 0.90 Favorable 77 (28%) 83 (25%) Intermediate 84 (31%) 75 (22%) Adverse 83 (30%) 103 (30%) Unknown 31 (11%) 77 (23%) Disease status at transplant (n%) 0.79 CRc 238 (87%) 287 (85%) PR 10 (4%) 16 (5%) NR 27 (10%) 35 (10%) Sorafenib pre-transplant (n%) 0.028 Use 149 (54%) 153 (45%) No use 126 (46%) 185 (55%) Transplant modality (n%) 0.99 MSD 112 (41%) 139 (41%) MUD 22 (8%) 20 (6%) HID 141 (51%) 179 (53%) WBC white blood cell, CRc composite complete remission, PR partial remission, NR non-remission, MSD HLA-matched sibling donor, MUD HLA-matched unrelated donor, HID HLA-haploidentical donor Table 1. Clinical and Treatment Characteristics WBC white blood cell, CRc composite complete remission, PR partial remission, NR non-remission, MSD HLA-matched sibling donor, MUD HLA-matched unrelated donor, HID HLA-haploidentical donor 74.8%–84.6%) and 65.2% (95% CI 60.3%–70.6%), (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.37–0.69; P < 0.001) (Fig. 3a), and disease-free survival (DFS) was 75.8% (95% CI 70.8%–81.1%) and 57.5% (95% CI 52.4%–63.1%) (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.36–0.64; P < 0.001) in the sorafenib and control groups, respectively (Fig. 3b). RESULTS l l The 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was 17.2% (95% CI 13.0%–22.0%) in the sorafenib group and 31.8% (95% CI 26.9%–36.8%) (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.35–0.69; P < 0.001) in the control group (Fig. 3c). We further divided patients into four subgroups based on use of sorafenib pre- and post-transplantation: non-sorafenib pre-transplantation and post-transplantation (group A); sorafenib pre-transplantation only (group B); sorafenib post-transplantation only (group C); and sorafenib pre- and post-transplantation both (group D) for subgroup analyses. Significant differences were observed in OS, DFS, and relapse among groups A-D (Supplementary Fig. S4a–c). Group B, C and D all had superior OS, DFS and CIR compared to group A (Supplementary Fig. S5a). Group C and D both had superior DFS compared to group B, and Group D had superior CIR compared to group B. No significant difference was observed between group C and D (Supplementary Fig. S5a). Multivariate COX analysis revealed that use of sorafenib pre- and post- transplantation both were associated with improved OS (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.54–0.99; P = 0.04 and HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.38–0.72; P < 0.001, respectively), DFS (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.54–0.94; P = 0.02 and HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.37–0.67; P < 0.001, respectively), and relapse (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50–0.94; P = 0.02 and HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.35–0.70; P < 0.001, respectively) (Table 2). Genetic landscape Genetic landscape Of the 613 patients enrolled, Giemsa and reverse banding result was available in 577 patients, while fluorescence in-situ hybridiza- tion (FISH) data was available in all the patients. A total of 448 patients had a normal cytogenetics, and 165 an aberrant cytogenetics, including 46 favorable, 508 intermediate, and 59 adverse cytogenetics. Cytogenetic abnormality patterns were shown in Supplementary Fig. S1. For gene mutations, a total of 1285 concomitant mutations were detected. Four hundred and ten patients (67%) harbored at least one concomitant mutation, along with 191 (69%) and 219 (65%) in the sorafenib and control groups, respectively. Concomitant mutations with top 5 occur- rence were NPM1 (32%), DNMT3A (16%), TET2 (14%), CEBPA (10%), and IDH2 (7%). The concomitant genetic patterns with ≥1% occurrence are shown in Fig. 2. The top 20 most frequently detected gene mutations were tested for pair-wise mutual exclusivity and co-occurrence in patients with next generation sequencing (NGS) data (Supplementary Figs. S2, S3). Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification Fig. 2 Genetic patterns of the whole population (mutation frequency ≥1%) A total of 267 patients experienced acute GVHD (aGVHD), including 126 in the sorafenib group and 141 in the control group (P = 0.31). The 3-year cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was 49.8% (95% CI 43.7%–55.7%) in the sorafenib group and 46.4% (95% CI 40.9%–51.6%) (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.86–1.36; P = 0.52) in the control group (Supplementary Fig. S6). other subgroups (Supplementary Fig. S7). For cytogenetic risk, the results showed that sorafenib post-transplantation maintenance in patients with intermediate (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.40–0.81; P = 0.001) and adverse (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.13–0.82; P = 0.02) cytogenetics had a significant benefit on OS, while patients with favorable (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.02–1.16; P = 0.07) cytogenetics had the same trend (Supplementary Fig. S8). pp y g Based on concomitant mutations, we analyzed gene mutations in patients with >5% occurrence and triple-mutated (co-occurring NPM1, DNMT3A and FLT3-ITD mutations) (Fig. 4). Multivariate COX regression results showed that patients with mutated NPM1 (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.26–0.89; P = 0.02), DNMT3A (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.15–0.85; P = 0.02), and triple-mutated (HR 0.32, 95% CI 0.10–0.99; P = 0.049) in the sorafenib group had superior OS than the control group, and those with TET2 (HR 0.52; 95% CI 0.24–1.11; P = 0.09) and IDH1/2 (HR 0.37; 95% CI 0.12–1.15; P = 0.09) in the sorafenib group showed a trend of improved OS. There was no significant difference in OS of patients with CEBPA (HR 1.12; 95% CI 0.36–3.50; P = 0.85), ASXL1 (HR 0.60; 95% CI 0.11–3.35; P = 0.56), TET1 (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.10–3.23; P = 0.52), CD101 (HR 0.41; 95% CI 0.08–2.07; P = 0.28), EP300 (HR 0.37; 95% CI 0.08–1.78; P = 0.21), and RUNX1 (HR 0.57; 95% CI 0.14–2.39; P = 0.44) mutations between the two groups (Fig. 4). Effects of sorafenib on survival based on Genetic patterns Based on ELN 2017 risk stratification, the results showed that sorafenib post-transplantation significantly improved OS in the favorable (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.14–0.77; P = 0.01) and adverse (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.33–0.93; P = 0.03) risk groups but not in the intermediate risk group (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.39–1.23; P = 0.22) (Fig. 3d–f). Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 RESULTS l l A total of 11 pairs were statistically significant for mutual exclusivity after adjustment for false discovery rate (FDR) (Supplementary Fig. S2). For co-occurrence, 11 pairs were significant for independent test, but none remained significant after FDR adjustment (Supplemen- tary Fig. S2). Survival, relapse, and GVHD Survival, relapse, and GVHD The median follow-up was 36.5 (IQR, 25.2–44.7) months post- transplantation. The 3-year overall survival (OS) was 79.6% (95% CI Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. 4 0 5 10 Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification 100% 5% 2% 2% 3% 2% 5% 3% 5% 3% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 16% 14% 7% 5% 4% 2% 5% 5% 5% 2% 2% 3% 2% 2% 5% 2% 1% 32% 6% 5% 5% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% FLT3 NRAS PTPN11 PDGFRB KIT KRAS ASXL1 EZH2 MLL BCOR ACTR5 IRF6 KDM5A KDM6A MLL3 DNMT3A TET2 IDH2 TET1 IDH1 DNMT1 RUNX1 CEBPAbi CEBPAmono ETV6 GATA2 DDX18 BCL6 FAM46C WT1 TP53 PHF6 NPM1 EP300 CD101 FAT1 MYH11 SH2B3 STAG2 SRSF2 MPL 0 200 400 600 Classification Activated signaling Chromatin modifiers DNA methylation Myeloid TFs Tr anscription Tumor suppressors Other Group Control Sorafenib Allelic ratio FLT3-ITD low FLT3-ITD high NA ELN stratification Favorable Intermediate Adverse NA 4 0 5 10 Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification 100% 5% 2% 2% 3% 2% 5% 3% 5% 3% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 16% 14% 7% 5% 4% 2% 5% 5% 5% 2% 2% 3% 2% 2% 5% 2% 1% 32% 6% 5% 5% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% FLT3 NRAS PTPN11 PDGFRB KIT KRAS ASXL1 EZH2 MLL BCOR ACTR5 IRF6 KDM5A KDM6A MLL3 DNMT3A TET2 IDH2 TET1 IDH1 DNMT1 RUNX1 CEBPAbi CEBPAmono ETV6 GATA2 DDX18 BCL6 FAM46C WT1 TP53 PHF6 NPM1 EP300 CD101 FAT1 MYH11 SH2B3 STAG2 SRSF2 MPL 0 200 400 600 Classification Activated signaling Chromatin modifiers DNA methylation Myeloid TFs Tr anscription Tumor suppressors Other Group Control Sorafenib Allelic ratio FLT3-ITD low FLT3-ITD high NA ELN stratification Favorable Intermediate Adverse NA Fig. 2 Genetic patterns of the whole population (mutation frequency ≥1%) Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification Subgroup analyses showed significant differences in OS among groups A-D in patients with favorable and adverse risk, but not in patients with intermediate risk (Supplementary Fig. S4d–f). Compared to group A, group C had superior OS in patients with favorable (HR 0.16, 95% CI 0.04–0.71; P = 0.02) and adverse (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.22–0.99; P = 0.05) risk, and group D had superior OS in patients with adverse (HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.22–0.83; P = 0.01) risk (Supplementary Fig. S5b). No significant difference was observed among groups B, C and D in patients with favorable, intermediate, or adverse risk (Supplementary Fig. S5b). ELN risk subgroups were further dissected by different genetic patterns. The OS of the sorafenib and control groups was compared in the 5 largest genetic pattern subgroups of each ELN risk level (Supplementary Fig. S7). Subgroup details were shown in Table S2. Except the Adverse-Cytogenetics subgroup (HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.12–0.78; P = 0.01) who benefitted significantly from sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation, no significant difference was observed in g p g We next explored mutations in 6 gene ontology groups (“activated signaling”, “DNA methylation”, “transcription”, “chromatin modifiers”, “tumor suppressor”, and “myeloid transcription factors”) (Supplementary Table 3). The results are shown in Fig. 4. Patients carrying mutated “activated signaling” (HR 0.20, 95% CI 0.06–0.73; P = 0.02) and “DNA methylation” (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.27–0.80; P = 0.01) genes with sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation had superior OS than those with control, and those with Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification 5 + + + +++ + + + + ++ ++ + + ++ + + + + ++ ++ + + + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ ++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + ++ ++ + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + ++ ++ ++ + + +++ + + + + + ++ + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 overall survival (%) 103 59 14 3 1 83 57 14 4 0 sorafenib control Number at risk + + ++ + + + + ++ ++ +++++ + + ++ + +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + ++ + + ++ +++ +++++ + + ++ + + ++ + + ++ + ++ + + ++ + + + ++ + ++ + + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 month overall survival (%) 75 54 15 3 0 84 63 12 2 1 control Number at risk sorafenib 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 month + + + + ++++ + + + + + + + + + ++ + + +++ +++ + ++ + + ++ + ++ + + + +++ ++ +++ + + +++++++++++ + + ++++++ +++ + + + ++++++ + ++ ++ + + + + +++ +++ ++ + + ++ + +++++++ ++ + +++ + + ++ + + ++ ++ + + +++ + + + + ++ + ++ ++ + + ++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + ++ +++++ + ++++ + + + ++ + ++ + ++ + +++ + + + +++++ + + ++ + + ++++++ + +++++ ++++ + +++ +++ +++ + + ++ +++ + +++ ++++++++ +++ +++ ++++ ++++++ ++ + +++ + + ++ +++++++ + ++ + ++++ + ++ + + +++ +++ +++ + ++ + +++ + + ++ + ++ + + + + + + ++ ++ +++ + + + + + + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 month Disease−free survival (%) 338 195 57 10 2 275 199 39 8 0 sorafenib control Number at risk 338 195 57 10 2 275 199 39 8 0 sorafenib control Number at risk + + + + ++++ + ++ +++ + ++ + + ++ + + +++ +++ + +++ + + ++ + ++ + + + +++ ++ +++ + ++ +++++++++++ + + + +++++ ++++++ + + ++++++ + + +++ ++ + + + + + + + ++ +++ ++ + + ++ + +++++++ ++ + +++ + + +++ ++ ++ + + ++ ++ + + +++ + + ++ + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ ++ ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + ++ +++ ++ + ++++ + ++ + +++ + ++ + ++ + +++ + + + +++ ++ + + ++ + + ++++++ + ++++++ ++++ + +++ +++ +++ + + ++ +++ + +++ ++++++++ +++ +++ +++++ ++++++ + ++ + + ++ + ++ ++ +++++++ + ++ ++ ++++ + ++ + + +++ +++ +++ + ++ + +++ + + ++ + ++ + + + + + + + ++ ++ +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 month overall survival (%) 338 230 67 10 2 275 213 42 9 1 sorafenib control Number at risk a b c + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ELN intermediate ELN adverse e f + P < 0.001 Hazard ratio 0.51, 95% CI 0.37 – 0.69 Control group Sorafenib group + P < 0.001 Hazard ratio 0.48, 95% CI 0.36 – 0.65 Control group Sorafenib group P < 0.001 Hazard ratio 0.49, 95% CI 0.35 – 0.69 Control group Sorafenib group + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 20 40 60 80 month overall survival (%) 83 66 35 10 1 77 73 38 3 1 sorafenib control Number at risk ELN favorable d P = 0.01 Hazard ratio 0.33, 95% CI 0.14 – 0.77 Control group Sorafenib group P = 0.22 Hazard ratio 0.69, 95% CI 0.39 – 1.23 Control group Sorafenib group P = 0.03 Hazard ratio 0.56, 95% CI 0.33 – 0.93 Control group Sorafenib group cumulative incidence of relapse (%) 0 25 50 75 100 0 25 50 75 100 month 0 25 50 75 100 month 0 25 50 75 100 month 0 25 50 75 100 month 0 20 40 60 80 month g. Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification Overall survival of patients with (d) favorable, (e) intermediate, and (f) adverse ELN risk in the sorafenib and control groups “transcription” genes showed the superior trend (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.01–1.53; P = 0.11), but not those with “tumor suppressors” (HR 1.16, 95% CI 0.39–3.45; P = 0.79), “myeloid transcription factors” (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.33–1.57; P = 0.40), and “chromatin modifiers” genes (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.31–1.29; P = 0.20) (Fig. 4). decreased sorafenib response, we next explored whether con- comitant mutations associated with sorafenib sensitivity using bulk RNA-seq data of bone marrow cells from FLT3-ITD AML patients. A total of 197 FLT3-ITD AML patients with available RNA- seq and mutational data was collected from the BeatAML and TCGA-LAML datasets. Effects of sorafenib on FLT3-ITD AR Effects of sorafenib on FLT3-ITD AR Based on FLT3-ITD AR, 471 patients obtained FLT3-ITD AR data, with 214 FLT3-ITDhigh (AR ≥0.50) and 257 FLT3-ITDlow (AR < 0.50).4 Sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation improved OS in patients with FLT3-ITDhigh (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34–0.90; P = 0.02) and FLT3-ITDlow (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.32–0.92; P = 0.02) (Supplemen- tary Fig. S9a, b). In subgroup analyses, significant difference was found in FLT3-ITDhigh (P = 0.004) but not FLT3-ITDlow (P = 0.07) patients among groups A-D (Supplementary Fig. S9c, d). In FLT3- ITDhigh patients, compared to group A, group B (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.26–0.87; P = 0.02), C (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.26–0.94; P = 0.03) and D (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.16–0.65; P = 0.001) all had improved OS, while in FLT3-ITDlow, significant difference was found in group C compared with group A (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.18–0.85; P = 0.02), a trend of improved OS was also found in group D (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.28–1.04; P = 0.07) (Supplementary Fig. S10). No significant difference was observed among groups B, C and D in either FLT3-ITDhigh or FLT3- ITDlow patients (Supplementary Fig. S10). Patients were grouped according to concomitant mutations (Supplementary Fig. S11a), and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of sorafenib was compared among groups (Supplementary Fig. S11b). Interestingly, group 1 had the highest IC50 among the 4 groups, while group 2 had the lowest, and group 0 and group 3 had an intermediate IC50 as compared to the other 2 groups (Supplementary Fig. S11b). Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification 3 Comparisons of outcomes between the sorafenib and control groups in the whole cohort and ELN risk subgroups. a Overall surviva b disease-free survival, and c cumulative incidence of relapse in the sorafenib and control groups in the whole population. Overall survival o patients with (d) favorable, (e) intermediate, and (f) adverse ELN risk in the sorafenib and control groups 0% 25% 50% 75% 100 overall survival (%) contro sorafen + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + e + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 20 40 60 80 month overall survival (%) 83 66 35 10 1 77 73 38 3 1 sorafenib control Number at risk ELN favorable d P = 0.01 Hazard ratio 0.33, 95% CI 0.14 – 0.77 Control group Sorafenib group 0 20 40 60 80 month d Fig. 3 Comparisons of outcomes between the sorafenib and control groups in the whole cohort and ELN risk subgroups. a Overall survival, b disease-free survival, and c cumulative incidence of relapse in the sorafenib and control groups in the whole population. Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification 3 Comparisons of outcomes between the sorafenib and control groups in the whole cohort and ELN risk subgroups. a Overall survival, disease-free survival, and c cumulative incidence of relapse in the sorafenib and control groups in the whole population. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification Overall survival of atients with (d) favorable, (e) intermediate, and (f) adverse ELN risk in the sorafenib and control groups 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 month + + + + ++++ + + + + + + + + + ++ + + +++ +++ + ++ + + ++ + ++ + + + +++ ++ +++ + + +++++++++++ + + ++++++ +++ + + + ++++++ + ++ ++ + + + + +++ +++ ++ + + ++ + +++++++ ++ + +++ + + ++ + + ++ ++ + + +++ + + + + ++ + ++ ++ + + ++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + ++ +++++ + ++++ + + + ++ + ++ + ++ + +++ + + + +++++ + + ++ + + ++++++ + +++++ ++++ + +++ +++ +++ + + ++ +++ + +++ ++++++++ +++ +++ ++++ ++++++ ++ + +++ + + ++ +++++++ + ++ + ++++ + ++ + + +++ +++ +++ + ++ + +++ + + ++ + ++ + + + + + + ++ ++ +++ + + + + + + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 month Disease−free survival (%) 338 195 57 10 2 275 199 39 8 0 sorafenib control Number at risk 338 195 57 10 2 275 199 39 8 0 sorafenib control Number at risk + + + + ++++ + ++ +++ + ++ + + ++ + + +++ +++ + +++ + + ++ + ++ + + + +++ ++ +++ + ++ +++++++++++ + + + +++++ ++++++ + + ++++++ + + +++ ++ + + + + + + + ++ +++ ++ + + ++ + +++++++ ++ + +++ + + +++ ++ ++ + + ++ ++ + + +++ + + ++ + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ ++ ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + ++ +++ ++ + ++++ + ++ + +++ + ++ + ++ + +++ + + + +++ ++ + + ++ + + ++++++ + ++++++ ++++ + +++ +++ +++ + + ++ +++ + +++ ++++++++ +++ +++ +++++ ++++++ + ++ + + ++ + ++ ++ +++++++ + ++ ++ ++++ + ++ + + +++ +++ +++ + ++ + +++ + + ++ + ++ + + + + + + + ++ ++ +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 month overall survival (%) 338 230 67 10 2 275 213 42 9 1 sorafenib control Number at risk a b c + P < 0.001 Hazard ratio 0.51, 95% CI 0.37 – 0.69 Control group Sorafenib group + P < 0.001 Hazard ratio 0.48, 95% CI 0.36 – 0.65 Control group Sorafenib group P < 0.001 Hazard ratio 0.49, 95% CI 0.35 – 0.69 Control group Sorafenib group cumulative incidence of relapse (%) 0 25 50 75 100 month 0 25 50 75 100 month 0 25 50 75 100 month 1 b a + + + +++ + + + + ++ ++ + + ++ + + + + ++ ++ + + + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ ++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + ++ ++ + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + ++ ++ ++ + + +++ + + + + + ++ + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 overall survival (%) 103 59 14 3 1 83 57 14 4 0 sorafenib control Number at risk + + ++ + + + + ++ ++ +++++ + + ++ + +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + ++ + + ++ +++ +++++ + + ++ + + ++ + + ++ + ++ + + ++ + + + ++ + ++ + + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 25 50 75 100 month overall survival (%) 75 54 15 3 0 84 63 12 2 1 control Number at risk sorafenib + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ELN intermediate ELN adverse e f + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + +++ + ++ ++ + + ++ +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0 20 40 60 80 month overall survival (%) 83 66 35 10 1 77 73 38 3 1 sorafenib control Number at risk ELN favorable d P = 0.01 Hazard ratio 0.33, 95% CI 0.14 – 0.77 Control group Sorafenib group P = 0.22 Hazard ratio 0.69, 95% CI 0.39 – 1.23 Control group Sorafenib group P = 0.03 Hazard ratio 0.56, 95% CI 0.33 – 0.93 Control group Sorafenib group 0 25 50 75 100 0 25 50 75 100 month 0 20 40 60 80 month Fig. Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification Both group 2 (P = 0.007) and group 0 (P = 0.02) had significantly lower IC 50 than group 1(Supplementary Fig. S11b). y Since group 1 showed higher sorafenib resistance than group 2, we next performed differential analyses between the two groups to discover the possible mechanisms for this difference (Supple- mentary Fig. S11c). A total of 2245 significantly differentially expressed genes was observed, with 914 highly expressed in group 1 and 1331 in group 2 (Supplementary Fig. S11c). Notably, the highly expressed genes in group 1 enriched in JAK-STAT pathway, MAPK cascade, and ERK cascade (Supplementary Fig. S11d). Similar results were also obtained in gene set variation analysis (GSVA) (Supplementary Fig. S11e). Given that the alternative activation of FLT3 downstream signaling like STATs, mTOR, and MAPK was an important mechanism of sorafenib resistance, we hypothesized that concomitant tumor suppressors or myeloid transcription factors mutations in FLT3-ITD AML drove sorafenib resistance via activating FLT3 downstream signaling. The association between tumor suppressor and myeloid transcription factor mutations and sorafenib sensitivity, and the mutational evolution of FLT3-ITD AML Since we observed association between concomitant “tumor suppressor”, and “myeloid transcription factors” mutations and Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. 6 6 Table 2. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification 4 Multivariate COX results of sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation effects on the subgroups with different ELN risk groups, FLT3- ITD AR, and genetic patterns Fig. 4 Multivariate COX results of sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation effects on the subgroups w ITD AR, and genetic patterns Fig. 4 Multivariate COX results of sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation effects on the subgroups with different ELN risk groups, FLT3- ITD AR, and genetic patterns Fig. 4 Multivariate COX results of sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation effects on the subgroups with different ELN risk groups, FLT3- ITD AR, and genetic patterns patterns. Meanwhile, we further confirmed the results of previous retrospective and prospective studies,9,14,16,20,31,32 in which sorafenib pre- or post-transplantation both could improve survival in patients with FLT3-ITD AML without increasing the risk of GVHD, especially sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation. TP53 was chosen as a representative to test this hypothesis. We electrotransfected pLenti-CMV-TP53(R248Q)-GFP-Puro (TP53 mut), pLenti-CMV-TP53-GFP-Puro (TP53 WT), and pLenti-CMV-GFP-Puro (EV) into MV411 cells (Supplementary Fig. S11f). As shown by the results of CCK-8 assay, the TP53 mut groups had significantly higher cell viability after treated with sorafenib for 24 and 48 h compared to the TP53 WT and EV groups (Supplementary Fig. S11g). Addition of STAT3 inhibitor significantly reduced sorafenib resistance in TP53 mut groups of at both 24 and 48 h (Supplementary Fig. S11h). Taking together, these data suggested that TP53 mutation might drive sorafenib resistance via activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway in FLT3-ITD AML. The effect of FLT3 inhibitors is correlated with genetic patterns in patients receiving chemotherapy.6,18,28,29 However, the role of FLT3 inhibitors in different genetic patterns remains unclear. An analysis of RCT data revealed that FLT3-ITD AML patients with all ELN cytogenetic risk groups might benefit from midostaurin, while another report about midostaurin reported an improved relapse rate in the intermediate risk group only.6,33 In this study, our results showed that sorafenib post-transplantation could improve survival of FLT3-ITD AML patients with both favorable and adverse risk, but did not in those with intermediate risk. The results require to be verified by large-sample clinical studies. g g p y Finally, we explored the mutational evolution of FLT3-ITD AML. The genetic patterns of patients who relapsed with NGS data at both diagnosis and relapse were analyzed (Supplementary Fig. S12). A total of 21 patients were analyzed, including 6 in the sorafenib group and 15 in the control group. Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification Subgroup Whole cohort FLT3−ITD AR high low ELN 2017 risk Favorable Intermediate Adverse Unknown Mutations Triple−mutated AML DNMT3A IDH1/2 EP300 CD101 NPM1 TET2 TET1 RUNX1 ASXL1 CEBPA Ontology groups transcription activated signaling DNA methylation chromatin modifiers myeloid transcription factors tumor suppressors Sorafenib events(n)/cases(N) 55/275 24/96 22/134 7/77 21/84 22/83 5/31 5/32 10/47 6/31 3/21 3/19 15/91 11/39 3/17 3/15 4/17 6/30 1/19 3/38 18/95 13/54 11/51 8/25 Control events(n)/cases(N) 124/338 49/118 36/123 22/83 27/75 44/103 31/77 15/34 24/53 13/35 7/13 4/12 35/105 22/44 5/14 8/18 5/16 7/30 5/15 14/45 42/106 22/58 17/56 7/22 Hazard ratio(95%CI) 0.50 (0.37−0.69) 0.55 (0.34−0.90) 0.55 (0.32−0.94) 0.32 (0.14−0.76) 0.67 (0.38−1.20) 0.55 (0.33−0.91) 0.32 (0.12−0.84) 0.32 (0.10−0.99) 0.36 (0.15−0.85) 0.37 (0.12−1.15) 0.37 (0.08−1.78) 0.41 (0.08−2.07) 0.48 (0.26−0.89) 0.52 (0.24−1.11) 0.56 (0.10−3.23) 0.57 (0.14−2.39) 0.60 (0.11−3.35) 1.12 (0.36−3.50) 0.15 (0.01−1.53) 0.20 (0.06−0.73) 0.46 (0.27−0.80) 0.63 (0.31−1.29) 0.72 (0.33−1.56) 1.16 (0.39−3.45) P value < 0.001 0.02 0.03 0.01 0.18 0.02 0.02 0.049 0.02 0.09 0.21 0.28 0.02 0.09 0.52 0.44 0.56 0.85 0.11 0.02 0.01 0.20 0.40 0.79 0.05 0.25 0.50 1.00 2.00 4.00 20.00 Fig. 4 Multivariate COX results of sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation effects on the subgroups with different ELN risk groups, FLT3- TD AR, and genetic patterns Subgroup Whole cohort FLT3−ITD AR high low ELN 2017 risk Favorable Intermediate Adverse Unknown Mutations Triple−mutated AML DNMT3A IDH1/2 EP300 CD101 NPM1 TET2 TET1 RUNX1 ASXL1 CEBPA Ontology groups transcription activated signaling DNA methylation chromatin modifiers myeloid transcription factors tumor suppressors Sorafenib events(n)/cases(N) 55/275 24/96 22/134 7/77 21/84 22/83 5/31 5/32 10/47 6/31 3/21 3/19 15/91 11/39 3/17 3/15 4/17 6/30 1/19 3/38 18/95 13/54 11/51 8/25 Control events(n)/cases(N) 124/338 49/118 36/123 22/83 27/75 44/103 31/77 15/34 24/53 13/35 7/13 4/12 35/105 22/44 5/14 8/18 5/16 7/30 5/15 14/45 42/106 22/58 17/56 7/22 Hazard ratio(95%CI) 0.50 (0.37−0.69) 0.55 (0.34−0.90) 0.55 (0.32−0.94) 0.32 (0.14−0.76) 0.67 (0.38−1.20) 0.55 (0.33−0.91) 0.32 (0.12−0.84) 0.32 (0.10−0.99) 0.36 (0.15−0.85) 0.37 (0.12−1.15) 0.37 (0.08−1.78) 0.41 (0.08−2.07) 0.48 (0.26−0.89) 0.52 (0.24−1.11) 0.56 (0.10−3.23) 0.57 (0.14−2.39) 0.60 (0.11−3.35) 1.12 (0.36−3.50) 0.15 (0.01−1.53) 0.20 (0.06−0.73) 0.46 (0.27−0.80) 0.63 (0.31−1.29) 0.72 (0.33−1.56) 1.16 (0.39−3.45) P value < 0.001 0.02 0.03 0.01 0.18 0.02 0.02 0.049 0.02 0.09 0.21 0.28 0.02 0.09 0.52 0.44 0.56 0.85 0.11 0.02 0.01 0.20 0.40 0.79 0.05 0.25 0.50 1.00 2.00 4.00 20.00 Fig. Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification Eight patients lost FLT3-ITD at relapse, including 3 in the sorafenib group and 5 in the control group. Five patients acquired “activated signaling” mutations at relapse (2 acquired NRAS, 2 acquired KRAS, and 1 acquired KIT), among which 4 received sorafenib (3 received pre- transplantation sorafenib, and 1 received both pre- and post- transplantation sorafenib) (Supplementary Fig. S12). Of note, 3 patients in the sorafenib and 1 patient in the control group acquired FLT3 tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) mutation at relapse. However, none of these patients received NGS and were thus not analyzed. y As for gene mutations, FLT3-mutated AML patients with NPM1 receiving chemotherapy were reported to benefit from sorafenib, gilteritinib and midostaurin.18,28,29 Recently, Smith et al. reported that gilteritinib improved OS in the patients with co-occurring mutations on NPM1, DNMT3A and triple-mutated, but could not overcome those with TP53.28 These results came mainly from the patients undergoing chemotherapy. In this study, we focused on the effect of sorafenib on the outcomes of FLT3-ITD AML patients undergoing allo-HSCT. The results of our large-scale cohort revealed that most concomitant genetic patterns showed a trend of favoring the sorafenib group. Patients with co-occurring NPM1, DNMT3A and triple-mutated benefited significantly from sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation, which were in consistent with the results reported in the chemotherapy setting.18,28 However, those with co-occurring CEBPA mutation did not benefit from sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation. One reasonable interpretation of this finding was that the beneficial effects of sorafenib might be overwhelmed by allo-HSCT in patients with Group Allelic ratio ELN stratification Univariable and multivariate analyses for overall survival, disease–free survival, and relapse Overall survivala Disease–free survivala Cumulative incidence of relapseb Univariate HR (95% CI); p Multivariate HR (95% CI); p Univariate HR (95% CI); p Multivariate HR (95% CI); p Univariate HR (95% CI); p Multivariate HR (95% CI); p Sex, male vs female 1.15 (0.86–1.54); 0.35 – 1.10 (0.84–1.43); 0.50 – 1.08 (0.79–1.47); 0.65 – Age, >36 years vs ≤36 years 1.24 (0.92–1.66); 0.16 – 1.19 (0.91–1.56); 0.19 – 1.11 (0.81–1.52); 0.51 – WBC, >53 × 109/L vs ≤53 × 109/L 1.09 (0.81–1.46); 0.59 – 1.10 (0.84–1.44); 0.48 – 1.09 (0.80–1.49); 0.60 – Transplant modality 0.70 – 0.56 – 0.37 – MSD 1 – 1 – 1 – MUD 1.34 (0.67–2.67); 0.41 – 1.39 (0.76–2.55); 0.28 – 1.61 (0.83–3.13); 0.16 – HID 1.09 (0.73–1.62); 0.67 – 1.08 (0.76–1.53); 0.67 – 1.15 (0.77–1.72); 0.51 – ELN risk stratification 0.0052 0.044 0.00053 0.0073 0.00072 0.0018 Favorable 1 1 1 1 1 1 Intermediate 1.77 (1.12–2.81); 0.015 1.78 (1.11–2.84); 0.016 1.85 (1.21–2.82); 0.0047 1.90 (1.23–2.92); 0.0036 1.96 (1.18–3.27); 0.010 2.04 (1.23–3.41); 0.0061 Adverse 2.20 (1.42–3.41); 0.00040 1.87 (1.16–3.03); 0.011 2.19 (1.46–3.28); 0.00014 2.11 (1.35–3.30); 0.0011 2.38 (1.46–3.86); 0.00048 2.40 (1.47–3.90);0.00043 Unknown 1.89 (1.16–3.09); 0.011 1.26 (0.60–2.66); 0.55 2.34 (1.51–3.63); 0.00015 2.05 (1.00–4.21); 0.052 2.81 (1.68–4.70); <0.0001 2.56 (1.53–4.29); 0.00037 Allelic ratio, ≥0.5 vs < 0.5 1.66 (1.18–2.34); 0.0040 1.35 (0.91–1.99); 0.13 1.41 (1.30–1.94); 0.032 1.09 (0.76–1.55); 0.64 1.29 (0.89–1.86); 0.18 – Pre-transplantation sorafenib, used vs not used 0.74 (0.55–0.99); 0.043 0.73 (0.54–0.99); 0.041 0.70 (0.54–0.92); 0.011 0.71 (0.54–0.94); 0.015 0.68 (0.49–0.93); 0.015 0.69 (0.50–0.94); 0.019 Post-transplantation sorafenib, used vs not used 0.50 (0.37–0.69); <0.0001 0.52 (0.38–0.72); <0.0001 0.48 (0.36–0.64); <0.0001 0.50 (0.37–0.67); <0.0001 0.47 (0.33–0.66); <0.0001 0.50 (0.35–0.70); 0.00062 aResults of COX regression analyses Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 DISCUSSION In this study, we characterized the mutational landscape and its clinical significance in 613 patients with FLT3-ITD AML evaluating the effect of sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation, suggest- ing a broad beneficial effect of sorafenib across various genetic Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. Shao et al. 8 CEBPA mutation.34 Although these findings were very interesting and provided basis for further studies, they had to be interpreted cautiously due to small numbers. activated signaling genes at relapse, most of whom received sorafenib, either pre- or post-transplantation. The different mutational evolution patterns might be related to the different pharmacological characteristics of FLT3 inhibitors. A study by Alotaibi et al. showed that FLT3-mutated patients might have different patterns of mutational evolution between those who received type I and type II FLT3 inhibitors.43 However, considering the diverse study settings and relatively small sample sizes of current studies, further studies were warranted to confirm these findings. cautiously due to small numbers. The effects of FLT3 inhibitors on FLT3-ITD AML patients carrying abnormalities on different concomitant gene ontology groups were rarely reported. Recently, Jahn et al. reported that midostaurin might improve OS and DFS of FLT3-mutated AML patients with chromatin-spliceosome mutations.29 Smith et al. reported that gilteritinib might improve OS in FLT3-mutated patients carrying mutated DNA methylation/hydroxymethylation mutations, while it did not improve the outcome of those with mutated RTK/Ras signaling genes.28 In this study, we found that the patients with “activated signaling” and “DNA methylation” mutations might benefit from sorafenib. Despite the different population and intervention of both studies, the pharmacological characteristics between sorafenib and gilteritinib might help explain this difference.2,30,35 As a first-generation FLT3 inhibitor, besides directly blocking the activity of FLT3, sorafenib had also potential inhibition effect on other tyrosine kinase receptors like PDGFR and KIT, and downstream molecules of FLT3 signaling such as KRAS and BRAF.2,30 On the other hand, we also found that patients with “tumor suppressors” and “myeloid transcription factors” mutations did not response significantly to sorafenib. For tumor suppressors, wild type p53 protein was reported to inhibit the phosphorylation of STAT3, and the transcriptional activity of both STAT3 and STAT5, which could be lost through TP53 mutation.36,37 Similarly, our data showed that TP53 mutation might increase sorafenib resistance via activating STAT3. DISCUSSION PHF6 mutation might induce sorafenib resistance via upregulating JAK- STAT signaling and increasing the ubiquitination of the p53 protein.38,39 As for myeloid transcription factors, CEBPA mutations were also associated with activated JAK-STAT signaling, especially those with biallelic mutation.40 (Supplementary Fig. S13). Never- theless, although several different gene mutations were shown to correlate with upregulated JAK-STAT signaling, the exact role JAK- STAT pathway played in the disease development and sorafenib resistance should be discussed in a mutation-by-mutation manner. Further basic studies are warranted before clinical attempts of combing sorafenib and other targeted therapies (STAT inhibitors, etc) in certain genetic subgroups of FLT3-ITD AML could be made. Our study had a few limitations. Patients included in this study was a pooled population from four prospective and retrospective cohort with differences in details such as sorafenib administration. Also, despite the large-scale of this study, the number of patients in certain genetic pattern subgroups was still too small for a statistically significant result. In conclusion, our study identifies the response of genetic patterns to sorafenib, and further confirms the role of sorafenib in FLT3-ITD AML patients undergoing allo-HSCT. This study provides new viewpoints for the optimal use of sorafenib in FLT3-ITD AML patients undergoing allo-HSCT based on genetic patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study design and participants y g p p In this multicenter, cohort study, the study population came from our four studies, including a prospective observational study (NCT03620955), an RCT (NCT02474290),9 and two retrospective studies.14,44 Patients met the following criteria were enrolled: (a) aged 18–65 years; (b) diagnosed with FLT3-ITD AML; (c) under- went first allo-HSCT. Patients were excluded from the study if they met any of the following criteria: (a) diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia; (b) received other FLT3 inhibitors pre- transplantation or as maintenance therapy post-transplantation; (c) failed to achieve CRc, relapsed or died within 90 days post- transplantation; (d) initiated sorafenib maintenance after 180 days post-transplantation; (e) lack of concomitant genomic data. The diagnosis and risk stratification of AML were according to the guideline of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the 2017 ELN AML recommendation.4 CRc comprised complete CR, CR with incomplete platelet recovery, and CR with incomplete hematological recovery.9 CRc and partial remission (PR) were defined as per the 2017 ELN AML recommendations.4 NR was defined as achieving the standards of neither CRc nor PR. The protocol was reviewed and approved by the institutional review board of each participating center and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from the donors and recipients before the initiation of the study. The role of FLT3 inhibitors in FLT3-ITDhigh AML has been widely established, while controversial results are reported regarding the effects of FLT3 inhibitors on FLT3-ITDlow AML patients receiving chemotherapy.18,41 In our study, sorafenib pre-transplantation improved OS in FLT3-ITDhigh AML patients, but it did not in FLT3- ITDlow AML. This concorded with that reported by Abou Dalle et al. in the patients receiving chemotherapy.18 In contrast, we found that sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation might improve the survival of both FLT3-ITDhigh and FLT3-ITDlow AML patients, suggesting that sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation was required in FLT3-ITDlow AML. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Outcomes Analyses of OS, DFS, relapse and cGVHD were mainly compared between the sorafenib and control groups. OS and DFS were compared using the Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test. Cumulative incidences of relapse and cGVHD were calculated and compared using the Fine and Gray model.48 Non-relapse mortality was a competing risk for relapse. Relapse and death without cGVHD were competing risks for cGHVD. The endpoints in this study were OS, DFS, relapse, and GVHD in the whole cohort and OS in genetic pattern subgroups. OS was defined as duration since transplantation till death of any cause. DFS was defined as duration since transplantation till the occurrence of relapse, or death from any cause. Relapse was defined as the existence of any of the following: (a) reappearance of leukemic blasts in the peripheral blood; (b) bone marrow blasts ≥5% as shown by bone marrow aspirate or biopsy specimen which could not be explained by any other reason; (c) reappearance or new appearance of extramedullary leukemia. GVHD, including aGVHD and cGVHD, was defined according to guidelines.45,46 HR and 95% CI were calculated using the COX proportional hazards models for OS and DFS, and competing risk regression model for relapse. The following variables were included in the COX or competing risk regression models for the whole cohort: (a) sex (male vs female), (b) age (>36 years vs ≤36 years), (c) white blood cell (WBC) counts at diagnosis (>53 × 109/L vs ≤53 × 109/L), (d) transplant modality (HID, MUD vs MSD), (e) ELN 2017 risk stratification (intermediate, adverse, unknown vs favorable), (f) FLT3-ITD AR (≥0.50 vs <0.50), (g) sorafenib pre- transplantation (used vs not used), and (h) sorafenib post- transplantation (used vs not used). Variables were analyzed using a univariable model respectively at first, and only the variables with p < 0.10 were included into the multi-variable models. Univariable COX regression models were used to analyze the effect of sorafenib usage before and after transplantation (pre-transplantation only, post-transplantation only, both pre- and post-transplantation vs non-sorafenib) on ELN risk groups and FLT3-ITD AR. Bioinformatic analyses y Patients with bulk RNA-seq data within the BeatAML and TCGA- LAML datasets was screened for FLT3 mutation status. Counts, clinical, mutational, and drug sensitivity (for the BeatAML dataset) data of FLT3-ITD positive AML patients was downloaded. Procedures Patients who received sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation for >4 weeks were allocated to the sorafenib group, and those who did not receive sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation or received sorafenib maintenance for <4 weeks were allocated to the control group. Some patients received pre-transplantation sorafenib as part of the induction therapy combined with chemotherapy, or post-remission maintenance therapy, or both. Patients who used sorafenib for at least 4 weeks before allo-HSCT were considered receiving sorafenib pre-transplantation, regard- less of the context. Those who did not receive sorafenib, or received for less than 4 weeks pre-transplantation were consid- ered not receiving sorafenib pre-transplantation. For patients who received sorafenib, the initial dose was 400 mg twice daily, and adjusted according to tolerance of patients under the guidance of physicians or researchers. For patients from the prospective studies, the methods for dose modification were reported previously.9 q There are currently few data on the mutational evolution of FLT3-ITD AML in the context of FLT3 inhibitors. Smith et al. reported that 9 of 39 FLT3-mutated patients receiving gilteritinib lost FLT3 mutation at relapse, and 5 patients acquired the FLT3 F691L “gatekeeper” mutattion.28 Schmalbrock et al. reported a 46% rate of losing FLT3 mutation at relapse in patients receiving midostaurin, compared to 19% in those who did not.42 In our study, 8 in 21 patients lost FLT3-ITD at relapse. Four additional patients (3 in the sorafenib and 1 in the control group) acquired FLT3-TKD. The sorafenib group seemed to have slightly higher rate of losing FLT3-ITD (3 in 6) compared to the control group (5 in 15). For activated signaling genes, in the study of Smith et al., 16 in 39 patients receiving gilteritinib acquired NRAS, KRAS or PTPN11.28 However, in the study of Schmalbrock et al., only 4 in 54 patients receiving midostaurin acquired activated signaling genes at relapse.42 Our data showed that 5 in 21 patients acquired Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. 9 continuous variables between groups were conducted using Mann-Whitney U test, and comparations of categorical variables between groups were performed using χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test. The mutual exclusivity and co-occurrence of genetic abnormalities were tested using the discrete independence statistic controlling for observations with varying event rates (DISCOVER) method.47 Cytogenetic analyses were performed with the Giemsa and reverse banding techniques, and FISH. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Cells were transferred into 96-well plates (Corning, New York, USA) at a density of 5000 cells per well, and exposed to DMSO (YEASEN, Wuhan, China), 5 μg/ml of sorafenib (MCE, New Jersey, USA), or 5 μg/ml of sorafenib combined with 3 μg/ml of STAT3 inhibitor (MCE, New Jersey, USA) for 0, 24 and 48 h. Cell viability was assessed using the CCK-8 solution (FDbio, Hangzhou, China) at different timepoints and measured using the MB-580 Microplate Analyzer (HEALES, Shenzhen, China). This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82170213 to L.X., 81970161 to Q.L.), the National Key Research and Development Projects of China (2021YFC2500301–4 to Q.L., 2022YFC2502600–5 to L.X.), and Clinical Research Program of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University (2021CR002 to L.X.). The authors reported no other grants in support of this work. We thank Dr. Rongtao Xue for her guidance on preliminary experiments. Outcomes Mutations were screened according to the mutation data in the cBioPortal database for the TCGA-LAML dataset, and the results from clinical genotyping data or targeted DNA sequencing/whole exome sequencing for the BeatAML dataset. The DEseq2 method was applied for removing batch effect and differential analyses. The threshold for significant difference of gene transcription level between groups was adjusted P-value < 0.05 and log2(fold change) > 1. Differentially expressed genes were used for enrichment analyses. Raw counts matrices were used for GSVA analyses. All levels of significance were set at two-sided 5% level. All statistical analyses were done using SPSS 25.0 IBM (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) and R 4.1.0 (R Project for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). y The IC50 of sorafenib was extracted from the drug sensitivity data in the BeatAML dataset and compared among groups within cases with available drug sensitivity data. Procedures Gene mutations were tested using direct sequencing and a 167-gene NGS (Table S4). PCR and direct sequencing, or NGS was used to test FLT3-ITD. FLT3-ITD positive was judged using the threshold of mutant-to- wild-type AR ≥0.03. Electrotransfection The cells were passaged 24 h before the electrotransfection to ensure they were in logarithmic growth. Before electrotransfec- tion, the concentration of cells was adjusted to 107/ml using 1640 medium. The pLenti-CMV-TP53(R248Q)-GFP-Puro, pLenti-CMV- TP53-GFP-Puro, or pLenti-CMV-GFP-Puro plasmid (PPL, Nanjing, China) was added to the cell suspension, adjusting the final concentration of plasmids to 20 μg/ml. Electrotransfection was performed using ECM830 (BTX, New York, USA), and confirmed by GFP expression under the IX73 inverted microscope (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan). DATA AVAILABILITY The RNA-seq, drug sensitivity, and metadata of TCGA-LAML and BeatAML datasets are available from their original source data. For the prospective cohorts (NCT03620955 and NCT02474290), de-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in this paper, and the study protocol will be made available beginning 9 months after publication of the original paper. For the retrospective cohorts, de-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in this paper will be made available beginning 9 months after publication of this paper. All requests for data should be made by contacting Prof. Qifa Liu (liuqifa628@163.com), and will be assessed by an independent review committee on a case-by-case basis. After 36 months of publication of each dataset, corresponding data will be available on request to Prof. Qifa Liu, as per the access approach of the data repository unit at Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 REFERENCES 9, 436–451 (2019). leukemia stem cell activity in T-All. Cancer Discov. 9, 436–451 (201 40. Lavallée, V. P. et al. Chemo-genomic interrogation of CEBPA mutated AML reveals recurrent CSF3R mutations and subgroup sensitivity to JAK inhibitors. Blood 127, 3054–3061 (2016). 15. Battipaglia, G. et al. Efficacy and feasibility of sorafenib as a maintenance agent after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia. Cancer 123, 2867–2874 (2017). 41. Stone, R. M. et al. Midostaurin plus chemotherapy for acute myeloid Leukemia with a FLT3 mutation. N. Engl. J. Med. 377, 454–464 (2017). 16. Battipaglia, G. et al. Efficacy and feasibility of sorafenib as a maintenance agent after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for Fms-like tyrosine Kknase 3 mutated acute myeloid Leukemia: An Update. Clin. Lymphoma, Mye- loma Leuk. 19, 506–508 (2019). 42. Schmalbrock, L. K. et al. Clonal evolution of acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3-ITD mutation under treatment with midostaurin. Blood 137, 3093–3104 (2021). 43. Alotaibi, A. S. et al. Patterns of resistance differ in patients with acute myeloid Leukemia treated with type I versus type II FLT3 inhibitors. Cancer Discov. 2, 125–134 (2021). 17. Brunner, A. M. et al. Haematopoietic cell transplantation with and without sor- afenib maintenance for patients with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukaemia in first complete remission. Br. J. Haematol. 175, 496–504 (2016). 44. Xuan, L. et al. Sorafenib therapy is associated with improved outcomes for FMS- like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication acute myeloid leukemia relapsing after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Biol. Blood Marrow Transplant 25, 1674–1681 (2019). 18. Abou Dalle, I. et al. Impact of numerical variation, allele burden, mutation length and co-occurring mutations on the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in newly diagnosed FLT3- mutant acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Cancer J 10, 1–10 (2020). 19. Xuan, L. et al. Sorafenib maintenance after allogeneic haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation in patients with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukaemia: long-term follow-up of an open-label, multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial. Lancet. Hae- matol. 10, e600–e611 (2023). 45. Przepiorka, D. et al. 1994 consensus conference on acute GVHD grading. Bone Marrow Transplant 15, 825–828 (1995). 46. Jagasia, M. H. et al. National Institutes of Health Consensus Development project on criteria for clinical trials in chronic graft-versus-host disease: I. The 2014 diagnosis and staging working group report. Biol. Blood Marrow Transplant 21, 389–401.e1 (2015). 20. Burchert, A. et al. REFERENCES 1. Yoshimoto, G. et al. FLT3-ITD up-regulates MCL-1 to promote survival of stem cells in acute myeloid leukemia via FLT3-ITD-specific STAT5 activation. Blood 114, 5034–5043 (2009). 26. Chou, W. C. et al. TET2 mutation is an unfavorable prognostic factor in acute myeloid leukemia patients with intermediate-risk cytogenetics. Blood 118, 3803–3810 (2011). 2. Antar, A. I., Otrock, Z. K., Jabbour, E., Mohty, M. & Bazarbachi, A. FLT3 inhibitors in acute myeloid leukemia: ten frequently asked questions. Leukemia 34, 682–696 (2020). 27. Renneville, A. et al. The favorable impact of CEBPA mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia is only observed in the absence of associated cyto- genetic abnormalities and FLT3 internal duplication. Blood 113, 5090–5093 (2009). 3. Patel, J. P. et al. Prognostic relevance of integrated genetic profiling in acute myeloid leukemia. N. Engl. J. Med. 366, 1079–1089 (2012). 28. Smith, C. C. et al. Molecular profile of FLT3-mutated relapsed/refractory patients with AML in the phase 3 ADMIRAL study of gilteritinib. Blood Adv. 6, 2144–2155 (2022). 4. Döhner, H. et al. Diagnosis and management of AML in adults: 2017 ELN recommendations from an international expert panel. Blood 129, 424–447 (2017). 5. Bazarbachi, A. et al. Clinical practice recommendation on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia patients with FLT3internal tandem duplication: a position statement from the acute leukemia working party of the European society for blood and marrow T. Haematologica 105, 1507–1516 (2020). 29. Jahn, N. et al. Genomic landscape of patients with FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated within the CALGB 10603/RATIFY trial. Leukemia 36, 2218–2227 (2022). 30. Weisberg, E. et al. Antileukemic effects of novel first- and second-generation FLT3 inhibitors: structure-affinity comparison. Genes Cancer 1, 1021–1032 (2010). 6. Döhner, K. et al. Impact of NPM1/FLT3-ITD genotypes defined by the 2017 Eur- opean leukemiaNet in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Blood 135, 371–380 (2020). 31. Röllig, C. et al. Addition of sorafenib versus placebo to standard therapy in patients aged 60 years or younger with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leu- kaemia (SORAML): A multicentre, phase 2, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Oncol. 16, 1691–1699 (2015). 7. Cortes, J. et al. Quizartinib, an FLT3 inhibitor, as monotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia: an open-label, multicentre, sin- gle-arm, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol. 19, 889–903 (2018). 32. Sasaki, K. et al. REFERENCES Sorafenib plus intensive chemotherapy improves survival in patients with newly diagnosed, FLT3-internal tandem duplication mutation–positive acute myeloid leukemia. Cancer 125, 3755–3766 (2019). 8. Schlenk, R. F. et al. Midostaurin added to chemotherapy and continued single- agent maintenance therapy in acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3-ITD. Blood 133, 840–851 (2019). 33. Larson, R. A. et al. Midostaurin reduces relapse in FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia: the Alliance CALGB 10603/RATIFY trial. Leukemia 35, 2539–2551 (2021). 9. Xuan, L. et al. Sorafenib maintenance in patients with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukaemia undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation: an open-label, multicentre, randomised phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 21, 1201–1212 (2020). 34. Metzeler, K. H. et al. Spectrum and prognostic relevance of driver gene mutations in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood 128, 686–698 (2016). 10. Pollard, J. A. et al. Sorafenib in combination with standard chemotherapy for chil- dren with high allelic ratio FLT3/ITD+ acute myeloid leukemia: a report from the children’s oncology group protocol AAML1031. J. Clin. Oncol. 40, 2023–2035 (2022). 35. Zhao, J. C. et al. A review of FLT3 inhibitors in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Rev. 52, 100905 (2022). 36. Goyal, H., Chachoua, I., Pecquet, C., Vainchenker, W. & Constantinescu, S. N. A p53-JAK-STAT connection involved in myeloproliferative neoplasm pathogenesis and progression to secondary acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Rev. 42, 100712 (2020). 11. Bhansali, R. S., Pratz, K. W. & Lai, C. Recent advances in targeted therapies in acute myeloid leukemia. J. Hematol. Oncol. 16, 1–27 (2023). 12. Wu, M., Li, C. & Zhu, X. FLT3 inhibitors in acute myeloid leukemia. J. Hematol. Oncol. 11, 133 (2018). 37. Fritsche, M., Mundt, M., Merkle, C., Jähne, R. & Groner, B. P53 suppresses cytokine induced, Stat5 mediated activation of transcription. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 143, 143–154 (1998). 13. Antar, A., Kharfan-Dabaja, M. A., Mahfouz, R. & Bazarbachi, A. Sorafenib main- tenance appears safe and improves clinical outcomes in FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Clin. Lymphoma, Myeloma Leuk. 15, 298–302 (2015). 38. Yuan, S. et al. PHF6 and JAK3 mutations cooperate to drive T-cell acute lym- phoblastic leukemia progression. Leukemia 36, 370–382 (2022). 14. Xuan, L. et al. Effect of sorafenib on the outcomes of patients with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplanta- tion. Cancer 124, 1954–1963 (2018). 39. Wendorff, A. A. et al. Phf6 loss enhances HSC self-renewal driving tumor initiation and leukemia stem cell activity in T-All. Cancer Discov. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. 25. Pratcorona, M. et al. Favorable outcome of patients with acute myeloid leukemia harboring a low-allelic burden FLT3-ITD mutation and concomitant NPM1 mutation: Relevance to post-remission therapy. Blood 121, 2734–2738 (2013). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 23. Chen, F. et al. Impact of FLT3-ITD allele ratio and ITD length on therapeutic outcome in cytogenetically normal AML patients without NPM1 mutation. Bone Marrow Transplant 55, 740–748 (2020). Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-023-01614-1. 24. Rücker, F. G. et al. Molecular landscape and prognostic impact of FLT3-ITD insertion site in acute myeloid leukemia: RATIFY study results. Leukemia 36, 90–99 (2022). Statistical analysis L.X., Y.W. and Q.L. designed the study. R.S., Y.Z., F.H. and Z.F. wrote the report, collected data, and did the statistical analysis. Y.X., N.X., Y.L., L.D., Xi.Z., J.C., M.H., X.Lu., S.J.Y. and X.Li., Xi.L, P.S., Z.W., L.J., Xu.Z., R.L., Y.C., S.T. and J.S. performed the study. R.S., J.H. and K.Y. performed bioinformatic analyses and did preliminary experiments. All authors contributed cases and provided clinical data. All authors have read and approved the article. The statistical analysis for the clinical data was done on September 1, 2022. Continuous variables were presented as mean and standard deviation for those normally distributed, or median and IQR for those non-normally distributed. All categorical variables were presented as frequency and proportion. Comparations of Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. 10 Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. REFERENCES Sorafenib maintenance after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3-internal tandem duplica- tion mutation (SORMAIN). J. Clin. Oncol. 38, 2993–3002 (2020). 47. Canisius, S., Martens, J. W. M. & Wessels, L. F. A. A novel independence test for somatic alterations in cancer shows that biology drives mutual exclusivity but chance explains most co-occurrence. Genome Biol. 17, 1–17 (2016). 21. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Acute Myeloid Leukemia (version 3). https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/aml.pdf (2023). 22. Döhner, H. et al. Diagnosis and management of AML in adults: 2022 recom- mendations from an international expert panel on behalf of the ELN. Blood 140, 1345–1377 (2022). 48. Austin, P. C. & Fine, J. P. Practical recommendations for reporting Fine-Gray model analyses for competing risk data. Stat. Med. 36, 4391–4400 (2017). Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023) 8:348 Impact of genetic patterns on sorafenib efficacy in patients with. . . Shao et al. 11 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © The Author(s) 2023
https://openalex.org/W2922098133
https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/92448109/e000460.full.pdf
English
null
Knowledge and use of biosimilars in oncology: a survey by the European Society for Medical Oncology
ESMO open
2,019
cc-by
7,891
University of Groningen University of Groningen Knowledge and use of biosimilars in oncology DOI: 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF also known as Version of record Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Giuliani, R., Tabernero, J., Cardoso, F., McGregor, K. H., Vyas, M., & de Vries, E. G. E. (2019). Knowledge and use of biosimilars in oncology: a survey by the European Society for Medical Oncology. ESMO Open, 4(2), Article 000460. https://doi.org/10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 Citation for published version (APA): Giuliani, R., Tabernero, J., Cardoso, F., McGregor, K. H., Vyas, M., & de Vries, E. G. E. (2019). Knowledge and use of biosimilars in oncology: a survey by the European Society for Medical Oncology. ESMO Open, 4(2), Article 000460. https://doi.org/10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Citation for published version (APA): Giuliani, R., Tabernero, J., Cardoso, F., McGregor, K. H., Vyas, M., & de Vries, E. G. E. (2019). Knowledge and use of biosimilars in oncology: a survey by the European Society for Medical Oncology. ESMO Open, 4(2), Article 000460. https://doi.org/10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 Abstract Abstract Background  Biosimilars can potentially improve the sustainability of cancer care; however, uptake is sometimes limited by safety concerns and a lack of understanding of the concept of extrapolation. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conducted a survey to assess the current level of knowledge, understanding and comfort of use of biosimilars among prescribers specialised in oncology. Methods  A 19-question survey was developed using the SurveyMonkey online platform (https://www.​ surveymonkey.​com/). Data collection occurred between September and October 2017 and included paper and online responses. Abstract Background  Biosimilars can potentially improve the sustainability of cancer care; however, uptake is sometimes limited by safety concerns and a lack of understanding of the concept of extrapolation. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conducted a survey to assess the current level of knowledge, understanding and comfort of use of biosimilars among prescribers specialised in oncology. Open access Original research Open access on 2 August 2019 by guest. P http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from What does this study add? ► ►This European Society for Medical Oncology survey found encouraging levels of prescriber use and gen- eral knowledge of biosimilars; however, a substan- tial need for further education remains, especially for improving prescriber understanding of extrapo- lation of indications. Results  Overall, 393 responses were received from prescribers. Overall, 49.0% of prescribers use biosimilars in clinical practice and most (79.2%) rate their general knowledge of biosimilars as average to very high. Potential increased risk of immunogenicity remains a significant concern of switching. Gaps in knowledge identified by the survey include biosimilar development, clinical trial design and endpoint selection, and requirements for extrapolation, which should form the focus of future educational initiatives. A substantial demand remains for further educational activities with equal preference for online and face-to-face initiatives. A higher rate of biosimilar use (56.3% vs 46.5%), knowledge of biosimilar development and trial design, and comfort with extrapolation, but a lower knowledge of European Medicines Agency definitions, was found among prescribers from Asia-Pacific versus those from Europe. Received 19 October 2018 Revised 25 January 2019 Accepted 28 January 2019 Received 19 October 2018 Revised 25 January 2019 Accepted 28 January 2019 ► ►Discrepancies in responses were found among Asia- Pacific and European prescribers. ► ►Asia-Pacific prescribers appear more confident in their understanding of the biosimilar development process, the concept of extrapolation of indica- tions and switching, but less confident on European Medicines Agency definitions. on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ g yi ► ►A worldwide effort should be undertaken to align definitions and regulatory standards. What is already known about this subject? ► ►Biosimilars may potentially reduce care costs and improve patient access. To cite: Giuliani R, Tabernero J, Cardoso F, et al. Knowledge and use of biosimilars in oncology: a survey by the European Society for Medical Oncology. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. doi:10.1136/ esmoopen-2018-000460 ► ►However, uptake of biosimilars in oncology has been limited by safety concerns. ► ►In particular, surrounding switching from a biosim- ilar to its reference medicine or vice versa, and a lack of understanding around the requirements for development, including extrapolation of indications. Methods  A 19-question survey was developed using the SurveyMonkey online platform (https://www.​ surveymonkey.​com/). Data collection occurred between September and October 2017 and included paper and online responses. How might this impact on clinical practice? ► ►Educational initiatives focused on the knowledge gaps identified in this survey are essential for suc- cessful integration and uptake of biosimilars in oncology, which can potentially improve the sustain- ability of cancer care by increasing the accessibility of therapeutic and supportive care and providing lower-cost alternatives to their reference medicines. ► ►Educational initiatives focused on the knowledge gaps identified in this survey are essential for suc- cessful integration and uptake of biosimilars in oncology, which can potentially improve the sustain- ability of cancer care by increasing the accessibility of therapeutic and supportive care and providing lower-cost alternatives to their reference medicines. Conclusion  Encouraging levels of prescriber use and general knowledge of biosimilars were found, but a substantial need for further education remains. Efforts should be made worldwide to align terms, definitions and guidelines for the development and approval of biosimilars. 1Medical Oncology, San Camillo- Forlanini Hospital, Rome, Italy 2Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain 3Breast Unit, Champalimaud Clinical Center/Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal 4Chief Executive Officer, European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Lugano, Switzerland 5Head of Public Policy, European Society for Medical Oncology, Lugano, Switzerland 6Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands © Author (s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. ► ►Additional material is published online only. To view please visit the journal online (http://​dx.​doi.​org/​10.​1136/​ esmoopen-​2018-​000460). Key questions What is already known about this subject? © Author (s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. Copyright strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of th or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). The publication may also be distributed here under the terms of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, indicated by the “Taverne” license. More information can be found on the University of Groningen website: https://www.rug.nl/library/open-access/self-archiving-pure/taverne- amendment. Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 24-10-2024 Knowledge and use of biosimilars in oncology: a survey by the European Society for Medical Oncology on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ blished as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Rosa Giuliani,1 Josep Tabernero,2 Fatima Cardoso,3 Keith Hanson McGregor,4 Malvika Vyas,5 Elisabeth G E de Vries6 ► ►Additional material is published online only. To view please visit the journal online (http://​dx.​doi.​org/​10.​1136/​ esmoopen-​2018-​000460). Results D Demographics, basic knowledge and use Overall, 495 responses were collected. Of the 480 responders who mentioned their country, most were from Europe (n=321), then Asia (n=84), America (n=55), Africa (n=13) and Australia (n=7). Despite the potential for reducing care costs and improving patient access, uptake of biosimilars in oncology has been limited potentially by a lack of understanding of their development and of the regulatory assessment, including requirements for extrapolation of indications.7 Extrapolation is the approval, by a regulatory agency, of a biosimilar in one or more indications of the reference biologic without the requirement to carry out clinical trials of the biosimilar in all those indications.16 17 If simi- larity between the biosimilar and its reference biologic is credibly shown through ‘totality of evidence’ in one indi- cation, extrapolation permits approval of the biosimilar in all other indications held by the reference biologic.18 Extrapolation has the potential to reduce the costs asso- ciated with biosimilar development, increasing access to biologic therapies and reducing cancer care costs.7 These analyses include responses from prescribing physi- cians only and evaluate responses from all prescribers, European and Asia-Pacific prescribers. Overall, 80.0% (393/491, 4 skipped) of responders were prescribing physicians (Europe: 79.7%, n=255; Asia-Pacific: 87.9%, n=80), with most being ESMO members (92.0%, n=357) and specialised in oncology (94.3%, n=367). on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. esmoopen.bmj.com/ When asked to rate their overall knowledge of biosim- ilars, the most commonly selected option on a scale of 1 (very low) to 5 (very high) was option 3 (45.5%, 177/389, 4 skipped; figure 1A). Options 3, 4 and 5 were selected by 79.2% (n=308; sum of responses) of prescribers indi- cating that most consider themselves to have an average to very high level of knowledge of biosimilars. In total, 74.6% (291/390, 3 skipped) of prescribers were able to identify the most appropriate definition of ‘biosimilar’ (‘highly similar to an approved biological medicine, with no clinically meaningful differences in safety and efficacy profile’). This definition was selected by 77.9% (197/253, 2 skipped) of European and 64.6% (51/79, 1 skipped) of Asia-Pacific prescribers. Uncertainties exist among HCPs regarding switching, the decision to administer a biosimilar in a patient previ- ously treated with the reference biologic or vice versa, and the potential for reduced efficacy or increased immunogenicity in both the oncology and non-oncology settings.3 19–22 by guest. Protected by copyright. Open access can potentially be improved through the use of safe and effective biosimilars, which expand the treatment options available to clinicians and patients, increase accessibility of therapeutic and supportive care, and provide lower- cost alternatives to their reference medicines.2 5 7 8 Introduction Cancer treatment has been advanced by, but become reliant on, biologics.1 2 Biologics are typically large proteins such as monoclonal antibodies, interferons and recombinant hormones.3 Processes for biologic production involve living systems and complex proce- dures requiring the utmost precision to guar- antee final product consistency and quality.3 4 y guest. Protected by copyright. in biologics being expensive,2 5 adding to the already high costs of cancer treatment. Cancer care cost is rapidly becoming a significant issue driven by rising cancer inci- dence, ageing populations and the increasing price of treatments.5 Patent expiration has occurred or is approaching for many biologics used in oncology.6 It has been proposed that the sustainability of cancer care worldwide Correspondence to Professor Elisabeth G E de Vries; ​ e.​g.​e.​de.​vries@​umcg.​nl These complex manufacturing processes, as well as their long development times, result 1 Giuliani R, et al. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 Methods ESMO developed a 19-question survey using the Survey- Monkey online platform (https://www.​surveymonkey.​ com/), which sought information regarding responders’ use and basic knowledge of biosimilars, understanding of biosimilar development and level of comfort with extrap- olation, interchangeability and switching (see online supplementary appendix). A biosimilar is a biologic that matches its reference medicine in terms of quality, activity, safety and effi- cacy.9–11 In 2006, a recombinant human growth hormone (Omnitrope) was the first biosimilar to receive Euro- pean Medicines Agency (EMA) approval,12 followed by EMA approval of biosimilars for epoetin alfa in 2007 and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) in 2009.13 14 The biosimilar rhG-CSF (Zarxio) was the first biosimilar to receive approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).15 Data collection occurred between September and October 2017 and included both paper and online responses. During the ESMO 2017 Congress, attendees completed paper copies of the survey; results were then inputted into the SurveyMonkey platform. Additionally, a link to the online survey was sent in an email to ESMO members and their wider professional network. Results were summarised using descriptive statistics. g Regulatory requirements for biosimilars are evolving and becoming more familiar among healthcare profes- sionals (HCPs). The EMA, FDA and WHO require substantial evidence demonstrating that a biosimilar matches its reference medicine.9–11 The objective of a biosimilar development programme is to demonstrate no clinically meaningful differences based on the ‘totality of evidence’ approach, that is, a comprehensive comparison of the proposed biosimilar and the reference medicine with respect to structure, function, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, clinical immunogenicity, safety and efficacy.9–11 Unlike the standard requirements for drug approval, the development process for biosimilars demands a relatively larger amount of preclinical than clinical data. The survey contained a mixture of checkbox answers and questions asking responders to rank their level of agreement, knowledge, comfort or importance of each statement from 1 to 5 or 10. For these questions, results were pooled and a weighted average (WA) score out of 5 or 10 was assigned. An open comments box at the end of the survey asked responders to provide suggestions for future educational initiatives. Results D In order to assess the current knowledge, under- standing and comfort of use of biosimilars in oncology, with a particular focus on extrapolation and switching, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conducted a survey among its members and attendees at the 2017 ESMO Congress in Madrid, Spain. p Overall, 49.0% (191/390, 3 skipped) of prescribers use biosimilars in routine clinical practice (excluding clinical trials; figure 2). A higher proportion of prescribers from Asia-Pacific (56.3%, 45/80) use biosimilars versus those from Europe (46.5%, 118/254, 1 skipped; figure  2). Overall, 49.0% (191/390, 3 skipped) of prescribers use biosimilars in routine clinical practice (excluding clinical trials; figure 2). A higher proportion of prescribers from Asia-Pacific (56.3%, 45/80) use biosimilars versus those from Europe (46.5%, 118/254, 1 skipped; figure  2). 2 Giuliani R, et al. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 Open access Open access on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protect http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Open access Figure 1  Prescribers’ responses rating their level of knowledge/understanding on a scale of 1–5. Prescribers’ responses, by region, when asked to rate their knowledge/understanding of (A) biosimilars overall; (B) the biosimilar development process and threshold of clinical evidence required for approval; (C) clinical trial design and endpoint selection for biosimilar studies; (D) requirements needed to be met for extrapolation of indications to be granted for a biosimilar. on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Figure 1  Prescribers’ responses rating their level of knowledge/understanding on a scale of 1–5. Prescribers’ responses, by region, when asked to rate their knowledge/understanding of (A) biosimilars overall; (B) the biosimilar development process and threshold of clinical evidence required for approval; (C) clinical trial design and endpoint selection for biosimilar studies; (D) requirements needed to be met for extrapolation of indications to be granted for a biosimilar. Compared with the entire European group, rate of use was lower among prescribers from the UK (31.3%, 10/32). Biosimilars are not used by 24.1% (94/390, 3 skipped) of prescribers due to lack of approval or reimbursement in their country (figure 2). Compared with the entire European group, rate of use was lower among prescribers from the UK (31.3%, 10/32). Biosimilars are not used by 24.1% (94/390, 3 skipped) of prescribers due to lack of approval or reimbursement in their country (figure 2). Results D a scale of 1 (very low) to 5 (very high; figure 1B). Option 3 was the most frequent choice by Asia-Pacific and Euro- pean prescribers (43.9% vs 37.0%; figure  1B) with the second most commonly selected choices being option 4 (24.2%) and option 2 (22.2%), respectively (figure 1B). August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very), prescribers were asked to rate their comfort with the concept of using an EMA-approved biosimilar to treat a patient suitable for the reference biologic. Options 4 and 5 were chosen by 57.4% (217/378, 15 skipped, sum of responses) of prescribers (figure 3A). Clinical safety and efficacy data are the best under- stood data types by all prescribers (WA [out of 5] 3.67), followed by immunogenicity data (WA 3.10). However, the two regions differed on the least understood type of data (Europe: physicochemical, WA 2.64; Asia-Pacific: in vitro, WA 2.36). In addition, clinical study safety (WA [out of 10] 8.80) and efficacy (WA 8.65; table 1) data are considered the most important among prescribers in determining the suitability of a biosimilar for use. The type of data considered least important is physicochem- ical data demonstrating structural similarity (WA 7.23; table 1). y guest. Protected by copyright. on 2 August 2019 by g http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Open access on 2 Au http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Open access Figure 2  Level of routine use of biosimilars by prescribers in clinical practice to treat patients. on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Figure 2  Level of routine use of biosimilars by prescribers in clinical practice to treat patients. to moderate level of knowledge regarding clinical trial design and endpoint selection for biosimilar studies, with 59.8% (195/326, 16 skipped, sum of responses) selecting options 3 and 4 (figure 1C). Nearly half of the prescribers (49.7%, 161/324, 69 skipped) chose ‘the endpoint consid- ered most sensitive for detecting differences between the biosimilar and reference biologic, and least influenced by patient or disease-related factors’ as the most appropriate for studies comparing the clinical efficacy of a biosimilar with its reference medicine. From three options, 45.2% (146/323, 70 skipped) of prescribers were able to select the most appropriate definition of ‘sensitive indication’ in terms of biosimilar development (‘the population that is most representative of the patients to whom the biologic is most frequently prescribed’). This definition was selected by 42.1% (88/209, 46 skipped) of European and 60.0% (39/65, 15 skipped) of Asia-Pacific prescribers. The second preferred definition (‘a population where product-related differ- ences in clinical performance can be best detected’) was chosen by 31.3% (101/323, 70 skipped) of all prescribers (Europe: 33.5%, 70/209, 46 skipped; Asia-Pacific: 26.2%, 17/65, 15 skipped). Moreover, 33.4% (108/323, 70 skipped) of prescribers feel that the most appropriate indication for a study comparing the clinical efficacy and safety of a biosimilar with a reference biologic is ‘the indication representing the most sensitive population for detecting any potential pp On a scale of 1 (very low) to 5 (very high), responses suggest that most prescribers feel they have an average Figure 3  Prescribers’ responses rating their level of comfort on a scale of 1–5. Prescribers’ responses, by region, when asked to rate their comfort with (A) the concept of using an EMA-approved biosimilar to treat a patient suitable for the reference biologic; (B) using an EMA-approved biosimilar in extrapolated indications that the reference biologic is approved for. EMA, European Medicines Agency. on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. oopen.bmj.com/ Figure 3  Prescribers’ responses rating their level of comfort on a scale of 1–5. Biosimilar development Most prescribers feel they have an average to moderate level of knowledge of the biosimilar development process and the threshold of clinical evidence required for approval of a biosimilar, with 61.1% (204/334, 59 skipped, sum of responses) selecting options 3 and 4 on 3 Giuliani R, et al. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 2 August 2 http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Table 1  Prescribers’ responses rating the importance and sensitivity of different data types in determining the suitability of a biosimilar for use Type of data (weighted average) Importance Sensitivity All Europe Asia-Pacific All Europe Asia-Pacific Physicochemical data demonstrating structural similarity 7.23 7.05 7.30 7.24 7.07 7.56 In vitro and in vivo data demonstrating similarity in biological activity 7.76 7.74 7.66 7.58 7.46 7.82 PK and PD data demonstrating similarity 7.94 7.85 8.10 7.83 7.75 8.10 Clinical study data demonstrating similar efficacy 8.65 8.56 8.72 8.61 8.57 8.75 Clinical study data demonstrating similar safety 8.80 8.78 8.83 8.75 8.72 8.79 Clinical study data demonstrating similar immunogenicity 8.24 8.24 8.10 8.30 8.23 8.41 Clinical study data demonstrating the ability to switch from reference to biosimilar and vice versa without impairing safety or efficacy 8.07 8.02 8.27 8.11 8.02 8.36 Weighted average of prescribers’ responses, by region, on a scale of 1 (not important/sensitive) to 10 (very important/sensitive). PD, pharmacodynamic; PK, pharmacokinetic. on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ irst published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Weighted average of prescribers’ responses, by region, on a scale of 1 (not important/sensitive) to 10 (very important/sensitive). PD, pharmacodynamic; PK, pharmacokinetic. Interchangeability and switching difference between the products’. The next most frequent response, selected by 27.9% (90/323, 70 skipped), was ‘comparative efficacy and safety should be studied in every indication of the reference biologic’, suggesting that there is a lack of understanding surrounding the concept of extrapolation of indications. Respondents were presented with correct EMA defini- tions of interchangeability and switching, and an incor- rect definition of substitution. Only 36.3% (110/303, 90 skipped) of prescribers were able to identify the incor- rect definition and the other two correct definitions were also widely chosen (interchangeability: 29.7%, 90/303, 90 skipped; switching: 34.0%, 103/303, 90 skipped). Similar proportions of European (36.0%, 71/197, 58 skipped) and Asia-Pacific (35.5%, 22/62, 18 skipped) prescribers were able to successfully identify the incorrect definition of substitution. However, the same proportion of Asia-Pa- cific prescribers (35.5%, 22/62, 18 skipped) believed the definition of switching was incorrect. on 2 August 2019 by g http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Prescribers’ responses, by region, when asked to rate their comfort with (A) the concept of using an EMA-approved biosimilar to treat a patient suitable for the reference biologic; (B) using an EMA-approved biosimilar in extrapolated indications that the reference biologic is approved for. EMA, European Medicines Agency. Giuliani R, et al. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 4 Open access Open access Discussion This ESMO survey shows that nearly half of prescribers (49.0%) use biosimilars in their clinical oncology prac- tice; lack of approval and reimbursement is a barrier to use. Responses suggest that most prescribers (79.2%) feel they have an average to very high level of general biosim- ilar knowledge, with nearly three quarters (74.6%) able to identify the most appropriate definition of ‘biosimilar’. Overall, 57.4% of prescribers feel comfortable using an EMA-approved biosimilar. Most prescribers feel they only have an average to moderate level of knowledge about biosimilar devel- opment, the level of clinical evidence required for a biosimilar approval, clinical trial design and selection of endpoints; these therefore present as topics for future educational activities. Indeed, less than half (45.2%) of prescribers were able to identify the most appropriate definition of ‘sensitive indication’. Uncertainties were also demonstrated in differentiating ‘interchangeability’, ‘substitution’ and ‘switching’. Despite nearly two-thirds of prescribers being able to identify the most appropriate definition of ‘extrapolation of indications’, most rated their understanding of the requirements for extrapo- lation of indications as below average. However, most prescribers feel comfortable using a biosimilar in an extrapolated indication. Therefore, it seems that many prescribers trust and accept the scientific principle of extrapolation though may not fully understand it. were primarily concerned with potential AEs (WA 3.35; table 2), despite a high level of agreement with not antici- pating additional AEs on a switch in the previous question. Extrapolation of indications doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 Open access Table 2  Prescribers’ responses rating their concern of potential consequences when switching a patient’s treatment from a reference biologic to a biosimilar or vice versa Potential consequence (weighted average) All Europe Asia-Pacific Potential loss of clinical efficacy 3.29 3.23 3.30 Potential for adverse events 3.35 3.32 3.35 Potential for increased risk of immune reactions 3.35 3.39 3.17 Weighted average of prescribers’ responses, by region, on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very). Table 2  Prescribers’ responses rating their concern of potential consequences when switching a patient’s treatment from a reference biologic to a biosimilar or vice versa Potential consequence (weighted average) All Europe Asia-Pacific Potential loss of clinical efficacy 3.29 3.23 3.30 Potential for adverse events 3.35 3.32 3.35 Potential for increased risk of immune reactions 3.35 3.39 3.17 Weighted average of prescribers’ responses, by region, on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very). communicated a higher interest in receiving training on the efficacy and safety of biosimilars while Asia-Pacific prescribers were more interested in training tailored for developing countries. Table 2  Prescribers’ responses rating their concern of potential consequences when switching a patient’s treatment from a reference biologic to a biosimilar or vice versa Extrapolation of indications Most prescribers (61.7%, 192/311, 82 skipped) were able to identify the most appropriate definition of ‘extrap- olation of indications’ (‘authorisation of a biosimilar in indications of the reference biologic in the absence of specific clinical trial/data for the biosimilar in those indications’). Fewer Asia-Pacific prescribers selected this definition versus European prescribers (53.2% vs 65.4%), although it was the preferred option in both groups. on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. esmoopen.bmj.com/ Regarding switching a patient from a biosimilar to a reference biologic or vice versa, the statement most agreed with by prescribers was “I do not anticipate that switching will have a significant effect on the treatment benefit the patient receives from the product” (WA [out of 5] 3.50). This statement was the most commonly chosen option by both European (WA 3.47) and Asia-Pa- cific prescribers (WA 3.55). However, among prescribers from Asia-Pacific, there was a similar level of agreement (WA 3.54) with the statement “I do not anticipate that switching will lead to emergence of additional adverse events”. Despite the high proportion of prescribers being able to define ‘extrapolation of indications’, most consider their understanding of extrapolation to be below average, with 62.3% (190/305, 88 skipped, sum of responses) selecting options 2 and 3 on a scale of 1 (very low) to 5 (very high; figure 1D). August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. Overall, responses indicate that prescribers feel comfortable using a biosimilar in an extrapolated indi- cation. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very), options 3, 4 and 5 were chosen by 76.7% (237/309, 84 skipped, sum of responses) of prescribers (figure 3B). These three options were chosen by 74.3% (150/202, 53 skipped, sum of responses) of European and 82.8% (53/64, 16 skipped, sum of responses) of Asia-Pacific prescribers (figure 3B), indicating that Asia-Pacific prescribers may feel more comfortable with the concept of extrapolation than those from Europe. Among all prescribers, equal levels of concern were expressed for the potential for adverse events (AEs) and increased risk of immune reactions when switching (WA 3.35; table  2). European prescribers were mainly concerned with the potential increased risk of immune reactions (WA 3.39) whereas Asia-Pacific prescribers 5 Giuliani R, et al. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. Further education ESMO is undertaking a range of educational initia- tives including two previous sessions during the ESMO 2017 meeting in Madrid and ESMO Asia 2017, and another two Colloquia during the 2018 annual meeting in Munich, Germany, and ESMO Asia 2018, to improve the understanding of biosimilars within the community. ESMO is also working on developing patient materials to help their understanding of biosimilars. However, in most questions concerning EMA defi- nitions, a lower proportion of Asia-Pacific prescribers answered correctly versus European prescribers. The only instance where this was not the case was the defi- nition of ‘sensitive indication’, correctly answered by 60.0% of Asia-Pacific and 42.1% of European prescribers, indicating that Asia-Pacific prescribers may have a better understanding of the clinical evidence required for a biosimilar to gain approval and clinical trial design. Lastly, responses suggest that prescribers from Asia-Pacific are more comfortable with the concept of extrapolation than those from Europe. These differences in responses, particularly regarding EMA definitions, may be a result of differing guidelines available on biosimilars in each region. Europe follows standardised regulations outlined by the EMA for biosim- ilar approval whereas the regulations in Asia-Pacific coun- tries differ greatly in the data types required.44 Since 2008, guidance ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of biosimilar medicines has been available in the Asia-Pa- cific region.45 EMA guidance was followed initially in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region prior to them implementing their own individual guidelines.45 Coun- tries including South Korea, Japan and Malaysia estab- lished their own guidance by taking elements from EMA and WHO guidelines.45–48 In August 2016, India updated its initial guidance originally published in 2012 to ensure a clearer and more thorough regulatory pathway, and to make parallel with other guidelines available around the world.49 on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. ttp://esmoopen.bmj.com/ Limitations of the survey include the fact that no hypothesis was tested and the questionnaire was purely developed to document the current level of biosim- ilar knowledge, use and comfort; not all replies were complete, so data could not be analysed in its entirety; and responses were limited to ESMO members, their wider network and participants at the ESMO 2017 Congress, so may not accurately represent all prescribers worldwide. on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. Further education doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 6 Open access Open access data and world-evidence studies that will ultimately help to guide clinical decision-making. biosimilar development and trial design, as well as under- standing and comfort of extrapolation of indications, were similar between prescribers specialised in oncology and haematology. However, a higher proportion of haematology versus oncology prescribers feel they have a high to very high level of comfort using an EMA-ap- proved biosimilar (72.8% vs 57.4%) and use biosimilars in routine practice (63.6% vs 49.0%). g g Regarding knowledge, use and comfort with biosimi- lars, some differences in responses were found between European and Asia-Pacific prescribers. First, a higher rate of biosimilar use in routine clinical practice was found among Asia-Pacific (56.3%) versus European prescribers (46.46%). This may be a result of numerous regulatory bodies in Asia heavily investing in accelerated development of biosimilars.44 Furthermore, a lower rate of biosimilar use was found among prescribers from the UK (31.3%) compared with the whole group of European prescribers. Responses also suggest that Asia-Pacific prescribers may be more confident in their understanding of biosimilar development than European prescribers. on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ lished as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Overall, the level of prescriber knowledge on biosimi- lars ascertained by this survey is encouraging. However, a substantial need for continued education emerged as well. Future efforts should focus in particular on improving prescriber understanding of extrapolation of indications as well as physicochemical data, which was found to be the least understood data type in determining the suitability of a biosimilar for use when in fact it is considered by regulatory authorities as the most determi- nant data type required. This survey found a substantial demand among prescribers for educational activities and materials regarding biosimilars, especially in Asia-Pacific. Responses suggest that preference is fairly even between online (56 responses) and face-to-face (51 responses) educational activities. The low response to this question is potentially due to its open comment box design which is more demanding for respondents and, being the final question, it is feasible that responders ran out of time. Prescribers from the two different regions had differing preferences for topics that future training initiatives should focus on. European prescribers displayed a high interest in receiving training on the efficacy and safety of biosimilars, while many from Asia-Pacific conveyed an interest for more training adapted for developing coun- tries. Further education com/ Currently, the requirements outlined by regulatory authorities in different regions regarding biosimilar approval vary.9 47 A worldwide effort should be under- taken to align definitions and standards for the develop- ment and approval of biosimilars. This could potentially reduce confusion surrounding scientific terms and concepts, lead to better understanding of the biosimilar development process and ultimately increase accessibility and affordability of cancer care.8 guest. Protected by copyright. Further education Overall, 86.7% (195/225, 168 skipped) of prescribers would like ESMO to provide more educational activities concerning biosimilars; a much higher proportion of Asia-Pacific prescribers expressed this (97.9%, 47/48, 32 skipped) versus European prescribers (82.9%, 121/146, 109 skipped). Prescribers suggested numerous topics for future educational activities, including clinical trial design and endpoints, bioequivalence criteria and studies, approval procedures, principles of pricing and reimbursement, and treatment outcome comparisons between biosimilars and their reference medicines. Communication chan- nels suggested included online educational activities and materials (courses, quizzes, articles, guideline handbooks and updates on key developments; n=56) and face-to-face educational activities (congress sessions, preceptorships, workshops and seminars; n=51). European prescribers on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. ttp://esmoopen.bmj.com/ p g y y The main concerns oncology prescribers have with switching are the potential for AEs and increased risk of immune reactions. Currently, the majority of data available on switching are from real-world and clinical studies in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis, which have found no clinically meaningful effects when switching between a biosimilar and its refer- ence biologic.23–42 Presently, there is one published study on switching in oncology, which reported no meaningful differences in efficacy, safety or immunogenicity when switching biosimilar rhG-CSF with its reference biologic to prevent severe neutropenia in patients with breast cancer undergoing myelosuppressive chemotherapy.43 A recent systematic literature review of 90 switching studies, treating 14 disease indications and enrolling over 14 000 patients and healthy volunteers, concluded that there is little risk of increased immunogenicity or treatment-re- lated AEs, or reduction in efficacy, when switching between reference medicines and biosimilars.21 An increase in the confidence of switching biosimilar medi- cines with their reference biologics among the oncology community, like in other disease areas, may occur after increased availability of results from further real-world Table 2  Prescribers’ responses rating their concern of potential consequences when switching a patient’s treatment from a reference biologic to a biosimilar or vice versa Potential consequence (weighted average) All Europe Asia-Pacific Potential loss of clinical efficacy 3.29 3.23 3.30 Potential for adverse events 3.35 3.32 3.35 Potential for increased risk of immune reactions 3.35 3.39 3.17 Weighted average of prescribers’ responses, by region, on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very). August 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright. y guest. Protected by copyright. Giuliani R, et al. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. on 2 August 2019 by http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Lastly, some differences in responses between Euro- pean and Asia-Pacific prescribers may be attributed to differences in guidance available in the two regions. Efforts should be made worldwide to align definitions and regulatory standards for the development and approval of biosimilars. Continued education will lead to more informed discussion and decision-making regarding biosimilars, which will help their successful integration and uptake in oncology.8 6. Chopra R, Lopes G. Improving access to cancer treatments: the role of biosimilars. J Glob Oncol 2017;3:596–610. 7. Curigliano G, O'Connor DP, Rosenberg JA, et al. Biosimilars: Extrapolation for oncology. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2016;104:131–7. 8. Rak Tkaczuk KH, Jacobs IA. Biosimilars in oncology: from development to clinical practice. Seminars in Oncology 2014;41(Suppl 3):S3–S12. 9. European Medicines Agency, 2014. Guideline on similar biological medicinal products containing biotechnology-derived proteins as active substance: non-clinical and clinical issues. Available: http://www.​ema.​europa.​eu/​ema/​index.​jsp?​curl=​pages/​regulation/​ general/​general_​content_​000886.​jsp&​mid=​WC0b01ac058002956b [Accessed Sep 2018]. 10. US Food and Drug Administration, 2015. Scientific considerations in demonstrating biosimilarity to a reference product: guidance for industry. Available: http://www.​fda.​gov/​downloads/​drugs/​guid​ ance​comp​lian​cere​gula​tory​info​rmation/​guidances/​ucm291128.​pdf [Accessed Sep 2018]. Correction notice  This article has been corrected since it first published online. The open access licence type has been amended. Acknowledgements  Thanks to Monica Gheorghe from ESMO for supporting the project. Editorial support was provided by Terri Penfold of Spirit Medical Communications Ltd. Final approval of the manuscript rested solely with the scientific authors. 11. World Health Organization. Expert Committee on biological standardization. 2009. Guidelines on evaluation of similar biotherapeutic products (SBPs). Available: http://www.​who.​int/​ biologicals/​areas/​biological_​therapeutics/​BIOTHERAPEUTICS_​FOR_ WEB_​22APRIL2010.​pdf [Accessed Sep 2018]. Contributors  RG was responsible for the study design, the writing, and final approval of the manuscript. FC was responsible for the study design, the writing, and final approval of the manuscript. KHM was responsible for the study design, the writing, and final approval of the manuscript. MV was responsible for the study design, the writing, and final approval of the manuscript. EGEdV was responsible for the study design, the writing, and final approval of the manuscript. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Monica Gheorghe was responsible for data collection and statistical analysis. Editorial support was provided by Terri Penfold of Spirit Medical Communications Ltd. 12. European Medicines Agency, 2018. Omnitrope—authorisation details. Available: http://www.​ema.​europa.​eu/​ema/​index.​jsp?​curl=​ pages/​medicines/​human/​medicines/​000607/​human_​med_​000946.​ jsp&​mid=​WC0b01ac058001d124 [Accessed Sep 2018]. 13. European Medicines Agency, 2018. Epoetin alfa Hexal— authorisation details. Available: http://www.​ema.​europa.​eu/​ema/​ index.​jsp?​curl=​pages/​medicines/​human/​medicines/​000726/​human_​ med_​000768.​jsp&​mid=​WC0b01ac058001d125 [Accessed Sep 2018]. Conclusion I l i In conclusion, this survey conducted by ESMO found an encouraging level of prescriber use and general knowl- edge of biosimilars in oncology; however, need for further education remains. Future educational initiatives should focus on improving prescriber understanding of extrapo- lation of indications as well as physicochemical data. Differences in responses were also noted between prescribers specialised in oncology and haematology. Of the 393 prescribers who responded, 22 (5.6%) were specialised in haematology. Overall, knowledge of 7 Giuliani R, et al. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 Provenance and peer review  Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed. Provenance and peer review  Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed. 23. Avouac J, Moltó A, Abitbol V, et al. Systematic switch from innovator infliximab to biosimilar infliximab in inflammatory chronic diseases in daily clinical practice: the experience of Cochin University Hospital, Paris, France. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2018;47:741–8. Open access  This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and any changes made are indicated. See: http://​creativecommons.​org/​licenses/​ by/​4.​0/. 24. Smolen JS, Choe JY, Prodanovic N, et al. Safety, immunogenicity and efficacy after switching from reference infliximab to biosimilar Sb2 compared with continuing reference infliximab and Sb2 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results of a randomised, double- blind, phase III transition study. Ann Rheum Dis 2018;77:234–40.i 25. Gerdes S, Thaçi D, Griffiths CEM, et al. Multiple switches between GP2015, an etanercept biosimilar, with originator product do not impact efficacy, safety and immunogenicity in patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis: 30-week results from the phase 3, confirmatory EGALITY study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2018;32:420–7. on 2 August 2019 by http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Competing interests  JT reports consultancy roles for Array Biopharma, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BeiGene, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Genentech Inc., Genmab A/S, Halozyme, Imugene Limited, Inflection Biosciences Limited, Ipsen, Kura Oncology, Lilly, MSD, Menarini, Merck Serono, Merrimack, Merus, Molecular Partners, Novartis, Peptomyc, Pfizer, Pharmacyclics, ProteoDesign SL, Rafael Pharmaceuticals, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Sanofi, SeaGen, Seattle Genetics, Servier, Symphogen, Taiho, VCN Biosciences, Biocartis, Foundation Medicine, HalioDX SAS and Roche Diagnostics; and institutional grants from Agendia BV, Amgen SA, Debiopharm International SA, Janssen-Cilag SA, Mologen AG, Novartis Farmacéutica SA, Pharma Mar, Roche Farma SA, Laboratorios Servier SL and Symphogen A/S. FC reports consultancy roles for Amgen, Astellas/ Medivation, AstraZeneca, Celgene, Daiichi-Sankyo, Eisai, GE Oncology, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Macrogenics, Merck-Sharp, Merus BV, Mylan, Mundipharma, Novartis, Pfizer, Pierre-Fabre, Roche, Sanofi, Seattle Genetics, Samsung Bioepis and Teva. EGEdV reports consultancy/advisory roles for Daiichi Sankyo, Merck, NSABP, Pfizer and Sanofi; and institutional grants from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Chugai Pharma, CytomX Therapeutics, G1 Therapeutics, Genentech, Nordic Nanovector, Radius Health, Regeneron, Roche, Servier and Synthon. 14. European Medicines Agency, 2018. Zarzio—authorisation details. Available: http://www.​ema.​europa.​eu/​ema/​index.​jsp?​curl=​pages/​ medicines/​human/​medicines/​000917/​human_​med_​001170.​jsp&​mid=​ WC0b01ac058001d124 [Accessed Sep 2018].i 15. US Food and Drug Administration, 2015. Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz). Available: https://www.​accessdata.​fda.​gov/​drugsatfda_​docs/​nda/​ 2015/​125553Orig1s000TOC.​cfm [Accessed Sep 2018]. g [ p ] 16. Weise M, Bielsky MC, De Smet K, et al. Biosimilars: what clinicians should know. Blood 2012;120:5111–7. 17. Weise M, Kurki P, Wolff-Holz E, et al. Biosimilars: the science of extrapolation. Blood 2014;124:3191–6. 18. Tesser JR, Furst DE, Jacobs I. Biosimilars and the extrapolation of indications for inflammatory conditions. Biologics 2017;11:5–11. 19. Moorkens E, Jonker-Exler C, Huys I, et al. Overcoming barriers to the market access of biosimilars in the European Union: the case of biosimilar monoclonal antibodies. Front Pharmacol 2016;7((Suppl.1)). 20. Kurki P, van Aerts L, Wolff-Holz E, et al. Interchangeability of biosimilars: a European perspective. BioDrugs 2017;31:83–91. 21. Cohen HP, Blauvelt A, Rifkin RM, et al. Switching reference medicines to biosimilars: a systematic literature review of clinical outcomes. Drugs 2018;78:463–78. Patient consent for publication  Not required. g ; 22. Dolan C. Opportunities and challenges in biosimilar uptake in oncology. Am J Manag Care 2018;24(11 Suppl):S237–43. on 2 August 2019 by http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from or switching from reference etanercept to Sb4. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76:1986–91. or switching from reference etanercept to Sb4. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76:1986–91. 29. Høivik ML, Buer LCT, Cvancarova M, et al. Switching from originator to biosimilar infliximab–real world data of a prospective 18 months follow-up of a single-centre IBD population. Scand J Gastroenterol 2018;53:692–9.i 40. Smits LJT, Derikx LAAP, de Jong DJ, et al. Clinical outcomes following a switch from Remicade® to the biosimilar CT-P13 in inflammatory bowel disease patients: a prospective observational cohort study. ECCOJC 2016;10:1287–93. 30. Ratnakumaran R, To N, Gracie DJ, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of initiating, or switching to, infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): a large single-centre experience. Scand J Gastroenterol 2018;53:700–7. 41. Nikiphorou E, Kautiainen H, Hannonen P, et al. Clinical effectiveness of CT-P13 (infliximab biosimilar) used as a switch from remicade (infliximab) in patients with established rheumatic disease. Report of clinical experience based on prospective observational data. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2015;15:1677–83. 31. Smits LJT, Grelack A, Derikx L, et al. Long-term clinical outcomes after switching from Remicade® to biosimilar CT-P13 in inflammatory bowel disease. Dig Dis Sci 2017;62:3117–22.i g 32. Park W, Suh CH, Shim SC, et al. Efficacy and safety of switching from innovator rituximab to biosimilar CT-P10 compared with continued treatment with CT-P10: results of a 56-week open-label study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. BioDrugs 2017;31:369–77.i 42. Jung YS, Park DI, Kim YH, et al. Efficacy and safety of CT-P13, a biosimilar of infliximab, in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a retrospective multicenter study. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2015;30:1705–12. 43. Blackwell K, Gascon P, Krendyukov A, et al. Safety and efficacy of alternating treatment with EP2006, a filgrastim biosimilar, and reference filgrastim: a phase III, randomised, double-blind clinical study in the prevention of severe neutropenia in patients with breast cancer receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Ann Oncol 2018;29:244–9. 33. Park W, Yoo DH, Miranda P, et al. Efficacy and safety of switching from reference infliximab to CT-P13 compared with maintenance of CT-P13 in ankylosing spondylitis: 102-week data from the PLANETAS extension study. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76:346–54.l y 34. Razanskaite V, Bettey M, Downey L, et al. Biosimilar infliximab in inflammatory bowel disease: outcomes of a managed switching programme. J Crohns Colitis 2017;11:jjw216–6. 44. Momin Z, 2017. Will Asia go big in biosimilars adoption and manufacturing? Available: https://www.​lek.​com/​sites/​default/​ files/​insights/​pdf-​attachments/​1926_​Asia_​Biosimilar_​adoption_​ manufacturing_​Executive_​Insights_​a.​pdf [Accessed Sep 2018].i p g jj 35. Giuliani R, et al. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 References 1. European Medicines Agency, 2017. Biosimilars in the EU— information guide for healthcare professionals. Available: http://www.​ ema.​europa.​eu/​docs/​en_​GB/​document_​library/​Leaflet/​2017/​05/​ WC500226648.​pdf [Accessed Sep 2018]. 1. European Medicines Agency, 2017. Biosimilars in the EU— information guide for healthcare professionals. Available: http://www.​ ema.​europa.​eu/​docs/​en_​GB/​document_​library/​Leaflet/​2017/​05/​ WC500226648.​pdf [Accessed Sep 2018]. 26. Weinblatt ME, Baranauskaite A, Dokoupilova E, et al. Switching from reference adalimumab to SB5 (adalimumab biosimilar) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: fifty-two-week phase III randomized study results. Arthritis Rheumatol 2018;70:832–40. p [ p ] 2. Zelenetz AD, Ahmed I, Braud EL, et al. NCCN biosimilars white paper: regulatory, scientific, and patient safety perspectives. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2011;9(Suppl 4):S-1–0. 27. Kang B, Lee Y, Lee K, et al. Long-term outcomes after switching to CT-P13 in pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease: a single-center prospective observational study. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2018;24:607–16. p ( pp ) 3. Eleryan M, Akhiyat S, Rengifo-Pardo M, et al. Biosimilars: potential implications for clinicians. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2016;9:135–42. 4. Roger SD. Biosimilars: how similar or dissimilar are they? Nephrology 2006;11:341–6. 28. Blauvelt A, Lacour J-P, Fowler JF, et al. Phase III randomized study of the proposed adalimumab biosimilar GP2017 in psoriasis: impact of multiple switches. Br J Dermatol 2018;179:623–31. 5. Cornes P. The economic pressures for biosimilar drug use in cancer medicine. Target Oncol 2012;7:57–67. Giuliani R, et al. ESMO Open 2019;4:e000460. doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 8 Open access on 2 August 2019 by http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ESMO Open: first published as 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-000460 on 6 March 2019. Downloaded from Buer LC, Moum BA, Cvancarova M, et al. Switching from Remicade® to Remsima® is well tolerated and feasible: a prospective, open- label study. J Crohns Colitis 2017;11:297–304.i 45. QuintilesIMS, 2016. Biosimilars Knowledge Connect—Asia-Pacific. Available: http://www.​bios​imil​arsk​nowl​edge​connect.​com/​en/​ Biosimilars%​20by%​20Region/​Asia%​20Pacific [Accessed Sep 2018]. 36. Yoo DH, Prodanovic N, Jaworski J, et al. Efficacy and safety of CT-P13 (biosimilar infliximab) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: comparison between switching from reference infliximab to CT-P13 and continuing CT-P13 in the PLANETRA extension study. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76:355–63.i ] 46. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 2009. Biosimilar. Available: http:// www.​mfds.​go.​kr/​eng/​index.​do?​nMenuCode=​183 [Accessed Sep 2018]. 37. Griffiths CEM, Thaçi D, Gerdes S, et al. The EGALITY study: a confirmatory, randomized, double-blind study comparing the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of GP2015, a proposed etanercept biosimilar, vs. the originator product in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque-type psoriasis. Br J Dermatol 2017;176:928–38. 47. Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, 2009. Guideline for the quality, safety, and efficacy assurance of follow‐on biologics. Available: http://www.​pmda.​go.​jp/​files/​000153851.​pdf [Accessed Sep 2018]. on 2 August 2019 by guest. Protected by http://esmoopen.bmj.com/ ch 2019. Downloaded from 48. Abas A. Regulatory guidelines for biosimilars in Malaysia. Biologicals 2011;39:339–42. 38. Jørgensen KK, Olsen IC, Goll GL, et al. Switching from originator infliximab to biosimilar CT-P13 compared with maintained treatment with originator infliximab (NOR-SWITCH): a 52-week, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial. The Lancet 2017;389:2304–16.i 49. Generics and Biosimilars Initiative, 2017. India updates its similar biologics guidelines. Available: http://www.​gabionline.​net/​ Guidelines/​India-​updates-​its-​similar-​biologics-​guidelines [Accessed Sep 2018]. 39. Emery P, Vencovský J, Sylwestrzak A, et al. Long-term efficacy and safety in patients with rheumatoid arthritis continuing on Sb4 9
https://openalex.org/W2977055466
https://cris.unibo.it/bitstream/11585/722381/1/sensors-19-04206.pdf
English
null
A Dynamic Access Probability Adjustment Strategy&#x0D; for Coded Random Access Schemes
Sensors
2,019
cc-by
10,722
Received: 13 August 2019; Accepted: 25 September 2019; Published: 27 September 2019 Abstract: In this paper, a dynamic access probability adjustment strategy for coded random access schemes based on successive interference cancellation (SIC) is proposed. The developed protocol consists of judiciously tuning the access probability, therefore controlling the number of transmitting users, in order to resolve medium access control (MAC) layer congestion states in high load conditions. Th t l i i d f t t E ti ti f th b f t itti d i th Abstract: In this paper, a dynamic access probability adjustment strategy for coded random access schemes based on successive interference cancellation (SIC) is proposed. The developed protocol consists of judiciously tuning the access probability, therefore controlling the number of transmitting users, in order to resolve medium access control (MAC) layer congestion states in high load conditions. The protocol is comprised of two steps: Estimation of the number of transmitting users during the current MAC frame and adjustment of the access probability to the subsequent MAC frame, based on the performed estimation. The estimation algorithm exploits a posteriori information, i.e., available information at the end of the SIC process, in particular it relies on both the frame configuration (residual number of collision slots) and the recovered users configuration (vector of recovered users) to effectively reduce mean-square error (MSE). During the access probability adjustment phase, a target load threshold is employed, tailored to the packet loss rate in the finite frame length case. Simulation results revealed that the developed estimator was able to achieve remarkable performance owing to the information gathered from the SIC procedure. It also illustrated how the proposed dynamic access probability strategy can resolve congestion states efficiently. Keywords: congestion; estimation; irregular repetition slotted ALOHA; medium access control; random access; successive interference cancellation sensors sensors sensors A Dynamic Access Probability Adjustment Strategy for Coded Random Access Schemes Jingyun Sun 1, Rongke Liu 1,* and Enrico Paolini 2,* 1 School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Beihang University, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian Dis Beijing 100191, China; sunjingyun@buaa.edu.cn 2 Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering, University of Bologna, via Dell’Universitá 50, 47522 Cesena (FC), Italy * Correspondence: rongke_liu@buaa.edu.cn (R.L.); e.paolini@unibo.it (E.P.); Tel.: +86-10-8233-9475 (R.L.); +39-0547-339137 (E.P.) Jingyun Sun 1, Rongke Liu 1,* and Enrico Paolini 2,* Jingyun Sun 1, Rongke Liu 1,* and Enrico Paolini 2,* 1 School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Beihang University, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haid Beijing 100191, China; sunjingyun@buaa.edu.cn 2 Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering, University of Bologna, via Dell’Universitá 50, 47522 Cesena (FC), Italy * Correspondence: rongke_liu@buaa.edu.cn (R.L.); e.paolini@unibo.it (E.P.); Tel.: +86-10-8233-9475 (R.L.); +39-0547-339137 (E.P.)   1. Introduction Since then, coded random access emerged as a new paradigm and has been the subject of several investigations over the past few years (e.g., [6–12] and references therein). As a result, the throughput has substantially increased which makes it a practical and efficient solution to support uncoordinated access. p pp Despite their numerous advantages, coded random access schemes exhibit lower critical points in traffic load. In other words, the throughput of these schemes is maximized for load values less than 1 and, for larger values of the load, it decreases very rapidly. Congestion occurs when the number of active users is greater than the receiver processing capacity. Several control methods for random access schemes have been investigated, which may be classified into two kinds: Dynamic frame length based methods and dynamic access probability based methods. In dynamic framed slotted ALOHA (DFSA) systems, the frame size is adjusted dynamically according to the estimated number of active users in order to maximize the system efficiency [13–17]. In dynamic access probability based schemes, on the other hand, an access controller is required to adjust the users access probability under high traffic loads in order to limit the number of transmitting users [18–21]. However, in [18–20], the estimation process was simply based on the status of frame slots before the application of SIC and in [21], the estimation is assumed to be ideal at the receiver. Furthermore, the proposed random access control mechanisms in [18] are based on random access schemes without SIC at the receiver, which is not applicable for coded random access schemes. In both [19,20], users directly employ the load threshold from [5], which is obtained via asymptotic analysis (frame length and user population size tending to infinity, their ratio remaining constant). When applied to the finite frame length case, asymptotic load thresholds tend to be beyond the actual critical point, which may yield considerable throughput losses. In this paper, a dynamic access probability based strategy for coded random access schemes is proposed to resolve congestion. The proposed strategy performs two main tasks: Estimation of number of transmitting users in the current frame and the adjustment of access probability in the next frame based on the estimation results. 1. Introduction In machine-type and Internet-of-Things (IoT) communications, users generate a large amount of bursty traffic to transmit over a shared communication medium. Coordinated multiple access schemes turn to be impractical and generally inefficient in such scenarios. For this reason, random access schemes have attracted a renewed interest, as they provide a practical way for uncoordinated users to contend for channel resource. Pure ALOHA scheme [1] was proposed in 1968 to share a channel among a number of users sending packets as soon as they have data to transmit. Classical slotted ALOHA [2] is a distributed random access scheme in which time is divided into slots of equal duration with each transmission starting only at the beginning of a time slot. In both variants, an absence of coordination among users may lead to collisions (two or more packets are received in overlapping time windows). All packets involved in a collision are often reported as useless and are retransmitted after a random delay, according to some probability distribution, or (in the framed case) in the next frame. As a result, pure ALOHA and slotted ALOHA suffer from a throughput penalty and an under-utilization of channel resource. The optimal normalized throughput of pure ALOHA is 0.18 and the throughput of slotted ALOHA is increased to 0.37. www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors Sensors 2019, 19, 4206; doi:10.3390/s19194206 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 2 of 18 The expression of “coded random access” refers to a set of random access schemes that combine the packet repetition of users with successive interference cancellation (SIC) at the receiver. The first coded random access scheme is collision resolution diversity slotted ALOHA (CRDSA) [3], where each user sends two packet replicas in two random slots of the frame, and then SIC is applied to recover the collided packets in an iterative fashion. After CRDSA, CRDSA++ [4] was proposed to further improve throughput by increasing the number of packet replicas. In [5], where irregular repetition slotted ALOHA (IRSA) was proposed, the SIC-based random access process is conveniently described by a bipartite graph, establishing a bridge between the SIC procedure and the iterative erasure decoding of graph-based codes. In IRSA, the packet repetition rate is irregular from user to user and is chosen independently by each active user according to a suitably designed probability distribution. 1. Introduction In our previous work [22–24] techniques for a more reliable estimation of the number of transmitting users in coded random access schemes were developed and more specially, the number of transmitting users in the current frame was estimated using a posteriori information gathered throughout the SIC process. A posteriori estimation was considered for CRDSA in [22], for IRSA in [23] and for CRDSA over a packet and slot erasure channel in [24]. Notably, [22–24] were entirely focused on the estimation process, without any attempt to exploit it within a dynamic access probability adjustment protocol. The usage of a target load threshold tailored to the finite frame length case and the introduction of a state judgment to avoid not fully reliable estimation in high traffic load conditions are other original features of this manuscript. The system model and some preliminary definitions are provided in Section 2. The estimation algorithm for the number of transmitting users in the current frame is addressed in Section 3.1, while the access probability adjustment strategy is proposed in Section 3.2. Numerical results are illustrated in Section 4 and concluding remarks are given in Section 5. 3 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 2.1. System Model We consider a scenario where multiple users contend for access to a single central receiver. The medium access control (MAC) layer is organized into frames and the random access scheme is a slotted one. We denote random variables by capital letters, while their realizations and deterministic quantities are denoted by lower case letters. The frame length is fixed and divided into m time slots with equal duration. Active users are the ones who have packets to transmit. Congestion occurs when the number of active users is too large in comparison to the available resources (a more precise definition of congestion is given in Section 3.2). We use the subscript (k) to represent the index of the MAC frame. If there is no congestion or the congestion is resolved, the index (k) is re-initialized to (0) in the next frame, otherwise, it keeps counting. As such, a frame index k ≥1 indicates that we are in the k-th frame of the current congestion event. User population size is npop. The number of active users is unknown to the receiver and is modeled by a random variable Na; the number of active users at the beginning of frame k is N(k) a . No new user activates before the current congestion has been resolved. Denoting by ∆(k), the number of users that are recovered while processing frame k, for k ≥1 we have: N(k) a = N(k−1) a −∆(k−1). (1) (1) Transmitting users are the ones who are allowed to transmit their packets in the frame. Let T(k) a be the number of transmitting users during frame k. Moreover, denote by p(k) ac the access probability of the active users during frame k. At the beginning of the k-th frame, each active user becomes a transmitting one with probability p(k) ac , independently of other active users. Hence, the conditional expected value of T(k) a is: E[T(k) a |n(k) a ] = n(k) a p(k) ac . (2) (2) Each transmitting user is frame- and slot- synchronous and attempts at most one packet transmission per frame. In every frame corresponding to k = 0, all active users transmit their packets to the receiver, i.e., we have p(0) ac = 1 and t(0) a = n(0) a . 2.1. System Model However, as soon as the contribution of interference, generated by some transmitting users on the slot, is canceled and only one packet replica is left in it, the slot status is updated to singleton. Similarly, if all of the packet replicas transmitted in the slot are recovered by the receiver, the slot status (singleton slot or collision) is updated to empty. Packet replicas from singleton slots are always correctly received, which means that packet losses may only be generated by unresolved collisions. After transmissions, the pointers to twin replicas in the header of the packet enable SIC at the receiver. At first, the receiver stores the content of the frame. Then, the receiver performs iteratively the following procedure, consisting of two subsequent steps: 1. Pick out the singleton slots in the frame. For each singleton slot, extract the transmitting user index, the content of the packet replica, and positions of other twin replicas. Identified users in this step become recovered users; 2. For each user recovered at step 1, remove the user’s contribution of interference in the slots where the packet replicas have been transmitted. A new singleton slot will appear if, after interference cancellation, they contain only one replica. 2. For each user recovered at step 1, remove the user’s contribution of interference in the slots where the packet replicas have been transmitted. A new singleton slot will appear if, after interference cancellation, they contain only one replica. The iterative SIC procedure terminates when all slots are empty ones, in which case SIC succeeds, or when no singleton slot can be found but collision slots still exist, in which case it fails. At the end of the SIC procedure, the residual number of empty slots in the frame is denoted by Me, and the residual number of collided slots per frame by Mc. Obviously, we have Me + Mc = m. Example 1. With reference to Figure 1, ta = 4 users transmit their packets to a frame with m = 5 slots. User u1 generates three replicas of his packet, and sends them to s1, s3, and s4, respectively. Each of the other users generate two replicas of the corresponding packets and transmit them as illustrated in the figure. At the receiver, slots s1 and s4 are singleton slots and the left s2, s3, and s5 are collison slots. 2.1. System Model The instantaneous channel load over frame k is defined as: G(k) = t(k) a m (3) (3) and represents the average number of packet transmissions per slot. The throughput over frame k is defined as: and represents the average number of packet transmissions per slot. The throughput over frame k is defined as: T(k) h = t(k) a m (1 −PL) (4) (4) representing the average number of successfully recovered packets per slot by the receiver. The quantity PL in Equation (4) is the packet loss rate over the frame, which is expressed as: representing the average number of successfully recovered packets per slot by the receiver. The quantity PL in Equation (4) is the packet loss rate over the frame, which is expressed as: PL = 1 −δ(k) t(k) a . (5) (5) Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 4 of 18 In IRSA, each transmitting user sends L packet replicas to slots picked uniformly at random. The number of replicas, named user degree, is a discrete random variable probability mass function (p.m.f.) {Λl}, where Λl = P(L = l) is the probability that a user generates l packet replicas. Users choose their replica factor (i.e., user degree) L independently of each other, with no coordination, and the values of user degree are according to distribution {Λl}. We also represent {Λl} in polynomial form, as Λ(x) = ∑dmax l=1 Λlxl, where dmax is the maximum number of packet replicas per user. Both information about the transmitting user index (assuming users are indexed from 1 to npop) and pointers to the slots where the other replicas have been transmitted are included in the header of each packet replica. CRDSA can be seen as IRSA with Λ(x) = xdmax. In this paper, a classical collision channel model is adopted. After packet replica transmissions, each slot takes one of the following three states: Empty slot (no packet replica transmitted in that slot), singleton slot (only one packet replica transmitted in that slot), and collision slot (two or more than two packet replicas transmitted in that slot). The receiver can always correctly classify the state of each slot. Collision slots provide no information to the receiver about the number and content of collided packet replicas directly. 2.1. System Model Figure 2 provides a graphical interpretation (first proposed in [5]) of the iterative SIC procedure performed on the frame of Figure 1. In the presented graph, “slot nodes" represent slots and “user nodes" represent users. In the first SIC iteration, s1 and s4 are singleton slots and the corresponding packet replicas are correctly received, making u1 a recovered user. The pointer to slot s3, where the twin of the replica in s1 has been transmitted, is extracted (step 1). After the interference from recovered user u1 in slot s3 is canceled and only one packet replica is left in s3, making s3 a new singleton slot (step 2). Then a second iteration is triggered. After three SIC iterations, users u2 and u3 remain unrecovered, there are no singleton slots in the frame, and SIC terminates with failure. The feedback frame configuration signal is {0, 1, 0, 0, 1} which indicates that s1, s3 and s4 are empty slots and that s2 and s5 are unresolved collision slots. Receiving this feedback signal, u2 and u3 become aware that their packets have not been successfully received. 5 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 u4 u3 u2 u1 s1 s2 s3 s4 s5 u4,1 u4,2 u3,1 u3,2 u2,1 u2,2 u1,1 u1,2 u1,3 1 Figure 1. Example of a MAC frame with ta = 4 transmitting users and m = 5 slots. User u1 sends three packet replicas and the other users each send two packet replicas. Slots s1 and s4 are singleton slots and the left s2, s3, and s5 are collision slots. 1 Figure 1. Example of a MAC frame with ta = 4 transmitting users and m = 5 slots. User u1 sends three packet replicas and the other users each send two packet replicas. Slots s1 and s4 are singleton slots and the left s2, s3, and s5 are collision slots. slot nodes user nodes 1 Figure 2. Example of successive interferece cancellation (SIC) procedure corresponding to Figure 1. Squares correspond to slots and circles correspond to users. Figure 2. Example of successive interferece cancellation (SIC) procedure corresponding to Figure 1. Squares correspond to slots and circles correspond to users. 2.2. Threshold Definition and Notation Throughout the paper we define a load threshold G◦as the maximum load such that the packet loss rate falls below a given target value P◦ L. In other words, when the instantaneous load G is below G◦, we have PL ≤P◦ L, otherwise we have PL > P◦ L. In Table 1, some examples of probability distributions Λ(x) are shown with the corresponding target load threshold values. The first two rows in the table represent CRDSA schemes, where each user transmits the same number of replicas. The last two rows represent IRSA schemes, where the number of replicas per user is irregular. The values of G◦have been obtained via a Monte Carlo simulation, for MAC frame length m = 200 and target packet loss rate P◦ L = 0.01. ble 1. Load threshold G◦for different probability distributions Λ(x), for MAC frame length m = 200, d k l P◦ 0 01 Table 1. Load threshold G◦for different probability distributions Λ(x), for MAC frame length m = 200, and packet loss rate target P◦ L = 0.01. Table 1. Load threshold G◦for different probability distributions Λ(x), for MAC frame length m = 200, and packet loss rate target P◦ L = 0.01. Table 1. Load threshold G◦for different probability distributions Λ(x), for MAC frame length m = 200, and packet loss rate target P◦ L = 0.01. Distribution, Λ(x) G◦ Λ1(x) = x2 0.35 Λ2(x) = x4 0.69 Λ3(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8 0.705 Λ4(x) = 0.25x2 + 0.6x3 + 0.15x8 0.76 Load threshold G◦for different probability distributions Λ(x), for MAC frame length m = 200, ket loss rate target P◦ L = 0.01. Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 6 of 18 Figure 3 shows the packet loss rate PL versus instantaneous load G for the distributions in Table 1 and frame length m = 200. As previously remarked, the SIC process in IRSA can be described by a bipartite graph, where unresolved collisions are associated with graphical structures known, in the low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding jargon, as stopping sets. It is well known that the impact of small stopping sets on the finite-length performance is strictly related to the fraction of degree-2 variable nodes in its bipartite graph and a similar role is played by degree-2 users in IRSA. 2.2. Threshold Definition and Notation As observed in the figure, the limitation of degree-2 repetition has a better error floor performance, but a poorer waterfall performance. The detailed packet loss rate performance analysis for IRSA schemes have been addressed in [5]. 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 10−4 10−3 10−2 10−1 100 G PL Λ1 Λ2 Λ3 Λ4 Figure 3. Packet loss rate PL versus instantaneous load G for frame length m = 200 and the distributions in Table 1. Figure 3. Packet loss rate PL versus instantaneous load G for frame length m = 200 and the distributions in Table 1. 2.3. Combinatorial Parameters We denote by |⃗v| = ∑n i=1 |vi| the ℓ1 norm of a real-valued vector ⃗v = (v1, . . . , vn). Moreover, given a second vector ⃗w = (w1, . . . , wn) whose elements are nonnegative integers, we use the compact notation ⃗v⃗w for vw1 1 · · · vwn n . Let⃗o = (o1, . . . , odmax) be a vector whose elements are all nonnegative integers. Let M(⃗o, b) be the set of all |⃗o| × b binary matrices M, with rows and columns indexed from 1 to |⃗o| and from 1 to b, respectively, that fulfill the following properties: 1. The matrix M has the structure: M = [MT 1 MT 2 · · · MT dmax]T where Mi has dimension oi × b and all of its rows have Hamming weight i. 2. Every column of M has Hamming weight at least 2. where Mi has dimension oi × b and all of its rows have Hamming weight i. 2. Every column of M has Hamming weight at least 2. Example 2. Let⃗o = (o1, o2, o3) = (0, 1, 3) and b = 5. Each matrix in M ∈M(⃗o, b) has dimension 4 × 5. Its row indexes should be thought as partitioned into the two subsets {1} and {2, 3, 4}. The row of index 1 has weight 2, and the rows of indexes 2, 3, and 4 have weight 3. Every column of M has weight of at least 2. An example of matrix M ∈M(⃗o, b) is: 7 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 M =      1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1     . M =      1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1     . The following lemma provides a formal expression for the cardinality of the set M(⃗o, b). The following lemma provides a formal expression for the cardinality of the set M(⃗o, b). The following lemma provides a formal expression for the cardinality of the set M(⃗o, b). Lemma 1. For given ⃗o and b, let h(⃗o, b) be the cardinality of the set M(⃗o, b). 3. Dynamic Access Probability Algorithm In this section we introduce the proposed multiple access strategy based on a dynamic adjustment of the users access probability. Section 3.1 addresses estimation of the number of transmitting users; Section 3.2 exploits the developed estimator to perform congestion detection and resolution via dynamic access probability adjustment. 2.3. Combinatorial Parameters Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 8 of 18 In particular, it is obtained by applying Newton’s binomial formula twice and by exploiting the identity coeff(∑i αiPi(⃗x),⃗x ⃗w) = ∑i αicoeff(Pi(⃗x),⃗x ⃗w). In particular, it is obtained by applying Newton’s binomial formula twice and by exploiting the identity coeff(∑i αiPi(⃗x),⃗x ⃗w) = ∑i αicoeff(Pi(⃗x),⃗x ⃗w). 2.3. Combinatorial Parameters Moreover, let ⃗x = (x1, x2, . . . , x|⃗o|) and: Lemma 1. For given ⃗o and b, let h(⃗o, b) be the cardinality of the set M(⃗o, b). Moreover, let ⃗x = (x1, x2, . . . , x|⃗o|) and: ⃗q = (1, . . . , 1 | {z } o1 , 2, . . . , 2 | {z } o2 , . . . , dmax, . . . , dmax | {z } odmax ). (6) (6) Define the multivariate polynomials A(⃗x) and Bj,l(⃗x) as: Define the multivariate polynomials A(⃗x) and Bj,l(⃗x) as: A(⃗x) = |⃗o| ∏ i=1 (1 + xi) − 1 + |⃗o| ∑ i=1 xi ! (7) A(⃗x) = |⃗o| ∏ i=1 (1 + xi) − 1 + |⃗o| ∑ i=1 xi ! (7) (7) and: and: Bj,l(⃗x) = |⃗o| ∑ i=1 xi !l |⃗o| ∏ i=1 (1 + xi) !j . (8) Bj,l(⃗x) = |⃗o| ∑ i=1 xi !l |⃗o| ∏ i=1 (1 + xi) !j . (8) (8) Then, we have: Then, we have: Then, we have: h(⃗o, b) = coeff((A(⃗x))b,⃗x⃗q) (9) = b ∑ j=0 b−j ∑ l=0 b j b −j l  (−1)b−jcoeff(Bj,l(⃗x),⃗x⃗q) (10) (9) (10) where coeff(P(⃗x),⃗x⃗r) is the coefficient of ⃗x⃗r in the multivariate polynomial P(⃗x) where coeff(P(⃗x),⃗x⃗r) is the coefficient of ⃗x⃗r in the multivariate polynomial P(⃗x). Proof. Let⃗c T = (c1, . . . , c|⃗o|)T be the generic column and define a multivariate enumerating function for valid columns (i.e., columns with weight of at least 2): A(⃗x) = ∑ ⃗c:|⃗c|≥2 ⃗x⃗c. (11) (11) It is easy to recognize that an equivalent expression for A(⃗x) is the one shown in Equation (7). This is because (1 + x1) · · · (1 + x|⃗o|) provides the sum of all monomials in the variables x1, . . . x|⃗o| with a unitary coefficient, to which we subtract all monomials of degrees 0 and 1 as required by the condition of validity. Considering now b columns and applying properties of generating functions, coeff((A(⃗x))b,⃗x ⃗w) is the number of |⃗o| × b binary matrices such that all matrix columns are valid and such that the weight of row i is wi. This immediately leads to Equation (9). The equivalent expression of Equation (10) is obtained by simple algebraic manipulation of the multivariate polynomial (A(⃗x))b. 3.1. Number of Transmitting Users Estimation In this subsection, we exploit frame configuration information at the end of SIC to estimate the number t(k) a of transmitting users in the k-th frame, when an SIC failure occurs. For the sake of notational simplicity, the superscript (k) is temporarily omitted. The total number of transmitting users is denoted by ta. We also denote by ta,l the number of such users that employ the replica factor l. Clearly, we have ta = ∑dmax l=1 ta,l. The vector ⃗ta = (ta,1, ta,2, . . . , ta,dmax) is referred to as transmitting users configuration at the beginning of the frame. The number of transmitted users that are recovered at the end of the SIC process is denoted by δ ≤ta. Out of these δ recovered users, δl ≤ta,l are the ones using replica factor l, so that δ = ∑dmax l=1 δl. The vector ⃗δ = (δ1, δ2, . . . , δdmax) is referred to as the recovered users configuration at the end of SIC. max Hereafter we develop a compact expression for the a posteriori probability distribution of the configuration⃗ta of transmitting users, given the number mc of residual collision slots and the configuration⃗δ of recovered users observed at the end of SIC. This probability is denoted by P(⃗ta|mc,⃗δ). Note that, as transmitting users pick their slots uniformly at random, it is sufficient to condition to the number of collision slots (and not to their positions in the frame). The corresponding probability distribution of the number ta of transmitting users is given by: P(ta|mc,⃗δ) = ∑ ⃗ta:|⃗ta|=ta P(⃗ta|mc,⃗δ). (12) (12) A maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimator for the number of transmitting users then returns the value: A maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimator for the number of transmitting users then returns the value: ˆt argmax P(t |m ⃗δ) (13) (13) ˆta = argmax ta P(ta|mc,⃗δ). (13) Theorem 1. The a posteriori probability distribution of the configuration⃗ta of the transmitting users fulfills: Theorem 1. The a posteriori probability distribution of the configuration⃗ta of the transmitting users fulfills: P(⃗ta|mc,⃗δ) ∝ ⃗ta ⃗δ  h(⃗ta −⃗δ, mc) ∏dmax l=1 (m l )ta,l P(⃗ta) (14) (14) where h(⃗o, b) is given by Lemma 1, ( ⃗ta ⃗δ) = ∏l (ta,l δl ), and P(⃗ta) is the a priori probability that the transmitting users configuration equals⃗ta. 3.1. Number of Transmitting Users Estimation where h(⃗o, b) is given by Lemma 1, ( ⃗ta ⃗δ) = ∏l (ta,l δl ), and P(⃗ta) is the a priori probability that the transmitting users configuration equals⃗ta. Proof. From Bayes’ rule we have: From Bayes’ rule we have: Proof. From Bayes’ rule we have: P(⃗ta|mc,⃗δ) = P(mc,⃗δ|⃗ta)P(⃗ta) P(mc,⃗δ) ∝P(mc,⃗δ|⃗ta)P(⃗ta). (15) (15) 9 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 Let T(⃗ta, mc,⃗δ) be the number of ways in which |⃗ta| transmitting users with configuration ⃗ta can transmit their packet replicas in the frame so that, at the end of SIC, there are mc unresolved collision slots and a recovered users configuration ⃗δ. Moreover, let T(⃗ta) be the number of ways in which |⃗ta| transmitting users with configuration⃗ta can place their packet replicas in the frame. The conditional probability P(mc,⃗δ|⃗ta) can be expressed as: Let T(⃗ta, mc,⃗δ) be the number of ways in which |⃗ta| transmitting users with configuration ⃗ta can transmit their packet replicas in the frame so that, at the end of SIC, there are mc unresolved collision slots and a recovered users configuration ⃗δ. Moreover, let T(⃗ta) be the number of ways in which |⃗ta| transmitting users with configuration⃗ta can place their packet replicas in the frame. The conditional probability P(mc,⃗δ|⃗ta) can be expressed as: P(mc,⃗δ|⃗ta) = T(⃗ta, mc,⃗δ) T(⃗ta) . (16) (16) The quantity T(⃗ta) is readility shown to be given by: The quantity T(⃗ta) is readility shown to be given by: T(⃗ta) = dmax ∏ l=1 m l ta,l . (17) (17) To develop an expression for T(⃗ta, mc,⃗δ), we proceed as follows. At the end of SIC, |⃗ta −⃗δ| transmitting users with configuration ⃗ta −⃗δ remain unrecovered. The number of ways in which these users transmit their packet replicas to mc slots, forming mc collisions (at least two replicas per slot) is h(⃗ta −⃗δ, mc). If we let g(⃗δ, mc) be the number of ways in which |⃗δ| transmitting users with configuration ⃗δ can place their packet replicas in a frame with m −mc free slots and mc unresolvable collision slots, so that SIC can recover all of them, we can write (no formal expression for g(⃗δ, mc) is provided because this parameter, not depending on⃗ta does not play any role in the estimation process of Equation(13)): T(⃗ta, mc,⃗δ) = ⃗ta ⃗δ  m mc  h(⃗ta −⃗δ, mc)g(⃗δ, mc). 3.1. Number of Transmitting Users Estimation (18) (18) Incorporating Equation (17) and Equation (18) into Equation (16) and then Equation (16) into Equation (15), and omitting all terms not depending on ⃗ta, we obtain Equation (14). Incorporating Equation (17) and Equation (18) into Equation (16) and then Equation (16) into Equation (15), and omitting all terms not depending on ⃗ta, we obtain Equation (14). Although Equations (13) and (14) define an exact MAP estimator, computing h(⃗ta −⃗δ, mc) turns out to be a complex task, becoming already intractable for frame sizes in the order of a few tens. For this reason we employ an approximated MAP estimator. In the approximation, all packet replicas, even from the same user, are regarded as distinguishable packets. Equivalently, each user chooses l slots with replacement. In this approximate setting, we have P(⃗ta|mc,⃗δ) ∝ ⃗ta ⃗δ  h((∑dmax l=1 (tl −δl)l), mc) m∑dmax l=1 tll P(⃗ta) (19) (19) where (∑dmax l=1 (tl −δl)l) represents a vector with only one element, corresponding to⃗o = (o1) in h(⃗o, b). The value of h((∑dmax l=1 (tl −δl)l), mc) is the number of ways in which ∑dmax l=1 (tl −δl)l packet replicas are sent to mc slots, such that each slot receives not less than 2 packet replicas [25]; m∑dmax l=1 tll is the total number of ways in which ∑dmax l=1 tll packet replicas can be accommodated into the m slots. As an estimator performance measure we consider the MSE, defined as: Mϵ = E[ϵ2] (20) (20) Mϵ = E[ϵ2] where ϵ = ˆt(k) a −t(k) a is the estimation error. 10 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 3.2. Access Probability Adjustment Strategy 3.2. Access Probability Adjustment Strategy We say that we have a congestion on frame k whenever We say that we have a congestion on frame k whenever n(k) a > G◦m, (21) (21) where we recall that n(k) a is the number users that are active on frame k. Our purpose is to exploit the developed estimator to detect congestion states and dynamically adjust the users access probability to improve overall efficiency. Congestion states are resolved by tuning the access probability to control the number of transmitting users in the next frame. where we recall that n(k) a is the number users that are active on frame k. Our purpose is to exploit the developed estimator to detect congestion states and dynamically adjust the users access probability to improve overall efficiency. Congestion states are resolved by tuning the access probability to control the number of transmitting users in the next frame. The proposed scheme is based on the definition of three possible states for a frame, name • Not fully reliable estimate. In high load conditions, SIC typically stops prematurely with a relatively small number of recovered users. We say that the estimate ˆt(k) a is not fully reliable when the number of users recovered by processing the frame is smaller than the number of users that could not be recovered: • Not fully reliable estimate. In high load conditions, SIC typically stops prematurely with a relatively small number of recovered users. We say that the estimate ˆt(k) a is not fully reliable when the number of users recovered by processing the frame is smaller than the number of users that could not be recovered: δ(k) < t(k) a −δ(k) (22) δ(k) < t(k) a −δ(k) (22) δ(k) < t(k) a /2. (23) (22) or, equivalently, δ(k) < t(k) a /2. (23) (23) • Congestion with reliable estimate. The number of active users is above threshold G◦m, but the number of users recovered by processing the frame is not less than the number of users that could not be recovered: • Congestion with reliable estimate. The number of active users is above threshold G◦m, but the number of users recovered by processing the frame is not less than the number of users that could not be recovered: n(k) a > G◦m and δ(k) ≥t(k) a −δ(k). (24) (24) • No congestion. The number of active users is below threshold G◦m: • No congestion. 3.2. Access Probability Adjustment Strategy 11 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 Algorithm 1: Receiver procedure Algorithm 1: Receiver procedure Algorithm 1: Receiver procedure 1 if m(k) c > 0 && P(t(k) a >2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) P(t(k) a ≤2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) > 1 then 2 p(k+1) ac ← Gom npop−∑k i=0 δ(i) ; 3 k ←k + 1; 4 else 5 if m(k) c == 0 then 6 ˆt(k) a = δ(k); 7 else 8 calculate ˆt(k) a according to Equation (19) 9 end 10 ˆn(k) a = ˆt (k) a /p(k) ac ; 11 if ˆn(k) a > G◦m then 12 p(k+1) ac ← Gom ˆn(k) a −δ(k) ; 13 k ←k + 1; 14 else 15 p(1) ac ←1; 16 k ←0; 17 end 18 end 19 broadcast k, p(k) ac , and C(k) to the users; Algorithm 1: Receiver procedure 1 if m(k) c > 0 && P(t(k) a >2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) P(t(k) a ≤2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) > 1 then 2 p(k+1) ac ← Gom npop−∑k i=0 δ(i) ; 3 k ←k + 1; 4 else 5 if m(k) c == 0 then 6 ˆt(k) a = δ(k); 7 else 8 calculate ˆt(k) a according to Equation (19 9 end 10 ˆn(k) a = ˆt (k) a /p(k) ac ; 11 if ˆn(k) a > G◦m then 12 p(k+1) ac ← Gom ˆn(k) a −δ(k) ; 13 k ←k + 1; 14 else 15 p(1) ac ←1; 16 k ←0; 17 end 18 end 19 broadcast k, p(k) ac , and C(k) to the users; 19 broadcast k, p(k) ac , and C(k) to the users; The first step (line 1) consists of detecting whether Equation (23) is fulfilled or not. When SIC succeeds (m(k) c = 0), the estimation is perfect. The algorithm jumps to line 6 and simply sets ˆt (k) a = δ(k). In case of an SIC failure (m(k) c > 0), the algorithm applies a two-hypotheses MAP detector, whose development is presented in Appendix A, to decide whether Equation (23) holds (in which case estimation is considered unreliable) or not. Concretely, if P(t(k) a > 2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) P(t(k) a ≤2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) > 1, (26) (26) then Equation (23) is assumed to hold and the estimation Equation (19) is regarded as not reliable enough. Otherwise, the estimate ˆt(k) a is employed to design the access probability in the next frame. 3.2. Access Probability Adjustment Strategy The number of active users is below threshold G◦m: n(k) a ≤G◦m. (25) (25) In the first case, a large number of transmitting users is unrecovered, and the packet loss rate is larger than 0.5. As illustrated in the numerical results section, the estimation MSE increases with the number of transmitting users and the estimate is therefore regarded as not suitable to design the access probability pac in the subsequent frame. In contrast, in the last two cases the access probability in the next frame is calculated directly by employing the estimate of the number of transmitting users. In the generic frame k, after all transmitting users have performed the transmission of their packet replicas, the receiver performs the SIC procedure. At the end of SIC, the receiver executes the procedure described in Algorithm 1. This procedure is executed regardless of the SIC termination status (success or failure). An explanation of Algorithm 1 is provided in the following. 3.2. Access Probability Adjustment Strategy When Equation (26) is satisfied, a ’not fully reliable estimate’ state is detected and the number of transmitting users is detected to be large enough to create a congestion but the relatively large estimation MSE prevents from relying on ˆt (k) a to reliably adjust the access probability in the next frame. At the end of frame k a number ∑k i=0 δ(i) of active users have been recovered since the beginning of congestion. Therefore, at the beginning of the subsequent frame, the number of unresolved active users fulfills n(k+1) a ≤npop −∑k i=0 δ(i). To make the expected number of transmitting users in the subsequent frame below the target number G◦m, we set the access probability according to (line 2) p(k+1) ac = G◦m npop −∑k i=0 δ(i) . (27) (27) This way, the conditional expected number of transmitting users in the next frame is This way, the conditional expected number of transmitting users in the next frame is 12 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 E[T(k+1) a |n(k+1) a ] = n(k+1) a p(k+1) ac = n(0) a −∑k i=0 δ(i) npop −∑k i=0 δ(i) G◦m, (28) (28) where n(0) a −∑k i=1 δ(i) represents the actual number of unrecovered active users at the beginning of frame k + 1. When the estimation result is detected to be reliable, an acceptable estimation MSE is assumed by the receiver, which exploits ˆt(k) a (equal to δ(k) in case of a SIC success or by Equation (19) in case of a failure) to obtain an estimate of the number of active users on frame k. Specifically, the receiver performs (line 10): ˆn(k) a = ˆt(k) a /p(k) ac . (29) (29) The estimate ˆn(k) a is compared with the threshold G◦m (line 11). If ˆn(k) a > G◦m the receiver declares a congestion with a reliable estimate state. The system is suffering from congestion, but most of (or all of) transmitting users have been recovered by SIC. The relatively low estimation MSE allows confidently using ˆn(k) a to set the access probability for the next frame. If the access probability is kept unchanged in the subsequent frames, the number of transmitting users will deviate progressively from the target G◦m, leading to a low throughput. 3.2. Access Probability Adjustment Strategy To make efficient use of channel resources, we increase the access probability in such a way as to maintain the number of transmitting users close to the target G◦m in the next frame. From Equation (1), the estimated number of unrecovered active users at the beginning of the frame k + 1 is ˆn(k+1) a = ˆn(k) a −δ(k). The target conditional expected number of transmitting users in frame k + 1 is E[T(k+1) a |n(k+1) a ] = G◦m. (30) (30) Thus, the access probability over frame k + 1 is set to (line 12): Thus, the access probability over frame k + 1 is set to (line 12): Thus, the access probability over frame k + 1 is set to (line 12): p(k+1) ac = G◦m ˆn(k) a −δ(k) . (31) (31) If ˆn (k) a < G◦m, a no congestion state is detected. The frame index k is re-initialized to 0 and the users access probability is set to be 1 (lines 15 and 16). As a last step (line 19), the receiver broadcasts to the users the index of the next frame (index of the current frame increased by 1 if a congestion is detected and 0 otherwise), the access probability to be employed by active users in the next frame, and the list of indexes of collision slots at the end of SIC in the current frame. Upon receiving feedback from the receiver, users behave as follows: • If k > 0 (congestion), in the next frame each backlogged user attempts access to the frame with probability equal to the new access probability. Each non-backlogged user is prevented from transmitting new packets; • If k > 0 (congestion), in the next frame each backlogged user attempts access to the frame with probability equal to the new access probability. Each non-backlogged user is prevented from transmitting new packets; • If k = 0 (no congestion), users that are in a backlog state retransmit their packet. Users that are not backlogged take their normal access activity. Users are updated by the receiver about congestion or no congestion simply through the index k. Moreover, each of them knows whether or not it is in a backlog state simply by looking at the list of collision slot indexes C(k). 3.2. Access Probability Adjustment Strategy Note that, if k = 0 (no congestion) is broadcasted by the receiver, this does not necessarily mean that SIC has succeeded as there may be a small number of users unrecovered 13 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 even though the system is not suffering from congestion. In this case, we simply let backlogged users retransmit packet replicas with probability 1 in the subsequent frame, together with possible fresh replicas from newly activated users. even though the system is not suffering from congestion. In this case, we simply let backlogged users retransmit packet replicas with probability 1 in the subsequent frame, together with possible fresh replicas from newly activated users. 4. Numerical Results This section is organized into two subsections. In Section 4.1 we show results on the estimation of the number of transmitting users, while in Section 4.2 we address the performance achieved by the proposed scheme. 4.1. Estimation of Transmitting Users It is also worth noting that the performance of the proposed estimator relies on the SIC performance. In low load conditions, the SIC procedure stops with a large number of users recovered, so in this region the proposed estimation algorithm is more effective. In contrast, in high load conditions SIC almost always stops prematurely, recovering a small number of users, leading the proposed estimation algorithm to be less effectively. 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 10−2 10−1 100 101 102 G Mε Before SIC After SIC 1 Figure 5. Mean squared error (MSE) versus G for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. 2. Dynamic Access Probability Simulation Results 1 Figure 5. Mean squared error (MSE) versus G for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. D i A P b bili Si l i R l 1 Figure 5. Mean squared error (MSE) versus G for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. 1 Figure 5. Mean squared error (MSE) versus G for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. 4.2. Dynamic Access Probability Simulation Results In this subsection, we present the simulation results for dynamic access probability based coded random access schemes using the mentioned estimation methods. The frame length is m = 200 and the user population size is npop = 2000. Moreover, the considered IRSA distribution is Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. Each non-backlogged user activates, independently of the other users, with probability π = 0.8 at the beginning of every frame with k = 0. At the first frame, there are no backlogged users. The target traffic threshold G◦is set to 0.65, 0.705, 0.80, and 0.938 respectively, of which G◦= 0.708 is associated with P◦ L = 0.01 and G◦= 0.938 is the asymptotic threshold of the considered IRSA distribution [5]. The initial access probability is p(0) ac = 1. We analyzed the system performance, during congestion resolution periods, through numerical simulations. Every simulation consisted of a sufficiently large number of runs and, in each run, the simulation was stopped when the congestion was resolved. As a benchmark, consider transmission without any dynamic access probability adjustment process. The expected number of active users (transmitting users) in the initial frame is 1600. The average repetition rate is 3.6, corresponding to an expected number of 6480 packet replicas transmitted over the 200 slots. 4.1. Estimation of Transmitting Users In this section, we present Monte Carlo simulation results using the approximated estimator discussed at the end of Section 3.1. Let the frame length be m = 200 and the user population size be npop = 400. Users are assumed to activate independently of each other at the beginning of every new frame. In each run, after users transmissions, SIC is applied at the receiver and then the developed approximated estimator is applied. Figure 4 shows the average throughput and throughput standard deviation versus the instantaneous load G for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8 [5]. The maximum average throughput is achieved at a value of G that is approximately equal to 0.8. However, the realizations of the per-frame throughput fluctuate around its statistical mean, the throughput standard deviation representing a reliable measure of the bobbing range (i.e., dispersion). A large standard deviation makes the average throughput a not fully meaningful parameter since, due to the per-frame throughput fluctuations, we have a higher probability that the system falls into a not fully reliable estimate state. In this respect, the peak average throughput is not necessarily a good working point, as the statistical mean alone is not able to capture the probability of falling into such an “outage” state. 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 G 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 Average Throughput 0 0.2 0.4 Throughput Standard Deviation Figure 4. Average throughout and throughput standard deviation versus the instantaneous load G for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. Figure 4. Average throughout and throughput standard deviation versus the instantaneous load G for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. Figure 5 shows the estimation performance after SIC iterations, letting the SIC-based receiver run until no active user is recovered. As a comparison, we also consider the estimation performance using the frame configuration before SIC iterations, which is reviewed in Appendix B. In the figure, the solid line is relevant to the proposed estimation making use of the frame configuration and recovered users configuration after SIC iterations. Moreover, a dashed line corresponds to the estimation based on the initially received frame, before SIC is applied. As observed in the figure, the proposed estimation 14 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 algorithm is able to reduce the MSE effectively over the whole range of G values. 4.1. Estimation of Transmitting Users At the receiver, we have a vanishing probability to find singleton slots capable of triggering the SIC process. Without dynamic access probability adjustment, the packet loss rate becomes very close to 1 and the throughput very close to 0, meaning that almost no users are recovered in the subsequent frames, making system congestion unresolvable. Figures 6–8 show that the proposed access probability algorithm works well to resolve congestion. The users access probability is adjusted dynamically to track the number of active users. At frame 1, the access probability is decreased quickly to avoid working in the high load region. In this way, the estimator can provide a reliable estimate at the end of the frame and the receiver is able to perform an accurate access probability design for the users in the next frame. Then the access probability is adjusted dynamically to make the number of transmitting users around the target G◦m. It is increased 15 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 slowly as some users are recovered by the receiver in each transmission. Each curve is plotted up to the maximum value of k for which congestions remain unresolved, which is different for the different choices of the target load threshold. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 k 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 pac Go=0.65 Go=0.705 Go=0.80 Go=0.938 Figure 6. Access probability pac versus frame index k for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. Figure 6. Access probability pac versus frame index k for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 k 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 Th Go=0.65 Go=0.705 Go=0.80 Go=0.938 Figure 7. Throughput performance Th versus frame index k for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. Figure 7. Throughput performance Th versus frame index k for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. 0 5 10 15 20 25 k 10-4 10-3 10-2 10-1 100 PL Go=0.65 Go=0.705 Go=0.80 Go=0.938 Figure 8. Packet loss rate PL versus frame index k for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. Back to Figure 3, we have seen that the IRSA scheme tends to show a packet loss rate floor Figure 8. Packet loss rate PL versus frame index k for IRSA with Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. 4.1. Estimation of Transmitting Users Back to Figure 3, we have seen that the IRSA scheme tends to show a packet loss rate floor at low offered traffic regimes, the floor appearing around PL = 10−2 (corresponding to G = 0.705) for Back to Figure 3, we have seen that the IRSA scheme tends to show a packet loss rate floor at low offered traffic regimes, the floor appearing around PL = 10−2 (corresponding to G = 0.705) for Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 16 of 18 16 of 18 Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. For larger values of G (corresponding to the waterfall packet loss rate region), the packet loss rate increases rapidly: A PL ≃0.08 is achieved at G = 0.80 and a PL ≃0.5 is achieved at G = 0.938. Consequently, in Figure 8, systems with target G◦= 0.65 and G◦= 0.705 have a similar packet loss rate performance, and they perform better than those with target G◦= 0.80 and G◦= 0.938. Furthermore, due to estimation errors and to fluctuations of the actual number of transmitting users, we observe a minor packet loss rate deviation between Figure 8 and Figure 3. For example, in Figure 8, the packet loss rate with target G◦= 0.80 is around 0.2, while in Figure 3, the packet loss rate at G◦= 0.80 is approximately equal to 0.008. Λ(x) = 0.5x2 + 0.28x3 + 0.22x8. For larger values of G (corresponding to the waterfall packet loss rate region), the packet loss rate increases rapidly: A PL ≃0.08 is achieved at G = 0.80 and a PL ≃0.5 is achieved at G = 0.938. Consequently, in Figure 8, systems with target G◦= 0.65 and G◦= 0.705 have a similar packet loss rate performance, and they perform better than those with target G◦= 0.80 and G◦= 0.938. Furthermore, due to estimation errors and to fluctuations of the actual number of transmitting users, we observe a minor packet loss rate deviation between Figure 8 and Figure 3. For example, in Figure 8, the packet loss rate with target G◦= 0.80 is around 0.2, while in Figure 3, the packet loss rate at G◦= 0.80 is approximately equal to 0.008. As a final remark, recall that the throughput is defined as G(1 −PL). The influence of PL at G ≤0.705 is small, so that the per-frame throughput T(k) h is approximately equal to the instantaneous load G. 5. Conclusion In this paper, we proposed a technique to estimate the number of transmitting users in each frame of an IRSA-based coded random access system. The estimated number of transmitting users in the current frame was exploited to adjust the users access probability in the next frame. Frame configuration information as well as recovered users configuration information at the end of the SIC procedure were employed to make the estimation more accurate. Numerical results revealed how the derived dynamic access probability strategy could resolve congestion efficiently, with a stable throughput and a target packet loss rate performance for a proper choice of the parameter G◦. Interesting directions of investigation include the exact efficient evaluation of the h(⃗o, b) function (addressed in Lemma 1), to make the optimum estimator applicable to large communication networks. Adjusting the frame length dynamically in situations of slowly varying traffic load over a large scale is another direction of investigation that, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, has not been so far addressed in the coded random access context. Author Contributions: All the authors contributed extensively to the work presented in this paper and to writing the paper itself. J.S. and E.P. conceived the idea and developed the proposed approaches. E.P. gave advice on the research and helped in editing the paper. E.P. and R.L. improved the quality of the manuscript and completed revision. Funding: This research was funded by the China Scholarship Council (grant No. 201706020024). Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. 4.1. Estimation of Transmitting Users That is why in Figure 7, the throughput performance with target G◦= 0.705 is better than that with target G◦= 0.65. However, for the cases G◦= 0.8 and G◦= 0.938, the influence of PL can not be ignored any more. The system performance is worse even though the load target G◦is higher, since the packet loss rate is now considerably higher. Appendix B. Estimation Using Collision Slots before SIC The user’s repetition rate is Λ(x). Define Λ′(1) as the average user repetition rate given by Λ′(1) = ∑l lΛl. It is easy to verify that the probability that a generic user sends a packet replica within a given slot is Λ′(1)/m. As the users send packet replicas randomly, the slot degree distribution is binomially distributed. The probability that a slot has l collided users is given by: Ψl = ta l  Λ′(1) m l  1 −Λ′(1) m ta−l . (A3) (A3) Before SIC iterations, the probability pe that a given slot is empty, the probability ps that a given slot is singleton and the probability pc that a given slot is a collision one can be expressed respectively as: Before SIC iterations, the probability pe that a given slot is empty, the probability ps that a given slot is singleton and the probability pc that a given slot is a collision one can be expressed respectively as: pe =  1 −Λ′(1) m ta , (A4) ps = ta Λ′(1) m  1 −Λ′(1) m ta−1 (A5) (A4) (A5) and: and: and: pc = 1 −pe −ps. (A6) pc = 1 −pe −ps. (A6) An estimation for Ta using frame configuration before SIC performs: ˆta = argmax ta P(ta|wc), (A7) ˆta = argmax ta P(ta|wc), (A7) (A7) where wc is the number of collision slots before SIC iterations. Following Bayes’ rule, P(ta|wc) may be developed as: P(ta|wc) ∝P(wc|ta)P(ta) ∝pcwc(1 −pc)m−wc. (A8) (A8) Appendix A. Justification and Implementation of Equation (26) This appendix justifies and addresses the implementation of the two-hypotheses MAP detection rule Equation (26). Let the two hypotheses be H0 and H1. Moreover, let r represent the observation. The optimum detection rule consists of making the decision ˆH0 when P(H0|r) > P(H1|r) and of making the decision ˆH1 otherwise. In our case, H0 corresponds to a ’not fully reliable estimate’ state (satisfied Equation (23)); H1 corresponds to a ’reliable estimate’ state (Equation (23) not holding). The observation is (m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)). Hence, we have: P(t(k) a > 2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) P(t(k) a ≤2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) ˆH0 ≷ ˆH1 1, (A1) (A1) 17 of 18 17 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 where P(t(k) a > 2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) = ∑t (k) a : t (k) a >2δ(k) P(t(k) a |m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) and P(t(k) a ≤2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) = ∑t(k) a : t(k) a ≤2δ(k) P(t(k) a |m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)). The probability P(t(k) a |m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) can be expressed as: P(t(k) a > 2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) = ∑t (k) a : t (k) a >2δ(k) P(t(k) a |m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) and P(t(k) a ≤2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) = (k) (k) ⃗(k) (k) (k) ⃗(k) where P(t(k) a > 2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) = ∑t (k) a : t (k) a >2δ(k) P(t(k) a |m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) and P(t(k) a ≤2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ ∑(k) (k) (k) P(t(k) a |m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)). The probability P(t(k) a |m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) can be expressed as: k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) and P(t(k) a ≤2δ(k)|m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) = P(t(k) a |m(k) c ,⃗δ (k)) = ∑ ⃗ta:|⃗t (k) a |=t(k) a P(⃗t (k) a |mc,⃗δ (k)), (A2) (A2) where P(⃗t (k) a |mc,⃗δ (k)) comes from the estimator Equation (14). where P(⃗t (k) a |mc,⃗δ (k)) comes from the estimator Equation (14). where P(⃗t (k) a |mc,⃗δ (k)) comes from the estimator Equation (14). where P(⃗t (k) a |mc,⃗δ (k)) comes from the estimator Equation (14). References 1. Abramson, N. The ALOHA system: Another alternative for computer communications. In Proceedings of the Fall Joint Computer Confonference, New York, NY, USA, 17–19 November 1970; pp. 281–285. 2. Roberts, L.G. ALOHA packet systems with and without slots and capture. ACM SIGCOM Comput. Commun Rev 1975 5 28 42 [CrossRef] 1. Abramson, N. The ALOHA system: Another alternative for computer communications. In Proceedings of the Fall Joint Computer Confonference, New York, NY, USA, 17–19 November 1970; pp. 281–285. 1. Abramson, N. The ALOHA system: Another alternative for computer communications. In Proceedings of the Fall Joint Computer Confonference, New York, NY, USA, 17–19 November 1970; pp. 281–285. 2. Roberts, L.G. ALOHA packet systems with and without slots and capture. ACM SIGCOM Comput. Commun. Rev. 1975, 5, 28–42. [CrossRef] 2. Roberts, L.G. ALOHA packet systems with and without slots and capture. ACM SIGCOM Comput. Commun. Rev. 1975, 5, 28–42. [CrossRef] 3. Casini, E.; De Gaudenzi, R.; Herrero, O.D.R. Contention resolution diversity slotted ALOHA (CRDSA): An enhanced random access scheme for satellite access packet networks. IEEE Trans. Wirel. Commun. 2007, 6, 1408–1419. [CrossRef] 18 of 18 Sensors 2019, 19, 4206 18 of 18 4. De Gaudenzi, R.; Herrero, O.D.R. Advances in random access protocols for satellite networks. In Proceedings of the 2009 International Workshop on Satellite and Space Communications, Tuscany, Italy, 9–11 September 2009; pp. 331–336. . Liva, G. Graph-based analysis and optimization of contention resolution diversity slotted ALO IEEE Trans. Commun. 2011, 59, 477–487. [CrossRef] 6. Amat, A.G.; Liva, G. Finite Length Analysis of Irregular Repetition Slotted ALOHA in the Waterfall Region. IEEE Commun. Lett. 2018, 22, 886–889. [CrossRef] 7. De Gaudenzi, R.; Herrero, O.D.R.; Gallinaro, G.; Cioni, S.; Arapoglou, P.D. Random access schemes for satellite networks, from VSAT to M2M: A survey. Int. J. Satellite Commun. Netw. 2018, 36, 66–107. [CrossRef] e Gaude , ; e e o, O ; Ga a o, G ; C o , S ; apog ou, a do access sc e es o satellite networks, from VSAT to M2M: A survey. Int. J. Satellite Commun. Netw. 2018, 36, 66–107. [CrossRef] 8. Alvi, S.; Durrani, S.; Zhou, X. Enhancing CRDSA with Transmit Power Diversity for Machine-Type Communication. IEEE Trans. On Vehic. Tech. 2018, 67, 7790–7794. [CrossRef] 8. Alvi, S.; Durrani, S.; Zhou, X. Enhancing CRDSA with Transmit Power Diversity for Machine-Type Communication. IEEE Trans. On Vehic. Tech. 2018, 67, 7790–7794. [CrossRef] 9. References Paolini, E.; Liva, G.; Chiani, M. Coded slotted ALOHA: A graph-based method for uncoordinated multiple access. IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 2015, 61, 6815–6832. [CrossRef] 10. Paolini, E.; Stefanovi´c, ˇC.; Liva, G.; Popovski, P. Coded random access: Applying codes on graphs to design random access protocols. IEEE Commun. Mag. 2015, 53, 144–150. [CrossRef] 11. Taghavi, A.; Vem, A.; Chamberland, J.-F.; Narayanan, K.R. On the design of universal schemes for massive uncoordinated multiple access. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT), Barcelona, Spain, 10–15 July 2016; pp. 345–349. y p y pp 12. Sandgren, E.; i Amat, A.G.; Brännström, F. On frame asynchronous coded slotted ALOHA: Asymptotic, finite length, and delay analysis. IEEE Trans. Commun. 2017, 65, 691–704. [CrossRef] 13. Schoute, F. Dynamic frame length ALOHA. IEEE Trans. Commun. 1983, 31, 565–568. [CrossRef] 14. Chen, W.-T. An accurate tag estimate method for improving the performance of an RFID anticollision algorithm based on dynamic frame length ALOHA. IEEE Trans. Autom. Sci. Eng. 2009, 6, 9–15. [CrossRef] 14. Chen, W.-T. An accurate tag estimate method for improving the performance of an RFID anticollision algorithm based on dynamic frame length ALOHA. IEEE Trans. Autom. Sci. Eng. 2009, 6, 9–15. [CrossRef] 15. Eom, J.-B.; Lee, T.-J. Accurate tag estimation for dynamic framed-slotted ALOHA in RFID systems. 15. Eom, J.-B.; Lee, T.-J. Accurate tag estimation for dynamic framed-slotted ALOHA in RFID systems. IEEE Commun. Lett. 2010, 14, 60–62. [CrossRef] 16. Wu, H.; Zeng, Y. Bayesian tag estimate and optimal frame length for anti-collision ALOHA RFID system. IEEE Trans. Autom. Sci. Eng. 2010, 7, 963–969. [CrossRef] 7. Zanella, A. Estimating collision set size in framed slotted ALOHA wireless networks and RFID syst IEEE Commun. Lett. 2012, 16, 300–303. [CrossRef] 18. Rivero Angeles, M.E.; Lara Rodriguez, D.; Cruz-Perez, F.A. Random-access control mechanisms using adaptive traffic load in ALOHA and CSMA strategies for EDGE. IEEE Trans. Vehic. Tech. 2005, 54, 1160–1186. [CrossRef] 19. Lee, M.W.; Lee, J.K.; Lim, J.S. R-CRDSA: Reservation-Contention Resolution Diversity Slotted ALOHA for Satellite Networks. IEEE Commun. Lett. 2012, 16, 1576–1579. [CrossRef] 20. Noh, H.J.; Lee, J.K.; Lim, J.S. Performance evaluation of access control for CRDSA and R-CRDSA under high traffic load. In Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Military Communications Conference, San Diego, CA, USA, 18–20 November 2013; pp. 1365–1370. 21. Sun, J.; Liu, R. Irregular Repetition Slotted ALOHA with Priority (P-IRSA). References In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC Spring), Nanjing, China, 15–18 May 2016; pp. 1–5. 22. Sun, J.; Liu, R.; Paolini, E. Detecting the Number of Active Users in Coded Random Access Systems. In Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE 29th Annual International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC), Bologna, Italy, 9–12 September 2018; pp. 1–7. 23. Sun, J.; Liu, R.; Paolini, E. Detecting the Number of Active Users in IRSA Access Protocols. In Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE 29th Annual International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC), Bologna, Italy, 9–12 September 2018; pp. 1972–1976. 24. Sun, J.; Liu, R.; Paolini, E. Unrecovered Users Distribution in Coded Random Access Systems with Erasures. In Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC), Shanghai, China, 20–24 May 2019; pp. 1–6. 25. Schmetterer, L. An introduction to combinatorial analysis by J. Riordan. Phys. Today 1959, 12, 158. c⃝2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
https://openalex.org/W2100430783
https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1465654/1/s12889-015-1541-8.pdf
English
null
Public preferences for vaccination and antiviral medicines under different pandemic flu outbreak scenarios
BMC public health
2,015
cc-by
11,631
RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access * Correspondence: s.michie@ucl.ac.uk 1Health Psychology Research Group, University College London, London WC1E 7HB, UK Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 DOI 10.1186/s12889-015-1541-8 Helena Rubinstein1, Afrodita Marcu2, Lucy Yardley2 and Susan Michie1* Helena Rubinstein1, Afrodita Marcu2, Lucy Yardley2 and Susan Michie1* © 2015 Rubinstein et al.; licensee BioMed Central. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Background This body of research suggests that, in a future pan- demic, the public would benefit from more knowledge about the health threat and about who will be at-risk from infection, how the infection spreads, how to self-diagnose, short and long term consequences of the illness if precautionary measures are not taken, and the potential side effects of vaccination and antiviral drug treatments [30-32,34,35], including safety and efficacy tests for a new vaccine that would be rapidly deployed [30]. In some instances, trust was found to be an important component in acceptance and compliance with recommended behaviours; however, trust in public officials has been found to be weak compared with trust in medical professionals [31,34,36-38]. Although the research described above has identified a range of factors promoting pandemic vaccination, there is less about those factors influencing uptake of antiviral medicines. Evidence shows that the factors that have been found to promote uptake of vaccination included being vaccinated for seasonal flu [8-10], perceiving that the outbreak was se- vere and resulting in high morbidity and mortality [11,12], high levels of worry and anxiety [13], being in a priority group [14] and believing that the vaccine was effective and safe [14,15]. In addition, social influences were important; for example knowing someone who had the disease and knowing that others had a favourable view of the vaccine [11] as well as trust in the source of information [11,15-17]. Factors that have been found to act as barriers to uptake of pandemic influenza vaccination were: believ- ing that the outbreak was not serious [16,17], and not iden- tifying oneself as being at-risk [17]. Fears about the safety and side effects of the vaccine were also a barrier to H1N1 vaccine uptake [8,14,18-20]. It appeared that the public preferred to take the risk of harm posed by the disease over any harm that might be caused by being vaccinated [21,22]. The scant research in the UK and elsewhere about the public’s response to antiviral medicines in the last pan- demic suggests that the public knew relatively little about antiviral medicines and had limited experience of their use [23]. Frequent travellers had more positive perceptions of antiviral medication as a result of prior usage [24,25] and research with pregnant women found a tension between women’s desire to protect the foetus from harm and worry about the safety of taking medicines when pregnant [26]. Background Research conducted with the public in advance of an outbreak can inform the type of messages that are likely to be effective in promoting acceptance of these recom- mended behaviours [27,28]. Such past research has investigated hypothetical scenarios of varying degrees of severity and advice on a variety of precautionary behav- iours including hand-washing, covering the mouth, vac- cination and seeking medical attention [29-32]. Results showed that the public was largely unfamiliar with the term ‘pandemic’ and tended to believe that pandemic influenza was similar to seasonal influenza [29,31]. Most people do not know whether the symptoms of pandemic flu are different from pandemic influenza and are unsure how to recognise the signs [29,32,33]. g The 2009 A/(H1N1) influenza pandemic was less mark- edly severe than previous strains such as the H3N2 virus in 1968 [1]. The groups that were most at-risk from infection were those aged below 19 years [2], pregnant women and individuals with underlying illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, respiratory diseases, immune sup- pression and renal disease [3]. One dose of pandemic vaccine conferred good protection against the infection in approximately 70% of cases [4]. However, despite the effectiveness of the vaccine, the public demand for vac- cination was low and many people were not vaccinated. For example, in the UK uptake of vaccination among clinically at-risk groups was 37.6% [5]. For those who contracted pandemic influenza, antiviral medicines were recommended as a treatment, and the provision of anti- viral medicines (also as a preventive measure) was a major component of emergency plans in many countries [6]. Data from the UK National Pandemic Flu Service (NPFS) indicated that of the 1.8 m courses of antiviral medicines that were authorised, only 1.16 million were collected and many patients failed to complete a full course [7]. This suggests that there is a need to develop effective commu- nications to improve uptake and to consider how best to advise the public on the nature of the disease, why they should seek prevention (vaccination) or treatment (antiviral medication), who should seek it and when. Abstract Background: During the 2009-2010 A(H1N1) pandemic, many people did not seek care quickly enough, failed to take a full course of antivirals despite being authorised to receive them, and were not vaccinated. Understanding facilitators and barriers to the uptake of vaccination and antiviral medicines will help inform campaigns in future pandemic influenza outbreaks. Increasing uptake of vaccines and antiviral medicines may need to address a range of drivers of behaviour. The aim was to identify facilitators of and barriers to being vaccinated and taking antiviral medicines in uncertain and severe pandemic influenza scenarios using a theoretical model of behaviour change, COM-B. Methods: Focus groups and interviews with 71 members of the public in England who varied in their at-risk status. Participants responded to uncertain and severe scenarios, and to messages giving advice on vaccination and antiviral medicines. Data were thematically analysed using the theoretical framework provided by the COM-B model. Results: Influences on uptake of vaccines and antiviral medicines - capabilities, motivations and opportunities - are part of an inter-related behavioural system and different components influenced each other. An identity of being healthy and immune from infection was invoked to explain feelings of invulnerability and hence a reduced need to be vaccinated, especially during an uncertain scenario. The identity of being a ‘healthy person’ also included beliefs about avoiding medicine and allowing the body to fight disease ‘naturally’. This was given as a reason for using alternative precautionary behaviours to vaccination. This identity could be held by those not at-risk and by those who were clinically at-risk. Conclusions: Promoters and barriers to being vaccinated and taking antiviral medicines are multi-dimensional and communications to promote uptake are likely to be most effective if they address several components of behaviour. The benefit of using the COM-B model is that it is at the core of an approach that can identify effective strategies for behaviour change and communications for the future. Identity beliefs were salient for decisions about vaccination. Communications should confront identity beliefs about being a ‘healthy person’ who is immune from infection by addressing how vaccination can boost wellbeing and immunity. Keywords: Pandemic influenza, Vaccination, Antiviral medicines, Behaviour Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Page 2 of 13 Background While research has often focused on the public’s response to advice during severe or moderate pandemic outbreaks little is known about how the public would respond to advice in an explicitly uncertain situation where the risk is less clear cut. For example, Teasdale & Yardley [32] studied the public’s response to advice in scenarios where the consequences were described as moderate or severe; Elledge and collegues [31] investi- gated mild and severe scenarios for avian flu and McGlone et al studied [39] responses to a severe sce- nario. Understanding how the public responds when the progress and impact of a pandemic is uncertain will be important because it is during the emergent, uncertain stages of a pandemic that the public will be asked to consider the potential risk of contracting pandemic influenza and to take precautionary measures to reduce the likelihood of personal infection and spread. The majority of studies that have investigated how the public respond to precautionary advice has rarely been informed by a theoretical understanding of behaviour change. Using a theoretical framework helps to integrate empirical findings and elucidate processes of change and mechanisms of action of effective communication and Page 3 of 13 Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 other intervention strategies. A useful framework for this purpose is the COM-B model summarising factors necessary for behaviour to change across behavioural domains [40] (Figure 1). The initials stand for ‘capabil- ity’, ‘opportunity’, ‘motivation’ and ‘behaviour’, and the model recognises that behaviour is part of an interacting system involving all these components. Changing behav- iour will involve changing one or more of them in such a way as to put the behavioural system into a new con- figuration and minimise the risk of it reverting. Because of the interacting nature of these components, one may increase, for example, motivation by increasing capability (e.g. knowledge and skills) and opportunity (e.g. access to resources and social influence). reflects the brain processes that direct behaviour which may be reflective (evaluations and plans) or automatic (emotions and impulses arising from associated learning). COM-B has been elaborated into 14 theoretical domains, the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) [41]. The study aimed to systematically identify facilitators of and barriers to being vaccinated and taking antiviral medicines in uncertain and severe pandemic influenza scenarios using the COM-B framework. Method Design and recruitment S d f By specifying the factors that need to change for a behaviour to occur, the model can identify the kinds of interventions that are likely to be effective. The model postulates that for any behaviour to occur a person must have the psychological and physical capability to perform the behaviour; the physical and social opportunity to engage in it, and must be motivated to do so at the relevant moment compared with some other behaviour. Psychological and physical capability refers to the range of capacities such as knowledge, physical and mental skills and facilities such as strength and stamina. Oppor- tunity can be physical and social and refers to environ- mental factors that permit the behaviour including access, availability, time and financial resources and social factors such as the cultural milieu we operate in. Motivation Background An uncertain scenario was used in addition to a severe scenario because in the early stages of a pandemic there is often uncertainty about how the situation will unfold, how rapidly the infection will spread, or what impact this could have on the population. Hence it is important to understand how people respond to precautionary advice in these conditions of uncertainty, how they make sense of the risk, and what types of precautionary measures they express preference for. We adopted the COM-B model in our approach to the uptake of pandemic flu vaccination and antiviral medi- cines because changing the incidence of any behaviour in a group or population is likely to involve changing more than one driver of behaviour. Sample Sampling was purposeful and individuals who varied in their risk status were recruited. Of the 71 participants, 23 were men and 48 were women; Details of the demo- graphic profile are shown in Table 1. Thirty-five were from designated at-risk groups of whom 10 had an underlying condition, and six were pregnant. Of the 36 participants not designated as being at-risk, nine were specifically recruited because they were mothers with young children. Thirty-eight of the participants were vaccinated for seasonal influenza regularly (of whom 20 were from clinical at-risk groups) and two had been vaccinated for seasonal influenza for the first time this year. Eighteen people who did not consider themselves to be at risk had been vaccinated at least once before for seasonal influenza. Reasons for being vaccinated among those who were designated as not being at high risk included recommendation by a GP, and being offered Materials Two scenarios were developed: an uncertain and a severe scenario. The severe scenario was based on that used by Teasdale and Yardley (2011) which described a severe level of risk, severe health consequences and the national im- pact of the pandemic. The uncertain scenario was devel- oped to reflect the early conditions that occurred during the 2009/10 pandemic. This described an uncertain situ- ation, uncertain health consequences and uncertain public impact of the pandemic (see Table 2). Short messages promoting the uptake of vaccinations and antiviral medicines for pandemic influenza were developed to reflect evidence from prior research that identified barriers to uptake but also to reflect the key drivers of behaviour as defined in the COM-B frame- work. These were presented as advice from official sources (see Table 3). Table 1 Profile characteristics of participants Gender Type of group Male 23 Mothers/young children 9 Female 48 Elderly - aged 65 years and over 19 Underlying illness* 10 Pregnant 6 General public 27 Location Been vaccinated for seasonal flu London 47 Yes 40 Southampton 24 No 31 Age Perceived risk of catching influenza 16-35 years 21 Not at risk 35 36-64 years 20 At risk 17 65 years and over 30 Not stated 19 Ethnicity H1N1 vaccine White/White British 42 Yes 12 Black/Black African 22 No 56 Other 7 NA 3 Education Antiviral for H1N1 Secondary school 7 Yes 3 College 7 No 65 University educated 36 NA 3 Not stated 21 *i.e., diabetic, asthma, COPD. Table 1 Profile characteristics of participants Design and recruitment Semi-structured focus groups and interviews were con- ducted with a diverse sample of the general public. To ensure that participants were from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds we recruited from a variety of orga- nizations in London and Southampton including chil- dren’s centres, AgeUK lunch clubs, community centres, students from a university, voluntary organisations and support groups for those with underlying conditions such as diabetes, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmon- ary Disease) and PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholingitis). Advertisements were placed in these centres explaining the purpose of the study, who was eligible, how to par- ticipate and offering a small monetary compensation for Figure 1 Schematic of the components and relationships in the COM-B model. Figure 1 Schematic of the components and relationships in the COM-B model. Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Page 4 of 13 participation. The managers of the centres where inter- views were held advertised the study and made rooms available for the focus groups to take place. the vaccine at work. 12 participants had received mono- valent H1N1 vaccine and three had antiviral medicines during the 2009-2010 pandemic. Ethical approval for the study was granted by University College London (Reference: 5081/001) and the University of Southampton (Reference: 7387) ethics committees. It should be noted that groups were not always mutu- ally exclusive. For example, some individuals who had been recruited as ‘elderly’ (over 65 years of age) also reported that they had other underlying conditions that would put them in another at-risk category. *i.e., diabetic, asthma, COPD. Data analysis Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and NVivo 10 was used to code and to maintain a trail of memo and theme development. Analysis was iterative and each transcript was read and re-read numerous times by the first two authors independently. Transcripts were coded line by line and analysed comparatively to identify simi- larities and differences [42]. A data audit was conducted by the first two authors to clarify meanings, remove duplicated codes and identify data that did not match the coding scheme [43]. Results Responses to the uncertain and severe scenarios differed: in the uncertain scenario participants were hesitant and ambivalent about following advice because the risk was unclear whereas in the severe scenario the need to act seemed more obvious and almost all claimed they would comply with the official advice. The focus of this paper is on facilitators and barriers to uptake of pandemic influenza vaccination, because participants knew relatively little about antiviral medi- cines and were less able to discuss them. Responses to advice about antiviral medicine were more limited, as the participants were largely unfamiliar with these medi- cines, but were broadly similar to responses to advice about being vaccinated; any differences are highlighted after the responses in common are presented. Inductive analysis was used to identify responses to the uncertain and severe scenarios. Deductive analysis was used to identify facilitators and barriers to following recommended advice to be vaccinated and take antiviral medicines. In addition, code names were assigned to the six COM-B components: physical and psychological capabilities; automatic and reflective motivations, and social and physical opportunities (see Additional files 1 and 2 – code frames). For the purposes of analysis, the Theoretical Domains Framework [41] was used. This is a variant of the COM-B which subdivides the themes into 14 detailed components that map directly onto COM-B. These are: ‘knowledge’; ‘skills’; ‘memory, atten- tion and decision processes’; ‘behavioural regulation’; ‘social/professional role and identity’; ‘beliefs about cap- abilities’; ‘optimism’; ‘beliefs about consequences’; ‘inten- tions’; ‘goals’; ‘reinforcement ‘emotion’; ‘environmental context and resources’; and ‘social influences’a. Most people who catch flu feel very ill for around a week. Almost 1 in every 10 people who catch flu need hospital care, and 1 in every 50 healthy people who catch flu die. Most people who catch flu feel very ill for around a week. Almost 1 in every 10 people who catch flu need hospital care, and 1 in every 50 healthy people who catch flu die. When the virus reaches the UK, we don’t know whether life will carry on much as usual or whether there will be serious problems with services such as the NHS, schools or vital supplies. Life cannot continue as usual. Most schools close, there is very high sickness absence at work and so there are problems with essential supplies, and health care services are not coping and have to be prioritised for the most seriously ill. being in a priority group (36 people – men and women under 65 years, mothers with young children). being in a priority group (36 people – men and women under 65 years, mothers with young children). Table 2 Uncertain and Severe Scenarios of Pandemic Influenza used in the research Uncertain Scenario Severe scenario Table 2 Uncertain and Severe Scenarios of Pandemic Influenza used in the research Table 2 Uncertain and Severe Scenarios of Pandemic Influenza used in the research Uncertain Scenario Severe scenario Flu virus has spread to where you live, 1 in 2 of those coming into close contact with an infected person catch flu. Scientists do no yet know how badly the flu virus will affect people in the UK - doctors are trying to learn about the virus as fast as they can, but do not know if it will be mild or serious. Procedure D ll Data collection took place in London and Southampton from November 2013 to March 2014. Nine focus groups, three paired interviews and six individual interviews were conducted by the first two authors at the centres from which participants were recruited. Written in- formed consent was obtained from all participants who received a small monetary compensation for their in- volvement. Interviews lasted between 20 and 65 minutes and were audio recorded with the participants’ consent. An interview schedule structured into two sections was used to guide the discussion. The first section was to establish what participants knew about pandemic influenza, vaccinations, and antiviral medicines for pan- demic influenza, and personal experiences of pandemic influenza. The second section focused on responses to two scenarios and advice concerning vaccinations and antiviral medicines. Participants were asked to imagine that they were in a given situation and to consider what they would think, feel and do if this were to occur. The Uncertain scenario (Table 2) was always shown first, followed by the advice about antiviral medicines (Table 3). The Severe scenario (Table 2) was shown second followed by the advice on vaccinations (Table 3), and then antiviral medicines. All participants were debriefed in full at the end of the interview and reassured that these were fictional scenarios. Page 5 of 13 Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Severe scenario The [pandemic] flu virus has not yet reached the area where you live but it is now spreading to the UK. In other countries hundreds of people are infected - some people do not have any symptoms but 15 have died. Flu virus has spread to where you live, 1 in 2 of those coming into close contact with an infected person catch flu. Capability Knowledge The majority of participants knew little about pandemic influenza and many were unsure of the meaning of the word ‘pandemic’. Overall, few people linked ‘pandemic influenza’ to the A/H1N1 pandemic influenza outbreak of 2009-2010. They tried to make sense of it by likening it to other more familiar phrases such as ‘epidemic’, inferring that it was probably a more widespread and more serious form of influenza: You’d step up your vitamin C etc. and your cod liver oil. (Male, over 65 years) I would be watching more people touching- for me per- sonally, washing my hands er you know being aware if someone sneezes I’d probably ask them to cover their face. (Mother with young children) I just thought pandemic flu was all kinds of flu, I didn’t…oh well I actually thought maybe pandemic sounds like a flu that is outbreaking and very dangerous and they want to keep it under control. (Pregnant woman) I just thought pandemic flu was all kinds of flu, I didn’t…oh well I actually thought maybe pandemic sounds like a flu that is outbreaking and very dangerous and they want to keep it under control. (Pregnant woman) In this situation, it was thought to be important to ‘keep an eye on the media’ to find out what general advice was being given. In contrast, the most common response to the severe scenario was to take action. 32 million people in the UK with flu, yeah. Okay. I’m off to the doctor. (Male, not at-risk) Only two people in the study spontaneously referred to the fact that pandemic influenza is a novel strain of virus. When this information was presented, people found the notion of it being a novel strain helpful in explaining the threat it posed beyond seasonal influenza: You’d probably be ringing up your GP and going ‘I need to look after my daughter - I don’t want to get it. Can you put me in a priority group? (Female, not at-risk) You’d probably be ringing up your GP and going ‘I need to look after my daughter - I don’t want to get it. Can you put me in a priority group? Barriers and facilitators to vaccination uptake Five of the six components in the COM-B model accounted for participants’ responses (Table 4). some evidence to suggest that the uncertainty was experi- enced as disconcerting, the majority did not see the need for vaccination or antiviral medicines. Rather, participants suggested that they would do more of the behaviours they already practiced such as following good hand and respira- tory hygiene and taking more Vitamin C: Capability Knowledge (Female, not at-risk) It’s just the word they use when it is worldwide and it is spreading from chickens in China or something, but other than that I didn’t know what it meant, that it was new, why don’t they just say new? I mean they want new, it’s the new one for which there isn’t any vaccine yet; that should be said. (Female, over 65 years) The ‘call to action’ occurred because this situation was thought to be serious. ‘Serious’ was often interpreted in terms of the disease being emotionally and physically close rather than in terms of the absolute number of people who were ill, hospitalised or had died. If it is your neighbour - it is really – being really ill with flu, if they got it and their baby got it it’s near to you and you know people and I would feel influenced I think. Well I’ve got a baby at home and my elderly mum lives next door I should get it because I don’t want to put them at-risk by me getting or vice versa but if it is on the news and they are telling you in China – you know whatever I am thinking ‘whatever, am I at-risk? Is my family at-risk? It’s on the TV. I don’t know –am I going to get this? (Female, not at-risk) In the absence of this new information, some thought that pandemic influenza could be like seasonal influenza. What are the symptoms? Are there different symptoms from swine flu and ordinary flu? What would you look out for? How would you know you had one from the other? They could be the same. (Male, not at-risk) Responses to the scenarios: procrastination vs. call to action The most common response to the uncertain scenario was to ‘wait and see’ or ‘do nothing yet’. There were two reasons given for this: the situation was likened to the swine flu outbreak, which was not considered to be ser- ious, and it was thought to be distant - both emotionally and physically - and hence, less worrying: It hasn’t got into the country at the moment, so um I’m not sure if there are people that have the pandemic flu. (Pregnant womanb) The facilitators and barriers to being vaccinated and take antiviral medicines were reviewed separately. Responses to accepting advice were also investigated according to two broad categories – those designated as being in a priority group (35 people – men and women over 65 years, preg- nant, underlying illnesses) and those not designated as Personal risk was perceived to be low, even amongst those in a designated priority group. Although there was Table 3 Advice to take antiviral medicines and to be vaccinated used in the research Antiviral medicines Vaccinations PEOPLE WITH PANDEMIC FLU are advised to take antiviral medicines to reduce their symptoms, and the length of time they are ill. You are advised by your GP to get vaccinated at once to protect you and your family from getting pandemic flu. PEOPLE IN A PRIORITY GROUP will be provided with antiviral medicines to prevent them from catching flu. Vaccines for pandemic flu have been through the same careful tests as vaccines for seasonal flu and are safe to use Table 3 Advice to take antiviral medicines and to be vaccinated used in the research PEOPLE WITH PANDEMIC FLU are advised to take antiviral medicines to reduce their symptoms, and the length of time they are ill. Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Page 6 of 13 Barriers and facilitators to vaccination uptake Five of the six components in the COM-B model accounted for participants’ responses (Table 4). Automatic motivations In the uncertain scenario, the participants expressed lit- tle concern about the pandemic outbreak. Most partici- pants were not worried and so many could not see a need to be vaccinated or take antiviral medicine: Memory (Pregnant female) …it’s a good first step, I guess, you know, to try and get the word out there that this could potentially be a problem, but this wouldn’t be the deciding factor [to be vaccinated]. (Pregnant female) able to avoid catching it or something, and then like… but then, the next day, it will be like, oh, actually, there’s only one person in Yorkshire that’s got it… (Female, not at-risk) able to avoid catching it or something, and then like… but then, the next day, it will be like, oh, actually, there’s only one person in Yorkshire that’s got it… (Female not at risk) (Female, not at-risk) Having been offered the seasonal influenza vaccine previously was put forward as a reason for considering pandemic influenza vaccination – ‘it would never stop me because I have been having them [seasonal flu jab] for years and years’ (Female, underlying illness). …there’s nothing to do yet. I feel like this is worrying about nothing (Male, not at-risk) Memory Some participants spontaneously linked the word ‘pan- demic’ to bird flu or swine flu but many did not. Recall of the swine flu pandemic was low, partly because only four participants in our sample had contracted it, and partly because few knew anyone who had. A prevalent comment was that media had exaggerated the risk of swine flu: In severe scenarios, there was a high level of anxiety and an awareness of personal susceptibility. As one woman with young children commented ‘this is normal people and they are dying’. The need to take novel precautionary measures, of any kind, was less likely to be disputed: It’s almost like you get kind of a mixed picture of what it actually is, and then, it will be reported in a way that people will think it’s…that they’re not going to be I think people follow any advice [in this scenario] that is given from an authority figure anyway, even if it was poison…(Female, not at–risk) I think people follow any advice [in this scenario] that is given from an authority figure anyway, even if it was poison…(Female, not at–risk) Page 7 of 13 Rubinstein et al. Memory BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 able to avoid catching it or something, and then like… but then, the next day, it will be like, oh, actually, …it’s a good first step, I guess, you know, to try and get the word out there that this could potentially be a Table 4 Factors that can influence uptake of vaccine for pandemic influenza identified in the study using COM-B CAPABILITY MOTIVATION OPPORTUNITY The capacity to engage in the behaviour Brain processes that energise and direct behaviour Factors lying outside the individual that act as barriers or promoters of behaviour Psychological Automatic Physical Capacity to engage in necessary thought processes Emotions and impulses Physical opportunity in the environment Knowledge of the disease Emotion: Fear Access • Pandemic influenza is a novel strain • Expressed not just numerically but in terms of physical and emotional proximity • to treatments • Awareness of morbidity, mortality and transmission rates • to professional advice Memory Habitual behaviour Able to book to see GP • Media exaggeration of last pandemic • Being vaccinated for seasonal influenza and taking medicines in general Avoiding ‘hubs of infection’ Physical Reflective Social Capacity to engage in necessary physical processes Evaluation and plans Cultural milieu that affects what we think about things • Not salient/not mentioned Beliefs about consequences Social influences • Pandemic influenza is not more serious than seasonal influenza • Respected others are being vaccinated • The vaccine has not been adequately tested and may be unsafe or ineffective • Believing that it is unacceptable to put others at risk Omission bias Trust • Believing that the risks of being vaccinated outweigh the risk of being ill with pandemic influenza • Recommendation from trusted health professional • Respected others recommend Identity (health) Group identity • Believing that a healthy lifestyle confers immunity • Being part of an at-risk support group Optimistic bias • Tending to the view that they will not be infected or will make an easy recovery from pandemic influenza Social role • Responsibility for other family members, including unborn Anticipated regret • Concern that the outbreak could be more serious than expected and have not been vaccinated • Responsibility for other family members, including unborn Anticipated regret • Concern that the outbreak could be more serious than expected and have not been vaccinated …it’s a good first step, I guess, you know, to try and get the word out there that this could potentially be a problem, but this wouldn’t be the deciding factor [to be vaccinated]. able to avoid catching it or something, and then like… but then, the next day, it will be like, oh, actually, there’s only one person in Yorkshire that’s got it… (F l t t i k) Social identity Th h Participants tended to believe that pandemic influenza was similar to seasonal influenza, which was not consid- ered to be a serious illness. If participants thought that the consequences of being ill with pandemic influenza were minimal there was little incentive to take precau- tionary measures. Those who were accepting of vaccination and antiviral medicines tended to view themselves as less healthy and acknowledged that they could be at risk of infection from pandemic influenza. They were frequently in con- tact with medical professionals and followed their advice and routinely took medication and the seasonal influ- enza vaccination. Many were from a seasonal influenza priority group and regarded the decision to get vacci- nated or take medicines as ‘normal’: A week being ill [with flu] isn’t the end of the world. I think if I thought it was going to be much worse than that, you know, I would be more concerned and more likely to have the vaccine. (Female, underlying illness) I think if you are already in a group such as us, who are already taking loads of medications, constant checks and tests, you tend to be a bit more accepting. Whereas if you don’t take medications, you’re normally quite healthy and you are suddenly being told ‘we want you to have this, we recommend you take it’. (Female, underlying illness) There was a view that the consequences of being vac- cinated were potentially worse than becoming ill from influenza. In many cases this was related to concerns about side effects or a belief that it was possible to con- tract influenza from the vaccine itself. These views were not shaped by personal experience. What I feel about vaccines is that you actually get a virus or not – what you get is a small amount so you are not supposed to get an illness. I am not sure that is true. I have heard that many people do get ill after having the vaccine… (Mother with young children) Pregnant women considered themselves to be tempor- arily in the at-risk category, although most commented that they would prefer not to take medicines in case of harm to the foetus but would do so if a medical profes- sional recommended it. By comparison, those participants who were less accept- ing of vaccination advice tended to perceive themselves as ‘fit and healthy’ and have had less frequent contact with medical professionals. Reflective motivations …there’s nothing to do yet. I feel like this is worrying about nothing (Male, not at-risk) In the uncertain scenario, participants tended to make a ‘risk assessment’ (e.g. male, not at-risk) and ‘weigh up the Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Page 8 of 13 risk in my mind, the side effects of the vaccine versus am I going to lose my life or be significantly impacted by it’ (e.g. female, underlying condition). Participants delib- erated about the consequences of being ill with influ- enza as opposed to the consequences of being ill with side-effects from the vaccine. In doing so, they drew on their current status as a healthy person who would not need to be vaccinated; on their role in society as a responsible person who should be vaccinated to prevent family members (especially children) from becoming ill; and on feelings of anticipated regret if the virus became worse and they had failed to be vaccinated. By contrast, a facilitator of vaccine uptake was the belief that a vaccine would be protective. This was of particular relevance to those who were aware that they could have complications as a result of becoming ill, for example, pregnant women who were concerned to pro- tect their babies: ‘It’s only because I’m pregnant that I’m more worried, because otherwise I wouldn’t [be]’. A further facilitator of vaccine uptake was anticipated regret: a tendency to consider that the situation could become worse and that there could be negative conse- quences from not being vaccinated early enough. As this young man who was not at-risk said: ‘It would be a brave man to say no, I’m not taking anything at all when everyone around you is dropping’. Social opportunities Social influences included recommendations from trusted sources, especially health professionals, taking account of the behaviour of respected others, and the influence of the media. pp Physical opportunities The main physical opportunity that appeared to promote uptake of vaccination was access to advice and treat- ment. Participants anticipated that vaccination would be readily available at GP surgeries or at pharmacies. How- ever, surgeries were considered to be a ‘hub for infection’ which should be avoided: I would be very happy for my own body to make an attempt to try and fight it because what I know about vaccines is that they break the immune system. (Female, mother with young children) I’m not a great fan of taking medicine for medicines sake really. I think that’s probably the criteria that I applied and I’m just reluctant I think to take something which at the end of the day um I don’t really see the benefit of really. (Male, not at-risk) You are going into an environment where you are prone to get flu because there is different people, so I’d be scared. I think I’d be like can’t you just post it through the door, like send it, I don’t know, I wouldn’t go to the centre. Would you? (Mother with young children) Beliefs about being fit and healthy and being able to naturally fight disease contributed to a sense of optimism: the belief that that they were less vulnerable than others to being infected with pandemic influenza: The anxiety about attending a surgery prompted one participant to suggest that mobile dispensaries should come to local neighbourhoods ‘to bring the medication to you’ (Male, not at-risk). In addition, there was concern about the difficulty of booking an appointment in a timely fashion because of pressures on the health service. …touch wood, I feel I’m quite healthy anyway…I seem to be alright. (Pregnant woman) …touch wood, I feel I’m quite healthy anyway…I seem to be alright. (Pregnant woman) I’m alright, I’ll do the best I can, I’ll do my exercise which is my overall shield, my barrier against all diseases… (Male, underlying illness) Social identity Th h Notions of being ‘fit and healthy’, rarely becoming ill and having a strong immune system were invoked to deny the need for vaccination because they were unlikely to be at–risk. A range of behaviours such as, eating healthily and exercising were believed to confer this immunity. Only a minority of participants were openly critical of vaccine safety or efficacy but where such concerns were expressed they were given as reasons not to be vacci- nated. In expressing scepticism about the safety of a newly developed vaccine the participants drew on beliefs or representations of how drugs are developed and made available to the public, and argued that a pandemic flu vaccine cannot meet the standard safety criteria due to its ‘sudden’ production: …look after yourself, eat healthier and do a bit of exercise and try and keep away from people with viruses and that sort of thing and um I do that without sort of getting neurotic about it. (Male, underlying illness) Every other drug has been tested for years and years before it can go on the shelf. How can they suddenly produce something in six months and put it on the shelf? I’d be very suspicious of that. (male, not at-risk) Page 9 of 13 Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 their social role as a protector of their family or as a role model to family members would influence them in the direction of being vaccinated: Three types of behaviours were commonly cited as a way to stave off infection: social distancing, lifestyle re- lated activities, and improving basic hygiene. More than half of participants spontaneously mentioned distancing behaviours as a means to reduce the risk of being in- fected, e.g. avoiding crowds, not travelling on public transport, and staying at home: If you are a family person and you have got children that are under sixteen, for example, it’s up to you to decide whether they would have this vaccination, and if you say no, I’m not going to let them have it and they die, that’s a big responsibility on you. (Male, not at-risk) I think people will stay indoors, and people will not congregate - meetings or anything like that, supermarkets, trains… (Male, not at risk) …this is a collective thing (Female, not at-risk) …it’s not just about you is it, it’s about everyone else (Pregnant woman) …it’s not just about you is it, it’s about everyone else (Pregnant woman) …it’s not just about you is it, it’s about everyone else (Pregnant woman) About one third cited lifestyle behaviours as a means of staving off infection such as eating properly, drinking more water, exercising and supplementing their diet with vitamin C, cod liver oil or orange juice. Finally, improved hygiene behaviour was often mentioned such as using hand gels, washing hands more frequently, cleaning sur- faces and covering one’s face when sneezing or coughing. However, only a minority of participants believed that they had a social responsibility to be vaccinated in order to prevent the circulation of the virus within the wider society. Virtually no participant referred to the notion of herd im- munity and to the duty of every citizen to vaccinate to reduce others’ risk of infection. Thus, it could be argued that the risk of pandemic influenza was primarily under- stood as a personal rather social issue, with little attention being paid to the social aspects of a pandemic outbreak. Using alternative behaviours to vaccination related to the view that medicine should be avoided where possible and that it was better to allow the body to fight off dis- eases ‘naturally’. Arguably, some people preferred these precautionary behaviours to vaccination because they seemed without side-effects and also more within their direct control. People who held these views could be from either an at-risk or not-at-risk group: Discussion and conclusions The aim of this study was to systematically identify facilitators of and barriers to being vaccinated and take antiviral medicines in uncertain and severe pandemic influenza scenarios using the COM-B framework. The influences on vaccination and antiviral uptake were wide-ranging, including various aspects of capability, motivation and social opportunity, with some evidence that addressing one aspect could impact on others in the system. For example, social opportunity in the form of recommendations from respected others influenced reflective motivations in the form of beliefs about vaccine efficacy. This suggests that the influences on vaccine and antiviral uptake are multi- dimensional and that communications to promote uptake are likely to be most effective if they address several components. Additional factors that may influence uptake of antiviral medicines Beliefs about antiviral medicines tended to be ill-informed, for example, considering that they were antibiotics and that they would be delivered in injection form. If it is very, very strongly recommended [in uncertain scenario], well then I would go and beat the surgery door down and get a vaccine, but um if the advice isn’t that strong well then I’d leave it for a bit and see how I get on. (Male, underlying illness) Many were unsure whether they would recognise the signs of pandemic influenza, for example, ‘What are the symptoms? Are there different symptoms from swine flu and ordinary flu? What would you look out for? How would you know you had one from the other?’ (Male, not at-risk) Participants were also likely to respond to sources of informal advice, for example close friends and family, an authority in the workplace or a local community leader. This was particularly evident among a group of elderly Somali women and a group of men in a close-knit area of Central London who said that they would actively seek the advice of community leaders. Most of the participants commented that the advice to take antiviral medicines seemed ‘sensible’ and compared with vaccination fewer concerns were raised. Overall there was less resistance to uptake because ‘if you were feeling ill and feeling like death, you would take anything’ (Male, not at risk). Participants acknowledged that the media will play a role during a pandemic outbreak and they expected that they would get information ‘from reliable newspapers not the Sun or Metro’ (Pregnant woman). A common ex- pectation was that the media would exaggerate the situ- ation because ‘you hear it on the news and you obviously have to take it with a pinch of salt because the news media are always out for a story’ (Male, not at-risk). Social role Participants believed that they would actively seek advice from their GP in a pandemic situation and would Pregnant women were aware of their social role to pro- tect their unborn child but others also commented that Page 10 of 13 Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 and it’s a different age demographic to me, I probably think actually I am not going to take that risk [of being vaccinated]….. (Female, underlying illness) put faith in the recommendations made by them because ‘I am not a medic and therefore I follow his advice’ (Male, not at-risk). However, in an uncertain scenario some participants commented that they would seek additional supporting evidence on the internet. Never- theless, if a GP made a strong recommendation to be vaccinated, most participants would follow their advice: put faith in the recommendations made by them because ‘I am not a medic and therefore I follow his advice’ (Male, not at-risk). However, in an uncertain scenario some participants commented that they would seek additional supporting evidence on the internet. Never- theless, if a GP made a strong recommendation to be vaccinated, most participants would follow their advice: Group identity It is beyond the scope of this paper to enumerate the range of potential interventions but a few examples are described below:  The study indicated that identity as a ‘healthy person’ was a barrier to being vaccinated. Messages that address these beliefs – for example, explaining how no-one is immune to a new strain of flu and that being vaccinated can enhance health by boosting immunity Beliefs about being able to boost one’s natural immun- ity were held by those who were clinically at-risk, as well as by those who were not at-risk. This study suggests that many people in priority groups do not self-identify as being vulnerable and may, therefore, not make the connection with messages aimed at them. Such a disconnection could explain why only 37.65% of those in priority groups in the UK were vaccinated dur- ing the last pandemic [5]. More may need to be done to ensure that those in a priority group are able to identify themselves as being more susceptible to the effects of pandemic influenza than others. – may be effective in increasing uptake.  A further barrier to uptake was a belief that lifestyle behaviours such as eating healthily and exercising could confer immunity and make people less vulnerable to contracting pandemic influenza. Communications that address these beliefs might include information about why people are vulnerable to a new strain of influenza and about the effectiveness of vaccines in reducing the risk of infection or in boosting immunity. Promoters of and barriers to uptake cannot be consid- ered separately from the context of the scenario: in a high risk scenario intentions to follow advice to be vacci- nated or to take antiviral medicines were high whereas in the uncertain scenario there was hesitancy and am- bivalence and it was in this situation that the full range of doubts, concerns and misperceptions emerged. Although the participants were purposively sampled to represent a range of risk profiles, a limitation of this research was that the sample may not reflect the views of the wider population because it was not represen- tative and focus groups may attract people who are particularly interested in the topic area. Furthermore, it is not clear whether being in the habit of being vacci- nated or not being vaccinated conditioned responses to different scenarios. This could be explored in future research. Group identity Identifying as being part of a group was a factor in decision-making about vaccination. This was because several people with underlying conditions belonged to support groups either in person or on-line. These groups would sometimes discuss the need for vaccination …the people in the online forum talk about flu vaccination…. I know from reading online that it covers people like me (Female, underlying illness) Identity as a healthy or at-risk individual influenced whether or not people thought they were vulnerable to contracting pandemic influenza and whether they be- lieved that practicing alternative protective behaviours could be as effective as vaccination. Feelings of vulner- ability were engendered by being labelled as being in a clinically at-risk group (having an underlying illness, being older or pregnant), and by the severity of the scenario because if it was perceived to be very severe all people will be susceptible to pandemic influenza. However, despite being aware that one was part of an at-risk group, some people who were in the at-risk groups distanced themselves emotionally from the need to be vaccinated. One female participant who had Pri- mary Sclerosing Cholangitisc argued that she would only think of herself as being vulnerable if the people who were infected were from the same country and demo- graphic as herself: I think does the risk of getting the vaccine outweigh the risk of the impact on my life. I guess when it is a million miles away and very few people are getting it In contrast, those who felt invulnerable to pandemic influenza cited the rarity of being ill with flu and be- lieved that they were, young, healthy or fit and hence Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Page 11 of 13 Page 11 of 13 had a strong immune system. Those who had con- structed an identity as ‘a healthy person’ were less will- ing to follow advice to be vaccinated and did not view using biomedicine as ‘normalised’. The use of alternative behaviours, especially eating well, exercising and using vitamin supplements was thought to boost immunity and hence, reduce the risk of being infected and the need for vaccination. behaviour. It is at the centre of the Behaviour Change Wheel [40] - a tool to guide intervention design by identifying which intervention functions are likely to be most effective. Endnotes aThe original TDF was developed by an international panel of 32 experts in behaviour change who identified 128 constructs from 33 behaviour change theories and simplified them into domains. Usability was developed with an international team of implementation scientists. The TDF has been validated and refined by an inter- national panel of 36 experts in behaviour change. 5. Sethi M, Pebody R. Pandemic H1N1 (Swine) Influenza Vaccine Uptake amongst Patient Groups in Primary Care in England 2009/10. UK: Department of Health; 2010. 6. Berera D, Zambon M. Antivirals in the 2009 pandemic - Lessons and implications for future strategies. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2013;7:72–9 6. Berera D, Zambon M. Antivirals in the 2009 pandemic - Lessons and implications for future strategies. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2013;7:72–9. 7. Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Team. National Pandemic Flu Service: An Evaluation. 2011. 7. Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Team. National Pandemic Flu Service: An Evaluation. 2011. 8. Li M, Chapman GB, Ibuka Y, Meyers LA, Galvani A. Who got vaccinated against H1N1 pandemic influenza? – A longitudinal study in four US cities. Psychol Health. 2012;27:101–15. 8. Li M, Chapman GB, Ibuka Y, Meyers LA, Galvani A. Who got vaccinated against H1N1 pandemic influenza? – A longitudinal study in four US cities. Psychol Health. 2012;27:101–15. bParticipants are referred to by gender and whether they are in an at-risk group (over 65 years, pregnant, underlying illness) or not in an at-risk group (included mothers with young children). 9. Bíró A. Determinants of H1N1 vaccination uptake in England. Prev Med. 2013;57:140–2. 9. Bíró A. Determinants of H1N1 vaccination uptake in England. Prev Med. 2013;57:140–2. 10. Frew PM, Painter JE, Hixson B, Kulb C, Moore K, del Rio C, et al. Factors mediating seasonal and influenza A (H1N1) vaccine acceptance among ethnically diverse populations in the urban south. Vaccine. 2012;30:4200–8 10. Frew PM, Painter JE, Hixson B, Kulb C, Moore K, del Rio C, et al. Factors mediating seasonal and influenza A (H1N1) vaccine acceptance among ethnically diverse populations in the urban south. Vaccine. 2012;30:4200–8. cPSC is a disease of the liver and people with this con- dition are recommended to have the influenza vaccine because they have lowered immunity as a result of the treatments they receive. 11. Bish A, Yardley L, Nicoll A, Michie S. Factors associated with uptake of vaccination against pandemic influenza: a systematic review. Vaccine. 2011;29:6472–84. 11. Bish A, Yardley L, Nicoll A, Michie S. Endnotes Factors associated with uptake of vaccination against pandemic influenza: a systematic review. Vaccine. 2011;29:6472–84. 12. Kok G, Jonkers R, Gelissen R, Meertens R, Schaalma H, de Zwart O. Behavioural intentions in response to an influenza pandemic. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:174. 12. Kok G, Jonkers R, Gelissen R, Meertens R, Schaalma H, de Zwart O. Behavioural intentions in response to an influenza pandemic. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:174. Group identity Van-Tam J, Sellwood C. Pandemic Influenza. 2nd ed. Oxford: CABI; 2013. 4. Valenciano M, Kissling E, Cohen J-M, Oroszi B, Barret A-S, Rizzo C, et al. Estimates of pandemic influenza vaccine effectiveness in Europe, 2009–2010: results of Influenza Monitoring Vaccine Effectiveness in Europe (I-MOVE) multicentre case-control study. PLoS Med. 2011;8:e1000388. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. 16. D’ Alessandro E, Hubert D, Launay O, Bassinet L, Lortholary O, Jaffre Y, et al. Determinants of refusal of A/H1N1 pandemic vaccination in a high risk population: a qualitative approach. PLoS One. 2012;7:e34054. Additional file 1: Coding frame: responses to uncertain and severe scenario. Additional file 1: Coding frame: responses to uncertain and severe scenario. 14. Brien S, Kwong JC, Buckeridge DL. The determinants of 2009 pandemic A/H1N1 influenza vaccination: a systematic review. Vaccine. 2012;30:1255–64. 14. Brien S, Kwong JC, Buckeridge DL. The determinants of 2009 pandemic A/H1N1 influenza vaccination: a systematic review. Vaccine. 2012;30:1255–64. Authors’ contributions All authors (HR, AM, SM, LY) contributed to the design of this study. HR and AM recruited and interviewed participants. HR led the analysis of the data and writing of the article. All authors (HR, AM, SM, LY) read and approved the manuscript. 17. Blank PR, Bonnelye G, Ducastel A, Szucs TD. Attitudes of the general public and general practitioners in five countries towards pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines during season 2009/2010. PLoS One. 2012;7:e45450. and writing of the article. All authors (HR, AM, SM, LY) read and approved the manuscript. 18. Ashbaugh A, Herbert C, Saimon E, Azoulay N, Olivera- Figueroa L, Brunet A. The decision to vaccinate or not during the H1N1 pandemic: selecting the lesser of two evils? PLoS One. 2013;8:e588852. Author details 1 l h h l 1Health Psychology Research Group, University College London, London WC1E 7HB, UK. 2School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK. 1Health Psychology Research Group, University College London, London WC1E 7HB, UK. 2School of Psychology, University of Southampton, 22. Ritov I, Baron J. Reluctance to vaccinate: omission bias and ambiguity. J Behav Decis Mak. 1990;4:263–77. Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK. 23. McNulty C, Joshi P, Butler CC, Atkinson L, Nichols T, Hogan A, et al. Have the public’s expectations for antibiotics for acute uncomplicated respiratory tract infections changed since the H1N1 influenza pandemic? A qualitative interview and quantitative questionnaire study. BMJ Open. 2012;2:e000674. Received: 29 August 2014 Accepted: 16 February 2015 Received: 29 August 2014 Accepted: 16 February 2015 24. Masuet-Aumatell C, Toovey S, Zuckerman JN. Prevention of influenza among travellers attending at a UK travel clinic: beliefs and perceptions. A cross-sectional study. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2013;7:574–83. Acknowledgments The manuscript has been read and approved for publication by the Department of Health. 19. Böhmer MM, Walter D, Falkenhorst G, Müters S, Krause G, Wichmann O. Barriers to pandemic influenza vaccination and uptake of seasonal influenza vaccine in the post-pandemic season in Germany. BMC Public Health. 2012;12:938. Funding This research was conducted as part of the project Improving Communication With the Public About Antivirals and Vaccination During the Next Pandemic, funded by the Department of Health through the Policy Research Programme funding stream (grant code: 019/0060). The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Health. 20. Lau JTF, Yeung NCY, Choi KC, Cheng MYM, Tsui HY, Griffiths S. Factors in association with acceptability of A/H1N1 vaccination during the influenza A/H1N1 pandemic phase in the Hong Kong general population. Vaccine. 2010;28:4632–7. 21. Brown KF, Kroll JS, Hudson MJ, Ramsay M, Green J, Vincent CA, et al. Omission bias and vaccine rejection by parents of healthy children: Implications for the influenza A/H1N1 vaccination programme. Vaccine. 2010;28:4181–5. Additional file 2: Code frame: barriers and promoters of uptake. Additional file 2: Code frame: barriers and promoters of uptake. 15. Gilles I, Bangerter A, Clémence A, Green EGT, Krings F, Staerklé C, et al. Trust in medical organizations predicts pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccination behavior and perceived efficacy of protection measures in the Swiss public. Eur J Epidemiol. 2011;26:203–10. Group identity COM-B as a framework for analysis was a useful starting point for identifying the range of factors associated with uptake of vaccination and antiviral medicines. The barriers and facilitators of uptake could be classified within the framework which allowed an explanation of behaviour across several components. Many of the factors discussed have been identified in previous studies; for example this study supports previ- ous research that one of the most consistent predictors of vaccine uptake is the habit of being vaccinated for seasonal influenza [8-10,14,19], that the role of emo- tion (automatic motivations) is highly relevant [11] and that a barrier to vaccine uptake is negative beliefs about the vaccine such that the consequences of being vacci- nated are perceived to be as or more problematic than the consequences of becoming ill with pandemic influ- enza [18,19,21,33,44,45]. Future research needs to take account of the extent to which messages about vaccination can be transparent in addressing concerns about the vaccine; for example being more open about how the vaccine is developed. In addition, we should investigate whether messages that address identity are effective in promoting uptake of vaccination. In particular, to examine whether positively framed health messages that focus on wellbeing are more effective than messages about risk reduction for individuals who do not self-identify as being vulnerable to infection. The promoters and barriers to being vaccinated and taking antiviral medicines are multi-dimensional, and communications to promote uptake are likely to be most effective if they address several components of be- haviour. The benefit of using the COM-B model is that it is at the core of an approach that can identify effective strategies for behaviour change or communications for the future. People from at-risk groups do not always perceive themselves to be at-risk because they have constructed an identity as a healthy person who is However, comparison between studies is made difficult because different researchers select a small sub-set of predictor variables to examine; only a minority make use of a model of behaviour to explain why these variables were selected (exceptions are Teasdale & Yardley 2011 [27], Myers & Goodwin 2012 [46], and Kok et al 2010 [12]) or accommodate different levels of severity. COM-B is a theoretical starting point for understand- ing behaviour within specific contexts and to make a ‘behavioural diagnosis’ of what needs to change to alter Rubinstein et al. Additional files 13. Rubin GJ, Amlot R, Page L, Wessely S. Public perceptions, anxiety, and behaviour change in relation to the swine flu outbreak: cross sectional telephone survey. BMJ. 2009;339:b2651–1. 13. Rubin GJ, Amlot R, Page L, Wessely S. Public perceptions, anxiety, and behaviour change in relation to the swine flu outbreak: cross sectional telephone survey. BMJ. 2009;339:b2651–1. Group identity BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Page 12 of 13 Page 12 of 13 2. Van Kerkhove MD, Hirve S, Koukounari A, Mounts AW, Allwinn R, Bandaranayake, et al. Estimating age-specific cumulative incidence for the 2009 influenza pandemic: A meta-analysis of A(H1N1)pdm09 serological studies from 19 countries. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2013;7:872–86. 3. Van-Tam J, Sellwood C. Pandemic Influenza. 2nd ed. Oxford: CABI; 2013. 4. Valenciano M, Kissling E, Cohen J-M, Oroszi B, Barret A-S, Rizzo C, et al. Estimates of pandemic influenza vaccine effectiveness in Europe, 2009–2010: results of Influenza Monitoring Vaccine Effectiveness in Europe (I-MOVE) multicentre case-control study. PLoS Med. 2011;8:e1000388. 5. Sethi M, Pebody R. Pandemic H1N1 (Swine) Influenza Vaccine Uptake amongst Patient Groups in Primary Care in England 2009/10. UK: Department of Health; 2010. 6. Berera D, Zambon M. Antivirals in the 2009 pandemic - Lessons and implications for future strategies. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2013;7:72–9. 7. Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Team. National Pandemic Flu Service: An Evaluation. 2011. 8. Li M, Chapman GB, Ibuka Y, Meyers LA, Galvani A. Who got vaccinated against H1N1 pandemic influenza? – A longitudinal study in four US cities. Psychol Health. 2012;27:101–15. 9. Bíró A. Determinants of H1N1 vaccination uptake in England. Prev Med. 2013;57:140–2. 10. Frew PM, Painter JE, Hixson B, Kulb C, Moore K, del Rio C, et al. Factors mediating seasonal and influenza A (H1N1) vaccine acceptance among ethnically diverse populations in the urban south. Vaccine. 2012;30:4200–8. 11. Bish A, Yardley L, Nicoll A, Michie S. Factors associated with uptake of vaccination against pandemic influenza: a systematic review. Vaccine. 2011;29:6472–84. 12. Kok G, Jonkers R, Gelissen R, Meertens R, Schaalma H, de Zwart O. Behavioural intentions in response to an influenza pandemic. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:174. 13. Rubin GJ, Amlot R, Page L, Wessely S. Public perceptions, anxiety, and behaviour change in relation to the swine flu outbreak: cross sectional telephone survey. BMJ. 2009;339:b2651–1. 14. Brien S, Kwong JC, Buckeridge DL. The determinants of 2009 pandemic A/H1N1 influenza vaccination: a systematic review Vaccine 2012;30:1255 64 immune from infection because they follow a healthy lifestyle. Communications should confront these identity beliefs by addressing how vaccination can boost wellbeing and immunity. 2. Van Kerkhove MD, Hirve S, Koukounari A, Mounts AW, Allwinn R, Bandaranayake, et al. Estimating age-specific cumulative incidence for the 2009 influenza pandemic: A meta-analysis of A(H1N1)pdm09 serological studies from 19 countries. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2013;7:872–86. 3. Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 26. Sasaki T-K, Yoshida A, Kotake K. Attitudes about the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic among pregnant Japanese women and the use of the Japanese municipality as a source of information. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2013;44:388–99. 27. Vaughan E, Tinker T. Effective health risk communication about pandemic influenza for vulnerable populations. J Public Health. 2009;99:S324–32. 27. Vaughan E, Tinker T. Effective health risk communication about pandemic influenza for vulnerable populations. J Public Health. 2009;99:S324–32. 27. Vaughan E, Tinker T. Effective health risk communication about pandemic influenza for vulnerable populations. J Public Health. 2009;99:S324–32. 28. Hine D. The 2009 Influenza Pandemic: An Independent Review of the UK Response to the 2009 Infleunza Pandemic. London: The Cabinet Office; 2010. 28. Hine D. The 2009 Influenza Pandemic: An Independent Review of the UK Response to the 2009 Infleunza Pandemic. London: The Cabinet Office; 2010. 29. Janssen A, Tardif R, Landry S, Warner J. Why tell me now?” The public and health care providers weigh in on pandemic influenza messages. J Health Manag Pract. 2010;12:388–94. 29. Janssen A, Tardif R, Landry S, Warner J. Why tell me now?” The public and health care providers weigh in on pandemic influenza messages. J Health Manag Pract. 2010;12:388–94. 30. Henrich N, Holmes B. Communicating during a pandemic: information the public wants about the disease and new vaccines and drugs. [References]. Health Promot Pract. 2011;12:610–9. 30. Henrich N, Holmes B. Communicating during a pandemic: information the public wants about the disease and new vaccines and drugs. [References]. Health Promot Pract. 2011;12:610–9. 31. Elledge BL, Brand M, Regens JL, Boatright DT. Implications of public understanding of avian influenza for fostering effective risk communication Health Promot Pract. 2008;9(4 suppl):54S–9. 31. Elledge BL, Brand M, Regens JL, Boatright DT. Implications of public understanding of avian influenza for fostering effective risk communicatio Health Promot Pract. 2008;9(4 suppl):54S–9. 32. Teasdale E, Yardley L. Understanding responses to government health recommendations: public perceptions of government advice for managing the H1N1 (swine flu) influenza pandemic. Patient Educ Couns. 2011;85:413–8. 33. Boyd C, Gazmararian J, Thompson W. Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of low-income women considered high priority for receiving the novel influenza A (H1N1) vaccine. [References]. Matern Child Health J. 2013;17:852–61. 34. Gray L, MacDonald C, Mackie B, Paton D, Johnston D, Baker MG. Community responses to communication campaigns for influenza A (H1N1): a focus group study. BMC Public Health. 2012;12:205. 35. Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Jones S, Waters L, Holland O, Bevins J, Iverson D. Developing pandemic communication strategies: preparation without panic. [References]. J Bus Res. 2010;63:126–32. 36. Quinn SC, Parmer J, Freimuth VS, Hilyard KM, Musa D, Kim KH. Exploring communication, trust in government, and vaccination intention later in the 2009 H1N1 pandemic: Results of a national survey. Biosecur Bioterror. 2013;11:96–106. 37. Reynolds B, Quinn SC. Effective communication during an influenza pandemic: the value of using a crisis and emergency risk communication framework. Health Promot Pract. 2008;9:13S–7. 38. Sandell T, Sebar B, Harris N. Framing risk: Communication messages in the Australian and Swedish print media surrounding the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Scand J Public Health. 2013;41:860–5. 39. McGlone MS, Bell RA, Zaitchik ST, McGlynn III J. Don’t Let the Flu Catch You: agency assignment in printed educational materials about the H1N1 Influenza Virus. J Health Commun. 2013;18:740–56. 40. Michie S, van Stralen MM, West R. The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implement Sci. 2011;6:42. 41. Cane J, O’Connor D, Michie S. Validation of the theoretical domains framework for use in behaviour change and implementation research. Implement Sci. 2012;7:37. 41. Cane J, O’Connor D, Michie S. Validation of the theoretical domains framework for use in behaviour change and implementation research. Implement Sci. 2012;7:37. 42. Corbin J, Strauss A. Basics of qualitative research. London: SAGE publications; 2008. 42. Corbin J, Strauss A. Basics of qualitative research. London: SAGE publications; 2008. 43. Krefting L. Rigor in qualitative research: the assessment of trustworthiness. Am J Occup Ther. 1991;45:214–22. 43. Krefting L. Rigor in qualitative research: the assessment of trustworthiness. Am J Occup Ther. 1991;45:214–22. 44. Maurer J, Uscher-Pines L, Harris KM. Perceived seriousness of seasonal and A (H1N1) influenzas, attitudes toward vaccination, and vaccine uptake among U.S. adults: Does the source of information matter? Prev Med. 2010;51:185–7. 44. Maurer J, Uscher-Pines L, Harris KM. Perceived seriousness of seasonal and A (H1N1) influenzas, attitudes toward vaccination, and vaccine uptake among U.S. adults: Does the source of information matter? Prev Med. 2010;51:185–7. 45. Peretti-Watel P, Verger P, Raude J, Constant A, Gautier A, Jestin C, et al. Dramatic change in public attitudes towards vaccination during the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic in France. Euro Surveill Bull Eur Sur Mal Transm Eur Commun Dis Bull. 2013;18:pii=20623. 45. Peretti-Watel P, Verger P, Raude J, Constant A, Gautier A, Jestin C, et al. References 1. Hayward AC, Fragaszy EB, Bermingham A, Wang L, Copas A, Edmunds WJ, et al. Comparative community burden and severity of seasonal and pandemic influenza: results of the Flu Watch cohort study. Lancet Respir Med. 2014;2:445–54. 25. Helfenberger S, Tschopp A, Robyn L, Hatz C, Schlagenhauf P. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of business travelers regarding influenza and the use of antiviral medication. J Travel Med. 2010;17:367–73. Page 13 of 13 Page 13 of 13 Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Rubinstein et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:190 Dramatic change in public attitudes towards vaccination during the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic in France. Euro Surveill Bull Eur Sur Mal Transm Eur Commun Dis Bull. 2013;18:pii=20623. Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: 46. Myers LB, Goodwin R. Using a theoretical framework to determine adults’ intention to vaccinate against pandemic swine flu in priority groups in the UK. Public Health. 2012;126:S53–6. • Convenient online submission
https://openalex.org/W2898410112
https://iris.unimore.it/bitstream/11380/1223204/2/s13601-018-0227-6.pdf
Latin
null
MASK 2017: ARIA digitally-enabled, integrated, person-centred care for rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity using real-world-evidence
Clinical and translational allergy
2,018
cc-by
17,139
MASK 2017: ARIA digitally‑enabled, integrated, person‑centred care for rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity using real‑world‑evidence J. Bousquet1,2,3*, S. Arnavielhe4, A. Bedbrook1, M. Bewick5, D. Laune4, E. Mathieu‑Dupas4, R. Murray6, G. L. Onorato1, J. L. Pépin7,8, R. Picard9, F. Portejoie1, E. Costa10, J. Fonseca11,12, O. Lourenço13, M. Morais‑Almeida14, A. Todo‑Bom15, A. A. Cruz16,17, J. da Silva18, F. S. Serpa19, M. Illario20, E. Menditto21, L. Cecchi22, R. Monti23, L. Napoli24, M. T. Ventura25, G. De Feo26, D. Larenas‑Linnemann27, M. Fuentes Perez28, Y. R. Huerta Villabolos28, D. Rivero‑Yeverino29, E. Rodriguez‑Zagal30, F. Amat31,32, I. Annesi‑Maesano33, I. Bosse34, P. Demoly35, P. Devillier36, J. F. Fontaine37, J. Just31,32, T. P. Kuna38, B. Samolinski39, A. Valiulis40,41, R. Emuzyte42, V. Kvedariene43, D. Ryan44,45, A. Sheikh46, P. Schmidt‑Grendelmeier47, L. Klimek48,49, O. Pfaar48,49, K. C. Bergmann50,51, R. Mösges52,53, T. Zuberbier50,51, R. E. Roller‑Wirnsberger54, P. Tomazic55, W. J. Fokkens56, N. H. Chavannes57, S. Reitsma56, J. M. Anto58,59,60,61, V. Cardona62, T. Dedeu63,64, J. Mullol65,66, T. Haahtela67, J. Salimäki68, S. Toppila‑Salmi67, E. Valovirta69,70, B. Gemicioğlu71, A. Yorgancioglu72,73, N. Papadopoulos74,75, E. P. Prokopakis76, S. Bosnic‑Anticevich77, R. O’Hehir78,79, J. C. Ivancevich80, H. Neffen81, E. Zernotti82, I. Kull83, E. Melen84,85, M. Wickman86, C. Bachert87, P. Hellings3,88,89, S. Palkonen90, C. Bindslev‑Jensen91, E. Eller91, S. Waserman92, M. Sova93, G. De Vries94, M. van Eerd94, I. Agache95, T. Casale96, M. Dykewickz97, R. N. Naclerio98, Y. Okamoto99, D. V. Wallace100 and MASK study group Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13601-018-0227-6 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13601-018-0227-6 Clinical and Translational Allergy Open Access Background evidence based approach [1, 23–25] to care pathways using mobile technology in AR and asthma multimorbid- ity [26]. ARIA appears to be close to the patient’s needs but real-life data suggest that few patients follow guide- line recommendations and that they often self-medicate. Moreover, patients frequently using OTC medications dispensed in pharmacies [27]. Shared decision making (SDM) centered around the patient for self-management should be used more often. g Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common chronic disease worldwide. Evidence-based guidelines have improved knowledge on rhinitis and made a significant impact on AR management. However, many patients remain inadequately controlled and the costs for society are enormous, in particular due to the major impact of AR on school and work productivity [1, 2]. Unmet needs have identified clearly many gaps. These include (1) sub- optimal rhinitis and asthma control due to medical, cul- tural and social barriers [3, 4], (2) poor understanding of endotypes [5], better characterization of phenotypes and multimorbidities [6], better understanding of gen- der differences [7], (3) assessment of sentinel networks in care pathways for allergen and pollutants exposures, using symptom variation [8], (4) lack of stratification of patients for optimized care pathways [9] and (5) lack of multidisciplinary teams within integrated care pathways, endorsing innovation in real life clinical trials [8] and encouraging patient empowerment [10, 11]. Mobile Airways Sentinel networK (MASK), the Phase 3 ARIA initiative, has been initiated to reduce the global burden of rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity, giving the patient and the health care professional simple tools to better prevent and manage respiratory allergic diseases. More specifically, MASK is focusing on (1) understand- ing the disease mechanisms and the effects of air pollu- tion in allergic diseases and asthma, (2) better appraising the burden incurred by medical needs and indirect costs, (3) the implementation of multi-sectoral care pathways integrating self-care, air pollution and patient’s literacy, using emerging technologies with real world data using the AIRWAYS ICPs algorithm [28], (4) proposing indi- vidualized and predictive medicine in rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity, (5) proposing the basis for a sentinel network at the global level for pollution and allergy and (6) assessing the societal implications of exposure to air pollution and allergens and its consequences on health inequalities globally. g g p p Mobile health (mHealth) is the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for health services and information transfer [12]. Background mHealth, including apps run- ning on consumer smart devices (i.e., smartphones and tablets), is becoming increasingly popular and has the potential to profoundly impact on healthcare [13]. Novel app-based collaborative systems can have an important role in gathering information quickly and improving coverage and accessibility of prevention and treatment [14]. Implementing mHealth innovations may also have disruptive consequences [15], so it is important to test applicability in each individual situation [16]. A rapid growth of the health apps market has been seen with an estimated 325,000 health apps available in 2017 for most fields of medicine [17]. Benefits and drawbacks have been estimated for a number of disease [18]. The application of mHealth solutions can support the provision of high quality care to patients with AR or asthma, to the satisfac- tion of both patients and health care professionals, with a reduction in both health care utilization and costs [19]. Appropriately identifying and representing stakeholders’ interests and viewpoints in evaluations of mHealth is a critical part of ensuring continued progress and innova- tion [20]. Patient, caregiver and clinician evaluations and recommendations play an important role in the develop- ment of asthma mHealth tools to support the provision of asthma management [21]. Smart devices and inter- net-based applications are already used in rhinitis and asthma and may help to address some unmet needs [22]. However, these new tools need to be tested and evaluated for acceptability, usability and cost-effectiveness. The freely available MASK app (the Allergy Diary, Android and iOS) [26] is combined with an inter-oper- able tablet for physicians and other health care profes- sionals (HCPs [29]), using the same extremely simple colloquial language to manage AR (Visual Analogue Scale: VAS) [30, 31]. It is being combined with data on allergen and pollution exposure (POLLAR). MASK will be scaled up using the EU EIP on AHA strategy [32]. Phase 4 is starting in 2018 and will focus on “change management”. MASK is supported by several EU grants and is a WHO GARD (Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases) research demonstration project (Table 1). Abstract mHealth, such as apps running on consumer smart devices is becoming increasingly popular and has the potential to profoundly affect healthcare and health outcomes. However, it may be disruptive and results achieved are not always reaching the goals. Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) has evolved from a guideline using the best evidence-based approach to care pathways suited to real-life using mobile technology in allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma multimorbidity. Patients largely use over-the-counter medications dispensed in pharmacies. Shared decision making centered around the patient and based on self-management should be the norm. Mobile Airways Sentinel networK (MASK), the Phase 3 ARIA initiative, is based on the freely available MASK app (the Allergy Diary, Android and iOS platforms). MASK is available in 16 languages and deployed in 23 countries. The present paper provides an over‑ view of the methods used in MASK and the key results obtained to date. These include a novel phenotypic charac‑ terization of the patients, confirmation of the impact of allergic rhinitis on work productivity and treatment patterns in real life. Most patients appear to self-medicate, are often non-adherent and do not follow guidelines. Moreover, the Allergy Diary is able to distinguish between AR medications. The potential usefulness of MASK will be further explored by POLLAR (Impact of Air Pollution on Asthma and Rhinitis), a new Horizon 2020 project using the Allergy Diary. Keywords:  App, ARIA, Asthma, Care pathways, MASK, mHealth, Rhinitis *Correspondence: jean.bousquet@orange.fr 1 MACVIA‑France, Fondation Partenariale FMC VIA-LR, CHRU Arnaud de Villeneuve, 371 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, Montpellier, France Full list of author information is available at the end of the article *Correspondence: jean.bousquet@orange.fr 1 MACVIA‑France, Fondation Partenariale FMC VIA-LR, CHRU Arnaud de Villeneuve, 371 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, Montpellier, France Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creat​iveco​mmons​.org/licen​ses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creat​iveco​mmons​.org/ publi​cdoma​in/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Page 2 of 21 Methods Usersh The Allergy Diary is used by people who searched the internet, Apple App store, Google Play or in any other way. The pages of the App are on the Euforea-ARIA web- site (www.eufor​ea.eu/about​-us/aria.html). A few users were clinic patients to whom the app was recommended by their physicians. Users were not requested to com- plete the diary for a minimum number of days. However, due to anonymization of data, no specific information on the route of access to the app could be gathered [33, 34]. f Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) has evolved from an evidence-based guideline using the best Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Page 3 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy Table 1  European Union and World Health Organization links of ARIA and MASK Date WHO EU ARIA 1999 Workshop WHO HQ 2003–2013 CC rhinitis and asthma Montpellier 2012– GARD demonstration project WHO HQ 2004–2010 GA2LEN FP6 2011–2015 MeDALL FP7 MASK 2014– MACVIA-LR DG Santé-CNECT 2014– GARD demonstration project WHO HQ 2014– EIP on AHA B3 DG Santé-CNECT 2015–2016 SPAL Structural and develop‑ ment funds 2015–2017 Sunfrail 2017– Twinning DG Santé-CNECT 2018– POLLAR EIT Health Table 1  European Union and World Health Organization links of ARIA and MASK The first question of the App is “I have allergic rhini- tis”: Yes/No. We tested the sensitivity and specificity of this question [33]. 93.4% users with a positive answer had nasal symptoms versus 12.1% of users with a negative answer. In the first two versions of the App, allergy was not considered in the user’s questionnaire and AR cannot be differentiated from chronic rhinosinusitis. It is now included in the third version of the App (June 2018) and we will be able to answer more appropriately to this ques- tion in the next study. The results of the pilot study were confirmed in over 9000 users. data but also to be considered as an identifier itself [38, 39]. Processing personal data by means of an app, like e.g. App Diary, besides Directive 95/46/EC [37] also Directive 2002/58/EC [40] as amended by Directive 2009/136/EC [41] applies. Geolocation was studied for all people who used the Allergy Diary App from December 2015 to November 2017 and who reported medical outcomes. Privacy assessment impact MASK is available in 23 countries and 16 languages. To date (01-09-2018) the app has been used by over 24,000 people. Privacy impact assessments (PIAs), also known as data protection impact assessments (DPIAs) in EU law, is required by GDPR (Article 35 Working Party (WP35). PIA is a systematic process to assess privacy risks to individuals in the collection, use, and disclosure of their personal data. The GDPR introduced PIAs to identify high risks to the privacy rights of individuals when pro- cessing their personal data. The assessment shall con- tain at least: Ethics and privacy of datah The Allergy Diary is CE1 registered. The terms of use were translated into all languages and customized by law- yers according to the legislation of each country, allow- ing the use of the results for research and commercial purposes. The example of the UK terms of use have been provided in a previous paper [33]. 1. a systematic description of the envisaged process- ing operations and the purposes of the processing, including, where applicable, the legitimate interest pursued by the controller; Methods Usersh In contradis- tinction to noise addition (randomization), k-anonymity [42, 43] is an acceptable method for the anonymization of MASK data (generalization) [44] and results can be used for other databases. Geolocation EU data protection rules have changed since the imple- mentation of the General Data Protection Regulation (Art. 4 para. 1 no. 1 GDPR) [35]. Data anonymization is a method of sanitization for privacy. Anonymization ren- ders personal data “in such a manner that the data sub- ject is not or no longer identifiable” [36]. The European Commission’s Article 29 Working Party (WP29) stated already in 2014 with regards to the Directive 95/46/EC [37] that geolocation information is not only personal 2. an assessment of the necessity and proportionality of the processing operations in relation to the purposes; 3. an assessment of the risks to the rights and freedoms of data subjects and 4. the measures envisaged to address the risks, includ- ing safeguards, security measures and mechanisms to ensure the protection of personal data and to dem- Page 4 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy Table 2  Questions on symptoms and impact of symptoms (from Bousquet et al. [33]) Table 2  Questions on symptoms and impact of symptoms (from Bousquet et al. [33]) onstrate compliance with this Regulation taking into account the rights and legitimate interests of data subjects and other persons concerned. When these risks are identified, the GDPR expects that an organization formulates measures to address these risks. Those measures may take the form of technical controls such as encryption or anonymization of data.h The PIA analysis is a self-declarative analysis. In France, the local GDPR representative (Commission Informa- tique et Liberté, CNIL) has provided a software to guide the reflexion around security of personal data and the exposure risks in case of security fails. This software has been used to assess all the risks to be considered through the app uses. The conclusion was that is “negligeable”.hi Transfer of personal data from the App to a print Patients cannot give access to their electronic data to a HCP due to privacy policies. However, they can eas- ily print the daily control of their disease and the medi- cations that they filled in the Allergy Diary as follows (Fig. 3). h The field is moving very fast. In France, June, 10 2018, the modified law “LIL” (Loi Informatique et Liberté, 2018-493, https​://www.cnil.fr/fr/loi-78-17-du-6-janvi​ er-1978-modif​iee) was enacted with a special focus on health-related personal data. Allergy Diaryh The app collects information on AR and asthma symp- toms experienced (nasal and ocular) and on disease type (intermittent/persistent) [33] (Table 3). Anonymized and geolocalized users assess daily how symptoms impact their control and AR treatment using the touchscreen functionality on their smart phone to click on five con- secutive VAS (i.e. general, nasal and ocular symptoms, asthma and work) (Table 2; Fig. 1). Users input their daily medications using a scroll list that contains all coun- try-specific OTC and prescribed medications available (Fig. 2). The list populated using IMS data and revised by country experts is continuously revised by country experts. Additional questionnaires MASK also includes EQ-5D (EuroQuol) [46–48], Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Allergic Specific (WPAI-AS) [49] and Control of AR and Asthma Test (CARAT) [50–53]. The Epworth Sleepiness Question- naire [54, 55] is included (June 2018). Adherence to treatment Globally, non-adherence to medications is a major obstacle to the effective delivery of health care. Many mobile phone apps are available to support people to take their medications and to improve medication adherence [57, 58]. However, a recent meta-analysis found that the majority did not have many of the desir- able features and were of low quality [57]. However, it is unknown how people use apps, what is consid- ered adherent or non-adherent in terms of app usage, or whether adherence with an app in anyway reflects adherence with medication or control. There is a high degree of correlation between these VAS measurements. The example of VAS global meas- ured and VAS nose is presented in Fig. 2. Medications A scroll list is available for all OTC and prescribed medications of the 23 countries. The International Non- proprietary Names classification was used for drug nomenclature [56]. 85 INNs and 505 medications were identified (Fig. 1). Geolocation Even if the articulation of GDPR and LIL is still unclear, we can anticipate that the app use will remain risk free. Outcomes Five VAS measurements [VAS-global measured, VAS- nose, VAS-eye, VAS-asthma and VAS-work (Table  4)] and a calculated VAS-global score (VAS-nasal + VAS- ocular divided by 2) were assessed [34]. VAS levels range from zero (not at all bothersome) to 100 (very bother- some). Independency of VAS questions was previously confirmed using the Bland and Altman regression analy- sis [34, 45]. In MASK, we did not use adherence questionnaires but first attempted to assess short-term adherence and then to address the long-term issues. [59]. Digitalized ARIA symptom‑medication score Symptom-medication scores are needed to assess the control of allergic diseases. They are currently being Page 5 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy developed for MASK and are being compared with existing ones [60]. MASK algorithm and clinical decision support system best evidence and algorithms to aid patients and health care professionals to jointly determine the treatment and its step-up or step-down strategy for an optimal disease control. Fig. 1  Allergy Diary screens relating to Visual Analogue Scale and medications (from Bousquet et al. [26]) Fig. 1  Allergy Diary screens relating to Visual Analogue Scale and medications (from Bousquet et al. [26]) Fig. 1  Allergy Diary screens relating to Visual Analogue Scale and medications (from Bousquet et al. [26]) Fig. 1  Allergy Diary screens relating to Visual Analogue Scale and medications (from Bousquet et al. [26]) developed for MASK and are being compared with existing ones [60]. best evidence and algorithms to aid patients and health care professionals to jointly determine the treatment and its step-up or step-down strategy for an optimal disease control. MASK algorithm and clinical decision support system The selection of pharmacotherapy for AR patients depends on several factors, including age, prominent symptoms, symptom severity, AR control, patient preferences and cost. Allergen exposure, pollution and resulting symptoms vary, needing treatment Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are software algorithms that advise health care providers on the diagnosis and management of patients based on the interaction of patient data and medical information, such as prescribed drugs. CDSS should be based on the Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Page 6 of 21 Fig. 2  Correlation between Visual Analog Scale (VAS) global measured and nasal symptoms (VAS nose) (unpublished) Fig. 2  Correlation between Visual Analog Scale (VAS) global measured and nasal symptoms (VAS nose) (unpublished) • Equity. • Practice. • Ethical considerations. • Evaluation. • Empowerment and participation. • Target population. • Sustainability. • Governance. • Scalability adjustment. In AR, The MASK CDSS is incorporated into an interoperable tablet [29] for HCPs (ARIA Allergy Diary Companion) [10, 26]. This is based on an algorithm to aid clinicians to select pharmacotherapy for AR patients and to stratify their disease severity [26] (Fig. 4). It uses a simple step-up/step-down individual- ized approach to AR pharmacotherapy and may hold the potential for optimal control of symptoms, while minimizing side-effects and costs. However, its use var- ies depending on the availability of medications in the different countries and on resources. The algorithm is now digitalized and available in English (Fig. 5). • Empowerment and participation. • Target population. • Sustainability. • Governance. • Scalability As part of SUNFRAIL, MASK tested the 27 item cri- teria of CHRODIS and was found to be an example of Good Practice [62]. As part of SUNFRAIL, MASK tested the 27 item cri- teria of CHRODIS and was found to be an example of Good Practice [62]. MASK follows the CHRODIS criteria of “Good Practice” The European Commission is co-funding a large col- laborative project named JA-CHRODIS in the context of the 2nd EU Health Programme 2008–2013 [61]. JA- CHRODIS has developed a check-list of 27 items for the evaluation of Good Practices (GP) (http://chrod​is.eu/ our-work/04-knowl​edge-platf​orm/). According to the JA-CHRODIS, a Good Practice has been proven to work well and produce good results, and is therefore recom- mended as a model to be scaled up. The JA-CHRODIS criteria are grouped into nine categories: Validation of the MASK Visual Analogue Scale on cell phones VAS included in the Allergy Diary was found to be a vali- dated tool to assess control in AR patients following COS- MIN guidelines [63] in 1225 users and 14,612 days: internal consistency (Cronbach’s α-coefficient > 0.84 and test– retest > 0.7), reliability (intra-class correlation coefficients), sensitivity and acceptability [64]. In addition, e-VAS had a good reproducibility when users (n = 521) answered the e-VAS twice in less than 3 h. Pilot study of mobile phone technology in AR y p gy A pilot study in 3260 users found that Allergy Diary users were able to properly provide baseline simple phenotypic characteristics. Troublesome symptoms were found mainly in the users with the largest number of symptoms. Around 50% of users with troublesome rhinitis and/or ocular symptoms suffered work impairment. Sleep was impaired by troublesome symptoms and nasal obstruction (Fig. 6). results suggest novel concepts and research questions in AR that may not be identified using classical methods [33]. Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Page 7 of 21 Fig. 3  Transfer of patient information on a computer and printed information (from Bousquet et al. [46] Fig. 3  Transfer of patient information on a computer and printed information (from Bousquet et al. [46] mHealth tools (i.e. the Allergy Diary and CARAT) in 23 Reference Sites or regions across Europe and Argentina, Australia, Brazil and Mexico [46]. This will improve understanding, assessment of burden, diagno- sis and management of rhinitis in the elderly by com- parison with an adult population. The pilot study has been completed in Germany and the project is fully operative using two protocols (Table 3). Transfer of innovation of AR and asthma multimorbidity in the elderly: Reference Site Twinning (EIP on AHA) AR impairs social life, work and school productivity. Indirect costs associated with lost work productivity are the principal contributor to the total AR costs and result mainly from impaired work performance by pres- enteeism [2]. The severity of AR symptoms was the most consistent disease-related factor associated with impact of AR on work productivity, although ocular symptoms and sleep disturbances may independently affect work The EIP on AHA includes 74 Reference Sites. The aim of this TWINNING was to transfer innovation from the MASK App to other reference sites. The phenotypic characteristics of rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity in adults and the elderly are compared using validated Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy Page 8 of 21 productivity. Overall, the pharmacologic treatment of AR showed a beneficial effect on work productivity. A cross-sectional study using Allergy diary in productivity of uncontrolled AR assessed by VAS [34]. In users with uncontrolled rhinitis (VAS global meas- ured≥50) approximately 90% had some work impair- Fig. 4  Clinical decision support systems consensus for allergic rhinitis (from Bousquet et al. [28]) Fig. 5  CDSS digitalization (submitted) Fig. 4  Clinical decision support systems consensus for allergic rhinitis (from Bousquet et al. [28]) Fig. 4  Clinical decision support systems consensus for allergic rhinitis (from Bousquet et al. [28]) Fig. 4  Clinical decision support systems consensus for allergic rhinitis (from Bousquet et al. [28]) productivity. Overall, the pharmacologic treatment of AR showed a beneficial effect on work productivity. A cross-sectional study using Allergy diary in 1136 users (5659  days) assessed the impact on work productivity of uncontrolled AR assessed by VAS [34]. In users with uncontrolled rhinitis (VAS global meas- ured ≥ 50), approximately 90% had some work impair- ment and over 50% had severe work impairment Fig. 5  CDSS digitalization (submitted) productivity. Overall, the pharmacologic treatment of AR showed a beneficial effect on work productivity. A cross-sectional study using Allergy diary in 1136 users (5659  days) assessed the impact on work productivity of uncontrolled AR assessed by VAS [34]. In users with uncontrolled rhinitis (VAS global meas- ured ≥ 50), approximately 90% had some work impair- ment and over 50% had severe work impairment Fig. 5  CDSS digitalization (submitted) productivity. Overall, the pharmacologic treatment of AR showed a beneficial effect on work productivity. productivity. Overall, the pharmacologic treatment of AR showed a beneficial effect on work productivity. Transfer of innovation of AR and asthma multimorbidity in the elderly: Reference Site Twinning (EIP on AHA) A cross-sectional study using Allergy diary in 1136 users (5659  days) assessed the impact on work productivity of uncontrolled AR assessed by VAS [34]. In users with uncontrolled rhinitis (VAS global meas- ured ≥ 50), approximately 90% had some work impair- ment and over 50% had severe work impairment if A cross-sectional study using Allergy diary in 1136 users (5659  days) assessed the impact on work Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Page 9 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy Fig. 6  Impact of allergic rhinitis depending on the number of symptoms (from Bousquet et al. [33]) Novel phenotypes of allergic diseases Novel phenotypes of allergic diseases Multimorbidity in allergic airway diseases is well known [6], but no data exist regarding the daily dynamics of symptoms. The Allergy Diary assessed the presence and control of daily allergic multimorbidity (asthma, conjunctivitis, rhinitis) and its impact on work produc- tivity in 4025 users and 32,585  days monitored in 19 countries from May 25, 2015 to May 26, 2016. VAS lev- els < 20/100 were categorized as “Low” burden and VAS levels ≥ 50/100 as “High” burden. VAS global measured levels assessing the global control of the allergic disease were significantly associated with daily allergic multi- morbidity. Eight hypothesis-driven patterns were defined based on “Low” and “High” VAS levels. There were < 0.2% days of Rhinitis Low and Asthma High or Conjunctivi- tis High patterns. There were 5.9% days with a Rhinitis High—Asthma Low pattern. There were 1.7% days with a Rhinitis High—Asthma High—Conjunctivitis Low pat- tern. A novel Rhinitis High—Asthma High—Conjunc- tivitis High pattern was identified in 2.9% days and had the greatest impact on uncontrolled VAS global meas- ured and impaired work productivity (Fig. 9). The mobile technology enabled investigation in a novel approach of the intra-individual variability of allergic multimorbidity using days. It identified an unrecognized extreme pattern of uncontrolled multimorbidity [59]. Fig. 6  Impact of allergic rhinitis depending on the number of symptoms (from Bousquet et al. [33]) (VAS-work ≥ 50). There was a significant correla- tion between VAS-global calculated and VAS-work (Rho = 0.83, p < 0.00001, Spearman rank test). The study has been extended to almost 17,000  days and similar results were observed (Fig. 7).h The baseline study found that bothersome symptoms, nasal obstruction and ocular symptoms were involved in work productivity impact [33] (Fig. 8). Treatment of allergic rhinitis using mobile technology with real world data The Allergy Diary includes the WPAI:AS in six EU countries. All consecutive users who completed the VAS-work from June 1 to July 31, 2016 were included in the study [66]. A highly significant correlation was found between Questions 4 (impairment of work) and 9 (impairment of activities) in 698 users (Rho = 0.85). Large observational implementation studies are needed to triangulate the findings from randomized control tri- als (RCTs) as they reflect “real world” everyday practice. We attempted to provide additional and complemen- tary insights into the real-life AR treatment using mobile technology. The Allergy Diary was filled in by 2871 users All these studies combine to confirm the impact of uncontrolled AR on work productivity. Table 3  Twinning protocols (from Bousquet et al., [65]) Protocol 1 Protocol 2 Short version Long version Allergy Diary + + Equation 5D Optional + Physician’s questionnaire + Ethics committee Not needed Needed (obtained in some Reference Sites) Inform consent Terms of Reference on App From with patient’s signature Recruitment Any user Persons attending clinic visits can be included Persons attending clinic visits included with a physician’s diagnosis of allergic disease and allergen sensitization (IgE and/or skin tests) Physician’s questionnaire + Table 3  Twinning protocols (from Bousquet et al., [65]) Protocol 1 Protocol 2 Short version Long version Allergy Diary + + Equation 5D Optional + Physician’s questionnaire + Ethics committee Not needed Needed (obtained in some Reference Sites) Inform consent Terms of Reference on App From with patient’s signature Recruitment Any user Persons attending clinic visits can be included Persons attending clinic visits included with a physician’s diagnosis of allergic disease and allergen sensitization (IgE and/or skin tests) Physician’s questionnaire + Table 3  Twinning protocols (from Bousquet et al., [65]) Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Page 10 of 21 Fig. 7  Correlation between VAS work and VAS global measured, nose, eye and asthma (Bousquet unpublished) Fig. 7  Correlation between VAS work and VAS global measured, nose, eye and asthma (Bousquet unpublished) Fig. 7  Correlation between VAS work and VAS global measured, nose, eye and asthma (Bousquet unpublished) Fig. 8  Impact of symptoms on work, school and daily activities (from Bousquet et al. [33]) Fig. 8  Impact of symptoms on work, school and daily activities (from Bousquet et al. [33]) Fig. 8  Impact of symptoms on work, school and daily activities (from Bousquet et al. [33]) Bousquet et al. Treatment of allergic rhinitis using mobile technology with real world data Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy Page 11 of 21 who reported 17,091  days of VAS in 2015 and 2016. between classes (intranasal corticosteroid use containing Fig. 9  VAS levels in severe rhinitis depending on multimorbidity (from Bousquet et al. [60]) Fig. 10  Treatments received in MAS (from Bousquet et al. [59]) Fig. 9  VAS levels in severe rhinitis depending on multimorbidity (from Bousquet et al. [60]) Fig. 9  VAS levels in severe rhinitis depending on multimorbidity (from Bousquet et al. [60]) Fig. 9  VAS levels in severe rhinitis depending on multimorbidity (from Bousquet et al. [60]) Fig. 10  Treatments received in MAS (from Bousquet et al. [59]) between classes (intranasal corticosteroid use containing medications and oral H1-antihistamines). The control of days differed between no (best control), single or multi- ple treatments (worst control) (Fig. 10). The study con- firms the usefulness of the Allergy Diary in accessing and assessing everyday use and practice in AR [59]. who reported 17,091  days of VAS in 2015 and 2016. Medications were reported for 9634  days. The assess- ment of days appeared to be more informative than the course of the treatment as, in real life, patients rarely use treatment on a daily basis; rather, they appear to increase treatment use with the loss of symptom control and to stop it when symptoms disappear. The Allergy Diary allowed the differentiation between treatments within or Adherence to medications was studied in almost 7000 users reporting medications. 1770 users reported over Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Page 12 of 21 pollution and allergy and (6) assess the societal implica- tions of the interaction. 7  days of VAS between January 1, 2016 and August 31, 2016 and a major lack of adherence to treatment was observed for all medications (Menditto et  al., in preparation). POLLAR will use the freely existing application for AR monitoring (Allergy Diary, 14,000 users, TLR8) com- bined with a new tool allowing queries on allergen and pollen (TLR2) and existing pollution data. Machine learning will be used to assess the relationship between air pollution and AR comparing polluted and non-pol- luted areas in 6 EU countries. Data generated in 2018 will be confirmed in 2019 and extended by the individ- ual assessment of pollution ­(Canarin®, portable sensor, TLR6) in AR and sleep apnea patients used as a control group having impaired sleep. Global applicability of MASK and POLLAR, and their benefits Although MASK has been devised to optimize care path- ways in rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity, its applica- bility is far more extensive (Table 4). MASK in the pharmacy Multidisciplinary integrated care is necessary to reduce the burden of chronic diseases. A significant proportion of patients with AR self-manage their condition and often the pharmacist is the first HCP that a person with nasal symptoms contacts [66, 67]. Pharmacists are trusted in the community and are easily accessible. As such, phar- macists are an important part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, acting at different steps of rhinitis care pathways. y Google Trends (GT) searches trends of specific que- ries in Google and reflects the real-life epidemiology of AR. We compared GT terms related to allergy and rhi- nitis in all European Union countries, Norway and Swit- zerland from January 1, 2011 to December, 20 2016. An annual and clear seasonality of queries was found in most countries but the terms ‘hay fever’, ‘allergy’ and ‘pollen’— show cultural differences [70]. Using longitudinal data in different countries and multiple terms, we identified an awareness-related spike of searches (December 2016) [70]. In asthma, GTs can identify spikes of mortality as was found in Australia and Kuwait in 2016. However, the usual peaks of asthma during allergen exposure or virus infections cannot be easily monitored [71]. Pharmacists are important in many areas of interven- tion in AR: • Recognizing (identification).i i • Risk assessment/stratification. • OTC treatment.i • Manage refils. i • Patient education. • Referral to a physician. • Administration of topical treatment technique and adherence to treatment. • Administration of topical treatment technique and adherence to treatment. • Administration of topical treatment technique and adherence to treatment. Simple algorithms and tools are essential in the routine implementation of these steps. A first approach was made by ARIA in the pharmacy [68] and is currently being updated using MASK. POLLAR (Impact of air POLLution on Asthma and Rhinitis) AR and asthma are impacted by allergens and air pollu- tion. However, interactions between air pollution, sleep [55, 69] and allergic diseases are insufficiently under- stood. POLLAR aims at combining emerging technolo- gies [search engine TLR2 (technology readiness level); pollution sampler TLR6, App TLR9] with machine learn- ing to (1) understand effects of air pollution in AR and its impact on sleep, work, asthma, (2) propose novel care pathways integrating pollution and patient’s literacy, (3) study sleep, (4) improve work productivity, (5) pro- pose the basis for a sentinel network at the EU level for For MASK, several steps have been achieved. Treatment of allergic rhinitis using mobile technology with real world data The geographic information system GIS will map the results.i of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations; EIP on AHA: European Innovation Partnership on AHA; EIP: European Innovation Partnership; EQ-5D: Euroquol; GARD: WHO Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases; GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation; GIS: geographic information sys‑ tem; GP: Good Practice; GT: Google Trends; HCP: health care professional; ICP: integrated care pathway; IMS: Institute of Medical Science; JA-CHRODIS: Joint Action on Chronic Diseases and Promoting Healthy Ageing across the Life Cycle; MACVIA-LR: contre les MAladies Chroniques pour un VIeillissement Actif MASK The Allergy Diary has the potential to improve the control of allergic diseases and to significantly improve work productiv‑ ity at the EU level For public health purposes, a perfect patient characterization in real life is needed to identify the prevalence, burden and costs incurred by patients in order to improve quality of care and optimize health care planning and policies For public health purposes, a perfect patient characterization in real life is needed to identify the prevalence, burden and costs incurred by patients in order to improve quality of care and optimize health care planning and policies Inequities still exist in the EU for allergic diseases prevalence and burden (not only sex/gender inequi‑ ties). POLLAR will attempt to understand them and to propose policies and health promotion strategies Inequities still exist in the EU for allergic diseases prevalence and burden (not only sex/gender inequi‑ ties). POLLAR will attempt to understand them and to propose policies and health promotion strategies Conclusion MASK is a novel approach to obtain real-life data con- cerning rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity and to help patients and physicians for a better SDM. It can be used for multiple purposes in a friendly manner in order to improve the control of allergic diseases in a cost-effective approach. Page 13 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy Abbreviations AHA: active and healthy ageing; AIRWAYS ICPs: integrated care pathways for airway diseases; AR: allergic rhinitis; ARIA: Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma; CARAT​: Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test; CDSS: clinical decision support system; CNIL: Commission Informatique et Liberté; CRD: Chronic Respiratory Disease; DG CONNECT: Directorate General for Com‑ of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations; EIP on AHA: European Innovation Partnership on AHA; EIP: European Innovation Partnership; EQ-5D: Euroquol; GARD: WHO Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases; GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation; GIS: geographic information sys‑ tem; GP: Good Practice; GT: Google Trends; HCP: health care professional; ICP: integrated care pathway; IMS: Institute of Medical Science; JA-CHRODIS: Joint Table 4  Global applicability of MASK Applicability MASK Clinical practice Physicians will be able to read the files of the patients in order to  Optimize treatment for the patient and, in particular, the current or the next pollen season  Assess and increase the adherence to treatment  Help for shared decision making  Prescribe allergen immunotherapy (AIT) more rapidly when the patient is not controlled despite optimal pharmacologic treatment  Determine the efficacy of AIT in patients  The Allergy Diary is an essential tool to provide personalized medicine in AR and asthma Change management The first results of MASK indicate that many patients are uncontrolled and non-adherent to treatment Moreover, they appear to use their medications as needed and not as a regular basis as prescribed Change management is needed Patient empowerment Better understanding of the symptoms Sentinel network linking aerobiology data and control Improved adherence Self-management Patient empowerment Messages sent by the App Clinical trials For RCTs, it is essential to have clarity on definitions, and relevant tools. MASK Observational studies are of key importance to confirm RCTs and bring new hypotheses for the treat‑ ment of AR and asthma Observational studies are of key importance to confirm RCTs and bring new hypotheses for the treat‑ ment of AR and asthma Controlled trials designed with a uniform approach will be more easily evaluated by the Health Technology Assessment agencies (such as NICE) for reimbursement. The Allergy Diary uses EQ-5D, a validated measure of utility Controlled trials designed with a uniform approach will be more easily evaluated by the Health Technology Assessment agencies (such as NICE) for reimbursement. The Allergy Diary uses EQ-5D, a validated measure of utility Better understanding of direct and indirect costs Controlled trials designed with a uniform approach will help to synchronize data from real-life world regarding clinical effects and safety/tolerability of new drugs (post-marketing pharmacovigilance A uniform definition and a collaborative approach to epidemiological, genetic and mechanistic research are important and will be enhanced by the stratification of patients using the Allergy Diary Different levels of phenotype characterization (granularity) can be applied to assess phenotypic char‑ acterization in old age subjects In epidemiologic population studies, standardized definitions and tools are fundamental. The Allergy Diary allows novel approaches combining classical cross-sectional and longitudinal studies with real life studies in large populations In epidemiologic population studies, standardized definitions and tools are fundamental. The Allergy Diary allows novel approaches combining classical cross-sectional and longitudinal studies with real life studies in large populations AR and asthma represent a major burden for the employers, and the estimated annual costs in the EU range from 30 to 60 B€. Better control of the disease was shown to reduce costs. The Allergy Diary has the potential to improve the control of allergic diseases and to significantly improve work productiv‑ ity at the EU level AR and asthma represent a major burden for the employers, and the estimated annual costs in the EU range from 30 to 60 B€. Better control of the disease was shown to reduce costs. Conclusion The Allergy Diary allows  To better stratify the patients needing AIT  To assess the efficacy of AIT during the trial  To assess the efficacy when AIT is stopped Observational studies are of key importance to confirm RCTs and bring new hypotheses for the treat‑ ment of AR and asthma Registration and reimbursement of medicines Controlled trials designed with a uniform approach will be more easily evaluated by the Health Technology Assessment agencies (such as NICE) for reimbursement. The Allergy Diary uses EQ-5D, a validated measure of utility Better understanding of direct and indirect costs Controlled trials designed with a uniform approach will help to synchronize data from real-life world regarding clinical effects and safety/tolerability of new drugs (post-marketing pharmacovigilance Research on mechanisms and genetics A uniform definition and a collaborative approach to epidemiological, genetic and mechanistic research are important and will be enhanced by the stratification of patients using the Allergy Diary Different levels of phenotype characterization (granularity) can be applied to assess phenotypic char‑ acterization in old age subjects Epidemiology In epidemiologic population studies, standardized definitions and tools are fundamental. The Allergy Diary allows novel approaches combining classical cross-sectional and longitudinal studies with real life studies in large populations Employers AR and asthma represent a major burden for the employers, and the estimated annual costs in the EU range from 30 to 60 B€. Better control of the disease was shown to reduce costs. The Allergy Diary has the potential to improve the control of allergic diseases and to significantly improve work productiv‑ ity at the EU level Public health planning For public health purposes, a perfect patient characterization in real life is needed to identify the prevalence, burden and costs incurred by patients in order to improve quality of care and optimize health care planning and policies Reduction of inequities Inequities still exist in the EU for allergic diseases prevalence and burden (not only sex/gender inequi‑ ties). POLLAR will attempt to understand them and to propose policies and health promotion strategies Table 4  Global applicability of MASK Table 4  Global applicability of MASK Author details 1 1 MACVIA‑France, Fondation Partenariale FMC VIA-LR, CHRU Arnaud de Villeneuve, 371 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, Montpellier, France. 2 INSERM U 1168, VIMA: Ageing and Chronic Diseases Epidemiological and Public Health Approaches, Villejuif, Université Versailles St-Quentin-en- Yvelines, UMR-S 1168, Montigny le Bretonneux, France. 3 Euforea, Brussels, Belgium. 4 KYomed-INNOV, Montpellier, France. 5 iQ4U Consultants Ltd, London, UK. 6 MedScript Ltd, Dundalk, Co Louth, Ireland. 7 Laboratoire HP2, Grenoble, INSERM, U1042, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France. 8 CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble, France. 9 Conseil Général de l’Economie Ministère de l’Economie, de l’Industrie et du Numérique, Paris, France. 10 UCIBIO, REQUINTE, Faculty of Pharmacy and Competence Center on Active and Healthy Ageing, University of Porto (Porto4Ageing), Porto, Portugal. 11 Center for Health Technology and Services Research‑ CINTESIS, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. 12 Medida, Lda, Porto, Portugal. 13 Faculty of Health Sciences and CICS – UBI, Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal. 14 Allergy Center, CUF Descober‑ tas Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal. 15 Imunoalergologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. 16 ProAR – Nucleo de Excelencia em Asma, Federal University of Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, Brazil. 17 WHO GARD Planning Group, Salvador, Brazil. 18 Allergy Service, University Hospital of Federal University of Santa Catarina (HU-UFSC), Florianópolis, Brazil. 19 Asthma Reference Center, Escola Superior de Ciencias da Santa Casa de Misericordia de Vitoria, Vitória, Esperito Santo, Brazil. 20 Division for Health Innovation, Campania Region and Federico II University Hospital Naples (R&D and DISMET), Naples, Italy. 21 CIRFF, Federico II University, Naples, Italy. 22 SOS Allergology and Clinical Immunology, USL Toscana Centro, Prato, Italy. 23 Department of Medical Sciences, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit, University of Torino & Mauriziano Hospital, Torino, Italy. 24 Consortium of Pharmacies and Services COSAFER, Salerno, Italy. 25 Unit of Geriatric Immunoallergology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy. 26 Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy. 27 Center of Excellence in Asthma and Allergy, Hospital Médica Sur, México City, Mexico. 28 Mexico City, Mexico. 29 Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. 30 Ciutad Mexico, Mexico. 31 Allergology Department, Centre de l’Asthme et des Allergies Hôpital d’Enfants Armand-Trousseau (APHP), Paris, France. 32 UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 1136, Institut Pierre Louis d’Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Sorbonne Universités, Equipe EPAR, 75013 Paris, France. Authors’ contributions All authors are MAKS members and have contributed to the design of the pro‑ ject. Many authors also included users and disseminated the project in their own country. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Abbreviations 98 Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. 99 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba, Japan. 100 Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. A k l d t (Fighting chronic diseases for AHA); MASK: Mobile Airways Sentinel networK; MeDALL: Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy (FP7); mHealth: mobile health; NCD: non-communicable disease; OTC: over the counter; PIA: privacy Impact Assessment; POLLAR: Impact of air POLLution on Asthma and Rhinitis; QOL: quality of life; SCUAD: severe chronic upper airway disease; TRL: technol‑ ogy readiness level; TWINNING: transfer of innovation of mobile technology; VAS: Visual Analogue Scale; WHO: World Health Organization; WPAI-AS: Work Productivity and Activity Questionnaire. Abbreviations of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations; EIP on AHA: European Innovation Partnership on AHA; EIP: European Innovation Partnership; EQ-5D: Euroquol; GARD: WHO Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases; GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation; GIS: geographic information sys‑ tem; GP: Good Practice; GT: Google Trends; HCP: health care professional; ICP: integrated care pathway; IMS: Institute of Medical Science; JA-CHRODIS: Joint Action on Chronic Diseases and Promoting Healthy Ageing across the Life Cycle; MACVIA-LR: contre les MAladies Chroniques pour un VIeillissement Actif AHA: active and healthy ageing; AIRWAYS ICPs: integrated care pathways for airway diseases; AR: allergic rhinitis; ARIA: Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma; CARAT​: Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test; CDSS: clinical decision support system; CNIL: Commission Informatique et Liberté; CRD: Chronic Respiratory Disease; DG CONNECT: Directorate General for Com‑ munications Networks, Content & Technology; DG Santé: Directorate General for Health and Food Safety; DG: Directorate General; EFA: European Federation Page 14 of 21 Page 14 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Edinburgh, UK. 46 Centre of Medical Informatics, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. 47 Allergy Unit, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland. 48 Center for Rhinology and Allergology, Wiesbaden, Germany. 49 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany. 50 Comprehensive Allergy‑Centre‑Charité, Department of Dermatol‑ ogy and Allergy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. 51 Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN), Berlin, Germany. 52 Institute of Medical Statistics, and Computational Biology, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. 53 CRI-Clinical Research International-Ltd, Hamburg, Germany. 54 Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. 55 Department of ENT, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. 56 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 57 Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. 58 ISGlobAL, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain. 59 IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain. 60 CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. 61 Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. 62 Allergy Section, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Vall ‘dHebron & ARADyAL Research Network, Barcelona, Spain. 63 AQuAS, Barcelona, Spain. 64 EUREGHA, European Regional and Local Health Association, Brussels, Belgium. Abbreviations 65 Rhinology Unit and Smell Clinic, ENT Department, Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 66 Clinical and Experimental Respiratory Immunoallergy, IDIBAPS, CIBERES, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 67 Skin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. 68 Association of Finnish Pharmacists, Helsinki, Finland. 69 Department of Lung Diseases and Clinical Immunology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. 70 Terveystalo Allergy Clinic, Turku, Finland. 71 Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. 72 Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey. 73 GARD Executive Committee, Manisa, Turkey. 74 Center for Pediatrics and Child Health, Institute of Human Development, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. 75 Allergy Department, 2nd Pediatric Clinic, Athens General Children’s Hospital “P&A Kyriakou”, University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece. 76 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Crete School of Medicine, Heraklion, Greece. 77 Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District, Glebe, NSW, Australia. 78 Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Alfred Hospital and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 79 Department of Immunology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 80 Servicio de Alergia e Immunologia, Clinica Santa Isabel, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 81 Director of Center of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Diseases, Santa Fe, Argentina Center for Allergy and Immunology, Santa Fe, Argentina. 82 Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina. 83 Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden. 84 Sachs’ Children and Youth Hospital, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden. 85 Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 86 Centre for Clinical Research Sörmland, Uppsala University, Eskilstuna, Sweden. 87 Upper Airways Research Laboratory, ENT Department, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. 88 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Univ Hospitals Leuven, Louvain, Belgium. 89 Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 90 EFA European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations, Brussels, Belgium. 91 Department of Dermatology and Allergy Centre, Odense University Hospital, Odense Research Center for Anaphylaxis (ORCA), Odense, Denmark. 92 Department of Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Allergy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. 93 University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic. 94 Peercode BV, Geldermalsen, The Netherlands. 95 Faculty of Medicine, Transylvania University, Brasov, Romania. 96 Division of Allergy/Immunology, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA. 97 Section of Allergy and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA. Mask Study Group 1 3 FER ­Simons325, V ­Siroux326, JC ­Sisul327, I ­Skrindo378, D Solé328, D ­Somekh329, M ­Sondermann330, T ­Sooronbaev331, M ­Sova332, M ­Sorensen333, M ­Sorlini334, O ­Spranger139, C ­Stellato118, R ­Stelmach335, R ­Stukas336, J ­Sunyer14–17, J ­Strozek193, A ­Szylling193, JN Tebyriçá337, M ­Thibaudon338, T ­To339, A Todo-Bom340, PV ­Tomazic341, S Toppila-Salmi163, U ­Trama342, M ­Triggiani118, C Suppli ­Ulrik343, M Urrutia-Pereira344, R ­Valenta345, A ­Valero346, A ­Valiulis347, E ­Valovirta348, M van ­Eerd119, E van ­Ganse349, M van ­Hague350, O ­Vandenplas351, MT ­Ventura352, G ­Vezzani353, T ­Vasankari354, A ­Vatrella118, MT ­Verissimo211, F ­Viart78, G ­Viegi355, D ­Vicheva356, T ­Vontetsianos357, M ­Wagenmann358, S ­Walker359, D ­Wallace360, DY ­Wang361, S ­Waserman362, T ­Werfel363, M ­Westman364, M ­Wickman191, DM ­Williams365, S ­Williams366, N Wilson, J ­Wright367, P ­Wroczynski40, P ­Yakovliev368, BP ­Yawn369, PK ­Yiallouros370, A ­Yorgancioglu371, OM ­Yusuf372, HJ ­Zar373, L ­Zhang374, N ­Zhong200, ME ­Zernotti375, M ­Zidarn376, T ­Zuberbier35, C ­Zubrinich259, A ­Zurkuhlen377 Mask Study Group J ­Bousquet1–3, PW ­Hellings4, W ­Aberer5, I ­Agache6, CA ­Akdis7, M ­Akdis7, MR ­Alberti8, R ­Almeida9, F ­Amat10, R ­Angles11, I Annesi-Maesano12, IJ ­Ansotegui13, JM ­Anto14–17, S ­Arnavielle18, E ­Asayag19, A ­Asarnoj20, H ­Arshad21, F ­Avolio22, E ­Bacci23, C ­Bachert24, I ­Baiardini25, C ­Barbara26, M ­Barbagallo27, I ­Baroni28, BA ­Barreto29, X ­Basagana14, ED ­Bateman30, M Bedolla-Barajas31, A ­Bedbrook2, M ­Bewick32, B Beghé33, EH ­Bel34, KC ­Bergmann35, KS ­Bennoor36, M ­Benson37, L ­Bertorello23, AZ Białoszewski38, T ­Bieber39, S ­Bialek40, C Bindslev-Jensen41, L ­Bjermer42, H ­Blain43,44, F ­Blasi45, A ­Blua46, M Bochenska ­Marciniak47, I Bogus- Buczynska47, AL ­Boner48, M ­Bonini49, S ­Bonini50, CS Bosnic-Anticevich51, I ­Bosse52, J ­Bouchard53, LP ­Boulet54, R ­Bourret55, PJ ­Bousquet12, F ­Braido25, V ­Briedis56, CE ­Brightling57, J ­Brozek58, C ­Bucca59, R ­Buhl60, R ­Buonaiuto61, C ­Panaitescu62, MT Burguete Cabañas63, E ­Burte3, A ­Bush64, F Caballero- Fonseca65, D ­Caillot67, D ­Caimmi68, MA ­Calderon69, PAM ­Camargos70, T ­Camuzat71, G ­Canfora72, GW ­Canonica25, V ­Cardona73, KH ­Carlsen74, P Carreiro- Martins75, AM ­Carriazo76, W ­Carr77, C ­Cartier78, T ­Casale79, G ­Castellano80, L ­Cecchi81, AM ­Cepeda82, NH ­Chavannes83, Y ­Chen84, R ­Chiron68, T ­Chivato85, E ­Chkhartishvili86, AG ­Chuchalin87, KF ­Chung88, MM ­Ciaravolo89, A ­Ciceran90, C ­Cingi91, G ­Ciprandi92, AC Carvalho ­Coehlo93, L ­Colas94, E ­Colgan95, J ­Coll96, D ­Conforti97, J Correia de ­Sousa98, RM Cortés-Grimaldo99, F ­Corti100, E ­Costa101, MC Costa-Dominguez102, AL ­Courbis103, L ­Cox104, M ­Crescenzo105, AA ­Cruz106, A ­Custovic107, W ­Czarlewski108, SE ­Dahlen109, C ­Dario110, J da ­Silva111, Y ­Dauvilliers112, U ­Darsow113, F De ­Blay114, G De ­Carlo115, T ­Dedeu116, M de Fátima ­Emerson117, G De ­Feo118, G De ­Vries119, B De ­Martino120, N de Paula Motta ­Rubini121, D ­Deleanu122, P ­Demoly12,68, JA ­Denburg123, P ­Devillier124, S Di Capua ­Ercolano125, N Di ­Carluccio66, A ­Didier126, D ­Dokic127, MG Dominguez- Silva128, H ­Douagui129, G ­Dray103, R ­Dubakiene130, SR ­Durham131, G Du ­Toit132, MS ­Dykewicz133, Y El-Gamal134, P ­Eklund135, E ­Eller41, R ­Emuzyte136, J ­Farrell95, A ­Farsi81, J Ferreira de Mello ­Jr137, J ­Ferrero138, A Fink-Wagner139, A ­Fiocchi140, WJ ­Fokkens141, JA ­Fonseca142, JF ­Fontaine143, S ­Forti97, JM Fuentes-Perez144, JL Gálvez-Romero145, A ­Gamkrelidze146, J Garcia-Aymerich14, CY García- Cobas147, MH Garcia-Cruz148, B Gemicioğlu149, S ­Genova150, C ­George151, JE ­Gereda152, R Gerth van ­Wijk153, RM ­Gomez154, J Gómez-Vera155, S González ­Diaz156, M ­Gotua157, I ­Grisle158, M ­Guidacci159, NA ­Guldemond160, Z ­Gutter161, MA Guzmán162, T ­Haahtela163, J ­Hajjam164, L Hernández165, JO’B ­Hourihane166, YR Huerta-Villalobos167, M ­Humbert168, G ­Iaccarino169, M ­Illario170, JC ­Ivancevich171, EJ ­Jares172, E ­Jassem173, SL ­Johnston174, G ­Joos175, KS ­Jung176, M ­Jutel177, I ­Kaidashev178, O ­Kalayci179, AF ­Kalyoncu180, J ­Karjalainen181, P ­Kardas182, T ­Keil183, PK ­Keith184, M ­Khaitov185, N ­Khaltaev186, J Kleine-Tebbe187, L ­Klimek188, ML ­Kowalski189, M ­Kuitunen190, I ­Kull191, P ­Kuna47, M ­Kupczyk47, V ­Kvedariene192, E Krzych-Fałta193, P ­Lacwik47, D Larenas-Linnemann194, D ­Laune18, D ­Lauri195, J ­Lavrut196, LTT ­Le197, M ­Lessa198, G ­Levato199, J ­Li200, P ­Lieberman201, A ­Lipiec193, B ­Lipworth202, KC Lodrup ­Carlsen203, R ­Louis204, O Lourenço205, JA Luna-Pech206, K ­Maciej47, A ­Magnan94, B ­Mahboub207, D ­Maier208, A ­Mair209, I ­Majer210, J ­Malva211, E ­Mandajieva212, P ­Manning213, E De Manuel ­Keenoy214, GD ­Marshall215, MR ­Masjedi216, JF ­Maspero217, E Mathieu- Dupas18, JJ Matta ­Campos218, AL ­Matos219, M ­Maurer220, S Mavale-Manuel221, O ­Mayora97, MA Medina-Avalos222, E Melén223, E Melo-Gomes26, EO Meltzer224, E ­Menditto225, J ­Mercier226, N ­Miculinic227, F ­Mihaltan228, B ­Milenkovic229, G ­Moda230, MD Mogica-Martinez231, Y ­Mohammad232, I ­Momas233,234, S ­Montefort235, R ­Monti236, D Mora ­Bogado237, M Morais-Almeida238, FF Morato-Castro239, R Mösges240, A Mota-Pinto241, P Moura ­Santo242, J ­Mullol243, L Münter244, A ­Muraro245, R ­Murray246, R ­Naclerio247, R ­Nadif3, M ­Nalin28, L ­Napoli248, L Namazova-Baranova249, H ­Neffen250, V ­Niedeberger251, K ­Nekam252, A ­Neou253, A ­Nieto254, L Nogueira-Silva255, M ­Nogues2,256, E ­Novellino257, TD ­Nyembue258, RE O’Hehir259, C ­Odzhakova260, K ­Ohta261, Y ­Okamoto262, K ­Okubo263, GL ­Onorato2, M Ortega ­Cisneros264, S ­Ouedraogo265, I Pali-Schöll266, S ­Palkonen115, P ­Panzner267, NG ­Papadopoulos268, HS ­Park269, A ­Papi270, G ­Passalacqua271, E ­Paulino272, R ­Pawankar273, S ­Pedersen274, JL Pépin275, AM ­Pereira276, M ­Persico277, O ­Pfaar278,279, J ­Phillips280, R ­Picard281, B ­Pigearias282, I ­Pin283, C ­Pitsios284, D ­Plavec285, W ­Pohl286, TA ­Popov287, F ­Portejoie2, P ­Potter288, AC ­Pozzi289, D ­Price290, EP ­Prokopakis291, R ­Puy259, B ­Pugin292, RE Pulido ­Ross293, M ­Przemecka47, KF ­Rabe294, F ­Raciborski193, R Rajabian-Soderlund295, S ­Reitsma141, I ­Ribeirinho296, J ­Rimmer297, D Rivero-Yeverino298, JA ­Rizzo299, MC ­Rizzo300, C Robalo-Cordeiro301, F ­Rodenas302, X ­Rodo14, M Rodriguez ­Gonzalez303, L Rodriguez-Mañas304, C ­Rolland305, S Rodrigues ­Valle306, M Roman ­Rodriguez307, A ­Romano308, E Rodriguez-Zagal309, G ­Rolla310, RE Roller- Wirnsberger311, M ­Romano28, J Rosado-Pinto312, N ­Rosario313, M ­Rottem314, D ­Ryan315, H ­Sagara316, J Salimäki317, B ­Samolinski193, M Sanchez-Borges318, J Sastre-Dominguez319, GK ­Scadding320, HJ ­Schunemann58, N ­Scichilone321, P Schmid-Grendelmeier322, FS ­Serpa323, S ­Shamai240, A ­Sheikh324, M ­Sierra96, 1University Hospital, Montpellier, France. Mask Study Group 1 3 2MACVIA-France, Fondation partenariale FMC VIA-LR, Montpellier, France. 3VIMA. INSERM U 1168, VIMA : Ageing and chronic diseases Epidemiological and public health approaches, Villejuif, Université Versailles St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, UMR-S 1168, Montigny le Bretonneux, France and Euforea, Brussels, Belgium. 4Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. 5Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. 6Transylvania University Brasov, Brasov, Romania. 7Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, Davos, Switzer‑ land. 8Project Manager, Chairman of the Council of Municipality of Salerno, Italy. 9Center for Health Technology and Services Research- CINTESIS, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto; and Medida, Lda Porto, Portugal. 10Allergology department, Centre de l’Asthme et des Allergies Hôpital d’Enfants Armand-Trousseau (APHP); Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 1136, Institut Pierre Louis d’Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Equipe EPAR, Paris, France. 11Innovación y nuevas tecnologías, Salud Sector sanitario de Barbastro, Barbastro, Spain. 12Epidemiology of Allergic and Respiratory Diseases, Department Institute Pierre Louis of Epidemiology and Public Health, INSERM and Sorbonne Université, Medical School Saint Antoine, Paris, France 13Department of Allergy and Immunology, Hospital Quirón Bizkaia, Erandio, Spain. 14ICREA and Climate and Health (CLIMA) Program, ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain. 15IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain. 16CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. 17Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF),Barcelona, Spain. 18KYomed INNOV, Montpellier, France. 19Argentine Society of Allergy and Immunopathology, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 20Clinical Immunology and Allergy Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. 21David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. 22Regionie Puglia, Bari, Italy. 23Regione Liguria, Genoa, Italy. 24Upper Airways Research Laboratory, ENT Dept, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. 25Allergy and Respiratory Diseases, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, University of Genoa, Italy. 26PNDR, Portuguese National Programme for Respiratory Diseases, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal. 27Director of the Geriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine (DIBIMIS), University of Palermo, Italy. 28Telbios SRL, Milan, Italy. 29Universidade do Estado do Pará, Belem, Brazil. 30Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. 31Hospital Civil de Guadalajara Dr Juan I Menchaca, Guadalarara, Mexico. 32iQ4U Consultants Ltd, London, UK. 33Section of Respiratory Disease, Department of Oncology, Haematology and Respiratory Diseases, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy. 34Department of Respiratory Medicine, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Author details 1 33 Epidemi‑ ology of Allergic and Respiratory Diseases, Department Institute Pierre Louis of Epidemiology and Public Health, INSERM, UPMC Sorbonne Université, Medical School Saint Antoine, Paris, France. 34 La Rochelle, France. 35 Depart‑ ment of Respiratory Diseases, Montpellier University Hospital, Montpellier, France. 36 UPRES EA220, Pôle des Maladies des Voies Respiratoires, Hôpital Foch, Université Paris-Saclay, Suresnes, France. 37 Reims, France. 38 Division of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Barlicki University Hospital, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. 39 Department of Prevention of Environmen‑ tal Hazards and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. 40 Clinic of Children’s Diseases, and Institute of Health Sciences Department of Public Health, Vilnius University Institute of Clinical Medicine, Vilnius, Lithuania. 41 European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP/UEMS-SP), Brussels, Belgium. 42 Clinic of Children’s Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. 43 Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. 44 Woodbrook Medical Centre, Loughborough, UK. 45 Allergy and Respiratory Research Group, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, Acknowledgements None. Acknowledgements None. Page 15 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy Mask Study Group 1 3 156Head and Professor, Centro Regional de Excelencia CONACYT y WAO en Alergia, Asma e Inmunologia, Hospital U i it i U i id d A tó d N L ó M t NL M i 43Department of Geriatrics, Montpellier University Hospital, Montpellier, France. 44EA 2991, Euromov, University Montpellier, France. 45Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, IRCCS Fondazione Ca’Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy. 46Argentine Association of Respiratory Medicine, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 47Division of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Barlicki University Hospital, Medical University of Lodz, Poland. 48Pediatric Department, University of Verona Hospital, Verona, Italy. 49Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. 50Second University of Naples and Institute of Translational Medicine, Italian National Research Council. 51Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney and Woolcock Emphysema Centre and and Sydney Local Health District, Glebe, NSW, Australia. 52Allergist, La Rochelle, France. 53Associate professor of clinical medecine, Laval’s University, Quebec city, Head of medecine department, Hôpital de la Malbaie, Quebec, Canada. 54Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Laval University, Québec City, Quebec, Canada. 55Centre Hospitalier Valenciennes, France. 56Head of Department of Clinical Pharmacy of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania. 57Institute of Lung Health, Respiratory Biomedical Unit, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicestershire, UK; Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK. 58Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, Division of Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. 59Chief of the University Pneumology Unit- AOU Molinette, Hospital City of Health and Science of Torino, Italy. 60Universitäts‑ medizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany. 61Pharmacist, Municipality Pharmacy, Sarno, Italy. 62University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes, Timisoara, Romania. 63Instituto de Pediatria, Hospital Zambrano Hellion Tec de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico. 64Imperial College and Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK. 65Centro Medico Docente La Trinidad, CaRacas, Venezuela. 66Regional Director Assofarm Campania and Vice President of the Board of Directors of Cofaser, Salerno, Italy 67Service de pneumologie, CHU et université d’Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France. 68Department of Respiratory Diseases, Montpellier University Hospital, France. 69Imperial College London - National Heart and Lung Institute, Royal Brompton Hospital NHS, London, UK. 70Federal University of Minas Gerais, Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Belo Horizonte, Brazil 71Assitant Director General, Montpellier, Région Occitanie, France. 72Mayor of Sarno and President of Salerno Province, Director, Anesthesiology Service, Sarno “Martiri del Villa Malta” Hospital, Italy. Mask Study Group 1 3 35Comprehensive Allergy Center Charité, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Global Allergy and Asthma European Network ­(GA2LEN), Berlin, Germany. 36Deptt of Respiratory Medicine, National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 37Centre for Individualized Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Linköping, Sweden. 38Department of Prevention of Environmental Hazards and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. 39BIEBER. Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Bonn, Germany 40Dept of Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland. 41Department of Dermatology and Allergy Centre, Odense University Hospital, Odense Research Center for Anaphylaxis (ORCA), Odense, Denmark. 42Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. Page 16 of 21 Page 16 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Generale), Milan, Italy. 101UCIBIO, REQUINTE, Faculty of Pharmacy and Competence Center on Active and Healthy Ageing of University of Porto(Porto4Ageing), Porto, Portugal. 102Mexico City, Mexico. 103IMT Mines Alès, Unversité Montpellier, Alès, France. 104Department of Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, University of Miami Dept of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA. 105Regional Director Assofarm Campania and Vice President of the Board of Directors of Cofaser, Salerno, Italy. 106ProAR – Nucleo de Excelencia em Asma, Federal University of Bahia, Brasil and WHO GARD Planning Group, Brazil. 107Centre for Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester and University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, UK. 108Medical Consulting Czarlewski, Levallois, France. 109The Centre for Allergy Research, The Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 110Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento (APSS-Trento), Italy. 111Department of Internal Medicine, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Trindade, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. 112Sleep Unit, Department of Neurology, Hôpital Gui-de-Chauliac Montpellier, Inserm U1061, France. 113Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany; ZAUM-Center for Allergy and Environment, Helmholtz Center Munich, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. 114Allergy Division, Chest Disease Department, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. 115EFA European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations, Brussels, Belgium 116AQuAS, Barcelna, Spain & EUREGHA, European Regional and Local Health Association, Brussels, Belgium 117Policlínica Geral do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro – Brasil 118Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy. 119Peercode BV, Geldermalsen,The Netherlands. Mask Study Group 1 3 120Social workers oordinator, Sorrento, Italy. 121Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, School of Medicine and Surgery, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 122Allergology and Immunology Discipline, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 123Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 124Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Respiratoire UPRES EA220, Hôpital Foch, Suresnes, Université Versailles Saint-Quentin, Université Paris Saclay, France. 125Farmacie Dei Golfi Group, Massa Lubrense, Italy. 126Rangueil-Larrey Hospital, Respiratory Diseases Department, Toulouse, France. 127University Clinic of Pulmology and Allergy, Medical Faculty Skopje, R Macedonia. 128Mexico City, Mexico. 129Service de Pneumo-Allergologie, Centre Hospitalo- Universitaire de Béni-Messous, Algiers, Algeria. 130Clinic of infectious, chest diseases, dermatology and allergology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. 131Allergy and Clinical Immunology National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK. 132Guy’s and st Thomas’ NHS Trust, Kings College London, UK. 133Section of Allergy and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. 134Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Unit, Children’s Hospital, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. 135Department of Computing Science, Umeå University, Sweden and Four Computing Oy, Finland. 136Clinic of Children’s Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. 137University of São Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil 138Andalusian Agency for Healthcare Quality, Seville, Spain. 139Global Allergy and Asthma Platform GAAPP, Vienna, Austria. 140Division of Allergy, Depart‑ ment of Pediatric Medicine - The Bambino Gesù Children’s Research Hospital Holy see, Rome, Italy. 141Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Amsterdam, University Medical Centres, AMC, Amsterdam the Netherlands. 142CINTESIS, Center for Research in Health Technologies and Information Systems, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal and MEDIDA, Lda, Porto, Portugal 143Allergist, Reims, France. 144Hospital general regional 1 “Dr Carlos Mc Gregor Sanchez Navarro” IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico. 145Regional hospital of ISSSTE, Puebla, Mexico. 146National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia. 147Guadalarara, Mexico. 148Allergy Clinic, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Mexico City, Mexico. 149Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istambul,Turkey. 150Allergology unit, UHATEM “NIPirogov”, Sofia, Bulgaria. 151Medical University, Faculty of Public Health, Sofia. 152Allergy and Immunology Division, Clinica Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru. 153Department of Internal Medicine, section of Allergology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 154Allergy & Asthma Unit, Hospital San Bernardo Salta, Argentina. 155Allergy Clinic, Hospital Regional del ISSSTE ‘Lic. López Mateos’, Mexico City, Mexico. Mask Study Group 1 3 73Allergy Section, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Vall d’Hebron & ARADyAL Spanish Research Network, Barcelona, Spain. 74Department of Paediatrics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. 75CEDOC, Integrated Pathophysiological Mechanisms Research Group, Nova Medical School, Campo dos Martires da Patria, Lisbon, and Serviço de Imunoalergologia, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, EPE, Lisbon, Portugal. 76Regional Ministry of Health of Andalusia, Seville, Spain. 77Allergy and Asthma Associates of Southern California, Mission Viejo, CA, USA. 78ASA - Advanced Solutions Accelerator, Clapiers, France. 79Division of Allergy/Immunology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla, USA. 80Celentano pharmacy, Massa Lubrense, Italy. 81SOS Allergology and Clinical Immunology, USL Toscana Centro, Prato, Italy. 82Allergy and Immunology Laboratory, Metropolitan University Hospital, Branquilla, Columbia. 83Depart‑ ment of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands 84Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Chaoyang district, Beijing, China. 85School of Medicine, University CEU San Pablo, Madrid, Spain. 86David Tvildiani Medical University - AIETI Highest Medical School, David Tatishvili Medical Center Tbilisi, Georgia. 87Pulmonolory Research Institute FMBA, Moscow, Russia and GARD Executive Committee, Moscow, Russia. 88National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, UK. 89Specialist social worker, Sorrento, Italy. 90Argentine Federation of Otorhinolaryngology Societies, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 91Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Medical Faculty, ENT Department, Eskisehir,Turkey. 92Medicine Department, IRCCS-Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino, Genoa, Italy. 93Universi‑ dade Federal da Bahia, Escola de Enfermagem, Brazil. 94Plateforme Transversale d’Allergologie, Institut du Thorax, CHU de Nantes, Nantes, France. 95LANUA International Healthcare Consultancy, Northern Ireland, UK. 96Innovación y nuevas tecnologías, Salud Sector sanitario de Barbastro, Barbastro, Spain. 97Innovation and Research Office, Department of Health and Social Solidarity, Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy. 98Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B’s PT Government Associate Laboratory Braga/Guimarães Portugal Page 17 of 21 Page 17 of 21 Page 17 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Portugal; Ageing@Coimbra EIP-AHA Reference Site, Coimbra, Portugal. 212Medical center Iskar Ltd Sofia, Bulgaria. 213Department of Medicine (RCSI), Bon Secours Hospital, Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland. 214Kronikgune, International Centre of Excellence in Chronicity Research Barakaldo, Bizkaia, Spain 215Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Laboratory of Behavioral Immunology Research, The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA. 216Tobacco Control Research Centre;Iranian Anti Tobacco Association, Tehran, Iran. 217Argentine Association of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 218Mexico City, Mexico. 219University of Southeast Bahia, Brazil. Mask Study Group 1 3 220Allergie-Centrum-Charité at the Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany 221Maputo Central Hospital--Department of Paediatrics, Mozambique. 222Veracruz, Mexico. 223Sachs’ Children and Youth Hospital, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm and Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 224Allergy and Asthma Medical Group and Research Center, San Diego, California, USA. 225CIRFF, Federico II University, Naples, Italy. 226Department of Physiology, CHRU, University Montpellier, Vice President for Research, PhyMedExp, INSERM U1046, CNRS UMR 9214, France. 227Croatian Pulmonary Society. 228National Institute of Pneumology M Nasta, Bucharest, Romania. 229Clinic for Pulmonary Diseases, Clinical Center of Serbia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbian Association for Asthma and COPD, Belgrade, Serbia. 230Regione Piemonte, Torino, Italy. 231Col Jardines de Sta Monica, Tlalnepantla, Mexico. 232National Center for Research in Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Tishreen University School of Medicine, Latakia, Syria. 233Department of Public health and health products, Paris Descartes University-Sorbonne Paris Cité, EA 4064 and Paris Municipal Department of social action, childhood, and health, Paris, France. 234Paris municipal Department of social action, childhood, and health, Paris, France. 235Lead Respiratory Physician Mater Dei Hospital Malta, Academic Head of Dept and Professor of Medicine University of Malta, Deputy Dean Faculty of Medicine and Surgery University of Medicine, La Valette, Malta. 236Department of Medical Sciences, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit, University of Torino & Mauriziano Hospital, Torino, Italy. 237Instituto de Prevision Social IPS HC, Socia de la SPAAI, Tesorera de la SLAAI, Asuncion, Paraguay. 238Allergy Center, CUF Descobertas Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal. 239Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 240Institute of Medical Statistics, and Computational Biology, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Germany and CRI-Clinical Research International-Ltd, Hamburg, Germany. 241General Pathology Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Ageing@Coimbra EIP-AHA Reference Site, Coimbra, Portugal. 242Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. 243Rhinology Unit & Smell Clinic, ENT Department, Hospital Clínic; Clinical & Experimental Respiratory Immunoallergy, IDIBAPS, CIBERES, University of Barcelona, Spain. 244Danish Commitee for Health Education, Copenhagen East, Denmark. 245Food Allergy Referral Centre Veneto Region, Department of Women and Child Health, Padua General University Hospital, Padua, Italy. 246Director, Medical Communications Consultant, MedScript Ltd, Dundalk, Co Louth, Ireland and Honorary Research Fellow, OPC, Cambridge, UK Ireland. 247Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 248General Manager of COFASER - Pharmacy Services Consortium, Salerno, Italy. 249Scientific Centre of Children’s Health under the MoH, Moscow, Russian National Research Medical University named Pirogov, Moscow, Russia. Mask Study Group 1 3 250Director of Center of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Diseases, Santa Fe, Argentina Center for Allergy and Immunology, Santa Fe, Argentina. 251Dept of Otorhinolaryngology, Medical University of Vienna, AKH, Vienna, Austria. 252Hospital of the Hospitaller Brothers in Buda, Budapest, Hungary. 253Die Hautambulanz and Rothhaar study center, Berlin, Germany. 254Neumología y Alergología Infantil, Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain. 255Center for Health Technology and Services Research - CINTESIS and Department of Internal Medicine, Centro Hospitalar Sao Joao, Porto, Portugal. 256Caisse d’assurance retraite et de la santé au travail du Languedoc-Roussillon (CARSAT-LR), Montpellier, France. 257Director of Department of Pharmacy of University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. 258ENT Department, University Hospital of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo. 259Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Alfred Hospital and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Immunology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 260Medical center “Research expert”, and Clinical Immunology, Tbilisi, Georgia. 158Latvian Association of Allergists, Center of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Riga, Latvia. 159Federal District Base Hospital Institute, Brasília, Brazil. 160Institute of Health Policy and Management iBMG, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 161University Hospital Olomouc – National eHealth Centre, Czech Republic. 162Immunology and Allergy Division, Clinical Hospital, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. 163Skin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. 164Centich : centre d’expertise national des technologies de l’information et de la communication pour l’autonomie, Gérontopôle autonomie longévité des Pays de la Loire, Conseil régional des Pays de la Loire, Centre d’expertise Partenariat Européen d’Innovation pour un vieillissement actif et en bonne santé, Nantes, France. 165Autonomous University of Baja California, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. 166Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. 167Hospital General Regional 1 “Dr. Carlos MacGregor Sánchez Navarro” IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico. 168Université Paris-Sud; Service de Pneumologie, Hôpital Bicêtre; Inserm UMR_S999, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France. 169Dipartimento di medicina, chirurgia e odontoiatria, università di Salerno, Italy. 170Division for Health Innovation, Campania Region and Federico II University Hospital Naples (R&D and DISMET) Naples, Italy. 171Servicio de Alergia e Immunologia, Clinica Santa Isabel, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 172President, Libra Foundation, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 173Medical University of Gdańsk, Department of Allergology, Gdansk, Poland. 174Airway Disease Infection Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College; MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, UK. 175Dept of Respiratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. 176Hallym University College of Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Mask Study Group 1 3 351Department of Chest Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire UCL Namur, Université Catholique de Louvain, Yvoir, Belgium. 352University of Bari Medical School, Unit of Geriatric Immunoallergology, Bari, Italy. 353Pulmonary Unit, Department of Medical Specialties, Arcispedale SMaria Nuova/IRCCS, AUSL di Reggio Emilia, Italy. 354FILHA, Finnish Lung Association, Helsinki, Finland. 355Pulmonary Environmental Epidemiology Unit, CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy ; and CNR Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology “A Monroy”, Palermo, Italy. 356Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. 357Sotiria Hospital, Athens, Greece. 358Dept of Otorhinolaryngology, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Germany. 359Asthma UK, Mansell street, London, UK. 360Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. 361Department of Otolaryngology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. 362Department of Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Allergy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 363Division of Immunodermatology and Allergy Research, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. 364Department of Medicine Solna, Immunology and Allergy Unit, Karolinska Institutet and Department of ENT diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. 365Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. 366International Primary Care Respiratory Group IPCRG, Aberdeen, Scotland. 367Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK. 368Allergologyst - Medical College of Medical Faculty, Thracian University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. 369Department of Research, Olmsted Medical Center, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. 370Cyprus International Institute for Environmental & Public Health in Association with Harvard School of Public Health, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus; Department of Pediatrics, Hospital “Archbishop Makarios III”, Nicosia, Cyprus. 371C l l B U D f P l l M T k 372Th Medicine; Messerli Research Institute of the University of Veterinary Medicine and Medical University, Vienna, Austria.267Department of Immunology and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty Hospital in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, Pilsen, Czech Republic. 268Division of Infection, Immunity & Respiratory Medicine, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK, and Allergy Department, 2nd Pediatric Clinic, Athens General Children’s Hospital “P&A Kyriakou,” University of Athens, Athens, Greece. 269Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea. 270Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. 271Allergy and Respiratory Diseases, Ospedale Policlino San Martino -University of Genoa, Italy. 272Farmacias Holon, Lisbon, Portugal. 273Department of Pediatrics, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. 274University of Southern Denmark, Kolding, Denmark. 275Université Grenoble Alpes, Laboratoire HP2, Grenoble, INSERM, U1042 and CHU de Grenoble, France. Mask Study Group 1 3 276Allergy Unit, CUF-Porto Hospital and Institute; Center for Research in Health Technologies and information systems CINTESIS, Universidade do Porto, Portugal. 277Sociologist, municipality area n33, Sorrento, Italy. 278Center for Rhinology and Allergology, Wiesbaden, Germany. 279Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany. 280Centre for empowering people and communites, Dublin, UK. 281Conseil Général de l’Economie Ministère de l’Economie, de l’Industrie et du Numérique, Paris, France. 282Société de Pneumologie de Langue Française, Espace francophone de Pneumologie, Paris, France. 283Département de pédiatrie, CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble France. 284Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus. 285Children’s Hospital Srebrnjak, Zagreb, School of Medicine, University J.J. Strossmayer, Osijek, Croatia. 286Karl Landsteiner Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pneumology, Hietzing Hospital, Vienna, Austria. 287University Hospital ‘Sv. Ivan Rilski’”, Sofia, Bulgaria. 288Allergy Diagnostic and Clinical Research Unit, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa. 289Vice-Presidente of IML, Milano, Italy. 290Centre of Academic Primary Care, Division of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom ; Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore. 291Department of Otorhinolaryngology University of Crete School of Medicine, Heraklion, Greece. 292European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases (EUFOREA), Brussels, Belgium. 293Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. 294LungenClinic Grosshansdorf, Airway Research Center North, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Grosshansdorf, Germany Department of Medicine, Christian Albrechts University, Airway Research Center North, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Kiel, Germany. 295Department of Nephrology and Endocrinology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. 296Farmácia São Paio, Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Portugal. 297St Vincent’s Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 298Puebla, Mexico. 299Serviço de Pneumologia-Hosp das Clinicas UFPE-EBSERH, Recife, Brazil. 300Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 301Centre of Pneumology, Coimbra University Hospital, Portugal. 302Polibienestar Research Institute, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. 303Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Hospital Angeles Pedregal, Mexico City, Mexico. 304Getafe University Hospital Department of Geriatrics, Madrid, Spain. 305Association Asthme et Allergie, Paris, France. 306Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 307Primary Care Respiratory Research Unit Institutode Investigación Sanitaria de Palma IdisPa, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 308Allergy Unit, Presidio Columbus, Rome, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome and IRCCS Oasi Maria SS, Troina, Italy. 309Mexico City, Mexico. 310Regione Piemonte, Torino, Italy. 311Medical University of Graz, Department of Internal Medicine, Graz, Austria. 312Serviço de Imunoalergolo‑ gia Hospital da Luz Lisboa Portugal. Mask Study Group 1 3 211Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Page 18 of 21 Page 18 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 326INSERM, Université Grenoble Alpes, IAB, U 1209, Team of Environmental Epidemiology applied to Reproduction and Respiratory Health, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France. 327Sociedad Paraguaya de Alergia Asma e Inmunologı´a, Paraguay. 328Division of Allergy, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 329European Health Futures Forum (EHFF), Dromahair, Ireland. 330ENT, Aachen, Germany. 331Kyrgyzstan National Centre of Cardiology and Internal medicine, Euro-Asian respiratory Society, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. 332University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic. 333Department of Paediatric and Adolescent medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Paediatric Research Group, Deptarment of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. 334Presidente, IML (Lombardy Medical Initiative), Bergamo, Italy. 335Pulmonary Division, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital da Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. 336Public Health Institute of Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. 337Universi‑ dade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro - Brazil 338RNSA (Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique), Brussieu, France. 339The Hospital for Sick Children, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada. 340Imunoalergologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal. 341Depart‑ ment of ENT, Medical University of Graz, Austria. 342Campania Region, Division on Pharmacy and devices policy, Naples, Italy. 343Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hvidovre Hospital & University of Copenhagen, Denmark. 344Universidade Federal dos Pampas, Uruguaiana, Brazil. 345Division of Immunopathology, Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. 346Pneumology and Allergy Department CIBERES and Clinical & Experimental Respiratory Immunoallergy, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Spain. 347Vilnius University Institute of Clinical Medicine, Clinic of Children’s Diseases, and Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Public Health, Vilnius, Lithuania; European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP/UEMS-SP), Brussels, Belgium. 348Department of Lung Diseases and Clinical Immunology Allergology, University of Turku and Terveystalo allergy clinic, Turku, Finland. 349PELyon; HESPER 7425, Health Services and Performance Resarch - Université Claude Bernard Lyon, France.350Immunology and Allergy Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital, Stockholm. Mask Study Group 1 3 177Department of Clinical Immunology, Wrocław Medical University, Poland. 178Ukrainina Medical Stomatological Academy, Poltava, Ukraine. 179Pediatric Allergy and Asthma Unit, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. 180Hacettepe University, School of Medicine, Department of Chest Diseases, Immunology and Allergy Division, Ankara, Turkey. 181Allergy Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland. 182First Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Poland. 183Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, and Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, University of Wuerzburg, Germany. 184Department of Medicine, McMaster University, HealthSciences Centre 3V47, West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 185National Research Center, Institute of Immunology, Federal Medicobiological Agency, Laboratory of Molecular immunology, Moscow, Russian Federation. 186GARD Chairman, Geneva, Switzerland. 187Allergy & Asthma Center Westend, Berlin, Germany. 188Center for Rhinology and Allergology, Wiesbaden, Germany. 189Department of Immunology and Allergy, Healthy Ageing Research Center, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. 190Children’s Hospital and University of Helsinki, Finland. 191Centre for Clinical Research Sörmland, Uppsala University, Eskilstuna, Sweden. 192Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. 193Department of Prevention of Envinronmental Hazards and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. 194Center of Excellence in Asthma and Allergy, Médica Sur Clinical Foundation and Hospital, México City,, Mexico. 195Presidente CMMC, Milano, Italy. 196Head of the Allergy Department of Pedro de Elizalde Children’s Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 197University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hochiminh City, Vietnam. 198​Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. 199Sifmed, Milano, Italy. 200State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. 201Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (Divisions of Allergy and Immunology), University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Germantown, TN, USA. 202Scottish Centre for Respiratory Research, Cardiovascular & Diabetes Medicine, Medical Research Institute, Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, UK. 203Oslo University Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, Oslo, and University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Oslo, Norway. 204Department of Pulmonary Medicine, CHU Sart-Tilman, and GIGA I3 research group, Liege, Belgium. 205Faculty of Health Sciences and CICS – UBI, Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal. 206Department of Philosophical, Methodological and Instrumental Disciplines, CUCS, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico. 207Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, UAE. 208Biomax Informatics AG, Munich, Germany. 209Director Gerneral for Health and Social Care, Scottish Government, Edinburgh, UK. 210Department of Respiratory Medicine, University of Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia. Competing interests OP reports grants and personal fees from ALK-Abelló, Allergopharma, Stallergenes Greer, HAL Allergy Holding B.V./HAL Allergie GmbH, Bencard Allergie GmbH/Allergy Therapeutics, Lofarma, Biotech Tools S.A., Laboratorios LETI/LETI Pharma, Anergis S.A., grants from Biomay, Nuvo, Circassia, Glaxo Smith Kline, personal fees from Novartis Pharma, MEDA Pharma, Mobile Chamber Experts (a ­GA2LEN Partner), Pohl-Boskamp, Indoor Biotechnologies, grants from, outside the submitted work. AMTB reports grants and personal fees from Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Mundipharma, GSK (GlaxoSmithKline), personal fees from Teva Pharma, AstraZeneca, grants from Leti, outside the submitted work. SW reports personnal fees from Merck, GSK, Novartis, Behring, Shire, Sanofi, Barid Aralez, Mylan Meda, Pediapharm outside the submitted work. 3. Bousquet J, Bachert C, Canonica GW, Casale TB, Cruz AA, Lockey RJ, et al. Unmet needs in severe chronic upper airway disease (SCUAD). J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009;124(3):428–33. 4. Bousquet J, Mantzouranis E, Cruz AA, Ait-Khaled N, Baena-Cagnani CE, Bleecker ER, et al. Uniform definition of asthma severity, con‑ trol, and exacerbations: document presented for the World Health Organization Consultation on Severe Asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010;126(5):926–38. 5. De Greve G, Hellings PW, Fokkens WJ, Pugin B, Steelant B, Seys SF. Endotype-driven treatment in chronic upper airway diseases. Clin Transl Allergy. 2017;7:22. 6. Cingi C, Gevaert P, Mosges R, Rondon C, Hox V, Rudenko M, et al. Multi- morbidities of allergic rhinitis in adults: European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology task force report. Clin Transl Allergy. 2017;7:17. 7. Frohlich M, Pinart M, Keller T, Reich A, Cabieses B, Hohmann C, et al. Is there a sex-shift in prevalence of allergic rhinitis and comorbid asthma from childhood to adulthood? A meta-analysis. Clin Transl Allergy. 2017;7:44. 8. Bousquet J, Addis A, Adcock I, Agache I, Agusti A, Alonso A, et al. Inte‑ grated care pathways for airway diseases (AIRWAYS-ICPs). Eur Respir J. 2014;44(2):304–23. 9. Hellings PW, Fokkens WJ, Bachert C, Akdis CA, Bieber T, Agache I, et al. Positioning the principles of precision medicine in care pathways for allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis—an EUFOREA-ARIA-EPOS- AIRWAYS ICP statement. Allergy. 2017;72(9):1297–305. 10. Bousquet J, Schunemann HJ, Fonseca J, Samolinski B, Bachert C, Canonica GW, et al. MACVIA-ARIA Sentinel NetworK for allergic rhinitis (MASK-rhinitis): the new generation guideline implementation. Allergy 2015;70(11):1372–92. 11. Hellings PW, Fokkens WJ, Akdis C, Bachert C, Cingi C, Dietz de Loos D, et al. Uncontrolled allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis: where do we stand today? Allergy. 2013;68(1):1–7. 12. mHealth. Competing interests SBA reports personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, AstraZeneca, TEVA, grants from TEVA, MEDA outside the submitted work. JB reports personal fees and other from Chiesi, Cipla, Hikma, Menarini, Mundipharma, Mylan, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Takeda, Teva, Uriach, other from Kyomed, outside the submitted work. AAC reports grants and personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline, personal fees from Boehrinher Ingelheim, personal fees from AstraZeneca, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Merk, Sharp & Dohma, personal fees from MEDA Pharma, personal fees from EUROFARMA, personal fees from Sanofi Aventis, outside the submitted work. MD reports other from Allergan, outside the submitted work. WF reports grants from Meda, outside the submitted work. TH reports personal fees from Mundipharma, Novartis, and Orion Pharma, outside the submitted work. JJ reports grants and personal fees from novartis, ALK abello, personal fees from thermofischer, astra zeneca outside the submitted work. PK reports personal fees from Adamed, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, Chiesi, FAES, Berlin Chemie, Novartis, Polp‑ harma, Allergopharma, outside the submitted work. VK has received payment for consultancy from GSK and for lectures from Stallergens, Berlin-CHemie outside the submitted work. DLL reports personal fees from GSK, Astrazeneca, MEDA, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Grunenthal, UCB, Amstrong, Siegfried, DBV Technologies, MSD, Pfizer, grants from Sanofi, Astrazeneca, Novartis, UCB, GSK, TEVA, Chiesi, Boehringer Ingelheim, outside the submitted work. RM reports personal fees from ALK, grants from ASIT biotech, Leti, BitopAG, Hulka, Ursapharm, Optima; personal fees from allergopharma, Nuvo, Meda, Friulchem, Hexal, Servier, Bayer, Johnson&Johnson, Klosterfrau, GSK, MSD, FAES, Stada, UCB, Allergy Therapeutics; grants and personal fees from Bencard, Stallergenes; grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Lofarma; non-financial support from Roxall, Atmos, Bionorica, Otonomy, Ferrero; per‑ sonal fees and non-financial support from Novartis. NP reports personal fees from Novartis, Faes Farma, BIOMAY, HAL, Nutricia Research, Menarini, Novartis, MEDA, Abbvie, MSD, Omega Pharma, Danone, grants from Menarini, outside the submitted work. JLP reports grants from Air Liquide Foundation, AGIR à dom, Astrazeneca, Fisher & Paykel, Mutualia, Philips, Resmed, Vitalaire, other from AGIR à dom, Astrazeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Jazz Pharmaceutical, Night Balance, Philips, Resmed, Sefam, outside the submitted work. References 1. Bousquet J, Khaltaev N, Cruz AA, Denburg J, Fokkens WJ, Togias A, et al. Allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma (ARIA) 2008 update (in col‑ laboration with the World Health Organization, GA(2)LEN and AllerGen). Allergy. 2008;63(Suppl 86):8–160. 2. Vandenplas O, Vinnikov D, Blanc PD, Agache I, Bachert C, Bewick M, et al. Impact of rhinitis on work productivity: a systematic review. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2018;6(4):1274–86. Mask Study Group 1 3 313Hospital de Clinicas, University of Parana, Brazil. 314Division of Allergy Asthma and Clinical Immunology, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel. 315Honorary Clinical Research Fellow, Allergy and Respiratory Research Group, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. 316Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. 317Association of Finnish Pharmacies. 318Allergy and Clinical Immunology Department, Centro Médico-Docente la, Trinidad and Clínica El Avila, Caracas, Venezuela. 319Faculty of Medicine, Autnonous University of Madrid, Spain. 320The Royal National TNE Hospital, University College London, UK. 321DIBIMIS, University of Palermo, Italy. 322Allergy Unit, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland. 323Asthma Reference Center, Escola Superior de Ciencias da Santa Casa de Misericordia de Vitoria - Esperito Santo, Brazil. 324THe Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics The University of Page 19 of 21 Page 19 of 21 Page 19 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Institute of Otolaryngology, Beijing, China. 375Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina. 376University Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Golnik, Slovenia. 377Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn - HRCB Projekt GmbH, Kohln, Germany. 378Akershus University Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngol‑ ogy, Akershus, Norway. Institute of Otolaryngology, Beijing, China. 375Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina. 376University Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Golnik, Slovenia. 377Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn - HRCB Projekt GmbH, Kohln, Germany. 378Akershus University Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngol‑ ogy, Akershus, Norway. Funding 18. Lee L, Sheikh A. Understanding stakeholder interests and perspectives in evaluations of health IT. Stud Health Technol Inf. 2016;222:53–62. 19. Geryk LL, Roberts CA, Sage AJ, Coyne-Beasley T, Sleath BL, Carpenter DM. Parent and clinician preferences for an asthma app to promote adolescent self-management: a formative study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2016;5(4):e229. Competing interests New horizons for health through mobile technologies. Global Observatory for eHealth series—Vol. 3 WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Pub‑ lication Data. 2011; http://www.who.int/goe/publi​catio​ns/goe_mheal​ th_web.pdf. Accessed 30 Sept 2018. 13. Ozdalga E, Ozdalga A, Ahuja N. The smartphone in medicine: a review of current and potential use among physicians and students. J Med Internet Res. 2012;14(5):e128. 14. Freifeld CC, Chunara R, Mekaru SR, Chan EH, Kass-Hout T, Ayala Iacucci A, et al. Participatory epidemiology: use of mobile phones for community- based health reporting. PLoS Med. 2010;7(12):e1000376. 15. Keijser W, de-Manuel-Keenoy E, d’Angelantonio M, Stafylas P, Hobson P, Apuzzo G, et al. DG Connect funded projects on information and com‑ munication technologies (ICT) for old age people: Beyond Silos, CareWell and SmartCare. J Nutr Health Aging. 2016;20(10):1024–33. Availability of data and materials 16. Mozaffar H, Cresswell KM, Williams R, Bates DW, Sheikh A. Exploring the roots of unintended safety threats associated with the introduction of hospital ePrescribing systems and candidate avoidance and/or mitiga‑ tion strategies: a qualitative study. BMJ Qual Saf. 2017;26(9):722–733. Not applicable. Ethics approval and consent to participate Not applicable. 17. Talboom-Kamp EP, Verdijk NA, Harmans LM, Numans ME, Chavannes NH. An eHealth platform to manage chronic disease in primary care: an innovative approach. Interact J Med Res. 2016;5(1):e5. Publisher’s Note Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guide‑ lines—2016 revision. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;140(4):950–8. 43. El Emam K, Dankar FK, Issa R, et al. A globally optimal k-anonymity method for the de-identification of health data. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2009;16:670–82. 26. Bousquet J, Hellings PW, Agache I, Bedbrook A, Bachert C, Bergmann KC, et al. ARIA 2016: care pathways implementing emerging technologies for predictive medicine in rhinitis and asthma across the life cycle. Clin Transl Allergy. 2016;6:47. 44. Samreth D, Arnavielhe S, Ingenrieth F, Bedbrook A, Onorato GL, Murray R, et al. Geolocation with respect to personal privacy for the Allergy Diary app—a MASK study. World Allergy Organ J. 2018;11(1):15. https​://doi. org/10.1186/s4041​3-018-0194-3. y 27. Lombardi C, Musicco E, Rastrelli F, Bettoncelli G, Passalacqua G, Canonica GW. The patient with rhinitis in the pharmacy. A cross-sectional study in real life. Asthma Res Pract. 2015;1:4. 45. Bland JM, Altman DG. Statistical methods for assessing agree‑ ment between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet. 1986;1(8476):307–10. 28. Bousquet J, Schunemann HJ, Hellings PW, Arnavielhe S, Bachert C, Bedbrook A, et al. MACVIA clinical decision algorithm in adolescents and adults with allergic rhinitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;138(2):367–74 (e2). 46. Bousquet J, Agache I, Aliberti MR, Angles R, Annesi-Maesano I, Anto JM, et al. Transfer of innovation on allergic rhinitis and asthma multimorbid‑ ity in the elderly (MACVIA-ARIA)—EIP on AHA Twinning Reference Site (GARD research demonstration project). Allergy. 2018;73(1):77–92. 29. Bourret R, Bousquet J, Mercier J, Camuzat T, Bedbrook A, Demoly P, et al. MASK rhinitis, a single tool for integrated care pathways in allergic rhinitis. World Hosp Health Serv. 2015;51(3):36–9. 47. Konig HH, Bernert S, Angermeyer MC, Matschinger H, Martinez M, Vilagut G, et al. Comparison of population health status in six european coun‑ tries: results of a representative survey using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Med Care. 2009;47(2):255–61. 30. Hellings PW, Muraro A, Fokkens W, Mullol J, Bachert C, Canonica GW, et al. A common language to assess allergic rhinitis control: results from a survey conducted during EAACI 2013 Congress. Clin Transl Allergy. 2015;5:36. 48. Smith AF, Pitt AD, Rodruiguez AE, Alio JL, Marti N, Teus M, et al. The economic and quality of life impact of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis in a Spanish setting. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2005;12(4):233–42. 31. Klimek L, Bergmann KC, Biedermann T, Bousquet J, Hellings P, Jung K, et al. Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in pub‑ lished maps and institutional affiliations. 20. Bousquet J, Chavannes NH, Guldemond N, Haahtela T, Hellings PW, Sheikh A. Realising the potential of mHealth to improve asthma and allergy care: how to shape the future. Eur Respir J. 2017;49(5):1700447. 20. Bousquet J, Chavannes NH, Guldemond N, Haahtela T, Hellings PW, Sheikh A. Realising the potential of mHealth to improve asthma and allergy care: how to shape the future. Eur Respir J. 2017;49(5):1700447. Received: 31 July 2018 Accepted: 7 September 2018 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Page 20 of 21 Page 20 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 40. Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protec‑ tion of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications). Off J Eur Commun L 201, 37; 31 July 2002. 21. Lau AY, Arguel A, Dennis S, Liaw ST, Coiera E. “Why Didn’t it Work?” Lessons from a randomized controlled trial of a web-based personally controlled health management system for adults with asthma. J Med Internet Res. 2015;17(12):e283. 22. Simpson AJ, Honkoop PJ, Kennington E, Snoeck-Stroband JB, Smith I, East J, et al. Perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals on mHealth for asthma self-management. Eur Respir J. 2017. https​://doi. org/10.1183/13993​003.01966​-2016. y 41. Directive 2009/136/EC of The European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 amending Directive 2002/22/EC on universal service and users’ rights relating to electronic communications networks and services, Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sec‑ tor and Regulation (EC) No  2006/2004 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws. Off J Eur Union, L 337, 11; 18 December 2009. 23. Bousquet J, Van Cauwenberge P, Khaltaev N. Allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2001;108(5 Suppl):S147–334. 24. Brozek JL, Bousquet J, Baena-Cagnani CE, Bonini S, Canonica GW, Casale TB, et al. Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines: 2010 revision. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010;126(3):466–76. f 42. Sweeney L. k-anonymity: a model for protecting privacy. Int J Uncertain Fuz Knowl Syst. 2002;10:557–70. 25. Brozek JL, Bousquet J, Agache I, Agarwal A, Bachert C, Bosnic-Anticevich S, et al. Publisher’s Note Visual analogue scales (VAS): measuring instruments for the documentation of symptoms and therapy monitoring in cases of allergic rhinitis in everyday health care: position Paper of the German Society of Allergology (AeDA) and the German Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI), ENT Section, in collaboration with the working group on Clinical Immunology, Allergology and Environmental Medicine of the German Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (DGHNOKHC). Allergo J Int. 2017;26(1):16–24. 49. Bousquet J, VandenPlas O, Bewick M, Arnavielhe S, Bedbrook A, Murray R, et al. The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Allergic Specific (WPAI-AS) Questionnaire using mobile technology: the MASK study. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2018;28(1):42–4. 50. Azevedo P, Correia de Sousa J, Bousquet J, Bugalho-Almeida A, Del Giacco SR, Demoly P, et al. Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT): dissemination and applications in primary care. Prim Care Respir J. 2013;22(1):112–6. 32. Bousquet J, Farrell J, Crooks G, Hellings P, Bel EH, Bewick M, et al. Scaling up strategies of the chronic respiratory disease programme of the Euro‑ pean Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (Action Plan B3: Area 5). Clin Transl Allergy. 2016;6:29. 51. Fonseca JA, Nogueira-Silva L, Morais-Almeida M, Azevedo L, Sa-Sousa A, Branco-Ferreira M, et al. Validation of a questionnaire (CARAT10) to assess rhinitis and asthma in patients with asthma. Allergy. 2010;65(8):1042–8. 33. Bousquet J, Caimmi DP, Bedbrook A, Bewick M, Hellings PW, Devillier P, et al. Pilot study of mobile phone technology in allergic rhinitis in Euro‑ pean countries: the MASK-rhinitis study. Allergy. 2017;72(6):857–65. 52. Nogueira-Silva L, Martins SV, Cruz-Correia R, Azevedo LF, Morais-Almeida M, Bugalho-Almeida A, et al. Control of allergic rhinitis and asthma test— a formal approach to the development of a measuring tool. Respir Res. 2009;10:52. 34. Bousquet J, Bewick M, Arnavielhe S, Mathieu-Dupas E, Murray R, Bed‑ brook A, et al. Work productivity in rhinitis using cell phones: the MASK pilot study. Allergy. 2017;72(10):1475–84. 53. van der Leeuw S, van der Molen T, Dekhuijzen PN, Fonseca JA, van Gemert FA, Gerth van Wijk R, et al. The minimal clinically important dif‑ ference of the control of allergic rhinitis and asthma test (CARAT): cross- cultural validation and relation with pollen counts. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. 2015;25:14107. 35. Aristodimou A, Antoniades A, Pattichis CS. Privacy preserving data pub‑ lishing of categorical data through k-anonymity and feature selection. Healthc Technol Lett. 2016;3(1):16–21. 36. Publisher’s Note Aldeen YA, Salleh M, Razzaque MA. A comprehensive review on privacy preserving data mining. Springerplus. 2015;4:694. 54. Johns MW. Reliability and factor analysis of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep. 1992;15(4):376–81. 37. Protection of personal data. Article 29 data protection working party. Opinion 05/2014 on anonymisation techniques. European Commission Justice Data Protection. 2014;0829/14/EN WP216. http://ec.europ​a.eu/ justi​ce/data-prote​ction​/index​_en.htm. Accessed 30 Sept 2018. 55. Leger D, Annesi-Maesano I, Carat F, Rugina M, Chanal I, Pribil C, et al. Allergic rhinitis and its consequences on quality of sleep: an unexplored area. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(16):1744–8. 56. Kopp-Kubel S. International Nonproprietary Names (INN) for pharmaceu‑ tical substances. Bull World Health Organ. 1995;73(3):275–9. 38. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliamant and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). Offi‑ cial Organ of the European Union. 2016. http://eur-lex.europ​a.eu/legal​ -conte​nt/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX​:32016​R0679​&from=EN. Accessed 30 Sept 2018. 57. Santo K, Richtering SS, Chalmers J, Thiagalingam A, Chow CK, Redfern J. Mobile phone apps to improve medication adherence: a systematic stepwise process to identify high-quality apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2016;4(4):e132. 58. Thakkar J, Kurup R, Laba TL, Santo K, Thiagalingam A, Rodgers A, et al. Mobile telephone text messaging for medication adherence in chronic disease: a meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(3):340–9. 39. Article 28 EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR). 2018. https​ ://www.eugdp​r.org/. Accessed 30 Sept 2018. Page 21 of 21 Page 21 of 21 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 Bousquet et al. Clin Transl Allergy (2018) 8:45 59. Bousquet J, Arnavielhe S, Bedbrook A, Alexis-Alexandre G, van Eerd M, Murray R, et al. Treatment of allergic rhinitis using mobile technol‑ ogy with real world data: the MASK observational pilot study. Allergy. 2018;73(9):1763–74. 65. Bousquet J, Devillier P, Anto JM, Bewick M, Haahtela T, Arnavielhe S, et al. Daily allergic multimorbidity in rhinitis using mobile technology: a novel concept of the MASK study. Allergy. 2018;73(8):1622–31. 66. Tan R, Cvetkovski B, Kritikos V, Price D, Yan K, Smith P, et al. Identifying the hidden burden of allergic rhinitis (AR) in community pharmacy: a global phenomenon. Asthma Res Pract. 2017;3:8. 60. Devillier P, Chassany O, Vicaut E, de Beaumont O, Robin B, Dreyfus JF, et al. The minimally important difference in the Rhinoconjunctivitis Total Symptom Score in grass-pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Allergy. Publisher’s Note 2014;69(12):1689–95. 67. Carr WW, Yawn BP. Management of allergic rhinitis in the era of effective over-the-counter treatments. Postgrad Med. 2017;129(6):572–80. 68. Members of the Workshop. ARIA in the pharmacy: management of allergic rhinitis symptoms in the pharmacy. Allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma. Allergy. 2004;59(4):373–87 61. Onder G, Palmer K, Navickas R, Jureviciene E, Mammarella F, Strandz‑ heva M, et al. Time to face the challenge of multimorbidity. A European perspective from the joint action on chronic diseases and promoting healthy ageing across the life cycle (JA-CHRODIS). Eur J Intern Med. 2015;26(3):157–9. 69. Bousquet J, Cruz A, Robalo-Cordeiro C. Obstructive sleep apnoea syn‑ drome is an under-recognized cause of uncontrolled asthma across the life cycle. Rev Port Pneumol. 2016;22(1):1–3 62. Bousquet J, Onorato GL, Bachert C, Barbolini M, Bedbrook A, Bjermer L, et al. CHRODIS criteria applied to the MASK (MACVIA-ARIA Sentinel NetworK) Good Practice in allergic rhinitis: a SUNFRAIL report. Clin Transl Allergy. 2017;7:37. y 70. Bousquet J, Agache I, Anto JM, Bergmann KC, Bachert C, Annesi-Maesano I, et al. Google Trends terms reporting rhinitis and related topics differ in European countries. Allergy 2017;72(8):1261–6. 71. Bousquet J, O’Hehir RE, Anto JM, D’Amato G, Mösges R, Hellings PW, Van Eerd M, Sheikh A. Assessment of thunderstorm-induced asthma using Google Trends. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;140(3):891–3. 63. Mokkink LB, Terwee CB, Patrick DL, Alonso J, Stratford PW, Knol DL, et al. The COSMIN study reached international consensus on taxonomy, ter‑ minology, and definitions of measurement properties for health-related patient-reported outcomes. J Clin Epidemiol. 2010;63(7):737–45. 64. Caimmi D, Baiz N, Tanno LK, Demoly P, Arnavielhe S, Murray R, et al. Valida‑ tion of the MASK-rhinitis visual analogue scale on smartphone screens to assess allergic rhinitis control. Clin Exp Allergy. 2017;47(12):1526–33. • fast, convenient online submission • thorough peer review by experienced researchers in your field • rapid publication on acceptance • support for research data, including large and complex data types • gold Open Access which fosters wider collaboration and increased citations maximum visibility for your research: over 100M website views per year • At BMC, research is always in progress. Learn more biomedcentral.com/submissions Ready to submit your research ? Publisher’s Note Choose BMC and benefit from: • fast, convenient online submission • thorough peer review by experienced researchers in your field • rapid publication on acceptance • support for research data, including large and complex data types • gold Open Access which fosters wider collaboration and increased citations maximum visibility for your research: over 100M website views per year • At BMC, research is always in progress. Learn more biomedcentral.com/submissions Ready to submit your research ? Choose BMC and benefit from:
W2170265921.txt
https://jmedicalcasereports.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1752-1947-5-48
en
Ovarian cryopreservation after laparoscopic ovariectomy using the Endo-GIA stapling device and LAPRO-clip absorbable ligating clip in a woman: a case report
Journal of medical case reports
2,011
cc-by
1,240
Roux et al. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011, 5:48 http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/48 JOURNAL OF MEDICAL CASE REPORTS CASE REPORT Open Access Ovarian cryopreservation after laparoscopic ovariectomy using the Endo-GIA stapling device and LAPRO-clip absorbable ligating clip in a woman: a case report Isabelle Roux1, Michaël Grynberg1,2, Jenna Linehan1, Alexandra Messner3, Xavier Deffieux1,2,4* Abstract Introduction: Several options are available for preserving fertility before cytotoxic treatment, including ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Most reported surgical techniques include electrocoagulation. Our hypothesis is that avoidance of electrocoagulation may decrease ovarian cortex injury during cryopreservation procedures. Case presentation: We report a laparoscopic technique of whole-ovary removal without coagulation using Endo-GIA forceps and clips. Laparoscopic ovariectomy was performed for cryopreservation in a 37-year-old Caucasian woman with breast cancer and for whom chemotherapy was planned. The procedure was completed quickly and without complication. This Endo-GIA procedure was of short duration with a short period of ischemia before freezing. Conclusion: Laparoscopic ovariectomy using the Endo-GIA stapling device procedure without coagulation may diminish ovary injury before ovarian cryopreservation. Introduction Several options are available for preserving fertility before cytotoxic treatment, namely embryo cryopreservation, oocyte cryopreservation and ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Embryo cryopreservation results in good pregnancy rates, but the patient needs to be of pubertal or postpubertal age, have a partner and be able to undergo a cycle of ovarian stimulation [1]. Ovarian stimulation is not possible when chemotherapy cannot be delayed or when stimulation is contraindicated. Ovarian tissue transplantation after cryopreservation is an option despite being an experimental technique with few live births reported [2]. Either a part of cortical tissue [3] or whole ovary can be removed. Case presentation We report a laparoscopic ovariectomy technique performed for cryopreservation in a 37 year-old Caucasian * Correspondence: xavier.deffieux@abc.aphp.fr 1 AP-HP, Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique et Médecine de la Reproduction, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Clamart, F-92141, France Full list of author information is available at the end of the article woman with breast cancer and for whom chemotherapy was planned. Despite being informed of the poor outcome in women of her age, this woman elected to undergo combined techniques for fertility preservation. As an adjuvant to the tissue preservation, immature oocyte retrieval was performed one day before the surgery. During laparoscopy, the ureter and the iliac vessels were identified. Through the medial 12-mm trocar, the Endo-GIA Roticulator (Tyco Healthcare, Covidien, Elancourt, France) was used to cut the infundibulopelvic ligament and mesovarium (Figures 1 and 2). The utero-ovarian ligament was then clamped with two vascular absorbable clips (Figure 3). The removed ovary was immediately handed over to a biologist team that was present in the operating room. No complications were reported from this procedure. Pathology revealed “normal” ovarian tissue. Our hypothesis is that avoidance of electrocoagulation may decrease ovarian cortex injury during cryopreservation procedure. There are no precise data demonstrating that electrocoagulation causes damage to the ovarian tissue in the course of ovarian tissue harvesting and cryopreservation. However, many experimental studies have shown that electrocoagulation © 2011 Roux et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Roux et al. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011, 5:48 http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/48 Figure 1 The Endo-GIA Roticulator is used to cut the infundibulopelvic ligament and mesovarium. (monopolar and bipolar energies) may be associated with damage to ovarian tissue. For example, ovarian drilling, especially bipolar electrocoagulation, causes extensive destruction of the ovary [4]. Furthermore, some data suggest that bipolar electrocoagulation of the ovarian parenchyma during laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy adversely affects ovarian function [5,6]. These data show possible impact of electrocoagulatory ovarian tissue damage on the outcome of ovarian tissue harvesting and reimplantation. Further studies should assess ovarian tissue damage and the results of ovarian cryopreservation according to the ovarian removal procedure (Endo-GIA vs. electrocoagulatory). This Endo-GIA procedure was of short duration with a short period of ischemia before freezing. Furthermore, it is known that the Endo-GIA stapling device requires significantly less time than electrocoagulation [7]. However, some centers do not remove a whole ovary for ovarian tissue cryopreservation; instead, they remove only half to two-thirds of one macroscopically normal Page 2 of 3 Figure 3 Clamping the utero-ovarian ligament using vascular absorbable clips. ovary’s cortex. The Endo-GIA removal procedure cannot be used in these cases. Conclusion Laparoscopic ovariectomy using the Endo-GIA stapling device procedure without coagulation is an optional ovariectomy technique that should diminish ovary injury before ovarian cryopreservation. Consent Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review from the Editor-in-Chief of this journal. Author details 1 AP-HP, Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique et Médecine de la Reproduction, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Clamart, F-92141, France. 2Univ ParisSud, Faculté de Médecine Paris Sud, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, F-94275, France. 3APHP, Department of Reproductive Biology, Antoine Béclère Hospital, Clamart, F-92141, France. 4ER6, UPMC, Paris, F-75013, France. Authors’ contributions Each author participated sufficiently in the work. IR, XD and MG performed surgical procedure and analyzed and interpreted the patient data regarding the surgical management. JL and AM performed the ovarian cryopreservation and were major contributors in writing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Received: 22 April 2010 Accepted: 3 February 2011 Published: 3 February 2011 Figure 2 Cutting the mesovarium using the Endo-GIA stapling device. References 1. American Society for Reproductive Medicine, The Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Practice Committee of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology: Ovarian tissue and oocyte cryopreservation. Fertil Steril 2008, 90(suppl):S241-S246. 2. Donnez J, Dolmans MM, Demylle D, Jadoul P, Pirard C, Squifflet J, MartinezMadrid B, Van Langendonckt A: Livebirth after orthotopic transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue. Lancet 2004, 36:1405-1410. Roux et al. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011, 5:48 http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/48 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Page 3 of 3 Meirow D, Fasouliotis SJ, Nugent D, Schenker JG, Gosden RG, Rutherford AJ: A laparoscopic technique for obtaining ovarian cortical biopsy specimens for fertility conservation in patients with cancer. Fertil Steril 1999, 71:948-951. Hendriks ML, van der Valk P, Lambalk CB, Broeckaert MA, Homburg R, Hompes PG: Extensive tissue damage of bovine ovaries after bipolar ovarian drilling compared to monopolar electrocoagulation or carbon dioxide laser. Fertil Steril 2010, 93(3):969-75. Fedele L, Bianchi S, Zanconato G, Bergamini V, Berlanda N: Bipolar electrocoagulation versus suture of solitary ovary after laparoscopic excision of ovarian endometriomas. J Am Assoc Gynecol Laparosc 2004, 11(3):344-347. Li CZ, Liu B, Wen ZQ, Sun Q: The impact of electrocoagulation on ovarian reserve after laparoscopic excision of ovarian cysts: a prospective clinical study of 191 patients. Fertil Steril 2009, 92(4):1428-1435. Sharp HT, Dorsey JH, Holtz PM, Melick CF: Electrocoagulation versus the Endo GIA in LAVH. J Am Assoc Gynecol Laparosc 1996, 3(4 suppl):S45-S46. doi:10.1186/1752-1947-5-48 Cite this article as: Roux et al.: Ovarian cryopreservation after laparoscopic ovariectomy using the Endo-GIA stapling device and LAPRO-clip absorbable ligating clip in a woman: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011 5:48. Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit
https://openalex.org/W4383818762
https://jurnal.lp2msasbabel.ac.id/index.php/sus/article/download/3391/1362
Indonesian
null
Pengaruh Flipchart Terintegrasi STEM Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis dan Hasil Belajar Siswa di Indonesia: Sebuah Meta-Analisis
Jurnal Sustainable
2,023
cc-by
6,919
Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh flipchart terintegrasi STEM terhadap kemampuan berpikir dan hasil belajar siswa di Indonesia. Jenis penelitian ini adalah meta-analisis. Sumber data dalam penelitian ini berasal dari 11 jurnal nasional dan internasional. Proses penulusuran sumber data dari google scholar, Emerald, ScienceDirect, Eric, Taylor of Francis dan ProQuest. Teknik pengumpulan data melalui observasi langsung melalui database online. Kriteria sumber data harus memenuhi kriteria inklusi. Kriteria inklusi yang dijadikan data meta-analisis yaitu jurnal terindeks SINTA, DOAJ, Scopus dan WOS, Jurnal harus berbahasa Inggris dan Indonesia serta jurnal yang terbit dari tahun 2015-2023. Hasil meta- analisis menunjukan bahwa nilai Effect Size (ES = 0.902) dengan kriteria sedang. Temuan ini menunjukan pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM memberikan pengaruh positif terhadap kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa di Indonesia. Penerapan pembelajaran flipchar terintegrasi STEM membantu guru dan siswa dalam menigkatkan proses pembelajaran di sekolah. Kata kunci: Flipchart, STEM, Berpikir Kritis, Hasil belajar, Meta-analisis History: Received : 29 Mei 2023 Revised : 06 Juni 2023 Accepted : 09 Juni 2023 Published : 30 Juni 2023 1Universitas Sebelas Maret 2Universitas Islam 45 Bekasi 3Universitas Negeri Padang 4Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika 568Akademi Teknik Adikarya Kerinci 7IAIN Kerinci *Author Correspondent: ilwandri001@gmail.com Publishers: LPM IAIN Shaykh Abdurrahman Siddik Bangka Belitung, Indonesia Licensed: This work is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. History: Received : 29 Mei 2023 Revised : 06 Juni 2023 Accepted : 09 Juni 2023 Published : 30 Juni 2023 1Universitas Sebelas Maret 2Universitas Islam 45 Bekasi 3Universitas Negeri Padang 4Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika 568Akademi Teknik Adikarya Kerinci 7IAIN Kerinci * h d l d @ Publishers: LPM IAIN Shaykh Abdurrahman Siddik Bangka Belitung, Indonesia Licensed: This work is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. *Author Correspondent: ilwandri001@gmail.com Volume 6 Number 1 2023, 95-107 E-ISSN: 2655-0695 DOI:https://doi.org/ 10.32923/kjmp.v6i1.3391 Pengaruh Flipchart Terintegrasi STEM Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis dan Hasil Belajar Siswa di Indonesia: Sebuah Meta-Analisis Abdul Rahman1*, Yayat Suharyat2, Zulyusri Zulyusri3, Upris Yastati4, Tomi Apra Santosa5, Revi Gina Gunwan6, Suhaimi7, Ilwandri8 Pengaruh Flipchart Terintegrasi STEM Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis dan Hasil Belajar Siswa di Indonesia: Sebuah Meta-Analisis Abdul Rahman1*, Yayat Suharyat2, Zulyusri Zulyusri3, Upris Yastati4, Tomi Apra Santosa5, Revi Gina Gunwan6, Suhaimi7, Ilwandri8 Pendahuluan Kemampuan berpikir merupakan suatu kemampuan harus dimiliki siswa dalam menghadapi pembelajaran abad-21 (Kurniawan et al., 2021; Zulkifli et al., 2022; Temel, 2022). Kemampuan ber- pikir kritis ini membantu siswa lebih mudah dalam mengidentifikasi dan menyelesaikan masalah (Fakhriyah, 2014). Siswa yang mempunyai kemampuan berpikir kritis akan lebih mudah dalam menerima dan memahami materi pelajaran (Elfira et al., 2023; Rahman et al., 2023; Sofianora et al., 2023; Fikriyatii et al., 2022). Selain itu, kemampuan berpikir kritis sangat penting bagi siswa untuk menyelesaikan masalah dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar (Arisoy & Aybek, 2021; Palavan, 2020). Siswa mempunyai kemampuan berpikir kritis lebih mudah untuk meningkatkan hasilnya belajarnya (Ferry et al., 2019; Ramdani, 2016). Hasil belajar dan kemampuan berpikir kritis menjadi tujuan utama dalam proses pembelaja- ran (Yusuf et al., 2020(Gültepe & Kılıç, 2021) ; Supriyadi et al., 2023; Suharyat et al., 2022); (Santosa, 2021). Sudjana dalam Lestari (2015) menyatakan hasil belajar merupakan suatu ketrampilan yang dimiliki siswa ketika telah selesai melaksanakan kegiatan belajar. Siswa harus mampu mencapai hasil belajar yang lebih baik dalam kegiatan pembelajaran (Mursid et al., 2022). Hasil belajar menen- tukan tingkat keberhasilan siswa dalam memahami materi yang telah dipelajari (Zulyusri et al., 2022; Sanjaya et al., 2022; Wuryandani & Herwin, 2021;Oktarina et al., 2021; Litualy et al., 2022). Se- lanjutnya, hasil belajar siswa menjadi kriteria dalam meningkatkan kualitas pembelajaran di 95 Hadi WiyonoAbdul Rahman et al sekolah (Lena et al., 2022; Yusuf et al., 2022). Sjukur (2013) menyatakan hasil belajar mendukung siswa untuk membentuk karakter berpikirnya dalam pembelajaran. Kuliatas pembelajaran siswa di Indonesia masih dalam ketegori rendah (Fradila et al., 2021). Tingkat kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa Indonesia masih tergolong rendah dibandingkan dengan negara lainnya (Ndiung et al., 2021; Rahman et al., 2023; Aliman et al., 2019). Hasil survei Program for International Student Assesment (PISA) tahun 2015 menunjukan bahwa tingkat literasi berpikir siswa Indonesia memperoleh skor 403 menduduki peringkat 62 dari 72 negara anggota (Alatas & Fauziah, 2020). PISA Tahun 2018 tingkat literasi sains siswa menduduki peringkat 72 dari 78 memperoleh skor 396 (Suharyat et al., 2023; Razak et al.., 2021;Santosa et al., 2021); . Hasil penelitian PISA dalam Adiwiguna et al.,( 2019) menyatakan kualitas literasi sains si- sawa dalam memahami pelajaran masih rendah hanya 29 % konten pelajaran, 30 % untuk proses pembelajaran serta 32 % siswa memahami konteks pelajaran. Rendahhnya kualitas belajar siswa disebabkan oleh proses pembelajaran terlalu terpusat pada guru (Anggreni et al., 2020). Pendahuluan Proses belajar mengajar siswa belum mengarah kepada ket- rampilan berpikir kritis (Suharyat et al., 2022; Santosa et al., 2021; Surur et al., 2022). Aiman et al., (2019) menyatakan rendahhnya kemampuan berpikir kritis siswa dipengaruhi model dan metode pembelajaran yang digunakan guru. Pemelihan model pembelajaran yang tepat membantu siswa lebih termotivasi untuk belajar (Goodnough & Nolan, 2008; Bannon et al., 2017; Shi et al., 2020). Selain itu, model pembelajaran yang digunakan belum mendorong kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa (Supiandi & Julung, 2016). Hal ini menunjukan perlu adanya sebuah pembelaja- ran yang dapat menumbuhkan kemampuan berpikir siswa. g Selanjutnya salah satu pembelajaran yang mampu mendorong kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa adalah flipchart (Pramita et al., 2019; Talakua et al., 2021). Flipchart merupa- kan sebuah lembaran kertas yang disusun secara sistematis yang dimanfaatkan sebagai media pemebelajaran (Dryburgh & Jackson, 2016). Romaliyana & Putra (2019) menyatakan pembelajaran dengan flipchart dapat meningkatkan kompetensi pengetahuan siswa dalam belajar. Pembelajaran flipchart membantu proses belajar mengajar siswa lebih menarik. Media flipchart dapat menyajikan pembelajaran dengan ringkas dan praktis (Andri, 2015; Andhini et al., 2020). Pembelajaran flipchart integrasi STEM mendorong siswa dalam meningkatkan ketrampilan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar. STEM merupakan pendekatan pembelajaran yang mengkombinasikan sains teknologi teknik dan matematika dalam proses pembelajaran (Kulakoglu, 2023; Waters & Orange, 2022; Wilson et al., 2022). Pembelajaran flipchart integrasi STEM membantu siswa dalam memahami teknologi yang mendukung kemampuan berpikir kritisnya. Hasil penelitian Dewi et al., (2022) menyatakan pembelajaran dengan flipchart dapat mening- katkan pengetahuan siswa dalam belajar, sehingga memebuat siswa lebih aktif. Hasil penelitian Sastri et al.,( 2021) menyatakan pembelajaran flipchart mendorong siswa dalam penguatan literasi sainsnya. Eluri et al., (2022) pembelajaran dengan flipchart dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan dan proses berpikir siswa dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar sehingga membuat pembelajaran lebih menarik. Pembelajaran flipchart ini efektif diterapkan untuk mengembangkan pengetahuan dan kemampuan berpikir siswa (Izhar, 2022). Penelitian sebelumnya oleh Arundhati et al.,( 2019) menyatakan penerapan Flipchart dalam kegiatan pembelajaran mendorong kemandirian dan hasil beajar siswa. Penelitian sebelum oleh Indahyani & Rianto (2014) penggunaan media flipchart dalam pembelajaran akan mampu mening- katkan kemampuan komunikasi siswa. Selanjutnya penelitian oleh Sitanaya (2019) menyetakan pembelajaran melalui flipchart efektif menrangsang pengetahuan siswa dalam belajar. Namun ken- yataan, belum banyak penelitian yang menggambarkan seberapa besar dampak Flipchart dalam meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa secara keseluruhan. Oleh karena itu, perlu untuk menganalisis hal tersebut agar bisa menjadi bahan evaluasi guru. Pendahuluan Beradasarkan hal di atas tujuan penelitian ini untuk pengaruh flipchart terintegrasi STEM terhadap kemampuan ber- pikir dan hasil belajar siswa di Indonesia. 96 Pengaruh Flipchart Terintegrasi STEM Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir kritis dan Hasil Belajar Siswa di Indonesia : Sebuah Meta-Analisis Metode Penelitian ini adalah jenis penelitian meta-analisis. Meta-analisis adalah penelitian yang menganalisis studi-studi yang terkait dengan masalah penelitian yang dapat dianalisis secara statis- tik (Funa, 2021; Suharyat et al., 2022; Ridwan et al., 2021).Sumber data dalam penelitian ini berasal dari 11 jurnal nasional dan internasional. Penelusuran sumber data dalam penelitian melalui google scholar, Wiley, Eric, Proquest dan ScienceDirect. Proses penyeleksian sumber data menggunakan metode PRISMA dapat dilihat (Gambar.1). Teknik pengumpulan data adalah observasi secara lang- sung melalui database online. Tahapan-tahapan dalam meta-analisis yaitu 1) proses penelusuran literatur; 2) mengumpulkan masing-masing temuan; 3) melakukan evaluasi terhadap kualitas studi; 4) melakukan analisis hasil studi serta 5) menginterpretasikan hasil studi (Alshammari, 2022; Sternberg et al., 2021; Kaçar et al., 2021). Meta-analisis dalam penelitian berkaitan dengan pengaruh flipchart terintegrasi STEM terhadap kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa. Kriteria inklusi penelitian meta-analisis ini yakni 1) Jurnal nasional yang terbit dari tahun 2015- 2023; 2) jurnal harus berbahasa Indonesia dan Inggri; 3) masing-masing studi terdapat kelas eksper- imen dan kelas kontrol; 4) Studi harus terindeks SINTA, DOAJ, Scopus dan WOS. 5) Studi harus berupa jurnal atau prosiding conference; 5) Masing-masing studi harus berkaitan dengan Flipchart, STEM, Ketrampilan berpikir kritia dan hasil belajar. Analisis data dalam penelitian ini dengan Com- prehensive meta-anayisis (CMA) versi 3.0 yang berfungsi untuk menghitung nilai effect size, stand- ard deviasi masing-masing studi. Adapun kriteria nilai Effect Size dapat dilihat pada Tabel 2. Tabel 2. Kriteria nilai Effect Size Effect Size Kriteria 0.00 ≤ ES < 0.20 0.20 ≤ ES ≤ 0.50 0.50 ≤ ES ≤ 0.80 0.80 ≤ ES ≤ 1.30 1.30 ≤ ES Diabaikan Kecil Sedang Besar Sangat besar Sumber: (Suparman et al. , 2020; Santosa et al., 2021; Putra et al., 2023) g Sumber: (Suparman et al. , 2020; Santosa et al., 2021; Putra et al., 2023) 97 97 Hadi WiyonoAbdul Rahman et al Gambar 1. PRISMA Proses Penyeleksian Studi Meta-analisis Gambar 1. PRISMA Proses Penyeleksian Studi Meta-analisis Hasil dan Diskusi Dari analisis 497 jurnal nasional dan internasional tentang pengaruh flipchart terintegrasi STEM hanya 11 studi yang telah memenuhi kriteria inklusi. Studi yang telah menenuhi kriteria inklusi tesebut diambil untuk sumber data meta-analisis yang dapat dilihat (Tabel 2.). Sumber data masing-masing Studi tersebut dihitung berdasarkan nilai Effect Size, Standart Deviasi (SD), ting- katan pendidikan, Ukuran sampel dan tahun publikasi. Tabel 2. Hasil Meta-analisis Sumber Data Berdasarkan Kriteria Inklusi No Penulis Ta- hun Tingkatan Pendidi- kan Ukuran Sampel Effect Size (ES) SD Kriteria 1 Pramita et al., 2019 SD 143 1.20 2.35 Besar 2 Novika et al., 2019 SD 41 0.91 4.10 Besar 3 Arisetya 2019 SMP 40 0.87 3.11 Besar 4 Yulianto et al., 2022 SD 18 0.66 2.10 Sedang 5 Ayu & Amran 2021 SD 20 0.43 1.02 Kecil 6 Nofita 2022 SD 42 0.87 5.23 Besar 7 Muchtar et al., 2018 SMP 40 0.67 1.56 Sedang 8 Izhar 2022 PT 60 1.40 4.20 Sangat besar 9 Sastri, et al., 2021 SMP 20 0.77 2.13 Sedang 98 Pengaruh Flipchart Terintegrasi STEM Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir kritis dan Hasil Belajar Siswa di Indonesia : Sebuah Meta-Analisis 10 Haryani et al., 2022 SD 80 2.30 5.51 Sangat besar 11 Aziz et al., 2020 SD 20 0.72 3.05 Sedang Nilai rata-rata effect size 0.902 Sedang Gambar 1. Jumlah Tingkatan Pendidikan Yang Menerapkan Pembelajaran Flipchart 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SD SMP SMA PT Gambar 1. Jumlah Tingkatan Pendidikan Yang Menerapkan Pembelajaran Flipchart Berdasarkan Tabel 2. Menunjukan nilai rata-rata effect size ( ES = 0.902) dengan kriteria sedang. Hasil ini menjelaskan bahwa pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM memberikan pengaruh sig- nifikan terhadap ketrampilan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa. Pembelajaran dengan flipchart dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan berpikir dan hasil belajar siswa (Susanti et al., 2020). Caagbay et al., (2020) pembelajaran flipchart membantu siswa lebih kreatif dan aktif dalam kegiatan belajar. Selanjutnya, pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM siswa lebih mudah memahami materi dan konten pelajaran yang dipelajari ( Jannah et al., 2022; Yuniana & Purwanti, 2022). Proses pembela- jaran yang terintegrasi STEM membuat siswa dapat mengembangkan ide-ide kreatifnya dalam belajar (Nurtanto et al., 2020; Wahyuni, 2021); , sehingga siswa lebih aktif dalam belajar. Astuti et al.,( 2021) menyatakan pembelajaran yang diintergrasi STEM membantu siswa dalam mengusai teknologi pembelajara yang dapat merangsang kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajarnya. Berdasarkan Tabel 2. Menunjukan nilai rata-rata effect size ( ES = 0.902) dengan kriteria sedang. Hasil dan Diskusi Hasil ini menjelaskan bahwa pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM memberikan pengaruh sig- nifikan terhadap ketrampilan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa. Pembelajaran dengan flipchart dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan berpikir dan hasil belajar siswa (Susanti et al., 2020). Caagbay et al., (2020) pembelajaran flipchart membantu siswa lebih kreatif dan aktif dalam kegiatan belajar. Selanjutnya, pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM siswa lebih mudah memahami materi dan konten pelajaran yang dipelajari ( Jannah et al., 2022; Yuniana & Purwanti, 2022). Proses pembela- jaran yang terintegrasi STEM membuat siswa dapat mengembangkan ide-ide kreatifnya dalam belajar (Nurtanto et al., 2020; Wahyuni, 2021); , sehingga siswa lebih aktif dalam belajar. Astuti et al.,( 2021) menyatakan pembelajaran yang diintergrasi STEM membantu siswa dalam mengusai teknologi pembelajara yang dapat merangsang kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajarnya. Gambar 1. Menunjukan bahwa penerapan pembelajaran Flipchart berintegrasi STEM banyak dit- erapkan pada sekolah dasar ( n= 7), Sekolah Menengah Pertama ( n= 3), dan PT ( n= 1). Penerapan pembelajaran flipchart pada Sekolah Dasar lebih banyak karena siswa menyukai media pembelaja- ran yang lebih menarik (Sitanaya, 2019; Ichsan et al., 2022; Santosa & Sepriyani, et al., 2021). Pramita et al., (2019) flipchart membantu siswa lebih kreatif dalam menuangkan ide-ide melalui tulisannya. Selanjutnya, pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM mendorong siswa belajar lebih efektif dan praktis dalam memahami materi pelajaran (Ziliwu, 2019). Tahapan selanjutnya, menentukan menentukan model Effect size maka dilakukan uji heterogenitas. Hasil uji heterogenitas dapat dilihat pada Tabel 3. g g g g Gambar 1. Menunjukan bahwa penerapan pembelajaran Flipchart berintegrasi STEM banyak dit- erapkan pada sekolah dasar ( n= 7), Sekolah Menengah Pertama ( n= 3), dan PT ( n= 1). Penerapan pembelajaran flipchart pada Sekolah Dasar lebih banyak karena siswa menyukai media pembelaja- ran yang lebih menarik (Sitanaya, 2019; Ichsan et al., 2022; Santosa & Sepriyani, et al., 2021). Pramita et al., (2019) flipchart membantu siswa lebih kreatif dalam menuangkan ide-ide melalui tulisannya. Selanjutnya, pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM mendorong siswa belajar lebih efektif dan praktis dalam memahami materi pelajaran (Ziliwu, 2019). Tahapan selanjutnya, menentukan menentukan model Effect size maka dilakukan uji heterogenitas. Hasil uji heterogenitas dapat dilih t d T bel 3 Tabel 3. Hasil dan Diskusi Hasil Uji Heterogenitas Berdasakan Model Effect Model Number Studies Hedge’s 95 % CL Null Hypothesis Test (2-Tail) Heterogenity Z-value P-value Q- Value df(Q) p- valu e 99 Hadi WiyonoAbdul Rahman et al Fixed 11 0.310 [0.281; 0.312] 12.510 0.000 140.19 10 0.000 Random 11 0.480 [0.293; 0.491] 7.810 0.000 Berdasarkan Tabel. 3 menjelaskan effect size dari keseluruhan studi mempunyai perbedaan yang signifikan. Nilai p-value < 0.05 ( 0.00 < 0.05), maka meta-analisis ini menggunakan random effect model yang lebih daripada menggunakan fixed effect model (Tamur & Wijaya, 2021). Hasil ini menunjukan random effect model sebagai model untuk melalukan analisis. Hasil hipotesis pada (Tabel.3) menunjukan penerapan model pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM memberikan pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap ketrampilan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa dibandingkan dengan model pembelajaran konvensional. Pembelajaran flipchart memberikan pengaruh yang singifikan terhadap pengetahuan, motivasi dan hasil belajar siswa (Rukmana, 2022). Model flip- chart terintegrasi STEM merangsang kemampuan pengetahuan dan motivasi dalam belajar se- hingga materi pelaran yang diberikan oleh guru mudah dipahami (Young, 2019; Rahman et al. 2023; Santosa, 2021). Selain itu, pembelajaran dengan flipchart informasi yang diberikan oleh guru lebih mudah dipahami oleh siswa . Rizqi, (2021) menyatakan pembelajaran flipchart membantu kemam- puan berbicara siswa di dalam kelas sehingga suasana belajarnya lebih menarik. p gg Selanjutnya dari hasil heterogenitas karakteristik sampel dan publikasi salah satu penyebab variasi effect size dalam penerapam pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM pada siswa. Jadi, un- tuk penting untuk dianalisis faktor-faktor menyebabkan effect size tersebut. Hasil analisis karak- teristik dari sampel dan publikasi dapat dlihat pada Tabel 4. Tabel 4. Hasi analisis Karakteristik sampel dan publikasi Karakteris- tik Studi Kelompok Nomor Studi Hedge’s g Null Hypotesis - Test Heterogenity Sampel Z-value p-value Qb df p-value Ukuran sam- pel ≤ 20 pe- serta 12 0.412 5.014 0.000 1.041 1 0.240 >20 pe- serta 5 0.481 2.780 0.000 5.190 3 0.118 Tingkat pen- didikan SD 2 0.317 SMP 7 0.267 2.054 0.000 PT 4 0.610 4.110 0.000 Publikasi Tahun pub- likasi 2015-2023 1 0.781 3.590 0.000 2.170 1 0.341 Tipe Pub- likasi Jurnal 20 1.040 4.171 0.000 3.720 1 0.230 Prosiding 4 1.610 3.230 0.000 Berdasarkan Tabel 4. Menunjukan bahwa tingkat pendidikan memberikan pengaruh yang sangat signifikan memepengaruhi heterogenitas pengaruh pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM pada siswa. Tingkatan pendidikan mempengaruhi kemampuan berpikir siswa dalam belajar (Sachdeva, 2021). Hasil dan Diskusi Siswa yang memiliki tingkatan pendidikan yang lebih tinggi akan lebih mudah dalam merangsang kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajarnya (Kizilhan, 2022; Santosa et al., 2021; Maison et al. , 2022). Pembelajaran melalui Flipchart terintegrasi STEM siswa akan lebih mu- dah memahami materi sehingga mendorong kemampuan berpikir kritisnya. Demir( 2022) menya- takan penerapan model pembelajaran yang siswa akan lebih mudah untuk berpikir kritis serta me- meperoleh hasil belajar yang lebih baik. Tabel 4. Hasi analisis Karakteristik sampel dan publikasi Karakteris- tik Studi Kelompok Nomor Studi Hedge’s g Null Hypotesis - Test Heterogenity Sampel Z-value p-value Qb df p-value Ukuran sam- pel ≤ 20 pe- serta 12 0.412 5.014 0.000 1.041 1 0.240 >20 pe- serta 5 0.481 2.780 0.000 5.190 3 0.118 Tingkat pen- didikan SD 2 0.317 SMP 7 0.267 2.054 0.000 PT 4 0.610 4.110 0.000 Publikasi Tahun pub- likasi 2015-2023 1 0.781 3.590 0.000 2.170 1 0.341 Tipe Pub- likasi Jurnal 20 1.040 4.171 0.000 3.720 1 0.230 Prosiding 4 1.610 3.230 0.000 Tabel 4. Hasi analisis Karakteristik sampel dan publikasi Tabel 4. Hasi analisis Karakteristik sampel dan publikasi Berdasarkan Tabel 4. Menunjukan bahwa tingkat pendidikan memberikan pengaruh yang sangat signifikan memepengaruhi heterogenitas pengaruh pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM pada siswa. Tingkatan pendidikan mempengaruhi kemampuan berpikir siswa dalam belajar (Sachdeva, 2021). Siswa yang memiliki tingkatan pendidikan yang lebih tinggi akan lebih mudah dalam merangsang kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajarnya (Kizilhan, 2022; Santosa et al., 2021; Maison et al. , 2022). Pembelajaran melalui Flipchart terintegrasi STEM siswa akan lebih mu- dah memahami materi sehingga mendorong kemampuan berpikir kritisnya. Demir( 2022) menya- takan penerapan model pembelajaran yang siswa akan lebih mudah untuk berpikir kritis serta me- meperoleh hasil belajar yang lebih baik. 100 Pengaruh Flipchart Terintegrasi STEM Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir kritis dan Hasil Belajar Siswa di Indonesia : Sebuah Meta-Analisis Pembelajaran Flipchart ini sangat efektif untuk diterapkan pada proses pembelajaran di sekolah. Pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM membantu meningkatkan literasi sains yang dapat mendukung kemampuan berpikir kritisnya (Alharbi, 2022; Elmedina et al. 2022; Daga et al., 2022). Kemampuan berpikri kritis sangat diperlu siswa untuk menyelesaikan berbagai fenomena yang terjadi dalam kehidupan. Kaya (2022) siswa yang memiliki kemampuan berpikir kritis mampu mengaplikasikan materi pelajaran dengan lingkunagan belajar. Oleh karena itu, melalui pembelaja- ran flipchart yang terintegrasi STEM memberikan dampak positif untuk siswa dalam merangsang kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar. Hasil dan Diskusi Siswa yang mempunyai hasil belajar yang baik menjadi sebuah keberhasil dalam melaksanakan pembelajaran (Öztürk, 2022). Selanjutnya, Pembelajaran ini membantu siswa untuk memahami teknologi dalam melaksanakan proses belajar mengajar dalam kelas (Isroani, 202; Yusuf et al., 2020). Kesimpulan Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwaa. Temuan ini menunjukan nilai effect size (ES = 0.902) artinya pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM memberikan pengaruh positif terhadap kemampuan berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar siswa di Indonesia. Penerapan pembelajaran flipchart terintegrasi STEM membantu guru dan siswa dalam menigkatkan proses pembelajaran di sekolah. Pembelajaran melalui flipchart terintegrasi STEM menciptakan suasana belajar yang menyenangkan bagi siswa. Pembelajaran flipchart siswa lebih mudah untuk menyapaikan ide-ide yang dimilikinya Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. Arisoy, B., & Aybek, B. (2021). The effects of subject-based critical thinking education in mathematics on students’ critical thinking skills and virtues*. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 2021(92), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2021.92.6 Arisoy, B., & Aybek, B. (2021). The effects of subject-based critical thinking education in mathematics on students’ critical thinking skills and virtues*. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 2021(92), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2021.92.6 Arundhati, A., Widana, I. N. S., & Hermawan, E. (2019). Pengaruh Metode Student Created Case Studies Berbantuan Flip Chart terhadap Tingkat Kemandirian dan Hasil Belajar Biologi. Jurnal EMASAINS, 8(1), 30–40. https://ojs.ikippgribali.ac.id/index.php/emasains/article/view/268 Astuti, N. H., Rusilowati, A., & Subali, B. (2021). Journal of Innovative Science Education STEM- Based Learning Analysis to Improve Students ’ Problem Solving Abilities in Science Subject  : a Literature Review. Journal of Innovative Science Education, 10(19), 79–86. Ayu, A., & Amran, L. (2021). Juridikdas Pengaruh Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif Tipe Numbered Head Together ( NHT ) Berbantuan Media Flipchart Terhadap Hasil Belajar Siswa Pada Pembelajaran Tematik. Juridikdas, 4(2), 141–150. Aziz, A., Sari, N. R., & Sibilana, A. R. (2020). Improving Student Achievement Using Flipchart Based Cooperative Learning in Tulungagung. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(10), 4628– 4633. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.081031 Bannon, B. W. O., Skolits, G. J., Lubke, J. K., Bannon, B. W. O., Skolits, G. J., & Lubke, J. K. (2017). The Influence of Digital Interactive Textbook Instruction on Student Learning Preferences, Outcomes, and Motivation. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 15(23), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2017.1303798 Caagbay, D., Raynes-greenow, C. H., Dangal, G., Hospital, K. M., & Black, K. (2020). Impact of an informational flipchart on lifestyle advice for Nepali women with a pelvic organ prolapse  : a randomized controlled trial Impact of an informational flipchart on lifestyle advice for Nepali women with a pelvic organ prolapse : a randomized co. International Urogynecology Journal, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-020-04228-1 Daga, A. T., Wahyudin, D., & Susilana, R. (2022). An Investigation of Developing Indonesian Elementary School Students’ Critical Thinking Skills: A Literature Review. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 14(3), 1752–1766. http://ijci.wcci- international.org/index.php/IJCI/article/view/931 Demir, E. (2022). An examination of high school students ’ critical thinking dispositions and analytical thinking skills. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 6(4), 190–200. Dewi, E. R., Caesar, D. L., & Info, A. (2022). Knowledge of Basic Sanitation for Islamic Boarding Schools. Referensi Adiwiguna, P. S., Dantes, N., & Gunamantha, I. M. (2019). Pengaruh Model Problem Based Learning (Pbl) Berorientasi Stem terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis dan Literasi Sains Siswa Kelas V Sd di Gugus I Gusti Ketut Pudja. Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar Indonesia, 3(2), 94–103. Aiman, U., Dantes, N., Suma, K., Kupang, U. M., Dasar, P., & Ganesha, U. P. (2019). Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Citra Bakti PENGARUH MODEL PEMBELAJARAN BERBASIS MASALAH. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Citra Bakti, 6(November), 196–209. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3551978 Alatas, F., & Fauziah, L. (2020). Model problem based learning untuk meningkatkan kemampuan literasi sains pada konsep pemanasan global. JIPVA (Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Veteran), 4(2), 102. https://doi.org/10.31331/jipva.v4i2.862 Alharbi, B. (2022). Saudi Teachers’ Knowledge of Critical Thinking Skills and Their Attitudes Towards Improving Saudi Students’ Critical Thinking Skills. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 80(3), 395–407. https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/22.80.395 Aliman, M., Budijanto, Sumarmi, Astina, I. K., Putri, R. E., & Arif, M. (2019). The effect of earthcomm learning model and spatial thinking ability on geography learning outcomes. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 18(3), 323–334. https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/19.18.323 Alshammari, R. F. (2022). The Effect of Inquiry-Based Learning Strategy on Developing Saudi Students ’ Meta-Cognitive Reading Comprehension Skills. English Language Teaching, 15(5), 43–51. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v15n5p43 Andhini, D. D., Rosidin, U., & Herlina, K. (2020). Pengaruh Penerapan Ongoing Assesment dalam Pembelajaran CTL Menggunakan Flip Chart. Urnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, 6(1), 75–80. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v6i1.322 Andri, D. S. (2015). PENGARUH MEDIA FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR SISWA KELAS V PADA MATA PELAJARAN IPA. Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar PerKhasa, 1(1), 1–26. Anggreni, L. D., Jampel, I. N., & Diputra, K. S. (2020). Pengaruh Model Project Based Learning Berbantuan Penilaian Portofolio Terhadap Literasi Sains. Jurnal Mimbar Ilmu, 25(1), 41–52. 101 Hadi WiyonoAbdul Rahman et al Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. Journal of Health Education, 7(1), 1–6. Dharma Ferry1*, Tomi Apra Santosa2, D. K. (2019). Pengetahuan Mahasiswa Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kerinci Tentang Teori Asal Usul Manusia Dharma. Bioeduca: Journal of Biology Education, 1(1), 12–17. Dryburgh, J., & Jackson, L. H. (2016). Research in Dance Education Building a practice of learning together  : expanding the functions of feedback with the use of the flipchart in contemporary dance technique. Research in Dance Education, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2016.1139078 Elfira, I., & Santosa, T. A. (2023). Literature Study  : Utilization of the PjBL Model in Science Education to Improve Creativity and Critical Thinking Skills. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, 9(1), 133–143. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v9i1.2555 Elmedina Nikoçeviq-Kurti. (2022). The Effectiveness of Visual Mind Mapping Strategy for Im Elmedina Nikoçeviq-Kurti. (2022). The Effectiveness of Visual Mind Mapping Strategy for Improving 102 Pengaruh Flipchart Terintegrasi STEM Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir kritis dan Hasil Belajar Siswa di Indonesia : Sebuah Meta-Analisis English Language Learners’ Critical Thinking Skills and Reading Ability. European Journal of Educational Research, 11(3), 1245–1257. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Suntonrapot- Damrongpanit/publication/356662582_Effects_of_Mindset_Democratic_Parenting_Teaching _and_School_Environment_on_Global_Citizenship_of_Ninth- grade_Students/links/61a6dda685c5ea51abc0f7b6/Effects-of-Mindset-Dem English Language Learners’ Critical Thinking Skills and Reading Ability. European Journal of Educational Research, 11(3), 1245–1257. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Suntonrapot- Damrongpanit/publication/356662582_Effects_of_Mindset_Democratic_Parenting_Teaching _and_School_Environment_on_Global_Citizenship_of_Ninth- grade_Students/links/61a6dda685c5ea51abc0f7b6/Effects-of-Mindset-Dem Eluri, S., Baliga, B. S., Rao, S. S., & Nutan, V. V. (2022). Can Flip ‑ Chart Assisted Maternal Education Improve Essential New Born Care Knowledge and Skills  ? A Randomized Controlled Trial. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 26(9), 1891–1906. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03409- 2 Fakhriyah, F. (2014). Penerapan problem based learning dalam upaya mengembangkan kemampuan berpikir kritis mahasiswa. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 3(1), 95–101. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v3i1.2906 Fikriyatii, A., Surabaya, U. N., Agustini, R., Surabaya, U. N., Sutoyo, S., Surabaya, U. N., Planning, H. E., & Board, C. (2022). ritical thinking cycle model to promote critical thinking disposition and critical thinking skills of pre-service science teache. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 17(1), 120–133. Fradila, E., Razak, A., Santosa, T. A., Arsih, F., & Chatri, M. (2021). Development Of E-Module-Based Problem Based Learning ( PBL ) Applications Using Sigil The Course Ecology And Environmental Education Students Master Of Biology. International Journal of Progressive Sciences and Technologies (IJPSAT), 27(2), 673–682. Funa, A. A. (2021). Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning on Secondary Students ’ Achievement in Science  : A Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Instruction, 14(4), 69–84. Goodnough, K., & Nolan, B. (2008). Canadian Journal of Science , Engaging Elementary Teachers ’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge  : Adopting Problem-Based Learning in the Context of Science Teaching and Learning. Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION, 8(3), 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/14926150802315130 Gültepe, N., & Kılıç, Z. (2021). The Effects of Scientific Argumentation on High School Students’ Critical Thinking Skills. International Journal of Progressive Education, 17(6), 183–200. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2021.382.13 Haryani, W., Sulastri, S., Kesehatan, P., & Kesehatan, K. (2022). The Effect of Promotion with Flipchart Media on Toothbrush Knowledge Levels of Maintaining Dental and Oral Health in Children. 20(2), 270–277. https://doi.org/10.31965/infokes.Vol20Iss2.950 Indahyani, Y., & Rianto, E. (2014). Pengaruh Penggunaan Media Flip Chart terhadap Kemampuan Berbicara Anak Kelompok B TK Dharma Wanita Trawas. 3(3), 1–7. Isroani, F. (2022). Pengaruh Media Google Classroom Pada Mata Pelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam Dan Budi Pekerti Terhadap Prestasi Belajar Siswa. Jurnal Sustainable, 5(2), 440–446. Izhar, M. D. (2022). Effects of the Youth Health Application and Flipcharts on Adolescents ’ Knowledge about Early Marriage  : A Quasi-Experiment Study. J Res Dev Nurs Midw, 19(1), 19– 22. https://doi.org/10.29252/jgbfnm.19.1.60 Kaçar, T., Terzi, R., Arıkan, İ., & Kırıkçı, A. C. (2021). The Effect of Inquiry-Based Learning on Academic Success  : A Meta-Analysis Study. International Journal of Education & Literacy Studies, 9(2), 15–23. Kaya, M. M. (2022). Blind patriotism is out and constructive patriotism is in: Critical thinking is the key to global citizenship Mehmet Melik Kaya 1. Journal of Social Studies Education Researc, 13(2), 103–124. Kizilhan, P. (2022). A Study on the Relationship between Teacher Candidates ’ Attitudes towards Teaching Critical Thinking and Critical Thinking Standards. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 21(4), 1–18. Educational Technology, 21(4), 1–18. Kulakoglu, B. (2023). STEM Education as a Concept Borrowing Issue  : Perspectives of School 103 Hadi WiyonoAbdul Rahman et al Administrators in Turkey. ECNU Review of Education, 6(1), 84–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311221107390 6(1), Kurniawan, N. A., Hidayah, N., & Rahman, D. H. (2021). Analisis Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis Siswa SMK. Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, Dan Pengembangan, 6(3), 334. https://doi.org/10.17977/jptpp.v6i3.14579 Lena, M. S., Trisno, E., & Khairat, F. (2022). The Effect of Motivation and Interest on Students’ English Learning Outcomes. Mextesol Journal, 46(3), 0–2. Lestari, I. (2015). Pengaruh Waktu Belajar dan Minat Belajar terhadap Hasil Belajar Matematika. Formatif: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan MIPA, 3(2), 115–125. https://doi.org/10.30998/formatif.v3i2.118 Litualy, S. J., Serpara, H., & Wenno, E. C. (2022). The effect of Kahoot! learning media on learning outcomes of German language students. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn), 16(2), 254–261. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v16i2.20458 Maison. (2022). International Journal of Educational Methodology How Critical Thinking Skills Influence Misconception in Electric Field. Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Profesi Guru, 2(1), 20–31. Putra, M., Rahman, A., Suhayat, Y., Santosa, T. A., & Putra, R. (2023). The Effect of STEM-Based REACT Model on Students ’ Critical Thinking Skills  : A Meta-Analysis Study. LITERACY  : International Scientific Journals Of Social, Education and Humaniora, 2(1), 207–217. Rahman, A., Santosa, T. A., & Suharyat, Y. (2023). The Effect of Problem Based Learning-STEM on Students ’ 21st Century Skills in Indonesia  : A Meta-Analysis. 2(1). Rahman, A., Santosa, T. A., Suharyat, Y., & Aprilisia, S. (2023). The Effectiveness of AI Based Blended Learning on Student Scientific Literacy  : LITERACY  : International Scientific Journals Of Social, Education and Humaniora, 2(1), 141–150. Ramdani, D. (2016). The Effectiveness of Collaborative Learning on Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking, and Metacognitive Skill Ability: Meta-Analysis on Biological Learning. European Journal of Educational Research Volume, 11(3), 1607–1628. Razak, Abdul, Santosa, Tomi Apra, Lufri., et al. (2021). Meta-Analisis: Pengaruh Soal HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skill) Terhadap Kemampuan Literasi Sains dan Lesson Study Siswa Pada Materi Ekologi dan Lingkungan Pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19. Bioedusiana, 6(1), 79–87. Ridwan et al. (2021). The Effectiveness of Innovative Learning on Mathematical Problem- Solving Ability  : A Meta-Analysis To cite this article  : The Effectiveness of Innovative Learning on Mathematical Problem- Solving Ability  : A Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 7(3), 910-932. Rizqi, M. R. (2021). UPAYA MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN BERBICARA BAHASA ARAB DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN MEDIA FLIP CHART BAGI SISWA KELAS VIII MADRASAH TSANAWIYAH “ FADLLILLAH ” DESA TAMBAK SUMUR KECAMATAN WARU KABUPATEN. Al-Fakkaar: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Bahasa Arab, 2(1), 1–21. Romaliyana, R. Y., & Putra, M. (2019). PENGARUH MODEL CIRCUIT LEARNING BERBANTUAN MEDIA FLIPCHART TERHADAP KOMPETENSI. Mimbar PGSD Undiksha, 18(1), 22–30. Rukmana, F. (2022). Developing flip chart as career counseling media for college major selection for the students. Jurnal Psikologi Pendidikan & Konseling: Jurnal Kajian Psikologi Pendidikan Dan Bimbingan Konseling, 8(1), 47–55. Sachdeva, S. (2021). Learners’ Critical Thinking About Learning Mathematics. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 16(3), 1–18. Sanjaya, D. B., Suartama, I. K., Suastika, I. N., & Sukadi. (2022). The effect of the conflict resolution learning model and portfolio assessment on the students learning outcomes of civic education. International Journal of Instruction, 15(1), 473–488. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2022.15127a Santosa, T. A. (2021). Journal of Digital Learning and Education Meta-Analisis  : Pengaruh Bahan Ajar Berbasis Pendekatan STEM Pada Pembelajaran Ekologi. Journal of Digital Learning and Education, 01(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.52562/jdle.v1i01.24 Santosa, T. Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. International Journal of Educational Methodology Volume, 8(2), 377–390. Miftakhul Jannah1, Savitri Suryandari2, dan A. R., & 1, 2, 3Program. (2022). Pengaruh Media Papan Balik ( Flipchart ) Terhadap Hasil Belajar IPS Materi Pemanfaatan Sumber Daya Alam Kelas IV SDN Jepara 1 / 90 Surabaya. Trapsila: Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar, 4(1), 40–49. Muchtar et al. (2018). IMPROVING STUDENTS CREATIVITY THROUGH MODEL OF PROJECT BASED LEARNING MODEL BY USING FLIP CHART MEDIA. The 3rd International Seminar on Social Studies and History Education (ISSSHE) 2018, 422–430. Mursid, R., Saragih, A. H., & Hartono, R. (2022). The Effect of the Blended Project-based Learning Model and Creative Thinking Ability on Engineering Students’ Learning Outcomes. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 10(1), 218–235. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.2244 Ndiung, S., Sariyasa, Jehadus, E., & Apsari, R. A. (2021). The effect of treffinger creative learning model with the use rme principles on creative thinking skill and mathematics learning outcome. International Journal of Instruction, 14(2), 873–888. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14249a Nofita, E. (2022). Group Investigation Assisted by Media Flip Chart can Improve Science Learning Outcomes and Cooperative Attitudes. Jurnal Penelitian Dan Pengembangan Pendidikan, 6(3), 466–472. Novika, P., Karakaita, A., & Arini, N. W. (2019). Pengaruh Strategi Directed Reading Thinking Activity ( DRTA ) Berbantuan Media Flip Chart Terhadap Keterampilan Membaca Pemahaman. Jurnal Ilmiah Sekolah Dasar, 3(2), 158–166. Nurtanto, M., Pardjono, P., Widarto, W., & Ramdani, S. D. (2020). The effect of STEM-EDP in professional learning on automotive engineering competence in vocational high school. Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 8(June), 633–649. Oktarina, K., Suhaimi, S., Santosa, T. A., & ... (2021). Meta-Analysis: The Effectiveness of Using Blended Learning on Multiple Intelligences and Student Character Education During the Covid- 19 Period. … Journal of Education …, 4(3), 184–192. http://journal.ummat.ac.id/index.php/IJECA/article/view/5505%0Ahttps://journal.ummat.ac.id/ index.php/IJECA/article/download/5505/pdf Öztürk, Y. A. (2022). An Analysis of the Relationship between Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers ’ Epistemological Beliefs towards Learning , their Educational Beliefs , and Critical Thinking Dispositions. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 17(2), 0–3. https://doi.org/10.29329/epasr.2022.442.8 Palavan, Ö. (2020). The effect of critical thinking education on the critical thinking skills 104 ruh Flipchart Terintegrasi STEM Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir kritis dan Hasil Belajar Siswa di Indonesia : Sebuah Meta-Analisis critical thinking dispositions of preservice teachers. Educational Research and Reviews, 15(10), 606–627. https://doi.org/10.5897/err2020.4035 Pramita, P. A., Sudarma, I. K., & Murda, I. N. (2019). Pengaruh Model Pembelajaran Circuit Learning Berbantuan Media Flip Chart terhadap Hasil Belajar IPA. Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. A., Razak, A., Arsih, F., & Sepriyani, E. M. (2021). Meta-Analysis  : Science Learning Based on Local Wisdom Against Preserving School Environments During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Journal of Biology Education, 10(2), 244–251. Santosa, T. A., Sepriyani, E. M., & Razak, A. (2021). Analisis E-Learning Dalam Pembelajaran Evolusi Mahasiswa Pendidikan Biologi Selama Pandemi Covid-19. Jurnal Edumaspul, 5(1), 66–70. Sastri, Y., Suryawati, E., L, M. N., & Hatta, M. (n.d.). The Use of Flip Chart as a Tool to Strengthen Scientific Literacy at Junior High School Student. 17(1), 91–97. 105 Hadi WiyonoAbdul Rahman et al Sastri, Y., Suryawati, E., Studi, P., & Biologi, P. (2021). PEMANFAATAN MEDIA FLIP CHART UNTUK PENGUATAN LITERASI. Jurnal Biogenesis, 17(1), 9–18. Sastri, Y., Suryawati, E., Studi, P., & Biologi, P. (2021). PEMANFAATAN MEDIA FLIP CHART UNTUK PENGUATAN LITERASI. Jurnal Biogenesis, 17(1), 9–18. Shi, Y., Zhang, J., Yang, H., Yang, H. H., & Shi, Y. (2020). Effects of Interactive Whiteboard-based Instruction on Students ’ Cognitive Learning Outcomes  : A Meta-Analysis E ff ects of Interactive Whiteboard-based Instruction on Students ’ Cognitive Learning Outcomes : A Meta-Analysis. Interactive Learning Environments, 0(0), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1769683 Sitanaya, R. I. (2019). Efektivitas Flip Chart Dan Media Audiovisual tentang Karies gigi. Jurnal Ilmiah Kesehatan Sandi Husada, 10(November), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.35816/jiskh.v10i2.110 Sjukur, S. B. (2013). Pengaruh blended learning terhadap motivasi belajar dan hasil belajar siswa di tingkat SMK. Jurnal Pendidikan Vokasi, 2(3), 368–378. https://doi.org/10.21831/jpv.v2i3.1043 Sofianora, A., Suharyat, Y., & Santosa, T. A. (2023). PENGARUH PROFESIONALITAS GURU MATEMATIKA DALAM MENINGKATKAN KOMPETENSI SISWA ERA REVOLUSI INDUSTRI 5 . 0 DI INDONESIA  : SEBUAH META-ANALISIS. 10(2). Sternberg, R. J., Glaveanu, V., Karami, S., Kaufman, J. C., Phillipson, S. N., & Preiss, D. D. (2021). Meta-Intelligence  : Understanding , Control , and Interactivity between Creative , Analytical , Practical , and Wisdom-Based Approaches in Problem Solving. Journal OfIntelligence, 9(19), 1– 22. Suharyat, Y., Ichsan, Satria, E., Santosa, T. A., & Amalia, K. N. (2022). Meta-Analisis Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Problem Based Learning Untuk Meningkatkan Ketrampilan Abad-21 Siswa Dalam Pembelajaran IPA. Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Konseling, 4(5), 5081–5088. Suharyat, Y., Santosa, T. A., Aprilisia, S., & Yulianti, S. (2022). International Journal of Education and Literature ( IJEL ) Meta-Analysis Study  : The Effectiveness of Problem Solving Learning in Science Learning in Indonesia. International Journal of Education and Literature (IJEL) Amik Veteran Porwokerto, 1(3), 6–13. Suharyat, Y., Santosa, T. A., & Satria, E. (2023). Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. The Effectiveness of STEM-Based Learning in Teaching 21 st Century Skills in Generation Z Student in Science Learning  : A. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, 9(1), 160–166. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v9i1.2517 Suparman1*, D. J. and M. T. (2020). Review of problem-based learning trends in 2010- 2020  : A meta-analysis study of the effect of problem-based learning in enhancing mathematical problem-solving skills of Indonesian students Review of problem-based learning trends in 2010-2020 : A meta-ana. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Ser. 1722, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1722/1/012103 Supiandi, M. I., & Julung, H. (2016). Pengaruh Model Problem Based Learning ( PBL ) terhadap. Jurnal Pendidikan Sains, 4(2), 60–64. Supriyadi, A., Suharyat, Y., Santosa, T. A., & Sofianora, A. (2023). The Effectiveness of STEM- Integrated Blended Learning on Indonesia Student Scientific Literacy  : A Meta-analysis. International Journal of Education and Literature (IJEL), 2(1), 41–48. Surur, M., Hasanah, M., Sholeha, F., & Laillaturrahma, S. (2022). Analisis Keterampilan Pemecahan Masalah Peserta Didik Kelas XI dengan Model Pembelajaran Kontekstual di MA Sarji Ar-Rasyid Situbondo. Jurnal Sustainable, 5(2020), 308–319. Susanti, S., Program, M. S., Kesehatan, P., Banten, A., Apriyanti, I., Program, M. S., Kesehatan, P., Banten, A., Marliana, L., Program, M. S., Kesehatan, P., & Banten, A. (2020). Analysis of Knowledge and Management of Dysmenorrhea in Students Before and After the Application of Leaflets and Flipcharts. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Science, Health, Economics, Education and Technology (ICoSHEET 2019), 27(ICoSHEET 2019), 389–391. Talakua, C., Aloatuan, F., Studi, P., Biologi, P., Mipa, J., Gotong, S., Masohi, R., Transeram, J., Negeri, B., Masohi, K., & Maluku, K. (2021). Pengaruh Penggunaan Media Pembelajaran Flipchart terhadap Hasil Belajar Kognitif Siswa Kelas X SMA Negeri 24 Maluku Tengah ( The Effect of 106 Pengaruh Flipchart Terintegrasi STEM Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir kritis dan Hasil Belajar Siswa di Indonesia : Sebuah Meta-Analisis Using Flipchart Learning Media on Cognitive Learning Outcomes of Class X Students of SMA Negeri 24 Maluku Tengah ). BIODIK: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Biologi, 7, 95–101. Using Flipchart Learning Media on Cognitive Learning Outcomes of Class X Students of SMA Negeri 24 Maluku Tengah ). BIODIK: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Biologi, 7, 95–101. Tamur, M., & Wijaya, T. T. (2021). Using Problem-Based Learning to Enhance Mathematical Abilities of Primary School Students  : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JTAM (Jurnal Teori Dan Aplikasi Matematika), 5(1), 144–161. TEMEL, H. (2022). The Effect of Critical Thinking Course Carry Out with Distance Education on Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions. Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, 9(3), 792–808. https://doi.org/10.52380/ijpes.2022.9.3.894 Tomi Apra Santosa*, Abdul Razak, Azwir Anhar, R. S. (2021). Efektivitas Model Blended Learning Terhadap Hasil Belajar Mahasiswa Pada Mata Kuliah Zoologi di Era Covid-19. BIODIK: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Biologi, 7(1), 77–83. Wahyuni, D. (2021). Developing creativity through STEM education. Journal of Physics: Conference Series PAPER, 1806, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1806/1/012211 Waters, C. C., & Orange, A. (2022). STEM-driven school culture  : Pillars of a transformative STEM approach. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 6(2), 72–90. Wilson, C., Campbell-gulley, B., Anthony, H. G., Pérez, M., England, M. P., Wilson, C., Campbell- gulley, B., Anthony, H. G., Pérez, M., & Meghan, P. (2022). Integrated STEM Education  : A Content Analysis of Three STEM Education Research Journals To cite this article : Integrated STEM Education : A Content Analysis of Three STEM Education Research Journals. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science (IJTES), 6(3), 388-409. Wuryandani, W., & Herwin. (2021). Cypriot Journal of Educational Civics in elementary school students. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 16(2), 627–640. Young, J. (2019). Informing Informal STEM Learning  : Implications for Mathematics Identity in African American Students. Journal of Mathematics Education, 12(1), 39–56. Yulianto, A., Sufiati, N., Rokhima, N., Pgsd, P., Pendidikan, U., & Sorong, M. (2022). Penggunaan Media Flip Chart terhadap Minat Belajar Peserta Didik dalam Pembelajaran IPA Kelas IV SD Inpres 18 Kabupaten Sorong. Jurnal Papeda, 4(1), 41–46. Yuniana, W. P., & Purwanti, K. Y. (2022). Keefektifan Model Learning Cycle 7E Berbantuan Flipchart Terhadap Sikap Sosial Siswa Kelas III SDN Langensari 03. Media Penelitian Pendidikan: Jurnal Penelitian Dalam Bidang Pendidikan Dan Pengajaran, 16(2), 127–133. Yusuf, M., Putri, L. A., Alamin, N., & Ardinal, E. (2022). Theology of Character Education From The Perspective Of The Qur’an In Supporting Islamic Education Curriculum. Jurnal Sustainable, 5(2), 221–229. Yusuf, M., Witro, D., Diana, R., Santosa, T. A., & Alwiyah, A. (2020). Digital Parenting to Children Using The Internet Digital Parenting Kepada Anak Dalam Menggunakan Internet. Pedagogik Journal of Islamic Elementary School, 3(1), 1–14. u, D. (2019). PEMBELAJARAN BIOLOGI DENGAN METODE FLIP CHART. Dalifati Ziliwu, 59, 1–1 Zulkifli Zulkifli, Agus Supriyadi, Erwinsyah Satria, & Tomi Apra Santosa. (2022). Meta-analysis: The Effectiveness of the Integrated STEM Technology Pedagogical Content Knowledge Learning Model on the 21st Century Skills of High School Students in the Science Department. Psychology, Evaluation, and Technology in Educational Research, 1(2), 68–76. https://doi.org/10.55606/ijel.v1i2.32 Zulyusri1, Desy2, Tomi Apra Santosa3, S. Y. (2022). Arisetya, D. (2019). PENGARUH PEMANFAATAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN FLIP CHART TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI SISWA SMP KELAS VIII PADA MATERI SISTEM RANGKA MANUSIA. Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 1(1), 12–21. Meta-analysis The Effect of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Model Through Online Learning Meta-analysis The Effect of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Model Through Online Learning on Biology Learning Outcome. International Journal of Progressive Sciences and Technologies (IJPSAT) ISSN: 2509-0119., 34(2), 285–294. 107
https://openalex.org/W2507192533
https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/32068/1/The%20World%20Before%20Her%20Review%202016.pdf
English
null
The World Before Her: A Review
Feminist dissent
2,016
public-domain
2,165
I’d like to begin at the end. As Nisha Pahuja’s engaging documentary, The World Before Her, winds down, the protagonists are seen leaving the two spaces that were the focus of the film. Ruhi Singh, the aspiring Miss India, departs from the beauty pageant boot camp and competition and flies to her hometown of Jaipur. Heart broken and sullen after her loss, she walks out of the airport clouded in loneliness and is met by her father. A few hundred kilometres away, in another part of the state of Maharashtra, the Hindu nationalist camp organised for young girls and women by Durga Vahini (The Army of Durga) also concludes. The young leader of the camp, Prachi Trivedi, slows down, her resolute and aggressive persona giving way to quiet contemplation. As she ponders over her future in the Hindutva movement, the young girls leave the camp amidst loud and prolonged goodbyes. Numbers are exchanged, promises to meet are made, hugs are traded, and the girls enthusiastically wave to one another as cars take them away from the camp to their homes. How did a camp organised by an exclusionary nationalist right-wing movement that was teaching young girls to perpetuate communal violence and imbibing them with hatred become a space for friendship and intimacy to flourish? How do we reconcile the politics of those loving long goodbyes with the politics of violence that the documentary showcased a mere few frames ago? On the other end, how does a competition that reduces a group of young women to an indistinguishable collective of bodies in identical clothing and make-up (so much so that in one scene the protagonist Ruhi Singh’s parents are unable to locate her in a group photo of all the Miss India contestants) allow for the emergence of individual subjectivities and a multiplicity of stories, narratives, and emotions? It is these kinds of questions, contradictions, and tensions that contain the brilliance of The World Before Her. Nisha Pahuja’s film not only compels the viewer to register the details of these two ‘worlds’ available to Indian women but also allows her to leave the screening with new questions and unseen answers. Mehta. Feminist Dissent 2016 (1), pp. 139-143 Mehta. Feminist Dissent 2016 (1), pp. 139-143 © Copyright: The Authors. This article is issued under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non- Commercial Share Alike License, which permits use and redistribution of the work provided that the original author and source are credited, the work is not used for commercial purposes and that any derivative works are made available under the same license terms. The film opens with a snapshot of the life of Miss India contestants moving headlong into preparation for the big competition. Ruhi Singh, a nineteen year old contestant from Jaipur, appears confident and determined, telling the camera that she wanted to win the competition to make her parents proud. Wanting to live a life where she was ‘free’ and able to make her 139 Mehta. Feminist Dissent 2016 (1), pp. 139-143 own choices, she had left her small town in search of opportunities in the fashion and beauty industry. In particularly poignant scenes we meet her parents who are fully supportive of her choices, looking out for her newspaper appearances (and later on, watching the competition on television) with excitement. At the beauty pageant boot camp, young women from all over the country are thrown into the world of fitness training, gym workouts, beauty, hair, and make-up consultants, diction experts, ramp-walk trainers, fashion designers, and cosmetic surgeons. With an attitude that can be best summarised by the dialogue – “It hurts? It looks fab!”- they are painfully sculpted into identical bodies that must give perfunctory answers with the perfect intonation. But as the film draws deeper into life at the boot-camp, the viewer gets glimpses into the multiple stories – full of vulnerability, insecurities, and strength – behind their flawless exteriors. Ruhi, plagued by anxiety about the competition, sits on the balcony crying and calling her parents for reassurance. Ankita, hesitant to wear a bikini in public, wonders how far she is willing to go to get the crown. Pooja, the former Miss India, narrates the heart-breaking story of her father and his family rejecting her at birth because of her sex. Another contestant speaks of how her father sent her to live in a Buddhist monastery when she was very young. Although her story drew astonished laughs from the audience, it connects to the rest in similar ways. These young women were in search of forms of independence, freedom, choice, and equality in a country that they often saw as suffocating and limiting. As they navigated the beauty industry in carefully crafted and instrumental ways, they were also simultaneously reduced to subjects of patriarchy and neoliberalism that capitalised on their bodies and dehumanised them regularly. In what seems like a world away, we meet Prachi Trivedi, a young member and teacher of the Hindu nationalist women’s organisation Durga Vahini (The Army of Durga). Established in the early 1990s the organisation adheres to the larger right-wing Hindu nationalist ideology, embracing the idea of a Bharat (India) where Hindus are given an elevated status and minority groups such as Muslims and Christians are excluded and suppressed. Key to organising and running a residential training camp for young girls held at a local school, Prachi tells the viewer of her long involvement in the movement, voicing her hatred for ”weak figures like Gandhi” and her espousal of violence for the benefit of the nation. The camp, a part of a carefully crafted system of similar gatherings at various levels (national, regional, district, and local), aims to impart intellectual, spiritual, and physical education to girls (between the ages of 18 and 35) to transform them into strong and moral members of the Hindutva movement. Through Pahuja’s coverage of the camp we see the nuances and aesthetics of the daily rituals and everyday politics of this gendered Hindu nationalist space. The trainees are made to wake up early and partake in rigorous exercises and prayers in the school ground as the saffron nationalist flag sways with the wind and a photograph of Bharat Mata (the Mother Goddess represented cartographically on a map of the 140 Mehta. Feminist Dissent 2016 (1), pp. 139-143 subcontinent) glistens in front of them. They then take lessons on various topics – from their spiritual duties as daughters and wives-to-be to morality and mythology to holding guns and learning martial arts. Scholars such as Yuval-Davis (1997) have elaborated in depth on the intersections of gender and nationalism. Women are not only the reproducers and symbolic markers of nations and nationalisms but are also the imparters of moral and family values these movements espouse. As the documentary unfolds its scenes of pedagogical practices and strategies of this Hindu nationalist women’s organisation, the aforementioned arguments of feminist scholars come alive. However, looking at the strategic and laborious formulation of the training programmes (as well as the inclusion of physical training, warrior goddesses, ‘feminised’ histories and aesthetics, and even career counselling for the girls), the film also compels the viewer to ask – are the teachers in the camp merely holding on to their ‘natural’ roles of mothers/educators or are they challenging these assigned roles and male-dominated discourses and reshaping Hindutva? Is there space for gendered (or even feminist) dissent within the Hindu nationalist project? Although we hear from some of the members of this camp (including a young girl who takes great pride in not having any Muslim friends) and witness their blossoming friendships, Prachi shines as the protagonist tying the scenes from the Hindu nationalist camp together. Strong and confident, at a point in the film she looks into the camera and utters that she would kill for Hindutva and harm anyone that goes against her nation. But alongside her tough exterior that screams at and terrifies the girls in the camp and learns to fight with aggression, the film portrays the contradictions and gendered conundrums that occupy her mind. Prachi’s father, a staunch and easily dislikeable patriarch who takes great pride at telling the viewers that he has used physical punishments to discipline his precious daughter, wants her to get married and have a family. Prachi, wanting to devote her life to Hindutva and the Hindu nation, longs for freedom and wants to achieve it by fighting for a belief system and ideology that is entrenched in patriarchy. Prachi goes through the film jokingly shutting down her father’s aspirations for her while being visibly anxious and teary about these expectations. Perplexed by gendered norms, in a delightfully queer moment in the film, she laments that she is neither a girl nor a boy and she simply does not know how to be either. Her personal tensions and contradictions pointing to political ones for the movement itself. While these ‘two worlds’ seem disconnected at first, the documentary’s juxtaposition of them draws unnerving and interesting parallels. On an interview in a green rural Maharashtra, Prachi Trivedi tells the viewers that she is alright with her father hitting her as “he let her live” in spite of her being a girl child. A few scenes apart, the mother of former Miss India Pooja Sharma, tearfully speaks of giving birth to Pooja, a girl, and being asked to kill the baby by her husband and in-laws. Refusing to commit 141 Mehta. Feminist Dissent 2016 (1), pp. 139-143 infanticide, she leaves her husband, raising her daughter alone. The undertone of patriarchal control (in personal, public, and political spheres) connect the two stories in concrete ways forcing the viewer to ask – how different are these worlds really? The embodied nature of this control in the two spaces further solidifies this connection. As women in the Hindu nationalist camp train their bodies in preparation for self-defence, reducing themselves to exercise counts and objects of martial arts manoeuvres, in a particularly dehumanising scene, women in the Miss India boot-camp walk down a beach, their faces and bodies covered with white cloths, only their legs visible as objects of the shoot. Women’s bodies in both these worlds are rendered sites of control and objectification but as these bodies train for larger goals (Hindutva or Miss India), do they also become sites of subversion, agency, and bargains? Alongside patriarchy, the film also (mildly) engages with neoliberalism as a force that is re-shaping the lives of Indian women. The Hindutva movement embraces neoliberalism in the name of ‘development’ and the movement’s women are now being trained to build respectable careers alongside becoming wives and mothers. Their aspirations (voiced by Prachi in particular) resonating sometimes with the latte-sipping Miss India contestants that embrace globalisation and cosmopolitanism with ease. Finally, in both these spaces, the viewer can locate the numerous everyday bargains and negotiations with patriarchy that these women undertake to find their space in an India that has room for many worlds. (Kandiyoti, 1988) Bargains that allow them agency and even partial empowerment in systems that were built on patriarchy. But how far will these negotiations and bargains take them in their quest for freedom? What shape does this freedom take? As Miss India contestants glide on stage with their sashes, dresses, and high-heels, exhibiting the results of their beauty and fitness regimes and answering mundane (and often ridiculous) questions with poise; Pahuja takes us back to the Hindu Nationalist camp. The young girls get dressed in white outfits with saffron sashes, ready to participate in a public parade of their training. They joke that the sashes make them feel like beauty pageant contestants. They walk through the city’s streets, holding banners, beating drums, showing off their swords and guns, singing and shouting slogans, and marking their gendered nationalist space in the public domain. Both these parades while focusing on the women of the film, show the viewer glimpses of the audiences. And it is in these glimpses of those excluded from a film about Indian women that one can ask the final questions – What other worlds exist for Indian women? How do they overlap and how do we represent them in their entire complexity and depth? References 142 Dissent 2016 (1), pp. 139-143 Kandiyoti, D. (1988) Bargaining with Patriarchy. Gender and Society, Vol.2 (3): 274-290. Yuval-Davis, N. (1997) Gender and Nation. London: Sage. To cite this article: Mehta, Akanksha. (2016). The World Before Her: A Review. Feminist Dissent, (1), 139-143. Retrieved from: http://journals.warwick.ac.uk/index.php/feministdissent/article/view/16 Mehta. Feminist Dissent 2016 (1), pp. 139-143 Dissent 2016 (1), pp. 139 143 Kandiyoti, D. (1988) Bargaining with Patriarchy. Gender and Society, Vol.2 (3): 274-290. Yuval-Davis, N. (1997) Gender and Nation. London: Sage. To cite this article: Mehta Akanksha (2016) The World Before Her: A Review Feminist Dissent Kandiyoti, D. (1988) Bargaining with Patriarchy. Gender and Society, Vol.2 (3): 274-290. Yuval-Davis, N. (1997) Gender and Nation. London: Sage. To cite this article: Mehta, Akanksha. (2016). The World Before Her: A Review. Feminist Dissent, (1), 139-143. Retrieved from: http://journals.warwick.ac.uk/index.php/feministdissent/article/view/16 143
https://openalex.org/W2155289816
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc3924909?pdf=render
English
null
Predictors of temporary epicardial pacing wires use after valve surgery
Journal of cardiothoracic surgery
2,014
cc-by
6,133
© 2014 AlWaqfi et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 Abstract Background: Although temporary cardiac pacing is infrequently needed, temporary epicardial pacing wires are routinely inserted after valve surgery. As they are associated with infrequent, but life threatening complications, and the decreased need for postoperative pacing in a group of low risk patients; this study aims to identify the predictors of temporary cardiac pacing after valve surgery. Methods: A retrospective analysis of data collected prospectively on 400 consecutive valve surgery patients between May 2002 and December 2012 was performed. Patients were grouped according to avoidance or insertion of temporary pacing wires, and were further subdivided according to temporary cardiac pacing need. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of temporary cardiac pacing. Results: 170 (42.5%) patients did not have insertion of temporary pacing wires and none of them needed temporary pacing. 230 (57.5%) patients had insertion of temporary pacing wires and among these, only 55 (23.9%) required temporary pacing who were compared with the remaining 175 (76.1%) patients in the main analysis. The determinants of temporary cardiac pacing (adjusted odds ratios; 95% confidence interval) were as follows: increased age (1.1; 1.1, 1.3, p = 0.002), New York Heart Association class III- IV (5.6; 1.6, 20.2, p = 0.008) , pulmonary artery pressure ≥50 mmHg (22.0; 3.4, 142.7, p = 0.01), digoxin use (8.0; 1.3, 48.8, p = 0.024), multiple valve surgery (13.5; 1.5, 124.0, p = 0.021), aorta cross clamp time ≥60 minutes (7.8; 1.6, 37.2, p = 0.010), and valve annulus calcification (7.9; 2.0, 31.7, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Although limited by sample size, the present results suggest that routine use of temporary epicardial pacing wires after valve surgery is only necessary for high risk patients. Preoperative identification and aggressive management of predictors of temporary cardiac pacing and the possible modulation of intraoperative techniques can decrease the need of temporary cardiac pacing. Prospective randomized controlled studies on a larger number of patients are necessary to draw solid conclusions regarding the selective use of temporary epicardial pacing wires in valve surgery. Keywords: Pacing heart, Temporary pacing, Heart valves [4]. The use of PWs is associated with increased re- source utilization and infrequent, but life threatening complications including hemorrhage, cardiac tamponade, serious arrhythmias, and death. Also the retention of PWs after cardiac surgery is not necessarily safe and may cause serious complications [5-11]. Predictors of temporary epicardial pacing wires use after valve surgery Nizar R AlWaqfi1*, Khaled S Ibrahim1, Yousef S Khader2 and Ahmad Abu Baker3 * Correspondence: nizarwaqfi@hotmail.com 1Department of General Surgery, Jordan University of Science and Technology and King Abdullah University Hospital, Princess Muna Heart Center, Floor 8 C, Po Box 630001, Irbid 22110, Jordan Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Methods Patients This study is a retrospective review of the clinical, opera- tive, and outcome data that is part of the prospectively recorded cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) database. We excluded patients who underwent redo valve surgery due to their small number and patients with preoperative high degree atrioventricular block (AVB). A total of 400 patients, 18 years or older underwent valve surgery at King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH), Jordan be- tween May, 2002 and December, 2012, was included in the analysis. Background Starting 1960s, temporary epicardial pacing wires (PWs) were routinely placed in all cardiac operations for thera- peutic as well as diagnostic purposes [1,2]. They remain in place anywhere from 24 hours to several days postop- eratively and are used to maintain heart rate and rhythm which are necessary to optimize haemodynamics [3] and to suppress both atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias The available data supports the use of PWs for selec- ted cases after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery [5,6]. However, PWs are routinely inserted after valve and congenital heart surgeries promoted by histo- rical evidence of increased need for temporary cardiac pacing (TCP) in such surgeries [12-14]. Recent limited * Correspondence: nizarwaqfi@hotmail.com 1Department of General Surgery, Jordan University of Science and Technology and King Abdullah University Hospital, Princess Muna Heart Center, Floor 8 C, Po Box 630001, Irbid 22110, Jordan Full list of author information is available at the end of the article AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 Page 2 of 7 AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 by hypokalemic cold crystalloid antegrade cardioplegia (10-12 ml/kg) at a rate of 200 – 250 ml/min, in addition to 300 ml repeated every 10 to 15 minutes. In aortic valve surgery an extra half dose of cardioplegia was given dir- ectly into the coronary ostia. Patients were cooled down to 28-32°C. Cold saline was used to cool surface of the heart. Valve annulus debridement of calcium was done usually in a blunt fashion. Patients were evaluated on an individual basis to determine if TCP is required. Patients who received PWs had ventricular wires on the anterior surface of the right ventricle. Atrial wires were additionally placed when AVB occurred after separation from CPB. After surgery all patients were transferred to CICU on mechanical ventilation. Continuous ECG monitoring was used in all patients. 12-lead ECG was performed for all pa- tients upon CICU admission and daily till discharge from hospital. publications suggest a trend towards selective use [15,16]. Ferrari et al. [15] reported TCP in 17% of their valve sur- gery cases and Gupta et al. [16] in 30% of their congenital heart surgery cases. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of TCP in valve surgery with the potential to regulate PWs insertion at our center. Statistical analysis Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Pack- age for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 15). Descriptive sta- tistics were obtained, such as mean values for continuous variables and proportions for categorical variables. The re- lationships between pacing and possible predictors were analyzed using Chi square test. Multiple logistic regres- sion was used to determine the predictors of pacing in the multivariate analysis. Only factors that were shown to be significant predictors remained in the final regres- sion model. A P-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Lately, it is our clinical practice, and upon surgeon’s discretion based on patient’s individual characteristics to selectively insert PWs in valve surgery patients. According to insertion or avoidance of PWs, two groups of patients were identified: group 1; did not have PWs inserted and never needed to be paced and group 2; had PWs inserted. Group 2 was subdivided into patients who needed TCP and those who did not need TCP. This study was approved by the ethical committee at KAUH. Results The need for postoperative TCP (if patients were paced at the time of chest closure or at any time before hos- pital discharge) was the outcome variable of interest. We identified the demographic, clinical, preoperative (inclu- ding drugs directly affecting the conduction system), and intraoperative variables (including type of valve surgery) as potential predictors of TCP (Table 1). Preoperative ar- rhythmias were defined as atrial fibrillation (AF), low grade AVB, or a bundle branch block diagnosed by elec- trocardiogram (ECG). Type of valve surgery was sub- divided into; mitral valve, aortic valve, multiple valve (double or triple), and valve with CABG surgeries. There were no cases of only-tricuspid valve surgery, but part of a combined procedure. A total of 400 consecutive patients underwent valve sur- gery with ages ranging from 18 to 80 years with mean age (standard deviation- SD) of 51.81 (13.71) years. Group 1 consisted of 170 (42.5%) patients with mean age (SD) of 44.25 (12.85) years. No patient in group1 re- quired pacing by any means nor suffered any complica- tion attributed to avoidance of PWs. Group 2 consisted of 230 (57.5%) patients with mean age (SD) of 57.39 (11.49) years. Table 1 shows the characteristics of both groups with p-values. Among patients in group 2, only 55 (23.9%) needed TCP (mean age (SD) = 62.27 (10.87) years) and were compared with the remaining 175 (76.1%) patients (mean age (SD) = 55.86 (11.27) years) who did not need TCP. 12-lead ECG was used to diagnose conduc- tion disturbances. The primary reasons for pacing in- cluded AVB of any degree in 25 (45.5%) patients, nodal or junctional rhythms in 8 (14.6%) patients, low cardiac out- put in 13 (23.6%) patients, sinus bradycardia in 5 (9.1%) patients, and asystole in 4 (7.2%) patients. In no case were PWs used for diagnostic purposes, rapid atrial pacing, or left ventricular pacing. PWs were left in place for a mini- mum of 3 days. The mean (SD) duration of pacing was Operative technique All patients had median sternotomy. In mitral valve surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was established between the ascending aorta and bicaval venous cannula- tion. Mitral valve was approached through a conventional left lateral atriotomy. Perfusion was maintained at 2.0 to 2.4 L/min/m2, and systemic perfusion pressure was kept at 60 - 80 mmHg. Myocardial protection was achieved AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 AlWaqfi et al. Operative technique Table 1 Characteristics of total patients and by group according to demographic, preoperative, and intraoperative dataa (Continued) 53.12 (31.81) hours; the median was 12.5 hours. Only 5 (9.1%) of the 55 patients who needed TCP, had implant- ation of permanent pacemaker, accounting for 1.25% of the cohort analyzed. The average time from surgery to im- plantation of permanent pacemaker was 65.33 hours. Table 2 shows the univariate analysis of demographic, clinical, and preoperative characteristics of patients in group 2, in relation to TCP. The use of TCP differed sig- nificantly according to patients’ age, diabetes mellitus, left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) status, pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), and being on amiodarone. Patients on beta bloc- kers were significantly less likely to need TCP. Table 3 shows the univariate analysis of intraoperative variables in relation to TCP. When analyzed by type of surgery; 10% of patients who underwent mitral valve, 13.9% who underwent aortic valve, 34.8% who under- went valve with CABG, and 44.2% who underwent mul- tiple valve surgeries needed TCP. Table 4 shows the predictors of TCP in the multivari- ate analysis. Increased age by 1 year was associated with increased odds of TCP by 10%. Those who underwent multiple valve surgery were significantly more likely to need TCP compared to patients who underwent single valve surgery. Operative technique Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 Page 3 of 7 Table 1 Characteristics of total patients and by group according to demographic, preoperative, and intraoperative dataa Variable Total Group 1 Group 2 p-value (n = 400) (n = 170) (n = 230) Age (year) < 0.005 < 40 78 (19.5) 62 (79.5) 16 (20.5) 40 – 59 187 (46.8) 88 (47.1) 99 (52.9) ≥60 135 (33.7) 20 (14.8) 115 (85.2) Sex 0.141 Female 177 (44.3) 68 (38.4) 109 (61.6) Male 223 (55.7) 102 (45.7) 121 (54.3) Renal failure (Creatinine ≥1.5 mg/dl) 29 (7.3) 8 (27.6) 21 (72.4) 0.092 Diabetes mellitus 80 (20) 19 (23.7) 61 (76.3) < 0.005 COPD 49 (12.3) 29 (59.2) 20 (40.8) 0.012 History of arrhythmia 43 (10.8) 3 (7) 40 (93) < 0.005 NYHA Class 0.027 I – II 280 (70) 129 (46.1) 151 (53.9) III – IV 120 (30) 41 (34.2) 79 (65.8) Left ventricle ejection fraction (%) 0.006 > 35 259 (64.5) 123 (47.5) 136 (52.5) ≤35 141 (35.5) 47 (33.3) 94 (66.7) PAP (mmHg) 0.043 < 50 360 (90) 159 (44.2) 201 (55.8) ≥50 40 (10) 11 (27.5) 29 (72.5) Preoperative medications < 0.005 Beta blockers 107 (26.8) 45 (42.1) 62 (57.9) Digoxin 42 (10.5) 19 (55.2) 23 (54.8) Amiodarone 18 (4.5) 2 (11.1) 16 (88.9) Left atrium diameter (mm) 0.876 < 5.2 347 (86.7) 148 (42.7) 199 (57.3) ≥5.2 53 (13.3) 22 (41.5) 31 (58.5) Type of surgery < 0.005 Mitral valve 140 (35) 80 (57.1) 60 (42.9) Aortic valve 129(32.3) 57 (44.2) 72 (55.8) Multiple valve 73 (18.2) 21 (28.8) 52 (71.2) Valve with coronary artery bypass 58 (14.5) 12 (20.7) 46 (79.3) Valve annulus calcification 70 (17.5) 17 (24.3) 53 (75.7) < 0.005 Cardiopulmonary bypass time (minute) < 0.005 < 100 317 (79.3) 157 (49.5) 160 (50.5) ≥100 83 (20.7) 13 (15.7) 70 (84.3) Table 1 Characteristics of total patients and by group according to demographic, preoperative, and intraoperative dataa Table 1 Characteristics of total patients and by group according to demographic, preoperative, and intraoperative dataa (Continued) Aorta cross clamp time (minute) < 0.005 < 60 318 (79.5) 160 (50.3) 158 (49.7) ≥60 82 (20.5) 10 (12.2) 72 (87.8) Intraoperative bradycardia 101 (25.3) 46 (45.5) 55 (54.5) 0.474 a Data are given as no. (%). COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NYHA = New York Heart Association; PAP = pulmonary artery pressure; PW = temporary epicardial pacing wires. Discussion Historically, PWs have been routinely used after cardiac operations to optimize cardiac function and to suppress both atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias [4]. How- ever, their use is not innocuous and associated with in- frequent but lethal complications. Insertion can prolong the operative time and increase the risk of bleeding. Their extended use can result in failure of sensing or capturing [17]. During removal, patients are at risk of ventricular arrhythmias [18] and to a lesser extent bleed- ing due to injury of nearby structures [19-21]. Also re- tention of PWs may be complicated by deep seated infections or migration to different structures in the chest [7-9,22,23]. Page 4 of 7 Page 4 of 7 AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 During the last decade, routine insertion of PWs in CABG surgery, being on-pump or a beating heart, has been well studied and many centers turned to limit their use [5,6,24]. We already comply with these policies. In valvular and pediatric surgeries there is a historical evi- dence of routine use of PWs due to the increased risk of Table 2 Univariate analysis (group 2) for use of temporary pacing according to demographic, and preoperative variablesa Variable Temporary cardiac pacing No Yes p-value Age (year) 0.013 < 40 13 (81.3) 3 (18.8) 40–59 84 (84.8) 15 (15.20) ≥60 78 (67.8) 37 (32.2) Sex Female 79 (72.5) 30 (27.5) 0.223 Male 96 (79.3) 25 (20.7) Renal failure (creatinine > 1.5 mg/dl) 0.991 No 159 (76.1) 50 (23.9) Yes 16 (76.2) 5 (23.8) Diabetes mellitus 0.001 No 119 (70.4) 50 (29.6) Yes 56 (91.8) 5 (8.2) COPD 0.504 No 161 (76.7) 49 (23.3) Yes 14 (70.0) 6 (30.0) History of arrhythmia 0.818 No 144 (75.8) 46 (24.2) Yes 31 (77.5) 9 (22.5) NYHA class 0.000 I-II 136 (90.1) 15 (9.9) III-IV 39 (49.4) 40 (50.6) Left Ventricle ejection fraction (%) 0.001 > 35 114 (83.8) 22 (16.2) ≤35 61 (64.9) 33 (35.1) PAP (mmHg) 0.000 < 50 171 (85.1) 30 (14.9) ≥50 4 (13.8) 25 (86.2) Left atrium diameter (mm) 0.104 < 5.2 155 (77.9) 44 (22.1) ≥5.2 20 (64.5) 11 (35.5) Beta blockers 0.002 No 119 (70.8) 49 (29.2) Yes 56 (90.3) 6 (9.70) Digoxin 0.440 No 159 (76.8) 48 (23.2) Yes 16 (69.6) 7 (30.4) Amiodarone 0.011 No 167 (78.0) 47 (22.0) Yes 8 (50.0) 8 (50.0) aData are given as no. (%). Discussion D CA be us va de Table 2 Univariate analysis (group 2) for use of temporary pacing according to demographic, and preoperative variablesa Variable Temporary cardiac pacing No Yes p-value Age (year) 0.013 < 40 13 (81.3) 3 (18.8) 40–59 84 (84.8) 15 (15.20) ≥60 78 (67.8) 37 (32.2) Sex Female 79 (72.5) 30 (27.5) 0.223 Male 96 (79.3) 25 (20.7) Renal failure (creatinine > 1.5 mg/dl) 0.991 No 159 (76.1) 50 (23.9) Yes 16 (76.2) 5 (23.8) Diabetes mellitus 0.001 No 119 (70.4) 50 (29.6) Yes 56 (91.8) 5 (8.2) COPD 0.504 No 161 (76.7) 49 (23.3) Yes 14 (70.0) 6 (30.0) History of arrhythmia 0.818 No 144 (75.8) 46 (24.2) Yes 31 (77.5) 9 (22.5) NYHA class 0.000 I-II 136 (90.1) 15 (9.9) III-IV 39 (49.4) 40 (50.6) Left Ventricle ejection fraction (%) 0.001 > 35 114 (83.8) 22 (16.2) ≤35 61 (64.9) 33 (35.1) PAP (mmHg) 0.000 < 50 171 (85.1) 30 (14.9) ≥50 4 (13.8) 25 (86.2) Left atrium diameter (mm) 0.104 < 5.2 155 (77.9) 44 (22.1) ≥5.2 20 (64.5) 11 (35.5) Beta blockers 0.002 No 119 (70.8) 49 (29.2) Yes 56 (90.3) 6 (9.70) Digoxin 0.440 No 159 (76.8) 48 (23.2) Yes 16 (69.6) 7 (30.4) Amiodarone 0.011 No 167 (78.0) 47 (22.0) Yes 8 (50.0) 8 (50.0) aData are given as no. (%). COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NYHA = New York Heart Association; PAP =pulmonary artery pressure. Ta tem int Va Typ An Car Ao Bra aDa Ta tem Va Ag NY PA Pre Typ Ao 60 Val NY Table 2 Univariate analysis (group 2) for use of temporary pacing according to demographic, and preoperative variablesa During the last decade, routine insertion of PWs in CABG surgery, being on-pump or a beating heart, has been well studied and many centers turned to limit their use [5,6,24]. We already comply with these policies. Discussion COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NYHA = New York Heart Association; PAP =pulmonary artery pressure. Table 3 Univariate analysis (group 2) for use of temporary pacing according to procedure and intraoperative variablesa Variable Temporary cardiac pacing No Yes p-value Type of surgery 0.000 Mitral valve 54 (90.0) 6 (10.0) Aortic valve 62 (86.1) 10 (13.9) Multiple valve 29 (55.8) 23 (44.2) Valve with coronary artery bypass 30 (65.2) 16 (34.8) Annulus Calcification 0.000 No 154 (87.0) 23 (13.0) Yes 21 (39.6) 32 (60.4) Cardiopulmonary bypass time (minute) 0.000 < 100 140 (87.5) 20 (12.5) ≥100 35 (50.0) 35 (50.0) Aorta cross clamp time (minute) 0.000 < 60 143 (90.5) 15 (9.5) ≥60 32 (44.4) 40 (55.6) Bradycardia 0.003 No 125 (71.4) 50 (28.6) Yes 50 (90.9) 5 (9.1) aData are given as no. (%). Table 4 Multivariate analysis of factors associated with temporary cardiac pacing Variable Odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval (CI) P-value Age 1.1 (1.1, 1.3) 0.002 NYHA class (III- IV) 5.6 (1.6, 20.2) 0.008 PAP ≥50 mmHg 22.0 (3.4, 142.7) 0.001 Preoperative digoxin use 8.0 (1.3, 48.8) 0.024 Type of surgery Mitral valve 1.0 Aortic valve 2.2 (0.3, 14.7) 0.431 Multiple valve 13.5 (1.5, 124.0) 0.021 Valve with coronary artery bypass 3.6 (0.4, 30.7) 0.242 Aorta cross clamp time ≥ 60 min 7.8 (1.6, 37.2) 0.010 Valve annulus calcification 7.9 (2.0, 31.7) 0.003 NYHA = New York Heart Association; PAP = pulmonary artery pressure. Discussion In valvular and pediatric surgeries there is a historical evi- dence of routine use of PWs due to the increased risk of Table 4 Multivariate analysis of factors associated with temporary cardiac pacing Variable Odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval (CI) P-value Age 1.1 (1.1, 1.3) 0.002 NYHA class (III- IV) 5.6 (1.6, 20.2) 0.008 PAP ≥50 mmHg 22.0 (3.4, 142.7) 0.001 Preoperative digoxin use 8.0 (1.3, 48.8) 0.024 Type of surgery Mitral valve 1.0 Aortic valve 2.2 (0.3, 14.7) 0.431 Multiple valve 13.5 (1.5, 124.0) 0.021 Valve with coronary artery bypass 3.6 (0.4, 30.7) 0.242 Aorta cross clamp time ≥ 60 min 7.8 (1.6, 37.2) 0.010 Valve annulus calcification 7.9 (2.0, 31.7) 0.003 NYHA = New York Heart Association; PAP = pulmonary artery pressure. Table 4 Multivariate analysis of factors associated with temporary cardiac pacing AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 Page 5 of 7 AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 Page 5 of 7 AVB [12]. However, these recommendations are decades old and may not reflect modern surgical techniques and practice. Recent few reports studied the rate and the predictors of TCP after valvular and pediatric cardiac surgeries [15,16,25]. At our center, to avoid the above mentioned complications and in accordance with the published literature, and it is upon surgeon’s discretion to safely select patients, we limited the insertion of PWs in valve surgery (usually based on; young age with min- imal comorbidities, uncomplicated single valve surgery, not involving extensive decalcification, and after separ- ation from CPB in sinus rhythm, and hemodynamically stable on minimal support, including recently, patients in sinus bradycardia who responds to minimal doses of beta-adrenergic drugs) (Table 1). it acts on the right ventricular dimensions and shape, and interventricular septal thickness imposing progres- sive mechanical stretch that could affect the conduction system by altering the electrophysiological properties of its fibers. Preoperative use of digoxin and beta-blockers are pos- tulated as predictors of postoperative conduction dis- turbance [14,31], especially of those with the block nature. In a recent study on patients after mitral valve surgery by Berdjas et al. [14], both digoxin and beta blockers, were found to significantly lower the risk of conduction distur- bances. In our study, only digoxin was a predictor of TCP. Discussion Digoxin’s primary mechanism of action is to increase the force of myocardial contractility in failing hearts by in- creasing the intracellular calcium concentration. However, its vagomimetic effect decreases sinoatrial and atrioven- tricular conduction and prolongs atrioventricular node re- fractory period, thus increasing the need for TCP [32]. Also digoxin has, even at therapeutic levels, an arrhyth- mogenic effect on ischemic hearts [33], which may include periods of prolonged crossclamping time. The need for TCP was mainly based on the presence of a mechanical injury to the conduction system caused by operative procedures in close physical proximity to the atrioventricular node or the His bundle, or an is- chemic injury to the conduction system resulting during cardioplegic arrest, especially if associated with extensive coronary artery disease. Both mechanisms may evoke preexisting conduction defects or generate new ones. Type of surgical procedure was a determinant of TCP. Patients who had multiple valve surgery and/or debride- ment of heavy annular calcification at the atrioventricu- lar sinus area (the posterior commissure of the anterior mitral leaflet, the commissure between right- and non- coronary cusps of the aortic valve, and the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve) were at an increased risk of phys- ical injury to the atrioventricular node and conduction system and were significantly more likely to need TCP after separation from CPB. Although the need for pacing in combined valve and CABG surgery was more than in isolated single valve surgery, this difference did not reach statistical significance. This might be due to small sample size of this subgroup. In such patients it may be difficult to assure adequate and uniform delivery of the cardio- plegic solution to protect the myocardium leading to new or further exacerbating existing conduction disturbances. These results coincide with other peer reviews [29,34]. In our study, only 23.9% of valve surgery patients with PWs insertion needed TCP which led us to reevaluate the use of PWs and to attempt to identify a subpopula- tion of valve patients for whom PWs are appropriate. In the current series, patients who had PWs inserted were almost 10 years older than those who did not, and those more than 60 years old were, by both univariate and multivariate analysis, more likely to be paced. Gender was not a predictor of TCP. This is consistent with other peer reviews [15,26]. Discussion Data in the literature regarding the significance of chro- nic comorbidities such as chronic renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus and pre- operative arrhythmias as predictors of postoperative pa- cing are conflicting [14,15,27]. In our study none of the above mentioned comorbidities were significantly associ- ated with the need for TCP in the multivariate analysis. Aortic crossclamp time more than 60 minutes, by both univariate and multivariate analysis, was a predictor of TCP. This is consistent with other peer reviews [35]. The occurrence of ischemic injury to the conduction system and the development of myocardial edema following pro- longed periods of crossclamping might explain these findings. Advanced NYHA class was a predictor of TCP in both univariate and multivariate analysis. Pacing was used in patients with advanced NYHA class to improve cardiac output after separation from CPB to achieve hemody- namic stability. Also, most of them had severe left ven- tricular dysfunction with increased risk of developing various conduction disturbances [28]. This finding was supported by Gordon et al. [29]. On the contrary, ad- vanced NYHA status was not a predictor of TCP by Ferrari et al. [15]. In the interpretation of the study findings, we need to consider that this study is a retrospective analysis with a relatively limited number of patients done over a long time; however patients were followed prospectively du- ring their hospitalization. Although a team of different surgeons performed the operations with different thre- shold for postoperative PWs insertion and pacing, all the patients were treated at a single center, and the Increased PAP was an independent predictor of TCP by both univariate and multivariate analysis. Limongelli, et al. [30] reported pulmonary hypertension a risk factor for postoperative AVB following aortic valve surgery, as Page 6 of 7 AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 operative methods remained substantially unchanged dur- ing the study. 2. Mills NL, Ochsner JL: Experience with atrial pacemaker wires implanted during cardiac surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1973, 66:878–886. 3. Hartzler GO, Maloney JD, Curtis JJ, Barnhorst DA: Hemodynamic benefits of atrioventricular sequential pacing after cardiac surgery. Am J Cardiol 1977, 40:232–236. Competing interests The authors declare that they have neither financial nor non-financial competing interests. The authors declare that they have neither financial nor non-financial competing interests. 14. Berdajs D, Schurr UP, Wagner A, Seifert B, Turina MI, Genoni M: Incidence and pathophysiology of atrioventricular block following mitral valve replacement and ring annuloplasty. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2008, 34:55–61. Authors’ contribution 15. Ferrari AD, Süssenbach CP, Guaragna JC, Piccoli Jda C, Gazzoni GF, Ferreira DK, Albuquerque LC, Goldani MA: Atrioventricular block in the postoperative period of heart valve surgery: incidence, risk factors and hospital evolution. Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc 2011, 26:364–372. NA participated in clinical practice, contributed to conception, design, acquisition of data, drafting the manuscript, and revising it critically for important intellectual content. KI participated in clinical practice, contributed to design, helped in drafting the manuscript, and revising it critically for important intellectual content. YK contributed to design, analysis and interpretation of data, and helped in drafting the manuscript. AA participated in clinical practice, helped in drafting the manuscript, and revising it critically for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. 16. Gupta P, Jines P, Gossett JM, Maurille M, Hanley FL, Reddy VM, Miyake CY, Roth SJ: Predictors for use of temporary epicardial pacing wires after pediatric cardiac surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2012, 144:557–562. 17. Elmi F, Tullo NG, Khalighi K: Natural history and predictors of temporary epicardial pacemaker wire function in patients after open heart surgery. Cardiology 2002, 98:175–180. 18. Carroll KC, Reeves LM, Andersen G, Ray FM, Clopton PL, Shively M, Tarazi RY: Risks associated with removal of ventricular epicardial pacing wires after cardiac surgery. Am J Crit Care 1998, 7:444–449. Author details 1 g y g 20. Price C, Keenan DJ: Injury to a saphenous vein graft during removal of a temporary epicardial pacing wire electrode. Br Heart J 1989, 61:546–547. 1Department of General Surgery, Jordan University of Science and Technology and King Abdullah University Hospital, Princess Muna Heart Center, Floor 8 C, Po Box 630001, Irbid 22110, Jordan. 2Department of Public Health, Community Medicine, and Family Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology and King Abdullah University Hospital, Po Box 630001, Irbid 22110, Jordan. 3Princess Muna Heart Center, Department of Anesthesia, Jordan University of Science and Technology and King Abdullah University Hospital, Po Box 630001, Irbid 22110, Jordan. 21. Matsushita T, Fuse H, Takeuchi K, Masuda S, Inoue T: Aortic bleeding One week after removal of an intraoperative epicardial temporary pacing wire. Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2013, 19:231–233. 22. Benson CC, Valentine AM, Economy KE, Hoffman-Sage Y, Bevilacqua LM, Podovei M, Opotowsky AR: Discovery and management of diaphragmatic hernia related to abandoned epicardial pacemaker wires in a pregnant women with S, L, L transposition of the great arteries. Congenit Heart Dis 2012, 7:183–188. Received: 19 September 2013 Accepted: 5 February 2014 Published: 12 February 2014 23. Cohen SB, Bartz PJ, Earing MG, Sheil A, Nicolosi A, Woods RK: Myocardial infarction due to a retained epicardial pacing wire. Ann Thorac Surg 2012, 94:1724–1726. Acknowledgments W ld lik t th We would like to thank Dr. Motasem Abuelreish for his help in revising and editing the manuscript. We would like to thank Dr. Motasem Abuelreish for his help in revising and editing the manuscript. 19. Del Nido P, Goldman BS: Temporary epicardial pacing after open heart surgery: complications and prevention. J Card Surg 1989, 4:99–103. 19. Del Nido P, Goldman BS: Temporary epicardial pacing after open heart surgery: complications and prevention. J Card Surg 1989, 4:99–103. 20. Price C, Keenan DJ: Injury to a saphenous vein graft during removal of a temporary epicardial pacing wire electrode. Br Heart J 1989, 61:546–547. Abbreviations PW T PWs: Temporary epicardial pacing wires; CABG: Coronary artery bypass grafting; TCP: Temporary cardiac pacing; CICU: Cardiac intensive care unit; KAUH: King Abdullah University Hospital; AVB: Atrioventricular block; AF: Atrial fibrillation; ECG: Electrocardiogram; CPB: Cardiopulmonary bypass; SD: Standard deviation; EF: Left ventricular ejection fraction; NYHA: New York Heart Association; PAP: Pulmonary artery pressure. 12. Waldo AL, MacLean WA, Cooper TB, Kouchoukos NT, Karp RB: Use of temporarily placed epicardial atrial wire electrodes for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias following open-heart surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1978, 76:500–505. 13. Ceresnak SR, Pass RH, Starc TJ, Hordof AJ, Bonney WJ, Mosca RS, Liberman L: Predictors for hemodynamic improvement with temporary pacing after pediatric cardiac surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2011, 141:183–187. Conclusion 4. Archbold RA, Schilling RJ: Atrial pacing for the prevention of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a review of the literature. Heart 2004, 90:129–133. Although limited by sample size, the present results sug- gest that routine use of PWs after valve surgery is neces- sary for high risk patients. Predictive factors of TCP after valve surgery were increased age, NYHA class (III-IV), PAP ≥50 mmHg, digoxin use, complex surgical proce- dures (i.e. multiple valve surgery), heavy annular calcifi- cation, and crossclamp time ≥60 min. Better patients selection, in addition to optimizing the medical condi- tion through aggressive treatment of heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, shortening the cross clamping and CPB times, and careful debridement of calcified valve annulus, may lower the need for postoperative pacing in our practice. Prospective randomized well controlled stud- ies on a larger number of patients, including quantitative assessment of valve annular calcium load and distribution, are necessary to draw solid conclusions on safely selected patients who do not require postoperative PWs insertion. 5. Puskas JD, Sharoni E, Williams WH, Petersen R, Duke P, Guyton RA: Is routine use of temporary epicardial pacing wires necessary after either OPCAB or conventional CABG/CPB? Heart Surg Forum 2003, 6:E103–106. 6. Imren Y, Benson AA, Oktar GL, Chema FH, Comas G, Naseem T: Is use of temporary pacing wire following coronary artery bypass surgery really necessary? J Cardiovasc Surg (Torino) 2008, 49:261–7. 7. Kapoor A, Syal S, Gupta N, Gupta A: Right paracardiac mass due to organized pericardial hematoma around retained epicardial pacing wires following aortic valve replacement. Interact CardioVasc Thorac Surg 2011, 13:104–6. 8. Horng GS, Ashley E, Balsam L, Reitz B, Zamanian RT: Progressive Dyspnea After CABG: Complication of retained epicardial pacing wires. Ann Thorac Surg 2008, 86:1352–1354. 9. Smith DE 3rd, DeAnda A Jr, Towe CW, Balsam LB: Retroaortic abscess: an unusual complication of a retained epicardial pacing wire. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2013, 16:221–223. 10. Jackson M, Woods SS: Temporary transvenous and epicardial pacing. In Lynn-McHale Wiegand DJ, Carlson KK. Elsevier Saunders: AACN procedure manual for critical care. St. Louis; 2005:349–461. 11. Shamloo C: Epicardial pacing wire removal. In AACN procedure manual for critical care. Edited by Lynn-McHale Wiegand DJ, Carlson KK. St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders; 2005:311–313. PWs: Temporary epicardial pacing wires; CABG: Coronary artery bypass grafting; TCP: Temporary cardiac pacing; CICU: Cardiac intensive care unit; KAUH: King Abdullah University Hospital; AVB: Atrioventricular block; AF: Atrial fibrillation; ECG: Electrocardiogram; CPB: Cardiopulmonary bypass; SD: Standard deviation; EF: Left ventricular ejection fraction; NYHA: New York Heart Association; PAP: Pulmonary artery pressure. AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 routinely done but rarely beneficial. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2009, 21:86–90. routinely done but rarely beneficial. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2009, 21:86–90. 25. Fishberger SB, Rossi AF, Bolivar JM, Lopez L, Hannan RL, Burke RP: Congenital cardiac surgery without routine placement of wires for temporary pacing. Cardiol Young 2008, 18:96–99. temporary pacing. Cardiol Young 2008, 18:96–99. 26. Elahi MM, Darren L, Dhannapuneni RRV: Predictors of permanent pacemaker implantation during the early postoperative period after valve surgery. Tex Heart Inst J 2006, 33:455–457. 27. Bethea BT, Salazar JD, Grega MA, Doty JR, Fitton TP, Alejo DE, Borowicz LM Jr, Gott VL, Sussman MS, Baumgartner WA: Determining the utility of temporary pacing wires after coronary artery bypass surgery. Ann Thorac Surg 2005, 79:104–107. 28. Linde C, Daubert C: Cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with New York Heart Association class I and II heart failure: an approach to 2010. Circulation 2010, 122:1037–1043. 29. Gordon RS, Cohen G, Joan I, Gideon C, Ralph-Edwards AL: Permanent cardiac pacing after a cardiac operation: Predicting the use of permanent pacemakers. Ann Thorac Surg 1998, 66:1698–1704. 30. Limongelli G, Ducceschi V, D’Andrea A, Renzulli A, Sarubbi B, De Feo M, Cerasuolo F, Calabrò R, Cotrufo M: Risk factors for pacemaker implantation following aortic valve replacement: a single center experience. Heart 2003, 89:901–904. 31. Jokinen JJ, Mustonen PK, Hippelainen MJ, Rehnberg LS, Hartikainen JE: Effects of coronary artery bypass related conduction defects: a 10-year follow-up study. Scand Cardiovasc J 2004, 38:235–239. 32. Krum H, Bigger JT Jr, Goldsmith RL, Packer M: Effect of long-term digoxin therapy on autonomic function in patients with chronic heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol 1995, 25:289–294. 33. Lown B, Graboys TB, Podrid PJ, Cohen BH, Stockman MB, Gaughan CE: Effect of a digitalis drug on ventricular premature beats. N Engl J Med 1977, 296:301–306. 34. Erdogan HB, Kayalar N, Ardal H, Omeroglu SN, Kirali K, Guler M, Akinci E, Yakut C: Risk factors for requirement of permanent pacemaker implantation after aortic valve replacement. J Card Surg 2006, 21:211–215. p p g 35. Schurr UP, Berli J, Berdajs D, Häusler A, Dzemali O, Emmert M, et al: 35. Schurr UP, Berli J, Berdajs D, Häusler A, Dzemali O, Emmert M, et al: Incidence and risk factors for pacemaker implantation following aortic 35. References 24. Asghar MI, Khan AA, Iqbal A, Arshad A, Afridi: Placing epicardial pacing wires in isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a procedure 24. Asghar MI, Khan AA, Iqbal A, Arshad A, Afridi: Placing epicardial pacing wires in isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a procedure 1. Hodman RP, Starr A: Temporary post-operative epicardial pacing electrodes. Ann Thorc Surg 1969, 8:506–510. 1. Hodman RP, Starr A: Temporary post-operative epicardial pacing electrodes. Ann Thorc Surg 1969, 8:506–510. Page 7 of 7 Page 7 of 7 AlWaqfi et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014, 9:33 http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/9/1/33 Schurr UP, Berli J, Berdajs D, Häusler A, Dzemali O, Emmert M, et al: Incidence and risk factors for pacemaker implantation following aortic valve replacement. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2010, 11:556–560. doi:10.1186/1749-8090-9-33 Cite this article as: AlWaqfi et al.: Predictors of temporary epicardial pacing wires use after valve surgery. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2014 9:33. Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission
https://openalex.org/W2773980727
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00231/pdf
English
null
Evidence of Rapid Modulation by Social Information of Subjective, Physiological, and Neural Responses to Emotional Expressions
Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience
2,018
cc-by
12,107
ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 09 January 2018 doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00231 Evidence of Rapid Modulation by Social Information of Subjective, Physiological, and Neural Responses to Emotional Expressions Martial Mermillod 1, 2*, Delphine Grynberg 3, 4, Léo Pio-Lopez 5, Magdalena Rychlowska 5, 6, Brice Beffara 1, Sylvain Harquel 1, Nicolas Vermeulen 7, 8, Paula M. Niedenthal 9, Frédéric Dutheil 10, 11 and Sylvie Droit-Volet 5 1 Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LPNC, Grenoble, France, 2 Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France, 3 Univ. Lille, CNRS, CHU Lille, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Lille, France, 4 Univ. Lille, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France, 5 Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, LaPSCo, Clermont-Ferrand, France, 6 Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom, 7 IPSY, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 8 Fund for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS), Brussels, Belgium, 9 Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States, 10 Université Clermont Auvergne, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, LaPSCo, Stress Physiologique et Psychosocial, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Santé Travail Environnement, WittyFit, Clermont-Ferrand, France, 11 Faculty of Health, School of Exercise Science, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Recent research suggests that conceptual or emotional factors could influence the perceptual processing of stimuli. In this article, we aimed to evaluate the effect of social information (positive, negative, or no information related to the character of the target) on subjective (perceived and felt valence and arousal), physiological (facial mimicry) as well as on neural (P100 and N170) responses to dynamic emotional facial expressions (EFE) that varied from neutral to one of the six basic emotions. Across three studies, the results showed reduced ratings of valence and arousal of EFE associated with incongruent social information (Study 1), increased electromyographical responses (Study 2), and significant modulation of P100 and N170 components (Study 3) when EFE were associated with social (positive and negative) information (vs. no information). These studies revealed that positive or negative social information reduces subjective responses to incongruent EFE and produces a similar neural and physiological boost of the early perceptual processing of EFE irrespective of their congruency. In conclusion, the article suggests that the presence of positive or negative social context modulates early physiological and neural activity preceding subsequent behavior. Citation: Mermillod M, Grynberg D, Pio-Lopez L, Rychlowska M, Beffara B, Harquel S, Vermeulen N, Niedenthal PM, Dutheil F and Droit-Volet S (2018) Evidence of Rapid Modulation by Social Information of Subjective, Physiological, and Neural Responses to Emotional Expressions. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 11:231. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00231 Edited by: Bahar Güntekin, School of International Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, Turkey Reviewed by: Julieta Ramos-Loyo, University of Guadalajara, Mexico Andrea Hildebrandt, University of Greifswald, Germany Reviewed by: Julieta Ramos-Loyo, University of Guadalajara, Mexico Andrea Hildebrandt, University of Greifswald, Germany *Correspondence: Martial Mermillod martial.mermillod@ univ-grenoble-alpes.fr *Correspondence: Martial Mermillod martial.mermillod@ univ-grenoble-alpes.fr *Correspondence: Martial Mermillod martial.mermillod@ univ-grenoble-alpes.fr Received: 10 May 2017 Accepted: 07 November 2017 Published: 09 January 2018 Keywords: emotion, social cognition, electromyography, electroencephalography, top-down processes, embodiment theory Keywords: emotion, social cognition, electromyography, electroencephalography, top-down processes, embodiment theory Mermillod M, Grynberg D, Pio-Lopez L, Rychlowska M, Beffara B, Harquel S, Vermeulen N, Niedenthal PM, Dutheil F and Droit-Volet S (2018) Evidence of Rapid Modulation by Social Information of Subjective, Physiological, and Neural Responses to Emotional Expressions. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 11:231. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00231 INTRODUCTION Extant behavioral research suggests the relevance of top-down processes in the use of concepts (Schyns et al., 1998; Vermeulen et al., 2009), percepts (Bar, 2004; Quétard et al., 2015, 2016), and affects (Scherer, 1997; Hess et al., 2007; Rudrauf et al., 2008; Niedenthal et al., 2009). For instance, participants’ personality (e.g., Campanella et al., 2012) or facial expressions (Niedenthal et al., 2009) modulate the detection or recognition of emotional facial expressions (EFE). In addition, research has pointed to a modulation of EFE processing by social factors, such as the degree of friendship Extant behavioral research suggests the relevance of top-down processes in the use of concepts (Schyns et al., 1998; Vermeulen et al., 2009), percepts (Bar, 2004; Quétard et al., 2015, 2016), and affects (Scherer, 1997; Hess et al., 2007; Rudrauf et al., 2008; Niedenthal et al., 2009). For instance, participants’ personality (e.g., Campanella et al., 2012) or facial expressions (Niedenthal et al., 2009) modulate the detection or recognition of emotional facial expressions (EFE). In addition, research has pointed to a modulation of EFE processing by social factors, such as the degree of friendship January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. between the participant and the target (Hess et al., 1995) or the social norms of the participants (Scherer, 1997). (Dimberg, 1990; Hess et al., 1995; Barsalou, 1999; Niedenthal, 2007), which assumes that the processing of emotional information is grounded in the brain’s perceptual, affective, and sensory-motor systems. Several studies have shown that the processing of emotional concepts (e.g., emotional words or EFE) leads individuals to simulate this concept and re-create the corresponding bodily experience (Niedenthal et al., 2009). Recent research also suggests that imitation of perceived and simulated emotions plays a causal role in the recognition of facial expressions (Künecke et al., 2014). Indeed, preventing participants from simulating emotional concepts (i.e., blocking participants’ facial expressions) during EFE recognition task reduced recognition accuracy (Havas et al., 2010). Finally, it has been shown that the recognition of EFE is influenced by the activation (or inhibition) of facial muscles used to express the perceived emotion (Niedenthal, 2007). Similar findings were reported with direct Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) modulation of the sensorimotor cortex (Pitcher et al., 2008). Together, these studies support that EFE are bodily grounded and that their processing is modulated through the embodied simulation. INTRODUCTION To our knowledge, only one study investigated whether positive, negative or neutral characteristics of the target modulated facial mimicry of EFE (Likowski et al., 2008). This article revealed that positive traits (e.g., kind) enhanced Zygomatic activity for happy expressions and Corrugator activity for sad expressions. Moreover, negative (e.g., malicious) and neutral traits had no influence on Zygomatic but reduced Corrugator activity for sad expressions. Although this study highlights the influence of positive or negative traits on EMG responses to EFE (i.e., enhanced mimicry for positive targets), each avatar had their specific traits thus preventing the control for the perceptual stability of facial expressions. g y p g However, a recurrent methodological limitation of articles related to top-down processes was that the stimuli differ in terms of emotion but also in terms of perceptual properties. For instance, it is difficult to determine to what extent the EEG activity observed by Achaibou et al. (2008) at the level of the P100 and N170 components for, as an example, happy expression, is due to the feeling of happiness or, alternatively, to the big white area (related to the teeth) inherent to happy facial expressions. In other words, the limitations of this paper relate to the fact that the stimuli differed not only in terms of emotions but also in terms of perceptual properties that could have induced the EEG difference reported. Therefore, we have decided to address this methodological concern while extending their princeps results to more general social information. In a new set of experiments, we used the same dynamic videos of facial expressions as used in Achaibou et al. (2008). However, before each stimulus, we provided participants with a social information (either positively- or negatively-valenced, compared to a control situation without social information) about the actor displaying the emotional expression. We then recorded participants behavioral, EEG, and EMG responses to these stimuli. Therefore, the aim of the present article was to examine whether high-level social information about the same perceptual target influence subjective responses to EFE but also impact automatic facial mimicry and neural processes involved in EFE categorization. The investigation of such influence is highly relevant as recent models propose that the psychological and neural underpinnings of the perception of EFE depend on the understanding of social context (Niedenthal et al., 2010). INTRODUCTION Moreover, negative (e.g., malicious) and neutral traits had no influence on Zygomatic but reduced Corrugator activity for sad expressions. Although this study highlights the influence of positive or negative traits on EMG responses to EFE (i.e., enhanced mimicry for positive targets), each avatar had their specific traits thus preventing the control for the perceptual stability of facial expressions. Therefore, the aim of the present article was to examine whether high-level social information about the same perceptual target influence subjective responses to EFE but also impact automatic facial mimicry and neural processes involved in In a social neuroscience perspective, recent studies show that the physiological (i.e., facial mimicry) and neural underpinnings of the perception of EFE may also depend upon high-level social factors associated with the targets or with the participants. For instance, facial emotions expressed by cultural in-group (compared to out-group) targets modulate facial mimicry of participants (Mondillon et al., 2007) and event-related potentials in response to these EFE (Kubota and Ito, 2007). In another study, happy expressions of targets presented as future interaction partners (socially relevant) lead to enhanced late positive potentials (LPP) amplitudes relative to non socially- relevant targets (Bublatzky et al., 2014). Because LPP amplitudes are larger for high arousing (vs. low arousing) stimuli (Schupp et al., 2006), these results suggest that social relevance may function as top-down factor on positive EFE, leading observers to perceive happy faces as more relevant (i.e., larger LPP amplitude). Together, these studies suggest that social factors associated with the participant, the target or with the social interaction between them may influence the processing of EFE at subjective (recognition accuracy), physiological (facial mimicry), and neural (event-related potentials) levels. However, most of these studies have either focused on the participants’ characteristics (e.g., Likowski et al., 2008) or manipulated the social appraisal of the targets by varying either the perceptual features (e.g., ethnicity) of the face itself (e.g., Kubota and Ito, 2007) or the nature of the interaction between the participant and the target (e.g., Bublatzky et al., 2014). There is so far little evidence that rapid physiological and neural responses to EFE are influenced by higher-order social information about the expresser. This theoretical question is even more acute if this expresser is strictly identical at a perceptual level (i.e., the same actor presented with a positive social valence for half of the participants and a negative social valence for the other half). Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org INTRODUCTION With respect to the moderating role of social information on the effect of EFE on subjective, physiological, and neural responses, we postulate that through their influence on embodied simulation of EFE, social factors associated with the target may influence their processing. social norms of the participants (Scherer, 1997). In a social neuroscience perspective, recent studies show that the physiological (i.e., facial mimicry) and neural underpinnings of the perception of EFE may also depend upon high-level social factors associated with the targets or with the participants. For instance, facial emotions expressed by cultural in-group (compared to out-group) targets modulate facial mimicry of participants (Mondillon et al., 2007) and event-related potentials in response to these EFE (Kubota and Ito, 2007). In another study, happy expressions of targets presented as future interaction partners (socially relevant) lead to enhanced late positive potentials (LPP) amplitudes relative to non socially- relevant targets (Bublatzky et al., 2014). Because LPP amplitudes are larger for high arousing (vs. low arousing) stimuli (Schupp et al., 2006), these results suggest that social relevance may function as top-down factor on positive EFE, leading observers to perceive happy faces as more relevant (i.e., larger LPP amplitude). Together, these studies suggest that social factors associated with the participant, the target or with the social interaction between them may influence the processing of EFE at subjective (recognition accuracy), physiological (facial mimicry), and neural (event-related potentials) levels. However, most of these studies have either focused on the participants’ characteristics (e.g., Likowski et al., 2008) or manipulated the social appraisal of the targets by varying either the perceptual features (e.g., ethnicity) of the face itself (e.g., Kubota and Ito, 2007) or the nature of the interaction between the participant and the target (e.g., Bublatzky et al., 2014). There is so far little evidence that rapid physiological and neural responses to EFE are influenced by higher-order social information about the expresser. This theoretical question is even more acute if this expresser is strictly identical at a perceptual level (i.e., the same actor presented with a positive social valence for half of the participants and a negative social valence for the other half). To our knowledge, only one study investigated whether positive, negative or neutral characteristics of the target modulated facial mimicry of EFE (Likowski et al., 2008). This article revealed that positive traits (e.g., kind) enhanced Zygomatic activity for happy expressions and Corrugator activity for sad expressions. January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 INTRODUCTION Furthermore, we postulate that the effect of social information on EFE processing could be interpreted within the theoretical framework of emotional embodied simulation Therefore, the present article aimed to investigate and extend the top-down influence of social information during perception of EFE on their subjective, physiological, and neural responses. This is based on previous findings showing that mimicry, assessed by electromyography (EMG) activity, but also P100 and N170 event-related potentials (ERP), were modulated during a EFE recognition task of dynamic stimuli (Achaibou et al., 2008). In other words, the aim of the present research was to examine whether the valence of social information (either positive or negative compared to an absence of social information) modulates early neural components associated with January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 2 Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. to the emotion displayed by the stimulus compared to no social label. For example, we expected that congruency trials (i.e., happy facial expression with a positive label) should elicit higher EMG activity in muscles involved with producing facial expressions of joy (zygomaticus major and orbicularis oculi) compared to the same EFE presented without social information. This hypothesis is based on previous research showing that social factors may increase facial mimicry of likable targets or in- group members (Mondillon et al., 2007; Likowski et al., 2008). Conversely, incongruent trials (e.g., happy facial expression with a negative label) should produce lower EMG activity of the corresponding facial muscles (zygomaticus major and orbicularis oculi) compared to the same EFE without social information. visual processing and linked with activity of visual and face areas (P100 and N170, respectively). Given that the impact of social information on later components such as LPP was already and extensively shown elsewhere (Schupp et al., 2006; Bublatzky et al., 2014), we focused our analysis on the early ERP components in order to provide evidence that social information modulates not only high-level cognitive functions such as attention and executive functions, but also perception and categorization of emotional stimuli. The P100 component, occurring ∼120 ms after the stimulus onset, is associated with the processing of exogenous visual stimulation in extrastriate cortical areas (Clark and Hillyard, 1996), suggesting that the P100 is modulated by the physical properties of the stimulus. Participants Twenty-four undergraduate students (19 females) (Mage = 20.50, SDage = 2.54) at the University Clermont Auvergne, Clermont- Ferrand (France) with corrected-to-normal vision, participated in exchange for course credits. All participants gave written informed consent and had normal or corrected vision and no psychiatric or neurological disorders. STUDY 1 The influence of social context on the processing of emotional faces was first investigated at the subjective level. The goal was to examine the effects of social context on the ratings of valence and intensity of the EFE as well as the emotions felt in response to these EFE. INTRODUCTION With regards to EFE processing, the exogenous nature of the P100 component has been supported by previous studies showing that fearful emotions generated larger amplitudes as compared to neutral emotions (Pourtois et al., 2004, 2005). However, the emotional stimuli used in these studies were different at the emotional (endogenous) and at the perceptual (exogenous) level. For instance, angry vs. happy faces differ at the emotional level, but they are also considerably different at a purely perceptual level, even after a careful control of luminance or contrast information. Therefore, the modulation of the P100, as well as the modulation of N170 component (related to facial processing) by endogenous variables, (e.g., social information) remains a matter of debate. Thus, in addition, the current study also aimed to determine whether the P100 and N170 components could be modulated by endogenous social factors applied on strictly identical EFE at a perceptual level. Furthermore, at a physiological level, we aimed to evaluate whether mimicry processes, assessed by EMG responses to EFE, are modulated by social information. Study 3 examined the potential effects of social information on two early visual ERP components, namely the P100 and N170. Based on the findings of Achaibou et al. (2008), showing early effects of dynamic emotional expressions on mimicry and neural activity assessed by P100 and N170 components, we expected higher amplitudes of the P100 and N170 when the EFE is congruent with the preceding social information compared to the control situation in which no social information is provided. Our hypothesis is based on a similar assumption of top-down higher-level processes influencing early neural and facial responses. However, the current study manipulates social information rather than emotional expressions, thus ensuring that bottom-up perceptual factors are strictly identical. Method Study 1 examined the effect of a positive, negative, or no social information on participants’ ratings of the valence and intensity of EFE. We expected significantly higher ratings of valence and intensity when the valence of the EFE was congruent with the valence of the social label (e.g., joy expressed by nice nurse) compared to the control situation without social information. Conversely, we expected lower ratings of valence and intensity for a given EFE when the valence of the EFE and the social label (i.e., joy expressed by a serial rapist) was incongruent compared to the control situation without social label. We also examined how the emotion felt by the participants was modulated by social information. Indeed, it has been shown that the social information (i.e., ethnicity) about the target depicted in the EFE modulates empathic emotional responses (Drwecki et al., 2011). Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org Perceived Valence At the level of valence, we observed a significant two-way interaction, F(10, 230) = 5.38, p < 0.001, between social label and EFE (Table 1). Given the number of potential combinations of pairwise comparisons, we did not conduct post-hoc analyses. However, descriptive statistics provided in Table 1 illustrate this interaction by showing that positive emotions were perceived as less positive after exposure to negative compared to the situation without social label. Conversely, negative emotions were perceived as less negative for actors presented with a positive compared to an absence of social information. Statistical Analyses y All the statistical analyses were performed using the STATISTICA 7 software. We conducted an analysis of variance (ANOVA) on valence and intensity of the emotion perceived (Phase 1 and 2) and valence and intensity of the emotion felt by the participant (for Phase 2 only) as the dependent variables, and EFE (Anger; Disgust; Fear; Happiness; Sad; Surprise or Neutral) and social label (Phase 1—no social label; Phase 2—negative social label; Phase 2—positive social label) as within-subjects independent variables. Concerning the emotional intensity of EFE, for simplicity and clarity reasons, we only kept the intensity level related to each emotion (e.g., anger responses after presentation of an angry faces) and not the entire confusion matrices. Procedure Participants were seated in front of a computer screen on which the dynamic EFE was displayed in central vision. EFE pictures were presented using the E-Prime software (Psychology Software Tools, http://www.pstnet.com) creating the compelling illusion of a short movie clip displaying a dynamic facial expression from neutral to emotional expressions. The experiment was divided into two phases. In the first experimental phase, participants were exposed to a central fixation cross for a duration varying from 500 to 1,000 ms, followed by a video presenting one EFE (2,680 ms). After each of the 70 videos, participants were instructed to rate the EFE in terms of valence on a continuous pixel scale ranging from 0 (positive) to 100 (negative). Next, participants rated the intensity of the EFE on each of the six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sad, or surprise) on an identical pixel scale (ranging from 0: not at all, to 100: totally).The second phase was similar to the first phase, except that each of the 70 videos was preceded by a positive or negative label. A specific identity from the database (for every EFE expressed by this individual) was associated with a positive label (e.g., nice nurse) for half of the participants, and a negative label for the other half (e.g., serial rapist). The social valence of each identity was counterbalanced across participants. After seeing the label displayed on the screen Dynamic EFE Th d i The dynamic faces expressed a neutral emotion and then either gradually changed to express the full intensity of six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fearful, happiness, sadness, and surprise; Ekman and Friesen, 1976) or remained neutral (no emotion). For each emotional category, there were 10 different face identities (4 females and 6 males). We aimed to balance as much as possible the gender of the stimuli (given the database available) since the gender of the emotional expression, irrespective of the gender of the participant, might interact with the expressed emotions: notably, female faces tend to be perceived as happier and male faces as angrier (Villepoux et al., 2015). This made a total of 70 different movie clips (10 identities x 7 EFE). For a reliable control of the onset, duration, and intensity of emotional expressions, we used dynamic expressions from a set of morphed pictures from a neutral to an emotional expression of the same face identity on the basis of Benson and Perrett’s morphing technique (Benson and Perrett, 1993). Thus, we used 18 frames per face with increasing emotional intensity for each emotion. Each of the first 17 frames was exposed for 40 ms and the 18th frame lasted for 2,000 ms (Figure 1). Perceived Emotional Intensity Analyses of the intensity of the perceived emotional expressions revealed a significant two-way interaction, F(10, 230) = 2.01, p < 0.05, between social label and EFE (Table 2) on the intensity of the corresponding emotion. Again, pairwise comparisons were not significant after post-hoc corrections but Table 2 illustrates this interaction and reveals that positive emotions were perceived as less intense when accompanied by negative compared to the situation without social label. Conversely, negative emotions were perceived as less intense for actors presented with a positive compared to an absence of social information. Material and Procedure Social information The social context of EFE was operationalized with verbal labels referring to positive and negative categories. Each label was composed of two words (noun and adjective; e.g., loving mother). Thirty-two labels were initially created: 16 positive and 16 negative adjectives referring to either male or female nouns (see Appendix). A pilot study was carried out with 24 undergraduate psychology students (20 females; Mage 20.70; SDage = 2.54) to test the pleasantness and unpleasantness of all labels. For each label, participants rated the extent to which the person described by the label was pleasant or unpleasant with two 7-point Likert scales for pleasantness and unpleasantness (ranging from 0 to 6; not at all to Study 2 investigated the impact of social information on EMG activity. We recorded EMG over six facial muscles involved in specific expressions, such as the contraction of the zygomaticus major (i.e., in response to happiness) and the corrugator supercilii (i.e., in response to anger). We expected increased EMG activity of the corresponding muscle when the facial expression was preceded by social information congruent January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 3 Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. totally). The six labels rated as most pleasant (i.e., loving mother, passionate teacher, humanitarian doctor, nice nurse, cheerful sportsman, caring father; pleasant scale: M = 5.76, SD = 0.29; unpleasant scale: M = 2.06, SD = 0.37) and six rated as most unpleasant (i.e., dangerous schizophrenic, sadistic killer, serial rapist, asocial necrophiliac, brutal coach, pedophile therapist; pleasant scale: M = 1.63, SD = 0.49; unpleasant scale: M = 6.30, SD = 0.58) were retained for the experiments. Subsequent analysis showed that positive labels significantly differed from negative labels in terms of pleasantness [t(10) = 17.69, p < 0.001] and unpleasantness [t(10) = −15.12, p < 0.001]. for 2,000 ms, participants were exposed to a fixation cross (from 500 to 1,000 ms) before each video depicting a specific EFE of a specific person (for 2,680 ms). Similarly to phase 1, participants had to assess the valence and the intensity of the perceived EFE. Moreover, participants were also instructed to evaluate the emotion they felt after exposure to each video on the same continuous scales as Phase 1 (i.e., valence and intensity). The presentation order of movie clips was randomized for each phase. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org Felt Valence Displayed EFE Social label No social label Negative social label Positive social label Anger 69.43 (3.7) 70.00 (3.37) 63.59 (3.88) Disgust 57.27 (3.4) 45.22 (5.5) 43.09 (4.07) Fear 59.10 (3.68) 54.70 (4.08) 50.29 (4.97) Happy 87.22 (1.69) 81.47 (3.39) 86.40 (2.51) Sad 60.25 (4.05) 59.35 (4.71) 56.85 (4.87) Surprise 83.40 (2.88) 76.24 (3.95) 77.59 (3.97) Standard errors are indicated into brackets. Displayed EFE Social label No social valence Negative social valence Positive social valence Anger 9.19 (1.87) 10.96 (2.18) 16.77 (2.42) Disgust 11.08 (2.08) 12.15 (2.05) 20.05 (2.34) Fear 12.26 (2.07) 14.90 (2.53) 18.55 (2.93) Happy 92.46 (1.22) 81.40 (3.92) 90.24 (1.99) Sad 11.92 (1.71) 17.80 (2.46) 18.26 (2.37) Surprise 43.16 (2.71) 40.63 (2.97) 45.59 (2.66) Standard errors are indicated into brackets. Standard errors are indicated into brackets. Felt Emotional Intensity We also found a significant interaction between social label and EFE [F(5, 115) = 17.80, p < 0.001] regarding the intensity of corresponding emotion felt by the participants. For instance, participants perceived negative emotions as more intense after negative than after positive labels. Conversely, participants reported a higher level of positive emotions after positive labels than after negative labels (Table 4). Displayed EFE Social label Negative social label Positive social label Anger 18.38 (3.14) 32.49 (3.31) Disgust 17.82 (2.34) 35.48 (3.28) Fear 28.07 (3.71) 33.87 (2.49) Happy 44.75 (4.48) 81.04 (3.09) Sad 29.54 (3.26) 34.50 (2.81) Surprise 37.68 (2.95) 50.55 (3.02) Standard errors are indicated into brackets. Felt Valence We observed that the social valence of the stimulus affected the participants’ responses concerning felt valence. More precisely, results point to a significant interaction between the social information and EFE [F(5, 115) = 20.6, p < 0.001]. As for perceived valence, negative labels were associated with more negative feelings than were positive labels for negative emotions. Conversely, positive labels were associated with more positive feelings than were negative labels for positive emotions (Table 3). January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 4 Mermillod et al. Rapid Social Modulation FIGURE 1 | Example of dynamic facial expressions. Copyright available in Ekman and Friesen (1976). Pictures of facial affect. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. TABLE 2 | Average ratings of intensity of perceived emotional expression, from 0 (not expressed) to 100 (fully expressed), as a function of the valence of labels (negative, positive, or no labels). Displayed EFE Social label No social label Negative social label Positive social label Anger 69.43 (3.7) 70.00 (3.37) 63.59 (3.88) Disgust 57.27 (3.4) 45.22 (5.5) 43.09 (4.07) Fear 59.10 (3.68) 54.70 (4.08) 50.29 (4.97) Happy 87.22 (1.69) 81.47 (3.39) 86.40 (2.51) Sad 60.25 (4.05) 59.35 (4.71) 56.85 (4.87) Surprise 83.40 (2.88) 76.24 (3.95) 77.59 (3.97) Standard errors are indicated into brackets. TABLE 3 | Average rated level of felt valence, from 0 (negative) to 100 (positive), of each emotional expression depending on the valence of the label (negative vs. positive). Displayed EFE Social label Negative social label Positive social label Anger 18.38 (3.14) 32.49 (3.31) Disgust 17.82 (2.34) 35.48 (3.28) Fear 28.07 (3.71) 33.87 (2.49) Happy 44.75 (4.48) 81.04 (3.09) Sad 29.54 (3.26) 34.50 (2.81) Surprise 37.68 (2.95) 50.55 (3.02) Standard errors are indicated into brackets. TABLE 1 | Average rated level of perceived valence, from 0 (negative) to 100 (positive), of each emotional expression depending on the valence of the label (negative, positive, or no label). TABLE 2 | Average ratings of intensity of perceived emotional expression, from 0 (not expressed) to 100 (fully expressed), as a function of the valence of labels (negative, positive, or no labels). (not expressed) to 100 (fully expressed), as a function of the valence of labels (negative, positive, or no labels). Material and Procedure The experimental design of Study 2 is similar to Study 1, except that we recorded participants’ EMG activity during the experimental task. Electrodes were fixed on the participant’s face in order to record facial muscle electrical activity (EMG). Before attaching the electrodes, the skin was cleaned with alcohol in order remove sebum. Six pairs of electrodes were placed on the following muscle regions (see Fridlund and Cacioppo, 1986 for details): frontalis pars medialis (mainly related to surprise and fear), corrugator supercilii (mainly related to anger), orbicularis occuli pars orbitalis (mainly related to happiness), levator labii superioris (mainly related to disgust), zygomaticus major (mainly related to smile), and orbicularis oris inferior (mainly related to sadness). The reference electrode was clipped on the ear lobe. Because of the large electrode size, both sides of the face were required. Half of the electrodes (corrugator, levator, and orbicularis oris) were placed on the right side of the face while the other three electrodes (frontalis, orbicularis occuli, zygomaticus major) were placed on the left side. The placement of the electrodes was identical for all participants. Locations for each specific muscle were chosen to allow the setting of the six pairs of electrodes while (i) allowing the minimum of overlap between close muscles (e.g., corrugator and levator) and (ii) use the most responsive right side of the face (Fridlund and Cacioppo, 1986) for the weakest muscles (corrugator, levator, and orbicularis oris). After checking the position of each pair, study instructions were given to the participants and the experiment began. terms reduce the evaluation of valence and intensity of the EFE and congruent trials led to higher intensity of felt emotions. Moreover, incongruent trials led to a lower valence of felt emotions compared to a control situation of perceiving emotional expressions without social information. We thus extend upon previous findings suggesting that top down social factors influence EFE processing (e.g., Kubota and Ito, 2007; Likowski et al., 2008; Bublatzky et al., 2014). In terms of affective responses to EFE, we support Drwecki et al.’s (2011) findings that emotional responses are influenced by social information (i.e., ethnicity) about the target depicted in the EFE. More globally, this study is in line with previous articles showing the influence of participants’ appraisal of the target on the emotional evaluation and responses to EFE. For instance, Lamm et al. STUDY 2 In this experiment, we investigated the impact of social information on mimicry within the theoretical framework of the embodiment theory. More specifically, we expected increased EMG activity in the corresponding muscles when EFE was preceded by a congruent social label compared to an EFE without social label. Conversely, incongruent trials should produce lower Data Acquisition Study 2 and 3 aim to determine the neural and physiological processes underpinning the modulation of social information of EFE on behavioral responses. According to the embodiment theory, we assume that the embodied processing of EFE might be modulated by social information, such that participants might have simulated to a lesser extent the EFE associated with incongruent social information. Each EMG signal was acquired by bipolar electrodes used for electrophysiological acquisition and amplified by Multi-Channel Bio Amps GT201 band pass filtered from 10 to 1,000 Hz (ADInstruments equipment, ML880 Powerlab 16/30). We used the absolute value of the EMG signal. The EMG data were averaged during the 5,000 ms after stimulus onset. The dependent variable of interest was measured as the difference between the mean activity 5,000 ms after the stimulus and the baseline activity recorded during the 500 ms before the stimulus onset, when a fixation cross was displayed on the screen. Participants Twenty healthy subjects (19 females) (Mage = 20.80 years, SDage = 2.26) at the University Clermont Auvergne, Clermont- Ferrand (France), with corrected-to-normal vision, participated in exchange for course credits. All participants gave written informed consent and had no psychiatric or neurological disorders. Material and Procedure (2007) assessed how reappraisal might influence participants’ evaluation of the pain expressed by faces of patients undergoing painful treatment. When participants were told that the treatment was effective (vs. non-effective), they judged the experience of the person as being less painful. Results also showed that participants from the “non-effective” group reported higher distress than those from “effective” group. Therefore, in line with Lamm et al.’s (2007) results, the present findings showed for the first time that appraising EFE as socially congruent or incongruent with the expression modulates their evaluation as well as their emotional effects. Discussion With regards to perceived valence of facial expressions, this study showed that expressions of negative emotions were perceived as less negative when preceded by a positive label compared to a neutral situation whereas positive emotions were rated as less positive when preceded by a negative label compared to an absence of social information. We observed a similar interaction effect modulating the ratings of the intensity perceived of the emotional expressions, negative emotions were perceived as less intense when preceded by positive social labels, and conversely for a negative social information. Moreover, we observed the same interaction effect for the valence of the emotion felt but also in the ratings of the felt emotional intensity. same interaction effect for the valence of the emotion felt but also in the ratings of the felt emotional intensity. This study thus supports hypothesis 1 according to which target-related social information influences the ratings of valence and intensity of the EFE as well as the emotions felt in response to these EFE. More precisely, incongruent social January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 5 Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. EMG activity of the corresponding facial muscles compared to the same EFE with no social label. TABLE 4 | Average ratings of intensity of felt emotion, from 0 (not expressed) to 100 (fully expressed), as a function of the valence of labels (negative vs. positive labels). TABLE 4 | Average ratings of intensity of felt emotion, from 0 (not expressed) to 100 (fully expressed), as a function of the valence of labels (negative vs. positive labels). labels). Displayed EFE Social label Negative social label Positive social label Anger 22.77 (5.44) 11.95 (4.74) Disgust 31.74 (5.72) 17.17 (4.81) Fear 20.38 (5.32) 20.01 (5.88) Happy 20.09 (5.82) 53.73 (6.31) Sad 19.10 (4.90) 31.72 (4.79) Surprise 18.83 (5.37) 21.42 (5.80) Standard errors are indicated into brackets. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org Participants Fifteen healthy subjects (10 females) (Mage = 21.67; SDage = 6.64) from University Clermont Auvergne participated in this experiment in exchange for course credits. All participants gave written informed consent and had normal or corrected vision and no psychiatric or neurological disorders. Results We observed a significant interaction between emotion and muscle, F(5.54, 105.22) = 2.37, p < 0.05, confirming that each emotion was related to a specific set of muscles (e.g., zygomaticus major with joy, corrugator supercilii with anger). Therefore, we focused the analyses on the muscles specific to each emotion (Figure 2). Statistical analyses revealed a significant main effect of social label, F(1.36, 25.36) = 8.32, p < 0.01. As shown on Figure 2, labels of positive and negative social valence produced a significant increase (relative to baseline) in EMG activity in response to EFE compared to the EMG activity elicited by EFE displayed to the control situation without social information. Negative [t(19) = 3.34, p < 0.01, two-tailed t-test] and positive [t(19) = 2.83, p < 0.05, two-tailed t-test] social labels produced a significant increase in EMG activity compared to control situation without social labels, while the effect of positive and negative social labels on EMG activity did not differ [t(19) = 0.80, p = 0.93, two-tailed t-test]. No main effect was observed for either emotion or muscle, and interaction effects (emotion x social label; muscle x social label; muscle x emotion x social label) were not significant. Therefore specific pairwise comparisons were not analyzed. Statistical Analyses All analyses were performed using PASW Statistics 18 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). We conducted an analysis of variance (ANOVA) with EMG activity (6 levels: frontalis pars medialis, corrugator supercilii, orbicularis occuli pars orbitalis, levator labii superioris, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 6 Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. the modulatory impact of (in)congruency. Several reasons might explain the absence of interaction between (in)congruency condition and EFE. First, while some studies found an association between subjective and expressive responses to emotional stimuli (Schwartz et al., 1980) others failed to find such effect (e.g., Sloan et al., 1997; Calder et al., 2000; Rottenberg et al., 2002). For instance, although spontaneous mimicry leads to greater affective empathy while watching people expressing facial emotions (Stel and Vonk, 2010), Calder et al. (2000) showed that, despite their facial paralysis, patients with a Möbius syndrome accurately recognize facial expressions. Therefore, EMG activity induced by social labels may not be the main determinant of subjective response found in Study 1. Second, the present findings may suggest that significant increase in EMG activity constitutes a physiological mechanism that allows an enhanced processing of the relevant social information, beyond the object of this information. In other words, the social relevance of individuals may be processed prior to their emotional state. This may elicit bodily reactions to social context, no matter the emotional state of the targets. zygomaticus major, and orbicularis oris inferior) as dependent variables and EFE displayed on screen (Anger; Disgust; Fear; Happiness; Sad; Surprise or Neutral) and social label (no social label; negative social label; positive social label) as within-subjects independent variables. Corrections of Greenhouse-Geisser were also applied for variance analysis when violations of sphericity occurred. STUDY 3 Social information modulated the subjective (Study 1) and physiological responses (Study 2) to emotional expressions in a different manner (irrespective of congruency in Study 2). Study 3 aimed to examine whether early neural responses to EFE (i.e., P100 and N170 components) are modulated by social context. We hypothesized that the subjective and physiological modulations observed in Studies 1 and 2, respectively, could be related to a modulation of rapid neural components related to visual perception. More precisely, we expected that social information might modulate P100 and N170 components in response to EFE in a way congruent with the social information provided to the participant. Our hypothesis also extends the results reported by Achaibou et al. (2008) indicating that facial mimicry (assessed by EMG activity) is related to P100 and N170 EEG components. Precisely, we expected higher amplitudes of the P100 and N170 in response to congruent trials (e.g., happy face following positive social information) compared to the control trials (no social label). Conversely, we expected lower amplitudes of the P100 and N170 in response to incongruent trials (e.g., happy face following negative social information) compared to the control trials (no social label). Social information modulated the subjective (Study 1) and physiological responses (Study 2) to emotional expressions in a different manner (irrespective of congruency in Study 2). Study 3 aimed to examine whether early neural responses to EFE (i.e., P100 and N170 components) are modulated by social context. We hypothesized that the subjective and physiological modulations observed in Studies 1 and 2, respectively, could be related to a modulation of rapid neural components related to visual perception. More precisely, we expected that social information might modulate P100 and N170 components in response to EFE in a way congruent with the social information provided to the participant. Our hypothesis also extends the results reported by Achaibou et al. (2008) indicating that facial mimicry (assessed by EMG activity) is related to P100 and N170 EEG components. Precisely, we expected higher amplitudes of the P100 and N170 in response to congruent trials (e.g., happy face following positive social information) compared to the control trials (no social label). Conversely, we expected lower amplitudes of the P100 and N170 in response to incongruent trials (e.g., happy face following negative social information) compared to the control trials (no social label). Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org Discussion Whereas we hypothesized that social information will modulate facial mimicry in response to congruent EFE, we found a significant increase of EMG activity when EFE were preceded by both positive and negative social label compared to the control situation without social information. Contrary to the behavioral response reported in Experiment 1, the influence of social information on EMG responses was thus independent of congruency between the social label and the EFE. Therefore, these findings suggest that the mimicry process is significantly enhanced by the mere presence of social information, independently of its valence. In respect to the main effect of social information, we supported the hypothesis that social information constitutes a top-down factor that can modulate physiological responses to emotional expressions. This study is thus in line with previous findings that mimicry of smiles is enhanced in the presence of friends but not in the presence of strangers (Hess et al., 1995) and in the presence of in-group members (Mondillon et al., 2007; Niedenthal et al., 2010; Wang and Hamilton, 2012). In this study, we showed for the first time that social information about the expresser of a given EFE also modulates their processing. Stimuli and Procedure However, we did not show an interaction between social information and EMG responses to EFE, thus failing to extend the behavioral findings of Study 1 to EMG activity and to support The stimuli were identical to those used in Study 1 and 2. The procedure was also similar except (a) that EEG were recorded during the experiment, (b) that the number of presented blocks January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 7 Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. FIGURE 2 | Mean change in EMG activity (compared to neutral situation without social information) as a function of emotional expression on the facial muscle related to this emotional expression for each social valence of the stimulus. FIGURE 2 | Mean change in EMG activity (compared to neutral situation without social information) as a function of emotional expression on the facial muscle related to this emotional expression for each social valence of the stimulus. artifacts for every subject and then automatically generalizes this removal of artifacts for the entire recording. Trials were epoched from −200 to +1,000 ms with respect to the stimulus onset. After averaging, we obtained the peaks of the components using BESA. ERPs were averaged for every subject and every condition, and corrected using a baseline of 200 ms prior to the stimulus onset. Finally, grand averages were computed across subjects for all the conditions. The P100 and N170 components were studied on the cluster of electrodes where their amplitudes were the highest: O1, O2, PO7, PO8, P7, P8, P9, P10. Mean amplitudes of P100 (time window: 100–140 ms) and N170 (time window: 150–190 ms) were analyzed for each condition. Peak latency extracted with BESA was at the mean latency of 121.90 ms for the P100 component and the mean latency of 167 ms for the N170 component. The topographic map of each component was provided on Figure 3. was increased, and (c) that emotional intensity and valence of the EFE were only rated after the first block for phase 1 (composed of 3 blocks in total) and after the first block for phase 2 (composed of 4 blocks in total). The subsequent blocks for each phase required only passive observation of the EFE (i.e., without subjective responses). Data Acquisition q Scalp EEG was amplified using the BIOSEMI Active-Two amplifier and was recorded from 64 electrodes distributed on an elastic cap. The distribution of electrodes was made according to the EEG 10–20 system: the electrodes included Fp1, AF3, AF7, F1, F3, F5, F7, FC1, FC3, FC5, FT7, C1, C3, C5, T7, CP1, CP3, CP5, TP7, P1, P3, P5, P7, P9, PO3, PO7, O1 for the left hemisphere; the equivalent electrodes for the right hemisphere; and FPz, AFz, Fz, FCz, Cz, CPz, Pz, POz, Oz, Iz for the electrodes of the conventional midline sites. Two other electrodes, CMS (Common Mode Sense) and DRL (Driven Right Leg) were respectively used as electrodes of reference and mass. CMS was the active electrode while DRL was the passive electrode. Data were filtered with a low-pass filter of 200 Hz and digitized with a sampling rate of 512 Hz. Stimuli and Procedure Thus, seven blocks were presented to the subjects, including 3 blocks for phase 1 with EFE without social labels (control situations) and 4 blocks for phase 2 with EFE preceded by a social label (either positive or negative). The participants were placed in front of the same screen (CRT 17") as in Study 1, but were fitted with the EEG electrodes. EEG recordings were performed during the five blocks of passive exposure to EFE stimuli. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org Statistical Analyses All the statistical analyses were performed using the STATISTICA 7 software. Mean amplitudes of P100 were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Mean amplitudes of both components were analyzed as a function of displayed Emotion (7 levels: neutral, anger, sadness, enjoyment, disgust, surprise, and fear), Social Label (3 levels: no social label, positive social label, negative social label) and Hemisphere (2 levels: right, left). Greenhouse-Geisser corrections were applied for variance analysis when violations of sphericity occurred (ε referred to as Greenhouse-Geisser estimate epsilon). The condition of sphericity was verified by a test of Mauchley. EEG signal processing was performed with the software BESA (http://www.besa.de/). The data were all re-referenced to the average reference then filtered with a 1–40 Hz pass-band filter. For every recording of each subject, a correction of artifacts (such as eye blinks) was applied. BESA allows to manually identify GENERAL DISCUSSION Influence of Social Context on Subjective, Physiological, and Neural Activities P100 Component Analyses revealed a main effect of social label, F(1.43, 20.02) = 5.76, p < 0.02, ε = 0.71, indicating that the mean amplitudes of the January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 8 Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. FIGURE 3 | (A,B) EEG activity for the P100 and N170 components. (C) Topography map of P100 (121.90 ms, 0.5 µV by color gradients) and N170 component (167 ms, 0.31 µV by color gradients). FIGURE 3 | (A,B) EEG activity for the P100 and N170 components. (C) Topography map of P100 (121.90 ms, 0.5 µV by color gradients) and N170 component (167 ms, 0.31 µV by color gradients). with any of the EFE. This effect was observed for the N170, and largely associated with cognitive processes involved in recognition of categorization of human faces (Bentin et al., 1996). Even more surprising, we observed a modulation of the P100 component which is associated with basic visual perceptual processing (Allison et al., 1999) confirming that this basic perceptual component could be modulated by endogenous variables (Pourtois et al., 2005). In other words, we confirm and extend previous findings that point to a modulation of rapid neural components to higher-level (but perceptually identical) endogenous variables related to social information. P100 component differ as a function of the associated social label (Figure 3). EFE preceded by social label, regardless of its valence, elicited larger amplitudes of the P100 compared to EFE presented without social label (but did not differ between positive and negative label). Neither the hemisphere, nor emotion effects were significant. However, the interaction Hemisphere x Emotion was significant, F(6, 84) = 2.49, p < 0.03, indicating higher amplitudes of P100 on the right hemisphere for specific emotions (but post- hoc corrected pairwise comparisons were not significant). No other interaction was significant. N170 Component Moreover, this modulation quantitatively increased the neural processes associated with perceptual processing of EFE of the specific individuals but did not qualitatively modulate these processes in regards to the congruency between the social valence and the emotion displayed by the face. Thus, this study is in accordance with the findings of Study 2, which showed a significant increase of EMG activity when EFE were preceded by both positive and negative social label, irrespective of the congruency between the social label and the EFE. Similarly to the P100 component, analyses of the N170 component revealed a main effect for social label, F(1.29, 18.13) = 5.47, p < 0.03, ε = 0.64. The amplitude was significantly higher for EFE when preceded by positive and negative social label than for EFE without social label (Figure 3) but there was no significant differences between positive and negative social labels. We also observed a main effect for emotion, F(6, 84) = 4.15, p < 0.002, indicating that the N170 amplitudes differed significantly as a function of displayed facial expression (Figure 4). Analyses showed neither a main effect of the hemisphere, nor any other interaction effect. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org Discussion However, no study up to date had investigated the effect of higher-level social information about the target on EFE processing by maintaining strictly identical the perceptual features. p p f In Study 1, we supported our hypothesis that social information modulates EFE processing at a subjective level. Indeed, we showed that incongruent valence between social information and EFE reduces the valence and intensity of perceived and felt emotions. Specifically, we showed that negative expressions were perceived as less negative and less intense when preceded by a positive label compared to no label. Conversely, a positive facial expression was rated as less positive and less intense when preceded by a negative label compared to no label. Our results thus extend previous findings on modulation of EFE recognition by social factors (e.g., Kubota and Ito, 2007; Mondillon et al., 2007). We show that higher-level social information may impact EFE processing. This finding supports the influence of top-down information (extended to higher-order social information and crucially, strictly identical perceptually) on emotional processing of EFE. In Study 3, our goal was to determine whether this non- specific boost observed at a psychophysiological level could be related to a modulation, at a neural level, of low level perceptual processes. Our results indicate a main effect of social information as positive and negative social information produced higher amplitudes of P100 and N170 components compared to situations without social information. Therefore, Study 3 extends previous results reported by Achaibou et al. (2008) pointing to a modulation of the P100 and N170 by EFE in relation to EMG activity and demonstrates their relevance to higher- level social information. Our results are also in line with other findings showing that top-down factors related to the target may modulate neural responses to EFE (Kubota and Ito, 2007; Tortosa et al., 2013). Finally, they also support fMRI studies that have shown that social information modulates the neural correlates of facial expression (e.g., Winston et al., 2002; Singer et al., 2004; Vrtiˇcka et al., 2009; Cloutier et al., 2012). However, similarly to Study 2 and contrary to our initial hypotheses, this effect was independent on the congruency between social information and EFE. Discussion Our results indicate a modulation of the N170 component depending on emotion. More importantly, we observed higher amplitudes of the P100 and N170 in response to trials associated with a social information compared to control trials (without social label). However, contrary to our initial hypothesis, there was no significant interaction between social label and emotional expressions. Rather, electrophysiological data indicate a main effect of social label on both P100 and N170 components compared to the control situation and irrespective to the valence (and therefore, congruency) of the social label associated The aim of this article was to investigate whether social information about the target expressing a facial emotion could modulate the processing of EFE at subjective, physiological, and neural levels. Specifically, we aimed to evaluate the effect of valence congruency between social information about targets and their EFE on the processing of these EFE. The study was based on previous findings showing that perceptual-social characteristics of the expresser (e.g., ethnicity) influence the processing of black vs. white emotional expressions for N100 to P300 components January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 9 Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. FIGURE 4 | (A,B) N170 component for each emotional expression irrespective to social valence. (C) Topography map of N170 component (167 ms, 0.31 µV by color gradients). FIGURE 4 | (A,B) N170 component for each emotional expression irrespective to social valence. (C) Topography map of N170 component (167 ms, 0.31 µV by color gradients). ent for each emotional expression irrespective to social valence. (C) Topography map of N170 component (167 ms, 0.31 µV by col any social label (control condition). However, contrary to our hypotheses, we found a significant increase of EMG activity when expressions were preceded by both positive and negative social label, irrespective of the congruency between the social label and the EFE. This suggests that embodiment circuitries may act as a boost for subsequent cognitive or emotional processes when the situation is socially relevant for the individual, but irrespective of its specific content (either negative or positive social situations). This supports and extends previous articles suggesting a predominant role of arousal (compared to valence) during embodiment of emotional cues (Beffara et al., 2012, 2016; Kever et al., 2015). (e.g., Kubota and Ito, 2007). Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org LIMITATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES respectively). Despite the consistency of our results across the three studies and even if these sample sizes are consistent with other studies in the field (Achaibou et al., 2008), further experiments should replicate and extend the current findings with larger numbers of participants since the power of behavioral, physiological or neurological effect could be unstable with lower sample sizes (e.g., Simmons et al., 2011; Schönbrodt and Perugini, 2013). Our findings extend the current state-of-the-art by revealing that the observed top-down influences cannot be explained by bottom-up perceptual factors (e.g., the perceptual difference between happy and angry faces) since our stimuli were strictly identical at a perceptual level (e.g., an identical smile expressed by a negative vs. positive individual). Moreover, our findings revealed that social information can influence low level perceptual processes of EFE. Therefore, these findings demonstrate that social context has an influence, as early as 120 or 170 ms after onset, on low-level perceptual and cognitive processing of emotional expressions. Finally, further studies will have to examine whether this modulation of early neural activity could be mediated by a differential allocation of attentional resources to perceptual processes (simple quantitative changes in neural processes) or whether the top-down modulation is able to qualitatively modify directly the perception of emotions. More precisely, our current data does not allow to determine whether the top-down effects reported here qualitatively modify the perceptual processes occurring at the level of the extrastriate cortex or whether it only constitutes a quantitative boost under the influence of attentional processes. Another important question for further research is to determine the extent to which a non-specific boost observed at the quantitative level of neural and physiological processes (i.e., independently to the congruency between social information and the EFE) is related to further qualitative evaluation observed at a subjective level (and related the congruency between the social valence and the emotion expressed by the target). In other words, it remains to be explained how the interaction between social valence and emotional expressions observed at a subjective level is related to the mere allocation of neural and physiological resources (i.e., irrespective to the social valence of the stimuli) at the early stages of the processing of emotions. Discussion As concerns the results of Study 2 examining EMG responses to facial expressions, our results build on and extend recent models of embodied cognition assuming that circuits of mimicry are preferentially activated when the observed emotion is socially relevant (Niedenthal et al., 2010; Wang and Hamilton, 2012). More specifically, previous data pointed to a significant modulation of embodiment circuitry by social information such as the presence of friends, but not strangers (Hess et al., 1995) or in the presence of in-group compared to out-group members (Mondillon et al., 2007). In the present study, we found weak general EMG activity (including the muscle associated with each specific EFE) when facial expressions were presented without January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 10 Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. LIMITATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES However, although Study 2 and 3 support a top-down influence during visual perception of emotional stimuli, it remains to be tested whether increased physiological and neural reactions after social information priming are specific to social information or could be accounted for by either conceptual or other social factors. Future studies should thus include other control situations in order to understand whether the effects reported in the current study are specific to social information contrasted in valence. We can imagine that other types of social (e.g., group membership, discriminated individuals) but also more general conceptual information could produce similar patterns of rapid physiological and neural modulation. Finally, one could argue that EMG activity also results from higher relevance for the self (i.e., involving the observer) during social vs. no social priming (Grèzes et al., 2013). Moreover, although we did not examine the neural activity with a high spatial resolution, we hypothesize that the processing of EFE could be influenced by high-level cortical areas (i.e. orbitofrontal and somatosensory cortices) or subcortical structures through a rapid activation of the amygdala (Mermillod et al., 2009, 2010; McFadyen et al., 2017) which would go on to modify perceptual processing of the expression. Among neural models that support the influence of top-down factors on perceptual processing (Niedenthal et al., 2010), most of them suggest that perceptual recognition in temporal cortical areas could be influenced by top-down information generated in the orbitofrontal cortex during the recognition of emotions (Kveraga et al., 2007; Barrett and Bar, 2009). In those models, early neural activity provided by frontal areas would allow a prediction that guides further bottom-up visual processes. Neuroimaging studies with high spatial resolution will have to determine the possible involvement of frontal cortical areas as the origin of the top-down effects reported in the current article. CONCLUSION To conclude, our data provide evidence that top-down social information about a target expressing an emotion modifies the perception of this emotion at subjective, physiological, and neural levels. In addition, our results suggest that the effect of social label on early neural activity does not systematically vary as a function of its valence (either positive or negative) and the EFE, but, alternatively, produces a global increase of early neural (EEG) and later peripheral (EMG) activity compared to the perception of emotional expressions presented without social context. These findings support and extend recent models of embodied condition, suggesting that the neural and physiological processing of emotional expressions could be modulated by the social context since its very first perceptual stages (Niedenthal et al., 2010; Wang and Hamilton, 2012). However, further studies should determine whether the effect we obtained with a social label is specific to social information or if other types of relevant and semantic information, emotional or non-emotional, could produce similar top-down influences. Another potential limitation of the current research lies in the sample size and participants’ characteristics. This population was composed of Bachelor degree students similar in age, cultural environment, gender, and level of education. This could constitute a methodological limitation and future studies investigating this research question could investigate top- down processes during recognition of emotional expressions using more diverse populations. We also acknowledge that the size of our different samples was relatively low (24; 20 and 15 participants for the behavioral, EMG and EEG study, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES Drwecki, B. B., Moore, C. F., Ward, S. E., and Prkachin, K. M. (2011). Reducing racial disparities in pain treatment: the role of empathy and perspective-taking. Pain 152, 1001–1006. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.12.005 Achaibou, A., Pourtois, G., Schwartz, S., and Vuilleumier, P. (2008). Simultaneous recording of EEG and facial muscle reactions during spontaneous emotional mimicry. Neuropsychologia 46, 1104–1113. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.10.019 Ekman, P., and Friesen, W. V. (1976). Pictures of Facial Affect. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. Fridlund, A. J., and Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). Guidelines for human electromyographic research. Psychophysiology 23, 567–589. Allison, T., Puce, A., Spencer, D. D., and McCarthy, G. (1999). Electrophysiological studies of human face perception. I: Potentials generated in occipitotemporal cortex by face and non-face stimuli. Cereb. Cortex 9, 415–430. doi: 10.1093/cercor/9.5.415 Grèzes, J., Philip, L., Chadwick, M., Dezecache, G., Soussignan, R., and Conty, L. (2013). Self-relevance appraisal influences facial reactions to emotional body expressions. PLoS ONE 8:e55885. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055885 Bar, M. (2004). Visual objects in context. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 5, 619–629. doi: 10.1038/nrn1476 Havas, D. A., Glenberg, A. M., Gutowski, K. A., Lucarelli, M. J., and Davidson, R. J. (2010). Cosmetic use of botulinum toxin-A affects processing of emotional language. Psychol. Sci. 21, 895–900. doi: 10.1177/0956797610374742 Barrett, L. F., and Bar, M. (2009). See it with feeling: affective predictions during object perception. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 364, 1325–1334. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0312 Hess, U., Adams, R. B. Jr., and Kleck, R. E. (2007). “When two do the same, it might not mean the same: the perception of emotional expressions shown by men and women,” in Group Dynamics and Emotional Expression, eds U. Hess and P. Philippot (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press), 33–50. Barsalou, L. W. (1999). Perceptual symbol systems. Behav. Brain Sci. 22, 577–660. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X99002149 P. Philippot (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press), 33–50 Beffara, B., Bret, A. G., Vermeulen, N., and Mermillod, M. (2016). Resting high frequency heart rate variability selectively predicts cooperative behavior. Physiol. Behav. 164, 417–428. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.06.011 Hess, U., Banse, R., and Kappas, A. (1995). The intensity of facial expression is determined by underlying affective state and social situation. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 69, 280–288. Beffara, B., Ouellet, M., Vermeulen, N., Basu, A., Morisseau, T., and Mermillod, M. (2012). Enhanced embodied response following ambiguous emotional processing. Cogn. Process. 13, 103–106. doi: 10.1007/s10339-012-0468-6 Kever, A., Grynberg, D., Eeckhout, C., Mermillod, M., Fantini, C., and Vermeulen, N. (2015). REFERENCES The body language: the spontaneous influence of congruent bodily arousal on the awareness of emotional words. J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform. 41, 582–589. doi: 10.1037/xhp0000055 Benson, P. J., and Perrett, D. I. (1993). Extracting prototypical facial images from exemplars. Perception 22, 257–262. doi: 10.1068/p220257 Kubota, J. T., and Ito, T. A. (2007). Multiple cues in social perception: the time course of processing race and facial expression. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 43, 738–752. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2006.10.023 Bentin, S., Allison, T., Puce, A., Perez, E., and McCarthy, G. (1996). Electrophysiological studies of face perception in humans. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 8, 551–565. doi: 10.1162/jocn.1996.8.6.551 Künecke, J., Hildebrandt, A., Recio, G., Sommer, W., and Wilhelm, O. (2014). Facial EMG responses to emotional expressions are related to emotion perception ability. PLoS ONE 9:e84053. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.00 84053 Bublatzky, F., Gerdes, A. B., White, A. J., Riemer, M., and Alpers, G. W. (2014). Social and emotional relevance in face processing: happy faces of future interaction partners enhance the late positive potential. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 8:493. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00493 Kveraga, K., Ghuman, A. S., and Bar, M. (2007). Top-down predictions in the cognitive brain. Brain Cogn. 65, 145–168. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2007.06.007 Calder, A. J., Keane, J., Cole, J., Campbell, R., and Young, A. W. (2000). Facial expression recognition by people with Mobius syndrome. Cogn. Neuropsychol. 17, 73–87. doi: 10.1080/026432900380490 Lamm, C., Batson, C. D., and Decety, J. (2007). The neural substrate of human empathy: effects of perspective-taking and cognitive appraisal. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 19, 42–58. doi: 10.1162/jocn.2007.19.1.42 Campanella, S., Falbo, L., Rossignol, M., Grynberg, D., Balconi, M., Verbanck, P., et al. (2012). Sex differences on emotional processing are modulated by subclinical levels of alexithymia and depression: a preliminary assessment using event-related potentials. Psychiatry Res. 197, 145–153. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2011.12.026 Likowski, K. U., Mühlberger, A., Seibt, B., Pauli, P., and Weyers, P. (2008). Modulation of facial mimicry by attitudes. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 44, 1065–1072. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2007.10.007 McFadyen, J., Mermillod, M., Mattingley, J. B., Halász, V., and Garrido, M. I. (2017). A Rapid subcortical amygdala route for faces irrespective of spatial frequency and emotion. J. Neurosci. 37, 3864–3874. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3525-16.2017 Clark, V. P., and Hillyard, S. A. (1996). Spatial selective attention affects early extrastriate but not striate components of the visual evoked potential. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 8, 387–402. Mermillod, M., Droit-Volet, S., Devaux, D., Schaefer, A., and Vermeulen, N. (2010). Are coarse scales sufficient for fast detection of visual threat? Psychol. Sci. ETHICS STATEMENT This study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the “Comité de Protection des Personnes January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 11 Mermillod et al. Rapid Social Modulation (CPP) Sud-Est 1” with written informed consent from all subjects. All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol was approved by the “Comité de Protection des Personnes (CPP) Sud-Est 1, n◦2009-014056-30. experiment and analyzed the data. All authors participated to the interpretation of the results, the redaction of the article and approved the final version submitted for publication. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS This work was supported by a grant from the Institut Universitaire de France to MM. We thank Pierre Chausse and Laetitia Silvert for their help in data acquisition and analysis and Mathias A. Hibbard for English correction of the article. MM designed the study, interpreted the data and wrote the manuscript. LP-L conducted the behavioral and EEG experiment. LP-L and SH analyzed the EEG data. BB conducted the EMG REFERENCES 21, 1429–1437. doi: 10.1177/0956797610381503 Cloutier, J., Ambady, N., Meagher, T., and Gabrieli, J. D. (2012). The neural substrates of person perception: spontaneous use of financial and moral status knowledge. Neuropsychologia 50, 2371–2376. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.06.010 Mermillod, M., Vuilleumier, P., Peyrin, C., Alleysson, D., and Marendaz, C. (2009). The importance of low spatial frequency information for recognising fearful facial expressions. Conn. Sci. 21, 75–83. doi: 10.1080/09540090802213974 Dimberg, U. (1990). Facial electromyography and emotional reactions. Psychophysiology 27, 481–494. January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 12 Mermillod et al. Rapid Social Modulation Mondillon, L., Niedenthal, P. M., Gil, S., and Droit-Volet, S. (2007). Imitation of in- group versus out-group members’ facial expressions of anger: A test with a time perception task. Soc. Neurosci. 2, 223–237. doi: 10.1080/17470910701376894 Schwartz, G. E., Brown, S. L., and Ahern, G. L. (1980). Facial muscle patterning and subjective experience during affective imagery: sex differences. Psychophysiology 17, 75–82. Schyns, P. G., Goldstone, R. L., and Thibaut, J. P. (1998). The development of features in object concepts. Behav. Brain Sci. 21, 1–54. Niedenthal, P. M. (2007). Embodying emotion. Science 316, 1002–1005. doi: 10.1126/science.1136930 Niedenthal, P. M., Mermillod, M., Maringer, M., and Hess, U. (2010). The Simulation of Smiles (SIMS) Model: embodied simulation and the meaning of facial expression. Behav. Brain Sci. 33, 464–480. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X10002748 Simmons, J. P., Nelson, L. D., and Simonsohn, U. (2011). False-positive psychology: undisclosed flexibility in data collection and analysis allows presenting anything as significant. Psychol. Sci. 22, 1359–1366. doi: 10.1177/0956797611417632 Niedenthal, P. M., Winkielman, P., Mondillon, L., and Vermeulen, N. (2009). Embodiment of emotional concepts: evidence from EMG measures. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 96, 1120–1136. doi: 10.1037/a0015574 Singer, T., Kiebel, S. J., Winston, J. S., Dolan, R. J., and Frith, C. D. (2004). Brain responses to the acquired moral status of faces. Neuron 41, 653–662. doi: 10.1016/S0896-6273(04)00014-5 Sloan, D. M., Strauss, M. E., Quirk, S. W., and Sajatovic, M. (1997). Subjective and expressive emotional responses in depression. J. Affect. Disord. 46, 135–141. Pitcher, D., Garrido, L., Walsh, V., and Duchaine, B. C. (2008). Transcranial magnetic stimulation disrupts the perception and embodiment of facial expressions. J. Neurosci. 28, 8929–8933. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1450-08.2008 Stel, M., and Vonk, R. (2010). Mimicry in social interaction: benefits for mimickers, mimickees, and their interaction. Br. J. Psychol. 101, 311–323. doi: 10.1348/000712609X465424 Pourtois, G., Dan, E. S., Grandjean, D., Sander, D., and Vuilleumier, P. (2005). REFERENCES Enhanced extrastriate visual response to bandpass spatial frequency filtered fearful faces: time course and topographic evoked- potentials mapping. Hum. Brain Mapp. 26, 65–79. doi: 10.1002/hbm. 20130 Tortosa, M. I., Lupiáñez, J., and Ruz, M. (2013). Race, emotion and trust: an ERP study. Brain Res. 1494, 44–55. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.11.037 Vermeulen, N., Mermillod, M., Godefroid, J., and Corneille, O. (2009). Unintended embodiment of concepts into percepts: sensory activation boosts attention for same-modality concepts in the attentional blink paradigm. Cognition 112, 467–472. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2009.06.003 Pourtois, G., Grandjean, D., Sander, D., and Vuilleumier, P. (2004). Electrophysiological correlates of rapid spatial orienting towards fearful faces.Cereb. Cortex 14, 619–633. doi: 10.1093/cercor/ bhh023 Villepoux, A., Vermeulen, N., Niedenthal, P., and Mermillod, M. (2015). Evidence of fast and automatic gender bias in affective priming. J. Cogn. Psychol. 27, 301–309. doi: 10.1080/20445911.2014.1000919 Quétard, B., Quinton, J. C., Colomb, M., Pezzulo, G., Barca, L., Izaute, M., et al. (2015). Combined effects of expectations and visual uncertainty upon detection and identification of a target in the fog. Cogn. Process. 16, 343–348. doi: 10.1007/s10339-015-0673-1 Vrtiˇcka, P., Andersson, F., Sander, D., and Vuilleumier, P. (2009). Memory for friends or foes: the social context of past encounters with faces modulates their subsequent neural traces in the brain. Soc. Neurosci. 4, 384–401. doi: 10.1080/17470910902941793 Quétard, B., Quinton, J. C., Mermillod, M., Barca, L., Pezzulo, G., Colomb, M., et al. (2016). Differential effects of visual uncertainty and contextual guidance on perceptual decisions: evidence from eye and mouse tracking in visual search. J. Vis. 16, 28–28. doi: 10.1167/16.11.28 Wang, Y., and Hamilton, A. F. (2012). Social top-down response modulation (STORM): a model of the control of mimicry in social interaction. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 6:153. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2012. 00153 Rottenberg, J., Kasch, K. L., Gross, J. J., and Gotlib, I. H. (2002). Sadness and amusement reactivity differentially predict concurrent and prospective functioning in major depressive disorder. Emotion 2:135. doi: 10.1037/1528-3542.2.2.135 Winston, J. S., Strange, B. A., O’Doherty, J., and Dolan, R. J. (2002). Automatic and intentional brain responses during evaluation of trustworthiness of faces. Nat. Neurosci. 5, 277–283. doi: 10.1038/nn816 Rudrauf, D., David, O., Lachaux, J. P., Kovach, C. K., Martinerie, J., Renault, B., et al. (2008). Rapid interactions between the ventral visual stream and emotion-related structures rely on a twopathway architecture. J. Neurosci. 28, 2793–2803. January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3476- 07.2008 Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Copyright © 2018 Mermillod, Grynberg, Pio-Lopez, Rychlowska, Beffara, Harquel, Vermeulen, Niedenthal, Dutheil and Droit-Volet. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Scherer, K. R. (1997). The role of culture in emotion-antecedent appraisal. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 73, 902–922. Schönbrodt, F. D., and Perugini, M. (2013). At what sample size do correlations stabilize? J. Res. Pers. 47, 609–612. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2013.05.009 Schupp, H. T., Flaisch, T., Stockburger, J., and Junghöfer, M. (2006). Emotion and attention: event-related brain potential studies. Prog. Brain Res. 156, 123–143. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(06)56002-9 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 13 Rapid Social Modulation Mermillod et al. APPENDIX Positive social label Negative social label Male characters Cheerful sportsman Pedophile therapist Caring father Sadistic killer Nice nurse Serial rapist Female characters Loving mother Asocial necrophilia Humanitarian doctor Brutal coach Passionate teacher Dangerous schizophrenic APPENDIX Positive social label Negative social label Male characters Cheerful sportsman Pedophile therapist Caring father Sadistic killer Nice nurse Serial rapist Female characters Loving mother Asocial necrophilia Humanitarian doctor Brutal coach Passionate teacher Dangerous schizophrenic Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 APPENDIX January 2018 | Volume 11 | Article 231 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 14
https://openalex.org/W4293095193
https://jfin-swufe.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s40854-022-00384-z
English
null
Application of a distributed verification in Islamic microfinance institutions: a sustainable model
Financial innovation
2,022
cc-by
7,224
© The Author(s) 2022. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the mate- rial. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://​ creat​iveco​mmons.​org/​licen​ses/​by/4.​0/. Application of a distributed verification in Islamic microfinance institutions: a sustainable model Peter Wanke1, M. Kabir Hassan2*   , Md. Abul Kalam Azad3, Md. Azizur Rahman4 and Naznin Akther3 Peter Wanke1, M. Kabir Hassan2*   , Md. Abul Kalam Azad3, Md. Azizur Rahman4 and Naz JEL Classification:  E49, G30, Q01 JEL Classification:  E49, G30, Q01 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-022-00384-z Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-022-00384-z Financial Innovation Open Access 3 Department of Business and Technology Management, Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur 1704, Bangladesh 4 Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business & Entrepreneurship, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh Abstract The literature gap in microfinance paradox of double bottom line (financial per- formance vs. outreach) has always been an interesting area of research. This paper proposes a theoretical model most suitable for Islamic Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) which enables Islamic MFIs’ to operate together with the existing financial models compliant with Islamic Shariah Law. This model is based on a distributed verification/ decision-making process that might be realized (but not necessary) through block- chain. Among the available distributed verification techniques, blockchain technology is an attractive emerging computing paradigm due to its decentralized, immutable, shared, and secure data structure characteristics. This model proposes three significant propositions. First, sharing information through blockchain will allow a transparent network in MFI operations, which will raise confidence for donors resulting in a causal effect of a relatively lower profit rate to be charged by the MFIs. Second, the consensus mechanism will enable risk-sharing, a character of Islamic finance; thus, the MFIs will operate without any collateral for low-risk firms. Third, the double bottom line of MFIs’ long-lasting paradox would be solved. As for practical implication of this proposed model, the causal impact of lower cost investment by the lenders would increase social welfare because of no collateral and no initial wealth requirement. The proposed model proposes a credit rationing approach where profit can be negative. No collateral will be used when calculating the creditworthiness of a borrower. 1 COPPEAD Graduate Business School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Paschoal Lemme, 355, Rio de Janeiro 21949‑900, Brazil 2 Department of Economics and Finance, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA 3 Department of Business and Technology Management, Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur 1704, Bangladesh 4 Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business & Entrepreneurship, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh Keywords:  Blockchain, Islamic microfinance, Double bottom line, Distributed verification JEL Classification:  E49, G30, Q01 *Correspondence: mhassan@uno.edu 1 COPPEAD Graduate Business School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Paschoal Lemme, 355, Rio de Janeiro 21949‑900, Brazil 2 Department of Economics and Finance, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA 3 Department of Business and Technology Management, Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur 1704, Bangladesh 4 Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business & Entrepreneurship, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh Introductionhi The global financial crisis in 2008 instigated developing a stable, transparent, independ- ent, and sustainable financial system worldwide (Kayed and Hassan 2011; Petrick 2009). These financial anomalies have strained regulators consistently restrict managerial activ- ities with rigid rules. However, facts have shown otherwise. Strict regulation in finan- cial sectors probes a lack of investor confidence, which is against the logic of sustainable development (Nguyen 2016). Besides the regular performance agenda among the finan- cial institutions, transparency in corporate data have been critical factors of investor Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Page 2 of 12 confidence (Berger et al. 2011; Hoff and Stiglitz 1990; Nguyen 2016). Recent financial scandals and the adverse impact of the financial crisis on the performance of microfi- nance institutions (MFIs) urges for a sustainable financial model. i The precondition of a sustainable model is that an institution must have been operat- ing without any significant influence from any internal and external institutions, which may include intermediaries, government, and relevant regulators (Adegbite et al. 2013). In practice, the traditional MFIs operation permits external institutions to privatize profits and socialize the potential losses (Adegbite et  al. 2013; McGuire and Conroy 2000). However, the two are not necessarily in tension. Literature indicates that recent digital innovations, such as blockchain, have great potential to change today’s business mechanism and an entire economy (Nguyen 2016). As a way out, tech-savvy enthusiasts use the internet and innovate blockchain embedded cryptocurrency. Sulkowski (2018) examined entrepreneurs’ opinions who actively bring blockchain-embedded technolo- gies into the potential market. The results reveal that blockchain-enabled technologies improve transparency and reliability which will only be realized when there is a support- ive law framework. Besides the ’tamper-proof’ technology of blockchain from alteration of data, some high-profile hacks treat blockchain as un-hackable as the Titanic was unsinkable1! Even if the technology works flawlessly, the underlying human fascination for corruption while creating the underlying records cannot be tackled using blockchain technology.2 Blockchain is just a technology. It could be an immutable database system with excellent tracing records capabilities promoting transparency. Yet, it is just a system in which the accuracy of its output depends on the accuracy of the input. Besides a flawless block- chain-enabled technology for MFIs operation, a supportive legal framework and govern- ment policy are prerequisites before offering a sustainable model. 1  Swati Khandelwal, Hackers Stole $32 Million in Ethereum; 3rd Heist in 20 Days, THE HACKER NEWS (July 19, 2017), https://​theha​ckern​ews.​com/​2017/​07/​ether​eum-​crypt​ocurr​ency-​hacki​ng.​html (accessed August/24/2020). 2  See The great chain of being sure about things, THE ECONOMIST (Oct. 31, 2015), (accessed August/24/2020) https://​www.​econo​mist.​com/​brief​ing/​2015/​10/​31/​the-​great-​chain-​of-​being-​sure-​about-​things. 3  See https://​www.​secur​ingin​dustry.​com/​food-​and-​bever​age/​ey-​partn​ers-​with-​ezlab-​on-​block​chain-​wine-​secur​ity-​ proje​ct/​s104/​a4014/#.​X0SyZ​8gzbIV (accessed August/24/2020). 4  Data from https://​coinm​arket​cap.​com (accessed August/23/2020). Tokens are digital assets such as vouchers, debt instruments (IOUs), or real-world objects. They are mostly based on the Ethereum blockchain. Introductionhi f The application of blockchain-enabled technologies in recent times reportedly func- tions well in diverse areas: inventory authentication (Düdder and Ross 2017); proof-of- provinces (Verberne 2018); good labor environment and practice3 along with finance sectors (Chen and Bellavitis 2020; Treleaven et al. 2017; Xu et al. 2019). The first cryp- tocurrency was launched in 2009 with the name bitcoin that works as both a payment system and a fully digital currency (García-Corral et  al. 2022). Today there are more than 6,537 cryptocurrencies on the market and 200 tokens.4 Recently the term block- chain has shifted slightly to mean distributed ledger technology, which sheds light on a worldview that blockchain technology has potential application possibilities in many sectors beyond today’s imagination (Dujak and Sajter 2019; Iansiti and Lakhani 2017; Wang et  al. 2018; Fang, F., Ventre, C., Basios, M. et  al.,2021). This paper proposes a blockchain-embedded model for its sustainable development and operations for micro- finance institutions. Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Page 3 of 12 The ability to access credit in MFIs have restricted the potential growth and develop- ment of MFIs in many countries (Azad et al. 2016). Having considered the principles of blockchain technology, this paper proposes a theoretical model that will make MFIs operations sustainable. This proposed model is named a sustainable model considering its capacity to reduce profit rate for credit distribution (Hassan 2014; Chong 2021) and reduce information asymmetry due to theoretically meager chances to manipulate infor- mation (Hoff and Stiglitz 1990). Islamic MFIs, like other MFIs, aim to provide financial services on a micro-scale to assist poor people who are forsaken by commercial banks (Handayani et al. 2018). Islamic MFIs can only offer contracts to their clients based on pre-agreed profit- and loss-sharing partnerships. Thus, a blockchain embedded interest free model is most suitable for Islamic MFIs by ensuring their stability. The contributions of this proposed model are threefold. First, by challenging the con- ventional credit system, our proposed blockchain-embedded model solves some criti- cal issues in Islamic MFIs, such as information asymmetry and credit rationing, which ensures the financial sustainability of MFIs and enhances social outreach. A lower profit rate will be charged by the MFIs because the information in blockchain consensus can- not be altered or amended. Thus, the consensus mechanism will enable the risk-sharing character of Islamic MFIs (Mohamed and Ali 2018). Introductionhi Second, we remove the traditional non-negativity restriction in the credit rationing approach, which allows profits to be negative, and developed a model theory that does not need collateral during the loan/ credit evaluation process. Third, our proposed model helps ensure sustainable social wealth by enhancing social welfare and provides a reliable and transparent credit system compared to conventional credit systems. Additionally, reliability and transparency will improve quality disclosure to lenders and borrowers and regulatory agencies and gov- ernments by facilitating the standardized monitoring of MFIs. In recent literature, moni- toring has been identified to reduce loan repayment problems (Berns et al. 2021) and corrupt behavior (Azim et al. 2017). At this point, the decentralized sharing of informa- tion through our proposed model will solve the current monitoring challenges of MFIs, helping to build reputation and image by reducing the possibility of corruption scandals.hh This paper has six sections. The second section reviews the literature on Islamic MFIs. "Blockchain technology: scope and areas of application in Islamic MFIs" section explains the scope and principles of blockchain technology for sustainable operations of Islamic MFIs. The proposed model for sustainable MFI operations is given in "Proposed model for MFIs" section, followed by propositions in "Propositions" section. Finally, "Conclu- sion" section is the conclusion. Literature review The target borrowers of MFIs are not financially eligible to access bank services due to financial status. Examining present conditions of more than two billion people among the developing economies with limited to no access to banking resources, Larios- Hernández (2017) studied five characteristics for the demographic: cash preference, accustomed lending practices, traditional money transfer system and remittance receipt preference, identification of personnel, and availability of infrastructure. While the sce- nario of financial inclusion varies across developed, developing, and underdeveloped economics, access to financial services remains a challenge in rich countries (including Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Page 4 of 12 the UK) (Datta 2018). Relating to microfinance operations, Mader and Morvant-Roux (2019) discussed different financial inclusion approaches. Moreover, Muslims who are religious, believe in interest-free investments also possess extra sensitivity to accessing financial services from traditional MFIs since their operations are interest-rate-based. i Islamic microfinance is a special type of microfinance consistent with the principles of Islamic laws (Shariah). It is a practical application through the development of Islamic eco- nomics (Haque and Yamao 2011). Shariah prohibits the payment of fees for the loaning of money for specific terms, which is commonly known as interest (in Islamic terminology, ’riba’). All Muslim scholars are adamant that this prohibition extends to all forms of riba and that there is no difference between interest-bearing funds for consumption or investment purposes (El-Zoghbi and Tarazi 2013). Instead, money can be exchanged for any product or service in the form of collateral (Ahmad and Rafique Ahmad 2009). In the same logic, Sha- riah prohibits interest in personal investments. Hassan (2014) found that collective actions through Islamic microfinance groups help increase environmental awareness, economic bet- terment of the members, and fruitful management of the liquidity coverage ratio. Abubakar et al. (2019) examine various aspects of cryptocurrency and its Shariah compliance.h The main distinction between conventional institutions and MFIs is that the former is interest-based. At the same time, the latter is interest-free since the sharia prohibits the receiving and giving of any fixed, predetermined rate of return on financial transac- tions, or in other words, interest (El-Zoghbi and Tarazi 2013; Ghouse et al. 2021; Mirzaei et al. 2022). Literature review All the monotheistic religions prohibit interest due to its exploitative nature that creates inequality within society as it allows the lender to extract more wealth from vulnerable borrowers who may need to borrow money to meet their basic consump- tion requirements (El-Zoghbi and Tarazi 2013). It is also unfair because such a prac- tice makes the lender richer and the borrower poorer, and the latter also must bear all the risks in the financial transaction (Austin 2004). Moreover, interest is also deemed an inequitable form of the transaction as it charges interest on loans for a productive pur- pose. At the same time, the moral economy of Islam encourages profit and loss sharing that reflects the level of participation between both parties. l Despite the rapid growth of MFIs in terms of their financial performances, their social out- reach remains very poor compared to the total number of poor people worldwide (Church- ill 2020; González Vega 1998; Meyer 2019; Sakti 2021). González Vega (1998) categorized microfinance outreach in six groups: (i) Quality- each client’s value of any MFIs; (ii) Cost- both interest/profit cost and transactions cost; (iii) Depth- social value to extend the services of MFIs to any client groups; (iv) Breadth- total number of clients; (v) Length- the number credits have been offered to a client; and (v) Variety- types of financial services offered to the clients. Theoretically as well as empirically, if a microfinance institute is somehow becoming profitable, there is a high probability that it did not outreach successfully (Churchill 2020; McGuire and Conroy 2000; Meyer 2019). Thus, the objective of achieving the double bottom line (financial performance and outreach) of MFIs has been continuing to be a paradox. Blockchain technology: scope and areas of application in Islamic MFIs The first proposal of the blockchain concept was proposed by Nakamoto (2008). In plain words, blockchain is a type of digital record-keeping (Iansiti and Lakhani 2017). The technical elements required to enable and store are blocks, chain structure, hash Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Page 5 of 12 algorithm, timestamp, and Merkle tree (Cong and He 2018; Iansiti and Lakhani 2017; Wang et al. 2018). Besides explaining the technical terminologies, the basic operations of a blockchain platform can be summarized to include a ’chain’ of ’blocks’; a block stands for the digital data of any kind, and chain stands for the decentralized public database in which anyone of the chain owns the data without any intermediation and central control of the distribution of data. Furthermore, the timestamp, hash algorithm, and Merkle tree are technical applications to keep the record completely traceable and un-interrupt (Ian- siti and Lakhani 2017; Wang et al. 2018). The underlying technology of blockchain can be summarized in five principles (Iansiti and Lakhani 2017). First, with a distributed database, no one has control over the data- base. Each party within a network has equal access to the database to verify any transac- tion without an intermediary. Second, with the peer-to-peer transmission, no member/ node works as a central node for sharing information, but rather, each node transmits and records information of a single transaction to all other nodes. Third, transparency means anyone in the system can see the information and amount of each transaction. Fourth, irreversibility of records indicates the record cannot be altered because data are linked to every node of the system. And fifth is computational logic. Using the compu- tational logic or programmed rules, blockchain technology can automate a trigger for completing a transaction between nodes. The digital nature of a blockchain transaction allows computer programmers to set up algorithms that automatically complete a transaction between two nodes (García-Cor- ral et al. 2022). Therefore, the blockchain technology in the financial system will ena- ble users to have a semi-formal since blockchain system offers a distributed ledger and privacy embedded with utmost security platform to access fund and completely ignore the need to use an interest-based financial system for operation. Thus, the adoption of blockchain technology in Islamic microfinance operations would offer a sustainable solution to poor communities and resolve the moral issue of riba among poor Muslim communities globally. Blockchain technology: scope and areas of application in Islamic MFIs Several successful applications of blockchain-enabled technologies in Islamic finan- cial institutions can be traced, aiming to strengthen Shariah-compliant business models (Abubakar et al. 2019; Alam et al. 2019; Kabra et al. 2020; Mohamed and Ali 2018; Fang et al. 2021; García-Corral et al. 2022). For example, Emirates NBR can be tracked as the first Islamic bank to integrate blockchain technology initially for cheque-based payment (Kabra et al. 2020). Similarly, Al Hilal bank was followed for the first successful applica- tion of blockchain technology for Sukuk (an income-bearing Islamic Shariah contract similar to conventional bond) transactions (Alam et al. 2019). Blossom’s SmartSukuk is another successful blockchain-enables Sukuk initiative by Indonesia. In addition, South Africa-based POCertify applied blockchain for halal certifications. Finally, global Sad- aqah is a Malaysian-based blockchain initiative of a charity organization. Traditional credit model The traditional MFI credit model is described in Fig. 1. MFIs receive funds from either or all available sources: private equity, financial institutions, and personal donors (Ledgerwood 1998). According to their policy, organizational structure, and partner Page 6 of 12 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation Fig. 1  Traditional credit model in MFIs Fig. 1  Traditional credit model in MFIs organizations, the MFIs then distribute and channelize the fund to the poor people (Ledgerwood 1998). Based on the character of institutional structure (i.e., formal, semi-formal, and informal), MFIs’ objectives and operations may differ (Ledgerwood 1998; McGuire and Conroy 2000). Recently, MFIs have been cooperating with other development agencies (i.e., government, NGOs, donors) to enhance operating effi- ciency (Adegbite et al. 2013; Austin 2004; McGuire and Conroy 2000). Thus, the part- ner organizations’ characteristics may also impact MFIs’ objectives and operations. g y p j p Among others, the traditional credit model was described by Stiglitz and Weiss (1981), Bester (1985), and Wang et al. (2018). Based on the theory of collateral and limited liability along with the presence of information asymmetry, Stiglitz and Weiss (1981) examined why banks cannot increase the collateral requirement (or decrease borrowers’ debt-to-equity ratio) besides knowing that there is a relatively higher demand of loans out in the market? Here, as per the credit channel theory, asymmet- ric information in the credit market propagates the effect of the interest rate channel. Their findings revealed that the observationally identical borrowers may or may not receive loans from a bank. Even if the rejected borrowers are willing to pay a higher interest rate for their loans or increase their collaterals, this would only upsurge the riskiness of a bank’s portfolio by either encouraging them to invest in risky projects or discouraging safe investors. Details of the model are given below. Following the models of Adegbite et  al. (2013), Austin (2004), Ledgerwood (1998), McGuire and Conroy (2000), Stiglitz and Weiss (1981), and Wang et  al. (2018), this section will describe the traditional credit model of MFIs. Assume that a hypothetical credit market has asymmetric information. Let us consider that loan takers classify under either i =: 1 : lowrisk, 2 : highrisk . The total credit amount is presented as M. Traditional credit model After adjusting the assumptions of Islamic MFIs into the traditional credit market model, the modified equations would be as follows: (3) πi(r) = Pi(Xi −MR) (4) ρi(r) = PiMR −M(1 + s) πi(r) = Pi(Xi −MR) (3) (4) ρi(r) = PiMR −M(1 + s) (4) ρi(r) = PiMR −M(1 + s) ρi(r) = PiMR −M(1 + s) (4) The modifications are based on the following assumptions: The modifications are based on the following assumptions: The modifications are based on the following assumptions: The modifications are based on the following assumptions: a) Initial wealth W is 0 a) Initial wealth W is 0 b) Collateral C is 0 c) If a project fails, the return is negative but not more than the loan amount M. Thus, the estimated loss is ≤ M. Here, Eqs. 3 and 4 completely ignores the probabil- ity of failure of any project based on the assumptions of W = 0 and C = 0. Theoretically, with higher collateral, the rate of interest/profit (R) is supposed to get lower (Berger et al. 2011). In the case of Islamic MFIs, this paper proposes a new scheme based on blockchain to indicate the rate of R. 5  In probability and statistics, a mean-preserving spread (MPS) is a change from one probability distribution A to another probability distribution B, where B is formed by spreading out one or more portions of A’s probability density function or probability mass function while leaving the mean (the expected value) unchanged. See https://​www.​scien​ cedir​ect.​com/​scien​ce/​artic​le/​abs/​pii/​00220​53170​900384?​via%​3Dihub. Traditional credit model The expected return, probability of success of an invest- ment/project, and probability of failure of an investment/project shall be given as πi(r) for loan taker and pi(r) for MFIs, Pi and 1 −Pi respectively. Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Page 7 of 12 According to Stiglitz and Weiss (1981), P1X1 = P2X2 because of mean preserving spread of returns5 (Xi) . The MR indicates total profit/interest earned, where R indicates gross profit rate (we are calling this profit rate since Islamic MFIs cannot charge interest) asked by MFIs. Primarily, R is determined by the market by analyzing opportunity costs. Finally, we assume that a credit institution depositor a deposit rate as denoted with (s) . Based on the above assumptions, the basic models of expected returns in a traditional financing system can be expressed in Eq. 1 and 2. They explain the expected return expected of a loan taker and an MFIs, respectively. (1) The expected return of loan taker πi(r) = Pi(Xi + W −MRi)+(1 −Pi)(W −C)−W (1) The expected return of loan taker πi(r) = Pi(Xi + W −MRi)+(1 −Pi)(W −C)−W (1) The expected return of loan taker πi(r) = Pi(Xi + W −MRi)+(1 −Pi)(W −C)−W (2) The expected return of MFI ρi(r) = PiMRi + (1 −Pi)C −M(1 + s) (2) The expected return of MFI ρi(r) = PiMRi + (1 −Pi)C −M(1 + s) (2) We now assume that initial investment (W) is 0, collateral ( C ) is 0, and probability of success of a high-risk project (P2) is higher than a low-risk project ( P1) : P2 > P1 . This is to be mentioned here that, unlike the traditional MFIs operation, this model contrib- utes theoretically by proposing that a loan taker can receive MFIs loan even without any collateral and initial investment. Theoretically, this assumption may increase the default risk of that loan taker, yet our model illustrates a better probability of success for a high- risk project. Blockchain embedded model The underlying condition for getting approval of credit from a blockchain-embedded sys- tem requires receiving a decentralized consensus by providing a minimum degree of infor- mation for verification approval of credit (Cong and He 2018). Therefore, a modified model for a blockchain embedded credit system is provided in this subsection. For illustration, Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Page 8 of 12 Page 8 of 12 a low-risk investment from MFIs will be examined using a blockchain-embedded model, and a high-risk investment is presented with a traditional model. Finally, Eq. 5 describes the expected return of a low-risk loan taker through a blockchain model. a low-risk investment from MFIs will be examined using a blockchain-embedded model, and a high-risk investment is presented with a traditional model. Finally, Eq. 5 describes the expected return of a low-risk loan taker through a blockchain model. (5) π1(r) = P1(X1 + W −MR1) + (1 −P1)(W −D) −W −f = P1X1 −P1MR1 −(1 −P1)D −f (5) Here, f is the usage fee of blockchain technology for the loan taker, and D is the default loss of a loan receiver. As shown in Eq. 5, M is the compensation the lender would make in a traditional model. However, in the case of Islamic MFIs, W is 0; hence, the modified model would be: (6) π1(r) = P1(X1 −MR1) + (1 −P1)(D) −f = P1X1 −(1 −P1)D −P1MR1 −f = P1X1 −(1 −P1)D −(1 −P1)(1 −a)M −M(1 + s) −f (6) Here, the equation introduces a category in a total investment of credit by all MFIs with ( a) and (1 −a) is the portion of MFIs credit distributed by the government as we assumed that in any country, collaborative work between MFIs and the government could only work appropriately (Sulkowski 2018; Treleaven et al. 2017). Furthermore, without involving gov- ernment in the blockchain embedded MFIs operation, the legal framework would not work prospectively. Thus, the expected return of MFIs from investments into a low-risk invest- ment would be: (7) ρ1(r) = P1MR + (1 −P1)aM −M(1 + s) −g (7) Here, g is the cost involved by MFIs for using blockchain technology (Janssen et al. 2020). Figure 2 depicts a blockchain-embedded credit system for Islamic MFIs. Blockchain embedded model Figure 2 presents that during a transactions in the blockchain-embedded credit system, all the stakehold- ers: donors; financial institutions; Islamic MFIs; credit receiver and private equity provid- ers, will be notified and through distributive ledger system of blockchain, the Islamic MFIs require no additional document to be produced and submitted to the creditors, loan receiv- ers, government agencies and whatsoever. Nevertheless, distributive ledger automatically updates all stakeholders on the updates of any loan repayments and failures. For the blockchain service provider, the return can be calculated using δi(r): (8) δi(r) = f + g −(1 −Pi)M δi(r) = f + g −(1 −Pi)M (8) Now, if the expected return from a high-risk firm is intended with a low-risk firm (assum- ing that R1 will equal here), its expected return would be: (9) π2(r) = X0 −(1 −P2)D −P2MR1 −f = P1X1 −(1 −P2)D −P2 P1 M(1 + s) −(1 −P1)(1 −a)M −f −f (9) Propositions The first proposition for using blockchain-embedded technology by Islamic MFIs is reducing information asymmetry among MFIs, donors, government, loan receivers, and all other parties. The information will be decentralized, and under consensus, the lending and borrowing function in Islamic MFIs would be more seamless and effec- tive (González Vega 1998; Iansiti and Lakhani 2017; Treleaven et al. 2017). Secondly, the causal effect of such symmetric information with all the Islamic MFI stakeholders would ignore collateral requirements (Stiglitz and Weiss 1981). Thus, the traditional credit market could easily fit into the modified model, as shown in Eq. 6. ii The third and most important opportunity of using a blockchain-embedded model in Islamic MFIs would be a low-profit rate R since creditor information is available, thus lowering the probability of manipulation; this formulates a self-sufficient system to track risky investors. In addition, the tamper-proof and algorithmic execution characteristics of blockchain technology may also enhance the reliability of the conventional credit sys- tem. It is also easy to ensure proper monitoring by the regulators or doners. Finally, the overall social wealth will increase for applying blockchain technology among the MFIs. Blockchain in Islamic MFI financing—does the adoption improve social welfare? Subject to the ability of this blockchain-embedded model to distinguish between a low- risk firm and a high-risk firm, the return from a low-risk firm would be positive (Eq. 10). Page 9 of 12 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation Fig. 2  Proposed blockchain embedded credit system for MFIs Fig. 2  Proposed blockchain embedded credit system for MFIs However, if a high-risk firm that takes a loan from the traditional system can be intended with its counterpart (low-risk firm R1 ), the return of a high-risk firm would be lower than the benefit derived from the traditional manner (Eq. 11). (10) P1X1 −(1 −P1)D −(1 −P1)(1 −a −b)M −M(1 + s) > 0 (10) (11) P1X1 −(1 −P2)D −P2 P1  M(1 + s) −(1 −P1)(1 −a −b)M −f  −f < P1X1 −M (11) Now, subject to the satisfaction parameter of default loss D: Now, subject to the satisfaction parameter of default loss D: (12) (P2(1 −P1)(1 −a −b) + P1 −P2)M + (P2 −P1)f −P2s P1(1 −P1) < D < P1X1 −(1 −P1)(1 −a −b)M −M(1 + s) (1 −P1) (12) Thus, the expected outcome of this proposed blockchain embedded Islamic MFI model would explain a reasonable default cost, D, within which all low-risk firms would prefer to switch their business to a blockchain-embedded credit market. In contrast, high-risk firms will continue in the traditional market. Thus, the credit rationing prob- lem (high-risk vs. low-risk firms) in any credit market (Bester 1985) has been mitigated through a blockchain model.i Finally, since the high-risk firms will continue borrowing from the local market, the total social wealth will maximize with an assumption that low-risk firms will adopt blockchain technology: (13) W = P1X1 −(1 −P1)D −M(1 + s) W = P1X1 −(1 −P1)D −M(1 + s) (13) (14) D < P1X1 −M(1 + s) (1 −P1) (when W > 0) (14) Page 10 of 12 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation Conclusion New developments in the era of technological innovation and adoption include the acceptance and advancement of next-generation information technologies (i.e., cloud computing, data mining, artificial intelligence, and mobile internet). Blockchain, one of the most attractive technologies in recent years, has seen extensive growth and great potential for applications in financial sectors (Conoscenti et  al. 2016; Iansiti and Lakhani 2017; Larios-Hernández 2017; Nguyen 2016; Wang et al. 2018). How- ever, blockchain is just a technology. It could be an immutable database system with excellent tracing records capabilities promoting transparency. Yet. It is just a system in which the accuracy of its output depends on the accuracy of the input. The gov- ernance issues of blockchain technology can be a challenge to the proposed model. Last but not least, high operating costs and computer able experts can be considered as detrimental factors for implementation of blockchain embedded MFIs. Borrow- ers’ or loan takers’ computer literacy is also a concern. MFIs are mostly targeting on ‘Ultra poor’- who might not have smart phone or even internet access, then how the proposed model to solve this issue? Yes, some countries like Bangladesh initiates the Union digitalization Programs- every Union Offices should have internet access. fi The proposed theoretical model has the following implications: First, this paper addresses the unsolved issue of information asymmetry and credit rationing in the tradi- tional credit system of MFIs, specifically in Islamic MFIs. The nature of an Islamic MFI business model kept the MFIs from reaching the double bottom-line (financial sustain- ability and social outreach). Second, this paper develops a model theory to show that social wealth will grow sustainably if low-risk firms receive loans from Islamic MFIs through our blockchain embedded model. Finally, one of the primary upgrades on this proposed model is that a credit rationing approach is introduced where profit can be negative. No collateral will be used when calculating the creditworthiness of a borrower. Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Page 11 of 12 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first papers that examines the appli- cation possibility of using blockchain technology in MFIs, especially in Islamic MFIs. Despite the earlier relevant model provided by Wang et al. (2018), the major contribu- tion of this model that it mainly suitable for Islamic MFIs instead of traditional MFIs. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Received: 9 April 2020 Accepted: 18 August 2022 Received: 9 April 2020 Accepted: 18 August 2022 Conclusion This model may however, also application to general MFIs. Since Islamic Law strictly prohibits fixed income generated money transaction agreement, only transparent and accountable model like this is most application. Overall, with the assumption of zero initial wealth and zero collateral of this model perfectly fits this model for the actual group of needy people in the society. Finally, the proposed model also justifies that overall social welfare may be achieved. Therefore, this paper provides a lot of scope for future research. A few key areas would be including smart contracts in analyzing and distributing information asymmetry and credit rationing for the MFI financing issue and examining financial inclusion for socio-economic development. ut o co t but o s PW participated in concept development and editing. MH has developed the idea further and editing. AKA participated in concept development and has written the first draft. AR has revised the first draft. NA has contributed to model devel- opment. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Funding None. Availability of data and materials None. Availability of data and materials None. Author contributions PW participated in concept development and editing. MH has developed the idea further and editing. AKA participated in concept development and has written the first draft. AR has revised the first draft. NA has contributed to model devel- opment. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. References Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp 349–378 Verberne J (2018) How can blockchain serve society? Paper presented at the World Economic Forum. Greece References Harv Bus Rev 95(1):118–127 Kabra N Bhattacharya P Tanwar S Tyagi S (2020) MudraChain: Blockchain based fram Iansiti M, Lakhani KR (2017) The truth about blockchain. Harv Bus Rev 95(1):118–127 Kabra N, Bhattacharya P, Tanwar S, Tyagi S (2020) MudraChain: Blockchain-based framework for automated cheque clear-i nce in financial institutions. Futur Gener Comput Syst 102:574–587 i Kayed RN, Hassan MK (2011) The global financial crisis and Islamic finance. Thunderbird Int Bus Rev 53(5):551–564 Larios-Hernández GJ (2017) Blockchain entrepreneurship opportunity in the practices of the unbanked. Bus Horiz 60(6) 865 874 h //d i /10 1016/j b h 2017 07 012 60(6):865–874. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1016/j.​bushor.​2017.​07.​012 ( ) p g j Ledgerwood J (1998) Microfinance handbook: an institutional and financial perspective. The World Bank, New York M G i PB C JD (2000) Th i fi h A i P R ( ) 90 08 ( ) p g j Ledgerwood J (1998) Microfinance handbook: an institutional and financial perspective. The World Bank, New York edgerwood J (1998) Microfinance handbook: an institutional and gii McGuire PB, Conroy JD (2000) The microfinance phenomenon. Asia Pac Rev 7(1):90–108 Meyer J (2019) Outreach and performance of microfinance institutions: the importance of portfolio yield. Appl Econ 51(27):2945–2962 Mirzaei A, Saad M, Emrouznejad A (2022) Bank stock performance during the COVID-19 crisis: does efficiency explain why Islamic banks fared relatively better? Ann Oper Res 314(2):1–39 y y p Mohamed H, Ali H (2018) Blockchain, fintech, and islamic finance: building the future in the new islamic digital economy. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, New York Petrick JA (2009) Toward responsible global financial risk management: the reckoning and reform recommendations. J Asia-Pac Bus 10(1):1–33 Stiglitz JE, Weiss A (1981) Credit rationing in markets with imperfect information. Am Econ Rev 115(3):393–410 Sulkowski A (2018) Blockchain, business supply chains, sustainability, and law: the future of governance, legal frame works, and lawyers. Del J Corp Law 43:303–345 works, and lawyers. Del J Corp Law 43:303–345 y p Treleaven P, Brown RG, Yang D (2017) Blockchain technology in finance. Computer 50(9):14–17i Wang R, Lin Z, Luo H (2018) Blockchain, bank credit, and SME financing. Qual Quant 15(7):12–33. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1007/​ s11135-​018-​0806-6 Xu M, Chen X, Kou GA (2019) Systematic review of blockchain. Financ Innov 5(27):2–14. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1186/​ s40854-​019-​0147-z Abubakar M, Hassan MK, Haruna MA (2019) Cryptocurrency tide and islamic finance development: any issue? References https:// doi.​org/​10.​1186/​s40854-​021-​00321-6 g García-Corral FJ, Cordero-García JA, de Pablo-Valenciano J, Uribe-Toril J (2022) A bibliometric review of cryptocurrencies: García-Corral FJ, Cordero-García JA, de Pablo-Valenciano J, Uribe-Toril J (2022) A bibliometric review of cryptocurrencies: how have they grown? Financ Innov 8(2):2–32. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1186/​s40854-​021-​00306-5 how have they grown? Financ Innov 8(2):2–32. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1186/​s40854-​021-​00306-5 Ghouse G, Aslam A, Bhatti MI (2021) Role of islamic banking during COVID-19 on political and financial events: applica i f i l i di i S i bili 13(21) 116 119 h //d i /10 3390/ 132111619 , , ( ) g g pi pp tion of impulse indicator saturation. Sustainability 13(21):116–119. https://​doi.​org/​10.​3390/​su132​111619 y g Handayani W, Haniffa R, Hudaib M (2018) A Bourdieusian perspective in exploring the emergence and evolution of the field of Islamic microfinance in Indonesia J Islamic Account Bus Res 9(4):482–497 https://doi org/10 1108/ y Handayani W, Haniffa R, Hudaib M (2018) A Bourdieusian perspective in exploring the emergence and evolution of ii Handayani W, Haniffa R, Hudaib M (2018) A Bourdieusian perspective in exploring the emergence and evolution of the field of Islamic microfinance in Indonesia. J Islamic Account Bus Res 9(4):482–497. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1108/​ jiabr-​10-​2017-​0142 yf the field of Islamic microfinance in Indonesia. J Islamic Account Bus Res 9(4):482–497. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1108/​ jiabr-​10-​2017-​0142 the field of Islamic microfinance in Indonesia. J Islamic Account Bus Res 9(4):482–497. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1108/​ jiabr-​10-​2017-​0142 j Haque MS, Yamao M (2011) Prospects and challenges of Islamic microfinance programmes: a case study in Bangladesh. Int J Econ Policy Emerg Econ 4(1):95–111. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1504/​IJEPEE.​2011.​038875 Haque MS, Yamao M (2011) Prospects and challenges of Islamic microfinance programmes: a case study in Bangladesh. Int J Econ Policy Emerg Econ 4(1):95–111. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1504/​IJEPEE.​2011.​038875 Haque MS, Yamao M (2011) Prospects and challenges of Islamic microfinance programmes: a case study in Bangladesh. Int J Econ Policy Emerg Econ 4(1):95–111. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1504/​IJEPEE.​2011.​038875 Hassan AH (2014) The challenge in poverty alleviation: role of Islamic microfinance and social capital. Humanomics 30(1):76–90 Hassan AH (2014) The challenge in poverty alleviation: role of Islamic microfinance and social capital. Humanomics 30(1):76–90 Hoff K, Stiglitz JE (1990) Introduction: imperfect information and rural credit markets: puzzles and policy perspective World Bank Econ Rev 4(3):235–250 Hoff K, Stiglitz JE (1990) Introduction: imperfect information and rural credit markets: puzzles and policy perspectives. World Bank Econ Rev 4(3):235–250 Iansiti M, Lakhani KR (2017) The truth about blockchain. Harv Bus Rev 95(1):118–127 Iansiti M, Lakhani KR (2017) The truth about blockchain. References Adegbite E, Amaeshi K, Nakajima C (2013) Multiple influences on corporate governance practice in Nigeria: Agents, strategies, and implications. Int Bus Rev 22(3):524–538 g p Ahmad AUF, Rafique Ahmad AB (2009) Islamic microfinance: the evidence from Australia. Humanomics 25(3):217–235. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1108/​08288​66091​09869​46 p g Alam N, Gupta L, Zameni A (2019) Application of Blockchain in islamic finance landscape fintech and islamic finance. Springer, London, pp 81–98 Alam N, Gupta L, Zameni A (2019) Application of Blockchain in islamic finance landscape fintech and islamic finance. Springer, London, pp 81–98 Altwijry OI, Mohammed MO, Hassan MK, Selim M (2021) Developing a Shari’ah based FinTech money creation free [SFMCF] model for Islamic banking. Int J Islam Middle East Financ Manag 16(3):201–234. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1108/​ IMEFM-​05-​2021-​0189 Austin R (2004) Of predatory lending and the democratization of credit: preserving the social safety net of informality in small-loan transactions. Am Univ Law Rev 53(6):20–35 Azad MAK, Masum AKM, Munisamy S, Sharmin DF (2016) Efficiency analysis of major microfinance institutions in Bangla- desh: a Malmquist index approach. Qual Quant 50(4):1525–1537. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1007/​s11135-​015-​0219-8 Azim MI, Sheng K, Barut M (2017) Combating corruption in a microfinance institution. Manag Audit J 32(4/5):445–462. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1108/​MAJ-​03-​2016-​1342 p g Berger AN, Scott Frame W, Ioannidou V (2011) Tests of ex-ante versus ex-post theories of collateral using private and public information. J Financ Econ 100(1):85–97. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1016/j.​jfine​co.​2010.​10.​014 Berger AN, Scott Frame W, Ioannidou V (2011) Tests of ex-ante versus ex-post theories of collateral using p public information. J Financ Econ 100(1):85–97. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1016/j.​jfine​co.​2010.​10.​014 Berns JP, Shahriar AZM, Unda LA (2021) Delegated monitoring in crowdfunded microfinance: evidence from Kiva. J Corp Fi 66 101 164 htt //d i /10 1016/j j fi 2020 101864 i Bester H (1985) Screening vs. rationing in credit markets with imperfect information. Am Econ Rev 75(4):850–855 Chen Y, Bellavitis C (2020) Blockchain disruption and decentralized finance: the rise of decentralized business models. J Bus Ventur Insights 13:10–51 g Chong FHL (2021) Enhancing trust through digital Islamic finance and blockchain technology. Qual Res Financ Mark 13(3):328–341iif Churchill SA (2020) Microfinance financial sustainability and outreach: is there a trade-off? Empirical Econ 59(3):1329–1350 Page 12 of 12 Wanke et al. Financial Innovation (2022) 8:80 Dujak D, Sajter D (2019) blockchain applications in supply chain. In: Kawa A, Maryniak A (eds) SMART supply network. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 21–46 Fang F, Ventre C, Basios M et al (2021) Cryptocurrency trading: a comprehensive survey. Financ Innov 8(13):2–59. References In: Disrup- tive innovation in business and finance in the digital world, Emerald Publishing Limited, London. Cong LW, He Z (2018) Blockchain disruption and smart contracts. Retrieved from https://​ssrn.​com/​abstr act=31383 82, London. Conoscenti M, Vetrò A, Martin JCD (2016) Blockchain for the internet of things: a systematic literature review. Paper pre- sented at the 2016 IEEE/ACS 13th international conference of computer systems and applications (AICCSA). UK sented at the 2016 IEEE/ACS 13th international conference of computer systems and applications (AICCSA). UK Düdder B, Ross O (2017) Timber tracking: reducing the complexity of due diligence by using blockchain technology. Available at SSRN 3015219i p y pp ( ) Düdder B, Ross O (2017) Timber tracking: reducing the complexity of due diligence by using blockchain technology. Available at SSRN 3015219 El-Zoghbi M, Tarazi M (2013) Trends in Sharia-compliant financial inclusion. Brief. Washington, DC: CGAP, New York. González Vega C (1998) Microfinance: broader achievements and new challenges. Econ Sociol Occas Paper No. 2518 ( ) El-Zoghbi M, Tarazi M (2013) Trends in Sharia-compliant financial inclusion. Brief. Washington, DC: CGAP, New York. González Vega C (1998) Microfinance: broader achievements and new challenges. Econ Sociol Occas Paper No. 2518, 12(3): 1–19 González Vega C (1998) Microfinance: broader achievements and new challenges. Econ Sociol Occas Paper No. 2518 12(3): 1–19 Nakamoto S (2008) Bitcoin: a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Bitcoin.org. https://​bitco​in.​org/​bitco​in.​pdf. Accessed: 24.02. 2020. Nguyen QK (2016) Blockchain - a financial technology for future sustainable development. Paper presented at the 2016 3rd International Conference on Green Technology and Sustainable Development (GTSD). Greeceii Nguyen QK (2016) Blockchain - a financial technology for future sustainable development. Paper presented at the 2016 3rd International Conference on Green Technology and Sustainable Development (GTSD). Greece Sakti A (2021) Proposing new Islamic microfinance model for sustainable Islamic microfinance institution. In: Islamic finance and sustainable development Palgrave Macmillan Cham pp 349–378 Nguyen QK (2016) Blockchain a financial technology for future sustainable development. Paper presented at the 2016 3rd International Conference on Green Technology and Sustainable Development (GTSD). Greece Sakti A (2021) Proposing new Islamic microfinance model for sustainable Islamic microfinance institution. In: Islamic i 3rd International Conference on Green Technology and Sustainable Development (GTSD). Greece Sakti A (2021) Proposing new Islamic microfinance model for sustainable Islamic microfinance institution. In: Islamic i Sakti A (2021) Proposing new Islamic microfinance model for sustainable Islamic microfinance institution. In: Isl finance and sustainable development. Publisher’s Note Publisher s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
https://openalex.org/W2985595255
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc6864669?pdf=render
English
null
Fog Computing Enabling Industrial Internet of Things: State-of-the-Art and Research Challenges
Sensors
2,019
cc-by
22,217
Received: 14 August 2019; Accepted: 23 October 2019; Published: 5 November 2019 Abstract: Industry is going through a transformation phase, enabling automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and processes, and this transformation is called Industry 4.0. Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) applications require real-time processing, near-by storage, ultra-low latency, reliability and high data rate, all of which can be satisfied by fog computing architecture. With smart devices expected to grow exponentially, the need for an optimized fog computing architecture and protocols is crucial. Therein, efficient, intelligent and decentralized solutions are required to ensure real-time connectivity, reliability and green communication. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of methods and techniques in fog computing. Our focus is on fog infrastructure and protocols in the context of IIoT applications. This article has two main research areas: In the first half, we discuss the history of industrial revolution, application areas of IIoT followed by key enabling technologies that act as building blocks for industrial transformation. In the second half, we focus on fog computing, providing solutions to critical challenges and as an enabler for IIoT application domains. Finally, open research challenges are discussed to enlighten fog computing aspects in different fields and technologies. Keywords: Industry 4.0; Internet of Things; Industrial Internet of Things; Cyber Physical System; cloud computing; fog computing; edge computing; smart devices; smart factory; industrial automation Rabeea Basir 1, Saad Qaisar 1, Mudassar Ali 1,2,* , Monther Aldwairi 3, Muhammad Ikram Ashraf 4, Aamir Mahmood 5 and Mikael Gidlund 5 Rabeea Basir 1, Saad Qaisar 1, Mudassar Ali 1,2,* , Monther Aldwairi 3, Muhammad Ikram Ashraf 4 Aamir Mahmood 5 and Mikael Gidlund 5 Rabeea Basir 1, Saad Qaisar 1, Mudassar Ali 1,2,* , Monther Aldwairi 3, 4 5 5 Rabeea Basir 1, Saad Qaisar 1, Mudassar Ali 1,2,* , Monther Aldwairi 3, Muhammad Ikram Ashraf 4, Aamir Mahmood 5 and Mikael Gidlund 5 1 School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; rbasir.dphd17@seecs.edu.pk or rabeeabasir@gmail.com (R.B.); saad.qaisar@seecs.edu.pk (S.Q.) 1 School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; rbasir.dphd17@seecs.edu.pk or rabeeabasir@gmail.com (R.B.); saad.qaisar@seecs.edu.pk (S.Q.) q p 2 Department of Telecommunication Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila 47050, Pakistan 2 Department of Telecommunication Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila 47050, Pakistan 3 3 College of Technological Innovation, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi 144534, UAE; monther.aldwairi@zu.ac.ae 4 3 College of Technological Innovation, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi 144534, UAE; monther.aldwairi@zu.ac.ae 4 Centre for Wireless Communication, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland; ikram.ashraf@oulu.fior ik h f@ il 3 College of Technological Innovation, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi 144534, UAE; monther.aldwairi@zu.ac.ae 4 Centre for Wireless Communication, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland; ikram.ashraf@oulu.fior ikramashraf@gmail.com 5 College of Technological Innovation, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi 144534, UAE; monther.aldwairi@zu.ac.ae 4 Centre for Wireless Communication, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland; ikram.ashraf@oulu.fior ikramashraf@gmail.com 5 Department of Information Systems and Technology, Mid Sweden University, 85170 Sundsvall, Swede aamir.mahmood@miun.se (A.M.); mikael.gidlund@miun.se (M.G.) * Correspondence: mudassar.ali@hotmail.com or mudassar.ali@seecs.edu.pk Received: 14 August 2019; Accepted: 23 October 2019; Published: 5 November 2019 sensors sensors sensors www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors 1. Introduction Revolution in any realm is required with the passage of time. Every field changes to go forward with better solutions dealing with the challenges of the era. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is revolutionizing the classical communication methodologies. With the emergence of smart devices (mobile, machines, sensors) coupled with a diverse range of applications requirements, IIoT is the way forward. It is expected that 26 billion IoT devices of heterogeneous capabilities will be installed to perform functions with different Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirements by 2020 [1]. IIoT gives rise to 4th industrial revolution based on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) with the need arising back in 2015 originated basically in Germany [2]. Industry 4.0 defines diverse use cases ranging from Sensors 2019, 19, 4807; doi:10.3390/s19214807 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors 2 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 interconnected digital technologies, CPS, Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) and Internet of Things (IoT) for promoting the whole industry in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, supporting heterogeneous data, higher production, automation, and integrating knowledge [3]. These key enabling technologies have been deployed to some extent in industrial domains such as healthcare, transportation, smart cities, micro-grids, and smart factory. This trend gives rise to intelligent, distributed and self-organizing solutions to support these application domains. Deploying industry 4.0 involves three-layer implementation; physical layer, network layer, and intelligent-application layer [4]. The physical layer comprises identification and location awareness entities i.e. actuators, sensors, and terminal devices; the network layer comprises of the development of a network that can support industrial automation, network can be cellular, indoor, cloud or private. Factory automation and coordination are processed on the application layer. Infrared (IR), Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), Bluetooth, 6LoWPAN, IEEE 802.11 af, IEEE 802.11 a/b/n/ac for short range connectivity; Ultra-Wideband (UWB), cellular (2G, 3G, 4G, LTE-MTC, 5G), Sigfox, Long range (LoRa) for long range connectivity, are a few of the majorly used communication standards for IIoT [5,6]. The future of automation is based on decentralized intelligence in which all machines can communicate with one another to arrive at independent or consensus inference, called Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication. These decentralized intelligent solutions play a vital role in industry 4.0 digital transformation. The decentralized solutions provide flexibility and quick decision assistance over centralized solutions. For M2M communication, 802.11ah technology has evolved in the recent past. Exchanging machine data demands real-time communication ensuring latency, security, reliability, bandwidth and privacy measures in all IIoT domains. 1. Introduction To satisfy these critical requirements, there is a need to explore new enabling solutions that support these applications. In the future, 5G cellular technology will support such heterogeneous networks with massive number of IIoT devices. It is anticipated that future 5G networks not only provide flexibility but can optimize the usage of available resources of bandwidth, power, energy, connectivity to different applications at the same time [7]. In the last decade, computation and processing requirements of end users have increased exponentially. It has become increasingly challenging for designers to scale the processing and data storage capabilities for users within the given device size and battery constraints. To meet these growing requirements, researchers have come up with the solution to offload services to a centralized location known as the cloud. Cloud computing is an alternative for data computation, storage and management. It supports intensive computation and manages heterogeneous devices of next generation networks [8–10]. Additionally, cloud computing architecture involves the direct connection between devices and the cloud server. Practically, we are beginning to understand the connection between and the enormous number of IIoT devices and a single cloud server. However, cloud-based systems are unable to meet the requirement such as heavy data computation, real-time device control, security and management results in insufficient support of IIoT application requirements [11]. Considering a wide variety of IoT scenarios, some of the challenges [10–16] in cloud computing are listed below: Large distance between the cloud and edge devices causes propagation and transmission delays • Large computational load on a single cloud server causes processing and queuing delays • Increased number of smart devices has hindered meeting the bandwidth requirements. g p g p g q g y creased number of smart devices has hindered meeting the bandwidth requirements. • Enormous number of smart devices will bring scalability, speed, and computational issues. Enormous number of smart devices will bring scalability, speed, and computational issues. Wireless medium between cloud and smart devices brings resource management issues. • Heterogeneity property of smart devices in terms of accessing technology will bring difficulty in handling at the cloud. • Heterogeneity property of smart devices in terms of accessing technology will bring difficulty in handling at the cloud. • Mobility of IoT devices bring service availability issues, cloud server may not be able to provide services due to network congestion and failure. 1. Introduction g p g y gy g p g In fog computing, data processing in single server (fog cloud) helps in achieving real-time and reliable communication. It puts the safety and security of personal data back into our premises. Furthermore, a cost effective approach can be used in fog computing such that data transmission and storage fees can be reduced based on service premises. Therefore, fog computing has the potential to provide affordable solutions for large IIoT projects. Instead of being restricted to only one expensive cloud connection, fog computing gives the freedom to choose any hardware from Information Technology (IT) solutions. It supports all existing legacy devices and non-IIoT devices that never intended to be the part of IIoT application. This is not only economical but also more flexible. When it comes to speed, fog computing allows real-time processing and supports to process data as fast as our local system. Fog can be managed securely from remote places. It can be scaled and updated dynamically. It gives more security, better performance, and lower costs. Fog incorporates positive attributes of cloud and provides benefits that may support future IIoT applications [18–23]. Fog computing and edge computing being extended form of cloud computing gives solutions to the challenges faced by cloud computing that is attractive for IIoT real-time applications. The terms fog computing and edge computing are often used by industry interchangeably. Both these computing technologies bring computing and processing capabilities near the vicinity where data originates. Edge computing complements fog computing by bringing computation to one of the devices of a network. This device is named as E-node and is close to the data. E-node has more power, computation capabilities and intelligent controllers, such as programmable automation controllers (PAC). Presence of E-node in edge computing improves latency, reliability, security and privacy issues [24,25]. E-node acts as an interface/bridge between the data sources and the cloud. The basic architecture for fog network is given in Figure 1 depicting fog cloud serving as a middle layer between the cloud server and smart end-devices. Figure 1 demonstrates a basic idea of cloud, fog and edge computing promoting different IIoT application domains. Fog is a relatively new paradigm that brings new challenges in terms of efficient and scalable network architecture. It is expected that it will gradually develop over the next few years for realizing the Industry 4.0. 1. Introduction • Mobility of IoT devices bring service availability issues, cloud server may not be able to provide services due to network congestion and failure. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 3 of 38 • Security is a very critical thread, as the cloud is exposed to the whole world over the public internet. • Security is a very critical thread, as the cloud is exposed to the whole world over the public internet. • Security is a very critical thread, as the cloud is exposed to the whole world over the public internet. • Computing offloading every-time at cloud causes a loss in energy and battery lifetime • Computing offloading every-time at cloud causes a loss in energy and battery lifetime Computing offloading every-time at cloud causes a loss in energy and battery lifetime. • Although data storage at cloud brings benefits to application developers, they should be careful of integrity and authentication demands of IIoT applications. • Although data storage at cloud brings benefits to application developers, they should be careful of integrity and authentication demands of IIoT applications. • Cloud computing is a centralized and complex architecture for real-time applications of IIoT. • Cloud computing is a centralized and complex architecture for real-time applications of IIoT. All these limitations require a change, how and where we process data. These challenges motivate us to explore new decentralized approaches/solutions in IIoT domains. A new concept of fog computing is introduced by Bonomi et al. [15] for handling data locally at the network edge in order to overcome the limitations of cloud architecture. Fog computing complements existing cloud architecture and has addressed the issue of latency and bandwidth efficiency [17]. Because of its distributed architecture, it calls for a strong check on QoS requirements to make it useful. Fog is mainly based on distributed networking with ubiquitous pervasive computing. It comprises small scale data centers or a group of computers known as cloudlets (fog clouds) that provide services to devices located in close proximity [17,18]. The initial installation cost, latency, and energy consumption is far less as compared to that of the cloud, but the operational cost varies. Fog architecture can leverage computations either from dedicated edge servers or adhoc infrastructure. For promoting IIoT architecture with fog computing as a key enabler technology, a group of fog clouds can also be used. 1. Introduction Challenges, such as energy conservation, real-time communication, efficient spectrum use, cache memory on edge devices and optimized allocation of resources are open issues that need to be addressed for future automation. Without such considerations, guaranteed QoS requirements of IoT devices may not be fulfilled. In the future, solutions to these challenges must be provided by researchers for the development of the industrial revolution. This paper is written with an aim to give a summarized version of existing solutions using fog computing acting as an enabler for IIoT applications. 4 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 Figure 1. Generalized view: IIoT application domains with cloud, fog and edge computing. Figure 1. Generalized view: IIoT application domains with cloud, fog and edge computing. The paper is organized as follows; Section 2 briefly introduces IIoT. Benefits of IIoT applications in daily life and their critical requirements are briefly explained in Section 3. Section 4 presents protocol/solution proposed by various researchers promoting fog computing as an enabling technology for IIoT development. Section 5 describes challenges and solutions in communication and networking proposed in the literature to use fog computing in IIoT. Section 6 lists down several open research issues in fog computing. Finally, the paper is concluded in Section 7. The flow of this survey paper is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Flow of the paper. Figure 2. Flow of the paper. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 5 of 38 2. Evolution and Enablers of Industrial Internet of Things As discussed earlier, IIoT or Industry 4.0 is a new emerging term for future industry, which involves many key enabling technologies and applications of IoT. In this section, Industry 4.0 evolutional phases, IoT connectivity technologies, benefits from IIoT and key enabling technologies that endorse industrial revolution are briefly explained. 2.1. Industry 4.0-Evolution The industrial revolution with the passage of time has many phases according to the requirement and challenges of the respective era. Figure 3 gives an idea about evolution towards Industry 4.0 with its elements. The industrial revolution with the passage of time has many phases according to the requirement and challenges of the respective era. Figure 3 gives an idea about evolution towards Industry 4.0 with its elements. Figure 3. Evolution towards Industry 4.0/IIoT. Figure 3. Evolution towards Industry 4.0/IIoT. Industry 1.0: At the end of the 18th century, the 1st industrial revolution started with the help of water and steam power, which systematizes the factory floor. First, the mechanical weaving loom was established in 1784, and the first mechanical system was built thorough mechanical production facilities. Industry 2.0: In the beginning of the 20th century, the 2nd industrial revolution started using electrical energy. The first assembly line using electrical energy was established in 1870. The introduction of mass production in industry 2.0 enhanced the industry. Industry 3.0: Beginning of the 1970s i.e., in 1969, the first control system using programming language was established. Industry was slowly shifted to automation using information technology and micro-electronics’s applications. This is the 3rd industrial revolution [26]. Industry 3.0: Beginning of the 1970s i.e., in 1969, the first control system using programming language was established. Industry was slowly shifted to automation using information technology and micro-electronics’s applications. This is the 3rd industrial revolution [26]. Industry 4.0: This previous industrial revolutions give rise to the development of industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 contributes a revolution to all domains comprising economic, academic, research, industrial and manufacturing sectors. There is a huge impact of the industrial revolution on the manufacturing processes of many fields. Implementing industry 4.0 demands change in many technologies namely automation, identification, computer, network communication, digital manufacturing, production process, production control management, decision making, judgment, sensing and analysis [27]. In the future, the manufacturing industry is expected to change on a large scale because of all new generation networks and interfaces offered by the environment of industry 4.0. This transformation is already in process in many industrial sectors. Up till now, for the fourth industrial revolution, exponentially growing technologies are sensor technology, artificial intelligence, Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 6 of 38 machine learning, robotics, nanotechnology, and 3D printing [28]. 2.2. Industry 4.0-Concept Increasing progress is witnessed in automation of industry using advancement in digitization, networking and new communication technologies, satisfying the market and consumer requirements [29]. Lenze SE, Corporate Communications Public Relations use idea of machine modularization. According to the demand of market/consumers, different modules are added or removed during the manufacturing process; machines are retooled smartly using smart communication technologies A cloud solution was given by Lenze, which is secure as no customer wants to share their demands and production details. Details about the customer’s machine are saved in a cloud and he can investigate all the system details especially faults. This cloud solution is vulnerable to hackers, Lenze, along with another company, have provided a secure solution that is acceptable for today’s industry [30]. Charlotta Johnsson explained the idea of industry 4.0 using four terms, these are smart devices and smart production processes with horizontally and vertically integrated manufacturing systems. Smart devices result in the production of intelligent products, these products do self-monitoring, self-controlling and self-manufacturing, have a uniquely identifiable ID, know how to solve and achieve goals [31]. The intelligent production process comprises smart starting and ending of manufacturing processes. Vertical and horizontal integration means all the steps during the smart/intelligent production process are integrated throughout the life cycle i.e., from starting phase to ending phase [30]. Industry 4.0 results in a faster manufacturing process, product development and improves the handling of complex environments inside an industry. The term first originated in Germany named as Industrie 4.0; in United States term used for this fourth generation is Smart Manufacturing, Chinese researchers have used term China 2020. Industrial Digitisation is the term used in Sweden for transformation of industry to automation [32]. It is believed that this industrial revolution will increase global competitiveness, preserve the domestic manufacturing industry and will have a huge impact on the business market as well. Now many countries around the globe have taken initiatives for automation in industries. 2.1. Industry 4.0-Evolution These technologies were invented decades ago, but their minimum cost and exponential growth will shape industry 4.0. To change the industrial process, researchers are focusing on providing the evolved form of these technologies in terms of flexibility and fast computational process. All this automation in industry is very important for the economic growth of a country. 2.3. Industry 4.0-Merging CPS and IoT The Industry 4.0 environment is comprised of the Internet of data, Internet of things, Internet of people and Internet of services. Interface of Industry 4.0 with existing smart infrastructure such as smart buildings, smart homes, smart grids, smart logistics, social web, and business web build a CPS system. This revolution will merge the real and virtual world on the basis of CPS. A CPS system has a computer-based algorithm that integrates the Internet and its users. It is simply digitization, in which these systems make connection of information technology with electronic/mechanical device components that exchange information among each other using a network. Using computer-based algorithms, CPS brings software and hardware components working in an automated and controlled manner to perform a certain task without human’s assistance. The basic visualization of a CPS is given in Figure 4. After collection and analysis of big data, CPS can increase performance in terms of high-quality, low-cost goods production. With the advancement in sensors and computing technologies, various CPSs are emerging. CPS has evolved to Cyber Physical Production Systems (CPPS) to encourage the development and production process of Industry 4.0 [33]. CPPS combines physical smart IoT devices, networking technologies to compute in the production process. Robotics, remote machinery control and diagnosis, smart devices, heavy industry, transportation, health and condition monitoring, energy production, smart cities, and food manufacturing are IIoT services enable by CPS/CPPS architecture. Figure 5 represents the comparative analysis between CPS and IoT in 7 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 7 of 38 the form of a Venn diagram. The similarities between the two give support for the development of Industry 4.0/IIoT. y / Figure 4. A cyber physical system architecture. Figure 5. Comparison of CPS and IoT; supporting Industry 4.0 development. Figure 4. A cyber physical system architecture. Figure 4. A cyber physical system architecture. Figure 5. Comparison of CPS and IoT; supporting Industry 4.0 development. Figure 5. Comparison of CPS and IoT; supporting Industry 4.0 development. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 8 of 38 The layered architecture of Industry 4.0 is given in Figure 3, which involves the common attributes of CPS and IoT. The physical or sensing layer should be designed to the extent that IIoT applications can sense/control information from physical environment and integrates with hardware sensors and actuators accordingly. 2.3. Industry 4.0-Merging CPS and IoT The second layer should be optimized to provide a reliable connection to support data transfer over a communication medium (wired/wireless). So far, IIoT applications used wired medium to provide solutions. In the near future, the wireless medium is required because of shifting from centralized to decentralized solutions. Connectivity technologies, such as NB-IoT/5G and beyond 5G over different architecture such as SDN, NFV, cloud computing or fog computing will give solution to different applications. The intelligent-application layer, providing services to users has to be optimized in terms of service production, satisfaction, interaction, and management. 2.4. Industry 4.0-Key Enabling Technologies With the use of advance technologies of wireless communication, diverse new emerging protocols and architectures are supporting automated industry 4.0 development. Resources can be efficiently used after integration of communication technology and big data processing in real time, this will result in better performance. Industry 4.0 development involves many communication technologies; however, big data, IoT, 5G, mobile computing and cloud/fog/edge computing are the key enabling technologies [2,34,35]. An extensive range of IIoT projects have been deployed in domains of building automation, manufacturing systems, health care systems, transportation systems, processing food and agricultural systems in the past few years. Reaching a common task in an IIoT application; sensing, integration, and communication are main steps. RFID tags are used for sensing, network topologies and protocols are used for communication. All these smart devices are associated with each other using internet. Many connectivity technologies are available for supporting IIoT applications. Critical requirements of IIoT applications have many open challenges in all domains (smart grid, smart cities, smart devices, D2D, healthcare) such as capacity, real-time connectivity, remote maintenance and topology of communication networks. Figure 6 gives a general overview of technologies to connect things to the Internet, representing short-range and long-range wireless technologies. All technologies work differently with aim of low-latency, low-power consumption, low-bandwidth requirement, and reliable communication. Figure 6. Different connectivity technologies in IIoT. Figure 6. Different connectivity technologies in IIoT. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 9 of 38 For connecting IIoT devices, all technologies have to work with the objective of maximum throughput, minimum power consumption, minimum transmission delay, and maximum transmission distance range. 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE are cellular technologies that were used for long range connectivity in wireless wide area networks (WWAN). IIoT application’s critical requirements and the increasing number of smart devices need additional resources for connectivity. Increase in smart devices results in more data processing for which connectivity technology is moving towards 5G. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) proposed Extended Coverage-Global System for Mobile Communications for the Internet of Things (EC-GSM-IoT) and Narrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) for supporting M2M, enhanced MTC (eMTC), massive MTC (mMTC) and critical MTC (cMTC) communication networks for IIoT applications [5]. 5G cellular technology gives super low latency, ultra-reliable and high availability to cMTC applications (industrial application and control, remote surgery, remote training, remote manufacturing, and traffic safety and control). 2.5. Industry 4.0-Building Blocks Fourth manufacturing revolution, i.e., digital industrial technology provides services in industries that involves data exchange among machines making more efficient and fast processes. In words, the IIoT can be defined as: Devices with centralized controllers, sensors, battery and memory attributes will interact with each other using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. Real time connection is possible using decentralized analytics and decision making of these devices. This section will give building blocks that are used in transforming industry 4.0 development. 2.4. Industry 4.0-Key Enabling Technologies Low cost, low energy, and the massive number of intelligent devices in smart agriculture, smart meter, tracking, fleet management, and logistics domain are supported by 5G as well. 5G is beneficial for IIoT applications comprising from mMTC, cMTC to enhanced mobile broadband. The distributed model of IIoT applications require a massive amount of data rate with minimum latency, 5G technology gives 10 Gbps with 1 ms latency. 5G is use case driven communication technology for upcoming IIoT applications. For distributed ultra-low-latency and reliable connectivity in IIoT applications, 5G-IoT is an emerging solution. 5G-IoT scenario extends capabilities of IoT smart devices used in all domains. Recent research is focusing on low-latency, end-to-end reliability, and low energy consumption for both uplink and downlink communication. There is a lot of potential in research on IIoT with 5G communication technologies, to overcome challenges. This research will help in the industrial revolution. With the evolution of Industry 4.0, 5G is rapidly evolving in order to meet the requirement of IIoT applications mainly real time functioning, energy efficiency, less power consumption, shared spectrum regulation, reliable communication, and handing massive amount of data. Almost 90% of needs met using fixed line 3G and 4G cellular technologies, but need for deployment of industrial revolution can be fulfilled using 5G. 5G as an enabler of industry 4.0 gives multi-channel, capability, multi-network management, operating both local and global networks, supporting heterogeneous networks [27]. Mobile computing and cloud computing brings accurate data for IIoT application and provide efficiency to industry 4.0 infrastructure. Details of cloud computing in comparison with fog and edge computing is explained in the next section. 2.5.6. Cloud Computing Cloud computing is centralized and complex technology that supports high speed, high performance, flexible resource use and dynamic allocation in a network. As IIoT application requirements are low latency, high speed and reliable communication, privacy and security, efficient allocation of resources and energy-efficient communication technology. Some limitations regarding use of cloud computing for IIoT applications are: • Confidential data and personal information of an industry should not be shared with outsid • Confidential data and personal information of an industry should not be shared with out • Security and privacy are in high demand by an industry from the cloud service provider. • Data location on the basis of geographic follows rules and regulations. It also helps in securing the information. • High load demands high-speed internet connectivity. This processing causes delays in communication. • Memory and storage capacity may get exhausted because of many applications simultaneously accessing a single cloud server. • Context awareness is required for speedy processes. • Different standards cause problems in exchanging data, information, services, and applications among different clouds at different locations. • Recovery and back-up update are required for industrial processing and decision making, cloud computing will cause delay. 2.5.5. Cyber-security Exponential increase in connections among devices in industry 4.0 will increase threats to systems, networks, and processes. Cyber-security is a process that prevents unwanted intruders from accessing, destroying, interrupting or changing sensitive information about company/organization as well as business market networks; gives them secure and reliable communication systems. 2.5.4. Augmented Reality The idea of taking decisions remotely in real-time results in improving work procedures and will be implemented in the future as Augmented Reality (AR). In this augmented reality-based systems send repairing requirements or selection of new components. 2.5.3. Additive Manufacturing Additive manufacturing is the process in which a 3D model is manufactured by joining the raw materials, usually layer by layer. It is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing in which raw material is carved to create a 3D model. 2.5.1. Simulation, Autonomous Robots A virtual model of a physical world which comprises machines, humans, and products can be interpreted in real time technology named as simulation. Every new product or updating process in available products for any machine can be verified, tested and optimized via simulation-based applications. It will result in increasing the quality of machinery and save the resources in the physical world. An autonomous robot collects information from its environment and learns from it and does work in the future without the involvement of humans using its self-learning algorithms (machine learning). These robots will transform the industries into automated industry. This technology will have a large impact on the industrial revolution. These robots are cheap and more capable of doing tasks efficiently. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 10 of 38 10 of 38 2.5.2. Big Data and Analytics, Horizontal and Vertical System Integration Different systems, ranging from customer to enterprise-level systems, have to collect, manage and evaluate the big amount of data. Three main goals of big data analytics result in the reduction of cost, efficient decision making and emerging new services and products. Industry 4.0 involves digital transformation in vertical and horizontal value chain networks. These networks result in the integration of customer and enterprise systems of companies, departments and business market- exchanging data. These value chain processes should be transparent and flexible with real-time functioning constraint. 2.5.7. Fog Computing Fog computing or “fogging” is an extended form of cloud computing, in respect of industrial revolution giving applications and services (low latency and high processing) to autonomous heterogeneous devices inside an industry [36]. The idea is to bring processing, storage, maintenance Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 11 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 and intelligence control to the proximity of data devices. Inside industry 4.0, there is critical requirement of real-time services with high data processing, maximum capacity and scalability. Fog computing gives the best solutions for such an environment because of its significant benefits over cloud computing. Extension of cloud computing, aims to minimize the burden on the cloud by introducing network edge computing concept. For industrial automation, real-time services and decision making processes require low latency and enhanced cache memory. Required performance parameters are mobility, real time applications, low-latency, location-awareness, number of nodes and cache-enabled edge devices on this basis of geographical distribution. Virtualized nodes frequently known as cloudlets or fog nodes are placed between clouds of internet and end user devices. Fog computing provides services and applications as a cloud does with better QoS parameters performance covering critical requirements of IIoT. Important advantages of fog computing that influence its use for IIoT are: • Data storage on network edge nodes eliminates the transmission delay by removing the need for accessing data from far-away clouds. • Data storage on network edge nodes eliminates the transmission delay by removing the need for accessing data from far-away clouds. • Fog computing supports to process and analyze the data on faster speed for IIoT application • Data storage on edge nodes will reduce the processing and computing delay. • Cache enabled nodes will prevent transmission of irrelevant information over the network. • Can give support to all IoT applications e.g., smart grids, smart cities, D2D, Vehicular Ad-hoc networks (VANETS) using edge networking concept. Provides filtered and required interaction between end devices and cloud service providers. • Provides filtered and required interaction between end devices and cloud service provide Fog computing is the building stone to provide solutions for more efficient, effective and manageable communication way for the massive number of smart IoT devices in the near future. Fog computing with extra features as compared to cloud computing in terms of latency, security, location awareness, location, and number of server nodes, real-time connectivity and mobility is a promising enabler for industrial automation. 3.1.1. Smart City Applications About 6 billion people are expected to be part of cities of the earth in 2050 [38]. With the advent of technology infrastructure, this increase in population will result in more data origination and demand for services. This big data origination is called Big Data. To develop future smart city, there are many domains that need to be intelligent, such as the smart home, smart office, smart institution, smart health-care centers, smart agriculture, and smart transportation. All these domains have different IIoT applications with different requirements. The development policy of a smart city has six factors namely, smart economy, smart mobility, smart environment, smart people, smart living, and smart governance [2]. Numerous research has been carried out in the domain of smart cities. For instance, [39] presents a framework with which, smart cities can overcome current limitations. This smart city transformation will take time. 2.5.8. Edge Computing Introduction of enormous smart devices making an industrial revolution in all domains, causes extensive data processing, computation and burden of traffic on a single server either a cloud server or cloudlet. This motivates researchers to develop a new computing technology named as edge computing. The idea is to develop embedded automation controllers on devices named as edge-node (e-node) in the literature. This device is intelligent, with low processing power, better hardware security. Edge computing is an extending form of previous fog and cloud computing technologies. It comprises peer-to-peer networking, self-organizing network, and remotely manageable server. It gives following advantages: • Encourages real-time connectivity. • Overall network traffic reduces, as some computation is done on the edge of the network • Enhances security by encryption of data near to the network core. • Optimize the resource usage. IIoT applications have critical communication requirements. Cloud computing, fog computing, and edge computing platforms need to be optimized for better, efficient results. Cloud computing can be used where there is no high requirement of real-time connections, privacy, and security. On a local area network, fog computing uses a centralized system which interacts between the network and cloud server, whereas edge computing does computation on embedded systems of the network. Edge computing has direct interaction with sensors and actuators. The need for cloud, fog and edge computing architectures is increased with the growth of the IIoT application. To increase the use of IIoT smart devices, researchers are focusing on fog or edge computing paradigms which results in industrial development. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 12 of 38 12 of 38 3.1. IIoT-Applications From the identification of faults to solutions via communication and networking technologies, every step needs to be optimized and has research potential. Possessing attributes of intelligence, reliability, safety, sustainability, privacy, and efficiency; these applications are called smart in the literature. This revolution results in the development of new infrastructure. According to [37], smart city, smart factory and smart product are the main applications of industry 4.0. 3.1.2. Smart Factory Applications Smart industry comprises distributed automated systems and robotics. This future smart factory floor is possible using ML algorithms and AI technology. These automated devices are integrated with sensors, actuators, microchips, autonomous systems, and controllers. Relying upon CPS and IoT technologies for evolution industrial processes required ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC). For monitoring, managing and controlling such environment, IoT nodes can handle bounded latency of millisecond scale. These applications are characterized using latency, jitter, energy consumption, workload parameters. M2M and D2D are emerging supporting technologies for smart factory development. In the smart factory manufacturing process, machines will have high-level of automation and self-optimization attributes. These attributes will fulfill complex requirements of products. This has open issues regarding network communication technologies, number of devices, security, and cost. 3.1.3. Smart Product Applications IoT, cloud computing, big data, cloud computing and production time are drivers of industry 4.0 development. The products in industry 4.0 are smart because they are integrated with sensors and microchips. Existing production systems need to be integrated with industry 4.0 architecture (IoT+CPS+WSN). This integration will allow communication interaction between human beings and products [40]. 3. Industrial Internet of Things Applications and Requirements Information about the occurrence of faults, components, inventory, different demands and different orders continuously needs to be shared among smart devices/processes resulting in improved efficiency, tracking, capacity use, quality of production and development in industries. From IIoT perspective; smart cities, smart factories, and smart products are important IIoT beneficial examples. The basic three-layer architecture of IoT as discussed in Section 2.3, need to be evolved according to the requirements of specific IIoT applications. 3.2. IIoT Application Design Parameters To the increasing demand of customers and market requirements, the manufacturing industry is now facing problems in achieving desired goals. Industry 4.0 came up with an innovative idea of automation inside in the industry increasing the production process flexibly. Industry 4.0 key point is 13 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 M2M communication, in which machines communicate with each other over the Internet. Developing and manufacturing industry, communication of intelligent machines with each other using different technologies depending on the coverage area, give rise to high production and self-regulation of the manufacturing process in an industry. These are the goals of industry 4.0; all this is assured by IT systems as they provide enabling smart technologies. The integration of these heterogeneous devices in a network with other devices and existing communication technologies is also the main requirement for designers. Every IIoT application has critical design goal requirements to improve QoS in providing solutions. These design parameters are: • Energy & Long Battery Life: Overall network energy should be preserved for better and efficient outcomes. Smart devices should have enough battery storage so that they can use for long time. • Energy & Long Battery Life: Overall network energy should be preserved for better and efficient outcomes. Smart devices should have enough battery storage so that they can use for long time. • Latency: Some IIoT applications are time-sensitive, a bound should be there to limit all types of delays including processing, propagation, transmission, and computation. • Throughput: Amount of data for processing is different for different applications. It should satisfy the application requirement. • Network Topology: How the number of servers (cloud, fog, e-node) and smart devices are placed in a network for better QoS requirements. • Reliability: Solutions by IIoT applications demand reliable real-time connectivity. • Security, Safety & Privacy: These are very demanding and major requirements for all IIoT applications. For example, inside a smart factory there should be privacy and security such that no one can access the private information. For healthcare applications, patient’s information should be safe and not easily accessible and changeable. 3A’s; Authentication, Access, and Authorization are steps involved in the strictly secure system. The demand of end to end communication in IIoT applications requires privacy of data as well. Sensors and actuators should be safe from intruders as well as environmental hazards. 3.3. IIoT Applications in Relation to Cloud, Fog and Edge Computing All IIoT applications require critical QoS parameters in order to produce benefits in every field. Fog term used in computer science is an extension of cloud architecture which offers services of cloud to edge devices. It is seen as a new cloud or it will replace the cloud in future but it is just an architecture that complements cloud architecture in order to provide solutions for critical applications. Entry points in any network are called edge devices. Entry points are part of second and third layer, it has hardware devices named as switches, routers and WAN devices. Cloud is a centralized solution and fog brings solutions at a distributed level by bringing data storage and its computation near the edge of a network. It allows getting services in the proximity of IoT devices. Fog combines services provided by cloud and IIoT applications; or it enables IIoT applications. Cloud architecture is efficient, beneficial and provides solutions. It offers services after storing data in remote centers from the Internet. These remote data centers face less delay and computation as compared to internet. It saves the cost of physical resources, makes connections more reliable and results in an increase in efficiency and performance. It is a flexible, innovative framework in the networking field. It helps in accessing resources anywhere anytime. Question is why fog architecture is needed when cloud is already the best solution to many issues? There are certain issues and requirements of IoT applications and fog can provide solutions. First and foremost, the low-latency requirement of IIoT applications in every field can be attained effectively. It stores data in the proximity of users. Propagation delay between cloud and users will be reduced; computation delay due to huge data traffic at cloud can be reduced. It supports time-sensitive tasks effectively. Second IoT challenge was using network bandwidth in an optimized manner, fog being in the center of cloud servers and end devices. It helps in less usage of bandwidth; data doesn′t have to travel fog-to-cloud distance. Popular content is available at the network edge. This will also result in minimizing cost, lifespan of devices, energy consumption and complexity during every demand which goes on the users-to-cloud path. Security issues can be seen on the fog server; it can act as a proxy-server controller. Privacy and safety of data is another important IIoT devices requirement. Fog helps in monitoring such tasks. 3.2. IIoT Application Design Parameters • Performance: There is always a performance trade-off among these QoS requirements. There should be an optimized, supportive, and efficient trade-off among the factors affecting performance. Performance maintenance solutions are required for future automation. 3.2. IIoT Application Design Parameters • Low Cost: Smart devices used for IIoT applications should be low cost so that doesn′t affect the CAPEX/OPEX. Deployment involved in industry 4.0 should not be so much that will cause loss in marketplace. • Long Coverage: A device should be capable enough to cover the desired range. • Standardization: So far, there is no such network standardization and is an open challenge for researchers. • Integration: IIoT applications are composed of heterogeneous devices and hybrid networks, there are a lot of issues in integration. • Communication/Enabling Technology: Communication technology for supporting IIoT application should provide assured performance services. • Device Maintenance: Heterogeneous device in an industry 4.0 environment, require constant device management as devices are connected with each other and the Internet. Software Defined Networking (SDN) is used for such failure and changing maintenance issues of devices. • Monitoring Network: Wireless, environmental and mobility nature may cause a change in network topology which requires the system to be monitored and managed frequently. • Configuration & Management of System: Self-configurable, self-control, reconfiguration functionality in addition of new devices in network. • Traffic congestion & Overload: Smart devices will be increased with time in any IIoT application. System should be able to adjust according to the traffic burden and data requirement. • Mobility: IIoT applications, such as transportation, inside industry and healthcare devices, have the property of mobility from one place to another. • Scalability: Scalability brings many issues, some are: How many numbers of smart devices are enough to support an industrial application environment? or how many devices are served by a server easily? how to optimally design a system under energy/spectrum issues? • Scalability: Scalability brings many issues, some are: How many numbers of smart devices are enough to support an industrial application environment? or how many devices are served by a server easily? how to optimally design a system under energy/spectrum issues? Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 14 of 38 • Heterogeneity & Interoperability: Heterogeneous smart IIoT devices have to communicate and collect information among themselves and the Internet. This integration is an issue to solve. Standardization is required for interoperability of IIoT devices. • Performance: There is always a performance trade-off among these QoS requirements. There should be an optimized, supportive, and efficient trade-off among the factors affecting performance. Performance maintenance solutions are required for future automation. 3.3. IIoT Applications in Relation to Cloud, Fog and Edge Computing Exponential increase in IIoT applications in every field making world a cutting edge technology paradigm. Figure 7 shows both these architectures; cloud computing in which IoT devices are directly connected to data centers and cloud server and fog computing in which fog server is in the middle of cloud and IoT devices. Fog works on network edge which improves speed, computing capabilities and provides distributed and better solutions. Fog has complemented the cloud architecture in many ways. Cloud is a centralized solution while fog can work in both a centralized and decentralized manner. Over large geographical area a group of fog nodes can be monitored and managed in a centralized way. Cloud size is large as compared to fog, as it has massive storage of data from the Internet. Fog size is a flexible parameter that can be altered according to the demand of users. For example, for a vehicle tiny sized fog would be enough while for an institution many small fogs can work in a form of network or may be a large-sized fog would be sufficient. Fog has fewer deployment complexities as compared to the cloud. Similarly, cloud management is tricky and more time taking as compared to a fog because of its flexibility. This flexibility will support mobility in networks. 15 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 Figure 7. Industry 4.0, IIoT applications versus cloud and fog computing. Figure 7. Industry 4.0, IIoT applications versus cloud and fog computing. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 16 of 38 16 of 38 Because of architecture complexity, the cloud can only be operated by technical experts while fog can be managed and operated by little human effort. Large companies control cloud networks, while fog can be controlled by small as well as large companies. Low-latency critical IIoT applications will be handled by fog, while applications that can tolerate large delays leverage the cloud services. Internet connection between user IoT devices and a cloud server should be reliable for the entire time of connection, while in fog architecture connection with cloud is not necessarily required for the whole time. Bandwidth requirement increases for both frameworks as the number of IoT devices is increasing exponentially. It provides awareness property, which means it knows about the requirements of customers and will provide solutions accordingly. It can be placed anywhere between the cloud and user nodes according to the demands. 3.3. IIoT Applications in Relation to Cloud, Fog and Edge Computing Performance and efficiency parameters of IIoT application services can be enhanced using fog framework. In addition, the scalability issue can be handled using it. Data storage at network edge will result in minimization of service delays and supports real-time processing. The big amount of data produced from heterogeneous smart devices requires huge data storage and computation at the cloud server. IIoT applications requires data storage at their backbone. This big data is giving rise to edge computing for future. Edge computing is also called Mobile Edge Computing (MEC). This technology supports IIoT applications by building better operational connectivity. It brings cloud computing capabilities at the devices that are present on the edge of a network, these devices named as edge servers or edge devices. The edge devices are part of the Internet and participate in processing and computation near the data location. This technology is an industrial initiative by the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) [41]. 4. Protocols/Algorithms Protocol is a basic set of rules that defines how communication happen between different devices in a network. Protocols have to be devised intelligently in order to achieve the defined goals. As the future is industrial automation in industry 4.0 revolutionized era, there is an exponential increase in smart, intelligent devices in IIoT applications. A major requirement is that the emerging network protocols must meet required goals in performance affecting parameters, such as energy efficiency, latency minimization, spectrum efficiency, cache memory maximization, and bandwidth use requirements. A summarized discussion on pre-existing protocols in the context of fog computing proposed by researchers is given below in following subsections. 4.1. Routing Dong et al. [42] have introduced redundant fog loops for WSNs. The proposed fog loop-based scheme has two main steps. Creation of fogs using loop paths is the first step, while the second mechanism creates fog nodes in the source node areas along with many other interfering fogs within the network. This proposed scheme has helped in finding the exact location of the source node in terms of energy efficiency and privacy. Results were compared to the efficiency offered by the Phantom Routing Scheme (PRS). The proposed scheme gives improved efficiency by 4 folds and can also improve the privacy and security up to 8 folds. Since fog computing lowers latency and offers energy saving, they are tailor-made for dealing with WSNs [43]. Sensors in WSNs are resource-constrained, therefore energy efficiency is an important issue. It needs to be addressed for the network to increase network life-time of operation and working efficiently for a prolonged period of time. Sensors in a form of clusters collected data and send to the base station using energy-efficient routing protocols. In this approach, using multi-hop communication, data is transferred to the sink/destination node. The nodes acting as a cluster head are used for multi-hop communications. For networking, apart from the routing problem, another issue that needs to be catered is increasing network lifetime. Network lifetime can be effectively increased by optimizing energy and power consumption at nodes. Some examples of these routing protocols are Low-Energy-Adaptive-Clustering-Hierarchy (LEACH) and Stable-Election-Protocol (SEP). LEACH protocol involves Deterministic Cluster Selection Head and abbreviated as LEACH-DCHS [44]. 17 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 Handy et al. [45] have proposed LEACH in which rotation of the cluster heads in a randomized manner is used for energy distribution to the nodes evenly. These algorithms haven′t been used for fog computing yet, but can be used in future incorporating fog computing. SEP was proposed by Smaragdakis et al. [46], prolongs the period of stability of wireless sensor networks. A modified version of SEP (M-SEP) proposed by Singh et al. [47] is suitable for heterogeneous WSNs. Some of the nodes in this approach might have a greater chance of getting selected as a cluster head and have more energy. Moreover, in large WSNs, the data to be processed from heterogeneous devices is in large volumes. Processing time is significantly large, so an alternate approach is to use fog computing. 4.1. Routing The time required to process large amount of data gets considerably reduced using fog as the sensors in the network get interconnected with the Internet in order to make smart by making them autonomous in making decisions. Another routing protocol that is energy-efficient named as new-SEP is proposed by Naranjo et al. [48], prolongs the stability of sensor networks supported by fog more than SEP. Optimal clustering nodes are elected by considering various sensor node features such as the ratio of heterogeneity in the network, residual energy, distance between cluster heads. Results were compared with baseline schemes of LEACH and SEP, the proposed scheme performs better in terms of energy-preservation and network lifetime. Considering increasing the network’s stability periods, N-SEP performs better than LEACH (50 percent) and SEP (25 percent). An efficient route optimization algorithm was presented in [49] to address the mobility control issue in fog-based SDN networks. The proposed SDN-enabled fog computing architecture had three-layered structure namely, fog layer, network layer and application layer. Results showed that there is a great improvement in network performance. A three-layered plane architecture was proposed to generate efficient routing paths by the authors in [50] for data-center-based heterogeneous networks, using tensor decomposition methods. These three planes do three different tasks, edge plane considers the traffic, bandwidth and delay requirements; fog planes computes and controls the available paths and finally cloud plane do the routing. 4.3. Load Balancing When one edge device has to do a lot of work e.g., computing tasks all by itself, it consumes resources. However, this can be reduced with the help of distributed architecture in which load is evenly distributed among the edge devices present in the network. This distribution of load is called load balancing. Load Balancing in combination with fog computing makes a formidable combination. A fog network can provide a platform for cooperation and coordination between edge devices in a load-balanced network. Authors have proposed a load balancing offloading algorithm for latency minimization in Vehicular fog computing (VFC). VFC is an integration of vehicular networks and fog computing technology, which is an efficient field to achieve real-time and location-aware for vehicles in a smart city. Zhaolong et al. in [59] has formulated a response time minimization problem using a three-layered decentralized network system model to balance the traffic among vehicles. These three layers are cloud layer with a high computing cloud data center, cloudlet layer processed the received data from vehicles before sending to the cloud center. Lower layer has vehicle clusters, clusters are made for traffic balancing. The fog-vehicle interface manages and alleviates the traffic load. Traffic overhead results in inefficient resource management, which is also a challenge to be solved for healthcare applications. WSNs based health monitoring systems have become a convenient choice as elderly people can frequently require health services. The basic requirements for healthcare applications are energy efficiency, high-response time, low-latency and real-time connection. Fog computing can be considered to be an important enabling technology for such time-sensitive applications. Authors in [60] provide a very significant critical review of existing solutions provided by researchers in the healthcare domain using fog computing. The authors in [61] proposed a fog-cloud hybrid solution to load-balancing problem. If a client’s requirement is more critical, it will be handled by cloud otherwise servicing is done by foglets. Results shows that network utility can be enhanced in terms of latency and load balancing. They used iFogSim tool for experiments. Forough et al. [62] proposed an Energy Balancing Algorithm (EBA) for Fog-IoT networks to reduce delay and energy consumption. The authors have proposed two optimization problems, first one is to find an optimal transmission rate and power for terminal nodes (TNs) and the second one is to find an efficient topology between TNs and fog nodes (FNs). 4.2. Resource Allocation One way to meet the growing IIoT application requirements is to use fog computing. Interactions in real time takes place in fog application rather than batch processing. Services supported by fog include mobility, heterogeneity, working with cloud to extend cloud services, user optimization, etc. Resource allocation or resource management in any network is one of the biggest challenges. This defines new protocols for networking and communication. Many researchers have done work in this context and already proposed some protocols. Resource allocation was done with a specific defined objective, it can be maximizing energy efficiency or throughput; minimizing latency or power consumption or network cost. A joint min-max optimization problem of resource allocation and offloading decision making was proposed by the authors in [51]. They have proposed Computation-Offloading-Decision-Making and Resource-Allocation Algorithm (CORA) to minimize the maximal network cost (delay & energy consumption). Results were explained using fractional programming theory and lagrangian dual decomposition. Fog Radio Access Networks (F-RAN), an extension of the Services provided by Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN), has gathered attention globally and several advantages can be taken by providing functions of baseband signal processing near the edge or making the edge devices cache-enabled. F-RAN is the best example in which we are using edge devices as well as network devices (access points) as fog nodes to achieve the best results. Moreover, due to the cooperative communication, benefits of C-RAN such as enhanced spectral and energy efficiency are also conserved in F-RAN. Resource allocation is a challenge for the upcoming F-RAN. Authors in [52] have proposed a Stackelberg equilibrium (SE) for a hierarchical problem of network slicing customization between global radio resource manager (GRRM) and local radio resource managers (LRRMs). A game is formulated to alleviate the burdens in GRRM and LRRM; GRRM assigned resources to each slice and then LRRM in every slice provides resources to UEs. UEs Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 18 of 38 could be divided into clusters on basis of respective objective functions and accordingly get resources. Authors have provide two algorithms for LRRM 1 slice and LRRM 2 slice with an objective function of maximizing high data rate and minimizing latency, respectively. To meet low latency, high throughput and connectivity requirements in future RANs, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is a promising technique. Zhang et al. 4.2. Resource Allocation in [53] have formulated a problem for maximizing the net utility under interference constraint for resource allocation problem for NOMA-based FRAN system model. Results were compared with the conventional orthogonal frequency division modulation (OFDM) technique. Madsen and Albeanu [54] discuss platforms involving fog computing in which there is communication going on between the smart devices, fog, and cloud. A model for internet applications in future is presented by Hong et al. [55] in which applications are delay-sensitive and distributed geographically. For improving the rendering performance of a webpage, Zu et al. [56] exploit information available only at the network’s edge. Companies that want to deliver content such as Netflix uses fog computing to reach their geographically distributed customers. As indicated by [57], ensuring significantly large streamed data to be delivered in the proximity of the end-user (customer), is done using fog computing. Minimizing the energy consumed in geographically distributed applications and resource allocation using fog computing is discussed in [58] for video services. Size of fog nodes deployment shows the application demand in that region. To maximize social welfare, some of the user data needs to be controlled. Optimization on large scale is also possible using proximal and distributed algorithms. The algorithm proposed gives a near-optimal solution. 4.3. Load Balancing The system model was designed under the constraint of channel conditions between TN and corresponding FN. A major challenge in edge computing is the Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 19 of 38 19 of 38 inefficient deployment of resources as it reduces the overall efficiency of the network. This results in definite increase in power consumption. A low service block is preferred for maintaining lower latency, which will otherwise be detrimental to the high-performance requirements of edge computing. Unlike cloud computing, fog computing has a limitation of resources, which can be overcome if we allow cooperation between various data centers. A cooperative scheme by Beraldi et al. [63] is proposed in which data centers near the edge exchange processing requests and shares the load of highly loaded data centers. The request arriving at a busy data center is forwarded to any other data center having the request buffer partially filled. The proposed scheme maintains a threshold of requests with the help of Markov Chains to make sure that load is equally distributed among all the data centers. This leads to much-improved performance as lightly loaded data centers can absorb the burden of heavily loaded ones during peak hours. g p Full use of edge resources cannot be done by cloud computing polymerization calculation [64]. The edge devices are not part of the cloud computing, which is undesirable for delay-sensitive requirements. Ningning et al. [65] have explored how fog computing can turn the nodes or edges into virtual machines using Cloud Atomization Technology to improve on this problem. The authors use graph partitioning for developing an efficient load balancing algorithm. Consequently, a flexible network can be built by making fog networking possible after atomizing the cloud and eventually reduce the cost of the system that were high before implementing the load balancing algorithm. Deng et al. [66] investigate power consumption and transmission delay trade-off. Problem of workload allocation is formulated to obtain the minimal power consumption subject to the constraint of service delay. Three sub-problems result after the decomposition of the primal problem. Based on the obtained results, it is shown that cloud performance is enhanced by using fog computing. Moreover, latency is reduced and bandwidth can be saved by sacrificing some of the computational resources. Computational clusters are formed on the basis of cooperation behavior between the Small Cells (SC) to share computational resources. 4.3. Load Balancing However, the cooperation is dependent upon many factors such as resource availability, resource allocation, delay constraints of the application, distribution of computational load and size of the cluster. The joint distribution of resources for the mobile end-users and the cloud is the main objective problem of this framework. All the data that is being frequently accessed by the edge devices is stored at the Radio Units (RU), which considerably decreases the overall delay in the network of Fog-Radio Access Networks (F-RAN). However, in such systems, the energy efficiency aspect has always been a matter of serious concern due to the addition of extra smart components in the system. In [67], the authors have proposed a novel scheme by designing a green network in which an efficient algorithm is incorporated to optimize the selection of RU. Furthermore, the algorithm also jointly optimizes the formation of clustering and beamforming while maintaining the QoS and balancing the load of each of active backhaul as a measure of its capacity. While copying data from the database, edge devices may interfere with each other. To avoid this mishap, data replication techniques are used for copying data electronically from the main database where the data of all the users is hosted. Uniform distribution of data and processing is crucial over the network which in turn helps in managing the large amount of data and workload with efficiency. Fog computing not only helps in achieving higher efficiency, it also helps in balancing load across distributed platforms and achieving higher energy efficiency due to fewer performance bottlenecks. Verma et al. [68] have focused on making a network that is less dependent on cloud computing and bringing the storage and processing capabilities near the edge devices. The results are simulated with the help of CloudSim by testing different geographically separated servers and their configurations and then make comparisons between cloud and fog computing for various attributes. 5. Challenges with Solutions In general, there are many challenges towards industry 4.0 digital transformation. For M2M communication, reliable and stable connectivity with bounded delays is a mandatory requirement. Real-time communication is on the higher priority for this fourth revolution, which brings many Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 20 of 38 20 of 38 technical challenges for future network development. A well-designed network architecture can increase the sustainability and performance of the entire system. The journey towards industry 4.0 is on its way and until now there are no such standards, regulations, and certification to follow them.Although fog becoming a developing key enabling technology for IoT architecture, it still faces some issues while integrating into the current architecture. Complex software applications and solutions are needed to achieve an efficient fog network. Fog network will be analyzed in terms of key performance measurements, which are bandwidth use, energy consumption, low latency, maximum throughput, and resource management. In this section, critical technical communication and networking challenges in the context of fog computing for IIoT applications are listed. All of them have potential for future work. • Power Consumption/Energy Efficiency: Several smart devices supporting an IIoT application will consume a massive amount of energy on a different scale according to their requirements. Ensuring network QoS with minimum energy consumption of smart IoT devices, fog nodes and cloud in an optimized way is an open challenge for every upcoming future IIoT application. • Throughput/Rate/Capacity: Throughput or network bandwidth, data rate and storage capacity depends on how much data is used and where data is stored in a fog network. This data placement on fog nodes or edge devices or cloud server has effects on cost, delays, bandwidth, and network coverage. The optimal placement of data on cloud server or fog cloudlet is one of the critical technical challenges for fog-IoT architecture. • Spectrum Use/Resource Allocation: Geographically separated fog, cloud nodes and their interconnection makes the backbone of any network that relies on offloading services. Most of the cloud computing interconnection mechanisms are not enough for fog networking due to their limitations including relying on a centralized cloud which cannot fulfill the latency and location awareness requirements of distributed devices, etc. Fog computing must encompass features, such as multi-tenancy, scalability, heterogeneity and quick resource provisioning. An architecture including fog and cloud computing must meet all these requirements for which resource allocation/use is the most critical challenge for better network performance. 5. Challenges with Solutions It has effects on all other QoS parameters. • Latency: IIoT applications requirement is real-time connectivity. All applications are time-sensitive and require real-time streaming rather than batch processing. Fog computing gives a better result for such decentralized solutions. It gives low latency with reliable connectivity and mobility. Optimized placement of data centers, resource allocation, network architecture, energy consumption of nodes, and storage capacity of nodes have impact on latency. Latency for a network is the sum of transmission, processing, propagation and queuing delays. To achieve the low-latency requirement, there is need mitigate all types of delays. • Cache Enabled Edge Devices: Caching content locally, reduces the access delay time and increases the energy and spectral usage efficiency. Since the Internet has multiple bottlenecks while accessing data from across continents and oceans, caching does not have to be dependent on any of these bottlenecks and instead makes the same data available locally. Furthermore, caching incredibly reduces the load on backhaul links since they do not have to be used anymore for accessing data. Since all the users have to access the data from the same centralized location (internet/cloud server), a certain degree of fairness is needed to avoid inefficiency in accessing data. Since all the backhauls have certain capacity constraints, there is a need for an efficient load balancing mechanism to overcome this issue. Further, we discuss existing solutions to these mentioned challenges. Further, we discuss existing solutions to these mentioned challenges 5.1. Power Consumption/Energy Efficiency Objects are extensively being connected together using the IoT technologies. Heterogeneous smart objects, in the context of hardware and software, can perform efficiently in the availability of memory Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 21 of 38 and high computational power. Network’s complexity increases day by day, because of scalability issues of smart objects supporting IIoT applications. Virtualization has played a very crucial role in improving the overall efficiency of the data centers and now research has also been done on how virtualization can help in fog networks. Virtualization makes it easiest to deploy fog functionalities on an existing node (by isolating and securing fog services in a virtual machine or container). It also helps in conserving energy by efficiently consolidating the tasks on a single fog node. A comparison in terms of power consumption was studied in [69] between C-RAN and F-RAN using network function virtualization (NFV) technology. The authors have formulated a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problem, results for F-RAN are 30% more improved in terms of power-saving as compared to C-RAN. Roca et al. [70] have developed a platform using Fog-Function Virtualization, which works and builds on the concept of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) for multiple IoT applications. This, further with the help of node constellation creation, helps in easy deployment and reduces the cost considerably as less energy is required for running the system due to efficiently performing virtualization. Task scheduling is necessary as it helps with the load balancing aspect of networking and can provide services to multiple users. Cooperative games between the containers and brokers are studied for energy-efficient task selection algorithm. Kaur et al. [71] have achieved efficiency with the help of container-as-a-service (CaaS). Lightweight containers have been used which considerably reduce the energy consumption by a container migration techniques. This kind of virtualization is more cost-efficient for distributed architecture, where a large number of devices with different running applications/processes can be allocated to resources efficiently. Results achieved by the authors prove that the system is more energy-efficient. Graph-Based Heuristic algorithms were proposed by the authors in [72]. Type of problem is the integer linear programming (ILP) problem, the objective is to increase the energy efficiency under association and capacity threshold constraints for hybrid cloud-fog RAN (CF-RAN) architecture. Minimization of latency and power consumption is also addressed in the proposed system model. 5.1. Power Consumption/Energy Efficiency Fog computing along with NFV gives excellent outcomes in terms of reducing latency and power consumption. Energy can be saved by incorporating techniques, such as Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) in a fog-based environment [22]. In this scheme, the number of transmissions is reduced to save energy of the end devices. Using energy-efficient routing protocols is imperative to achieve energy efficiency. MQTT supports sensor data in real time due to its many-to-many communication nature. The concept of MQTT focuses on introducing another layer between the fog and cloud with lower complexity. MQTT broker place is at the fog layer. The intermediate layer is responsible for predicting the future measurements, and acts as a gateway for the upper layer. It helps to offload the computationally expensive tasks from the cloud to save in the storage memory of the fog server. This results in a reduced number of transmissions as the update only occurs in case of a mismatch. 5.2. Throughput/Rate/Capacity For network designing, a new paradigm known as Socially-Aware-Networking (SAN) has been of major interest [73]. To achieve efficient performance, SAN brings the human behavior and CPS together via intelligently designing of a network. This design should be adaptable as well for all environments. The resources available to mobile devices differ depending on the models and specifications. This resource availability results in a group of mobile devices that might be sufficient in terms of processing and storage parameters. Group of some might not be self-sufficient. The best solution to this problem is given by SAN and Fog-Radio Access Networking (F-RAN). D2D communication comprises the direct sharing of contents among mobile devices. Direct sharing is a key feature supporting D2D communication. For achieving efficient performance results, an imperative design of network embedded with all technologies is required. Research has shown that the system performance in terms of utility, throughput and energy efficiency is maximized using the 22 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 download mode with the help of branch and bound algorithm [74]. Klas et al. [75] and Cau et al. [76] worked on improving network efficiency Mobile Edge Computing (MEC). MEC is a domain under fog and focuses on providing cloud computing capabilities near the edge of network. Efforts and improvements have been made in MEC in order for it to support 5G communications. Another target of MEC is to achieve access to information provided by the radio network for application development and distribution of the content. It is predicted that data traffic over mobile devices will increase manifold in the next few years. Such increasing needs must be satisfied using efficient mechanisms. y g g A reliable service with an extremely low latency (URLLC) and high capacity is the foremost requirement of IIoT networks. Throughput maximization of the F-RAN system is compared with three different back-haul strategies for Small Cell Networks (SCN) in [77]. All these strategies namely, decode and forward, direct transmission and C-RAN were studied under delay threshold, rate constraint, and backhaul and fronthaul links. The authors proposed iterative algorithms for all strategies. For F-RAN, Pontois et al. in [78] formulated a non-convex optimization problem under fronthaul constraints. A hybrid semi-distributed resource allocation algorithm was proposed by the authors for the proposed weighted sum-rate maximization problem. Results show that there is a trade-off between maximum throughput and system latency. 5.2. Throughput/Rate/Capacity A multi-objective optimization problem was proposed by the authors in [79]. They have proposed three parallel algorithms to improve latency, throughput and resource management. A queuing model was studied under task buffering, offloading and resource allocation algorithms. Lyapunov drift was used by the authors to design the resource allocation policy. In results for better system performance, trade-off between latency and throughput is observed. [80] end-to-end performance is guaranteed after composition of problem as Multi-Constrained Optimal Path (MCOP). The authors propose a solution from the network architecture’s perspective and cloud service relation. The proposed algorithm provides better results in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. QoS parameters (capacity, delay and cost) gets improved by the proposed network-cloud service provisioning system model. 5.3. Spectrum Use/Resource Allocation Fog networking can provide a solution for resource management issue in future 5G networks. With a growing number of smart devices, the major issue is of spectrum use and resource allocation. Spectrum pricing and allocation scheme (SPAS) was proposed in [81] for F-RAN framework. Three areas were defined for the whole network, and double game theory was applied to give the solution for efficient spectrum use. Proposed two algorithms are named as game-model (GM-SPAS) and multiple-spectrum-reuse-technologies (MSRT-SPAS). Their presented results are effective in terms of revenue and efficiency. The problem of resource allocation with utility maximization objective under QoS constraints was formulated in [82]. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was proposed by the authors for finding the QoS requirements of IoT devices. Afterward, the matching theory was applied for user association. In [83], the authors have used the calculus of variation to find out the optimal spatial density of nodes such that the distribution of nodes can support the whole network. A Parallel Imperialistic Competitive Algorithm (PICA) is used to determine the initial positions of the access points. WSNs with immense scalability, immobility factor and low-deployment cost properties have limited processing and are resource-constrained. Smart Mobile Access Point (SMAP), which has been proposed by Majd et al. [84] aims at achieving higher resource use and energy efficiency with the adoption of hierarchical placement of SMAP in WSNs using fog computing. Moreno-Vozmediano et al. [85] have presented a framework for interconnection of fog and cloud computing, Hybrid Fog and Cloud (HFC), that provides effective, simple and productive resource provisioning. It also automates the process of configuring various virtual networks that are part of the network for interconnecting important components. The proposed architecture covers the salient features, such as security and scalability along with fog to fog, and fog to cloud communication mechanism. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 23 of 38 23 of 38 Shojafar et al. [86] propose a resource scheduler for Networked Fog Centers (NetFCs) that not only provides services to the vehicular client but is also energy efficient. NetFCs operate from vehicular network’s edge via Infrastructure to Vehicle (I2V) mobile links to the vehicular clients that are being served. Not only does the overall computation and communication energy efficiency get maximized but also the network performs better in terms of QoS requirements. 5.4. Latency Fog networking is a key paradigm to provide solutions to latency-sensitive future IIoT applications. Many researchers have contributed to cater latency minimization problem. Online Fog Network Formation Algorithm was proposed by Gilsoo et al. in [87] for minimizing the overall maximum latency (communication and processing) of a fog network. The objective problem constitutes of the sum of two types of delays i.e., fog network formation and task distribution. A joint energy and latency optimization (JELO) scheme for F-RAN was proposed in [88]. The joint optimization of energy consumption and latency was formulated as an integer-programming (IP) problem subject to user association, capacity and latency threshold. The proposed complex problem was divided into two sub-problems of knapsack and semi-assignment problem. The proposed algorithm gives better results as compared to the existing techniques in the literature. A latency minimization problem was formulated for IoT-fog network under user association, workload and latency threshold constraints. The authors have proposed a matching-game theory for the proposed resource management problem for network latency minimization [89]. Over the last few years, the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) has been a matter of growing interest. Cloud computing provides high performing IoT services to IoV, still, there are many shortcomings when it comes to mobility support, latency and location awareness. Xiuli Hi et al. [90] have integrated fog computing into SDN. While fog Computing helps with the latency of the network, SDN provides flexibility in the centralized control and providing the complete global knowledge of the network. Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle to Base station (V2B) communication can be supported by a weighted undirected graph having Road Side Units (RSUs). The simulation results given by the aforementioned authors decrease the latency and achieve a higher QoS. The scheme proposed by Skarlat et al. [91] tackles an optimization problem, providing a solution that there is no trade-off between communication and using resources and energy for computation. The applied system model demonstrates that in optimization scenarios, reduced average round-trip time (RTT) and delays up to 39 percent can be achieved using fog. The scheme also considers an independent cooperative number of working nodes. For the smart city, Fairness Cooperation Algorithm (FCA) was proposed by Dong et al. [92], for the joint optimization problem. 5.4. Latency The authors have formulated a convex-non-linear programming problem of minimizing the total system cost (delay and energy consumption), subject to power, workload and computation capacity threshold constraints. QoE and fairness of users under FCA was compared with baseline algorithm (BA) and distributed optimization algorithm (DOA). 5.3. Spectrum Use/Resource Allocation Moreover, hard QoS requirements induced by the application are met, such as reducing transmission rates, delay, and jitter. Resource scheduler is responsible for admission control, dispatching the allowed traffic using minimum energy and adaptively controlling the traffic that is being injected into the mobile connections. Few of the important characteristics of the scheduler include providing QoS guarantees induced by the application, implantation of the scheduler is both scalable and distributive. 5.5. Cache Enabled Edge Devices Fog networking is a vast field, which uses both smart objects and the already deployed network infrastructure. System can ensure QoS either by using already deployed network devices or by optimally dividing the tasks among edge devices or using both at the same time. Cache placement in edge devices/fog nodes in a network improves the efficiency of a system in terms of low power consumption, low-latency, high throughput, and efficient spectrum use. To deal with the congestion 24 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 problem at the backhaul link of F-RAN, authors have proposed a projection gradient method in [93]. To increase the throughput, they have used stochastic geometry to derive a close-form of successful transmission probability (STP). Afterward, the optimal placement of cache over the network was done. To fulfill the delay requirements, authors in [94] have proposed a decentralized asynchronous coding caching scheme. The result shows that the proposed algorithm is more efficient than existing algorithms present in the literature. A convex optimization problem of minimizing the worst-case fronthaul delay was formulated by the authors. Depending on application delay requirements, the proposed coded scheme gives synchronous and asynchronous transmission methods. The problem of user association with a fog node on the basis of lower latency is formulated in [95]. The authors have formulated the problem using game theory, for which they have used a proactive caching scheme and Boltzmann-Gibbs learning algorithm for solution. Latency of proposed fog network is the sum of computing and queuing delays. Different researchers have worked on the F-RAN design considering various aspects. For a green system, as discussed by Chen et al. [67,96], minimization of energy consumption is done by considering an F-RAN that is cache-enabled for the selection of Remote Radio Head (RRHs). For balancing front-haul traffic, Park et al. [97] have discussed a scheme to deliver data from Base Band Unit (BBU) and RRHs. Content placement problem involving caching has been discussed in X Peng et al. [98] and Dai et al. [99]. F-RANs accommodate caching in the road-side units. Di Chen et al. [100] have worked on maximizing the Signal to Interference Noise Ratio (SINR) to ensure fairness while jointly optimizing cluster formation and multicast beamforming. The objective function in this work has non-convex constraints and is collectively an NP-hard problem. Sensor-cloud system gives solutions to many applications in a smart city. 5.5. Cache Enabled Edge Devices The system was developed by the integration of CPS and cloud computing. Besides many benefits, a major problem is coupling resource management, which was discussed in [101]. They have introduced a fog layer between sensor and cloud layer, which emphasizes the services. Firstly, authors have proposed an algorithm for caching at fog layer, afterwards, Hungarian algorithm was extended to deal with the optimal use of resources on basis of maximum matching. The proposed algorithms result in the minimization of latency for sustainable services. 6. Open Research IIoT Application Domains, Fog Computing as an Enabler 6. Open Research IIoT Application Domains, Fog Computing as an Enabler In Industry 4.0, the digital transformation of the industry requires research development in all fields (smart city, D2D communication, transportation, healthcare, etc.). These all IIoT domains have same critical issues in communication and networking. Even though, fog computing has umpteenth applications in multiple research areas, few notable applications in respective of IIoT domain have been listed in Table 1 to gain an idea about the diverse use of fog computing. The main objective is achieving maximum benefits/solutions using fog computing for this industrial revolution at efficient optimized QoS measurements. Many authors have proposed solutions in past years to networking and communication challenges in order to leverage benefits using fog computing in all domains of IIoT. Some has started to provide prototypes for supporting their research, Table 2 has listed some case studies for various areas of open research. In this section, some of the past research works are summarized for readers to get an idea about the integration of fog computing with different pre-existing network architectures. This integration brings solutions to support IIoT applications, yet there are many open research areas in all fields that need to be solved in the coming future towards the industrial development. 25 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 Table 1. Literature Review: R.A=Resource Allocation, L=Latency, E=Energy, T/R/C=Throughput/Rate/Capacity, Cc=Cache, P=Power, H=Handover, B=Bandwidth, S=Security, T.L=Transmission Link. ew: R.A=Resource Allocation, L=Latency, E=Energy, T/R/C=Throughput/Rate/Capacity, Cc=Cache, P=Power, H=Handover, B=Bandwidth, Ref. 6. Open Research IIoT Application Domains, Fog Computing as an Enabler Table 2. Case studies, Fog Computing as an enabler. Ref. No IIoT Application Domain Case Study: Key Focus [122] smart city Smart city solutions have been deployed in cities, such as Barcelona and Venice, to make further advancements in e-governance [123] smart traffic control and health monitoring To increase flexibility in a fog computing in the context of Complex event processing (CEP), a case study is presented. The methodology, called “mechanism transitions”, is used to study how and where a query should be processed and how this decision affects the performance. [124] smart city Fog Computing Architecture Network (FOCAN) is presented to give low-latency and energy-efficient solution for smart city applications. It manages different application’s requirements by categorizing the traffic type and its flow. [125] city, factory, building, home Using an open-source platform Distributed Node-RED (DNR), authors have presented how applications can be decomposed and deployed. They build prototype for scalability and dynamic nature solutions using the network simulator Omnet++. [126] smart pipeline monitoring A sequential machine learning algorithm on every layer of fog-cloud architecture, sensors and Markov model are used to monitor, control and detection of hazardous events of a pipeline system. A working prototype was constructed to observe 12 distinct events. This prototype could be used for future city-wide pipeline safety measurements [127] smart transportation The extended policy management to support secure travel to user’s is presented by the authors. Four different route guiding scenarios are explained; namely depending on traffic condition, emergency connected vehicles (ECV), connected vehicle (CV) and probable collision detection. [128] smart transportation Smart transportation framework is proposed for Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication by the authors, on basis of the current traffic situation (road and vehicle’s condition, capacity). [129] big data Case study named as “Streamcloud” is presented to provide real-time energy-efficient solution. [130] healthcare Personalized missing data resilient decision-making approach is validated on a real human subject trial on maternity health. Data missing in critical applications is a very crucial challenge, that needs to be solved. [131] healthcare Table 2 in the mentioned paper gives some projects for healthcare monitoring supported by fog computing, cloud computing, and IoT. [132] healthcare A demo test-bed is developed on edge-IoT architecture for e-healthcare applications. Proposed EH-IoT gives better results towards bandwidth and latency requirements. The article also presents the benefits leveraging from IoT and edge computing from an industrial perspective. 6. Open Research IIoT Application Domains, Fog Computing as an Enabler [133] cardiac diseases A case study using Electrocardiogram (ECG) feature is discussed in the article to monitor health in real time. 6. Open Research IIoT Application Domains, Fog Computing as an Enabler No IIoT Application Domain R.A L E T/R/C Cc P H B S T.L Architecture [49] Mobility  Routing SDN [50] Big Data Analytics   Routing HetNets [51] Smart IoT devices    Downlink Cloud Computing [52] Smart IoT devices   Downlink RANs [53] Big Data Analytics   Downlink NOMA+RANs [59] VANETS  Downlink Cloud Computing [61] Healthcare    Downlink+Uplink Cloud Computing [62] Smart IoT devices    Downlink Fog-IoT [69] 5G network    Downlink NFV+RANs [72] Virtualized Passive Optical Networks (VPON)/5G   Downlink+Uplink RANs + Cloud Computing [77] Small Cell Networks (SCNs)/5G   Uplink RANs [78] 5G network    Downlink RANs [79]    Downlink Cloud Computing [81] 5G network   Downlink RANs [82] Heterogeneous IoT applications   Downlink HetNets [102] VANETs   VFC [84] Smart monitoring systems  Downlink WSN+CPS [85] Security   Routing VN+Cloud Computing [87] Heterogeneous IoT applications   Downlink Cloud Computing [88] Time-sensitive IoT applications   Uplink RANs [89] Heterogeneous IoT applications    Downlink Cloud Computing [93] Wireless network    RANs [94]   Downlink RANs [95] 5G network   Downlink Fog-IoT [103] Microgrid    Downlink VM+Cloud Computing [104] Security+Microgrids  Downlink Cloud Computing [105] Microgrid    Downlink Cloud Computing [101] Smart city   Routing CPS+Cloud Computing [92] Smart city   Downlink Fog-IoT [106] Multimedia    Downlink Cloud Computing [107] Secure and time saving multimedia   Routing ICN [108] Secure IoT applications  Downlink D2D [109]   Downlink D2D+RANs [110] 5G mobile network+V2G services  Routing V2G [111] VANETs   IoT+ITS Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 26 of 38 Table 1. Cont. Ref. No IIoT Application Domain R.A L E T/R/C Cc P H B S T.L Architecture [112] Mobility+VANETs  Downlink Cloud Computing [113] Mobility+VANETs     Downlink Fog-Ues [114] Mobility+Smart city   RANs+Cloud Comptinig [115] VANETs   Routing SDN [116] Heterogeneous IoT applications   Routing SDN+Blockchain [117] e-Healthcare  Downlink Blockchain [118] Cooperative+secure healthcare  Routing Fog+IoT [119] Big-Data Analytics+ security  Cloud Computing [120] Smart home a case study Cloud Computing [121] Smart city video applications   Routing Cloud Computing Table 1. Cont.  27 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 Table 2. Case studies, Fog Computing as an enabler. 6.2. Smart-Grids (SGs) Due to an increase in the number of devices required by a user at home, residential usage of electricity has been increasing with time. The proposed modern solutions, such as SGs, greatly improve the reliability, efficiency, and sustainability of the system in an automated way. Using communication technologies, SGs works on gathered information about consumer’s and supplier’s behavior. As SGs are distributed systems implemented on a very large scale, fog computing is ideal to deal with such a scenario. For this purpose, Foteini Beligianni et al. [135] have discussed how IoTs and fog computing can be integrated into the power systems without compromising user privacy. The proposed architecture works on demand-response service to ensure privacy by using standard protocols and open-source resources. For devising a power plan for all the devices, a load scheduler is placed in the system while data management performs all the necessary actions that are required to process the data. The software architecture of the proposed solution is based on Lambda architecture which embodies edge computing. To meet the demands of real time processing, collecting information, computing and storing the data generated by multiple smart meters, the aforementioned researchers have proposed a fog-based solution. Fog networking acts as a bridge between the cloud and the SG. With fog networking, geographically distributed smart meters can be employed. Latency is reduced while improving location awareness and privacy for SG. Furthermore, Rao et al. [136] have worked on how to maintain the QoS by minimizing the expense of electricity using coordination between data centers. 6.1. Micro-Grids (MGs) Multiple loads and distributed renewable energy resources combine to form an electrical system named as MG. This energy is stored in the storage devices, though, it can have significant power losses when power is exchanged between different MGs. It increases reliability and efficiency of the system. In [104] authors implemented their proposed framework on a test MG system. Performance was observed for the proposed three-layer fog computing system. A convex linear programming problem was formulated with an objective of minimizing the total cost in terms of power consumption. The constraints are total load threshold which was calculated using the power balance equation. The equation has three types of powers with threshold range namely, dispatchable, non-dispatchable and grid power. Graph theory was applied to the proposed system and a fast consensus-based algorithm by taking advantage of fog computing was proposed. An optimization problem of power demand problem was discussed in [105] for hybrid fog-cloud system. The high volume of data by the 28 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 28 of 38 number of smart devices results computation delays at cloud also it involves more power consumption. This power consumption can be optimized after load balancing among fog nodes and cloud server. Jalali et al. [134] have discussed various ways for the deployment of IoT nodes in an energy-efficient way. The authors have used MGs and fog computing as an enabler with an aim to reduce the energy consumption by the IoT specific applications. Energy consumption of various types has been discussed i.e., energy consumed during computation and balancing traffic on fog as well as the cloud. Renewable energy is stored in MGs, which can be used for further processing. Dynamic decisions such as weather forecasting or renewable energy availability causes dependent energy-saving processes. 6.3. Multimedia Multimedia communication involves a large amount of audio and video data, being produced by smart IIoT devices. This ever-increasing amount of multimedia content brings new challenges. Low-latency and energy-efficient solutions are required to provide services. A direct consequence of increasing multimedia traffic is overburdening of the already strained mobile access network channels. The essential components of a multimedia communication system can be visualized with the help of Figure 1. The authors in [106], have formulated a cost minimization optimization problem, this cost depends on scheduler decisions. Scheduler takes decisions regarding distribution and states (open or close) of fog nodes. This cost minimization problem alternatively converted into multimedia user’s (MMU) response time minimization problem under capacity, coverage zone area and association constraints. The authors have introduced a fog node to resolve the resource management and latency issues between cloud and MMUs. Using Stackelberg game, an online resource allocation scheme was proposed. The enormous amount of data production for smart applications, need security and privacy as well. The authors have proposed a chaotic cryptographic method to ensure security along with low-latency requirements for Information-Centric Multimedia Network (ICMN) [107]. The speed of encryption and decryption of multimedia streams in the cryptographic method, was enhanced using fog computing. 6.4. Device to Device (D2D) Communication 6.4. Device to Device (D2D) Communication Researchers have to find a new way in which devices can independently work without using the existing cellular infrastructure. The demand for new infrastructure development is due to the increase 29 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 in the number of smart devices that causes scarcity in spectrum and resources. This idea gives rise to D2D communication technology in which devices are part of the Internet and can communicate with each other without the involvement of internet infrastructure. This direct communication will result in less usage of the wireless spectrum. A device is itself constrained-bounded in terms of parameters, such as energy or resources, hence cloud and fog computing technologies support them. These emerging technologies enhance processing capabilities and result in efficient system formation. Cloud services for D2D communications have performance bottleneck as devices use direct communication, hence an alternative fog service is required. Fog with the same set of services, provide better performance. Fog networking act as an alternative of cloud, as it provides desired requirements in the vicinity of edge devices. Researchers have proposed D2D fogging to address energy-efficient task offloading in D2D communication [137]. The proposed method includes a framework for task offloading and uses assistance from the network for D2D. Mobile users use the communication and computation resources of each other dynamically. After discussing several security issues in fog computing, authors have proposed three lightweight anonymous authentication protocols (LAAPs) [108]. The proposed scheme with the aid of D2D communication, is feasible for IoT devices which are resource-limited. Li et al. [109] proposed a F-community architecture for F-RAN followed by a data caching scheme. The caching scheme for UEs in D2D aided F-RAN helps in reduction of delays. Nodes in the system with higher chances of being selected as the central nodes store the most popular content in their cache. For access to any data, a user receives data from the cache stored previously. Kaur et al. [138] have proposed cachinMobile, which, compared to the cloud, can meet the low latency and energy efficiency requirements by using the elastic services provided by the nodes at the edge. Energy efficiency and low latency requirements is a major issue in this technique as the resources at the edge and the devices that are mobile. 6.4. Device to Device (D2D) Communication This approach has proposed to use D2D communication to carry out communication at a short distance and save network resources. CachinMobile not only improves energy efficiency but also maintains QoS. 6.6. Big-Data Analytics As the next revolutionized era comprises enormous smart devices that supports IIoT applications, this causes the generation of a significant amount of data. Due to the widespread acceptance of fog computing, significant research has been carried out in the domain of big-data analytics. Recent advancements show an indication that fog networking has the potential to provide solutions in this field. Fog computing, as an extension of cloud computing, gives solutions to problems such as location-awareness, mobility, big-data analytics, and cyber threats. Author in [119] have designed a three-layer architecture of IoT-Fog-Cloud that supports big-data analytics and security applications. Author summarized cyber attack types and compared the existing security solutions. The authors in [140] provide a review article on fog computing challenges in the context of big IoT analytics. 6.5. Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) When renewable energy is available it is used to charge plug-in electric vehicles. Otherwise, these electric vehicles are used as the source of energy. The use of alternative energy source will reduce the power burden on the grid during peak hours. Owners of these plug-in electric vehicles got paid by electric companies using metering systems. It provides some relief to electric companies in terms of payment, traffic load, and energy consumption during peak hours. In smart grids, a distributed architecture with storage and processing capabilities is need to be deployed, as there is a high factor of mobility in V2G. To implement the V2G services in the 5G network, a hybrid fog and cloud architecture was proposed by researchers in [110]. Open issues, such as energy efficiency, resource management, security, and privacy are needed to be addressed in the future to improve system efficiency. Security is a big challenge in VANETS, fog computing integration is smart transportation brings solution to this challenge. Ma et al. [111] have designed a new authenticated key agreement (AKA) protocol for fog-based VANETs. The authors in [112] compared fog and cloud computing performance in a real VANET environment. Results shows that fog computing gives better services for real-time scenario applications, namely traffic detection and time estimation. Fog computing performs well because it supports the main attributes of VANETs that are location-awareness, mobility and real-time communication. Integration of the Internet of Things with VANETs gives rise to Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is a matter of growing interest over the last few years [139]. 6.5. Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) This area is named as Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), which is an emerging area with many open issues that need to be solved. A transportation service and automobile service management involves the controlling and monitoring of the transportation network. ITS is designed in such a way that this system can satisfy the required QoS parameters of the transportation network. These QoS requirements involve reliable connection, efficient performance, safety, and privacy requirement, mobility and scalability requirement. A transportation network system aided with ITS technology has components that can be optimized. These are Global Positing System (GPS), RFID sensor tags and readers, road-side equipment for example traffic lights, signals, road bank cameras, cars. These ITS subsystems integrated with IoT technology elements will help in monitoring and managing of transportation environment; distribution of vehicles according to the scenario; manufacturing of ITS; shipping, tracking and monitoring of physical objects. Enormous number of such physical objects embedded with data processing capabilities, integrated with RFID sensors along with networking technologies will promote IIoT applications. These IIoT applications will help in monitoring the exact original location as well as destination location of vehicle or aero-plane or ships along with the followed path traffic condition or environment effects or any emergency road situation. Many authors have done research in designing ITS supportive transportation networks optimizing wireless communication technologies, RFID tags or antennas. The use of IoT technology in the transportation industry and systems results in new research domains such as vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs), internet of vehicles (IoV) and vehicle to grid (V2G). These domains are very promising areas of research. In recent times the integration of VANETs with fog computing results in better efficient system designing. Services of automotive connectivity architecture can be improved using fog computing as an enabler for smart transportation (ITS), such as the one shown in Figure 1 (Transportation). Efficiency is improved in terms of minimizing the 30 of 38 30 of 38 Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 latency for time-sensitive applications using fog computing. Being an integral part of the ITS, VANETs have many applications. Computation and communication demands are hard to meet in the cloud architecture. Incorporating fog networking not only fulfills the demands but also improves latency, location awareness and energy efficiency. For power management, there is a need for new technologies. For this problem Vehicle to Grid (V2G) is a recent concept with open issues, that uses renewable energy. 6.7. Software Defined Networking (SDN) SDN is an evolving concept to remotely control the entire network from a centralized location. Distributed networks can be integrated with SDN architecture for more granularity of control in the network. Since edge computing is done near the edge devices, there is a high probability that the edge devices are mobile due to the exponential evolution of smartphones and other handheld devices. Similarly, the ever-changing requirements of resources for each user brings a certain degree of dynamism in the network which needs to be catered to ensure efficient operation. Since fog is a new concept and it cannot completely replace the existing cloud architecture, both fog and cloud work hand in hand for smooth operation of the network. The interplay between fog networking and cloud computing is always there when both work in an integrated fashion. The four-layer architecture was studied for end-to-end delay, energy consumption and packet loss ratio in [115]. The authors formulate mixed integer programming (MIP) problem of minimizing the energy consumption under data rate, bandwidth and delay threshold constraints. A new routing protocol was proposed for VANET applications using SDN and fog computing, named as Energy Efficient Multicast routing protocol (EEMSFV). SDN controller, OpenFlow switches and fog computing works under two algorithms, Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 31 of 38 priority based scheduling algorithm for classifying the traffic message type (emergency or safety applications) and a classification algorithm to schedule the requests. priority based scheduling algorithm for classifying the traffic message type (emergency or safety applications) and a classification algorithm to schedule the requests. 7. Conclusions Acknowledgments: This work was supported by Zayed University Research Office, Research Cluster Award # R17079. Acknowledgments: This work was supported by Zayed University Research Office, Research Cluster Award # R17079. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. 7. Conclusions Industry 4.0, a revolutionized era which will have a massive number of smart devices that will support IIoT applications in every field. This deployment of smart devices will change all domains of human life’s perspective. IIoT applications will provide solutions to all fields, such as transportation, healthcare, food supply chain, education, and industry. These IIoT applications will provide efficient, effective solutions for future networks. There are challenges in communication and networking in terms of latency, bandwidth, resource allocation, and storage. All these advanced IIoT applications will create a huge amount of data, causing a burden on the cloud. Even though cloud computing provides services to the edge devices, it incurs huge latency, resource allocation challenges, caching placement problems, energy consumption. These issues are detrimental to the QoS aspect of a network. Fog as an extension of cloud provides a platform to compute, control, store and manage these IIoT devices. In the future, it will reshape all sectors involving IIoT applications, with the integration of important existing communication technologies namely, CPS, SDN, NFV, 5G, D2D. This brings computation, resource management, and storage challenges. In this paper, first, we gave an overview of IIoT applications and its enabling technologies used for new revolutionized era. The pre existing protocols and solutions to challenges related to fog computing are summarized. In the end, we have mentioned open research IIoT domains, in which fog computing can act as an enabler. We have previewed the work carried out by numerous researchers incorporating fog computing to provide services to IIoT edge devices leveraging towards Industry 4.0 way. Critical review of some existing work is summarized in the table, which can be used to find open research challenges. Towards the development of this industrial transformative epoch, most of the research work is still uncertain and waiting. This is an interesting era to discover what fog computing may contribute to the world of automation in the coming future. Author Contributions: R.B. is the main author for this survey article, who wrote the original draft. M.A. (Mudassar Ali), S.Q., M.A. (Monther Aldwairi), M.I.A., and A.M. contributed in terms of conceptualization, organization and validation of the article. A.M., M.G. and M.A. (Monther Aldwairi) also contributed to acquire funds. ding: This work was supported by the Swedish Knowledge Foundation under Grant 20180178. Funding: This work was supported by the Swedish Knowledge Foundation under Grant 20180178. References 1. Rivera, J.; Goasduff, L. Gartner says a thirty-fold increase in internet-connected physical devices by 2020 will significantly alter how the supply chain operates. Gartner 2014. Available online: https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2014-03-24-gartner-says-a-thirty-fold-increase- in-internet-connected-physical-devices-by-2020-will-significantly-alter-how-the-supply-chain-operates (accessed on 19 July 2019). y 2. Roblek, V.; Meško, M.; Krapež, A. A complex view of industry 4.0. Sage Open 2016, 6. [CrossRef] y 2. Roblek, V.; Meško, M.; Krapež, A. A complex view of industry 4.0. Sage Open 2016, 6. [CrossRef] 3. Thames, L.; Schaefer, D. Software-defined cloud manufacturing for industry 4.0. Procedia CIRP 2016, 52, 12–17. [CrossRef] 3. Thames, L.; Schaefer, D. Software-defined cloud manufacturing for industry 4.0. Procedia CIRP 2016, 52, 12–17. [CrossRef] 4. Varghese, A.; Tandur, D. Wireless requirements and challenges in Industry 4.0. In Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Contemporary Computing and Informatics (IC3I), Mysore, India, 27–29 November 2014; pp. 634–638. 4. Varghese, A.; Tandur, D. Wireless requirements and challenges in Industry 4.0. In Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Contemporary Computing and Informatics (IC3I), Mysore, India, 27–29 November 2014; pp. 634–638. pp 5. Akpakwu, G.A.; Silva, B.J.; Hancke, G.P.; Abu-Mahfouz, A.M. A survey on 5G networks for the Internet of Things: Communication technologies and challenges. IEEE Access 2018, 6, 3619–3647. [CrossRef] pp 5. Akpakwu, G.A.; Silva, B.J.; Hancke, G.P.; Abu-Mahfouz, A.M. A survey on 5G networks for the Internet of Things: Communication technologies and challenges. IEEE Access 2018, 6, 3619–3647. [CrossRef] Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 32 of 38 32 of 38 6. Vangelista, L.; Zanella, A.; Zorzi, M. Long-range IoT technologies: The dawn of LoRaTM. In Future Access Enablers of Ubiquitous and Intelligent Infrastructures; Springer: Cham, Switzerland, 2015; pp. 51–58. 7. Osseiran, A.; Boccardi, F.; Braun, V.; Kusume, K.; Marsch, P.; Maternia, M.; Queseth, O.; Schellmann, M.; Schotten, H.; Taoka, H.; et al. Scenarios for 5G mobile and wireless communications: The vision of the METIS project. IEEE Commun. Mag. 2014, 52, 26–35. [CrossRef] 8. Christensen, J.H. Using RESTful web-services and cloud computing to create next generation mobile applications. In Proceedings of the 24th ACM SIGPLAN Conference Companion on Object Oriented Programming Systems Languages and Applications, Orlando, FL, USA, 25–29 October 2009; pp. 627–634. 9. Buyya, R.; Yeo, C.S.; Venugopal, S.; Broberg, J.; Brandic, I. Cloud computing and emerging IT platforms: Vision, hype, and reality for delivering computing as the 5th utility. Future Gener. Comput. Syst. 2009, 25, 599–616. [CrossRef] 10. Atlam, H.F.; Alenezi, A.; Alharthi, A.; Walters, R.J.; Wills, G.B. References Integration of cloud computing with internet of things: Challenges and open issues. In Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Internet of Things (iThings) and IEEE Green Computing and Communications (GreenCom) and IEEE Cyber, Physical and Social Computing (CPSCom) and IEEE Smart Data (SmartData), Exeter, UK, 21–23 June 2017; pp. 670–675. 1. Ai, Y.; Peng, M.; Zhang, K. Edge computing technologies for Internet of Things: A pri Digit. Commun. Netw. 2018, 4, 77–86. [CrossRef] 12. Peter, N. Fog computing and its real time applications. Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Adv. Eng. 2015, 5, 266–269. 13. Aazam, M.; Huh, E.N. Fog computing and smart gateway based communication for cloud of things. In Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Future Internet of Things and Cloud, Barcelona, Spain, 24–29 August 2014; pp. 464–470. 14. Atlam, H.F.; Alenezi, A.; Walters, R.J.; Wills, G.B.; Daniel, J. Developing an adaptive Risk-based access control model for the Internet of Things. In Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Internet of Things (iThings) and IEEE Green Computing and Communications (GreenCom) and IEEE Cyber, Physical and Social Computing (CPSCom) and IEEE Smart Data (SmartData), Exeter, UK, 21–23 June 2017; pp. 655–661. 15. Bonomi, F.; Milito, R.; Zhu, J.; Addepalli, S. Fog computing and its role in the Internet of things. In Proceedings of the First Edition of the MCC Workshop on Mobile Cloud Computing, Helsinki, Finland, 13–17 August 2012; pp. 13–16. g pp 16. Wen, Z.; Yang, R.; Garraghan, P.; Lin, T.; Xu, J.; Rovatsos, M. Fog orchestration for internet of things services. IEEE Internet Comput. 2017, 21, 16–24. [CrossRef] 17. Verma, M.; Bhardwaj, N.; Yadav, A.K. Real time efficient scheduling algorithm for load balancing in fog computing environment. Int. J. Inf. Technol. Comput. Sci 2016, 8, 1–10. [CrossRef] 18. Fog Computing and the Internet of Things: Extend the Cloud to Where the Things Are. White Paper. 2016. Available online: https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/solutions/trends/iot/docs/computing-overview. pdf (accessed on 19 September 2019). 19. Atlam, H.; Walters, R.; Wills, G. Fog computing and the Internet of things: A review. Big Data Cogn. Comput. 2018, 2, 10. [CrossRef] 20. Chiang, M.; Zhang, T. Fog and IoT: An overview of research opportunities. IEEE Internet Things J. 2016, 3, 854–864. [CrossRef] 21. Liu, Y.; Fieldsend, J.E.; Min, G. A framework of fog computing: Architecture, challenges, and optimization. IEEE Access 2017, 5, 25445–25454. [CrossRef] 22. Peralta, G.; Iglesias-Urkia, M.; Barcelo, M.; Gomez, R.; Moran, A.; Bilbao, J. References Fog computing based efficient IoT scheme for the Industry 4.0. In Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE International Workshop of Electronics, Control, Measurement, Signals and their Application to Mechatronics (ECMSM), Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain, 24–26 May 2017; pp. 1–6. 23. Bonomi, F.; Milito, R.; Natarajan, P.; Zhu, J. Fog computing: A platform for internet of things and analytics. In Big Data and Internet of Things: A Roadmap for Smart Environments; Springer: New York, NY, USA, 2014; pp. 169–186. 24. Agarwal, S.; Yadav, S.; Yadav, A.K. An efficient architecture and algorithm for resource provisioning in fog computing. Int. J. Inf. Eng. Electron. Bus. 2016, 8, 48. [CrossRef] Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 33 of 38 25. Ketel, M. Fog-cloud services for iot. In Proceedings of the of the SouthEast Conference, Kennesaw, GA, USA, 13–15 April 2017; pp. 262–264. 26. Georgakopoulos, D.; Jayaraman, P.P.; Fazia, M.; Villari, M.; Ranjan, R. Internet of Things and edge cloud computing roadmap for manufacturing. IEEE Cloud Comput. 2016, 3, 66–73. [CrossRef] 27. Lu, Y. Industry 4.0: A survey on technologies, applications and open research issues. J. Ind. Inf. Integr. 2017, 6, 1–10. [CrossRef] 28. Camarillo, A.; Ríos, J.; Althoff, K.D. Product Lifecycle Management as Data Repository for Manufacturing Problem Solving. Materials 2018, 11, 1469. [CrossRef] 29. Obst, M.; Holm, T.; Urbas, L.; Fay, A.; Kreft, S.; Hempen, U.; Albers, T. Semantic description of process modules. In Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE 20th Conference on Emerging Technologies & Factory Automation (ETFA), Luxembourg, 8–11 September 2015; pp. 1–8. 30. Li, B.; Zhao, Z.; Guan, Y.; Ai, N.; Dong, X.; Wu, B. Task Placement Across Multiple Public Clouds With Deadline Constraints for Smart Factory. IEEE Access 2018, 6, 1560–1564. [CrossRef] 31. Chen, H.; Abbas, R.; Cheng, P.; Shirvanimoghaddam, M.; Hardjawana, W.; Bao, W.; Li, Y.; Vucetic, B. Ultra-reliable low latency cellular networks: Use cases, challenges and approaches. IEEE Commun. Mag. 2018, 56, 119–125. [CrossRef] 2. Ladiges, J.; Fay, A.; Holm, T.; Hempen, U.; Urbas, L.; Obst, M.; Albers, T. Integration of modular pro units into process control systems. IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl. 2018, 54, 1870–1880. [CrossRef] 33. Vogel-Heuser, B.; Diedrich, C.; Pantförder, D.; Göhner, P. Coupling heterogeneous production systems by a multi-agent based cyber-physical production system. In Proceedings of the 2014 12th IEEE International Conference on Industrial Informatics (INDIN), Porto Alegre, Brazil, 27–30 July 2014; pp. 713–719. 34. Wan, J.; Tang, S.; Shu, Z.; Li, D.; Wang, S.; Imran, M.; Vasilakos, A.V. References Software-defined industrial internet of things in the context of industry 4.0. IEEE Sens. J. 2016, 16, 7373–7380. [CrossRef] 35. Gruber, F.E. Industry 4.0: A best practice project of the automotive industry. In Proceedings of the IFIP International Conference on Digital Product and Process Development Systems, Dresden, Germany, 10–11 October 2013; pp. 36–40. 36. Vaquero, L.M.; Rodero-Merino, L. Finding your way in the fog: Towards a comprehensive definition of fog computing. ACM SIGCOMM Comput. Commun. Rev. 2014, 44, 27–32. [CrossRef] 37. Stock, T.; Seliger, G. Opportunities of sustainable manufacturing in industry 4.0. Procedia Cirp 2016, 40, 536–541. [CrossRef] 38. Elliott, J.A. An Introduction to Sustainable Development; Routledge: Abingdon, UK, 2012. 39. Bibri, S.E.; Krogstie, J. Smart sustainable cities of the future: An extensive interdisciplinary literature review. Sustain. Cities Soc. 2017, 31, 183–212. [CrossRef] 40. Schlechtendahl, J.; Keinert, M.; Kretschmer, F.; Lechler, A.; Verl, A. Making existing production systems Industry 4.0-ready. Prod. Eng. 2015, 9, 143–148. [CrossRef] 41. Mouradian, C.; Naboulsi, D.; Yangui, S.; Glitho, R.H.; Morrow, M.J.; Polakos, P.A. A comprehensive survey on fog computing: State-of-the-art and research challenges. IEEE Commun. Surv. Tutor. 2017, 20, 416–464. [CrossRef] 42. Dong, M.; Ota, K.; Liu, A. Preserving source-location privacy through redundant fog loop for wireless sensor networks. In Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE International Conference on Computer and Information Technology; Ubiquitous Computing and Communications; Dependable, Autonomic and Secure Computing; Pervasive Intelligence and Computing (CIT/IUCC/DASC/PICOM), Liverpool, UK, 26–28 October 2015; pp. 1835–1842. 43. Huang, L.; Li, G.; Wu, J.; Li, L.; Li, J.; Morello, R. Software-defined QoS provisioning for fog computing advanced wireless sensor networks. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE SENSORS, Orlando, FL, USA, 30 October–3 November 2016; pp. 1–3. 44. Liu, Y.; Gao, J.; Jia, Y.; Zhu, L. A cluster maintenance algorithm based on LEACH-DCHS protoclol. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Networking, Architecture, and Storage, 2008. NAS’08, Chongqing, China, 12–14 June 2008; pp. 165–166. 45. Handy, M.; Haase, M.; Timmermann, D. Low energy adaptive clustering hierarchy with deterministic cluster-head selection. In Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Mobile and Wireless Communications Network, Stockholm, Sweden, 9–11 September 2002; pp. 368–372. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 34 of 38 34 of 38 46. Smaragdakis, G.; Matta, I.; Bestavros, A. Sep: A Stable Election Protocol for Clustered Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks; Technical Report; Boston University Computer Science Department: Boston, MA, USA, 2004. 47. Singh, D.; Panda, C.K. References Performance analysis of modified stable election protocol in heterogeneous wsn. In Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Signals, Communication and Optimization (EESCO), Visakhapatnam, India, 24–25 January 2015; pp. 1–5. 48. Naranjo, P.G.V.; Shojafar, M.; Abraham, A.; Baccarelli, E. A new stable election-based routing algorithm to preserve aliveness and energy in fog-supported wireless sensor networks. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC), Budapest, Hungary, 9–12 October 2016; pp. 2413–2418. pp 49. Bi, Y.; Han, G.; Lin, C.; Deng, Q.; Guo, L.; Li, F. Mobility support for fog computing: An SDN approach. IEEE Commun. Mag. 2018, 56, 53–59. [CrossRef] 50. Wang, X.; Yang, L.T.; Kuang, L.; Liu, X.; Zhang, Q.; Deen, M.J. A tensor-based big-data-driven routing recommendation approach for heterogeneous networks. IEEE Netw. 2019, 33, 64–69. [CrossRef] 51. Du, J.; Zhao, L.; Feng, J.; Chu, X. Computation offloading and resource allocation in mixed fog/cloud computing systems with min-max fairness guarantee. IEEE Trans. Commun. 2018, 66, 1594–1608. [CrossRef] 52. Sun, Y.; Peng, M.; Mao, S.; Yan, S. Hierarchical radio resource allocation for network slicing in fog radio k IEEE T V h T h l 2019 68 3866 3881 [C R f] 51. Du, J.; Zhao, L.; Feng, J.; Chu, X. Computation offloading and resource allocation in mixed fog/cloud computing systems with min-max fairness guarantee. IEEE Trans. Commun. 2018, 66, 1594–1608. [CrossRef] 52 S Y P M M S Y S Hi hi l di ll i f k li i i f di , J ; , ; g, J ; , p g g computing systems with min-max fairness guarantee. IEEE Trans. Commun. 2018, 66, 1594–1608. [CrossRef] 52. Sun, Y.; Peng, M.; Mao, S.; Yan, S. Hierarchical radio resource allocation for network slicing in fog radio access networks. IEEE Trans. Veh. Technol. 2019, 68, 3866–3881. [CrossRef] 52. Sun, Y.; Peng, M.; Mao, S.; Yan, S. Hierarchical radio resource allocation for network slicing in fog radio access networks. IEEE Trans. Veh. Technol. 2019, 68, 3866–3881. [CrossRef] 53. Zhang, H.; Qiu, Y.; Long, K.; Karagiannidis, G.K.; Wang, X.; Nallanathan, A. Resource allocation in NOMA-based fog radio access networks. IEEE Wirel. Commun. 2018, 25, 110–115. [CrossRef] 54. Madsen, H.; Burtschy, B.; Albeanu, G.; Popentiu-Vladicescu, F. Reliability in the utility computing era: Towards reliable fog computing. References In Proceedings of the 2013 20th International Conference on Systems, Signals and Image Processing (IWSSIP), Bucharest, Romania, 7–9 July 2013; pp. 43–46. 55. Hong, K.; Lillethun, D.; Ramachandran, U.; Ottenwälder, B.; Koldehofe, B. Mobile fog: A programming model for large-scale applications on the internet of things. In Proceedings of the Second ACM SIGCOMM Workshop on Mobile cloud Computing, Hong Kong, China, 12–16 August 2013; pp. 15–20. 56. Zhu, J.; Chan, D.S.; Prabhu, M.S.; Natarajan, P.; Hu, H.; Bonomi, F. Improving web sites performance using edge servers in fog computing architecture. In Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Seventh International Symposium on Service-Oriented System Engineering, Redwood City, CA, USA, 25–28 March 2013; pp. 320–323. pp 57. Rudenko, E. Fog Computing Is a New Concept of Data Distribution. Available online: https://xcluesiv. com/fog-computing-is-a-new-concept-of-data-distribution/ (accessed on 19 July 2019). 58. Do, C.T.; Tran, N.H.; Pham, C.; Alam, M.G.R.; Son, J.H.; Hong, C.S. A proximal algorithm for joint resource allocation and minimizing carbon footprint in geo-distributed fog computing. In Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Information Networking (ICOIN), Siem Reap, Cambodia, 12–14 January 2015; pp. 324–329. 59. Ning, Z.; Huang, J.; Wang, X. Vehicular fog computing: Enabling real-time traffic management for smart cities. IEEE Wirel. Commun. 2019, 26, 87–93. [CrossRef] 60. Mutlag, A.A.; Ghani, M.K.A.; Arunkumar, N.a.; Mohamed, M.A.; Mohd, O. Enabling technologies for fog computing in healthcare IoT systems. Future Gener. Comput. Syst. 2019, 90, 62–78. [CrossRef] 61. Khattak, H.A.; Arshad, H.; ul Islam, S.; Ahmed, G.; Jabbar, S.; Sharif, A.M.; Khalid, S. Utilization and load balancing in fog servers for health applications. EURASIP J. Wirel. Commun. Netw. 2019, 2019, 91. [CrossRef] 62. Abkenar, F.S.; Jamalipour, A. EBA: Energy Balancing Algorithm for Fog-IoT Networks. IEEE Internet Things J. 2019, 6, 6843–6849. [CrossRef] 63. Beraldi, R.; Mtibaa, A.; Alnuweiri, H. Cooperative load balancing scheme for edge computing resources. In Proceedings of the 2017 Second International Conference on Fog and Mobile Edge Computing (FMEC), Valencia, Spain, 8–11 May 2017; pp. 94–100. 64. Armbrust, M.; Fox, A.; Griffith, R.; Joseph, A.D.; Katz, R.; Konwinski, A.; Lee, G.; Patterson, D.; Rabkin, A.; Stoica, I.; et al. A view of cloud computing. Commun. ACM 2010, 53, 50–58. [CrossRef] 65. Ningning, S.; Chao, G.; Xingshuo, A.; Qiang, Z. Fog computing dynamic load balancing mechanism based on graph repartitioning. China Commun. 2016, 13, 156–164. [CrossRef] 65. Ningning, S.; Chao, G.; Xingshuo, A.; Qiang, Z. Fog computing dynam on graph repartitioning. References China Commun. 2016, 13, 156–164. [CrossRef] 66. Deng, R.; Lu, R.; Lai, C.; Luan, T.H.; Liang, H. Optimal workload allocation in fog-cloud computing toward balanced delay and power consumption. IEEE Internet Things J. 2016, 3, 1171–1181. [CrossRef] Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 35 of 38 35 of 38 67. Chen, D.; Kuehn, V. Adaptive radio unit selection and load balancing in the downlink of Fog radio access network. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), Washington, DC, USA, 4–8 December 2016; pp. 1–7. 68. Verma, S.; Yadav, A.K.; Motwani, D.; Raw, R.; Singh, H.K. An efficient data replication and load balancing technique for fog computing environment. In Proceedings of the 2016 3rd International Conference on Computing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom), New Delhi, India, 16–18 March 2016; pp. 2888–2895. 69. Zeng, Y.; Al-Quzweeni, A.; Elgorashi, T.E.; Elmirghani, J.M. Energy Efficient virtualization framework for 5G F-RAN. arXiv 2019, arXiv:1904.02481. 70. Roca, D.; Quiroga, J.V.; Valero, M.; Nemirovsky, M. Fog function virtualization: A flexible solution for iot applications. In Proceedings of the 2017 Second International Conference on Fog and Mobile Edge Computing (FMEC), Valencia, Spain, 8–11 May 2017; pp. 74–80. 71. Kaur, K.; Dhand, T.; Kumar, N.; Zeadally, S. Container-as-a-service at the edge: Trade-off between energy efficiency and service availability at fog nano data centers. IEEE Wirel. Commun. 2017, 24, 48–56. [CrossRef] 72. Tinini, R.I.; Batista, D.M.; Figueiredo, G.B.; Tornatore, M.; Mukherjee, B. Low-latency and energy-efficient BBU placement and VPON formation in virtualized cloud-fog RAN. IEEE/OSA J. Opt. Commun. Netw. 2019, 11, B37–B48. [CrossRef] 73. Xia, F.; Liu, L.; Li, J.; Ma, J.; Vasilakos, A.V. Socially aware networking: A survey. IEEE Syst. J. 2015, 9, 904–921. [CrossRef] 74. Zhang, C.; Sun, Y.; Mo, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Bu, S. Social-aware content downloading for fog radio access networks supported device-to-device communications. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE International Conference on Ubiquitous Wireless Broadband (ICUWB), Nanjing, China, 16–19 October 2016; pp. 1–4. 75. Klas, G.I. Fog Computing and Mobile Edge cloud Gain Momentum Open Fog Consortium, Etsi Mec and Cloudlets. 2015. Available online: https://yucianga.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/15_11_22-_Fog_ computing_and_mobile_edge_cloud_gain_momentum_Open_Fog_Consortium-ETSI_MEC-Cloudlets_ v1_1.pdf (accessed on 19 September 2019). 76. Cau, E.; Corici, M.; Bellavista, P.; Foschini, L.; Carella, G.; Edmonds, A.; Bohnert, T.M. Efficient exploitation of mobile edge computing for virtualized 5G in EPC architectures. In Proceedings of the 2016 4th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Cloud Computing, Services, and Engineering (MobileCloud), Oxford, UK, 29 March–1 April 2016; pp. 100–109. References Joint cloudlet selection and latency minimization in fog networks. IEEE Trans. Ind. Inform. 2018, 14, 4055–4063. [CrossRef] 90. He, X.; Ren, Z.; Shi, C.; Fang, J. A novel load balancing strategy of software-defined cloud/fog networking in the Internet of vehicles. China Commun. 2016, 13, 140–149. [CrossRef] 91. Skarlat, O.; Schulte, S.; Borkowski, M.; Leitner, P. Resource provisioning for IoT services in the fog. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE 9th Conference on Service-Oriented Computing and Applications (SOCA), Macau, China, 4–6 November 2016; pp. 32–39. 92. Dong, Y.; Guo, S.; Liu, J.; Yang, Y. Energy-Efficient Fair Cooperation Fog Computing in Mobile Edge Networks for Smart City. IEEE Internet Things J. 2019, 6, 7543–7554. [CrossRef] 93 Wang R ; Li R ; Wang P; Liu E Analysis and Optimization of Caching in Fog Radio Access Networks 2. Dong, Y.; Guo, S.; Liu, J.; Yang, Y. Energy-Efficient Fair Cooperation Fog Computing in Mobile E Networks for Smart City. IEEE Internet Things J. 2019, 6, 7543–7554. [CrossRef] 3. Wang, R.; Li, R.; Wang, P.; Liu, E. Analysis and Optimization of Caching in Fog Radio Access Netwo IEEE Trans. Veh. Technol. 2019, 68, 8279–8283. [CrossRef] 94. Jiang, Y.; Huang, W.; Bennis, M.; Zheng, F. Decentralized Asynchronous Coded Caching Design and Performance Analysis in Fog Radio Access Networks. IEEE Trans. Mob. Comput. 2019. [CrossRef] 95. Abouaomar, A.; Elmachkour, M.; Kobbane, A.; Tembine, H.; Ayaida, M. Users-Fogs association within a cache context in 5G networks: Coalition game model. In Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC), Natal, Brazil, 25–28 June 2018; pp. 14–19. 96. Chen, D.; Schedler, S.; Kuehn, V. Backhaul traffic balancing and dynamic content-centric clustering for the downlink of Fog Radio Access Network. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE 17th International Workshop on Signal Processing Advances in Wireless Communications (SPAWC), Edinburgh, UK, 3–6 July 2016; pp. 1–5. 97. Park, S.H.; Simeone, O.; Shamai, S. Joint optimization of cloud and edge processing for fog radio access networks. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT), Barcelona, Spain, 10–15 July 2016; pp. 315–319. 98. Peng, X.; Shen, J.C.; Zhang, J.; Letaief, K.B. Joint data assignment and beamforming for backhaul limited caching networks. In Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE 25th Annual International Symposium on Personal, Indoor, and Mobile Radio Communication (PIMRC), Washington, DC, USA, 2–5 September 2014; pp. 1370–1374. 99. Dai, B.; Yu, W. References 77. Li, Z.; Sichitiu, M.L.; Qiu, X. Fog Radio Access Network: A New Wireless Backhaul Architecture for Small Cell Networks. IEEE Access 2018, 7, 14150–14161. [CrossRef] 78. Pontois, N.; Kaneko, M.; Dinh, T.H.L.; Boukhatem, L. User pre-scheduling and beamforming with outdated CSI in 5G fog radio access networks. In Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), Abu Dhabi, UAE, 9–13 December 2018; pp. 1–6. 79. Li, L.; Guan, Q.; Jin, L.; Guo, M. Resource allocation and task offloading for heterogeneous real-time tasks with uncertain duration time in a fog queueing system. IEEE Access 2019, 7, 9912–9925. [CrossRef] 80. Huang, J.; Duan, Q.; Guo, S.; Yan, Y.; Yu, S. Converged network-cloud service composition with end-to-end performance guarantee. IEEE Trans. Cloud Comput. 2015, 6, 545–557. [CrossRef] 81. Yu, Y.; Liu, S.; Tian, Z.; Wang, S. A dynamic distributed spectrum allocation mechanism based on game model in fog radio access networks. China Commun. 2019, 16, 12–21. 82. Abedin, S.F.; Alam, M.G.R.; Kazmi, S.A.; Tran, N.H.; Niyato, D.; Hong, C.S. Resource allocation for ultra-reliable and enhanced mobile broadband IoT applications in fog network. IEEE Trans. Commun. 2018, 67, 489–502. [CrossRef] 83. Majd, A.; Sahebi, G.; Daneshtalab, M.; Plosila, J.; Lotfi, S.; Tenhunen, H. Parallel imperialist competitive algorithms. Concurr. Comput. Pract. Exp. 2018, 30, e4393. [CrossRef] 84. Majd, A.; Sahebi, G.; Daneshtalab, M.; Plosila, J.; Tenhunen, H. Hierarchal Placement of Smart Mobile Access Points in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Fog Computing. In Proceedings of the 2017 25th Euromicro International Conference on Parallel, Distributed and Network-based Processing (PDP), St. Petersburg, Russia, 6–8 March 2017; pp. 176–180. 85. Moreno-Vozmediano, R.; Montero, R.S.; Huedo, E.; Llorente, I.M. Cross-site virtual network in cloud and fog computing. IEEE Cloud Comput. 2017, 4, 46–53. [CrossRef] Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 36 of 38 36 of 38 86. Shojafar, M.; Cordeschi, N.; Baccarelli, E. Energy-efficient adaptive resource management for real-time vehicular cloud services. IEEE Trans. Cloud Comput. 2016, 7, 196–209. [CrossRef] 87. Lee, G.; Saad, W.; Bennis, M. An online optimization framework for distributed fog network formation with minimal latency. IEEE Trans. Wirel. Commun. 2019, 18, 2244–2258. [CrossRef] 88. Vu, D.N.; Dao, N.N.; Jang, Y.; Na, W.; Kwon, Y.B.; Kang, H.; Jung, J.J.; Cho, S. Joint energy and latency optimization for upstream IoT offloading services in fog radio access networks. Trans. Emerg. Telecommun. Technol. 2019, 30, e3497. [CrossRef] 89. Ali, M.; Riaz, N.; Ashraf, M.I.; Qaisar, S.; Naeem, M. References Joint user association and content placement for cache-enabled wireless access networks. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP), Shanghai, China, 20–25 March 2016; pp. 3521–3525. 100. Chen, D.; Kuehn, V. Weighted max-min fairness oriented load-balancing and clustering for multicast cache-enabled F-RAN. In Proceedings of the 2016 9th International Symposium on Turbo Codes and Iterative Information Processing (ISTC), Brest, France, 5–9 September 2016; pp. 395–399. g p pp 101. Wang, T.; Liang, Y.; Jia, W.; Arif, M.; Liu, A.; Xie, M. Coupling resource management based on fog computing in smart city systems. J. Netw. Comput. Appl. 2019, 135, 11–19. [CrossRef] 102. Zhou, Z.; Liu, P.; Feng, J.; Zhang, Y.; Mumtaz, S.; Rodriguez, J. Computation resource allocation and task assignment optimization in vehicular fog computing: A contract-matching approach. IEEE Trans. Veh. Technol. 2019, 68, 3113–3125. [CrossRef] 103. Javaid, S.; Javaid, N.; Saba, T.; Wadud, Z.; Rehman, A.; Haseeb, A. Intelligent resource allocation in residential buildings using consumer to fog to cloud based framework. Energies 2019, 12, 815. [CrossRef] 104. Tajalli, S.Z.; Tajalli, S.A.M.; Kavousi-Fard, A.; Niknam, T.; Dabbaghjamanesh, M.; Mehraeen, S. A Secure Distributed Cloud-Fog Based Framework for Economic Operation of Microgrids. In Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE Texas Power and Energy Conference (TPEC), College Station, TX, USA, 7–8 February 2019; pp. 1–6. 105. Barros, E.B.C.; Dionísio Machado Filho, L.; Batista, B.G.; Kuehne, B.T.; Peixoto, M.L.M. Fog Computing Model to Orchestrate the Consumption and Production of Energy in Microgrids. Sensors 2019, 19, 2642. [CrossRef] [PubMed] Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 37 of 38 106. Jie, Y.; Li, M.; Guo, C.; Chen, L. Game-theoretic online resource allocation scheme on fog computing for mobile multimedia users. China Commun. 2019, 16, 22–31. 107. Zhou, Y.; Shen, Q.; Dong, M.; Ota, K.; Wu, J. Chaos-Based Delay-Constrained Green Security Communications for Fog-Enabled Information-Centric Multimedia Network. In Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE 89th Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC2019-Spring), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28 April–1 May 2019; pp. 1–6. 108. Gope, P. LAAP: Lightweight Anonymous Authentication Protocol for D2D-Aided Fog Computing Paradigm. Comput. Secur. 2019, 86, 223–237. [CrossRef] 109. Li, Z.; Chen, J.; Zhang, Z. Socially Aware Caching in D2D Enabled Fog Radio Access Networks. IEEE Access 2019, 7, 84293–84303. [CrossRef] 110. Tao, M.; Ota, K.; Dong, M. Foud: Integrating fog and cloud for 5G-enabled V2G networks. IEEE Netw. 2017, 31, 8–13. [CrossRef] 111. Ma, M.; He, D.; Wang, H.; Kumar, N.; Choo, K.K.R. References An Efficient and Provably-Secure Authenticated Key Agreement Protocol for Fog-Based Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks. IEEE Internet Things J. 2019, 6, 8065–8075. [CrossRef] 112. Pereira, J.; Ricardo, L.; Luís, M.; Senna, C.; Sargento, S. Assessing the reliability of fog computing for smart mobility applications in VANETs. Future Gener. Comput. Syst. 2019, 94, 317–332. [CrossRef] 113. Wang, D.; Liu, Z.; Wang, X.; Lan, Y. Mobility-Aware Task Offloading and Migration Schemes in Fog Computing Networks. IEEE Access 2019, 7, 43356–43368. [CrossRef] 114. Chen, Y.S.; Tsai, Y.T. A mobility management using follow-me cloud-cloudlet in fog-computing-based RANs for smart cities. Sensors 2018, 18, 489. [CrossRef] 115. Kadhim, A.J.; Seno, S.A.H. Energy-efficient multicast routing protocol based on SDN and fog computing for vehicular networks. Ad Hoc Netw. 2019, 84, 68–81. [CrossRef] 116. Muthanna, A.; Ateya, A.A.; Khakimov, A.; Gudkova, I.; Abuarqoub, A.; Samouylov, K.; Koucheryavy, A. Secure IoT Network Structure Based on Distributed Fog Computing, with SDN/Blockchain. J. Sens. Actuator Netw. 2019, 8, 15. [CrossRef] 117. Islam, N.; Faheem, Y.; Din, I.U.; Talha, M.; Guizani, M.; Khalil, M. A blockchain-based fog computing framework for activity recognition as an application to e-Healthcare services. Future Gener. Comput. Syst. 2019, 100, 569–578. [CrossRef] 118. Tang, W.; Zhang, K.; Zhang, D.; Ren, J.; Zhang, Y.; Shen, X.S. Fog-Enabled Smart Health: Toward Cooperative and Secure Healthcare Service Provision. IEEE Commun. Mag. 2019, 57, 42–48. [CrossRef] 119. Moustafa, N. A Systemic IoT-Fog-Cloud Architecture for Big-Data Analytics and Cyber Security Systems: A Review of Fog Computing. arXiv 2019, arXiv:1906.01055. 120. Yassine, A.; Singh, S.; Hossain, M.S.; Muhammad, G. IoT big data analytics for smart homes with fog and cloud computing. Future Gener. Comput. Syst. 2019, 91, 563–573. [CrossRef] 121. Nasir, M.; Muhammad, K.; Lloret, J.; Sangaiah, A.K.; Sajjad, M. Fog computing enabled cost-effective distributed summarization of surveillance videos for smart cities. J. Parallel Distrib. Comput. 2019, 126, 161–170. [CrossRef] 122. Mora, L.; Bolici, R.; Deakin, M. The first two decades of smart-city research: A bibliometric analysis. J. Urban Technol. 2017, 24, 3–27. [CrossRef] 23. Luthra, M.; Koldehofe, B.; Steinmetz, R. Transitions for Increased Flexibility in Fog Computing: A C Study on Complex Event Processing. Inform. Spektrum 2019, 42, 244–255. [CrossRef] 124. Naranjo, P.G.V.; Pooranian, Z.; Shojafar, M.; Conti, M.; Buyya, R. FOCAN: A Fog-supported smart city network architecture for management of applications in the Internet of Everything environments. J. Parallel Distrib. Comput. 2019, 132, 274–283. [CrossRef] 125. Giang, N.K.; Lea, R.; Leung, V.C. References Developing applications in large scale, dynamic fog computing: A case study. Softw. Pract. Exp. 2019, doi: 10.1002/spe.2695. [CrossRef] 126. Tang, B.; Chen, Z.; Hefferman, G.; Wei, T.; He, H.; Yang, Q. A hierarchical distributed fog computing architecture for big data analysis in smart cities. In Proceedings of the ASE BigData & SocialInformatics 2015, Kaohsiung, Taiwan , 7–9 October 2015; p. 28. 127. Dsouza, C.; Ahn, G.J.; Taguinod, M. Policy-driven security management for fog computing: Preliminary framework and a case study. In Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE 15th International Conference on Information Reuse and Integration (IEEE IRI 2014), Redwood City, CA, USA, 13–15 August 2014; pp. 16–23. Sensors 2019, 19, 4807 38 of 38 128. Aamir, M.; Masroor, S.; Ali, Z.A.; Ting, B.T. Sustainable Framework for Smart Transportation System: A Case Study of Karachi. Wirel. Pers. Commun. 2019, 106, 27–40. [CrossRef] 129. Baccarelli, E.; Cordeschi, N.; Mei, A.; Panella, M.; Shojafar, M.; Stefa, J. Energy-efficient dynamic traffic offloading and reconfiguration of networked data centers for big data stream mobile computing: Review, challenges, and a case study. IEEE Netw. 2016, 30, 54–61. [CrossRef] 130. Azimi, I.; Pahikkala, T.; Rahmani, A.M.; Niela-Vilén, H.; Axelin, A.; Liljeberg, P. Missing data resilient decision-making for healthcare IoT through personalization: A case study on maternal health. Future Gener. Comput. Syst. 2019, 96, 297–308. [CrossRef] 131. Kumari, A.; Tanwar, S.; Tyagi, S.; Kumar, N. Fog computing for Healthcare 4.0 environment: Opportunities and challenges. Comput. Electr. Eng. 2018, 72, 1–13. [CrossRef] 132. Ray, P.P.; Dash, D.; De, D. Edge computing for Internet of Things: A survey, e-healthcare case study and future direction. J. Netw. Comput. Appl. 2019, 140, 1–22. [CrossRef] 133. Gia, T.N.; Jiang, M.; Rahmani, A.M.; Westerlund, T.; Liljeberg, P.; Tenhunen, H. Fog computing in healthcare internet of things: A case study on ecg feature extraction. In Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE International Conference on Computer and Information Technology; Ubiquitous Computing and Communications; Dependable, Autonomic and Secure Computing; Pervasive Intelligence and Computing, Liverpool, UK, 26–28 October 2015; pp. 356–363. 134. Jalali, F.; Vishwanath, A.; De Hoog, J.; Suits, F. Interconnecting Fog computing and microgrids for greening IoT. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE Innovative Smart Grid Technologies-Asia (ISGT-Asia), Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 28 November–1 December 2016; pp. 693–698. 135. Beligianni, F.; Alamaniotis, M.; Fevgas, A.; Tsompanopoulou, P.; Bozanis, P.; Tsoukalas, L.H. An internet of things architecture for preserving privacy of energy consumption. References In Proceedings of the Mediterranean Conference on Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Energy Conversion (MedPower 2016), Belgrade, Serbia, 6–9 November 2016. 136. Rao, L.; Liu, X.; Ilic, M.D.; Liu, J. Distributed coordination of internet data centers under multiregional electricity markets. Proc. IEEE 2012, 100, 269–282. 137. Pu, L.; Chen, X.; Xu, J.; Fu, X. D2D fogging: An energy-efficient and incentive-aware task offloading framework via network-assisted D2D collaboration. IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun. 2016, 34, 3887–3901. [CrossRef] 138. Wang, S.; Huang, X.; Liu, Y.; Yu, R. CachinMobile: An energy-efficient users caching scheme for fog computing. In Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE/CIC international conference on communications in China (ICCC), Chengdu, China, 27–29 July 2016; pp. 1–6. 139. Yang, F.; Wang, S.; Li, J.; Liu, Z.; Sun, Q. An overview of internet of vehicles. China Commun. 2014, 11, 1–15. [CrossRef] 140. Anawar, M.R.; Wang, S.; Azam Zia, M.; Jadoon, A.K.; Akram, U.; Raza, S. Fog computing: An overview of big IoT data analytics. Wirel. Commun. Mob. Comput. 2018, 2018, 7157192. [CrossRef] c⃝2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
https://openalex.org/W2295829258
https://fixedpointtheoryandapplications.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s13663-016-0512-9
English
null
Best approximation and variational inequality problems involving a simulation function
Fixed point theory and applications
2,016
cc-by
7,905
© 2016 Tchier et al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, pro- vided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. R ES EA RCH Open Access 1 Introduction Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d) and T : A →B be a non-self- mapping. The equation Tx = x is known as a general fixed point equation and its solution is related to the solution of many practical situations arising in pure and applied sciences. For instance, it is well known that many problems involving differential equations may be solved by searching for the existence of a fixed point of an integral operator. But for the existence of a fixed point of T, we need that T(A) ∩A ̸= ∅, otherwise d(x,Tx) > for all x ∈A. In such a situation, it is natural to search a point x ∈A such that x is closest to Tx in some sense. To clarify and support this assertion, we recall the following best approximation theorem due to Ky Fan [], in a metric version. Fairouz Tchier1, Calogero Vetro2* and Francesca Vetro3 *Correspondence: calogero.vetro@unipa.it 2Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, University of Palermo, Via Archirafi34, Palermo, 90123, Italy Full list of author information is Abstract We prove the existence of a g-best proximity point for a pair of mappings, by using suitable hypotheses on a metric space. Moreover, we establish some convergence results for a variational inequality problem, by using the variational characterization of metric projections in a real Hilbert space. Our results are applicable to classical problems of optimization theory. Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Full list of author information is available at the end of the article MSC: 41A65; 47J20 Keywords: best proximity point; metric projection; proximal Z-contraction; variational inequality Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 DOI 10.1186/s13663-016-0512-9 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 DOI 10.1186/s13663-016-0512-9 Best approximation and variational inequality problems involving a simulation function Fairouz Tchier1, Calogero Vetro2* and Francesca Vetro3 Fairouz Tchier1, Calogero Vetro2* and Francesca Vetro3 *Correspondence: calogero.vetro@unipa.it 2Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, University of Palermo, Via Archirafi34, Palermo, 90123, Italy Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Theorem .([]) Let A be a nonempty compact convex subset of a normed linear space X and T : A →X be a continuous mapping. Then there exists x ∈A such that ∥x – Tx∥= d(Tx,A). This result is related to the existence of an approximate solution to the equation Tx = x. Theoretical and practical aspects of this theorem have been discussed by various mathe- maticians; we refer the reader to [–]. On the other hand, very recently Khojasteh et al. [] introduced the concept of Z-contraction, by using a notion of simulation function. Consequently, fixed point re- sults involving a Z-contraction are established in []. This approach has been of great importance to discuss various fixed point problems from an unifying point of view; see Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 2 of 15 Page 2 of 15 for instance [–] and the references therein. For more contributions on the develop- ment of fixed point theorems see [–]. We generalize and extend many results in the existing literature, by establishing some best proximity point theorems involving Z-proximal contractions; see [, ]. In partic- ular, we prove the existence of a unique g-best proximity point, which is a point x ∈A such that d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B), where g : A →A is a self-mapping. As an application, we give sufficient conditions to ensure the existence of a unique solution for a variational inequal- ity problem and propose a convergent iterative algorithm to approximate this solution, by using metric projections. Our results are applicable to some classical problems of opti- mization theory. for all x,y ∈X, where k ∈[,[. for all x,y ∈X, where k ∈[,[. Definition .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d). A non-self- mapping T : A →B is said to be a proximal contraction of the first kind if d(u,Tx) = d(A,B), d(v,Ty) = d(A,B)  ⇒ d(u,v) ≤kd(x,y), for all u,v,x,y ∈A, where k ∈[,[. for all u,v,x,y ∈A, where k ∈[,[. 2 Preliminaries Let R, N, and Q denote the sets of all real numbers, positive integers and rational numbers, respectively. Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d). By using the usual notation in nonlinear analysis, we recall the following notions: A=  x ∈A : d(x,y) = d(A,B),for some y ∈B  , B=  y ∈B : d(x,y) = d(A,B),for some x ∈A  . A=  x ∈A : d(x,y) = d(A,B),for some y ∈B  , B=  y ∈B : d(x,y) = d(A,B),for some x ∈A  . Kirk et al. gave sufficient conditions to ensure that Aand Bare nonempty sets; see []. On the other hand, Sadiq Basha and Veeramani proved that Ais contained in the boundary of A; see []. In the sequel, we are interested in establishing results involving new types of proximal contraction and hence we recall the fundamental definitions in this direction; see [, ]. Definition .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d). A non-self- mapping T : A →B is said to be a contraction if d(Tx,Ty) ≤kd(x,y), Finally, Khojasteh et al. in [] defined a simulation function as follows. Definition .A simulation function is a mapping ζ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R satisfying the following conditions: Definition .A simulation function is a mapping ζ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R satisfying the following conditions: for all u,v,x,y ∈A, where k ∈[,[. for all u,v,x,y ∈A, where k ∈[,[. Definition .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d). A non-self- mapping T : A →B is said to be a proximal contraction of the second kind if d(u,Tx) = d(A,B), d(v,Ty) = d(A,B)  ⇒ d(Tu,Tv) ≤kd(Tx,Ty), for all u,v,x,y ∈A, where k ∈[,[. for all u,v,x,y ∈A, where k ∈[,[. Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 3 of 15 Many authors generalized these concepts and proved their best approximation theo- rems; see for instance [–]. In , Sankar Raj [] introduced the notion of P-property as follows. Definition .([], Definition ) Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d) with A̸= ∅. Then the pair (A,B) is said to have the P-property if and only if d(x,y) = d(A,B) = d(x,y) implies d(x,x) = d(y,y) where x,x∈Aand y,y∈B. By using Definition ., Sankar Raj in [] gave an extended version of the contraction mapping principle in []. Of course, for every nonempty subset A of X, the pair (A,A) has the P-property. We shall consider this property in a remark of the next section. Definition .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d). Let g : A → A be a self-mapping and T : A →B a non-self-mapping. Then (i) g ∈GA if g is continuous and d(x,y) ≤d(gx,gy) for all x,y ∈A; (ii) T ∈Tg if d(Tx,Ty) ≤d(Tgx,Tgy) for all x,y ∈A. Definition .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d). Let g : A → A be a self-mapping and T : A →B a non-self-mapping. Then (i) g ∈GA if g is continuous and d(x,y) ≤d(gx,gy) for all x,y ∈A; (ii) T ∈Tg if d(Tx,Ty) ≤d(Tgx,Tgy) for all x,y ∈A. Finally, Khojasteh et al. in [] defined a simulation function as follows. In order to avoid confusion, we refer to the following definition. In order to avoid confusion, we refer to the following definition. Definition .A simulation function is a mapping ζ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R satisfying the conditions (ζ) and (ζ). Definition .A simulation function is a mapping ζ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R satisfying the conditions (ζ) and (ζ). 3 Best proximity point theorems In view of Definition ., we consider the following notions of proximal contractions. In view of Definition ., we consider the following notions of proximal contractions. In view of Definition ., we consider the following notions of proximal contractions. Definition .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d). A non-self- mapping T : A →B is said to be a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind if there exists a simulation function ζ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R such that d(u,Tx) = d(A,B), d(v,Ty) = d(A,B)  ⇒ ζ  d(u,v),d(x,y)  ≥, d(u,Tx) = d(A,B), d(v,Ty) = d(A,B)  ⇒ ζ  d(u,v),d(x,y)  ≥, for all u,v,x,y ∈A. for all u,v,x,y ∈A. Remark .If T : A →B is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind and (A,B) has the P-property, then T is a Z-contraction. Example .Let X = R be endowed with the usual metric d(x,y) = |x – y| for all x,y ∈X. Consider A = [,  ] and B = [,] so that d(A,B) = . Define a mapping T : A →B by Tx = x + x, for all x ∈A, Tx = x + x, for all x ∈A, and the simulation function ζ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R by ζ(t,s) =  s – t –t if t ∈[,  ], s – t otherwise. ζ(t,s) =  s – t –t if t ∈[,  ], s – t otherwise. It is easy to show that T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind, but not a proximal contraction of the first kind. Indeed, from d(u,Tx) = d(v,Ty) = = d(A,B), we get (x,y) = ( u –u, v –v), with u,v ∈[,  ], d h It is easy to show that T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind, but not a proximal contraction of the first kind. It is easy to show that T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind, but not a proximal contraction of the first kind. Definition .A simulation function is a mapping ζ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R satisfying the following conditions: (ζ) ζ(,) = ; (ζ) ζ(,) = ; (ζ) ζ(t,s) < s – t, for all t,s > ; (ζ) if {tn}, {sn} are sequences in ],+∞[ such that limn→∞tn = limn→+∞sn = ℓ∈],+∞[, then limsupn→+∞ζ(tn,sn) < . Consequently, they established the existence and uniqueness of fixed point for a self- mapping defined in a complete metric space. Theorem .([]) Let (X,d) be a complete metric space and f : X →X be a Z- contraction with respect to a certain simulation function ζ, that is, () ζ  d(fx,fy),d(x,y)  ≥, for all x,y ∈X. () Then f has a unique fixed point. Moreover, for every x∈X, the Picard sequence {f nx} converges to this fixed point. Successively, Argoubi et al. [] point out the fact that condition (ζ) is not mentioned in the proof of Theorem .. Moreover, by putting x = y in (), it follows that ζ(,) ≥ and hence, if ζ(,) < , the set of mappings f : X →X satisfying condition () is an empty set. Consequently, Argoubi et al. proposed a slight modification of Definition ., by remov- ing the condition (ζ) and retaining the rest. Remark .Every simulation function of Khojasteh et al. is also a simulation function of Argoubi et al. However, the converse is not true. Remark .Every simulation function of Khojasteh et al. is also a simulation function of Argoubi et al. However, the converse is not true. Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 4 of 15 Example .([], Example .) Let ζλ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R be the function defined by by ζλ(t,s) =   if (s,t) = (,), λs – t otherwise, ζλ(t,s) =   if (s,t) = (,), λs – t otherwise, where λ ∈],[. Then ζλ satisfies (ζ) and (ζ) with ζλ(,) > . where λ ∈],[. Then ζλ satisfies (ζ) and (ζ) with ζλ(,) > . where λ ∈],[. Then ζλ satisfies (ζ) and (ζ) with ζλ(,) > . 3 Best proximity point theorems Indeed, from d(u,Tx) = d(v,Ty) = = d(A,B), we get (x,y) = ( u –u, v –v), with u,v ∈[,  ], and hence ζ  d(u,v),d(x,y)  = ζ  d(u,v),d  u – u, v – v = u – u – v – v – |u – v| – |u – v| ≥, since u + v ≥|u – v| + uv. Thus, T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind. since u + v ≥|u – v| + uv. Thus, T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind. Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 5 of 15 On the other hand, there does not exist k ∈[,[ such that d(u,v) = |u – v| ≰k |u – v| – u – v + uv = kd  u – u, v – v = kd(x,y), for all u,v ∈[,  ], and hence T is not a proximal contraction of the first kind. for all u,v ∈[,  ], and hence T is not a proximal contraction of the first kin Definition .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a metric space (X,d). A non- self-mapping T : A →B is said to be a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind if there exists a simulation function ζ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R such that d(u,Tx) = d(A,B), d(v,Ty) = d(A,B)  ⇒ ζ  d(Tu,Tv),d(Tx,Ty)  ≥, for all u,v,x,y ∈A. Example .Let X = R be endowed with the usual metric d(x,y) = |x – y| for all x,y ∈X, and A = B = [,]. Define a mapping T : [,] →[,] by Example .Let X = R be endowed with the usual metric d(x,y) = |x – y| for all x,y ∈X, and A = B = [,]. Define a mapping T : [,] →[,] by Tx =   if x ∈Q ∩[,],  otherwise. Tx =   if x ∈Q ∩[,], Now, consider the function ζλ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R given in Example .. It is easy to show that T is a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind, but not a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind. The following lemma is useful to show that a given sequence is Cauchy; see Lemma .. in []; see also Lemma .. in []. Lemma .Let (X,d) be a metric space and {xn} a given sequence in X. Suppose that lim n→+∞d(xn,xn+) = . lim n→+∞d(xn,xn+) = . If {xn} is not a Cauchy sequence, then there exists an ε > for which we can find subse- quences {xnk} and {xmk} of {xn} such that If {xn} is not a Cauchy sequence, then there exists an ε > for which we can find subse- quences {xnk} and {xmk} of {xn} such that quences {xnk} and {xmk} of {xn} such that (i) nk > mk ≥k, k ∈N; (i) nk > mk ≥k, k ∈N; (ii) d(xnk,xmk) ≥ε, d(xnk–,xmk) < ε, k ∈N; (ii) d(xnk,xmk) ≥ε, d(xnk–,xmk) < ε, k ∈N; (iii) limk→+∞d(xnk,xmk) = ε = limk→+∞d(xnk+,xmk+). (iii) limk→+∞d(xnk,xmk) = ε = limk→+∞d(xnk+,xmk+). On this basis, we construct our results. Precisely, we establish some theorems of g-best proximity point for Z-proximal contractions and deduce some corollaries. Theorem .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a complete metric space (X,d). Suppose that Ais nonempty and closed. for all u,v ∈[,  ], and hence T is not a proximal contraction of the first kind. Assume also that the mappings T : A →B and g : A →A satisfy the following conditions: Theorem .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a complete metric space (X,d). Suppose that Ais nonempty and closed. Assume also that the mappings T : A →B and g : A →A satisfy the following conditions: g : A →A satisfy the following conditions: (a) T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind; (b) g ∈GA; (c) T(A) ⊆B; Page 6 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Then there exists a unique point x ∈A such that d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B). Moreover, for every x∈ Athere exists a sequence {xn} ⊆A such that d(gxn+,Txn) = d(A,B) for every n ∈N ∪{} and xn →x. Proof Let x∈A. Since T(A) ⊆Band A⊆g(A), there exists x∈Asuch that Proof Let x∈A. Since T(A) ⊆Band A⊆g(A), there exists x∈Asuch that d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B). d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B). Clearly, for x∈A, there exists x∈Asuch that d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B). By repeating this process, for xn ∈A, we can find xn+∈Asuch that By repeating this process, for xn ∈A, we can find xn+∈Asuch that d(gxn+,Txn) = d(A,B), for all n ∈N. In the constructive process of {xn}, if for some m > n, we have Txm = Txn, then we choose xm+= xn+. Also, if there exists m ∈N such that d(gxm+,gxm) = , then xm+= xm, and hence Txm+= Txm and xm+= xm+. It follows that xn = xm for all n ∈N with n ≥m and so the sequence {xn} converges to xm ∈A. We also have d(gxm,Txm) = d(A,B). Then we suppose that < d(xn+,xn) ≤d(gxn+,gxn) ̸= for all n ∈N. Since T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind and g ∈GA, we write ≤ζ  d(gxn+,gxn),d(xn,xn–)  < d(xn,xn–) – d(gxn+,gxn) ≤d(xn,xn–) – d(xn+,xn), () ≤ζ  d(gxn+,gxn),d(xn,xn–)  < d(xn,xn–) – d(gxn+,gxn) ≤d(xn,xn–) – d(xn+,xn), () for every n ∈N. This implies that the sequence {d(xn,xn–)} is decreasing and hence there exists r ≥such that d(xn,xn–) →r. Suppose r > . From (), we deduce also that for every n ∈N. This implies that the sequence {d(xn,xn–)} is decreasing and hence there exists r ≥such that d(xn,xn–) →r. Suppose r > . From (), we deduce also that d(gxn+,gxn) ≤d(xn,xn–), for all n ∈N. d(gxn+,gxn) ≤d(xn,xn–), for all n ∈N. for all u,v ∈[,  ], and hence T is not a proximal contraction of the first kind. d(gxn+,gxn) ≤d(xn,xn–), for all n ∈N. On the other hand g ∈GA and hence On the other hand g ∈GA and hence d(xn+,xn) ≤d(gxn+,gxn) ≤d(xn,xn–), for all n ∈N. Consequently, Consequently, lim n→+∞d(gxn+,gxn) = r. Now, using the property (ζ) of a simulation function, we write Now, using the property (ζ) of a simulation function, we write ≤limsup n→+∞ ζ  d(gxn+,gxn),d(xn,xn–)  < , which is a contradiction and hence r = . which is a contradiction and hence r = . Page 7 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 7 of 15 The next step is to show that the sequence {xn} is Cauchy. By contradiction, assume that {xn} is not a Cauchy sequence. Then, by Lemma ., there exist an ε > and two subsequences {xnk} and {xmk} of {xn} such that nk > mk ≥k and d(xnk,xmk) ≥ε for all k ∈N and lim k→+∞d(xnk,xmk) = ε = lim k→+∞d(xnk+,xmk+). lim k→+∞d(xnk,xmk) = ε = lim k→+∞d(xnk+,xmk+). Then we can assume that d(xnk+,xmk+) > for all k ∈N. Since T is a Z-proximal con- traction of the first kind and d(gxnk+,Txnk) = d(A,B) = d(gxmk+,Txmk), we obtain Then we can assume that d(xnk+,xmk+) > for all k ∈N. Since T is a Z-proximal con- traction of the first kind and d(gxnk+,Txnk) = d(A,B) = d(gxmk+,Txmk), we obtain ≤ζ  d(gxnk+,gxmk+),d(xnk,xmk)  < d(xnk,xmk) – d(gxnk+,gxmk+), for all k ∈N. Thus, the previous inequality and g ∈GA ensure that lim k→+∞d(gxnk+,gxmk+) = ε. By using the property (ζ) of a simulation function, with tk = d(gxnk+,gxmk+) and sk = d(xnk,xmk), we obtain By using the property (ζ) of a simulation function, with tk = d(gxnk+,gxmk+) and sk = d(xnk,xmk), we obtain ≤limsup k→+∞ ζ  d(gxnk+,gxmk+),d(xnk,xmk)  < , which is a contradiction. We conclude that the sequence {xn} is Cauchy. Since (X,d) is complete and Ais closed, then Ais complete and hence there exists x ∈Asuch that xn →x. Moreover, by the continuity of g, we have gxn →gx and thus gx ∈A, since gxn ∈ Afor all n ∈N and Ais closed. On the other hand, since x ∈Aand T(A) ⊆B, there exists z ∈Asuch that d(z,Tx) = d(A,B). Now, if z = gxn for infinite n ∈N, then z = gx. Hence we assume that z ̸= gxn for all n ∈N. Also there exists a subsequence {xnk} of {xn} such that xnk ̸= x for all k ∈N. which leads to x = x∗, a contradiction. □ which leads to x = x∗, a contradiction. □ We get the following corollary, by setting g as the identity mapping on A in Theorem .. Corollary .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a complete metric space (X,d). Suppose that Ais nonempty and closed. Assume also that the mapping T : A →B satisfies the following conditions: (a) T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind; (b) (A ) (a) T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind; (b) T(A) ⊆B. Then there exists a unique point x ∈A such that d(x,Tx) = d(A,B). Moreover, for every x∈Athere exists a sequence {xn} ⊆A such that d(xn+,Txn) = d(A,B) for every n ∈N∪{} and xn →x. Then there exists a unique point x ∈A such that d(x,Tx) = d(A,B). Moreover, for every x∈Athere exists a sequence {xn} ⊆A such that d(xn+,Txn) = d(A,B) for every n ∈N∪{} and xn →x. Example .Let X, A, B, d, T, and ζ be as in Example .. Notice that A= A = Bis closed and T(A) ⊆B. Thus, by an application of Corollary ., the mapping T : A →B has a unique point x ∈A such that d(x,Tx) = = d(A,B); here x = . From Theorem ., we obtain the following corollary which is a generalization of The- orem .of []. Corollary .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a complete metric space (X,d). Suppose that Ais nonempty and closed. Assume also that the mappings T : A →B and g : A →A satisfy the following conditions: (a) T is a proximal contraction of the first kind; (a) T is a proximal contraction of the first kind; (b) g ∈GA; (b) g ∈GA; (c) T(A) ⊆B; (c) T(A) ⊆B; Then there exists a unique point x ∈A such that d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B). Moreover, for every x∈ Athere exists a sequence {xn} ⊆A such that d(gxn+,Txn) = d(A,B) for every n ∈N ∪{} and xn →x. Proof Note that a proximal contraction of the first kind is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind with respect to the simulation function ζ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R defined by ζ(t,s) = ks – t for all t,s ∈[,+∞[, where k ∈[,). □ The following theorem establishes a result of existence of a g-best proximity point for a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind. Consequently, Again, since T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind, we get ζ  d(z,gxnk+),d(x,xnk)  < d(x,xnk) – d(z,gxnk+), and hence and hence d(z,gxnk+) < d(x,xnk), for all k ∈N. Letting k →+∞, we obtain d(z,gxnk+) →and then z = gx. This implies that Letting k →+∞, we obtain d(z,gxnk+) →and then z = gx. This implies that d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B). Letting k →+∞, we obtain d(z,gxnk+) →and then z = gx. This implies that d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B). To prove the uniqueness, let x∗̸= x be another point in Asuch that d  gx∗,Tx∗ = d(A,B). d  gx∗,Tx∗ = d(A,B). Page 8 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 8 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Since g ∈GA and T is a Z-proximal contraction of the first kind, we write ≤ζ  d  gx,gx∗ ,d  x,x∗ < d  x,x∗ – d  gx,gx∗ ≤d  x,x∗ – d  x,x∗ = , which leads to x = x∗, a contradiction. which leads to x = x∗, a contradiction. On the other hand T ∈Tg and hence On the other hand T ∈Tg and hence d(Txn+,Txn) ≤d(Tgxn+,Tgxn) < d(Txn,Txn–), for all n ∈N. which leads to x = x∗, a contradiction. Theorem .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a complete metric space (X,d). Suppose that T(A) is nonempty and closed. Assume also that the mappings T : A →B and g : A →A satisfy the following conditions: Page 9 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 9 of 15 (a) T is a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind; (b) T is injective on A; (c) T ∈Tg; (d) T(A) ⊆B; (e) A⊆g(A). (a) T is a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind; (b) T is injective on A; (b) T is injective on A; Then there exists a unique point x ∈A such that d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B). Moreover, for every x∈ Athere exists a sequence {xn} ⊆A such that d(gxn+,Txn) = d(A,B) for every n ∈N ∪{} and xn →x. Proof By following a similar reasoning to that in the proof of Theorem ., one can con- struct a sequence {xn} ⊆Asuch that d(gxn+,Txn) = d(A,B) for all n ∈N. Moreover, in the constructive process of {xn} if Txm = Txn for some m > n, then we choose xm+= xn+. This condition ensures that if, for some m ∈N, we have xm = xm+, then xn = xm for all n ≥m. So the sequence {xn} converges to xm and also d(gxm,Txm) = d(A,B). Thus, we can suppose that d(xn+,xn) ̸= for all n ∈N ∪{}. Since T is a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind, we have ζ  d(Tgxn+,Tgxn),d(Txn,Txn–)  ≥, for all n ∈N. ζ  d(Tgxn+,Tgxn),d(Txn,Txn–)  ≥, for all n ∈N. From T ∈Tg and T being injective on A, we deduce that d(Tgxn+,Tgxn) > and d(Txn,Txn–) > for all n ∈N. By using the property (ζ) of a simulation function, we get ≤ζ  d(Tgxn+,Tgxn),d(Txn,Txn–)  < d(Txn,Txn–) – d(Tgxn+,Tgxn) ≤d(Txn,Txn–) – d(Txn+,Txn), () () for every n ∈N. This implies that the sequence {d(Txn,Txn–)} is decreasing and hence there exists r ≥such that d(Txn,Txn–) →r. Suppose r > . From () we deduce also that for every n ∈N. This implies that the sequence {d(Txn,Txn–)} is decreasing and hence there exists r ≥such that d(Txn,Txn–) →r. Suppose r > . From () we deduce also that d(Tgxn+,Tgxn) < d(Txn,Txn–), for all n ∈N. d(Tgxn+,Tgxn) < d(Txn,Txn–), for all n ∈N. which leads to contradiction; we conclude that Tx = Tx∗and hence x = x∗. ch leads to contradiction; we conclude that Tx = Tx∗and hence x = x∗. □ which leads to contradiction; we conclude that Tx = Tx∗and hence x = x∗. which leads to contradiction; we conclude that Tx = Tx∗and hence x = x∗. □ We get the following corollary, by setting g as the identity mapping on A in Theorem .. Corollary .Let A and B be two nonempty subsets of a complete metric space (X,d). Suppose that T(A) is nonempty and closed. Assume also that the mapping T : A →B satisfies the following conditions: (a) T is a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind; (b) T is injective on A; (b) T is injective on A; (c) T(A) ⊆B. Then there exists a unique point x ∈A such that d(x,Tx) = d(A,B). Moreover, for every x∈Athere exists a sequence {xn} ⊆A such that d(xn+,Txn) = d(A,B) for every n ∈N∪{} and xn →x. Then there exists a unique point x ∈A such that d(x,Tx) = d(A,B). Moreover, for every x∈Athere exists a sequence {xn} ⊆A such that d(xn+,Txn) = d(A,B) for every n ∈N∪{} and xn →x. Example .Let X = R be endowed with the usual metric d(x,y) = |x – y| for all x,y ∈X. Consider A = [–,–], B = [,] so that d(A,B) = and define T : A →B by Example .Let X = R be endowed with the usual metric d(x,y) = |x – y| for all x,y ∈X. Consider A = [–,–], B = [,] so that d(A,B) = and define T : A →B by Tx =  + x if x ∈[–,–], –– x if x ∈]–,–]. We have We have A=  x ∈A : d(x,y) = d(A,B) = ,for some y ∈B  = {–}, B=  y ∈B : d(x,y) = d(A,B) = ,for some x ∈A  = {}, and hence T(A) = {} = B. and hence T(A) = {} = B. and hence T(A) = {} = B. and hence T(A) = {} = B. It is easy to show that T is a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind, where the function ζλ : [,+∞[×[,+∞[→R is given in Example .. Consequently, lim n→+∞d(Tgxn+,Tgxn) = r. Now, using the property (ζ) of a simulation function, we write Now, using the property (ζ) of a simulation function, we write ≤limsup n→+∞ ζ  d(Tgxn+,Tgxn),d(Txn,Txn–)  < , which is a contradiction and hence r = . Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 10 of 15 Next step is to show that the sequence {Txn} is Cauchy. By contradiction, assume that {Txn} is not a Cauchy sequence. Then, by Lemma ., there exist an ε > and two sub- sequences {Txnk} and {Txmk} of {Txn} such that nk > mk ≥k and d(Txnk,Txmk) ≥ε for all k ∈N and lim k→+∞d(Txnk,Txmk) = ε = lim k→+∞d(Txnk+,Txmk+). Then we can assume that d(Txnk+,Txmk+) > for all k ∈N. Since T is a Z-proximal con- traction of the second kind and d(gxnk+,Txnk) = d(A,B) = d(gxmk+,Txmk), we obtain ≤ζ  d(Tgxnk+,Tgxmk+),d(Txnk,Txmk)  < d(Txnk,Txmk) – d(Tgxnk+,Tgxmk+), < d(Txnk,Txmk) – d(Tgxnk+,Tgxmk+), for all k ∈N. Thus the previous inequality and T ∈Tg ensure that for all k ∈N. Thus the previous inequality and T ∈Tg ensure that lim k→+∞d(Tgxnk+,Tgxmk+) = ε. By using the property (ζ) of a simulation function, with tk = d(Tgxnk+,Tgxmk+) and sk = d(Txnk,Txmk), we obtain By using the property (ζ) of a simulation function, with tk = d(Tgxnk+,Tgxmk+) and sk = d(Txnk,Txmk), we obtain ≤limsup k→+∞ ζ  d(Tgxnk+,Tgxmk+),d(Txnk,Txmk)  < , which is a contradiction. We conclude that the sequence {Txn} is Cauchy. which is a contradiction. We conclude that the sequence {Txn} is Cauchy. By the completeness of (X,d) and since T(A) is closed, we have Txn →Tu ∈B. More- over, there exists z ∈Asuch that d(z,Tu) = d(A,B). Since A⊆g(A), we obtain z = gx for some x ∈A, and hence d(gx,Tu) = d(A,B). Clearly, if x = xn for infinite n ∈N, then Tx = Tu. Therefore, we assume that x ̸= xn for all n ∈N. Also there exists a subsequence {xnk} of {xn} such that Txnk ̸= Tu for all k ∈N. Again, since T is a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind, we get ≤ζ  d(Tgx,Tgxnk+),d(Tu,Txnk)  < d(Tu,Txnk) – d(Tgx,Tgxnk+) and hence and hence d(Tx,Txnk+) ≤d(Tgx,Tgxnk+) < d(Tu,Txnk), for all k ∈N, since T ∈Tg. Letting k →+∞, we obtain d(Tx,Txnk+) →and hence Tx = Tu. This implies that d(gx,Tx) = d(A,B). Consequently, Page 11 of 15 Page 11 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 To prove the uniqueness, let x∗̸= x be another point in Asuch that d  gx∗,Tx∗ = d(A,B). d  gx∗,Tx∗ = d(A,B). Since T ∈Tg is injective on Aand T is a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind, we write ≤ζ  d  Tgx,Tgx∗ ,d  Tx,Tx∗ < d  Tx,Tx∗ – d  Tgx,Tgx∗ ≤d  Tx,Tx∗ – d  Tx,Tx∗ = , ≤ζ  d  Tgx,Tgx∗ ,d  Tx,Tx∗ < d  Tx,Tx∗ – d  Tgx,Tgx∗ ≤d  Tx,Tx∗ – d  Tx,Tx∗ = , which leads to contradiction; we conclude that Tx = Tx∗and hence x = x∗. which leads to contradiction; we conclude that Tx = Tx∗and hence x = x∗. Indeed, from d(u,Tx) = d(v,Ty) = = d(A,B), we get (u,v) = (–,–) for x,y ∈{–,–} and hence Indeed, from d(u,Tx) = d(v,Ty) = = d(A,B), we get (u,v) = (–,–) for x,y ∈{–,–} and hence ζ  d(Tu,Tv),d(Tx,Ty)  = ζ  d(,),d(,)  = ζ(,) = . Therefore all the conditions of Corollary .hold true and x = –is the unique point such that d(–,T(–)) = = d(A,B). Page 12 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Lemma .Let z ∈H. Then u ∈K satisfies the inequality ⟨u – z,y – u⟩≥, for all y ∈K if and only if u = PKz. Lemma .Let S : H →H be monotone. Then u ∈K is a solution of ⟨Su,v – u⟩≥, for all v ∈K, if and only if u = PK(u – λSu), with λ > . On this basis, we give some general convergence results on the solution of Problem .. Theorem .Let K be a nonempty, closed, and convex subset of a real Hilbert space H and IK be the identity operator on K. Assume that the monotone operator S : H →H satisfies the following condition: (a) PK(IK – λS) : K →K is a Z-contraction, with λ > . (a) PK(IK – λS) : K →K is a Z-contraction, with λ > . Then there exists a unique point u ∈K such that ⟨Su,v – u⟩≥for all v ∈K. Moreover, for every u∈K, there exists a sequence {un} ⊆K such that un+= PK(un – λSun) for every n ∈N ∪{} and un →u. Then there exists a unique point u ∈K such that ⟨Su,v – u⟩≥for all v ∈K. Moreover, for every u∈K, there exists a sequence {un} ⊆K such that un+= PK(un – λSun) for every n ∈N ∪{} and un →u. Proof Define T : K →K by Tx = PK(x–λSx) for all x ∈K so that, by Lemma ., u ∈K is a solution of ⟨Su,v–u⟩≥for all v ∈K if and only if u = Tu. Clearly, the operator T satisfies all the hypotheses of Theorem .by setting A = B = K. We deduce that the conclusions of Theorem .hold true as an immediate consequence of Theorem .. □ Inspired by Theorem ., one can consider the following algorithm to solve Problem .. 4 Variational inequality problems Let H be a real Hilbert space, with inner product ⟨·,·⟩and induced norm ∥· ∥. Let K be a nonempty, closed, and convex subset of H. We consider a monotone variational inequality problem as follows; see [, ]. Problem .Find u ∈K such that ⟨Su,v – u⟩≥for all v ∈K, where S : H →H is a monotone operator (i.e., ⟨Su – Sv,v – u⟩≥for all u,v ∈K). Problem .Find u ∈K such that ⟨Su,v – u⟩≥for all v ∈K, where S : H →H is a monotone operator (i.e., ⟨Su – Sv,v – u⟩≥for all u,v ∈K). The interest for variational inequalities theory is due to the fact that a wide class of equilibrium problems, arising in pure and applied sciences, can be treated in an unified framework []. Now, we recall the metric projection, say PK : H →K, which is a powerful tool for solving a variational inequality problem. Referring to classical books on approxi- mation theory in inner product spaces, see [], we recall that for each u ∈H, there exists a unique nearest point PKu ∈K such that ∥u – PKu∥≤∥u – v∥, for all v ∈K. The theoretical background of projection and related approximation methods can be found in [], too. Here, we need the following crucial lemmas, relating the existence of a solution for a variational inequality problem and the existence of a fixed point of a certain mapping. Lemma .Let z ∈H. Then u ∈K satisfies the inequality ⟨u – z,y – u⟩≥, for all y ∈K if and only if u = PKz. Variational inequality problem solving algorithm Step (Initialization): Select an arbitrary starting point u∈K. Step (Initialization): Select an arbitrary starting point u∈K. Page 13 of 15 Page 13 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Step (Iteration): Given the current approximation point un ∈K, n ∈N ∪{}, compute un+= PK(un – λSun), satisfying Theorem .(a). satisfying Theorem .(a). In view of the proof of Theorem .(and hence Theorem .), this algorithm generates sequences converging to a unique solution of Problem .. From Corollary ., we obtain the following result for the solution of a variational in- equality problem. Theorem .Let K be a nonempty, closed, and convex subset of a real Hilbert space H and IK be the identity operator on K. Assume that the monotone operator S : H →H satisfies the following conditions: Theorem .Let K be a nonempty, closed, and convex subset of a real Hilbert space H and IK be the identity operator on K. Assume that the monotone operator S : H →H satisfies the following conditions: f g (a) PK(IK – λS) : K →K is a Z-proximal contraction of the second kind, with λ > ; (b) PK(IK – λS) is injective on K; (b) PK(IK – λS) is injective on K; (c) PK(IK – λS)(K) is closed. Then there exists a unique point u ∈K such that ⟨Su,v – u⟩≥for all v ∈K. Moreover, for every u∈K, there exists a sequence {un} ⊆K such that un+= PK(un – λSun) for every n ∈N ∪{} and un →u. Inspired by Theorem ., one can consider the following algorithm to solve Problem .. Variational inequality problem solving algorithm Step (Initialization): Select an arbitrary starting point u∈K. Step (Initialization): Select an arbitrary starting point u∈K. Step (Iteration): Given the current approximation point un ∈K, n ∈N ∪{}, compute un+= PK(un – λSun), Author details 1 1Mathematics Department, College of Science (Malaz), King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 2Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, University of Palermo, Via Archirafi34, Palermo, 90123, Italy. 3Department of Energy, Information Engineering and Mathematical Models (DEIM), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo, 90128, Italy. Competing interests h h d l h Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. p g The authors declare that they have no competing interests. satisfying Theorem .(a)-(c). Our results apply to some fundamental problems of optimization theory. In fact, as a special case of Problem ., we retrieve the following constrained minimization problem. Problem .Find u ∈K such that ⟨∇fu,v–u⟩≥for all v ∈K, where f : H →R is a con- tinuously differentiable function which is convex on K with ∇f denoting the gradient of f . A second special case of Problem ., is the following hierarchical variational inequality problem. Problem .Let Fix(g) := {x ∈K : x = gx}, where g : K →K is such that ∥gx–gy∥≤∥x–y∥ (i.e., g is nonexpansive). Find u ∈Fix(g) such that ⟨Su,v – u⟩≥for all v ∈Fix(g), where S : K →K is a monotone continuous operator. Finally, by using the Gâteaux directional derivative of a metric projection, we denote K  x,–S(x)  := lim t→+ PK(x – tS(x)) – x t , K  x,–S(x)  := lim t→+ PK(x – tS(x)) – x t , where S : K →H is continuous. where S : K →H is continuous. where S : K →H is continuous. Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 14 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 Page 14 of 15 Now, consider the initial value problem: Now, consider the initial value problem: Now, consider the initial value problem: dx(t) dt = K  x(t),–S  x(t)  , x() = x∈K, t ∈[,+∞[, dx(t) dt = K  x(t),–S  x(t)  , x() = x∈K, t ∈[,+∞[, () () whose critical points satisfy dx(t) dt = . In [], the authors proved that the set of critical points of () coincides with the set of solutions of a monotone variational inequality problem involving the operator S. Thus, our theory is applicable to the study of (), which is associated to various economic problems; see again []. Authors’ contributions All th t ib t d Authors’ contributions All authors contributed equally and significantly in writing this article. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Authors contributions All authors contributed equally and significantly in writing this article. All authors read and approved the final manuscript 5 Conclusions Best approximation and fixed point theories are continuously expanding topics due to their applications in many fields of pure and applied mathematics. Thus, we gave new theorems of g-best proximity point by using a notion of simulation function. This ap- proach is useful to cover existing results in the literature from an unifying point of view. A discussion of the solvability of monotone variational inequality problems and related optimization problems supports the new theory. References 1. Fan, K: Extensions of two fixed point theorems of F.E. Browder. Math. Z. 122(3), 234-240 (1969) 1. Fan, K: Extensions of two fixed point theorems of F.E. Browder. Math. Z. 122(3), 234-240 (1969) 2. Abkar, A, Gabeleh, M: Proximal quasi-normal structure and a best proximity point theorem. J. Nonlinear Convex Anal. 14(4), 653-659 (2013) 2. Abkar, A, Gabeleh, M: Proximal quasi-normal structure and a best proximity point theorem. J. Nonlinear Convex Anal. 14(4), 653-659 (2013) 3. Al-Thagafi, MA, Shahzad, N: Convergence and existence results for best proximity points. Nonlinear Anal. 70(10), 3665-3671 (2009) 3. Al-Thagafi, MA, Shahzad, N: Convergence and existence results for best proximity points. Nonlinear Anal. 70(10), 3665-3671 (2009) ( ) 4. Di Bari, C, Suzuki, T, Vetro, C: Best proximity points for cyclic Meir-Keeler contractions. Nonlinear Anal. 69(11), 3790-3794 (2008) ld d P d f b h l l ( ) 5. Eldred, AA, Veeramani, P: Existence and convergence of best proximity points. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 323(2), 1001-1006 (2006) 5. Eldred, AA, Veeramani, P: Existence and convergence of best proximity points. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 323(2), 1001-1006 (2006) , p y p p ( ) 7. Karpagam, S, Agrawal, S: Best proximity point theorems for p-cyclic Meir-Keeler contractions. Fixed Point Theory Appl. 2009, Article ID 197308 (2009) 8. Kirk, WA, Reich, S, Veeramani, P: Proximinal retracts and best proximity pair theorems. Numer. Funct. Anal. Optim. 24(7-8), 851-862 (2003) 8. Kirk, WA, Reich, S, Veeramani, P: Proximinal retracts and best proximity pair theorems. Numer. Funct. Anal. Optim. 24(7-8), 851-862 (2003) 9. Sadiq Basha, S: Best proximity points: global optimal approximate solutions. J. Glob. Optim. 49(1), 15-21 (2011) q p y p g p pp p 10. Sankar Raj, V: A best proximity point theorem for weakly contractive non-self-mappings. Nonlinear Anal. 74(14), 4804-4808 (2011) 10. Sankar Raj, V: A best proximity point theorem for weakly contractive non-self-mappings. Nonlinear Anal. 74(14), 4804-4808 (2011) 11. Vetro, C: Best proximity points: convergence and existence theorems for p-cyclic mappings. Nonlinear Anal. 73(7), 2283-2291 (2010) 11. Vetro, C: Best proximity points: convergence and existence theorems for p-cyclic mappings. Nonlinear Anal. 73(7 2283-2291 (2010) 12. Khojasteh, F, Shukla, S, Radenovi´c, S: A new approach to the study of fixed point theorems via simulation functions. Filomat 29(6), 1189-1194 (2015) 12. Khojasteh, F, Shukla, S, Radenovi´c, S: A new approach to the study of fixed point theorems via simulation functions. Filomat 29(6), 1189-1194 (2015) 13. Acknowledgements g This research project was supported by a grant from the ‘Research Center of the Center for Female Scientific and Medical Colleges’, Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University. Received: 3 November 2015 Accepted: 28 February 2016 References Argoubi, H, Samet, B, Vetro, C: Nonlinear contractions involving simulation functions in a metric space with a partial order. J. Nonlinear Sci. Appl. 8(6), 1082-1094 (2015) Page 15 of 15 Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 14. Nastasi, A, Vetro, P: Fixed point results on metric and partial metric spaces via simulation functions. J. Nonlinear Sci. Appl. 8(6), 1059-1069 (2015) 15. Roldán, A, Karapınar, E, Roldán, C, Martínez-Moreno, J: Coincid 15. Roldán, A, Karapınar, E, Roldán, C, Martínez-Moreno, J: Coincidence point theorems on metric spaces via simulation functions. J. Comput. Appl. Math. 275, 345-355 (2015) functions. J. Comput. Appl. Math. 275, 345-355 (2015) 16. Khojasteh, F, Karapınar, E, Radenovi´c, S: θ-Metric spaces: a generalization. Math. Probl. Eng. 2013, Article ID 504609 (2013) 17. Radenovi´c, S, Kadelburg, Z, Jandrli´c, D, Jandrli´c, A: Some results on weakly contractive maps. Bull. Iran. Math. Soc. 38(3), 625-645 (2012) 18. Van An, T, Van Dung, N, Kadelburg, Z, Radenovi´c, S: Various generalizations of metric spaces and fixed point 18. Van An, T, Van Dung, N, Kadelburg, Z, Radenovi´c, S: Various generalizations of metric spaces and fixed point theorems. Rev. R. Acad. Cienc. Exactas Fís. Nat., Ser. A Mat. 109(1), 175-198 (2015) 18. Van An, T, Van Dung, N, Kadelburg, Z, Radenovic, S: Various generalizations of met theorems. Rev. R. Acad. Cienc. Exactas Fís. Nat., Ser. A Mat. 109(1), 175-198 (2015) theorems. Rev. R. Acad. Cienc. Exactas Fís. Nat., Ser. A Mat. 109(1), 175-198 (2015) adiq Basha, S: Best proximity point theorems: an exploration of a co 19. Sadiq Basha, S: Best proximity point theorems: an exploration of a comm optimization problems. Appl. Math. Comput. 218(19), 9773-9780 (2012) q , p y p p optimization problems. Appl. Math. Comput. 218(19), 9773-9780 (2012) 20. Sadiq Basha, S, Veeramani, P: Best proximity pair theorems for multifunctions with open fibres. J. Approx. Theory 103(1), 119-129 (2000) 21. Banach, S: Sur les opérations dans les ensembles abstraits et leur application aux équations intégrales. Fundam. Math. 3(1), 133-181 (1922) Sadiq Basha, S: Best proximity points: optimal solutions. J. Optim. T 23. Alghamdi, MA, Shahzad, N, Vetro, F: Best proximity points for some classes of proximal contractions. Abstr. Appl. Anal. 2013, Article ID 713252 (2013) Gabeleh, M: Best proximity points for weak proximal contractions. 24. Gabeleh, M: Best proximity points for weak proximal contractions. Bull. Malays. Math. Sci. Soc. 38(1), 143 154 (2015) 25. Tchier et al. Fixed Point Theory and Applications ( 2016) 2016:26 References Kadelburg, Z, Radenovi´c, S: A note on some recent best proximity point results for non-self mappings. Gulf J. Math. 1(1), 36-41 (2013) ´ 26. Jleli, M, Cojbaši´c Raji´c, V, Samet, B, Vetro, C: Fixed point theorems on ordered metric spaces and applications to nonlinear elastic beam equations. J. Fixed Point Theory Appl. 12(1-2), 175-192 (2012) 27. Censor, Y, Gibali, A, Reich, S, Sabach, S: Common solutions to variational inequalities. Set-Valued Var. Anal. 20(2), 229-247 (2012) 28. Kinderlehrer, D, Stampacchia, G: An Introduction to Variational Inequalities and Their Applications. Academic Press, New York (1980) 29. Patriksson, M: Nonlinear Programming and Variational Inequality Problems: A Unified Approach. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht (1999) 29. Patriksson, M: Nonlinear Programming and Variational Inequality Problems: A Unified Approach. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht (1999) 30. Deutsch, F: Best Approximation in Inner Product Spaces. Springer, New York (2001) 30. Deutsch, F: Best Approximation in Inner Product Spaces. Springer, New York (2001) 31. Dupuis, P, Nagurney, A: Dynamical systems and variational inequalities. Ann. Oper. Res. 44(1), 7-42 (1993)
https://openalex.org/W2618839199
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc5485975?pdf=render
English
null
Sensitivity of HOXB13 as a Diagnostic Immunohistochemical Marker of Prostatic Origin in Prostate Cancer Metastases: Comparison to PSA, Prostein, Androgen Receptor, ERG, NKX3.1, PSAP, and PSMA
International journal of molecular sciences
2,017
cc-by
5,332
Ilka Kristiansen 1, Carsten Stephan 2, Klaus Jung 3, Manfred Dietel 4, Anja Rieger 4, Yuri Tolkach 1,† and Glen Kristiansen 1,*,† Ilka Kristiansen 1, Carsten Stephan 2, Klaus Jung 3, Manfred Dietel 4, Anja Rieger 4, Yuri Tolkach 1,† and Glen Kristiansen 1,*,† 1 Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany; ilka.kristiansen@gmx.de (I.K.); Yuri.tolkach@ukbonn.de (Y.T.) 1 Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany; ilka.kristiansen@gmx.de (I.K.); Yuri.tolkach@ukbonn.de (Y.T.) ( ) 2 Department of Urology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; carsten.stephan@charite.de 3 Berlin Institute of Urologic Research, 10117 Berlin, Germany; klaus.jung@charite.de 4 Institute of Pathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Manfred.dietel@charite.de (M.D.); Anja.rieger@charite.de (A.R.) * Correspondence: glen.kristiansen@ukbonn.de; Tel.: +49-228-287-15375, Fax: +49-228-287-15030 † These authors contributed equally to this work. A d i Edit Willi Chi hi Ch g , , y; j g 4 Institute of Pathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Manfred.dietel@charite.de (M.D.); Anja.rieger@charite.de (A.R.) † These authors contributed equally to this work. Academic Editor: William Chi-shing Cho Academic Editor: William Chi-shing Cho d: 16 April 2017; Accepted: 24 May 2017; Published: 2 Received: 16 April 2017; Accepted: 24 May 2017; Published: 29 May 2017 Abstract: Aims: Determining the origin of metastases is an important task of pathologists to allow for the initiation of a tumor-specific therapy. Recently, homeobox protein Hox-B13 (HOXB13) has been suggested as a new marker for the detection of prostatic origin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity of HOXB13 in comparison to commonly used immunohistochemical markers for prostate cancer. Materials and methods: Histologically confirmed prostate cancer lymph node metastases from 64 cases were used to test the diagnostic value of immunohistochemical markers: prostate specific antigen (PSA), Prostatic acid phosphatase (PSAP), prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), homeobox gene NKX3.1, prostein, androgen receptor (AR), HOXB13, and ETS-related gene (ERG). All markers were evaluated semi-quantitatively using Remmele’s immune reactive score. Results: The detection rate of prostate origin of metastasis for single markers was 100% for NKX3.1, 98.1% for AR, 84.3% for PSMA, 80.8% for PSA, 66% for PSAP, 60.4% for HOXB13, 59.6% for prostein, and 50.0% for ERG. Conclusions: Our data suggest that HOXB13 on its own lacks sensitivity for the detection of prostatic origin. Therefore, this marker should be only used in conjunction with other markers, preferably the highly specific PSA. The combination of PSA with NKX3.1 shows a higher sensitivity and thus appears preferable in this setting. Keywords: prostate cancer; metastasis; immunohistochemistry; detection; PSA; PSAP; PSMA; NKX3.1; prostein; HOXB13; ERG; AR International Journal of Molecular Sciences Keywords: prostate cancer; metastasis; immunohistochemistry; detection; PSA; PSAP; PSMA; NKX3.1; prostein; HOXB13; ERG; AR www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms Sensitivity of HOXB13 as a Diagnostic Immunohistochemical Marker of Prostatic Origin in Prostate Cancer Metastases: Comparison to PSA, Prostein, Androgen Receptor, ERG, NKX3.1, PSAP, and PSMA Ilka Kristiansen 1, Carsten Stephan 2, Klaus Jung 3, Manfred Dietel 4, Anja Rieger 4, Yuri Tolkach 1,† and Glen Kristiansen 1,*,† 1. Introduction Determining the origin of the primary tumor in metastases is an important task of pathologists to allow for the initiation of a tumor-specific therapy. Since its description in the 1970s, prostate specific antigen (PSA) has in due course become the dominant prostate marker in serum [1,2]. PSA could be detected by immunohistochemistry in tissue and was quickly adopted by pathologists as a diagnostic marker [3,4]. PSA is still regarded as a highly specific marker of prostatic origin, but due to its decreased or even lost expression in higher grade or metastatic tumors, which was already noted in Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, 1151; doi:10.3390/ijms18061151 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms 2 of 9 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, 1151 initial studies, its sensitivity is clearly limited, which necessitates the use of additional markers in PSA negative cases [5]. Prostein, coded by the SLC45A3 gene and identified by transcript profiling studies of prostate cancer, was found to be highly specific for prostatic origin and displays a characteristic Golgi-type cytoplasmic staining pattern [6,7]. As seen with PSA, prostein expression also shows a slightly diminished expression with tumor progression, but in combination with PSA it proved to be a valuable tool to identify prostatic origin [8,9]. An alternative marker for prostatic origin was the protein coded by the homeobox gene NKX3.1, which shows nuclear staining on immunohistochemistry and which was also found to be highly though not exclusively specific for prostate tissues [10,11]. At the 2014 consensus conference of the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP), it was recommended to use immunohistochemistry for PSA, NKX3.1 and prostein to ascertain a prostatic origin in doubtful cases [5]. Another diagnostic candidate marker that was not considered at that conference was homeobox protein Hox-B13 (HOXB13), which was characterized as a marker for prostate cancer by Edwards et al. [12]. HOXB13 also has a nuclear staining pattern and has been recommended by several studies as a prostate specific marker [13–16]. To date, the diagnostic value and especially the performance of HOXB13 immunohistochemistry as a marker of prostatic origin in direct comparison to the commonly used prostate markers (PSA, prostein, ERG, the androgen receptor (AR), NKX3.1, Prostatic acid phosphatase (PSAP) and prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)) in metastases has not been evaluated, which was therefore the aim of this study. 2.1. Immunohistochemical Staining Patterns (F) ERG is also located in the nucleus and has a higher degree of heterogeneity, as seen here. (G) Homeobox gene NKX3.1 commonly displays strong nuclear staining. (H) Homeobox protein HOXB3 is also seen in nuclei, however, the staining intensity is weaker. All images are taken in 400×. Figure 1. Immunohistochemistry of candidate diagnostic prostate markers. (A) Prostate specific antigen (PSA) shows diffuse cytoplasmic staining with a higher degree of heterogeneity in this case. (B) Prostein immunoreactivity is restricted to the Golgi apparatus area. (C) Prostate specific alkaline phosphatase (PSAP) also displays a diffuse cytoplasmic staining pattern. (D) Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has characteristic cytoplasmic but also membranous staining. (E) Androgen receptor shows epithelial nuclear staining. (F) ERG is also located in the nucleus and has a higher degree of heterogeneity, as seen here. (G) Homeobox gene NKX3.1 commonly displays strong nuclear staining. (H) Homeobox protein HOXB3 is also seen in nuclei, however, the staining intensity is weaker. All images are taken in 400×. 2.1. Immunohistochemical Staining Patterns All markers showed the expected patterns of immunoreactivity in metastatic prostate cancer. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic phosphatase (PSAP) displayed diffuse cytoplasmic staining (Figure 1A,C), where prostein showed the characteristic Golgi-type staining (Figure 1B). Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA, Figure 1D) showed a predominantly membranous but also cytoplasmic immunoreactivity. Nuclear staining was seen for the androgen receptor (AR), ERG, NKX3.1, and HOXB13 (Figure 1E–H). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 9 Figure 1. Cont. Figure 1. Cont. 3 of 9 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, 1151 Figure 1. Immunohistochemistry of candidate diagnostic prostate markers. (A) Prostate specific antigen (PSA) shows diffuse cytoplasmic staining with a higher degree of heterogeneity in this case. (B) Prostein immunoreactivity is restricted to the Golgi apparatus area. (C) Prostate specific alkaline phosphatase (PSAP) also displays a diffuse cytoplasmic staining pattern. (D) Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has characteristic cytoplasmic but also membranous staining. (E) Androgen receptor shows epithelial nuclear staining. (F) ERG is also located in the nucleus and has a higher degree of heterogeneity, as seen here. (G) Homeobox gene NKX3.1 commonly displays strong nuclear staining. (H) Homeobox protein HOXB3 is also seen in nuclei, however, the staining intensity is weaker. All images are taken in 400×. Figure 1. Immunohistochemistry of candidate diagnostic prostate markers. (A) Prostate specific antigen (PSA) shows diffuse cytoplasmic staining with a higher degree of heterogeneity in this case. (B) Prostein immunoreactivity is restricted to the Golgi apparatus area. (C) Prostate specific alkaline phosphatase (PSAP) also displays a diffuse cytoplasmic staining pattern. (D) Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has characteristic cytoplasmic but also membranous staining. (E) Androgen receptor shows epithelial nuclear staining. (F) ERG is also located in the nucleus and has a higher degree of heterogeneity, as seen here. (G) Homeobox gene NKX3.1 commonly displays strong nuclear staining. (H) Homeobox protein HOXB3 is also seen in nuclei, however, the staining intensity is weaker. All images are taken in 400×. Figure 1. Immunohistochemistry of candidate diagnostic prostate markers. (A) Prostate specific antigen (PSA) shows diffuse cytoplasmic staining with a higher degree of heterogeneity in this case. (B) Prostein immunoreactivity is restricted to the Golgi apparatus area. (C) Prostate specific alkaline phosphatase (PSAP) also displays a diffuse cytoplasmic staining pattern. (D) Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has characteristic cytoplasmic but also membranous staining. (E) Androgen receptor shows epithelial nuclear staining. 2.2. Statistical Evaluation of Prostate Markers 2.2. Statistical Evaluation of Prostate Markers The highest detection rate was seen with NKX3.1 followed by the androgen receptor and PSMA. PSA, as the most commonly used antibody to specifically recognize prostate cancer, correctly detected nearly 81% of cases. ERG labeled, as expected, only 50% of prostate cancer metastases. The highest detection rate was seen with NKX3.1 followed by the androgen receptor and PSMA. PSA, as the most commonly used antibody to specifically recognize prostate cancer, correctly detected nearly 81% of cases. ERG labeled, as expected, only 50% of prostate cancer metastases. Prostein, PSAP, and HOXB13 were only slightly superior, detecting approximately two thirds of cases (Table 1). Table 1. Detection rates of prostate markers in prostate cancer metastases. Table 1. Detection rates of prostate markers in prostate cancer metastases. Marker Detection Rate (%) Mean IRS Number of Cases PSA 80.8 6.3 52 PSAP 66.0 3.5 53 PSMA 84.3 6.0 51 Prostein 59.6 4.2 52 Androgen receptor (AR) 98.1 6.7 53 ERG 50.0 2.6 52 NKX3.1 100.0 8.0 50 HOXB13 60.4 4.7 53 Abbreviations: IRS = immunoreactive Score according to Remmele. A Spearman rank correlation analysis of IRS values of these markers revealed the following significant associations: AR and HOXB13 (correlation coefficient (CC) = 0.358, p = 0.009), AR and NKX3.1 (CC = 0.505, p = 0.001), AR and PSAP (CC = −0.277, p = 0.047), ERG and HOXB13 (CC = 0.283, p = 0.044), PSA and Prostein (CC = 0.367, p = 0.008), PSA and PSAP (CC = 0.623, p = 0.001), PSA and PSMA (CC = 0.350, p = 0.012), prostein and PSAP (CC = 0.277, p = 0.049), and prostein and HOXB13 (CC = −0.296, p = 0.035). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, 1151 4 of 9 We then investigated which combination of prostate markers would achieve the highest detection rate by combining the most commonly used marker PSA with the other markers in cross tables. PSAP recognized 10% of PSA negative cases, which did not add significant information. PSMA performed slightly better, labelling 50% of PSA negative cases. HOXB13 correctly recognized 70%, and finally NKX3.1 correctly detected all PSA negative cases, leading to a detection rate (of the combination of PSA and NKX3.1) of 100% in this dataset. Prostein and PSA correctly detected 82% of cases, HOXB13 and PSA labeled 94.2% of cases correctly, AR and PSA detected 100% of cases, and ERG and PSA recognized 88% of prostate cancer metastases. 2.2. Statistical Evaluation of Prostate Markers 2.2. Statistical Evaluation of Prostate Markers In a direct analysis of HOXB13 and NKX3.1 expression, both markers together recognized 100%, as NKX3.1 labeled 100% of HOXB13 negative cases. NKX3.1 combined with AR also achieved a detection rate of 100%. 3.1. Case Selection and Construction of Tissue Microarray First, prostate cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) and lymphadenectomy and who were diagnosed at the Institute of Pathology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin between 1998 and 2005 were identified. Histologically confirmed metastases from 64 cases were used for tissue microarray construction with one spot per case and a punch size of 1 mm. The tissue microarray comprised of two blocks. The metastases consisted of 57 local lymph node metastases and seven systemic metastases (4× bone, 1× penis, 1× oral mucosa, 1× cervical lymph node). Lymph nodes were submitted to frozen section analysis prior to RP, which was usually not performed in case of a positive node. Only 13 RPs were performed. Therefore, histopathological RP data on the primary tumor was not available for the majority of cases. For the thirteen RP cases that were completed, the Gleason scores (GS) were: GS7-2, GS8-4, GS9-4, GS10-3. The pT categories (according to Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) TNM classification of malignant tumors, 8th edition) were: pT2-2, pT3a-1, pT3b-10. Positive margins were seen in 11 cases. The bilateral lymphonodectomy specimens (n = 57) contained a median of 12 lymph nodes (range 1 to 23). Twenty-nine cases had a single positive lymph node, 15 cases had two metastases, seven cases had three metastases and six cases had four or more positive nodes (maximum 11). The use of this tissue was approved by the Charité University Ethics Committee (EA1/06/2004). No animals were involved in this study. 4. Discussion This study evaluates the sensitivity of prostate markers to detect lymph node and distant metastases of prostate cancer. It confirms that PSA, as the most commonly used antibody for routine purposes, has a relatively high detection rate of nearly 81%. The value of PSA is its high specificity, as apart from prostate cancer only breast cancer may be PSA positive, but this is usually not in the closer differential diagnosis [18]. The loss of PSA expression with tumor dedifferentiation and progression is long known and constitutes the necessity to use other markers in a combination. As prostate cancer is an androgen-driven disease, the high rates of androgen receptor expression found in primary and metastatic prostate tumors are not surprising, and again this study confirms that metastases retain their AR expression well. The disadvantage of AR is the relative lack of specificity, as other neoplasms including urothelial carcinoma or salivary gland tumors may also be AR positive [19,20]. The overexpression of ERG, often resulting from the Transmembrane protease, serine 2-erythroblast transformation-specific-related gene TMPRSS2-ERG translocation which is found in nearly half of primary prostate cancer cases, is therefore typical of prostate cancer, but with a detection rate of 50% it clearly lacks sensitivity [21]. It is less well known that even though the genomic translocation is highly specific for prostate cancer, ERG protein expression is seen in a variety of other tumors, too. This includes, apart from vascular tumors, round cell sarcomas and leukemias, the more common differential diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma and, according to the human protein atlas (hppt://www.proteinatlas.org), also melanoma, testicular, and gastrointestinal tumors [22–24]. pp p g g Prostein was described and characterized by Xu et al. as a prostate specific protein, which was quickly used by surgical pathologists for the differential diagnosis of prostate cancer, especially to rule out urothelial carcinoma, which is almost consistently prostein-negative [6,7,9,25,26]. Prostein also has the advantage of a distinctive Golgi-type staining pattern, which can be reassuring in cases with only weak positivity. In primary prostate cancer, prostein expression is inversely correlated with Gleason scores and is a prognostic marker of disease progression [27]. As our study confirms, the sensitivity of prostein in metastases is fairly limited with a detection rate of 59%, and even in conjunction with PSA only 82% of cases can be confirmed as prostatic in origin, which equals the detection rate of PSA alone in our cohort. 3.2. Immunohistochemistry Immunohistochemistry was conducted using semi-automated platforms (Benchmark Ultra, Roche, and Autostainer, Medac) with protocols that are in routine use at the Institute of Pathology, University of Bonn (Table 2). Table 2. Antibodies used for immunohistochemistry in this study. Antigen Clone Provider Dilution Platform Protocol PSA Polyclonal, rabbit DAKO 1:20,000 Autostainer No pretreatment PSAP PASE/4LJ Cell Marque 1:6000 Autostainer HIER (pH 6, 20 s 98 °C) PSMA 3E6 DAKO 1:500 Benchmark CC1 (pH 8), ultraview Prostein 10E3 DAKO 1:100 Benchmark CC1 (pH 8), ultraview Androgen Receptor (AR) AR441 DAKO 1:400 Autostainer HIER (pH 6, 20 s 98 °C) ERG EPR3864 Biologo 1:100 Autostainer HIER (pH 6, 20 s 98 °C) NKX3.1 EP356 Cell Marque 1:200 Benchmark CC1 (pH 8), ultraview HOXB13 F-9 Santa Cruz 1:50 Benchmark CC1 (pH 8), optiview Abbreviations: HIER-Heat Induced Epitope Retrieval. Table 2. Antibodies used for immunohistochemistry in this study. Abbreviations: HIER-Heat Induced Epitope Retrieval. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, 1151 5 of 9 3.4. Statistics All data were processed using SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics for Macintosh, Version 22.0, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Spearman Rank correlations were used to analyze the associations among markers. 3.3. Evaluation of Immunohistochemistry All markers were evaluated semi-quantitatively using the immune reactive score (IRS), which gives the product of categorized percentage of stained cells (0: negative, 1: 1–10%, 2: 11–50%, 3: 51–80%, and 4: >80%) and staining intensity (ranging from negative (0) to strong (3)), and hence has a range from 0 to 12. For statistical evaluation, an IRS below 3 was considered a negative test and higher values were considered as positive, as suggested by Remmele and Stegner in their original proposal of the IRS scoring system [17]. The evaluation was carried out under the immediate supervision of a Genito–Urinary pathologist with broad expertise in immunohistochemistry (Glen Kristiansen). 4. Discussion As we found that both markers correlated, this redundancy of diagnostic information is not surprising. The same holds true for PSAP, which we found strongly and highly positively correlated to PSA, and this did not add significant information as only 10% of PSA negative cases were picked up by PSAP. A larger cohort may be necessary to demonstrate the additional diagnostic value of prostein or PSAP to PSA. Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is overexpressed during tumor progression, and Bostwick et al. found 82% positivity rates in primary prostate cancer [28]. However, despite its Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, 1151 6 of 9 name it is not prostate specific at all, but is also seen in a wide variety of tumors including colon, bladder, and renal cancer, so its use as a marker for prostatic differentiation is now discouraged [29]. NKX3.1 is a homeobox gene that shows a prostate and testis specific expression pattern, but may also be found in breast cancer. Its crisp nuclear staining pattern and its high rate of positivity in metastases (98.6%, Gurel et al. [30]), which this study confirms, have made it a popular diagnostic marker that is already endorsed by ISUP in their recommendations on diagnostic markers for genito–urinary pathology [11,30–33]. In particular, its combination with PSA is promising, as the high detection rate of 100% found in this study witnesses. y HOXB13 is another, so far less acknowledged diagnostic marker candidate, which has been recommended lately as a prostate specific marker [12,13,15,16]. Barresi et al. analyzed 15 prostate cancer metastases and found all of them strongly positive (in >75% of tumor cells) which equates a sensitivity of 100% [15]. Minimally lower rates were reported by Varinot et al., who analyzed 74 cases of lymph node metastases and 15 additional bone metastases. They found HOXB13 positivity in 33% of bone metastases and 93% of lymph node metastases. Interestingly, the expression of HOXB13 was also found as an independent prognostic marker in primary prostate cancer and to correlate with AR expression [14]. While our study confirms the significant association with AR, the diagnostic value of HOBX13 appears less convincing, as only 60.4% of prostate cancer metastases were positively stained. Of course, besides aspects of cohort composition that may influence the tumor biology, technical issues of the immunohistochemistry protocol or the tissue micro array construction may also explain this rather significant discrepancy. 4. Discussion This detection rate increased markedly to 94.2% if combined with PSA, but it remains inferior to the combination of PSA with NKX3.1. HOXB13 is also expressed in other carcinomas including endometrial cancer, which in itself does not limit its diagnostic value, but also in pancreatic cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma [34–36]. In light of these data, we do not recommend HOXB13 as a sole marker to detect a prostatic origin in a metastasis, but rather prefer PSA in conjunction with NKX3.1. However, prostein or HOXB13 may well be considered as third line markers in doubtful cases, and here combinations are advisable and often necessary [5,37]. This study has several weaknesses. The number of cases is relatively small, which precludes a more detailed analysis of combinational subgroups. Still, the cohort size is large enough to confirm the known expression rates of the markers under question and it is the first study to critically analyze HOXB13 in direct comparison to these other markers in prostate cancer metastases. This study is restricted to the correct detection of prostate markers in known prostate metastases and hence only evaluates the sensitivity of these markers. Also, this study lacks data on the Gleason scores of biopsies of primary tumors, which precludes further correlation analyses of biomarker expression. Finally, we did not aim to verify the specificity of our candidate biomarkers, which would have necessitated an additional large analysis of non-prostatic neoplasms [38]. In summary, our data suggest that the novel marker candidate HOXB13 alone is not a good diagnostic marker for the detection of prostatic origin. Only in combination with PSA does it achieve satisfactory detection rates. Alternatively, the combination of PSA with the already well-established marker NKX3.1 shows an even higher sensitivity and is therefore recommended in this setting. Acknowledgments: We are greatly indebted to the Sonnenfeldstiftung, Berlin, who funded the tissue microarrayer. We thank Britta Beyer for excellent technical support and Alfred E. Neumann for his enduring sense of humour and constructive discussions. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 7. Xu, J.; Kalos, M.; Stolk, J.A.; Zasloff, E.J.; Zhang, X.; Houghton, R.L.; Filho, A.M.; Nolasco, M.; Badaro, R.; Reed, S.G. Identification and characterization of prostein, a novel prostate-specific protein. Cancer Res. 2001, 61, 1563–1568. [PubMed] 8. Yin, M.; Dhir, R.; Parwani, A.V. Diagnostic utility of p501s (prostein) in comparison to prostate specific antigen (PSA) for the detection of metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma. Diagn. Pathol. 2007, 2, 41. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 9. Sheridan, T.; Herawi, M.; Epstein, J.I.; Illei, P.B. The role of p501s and PSA in the diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 2007, 31, 1351–1355. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 10. He, W.W.; Sciavolino, P.J.; Wing, J.; Augustus, M.; Hudson, P.; Meissner, P.S.; Curtis, R.T.; Shell, B.K.; Bostwick, D.G.; Tindall, D.J.; et al. A novel human prostate-specific, androgen-regulated homeobox gene (NKX3.1) that maps to 8p21, a region frequently deleted in prostate cancer. Genomics 1997, 43, 69–77. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 11. Bowen, C.; Bubendorf, L.; Voeller, H.J.; Slack, R.; Willi, N.; Sauter, G.; Gasser, T.C.; Koivisto, P.; Lack, E.E.; Kononen, J.; et al. Loss of NKX3.1 expression in human prostate cancers correlates with tumor progression. Cancer Res. 2000, 60, 6111–6115. [PubMed] 12. Edwards, S.; Campbell, C.; Flohr, P.; Shipley, J.; Giddings, I.; Te-Poele, R.; Dodson, A.; Foster, C.; Clark, J.; Jhavar, S.; et al. Expression analysis onto microarrays of randomly selected cDNA clones highlights HOXB13 as a marker of human prostate cancer. Br. J. Cancer 2005, 92, 376–381. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 13. Varinot, J.; Cussenot, O.; Roupret, M.; Conort, P.; Bitker, M.O.; Chartier-Kastler, E.; Cheng, L.; Comperat, E. HOXB13 is a sensitive and specific marker of prostate cells, useful in distinguishing between carcinomas of prostatic and urothelial origin. Virchows Arch. 2013, 463, 803–809. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 14. Zabalza, C.V.; Adam, M.; Burdelski, C.; Wilczak, W.; Wittmer, C.; Kraft, S.; Krech, T.; Steurer, S.; Koop, C.; Hube-Magg, C.; et al. HOXB13 overexpression is an independent predictor of early PSA recurrence in prostate cancer treated by radical prostatectomy. Oncotarget 2015, 6, 12822–12834. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 15. Barresi, V.; Ieni, A.; Cardia, R.; Licata, L.; Vitarelli, E.; Reggiani Bonetti, L.; Tuccari, G. HOXB13 as an immunohistochemical marker of prostatic origin in metastatic tumors. APMIS 2016, 124, 188–193. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 16. Varinot, J.; Furudoi, A.; Drouin, S.; Phe, V.; Penna, R.R.; Roupret, M.; Bitker, M.O.; Cussenot, O.; Comperat, E. HOXB13 protein expression in metastatic lesions is a promising marker for prostate origin. Virchows Arch. 2016, 468, 619–622. 4. Discussion Author Contributions: Ilka Kristiansen collected data, prepared the statistics and wrote the paper; Carsten Stephan and Klaus Jung provided clinical information, supervised the statistics and revised the paper; Manfred Dietel and Anja Rieger provided tissues and clinico-pathological data, constructed the tissue micro array (TMA) and revised the paper; Yuri Tolkach and Glen Kristiansen conceived the study, conducted the central review of tissues on the TMA, performed the statistics and supervised writing of the paper and its revision. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. 7 of 9 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, 1151 References 1. Ablin, R.J.; Bronson, P.; Soanes, W.A.; Witebsky, E. Tissue- and species-specific antigens of normal human prostatic tissue. J. Immunol. 1970, 104, 1329–1339. [PubMed] 1. Ablin, R.J.; Bronson, P.; Soanes, W.A.; Witebsky, E. Tissue- and species-specific antigens of normal human prostatic tissue. J. Immunol. 1970, 104, 1329–1339. [PubMed] 2. Frankel, A.E.; Rouse, R.V.; Wang, M.C.; Chu, T.M.; Herzenberg, L.A. Monoclonal antibodies to a human prostate antigen. Cancer Res. 1982, 42, 3714–3718. [PubMed] 2. Frankel, A.E.; Rouse, R.V.; Wang, M.C.; Chu, T.M.; Herzenberg, L.A. Monoclonal antibodies to a human prostate antigen. Cancer Res. 1982, 42, 3714–3718. [PubMed] 3. Steffens, J.; Friedmann, W.; Lobeck, H. Immunohistochemical diagnosis of the metastasizing prostatic carcinoma. Eur. Urol. 1985, 11, 91–94. [PubMed] 3. Steffens, J.; Friedmann, W.; Lobeck, H. Immunohistochemical diagnosis of the metastasizing prostatic carcinoma. Eur. Urol. 1985, 11, 91–94. [PubMed] . Stein, B.S.; Vangore, S.; Petersen, R.O.; Kendall, A.R. Immunoperoxidase localization of prostate-spe antigen. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 1982, 6, 553–557. [CrossRef] [PubMed] Stein, B.S.; Vangore, S.; Petersen, R.O.; Kendall, A.R. Immunoperoxidase localization of prostate-specific antigen. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 1982, 6, 553–557. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 5. Epstein, J.I.; Egevad, L.; Humphrey, P.A.; Montironi, R.; Members of the ISUP Immunohistochemistry in Diagnostic Urologic Pathology Group. Best practices recommendations in the application of immunohistochemistry in the prostate: Report from the international society of urologic pathology consensus conference. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 2014, 38, e6–e19. [PubMed] 5. Epstein, J.I.; Egevad, L.; Humphrey, P.A.; Montironi, R.; Members of the ISUP Immunohistochemistry in Diagnostic Urologic Pathology Group. Best practices recommendations in the application of immunohistochemistry in the prostate: Report from the international society of urologic pathology consensus conference. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 2014, 38, e6–e19. [PubMed] 6. Kalos, M.; Askaa, J.; Hylander, B.L.; Repasky, E.A.; Cai, F.; Vedvick, T.; Reed, S.G.; Wright, G.L., Jr.; Fanger, G.R. Prostein expression is highly restricted to normal and malignant prostate tissues. Prostate 2004, 60, 246–256. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 6. Kalos, M.; Askaa, J.; Hylander, B.L.; Repasky, E.A.; Cai, F.; Vedvick, T.; Reed, S.G.; Wright, G.L., Jr.; Fanger, G.R. Prostein expression is highly restricted to normal and malignant prostate tissues. Prostate 2004, 60, 246–256. [CrossRef] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [PubMed] 17. Remmele, W.; Stegner, H.E. Recommendation for uniform definition of an immunoreactive score (IRS) for immunohistochemical estrogen receptor detection (ER-ICA) in breast cancer tissue. Der. Pathol. 1987, 8, 138–140. 18. Howarth, D.J.; Aronson, I.B.; Diamandis, E.P. Immunohistochemical localization of prostate-specific antigen in benign and malignant breast tissues. Br. J. Cancer 1997, 75, 1646–1651. [CrossRef] [PubMed] Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, 1151 8 of 9 19. Ide, H.; Inoue, S.; Miyamoto, H. Histopathological and prognostic significance of the expression of sex hormone receptors in bladder cancer: A meta-analysis of immunohistochemical studies. PLoS ONE 2017, 12, e0174746. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 0. Udager, A.M.; Chiosea, S.I. Salivary duct carcinoma: An update on morphologic mimics and diagnostic of androgen receptor immunohistochemistry. Head Neck Pathol. 2017. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 21. van Leenders, G.J.; Boormans, J.L.; Vissers, C.J.; Hoogland, A.M.; Bressers, A.A.; Furusato, B.; Trapman, J. Antibody EPR3864 is specific for ERG genomic fusions in prostate cancer: Implications for pathological practice. Mod. Pathol. 2011, 24, 1128–1138. [CrossRef] [PubMed] p 22. Miettinen, M.; Wang, Z.F.; Paetau, A.; Tan, S.H.; Dobi, A.; Srivastava, S.; Sesterhenn, I. ERG transcription factor as an immunohistochemical marker for vascular endothelial tumors and prostatic carcinoma. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 2011, 35, 432–441. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 23. Yamada, Y.; Kuda, M.; Kohashi, K.; Yamamoto, H.; Takemoto, J.; Ishii, T.; Iura, K.; Maekawa, A.; Bekki, H.; Ito, T.; et al. Histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of undifferentiated small round cell sarcomas associated with CIC-DUX4 and BCOR-CCNB3 fusion genes. Virchows Arch. 2017, 470, 373–380. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 24. Xu, B.; Naughton, D.; Busam, K.; Pulitzer, M. ERG is a useful immunohistochemical marker to distinguish leukemia cutis from nonneoplastic leukocytic infiltrates in the skin. Am. J. Dermatopathol. 2016, 38, 672–677. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 25. Chuang, A.Y.; DeMarzo, A.M.; Veltri, R.W.; Sharma, R.B.; Bieberich, C.J.; Epstein, J.I. Immunohistochemical differentiation of high-grade prostate carcinoma from urothelial carcinoma. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 2007, 31, 1246–1255. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 26. Srinivasan, M.; Parwani, A.V. Diagnostic utility of p63/P501S double sequential immunohistochemical staining in differentiating urothelial carcinoma from prostate carcinoma. Diagn. Pathol. 2011, 6, 67. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 27. Perner, S.; Rupp, N.J.; Braun, M.; Rubin, M.A.; Moch, H.; Dietel, M.; Wernert, N.; Jung, K.; Stephan, C.; Kristiansen, G. Loss of SLC45A3 protein (prostein) expression in prostate cancer is associated with SLC45A3-ERG gene rearrangement and an unfavorable clinical course. Int. J. Cancer 2013, 132, 807–812. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 28. 37. Queisser, A.; Hagedorn, S.A.; Braun, M.; Vogel, W.; Duensing, S.; Perner, S. Comparison of different prostatic markers in lymph node and distant metastases of prostate cancer. Mod. Pathol. 2015, 28, 138–145. [CrossRef] [PubMed] © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). 38. Gown, A.M. Diagnostic immunohistochemistry: What can go wrong and how to prevent it. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 2016, 140, 893–898. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 37. Queisser, A.; Hagedorn, S.A.; Braun, M.; Vogel, W.; Duensing, S.; Perner, S. Comparison of different prostatic markers in lymph node and distant metastases of prostate cancer. Mod. Pathol. 2015, 28, 138–145. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 38. Gown, A.M. Diagnostic immunohistochemistry: What can go wrong and how to prevent it. Arch. Pathol. Lab Med 2016 140 893–898 [CrossRef] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [PubMed] Bostwick, D.G.; Pacelli, A.; Blute, M.; Roche, P.; Murphy, G.P. Prostate specific membrane antigen expression in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and adenocarcinoma: A study of 184 cases. Cancer 1998, 82, 2256–2261. [CrossRef] 29. Silver, D.A.; Pellicer, I.; Fair, W.R.; Heston, W.D.; Cordon-Cardo, C. Prostate-specific membrane antigen expression in normal and malignant human tissues. Clin. Cancer Res. 1997, 3, 81–85. [PubMed] 30. Gurel, B.; Ali, T.Z.; Montgomery, E.A.; Begum, S.; Hicks, J.; Goggins, M.; Eberhart, C.G.; Clark, D.P.; Bieberich, C.J.; Epstein, J.I.; et al. NKX3.1 as a marker of prostatic origin in metastatic tumors. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 2010, 34, 1097–1105. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 31. Gelmann, E.P.; Bowen, C.; Bubendorf, L. Expression of NKX3.1 in normal and malignant tissues. Prostate 2003, 55, 111–117. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 32. Skotheim, R.I.; Korkmaz, K.S.; Klokk, T.I.; Abeler, V.M.; Korkmaz, C.G.; Nesland, J.M.; Fossa, S.D.; Lothe, R.A.; Saatcioglu, F. NKX3.1 expression is lost in testicular germ cell tumors. Am. J. Pathol. 2003, 163, 2149–2154. [CrossRef] 33. Conner, J.R.; Hornick, J.L. Metastatic carcinoma of unknown primary: Diagnostic approach using immunohistochemistry. Adv. Anat. Pathol. 2015, 22, 149–167. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 34. Tong, H.; Ke, J.Q.; Jiang, F.Z.; Wang, X.J.; Wang, F.Y.; Li, Y.R.; Lu, W.; Wan, X.P. Tumor-associated macrophage-derived CXCL8 could induce ERα suppression via HOXB13 in endometrial cancer. Cancer lette. 2016, 376, 127–136. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 35. Zhu, J.Y.; Sun, Q.K.; Wang, W.; Jia, W.D. High-level expression OF HOXB13 Is closely associated with tumor angiogenesis and poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Int. J. Clin. Exp. Pathol. 2014, 7, 2925–2933. [PubMed] 36. Zhai, L.L.; Wu, Y.; Cai, C.Y.; Tang, Z.G. Overexpression of homeobox B-13 correlates with angiogenesis, aberrant expression of emt markers, aggressive characteristics and poor prognosis in pancreatic carcinoma. Int. J. Clin. Exp. Pathol. 2015, 8, 6919–6927. [PubMed] 9 of 9 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18, 1151 37. Queisser, A.; Hagedorn, S.A.; Braun, M.; Vogel, W.; Duensing, S.; Perner, S. Comparison of different prostatic markers in lymph node and distant metastases of prostate cancer. Mod. Pathol. 2015, 28, 138–145. [CrossRef] [PubMed] © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
https://openalex.org/W3171652107
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.671126/pdf
English
null
Correlation of Significantly Decreased Serum Circulating Mesencephalic Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Level With an Increased Risk of Future Cardiovascular Disease in Adult Patients With Growth Hormone Deficiency
Frontiers in endocrinology
2,021
cc-by
7,985
ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 16 June 2021 doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.671126 Edited by: Ilonka Kreitschmann-Andermahr, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany Edited by: Ilonka Kreitschmann-Andermahr, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany Edited by: Ilonka Kreitschmann-Andermahr, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany Reviewed by: Luiz Augusto Casulari, University of Brasilia, Brazil Krystallenia I. Alexandraki, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece Ziyu Ren 1†, Yunting Wang 2†, Qing Chen 1, Jiangchuan Long 1, Rui Zhang 1, Xun Wu 2, Wenjie Qian 2, Yue Chen 3, Dongfang Liu 1* and Wei Ren 2* 1 Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China, 2 Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China, 3 General Practice, The 958 Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Chongqing, China *Correspondence: Dongfang Liu 300306@hospital.cqum.edu.cn; ldf023023@qq.com Wei Ren renwei67@sina.com †These authors have contributed equally to this work Objective: Adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) is a rare chronic inflammatory disease caused by damage to the pituitary gland and is accompanied by disorders of multiple metabolic pathways. By examining the correlation between the serum mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) levels of AGHD patients and those of normal controls, we hope to elucidate the close relationship among MANF, lipid metabolism and insulin resistance in AGHD and discuss the potential therapeutic value of MANF. Specialty section: This article was submitted to Pituitary Endocrinology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology Received: 23 February 2021 Accepted: 01 June 2021 Published: 16 June 2021 Specialty section: This article was submitted to Pituitary Endocrinology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology Methods: This study included 101 AGHD patients and 100 healthy subjects matched for sex, age, height, and weight. Anthropometric parameters and biochemical indicators such as body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, serum MANF level, blood lipids and insulin level were measured. The above patients were also divided into several subgroups for correlation analysis based on indicators such as insulin resistance and BMI. Received: 23 February 2021 Accepted: 01 June 2021 Published: 16 June 2021 INTRODUCTION protein to ER stress and participate in the unfolded protein response (9). It is well known that to balance the harmful effects of ERs, the body initiates the unfolded protein response (UPR), which stimulates the secretion of MANF to reduce the accumulation of misfolded proteins and restore the normal function of the endoplasmic reticulum (10). Growth hormone is a polypeptide secreted by somatotroph cells of the anterior pituitary gland that is released in pulses mainly at night, and it can participate in anabolism and promote the growth and development of the body (1, 2). Acquired adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) is a special endocrine condition in which the growth hormone secretion ability of somatotroph cells is inhibited due to structural damage to the pituitary gland in adults, ultimately resulting in lower than normal absolute levels of growth hormone. Due to the presence and widespread expression of growth hormone receptors in various tissues and organs of the body, AGHD is characterized by abnormal body composition, imbalanced energy metabolism, decreased exercise capacity, impaired heart and kidney function, and even impaired psychological health (3). It has been shown that AGHD, similar to metabolic syndrome, is strongly associated with a chronic inflammatory state and that serum levels of lipocalin-2 (LCN2) are significantly elevated in patients with AGHD compared to the healthy population (4). Numerous studies suggest that disruption of the balance of the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 axis can induce the development of various heart diseases. Patients with AGHD have elevated levels of circulating inflammatory factors, accompanied by increased levels of oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction (5). A body of evidence suggests that patients with AGHD have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Pituitary cells are more susceptible to endoplasmic reticulum stress due to their high secretion of growth hormone and various prohormones (11). Increasing evidence also suggests a strong link between MANF and pituitary cells. The MANF-/- mouse model exhibited severe growth defects compared to normal controls. The size of the pituitary gland was significantly smaller, and ER stress and apoptosis were significantly increased in the pituitary gland (8). MANF has been shown to play an important therapeutic role in a variety of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related diseases. MANF has shown promising protective effects in neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, and ischemic diseases of the heart and brain, and it can even modulate inflammatory factor expression to suppress chronic inflammatory diseases (12). Citation: Ren Z, Wang Y, Chen Q, Long J, Zhang R, Wu X, Qian W, Chen Y, Liu D and Ren W (2021) Correlation of Significantly Decreased Serum Circulating Mesencephalic Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Level With an Increased Risk of Future Cardiovascular Disease in Adult Patients With Growth Hormone Deficiency. Front. Endocrinol. 12:671126. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.671126 Results: The serum circulating MANF content of AGHD patients was significantly lower than that of the normal control group (5.235 (0.507-17.62) ng/ml (n=101) vs. 10.30 (1.84- 16.65) ng/ml (n=100); p<0.0001), and circulating MANF levels were linearly correlated with HOMA-IR in the AGHD population (R=0.481, P=0.0041). When MANF was at pathological concentrations (lower than the mean circulating MANF of normal controls), the lowest concentration tertile (OR=21.429 p<0.0001) had a significantly higher disease odds ratio, Framingham risk score and 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease than the highest concentration tertile. June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org Ren et al. Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in AGHD Conclusions: MANF has a significant correlation with insulin resistance in the AGHD state. There is a strong correlation with abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism in the obese AGHD population. MANF is also a good assessment factor for the risk of cardiovascular disease in AGHD patients and has excellent therapeutic potential. Conclusions: MANF has a significant correlation with insulin resistance in the AGHD state. There is a strong correlation with abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism in the obese AGHD population. MANF is also a good assessment factor for the risk of cardiovascular disease in AGHD patients and has excellent therapeutic potential. Keywords: adult growth hormone deficiency, mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, cardiovascular risk Keywords: adult growth hormone deficiency, mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, cardiovascular risk INTRODUCTION A growing body of evidence suggests that MANF appears to have highly valuable therapeutic potential for AGHD, a specific chronic metabolic endoplasmic reticulum stress-related disorder. Whether MANF can be a novel therapeutic target for AGHD needs to be supported by various lines of evidence. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether circulating MANF is associated with newly diagnosed AGHD and to clarify the association from a clinical point of view. No relevant research about serum MANF levels in healthy subjects and patients with AGHD has been reported thus far. Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) was first discovered by Canadian scientists in 2003 as a secreted protein with selective protective effects on dopamine neurons (6). However, in recent years, researchers have increasingly turned their attention to the association of MANF with metabolic diseases. In addition to neuronal tissues, MANF protein and mRNA are also widely expressed in metabolically active nonneuronal tissues and organs such as the testis, thyroid, and adrenal gland (7). It is also significant for neuroendocrine organs such as the thalamus and pituitary gland. MANF- deficient mice have a smaller anterior pituitary gland size than wild-type mice, thus reducing the number of cells producing growth hormone and prolactin due to the reduced pituitary gland size. This eventually leads to dysregulation of pituitary hormone expression and increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis (8). Although MANF does not share any protein sequence homology with typical neurotrophic factors, MANF can exert the same extracellular effects as typical neurotrophic factors in regulating the cellular cascade. Interestingly, MANF can also act intracellularly as a reactive Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org Subjects j We recruited 101 patients (68 females, 33 males; mean age of 45.87 ± 14.45 years; range 20-76) with newly diagnosed AGHD from January 2017 to October 2020 in the Department of Endocrinology of our hospital. AGHD was diagnosed according to the insulin tolerance test (ITT), which is recommended by The American Endocrine Society as the gold standard, with a growth hormone (GH) peak <5.0 mg/L. None of the patients had been treated with GH prior to diagnosis, and all the patients were evaluated for thyroid, gonadal, and adrenal function and received stable hormone replacement therapy for more than 6 months according to the function of their respective endocrine glands to ensure the stability of these glands and June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org 2 Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in AGHD Ren et al. Experimental Group Design y The formulas involved in this research were as follows: this assay adopts the homeostatic model to assess the insulin resistance index using the following formula: HOMA-IR = fasting insulin (mU/L) × [fasting plasma glucose (mmol/L)/22.5]. b cell function was calculated as follows: HOMA-b = [20 × fasting insulin (mU/L)]/ [fasting plasma glucose (mmol/L)-3.5]. The lipid accumulation product, LAP, was calculated as follows: LAP (male) =[waist circumference, WC (cm) -65]×triglycerides, TG (mmol/L); LAP (female) =[WC (cm) -58]×TG (mmol/L). The visceral adiposity index was calculated as follows, VAI: VAI (Male) = WC (cm)/ (39.68+1.88×BMI)×TG (mmol/L)/1.03×1.31/HDL (mmol/L); VAI (Female) = WC (cm)/(39.68+1.89×BMI)×TG (mmol/L)/ 0.81×1.52/HDL (mmol/L). The quantitative insulin sensitivity index was calculated as follows: QUICKI =1/[log(fasting insulin) + log (fasting glucose)]. In this study, 101 patients with AGHD were divided into the following three subgroups according to different BMIs, pathogenic factors and degrees of insulin resistance to investigate the possible correlation between MANF and different factors. We first divided the 101 patients with AGHD into an overweight group (BMI>25.0 (n=34)) and a nonobese group (BMI<25.0 (n=67)) based on the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed criteria that a body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight (13). The above patients were then regrouped according to the most common cause of AGHD into a postoperative pituitary tumor group (craniopharyngioma×3; Rathke cleft cyst×2; nonfunctional pituitary adenoma ×22, n=27), an idiopathic AGHD group (menstrual disorders of unknown origin×6; primary amenorrhea×2; insidious onset×52, n=60) and a Sheehan’s syndrome group (adrenocorticotropic hormone combined with thyroid hormone deficiency×10; sex hormone combined with adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency×4, n=14) (14). However, since all the patients with Sheehan’s syndrome were female, which may lead to gender bias in the statistical results, this study excluded all male patients in the etiological classification for subsequent comparison (postoperative pituitary tumors group (nonfunctional pituitary adenoma×19), n=19; idiopathic AGHD group (menstrual disorders of unknown origin×6; primary amenorrhea×2; insidious onset×27), n=35; Sheehan’s syndrome group (adrenocorticotropic hormone combined with thyroid hormone deficiency×10; sex hormone combined with adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency×4), n=14). Finally, 91 patients with AGHD (10 of whom did not undergo fasting insulin testing) were divided into an insulin-resistant group (HOMA-IR > 2.71, n=34) and a noninsulin-resistant group (HOMA-IR < 2.71, n=57) according to the homeostasis model assessment proposed by the University of Oxford (15). The possible differences and associations of MANF in the above subgroups were explored separately. Anthropometric Parameters and Biochemical Indexes related hormone levels. A total of 100 healthy subjects (66 females, 34 males; mean age of 44.71 ± 10.47 years; range 26- 77) were recruited as controls for our study. The abovementioned healthy volunteers were roughly matched with AGHD patients in terms of age, sex, height, and weight. All subjects participating in this study were informed of the experimental method and purpose and provided informed consent signed by themselves. All experimental protocols conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki and were approved by the Ethics Committee of our hospital. All the participants completed a comprehensive clinical questionnaire detailing their physical measurements, including basic information on physical examination, type of nongrowth hormone replacement medication, and medication dosage. After 12 hours of fasting, all the participants had elbow venous blood collected for the evaluation of relevant biochemical parameters. Fresh serum was selected for analysis of the fasting glucose, fasting insulin (Fins), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin-like factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP3), circulating lipids, transaminases, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels. The remaining serum was promptly frozen at -80°C for the later measurement of circulating MANF levels. Plasma glucose was measured using the glucose oxidase method. Lipid metabolic spectra were measured by a biochemical autoanalyzer (CX-7 Biochemical Autoanalyzer; Beckman, Brea, CA, USA). The serum insulin, GH, and IGF1 levels were detected by chemiluminescence immunoassay (Immulite1000). Inclusion Criteria The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1. the subjects in the experimental group met the diagnostic requirements of ITT (GH peak value < 5.0 mg/L); 2. the subjects did not have diabetes or chronic diabetic complications; 3. the subjects were not treated with drug regimens to interfere with glucose lipid metabolism; 4. the subjects did not have hypertension or cardiovascular disease; 5. the subjects did not have a mental illness or malignant tumors; 6. the subjects did not have severe or chronic kidney or liver disease; and 7. the subjects did not have acute symptoms of infection. Ten-year risk scores for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and Framingham risk scores were determined for all the participants to assess the risk level for developing cardiovascular disease over the next ten years (16, 17). Experimental Group Design Measurements of Serum MANF Serum circulating MANF levels were determined by human MANF ELISA kits (ab215417, Abcam, USA). The ELISA kit has an optimal measurement range of 0.25 ng/ml - 16 ng/ml and a sensitivity of 30 pg/ml. This study used the same batch of kits to avoid differences between batches that could affect the accuracy of the experiment. Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org Statistical Analysis All analyses in this study were performed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). In this experiment, we performed Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests on all test data from participants to determine their normal distribution. Continuous variables are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (SD), and skewed distribution data are expressed as medians with interquartile ranges. Demographic and laboratory characteristics were compared between the AGHD population and June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org 3 Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in AGHD Ren et al. the normal control group. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of skewed distribution data, and the independent samples t-test was used for normal variables. Among the subgroups divided by BMI and homeostatic model, we used Spearman’s correlation analysis to test the correlation between the MANF level and other demographic and laboratory characteristics. In multiple linear regression, we tested multicollinearity for all independent variables, and if the VIF value exceeded 5, the variables were considered to be multicollinear. After dividing all subjects by MANF concentration tertile, we used the Kruskal- Wallis H test to examine differences in Framingham risk scores and 10-year risk scores for ASCVD between groups. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds ratio of AGHD at different serum MANF concentrations. All reported confidence interval (CI) values were calculated at the 95% level. Categorical variables are expressed as absolute and relative (%) values or proportions. In all analyses, a P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. AGHD group, the waist circumference and the levels of TC, TG, HDL, LDL, hsCRP, LAP, VAI, ALT and AST were significantly different from those in the control group. In the AGHD population, the circulating lipid levels were significantly increased, whereas the HDL level was significantly lower than that in the control group. The VAI, LAP, and other lipid metabolism parameters were significantly higher than those in the control participants. RESULTS p Since AGHD is closely related to lipid metabolism, 101 patients with AGHD were grouped according to the WHO definition of BMI=25.0 as the limit of overweight, were divided into two subgroups with BMI>25.0 (n=34) and BMI<25.0 (n=67) and were subjected to comparative statistical analysis. As shown in Figure 2, serum circulating MANF levels in AGHD patients with BMI <25.0 were significantly lower than those in subjects with BMI >25 (4.67 (0.51-17.61) ng/ml vs. 6.92 (0.55-17.62) ng/ml; Circulating MANF Levels in Overweight AGHD Patients Were Significantly Higher Than Those in the Nonobese Group Circulating MANF Levels in Overweight AGHD Patients Were Significantly Higher Than Those in the Nonobese Group Serum MANF Levels in AGHD Were Significantly Lower Than Those in the Control Population Circulating serum MANF levels were significantly lower in the AGHD subjects than in the healthy controls (5.235 (0.507-17.62) ng/ml (n=101) vs. 10.30 (1.84-16.65) ng/ml (n=100); p<0.0001), as shown in Figure 1. SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; TC, total cholesterol; TG, Triglycerides; HDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL, low- density lipoprotein cholesterol; hsCRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; LAP, lipid accumulation product; VAI, visceral adiposity index; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; Cr, creatinine; UA, uric acid. The data are presented as the mean±standard deviation or medians with interquartile ranges. *The p values for the comparisons between the two groups were two-tailed and considered significant at p < 0.05. Correlation of Circulating MANF Level and Metabolism in AGHD Patients Under Different Pathogenic Factors FIGURE 1 | Serum circulating MANF levels in AGHD patients and control populations. FIGURE 1 | Serum circulating MANF levels in AGHD patients and control populations. g Due to the diverse etiologies of AGHD, this study aimed to further investigate the association between serum circulating MANF factors and the metabolic axis in AGHD patients with different etiological factors. We categorized 101 patients with AGHD into the following three groups according to different etiologic factors: the postoperative group, idiopathic AGHD group, and Sheehan’s syndrome group, The results of the Kruskal-Wallis H test suggested that there were differences in the TC, TG, LDL, VAI, GH, and AST levels among the three groups of subjects, and thus, further comparisons were made between groups. Significant differences were found in the TC (p<0.001) and LDL (p<0.001) levels between the postoperative and idiopathic groups after Bonferroni correction (significantly higher in the postoperative group than in the remaining two groups). For comparison of the anthropometric indexes, we adjusted the sex of the patients in the postoperative and idiopathic groups and finally selected all female subjects in both groups for subsequent comparisons (group 1 n=19; group 2 n=35; group 3 n=14). In terms of height (although not reaching statistical significance, a trend can be seen, p=0.052), weight, BMI, and IGF1 level, the subjects in Sheehan’s group exhibited significantly lower values than those in the other two groups. The postoperative group exhibited significantly higher values than the other two groups in terms of the TC and LDL levels, the two lipid metabolism indexes (Table 2). The analysis revealed that the level of MANF was correlated with different parameters in the three subgroups. In the idiopathic AGHD group, Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that the level of MANF was positively correlated with Fins, HbA1C, VAI, QUICK, weight, BMI, waist circumference, LAP, and ALB. In the postoperative group, the level of MANF was positively correlated with DBP and UA. In conclusion, however, the level of MANF was more closely associated with lipid metabolism in AGHD. FIGURE 1 | Serum circulating MANF levels in AGHD patients and control populations. FIGURE 2 | Serum circulating MANF levels in two AGHD subgroups of patients according to BMI=25. Clinical Characteristics of the Study Subjects All the AGHD and control subjects were matched for height, weight, age, and sex (P>0.05). Table 1 details the comparison and differences in demographic data and laboratory parameters between the AGHD patients and healthy controls. In the TABLE 1 | Main clinical characteristics in AGHD and controls. Variables Control (n=100) AGHD (n=101) P value Age (y) 45.5(35-52) 46.00(35-56) 0.703 Height (cm) 161.14±7.19 160.09±8.43 0.329 Weight (kg) 58.621±9.84 61.59±13.52 0.411 BMI 23.71±4.01 23.03±3.46 0.501 Gender (M/F) 34/66 34/67 0.842 Waist circumference (cm) 78.08±9.11 85.48±10.94 <0.0001* SBP (mmHg) 116.91±14.97 119.76±16.99 0.485 DBP (mmHg) 74.00(66.25-80.00) 75.00(66.25-83.00) 0.366 FPG (mmol/L) 5.1(4.90-5.40) 5.2(4.75-5.60) 0.945 TC (mmol/L) 4.44(3.87-4.75) 4.81(4.15-5.85) <0.0001* TG (mmol/L) 1.337±0.67 2.187±1.53 <0.0001* HDL (mmol/L) 1.395(1.19-1.60) 1.18(0.93-1.66) 0.013* LDL (mmol/L) 2.70(2.19-3.09) 3.09(2.30-3.60) 0.004* hsCRP (mg/L) 0.51(0.15-0.91) 1.68(0.66-3.76) <0.0001* LAP 22.00(8.82-35.04) 47.12(26.79-79.66) <0.0001* VAI 1.525(0.91-2.47) 2.65(1.51-4.16) <0.0001* AST (u/L) 17.00(14.50-21.00) 22.00(18.00-30.25) 0.004* ALT (u/L) 15.00(11.50-21.50) 21.00(14.00-30.00) <0.0001* ALB (g/L) 45.371±2.31 44.157±4.43 0.102 Cr (mmoI/L) 65.50(57.00-77.00) 72.00(52.25-83.75) 0.059 UA (mmol/L) 297.50(259.00-375.50) 295.00(235.00-370.00) 0.524 HOMA-IR 2.11(1.22-3.57) 1.53(0.75-2.03) <0.0001* HOMA-b 110.40(65.56-177.78) 58.43(38.42-107.53) <0.0001* SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; TC, total cholesterol; TG, Triglycerides; HDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL, low- density lipoprotein cholesterol; hsCRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; LAP, lipid accumulation product; VAI, visceral adiposity index; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; Cr, creatinine; UA, uric acid. The data are presented as the mean±standard deviation or medians with interquartile ranges. *The p values for the comparisons between the two groups were two-tailed and considered significant at p < 0.05. TABLE 1 | Main clinical characteristics in AGHD and controls. June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org Ren et al. Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in AGHD Circulating MANF Levels in AGHD Subjects in the Insulin-Resistant and Noninsulin-Resistant Groups To investigate the relationship between circulating MANF levels and insulin resistance in the AGHD population, the circulating serum MANF levels in both groups of subjects are shown in Figure 4. In the insulin-resistant group, circulating MANF levels were significantly higher than those in the noninsulin-resistant group (3.86 (0.236-12.64) ng/ml (n=56) vs. 6.94 (0.604-17.62) ng/ml (n=34); p=0.0006). Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the level of MANF and Fins (r=0.306** p=0.005), HOMA-IR (r=0.288** p=0.009), HOMA-b (r=0.324** p=0.003), HbA1c (r=0.31* p=0.032), and waist circumference (r=0.331** p=0.002) in 91 subjects. To verify the existence of an independent linear correlation between MANF and insulin resistance, multiple linear regression was performed. In this experiment, MANF level was found to have an independent influence on HOMA-IR after consecutively adding the remaining influencing factors, as shown in Figure 5. FIGURE 2 | Serum circulating MANF levels in two AGHD subgroups of patients according to BMI=25. p=0.019). The Mann-Whitney U test suggested significant differences between the two subgroups of subjects in the Framingham risk scores, 10-year risk scores for ASCVD, Fins, HOMA-IR, and QUICK (p<0.05). All of the above data in the obese group were higher than those in the nonobese group. Next, we examined the relationship between serum MANF levels and other various parameters in patients in the BMI>25.0 group using Pearson’s correlation analysis. The results showed that serum MANF was positively correlated with the levels of TC (r=0.477** p=0.004), TG (r=0.415* p=0.015), LDL (r=0.391* p=0.022), and LAP (r=0.434* p=0.01). Multiple linear regression revealed an independent correlation between the TC and LDL levels and the level of serum circulating MANF (Figure 3). June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org 5 Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in AGHD Ren et al. A B FIGURE 3 | Associations between lipid metabolism indexes and circulating MANF in overweight AGHD patients. Scatter plots and correlation coefficients. Scatter plot and correlation coefficient (R) between LDL (A) and TC (B) and cycle MANF. P values were considered significant at p < 0.05. A B B FIGURE 3 | Associations between lipid metabolism indexes and circulating MANF in overweight AGHD patients. Scatter plots and correlation coefficients. Scatter plot and correlation coefficient (R) between LDL (A) and TC (B) and cycle MANF. P values were considered significant at p < 0.05. Circulating MANF Levels in AGHD Subjects in the Insulin-Resistant and Noninsulin-Resistant Groups TABLE 2 | Comparison of selected parameters between the three groups of subjects after gender correction. Pathogenic Height,cm Weight,kg BMI IGF1 TC,mmol/L LDL,mmol/L G1 (Postoperative, n=19) 160.28±6.31 58.72±8.51 22.31±3.36 78.85(34.40-124.75) 5.75(4.61-6.22) 3.56(2.89-3.73) G2 (idiopathic AGHD, n=35) 156.68±6.94 57.5±11.18 23.98±4.24 121.5(83.60-221.75) 4.47(3.96-4,84) 2.42(2.02-3.14) G3 (Sheehan's syndrome, n=14) 155.00±6.47 51.55±6.94 21.48±2.30 48.25(28.63-129.25) 4.74(4.00-5.22) 2.95(2.13-3.56) Overall Comparison Intergroup comparison 0.052 0.030* 0.047* 0.002* 0.001* 0.012* G1 VS G3 P value 0.073 0.798 1.000 0.067 0.077 G2 VS G3 0.038* 0.047* 0.025* 1.000 1.000 G1 VS G2 1.000 0.537 0.092 0.001* 0.001* G1 means the postoperative group; G2 means the idiopathic AGHD group; G3 means the Sheehan's syndrome group. The data are presented as the mean±standard deviation or medians with interquartile ranges *The p values for the comparisons between the two groups were two-tailed and considered significant at p < 0.05. TABLE 2 | Comparison of selected parameters between the three groups of subjects after gender correction. G1 means the postoperative group; G2 means the idiopathic AGHD group; G3 means the Sheehan's syndrome group. The data are presented as the mean±standard deviation or medians with interquartile ranges *The p values for the comparisons between the two groups were two-tailed and considered significant at p < 0.05. FIGURE 4 | Serum circulating MANF levels in two AGHD subgroups of patients according to homeostasis model assessment. FIGURE 5 | Scatter plot and correlation coefficient (R) between HOMA-IR and circulating MANF levels in the AGHD population. P values were considered significant at p < 0.05. FIGURE 4 | Serum circulating MANF levels in two AGHD subgroups of patients according to homeostasis model assessment. FIGURE 5 | Scatter plot and correlation coefficient (R) between HOMA-IR and circulating MANF levels in the AGHD population. P values were considered significant at p < 0.05. FIGURE 5 | Scatter plot and correlation coefficient (R) between HOMA-IR and circulating MANF levels in the AGHD population. P values were considered significant at p < 0.05. FIGURE 4 | S i l ti MANF l l i t AGHD b f FIGURE 5 | Scatter plot and correlation coefficient (R) between HOMA-IR and circulating MANF levels in the AGHD population. P values were considered significant at p < 0.05. FIGURE 5 | Scatter plot and correlation coefficient (R) between HOMA-IR and circulating MANF levels in the AGHD population. P values were considered significant at p < 0.05. DISCUSSION Growth hormone is involved in many metabolic pathways such as sugar, lipid, and protein pathways, but its main metabolic function is to promote lipolysis (18). Adult growth hormone deficiency is caused by structural injury to the pituitary gland or tumors in the pituitary region that leads to a sharp decrease in the amount of growth hormone in the body, which triggers structural damage to the heart, skeleton and other organs and is accompanied by endocrine metabolic disorders. An imbalance in the GH/IGF1 axis leads to an excessive accumulation of lipids, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. High levels of LDL as well as low levels of HDL are known to be high-risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease (19). In this study, we found that patients with AGHD have significantly higher blood lipid levels than normal controls, which corroborates previous studies stating that AGHD patients are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (20). Interestingly, circulating serum levels of a class of endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated secreted proteins, such as MANF, were also significantly reduced in the AGHD population. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to link the level of MANF with AGHD. It also investigates the correlation of MANF levels with lipids, glucose metabolism and potential therapeutic value in the AGHD population. Adipose tissue is an important target for growth hormone action due to the presence of GH receptors, which are extremely sensitive to the stimulatory feedback of growth hormone (26). Obesity and overnutrition induce chronic ER stress in the liver and some other tissues (27). In the present study, significant differences in MANF levels were observed in the nonobese group and in overweight patients with AGHD. Using the WHO recommended BMI=25, serum levels were significantly higher in the obese group of AGHD patients (n=34) than in the nonobese group (n=67). Circulating MANF levels in the obese group were positively correlated with the body weight, TC, Tg, LAP, VAI, and other parameters. The levels of TC and LDL were independently linearly correlated with the level of MANF. This result reflects the close relationship between MANF and lipid metabolism. Several epidemiological trials have validated the LAP and VAI as reliable markers for predicting cardiovascular disease risk in the general population (28–30). Different Circulating MANF Concentrations and Cardiovascular Risk Assessments Different Circulating MANF Concentrations and Cardiovascular Risk Assessments PCOS-related study, it was noted that the circulating serum MANF level of the PCOS population was significantly lower than that of the control group (23). In our study, a trend toward significantly lower circulating MANF levels was found in the AGHD population. We divided all the subjects into three subgroups based on the tertile of the circulating MANF concentration (group 1: <4.17 ng/ml; group 2: 4.17-10.36 ng/ml; group 3: >10.36 ng/ml). The high MANF concentration group showed lower Framingham risk scores than group 1 (p<0.0001). In terms of circulating lipid levels, group 3 also exhibited lower TC, TG, and LDL levels and higher HDL levels than group 1 and group 2 (however, due to sample size limitations, statistical significance was not reached). Binary logistic regression showed that the odds ratio for AGHD in group 1 was 20.429 times higher (OR=20.429 p<0.0001) than the ratio in group 3. The odds ratio for AGHD in group 2 was 2.869 times (OR=2.869 P=0.012) higher than in group 3. The model was adjusted for potential confounders such as height, age, sex and weight. In response to endoplasmic reticulum stress, cells initiate the unfolded protein response (UPR) to balance the endoplasmic reticulum. The UPR has been confirmed to form the basis of chronic metabolic diseases together with inflammation, lipid metabolism and energy control pathways (24). MANF is a class of endoplasmic reticulum stress-activated protective protein factors that stimulate MANF secretion to maintain endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis in response to cellular activation of the UPR (25). According to the literature, AGHD is a special endocrine condition closely related to lipid and glucose metabolism, and its circulating MANF concentration seems to be secreted due to the activation of the UPR to play the role of endoplasmic reticulum balance. However, interestingly, our study found the opposite, a decreasing trend in MANF levels. We speculate that AGHD patients may be in a decompensated state of MANF secretion due to prolonged low levels of growth hormone stimulation, resulting in lower overall circulating levels. Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org Circulating MANF Levels in AGHD Subjects in the Insulin-Resistant and Noninsulin-Resistant Groups June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org 6 Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in AGHD Ren et al. DISCUSSION Dysregulation of sympathetic nervous and renin-angiotensin systems resulting in enhanced stimulation of both adrenergic and angiotensin II receptors is a typical feature of heart failure and hypertension and is involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. Angiotensin II acts through the angiotensin receptor to inhibit the actions of insulin in vascular tissue, in part, by interfering with insulin signaling through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and downstream protein kinase B signaling pathways via generation of reactive oxygen species by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (33). Evidence suggests that AGHD patients with insulin resistance may have a higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and that MANF may be a good predictor for cardiovascular risk assessment in AGHD patients. transmembrane receptors to regulate the intracellular signaling cascade (38). Two different modes of action also lead to the possibility that MANF may have different biological efficacies. In the present study, lower tertile MANF concentrations had the highest odds ratio for disease, whereas in the AGHD population, higher MANF was positively associated with insulin resistance and lipid deposition. We speculate that the level of MANF content is a relative concept and that under pathological concentration conditions, relatively high MANF levels instead show negative physiological effects. It has been shown that MANF interacts with PIP4k2b and triggers insulin resistance via an unknown pathway other than the inflammatory activation state (39). However, the background of this experiment is that MANF transgenic mice overexpress MANF factor in the hypothalamus and exhibit insulin resistance. However, no further studies have been conducted on a pathological state model with a low dose of MANF. This is the next step in our team’s research. We observed that at physiological concentrations, MANF did not differ significantly based on insulin resistance or obesity status. The different causative factors of AGHD also provided some interesting results. The height, weight, and BMI of the patients in Sheehan’s group were significantly lower than those of the AGHD patients with the remaining causative factors. Patients with AGHD due to surgical damage to the pituitary gland had significantly higher levels of TC, LDL, and other parameters than idiopathic patients. However, the exact cause could not be explained yet. This may be due to the limitation of the specimen size in a rare metabolic disease such as AGHD, and we also need to expand the sample size in the future to advance subsequent studies. DISCUSSION Due to the limitation of the sample size, the linear correlation between MANF and LAP, VAI, etc., was not observed in the present study, which needs to be investigated by subsequent case expansion. However, this does not preclude the use of MANF as an independent diagnostic factor in the AGHD population and as an indicator for assessing the risk of cardiovascular morbidity in obese patients with AGHD. In recent years, increasing evidence has shown that MANF has unique advantages in relation to endocrine metabolic pathways and stress protection in the endoplasmic reticulum (21). In animal models, MANF-/- mice show abnormal pituitary hormone secretion accompanied by a state of insulin resistance and growth hormone deficiency, while the mice exhibit severe growth retardation and endocrine gland atrophy. The endocrine organs of MANF+/+ mice are more active and express greater levels of hormone secretion (8). However, the expression of MANF is inconsistent in human disease, and studies have shown that circulating serum MANF levels are significantly elevated in patients with primary diabetes and early diabetes with abnormal glucose tolerance (22). In another It has previously been shown that MANF triggers insulin resistance by enhancing the activity of phosphatidylinositol 5- phosphate 4-kinase type-2 beta (PIP4k2b, a kinase known to regulate insulin signaling) localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (31). Patients with AGHD usually show varying degrees of insulin resistance. Thus, we divided 101 patients into insulin- resistant and noninsulin-resistant groups according to the HOMA model. Likewise, there was a surprisingly significant difference in MANF levels between the two groups. MANF was significantly higher in the 34 patients with HOMA-IR>2.71 than June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org 7 Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in AGHD Ren et al. in the noninsulin-resistant group, and the TG, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, LAP, and VAI values were also higher in that group than in the noninsulin- resistant group. The most significant positive correlation was between the level of MANF and insulin resistance. Both visceral obesity and insulin resistance increase cardiometabolic disease risk. A 2017 study of a large sample of European populations indicated that the VAI was independently associated with an increased 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease (32). CONCLUSION MANF, an endoplasmic reticulum stress-secreting protein, is strongly associated with insulin resistance and abnormal lipid metabolism under AGHD conditions. This factor may be critical in the early diagnosis of AGHD and is involved in the occurrence and development of AGHD. It may have good therapeutic potential for later cardiovascular disease. MANF, an endoplasmic reticulum stress-secreting protein, is strongly associated with insulin resistance and abnormal lipid metabolism under AGHD conditions. This factor may be critical in the early diagnosis of AGHD and is involved in the occurrence and development of AGHD. It may have good therapeutic potential for later cardiovascular disease. These results leave much space for investigation. The circulating MANF concentrations in the normal population were significantly higher than those in the AGHD population, which seems to suggest that MANF at physiological concentrations is a protective factor for the body and has a balancing effect on normal lipid and glucose metabolic pathways. However, as a secreted protein, MANF exerts not only an extracellular effect on the circulating paracrine pathway but also intracellular effects of binding to DISCUSSION The main manifestation of AGHD is a decrease in GH secretion, which is accompanied by a decrease in IGF1 and IGFBP3. Regrettably, we have not yet detected the correlation between MANF and IGF1 and IGFBP3. This may be because in the AGHD population, IGF1 levels do not absolutely correspond to the disease condition, and many patients may have a normal level of IGF1. It has also been shown that GH can function independently of IGF1 (34). There are many reasons why there may not be a linear relationship between MANF and IGF1. However, it is still necessary to expand the sample size to confirm this speculation in the future. Overall, this study leaves us with much uncertainty and many potential research directions. However, it is undeniable that serum circulating MANF levels may be an excellent target for predicting the onset of AGHD and serve as an excellent potential therapeutic factor for cardiovascular disease in AGHD patients. MANF also needs to receive more extensive attention and research. MANF has also shown good cardioprotective effects in several studies. In infarction and localized ischemic disease, MANF is secreted in large quantities after sarcoplasmic reticulum/ endoplasmic reticulum calcium homeostasis is disrupted to prevent ischemic myocardial injury and has an antihypertrophic effect (35). Other types of secreted proteins do not exhibit such secretory characteristics and efficacy (36). Due to varying degrees of insulin resistance status, abnormal lipid metabolism and visceral adipose deposition lead to vascular endothelial damage, and patients with AGHD have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (37). MANF exhibits excellent therapeutic potential due to its unique endoplasmic reticulum balancing function. Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES Biology, and Therapeutic Roles. Transl Res (2017) 188:1–9. doi: 10.1016/ j.trsl.2017.06.010 Biology, and Therapeutic Roles. Transl Res (2017) 188:1–9. doi: 10.1016/ j.trsl.2017.06.010 1. Strobl JS, Thomas MJ. Human Growth Hormone. Pharmacol Rev (1994) 46 (1):1–34. 1. Strobl JS, Thomas MJ. Human Growth Hormone. Pharmacol Rev (1994) 46 (1):1–34. 13. World Health Organization. E. Coli (2020). Available at: https://www.who.int/ news-room/fact-sheets/detail/e-coli (Accessed August 20, 2020). 2. Mauras N, Blizzard RM, Link K, Johnson ML, Rogol AD, Veldhuis JD. Augmentation of Growth Hormone Secretion During Puberty: Evidence for a Pulse Amplitude-Modulated Phenomenon. J Clin Endocrinol Metab (1987) 64 (3):596–601. doi: 10.1210/jcem-64-3-596 14. Molitch ME, Clemmons DR, Malozowski S, Merriam GR, Vance ML. Endocrine Society. Evaluation and Treatment of Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab (2011) 96(6):1587–609. doi: 10.1210/jc.2011-0179 15. Wu S, Gao L, Cipriani A, Huang Y, Yang Z, Yang J, et al. The Effects of Incretin-Based Therapies on b-Cell Function and Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis Combining 360 Trials. Diabetes Obes Metab (2019) 21(4):975–83. doi: 10.1111/dom.13613 3. de Silva KS, de Zoysa P. Assessment of the Psychological Status of Children With Growth Hormone Deficiency and Their Parents. Ceylon Med J (2011) 56 (2):59–61. doi: 10.4038/cmj.v56i2.3110 4. Currò D, Vergani E, Bruno C, Comi S, D’Abate C, Mancini A. Plasmatic Lipocalin-2 Levels in Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation Syndromes: Comparison Between Metabolic Syndrome, Total and Partial Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency. Biofactors (2020) 46(4):629–36. doi: 10.1002/biof.1628 16. Wilson PW, Bozeman SR, Burton TM, Hoaglin DC, Ben-Joseph R, Pashos CL. Prediction of First Events of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke With Consideration of Adiposity. Circulation (2008) 118(2):124–30. doi: 10.1161/ CIRCULATIONAHA.108.772962 5. Giovannini L, Tirabassi G, Muscogiuri G, Di Somma C, Colao A, Balercia G. Impact of Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency on Metabolic Profile and Cardiovascular Risk [Review]. Endocr J (2015) 62(12):1037–48. doi: 10.1507/endocrj.EJ15-0337 17. Yang X, Li J, Hu D, Chen J, Li Y, Huang J, et al. Predicting the 10-Year Risks of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Chinese Population: The China-Par Project (Prediction for ASCVD Risk in China). Circulation (2016) 134 (19):1430–40. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.022367 6. Petrova P, Raibekas A, Pevsner J, Vigo N, AnafiM, Moore MK, et al. MANF: A New Mesencephalic, Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor With Selectivity for Dopaminergic Neurons. J Mol Neurosci (2003) 20(2):173–88. doi: 10.1385/jmn:20:2:173 18. Møller N, Jørgensen JO. FUNDING This research was supported by the Project of the Science and Technology Committee in Chongqing 2016 (Number: cstc2016jcyjA0025) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81370467 to DL). This research was supported by the Project of the Science and Technology Committee in Chongqing 2016 (Number: cstc2016jcyjA0025) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81370467 to DL). DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation. June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in AGHD Ren et al. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ZR, DL, and WR jointly conceived and designed this research. ZR and YW performed the data analysis and wrote the manuscript. QC and JL collected the medical records and biochemical data for each subject. RZ, XW, WQ, and YC conducted telephone follow-up interviews of patients and collected relevant physical information and data. DL and WR reviewed the full text and guided revisions. We thank the staff of the Department of Endocrinology, First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, for the excellent technical service they provided. We are grateful for the support from The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, where our work was conducted. ETHICS STATEMENT All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version. The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the First affiliated hospital of Chongqing medical university. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study. Biology, and Therapeutic Roles. Transl Res (2017) 188:1–9. doi: 10.1016/ j.trsl.2017.06.010 REFERENCES Hetz C. The Unfolded Protein Response: Controlling Cell Fate Decisions Under ER Stress and Beyond. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol (2012) 13(2):89–102. doi: 10.1038/nrm3270 34. Yakar S, Liu JL, Stannard B, Butler A, Accili D, Sauer B, et al. Normal Growth and Development in the Absence of Hepatic Insulin-Like Growth Factor I. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (1999) 96(13):7324–9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.96.13.7324 25. Lindholm P, Peränen J, Andressoo JO, Kalkkinen N, Kokaia Z, Lindvall O, et al. MANF is Widely Expressed in Mammalian Tissues and Differently Regulated After Ischemic and Epileptic Insults in Rodent Brain. Mol Cell Neurosci (2008) 39(3):356–71. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2008.07.016 35. Glembotski CC. Functions for the Cardiomyokine, MANF, in Cardioprotection, Hypertrophy and Heart Failure. J Mol Cell Cardiol (2011) 51(4):512–7. doi: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2010.10.008 36. Glembotski CC, Thuerauf DJ, Huang C, Vekich JA, Gottlieb RA, Doroudgar S. Mesencephalic Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Protects the Heart From Ischemic Damage and is Selectively Secreted Upon Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Depletion. J Biol Chem (2012) 287(31):25893–904. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M112.356345 26. Xie X, Li Q, Zhang L, Ren W. Lipid Accumulation Product, Visceral Adiposity Index, and Chinese Visceral Adiposity Index as Markers of Cardiometabolic Risk in Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency Patients: A Cross-SECTIONAL Study. Endocr Pract (2018) 24(1):33–9. doi: 10.4158/EP-2017-0007 27. Cnop M, Foufelle F, Velloso LA. Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Obesity and Diabetes. Trends Mol Med (2012) 18(1):59–68. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed. 2011.07.010 37. Shi X, Wang S, Luan H, Tuerhong D, Lin Y, Liang J, et al. Clinopodium Chinense Attenuates Palmitic Acid-Induced Vascular Endothelial Inflammation and Insulin Resistance Through TLR4-Mediated Nf- k B and MAPK Pathways. Am J Chin Med (2019) 47(1):97–117. doi: 10.1142/ S0192415X19500058 28. Kahn HS. The “Lipid Accumulation Product” Performs Better Than the Body Mass Index for Recognizing Cardiovascular Risk: A Population-Based Comparison. BMC Cardiovasc Disord (2005) 5:26. doi: 10.1186/1471-2261- 5-26 38. Lindahl M, Saarma M, Lindholm P. Unconventional Neurotrophic Factors CDNF and MANF: Structure, Physiological Functions and Therapeutic Potential. Neurobiol Dis (2017) 97(Pt B):90–102. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.07.009 29. Amato MC, Giordano C, Pitrone M, Galluzzo A. Cut-Off Points of the Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) Identifying a Visceral Adipose Dysfunction Associated With Cardiometabolic Risk in a Caucasian Sicilian Population. Lipids Health Dis (2011) 10:183. doi: 10.1186/1476-511X-10-183 39. Carricaburu V, Lamia KA, Lo E, Favereaux L, Payrastre B, Cantley LC, et al. The Phosphatidylinositol (PI)-5-phosphate 4-Kinase Type II Enzyme Controls Insulin Signaling by Regulating PI-3,4,5-trisphosphate Degradation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2003) 100(17):9867–72. REFERENCES Effects of Growth Hormone on Glucose, Lipid, and Protein Metabolism in Human Subjects. Endocr Rev (2009) 30(2):152–77. doi: 10.1210/er.2008-0027 19. Helkin A, Stein JJ, Lin S, Siddiqui S, Maier KG, Gahtan V. Dyslipidemia Part 1–Review of Lipid Metabolism and Vascular Cell Physiology. Vasc Endovasc Surg (2016) 50(2):107–18. doi: 10.1177/1538574416628654 7. Lindholm P, Voutilainen MH, Laurén J, Peränen J, Leppänen VM, Andressoo JO, et al. Novel Neurotrophic Factor CDNF Protects and Rescues Midbrain Dopamine Neurons In Vivo. Nature (2007) 448(7149):73–7. doi: 10.1038/ nature05957 20. Wang Y, Zheng X, Xie X, Qian W, Zhang L, Ren W. Correlation of Increased Serum Adipsin With Increased Cardiovascular Risks in Adult Patients With Growth Hormone Deficiency. Endocr Pract (2019) 25(5):446–53. doi: 10.4158/EP-2018-0541 8. Danilova T, Galli E, Pakarinen E, Palm E, Lindholm P, Saarma M, et al. Mesencephalic Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Manf) Is Highly Expressed in Mouse Tissues With Metabolic Function. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) (2019) 10:765. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00765 21. Lindahl M, Danilova T, Palm E, Lindholm P, Võikar V, Hakonen E, et al. MANF Is Indispensable for the Proliferation and Survival of Pancreatic b Cells. Cell Rep (2014) 7(2):366–75. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.03.023 9. Yang S, Li S, Li XJ. Manf: A New Player in the Control of Energy Homeostasis, and Beyond. Front Physiol (2018) 9:1725. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01725 10. Schröder M, Kaufman RJ. ER Stress and the Unfolded Protein Response. Mutat Res (2005) 569(1-2):29–63. doi: 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2004.06.056 22. Wu T, Zhang F, Yang Q, Zhang Y, Liu Q, Jiang W, et al. Circulating Mesencephalic Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Is Increased in Newly Diagnosed Prediabetic and Diabetic Patients, and Is Associated With Insulin Resistance. Endocr J (2017) 64(4):403–10. doi: 10.1507/ endocrj.EJ16-0472 11. Sadighi Akha AA, Harper JM, Salmon AB, Schroeder BA, Tyra HM, Rutkowski DT, et al. Heightened Induction of Proapoptotic Signals in Response to Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Primary Fibroblasts From a Mouse Model of Longevity. J Biol Chem (2011) 286(35):30344–51. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.220541 23. Wei J, Wang C, Yang G, Jia Y, Li Y, Deng W, et al. Decreased Circulating MANF in Women With PCOS Is Elevated by Metformin Therapy and is Inversely Correlated With Insulin Resistance and Hyperandrogenism. Horm Metab Res (2020) 52(2):109–16. doi: 10.1055/a-1082-1080 12. Kim Y, Park SJ, Chen YM. Mesencephalic Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (MANF), a New Player in Endoplasmic Reticulum Diseases: Structure, June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org 9 Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in AGHD Ren et al. 24. Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 REFERENCES doi: 10.1073/pnas.1734038100 30. Amato MC, Giordano C, Galia M, Criscimanna A, Vitabile S, Midiri M, et al. Visceral Adiposity Index: A Reliable Indicator of Visceral Fat Function Associated With Cardiometabolic Risk. Diabetes Care (2010) 33(4):920–2. doi: 10.2337/dc09-1825 Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. 31. Yang S, Yang H, Chang R, Yin P, Yang Y, Yang W, et al. MANF Regulates Hypothalamic Control of Food Intake and Body Weight. Nat Commun (2017) 8(1):579. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00750-x 32. Kouli GM, Panagiotakos DB, Kyrou I, Georgousopoulou EN, Chrysohoou C, Tsigos C, et al. Visceral Adiposity Index and 10-Year Cardiovascular Disease Incidence: The ATTICA Study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis (2017) 27 (10):881–9. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2017.06.015 Copyright © 2021 Ren, Wang, Chen, Long, Zhang, Wu, Qian, Chen, Liu and Ren. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. 33. Morisco C, Lembo G, Trimarco B. Insulin Resistance and Cardiovascular Risk: New Insights From Molecular and Cellular Biology. Trends Cardiovasc Med (2006) 16(6):183–8. doi: 10.1016/j.tcm.2006.03.008 June 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 671126 Frontiers in Endocrinology | www.frontiersin.org 10
https://openalex.org/W2093910928
https://zenodo.org/records/2359169/files/article.pdf
English
null
V.—The Fossils of the East Anglian Sub-Crag Boxstones
Geological magazine
1,917
public-domain
10,016
1 " The Age of the Chief Intrusions of the Lake District" : Proe. Geol. Assoc., xxviii, pp. 17-25, 1917. 2 Ibid., plate ii. 3 An interesting and important paper dealing with the petrologv of the Suffolk " Boxstones " (Crag), by Dr. P. G. H. Boswell, D.I.C., F.G.S. (now Professor of Geology in the University of Liverpool), appeared in the GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE for June, 1915 (pp. 250-9, Plate X, and Figs. 1-3) and may be consulted with advantage by readers of the present paper. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 407 407 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. after treatment with a bar-magnet, a grain or two of brown tourmaline was also found. The specific gravity of both specimens is 2'63, the same figure as that for the granophyre. , g g p y Mr. Hemingway states that the rock is very similar to the white felsite interbeddecl in the Drygill shales to the north of Brandy Gill. GEOLOGICAL AGE. It may be of interest to draw attention here to the recent work of Mr. J. F. N. Green on the age of the Carrock Fell complex.1 It is well known that the complex is of later date than the Borrowdale volcanic series. An upper limit is fixed by Mr. Green's discovery of granophyre fragments in the Watch Hill Beds. These consist of shales and polygenetic grits which form a series of patches lying at' various horizons on the Skiddaw Slates between Cockermouth (Watch Hill) and Great Sea Fell.2 Only one pebble of granophyre was found at Watch Hill, but in the eastern exposures (i.e. in those near to Carrock Fell) the rock was found to be invariably present in the coarser bands of the series. Mr. Green shows that the Watch Hill Beds are younger than the Borrowdale Series and older than the Devonian earth-movements, and for these and other reasons he correlates them with the Coniston Limestone Series. Consequently he considers the igneous rocks of Carrock Fell to be pre-Bala. Mr. Green concludes: "The Borrowdale Series is ascribed to the Middle Llanvirn . . . The Eskdale granite, Buttermere granophyre, St. John's granite-porphyry, and Cai'rick Fell complex all belong to the suite, being intruded before the solfataric stage, but at a late period of the episode." p 3 An interesting and important paper dealing with the petrologv of the Suffolk " Boxstones " (Crag), by Dr. P. G. H. Boswell, D.I.C., F.G.S. (now Professor of Geology in the University of Liverpool), appeared in the GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE for June, 1915 (pp. 250-9, Plate X, and Figs. 1-3) and may be consulted with advantage by readers of the present paper. 1 " The Age of the Chief Intrusions of the Lake District" : Proe. Geol. Assoc., xxviii, pp. 17-25, 1917. 2 Ibid., plate ii. 3 , , pp 2 Ibid., plate ii. 3 A i t ti By ALFRED BELL. I !f the opening article of the GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE (Vol. I, p. 5, 1864) Mr, J. W. Salter remarks: " An obscure but novel group of organic remains comes to light in some well-worked district for which we have as yet no fixed geological place," and this description may well apply to the fauna dealt with in the following pages. I f Usually considered by geological writers as being derived from sources outside the East Anglian area, very little attention has been paid to it, its environment, or to its Continental affinities. The fossils hereafter referred to occur in a sandstone matrix3 more or less consolidated, the relics of a former stratum afterwards broken up, and now found distributed in places beneath the overlying Pliocene deposits, between Walton-on-the-Naze and Hollesley on the coast and inland to about Ipswich. 408 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Within these boundaries the bed-rock is a floor of London Clay, formerly covered by a higher zone of the same material, replete with a fauna of similar type to that found at Sheppey, including fishes and Crustaceans in fine preservation, the broken-up clay and the fossils being deeply phosphatized. Upon this, again, there seems to have been deposited a bed of sand of which the actual presence can only be inferred, since it has not been found in situ as a separate strati- giaphical unit or stratum ; but the suggestion is warranted by the mass of debris yielding a particular group of fossils found in the irregular blocks of indurated sandstone or loosely distributed in the adjacent Crag sands, and in the tabular pieces present at Trimley,- Bucklesham, and other places, of which Dr. J. E. Taylor writes in White's History of Suffolk, 1874, "that it is not uncommon to find slabs of the same kind of sandstone which appear to have undergone little abrasion and to be in nearly the same condition they were in when the formation to which they originally belonged was broken up." Similar pieces of sandstone with sharply defined impressions of the fossils and shells, more or less unworn, may be obtained occasionally during low tides at Bawdsey, where a bed of the nodules may be seen at times near the Haven. The petrology of the "boxstones" has been fully described by Dr. 1 "Petrology of the Suffolk Boxstones": op. cit. 2 "Sub-Crag Detritus": Proc. Prehistoric Soc. East Anslia, 1915, vol. xi, pp. 139-48. 3 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xxvi, pp. 493-513, 1870. 4 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. viii, p. 282, 1852. 6 Mem. Acad. R. Sci. Bruxelles. vol. xi, 1837. 6 Bull. Soc. Beige Geol., vol. vii, p. 299, 1893. 7 Ann. Nat. Hist. (2), vol. viii, pp. 206-11, 1851. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 1 "Petrology of the Suffolk Boxstones": op. cit. 2 "Sub-Crag Detritus": Proc. Prehistoric Soc. East Anslia, 1915, vol. xi, pp. 139-48. 3 1 "Petrology of the Suffolk Boxstones": op. cit. 2 gy p 2 "Sub-Crag Detritus": Proc. Prehistoric Soc. East Anslia, 1915, vol. xi, pp. 139-48. 3 Q , , p , 6 Mem. Acad. R. Sci. Bruxelles. vol. xi, 1837. 6 g , , p , 7 Ann. Nat. Hist. (2), vol. viii, pp. 206-11, 1851. 6 Bull. Soc. Beige Geol., vol. vii, p. 299, 1893. 7 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Clarke, of Ipswich, on the nodule "bed" and its contents, figuring amongst other items a ziphioid rostrum. This was apparently repro- duced with other species in an early paper on Red Crag Mammals,1 by Professor Owen. Clarke, of Ipswich, on the nodule "bed" and its contents, figuring amongst other items a ziphioid rostrum. This was apparently repro- duced with other species in an early paper on Red Crag Mammals,1 by Professor Owen. y Mr. S. V. Wood was the first to recognize the shells in the boxstones,2 specifying several of these by name, but nothing further was done till Professor Sir Ray Lankester, in 1865, briefly noticed the deposit and, in 1868,3 discussed at some length its possible origin and that of its contents. Unfortunately for science, the closing of the "Coprolite" industry or phosphate diggings, and the little interest taken in the stones when they were obtainable, limits the scope of our inquiry, and all that can be done is to utilize the material at hand. This is chiefly conserved in the Museums of Practical Geology, London, Ipswich, ^Norwich, and York, and in one or two private collections, all of which, by the courtesy of those in charge of them, it has been my privilege critically to examine. I have also to thank the Trustees of the Percy Sladen Memorial Fund for assistance in collecting information. The specimens upon which the following lists are founded commonly occur as moulds of the exterior of the shells, showing the sculpture, or as casts of the interior ; the shelly matter being rarely preserved. From these it has been possible by the use of wax or gutta-percha to reproduce the general details of the organism, which has been done by permission, from a number of the rarer and more perfect examples, especially those in the York and Norwich Museums. These will be ultimately added to those specimens already preserved in the Museum of Practical Geology, London. The fossils are so scattered that it may be useful to students to know the Museums where they can be seen, and to have a reference to some good figure of the shell referred to in the text. 2 Crag Moll., pt. ii, 1851. 1 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xii, 1856. 2 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Crag Moll., pt. ii, 1851. 3 - - — - — GEOL. MAG., Vol. II, pp. 103-49, 1865 ; Vol. V, p. 254, 1868 Boxstone Mollusca. Cylichna sp. Cylichna cylindracea, Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift. (7), vol. iii, p. 367, pi. viii, fig. 15, 1907. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, York. Ringiculci auriculata, Menard. Ringiculci auriculata, Menard. Singicula aurictdata. Beyrich, Zeitsch. deutsch. Geol. Ges., vol. v, p. 330, pi. v, fig. 13, 1853. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. As a rule the organisms have suffered little attrition, the sculptural details are well preserved, and most of the bivalves are found closed, as if embedded alive before the muscles had become relaxed. By ALFRED BELL. Boswell, F.G.S.,1 and the general features of the detritus by myself.2 y In the discussion following the reading of Professor Lankester's paper3 "On the Newer Tertiaries of Suffolk and their Fauna", Sir C. Lyell pronounced the boxstones then produced as being similar to those he had seen at Berchern, near Antwerp, in 1851,4 in a deposit of Rupelien age, the shells corresponding to those figured by de Koninck in his well-known memoir5 on the fossil shells of Basele, Boom, etc. This particular horizon has been referred by M. van den Broeck 8 to the uppermost stage of the Middle Oligocene; a system largely developecf, according to von Koenen, Eavn, and other writers, in Denmark, Belgium, and North-West German}-; with a few exceptions the boxstone species agree with those found in one or other of these localities. The English literature bearing upon the deposit and the faunas associated with it before 1865 is very scanty. Charlesworth, in 1837, figured a tooth of Carcharias megalodon, with sundry rvotes on the phosphatic nodules; and the so-called "Coprolites" and mammalia recorded between then and 1851 are mentioned in the bibliography appended to C. Eeid's Pliocene Deposits of Great Britain (1890). The earliest descriptive account7 is that given by the Rev. W. B. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 409 Voluta (Pyrgomitra) fusus (Philippi). Voluta (Pyrgomitra) fusus (Philippi). Fasciolaria fusus, Philippi, Beit. N.W. deutsch. tert., p. 25, pi. iv, fig. 14, 1843. l i h i h d h l l 5 i iii g , Voluta parca, Beyrich, Zeitsch. deutsch. Geol. Ges., vol. v, p. 357, pi. viii, fig. 1, 1853. Mus. York, Ipswich. g p [These figures represent the younger and older states of the shell. It has a longer and narrower canal than the typical V. Lamberti of the Anglo- Belgian Crag basin. Dr. Morch, in the Journ. de Conch., vol. xvii, p. 428, 1869, assigns this group to the sub-genus Pyrgomitra.'] Conus cf. ventricosus, Bronn. Conus ventricosus, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. i, p. 32, pi. iii, figs. 5-6, 1856. g , ,, ,, Fontannes, Moll, plioc. Vail, du Rhone, vol. i, p. 144, pi. viii, fig. 11, 1887. M I i h Mus. Ipswich. Cancellaria (Ventrilia) aperia (Beyrich). Cancellaria (Ventrilia) aperia (Beyrich). Cancellaria aperta, Beyrich, Zeitsch. deutsch. Geol. Ges., vol. viii, p. 586 pi. xix, fig. 5, 1856. Mus. York. Ancilla Nysti, F. W. Harmer. Ancilla Nysti, F. W. Harmer, Plioc. Moll. Gt. Brit., pt. i, p. 52, pi. xii, figs. 32-3, 1913. Harmer Coll. Pleurotoma Steinvorthi, Semper. Pleurotoma Steinvorthi, Semper. Pleurotoma Steinvorthi, von Koenen, Mioc. nord-Deutschl., p. 94, pi. ii, fig. 10, 1872. fig. 10, 1872. ,, ,, Norregaard, Dansk. Geol. Foren., vol. v, p. 133, pi. iii, fig. 10, 1916. ,, Pseudotoma Morreni, de Koninck. Pleurotoma Morreni (de Koninck), Coq. foss. Basele, 1837, p. 21, pi. i, fig. 3. Mus. Ipswich. fig. 3. Mus. Ipswich. [Mr. F. W. Harmer (Plioc. Moll. Gt. Brit., pt. ii, p. 212, regards this shell as a variety of PI. intorta, Brocchi, with which it has many points of resemblance. ] Conus antediluvianus, var. B, Grateloup. Conus antediluvianus, var. B, Grateloup, Atlas Conch, foss. de l'Adour, No. 44, fig. 6, 1840. Mus. Ipswich, York. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Cancellaria (Trigonostoma) cf. ampullacea (Brocchi). Cancellaria (Trigonostoma) cf. ampullacea (Brocchi). Voluta ampullacea, Brocchi, Conch, foss. Sub-ap., vol. ii, p. 313, pi. iii, fig. 9 T i ll S M ll T Pi i 9 i i Voluta ampullacea, Brocchi, Conch, foss. Sub-ap., vol. ii, p. 313, pi. iii, fig. 9 Trigonostoma ampullacea, Sacco, Moll. Tert. terz. Piem., pt. xvi, p. 9, pi. i figs. 16-20. g [Some imperfect forms at Ipswich may belong to C. umbilicaris, Brocchi but as the aperture is not seen in either species, both ascriptions may need revision.] Ringieula ttriata, Philippi. Ringicula striata, Philippi, Beit. tert. N.W. Deutschl., p. 28, pi. iv, fig. 23, 1843. R K D k Vid S l k Sk if (7) l iii 365 ,, Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift. (7), vol. iii, p. 365, pi. viii, fig. 11, 1907. M P G l L d Mus. Pract. Geol. London. 1 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xii, 1856. 2 1 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xii, 1856. 2 C ag o ., pt. , 85 . 3 - - — - — GEOL. MAG., Vol. II, pp. 103-49, 1865 ; Vol. V, p. 254, 1868. 410 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Conus Dujardini, Deshayes. Conus Dujardini, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. i, p. 40, pi. v, figs. 3-8, 1856. g „ ,, Lankester, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xxvi, p. 502, pi. xxxiv, fig. 5, 1870. M I i h N i h Conus antediluvianus, var. B, Grateloup. Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Conus Dujardini, Deshayes. Mitra cf. futifvrmis, Brocchi. Mitra fusiformis, Cerulli-Irelli, Pal. ital., vol. xvii, p. 235, pi. xxi, fig. 19, 1911. Mus. Pract. Geol., London. 9 . us. act. Geo ., o do . [The reference is founded on the cast of a long body and next whorl, 60 mm. long, 25 mm. broad, with a nearly straight figure. Mitra Venayesina, Fontannes, Moll. Plioc. Vail, du Rhone, vol. i, p. 79, pi. vi, fig. 1, is closely allied to it.] Sipho gregarius (Philippi), pars. Fusus gregarius, Beyrich, Zeitsch. deutsch. Geol. Ges., vol. viii, p. 59, pi. v, figs. 7-8, 1856. Mus. Norwich, Ipswich. Sipho multnulcatus (Nyst). Sipho multnulcatus (Nyst). Fusua multisulcatus, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 494, pi. xl, fig. 1, 1843. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. [Nyst altered de Koninck's specific name lineatus to multisulcatus, but his figure is not the same as de Koninck's, which shows a shell having a longer spire and canal, and narrower in proportion. They may be varieties of a polymorphous form, but as both varieties occur in the boxstones they are given accordingly for what they are worth.] [Nyst altered de Koninck's specific name lineatus to multisulcatus, but his figure is not the same as de Koninck's, which shows a shell having a longer spire and canal, and narrower in proportion. They may be varieties of a polymorphous form, but as both varieties occur in the boxstones they are given accordingly for what they are worth.] Liomesus nudum (S. V. Wood). Liomesus nudum (S. V. Wood). Buccinum nudum, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., Suppl. 2, p. 1, pi. i, fig. 1, 1879. Mus. Ipswich. Mus. Ipswich. [This is a large shell, the three lower whorls measuring 80 mm. in length with a breadth of 35 mm. This and the next species may perhaps represent a new group, intermediate between Sipho and Fasciolaria, as the moulds of the upper whorls show traces of costal ornament. Of this group Fusus (aff.) Konincki, Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, pi. v, fig. 10, might be taken as the type.] Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. 4 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. 411 Voluta (Pyrgomitra) sp. Voluta cf. tarbelliana, var. ventricosa, Grateloup, Atlas Conch, foss. l'Adour pi. xxxix, fig. 2, 1840. p g Voluta auris-leporis, Lankester, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xxvi, p. 502 pi. xxxiv, fig. 6, 1870. M I i h Mus. Ipswich. Sipho Ravni, sp. nov. Fusus erraticus, var., Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 333, pi. vi, fig. 13, 1907. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, Norwich. Fasciolaria (Surculofusus) erraticus (de Koninck). i d K i k C f B l 19 i ii fi 5 Fusus erraticus, de Koninck, Coq. foss. Basele, p. 19, pi. ii, fig. 5, 1837. f i 6 i l fi Fusus erraticus, de Koninck, Coq. foss. Basele, p. 19, pi. ii, fig. 5, 1837. „ ,, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 496, pi. xl, fig. 2, 1843. Fusus erraticus, de Koninck, Coq. foss. Basele, p. 19, pi. ii, fig. 5, „ ,, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 496, pi. xl, fig. 2, 1843. „ ,, y , C q g , p 96, p , g , 8 3 Mus. Pract. Geol. London, Ipswich. Sipho lineatus (de Koninck). Fusus lineatus, de Koninck, Coq. foss. Basele, p. 18, pi. iii, figs. 1, 2, 1837. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, Ipswich, York. Liomesus ventrosus (Beyrich). Fusus ventrosus, Beyrich, Zeitsch. deutsch. Geol. Ges., vol. viii, p. 35, pi. ii, figs. 3-5, 1856. p , g , Bucci/wpsis Dalei, Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 313, pi. v, fig. 1, 1907. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Sipho major, A. Bell. Sipho major, A. Bell, .Tourn. Ipswich Field Club, vol. iii, p. 9, 1911. Fusils erraticus, var., Harder, Danm. Geol. Underseg., vol. ii, p. 83, pi. vi, fig. 31, 1913. M I i h Semicassis saburon (Bruguiere). Cassis saburon, Beyrich, Zeitsch. deutsch. Geol. Ges., vol. vi, p. 480, pi. xii fig. 5, 1854. 5 Cassis saburon, Beyrich, Zeitsch. deutsch. Geol. Ges., vol. vi, p. 480, pi. xi fig. 5, 1854. Cassidaria sp Lankester Quart Journ Geol Soc vol xxvi p 502 g , Cassidaria sp., Lankester, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xxvi, p. 502, pi. xxxiv, fig. 8, 1870. I t ll ti https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Cominella conica, sp. nov. A smooth elongate bucciniform shell, channelled at the upper part of the volutions. Whorls 5-6, rounded and sub-carinated. Apex blunt. Aperture semilunate. Outer lip thickened, base but slightly prolonged. Umbilicus exposed by the loss of shelly matter. Height 35 mm., breadth 20 mm. Mus. Ipswich, Cambridge. Desmoulea conglobata (Brocchi). Echinophoria Rondeleti (Basterot). Cassis Rondeleti, Basterot, Mem. Geol. sur les Env. de Bordeaux, p. 51, pi. iii, fig. 22 ; pi. iv, fig. 13, 1825. C i R dd i R K D k Vid S l k Sk if (7) l iii 307 p g p g Cassis Ronddeti, Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 307, pi. iv, fig. 9, 1907. M I i h us. psw c . [The late Mr. C Reid includes Cassidaria bicatenata in his list of Mollusea from the Suffolk boxstones. Plioc. Dep. of Britain, p. 13. It is probably a clerical error.] Ficula acclinis (S. V. Wood). Pyrula acclinis, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 311, pi. xxxi, fig. 6, 1850. In most collections. Pyrula acclinis, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 311, pi. xxxi, fig. 6, 1850. In most collections. [The most characteristic feature of this- species is the great breadth of the upper part of the whorls. Pyrula condita in Homes' great work, vol. i, pi. xxviii, fig. 4, seems to agree with Wood's shell.] [The most characteristic feature of this- species is the great breadth of the upper part of the whorls. Pyrula condita in Homes' great work, vol. i, pi. xxviii, fig. 4, seems to agree with Wood's shell.] In most collections. Echinophoria sulcosa (Lamarck). Echinophoria sulcosa (Lamarck). Cassis sulcosa, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. i, p. 179, pi. xv, fig. 8 1856. Cassidaria sp., Lankester, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xxvi, p. 502, pi. xxxiv, fig. 9, 1870. Mus Pract Geol London Ipswich Mus. Pract. Geol. London, Ipswich. Ficula cingulata (Bronn). Pyrula cingulata, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. i, p. 676, pi. xxviii, fig. 1, 1856 (figured as P. reticulata). Mus. Pract. Geol. London, York, Ipswich. Desmoulea conglobata (Brocchi). Buccinum conglobatum, Brocchi, Conch, foss. Subap., vol. i, p. 334, pi. iv fig. 15, 1814. g , Nassa conglobata, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. i, p. 32, pi. iii, fig. 9 1848. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, York, Ipswich. Liomems cf. danicus (von Koenen). Buccinopsis danicus, Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 313, pi. iv, figs. 10-11, 1886. Mus. Pracfc. Geol., London. [The shells figured by Ravn are both imperfect, and the London specimen is referred to it with some doubt as only the dorsal aspect is exposed. It is a rare shell on the Continent, as it is only recorded from the Danish Oligocenes.] Moore and Stanley Coll. y [Many of the shells found in the Scaldisien beds in Belgium figured as B. Dalei, Sow., are much nearer to this species than to those in the English Crag. Fig. 4 in Beyrich's plate is an almost exact delineation of some of the Belgian forms.] [Many of the shells found in the Scaldisien beds in Belgium figured as B. Dalei, Sow., are much nearer to this species than to those in the English Crag. Fig. 4 in Beyrich's plate is an almost exact delineation of some of the Belgian forms.] https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 412 Liomems cf. danicus (von Koenen). Liomems cf. danicus (von Koenen). Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Aporrhais ipeciosus (Schlotheim). Aporrhais ipeciosus (Schlotheim). Aporrhais speciosus, Be3'rich, Zeitsch. deutsch. geol. Ges., vol. vi, p. 492 pi. xiv, figs. 1-3, 1854. p , g , Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 302, pi. iii, fig. 24, 1907. Mus. Ipswich. Jiostellaria dentata, Grateloup. Rostellaria denlala, Grateloup, Atlas Conch, foss. de l'Adour, No. 32, fig. 4. 1840. ,, ,, Cossmann, Ess. Paleoconeh. compar., vol. vi, p. 19. pi. ii, fig. 12, 13, 1904. Mus. Ipswich. Hippochrenes ampin liuioti, var. nov. Rimella gracilenta (S. V. Wood). Rimella gracilenta (S. V. Wood). g ( ) Rostellaria (?) gracilenta, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., Suppl. 3, p. 1, pi. i, fig. 1, 1882. Mus. Ipswich. Rostellaria (?) gracilenta, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., Suppl. 3, p. pi. i, fig. 1, 1882. Mus. Ipswich. Rimella luoida{?), (S. V. Wood), J. Sowerby. pi. i, fig. 1, 1882. Mus. Ipswich. Rimella luoida{?), (S. V. Wood), J. Sowerby. Rimella luoida{?), (S. V. Wood), J. Sowerby. Hostel/aria lucida (?), S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., Suppl. 1, pt. i, p. 5, pi. ii, fig. 14, 1872. Mus. Ipswich. g Pseudoeassis splmrica (Philippi). Cyprcea spherica, Bevrieh, Zeitsch. deutsch. geol. Ges., vol. v, p. 319 pi. iv, fig. 9, 1853. Mus. York. p , g , [Mr. F. W. Harmer has in his collection a cast of a shell belonging to this group, having the inner whorls coiled on a flat plane round the apex as in some of the Conidae, height 30 mm., breadth 20 mm., found at Waldringfield. For the genus see Fischer, Manuel de Conchyliologie, p. 668.] & l ( k) https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Trivia pi&olina (Lamarck). p Cyprma puolina, Lamarck (Deshayes), Anim. sans Vertebr., 2nd ed., vol. vii, p. 408, 1822. vol. vii, p. 408, 1822. Trivia piaolina, F. W. Harmer, Plioc. Moll. Gt. Brit., pt. i, p. 50, pi. ii, fig. 17, 1913. Moore Coll. Hippochrenes ampin liuioti, var. nov. Rostellaria ampla, Rutot, Ann. Soc. malac. Beige, vol. xi, p. 33, pis. i, ii, 1874. Mus. Norwich (spire), Ipswich (bod}7). Pyrula reticulata, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. i, p. 42, pi. ii, fig. 12, 1848 1848. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, York, Ipswich. Ficula cf. geometra (Borson). Ficula cf. geometra (Borson). Pyrula geometra, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. i, p. 271, pi. xxviii fig. 7, 8, 1856. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. g , , [A graceful cast in this museum may be assigned to this species with some uncertainty. In form and outline, however, it corresponds to Homes' and Sacco's figures of the shell.] g Pseudoeassis splmrica (Philippi). Ficula condita (Brongniart). Pyrula condita, Brongniart, Mem. sur les Terr, du Vicentin, p. 75, pi. vi, fig. 4, 1823. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. 413 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Turritella Geinitzi, Speyer. Turritella Geinitzi, Spever, Palseontographica, vol. xvi, p. 22, pi. ii, fig. 2, 1866. ,, ,, Norregaard, Danske Geol. Forening, vol. v, p. 122, pi. iii, fig. 7, 1916. M I i h Natica achatensis (Recluz MS.), de Koninck. Natica achatensis (Recluz MS.), de Koninck. d i k f l Natica achatensis, de Koninck, Coq. foss. Basele, p. 9, 1837. Natica glaucinoides, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 442, pi. xxxvii, fig. 32, 1843 Mus. Pract. Geol. London, York, Ipswich. Natica achatensis, de Koninck, Coq. foss. Basele, p. 9, 1837 N i l i id N t C f B i 442 i Natica glaucinoides, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 442, pi. xxxvii, fig. 32, 184 Mus. Pract. Geol. London, York, Ipswich. Cerithiwn acuticosta angulatior, Sacco. Ctrithium aaiticosta, var. angulatior, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xvii, p. 4, pi. i, fig. 6, 1895. Mus. Norwich. Vermetus (Burtinella) Bognoriensii, Mantell. Vermetus Bognoriensis (?), S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. i, p. 114, pi. xii, fig. 9, 1848. Mus. Ipswich. p , g , p [This shell (or annelid) is commonly diffused in the loose sands of the older Red Crags, as well as in the hardened original matrix. S. V. Wood, Suppl. 3, p. 1.] https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 414 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Vermilia flagelliformis (Morris). Serpula flagelliformis, J. Sowerby, Min. Conch., vol. vii, p. 50, pi. Dcxxxiv, figs. 2, 3, 1844. Attached to shell of Pectuncidus. Mus. York. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. Xenophora scrutaria (Philippi). Natica tlonqata, Michelotti. Natica tlonqata, Michelotti. Natica elongata, Michelotti, Et. Mioc. Inf. d'ltalie, p. 88, pi. x, fig. 34, 1861 Euspirocrommium elongatum, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. ix, p. 10, pi. i, fig. 11, 1891. St l C ll Natica elongata, Michelotti, Et. Mioc. Inf. d'ltalie, p. 88, pi. x, fig. 34, 1861 Euspirocrommium elongatum, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. ix, p. 10, pi. i, fig. 11, 1891. S l C ll Stanley Coll. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Natica, Nysti, ei. D'Orbigny. Natica Nysti, Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 293, pi. iii, fig. 10, 1907. In most collections. Xenophora scrutaria (Philippi). Trochus scrutaria, Philippi, Beit. Tert. N.W. Deutschlands, p. 22, pi. iii, fig. 37, 1843. X h i i S P l hi l i 328 i i g Xcnophoria scrutaria, Speyer, Palueontographiea, vol. xvi, p. 328, pi. xxxiv, fig. 8, 1866. M P G l L d Xenophora Deshayest (Michelotti). Xenophora Deshayest (Michelotti). Xenophora Deshayesi, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. i, p. 442, pi. xliv, fig. 12, 1856. S M ll T Pi i ii p y p pi. xliv, fig. 12, 1856. ,, ., Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xx, pi. ii, fig. 20, 1896. Mus Pract Geol London p g ,, ., Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xx, pi. ii, fig. 20, 1896. Natica cf. hantoniensis, Pilkington. Natica cf. hantoniensis, Pilkington Natica hantoniensis, von Koenen, Palseontographiea, vol. xvi, p. 148, pi. xii, fig. 9, 1867. g , ,, ,, Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 290, pi. iii, fig. 6, 1907. M Y k Mus. York. [This fine cast, height 33 mm., breadth 25 mm., is clean from any adventitious matter. Its globose form and straightness of columella indicate its connection with the above species. Unfortunately the outer mould was not preserved.] Natica (Crommium) ferruginea italica (Sacco). Natica (Crommium) ferruginea italica (Sacco). Crominium ferrugineum italica, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. ix, p. 8, pi. i, fig. 8, 1891. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, Ipswich. Natica (Crommium) ferruginea italica (Sacco). Crominium ferrugineum italica, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. ix, p. 8, pi. i, fig. 8, 1891. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, Ipswich. Calliostoma Xavieri (Costa MS. Calliostoma Xavieri (Costa MS.) Calliostoma Xavieri (Costa MS.). i i D llf C tt & G M ll t t d P t Trochus Xavieri, Dollfus, Cotter, & Gomes, Moll. tert. du Portugal, p. 6, pi. xxxi, fig. 4, 1903. p , g , Zizyphinus opislhosthenus, cf. Fontannes, Moll. Plioc. de la Vail, du Rhone, vol. i, p. 218, p. xi, fig. 22, 1897. M I i h Mus. Ipswich. Niso sp. [The cast referred to this genus exhibits the perforated axis very clearly, - and is probably that of one of the many forms of Niso (Bondlia) terebellata Grateloup, figured by Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xi, pi. i, figs. 39-52. Harmer Coll.] [The cast referred to this genus exhibits the perforated axis very clearly, - and is probably that of one of the many forms of Niso (Bondlia) terebellata Grateloup, figured by Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xi, pi. i, figs. 39-52. Harmer Coll.] https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 415 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Bolma granosa mioeenica, Sacco. Bolma granosa mioeenica, Sacco. g Bolma graiiosa mioeenica, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxi, p. 1 pi. i, fig. 28, 1896. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. Dentalium sp. (?) Dentalium fossile, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. i, p. 657, pi. i, fig. 36, 1856. Stanley Coll. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Phoreus striatus, Risso. Phorcus striatus, Risso, Hist. Nat. Eur. merid., vol. iv, p. 134, 1826. [Risso's diagnosis of this species, which he only knew as fossil, equally describes the boxstone shell, so as to render them practically identical. Mus. Ipswich.] Spondylus sp Spondylus sp. [The genus is represented by a perfect upper valve with the inner side exposed showing the characteristic dentition. It is recorded from the Belgian Oligocenes. See Vincent, Ann. Soc. malac. de Beige, vol. xxiii, 1888 Mus York ] Spondylus sp. [The genus is represented by a perfect upper valve with the inner side exposed showing the characteristic dentition. It is recorded from the Belgian Oligocenes. See Vincent, Ann. Soc. malac. de Beige, vol. xxiii, 1888 Mus York ] 1888. Mus. York.] Pecten (Chlamys) Malvincs, Dubois de Montperoux. l b i d f lh Pecten (Chlamys) Malvincs, Dubois de Montperoux. Pecten Malvince, Dubois de Montperoux, Coq. foss. Wolhyma, p. 71, pi. viii figs. 2-3, 1831. Pecten Malvince, Dubois de Montperoux, Coq. foss. Wolhyma, p. 71, pi. vii figs. 2-3, 1831. g , ,, „ Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 414, pi. Ixiv, fig. 5, 1870. l ll Stanley Coll. Pecten {Chlamys) Sollingensis, von Koenen. Pecten {Chlamys) Sollingensis, von Koenen. Pecten Sollingensis, von Koenen, Palseontographiea, vol. xvi, p. 228, pi. xrvi figs. 7, 8, 1867. Pecten Sollingensis, von Koenen, Palseontographiea, vol. xvi, p. 228, pi. xrvi figs. 7, 8, 1867. g , , ,, „ Eavn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 251, pi. i, fig. 1, 1907. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. Dentalium Kickxii, Nyst. f i Dentalium Kickxii, Nyst. f i Dentalium Kickxii, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 342, pi. xxxvi, fig. 1, 1843. R K D k Vid S l k Sk if (7) l iii 286 ,, „ Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 286, pi. iii, fig. 4, 1907. Mus Pract Geol London Pecten (Chlamys) Hoeninghausii, Defrance. P H i h ii N C f B i 286 i ii fi Pecten (Chlamys) Hoeninghausii, Defrance. h f i 6 i ii fi Pecten Hoeninghausii, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 286, pi. xxii, fig. 2, 1843. P di S V W d M C M ll S l 3 12 i i fi Pecten Hoeninghausii, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 286, pi. xxii, fig. 2, 1843. Pecten disparatus, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., Suppl. 3, p. 12, pi. i, fig. 17 1882. St l C ll B it M (N t Hi t ) L d Pecten Hoeninghausii, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 286, pi. xxii, fig. 2, 1843. Pecten disparatus, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., Suppl. 3, p. 12, pi. i, fig. 17, 1882. Stanley Coll., Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) London. p Calliostoma millegranus prcecedens (von Koenen). p Calliostoma millegranus prcecedens (von Koenen). Trochus labarum (?), Basterot, Mem. Geol. de l'Env. de Bordeaux, 1825, p. 33, pi. i, fig. 23. p , p , g Trochus miliaris, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wiefi, vol. i, p. 454, pi. xlv, fig. 9, 1856. g , Trochus millegranus prccedens, von Koenen, Mioc. N. Deutschlands (Marburg), p. 308, 1872. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. Stanley Coll., Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) London. Pecten (Chlamys) substriatus, D'Orbigny. y g y Pecten substriatus, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 408, pi. Ixiv, fig., 1870. Harmer Coll. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 416 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Pectunculus Bormidianus, Mayer. Pectunculus Bormidianus, Mayer, Foss. Mus. Zurich, pt. iii, p. 49, 1868. Axinea Bormidiana, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxvi, p. 37, pi. ix, figs. 11-15, 1898. Mus Norwich etc Mus. Norwich, etc. Pecten (Chlamys) cf. Erslevi, Harder. Pecten (Chlamys) cf. Erslevi, Harder. Pecten Erslevi, Harder, Danm. geol. Undersag., vol. ii, p. 44, pi. iii, figs. 3, 4, 1913. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. [A fragment in the M.P.G. seems to agree with Harder's figure.] Pecten (Chlamys) excisus, Bronn. Chlamys excisus, Dollfus & Cotter, Moll. Tert. du Portugal, 1909, p. 77, pi. viii, figs. 5-9. [I found a characteristic fragment of this species in Newbourne Crag pit.] pi. viii, figs. 5 9. [I found a characteristic fragment of this species in Newbourne Crag pit.] Mytilus corruffatus, Brongniart. Mytilus corrugatus, Brongniart, Mem. sur les tert. du Vicentin, p. 78, pi. v, fig. 6, 1823. Stanley Coll. Mus. York, Stanley Coll. Mytilus corruffatus, Brongniart. p Pectunculus Philippi, Deshayes. Pectunculus Philippi, Deshayes. Pectunculus pulvinatus, var., Philippi, Beit. N.W. deutsch. tert., p. 13, pi. ii, fig. 13, 1843. pp y Pectunculus pulvinatus, var., Philippi, Beit. N.W. deutsch. tert., p. 13, pi. ii, fig. 13, 1843. g , Pectunculus Philippi, Eavn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 262, pi. i, fig. 17, 1907. Mus Ipswich Pinna pectinata Brocchi (D'Orbigny). Pinna Brocchi, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 372, pi. i, figs. 1, 2, 1870. g Pinna pectinata Brocchi, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxv, p. 29, pi. viii, fig. 1, 1898. Mus. York, Stanley Coll. Peeten (Chlamys) rupeliensis (von Koenen). Pecten rupeliensis, von Koenen, Palseontographica, vol. xvi, p. 232, pi. xxvi, fig. 12, 1867. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, Stanley Coll. Jlinnites crispus (Broechi). Hinnites crispus, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p. 10, pi. ii, fig. 1, 1897. Stanley Coll. Pinna pectinata Brocchi (D'Orbigny). Pecten (Peplum) sp. Pecten verrucopsis, de Gregorio, Ann. de Geol., pt. xiii, p. 26, pi. iv, figs. 89, 90, 1894. , Pecten clavatus, Ravn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 252, pi. i, fig. 2, 1907. M P G l L d g , Mus. Pract. Geol. London. [Of the two figures cited above, Gregorio's comes nearest to the M.P.G. fragment.] Pecten (Chlamys) excisus, Bronn. Arcoperna sericea (Bronn). Modiola sericea, Philippi, En. Moll. Sic, vol. i, p. 71, pi. v, fig. 14, 1836. S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 61, pi. viii, fig. 3, 1850. M I i h https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Venericardia antiquata rhomhoidea (Brocchi). Venericardia antiquata rhomhoidea (Brocchi). Chama rhomboidea, Brocchi, Conch, foss. Subap., p. 523, pl. xii, fig. 16, 1814. Cardita (Olans) rhomboidea, Cerulli-Irelli, Pal. ital., vol. xiii, p. 135, pl. xii, fig. 28, 1907. Mus. York. Aetarte cf. solidula, Deshayes. Astarte solidula tauroscalarata, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxvii, p. 25, pl. vi, fig. 29, 1899. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. [Length 18 mm., breadth 22 mm.; sculpture, 6 or 7 thick concentric ribs. The number of these vary according to Saceo's figures of A. solidula.] Astarte Jlenclceliusiana, Nyst. Astarte Henckeliusiana, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 154, pl. ix, fig. 4, 1843. ,, ,, von Koenen, PaliEontographica, vol. xvi, p. 250 pl. xxix, fig. 7, 1867. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. Nucula donaciformis, Harder. Nucula donaciformis, Harder, Danm. geol. Unders0g., vol. ii, p. 49, pl. iii, fig. 10, 1913. Stanley Coll. Nucula placentina, Lamarck. Niccula placentina, Philippi, En. Moll. Sic, vol. i, p. 65, pl. v, fig. 7, 1836. ,, ,, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxvi, p. 46, pl. x, figs. 35-40, 1898. i h Mus. Ipswich. Nucula Ilaesendonckii, ]S"yst & Westendorp. Nucula Ilaesendonckii, ]S"yst & Westendorp. Nucula Ilaesendonckii, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, 1843, p. 236, pl. xviii, fig. 5. [Sir E. Ray Lankester informs me that he had identified this very distinct species in the collection of the late Dr. Taylor in Ipswich. Unfortunately the specimen has been lost sight of.] Nucula Ilaesendonckii, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, 1843, p. 236, pl. xviii, fig. 5. [Sir E. Ray Lankester informs me that he had identified this very distinct species in the collection of the late Dr Taylor in Ipswich Unfortunately the Nucula turgens, S. V. Wood. Nucula turgens, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., Suppl. 2, p. 44, pl. v, fig. 6, 1879. Mus. Brit. Nat. Hist., Wood Coll. Leda Deshayesiana (Du Chastel Coll.). Antarte Kichxii, Nyst. Astarte Kickxii, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 157, pl. x, fig. 3, 1843. k k id S l k Sk if ( ) l iii Astarte Kickxii, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 157, pl. x, fig. 3, 1843. Astarte Kicksii, Eavn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii. p. 268, pl. i, fig. 21, 1907. M P t G l L d St l C ll y q g p p g Astarte Kicksii, Eavn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii. p. 268, pl. i, fig. 21, 1907. M P G l L d S l C ll https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Pectunculus inflatm (Brocchi). Area inflata, Brocchi, Conch, foss. Subap., p. 494, pi. xi, fig. 7, 1814. Axinea inflata, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxvi, p. 32, pi. viii, figs. 1-6, 1898. In most collections. In most collections. In most collections. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 417 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. [Pectunculus pilosus and P . glycimeris are amongst the commonest forms in the boxstones, and probably other members of this variable group are present.] Nucula donaciformis, Harder. Leda Deshayesiana (Du Chastel Coll.). Nucula Deshayesiana, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 221, pi. xv, fig. 8, 1843. Leda Deshayesiana, H&vn, K. Danske Vid. Selsk. Skrift (7), vol. iii, p. 258, pl. i, figs. 7, 8, 1907. Stanley Coll Cyprina islandicoides, Lamarck. Venus islandicoides. Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 121, pi. xiii, fig. 2, 1870. g Amiantis islandicoides, Sacco, Moll. Tert. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxviii, p. 21, pi. v, figs. 1-4, 1900. Cyprina scutellaria (Lamarck). Cyprina scutellaria (Lamarck). Cyprina scutellaria, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 145, pi. vii, fig. 5 ; pi. viii, fig. 1, 1843. In most collections. Cyprina islandica aqualis (J. Sowerby). Cyprina csqualis, Goldfuss, Petr. Germ., p. 236, pi. cxlviii, fig. 5, 1838. C i i l di S V W d M C M ll t ii 196 i Cyprina islandica, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 196, pi. xviii, figs, la, o, 1850. Isocardia lunulata, Nyst. y Isocardia lunulata, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 198, pi. xv, fig. 2, 1843. „ ,, Lankester, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xxvi, p. 502, pi. xxxiv, fig. 10, 1870. In all collections. Isocardia cor (Linne). Isocardia cor, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 193, pi. xv, fig. 9, 1850. ,, ,, Forbes & Hanley, Brit. Moll., vol. i, p. 472, vol. iv, pi. xxxiv, fig. 2, 1853. Mus. York, Ipswich. Cardium subdecorticatum, A. Bell. Cardium subdecorticatum, A. Bell, Journ. Ipswich Field Club, vol. iii, p. 9, 1911. Cardium et. decorticatum tenellum, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 159, pi. xiv, fig. Id, 1850. [The above shell is decorticated as in Wood's figure, but the ribs are more open = C. decorticatum of Lankester and Beid. ] Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Cardium cingulatum, Goldfuss. Cardium cingulatum, Goldfuss, Petr. Germ., vol. ii, p. 222, pl. exlv, fig. 4, 1838. ,, ,, HOrnes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 177 pl. xxv, fig. 1, 1870. Mus York Ipswich , p [ C venustum, Lamk., non S. V. Wood, and C. umbonahim, A. Bell, non Sowerby.] DECADE VI VOL IV NO IX 27 27 DECADE VI.—VOL. IV.—NO. IX. 27 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 418 Cyprina tumida, Nyst. Cyprina tumida, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 148, pi. x, fig. 1, 1843. Cyprina tumida, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 148, pi. x, fig. 1, 1843. Cyprina rustica (tumida), S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 197, pi. xviii, fig. 1, 1850. Mus. York. Cardium Wbolnoughi, sp. nov. Cardium Wbolnoughi, sp. nov. [The species here referred to is not rare, but does not appear to have been figured or described by any Continental writer. In shape it is roundly ovate, tumid, and nearly equilateral, garnished with twenty-five to thirty narrow rounded prominent ribs continued below the lower margin with rather wider interspaces. The surface is much decorticated, leaving four or five ridges marking probably stages of growth. Mus. Ipswich.] Donax minutus, Bronn. Donax minutus, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p. 4, pi. i, figs. 8, 9, 1901. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, Ipswich. Mactra miocmnica, Dollfus & Dautzenberg. Mactra miocmnica, Dollfus & Dautzenberg. Mactra miocainica, Dollfus & Dautzenberg, Mem. Soc. geol. France, vol. xi, p. 109, pi. vi, figs. 10, 11, 1904. Mus. Praet. Geol. London, Ipswich. [M. podolica, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 62, pi. vii, fig. 5, may be a variant of this species.] Solenocurtus Basteroti, Desmoulins. Solenocurtus Basteroti, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p. 15, pi. iv, fig. 1, 1901. p g ,, ,, Dollfus, Cotter, & Gomes, Moll. tert. Portugal, p. 27, pi. i, figs. 7-10, 1903. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Solen (Unsis) cf. Rollei (Homes). Ensis Rollei, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 15, pi. i, fig. 14, 1870. D llf & D b M S l F l 65 Ensis Rollei, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 15, pi. i, fig. 14, 1870 ,, ,, Dollfus & Dautzenberg, Mem. Soc. geol. France, vol. x, p. 65, pi. ix, figs. 35-8, 1902. M I i h Mus. Ipswich. Meretrix (CaUista) fragilis (Miinster). Meretrix (CaUista) fragilis (Miinster). Meretrix (CaUista) fragilis (Miinster). Venus fragilis, Goldfuss, Petr. Germ., vol. ii, p. 247, pi. cxlviii, fig. 8, 1840. Venus circularis, A. Bell, Journ. Ipswich Field Club, vol. iii, p. vii, 1911. Mus. Ipswich. Venus fragilis, Goldfuss, Petr. Germ., vol. ii, p. 247, pi. cxlviii, fig. 8, 1840. Venus fragilis, Goldfuss, Petr. Germ., vol. ii, p. 247, pi. cxlviii, fig. 8, 1840. Venus circularis, A. Bell, Journ. Ipswich Field Club, vol. iii, p. vii, 1911. Mus. Ipswich. Meretrix (CaUista) suborhicularis (Goldfuss). Meretrix (CaUista) suborhicularis (Goldfuss). Venus suborbictdaris, Goldfuss, Petr. Germ., vol. ii, p. 247, pi. cxlviii, fig. 7, 1840. Mus. Ipswich. [The shell quoted or figured by Koninck, Nyst, Eavn, and other writers as Venus or Meretrix incrassata, Sow., does not seem to be the same as the English shell of that name.] Tapes vetula (Basterot). Meretrix chione, Linne. Meretrix (Callista) chione elongata, Bucquoy, Dollfus, & Dautzenberg, Moll. du Boussillon, vol. ii, p. 328, pi. Hi, fig. 10, 1893. Meretrix {Callista) chione, Cerulli-Irelli, Pal. ital., vol. xiv, p. 43, pi. viii, figs. 9, 10, 1908. M C ll Moore Coll. [Major Moore has in his collection a fine mould of the interior of a shell, corresponding to the above, found at Waldringfield.] [Major Moore has in his collection a fine mould of the interior of a shell, corresponding to the above, found at Waldringfield.] https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 419 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. 419 Tapes vetula (Basterot). Venus vetula, Basterot, Mem. geol. sur les Env. de Bordeaux, p. 89, pi. vi, fig. 7, 1825. g Tapes vetulus, Dollfus & Dautzenberg, Mem. Soc. geol. France, vol. xiv, p. 176, pi. ii, figs. 1-6, 1906. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. Ventricola multilamella (Lamarck), var. Boryi, Deshayes Ventricola multilamella (Lamarck), var. Boryi, Deshayes. Ventricola multilamella (Lamarck), var. Boryi, Deshayes. Venus sp., Lankester, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soe., vol. xxvi, p. 502, pi. xxxiv, fig. 7, 1870. g , Ventricola multilamella, Boryi, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxviii, p. 31, pi. viii, fig. 9, 1900. p , y [The " boxstone " mould so closely approximates to the shell figured by Sacco that it may be regarded as the same species ; the more so because V. multilamella is somewhat variable in outline.] p y [The " boxstone " mould so closely approximates to the shell figured by Sacco that it may be regarded as the same species ; the more so because V. multilamella is somewhat variable in outline.] p , g , [Allied to L. oblonga, Chemnitz.] p , g , [Allied to L. oblonga, Chemnitz.] Mu3. Pract. Geol. London, Ipswich Mu3. Pract. Geol. London, Ipswich. Panopcea Gastaldi (Michel otti). Panopcea Gastaldi, Michelotti, Etud. Mioc. Inf. d'ltal., p. 54, pi. v, fig. 10, 1861. Glycimeris intermedia Gastaldi, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p. 45, pi. x, fig. 4, 1901. Mus. Ipswich. Cofbidomya complanata, var. B, Jfyst. •Corbulomya complanata, Nyst, Coq. foss. Beige, p. 59, pi. ii, fig. ii, 1843. Stanley Coll. Lutraria sanna,t Basterot. Lutraria sanna, Basterot, Mem. geol. sur les Env. de Bordeaux, p. 94, pi. vii, fig. 13, 1825. g , ,, „ Sacoo, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p. 31, pi. viii, fig. 5, 1901. l d i h Lutraria elliptica Jeffreysii, De Gregorio. Lutraria elliptica Jeffreysii, De Gregorio. Lutraria elliptica Jeffreysi, De Gregorio, Boll. Soo. malac. ital., vol. x, p. 143. p Lutraria lutraria Jeffreysi, Cerulli-Irelli, Pal. ital., vol. xv, p. 143, pi. xv, fig. 9, 1909. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, Norwich, Ipswich. Panopcea (?) acutangula (Michelotti). Lutraria acutangula, Michelotti, Etud. Mioc. Inf. d'ltal., p. 57, pi. vi, fig. 2, 1861. g Glycimeris intermedia acutangula, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p. 46, pi. xii, fig. 10, 1901. M I i h Mus. Ipswich. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. Panopcea Gastaldi (Michel otti). Panopma declivis, Michelotti. Lutraria declivis, Michelotti, Etud. Mioc. Inf. d'ltal., p. 57, pi. vi, fig. 1, 18 Gl i i i di d li i S M ll T Pi i Lutraria declivis, Michelotti, Etud. Mioc. Inf. d'ltal., p. 57, pi. vi, fig. 1, 1861. Glycimeris intermedia declivis, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p 45 pi fig 6 1901 Lutraria declivis, Michelotti, Etud. Mioc. Inf. d'ltal., p. 57, pi. vi, fig. 1, 1861. Glycimeris intermedia declivis, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p. 45, pi. x, fig. 6, 1901. Panopcea Menardi, Deshayes. Panopcea Menardi, Homes, Foss. Moll. tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 29, pi. ii, figs. 1-3, 1870. g Glycimeris Menardi, Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p. 43, pi. xii, fig. 4, 1901. ll i Lutraria ovalis, sp. nov. Lutraria sanna, Homes, Foss. Moll. Tert. Wien, vol. ii, p. 56, pi. v, fig. 5, 1870. ,, ,, Dollfus, Cotter, & Gomes, Moll. tert. du Portugal, p. 30, pi. iv, fig. 4, 1903. Mactra triangula, Renier. Mactra triangulata, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., 1850, pt. ii, p. 325, pi. xxi, fig. 21. Stanley Coll. Mactra trinacria, Speyer, Palteontographica, vol. xvi, p. 34, pi. iii, fig. 4, 1861. Mus. Pract. Geol. London, York. [The principal difference between M. triangulata and M. trinacria seems to be that the latter forms a more equilateral triangle than the other. Both are probably related to the recent M. elliptica.] https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 420 Alfred Bell—-Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. 421 Alfred Bell—Fossils of East Anglian Boxstones. Lucina (Dentilucina) Barrandei, Mayer. Lucina Barrandei, Mayer, Journ. de Conch., vol. xix, p. 340, pi. x, fig. 1, 1871. Lucina Barrandei, Mayer, Journ. de Conch., vol. xix, p. 340, pi. x, fig. 1, 1871. Dentilucina Barrandei, var., Sacco, Moll. Terr. terz. Piemonte, pt. xxix, p. 83, pi. xix, figs. 7-9, 1901. p , g , Lucina Carihami, A. Bell, Journ. Ipswich Field Club, vol. iii, p. 9, 1911. Mus Ipswich p , g , Lucina Carihami, A. Bell, Journ. Ipswich Field Club, vol. iii, p. 9, 1911. Sijndomnya sp. j y p [Two or three species of this group are present in the "boxstones", possibly the Erycina longicallis and E. similis, figured in Philippi, En. Moll. Sic, vol. ii, pi. xiii, figs. 7, 8, but they are not sufficiently definite for accurate determination. Stanley Coll.] j y p [Two or three species of this group are present in the "boxstones", possibly the Erycina longicallis and E. similis, figured in Philippi, En. Moll. Sic, vol. ii, pi. xiii, figs. 7, 8, but they are not sufficiently definite for accurate determination. Stanley Coll.] Cyrtodaria vagina (S. V. Wood). Cyrtodaria vagina (S. V. Wood). Glycimeris angusta, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 291, pi. xxix, fig. 2, 1850. Mus. Pract. Geol. London. [I do not think this to be the same shell as the Glyc. angusta of Nyst's memoir, pi. ii, fig. 1. The latter has a more pointed extremity. This I have had from the Red Crag. Mr. Stanley has a small shell in his sandstone collection from Bawdsey which may be the same.] https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Syndosmya prismatica (Montagu). Syndosmya prismatica (Montagu). Ligula donaciformis, Nyst, Coq. terr. Beige, p. 92, pi. iv, fig. 9, 1843. Ab i i S V W d M C M ll ii 239 i ii f Ligula donaciformis, Nyst, Coq. terr. Beige, p. 92, pi. iv, fig. 9, 1843. Abraprismatica S V Wood Mon Crag Moll pt ii p 239 pi xxii f Ligula donaciformis, Nyst, Coq. terr. Beige, p. 92, pi. iv, fig. 9, 1843. Abraprismatica, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 239, pi. xxii, fig. 13 1850. Ligula donaciformis, Nyst, Coq. terr. Beige, p. 92, pi. iv, fig. 9, 1843. Abraprismatica, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., pt. ii, p. 239, pi. xxii, fig. 13 1850. M P t G l L d Y k Thracia ventricosa, Philippi. Thracia ventricosa, Philippi, En. Moll. Sic, vol. ii, p. 17, figured in vol. i, pi. i, fig. 10 (as T. pubescens), 1844. p , g ( p ), Thracia ventricosa, S. V. Wood, Mon. Crag Moll., Suppl. 2, p. 48, pi. v, fig. 3, 1879. Mus. Ipswich. Teredo borings in wood are not uncommon, but the shells have entirely disappeared. [Certain shells of pre-Crag origin are found in the Oakleyan and Newbournian zones of the Bed Crag, and as some of these also occur embedded in the box- stones they are presumably of the same age. y p y g Most of these are figured by Mr. S. V. Wood in the Supplements to the Crag Mollusca, and by Mr. F. W. Harmer in the Monograph on the Pliocene Mollusca now in course of publication. f lik h ll l ll d d p A few like the Rimellm, Serpulce, Turritellce, and Venericardia occur in profusion, but as a rule the majority are single specimens, as in the following list:— Purpura derivata h l Borsonia suffolciensis Borsonia suffolciensis p Stenomphalus Weichmanni Pleurotoma denticulata interrupta. d f ,, interrupta. dif Triton connectens. Ranella (?) anglica. S i i b ,, nodifer. l b i Semicassis saburon. ll h ,, plebeia. S l ii ,, p S Bimella, two or three species. T i ll h i ,, Selysii. C ll l Cancellaria evulsa Turritella, two or three species Ancillaria glandiformis. Solarium, two or three species. g f Volutiliihes luctatrix. Ostrea, two or more species. nodosa. li ,, nodosa. li Pecten Sceninghausii. ,, nodosa. li suturalis. g ,, Sollingensis. ,, suturalis. ,, suturalis. f f (?) ,, f ,, g Venericardia, several varieties d Mitra fusiformis (?). Lucina crassidens. Fusus abrasus. ,, crispus. I have not seen any specimens of the typical Voluta Lamberti of the English or Belgian Crags, or of Pyrula (Ficula) reticulata, or Cassidaria bicatenata in the "boxstones". The latter, however, is said to occur sparingly in the " Sables noirs d'Anvers ". Voluta Lamberti, Atractodon elegans, and Cassidaria bicatenata are occa- sionally washed ashore on the coast, from Aldborough to Walton-on-the-Naze, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the 422 Notices of Memoirs—Dr. A. S. Woodward— derived from some deposit probably of Diestian or Anversian age. Mr. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800198899 Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. Cornell University Library, on 10 May 2017 at 15:10:11, subject to the Flabelhim cuneata, Goldfuss, and another species. S l t P t i hii D Flabelhim cuneata, Goldfuss, and another species. S l P i hii D Flabelhim cuneata, Goldfuss, and another species. S l t P t i hii D Solenastrea Prestwichii, Duncan. T h h li D Solenastrea Prestwichii, Duncan. T h h li D Trochocyathus anglicus, Duncan. Trochocyathus anglicus, Duncan. Woods, fruits, and nuts are common in the Belgian Bupelien deposits, and our sub-Crags are rich in these. Mr. W. Carruthers told me many years ago that he had determined three Angiospermous Dicotyledons, one conifer, and two palms. Certain plants or fruits retain their forms when phosphatized both in exterior shape and internal structure, but whether these have any relations to either of the woods present is not yet known. Mus. Ipswich, Saffron Walden. Amber has been obtained from the Cromer Forest Bed, and Mr. C. Eeid has referred to a variety of spiders, insects, etc., in amber washed up on the East Anglian coast, Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Hist. Soc, vols. iii-v. Mr. A. H. Foord, F.G.S., in vol. v, p. 92, figures many of these, including bees, beetles, cockroaches, and spiders, submitted to, and partly named by, Mr. C. 0. Waterhouse and the Eev. 0. P. Cambridge. Whether of the same age as the above woods has yet to be determined. Crustacea. Cceloma sp. (? rupeliense, Strainer), and segments of a narrow lobster-like species. p Balanus inclusus (fide Lankester), B. unguiformis. Radiata. Cyphosoma tertiarium, Cotteau. Di d A B ll Cyphosoma tertiarium, Cotteau d A ll Diadema megastoma, A. Bell. S l R di Solaster Reedi, n.sp. [This unique example belongs to the Reed Collection in the York Museum. It exhibits the dorsal surface of a thick fleshy starfish, covered with bunches of short fasciculate spines scattered over the surface, as they are in the recent S. furcifer. f f Mr. W. K. Spencer, F.G.S., has kindly furnished me with the following notes of dimensions : " Major radius 33 mm. (approx.), minor radius 13 mm., width of arm at base 14 mm., no. of arms six."] Thracia ventricosa, Philippi. Harmer has in his collection a worn shell of the V. Lamberti group, snowing distinctly broad and swollen ribs on the upper whorls obtained from the Felixstowe shore. pp Very few invertebrate remains other than the Mollusca have been obtained in the East Anglian area. I have only noticed, or found recorded :— 1 Abstract of a lecture delivered to the South-Eastern Union of Scientific Societies at Burlington House, London, on June 7, 1917. N O T I C E S O I F IMIEIVEOIIEJS- I . — O N MAMMALIAN BONES FROM EXCAVATIONS IN THE LONDON DISTRICT. By ARTHUR SMITH WOODWAKD, LL.D., F.K.S.1 I I . — O N MAMMALIAN BONES FROM EXCAVATIONS IN THE LONDON DISTRICT. By ARTHUR SMITH WOODWAKD, LL.D., F.K.S.1 I I IN an area so long populated as the London district the surface deposits are naturally very varied, and those of the historic period contain remains not only of the indigenous fauna but also of man's accidental importations. Even so late as the twelfth century "William Fitzstephen wrote that the woods close to the city were well stocked with game—" stags, fallow-deer, boars, and wild bulls." Their bones and teeth are often found, besides the remains of other animals, perhaps partly of somewhat earlier date, amoug which the beaver is especially interesting. Bones of the beaver are indeed so 1 Abstract of a lecture delivered to the South-Eastern Union of Scientific Societies at Burlington House, London, on June 7, 1917.
https://openalex.org/W3210110455
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11225-021-09963-0.pdf
English
null
An Abductive Question-Answer System for the Minimal Logic of Formal Inconsistency $$\mathsf {mbC}$$
Studia logica
2,021
cc-by
13,145
An Abductive Question-Answer System for the Minimal Logic of Formal Inconsistency mbC Szymon Chlebowski Andrzej Gajda Mariusz Urba´nski Abstract. The aim in this paper is to define an Abductive Question-Answer System for the minimal logic of formal inconsistency mbC. As a proof-theoretical basis we employ the Socratic proofs method. The system produces abductive hypotheses; these are answers to abductive questions concerning derivability of formulas from sets of formulas. We inte- grated the generation of and the evaluation of hypotheses via constraints of consistency and significance being imposed on the system rules. Keywords: Abduction, Inferential erotetic logic, Minimal logic of formal inconsistency. Presented by Jacek Malinowski; Received September 30, 2020 1. Introduction In abductive reasoning we aim at filling a certain gap between a knowledge base Γ and a puzzling phenomenon A, unattainable from Γ (cf. [15,23]). The commonly accepted schema is this: from an observation A and the known rule if H, then A, infer H (see [21, 5.189]). However, this schema may be and has been studied in detail in different ways, which leads to different models of abduction [12,24]. From a computational point of view, it is of particular appeal to consider an algorithmic perspective, according to which an abductive hypothesis H “is legitimately dischargeable to the extent to which it makes it possible to prove (or compute) from a database, a formula not provable (or computable) from it, as it is currently structured” [13, p. 88]. A brief overview of procedures for generation of abductive hypotheses defined in such a spirit can be found in [17]. There are four primary ingredients of the algorithmic account of abduc- tion [17, p. 2]: (i) a basic logic (which determines the language of specification of A, H and Γ), (ii) a proof method (which determines the exact mechanics of the procedure of generation of abducibles), (iii) a hypotheses generation mechanism (which determines the way the chosen proof method is applied Presented by Jacek Malinowski; Received September 30, 2020 Studia Logica (2022) 110: 479–509 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11225-021-09963-0 c⃝The Author(s) 2021 480 S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. in order to generate abducibles), and (iv) an implementation of criteria for comparative evaluation of different abducibles. in order to generate abducibles), and (iv) an implementation of criteria for comparative evaluation of different abducibles. In this paper we seek to introduce a framework for automated genera- tion and evaluation of abductive hypotheses in the form of an Abductive Question-Answer System. Our proof-theoretical basis is set up by the So- cratic proofs method [26]: we shall employ the concepts of an erotetic calcu- lus and of a Socratic transformation of a question [28], which is proven to be effective in an automated proof search [9,18,27,29]. As the reader will see, there are close affinities between erotetic calculi and sequent calculi with semantically reversible rules [28, p. 98]. The basic logic of choice is the min- imal logic of formal inconsistency mbC, which is one of the logics of formal inconsistency [5,6]. 1Although classical negation of a formula A, ¬A, can be defined in mbC by A →⊥, where ⊥=df p ∧(∼p ∧◦p), we prefer to introduce classical negation as a primitive connective. 1. Introduction On the one hand, these logics, being paraconsistent, are tools for reasoning under conditions which do not presuppose consistency [20, p. 465]. On the other hand, they “have a remarkable way of reintro- ducing consistency into the non-classical picture: they internalize the very notions of consistency and inconsistency at the object-language level.” [6, p. 1]. Therefore, one can reconstruct classical logic inside paraconsistent logic. Moreover, more expressive language allows for formulation of such abductive hypotheses that could not be obtained by means of classical logic. In light of this arguments we can say that the abductive procedure we describe in this paper does not contradict procedures based on classical logic but extends them. We define an Abductive Question-Answer System for mbC in the form of an erotetic calculus augmented with abductive rules, which allow for system- atic search for answers to abductive questions, that is, abductive hypotheses. Consistency and significance constraints, imposed on abductive rules ap- plications, warrants that generated abductive hypotheses meet those basic proof-theoretical criteria. Thus in the case of our system comparative eval- uation of hypotheses is embedded into the procedure for their generation. This is worth noticing, as separating hypotheses generation and evaluation is by far more popular approach within the algorithmic perspective (cf. [13, p. 47], [17]). We start with introducing the minimal logic of formal inconsistency, mbC (Section 2) and its proof theory employing the Socratic proofs method (Sec- tion 3). On this basis we define our abductive procedure (Section 4), includ- ing an algorithm for generation of abductive hypotheses (p. 24). An Abductive Question-Answer System... 481 2. Minimal Logic of Formal Inconsistency Logics of formal inconsistency (LFIs) are paraconsistent logics, which are able to remodel classically valid reasoning, by means of some special operator ◦. A formula of the form ◦A should be read it is consistent that A or A behaves classically. The main intuition is the following: when we reason with the set of premises Γ = {A1, . . . , An} such that there is no Ai (1 ≤i ≤n) which contains consistency operator ◦, we use deductive machinery of some paraconsistent logic. But when we obtain an information that some of these formulas are consistent, i.e. the ◦operator occurs somewhere in Γ, we can use much stronger deductive machinery of classical logic to reason classically about fragments of Γ. Suppose we have the following set of premises {p, ∼p}, where ∼is a paraconsistent negation. Using some paraconsistent logic, like CLuN [2] for example, one cannot deduce an arbitrary formula from this set. But if we have an additional premise which says that p is safe or consistent, formalized by the formula ◦p, we can deduce an arbitrary formula B, just like in classical logic. We use the language LmbC of minimal logic of formal inconsistency, which consists of a countably infinite set Var = {p1, p2, . . .} of propositional vari- ables and ¬ (classical negation), 1 ∼(paraconsistent negation), ◦(consis- tency operator), ∧(conjunction), ∨(disjunction), →(implication) as prim- itive connectives. The set of well-formed formulas (wffs for short) is defined as usual: A, B :: pi | ¬A | ∼A | ◦A | A ∧B | A ∨B | A →B By a literal we mean a propositional variable or its negation. Literals are denoted by l, k, m an so on. If l = pi, then l means ¬pi and if l = ¬pi, then l = pi. The literals l and l are called complementary literals. Naturally, l = l. The Hilbert-style system for mbC consists of the following axioms and rules [6]: S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. 3The notion of mbC-valuation is defined in [8]. 2The notion of mbC-semivaluation is described in [8] and in [6] (but under the name “bivaluation semantics for mbC”). The term semivaluation is sometimes used in a slightly different sense, see for example [19]. 3Th ti f bC l ti i d fi d i [8] 2. Minimal Logic of Formal Inconsistency 482 (1) A →(B →A) (2) (A →B) →(((A →(B →C)) →(A →C)) (3) A →(B →(A ∧B)) (4) (A ∧B) →A (5) (A ∧B) →B (6) A →(A ∨B) (7) B →(A ∨B) (8) (A →C) →((B →C) →(A ∨B →C)) (9) A ∨(A →B) (10) A ∨¬A (11) A →(¬A →B) (12) A ∨∼A (13) ◦A →(A →(∼A →B)) (MP) If ⊢mbC A and ⊢mbC A →B, then ⊢mbC B Definition 1. (mbC-semivaluation)2 An mbC-semivaluation is a function v : FORmbC −→{0, 1} which behaves in a standard way in the case of classical connectives and the following conditions are satisfied: (∼) if v(∼A) = 0, then v(A) = 1; (◦) if v(◦A) = 1, then either v(A) = 0 or v(∼A) = 0. From a proof-theoretical point of view it is more convenient to work with the notion of mbC-valuation instead of semivaluation for the following reason. The notion of mbC-semivaluation has a drawback: the truth value of some formulas is not determined by its subformulas (if v(A) = 1 then v(∼A) is not determined). In order to assign values to formulas of the form ∼A and ◦A in a consistent manner, we introduce a new assignment function λ. Using the notion of mbC-valuation we are able to give a simple soundness and completeness theorems for our proof method. Definition 2. (mbC-valuation)3 Let FOR∼◦ mbC denote the set of all formulas of FORmbC of the form ‘∼A’ or ‘◦A’. A function λ : FORmbC −→{0, 1} is mbC-valuation iffλ behaves classically in the case of classical connectives and there exists an assignment function λ : FOR∼◦ mbC −→{0, 1} such that the following conditions hold: (1) λ(∼A) = 1 iffλ(A) = 0 or λ(∼A) = 1; (2) λ(◦A) = 1 iff(λ(A) = 0 and λ(◦A) = 1) or (λ(∼A) = 0 and λ(◦A) = 1) For further reference let us state truth conditions for formulas of the form ‘¬ ∼A’ and ‘¬ ◦A’: (1*) λ(∼A) = 0 iffλ(A) = 1 and λ(∼A) = 0; (2*) λ(◦A) = 0 iffλ(A) = λ(∼A) = 1 or λ(◦A) = 0. 2The notion of mbC-semivaluation is described in [8] and in [6] (but under the name “bivaluation semantics for mbC”). The term semivaluation is sometimes used in a slightly different sense, see for example [19]. 3 483 An Abductive Question-Answer System... 2. Minimal Logic of Formal Inconsistency Now we define a new language L+ mbC which is an extension of the language LmbC. For proof-theoretical reasons we add to the latter the symbol χ. The set of well formed formulas of L+ mbC is defined in the following way: FOR+ mbC = FORmbC ∪{χA : A ∈FOR∼◦ mbC} ∪{¬χA : A ∈FOR∼◦ mbC} For the extended language L+ mbC we define an extension of mbC-valuation. Semantically, the introduced operator, χ, does not change the truth value of a given formula. This operator is only a syntactic device for identifying formulas preceded by consistency operator and paraconsistent negation, i.e. formulas whose truth value is not determined by its subformulas. Definition 3. (mbC-valuation for L+ mbC) An extended mbC-valuation is a function λ# : FOR+ mbC −→{0, 1}, which behaves in the same manner on the set FORmbC as λ and the following conditions are satisfied: (1) λ#(χ∼A) = λ(∼A); (2) λ#(¬χ∼A) = λ(¬∼A); (3) λ#(χ◦A) = λ(◦A); (4) λ#(¬χ◦A) = λ(¬◦A). Note that in the extended language L+ mbC we are able to express normal forms of formulas of the language LmbC. This fact has the following conse- quences: it is relatively easy to design invertible sequent calculus rules for non-classical connectives and the completeness theorem for the introduced calculus can be based on the strategy of counter-model construction. These advantages will be apparent in the next section on proof theory of mbC. 3. Proof Theory of mbC There are several proof-theoretical descriptions of the logic mbC: there is a standard tableau method for several LFIs (where rules operate on signed formulas) [4], KE tableau method (a variant of standard tableau method, in which some form of the cut rule is essential), which is also implemented [20]. Moreover there is a sequent calculus for mbC [10] and a system based on resolution rule and grounded in Inferential Erotetic Logic [8]. Our approach is based on Inferential Erotetic Logic as well and we use some techniques and concepts introduced in [8], but we have to forgo the resolution rule in order to obtain a simple and intuitive model of abductive reasoning. In fact, our system is akin to some version of hypersequent calculus [27]. 484 S. Chlebowski et al. The language L? mbC is an object-level language in which our erotetic cal- culi will be worded. The meaningful expressions of the language L? mbC belong to two disjoint sets. The first one consists of declarative well-formed formulas (d-wffs for short). The second one is a set of erotetic well-formed formulas (e-wffs or simply questions). To obtain the vocabulary of L? mbC we add the following signs: ⊢(turnstile which intuitively stands for a derivability relation in mbC), ? (a question mark for constructing questions of L? mbC) and , (a comma), ; (a semicolon), to the vocabulary of L+ mbC. Definition 4. Let Γ, Δ be finite, non-empty, sequences of formulas of L+ mbC. An atomic declarative formula or sequent of L? mbC is of the following form: Γ ⊢Δ Definition 5. Questions of L? mbC have the following form: ?(Φ) ?(Φ) where Φ is a finite, non-empty sequence of sequents of L? mbC. Let Φ = ⟨Γ1 ⊢Δ1, . . . , Γn ⊢Δn⟩be a sequence of sequents of L? mbC. The question ?(Γ1 ⊢Δ1, . . . , Γn ⊢Δn) is interpreted as follows: is interpreted as follows: is interpreted as follows: Is it the case that Δ1 is entailed by Γ1 and . . . and Δn is entailed by Γn? Terms of Φ are called constituents of the question ?(Φ). 1 y 1 n y n Terms of Φ are called constituents of the question ?(Φ). ? Terms of Φ are called constituents of the question ?(Φ). If Γ entails in mbC Δ then we say that the sequent Γ ⊢Δ of L? mbC is closed, otherwise it is open. A sequent φ is basic iffφ is of one of the following forms (Γ, Γ′, Γ′′, Δ, Δ′, Δ′′ may be empty): • Γ, B, Γ′ ⊢Δ, B, Δ′, • Γ, B, Γ′, ¬B, Γ′′ ⊢Θ, • Γ, ¬B, Γ′, B, Γ′′ ⊢Θ, • Θ ⊢Δ, B, Δ′, ¬B, Δ′′, • Θ ⊢Δ, B, Δ′, ¬B, Δ′′, • Θ ⊢Δ, ¬B, Δ′, B, Δ′′, • Θ ⊢Δ, ¬B, Δ′, B, Δ′′, where B ∈FOR+ mbC. Naturally, each basic sequent is closed. where B ∈FOR+ mbC. Naturally, each basic sequent is closed. C The erotetic calculus EmbC for the logic mbC consists of the rules for classical connectives and specific mbC rules. The erotetic calculus EmbC for the logic mbC consists of the rules for classical connectives and specific mbC rules. 485 An Abductive Question-Answer System... Table 1. α/β—Formulas α α1 α2 β β1 β2 A ∧B A B ¬(A ∧B) ¬A ¬B ¬(A ∨B) ¬A ¬B A ∨B A B ¬(A →B) A ¬B A →B ¬A B Table 2. Rules for classical connectives Table 2. Rules for classical connectives Table 2. Rules for classical connectives Table 3. Specific rules of mbC Table 3. Specific rules of mbC Table 3. Specific rules of mbC Table 3. Specific rules of mbC 486 S. Chlebowski et al. 486 S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. Definition 6. (Socratic transformation) A finite sequence of questions s = ⟨s1, . . . , sn⟩is a Socratic transformation (s-transformation) of a question ?(Φ) by means of EmbC iffthe following conditions hold: 1. s1 =?(Φ). 1. s1 =?(Φ). 2. si results from si−1 (where i > 1) by an application of a rule of EmbC. Definition 7. is interpreted as follows: (complexity) The complexity of a formula A ∈FOR+ mbC, com(A) is defined inductively as follows: 1. com(A) = 0, where A ∈Var; 2. com(χ∼A) = com(χ◦A) = 0; 3. com(¬A) = com(A) + 1; 4. com(∼A) = com(A) + 2; 5. com(◦A) = com(A) + 3; 6. com(A ⊗B) = com(A) + com(B) + 1, where ⊗∈{∧, ∨, →}. 1. com(A) = 0, where A ∈Var; 2. com(χ∼A) = com(χ◦A) = 0; 3. com(¬A) = com(A) + 1; 4. com(∼A) = com(A) + 2; 5. com(◦A) = com(A) + 3; 6. com(A ⊗B) = com(A) + com(B) + 1, where ⊗∈{∧, ∨, →}. 1. com(A) = 0, where A ∈Var; 2. com(χ∼A) = com(χ◦A) = 0; 3. com(¬A) = com(A) + 1; 4. com(∼A) = com(A) + 2; 5. com(◦A) = com(A) + 3; 6. com(A ⊗B) = com(A) + com(B) + 1, where ⊗∈{∧, ∨, →}. This concept of formula complexity is not standard because it does not measure the number of occurrences of propositional connectives (such as items 2, 4, and 5) in the formula. At the semantic level, although connec- tives ∼and ◦differ from the other ones by being slightly more complicated (their truth value is not always determined by the truth values of their sub- formulas), the introduced notion of complexity reflects this difference. Note that if A is an unanalyzable formula then com(A) ≤1. Corollary 3.1. (reduction) For rule schemes Lα, Rα, Lβ, Lβ, R∼, R∼, L¬∼, R¬∼, com(B) < com(A) and com(C) < com(A), where A is an active formula of that rule and B and C are principal formulas of that rule. For rule schemes L◦, R◦, L¬◦, R¬◦, com(B) < com(A), com(C) < com(A), com(D) < com(A), where B, C, D are principal formulas of that rule and A is an active formula of that rule. Note that the above corollary follows directly from the definition of the measures of complexity. Lemma 1. (existence of atomic questions) Let Γ ⊢Δ be an arbitrary sequent of L? mbC. There exists a finite s-transformation s = ⟨s1, . . . , sn⟩, where s1 = ?(Γ ⊢Δ) and sn is an atomic question. Proof. If Γ ⊢Δ is a sequent containing only unanalyzable formulas (atomic sequent), then s1 =?(Γ ⊢Δ) is an atomic question and s = ⟨s1⟩is finite s-transformation. is interpreted as follows: (Socratic proof ) A Socratic proof (s-proof) of a sequent Γ ⊢ Δ in EmbC is a finite s-transformation s of the question ?(Γ ⊢Δ), such that each constituent of the last question of s is a basic sequent. An active sequent is specified in a premise of a given EmbC rule scheme. A principal sequent is specified in a conclusion of a given EmbC rule scheme. For each EmbC rule scheme exactly one sequent is active in the premise of that rule. A formula which is specified in an active sequent of a given rule scheme is called an active formula of that rule scheme. Formula(s) which is (are) specified in the principal sequent of a given rule is (are) called principal formula(s) of that rule. Definition 8. (unanalyzable formulas) The formulas of one of the following forms: (i) pi; (ii) ¬pi; (iii) χ∼A; (iv) ¬χ∼A; (v) χ◦A; (vi) ¬χ◦A, and only them, are mbC-unanalyzable. unanalyzable formulas are those that are not active formulas in any premise of any EmbC rule. This means that these formulas cannot be further decomposed by means of introduced rules; however they guarantee that the rules for non-classical connectives are sound and invertible (see Lemma 2). If a sequent consists of unanalyzable formulas only, it is called an atomic sequent. If each constituent of a question Q is atomic, then Q is called an atomic question. An s-transformation s is called complete iffthe last term of s is an atomic question. There are two kinds of unanalyzable formulas: positive unanalyzable formulas are of the form (i), (iii), (v); negative unana- lyzable formulas are of the form (ii), (iv), (vi). Complementary unanalyzable formulas are pairs of formulas: (i) and (ii), (iii) and (iv), (v) and (vi), where the negative unanalyzable formula is obtainable by addition of the classi- cal negation to the positive unanalyzable formula, and similarly, the positive unanalyzable formula is obtainable by removal of the classical negation from the beginning of the negative unanalyzable formula. We will say that the sequent Γ ⊢Δ is valid iffthere is no valuation λ# such that λ#(A) = 1 for every term A of Γ and λ#(B) = 0 for every term B of Δ. An Abductive Question-Answer System... An Abductive Question-Answer System... 487 Definition 9. (complexity) The complexity of a formula A ∈FOR+ mbC, com(A) is defined inductively as follows: Definition 9. is interpreted as follows: If the sequent Γ ⊢Δ is not atomic, then from Lemma 3.1 we know that the rules which could be applied to ?(Γ ⊢Δ) reduce the complexity of some formula in Γ or Δ. As both Γ and Δ are finite, by applying rules of EmbC consecutively we obtain an atomic question. Lemma 2. For every EmbC rule scheme the active sequent of that rule is valid iffthe principal sequent(s) is (are) valid. Lemma 2. For every EmbC rule scheme the active sequent of that rule is valid iffthe principal sequent(s) is (are) valid. 488 S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. Proof. Proof goes by cases. Let us consider R◦rule scheme. Let us assume that the sequent Γ ⊢Δ, ◦A, Δ′ is valid. The only non-trivial case is when λ#(◦A) = 1. By the Definition 3 we have that (λ#(A) = 0 and λ#(χ◦A) = 1) or (λ#(∼A) = 0 and λ#(χ◦A) = 1). What follows, (λ#(A) = 0 or λ#(∼ A) = 0) and λ#(χ◦A) = 1. Principal sequents of the R◦rule scheme are: Γ ⊢Δ, χ◦A, Δ′ and Γ ⊢Δ, ¬A, ¬∼A, Δ′. For the first principal sequent we have that λ#(χ◦A) = 1 and for the second, λ#(¬A) = 1 or λ#(¬∼A) = 1. Similarly, it is easy to see (in the light of Definition 3) that the validity of the principal sequents ensures the validity of the active sequent of R◦rule scheme. The proof goes analogically for the rest of EmbC rule schemes. Lemma 3. (countermodel) Let Γ ⊢Δ be an atomic and not basic sequent. There exists an extended mbC-valuation λ# such that λ#(A) = 1, for each term A of Γ and λ#(B) = 0, for each term B of Δ. Proof. Note that the following clauses define an assignment which deter- mines an extended mbC-valuation which invalidates Γ ⊢Δ. 1. if D is a term of Γ (where D ∈Var), then λ#(D) = 1; 1. if D is a term of Γ (where D ∈Var), then λ#(D) = 1; 2. if ¬D is a term of Γ (where D ∈Var), then λ#(D) = 0; 3. if χ∼D is a term of Γ, then λ#(∼D) = 1; 3. if χ∼D is a term of Γ, then λ#(∼D) = 1; 4. if ¬χ∼D is a term of Γ, then λ#(∼D) = 0; 4. is interpreted as follows: Theorem 1. (completeness) If a sequent φ is valid, then φ is provable in EmbC. Theorem 1. (completeness) If a sequent φ is valid, then φ is provable in EmbC. Proof. Assume that φ is valid but not provable in EmbC. Therefore, by Lemma 1 there exists a finite Socratic transformation s = ⟨s1, . . . , sn⟩of the question ?(φ) such that at least one constituent ψ of the last question of s is an atomic but not basic sequent. By Lemma 3 there exists an extended mbC-valuation, which invalidates ψ. Thus at least one constituent of the last question sn of s is not valid. Therefore, by Lemma 2 we know that at least one constituent of the question sn−1 is not valid. By applying Lemma 2 consecutively we arrive at the conclusion that the sequent φ is not valid, contrary to the assumption. is interpreted as follows: if ¬χ∼D is a term of Γ, then λ#(∼D) = 0; 5. if χ◦D is a term of Γ, then λ#(◦D) = 1; 5. if χ◦D is a term of Γ, then λ#(◦D) = 1; 6. if ¬χ◦D is a term of Γ, then λ#(◦D) = 0; 6. if ¬χ◦D is a term of Γ, then λ#(◦D) = 0; 7. if D is a term of Δ (D ∈Var), then λ#(D) = 0; 7. if D is a term of Δ (D ∈Var), then λ#(D) = 0; 8. if ¬D is a term of Δ (D ∈Var), then λ#(D) = 1; 8. if ¬D is a term of Δ (D ∈Var), then λ#(D) = 1; 9. if χ∼D is a term of Δ, then λ#(∼D) = 0; 10. if ¬χ∼D is a term of Δ, then λ#(∼D) = 1; 11. if χ◦D is a term of Δ, then λ#(◦D) = 0; 12. if ¬χ◦D is a term of Δ, then λ#(◦D) = 1. 13. if D is not a term of Γ nor Δ, then λ#(D) = 0. 9. if χ∼D is a term of Δ, then λ#(∼D) = 0; 13. if D is not a term of Γ nor Δ, then λ#(D) = 0. We will show that this assignment determines an extended mbC-valuation, i.e. it is not the case that there is a formula A such that λ#(A) = 1 and λ#(A) = 0. As is easily seen, it cannot happen when A is unanalyzable formula. Assume it cannot happen in the case of formulas B and C and it happens in the case of B ∧C, i.e. (i) λ#(B ∧C) = 1 and (ii) λ#(B ∧C) = 0. 489 An Abductive Question-Answer System... From (i) it follows that λ#(B) = 1 and λ#(C) = 1, and form (ii) it follows that λ#(B) = 0 or λ#(C) = 0. In this case λ#(B) = 1 and λ#(B) = 0 or λ#(C) = 1 and λ#(C) = 0, contrary to our assumption. A similar argument applies in the case of other connectives. From (i) it follows that λ#(B) = 1 and λ#(C) = 1, and form (ii) it follows that λ#(B) = 0 or λ#(C) = 0. In this case λ#(B) = 1 and λ#(B) = 0 or λ#(C) = 1 and λ#(C) = 0, contrary to our assumption. A similar argument applies in the case of other connectives. 4. Abduction in mbC Following the algorithmic account of abduction, we interpret the abductive problem as a requirement to fill the deductive gap between the premises and the conclusion. In our Abductive Question-Answer System, such requests will be expressed through abductive questions. Definition 10. (Abductive question) An abductive question (or abductive problem) has the following form: 4Length(s) denotes the number of elements in sequence s. ?(Ψ) where Ψ is a non-empty sequence of sequents such that at least one term of Ψ is an open sequent of L? mbC. where Ψ is a non-empty sequence of sequents such that at least one term of Ψ is an open sequent of L? mbC. • If Ψ = ⟨φ⟩is an one-term sequence, then the question ?(Ψ) is called simple abductive question. • If Ψ = ⟨φ1, . . . , φn⟩and for each i (1 ≤i ≤n), φi is an atomic sequent, then the question ?(Ψ) is called a minimal abductive question. • If Ψ = ⟨φ1, . . . , φn⟩and for each i (1 ≤i ≤n), φi is an atomic sequent, then the question ?(Ψ) is called a minimal abductive question. An atomic abductive question: An atomic abductive question: ?(Γ ⊢Δ) (1) (1) ?(Γ ⊢Δ) 490 S. Chlebowski et al. can be read as follows: can be read as follows: Which formulas close ⌜Γ ⊢Δ⌝? (2) Which formulas close ⌜Γ ⊢Δ⌝? (2) Which formulas close ⌜Γ ⊢Δ⌝? (2) (2) A compound abductive question ?(Γ1 ⊢Δ1, . . . , Γn ⊢Δn) (3) ?(Γ1 ⊢Δ1, . . . , Γn ⊢Δn) (3) can be read as follows: (4) Which formulas close every term of ⟨Γ1 ⊢Δ1, . . . , Γn ⊢Δn⟩? (4) Which formulas close every term of ⟨Γ1 ⊢Δ1, . . . , Γn ⊢Δn⟩? (4) Let VΓi⊢Δi = {pi 1, . . . , pi ni} be the set of all propositional variables occurring in wffs in sequences Γi or Δifrom (3), then VΦ = n i=1(VΓi⊢Δi) is the set of all propositional variables occurring in wffs in sequences from Φ, where Φ = ⟨Γ1 ⊢Δ1, . . . , Γn ⊢Δn⟩. Definition 11. (Direct analytic answers) A wffB is a direct analytic an- swer to the abductive question ?(Φ) if and only if each propositional variable, which occurs in B belongs to VΦ. Definition 12. (Correct analytic answers) A wffB is a correct analytic answer to the abductive question ?(Φ) if and only if • B is a direct analytic answer to ?(Φ), • B is a direct analytic answer to ?(Φ), • B is a direct analytic answer to ?(Φ), • B closes each open term of Φ. • B closes each open term of Φ. ?(Ψ) • B closes each open term of Φ • B closes each open term of Φ The fact that B is a correct analytic answer for a question Q will be denoted as: B ∈c(Q). ( ) As an example let us consider the question: As an example let us consider the question: Q∗=?(p, ¬(q ∧r), ¬s ⊢z ; r →s, ¬s, p ⊢r) (5) (5) • the set of all propositional variables occurring in Q∗: VQ∗= {p, q, r, s, z}, • exemplary direct analytic answers to Q∗: p, q, p →q, • exemplary correct analytic answers to Q∗: ¬p, s, ¬p ∧z. Theorem 4.1. (Invertibility of the rules of EmbC) Let s = ⟨Q1, . . . , Qn⟩be a complete Socratic transformation of the question Q1 in EmbC. Theorem 4.1. (Invertibility of the rules of EmbC) Let s = ⟨Q1, . . . , Qn⟩be a complete Socratic transformation of the question Q1 in EmbC. ⋆For some wffC, if C ∈c(Qn), then C ∈c(Q1). ⋆For some wffC, if C ∈c(Qn), then C ∈c(Q1). Proof. Proof goes by induction on the length of the s-transformation s and by an inspection of the rules of EmbC. y p The case of length(s) = 1 is trivial.4 The case of length(s) = 1 is trivial.4 An Abductive Question-Answer System... 491 Table 4. Examples of abductive rules Table 4. Examples of abductive rules Assume that the property holds for the arbitrary s-transformation s, where length(s) = i. We will show that it is also valid for the s-transforma- tion s′, where length(s′) = i+1. Let us also assume that the last rule applied in s′ was Lα. Let formula C close each constituent of the last question of s′ (Qi+1). Let Γ1, α1, α2, Γ2 ⊢Δ be the conclusion sequent of Lα. We know from assumption that C closes this sequent, i.e. C, Γ1, α1, α2, Γ2 ⊢mbC  Δ. Since v(α) = 1 iffv(α1) = 1 and v(α2) = 1 the formula C closes the premise sequent of the last applied rule, namely C, Γ1, α, Γ2 ⊢mbC  Δ. The length of the s-transformation with the deleted last question equals i. A similar argument applies for the other rules. Definition 13. (Partial answer) Let Q = ?(Γ1 ⊢Δ1, . . . , Γn ⊢Δn) be an abductive question. Let us further assume that the sequent Γi ⊢Δi (for some i, where 1 ≤i ≤n) is open. Partial answer for Q is such a formula A that the addition of A to the Γi results in Γi ⊢Δi becoming a closed sequent or a sequent which after transformation to the atomic sequent is also a closed one. Note that it could be the case that a partial answer is also a correct analytic answer, i.e. it closes all open sequents of Q. Definition 14. (Abductive rule) Let Q be a minimal abductive question and A be a partial answer for Q. The premise of an abductive rule is Q and the conclusion is A. Each rule in Table 4 has a question as the premise and a declarative formula as a conclusion (which is a partial answer to the question-premise). A formula, which is a conclusion, when added to the antecedent of an active sequent in an abductive rule, makes this antecedent inconsistent (in the classical sense) or generates a link between antecedent and succedent. 492 S. Chlebowski et al. Most abductive procedures consist of two steps: abductive hypotheses generation and subsequent evaluation of generated hypotheses against pre- defined criteria [17]. There are several candidates for such criteria [1, 8]. In this paper we are concerned with just two of them, which are of fundamental importance from the proof-theoretical point of view. Table 4. Examples of abductive rules The first one is consistency: an abductive hypothesis should be consistent with the initial data or knowledge base. Note that the notion of consistency used here is relative to the logic mbC i.e. abductive hypothesis of the form ∼p is consistent with the knowledge base of the form Γ = {p, q, r}, but not with the knowledge base Γ′ = {p, q, ◦p} for example. The reason for introducing the consistency criterion is that we do not want a knowledge base to become inconsistent or trivial in the sense that every formula could be inferred from it. Consistency criterion may be also called non-triviality criterion. The second one is significance: an abductive hypothesis should not allow to derive Δ by itself, that is, in filling this deductive gap both abductive hypothesis and the initial database should be significant. yp g Another point is that we do not want to carry out two separate steps for the generation and evaluation of the generated abductive hypothesis, but rather to build an abductive procedure that generates the good abductive hypotheses. Therefore, we will not implement the evaluation criteria of the abductive hypotheses, but we will implement rules that can make the con- struction of the abductive hypotheses consistent and / or significant. These rules are implemented as restrictions placed on the application of the rules. Abductive rules from Table 4 generate partial answers that can be in- consistent with the knowledge base Γ or it could be the case, that such a generated partial answer is itself sufficient to derive Δ. As we would like to rule out such possibilities, we introduce downward (or Hintikka) and dual downward saturated sets. Partial answers that are generated along with the restriction concerning downward saturated set (we will call it consistency constraints) will be consistent with the knowledge base Γ. Similarly, partial answers that are generated with the restriction concerning dual downward saturated set (we will call it significance constraints) will not be too strong, i.e. Δ would not be obtainable from the partial answer alone. Another point is that we do not want to carry out two separate steps for the generation and evaluation of the generated abductive hypothesis, but rather to build an abductive procedure that generates the good abductive hypotheses. (i) if A is a term of Γ, then A ∈UΓ, (ii) if α ∈UΓ, then α1 ∈UΓ and α2 ∈UΓ, Table 4. Examples of abductive rules Therefore, we will not implement the evaluation criteria of the abductive hypotheses, but we will implement rules that can make the con- struction of the abductive hypotheses consistent and / or significant. These rules are implemented as restrictions placed on the application of the rules. Abductive rules from Table 4 generate partial answers that can be in- consistent with the knowledge base Γ or it could be the case, that such a generated partial answer is itself sufficient to derive Δ. As we would like to rule out such possibilities, we introduce downward (or Hintikka) and dual downward saturated sets. Partial answers that are generated along with the restriction concerning downward saturated set (we will call it consistency constraints) will be consistent with the knowledge base Γ. Similarly, partial answers that are generated with the restriction concerning dual downward saturated set (we will call it significance constraints) will not be too strong, i.e. Δ would not be obtainable from the partial answer alone. Definition 15. (Downward saturated set) Let Γ be a sequence of formulas of L+ mbC. By a downward saturated set (or Hintikka set) corresponding to a sequence Γ we mean a set UΓ, which fulfils the following conditions: 493 An Abductive Question-Answer System... (iii) if β ∈UΓ, then β1 ∈UΓ or β2 ∈UΓ, (iii) if β ∈UΓ, then β1 ∈UΓ or β2 ∈UΓ, (iv) if ¬¬A ∈UΓ, then A ∈UΓ, (iv) if ¬¬A ∈UΓ, then A ∈UΓ, (iv) if ¬¬A ∈UΓ, then A ∈UΓ, (v) if ∼A ∈UΓ, then ¬A ∈UΓ or χ∼A ∈UΓ, (vi) if ¬ ∼A ∈UΓ, then A ∈UΓ and ¬χ∼A ∈UΓ, (vii) if ◦A ∈UΓ, then (¬A ∈UΓ and χ◦A ∈UΓ) or (¬ ∼A ∈UΓ and χ◦A ∈UΓ), (vii) if ◦A ∈UΓ, then (¬A ∈UΓ and χ◦A ∈UΓ) or (¬ ∼A ∈UΓ and χ◦A ∈UΓ), (viii) if ¬ ◦A ∈UΓ, then (A ∈UΓ and ∼A ∈UΓ) or ¬χ◦A ∈UΓ, (viii) if ¬ ◦A ∈UΓ, then (A ∈UΓ and ∼A ∈UΓ) or ¬χ◦A ∈UΓ, (ix) nothing more belongs to UΓ except those formulas which enter UΓ on the grounds of conditions (i)–(viii). (ix) nothing more belongs to UΓ except those formulas which enter UΓ on the grounds of conditions (i)–(viii). A Hintikka set UΓ is satisfied under extended mbC-valuation λ# (or is consistent) iffeach element of UΓ is true under v. Table 4. Examples of abductive rules By a dual downward saturated set (or dual Hintikka set) corresponding to a sequence Δ we mean a set WΔ, which fulfils the following conditions: (i) if A is a term of Δ, then A ∈WΔ, (ii) if α ∈WΔ, then α1 ∈WΔ or α2 ∈WΔ, (iii) if β ∈WΔ, then β1 ∈WΔ and β2 ∈WΔ, (iv) if ¬¬A ∈WΔ, then A ∈WΔ, (v) if ∼A ∈WΔ, then ¬A ∈WΔ and χ∼A ∈WΔ, (vi) if ¬ ∼A ∈WΔ, then A ∈WΔ or ¬χ∼A ∈WΔ, (vii) if ◦A ∈WΔ, then χ◦A ∈WΔ or (¬A ∈WΔ and ¬∼A ∈WΔ), (viii) if ¬◦A ∈WΔ, then (A ∈WΔ and ¬χ◦A ∈WΔ) or (∼A ∈WΔ and ¬χ◦A ∈WΔ), (i) if A is a term of Δ, then A ∈WΔ, (iii) if β ∈WΔ, then β1 ∈WΔ and β2 ∈WΔ, (iv) if ¬¬A ∈WΔ, then A ∈WΔ, (v) if ∼A ∈WΔ, then ¬A ∈WΔ and χ∼A ∈WΔ, (vi) if ¬ ∼A ∈WΔ, then A ∈WΔ or ¬χ∼A ∈WΔ, ( ) , χ , (vi) if ¬ ∼A ∈WΔ, then A ∈WΔ or ¬χ∼A ∈WΔ, (viii) if ¬◦A ∈WΔ, then (A ∈WΔ and ¬χ◦A ∈WΔ) or (∼A ∈WΔ and ¬χ◦A ∈WΔ), (ix) nothing more belongs to WΔ except those formulas which enter WΔ on the grounds of conditions (i)–(viii). A dual Hintikka set WΔ is d-satisfied under extended mbC-valuation λ# iffat least one element of WΔ is true under λ#. A dual Hintikka set WΔ is d-satisfied by each extended mbC-valuation (WΔ is d-valid) iffthere is no extended mbC-valuation λ# such that each formula in WΔ is false under λ#. If WΔ = ∅, then WΔ is d-inconsistent. Corollary 4.3. A dual Hintikka set WΔ is d-satisfied by each extended mbC-valuation (WΔ is d-valid) ifffor some unanalyzable formula A, A ∈ WΔ and ¬A ∈WΔ. Corollary 4.3. A dual Hintikka set WΔ is d-satisfied by each extended mbC-valuation (WΔ is d-valid) ifffor some unanalyzable formula A, A ∈ WΔ and ¬A ∈WΔ. Definition 18. (Non-validity property) By a non-validity property corre sponding to a sequence Δ we mean a finite set Wnv Δ = {W1 Δ, . . . , Wn Δ}, which contains all dual Hintikka sets for Δ that do not contain complementary unanalyzable formulas. Definition 18. (Non-validity property) By a non-validity property corre sponding to a sequence Δ we mean a finite set Wnv Δ = {W1 Δ, . . . Table 4. Examples of abductive rules A Hintikka set UΓ is inconsistent ifffor every λ#, at least one formula in UΓ is false under λ#. If UΓ = ∅, then UΓ is satisfied by each extended mbC-valuation (UΓ is valid). Definition 16. (Consistency property) By a consistency property corre- sponding to a sequence Γ we mean a finite set Uc Γ = {U1 Γ, . . . , Un Γ}, which contains all Hintikka sets for Γ that does not contain complementary unan- alyzable formulas. Let us recall Hintikka’s well-known result: Lemma 4. (Hintikka’s Lemma) For arbitrary Γ, each set belonging to the consistency property of Γ is satisfiable. Lemma 4. (Hintikka’s Lemma) For arbitrary Γ, each set belonging to the consistency property of Γ is satisfiable. The idea in the proof is to construct a valuation which sends each unan- alyzable formula to 1. The next step is to show by induction that it can be extended to satisfy all formulas from Γ. For a detailed proof see for example [11]. Corollary 4.2. A Hintikka set UΓ is inconsistent ifffor some unanalyz- able formula A, A ∈UΓ and ¬A ∈UΓ. Corollary 4.2. A Hintikka set UΓ is inconsistent ifffor some unanalyz- able formula A, A ∈UΓ and ¬A ∈UΓ. Corollary 4.2. A Hintikka set UΓ is inconsistent ifffor some unanalyz- able formula A, A ∈UΓ and ¬A ∈UΓ. Lemma 5. If a non-empty sequence of formulas Γ is satisfiable, then at least one downward saturated set corresponding to Γ belongs to consistency prop- erty of Γ. Lemma 5. If a non-empty sequence of formulas Γ is satisfiable, then at least one downward saturated set corresponding to Γ belongs to consistency prop- erty of Γ. Proof. Assume no downward saturated set corresponding to Γ belongs to consistency property of Γ. Thus all such sets contain complementary unanalyzable formulas. Due to the fact that the construction of downward saturated sets reflects mbC-valuation, Γ cannot be satisfiable. 494 S. Chlebowski et al. The notion of downward saturated set can be dualized in order to tackle the problem of significance restriction. Detailed study of such sets in the context of First-Order Logic can be found in [7]. Definition 17. (Dual downward saturated set) Let Δ be a sequence of formulas of L+ mbC. 5Addition of the negation simulates the transfer of the formula from the antecedent to the consequent of a sequent. Abductive hypotheses are always added to the knowledge base, which is situated in the antecedent of a sequent. Table 4. Examples of abductive rules , Wn Δ}, which contains all dual Hintikka sets for Δ that do not contain complementary unanalyzable formulas. Lemma 6. (Dual Hintikka’s Lemma) For an arbitrary Δ, each set belonging to the non-validity property of Δ is not d-valid. Lemma 6. (Dual Hintikka’s Lemma) For an arbitrary Δ, each set belonging to the non-validity property of Δ is not d-valid. The idea of the proof of dual Hintikka’s lemma is analogous to that of Hintikka’s lemma. But now we want to construct a valuation which sends An Abductive Question-Answer System... 495 each unanalyzable formula to 0. Then we can easily extend such valuation to falsify all formulas from Δ. each unanalyzable formula to 0. Then we can easily extend such valuation to falsify all formulas from Δ. Table 5 contains constraints to rules from Table 4. The intuitions under- lying those constraints are the following: in cases when we want to generate abductive hypothesis that is consistent with the knowledge base Γ, we look for those formulas, that are consistent with at least one Hintikka set. In other words, we can say that we are looking for a formula that is true under some mbC-valuation λ#, under which all formulas from Γ are also true. Constraints for significance of the abductive hypothesis reflect similar notions. We are looking for those hypotheses that do not make at least one Hinntika set d-valid. In other words, when we extend such dual Hintikka set by the negation of a formula which is our hypothesis,5 and turn such extended dual Hintikka set into a formula by linking all elements from this set by disjunctions, we do not want to obtain a formula which is true under every mbC-valuation λ#. Lemma 7. Let UΓ ∈Uc Γ be a downward saturated set corresponding to some Γ. If an unanalyzable formula l /∈UΓ, then the set UΓ ∪{l} is consistent. Lemma 7. Let UΓ ∈Uc Γ be a downward saturated set corresponding to some Γ. If an unanalyzable formula l /∈UΓ, then the set UΓ ∪{l} is consistent. Proof. UΓ is consistent by definition of the consistency property. Let us assume that l /∈UΓ. If UΓ ∪{l} is inconsistent then l ∈UΓ ∪{l}, which contradicts the assumption. Proof. UΓ is consistent by definition of the consistency property. Let us assume that l /∈UΓ. If UΓ ∪{l} is inconsistent then l ∈UΓ ∪{l}, which contradicts the assumption. Proof. Table 4. Examples of abductive rules The proof follows from Theorems 4.5 and 4.4. Table 4. Examples of abductive rules UΓ is consistent by definition of the consistency property. Let us assume that l /∈UΓ. If UΓ ∪{l} is inconsistent then l ∈UΓ ∪{l}, which contradicts the assumption. Lemma 8. Let UΓ ∈Uc Γ be a downward saturated set corresponding to some Γ. If l /∈UΓ or k /∈UΓ, then the set UΓ ∪{l →k} is consistent. Proof. The proof is analogous to the proof of Lemma 7. Now we are going to prove that abductive hypotheses generated by ab- ductive rules used in accordance with the constraints are consistent with the initial knowledge base and significant. For that reason we introduce an algorithm 1 (see page 24) which creates s-transformation, consistency and significance properties for an initial question Q =?(Γ ⊢Δ), and then uses abductive rules along with restrictions to produce abductive hypotheses. Theorem 4.4. Each abductive hypothesis generated by Algorithm 1, where each abductive rule is applied with a consistency constraint is consistent with the initial knowledge base. Proof. The proof follows from Lemmas 7 and 8 and from the construction f Uc+ Proof. The proof follows from Lemmas 7 and 8 and from the construction of Uc+ Γ . 496 S. Chlebowski et al. Table 5. Consistency and significance restrictions for abductive rules Abductive rule Consistency restriction: Significance restriction: There exists a set UΓ ∈Uc Γ such that. . . There exists a set WΔ ∈Wnv Δ such that. . . R1 abd l /∈UΓ l /∈WΔ R2 abd l /∈UΓ or k /∈UΓ l /∈WΔ or k /∈WΔ R3 abd (R3∗ abd) ◦p /∈UΓ or ∼p /∈UΓ p /∈WΔ R4 abd (R4∗ abd) ◦p /∈UΓ or p /∈UΓ ∼p /∈WΔ R5 abd (R5∗ abd) p /∈UΓ or ∼p /∈UΓ ◦p /∈WΔ 497 An Abductive Question-Answer System... Lemma 9. Let WΔ ∈Wnv Δ be a dual downward saturated set corresponding to some Δ. If an unanalyzable formula l /∈WΔ, then the set WΔ ∪{l} is not valid. Proof. We know that WΔ is not valid, i.e. there exists an extended mbC- valuation λ# such that each formula in WΔ is false under λ#. Since l /∈WΔ we can assume that λ#(l) = 0. It follows that WΔ is not valid. Lemma 10. Let WΔ ∈Wnv Δ be a dual downward saturated set corresponding to some Δ. If l /∈WΔ or k /∈WΔ, then the set WΔ ∪{l} is not valid or WΔ ∪{k} is not valid. Proof. Table 4. Examples of abductive rules The proof is analogous to the proof of Lemma 9. Lemma 11 l ⊬ bC A1 ∨ ∨A (where each Ai (1 ≤i ≤n) is a literal) if Proof. The proof is analogous to the proof of Lemma 9. Lemma 11. l ⊬mbC A1 ∨. . . ∨An (where each Ai (1 ≤i ≤n) is a literal) if and only if a dual Hintikka set W = {l, A1, . . . , An} is not valid. Proof. (→) Assume that l ⊬mbC A1 ∨. . . ∨An. There exists an extended mbC-valuation λ# such that λ#(l) = 1 and λ#(A1 ∨. . . ∨An) = 0. In this case λ#(l) = 0 and each formula in W is false under λ#. Therefore W is not valid. (←) Assume W is not valid. There exists an extended mbC-valuation λ#, such that each formula in W is false under λ#. In this case λ#(l) = 1 and λ#(A1 ∨. . . ∨An) = 0. Therefore l ⊬mbC A1 ∨. . . ∨An. Lemma 12. l →k ⊬mbC A1 ∨. . . ∨An (where each Ai (1 ≤i ≤n) is a literal) if and only if a dual Hintikka set W = {l, A1, . . . , An} is not valid or W = {k, A1, . . . , An} is not valid. Proof. The proof is analogous to the proof of Lemma 11. Theorem 4.5. Each abductive hypothesis generated by Algorithm 1, where each abductive rule is applied with a significance constraint, is significant. Proof. The proof is a consequence of Lemmas 9 and 10 and the construc- tion of Wnv+ Γ . Proof. The proof is a consequence of Lemmas 9 and 10 and the construc- tion of Wnv+ Γ . Proof. The proof is a consequence of Lemmas 9 and 10 and the construc- tion of Wnv+ Γ . Theorem 4.6. Each abductive hypothesis generated by Algorithm 1, where each abductive rule is applied with a significance and consistency constraint is significant and consistent. Theorem 4.6. Each abductive hypothesis generated by Algorithm 1, where each abductive rule is applied with a significance and consistency constraint is significant and consistent. Theorem 4.6. Each abductive hypothesis generated by Algorithm 1, where each abductive rule is applied with a significance and consistency constraint is significant and consistent. Proof. The proof follows from Theorems 4.5 and 4.4. Proof. 5. Examples We shall provide two examples in order to explain how the Algorithm 1 generates abductive hypotheses. At the end of the section some remarks about the way the algorithm works have been provided. 498 S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. Example 1. Let us first consider an abductive question Q = ?(Γ ⊢Δ), where: Example 1. Let us first consider an abductive question Q = ?(Γ ⊢Δ), where: • Γ = ⟨p →(q →r), ¬(q →∼s)⟩, • Δ = ⟨z⟩. The complete s-transformation of Q assigned to s is the following: ?(p →(q →r),¬(q →∼s)⊢z) ?(q, ¬∼s, p →(q →r) ⊢z) Lα ?(q, s, ¬χ∼s, p →(q →r) ⊢z) L¬∼ ?(¬p, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z ; q →r, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z) Lβ ?(¬p, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z ; ¬q, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z ; r, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z) Lβ Open sequents from the last term of s are assigned to Φ: Open sequents from the last term of s are assigned to Φ: • ⟨¬p, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z⟩, • ⟨r, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z⟩. • ⟨¬p, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z⟩, • ⟨r, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z⟩. The number of elements in Φ: x = 2, therefore Θ = {1, 2}. The consistency property Uc Γ = {U1 Γ, U2 Γ, U3 Γ}, where: The number of elements in Φ: x = 2, therefore Θ = {1, 2}. The consist 1 2 3 U1 Γ = {p →(q →r), ¬(q →∼s), q, s, ¬χ∼s, ¬p, q →r, r}, U2 Γ = {p →(q →r), ¬(q →∼s), q, s, ¬χ∼s, ¬p}, U3 Γ = {p →(q →r), ¬(q →∼s), q, s, ¬χ∼s, q →r, r}. The non-validity property contains one set Wnv Δ = {W1 Δ}, where: The non-validity property contains one set Wnv Δ = {W1 Δ}, where: W1 Δ = {z}. Let us assume that we randomly get j = 1. In that case: φ = ⟨¬p, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z⟩. Let us further assume that we randomly get r = 1, therefore R = R1 abd, and our partial answer generated by means of the rule R is the following: a = p. In the next step we have to cross out from consistency property those Hin- tikka sets that are inconsistent with a, i.e. sets U1 Γ and U2 Γ. 5. Examples After this step consistency property looks as follows: Uc Γ = {U3 Γ}. 499 An Abductive Question-Answer System... Similarly, we leave only those dual Hintikka set in non-validity property that are not d-valid with a. In this case nothing changes, because W1 Δ is not d- valid with a. The set Ω is enlarged by partial hypothesis a = p and j = 1 is removed from Θ, therefore Θ = {2}. Θ still contains one element, which is now assigned to j = 2. In this case: φ = ⟨r, q, s, ¬χ∼s ⊢z⟩. At this stage the algorithm can randomly assign r = 1 again. However, there is no partial hypothesis that could be generated by means of R1 abd in accordance with the consistency constraint for R1 abd. The reason is that there is only one Hintikka set in the consistency property, which contains complementary unanalyzable formulas of all formulas that belong to the antecedent of the sequent φ. The algorithm cannot execute instructions in the if loop and the value for r is again randomly assigned. Let us assume that r = 2 this time. R = R2 abd and the generated partial answer can be a = q →z, since it is consistent with the U3 Γ and not d-valid with W1 Δ. The set Ω is enlarged by a and j = 2 is removed from Θ, leaving Θ = ∅as a result. Therefore, the condition for breaking the while loop is fulfilled. The set Ω is transformed into the abductive hypothesis by linking all partial answers contained in it with conjunction: Ω = p ∧(q →z). The addition of Ω to the Γ from initial abductive question Q results in obtaining a question Q∗= ?(p ∧(q →z), p →(q →r), ¬(q →∼s) ⊢z), which is no longer an abductive one. Example 2. Let us now consider an abductive question Q′ = ?(Γ′ ⊢Δ′), where: • Γ′ = ⟨(p ∨r) →¬ ◦q⟩, • Δ′ = ⟨∼z⟩. 5. Examples The complete s-transformation of Q′ assigned to s is the following: ?((p ∨r) →¬◦q ⊢∼z) ?((p ∨r) →¬◦q ⊢¬z, χ∼z) R∼ ?(¬(p ∨r) ⊢¬z, χ∼z ; ¬◦q ⊢¬z, χ∼z) L→ ?(¬p, ¬r ⊢¬z, χ∼z ; ¬◦q ⊢¬z, χ∼z) L¬∨ ?(¬p, ¬r ⊢¬z, χ∼z ; q, ∼q ⊢¬z, χ∼z ; ¬χ◦q ⊢¬z, χ∼z) L¬◦ ?(¬p, ¬r ⊢¬z, χ∼z ; q, ¬q ⊢¬z, χ∼z ; q, χ∼q ⊢¬z, χ∼z ; ¬χ◦q ⊢¬z, χ∼z) L∼ Open sequents from the last term of s are assigned to Φ: S. Chlebowski et al. 500 • ⟨¬p, ¬r ⊢¬z, χ∼z⟩, • ⟨q, χ∼q ⊢¬z, χ∼z⟩, • ⟨¬χ◦q ⊢¬z, χ∼z⟩. • ⟨¬p, ¬r ⊢¬z, χ∼z⟩, • ⟨q, χ∼q ⊢¬z, χ∼z⟩, • ⟨¬χ◦q ⊢¬z, χ∼z⟩. The number of elements in Φ: x = 3, therefore Θ = {1, 2, 3}. The consistency property Uc Γ = {U1 Γ, U2 Γ, U3 Γ, U4 Γ, U5 Γ, U6 Γ}, where: The number of elements in Φ: x = 3, therefore Θ = {1, 2, 3}. The consistency property Uc Γ = {U1 Γ, U2 Γ, U3 Γ, U4 Γ, U5 Γ, U6 Γ}, where: U1 Γ = {(p ∨r) →¬◦q, ¬(p ∨q), ¬◦q, ¬p, ¬r, q, ∼q, ¬χ◦q, ¬q, χ∼q}, U2 Γ = {(p ∨r) →¬◦q, ¬(p ∨q), ¬◦q, ¬p, ¬r, q, ∼q, χ∼q}, U3 Γ = {(p ∨r) →¬◦q, ¬(p ∨q), ¬◦q, ¬p, ¬r, ¬χ◦q}, U4 Γ = {(p ∨r) →¬◦q, ¬(p ∨q), ¬p, ¬r}, U5 Γ = {(p ∨r) →¬◦q, ¬◦q, q, ∼q, χ∼q}, U6 Γ = {(p ∨r) →¬◦q, ¬◦q, ¬χ◦q}. The non-validity property contains one set Wnv Δ = {W1 Δ}, where: The non-validity property contains one set Wnv Δ = {W1 Δ}, where: W1 Δ = {∼z, ¬z, χ∼z}. Let us assume that we randomly get j = 1. In that case: φ = ⟨¬p, ¬r ⊢¬z, χ∼z⟩. Let us further assume that we randomly get r = 2, therefore R = R2 abd, and our partial answer generated by means of the rule R is the following: a = ¬p →¬z. In the next step we have to cross out from consistency property those Hin- tikka sets that do not fulfil the consistency restriction for R. After this step consistency property contains the same Hintikka sets: Uc Γ = {U1 Γ, U2 Γ, U3 Γ, U4 Γ, U5 Γ, U6 Γ}. 5. Examples Similarly, we leave only those dual Hintikka set in non-validity property that are not d-valid with a. In this case nothing changes, because W1 Δ is not d- valid with a. The set Ω is enlarged by partial hypothesis a = p →¬z and j = 1 is removed from Θ, therefore Θ = {2, 3}. Θ still contains elements. Let us assume that we randomly get j = 2. In this case: φ = ⟨q, χ∼q ⊢¬z, χ∼z⟩. An Abductive Question-Answer System... 501 501 An Abductive Question-Answer System... An Abductive Question-Answer System... Let us assume that r = 5 this time. R = R5 abd and the generated partial answer can be: a = ◦q. The following Hintikka sets do not fulfil the consistency restriction for R: U1 Γ, U2 Γ, U5 Γ, therefore they are removed from the consistency property: Uc Γ = {U3 Γ, U4 Γ, U6 Γ}. Uc Γ = {U3 Γ, U4 Γ, U6 Γ}. Similarly as in the case of the previous partial hypothesis, a in not d-valid with W1 Δ and the non-validity property does not change. Similarly as in the case of the previous partial hypothesis, a in not d-valid with W1 Δ and the non-validity property does not change. The set Ω is enlarged by a and j = 2 is removed from Θ, leaving Θ = {3} as a result. Therefore, in the next step j = 3 and: φ = ⟨¬χ◦q ⊢¬z, χ∼z⟩. There are only two abductive hypotheses which can generate a partial hypothesis for φ, namely R1 abd and R2 abd. Assuming that r = 1 the partial hypothesis we obtain is of the following form: a = χ◦q. Hintikka sets U3 Γ and U6 Γ do not fulfil the consistency restriction for R and are removed from the consistency property: Uc Γ = {U4 Γ}. Since there is a Hintikka set left in the consistency property and a is nod d-valid with the W1 Δ set form the non-validity property, constructed partial hypothesis is significant and valid. Θ = ∅and the while loop is broken. As in the previous example, the set Ω is transformed into the abductive hypothesis by linking all partial answers contained in it with conjunction: Ω = (¬p →¬z) ∧◦q ∧χ◦q. The question ?(Γ′ ∪Ω ⊢Δ′) is not an abductive one. The question ?(Γ′ ∪Ω ⊢Δ′) is not an abductive one. 5. Examples Our algorithm exhibits some weaknesses that should be mentioned. First of all, the algorithm is just a scheme used to depict how the abductive procedure works, rather than optimised implementation of an abductive hypotheses generator. Another point is that the algorithm will not terminate in case when it is impossible to generate partial answer by means of the proposed abductive rules used along with the constraints. There are at least two possible situations of this kind: the abductive goal is inconsistent with 502 S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. the knowledge base, or already generated partial answers make it impossible to generate further partial answers. The algorithm is also not optimised for finding the shortest possible ab- ductive hypotheses, nevertheless it is possible that it will find them. It is easy to see that in some cases the algorithm will not recognise, that a partial answer for one open sequent can be a partial answer for other open sequents. p q p p q Algorithm 1: Generation of a consistent and valid abductive hypothesis Input: An abductive question Q =?(Γ ⊢Δ) of L? ⊢mbC Output: An answer Ω to an abductive question Q (abductive hypothesis) 1 begin 2 s ←a complete s-transformation of Q; 3 Φ ←open sequents from the last term of s; 4 x ←the number of terms in Φ; 5 Θ ←{1, . . . , x}; 6 Uc Γ ←{U1 Γ, . . . , Un Γ} the consistency property based on Γ; 7 Wnv Δ ←{W1 Δ, . . . , Wm Δ} the non-validity property based on Δ; 8 Ω ←∅; 9 while Θ non-empty do 10 j ←random element from Θ; 11 φ ←the j-th term of Φ; 12 r ←random element from the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}; 13 R ←abductive rule Rr abd (Rr∗ abd); 14 if R can be applied to φ with constraint for R then 15 a ←partial answer from R; 16 Uc Γ ←Uc Γ \ {Ui Γ ∈{U1 Γ, . . . , Un Γ} | Ui Γ is not compatible under the consistency constraint for R with a as a partial answer}; 17 Wnv Δ ←Wnv Δ \ {Wi Δ ∈{W1 Δ, . . . 5. Examples , Wm Δ} | Wi Δ is not compatible under the validity constraint for R with a as a partial answer}; 18 Ω ←Ω ∪{a}; 19 Θ ←Θ \ {j}; 20 end 21 end 22 Ω ← Ω; 23 end Algorithm 1: Generation of a consistent and valid abductive hypothesis Input: An abductive question Q =?(Γ ⊢Δ) of L? ⊢mbC Output: An answer Ω to an abductive question Q (abductive hypothesis) Algorithm 1: Generation of a consistent and valid abductive hypothesis Input: An abductive question Q =?(Γ ⊢Δ) of L? ⊢mbC Output: An answer Ω to an abductive question Q (abductive hypothesis) 1 begin 2 s ←a complete s-transformation of Q; 3 Φ ←open sequents from the last term of s; 4 x ←the number of terms in Φ; 5 Θ ←{1, . . . , x}; 6 Uc Γ ←{U1 Γ, . . . , Un Γ} the consistency property based on Γ; 7 Wnv Δ ←{W1 Δ, . . . , Wm Δ} the non-validity property based on Δ; 8 Ω ←∅; p y 10 j ←random element from Θ; 11 φ ←the j-th term of Φ; 12 r ←random element from the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}; 13 R ←abductive rule Rr abd (Rr∗ abd); 14 if R can be applied to φ with constraint for R then 15 a ←partial answer from R; 16 Uc Γ ←Uc Γ \ {Ui Γ ∈{U1 Γ, . . . , Un Γ} | Ui Γ is not compatible under the consistency constraint for R with a as a partial answer}; 17 Wnv Δ ←Wnv Δ \ {Wi Δ ∈{W1 Δ, . . . , Wm Δ} | Wi Δ is not compatible under the validity constraint for R with a as a partial answer}; 18 Ω ←Ω ∪{a}; 19 Θ ←Θ \ {j}; 20 end 21 end 22 Ω ← Ω; 23 end if R can be applied to φ with constraint for R then Ω ←Ω ∪{a}; Θ ←Θ \ {j}; 503 An Abductive Question-Answer System... 6. Discussion In this section we want to compare our model of abductive reasoning with two other approaches. 6.1. Carnielli’s System There was an earlier attempt, made by Carnielli, to model abductive rea- soning in the context of paraconsistent logic. We will briefly compare his system to ours (for details, see [3]). As we have mentioned at the beginning of the paper, four ingredients of algorithmic approach to abduction can be distinguished: a basic logic (which gives us a formal language and a system of formulas considered valid), proof method (a way, in which this logic is given), hypotheses generation mecha- nism and criteria which rule out hypotheses which are not good enough. The logic used by Carnielli is LFI1 system, which is an extension of mbC for which a simple 3-valued semantics exists. As a proof method, signed version of an- alytic tableaux is used. Passing to the last two ingredients, the situation becomes more complicated: it seems to us that the procedure of generat- ing hypotheses and hypotheses evaluation mechanism are interrelated. Such properties of hypotheses as consistency (non-triviality in Carnielli system), analyticity or minimality are forced by the very definition of what abduc- tive problem and abductive solution are (see definition 5.1 in [3]). It is an approach very different from ours: we try to be neutral in the definition of hypotheses generation mechanism with respect to properties one may think of as desirable. But we also deliver some simple implementation of most frequently accepted properties such as consistency and significance, but we let the users to decide, which properties they want to deploy. Another major difference between these systems is the form of hypotheses, which can be generated. In Carnielli’s system, hypotheses are collections of atoms. This is determined by the proof method used. One of the consequences of this approach is that disjunctive hypotheses are impossible to obtain (we will say more on this, when discussing some specific examples). Another is that only analytic hypotheses are accepted. Our approach is more general: we stipulate in what way an abductive rule, which enables hypotheses gener- ation, has to function and we provide two examples, one of them enabling law-like hypotheses (see [25]). This approach is, in a way, open ended: new abductive rules can be added, which enable more interesting hypotheses, in particular non-analytic ones, which is impossible in Carnielli’s system. 504 S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. Fq There is no rule which can be applied to simplify our problem further. In Carnielli’s system two abductive hypothesis can be generated: Fp and Tq. The first one is (classically) inconsistent with the knowledge base. The second one is certainly too strong: from Tq follows that q is true, but that is exactly what we were trying to explain. In AQAS we start with the aforementioned question ?(p ⊢q) 6.1. Carnielli’s System Let us consider an eminently simple abductive problem: we want to obtain q from the knowledge base consisting solely of p. In the context of AQAS one can pose an abductive question ?(p ⊢q) In Carnielli’s system we start by constructing a tableaux, where we list all formulas from the knowledge base (and we assign to each of them symbol T) and an abductive goal (with F assigned) in the root of a tree. 6.2. Abductive Logic Programming The next abductive procedure that we want to compare our approach with is Abductive Logic Programming (ALP) (details of the method can be found in [16]). The ALP framework consists of three ingredients: a logic program P (knowledge base), a set of abducibles A (i.e. potential abductive hypothe- ses) and a set of integrity constraints IC, where we can express constraints regarding our knowledge that are additional to the logic program P. ALP is aimed at modeling the syllogistic perspective on abductive reasoning [12]. Logic used in ALP is a part of the first order logic called logic pro- gramming where only universally quantified implications are used. The an- tecedent of the implication is a set of literals, and the consequent of the implication is an atom. In ALP all variables are substituted in a conse- quent manner by constants from a finite set, therefore we use propositional examples for ALP. The proof method is the standard SLD-resolution with backward reasoning in SLD-fashion. The mechanisms for the generation and evaluation of abductive hypotheses are mixed together. One of the starting ingredients of ALP is a set of abducibles A, which is assumed to be given at the start. In [16] set A contains all atoms that occur in logic program P or atoms that occur in logic program P but only those that do not appear in the consequent of any implication. Abductive hypotheses are defined as subsets of A set. Therefore, the latter method for A set generation impose the mini- mality restriction for abductive hypotheses. In addition, the proof procedure accompanied by the above mentioned method for the set of abducibles gen- eration guarantees that obtained abductive hypotheses are consistent with the initial knowledge base represented by the the logic program P and the set of integrity constraints IC. Differences between the approach described in this paper and the ALP occur in the foundations of both methods. In ALP abductive goals and hypotheses are restricted only to literals, while we do not have such re- striction regarding abductive goals in our procedure and generated abduc- tive hypotheses include also law-like statements. Furthermore, we generate abductive hypotheses, while in ALP framework abductive hypotheses are picked from the set of abducibles given from the start. which cannot be further simplified. which cannot be further simplified. By means of question-answer rules we can formulate three hypotheses: ¬p (where ¬ denotes classical negation), q and p →q. The first two hypotheses do not meet consistency and significance restriction, but the third one does. This simple example shows that AQAS is able to generate good (in the above case the only good) hypotheses which are not reachable for Carnielli’s system. In the next example we will show that AQAS produces more good hy- potheses than other considered systems. Our knowledge base consists of p →q and q →r, and we want to derive r. The initial step is the transfor- mation of an abductive question: ?(p →q, q →r ⊢r) ?(¬p, q →r ⊢r ; q, q →r ⊢r) ?(¬p, ¬q ⊢r ; ¬p, r ⊢r ; q, q →r ⊢r) ?(¬p, ¬q ⊢r ; ¬p, r ⊢r ; q, ¬q ⊢r ; q, r ⊢r) There is only one open constituent of the last question, namely the se- quent ¬p, ¬q ⊢r and it can be closed in AQAS (with consistency and signif- icance constraints) by any of the following formulas: p, q, ¬p →r, ¬q →r. In Carnielli’s system only p and q can be obtained due to the fact that ab- ductive hypothesis is considered there as a conjunction of literals, thus more 505 An Abductive Question-Answer System... complicated formulas are not reachable, which can result in a system not producing any hypothesis despite the fact that there is one, as the previous example has shown. 6.2. Abductive Logic Programming As a consequence, we are able to produce abductive hypotheses for abductive goals that contain information that do not belong to the initial knowledge base, contrary to 506 S. Chlebowski et al. the ALP approach. There are many implementations of Abductive Logic Programming, e.g. in Prolog [22] or in a neuro-symbolic system [14]. the ALP approach. There are many implementations of Abductive Logic Programming, e.g. in Prolog [22] or in a neuro-symbolic system [14]. Let us consider the same two examples as in the previous subsection. For the first abductive problem, where we have p as our knowledge base and q as the abductive goal, our procedure is able to generate three abduc- tive hypotheses, i.e. ¬p, q and p →q, with one meeting both, consistency and significance restrictions. In this case the ALP procedure is not able to produce any hypothesis. Let us consider the same two examples as in the previous subsection. In the second example we have the following formulas as the knowledge base: p →q, q →r and as the abductive goal we have r. Our approach generates the following four abductive hypotheses that are consistent and significant: p, q, ¬p →q, ¬q →r. For the ALP procedure we assume that P = {q ←p, r ←q} and the set of integrity constraints IC is empty. According to the two ways of selecting the set of abducibles we have the following: A = {p, q} or A′ = {p}. In the first case ALP produces the following three hypotheses: {p}, {q} and {p, q}. In the second case we have only one abductive hypothesis {p}. and as the abductive goal we have r. Our approach generates the following four abductive hypotheses that are consistent and significant: p, q, ¬p →q, ¬q →r. For the ALP procedure we assume that P = {q ←p, r ←q} and the set of integrity constraints IC is empty. According to the two ways of selecting the set of abducibles we have the following: A = {p, q} or A′ = {p}. In the first case ALP produces the following three hypotheses: {p}, {q} and {p, q}. In the second case we have only one abductive hypothesis {p}. 7. Summary and Conclusion Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdic- tional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. 7. Summary and Conclusion In this paper we have introduced an Abductive Question-Answer System for the minimal logic of formal inconsistency mbC. The system produces abductive hypotheses, which are answers to abductive questions concern- ing derivability of formulas from sets of formulas. We integrated generation and evaluation of hypotheses via constraints of consistency and significance being imposed on the system rules. Our further research will be concerned with optimization issues. We also plan for modular implementation of more diverse set of evaluation criteria, which would allow for producing hypothe- ses exhibiting different characteristics, depending on particular choice of criteria. Additionally, we have compared our procedure with two alternative ap- proaches. Generally speaking, abductive hypotheses in ALP and Carnielli’s system are conjunction of literals, where in AQAS each hypothesis can be considered as a conjunctive normal form, which can consists of nonempty disjunctions (due to the interdefinability of implication and disjunction in the presence of classical negation). In both cases the model of abductive 507 An Abductive Question-Answer System... reasoning proposed in this paper is more flexible with regards to assum- ing abductive goals and creation of abductive hypotheses. In addition, our system clearly distinguishes between the generation and evaluation of ab- ductive hypotheses, while in both other approaches this division is not plain and simple. Funding This work has been supported by the Polish National Science Cen- ter, grant no. 2012/04/A/HS1/00715 (first author) and DEC-2013/10/E/ HS1/00172 (second and third author). Funding This work has been supported by the Polish National Science Cen- ter, grant no. 2012/04/A/HS1/00715 (first author) and DEC-2013/10/E/ HS1/00172 (second and third author). Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Interna- tional License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. References [1] Aliseda, A., Abductive reasoning: Logical investigations into discovery and explana- tion, vol. 330 of Synthese Library, Springer Science & Business Media, 2006. [2] Batens, D., Paraconsistent extensional propositional logics, Logique et Analyse 23(90–91):195–234, 1980. [3] Carnielli, W., Surviving abduction, Logic Journal of IGPL 14(2):237–256, 2006 [4] Carnielli, W., and J. Marcos, Tableau systems for logics of formal inconsistency, in Proceedings of the 2001 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, vol. 2, 2001, pp. 848–852. [5] Carnielli, W., and J. Marcos, A taxonomy of c-systems, arXiv preprint math/0108036, 2001. [6] Carnielli, W.A., M. E. Coniglio, and J. Marcos, Logics of formal, in F. Guen- thner, and D. M. Gabbay, (eds.), Handbook of Philosophical Logic, vol. 14, Springer, 2013, pp. 1–93. [7] Chlebowski, Sz., Canonical and Dual Erotetic Calcu thesis, Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna´n, 2018. [7] Chlebowski, Sz., Canonical and Dual Erotetic Calculi for First-Order Logic, Ph.D. thesis, Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna´n, 2018. [8] Chlebowski, Sz., and D. Leszczy´nska-Jasion, Dual Erotetic Calculi and the Min- imal LFI, Studia Logica 103(6):1245–1278, 2015. 508 S. Chlebowski et al. S. Chlebowski et al. [9] Chlebowski, Sz., and D. Leszczy´nska-Jasion, Erotetic calculi, duality and proof- search, tech. rep., Chair of Logic and Cognitive Science, Adam Mickiewicz University, 2015. [10] Coniglio, M.E., and T.G. Rodrigues, Some investigations on mbC and mCi, in C.A. Mortari, (ed.), T´opicos de l´ogicas n˜ao cl´assicas, NEL/UFSC, 2014, pp. 11–70. [11] Fitting, M., First-order logic and automated theorem proving, Springer Science & Business Media, 2012. [12] Flach, P. A., and A. C. Kakas, Abduction and Induction: Essays on their relation and integration, vol. 18 of Applied Logic Series, Springer Science & Business Media, 2013. [13] Gabbay, D.M., and J. Woods, The Reach of Abduction. Insight and Trial, Elsevier, 2005. [14] Garcez, A., D. M Gabbay, O. Ray, and J. Woods, Abductive reasoning in neural- symbolic systems, Topoi 26(1):37–49, 2007. [15] Hintikka, J., Inquiry as Inquiry: A Logic of Scientific Discovery, Kluwer, Dor- drecht/Boston/London, 1999. [16] Kakas, A. C., R. A. Kowalski, and F. Toni, Abductive logic programming, Journal of logic and computation 2(6):719–770, 1992. [17] Komosinski, M., A. Kups, D. Leszczy´nska-Jasion, and M. Urba´nski, Identifying efficient abductive hypotheses using multicriteria dominance relation, ACM Transac- tions on Computational Logic 15(4):28:1–28:20, 2014. [18] Leszczy´nska-Jasion, D., The Method of Socratic Proofs for Normal Modal Proposi- tional Logics, Adam Mickiewicz University Press, Pozna´n, 2007. References [19] Loparic, A., Semantical study of some propositional calculi, Journal of Symbolic Logic 43:358, 1978. [20] Neto, A.G.S.S., and M. Finger, Effective prover for minimal inconsistency logic, in M. Bramer, (ed.), IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, Springer, 2006, pp. 465–474. [21] Peirce, C. S., Collected papers of charles sanders peirce, vol. 5, Harvard University Press, 1974. [22] Saptawijaya, A., and L. M. Pereira, Tabdual: a tabled abduction system for logic programs, FLAP 2(1):69–124, 2015. [23] Thagard, P., Abductive inference: From philosophical analysis to neural mechanisms, in A. Feeney, and E. Heit, (eds.), Inductive reasoning: Experimental, developmental, and computational approaches, Cambridge University Press, 2007, pp. 226–247. [24] Urba´nski, M., and A. Klawiter, Abduction: Some conceptual issues, Logic and Logical Philosophy 27(4):583–597, 2018. [25] Urba´nski, M., and A. Wi´sniewski, On search for law-like statements as abductive hypotheses by socratic transformations, in C. Baskent, (ed.), Perspectives on Inter- rogative Models of Inquiry. Developments in Inquiry and Questions, Springer, 2016, pp. 111–127. [26] Wi´sniewski, A., The Posing of Questions: Logical Foundations of Erotetic Inferences, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht/Boston/London, 1995. [27] Wi´sniewski, A., Socratic Proofs, Journal of Philosophical Logic 33(3):299–326, 2004. 509 An Abductive Question-Answer System... [28] Wi´sniewski, A., Questions, Inferences and Scenarios, vol. 46 of Studies in Logic. Logic and Cognitive Systems, College Publications, London, 2013. [28] Wi´sniewski, A., Questions, Inferences and Scenarios, vol. 46 of Studies in Logic. Logic and Cognitive Systems, College Publications, London, 2013. [28] Wi´sniewski, A., Questions, Inferences and Scenarios, vol. 46 of Studies in Logic. Logic and Cognitive Systems, College Publications, London, 2013. [29] Wi´sniewski, A., and V. Shangin, Socratic Proofs for Quantifiers, Journal of Philo- sophical Logic 35(2):147–178, 2006. [29] Wi´sniewski, A., and V. Shangin, Socratic Proofs for Quantifiers, Journal of Philo- sophical Logic 35(2):147–178, 2006. [29] Wi´sniewski, A., and V. Shangin, Socratic Proofs for Quantifiers, Journal of Philo- sophical Logic 35(2):147–178, 2006. S. Chlebowski, A. Gajda, M. Urba´nski Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science Adam Mickiewicz University Wieniawskiego 1 Pozna´n Poland szymon.chlebowski@amu.edu.pl A. Gajda andrzej.gajda@amu.edu.pl M. Urba´nski murbansk@amu.edu.pl S. Chlebowski, A. Gajda, M. Urba´nski Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science Adam Mickiewicz University Wieniawskiego 1 Pozna´n Poland szymon.chlebowski@amu.edu.pl A. Gajda andrzej.gajda@amu.edu.pl M. Urba´nski murbansk@amu.edu.pl
https://openalex.org/W2949242417
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2018/10/01/432187.full.pdf
English
null
Crystal structure of a<i>Thermus aquaticus</i>diversity-generating retroelement variable protein
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
2,018
cc-by
7,632
. CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint retroelement variable protein Sumit Handa, Kharissa L Shaw, Partho Ghosh* Sumit Handa, Kharissa L Shaw, Partho Ghosh* Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA *Correspondence: pghosh@ucsd.edu *Correspondence: pghosh@ucsd.edu Abstract Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are widely distributed in bacteria, archaea, and microbial viruses, and bring about unparalleled levels of sequence variation in target proteins. While DGR variable proteins share low sequence identity, the structures of several such proteins have revealed the C-type lectin (CLec)-fold as a conserved scaffold for accommodating massive sequence variation. This conservation has led to the suggestion that the CLec-fold may be useful in molecular surface display applications. Thermostability is an attractive feature in such applications, and thus we studied the variable protein of a DGR encoded by the thermophile Thermus aquaticus. We report here the 2.8 Å resolution crystal structure of the variable protein from the T. aquaticus DGR, called TaqVP, and confirm that it has a CLec-fold. Remarkably, its variable region is nearly identical in structure to those of several other CLec-fold DGR variable proteins despite low sequence identity among these. TaqVP was found to be thermostable, which appears to be a property shared by several CLec-fold DGR variable proteins. These results provide impetus for the pursuit of the DGR variable protein CLec-fold in molecular display applications. 1 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: ioRxiv preprint Introduction Diversity generating-retroelements (DGRs) are unique and unparalleled generators of massive protein sequence diversity [1, 2]. At least 1020 sequences are possible in proteins diversified by these retroelements [3]. This scale of variation exceeds by several orders of magnitude the variation brought about by 2 2 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: ioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint the adaptive immune systems of jawed and jawless vertebrates, the only other examples of natural massive protein sequence variation [4, 5]. In these immune systems, massive sequence variation of immunoreceptors permits the recognition of novel ligands and is a robust means for adaptation to dynamic environments. Similarly, massive sequence variation by DGRs appears to enable adaptation to dynamic environments for the ecologically diverse microbes – bacteria, archaea, and microbial viruses – that encode them. These include constituents of the human microbiome [2, 3, 6-12] as well as of the microbial ‘dark matter’ which constitutes a major fraction of microbial life [13-17]. Three fundamental components define DGRs: a reverse transcriptase (RT) that has a unique sequence motif [1, 2, 18], a variable region (VR) that forms part of the coding sequence of a DGR diversified protein, and a template region (TR) that is nearly identical to VR and is located proximally to VR (Fig 1). The TR serves as an invariant store of amino acid coding information. This information is transferred from TR to VR, and during this process adenines within TR are specifically mutated to other bases. A recent study on the prototypical DGR of Bordetella bacteriophage indicates that the DGR RT in association with a second DGR protein, the accessory variability determinant (Avd), is necessary and sufficient for mutagenesis of adenines in TR [19]. Adenine-specific mutagenesis culminates in substitutions occurring only at amino acids that have adenines in their codons in TR. Introduction AAY is the most recurrent adenine-containing codon in the TR of a variety of DGRs [2]. As previously noted, adenine- mutagenesis of Asn-encoding AAY can result in the encoding of 14 other amino 3 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: oRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint acids, which cover the gamut of amino acid chemical character, but cannot result in a stop codon [20]. acids, which cover the gamut of amino acid chemical character, but cannot result in a stop codon [20]. DGR variable proteins are divergent in sequence (roughly  20% identity) [2, 20]. To date, structures of three DGR variable proteins have been determined — Bordetella bacteriophage Mtd [20, 21], Treponema denticola TvpA [3], and Nanoarchaeota AvpA [22]. Despite the sequence divergence of these proteins, they all share a C-type lectin (CLec)-fold, which appears to be an evolutionarily conserved scaffold among DGRs for accommodating massive protein sequence variation. The CLec-fold, despite its nomenclature, is a general ligand-binding fold [23]. Variable amino acids in these CLec-fold DGR variable proteins are solvent-exposed and form ligand-binding sites. Some DGR variable proteins, including those that exist in the human virome [6], are predicted instead to have an immunoglobulin (Ig)-fold as a scaffold for variation. The β-strand body of the Ig-fold appears to be the locus for variation in these proteins, rather than loop regions as in antibodies and T cell receptors. Yet other DGR variable proteins have folds that at present cannot be assigned by sequence alone to CLec- or Ig- folds, or to other protein folds [2]. DGR variable proteins with characterized CLec-folds have the potential to add to the existing toolbox of selectable variable protein scaffolds for molecular display purposes, which includes affibodies, fibronectin type III (FN3) domains, and designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) among others [24, 25]. As thermostability is an attractive property of selectable variable proteins, we focused on a DGR of the thermophile Thermus aquaticus [2]. The T. aquaticus 4 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: ioRxiv preprint DGR has a genetic structure similar to that of that of the Bordetella bacteriophage DGR (Fig. 1). The variable protein of the T. aquaticus DGR, which we call TaqVP, is predicted to have a CLec-fold [2]. acids, which cover the gamut of amino acid chemical character, but cannot result in a stop codon [20]. While a common theme in DGR variable proteins is surface-display [12], TaqVP appears to lack a surface- targeting signal sequence, suggesting that sequence variation in the protein may have an intracellular function instead. We determined the 2.8 Å resolution crystal structure of TaqVP and confirmed that it indeed has a CLec-fold. We also characterized the thermostability of TaqVP, along with those of the previously structurally characterized DGR variable proteins Mtd and TvpA, and found that thermostability was a shared property of several DGR CLec-fold proteins. Structure of TaqVP TaqVP was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and crystallized. Single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) data from selenomethionine- labeled crystals of TaqVP were collected and used to determine the structure of TaqVP. The structure was determined and refined to 2.81 Å resolution limit (Table 1), and the entire length of TaqVP, amino acids 1-381, was modeled. TaqVP appeared by gel filtration chromatography to be monomeric in solution and was observed to be monomeric in the crystal (Fig. 2a and 2b). The structure of TaqVP revealed a single globular CLec-fold domain that strongly resembles the CLec-fold of two previously determined bacterial DGR variable proteins (Fig. 2c and 2d). Specifically, TaqVP closely resembles TvpA 5 5 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: ioRxiv preprint (2.5 Å rmsd; 109 Cα; Z = 6.0; 15.8% sequence identity) and Mtd (2.6 Å rmsd; 102 Cα; Z = 5.4, 20.9% sequence identity) [3, 20]. Like TvpA and Mtd, TaqVP has the formylglycine-generating enzyme (FGE) subtype of the CLec-fold and, like these other two proteins, shares structural homology with human FGE (3.2 Å rmsd; 116 Cα; Z = 6.2; 22% sequence identity) [26]. TaqVP is more distantly related to the CLec-fold of the archaeal DGR variable protein AvpA (3.3 Å rmsd; 114 Cα; Z = 3.7, 14% sequence identity), which does not belong to the FGE subtype [22]. The FGE-type CLec domain of TaqVP begins at amino acid 112 and extends to its C-terminal amino acid 381. Preceding amino acid 112 is a region composed of short β-strands and α-helices that wraps around the N-terminus of the CLec domain. The characteristic CLec-fold features, including the N- and C- termini forming anti-parallel β-strands (β1 and β5) and two roughly perpendicular α–helices (α1 and α2), are found in TaqVP. Structure of TaqVP The second classic feature of the CLec fold in DGR variable proteins is a four-stranded, anti-parallel β-sheet (β2 β3 β4 β4’). In TaqVP the β4’ strand is replaced by a loop. The sequence between the β3 and β5 strands forms the putative ligand-binding site. TaqVP also has short segments inserted between the secondary elements of the CLec fold (Fig. 2e), as also seen in Mtd, TvpA, and AvpA. Variable Region The variable region of TaqVP (amino acids 341-381) is located at the very C-terminus of the protein, as in Mtd and TvpA. The TaqVP VR is 40 amino acids 6 6 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: ioRxiv preprint in length — between the 45-amino acid VRs of Mtd and TvpA and the 23-amino acid VR of AvpA. As shown previously for all structurally characterized DGR variable proteins, the nine variable amino acids in TaqVP are solvent exposed and form a potential binding site (Fig. 3a and 3b). Variable hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acids are segregated from each other at this site (Fig. 3b). TaqVP has two nonvariable aromatic amino acids (W349 and W371) within the binding site, which might provide a constant hydrophobic contact to ligands. Similarly, Mtd, TvpA, and AvpA have one or two nonvariable aromatic acids within their ligand-binding sites. Remarkably, the TaqVP variable region and those of Mtd and TvpA are nearly identical in structure, despite their weak sequence relationship (rmsd 0.46 Å, 26 Cα, p<0.001, 28.9% sequence identity; and rmsd 1.10 Å, 30 Cα, p<0.001, 23.1% sequence identity, respectively) (Figs. 3c and 3d). However, the TaqVP variable region does not share significant structural similarity with the variable region of the more distantly related AvpA (rmsd, 2.28 Å; 22 Cα; p>0.1) (Fig. 3e). The nine variable amino acids in TaqVP VR support a potential diversity through adenine-mutagenesis of 3 x 109. Seven of the 9 variable amino acids are encoded by AAY codons in TR (D348, V354, Y361, N364, S368, and R370 by AAC and N351 by AAT), enabling substitution by 14 other amino acids at each of these positions. The remaining two variable amino acids are encoded by an ATC (I344) or AGT (to G372) codon, which enables substitution by three other amino acids. Inserts TaqVP has three inserts within the core of the CLec-fold. Insert 1’ (amino acids 129-217) is located between α1 and α2; an equivalent to insert 1’ occurs in TvpA. Insert 1’ in TaqVP appears to stabilize the VR through hydrogen bonding (Fig. 3f), whereas insert 1’ in TvpA interacts with helix α1 instead. Insert 2 of TaqVP is between α2 and β2 (amino acids 222-296). An equivalent occurs in all DGR variable proteins structurally characterized to date, but unlike these others, insert 2 in TaqVP does not interact with the VR. Insert 3 (amino acids 301-331) is between β2 and β3 of the CLec-domain and is composed of loops and a short α- helix; an equivalent for insert 3 occurs in AvpA. Variable Region All nine of the TaqVP variable amino acids have structural equivalents in TvpA, while eight of the nine have structural equivalents in Mtd (Figs. 3c and 3d). 7 7 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: oRxiv preprint The structural similarity among these VRs suggests that a composite VR having maximal diversity may be designed from these. The last seven amino acids (375-381) of TaqVP VR are invariant and located along the β5-strand, as in Mtd and TvpA. The corresponding DNA sequence is likely to function as the initiation of mutagenic homing (IMH) element, a critical component of DGRs that along with the IMH* element in TR defines the directionality of cDNA transfer [18] (Fig. 1). Thermal Stability The thermal stability of TaqVP was determined by monitoring its secondary structure as a function of temperature by circular dichroism. We observed that TaqVP started to unfold at ~70 °C and was completely denatured 8 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: ioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint at ~90 °C, as monitored by the loss of ellipticity (Fig. 4a). The thermal unfolding of TaqVP was irreversible. AvpA has previously been studied for its thermal stability and it was found that this protein also adopts a thermostable fold, starting to unfold at ~65 °C and becoming completely denatured at ~80 °C [10]. We also determined the thermal stabilities of Mtd-P1 and TvpA. Bordetella bacteriophage Mtd-P1, which unlike the other DGR variable proteins studied here has multiple domains, was found to start irreversibly unfolding at ~70 °C and was completely denatured at ~80 °C (Fig. 4b). TvpA began unfolding at ~50 °C and was completely denatured at ~70 °C (Fig. 4c). For TvpA, the ellipticity became more negative upon unfolding. This shift to more negative ellipticity upon unfolding has been seen previously in the unfolding of dihydrofolate reductase due to the involvement of W47 and W74 forming an exciton pair [27]. TvpA has a structurally similar pairing of tryptophans (W138 and W263) that could form an exciton pair. These results suggest that thermostability is shared by several of the structurally characterized CLec-fold DGR variable proteins (i.e., Mtd, AvpA, and TaqVP), and that any of these may provide an advantageous scaffold for molecular display applications. TaqVP expression and purification The coding sequence of TaqVP (accession no. CP010822.1) was synthesized with codons optimized for expression in Escherichia coli (GENEWIZ, 9 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: oRxiv preprint Inc.) and cloned into a modified pET28b expression vector encoding an N- terminal His-tag followed by a PreScission protease cleavage site. The integrity of the construct was confirmed by DNA sequencing. TaqVP was expressed in E. coli BL21-Gold (DE3). Bacteria were grown with shaking at 37 °C to an OD600 of 0.6–0.8 and then cooled to room temperature, followed by induction with 0.5 mM isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside. Bacteria were grown with shaking at room temperature for 4 h further, then harvested by centrifugation (30 min, 5,000 x g, 4 °C); the bacterial pellet was frozen at -80 °C. Cells were thawed and resuspended in buffer A (250 mM NaCl, 50 mM Tris, pH 8, and 5 mM β-mercaptoethanol; 20 ml/L of bacterial culture) supplemented with 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Bacteria were lysed using an Emulsiflex (Manufacturer), and the lysate was centrifuged (30 min, 35,000 x g, 4 °C). The supernatant was incubated at 55 °C for 10 min, and the sample was centrifuged (30 min, 35,000 x g, 4 °C). The supernatant was then applied to a column containing His-Select Nickel affinity gel (Sigma, 1 ml of resin per 20 ml of bacterial lysate), which had been equilibrated with buffer A. The column was washed with 10 column volumes of buffer B (250 mM NaCl, 20 mM Tris, pH 8, and 5 mM β-mercaptoethanol) containing 20 mM imidazole, and the TaqVP was eluted with buffer B containing 250 mM imidazole. The His-tag was removed by PreScission protease cleavage (1:50 mass ratio TaqVP:protease) overnight at 4 °C. Cleaved TaqVP was separated from the non-cleaved protein by applying the sample to a His-Select Nickel affinity gel column (Sigma) and collecting the flow-through. TaqVP expression and purification TaqVP was further purified by gel filtration 10 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a rtified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: oRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint chromatography (Superdex 75) in 150 mM NaCl, 20 mM Tris, pH 8, and 1 mM dithiothreitol. Crystallization and structure determination Selenomethionine (SeMet)-substituted TaqVP was expressed by culturing E. coli in synthetic minimal media supplemented with 200 mg/L L(+)- selenomethionine (Sigma) [28]. Purified SeMet-labeled TaqVP was concentrated to 50 mg/mL by ultrafiltration (10 kDa MWCO Amicon, Millipore); the concentration of TaqVP was determined using a calculated molar extinction coefficient at 280 nm of 80,900M -1cm -1. Crystals of SeMet-labeled TaqVP were grown by the hanging drop method at 20 °C by mixing 1 μL of TaqVP (50 mg/mL) and 1 μL of 15 % (w/v) 2-methyl- 2,4-pentanediol, 20 mM CaCl2, 100 mM sodium acetate, pH 4.6. Crystals were Structural alignment of VR and equivalent regions The structure of the VR of TaqVP (amino acids 341–374) was compared to that of the VR of Mtd (amino acids 337–381), TvpA (amino acids 285–329), and AvpA (amino acids 181–210) using FATCAT [37]. cryoprotected by soaking in the precipitant solution supplemented with 20% glycerol. Single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) data were collected at Advanced Photon Source (Argonne, IL) beamline 24-ID-E. Diffraction data were indexed, integrated, and scaled with MOSFLM [29-31]. Se sites were located from SAD data of SeMet-labeled TaqVP, and initial phases were determined using SOLVE [32]. All five methionines (M1, M24, M112, M227, and M320) were located, and the asymmetric unit was found to contain four molecules of TaqVP. An initial model of TaqVP was built by automatic means using Autobuild (within Phenix). A total of 75 iterative rounds of manual model building and maximum likelihood refinement were carried out with Refine (within Phenix) using 11 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: oRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint default parameters, with each refinement step consisting of 3 cycles [33, 34]. Each refinement step included manual model rebuilding with COOT, guided by σA-weighted 2mFo-DFc and mFo-DFc difference maps [35]. One round of TLS parameterization with default settings was then used, followed by the addition of water, calcium, and acetate ions into ≥3σ mFo-DFc density. Structure validation was carried out with Molprobity [36], and molecular figures were generated with PyMOL (http://www.pymol.org/). The crystal structure and structure factors have been deposited to the Protein Data Bank (accession no. 5VF4). Figure 1. T. aquaticus DGR. The T. aquaticus DGR contains a gene encoding a variable protein (taqvp). The 3’ end of taqvp contains the variable region (VR) and initiation-of-mutagenic homing (IMH) sequence. The DGR also contains an accessory variability determinant (avd) gene, followed by an invariant template region (TR), which differs from VR mainly at adenines. A sequence similar but not identical to the VR IMH occurs at the 3’ end of the TR and is called IMH*. Following these elements is a gene encoding a reverse transcriptase (rt). TR is transcribed to produce TR-RNA, which is reverse transcribed to produce TR-cDNA, with adenine-specific mutagenesis of the sequence accompanying reverse transcription. Adenine-mutagenized TR- cDNA homes to and replaces VR to yield a variant TaqVP. CD Spectroscopy CD spectra of Taq VP, Mtd-P1, and TvpA were collected between 195 and 260 nm at 24 °C with 1-nm intervals, and temperature denaturation scan was carried out between 25 °C and 110 °C at 216 nm with 1° intervals, using a quartz cell with a 1-mm path length on a model 202 spectrometer (Aviv Instruments) equipped with thermoelectric temperature control. Measurements were collected for Taq VP, Mtd-P1, and TvpA samples at 0.4 mg/mL, 0.3 mg/mL and 0.3 mg/mL, respectively. Protein samples were in 40 mM NaF, 10 mM NaPi buffer, 12 12 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint pH 7.5. The CD signal from buffer alone was subtracted from the data before conversion to mean residue ellipticity. pH 7.5. The CD signal from buffer alone was subtracted from the data before conversion to mean residue ellipticity. c. The core elements of the CLec-fold in TaqVP in ribbon representation (α- helices red, β-strands and loops blue). The inserts are ghosted. c. The core elements of the CLec-fold in TaqVP in ribbon representation (α- helices red, β-strands and loops blue). The inserts are ghosted. d. Topology diagram of the CLec-fold in TaqVP. e. Inserts of TaqVP in ribbon representation, with core elements of the CLec-fold are ghosted (color coding same as in panel b). Figure 2. Structure of TaqVP. a. TaqVP in ribbon representation (α-helices gold, β-strands blue, loops grey, and VR purple). The amino acid positions of the N- and C-termini of TaqVP are indicated. b. TaqVP in ribbon representation with the core elements of the CLec-fold in red (α-helices) and blue (β-strands). Insert 1’, amino acids 129-217, is magenta; insert 2, amino acids 222-296, green; insert 3, amino acids 301-331, teal. 13 13 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: ioRxiv preprint Figure 3. Variable region of TaqVP. a. VR of TaqVP in ribbon representation. The main chain is in gray, side chains of variable amino acids are in green (sphere is glycine), and nonvariable aromatic amino acids are in orange. b. Surface representation of TaqVP, with the VR facing the viewer. Variable hydrophobic amino acids (I, V, and Y) are green, variable hydrophilic amino acids (S, N, D, and R) blue, and variable glycine pale orange. c. Superposition of the VR of TaqVP (red) and Mtd-P1 (orange) in Cα representation. The spheres represent the position of variable amino acids in each protein. c. Superposition of the VR of TaqVP (red) and Mtd-P1 (orange) in Cα representation. The spheres represent the position of variable amino acids in each protein. d. Superposition of the VR of TaqVP (red) and TvpA (blue) in Cα representation. e. Superposition of the VR of TaqVP (red) and AvpA (magenta) in Cα representation. f. Stabilization of the main chain of VR (gray, Cα of variable amino acids indicated by spheres) by insert 1’ (magenta) in Cα representation. Dashed line indicates hydrogen bonds. 14 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: ioRxiv preprint Figure 4. Thermal stability of DGR variable proteins. Circular dichroism signal (mean residue ellipticity, MRE) at 216 nm for the transition from 25 to 110 °C (green), and transition from 110 to 25 °C (blue) for TaqVP (a), Mtd-P1 (b), and TvpA (c). Standard deviations from three separate experiments are shown. aHighest resolution bin in parentheses here and other rows. 15 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a ertified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: oRxiv preprint Table 1. Data collection, phasing and refinement statistics Data collection Space group P 32 2 1 Cell dimensions a, b, c (Å) 155 155 202 α, β, γ(°) 90, 90, 120 Wavelength 0.979 Å Resolution (Å) 134.27-2.81 (3.29-2.81)a Rmerge 0.18 (1.00) I / σI 12.5 (1.6) Completeness (%) 100 (100) Redundancy 7.4 (6.9) cc1/2 0.98 (0.60) Refinement Resolution (Å) 80.81-2.81 (3.29-2.81) No. reflections 132403 (12794) Rwork / Rfree 0.18 (0.31)/0.23 (0.33) No. atoms Se 18 Ca 8 S O N C H 4 2384 2032 7223 90 Average B-factors 60.1 R.m.s deviations Bond lengths (Å) 0.009 Bond angles (°) 1.22 MolProbity score 2.1 [98th]b Ramachandran % preferred 93.7 % allowed 5.8 % disallowed 0.5 Clashscore 7.6 [99th]b aHighest resolution bin in parentheses here and other rows. bPercentile in brackets here and other rows. Table 1. Data collection, phasing and refinement statistics Data collection Space group P 32 2 1 Cell dimensions a, b, c (Å) 155 155 202 α, β, γ(°) 90, 90, 120 Wavelength 0.979 Å Resolution (Å) 134.27-2.81 (3.29-2.81)a Rmerge 0.18 (1.00) I / σI 12.5 (1.6) Completeness (%) 100 (100) Redundancy 7.4 (6.9) cc1/2 0.98 (0.60) Refinement Resolution (Å) 80.81-2.81 (3.29-2.81) No. reflections 132403 (12794) Rwork / Rfree 0.18 (0.31)/0.23 (0.33) No. g p bPercentile in brackets here and other rows. 15 atoms Se 18 Ca 8 S O N C H 4 2384 2032 7223 90 Average B-factors 60.1 R.m.s deviations Bond lengths (Å) 0.009 Bond angles (°) 1.22 MolProbity score 2.1 [98th]b Ramachandran % preferred 93.7 % allowed 5.8 % disallowed 0.5 Clashscore 7.6 [99th]b aHighest resolution bin in parentheses here and other rows. bPercentile in brackets here and other rows. Table 1. Data collection, phasing and refinement statistics 16 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint References CC-BY 4.0 International license a rtified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: oRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint 14 Brown CT, Hug LA, Thomas BC, Sharon I, Castelle CJ, et al. (2015) Unusual biology across a group comprising more than 15% of domain Bacteria. Nature 523: 208-211. 15 Hug LA, Baker BJ, Anantharaman K, Brown CT, Probst AJ, et al. (2016) A new view of the tree of life. Nat Microbiol 1: 16048. 16 Anantharaman K, Brown CT, Hug LA, Sharon I, Castelle CJ, et al. (2016) Thousands of microbial genomes shed light on interconnected biogeochemical processes in an aquifer system. Nat Commun 7: 13219. 17 Castelle CJ and Banfield JF (2018) Major New Microbial Groups Expand Diversity and Alter our Understanding of the Tree of Life. Cell 172: 1181-1197. 18 Doulatov S, Hodes A, Dai L, Mandhana N, Liu M, et al. (2004) Tropism switching in Bordetella bacteriophage defines a family of diversity-generating retroelements. Nature 431: 476-481. 19 Handa S, Jiang Y, Tao S, Foreman R, Schinazi RF, et al. (2018) Template- assisted synthesis of adenine-mutagenized cDNA by a retroelement protein complex. Nucleic Acids Res. 20 McMahon SA, Miller JL, Lawton JA, Kerkow DE, Hodes A, et al. (2005) The C- type lectin fold as an evolutionary solution for massive sequence variation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 12: 886-892. 21 Miller JL, Coq JL, Hodes A, Barbalat R, Miller JF, et al. (2008) Selective Ligand Recognition by a Diversity-Generating Retroelement Variable Protein. PLoS Biol 6: e131. 22 Handa S, Paul BG, Miller JF, Valentine DL and Ghosh P (2016) Conservation of the C-type lectin fold for accommodating massive sequence variation in archaeal diversity-generating retroelements. BMC Struct Biol 16: 13. 23 Zelensky AN and Gready JE (2005) The C-type lectin-like domain superfamily. FEBS J 272: 6179-6217. 24 Nuttall SD and Walsh RB (2008) Display scaffolds: protein engineering for novel therapeutics. Curr Opin Pharmacol 8: 609-615. References 1 Liu M, Deora R, Doulatov SR, Gingery M, Eiserling FA, et al. (2002) Reverse Transcriptase-Mediated Tropism Switching in Bordetella Bacteriophage. Science 295: 2091-2094. 2 Wu L, Gingery M, Abebe M, Arambula D, Czornyj E, et al. (2018) Diversity- generating retroelements: natural variation, classification and evolution inferred from a large-scale genomic survey. Nucleic Acids Res 46: 11-24. 3 Le Coq J and Ghosh P (2011) Conservation of the C-type lectin fold for massive sequence variation in a Treponema diversity-generating retroelement. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108: 14649-14653. 4 Boehm T, McCurley N, Sutoh Y, Schorpp M, Kasahara M, et al. (2012) VLR- based adaptive immunity. Annu Rev Immunol 30: 203-220. 5 Litman GW, Rast JP and Fugmann SD (2010) The origins of vertebrate adaptive immunity. Nat Rev Immunol 10: 543-553. 6 Minot S, Grunberg S, Wu GD, Lewis JD and Bushman FD (2012) Hypervariable loci in the human gut virome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109: 3962-3966. 7 Minot S, Bryson A, Chehoud C, Wu GD, Lewis JD, et al. (2013) Rapid evolution of the human gut virome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110: 12450-12455. 8 Ye Y (2014) Identification of diversity-generating retroelements in human microbiomes. Int J Mol Sci 15: 14234-14246. 9 Guo H, Arambula D, Ghosh P and Miller JF (2014) Diversity-generating Retroelements in Phage and Bacterial Genomes. Microbiol Spectr 2. 10 Paul BG, Bagby SC, Czornyj E, Arambula D, Handa S, et al. (2015) Targeted diversity generation by intraterrestrial archaea and archaeal viruses. Nat Commun 6: 6585. 11 Nimkulrat S, Lee H, Doak TG and Ye Y (2016) Genomic and Metagenomic Analysis of Diversity-Generating Retroelements Associated with Treponema denticola. Front Microbiol 7: 852. 12 Arambula D, Wong W, Medhekar BA, Guo H, Gingery M, et al. (2013) Surface display of a massively variable lipoprotein by a Legionella diversity-generating retroelement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110: 8212-8217. 13 Paul BG, Burstein D, Castelle CJ, Handa S, Arambula D, et al. (2017) Retroelement-guided protein diversification abounds in vast lineages of Bacteria and Archaea. Nat Microbiol 2: 17045. 17 17 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . References 25 Hosse RJ, Rothe A and Power BE (2006) A new generation of protein display scaffolds for molecular recognition. Protein Sci 15: 14-27. 26 Dierks T, Dickmanns A, Preusser-Kunze A, Schmidt B, Mariappan M, et al. (2005) Molecular Basis for Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency and Mechanism for Formylglycine Generation of the Human Formylglycine-Generating Enzyme. Cell 121: 541-552. 18 18 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a rtified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: oRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint 27 Kuwajima K, Garvey EP, Finn BE, Matthews CR and Sugai S (1991) Transient intermediates in the folding of dihydrofolate reductase as detected by far-ultraviolet circular dichroism spectroscopy. Biochemistry 30: 7693-7703. 28 Doublie S (2007) Production of selenomethionyl proteins in prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems. Methods Mol Biol 363: 91-108. 29 Collaborative Computational Project N (1994) The CCP4 suite: programs for protein crystallography. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 50: 760-763. 30 Evans P (2006) Scaling and assessment of data quality. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 62: 72-82. 31 Winn MD, Ballard CC, Cowtan KD, Dodson EJ, Emsley P, et al. (2011) Overview of the CCP4 suite and current developments. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 67: 235-242. 32 Terwilliger TC and Berendzen J (1999) Automated MAD and MIR structure solution. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 55: 849-861. References 33 Murshudov GN, Vagin AA and Dodson EJ (1997) Refinement of macromolecular structures by the maximum-likelihood method. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 53: 240-255. 34 Adams PD, Grosse-Kunstleve RW, Hung LW, Ioerger TR, McCoy AJ, et al. (2002) PHENIX: building new software for automated crystallographic structure determination. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 58: 1948-1954. 35 Emsley P and Cowtan K (2004) Coot: model-building tools for molecular graphics. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 60: 2126-2132. 36 Davis IW, Murray LW, Richardson JS and Richardson DC (2004) MOLPROBITY: structure validation and all-atom contact analysis for nucleic acids and their complexes. Nucleic Acids Res 32: W615-619. 37 Ye Y and Godzik A (2003) Flexible structure alignment by chaining aligned fragment pairs allowing twists. Bioinformatics 19: ii246-ii255. 19 . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpe The copyright holder this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available und The copyright holder for this preprint (which was n this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint i The copyright this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . 19 CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to displ this version posted October 1, 2018 ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint reprint in perpetuity. It is made available under opyright holder for this preprint (which was not . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint . CC-BY 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available u The copyright holder for this preprint (which was this version posted October 1, 2018. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/432187 doi: bioRxiv preprint his pre
https://openalex.org/W3098814405
https://ri.conicet.gov.ar/bitstream/11336/93840/2/CONICET_Digital_Nro.9571c940-ea48-4dec-b2e8-2ff0a635b864_A.pdf
English
null
Nonequilibrium critical behavior of magnetic thin films grown in a temperature gradient
Journal of statistical mechanics
2,012
cc-by
10,692
Abstract We investigate the irreversible growth of (2 + 1)−dimensional magnetic thin films under the influence of a transverse temperature gradient, which is maintained by thermal baths across a direction perpendicular to the direction of growth. Therefore, different longitudinal layers grow at different temper- atures between T1 and T2, where T1 < T hom c < T2 and T hom c = 0.69(1) is the critical temperature of films grown in homogeneous thermal baths. We find a far-from-equilibrium continuous order-disorder phase transition driven by the thermal bath gradient. We characterize this gradient-induced critical behavior by means of standard finite-size scaling procedures, which lead to the critical temperature Tc = 0.84(2) and a new universality class consistent with the set of critical exponents ν = 3/2, γ = 5/2, and β = 1/4. In order to gain further insight into the effects of the temperature gradient, we also de- velop a bond model that captures the magnetic film’s growth dynamics. Our findings show that the interplay of geometry and thermal bath asymmetries leads to growth bond flux asymmetries and the onset of transverse ordering effects that explain qualitatively the shift observed in the critical tempera- ture. The relevance of these mechanisms is further confirmed by a finite-size scaling analysis of the interface width, which shows that the growing sites of the system define a self-affine interface. Nonequilibrium critical behavior of magnetic thin films grown in a temperature gradient Juli´an Candia1 and Ezequiel V. Albano1,2 1 - Instituto de F´ısica de L´ıquidos y Sistemas Biol´ogicos, (CONICET, UNLP), 59 Nro 789, 1900 La Plata, Argentina 2 - Departamento de F´ısica (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina Juli´an Candia1 and Ezequiel V. Albano1,2 1 - Instituto de F´ısica de L´ıquidos y Sistemas Biol´ogicos, (CONICET, UNLP), 59 Nro 789, 1900 La Plata, Argentina 2 - Departamento de F´ısica (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina July 10, 2012 1 Introduction The importance of thin film technology has been widely recognized in the realms of experimental and applied science, from the manufacture of electronics (layers 1 of insulators, semiconductors, and conductors from integrated circuits) to optics (reflective and anti-reflective coatings, self-cleaning glasses, etc) and packaging (e.g. aluminium-coated PET films). Indeed, the increasing role of thin films in basic and applied research relies on the development and refinement of nanoscale deposition techniques such as sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy, which allow a single layer of atoms to be deposited at a time [1, 2, 3, 4]. Since the growth temperature is one of the critical parameters in the formation of ordered thin films, several experiments have focused on the influence of a tem- perature gradient during film growth. In an early experiment by Tanaka et al. [5], magnetic Tb-Fe films were grown between two substrates with a temperature gra- dient, reporting the observation of perpendicular magnetic anisotropies and other gradient-driven structural features. More recently, Schwickert et al. [6] introduced the “temperature wedge method” where a calibrated temperature gradient of sev- eral hundred Kelvin was established across the substrate during co-deposition of Fe and Pt on MgO(001) and MgO(110) substrates. These experiments generated the L10 ordered phase of FePt, which is currently the leading candidate material for ultrahigh density heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) and bit patterned mag- netic recording (BPMR) media ([7, 8] and references therein). Other experiments by Yongxiong et al. [9] have investigated the evolution of Fe oxide nanostructures on GaAs(100) by using a multi-technique experimental setup that included transmission and reflection high energy electron diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. In these studies, nanoscale epitaxial Fe films were grown, oxidized, and annealed using a gradient temperature method, which led to nanostripes with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. As a result of the experimental advances on this field, many techno- logical applications have been envisioned as well. For instance, magneto-optical recording studies of signal reproduction [10] have suggested that recording media having multiple magnetic layers in a transverse temperature gradient may suppress magnetic noise from tracks adjacent to the target track during information storage and reproduction [11]. From a theoretical perspective, gradients have been studied extensively in the context of diffusion processes and later extended to thermal conductivity and heat conduction problems. 1 Introduction The so-called gradient percolation method was originally in- troduced to study percolation transition models where the density is the control parameter [12] and later applied to a variety of problems, such as fractal diffu- sion fronts [13, 14, 15], overlapping disks in a concentration gradient [16], bond percolation for the Kagom´e lattice [17], invasion percolation under gravity [18], porous media [19], as well as in the study of vegetation distribution [20]. Very re- cently, the gradient method has been extended as a powerful tool to study first- and second-order irreversible phase transitions in far-from-equilibrium systems such as the Ziff-Gulari-Barshad model and forest-fire cellular automata [21, 22]. In magnetic systems, damage spreading processes in a temperature gradient [23] and studies of 2 several one-dimensional models [24, 25, 26, 27] have been followed by the inves- tigation of the kinetic Ising model in two dimensions under a variety of dynam- ics [28, 29, 30, 31, 32]. Within the broad context of these recent experimental and theoretical investiga- tions, the aim of this paper is to study the irreversible growth of magnetic thin films in a temperature gradient and to provide a full characterization of the gradient- induced critical phase transition. The magnetic thin film growth process under far-from-equilibrium conditions is investigated by using the so-called magnetic Eden model (MEM) [33, 34, 35], an extension of the classical Eden model [36] in which particles have a two-state spin as an additional degree of freedom. Earlier studies have shown that, growing in (d + 1)-dimensional strip geometries in homogeneous thermal baths, MEM films are noncritical for d = 1 [34]. In contrast, for d = 2 they undergo an order-disorder phase transition that takes place at T hom c = 0.69(1) in the thermodynamic limit. The critical exponents are νhom = 1.04(16), γhom = 2.10(36), and βhom = 0.16(5), which intriguingly agree within error bars with the exact expo- nents for the kinetic Ising model [34]. Since the MEM growth process is irreversible and newly deposited particles are not allowed to flip and thermalize once they are added to the growing cluster, the observed correspondence between the MEM and the equilibrium Ising model remains puzzling. In this work, we focus on the critical case (i.e. 1 Introduction d = 2) and show that, when applying a transverse temperature gradient maintained by thermal baths between temperatures T1 and T2, where T1 < T hom c < T2, the system undergoes a continuous phase transition at a higher critical temperature (Tc > T hom c ) and with different critical exponents. We also develop a growth bond model and show the existence of bond flux asymmetries caused by the interplay of geometry and thermal bath asym- metries, which shed some light on the growth dynamics and explain qualitatively the shift observed in the critical temperature. The growth bond model analysis is further supported by the fact that the growing interface is self-affine, thus ensuring that the growing sites are correlated at all size scales. The rest of the paper is laid out as follows. In Section 2, we introduce the model and describe the Monte Carlo algorithm used to simulate MEM thin films in a temperature gradient. In Section 3, we present our results and a discussion. Finally, Section 4 consists of concluding remarks. 2 The Model and the Monte Carlo Simulation Method The MEM in (2 + 1)−dimensions is studied in the square lattice by using a rectan- gular geometry Lx × Ly × Lz, where Lz ≫Lx = Ly ≡L is the growth direction. The location of each spin on the lattice is specified through its coordinates (x, y, z) 3 (1 ≤x, y ≤L, 1 ≤z ≤Lz). The starting seed for the growing cluster is a plane of L×L parallel-oriented spins placed at z = 1 and cluster growth takes place along the positive longitudinal direction (i.e., z ≥2). Across one of the transverse directions (the y−axis), a temperature gradient is applied by thermal baths at fixed tempera- tures linearly varying between T1 and T2. Therefore, in our setup each layer at fixed y is subjected to a constant temperature T(y) = T1+(T2−T1)(y−1)/(L−1) maintained by a thermal bath. We adopt open boundary conditions along the y−direction, while continuous boundary conditions are considered along the x−direction. Clusters are grown by selectively adding two-state spins (Sxyz = ±1) to perimeter sites, which are defined as the nearest-neighbor (NN) empty sites of the already occupied ones. Let us recall that the substrate is a 3D cubic lattice and therefore each lattice site in the bulk has 6 NN sites. Considering a ferromagnetic interaction of strength J > 0 between NN spins, the energy E of a given configuration of spins is given by E = −J 2 ! ⟨xyz,x′y′z′⟩ SxyzSx′y′z′ , (1) (1) where the summation ⟨xyz, x′y′z′⟩is taken over occupied NN sites. The Boltzmann constant is set equal to unity throughout, and both temperature and energy are measured in units of J. The probability for a perimeter site at (x, y, z) to be occupied by a spin is proportional to the Boltzmann factor exp(−∆E/T), where ∆E is the change of energy involved in the addition of the spin and T is the temperature at the perimeter site. At each step, all perimeter sites have to be considered and the probabilities of adding a new (either up or down) spin to each site must be evaluated. Using the Monte Carlo simulation method, after all probabilities are computed and normal- ized, the growth site and the orientation of the new spin are both simultaneously determined by means of a pseudo-random number. 2 The Model and the Monte Carlo Simulation Method Notice that the MEM’s growth rules require updating the probabilities at each time step and lead to very slow al- gorithms compared with analogous equilibrium spin models. Since the observables of interest (e.g. the mean transverse magnetization along the x−direction and its higher moments) require the growth of samples with a large number of transverse planes of size L × L, clusters having up to 109 spins have typically been grown for lattice sizes in the range 12 ≤L ≤96. Also, let us point out again that, although Eq. (1) resembles the Ising Hamiltonian, the MEM is a nonequilibrium model in which new spins are continuously added, while older spins remain frozen and are not allowed to flip, detach, nor diffuse. As in the case of the classical Eden model, the magnetic Eden model leads to a compact bulk and a self-affine growth interface [33] (see Sect. 3.4 for a detailed finite- size scaling analysis of the interface width). The growth front may temporarily create voids within the bulk, usually not far from the rough growth interface. However, 4 Figure 1: Snapshot showing a longitudinal slice for a fixed value of the transverse coordinate x. A temperature gradient between T1 = 0.5 (bottom) and T2 = 1.5 (top) is maintained along the transverse axis y. The system grows along the longitudinal z > 0 direction in a semi-infinite (2 + 1)-dimensional strip substrate. Red (black) sites represent up (down) spins, while empty sites are shown in white. Figure 1: Snapshot showing a longitudinal slice for a fixed value of the transverse coordinate x. A temperature gradient between T1 = 0.5 (bottom) and T2 = 1.5 (top) is maintained along the transverse axis y. The system grows along the longitudinal z > 0 direction in a semi-infinite (2 + 1)-dimensional strip substrate. Red (black) sites represent up (down) spins, while empty sites are shown in white. since the boundaries of these voids are also perimeter sites, they ultimately become filled at some point during the growth process. Hence, far behind the active growth interface, the system is compact and frozen, and the different quantities of interest can thus be measured on defect-free transverse planes. Notice that the growth of magnetic Eden aggregates in (2 + 1)-strip geometries is characterized by an initial transient length ℓT ∼L2 (measured along the growth direction, i.e. 2 The Model and the Monte Carlo Simulation Method the z−axis) followed by a nonequilibrium stationary state that is independent of the initial configuration [34]. We considered starting seeds formed by L×L up spins (i.e. Sxy1 = 1) but any choice for the seed leads to the same stationary states for z ≫ℓT. By disregarding the transient region, all results reported in this paper are obtained under stationary conditions. Also notice that, since the films are effectively semi-infinite and the substrate length along the growth direction plays no role, the only characteristic length is the transverse linear size L. 3.1 Gradient-Driven Continuous Pseudo-Phase Transitions in Finite-Size Films Let us begin by considering a fixed gradient between temperatures T1 = 0.5 and T2 = 1.5. The effect of changing this gradient will be discussed later. Figure 1 shows the snapshot of a longitudinal slice for a fixed value of the transverse coordinate x. The temperature gradient is applied along the transverse y−direction, while the 5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 m 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 P(m) T=0.80 T=0.91 T=1.01 T=1.09 T=1.28 Figure 2: Symmetrized magnetization probability distributions for a system of linear size L = 64 and different layer temperatures between T1 = 0.5 and T2 = 1.5. The sharp peaks near m ≃±1 for T = 0.80 have been truncated. -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 m 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 P(m) T=0.80 T=0.91 T=1.01 T=1.09 T=1.28 0m Figure 2: Symmetrized magnetization probability distributions for a system of linear size L = 64 and different layer temperatures between T1 = 0.5 and T2 = 1.5. The sharp peaks near m ≃±1 for T = 0.80 have been truncated. system grows from left to right along the longitudinal z > 0 direction. Notice that the bulk grows compact, because although voids and holes in the bulk may eventually occur, they ultimately become filled at some point during the growth process. The bottom layers grow in contact with thermal baths at cold temperatures, which favor the formation of well-ordered spin domains. In contrast, the top layers grow in contact with hot thermal baths that promote bulk disorder. As will be shown below, the interplay of model growth dynamics, geometry, and thermal bath asymmetries lead to the onset of gradient-driven order-disorder critical phase transitions that can be quantitatively characterized. In order to take into account the asymmetries introduced by the temperature gradient, we can quantify the degree of order in the system by considering the magnetization of transverse columns at constant temperature (i.e. along the x-axis): m(y) = 1 L ! x Sxyz . (2) (2) Figure 2 shows the probability distributions of m for a system of linear size L = 64 growing in a temperature gradient between T1 = 0.5 and T2 = 1.5. Notice that different plots correspond to different layers and, therefore, to different tem- peratures within the gradient’s range, as indicated. 3.1 Gradient-Driven Continuous Pseudo-Phase Transitions in Finite-Size Films As expected for a continuous 6 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 T 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 <|m|> L=12 L=16 L=24 L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 Figure 3: Mean absolute magnetization as a function of the layer temperature for different system sizes, as indicated. 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 T 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 <|m|> L=12 L=16 L=24 L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 Figure 3: Mean absolute magnetization as a function of the layer temperature for different system sizes, as indicated. order-disorder phase transition, the low-temperature distributions are bimodal and peaked at the spontaneous magnetization m = ±msp (0 < msp < 1). As the temper- ature is increased, the peaks approach each other and merge smoothly, ultimately leading to a Gaussian distribution peaked at m = 0 for high temperatures, which is characteristic of the disordered phase. Indeed, the smooth shift of the distribution maxima across T ≃Tc(L), from the low-temperature nonzero spontaneous magne- tization m = ±msp to the high-temperature Gaussian centered at m = 0, is the signature of true thermally-driven continuous phase transitions [37]. Notice that the distributions in Figure 2 are symmetrical, since there exists a finite probability for fluctuations to grow and switch the magnetization from m ≃ +msp to m ≃−msp and viceversa. Since Monte Carlo simulations are restricted to finite samples, the standard procedure to avoid these shortcomings due to finite-size effects is to average the absolute value of the order parameter [38]. In this context, the appropriate order parameter is the mean absolute magnetization of transverse columns at constant temperature, i.e. ⟨|m|⟩(y) = ⟨1 L| ! x Sxyz|⟩z , (3) (3) where ⟨...⟩z denotes averages along the growth direction z > 0 within the stationary region. Figure 3 shows plots of the mean absolute magnetization as a function of 7 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 T 0 100 200 300 400 r L=12 L=16 L=24 L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 Figure 4: Susceptibility as a function of the layer temperature for different system sizes in the range 12 ≤L ≤96. As expected for a critical system, the peaks become sharper and higher as L is increased. 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 T 0 100 200 300 400 r L=12 L=16 L=24 L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 Figure 4: Susceptibility as a function of the layer temperature for different system sizes in the range 12 ≤L ≤96. 3.1 Gradient-Driven Continuous Pseudo-Phase Transitions in Finite-Size Films As expected for a critical system, the peaks become sharper and higher as L is increased. the layer temperature for different system sizes in the range 12 ≤L ≤96. For any given system size, at low temperatures the system grows ordered and the mag- netization is close to unity, while at higher temperatures the disorder sets on and the magnetization becomes significantly smaller. However, fluctuations due to the finite system size prevent the magnetization from becoming strictly zero above the critical temperature, so the transition between the low-temperature ordered phase and the high-temperature disordered phase becomes smoothed out and rounded. As expected, larger systems are less affected by finite-size effects and display sharper transitions. Strictly speaking, however, these results just show evidence of pseudo-phase tran- sitions, which might be precursors of true phase transitions taking place in the thermodynamic limit. In the following, we will characterize in more detail this pseudo-critical phenomenon by measuring other observables on finite-size systems. In the next Subsection, we will use standard finite-size scaling procedures to estab- lish the existence of a non-trivial critical temperature in the L →∞limit, as well as to calculate critical exponents that describe the behavior of the infinite system at criticality. 8 8 Let us now consider the magnetic susceptibility χ, given by Let us now consider the magnetic susceptibility χ, given by χ = L2 T " ⟨m2⟩−⟨|m|⟩2# . (4) (4) For equilibrium systems, the susceptibility is related to order parameter fluctua- tions by the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Although the validity of a fluctuation- dissipation relation in the case of a nonequilibrium system is less evident, we will assume Eq. (4) to hold also for the MEM. Indeed, as shown in earlier studies of nonequilibrium spin models [39, 40], this definition of χ proves very useful for ex- ploring critical phenomena under far-from-equilibrium conditions. In Section 3.2, we will characterize the critical behavior in the thermodynamic limit through critical exponents and finite-size scaling relations by applying the equilibrium theory to our far-from-equilibrium model. Figure 4 shows plots of χ vs T for different system sizes, as indicated. As with the thermal dependence of the order parameter shown in Figure 3, the peaks of the susceptibility become rounded and shifted, indicating the existence of pseudo-phase transitions in finite-size MEM thin films. Increasing the system size, the peaks become sharper and higher, as expected for a critical system. 3.1 Gradient-Driven Continuous Pseudo-Phase Transitions in Finite-Size Films Since the results presented thus far considered a fixed gradient between the temperatures T1 = 0.5 and T2 = 1.5, let us now investigate the effects of changing the gradient span ∆T ≡T2 −T1. With this aim, we keep the same temperature for the thermal bath at the cold end (T1 = 0.5) and consider a substantially higher temperature for the thermal bath at the hot end (T2 = 2.5). Figure 5 compares the mean absolute magnetization for these two different gra- dient ranges (i.e. ∆T = 1, 2) for systems of size L = 12 and L = 96. We observe that increasing the gradient span shifts the magnetization profiles towards higher temperatures. That is, the temperature of a given layer does not uniquely deter- mine its degree of order, since the mean magnetization of the layer also depends on the overall gradient span under which the film grows. Similar shifts towards higher temperatures are also seen in higher-order moments of the order parameter prob- ability distributions, such as the susceptibility and Binder’s fourth-order cumulant (not shown here for the sake of space). Alternatively, we can compare systems of different sizes and gradient spans such that the local gradients δ ≡∆T/L are the same. The inset to Figure 5 shows a comparison between a system of size L = 16 and gradient span ∆T = 1 (dashed lines) and another system of size L = 32 and gradient span ∆T = 2 (dotted lines), both of which have the same local gradient δ = 1/16. The solid line corresponds to the mixed case L = 32 and ∆T = 1 (i.e. δ = 1/32). We observe that the systems with the same local gradient have simi- lar magnetization in layers at intermediate temperatures (i.e. approximately in the range 0.8 ≤T ≤1.3). However, the magnetization profiles for equal-δ systems differ noticeably in layers closer to the borders of the sample. 9 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 T 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 <|m|> L=12, 6T=1 L=12, 6T=2 L=96, 6T=1 L=96, 6T=2 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 T 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 <|m|> L=16, 6T=1 L=32, 6T=1 L=32, 6T=2 Figure 5: Comparison of magnetization profiles ⟨|m|⟩vs T for different gradient spans (∆T = 1, 2) and system sizes (L = 12, 96). The arrows indicate the corre- sponding shifts in the finite-size critical temperature Tc(L). 3.1 Gradient-Driven Continuous Pseudo-Phase Transitions in Finite-Size Films Inset: Magnetization profiles for systems with the same local gradient δ = 1/16, namely L = 16, ∆T = 1 (dashed line) and L = 32, ∆T = 2 (dotted line). For comparison, the mixed case L = 32, ∆T = 1 (solid line) is also shown. 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 T 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 <|m|> L=12, 6T=1 L=12, 6T=2 L=96, 6T=1 L=96, 6T=2 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 T 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 <|m|> L=16, 6T=1 L=32, 6T=1 L=32, 6T=2 1.5 T Figure 5: Comparison of magnetization profiles ⟨|m|⟩vs T for different gradient spans (∆T = 1, 2) and system sizes (L = 12, 96). The arrows indicate the corre- sponding shifts in the finite-size critical temperature Tc(L). Inset: Magnetization profiles for systems with the same local gradient δ = 1/16, namely L = 16, ∆T = 1 (dashed line) and L = 32, ∆T = 2 (dotted line). For comparison, the mixed case L = 32, ∆T = 1 (solid line) is also shown. The arrows in Figure 5 show that the shifts for smaller systems are signifi- cantly larger than the corresponding shifts for larger systems. Defining the finite-size pseudo-critical temperature Tc(L) as the temperature corresponding to ⟨|m|⟩= 0.5, the shift for L = 12 is ∆Tc = 0.18, while the corresponding shift for L = 96 is ∆Tc = 0.07. This observation suggests that differences arising from changing the gradient span might just reflect finite-size effects that vanish in the L →∞limit. In the next Subsection, we study the critical behavior of MEM films and confirm that, in fact, these differences are merely finite-size effects that become irrelevant in the thermodynamic limit. 3.2 Characterization of Gradient-Driven Critical Behavior in the Thermodynamic Limit So far, we have found evidence for the existence of a gradient-driven order-disorder phase transition from the analysis of order parameter probability distributions, the order parameter mean absolute value (magnetization) and its fluctuations (suscep- 10 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 T 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 U4 L=12 L=16 L=24 L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 T 0.63 0.64 0.65 0.66 0.67 U4 Figure 6: Binder cumulant as a function of the layer temperature for different system sizes, as indicated. The inset shows the cumulant intersections for the larger systems (32 ≤L ≤96), which determine Tc = 0.84(2). 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 T 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 U4 L=12 L=16 L=24 L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 T 0.63 0.64 0.65 0.66 0.67 U4 Figure 6: Binder cumulant as a function of the layer temperature for different system sizes, as indicated. The inset shows the cumulant intersections for the larger systems (32 ≤L ≤96), which determine Tc = 0.84(2). tibility) in the growth of finite-size magnetic films. In this Subsection, we apply standard finite-size scaling techniques to show the existence of this phase transition in the thermodynamic limit and to determine critical exponents that characterize the system’s critical behavior and universality class. The Binder cumulant, defined by The Binder cumulant, defined by U4 = 1 −⟨m4⟩ 3⟨m2⟩2 , (5) (5) is a fourth-order cumulant dependent on the variance and the kurtosis of the order parameter probability distribution. One important property of the Binder cumu- lant is that, for large system sizes, the low-temperature, ordered region tends to the value 2/3, while the high-temperature, disordered region tends to 0. Thus, in the thermodynamic limit, the function becomes discontinuous exactly at the critical temperature. Moreover, since for second-order phase transitions, the scaling prefac- tor of the cumulant is independent of the sample size, plots of U4 versus the control parameter lead to a common (size-independent) intersection point that corresponds to the location of the critical value of the order parameter in the thermodynamic limit [41]. Figure 6 shows the Binder cumulant as a function of the layer temperature for different system sizes in the range 12 ≤L ≤96. 3.2 Characterization of Gradient-Driven Critical Behavior in the Thermodynamic Limit The Inset to Figure 6 shows 11 a detailed view of the same data for the largest lattices (32 ≤L ≤96), where the intersection region is indicated by a grey vertical strip. Based on this observation, we determine the critical temperature in the L →∞limit as Tc = 0.84(2). Interestingly, this value is significantly higher than the corresponding critical temperature for the MEM growing in an homogeneous thermal bath (i.e. in the absence of a temperature gradient), namely T hom c = 0.69(1) [34]. In the next Subsection, we will explore the growth dynamics and explain qualitatively this shift in the critical temperature as due to ordering effects caused by a net transverse growth bond flux induced by thermal asymmetries. Notice also that, by fixing the temperature range (i.e. the temperatures T1 and T2) and increasing L, we are effectively considering different gradients δ = (T2−T1)/L that become smaller as L is increased. Figure 6, which shows a fixed point in the Binder cumulants as the gradients are changed, provides therefore quantitative evidence for the existence of a gradient-independent phase transition taking place at the temperature Tc. According to the finite-size scaling theory, developed for the treatment of finite- size effects at criticality under equilibrium conditions [42, 43], the difference between the true critical temperature, Tc, and the effective pseudo-critical one, Tc(L), is given by (6) |Tc −Tc(L)| ∝L−1/ν, (6) where ν is the exponent that characterizes the divergence of the correlation length at criticality. As mentioned above, we define the finite-size pseudo-critical temperature Tc(L) as the temperature corresponding to ⟨|m|⟩= 0.5. Let us point out that, given the lack of a comprehensive theory of non-equilibrium phase transitions, concepts and definitions developed in the context of equilibrium phenomena are customarily borrowed and applied to far-from-equilibrium phenom- ena as well. For a review of standard methods, see e.g. [44, 45, 46]. Indeed, although this approach is ad-hoc and lacks the theoretical foundations of equilibrium systems, it has been used extensively in the literature and has become a powerful means of advancing our knowledge within the realm of non-equilibrium phenomena. For in- stance, numerical methods such as Monte Carlo simulations or series expansions are restricted to finite systems and it is therefore important to understand how far finite-size effects influence the properties of the system. 3.2 Characterization of Gradient-Driven Critical Behavior in the Thermodynamic Limit As known from equi- librium statistical mechanics, finite-size effects are particularly strong close to the critical point, where the spatial correlation length becomes comparable with the linear dimensions of the system. By introducing the system size as an additional parameter, finite-size scaling laws are used to characterize the steady state of finite far-from-equilibrium systems through appropriate scaling exponents, such as, for in- stance, the exponent ν in Eq.(6) above. Moreover, this procedure allows us to define universality classes of non-equilibrium systems, as reviewed e.g. in Refs. [47, 48, 49]. Fi 7 h l l l t f th fiit i d iti l t t T (L) Figure 7 shows log-log plots of the finite-size pseudo-critical temperatures Tc(L) 12 10 -3 10 -2 10 -1 L -1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Tc (L) fit with Tc=0.82 fit with Tc=0.84 fit with Tc=0.86 0.1 1 10 |T-Tc| L 1/i 1 <|m|> L `/i L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 10 -3 10 -2 10 -1 L -1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Tc (L) 6T=1 6T=2 Figure 7: Log-log plots of the finite-size pseudo-critical temperatures Tc(L) as a function of the inverse of the system linear size, L−1, for ∆T = 1 (filled circles) and ∆T = 2 (open circles). By means of standard finite-size scaling analysis, we obtain the critical exponent ν = 1.53(6) (see more details in the text). Inset: plot of ⟨|m|⟩× Lβ/ν vs |T −Tc| × L1/ν (with β = 0.26) showing a data collapse for ∆T = 1 and different system sizes in the range 32 ≤L ≤96. 10 -3 10 -2 10 -1 L -1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Tc (L) fit with Tc=0.82 fit with Tc=0.84 fit with Tc=0.86 0.1 1 10 |T-Tc| L 1/i 1 <|m|> L `/i L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 10 -3 10 -2 10 -1 L -1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Tc (L) 6T=1 6T=2 L -1 L -1 Figure 7: Log-log plots of the finite-size pseudo-critical temperatures Tc(L) as a function of the inverse of the system linear size, L−1, for ∆T = 1 (filled circles) and ∆T = 2 (open circles). By means of standard finite-size scaling analysis, we obtain the critical exponent ν = 1.53(6) (see more details in the text). 3.2 Characterization of Gradient-Driven Critical Behavior in the Thermodynamic Limit Inset: plot of ⟨|m|⟩× Lβ/ν vs |T −Tc| × L1/ν (with β = 0.26) showing a data collapse for ∆T = 1 and different system sizes in the range 32 ≤L ≤96. as a function of the inverse of the system linear size, L−1, for different gradients and system sizes, as indicated. By rewriting the finite-size scaling relation as Tc(L) = Tc + A × L−1/ν, (7) (7) we performed different least-squares fits to the data using the mean, upper-bound and lower-bound values for the critical temperature in the thermodynamic limit. The nonlinear least-squares fitting procedure was implemented using the Levenberg- Marquardt minimization method [50] and the results from each independent fit are reported in Table 1. The errors in the table are determined by the fitting algorithm and take into account the statistical errors for each datapoint. Figure 7 shows that the finite-size scaling relation fits the data very well within error bars for the range of values for the critical temperature that was derived from the intersection of Binder’s cumulants. From these fits, we obtain the critical exponent ν = 1.53(6), where the error bars reported reflect the errors derived from the evaluation of Tc as well as the statistical errors. Notice that the data for different gradients tends to converge in the L →∞limit, therefore confirming that differences arising from changing the we performed different least-squares fits to the data using the mean, upper-bound and lower-bound values for the critical temperature in the thermodynamic limit. The nonlinear least-squares fitting procedure was implemented using the Levenberg- Marquardt minimization method [50] and the results from each independent fit are reported in Table 1. The errors in the table are determined by the fitting algorithm and take into account the statistical errors for each datapoint. Figure 7 shows that the finite-size scaling relation fits the data very well within error bars for the range of values for the critical temperature that was derived from the intersection of Binder’s cumulants. From these fits, we obtain the critical exponent ν = 1.53(6), where the error bars reported reflect the errors derived from the evaluation of Tc as well as the statistical errors. 3.2 Characterization of Gradient-Driven Critical Behavior in the Thermodynamic Limit Notice that the data for different gradients tends to converge in the L →∞limit, therefore confirming that differences arising from changing the 13 ∆T Tc A ν 1 0.82 2.86(3) 1.54(2) 1 0.84 2.90(3) 1.49(2) 1 0.86 2.78(3) 1.48(1) 2 0.82 3.70(3) 1.58(1) 2 0.84 3.65(3) 1.56(2) 2 0.86 3.66(4) 1.53(2) Table 1: Results from fitting the data to the finite-size scaling relation, Eq.(7). Table 1: Results from fitting the data to the finite-size scaling relation, Eq.(7). 12 16 24 32 48 64 96 14 20 L 10 1 10 2 10 3 rmax 6T=1 6T=2 0.1 1 |T-Tc| L 1/i 0.1 r L -a/i 0.1 1 10 |T-Tc| L 1/i 0.1 r L -a/i L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 (a) (b) Figure 8: Log-log plots of the susceptibility maxima as a function of the system linear size for ∆T = 1 (filled circles) and ∆T = 2 (open squares), where statistical errors for each datapoint are smaller than the symbol size. The solid lines are finite- size scaling fits that yield γ/ν = 1.66(3). The insets display plots of χL−γ/ν vs |T −Tc|L1/ν (for the ∆T = 1 case) showing separately the data collapse for (a) the low-temperature branch and (b) the high-temperature branch. 12 16 24 32 48 64 96 14 20 L 10 1 10 2 10 3 rmax 6T=1 6T=2 0.1 1 |T-Tc| L 1/i 0.1 r L -a/i 0.1 1 10 |T-Tc| L 1/i 0.1 r L -a/i L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 (a) (b) Figure 8: Log-log plots of the susceptibility maxima as a function of the system linear size for ∆T = 1 (filled circles) and ∆T = 2 (open squares), where statistical errors for each datapoint are smaller than the symbol size. The solid lines are finite- size scaling fits that yield γ/ν = 1.66(3). The insets display plots of χL−γ/ν vs |T −Tc|L1/ν (for the ∆T = 1 case) showing separately the data collapse for (a) the low-temperature branch and (b) the high-temperature branch. gradient are finite-size effects. On the other hand, finite-size scaling theory predicts that plots of ⟨|m|⟩Lβ/ν vs |T −Tc|L1/ν for different lattice sizes should collapse near the critical region. The inset to Figure 7 shows the data collapse obtained by using β = 0.26 (that is determined from the hyperscaling relation, as explained below) with two separate branches corresponding to the low- and high-temperature regions. 3.2 Characterization of Gradient-Driven Critical Behavior in the Thermodynamic Limit An additional characterization of the critical behavior of this system can be 14 obtained by calculating the critical exponent γ, which describes the divergence of the susceptibility at the critical point. Using again the finite-size scaling theory [42, 43], the exponent ratio γ/ν is related to the peak of the susceptibility measured in finite samples of size L by χmax ∝Lγ/ν . (8) (8) χmax ∝Lγ/ν . χmax ∝Lγ/ν . The symbols in Figure 8 correspond to the maxima of χ plotted against the system linear size for different gradients, as indicated, while the solid lines are fits to the data using the scaling relation from Eq.(8). Statistical errors for each datapoint are smaller than the symbol size in the Figure. The fitting procedure (which, as mentioned above, was implemented as a nonlinear least-squares algorithm using the Levenberg-Marquardt minimization method [50]) yields γ/ν = 1.66(3), where the error bars reflect the statistical errors from the fits. Using this ratio and the value already obtained for ν, we determine γ = 2.54(11). The insets to Figure 8 display plots of χL−γ/ν vs |T −Tc|L1/ν for ∆T = 1 and different lattice sizes in the range 32 ≤L ≤96. Using the critical temperature as determined by the susceptibility peaks, the data collapse is shown separately for (a) the low-temperature branch and (b) the high-temperature branch. In the former case, data from low-temperature layers near T1 = 0.5 depart from the collapse and have been removed. However, the collapse near the critical region is remarkable and agrees very well with the expectations from the finite-size scaling theory. By replacing the exponents ν and γ in the hyperscaling relation dν −2β −γ = 0 with d = 2, we determine the exponent β = 0.26(8), where the error is determined from standard error propagation applied to the hyperscaling relation. Recall that we anticipated this value of β when we considered the data collapse of the scaled magnetization (see the inset to Figure 7 above). The excellent data collapse near the critical region confirms the consistency and robustness of the obtained results. As a summary, Binder’s cumulant method and finite-size scaling analysis allowed us to characterize quantitatively the critical behavior of nonequilibrium magnetic films growing in a temperature gradient. We found that differences arising from changing the gradient are due to finite-size effects that vanish in the thermody- namic limit. 3.2 Characterization of Gradient-Driven Critical Behavior in the Thermodynamic Limit The system’s critical temperature is Tc = 0.84(2), significantly higher than the critical temperature for films grown in an homogeneous thermal bath, T hom c = 0.69(1) [34]. The critical exponents are ν = 1.53(6), γ = 2.54(11), and β = 0.26(8). Based on our findings, we conjecture that magnetic Eden films grow- ing in a temperature gradient belong to a new universality class characterized by critical exponents ν = 3/2, γ = 5/2, and β = 1/4. In contrast, the critical exponents for magnetic Eden films grown in an homogeneous bath agree within error bars with the exact exponents for the Ising model in d = 2 [34], namely ν = 1, γ = 7/4, and β = 1/8. 15 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 6T 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 mean bond flux <qx> <qy> <qz> Figure 9: Mean growth bond flux components as a function of the gradient span ∆T for L = 32 and T1 = 0.5. Asymmetries due to the temperature gradient and the substrate geometry are responsible for net bond fluxes along the y and z directions. Along the transverse direction x the system is fully symmetric, so no net bond fluxes are observed regardless of ∆T. 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 6T 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 mean bond flux <qx> <qy> <qz> Figure 9: Mean growth bond flux components as a function of the gradient span ∆T for L = 32 and T1 = 0.5. Asymmetries due to the temperature gradient and the substrate geometry are responsible for net bond fluxes along the y and z directions. Along the transverse direction x the system is fully symmetric, so no net bond fluxes are observed regardless of ∆T. 3.3 Growth Bond Model and Bond Flux Asymmetries In this Subsection, we explore the growth dynamics by means of a simple bond representation. Let us recall that the MEM’s growth process adds new spins, which are deposited one by one to the growing cluster. Although voids and holes may form within the bulk, ultimately all sites become filled. Hence, to each pair of neighboring sites, we can assign a directed bond that points from the earlier occupied site to the later occupied one. The components of the bond flux field ⃗φ at a site (x, y, z) are defined as: φx(x, y, z) = b[(x, y, z), (x + 1, y, z)] , φy(x, y, z) = b[(x, y, z), (x, y + 1, z)] , (9) φz(x, y, z) = b[(x, y, z), (x, y, z + 1)] , (9) where b[s1, s2] = 1 if the bond points from s1 to s2, and b[s1, s2] = −1 if the bond points from s2 to s1. ⃗ Figure 9 shows the x−, y−, and z−components of the mean bond flux ⟨⃗φ⟩as a function of the gradient span ∆T for L = 32 and T1 = 0.5. As expected from the symmetry along the transverse x−direction, there is no net bond flux in x: ⟨φx⟩= 0 16 regardless of ∆T. For ∆T = 0, the system is also symmetric along y, so no net bond flux is observed. When a gradient is applied, however, this symmetry is broken. Since the growth probabilities depend on the Boltzmann factor exp(−∆E/T(y)), where T(y) is the layer’s temperature, the thermal asymmetries introduced by the gradient favor spin deposition on the colder layers. This phenomenon is captured by the observed net bond flux ⟨φy⟩> 0. Indeed, as shown in Figure 9, the thermal asymmetries cause ⟨φy⟩to grow steeply up to ⟨φy⟩max ≈0.75 followed by a moder- ate decrease for larger gradients, which is due to the onset of bulk disorder within the hotter layers. Since the net transverse growth bond flux is directed from the ordered (cold) layers towards the disordered (hot) ones, this gradient-induced trans- verse ordering mechanism causes the system’s critical temperature to increase from T hom c = 0.69(1) to Tc = 0.84(2). On the other hand, for ∆T = 0, ⟨φz⟩= 1 due to the longitudinal asymmetries in the substrate (i.e., the semi-infinite strip geometry constrains the system to grow along the z > 0 direction). 3.3 Growth Bond Model and Bond Flux Asymmetries However, when the trans- verse gradient is applied, two effects contribute to decrease ⟨φz⟩: (i) the onset of the transverse bond flux, which creates transverse domains in the active perimeter and causes some of the added spins to grow backwards; (ii) the bulk disorder induced in the hotter layers (which also causes ⟨φy⟩to decrease, as discussed above). y ( ⟨φy⟩ , ) The mean fluxes shown in Figure 9 were averaged over sites at different temper- atures. In order to gain further insight, let us now investigate the dependence of the bond fluxes on the layer temperature T(y) = T1 +(y −1)×(T2 −T1)/(L−1) (where 1 ≤y ≤L). Since we are considering different gradient spans for a fixed system size, it is actually more convenient in this case to plot the bond fluxes as a function of the transverse coordinate y. We already observed that the transverse bond flux along x is null regardless of temperature, so we will focus on the growth bond fluxes along the y−and z−directions. Figure 10(a) shows the upwards bond flux ⟨φy(y)⟩vs y for L = 32, T1 = 0.5, and different gradient spans ∆T, as indicated. In the absence of a gradient, the flux is directed downwards at the bottom and upwards at the top, yielding zero net bond flux. Indeed, because of the open boundary conditions, empty perimeter sites at the confinement walls experience a missing-neighbor effect and the system grows preferentially along the center of the film as compared to the walls. When a gradient is applied, the flux grows steeply in the upwards direction, as expected. However, for larger gradients, the hotter thermal baths are capable of inducing disorder in the bulk and partially break the upwards bond flux on the upper layers. Indeed, this phenomenon causes the overall bond flux ⟨φy⟩(averaged over all layers) to decrease for large values of ∆T, as discussed above. Similarly, Figure 10(b) shows the forward bond flux ⟨φz(y)⟩vs y for L = 32, T1 = 0.5, and different values of ∆T, as indicated. For ∆T = 0, there is a slight missing-neighbor effect for the sites near the confinement walls. Since forward growth is mostly driven by the substrate asymmetry, this effect is much less noticeable that in the flux along y. 3.3 Growth Bond Model and Bond Flux Asymmetries When the gradient is applied, two effects contribute to reduce the longitudinal 17 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 y/L -0.5 0 0.5 1 <qy(y)> 6T=0 6T=0.1 6T=0.2 6T=0.3 6T=0.5 6T=1 6T=2.5 (a) 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 y/L 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 <qz> 6T=0 6T=0.1 6T=0.2 6T=0.3 6T=0.5 6T=1 6T=2.5 (b) Figure 10: Bond flux components as a function of the transverse coordinate y/L for L = 32, T1 = 0.5, and different gradient spans, as indicated: (a) transverse flux along y; (b) longitudinal flux along z. 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 y/L -0.5 0 0.5 1 <qy(y)> 6T=0 6T=0.1 6T=0.2 6T=0.3 6T=0.5 6T=1 6T=2.5 (a) 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 y/L 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 <qz> 6T=0 6T=0.1 6T=0.2 6T=0.3 6T=0.5 6T=1 6T=2.5 (b) Figure 10: Bond flux components as a function of the transverse coordinate y/L for L = 32, T1 = 0.5, and different gradient spans, as indicated: (a) transverse flux along y; (b) longitudinal flux along z. flux, as discussed above. One of them, which is dominant for small gradients, is due to the formation of transverse domains along y, causing some backwards depo- sition when the bulk is filled in. The other mechanism, which is dominant for larger gradients, is due to the onset of bulk disorder in the hotter layers. Previously, we pointed out the fact that the gradient-driven order-disorder phase transition occurs at a temperature that is significantly higher than the corresponding critical temperature for the MEM growing in an homogeneous thermal bath (i.e. in the absence of a temperature gradient). The results presented in this Subsection 18 allow a qualitative explanation for the shift in the critical temperature. Indeed, the temperature gradient breaks the transverse symmetry along the y−direction, causing the onset of a net transverse growth bond flux. This flux is directed from the ordered layers (that grow at T < Tc) towards the disordered layers (that grow at T > Tc), thus expanding the low-temperature ordering effects across layers at higher temperatures. This gradient-induced transverse ordering mechanism increases the system’s critical temperature. 3.4 Scaling behavior of the growth interface This nearly-linear universal shape is qualitatively consistent with the roughness exponent α = 1, as it has quantitatively 19 0 100 200 300 400 500 tlayer 0 50 100 150 200 interface width L=12 L=16 L=20 L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 10 100 L 10 100 wsat Figure 11: Interface width as a function of time, where the time unit is the deposition time of L2 spins. Inset: log-log plot of the saturation width, wsat, as a function of system size. The statistical errors are smaller than the size of the symbols. The fit to the data is shown by the solid line and agrees with a linear scaling wsat ∝L (more details in the text). 0 100 200 300 400 500 tlayer 0 50 100 150 200 interface width L=12 L=16 L=20 L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 10 100 L 10 100 wsat 1 interface width Figure 11: Interface width as a function of time, where the time unit is the deposition time of L2 spins. Inset: log-log plot of the saturation width, wsat, as a function of system size. The statistical errors are smaller than the size of the symbols. The fit to the data is shown by the solid line and agrees with a linear scaling wsat ∝L (more details in the text). been determined. In passing, notice also that this universal profile shows a good agreement with the instantaneous snapshot displayed in Figure 1. Thus, we con- clude that the active growth interface is self-affine and has universal features: the detailed analysis of bond flux asymmetries presented in Section 3.3 for a fixed lattice size (L = 32) remains valid for larger systems. In particular, our analysis focused on the influence exerted by the low-temperature layers into higher-temperature lay- ers, which therefore is a gradient-induced growth mechanism still relevant in the thermodynamic limit. In addition to the roughness exponent α, self-affine interfaces are also charac- terized by a fractal dimension df. In fact, within short length-scales such that ∆z ≪ℓ, where ∆z is the longitudinal interface distance along the growth direction between two points separated by a transverse distance ℓ, the fractal dimension is df = 2 −α [52]. In the long length-scale limit, moreover, the fractal dimension of the self-affine interface is df = 1, irrespective of its roughness [52]. 3.4 Scaling behavior of the growth interface According to the analysis presented in Section 3.3, the system’s critical temperature is increased due to gradient-induced transverse ordering mechanisms that originate in the cold layers. It could be argued, however, that, since the distance between the cold layer at T1 and a layer at a fixed temperature T > T1 becomes larger as L is increased (while keeping fixed the gradient span ∆T), then the transverse flux effects may become weaker and eventually negligible in the large-L limit. In this Subsection we show that the growth interface is self-affine and its shape is stable and independent of size. Therefore, we confirm that the effects described in Section 3.3 are still relevant in the thermodynamic limit. In order to track the evolution of the growth interface, we compute the position of the perimeter sites in the active region every time a monolayer of L2 spins is deposited. The interface width at time t is defined by w(t) = $ % % & 1 Np Np ! i=1 (zi(t) −zc(t))2 , (10) (10) where the sum is taken over the Np perimeter sites in the active growth region, zi is the longitudinal coordinate of the i−th perimeter site, and zc = (1/Np) ' i zi is the center of the interface. Figure 11 shows the interface width as a function of time for different lattice sizes in the range 12 ≤L ≤96, where the time unit corresponds to the deposition of L2 spins. After a short transient period, the interface reaches a stable saturation width, wsat, analogously to other surface growth phenomena [51, 52]. The Inset to Figure 11 shows the dependence of wsat on the system size L, where the statistical errors are smaller than the size of the symbols. The fit to the data (solid line) shows that wsat ∝Lα, where the roughness exponent is α = 1.01 ± 0.01. That is, the saturation width scales linearly with the system size. By subtracting the interface center, zc, we can compute the average interface profile in the stationary regime, as shown in Figure 12. We find that, when scaled by the mean interface width, interface profiles for different system sizes collapse into a universal shape for the growth interface. 3.4 Scaling behavior of the growth interface Therefore, we conclude that the growth interface of the MEM in a thermal gradient is df = 1 at both short and long length-scales. Indeed, these conclusions are in full agreement with the nearly-linear shape of the growing interface that is consistent with a unitary 20 -2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 (z-zc)/<w> 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 T(y) L=12 L=16 L=24 L=32 L=48 L=64 L=96 Figure 12: Collapse of the scaled average growth profile in the stationary regime for different lattice sizes, as indicated. Figure 12: Collapse of the scaled average growth profile in the stationary regime for different lattice sizes, as indicated. fractal dimension at all length-scales, as seen in Figure 12. Here, it is useful to compare the obtained results with those from related, well- studied growth models. For the standard MEM growing in a homogeneous tempera- ture bath at high temperatures, the attachment of spins is a stochastic (random) pro- cess that becomes independent of the interaction energy and the temperature [33]. Thus, in this limit, the growth interface of the standard MEM [33, 34, 35] agrees with that of the classic Eden model [36], which is well known to belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class [52]. The most accurate simulation results for the KPZ model in (2+1)−dimensions yield α = 0.393±0.003 [53], which agrees well with some of the formerly reported values for KPZ [54] and the Eden model [55]. Using this value for the roughness, the fractal dimension of the growth interface of the MEM in an homogeneous thermal bath at high temperatures crosses over from df ≃1.6 (at short length-scales) to df = 1 (at long length-scales). More- over, we can safely expect that the self-affine properties of the growth interface of the standard MEM (in an homogeneous bath) be independent of the temperature within a wide range around and below the critical temperature, at least insofar the occurrence of a layering/roughening transition, in the sense of that observed in the 3−dimensional Ising model [56, 57], can be neglected. Therefore, we conclude that the fractal and self-affine characteristics of the growth interface of the MEM in a constant temperature bath are quite different than those of the same model growing 21 in a temperature gradient. 3.4 Scaling behavior of the growth interface p g On the other hand, due to the fact that the MEM grown under a temperature- gradient constraint exhibits a second-order transition, one may also consider the self-affine properties of the interface between the ordered and the disordered phases. Although for systems under equilibrium conditions a useful (alternative) approach is the evaluation of the damaged interface [23], the damage spreading technique can not straightforwardly be applied for the evaluation of an interface in an irreversible growth model. Furthermore, the implementation and application of a cluster count- ing algorithm [12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 58, 59] to our model would require formidable computational task that is beyond the aim of this paper. Additional shortcomings for this kind of calculations are the definition of the suitable cluster (e.g. Swendsen- Wang vs physical clusters) and the occurrence of noticeable corrections to scaling that one needs to evaluate in order to obtain reliable exponents [15], which is also a task that lies beyond our computational capabilities. However, from heuristic argu- ments based on the standard scaling relationship αord−dis = ν/(1 + ν) [12, 15, 23], where αord−dis is the roughness exponent of the order-disorder interface, we can con- jecture that αord−dis = 3/5, which yields a self-affine order-disorder interface with short length-scale fractal dimension dord−dis f = 7/5. For comparison, by applying the same scaling relationship to the standard MEM growing in an homogeneous thermal bath, we obtain αord−dis = 0.51±0.09 and dord−dis f = 1.49±0.09. Thus, although the growth interface is very significantly affected by the temperature gradient compared to the thermally homogeneous system, the geometry of the order-disorder interface is not so markedly affected by the gradient constraint and the results for both systems agree within error bars. 4 Conclusions In this work, we studied magnetic thin films growing under far-from-equilibrium conditions in (2 + 1)-dimensional strip geometries, where a temperature gradient is applied across one of the transverse directions. We modeled the thin film growth process by means of extensive Monte Carlo simulations performed on the magnetic Eden model (MEM), in which spins are deposited on a growing cluster with proba- bilities dependent on a ferromagnetic, Ising-like configuration energy. Firstly, we studied the thermal dependence of order parameter probability dis- tributions, the order parameter mean absolute value (magnetization), the order parameter fluctuations (susceptibility) and its higher moments (Binder cumulant) on finite-size magnetic films, which showed the existence of gradient-driven pseudo- phase transitions. Secondly, we applied Binder’s cumulant method and finite-size scaling analysis in order to characterize quantitatively the critical behavior of MEM films growing in a temperature gradient. The system’s critical temperature is 22 Tc = 0.84(2), significantly higher than the MEM’s critical temperature when grow- ing in an homogeneous thermal bath, namely T hom c = 0.69(1) [34]. The critical exponents are ν = 1.53(6), γ = 2.54(11), and β = 0.26(8), which also differ from the MEM’s exponents in the absence of a temperature gradient [34]. By changing the gradient span, we observed finite-size effects that vanish in the thermodynamic limit. Hence, the critical temperature and exponents are universal for MEM films growing in a temperature gradient. We also investigated the system’s growth dy- namics by means of a bond model. We found that the interplay of geometry and thermal bath asymmetries leads to growth bond flux asymmetries and the onset of transverse ordering effects that explain qualitatively the shift observed in the critical temperature. Finally, we analyzed the self-affine growth interface and obtained a collapse of the scaled average growth profile in the stationary regime for different lattice sizes, which shows that growth bond flux asymmetries play a relevant role in the model’s growth dynamics even in the thermodynamic limit. In the context of a great experimental and theoretical interest in magnetic sys- tems growing in temperature gradients, as well as a wide variety of technological applications that benefit from these efforts, we hope that this work will contribute to the progress of this research field and stimulate further work. Acknowledgments This work was financially supported by CONICET, UNLP, and ANPCyT (Ar- gentina). The authors thank Nara Guisoni and Ernesto Loscar for useful discus- sions. References [1] Bunshah R F (Editor), Handbook of Deposition Technologies for Films and Coatings (2nd Ed.), 1994 Noyes Publications (Westwood NJ) [2] Mahan J E, Physical Vapor Deposition of Thin Films, 2000 John Wiley & Sons (New York) [3] Ohring M, Materials Science of Thin Films: Deposition and Structure (2nd Ed.), 2002 Academic Press (San Diego) [4] Glocker D A, Morgan C and Shah S I (Editors), Handbook of Thin Film Process Technology (2nd Ed.), 2010 Taylor & Francis (London) [5] Tanaka M, Wakamatsu T and Kobayashi H, 1987 IEEE Translation Journal on Magnetics in Japan 2 728 23 [6] Schwickert M M, Hannibal K A, Toney M F, Best M, Folks L, Thiele J-U, Kellock A J and Weller D, 2000 J. Appl. Phys. 87 6956 [7] Seeman K M, Baltz V, MacKenzie M, Chapman J N, Hickey B J and Marrows C H, 2007 Phys. Rev. B 76 174435 [8] Wang B, Berry D C, Chiari Y and Barmak K, 2011 J. Appl. Phys. 110 013903 [9] Yongxiong L, Ahmad E, Xu Y and Thompson S M, 2005 IEEE Transactions on Magnetics 41 3328 [10] Kaneko M et al., 2000 IEEE Transactions on Magnetics 36 2266 [11] Kawaguchi Y and Murakami M, U.S. and Foreign Patents (Patent #6826131 in www.patentgenius.com) [12] Sapoval B, Rosso M and Gouyet J F, 1985 J. Phys. (Paris) Lett. 46 L49 [13] Memsouk A, Boughaleb Y, Nassif R and Ennamiri H, 2000 Eur. Phys. J. B 17 137 [14] Hader A, Memsouk A and Boughaleb Y, 2002 Eur. Phys. J. B 28 315 [15] Chappa V C and Albano E V, 2004 J. Chem. Phys. 121 328 [16] Rosso M, 1989 J. Phys. A 22 L131 [17] ZiffR M and Suding P N, 1997 J. Phys. A 30 5351 [17] ZiffR M and Suding P N, 1997 J. Phys. A 30 5351 [18] Gouyet J F and Rosso M, 2005 Physica A 357 86 [19] Rosso M, Gouyet J F and Sapoval B, 1986 Phys. Rev. Lett. 57 3195 [20] Gastner M T, Oborny B, Zimmermann D K and Pruessner G, 2009 Am. Nat. 174 E23 [21] Loscar E S, Guisoni N and Albano E V, 2009 Phys. Rev. E 80 051123 [22] Guisoni N, Loscar E S and Albano E V, 2011 Phys. Rev. E 83 011125 [23] Boissin N and Herrmann H J, 1991 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. References 24 L43 [24] Saito K, Takesue S and Miyashita S, 1996 Phys. Rev. E 54 2404 [25] Sologubenko A V, Giann´o K, Ott H R, Vietkine A and Revcolevschi A, 2001 Phys. Rev. B 64 054412 [26] Savin A V, Tsironis G P and Zotos X, 2005 Phys. Rev. B 72 140402(R) 24 [27] Lecomte V, R´acz Z and van Wijland F, 2005 J. Stat. Mech. 02008 [28] Saito K, Takesue S and Miyashita S, 1999 Phys. Rev. E 59 2783 [29] Neek-Amal M, Moussavi R and Sepangi H R, 2006 Physica A 371 424 [30] Casartelli M, Macellari N and Vezzani A, 2007 Eur. Phys. J B 56 149 [31] Agliari E, Casartelli M and Vezzani A, 2007 Eur. Phys. J B 60 499 [32] Muglia J and Albano E V (to appear in Eur. Phys. J. B) [33] Ausloos M, Vandewalle N and Cloots R, 1993 Europhys. Lett. 24 629; Vande- walle N and Ausloos M, 1994 Phys. Rev. E 50 R635 [34] Candia J and Albano E V, 2001 Phys. Rev. E 63 066127 [35] Candia J and Albano E V, 2011 Phys. Rev. E 84 050601(R) [36] Eden M, in Symp. on Information Theory in Biology, Yockey H P (Editor), 1958 Pergamon Press (New York); Eden M, Proc. 4th Berkeley Symposium on Mathematics, Statistics and Probability, Neyman F (Editor), 1961 University of California Press (Berkeley), Vol. IV, p. 223 [37] Binder K and Heermann D W, Monte Carlo Simulations in Statistical Physics: an Introduction (4th Ed.), 2002 Springer-Verlag (Berlin) [38] Binder K and Heermann D W, A Guide to Monte Carlo Simulations in Statis- tical Physics, 2000 Cambridge University Press (Cambridge) [39] Sides S W, Rikvold P A and Novotny M A, 1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 834; 1999 Phys. Rev. E 59 2710 [40] Korniss G, White C J, Rikvold P A and Novotny M A, 2001 Phys. Rev. E 63 016120 [41] Binder K, 1981 Z. Phys. B: Condens. Matter 43 119 [42] Barber M N, Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena, Domb C and Lebowitz J L (Editors), 1983 Academic Press (New York), Vol. References 8 [43] Privman V (Editor), Finite Size Scaling and Numerical Simulations of Statis- tical Systems, 1990 World Scientific (Singapore) [44] Marro J and Dickman R, Nonequilibrium phase transitions in lattice models, 1999 Cambridge University Press (Cambridge) 25 [45] Henkel M, Hinrichsen H and L¨ubeck S, Non-equilibrium phase transitions: Ab- sorbing phase transitions (Vol. 1), 2009 Springer (Dordrecht) [46] Henkel M and Pleimling M, Non-equilibrium phase transitions: Ageing and Dynamical Scaling Far from Equilibrium (Vol. 2), 2010 Springer (Dordrecht) [47] Hinrichsen H, 2000 Adv. Phys. 49 815 [48] ´Odor G, 2004 Rev. Mod. Phys. 76 663 [48] ´Odor G, 2004 Rev. Mod. Phys. 76 663 [49] Albano E V et al, 2011 Rep. Prog. Phys. 74 026501 [50] Press W H, Teukolsky S A, Vetterling W T and Flannery B P, Numerical Recipes (2nd Ed.), 1992 Cambridge University Press (New York) [51] Vicsek T, Fractal growth phenomena (2nd Ed.), 1992 World Scientific (Singa- pore) [52] Barab´asi A-L and Stanley H E, Fractal concepts in surface growth, 1995 Cam- bridge University Press (Cambridge) [53] Marinari E, Pagnani A and Parisi G, 2000 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 33 8181 [54] Amar J G and Family F, 1990 Phys. Rev. A 41 3399 [55] Devillard P and Stanley H E, 1989 Physica A 160 298 [56] Binder K and Landau D P, 1992 Phys. Rev. B 46 4844 [56] Binder K and Landau D P, 1992 Phys. Rev. B 46 4844 [57] Alexander K S, Dunlop F and Miracle-Sole S, 2010 J. Stat. Phys. 141 217 [58] ZiffR M and Sapoval B, 1986 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 19 L1169 [59] Saberi A A, Niry M D, Fazeli S M, Rahimi Tabar M R and Rouhani S, 2008 Phys. Rev. E 77 051607 26
https://openalex.org/W4392570310
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42757-023-0184-8.pdf
English
null
Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow
Experimental and Computational Multiphase Flow/Experimental and computational multiphase flow
2,024
cc-by
17,750
Vol. 6, No. 4, 2024, 365–386 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42757-023-0184-8 Vol. 6, No. 4, 2024, 365–386 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42757-023-0184-8 Experimental and Computational Multiphase Flow Abstract The interaction and impact of solid particles from a dilute suspension with fixed spherical and deformed bubbles (i.e., oblate spheroids) with rigid interface was analysed numerically, a situation found for example in flotation or three-phase chemical reactors. The flow field about the bubbles was computed for laminar flow and the particles were considered as point masses incorporating all forces as there are drag, added mass, fluid inertia, transverse shear-lift, and gravity/buoyancy. Particle sizes were varied up to about 200 m allowing for a wide range of interaction Stokes numbers. The impact efficiency was evaluated for a wide range of bubble Reynolds numbers and bubbles having different shape and size, as well as eccentricity and orientation. The volume equivalent diameter of the bubbles was between 2 and 4 mm. The bubble deformation was varied up to an eccentricity of 1.8 and the bubble orientation was modified until 45 degrees. The effect of different forces on the impact efficiency was studied in detail. Added mass, fluid inertia (part of the pressure term), and slip-shear transverse lift force cannot be neglected in liquid environments, especially for larger particles. The obtained results were also compared to the composite model of Schulze (1989), well established in the field of flotation. Finally, also the particle impact statistics (i.e., location and velocity) was evaluated. Article History Received: 21 September 2023 Revised: 22 December 2023 Accepted: 23 December 2023 In such numerical simulations, naturally, the interactions between the fluid and both dispersed phases has to be considered, the so-called two-way coupling. In a three-phase bubble column, the injected bubbles constitute the energy input and eventually induce the flow inside the column through their buoyancy. The solid particles on the other hand tend to sediment by gravity, but should be moved and dispersed by the bubble-induced flow. In addition, a direct interaction between particles and bubbles, namely, collisions, particle attachment and detachment, as well as particle motion along the bubble interface, are the relevant transport processes. As a result, the buoyancy-induced bubble rise is hindered by the solid particles, but additionally a lifting of solid particles is occurring. Therefore, in both modelling approaches for flotation processes (i.e., Eulerian or Lagrangian) the particle/bubble scale transport processes need to be described appropriately: particle–bubble collision rates and efficiency (Dai et al., 2000), particle–bubble attachment  martin.sommerfeld@ovgu.de Martin Sommerfeld (), Manuel A. Taborda Multiphase Flow Systems (MPS), Institute for Process Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Hoher Weg 7b, D-06120 Halle (Saale) Germany Multiphase Flow Systems (MPS), Institute for Process Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Hoher Weg 7b, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany 2 Impact efficiency 2 Impact efficiency In order to describe the direct interaction (collisions) of particles with bubbles, the impact efficiency is an important parameter. Considering a rising bubble in an almost stagnant dilute suspension, the particles, depending on size and density, may bypass the bubble with the relative flow to a certain extent. Only particles arriving in the region of the front stagnation point will hit the bubble and stick on the surface. This impact efficiency is a result of several transport processes, or may be connected with a number of influences, which are normally, diffusion, inertia, and interception. Especially in column flotations and vertical bubble column reactors, gravity as an external force will be driving particle motion and influence impact efficiency wherefore it is very often counted as a separate mechanism (Schulze, 1989; Dai et al., 2000; Hassanzadeh et al., 2018). Such an impact, capture, or deposition efficiency is not only relevant for flotation processes (Dai et al., 2000) and three-phase chemical reactors (Pan et al., 2016), but also for spray scrubbers applied to separate fine particles from contaminated gas streams by collecting the particles by the spray droplets (Pieloth et al., 2013), particle separation on a fibre matrix (Fotovati et al., 2010; Sommerfeld et al., 2021), the collision between small and large particles in a dispersed two-phase flow (Ho and Sommerfeld, 2002; Sommerfeld and Lain, 2009), and finally also fine particle deposition in confined laminar or turbulent flows (Guha, 2008). All these processes show a skewed S-shaped distribution of the capture efficiency in dependence of the particle size or the relevant Stokes number, mainly the result of the competition between In the pioneering work of Mitra-Majumdar et al. (1997) using a multi-fluid continuum approach, the drag coefficients of bubbles and particles were modified in order to mimic this fluid dynamic particle/bubble interaction. Consequently, the bubble drag was increased (hindered rise) and the particle drag decreased (lifted upwards); both empirical correction factors are depending on the solid particle volume fraction. As a result, in bubbly suspension (or slurry) flows, the collision and interaction of solid particles with a mobile or rigid interface of the bubbles needs to be understood and modelled properly in order to allow for a realistic numerical simulation using both numerical frameworks. 1 Introduction Bubbly suspension flows are found in three-phase chemical reactors, such as gas–liquid–solid fluidised beds, as well as flotation processes in mineral treatment using agitated flotations cells, flotation columns, and dissolved air flotation. Over the last decades increasingly numerical simulations of such multiphase flows are conducted for process analysis, design, and layout. With respect to flotation applications, detailed reviews are presented by Pan et al. (2016), Wang et al. (2018), and Wang et al. (2021). For such technically relevant three-phase flows mostly multi-fluid approaches are applied (Koh and Schwarz, 2006, 2008; Rabha et al., 2013; Li et al., 2021; Mühlbauer et al., 2021). However, there are also a few studies using point-particle Lagrangian approaches for the dispersed phase particles and the bubbles (Bourloutski and Sommerfeld, 2002, 2004; Zhang and Ahmadi, 2005, 2012; Xu et al., 2013; Gruber et al., 2016). 366 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda As a first step of developing models for all these elementary processes, the impact efficiency of fine particles with a rigid and stationary bubble having different shapes is considered. The assumption of rigid bubbles is justified for contaminated systems. In the following part the relevant parameters characterising impact efficiency and the well-known Schulze (1989) model will be introduced and some expected trends will be elucidated. Then the numerical approach with the fundamental equations is presented, followed by a description of the numerical grid discretisation, as well as the initial and boundary conditions applied. Following that, some typical flow field results will be shown for different bubble shapes. The deposition pattern on the bubbles of different shapes (spherical and ellipsoidal) will be presented and the impact efficiency will be evaluated for different conditions, especially, considering different force settings. Finally, the influence of bubble shape and orientation on the capture efficiency will be highlighted. For allowing model improvements also the impact properties over the bubble surface are analyzed. based on interfacial forces (Omota et al., 2006), particle motion along the surface of the bubbles and their accumulation (Gao et al., 2015) as well as particle detachment from the bubble surface (Schwarz et al., 2016). The interaction between particles and bubbles may be also classified in terms of direct and indirect interactions:  Direct interactions are those phenomena associated with contact between particles and bubbles and the resulting momentum transfer as summarised above. Moreover, bubble oscillatory behaviour may be modified due to the presence of surrounding particles. 1 Introduction  Indirect interactions are mainly associated with a modification of the particle-laden flow around the bubbles, such as boundary layer modification or wake accumulation of particles, which will eventually modify the flow resistance coefficients and especially drag and added mass. Here the question is in as much drag, and may be transverse lift forces, as well as added mass are modified in dependence of particle material density and volume fraction. This summary of fluid dynamic effects already emphasises the complexity of bubbly three-phase suspension flows, which are complemented by interfacial effects and forces governing the transport of the particles on the interface of the bubble and also a possible detachment. th m bu 2 In pa Here the question is in as much drag, and may be transverse lift forces, as well as added mass are modified in dependence of particle material density and volume fraction. This summary of fluid dynamic effects already emphasises the complexity of bubbly three-phase suspension flows, which are complemented by interfacial effects and forces governing the transport of the particles on the interface of the bubble and also a possible detachment. 2 Impact efficiency F B F B B F ρ D Re μ - = u u (3) (3) In the numerical simulations conducted, a stationary and rigid bubble was assumed and the inflow velocity was assumed with a certain value to allow a variation of bubble Reynolds number, so that 0 B F B U U = = - u u . Since in the present study also deformed rigid bubbles are considered, the bubble size value used, is always the volume equivalent diameter B D . The different mechanisms responsible for particle collisions with bubbles are mostly added up to yield the total impact efficiency, which however, strictly speaking, is only valid if one of these mechanisms is dominant (Schulze, 1989) and there is no strong correlation between the different transport processes: total diff inertia inter grav E E E E E = + + + (4) (4) where diff E is the diffusional or fine-scale turbulence contribution (being not considered in the present study), inertia E is the inertia-based impact efficiency, inter E accounts for the interception effect, and grav E is the additional influence of gravity. Especially in the field of flotation, intensive research has been conducted in the past for deriving theoretically-based correlations for the different contributions to the total impact efficiency as summarised by Dai et al. (2000) and Hassanzadeh et al. (2018). In the present study the correlations provided by Schulze (1989) will be presented briefly, as they serve for comparison with the present numerical simulations and also showed a reasonable agreement with other simulation studies (Li et al., 2019). 2 Impact efficiency The inertia-based impact efficiency developed by Schulze (1989) was starting with the correlation introduced by Schuch and Löffler (1978) and incorporates additional terms relevant for flotation: where diff E is the diffusional or fine-scale turbulence contribution (being not considered in the present study), The characteristic non-dimensional number describing this interaction is the relative Stokes number rel St , defined as the particle response time P τ over the time a particle will need to pass the spherical collector bubble F T : 2 P P P B rel F F B 18 ρ d τ U St T μ D = = (1) (1) where P d and B D are the particle and bubble diameters respectively, B U is the bubble rise velocity, or better the relative velocity with respect to the flow, P ρ the particle material density, and F μ is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid, mostly water in flotation applications. Here, the particle response time is obtained for Stokes flow, i.e., a particle Reynolds number smaller than one ( P 1.0 Re < ). This definition is mostly used in publications related to the impact efficiency in flotation processes. However, for describing the particle response in a liquid flow, the added mass contribution, being 50% of the fluid density (i.e., F 0.5ρ ), should to be also considered, yielding the effective Stokes number: 2 P rel inertia P B rel B 1 1 1 b d St E V D St a U æ ö æ ö ÷ ÷ ç ç = + ÷ ÷ ç ç ÷ ÷ ç ç è ø è ø + + (5) (5) where P V is the settling velocity of the particles and B U the rise velocity of the bubbles. The velocity and size terms (the 1st and 2nd terms on the right-hand side) were introduced to match the specific conditions for flotation processes. The last term depends on the relative Stokes number rel St (Eq. (1)) and was developed by Schuch and Löffler (1978) for fine particles interacting with larger spray droplets for the purpose of gas cleaning. The corresponding parameters a and b in dependence of the bubble (collector) Reynolds number were derived through numerical simulations (see Table 1). 2 Impact efficiency Since the particles may move around the bubble with the relative flow in the case of smaller and lighter particles, the effective collision rate of course strongly depends on the so-called impact efficiency (Sommerfeld and Lain, 2009). The collisional interaction between particles and bubbles will first result in a possible momentum exchange, whereby the motion of both dispersed phases is modified (Bourloutski and Sommerfeld, 2004). Moreover, depending on the interfacial conditions, different scenarios of the collision outcome may be observed, namely rebound, penetration, or sliding along the surface (Schulze, 1989). This also depends on the wettability of the solid particles as well as the interfacial forces relevant during this elementary process (Omota et al., 2006). al and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 367 Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 367 Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 367 the flow structure around the bubble: diffusion for small particles and inertia for large ones. It should be noted that gravity is counted separately only in vertical flow situations such as flotation, however, will cause an asymmetric impact efficiency distribution in most other situations of dispersed two-phase flows (Galeev and Zaripov, 2003). The principal definition of the impact efficiency is the ratio of the circular cross-section from where the particles are coming (i.e., farther away from the bubble) and hit the bubble surface, in relation to the cross-section of this collector bubble. Mostly, the bubbles are assumed to be spherical for a theoretical analysis of the impact efficiency (Li et al., 2019). Hence, the area of the “hit-circle” is defined by the boundary trajectory line of a point-wise particle just touching the bubble. This boundary trajectory line naturally deviates from the flow streamline due to particle inertia. An additional increase of impact efficiency is caused by interception which accounts for the effect of finite particle size where the particles are however still completely following the flow streamlines. On the other hand, the impact efficiency may be obtained from the number of particles hitting the bubble as a fraction of those injected upstream the bubble over the bubble cross-section. 2 Impact efficiency Such an addition is not accounting for any coupling of the elementary mechanisms and should be only done if one of the terms is dominant, as this the case for either gravity dominating at low bubble Reynolds number and inertia effects prevailing at higher values: B Re < 5 5–25 25–50 50–100 100–250 250–500 > 500 a 0.65 1.24 1.03 0.56 0.4 0.3 0.25 b 3.70 1.97 2.06 1.84 2.0 2.0 2.00 from the work of Weber and Paddock (1983) depending on velocity and size ratios, as well as the critical collision angle C θ of the grazing particle trajectory (i.e., in degree and measured from the stagnation point) where the particle just touches the bubble (Weber and Paddock, 1983): inter total inter grav inertia 2 P B 1 1 E E E E E d D é ù ê ú ê ú ê ú = + + - ê ú æ ö ê ú ÷ ç + ÷ ç ÷ ç ê ú è ø ë û (11) (11) P 2 P B 2 gravity C P B B 1 sin 1 V d U E θ V D U æ ö÷ ç = + ÷ ç ÷ çè ø + (6) (6) In the inertia term an additional multiplier was introduced (Schulze, 1989), probably to consider a coupling between interception and inertia effects (Li et al., 2019). In this equation the influence of diffusion is not considered, since only larger particles were considered. Brownian diffusion of particles becomes only of importance if sub-micron particles are considered. For an immobile bubble with no-slip boundary condition on the surface, this collision angle was specified in terms of the bubble Reynolds number (Dobby and Finch, 1987) using empirical fitting curves to experimental data (Dobby and Finch, 1987): In order to demonstrate the tendencies in the particle to bubble impact efficiency for a variation of flow conditions, i.e., bubble Reynolds number and particle size, the individual components of the composite correlation (Eq. (11)) are compared in Figs. 1 and 2. The evaluation of the correlations was conducted for a rigid 2.5 mm spherical bubble in water (i.e., 3 F 1000 , kg/m ρ = F 1.0 mPa s μ = ⋅). The particles were spherical with a size between 10 and 200 μm. In Fig. 1 the results are shown in dependence of particle diameter whereas in Fig. 2 Impact efficiency 2 the dependence on bubble Reynolds number for given particle diameters is considered. Naturally, impact efficiency grows with particle size and will start with very small values and approach one for large particles. Note that here the particle size was limited to a maximum of less than 10% of the bubble diameter, since particles are considered as point masses. When increasing the bubble Reynolds number (i.e., cases with B 100, 200, and 500 Re = are considered), the importance of the different contributions is continuously shifted. For small bubble Reynolds numbers, the shares from inertia and interception are very small over the entire particle size spectrum (Fig. 1(a)). Gravity is the dominant mechanism for the impact efficiency. When the bubble Reynolds number increase, naturally the flow field around the bubble is changing and so is the impact efficiency; the importance of gravity falls and inertia effects are growing. At B 500 Re = inertia is the dominant collision mechanism C B 85.0 2.50log , 0.1 1 θ Re Re = - < < C B 85.5 12.49log , 1 20 θ Re Re = - < < (7) C B 78.1 7.37log , 20 400 θ Re Re = - < < (7) Finally, the interception effect is considered, which becomes of importance for larger particles with respect to the bubble diameter. This finite-size particle effect yields an increase of the impact efficiency and was specified in terms of the axisymmetric formulation of the Stokes stream function for the grazing trajectory C ψ (i.e., point particle completely following the flow), giving the result for an immobile rigid bubble as (Schulze, 1989): Finally, the interception effect is considered, which becomes of importance for larger particles with respect to the bubble diameter. 2 Impact efficiency The gravity-induced impact efficiency was taken ( ) 2 P F P B AM F B 0.5 18 ρ ρ d U St μ D + = (2) (2) For scaling purposes, the impact efficiency is generally described as a function of the standard Stokes number in order to be generally applicable. However, as will be shown below, the Stokes number seems not to be the only scaling parameter relevant for the considered process. Also important is of course the bubble Reynolds number which determines For scaling purposes, the impact efficiency is generally described as a function of the standard Stokes number in order to be generally applicable. However, as will be shown below, the Stokes number seems not to be the only scaling parameter relevant for the considered process. Also important is of course the bubble Reynolds number which determines 368 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda For the case mostly at hand, P B V U  , the interceptional impact efficiency is simplified to Table 1 Model parameters a and b for the inertia-based impact efficiency (Eq. (5)) in dependence of the bubble Reynolds number taken from Schulze (1989) which were based on the trajectory simulation data of Schuch and Löffler (1978); it should be noted that here the Stokes number (Eq. (1)) is defined different as in Schulze (1989) so that the parameter a is halved * inter C 2 E ψ = (10) (10) Eventually, according to Schulze (1989), the overall impact efficiency is obtained simply as the sum of the above- described individual effects. 2 Impact efficiency This finite-size particle effect yields an increase of the impact efficiency and was specified in terms of the axisymmetric formulation of the Stokes stream function for the grazing trajectory C ψ (i.e., point particle completely following the flow), giving the result for an immobile rigid bubble as (Schulze, 1989): C inter 2 P B B B 2 1 ψ E V U R U = æ ö÷ ç + ÷ ç ÷ çè ø (8) (8) The equation for the stream function of the grazing particle trajectory C ψ resulted from an approximation suggested by Schulze (1989) for a rigid bubble in the case of the particle diameter being smaller than that of the bubble and was specified in dependence of the bubble Reynolds number: 2 C B P * C 2 0.56 B B B 3 3 /16 1 4 1 0.249 B ψ Re d ψ D U R Re æ öæ ö ÷ ÷ ç ç = = + ÷ ÷ ç ç÷ ÷ ç÷ ç è ø è ø + (9) (9) 369 Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow (Fig. 1(c)). Interception and gravity have the smallest share and slightly grow with particle diameter. The overall impact efficiency is however not necessarily growing with the bubble Reynolds number as will be discussed in Fig. 2. The variation of the impact efficiency with B Re is demonstrated in Fig. 2, considering again all impaction components for district particle sizes, namely, 50, 100, and 200 μm. Certainly, the overall impact efficiency rises Fig. 1 Impact efficiency for the different contributions according to Schulze (1989) at different (spherical) bubble Reynolds numbers: (a) B 100 Re = , (b) B 500 Re = , (c) B 1000 Re = , in dependence of particle diameter; inertia with Eq. (5), gravity from Eq. (6), intercept with Eq. (10), and total impact efficiency by Eq. (11) (water: 3 F 1000 kg/m ρ = , F 1.0 mPa s, μ = ⋅ spherical particles: 3 P 2500 kg/m ) ρ = . Fig. 1 Impact efficiency for the different contributions according to Schulze (1989) at different (spherical) bubble Reynolds numbers: (a) B 100 Re = , (b) B 500 Re = , (c) B 1000 Re = , in dependence of particle diameter; inertia with Eq. (5), gravity from Eq. (6), intercept with Eq. 2 Impact efficiency (10), and total impact efficiency by Eq. (11) (water: 3 F 1000 kg/m ρ = , F 1.0 mPa s, μ = ⋅ spherical particles: 3 P 2500 kg/m ) ρ = . Fig. 2 Impact efficiency for the different contributions according to Schulze (1989) for different particle diameters: (a) P 50 d = , (b) P 100 d = , (c) P 200 d = , in dependence of bubble Reynolds number B; Re inertia with Eq. (5), gravity from Eq. (6), interception with Eq. (10), and total impact efficiency by Eq. (11) (water: 3 F 1000 , kg/m ρ = F 1.0 mPa s, μ = ⋅ spherical particles: 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ). Fig. 2 Impact efficiency for the different contributions according to Schulze (1989) for different particle diameters: (a) P 50 d = , (b) P 100 d = , (c) P 200 d = , in dependence of bubble Reynolds number B; Re inertia with Eq. (5), gravity from Eq. (6), interception with Eq. (10), and total impact efficiency by Eq. (11) (water: 3 F 1000 , kg/m ρ = F 1.0 mPa s, μ = ⋅ spherical particles: 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ). 370 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda remarkably with growing particle diameter. Interestingly, the overall capture efficiency has a distinct minimum for all particle sizes, which stems from the competition between gravity and inertia. Clearly, at small bubble Reynolds number and hence low velocity magnitudes and gradients near the bubble interface, gravity is dominating. At higher B Re inertia effects are most important for all particle sizes as they are not able to follow the strong streamline curvature. The cross-over Reynolds number (i.e., where impact efficiency resulting from gravity and inertia are identical) reduces from 500 to 350 and 300 for a particle size decrease from 50 μm over 100 μm up to 200 μm (Fig. 2). Interception again has the smallest contribution but of course grows with particle diameter. This presentation shows the complexity of particle collision mechanisms with bubbles, even though only a laminar flow is considered. bubble shapes were considered. The influence of bubble deformation (i.e., eccentricity) and orientation angle on the solid particle collision rates were evaluated for different bubble Reynolds numbers B Re and Stokes numbers rel. 3 Numerical approach The considered flow domain for the standard case with a 2.5 mm bubble was a pipe element with a diameter of 40 mm (16 bubble diameters) and a total length of 75 mm, corresponding to 30 bubble diameters (Fig. 3). Hence, the ratio between domain diameter and bubble size is 16. The centroid of the bubble was positioned at 25 mm whereby the wake region was captured over 50 mm. When considering other bubble sizes, the computational domain was scaled accordingly, so that all relevant scale ratios remained the same. The entire computational domain was discretised by 3 million hexahedral elements with refinements around the bubble and in the wake region (see Fig. 3). For analysing particle–bubble collisions and interactions as well as validating the theoretical/empirical correlations presented above, numerical simulations were conducted for fixed bubbles exposed to a laminar dilute suspension flow at various injection velocities. The interface of the bubbles was, at the moment, assumed to be rigid, meaning a no-slip condition is applied at the surface. This is for most technical applications a valid assumption, since these are very often contaminated and therefore the bubble interface will quickly become immobile. In the simulations different bubble sizes (i.e., volume equivalent diameters between 1 and 5 mm) and Fig. 3 Computational domain (left) for a bubble fixed in a stationary downflow (dimensions for a bubble of 2.5 mm volume equivalent diameter), here the bubble with an eccentricity of 1.8 is inclined at 45° and exposed to a plug flow with 0 0.125 m/s U = ( B 312.5 Re = ) as well as numerical grid with different magnifications (middle and right); middle cut through the entire domain with flow field around the bubble; upper right: zoom of the region around the bubble; lower right: zoom of the bubble surface grid viewed from the top with grid of the outlet cross-section in the background. Fig. 2 Impact efficiency St The bubble Reynolds number not necessarily corresponds to the steady-state rise Reynolds number for a considered bubble size, but was varied in a wider range, since also in a highly turbulent bubbly flow the instantaneous relative velocity is strongly changing. In all cases considered, the fluid was assumed to be water with a density of Fρ = 3 1000 kg/m and a dynamic viscosity of F 1.0 mPa s. μ = ⋅ The standard case was a bubble with a volume equivalent diameter of 2.5 mm, which in practice exhibits already a remarkable deformation (Sommerfeld and Bröder, 2009). The particles were assumed to be spherical glass beads with a density of 2500 kg/m3 having diameters in the range of 10–200 m. With these conditions relative Stokes numbers rel St up to a value of 2 could be reached. 3 Numerical approach 3 Computational domain (left) for a bubble fixed in a stationary downflow (dimensions for a bubble of 2.5 mm volume equivalent diameter), here the bubble with an eccentricity of 1.8 is inclined at 45° and exposed to a plug flow with 0 0.125 m/s U = ( B 312.5 Re = ) as well as numerical grid with different magnifications (middle and right); middle cut through the entire domain with flow field around the bubble; upper right: zoom of the region around the bubble; lower right: zoom of the bubble surface grid viewed from the top with grid of the outlet cross-section in the background. 371 Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow The inlet was assumed to be a laminar plug flow (i.e., a laminar flow with constant velocity over the cross-section) and the wall velocity was set to be identical to the inflow velocity (i.e., moving wall) so that no boundary layer develops in the pipe geometry. The outflow boundary conditions were specified as zero gradients. At the bubble surface zero velocity conditions were used which implies considering a rigid “fully contaminated” bubble. A quasi-steady-state flow solution of the flow field was reached typically after about 3000 fluid iterations, depending on the Reynolds number. Expectedly, at higher bubble Reynolds numbers fluctuations of the wake may be observed. Fρ , and the fluid rotation obtained from F = ´ ω u . The relevant resistance coefficients are: D C the drag coefficient, AM C the added mass coefficient, LS C the transverse shear lift coefficient. The gravity vector g is acting downwards (Fig. 3) in the mainstream direction. For the spherical solid particles considered the standard drag correlation by Schiller and Naumann (1933) is used: ( ) 0.687 D P P 24 1 0.15 C Re Re = + (14) (14) The particle Reynolds number is of course determined with the magnitude of the instantaneous relative velocity between particle and surrounding fluid: Such a frozen flow field was then used for tracking many particles through the entire computational domain. In the present study 5 million particles were introduced at random positions distributed over the entire inlet cross- section. 3 Numerical approach The particles were injected with the fluid velocity in the streamwise direction 0 U , but adding a small random component (i.e., 0.5% of the injection velocity 0 U , randomly selected from a normal distribution function). The lateral particle mean velocities were assumed to be zero, but again a random component of 0 0.005U was added. Particle rotation was not considered in this study, since they move in a viscous liquid so that they may be assumed to rotate with the fluid. Therefore, also a rotational lift force (Sommerfeld et al., 2008) was neglected in this study. The particle tracking was conducted considering all relevant forces such as, drag, added mass, slip shear lift force, fluid inertia (part of the pressure term), and gravity/buoyancy (Sommerfeld, 2019). The Basset force which may be important in liquid–solid particle-laden flows (Sommerfeld and Schmalfuß, 2020) was however at the moment neglected as it is computationally quite expensive. Thus, particle tracking is described by the set of ordinary differential equations in Eqs. (12) and (13): F P F P P F ρ d Re μ - = u u (15) (15) The applied added mass coefficient was assumed to be fixed with AM 0.5 C = . The applied added mass coefficient was assumed to be fixed with AM 0.5 C = . The calculation of the slip-shear lift force for freely rotating single particles in an unbounded shear flow is based on analytical results of Saffman (1965) which was extended for high particle Reynolds number according to Mei (1992) and generalised according to Sommerfeld (2019). The shear lift coefficient depends on both the translational particle Reynolds number (Eq. (15)) and the shear particle Reynolds number 2 s F P F / Re ρ d μ = ω . 3 Numerical approach A. Taborda introduced. Subsequently, the impact efficiency for spherical bubbles is evaluated and discussed. Then deformed bubbles are considered and the difference in impact efficiency with respect to spherical bubbles is evaluated. Finally, also impact statistics including distributions of impact locations as well as impact velocities are presented, which are important for model development and for estimating particle sticking. is not moving and also has no dimension. This assumption is consistent with the bubbles being treated as rigid, i.e., no particle transport over the interface is considered. At the outlet the particles are leaving the flow domain. The deposition fraction of particles is obtained from the number of particles sticking on the bubble surface divided by the number of particles injected over the circular area corresponding to the volume equivalent diameter of the bubbles dves A . The injected particle number in this region is calculated by 4.1 Flow field results The simulated water flow field about a rigid ellipsoidal bubble is shown already in Fig. 3 for a volume equivalent diameter of 2.5 mm, an eccentricity of 1.8, and an inclination angle of 45°, which is roughly a maximum orientation a bubble can take in a bubble column flow (Sommerfeld and Bröder, 2009). With the inflow velocity of 0 0.125 m/s U = the bubble Reynolds number is B 312.5 Re = , so that the bubble wake still shows a stationary behaviour, which is especially the case for tilted bubbles. dves inj tot pipe A N N A = (18) (18) where pipe A is the entire circular inlet cross-section and tot N is the total number of injected particles, in this study 5 million. The impact or capture efficiency is then obtained from the number of particles hitting the bubble surface, normalised by the injected number: capture tot,CFD inj N E N = (19) A more detailed illustration of the flow field about a spherical and an ellipsoidal rigid bubble with the same volume equivalent diameter (i.e., 2.5 mm) is presented in Figs. 4 and 5 illustrating vertical planes through the bubble centroids (i.e., in y–z and x–z planes) based on colour contours of the vertical velocity component . z U The images shown were captured after 3000 fluid iterations where a converged solution was reached. Comparing the flow field for a spherical bubble at lower and higher Reynolds number (Fig. 4), it shows the wider flow deflection at lower B Re and that at higher B Re the region of disturbance is much smaller and consequently the extent of the front stagnation region (19) Additionally, from all particles hitting the bubble the impact conditions, like velocity and impact angles, were stored, so that the spatial number distribution of the deposit and other correlations between impact conditions could be evaluated. 3 Numerical approach The resulting lift coefficient, also conform with the Saffman (1965) formulation, is defined as ( ) LS P S P 2 4.1126 , β C f Re Re Re = (16) (16) where the non-dimensional shear rate S P 0.5 / β Re Re = and the functional extension to higher particle Reynolds numbers (Mei, 1992) is ( ) 1 P 2 P S 1 2 P , 1 0.3314 exp 10 0.3314 , 40 Re f Re Re β β Re æ ö æ ö ÷ ÷ ç ç = - - ÷ ÷ ç ç ÷ ÷ ç ÷ ç è ø è ø + £ (17a) ( ) ( ) 1 2 P S P P , 0.0524 , 40 f Re Re βRe Re = ³ (17b) P P d dt = x u (12) (12) ( ) ( ) [ ] { } p L p p D F P F P p p F F P AM P P F P LS P F P P P F F F P P P P d 3 d 4 D d D d 3 4 D 1 D ρ m m C t ρ d ρ C m ρ t t ρ m C d ρ d ρ ρ m m ρ t ρ = - - æ ö÷ ç + - ÷ ç ÷ çè ø + - ´ æ ö÷ ç + + - ÷ ç ÷ çè ø u u u u u u u u u ω u g (3) (17a) (17b) Regarding the particle boundary conditions, a specular reflection is prescribed at the “pipe” walls, so that no particles are being lost in the system. For describing the particle–bubble interaction, the finite size of the particles is considered, implying that a contact is occurring if the particle surface just touches the bubble interface (i.e., the contact is not based on the centroid of the particles). In the present studies all particles touching the bubble surface were assumed to stick, building up a stationary deposit which (3) (3) in which, P x , P u , P m , P, ρ P d are the particle position and velocity vectors, the particle mass, the material density, and their diameter, respectively. The fluid properties are the velocity vector at the particle position F u , the fluid density 372 M. Sommerfeld, M. 4 Results and discussion In this section results of the laminar flow field simulations for different bubble shapes and orientation angles are Fig. 4 Numerically obtained water flow field (vertical velocity component z U ) about a spherical 2.5 mm bubble at two different bubble Reynolds numbers (left: B 0 78, 0.03125 m/s Re U = = ; right: B 0 625, 0.25 m/s Re U = = ) (note that the colour scale is different for both cases). Fig. 4 Numerically obtained water flow field (vertical velocity component z U ) about a spherical 2.5 mm bubble at two different bubble Reynolds numbers (left: B 0 78, 0.03125 m/s Re U = = ; right: B 0 625, 0.25 m/s Re U = = ) (note that the colour scale is different for both cases). Fig. 4 Numerically obtained water flow field (vertical velocity component z U ) about a spherical 2.5 mm bubble at two different bubble Reynolds numbers (left: B 0 78, 0.03125 m/s Re U = = ; right: B 0 625, 0.25 m/s Re U = = ) (note that the colour scale is different for both cases). Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 373 is narrower, indicating that due to the stronger curvature of the streamlines particle inertia will become more important when particles interact with a rigid bubble. in this case to the right, and the flow becomes of course asymmetric. The front stagnation point on the bubble surface moves to the left and the region of disturbance in front of the bubble is tilted to the right-hand side. The particle deposition in these cases will be of course strongly affected by the modification of the flow field in the front of an inclined ellipsoidal bubble yielding eventually an asymmetric deposition pattern. Considering the horizontally aligned ellipsoidal bubble with eccentricity 1.8 χ = at higher B Re , first of all, it shows that the bubble wake region becomes wider compared to the spherical bubble (compare Fig. 4 (right) and Fig. 5 (left, upper and lower row)). The stagnation region is however not very different in dimension. It was certainly noticed, that due to the high bubble Reynolds number, the wake of the spheroidal bubble is slightly fluctuating in the course of the iteration process. 4 Results and discussion If the spheroidal bubble is inclined (here in the x–z plane) the wake region in the y–z plane becomes narrower when increasing the bubble tilting angle (Fig. 5 (lower row)). Naturally, the wake region in the inclination plane (x–z plane in Fig. 5 (upper row)) is shifted, 4.2 Rigid spherical collector in air flow However, it is known, that in an air flow the pressure term and the added mass are of minor importance. Moreover, simulations have shown that the transverse shear lift force was not very strong in this case. The simulation results naturally include all mechanisms considered in the composite Schulze (1989) model, namely gravity, inertia, and interception. Of course, for considering interception, the collisions of point-particles with the bubbles in the present work accounts for the finite dimension of the spherical particles in the contact detection. The simulated impact efficiency in Fig. 6(a) shows the expected behaviour, namely, at low rel St one has small impact efficiencies as these small particles move to a large extent around the collector object with the relative flow. With increasing rel St the impact efficiency is continuously growing in a kind of skewed S-shaped way, approaching a value of near one at high Stokes number. Due to interception, these values may become even slightly larger than unity. Now, when increasing the collector Reynolds number (here from 10 to 500), the curves for the impact efficiency are continuously shifted to the right. This means with growing collector Reynolds number; the total impact efficiency is decreasing. However, the rate of change is becoming smaller. The total impact efficiency predicted by the Schulze (1989) correlations shows at the first glance the same behaviour as the simulations, except that the curves seem to be shallower (Fig. 6(b)). Likewise, first the curves are shifted to the right with increasing B Re values; however, beyond B 50 Re = the curves again shift to the left. This behaviour is associated with the minimum predicted for total E when plotted over the collector Reynolds number (see Fig. 2). This minimum depends on the particle size and is the result of the competition between gravity at small B Re and inertia prevailing at large B. Re In the numerical simulations, such a minimum was also observed, but it was less pronounced and the increase of the impact efficiency in the inertia dominated regime (i.e., at larger B Re ) was less strong or even was not observed. A direct comparison of the total impact efficiencies obtained from the simulations with the results of the Schulze (1989) model is presented in Fig. 7 for two collector Reynolds numbers, namely 10 and 50. 4.2 Rigid spherical collector in air flow For the particle tracking all forces summarised above were considered. However, it is known, that in an air flow the pressure term and the added mass are of minor importance. Moreover, simulations have shown that the transverse shear lift force was not very strong in this case. The simulation results naturally include all mechanisms considered in the composite Schulze (1989) model, namely gravity, inertia, and interception. Of course, for considering interception, the collisions of point-particles with the bubbles in the present work accounts for the finite dimension of the spherical particles in the contact detection. The simulated impact efficiency in Fig. 6(a) shows the expected behaviour, namely, at low rel St one has small impact efficiencies as these small particles move to a large extent around the collector object with the relative flow. With increasing rel St the impact efficiency is continuously growing in a kind of skewed S-shaped way, approaching a value of near one at high Stokes number. Due to interception, these values may become even slightly larger than unity. Now, when increasing by Schulze (1989). In order to cover a proper range of Stokes numbers for the present geometry with 2.5 mm spherical objects (i.e., int St between 0.01 and 50) only for this case an air flow ( 3 F 1.2 kg/m ρ = , 6 F 18.5 10 Pa s μ - = ´ ⋅) was considered. Actually, for water as a fluid and a meaningful upper particle diameter of 200 μm ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) the Stokes number at the highest Reynolds number B 1250 Re = reached only a value of 1.1, which is too small to cover the entire inertia-dominated regime. When considering solid particles larger than 200 μm interacting with a 2.5 mm sphere, they may not anymore be treated as point masses. Moreover, in a liquid flow the question about the importance of other forces on the solid particle motion and deposition, such as, added mass and transverse lift forces, arises, which will be discussed in Section 4.3. In an air flow these forces are negligibly small. In the converged air flow field spherical particles ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) with diameters between 10 and 200 μm were tracked and the total deposition was determined. For the particle tracking all forces summarised above were considered. 4.2 Rigid spherical collector in air flow Before moving to the analysis of particle deposition pattern on the bubble surface for the different conditions, the overall capture or deposition efficiency obtained from the simulations will be compared in dependence of the interaction Stokes number int St with the model proposed Fig. 5 Numerically obtained water flow field (vertical velocity component z U ) about a spheroidal bubble ( 1.8 χ = , volume equivalent diameter 2.5 mm) at different inclination (left: 0 α = ; middle: 15 α = ; right: 45 α = ) for a bubble Reynolds number of B 625, Re = 0 0.25 m/s U = , upper row x–z plane, lower row y–z plane. Fig. 5 Numerically obtained water flow field (vertical velocity component z U ) about a spheroidal bubble ( 1.8 χ = , volume equivalent diameter 2.5 mm) at different inclination (left: 0 α = ; middle: 15 α = ; right: 45 α = ) for a bubble Reynolds number of B 625, Re = 0 0.25 m/s U = , upper row x–z plane, lower row y–z plane. 374 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda by Schulze (1989). In order to cover a proper range of Stokes numbers for the present geometry with 2.5 mm spherical objects (i.e., int St between 0.01 and 50) only for this case an air flow ( 3 F 1.2 kg/m ρ = , 6 F 18.5 10 Pa s μ - = ´ ⋅) was considered. Actually, for water as a fluid and a meaningful upper particle diameter of 200 μm ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) the Stokes number at the highest Reynolds number B 1250 Re = reached only a value of 1.1, which is too small to cover the entire inertia-dominated regime. When considering solid particles larger than 200 μm interacting with a 2.5 mm sphere, they may not anymore be treated as point masses. Moreover, in a liquid flow the question about the importance of other forces on the solid particle motion and deposition, such as, added mass and transverse lift forces, arises, which will be discussed in Section 4.3. In an air flow these forces are negligibly small. In the converged air flow field spherical particles ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) with diameters between 10 and 200 μm were tracked and the total deposition was determined. 4.2 Rigid spherical collector in air flow Please remember that the results are obtained for air as a carrier medium. Generally, the simulations for these cases give a higher impact efficiency compared to the model and also the slope for the low- B Re case is slightly higher. It is clear that the numerical simulations capture all physical effects and also any coupling between the mechanisms. One effect which was neglected in the simulations is the Basset force, which acts as an unsteady drag force due to the delay of boundary layer development around the solid particles. Thereby, the particle velocity could be reduced when interacting with the stagnation point region (i.e., particle deceleration). This may reduce impact efficiency, whereby the simulations could be shifted more towards the theory (Fig. 7). On the Fig. 6 Total impact efficiency total E for solid particles interacting with a 2.5 mm collector sphere in an air flow obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking (a), and the well-accepted Schulze (1989) model (b), considering different collector Reynolds numbers B Re and particle diameters between 10 and 200 μm ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ). Fig. 6 Total impact efficiency total E for solid particles interacting with a 2.5 mm collector sphere in an air flow obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking (a), and the well-accepted Schulze (1989) model (b), considering different collector Reynolds numbers B Re and particle diameters between 10 and 200 μm ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ). Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 375 Fig. 7 Total impact efficiency total E for solid particles interacting with a 2.5 mm collector sphere in an air flow; comparison of laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking and the well-accepted Schulze (1989) model considering two collector Reynolds numbers, left: B 10 Re = and right: B 50 Re = (particle diameters between 10 and 200 μm; 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ). Fig. 7 Total impact efficiency total E for solid particles interacting with a 2.5 mm collector sphere in an air flow; comparison of laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking and the well-accepted Schulze (1989) model considering two collector Reynolds numbers, left: B 10 Re = and right: B 50 Re = (particle diameters between 10 and 200 μm; 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ). Fig. 4.2 Rigid spherical collector in air flow 8 Numerically obtained deposition pattern for 50 m particles ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) on a 2.5 mm rigid spherical bubble in water at different inflow velocities of 0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 m/s ( B 156.25, 312.5, 625, and 1250 Re = ) viewed from the top (the deposition counter per area has a colour scale from 0 to 1×108 m−2 for all four cases). other hand, the theoretical model is based on many assumptions, among which the conjuncture of the critical collision angle for the gravity effect is based on empirical correlations (Dobby and Finch, 1987). Moreover, the typical inertia term (Schuch and Löffler, 1976) was supplemented by three additional terms, which were needed to match flotation experiments and to allow for including gravity effects separately in the total impact efficiency. Finally, Schulze (1989) mentioned the neglection of centrifugal effects on particles moving along curved streamlines in their theoretical derivation. Such mechanisms are of course automatically considered in the particle tracking simulations. The streamline curvature around the front stagnation region of the bubble should yield an enhancement of deposition, whereas the outwards bulged streamlines around the bubble equator will cause a reduction of deposition which is assumed to be less important. Hence, including such effects in the theory would give a net enhancement of deposition and resultingly a better agreement with the simulations (Fig. 7). Fig. 8 Numerically obtained deposition pattern for 50 m particles ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) on a 2.5 mm rigid spherical bubble in water at different inflow velocities of 0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 m/s ( B 156.25, 312.5, 625, and 1250 Re = ) viewed from the top (the deposition counter per area has a colour scale from 0 to 1×108 m−2 for all four cases). 4.3 Rigid spherical collector bubble in water flow (Fig. 9). Actually, this Reynolds number is located just before the regime where bubble oscillation begins, namely, for B 400 Re » (Clift et al., 1978). As before, in the case of lower Reynolds number the fine particles produce a rather sparce deposition pattern (Fig. 9 (upper block, left)), but almost covering the entire front hemisphere. Expectedly, with increasing particle size, the total deposition is growing and the patterns are becoming more filled, however, still having the maximum deposition number around the pole of the bubble. Clearly, the region next to the equator for the 100 μm particles is less covered by particles. The very large particles produce an almost complete coverage of the upper hemisphere facing the inflow. Now comes a surprise, posing the question on the relevant physical mechanism. Why larger particles can deposit on the rear bubble hemisphere downstream of the equator (Fig. 9 (lower block))? This is not observed to occur for the smaller particles. The particles are also not very strongly entrained into the bubble wake flow which is illustrated by combining the side view of the deposition pattern on the bubble surface with a vertical slice through the bubble centroid for the particle concentration field (Fig. 9). The concentration field indicates that probably particles smaller than 50 μm (Stokes number AM 0.021 St = ) will be more entrained into the bubble wake. With growing particle size, more particles are entrained into the wake and concentrate at the rim of the wake region, especially for the largest particles considered, i.e., P AM 200 μm, 0.33 d St = = . Such an accumulation may probably modify the bubble added mass force in a suspension. The reason for particle deposition downstream of the bubble equator is the shear-induced transverse lift force (see Eq. (13)), which drives larger particles towards the bubble surface. But of course, the direction of the shear-lift depends on the direction of the slip velocity between particle and fluid and the gradient of the flow velocity within the bubble boundary layer (Sommerfeld et al., 2008; Sommerfeld, 2019). This lift force is also responsible for the stronger entrainment of the larger particles into the wake of the bubble (Fig. 9 (lower block)). 4.3 Rigid spherical collector bubble in water flow The analysis of particle deposition on a spherical bubble with 2.5 mm is first based on the observed pattern in dependence of the collector bubble Reynolds number B Re exposed to a laminar water suspension flow with small 50 μm particles and 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = (Fig. 8). For such small particles the overall deposition or impact efficiency defined by Eqs. (18) and (19) is very low for all values of B Re considered, namely, below about 5%. Even though a quite large number of particles is injected over the entire inlet area, the resulting deposition pattern looks quite sparce in all cases (Fig. 8). Such a stochastic distribution of depositions is associated with the spatially random injection of the particles and the slight random variation of injection velocity (see Section 3). At low Reynolds number (i.e., B 156.25) Re = the particles are hitting the entire upper hemisphere mainly due to gravity (see Fig. 2) and are rather homogeneously distributed. When increasing the collector Reynolds number, an interesting phenomenon is observed, namely, the deposition region for the particles is shrinking in size, indicating the transition to the inertia-dominated deposition (see Fig. 2 (above)). Actually, the overall impact efficiency in dependence of B Re (i.e., 156.25, 312.5, 625, and 1250) shown in Fig. 8 decreases continuously, namely, 0.0412, 0.0242, 0.0193, and 0.024. Now the variation of the deposition pattern on a rigid spherical bubble in water at B 312.5 Re = with an increase in particle size from 50 to 200 μm will be considered 376 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda , Fig. 9 Numerically obtained deposition pattern and particle concentration fields for a 2.5 mm spherical collector bubble in water at a Reynolds number of B 0 312.5, 0.125 m/s Re U = = and different sizes of particles, i.e., P 50,100,150, and 200 μm d = ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) (upper rows: deposition pattern viewed from the top (the deposition counter per area has a colour scale from 0 to 1×108 m−2) in the case of 50 and 100 μm particles and from 0 to 5×108 m−2 for the larger particles with 150 and 200 μm); lower rows: vertical slice through the bubble centroid illustrating the particle concentration field (kg/m3); please note the variable colour scale, 50 μm: 0–5 kg/m3; 100 μm: 0–35 kg/m3; 150 μm: 0–120 kg/m3, 200 μm: 0–250 kg/m3). 4.3 Rigid spherical collector bubble in water flow 10 Calculated particle trajectories ( P 200 μm d = , 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) around a spherical bubble of 2.5 mm diameter in water at a Reynolds number of B 0 156.25 ( 0.0625 m/s) Re U = = (left: without shear lift force; right: with shear lift force); the back-ground colour corresponds to the magnitude of flow velocity (velocity scale from 0 to 0.07 m/s). is reduced due to the lift as will be illustrated below. Such a situation is occurring when the flow around the bubble is accelerated by the defection and the heavy particles are not able to follow immediately. force on the other hand, the particle trajectories entering the boundary layer are bend towards the bubble surface and deposit. Even particles passing the equator may deposit on the lower hemisphere of the bubble (see Fig. 9). Other particles are stronger entrained into the wake flow and form a layer of very high particle concentration (see Fig. 9 (lower block)). Also, for the 100 m particles an observable effect of the transverse lift force is identified, which is eventually very small for 50 m particles. Hence, as expected, the slip-shear lift force is considerably more important for larger particles. The results presented so far clearly showed a strong dependence of the deposition efficiency on the collector Reynolds number and the forces considered to acting on the particles. The importance of forces naturally is affected by the environment, which is a liquid phase in the case of flotation or chemical reactors and therefore all forces like drag, pressure, added mass, and gravity/buoyancy are important. For the moment the numerically quite expensive Basset force was still neglected; however, it will have a similar influence as the added mass. The drastic importance of the transverse shear lift was already highlighted above. In Fig. 12 the impact efficiency in dependence of B Re is shown for small 50 m and larger 150 m particles. It should be noted, that fixing the particle size at varying Reynolds number still implies a change of the interaction Stokes number. With increasing Reynolds number and considering all forces, it shows for both particle sizes a decay of the impact efficiency, approaching some plateau or limiting value. Neglecting now only gravity, but keeping all other forces (see Eq. 4.3 Rigid spherical collector bubble in water flow It should be noted that in a gas flow, presented above, the transverse shear lift force was found to be of minor importance for deposition, even though the slip between 200 μm particles and the gas flow may be higher compared to smaller particles. Fig. 9 Numerically obtained deposition pattern and particle concentration fields for a 2.5 mm spherical collector bubble in water at a Reynolds number of B 0 312.5, 0.125 m/s Re U = = and different sizes of particles, i.e., P 50,100,150, and 200 μm d = ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) (upper rows: deposition pattern viewed from the top (the deposition counter per area has a colour scale from 0 to 1×108 m−2) in the case of 50 and 100 μm particles and from 0 to 5×108 m−2 for the larger particles with 150 and 200 μm); lower rows: vertical slice through the bubble centroid illustrating the particle concentration field (kg/m3); please note the variable colour scale, 50 μm: 0–5 kg/m3; 100 μm: 0–35 kg/m3; 150 μm: 0–120 kg/m3, 200 μm: 0–250 kg/m3). The effect of the shear lift is better illustrated through the visualisation of particle trajectories (Fig. 10). For that purpose, 80 particles were introduced at the inlet along a line corresponding to the vertical plane through the bubble centroid. The particles were then tracked until deposition occurs or they have passed the bubble. In Fig. 10 the trajectories of large particles with 200 m are presented for the cases without and with shear-lift. Neglecting the lift force yields relative smooth particle trajectories, which are hitting the bubble in a straight way and particles passing the equator of the bubble are moving further downwards on almost straight paths (Fig. 10 (left)). With the shear lift Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 377 Fig. 10 Calculated particle trajectories ( P 200 μm d = , 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) around a spherical bubble of 2.5 mm diameter in water at a Reynolds number of B 0 156.25 ( 0.0625 m/s) Re U = = (left: without shear lift force; right: with shear lift force); the back-ground colour corresponds to the magnitude of flow velocity (velocity scale from 0 to 0.07 m/s). Fig. 4.3 Rigid spherical collector bubble in water flow (13)) demonstrates again the strong importance of gravity for low B Re in the present situation with the gravity acting in flow direction. This behaviour is also predicted by the theory presented in Fig. 2. When neglecting gravity, for both particle sizes the simulated impact efficiency is very small at low B Re and increases with growing Reynolds number implying that inertia becomes more important (Fig. 12). The process of particle interaction with the boundary layer flow is illustrated in Fig. 11. First, due to the action of the downward gravity the heavy particles should be faster than the fluid. Moreover, inertial particles entering the boundary layer from the topside with a higher velocity will be faster than the fluid and therefore, the lift is pushing the particles towards the bubble surface. In the case of particles which lag the flow within the boundary layer, i.e., the particle downward velocity is lower than the local fluid velocity, the shear lift is driving the particles out of the boundary layer and consequently, the deposition efficiency Fig. 11 Illustration of the action of the shear-induced lift on a solid particle moving around a large rigid bubble (i.e., suspension flow directed downwards) (left: fast solid particle moving from outside into the boundary layer on the bubble surface yielding a lift towards the bubble; right: the particle lags behind the flow and the lift force is acting away from the bubble surface, this situation is supported by the accelerative flow around the bubble which the particles are not able to follow). Fig. 11 Illustration of the action of the shear-induced lift on a solid particle moving around a large rigid bubble (i.e., suspension flow directed downwards) (left: fast solid particle moving from outside into the boundary layer on the bubble surface yielding a lift towards the bubble; right: the particle lags behind the flow and the lift force is acting away from the bubble surface, this situation is supported by the accelerative flow around the bubble which the particles are not able to follow). Expectedly, added mass and pressure term are less important for small particles and lower B, Re since they increase fluid resistance against the direction of motion and hence reduce particle downward velocity, yielding eventually a reduction of impact efficiency. Disregarding the shear-induced lift force in a liquid flow has a drastic 378 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda Fig. 4.3 Rigid spherical collector bubble in water flow 12 Total impact efficiency total E for solid particles: (a) P 50 μm d = ; (b) P 150 μm d = ( 3 P 2500 ) kg/m ρ = interacting with a spherical bubble ( B 2.5 mm D = ) in water obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering different force combinations for varying Reynolds numbers B. Re Fig. 12 Total impact efficiency total E for solid particles: (a) P 50 μm d = ; (b) P 150 μm d = ( 3 P 2500 ) kg/m ρ = interacting with a spherical bubble ( B 2.5 mm D = ) in water obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering different force combinations for varying Reynolds numbers B. Re influence on impact efficiency (Fig. 12). As mentioned above, shear lift is more relevant for larger particles (see also Sommerfeld (1996)) and enhances remarkably deposition for lower B Re (i.e., consistent with the result presented in Fig. 10), but interestingly reduces impact probability for larger B Re (Fig. 12(b)). In the case of spherical bubbles with 2.5 mm, this transition is found at B 900 Re = , from where on transverse lift reduces deposition. This effect may be again illustrated showing particle trajectories around the bubble for the condition of B 1250 Re = (Fig. 13). Please note that for this high bubble Reynolds number the predicted liquid flow showed slight asymmetries, i.e., the wake is slightly diverted to the left. Without transverse lift force, particles hit the bubble up to an angle of about 50° from the front stagnation point and all other particles injected at larger radial positions pass by the bubble on smooth trajectories. They are also not decisively entrained into the wake of the bubble. Accounting for the lift force shows that particles are deposited only until an angle of about 30° from the stagnation point. Particles approaching the bubble further outward are sharply deflected away from the bubble surface within the boundary layer (i.e., mechanism illustrated in Fig. 11(b)) and thereafter carried along with the flow, bypassing the bubble. At the considered high bubble Reynolds number the streamlines are strongly squeezed towards the bubble surface so that in the region of the front stagnation point very high velocity gradients are existing. 4.3 Rigid spherical collector bubble in water flow Particles will enter the boundary layer with relatively large downward velocity, but the particle velocity component tangential to the bubble surface will be considerably lower than the fluid tangential velocity (condition illustrated in Fig. 11 (right)) so that they are expelled out of the boundary layer by the shear lift (Fig. 13). Moreover, particles coming out of the bubble boundary layer just downstream of the front stagnation point (i.e., deflected particles) with lower velocity will enter the outer region of the boundary layer with higher flow velocity and as a result the lift will act outwards as shown in Fig. 11(b). When only drag and gravity are considered, just like in the theory (Fig. 2), one obtains a similar behaviour with increasing B Re ; initially the impact efficiency is high due to gravity effects, around B 300 Re » a minimum is observed, Fig. 13 Calculated particle trajectories ( P 150 μm d = ) around a rigid spherical bubble in water with 2.5 mm diameter at a Reynolds number of B 0 1250 ( 0.5 m/s) Re U = = (left: without shear lift force; right: with shear lift force); the back-ground colour corresponds to the magnitude of flow velocity (velocity scale from 0 to 0.6 m/s). Fig. 13 Calculated particle trajectories ( P 150 μm d = ) around a rigid spherical bubble in water with 2.5 mm diameter at a Reynolds number of B 0 1250 ( 0.5 m/s) Re U = = (left: without shear lift force; right: with shear lift force); the back-ground colour corresponds to the magnitude of flow velocity (velocity scale from 0 to 0.6 m/s). Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 379 Fig. 4.4 Rigid ellipsoidal collector bubble in water flow This part of the results is devoted to deformed rigid bubbles where the shape is assumed to be an oblate spheroid or ellipsoid. Examining first the deposition pattern and the particle concentration field around a spheroidal bubble with an eccentricity of 1.8 χ = (Fig. 14) gives basically the same picture as for the spherical bubbles (Fig. 9). In this context it should be remarked that all properties, like bubble Reynolds number and the impact efficiency are determined on the basis of the volume equivalent diameter, which in this case is also 2.5 mm. The top view of the deposition pattern shows that the small particles (i.e., 50 μm) have a low impact efficiency, again the particles are covering the entire upper part of the ellipsoidal bubble facing the flow, however, also rather sparce. The deposition densities of course increase with growing particle diameter, and they also show a maximum around the front stagnation point (Fig. 14). The side views depict the deposition pattern on the bubble surface as well as a vertical plane of the particle concentration going through the bubble centroid. This concentration distribution clearly demarks the region of the bubble wake (Fig. 14). Similar to the results for the spherical bubble, the slip-shear lift on the particles causes their deposition on the luff-side of the bubble, downstream of the equator. Fig. 14 Numerically obtained deposition pattern and particle concentration fields for a 2.5 mm horizontally aligned and deformed spheroidal bubble with eccentricity 1.8 χ = at a Reynolds number of B 0 312.5, 0.125 m/s Re U = = and different sizes of particles, i.e., P 50,100,150, and 200 μm d = (upper rows: deposition pattern viewed from the top (the deposition counter per area has different colour scales for better visualising the distribution, upper row from 0 to 1×108 m−2 and lower row from 0 to 5×108 m−2), lower rows: vertical slice through the bubble centroid illustrating the particle concentration field (kg/m3); please note the variable colour scale, 50 μm: 0–5 kg/m3; 100 μm: 0–30 kg/m3; 150 μm: 0–200 kg/m3; 200 μm: 0–250 kg/m3). Interesting is the accumulation of particles in the bubble wake, which strongly depends on the particle size and hence the Stokes number. Very small particles (i.e., P AM 50 μm, 0.02 d St < < ) easily tend to be entrained over the entire wake region (Figs. 4 and 5). 4.3 Rigid spherical collector bubble in water flow 14 Numerically obtained deposition pattern and particle concentration fields for a 2.5 mm horizontally aligned and deformed spheroidal bubble with eccentricity 1.8 χ = at a Reynolds number of B 0 312.5, 0.125 m/s Re U = = and different sizes of particles, i.e., P 50,100,150, and 200 μm d = (upper rows: deposition pattern viewed from the top (the deposition counter per area has different colour scales for better visualising the distribution, upper row from 0 to 1×108 m−2 and lower row from 0 to 5×108 m−2), lower rows: vertical slice through the bubble centroid illustrating the particle concentration field (kg/m3); please note the variable colour scale, 50 μm: 0–5 kg/m3; 100 μm: 0–30 kg/m3; 150 μm: 0–200 kg/m3; 200 μm: 0–250 kg/m3). and beyond this point the impact efficiency again increases due to inertia (Fig. 12). With respect to considering all relevant forces, the result only accounting for drag and gravity yields a huge difference. For smaller B Re considering all forces, higher deposition is obtained, whereas at larger B Re simulations with all forces give lower deposition. This demonstrates that the theory is not appropriate for large particles. For smaller particles (here 50 m) there is no large difference in the results obtained with the different force settings (Fig. 12(a)), increasing however for growing B Re . Hence, the theory of Schulze (1989) has a limited applicability and is more suitable for smaller particles, since it was derived on the basis of simulations conducted for a gas flow (Schuch and Löffler, 1978). 4.4 Rigid ellipsoidal collector bubble in water flow The largest particles (i.e., P AM 200 μm, 0.33 d St = = ) clearly accumulate near the rim of the wake region, whereas slightly smaller particles (i.e., P AM 150 μm, 0.19 d St = = ) are also entrained into the toroidal vortex structure established within the wake. In a practical situation where bubbles and particles are moving within the facility, such a particle accumulation in the wake of the bubbles will of course increase the added mass force acting on the bubbles. Such a complex process may be evaluated in more detail using numerical flow simulations with resolved bubbles through for example a VOF (volume-of-fluid) method. 380 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda Fig. 16 Numerically obtained deposition pattern and particle concentration fields for a 2.5 mm ellipsoidal and inclined bubble ( 1.8, 45 χ α = = ) in water at a Reynolds number of B 0 625, 0.25 m/s Re U = = and different sizes of particles, i.e., P 50,100,150, and 200 μm d = ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) (upper rows: deposition pattern viewed from the side (the deposition counter per area has a colour scale from 0 to 1×108 m−2), lower rows: deposition pattern viewed from the side perpendicular to the incarnation plane; both include vertical slices through the bubble centroid illustrating the particle concentration field (kg/m3); please note the variable colour scale, 50 μm: 0–2.5 kg/m3; 100 μm: 0–20 kg/m3; 150 μm: 0–80 kg/m3; 200 μm: 0–200 kg/m3). For the horizontally aligned ellipsoidal bubble with 1.8 χ = , also the capture or impact efficiency versus the bubble Reynolds number was analysed for 150 μm particles considering different force settings (Fig. 15). The general trends are very similar to those observed for the spherical bubble (Fig. 12), but the spheroidal bubble results show higher impact efficiencies for all force settings considered, except for the case without gravity. Moreover, the influence of the shear-lift onto the particle motion is less pronounced compared with the spherical bubble (compare Figs. 12 and 15) and the associated increase of deposition is lower. The transition Reynolds number where the action of the lift force is reversed (i.e., from increasing to reducing deposition) already occurs at B 600 Re » . The added mass effect has roughly the same impact for spherical and ellipsoidal bubbles (Fig. 15). 4.4 Rigid ellipsoidal collector bubble in water flow Finally, the influence of bubble inclination on the deposition pattern will be investigated. The measurements of Sommerfeld and Bröder (2009) showed that the bubble tilting angle in a laboratory bubble column is distributed between ±45 at maximum. Hence, as an extreme case the inclination angle of 45 is considered (Fig. 16), again with a volume equivalent diameter of 2.5 mm and an eccentricity of 1.8 χ = , which is also near the maximum of the measured eccentricities in a bubble column (Sommerfeld and Bröder, 2009). The bubble Reynolds number is selected to be B 625 Re = , located in the wobbling regime of bubbles (Clift et al., 1978). As to be expected, the asymmetric flow about the deformed bubble (Fig. 5) results in an asymmetric and shifted deposition pattern (Fig. 16). For small particles the deposition pattern is again quite sparse. Increasing particle size of course results in growing impact or deposition efficiency. The topology of deposition for the largest particles again illustrates the negative effect of the shear lift, Fig. 15 Total impact efficiency total E for solid particles (150 μm, 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) interacting with a horizontally aligned ellipsoidal bubble ( B,ves 2.5 mm D = ) in water obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering different force combinations for varying Reynolds numbers B Re . Fig. 16 Numerically obtained deposition pattern and particle concentration fields for a 2.5 mm ellipsoidal and inclined bubble ( 1.8, 45 χ α = = ) in water at a Reynolds number of B 0 625, 0.25 m/s Re U = = and different sizes of particles, i.e., P 50,100,150, and 200 μm d = ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) (upper rows: deposition pattern viewed from the side (the deposition counter per area has a colour scale from 0 to 1×108 m−2), lower rows: deposition pattern viewed from the side perpendicular to the incarnation plane; both include vertical slices through the bubble centroid illustrating the particle concentration field (kg/m3); please note the variable colour scale, 50 μm: 0–2.5 kg/m3; 100 μm: 0–20 kg/m3; 150 μm: 0–80 kg/m3; 200 μm: 0–200 kg/m3). similar to the observation for spherical bubbles (see Figs. 12 and 13). There is only little deposition on the luff side of the bubble. This was also observed on the graph for the total impact efficiency (Fig. 15). 4.5 Comparison for different conditions in water flow 4.5 Comparison for different conditions in water flow For the first time bubble shape effect on the impact efficiency for fine particles was numerically analysed. The main question to answer was in as much bubble deformation enhances capture efficiency and hence fine particle flotation. For the comparison of spherical and ellipsoidal bubble flotation the total impact efficiency according to Eqs. (18) and (19) was determined from the simulations and plotted versus the particle diameter as well as the relative Stokes number AM St (Eq. (2)). In Fig. 17 the comparison of the capture efficiency for both bubble shapes at various B Re is shown. Similar to the trends found for a collector in an air flow (Fig. 6), the impact efficiency is reduced with growing B, Re suggesting that in a flotation the relative velocity between bubbles and suspension should be kept as small as possible in order to make use of the strong dominance of gravity for low B Re and for small particles (see also Fig. 2). It should be kept in mind, that due to the treatment of the particles as point-masses an upper limit of P 200 μm d = was a meaningful assumption. Therefore, in the present configuration of relevance (i.e., bubble size B 2.5 mm D = ) the efficiency curves in Fig. 17 do not show the typical S-shape as in Fig. 6 for the airflow. Expectedly, the impact efficiency grows with particle diameter and is enhanced for the oblate spheroidal bubbles compared to the spherical ones. This enhancement grows with the reduction of bubble Reynolds number (Fig. 17). Plotting the capture efficiency versus the Stokes number AM St , the curves for spherical and elliptical bubbles are very similar, again with higher total E for the spheroidal bubbles. For the smallest bubble Reynolds number at larger particle diameters, this increase is at maximum about 10%. For smaller bubble eccentricities the The comparison of the capture efficiency in dependence of particle diameter is depicted in Fig. 18 for a horizontally aligned bubble and one inclined by 45. Since in this configuration the effective bubble capturing cross-section facing the flow is smaller, the values for the impact efficiency are also slightly reduced. Although there is not a large difference for the considered static situation, a dynamic oscillating and tumbling bubble motion could give an enhancement of impact efficiency. 4.4 Rigid ellipsoidal collector bubble in water flow Interesting is again the interaction of the particles with the bubble wake structure, which shows Fig. 15 Total impact efficiency total E for solid particles (150 μm, 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) interacting with a horizontally aligned ellipsoidal bubble ( B,ves 2.5 mm D = ) in water obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering different force combinations for varying Reynolds numbers B Re . Fig. 15 Total impact efficiency total E for solid particles (150 μm, 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) interacting with a horizontally aligned ellipsoidal bubble ( B,ves 2.5 mm D = ) in water obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering different force combinations for varying Reynolds numbers B Re . Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 381 impact efficiency would of course lay between the spherical bubble and the results for 1.8 χ = . almost no entrainment and accumulation of particles. For the large particles some particle braids are shedding off the upper side of the bubble (Fig. 16 (lower block)). The dependence of the impact efficiency on the relative Stokes number (Fig. 17) also demonstrates that it will not be an easy task to establish a generalised correlation for the impact efficiency in dependence of relative Stokes number AM St and bubble Reynolds number B Re , similar to Eqs. (5) and (11), due to the relative importance of the fluid forces for different sized particles. 4.5 Comparison for different conditions in water flow 4.5 Comparison for different conditions in water flow A comparison of the capture efficiency obtained for the different bubble sizes and shapes is presented in Fig. 19, namely for a spherical bubble with 2.5 mm, and spheroidal bubbles with 1.8 χ = having volume equivalent diameters of 2.5 mm as well as 4.0 mm. The impact efficiency for the large deformed bubble is considerably higher, especially at lower but identical B. Re Hence, the large bubble captures much more particles, since for the same Reynolds number the bubble vertical relative velocity is much smaller, which strongly influences particle–bubble interaction. 4.6 Impact statistics for a spherical collector bubble in water flow 18 Total particle capture efficiency total E for ellipsoidal bubbles (eccentricity=1.8, B,ves 2.5 mm D = ) in water at two different inclination angles (i.e., horizontally aligned bubble 0 α =  and 45 α = ) in dependence of particle diameter ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) for three bubble Reynolds numbers B Re obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering all force. p (c) (d) ( ( ) ) a p p a Fig. 20 Relative probability (number of locally impinging particles over injected number of particles given by Eq. (19)) divided by cross-sectional area of solid particles hitting a 2.5 mm spherical bubble at laminar water flow for different bubble Reynolds numbers B Re and particle diameters ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ): (a) B 156.25 Re = , (b) B 312.5 Re = , (c) B 625, Re = and (d) B 1250 Re = . Fig. 19 Total particle capture efficiency total E for spherical and ellipsoidal (eccentricity=1.8) bubbles in water with different diameter ( B,ves 2.5 and 4.0 mm D = ) in dependence of relative Stokes number AM St for two bubble Reynolds numbers B Re obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering all force (spherical solid particles with 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ). (c) (d) ( ) a p (c) Fig. 19 Total particle capture efficiency total E for spherical and ellipsoidal (eccentricity=1.8) bubbles in water with different diameter ( B,ves 2.5 and 4.0 mm D = ) in dependence of relative Stokes number AM St for two bubble Reynolds numbers B Re obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering all force (spherical solid particles with 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ). (d) (d) ( ) p a and also to estimate a sticking probability considering the relevant interfacial forces (Omota et al., 2006). Consequently, in order to support the modelling of impact efficiencies and a possible particle sticking on the bubble surface, the distributions of all impact locations over the bubble radius as well as scatter plots of the instantaneous particle impact velocity are evaluated from the simulations for a spherical rigid bubble in water flow. All the impact points over the bubble surface are counted and classified with respect to radius and subsequently normalised by the respective projected annular area. 4.6 Impact statistics for a spherical collector bubble in water flow Consequently, in order to support the modelling of impact efficiencies and a possible particle sticking on the bubble surface, the distributions of all impact locations over the bubble radius as well as scatter plots of the instantaneous particle impact velocity are evaluated from the simulations for a spherical rigid bubble in water flow. All the impact points over the bubble surface are counted and classified with respect to radius and subsequently normalised by the respective projected annular area. The profiles presented in Fig. 20 for different bubble Reynolds numbers and a number of particle diameters confirm the qualitative result presented in Figs. 8 and 9. When increasing the bubble Reynolds (a) (b) p p a a ( ( ) ) (c) (d) ( ( ) ) a p p a Fig. 20 Relative probability (number of locally impinging particles over injected number of particles given by Eq. (19)) divided by cross-sectional area of solid particles hitting a 2.5 mm spherical bubble at laminar water flow for different bubble Reynolds numbers B Re and particle diameters ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ): (a) B 156.25 Re = , (b) B 312.5 Re = , (c) B 625, Re = and (d) B 1250 Re = . Fig. 18 Total particle capture efficiency total E for ellipsoidal bubbles (eccentricity=1.8, B,ves 2.5 mm D = ) in water at two different inclination angles (i.e., horizontally aligned bubble 0 α =  and 45 α = ) in dependence of particle diameter ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) for three bubble Reynolds numbers B Re obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering all force. (a) (b) p p a a ( ( ) ) (a) (b) p a ( ) (a) (b) p p a a ( ( ) ) (c) (d) ( ( ) ) a p p a g. 20 Relative probability (number of locally impinging particle ver injected number of particles given by Eq. (19)) divided b oss-sectional area of solid particles hitting a 2.5 mm spherica ubble at laminar water flow for different bubble Reynolds number Be and particle diameters ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ): (a) B 156.25 Re = ) B 312.5 Re = , (c) B 625, Re = and (d) B 1250 Re = . (b) (b) p a ( ) Fig. 4.6 Impact statistics for a spherical collector bubble in water flow 4.6 Impact statistics for a spherical collector bubble in water flow 4.6 Impact statistics for a spherical collector bubble in water flow Besides the presented results on global impact or capture efficiencies, the numerical simulations allow to extract much more information for each individual impact, such as impact velocities and impact angles of the particles. From these data it is possible to evaluate appropriate probability distributions Fig. 17 Total particle capture efficiency total E for spherical and ellipsoidal (eccentricity=1.8) bubbles in water ( B,ves 2.5 mm D = ), in dependence of (a) particle diameter ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) and (b) relative Stokes number AM St for a range of bubble Reynolds numbers B Re , obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering all force. Fig. 17 Total particle capture efficiency total E for spherical and ellipsoidal (eccentricity=1.8) bubbles in water ( B,ves 2.5 mm D = ), in dependence of (a) particle diameter ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) and (b) relative Stokes number AM St for a range of bubble Reynolds numbers B Re , obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering all force. 382 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda 382 Fig. 18 Total particle capture efficiency total E for ellipsoidal bubbles (eccentricity=1.8, B,ves 2.5 mm D = ) in water at two different inclination angles (i.e., horizontally aligned bubble 0 α =  and 45 α = ) in dependence of particle diameter ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ) for three bubble Reynolds numbers B Re obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering all force. Fig. 19 Total particle capture efficiency total E for spherical and ellipsoidal (eccentricity=1.8) bubbles in water with different diameter ( B,ves 2.5 and 4.0 mm D = ) in dependence of relative Stokes number AM St for two bubble Reynolds numbers B Re obtained from laminar flow simulations and Lagrangian particle tracking considering all force (spherical solid particles with 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ). and also to estimate a sticking probability considering the relevant interfacial forces (Omota et al., 2006). 4.6 Impact statistics for a spherical collector bubble in water flow This is caused by the shear lift whereby the particle trajectories are deflected towards the bubble by the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 11 (right)) and obvious from the trajectories in Fig. 10. From these results it is clear, that modelling the particle to bubble impact velocity in the frame of large-scale numerical simulations of gas–liquid–solid three phase flows is not a simple task. Assuming constant values over the bubble cross-section, for example being equivalent to the relative velocity between particles and bubbles, seems to be a rather crude assumption (Bourloutski and Sommerfeld, 2004; Gruber et al., 2016). number or free stream inlet velocity, the profiles change from roughly flat (i.e., almost constant over the bubble surface) to a kind of parabolic shape with the highest impact probability near the stagnation point of the bubble. This trend is of course the result of increasing particle inertia with growing B Re due the flow being more compressed towards the bubble. Overall, however, the impact probability increases with bubble Reynolds number. For a given bubble Reynolds number an increase of the total impact probability (i.e., integration of the profiles) with particle size is of course expected (see Fig. 1). Very interesting is again the role of the shear lift force as discussed above (Fig. 11), which is highlighted through a simulation without transverse lift for the 150 μm particles (dashed lines in Fig. 20). Except for B 625 Re = the shear lift is very important and both mechanisms illustrated in Fig. 11 may be identified. Naturally, the importance of the lift also grows with particle diameter. In the case of the lowest bubble Reynolds number, i.e., B 156.25 Re = , the shear lift tends to transport the solid particles towards the outer rim of the bubble (mechanism Fig. 11 (right)), yielding high collection in this region whereas in the inner bubble cross-section region particle collection is reduced (Fig. 20(a)). At B 312.5 Re = a similar effect is observed and for B 625 Re = (Fig. 20(c)) the transverse lift seems to have the smallest influence. Finally, for the highest bubble Reynolds number considered, i.e., B 1250 Re = , the lift effect reverses and causes in average a strong transport of the particles towards the core region of the bubble projected cross-section (mechanism Fig. 11 (left)), illustrated in Fig. 20(d)). As mentioned above in all results shown in Fig. 4.6 Impact statistics for a spherical collector bubble in water flow The profiles presented in Fig. 20 for different bubble Reynolds numbers and a number of particle diameters confirm the qualitative result presented in Figs. 8 and 9. When increasing the bubble Reynolds Fig. 20 Relative probability (number of locally impinging particles over injected number of particles given by Eq. (19)) divided by cross-sectional area of solid particles hitting a 2.5 mm spherical bubble at laminar water flow for different bubble Reynolds numbers B Re and particle diameters ( 3 P 2500 kg/m ρ = ): (a) B 156.25 Re = , (b) B 312.5 Re = , (c) B 625, Re = and (d) B 1250 Re = . Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 383 response and their deceleration of course strongly depend on their size. The 50 μm particles are expectedly quickly decelerated in the bubble stagnation point. Others, released more laterally, begin to move around the bubble and hence, maintain a higher downward velocity (Fig. 21(a)). Consequently, the impact velocity profile has a parabolic shape. The impact angle rapidly decreases from about 90 (at the north pole of the bubble) to 0 for lateral impacts (Fig. 21(a) (right)). When the particle size is increased, they are less strongly decelerated within the bubble stagnation point region. Hence, at the bubble north pole the impact velocity continuously increases, namely: −0.01, −0.02, −0.065, and −0.11 for particle diameters of 50, 100, 150, and 200 μm (Fig. 21 (left column)). For the considered larger particles the radial profiles of the vertical particle velocity have rather complex shapes caused by particles moving almost straight downwards and others passing around the stagnation point and hitting the bubble at more lateral surface locations. Interesting is the result for the 200 μm particles (Fig. 21(d)) showing at the outer edge of the bubble some events with upward vertical velocities which comes from particles being entrained in the wake flow. Such an effect is again associated with the slip-shear lift force. Naturally, the particle impact angle is also linked with their motion history (Fig. 21 (right column)). Again, an interesting effect is observed, for the larger particles (i.e., P 50 μm d > ) no grazing particle-bubble collisions are observed (i.e., there are no impact angles below about 30). 4.6 Impact statistics for a spherical collector bubble in water flow 20, the shear lift force importance decreases when reducing particle diameter (see also Fig. 12). In order to model the impact of solid particles on the bubble surface also the impact velocity and the impingement angle are relevant. Therefore, these data were extracted from the simulations and presented in the form of scatter plots exemplarily for a bubble Reynolds number of B 625 Re = which roughly corresponds to the terminal velocity of a 2.5 mm bubble, being about 0.25 m/s. The result in Fig. 21 was obtained for four particle diameters and shows in the left column the vertical component of the particle velocity. The right column presents the impact angle with the bubble surface, corresponding to 90 for a normal impingement, found mainly around the front stagnation point of the bubble, and 0 for a grazing collision observed near the equator of the bubbles. For the considered bubble Reynolds number, the fluid inlet velocity is 0.25 m/s; however, the particles, due to gravity, will become slightly faster than the liquid. When approaching the bubble surface, the particles will respond to the velocity change induced by the bubble, namely, near the front stagnation point, the flow deflection by the bubble and the bubble boundary layer. The particle 5 Conclusions For a laminar flow condition and rigid spherical and ellipsoidal bubbles (i.e., corresponding to fully contaminated bubbles) the impact efficiency of fine suspension particles was evaluated based on numerical simulations. The predicted laminar flow fields obtained for a range of inflow velocities or bubble Reynolds numbers were used to inject and track a large number of particles considering various sizes in a Lagrangian fashion. Particle tracking was done considering drag, added mass, fluid inertia, transverse shear-lift, and gravity/buoyancy. It was clearly demonstrated that for a flotation condition with water as a continuous phase, the 384 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda se shear-lift cannot be neglected. For smaller bubble ds numbers (spherical bubbles: B 900; Re < ellipsoidal with 1.8 χ = : B 700 Re < ) and larger particles this elds a remarkable increase of capture efficiency. When increasing bubble Reynolds number be transition point, the shear-induced lift has th effect, namely a reduction of deposition efficien case of only considering drag and gravity a clear Scatter plots of the vertical component of the particle velocity upon impact on a spherical bubble (2.5 mm) surface (l icle impact angle with respect to the tangent on the bubble surface (right column), both plotted versus the normal .5 mm spherical bubble in laminar water flow for a bubble Reynolds number of B 0 625, 0.25 m/s, Re U = = and f s: (a) P 50 μm d = , (b) P 100 μm d = , (c) P 150 μm d = , (d) P 200 μm d = ( 3 P 2500 k ) g/m . ρ = Fig. 21 Scatter plots of the vertical component of the particle velocity upon impact on a spherical bubble (2.5 mm) surface (left column) and particle impact angle with respect to the tangent on the bubble surface (right column), both plotted versus the normalised bubble radius (2.5 mm spherical bubble in laminar water flow for a bubble Reynolds number of B 0 625, 0.25 m/s, Re U = = and four particle diameters: (a) P 50 μm d = , (b) P 100 μm d = , (c) P 150 μm d = , (d) P 200 μm d = ( 3 P 2500 k ) g/m . ρ = When increasing bubble Reynolds number beyond this transition point, the shear-induced lift has the opposite effect, namely a reduction of deposition efficiency. References Bourloutski, E., Sommerfeld, M. 2002. Transient RANS/Lagrange calculations of two- and three-phase flows in bubble columns. In: Engineering Turbulence Modelling and Experiments 5. Rodi, W., Fueyo, N. Eds. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Ltd., 969–978. Bourloutski, E., Sommerfeld, M. 2004. Euler/Lagrange calculations of gas–liquid–solid-flows in bubble columns with phase interaction. In: Bubbly Flows. Heat and Mass Transfer. Sommerfeld, M. Ed. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 243–259. Naturally, the composite theory of Schulze (1989) does not account for added mass and slip-shear lift effects. Therefore, the theory of Schulze (1989) has a limited applicability and it was shown that it is more suitable for smaller particles. Therefore, further studies need to be conducted for improving the correlations of Schulze (1989) in order to account for these important forces. Moreover, it should be kept in mind that the studies conducted here are obtained for laminar dilute suspension flows; whereas in practice the bubbles move within a swarm and are exposed to a highly turbulent environment. Clift, R., Grace, J. R., Weber, M. E. 1978. Bubbles, Drops, and Particles. New York: Academic Press. Dai, Z., Fornasiero, D., Ralston, J. 2000. Particle–bubble collision models—A review. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 85: 231–256. Dobby, G. S., Finch, J. A. 1987. Particle size dependence in flotation derived from a fundamental model of the capture process. International Journal of Mineral Processing, 21: 241–260. Fotovati, S., Vahedi Tafreshi, H., Pourdeyhimi, B. 2010. Influence of fiber orientation distribution on performance of aerosol filtration media. Chemical Engineering Science, 65: 5285–5293. Galeev, R. S., Zaripov, S. K. 2003. Deposition of aerosol particles on a sphere: The role of gravity. Aerosol Science and Technology, 37: 325–329. Finally, also profiles of the collection probability over bubble radius (surface) for a spherical bubble are analysed for different bubble Reynolds numbers and solid particle diameters, again highlighting the two transport mechanisms caused by the slip-shear lift force. Also, the radial distribution of the particle impact velocity on the bubble surface revealed to have complex shapes due to the history of particle motion just before impact and the particle response characteristics. Gao, Y., Wang, G., Evans, G. M., Wanless, E. J., Sathe, M., Mitra, S., Moreno-Atanasio, R. 2015. Modelling the motion of a collected particle over a bubble surface. Procedia Engineering, 102: 1346– 1355. Gruber, M. C., Radl, S., Khinast, J. G. 2016. Effect of bubble–particle interaction models on flow predictions in three-phase bubble columns. Funding note Ho, C. A., Sommerfeld, M. 2002. Modelling of micro-particle agglomeration in turbulent flows. Chemical Engineering Science, 57: 3073–3084. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. Koh, P. T. L., Schwarz, M. P. 2006. CFD modelling of bubble–particle attachments in flotation cells. Minerals Engineering, 19: 619–626. References Chemical Engineering Science, 146: 226–243. The accumulation of particles in the wake of the bubbles moreover, may cause a modification of drag force and added mass, which needs to be further analysed through simulations of freely rising and deformable bubbles. Guha, A. 2008. Transport and deposition of particles in turbulent and laminar flow. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, 40: 311–341. Hassanzadeh, A., Firouzi, M., Albijanic, B., Celik, M. S. 2018. A review on determination of particle–bubble encounter using analytical, experimental and numerical methods. Minerals Engineering, 122: 296–311. Declaration of competing interest The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. The author Martin Sommerfeld is an Editorial Board Member of this journal. For the first time also bubble shape and orientation effects on impact efficiency were analysed through numerical computations. For a rather strong bubble deformation with an eccentricity of 1.8 (i.e., typically found in bubble columns for bubbles larger than about 2 mm) the increase of impact efficiency becomes more pronounced for lower bubble Reynolds numbers, i.e., an increase of 10% absolute is observed for B 80 Re » at larger particle sizes between about 50 and 200 μm . In bubble columns normally bubbles are not rising rectilinear, but perform a zigzag or spiral motion. As a result of such an inclination, the effective collection cross-section of the bubbles is reduced, whereby of course a slight reduction in the particle impact efficiency is observed. 5 Conclusions In the case of only considering drag and gravity a clear minimum transverse shear-lift cannot be neglected. For smaller bubble Reynolds numbers (spherical bubbles: B 900; Re < ellipsoidal bubbles with 1.8 χ = : B 700 Re < ) and larger particles this force yields a remarkable increase of capture efficiency. Collision rates of small solid particles with rigid spherical and spheroidal bubbles in laminar flow 385 number SO 204/48-1, is gratefully acknowledged, which opened the possibility of conducting interesting research. of the capture efficiency in dependence of bubble Reynolds number is observed for all particle sizes due to the competition between gravity (important for small B Re ) and inertia (more important at larger B Re ). This behaviour is also predicted by the composite model of Schulze (1989). Declaration of competing interest Acknowledgements Koh, P. T. L., Schwarz, M. P. 2008. Modelling attachment rates of multi-sized bubbles with particles in a flotation cell. Minerals Engineering, 21: 989–993. The financial supports from the German Research Council (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), under contract 386 M. Sommerfeld, M. A. Taborda velocimetry. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 48: 330–340. Li, L., Lian, W., Bai, B., Zhao, Y., Li, P., Zhang, Q., Huang, W. 2021. CFD-PBM investigation of the hydrodynamics in a slurry bubble column reactor with a circular gas distributor and heat exchanger tube. Chemical Engineering Science: X, 9: 100087. Sommerfeld, M., Lain, S. 2009. From elementary processes to the numerical prediction of industrial particle-laden flows. Multiphase Science and Technology, 21: 123–140. Li, S., Schwarz, M. P., Feng, Y., Witt, P., Sun, C. 2019. A CFD study of particle–bubble collision efficiency in froth flotation. Minerals Engineering, 141: 105855. Sommerfeld, M., Schmalfuß, S. 2020. Analysis and optimisation of particle mixing performance in fluid phase resonance mixers based on Euler/Lagrange calculations. Advanced Powder Technology, 31: 139–157. Mei, R. 1992. An approximate expression for the shear lift force on a spherical particle at finite Reynolds number. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 18: 145–147. Sommerfeld, M., Taborda, M. A., Shaikhutdinova, G., Pasternak, L. 2021. Aerosol separation in different fibre matrices under laminar and turbulent flow conditions. In: Proceedings of the 13th International ERCOFTAC Symposium on Engineering, Turbulence, Modelling and Measurements, Paper No. 216. Mitra-Majumdar, D., Farouk, B., Shah, Y. T. 1997. Hydrodynamic modeling of three-phase flows through a vertical column. Chemical Engineering Science, 52: 4485–4497. Mühlbauer, A., Hlawitschka, M. W., Bart, H. J. 2021. Modeling of solid-particle effects on bubble breakage and coalescence in slurry bubble columns. Experimental and Computational Multiphase Flow, 3: 303–317. Sommerfeld, M., van Wachem, B., Oliemans, R. 2008. Best Practice Guidelines for Computational Fluid Dynamics of Dispersed Multiphase Flows. European Research Community on Flow, Turbulence and Combustion. Omota, F., Dimian, A. C., Bliek, A. 2006. Adhesion of solid particles to gas bubbles. Part 1: Modelling. Chemical Engineering Science, 61: 823–834. Wang, G., Ge, L., Mitra, S., Evans, G. M., Joshi, J. B., Chen, S. 2018. A review of CFD modelling studies on the flotation process. Minerals Engineering, 127: 153–177. Pan, H., Chen, X. Z., Liang, X. F., Zhu, L. T., Luo, Z. H. 2016. CFD simulations of gas–liquid–solid flow in fluidized bed reactors—A review. Powder Technology, 299: 235–258. Acknowledgements Wang, H., Yan, X., Li, D., Zhou, R., Wang, L., Zhang, H., Liu, Q. 2021. Recent advances in computational fluid dynamics simulation of flotation: A review. Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering, 16: e2704. Pieloth, D., Neumann, T., Schaldach, G., Walzel, P. 2013. CFD- Modellrechnungen zum Auftreffgrad von Partikeln auf Tropfen. Chemie Ingenieur Technik, Jahrg, 85: 1888–1896. Weber, M. E., Paddock, D. 1983. Interceptional and gravitational collision efficiencies for single collectors at intermediate Reynolds numbers. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 94: 328–335. Rabha, S., Schubert, M., Hampel, U. 2013. Hydrodynamic studies in slurry bubble columns: Experimental and numerical study. Chemie Ingenieur Technik, 85: 1092–1098. Xu, Y., Liu, M., Tang, C. 2013. Three-dimensional CFD–VOF–DPM simulations of effects of low-holdup particles on single-nozzle bubbling behavior in gas–liquid–solid systems. Chemical Engineering Journal, 222: 292–306. Saffman, P. G. 1965. The lift on a small sphere in a slow shear flow. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 22: 385–400. Schiller, L., Naumann, A. 1933. Uber die Grundlegenden Berechnungen Bei der Schwerkraftaufbereitung. Zeitschrift des Vereines Deutscher Ingenieure, 77: 318–321. Zhang, X., Ahmadi, G. 2005. Eulerian–Lagrangian simulations of liquid–gas–solid flows in three-phase slurry reactors. Chemical Engineering Science, 60: 5089–5104. Schuch, G., Löffler, F. 1978. Über die Abscheidewahrscheinlichkeit von Feststoffpartikeln an Tropfen in einer Gasströmung durch Trägheitseffekte. Verfahrenstechnik, 12: 302–306. Zhang, X., Ahmadi, G. 2012. Numerical simulations of liquid–gas–solid three-phase flows in microgravity. The Journal of Computational Multiphase Flows, 4: 41–63. Schulze, H. J. 1989. Hydrodynamics of bubble-mineral particle collisions. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, 5: 43–76. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Schwarz, M. P., Koh, P. T. L., Verrelli, D. I., Feng, Y. 2016. Sequential multi-scale modelling of mineral processing operations, with application to flotation cells. Minerals Engineering, 90: 2–16. Sommerfeld, M. 1996. Modellierung und numerische Berechnung von partikelbeladenen turbulenten Strömungen mit Hilfe des Euler/Lagrange-Verfahrens. Habilitaionsschrift, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Shaker Verlag, Aachen. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. Acknowledgements If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. Sommerfeld, M. 2019. L3.1 Bewegung fester Partikel in Gasen und Flüssigkeiten. In: VDI-Wärmeatlas. Springer Reference Technik. Stephan, P., Kabelac, S., Kind, M., Mewes, D., Schaber, K., Wetzel, T. Eds. Springer Vieweg Berlin Heidelberg, 1543–1559. Sommerfeld, M., Bröder, D. 2009. Analysis of hydrodynamics and microstructure in a bubble column by planar shadow image To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/. Sommerfeld, M., Bröder, D. 2009. Analysis of hydrodynamics and microstructure in a bubble column by planar shadow image
https://openalex.org/W4234618346
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-13071/v3.pdf?c=1599073148000
English
null
Content Development for a Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour e-Learning Module for Early Childhood Education Students: A Delphi Study
Research Square (Research Square)
2,020
cc-by
7,960
Content Development for a Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour e-Learning Module for Early Childhood Education Students: A Delphi Study Trish Tucker  (  ttucker2@uwo.ca ) Research article DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.2.22496/v3 License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License Version of Record: A version of this preprint was published on October 23rd, 2020. See the published version at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09670-w. Page 1/18 Abstract Background: Early childhood educators play a prominent role in promoting healthy activity behaviours in childcare. However, they have expressed that they lack the appropriate pre-service training to confidently lead physical activity (PA), and minimize sedentary behaviour (SB), in childcare. As such, the purpose of this Delphi study was to generate and reach agreement on content areas for inclusion in a PA and SB e- Learning module for Early Childhood Education (ECE) students. Methods: Purposeful sampling of Canadian/international researchers was used to form two expert panels: a PA/SB expert panel (n = 26), and a Canadian ECE panel. The PA/SB experts suggested their top 12 PA/SB topics for the module via online survey. These topics were then pooled to generate a list of 19 content areas. In a second online survey, both panels of experts rated the importance of each content area (0 = unimportant to 5 = very important). Mean ratings (M) were ranked separately for each panel, and then ratings were pooled to create an overall ranking of the 19 content areas. Inter-panel agreement of importance rankings was visually represented as a scatterplot and quantified using Spearman’s rho (rs). Results: The top-rated content area was Outdoor Play (M = 4.77 ± 0.64), followed by Benefits of PA in the Early Years (M = 4.75 ± 0.66), and Factors Influencing PA and SB in Childcare (M = 4.71 ± .74). Monitor PA and Sedentary Time Within Your Classroom had the lowest combined score (M = 3.77 ± 1.44). There was moderate-to strong inter-panel agreement for content area importance rankings (rs = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.83). The majority of the ECE expert panel considered this training important for ECE students (94.3%), aligning with ECE curriculum objectives (91.4%) and accreditation standards (78.8%), and complementary to the present ECE curriculum (88.6%). Conclusions: Providing PA and SB training to ECE students is a proactive way to ensure healthy movement behaviours are prioritized in childcare programming. With the PA/SB expert-developed content areas, and endorsement by the ECE expert panel, implementing this training within ECE programs is a necessary next step. Background For young children (<5 years), regular participation in physical activity is key to healthy physical, psychosocial, and cognitive development.(1) Specifically, increased duration and frequency of physical activity in early childhood positively influences executive function and language,(2) while higher intensity physical activity has been associated with improved motor skill development.(3) Further, limiting prolonged sedentary time, particularly in front of screens, is critical; in young children, television-viewing has been linked to decreased attention and disruptive sleep,(4) as well as decreased cognitive development (including literacy and numeracy).(5) As such, establishing healthy physical activity and sedentary behaviour habits in early childhood is highly important, and the childcare environment, where Page 2/18 Page 2/18 two-thirds of young Canadian children spend the majority of their weekdays,(6) has been identified as a prime setting to target these health behaviours. Background Early childhood educators are influential role models in the childcare setting, and with respect to programming, they control a substantial portion of young children’s days.(7–9) However, research has shown that both educator values and self-efficacy relating to physical activity, as well as their level of training in this area, influence the amount of physical activity they incorporate in their programming.(10– 13) Early childhood educators have acknowledged their limited pre-service training in physical activity and sedentary behaviour,(12,14) and have associated this with their low self-efficacy to promote and lead physical activity opportunities in childcare.(10) A recent Canadian study found that only 32.2% and 26.7% of Canadian Early Childhood Education (ECE) students reported receiving physical activity and screen- viewing-related training in their post-secondary ECE programs, respectively.(15) Further, in Canada, only 3 provinces/territories specifically reference physical activity, and 1 references screen-viewing, in their childcare regulation,(16) and few childcare centres have adopted physical activity (30%) and screen- viewing (29%) policies of their own.(17) Given such limited regulations, it is often early childhood educators who are responsible for determining the duration and frequency of physical activity opportunities and screen use in their classroom.(11,12) With the strong curricular focus placed on preparing children in their care for school, educators may not consider opportunities for physical activity as integral programming components.(18,19) Providing educators with proper training in physical activity has been introduced as a possible solution to ensure children are afforded appropriate daily opportunities to be active.(20) Both early childhood educators(21) and ECE students(22) have expressed their desire for additional training in physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and the provision of such learning opportunities is essential to assist educators in promoting the development of healthy movement behaviours among children in childcare. Methods The Non-Medical Research Ethics Board at the University of Western Ontario provided ethical approval (REB# 114435) for the conduct of this research. Study Design The Delphi method, developed by Dalkey and Helmer (1963), was adopted as the study design, as it is appropriate in cases where the subjective opinion of a group of experts is needed to reach consensus on a topic, but these individuals cannot meet to discuss in-person (due to constraints such as distance and time).(30,31) The Delphi technique involves multiple rounds of surveys with controlled feedback, allowing participants to reassess their answers based on their review of other panelists’ responses (30). Further, this method allows for anonymity, which mitigates challenges associated with traditional group consensus methods, where dominant individuals and pressure to conform can be confounding factors (32). The study design and procedures were loosely modeled after Gillis and colleagues’(33) Delphi study, which aimed to achieve consensus on research priorities for children’s and adolescents’ physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Background Recent efforts to better support educators in promoting and leading physical activity, and minimizing excessive sedentary time in childcare environments, have shown promising results.(23–27) For example, interventions that have provided early childhood educators with physical activity training have resulted in preschoolers accumulating increased moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA; +0.5 min/day and +1.28 min/day)(23,25), and decreased sedentary time (-2.13 min/day) while in childcare.(25) Early childhood educators’ receptiveness to both of these interventions was positive, and they communicated that they would continue to use the knowledge gained from the training after the interventions ceased.(24,28) While professional development in physical activity and sedentary behaviour for educators is essential to support ongoing learning and scaffold their physical activity-related teaching self-efficacy,(23,27) there is a need for this supplementary education at the post- secondary level (i.e., within ECE programs). This initiative will ensure ECE graduates are well-prepared to support healthy movement behaviours among young children upon entering a childcare-based profession.(29) Given the success of physical activity training programs for early childhood educators,(23,25) and the importance of providing this training to all early childhood educators pre-employment (where physical Page 3/18 Page 3/18 Page 3/18 activity-related education is lacking),(15) the next step is to narrow down key physical activity and sedentary behaviour content areas to include in training at the pre-service level. Further, there is a need to introduce more educator outcome measures (e.g., physical activity-related knowledge, self-efficacy, and teaching behaviours) in order to find out what content best supports educators’ knowledge acquisition and retention, as well as their development of self-efficacy to lead physical activity and minimize prolonged sedentary time in childcare. As such, the goal of the Training EArly CHildhood educators in physical activity study (i.e., the TEACH study), is to develop, implement, and evaluate the impact of a physical activity and sedentary behaviour e-Learning module for students in Canadian post-secondary ECE programs. As a first step, the current study aimed to identify and reach agreement on physical activity and sedentary behaviour content areas that are necessary for early childhood educators to be trained in. Study Procedures hysical activity/sedentary behaviour experts completed two online surveys. The first survey gathered their top 12 physical activity and sedentary-behaviour-related content areas they felt should be included in an e-Learning module for ECE students (with a brief justification for each topic). Two study investigators (BAB, PT) reviewed the topics generated in the first round of surveys and pooled them together. Similar topics were merged, and a list of unique content areas was created. Content areas that were only mentioned by one participant were excluded from the final list. In the second round of surveys, experts were provided the pooled list of content areas (along with a brief description of what would be included in that section of the module). They were asked to rate the importance of each content area on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = unimportant to 5 = very important). In order to ensure all proposed content areas were captured in the pooled list, experts were asked to indicate whether the topics they proposed in the first survey were accurately represented. Occupational positions for physical activity experts were retrieved by the research team via their institutional websites. The ECE expert panel completed a version of the second online survey, which, in addition to gathering their importance ratings of the content areas generated by the physical activity/sedentary behaviour expert panel, also captured: 1. demographics (occupational position, years of experience); 2. suggestions for topics not already proposed; 3. how important they felt this type of training was for ECE students; and, 4. whether they felt the module content aligned with ECE curriculum objectives and accreditation criteria/vocational learning outcomes, and complemented current ECE curriculum. Experts were assigned a unique participant code to use when filling out each online survey so that study investigators could determine which panel (i.e., Canadian, international, or ECE) each expert belonged to, and who had participated (in order to determine the need for subsequent survey dissemination). Participants and Recruitment In order to ensure module content was appropriate and contextually relevant to integrate into Canadian ECE curricula, 46 Canadian ECE experts were identified by the research team and invited via email to participate. Experts were selected based on their: 1. occupational position (i.e., ECE university professor, board/executive member of a relevant ECE organization, dean or program head/instructor of a post- secondary ECE program); 2. years of experience in the ECE field (5 years minimum); 3. In order to ensure module content was appropriate and contextually relevant to integrate into Canadian ECE curricula, 46 Canadian ECE experts were identified by the research team and invited via email to participate. Experts were selected based on their: 1. occupational position (i.e., ECE university professor, board/executive member of a relevant ECE organization, dean or program head/instructor of a post- secondary ECE program); 2. years of experience in the ECE field (5 years minimum); 3. provincial/territorial location (i.e., to ensure appropriate representation); and, 4. online email address availability. Additional experts (n = 14), referred to the research team by the initial group of ECE experts, were also invited to participate. Recruitment took place in November 2019 and a total of 35 ECE experts agreed to participate (58% response rate). See Figure 1 for the full recruitment process of physical activity/sedentary behaviour and ECE experts. provincial/territorial location (i.e., to ensure appropriate representation); and, 4. online email address availability. Additional experts (n = 14), referred to the research team by the initial group of ECE experts, were also invited to participate. Recruitment took place in November 2019 and a total of 35 ECE experts agreed to participate (58% response rate). See Figure 1 for the full recruitment process of physical activity/sedentary behaviour and ECE experts. Participants and Recruitment Canadian (n = 13) and international (n = 18) early years physical activity and sedentary behaviour experts were identified by the research team and invited via email to participate in two online surveys through QualtricsÓ. Experts were selected based on: 1. their established research in the field; and, 2. Canadian (n = 13) and international (n = 18) early years physical activity and sedentary behaviour experts were identified by the research team and invited via email to participate in two online surveys through QualtricsÓ. Experts were selected based on: 1. their established research in the field; and, 2. provincial/geographic location (i.e., to ensure appropriate representation within and outside of Canada). Additional experts (n = 17), referred to the research team by the initial group of study participants, were then invited as national (n = 2) and international (n = 15) experts. If no response was received within 2 weeks, a reminder email was circulated. Recruitment took place in October 2019 and a total of 25 physical activity and sedentary behaviour experts agreed to participate prior to the first round of surveys. One additional expert agreed to participate prior to the second round of surveys (53% response rate). provincial/geographic location (i.e., to ensure appropriate representation within and outside of Canada). Additional experts (n = 17), referred to the research team by the initial group of study participants, were then invited as national (n = 2) and international (n = 15) experts. If no response was received within 2 weeks, a reminder email was circulated. Recruitment took place in October 2019 and a total of 25 physical activity and sedentary behaviour experts agreed to participate prior to the first round of surveys. One additional expert agreed to participate prior to the second round of surveys (53% response rate). Page 4/18 Page 4/18 Page 4/18 In order to ensure module content was appropriate and contextually relevant to integrate into Canadian ECE curricula, 46 Canadian ECE experts were identified by the research team and invited via email to participate. Experts were selected based on their: 1. occupational position (i.e., ECE university professor, board/executive member of a relevant ECE organization, dean or program head/instructor of a post- secondary ECE program); 2. years of experience in the ECE field (5 years minimum); 3. Demographics Physical activity and sedentary behaviour expert panel. Physical activity/sedentary behaviour experts represented 6 different countries (Canada [n = 13], Australia [n = 5], the United States [n = 4], the Netherlands [n = 2], the United Kingdom [n = 1], and New Zealand [n = 1]). All experts held positions in academia (including 2 post-doctoral fellows, 5 assistant professors, 10 associate professors, and 9 full professors). See Figure 2a for geographical representation of the physical activity/sedentary behaviour expert panel. ECE expert panel. ECE experts represented 10 Canadian provinces/territories (Ontario [n = 11], Quebec [n = 6], Saskatchewan [n = 6], British Columbia [n = 3], Alberta [n = 2], Newfoundland and Labrador [n = 2], Nova Scotia [n = 2], Manitoba [n = 1], New Brunswick [n = 1], and Yukon [n = 1]; Figure 2b). Experts held a wide range of ECE occupational positions, including 6 as university professors (3 assistant professors, 1 associate professor, 1 full professor, and 1 professor emerita), 11 as board/executive members of ECE- related organizations, and 18 as faculty/staff within ECE programs (1 dean, 4 program/department heads/coordinators, 1 curriculum writer, and 12 instructors). On average, these experts had 23.11 ± 11.43[1] years of experience in the ECE field. Data Analysis Descriptive statistics of demographics, content area importance ratings, representation of panel- suggested topics, and perspectives regarding the importance of this type of training were completed in Page 5/18 SPSS (version 25). Within each panel of experts (i.e., physical activity/sedentary behaviour and ECE), mean (M) scores on each of the 19 content areas was generated. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was then calculated between the means of the two panels, and the 19 content areas were ranked within each panel. Similarity in rankings between the two panels was assessed using Spearman’s rho (rs). Analyses were conducted in R version 3.6.1.(34) Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Content Areas A total of 22 content areas were generated by the physical activity/sedentary behaviour expert panel. Three content areas were excluded due to not being relevant to other panelists’ topics; as such, 19 content areas were carried forward. The majority (90.5%) of panelists reported their suggested topics were appropriately represented in the final list of content areas. See Supplementary Table 1 for a detailed list and description of the content areas. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour expert panel. On average, physical activity/sedentary behaviour experts (n = 21[2]) rated all content areas as important to include in the e-learning module (M range = 3.76 to 4.81). These experts rated Benefits of Physical Activity in the Early Years as the most important content area (M = 4.81 ± 0.40), and Monitor Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Your Classroom as the least important content area (M = 3.76 ± 1.14]), to include in the e-Learning module. See Table 1 for content area importance rankings. Page 6/18 Table 1. Ranked Content Areas in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Suggested for Inclusion in an e- Learning Training Module for Canadian Early Childhood Education Students. Table 1. Ranked Content Areas in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Suggested for Inclusion in an e- Learning Training Module for Canadian Early Childhood Education Students. Table 1. Ranked Content Areas in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Suggested for Inclusion in an e- Learning Training Module for Canadian Early Childhood Education Students. Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Content Areas Content Area PA/SB Panel (n = 21) M (SD) PA/SB Panel Rank ECE Panel (n = 35) M (SD) ECE Panel Rank Both Panels M (SD) Final Ranka Outdoor Play 4.71 (.46) 4 4.83 (.45) 1 4.77 (.64) 1 Benefits of Physical Activity in the Early Years 4.81 (.40) 1 4.69 (.53) 3 4.75 (.66) 2 Factors Influencing Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Childcare 4.76 (.44) 2.5 4.66 (.59) 5 4.71 (.74) 3 Defining Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour 4.57 (.60) 8 4.74 (.44) 2 4.66 (.74) 4 Promote Physical Activity and Minimize Sedentary Time through Instruction and Interaction 4.76 (.44) 2.5 4.51 (.66) 8 4.64 (.79) 5 Create and Make Use of Environments to be Supportive of Physical Activity 4.57 (.68) 8 a4.68 (.48) 4 4.63 (.83) 6 Become a Role Model and Champion for Physical Activity 4.62 (.74) 5.5 4.40 (.74) 10.5 4.51 (1.05) 7 Program Time for Physical Activity and Active Breaks to Limit Sitting Time 4.62 (.67) 5.5 4.37 (1.03) 12 4.50 (1.23) 8 The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (<5 years) 4.38 (.81) 12.5 4.60 (.60) 7 4.49 (1.01) 9 Risky Play 4.24 (.83) 15.5 4.63 (.60) 6 4.44 (1.02) 10 Get Parents/Guardians On Board! 4.43 (1.03) 10.5 4.40 (.78) 10.5 4.41 (1.29) 11 Physical Literacy and Fundamental Movement Skills 4.38 (.81) 12.5 4.43 (.78) 9 4.41 (1.12) 11 Incorporate Physical Activity into Other Educational Objectives 4.24 (1.00) 15.5 a4.35 (.65) 13 4.30 (1.19) 13 Resources and Professional Development 4.33 (.80) 14 4.26 (.78) 15 4.30 (1.12) 13 Suggest the Creation of Physical Activity and Screen- Viewing Policies at Your Centre 4.43 (.60) 10.5 a4.06 (.92) 16.5 4.25 (1.10) 15 Example Activities 4.57 (.75) 8 3.91 (1.10) 18 4.24 (1.33) 16 Risks of Excessive Sedentary Behaviour and Screen- Viewing 4.10 (.94) 17 4.34 (.68) 14 4.22 (1.16) 17 Prevalence of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Screen-Viewing among Young Children 3.95 (.92) 18 b4.06 (.85) 16.5 4.01 (1.25) 18 Monitor Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Your Classroom 3.76 (1.14) 19 3.77 (.88) 19 3.77 (1.44) 19 Note. PA = physical activity; SB = sedentary behaviour; ECE = Early Childhood Education; M = mean; SD = standard deviation; a Final rank was determined by the highest combined mean score between panels; b Only 34 respondents for this question. ECE expert panel. Page 7/18 ECE expert panel. ECE experts (n = 35) also had moderate to high ratings of the importance of the content areas (M range = 3.77 to 4.83). They rated Outdoor Play as the most important content area to include in the e-Learning module (M = 4.83 ± 0.45]) and Monitor Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Your Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Content Areas ECE experts (n = 35) also had moderate to high ratings of the importance of the content areas (M range = 3.77 to 4.83). They rated Outdoor Play as the most important content area to include in the e-Learning module (M = 4.83 ± 0.45]) and Monitor Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Your Classroom as the least important content area (M = 3.77 ± 0.88]). See Table 1 for content area importance rankings by panel. Classroom as the least important content area (M = 3.77 ± 0.88]). See Table 1 for content area importance rankings by panel. Final ranking and inter-panel agreement. In the final ranked list of content areas, Outdoor Play (M = 4.77 ± 0.64), Benefits of PA in the Early Years (M = 4.75 ± 0.66), and Factors Influencing PA and SB in Childcare (M = 4.71 ± 0.74) had the highest combined scores. Monitor PA and Sedentary Time in Your Classroom had the lowest combined score (M = 3.77 ± 1.44). There was moderate-to-strong inter-panel agreement across the 19 content areas, with mean scores correlating 0.63 (95% CI: 0.25 to 0.84) and ranked scores demonstrating an association (rs) of 0.60 (95% CI: 0.20 to 0.83). See Figure 3 for a graphical representation of the associations between panels for each content area ranking. [2] Five members of the panel did not respond to the second round of surveys. [2] Five members of the panel did not respond to the second round of surveys. ECE Panel Perspectives on the e-Learning Module The majority of ECE experts (94.3%) rated this type of training as ‘Important’ or ‘Very Important’ for ECE students to receive. Most experts (91.4%) reported they agreed that the physical activity and sedentary behaviour e-Learning module aligned with the objectives of the current post-secondary ECE curriculum, and 88.6% reported they agreed that the training would complement this curriculum. The majority of ECE experts (78.8%) also communicated their agreement that this type of training aligned with ECE professional accreditation standards. Discussion (35) This review of correlates is critical within the module, as it will highlight to ECE students the varying aspects of the childcare environment, and educator behaviours, that act as facilitators/barriers to children’s physical activity and that influence their sedentary behaviours.(13,36) Stemming from the review of correlates, eight additional content areas suggested by the panel related to providing ECE students with practical strategies on how to promote physical activity and minimize sedentary time in their classroom (noted as important within childcare educator training interventions). (26,37) In addition, two content areas focused on helpful resources and training, and practical video example activities, to further aid ECE students in this respect. The focus of the content suggested for the module on these strategies and resources is encouraging, as educators have reported they lack the appropriate training on how to lead skill-based physical activities in childcare.(38) Further, early childhood educator training interventions have noted the benefit of this type of practical support in scaffolding educators’ physical activity-related self-efficacy,(27) and both increasing physical activity(39) and decreasing sedentary time(26) among children in their care. Offering video examples may teach ECE students how to engage children in physical activity, and promises to support their self-efficacy in this pursuit via vicarious reinforcement and modeling.(40) While both expert panels expressed their views of the importance of all proposed content areas for the e- Learning module, the top-rated content areas (i.e., Outdoor Play, Benefits of Physical Activity in the Early Years, Factors Influencing Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Childcare) were logical. While both expert panels expressed their views of the importance of all proposed content areas for the e- Learning module, the top-rated content areas (i.e., Outdoor Play, Benefits of Physical Activity in the Early Years, Factors Influencing Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Childcare) were logical. Considering outdoor time is a required component of all childcare in Canada, coupled with the knowledge that children accumulate the majority of their daily MVPA outdoors while attending childcare,(41) the high prioritization of Outdoor Play by both expert panels is reassuring and important to educate ECE students about. The introductory content area regarding benefits of physical activity stresses the need to provide ECE students with solid foundational knowledge of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Further, overviewing the factors influencing children’s movement behaviours in the childcare environment was considered very important. Discussion This was the first study to employ the Delphi method to generate physical activity and sedentary behaviour content to be included in training for ECE students. The use of two field-specific expert panels to offer their insights on this training provided a unique perspective on module content development, and their general consensus on important rankings of the content areas provides helpful direction regarding areas of foci for the e-Learning module. A number of important findings from this study are discussed below. Six content areas proposed by the experts focused on giving ECE students necessary background information on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, ranging from definitions and benefits/risks of these behaviours to guidelines and current prevalence rates. These content areas are essential to include, as ECE students have noted the lack of physical activity and sedentary behaviour-specific training in their program.(15) Bruijns et al. (2019) surveyed 1,292 ECE students, and while the majority of students reported that their courses covered gross motor development (86.6%), few covered concepts such as physical literacy (46.2%), screen-viewing (47.3%), or sedentary behaviour (41.5%).(15) Without a proper Page 8/18 introduction to these concepts and their importance to consider when programming, it is unlikely that ECE students will be receptive to strategies to promote physical activity and minimize sedentary time.(22) As evidenced by Bruijns et al. (under review), ECE students felt it was more important and their responsibility to teach physical activity-related skills (such as fitness activities, locomotor skills, and play skills) in childcare if they reported receiving training in physical activity.(22) As such, if ECE students are introduced to these concepts during their pre-service schooling, it is likely that they will promote healthy movement behaviours among the children they care for upon entering the ECE profession. Physical activity/sedentary behaviour experts also suggested including training related to factors that influence young children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour in the childcare environment, with specific attention paid to outdoor and risky play (receiving heightened attention in the ECE field as of late. Research Implications and Future Directions This research study has a number of important implications. First, the results of this study will be used to generate a physical activity and sedentary behaviour e-Learning course that is tailored specifically to ECE students, the first study globally to focus this training within early childhood educators’ pre-service education. Having educators who are well-trained in physical activity and sedentary behaviour will ensur children in childcare are provided sufficient movement opportunities daily, which is vital for their healthy development. Second, the recruitment of top international experts in the field to generate the content for the module ensures that this training covers the most important and relevant information for ECE students to promote healthy movement behaviours in childcare-based professions upon graduation. In addition, having a diverse panel of ECE experts review the content proposed by the physical activity/sedentary behaviour panel confirmed the applicability of this training to ECE, and will ease its receptivity by post-secondary ECE programs. The implementation of the e-Learning course across Canada will shed light on whether this training is successful in ECE programs in multiple locations. In Canada, ECE curricula and professional accreditation standards are governed at the provincial/territorial level; as such, testing the effectiveness of this educational tool nationwide will determine the versatility of the e-Learning course to be implemented in multiple educational environments. If successful, the e-Learning course can be adapted (e.g., changing country-specific movement guidelines) for use in other countries, which would maximize the reach and global public health impact of this training. Given the global call for physical activity and sedentary behaviour training to be made available within early childhood educators’ pre-service schooling,(20,29,44) international collaborations are warranted to support this initiative. Discussion Specifically, early childhood educator behaviours, known to influence children’s movement behaviours in childcare,(42) was highlighted as critical for targeted education. Taken together, the top-rated content areas represent topics in need of focus within training interventions for early childhood educators, and are pertinent to include in the e-Learning module for ECE students. Page 9/18 Page 9/18 The moderate-to-strong inter-panel agreement, both in terms of content area mean score and rank-order, demonstrates general consensus regarding the importance of each topic for inclusion within the module. While select content areas were rated higher by one panel than the other (e.g., Creation of Physical Activity/Screen-Viewing Policies was favoured by the physical activity/sedentary behaviour experts, and Risky Play was favoured by the ECE experts), most content areas were similarly rated and ranked by both panels. Given the overarching goal of the TEACH study is to implement this e-Learning module in ECE post-secondary programs, it is critical that the content created for the module is pertinent to the ECE field. It is reassuring, then, that the large majority of ECE experts rated this training module as both in line with objectives of, and of added benefit to, the current post-secondary ECE curriculum. Hnatiuk and colleagues(43) stress the importance of tailoring early years physical activity interventions to community needs (in this case, lack of physical activity and sedentary behaviour training in the present ECE curriculum). With the overwhelming support of the ECE expert panel (nearly 100% of ECE experts reported this training was important for ECE students to receive), the creation of the e-Learning module using the content areas generated from this Delphi study is likely to be well-received by ECE programs within Canadian post-secondary institutions. ECE = Early Childhood Education TEACH = Training EArly CHildhood educators in physical activity ECE = Early Childhood Education TEACH = Training EArly CHildhood educators in physical activity ECE = Early Childhood Education Conclusion Using the Delphi method to identify and reach agreement on physical activity and sedentary behaviour- related topics to include in supplementary training for post-secondary ECE students provided a unique perspective on e-Learning module content development. The high importance ratings of all 19 content areas, coupled with the moderate-to-strong inter-panel agreement across these topics, suggest the need for this tailored education. Further, the agreement by the ECE expert panel regarding the appropriateness of incorporating this type of training within ECE programs demonstrated that there is a desire for physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related education at the post-secondary level, and that the addition of this content would support curriculum objectives and accreditation standards. Moving forward, creating an e-Learning module with evidence-based and expert-developed content, endorsed by those working in a wide range of ECE professions, will ensure that ECE graduates receive the necessary and most relevant education to be able to promote children’s healthy development of movement behaviours in childcare settings. Integrating such physical activity and sedentary behaviour training within ECE programs is a population-level approach to public health that has the potential to benefit a vast number of young children. Limitations Page 10/18 Page 10/18 Although this study has many strengths, including a high online survey response rate (53% for physical activity experts, 58% for ECE experts) and the use of the Delphi technique with two field-specific expert panels, it is not without limitations. First, the purposeful sampling method may have introduced selection bias. While efforts were made by the research team to overcome this bias (e.g., ensuring sufficient recruitment of international/provincial experts, allowing participants to suggest researchers to recruit), the selection of experts by the research team may have included experts with similar ideals and values regarding the importance of this training in ECE; this may limit the generalizability of the findings. Second, despite the anonymous nature of the online surveys, participants may have been subject to social desirability bias, as they may have felt that higher importance ratings were ‘expected’ of someone in their profession. Third, as is the case in any Delphi study, data gathered were based upon availability and the subjective opinion and expertise of participants. Although this study has many strengths, including a high online survey response rate (53% for physical activity experts, 58% for ECE experts) and the use of the Delphi technique with two field-specific expert panels, it is not without limitations. First, the purposeful sampling method may have introduced selection bias. While efforts were made by the research team to overcome this bias (e.g., ensuring sufficient recruitment of international/provincial experts, allowing participants to suggest researchers to recruit), the selection of experts by the research team may have included experts with similar ideals and values regarding the importance of this training in ECE; this may limit the generalizability of the findings. Second, despite the anonymous nature of the online surveys, participants may have been subject to social desirability bias, as they may have felt that higher importance ratings were ‘expected’ of someone in their profession. Third, as is the case in any Delphi study, data gathered were based upon availability and the subjective opinion and expertise of participants. Declarations Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate Funding The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada funded this research (ref #: 435-2019- 1008). BAB was funded by an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2019-20). PT holds an Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Early Researcher Award. Authors’ Contributions BAB and PT were responsible for study inception, online survey creation, and pooling of content areas. BAB and AMJ conducted the analyses. BAB led manuscript writing while all authors provided substantive feedback. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Availability of Data and Materials The dataset generated and analyzed during the present study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Consent for Publication Participants gave consent for their data to be published prior to completing the online surveys. Participants gave consent for their data to be published prior to completing Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank all of the physical activity/sedentary behaviour and early childhood education experts who participated in this study. The authors would like to thank all of the physical activity/sedentary behaviour and early childhood education experts who participated in this study. Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate The Non-Medical Research Ethics Board at the University of Western Ontario provided ethical approval (REB# 114435) for the conduct of this research, and implied consent was received via participants’ Page 11/18 Page 11/18 voluntary completion of the online surveys. voluntary completion of the online surveys. Competing Interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. References 1. Carson V, Lee E-Y, Hewitt L, Jennings C, Hunter S, Kuzik N, et al. Systematic review of the relationships between physical activity and health indicators in the early years (0-4 years). BMC Public Health [Internet]. 2017;17(5):854. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4860-0 2. Carson V, Hunter S, Kuzik N, Wiebe SA, Spence JC, Friedman A, et al. Systematic review of physical activity and cognitive development in early childhood. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2016;19:573–8. 3. Figueroa R, An R. Motor Skill Competence and Physical Activity in Preschoolers: A Review. Matern Child Health J. 2017 Jan;21(1):136–46. 3. Figueroa R, An R. Motor Skill Competence and Physical Activity in Preschoolers: A Review. Matern Child Health J. 2017 Jan;21(1):136–46. Page 12/18 4. Leblanc AG, Spence JC, Carson V, Connor Gorber S, Dillman C, Janssen I, et al. Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in the early years (aged 0-4 years). Appl Physiol Nutr Page 12/18 4. Leblanc AG, Spence JC, Carson V, Connor Gorber S, Dillman C, Janssen I, et al. Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in the early years (aged 0-4 years). Appl Physiol Nutr Metab [Internet]. 2012 Jul 5;37(4):753–72. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/h2012-063 Metab [Internet]. 2012 Jul 5;37(4):753–72. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/h2012-063 5. Carson V, Kuzik N, Hunter S, Wiebe SA, Spence JC, Friedman A, et al. Systematic review of sedentary behavior and cognitive development in early childhood. Prev Med (Baltim). 2015;78:115–22. 5. Carson V, Kuzik N, Hunter S, Wiebe SA, Spence JC, Friedman A, et al. Systematic review of sedentary behavior and cognitive development in early childhood. Prev Med (Baltim). 2015;78:115–22. 6. Statistics Canada. Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements. 2019;1–7. Available from: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/190410/dq190410a-eng.htm 6. Statistics Canada. Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements. 2019;1–7. Available from: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/190410/dq190410a-eng.htm 7. Henderson KE, Grode GM, O’Connell ML, Schwartz MB. Environmental factors associated with physical activity in childcare centers. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2015;12(43):0–1. 7. Henderson KE, Grode GM, O’Connell ML, Schwartz MB. Environmental factors associated with physical activity in childcare centers. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2015;12(43):0–1. 8. Hesketh KR, Lakshman R, Sluijs EMF. Barriers and facilitators to young children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative literature. Obes Rev. 2017;18(9):987–1017. 8. Hesketh KR, Lakshman R, Sluijs EMF. Barriers and facilitators to young children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative literature. References Obes Rev. 2017;18(9):987–1017. 9. Robinson LE, Wadsworth DD, Peoples CM. Correlates of School-Day Physical Activity in Preschool Students. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2012;83(1):20–6. 9. Robinson LE, Wadsworth DD, Peoples CM. Correlates of School-Day Physical Activity in Preschool Students. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2012;83(1):20–6. 10. Dyment J, Coleman B. The intersection of physical activity opportunities and the role of early childhood educators during outdoor play: Perceptions and reality. J Early Child. 2012;37(1):90–98. 10. Dyment J, Coleman B. The intersection of physical activity opportunities and the role of early childhood educators during outdoor play: Perceptions and reality. J Early Child. 2012;37(1):90–98. 11. Connelly J-A, Champagne M, Manningham S. Early Childhood Educators’ Perception of Their Role in Children’s Physical Activity: Do We Need to Clarify Expectations? J Res Child Educ. 2018;32(3):283– 94. 12. Copeland KA, Kendeigh CA, Saelens BE, Kalkwarf HJ, Sherman SN. Physical activity in child-care centers: Do teachers hold the key to the playground? Health Educ Res. 2012;27(1):81–100. 13. Bower JK, Hales DP, Tate DF, Rubin DA, Benjamin SE, Ward DS. The Childcare Environment and Children’s Physical Activity. Am J Prev Med. 2008;34(1):23–9. 14. Tucker P, Van Zandvoort MM, Burke SM, Irwin JD. Physical activity at daycare: Childcare providers’ perspectives for improvements. J Early Child Res. 2011;9(3):207–19. 15. Bruijns BA, Adamo KB, Burke SM, Carson V, Irwin JD, Naylor P-J, et al. Exploring the physical activity and screen-viewing-related knowledge, training, and self-efficacy of early childhood education candidates. BMC Pediatr. 2019;19(1):5. 16. Vanderloo LM, Tucker P. Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Legislation in Canadian Childcare Facilities: An Update. BMC Public Health. 2018;18(475):1–12. 16. Vanderloo LM, Tucker P. Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Legislation in Canadian Childcare Facilities: An Update. BMC Public Health. 2018;18(475):1–12. 17. Ott E, Vanderloo LM, Tucker P. Physical activity and screen-viewing policies in Canadian childcare centers. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):145. 17. Ott E, Vanderloo LM, Tucker P. Physical activity and screen-viewing policies in Canadian childcare centers. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):145. 18. Wilke S, Opdenakker C, Kremers SPJ, Gubbels J. Factors influencing childcare workers’ promotion of physical activity in children aged 0-4 years: A qualitative study. Early Years. 2013;33(3):226–38. 19. Copeland KA, Sherman SN, Kendeigh CA, Kalkwarf HJ, Saelens BE. Societal Values and Policies May Curtail Preschool Children’s Physical Activity in Child Care Centers. Pediatrics. 2012;129(2):265–74. 20. Coleman B, Dyment JE. Factors that limit and enable preschool-aged children’s physical activity on child care centre playgrounds. J Early Child Res. 2013;11(3):203–21. References Page 13/18 Page 13/18 21. van Zandvoort M, Tucker P, Irwin JD, Burke SM. Physical activity at daycare: issues, challenges and perspectives. Early Years. 2010;30(2):175–88. 22. Bruijns BA, Adamo KB, Burke SM, Carson V, Irwin JD, Naylor P-J, et al. Early Childhood Education Candidates’ Perspectives of their Importance and Responsibility for Promoting Physical Activity and Minimizing Screen-Viewing Opportunities in Childcare. J Early Child Teach Educ. Under review. 23. Pate RR, Brown WH, Pfeiffer KA, Howie EK, Saunders RP, Addy CL, et al. An Intervention to Increase Physical Activity in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial With 4-Year-Olds in Preschools. Am J Prev Med. 2016 Jul;51(1):12–22. 24. Howie EK, Brewer A, Brown WH, Saunders R, Pate RR. Systematic dissemination of a preschool physical activity intervention to the control preschools. Evaluation and Program Planning. 2016;57:1–7. 25. Tucker P, Vanderloo LM, Johnson AM, Burke SM, Irwin JD, Gaston A, et al. Impact of the Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) intervention on preschoolers’ physical activity levels and sedentary time: a single-blind cluster randomized controlled trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017;14(1):120. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0579-7 25. Tucker P, Vanderloo LM, Johnson AM, Burke SM, Irwin JD, Gaston A, et al. Impact of the Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) intervention on preschoolers’ physical activity levels and sedentary time: a single-blind cluster randomized controlled trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017;14(1):120. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0579-7 26. Ellis YG, Cliff DP, Howard SJ, Okely AD. Feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a childcare- based intervention to reduce sitting time among pre-schoolers: A pilot randomised controlled trial. J Sport Sci. 2019;37(2):146-55. 26. Ellis YG, Cliff DP, Howard SJ, Okely AD. Feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a childcare- based intervention to reduce sitting time among pre-schoolers: A pilot randomised controlled trial. J Sport Sci. 2019;37(2):146-55. 27. Bruijns BA, Johnson AM, Irwin JD, Burke SM, Driediger M, Vanderloo LM, et al. Early Childhood Educators’ Physical Activity-Related Self-Efficacy and Knowledge Following the SPACE and SPACE- Extension Childcare Interventions. Early Child Educ J. Under review. 27. Bruijns BA, Johnson AM, Irwin JD, Burke SM, Driediger M, Vanderloo LM, et al. Early Childhood Educators’ Physical Activity-Related Self-Efficacy and Knowledge Following the SPACE and SPACE- Extension Childcare Interventions. Early Child Educ J. Under review. 28. Driediger M, Vanderloo LM, Burke SM, Irwin JD, Gaston A, Timmons BW, et al. References The Implementation and Feasibility of the Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) Intervention: A Process Evaluation. Heal Educ Behav. 2018;45(6):935–44. 28. Driediger M, Vanderloo LM, Burke SM, Irwin JD, Gaston A, Timmons BW, et al. The Implementation and Feasibility of the Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) Intervention: A Process Evaluation. Heal Educ Behav. 2018;45(6):935–44. 29. Goldfield GS, Harvey A, Grattan K, Adamo KB. Physical activity promotion in the preschool years: A critical period to intervene. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2012;9(4):1326–42. 29. Goldfield GS, Harvey A, Grattan K, Adamo KB. Physical activity promotion in the preschool years: A critical period to intervene. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2012;9(4):1326–42. 30. Yousuf MI. Using Experts` Opinions Through Delphi Technique - Practical assessment, research & evaluation. 2007;12(4):1-8. 30. Yousuf MI. Using Experts` Opinions Through Delphi Technique - Practical assessment, research & evaluation. 2007;12(4):1-8. 31. Dalkey N, Helmer O. An Experimental Application of the DELPHI Method to the Use of Experts. Manage Sci. 1963;9(3):458–67. 31. Dalkey N, Helmer O. An Experimental Application of the DELPHI Method to the Use of Experts. Manage Sci. 1963;9(3):458–67. 32. Dalkey NC |Rourke. DL. Experimental Assessment of Delphi Procedures with Group Value Judgments. 1971 [cited 2019 Oct 4]. 33. Gillis L, Tomkinson G, Olds T, Moreira C, Christie C, Nigg C, et al. Research priorities for child and adolescent physical activty and sedentary behaviours: An international perspective using a twin- panel Delphi procedure. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2013;10(112):1–8. 34. R Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing [Internet]. Vienna, Austria; 2017 [cited 2019 Oct 4]. Available from: https://www.r-project.org/ 34. R Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing [Internet]. Vienna, Austria; 2017 [cited 2019 Oct 4]. Available from: https://www.r-project.org/ Page 14/18 Page 14/18 35. Herrington S, Pickett W. Position paper on outdoor active play. 2015 [cited 2019 Oct 4]. Available from: http://www.participaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/EN-Active-Outdoor-Play-Position- Statement-FINAL-DESIGN.pdf 36. Vanderloo LM, Tucker P, Johnson AM, Burke SM, Irwin JD. Environmental influences on preschoolers’ physical activity levels in various early learning facilities. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2015;19:1–11. 36. Vanderloo LM, Tucker P, Johnson AM, Burke SM, Irwin JD. Environmental influences on preschoolers’ physical activity levels in various early learning facilities. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2015;19:1–11. 37. Kennedy AB, Schenkelberg M, Moyer C, Pate R, Saunders RP. Process evaluation of a preschool physical activity intervetion using web-based delivery. Evaluation and Program Planning. References 2017;60:24–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.08.022 38. Howie EK, Brewer A, Brown WH, Pfeiffer KA, Saunders RP, Pate RR. The 3-year evolution of a preschool physcial activity intervention through a collaborative partnership between research interventionists and preschool teachers. Health Educ Res. 2014;29(3):491-502. doi:10.1093/her/cyu014. 39. De Marco AC, Zeisel S, Odom SL. An Evaluation of a Program to Increase Physical Activity for Young Children in Child Care. Early Educ Dev. 2015;26(1):1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2014.932237 39. De Marco AC, Zeisel S, Odom SL. An Evaluation of a Program to Increase Physical Activity for Young Children in Child Care. Early Educ Dev. 2015;26(1):1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2014.932237 40. Bandura A. Health Promotion by Social Cognitive Means. Heal Educ Behav. 2004 [cited 2019 Nov 28];31(2):143–64. 40. Bandura A. Health Promotion by Social Cognitive Means. Heal Educ Behav. 2004 [cited 2019 Nov 28];31(2):143–64. 41. Vanderloo LM, Tucker P, Johnson AM, Holmes JD. Physical activity among preschoolers during indoor and outdoor childcare play periods. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2013;38(11):1173–5. 41. Vanderloo LM, Tucker P, Johnson AM, Holmes JD. Physical activity among preschoolers during indoor and outdoor childcare play periods. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2013;38(11):1173–5. 42. Vanderloo LM, Tucker P, Johnson AM, Van Zandvoort MM, Burke SM, Irwin JD. The Influence of Centre-Based Childcare on Preschoolers’ Physical Activity Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(2):1794–802. 42. Vanderloo LM, Tucker P, Johnson AM, Van Zandvoort MM, Burke SM, Irwin JD. The Influence of Centre-Based Childcare on Preschoolers’ Physical Activity Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(2):1794–802. 43. Hnatiuk JA, Brown HE, Downing KL, Hinkley T, Salmon J, Hesketh KD. Interventions to increase physical activity in children 0–5 years old: a systematic review, meta-analysis and realist synthesis. Obes Rev. 2019;20(1):75–87. 43. Hnatiuk JA, Brown HE, Downing KL, Hinkley T, Salmon J, Hesketh KD. Interventions to increase physical activity in children 0–5 years old: a systematic review, meta-analysis and realist synthesis. Obes Rev. 2019;20(1):75–87. 44. Kreichauf S, Wildgruber A, Krombholz H, Gibson EL, Vogele C, Nixon CA, et al. Critical narrative review to identify educational strategies promoting physical activity in preschool. Obes Rev. 2012;13(1):96– 105. 44. Kreichauf S, Wildgruber A, Krombholz H, Gibson EL, Vogele C, Nixon CA, et al. Critical narrative review to identify educational strategies promoting physical activity in preschool. Obes Rev. 2012;13(1):96– 105. Figures Page 15/18 Page 15/18 Figure 1 Purposeful sampling process undertaken to recruit physical activity/sedentary behaviour and Early Childhood Education experts. Figure 3 Scatterplot of the associations between panels’ rankings for each content area. Scatterplot of the associations between panels’ rankings for each content area. Figure 1 Purposeful sampling process undertaken to recruit physical activity/sedentary behaviour and Early Childhood Education experts. Purposeful sampling process undertaken to recruit physical activity/sedentary behaviour and Early Childhood Education experts. Page 16/18 igure 2 a) Geographical representation of participating physical activity/sedentary behaviour e ndicates how many experts were from that region). (b) Provincial/territorial representat articipating Early Childhood Education experts (number indicates how many experts w rovince/territory) Figure 2 (a) Geographical representation of participating physical activity/sedentary behaviour experts (number indicates how many experts were from that region). (b) Provincial/territorial representation of participating Early Childhood Education experts (number indicates how many experts were from that province/territory). Figure 2 (a) Geographical representation of participating physical activity/sedentary behaviour experts (number indicates how many experts were from that region). (b) Provincial/territorial representation of participating Early Childhood Education experts (number indicates how many experts were from that province/territory). Page 17/18 Page 17/18 Figure 3 Supplementary Files This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download. This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download. SupplementaryTable1MergedContentAreas.docx Page 18/18
https://openalex.org/W2126920425
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2013.00028/pdf
English
null
Linear field demagnetization of artificial magnetic square ice
Frontiers in physics
2,013
cc-by
7,441
Reviewed by: Dong-Hyun Kim, Chungbuk National University, South Korea Dario A. Arena, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA Dong-Hyun Kim, Chungbuk National University, South Korea Dario A. Arena, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA *Correspondence: Christopher H. Marrows, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK e-mail: c.h.marrows@leeds.ac.uk Keywords: artificial spin ice, nanomagnetism, magnetic force microscopy, frustrated systems, statistical mechanics Keywords: artificial spin ice, nanomagnetism, magnetic force microscopy, frustrated systems, statistical mechanics 1. INTRODUCTION early stages of material deposition when the moment volumes were small [3, 17]. As their thickness increased, thermal dynam- ics of the macrospin lattice slowed down and ultimately blocked, locking-in order [29, 30]. Applied fields are hence required to promote any subsequent reconfiguration of such frozen systems following this single-shot anneal. Artificial spin ices are patterned nanomagnet arrays designed to act as analogs of bulk geometrically frustrated materials [1, 2]. They realize two-dimensional (2D) Ising and vertex ice models [3–5], in which each single domain element forms an anisotropic macrospin which can be directly imaged via mag- netic microscopy. As they are built via nanolithography and thin film deposition, it is possible to engineer system parame- ters such as lattice geometry [6], inter-elemental dipolar coupling strength [2, 3], moment switching behavior [7], and (to an extent) quenched disorder (QD) [3, 8]. They have hence presented a fam- ily of systems in which to explore a myriad of phenomena, such as collective ordering, competing interactions, and fractionalization [9–13]. Rotating field protocols have proved a reliable and repeat- able method for experimentally controlling magnetic states via “effective thermodynamics” [4]. Whilst ac field profiles were reported as superior [31], only short range GS correlations could be produced in quasi-infinite patterns [2, 14]. Although this is the most commonly employed protocol, the parameter space is large and has not been extensively and systematically explored. Constant magnitude rotating fields have recently helped eluci- date reconfiguration processes at work during such protocols [22, 32] and emphasize the crucial influence of QD [23, 33, 34]: unlike the Ising systems they mimic, such patterned systems possess an intrinsic distribution of macrospin properties due to unavoidable random variations imparted by the fabrication pro- cesses employed. Non-rotating fields have also generated varying amounts of GS order [35, 36]. For all field profiles, a critical win- dow exists in which non-trivial dynamics are allowed, defined by the interplay between QD and dipolar coupling. PHYSICS PHYSICS PHYSICS ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE published: 18 December 2013 doi: 10.3389/fphy.2013.00028 Linear field demagnetization of artificial magnetic square ice Jason P. Morgan 1,2, Alexander Bellew 1, Aaron Stein 3, Sean Langridge 4 and Christopher H. Marrows 1* 1 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK 2 Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK 3 Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA 4 ISIS, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK Jason P. Morgan 1,2, Alexander Bellew 1, Aaron Stein 3, Sean Langridge 4 and Christopher H. Marrows 1* 1 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK 2 Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK 3 Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA 4 ISIS, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK Jason P. Morgan 1,2, Alexander Bellew 1, Aaron Stein 3, Sean 1 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK 2 Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK 3 Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA 4 ISIS, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK We have studied experimentally the states formed in artificial square ice nanomagnet systems following demagnetization in a rotating in-plane applied magnetic field that reduces to zero in a manner that is linear in time. The final states are found to be controlled via the system’s lattice constant, which determines the strength of the magnetostatic interactions between the elements, as well as the field ramping rate. We understand these effects as a requirement that the system undergoes a sufficiently large number of active rotations within the critical field window in which elements may be reversed, such that the interactions are allowed to locally exert their influence if the ground state is to be approached. On the other hand, if quenched disorder is too strong when compared to the interaction strength, any close approach to the ground state is impossible. These results show that it is not necessary for there to be any ac component to the field amplitude that is applied to the system during demagnetization, which is the method almost exclusively employed in field protocols reported to date. Furthermore, by optimizing the parameters of our linear demagnetization protocol, the largest field-generated ground state domains yet reported are found. www.frontiersin.org Edited by: y Peter Fischer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA Reviewed by: Dong-Hyun Kim, Chungbuk National University, South Korea Dario A. Arena, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA *Correspondence: Christopher H. Marrows, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK e-mail: c.h.marrows@leeds.ac.uk Peter Fischer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA Reviewed by: Dong-Hyun Kim, Chungbuk National University, South Korea Dario A. Arena, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA *Correspondence: Christopher H. Marrows, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK e-mail: c.h.marrows@leeds.ac.uk Peter Fischer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA Peter Fischer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA Reviewed by: Naturally, ground state (GS) access has been a prominent area of interest [14, 15]: one wishes to know whether or not a system behaves as designed. Furthermore, the square ice GS, shown in Figure 1A, provides a background for energetically well-defined magnetic charge defects [16, 17], hence the reliable generation of GS order could lead to studies of defect creation and manip- ulation. More generally, the repeatable experimental access of well-defined states is of its own interest and is further com- plementary to numerous current studies, e.g., of ferromagnetic resonance in nanopatterned magnetic structures [18–20] and numerical simulations of ordering processes [21–25]. Here we apply a simple rotating linearly-decreasing field pro- tocol to square ice systems similar to those discussed. Results of such a protocol have been previously reported, but not in exten- sive detail [31]. Using magnetic force microscopy (MFM), we look Until recently [26–28] the most successful route to GS ordering in square ice involved the thermalization of NiFe islands during December 2013 | Volume 1 | Article 28 | 1 Demagnetization of artificial square ice Morgan et al. fashion from ≈1300 Oe to 0 Oe, at a rate r = dHa dt , whilst the sample rotated around an axis normal to the sample plane at close to f = 42 Hz. A schematic of the protocol as well as an example of an experimentally measured field profile are shown in Figure 2. As for previous studies [2, 21], this protocol oper- ates within a regime in which the micromagnetic response of the system’s constituent nano elements to the time-varying field they experience is expected to occur on time scales significantly faster than the utilized rotational period, hence the dynamic response of an island’s magnetization occurs effectively instantaneously. For clarity, note that the following results will be discussed from the sample reference frame. Such a protocol ensures states are ini- tially reset with each application, with bulk array coercive fields of Hc ≈600 Oe, and a switching window of ≈100 Oe (hys- teresis measurements for the a = 500 nm sample of batch 1 have previously been presented [37]; such values are typical for nano- magnets of the dimensions used here [21, 31] and vary little with a [38]). These values are also indicated in Figure 2. Magnetic states were imaged using MFM over ∼5 evenly spaced areas each of ≈13 µm ×13 µm. 2.1. SAMPLE FABRICATION AND FIELD PROTOCOL The black solid line indicates the coercive field of such samples, Hc ≈600 Oe, and the dashed black lines indicate the estimated intrinsic macrospin switching field distribution width of ≈±100 Oe centered about Hc. FIGURE 1 | (A) The square ice ground state. Each magnetic nano-element possesses an Ising-like moment, as indicated by arrows. The dashed box indicates a structural unit cell (with lattice constant a) containing a single vertex, which possesses an area of a2. An example of a pair of 1st nearest neighbor moments is emboldened. Cartesian axes are also defined with reference to the sample frame. (B) The 16 vertex model of square ice. Vertices can be arranged into four types Ti in order of increasing energy, i = 1–4, respectively. 2.2. VERTEX MODEL INTERPRETATION The square ice system is well-described by a 16 vertex model, Figure 1B. Four degenerate configuration types can be formed by the four moments converging at a vertex, Ti for i = 1–4 in order of increasing energy [2]. The GS is defined by a chess-board tiling FIGURE 2 | Applied field protocol example. (Inset) A sample is rotated about an out-of-plane axis at f = 42 Hz whilst and in-plane field Ha is applied. Ha is ramped down from 1300 to 0 Oe in a linear fashion, as shown in the main plot for a ramping rate of r = 6 Oe/s (red solid line). The black solid line indicates the coercive field of such samples, Hc ≈600 Oe, and the dashed black lines indicate the estimated intrinsic macrospin switching field distribution width of ≈±100 Oe centered about Hc. FIGURE 1 | (A) The square ice ground state. Each magnetic nano-element possesses an Ising-like moment, as indicated by arrows. The dashed box indicates a structural unit cell (with lattice constant a) containing a single vertex, which possesses an area of a2. An example of a pair of 1st nearest neighbor moments is emboldened. Cartesian axes are also defined with reference to the sample frame. (B) The 16 vertex model of square ice. Vertices can be arranged into four types Ti in order of increasing energy, i = 1–4, respectively. FIGURE 1 | (A) The square ice ground state. Each magnetic nano-element possesses an Ising-like moment, as indicated by arrows. The dashed box indicates a structural unit cell (with lattice constant a) containing a single vertex, which possesses an area of a2. An example of a pair of 1st nearest neighbor moments is emboldened. Cartesian axes are also defined with reference to the sample frame. (B) The 16 vertex model of square ice. Vertices can be arranged into four types Ti in order of increasing energy, i = 1–4, respectively. FIGURE 2 | Applied field protocol example. (Inset) A sample is rotated about an out-of-plane axis at f = 42 Hz whilst and in-plane field Ha is applied. Ha is ramped down from 1300 to 0 Oe in a linear fashion, as shown in the main plot for a ramping rate of r = 6 Oe/s (red solid line). 2.1. SAMPLE FABRICATION AND FIELD PROTOCOL Samples were fabricated by electron beam lithography using a JEOL 6300 system and evaporative metallization, as described previously [17]. Elements were 86 nm by 280 nm in area, pos- sessing a thin film structure of Ti(3 nm)/NiFe(26 nm)/Al(2.5 nm). Each element forms a single domain anisotropic macrospin, with a bistable dipolar moment. Samples each spanned total areas of 2.5 mm × 2.5 mm. Two sample batches were studied: batch 1 consisted of five arrays with lattice constants of a = 500 nm to 900 nm in steps of 100 nm, and batch 2 consisted of two arrays with a = 400 nm and 500 nm. Magnetic states were prepared by the application of an in- plane magnetic field of magnitude Ha which decreased in a linear FIGURE 1 | (A) The square ice ground state. Each magnetic nano-element possesses an Ising-like moment, as indicated by arrows. The dashed box indicates a structural unit cell (with lattice constant a) containing a single vertex, which possesses an area of a2. An example of a pair of 1st nearest neighbor moments is emboldened. Cartesian axes are also defined with reference to the sample frame. (B) The 16 vertex model of square ice. Vertices can be arranged into four types Ti in order of increasing energy, i = 1–4, respectively. so twa e [39]) suc t at eac a o ag et appea s as a du b bell of red and blue contrast, as drawn in Figure 1, indicating the north and south magnetic poles, respectively, allowing moment configurations to be fully inferred. Unless stated otherwise, sta- tistical error bars presented are calculated as the standard error over the collection of images for a given sample and field protocol realization. 2.2. VERTEX MODEL INTERPRETATION The square ice system is well-described by a 16 vertex model, Figure 1B. Four degenerate configuration types can be formed by the four moments converging at a vertex, Ti for i = 1–4 in order of increasing energy [2]. The GS is defined by a chess-board tiling FIGURE 2 | Applied field protocol example. (Inset) A sample is rotated about an out-of-plane axis at f = 42 Hz whilst and in-plane field Ha is applied. Ha is ramped down from 1300 to 0 Oe in a linear fashion, as shown in the main plot for a ramping rate of r = 6 Oe/s (red solid line). Reviewed by: Our images are colored (using the WSxM software [39]) such that each nanomagnet appears as a dumb- bell of red and blue contrast, as drawn in Figure 1, indicating the north and south magnetic poles, respectively, allowing moment configurations to be fully inferred. Unless stated otherwise, sta- tistical error bars presented are calculated as the standard error over the collection of images for a given sample and field protocol realization. in detail at the effects of varying both the system’s lattice constant and the protocol ramping rate on the magnetic states achieved. We observe effective control of GS ordering strength without the need for an oscillating field and produce the strongest GS order yet reported for field-driven dynamics. 3.1. MAGNETIC STATES vs. LATTICE CONSTANT Figure 3 shows a series of MFM images of states prepared for r = 6 Oe/s, with a shown in each case. For clarity, regions con- tinuously tiled with T1 vertices are boxed and tinted red or blue, indicating whether they belong to one possible GS phase or the other. What is immediately apparent is the variety of states achieved. For largest a, states appear magnetically disordered. As a decreases, small GS-ordered regions emerge, becoming clear to the eye at a = 700 nm, existing within a disordered-looking matrix of higher energy vertices. By a = 500 nm, the order is typ- ified by sizeable continuous GS domains spanning many vertices and separated by narrow domain wall structures the width of a Figure 4 shows the corresponding vertex type populations, ni for i = 1–4, as a function of a. Populations are non-random over all a, as ni are not given by their multiplicities qi, plotted as dashed lines in Figure 4A. Throughout this series, vertex populations mainly shift from n3 to n1, being respectively, equal to 0.36 ± 0.01 and 0.24 ± 0.02 for a = 900 nm, and 0.073 ± 0.003 and 0.628 ± 0.009 for a = 400 nm. n2,4 stay approximately constant at n2 ≈0.33 and n4 ≈0. It is clear that the observed behavior FIGURE 3 | MFM images of square ice states prepared by a linearly decreasing rotating in-plane field. Scale bars represent 2 µm. Samples were rotated at f = 42 Hz, and the field was ramped down at r = 6 Oe/s. As the lattice constant decreases from a = 900 nm to 400 nm, strong ground state order emerges in the form of well-defined domains, which are boxed and tinted red or blue to indicate the two GS phases. The normalized digital magnetization components mx,y are quoted and standard errors are expressed in brackets at their corresponding significant figures. Note, all images are of samples from batch 1 except for a = 400 nm. domains, which are boxed and tinted red or blue to indicate the two GS phases. The normalized digital magnetization components mx,y are quoted and standard errors are expressed in brackets at their corresponding significant figures. Note, all images are of samples from batch 1 except for a = 400 nm. FIGURE 3 | MFM images of square ice states prepared by a linearly decreasing rotating in-plane field. 3. RESULTS 3.1. MAGNETIC STATES vs. LATTICE CONSTANT 2.2. VERTEX MODEL INTERPRETATION The black solid line indicates the coercive field of such samples, Hc ≈600 Oe, and the dashed black lines indicate the estimated intrinsic macrospin switching field distribution width of ≈±100 Oe centered about Hc. FIGURE 2 | Applied field protocol example. (Inset) A sample is rotated about an out-of-plane axis at f = 42 Hz whilst and in-plane field Ha is applied. Ha is ramped down from 1300 to 0 Oe in a linear fashion, as shown in the main plot for a ramping rate of r = 6 Oe/s (red solid line). The black solid line indicates the coercive field of such samples, Hc ≈600 Oe, and the dashed black lines indicate the estimated intrinsic macrospin switching field distribution width of ≈±100 Oe centered about Hc. December 2013 | Volume 1 | Article 28 | 2 Frontiers in Physics | Condensed Matter Physics Demagnetization of artificial square ice Morgan et al. single vertex, much like those observed following thermal order- ing [3, 17, 26–29, 32] and in square ice simulations [24]. For a = 400 nm, these features are only enhanced. Here interaction strength is being varied against a close-to-constant intrinsic island property distribution (assuming little variation in patterning as a is changed). of T1 vertices, Figure 1, which, crucially, is twofold degenerate. This state presents a background for well-defined magnetic chain defects consisting of magnetically charged “monopole” excita- tions in the form of T3,4 vertices, which possess an excess of north or south polarity, connected by energetic strings of T2 ver- tices. Such chain defects can exist as isolated excitations flipped out of the GS background [40], or as part of domain wall struc- ture separating two continuous regions of opposite GS phase [3, 17, 32]. Whilst both T1,2 obey the 2-in/2-out ice rules, they are energetically split by the square ice geometry. Also quoted in Figure 3 are the normalized digital magneti- zation components mx,y along the respective x−, y−directions as defined in Figure 1A. Here we assume identical point Ising dipoles. Previous discussion of a similar linear protocol reported a large variation in the net magnetization of states achieved for similar samples and protocol parameters, however, this observa- tion was never explained or understood [31]. Here we observe a tendency for demagnetization to improve as a decreases, attributable to stronger interactions promoting the formation of zero-moment T1 vertices. 3.1. MAGNETIC STATES vs. LATTICE CONSTANT Scale bars represent 2 µm. Samples were rotated at f = 42 Hz, and the field was ramped down at r = 6 Oe/s. As the lattice constant decreases from a = 900 nm to 400 nm, strong ground state order emerges in the form of well-defined December 2013 | Volume 1 | Article 28 | 3 www.frontiersin.org Demagnetization of artificial square ice Morgan et al. FIGURE 4 | (A) Vertex populations ni for i = 1–4 vs. lattice constant a. Dashed lines represent the corresponding random-state values, as given by multiplicities qi. (B) The corresponding mean areal domain size Nd. Data points for batch 1(2) are open(filled). FIGURE 4 | (A) Vertex populations ni for i = 1–4 vs. lattice constant a. Dashed lines represent the corresponding random-state values, as given by multiplicities qi. (B) The corresponding mean areal domain size Nd. Data points for batch 1(2) are open(filled). ons ni for i = 1–4 vs. lattice constant a. Dashed lines represent the corresponding random-state values, as given by multiplicitie n areal domain size Nd. Data points for batch 1(2) are open(filled). with a is qualitatively similar to that of thermally annealed square ice systems: the GS domains are comparable in form [3, 41]. Furthermore, the data for a = 400 nm shows the strongest GS order yet reported following field-driven dynamics. non-interacting system in the limit of a →∞(This was calcu- lated by averaging the statistics of pseudo-randomly generated square ice states, 200 × 200 vertices in size, over 30,000 real- izations). Note, we follow recent studies of dipole domains in nanomagnet arrays [5], neglecting the finite field of view in the calculation, which will act to reduce the measured size of edge- straddling domains. While our domains could be interpreted in terms of dipoles which belong to either phase of the GS, the ver- tex picture is more appealing as the T1 vertex is the natural object of interest in this study. The maximum n1 population yet reported following ac demagnetization of quasi-infinite square ice is 0.35 [2]. Whilst the ac demagnetization protocol was further optimized in later studies [14], this work addressed exclusively pairwise correlation between elemental magnetizations. 3.1. MAGNETIC STATES vs. LATTICE CONSTANT If a correlator C is defined as ±1 depending on whether two first-nearest-neighbor elements (as illustrated in Figure 1A) are favorably or unfavorably aligned, respectively, at a = 400 nm we find a value of ⟨C⟩= 0.618 ± 0.009, averaged over all such pairs imaged. This compares with roughly 0.5 ± 0.02 for the previously reported ac demagnetiza- tion study [14]. Furthermore, whilst rotating and non-rotating field demagnetization experiments on finite area square ice pat- terns have also been shown to generate significant n1 populations [21, 35, 42], finite size edge effects are expected to have played a significant role in the onset of coherent ordering [22], which will be absent from our “bulk” measurements. It is interesting to consider the means by which the observed order should form during the field protocol. The evolution of order will be governed by whether or not the net local field experienced by a given macrospin overcomes its intrinsic switch- ing barrier as Ha evolves in time. This is indeed a non-trivial many-body problem requiring the attention of simulations or “real-time” microscopy studies, beyond the scope of our present report. Despite this, we can make general inferences based on the state-of-the-art. As we will discuss, this is a problem involving the balance of three magnetic field scales defined by interaction strength (controlled by a), QD, and r. For completeness, note that our two a = 500 nm samples possess similar statistics, however, they are statistically distinct, indicating the subtle difference between sample batches as men- tioned in previous reports [17]. The protocol was also repeated two or three times for each sample, yielding consistent results (not shown in Figure 4 for clarity). Two trivial field regimes must exist: one where Ha is so large that all macrospins track it, the other where Ha is too low to allow any dynamics at all. In the crossover between these two regimes the non-trivial regime of interest exists, both interactions and QD influencing its width. This region is illustrated in the plot of Figure 2. The most influential interaction is that between first nearest neighbors, as indicated in Figure 1A. The field strength H1 can be calculated assuming point Ising dipoles with moments μ = VMs, a prismatic volume V and the saturation magnetiza- tion of NiFe Ms = 860 × 103 A/m. 3.2. MAGNETIC STATES vs. FIELD RAMPING RATE To further study these ideas we explore the effects of parameter r on the states formed. We test this for two samples from batch 1, the densest and sparsest patterns, with a = 500 nm and 900 nm, respectively. The crucial difference between these two samples is the interaction strength. Both should, however, possess a simi- lar intrinsic distribution of moment properties, hence, the effects of QD should be much more prominent for the latter sample, in which interelemental coupling is relatively weaker. Rates of r = 0.3 Oe/s, 3 Oe/s, 6 Oe/s, 60 Oe/s, 300 Oe/s, and 600 Oe/s were used. In dc field reversal, a picture of propagation of defected vertices across a background state via the sequential flipping of underlying moments is often invoked [12, 35, 36, 43]. In our protocol, we can consider there to be a background of “loose” spins which track the field. As Ha drops through the critical field window, increas- ing numbers of moments will lock out due to local stabilization. Initial nucleation of order will occur at random sites defined by QD. Correlated order can then form around such nucleation sites due to dipolar interactions. Simulations have showed that at opti- mal values of Ha spin flip dynamics increment every 1/4 turn in constant-magnitude rotating field protocols [21, 22], proceed- ing via the creation, propagation and annihilation of oppositely charged T3 vertex pairs, and the same is anticipated for our lin- early decreasing field profile. The field step every 1/4 turn, Ha, is hence a third relevant scale, influencing which moments might or might not freeze. For r = 6 Oe/s and f = 42 Hz, Ha = 0.036 Oe. Tuning r is hence expected to be a means of control- ling the order in a given sample, crudely defining an “annealing time.” Figure 5 shows MFM images for a selection of four values of r for the a = 500 nm sample, and two images for the a = 900 nm sample with smallest and largest r, respectively. All states were found to be adequately demagnetized, as quoted, with a con- sistently higher moment for a = 900 nm. Again, a shorter a has resulted in better demagnetization. Figure 6 shows (A) ni and (B) Nd for both samples. 3.1. MAGNETIC STATES vs. LATTICE CONSTANT H1 varies from ≈40 to 4 Oe as a increases from 400 to 900 nm, respectively. For QD, recently a width σ = 1.25H1 was estimated for a Gaussian distribution of intrinsic switching fields in similar patterns with a = 400 nm [21], hence σ ≈50 Oe. This estimation is expected to be repre- sentative of all a studied, as similarly fabricated patterns studied To directly characterize the observed domain structure, we define the normalized mean areal domain size, Nd, as the aver- age number of T1 vertices in continuous contact within a domain (calculated cumulatively over all MFM images for a given param- eter set, along with a standard error). A vertex contributes a unit area a2 to a domain, as shown by a box in Figure 1A. Shown in Figure 4B, Nd steadily increases from 1.9 ± 0.1 at a = 900 nm to 11.3 ± 0.9 at a = 400 nm. The value of Nd for a random state equals 1.32 to 3 significant figure, as indicated in Figure 4B by a dotted line, which would be expected for a demagnetized December 2013 | Volume 1 | Article 28 | 4 Frontiers in Physics | Condensed Matter Physics Demagnetization of artificial square ice Morgan et al. by MOKE magnetometry were reported to show little variation in the width of the field range over which their net magentizations reversed as a function of a [38], implying that extrinsic perturba- tions to magnetic reversal of the constituent nanoelements, such as pairwise interaction disorder, are a much lesser contribution to this width. 4. DISCUSSION l d h To conclude, this rotating linearly-ramped applied field protocol has been shown to produce effective and repeatable formation of GS ordered domains in square ice systems. It is simpler to imple- ment than the ac rotational demagnetization method [31], but can yield superior results in terms of approaching the GS. Whilst field-driven demagnetization is not as effective at larger a, we have shown here that the field ramping rate is crucial, which determines how many active rotations a system undergoes whilst the applied field lies within a critical dynamical window. Whilst this is also true of ac field profiles applied to rotating systems, an oscillation of the applied field (as observed in the laboratory ref- erence frame) is unnecessary in forming well-demagnetized states possessing strong GS-order. The extent of GS domains, as quanti- fied by an average GS domain size, is the strongest yet achieved by field-driving reported in experimental literature, attributable to a significant degree to sufficiently high ratio of interaction strength to QD. For the a = 900 nm sample only very weak effects are observed. For all r, GS order is weak. Whilst there is some evi- dence of GS order enhancement on reducing r, this is far from conclusive. At r = 600 Oe/s, Ha = 3.6 Oe which is ≈H1(a = 900 nm) hence local variations in field due to interactions may not be allowed to play a significant role in ordering. Interactions are, however, not irrelevant as n4 is suppressed for all values of r. Below r = 6 Oe/s, even though Ha ≪H1, QD must dom- inate the behavior via the local variation in macrospin properties as σ ≫H1. The effect of QD can be emphasized by compar- ing states for parameters sets (a = 500 nm and r = 3 Oe/s) and (a = 900 nm and r = 0.3 Oe/s). Ha/H1 are very similar in these two cases, however, the final states achieved are clearly very differ- ent. Neither state is random, however, the relative scale of QD is much greater in the latter. The observed tuning of domain structure in the final states achieved by relative levels of QD is consistent with the results of numerical simulations [24]. Finding a means of influencing the levels of QD present [3, 8] is hence important for future studies of field- and thermally-driven systems. 3.2. MAGNETIC STATES vs. FIELD RAMPING RATE For r = 0.3 Oe/s and a = 500 nm, the strongest GS order and largest average domain size are observed, again with nar- row domain walls. Here n1 = 0.62 ± 0.09 and Nd = 11.3 ± 1.4 vertices (statistically similar to the state of a = 400 nm and r = 6 Oe/s discussed previously). As r is increased, the domains shrink in size. Whilst continuous T1 domains are never fully suppressed to a random-state size, a messy matrix of T2,3 FIGURE 5 | MFM image series of square ice states for varying ramping rates r for the a = 500 nm and a = 900 nm samples of batch 1 (as quoted). Scale bars represent 2 µm. The two GS phases are indicated by boxes tinted red or blue. For a = 500 nm, decreasing r enhances the formation of GS-ordered domains, whilst increasing r promotes more disorder and T2,3 vertices. For a = 900 nm, little variation is observed with r, indicating the relative strength of QD in the system. r enhances the formation of GS-ordered domains, whilst increasing r promotes more disorder and T2,3 vertices. For a = 900 nm, little variation is observed with r, indicating the relative strength of QD in the system. FIGURE 5 | MFM image series of square ice states for varying ramping rates r for the a = 500 nm and a = 900 nm samples of batch 1 (as quoted). Scale bars represent 2 µm. The two GS phases are indicated by boxes tinted red or blue. For a = 500 nm, decreasing December 2013 | Volume 1 | Article 28 | 5 www.frontiersin.org Demagnetization of artificial square ice Morgan et al. FIGURE 6 | (A) Vertex populations ni vs. ramping rate r for samples with a = 500 nm (filled symbols) and a = 900 nm (open symbols). (B) The corresponding average domain size Nd. Dashed lines represent the limiting random-state values. FIGURE 6 | (A) Vertex populations ni vs. ramping rate r for samples with a = 500 nm (filled symbols) and a = 900 nm (open symbols). (B) The corresponding average domain size Nd. Dashed lines represent the limiting random-state values. structure develops by r ≈600 Oe/s. Here, n1 = 0.41 ± 0.01 and Nd = 3.4 ± 0.2. can also be understood by considering the effects of QD. 3.2. MAGNETIC STATES vs. FIELD RAMPING RATE The samples used in our current study which have the strongest GS order possess less QD relative to the interaction strength, mean- ing that stronger coherent ordering has been allowed. Evidence for this can be found by comparing various electron microscopy images of experimental square ice patterns previously reported [41, 44]. This observation is consistent with the picture that more active rotations within the critical field window allows for increased incremental propagation of T3 vertices, which has allowed them to travel further and find opposite charges with which to anni- hilate, increasingly forming coherent GS domains in their wake. Once domains are established, they may further evolve or coarsen by motion and annihilation of T3 vertices along their walls [23, 32]. As r increases, there is less opportunity for T3 ver- tices to travel before becoming trapped by the decreasing of Ha. Interactions are still clearly important at r = 600 Oe/s, as few T4 vertices are found, however, the system is simply not active for long enough to allow for strong GS order formation. This state is not dissimilar to the a = 600 nm and 700 nm states for r = 6 Oe/s discussed previously. Tuning Ha appears to influence the extent to which interactions can generate correlated GS order. Frontiers in Physics | Condensed Matter Physics REFERENCES 24. Libál A, Reichhardt CJO, Reichhardt, C. Creating artificial ice states using vor- tices in nanostructured superconductors. Phys Rev Lett. (2009) 102:237004. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.237004 1. Tanaka M, Saitoh E, Miyajima H, Yamaoka T, Iye, Y. Magnetic interactions in a ferromagnetic honeycomb nanoscale network. Phys Rev B (2006) 73:052411. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.73.052411 25. Reichhardt CJO, Libál A, Reichhardt, C. Multi-step ordering in kagome and square artificial spin ice. New J Phys. (2012) 14:025006. doi: 10.1088/1367- 2630/14/2/025006 2. Wang RF, Nisoli C, Freitas RS, Li J, McConville W, Cooley BJ, et al. Artificial ‘spin ice’ in a geometrically frustrated lattice of nanoscale ferromagnetic islands. Nature (2006) 439:303–6. doi: 10.1038/nature04447 2. Wang RF, Nisoli C, Freitas RS, Li J, McConville W, Cooley BJ, et al. Artificial ‘spin ice’ in a geometrically frustrated lattice of nanoscale ferromagnetic islands. Nature (2006) 439:303–6. doi: 10.1038/nature04447 26. Farhan A, Derlet PM, Kleibert A, Balan A, Chopdekar RV, Wyss M, et al. Direct observation of thermal relaxation in artificial spin ice. Phys Rev Lett. (2013) 111:057204. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.057204 3. Morgan JP, Akerman J, Stein A, Phatak C, Evans RML, Langridge S, et al. Real and effective thermal equilibrium in artificial square spin ices. Phys Rev B (2013) 87:024405. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.024405 27. Porro JM, Bedoya-Pinto A, Berger A, Vavassori, P. Exploring thermally induced states in square artificial spin-ice arrays. New J Phys. (2013) 15:055012. doi: 10.1088/1367-2630/15/5/055012 4. Nisoli C, Li J, Ke X, Garand D, Schiffer P, Crespi VH. Effective temperature in an interacting vertex system: theory and experiment on artificial spin ice. Phys Rev Lett. (2010) 105:047205. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.047205 28. Zhang S, Gilbert I, Nisoli C, Chern, G.-W., Erickson MJ, O’Brien L, et al. Crystallites of magnetic charges in artificial spin ice. Nature (2013) 500:553–7. doi: 10.1038/nature12399 5. Zhang S, Li J, Gilbert I, Bartell J, Erickson MJ, Pan Y, et al. Perpendicular mag- netization and generic realization of the Ising model in artificial spin ice. Phys Rev Lett. (2012) 109:087201. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.087201 29. Greaves SJ, Muraoka, H. Formation of thermally induced ground states in two-dimensional square spin ices. J Appl Phys. (2012) 112:043909. doi: 10.1063/1.4747910 6. Li J, Ke X, Zhang S, Garand D, Nisoli C, Lammert P, et al. Comparing artifi- cial frustrated magnets by tuning the symmetry of nanoscale permalloy arrays. Phys Rev B (2010) 81:092406. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.092406 30. Nisoli, C. On thermalization of magnetic nano-arrays at fabrication. New J Phys. (2012) 14:035017. doi: 10.1088/1367-2630/14/3/035017 7. REFERENCES Wysin GM, Moura-Melo WA, Mól LAS, Pereira AR. Magnetic anisotropy of elongated thin ferromagnetic nano-islands for artificial spin ice arrays. J Phys Condens Matt. (2012) 24:296001. doi: 10.1088/0953-8984/24/29/296001 31. Wang RF, Li J, McConville W, Nisoli C, Ke X, Freeland JW, et al. Demagnetization protocols for frustrated interacting nanomagnet arrays. J Appl Phys. (2007) 101:09J104. doi: 10.1063/1.2712528 8. Daunheimer S, Petrova O, Tchernyshyov O, Cumings, J. Reducing dis- order in artificial kagome ice. Phys Rev Lett. (2011) 107:167201. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.167201 32. Budrikis Z, Livesey K, Morgan JP, Akerman J, Stein A, Langridge S, et al. Domain dynamics and fluctuations in artificial square ice at finite tempera- tures. New J Phys. (2012) 14:035014. doi: 10.1088/1367-2630/14/3/035014 9. Branford WR, Ladak S, Read DE, Zeissler K, Cohen LF. Emerging chirality in artificial spin ice. Science (2012) 335:1597–600. doi: 10.1126/science.1211379 33. Davidovi´c D, Kumar S, Reich DH, Siegel J, Field SB, Tiberio RC, et al. Correlations and disorder in arrays of magnetically coupled superconducting rings. Phys Rev Lett. (1996) 76:815–8. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.815 10. Braun HB. Topological effects in nanomagnetism: from superparam- agnetism to chiral quantum solitons. Adv. Phys. (2012) 61:1. doi: 10.1080/00018732.2012.663070 34. Davidovi´c D, Kumar S, Reich DH, Siegel J, Field SB, Tiberio RC, et al. Magnetic correlations, geometrical frustration, and tunable disorder in arrays of superconducting rings. Phys Rev B (1997) 55:6518–40. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.55.6518 11. Farhan A, Derlet PM, Kleibert A, Balan A, Chopdekar RV, Wyss M, et al. Exploring hyper-cubic energy landscapes in thermally active finite spin-ice systems. Nat Phys. (2013) 9:375–82. doi: 10.1038/nphys2613 12. Mengotti E, Heyderman LJ, Fraile Rodríguez A, Nolting F, Hügli RV, Braun HB. Real-space observation of emergent magnetic monopoles and associated Dirac strings in artificial kagome spin ice. Nat Phys. (2011) 7:68–74. doi: 10.1038/nphys1794 35. Phatak C, Pan M, Petford-Long AK, Hong S, De Graef, M. Magnetic interac- tions and reversal of artificial square spin ices. New J Phys. (2012) 14:075028. doi: 10.1088/1367-2630/14/7/075028 36. Pollard SD, Volvok V, Zhu, Y. Propagation of magnetic charge monopoles and Dirac flux strings in an artificial spin-ice lattice. Phys Rev B (2012) 85:180402(R). doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.85.180402 13. Möller G, Moessner, R. Artificial square ice and related dipolar nanoarrays. Phys Rev. Lett. (2006) 96:237202. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.237202 14. Ke X, Li J, Nisoli C, Lammert PE, McConville W, Wang RF, et al. Energy mini- mization and ac demagnetization in a nanomagnet array. Phys Rev Lett. (2008) 101:037205. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.037205 37. 4. DISCUSSION l d h Further work is needed to better compare the various protocols employed, and understand the subtle difference between their driven dynamics. This can be further supported by numerical simulations, to understand how final states and “effective equilibrium” are approached. It is further interesting to compare these results with previ- ous reports of ac demagnetized square ice states. It was reported that ac demagnetization was notably superior to linearly ramped field demagnetization [31], despite few details of state statis- tics being given. Here, using a linear field, we report a closer approach to the GS than those reported for ac demagnetization [2, 3, 14]. Whilst this at first appears to be contradictory, this Further work could also involve studies of the effects of field profile parameters, as well as the synchronization of field step with sample rotation. Furthermore, in our samples, the domain size is large enough and the domain walls are narrow enough to further December 2013 | Volume 1 | Article 28 | 6 Frontiers in Physics | Condensed Matter Physics Demagnetization of artificial square ice Morgan et al. study how GS ordered regions and defects respond to applied fields. 15. Qi Y, Brintlinger T, Cumings, J. Direct observation of the ice rule in an artificial kagome spin ice. Phys Rev B (2008) 77:094418. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.77.094418 y 16. Mól LA, Moura-Melo WA, Pereira AR. Conditions for free magnetic monopoles in synthetic square ice dipolar nanoarrays. Phys Rev B (2010) 82:054434. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.054434 AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS The experiments were designed by Jason P. Morgan. Experimental measurements were conducted by Alexander Bellew. Data analysis was conducted by Jason P. Morgan and Alexander Bellew. Sample fabrication was conducted by Jason P. Morgan and Aaron Stein. The manuscript was written by Jason P. Morgan and Christopher H. Marrows. The work was supervised by Jason P. Morgan, Sean Langridge, and Christopher H. Marrows. 17. Morgan JP, Stein A, Langridge S, Marrows CH. Thermal ground state ordering and elementary excitations in artificial magnetic square ice. Nat Phys. (2011) 7:75–9. doi: 10.1038/nphys1853 18. Gliga S, Kákay A, Hertel R, Heinonen OG. Spectral analysis of topological defects in an artificial spin-ice lattice. Phys Rev Lett. (2013) 110:117205. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.117205 19. Sklenar J, Bhat VS, DeLong LE, Ketterson JB. Broadband ferromagnetic reso- nance studies on an artificial square spin-ice island array. J Appl Phys. (2013) 113:17B530. doi: 10.1063/1.4800740 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 20. Verba R, Melkov G, Tiberkevich V, Slavin, A. Fast switching of a ground state of a reconfigurable array of magnetic nano-dots. Appl Phys Lett. (2012) 100:192412. doi: 10.1063/1.4714772 Funding: The authors thank the UK EPSRC, the STFC Centre for Material Physics and Chemistry, the Nuffield Foundation and the Institute of Physics for financial support. Research was carried out in part at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886. 21. Budrikis Z, Morgan JP, Akerman J, Stein A, Politi P, Langridge S, et al. Disorder strength and field-driven ground state domain formation in artificial spin ice: experiment, simulation and theory. Phys Rev Lett. (2012) 109:037203. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.037203 22. Budrikis Z, Politi P, Stamps RL. Vertex dynamics in finite two- dimensional square spin ices. Phys Rev Lett. (2010) 105:017201. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.017201 23. Libál A, Reichhardt C, Reichhardt CJO. Hysteresis and return-point mem- ory in colloidal artificial spin ice system. Phys Rev E (2012) 86:021406. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.86.021406 REFERENCES Morgan JP, Kinane CJ, Charlton TR, Stein A, Sánchez-Hanke C, Arena DA, et al. Magnetic hysteresis of an artificial square ice studied by in-plane December 2013 | Volume 1 | Article 28 | 7 www.frontiersin.org Demagnetization of artificial square ice Morgan et al. 44. Wang, R. Geometrical Magnetic Frustration and Demagnetization of Artificial Spin Ice. Ph.D. thesis, Department of Physics, The Graduate School, The Pennsylvania State University, (2007). 44. Bragg x-ray resonant magnetic scattering. AIP Adv. (2012) 2:022163. doi: 10.1063/1.4732147 Bragg x-ray resonant magnetic scattering. AIP Adv. (2012) 2:022163. doi: 10.1063/1.4732147 38. Kohli K, Balk AL, Li J, Zhang S, Gilbert I, Lammert P, et al. Magneto-optical Kerr effect studies of artificial spin ice. Phys Rev B (2011) 84:180412(R). doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.180412 Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare that the research was con- ducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. 39. Horcas I, Fernández R, Gómez-Rodríguez JM, Colchero J, Gómez-Herrero J, Baro AM. WSxM: a software for scanning probe microscopy and a tool for nanotechnology. Rev Sci Instrum. (2007) 78:013705. doi: 10.1063/ 1.2432410 Received: 17 August 2013; accepted: 23 November 2013; published online: 18 December 2013. 40. Mól LA, Silva RL, Silva RC, Pereira AR, Moura-Melo WA, Costa BV. Magnetic monopole and string excitations in two-dimensional spin ice. J Appl Phys. (2009) 106:063913. doi: 10.1063/1.3224870 Citation: Morgan JP, Bellew A, Stein A, Langridge S and Marrows CH (2013) Linear field demagnetization of artificial magnetic square ice. Front. Physics 1:28. doi: 10.3389/fphy.2013.00028 Citation: Morgan JP, Bellew A, Stein A, Langridge S and Marrows CH (2013) Linear field demagnetization of artificial magnetic square ice. Front. Physics 1:28. doi: 10.3389/fphy.2013.00028 41. Morgan JP. Ordering and Defects in Artificial Magnetic Square Ice: thermody- namic and Field-Driven Processes. Ph.D. thesis, University of Leeds (2011). This article was submitted to Condensed Matter Physics, a section of the journal Frontiers in Physics. 42. Phatak C, Petford-Long AK, Heinonen O, Tanase M, De Graef, M. Nanoscale structure of the magnetic induction at monopole defects in artificial spin-ice lattices. Phys Rev B (2011) 83:174431. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.83. 174431 Copyright © 2013 Morgan, Bellew, Stein, Langridge and Marrows. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Copyright © 2013 Morgan, Bellew, Stein, Langridge and Marrows. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). December 2013 | Volume 1 | Article 28 | 8 Frontiers in Physics | Condensed Matter Physics REFERENCES The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publica- tion in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. 43. Morgan JP, Stein A, Langridge S, Marrows CH. Magnetic reversal of an arti- ficial square ice: dipolar correlation and charge ordering. New J Phys. (2011). 13:105002. doi: 10.1088/1367-2630/13/10/105002 December 2013 | Volume 1 | Article 28 | 8 Frontiers in Physics | Condensed Matter Physics
https://openalex.org/W2952041617
https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/365/bmj.l2239.full.pdf
English
null
Evaluating the impact of healthcare interventions using routine data
BMJ. British medical journal
2,019
cc-by
6,941
Evaluating the impact of healthcare interventions using routine data OPEN ACCESS Geraldine M Clarke senior data analyst 1, Stefano Conti senior statistician 2, Arne T Wolters senior analytics manager 1, Adam Steventon director of data analytics 1 1The Health Foundation, London, UK; 2NHS England and NHS Improvement, London, UK 1The Health Foundation, London, UK; 2NHS England and NHS Improvement, London, UK Correspondence to G Clarke Geraldine.clarke@health.org.uk PRACTICE PRACTICE What you need to know Assessing the impact of healthcare interventions is critical to inform future decisions Compare observed outcomes with what you would have expected if the intervention had not been implemented A wide range of routinely collected data is available for the evaluation of healthcare interventions A health intervention is a combination of activities or strategies designed to assess, improve, maintain, promote, or modify health among individuals or an entire population. Interventions can include educational or care programmes, policy changes, environmental improvements, or health promotion campaigns. Interventions that include multiple independent or interacting components are referred to as complex.5 The impact of any intervention is likely to be shaped as much by the context (eg, communities, work places, homes, schools, or hospitals) in which it is delivered, as the details of the intervention itself.6-9 Interventions to transform the delivery of health and social care are being implemented widely, such as those linked to Accountable Care Organizations in the United States,1 or to integrated care systems in the UK.2 Assessing the impact of these health interventions enables healthcare teams to learn and to improve services, and can inform future policy.3 However, some healthcare interventions are implemented without high quality evaluation, in ways that require onerous data collection, or may not be evaluated at all.4 Interventions to transform the delivery of health and social care are being implemented widely, such as those linked to Accountable Care Organizations in the United States,1 or to integrated care systems in the UK.2 Assessing the impact of these health interventions enables healthcare teams to learn and to improve services, and can inform future policy.3 However, some healthcare interventions are implemented without high quality evaluation, in ways that require onerous data collection, or may not be evaluated at all.4 An impact is a positive or negative, direct or indirect, intended or unintended change produced by an intervention. An impact evaluation is a systematic and empirical investigation of the effects of an intervention; it assesses to what extent the outcomes experienced by affected individuals were caused by the intervention in question, and what can be attributed to other factors such as other interventions, socioeconomic trends, and political or environmental conditions. Evaluations can be categorised as formative or summative (table 1). A range of routinely collected administrative and clinically generated healthcare data could be used to evaluate the impact of interventions to improve care. Open Access: Reuse allowed Page 1 of 7 BMJ 2019;365:l2239 doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2239 (Published 20 June 2019) BMJ 2019;365:l2239 doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2239 (Published 20 June 2019) Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe What you need to know However, there is a lack of guidance as to where relevant routine data can be found or accessed and how they can be linked to other data. A diverse array of methodological literature can also make it hard to understand which methods to apply to analyse the data. This article provides an introduction to help clinicians, commissioners, and other healthcare professionals wishing to commission, interpret, or perform an impact evaluation of a health intervention. We highlight what to consider and discuss key concepts relating to design, analysis, implementation, and interpretation. A range of routinely collected administrative and clinically generated healthcare data could be used to evaluate the impact of interventions to improve care. However, there is a lack of guidance as to where relevant routine data can be found or accessed and how they can be linked to other data. A diverse array of methodological literature can also make it hard to understand which methods to apply to analyse the data. This article provides an introduction to help clinicians, Approaches such as the Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle11, which is part of the Model for Improvement, a commonly used tool to test and understand small changes in quality improvement work12 may be used to undertake formative evaluation. commissioners, and other healthcare professionals wishing to commission, interpret, or perform an impact evaluation of a health intervention. We highlight what to consider and discuss key concepts relating to design, analysis, implementation, and interpretation. With either type of evaluation, it is important to be realistic about how long it will take to see the intended effects. Assessment that takes place too soon risks incorrectly concluding that there was no impact. This might lead stakeholders to question the value of the intervention, when later assessment might have shown a different picture. For example, in a small case study of cost savings from proactively managing high risk patients, the costs of healthcare for the Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe Open Access: Reuse allowed BMJ 2019;365:l2239 doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2239 (Published 20 June 2019) Page 2 of 7 PRACTICE eligible intervention population initially increased compared with the comparison population, but after six months were consistently lower.14 be assumed that the control group outcomes are representative of those that the treated group would have experienced if nothing had changed, ie, the counterfactual. What are the right evaluation questions? An effective impact evaluation begins with the formulation of one or more clear questions driven by the purpose of the evaluation and what you and your stakeholders want to learn. For example, “What is the impact of case management on patients’ experience of care?” Observational studies are often referred to as natural (for natural or unplanned interventions), or quasi (for planned or intentional interventions) experiments. Natural experiments are discussed to evaluate population health interventions.41 Formulate your evaluation questions using your understanding of the idea behind your intervention, the implementation challenges, and your knowledge of what data are available to measure outcomes. Review your theory of change or logic model21 22 to understand what inputs and activities were planned, and what outcomes were expected and when. Once you have understood the intended causal pathway, consider the practical aspects of implementation, which include the barriers to change, unexpected changes by recipients or providers, and other influences not previously accounted for. Patient and public involvement (PPI) in setting the right question is strongly recommended for additional insights and meaningful results. For example, if evaluating the impact of case management, you could engage patients to understand what outcomes matter most to them. Healthcare leaders may emphasise metrics such as emergency admissions, but other aspects such as the experience of care might matter more to patients.5 23 What’s wrong with a simple before-and-after study? Before-and-after studies compare changes in outcomes for the same group of patients at a single time point before and after receiving an intervention without reference to a control group. These differ from interrupted time series studies, which compare changes in outcomes for successive groups of patients before and after receiving an intervention (the interruption). Before-and-after studies are useful when it is not possible to include an unexposed control group, or for hypothesis generation. However, they are inherently susceptible to bias since changes observed may simply reflect regression to the mean (any changes in outcomes that might occur naturally in the absence of the intervention), or influences or secular trends unrelated to the intervention, eg, changes in the economic or political environment, or a heightened public awareness of issues. What you need to know For example, an evaluation of alternative elective surgical interventions for primary total hip replacement on osteoarthritis patients in England and Wales used genetic matching to compare patients across three different prosthesis groups, and reported that the most prevalent type of hip replacement was the least cost effective.29 This article focuses on impact evaluation, but this can only ever address a fraction of questions.15 Much more can be accomplished if it is supplemented with other qualitative and quantitative methods, including process evaluation. This provides context, assesses how the intervention was implemented, identifies any emerging unintended pathways, and is important for understanding what happened in practice and for identifying areas for improvement.16 The economic evaluation of healthcare interventions is also important for healthcare decision making, especially with ongoing financial pressures on health services.17 Assessing similarity is only possible in relation to observed characteristics, and matching can result in biased estimates if the groups differ in relation to unobserved variables that are predictive of the outcome (confounders). It is rarely possible to eliminate this possibility of bias when conducting observational studies, meaning that the interpretation of the findings must always be sensitive to the possibility that the differences in outcomes were caused by a factor other than the intervention. Methods that can help when selection is on unobserved characteristics include difference-in-difference,30 regression discontinuity,31 instrumental variables,18 or synthetic controls.32Table 2 gives a summary of selected observational study designs. What methods can be used to perform an impact evaluation? Randomised control designs, where individuals are randomly selected to receive either an intervention or a control treatment, are often referred to as the “gold standard” of causal impact evaluation.24 In large enough samples, the process of randomisation ensures a balance in observed and unobserved characteristics between treatment and control groups. However, while often suitable for assessing, for example, the safety and efficacy of medicines, these designs may be impractical, unethical, or irrelevant when assessing the impact of complex changes to health service delivery. For example, a before-and-after study of the impact of a care coordination service for older people tracked the hospital utilisation of the same patients before and after they were accepted into the service. They found that the service resulted in savings in hospital bed days and attendances at the emergency department.42 Reduced hospital utilisation could have reflected regression to the mean here rather than the effects of the intervention; for example, a patient could have had a specific health crisis before being invited to join the service and then reverted back to their previous state of health and hospital utilisation for reasons unconnected with the care coordination service. Observational studies are an alternative approach to estimate causal effects. They use the natural, or unplanned, variation in a population in relation to the exposure to an intervention, or the factors that affect its outcomes, to remove the consequences of a non-randomised selection process.25 The idea is to mimic a randomised control design by ensuring treated and control groups are equivalent—at least in terms of observed characteristics. This can be achieved using a variety of well documented methods, including regression control and matching,26 eg, propensity scoring27 or genetic matching.28 If the matching is successful at producing such groups, and there are also no differences in unobserved characteristics, then it can Various tools are available to evaluate the risk of bias in non-randomised designs due to confounding and other potential biases.43 44 Open Access: Reuse allowed Are there any additional considerations? It is essential to consider threats to validity when designing and evaluating an impact evaluation; validity relates to whether an evaluation is measuring what it is claiming to measure. See Rothman et al55 for further discussion. Provenance and peer review: This article is part of a series commissioned by The BMJ based on ideas generated by a joint editorial group with members from the Health Foundation and The BMJ, including a patient/carer. The BMJ retained full editorial control over external peer review, editing, and publication. Open access fees and The BMJ’s quality improvement editor post are funded by the Health Foundation. Internal validity refers to whether the effects observed are due to the intervention and not some other confounding factor. Selection bias, which results from the way in which subjects are recruited, or from differing rates of participation due, for example, to age, gender, cultural or socioeconomic factors, is often a problem in non-randomised designs. Care must be taken to account for such biases when interpreting the results of an impact evaluation. Sensitivity analyses should be performed to provide reassurance regarding the plausibility of causal inferences. Patient and/or members of the public were not involved in the creation of this article. 1 Davis K, Guterman S, Collins S, Stremikis G, Rustgi S, Nuzum R. Starting on the path to a high performance health system: Analysis of the payment and system reform provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of. The Commonwealth Fund, 2010, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2010/sep/starting-path- high-performance-health-system-analysis-payment. 2 NHS NHS Long Term Plan. 2019. https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/ 3 Djulbegovic B. A framework to bridge the gaps between evidence-based medicine, health outcomes, and improvement and implementation science. J Oncol Pract 2014;10:200-2. 10.1200/JOP.2013.001364 24839282 4 Bickerdike L, Booth A, Wilson PM, etal . Social prescribing: less rhetoric and more reality. A systematic review of the evidence. BMJ Open 2017;7:e013384. 5 Campbell M, Fitzpatrick R, Haines A, etal . Framework for design and evaluation of complex interventions to improve health. BMJ 2000;321:694-6. 10.1136/bmj.321.7262.694 10987780 6 Rickles D. Causality in complex interventions. Med Health Care Philos 2009;12:77-90. 10.1007/s11019-008-9140-4 18465202 7 Hawe P. Lessons from complex interventions to improve health. Annu Rev Public Health 2015;36:307-23. 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031912-114421 25581153 8 Greenhalgh T, Papoutsi C. Studying complexity in health services research: desperately seeking an overdue paradigm shift. BMC Med 2018;16:95. 1 Davis K, Guterman S, Collins S, Stremikis G, Rustgi S, Nuzum R. Starting on the path to a high performance health system: Analysis of the payment and system reform provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of. The Commonwealth Fund, 2010, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2010/sep/starting-path- high-performance-health-system-analysis-payment. 2 NHS NHS Long Term Plan. 2019. https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/ 3 Djulbegovic B. A framework to bridge the gaps between evidence-based medicine, health outcomes, and improvement and implementation science. J Oncol Pract 2014;10:200-2. 10.1200/JOP.2013.001364 24839282 4 Bickerdike L, Booth A, Wilson PM, etal . Social prescribing: less rhetoric and more reality. A systematic review of the evidence. BMJ Open 2017;7:e013384. 5 Campbell M, Fitzpatrick R, Haines A, etal . Framework for design and evaluation of complex interventions to improve health. BMJ 2000;321:694-6. 10.1136/bmj.321.7262.694 10987780 6 Rickles D. Causality in complex interventions. Med Health Care Philos 2009;12:77-90. 10.1007/s11019-008-9140-4 18465202 7 Hawe P. Lessons from complex interventions to improve health. Annu Rev Public Health 2015;36:307-23. 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031912-114421 25581153 8 Greenhalgh T, Papoutsi C. Studying complexity in health services research: desperately seeking an overdue paradigm shift. BMC Med 2018;16:95. 10.1186/s12916-018-1089-4 29921272 9 Pawson R Tilley N Realistic evaluation Sage 1997 Education into practice • What interventions have you designed or experienced aimed at transforming your service? Have they been evaluated? • What interventions have you designed or experienced aimed at transforming your service? Have they been evaluated? • What interventions have you designed or experienced aimed at transforming your service? Have they been evaluated? Healthcare records can often be linked across different sources as a single patient identifier is commonly used across a healthcare system, eg, the use of an NHS number in the UK. Using a common pseudonym across different data sources can support linkage of pseudonymised records. Linking into publicly available sources of administrative data and surveys can further enrich healthcare records. Commonly used administrative data available for UK populations include measures of GP practice quality and outcomes from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF),52 deprivation, rurality, and demographics from the 2011 Census,53 and patient experience from the GP Patient Survey.54 • What types of routine data are collected about the care you deliver? Do you know how to access them and use them to evaluate care delivery? • What resources are available to you to support impact evaluations for interventions? Contributors GMC, SC, ATW and AS designed the structure of the report. GMC wrote the first draft of the manuscript. SC wrote table 2. ATW wrote table 3. AS and GMC critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript. Competing interests We have read and understood BMJ policy on declaration of interests. All authors work in the Improvements Analytics Unit, a joint project between NHS England and the Health Foundation, which provided support for work reported in references of this report. 13 37 60 Further Resources See The Health Foundation. Evaluation: what to consider. 201560 for a list of websites, articles, webinars and other guidance on various aspects of impact evaluation, which may help locate further information for the planning, interpretation, and development of a successful impact evaluation.5 23 55 Where can I find suitable routine data? Healthcare systems generate vast amounts of data as part of their routine operation. These datasets are often designed to Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe BMJ 2019;365:l2239 doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2239 (Published 20 June 2019) Page 3 of 7 PRACTICE support direct care, and for administrative purposes, rather than for research, and use of routinely collected data for evaluating changes in health service delivery is not without pitfalls. For example, any variation observed between geographical regions, providers, and sometimes individual clinicians may reflect real and important variations in the actual healthcare quality provided, but can also result from differences in measurement.45 However, routine data can be a rich source of information on a large group of patients with different conditions across different geographical regions. Often, data have been collected for many years, enabling construction of individual patient histories describing healthcare utilisation, diagnoses, comorbidities, prescription of medication, and other treatments. Clear and transparent reporting using established guidelines (eg, STROBE58 or TREND59)to describe the intervention, study population, assignment of treatment, and control groups, and methods used to estimate impact should be followed. Limitations arising as a result of inherent biases, or validity, should be clearly acknowledged. Around the world, many interventions designed to improve health and healthcare are under way. An evaluation is an essential part of understanding what impact these changes are having, for whom and in what circumstances, and help inform future decisions about improvement and further roll out. There is no standard, ‘‘one size fits all’’ recipe for a good evaluation: it must be tailored to the project at hand. Understanding the overarching principles and standards is the first step towards a good evaluation. Some of these data are collected centrally, across a wider system, and routinely shared for research and evaluation purposes, eg, secondary care data in England (Hospital Episode Statistics), or Medicare Claims data in the United States. Other sources, such as primary care data, are often collected at a more local level, but can be accessed through, or on behalf of, healthcare commissioners, provided the right information governance arrangements are in place. Pseudonymised records, where any identifying information is removed or replaced by an artificial identifier, are often used to support evaluation while maintaining patient confidentiality. See table 3 for commonly used routine datasets available in England. Open Access: Reuse allowed Are there any additional considerations? 10.1186/s12916-018-1089-4 29921272 9 Pawson R Tilley N Realistic evaluation Sage 1997 External validity refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalised to other settings. Understanding the societal, economic, health system, and environmental context in which an intervention is delivered, and which makes its impact unique, is critical when interpreting the results of evaluations, and considering whether they apply to your setting.56 Descriptions of context should be as rich as possible. Often, the impact of an intervention is likely to vary depending on the characteristics of patients. These can be usefully explored in subgroup analyses.57 9 Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe BMJ 2019;365:l2239 doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2239 (Published 20 June 2019) Page 4 of 7 PRACTICE 36 Sutton M, Nikolova S, Boaden R, Lester H, McDonald R, Roland M. Reduced mortality with hospital pay for performance in England. N Engl J Med 2012;367:1821-8. 10.1056/NEJMsa1114951 23134382 10 Smith J, Wistow G. (Nuffield Trust comment) Learning from an intrepid pioneer: integrated care in North West London. https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/learning-from-an- intrepid-pioneer-integrated-care-in-north-west-london 11 Improvement NHS. Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles and the model for improvement. Handb Qual Serv Improv Tools, 2010. 37 Stephen O, Wolters A, Steventon A. Briefing: The impact of redesigning urgent and emergency care in Northumberland 2017. https://www.health.org.uk/sites/health/files/ IAUNorthumberland.pdf 12 Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Quality Improvement—training for better outcomes. 2016. https://www.aomrc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Quality_improvement_key_ findings_140316-2.pdf 38 Geneletti S, O’Keeffe AG, Sharples LD, Richardson S, Baio G. Bayesian regression discontinuity designs: incorporating clinical knowledge in the causal analysis of primary care data. Stat Med 2015;34:2334-52. 10.1002/sim.6486 25809691 g _ p 13 Lloyd T, Wolters A, Steventon A. The impact of providing enhanced support for care home residents in Rushcliffe. 2017. http://www.health.org.uk/sites/health/files/IAURushcliffe.pdf 39 Bernal JL, Cummins S, Gasparrini A. Interrupted time series regression 39 Bernal JL, Cummins S, Gasparrini A. Interrupted time series regression for the evaluation of public health interventions: a tutorial.Int J Epidemiol 2016, 46:348-55. residents in Rushcliffe. 2017. http://www.health.org.uk/sites/health/files/IAURushclif 14 Ferris TG, Weil E, Meyer GS, Neagle M, Heffernan JL, Torchiana DF. Cost savings from managing high-risk patients. In: Yong PL, Saunders RS, Olsen LA, editors. The healthcare imperative: lowering costs and improving outcomes: workshop series summary.Nat Acad Press (US) ; 2010:301. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53910/ of public health interventions: a tutorial.Int J Epidemiol 2016, 46:348-55. 40 Donegan K, Fox N, Black N, Livingston G, Banerjee S, Burns A. Are there any additional considerations? Trends in diagnosis and treatment for people with dementia in the UK from 2005 to 2015: a longitudinal retrospective cohort study. Lancet Public Health 2017;2667:1-8. 15 Greenhalgh T, Papoutsi C. Studying complexity in health services research: desperately seeking an overdue paradigm shift. BMC Med 2018;16:4-9. 41 Craig P, Cooper C, Gunnell D, etal . Using natural experiments to evaluate population health interventions: new Medical Research Council guidance. J Epidemiol Community Health 2012;66:1182-6. 10.1136/jech-2011-200375 22577181 15 Greenhalgh T, Papoutsi C. Studying complexity in health serv seeking an overdue paradigm shift. BMC Med 2018;16:4-9. 16 Moore GF, Audrey S, Barker M, etal . Process evaluation of complex interventions: Medical Research Council guidance. BMJ 2015;350:h1258. 10.1136/bmj.h1258 25791983 42 Mayhew L. On the effectiveness of care co-ordination services aimed at preventing hospital admissions and emergency attendances. Health Care Manag Sci 2009;12:269-84. 10.1007/s10729-008-9092-5 19739360 17 Drummond M, Weatherly H, Ferguson B. Economic evaluation of health intervent BMJ 2008;337:a1204. 10.1136/bmj.a1204 18824485 17 Drummond M, Weatherly H, Ferguson B. Economic evaluation of health interven BMJ 2008;337:a1204. 10.1136/bmj.a1204 18824485 43 Sterne JA, Hernán MA, Reeves BC, etal . ROBINS-I: a tool for assessing risk of bias in non-randomised studies of interventions. BMJ 2016;355:i4919. 10.1136/bmj.i4919 27733354 j 18 Baiocchi M, Cheng J, Small DS. Instrumental variable methods for causal inference. Stat Med 2014;33:2297-340. 10.1002/sim.6128 24599889 18 Baiocchi M, Cheng J, Small DS. Instrumental variable m Med 2014;33:2297-340. 10.1002/sim.6128 24599889 Med 2014;33:2297-340. 10.1002/sim.6128 24599889 non-randomised studies of interventions. BMJ 2016;355:i4919. 19 Lorch SA, Baiocchi M, Ahlberg CE, Small DS. The differential impact of delivery hospital on the outcomes of premature infants. Pediatrics 2012;130:270-8. 10.1542/peds.2011-2820 22778301 44 Chen YF, Hemming K, Stevens AJ, Lilford RJ. Secular trends and evaluation of complex interventions: the rising tide phenomenon. BMJ Qual Saf 2016;25:303-10. 10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004372 26442789 on the outcomes of premature infants. Pediatrics 2012;130:270-8. 4 Chen YF, Hemming K, Stevens AJ, Lilford RJ. Secular trends and evalua 20 Martens EP, Pestman WR, de Boer A, Belitser SV, Klungel OH. Instrume 20 Martens EP, Pestman WR, de Boer A, Belitser SV, Klungel OH. Instrumental variabl application and limitations. Epidemiology 2006;17:260-7. 10.1097/01.ede.0000215160.88317.cb 16617274 rtens EP, Pestman WR, de Boer A, Belitser SV, Klungel OH. Instrumental variables: 45 Powell AE, Davies HT, Thomson RG. Using routine comparative data to assess the quality of health care: understanding and avoiding common pitfalls. Qual Saf Health Care 2003;12:122-8. 10.1136/qhc.12.2.122 12679509 10.1097/01.ede.0000215160.88317.cb 16617274 21 Center for Theory of Change. Are there any additional considerations? An introduction to propensity score methods for reducing the eff 53 Office for National Statistics. 2011 Census. https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011census confounding in observational studies. Multivariate Behav Res 2011;46:399-42 54 NHS England. GP Patient Survey (GPPS). https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/ 28 Diamond A, Sekhon JS. Genetic matching for estimating causal effects: A general multivariate matching method for achieving balance in observational studies. Rev Econ Stat 2013;95:932-4510.1162/REST_a_00318. 55 Rothman KJ, Greenland S, Lash T. Modern Epidemiology. Lippincott Williams & Williams, 2005. 56 Minary L, Alla F, Cambon L, Kivits J, Potvin L. Addressing complexity in population health intervention research: the context/intervention interface. J Epidemiol Community Health 2018;72:319-23.29321174 29 Pennington M, Grieve R, Sekhon JS, Gregg P, Black N, van der Meulen JH. Cemented, cementless, and hybrid prostheses for total hip replacement: cost effectiveness analysis. BMJ 2013;346:f1026. 57 Sun X, Briel M, Walter SD, Guyatt GH. Is a subgroup effect believable? Updating criteria to evaluate the credibility of subgroup analyses. BMJ 2010;340:c117. 57 Sun X, Briel M, Walter SD, Guyatt GH. Is a subgroup effect believable? 30 Wing C, Simon K, Bello-Gomez RA. Designing difference in difference studies: best practices for public health policy research. Annu Rev Public Health 2018;39:453-69. 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-013507 29328877 to evaluate the credibility of subgroup analyses. BMJ 2010;340:c117. 58 von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gotzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP. The strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. Ann Intern Med 2007;147:573-7. practices for public health policy research. Annu Rev Public Health 2018;39:453-69 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-013507 29328877 31 Venkataramani AS, Bor J, Jena AB. Regression discontinuity designs in healthcare research. BMJ 2016;352:i1216. 10.1136/bmj.i1216 26977086 31 Venkataramani AS, Bor J, Jena AB. Regression discontinui h BMJ 2016 352 i1216 10 1136/b j i1216 269770 31 Venkataramani AS, Bor J, Jena AB. Regression discontinuity designs in healthcare h BMJ 2016 352 i1216 10 1136/b j i1216 26977086 31 Venkataramani AS, Bor J, Jena AB. Regression discontinuity designs in he 59 Des Jarlais DC, Lyles C, Crepaz N. the TREND. Improving the reporting quality of nonrandomized evaluations: the TREND statement. Am J Public Health 2004;94:361-6. research. BMJ 2016;352:i1216. 10.1136/bmj.i1216 26977086 y p p g p g q y nonrandomized evaluations: the TREND statement. Am J Public Health 2004;94:361-6. 60 The Health Foundation. Evaluation: what to consider. 2015. https://www.health.org.uk/ publications/evaluation-what-to-consider 32 Abadie A, Gardeazabal J. The economic costs of conflict: a case study of the Basque country. Am Econ Rev 2003;93:113-3210.1257/000282803321455188. Are there any additional considerations? http://www.theoryofchange.org 46 NHS Digital. Hospital Episode Statistics. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data- tools-and-services/data-services/hospital-episode-statistics 22 Davidoff F, Dixon-Woods M, Leviton L, Michie S. Demystifying the 22 Davidoff F, Dixon-Woods M, Leviton L, Michie S. Demystifying theory and its use in improvement. BMJ Qual Saf 2015;24:228-38. 10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003627 25616279 22 Davidoff F, Dixon Woods M, Leviton L, Michie S. Demystifying theory and its use in improvement. BMJ Qual Saf 2015;24:228-38. 10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003627 25616279 improvement. BMJ Qual Saf 2015;24:228-38. 10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003627 256162 improvement. BMJ Qual Saf 2015;24:228-38. 10.1136/bmjqs- tools-and-services/data-services/hospital-episode-statistics 23 Gertler PJ, Martinez S, Premand P, Rawlings LB, Vermeersch CMJ. Impact evaluation in practice. The World Bank Publications. 2017. https://siteresources.worldbank.org/ EXTHDOFFICE/Resources/5485726-1295455628620/Impact_Evaluation_in_Practice. pdf 47 NHS Digital. Data Access Request Service (DARS) https://digital.nhs.uk/services/data- access-request-service-dars 48 NHS Digital. Secondary Uses Service (SUS) https://digital.nhs.uk/services/secondary- uses-service-sus Cochrane A. Effectiveness and efficiency: random reflections on health services. Lo 49 Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cli i l P ti R h D t li k(CPRD) htt // d 49 Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency and National Institute for Hea 24 Cochrane A. Effectiveness and efficiency: random reflections on health services. London; 1972. https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/research/effectiveness-and-efficiency-random- reflections-on-health-services 49 Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Clinical Practice Research Datalink(CPRD). https://www.cprd.com (NIHR). Clinical Practice Research Datalink(CPRD). https://www.cprd.com 50 Office for National Statistics. Deaths. https://www.ons.gov.uk/ 50 Office for National Statistics. Deaths. https://www.ons.gov.uk/ peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths 25 Portela MC, Pronovost PJ, Woodcock T, Carter P, Dixon-Woods M. How to study improvement interventions: a brief overview of possible study types. Postgrad Med J 2015;91:343-54. 10.1136/postgradmedj-2014-003620rep 26045562 25 Portela MC, Pronovost PJ, Woodcock T, Carter P, Dixon-Woods M. How to stud improvement interventions: a brief overview of possible study types. Postgrad Med J 2015;91:343-54. 10.1136/postgradmedj-2014-003620rep 26045562 51 NHS Digital. Mental Health Services Data Set. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/ data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/mental-health-services-data-set 51 NHS Digital. Mental Health Services Data Set. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/ data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/mental-health-services-data-set data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/mental-health-services-data-set 2015;91:343-54. 10.1136/postgradmedj-2014-003620rep 26045562 26 Stuart EA. Matching methods for causal inference: A review and a look forward. Stat Sci 2010;25:1-21. 10.1214/09-STS313 20871802 26 Stuart EA. Matching methods for causal inference: A review and a loo 52 NHS Digital. Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and- information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/general-practice-data-hub/quality- outcomes-framework-qof 26 Stuart EA. Matching methods for causal infere 2010;25:1-21. 10.1214/09-STS313 20871802 2010;25:1-21. 10.1214/09-STS313 20871802 27 Austin PC. An introduction to propensity score methods for reducing the effects of confounding in observational studies. Multivariate Behav Res 2011;46:399-424. 10.1080/00273171.2011.568786 21818162 27 Austin PC. Open Access: Reuse allowed Are there any additional considerations? 60 The Health Foundation. Evaluation: what to consider. 2015. https://www.health.org.uk/ publications/evaluation-what-to-consider country. Am Econ Rev 2003;93:113-3210.1257/000282803321455188 33 Stuart EA. Matching methods for causal inference: A review and a look forward. Stat Sci 2010;25:1-21. 10.1214/09-STS313 20871802 Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/ permissionsThis is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/ permissionsThis is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. 34 McNamee R. Regression modelling and other methods to control confoun 34 McNamee R. Regression modelling and other methods to control confounding. Occup Environ Med 2005;62:500-6, 472. 10.1136/oem.2002.001115 15961628 Environ Med 2005;62:500-6, 472. 10.1136/oem.2002.001115 15961628 35 Ho DE, Imai K, King G, Stuart EA. Matching as nonparametric preprocessing for reducing model dependence in parametric causal inference. Polit Anal 2007;15:199-23610.1093/pan/mpl013. by guest. Protected by copyright. Open Access: Reuse allowed Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe Page 5 of 7 BMJ 2019;365:l2239 doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2239 (Published 20 June 2019) PRACTICE Open Access: Reuse allowed Tables | p Examples Summative Formative A formative evaluation of the Whole Systems Integrated Care (WSIC) programme, aimed at integrating health and social care in London, found that difficulties in establishing data sharing and information governance, and differences in professional culture were hampering efforts to implement change 10 Conducted after the intervention’s completion, or at the end of a programme cycle Conducted during the development or implementation of an intervention A summative impact evaluation of an NHS new care model vanguard initiative found that care home residents in Nottinghamshire who received enhanced support had substantially fewer attendances at emergency departments and fewer emergency admissions than a matched control group. 13 This evidence supported the decision by the NHS to roll out the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Model across the country. 2 Aims to render judgment, or make decisions about the future of the intervention Aims to fine tune or reorient the intervention Method Matching 33 Aims to find a subset of control group units (eg, individuals or hospitals) with similar characteristics to the intervention group units in the pre-intervention period. For example, impact of enhanced support in care homes in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire 13 Can be combined with other methods, eg, difference-in-differences and regression. Enables straightforward comparison between intervention and control groups. Methods include propensity score matching and genetic matching Regression control 34 Refers to use of regression techniques to estimate association between an intervention and an outcome while holding the value of the other variables constant, thus adjusting for these variables Can be beneficial to pre-process the data using matching in addition to regression control. This reduces the dependence of the estimated treatment effect on how the regression models are specified 35 Difference-in-differences (DiD) 30 Compares outcomes before and after an intervention in intervention and control group units. Controls for the effects of unobserved confounders that do not vary over time, eg, impact of hospital pay for performance on mortality in England 36 Simple to implement and intuitive to interpret. Depends on the assumption that there are no unobserved differences between the intervention and control groups that vary over time, also referred to as the “parallel trends” assumption Synthetic controls 32 Typically used when an intervention affects a whole population (eg, region or hospital) for whom a well matched control group comprising whole control units is not available. Builds a “synthetic” control from a weighted average of the control group units, eg, impact of redesigning urgent and emergency care in Northumberland 37 Allows for unobserved differences between the intervention and control groups to vary over time. The uncertainty of effect estimates is hard to quantify. Produces biased estimates over short pre-intervention periods Regression discontinuity design 31 Uses quasi-random variations in intervention exposure, eg, when patients are assigned to comparator groups depending on a threshold. Outcomes of patients just below the threshold are compared with those just above, eg, impact of statins on cholesterol by exploiting differences in statin prescribing 38 There is usually a strong basis for assuming that patients close to either side of the threshold are similar. Open Access: Reuse allowed Formative Produces biased estimates over short pre-intervention periods Synthetic controls 32 Typically used when an intervention affects a whole population (eg, region or hospital) for whom a well matched control group comprising whole control units is not available. Builds a “synthetic” control from a weighted average of the control group units, eg, impact of redesigning urgent and emergency care in Northumberland 37 There is usually a strong basis for assuming that patients close to either side of the threshold are similar. Because the method only uses data for patients near the threshold, the results might not be generalisable Regression discontinuity design 31 Uses quasi-random variations in intervention exposure, eg, when patients are assigned to comparator groups depending on a threshold. Outcomes of patients just below the threshold are compared with those just above, eg, impact of statins on cholesterol by exploiting differences in statin prescribing 38 Ensures limited impact of selection bias and confounding as a result of population differences but does not generally control for confounding as a result of other interventions or events occurring at the same time as the intervention Interrupted time-series 39 Compares outcomes at multiple time points before and after an intervention (interruption) is implemented to determine whether the intervention has an effect that is statistically significantly greater than the underlying trend, eg, to examine the trends in diagnosis for people with dementia in the UK 40 Explicitly addresses unmeasured confounding but conceptually difficult and easily misused. Identification of instrumental variables is not straightforward. Estimates are imprecise (large standard error), biased when sample size is small, and can be biased in large samples if assumptions are even slightly violated 20 Instrumental variables 18 An instrumental variable is a variable that affects the outcome solely through the effect on whether the patient receives the treatment. An instrumental variable can be used to counteract issues of measurement error and unobserved confounders, eg, used to assess delivery of premature babies in dedicated v hospital intensive care units 19 Table 2| Observational study designs for quantitative impact evaluation Formative A formative evaluation of the Whole Systems Integrated Care (WSIC) programme, aimed at integrating health and social care in London, found that difficulties in establishing data sharing and information governance, and differences in professional culture were hampering efforts to implement change 10 A summative impact evaluation of an NHS new care model vanguard initiative found that care home residents in Nottinghamshire who received enhanced support had substantially fewer attendances at emergency departments and fewer emergency admissions than a matched control group. 13 This evidence supported the decision by the NHS to roll out the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Model across the country. 2 Open Access: Reuse allowed Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe Page 6 of 7 BMJ 2019;365:l2239 doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2239 (Published 20 June 2019) PRACTICE Table 2| Observational study designs for quantitative impact evaluation Strengths and limitations Method Can be combined with other methods, eg, difference-in-differences and regression. Enables straightforward comparison between intervention and control groups. Methods include propensity score matching and genetic matching Matching 33 Aims to find a subset of control group units (eg, individuals or hospitals) with similar characteristics to the intervention group units in the pre-intervention period. For example, impact of enhanced support in care homes in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire 13 Can be beneficial to pre-process the data using matching in addition to regression control. This reduces the dependence of the estimated treatment effect on how the regression models are specified 35 Regression control 34 Refers to use of regression techniques to estimate association between an intervention and an outcome while holding the value of the other variables constant, thus adjusting for these variables Simple to implement and intuitive to interpret. Depends on the assumption that there are no unobserved differences between the intervention and control groups that vary over time, also referred to as the “parallel trends” assumption Difference-in-differences (DiD) 30 Compares outcomes before and after an intervention in intervention and control group units. Controls for the effects of unobserved confounders that do not vary over time, eg, impact of hospital pay for performance on mortality in England 36 Allows for unobserved differences between the intervention and control groups to vary over time. The uncertainty of effect estimates is hard to quantify. Method Because the method only uses data for patients near the threshold, the results might not be generalisable Ensures limited impact of selection bias and confounding as a result of population differences but does not generally control for confounding as a result of other interventions or events occurring at the same time as the intervention Interrupted time-series 39 Compares outcomes at multiple time points before and after an intervention (interruption) is implemented to determine whether the intervention has an effect that is statistically significantly greater than the underlying trend, eg, to examine the trends in diagnosis for people with dementia in the UK 40 Instrumental variables 18 An instrumental variable is a variable that affects the outcome solely through the effect on whether the patient receives the treatment. An instrumental variable can be used to counteract issues of measurement error and unobserved confounders, eg, used to assess delivery of premature babies in dedicated v hospital intensive care units 19 Explicitly addresses unmeasured confounding but conceptually difficult and easily misused. Identification of instrumental variables is not straightforward. Estimates are imprecise (large standard error), biased when sample size is small, and can be biased in large samples if assumptions are even slightly violated 20 Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe Open Access: Reuse allowed Page 7 of 7 BMJ 2019;365:l2239 doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2239 (Published 20 June 2019) PRACTICE Table 3| Commonly used routine datasets available in the NHS in England Dataset Hospital episode statistics (HES). 46 HES is a database containing details of all admissions, accident and emergency attendances, and outpatient appointments at NHS England hospitals and NHS England funded treatment centres. Information captured includes clinical information about diagnoses and operations, patient demographics, geographical information, and administrative information such as the data and method of admissions and discharge HES is available through the Data Access Request Service (DARS), 47 a service provided by NHS Digital. Commissioners, providers in the NHS, and analytics teams working on their behalf, can also access hospital data directly via the Secondary Use Service (SUS). 48 These data are very similar to HES, processed by NHS Digital, and are available for non-clinical uses, including research and planning health services Commissioners, and analytics teams working on their behalf, can work with an intermediary service called Data Service for Commissioning Regional Office to request access to anonymised patient level general practice data (possibly linked to SUS, described above) for the purpose of risk stratification, invoice validation, and to support commissioning. Anonymised UK primary care records for a representative sample of the population are available for public health research through, for instance, the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. 49 Primary care data is collected by general practices. Although there is no national standard on how primary care data should be collected and/or reported, there are a limited number of commonly used software providers to record these data. Information captured includes clinical information about diagnoses, treatment, and prescriptions, patient demographics, geographical information, and administrative information on booking and attendance of appointments, and whether appointments relate to a telephone consultation, an in-practice appointment, or a home visit ONS mortality data are routinely processed by NHS Digital, and can be linked to HES data. These data can be requested through the DARS service. When deaths occur in hospital this is typically recorded as part of discharge information Mortality data 50 The Office for National Statistics (ONS) maintains a dataset of all registered deaths in England. These data can be linked to routine health data to record deaths that occur outside of hospital ONS mortality data are routinely processed by NHS Digital, and can be linked to HES data. These data can be requested through the DARS service. Like HES, MHSDS is available through the DARS service. Like HES, MHSDS is available through the DARS service. Mental health data from before April 2016 have been recorded in the Mental Health Minimum Dataset also disseminated through NHS Digital The Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) 51 contains record level data about the care of children, young people, and adults who are in contact with mental health, learning disabilities, or autism spectrum disorder services. These data cover data from April 2016 Open Access: Reuse allowed Dataset Mental health data from before April 2016 have been recorded in the Mental Health Minimum Dataset also disseminated through NHS Digital The Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) 51 contains record level data about the care of children, young people, and adults who are in contact with mental health, learning disabilities, or autism spectrum disorder services. These data cover data from April 2016 Open Access: Reuse allowed Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
https://openalex.org/W1974751543
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc4416445?pdf=render
English
null
Pro-social 50-kHz ultrasonic communication in rats: post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to social impairments—phenotypic rescue by re-socialization
Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience
2,015
cc-by
14,191
Edited by: Regina Marie Sullivan, Nathan Kline Institute and New York University School of Medicine, USA Reviewed by: Mu Yang, University of California Davis School of Medicine, USA Piotr Popik, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland *Correspondence: Dominik Seffer and Markus Wöhr, Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany seffer@staff.uni-marburg.de; woehrm@staff.uni-marburg.de Edited by: Regina Marie Sullivan, Nathan Kline Institute and New York University School of Medicine, USA Edited by: Regina Marie Sullivan, Nathan Kline Institute and New York University School of Medicine, USA Reviewed by: Mu Yang, University of California Davis School of Medicine, USA Piotr Popik, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland Reviewed by: Mu Yang, University of California Davis School of Medicine, USA Piotr Popik, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland Reviewed by: Mu Yang, University of California Davis School of Medicine, USA Piotr Popik, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland *Correspondence: Dominik Seffer and Markus Wöhr, Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany seffer@staff.uni-marburg.de; woehrm@staff.uni-marburg.de Received: 06 March 2015 Accepted: 07 April 2015 Published: 01 May 2015 Pro-social 50-kHz ultrasonic communication in rats: post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to social impairments—phenotypic rescue by re-socialization Dominik Seffer*, Henrike Rippberger, Rainer K. W. Schwarting and Markus Wöhr* Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany Rats are highly social animals and social play during adolescence has an important role for social development, hence post-weaning social isolation is widely used to study the adverse effects of juvenile social deprivation and to induce behavioral phenotypes relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders, like schizophrenia. Communication is an important component of the rat’s social behavior repertoire, with ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) serving as situation-dependent affective signals. High-frequency 50-kHz USV occur in appetitive situations and induce approach behavior, supporting the notion that they serve as social contact calls; however, post-weaning isolation effects on the behavioral changes displayed by the receiver in response to USV have yet to be studied. We therefore investigated the impact of post-weaning isolation on socio-affective information processing as assessed by means of our established 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm. We showed that post-weaning social isolation specifically affected the behavioral response to playback of pro-social 50-kHz but not alarm 22-kHz USV. While group-housed rats showed the expected preference, i.e., approach, toward 50-kHz USV, the response was even stronger in short-term isolated rats (i.e., 1 day), possibly due to a higher level of social motivation. In contrast, no approach was observed in long-term isolated rats (i.e., 4 weeks). Importantly, deficits in approach were reversed by peer-mediated re-socialization and could not be observed after post-adolescent social isolation, indicating a critical period for social development during adolescence. Together, these results highlight the importance of social experience for affiliative behavior, suggesting a critical involvement of play behavior on socio-affective information processing in rats. Citation: Seffer D, Rippberger H, Schwarting RKW and Wöhr M (2015) Pro-social 50-kHz ultrasonic communication in rats: post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to social impairments—phenotypic rescue by re-socialization. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 9:102. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00102 Keywords: juvenile social isolation, affiliative behavior, rough-and-tumble play, schizophrenia, negative symptoms ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 01 May 2015 doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00102 Introduction This could possibly be due to adverse effects on social information processing, such as attention to social cues, consequently leading to inappropriate regulation of both negative affect and aggression (Dodge et al., 1990; Shackman and Pollak, 2014). For instance, children exposed to an extreme form of social deprivation while being raised in an orphanage have an increased risk for delayed cognitive and socio-affective development, along with mental health disorders. Specifically, they display attention deficits, hyperactivity, and increased anxiety, together with impaired emotional regulation and social attachment (Nelson et al., 2007; Bos et al., 2011). Moreover, their language development is delayed, with particular deficits in verbal skills (Frank et al., 1996). For rats, communication is an important component in the social behavior repertoire. Rats produce and perceive calls in the ultrasonic range (so called ultrasonic vocalizations, USV). Based on their acoustic features, various USV types can be differentiated which serve distinct communicative functions, as situation-dependent affective signals (Portfors, 2007; Brudzynski, 2013; Wöhr and Schwarting, 2013). In juvenile and adult rats, a distinction is made between 22- and 50-kHz USV. Low- frequency 22-kHz USV occur in aversive situations, such as predator exposure, social defeat, and fear learning, and are thought to be reflecting a negative affective state of the sender. They serve as an alarm function and induce freezing behavior in the recipient. In contrast, high-frequency 50-kHz USV occur in appetitive situations, mostly social ones, such as rough-and- tumble play (Knutson et al., 1998), tickling (Panksepp and Burgdorf, 2000; Burgdorf and Panksepp, 2001), and sexual behavior (Sales, 1972), and are thought to be reflecting a positive affective state. In support for a communicative function, evidence was recently provided that juvenile 50-kHz USV promote and maintain playful social interactions (Himmler et al., 2014), while play behavior is reduced in pairs of devocalized rats (Kisko et al., 2015). Furthermore, it was repeatedly shown that playback of 50- kHz USV induces approach behavior in the recipient, supporting the notion that they serve as social contact calls (Wöhr and Schwarting, 2007, 2009, 2012; Willuhn et al., 2014). Interestingly, there is evidence that post-weaning isolation affects USV production in rats. For instance, the rate of 50-kHz USV emission during social play and tickling is increased following isolation, possibly due to an increase in social motivation (Knutson et al., 1998; Panksepp and Burgdorf, 2000; Burgdorf and Panksepp, 2001). Furthermore, Inagaki et al. Introduction (2013) found a strong decrease in 50-kHz USV in male rats exposed to a sexually receptive female after prolonged isolation, likely reflecting their inability to recognize social cues and/or to respond appropriately. Finally, von Frijtag et al. (2002) observed that, in the presence of an aggressive resident, socially isolated male rats display impaired suppression of play behavior, suffer more harming attacks, and emit more 22-kHz USV than their group-housed counterparts. They suggested that 22-kHz USV production was dissociated from the sender’s behavioral pattern and therefore lost its aggression-reducing communicative function. ) In rats, maternal separation and post-weaning social isolation are widely used to study the adverse effects of early social deprivation. Importantly, rats are highly social animals and live in groups (Whishaw and Kolb, 2005) with a distinct hierarchy (Baenninger, 1966), offering optimal experimental conditions to investigate social behavior and communication. For instance, rats engage in social play (Panksepp, 1981) and cooperative behavior (Willner et al., 1989; Łopuch and Popik, 2011), display direct (Rutte and Taborsky, 2008) and generalized reciprocity (Rutte and Taborsky, 2007), and, as recently shown, prefer mutual rewards in a pro-social choice test, resulting in benefits not only for themselves but also for conspecifics (Hernandez-Lallement et al., 2015). Similarly, evidence for helping behavior and empathy has been provided (Ben-Ami Bartal et al., 2011; but see Silberberg et al., 2014). Play with peers emerges as one of the earliest forms of social behavior that is not directed to the mother. In rats, social play behavior (also called rough-and-tumble play or play fighting) mainly occurs after weaning and reaches its peak during the middle of the juvenile stage (Panksepp, 1981). Lack of play during the critical developmental period, due to post-weaning isolation, leads to a behavioral phenotype characterized by prominent social impairments in adulthood (Hol et al., 1999; van den Berg et al., 1999a). Most notably, long-term changes in behavior with relevance to various neuropsychiatric disorders can be observed, including hyperactivity in a novel environment, altered responses to drugs of abuse, impaired sensorimotor gating, cognitive inflexibility, increased aggressive behavior, and social withdrawal (Hall, 1998; Lapiz et al., 2003; Fone and Porkess, 2008). In contrast, post-weaning isolation effects on the behavioral changes displayed by the receiver in response to USV have yet to be studied. Introduction In social species, like humans and other mammals, early life experiences are crucial for the development of social and cognitive skills. Positive relationships between parent and child, as well May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 1 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. as among peers promote appropriate acquisition of adult social competency. In contrast, disruptions of social attachment during critical developmental periods can lead to various behavioral alterations, including deficits in emotional regulation and social impairments, and are considered as non-specific risk factors for developing psychopathologies (Cicchetti and Toth, 1995; Veenema, 2009; Braun and Bock, 2011). In fact, child maltreatment, such as sexual/physical abuse and social neglect, contribute to various forms of impaired functioning characterized by social withdrawal, like the development of anxiety and depressive disorders, but also psychosis and schizophrenia (Brown et al., 1999; Lansford et al., 2002; Read et al., 2005; Gilbert et al., 2009; Spinhoven et al., 2010; Varese et al., 2012; DeRosse et al., 2014). This could possibly be due to adverse effects on social information processing, such as attention to social cues, consequently leading to inappropriate regulation of both negative affect and aggression (Dodge et al., 1990; Shackman and Pollak, 2014). For instance, children exposed to an extreme form of social deprivation while being raised in an orphanage have an increased risk for delayed cognitive and socio-affective development, along with mental health disorders. Specifically, they display attention deficits, hyperactivity, and increased anxiety, together with impaired emotional regulation and social attachment (Nelson et al., 2007; Bos et al., 2011). Moreover, their language development is delayed, with particular deficits in verbal skills (Frank et al., 1996). as among peers promote appropriate acquisition of adult social competency. In contrast, disruptions of social attachment during critical developmental periods can lead to various behavioral alterations, including deficits in emotional regulation and social impairments, and are considered as non-specific risk factors for developing psychopathologies (Cicchetti and Toth, 1995; Veenema, 2009; Braun and Bock, 2011). In fact, child maltreatment, such as sexual/physical abuse and social neglect, contribute to various forms of impaired functioning characterized by social withdrawal, like the development of anxiety and depressive disorders, but also psychosis and schizophrenia (Brown et al., 1999; Lansford et al., 2002; Read et al., 2005; Gilbert et al., 2009; Spinhoven et al., 2010; Varese et al., 2012; DeRosse et al., 2014). General Overview To assess the impact of post-weaning social isolation on approach behavior induced by pro-social 50-kHz USV, we used our 50- kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm (Seffer et al., 2014). In total, three experiments were conducted, all using a 3 × 3 design with the factors experimental housing condition and acoustic stimulus (Figure 1A). Nine experimental groups of N = 12 rats per experimental housing/acoustic stimulus combination were used. Rats were exposed to one of the following three acoustic stimuli: (I) pro-social 50-kHz USV; (II) alarm 22-kHz USV; or (III) background noise (NOISE). 22-kHz USV and NOISE were used to assure specificity of the effects of isolation on approach Animals Male Wistar rats (HsdCpb:WU, Harlan, Venray, The Netherlands) served as subjects and were housed in an animal room with a 12:12 h light/dark cycle (lights on 8–20 h) where the environmental temperature was maintained between 20 and 23◦C (humidity: 30–50%). Lab chow (Altromin, Lage, Germany) and water (0.0004% HCl-solution) were available ad libitum. Rats were handled for three consecutive days prior to testing in a standardized way for 5 min. All experimental procedures were performed according to legal requirements of Germany and approved by the ethical committee of the local government (Regierungspräsidium Gießen, Germany). Materials and Methods behavior induced by 50-kHz USV. Of note, Wistar rats were shown to have the ability to perceive acoustic stimuli in the audible and ultrasonic range (Borg, 1982). Introduction Therefore, we investigated the impact of post-weaning isolation on socio-affective information processing as assessed by means of our established 50- kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm that allows to study pro-social ultrasonic communication in a reliable and highly standardized manner (Seffer et al., 2014). It was hypothesized that (I) post-weaning social isolation will impair approach behavior in response to playback of pro-social 50-kHz USV, that (II) this phenotype can be rescued by peer- mediated re-socialization, and that (III) isolation-induced deficits depend on the time period of isolation during development. May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 2 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects In Experiment 1, we exposed rats to one of the following three experimental housing conditions for 4 weeks: (I) group housing (NO ISO), with rats being housed in groups of six; (II) short-term social isolation (SHORT ISO), with rats housed in groups of six, but isolated 24 h prior testing; or (III) long-term social isolation (LONG ISO), with rats being isolated for 28 days prior testing. Rats were isolated as weanlings at about 3 weeks of age. At about 7 weeks of age (body weight: 246.44 ± 1.43 g; range: 208.5–276.5 g), they were exposed to (I) 50-kHz USV, (II) 22-kHz USV, or (III) NOISE. Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue In Experiment 2, we tested for phenotypic rescue by adding one additional week of peer rearing after being housed under one of the three experimental housing conditions for 4 weeks, i.e., (I) NO ISO, (II) SHORT ISO, or (III) LONG ISO, since recent findings demonstrated that social deficits displayed by a well- established autism model can be improved by peer intervention (Yang et al., 2011). As in Experiment 1, rats were isolated as weanlings at about 3 weeks of age. After one additional FIGURE 1 | Experimental design of the three studies to assess the impact of post-weaning social isolation on approach behavior induced by pro-social 50-kHz USV. (A) Experimental designs: Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects; Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue; and Experiment 3: Post-adolescent Social Isolation—Effects. (B) Schematic illustration of the rat developmental profile, highlighting the rough-and-tumble play period. FIGURE 1 | Experimental design of the three studies to assess the impact of post-weaning social isolation on approach behavior induced by pro-social 50-kHz USV. (A) Experimental designs: Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects; FIGURE 1 | Experimental design of the three studies to assess the impact of post-weaning social isolation on approach behavior induced by pro-social 50-kHz USV. (A) Experimental designs: Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects; Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue; and Experiment 3: Post-adolescent Social Isolation—Effects. (B) Schematic illustration of the rat developmental profile, highlighting the rough-and-tumble play period. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 3 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. week of peer rearing, at about 8 weeks of age (body weight: 280.88 ± 2.01 g; range: 236.5–326.0 g), they were exposed to (I) 50-kHz USV, (II) 22-kHz USV, or (III) NOISE, as in Experiment 1. FIGURE 2 | Setup of the 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm. (A) Elevated eight arm radial maze equipped with two ultrasonic microphones and two ultrasonic loudspeakers positioned opposite to each other (only one ultrasonic microphone and the active loudspeaker are shown). The rat’s behavioral responses during playback of acoustic stimuli were recorded with a video camera positioned above the radial maze. (B) Schematic illustration of the radial maze, depicting area definitions to assess approach behavior, with arms close to the loudspeaker denoted as proximal, central arms as neutral, and opposite arms as distal. Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue (C) Acoustic stimuli were presented by an ultrasonic loudspeaker (sampling rate: 192 kHz; 16 bit), with accurate playback of acoustic stimuli being confirmed by means of ultrasonic microphones. (D) Testing was performed under dim red light. Acoustic Stimuli Rats were exposed to 5 min of playback of one of the following three acoustic stimuli: (I) pro-social 50-kHz USV, (II) alarm 22-kHz USV, and (III) background noise (NOISE; for details see (Wöhr and Schwarting, 2007, 2009, 2012; Seffer et al., 2014; Willuhn et al., 2014; Figures 3A–C, Supplementary Figures 2A–C, 3A–C). Briefly, playback of 50-kHz USV consisted of 1105 calls, including flat and frequency-modulated calls, recorded from an adult male Wistar rat during exploration of a cage containing scents from a recently separated cage mate (for setting and recording see Wöhr et al., 2008). This recording context had been chosen since playback of 50-kHz USV recorded Experiment 3: Post-adolescent Social Isolation—Effects In Experiment 3, we tested for the existence of a critical window for developing social deficits induced by post-weaning social isolation. To this aim, post-adolescent young adult rats at about 7 weeks of age, and after going through the rough-and-tumble play period (Figure 1B; Panksepp, 1981), were exposed to one of the three experimental housing conditions for 4 weeks, i.e., (I) NO ISO, (II) SHORT ISO, or (III) LONG ISO. At about 11 weeks of age (body weight: 383.93±1.91 g; range: 349.0–444.0 g), they were exposed to (I) 50-kHz USV, (II) 22-kHz USV, or (III) NOISE, as in Experiment 1. Experimental Setting Playback of acoustic stimuli was conducted under dim red light (∼10 lux) on a radial eight arm maze made of black plastic, elevated 52 cm above the floor (Figures 2A–D). The arms (9.8 × 40.5 cm) extend radially from a central platform (diameter: 24 cm). Acoustic stimuli were presented through an ultrasonic loudspeaker (ScanSpeak, Avisoft Bioacoustics, Berlin, Germany) using an external sound card with a sampling rate of 192 kHz (Fire Wire Audio Capture FA-101, Edirol, London, UK). The loudspeaker had a frequency range of 1–120 kHz with a relatively flat frequency response (±12 dB) between 15 and 80 kHz and it was placed 20 cm away from the end of one arm. An additional, but inactive ultrasonic loudspeaker was arranged symmetrically at the opposite arm as visual control. Rats were tested in a testing room with no experimenter or other rats present. Stimulus application and animal observation was performed in a separate control room. Behavioral tests were conducted between 8 and 18 h. Before each test, behavioral equipment was cleaned (0.1% acetic acid solution) and dried. during tickling or exploration of an empty cage had no or only very moderate effects on the behavior displayed by the receiver (Burman et al., 2007; Endres et al., 2007). Average acoustic call parameters were (mean ± SEM): call duration: 0.07 ± 0.01 s; peak frequency: 61.24 ± 1.75 kHz; frequency modulation: 31.68 ± 4.62 kHz. Besides 50-kHz USV, playback contained background noise, produced by the rat while exploring the cage. Playback of 22-kHz USV consisted of 145 calls recorded from a male Wistar rat which had received electric foot-shocks before, but not during recording (for setting and recording see Wöhr et al., 2005). Average acoustic call parameters were: call duration: 1.18 ± 0.06 s; peak frequency: 23.61 ± 0.07 kHz; frequency modulation: 1.90 ± 0.09 kHz. To control for background noise as present in the 50- kHz USV stimulus, background noise was added to the 22-kHz USV stimulus. Background noise alone (NOISE), i.e., without USV, served to control for unspecific effects, i.e., novelty-induced changes in behavior not linked to the communicative function of 50-kHz USV. All stimuli were presented with a sampling rate of 192 kHz in 16 bit format at ∼69 dB, with the exception of NOISE that was presented at ∼50 dB (measured from a distance of 40 cm). Experimental Housing FIGURE 2 | Setup of the 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm. FIGURE 2 | Setup of the 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm. (A) Elevated eight arm radial maze equipped with two ultrasonic microphones and two ultrasonic loudspeakers positioned opposite to each other (only one ultrasonic microphone and the active loudspeaker are shown). The rat’s behavioral responses during playback of acoustic stimuli were recorded with a video camera positioned above the radial maze. (B) Schematic illustration of the radial maze, depicting area definitions to assess approach behavior, with arms close to the loudspeaker denoted as proximal, central arms as neutral, and opposite arms as distal. (C) Acoustic stimuli were presented by an ultrasonic loudspeaker (sampling rate: 192 kHz; 16 bit), with accurate playback of acoustic stimuli being confirmed by means of ultrasonic microphones. (D) Testing was performed under dim red light. FIGURE 2 | Setup of the 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm. (A) Elevated eight arm radial maze equipped with two ultrasonic microphones and two ultrasonic loudspeakers positioned opposite to each other (only one ultrasonic microphone and the active loudspeaker are shown). The rat’s behavioral responses during playback of acoustic stimuli were recorded with a video camera positioned above the radial maze. (B) Schematic illustration of the radial maze, depicting area definitions to assess approach behavior, with arms close to the loudspeaker denoted as proximal, central arms as neutral, and opposite arms as distal. (C) Acoustic stimuli were presented by an ultrasonic loudspeaker (sampling rate: 192 kHz; 16 bit), with accurate playback of acoustic stimuli being confirmed by means of ultrasonic microphones. (D) Testing was performed under dim red light. Group housing was conducted in polycarbonate Macrolon type IV cages (380 × 200 × 590 mm, plus high stainless steel covers) and isolation rearing in Macrolon type III cages (265 × 150 × 425 mm, plus high stainless steel covers), both filled with Tapvei peeled aspen bedding (indulab ag, Gams, Switzerland). Experimental Procedure Rats were placed onto the central platform of the radial maze with their body axis at an angle of 90◦to the two ultrasonic loudspeakers. After an initial habituation phase of 15 min where May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 4 Seffer et al. Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits FIGURE 3 | Post-weaning social isolation induces behavioral inhibition in response to pro-social 50-kHz USV similar to alarm 22-kHz USV and NOISE. (A–C) Exemplary spectrograms of acoustic stimuli used for playback, namely (A) 50-kHz USV, (B) 22-kHz USV, and (C) background noise (NOISE). (A′–C′) Bar graphs depicting changes in locomotor activity as assessed by means of total arm entries per min [entries/min] displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of NO ISO (left), SHORT ISO (middle), and LONG ISO (right), post-weaning, in response to (A′) 50-kHz USV, (B′) 22-kHz USV, and (C′) NOISE, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. (A′′–C′′) Pie charts depicting changes in stimulus-directed locomotor activity as assessed by means of numbers of proximal (black), neutral (gray), and distal (white) arm entries displayed as percentages by rats exposed to 4 weeks of NO ISO (left), SHORT ISO (middle), and LONG ISO (right), post-weaning, during the baseline period (5 min; upper row; PRE) and during playback (1 min; lower row; DUR) in response to (A′′) 50-kHz USV, (B′′) 22-kHz USV, and (C′′) NOISE, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. The red dashed circles represent 100% of the total number of arm entries during the baseline period (average over all nine experimental groups). The sizes of the circles depicting proximal (black), neutral (gray), and distal (white) arm entries represent total number of arm entries as percentage of 100%. *p < 0.050 compared to LONG ISO; #p < 0.050 compared to baseline locomotor activity. FIGURE 3 | Post-weaning social isolation induces behavioral inhibition in response to pro-social 50-kHz USV similar to alarm 22-kHz USV and NOISE. (A–C) Exemplary spectrograms of acoustic stimuli used for playback, namely (A) 50-kHz USV, (B) 22-kHz USV, and (C) background noise (NOISE). (A′–C′) Bar graphs depicting changes in locomotor activity as assessed by means of total arm entries per min [entries/min] displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of NO ISO (left), SHORT ISO (middle), and LONG ISO (right), post-weaning, in response to (A′) 50-kHz USV, (B′) 22-kHz USV, and (C′) NOISE, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. Experimental Procedure (A′′–C′′) Pie charts depicting changes in stimulus-directed locomotor activity as assessed by means of numbers of proximal (black), neutral (gray), and distal (white) arm entries displayed as percentages by rats exposed to 4 weeks of NO ISO (left), SHORT ISO (middle), and LONG ISO (right), post-weaning, during the baseline period (5 min; upper row; PRE) and during playback (1 min; lower row; DUR) in response to (A′′) 50-kHz USV, (B′′) 22-kHz USV, and (C′′) NOISE, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. The red dashed circles represent 100% of the total number of arm entries during the baseline period (average over all nine experimental groups). The sizes of the circles depicting proximal (black), neutral (gray), and distal (white) arm entries represent total number of arm entries as percentage of 100%. *p < 0.050 compared to LONG ISO; #p < 0.050 compared to baseline locomotor activity. USV Recording and Analysis no acoustic stimuli were presented, the rat was exposed to one of the three acoustic stimuli for 5 min. Accurate playback of acoustic stimuli was confirmed by means of two UltraSoundGate Condenser Microphones (CM16; Avisoft Bioacoustics) placed opposite to each other, 20 cm away from the radial maze (Seffer et al., 2014). For acoustical analysis, recordings (sampling rate: 250 kHz; format: 16 bit) were transferred to SASLab Pro (version 4.38; Avisoft Bioacoustics) and a fast Fourier transform was conducted (512 FFT-length, 100% frame, Hamming window and 75% time window overlap; Seffer et al., 2014). Importantly, no substantial USV production (<1/min on average) by the rats under study was detected (data not shown). Behavioral Recording and Analysis Behavior was monitored by a video camera (Panasonic WV- BP 330/GE, Hamburg, Germany) from about 150 cm above the radial maze, which fed into an external multimedia hard drive (ScreenPlay Pro HD, Iomega, San Diego, CA, USA). For behavioral analysis, a trained observer scored the videos for the following parameters (Seffer et al., 2014): (I) total number of arm entries, (II) number of entries into the three arms proximal to or distal from the active ultrasonic loudspeaker, and (III) the time spent on proximal and distal arms. An arm entry was counted when all four paws were in the arm. Total number of arm entries served as measure for general locomotor activity. Proximal vs. distal arm entries and the time spent thereon served as measures for stimulus-directed locomotor activity. Behavioral analysis was focused on the first min of acoustic stimulus exposure, since behavioral changes in response to 50-kHz USV are short-lasting, with most prominent changes occurring during the first min of playback (Wöhr and Schwarting, 2012; Willuhn et al., 2014; Supplementary Figures 1A,B). Statistical Analysis General locomotor activity during the baseline period (PRE: total arm entries 5 min prior playback; average per min) was analyzed using ANOVAs with the between-subject factor experimental housing condition (NO ISO, SHORT ISO, vs. LONG ISO). To assess the effects of experimental housing conditions on stimulus-induced locomotor activity, ANOVAs for repeated measurements were calculated with the within- subject factor stimulus presentation before and during playback; average per min) and the between-subject factor experimental May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 5 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. housing condition (NO ISO, SHORT ISO, vs. LONG ISO) for 50-kHz USV, 22-kHz USV, and NOISE. To directly compare the latter, ANOVAs with the between-subject factor stimulus type were used. ANOVAs were followed by LSD post-hoc or paired t-tests when appropriate (p < 0.050). Paired t-tests were also used to compare proximal and distal arm entries and the time spent thereon before and during playback. Three rats had to be excluded from data analysis due to technical problems (Experiment 1: N = 1 from the NO ISO/22-kHz USV combination; Experiment 2: N = 1 from the SHORT ISO/50- kHz USV combination; Experiment 3: N = 1 from the NO ISO/NOISE combination). Data are presented as mean ± SEM. A p-value of < 0.050 was considered statistically significant. behavioral inhibition [t(11) = 0.924; p = 0.375 and t(11) = 9.544; p < 0.001, respectively; Figure 3A′′]. In general, locomotor activity during the baseline period was increased in rats exposed to LONG ISO [main effect housing: F(2, 104) = 6.816; p = 0.002; LONG ISO vs. NO ISO: p < 0.001; LONG ISO vs. SHORT ISO: p = 0.059; SHORT ISO vs. NO ISO: p = 0.076]. This effect was also detectable in the subset of rats exposed to the 50-kHz USV stimulus condition, as reflected in the size of the pie charts [main effect housing: F(2, 33) = 3.702; p = 0.035; LONG ISO vs. NO ISO: p = 0.011; LONG ISO vs. SHORT ISO: p = 0.355; SHORT ISO vs. NO ISO: p = 0.091]. Approach behavior induced by 50-kHz USV was not only reflected by proximal and distal arm entries but also by the time spent thereon. Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects To assess the impact of post-weaning isolation on approach behavior induced by 50-kHz USV, we used our 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm (Seffer et al., 2014) and assessed approach in post-weaning rats exposed to (I) NO ISO, (II) SHORT ISO, or (III) LONG ISO. In response to all three acoustic stimuli presented, i.e., pro- social 50-kHz USV, alarm 22-kHz USV, and NOISE, changes in locomotor activity, as assessed by means of total arm entries, were detected (Figures 3A′–C′). While 22-kHz USV and NOISE led to behavioral inhibition irrespective of experimental housing condition [main effect stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 82.719; p < 0.001; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: NS; and main effect stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 52.538; p < 0.001; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: NS, respectively], the behavioral response to 50-kHz USV was strongly affected by post-weaning isolation [main effect stimulus presentation: NS; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 12.147; p < 0.001]. Specifically, rats exposed to LONG ISO displayed behavioral inhibition in response to 50-kHz USV [t(11) = 6.680; p < 0.001], whereas NO ISO or SHORT ISO maintained their level of locomotor activity [t(11) = 0.526; p = 0.609 and t(11) = 1.358; p = 0.202, respectively], with both being significantly different from LONG ISO (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Importantly, LONG ISO rats displayed a level of behavioral inhibition in response to 50-kHz USV that was similar to the one seen in rats exposed to 22-kHz USV or NOISE (main effect stimulus type: NS). Together, Experiment 1 shows that post-weaning isolation has a strong impact on approach behavior elicited by 50-kHz USV. Consistent with previous studies (Wöhr and Schwarting, 2007, 2009, 2012; Willuhn et al., 2014), approach is seen in NO ISO and SHORT ISO rats. Rats exposed to LONG ISO, however, respond to 50-kHz USV by behavioral inhibition, similar to the one seen in response to 22-kHz USV or NOISE, resulting in a complete lack of approach behavior. Importantly, post-weaning isolation specifically affected the behavioral response to 50-kHz USV and did not change the responses seen in rats exposed to 22-kHz USV or NOISE. Statistical Analysis In NO ISO rats, the proximal time increased [t(11) = 2.920; p = 0.014], while the distal time decreased [t(11) = 2.450; p = 0.032], resulting in a significant preference toward the stimulus source during 50-kHz USV playback [t(11) = 3.621; p = 0.004; Figure 4A]. Likewise, in SHORT ISO rats the proximal time increased [t(11) = 2.526; p = 0.028], while the distal time decreased [t(11) = 5.947; p < 0.001], again resulting in a significant preference toward the stimulus source during 50-kHz USV playback [t(11) = 5.641; p < 0.001; Figure 4B]. However, this response pattern was not seen in LONG ISO rats when exposed to 50-kHz USV, since they displayed avoidance behavior and spent less time on both, proximal and distal arms [t(11) = 2.889; p = 0.015 and t(11) = 14.581; p < 0.001, respectively], and no significant preference toward the stimulus source during 50-kHz USV playback [t(11) = 2.040; p = 0.066; Figure 4C]. No significant preferences were seen before playback (all p-values > 0.050). Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue To test whether it is possible to revert the deficits in approach behavior induced by post-weaning isolation, we assessed approach in post-weaning rats exposed to (I) NO ISO, (II) SHORT ISO, or (III) LONG ISO, followed by an additional week of peer rearing. Behavioral inhibition in response to 22-kHz USV and NOISE was typically reflected by a reduction in both, proximal and distal arm entries (not shown in detail; Figures 3B′′,C′′). In contrast, locomotor activity displayed by NO ISO and SHORT ISO rats in response to 50-kHz USV was clearly directed toward the sound source, as reflected by an increase in the number of proximal arm entries [t(11) = 2.820; p = 0.017 and t(11) = 3.336; p = 0.007, respectively], often paralleled by a decrease in distal arm entries [t(11) = 0.527; p = 0.609 and t(11) = 3.960; p = 0.002, respectively], whereas in LONG ISO rats proximal arm entries did not increase, with distal arm entries being reduced due to As in Experiment 1, changes in locomotor activity were detected in response to all three acoustic stimuli presented (Supplementary Figures 2A′–C′). Alarm 22-kHz USV led to behavioral inhibition, irrespective of experimental housing condition [main effect stimulus presentation: F(1, 33) = 35.597; p < 0.001; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: NS]. Behavioral inhibition was also seen in response to NOISE in all experimental housing conditions, yet most prominently in May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 6 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. FIGURE 4 | Post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to a lack of approach behavior in response to pro-social 50-kHz USV that can be reversed by re-socialization: within-group comparisons. (A–C) Line graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal (black) and distal (white) arms displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of (A) NO ISO, (B) SHORT ISO, and (C) LONG ISO, post-weaning, during the baseline period (5 min; PRE) and during playback (1 min; DUR) in response to 50-kHz USV in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue (A–C) Line graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal (black) and distal (white) arms displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of (A) NO ISO, (B) SHORT ISO, and (C) LONG ISO, post-weaning, during the baseline period (5 min; PRE) and during playback (1 min; DUR) in response to 50-kHz USV in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. (D–F) Line graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal (black) and distal (white) arms comparisons. (A–C) Line graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal (black) and distal (white) arms displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of (A) NO ISO, (B) SHORT ISO, and (C) LONG ISO, post-weaning, during the baseline period (5 min; PRE) and during playback (1 min; DUR) in response to 50-kHz USV in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. (D–F) Line graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal (black) and distal (white) arms to the one seen in rats exposed to 22-kHz USV or NOISE [main effect stimulus type: F(1, 34) = 12.710; p < 0.001; p = 0.055 and p < 0.001, respectively]. Such a behavioral inhibition was shown by LONG ISO rats in Experiment 1 not exposed to an additional week of group housing. LONG ISO rats [main effect stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 100.938; p < 0.001; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 5.704; p = 0.008; as compared to NO ISO: p = 0.003; and SHORT ISO: p = 0.014]. Also, the behavioral response to pro-social 50-kHz USV was affected by post-weaning isolation [main effect stimulus presentation: NS; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 4.968; p = 0.013]. Specifically, rats exposed to NO ISO slightly increased their locomotor activity in response to 50-kHz USV [t(11) = 1.987; p = 0.072], whereas, after one additional week of group housing, SHORT ISO but not LONG ISO rats slightly decreased their locomotor activity [t(10) = 2.191; p = 0.053 and t(11) = 0.685; p = 0.508, respectively], with LONG ISO not being significantly different from both, NO ISO and SHORT ISO, anymore (p = 0.072 and p = 0.199, respectively). Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue (D–F) Line graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal (black) and distal (white) arms displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of (D) NO ISO, (E) SHORT ISO, and (F) LONG ISO, post-weaning, plus one additional week of peer rearing, during the baseline period (5 min; PRE) and during playback (1 min; DUR) in response to 50-kHz USV in Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue. (G–I) Line graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal (black) and distal (white) arms displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of (G) NO ISO, (H) SHORT ISO, and (I) LONG ISO, post-adolescent, during the baseline period (5 min; PRE) and during playback (1 min; DUR) in response to 50-kHz USV in Experiment 3: Post-adolescent Social Isolation—Effects. *p < 0.050 compared to distal arm time. displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of (D) NO ISO, (E) SHORT ISO, and (F) LONG ISO, post-weaning, plus one additional week of peer rearing, during the baseline period (5 min; PRE) and during playback (1 min; DUR) in response to 50-kHz USV in Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue. (G–I) Line graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal (black) and distal (white) arms displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of (G) NO ISO, (H) SHORT ISO, and (I) LONG ISO, post-adolescent, during the baseline period (5 min; PRE) and during playback (1 min; DUR) in response to 50-kHz USV in Experiment 3: Post-adolescent Social Isolation—Effects. *p < 0.050 compared to distal arm time. FIGURE 4 | Post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to a lack of approach behavior in response to pro-social 50-kHz USV that can be reversed by re-socialization: within-group i (A C) Li h d i ti h i id f FIGURE 4 | Post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to a lack of approach behavior in response to pro-social 50-kHz USV that can be reversed by re-socialization: within-group comparisons. Comparison across Experiments p p In Experiment 1 (effects of post-weaning social isolation), NO ISO and SHORT ISO rats displayed approach behavior in response to playback of pro-social 50-kHz USV, as reflected in an increase in the time spent on proximal arms, whereas LONG ISO rats displayed social avoidance, as reflected in a decrease in proximal arm times, resulting in a significant difference between experimental housing conditions [main effect housing: F(1, 35) = 8.770; p = 0.001; Figure 5A]. Specifically, LONG ISO rats differed from NO ISO and SHORT ISO rats (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively), with the latter ones not differing from each other (p = 0.478). Importantly, when comparing LONG ISO rats between the three experiments, LONG ISO rats exposed to post-weaning isolation displaying social avoidance differed from the LONG ISO rats of the other two experiments [main effect housing: F(1, 35) = 7.997; p = 0.001; Figure 5B], namely LONG ISO rats exposed to post-weaning isolation after one additional week of group housing (p = 0.028; one-tailed) and LONG ISO rats exposed to post-adolescent social isolation (p < 0.001; one-tailed), both displaying approach behavior. However, approach tended to be stronger in LONG ISO rats exposed to post-adolescent isolation than in LONG ISO rats exposed to post-weaning isolation after one additional week of group housing (p = 0.055). This indicates that the rescue by social peer intervention was only partial. Of note, the trend for stronger approach behavior in LONG ISO rats exposed to post-adolescent isolation is unlikely to be explained by age- differences, as approach behavior diminishes with age (Wöhr and Schwarting, 2007). As before, changes in locomotor activity were detected in response to alarm 22-kHz USV and NOISE, yet, in Experiment 3, no effect of pro-social 50-kHz USV was detected (Supplementary Figures 3A′–C′). Again, 22-kHz USV and NOISE led to behavioral inhibition irrespective of experimental housing condition [main effect stimulus presentation: F(1, 33) = 53.598; p < 0.001; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: NS and main effect stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 30.517; p < 0.001; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: NS, respectively], while no change in locomotor activity in response to 50-kHz USV was detected (main effect stimulus presentation: NS; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: NS). Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue of proximal arm entries, in post-adolescent rats of all three experimental housing conditions, namely NO ISO [t(11) = 2.871; p = 0.015], SHORT ISO [t(11) = 3.490; p = 0.005], and LONG ISO [t(11) = 3.874; p = 0.003], typically paralleled by a decrease in distal arm entries [t(11) = 3.442; p = 0.006, t(11) = 3.149; p = 0.009, and t(11) = 1.590; p = 0.140, respectively; Supplementary Figure 3A′]. Furthermore, in NO ISO rats the proximal time increased [t(11) = 3.088; p = 0.010], while the distal time decreased [t(11) = 4.894; p < 0.001], resulting in a significant preference toward the stimulus source during 50-kHz USV playback [t(11) = 3.874; p = 0.003; Figure 4D]. Likewise, SHORT ISO rats, after one additional week of group housing, displayed a preference toward the stimulus source during 50-kHz USV playback [preference: t(10) = 3.448; p = 0.006; proximal time: t(10) = 1.063; p = 0.313; distal time: t(11) = 5.287; p < 0.001; Figure 4E). Most importantly, however, LONG ISO rats, after one additional week of group housing, also displayed a preference toward 50-kHz USV playback [preference: t(11) = 5.957; p = 0.009; proximal time: t(10) = 0.879; p = 0.398; distal time: t(11) = 4.014; p = 0.002; Figure 4F]. No significant preferences were seen before playback (all p-values >0.050). Furthermore, in post-adolescent NO ISO rats the proximal time increased [t(11) = 3.336; p = 0.007], while the distal time decreased [t(11) = 6.416; p < 0.001], resulting in a significant preference toward the stimulus source during 50-kHz USV playback [t(11) = 5.957; p < 0.001; Figure 4G]. Likewise, post-adolescent SHORT ISO rats displayed a preference toward the stimulus source during 50-kHz USV playback [preference: t(11) = 5.566; p < 0.001; proximal time: t(11) = 1.063; p = 0.313; distal time: t(11) = 5.287; p < 0.001; Figure 4H]. Most importantly, however, post-adolescent LONG ISO rats also displayed a preference toward 50-kHz USV playback [preference: t(11) = 4.726; p = 0.001; proximal time: t(11) = 3.709; p = 0.003; distal time: t(11) = 3.903; p = 0.002; Figure 4I]. No significant preferences were seen before playback (all p-values >0.050). Together, Experiment 2 shows that deficits in approach behavior induced by post-weaning isolation can be rescued by additional exposure to 1 week of peer rearing. Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue This is in line with recent findings demonstrating that social deficits can be improved by peer intervention in a well-established autism model (Yang et al., 2011). Together, Experiment 3 shows that post-adolescent isolation did not affect approach behavior elicited by 50-kHz USV. This indicates that the deficits in approach induced by post-weaning isolation is specific for the juvenile period, while no such effects are seen in post-adolescents, i.e., young adults after their rough-and-tumble play period (Panksepp, 1981). Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue Importantly, after the additional week of group housing, prior LONG ISO rats did not display a level of behavioral inhibition in response to 50-kHz USV that is similar LONG ISO rats [main effect stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 100.938; p < 0.001; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 5.704; p = 0.008; as compared to NO ISO: p = 0.003; and SHORT ISO: p = 0.014]. Also, the behavioral response to pro-social 50-kHz USV was affected by post-weaning isolation [main effect stimulus presentation: NS; interaction housing × stimulus presentation: F(1, 32) = 4.968; p = 0.013]. Specifically, rats exposed to NO ISO slightly increased their locomotor activity in response to 50-kHz USV [t(11) = 1.987; p = 0.072], whereas, after one additional week of group housing, SHORT ISO but not LONG ISO rats slightly decreased their locomotor activity [t(10) = 2.191; p = 0.053 and t(11) = 0.685; p = 0.508, respectively], with LONG ISO not being significantly different from both, NO ISO and SHORT ISO, anymore (p = 0.072 and p = 0.199, respectively). Importantly, after the additional week of group housing, prior LONG ISO rats did not display a level of behavioral inhibition in response to 50-kHz USV that is similar As in Experiment 1, behavioral inhibition in response to 22- kHz USV and NOISE was typically reflected by a reduction in both, proximal and distal arm entries (not shown in detail; Supplementary Figures 2B”,C”). In contrast, locomotor activity displayed by NO ISO and SHORT ISO rats, after one additional week of group housing, in response to 50-kHz USV was clearly directed toward the sound source, as typically reflected by an increase in the number of proximal arm entries [t(11) = 2.721; p = 0.020 and t(10) = 0.593; p = 0.566, respectively], paralleled by a decrease in distal arm entries [t(11) = 4.750; p = 0.001 and t(10) = 5.043; p = 0.001, respectively]. Most importantly, LONG ISO rats, after one additional week of group housing, also May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 7 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. displayed a slight increase in proximal arm entries [t(11) = 1.984; p = 0.073], paralleled by a decrease in distal arm entries [t(11) = 4.899; p < 0.001; Supplementary Figure 2A′′]. Experiment 3: Post-adolescent Social Isolation—Effects To test whether the deficits in approach behavior induced by post-weaning social isolation occur specifically during the juvenile developmental period, we repeated the experiment and assessed approach in post-adolescent rats exposed to (I) NO ISO, (II) SHORT ISO, or (III) LONG ISO. Comparison across Experiments during the baseline period (5 min), displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of LONG ISO, post-weaning, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects (left), 4 weeks of LONG ISO, post-weaning, plus one additional week of peer rearing in Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue (middle), 4 weeks of LONG ISO, post-adolescent, in Experiment 3: Post-adolescent Social Isolation—Effects (right). *p < 0.050 compared to EXP 1. FIGURE 5 | Post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to a lack of approach behavior in response to pro-social 50-kHz USV that can be reversed by re-socialization: between-group FIGURE 5 | Post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to a lack of approach behavior in response to pro-social 50-kHz USV that can be reversed by re-socialization: between-group comparisons. (A) Bar graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal arms during playback in response to 50-kHz USV (1 min) vs. during the baseline period (5 min), displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of NO ISO (left), SHORT ISO (middle), and LONG ISO (right), post-weaning, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. *p < 0.050 compared to LONG ISO. (B) Bar graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal arms during playback in response to 50-kHz USV (1 min) vs. during the baseline period (5 min), displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of LONG ISO, post-weaning, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects (left), 4 weeks of LONG ISO, post-weaning, plus one additional week of peer rearing in Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue (middle), 4 weeks of LONG ISO, post-adolescent, in Experiment 3: Post-adolescent Social Isolation—Effects (right). *p < 0.050 compared to EXP 1. g Our present finding that post-weaning long-term isolation results in a complete lack of approach behavior in the receiver when exposed to 50-kHz USV, is in line with a number of studies reporting isolation-induced social deficits in rats, like reduced social activity, including approach, anogenital sniffing, and reciprocal interaction (Meaney and Stewart, 1979; Hol et al., 1999; van den Berg et al., 1999a,b,c; Kokare et al., 2010; Möller et al., 2011, 2013; but see Ferdman et al., 2007; Han et al., 2011), as well as heightened aggression (Wongwitdecha and Marsden, 1996; Vale and Montgomery, 1997; Meng et al., 2010; Wall et al., 2012; Grotewold et al., 2014), which is possibly due to impaired communication (Tóth et al., 2008). Comparison across Experiments Importantly, post-adolescent LONG ISO rats did not display a level of behavioral inhibition in response to 50-kHz USV that is similar to the one seen in rats exposed to 22-kHz USV or NOISE [main effect stimulus type: F(1, 35) = 4.663; p = 0.016; p = 0.029 and p = 0.007, respectively]. Such a behavioral inhibition was shown by LONG ISO rats in Experiment 1 after post-weaning isolation. Again, as in Experiments 1 and 2, behavioral inhibition in response to 22-kHz USV and NOISE was typically reflected by a reduction in both, proximal and distal arm entries (not shown in detail; Supplementary Figures 3B′,C′). In contrast, locomotor activity in response to 50-kHz USV was clearly directed toward the sound source, as reflected by an increase in the number May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 8 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. FIGURE 5 | Post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to a lack of approach behavior in response to pro-social 50-kHz USV that can be reversed by re-socialization: between-group comparisons. (A) Bar graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal arms during playback in response to 50-kHz USV (1 min) vs. during the baseline period (5 min), displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of NO ISO (left), SHORT ISO (middle), and LONG ISO (right), post-weaning, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. *p < 0.050 compared to LONG ISO. (B) Bar graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal arms during playback in response to 50-kHz USV (1 min) vs. during the baseline period (5 min), displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of LONG ISO, post-weaning, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects (left), 4 weeks of LONG ISO, post-weaning, plus one additional week of peer rearing in Experiment 2: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Rescue (middle), 4 weeks of LONG ISO, post-adolescent, in Experiment 3: Post-adolescent Social Isolation—Effects (right). *p < 0.050 compared to EXP 1. with other studies reporting hyperactivity in response to a novel environment after post-weaning isolation (Hall, 1998; Lapiz et al., 2003; Fone and Porkess, 2008; Gaskin et al., 2014). Therefore, deficits in approach behavior cannot be due to a general lack of locomotor activity. Comparison across Experiments In fact, besides social behavior, post-weaning long-term isolation was also shown to affect communication. Specifically, male rats were found to emit fewer 50-kHz USV when exposed to a sexually receptive female, probably reflecting their inability to recognize social cues and/or to respond appropriately (Inagaki et al., 2013). Furthermore, it was reported that isolation-rearing leads to a dissociation of 22-kHz USV production from the sender’s behavioral pattern, possibly resulting in a loss of its aggression- reducing communicative function (von Frijtag et al., 2002). In contrast, the receiver’s response to 22-kHz USV was not affected by social isolation in our experiments, suggesting that they Comparison across Experiments Most notably, as shown in Experiments 2 and 3, respectively, such impairments could be rescued by exposure to one additional week of peer rearing and were not seen after post-adolescent social isolation. Importantly, post-weaning isolation specifically affected the behavioral response to 50-kHz USV and did not change the responses to 22-kHz USV or NOISE. Playback of 22-kHz USV consistently led to behavioral inhibition in all three experiments, irrespective of experimental housing condition, i.e., in nine independent groups of rats. This is in line with previous studies, supporting the notion that they serve an alarm function (Burman et al., 2007; Endres et al., 2007; Wöhr and Schwarting, 2007, 2010). However, what appears surprising is that NOISE also led to behavioral inhibition, challenging the view that 22-kHz USV specifically induce behavioral inhibition as background noise was also present during 22-kHz USV playback. Future studies specifically focusing on behavioral inhibition induced by 22-kHz USV, thus appear requisite. In particular, a detailed analysis of freezing behavior might allow a more sensitive assessment of minor differences in the level of behavioral inhibition induced by 22-kHz USV and NOISE, as compared to the measure applied here, namely total number of arm entries. In the present context, however, it needs to be emphasized that 50-kHz USV playback consistently led to approach behavior, despite the presence of background noise, with only one exception, namely rats exposed to post-weaning long-term isolation. In future studies, it would be interesting to assess whether deficits in approach behavior following post-weaning social isolation are also seen in response to related acoustic stimuli, such as artificially/computer- generated 50-kHz sine wave tones. FIGURE 5 | Post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to a lack of approach behavior in response to pro-social 50-kHz USV that can be reversed by re-socialization: between-group comparisons. (A) Bar graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal arms during playback in response to 50-kHz USV (1 min) vs. during the baseline period (5 min), displayed by rats exposed to 4 weeks of NO ISO (left), SHORT ISO (middle), and LONG ISO (right), post-weaning, in Experiment 1: Post-weaning Social Isolation—Effects. *p < 0.050 compared to LONG ISO. (B) Bar graphs depicting changes in side preferences as assessed by the time spent [s/min] on proximal arms during playback in response to 50-kHz USV (1 min) vs. Discussion Post-weaning social isolation had a strong impact on approach behavior elicited by pro-social 50-kHz USV, as shown in Experiment 1. Approach was seen in group-housed and short- term isolated rats, which is consistent with previous studies (Wöhr and Schwarting, 2007, 2009, 2012; Willuhn et al., 2014). Rats exposed to long-term isolation, however, responded to 50- kHz USV by behavioral inhibition, similar to that seen in rats exposed to alarm 22-kHz USV or NOISE, resulting in a complete lack of approach behavior. General locomotor activity during the baseline period was increased in long-term isolated rats, in line May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 9 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. were either innately recognized as alarm calls or had gained alarm signal value through autoconditioning prior to isolation (Parsana et al., 2012), which is potentially facilitated by biological preparedness (Wöhr and Schwarting, 2010). While deficits in approach behavior were induced by post- weaning isolation, no such effects were seen in young adults reared in post-adolescent isolation, i.e., after going through the rough-and-tumble play period. This is also in line with other studies that could not find behavioral deficits in rats that were at least partially reared in groups during this critical period, before being isolated (Wright et al., 1991; Hol et al., 1999). There is some evidence that additional playful experience during the course of isolation may, to some extent, prevent impaired development of social competencies (Potegal and Einon, 1989; Einon and Potegal, 1991; but see van den Berg et al., 2000), further suggesting that there is a critical involvement of play behavior on socio-affective information processing in rats. Most importantly, however, our findings demonstrate for the first time that post-weaning isolation not only induces behavioral changes displayed by the sender, but also by the receiver in response to 50-kHz USV. This is in line with a study on scent marking behavior where post-weaning long-term isolation increased the time spent investigating conspecific odors, but reduced the amount of urine counter-marking, together with an alteration in odor preferences (Brown, 1991). Lack of approach behavior during 50-kHz USV playback following long-term isolation could be interpreted in terms of increased anxiety and/or reduced social motivation, possibly resembling a depression-like behavioral phenotype (Wright et al., 1991; van den Berg et al., 1999b; Lukkes et al., 2009; Kokare et al., 2010; Meng et al., 2010). Discussion The idea that social isolation affects the level of social motivation in the receiver is supported by our bidirectional modulation of approach behavior in response to 50- kHz USV through short- and long-term isolation. While group- housed rats showed a clear preference toward 50-kHz USV, this response was enhanced after short-term isolation, whereas it was absent in long-term isolated rats. In fact, there is evidence that increased social motivation in the sender is reflected by higher rates of 50-kHz USV emission, e.g., during social play or tickling (Knutson et al., 1998; Panksepp and Burgdorf, 2000; Burgdorf and Panksepp, 2001). In support of this notion, it was shown in a well-established autism model that social deficits can be improved by peer intervention (Yang et al., 2011). In our study, deficits in approach induced by post-weaning isolation were partially rescued by 1 week of group housing. Yet, other studies investigating behavioral changes following re-socialization are inconsistent. For instance, it was shown that increased anxiety, abnormal aggression, and defense behavior, as well as reduced social interaction were not alleviated by re-socialization (Potegal and Einon, 1989; Einon and Potegal, 1991; Wright et al., 1991; van den Berg et al., 1999a; Lukkes et al., 2009; Tulogdi et al., 2014). In line with our results, however, beneficial effects of re-socialization could be demonstrated, like attenuation of anxiety-like behavior, depression-like behavior, and isolation-induced aggression (Vale and Montgomery, 1997; Kokare et al., 2010; Meng et al., 2010), as well as recovery of sleep-related huddling (Tulogdi et al., 2014) and social interaction (Kokare et al., 2010). There is also evidence for restored social cooperation by re-socialization after isolation during adulthood (Willner et al., 1989). Data from human adoption studies further support a re-socialization effect insofar as placement of children in a beneficial family environment was shown to reverse deficits in cognitive development, as compared to children remaining in institutional care (Nelson et al., 2007; Bos et al., 2011). A further explanation for the lack of approach behavior following post-weaning long-term isolation, is a deficit in socio-affective information processing, induced by withholding social play. Importantly, play behavior reaches its peak during the middle of the juvenile stage (Panksepp, 1981; Thor and Holloway, 1984), exactly during the period of isolation. Discussion Play fighting differs from serious fighting in regards to the target of attack (Takahashi and Lore, 1983; Pellis and Pellis, 1987), and consists of various behavioral components which appear to be programmed during development, promoting reciprocity, i.e., comparable outcome of successful play encounters within a pair, by reducing the behavioral control over the partner (Pellis, 2002; Pellis et al., 2005). It is assumed that social play facilitates neural and behavioral development by equipping an individual adequately for the needs in adulthood (Vanderschuren et al., 1997). In support of the critical period hypothesis (Scott, 1962; Hol et al., 1999; van den Berg et al., 1999a), a full manifestation of isolation-induced behavioral alterations is only observed when the intervention takes place during this sensitive developmental period (Fone and Porkess, 2008). During play, juveniles frequently experience a loss of control by exposing themselves to unpredictable events. Training for the unexpected allows rats to develop flexible responses to cope with rapidly changing environments (Spinka et al., 2001; Pellis et al., 2010). Most notably, physical interactions during adolescence are important to acquire social competency. This includes social, emotional, and cognitive skills; such as the ability to express and understand communicative signals from conspecifics (Wöhr and Schwarting, 2013). Apparently, efficacy of rat re-socialization depends both on isolation duration (Hol et al., 1999) and re-socialization duration, with at least 3 days of social housing being required to attenuate certain behavioral deficits (Kokare et al., 2010). Regarding our results, 1 week of group housing might still not be sufficient to completely rescue the adverse effects caused by 4 weeks of post- weaning isolation in this paradigm. Also, it appears possible that social experiences made by the peers before peer intervention play an important role (Hol et al., 1999; Tulogdi et al., 2014). In the future it would therefore be interesting to assess the effects of longer peer intervention periods and previous social experiences made by the peers. Importantly, behavioral alterations following post-weaning isolation, such as deficits in the social behavior repertoire, mimic negative symptoms typically observed in schizophrenia (Hall, 1998; Lapiz et al., 2003; Fone and Porkess, 2008). Our present finding that post-weaning long-term isolation results in a complete lack of approach behavior in the receiver when exposed to 50-kHz USV is in line with that view. Discussion In fact, in schizophrenia patients, several domains of May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 10 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. social behavior are impaired (Penn et al., 2008), including theory of mind (Brüne, 2005; Biedermann et al., 2012), emotional perception (Schneider et al., 2006; Irani et al., 2012), and verbal and non-verbal communication (Couture et al., 2006; Lavelle et al., 2013). According to the DSM- 5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), patients display severe disorganized and/or reduced speech output (alogia) that substantially impairs effective communication, as well as diminished emotional expression and a lack of interest in social interactions (asociality). social behavior are impaired (Penn et al., 2008), including theory of mind (Brüne, 2005; Biedermann et al., 2012), emotional perception (Schneider et al., 2006; Irani et al., 2012), and verbal and non-verbal communication (Couture et al., 2006; Lavelle et al., 2013). According to the DSM- 5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), patients display severe disorganized and/or reduced speech output (alogia) that substantially impairs effective communication, as well as diminished emotional expression and a lack of interest in social interactions (asociality). 2008). Consistently, by means of the post-weaning isolation paradigm applied here, we recently induced alterations in regulators of neuronal development and synaptic plasticity, such as ubiquitin ligase and microRNAs (Valluy et al., 2015). In future studies, it would therefore be interesting to assess changes in neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity that specifically occur in response to post-weaning, but not post-adolescent isolation, and to test which of them can be reversed by peer intervention. This approach would likely lead to the identification of promising targets for novel pharmacological treatment approaches, the efficacy of which could be tested in rodent models for negative symptoms of schizophrenia. ( y) Consistently, pharmacological treatments, including antipsychotics, were shown to rescue isolation-induced deficits in rats. Sub-chronic, but not acute administration of the antipsychotic drug clozapine or N-acetyl cysteine, a modulator of glutamatergic transmission, restores social interaction and deficits in other domains linked to schizophrenia, such as sensorimotor gating and memory (Möller et al., 2011, 2013). Also, acute treatment with the selective MC4 receptor antagonist HS014 reverses social deficits, as well as anxiety- and depression-like symptoms (Kokare et al., 2010). Supplementary Material The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh. 2015.00102/abstract Acknowledgments This work was supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to RS (SCHW 559/10-1 and SCHW 559/14-1) and MW (WO 1732/4-1). The authors wish to thank Karl-Alexander Engelhardt, Katharina Günther, Kerstin Haas, Clara Krzikalla, Andrea Lörwald, Christoph Renninger, Verena Schuster, and Laura Wendt for their help in this project. The authors further wish to thank Karl-Alexander Engelhardt for his help with Figure 1, Theresa Kisko for reading the manuscript, and the reviewers for their helpful comments. Besides the systems targeted in these pharmacological studies, behavioral alterations observed following post-weaning isolation are further accompanied by various neuromorphological changes and neurochemical imbalances, including neurotransmitter systems implicated in schizophrenia, such as dopamine and serotonin (Hall, 1998; Lapiz et al., 2003; Fone and Porkess, Conclusion We showed that post-weaning social isolation specifically affected the behavioral response to playback of pro-social 50-kHz but not alarm 22-kHz USV. While group-housed rats showed the expected preference toward 50-kHz USV, the response was even stronger in short-term isolated rats, possibly due to a higher level of social motivation. In contrast, no approach behavior to 50-kHz USV was observed in long-term isolated rats. Importantly, deficits in approach behavior were reversed by peer-mediated re-socialization and could not be observed after post-adolescent social isolation, indicating a critical period for social development during adolescence. Together, these results highlight the importance of social experience for affiliative behavior, suggesting a critical involvement of play behavior on socio-affective information processing in rats. Discussion In contrast, benzodiazepines attenuate increased aggression but the effects on social interaction are inconsistent, thus challenging the notion that isolation-induced abnormal social behavior is anxiety-related (Wongwitdecha and Marsden, 1996; Vale and Montgomery, 1997). Furthermore, chronic application of the antidepressants imipramine or fluoxetine, after isolation during adulthood, was demonstrated to re-establish cooperative behavior (Willner et al., 1989). Importantly, chronic morphine treatment counteracts reduced social activity, accompanied by a reversal of upregulated µ-opioid-receptor binding sites (van den Berg et al., 1999c, 2000). Since it was shown that social play induces the release of opioids in specific brain regions (Vanderschuren et al., 1997), alterations in social behavior due to deprivation of play might be the result of reduced opioid release during this critical developmental period. Morphine treatment appears to substitute for the lack of play-induced opioid peptide release. Consistently, knocking-out µ-opioid-receptors in mice (Wöhr et al., 2011) or administering a µ-opioid-receptor- antagonist in rats (Wöhr and Schwarting, 2009) negatively affects approach behavior during USV playback, suggesting that endogenous opioids are not only involved in social behavior but also in socio-affective information processing (Oddi et al., 2013). Besides the systems targeted in these pharmacological studies, behavioral alterations observed following post-weaning isolation References T., Kisko, T. M., Euston, D. R., Kolb, B., and Pellis, S. M. (2014). Are 50-kHz calls used as play signals in the playful interactions of rats? I. Evidence from the timing and context of their use. Behav. Process. 106, 60–66. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.04.014 Brown, R. E. (1991). Effects of rearing condition, gender, and sexual experience on odor preferences and urine marking in Long-Evans rats. Anim. Learn. Behav. 19, 18–28. doi: 10.3758/BF03197856 Hol, T., van den Berg, C. L., van Ree, J. M., and Spruijt, B. M. (1999). Isolation during the play period in infancy decreases adult social interactions in rats. Behav. Brain Res. 100, 91–97. doi: 10.1016/S0166-4328(98) 00116-8 Brudzynski, S. M. (2013). Ethotransmission: communication of emotional states through ultrasonic vocalization in rats. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 23, 310–317. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2013.01.014 Inagaki, H., Kuwahara, M., Tsubone, H., and Mori, Y. (2013). The effect of post-weaning individual housing on 50-kHz calls emitted from male rats to sexually receptive female rats. Physiol. Behav. 110–111, 30–33. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.11.009 Brüne, M. (2005). “Theory of mind” in schizophrenia: a review of the literature. Schizophr. Bull. 31, 21–42. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbi002 Burgdorf, J., and Panksepp, J. (2001). Tickling induces reward in adolescent rats. Physiol. Behav. 72, 167–173. doi: 10.1016/S0031-9384(00)00411-X Irani, F., Seligman, S., Kamath, V., Kohler, C., and Gur, R. C. (2012). A meta- analysis of emotion perception and functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Schizophr. Res. 137, 203–211. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.01.023 Burman, O. H. P., Ilyat, A., Jones, G., and Mendl, M. (2007). Ultrasonic vocalizations as indicators of welfare for laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus). Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 104, 116–129. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2006.04.028 Kisko, T. M., Himmler, B. T., Himmler, S. M., Euston, D. R., and Pellis, S. M. (2015). Are 50-kHz calls used as play signals in the playful interactions of rats? II. Evidence from the effects of devocalization. Behav. Process. 111, 25–33. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.11.011 Cicchetti, D., and Toth, S. L. (1995). A developmental psychopathology perspective on child abuse and neglect. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 34, 541–565. doi: 10.1097/00004583-199505000-00008 Knutson, B., Burgdorf, J., and Panksepp, J. (1998). Anticipation of play elicits high- frequency ultrasonic vocalizations in young rats. J. Comp. Psychol. 112, 65–73. doi: 10.1037/0735-7036.112.1.65 Couture, S. M., Penn, D. L., and Roberts, D. L. (2006). The functional significance of social cognition in schizophrenia: a review. Schizophr. Bull. 32(Suppl. 1), S44–63. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbl029 Kokare, D. M., Dandekar, M. P., Singru, P. S., Gupta, G. L., and Subhedar, N. K. References Ben-Ami Bartal, I., Decety, J., and Mason, P. (2011). Empathy and pro- social behavior in rats. Science 334, 1427–1430. doi: 10.1126/science. 1210789 American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edn. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. doi: 10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 Baenninger, L. P. (1966). The reliability of dominance orders in rats. Anim. Behav. 14, 367–371. doi: 10.1016/S0003-3472(66)80099-4 American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edn. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. doi: 10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 Biedermann, F., Frajo-Apor, B., and Hofer, A. (2012). Theory of mind and its relevance in schizophrenia. Curr. Opin. Psychiatr. 25, 71–75. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0b013e32835 03624 Baenninger, L. P. (1966). The reliability of dominance orders in rats. Anim. Behav. 14, 367–371. doi: 10.1016/S0003-3472(66)80099-4 Baenninger, L. P. (1966). The reliability of dominance orders in rats. Anim. Behav. 14, 367–371. doi: 10.1016/S0003-3472(66)80099-4 May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 11 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. Borg, E. (1982). Auditory thresholds in rats of different age and strain. A behavioral and electrophysiological study. Hear. Res. 8, 101–115. doi: 10.1016/0378- 5955(82)90069-7 rearing in rats. Psychopharmacology 231, 3041–3053. doi: 10.1007/s00213-01 4-3470-0 Hall, F. S. (1998). Social deprivation of neonatal, adolescent, and adult rats has distinct neurochemical and behavioral consequences. Crit. Rev. Neurobiol. 12, 129–162. doi: 10.1615/CritRevNeurobiol.v12.i1-2.50 Bos, K., Zeanah, C. H., Fox, N. A., Drury, S. S., McLaughlin, K. A., and Nelson, C. A. III. (2011). Psychiatric outcomes in young children with a history of institutionalization. Harv. Rev. Psychiatry 19, 15–24. doi: 10.3109/10673229.2011.549773 Han, X., Wang, W., Shao, F., and Li, N. (2011). Isolation rearing alters social behaviors and monoamine neurotransmission in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of adult rats. Brain Res. 1385, 175–181. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.02.035 Braun, K., and Bock, J. (2011). The experience-dependent maturation of prefronto-limbic circuits and the origin of developmental psychopathology: implications for the pathogenesis and therapy of behavioural disorders. Dev. Med. Child Neurol. 53, 14–18. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011. 04056.x Hernandez-Lallement, J., van Wingerden, M., Marx, C., Srejic, M., and Kalenscher, T. (2015). Rats prefer mutual rewards in a prosocial choice task. Front. Neurosci. 8:443. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00443 Brown, J., Cohen, P., Johnson, J. G., and Smailes, E. M. (1999). Childhood abuse and neglect: specificity of effects on adolescent and young adult depression and suicidality. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 38, 1490–1496. doi: 10.1097/00004583-199912000-00009 Himmler, B. References (2010). Involvement of α-MSH in the social isolation induced anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in rat. Neuropharmacology 58, 1009–1018. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2010.01.006 DeRosse, P., Nitzburg, G. C., Kompancaril, B., and Malhotra, A. K. (2014). The relation between childhood maltreatment and psychosis in patients with schizophrenia and non-psychiatric controls. Schizophr. Res. 155, 66–71. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.03.009 Lansford, J. E., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., Bates, J. E., Crozier, J., and Kaplow, J. (2002). A 12-year prospective study of the long-term effects of early child physical maltreatment on psychological, behavioral, and academic problems in adolescence. Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. 156, 824–830. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.156.8.824 Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., and Pettit, G. S. (1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science 250, 1678–1683. doi: 10.1126/science.2270481 Einon, D., and Potegal, M. (1991). Enhanced defense in adult rats deprived of playfighting experience as juveniles. Aggress. Behav. 17, 27–40. Lapiz, M. D. S., Fulford, A., Muchimapura, S., Mason, R., Parker, T., and Marsden, C. A. (2003). Influence of postweaning social isolation in the rat on brain development, conditioned behavior, and neurotransmission. Neurosci. Behav. Physiol. 33, 13–29. doi: 10.1023/A:1021171129766 Endres, T., Widmann, K., and Fendt, M. (2007). Are rats predisposed to learn 22 kHz calls as danger-predicting signals? Behav. Brain Res. 185, 69–75. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2007.07.012 Ferdman, N., Murmu, R. P., Bock, J., Braun, K., and Leshem, M. (2007). Weaning age, social isolation, and gender, interact to determine adult explorative and social behavior, and dendritic and spine morphology in prefrontal cortex of rats. Behav. Brain Res. 180, 174–182. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2007. 03.011 Lavelle, M., Healey, P. G. T., and McCabe, R. (2013). Is nonverbal communication disrupted in interactions involving patients with schizophrenia? Schizophr. Bull. 39, 1150–1158. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbs091 Łopuch, S., and Popik, P. (2011). Cooperative behavior of laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) in an instrumental task. J. Comp. Psychol. 125, 250–253. doi: 10.1037/a0021532 Fone, K. C. F., and Porkess, M. V. (2008). Behavioural and neurochemical effects of post-weaning social isolation in rodents—relevance to developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 32, 1087–1102. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.03.003 Lukkes, J. L., Mokin, M. V., Scholl, J. L., and Forster, G. L. (2009). Adult rats exposed to early-life social isolation exhibit increased anxiety and conditioned fear behavior, and altered hormonal stress responses. Horm. Behav. 55, 248–256. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.10.014 Frank, D. A., Klass, P. E., Earls, F., and Eisenberg, L. (1996). Infants and young children in orphanages: one view from pediatrics and child psychiatry. Pediatrics 97, 569–578. References C. (2010). The function of play in the development of the social brain. Am. J. Play 2, 278–296. van den Berg, C. L., Pijlman, F. T. A., Koning, H. A. M., Diergaarde, L., van Ree, J. M., et al. (1999b). Isolation changes the incentive value of sucrose and social behaviour in juvenile and adult rats. Behav. Brain Res. 106, 133–142. Pellis, S. M., Pellis, V. C., and Foroud, A. (2005). “Play fighting: Aggression, affiliation, and the development of nuanced social skills,” in Developmental Origins of Aggression, eds R. E. Tremblay, W. W. Hartup, and J. Archer (New York, NY: Guilford Press), 47–62. van den Berg, C. L., van Ree, J. M., and Spruijt, B. M. (2000). Morphine attenuates the effects of juvenile isolation in rats. Neuropharmacology 39, 969–976. doi: 10.1016/S0028-3908(99)00216-6 Penn, D. L., Sanna, L. J., and Roberts, D. L. (2008). Social cognition in schizophrenia: an overview. Schizophr. Bull. 34, 408–411. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbn014 van den Berg, C. L., van Ree, J. M., Spruijt, B. M., and Kitchen, I. (1999c). Effects of juvenile isolation and morphine treatment on social interactions and opioid receptors in adult rats: behavioural and autoradiographic studies. Eur. J. Neurosci. 11, 3023–3032. Portfors, C. V. (2007). Types and functions of ultrasonic vocalizations in laboratory rats and mice. J. Am. Assoc. Lab. Anim. Sci. 46, 28–34. Vanderschuren, L. J. M. J., Niesink, R. J. M., and van Ree, J. M. (1997). The neurobiology of social play behavior in rats. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 21, 309–326. doi: 10.1016/S0149-7634(96)00020-6 Potegal, M., and Einon, D. (1989). Aggressive behaviors in adult rats deprived of playfighting experience as juveniles. Dev. Psychobiol. 22, 159–172. doi: 10.1002/dev.420220206 Varese, F., Smeets, F., Drukker, M., Lieverse, R., Lataster, T., Viechtbauer, W., et al. (2012). Childhood adversities increase the risk of psychosis: a meta-analysis of patient-control, prospective- and cross-sectional cohort studies. Schizophr. Bull. 38, 661–671. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbs050 Read, J., Os, J., Morrison, A. P., and Ross, C. A. (2005). Childhood trauma, psychosis and schizophrenia: a literature review with theoretical and clinical implications. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 112, 330–350. doi: 10.1111/j.1600- 0447.2005.00634.x Veenema, A. H. (2009). Early life stress, the development of aggression and neuroendocrine and neurobiological correlates: what can we learn from animal models? Front. Neuroendocrinol. 30, 497–518. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.03.003 Rutte, C., and Taborsky, M. (2007). Generalized reciprocity in rats. PLoS Biol. 5:e196. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0050196 Rutte, C., and Taborsky, M. (2008). References Meaney, M. J., and Stewart, J. (1979). Environmental factors influencing the affiliative behavior of male and female rats (Rattus norvegicus). Anim. Learn. Behav. 7, 397–405. doi: 10.3758/BF03209692 Gaskin, P. L. R., Alexander, S. P. H., and Fone, K. C. F. (2014). Neonatal phencyclidine administration and post-weaning social isolation as a dual-hit model of ‘schizophrenia-like’ behaviour in the rat. Psychopharmacology 231, 2533–2545. doi: 10.1007/s00213-013-3424-y Meng, Q., Li, N., Han, X., Shao, F., and Wang, W. (2010). Peri-adolescence isolation rearing alters social behavior and nociception in rats. Neurosci. Lett. 480, 25–29. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.05.067 Gilbert, R., Widom, C. S., Browne, K., Fergusson, D., Webb, E., and Janson, S. (2009). Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries. Lancet 373, 68–81. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61706-7 Möller, M., Du Preez, J. L., Emsley, R., and Harvey, B. H. (2011). Isolation rearing-induced deficits in sensorimotor gating and social interaction in rats are related to cortico-striatal oxidative stress, and reversed by sub- chronic clozapine administration. Eur. Neuropsychopharm. 21, 471–483. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2010.09.006 Grotewold, S. K., Wall, V. L., Goodell, D. J., Hayter, C., and Bland, S. T. (2014). Effects of cocaine combined with a social cue on conditioned place preference and nucleus accumbens monoamines after isolation May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 12 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. Möller, M., Du Preez, J. L., Viljoen, F. P., Berk, M., Emsley, R., and Harvey, B. H. (2013). Social isolation rearing induces mitochondrial, immunological, neurochemical and behavioural deficits in rats, and is reversed by clozapine or N-acetyl cysteine. Brain Behav. Immun. 30, 156–167. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.12.011 Spinhoven, P., Elzinga, B. M., Hovens, J. G. F. M., Roelofs, K., Zitman, F. G., van Oppen, P., et al. (2010). The specificity of childhood adversities and negative life events across the life span to anxiety and depressive disorders. J. Affect. Disorders 126, 103–112. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2010.02.132 Spinka, M., Newberry, R. C., and Bekoff, M. (2001). Mammalian play: training for the unexpected. Q. Rev. Biol. 76, 141–168. doi: 10.1086/393866 Nelson, C. A. III, Zeanah, C. H., Fox, N. A., Marshall, P. J., Smyke, A. T., and Guthrie, D. (2007). Cognitive recovery in socially deprived young children: the Bucharest Early Intervention Project. Science 318, 1937–1940. doi: 10.1126/science.1143921 Takahashi, L. K., and Lore, R. K. (1983). Play fighting and the development of agonistic behavior in male and female rats. Aggress. Behav. 9, 217–227. Thor, D. References H., and Holloway, W. R. Jr. (1984). Developmental analyses of social play behavior in juvenile rats. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 22, 587–590. doi: 10.3758/BF03333916 Oddi, D., Crusio, W. E., D’Amato, F. R., and Pietropaolo, S. (2013). Monogenic mouse models of social dysfunction: implications for autism. Behav. Brain Res. 251, 75–84. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.01.002 Tóth, M., Halász, J., Mikics, É., Barsy, B., and Haller, J. (2008). Early social deprivation induces disturbed social communication and violent aggression in Tóth, M., Halász, J., Mikics, É., Barsy, B., and Haller, J. (2008). Early social deprivation induces disturbed social communication and violent aggression in adulthood. Behav. Neurosci. 122, 849–854. doi: 10.1037/0735-7044.122.4.849 Panksepp, J. (1981). The ontogeny of play in rats. Dev. Psychobiol. 14, 327–332. doi: 10.1002/dev.420140405 adulthood. Behav. Neurosci. 122, 849–854. doi: 10.1037/0735-7044.122.4.849 Panksepp, J., and Burgdorf, J. (2000). 50-kHz chirping (laughter?) in response to conditioned and unconditioned tickle-induced reward in rats: effects of social housing and genetic variables. Behav. Brain Res. 115, 25–38. doi: 10.1016/S0166-4328(00)00238-2 Tulogdi, Á., Tóth, M., Barsvári, B., Biró, L., Mikics, É., and Haller, J. (2014). Effects of resocialization on post-weaning social isolation-induced abnormal aggression and social deficits in rats. Dev. Psychobiol. 56, 49–57. doi: 10.1002/dev.21090 Vale, A. L., and Montgomery, A. M. (1997). Social interaction: responses to chlordiazepoxide and the loss of isolation-reared effects with paired-housing. Psychopharmacology 133, 127–132. doi: 10.1007/s002130050382 Parsana, A. J., Moran, E. E., and Brown, T. H. (2012). Rats learn to freeze to 22- kHz ultrasonic vocalizations through autoconditioning. Behav. Brain Res. 232, 395–399. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.03.031 Pellis, S. M. (2002). “Keeping in touch: Play fighting and social knowledge,” in The Cognitive Animal. Empirical and Theoretical Perspectives on Animal Cognition, eds M. Bekoff, C. Allen, and G. M. Burghardt (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), 421–427. Valluy, J., Bicker, S., Aksoy-Aksel, A., Lackinger, M., Sumer, S., Fiore, R., et al. (2015). A coding-independent function of an alternative Ube3a transcript during neuronal development. Nat. Neurosci. doi: 10.1038/nn.3996. [Epub ahead of print]. Pellis, S. M., and Pellis, V. C. (1987). Play-fighting differs from serious fighting in both target of attack and tactics of fighting in the laboratory rat Rattus norvegicus. Aggress. Behav. 13, 227–242. van den Berg, C. L., Hol, T., van Ree, J. M., Spruijt, B. M., Everts, H., and Koolhaas, J. M. (1999a). Play is indispensable for an adequate development of coping with social challenges in the rat. Dev. Psychobiol. 34, 129–138. Pellis, S. M., Pellis, V. C., and Bell, H. References Overt behavior and ultrasonic vocalization in a fear conditioning paradigm: a dose–response study Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 13 Post-weaning isolation induces communication deficits Seffer et al. in the rat. Neurobiol. Learn. Mem. 84, 228–240. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2005. 07.004 Wöhr, M., and Schwarting, R. K. W. (2013). Affective communication in rodents: ultrasonic vocalizations as a tool for research on emotion and motivation. Cell Tissue Res. 354, 81–97. doi: 10.1007/s00441-013-1607-9 Wöhr, M., Houx, B., Schwarting, R. K. W., and Spruijt, B. (2008). Effects of experience and context on 50-kHz vocalizations in rats. Physiol. Behav. 93, 766–776. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.11.031 Wongwitdecha, N., and Marsden, C. A. (1996). Social isolation increases aggressive behaviour and alters the effects of diazepam in the rat social interaction test. Behav. Brain Res. 75, 27–32. doi: 10.1016/0166-4328(96) 00181-7 Wöhr, M., Moles, A., Schwarting, R. K. W., and D’Amato, F. R. (2011). Lack of social exploratory activation in male µ-opioid receptor KO mice in response to playback of female ultrasonic vocalizations. Soc. Neurosci. 6, 76–87. doi: 10.1080/17470911003765560 Wright, I. K., Upton, N., and Marsden, C. A. (1991). Resocialisation of isolation- reared rats does not alter their anxiogenic profile on the elevated X-maze model of anxiety. Physiol. Behav. 50, 1129–1132. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(91) 90572-6 Wöhr, M., and Schwarting, R. K. W. (2007). Ultrasonic communication in rats: can playback of 50-kHz calls induce approach behavior? PLoS ONE 2:e1365. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001365 Yang, M., Perry, K., Weber, M. D., Katz, A. M., and Crawley, J. N. (2011). Social peers rescue autism-relevant sociability deficits in adolescent mice. Autism Res. 4, 17–27. doi: 10.1002/aur.163 Wöhr, M., and Schwarting, R. K. W. (2009). Ultrasonic communication in rats: effects of morphine and naloxone on vocal and behavioral responses to playback of 50-kHz vocalizations. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 94, 285–295. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2009.09.008 Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Wöhr, M., and Schwarting, R. K. W. (2010). “Activation of limbic system structures by replay of ultrasonic vocalization in rats,” in Handbook of Mammalian Vocalization. An Integrative Neuroscience Approach, ed S. Brudzynski (Amsterdam: Elsevier - Academic Press), 113–124. References The influence of social experience on cooperative behaviour of rats (Rattus norvegicus): direct vs generalised reciprocity. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 62, 499–505. doi: 10.1007/s00265-007- 0474-3 von Frijtag, J. C., Schot, M., van den Bos, R., and Spruijt, B. M. (2002). Individual housing during the play period results in changed responses to and consequences of a psychosocial stress situation in rats. Dev. Psychobiol. 41, 58–69. doi: 10.1002/dev.10057 Sales, G. D. (1972). Ultrasound and aggressive behaviour in rats and other small mammals. Anim. Behav. 20, 88–100. doi: 10.1016/S0003-3472(72)80177-5 Wall, V. L., Fischer, E. K., and Bland, S. T. (2012). Isolation rearing attenuates social interaction-induced expression of immediate early gene protein products in the medial prefrontal cortex of male and female rats. Physiol. Behav. 107, 440–450. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.09.002 Schneider, F., Gur, R. C., Koch, K., Backes, V., Amunts, K., Shah, N. J., et al. (2006). Impairment in the specificity of emotion processing in schizophrenia. Am. J. Psychiatry 163, 442–447. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.163.3.442 Whishaw, I. Q., and Kolb, B. (2005). The Behavior of the Laboratory Rat: A Handbook with Tests. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Scott, J. P. (1962). Critical periods in behavioral development. Science 138, 949–958. doi: 10.1126/science.138.3544.949 Willner, P., Sampson, D., Phillips, G., Fichera, R., Foxlow, P., and Muscat, R. (1989). Effects of isolated housing and chronic antidepressant treatment on cooperative social behaviour in rats. Behav. Pharmacol. 1, 85–90. doi: 10.1097/00008877-198900110-00010 Seffer, D., Schwarting, R. K. W., and Wöhr, M. (2014). Pro-social ultrasonic communication in rats: insights from playback studies. J. Neurosci. Methods 234, 73–81. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.01.023 j j Shackman, J. E., and Pollak, S. D. (2014). Impact of physical maltreatment on the regulation of negative affect and aggression. Dev. Psychopathol. 26, 1021–1033. doi: 10.1017/S0954579414000546 Willuhn, I., Tose, A., Wanat, M. J., Hart, A. S., Hollon, N. G., Phillips, P. E. M., et al. (2014). Phasic dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens in response to pro-social 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in rats. J. Neurosci. 34, 10616–10623. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1060-14.2014 Silberberg, A., Allouch, C., Sandfort, S., Kearns, D., Karpel, H., and Slotnick, B. (2014). Desire for social contact, not empathy, may explain “rescue” behavior in rats. Anim. Cogn. 17, 609–618. doi: 10.1007/s10071-013-0692-1 Wöhr, M., Borta, A., and Schwarting, R. K. W. (2005). Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org References doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12- 374593-4.00012-7 Copyright © 2015 Seffer, Rippberger, Schwarting and Wöhr. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Wöhr, M., and Schwarting, R. K. W. (2012). Testing social acoustic memory in rats: effects of stimulus configuration and long-term memory on the induction of social approach behavior by appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations. Neurobiol. Learn. Mem. 98, 154–164. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2012.05.004 May 2015 | Volume 9 | Article 102 Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 14
https://openalex.org/W4293061951
https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/possibilities-of-using-computer-vision-for-data-analytics-in-medicine/pdf
Latin
null
Possibilities of using computer vision for data analytics in medicine
Izvestiâ Saratovskogo universiteta. Novaâ seriâ. Seriâ Matematika. Mehanika. Informatika
2,022
cc-by
4,670
Научная статья УДК 004.09 Научная статья УДК 004.09 Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University, 29 Polytechnicheskaya St., St. Petersburg 195251, Russia Russia Oksana Yu. Iliashenko, ioy120878@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9292-7759, AuthorID: 331642 Ekaterina L. Lukyanchenko, lukyanchenko@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2738-5513, AuthorID: 1090381 Russia Oksana Yu. Iliashenko, ioy120878@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9292-7759, AuthorID: 331642 Ek t i L L k h k l k h k @ il htt // id /0000 0003 2738 5513 A th ID Ekaterina L. Lukyanchenko, lukyanchenko@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2738-5513, AuthorID: 1090381 Ekaterina L. Lukyanchenko, lukyanchenko@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2738-5513, AuthorID: 1090381 Abstract. This article discusses the possibilities of using artificial intelligence technologies, namely computer vision, in the field of medicine. The relevance of the topic is due to the growing burden on medical personnel and medical institutions due to an increase in the number of elderly people, an increase in the number of patients with chronic diseases, as well as unforeseen circumstances, such as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2019–2021. In addition, many medical institutions are interested in providing high-quality services, increasing loyalty, and increasing the number of regular patients, and therefore feel the need to introduce the latest technologies and follow strategic development trends. The article describes how the physician can use the solutions offered by artificial intelligence in the course of his work to obtain a more accurate diagnosis and save time spent on the patient’s history review. The authors propose an IT and technological architecture of a medical organization that uses computer vision in its work, created on the basis of the IT and the technological architecture reference model of a medical organization. The architecture implies the use of cloud infrastructure and specialized software and provides for both the introduction of new types of equipment, for example, 3D cameras, imaging sensors, and the use of traditional equipment: an ultrasound machine, X-ray equipment, an MRI machine.i words: artificial intelligence, computer vision, enterprise architecture, IT architectur cine For citation: Iliashenko O. Yu., Lukyanchenko E. L. Possibilities of using computer vision for data analytics in medicine. Izvestiya of Saratov University. Mathematics. Mechanics. Informa- tics, 2022, vol. 22, iss. 2, pp. 224–232. https://doi.org/10.18500/1816-9791-2022-22-2-224-232 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0) Научная статья УДК 004.09 О. Ю. Ильяшенко, Е. Л. Лукьянченко https://doi.org/10.18500/1816-9791-2022-22-2-224-232 Статья опубликована на условиях лицензии Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) О. Ю. Ильяшенко, Е. Л. Лукьянченко Санкт-Петербургский политехнический университет Петра Великого, Россия, 195251, г. Санкт- Петербург, ул. Политехническая, д. 29 c○Iliashenko O. Yu., Lukyanchenko E. L., 2022 O. Yu. Iliashenko, E. L. Lukyanchenko. Possibilities of using computer vision for data analytics Ильяшенко Оксана Юрьевна, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент Высшей школы бизнес-инжи- ниринга, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9292-7759, AuthorID: 331642, ioy120878@gmail.com Лукьянченко Екатерина Леонидовна, магистрант Высшей школы бизнес-инжиниринга, https://orcid. org/0000-0003-2738-5513, AuthorID: 1090381, lukyanchenko@mail.ru Ильяшенко Оксана Юрьевна, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент Высшей школы бизнес-инжи- ниринга, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9292-7759, AuthorID: 331642, ioy120878@gmail.com Лукьянченко Екатерина Леонидовна, магистрант Высшей школы бизнес-инжиниринга, https://orcid. org/0000-0003-2738-5513, AuthorID: 1090381, lukyanchenko@mail.ru Ильяшенко Оксана Юрьевна, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент Высшей школы бизнес-инжи- ниринга, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9292-7759, AuthorID: 331642, ioy120878@gmail.com Лукьянченко Екатерина Леонидовна, магистрант Высшей школы бизнес-инжиниринга, https://orcid. org/0000-0003-2738-5513, AuthorID: 1090381, lukyanchenko@mail.ru Аннотация. В статье рассматриваются возможности использования технологий искусствен- ного интеллекта, а именно компьютерного зрения, в сфере медицины. Актуальность темы обусловлена растущей нагрузкой на медицинский персонал и на медицинские учреждения в связи с увеличением числа пожилых людей и пациентов с хроническими заболевания- ми, а также непредвиденными обстоятельствами, как, например, пандемия коронавируса SARS-CoV-2 в 2019–2021 гг. Кроме того, многие медицинские учреждения заинтересованы в предоставлении услуг высокого качества, повышении лояльности и увеличении числа постоян- ных пациентов, в связи с чем ощущают необходимость во внедрении новейших технологий и хотят следовать трендам стратегического развития. В статье описывается, как лечащий врач может использовать предлагаемые искусственным интеллектом решения в процессе своей работы для получения более точного диагноза и экономии времени на ознакомление с анам- незом пациента. Предложена ИТ- и технологическая архитектура медицинской организации, использующей компьютерное зрение в своей работе, созданная на основе референтной модели. Архитектура подразумевает использование облачной инфраструктуры, специализированно- го ПО и предусматривает как внедрение новых типов оборудования, например 3D камер, датчиков визуализации, так и использование традиционного оборудования: аппарата УЗИ, рентген-оборудования, аппарата МРТ. Ключевые слова: искусственный интеллект, компьютерное зрение,архитектура предприятия, ИТ-архитектура, медицина Для цитирования: Iliashenko O. Yu., Lukyanchenko E. L. Possibilities of using computer vision for data analytics in medicine [Ильяшенко О. Ю., Лукьянченко Е. Л. Возможности применения компьютерного зрения для аналитики данных в медицине] // Известия Саратов- ского университета. Новая серия. Серия: Математика. Механика. Информатика. 2022. Т. 22, вып. 2. С. 224–232. https://doi.org/10.18500/1816-9791-2022-22-2-224-232 Для цитирования: Iliashenko O. Yu., Lukyanchenko E. L. Possibilities of using computer vision for data analytics in medicine [Ильяшенко О. Ю., Лукьянченко Е. Л. Возможности применения компьютерного зрения для аналитики данных в медицине] // Известия Саратов- ского университета. Новая серия. Серия: Математика. Механика. Информатика. 2022. Т. 22, вып. 2. С. 224–232. Introduction The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved since 1950 when Alan Turing described the use of computers to develop critical thinking and human decision-making. Currently, artificial intelligence is an integral part of the development of the digital world and is used in all spheres of activity from medicine to industry and production [1]. Initially, AI was represented by a number of simple algorithms such as “if this, then that”, then the algorithms rapidly became more complex, mimicking the neural connections of the human brain. The result of the development of the concept is the appearance of such classes of artificial intelligence as machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and computer vision [2]: – machine learning is a field of artificial intelligence, which implies the “training” of computer algorithms to make decisions on their own. Machine learning is the driving force behind the intelligence of modern systems. Thus, the system learns independently (learning without a teacher) or with reinforcement from the environment, analyzing and classifying large amounts of data to identify the detected patterns and use them for further insights; Информатика 225 Изв. Сарат. ун-та. Нов. сер. Сер.: Математика. Механика. Информатика. 2022. Т. 22, вып. 2 – deep learning is represented by machine learning methods that allow training a system not with algorithms, but with representations. Deep learning has proven to be effective after the increase in computing power has allowed the creation of complex neural network architectures. The use of deep learning made it possible to solve problems using computer vision, speech recognition, machine translation, etc.; ; – natural language processing is a field of AI used to convert a natural language into a format understandable for computer systems for further analysis. It is used for speech recognition; handwritten and typewritten notes recognition;i – natural language processing is a field of AI used to convert a natural language into a format understandable for computer systems for further analysis. It is used for speech recognition; handwritten and typewritten notes recognition; – computer vision is an area of AI that deals with the identification of video and photographic images by raw pixels. Computer vision allows performing tasks such as detecting, classifying, and interpreting various objects to categorize predefined analysis results [3]. Introduction The purpose of this article is to study the application of computer vision methods in the field of medicine: areas of use, advantages and possible difficulties; development of an IT model and technological architecture of a medical organization that uses computer vision in its work, based on the reference architecture model, as well as the workflow of the physician using the opinion of artificial intelligence to make medical decisions. Materials and methods This study is based on the concept of an enterprise architecture. Currently, there are several standards and methodologies for modeling an enterprise architecture, but one of the most commonly used is the TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework) standard, developed by The Open Group consortium. The TOGAF standard is based on the Architecture Development Method (ADM), which describes a cyclical, phased plan for developing an enterprise architecture. In this study, ADM phases C and D were used. Also, the authors use in their work the reference model presented in [4]. The reference model describes the IT and technology architecture of a healthcare organization, following the concept of value-based, personalized medicine and Health 4.0. Results In the last decade, in the field of medicine the most urgent problem is appeared to be the insufficient provision of medical institutions with personnel: general practitioners, specialist doctors, and junior medical personnel. The current medical staff bears the burden associated with examination, admission, counseling, prescribing treatment, and maintaining medical records, which affects the quality and quantity of work performed by them [5]. In addition, the population of most countries is aging rapidly, which in the near future will mean an increase in the flow of patients and the demand for medical services and examinations. Controversial yet important is the issue of medical error in the process of making decisions about the further treatment of the patient. Telemedicine is actively used in Russia and around the world, which makes it possible to quickly assemble a medical consultation of highly qualified specialists and conduct it in a remote format. Patients also have access to solutions that allow them to remotely consult with their doctor, automatically collect, store and process data on medical indicators, for example, blood pressure, pulse, blood sugar level, etc. 226 Научный отдел Научный отдел O. Yu. Iliashenko, E. L. Lukyanchenko. Possibilities of using computer vision for data analytics Currently, the possibilities of using AI and machine learning in medicine are beginning to actively develop. The use of technologies such as computer vision, deep learning, and natural language processing will make it possible to fully implement such concepts as personalized, value-based, and predictive medicine [6]. Machine learning algorithms can be used to improve the accuracy of diagnosis, the efficiency of medical personnel and increase patient flow, therapeutic follow-up and clinical operations, the experience of interaction between the patient, and the medical organization as a whole. The use of the latest technologies in medical data analytics is relevant because the volume of medical data already available is large and continues to grow daily. Medical data include data from electronic and paper medical records, results of clinical studies, and visual results of studies: MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, ECG, etc. [7]. In addition to the variety of types and sources of medical data, it is also characterized by high requirements for data confidentiality and security, anonymity, and medical secrecy. Until recently, the healthcare industry could rely on small open source datasets or data collected by commercial companies. Results However, the dynamics of data exchange and data availability are already affecting and will continue to influence the development and availability of the use of big data analytics and artificial intelligence technologies [8]. These changes are stimulating research in the field of computer vision in medicine, which is reflected in the growth of research in areas such as multimodal education that combines computer vision and language recognition; 3D vision used in intensive care units, as well as work with videos-activity recognition, understanding of the ongoing movements to detect adverse events and respond to them [9]. In general, the process of computer vision operation consists of three stages: – image acquisition — the basic stage, which consists of obtaining a photo or video image from hardware, for example, cameras of various types; – image acquisition — the basic stage, which consists of obtaining a photo or video image from hardware, for example, cameras of various types; – image processing — the stage at which software is used for image processing: quality improvement, compression, reduction or increase in size and noise removal. At this stage, primitive operations are performed, which allow faster and better image processing and obtain the necessary analysis results in the future; – image analysis and decision-making — the most important stage at which image segmentation or object identification occurs, and then the obtained characteristics are transferred to machine learning algorithms or other artificial intelligence technologies. Thus, computer vision can be implemented using traditional machine learning algorithms, for example, hidden Markov models, random forest or random tree algorithms, or deep learning algorithms — convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, and multilayer perceptron [10]. Deep learning is preferred because it allows the processing of large amounts of data without sacrificing hardware performance. In medical practice, computer vision based on deep learning algorithms can be successfully applied in such areas as: – gastroenterology [1]; – pulmonology [3]; – cardiology; – dermatology; – ophthalmology; – clinical and imaging studies; – surgery, etc. The workflow implemented by a medical institution that uses computer vision The workflow implemented by a medical institution that uses computer vis 227 Информатика Изв. Сарат. ун-та. Нов. сер. Сер.: Математика. Механика. Информатика. 2022. Т. 22, вып. 2 algorithms in its activities may look like this (Fig. 1). Results Possibilities of using computer vision for data analytics – insufficient amount of data available for training algorithms in the field of computer vision in medicine — despite the increased interest in this topic and the growing number of works devoted to research in the field of computer vision, the amount of high-quality and balanced data available for evaluating various computer vision techniques is not sufficient yet. – insufficient amount of data available for training algorithms in the field of computer vision in medicine — despite the increased interest in this topic and the growing number of works devoted to research in the field of computer vision, the amount of high-quality and balanced data available for evaluating various computer vision techniques is not sufficient yet. The use of computer vision by a medical institution unambiguously affects its IT architecture [12]. The medical institution must be mature enough to implement deep learning concepts: have transparent business processes described, have sufficient computing power and technological equipment, have sufficient funding, etc. To build the IT and technological architecture of a medical organization using computer vision in its activities, the authors will rely on the reference model of IT and technological architecture of a medical organization presented in the study [4]. The model is performed in Archi software using the ArchiMate language supported by the TOGAF standard, which is actively used by international companies and institutions. The reference model (Fig. 2) at the technological architecture level represents a cluster of servers, medical equipment, and personal gadgets used by patients to monitor vital medical indicators. Fig. 2. Reference model of IT and technological architecture of a medical organization [4] Fig. 2. Reference model of IT and technological architecture of a medical organization [4 Fig. 2. Reference model of IT and technological architecture of a medical organization [4] Fig. 2. Results AI algorithms at the current stage of their development and application in medical practice cannot be the final link in making medical decisions. This means that the physician must familiarize himself with the results of the algorithms and, on their basis, make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment for the patient. For example, a system developed by the Californian company Gauss Surgical allows to accurately assess a patient’s blood loss during surgery or childbirth by visualizing bloodied medical supplies — surgical sponges. The algorithms are able to distinguish between blood and non-blood fluids and trigger alerts about bleeding and critical blood loss in a patient, which allows them respond as quickly as possible and start a blood transfusion [11]. Nevertheless, the final decision, in this case, is made by the operating doctor, and the observation of artificial intelligence algorithms is a tool in the work of medical personnel and not a decision-making tool. Fig. 1. An example of a medical institution workflow improved by computer vision algorithms Fig. 1. An example of a medical institution workflow improved by computer vision algorithms The use of computer vision technologies in the process of carrying out diagnostic procedures has a number of specific features, for example:i The use of computer vision technologies in the process of carrying out diagnostic procedures has a number of specific features, for example: – the need to find a balance in the accuracy of the interpretation of the results — minimization of false warnings, but sufficient accuracy is needed, not to miss the detection of the desired element on the image;i – the need to find a balance in the accuracy of the interpretation of the results — minimization of false warnings, but sufficient accuracy is needed, not to miss the detection of the desired element on the image; – the complexity of the configuration of the IT infrastructure of the solution, especially in the case of multifunctional use; – the complexity of the configuration of the IT infrastructure of the solution, especially in the case of multifunctional use; – features of working with medical images: the problem of transparency when visualizing the location of body organs — special instructions are needed to determine the location of organs in the image; high image resolution, which can exceed 100 thousand square pixels and several gigabytes of memory; Научный отдел 228 Научный отдел O. Yu. Iliashenko, E. L. Lukyanchenko. Results Reference model of IT and technological architecture of a medical organization [4] The application layer of the reference model is represented by a set of information systems used by a medical organization [13]: The application layer of the reference model is represented by a set of information systems used by a medical organization [13]: – ERP — used by the organization to manage all types of resources; financial, operational, strategic, and tactical planning; marketing activities; etc.; – MIS is a medical information system, used in work with patients to automate document flow, maintain electronic medical records, store and analyze clinical trials, manage bed funds, etc.; – BI system in a medical organization is used for advanced analytics, predictive analytics and forecasting, visualization of the results. Based on the reference architecture from [4], the authors propose a model of IT and technological architecture of a medical organization that uses computer vision technologies (Fig. 3). Based on the reference architecture from [4], the authors propose a model of IT and technological architecture of a medical organization that uses computer vision technologies (Fig. 3). Информатика 229 Изв. Сарат. ун-та. Нов. сер. Сер.: Математика. Механика. Информатика. 2022. Т. 22, вып. 2 Fig. 3. Proposed model of IT and technological architecture for a medical organization using computer vision technology in its activities The architecture model proposed by the authors consists of the following elements Fig. 3. Proposed model of IT and technological architecture for a medical organization using computer vision technology in its activities The architecture model proposed by the authors consists of the following elements depicted on the technology layer: – a server cluster located in the cloud infrastructure. The choice was made in favor of cloud technologies since training and testing machine learning algorithms requires large amounts of data and infrastructure flexibility [14]. For a medical organization, it will be more profitable and more convenient to use cloud resources, rather than maintain its own hardware infrastructure; – in the cloud infrastructure, there is a LAN network, in which servers for the operation of MIS and BI systems, and software for the implementation of computer vision are located. The ERP system is not reflected in this diagram, since it is not directly related to the use of machine learning in the situation considered by the authors. Nevertheless, the ERP system of a medical organization can and should be used for more efficient business and resource management; – load Balancer, an application that balances the load on servers to increase their performance and fault tolerance, has been added to the diagram in the cloud infrastructure. In addition, since the organization has to deal with medical data, a secure VPN connection to avoid leakage of especially sensitive data is provided; – the diagram shows medical equipment that provides visual information for the use of machine learning. The type of equipment depends on the requirements and work of the medical organization: it can be either an X-ray machine or an MRI machine that is already available in the clinic, or cameras and sensors that are not used in traditional procedures. The application layer has undergone changes in the part of Medical Equipment Software — it is presented by the use of software for the implementation of computer vision technology. As the deep learning model is trained on the provided medical data, Научный отдел Научный отдел 230 O. Yu. Iliashenko, E. L. Lukyanchenko. Информатика Possibilities of using computer vision for data analytics it will not be able to access the server and the database, but offer its opinion to the attending physician directly using the software on the application layer. Thus, the proposed architecture can be used to implement computer vision technology in the work of medical clinics if they are ready to incur financial, time, and resource costs. The use of computer vision will relieve the medical staff, providing them with more time for important actions; will increase the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment prescription, which will affect the patient’s attitude and loyalty to this medical institution [15]. The use of machine learning algorithms will reduce mortality in intensive care units and predict the deterioration of the patient’s condition. All these advantages are especially relevant in our time since we see the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on healthcare institutions around the world: the load on bed funds and medical personnel at the peak of the incidence rate was so high that it was not possible to provide adequate and high-quality medical care. Despite the fact that the use of computer vision in medicine is a promising direction, in the field of medical imaging, some difficulties hinder the scaling of such solutions [16]. Firstly, testing the concept and conducting research, and introducing it into the work of the clinic, is characterized by high financial and time costs and requires the involvement of highly qualified specialists, which not many medical institutions can do. In addition, collecting data for training and testing a system can be time-consuming and expensive, as a particularly large volume of medical data is required, which must be collected, stored, protected, and anonymized. The introduction of a new medical practice requires mandatory validation and certification, which is also costly for a medical institution both in terms of time and finances. Finally, compliance with international and local laws, policies, and practices is required, which can be a deterrent to implementation. At the same time, integrating new services with traditional research, familiar to patients, can be expensive and difficult, and the likelihood of sabotaging and ignoring the latest services using AI technology by patients of a medical institution is very high. Ilin I. V., Lepekhin A. A., Ershova A. S., Borremans A. D. IT and technological architect Conclusion In this paper, the main areas of artificial intelligence are considered, the prerequisites for the popularization of machine learning and computer vision in the field of medicine are determined, and the areas of application of computer vision in medicine are considered. The authors studied the reference model based on the source [4], and proposed a modified model of IT and technological architecture of a modern medical organization, using computer vision algorithms in its work. The article briefly described the advantages and possible difficulties that may prevent the introduction of computer vision into the main processes of hospitals. References 1. Kaul V., Enslin S., Gross S. A. History of artificial intelligence in medicine. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2020, vol. 92, iss. 4, pp. 807–812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2020.06.040 2. The future of artificial intelligence in health care. Emerging applications of AI in health care. Deloitte. Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/life-sciences-and-health- care/articles/future-of-artificial-intelligence-in-health-care.html (accessed 7 September 2021). 3. Khemasuwan D., Sorensen J. S., Colt H. G. Artificial intelligence in pulmonary medicine: Computer vision, predictive model and COVID-19. European Respiratory Review, 2020, vol. 29, Art. 200181. https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0181-2020 4 Ilin I V Lepekhin A A Ershova A S Borremans A D IT and technological architecture References References 1. Kaul V., Enslin S., Gross S. A. History of artificial intelligence in medicine. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2020, vol. 92, iss. 4, pp. 807–812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2020.06.040 2. The future of artificial intelligence in health care. Emerging applications of AI in health care. Deloitte. Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/life-sciences-and-health- care/articles/future-of-artificial-intelligence-in-health-care.html (accessed 7 September 2021). 3. Khemasuwan D., Sorensen J. S., Colt H. G. Artificial intelligence in pulmonary medicine: Computer vision, predictive model and COVID-19. European Respiratory Review, 2020, vol. 29, Art. 200181. https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0181-2020 4 Ilin I V Lepekhin A A Ershova A S Borremans A D IT and technological architecture 3. Khemasuwan D., Sorensen J. S., Colt H. G. Artificial intelligence in pulmonary medicine: Computer vision, predictive model and COVID-19. European Respiratory Review, 2020, vol. 29, Art. 200181. https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0181-2020 , p // g/ / 4. Ilin I. V., Lepekhin A. A., Ershova A. S., Borremans A. D. IT and technological architecture Информатика 231 Изв. Сарат. ун-та. Нов. сер. Сер.: Математика. Механика. Информатика. 2022. Т. 22, вып. 2 of healthcare organization. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2020, vol. 1001, Art. 012141. https:/doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1001/1/012141 5. Il’in I. V., Il’yashenko O. Yu., Il’yashenko V. M. Architectural approach to the medical organization development in a digitalized healthcare environment. Journal of Management Studies, 2019, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 37–47 (in Russian). 6. Vodolazsky K. D., Ilin I. V. Organization of information interaction of the medical organization with customers and resource providers. Journal of Economy and Entrepreneur- ship, 2021, no. 3 (128), pp. 920–929 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.34925/EIP.2021.128.3.185 6. Vodolazsky K. D., Ilin I. V. Organization of information interaction of the medical organization with customers and resource providers. Journal of Economy and Entrepreneur- ship, 2021, no. 3 (128), pp. 920–929 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.34925/EIP.2021.128.3.185 7. LeCun Y., Bengio Y., Hinton G. Deep learning. Nature, 2015, vol. 521, no. 7553, pp. 436– 444 h //d /10 1038/ 14539 organization with customers and resource providers. Journal of Economy and Entrepreneur- ship, 2021, no. 3 (128), pp. 920–929 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.34925/EIP.2021.128.3.185 7. LeCun Y., Bengio Y., Hinton G. Deep learning. Nature, 2015, vol. 521, no. 7553, pp. 436– 444. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14539 ship, 2021, no. 3 (128), pp. 920 929 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.34925/EIP.2021.128.3.185 7. LeCun Y., Bengio Y., Hinton G. Deep learning. Nature, 2015, vol. 521, no. 7553, pp. 436– 444. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14539 8. Amin S. U., Hossain M. S., Muhammad G., Alhussein M., Rahman M. A. Cognitive smart healthcare for pathology detection and monitoring. References IEEE Access, 2019, vol. 7, pp. 10745–10753. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2891390 pp p g 9. Dubgorn A., Svetunkov S., Borremans A. Features of the functioning of a geographically distributed medical organization in Russia. E3S Web of Conferences, 2020, vol. 217, Art. 06014. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202021706014 10. Mahmoodpour M., Lobov A., Hayati S., Pastukhov A. An affordable deep learning-based solution to support pick and place robotic tasks. Instrumentation Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications – 2019: Proceedings of the V International Forum (November 20–22, 2019, Izhevsk, Russian Federation). Kalashnikov Izhevsk State Technical University Publ., 2019, pp. 66–75. https://doi.org/10.22213/2658-3658-2019-66-75 11. Gauss Surgical. Available at: https://www.gausssurgical.com/ (accessed 7 September 2021). 12. Ilin I., Iliashenko O., Iliashenko V. An architectural approach to managing the digital transformation of a medical organization. In: T. Devezas, J. Leit˜ao, A. Sarygulov, eds. The Economics of Digital Transformation. Studies on Entrepreneurship, Structural Change and Industrial Dynamics. Springer, Cham, 2021, pp. 227–249. https://doi.org/10.1007/ 978-3-030-59959-1_15 13. Ilyin I. V., Ilyashenko V. M. Formation of requirements for a reference architectural model for digital transformation of a medical organization. Scientific Bulletin of the Southern Institute of Management, 2018, vol. 4, pp. 82–88 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.31775/ 2305-3100-2018-4-82-88 14. Iliashenko O., Lukianchenko E., Lohyeeta N. A selection approach to the criteria for evaluating cloud platforms for conducting IT projects. DTMIS ’20: Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference — Digital Transformation on Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Service. New York, NY, USA, Association for Computing Machinery, 2020, Art. 21. https://doi.org/10.1145/3446434.3446445 15. Bhattad P., Jain V. Artificial intelligence in modern medicine — the evolving necessity of the present and role in transforming the future of medical care. Cureus, 2020, vol. 12, no. 5, Art. e8041. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.8041 16. Gao J., Yang Y., Lin P., Park D. S. Computer vision in healthcare applications. Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 2018, vol. 2018, Art. 5157020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/ 5157020 Поступила в редакцию / Received 25.11.2021 Принята к публикации / Accepted 27.12.2021 232 Научный отдел Научный отдел
https://openalex.org/W4236951028
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00449/56010/59640.pdf
English
null
&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Trichodesmium&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; physiological ecology and phosphate reduction in the western Tropical South Pacific
null
2,018
cc-by
302
WP 042155018 Ppm Planktothrix agardhii Q84G06 PphA Variovorax WP 054215137 Ppm Actinobacteria bacterium NATL scaffold 997 9 WP 024094158 PphA Paenibacillus larvae P33182 Ppm Tetrahymena pyriformis P29247 Ppm Streptomyces hygroscopicus WP 003988636 Ppm Streptomyces viridochromogenes WP 070393116 Ppm Moorea producens NATL scaffold 145228 1 WP 083624119 Ppm Planktothrix serta OUTPACE Trichodesmium scaffold 3391 1 NATL scaffold 44888 2 NATL scaffold 7659 3 WP 036654131 Ppm Paenibacillus larvae WP 003474429 Ppm Gracilibacillus halophilus OUTPACE microbiome scaffold 53475 1 P56839 Ppm Mytilus edulis O86937 Ppm Streptomyces WP 066506643 Ppm Clostridiales bacterium A0A0M3WN97 BcpB Streptomyces hygroscopicus NATL scaffold 151297 1 WP 045869133 Ppm Tolypothrix sp. 0.784 0.998 0.751 1 0.793 0.851 0.982 0.998 0.415 0.948 0.998 0.969 1 0.894 0.372 0.906 0.381 0.983 0.964 0.792 1 0.925 1 0.786 0.595 0.991 0.999 0.067 0.996 0.281 0.6 1 2-methylcitrate synthase Methylisocitryate lyase North Atlantic Trichodesmium holobiont proteins Carboxyvinyl-carboxyphosphonate phosphorylmutase Carboxyvinyl-carboxyphosphonate phosphorylmutase Isocitrate lyase family WP 042155018 Ppm Planktothrix agardhii Q84G06 PphA Variovorax WP 054215137 Ppm Actinobacteria bacterium NATL scaffold 997 9 WP 024094158 PphA Paenibacillus larvae P33182 Ppm Tetrahymena pyriformis P29247 Ppm Streptomyces hygroscopicus WP 003988636 Ppm Streptomyces viridochromogenes WP 070393116 Ppm Moorea producens NATL scaffold 145228 1 WP 083624119 Ppm Planktothrix serta OUTPACE Trichodesmium scaffold 3391 1 NATL scaffold 44888 2 NATL scaffold 7659 3 WP 036654131 Ppm Paenibacillus larvae WP 003474429 Ppm Gracilibacillus halophilus OUTPACE microbiome scaffold 53475 1 P56839 Ppm Mytilus edulis O86937 Ppm Streptomyces WP 066506643 Ppm Clostridiales bacterium A0A0M3WN97 BcpB Streptomyces hygroscopicus NATL scaffold 151297 1 WP 045869133 Ppm Tolypothrix sp. 0.784 0.998 0.751 1 0.793 0.851 0.982 0.998 0.415 0.948 0.998 0.969 1 0.894 0.372 0.906 0.381 0.983 0.964 0.792 1 0.925 1 0.786 0.595 0.991 0.999 0.067 0.996 0.281 0.6 1 2-methylcitrate synthase Methylisocitryate lyase North Atlantic Trichodesmium holobiont proteins Carboxyvinyl-carboxyphosphonate phosphorylmutase Carboxyvinyl-carboxyphosphonate phosphorylmutase Isocitrate lyase family 2-methylcitrate synthase
https://openalex.org/W2934077621
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2019.00640/pdf
English
null
In silico Analyses of Skin and Peripheral Blood Transcriptional Data in Cutaneous Lupus Reveals CCR2-A Novel Potential Therapeutic Target
Frontiers in immunology
2,019
cc-by
13,766
In silico Analyses of Skin and Peripheral Blood Transcriptional Data in Cutaneous Lupus Reveals CCR2-A Novel Potential Therapeutic Target Cutaneous lesions feature prominently in lupus erythematosus (LE). Yet lupus and its cutaneous manifestations exhibit extraordinary clinical heterogeneity, making it imperative to stratify patients with varying organ involvement based on molecular criteria that may be of clinical value. We conducted several in silico bioinformatics-based analyses integrating chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE)-skin and blood expression profiles to provide novel insights into disease mechanisms and potential future therapy. In addition to substantiating well-known prominent apoptosis and interferon related response in both tissue environments, the overrepresentation of GO categories in the datasets, in the context of existing literature, led us to model a “disease road-map” demonstrating a coordinated orchestration of the autoimmune response in CCLE reflected in three phases: (1) initiation, (2) amplification, and (3) target damage in skin. Within this framework, we undertook in silico interactome analyses to identify significantly “over-connected” genes that are potential key functional players in the metabolic reprogramming associated with skin pathology in CCLE. Furthermore, overlapping and distinct transcriptional “hot spots” within CCLE skin and blood expression profiles mapping to specified chromosomal locations offer selected targets for identifying disease-risk genes. Lastly, we used a novel in silico approach to prioritize the receptor protein CCR2, whose expression level in CCLE tissues was validated by qPCR analysis, and suggest it as a drug target for use in future potential CCLE therapy. Edited by: Katja Bieber, Universität zu Lübeck, Germany Reviewed by: Carlo Riccardi, University of Perugia, Italy Claudia Günther, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Germany *Correspondence: Rama Dey-Rao dey@buffalo.edu Animesh A. Sinha aasinha@buffalo.edu *Correspondence: Rama Dey-Rao dey@buffalo.edu Animesh A. Sinha aasinha@buffalo.edu *Correspondence: Rama Dey-Rao dey@buffalo.edu Animesh A. Sinha aasinha@buffalo.edu Specialty section: This article was submitted to Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders, a section of the journal Frontiers in Immunology Received: 22 October 2018 Accepted: 08 March 2019 Published: 29 March 2019 Specialty section: This article was submitted to Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders, a section of the journal Frontiers in Immunology Keywords: CCLE, cutaneous lupus, skin, autoimmune, therapeutic, bioinformatics, expression profiles Keywords: CCLE, cutaneous lupus, skin, autoimmune, therapeutic, bioinformatics, expression profiles INTRODUCTION Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a complex (1) autoimmune disease that spans a tremendous variety of forms, degrees, and phenotype expressions ranging from relatively well-defined cutaneous manifestations to a rapidly progressive, lethal, multi-organ involvement in the systemic disease (SLE) (2, 3). Cutaneous features represent a major and medically significant component of LE and are evidenced as a wide range of clinical manifestations, some of which are disfiguring and debilitating. CCLE, which encompasses discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), represents the most common category of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE). While it is clear that CLE pathogenesis is multifactorial, with distinct roles for genetic, environmental, immunologic as well as epigenetic factors, large gaps in knowledge remain regarding the exact causes, mechanisms and biological ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 29 March 2019 doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00640 Abbreviations: C/C/LE, chronic/cutaneous/lupus erythematosus; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; DLE, Discoid lupus erythematosus; HLA, human leukocyte antigen; DEGs, differentially expressed genes; DAVID, Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; DC, dendritic cells; IFN, interferon; CTL, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes; IC, immune complex, GO, gene ontology; FC, fold change, NF-kB, nuclear factor kappa- light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; qPCR/RT-qPCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction/ real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) y p ( ) For the present study, we re-analyzed the CCLE-blood expression dataset to define a new DEGs list based on statistical criteria identical to our previously published CCLE-skin (21) thus allowing a more direct comparison. Briefly, we controlled the p- value at ≤0.05 and fold change (FC) ≥±1.1 and identified 783 non-redundant CCLE- peripheral blood DEGs (337 UP and 446 DOWN), that distinguished patients from healthy controls. The low FC cut offwas chosen for this study because: (1) minimal expression differences may be biologically significant (27) and (2) it allowed us to start with a larger pool of significant genes from both transcriptional profiles with which to perform downstream statistical analyses with high stringencies, in order to streamline our search to only “over-connected” DEGs. g p In the present study, gene enrichment analyses of the CCLE skin and blood transcriptional datasets were conducted to illuminate shared, over-represented, disease-related pathways and processes across both tissue environments. Our findings corroborate the involvement of a generalized immune dysregulation and altered apoptosis as central drivers of the cutaneous lupus phenotypes (21, 22). Through our integrative analytical approach we propose a detailed “disease road-map” tethered upon functional enrichments that illuminate a potential orchestration from initiation, amplification to tissue targeting in skin as linked steps in the autoimmune response of CCLE. This framework allowed us to assign existing and emerging therapies within the “disease road-map” based on mechanism of action of specific medications. In silico based interactome analysis identified 3 “over-connected” genes as potential key functional players in the metabolic reprogramming associated with skin pathology in CCLE. Subsequently, drug target analyses allowed us to narrow the search and prioritize CCR2 as the druggable target receptor that needs further research to test viability in potential future disease therapy. Bioinformatics tools in DAVID (28), (https://david.ncifcrf. gov/) and MetaCoreTM v6.21 (Thomson Reuters, St Joseph, MI) were used (http://www.genego.com) to analyze and compare the two gene expression profiles (29). Unique gene symbols from the DEGs lists were mapped to “network objects” and used to probe the MetaCore database (metabase) (30). Using the disease terms “lupus” or “cutaneous lupus” we were able to generate and analyze several disease–associated canonical pathway maps followed by similar investigations in the Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG databases. This allowed us to dissect each known overlapping disease-related biological pathway/process between the two tissue environments. Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) We compiled lists of interferon (IFN) inducible genes and those linked to apoptosis related pathways as described earlier (22). We also consolidated one hundred and five potential SLE susceptibility loci from genome–wide association studies (GWAS) recorded (31–44) in the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI-EBI) catalog (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/ gwas/search?query=lupus) and the SLEGEN study as well as susceptibility loci for CLE in a recent GWAS study (16) for comparison. Citation: Thus, an enhanced understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of disease is a requisite to advance the search for novel therapeutic targets, particularly those that are more targeted and even personalized. Citation: Dey-Rao R and Sinha AA (2019) In silico Analyses of Skin and Peripheral Blood Transcriptional Data in Cutaneous Lupus Reveals CCR2-A Novel Potential Therapeutic Target. Front. Immunol. 10:640. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00640 March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 1 Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha interactions leading to the development of autoimmune attack on the skin. A number of trigger factors have been reported to influence the course and prognosis of cutaneous lupus including, UV light, medication, and smoking. Additional factors such as race, sex, age of onset and genetic predisposition, among others also impact disease manifestation (4–9). Although susceptibility to CCLE has been linked to genes within the HLA (HLA-DQ and/or DR), as well as outside the HLA region (HSP70-1, TNF– α/β, C4 null, C2, IL-1, and IL10) (10–19) the molecular and genetic basis of disease initiation, progression, and response to treatment is poorly understood. interactions leading to the development of autoimmune attack on the skin. A number of trigger factors have been reported to influence the course and prognosis of cutaneous lupus including, UV light, medication, and smoking. Additional factors such as race, sex, age of onset and genetic predisposition, among others also impact disease manifestation (4–9). Although susceptibility to CCLE has been linked to genes within the HLA (HLA-DQ and/or DR), as well as outside the HLA region (HSP70-1, TNF– α/β, C4 null, C2, IL-1, and IL10) (10–19) the molecular and genetic basis of disease initiation, progression, and response to treatment is poorly understood. used by any of the patients for 2 months prior to sampling. The procedures for blood and tissue handling, peripheral blood mononuclear cell extractions, total RNA preparation, cDNA synthesis and microarray processing have also been described previously (21, 22, 25, 26). The transcriptional data analyzed was from skin of 6 lesional and 4 non-lesional biopsies from patients with CCLE and blood from 3 CCLE patients and 3 healthy controls. There was an overlap of 2 patients (1008 and 1009) between blood and skin analysis. The range of sample size reflects the limited human samples that were available for the rare autoimmune disorder CCLE/DLE. In large part due to the gap in knowledge regarding disease susceptibility and pathomechanisms, the current therapeutic armamentum in cutaneous LE does not include any approved systemic drugs (20) and needs to be empirically determined for individual patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Recruitment of CCLE/CLE (more specifically the most common subtype, discoid LE DLE), age- and sex-matched patients, and healthy control individuals, tissue procurement and handling has been described in detail along with IRB approval number, consent, demographic data and raw data in our earlier reports (21–24). None of the patients were positive for ANA or met any criteria for SLE. No systemic or topical medications had been The DEG lists were analyzed for their chromosomal enrichment by leveraging the gene expression data to detect regions of the chromosomes with a statistically significant proportion of DEGs (called transcriptional “hot spots”) (45–49). We used DNA–Chip Analyzer (dCHIP) (www.dchip.org) for the purpose of gene mapping using the “genome” tool with masked duplicate probe sets. P-value ≤0.001 was calculated for all stretches of chromosomes (“hot spots”) that contained ≥5 DEGs (CCLE-blood DEGs used for this analysis) (50). We overlaid a similar map generated from our previous site-matched lesional March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 2 Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha vs. non-lesional skin analysis (from CCLE patients) (21) on the CCLE –blood chromosomal map. We explored the overlapping and unique genes that were significantly associated or not with systemic or cutaneous disease in previous gene expression and GWAS studies. transcriptional profiles. Finally, we were able to prioritize one DEG CCR2 based on several analytical criteria discussed above. Network generating algorithms in MetaCore were based on auto- expand by one interaction including both up- and downstream reactions. We further categorized the genes by their association with SLE-genes (either expressed or as susceptibility loci). A “drug target analysis” was performed via MetaCore along with a literature search on all three receptor proteins, to discover novel drug/target combinations that offer the best potential to be used in the treatment of CLE. Interactome and Drug Target Analysis g g y We started out with the broadest pool of statistically significant genes, and subsequently employ downstream bioinformatics- based statistical tools with high stringency to assign disease relevance. To go beyond simply cataloging disease-related molecules we subjected our DEGs from CCLE skin and blood to an interactome analysis by protein function” (52). The relative connectivity of a gene (encoded protein) mirrors its functional significance to the disease under investigation (53) and is calculated by the number of interactions between the experimental gene with the genes on the experimental list normalized to the number of interactions it has with all genes in the human database (in MetaCore). The ranking of importance is related to the “knowledge based” analysis that takes into consideration experimental DEGs in the context of their known interactions in complex gene/protein and molecular networks. The localization of receptors in membranes that allows the extracellular domains to be targeted by specific ligands and drugs was key to narrowing the search to the “over-connected” 3 receptors that were shared between the skin and blood Quantifying Gene Expression Using RT-qPCR Total RNA was isolated as described previously (22, 26) using TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen, San Diego, CA, USA) per manufacturer’s protocol and treated with DNase, purified and quantified by Nanodrop ND-1000. We used reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) to quantify gene expression from peripheral blood of an entirely different set of 5 CCLE patients (LE 1013, 1014, 1016, 1017, and 1018) and 5 healthy controls (CR, 221, 220, 231, 1042, and 1032). cDNA was synthesized from 400 ng total RNA using Promega Kit (Promega Corp., Madison, WI, USA) and quantitative real-time PCR was subsequently carried out using the FastStart Universal SYBR Green Master (ROX) from Roche (Roche Diagnostics,Mannheim, Germany) according to carefully standardized protocols. Intron-spanning primers were designed using Primer3 v. 4.0.0 (http://bioinfo.ut.ee/primer3/) for the following selected DEGs: CCR2, IFI30, OAS1, OAS2, STAT1 TNFAIP3, ERBB3, and FGFR2, based on published human gene sequences in the Ensemble Genome Browser (http://useast. ensembl.org/index.html). Primers were checked with a BLAT search (http://genome.ucsc.edu/cgi-bin/hgBlat). Amplicons were designed to be <150 bp in most cases (Table 1). Duplicate experiments were run for the 5 biological replicates in each of the patient and control group. The resulting qPCR cycle times (Ct) were normalized against the β-actin (ACTB) housekeeping gene to obtain 1Ct. Fold changes in expression were calculated using the 2−11Ct method (51) relative to one control sample taken as unity (Figure 6). The fold changes in gene expression obtained by qPCR were compared to those observed by microarray analysis. in the treatment of CLE. RESULTS Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) and Ontology Enrichment Analysis We generated a blood gene expression profile of 783 non-redundant DEGs (Supplementary Table 1) for comparison with the skin profile (776 DEGs) described previously (21). Both FIGURE 1 | Gene expression analysis in CCLE blood and lesional skin. (A) Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were generated from blood (CCLE vs. healthy control) and skin (lesional vs. non-lesional) of CCLE patients and healthy controls that were able to distinguish between compared phenotypes via hierarchical clustering. (B) An overlap of 11% (87 DEGs) between the two lists is shown by the Venn diagram. The majority of genes in both lists are distinct to the respective environment (skin and blood) from which they are generated. Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) and Ontology Enrichment Analysis Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) and Ontology Enrichment Analysis gy y We generated a blood gene expression profile of 783 non-redundant DEGs (Supplementary Table 1) for comparison with the skin profile (776 DEGs) described previously (21). Both Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org FIGURE 1 | Gene expression analysis in CCLE blood and lesional skin. (A) Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were generated from blood (CCLE vs. healthy control) and skin (lesional vs. non-lesional) of CCLE patients and healthy controls that were able to distinguish between compared phenotypes via hierarchical clustering. (B) An overlap of 11% (87 DEGs) between the two lists is shown by the Venn diagram. The majority of genes in both lists are distinct to the respective environment (skin and blood) from which they are generated. March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 3 Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha DEGs shared between blood and skin that are statistically “over- connected” to objects within the two CCLE datasets as well as the larger human database in MetaCore (Supplementary Table 6). Three (CCR2, ERBB3, and FGFR2) of the seven “over-connected” shared DEGs coding for receptor proteins (localized at the cell membrane) were selected for further investigations. All three were found to be interactive hubs by interactome and network analysis (Figure 5). A literature- and Metabase- search with the term “discoid lupus erythematosus” allowed an investigation into existing as well as emerging therapies in CLE/DLE. A drug analysis on all three receptors revealed CCR2 to be targeted by drugs that are currently in clinical trials for treatment of other related diseases. see Supplementary Table 7 for a list of existing, emerging, and experimental as well as the newly proposed therapeutic agents, along with relevant literature and source documentation. lists were generated using the same fold change and p-value cut off(Figure 1A). Of the 87 DEGs (Figure 1B) common between the blood and skin transcriptional profiles, 65 were dysregulated in the same direction in both tissues (upregulated = UP or down-regulated = DOWN) and 22 were in the opposite direction (Supplementary Table 2). Validation Studies We further evaluated the expression of 8 genes shown to be dysregulated by microarray analysis in CCLE/DLE by RT-qPCR (qPCR) (Table 1 and Figure 6). Included among the 8 was CCR2, which we propose as a potential drug target in CCLE therapy. The qPCR experiments demonstrate a relative level of gene expression consistent with our microarray data for all eight DEGs. Genes such as CCR2, IFI30, OAS1, OAS2, and STAT1 and TNFAIP3 are over-expressed in CCLE/DLE patients as compared to healthy controls. While ERBB3 and FGFR2 exhibited overall low levels of expression, the trend in downward expression (case vs. controls) was also similar to our microarray analysis. Integration and synthesis of CCLE blood and skin transcriptional data in the context of existing literature regarding SLE/CCLE-related processes suggests a coordinated orchestration of the autoimmune response leading to organ- specific tissue damage in the skin that can be viewed in 3 phases: (1) initiation, (2) amplification of immune response, and (3) target damage in skin (Figure 3). DISCUSSION We leveraged the blood transcriptional profile to locate genomic regions in which the 783 CCLE-DEGs cluster more frequently than would be expected by chance.(47, 49) 16 transcriptional “hot spots” were identified on chromosomes 1, 3, 5, 6, 11 (2), 12 (2), 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, and X, harboring 177 CCLE-blood DEGs. We had previously described 13 CCLE-skin specific “hot spots” on chromosomes (21). Seven transcriptionally active regions (chromosome 1, 3, 6, 11, 19, 22, and X) overlapped between skin and blood profiles (Figure 4A). Twelve dysregulated genes including AIM2, ANP32E, CD48, EFNA1, CCR2, CAP2, PSMB8, FEN1, ECH1, LGALS2, TST, and APOBEC3G were common to skin and blood within the overlapping “hot spots” (Figure 4B). See Supplementary Table 3 for details on the 177 DEGs contained within the sixteen CCLE-blood “hot spots.” Development of a Disease Roadmap Our new in silico analyses reveal a more enhanced composite of disease pathomechanisms operative in CCLE. In the proposed disease road-map schema (Figure 3), the three phases are not necessarily mutually exclusive, with specific components potentially operative in two, or all three phases across the spectrum. Below, we break down the three broad phases: (1) initiation, (2) amplification, (3) target damage, and dissect the linked disease relevant biological pathway/process (Figure 2) to discuss a model for pathobiology in the context of recognized systemic (blood) and local (skin) disturbances. Enrichment Analyses Ontology enrichment analysis was processed through two different analytical platforms (DAVID and MetaCore) to identify enriched disease-related biological functions, pathways and processes. We uncovered prominent apoptotic and type I interferon (IFN) signatures in both tissue environments. The overall number of DEGs in the activated immune response related pathways and processes are consistently higher in lesional skin than in peripheral blood. However, processes associated with lysome/proteasome related breakdown were more pronounced in peripheral blood than in skin. The differences and similarities in the two tissue environments forms the basis of our present analysis aimed at elucidating specific local and systemic disturbances linked to pathomechanisms related to CCLE (Figure 2). Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org Apoptosis numbers of upregulated DEGs (93%) associated with cytokine- chemokine related processes in lesional skin as opposed to blood (70% DOWN), perhaps reflecting an influx of cytokine producing cells at the local site of pathology. This may be particularly important as these mediators are short lived and local effects could be tissue specific and different from systemic effects (74). The potential significance of apoptosis in CLE is underscored by several observations including an increase in the number of UV induced apoptotic keratinocytes found in lesional skin (54, 67). In our analysis, a larger number of dysregulated genes were associated with apoptosis in lesional skin (117 with 75% UP) as compared to peripheral blood (81 with 61% UP), emphasizing enhanced apoptosis (particularly in the skin) as a prominent signature of the disease. Both pro- and anti-apoptotic molecules are dysregulated simultaneously in both environments (21, 22), underscoring the complex and epistatic nature of the apoptotic cascade. It might also indicate redundancies of contributors to apoptosis, perhaps including involvement of diverse cell types (e.g., keratinocytes and lymphocytes) relevant to lupus pathology. Amplification of Immune Response p p CCLE is characterized by an increase in local mediators of inflammation in the skin. These effects in turn induce changes which include induction of adhesion molecules that are needed for the migration and sequestration of activated lymphocytes and leukocytes to the skin (76). Accumulating apoptotic debris may also bolster autoantigen presentation by Langerhans cells (LCs) to T cells (77). Binding of autoantibodies to keratinocytes could then further expose self-antigens and promote cytokine release to continue and amplify the autoimmune response. T cell reactivity may in turn promote B cell activation and production Pattern Recognition Receptor (PRR) Signaling We discovered 19 genes (100% UP) related to PRR to be activated in lesional skin, as opposed to 7 (71% UP) in peripheral blood. Upregulation of TLR-4 expression was previously demonstrated in affected tissue of CLE patients (75). PRRs participate in the recognition of both extrinsic and endogenous danger-associated conserved molecular patterns, and thus bridge innate and adaptive immune responses. Initiation Several well-known trigger factors e.g., UV light, medications, smoking are associated with cutaneous lupus (4, 9, 54–57), all of which could contribute to enhanced autoantigen display to the immune system. Theoretically, this could occur via increased keratinocyte apoptosis, autoantigen translocation to the keratinocyte cell surface, and/or a decreased clearance of apoptotic debris as in SLE (58), causing self-antigens (e.g., nucleosomes) to persist in the extracellular environment, enabling recognition by autoreactive cells (59–65). The skin has been speculated to be the site of autoimmune initiation for both cutaneous and systemic disease in genetically susceptible individuals (56, 57, 66). Identification of a Novel Therapeutic Target Using our transcriptional datasets, CCLE-specific gene regulation was evaluated through enrichment by “protein function” revealing a significantly high number of ligands, proteases, receptors and other protein classes (Supplementary Table 4). Overall interaction topology reveals a high level of incoming and outgoing connections within the CCLE-experimental dataset as well as to and from the CCLE-datasets to the metabase (Supplementary Table 5). We leveraged our expression dataset to search for key drivers of mechanisms underlying CCLE pathogenesis. We reveal 44 March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 4 Dey-Rao and Sinha Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus FIGURE 2 | Functional annotation and pathway analysis of the DEGs from CCLE-blood and lesional skin. The two transcriptional profiles reveal several enriched disease-related Gene Ontology (GO) biological processes. We break down the number of DEGs (up- and down-regulated) included in some of the shared disease related processes such as: apoptosis, oxidation: reduction, cytokine chemokine, leukocyte chemotaxis, TLR signaling, cell adhesion, dendritic cells, T cell, B cell, type I interferon, NK cells and lysosome/proteasome. The most prominent signatures for interferon and apoptosis in both profiles are marked with a star (*). Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha FIGURE 2 | Functional annotation and pathway analysis of the DEGs from CCLE-blood and lesional skin. The two transcriptional profiles reveal several enriched disease-related Gene Ontology (GO) biological processes. We break down the number of DEGs (up- and down-regulated) included in some of the shared disease related processes such as: apoptosis, oxidation: reduction, cytokine chemokine, leukocyte chemotaxis, TLR signaling, cell adhesion, dendritic cells, T cell, B cell, type I interferon, NK cells and lysosome/proteasome. The most prominent signatures for interferon and apoptosis in both profiles are marked with a star (*). Oxidation: Reduction Increased upregulation (71% of the 28 DEGs) in oxidative and nitrosative stress related processes in CCLE peripheral blood demonstrated in our dataset is similar to past observations in both SLE and CLE (68–71), underscoring the possibility of post- translational modification of auto-proteins/peptides, rendering them altered and able to provoke the autoimmune reaction. HLA Region Progression of lupus is facilitated by the local generation of adhesion molecules and expression of their ligands in inflammatory cells (78, 79). In the present study, we demonstrate nearly equal numbers of dysregulated genes linked to cell adhesion in both skin and blood, but observe 59% UP in lesional skin as compared to 76% DOWN in peripheral blood. CLE susceptibility (in patients positive for anti-Ro) is linked to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6, including genes for human leukocyte antigens (HLA), complement components, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (12, 21, 82–84). We found the top enriched KEGG pathway associated with the 87 DEGs overlapping between CCLE-skin and blood profiles to be antigen processing and presentation (Supplementary Table 8) skewed toward activation in both skin (92% UP) and blood (79% UP). Of the twelve DEGs mapping to chromosome 6, CSNK2B, and CDKN1A are reported as potential CLE-associated susceptibility locus (16) and associated with SLE (85), respectively (Supplementary Table 3). The precise influence of the HLA region on CCLE is not clear as of yet, but is of autoantibodies specific to previously sequestered or altered molecules. of autoantibodies specific to previously sequestered or altered molecules. Cytokines, Chemokine, and Leukocyte Chemotaxis UV radiation is known to induce the production of numerous pro-inflammatory cytokines in the skin and contributes to the marked photosensitivity observed in CCLE (56, 72). These cytokines can promote translocation of intracellular autoantigens to the surface of epidermal keratinocytes (13, 73). We find higher March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 5 Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha FIGURE 3 | Disease Road Map. Enriched disease-related pathways and processes found in skin and blood profiles underlie three distinct phases in the autoimmune response in CCLE: (i) initiation, (ii) amplification of the immune response, and (iii) target damage in the skin, that are not mutually exclusive. The shared disease-related processes over-represented in skin and blood are as follows: apoptosis, oxidation reduction, cell adhesion, cytokine chemokine activity, leukocyte chemotaxis, NK cell, TLR signaling, dendritic cells, T cell, B cell activation, Interferon signature, lysosome and proteasome, antigen processing and presentation, complement cascade among others (see also Figure 2). Potential molecular targets of some of the existing and emerging drugs R (n) have been identified in the schematic according to mechanism of action presently used for CLE/DLE treatment. Some experimental drugs have also been included (see inserted box). Drugs used in CLE/DLE treatment R(n) (teal hexagons): Topical agents: R1 = corticosteroids fluocinonide, R-salbutamol sulfate (anti-inflammatory, acting upon cytokines and leukocytes) Systemic agents: R1 = glucocorticoids, R2 = hydroxychloroquine (antimalarial) (acting upon MHC presentation and lysosome pH, anti-inflammatory), R3 = thalidomide, lenalidomide, CC 11050 (TNF-α inhibitors, apoptosis), R4 = methotrexate MTX (acts on T cell proliferation), R5 = pimecrolimus (calcineurin inhibitor, down-regulating T cell activity) TRX-1, AMG 557 (humanized mAbs act as T cell regulators), R6 = humanized mAbs AMG 811 (anti-IFNα) and sirukumab (acts on pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6). Ds, double stranded; UV, ultraviolet; PAMP, pathogen–associated molecular pattern; HMGB1, high mobility group protein B1; ICs, nucleic acid containing immune complexes; NMDAR, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor; C1q, complement component 1; q subcomponent; C2, complement component 2; C4, complement component 4; DC, dendritic cells; pDC, plasmacytoid DC; LC, Langerhans cells; T, T cells; B, B cells; Th, T helper cells; Th0, T helper cells 0; CTL, cytotoxic T lymphocytes; IgG, immunoglobulin G; NK, natural killer cells; IFN, interferon; TLR, toll-like receptor; PDE4, phosphodiesterase-4; TNF, tumor necrosis factor. FIGURE 3 | Disease Road Map. Cytokines, Chemokine, and Leukocyte Chemotaxis Enriched disease-related pathways and processes found in skin and blood profiles underlie three distinct phases in the autoimmune response in CCLE: (i) initiation, (ii) amplification of the immune response, and (iii) target damage in the skin, that are not mutually exclusive. The shared disease-related processes over-represented in skin and blood are as follows: apoptosis, oxidation reduction, cell adhesion, cytokine chemokine activity, leukocyte chemotaxis, NK cell, TLR signaling, dendritic cells, T cell, B cell activation, Interferon signature, lysosome and proteasome, antigen processing and presentation, complement cascade among others (see also Figure 2). Potential molecular targets of some of the existing and emerging drugs R (n) have been identified in the schematic according to mechanism of action presently used for CLE/DLE treatment. Some experimental drugs have also been included (see inserted box). Drugs used in CLE/DLE treatment R(n) (teal hexagons): Topical agents: R1 = corticosteroids fluocinonide, R-salbutamol sulfate (anti-inflammatory, acting upon cytokines and leukocytes) Systemic agents: R1 = glucocorticoids, R2 = hydroxychloroquine (antimalarial) (acting upon MHC presentation and lysosome pH, anti-inflammatory), R3 = thalidomide, lenalidomide, CC 11050 (TNF-α inhibitors, apoptosis), R4 = methotrexate MTX (acts on T cell proliferation), R5 = pimecrolimus (calcineurin inhibitor, down-regulating T cell activity) TRX-1, AMG 557 (humanized mAbs act as T cell regulators), R6 = humanized mAbs AMG 811 (anti-IFNα) and sirukumab (acts on pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6). Ds, double stranded; UV, ultraviolet; PAMP, pathogen–associated molecular pattern; HMGB1, high mobility group protein B1; ICs, nucleic acid containing immune complexes; NMDAR, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor; C1q, complement component 1; q subcomponent; C2, complement component 2; C4, complement component 4; DC, dendritic cells; pDC, plasmacytoid DC; LC, Langerhans cells; T, T cells; B, B cells; Th, T helper cells; Th0, T helper cells 0; CTL, cytotoxic T lymphocytes; IgG, immunoglobulin G; NK, natural killer cells; IFN, interferon; TLR, toll-like receptor; PDE4, phosphodiesterase-4; TNF, tumor necrosis factor. DEGs (63% DOWN) in the peripheral blood, underscoring clear patho-mechanistic differences in the two environments. Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org Dendritic Cells (DC) Thirteen “hot spots” associated with CCLE lesional skin signature (blue boxes) from our previous study, have been overlaid on the blood chromosomal map revealing seven regions of overlap (bold). (B) Twelve genes in the overlapping “hot spots” (including CCR2) were shared between the skin and blood profiles. The seven overlapping “hot spots” also include 14 DEGs from skin (blue), blood (red) and both milieus (purple), which have been previously reported as potential disease loci in SLE. TNF is a skin-DEG that is previously described as a putative disease locus for both SLE as well as CLE. CSNK2B is a blood-DEG that has been described as a disease locus in CLE. likely related to its well-defined role in antigen presentation and activation/selection of T cells in the pathogenesis of LE (86–91). amplification of the immune response in CCLE. A prominent IFN-α signature in dermal lesions of SLE patients, suggests that the skin acts as a reservoir for IFN producing cells with the ability to promote autoimmunity (96–98). This appears to be a central theme in cutaneous lupus as well (99). In this analysis, we demonstrate a stronger IFN signature in CCLE skin (that is predominantly upregulated) as compared to peripheral blood. This may indicate a potential shift in the engagement of this key cytokine pathway as a pathogenic mediator from the blood to the skin in CCLE patients. Supplementary Figure 1 demonstrates one such over-represented and activated canonical pathway linked to IFN signaling, with more upregulated genes in the skin than from blood. A more comprehensive picture of the role of various IFN family members in disease pathogenesis will emerge as detailed demographics such as disease onset, age, organs involved, and therapy are taken into consideration. Target Damage The pathology in CLE is one of inflammatory lichenoid reaction in which basal keratinocytes that express surface self-antigens are the chief center of damage (100). Global gene expression data revealing dysregulated apoptosis, inflammation, complement system as well as lysosome and proteasome associated breakdown processes in skin and blood from CCLE patients serves to support the model for the creation, accumulation and presentation of Dendritic Cells (DC) Antigen presentation by immature DCs may lead to T cell anergy due to lack of co-stimulation, a mechanism by which certain (self) antigens may evade immune responsiveness (80, 81). We observe much higher numbers of activated genes associated with skin-dendritic cells (94% UP of 63 DEGs), as compared to only 8 March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 6 Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha FIGURE 4 | Chromosomal locations of transcriptional “hot spots” found in CCLE-associated blood and lesional skin signatures. (A) CCLE blood gene expression data is leveraged to identify transcriptional “hot-spots” in chromosomes where DEGs map with statistically increased frequency. Each horizontal line corresponds to one chromosome. Chromosomal locations of CCLE blood molecular signature are colored in bold black vertical bars vs. the non-differentially expressed genes which are gray. The vertical bars above and below the horizontal lines represent genes either on the forward or reverse strand. Sixteen significant stretches at p-value ≤0.001 are considered to be transcriptionally active “hot spots” using the CCLE blood profile (red boxes). Thirteen “hot spots” associated with CCLE lesional skin signature (blue boxes) from our previous study, have been overlaid on the blood chromosomal map revealing seven regions of overlap (bold). (B) Twelve genes in the overlapping “hot spots” (including CCR2) were shared between the skin and blood profiles. The seven overlapping “hot spots” also include 14 DEGs from skin (blue), blood (red) and both milieus (purple), which have been previously reported as potential disease loci in SLE. TNF is a skin-DEG that is previously described as a putative disease locus for both SLE as well as CLE. CSNK2B is a blood-DEG that has been described as a disease locus in CLE. FIGURE 4 | Chromosomal locations of transcriptional “hot spots” found in CCLE-associated blood and lesional skin signatures. (A) CCLE blood gene expression data is leveraged to identify transcriptional “hot-spots” in chromosomes where DEGs map with statistically increased frequency. Each horizontal line corresponds to one chromosome. Chromosomal locations of CCLE blood molecular signature are colored in bold black vertical bars vs. the non-differentially expressed genes which are gray. The vertical bars above and below the horizontal lines represent genes either on the forward or reverse strand. Sixteen significant stretches at p-value ≤0.001 are considered to be transcriptionally active “hot spots” using the CCLE blood profile (red boxes). T Cell Response Our analysis uncovered 60 DEGs (95% UP) in skin and 18 (56% UP) in blood (Figure 2) that are involved in T cell related processes such as -activation, -differentiation, -selection, -proliferation, -receptor signaling and -thymic selection, thus implicating a similarly activated T cell mediated autoimmune reaction in CCLE as well. B Cells Although B cell hyperactivity and the production of autoantibodies in LE appears to be T cell driven (92, 93), breaking of B cell tolerance without the support of T cells has been reported as well (94). Given that 55–75 % of B cell receptors on human immature B cells are self-reactive, maintenance of B cell tolerance is vital for thwarting the production of autoantibodies with potential disease causing specificities (95). We observed 32 DEGs (100% UP) in lesional skin and 13 (62% UP) in blood associated with B cell antigen receptor engagement. Interferon Cytokines play a crucial role in modulating the immune response to foreign and self-antigens, both in the initiation and March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 7 Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha FIGURE 5 | Interactive receptor proteins CCR2, ERBB3 and FGFR2. (A) We focused on three receptor proteins (CCR2, ERBB3, and FGFR2) that were considered “over-connected” when the number of observed interactions (actual) was greater than the number of expected interactions accompanied by (significant) low p-values (*) and high z-scores (B) Algorithms in MetaCore are used to generate networks using the expand by single interaction in both upstream and downstream directions. Interactions within the network reveal all 3 receptors as central hubs connected to each other as well as with a large number of curated interactions with both positive (green) and negative effect (red) to and from (arrow direction) several objects in the CCLE-skin profile as well the larger human proteome database. The individual CCLE-DEGs and proteins in the metabase are representated as nodes of different shapes (see legend) with connections/interactions to one another. Drug target analysis revealed 4 drugs (teal box) that target one of the receptor proteins CCR2, (yellow). All 4 drugs are currently being used in the clinic to treat other closely related diseases (see Supplementary Table 7). Explanation of columns: Actual, number of network objects in the activated signatures which interact with the chosen object; n, number of network objects in experimental datasets; R, number of network objects in the activated background list which interact with the chosen object; N, total number of protein-based objects in the activated background list; Expected, mean of hypergeometric distribution; Ratio, connectivity ratio (Actual/Expected); z-score, (Actual-Expected)/(standard deviation); p-value: probability to have the value of Actual by chance under null hypothesis of no over-connectivity. Star (*) denotes significant p-values. FIGURE 5 | Interactive receptor proteins CCR2, ERBB3 and FGFR2. (A) We focused on three receptor proteins (CCR2, ERBB3, and FGFR2) that were considered “over-connected” when the number of observed interactions (actual) was greater than the number of expected interactions accompanied by (significant) low p-values (*) and high z-scores (B) Algorithms in MetaCore are used to generate networks using the expand by single interaction in both upstream and downstream directions. Interferon Interactions within the network reveal all 3 receptors as central hubs connected to each other as well as with a large number of curated interactions with both positive (green) and negative effect (red) to and from (arrow direction) several objects in the CCLE-skin profile as well the larger human proteome database. The individual CCLE-DEGs and proteins in the metabase are representated as nodes of different shapes (see legend) with connections/interactions to one another. Drug target analysis revealed 4 drugs (teal box) that target one of the receptor proteins CCR2, (yellow). All 4 drugs are currently being used in the clinic to treat other closely related diseases (see Supplementary Table 7). Explanation of columns: Actual, number of network objects in the activated signatures which interact with the chosen object; n, number of network objects in experimental datasets; R, number of network objects in the activated background list which interact with the chosen object; N, total number of protein-based objects in the activated background list; Expected, mean of hypergeometric distribution; Ratio, connectivity ratio (Actual/Expected); z-score, (Actual-Expected)/(standard deviation); p-value: probability to have the value of Actual by chance under null hypothesis of no over-connectivity. Star (*) denotes significant p-values. autoantigens to the immune system to be at the heart of the disease (101–103). Dysregulated apoptosis and clearance processes might be significant for both initiating the autoimmune response as well as for the ultimate damage to the skin, demonstrating how various phases of the disease might be mutually non-exclusive. related) and intrinsic pathway (stress related) in blood and skin. An understanding of the molecular events that regulate cell death at both the skin and systemic level is essential for clarification of pathogenesis in the disease. In addition to UV induction of apoptosis, cellular cytotoxic mechanisms involving CTLs, and natural killer (NK) cells have also been implicated in CLE (4, 104–107). Our analysis finds several more NK cell associated genes (65 DEGs, mostly UP) in the CCLE lesional skin than in the blood profile (14 DEGs, mostly UP), with 7 DEGs shared between the two environments. Inflammatory response also included more activated genes in the skin (90% of 144 DEGs UP) than in the blood (78% of 14 DEGs UP). Apoptosis/NK Cells and Inflammation The role of defects in the apoptotic pathway has been discussed previously in the context of disease initiation, but may be relevant for ultimate target damage as well. Multiple apoptotic pathways are involved in both CCLE skin and blood. We observed upregulated markers from both the extrinsic (death receptor March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 8 Dey-Rao and Sinha Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus FIGURE 6 | Quantifying gene expression by RT-qPCR. Gene expression for the eight DEGs: CCR2, IFI30, OAS1, OAS2, STAT1, TNFAIP3, ERBB3, and FGFR2, within both the CCLE skin and blood signatures were quantified using RT-qPCR. Data is normalized to the housekeeping gene β-actin (ACTB). Fold change in gene expression in peripheral blood (presented as bar graphs with S.E.M) is calculated using the 2−11Ct method and represent duplicate runs of 5 biological replicates each of CCLE (DLE)-patients and healthy control individuals. Fold change in expression (between case and controls) of CCR2 and STAT1 trended toward significant (*p-value = 0.055 and 0.053, respectively). CCLE, chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus/discoid lupus erythematosus; S.E.M., standard error of the mean. FIGURE 6 | Quantifying gene expression by RT-qPCR. Gene expression for the eight DEGs: CCR2, IFI30, OAS1, OAS2, STAT1, TNFAIP3, ERBB3, and FGFR2, within both the CCLE skin and blood signatures were quantified using RT-qPCR. Data is normalized to the housekeeping gene β-actin (ACTB). Fold change in gene expression in peripheral blood (presented as bar graphs with S.E.M) is calculated using the 2−11Ct method and represent duplicate runs of 5 biological replicates each of CCLE (DLE)-patients and healthy control individuals. Fold change in expression (between case and controls) of CCR2 and STAT1 trended toward significant (*p-value = 0.055 and 0.053, respectively). CCLE, chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus/discoid lupus erythematosus; S.E.M., standard error of the mean. Complement could lead back to amplification of the immune response and serve as a feedback mechanism in the disease. The complement cascade is known to be involved in opsonization of apoptotic cells for efficient clearance by phagocytosis, in the absence of which apoptotic cells may remain longer in the system to stimulate autoantibody production (108). This aberration in the clearing mechanism could be associated with both initiation as well as the target damage stage of the autoimmune reaction. In the present study, we observe many more dysregulated genes related to the complement cascade in lesional skin (such as C2, C1R, C1QB, C3AR1, C4A /// C4B, CD59, CFB, CFD, ERCC6 /// PGBD3, and ITGB2 among others; 89% UP) than in blood (C4BPB, CFHR3, FANCC PLAU, IGHG1. and ITGB2; 83% DOWN). Another effect of complement activation can be apoptosis through cellular events (109), and could be yet another explanation of the increased apoptosis observed in lesional skin over blood (described earlier). Overall, our investigations offer a global comprehensive viewpoint of CCLE-associated transcriptional changes that may be particularly relevant for understanding disease mechanisms and identification of biomarkers relevant to disease progression. Genetics We have reported a significant, but not complete overlap between our CCLE expression data and previously reported SLE transcriptional data, indicating that while these two conditions are related, they are also clearly distinct (110). Five of the twelve shared DEGs (described above) in the overlapping CCLE skin and blood “hot spot” regions (AIM2, CD48, CCR2, FEN1, and LGALS2) also overlap with previously reported SLE associated genes expression or GWAS studies. The remaining seven common DEGs in the two profiles (ANP32E, EFNA1, CAP2, PSMB8, ECH1, TST, and APOBEC3G) that do not overlap with SLE may thus represent CCLE specific genes. CSNK2B (casein kinase 2, beta polypeptide), in the CCLE-blood “hot spot” within the MHC region of chromosome 6, and APOC1, mapping to the “hot spot” on chromosome 19 in CCLE-skin have also previously been reported as potential gene markers of CLE (16, 111). Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org Therapeutic Considerations—Current and Future Currently, no consensus or evidence based therapeutic regimen exists for CCLE. Moreover, very few well-controlled trials have systematically evaluated commonly used treatments for CLE (114–118). Disease management in CCLE begins with precise diagnosis and a treatment plan that can only be decided upon after comprehensive evaluation and recording of patient clinical and laboratory data. This includes immunological, clinical presentation, race, sex, age of onset, disease flares history, family history, past therapy failures, and histopathology of a skin biopsy among others. Topical and systemic glucocorticoids, antimalarials, methotrexate and thalidomide are the standard of care in SLE, and are used in cutaneous disease as well. All treatments must be accompanied by intermittent re-evaluation of the patients to screen disease prognosis. The overall choices in therapy are discussed very briefly. Tacrolimus (calcineurin inhibitor), may be a good substitute for those patients who respond poorly to topical corticosteroids (119). Antimalarial drugs (oral) such as chloroquine and quinacrine are also considered the first line of systemic CLE therapy (120–122). In refractory CLE that does not respond well to antimalarial therapy, the addition of medications that generally suppress the immune system is required. These include: methotrexate (123), mycophenolate mofetil (124), oral retinoids such as acitretin (125, 126), dapsone (127), as well as intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) (128, 129), Thalidomide and its structural analogs have also been used to treat recalcitrant CLE, with success in some cases (130). Trials assessing monoclonal antibodies such as sifalimumab and belimumab in CLE are on-going but mostly found to be effective in SLE with mucocutaneous involvement (131, 132). We have mapped many of the drugs that are currently in clinical use for CCLE to their targets of influence in the “disease road map” based on mechanism of action (please refer to Figure 3). GO enrichment analyses of our transcriptional profiles reveal enhanced and activated leukocyte chemotaxis and B cell activation in skin more so than blood. This might explain the observed efficacy of the preventive topical corticosteroids (CS) treatments (114), since they bind to specific cytoplasmic receptors resulting in the inhibition of leukocyte infiltration at the site of inflammation. CS are equally effective in both humoral- and T cell mediated diseases (133). peripheral blood measured by RT-qPCR. Intron-spanning primers were chosen for CCR2, IFI30, OAS1, OAS2, STAT1, TNFAIP3, ERBB3, and FGFR2, which are dysregulated genes within the CCLE skin and is normalized to the housekeeping gene β-actin (ACTB). Fold changes in expression (with S.E.M) are calculated using the 2−∆∆Ct method relative to one sample of the control taken as unity and represent eplicates each of CCLE (DLE)-patients and healthy controls. Fold change in expression (between case and control blood samples) of CCR2 and STAT1 trended toward significance with p-values = 0.055 ed). Gene expression values from the microarray data are included as fold change in gene expression in skin and blood associated with p ≤0.05. CCLE, chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus/Discoid standard error of the mean (see also Figure 6) CCLE, chronic cutaneous lupus erythematos lupus erythematosus; S.E.M., standard error of the mean (see also Figure 6). Lysosome/Proteasome Ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal proteolysis constitutes the intracellular protein-degradation apparatus involved in several cellular functions such as cell cycle, cell differentiation, immune and inflammatory response, stress signaling and apoptosis among others. Upregulated genes (CTSB, CTSC, CTSH, CTSZ, and CTSL) from the cathepsin related protease family, as well as 15 other members of the proteasome family (all involved in proteolysis), were skewed toward the blood than in skin. The evidence supporting enhanced activation of proteolytic markers in peripheral blood over skin of CCLE patients indicates effective processing of peptides in the systemic milieu to enable MHC I and II mediated autoantigen presentation in the disease, which Although the pathogenetic relationship between DLE and SLE is still unclear, our comparative CCLE skin and blood analyses supports the existence of both overlapping as well as distinct genetic susceptibilities and mechanisms relevant to the development of systemic as well as cutaneous LE as discussed previously (4, 21, 22, 110, 112, 113). Furthermore, the DEGs mapping to the “hot spots” which do not overlap with SLE and/or March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 9 Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha are previously identified as CLE susceptibility loci potentially represent specific association to the cutaneous disease. peripheral blood measured by RT-qPCR. Intron-spanning primers were chosen for CCR2, IFI30, OAS1, OAS2, STAT1, TNFAIP3, ERBB3, and FGFR2, which are dysregulated genes within the CCLE skin and is normalized to the housekeeping gene β-actin (ACTB). Fold changes in expression (with S.E.M) are calculated using the 2−∆∆Ct method relative to one sample of the control taken as unity and represent eplicates each of CCLE (DLE)-patients and healthy controls. Fold change in expression (between case and control blood samples) of CCR2 and STAT1 trended toward significance with p-values = 0.055 ed). Gene expression values from the microarray data are included as fold change in gene expression in skin and blood associated with p ≤0.05. CCLE, chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus/Discoid standard error of the mean (see also Figure 6) # Gene symbol Forward primer sequence Reverse primer sequence Prod size Microarray (fold change) qPCR (fold change) (Blood) Skin p-value Blood p-value Control ±S.E.M CCLE/DLE ±S.E.M 1 CCR2* GAGGCATAGGGCAGTGAGAG GCAATCCTACAGCCAAGAGC 269 1.8 0.031 1.6 0.006 2.64 0.49 5.98 2.19 2 IFI30 TGACCATTGTCTGCATGGAA TCCATGATAGTGTCTGGCGA 100 3.9 0.0006 2 0.027 1.72 0.21 3.02 0.46 3 OAS1 CAACTCTGCATCTACTGGACAAAG AAGTTTCCTGTAGGGTCCGC 125 2.6 0.0001 6 0.001 2.3 0.47 15.42 6.44 4 OAS2 TTGACAACCGTCCTGGAAAA GTAAGCAGCTCCAGGGCATA 121 2.6 0.007 1.9 0.007 1.71 0.17 8.84 3.52 5 STAT1* TCAGAAGTGCTGAGTTGGCA GTCCACGGAATGAGACCATC 125 4.2 0.002 2.2 0.043 4.05 0.78 9.94 2.34 6 TNFAIP3 TCAACTGGTGTCGAGAAGTCC ACGCCCCACATGTACTGAGA 97 2.1 0.003 1.5 0.048 1.81 0.41 6 3.06 7 ERBB3 GAACATTCGCCCAACCTTTA ACGTGGCCGATTAAGTGTTC 279 −2.3 0.003 −1.2 0.041 0.29 0.22 0.22 0.07 8 FGFR2 CAGAATGGATAAGCCAGCCA GCTTGAACGTTGGTCTCTGG 95 −2 0.016 −1.3 0.049 0.12 0.12 0.1 0.03 Differential gene expression in peripheral blood measured by RT-qPCR. Intron-spanning primers were chosen for CCR2, IFI30, OAS1, OAS2, STAT1, TNFAIP3, ERBB3, and FGFR2, which are dysregulated genes within the CCLE skin and blood signatures. Q-PCR data is normalized to the housekeeping gene β-actin (ACTB). Fold changes in expression (with S.E.M) are calculated using the 2−∆∆Ct method relative to one sample of the control taken as unity and represent duplicate runs of 5 biological replicates each of CCLE (DLE)-patients and healthy controls. Fold change in expression (between case and control blood samples) of CCR2 and STAT1 trended toward significance with p-values = 0.055 and 0.053, respectively (*starred). Gene expression values from the microarray data are included as fold change in gene expression in skin and blood associated with p ≤0.05. CCLE, chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus/Discoid Differential gene expression in peripheral blood measured by RT-qPCR. Intron-spanning primers were chosen for CCR2, IFI30, OAS1, OAS2, STAT1, TNFAIP3, ERBB3, and FGFR2, which are dysregulated genes within the CC blood signatures. Q-PCR data is normalized to the housekeeping gene β-actin (ACTB). Fold changes in expression (with S.E.M) are calculated using the 2−∆∆Ct method relative to one sample of the control taken as unity an duplicate runs of 5 biological replicates each of CCLE (DLE)-patients and healthy controls. Fold change in expression (between case and control blood samples) of CCR2 and STAT1 trended toward significance with p-valu and 0.053, respectively (*starred). Gene expression values from the microarray data are included as fold change in gene expression in skin and blood associated with p ≤0.05. Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org Therapeutic Considerations—Current and Future Over-represented disease-related processes such as lysosome/proteasome degradation in blood, as well as NK cells, and antigen processing and presentation in both skin and blood are expected to be the target of antimalarials (hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine), that are known to alter pH in lysosomes (134), modify TLR activation (135) and inhibit antigen presentation. We observe activated T cell related processes in CLE skin and blood analyses which are the predicted targets for several immunosuppressant medications March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 10 Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha with “interactome-” “network-” “drug target-” analyses. The data is integrated and synthesized within the milieu of current literature on SLE/CCLE. We hypothesize a “disease road-map” demonstrating a coordinated orchestration of the autoimmune response in CCLE reflected in three phases: (1) initiation, (2) amplification, and (3) target damage in skin. In -silico interactome analyses was conducted to identify potential key functional players associated with the skin disease. Our careful and systematic downstream analyses of the CCLE skin and blood transcriptional data not only allowed us to uncover potential crucial contributors to the metabolic changes linked to the skin disease, but to select the best potential target candidate for future therapy. such as methotrexate, a T cell proliferation inhibitor used in the treatment of recalcitrant CLE (123). Thalidomide and analog lenalidomide effectively target TNF-α in UV-induced apoptosis, thus decreasing inflammation. Prominent apoptotic signatures in both skin and blood presumably indicate effective use of these drugs, but they are not the drug of choice in cutaneous lupus due to potential serious side effects. Experimental therapeutic agents include azathropine, (anti- purine metabolite); apremilast, (phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor); R333 (topical JAK/spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor acting as an anti-inflammatory molecule), and etanercept (TNF-α inhibitor). Many of these agents are linked to clinical trials (Supplementary Table 7). Clearly, healthcare is moving toward tailoring medicines/therapy targeting specific molecules in individual patients whose expression profiles are known. Our genome-wide transcriptome study is a representation of gene regulation in a highly balanced system of networks and pathways underlying CCLE. Disruption of any of the pathways by primary or secondary drug targeting offers unique treatment opportunities (136). Overall, our new in silico analyses identified a novel target, CCR2 which is a key link to prominent disease related pathways and processes that merits further investigation for potential use in future therapy of CLE. Therapeutic Considerations—Current and Future Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor2 (CCR2) is the only molecule within the scope of our bioinformatics-guided analyses that fits all criteria we used to prioritize it as a potential drug target: (a) included as CCLE-DEG (blood and skin) by microarray analysis. The observed upregulation in case vs. control (blood) and lesional vs. non-lesional (skin) were accompanied by low e-values of ≤0.05, (b) overexpressed in disease vs. control peripheral blood by RT-qPCR analysis, in a separate set of samples as those used in the microarray analysis, (c) enriched in lupus-related pathways and processes by ontology enrichment analyses, (d) “over-connected” functional molecule by interactome analysis, (e) a reaction hub by network analysis, (f) mapped to chromosome 3 in an overlapping skin/blood transcriptional “hot spot” by chromosome mapping analysis, and (g) targeted by drugs that are currently being used to treat other diseases such as inflammatory and immune diseases by drug target analysis. py Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor2 (CCR2) encodes two isoforms of a receptor for monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), which specifically mediates monocyte chemotaxis in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. CCR2 maps to the overlapping CCLE skin (FC = 1.8) and blood (FC = 1.6) “hot spot” on chromosome 3. Additionally, previous reports have found a positive correlation with increased gene expression in SLE (137, 138). This makes CCR2 (implicated in the damaging inflammation underlying autoimmune and inflammatory diseases) a good potential therapeutic target candidate in cutaneous lupus as well. We discovered three xenobiotics: CCX915, CCX140 (clinical trials- phase I and II), and TAK779 (preclinical) that have been used to target the extracellular region of CCR2. CCX915 is a highly selective inhibitor of the CCR2 chemokine receptor in multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Preclinical data show that CCX140 selectively inhibits CCR2-mediated migration of monocytes and does not inhibit migration mediated by other chemokine receptors, even when the compound is given at high doses. This high degree of target specificity is an important safety feature that may allow CCX140 to be effective while avoiding unwanted side effects. We also discovered one highly specific humanized monoclonal antibody MLN1202 (clinical trial-Phase II) that interrupts MCP-1 binding to CCR2. These drugs (CCX915, CCX140-B, TAK779, and MLN 1202) have been used in the past in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis (139) and cardiovascular diseases with a modicum of success (140, 141) (Supplementary Table 7). DATA AVAILABILITY The raw data associated with this study can be accessed associated with our two previous “Data in Brief” publications which are from skin (doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2015.02.024; PMID: 26217761) and blood (doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2014.11.006; PMID: 26217703). Therapeutic Considerations—Current and Future In summary, the present study, based on genome-wide gene expression aims to integrate clinical, genetic and bioinformatics data to bridge the gap between the laboratory and clinical management of patients. Information and evidence garnered from this report potentially impacts future clinical decision- making through the definition of actionable diagnostic and prognostic markers of the disease and the illumination of disease related pathways relevant to therapeutic response. Finally, we present the exciting possibility of designing potential new clinical trials (with a shorter cycle time due to pre-resolved regulatory issues) in the treatment of CCLE using repurposed drugs that target the CCLE related receptor, CCR2. Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES 14. Fowler JF, Callen JP, Stelzer GT, Cotter PK. Human histocompatibility antigen associations in patients with chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus. J Am Acad Dermatol. (1985) 12(1 Pt 1):73–7. doi: 10.1016/S0190-9622(85)70012-6 1. Dey-Rao R, Seiffert-Sinha K, Sinha AA. Genome-wide expression analysis suggests unique disease-promoting and disease-preventing signatures in Pemphigus vulgaris. Genes Immunity. (2013) 14:487–99. doi: 10.1038/gene.2013.44 1. Dey-Rao R, Seiffert-Sinha K, Sinha AA. Genome-wide expression analysis suggests unique disease-promoting and disease-preventing signatures in Pemphigus vulgaris. Genes Immunity. (2013) 14:487–99. doi: 10.1038/gene.2013.44 15. Knop J, Bonsmann G, Kind P, Doxiadis I, Vogeler U, Doxiadis G, et al. Antigens of the major histocompatibility complex in patients with chronic discoid lupus erythematosus. Br J Dermatol. (1990) 122:723–8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1990.tb06258.x 2. McCarty DJ, Manzi S, Medsger TA, Jr, Ramsey-Goldman R, LaPorte RE, Kwoh CK. Incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus. Race and gender differences. Arthritis Rheum. (1995) 38:1260–70. doi: 10.1002/art.1780380914 16. Kunz M, Konig IR, Schillert A, Kruppa J, Ziegler A, Grallert H, et al. Genome- wide association study identifies new susceptibility loci for cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Exp Dermatol. (2015) 24:510–5. doi: 10.1111/exd.12708 3. Young NA, Wu LC, Burd CJ, Friedman AK, Kaffenberger BH, Rajaram MV, et al. Estrogen modulation of endosome-associated toll-like receptor 8: an IFNalpha-independent mechanism of sex-bias in systemic lupus erythematosus. Clin Immunol. (2014) 151:66–77. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2014.01.006 17. Millard TP, Ashton GH, Kondeatis E, Vaughan RW, Hughes GR, Khamashta MA, et al. Human Ro60 (SSA2) genomic organization and sequence alterations, examined in cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Br J Dermatol. (2002) 146:210–5. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2133.2002.04618.x 4. Werth VP. Cutaneous lupus: insights into pathogenesis and disease classification. Bull NYU Hosp Joint Dis. (2007) 65:200–4. 4. Werth VP. Cutaneous lupus: insights into pathogenesis and disease classification. Bull NYU Hosp Joint Dis. (2007) 65:200–4. 18. Meyer O, Hauptmann G, Tappeiner G, Ochs HD, Mascart-Lemone F. Genetic deficiency of C4, C2 or C1q and lupus syndromes. Association with anti-Ro (SS-A) antibodies. Clin Exp Immunol. (1985) 62:678–84. 5. Zahn S, Graef M, Patsinakidis N, Landmann A, Surber C, Wenzel J, et al. Ultraviolet light protection by a sunscreen prevents interferon-driven skin inflammation in cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Exp Dermatol. (2014) 23:516–8. doi: 10.1111/exd.12428 19. Osmola A, Namysl J, Jagodzinski PP, Prokop J. Genetic background of cutaneous forms of lupus erythematosus: update on current evidence. J Appl Genet. (2004) 45:77–86. 6. Gallego H, Crutchfield CE, 3rd, Lewis EJ, Gallego HJ. Report of an association between discoid lupus erythematosus and smoking. Cutis. (1999) 63:231–4. SUMMARY We have followed ethical conduct of research according to the Weill Cornell Medical College Institutional Review Board: WCM IRB# 0998-398. Signed consent forms were obtained from all Overall, the present study represents the first comparative analyses of CCLE skin and blood transcriptional profile along March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 11 Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha Weill-Cornell Medical College; and the Colgate-Palmolive, Co. to AS. patient and healthy control individuals before obtaining punch biopsies or performing blood draws. FUNDING The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu. 2019.00640/full#supplementary-material This work was supported in part by grants from the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Research; Colleck Research Fund, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS RD-R contributed to experimentation, data analyses, research, conceptualizing, and writing of the manuscript and editing. AS contributed to design and procurement of samples for microarray and editing of manuscript. We thank Birendra Kumar Sinha, Asha Sinha, and Mita Sinha for continuous guidance and support. REFERENCES 20. Ziemer M, Milkova L, Kunz M. Lupus erythematosus. Part II: clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment. J Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = J German Soc Dermatol. (2014) 12:285–301; quiz 2. doi: 10.1111/ddg.12254 7. Walling HW, Sontheimer RD. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus: issues in diagnosis and treatment. Am J Clin Dermatol. (2009) 10:365–81. doi: 10.2165/11310780-000000000-00000 21. Dey-Rao R, Smith JR, Chow S, Sinha AA. Differential gene expression analysis in CCLE lesions provides new insights regarding the genetics basis of skin vs. systemic disease. Genomics. (2014) 104:144–55. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2014.06.003 8. Kuhn A, Sontheimer RD. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus: molecular and cellular basis of clinical findings. Curr Direct Autoimmunity. (2008) 10:119– 40. doi: 10.1159/000131451 22. Dey-Rao R, Sinha AA. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE) peripheral blood identifies systemic alterations relevant to the skin manifestation. Genomics. (2015) 105:90–100. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2014.11.004 9. Szczech J, Samotij D, Werth VP, Reich A. Trigger factors of cutaneous lupus erythematosus: a review of current literature. Lupus. (2017) 26:791–807. doi: 10.1177/0961203317691369 10. Suarez A, Lopez P, Mozo L, Gutierrez C. Differential effect of IL10 and TNF{alpha} genotypes on determining susceptibility to discoid and systemic lupus erythematosus. Ann Rheum Dis. (2005) 64:1605–10. doi: 10.1136/ard.2004.035048 23. Dey-Rao R, Sinha AA. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling data from skin of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE) patients. Data Brief. (2015) 4:47–9. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2015.02.024 24. Dey-Rao R, Sinha AA. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling data from chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE) peripheral blood. Data Brief. (2015) 2:39–41. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2014.11.006 11. Lopez-Tello A, Rodriguez-Carreon AA, Jurado F, Yamamoto-Furusho JK, Castillo-Vazquez M, Chavez-Munoz C, et al. Association of HLA-DRB1∗16 with chronic discoid lupus erythematosus in Mexican mestizo patients. Clin Exp Dermatol. (2007) 32:435–8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2007.02391.x 25. Coda AB, Icen M, Smith JR, Sinha AA. Global transcriptional analysis of psoriatic skin and blood confirms known disease-associated pathways and highlights novel genomic “hot spots” for differentially expressed genes. Genomics. (2012) 100:18–26. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2012. 05.004 12. Millard TP, McGregor JM. Molecular genetics of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Clin Exp Dermatol. (2001) 26:184–91. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2230.2001.00793.x 13. Lee HJ, Sinha AA. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus: understanding of clinical features, genetic basis, and pathobiology of disease guides therapeutic strategies. Autoimmunity. (2006) 39:433–44. doi: 10.1080/08916930600886851 26. Coda AB, Qafalijaj Hysa V, Seiffert-Sinha K, Sinha AA. Peripheral blood gene expression in alopecia areata reveals molecular pathways distinguishing heritability, disease and severity. Genes Immun. (2010) 11:531–41. doi: 10.1038/gene.2010.32 26. Coda AB, Qafalijaj Hysa V, Seiffert-Sinha K, Sinha AA. REFERENCES Peripheral blood gene expression in alopecia areata reveals molecular pathways distinguishing heritability, disease and severity. Genes Immun. (2010) 11:531–41. doi: 10.1038/gene.2010.32 March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 12 Dey-Rao and Sinha Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus 27. Bickel DR. Degrees of differential gene expression: detecting biologically significant expression differences and estimating their magnitudes. Bioinformatics. (2004) 20:682–8. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btg468 46. Luo H, Zhao X, Wan X, Huang S, Wu D. Gene microarray analysis of the lncRNA expression profile in human urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. Int J Clin Exp Med. (2014) 7:1244–54. 28. Huang da W, Sherman BT, Lempicki RA. Systematic and integrative analysis of large gene lists using DAVID bioinformatics resources. Nat Protoc. (2009) 4:44–57. doi: 10.1038/nprot.2008.211 47. Dey-Rao R, Sinha AA. Vitiligo blood transcriptomics provides new insights into disease mechanisms and identifies potential novel therapeutic targets. BMC Genom. (2017) 18:109. doi: 10.1186/s12864-017-3510-3 29. Shmelkov E, Tang Z, Aifantis I, Statnikov A. Assessing quality and completeness of human transcriptional regulatory pathways on a genome- wide scale. Biol Direct. (2011) 6:15. doi: 10.1186/1745-6150-6-15 48. Dey-Rao R, Sinha AA. Interactome analysis of gene expression profile reveals potential novel key transcriptional regulators of skin pathology in vitiligo. Genes Immun. (2016) 17:30–45. doi: 10.1038/gene. 2015.48 30. Bessarabova M, Ishkin A, JeBailey L, Nikolskaya T, Nikolsky Y. Knowledge- based analysis of proteomics data. BMC Bioinform. (2012) 13(Suppl. 16):S13. doi: 10.1186/1471-2105-13-S16-S13 49. Dey-Rao R, Sinha AA. A genomic approach to susceptibility and pathogenesis leads to identifying potential novel therapeutic targets in androgenetic alopecia. Genomics. (2017) 109:165–76. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2017.02.005 31. Harley JB, Alarcon-Riquelme ME, Criswell LA, Jacob CO, Kimberly RP, Moser KL, et al. Genome-wide association scan in women with systemic lupus erythematosus identifies susceptibility variants in ITGAM, PXK, KIAA1542 and other loci. Nat Genet. (2008) 40:204–10. doi: 10.1038/ng.81 50. Reiner A, Yekutieli D, Benjamini Y. Identifying differentially expressed genes using false discovery rate controlling procedures. Bioinformatics. (2003) 19:368–75. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btf877 32. Clancy RM, Marion MC, Kaufman KM, Ramos PS, Adler A, Harley JB, et al. Identification of candidate loci at 6p21 and 21q22 in a genome- wide association study of cardiac manifestations of neonatal lupus. Arthritis Rheumat. (2010) 62:3415–24. doi: 10.1002/art.27658 51. Livak KJ, Schmittgen TD. Analysis of relative gene expression data using real- time quantitative PCR and the 2(-Delta Delta C(T)) Method. Methods. (2001) 25:402–8. doi: 10.1006/meth.2001.1262 52. Ito T, Chiba T, Yoshida M. REFERENCES Exploring the protein interactome using comprehensive two-hybrid projects. Trends Biotechnol. (2001) 19(10 Suppl.):S23–7. doi: 10.1016/S0167-7799(01)01790-5 33. Hom G, Graham RR, Modrek B, Taylor KE, Ortmann W, Garnier S, et al. Association of systemic lupus erythematosus with C8orf13- BLK and ITGAM-ITGAX. N Engl J Med. (2008) 358:900–9. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0707865 53. Ideker T, Ozier O, Schwikowski B, Siegel AF. Discovering regulatory and signalling circuits in molecular interaction networks. Bioinformatics. (2002) 18(Suppl. 1):S233–40. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/18.suppl_1.S233 34. Han JW, Zheng HF, Cui Y, Sun LD, Ye DQ, Hu Z, et al. Genome- wide association study in a Chinese Han population identifies nine new susceptibility loci for systemic lupus erythematosus. Nature genetics. (2009) 41:1234–7. doi: 10.1038/ng.472 54. Norris DA, Whang K, David-Bajar K, Bennion SD. The influence of ultraviolet light on immunological cytotoxicity in the skin. Photochem Photobiol. (1997) 65:636–46. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1997.tb01905.x 35. Yang W, Shen N, Ye DQ, Liu Q, Zhang Y, Qian XX, et al. Genome- wide association study in Asian populations identifies variants in ETS1 and WDFY4 associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. PLoS Genet. (2010) 6:e1000841. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000841 55. Petri M. Dermatologic lupus: hopkins lupus cohort. Semin Cutan Med Surg. (1998) 17:219–27. doi: 10.1016/S1085-5629(98)80017-5 56. Sontheimer RD. Photoimmunology of lupus erythematosus and dermatomyositis: a speculative review. Photochem Photobiol. (1996) 63:583–94. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1996.tb05660.x 36. Okada Y, Shimane K, Kochi Y, Tahira T, Suzuki A, Higasa K, et al. A genome-wide association study identified AFF1 as a susceptibility locus for systemic lupus eyrthematosus in Japanese. PLoS Genet. (2012) 8:e1002455. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002455 57. Kuhn A, Wenzel J, Weyd H. Photosensitivity, apoptosis, and cytokines in the pathogenesis of lupus erythematosus: a critical review. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. (2014) 47:148–62. doi: 10.1007/s12016-013-8403-x 37. Li R, Yang W, Zhang J, Hirankarn N, Pan HF, Mok CC, et al. Association of CD247 with systemic lupus erythematosus in Asian populations. Lupus. (2012) 21:75–83. doi: 10.1177/0961203311422724 58. Rekvig OP, Van der Vlag J. The pathogenesis and diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus: still not resolved. Semin Immunopathol. (2014) 36:301–11. doi: 10.1007/s00281-014-0428-6 38. Chung SA, Taylor KE, Graham RR, Nititham J, Lee AT, Ortmann WA, et al. Differential genetic associations for systemic lupus erythematosus based on anti-dsDNA autoantibody production. PLoS Genet. (2011) 7:e1001323. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1001323 59. Yu C, Chang C, Zhang J. Immunologic and genetic considerations of cutaneous lupus erythematosus: a comprehensive review. J Autoimmun. (2013) 41:34–45. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2013.01.007 60. Lin JH, Dutz JP, Sontheimer RD, Werth VP. Pathophysiology of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. REFERENCES Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. (2007) 33:85–106. doi: 10.1007/s12016-007-0031-x 39. Yang J, Yang W, Hirankarn N, Ye DQ, Zhang Y, Pan HF, et al. ELF1 is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in Asian populations. Hum Mol Genet. (2011) 20:601–7. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddq474 61. Baima B, Sticherling M. Apoptosis in different cutaneous manifestations of lupus erythematosus. Br J Dermatol. (2001) 144:958–66. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2133.2001.04182.x 40. Kariuki SN, Franek BS, Kumar AA, Arrington J, Mikolaitis RA, Utset TO, et al. Trait-stratified genome-wide association study identifies novel and diverse genetic associations with serologic and cytokine phenotypes in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Res Ther. (2010) 12:R151. doi: 10.1186/ar3101 62. Charles PJ. Defective waste disposal: does it induce autoantibodies in SLE? Ann Rheum Dis. (2003) 62:1–3. doi: 10.1136/ard.62.1.1-a 41. Graham RR, Cotsapas C, Davies L, Hackett R, Lessard CJ, Leon JM, et al. Genetic variants near TNFAIP3 on 6q23 are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. Nat Genet. (2008) 40:1059–61. doi: 10.1038/ng.200 63. Herrmann M, Voll RE, Zoller OM, Hagenhofer M, Ponner BB, Kalden JR. Impaired phagocytosis of apoptotic cell material by monocyte-derived macrophages from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheumat. (1998) 41:1241–50. doi: 10.1002/1529-0131(199807)41:7<1241::AID-ART15>3.0.CO;2-H 42. Kozyrev SV, Abelson AK, Wojcik J, Zaghlool A, Linga Reddy MV, Sanchez E, et al. Functional variants in the B-cell gene BANK1 are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. Nat Genet. (2008) 40:211–6. doi: 10.1038/ng.79 64. Baumann I, Kolowos W, Voll RE, Manger B, Gaipl U, Neuhuber WL, et al. Impaired uptake of apoptotic cells into tingible body macrophages in germinal centers of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheumat. (2002) 46:191–201. doi: 10.1002/1529-0131(200201)46:1<191::AID-ART10027>3.0.CO;2-K 43. Cervino AC, Tsinoremas NF, Hoffman RW. A genome-wide study of lupus: preliminary analysis and data release. Ann N Y Acad Sci. (2007) 1110:131–9. doi: 10.1196/annals.1423.015 65. Gaipl US, Munoz LE, Grossmayer G, Lauber K, Franz S, Sarter K, et al. Clearance deficiency and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). J Autoimmun. (2007) 28:114–21. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2007.02.005 44. Deng Y, Tsao BP. Genetic susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus in the genomic era. Nat Rev Rheumatol. (2010) 6:683–92. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2010.176 66. Kuhn A, Beissert S. Photosensitivity in lupus erythematosus. Autoimmunity. (2005) 38:519–29. doi: 10.1080/08916930500285626 45. Wu Z, Siadaty MS, Riddick G, Frierson HF, Jr., Lee JK, Golden W, et al. A novel method for gene expression mapping of metastatic competence in human bladder cancer. Neoplasia. (2006) 8:181–9. doi: 10.1593/neo. 05727 67. REFERENCES 3):iii14–6. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kel284 80. Steinman RM, Nussenzweig MC. Avoiding horror autotoxicus: the importance of dendritic cells in peripheral T cell tolerance. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. (2002) 99:351–8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.231606698 103. Cohen PL, Caricchio R, Abraham V, Camenisch TD, Jennette JC, Roubey RA, et al. Delayed apoptotic cell clearance and lupus-like autoimmunity in mice lacking the c-mer membrane tyrosine kinase. J Exp Med. (2002) 196:135–40. doi: 10.1084/jem.20012094 81. Dhodapkar MV, Steinman RM, Krasovsky J, Munz C, Bhardwaj N. Antigen-specific inhibition of effector T cell function in humans after injection of immature dendritic cells. J Exp Med. (2001) 193:233–8. doi: 10.1084/jem.193.2.233 104. Henkart PA. Lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity: two pathways and multiple effector molecules. Immunity. (1994) 1:343–6. doi: 10.1016/1074-7613(94)90063-9 82. McCauliffe DP. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Semin Cutan Med Surg. (2001) 20:14–26. doi: 10.1053/sder.2001.23091 105. Grassi M, Capello F, Bertolino L, Seia Z, Pippione M. Identification of granzyme B-expressing CD-8-positive T cells in lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate in cutaneous lupus erythematosus and in dermatomyositis. Clin Exp Dermatol. (2009) 34:910–4. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2009. 03297.x 83. Werth VP, Dutz JP, Sontheimer RD. Pathogenetic mechanisms and treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Curr Opin Rheumatol. (1997) 9:400–9. doi: 10.1097/00002281-199709000-00005 84. Jlajla H, Sellami MK, Sfar I, Laadhar L, Zerzeri Y, Abdelmoula MS, et al. New C1q mutation in a Tunisian family. Immunobiology. (2014) 219:241–6. doi: 10.1016/j.imbio.2013.10.010 106. Lieberman J. The ABCs of granule-mediated cytotoxicity: new weapons in the arsenal. Nat Rev Immunol. (2003) 3:361–70. doi: 10.1038/ nri1083 85. Kim K, Sung YK, Kang CP, Choi CB, Kang C, Bae SC. A regulatory SNP at position−899 in CDKN1A is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis. Genes Immunity. (2009) 10:482–6. doi: 10.1038/gene.2009.5 107. Fogagnolo L, Soares TC, Senna CG, Souza EM, Blotta MH, Cintra ML. Cytotoxic granules in distinct subsets of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Clin Exp Dermatol. (2014) 39:835–9. doi: 10.1111/ced.12428 86. Mihara M, Fukui H, Koishihara Y, Saito M, Ohsugi Y. Immunologic abnormality in NZB/W F1 mice. Thymus-independent expansion of B cells responding to interleukin-6. Clin Exp Immunol. (1990) 82:533–7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1990.tb05485.x 108. Fishelson Z, Attali G, Mevorach D. Complement and apoptosis. Mol Immunol. (2001) 38:207–19. doi: 10.1016/S0161-5890(01)00055-4 109. Uwai M, Terui Y, Mishima Y, Tomizuka H, Ikeda M, Itoh T, et al. A new apoptotic pathway for the complement factor B-derived fragment Bb. J Cell Physiol. (2000) 185:280–92. doi: 10.1002/1097-4652(200011)185:2<280::AID-JCP13>3.0.CO;2-L 87. Shoenfeld Y, Mozes E. Pathogenic anti-DNA idiotype (16/6 Id) in systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatol Int. (1991) 11:91–3. REFERENCES Predominant autoantibody production by early human B cell precursors. Science. (2003) 301:1374–7. doi: 10.1126/science.1086907 73. Dorner T, Hucko M, Mayet WJ, Trefzer U, Burmester GR, Hiepe F. Enhanced membrane expression of the 52 kDa Ro(SS-A) and La(SS-B) antigens by human keratinocytes induced by TNF alpha. Ann Rheum Dis. (1995) 54:904– 9. doi: 10.1136/ard.54.11.904 96. Blomberg S, Eloranta ML, Cederblad B, Nordlin K, Alm GV, Ronnblom L. Presence of cutaneous interferon-alpha producing cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus. (2001) 10:484–90. doi: 10.1191/096120301678416042 74. Schroder JM. Cytokine networks in the skin. J Invest Dermatol. (1995) 105(1 Suppl.):20S−4S. doi: 10.1038/jid.1995.5 75. Elloumi N, Fakhfakh R, Ayadi L, Sellami K, Abida O, Ben Jmaa M, et al. The increased expression of toll-like receptor 4 in renal and skin lesions in lupus erythematosus. J Histochem Cytochem. (2017) 65:389–98. doi: 10.1369/0022155417709234 97. Seery JP, Carroll JM, Cattell V, Watt FM. Antinuclear autoantibodies and lupus nephritis in transgenic mice expressing interferon gamma in the epidermis. J Exp Med. (1997) 186:1451–9. doi: 10.1084/jem.186.9.1451 76. Middleton MH, Norris DA. Cytokine-induced ICAM-1 expression in human keratinocytes is highly variable in keratinocyte strains from different donors. J Invest Dermatol. (1995) 104:489–96. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12605923 98. Jacob CO, van der Meide PH, McDevitt HO. In vivo treatment of (NZB X NZW)F1 lupus-like nephritis with monoclonal antibody to gamma interferon. J Exp Med. (1987) 166:798–803. doi: 10.1084/jem.166.3.798 99. Crow MK. Interferon pathway activation in systemic lupus erythematosus. Curr Rheumatol Rep. (2005) 7:463–8. doi: 10.1007/s11926-005-0053-4 77. Albert ML, Sauter B, Bhardwaj N. Dendritic cells acquire antigen from apoptotic cells and induce class I-restricted CTLs. Nature. (1998) 392:86–9. doi: 10.1038/32183 100. Pinkus H. Lichenoid tissue reactions. A speculative review of the clinical spectrum of epidermal basal cell damage with special reference to erythema dyschromicum perstans. Arch Dermatol. (1973) 107:840–6. doi: 10.1001/archderm.1973.01620210008002 78. Nakatani K, Yoshimoto S, Asai O, Sakan H, Terada M, Saito Y, et al. Enhanced expression of the soluble form of E-selectin attenuates progression of lupus nephritis and vasculitis in MRL/lpr mice. Immunity Inflamm Dis. (2013) 1:37–46. doi: 10.1002/iid3.6 101. Gaipl US, Kuhn A, SheriffA, Munoz LE, Franz S, Voll RE, et al. Clearance of apoptotic cells in human SLE. Curr Direct Autoimmunity. (2006) 9:173-87. doi: 10.1159/000090781 79. Lasky LA. Selectin-carbohydrate interactions and the initiation of the inflammatory response. Ann Rev Biochem. (1995) 64:113–39. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.64.070195.000553 102. Kuhn A, Krammer PH, Kolb-Bachofen V. Pathophysiology of cutaneous lupus erythematosus–novel aspects. Rheumatology. (2006) 45(Suppl. REFERENCES Kuhn A, Herrmann M, Kleber S, Beckmann-Welle M, Fehsel K, Martin- Villalba A, et al. Accumulation of apoptotic cells in the epidermis of patients 67. Kuhn A, Herrmann M, Kleber S, Beckmann-Welle M, Fehsel K, Martin- Villalba A, et al. Accumulation of apoptotic cells in the epidermis of patients March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 13 Dey-Rao and Sinha Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus with cutaneous lupus erythematosus after ultraviolet irradiation. Arthritis Rheumat. (2006) 54:939–50. doi: 10.1002/art.21658 88. Datta SK. Production of pathogenic antibodies: cognate interactions between autoimmune T and B cells. Lupus. (1998) 7:591–6. doi: 10.1191/096120398678920703 68. Wang G, Pierangeli SS, Papalardo E, Ansari GA, Khan MF. Markers of oxidative and nitrosative stress in systemic lupus erythematosus: correlation with disease activity. Arthritis Rheumat. (2010) 62:2064–72. doi: 10.1002/art.27442 89. Lu L, Kaliyaperumal A, Boumpas DT, Datta SK. Major peptide autoepitopes for nucleosome-specific T cells of human lupus. J Clin Invest. (1999) 104:345– 55. doi: 10.1172/JCI6801 90. Kind P, Lehmann P, Plewig G. Phototesting in lupus erythematosus. J Invest Dermatol. (1993) 100:53S−7S. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12355594 69. Zahn S, Graef M, Barchet W, Bieber T, Tuting T, Wenzel J. Nitrosative stress: a hallmark of the junctional inflammation in cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Clin Exp Dermatol. (2013) 38:96–7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2012.04472.x 91. Freutel S, Gaffal E, Zahn S, Bieber T, Tuting T, Wenzel J. Enhanced CCR5+/CCR3+ T helper cell ratio in patients with active cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Lupus. (2011) 20:1300–4. doi: 10.1177/0961203311409267 70. Morgan PE, Sturgess AD, Davies MJ. Increased levels of serum protein oxidation and correlation with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheumat. (2005) 52:2069–79. doi: 10.1002/art.21130 92. Bresnihan B, Jasin HE. Suppressor function of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in normal individuals and in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. J Clin Invest. (1977) 59:106–16. doi: 10.1172/JCI108607 71. Ryan BJ, Eggleton P. Detection and characterization of autoantibodies against modified self-proteins in SLE sera after exposure to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Methods Mol Biol. (2014) 1134:163–71. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0326-9_12 93. Fauci AS, Steinberg AD, Haynes BF, Whalen G. Immunoregulatory aberrations in systemic lupus erythematosus. J Immunol. (1978) 121:1473–9. 94. KouskoffV, Lacaud G, Nemazee D. T cell-independent rescue of B lymphocytes from peripheral immune tolerance. Science. (2000) 287:2501–3. doi: 10.1126/science.287.5462.2501 72. Norris DA. Pathomechanisms of photosensitive lupus erythematosus. J Invest Dermatol. (1993) 100:58S−68S. doi: 10.1038/jid.1993.25 95. Wardemann H, Yurasov S, Schaefer A, Young JW, Meffre E, Nussenzweig MC. REFERENCES doi: 10.1007/BF00304494 March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 14 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org Interactome Analysis: Cutaneous Lupus Dey-Rao and Sinha 128. Lampropoulos CE, Hughes GR, DP DC. Intravenous immunoglobulin in the treatment of resistant subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus: a possible alternative. Clin Rheumatol. (2007) 26:981–3. doi: 10.1007/s10067-006-0222-5 110. Sinha AA, Dey-Rao R. Genomic Investigation of lupus in the skin. J Invest Dermatol Sympos Proc. (2017) 18:S75–S80. doi: 10.1016/j.jisp.2016. 09.002 111. Calderon C, Zucht HD, Kuhn A, Wozniacka A, Szepietowski JC, Nyberg F, et al. A multicenter photoprovocation study to identify potential biomarkers by global peptide profiling in cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Lupus. (2015) 24:1406–20. doi: 10.1177/0961203315596077 129. Ky C, Swasdibutra B, Khademi S, Desai S, Laquer V, Grando SA. Efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin monotherapy in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus: results of proof-of-concept study. Dermatol Rep. (2015) 7:5804. doi: 10.4081/dr.2015.5804 112. Zhang YP, Wu J, Han YF, Shi ZR, Wang L. Pathogenesis of cutaneous lupus erythema associated with and without systemic lupus erythema. Autoimmunity Rev. (2017) 16:735–42. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2017.05.009 130. Cortes–Hernandez J, Torres-Salido M, Castro-Marrero J, Vilardell-Tarres M, Ordi-Ros J. Thalidomide in the treatment of refractory cutaneous lupus erythematosus: prognostic factors of clinical outcome. Br J Dermatol. (2012) 166:616–23. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10693.x 113. Merola JF, Prystowsky SD, Iversen C, Gomez-Puerta JA, Norton T, Tsao P, et al. Association of discoid lupus erythematosus with other clinical manifestations among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. J Am Acad Dermatol. (2013) 69:19–24. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2013.02.010 131. Khamashta M, Merrill JT, Werth VP, Furie R, Kalunian K, Illei GG, et al. Sifalimumab, an anti-interferon-alpha monoclonal antibody, in moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus: a randomised, double- blind, placebo-controlled study. Ann Rheum Dis. (2016) 75:1909–16. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-208562 114. Jessop S, Whitelaw DA, Delamere FM. Drugs for discoid lupus erythematosus. Cochr Database Syst Rev. (2009) 4:CD002954. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002954.pub2 132. Narain S, Furie R. Update on clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus. Curr Opin Rheumatol. (2016) 28:477–87. doi: 10.1097/BOR.0000000000000311 115. Tzung TY, Liu YS, Chang HW. Tacrolimus vs. clobetasol propionate in the treatment of facial cutaneous lupus erythematosus: a randomized, double-blind, bilateral comparison study. Br J Dermatol. (2007) 156:191–2. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2006.07595.x 133. NickoloffBJ, Nestle FO. Recent insights into the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis provide new therapeutic opportunities. J Clin Invest. (2004) 113:1664–75. doi: 10.1172/JCI200422147 116. Jemec GB, Ullman S, Goodfield M, Bygum A, Olesen AB, Berth-Jones J, et al. REFERENCES A randomized controlled trial of R-salbutamol for topical treatment of discoid lupus erythematosus. Br J Dermatol. (2009) 161:1365–70. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09330.x 134. Kalia S, Dutz JP. New concepts in antimalarial use and mode of action in dermatology. Dermatol Ther. (2007) 20:160–74. doi: 10.1111/j.1529-8019.2007.00131.x 117. Chang AY, Werth VP. Treatment of cutaneous lupus. Curr Rheumatol Rep. (2011) 13:300–7. doi: 10.1007/s11926-011-0180-z 135. Lafyatis R, York M, Marshak-Rothstein A. Antimalarial agents: closing the gate on Toll-like receptors? Arthritis Rheumat. (2006) 54:3068–70. doi: 10.1002/art.22157 118. Callen JP. Management of “refractory” skin disease in patients with lupus erythematosus. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. (2005) 19:767–84. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2005.05.003 136. Menche J, Sharma A, Kitsak M, Ghiassian SD, Vidal M, Loscalzo J, et al. Disease networks. Uncovering disease-disease relationships through the incomplete interactome. Science. (2015) 347:1257601. doi: 10.1126/science.1257601 119. Kuhn A, Gensch K, Haust M, Schneider SW, Bonsmann G, Gaebelein- Wissing N, et al. Efficacy of tacrolimus 0.1% ointment in cutaneous lupus erythematosus: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. (2011) 65:54–64, e1–2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2010.03.037 137. Mandel M, Gurevich M, Pauzner R, Kaminski N, Achiron A. Autoimmunity gene expression portrait: specific signature that intersects or differentiates between multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Clin Exp Immunol. (2004) 138:164–7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2004. 02587.x 120. Frances C, Cosnes A, Duhaut P, Zahr N, Soutou B, Ingen-Housz-Oro S, et al. Low blood concentration of hydroxychloroquine in patients with refractory cutaneous lupus erythematosus: a French multicenter prospective study. Arch Dermatol. (2012) 148:479–84. doi: 10.1001/archdermatol.2011.2558 138. Li YM, Chen ZQ, Yao X, Yang AZ, Li AS, Liu DM, et al. mRNA expression of chemokine receptors on peripheral blood mononuclear cells and correlation with clinical features in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Chin Med Sci J Chung-kuo i hsueh k’o hsueh tsa chih Chin Acad Med Sci. (2010) 25:162–8. 121. Cavazzana I, Sala R, Bazzani C, Ceribelli A, Zane C, Cattaneo R, et al. Treatment of lupus skin involvement with quinacrine and hydroxychloroquine. Lupus. (2009) 18:735–9. doi: 10.1177/0961203308101714 139. Hamann I, Zipp F, Infante-Duarte C. Therapeutic targeting of chemokine signaling in Multiple Sclerosis. J Neurol Sci. (2008) 274:31–8. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2008.07.005 122. Fruchter R, Kurtzman DJB, Patel M, Merola J, Franks AG, Jr., Vleugels RA, et al. Characteristics and alternative treatment outcomes of antimalarial- refractory cutaneous lupus erythematosus. JAMA Dermatol. (2017) 153:937– 9. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.1160 140. Vergunst CE, Gerlag DM, Lopatinskaya L, Klareskog L, Smith MD, van den Bosch F, et al. REFERENCES Modulation of CCR2 in rheumatoid arthritis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Arthritis Rheumat. (2008) 58:1931–9. doi: 10.1002/art.23591 123. Wenzel J, Brahler S, Bauer R, Bieber T, Tuting T. Efficacy and safety of methotrexate in recalcitrant cutaneous lupus erythematosus: results of a retrospective study in 43 patients. Br J Dermatol. (2005) 153:157–62. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2005.06552.x 141. Proudfoot AE. Is CCR2 the right chemokine receptor to target in rheumatoid arthritis? Arthritis Rheumat. (2008) 58:1889–91. doi: 10.1002/art. 23590 124. Gammon B, Hansen C, Costner MI. Efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil in antimalarial-resistant cutaneous lupus erythematosus. J Am Acad Dermatol. (2011) 65:717–21. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2010.08.011 125. Ruzicka T, Sommerburg C, Goerz G, Kind P, Mensing H. Treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus with acitretin and hydroxychloroquine. Br J Dermatol. (1992) 127:513–8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1992.tb14851.x Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. 126. Kuhn A, Patsinakidis N, Luger T. Alitretinoin for cutaneous lupus erythematosus. J Am Acad Dermatol. (2012) 67:e123–6. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2011.10.030 Copyright © 2019 Dey-Rao and Sinha. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. 127. Klebes M, Wutte N, Aberer E. Dapsone as second-line treatment for cutaneous lupus erythematosus? a retrospective analysis of 34 patients and a review of the literature. Dermatology. (2016) 232:91–6. doi: 10.1159/000441054 March 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 640 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 15
https://openalex.org/W2783359685
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc5769999?pdf=render
English
null
Association between diabetes and causes of dementia: Evidence from a clinicopathological study
Dementia & Neuropsychologia
2,017
cc-by
5,577
Evidence from a clinicopathological study Maria Niures Pimentel dos Santos Matioli1, Claudia Kimie Suemoto2,3, Roberta Diehl Rodriguez1,3, Daniela Souza Farias3, Magnólia Moreira da Silva3, Renata Elaine Paraizo Leite2,3, Renata Eloah Lucena Ferretti-Rebustini3,4, Carlos Augusto Pasqualucci3, Wilson Jacob Filho2,3, Lea Tenenholz Grinberg3, Ricardo Nitrini1,3 ABSTRACT. Background: Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for dementia, especially for vascular dementia (VaD), but there is no consensus on diabetes as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other causes of dementia. Objective: To explore the association between diabetes and the neuropathological etiology of dementia in a large autopsy study. Methods: Data were collected from the participants of the Brain Bank of the Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group between 2004 and 2015. Diagnosis of diabetes was reported by the deceased’s next-of-kin. Clinical dementia was established when CDR ≥ 1 and IQCODE > 3.41. Dementia etiology was determined by neuropathological examination using immunohistochemistry. The association of diabetes with odds of dementia was investigated using multivariate logistic regression. Results: We included 1,037 subjects and diabetes was present in 279 participants (27%). The prevalence of dementia diagnosis was similar in diabetics (29%) and non-diabetics (27%). We found no association between diabetes and dementia (OR = 1.22; 95%CI = 0.81-1.82; p = 0.34) on the multivariate analysis. AD was the main cause of dementia in both groups, while VaD was the second-most-frequent cause in diabetics. Other mixed dementia was the second-most-common cause of dementia and more frequent among non-diabetics (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Diabetes was not associated with dementia in this large clinicopathological study. Key words: Alzheimer’s disease, Diabetes mellitus, vascular dementia, neuropathology, clinicopathologic study. 1Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo Medical School , São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 2Division of Geriatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 3Aging Brain Study Group from the University of São Paulo Medical School - LIM/22, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 4Medical-surgical Nursing Department, Univer­ sity of São Paulo School of Nursing, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. This study was conducted at the Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Original Article Original Article Dement Neuropsychol 2017 December;11(4):406-412 DOI: 10.1590/1980-57642016dn11-040010 Received October 11, 2017. Accepted in final form November 16, 2017. Maria Niures Pimentel dos Santos Matioli. Avenida Doutor Arnaldo 455 / room 1353 – 01246-903 São Paulo SP – Brazil. E-mail: matioli@kingnet.com.br Disclosure: The authors report no conflits of interest. Received October 11, 2017. Accepted in final form November 16, 2017. SP, Brazil. 3Aging Brain Study Group from the University of São Paulo Medical School - LIM/22, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 4Medical-surgical Nursing Department, Univer­ sity of São Paulo School of Nursing, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Maria Niures Pimentel dos Santos Matioli. Avenida Doutor Arnaldo 455 / room 1353 – 01246-903 São Paulo SP – Brazil. E-mail: matioli@kingnet.com.br Disclosure: The authors report no conflits of interest. Received October 11, 2017. Accepted in final form November 16, 2017. Maria Niures Pimentel dos Santos Matioli. Avenida Doutor Arnaldo 455 / room 1353 – 01246-903 São Paulo SP – Brazil. E-mail: matioli@kingnet.com.br Maria Niures Pimentel dos Santos Matioli. Avenida Doutor Arnaldo 455 / room 1353 – 01246-903 São Paulo SP – Brazil. E-mail: matioli@kingnet.com.br Di l Th h fli f i INTRODUCTION were selected from 2004 to 2015, but incomplete interview or neuropathological data were found in 46 deceased. Therefore, the final sample comprised 1,037 deceased. Signed informed consent obtained from the deceased’s next-of-kin (NOK) allowed autopsy and brain donation. The local ethics committee approved this study. T he number of people affected by diabetes mellitus has been growing worldwide.1 In 2015, the Inter­ national Diabetes Federation estimated that 415 mil­ lion people aged 20-79 years had diabetes worldwide, and nearly 75% lived in low-to-middle-income coun­ tries (LMIC).1 The number of diabetics will continue to rise with diabetes set to affect 642 million people by 2040, and this will take place especially in regions where economies are transitioning from low-income to middle- income levels.1 The World Alzheimer Report 2015 esti­ mated that 46.8 million people worldwide had dementia in 2015, and 58% of these lived in LMIC.2 The propor­ tion of people with dementia living in LMIC will reach 63% in 2030 and 68% in 2050.2 Dementia and type 2 diabetes are more prevalent with aging.1,2 T Clinical information. A skilled team of gerontolo­ gist nurses applied the structured interview to the deceased’s NOK. The NOK had to have at least weekly contact with the deceased during the six months prior to death. This structured interview provided informa­ tion about demographics (age, sex, race, and educa­ tion) and socioeconomic status, previous diagnosis of diseases (hypertension, dyslipidemia, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and stroke), lifestyle (alco­ holism, smoking, sedentary lifestyle), medication intake, as well as cognitive and functional status.33 A Brazilian scale classifying subjects into five socioeco­ nomic strata34 was applied. Stratum A is the highest income and stratum E the lowest, and this scale was grouped into high (stratum A+B), middle (stratum C) and low (stratum D+E) socioeconomic status for statis­ tical analysis. Diabetes was defined based on the NOK report of diabetes diagnosis during life or the use of any antidiabetic medication. Cognitive status was evalu­ ated by the Clinical Dementia Rating scale (CDR)35 and the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly.36 The clinical diagnosis of dementia was established in the presence of CDR ≥ 1 and IQCODE score > 3.41.37 The cause of dementia was determined following neuropathological criteria. INTRODUCTION Diabetes is a known risk factor for dementia and vascular dementia (VaD), but the association between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) needs to be bet­ ter clarified.3 Several longitudinal studies have shown that diabetes was associated only with VaD, but not with AD.4-9 Meanwhile, some studies have shown that DM is associated with increased risk of dementia and AD,10-17 while others have found a positive association only in the presence of the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele (APOE ε4).18,19 However, Akomolafe et al.20 showed diabetes was a risk factor for AD, especially when three known AD risk factors were absent: elevated plasma homocys­ teine level, the APOE ε4 allele, or age 75 years or older. There are fewer autopsy studies than epidemiologi­ cal investigations. Despite the positive evidence linking diabetes and cerebrovascular neuropathology,21-27 most autopsy studies have not supported the same conclu­ sion regarding the association between diabetes and AD neuropathology22,24,26-30 and some authors described a positive association only in individuals carrying the APOE ε4 allele.21,23,31,32 Studies from LMIC regarding the association between diabetes and dementia are scarce.2 We recently showed that diabetes was not associated with AD-neuropathology in a large sample from Brazil.30 Here, we aimed to expand this finding by examining the association between diabetes and causes of dementia in a large autopsy study. Neuropathological assessment. The brain was collected within 24 hours of death. One hemisphere was coro­ nally sectioned and snap frozen and the other hemi­ sphere was fixed in 4% buffered paraformaldehyde. Samples from the fixed hemisphere were embedded in paraffin and sectioned to produce slides of following regions: hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus at the level of the lateral geniculate body, amygdala at the level of mammillary bodies (including the ambiens gyrus), basal ganglia at the level of the anterior commis­ sure, thalamus, midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata, and cerebellum, middle frontal gyrus, middle and anterior temporal gyri, angular gyrus, superior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus, and visual cortex. Hematox­ ylin & eosin (H&E) staining was applied to all sampled regions. Selected sections were immunostained with antibodies against phosphorylated tau (PHF-1, dilu­ ASSOCIAÇÃO ENTRE DIABETES E CAUSAS DE DEMÊNCIA: EVIDÊNCIA DE UM ESTUDO CLÍNICO-PATOLÓGICO RESUMO. Introdução: Diabetes mellitus é um fator de risco para a demência, especialmente para a demência vascular (DV), mas ainda não há consenso sobre diabetes como fator de risco para a doença de Alzheimer (DA) e outras causas de demência. Objetivo: Verificar a associação entre diabetes e demência e sua etiologia neuropatológica em um grande estudo de autópsia. Métodos: Os dados foram coletados do Banco de Encéfalos Humanos do Grupo de Estudos em Envelhecimento Cerebral da FMUSP entre 2004 e 2015. O diagnóstico de diabetes foi relatado por pelos parentes do falecido. A demência clínica foi estabelecida quando CDR ≥ 1 e IQCODE > 3,41. A etiologia da demência foi determinada pelo exame neuropatológico com imuno-histoquímica. A associação de diabetes com probabilidades de demência foi investigada usando regressão logística multivariada. Resultados: Foram incluídos 1.037 sujeitos, diabetes esteve presente em 279 participantes (27%). A frequência de diagnóstico de demência foi semelhante entre diabéticos (29%) e não diabéticos (27%). Não encontramos associação entre diabetes e demência (OR = 1,22; IC 95% = 0,81-1,82; p = 0,34) na análise multivariada. DA foi a principal causa de demência em ambos os grupos, DV foi a segunda causa em diabéticos. A frequência de outra demência mista foi a segunda causa de demência e mais frequente entre os não diabéticos (p = 0,03). Conclusão: A diabetes não foi associada à demência neste grande estudo clínico-patológico. Palavras-chave: doença de Alzheimer, diabetes mellitus, demência vascular, neuropatologia, estudo clinicopatológico. 406 Diabetes and causes of dementia 406 Diabetes and causes of dementia      Matioli et al. Dement Neuropsychol 2017 December;11(4):406-412 407 Matioli et al.        Diabetes and causes of dementia RESULTS We analyzed data from 1,037 subjects, of which 758 (72%) were non-diabetics and 279 (27%) diabetics. Dementia was determined in 80 diabetics (29%) and 205 (27%) non-diabetics, and no difference was found regarding dementia frequency between these groups (p = 0.24). First, the total sample were strati­ fied by diabetes status, and compared for frequency of dementia diagnosis regarding sociodemographic and clinical variables (Table 1). Participants with dementia, with and without diabetes, were mostly female, had lower educational level, and were older compared to non-demented groups. Black and admixed races were more frequent in diabetics with dementia than diabetics without dementia. A higher frequency of stroke and physical inactivity were found in both demented groups. Hypertension and current smoking were more frequent in non-diabetics without dementia compared to non- diabetics with dementia. AD-type pathology was scored using the Braak and Braak staging system38 and the Consortium to Estab­ lish a Registry for AD (CERAD)39 criteria. Diagnosis of AD dementia was made in cases that had at least Braak stage III and CERAD moderate score.40 AD-type pathology was scored using the Braak and Braak staging system38 and the Consortium to Estab­ lish a Registry for AD (CERAD)39 criteria. Diagnosis of AD dementia was made in cases that had at least Braak stage III and CERAD moderate score.40 The presence of diffuse small-vessel disease in the white matter, of hippocampal sclerosis, and of lacunae, microinfarcts, and infarcts were analyzed semi-quanti­ tatively by H&E staining. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy was investigated using anti β-amyloid immunostaining. The diagnosis of VaD was defined in cases with one large chronic infarct (> 1 cm) or three lacunae in strategic areas (thalamus, frontocingular cortex, basal forebrain and caudate, medial temporal area, and angular gyrus).37 AD plus VaD was considered as mixed dementia only when the criteria for AD and VaD were concomitantly present. Second, only diabetics and non-diabetics with dementia data were compared. Similar frequencies were found between them regarding age (p = 0.12), sex (p = 0.79), education (p = 0.88), race (p = 0.17), socioeco­ nomic status (p = 0.70), coronary artery disease (p = 0.72), stroke (p = 0.52), heart failure (p = 0.83), physical inactivity (p = 0.90), current smoking (p = 0.60), and alcohol use (p = 0.90). Hypertension (p < 0.01) and dys­ lipidemia (p < 0.01) were more frequent in demented diabetics than in non-diabetics with dementia. METHODSh Participants. This cross-sectional study included subjects aged 50 years and older from the Brain Bank of the Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group of the University of São Paulo Medical School (BB-BABSG-FMUSP). Exclu­ sion and inclusion criteria for the BB-BABSG-FMUSP were previously described.33 Initially, 1,083 subjects Dement Neuropsychol 2017 December;11(4):406-412 employed for statistical analyses. The significance level was set at 0.05 in two-tailed tests. tion 1:2.000; gift of Prof. Peter Davies, NY), β-amyloid (4G8, dilution 1:10.000; Signet Pathology Systems, Dedham, MA), α-synuclein (EQV, 1:10.000, gift of Kenji Ueda, Tokyo, Japan), and transactivation response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDA (TDP-43; 1:500, Proteintech, Chicago, IL).33 Internationally accepted neuropathological criteria and guidelines were used for diagnosing and staging the causes of dementia.33 408 Diabetes and causes of dementia        Matioli et al. RESULTS There was a higher frequency of individuals with severe dementia (CDR = 3) among non-diabetics (p = 0.03), and with mild (CDR = 1) and moderate dementia (CDR = 2) among dia­ betics. Non-diabetics with dementia died with highest mean IQCODE scores (4.43; SD:0.48; p = 0.04) (Table 2). Lewy body disease was diagnosed based on criteria described by McKeith et al.41 To define dementia sec­ ondary to Parkinson’s disease, a criterion described by Braak et al.42 was applied. The diagnosis of Frontotem­ poral lobar degeneration was established using the cri­ teria of Mackenzie et al.43 The diagnosis of argyrophilic grain disease was established according to Saito et al.44 Undefined cause was defined when there was no agree­ ment between the clinical diagnosis of dementia and the neuropathological findings. Other mixed dementia was considered in presence of two or more neuropathologies of dementia, except when AD + VaD were present. Statistical analysis. We used the unpaired t-test or Mann-Whitney test for quantitative variables, and the Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests for categorical vari­ ables, to investigate the association of demographic and clinical variables with dementia stratified by diabetes status. The association between diabetes and dementia was investigated using multivariate ordinal logistic regression with results adjusted for age, sex, education, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcohol use and physical inactivity. We also described the frequency of neuropathological diagnosis by diabetes status among participants with dementia, and compared these frequencies using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests. Stata 13.0 (College Station, TX: StataCorp LP) was Diabetes was not associated with dementia (OR:1.22; 95%CI:0.81-1.82; p = 0.34) on multivariate ordinal logis­ tic regression adjusted for age, sex, race, education, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, physical inactiv­ ity and alcohol use (Table 3). Among participants with dementia, AD was the main neuropathological cause of dementia in both groups (Table 4). Only other mixed dementia was more frequent in non-diabetics with dementia (p = 0.03). The distribu­ tion of causes of dementia differed between diabetics and non-diabetics. The second-most-common cause of dementia in diabetics was VaD, but in non-diabetics was other mixed dementia. Undefined cause of dementia was similar between diabetics and non-diabetics (Table 4). 408 Diabetes and causes of dementia        Matioli et al. Dement Neuropsychol 2017 December;11(4):406-412 Table 1. Sociodemographic and clinical data from diabetics and non-diabetics with and without dementia (n=1,037). RESULTS Variable Non-diabetics P  Diabetics p Without dementia With dementia Without dementia With dementia (N = 553) (N = 205) (N = 199) (N = 80) Female, n (%)* 260 (47.0) 128 (62.4) < 0.01 101 (50.8) 52 (65.0) 0.03 Age (years), mean (SD)† 72.6 (11.8) 80.3 (9.7) < 0.01 71.5 (10.9) 78.5 (9.4) < 0.01 Education (years), mean (SD)£ 4.4 (3.7) 3.2 (3.4) < 0.01 4.6 (3.8) 3.2 (3.4) < 0.01 Race, n (%)# 0.09 0.03 • White 336 (60.8) 120 (58.5) 132 (66.3) 40 (50) • Black 104 (18.8) 53 (25.9) 33 (16.6) 20 (25.0) • Admixed 99 (17.9) 30 (14.6) 31 (15.6) 20 (25.0) • Yellow 14 (2.5) 2 (1.0) 3 (1.5) 0 (0) Socioeconomic class, n (%)# 0.41 0.22 • High 162 (29.3) 73 (35.6) 57 (28.6) 26 (32.5) • Middle 260 (47.1) 86 (42.0) 106 (53.3) 38 (47.5) • Low 130 (23.6) 46 (22.4) 36 (18.1) 16 (20.0) Hypertension, n (%)* 354 (64.0) 102 (49.8) < 0.01 165 (82.9) 59 (73.8) 0.08 Dyslipidemia, n (%)* 37 (6.7) 6 (2.9) 0.05 41 (20.6) 9 (11.3) 0.06 Coronary artery disease, n (%)* 118 (21.3) 33 (16.1) 0.11 59 (29.6) 15 (18.8) 0.06 Heart failure, n (%)* 94 (17.0) 27 (13.2) 0.20 43 (21.6) 12 (15.0) 0.21 Stroke, n (%)* 57 (10.3) 52 (25.4) < 0.01 34 (17.1) 24 (30.0) 0.02 Physical inactivity, n (%)* 243 (49.4) 136 (82.4) < 0.01 107 (57.8) 53 (88.3) < 0.01 Current smoking, n (%)* 169 (30.6) 39 (19.0) < 0.01 40 (20.1) 18 (22.5) 0.78 Current alcohol use, n (%)* 139 (25.1) 39 (19.0) 0.10 41 (20.6) 14 (17.5) 0.67 *Chi t t #Fi h ’ t t t †St d t´ t t t £M Whit T t phic and clinical data from diabetics and non-diabetics with and without dementia (n=1,037). Table 1. Sociodemographic and clinical data from diabetics and non-diabetics with and without dementia (n=1,037). Table 2. CDR and IQCODE in diabetics and non-diabetics with dementia (n = 285). Variables Non-diabetics with dementia n = 205 Diabetics with dementia n = 80 p CDR, n (%)# 0.03 • 1 45 (22.0) 26 (32.5) • 2 42 (20.5) 22 (27.5) • 3 118 (57.5) 32 (40.0) IQCODE, mean (SD)* 4.43 (0.48) 4.30 (0.45) 0.04 SD: standard deviation; CDR: Clinical Dementia Rating; IQCODE: Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly; *Mann-Whitney test; #Chi-square test. Table 2. hi-square test; #Fisher’s exact test †Student´s t-test; £Mann-Whitney Test. 409 Matioli et al.        Diabetes and causes of dementia DISCUSSION dementia in the non-diabetic group (p < 0.01) of 31% in non-diabetics and 21% in diabetics, but with a mean age similar to the present study. Peila et al.21 described an increased risk for the development of dementia in dia­ betics, whereas the study by Ahtiluoto et al.26 reported double the incidence of dementia in this group. This study did not find an association between diabetes and dementia in a large sample of subjects submitted to autopsy. All diabetics and non-diabetics with dementia were older, predominantly women, had lower educa­ tion, and a higher frequency of stroke and physical inactivity. Older age, low education, female sex, phys­ ical inactivity and stroke have been considered risk factors for dementia.2,45-48 Participants with diabetes died at mild and moderate stages of dementia. They had more comorbidities, exhibiting more hypertension and dyslipidemia; therefore, they might have died before dementia had reached more advanced clinical stages. AD was the main cause of dementia in both groups, showing the importance of this neurodegenerative disease in older people even in the presence of vascu­ lar risk factors. VaD was the second-most-common cause only in diabetics. Other mixed neuropathology of dementia was more frequent and the second-most- frequent cause of dementia in non-diabetics. The differ­ ence in cause of dementia distribution can probably be explained by diabetics being a group with more vascular risk factors, showing the important role of diabetes in cerebrovascular disease. DM was not associated with increased frequency of any particular type of demen­ tia in the present study, unlike cohort studies that have shown an increased risk for AD,10-17,19,49 VaD,5-9,18 AD and VaD,11,21,26,50 or for mixed AD and VaD11,21 in dia­ betic patients Diabetes increases the risk for cerebral small-vessel disease, cerebral infarcts, vascular cognitive decline and VaD.3,51,52 The role of diabetes with regard The prevalence of dementia among non-diabetics (27%) and diabetics (29%) was lower in our study com­ pared with other reports.22,26,27 Arvanitakis et al.22 found dementia in 44.2% of non-diabetics and in 50% of dia­ betics (p = 0.52). Ahtiluoto et al.26 reported a very high frequency of dementia, present in 65.9% of non-diabet­ ics and 60.0% of diabetics (p = 0.381) with mean age of 88 years. Abner et al.27 reported dementia in 38.2% of non-diabetics and 39.1% of diabetics (p = 0.69), also with a mean sample age of 88.7 years. RESULTS CDR and IQCODE in diabetics and non-diabetics with dementia (n = 285). Dement Neuropsychol 2017 December;11(4):406-412 Table 3. Association between clinical dementia and diabetes mellitus status (n = 1,037). DM Clinical dementia n (%) Simple regression OR (95% CI) Multivariate regression* OR (95% CI) No Yes No 553 (73.0) 205 (27.0) 1.00 (reference) 1.00 (reference) Yes 199 (71.3) 80 (28.7) 1.08 (0.80-1.47) 1.22 (0.81-1.82) p 0.602 0.340 OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval. *Multivariate ordinal logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, race, education, hypertension, dyslipidemia, physical inactivity, smok­ ing, and alcohol use. Table 3. Association between clinical dementia and diabetes mellitus status (n = 1,037). DM Clinical dementia n (%) Simple regression OR (95% CI) Multivariate regression* OR (95% CI) No Yes No 553 (73.0) 205 (27.0) 1.00 (reference) 1.00 (reference) Yes 199 (71.3) 80 (28.7) 1.08 (0.80-1.47) 1.22 (0.81-1.82) p 0.602 0.340 OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval. *Multivariate ordinal logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, race, education, hypertension, dyslipidemia, physical inactivity, smok­ ing, and alcohol use. Table 4. Neuropathological causes of dementia in diabetics and non-diabetics (n = 285). Neuropathology, n % Non-diabetics with dementia, n (%) N = 205 Diabetics with dementia, n (%) N = 80 P AD** 52 (25.4) 24 (30.0) 0.52 VaD** 22 (10.7) 14 (17.5) 0.65 Mixed dementia (AD +VaD)* 15 (7.3) 03 (3.8) 0.30 Other Mixed NP** 46 (22.4) 09 (11.3) 0.03 Other single NP** 27 (13.2) 11 (13.8) 0.95 Undefined** 43 (21.0) 19 (23.8) 0.73 AD: Alzheimer’s disease; NP: neuropathology; VaD: vascular dementia. **Chi-square test; *Fisher’s exact test. Table 3. Association between clinical dementia and diabetes mellitus status (n = 1,037). Table 4. Neuropathological causes of dementia in diabetics and non-diabetics (n = 285). Neuropathology, n % Non-diabetics with dementia, n (%) N = 205 Diabetics with dementia, n (%) N = 80 P AD** 52 (25.4) 24 (30.0) 0.52 VaD** 22 (10.7) 14 (17.5) 0.65 Mixed dementia (AD +VaD)* 15 (7.3) 03 (3.8) 0.30 Other Mixed NP** 46 (22.4) 09 (11.3) 0.03 Other single NP** 27 (13.2) 11 (13.8) 0.95 Undefined** 43 (21.0) 19 (23.8) 0.73 AD: Alzheimer’s disease; NP: neuropathology; VaD: vascular dementia. **Chi-square test; *Fisher’s exact test. Table 4. Neuropathological causes of dementia in diabetics and non-diabetics (n = 285). 410 Diabetes and causes of dementia        Matioli et al. REFERENCES Diabetes Mellitus and the risk of dementia: The Rotterdam Study. Neurology 1999;53(9):1937-42. 1. International Diabetes Federation, 2015. IDF Diabetes Atlas seventh edition: www.idf.org. 12. Brayne C, Gill C, Huppert FA, Barkley C, Gehlhaar E, Girling DM et al. Vascular Risks and Incident Dementia: Results from a Cohort Study of the Very Old. Dement Geriatr Disord 1998;9:175-80. 2. Ali GC, Guerchet M, Wu YT, Prince M, Prina M. World Alzheimer Report 2015: The global prevalence of dementia. Chapter 2. Alzheimer´s Disease Internacional. 13. Arvanitakis Z, Wilson RS, Bienias JL, Evans DA, Bennett DA. Diabetes Mellitus and Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Decline in Cognitive Function. Arch Neurol 2004;61:661-6. 3. Prince M, Luchsinger JA, Albanese E. Dementia and Risk Reduction an Analysis of Protective and Modifiable Factors. World Alzheimer Report 2014, Chapter 5: 66-83. 4. Katzman R, Aronson M, Fuld P, Kawas C, Brown T, Morgenstern H, et al. Development of dementia illnesses in an 80-year-old volunteer cohort. Ann Neurol 1989;25:317-24. 14. Luchsinger JA, Reitz C, Honig LS, Tang MX, Shea S, Mayeux R. Aggre­ gation of Vascular Risk Factors and Risk of Incident Alzheimer’s Disease. Neurology 2005;65(4):545-51. 5. Luchsinger JA, Tang M-X, Stern Y, Shea S, Mayeux R. Diabetes Mellitus and Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia with Stroke in a Multi­ ethnic Cohort. Am J Epidemiol 2001;154:635-41. 15. Borenstein AR, Wu Y, Mortimer JA, Schellenberg GD, McCormick WC, Bowen JD, et al. Developmental and vascular risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Neurobiol Aging 2005;26:325-34. 6. MacKnight C, Rockwood K, Awalt E, McDowell I. Diabetes mellitus and the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular cognitive impair­ ment in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2002;14(2):77-83. 16. Cheng D, Noble J, Tang MX, Schupf N, Mayeux R, Luchsinger JA. Type 2 Diabetes and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2011;31:424-30. 17. Wang KC, Woung LC, Tsai MT, Liu CC, Su YH, Li CY. Risk of Alzheimer’s disease in relation to diabetes: a population-based cohort study. Neuro­ epidemiology. 2012;38:237-44. 7. Hassing LB, Johansson B, Nilson SE, Berg S, Pedersen NL, Gatz M, McClearn G. Diabetes Mellitus is a risk factor for vascular dementia, but not for Alzheimer1s disease: a population-based study of the oldest old. Int Psychogeriatr 2002;14(3):239-48. 18. Xu WL, Qui CX, Wahlin A, Winblad B, Fratiglioni L. Diabetes Mellitus and risk of dementia in the Kungsholmen project. Neurology 2004;63:1181-6. 8. DISCUSSION However, the study by Alafuzoff et al.23 found a higher frequency of 410 Diabetes and causes of dementia        Matioli et al. Matioli et al. Dement Neuropsychol 2017 December;11(4):406-412 to AD remains controversial, where cerebrovascular dis­ ease is likely the main mechanism involved and diabetes possibly decreases brain resilience, but does not directly cause AD.3 Author contribution. Maria Niures Pimentel dos Santos Matioli and Claudia Kimie Suemoto: preparation and statistical calculation of the study. Ricardo Nitrini: study conception, and writing and reviewing the paper. Roberta Diehl Rodriguez and Lea Tenenholz Grinberg: responsible for the neuropathological diagnosis. The other authors contributed to the research and revision of the paper. The present study has several strengths: a) the large sample size from a LMIC with low educational level among subjects, in contrast with other studies; b) autopsy studies allow for the direct measurement of neuropathological lesions, untangling the pure asso­ ciation between DM and dementia neuropathology; c) neuropathologists were blinded to clinical information. However, our study has some limitations: a) this is a cross-sectional study and therefore limited in determin­ ing causality of diabetes for dementia; b) all clinical data, including diabetes diagnoses, were obtained in NOK; c) the clinical diagnosis of dementia was established only after death based on NOK information. However, the accuracy of our clinical interview was tested previously and showed good reliability.53 Acknowledgements/Funding. The authors are grateful to the families of the brain donors and to the São Paulo City Autopsy Service physicians and staff for their unconditional support, and to the Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group participants. Study funding. Support for this work was provided by grants the from Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP (grant 2009/01934-4 and scholarship to R.E.P.L.), LIM22 of the Department of Pathology of the University of São Paulo Medical School, Albert Einstein Education and Research Insti­ tute, São Paulo (grant 240/07), and the Coordenadoria de Apoio ao Pessoal de Nivel Superior – CAPES, Brazil (scholarship to students of the BABSG). In conclusion, we did not find an association between diabetes and dementia frequency or any neu­ ropathological cause in a large sample with low educa­ tional level in a LMIC. Further studies are necessary to better clarify these questions, especially longitudinal autopsy studies in LMIC. REFERENCES Sonnen JA, Larson EB, Brickell K, Crane PK, Woltjer R, Montine TJ, Craft S. Different Pattenrs of Cerebral Injury in Dementia with or without Diabetes. Arch Neurol 2009;66(3):315-22. 26. Ahtiluoto S, Polvikoski T, Peltonen M, Solomon A, Tuomilehto J, Winblad B, et al. diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and vascular dementia: a popula­ tion-based neuropathologic study. Neurology 2010;75:1195-202. 42. Braak H, Del Tredici K, Rub U, de Vos RA, Jansen Steur EN, Braak E. Staging of brain pathology related to sporadic Parkinson’s disease. Neurobiol Aging. 2003;24:197-211. 43. Mackenzie IR, Neumann M, Bigio EH, Cairns NJ, Alafuzoff I, Kril J, et al. Nomenclature and nosology for neuropathologic subtypes of frontotem­ poral lobar degeneration: an update. Acta Neuropathol. 2010;119:1-4. 27. Abner EL, Nelson PT, Kryscio RJ, Schmitt FA, Fardo DW, Woltjer RL et al. Diabetes is associated with cerebrovascular but no Alzheimer neuro­ pathology. Alzheimers Dement 2016:1-8. 28. Heitner J, Dickson D. Diabetics do not have increased Alzheimer-type pathology compared with age-matched control subjects. Neurology 1997;49:1306-11. 44. Saito Y, Ruberu NN, Sawabe M, Arai T, Tanaka N, Kakuta Y, et al. Staging of argyrophilic grains: an age-associated tauopathy. J Neuro­ pathol Exp Neurol. 2004;63:911-8. 29. Beeri MS, Silverman JM, Davis KL, Marin D, Grossman HZ, Schmeidler J, et al. Type 2 Diabetes Is Negatively Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005;60A(4):471-5. 45. Gorelick PB, Scuteri A, Black SE, Decarli C, Greenberg SM, Iadecola C, et al. Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Associa­ tion/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2011;42:2672-713. 30. Matioli MNPS, Suemoto CK, Rodriguez RD, Farias DS, da Silva MM, Leite REP, et al. J Alzheimers Dis 2017;60:1035-43. tion/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2011;42:2672-713 46. Ferri C, Piovezan RD, Padilla I, Prince M, Albanese E, Prine M. Lyfestile. World Alzheimer Report 2014, Chapter 4: 9-10. 31. Matsuzaki T, Sasaki K, Tanizaki Y, Hata J, Fujimi K, Matsui Y, et al. Insulin resistance is associated with the pathology of Alzheimer disease: The Hasayama Study. Neurology 2010;75:764-70. 47. Pender R, Guerchet M, Prince M. Developmental and early-life risk factors. World Alzheimer Report 2014, Chapter 2: 12-24. 48. Chenê G, Beiser A, Au R, Preis SR, Wolf PA, Dufouil C, Seshadri S. Gender and incidence of dementia in the Framingham Heart Study from mid-adult life. Alzheimers Dement 2015;11(3):310-20. 32. REFERENCES Raffaitin C, Gin H, Empana JP, Helmer C, Berr C, Tzourio C et al. Meta­ bolic Syndrome and Risk for Incident Alzheimer’s Disease or Vascular Dementia. Diabetes Care 2009;32(1):169-74. 19. Irie F, Fitzpatrick AL, Lopez OL, Kuller LH, Peila R, Newman AB, Launer LJ. Enhanced Risk for Alzheimer Disease in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes and APOE e4. The Cardiovascular Health Sudy Cognition Study. Arch Neurol 2008;65(1):89-93. 9. Xu WL, von Strauss, Qiu CX, Winblad B, Fratiglioni L. Uncontrolled diabetes increses the risk of Alzheimer’s disease: a population-based cohort study. Diabetologia 2009;52:1031-9. 20. Akomolafe A, Beiser A, Meigs JB, Au R, Green RC, Farrer LA, et al. Diabetes Mellitus and Risk of Developing Alzheimer Disease. Arch Neurol 2006; 63(11):1551-4. 10. Leibson CL, Rocca WA, Hanson VA, Cha R, Kokmen E, O’Brien PC, Palumbo PJ. Risk of dementia amongpersons with diabetes mellitus: a population-based cohort study. Am J Epidemiol 1997; 145:301-8. 21. Peila R, Rodriguez BL, Launer LJ. Type 2 Diabetes, APOE Gene, and the Risk for Dementia and Related Pathologies. The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Diabetes 2002;51:1256-62. 11. Ott A, Stolk RP, van Harskamp F, Pols HA, Hofman A, Breteler MM. 411 Matioli et al. Diabetes and causes of dementia Dement Neuropsychol 2017 December;11(4):406-412 22. Arvanitakis Z, Schneider JA, Wilson RS, Li Y, Arnold SE, Wang Z, Bennett DA. Diabetes is related to cerebral infarction but not to AD pathology in older persons. Neurology 2006;67:1960-5. 39. Mirra SS, Heyman A, McKeel D, Sumi SM, Crain BJ, Brownlee LM, et al. (1991) The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD). Part II. Standardization of the neuropathologic assessment of Alzheimer’s disease. Neurology 1991;41:479-86. pathology in older persons. Neurology 2006;67:1960-5. 23. Alafuzoff I, Aho L, Helisalmi S, Mannermaa A, Soininen H. b-Amyloid deposition in brains of subjects with diabetes. Neuropathology Applied Neurobiology 2009;35:60-8. 40. Matthews FE, Brayne C, Lowe J, McKeith I, Wharton SB, Ince P. Epide­ miological pathology of dementia: attributable-risks at death in the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study. PLoS Med. 2009;6(11):e1000180. 24. Nelson PT, Smith CD, Abner EA, Schmitt FA, Scheff SW, Davis GJ, et al. Human cerebral neuropathology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Biochim Biophys Acta 2009;1792:454-69. 41. McKeith IG, Dickson DW, Lowe J, Emre M, O’Brien JT, Feldman H et al. Consortium on DLB. Diagnosis and management of dementia with Lewy bodies: third report of the DLB Consortium. Neurology. 2005;65:1863-72. 25. 412 Diabetes and causes of dementia        Matioli et al. 53. Ferretti REL, Damin AE, Brucki, SMD, Morillo LS, Perroco TR, Campora F et al. Post-Mortem diagnosis of dementia by informant interview. Dement Neuropsycol 2010; 2(4):138-44. REFERENCES Malek-Ahmadi M, Beach Thomas, Obradov A, Sue L, Belden C, Davis K, et al. Type 2 diabetes is associated with increased Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology in ApoE e4 Carriers. Curr Alzheiner Res 2013; 10(6): 654-9. 49. Ohara T, Doi Y, Ninomiya T, Hirakawa Y, Hata J, Iwaki T, Kanba S, Kiyo­ hara Y. Glucose tolerance status and risk of dementia in community: the Hisayama Study. Neurology. 2011;77:1126-34. 33. Grinberg LT. Ferretti RE. Farfel JM. Leite R. Pasqualucci CA. Rosemberg S. et al. Brain bank of the Brazilian aging brain study group - a mile­ stone reached and more than 1.600 collected brains. Cell Tissue Bank. 2007;8(2):151-62. 50. Kimm H, Lee PH, Shin YJ, Park KS, Jo J, Lee Y, Kang HC, Jee SH. Mid-life late-life vascular risk factors and dementia in Korean men and women. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2011;52:e117-22. 34. Almeida P. Wickerhauser H. O critério ABA/ABIPEME: em busca de uma atualização. Editora da Associação Brasileira dos Institutos de Pesquisa de Mercado. São Paulo. Editora ABA/ABIPEME; 1991. 51. Chui HC, Zheng L, Reed BR, Vinters HV, Mack WJ. Vascuar risk factors and Alzheimer’s disease: are these risck factors for plaques and tangles or concomitant vascular pathology that increses the likehood of dementia? An evidenced-based review. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2012;4:1. 35. Morris JC. The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR): current version and scoring rules. Neurology 1993;43:2412-4. 52. Richardson K, Stephan BCM, Ince PG, Brayne C, Matthews FE, Esiri MM. The Neuropathology of Vascular Disease in the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Aging Study (MRC CFAS). Curr Alzheimer Res. 2012;9:687-96. 36. Jorm AF. Jacomb PA. The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE): socio-demographic correlates reliability, validity and some norms. Psychol Med 1989;19:1015-22. 37. Grinberg LT, Nitrini R, Suemoto CK, Ferretti-Rebustini RE, Leite REP, Farfel JM, et al. Clinics 2013;68(8):1140-5. 53. Ferretti REL, Damin AE, Brucki, SMD, Morillo LS, Perroco TR, Campora F et al. Post-Mortem diagnosis of dementia by informant interview. Dement Neuropsycol 2010; 2(4):138-44. 38. Braak H, Braak E. Neuropathological stageing of Alzheimer-related changes. Acta Neuropathol 1991; 82:239-59. 412 Diabetes and causes of dementia        Matioli et al.
https://openalex.org/W2051524740
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc2453117?pdf=render
English
null
Health services research in the public healthcare system in Hong Kong: An analysis of over 1 million antihypertensive prescriptions between 2004–2007 as an example of the potential and pitfalls of using routinely collected electronic patient data
BMC health services research
2,008
cc-by
7,024
BioMed Central BioMed Central Published: 25 June 2008 Received: 14 November 2007 Accepted: 25 June 2008 Published: 25 June 2008 BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 doi:10.1186/1472-6963-8-138 BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 doi:10.1186/1472-6963-8-138 This article is available from: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 © 2008 Wong et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. © 008 Wo g et a ; ce see o e Ce t a t . This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. BMC Health Services Research Open Access Health services research in the public healthcare system in Hong Kong: An analysis of over 1 million antihypertensive prescriptions between 2004–2007 as an example of the potential and pitfalls of using routinely collected electronic patient data Health services research in the public healthcare system in Hong Kong: An analysis of over 1 million antihypertensive prescriptions between 2004–2007 as an example of the potential and pitfalls of using routinely collected electronic patient data Martin CS Wong1, Johnny Y Jiang1, Jin-ling Tang1, Augustine Lam1, Address: 1Department of Community and Family Medicine and School of Public Health, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. 4/F, School of Public Health, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, HKSAR, PR China and 2General Practice and Primary Care, Division of Community-Based Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, 1 Horselethill Road, Glasgow G12 9LX, UK Email: Martin CS Wong - wong_martin@cuhk.edu.hk; Johnny Y Jiang - jiangyu@cuhk.edu.hk; Jin-ling Tang - jltang@cuhk.edu.hk; Augustine Lam - lamt@ha.org.hk; Hong Fung - fungh@ha.org.hk; Stewart W Mercer* - sm83z@clinmed.gla.ac.uk Data Source and Subjects Clinical and demographic information were retrieved from CDARS for all patients who attended HA primary care clinics in the New Territory East (NTE) cluster of Hong Kong, during the period from January 2004 to June 2007. We chose this time period because although e-CMS was initiated in 2000, its implementation was gradual and was severely interrupted by the SARS outbreak in 2003. There was no requirement for doctors to enter the ICPC codes into the CMS until post-SARS, which is also when CDARS became operationalised. Thus January 2004 is the earliest time point for the availability of both CDARS and e-CMS data including ICPC codes. In many western countries these databases have been con- structed in a systematic manner and influential study results have been published [12-15]. There is a growing trend for these evolving information systems to imple- ment regional networks [16] and allow physician- or patient- access to clinical information, as well as integra- tion of a broader spectrum of patient data. Hong Kong ini- tiated the operation of a comprehensive computerized recording and management system in the public sector in 2000. All patient information, drug prescription details and laboratory investigation results are routinely entered into the electronic Clinical Management System (e-CMS) for every consultation by health care professionals, backed up by the Clinical Data Analysis Reporting System (CDARS). Paper records will only be used during rare occasions where computer systems are unexpectedly not operational. These computerized databases thus far con- sist of seven million patient records, one million annual admissions and 13 million ambulatory visits, with medi- cal research as one of the stated purposes of their imple- mentation [17]. Nevertheless, the usefulness of these clinical electronic databases in Hong Kong for high qual- ity health services research has been little explored [17]. The NTE cluster serves a population of around 1.3 million in Hong Kong, representing 17.2% of the Hong Kong population [31]. This cluster is further divided into 3 sep- arate regions, namely Shatin, Tai-Po and the North Dis- trict, from the most urbanized to the most rural regions respectively. Their median monthly household incomes in 2006 were US$2,510, US$2,338 and US$2,078 for these three regions respectively, compared to the Hong Kong-wide figure of US$2,240 [31]. These three regions have similar median ages (38–39 years), comparable with the median age of 39 years for Hong Kong. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 Background sent an important area of health service research [26-30], but there is a paucity of reports on health care utilization patterns of this disease among Chinese patients. In the present study we evaluated the completeness of the demo- graphic and prescription details of patients recorded in the e-CMS database of the HA in Hong Kong. Also we examined the patterns and independent predictors of dis- ease coding using antihypertensive drug prescriptions in primary care as an example. g The use of electronic patient records within healthcare sys- tems has important implications for health services research. When used within a comprehensive computer- ized data management system such records can support research into the aetiology of disease [1,2], the predictive value of symptoms in diagnosis [3], the clinical effective- ness and cost effectiveness of interventions [4], and in evaluating whole-system approaches to the organization and delivery of care [5]. The databases invariably contain a large number of subjects, may provide almost complete population coverage (depending on the healthcare and data collection systems), often provide reliable informa- tion on variables such as demographic characteristics, pre- scribing patterns and diagnoses, and in theory allow for quick and efficient data retrieval [6]. Notable examples include the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD) [7], the Health Search Database in Italy [8], and Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) database [9]. Some data- bases include almost all residents of a province [10,11], thus enhancing the applicability and generalizability of findings. Page 2 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Abstract Background: Increasing use is being made of routinely collected electronic patient data in health services research. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential usefulness of a comprehensive database used routinely in the public healthcare system in Hong Kong, using antihypertensive drug prescriptions in primary care as an example. Methods: Data on antihypertensive drug prescriptions were retrieved from the electronic Clinical Management System (e- CMS) of all primary care clinics run by the Health Authority (HA) in the New Territory East (NTE) cluster of Hong Kong between January 2004 and June 2007. Information was also retrieved on patients' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, visit type (new or follow-up), and relevant diseases (International Classification of Primary Care, ICPC codes). Results: 1,096,282 visit episodes were accessed, representing 93,450 patients. Patients' demographic and socio-economic details were recorded in all cases. Prescription details for anti-hypertensive drugs were missing in only 18 patients (0.02%). However, ICPC-code was missing for 36,409 patients (39%). Significant independent predictors of whether disease codes were applied included patient age ≥ 70 years (OR 2.18), female gender (OR 1.20), district of residence (range of ORs in more rural districts; 0.32–0.41), type of clinic (OR in Family Medicine Specialist Clinics; 1.45) and type of visit (OR follow-up visit; 2.39). In the 57,041 patients with an ICPC-code, uncomplicated hypertension (ICPC K86) was recorded in 45,859 patients (82.1%). The characteristics of these patients were very similar to those of the non-coded group, suggesting that most non-coded patients on antihypertensive drugs are likely to have uncomplicated hypertension. Conclusion: The e-CMS database of the HA in Hong Kong varies in quality in terms of recorded information. Potential future health services research using demographic and prescription information is highly feasible but for disease-specific research dependant on ICPC codes some caution is warranted. In the case of uncomplicated hypertension, future research on pharmaco- epidemiology (such as prescription patterns) and clinical issues (such as side-effects of medications on metabolic parameters) seems feasible given the large size of the data set and the comparability of coded and non-coded patients. Page 1 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) (page number not for citation purposes) http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 Data Source and Subjects Eligible subjects were those having received at least one prescription of antihypertensive drugs in any of these pri- mary care visits. Only visits which result in prescription of antihypertensive drugs were included (hereafter named "antihypertensive drug visits"). Since CDARS does not have disease coding, we further obtained a list of patient identity card (ID) numbers from CMS for various relevant codes of the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC), including uncomplicated hypertension (K86) and other conditions which could potentially affect the prescription choice of antihypertensive drugs, which we therefore refer to as "exclusion codes" (Table 1). These codes were then merged with the information from CDARS using the patients' ID as the unique identifier. Patients were considered 'coded' if they had at least one relevant ICPC code entered in the CMS during the study period. The study was approved by the NTE cluster of HA, Hypertension is a good example of a common and impor- tant condition which can be successfully researched using comprehensive computerized patient records [8,18-21]. The prevalence of hypertension in Hong Kong has been reported to exceed 27% and is one of the most common conditions seen in public health sector [22], comparable to the worldwide figure of 26% [23]. Data Source and Subjects The public health costs of hypertension are substantial [24,25] and repre- Page 2 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Page 2 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 Table 1: Distribution of International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) codes among patients with ≥ 1 code (N = 57,041) ICPC codes Disease entity Reasons for exclusion number % K87 Complicated hypertension The presence of unknown complications may favor or preclude prescription of a particular drug class 3310 5.8% T90 Diabetes Mellitus Favors the choice of ACEIs 15560 27.3% T901 Impaired glucose tolerance 353 0.6% T92 Gout Contraindication of thiazide diuretics 635 1.1% T93 Lipid disorders Favor the exclusion of thiazide diuretics and β-blockers 1186 2.1% K90 Stroke/cerebrovascular accident Favor the choice of β-blockers 1920 3.4% K91 Cerebrovascular disease 130 0.2% K74 Ischemic Heart Disease with angina 348 0.6% K76 Ischemic Heart Disease without angina 1099 1.9% K75 Acute Myocardial Infarction 213 0.4% K77 Heart Failure Favor the choice of ACEIs 794 1.4% K84 Heart Disease, other Favor the choice of β-blockers or ACEIs 168 0.3% K99 Cardiovascular disease, other 113 0.2% R79 Chronic Bronchitis Contraindication of β-blockers 436 0.8% R95 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2199 3.9% R96 Asthma 1083 1.9% U14 Kidney symptoms/complaints Either favor or a contraindication of ACEIs 312 0.5% U88 Glomerulonephritis/nephrosis 36 0.1% Y85 Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy Favor the prescription of α-blockers 2917 5.1% U78 Benign Neoplasm Urinary Tract 30 0.1% Y79 Benign/unspecified neoplasm, male genital 1 0.0% (ACEIs: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors. There were a total of 46,859 patients (82.1%) Apart from K86 these conditions are influencing factors for antihypertensive drug prescription and were named "exclusion codes" (ACEIs: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors. There were a total of 46,859 patients (82.1%) Apart from K86 t factors for antihypertensive drug prescription and were named "exclusion codes" and the Survey and Behavioural Research Ethics Commit- tee, Chinese University of Hong Kong one ICPC code, as those listed in Table 1, by physicians using bivariate analysis, followed by multivariable analy- sis by entering predictors with statistically significance into a binary logistic regression equation. A forward step- wise model was adopted and only those significant inde- pendent predictors were reported. All p values <0.05 were regarded as statistically significant. Variables and Statistical Analysis All retrieved data were transformed and analyzed by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 13.0. The proportions of four distinct, mutually exclusive patient groups were reported. These consist of (1). Those coded with K86 and with exclusion coding ("combined group"); (2). Those coded with K86 without any exclusion coding ("K86-only group"); (3). Those not coded with K86 but with at least one exclusion coding ("Exclusion only group"); and (4). Those without K86 nor any exclu- sion coding ("Non-coded group"). Among patients with at least one code, the distribution of each coding was stud- ied. The basic demographic and health service characteris- tics of these different coding groups were compared using χ2 tests of homogeneity and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. These include patient age, gender, payment status (fee-waivers or service payers), district of residence, service type (general out-patient, Family Medicine Spe- cialist Clinic (FMSC), staff clinics) and appointment type (new or subsequent visits) All these data were routinely entered by clinic staffs when patients attended for consul- tation, apart from service type. We further analyzed the independent predictors of patients having received at least Page 3 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Discussion Main findings g The present study shows that the public clinical databases on antihypertensive drugs in Hong Kong are complete in demographic and socio-economic data, and 99.98% com- plete in prescription details. Among patients receiving antihypertensive prescription in the primary care system, the proportion having any relevant disease code was rela- tively modest (61.0%) when compared with other prac- tices in Western countries. About one third (32.9%) of patients were identified as uncomplicated hypertensive (K86-only) patients with no exclusion conditions. There was similarity however between the K86-only group and non-coded groups in age and gender distribution, pay- ment status as well as service types, suggesting that most non-coded patients probably had uncomplicated hyper- tension. The important independent positive predictors of having an ICPC code were advanced age, female gender, residence in urbanized district, service type being family medicine specialty, and follow-up case. Distribution of codes and morbidities Out of the 57,041 patients (61.0%) with at least one ICPC disease code, the majority (82.1%) had uncomplicated hypertension (K86) followed by diabetes mellitus (T90, 27.3%), complicated hypertension (K87, 5.8%) and benign prostatic hypertrophy (Y85, 5.1%) (Table 1). The coding proportions of other relevant diseases were low. Among patients with at least one coded condition, 66.7% had one code (or one condition) and 27.8% two or more from the list of conditions shown in Table 1. Among patients coded with K86, the figures are similar (65.5% K86 only and 29.5% K86 coded with exclusion codes, respectively). Factors associated with disease coding Multi-regression logistic regression was used to determine the independent predictors of disease coding, i.e., the fac- tors associated with whether a patient receiving antihyper- tensive drugs had an ICPC disease code or not. Younger patients (< 50 years) were less likely to be coded than older patients (Table 3). Female patients were more likely to be coded (aOR = 1.202, 95% C.I. 1.168, 1.238, p < 0.001). Patients living in Shatin district were more likely to receive a code when compared to other less urbanized regions (aOR range from 0.316 to 0.405). Patients visiting family medicine specialist clinics were more likely to be coded when compared to general out-patient clinics (aOR = 1.448, 95% C.I. 1.362, 1.539, p < 0.001). Follow-up cases were more likely to have a code (aOR = 2.394, 95% C.I. 2.324, 2.467, p < 0.001). No significant association was found between payment status and physician coding. resulting in 30,704 patients (32.9% of total) with uncom- plicated hypertension (K86) without associated co-mor- bidity (i.e., no exclusion codes). Most of the patients were receiving calcium channel blockers (49%) and β-blockers (46%), followed by angi- otensin converting enzyme inhibitors (19%) and thiazide diuretics (13%). http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 The breakdown of disease coding relevant to antihyperten- sive (anti-HT) drug prescriptions Figure 1 The breakdown of disease coding relevant to antihy- pertensive (anti-HT) drug prescriptions. 1,096,282 visit episodes (93,450 patients) (patients on anti (patients on anti--HT for unknown reasons) HT for unknown reasons) Received > 1 anti-HT In 2004-2007 No K86 and no exclusion coding 36,409 Patients with > 1 coding (57,041 patients) Patients coded K86, AND without exclusion coding (30,704 patients) (425,324 anti-HT drug visit episodes) No K86 but with Exclusion Codes 10,182 All Patients with K86 coding (46,859 patients) K86 coded + exclusion codes 16,155 Total 61.0% 50.1% 32.9% of total groups. Almost half of all patients lived in the Shatin region, which is the most urbanized area in the NTE clus- ter (Table 2). More patients from the K86-only group lived in the Shatin district than the other groups. The non- coded group had the smallest proportion of patients resid- ing in Shatin (33%). 1,096,282 visit episodes (93,450 patients) (patients on anti (patients on anti--HT for unknown rea HT for unknown rea Most patients attended the primary care general out- patient clinics for antihypertensive drugs, but the exclu- sion group had more patients who attended FMSC. The distribution of service types was similar between the K86- only group and the non-coded group. Overall more than half of the patients were 'new' in terms of antihypertensive drug visits during the study period. The non-coded group had the greatest proportion of new visits (66%), almost twice as high as in the combined group (34.0%). Patients coded K86, AND without exclusion coding (30,704 patients) (425,324 anti-HT drug visit episode The break sive (anti-H Figure 1 The break sive (anti-H Figure 1 The breakdown of disease coding relevant to antihyperten- sive (anti-HT) drug prescriptions Figure 1 The breakdown of disease coding relevant to antihy- pertensive (anti-HT) drug prescriptions. The breakdown of disease coding relevant to antihyperten- sive (anti-HT) drug prescriptions Figure 1 The breakdown of disease coding relevant to antihy- pertensive (anti-HT) drug prescriptions. Overall patient breakdown A total of 1,096,282 antihypertensive drug visits were retrieved from January 2004 to June, 2007, representing 93,450 patients. Demographic and socio-economic details were recorded for all patients. Prescription details for anti-hypertensive drugs were missing in only 18 patients (0.02%), including drug dosage, frequency, or prescription period, and a combination of these. Figure 1 shows the breakdown of disease coding relevant to anti- hypertensive (anti-HT) drug prescriptions. Relevant ICPC- codes were absent in 36,409 patients (39% of the total sample); i.e., these patients had neither K86 nor any exclusion code. The remaining 57,041 (61% of total) patients had at least one relevant disease identified by an ICPC code. Of these, 46,859 (50.1% of the total sample) had uncomplicated hypertension (K86) coding, and among these K86-coded patients, 16,155 patients (17.2%) also had at least one additional (exclusion) code, Page 3 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Comparing patient characteristics among different coding groups (SD) (95% C.I.) 63.87(13.06) 68.22 (11.61) 68.45 (12.46) 61.77 (14.26) 64.30 (13.51) <0.001 (63.73, 64.02) (68.04, 68.40) (68.21, 68.69) (61.62, 61.91) (64.21, 64.39) Gender (No./%) Male 11,323 (36.9) 7,442 (46.1) 6,153 (60.4) 15,412 (42.3) 40330 (43.2) <0.001 Female 19,381 (63.1) 8,713 (53.9) 4,029 (39.6) 20,997 (57.7) 53120 (56.8) Payment status Fee-waivers 7,949 (25.9) 4,379 (27.1) 3,147 (30.9) 9,696 (26.6) 25,171 (26.9) <0.001 Non- waivers 22,755 (74.1) 11,776 (72.9) 7,035 (69.1) 26,713 (73.4) 68,279 (73.1) District of residence Shatin 18,510 (60.3) 8,817 (54.6) 5,524 (54.3) 12,120 (33.3) 44,971 (48.1) <0.001 Taipo 6,780 (22.1) 2,883 (17.8) 1,773 (17.4) 11,156 (30.6) 22,592 (24.2) North 4,068 (13.2) 3,721 (23.0) 2,206 (21.7) 10,684 (29.3) 20,679 (22.1) Others 1,346 (4.4) 734 (4.5) 679 (6.7) 2,449 (6.7) 5,208 (5.6) Service type General 28,946 (94.3) 13,881 (85.9) 7,523 (73.9) 34,524 (94.8) 84,874 (90.8) <0.001 FMSC/IC 1,625 (5.3) 2,260 (14.0) 2,618 (25.7) 1,673 (4.6) 8,176 (8.7) Staff clinic 133 (0.4) 14 (0.1) 41 (0.4) 212 (0.6) 400 (0.4) Appointment type (no./%) New case 14,705 (47.9) 5,485 (34.0) 4,784 (47.0) 23,831 (65.5) 48,805 (52.2) <0.001 Old case 15,999 (52.1) 10,670 (66.0) 5,398 (53.0) 12,578 (34.5) 44,645 (47.8) (*: Pearson Chi Square tests) Table 2: Patient characteristics according to K86 & exclusion coding The finding that older patients are more likely to be coded can perhaps be explained by the presence of more mor- bidities in the elderly group and perhaps more frequent consulting (and hence likelihood of ICPC code being entered on at least one occasion) which would also be the case for the higher coding rates in the follow-up patients. The coding difference in different districts of residence may possibly be explained by the concentration of train- ing centres and teaching clinics in Shatin. The similarly higher coding rate in FMSC can also be explained by the more stringent coding requirement of specialty clinics. That higher likelihood of the female patients receiving a code is also of interest and further exploration of the rea- sons is needed. Interpretation of findings The completeness of the demographic, socio-economic, and prescribing details relate to the way in which this information is organized and documented within the e- CMS. Patient must register at first attendance and the demographic and socio-economic data is entered directly into the computer system by administrative staff in the reception office. Prescriptions can only be issued via the CMS, including private prescriptions. Comparing patient characteristics among different coding groups The whole study cohort had an average age of 64 years, with the majority (61.2%) being 60 years old or over (Table 2). Patients with uncomplicated hypertension (K86-only group) had a similar age distribution to the non-coded group. Overall there were more female than male patients (Table 2). The K86-only and non-coded groups had more female patients than the other two Page 4 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Page 4 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 Table 2: Patient characteristics according to K86 & exclusion coding Coding K86 coded & without exclusion codes (n = 30,704) K86 coded with exclusion codes (n = 16,155) No K86 but with exclusion codes (n = 10,182) No K86 & no exclusion codes (36,409) All cases (n = 93,450) p value* Patient "K86 only group" "combined group" "Exclusion group" "Non-coded group" Age on appt. (no.%) <50 4550(14.8) 1,073 (6.6) 791 (7.8) 7,484 (20.6) 13898(14.9) <0.001 50–59 8116(26.4) 2,814 (17.4) 1,804 (17.7) 9,704 (26.7) 22438(24.0) 60–69 6954(22.6) 4,191(25.9) 2,421 (23.8) 7,516 (20.6) 21082(22.6) ≥70 11084(36.1) 8,077 (50.0) 5,166 (50.7) 11,705 (32.1) 36032(38.6) Mean Age on appt. Comparing patient characteristics among different coding groups Thus we would expect such data to be complete. ICPC codes on the other hand are entered by the attending physicians during the consultation. Most primary care clinics are extremely busy (each doctor needs to handle 70–80 patients a day), and short consultations are the norm rather than the exception Thus it is perhaps unsurprising that ICPC codes were often not entered into the e-CMS. Audit work has shown that diagnoses are often entered into the hand written notes rather than given an ICPC code (MCS Wong, unpublished data). Since completion of the current study, the NTEC, HA has reinforced its ICPC coding policy and the coding rate for all diseases as of July, 2007 has been reported to be 87.7% [information provided by statistics team of the Hospital Authority Head Office, November 2007]. Thus in future Page 5 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Page 5 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 Table 3: Associated factors of coding by physicians Coding Coded* (n = 57,041) Non-coded(n = 36,409) Adjusted Odds Ratios** (95% C.I.) p value Patient Age on appt. (no.%) <50 6,414(11.2) 7,484(20.6) 1.000 (reference) 50–59 12,735(22.3) 9,704(26.7) 1.364(1.302, 1.429) <0.001 60–69 13,566(23.8) 7,516(20.6) 1.774(1.692, 1.861) <0.001 ≥70 24,327(42.6) 11,705(32.1) 2.180(2.088, 2.277) <0.001 Gender Male 24,918(43.7) 15,412(42.3) 1.000 (reference) Female 32,123(56.3) 20,997(57.7) 1.202(1.168,1.238) <0.001 Payment status Fee-waivers 15,475(27.1) 9,696(26.6) Payers 41,566(72.9) 26,713(73.4) Not significant District of residence Shatin 32,851(57.6) 12,120(33.3) 1.000 (reference) Taipo 11,436(20.0) 11,156(30.6) 0.316(0.304, 0.327) <0.001 North 9,995(17.5) 10,684(29.3) 0.330(0.318, 0.343) <0.001 Others 2,759(4.8) 2,449(6.7) 0.405(0.381, 0.432) <0.001 Service type General 50,350(88.3) 34,524(94.8) 1.000 (reference) FMSC 6,503(11.4) 1,673(4.6) 1.448(1.362, 1.539) <0.001 Staff clinic 188(0.3) 212(0.6) 0.940(0.760, 1.162) 0.565 Appointment type (no./%) New case 24,974(43.8) 23,831(65.5) 1.000 (reference) Old case 32,067(56.2) 12,578(34.5) 2.394(2.324, 2.467) <0.001 (FMSC: Family Medicine Specialist Clinic. *Coded group refers to patients having at least one code, either K86 or exclusion coding. **represent odds ratios after controlling for all the predictor variables) Table 3: Associated factors of coding by physicians cialist Clinic. *Coded group refers to patients having at least one code, either K86 or exclusion coding. **represent for all the predictor variables) (FMSC: Family Medicine Specialist Clinic. *Coded group refers to patients having at least one code, either K86 or ex odds ratios after controlling for all the predictor variables) ers. Comparing patient characteristics among different coding groups The GPRD in UK consists of information from prac- tices which are up to standard, requiring the practice to record a minimum of 95% of prescribing and relevant patient-encounter events [45]. Also data from practices are routinely under internal checks for validity [34], and each practice will be sent a validation report after data collec- tion. work using this database substantially higher percentages of disease coded data for patients with hypertension and other chronic conditions seems likely. Relationship to published literature p p Many studies have used different diseases to validate local databases. For the GPRD database in the UK, hospital investigations and death certificates have been adopted to support the validity of disease codes for deep vein throm- bosis and pulmonary embolism [32]. Questionnaires posted to general practitioners have been used to verify the diagnosis and severity of chronic obstructive pulmo- nary diseases for validation of the OXMIS codes of GPRD [33]. Both studies found good agreement between data- base disease codes and the tools used for validation, and concluded that GPRD is of sufficiently high quality for epidemiological research. Other methods for database validation include the use of morbidity surveys and national data to compare with database information [34,35], which reported similar database usefulness. Many studies on GPRD mainly focused on the complete- ness and quality of computer recorded data [36,37]. GPRD has been used to address a variety of clinical issues, including pharmaco-epidemiology and medication safety [38], rheumatoid diseases [39,40], gout [41,42], diabetes [43], and sexually transmitted infections [44], among oth- We are unaware of any published work on validation of the accuracy of disease codes in the HA e-CMS in Hong Kong, but clearly this would be an important area for future work if more rigorous health services research is planned. However, a first step is the need for implementa- tion of a quality control system and the necessary organi- zational changes to ensure more complete data entry in terms of ICPC disease codes. Page 6 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Authors' contributions MCSW has contributed to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis of data and prepared the first draft of this paper. JYJ and J–LT contributed to refining the meth- odology, data analysis, and intellectual input to data interpretation; AL, HF and SWM contributed to amend- ment of initial study design, analysis of data, and critically revising the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript. SWM is guarantor for the study. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 However, this study also has some weaknesses. Firstly, there are no external data to support the validity of the database. We regarded the ICPC code as the 'gold stand- ard' in categorizing our study cohort. The accuracy of these codes however, has not been formally validated against data from case notes or those from the secondary care sector (which uses International Classification of Dis- eases (ICD) codes). However, given the relatively straight- forward diagnosis of uncomplicated hypertension we believed the biases may be minimal. Secondly, these data apply only to the NTE cluster, which represents only one of seven organisational units within the HA in Hong Kong. Thus we cannot know if the issues raised in the study apply across the public healthcare system in Hong Kong, although we have no reason to suspect that NTE is different organizationally that other clusters. Thirdly, due to gradual implementation of the e-CMS system and the disruption of SARS in 2003 the present study could not evaluate ICPC coding before 2004, and some of the 'un- coded' patients in the present study could have been coded by physicians pre-2004 into hand-written records or free text space. However, since January 2004, all doctors in the clinics are required to use the computer system as the sole portal of information entry and patients with ICPC codes in hand-written notes or free text before Janu- ary 2004 should have had that information re-entered into the e-CMS at consultations during the study period. However, the ICPC code need only be entered once to be counted as a 'coded patient' (not re-coded at every consul- tation). ers where data recording protocols are more stringently managed and implemented. Further studies are needed to validate the accuracy and completeness of CDARS and CMS in Hong Kong by more rigorous testing. These include comparison of cluster-representative surveys with data generated for each disease entity to ensure they are representative, and exploration of the disease status of uncoded patients by case-note reviews to test whether the uncoded group is likely to have uncomplicated hyperten- sion only. Since prescription details are virtually complete, this data- base has the potential to study the patterns of antihyper- tensive prescription, profiles of drug discontinuation and switching, and the association of antihypertensive drug class to clinical outcomes like mortality. Work is under- way currently on all these areas of enquiry. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Hospital Authority, Hong Kong and the input by colleagues in the Primary Care research Group of the School of Public Health, Chinese University of Hong Kong for their generous support to this project. SW Mercer conducted this work as Visiting Professor in Primary Care Research at the School of Public Health, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Conclusion h d The e-CMS database of the HA in Hong Kong varies in quality in terms of recorded information. Potential future health services research using demographic and prescrip- tion information is highly feasible but for disease-specific research dependant on ICPC codes some caution is war- ranted. In the case of uncomplicated hypertension, future research on pharmaco-epidemiology (such as prescrip- tion patterns) and clinical issues (such as side-effects of medications on metabolic parameters) seems feasible given the large size of the data set and the comparability of coded and non-coded patients. Implications for policy and practice Hypertension is an important chronic disease globally and locally in Hong Kong. The large numbers of electronic patient records and completeness of some information could potentially serve to help addressing this condition in important areas of health services research, such as drug prescription profiles and health service utilization pat- terns. The scale of the database also has potential in clini- cal epidemiological research with linkage between the needs of the populations served, their geographical loca- tion, and the availability of high quality primary care on the basis of such needs. Data protection issues should however be observed by researchers; the present database is anonymized having only identity numbers without patient contact details hence enhancing its data safety. In practical terms, there are simple steps that can be initiated at minimal cost, to enhance the quality of the e-CMS data. For example, guidelines on ICPC coding for the clinical staff may be helpful, and system changes which require the entry of ICPC codes as compulsory rather than optional. Our finding that more family medicine special- ist clinics are likely to have coding supports the effective- ness of routine data protocols in enhancing disease coding rates, because these clinics are doctor training cent- The authors declare that they have no competing interests. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Strengths and weaknesses of current study The major strength of this study was the availability of a large amount of electronic patient data on antihyperten- sive medication over a three and a half year period from which we could ascertain the potential and pitfalls of using such data in health services research in the public healthcare system in Hong Kong. We have done this in a systematic way, and included robust statistical analysis to aid interpretation. Page 6 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Page 6 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 Madsen KM, Hviid A, Vestergaard M, Schendel D, Wohlfahrt J, Thorsen P, Olsen J, Melbye M: A population-based study of mea- sles, mumps, and rubella vaccination and autism. New England Journal of Medicine 2002, 347:1477-82. 33. Soriano JB, Maier WC, Visick G, Pride NB: Validation of general practitioner-diagnosed COPD in the UK General Practice Research Database. European Journal of Epidemiology 2001, 17:1075-1080. J f 13. Smith GC, Wood AM, Pell JP, White IR, Crossley JA, Dobbie R: Sec- ond-trimester maternal serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein and the subsequent risk of sudden infant death syndrome. New England Journal of Medicine 2004, 351:978-86. 34. Hollowell J: The General Practice Research Database: quality of morbidity data. Popul Trends 1997, 87:36-40. g J 14. Edgren G, Hjalgrim H, Reilly M, Tran TN, Rostgaard K, Shanwell A, Titlestad K, Adami J, Wikman A, Jersild C, Gridley G, Wideroff L, Nyren O, Melbye M: Risk of cancer after blood transfusion from donors with subclinical cancer: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet 2007, 369:1724-30. 35. McCormack A, Fleming D, Caharlton J: Morbidity statistics from general practice Fouth national study 1991–92. HMSO, London; 1995. p y 36. Nazareth I, King M, Haines A, Rangel L, Myers S: Accuracy of diag- nosis of psychosis on general practice computer system. BMJ 1993, 307:32-34. 15. Capewell S, MacIntyre K, Stewart S, Chalmers JW, Boyd J, Finlayson A, Redpath A, Pell JP, McMurray JJ: Age, sex, and social trends in out-of-hospital cardiac deaths in Scotland 1986–95: a retro- spective cohort study. Lancet 2001, 358:1213-7. 37. Nazareth I, King M, Haines A, See Tai S, Hall G: Care of schizophre- nia in general practice. BMJ 1993, 307:910. 38. Hardy JR, Leaderer BP, Holford TR, Hall GC, Bracken MB: Safety of medications prescribed before and during early pregnancy in a cohort of 81,975 mothers from the UK General Practice Research Database. Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety 2006, 15:555-64. 16. Cruz-Correia RJ, Vieira-Marques PM, Ferreira AM, Almeida FC, Wyatt JC, Costa-Pereira AM: Reviewing the integration of patient data: how systems are evolving in practice to meet patient needs. BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making 2007, 7:14. 39. Nightingale AL, Farmer RD, de Vries CS: Incidence of clinically diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus 1992–1998 using the UK General Practice Research Database. Pharmacoepide- miology & Drug Safety 2006, 15:656-61. 17. Cheung NT: Health informatics, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong. Realizing the benefits of eHealth in Hong Kong [http://www.ehealth.org.hk/ Speaker/Dr%20Ngai%20Tseung%20CHEUNG.pdf]. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 Lawrenson R, Williams T, Farmer R: Clinical information for research; the use of general practice databases. Journal of Pub- lic Health Medicine 1999, 21:299-304. ( ) 26. Singh RB, Suh IL, Singh VP, Chaithiraphan S, Laothavorn P, Sy RG, Babilonia NA, Rahman AR, Sheikh S, Tomlinson B, Sarraf-Zadigan N: Hypertension and stroke in Asia: Prevalence, control and strategies in developing countries for prevention. J Hum Hypertens 2000, 14:749-763. 7. EPIC: EPICGPRD: A guide for researchers London: EPIC; 2003. 8 G G S C 8. Mazzaglia G, Mantovani LG, Sturkenboom MCJM, Filippi A, Trifiro G, Cricelli C, Brignoli O, Caputi AP: Patterns of persistence with antihypertensive medications in newly diagnosed hyperten- sive patients in Italy: a retrospective cohort study in primary care. J Hypertens 2005, 23:2093-2100. yp 27. Singh RB, Five City Study Group: Prevalence and risk factors of hypertension and age specific blood pressures in five cities: a study of Indian women. Int J Cardiol 1998, 63:165-173. J yp 9. Williams JI, Young W: A summary of studies on the quality of health care administrative databases in Canada. In Patterns of Health Care in Ontario. The ICES Practice Atlas 2nd edition. Edited by: Goel V, Williams JI, Anderson GM, Blackstein-Hirsh P, Fooks C, Nay- lor CD. Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Medical Association; 1996:339-345. y J 28. Ueshima H, Zhang XH, Choudhury SR: Epidemiology of hyper- tension in China and Japan. J Hum Hypertens 2000, 14:765-69. J p J yp 29. Gupta R: Hypertension in India: definition, prevalence and evaluation. J Indian Med Assoc 1999, 97:74-80. 30. InterASIA Collaborative group: Cardiovascular risk factor levels in urban and rural Thailand: The International Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease in Asia (InterASIA). Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 2003, 10:249-57. 10. Booth GL, Kapral MK, Fung K, Tu JV: Relation between age and cardiovascular disease in men and women with diabetes compared with non-diabetic people: a population-based ret- rospective cohort study. Lancet 2006, 368:29-36. 31. Population by-census, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China 2006 [http://www.bycensus2006.gov.hk/data/data2/index.htm]. Accessed 09, October, 2007 p 11. Hux JE, Ivis F, Flintoft V, Bica A: Diabetes in Ontario: Determina- tion of prevalence and incidence using a validated adminis- trative data algorithm. Diabetes Care 2002, 25:512-516. 32. Lawrenson R, Todd J-C, Leydon GM, Williams TJ, Farmer RDT: Val- idation of the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism in gen- eral practice database studies. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2000, 49:591-596. 12. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 20. (ITA.LI.CA) Group: Impact of etiology of cirrhosis on the sur- vival of patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma during surveillance. American Journal of Gastroenterology 2007, 102:1022-31. (ITA.LI.CA) Group: Impact of etiology of cirrhosis on the sur- vival of patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma during surveillance. American Journal of Gastroenterology 2007, 102:1022-31. 20. Burke TA, Sturkenboom MC, Lu S, Wenworth CE, Lin Y, Rhoads GG: Discontinuation of antihypertensive drugs among newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in UK general practice. J Hypertens 2006, 24:1193-1200. 2. McKeever TM, Lewis SA, Smith C, Hubbard R: The importance of prenatal exposures on the development of allergic disease: a birth cohort study using the West Midlands General Practice Database. American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine 2002, 166:827-32. 21. Degli EE, Sturani A, Degli EL, Macini PL, Falasca P, Valpiani G, Buda S: Pharmacoutilization of antihypertensive drugs: a model of analysis. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2001, 39:251-8. 22. Department of Health and Department of Community Medicine, University of Hong Kong 2004 [http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/ full_report_on_population_health_survey_2003_2004_en_20051024 .pdf]. Population Health Survey Accessed 08, October, 2007 3. Jones R, Latinovic R, Charlton J, Gulliford MC: Alarm symptoms in early diagnosis of cancer in primary care: cohort study using General Practice Research Database. BMJ 2007, 334:1040. 4. Fleming DM, Watson JM, Nicholas S, Smith GE, Swan AV: Study of the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in the elderly in the epidemic of 1989–90 using a general practice database. Epi- demiol Infect 1995, 115(3):581-9. 23. Kearney PM, Whelton M, Reynolds K, Whelton PK, He J: World- wide prevalence of hypertension: a systematic review. J Hypertens 2004, 22:11-19. yp 24. Ezzati M, Hoorn S Vander, Lawes CM, Leach R, James WP, Lopez AD, Rodgers A, Murray CJ: Rethinking the "disease of affluence" paradigm: global patterns of nutritional risks in relation to economic development. PloS Med 2005, 2:e133. f ( ) 5. Gibbs RG, Todd JC, Irvine C, Lawrenson R, Newson R, Greenhalgh RM, Davies AH: Relationship between the regional and national incidence of transient ischemic attack and stroke and performance of carotid endarterectomy. Eur J Vascular Endovascular Surg 1998, 16:47-52. p 25. Hoes AW, Grobbee DE, Lubsen J, Man in 't Veld AJ, Does E van der, Hofman A: Diuretics, beta-blockers, and the risk for sudden cardiac death in hypertensive patients. Ann Intern Med 1995, 123(7):481-487. 6. References 1. Trevisani F, Magini G, Santi V, Morselli-Labate AM, Cantarini MC, Di Nolfo MA, Del Poggio P, Benvegnu L, Rapaccini G, Farinati F, Zoli M, Borzio F, Giannini EG, Caturelli E, Bernardi M, Italian Liver Cancer 1. Trevisani F, Magini G, Santi V, Morselli-Labate AM, Cantarini MC, Di Nolfo MA, Del Poggio P, Benvegnu L, Rapaccini G, Farinati F, Zoli M, Borzio F, Giannini EG, Caturelli E, Bernardi M, Italian Liver Cancer Page 7 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Page 7 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 Accessed on 19, September, 2007 40. gy g y 40. Karopka T, Fluck J, Mevissen HT, Glass A: The Autoimmune Dis- ease Database: a dynamically compiled literature-derived database. BMC Bioinformatics 2006, 7:325. p 18. Jones JK, Gorkin L, Lian JF, Staffa JA, Fletcher AP: Discontinuation of and changes in treatment after start of new courses of antihypertensive drugs: a study of United Kingdom popula- tion. BMJ 1995, 311:293-295. 41. Mikuls TR, Farrar JT, Bilker WB, Fernandes S, Saag KG: Supoptimal physician adherence to quality indicators for the manage- ment of gout and asymptomatic hyperuricemia: results from the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD). Rheu- matology 2005, 44:1038-42. J 19. Tu K, Campbell NRC, Duong-Hua M, McAlister FA: Hypertension Management in the Elderly has improved: Ontario Prescrib- ing Trends, 1994 to 2002. Hypertension 2005, 45:1113-1118. Page 8 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Page 8 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:138 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138 42. Mikuls TR, Farrar JT, Bilker WB, Fernandes S, Schmacher HR Jr, Saag KG: Gout epidemiology: results from the UK General Prac- tice Research Database, 1990–1999. Annals of the Rheumatic Dis- eases 2005, 64:267-72. 43. Soedamah-Muthu SS, Fuller JH, Mulnier HE, Raleigh VS, Lawrenson RA, Colhoun HM: All-cause mortality rates in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus compared with a non-diabetic pop- ulation from the UK general practice research database, 1992–1999. Diabetologia 2006, 49:660-6. g 44. Cassell JA, Mercer CH, Sutcliffe L, Petersen I, Islam A, Brook MG, Ross JD, Kinghorn GR, Simms I, Hughes G, Majeed A, Stephenson JM, Johnson AM, Hayward AC: Trends in sexually transmitted infec- tions in general practice 1990–2000: population based study using data from the UK general practice research database. BMJ 2006, 332:332-4. J 45. Walley T, Mantgani A: The UK General Practice Research Database. Lancet 1997, 350:1097-99. Pre-publication history The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here: The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138/pre pub http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/138/pre pub Publish with BioMed Central and every scientist can read your work free of charge "BioMed Central will be the most significant development for disseminating the results of biomedical research in our lifetime." Sir Paul Nurse, Cancer Research UK Your research papers will be: available free of charge to the entire biomedical community peer reviewed and published immediately upon acceptance cited in PubMed and archived on PubMed Central yours — you keep the copyright Submit your manuscript here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/publishing_adv.asp BioMedcentral Page 9 of 9 (page number not for citation purposes) Publish with BioMed Central and every scientist can read your work free of charge
https://openalex.org/W3109510654
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2021/ra/d1ra05451a
English
null
X-ray excited luminescence spectroscopy and imaging with NaGdF<sub>4</sub>:Eu and Tb
RSC advances
2,021
cc-by
9,649
X-ray excited luminescence spectroscopy and imaging with NaGdF4:Eu and Tb† Meenakshi Ranasinghe, a Md. Arifuzzaman, a Apeksha C. Rajamanthrilage, a W. R. Willoughby,b Ashley Dickey,a Colin McMillen,a Joseph W. Kolis,a Mark Boldingb and Jeffrey N. Anker *a Meenakshi Ranasinghe, a Md. Arifuzzaman, a Apeksha C. Rajamanthrilage, a W. R. Willoughby,b Ashley Dickey,a Colin McMillen,a Joseph W. Kolis,a Mark Boldingb and Jeffrey N. Anker *a X-ray excited optical luminescence from nanophosphors can be used to selectively generate light in tissue for imaging and stimulating light-responsive materials and cells. Herein, we synthesized X-ray scintillating NaGdF4:Eu and Tb nanophosphors via co-precipitate and hydrothermal methods, encapsulated with silica, functionalized with biotin, and characterized by X-ray excited optical luminescence spectroscopy and imaging. The nanophosphors synthesized by co-precipitate method were 90 and 106 nm in diameter, respectively, with hydrothermally synthesized particles showing the highest luminescence intensity. More importantly, we investigated the effect of thermal annealing/calcination on the X-ray excited luminescence spectra and intensity. At above 1000 C, the luminescence intensity increased, but particles fused together. Coating with a 15 nm thick silica shell prevented particle fusion and enabled silane-based chemical functionalization, although luminescence decreased largely due to the increased mass of non-luminescent material. We observed an increase in luminesce intensity with temperature until at 400 C. At above 600 C, NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 converts to NaGd9Si6O26:Eu, an X-ray scintillator brighter than annealed NPs at 400 C and dimmer than NPs synthesized using the hydrothermal method. The particles generate light through tissue and can be selectively excited using a focused X-ray source for imaging and light generation applications. The particles also act as MRI contrast agents for multi-modal localization. Received 15th July 2021 Accepted 16th September 2021 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra05451a rsc.li/rsc-advances Received 15th July 2021 Accepted 16th September 2021 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra05451a rsc.li/rsc-advances subatomic particles) and emit UV, visible and/or NIR light.1,2 These materials are widely used in radiation detection3 and imaging applications,4–6 and occasionally in external power-free light generation applications (e.g., old luminescent watches, emergency lighting and gun sites).7 Recently, researchers have been developing scintillator nanophosphors for improved X-ray luminescence imaging,8–10 radiation imaging,9,11,12 and as a potential light source for photochemistry and photobiology (e.g., X-ray excited optogenetics13). aDepartment of Chemistry, Center for Optical Materials Engineering and Technology (COMSET), Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA. E-mail: janker@clemson.edu bDepartment of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/d1ra05451a RSC Advances Cite this: RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717 Received 15th July 2021 Accepted 16th September 2021 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra05451a rsc.li/rsc-advances PAPER Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. View Article Online View Journal | View Issue Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Introduction Light can be a powerful tool for studying biochemistry in cells and tissue and for stimulating responses from genetically engineered light-sensitive neurons (optogenetics) or photo- released drugs. The challenge for delivering or retrieving light from deep tissue is that scattering in the tissue prevents light from travelling ballistically, and the point spread function is typically >1 cm through 1 cm of tissue, also the light is atten- uated by the tissue.1,2 One approach that circumvents these problems is to use selectively generate light using focused X-ray beams to generate visible luminescence from scintillators implanted or injected in the tissue. Since X-rays are far less scattered than visible and near-infrared light, the X-ray beam focus can be maintained through the tissue and generate visible light locally aer absorption by scintillator particles. Scintilla- tors are luminescent materials that absorb high-energy radia- tion (g- and X-ray photons, high energy ions, neutrons, or other Rare-earth doped materials (NaGdF4:Eu14,15 and Tb,16 GdO2- S2:Eu and Tb,10 YAG:Nd, LuAG:Tm, Lu2SiO5:Ce17) have inter- esting properties including narrow and distinct spectral emission peaks, large optical penetration depth, negligible autouorescence background, photochemical stability and low toxicity.6 Among them, rare-earth uorides (NaGdF4) are considered excellent host matrices for luminescent rare earth elements (e.g., Eu and Tb). They usually have high refractive indices and low phonon energies, which cause a low probability of nonradiative decay and higher luminescent quantum yields compared to oxide hosts and other inorganic matrices.18 Herein, we synthesize 100 nm diameter NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors for X-ray excited luminescence. This diameter is in a good range for long circulation as nano- particles smaller than 5.5 nm undergo relatively fast blood RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726 | 31717 © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry View Article Online View Article Online RSC Advances RSC Advances Paper Fig. 1 (A) Schematic illustration of nanophosphors synthesis accord- ing to co-precipitate method. (i) Mixture of Gd(NO3)3 and Eu(NO3)3 or Tb(NO3)3, (ii) Ln3+–citrate3 complex appears as a clear solution, (iii) formation of NaGdF4:Ln3+ nanophosphors. Zoom out TEM images of (B1) NaGdF4:Eu and (C1) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors. Zoom in TEM images of (B2) NaGdF4:Eu and (C2) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors. Histograms of the average diameter of (B3) NaGdF4:Eu and (C3) NaGdF4:Tb. Powder XRD pattern compared to PDF cards 27-0699 of (B4) NaGdF4:Eu and (C4) NaGdF4:Tb. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. We also compared X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) spectra from hydrothermal and co-precipitation synthesis methods and the effect of thermal annealing. Nano- particle annealing at high temperature is a widespread method in upconversion nanophosphors to enhance luminescence10,23,24 by reducing crystal defect, increasing crystal domain size and removing trapped water and carbon dioxide. However, enhancing luminescence of X-ray excited nanophosphors using annealing techniques is still under investigation. Here, we synthesized both NaGdF4:Tb and NaGdF4:Eu, which have distinct spectra. The nanophosphors were functionalized with biotin and attach to streptavidin in vitro. They could be selec- tively excited in a solution using a focused X-ray source to obtain XEOL spectroscopy and to image through tissue; here we focused on the NaGdF4:Eu because their red emission has deeper penetration through tissue than the largely green emit- ting NaGdF4:Tb.25,26 Additionally, the particles serve as T1 and T2 MRI contrast agents which would be useful for multi-modal imaging applications. Results and discussion We synthesized NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors via co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods and studied the effect of dopant concentration on their optical spectra and crystal diffraction patterns. Next, we encapsulated the nano- phosphors in silica to prevent thermal sintering and studied the effect of thermal treatment. We functionalized the nano- phosphors with biotin and showed that we could excite colloidal suspensions of particles with a focused X-ray beam and image the luminescence through tissue. Finally, we explored the possibility of multimodal imaging based on spec- trally distinct features of the nanophosphors as well as MRI contrast. Fig. 1 (A) Schematic illustration of nanophosphors synthesis accord- ing to co-precipitate method. (i) Mixture of Gd(NO3)3 and Eu(NO3)3 or Tb(NO3)3, (ii) Ln3+–citrate3 complex appears as a clear solution, (iii) formation of NaGdF4:Ln3+ nanophosphors. Zoom out TEM images of (B1) NaGdF4:Eu and (C1) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors. Zoom in TEM images of (B2) NaGdF4:Eu and (C2) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors. Histograms of the average diameter of (B3) NaGdF4:Eu and (C3) NaGdF4:Tb. Powder XRD pattern compared to PDF cards 27-0699 of (B4) NaGdF4:Eu and (C4) NaGdF4:Tb. synthesized using the co-precipitate method at room tempera- ture were approximately spherical in shape (Fig. 1B1 and C1). The Eu-doped and Tb-doped nanophosphors respective had average diameters of 90 nm (Fig. 1A2) and 106 nm (Fig. 1C2). The powder X-ray diffraction (powder-XRD) peaks displayed the presence of hexagonal (b-phase) NaGdF4 (Fig. 1B3 and C3) indexed to the standard data (JCPDS 00-027-0699), with rela- tively large peak with indicating small crystal domain sizes (55 ˚A NaGdF4:Eu and 53 ˚A NaGdF4:Tb according to the Scherrer equation based on peak at 16.8 degrees). TEM images and Introduction clearance by renal ltration, nanoparticles smaller than 70 nm lter through fenestrae of hepatic sinusoids,19–21 while nanoparticles between 200–500 nm are endocytosed by phago- cytic or non-phagocytic cells and nanoparticles larger than 500 nm are likely to remove form cells by phagocytosis.19,22 Thus nanoparticles with 100 nm diameter have shown the minimum effect on blood clearance mechanisms (ex. renal, liver ltration) and prolonged circulation time.20,21 These intermediate size nanoparticles tend to accumulate in perivascular spaces of permeable tissues (ex. liver and spleen, tumour, site of inam- mation and angiogenesis)19,20 allowing bicomponent imaging. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. The optical properties of rare-earth doped nanophosphors depend upon the doping ions and crystalline matrix. Fig. 2 shows the X-ray excited optical luminescence spectrum of NaGdF4:Eu. There are three characteristic peaks in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum, at around 589 nm, 615 nm and 691 nm that corresponding to 5D0 / 7F1, 5D0 / 7F2, 5D0 / 7F4 transitions.10,14 Tb doped NaGdF4 have four characteristic peaks in the visible range, at around 489 nm, 543 nm, 585 nm and 620 nm that corresponding to 5D4 / 7F6, 5D4 / 7F5, 5D4 / 7F4, 5D4 / 7F3 transitions.10,29 Since the luminescence intensity depends upon dopant concentra- tion,30,31 we varied the amount of Eu and Tb compared to Gd3+ in the reaction mixture. Fig. 2A and B show the luminescence spectra for Eu- and Tb-doped nanophosphors, respectively. The dopant:Gd molar concentration ratios in the NaGdF4 synthesis reaction were 0.1% (bottom), 1%, 15%, 20% and 100% (top). A base value has been added to each spectrum to avoid spectral overlapping. At low and high molar ratios of both Eu and Tb doped NaGdF4 nanophosphors showed low luminescence intensity due to lack of luminescence centres and self- quenching (cross relaxation between two neighbouring Eu3+),30 respectively. Intermediate concentrations, 1%, 15% and 20% in Eu-doped NaGdF4 showed the highest although similar luminescence intensities. In Tb-doped NaGdF4 20% showed the highest intensity. Fig. 3 (A) Schematic illustration of nanophosphors synthesis accord- ing to co-precipitate method. (i) Mixture of Gd(NO3)3 and Eu(NO3)3 or Tb(NO3)3, (ii) Ln3+–citrate3 complex appears as a clear solution, (iii) formation of NaGdF4:Ln3+ nanophosphors, (iv) hydrothermally treated NaGdF4:Ln3+ nanophosphors. TEM images of hydrothermally treated (B1) NaGdF4:Eu and (B2) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors. (B3) Powder XRD pattern compared to PDF cards 27-0699 of NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb. nanophosphors recrystallize to rearrange the crystal structure. nanophosphors recrystallize to rearrange the crystal structure. The nanophosphors synthesized using the co-precipitate method at room temperature were hydrothermally treated to increase the crystallinity and thereby, enhance the X-ray lumi- nescence intensity. The hydrothermally treated nanophosphors were irregularly shaped (Fig. 3B1 and B2) as nanophosphors are starting to aggregate and fuse at high temperature. However, narrow peaks in the powder XRD pattern (Fig. 3B3) conrmed the increased crystallinity compared to nanophosphors synthesized at room temperature. (179 ˚A NaGdF4:Eu and 128 ˚A NaGdF4:Tb according to the Scherrer equation based on peak at 17 degrees). NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nanoparticle synthesis In the NaGdF4 nanophosphor synthesis, citrate acts as a com- plexing and dispersing agent that forms a La3+–Cit3 complex and disperse in deionized (DI) water. Upon addition of excess NaF, La3+ released from the complex reacts with Na+ and F to form NaGdF4 nuclei. Aer the formation of NaGdF4:Eu and Tb, the citrate serves as a surfactant which controls nanoparticle growth and prevents aggregation.15,27 Co-precipitate synthesis method. The co-precipitate synthesis process is presented in Fig. 1A. The nanophosphors © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry 31718 | RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726 View Article Online Paper RSC Advances powder-XRD patterns of Eu- and Tb-dopped NaGdF4 (0.1, 1, 15, 20 and 100%) are included in ESI S1.† The synthesized nano- phosphors show powder-XRD peak shicompared to standard peak positions (ex. peaks at around 53). This observation is common in most powder-XRD patterns due to changes in stoichiometric composition by doping (size and amount of dopant), microstructure parameters (crystallite size and lattice strain).28 X-ray luminescence nanophosphors with low emission intensity are used in X-ray luminescence computer tomography (XLCT) and focused X-ray luminescence tomography (FXLT).11 Fig. 3 (A) Schematic illustration of nanophosphors synthesis accord- ing to co-precipitate method. (i) Mixture of Gd(NO3)3 and Eu(NO3)3 or Tb(NO3)3, (ii) Ln3+–citrate3 complex appears as a clear solution, (iii) formation of NaGdF4:Ln3+ nanophosphors, (iv) hydrothermally treated NaGdF4:Ln3+ nanophosphors. TEM images of hydrothermally treated (B1) NaGdF4:Eu and (B2) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors. (B3) Powder XRD pattern compared to PDF cards 27-0699 of NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb. Silica-coating NaGdF4:Eu and Tb nanophosphors NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphors, synthesized at room temperature, were coated with silica before further experiments. The silica can protect nanophosphors from aggregation and facilitate functionalization for biological applications. Fig. 5A presents the NaGdF4 silica coating process. In electron microscopy images (Fig. 6B1) the silica coating appeared as a 15 nm thick shell around the nanophosphors. The average diameter of NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 nanophosphors was about 120 nm (Fig. 5B2). Both Tb-doped and Eu-doped nanophosphors showed reduced X-ray luminescence aer coating with silica for the same mass of material. Aer coating, the NaGdF4:Eu nano- phosphors reduced intensity by 42% (Fig. 7A). This is largely explained by the additional silica which increased the mass by 65% (based on particle diameter, coating thickness, and density of NaGdF4 core and silica shell), while not providing any addi- tional luminescent material. NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphors, synthesized at room temperature, were coated with silica before further experiments. The silica can protect nanophosphors from aggregation and facilitate functionalization for biological applications. Fig. 5A presents the NaGdF4 silica coating process. In electron microscopy images (Fig. 6B1) the silica coating appeared as a 15 nm thick shell around the nanophosphors. The average diameter of NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 nanophosphors was about 120 nm (Fig. 5B2). Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. 7 XEOL spectra of silica-coated (A) NaGdF4:Eu and (B) NaGdF4:Tb compared to NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb synthesized using co- precipitate method. Paper View Article Online View Article Online View Article Online Paper RSC Advances Fig. 5 Metal composition of nanophosphors calculated using ICP- OES measurements. The graph of percent metal ratio of nano- phosphor vs. percent molar fraction of dopant added of NaGdF4:Eu synthesized by (A1) co-precipitate and (A2) hydrothermal methods and NaGdF4:Tb synthesized by (B1) co-precipitate and (B2) hydrothermal methods. Note, the amount of Tb in NaGdF4:0.1%Tb was not calcu- lated as it is lower than the limit of detection of the instrument. Fig. 7 XEOL spectra of silica-coated (A) NaGdF4:Eu and (B) NaGdF4:Tb compared to NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb synthesized using co- precipitate method. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Fig. 7 XEOL spectra of silica-coated (A) NaGdF4:Eu and (B) NaGdF4:Tb compared to NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb synthesized using co- precipitate method. (i.e., nanophosphors incorporated 20% more Eu than was added to the reagent mixture) and 1.3 for the NaGdF4:Tb (i.e., nanophosphors incorporated 30% more Eu than was added to the reagent mixture), suggesting increases in thermodynamic stability or kinetic reaction rates during synthesis. Fig. 5 Metal composition of nanophosphors calculated using ICP- OES measurements. The graph of percent metal ratio of nano- phosphor vs. percent molar fraction of dopant added of NaGdF4:Eu synthesized by (A1) co-precipitate and (A2) hydrothermal methods and NaGdF4:Tb synthesized by (B1) co-precipitate and (B2) hydrothermal methods. Note, the amount of Tb in NaGdF4:0.1%Tb was not calcu- lated as it is lower than the limit of detection of the instrument. Inductive coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP- OES) metal analysis ICP-OES analysis was performed for Gd, Eu and Tb to determine the Eu/Gd and Tb/Gd ratios of the synthesized nanophosphors, which determine X-ray luminescence intensity. All four types of samples (NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb synthesized by co- precipitate and hydrothermal methods) show increased percent metal ratio as the fraction of dopant added increases. The amount of dopant in the nal systems was directly proportional to amount added to the reagent mix, with a slope of 1.2 for both the coprecipitated and hydrothermal NaGdF4:Eu Both Tb-doped and Eu-doped nanophosphors showed reduced X-ray luminescence aer coating with silica for the same mass of material. Aer coating, the NaGdF4:Eu nano- phosphors reduced intensity by 42% (Fig. 7A). This is largely explained by the additional silica which increased the mass by 65% (based on particle diameter, coating thickness, and density of NaGdF4 core and silica shell), while not providing any addi- tional luminescent material. Fig. 6 (A) Schematic illustration of nanoparticle coating with silica. (i) NaGdF4:Ln3+ nanophosphors, (ii) silica-coated NaGdF4:Ln3+ nano- particles. (B1) TEM images of silica-coated NaGdF4 nanophosphors Eu-doped. (B2) Histograms of the diameter of silica-coated NaGdF4:Eu. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. TEM images and powder-XRD patterns of 0.1– 100% Eu- and Tb-dopped NaGdF4 are included in ESI S2.† Hydrothermally treated nanophosphors showed enhanced X-ray luminescence intensity by a factor of 2–2.5 compared to nanophosphors synthesized at room temperature. 15% Eu doped NaGdF4 showed the highest intensity however, 1% and 20% Eu doped NaGdF4 showed high values close to the highest intensity (Fig. 4A). The X-ray luminescence intensity of 15% Tb doped NaGdF4 had the highest intensity and 20% Tb doped NaGdF4 showed an intensity close to the highest value (Fig. 4B) Hydrothermal synthesis method. The hydrothermal synthesis process is presented in Fig. 3A. The crystallinity of inorganic crystals plays an important role in X-ray luminescence intensity where large crystal domain size results in high lumi- nescence intensity.10 During the hydrothermal process, Fig. 2 X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) of (A) NaGdF4:Eu and (B) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors. Eu and Tb dopant fraction (mol% added to reagents vs. Gd) of NaGdF4 nanophosphors varied from 0.1% to 100%. X-ray luminescence intensities of nanophosphors were normalized to the 620 nm peak intensity from commercial GOS:Eu and Tb microphosphors. Spectra have been vertically displaced for ease of comparison. Fig. 4 XEOL of hydrothermally treated (A) NaGdF4:Eu and (B) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphor. Mol fraction of Eu and Tb dopant vs. Gd in regent mixture varied from 0.1% to 100%. X-ray luminescence inten- sities of nanophosphors were normalized to the height of 620 nm peak of commercial GOS:Eu and Tb microparticles. Spectra have been vertically displaced by adding a baseline for ease of comparison. Fig. 2 X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) of (A) NaGdF4:Eu and (B) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphors. Eu and Tb dopant fraction (mol% added to reagents vs. Gd) of NaGdF4 nanophosphors varied from 0.1% to 100%. X-ray luminescence intensities of nanophosphors were normalized to the 620 nm peak intensity from commercial GOS:Eu and Tb microphosphors. Spectra have been vertically displaced for ease of comparison. Fig. 4 XEOL of hydrothermally treated (A) NaGdF4:Eu and (B) NaGdF4:Tb nanophosphor. Mol fraction of Eu and Tb dopant vs. Gd in regent mixture varied from 0.1% to 100%. X-ray luminescence inten- sities of nanophosphors were normalized to the height of 620 nm peak of commercial GOS:Eu and Tb microparticles. Spectra have been vertically displaced by adding a baseline for ease of comparison. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726 | 31719 Fig. Thermal analysis The stability of the nanophosphors towards heat was studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms as in Fig. 8A and B. NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb synthesized using co-precipitate method Fig. 8 (A) TGA and (B) DSC of NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nano- phosphors synthesized using co-precipitate and hydrothermal methods and NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2. Fig. 6 (A) Schematic illustration of nanoparticle coating with silica. (i) NaGdF4:Ln3+ nanophosphors, (ii) silica-coated NaGdF4:Ln3+ nano- particles. (B1) TEM images of silica-coated NaGdF4 nanophosphors Eu-doped. (B2) Histograms of the diameter of silica-coated NaGdF4:Eu. Fig. 8 (A) TGA and (B) DSC of NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nano- phosphors synthesized using co-precipitate and hydrothermal methods and NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry 31720 | RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726 RSC Advances View Article Online View Article Online Paper RSC Advances showed total weight loss of 12.5% and 12.1% respectively. Their highest weight loss appeared at 62.5 C is attributed to the loss of trapped H2O, and weight loss above 250 C may cause by the decomposition of citrate. The nanophosphors synthesized using the hydrothermal method indicated 3.10% (NaGdF4:Eu) and 5.17% (NaGdF4:Tb) total weight loss. There is no signicant weight loss caused by vaporization of trapped H2O. Also, the weight loss above 250 C is less intense than the weight loss of co-precipitate method. Silica coated-NaGdF4:Eu has total weight loss of 17.4%. Its weight loss at 65.5 C is attributed to the loss of trapped H2O and ethanol. The peaks above 250 C are more intense than for uncoated nanophosphors and likely caused by decomposition of citrate and PVP organic materials (ESI Fig. S4B and C†). Further, a DSC thermogram shows that vaporization and decomposition are both exothermic processes. The TGA thermogram shows that nanophosphors synthesized by the hydrothermal method contain less trapped water and organic materials, which may result in high X-ray luminescence intensity. Fig. 10 TEM images of NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 nanophosphors annealed at (A) 400 C, (B) 600 C (C) 1000 C. Fig. 10 TEM images of NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 nanophosphors annealed at (A) 400 C, (B) 600 C (C) 1000 C. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. (Fig. 10C) caused the nanophosphors to aggregate, although not to the extent of forming the large porous structures observed without coating (Fig. 7C). Thermal analysis Annealing at 400 C and 1000 C increased the luminescence intensity by a factor of 1.5 and 3 compared to unannealed silica-coated nanophosphors. Among the three annealing temperatures, 1000 C showed the highest intensity (Fig. 11A). We also observed that XEOL spectrum red-shied at high temperature (600 C and 1000 C). This spectral shicould potentially be useful for generating nanophosphors with distinguishable spectra for multi-modal imaging, and likely arises from changes in composition and crystal eld. (XEOL graphs of synthesized, annealed and silica coated NPs are included in ESI Fig. S3† to compare). Indeed, powder-XRD data conrmed the formation of sodium gadolinium silicate compound by reacting with the silica layer: XRD spectra display the presence of NaGd9Si6O26:Eu (Fig. 11B) indexed to the stan- dard data (JCPDS 00-056-0184). Additionally, we observed that the 1000 C annealed samples have sharper diffraction peaks indicating larger crystal domains, which likely reduces quenching from the surface and defects.10 Also, at 1000 C, the nanophosphors have started to aggregate. On balance, the 1000 C annealing appeared to give the best performance, albeit with a spectral shi. XEOL graphs of NaGdF4:15%Eu annealed at 150, 400 and 1000 C for 12 h are included in ESI S5.† Annealing NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphors Nanophosphors synthesized using the co-precipitate method and coated with silica have relatively low luminescence inten- sity which hinders most in vivo applications such as deep tissue imaging and implantable biosensors. High temperature annealing could enhance luminescence by removing crystal defects, increasing crystal domain size and removing trapped water and carbon dioxide.23,24 Unfortunately, when we annealed our nanophosphors at temperatures above 700 C, we found that the particles aggregated. For example, Fig. 9A shows that aer thermal annealing at 1000 C, the NaGdF4:Eu nano- phosphors aggregated and fused making a structure too large for many biological applications. However, the luminescence intensity was increased by a factor of 7 compared to nano- phosphors synthesized by the co-precipitate method. Biotin functionalized NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 Exposure time was 10 s without tissue and 60 s through tissue. dispersion of surface-modied physiological pH and high ion biotin-functionalization was dem streptavidin-functionalized bu (Fig. 12). X-ray excited optical luminescen of capillaries lled with NaGdF4 XEOL spectroscopy and imagin strate the ability to excite the n and show that the luminescence regions using a focused X-ray sou breast because 5 mm is suffici Fig. 12 Schematic illustration of ( functionalized with biotin (i) silica-co (ii) amine-functionalized nanophos nanophosphors. Biotin is connecte phosphors via sulfo-NHS groups, phosphors attach to streptavidin streptavidin-coated silica microbu nanophosphors attached to strepta (C) SEM image showing biotin attached to streptavidin-coated mic Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Fig. 12 Schematic illustration of (A) silica coated nanophosphors functionalized with biotin (i) silica-coated NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphors, (ii) amine-functionalized nanophosphors, (iii) biotin-functionalized nanophosphors. Biotin is connected to amine-functionalized nano- phosphors via sulfo-NHS groups, (B) biotin functionalized nano- phosphors attach to streptavidin coated silica microbubbles. (i) streptavidin-coated silica microbubbles, (ii) biotin-functionalized nanophosphors attached to streptavidin-coated silica microbubbles. (C) SEM image showing biotin-functionalized nanophosphors attached to streptavidin-coated microbubbles. Fig. 12 Schematic illustration of (A) silica coated nanophosphors functionalized with biotin (i) silica-coated NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphors, (ii) amine-functionalized nanophosphors, (iii) biotin-functionalized nanophosphors. Biotin is connected to amine-functionalized nano- phosphors via sulfo-NHS groups, (B) biotin functionalized nano- phosphors attach to streptavidin coated silica microbubbles. (i) streptavidin-coated silica microbubbles, (ii) biotin-functionalized nanophosphors attached to streptavidin-coated silica microbubbles. (C) SEM image showing biotin-functionalized nanophosphors attached to streptavidin-coated microbubbles. Fig. 13 Schematic illustration of measuring XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu filled in capillaries (A1) without tissue (B1) sandwiched with two 5 mm porcine tissues. XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu filled in capillaries (A2) without tissue (B2) sandwiched with two 5 mm porcine tissues. Exposure time was 10 s without tissue and 60 s through tissue. dispersion of surface-modied nanophosphors in water at physiological pH and high ionic strength (PBS buffer). The biotin-functionalization was demonstrated by attachment to streptavidin-functionalized buoyant silica microbubbles (Fig. 12). To demonstrate focused X-ray excited light generation and collection through tissue, we loaded 1 mm diameter glass capillaries with NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphor dispersions, and placed the capillaries beneath 5 mm porcine tissue for imaging (Fig. 14). Three capillaries were used, with NaGdF4 concentra- tions of 0, 50 and 100 mg mL1, respectively. Biotin functionalized NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 Silica coating can act as a protective layer, preventing parti- cles from aggregating and fusing during the annealing process.24 Annealed nanophosphors at 400 C (Fig. 10A) showed separate particles with a thin silica coating. Annealing at 600 C (Fig. 10B) showed single and separate nanophosphors with a silica shell, and nanophosphor core, but the core compressed, and some void space was apparent. Annealing at 1000 C Functionalizing rare-earth doped nanophosphors are important in in vivo labelling and imaging, biological assays and sensor applications with specic targets such as proteins and DNA.12,32,33 We functionalized NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 nano- phosphors (not annealed) with a mixture of PEG-phosphate and biotin-PEG. The PEG-phosphate was chosen to improve good Fig. 9 (A) SEM image and (B) XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu annealed at 1000 C for 6 h compared to NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphors synthesized using co- precipitate and hydrothermal methods. Fig. 11 (A) XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 annealed at 400 C, 600 C and 1000 C for 6 h. (B) Powder XRD pattern of annealed NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 at 600 C and 1000 C compared to PDF cards 00-056-0184 and 00- 027-0699 biotin functionalized NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2. Fig. 9 (A) SEM image and (B) XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu annealed at 1000 C for 6 h compared to NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphors synthesized using co- precipitate and hydrothermal methods. Fig. 11 (A) XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 annealed at 400 C, 600 C and 1000 C for 6 h. (B) Powder XRD pattern of annealed NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 at 600 C and 1000 C compared to PDF cards 00-056-0184 and 00- 027-0699 biotin functionalized NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2. Fig. 11 (A) XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 annealed at 400 C, 600 C and 1000 C for 6 h. (B) Powder XRD pattern of annealed NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 at 600 C and 1000 C compared to PDF cards 00-056-0184 and 00- 027-0699 biotin functionalized NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2. Fig. 9 (A) SEM image and (B) XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu annealed at 1000 C for 6 h compared to NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphors synthesized using co- precipitate and hydrothermal methods. RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726 | 31721 © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry View Article Online View Article Online RSC Advances Paper Fig. 13 Schematic illustration of measuring XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu filled in capillaries (A1) without tissue (B1) sandwiched with two 5 mm porcine tissues. XEOL of NaGdF4:Eu filled in capillaries (A2) without tissue (B2) sandwiched with two 5 mm porcine tissues. X-ray excited optical luminescence spectroscopy and imaging of capillaries lled with NaGdF4:Eu through tissue XEOL spectroscopy and imaging were performed to demon- strate the ability to excite the nanophosphors through tissue and show that the luminescence could be generated in specic regions using a focused X-ray source. We chose 5 mm of chicken breast because 5 mm is sufficient for many applications in a mouse model where the “radius” is <1 cm, and we used chicken breast because it is a common tissue material that scatters light. Optical scattering in chicken breast is highly anisotropic and has larger transport mean free path (the length over which the direction of photon propagation is randomized) than scattering mean free path.34 Fig. 14 XELCI images of NaGdF4:Eu dispersion in capillaries (A) XELCI images without tissue (i) image of 620 nm intensity (counts) vs. posi- tion. (ii) Image of 700 nm intensity (counts) vs. position (iii) XELCI ratio image (intensity ratio of 620 nm and 700 nm). (B) XELCI images of the same capillaries sandwiched between two 5 mm porcine tissue slices (i) 620 nm image (ii) 700 nm image (iii) XELCI ratio image. (iv) Super- imposed 620 nm image and X-ray transmittance images. Current was 200 mA without tissue and 600 mA through tissue. 1 mm scale bar is same for all images. XEOL spectroscopy of colloidal NaGdF4:Eu nanophosphors in capillaries were measured with and without being sand- wiched between two 4 mm porcine tissue. Fig. 13A1 and B1 show a schematic illustration of the experimental setup. The glass slide carrying capillaries (1 mm diameter) lled with a nanoparticle solution (0, 50, 100 mg mL1) is placed on the microscope stage. The light generated in X-ray irradiated nanophosphors was collected through a microscope lens and send to a spectrograph. Spectra generated without tissue (Fig. 13A2) shows intensity higher than capillaries sandwiched between porcine tissues (Fig. 11B2). Also, as the concentration of nanophosphors increase in the capillary intensity increases in both scenarios. Fig. 14 XELCI images of NaGdF4:Eu dispersion in capillaries (A) XELCI images without tissue (i) image of 620 nm intensity (counts) vs. posi- tion. (ii) Image of 700 nm intensity (counts) vs. position (iii) XELCI ratio image (intensity ratio of 620 nm and 700 nm). (B) XELCI images of the same capillaries sandwiched between two 5 mm porcine tissue slices (i) 620 nm image (ii) 700 nm image (iii) XELCI ratio image. (iv) Super- imposed 620 nm image and X-ray transmittance images. Biotin functionalized NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 Our 0.7500 diameter collection optics and coupled acrylic light guide collected light from a large eld of view (100), but the focused X-ray beam irradiated only a small region (250 mm spot size). We found a relatively sharp image showing luminescence only from the lled region of the capillaries, and excellent agreement with the X-ray excited optical luminescence spectroscopy and imaging of capillaries lled with NaGdF4:Eu through tissue X-ray excited optical luminescence spectroscopy and imaging of capillaries lled with NaGdF4:Eu through tissue Current was 200 mA without tissue and 600 mA through tissue. 1 mm scale bar is same for all images. 31722 | RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726 © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry RSC Advances View Article Online RSC Advances View Article Online Paper Paper X-ray transmission image. The capillary with DI water (0 mg mL1) produced dim luminescence, as glass displays a weak X- ray luminescence signal35 with a broad spectrum roughly peaking at 430 nm (ESI Fig. S6†). The signal at 50 mg mL1 and 100 mg mL1 are clearly much larger and increase proportion- ally to concentration. Importantly, although the signal through tissue was 9.6 times weaker than with no tissue (mainly due to optical attenuation and partly from X-ray attenuation), the observed spatial resolution was very similar demonstrating local radioluminescence excitation through tissue. MR imaging of NaGdF4:Eu and Tb NaGdF4:Eu and Tb nano- phosphors were synthesized by the citrate method with slight modications.14,15,40 Sodium citrate (12 mL of 0.2 M) was added to a clear aqueous solution containing 4 mL of GdNO3 (0.2 M) and TbNO3/EuNO3 (X mol%) and stirred for 30 min. Then, 16 mL of sodium uoride (1 M) solution was combined with the above mixture and stirred vigorously for another 15 minutes which result in a white solution. This solution was transferred to a Teon-lined autoclave and heated at 180 C for 6 hours. The synthesized nanophosphors were centrifuged and washed three times before further experiments. The synthesized nanophosphors were stored in either DI water or 0.1% citrate solution. (TbNO3/EuNO3 X mol% ¼ 0.1%, 1%, 15% 20%, 100% of Gd3+ moles). pen Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Annealing NaGdF4:Eu nanoparticles NaGdF4:Eu nanoparticles prepared using the co-precipitate method were dried at 80 C to form a white powder. It was transferred to a crucible and heated (10 C min1) at 1000 C for 6 hours in a muffle furnace which results in a solid, aggregated structure. Aer cooling down to room temperature, it was crushed into a ne powder using mortar and pestle. NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 nanophosphors were dried at 80 C to form a white powder and divide into three portions and trans- ferred to crucibles. The samples were heated at 400 C, 600 C and 1000 C for 6 hours to anneal them. Fig. 15 Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nanoparticle suspensions in water. (A) T1 weighted and (B) T2 weighted images with various nanoparticle concentrations. 0 mM ¼ DI water. 1 cm scale bar is for both T1 and T2 weighted images. (C) Longitudinal relaxation rate vs. concentration for nanoparticle suspensions. (D) Transverse relaxation rate vs. concentration. Dashed lines are linear fits to data. Silica coating NaGdF4:Eu and Tb nanoparticles Synthesized nanophosphors were coated with silica using previously described methods41–43 with slight modications (certain reagents were scaled up). Eu doped and Tb doped NaGdF4 nanoparticles prepared at room temperature were resuspended in 8 mL of water and combined with 200 mL ethanol solution containing PVP (1.2 g) and ammonium hydroxide (6 mL). Then, TEOS (160 mL) was added aer the solution was stirred for 20 min. The particles were aged another 3 hours before centrifuged and washed using DI water. Fig. 15 Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nanoparticle suspensions in water. (A) T1 weighted and (B) T2 weighted images with various nanoparticle concentrations. 0 mM ¼ DI water. 1 cm scale bar is for both T1 and T2 weighted images. (C) Longitudinal relaxation rate vs. concentration for nanoparticle suspensions. (D) Transverse relaxation rate vs. concentration. Dashed lines are linear fits to data. MR imaging of NaGdF4:Eu and Tb NaGdF4:Eu and Tb may also potentially be T1 and T2 weighted MRI contrast agents as previously reported.36,37 To demonstrate this, varying concentrations of NaGdF4:Eu and Tb were prepared in DI water and imaged using a 3T Siemens MAGNATOM Prisma MRI (Fig. 15A and B). As expected, T1 weighted images became brighter, and T2 weighted images became darker as [Gd] increased up to 0.4 mM. Fig. 13C and D show longitudinal and transverse 1H relaxation rates, r1 and r2, measured at 20 C plotted against concentration of the nanoparticle suspensions. Relaxivities were calculated by linear regression of this data. The longitudinal relaxivities for NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb were 4.0  0.15 and 2.7  0.16 mM1 s1, and the transverse relaxivities were 58  1.0 and 110  10 mM1 s1, respectively. The observed differences between Tb and Eu doped particles, especially at high concentrations, are likely from variation in sample preparation since Tb and Eu doping is at a low concentration compared to the Gd in the host crystal. The values are in the range of prior liter- ature and the relaxivities provide clear contrast.36 The reported relaxivity values 0.27 (minimum r1) and 160 (maximum r2) mM1 s1 depends on eld strength,36,38 size and morphology36,38 and coating.39 MRI imaging would allow for deep tissue imaging and would be complementary to X-ray luminescence imaging and stimulation, allowing for non-invasive localization of nano- phosphors in vivo. Hydrothermal synthesis method. NaGdF4:Eu and Tb nano- phosphors were synthesized by the citrate method with slight modications.14,15,40 Sodium citrate (12 mL of 0.2 M) was added to a clear aqueous solution containing 4 mL of GdNO3 (0.2 M) and TbNO3/EuNO3 (X mol%) and stirred for 30 min. Then, 16 mL of sodium uoride (1 M) solution was combined with the above mixture and stirred vigorously for another 15 minutes which result in a white solution. This solution was transferred to a Teon-lined autoclave and heated at 180 C for 6 hours. The synthesized nanophosphors were centrifuged and washed three times before further experiments. The synthesized nanophosphors were stored in either DI water or 0.1% citrate solution. (TbNO3/EuNO3 X mol% ¼ 0.1%, 1%, 15% 20%, 100% of Gd3+ moles). Hydrothermal synthesis method. NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nanoparticle synthesis 15 Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of NaGdF4:Eu a NaGdF4:Tb nanoparticle suspensions in water. (A) T1 weighted and T2 weighted images with various nanoparticle concentrations. 0 mM DI water. 1 cm scale bar is for both T1 and T2 weighted images. Longitudinal relaxation rate vs. concentration for nanoparti suspensions. (D) Transverse relaxation rate vs. concentration. Dash lines are linear fits to data. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nanoparticle synthesis NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb nanoparticle synthesis We synthesized particles using either the co-precipitation or hydrothermal synthesis methods. Co-precipitate synthesis method. NaGdF4:Eu and Tb nano- phosphors were synthesized by the citrate method with slight modi- cations.14,40 Sodium citrate (12 mL of 0.2 M) was added to a clear aqueous solution containing 4 mL of GdNO3 (0.2 M) and TbNO3/ EuNO3 (X mol%) and stirred vigorously for 30 min at room temper- ature. Then, 16 mL of sodium uoride (1 M) solution was combined with the above mixture and stirred vigorously for another 2 hours which result in a white solution. The synthesized nanophosphors were centrifuged and washed three times before further experiments. (TbNO3/EuNO3 X mol% ¼ 0.1%, 1%, 15% 20%, 100% of Gd3+ moles). ally to concentration. Importantly, although the signal throu tissue was 9.6 times weaker than with no tissue (mainly due optical attenuation and partly from X-ray attenuation), t observed spatial resolution was very similar demonstrati local radioluminescence excitation through tissue. MR imaging of NaGdF4:Eu and Tb NaGdF4:Eu and Tb may also potentially be T1 and T2 weight MRI contrast agents as previously reported.36,37 To demonstra this, varying concentrations of NaGdF4:Eu and Tb were prepar in DI water and imaged using a 3T Siemens MAGNATOM Prism MRI (Fig. 15A and B). As expected, T1 weighted images becam brighter, and T2 weighted images became darker as [G increased up to 0.4 mM. Fig. 13C and D show longitudinal a transverse 1H relaxation rates, r1 and r2, measured at 20 plotted against concentration of the nanoparticle suspension Relaxivities were calculated by linear regression of this data. T longitudinal relaxivities for NaGdF4:Eu and NaGdF4:Tb were 4  0.15 and 2.7  0.16 mM1 s1, and the transverse relaxivit were 58  1.0 and 110  10 mM1 s1, respectively. The observ differences between Tb and Eu doped particles, especially at hi concentrations, are likely from variation in sample preparati since Tb and Eu doping is at a low concentration compared to t Gd in the host crystal. The values are in the range of prior lit ature and the relaxivities provide clear contrast.36 The report relaxivity values 0.27 (minimum r1) and 160 (maximum r2) mM s1 depends on eld strength,36,38 size and morphology36,38 a coating.39 MRI imaging would allow for deep tissue imaging a would be complementary to X-ray luminescence imaging a stimulation, allowing for non-invasive localization of nan phosphors in vivo. Fig. ICP-OES metal analysis The percentage of metals (Gd, Eu and Tb) in the nal systems were measured using iCAP 7200 MSC ICP-OES analyser. Nano- phosphors were dissolved in 2% HNO3 to prepare nitrates of the metals. The standard metal solutions were prepared from 0.1 to 100 ppm range. The samples and the standards were injected to ICP-OES and quantied the amount of metal using instrument soware (Qtegra ISDS soware). The wavelengths of the corre- sponding spectrometric lines that used for the analysis were Gd: 335 nm, Eu: 381 nm, Tb: 350 nm. The metal percentages (Eu/Gd and Tb/Gd) from the dissolved samples were calculated using standard curves. Imaging capillaries lled with NaGdF4:Eu through tissue A series of concentration of NaGdF4:Eu (100, 50 and 0 mg mL1) was prepared and lled in 1 mm (inner diameter) capillaries. X-ray excited optical luminescence of all the samples in capillaries were measured by irradiating with a Mini-X Ag-target X- ray source at 40 kV and 99 mA. Spectral data of capillaries were obtained at 10 s exposure time and capillaries sandwiched in between 4 mm porcine tissue were obtained at 60 s exposure time. X-ray excited luminescence chemical imaging (XELCI) of these capillaries was done without tissue and with 5 mm porcine tissue. The capillaries were scanned with 250 mm step size and 1 mm s1 for a high-resolution scan. For imaging without tissue, the X-ray source was set to 50 kV and 200 mA; 50 kV and 600 mA was used for imaging with porcine tissue. Data were analysed and plotted using custom MATLAB scripts. X-ray luminescence of all the nanoparticles was measured by irradiating with an X-ray beam. A 96 well plate containing dried and powdered nanoparticles was places on the stage of an inverted microscope and irradiated with an X-ray beam gener- ated using a Mini-X (Ag) X-ray source (Amptek, Bedford, MA) set at 40 kV and 99 mA. The emission of nanoparticles was collected by 5 objective and focused to a spectrograph (DNS 300, Del- taNu, Laramie, WY, USA), equipped with a cooled CCD camera (iDUS-420BV, Andor, South Windsor, CT, United States). A series of concentration of NaGdF4:Eu (100, 50 and 0 mg mL1) was prepared and lled in 1 mm (inner diameter) capillaries. X-ray excited optical luminescence of all the samples in capillaries were measured by irradiating with a Mini-X Ag-target X- ray source at 40 kV and 99 mA. Spectral data of capillaries were obtained at 10 s exposure time and capillaries sandwiched in between 4 mm porcine tissue were obtained at 60 s exposure time. X-ray excited luminescence chemical imaging (XELCI) of these capillaries was done without tissue and with 5 mm porcine tissue. The capillaries were scanned with 250 mm step size and 1 mm s1 for a high-resolution scan. For imaging without tissue, the X-ray source was set to 50 kV and 200 mA; 50 kV and 600 mA was used for imaging with porcine tissue. Data were analysed and plotted using custom MATLAB scripts. MR imaging of NaGdF4:Eu and Tb Solutions of NaGdF4:Eu and Tb nanophosphors at a series of concentrations from 0 to 0.4 mM were prepared by dissolving in DI water. MR imaging and relaxometry was done on a 3T Siemens MAGNATOM Prisma MRI instrument (Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany). T1-weighted images were acquired using a 2D spin echo sequence with repetition time (TR) 25 ms and echo time (TE) 5.9 ms. T2-weighted images were acquired using a turbo spin echo sequence with TR ¼ 3200 ms and TE ¼ 29 ms. T1 was measured with an inversion recovery experiment using a spin echo pulse sequence. Inversion times (TI) were 25, 50, 400, 1100, and 2500 ms. To calculate T1, the model from ref. 46 was t to MR signal magnitude vs. TI using the qMRLab package for MATLAB.47 T2 was measured with a multi-echo spin echo sequence using 32 TEs ranging from 15 to 960 ms. To calculate T2, a monoexponential model SðTEÞ ¼ M0 exp  TE T2  was t to MR signal magnitude vs. TE. Functionalization of NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 with biotin NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 nanophosphors were resuspended in ethanol (100 mL) with APTES (300 mL) and stirred for 3.5 h. The amine- RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726 | 31723 © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry Paper View Article Online View Article Online Paper Article Online RSC Advances Relaxivities were calculated by linear regression of R1 ¼ 1/T1, R1 ¼ 1/T2 vs. nanoparticle concentration. functionalized nanophosphors were collected and washed three times using DI water. Relaxivities were calculated by linear regression of R1 ¼ 1/T1, R1 ¼ 1/T2 vs. nanoparticle concentration. g 98 mL of MES buffer (0.1 M, pH 6.0) was taken in a 500 mL round bottom ask. 100 mg of water-soluble carbodiimide (EDC) and sulfo-NHS was added to it and stirred for 15 minutes at room temperature. H2PO4–PEG–COOH (5000 Da) (500 mL, 10 mg mL1) and biotin–PEG–COOH (1000 Da) (250 mL, 10 mg mL1) was added to the above solution and stirred for 1 hour at room temperature to activate COOH groups. Then, the solution pH was adjusted to pH 7.4 using PBS buffer. Previously prepared NH2 functionalized NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 nanoparticles were added to the mixture and it could react for 12 h at room temperature with continuous stirring. Lastly, biotin-conjugated NPs were washed with PBS three times and stored in DI water. Biotin functionalized aqueous nanophosphors suspension (10 mg mL1, 20 mL) was transferred into a centrifuge tube con- tained PBS (10, 380 mL) solution. Streptavidin-coated micro- bubbles (100 mL) were mixed with the previous solution and vortexed to allow particle adhesion on the surface of the micro- bubble. Aer waiting a 10–15 minutes, suspended microbubbles were pipetted out and washed three times with DI water.44,45 98 mL of MES buffer (0.1 M, pH 6.0) was taken in a 500 mL round bottom ask. 100 mg of water-soluble carbodiimide (EDC) and sulfo-NHS was added to it and stirred for 15 minutes at room temperature. H2PO4–PEG–COOH (5000 Da) (500 mL, 10 mg mL1) and biotin–PEG–COOH (1000 Da) (250 mL, 10 mg mL1) was added to the above solution and stirred for 1 hour at room temperature to activate COOH groups. Then, the solution pH was adjusted to pH 7.4 using PBS buffer. Previously prepared NH2 functionalized NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 nanoparticles were added to the mixture and it could react for 12 h at room temperature with continuous stirring. Functionalization of NaGdF4:Eu@SiO2 with biotin Lastly, biotin-conjugated NPs were washed with PBS three times and stored in DI water. Transmission electron microscopy The synthesized, silica-coated and annealed nanoparticles were deposited on a formvar/carbon-coated copper grids from a water solution and dried before taking the transmission electron micrographs from Hitachi HT7800 operating at 20–120 keV and 8 mA. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) The phases of the NaGdF4:Eu powders, nanoparticles, and annealed nanoparticles were characterized by Rigaku Ultima IV powder diffractometer, using Cu Ka radiation. Powdered samples were spread on a low background glass slide and data are collected in 0.02 increments at a rate of 0.5–1 per minute from 10 to 70 at room temperature. Annealed particles were measured at 0.2–0.5 per minute. Biotin functionalized aqueous nanophosphors suspension (10 mg mL1, 20 mL) was transferred into a centrifuge tube con- tained PBS (10, 380 mL) solution. Streptavidin-coated micro- bubbles (100 mL) were mixed with the previous solution and vortexed to allow particle adhesion on the surface of the micro- bubble. Aer waiting a 10–15 minutes, suspended microbubbles were pipetted out and washed three times with DI water.44,45 Paper RSC Advances 2 P. Lecoq, in Detectors for Particles and Radiation. Part 1: Principles and Methods, ed. C. W. Fabjan and H. Schopper, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2011, vol. 21B1, pp. 45–71. Conflicts of interest 15 F. He, P. Yang, D. Wang, N. Niu, S. Gai and X. Li, Inorg. Chem., 2011, 50, 4116–4124. There are no conicts to declare. 16 Y. Ren, H. Winter, J. G. Rosch, K. Jung, A. N. Duross, M. R. Landry, G. Pratx and C. Sun, ACS Appl. Nano Mater., 2019, 2, 3718–3727. Author contributions 11 M. C. Lun, W. Cong, M. Arifuzzaman, M. Ranasinghe, S. Bhattacharya, J. Anker, G. Wang and C. Li, in Optics and Ionizing Radiation, International Society for Optics and Photonics, 2020, vol. 11224, p. 112240F. J. N. Anker conceptualisation, funding acquisition, supervision, writing-review and editing; M. Ranasinghe data curation, investigation, methodology, validation, writing – original dra preparation; M. Arifuzzaman, A. C. Rajamathrilage, W. R. Wil- loughby, and A. Dickey investigation, validation; Colin McMillen data curation; J. W. Kolis supervision, M. Bolding supervision. 12 F. Wang, D. Banerjee, Y. Liu, X. Chen and X. Liu, Analyst, 2010, 135, 1839–1854. 13 R. Berry, M. Getzin, L. Gjesteby and G. Wang, Photonics, 2015, 2, 23–39. 14 L. Sudheendra, G. K. Das, C. Li, D. Stark, J. Cena, S. R. Cherry and I. M. Kennedy, Chem. Mater., 2014, 26, 1881–1888. Acknowledgements 17 T. Yanagida, Opt. Mater., 2013, 35, 1987–1992. This work was funded by NSF Track II EPSCoR OIA-1632881 for the synthesis by the NIH NIBIB R01EB026646 for the X-ray luminescence imaging, and P30 GM131959 for the electron microscopy. Electron microscopy images were acquired with in the Electron Microscope Facility, Clemson University, Clemson Research Park, AMRL building. MR images were taken in the Civitan International Neuroimaging Laboratory, University of Alabama at Birmingham. We would like to acknowledge Dr Sriparna Bhattachrya for helping acquire some of the TEM images and Dr Rakesh Sachdeva for helping us run the ICP-OES and TGA/DSC instruments. 18 H. Guan, G. Liu, J. Wang, X. Dong and W. Yu, Dalton Trans., 2014, 43, 10801–10808. 19 S. Mitragotri and J. Lahann, Nat. Mater., 2009, 8, 15–23. 20 J. C. Stendahl and A. J. Sinusas, J. Nucl. Med., 2015, 56, 1469– 1475. 21 D. Liu, A. Mori and L. Huang, Biochim. Biophys. Acta Biomembr., 1992, 1104, 95–101. 22 J. Rejman, V. Oberle, I. S. Zuhorn and D. Hoekstra, Biochem. J., 2004, 377, 159–169. 23 Y. Li, Y. Li, R. Wang, Y. Xu and W. Zheng, New J. Chem., 2017, 41, 7116–7122. 24 E. A. Sagaydachnaya, V. I. Kochubey and J. G. Konyukhova, J. Phys. Conf. Ser., 2017, 917, 032006. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Un 6 H. Chen, B. Qi, T. Moore, D. C. Colvin, T. Crawford, J. C. Gore, F. Alexis, O. T. Mefford and J. N. Anker, Small, 2014, 10, 160–168. 7 G. Okada, N. Kawaguchi and T. Yanagida, Sens. Mater., 2017, 29, 1407–1415. 8 J. Zhou, Z. Liu and F. Li, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2012, 41, 1323– 1349. 9 G. Pratx, C. M. Carpenter, C. Sun and L. Xing, IEEE Trans. Med. Imag., 2010, 29, 1992–1999. 9 G. Pratx, C. M. Carpenter, C. Sun and L. Xing, IEEE Trans. M d I 2010 29 1992 1999 10 H. Chen, F. Wang, T. L. Moore, B. Qi, D. Sulejmanovic, S.-J. Hwu, O. T. Mefford, F. Alexis and J. N. Anker, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2017, 5, 5412–5424. Thermal analysis: TGA/DSC TGA and DSC measurements were carried out on a SDT Q600 V20.9 Build 20 thermal gravimetric by TA instruments. Nano- phosphor samples in alumina crucibles were heated up to 700 C at a rate of 20 C minute1 under N2 gas ow. At 700 C samples were kept under isothermal conditions and ushed with air. TGA and DSC measurements were collected simultaneously. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry 31724 | RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726 View Article Online View Article Online RSC Advances View Article Online Paper Conclusions In summary, we described two methods to synthesis Eu- and Tb doped NaGdF4 X-ray luminescence nanophosphors. The co- precipitation method is a simple method that synthesized spherical-shaped nanoparticles at room temperature. The hydrothermal method generated irregular particles that yielded higher X-ray excited luminescence intensity. Our investigation on annealing nanoparticles revealed that nanoparticles without a silica coating resulted in high luminescence intensity yet aggregated particles. The silica coating act as a protection layer to prevent aggregation and increase X-ray luminescence during the annealing process. However, at high temperature, it trans- formed NaGdF4:Eu into sodium gadolinium silicate which also shows X-ray luminescence. Then, we functionalized NaGdF4:- Eu@SiO2 nanophosphors with biotin and conrmed attaching to streptavidin in vitro. Importantly, we selectively excited scintillator nanophosphors using a focused X-ray source to generate light and collect them through the tissue to generate XELCI images and XEOL was measured through tissue. We also showed that the particles could serve as MRI contrast agents. Future work will investigate the spectral shiby changing host materials for multi-analyte imaging through tissue. 3 M. D. Birowosuto, P. Dorenbos, C. W. E. van Eijk, K. W. Kr¨amer and H. U. G¨udel, J. Appl. Phys., 2006, 99, 123520. 4 Radiation detectors for medical applications, ed. S. Tavernier and North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Springer, Dordrecht, 2006. s Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Open Access Article. Published on 24 September 2021. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 6:33:05 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. 5 H. Chen, T. Moore, B. Qi, D. C. Colvin, E. K. Jelen, D. A. Hitchcock, J. He, O. T. Mefford, J. C. Gore, F. Alexis and J. N. Anker, ACS Nano, 2013, 7, 1178–1187. Notes and references 25 P. Avci, A. Gupta, M. Sadasivam, D. Vecchio, Z. Pam, N. Pam and M. R. Hamblin, Semin. Cutan. Med. Surg., 2013, 32, 41– 52. 1 P. A. Rodnyi, Physical Processes in Inorganic Scintillators, CRC Press, 1997. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726 | 31725 View Article Online RSC Advances Paper Paper 26 C. Ash, M. Dubec, K. Donne and T. Bashford, Laser Med. Sci., 2017, 32, 1909–1918. 39 K. Okubo, R. Takeda, S. Murayama, M. Umezawa, M. Kamimura, K. Osada, I. Aoki and K. Soga, Sci. Technol. Adv. Mater., 2021, 22, 160–172. 27 A. Sedlmeier and H. H. Gorris, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2015, 44, 1526–1560. 40 J. Li, Z. Hao, X. Zhang, Y. Luo, J. Zhao, S. L¨u, J. Cao and J. Zhang, J. Colloid Interface Sci., 2013, 392, 206–212. 28 G. Bhagavannarayana, S. K. Kushwaha, S. Parthiban and S. Meenakshisundaram, J. Cryst. Growth, 2009, 311, 960–965. 41 H. Chen, B. Qi, T. Moore, F. Wang, D. C. Colvin, 41 H. Chen, B. Qi, T. Moore, F. Wang, D. C. Colvin, L. D. Sanjeewa, J. C. Gore, S.-J. Hwu, O. T. Mefford, 41 H. Chen, B. Qi, T. Moore, F. Wang, D. C. Colvin, L. D. Sanjeewa, J. C. Gore, S.-J. Hwu, O. T. Mefford, F. Alexis and J. N. Anker, Small, 2014, 10, 3364–3370. 42 H. Chen, D. Sulejmanovic, T. Moore, D. C. Colvin, B. Qi, 29 X. Li, Z. Xue, M. Jiang, Y. Li, S. Zeng and H. Liu, Nanoscale, 2017, 10, 342–350. F. Alexis and J. N. Anker, Small, 2014, 10, 3364–3370. F. Alexis and J. N. Anker, Small, 2014, 10, 3364–3370. 42 H. Chen, D. Sulejmanovic, T. Moore, D. C. Colvin, B. Qi, 30 W. Zhang, Y. Shen, M. Liu, P. Gao, H. Pu, L. Fan, R. Jiang, Z. Liu, F. Shi and H. Lu, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2017, 9, 39985–39993. 42 H. Chen, D. Sulejmanovic, T. Moore, D. C. Colvin, B. Qi, O. T. Mefford, J. C. Gore, F. Alexis, S.-J. Hwu and J. N. Anker, Chem. Mater., 2014, 26, 2105–2112. 31 Z. Fu and B. Liu, Ceram. Int., 2016, 42, 2357–2363. 43 S. Gai, P. Yang, C. Li, W. Wang, Y. Dai, N. Niu and J. Lin, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2010, 20, 1166–1172. 32 M. Wang, G. Abbineni, A. Clevenger, C. Mao and S. Xu, Nanomedicine, 2011, 7, 710–729. 44 X. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry Notes and references Chen, Y. Liu and D. Tu, in Lanthanide-Doped Luminescent Nanomaterials, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2014, pp. 59–74. 33 C. Bouzigues, T. Gacoin and A. Alexandrou, ACS Nano, 2011, 5, 8488–8505. 45 R. Asakura, T. Isobe, K. Kurokawa, H. Aizawa and M. Ohkubo, Anal. Bioanal. Chem., 2006, 386, 1641–1647. 34 T. E. Matthews, M. Medina, J. R. Maher, H. Levinson, W. J. Brown and A. Wax, Optica, 2014, 1, 105. 46 J. K. Barral, E. Gudmundson, N. Stikov, M. Etezadi-Amoli, P. Stoica and D. G. Nishimura, Magn. Reson. Med., 2010, 64, 1057–1067. 35 P. J. Alonso, L. E. Halliburton, E. E. Kohnke and R. B. Bossoli, J. Appl. Phys., 1983, 54, 5369–5375. 36 Z. Lu, R. Deng, M. Zhen, X. Li, T. Zou, Y. Zhou, M. Guan, Y. Zhang, Y. Wang, T. Yu, C. Shuab and C. Wang, RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 43125. 47 A. Karakuzu, M. Boudreau, T. Duval, T. Boshkovski, I. R. Leppert, J.-F. Cabana, I. Gagnon, P. Beliveau, G. B. Pike, J. Cohen-Adad and N. Stikov, J. Open Source Sow., 2020, 5, 2343. 37 W. Lu, Y. Liao, C. Jiang, R. Wang, X. Shan, Q. Chen, G. Sun and J. Liu, New J. Chem., 2019, 43, 7371–7378. 38 M. Wang, Y. Zhang, Q. Yao, M. Ng, M. Lin, X. Li, K. K. Bhakoo, A. Y. Chang, F. Rosei and F. Vetrone, Chem. Mater., 2019, 31, 5160–5171. 31726 | RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 31717–31726
https://openalex.org/W2556298700
https://bmcbioinformatics.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12859-016-1193-4
English
null
A comprehensive collection of annotations to interpret sequence variation in human mitochondrial transfer RNAs
BMC bioinformatics
2,016
cc-by
7,182
A comprehensive collection of annotations to interpret sequence variation in human mitochondrial transfer RNAs Maria Angela Diroma, Paolo Lubisco and Marcella Attimonelli* From Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Italian Society of Bioinformatics (BITS) Milan, Italy. 3-5 June 2015 From Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Italian Society of Bioinformatics (BITS) Milan, Italy. 3-5 June 2015 © 2016 The Author(s). Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 DOI 10.1186/s12859-016-1193-4 The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 DOI 10.1186/s12859-016-1193-4 Abstract Background: The abundance of biological data characterizing the genomics era is contributing to a comprehensive understanding of human mitochondrial genetics. Nevertheless, many aspects are still unclear, specifically about the variability of the 22 human mitochondrial transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and their involvement in diseases. The complex enrichment and isolation of tRNAs in vitro leads to an incomplete knowledge of their post-transcriptional modifications and three-dimensional folding, essential for correct tRNA functioning. An accurate annotation of mitochondrial tRNA variants would be definitely useful and appreciated by mitochondrial researchers and clinicians since the most of bioinformatics tools for variant annotation and prioritization available so far cannot shed light on the functional role of tRNA variations. Results: To this aim, we updated our MToolBox pipeline for mitochondrial DNA analysis of high throughput and Sanger sequencing data by integrating tRNA variant annotations in order to identify and characterize relevant variants not only in protein coding regions, but also in tRNA genes. The annotation step in the pipeline now provides detailed information for variants mapping onto the 22 mitochondrial tRNAs. For each mt-tRNA position along the entire genome, the relative tRNA numbering, tRNA type, cloverleaf secondary domains (loops and stems), mature nucleotide and interactions in the three-dimensional folding were reported. Moreover, pathogenicity predictions for tRNA and rRNA variants were retrieved from the literature and integrated within the annotations provided by MToolBox, both in the stand-alone version and web-based tool at the Mitochondrial Disease Sequence Data Resource (MSeqDR) website. All the information available in the annotation step of MToolBox were exploited to generate custom tracks which can be displayed in the GBrowse instance at MSeqDR website. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, specific data regarding mitochondrial variants in tRNA genes were introduced for the first time in a tool for mitochondrial genome analysis, supporting the interpretation of genetic variants in specific genomic contexts. * Correspondence: marcella.attimonelli@uniba.it Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, Bari 70126, Italy Data collection from known databases, web-based resources and literature All the information collected in this work and those previously collected and already implemented in the MToolBox pipeline [16], come from several resources and the literature about human mtDNA genomics and variation (Table 1). Nucleotide variability scores calculated by applying SiteVar algorithm [18] on 22,691 complete ge- nomes from healthy individuals in the Human Mitochon- drial Database, HmtDB (May 2014 update) [19], were reported for each position of the entire human mitochon- drial genome; amino acid scores, calculated by MitVarProt algorithm [20] on the same dataset, were obtained for coding regions. Conservation scores calculated by PhyloP [21] and PhastCons [22] algorithms were retrieved from UCSC Genome Browser [23]. Somatic mutations and germline variants with reports of disease-associations were available in MITOMAP [4], with corresponding annotation of heteroplasmic/homo- plasmic status (July 20, 2015 update of coding and con- trol regions variants; July 29, 2015 update of somatic mutations and RNA genes variants). Other resources were exploited in order to facilitate clinical interpret- ation of variants, although they are not specialized for mitochondrial genome variant analysis, including OMIM [24], the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (August 4, 2015 update), dbSNP [25], a database for short genetic variations (release 144, May 26, 2015), and ClinVar [26], a public archive of reports of human variations and phe- notypes reporting annotations of variants found in pa- tient samples (January 21, 2015 update). Some features are shared among human and other mammalian mt-tRNAs, such as the low number of G–C pairs within stems of the 14 tRNAs encoded by the light DNA strand, due to a strong bias in nucleotide content (A, U and C-rich tRNAs), variable D-loop and T-loop sizes, and lack of conserved and semi-conserved signature motifs [13], thus the difficulties linked to the complex process of human tRNA purification and identification of modified nucleotides are often overpassed through predic- tions based on bovine models [2]. Moreover, specific annotations for tRNA variants were gathered from databases, such as Mamit-tRNA [13], mitotRNAdb [27] and MODOMICS [28], as well as from the literature. Specifically, a scoring system developed for 207 variants in tRNA genes considering functional evi- dence, conservation, frequency and heteroplasmy status in mutations reported in MITOMAP as “pathogenic”, was retrieved [29, 30] and normalized to a 0–1 range (Table 2). Recently published predictions of pathogenicity for DNA variants involving 12S mitochondrial rRNA (mt-rRNA) [31] were considered and adapted, too. Background in order to identify relevant variants not only in protein coding regions but also in tRNA genes. Pathogenicity predictions retrieved from the literature were added both for tRNA and rRNA gene variants, when available. These information were also provided as custom tracks which can be visualized in the GBrowse at the Mito- chondrial Disease Sequence Data Resource (MSeqDR) website [17], conveniently allowing a deep insight into mitochondrial genomics. The abundance of biological data characterizing the ge- nomics era is contributing to a comprehensive under- standing of human mitochondrial genetics. To date more than 30,000 complete human mitochondrial genomes have been sequenced [1] and lots of tools and databases are publicly available allowing to gather large amounts of infor- mation about mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Nevertheless many aspects are still unclear, specifically about the 22 human mitochondrial transfer RNAs (mt-tRNA). Thanks to the “four-way wobble rule” and post tran- scriptional modifications at the first letters of tRNA anti- codons [2], only 22 mt-tRNAs are sufficient in humans, as well as in other mammals, to translate all sense co- dons into 13 subunits of respiratory chain complexes encoded in each single copy of mtDNA [2]. mt-tRNAs could be considered hot spots of mutations [3]: among more than 600 disease associated mutations compiled to date, about 240 were mapped on mt-tRNA genes [4]. However, it is well known that clinical phenotypes appear only when the mutation load exceeds a certain threshold [5], considering the possible co-existence of different mtDNA genotypes within the same cell, tissue or indivi- dual, a condition known as heteroplasmy. Thus, if a mu- tation in an mt-tRNA gene has no consequences on mtDNA replication or transcription, it may instead affect biogenesis and functioning of tRNAs after their transcrip- tion [6]. For instance, post-transcriptional modifications by nuclear-encoded enzymes [7, 8] often occur in key po- sitions for a correct tRNA functioning, including folding and codon-anticodon interaction [6, 9, 10]. As a conse- quence, the lack of a correct post-transcriptional process could cause pathological effects [11, 12]. Abstract Keywords: Mitochondrial genomics, tRNA sequence variation, Annotation and prioritization tools, Bioinformatics analysis, NGS Abbreviations: AS, Acceptor stem; CL, Anticodon loop; CS, Anticodon stem; DL, Dihydrouridine loop; DS, Dihydrouridine Stem; GFF3, General feature format version 3; HGVS, Human genome variation society; HmtDB, Human mitochondrial database; MSeqDR, Mitochondrial disease sequence data resource; mtDNA, Mitochondrial DNA; mt-rRNA, Mitochondrial ribosomal RNA; mt-tRNA, Mitochondrial transfer RNA; rCRS, Revised Cambridge Reference Sequence; TL, TΨC Loop; TS, TΨC stem; VL, Variable loop * Correspondence: marcella.attimonelli@uniba.it Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, Bari 70126, Italy © 2016 The Author(s). Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 Page 146 of 212 Page 146 of 212 Page 146 of 212 Table 1 Annotations by MToolBox pipeline (Continued) AC/AN 1000 Genomes Previously y Variant annotation Locus HF CI_lower;CI_upper RSRS MHCS rCRS Haplogroup Other Haplogroups Nt Variability Codon Position Aa Change Aa variability tRNA Annotation Disease Score RNA predictions MutPred Pred MutPred Prob PolyPhen-2 HumDiv Pred PolyPhen-2 HumDiv Prob PolyPhen-2 HumVar Pred PolyPhen-2 HumVar Prob PANTHER Pred PANTHER Prob PhD-SNP Pred PhD-SNP Prob SNPs&GO Pred SNPs&GO Prob MITOMAP Associated Disease(s) MITOMAP Homoplasmy MITOMAP Heteroplasmy Somatic Mutations SM Homoplasmy SM Heteroplasmy ClinVar OMIM dbSNP Mamit-tRNA PhastCons20Way PhyloP20Way Previously provided Previously provided Previously provided All the annotations provided by MToolBox pipeline are shown. In the latest update, new fields, mainly regarding tRNA gene variants, were added for a more accurate variant annotation in analyzed samples: structural information for tRNA variants (“tRNA annotation”), pathogenicity predictions for tRNA and rRNA genes (“RNA predictions”), disease reports in ClinVar database (“ClinVar”), conservation scores (“PhastCons20Way”, “PhyloP20Way”). tRNA annotation, in turn, includes five semi-colon separated annotations: position numbering in tRNA, tRNA type, cloverleaf secondary region, mature nucleotide and involvement of the specific position in tRNA folding (Y for yes or N for no). Moreover, data from HmtDB (“Nt variability”, “Aa variability”), MITOMAP (“MITOMAP Associated Disease(s)”, “MITOMAP Homoplasmy”, “MITOMAP Heteroplasmy”, “Somatic Mutations”, “SM Homoplasmy”, “SM Heteroplasmy”), OMIM links (“OMIM”) and dbSNP identifiers (“dbSNP”) were updated. All the remaining annotations were Previously provided by MToolBox Variant annotators h d Variant annotators Both generic and mitochondrial-oriented tools were used for a comparison of variant annotation processes. The command line tools ANNOVAR (version date 2015-03-22) [35], dbNSFP (version 3.0b1a) [14], and SnpEff (version 4.1b) [36], although not specific for mtDNA analysis, were used to provide annotations for three mitochondrial mutations involving genes coding for an rRNA, a tRNA and a protein, respectively. Web- based versions of mit-o-matic [37], MitoBamAnnotator [38] and MitImpact 2.0 [15] tools were also applied to the same mutations to compare their performance in variant annotation. MToolBox MToolBox [16] is a bioinformatics pipeline recently devel- oped for accurate and complete analysis of mitochondrial genome from high throughput sequencing. The tool in- cludes several steps in the data analysis process, such as variant annotation and prioritization by exploiting several annotation resources, such as biological databases [4, 19] and pathogenicity prediction software [32–34], proving to be very useful especially in the characterization of mis- sense variants (Table 1). The pipeline was also developed as a web-based tool, hosted at MSeqDR website [17], a portal recently developed for supporting mitochondrial disease studies by providing both data and user-friendly tools specifically for mtDNA analysis. Data collection from known databases, web-based resources and literature The availability of information about mt-tRNA genes and variants would support the interpretation of mtDNA variants and improve the understanding of molecular mechanisms of disease. However, most bioinformatics tools for variant annotation and prioritization available so far cannot shed light on the functional role of mt-tRNA varia- tions, often focusing only on characterization of missense variants [14, 15]. To this aim, we updated our MToolBox pipeline [16] for mtDNA analysis of high throughput and Sanger se- quencing data by integrating tRNA variants annotations The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 Page 147 of 212 Table 1 Annotations by MToolBox pipeline Variant annotation Status Locus Previously provided HF Previously provided CI_lower;CI_upper Previously provided RSRS Previously provided MHCS Previously provided rCRS Previously provided Haplogroup Previously provided Other Haplogroups Previously provided Nt Variability Updated Codon Position Previously provided Aa Change Previously provided Aa variability Updated tRNA Annotation New Disease Score Previously provided RNA predictions New MutPred Pred Previously provided MutPred Prob Previously provided PolyPhen-2 HumDiv Pred Previously provided PolyPhen-2 HumDiv Prob Previously provided PolyPhen-2 HumVar Pred Previously provided PolyPhen-2 HumVar Prob Previously provided PANTHER Pred Previously provided PANTHER Prob Previously provided PhD-SNP Pred Previously provided PhD-SNP Prob Previously provided SNPs&GO Pred Previously provided SNPs&GO Prob Previously provided MITOMAP Associated Disease(s) Updated MITOMAP Homoplasmy Updated MITOMAP Heteroplasmy Updated Somatic Mutations Updated SM Homoplasmy Updated SM Heteroplasmy Updated ClinVar New OMIM Updated dbSNP Updated Mamit-tRNA Previously provided PhastCons20Way New PhyloP20Way New Results and discussion Annotations for mitochondrial DNA variants in RNA genes by MToolBox pipeline and data update The MToolBox pipeline [16] was updated and enhanced with specific annotations regarding tRNA genes, introduced for the first time in a tool specific for mtDNA analysis. p y New fields were added in the latest version of the MToolBox pipeline (Table 1): specific annotations for tRNA and rRNA genes, annotations from ClinVar data- base for disease-associated variants [26] and conservation scores for each site produced by PhyloP [21] and Phast- Cons [22] algorithms. Specifically, tRNA genes were char- acterized in each position with reports about tRNA structure including i) position in tRNA, following the Sprinzl standard nomenclature [27]; ii) tRNA type [40]; iii) cloverleaf-shaped secondary structure regions [27]; iv) mature nucleotide [2, 7, 28]; v) involvement of the specific position in tRNA folding [2, 7, 41] (Fig. 1). Each tRNA nucleotide was numbered from 1 to 73, CCA-ending excluded; the anticodon triplet was marked with nucleo- tides 34 to 36. The tRNA type indicates one of the four possible groups ranking human mt-tRNAs for their struc- tural diversity and different tertiary interactions: type 0, the quasi-canonical cloverleaf structure, with standard D- loop/T-loop interaction; type II, the most common among mt-tRNAs, characterized by loss of D/T-loop interaction; type I and type III, each accounting one single tRNA with an atypical anticodon stem and lack of D-stem, respect- ively. The annotation of the typical cloverleaf pattern includes abbreviations of four loops (TL-TΨC Loop, VL- Variable Loop, CL-Anticodon Loop, DL-Dihydrouridine Loop), four stems (AS-Acceptor Stem, TS-TΨC Stem, CS-Anticodon Stem, DS-Dihydrouridine Stem), 3′ end (E) and junctions (-). The mature nucleotide is meant as the nucleotide found in the tRNA molecule after post-transcriptional processes, predicted based on information of bovine and model or- ganisms (bacteria, yeast, nematode) mt-tRNAs, and con- firmed in 8 human mt-tRNAs [2, 8]. As a result of our data collection, we annotated 110 residues in the human mt-tRNA set involved in post-transcriptional modifica- tions, with 16 different types of modified nucleotides. All the post-transcriptional modifications in mt-tRNAs and resulting mature nucleotides are listed in Table 3. Indication of the involvement of a specific residue in tRNA folding could be now recovered through variant an- notation by our updated version of MToolBox. GBrowse tracks at MSeqDR website GBrowse instance at MSeqDR website [17] allows visualization and analysis of variations and other gen- omics data in a classic genome browser interface by hosting mtDNA specific annotation tracks containing data from some of the major mtDNA genomics resources, such as HmtDB_rCRSvariants and HmtDB_RSRSvariants, provided by our group [17]. Data collection for new tracks The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 Page 148 of 212 Page 148 of 212 Page 148 of 212 generation was manually curated in order to produce tab- delimited text files, then converted in the required format (General Feature Format version 3, GFF3). Variants were d i h H G V i i S i Table 2 RNA pathogenicity predictions in MToolBox with corresponding scores rRNA prediction rRNA Score RNA pathogenicity score in MToolBox tRNA Score tRNA prediction Proven pathogenic 5 1.000 20 Definitely pathogenic 0.950 19 Definitely pathogenic 0.900 18 Definitely pathogenic 0.850 17 Definitely pathogenic Expectedly pathogenic 4 0.800 16 Definitely pathogenic 0.750 15 Definitely pathogenic 0.700 14 Definitely pathogenic 0.650 13 Possibly/definitely pathogenic Likely pathogenic 3 0.600 12 Possibly/definitely pathogenic 0.550 11 Possibly/definitely pathogenic 0.500 10 Possibly pathogenic 0.450 9 Possibly pathogenic Not enough evidence 2 0.400 8 Possibly pathogenic 0.350 7 Possibly pathogenic 0.300 6 Neutral 0.250 5 Neutral Undetermined 1 0.200 4 Neutral 0.150 3 Neutral 0.100 2 Neutral 0.050 1 Neutral Unlikely pathogenic 0 0.000 0 Neutral RNA pathogenicity scores provided by MToolBox pipeline, shown in the central column of the table, derived from two different scoring systems for rRNA and tRNA genes, respectively. Original predictions and scores, reported on the right and the left of MToolBox scores, were retrieved from the literature and normalized to a 0–1 range. Thresholds of 0.600 for rRNA and 0.350 for tRNA sequence variations (in bold) were set according to original scores. Damaging effects could be observed for variants with a score above or equal to the chosen thresholds, while neutral variants should be associated with lower values Results and discussion The three- dimensional structure of mt-tRNA has a typical L-shape, due to the molecule folding back in itself forming two double helix segments through base pairing between T and D loop. Triplet interactions also occur in position 10-25- 45, 9-23-12 and 13-22-46 in order to increase stability [7]. The strength of folding is also affected by base stacking interactions, interesting almost all the nucleotides [42]. generation was manually curated in order to produce tab- delimited text files, then converted in the required format (General Feature Format version 3, GFF3). Variants were reported using the Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) nomenclature [39]. The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 Page 149 of 212 Fig. 1 Schematic representation of the four types of human mitochondrial tRNAs. The four types of human mt-tRNAs are shown. Green circles represent all the nucleotide positions involved in post-transcriptional modifications in each tRNA. Blue circles indicate nucleotide positions involved in tertiary folding with interactions represented by lines. Red circles represent nucleotide positions involved in tertiary folding and subject to post-transcriptional modifications. All the stems (A-stem, T-stem, C-stem, D-stem) and loops (T-loop, V-loop, C-loop, D-loop) of cloverleaf secondary regions are also shown Fig. 1 Schematic representation of the four types of human mitochondrial t h l id i i i l d i i i l difi i i h NAs The four types of human mt-tRNAs are shown Green circles represent all Fig. 1 Schematic representation of the four types of human mitochondrial tRNAs. The four types of human mt-tRNAs are shown. Green circles represent all the nucleotide positions involved in post-transcriptional modifications in each tRNA. Blue circles indicate nucleotide positions involved in tertiary folding with interactions represented by lines. Red circles represent nucleotide positions involved in tertiary folding and subject to post-transcriptional modifications. All the stems (A-stem, T-stem, C-stem, D-stem) and loops (T-loop, V-loop, C-loop, D-loop) of cloverleaf secondary regions are also shown pathogenicity predictions and scores. Original scores were normalized to a 0–1 range, with derived thresholds of 0.600 and 0.350 for rRNA and tRNA sequence variations, respectively (Table 2). Damaging effects could be observed for variants with a score above or equal to the chosen thresholds, while neutral variants should be associated with lower values. Results and discussion Glu 50 pseudouridine P Met 54 5-methyluridine T Leu(UUR), Pro 55 pseudouridine P Leu(UUR), Pro Glu, Gln, Ser(UCN), Tyr 58 1-methyladenosine ” Ser(AGY), Leu(UUR) Cys, Ser(UCN) Glu 72 5-methylcytidine ? Thr All the post-transcriptional modifications confirmed or predicted in human mt-tRNAs are listed. The full name of modifications, Modomics symbols and positions affected are shown for each tRNA species. Modifications reported include those confirmed by crystallographic data in eight human mt-tRNAs, those predicted using bovine model, which has similar structure and sequence in mt-tRNAs, and those predicted based on model organisms, such as bacteria, yeast and nematode bol Human mt-tRNAs Bovine mt-tRNAs Model organisms tRNAs Asp, Leu(CUN), Lys, Pro Ala, Glu, Phe, Gly, His, Asn, Arg, Thr, Val, Trp Ile, Leu(UUR) Cys, Gln, Tyr Leu(UUR), Leu(CUN), Lys, Asp Ala, Phe, Gly, His, Asn, Val, Trp, Tyr Leu(UUR) Ala, Glu Ile Asp, Ile, Leu(UUR), Leu(CUN), Lys, Met, Pro Cys, His Ile, Lys, Leu(CUN), Pro Cys, Glu, Asn, Ser(UCN), Tyr Ser(UCN) Leu(CUN) Ser(UCN), Thr Pro Cys Leu(UUR) Glu, Gln, Trp Asp His, Asn, Tyr Lys Glu, Gln Met Ile, Lys, Ser(AGY) Asn, Thr Cys, Phe, Ser(UCN), Trp, Tyr Phe, Ser(UCN), Trp, Tyr Leu(CUN), Pro Gln Pro Ala, Cys, Phe, Gly, His, Gln, Arg, Tyr Glu, Gln Leu(UUR) Glu Met Leu(UUR), Pro Leu(UUR), Pro Glu, Gln, Ser(UCN), Tyr Ser(AGY), Leu(UUR) Cys, Ser(UCN) Glu Thr RNAs are listed. The full name of modifications, Modomics symbols and positions affected ed by crystallographic data in eight human mt-tRNAs, those predicted using bovine model, ed on model organisms such as bacteria yeast and nematode All the post-transcriptional modifications confirmed or predicted in human mt-tRNAs are listed. The full name of modifications, Modomics symbols and positions affected are shown for each tRNA species. Modifications reported include those confirmed by crystallographic data in eight human mt-tRNAs, those predicted using bovine model, which has similar structure and sequence in mt-tRNAs, and those predicted based on model organisms, such as bacteria, yeast and nematode All the post-transcriptional modifications confirmed or predicted in human mt-tRNAs are listed. The full name of modifications, Modomics symbols and positions affected are shown for each tRNA species. Results and discussion As expected, we observed a relatively low frequency of disease associated mutations within the anticodon triplet (11/394 mutations) since its high conservation is required for a correct recognition of the messanger RNA. Specific- ally, position 36, corresponding to the third base within anticodon, is more subject to pathogenic mutations (7/11). Moreover we observed a quite homogeneous distribution of mutations with a deleterious effect in other tRNA re- gions, in line with an almost consistent involvement of all the regions in the three-dimensional folding. Finally, several annotations previously collected [16] were accurately revised to provide users the most possible up- to-date pipeline for mitochondrial genome analysis, includ- ing updated variability data from HmtDB database [19], dbSNP identifiers [25], OMIM links to known variants [24], novel disease associated variants and somatic muta- tions reported in MITOMAP [4] (Table 1). Fortynine variants in rRNA genes [31] and 207 variants in tRNA genes [29, 30] were retrieved from the literature as validated mutations, hence inserted within the annota- tion mechanism used by MToolBox and integrated with The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 Page 150 of 212 All h d i MT lB il bl b h i h A i / i i i i l i Table 3 Post-transcriptional modifications in mt-tRNAs Position Modified base name Modomics symbol Human mt-tRNAs Bovine mt-tRNAs Model organisms tRNAs 9 1-methyladenosine ” Asp, Leu(CUN), Lys, Pro Ala, Glu, Phe, Gly, His, Asn, Arg, Thr, Val, Trp 9 1-methylguanosine K Ile, Leu(UUR) Cys, Gln, Tyr 10 N2-methylguanosine L Leu(UUR), Leu(CUN), Lys, Asp Ala, Phe, Gly, His, Asn, Val, Trp, Tyr 20 dihydrouridine D Leu(UUR) 26 N2-methylguanosine L Ala, Glu 26 N2,N2-dimethylguanosine R Ile 27 pseudouridine P Asp, Ile, Leu(UUR), Leu(CUN), Lys, Met, Pro Cys, His 28 pseudouridine P Ile, Lys, Leu(CUN), Pro Cys, Glu, Asn, Ser(UCN), Tyr 29 pseudouridine P Ser(UCN) 31 pseudouridine P Leu(CUN) 32 3-methylcytidine ’ Ser(UCN), Thr 32 pseudouridine P Pro Cys 34 5-taurinomethyluridine Ê Leu(UUR) Glu, Gln, Trp 34 queuosine Q Asp His, Asn, Tyr 34 5-taurinomethyl-2-thiouridine Ǝ Lys Glu, Gln 34 5-formylcytidine > Met 37 N6-threonylcarbamoyladenosine 6 Ile, Lys, Ser(AGY) Asn, Thr 37 N6-isopentenyladenosine + Cys, Phe, Ser(UCN), Trp, Tyr 37 2-methylthio-N6-isopentenyladenosine * Phe, Ser(UCN), Trp, Tyr 37 1-methylguanosine K Leu(CUN), Pro Gln 38 pseudouridine P Pro 39 pseudouridine P Ala, Cys, Phe, Gly, His, Gln, Arg, Tyr 40 pseudouridine P Glu, Gln 48 5-methylcytidine ? Leu(UUR) 49 5-methylcytidine ? Results and discussion Modifications reported include those confirmed by crystallographic data in eight human mt-tRNAs, those predicted using bovine model, which has similar structure and sequence in mt-tRNAs, and those predicted based on model organisms, such as bacteria, yeast and nematode All the updates in MToolBox are available both in the command line version [43] and in the web-based re- source at MSeqDR website [44]. New options to better manage input files are described in the readme file in the package. Moreover a summary is now produced reporting all the parameters chosen for the analysis and some basic statistics. Annotation/prioritization tools comparison In recent years lots of tools for variant prioritization were produced in order to help clinicians and researchers to recognize a few relevant mutations among the huge amount of variations detectable by NGS technologies. However, the annotation and prioritization processes car- ried out by these tools are often focused on missense Page 151 of 212 The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 Page 151 of 212 Table 4 Variant annotators comparison for a tRNA gene mutation MToolBox Annotation Example Locus MT-TM RSRS Yes MHCS Yes rCRS Yes Haplogroup Other Haplogroups Nt Variability 0.00E+00 tRNA Annotation 53;II;TS;G;N Patho-prediction RNA coding genes 0.65 MITOMAP Associated Disease(s) Myopathy MITOMAP Homoplasmy N MITOMAP Heteroplasmy Y Mamit-tRNA http://mamit-trna.u-strasbg.fr/ mutations.asp?idAA=19 PhastCons20Way 0.889764 PhyloP20Way 0.797921 SnpEff Annotation Example Annotation non_coding_exon_variant Annotation_Impact MODIFIER Gene_Name MT-TM Gene_ID ENSG00000210112 Feature_Type Transcript Feature_ID ENST00000387377 Transcript_BioType Mt_tRNA Rank 1/1 HGVS.c n.49G>A MitoBamAnnotator Example pos 4450 ref G from G to A gene MT-TM coding for tRNA coding region 0 is mutated 1 triplet position NA mutation type NA has_overlap 0 CI NA mit-o-matic Example Variant 4450 Ref allele G Table 4 Variant annotators comparison for a tRNA gene mutation Table 4 Variant annotators comparison for a tRNA gene mutation (Continued) Alt allele A Gene MT-TM Disease Myopathy Among tools providing annotations for a specific variant in a tRNA gene (m.4450G>A) chosen for its potential damaging effect, MToolBox showed the widest range of useful features provided in the final annotation step allowing users to prioritize the variant. Empty fields were omitted. Tested tools which do not provide annotations for tRNA variants were not reported Table 4 Variant annotators comparison for a tRNA gene mutation (Continued) Among tools providing annotations for a specific variant in a tRNA gene (m.4450G>A) chosen for its potential damaging effect, MToolBox showed the widest range of useful features provided in the final annotation step allowing users to prioritize the variant. Empty fields were omitted. Tested tools which do not provide annotations for tRNA variants were not reported variant characterization by providing pathogenicity predic- tions, dbSNP identifiers, frequency in known datasets such as the 1000 Genomes, conservation scores and re- gion annotations (see Additional file 1). Among the most popular tools for variant prioritization, ANNOVAR [35], SnpEff [36] and dbNSFP [14] are commonly used both for nuclear DNA and mtDNA variations. Annotation/prioritization tools comparison Moreover mitochondrial-oriented tools have been recently devel- oped, such as mit-o-matic [37], MitImpact [15] and MitoBamAnnotator [38] to ensure appropriate annota- tions mindful of mitochondrial genetics peculiarities, such as heteroplasmy. A comparison was performed among the aforementioned tools, showing pros and cons of each of them (Additional file 1). A few generic annotations regarding mt-tRNA variants were provided by some of the tested tools, while the MToolBox pipe- line showed a wide range of annotations proving to be useful for any variant evaluation and not only missense variants (Table 4). Moreover, several input file formats can be used by MToolBox, proving a great efficiency for both high throughput sequencing and traditional FASTA data. Last but not least, the web-based version of the tool [44] ensures large usability also by non-expert users interested in mitochondrial genome analysis. Additional file Additional file 1: Variant annotation by 7 different tools. All the annotations provided by MToolBox, ANNOVAR, SnpEff, dbNSFP, MitImpact 2.0, MitoBamAnnotator and mit-o-matic are shown. Three variants were considered (m.879T>C, m.3436G>C, m.4450G>A), one for an rRNA gene (MT-RNR1), one for a tRNA gene (MT-TM) and one for a protein coding gene (MT-ND1). ANNOVAR and SnpEff tools use dbNSFP databases. Generally, all the tools provided an accurate annotation for the missense variant, although we were not able to obtain any information by mit-o-matic web-based software. MToolBox provided the most complete annotation for non protein coding regions. (XLSX 44 kb) Additional information from MITOMAP [4], ClinVar [26], Mamit-tRNA [13] dbSNP [25] and OMIM [24] databases were shown, when available, for all the four tracks, as well as variability data from HmtDB database [19] and conservation scores from UCSC Genome Browser [21, 22]. The tracks, can be uploaded in the “Custom Tracks” section of the MSeqDR website, selected, totally or par- tially (only transitions, transversions, insertions or dele- tions) and visualized in the GBrowse (Fig. 2). Conclusions The second track collects all the 1740 possible stop- gain and 77 possible stop-loss mutations, which could be damaging in the generation of the 13 human mito- chondrial proteins. To the best of our knowledge, specific data regarding mitochondrial variants in tRNA genes were introduced for the first time in a tool for mitochondrial genome analysis and then reported in custom tracks, which could be dis- played at MSeqDR GBrowse. The availability of such data could be useful to support the interpretation of genetic variants in specific genomic contexts. The third track (“MT-patho.RNA”) is useful to show all the information currently available about pathoge- nicity of 392 variants in tRNA and 337 in rRNA genes, while the fourth track (“MT-RNA”) includes generic annotations reported for all the 1505 positions in genes encoding tRNAs and 2513 positions in genes encoding rRNAs, respectively. All the tracks were produced using the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence, rCRS (Gen- Bank: J01415.2), as reference sequence. Mitochondrial variations tracks at MSeqDR In order to facilitate the interpretation of genetic vari- ants in a specific genomic context, four different custom tracks were produced in GFF3 file format displayable at MSeqDR GBrowse [45] (Fig. 2). The tracks included all the data used for the annotation step carried out by the MToolBox pipeline, providing users the possibility to analyze only variants or genomic positions with no need to provide input files. A track previously provided, called “Mitochondrial Pathogenicity Predictions” [17], was updated and split into two different tracks, “MT- patho.CDS” and “MT-patho.STOP” tracks. The first collects all the 24,202 possible non-synonymous vari- ants within the 13 human mitochondrial protein encod- ing genes, identified using mtDNA-GeneSyn software [46]. Predictions and probabilities of pathogenicity were produced using five different software [16] and an over- all disease score was also provided [47]. The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 Page 152 of 212 Fig. 2 Overview of the usage of mitochondrial tracks at MSeqDR GBrowse. MSeqDR website provides access to a GBrowse useful to visualize genomics data. Users can upload the four tracks generated in this work in the “Custom Tracks” section of the browser (a). For the sake of simplicity, the only “MT-patho.RNA” track is here shown, including data about pathogenic variants in mt-tRNA and mt-rRNA genes. The custom track can be selected, totally or partially (only transitions, transversions, insertions or deletions, b) and then visualized in the browser (c) where users can search for a specific genomic region of interest. Eventually, detailed information can be shown by clicking on a specific variant site (d) Fig. 2 Overview of the usage of mitochondrial tracks at MSeqDR GBrowse. MSeqDR website provides access to a GBrowse useful to visualize genomics data. Users can upload the four tracks generated in this work in the “Custom Tracks” section of the browser (a). For the sake of simplicity, the only “MT-patho.RNA” track is here shown, including data about pathogenic variants in mt-tRNA and mt-rRNA genes. The custom track can be selected, totally or partially (only transitions, transversions, insertions or deletions, b) and then visualized in the browser (c) where users can search for a specific genomic region of interest. Eventually, detailed information can be shown by clicking on a specific variant site (d) References 26. Landrum MJ, Lee JM, Riley GR, Jang W, Rubinstein WS, Church DM, Maglott DR. ClinVar: public archive of relationships among sequence variation and human phenotype. Nucleic Acids Res. 2014;42(Database issue):D980–985. 1. GenBank. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/. Accessed 22 Sept 2015. 2. Suzuki T, Suzuki T. A complete landscape of post-transcriptional modifications in mammalian mitochondrial tRNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 2014;42:7346–57. 2. Suzuki T, Suzuki T. A complete landscape of post transcriptional modifications in mammalian mitochondrial tRNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 2014;42:7346–57. in mammalian mitochondrial tRNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 2014;42:7346–57. 27. Jühling F, Mörl M, Hartmann RK, Sprinzl M, Stadler PF, Pütz J. tRNAdb 2009: compilation of tRNA sequences and tRNA genes. Nucleic Acids Res. 2009;37(Database issue):D159–162. 3. Yarham JW, Elson JL, Blakely EL, McFarland R, Taylor RW. Mitochondrial tR mutations and disease. Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2010;1:304–24. 3. Yarham JW, Elson JL, Blakely EL, McFarland R, Taylor RW. Mitochondrial tRNA mutations and disease. Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2010;1:304–24. 4. Ruiz-Pesini E, Lott MT, Procaccio V, Poole JC, Brandon MC, Mishmar D, Yi C, Kreuziger J, Baldi P, Wallace DC. An enhanced MITOMAP with a global mtDNA mutational phylogeny. Nucleic Acids Res. 2007;35(Database issue):D823–828. 4. Ruiz-Pesini E, Lott MT, Procaccio V, Poole JC, Brandon MC, Mishmar D, Yi C, Kreuziger J, Baldi P, Wallace DC. An enhanced MITOMAP with a global mtDNA mutational phylogeny. Nucleic Acids Res. 2007;35(Database issue):D823–828. 28. Dunin-Horkawicz S, Czerwoniec A, Gajda MJ, Feder M, Grosjean H, Bujnicki JM. MODOMICS: a database of RNA modification pathways. Nucleic Acids Res. 2006;34(Database issue):D145–149. 5. Rossignol R, Faustin B, Rocher C, Malgat M, Mazat J-P, Letellier T. Mitochondrial threshold effects Biochem J 2003 370(Pt 3) 751 62 5. Rossignol R, Faustin B, Rocher C, Malgat M, Mazat J-P, Letellier T. 29. Yarham JW, Al-Dosary M, Blakely EL, Alston CL, Taylor RW, Elson JL, McFarland R. A comparative analysis approach to determining the pathogenicity of mitochondrial tRNA mutations. Hum Mutat. 2011;32:1319–25. g , , , g , , Mitochondrial threshold effects. Biochem J. 2003;370(Pt 3):751–62. Mitochondrial threshold effects. Biochem J. 2003;370(Pt 3):751–6 6. Suzuki T, Nagao A, Suzuki T. Human mitochondrial diseases caused by lack of taurine modification in mitochondrial tRNAs. Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2011;2:376–86. 6. Suzuki T, Nagao A, Suzuki T. Human mitochondrial diseases caused by lack of taurine modification in mitochondrial tRNAs. Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2011;2:376–86. 30. Consent for publication Not applicable. Consent for publication Not applicable. Not applicable. 22. Siepel A, Bejerano G, Pedersen JS, Hinrichs AS, Hou M, Rosenbloom K, Clawson H, Spieth J, Hillier LW, Richards S, Weinstock GM, Wilson RK, Gibbs RA, Kent WJ, Miller W, Haussler D. Evolutionarily conserved elements in vertebrate, insect, worm, and yeast genomes. Genome Res. 2005;15:1034–50. Funding bl Publication of this article was funded in part by the Bioinformatics Italian Society (BITS) and University of Bari funds (code ATTPRIN2009) to MA. 16. Calabrese C, Simone D, Diroma MA, Santorsola M, Guttà C, Gasparre G, Picardi E, Pesole G, Attimonelli M. MToolBox: a highly automated pipeline for heteroplasmy annotation and prioritization analysis of human mitochondrial variants in high-throughput sequencing. Bioinforma Oxf Engl. 2014;30:3115–7. Availability of data and material The pipeline supporting the results of this article is available in the GitHub repository https://github.com/mitoNGS/MToolBox.git. The web-based version is available at https://mseqdr.org/mtoolbox.php. Data supporting the results of this article are included within the article and its additional file. Tracks described and related documentation can be downloaded at http:// 212.189.230.15/files/Tracks_BMC2015_Supplementary.zip. 17. Falk MJ, Shen L, Gonzalez M, Leipzig J, Lott MT, Stassen APM, Diroma MA, Navarro-Gomez D, Yeske P, Bai R, Boles RG, Brilhante V, Ralph D, DaRe JT, Shelton R, Terry SF, Zhang Z, Copeland WC, van Oven M, Prokisch H, Wallace DC, Attimonelli M, Krotoski D, Zuchner S, Gai X, MSeqDR Consortium Participants. Mitochondrial Disease Sequence Data Resource (MSeqDR): A global grass-roots consortium to facilitate deposition, curation, annotation, and integrated analysis of genomic data for the mitochondrial disease clinical and research communities. Mol Genet Metab. 2015;114(3):388–96. Authors’ contributions R h d research communities. Mol Genet Metab. 2015;114(3):388–96. Research study was conceived by MAD and PL. Data collection was carried out by PL. The bioinformatics pipeline was updated by MAD. GBrowse tracks at MSeqDR website were generated by MAD. Figure and table generation was performed by MAD and PL. MA coordinated and supervised the whole project. MAD, PL and MA drafted the manuscript and all authors read and approved the final manuscript. 18. Pesole G, Saccone C. A novel method for estimating substitution rate variation among sites in a large dataset of homologous DNA sequences. Genetics. 2001; 157:859–65. 19. Rubino F, Piredda R, Calabrese FM, Simone D, Lang M, Calabrese C, Petruzzella V, Tommaseo-Ponzetta M, Gasparre G, Attimonelli M. HmtDB, a genomic resource for mitochondrion-based human variability studies. Nucleic Acids Res. 2012;40(Database issue):D1150–1159. Acknowledgements Th h ld l k The authors would like to thank Dr Claudia Calabrese, Dr Domenico Simone and Dr Mariangela Santorsola, co-developers of the MToolBox pipeline, for helpful Page 153 of 212 Page 153 of 212 Page 153 of 212 The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 discussions. The authors are also thankful to Dr Rosanna Clima, Dr Cristiano Guttà and Dr Roberto Preste for their contribution. 12. Brandon MC, Lott MT, Nguyen KC, Spolim S, Navathe SB, Baldi P, Wallace DC. MITOMAP: a human mitochondrial genome database–2004 update. Nucleic Acids Res. 2005;33(Database issue):D611–613. 13. Pütz J, Dupuis B, Sissler M, Florentz C. Mamit-tRNA, a database of mammalian mitochondrial tRNA primary and secondary structures. RNA N Y N. 2007;13:1184–90 Declarations Thi i l h This article has been published as part of BMC Bioinformatics Vol 17 Suppl 12 2016: Italian Society of Bioinformatics (BITS): Annual Meeting 2015. The full contents of the supplement are available online at http://bmcbioinformatics. biomedcentral.com/articles/supplements/volume-17-supplement-12. 14. Liu X, Jian X, Boerwinkle E. dbNSFP v2.0: a database of human non- synonymous SNVs and their functional predictions and annotations. Hum Mutat. 2013;34:E2393–402. 15. Castellana S, Rónai J, Mazza T. MitImpact: an exhaustive collection of pre-computed pathogenicity predictions of human mitochondrial non-synonymous variants. Hum Mutat. 2015;36:E2413–2422. Published: 8 November 2016 Published: 8 November 2016 24. OMIM Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man. http://omim.org/. Accessed Aug 2015. 25. dbSNP. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/SNP/. Accessed Aug 2015 Ethics approval and consent to participate Not applicable. worm, and yeast genomes. Genome Res. 2005;15:1034–50. 23. UCSC Genome Browser. http://genome.ucsc.edu/. Accessed A Competing interests 20. Horner DS, Pesole G. The estimation of relative site variability among aligned homologous protein sequences. Bioinforma Oxf Engl. 2003;19:600–6. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. 21. Pollard KS, Hubisz MJ, Rosenbloom KR, Siepel A. Detection of nonneutral substitution rates on mammalian phylogenies. Genome Res. 2010;20:110–21. 32. Li B, Krishnan VG, Mort ME, Xin F, Kamati KK, Cooper DN, Mooney SD, Radivojac P. Automated inference of molecular mechanisms of disease from amino acid substitutions. Bioinforma Oxf Engl. 2009;25:2744–50. References Blakely EL, Yarham JW, Alston CL, Craig K, Poulton J, Brierley C, Park S-M, Dean A, Xuereb JH, Anderson KN, Compston A, Allen C, Sharif S, Enevoldson P, Wilson M, Hammans SR, Turnbull DM, McFarland R, Taylor RW. Pathogenic mitochondrial tRNA point mutations: nine novel mutations affirm their importance as a cause of mitochondrial disease. Hum Mutat. 2013;34:1260–8. 7. Suzuki T, Nagao A, Suzuki T. Human mitochondrial tRNAs: biogenesis, function, structural aspects, and diseases. Annu Rev Genet. 2011;45:299–329. 8. Powell CA, Nicholls TJ, Minczuk M. Nuclear-encoded factors involved in post-transcriptional processing and modification of mitochondrial tRNAs in human disease. Front Genet. 2015;6:79. 31. Smith PM, Elson JL, Greaves LC, Wortmann SB, Rodenburg RJT, Lightowlers RN, Chrzanowska-Lightowlers ZMA, Taylor RW, Vila-Sanjurjo A. The role of the mitochondrial ribosome in human disease: searching for mutations in 12S mitochondrial rRNA with high disruptive potential. Hum Mol Genet. 2014;23:949–67. 9. Helm M, Giegé R, Florentz C. A Watson-Crick base-pair-disrupting methyl group (m1A9) is sufficient for cloverleaf folding of human mitochondrial tRNALys. Biochemistry (Mosc). 1999;38:13338–46. 10. Sakurai M, Ohtsuki T, Watanabe K. Modification at position 9 with 1- methyladenosine is crucial for structure and function of nematode mitochondrial tRNAs lacking the entire T-arm. Nucleic Acids Res. 2005;33:1653–61. 32. Li B, Krishnan VG, Mort ME, Xin F, Kamati KK, Cooper DN, Mooney SD, Radivojac P. Automated inference of molecular mechanisms of disease from amino acid substitutions. Bioinforma Oxf Engl. 2009;25:2744–50. 33. Adzhubei IA, Schmidt S, Peshkin L, Ramensky VE, Gerasimova A, Bork P, Kondrashov AS, Sunyaev SR. A method and server for predicting damaging missense mutations. Nat Methods. 2010;7:248–9. 11. Yasukawa T, Suzuki T, Ishii N, Ohta S, Watanabe K. Wobble modification defect in tRNA disturbs codon–anticodon interaction in a mitochondrial disease. EMBO J. 2001;20:4794–802. Page 154 of 212 34. Calabrese R, Capriotti E, Fariselli P, Martelli PL, Casadio R. Functional annotations improve the predictive score of human disease-related mutations in proteins. Hum Mutat. 2009;30:1237–44. 35. Wang K, Li M, Hakonarson H. ANNOVAR: functional annotation of genetic variants from high-throughput sequencing data. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010;38:e164 36. Cingolani P, Platts A, Wang LL, Coon M, Nguyen T, Wang L, Land SJ, Lu X, Ruden DM. A program for annotating and predicting the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms, SnpEff: SNPs in the genome of Drosophila melanogaster strain w1118; iso-2; iso-3. Fly (Austin). 2012;6:80–92. 37. Vellarikkal SK, Dhiman H, Joshi K, Hasija Y, Sivasubbu S, Scaria V. The Author(s) BMC Bioinformatics 2016, 17(Suppl 12):338 References mit-o-matic: a comprehensive computational pipeline for clinical evaluation of mitochondrial variations from next-generation sequencing datasets. Hum Mutat. 2015;36:419–24. 38. Zhidkov I, Nagar T, Mishmar D, Rubin E. MitoBamAnnotator: a web-based tool for detecting and annotating heteroplasmy in human mitochondrial DNA sequences. Mitochondrion. 2011;11:924–8. 39. den Dunnen JT, Antonarakis SE. Mutation nomenclature extensions and suggestions to describe complex mutations: a discussion. Hum Mutat. 2000;15:7–12. 40. Watanabe K. Unique features of animal mitochondrial translation systems. The non-universal genetic code, unusual features of the translational apparatus and their relevance to human mitochondrial diseases. Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2010;86:11–39. 41. Cannone JJ, Subramanian S, Schnare MN, Collett JR, D’Souza LM, Du Y, Feng B, Lin N, Madabusi LV, Müller KM, Pande N, Shang Z, Yu N, Gutell RR. The comparative RNA web (CRW) site: an online database of comparative sequence and structure information for ribosomal, intron, and other RNAs. BMC Bioinformatics. 2002;3:2. 42. Li R, Ge HW, Cho SS. Sequence-dependent base-stacking stabilities guide tRNA folding energy landscapes. J Phys Chem B. 2013;117:12943–52. q p g g tRNA folding energy landscapes. J Phys Chem B. 2013;117:12943–52. 43. MToolBox. https://github.com/mitoNGS/MToolBox.git. Accessed Aug 2015. 43. MToolBox. https://github.com/mitoNGS/MToolBox.git. Accessed Aug 2015. 44. MToolBox pipeline at MSeqDR. https://mseqdr.org/mtoolbox.php. Accessed Aug 2015. 45. MSeqDR GBrowse. https://mseqdr.org/gbrowse_bridge.php. Accessed Aug 2015. 46. Pereira L, Freitas F, Fernandes V, Pereira JB, Costa MD, Costa S, Máximo V, Macaulay V, Rocha R, Samuels DC. The diversity present in 5140 human mitochondrial genomes. Am J Hum Genet. 2009;84:628–40. 47. Santorsola M, Calabrese C, Girolimetti G, Diroma MA, Gasparre G, Attimonelli M. A multi-parametric workflow for the prioritization of mitochondrial DNA variants of clinical interest. Hum Genet. 2016;135:121–36. References • We accept pre-submission inquiries • Our selector tool helps you to find the most relevant journal • We provide round the clock customer support • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • Inclusion in PubMed and all major indexing services • Maximum visibility for your research Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and we will help you at every step: • We accept pre-submission inquiries • Our selector tool helps you to find the most relevant journal • We provide round the clock customer support • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • Inclusion in PubMed and all major indexing services • Maximum visibility for your research Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and we will help you at every step:
https://openalex.org/W2517156813
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc5064332?pdf=render
English
null
Genetic and environmental components of female depression as a function of the severity of the disorder
Brain and behavior
2,016
cc-by
5,097
K E Y W O R D S additive and dominance estimates, homozygotic and heterozygotic alleles, major depression, mood disorders, twin studies Received: 3 March 2016  |  Revised: 17 May 2016  |  Accepted: 25 May 2016 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.519 Received: 3 March 2016  |  Revised: 17 May 2016  |  Accepted: 25 May 2016 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.519 d: 3 March 2016  |  Revised: 17 May 2016  |  Accepted: 25 May 2016 Revised: 17 May 2016  |  Accepted: 25 May 2016 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.519 Genetic and environmental components of female depression as a function of the severity of the disorder James S. M. Rusby1 | Fiona Tasker1 | Lynn Cherkas2 1Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK 2Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, UK Brain Behav 2016; 6: e00519 Abstract Background: Both clinical care and genome-­wide studies need to account for levels of severity in the etiology of depression. The purpose of the study is to estimate the genetic and environmental components of female depression as a function of the severity of the disorder. Correspondence James S. M. Rusby, Department of Psychological Studies, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK. Email: jsrusby@btinternet.com Correspondence James S. M. Rusby, Department of Psychological Studies, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK. Email: jsrusby@btinternet.com Methods: A genetic and environmental model analysis of depression incidence was made using the IOP Depression Severity Measure (IDSM). Details of lifetime depres- sion incidence were obtained by questionnaire from twins on the DTR registry. Data from 1449 matched female twin pairs in the age range 19–85  years in four ordinal categories of increasing severity were employed in the analysis. Results: Estimates of additive and dominance genetic components of 27% and 25% were found when all three levels of depression were included, and near zero and 33% when the recurrent/severe level was excluded. Shared environmental effects were not significant in either case, but the estimate for random environ- mental effects was greater when the severe level was excluded. Conclusions: These results suggest that the incidence of severe depression is asso- ciated with homozygotic alleles and the less severe with heterozygotic alleles. This is in accord with the finding that the hereditary component of severe depression is relatively high and that milder forms are more dependent on life-­time environ- mental factors. Such conclusions have clinical implications for the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder by practicing psychiatrists. They also lead to the impor- tance of focusing future genome-­wide and linkage studies on those females with severe levels of depression if progress in identifying genetic risk loci is to be made. 2.1 | Subjects Subjects were volunteer female monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins enrolled in the TwinsUK Adult Twin Registry held in the Department of Twin Research (DTR) at St Thomas’ Hospital, London (Spector & Williams, 2006). All twins were recruited through national media campaigns and from other twin registers. The twins in the registry are not selected for any particular trait and they volunteer to take part in studies that cover a wide range of traits and common medical conditions. The study was approved by the St Thomas’ Hospital Research Ethics Committee and all twins in the study provided their consent. Twins from this registry have been shown to be comparable to the age-­matched general popula- tion of singletons for a broad variety of medical and behavioral traits (Andrew, Hart, Sneider, & De Lange, 2001). In 2006, the IOP Depression Severity Measure (IDSM) was included in the annual questionnaire sent to 8,990 registered twins by the Department of Twin Research. A total of 5,097 replied giving a response rate of 57% of which 91% were females (Nf = 4,638). MZ and DZ twins accounted for 57% and 42% of the respondents and in 1% zygosity was undetermined. Age ranged from 19 to 85 years. After including only the paired female twins, reared together, of known zygosity and white ethnicity, 1,740 twin pairs were available (NF = 3,480, or 75%), 973 monozygotic, and 767 dizygotic twin pairs. In order to equalize the numbers of MZ and DZ pairs, this number was then reduced to 1,449 twin pairs for the model genetic analysis. These past, inconclusive, GWAS and linkage results based on the dichotic selection of control and incidence groups, and in which sex and age are usually pooled, will need to be better focused in future if progress is to be made in locating the genetic loci contributing to the etiology of depression. As a contribution in this direction, the analysis described in the present paper is limited to female cases to investigate whether genetic and environmental variance components of depres- sion may vary as a function of the severity of this disorder. Any analysis such as this which attempts to clarify the etiology of clinical depression as a function of the severity of the disorder will also be of value to practicing clinicians as they try to assess the pos- sible origins of individual cases and the treatment required. 2.1 | Subjects For those who may be unfamiliar with such genetic analyses, it is worth clari- fying and defining the terms used. In this study, the classic genetic model is employed in a structural analysis to estimate both the genetic and environmental variance components related to the phenotype, depression incidence. The genetic components may be additive or dominant in form. If additive, the responsible genes have two dichotic alleles which are identical or homozygotic. If dominant, then one allele is responsible for the effect, and the other, recessive, allele does not contribute, and the gene is heterozygotic. Dominance may be com- plete, in which case the effect on the phenotype is the same as the additive effect, or partial, leading to an intermediate dosage. Heredi- tary influence is largely due to the additive component. The variance of the environmental components estimated by the analysis is also in e00519 (2 of 7) Rusby et al. Rusby et al. confirmed by a large study from Sweden (Kendler, Gatz, Gardner, & Pedersen, 2006; Sullivan, Neale, & Kendler, 2000). These studies have also concluded that the figure may be higher for those with severe or recurrent forms of the illness. The shared or family environmental components have been found to be of little significance, but lifetime environmental factors are important. It is well known that women are at a greater risk of depression and there is increasing evidence that this is partly due to the higher genetic component found for female depression, where research evidence estimates genetic components of some 40%–44% for women and 21%–31% for men (Bierut et al., 1999; Jansson et al., 2004; Kendler, Gardner, Neale, & Prescott, 2001). These substantive results from twin analyses have encouraged inter- national groups of researchers to use both GWAS and linkage studies to try to ascertain which candidate genes might contribute to the eti- ology of depression. However, as Flint and Kendler (2014) conclude from their extensive review of these complex and ambitious inves- tigations, many articles have been generated but no robust findings or positive replications made. In addition, parallel research progress based on the original monoamine hypothesis has been limited now that certain aspects of its explanatory performance have been found to be inadequate (Hirschfeld, 2000; Krishnan & Nestler, 2008). Flint and Kendler believe that the mega-­analysis of GWAS studies reported by Ripke et al. (2013) totaling some 9,000 cases of clinical depression that failed to find robust evidence for loci that exceeded genome-­ wide significance levels implies that genetic variance may be due to the joint effect of large numbers of loci of small effect. This suggests that clinical depression may be diverse in origin and so unlikely to be dichotomous in outcome. two forms: the first is due to shared or family factors and the second to random factors during development and in adult life. In practice, the effect on the phenotype is very likely to be due to the aggregated influence of a number of contributing genetic loci and also on a range of environmental effects. The classic structural genetic analysis has been shown to be valid for such multiple effects (Neale & Cardon, 1992). 1 | INTRODUCTION Clinical depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, particularly in Europe and America with a lifetime prevalence rate between 10% and 20% where it is a major cause of morbidity and This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Brain Behav 2016; 6: e00519 wileyonlinelibrary.com/brb3 © 2016 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published  |  1 Brain Behav 2016; 6: e00519 e00519 (2 of 7) e00519 (2 of 7) 2.3 | Twin analysis The genetic and environmental analysis proceeded from the use of the classic structural path model for data from monozygotic and dizygotic twins reared together (Neale & Cardon, 1992). The layout of this path coefficients model is shown in Fig. 1. In the model, the latent additive genetic factors A1 and A2, the dominant genetic factors D1 and D2, the shared environmental factors C1 and C2, and the random environmental factors E1 and E2, cause the phenotypes P1 and P2 in twins 1 and 2. It is not expected that the values of the genetic or environmental effects, a, c, e, and d, as free parameters will vary between twins, and these constraints are included in the running of the analysis. In addition, the variance of the latent factors are standardized to unity. Classical covariance values from genetic theory linking the factors for both types of zygosity are included in the figure. Two genetic analyses were carried out: in the first, all three levels of depression incidence were included, and in the second, the severe level was omitted and only the mild and moderate levels retained. In order to equalize case numbers for the analyses, the numbers of MZ twin pairs were reduced randomly by SPSS from 973 to 726 to be equal to the number of DZ twin pairs in the first model analysis and from 767 to 520 in the second analysis, giving a total of 1,449 and 1,052 twin pairs, respectively. This follows the recommendation given by Neale and Cardon when a two-­group analysis is run which combines the data from both sets of twin pairs, MZ and DZ (Neale & Cardon, 1992). The model fitting results obtained are listed in Table 1 for the five nested models evaluated for each depression severity analysis, exclud- ing the ACDE model which is not identified in the classical twin model. In both analyses, the shared environment effect, C, is not significant and the models with the highest probability of fitting the observed covariance are the ADE models. Both of these ADE model are satu- rated, that is, there are only one set of values for the three parameters for each of the ADE models which will produce expected values of the covariance–variance matrix that match the observed values (Purcell, 2013). 3 | RESULTS As described above, the depression incidence data generated by the IDSM measure was defined by four ordinal categories. In terms of incidence, 63% reported no depression, 8% mild depression, 14% moderate depression, and 15% severe levels of depression. Twin pair correlations were 0.40 and 0.14 for the MZ and DZ pairs, respectively, resulting in a heritability estimate of 52%. If the severe category is omitted, the correlations were 0.18 and 0.06 giving a reduced heritability of 24%. to question 3 or 4. The final, severe/recurrent, level is scored if the respondent has received defined medication from a general practitioner or psychiatrist, that is ‘yes’ to question 6c, and/or had more than one episode of depression that required some form of treatment, that is ‘yes’ to question 8. In order to avoid any experimenter bias leading to spurious linkage between individual twin pairs scoring was automatically carried out by STATA software using the IDSM depression level scoring algorithm described above. For the genetic analysis, these levels were scored in one of four ordinal categories, from 0, no depression, through to 3, severe/ recurrent depression. likelihood ratio χ2 between the nested models and observed variance– covariance matrices. This is the method recommended by Neale and Cardon (1992) for obtaining such goodness-­of-­fit criteria. e00519 (3 of 7) Rusby et al. 2.2 | Assessment of depression The IDSM depression measure used was developed at the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP) and assessed for content validity by Professors David Collier and Anne Farmer of IOP (see Appendix  1). The measure has been employed by Rusby, Harris, and Tasker (2013) to study the association between personal dependency and levels of depression and by Davies et  al. (2014) to examine the relation- ship between epigenetic methylation effects and depression. Three levels of depression of increasing severity are assessed by the design. The first or mild depression, is self-­diagnostic and is scored by those who answer ‘yes’ to question 1, but excludes those women who only had depression following the birth of a baby. The second or moderate level, is scored if, in addition, a general practitioner or psychiatrist had diagnosed depression, that is ‘yes’ 2.3 | Twin analysis However, little account was taken in these analyses of any contribution due to a possible dominant genetic component. In the case of the first Virginia Twin Registry analysis with 1,033 twin pairs, a 13% dominant component was estimated, and in the Australian study, the AE model was chosen rather than the ADE model for reasons of parsimony. The other studies did not include the ADE model in their analyses. So, the finding from this study that 25% of the variance is estimated to be due to a dominant component, in addition to the 27% additive com- ponent, is a significant factor in understanding the form of the genetic association of depression, and is in contrast to these earlier results. against the results for the more parsimonious DE model, which also has a low value of χ2, to check if the additive component in the ADE model is significant. The difference in χ2 between the models is 2.6 with df = 1, giving a probability p = .11 which is not significant at the .05 level. This suggests that the more parsimonious DE model is to be preferred since it does not show a reduction in fit and so provides evidence that the additive genetic component in the ADE model is not likely to be significant. against the results for the more parsimonious DE model, which also has a low value of χ2, to check if the additive component in the ADE model is significant. The difference in χ2 between the models is 2.6 with df = 1, giving a probability p = .11 which is not significant at the .05 level. This suggests that the more parsimonious DE model is to be preferred since it does not show a reduction in fit and so provides evidence that the additive genetic component in the ADE model is not likely to be significant. The minimal contribution found in earlier studies for any dominance component may be partly explained by a lack of statistical power. These studies treated depression as a dichotomous trait using varying DSM and other threshold criteria with different prevalence rates. 2.3 | Twin analysis In the case of the second analysis, in which the severe level of depression has been excluded, the ADE model needs to be tested The EQS structural program employed was run as a two-­group analysis in which the results from each MZ and DZ modeling analy- sis were combined in order to determine the best-­fitting genetic and environmental estimates (Bentler, 1995). Since the data are categori- cal with four ordinal levels, arbitrary generalized least squares (AGLS) estimation was used in which the correlations between the depression level scores were estimated by polychoric and polyserial coefficients (Lee, Poon, & Bentler, 1994). The EQS program allows an estimation of the goodness-­of-­fit in the model analysis to be made based on the P1 P2 a c e d a c e d A1 C1 E1 D1 A2 C2 E2 D2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1.0 (MZ) or 0.5 (DZ) 1.0 (MZ, DZ) 1.0 (MZ) or 0.25 (DZ) FIGURE 1 Basic genetic path model for data from monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins reared together P1 P2 a c e d a c e d A1 C1 E1 D1 A2 C2 E2 D2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1.0 (MZ) or 0.5 (DZ) 1.0 (MZ, DZ) 1.0 (MZ) or 0.25 (DZ) P1 P2 a c e d a c e d A1 C1 E1 D1 A2 C2 E2 D2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1.0 (MZ) or 0.5 (DZ) 1.0 (MZ, DZ) 1.0 (MZ) or 0.25 (DZ) d A2 D2 1 FIGURE 1 Basic genetic path model for data from monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins reared together FIGURE 1 Basic genetic path model for data from monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins reared together 1.0 (MZ, DZ) e00519 (4 of 7)     are additive TABLE 1 Model fitting results for female depression Rusby et al. TABLE 1 Model fitting results for female depression Model (df) Severe level included (1,449 twin pairs) Severe level excluded (1,052 twin pairs) χ2 p χ2 p ADE (3) 0.0 1.00 0.00 1.00 ACE (3) 18.6 <.001 >1,000 <.001 AE (4) 18.6 <.001 29.6 <.001 CE (4) 293.6 <.001 546.3 <.001 DE (4) 25.7 <.001 2.6 .27 TABLE 1 Model fitting results for female depression are additive genetic estimates with the remaining variance due to the random environment and with no shared environmental com- ponent. 2.3 | Twin analysis Analytical studies by Neale, Eaves, and Kendler (1994) have confirmed that the power to detect genetic dominance is low in the classical twin model and this is particularly the case with dichotomous data when the thresh- old is set at a high level with a low incidence, or prevalence rate. As an example, Neale et al. calculated if the true world variation is 30% addi- tive, 30% dominance, and 40% random environmental, then, in excess of 20,000 twin pairs would be required to reject a false AE model with a power of 80%, if the prevalence rate for the disorder is only 10%. Following their analysis, this study has gained power in two ways: by setting a low initial threshold relating to the incidence of depression, it has resulted in a relatively high overall prevalence rate of 37%, as well as by the gain received from having four ordinal levels rather than being dichotomous in form. According to the Neale et al. analysis, even with these gains, some 3,000 twin pairs would be required for a power of 80% to reject the AE model in favor of the real world ADE model. With 1,449 pairs in this study, the power is only about 50% although exam- ination of Table 1 shows that this has proved sufficient to reject the AE model in favor of the ADE one. Table 2 lists the estimated values of the path coefficients with their confidence intervals and the variances of the two conditions analyzed. The total additive, a2, plus d2, dominant, genetic variance estimated from the analysis which includes the severe category of depression is 52% which falls to 33% due to the dominant variance alone when only the two nonsevere ordinal levels of depression are included. In both cases, the remaining variance is accounted for by random environmen- tal effects including residual error (e2 values) and none by shared or family effects (c2 values). FUNDING INFORMATION TwinsUK is funded by the Welcome Trust, Medical Research Council, European Union (EU), and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded BioResource, Clinical Research Facility, and Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King’s College London. In view of the weakness of the classical twin analysis to reject the AE model in favor of the ADE model, and the fact that this study is lim- ited in power, it is important to replicate these estimates using a larger sample. If it is confirmed that severe forms of female depression are largely associated with the additive genetic component and the more moderate forms with a dominance deviation component plus a larger random environmental variance, then this has implications for the design of GWAS and linkage surveys. Such surveys should be sex spe- cific and recruit those with the severest, more heritable, forms of the disability in order to attempt to detect significant homozygotic genetic loci. In this context, a recent large-­scale study, named CONVERGE, has recruited some 5,000 Chinese women with recurrent major depression in order to reduce such heterogeneity and to identify specific genes through whole-­genome sequencing (CONVERGE Consortium, 2015). 5 | CONCLUSION 5 The particular contribution of this study is that it has attempted to gain some insight into whether the form and magnitude of the genetic and environmental variance depends on the severity of the disorder using ordinal data. The results suggest that the genetic element of the severe level of depression is largely due to the additive com- ponent and that when this depression level is excluded, the origin of the more moderate, broader, forms of the disorder is due to the dominance deviation component combined with a larger random environmental component. If this is correct, then the severe level is dependent on defined homozygosis, which is the presence of certain identical alleles at corresponding multiple loci on homologous chromosomes. The more moderate forms would then be dependent on heterozygosis, or dissimilar alleles at corresponding multiple het- erozygotic loci. The mathematical analysis of additive and dominance deviation variance which led to the generation of the classic genetic structural path model has been shown to apply to such multiple loci and also to unequal gene frequencies (Mather & Jinks, 1982; Neale & Cardon, 1992). This is important since the review by Flint and Kendler (2014) suggests that it is likely that a large number of loci, possibly of small effect, are involved in this disorder. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors thank the twins for their voluntary contribution to this research project. They also thank the staff of the DTR for their work in distributing the questionnaire and collating the results. The design of the IDSM depression measure was the work of a number of colleagues at the Institute of Psychiatry, including David Collier and Anne Farmer and we thank them and DTR for the use of the data. Our thanks also to Juliette Harris of DTR who liaised with us and answered our queries so promptly. e00 this present study, if the contribution of the dominance component is excluded then the narrow-­sense heritability due only to any additive component is 27% when the severe level of depression is included and approximately 0% when it is excluded. The corollary of these estimates is that the milder forms of the disorder are more dependent on lifetime environmental influences than genetic effects. environmental influences on the outcome since twins and siblings may vary in their susceptibility to the vagaries of family upbringing. More research needs to be done to clarify this result and the developmental and lifetime environmental risks associated with depression. Aside from the above limitation imposed by the number of twin pairs in this study, there is also the question of self-­report reliability and the validity of the questionnaire used. The reliability concern is mitigated to some extent by the checks inherent in the measure. In the case of validity, it would be valuable to repeat this study with an alternative form of ordinal measure. e00519 (5 of 7) Rusby et al. 4 | DISCUSSION The finding that the total genetic variance of depression for women is estimated to lie between 30% and 52%, depending on the severity of the disorder, is in general agreement with previous results which did not account for severity levels. These include two studies by researchers using the Virginia Twin Registry (Kendler et  al., 1992, 2001), two studies using the National Swedish Twin Registry (Jansson et  al., 2004; Kendler et  al., 2006), and one employing the Australian Volunteer Twin Registry (Bierut et  al., 1999), which all estimated the genetic component for women to be around 40%. There is also agreement that the equivalent figure for men is considerably less, lying between 21% and 31%. These The importance of the dominance contribution can be inferred directly from the depression data where the MZ correlations were found to be more than twice those of the DZ values. This data leads to broad-­sense heritability values of 52% when the severe level is included and 24% when it is excluded using Falconer’s formula based on the difference in MZ and DZ correlation values (Falconer, 1965). The higher value of 52% may be compared to that of 58% from the equivalent correlation values reported from the large Swedish National twin study using modified DSM-­IV criteria (Kendler et al., 2006). In TABLE 2 Path coefficients and variance estimates for ADE model from MZ and DZ two-­group analyses Depression Path coefficients Variance estimates a (CI.95) d (CI.95) e (CI.95) a2 d2 e2 With severe 0.52 (0.16) 0.50 (0.18) 0.69 (0.02) 0.27 0.25 0.48 Nonsevere 0 0.58 (0.16) 0.82 (0.09) 0 0.33 0.67 TABLE 2 Path coefficients and variance estimates for ADE model from MZ and DZ two-­group analyses mates for ADE model from MZ and DZ two-­group analys e00519 (6 of 7) e00519 (6 of 7) 7) Rusby et al. Hirschfeld, R. M. (2000). History and evolution of the monoamine hypoth- esis of depression. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 61, (suppl.6): 4–6 Neale, M. C., Eaves, L. J., & Kendler, K. S. (1994). The power of the classical twin study to resolve variation in threshold traits. Behavior Genetics, 24, 239–258. Jansson, M., Gatz, M., Berg, S., Johansson, B., Malmberg, B., McClearn, G. E., ... Pedersen, N. L. (2004). Gender differences in heritability of de- pressive symptoms in the elderly. Psychological Medicine, 34, 471–479.t Purcell, S. (2013). Statistical methods in behavioural genetics. In R. Plomin, J. C. DeFries, V. S. Knopik, & J. M. Neiderhiser (Eds.), Behavioural genet- ics (pp. 357–411). New York, NY: Worth. Kendler, K. S., Gardner, C. O., Neale, M. C., & Prescott, C. A. (2001). Ge- netic risk factors for major depression in men and women: Similar or different heritabilities and same or partly distinct genes? Psychological Medicine, 31, 605–616. Ripke, S., Wray, N. R., Lewis, C. M., Hamilton, S. P., Weissman, M. M., Breen, G., ... Blackwood, D. H. (2013). A mega-­analysis of genome-­wide asso- ciation studies for major depressive disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 18, 497–511. Kendler, K. S., Gatz, M., Gardner, C. O., & Pedersen, N. L. (2006). A Swedish national twin study of lifetime major depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 109–114. Rusby, J. S. M., Harris, J. M., & Tasker, F. (2013). Female interpersonal dependency: Genetic and environmental components and its rela- tionship to depression as a function of age. Aging & Mental Health, 17, 1044–1051. Kendler, K. S., Neale, M. C., Kessler, R. C., Heath, A. C., & Eaves , L. J. (1992). A population-­based twin study of major depression in women. Archives of General Psychiatry, 49, 257–266. Rutter, M. L. (1997). Nature-­nurture integration: The example of antisocial behaviour. American Psychologist, 52, 390–398. Krishnan, V., & Nestler, E. J. (2008). The molecular neurobiology of depres- sion. Nature, 455, 894–902. Spector, T. D., & Williams, F. M. (2006). The UK adult twin registry (Twin- sUK). Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9, 899–906.i Lee, S.-Y., Poon, W.-Y., & Bentler, P. M. (1994). Covariance and correlation structure analyses with continuous and polytomous variables. In T. W. Anderson, K.-T. Fang & I. Olkin (Eds.), Multivariate analysis and its appli- cations (pp. 347–358), Vol 24. Hayward, CA: Institute of Mathematical Statistics.ii Sullivan, P. F., Neale, M. C., & Kendler, K. e00519 (6 of 7) S. (2000). Genetic epidemiolo- gy of major depression: Review and meta-­analysis. American Journal of ­Psychiatry, 157, 1552–1562. Mather, K., & Jinks, J. L. (1982). Biometrical genetics: The study of continuous variation. London, UK: Chapman and Hall.i How to cite this article: Rusby, J. S. M., Tasker, F. and Cherkas, L. (2016), Genetic and environmental components of female depression as a function of the severity of the disorder. Brain and Behavior, 6: 1–7. e00519, doi: 10.1002/brb3.519 Neale, M. C., & Cardon, L. R. (1992). Methodology for genetic studies of twins and families. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic. REFERENCES Andrew, T., Hart, D. J., Sneider, H., & De Lange, M. (2001). Are twins and singletons comparable? A study of disease-­related and lifestyle charac- teristics in adult women. Twin Research, 4, 464–477.i Bentler, P. M. (1995). EQS structural equations program manual. Encino, CA: Multivariate Software. Bierut, L. J., Heath, A. C., Bucholz, K.K., Dinwiddie, S. H., Madden, P. A., Statham, D. J., ... Martin, N. G. (1999). Major depressive disorder in a community-­based twin sample. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 557–563.ii CONVERGE Consortium (2015). Sparse whole-­genome sequencing identi- fies two loci for major depressive disorder. Nature, 523, 588–591. Davies, M. N., Krause, L., Bell, J. T., Gao, F., Ward, K. J., Wu, H., ... Wang J. (2014). Hypermethylation in the ZBTB20 gene is associated with ma- jor depressive disorder. Genome Biology, 15, R56. http//genomebiology. com/2014/15/4/R56. Confirmation of these present results would, in addition, be of clinical importance in confirming that the severe level of the disor- der has a greater hereditary component while the milder forms are likely to be more associated with random, lifetime effects. The finding that the shared or family, environmental component is not significant may surprise clinicians but replicates the same conclusion from pre- vious studies (Bierut et al., 1999; Jansson et al., 2004; Kendler et al., 2006). However, Michael Rutter (1997) has warned that low, or negli- gible, estimates of the shared component do not preclude some early Demyttenaere, K., Bruffaerts, R., Posada-Villa, J., Gasquet, I., Kovess, V., & Lepine, J. P. (2014). Prevalence, severity and unmet need for treatment of mental disorders in the World Health Organisation World Mental Health Surveys. Journal of the American Medical Association, 291, 2381– 2390. Falconer, D. S. (1965). The inheritance of liability to certain diseases esti- mated from the incidence among relatives. Annals of Human Genetics, 29, 51–76.i Flint, J., & Kendler, K. S. (2014). The genetics of major depression. Neuron, 81, 484–503. IOP Depression Severity Measure (IDSM) IOP Depression Severity Measure (IDSM) IOP Depression Severity Measure (IDSM) e00519 (7 of 7) e00519 (7 of 7) e00519 (7 of 7) Rusby et al.
https://openalex.org/W2146835532
https://repository.helmholtz-hzi.de/bitstream/10033/595526/1/Reuter%20et%20al.pdf
English
null
Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection
PloS one
2,012
cc-by
7,394
Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection Dajana Reuter1, Tim Sparwasser2, Thomas Hu¨ nig1, Ju¨ rgen Schneider-Schaulies1* 1 Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Wu¨rzburg, Wu¨rzburg, Germany, 2 Institute of Infection Immunology, TWINCORE, Dajana Reuter1, Tim Sparwasser2, Thomas Hu¨ nig1, Ju¨ rgen Schneider-Schaulies1* 1 Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Wu¨rzburg, Wu¨rzburg, Germany, 2 Institute of Infection Immunology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany Dajana Reuter1, Tim Sparwasser2, Thomas Hu¨ nig1, Ju¨ rgen Schneider-Schaulies1* 1 Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Wu¨rzburg, Wu¨rzburg, Germany, 2 Institute of Infection Immunology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany Abstract Funding: The authors thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for financial support decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: jss@vim.uni-wuerzburg.de of viral persistence as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). Epidemiological studies indicated that the primary MV infection of SSPE patients takes place predominantly below the age of two years, when the immune system of the host is still immature and residual maternal antibodies may be absent or not sufficient for complete virus neutralization [20,21]. For intracerebral MV infection of mice, a transgenic human receptor for MV is not necessarily required, and various infection models exist depending on the age of the mice, the virus strain, and the infectious dose [22,23,24,25,26]. As found in genetically unmodified and MV- receptor transgenic mice, T cells and IFN-c have a critical role for protection and clearance of virus from the brain [27,28,29,30]. Transient immunosuppression during MV-infection enhanced virus replication and facilitated persistence [31]. After intranasal infection of MV-receptor CD150-transgenic mice, a specific antiviral cellular immune response including an increased proportion of Foxp3+ Tregs in the spleen was observed [32]. Although the presence and activity of Tregs has been demon- strated, their actual role in viral immunosuppression or immuno- pathogenesis in the brain remains to be elucidated. Foxp3+ regulatory T cells control persistence of viral CNS infection. Item Type Article Authors Reuter, Dajana; Sparwasser, Tim; Hünig, Thomas; Schneider- Schaulies, Jürgen Citation Foxp3+ regulatory T cells control persistence of viral CNS infection. 2012, 7 (3):e33989 PLoS ONE DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0033989 Journal PloS one Download date 24/10/2024 04:42:30 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10033/595526 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org Abstract We earlier established a model of a persistent viral CNS infection using two week old immunologically normal (genetically unmodified) mice and recombinant measles virus (MV). Using this model infection we investigated the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) as regulators of the immune response in the brain, and assessed whether the persistent CNS infection can be modulated by manipulation of Tregs in the periphery. CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Tregs were expanded or depleted during the persistent phase of the CNS infection, and the consequences for the virus-specific immune response and the extent of persistent infection were analyzed. Virus-specific CD8+ T cells predominantly recognising the H-2Db-presented viral hemagglutinin epitope MV-H22–30 (RIVINREHL) were quantified in the brain by pentamer staining. Expansion of Tregs after intraperitoneal (i.p.) application of the superagonistic anti-CD28 antibody D665 inducing transient immunosuppression caused increased virus replication and spread in the CNS. In contrast, depletion of Tregs using diphtheria toxin (DT) in DEREG (depletion of regulatory T cells)-mice induced an increase of virus-specific CD8+ effector T cells in the brain and caused a reduction of the persistent infection. These data indicate that manipulation of Tregs in the periphery can be utilized to regulate virus persistence in the CNS. Citation: Reuter D, Sparwasser T, Hu¨nig T, Schneider-Schaulies J (2012) Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection. PLoS ONE 7(3): e33989. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033989 Editor: Tian Wang, University of Texas Medical Branch, United States of America Received January 16, 2012; Accepted February 22, 2012; Published March 20, 2012 Received January 16, 2012; Accepted February 22, 2012; Published March 20, 2012 uter et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits tion, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Copyright:  2012 Reuter et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attributi unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Copyright:  2012 Reuter et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original au Funding: The authors thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for financial support. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Introduction The role of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in autoimmune and pathogen-induced immune responses has been studied intensively during recent years. An important tool was provided by the discovery of the transcription factor Foxp3 (forkhead box P3) as a marker for Tregs and their suppressive activity [1,2,3,4]. During acute viral infections depletion of Tregs was found to prevent the development of exhausted T cells and to improve the immune response. In addition, transient depletion of Tregs in several persistent viral infections led to reactivation of virus-specific T cells and reduction of the virus load [5,6,7,8,9]. The important protective role of Tregs against an overshooting immune response in the CNS became obvious in animal models of stroke and experimental autoimmune encephalitis [10,11], and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1)-associated neuro-de- generation, where they reduce astrogliosis and microglia-mediated inflammation [12]. Interestingly, some viruses even developed the strategy to support the expansion of Tregs in order to suppress anti-viral cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses and to limit viral immunopathogenesis [13,14,15,16,17,18]. Defects in regulation of numbers or the activity of Tregs are also involved in a number of human autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis [19]. Here we investigated the role of Tregs for virus persistence in the CNS. According to our model, two week old C57BL/6 mice (an age in which these mice survive infection, while the immune system is still not fully matured) were intracerebrally infected and virus persists in a limited number of neurons in most animals for more than 10 weeks [33]. We expanded and depleted Tregs in the periphery during the persistent phase of the viral infection, and investigated whether this can be exploited to modulate the Viral infections of the brain mostly represent clinically important, often life-threatening complications of systemic viral infections. For example, after acute measles, CNS complications may occur early as acute post-infectious encephalitis, or after years PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 1 March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 Tregs Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection Figure 1. Detection of regulatory T cells in secondary lymphoid organs and the brain of C57BL/6 and DEREG mice. Mice were i.c. infected and analyzed at 3, 7, 10, 14, and 28 dpi as indicated. Persistent CNS infection is controlled by the immune system y In order to find out whether Tregs have an influence on the persistent CNS infection we first expanded and functionally activated Tregs using the superagonistic anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody clone D665 (mAb D665) [36]. This mAb, while causing a transient expansion of the total lymph node and splenic T cell population, predominantly expands functional CD4+ Tregs without causing systemic cytokine release [37]. In order to test the efficiency of mAb D665 in young mice, we measured Tregs in a preliminary experiment in uninfected mice 3 days after a single i.p. injection of 100 mg D665 by flow cytometry. The proportion of CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs increased in the spleen and lymph nodes approximately 2- fold (Fig. 2 A; n = 4; P,0.01). This result indicated that mAb D665 can be used for expansion of Tregs also in young mice. Figure 1. Detection of regulatory T cells in secondary lymphoid organs and the brain of C57BL/6 and DEREG mice. Mice were i.c. infected and analyzed at 3, 7, 10, 14, and 28 dpi as indicated. The percentages of regulatory CD4+ Foxp3+ T cells all lymphocytes in spleen (A) and draining cervical lymph nodes (CLN) (B) of rMV-green-infected and PBS-injected (ctrl) animals were determined using C57BL/6 mice. Foxp3+ T cells were quantified by flow cytometry after staining with antibodies to CD25, CD4, and Foxp3, and gating on positive cells. In brains (C), total cell numbers of Foxp3-GFP+ Tregs were determined using of rMV-infected and PBS-injected (ctrl) DEREG mice. Mean values 6 SEM are presented (n = 3). p doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033989.g001 treatment. Large clusters and groups of bright GFP-positive (directly reflecting virus replication) infected neurons emerged in the brains of these mice (Fig. 3 A). This was in striking contrast to the brains of untreated mice at 28 dpi, which contain only a limited number of infected neurons (Fig. 3 B). It is also strikingly different from brains at 14 dpi, when the treatment with D665 begins. At this time point areas with weak (vanishing) GFP expression are observed, that represent areas from which virus is being eliminated (Fig. 3 C). The quantification demonstrated For the following experiments, to investigate the effect of mAb D665 on the persistent viral infection, we applied 100 mg at day 14 and 21 post infection, and analyzed the brains at 28 dpi (Fig. 2 B). Regulatory T cells are present predominantly in spleen and lymph nodes, but at a low frequency also in the brain Regulatory T cells are present predominantly in spleen and lymph nodes, but at a low frequency also in the brain Two week old mice were intracerebrally (i.c.) infected with 103 PFU recombinant MV expressing the rodent brain-adapted haemagglutinin CAMH and eGFP, or, when indicated, the recombinant MV without eGFP. Both recombinant viruses (rMVEdtagEGFP-CAMH and rMVEdtagCAMH) have the same distinct tropism for mouse neurons, and infections cause similar acute and persistent CNS infections [24,33,34,35]. These recombinant viruses were designated throughout the manuscript as rMV-green and rMV. To determine the number of Tregs present in our infection model in secondary lymphoid organs and the brain, C57BL/6 mice were infected with rMV-green and analyzed 3, 7, 10, 14 and 28 days post infection. Lymphocytes were isolated from 6 draining cervical lymph nodes (LN), the spleen, and the brain of MV- infected and control (i.c. injected PBS) animals. The fraction of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ T cells of all lymphocytes was determined to be 1.5–3% in the spleen and 4–6% in LN (Fig. 1 A, B) with no significant difference between infected and control animals. This corresponds to a total number of Tregs of approximately 16106 in the spleen and 26105 in the prepared LN at day 28 post infection. Only a small statistically not significant number of Foxp3+ T cells was detected in the brain, irrespective of the infection (data not shown). To obtain statistically significant results and to reduce standard errors caused by the staining procedure, we used DEREG mice, which express GFP in Foxp3+ cells. After infection of these mice with rMV (not expressing GFP), a small but significant number of GFP+ cells, approximately 800 per brain, was detected in the brains, whereas almost no GFP+ cells were detected in controls (Fig. 1 C; n = 3, P,0.05, two way ANOVA). Introduction The percentages of regulatory CD4+ Foxp3+ T cells all lymphocytes in spleen (A) and draining cervical lymph nodes (CLN) (B) of rMV-green-infected and PBS-injected (ctrl) animals were determined using C57BL/6 mice. Foxp3+ T cells were quantified by flow cytometry after staining with antibodies to CD25, CD4, and Foxp3, and gating on positive cells. In brains (C), total cell numbers of Foxp3-GFP+ Tregs were determined using of rMV-infected and PBS-injected (ctrl) DEREG mice. Mean values 6 SEM are presented (n = 3). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033989.g001 ‘‘hidden’’ CNS infection. Our data indicate that this is indeed the case and that manipulation of Tregs can be utilized to regulate virus-specific CD8+ effector T cells and virus persistence in the brain. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org Persistent CNS infection is controlled by the immune system Under these conditions the total number of lymphocytes increased significantly after D665 treatment in spleen and LN, but not in the brain (Fig. 2 C). Furthermore, the proportion of Foxp3+ Tregs increased significantly (approximately 2-fold, P,0.01) in spleen in LN (Fig. 2 D). Interestingly, histological analyzes revealed that the extent of the viral infection increased considerably after D665 March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 2 Tregs Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection Figure 2. Expansion of T lymphocytes with the superagonistic CD28 antibody D665. (A) Two week old uninfected C57BL/6 mice were i.p. injected with 100 mg mAb D665 or PBS (control) and analyzed 3 days later. Lymphocytes were isolated from the spleen and lymph nodes (12 per mouse; 6 cervical, 4 axillary and 2 inguinal lymph nodes). FACS dot plot examples for CD4+ Foxp3+ T cells in the lymph nodes are shown (left panels: ctrl and +mAb D665 with percentages of all gated lymphocytes). Right panel: quantitative evaluation of the proportion of Foxp3+ T cells (percent of all CD4+ T cells) in spleen and lymph nodes of D665-treated and control animals (mean values 6 SEM, n = 4, P,0.01). (B) Experimental setup used for the treatment of MV-infected mice with mAb D665. As a control an appropriate volume of PBS was injected. (C) The total number of lymphocytes in the spleen and draining lymph nodes (LN) (n = 3; P,0.01), and total number of percoll-isolated cells in brains of D665-treated and control animals (n = 3). (D) Quantitative evaluation of CD4+ Foxp3+ Tregs in the spleen and LN of D665-treated and control animals (percent CD4+Foxp3+ cells of all CD4+ T cells; n = 3, P,0.002 and P,0.02, respectively). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033989.g002 Figure 2. Expansion of T lymphocytes with the superagonistic CD28 antibody D665. (A) Two week old uninfected C57BL/6 mice were i.p. injected with 100 mg mAb D665 or PBS (control) and analyzed 3 days later. Lymphocytes were isolated from the spleen and lymph nodes (12 per mouse; 6 cervical, 4 axillary and 2 inguinal lymph nodes). FACS dot plot examples for CD4+ Foxp3+ T cells in the lymph nodes are shown (left panels: ctrl and +mAb D665 with percentages of all gated lymphocytes). Persistent CNS infection is controlled by the immune system Right panel: quantitative evaluation of the proportion of Foxp3+ T cells (percent of all CD4+ T cells) in spleen and lymph nodes of D665-treated and control animals (mean values 6 SEM, n = 4, P,0.01). (B) Experimental setup used for the treatment of MV-infected mice with mAb D665. As a control an appropriate volume of PBS was injected. (C) The total number of lymphocytes in the spleen and draining lymph nodes (LN) (n = 3; P,0.01), and total number of percoll-isolated cells in brains of D665-treated and control animals (n = 3). (D) Quantitative evaluation of CD4+ Foxp3+ Tregs in the spleen and LN of D665-treated and control animals (percent CD4+Foxp3+ cells of all CD4+ T cells; n = 3, P,0.002 and P,0.02, respectively). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033989.g002 approximately 100-fold more infected cells per brain in D665- treated animals in comparison to control animals at 28 dpi (Fig. 3 D, compare lanes 3 and 5; differences were highly significant: P,0.0001). Two weeks later, at 42 dpi, the number of infected cells was reduced, but still higher than in control animals (Fig. 3 D, compare lanes 4 and 6). The data indicate that CD28-mediated expansion of Tregs in the periphery during the persistent phase of the viral infection induced a transient release of the viral infection from immunological control resulting in a dramatic increase of virus replication and spread in the CNS. Foxp3-promoter, which can be treated with DT to eliminate specifically Foxp3+ Tregs (DEREG-mice) [38]. To test the activity of the DT-batch used, adult DEREG mice were in a pilot experiment treated with DT under standard conditions (1 mg DT i.p. injected at 6 consecutive days) and analyzed the next day. Lymphocytes isolated from the spleen and lymph nodes were analyzed by flow cytometry to demonstrate the successful depletion of Foxp3+GFP+ Tregs by more than 90% (Fig. 4 A). In order to assess the effect of Treg depletion on virus persistence in young mice, persistently infected mice were treated at 3 consecutive days (at day 17, 18, and 20 post infection) with 1 mg DT and analyzed at day 28 post infection (Fig. 4 B). In these mice, the viral infection was again quantified histologically in subsequent brain slices through the complete cerebrum as described earlier [33]. Persistent CNS infection is controlled by the immune system Treg depletion in DEREG2/+ mice (compared to DT- approximately 100-fold more infected cells per brain in D665- treated animals in comparison to control animals at 28 dpi (Fig. 3 D, compare lanes 3 and 5; differences were highly significant: P,0.0001). Two weeks later, at 42 dpi, the number of infected cells was reduced, but still higher than in control animals (Fig. 3 D, compare lanes 4 and 6). The data indicate that CD28-mediated expansion of Tregs in the periphery during the persistent phase of the viral infection induced a transient release of the viral infection from immunological control resulting in a dramatic increase of virus replication and spread in the CNS. Transient depletion of Tregs stimulates infiltration of virus-specific T cells into the brain and virus elimination For the depletion of Tregs we used transgenic mice expressing the human diphtheria toxin (DT) receptor under the control of the PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 3 Tregs Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection Figure 3. Expansion of T lymphocytes with the superagonistic CD28 antibody D665 induces virus replication and spread. Consecutive coronal brain sections (100 mm sections) were prepared from complete rMV-green-infected mouse cerebra and analyzed using the UV microscope. Overviews and details of a typical section of an infected brain of a mouse treated with mAb D665 and analyzed at 28 dpi (A), and sections of infected control animals in the absence of mAb D665 at 28 dpi (B), and 14 dpi (C) are shown. The numbers of infected eGFP+ cells per brain (sections through the complete cerebrum of each animal were evaluated as described [33]) were determined microscopically in infected control C57BL/6 mice at 7, 14, 28 and 42 dpi (D, lanes 1–4) and in D665-treated mice at 28 and 42 dpi (D, lanes 5 and 6). The difference between control and D665-treated mice at 28 dpi was highly significant (P,0,0001). treated DEREG2/2 mice as control animals) led to a significant reduction of the number of infected neurons from brains of persistently infected animals (n = 6, P = 0.0098; Fig. 4 C). treated DEREG2/2 mice as control animals) led to a significant reduction of the number of infected neurons from brains of persistently infected animals (n = 6, P = 0.0098; Fig. 4 C). reduction of the number of infected neurons from brains of persistently infected animals (n = 6, P = 0.0098; Fig. 4 C). In order to investigate whether this increase in virus clearance correlates with the presence of higher numbers of virus-specific CD8+ T cells, we first identified T cell receptor recognized peptides presented by MHC class I of C57BL/6 mice (H-2b). Two recognized peptides, DbMV-H22–30 (RIVINREHL) and DbMV- H446–454 (SNHNNVYWL), were identified as effective in stimu- lating IFN-c synthesis using the ELISPOT assay (data not shown). MV-specific CD8+ T cells were then identified by flow cytometry using MHC class I (H-2Db) pentamers loaded with the most effective peptide MV-H22–30. Transient depletion of Tregs stimulates infiltration of virus-specific T cells into the brain and virus elimination The percentages of DbMV-H22–30- specific CD8+ T cells in spleen, LN, and the brain were determined after 3, 7, 10, 14 and 28 days post infection. Considerable proportions of DbMV-H22–30-pentamer-positive CD8+ T cells were detected in the brain at 7, 10, 14, and 28 dpi (Fig. 5 A). Interestingly, high percentages of DbMV-H22–30- specific CD8+ T cells are present in the brain during the persistent phase of the infection (at 28 dpi approximately 18% of all CD8+ T lymphocytes). Mock-treated animals (i.c. PBS injection; ctrl) did not contain virus-specific CD8+ T cells. After treatment of DEREG mice with DT, the number of Tregs decreased by approximately 95%, while the number of CD8+ T cells in brains slightly increased (Fig. 5 B). Interestingly, after depletion of Tregs, the fraction and absolute number of DbMV-H22–30-specific CD8+ T cells increased from 2,000 to 8,000 cells per brain, or 5% to 23% of CD8+ T cells (n = 3, P = 0,05; Fig. 5 C). Thus, depletion of Tregs during the persistent phase of infection led to an increase of virus-specific CD8+ T cells and a significant reduction of the persistent infection in the brain. Discussion Depletion of Tregs leads to a reduction of the CNS infection. (A) Adult DEREG (DEREG2/+) mice were i.p. injected with 1 mg diphtheria toxin (DT) or with an appropriate volume of PBS (ctrl) at 6 consecutive days and analyzed the next day. Lymphocytes were isolated from the spleen and LN (6 cervical, 4 axillary, and 2 inguinal). FACS dot plot examples for regulatory CD4+ Foxp3-GFP+ T cells in the lymph nodes (left panels), and a quantitative evaluation of Foxp3-GFP+ T cells (percentage of all lymphocytes, right panel) from spleen and LN (mean values 6 SEM, n = 4, P,0.01) are shown. (B) Experimental setup for the treatment of young MV-infected DEREG mice with DT at day 17, 18, and 20 post infection and analysis at 28 dpi. (C) Quantitative evaluation of the number of infected eGFP+ cells at 28 dpi in DEREG (DEREG2/+) and control (DEREG2/2) mice both infected i.c. with rMV-green and treated with DT. The reduction of mean values from 50 to 8 was significant, with P = 0,0098. The number of Figure 4. Depletion of Tregs leads to a reduction of the CNS infection. (A) Adult DEREG (DEREG2/+) mice were i.p. injected with 1 mg diphtheria toxin (DT) or with an appropriate volume of PBS (ctrl) at 6 consecutive days and analyzed the next day. Lymphocytes were isolated from the spleen and LN (6 cervical, 4 axillary, and 2 inguinal). FACS dot plot examples for regulatory CD4+ Foxp3-GFP+ T cells in the lymph nodes (left panels), and a quantitative evaluation of Foxp3-GFP+ T cells (percentage of all lymphocytes, right panel) from spleen and LN (mean values 6 SEM, n = 4, P,0.01) are shown. (B) Experimental setup for the treatment of young MV-infected DEREG mice with DT at day 17, 18, and 20 post infection and analysis at 28 dpi. (C) Quantitative evaluation of the number of infected eGFP+ cells at 28 dpi in DEREG (DEREG2/+) and control (DEREG2/2) mice both infected i.c. with rMV-green and treated with DT. The reduction of mean values from 50 to 8 was significant, with P = 0,0098. The number of infected eGFP+ cells per brain was determined by microscopic evaluation of 100 mm sections through the complete cerebrum as described [33]. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033989.g004 was found to spread more transneuronally than in brains of normal mice [41]. Discussion These findings indicated that infected neurons are target cells of CD8+ lymphocytes, and that brain infections to some extent can be inhibited by CTL activity. Further investigations revealed that CD4+ T cells are able to protect either alone (in resistant mouse strains), or through cooperation with CD8+ T cells (in mice with intermediate susceptibility), and that CD8+ T cells are able to protect alone after immunization of the mice [42,43]. Using CD46- transgenic Rag-deficient mice, adoptive transfer of lymphocytes revealed that the combined activity of CD4+ T lymphocytes with CD8+ T cells or B cells is required to control the intracerebral infection [44]. Thus, most findings support the view that CD8+ T cells play an important role in the control of transneuronal virus spread, and our findings suggest that MV-specific CD8+ T cells are involved in maintaining the steady state and control of infection during the persistent phase of CNS infection. expressing Foxp3+ cells in infected DEREG mice. These findings suggest that only very few Tregs, if any at all, are required within the brain for the regulation of effector immune cells, and that this regulation predominantly takes place in secondary lymphoid organs. Sellin et al. observed an increase of Foxp3+ Tregs as a consequence of MV infection of CD150-transgenic mice in spleen and brain [32], which suggests that also the MV-infection itself supports the expansion and migration of Tregs, and that these infection-induced Tregs may be part of the multifactorial MV- induced immunosuppression [3,4]. Tregs can restrain effector T cell responses through the production of immunomodulatory cytokines, such as TGF-b, IL-10, and IL-35, expression of inhibitory ligands, such as CTLA-4 and LAG-3, cytokine consumption, and direct cytolysis. It remains to be elucidated which of these mechanisms are involved in the persistent brain infection with MV. Several reports support the view that T cells play a decisive role in control of viral CNS infections. Using primary human lymphocytes, in vitro experiments demonstrated that CD8+ T lymphocytes control the dissemination of MV [39]. In resistant mouse strains the depletion of the CD4+ T cell subset by monoclonal antibodies led to a breakdown of resistance to the infection, whereas depletion of CD8+ T cells had no effect [23,40]. In TAP-transporter deficient mice, which cannot present antigen on MHC class I molecules, MV PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org Discussion Our results indicate that the immune system keeps the ‘‘hidden’’ persistent viral CNS infection under permanent control. Manip- ulation of Tregs in the periphery had significant consequences for the fate of the viral infection in the brain, although only few infected neurons are present during the persistent phase of the infection. Expanding the number of Tregs by superagonistic CD28 antibody D665 led to an activation of virus replication and dramatic increase of the number of infected neurons, whereas transient depletion of Tregs by DT led to a significant reduction of the number of infected neurons. Interestingly, complete elimina- tion of virus and clearance of the infection was not achieved by transient depletion of Tregs suggesting that additional means of an antiviral immune response are required for complete clearance. Looking for Tregs in the brain, we did not detect a significant number of CD4+ Foxp3+ Tregs by FACS-analysis after staining with Foxp3-specific antibodies, and only a small number of GFP- PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 4 Tregs Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection Figure 4. Depletion of Tregs leads to a reduction of the CNS infection. (A) Adult DEREG (DEREG2/+) mice were i.p. injected with 1 mg diphtheria toxin (DT) or with an appropriate volume of PBS (ctrl) at 6 consecutive days and analyzed the next day. Lymphocytes were isolated from the spleen and LN (6 cervical, 4 axillary, and 2 inguinal). FACS dot plot examples for regulatory CD4+ Foxp3-GFP+ T cells in the lymph nodes (left panels), and a quantitative evaluation of Foxp3-GFP+ T cells (percentage of all lymphocytes, right panel) from spleen and LN (mean values 6 SEM, n = 4, P,0.01) are shown. (B) Experimental setup for the treatment of young MV-infected DEREG mice with DT at day 17, 18, and 20 post infection and analysis at 28 dpi. (C) Quantitative evaluation of the number of infected eGFP+ cells at 28 dpi in DEREG (DEREG2/+) and control (DEREG2/2) mice both infected i.c. with rMV-green and treated with DT. The reduction of mean values from 50 to 8 was significant, with P = 0,0098. The number of infected eGFP+ cells per brain was determined by microscopic evaluation of 100 mm sections through the complete cerebrum as described [33]. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033989.g004 Figure 4. Animal infection and manipulation of the frequency of Tregs This study was carried out in strict accordance with the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 5 Tregs Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection Figure 5. Treg depletion causes an increase in virus-specific CD8+ T cells in the brain. (A) The proportion of virus-specific DbMV-H22–30- pentamer+ CD8+ T cells of all CD8+ T cells was determined in spleen, lymph nodes, and brains of MV-infected C57BL/6 mice at days 3, 7, 10, 14, and 28 post infection (n = 3). MV-specific cells were gated as CD19-negative lymphocytes to exclude pentamer+ CD19+ cells. The total number of CD8+ T cells (B) and the number and proportion of DbMV-H22–30-pentamer+ CD8+ T cells (C) was determined in brains of 28 days infected control (DEREG2/2) and DEREG (DEREG2/+) mice, both treated with DT (Values 6 SEM; n = 3). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033989.g005 Figure 5. Treg depletion causes an increase in virus-specific CD8+ T cells in the brain. (A) The proportion of virus-specific DbMV-H22–30- pentamer+ CD8+ T cells of all CD8+ T cells was determined in spleen, lymph nodes, and brains of MV-infected C57BL/6 mice at days 3, 7, 10, 14, and 28 post infection (n = 3). MV-specific cells were gated as CD19-negative lymphocytes to exclude pentamer+ CD19+ cells. The total number of CD8+ T cells (B) and the number and proportion of DbMV-H22–30-pentamer+ CD8+ T cells (C) was determined in brains of 28 days infected control (DEREG2/2) and DEREG (DEREG2/+) mice, both treated with DT (Values 6 SEM; n = 3). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033989.g005 described [33,35]. Slices were analyzed directly by UV microsco- py. Photomicrographs were taken with a digital camera (Leica). Numbers of infected eGFP-positive neurons were counted and statistical analyzes done using the student’s t test and the program Prism (GraphPad, Inc.). Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health. The protocol was approved by the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the University of Wu¨rzburg (Permit Number: 55.2-2531.01-67/06). Specific pathogen free C57BL/6 mice were purchased from Harlan-Winkelmann, Germany. DEREG mice [38] were breeded in the animal facilities of the Institute for Virology and Immunobiology and the Centre for Experimental Medicine, Wu¨rzburg. Mice were anesthetized using isofluran and infected intracerebrally (i.c.) into the left hemisphere with 20 ml virus suspension containing 16103 PFU at an age of two weeks. Animal infection and manipulation of the frequency of Tregs To expand Tregs, mice were treated intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 100 mg superagonistic anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody (mAb) D665 [36], and to deplete Tregs, DEREG mice were treated i.p. with 1 mg diphtheria toxin (DT; Merck) [38]. Histology For analyzes, animals were anesthetized with CO2 and perfused with 4% (w/v) paraformaldehyde (PFA). Brains were fixed in 4% PFA at least 18 h, and free-floating sections (100 mm) were prepared using a vibratome (Technical Products International) as Isolation of lymphocytes from lymph nodes, the spleen, and the brain Draining cervical lymph nodes and the spleen were pressed through a steel sieve in 4 ml HBSS and homogenized in a total volume of 13 ml HBSS. After a centrifugation step at 310 g for 10 min the cell pellets were resuspended in an adequate volume of HBSS (approximately 107/cells/ml). Spleen cells were additionally treated with erythrocyte lysis buffer (155 mM NH4Cl, 10 mM KHCO3, 0.1 mM EDTA) and washed with HBSS. Brains were pressed through a steel sieve in 5 ml HBSS 3% FCS and homogenized in a total volume of 20 ml HBSS 3% FCS. After a centrifugation step at 170 g for 10 min the cell pellet was resuspended in 1.4 ml dissociation buffer (23 mM CaCl2, 50 mM KCl, 42 mM MgCl2, 153 mM NaCl) containing 0.4 U collagenase (Serva) and 50 U Benzonase (Novagen) and incubated at 37uC for 1 h. Afterwards the cells were washed with HBSS and applied on a percoll density gradient to separate the lymphocytes from the rest like myelin debris or neuronal cells as described [46]. The lymphocytes were isolated and washed to remove the percoll for subsequent analyzes. Cell lines and viruses Vero cells (African green monkey; ATCC CRL 6318) were cultured in Eagle’s minimal essential medium (MEM) containing 5% fetal calf serum (FCS), 100 U/mL penicillin and 100 mg/mL streptomycin. Recombinant measles viruses expressing the rodent adapted haemagglutinin of the strain CAM/RB (CAMH) and/or not the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) rMVEdtag EGFP-CAMH (rMV-green) and rMVEdtagCAMH (rMV) [35,45] were propagated using Vero cells. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org References 1. Hori S, Nomura T, Sakaguchi S (2003) Control of regulatory T cell development by the transcription factor Foxp3. Science 299: 1057–1061. 1. Hori S, Nomura T, Sakaguchi S (2003) Control of regulatory T cell development by the transcription factor Foxp3. Science 299: 1057–1061. 18. Vahlenkamp TW, Tompkins MB, Tompkins WA (2004) Feline immunodefi- ciency virus infection phenotypically and functionally activates immunosuppres- sive CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells. J Immunol 172: 4752–4761. 2. Sakaguchi S, Yamaguchi T, Nomura T, Ono M (2008) Regulatory T cells and immune tolerance. Cell 133: 775–787. 2. Sakaguchi S, Yamaguchi T, Nomura T, Ono M (2008) Regulatory T cells and immune tolerance. Cell 133: 775–787. 19. Buckner JH (2010) Mechanisms of impaired regulation by CD4(+)CD25(+) FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells in human autoimmune diseases. Nat Rev Immunol 10: 849–859. 3. Shevach EM (2009) Mechanisms of foxp3+ T regulatory cell-mediated suppression. Immunity 30: 636–645. 20. Garg RK (2008) Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. J Neurol 255: 1861–1871. pp y 4. Sakaguchi S, Miyara M, Costantino CM, Hafler DA (2010) FOXP3+ regulatory 4. Sakaguchi S, Miyara M, Costantino CM, Hafler DA (2010) FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in the human immune system. Nat Rev Immunol 10: 490–500. g , y , , ( ) g y T cells in the human immune system. Nat Rev Immunol 10: 490–500. 21. Weissbrich B, Schneider-Schaulies J, ter Meulen V (2003) Measles and its neurological complications; Nath A, Berger JR, eds. New York: Marcel Dekker. pp 401–430. 5. Dietze KK, Zelinskyy G, Gibbert K, Schimmer S, Francois S, et al. (2011) Transient depletion of regulatory T cells in transgenic mice reactivates virus- specific CD8+ T cells and reduces chronic retroviral set points. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108: 2420–2425. 22. Liebert UG, Finke D (1995) Measles infections in rodents. In: Billeter MA, ter Meulen V, eds. Measles Virus. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer-Verlag. pp 149–166. 6. Myers L, Messer RJ, Carmody AB, Hasenkrug KJ (2009) Tissue-specific abundance of regulatory T cells correlates with CD8+ T cell dysfunction and chronic retrovirus loads. J Immunol 183: 1636–1643. 23. Niewiesk S, Brinckmann U, Bankamp B, Sirak S, Liebert UG, et al. (1993) Susceptibility to measles virus-induced encephalitis in mice correlates with impaired antigen presentation to cytotoxic T lymphocytes. J Virol 67: 75–81. 7. Li S, Gowans EJ, Chougnet C, Plebanski M, Dittmer U (2008) Natural regulatory T cells and persistent viral infection. J Virol 82: 21–30. 24. References Duprex WP, Duffy I, McQuaid S, Hamill L, Schneider-Schaulies J, et al. (1999) The H gene of rodent brain-adapted measles virus confers neurovirulence to the Edmonston vaccine strain. J Virol 73: 6916–6922. 8. Zelinskyy G, Dietze K, Sparwasser T, Dittmer U (2009) Regulatory T cells suppress antiviral immune responses and increase viral loads during acute infection with a lymphotropic retrovirus. PLoS Pathog 5: e1000406. J 25. Carsillo T, Traylor Z, Choi C, Niewiesk S, Oglesbee M (2006) hsp72, a host determinant of measles virus neurovirulence. J Virol 80: 11031–11039. 9. Zelinskyy G, Dietze KK, Husecken YP, Schimmer S, Nair S, et al. (2009) The regulatory T-cell response during acute retroviral infection is locally defined and controls the magnitude and duration of the virus-specific cytotoxic T-cell response. Blood 114: 3199–3207. 26. Abdullah H, Earle JA, Gardiner TA, Tangy F, Cosby SL (2009) Persistent measles virus infection of mouse neural cells lacking known human entry receptors. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 35: 473–486. 27. Finke D, Brinckmann UG, ter Meulen V, Liebert UG (1995) Gamma interferon is a major mediator of the antiviral defense in experimental measles virus- induced encephalitis. J Virol 69: 5469–5474. 10. Liesz A, Suri-Payer E, Veltkamp C, Doerr H, Sommer C, et al. (2009) Regulatory T cells are key cerebroprotective immunomodulators in acute experimental stroke. Nat Med 15: 192–199. 28. Patterson CE, Lawrence DMP, Echols LA, Rall GF (2002) Immune-mediated protection from measles virus-induced central nervous system disease is non- cytolytic and gamma interferon dependent. J Virol 76: 4497–4506. 11. Beyersdorf N, Gaupp S, Balbach K, Schmidt J, Toyka KV, et al. (2005) Selective targeting of regulatory T cells with CD28 superagonists allows effective therapy of experimental autoimmuneencephalitis. J Exp Med 202: 445–455. cytolytic and gamma interferon dependent. J Virol 76: 4497– 29. Reuter T, Weissbrich B, Schneider-Schaulies S, Schneider-Schaulies J (2006) RNA interference with measles virus N-, P-, and L-mRNAs efficiently prevents, and with matrix protein-mRNA enhances viral transcription. J Virol 80: 5951–5957. 12. Liu J, Gong N, Huang X, Reynolds AD, Mosley RL, et al. (2009) Neuromodulatory activities of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in a murine model of HIV-1-associated neurodegeneration. J Immunol 182: 3855–3865. 30. Stubblefield Park SR, Widness M, Levine AD, Patterson CE (2011) T cell-, interleukin-12-, and gamma interferon-driven viral clearance in measles virus- infected brain tissue. J Virol 85: 3664–3676. 13. Acknowledgments For identification of peptides presented by MHC class I that can be used in ELISPOT and pentamer staining experiments we used the software programs SYFPEITHI (University of Tu¨bingen, Germany) and BIMAS (BioInformatics and Molecular Analysis Section, National Health Instituts, Bethesda, USA) to establish a ranking of potential peptides. From 12 potential H-2 Kb and Db– presented peptides of MV-N and MV-H with the highest probability scores, we found that DbMV-H22–30 and DbMV- H446–454 (RIVINREHL and SNHNNVYWL, respectively) were We thank S. Kendl and C. Strasheim for technical assistance and Dr. M. Kaymer, Beckman Coulter, for helpful advice concerning the tetramer technology. Antibodies and flow cytometry Monoclonal fluorescein-isothiocyanat (FITC)-, phycoerythrin (PE)- or peridinin chlorophyll protein (PerCP)-conjugated anti- PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 6 Tregs Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection mouse CD3 (clone 145-2C11)-, CD4 (clone RM4-5)-, CD8 (clone Ly-2)-, CD19 (clone 1D3)- and CD25 (clone 7D4)-antibodies were purchased from Becton Dickinson. PE-conjugated anti-mouse Foxp3 (clone FJK-16s)-antibody was purchased from NatuTec. Lymphocytes were stained in FACS buffer (PBS containing 0.4% BSA and 0.02% sodium azide) at 4uC for 20 min. Intracellular staining of Foxp3 was performed using the Foxp3 Staining Buffer Set (NatuTec) according to the manufacture’s protocol. Briefly, cells were fixed and permeabilized in 500 ml fixation/permeabi- lization buffer (Concentrate/Diluent 1:4) at RT for 1 h and stained afterwards in permeabilization buffer at RT for 30 min. Flow cytometric analysis was performed on a FACSCalibur (Becton Dickinson). most efficiently recognized. ELISPOT experiments were per- formed using the Mouse IFN-c ELISPOT set (BD Biosciences) according to the manufacture’s protocol. most efficiently recognized. ELISPOT experiments were per- formed using the Mouse IFN-c ELISPOT set (BD Biosciences) according to the manufacture’s protocol. Author Contributions Conceived and designed the experiments: JSS. Performed the experiments: DR. Analyzed the data: DR TH JSS. Contributed reagents/materials/ analysis tools: TS TH. Wrote the paper: DR JSS. Conceived and designed the experiments: JSS. Performed the experiments: DR. Analyzed the data: DR TH JSS. Contributed reagents/materials/ analysis tools: TS TH. Wrote the paper: DR JSS. Pentamer staining MHC class I (H-2Db) pentamers presenting the selected peptide MV-H22–30 (DbMV-H22–30–pentamers) were ordered from ProImmune Ltd (Oxford, UK). Cells were washed with FACS buffer and stained with 5 mL pentamer-solution diluted in 100 ml FACS buffer at 4uC for 30 min. After one washing step the cells were analyzed using the FACSCalibur. MV-specific cells were gated as CD8+ and CD19-negative lymphocytes to exclude pentamer+ CD19+ cells. References Anghelina D, Zhao J, Trandem K, Perlman S (2009) Role of regulatory T cells in coronavirus-induced acute encephalitis. Virology 385: 358–367. 14. Dittmer U, He H, Messer RJ, Schimmer S, Olbrich AR, et al. (2004) Functional impairment of CD8(+) T cells by regulatory T cells during persistent retroviral infection. Immunity 20: 293–303. J 31. Oldstone MBA, Dales S, Tishon A, Lewicki H, Martin L (2005) A role for dual hits in causation of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. J Exp Med 202: 1185–1190. 32. Sellin CI, Jegou JF, Renneson J, Druelle J, Wild TF, et al. (2009) Interplay between virus-specific effector response and Foxp3 regulatory T cells in measles virus immunopathogenesis. PLoS One 4: e4948. 15. Estes JD, Li Q, Reynolds MR, Wietgrefe S, Duan L, et al. (2006) Premature induction of an immunosuppressive regulatory T cell response during acute simian immunodeficiency virus infection. J Infect Dis 193: 703–712. 33. Schubert S, Mo¨ller-Ehrlich K, Singethan K, Wiese S, Duprex WP, et al. (2006) A mouse model of persistent brain infection with recombinant measles virus. J Gen Virol 87: 2011–2019. 16. Iwashiro M, Messer RJ, Peterson KE, Stromnes IM, Sugie T, et al. (2001) Immunosuppression by CD4+ regulatory T cells induced by chronic retroviral infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98: 9226–9230. 34. Moeller-Ehrlich K, Ludlow M, Beschorner R, Meyermann R, Rima BK, et al. (2007) Two functionally linked amino acids in the stem 2 region of measles virus haemagglutinin determine infectivity and virulence in the rodent central nervous system. J Gen Virol 88: 3112–3120. 17. Krathwohl MD, Schacker TW, Anderson JL (2006) Abnormal presence of semimature dendritic cells that induce regulatory T cells in HIV-infected subjects. J Infect Dis 193: 494–504. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 7 March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 Tregs Control Persistence of Viral CNS Infection 35. Ludlow M, Duprex WP, Cosby SL, Allen IV, McQuaid S (2008) Advantages of using recombinant measles viruses expressing a fluorescent reporter gene with vibratome slice technology in experimental measles neuropathogenesis. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 34: 424–434. 42. Weidinger G, Czub S, Neumeister C, Harriott P, ter Meulen V, et al. (2000) Role of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the prevention of measles virus-induced encephalitis in mice. J Gen Virol 81: 2707–2713. 43. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 42. Weidinger G, Czub S, Neumeister C, Harriott P, ter Meulen V, et al. (2000) Role of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the prevention of measles virus-induced encephalitis in mice. J Gen Virol 81: 2707–2713. References Weidinger G, Henning G, ter Meulen V, Niewiesk S (2001) Inhibition of major histocompatibility complex class II-dependent antigen presentation by neutral- ization of gamma interferon leads to breakdown of resistance against measles- induced encephalitis in mice. J Virol 75: 3059–3065. p pp 36. Dennehy K, Elias F, Zeder-Lutz G, Ding X, Altschuh D, et al. (2006) Cutting edge: monovalency of CD28 maintains the antigen dependence of T cell costimulatory responses. J Immunol 176: 5725–5729. 37. Gogishvili T, Langenhorst D, Luhder F, Elias F, Elflein K, et al. (2009) Rapid regulatory T-cell response prevents cytokine storm in CD28 superagonist treated mice. PLoS One 4: e4643. 44. Tishon A, Lewicki H, Andaya A, McGavern D, Martin L, et al. (2006) CD4 T cell control primary measles virus infection of the CNS: regulation is dependent on combined activity with either CD8 T cells or with B cells: CD4, CD8 or B cells alone are ineffective. Virology 347: 234–245. 38. Lahl K, Loddenkemper C, Drouin C, Freyer J, Arnason J, et al. (2007) Selective depletion of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells induces a scurfy-like disease. J Exp Med 204: 57–63. 45. Duprex WP, McQuaid S, Hangartner L, Billeter MA, Rima BK (1999) Observation of measles virus cell-to-cell spread in astrocytoma cells by using a green fluorescent protein-expressing recombinant virus. J Virol 73: 9568–9575. 39. de Vries RD, Yuksel S, Osterhaus AD, de Swart RL (2009) Specific CD8(+) T- lymphocytes control dissemination of measles virus. Eur J Immunol. 46. Schwender S, Imrich H, Dorries R (1991) The pathogenic role of virus-specific antibody-secreting cells in the central nervous system of rats with different susceptibility to coronavirus-induced demyelinating encephalitis. Immunology 74: 533–538. 40. Finke D, Liebert UG (1994) CD4+ T cells are essential in overcoming experimental murine measles encephalitis. Immunology 83: 184–189. . Finke D, Liebert UG (1994) CD4+ T cells are essential in experimental murine measles encephalitis. Immunology 83: 184– 41. Urbanska EM, Chambers BJ, Ljunggren HG, Norrby E, Kristensson K (1997) Spread of measles virus through axonal pathways into limbic structures in the brain of TAP2/2 mice. J Med Virol 52: 362–369. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org March 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | e33989 8
https://openalex.org/W2998246758
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc6610307?pdf=render
English
null
Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China: A Pooled Analysis on Hospital-Based Studies From 2000 to 2018
Frontiers in oncology
2,019
cc-by
6,528
Haifeng Hou 1*†, Zixiu Meng 1†, Xuan Zhao 1†, Guoyong Ding 1, Ming Sun 2, Wei Wang 1,3 and Youxin Wang 2* 1 School of Public Health, Taishan Medical University, Taian, China, 2 Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China, 3 School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia Edited by: Jianguang Ji, Lund University, Sweden Reviewed by: Zhijun Dai, Zhejiang University, China Shun He, Cancer Hospital (CAMS), China *Correspondence: Haifeng Hou hfhou@163.com Youxin Wang wangy@ccmu.edu.cn †These authors have contributed equally to this work Edited by: Jianguang Ji, Lund University, Sweden Background: Esophageal cancer (EC) causes more than 400 thousand deaths per year, and half of them occur in China. There are discrepancies regarding the survival of EC patients between population-based surveillance studies and hospital-based studies. Reviewed by: Zhijun Dai, Zhejiang University, China Shun He, Cancer Hospital (CAMS), China Objectives: We aimed to synthesize the survival data from hospital-based EC studies in the Chinese population from 2000 to 2018 and to compare the survival rates between EC patients with different clinical classifications. *Correspondence: Haifeng Hou hfhou@163.com Youxin Wang wangy@ccmu.edu.cn Methods: The protocol of this systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD-42019121559). We searched Embase, PubMed, CNKI, and Wanfang databases for studies published between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2018. We calculated the pooled survival rates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by Stata software (V14.0). Results: Our literature search identified 933 studies, of which 331 studies with 79,777 EC patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in meta-analyses. The pooled survival rates were 74.1% (95% CI: 72.6–75.7%) for 1-year survival, 49.0% (95% CI: 44.2–53.8%) for 2-years survival, 46.0% (95% CI: 42.6–49.5%) for 3-years survival, and 40.1% (95% CI: 33.7–46.4%) for 5-years survival. An increased tendency toward EC survival was verified from 2000 to 2018. In addition, discrepancies were observed between EC patients with different clinical classifications (e.g., stages, histologic types, and cancer sites). Specialty section: This article was submitted to Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, a section of the journal Frontiers in Oncology Specialty section: This article was submitted to Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, a section of the journal Frontiers in Oncology Received: 23 February 2019 Accepted: 05 June 2019 Published: 27 June 2019 Keywords: esophageal cancer, survival, meta-analysis, hospital-based study, China SYSTEMATIC REVIEW published: 27 June 2019 doi: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00548 Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China: A Pooled Analysis on Hospital-Based Studies From 2000 to 2018 Haifeng Hou 1*†, Zixiu Meng 1†, Xuan Zhao 1†, Guoyong Ding 1, Ming Sun 2, Wei Wang 1,3 and Youxin Wang 2* Haifeng Hou 1*†, Zixiu Meng 1†, Xuan Zhao 1†, Guoyong Ding 1, Ming Sun 2, Wei Wang 1,3 and Youxin Wang 2* Literature Search Strategy Esophageal cancer (EC) is among the top causes of cancer- related mortality globally, resulting in more than 400 thousand deaths each year (1). Because its incidence is increasing, EC remains a global concern, especially in under-developed regions (2). Annually, more than half of new cases are diagnosed in China, where a so-called EC belt permanently exists around Taihang Mountain (3, 4). EC ranks fifth in incidence (21.17 per 100,000), and fourth in mortality (15.58 per 100,000) among all malignant tumors in China (5, 6). Carcinogen exposure (e.g., nitrosamines and their precursors, fungi, trace minerals, and polycyclic hydrocarbons), nutritional deficiency, lifestyles, and genetics contribute to the multistage development of EC through (1) localized injury, (2) inflammation, (3) mutagenesis, and (4) carcinogenesis (7, 8). Selection Criteria and Quality Assessment First, two authors (XZ and ZM) independently reviewed the titles and abstracts of the retrieved publications. Second, the full text and online supplementary data were read to determine the eligibility and quality of the literature (Table S3). Any uncertainties and discrepancies were resolved by the third investigator (HH) through discussion. The inclusion criteria were (1) EC was diagnosed by pathological examination; (2) the following data were available: number of included EC patients, number of survived cases, or survival rates of EC patients; (3) the survival data were obtained from hospital-based studies that assessed the prognosis of hospitalized inpatients; (4) the ethnicity of all EC patients was Chinese. For studies reporting on both Chinese and other populations, only the data for the Chinese population were included. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) in vitro studies or animal studies; (2) reviews; (3) studies that did not refer to a Chinese population; (4) studies without survival data; (5) studies on community-based populations; (6) low-quality studies. Although strategies for preventing EC are necessary, measures to reduce morbidity or improve survival are also extremely important. Therefore, a national screening program was launched in 2005 in areas in China with a high prevalence of EC, especially rural regions (9). This program includes endoscopic examination for high-risk individuals and early surgery in the treatment of patients with EC (5). Several studies have reported a 50% decrease in EC deaths among subjects served in this healthcare program (9, 10). Also, a nationwide population-based cancer registry system was initiated to collect cancer data across China in 2002 (11, 12). Statistical Analysis The pooled survival rate and 95% confidence interval (CI) of EC were calculated by Stata V14.0 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX, USA). Cochran’s Q-test for heterogeneity, complemented by the I2 statistic, was implemented to measure the level of heterogeneity across original studies. A P > 0.10 and I2 < 50% indicated no significant heterogeneity, and a fixed effect model was utilized to calculate the pooled survival rate. Otherwise, significant heterogeneity was assumed, then the random effect model was carried out subsequently by the DerSimonian- Laird method (17). Subgroup analyses on gender, cancer site, clinical type, and stage, temporal trend, and study design were conducted, respectively. To assess the strength and stability Citation: Conclusions: Our findings showed a higher survival rate in hospital-based studies than population-based surveillance studies. Although this hospital-based study is subject to potential representability and publication bias, it offers insight into the prognosis of patients with EC in China. Hou H, Meng Z, Zhao X, Ding G, Sun M, Wang W and Wang Y (2019) Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China: A Pooled Analysis on Hospital-Based Studies From 2000 to 2018. Front. Oncol. 9:548. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00548 June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China Hou et al. Literature Search Strategy These population-based survival databases enable both temporal and spatial surveillance of the overall state of different cancers (13). However, incomplete follow-up for registered individuals can bias survival estimates in population-based surveillance studies. When the registered data do not cover all eligible cancer deaths, the survival statistics might be overestimated, particularly for cancers with high fatality rates (14). Meanwhile, many clinical investigations have reported the prognosis of patients with cancer within hospitals according to clinical research criteria. These hospital-based survival investigations can reflect comprehensive treatment effectiveness with relatively lower loss to follow-up than population-based studies (15). Discrepancies exist regarding the survival of EC patients between reports from the national cancer registry system and hospital-based studies, as well as between hospital-based studies. The present study aimed to systematically synthesize all eligible survival data reported in hospital-based clinical studies in the Chinese population in order to estimate the prognosis of hospitalized patients with EC. Data Extraction The following data were extracted from included studies: (1) first author’s name, publication year, characteristics of EC patients (e.g., age, gender, region, cancer site, clinical stage, and clinical type), survival rate or number of survival cases, and study design. If data of a specific population were reported in several studies or published more than once, the most recently published or the largest sampled study was included. Data in each subgroup (study design, gender, regions, cancer site, clinical type, and stage) were also extracted for subgroup analyses. INTRODUCTION Literature Search Strategy We searched Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science for English language literature, as well as CNKI and Wanfang for Chinese literature published between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2018. The combination of “China,” “Chinese,” “survival,” “hospital,” “esophageal cancer,” “carcinoma of esophagus,” “esophageal carcinoma,” “esophagus cancer,” “cancer of esophagus,” “esophageal cancer,” “carcinoma of esophagus,” “esophageal carcinoma,” “esophagus cancer,” and “cancer of esophagus” in English or Chinese were used in the literature search. References cited in the included articles were further reviewed. The detailed search strategy is shown in Table S2. MATERIALS AND METHODS The systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted in accordance with the criteria of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) (16). The reported PRISMA Checklist is available in the online Table S1. As a systematic review, the protocol was registered in PROSPERO (No. CRD-42019121559, https://www.crd.york. ac.uk/PROSPERO/). June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org 2 Hou et al. Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China FIGURE 1 | Flow diagram of literature screening. FIGURE 1 | Flow diagram of literature screening. that met the predefined criteria were included in our study. The flow diagram for screening articles is shown in Figure 1. The distributions of the studies included are shown in Figure 2 and additional details are provided in Table S4. There were 104 prospective studies and 227 retrospective studies. A total of 118 studies reported survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), eight reported survival of patients with esophageal small cell carcinoma (SCC), two reported survival of patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), 119 reported the combined data of more than one histologic type, and 84 studies did not mention the histologic classifications. Of the 331 studies, 210 were conducted in the high prevalence areas of China (e.g., Fujian, Guangdong, Henan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces). of pooled results, sensitivity analyses were also conducted by successive removal of an eligible study each time. The publication bias was estimated by funnel plot asymmetry and Begg’s adjusted rank correlation test. A P-value < 0.05 was considered to represent statistical significance. RESULTS Systematic Review and Eligible Studies Our literature search identified 933 publications, of which 289 were from CNKI, 451 were from Wanfang, 42 were from Embase, 58 were from PubMed, and 93 were from Web of Science. Two authors (ZM and ZX) reviewed the retrieved literature independently and then excluded 378 reduplicate publications. Among the 555 publications involved in the abstract and full- text review, 26 were not original studies, 19 were not human- based research, 52 were not in reference to EC, seven were not designed as hospital-based studies, 16 were not conducted among a Chinese population, 51 were not investigations on survival or prognosis, and 53 did not provide appropriate survival data. Finally, 331 publications with 79,777 EC patients (52,273 males/21,874 females/5,630 unavailable; mean age 51.8 years) Pooled Results of EC Survival Subgroup analysis on study design (Figure 4 and Table S8) indicated that the pooled survival rates in retrospective studies June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org 4 Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China Hou et al. TABLE 2 | Pooled survival and 95% CI of esophageal cancer in different clinical stages. Categories Stage N SR (%) 1-year survival T1 6 95.6 (93.5–97.7) T2 8 84.7 (79.3–90.0)a T3 12 74.6 (68.8–80.4)a T4 17 52.8 (39.9–65.7)abc Overall 43 71.7 (66.5–76.9) 2-years survival T1 3 87.0 (71.0–103.0) T2 3 51.4 (39.9–62.9)a T3 4 34.5 (28.8–40.2)a T4 2 11.4 (2.2–25.1)abc Overall 12 41.8 (13.7–69.8) 3-years survival T1 10 81.0 (75.5–86.4) T2 13 61.5 (53.6–69.3)a T3 17 45.0 (36.9–53.1)ab T4 11 36.3 (21.8–50.7)ab Overall 51 53.3 (46.5–60.1) 5-years survival T1 13 75.2 (68.4–82.0) T2 14 51.6 (43.3–59.9)a T3 16 38.5 (30.6–46.4)a T4 10 25.4 (14.9–36.0)ab Overall 53 48.4 (41.6–55.1) SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included studies. Between-group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with T1 group; bP < 0.05 compared with T2 group; cP < 0.05 compared with T3 group. TABLE 2 | Pooled survival and 95% CI of esophageal cancer in different clinical stages. FIGURE 3 | Temporal trends of survival of esophageal cancer from 2000 to 2018. Between-group comparisons: the 1-year survival rates are significantly higher than 2-, 3-, and 5-years survival rates between 2000 and 2018 (P < 0.05). FIGURE 3 | Temporal trends of survival of esophageal cancer from 2000 to 2018. Between-group comparisons: the 1-year survival rates are significantly higher than 2-, 3-, and 5-years survival rates between 2000 and 2018 (P < 0.05). FIGURE 3 | Temporal trends of survival of esophageal cancer from 2000 to 2018. Between-group comparisons: the 1-year survival rates are significantly higher than 2-, 3-, and 5-years survival rates between 2000 and 2018 (P < 0.05). FIGURE 4 | Forest plot of meta-analysis of retrospective and prospective studies. SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included studies. Between-group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with T1 group; bP < 0.05 compared with T2 group; cP < 0.05 compared with T3 group. SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included studies. Between-group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with T1 group; bP < 0.05 compared with T2 group; cP < 0.05 compared with T3 group. Pooled Results of EC Survival showed a decreasing linear trend of survival (including 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-years survival) for patients with T1, T2, T3, and T4 stage EC. A decreased trend was found in accordance with the TNM stage classifications. The 5-years survival of patients with stage T4 EC was 25.4% (95% CI: 14.9–36.0%), which was significantly lower than the survival for patients with stage T1 EC (75.2%, 95% CI: 68.4–82.0%). FIGURE 4 | Forest plot of meta-analysis of retrospective and prospective studies. The major histologic type of EC in China is ESCC, which accounts for 90% of new cases, while adenocarcinoma is more common in Western countries (18–20). The pooled results (Table 3) show that the 5-years survival rate of SCC (15.5%, 95% CI: 12.4–18.6%) was significantly lower than that of ESCC (41.7%, 95% CI: 32.4–51.0%). The 1- and 3-years survival rates of SCC were significantly lower as well. However, only two studies reported survival of EAC, for which the pooled 1- and 3-years survival rates were 80.9% (95% CI: 62.3–99.5%) and 45.7 (95% CI: 23.2–68.2%), respectively. than for those of men, while the differences were not statistically significant (Tables S6, S7). We also synthesized survival rates in the high prevalence areas of China (e.g., Fujian, Guangdong, Henan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces), where the incidence rates of EC are higher than other provinces. The pooled survival rates in these high prevalence areas were 74.2% (95% CI: 71.8– 76.5%) for 1-year survival, 50.4% (95% CI: 45–55.8%) for 2-years survival, 46.2% (95% CI: 42.5–49.9%) for 3-years survival, and 37.1% (95% CI: 29.3–45.0%) for 5-years survival (Table 1). The prognosis of EC in high prevalence areas was similar with low prevalence areas. We performed a subgroup meta-analysis on four sites of the original tumors. As shown in Table 4, 1-, 3-, and 5-years survival rates were lower among patients with hypopharynx and cervical EC than patients with thoracic EC. Pooled Results of EC Survival As shown in Table 1, the observed survival rates in all eligible studies were synthesized by a random effect model. The overall pooled results were 74.1% (95% CI: 72.6–75.7%) for 1-year survival, 49.0% (95% CI: 44.2–53.8%) for 2-years survival, 46.0% (95% CI: 42.6–49.5%) for 3-years survival, and 40.1% (95% CI: 33.7–46.4%) for 5-years survival. June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org 3 Hou et al. Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China FIGURE 2 | Distribution of included studies. FIGURE 2 | Distribution of included studies. TABLE 1 | Pooled survival and 95% CI of esophageal cancer in low and high prevalence areas. Survival Low prevalence areas High prevalence areas Overall N SR (%) N SR (%) N SR (%) 1-year 115 74.1 (72.0–76.3) 117 74.2 (71.8–76.5) 232 74.1 (72.6–75.7) 2-years 62 47.6 (40.2–55.0)a 63 50.4 (45.0–55.8)a 125 49.0 (44.2–53.8)a 3-years 107 45.8 (40.2–51.5)a 104 46.2 (42.5–49.9)a 211 46.0 (42.6–49.5)a 5-years 47 41.3 (33.0–49.6)a 26 37.1 (29.3–45.0)ab 73 40.1 (33.7–46.4)a SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included studies; Between-group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with 1-year survival; bP < 0.05 compared with 2-years survival. TABLE 1 | Pooled survival and 95% CI of esophageal cancer in low and high prevalence areas. were 75.3% (95% CI: 73.5–77.2%) for 1-year survival, 49.6% (95% CI: 43.3–55.9%) for 2-years survival, 45.5% (95% CI: 41.4–49.6%) for 3-years survival, and 39.8% (95% CI: 33.0–46.7%) for 5-years survival. Meanwhile, the pooled survival rates in prospective studies were 71.9% (95% CI: 68.6–75.2%) for 1-year survival, 48.1% (95% CI: 41.5–54.8%) for 2-years survival, 47.6% (95% CI: 42.8–52.3%) for 3-years survival, and 42.6% (95% CI: 34.7– 50.4%) for 5-years survival. Moreover, subgroup analyses by sex showed higher rates of 2-, 3-, and 5-years survival among women To examine the survival profiles from 2000 to 2018, we conducted analyses on time-trend survival of patients with EC. As shown in Figure 3 and Table S5, a tendency for increased survival was evidenced by the pooled survival rates from 2006 to 2018. The same trends were found in both men and women (Tables S6, S7), except that the 5-years survival rates among men decreased from 2006 to 2015. Subgroup Analyses of EC Survival by Clinical Classifications Categories Sites N SR (%) 1-year survival Hypopharynx and cervical 6 76.5 (68.7–84.4) Upper thoracic 15 79.3 (73.7–84.8) Mid thoracic 19 77.6 (72.1–83.0) Lower thoracic 15 73.3 (66.2–80.3) Overall 55 77.1 (73.9–80.3) 2-years survival Hypopharynx and cervical 2 69.4 (45.0–93.7) Upper thoracic 3 49.1 (25.9–72.3) Mid thoracic 8 44.5 (35.4–53.6) Lower thoracic 5 34.9 (6.4–63.5) Overall 18 44.7 (36.2–53.1) 3-years survival Hypopharynx and cervical 9 40.4 (30.2–50.6) Upper thoracic 16 48.1 (42.3–54.0) Mid thoracic 20 44.5 (35.2–53.8) Lower thoracic 16 46.8 (39.7–53.9) Overall 61 45.6 (41.0–50.1) 5-years survival Hypopharynx and cervical 3 10.7 (0.1–21.4) Upper thoracic 11 32.6 (24.8–40.4)a Mid thoracic 12 37.4 (24.9–49.9)a Lower thoracic 12 39.6 (31.0–48.1)a Overall 38 35.2 (28.8–41.5)a SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included original studies. Between- group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with hypopharynx group. TABLE 3 | Pooled survival and 95% CI of esophageal cancer of different histologic types. SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included original studies. Between- group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with hypopharynx group. SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included studies; ESCC, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; SCC, esophageal small cell carcinoma; EAC, esophageal adenocarcinoma; Combined, esophageal cancer patients not classified by histology; N, number of included original studies. Between-group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with ESCC group. pooled survival of EAC might not be representative. Moreover, TNM stage is also a crucial determinant for EC survival (26). Our findings showed a decreased trend of survival for patients with T1, T2, T3, and T4 stage EC. The 5-years survival rate of patients with stage T4 EC was nearly three times lower than that of patients with T1 EC. About half of ECs locate in the middle thoracic esophagus, followed by lower thoracic, higher thoracic, and hypopharyngeal parts of the esophagus (27). Our subgroup analyses showed lower survival rates among patients with hypopharynx and cervical EC, except for 2-years survival rates that were obtained from two published studies. These findings verify the relatively poorer prognosis of hypopharynx and cervical EC. To address the strength and stability of the pooled results, we conducted sensitivity analysis by omitting one study at a time. The estimates of pooled survival were not significantly affected by any individual study that was included in our meta-analyses (see Figures S1–S4), indicating that our results had relative strength and stability. Subgroup Analyses of EC Survival by Clinical Classifications As shown in Figure 5, the funnel plot analyses and Begg’s tests indicated no publication bias in the meta-analyses of 3- and 5- years survival. However, significant publication bias was detected in both 1- and 2-years survival analyses. Thirty-five studies that involved 13,055 patients reported the TNM stage of ED. As shown in Table 2, the pooled analyses June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org 5 Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China Hou et al. TABLE 3 | Pooled survival and 95% CI of esophageal cancer of different histologic types. Categories Types N SR (%) 1-year survival Combined 145 74.1 (72.1–76.0) ESCC 80 75.3 (72.7–78.0) SCC 5 55.6 (40.4–70.8)a EAC 2 80.9 (62.3–99.5) Overall 232 74.1 (72.6–75.7) 2-years survival Combined 79 50.40 (44.5–56.2) ESCC 41 48.70 (39.9–57.6) SCC 4 24.40 (4.6–44.2) EAC 1 – Overall 125 49.00 (44.2–53.8) 3-years survival Combined 127 47.8 (43.2–52.3) ESCC 78 44.6 (39.4–49.7) SCC 4 18.8 (2.6–35.0)a EAC 2 45.7 (23.2–68.2) Overall 210 46.0 (42.6–49.5) 5-years survival Combined 37 41.30 (31.7–50.9) ESCC 31 41.70 (32.4–51.0) SCC 4 15.50 (12.4–18.6)a EAC 1 – Overall 72 40.10 (33.7–46.4) SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included studies; ESCC, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; SCC, esophageal small cell carcinoma; EAC, esophageal adenocarcinoma; Combined, esophageal cancer patients not classified by histology; N, number of included original studies. Between-group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with ESCC group. To address the strength and stability of the pooled results, we conducted sensitivity analysis by omitting one study at a time. The estimates of pooled survival were not significantly affected by any individual study that was included in our meta-analyses (see Figures S1–S4), indicating that our results had relative strength d bili TABLE 4 | The pooled survival and 95% CI of esophageal cancer at different sites. Subgroup Analyses of EC Survival by Clinical Classifications Categories Sites N SR (%) 1-year survival Hypopharynx and cervical 6 76.5 (68.7–84.4) Upper thoracic 15 79.3 (73.7–84.8) Mid thoracic 19 77.6 (72.1–83.0) Lower thoracic 15 73.3 (66.2–80.3) Overall 55 77.1 (73.9–80.3) 2-years survival Hypopharynx and cervical 2 69.4 (45.0–93.7) Upper thoracic 3 49.1 (25.9–72.3) Mid thoracic 8 44.5 (35.4–53.6) Lower thoracic 5 34.9 (6.4–63.5) Overall 18 44.7 (36.2–53.1) 3-years survival Hypopharynx and cervical 9 40.4 (30.2–50.6) Upper thoracic 16 48.1 (42.3–54.0) Mid thoracic 20 44.5 (35.2–53.8) Lower thoracic 16 46.8 (39.7–53.9) Overall 61 45.6 (41.0–50.1) 5-years survival Hypopharynx and cervical 3 10.7 (0.1–21.4) Upper thoracic 11 32.6 (24.8–40.4)a Mid thoracic 12 37.4 (24.9–49.9)a Lower thoracic 12 39.6 (31.0–48.1)a Overall 38 35.2 (28.8–41.5)a SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included original studies. Between- group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with hypopharynx group. pooled survival of EAC might not be representative. Moreover, TNM stage is also a crucial determinant for EC survival (26). Our findings showed a decreased trend of survival for patients with T1, T2, T3, and T4 stage EC. The 5-years survival rate of patients with stage T4 EC was nearly three times lower than that of patients with T1 EC. About half of ECs locate in the middle thoracic esophagus, followed by lower thoracic, higher thoracic, and hypopharyngeal parts of the esophagus (27). Our TABLE 3 | Pooled survival and 95% CI of esophageal cancer of different histologic types. Categories Types N SR (%) 1-year survival Combined 145 74.1 (72.1–76.0) ESCC 80 75.3 (72.7–78.0) SCC 5 55.6 (40.4–70.8)a EAC 2 80.9 (62.3–99.5) Overall 232 74.1 (72.6–75.7) 2-years survival Combined 79 50.40 (44.5–56.2) ESCC 41 48.70 (39.9–57.6) SCC 4 24.40 (4.6–44.2) EAC 1 – Overall 125 49.00 (44.2–53.8) 3-years survival Combined 127 47.8 (43.2–52.3) ESCC 78 44.6 (39.4–49.7) SCC 4 18.8 (2.6–35.0)a EAC 2 45.7 (23.2–68.2) Overall 210 46.0 (42.6–49.5) 5-years survival Combined 37 41.30 (31.7–50.9) ESCC 31 41.70 (32.4–51.0) SCC 4 15.50 (12.4–18.6)a EAC 1 – Overall 72 40.10 (33.7–46.4) SR, survival rate; CI, confidence interval; N, number of included studies; ESCC, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; SCC, esophageal small cell carcinoma; EAC, esophageal adenocarcinoma; Combined, esophageal cancer patients not classified by histology; N, number of included original studies. Between-group comparisons: aP < 0.05 compared with ESCC group. TABLE 4 | The pooled survival and 95% CI of esophageal cancer at different sites. Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 DISCUSSION Our study examined the hospital-based survival across China of patients with EC. Among the combined 79,777 patients from 331 hospital-based studies, the overall 5-years survival rate of EC was 40.1%. Tendency analyses show that survival rates of EC have been increasing from 2000 to 2018. Subgroup analyses illustrate that men with EC have poorer survival compared to women. Because China has the highest burden of EC worldwide, our focus is to investigate the key measures of early detection and appropriate treatment for EC patients, as well as the strategies that can be taken to evaluate both the efficiency of preventive policies and the effectiveness of healthcare services across the country (28, 29). The national cancer registration system initiated in 2002 has been reinforced since 2015 and involved 416 population-based sites as of 2016 (30). Although this registry provides information on nationwide epidemics and burdens, it does not include all cancer patients in China. The comparability and validity of the information might vary between sites due to discrepancies in quality controls, as well as temporal heterogeneities. Moreover, follow-up is not easy to implement in the populations served by cancer registries. For instance, it has been reported that the follow-up rate was only between 65 and 71% at some sites (31). p p In China, the regions with a high prevalence of EC are located in Fujian, Guangdong, Henan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces (21–25). We found that EC survival rates in high prevalence areas were similar to those in other regions. It is notable that 90% of ECs in the Chinese population are ESCCs, which is inconsistent with other ethnicities. Our study found that survival of ESCC was significantly higher than SSC in China. As a minor histologic type of EC in China, EAC accounts for <1% of EC (19). Among the hundreds of studies we included, only two reported an independent result on EAC. Due to the lack of such studies, the June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org 6 Hou et al. Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China FIGURE 5 | Funnel plots of publication bias analyses. FIGURE 5 | Funnel plots of publication bias analyses. Therefore, hospital-based studies are essential in order to predict the prognosis of patients with EC. Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES population-based cancer registries. Lancet Glob Health. (2018) 6:e555–67. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30127-X population-based cancer registries. Lancet Glob Health. (2018) 6:e555–67. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30127-X 1. Jemal A, Bray F, Center MM, Ferlay J, Ward E, Forman D. Global cancer statistics. CA Cancer J Clin. (2011) 61:69–90. doi: 10.3322/caac.20107 1. Jemal A, Bray F, Center MM, Ferlay J, Ward E, Forman D. Global cancer statistics. CA Cancer J Clin. (2011) 61:69–90. doi: 10.3322/caac.20107 13. Chen JG, Zhu J, Zhang YH, Zhang YX, Yao DF, Chen YS, et al. Cancer survival in Qidong between 1972 and 2011: a population-based analysis. Mol Clin Oncol. (2017) 6:944–54. doi: 10.3892/mco.2017.1234 2. Yu C, Tang H, Guo Y, Bian Z, Yang L, Chen Y, et al. Hot tea consumption and its interactions with alcohol and tobacco use on the risk for esophageal cancer: a population-based cohort study. Ann Intern Med. (2018) 168:489–97. doi: 10.7326/M17-2000 14. Brenner H, Hakulinen T. Implications of incomplete registration of deaths on long-term survival estimates from population-based cancer registries. Int J Cancer. (2009) 125:432–7. doi: 10.1002/ijc.24344 3. Wheeler JB, Reed CE. Epidemiology of esophageal cancer. Surg Clin North Am. (2012) 92:1077–87. doi: 10.1016/j.suc.2012.07.008 15. Chen JG, Chen HZ, Zhu J, Yang YL, Zhang YH, Huang PX, et al. Cancer survival in patients from a hospital-based cancer registry, China. J Cancer. (2018) 9:851–60. doi: 10.7150/jca.23039 4. Tang WR, Chen ZJ, Lin K, Su M, Au WW. Development of esophageal cancer in Chaoshan region, China: association with environmental, genetic and cultural factors. Int J Hyg Environ Health. (2015) 218:12–8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2014.10.004 16. Hou H, Zhao Y, Yu W, Dong H, Xue X, Ding J, et al. Association of obstructive sleep apnea with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Glob Health. (2018) 8:010405. doi: 10.7189/jogh.08.010405 5. Chen W, Zheng R, Zeng H, Zhang S. The incidence and mortality of major cancers in China, 2012. Chin J Cancer. (2016) 35:73. doi: 10.1186/s40880-016-0137-8 17. Guo L, Yang F, Yin Y, Liu S, Li P, Zhang X, et al. Prevalence of human papillomavirus type-16 in head and neck cancer among the Chinese population: a meta-analysis. Front Oncol. (2018) 8:619. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2018.00619 6. Chen W, Zheng R, Baade PD, Zhang S, Zeng H, Bray F, et al. Cancer statistics in China, 2015. CA Cancer J Clin. (2016) 66:115–32. doi: 10.3322/caac.21338 18. Malhotra GK, Yanala U, Ravipati A, Follet M, Vijayakumar M, Are C. Global trends in esophageal cancer. Surg Oncol. (2017) 115:564–79. DATA AVAILABILITY The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc. 2019.00548/full#supplementary-material All datasets generated for this study are included in the manuscript and/or the Supplementary Files. FUNDING This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, China (ZR2017MH100) This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, China (ZR2017MH100) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (81773527). In short, this systematic review and meta-analysis provides hospital-based survival data for EC in China. Although this study is subject to uncertain representability and obvious publication bias, it offers insight into the prognosis of EC based on in- hospital studies. and National Natural Science Foundation of China (81773527). AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS 12.14%, respectively (15), which is also significantly lower than our results. YW and HH designed this study. ZM, XZ, and HH contributed to the literature search, review, and data extraction. MS and GD conduced statistical analyses. HH, ZM, and XZ contributed to manuscript drafting. WW and YW contributed to manuscript modification. All authors have reviewed and approved the final version of this manuscript. Limitations of our study are as follows: (1) Because the survival information is from independent studies, our findings are not representative of survival rates in China as a whole; (2) republication of survival data cannot be eliminated entirely; (3) most of the data in our study are from retrospective studies and might bias the real survival level of EC. In addition, significant publication bias was detected in both 1- and 2-years survival analyses. Positive publication bias indicates incomplete acquisition of original studies and might introduce potential fallacy to our observations. DISCUSSION We conducted this systematic review to combine the hospital-based survival data of patients with EC that were collected in accordance with clinical research criteria. We supposed that these results presented survival information from the viewpoint of clinical oncologists. Our findings verified an increased tendency toward EC survival from 2000 to 2018. The increase in EC survival has been attributed to improved access to primary health care, greater availability of diagnostic facilities, and improved effectiveness of clinical treatment. The health insurance system of China has been updated to cover all populations since 2003. Access to this insurance support has improved the survival of patients with EC across the country (11). population-based study estimated a decrease in survival from 19.1 to 18.1% in urban China (11), in which EC was the only cancer with a lower survival rate in urban compared to rural areas. Such results might be due to observation bias, which results from loss to follow-up of EC deaths in rural areas. In addition, it is known that in China, EC screening covered more rural areas than urban area prior to 2012. This might lead to the contrast fallacy between rural and urban populations. However, we did not analyze survival in urban or rural areas due to the lack of original information in our study. Age is also one of the important determinants closely related to the survival of EC. Unfortunately, we did not compare the survival between age classifications due to the lack of original data for age-specific groups. In 2015, the third global surveillance of cancer survival (CONCORD) program reported survival data from 2000 to 2014, which included 734,428 adults with EC from 60 countries (32). During the 15-years period, 5-years age-standardized survival rates ranged from 10 to 30% in most countries, which was lower than what we observed. Data from a hospital-based cancer registry between 2002 and 2014 found that the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-years survival rates of EC were 55.88, 26.24, 19.62, and A large-scale study involving 63,506 patients with EC from 17 population-based cancer registries reported increased survival from 20.9 to 30.3% between 2003 and 2015 (12). However, we found a higher survival rate among the hospital-based population. This discrepancy is because population-based data are collected from non-inclusive study participants, while hospital-based data come from outpatients and inpatients who generally receive more effective therapy. DISCUSSION Another June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 7 Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China Hou et al. REFERENCES doi: 10.1002/jso.24592 7. Lin Y, Totsuka Y, Shan B, Wang C, Wei W, Qiao Y, et al. Esophageal cancer in high-risk areas of China: research progress and challenges. Ann Epidemiol. (2017) 27:215–21. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2016.11.004 19. Sun X, Zhao D, Liu Y, Liu Y, Yuan Z, Wang J, et al. The long-term spatial-temporal trends and burden of esophageal cancer in one high-risk area: a population-registered study in Feicheng, China. PLoS ONE. (2017) 12:e0173211. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173211 8. Cotton RG, Langer R, Leong T, Martinek J, Sewram V, Smithers M, et al. Coping with esophageal cancer approaches worldwide. Ann N Y Acad Sci. (2014) 1325:138–58. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12522 y 9. Chen Q, Yu L, Hao C, Wang J, Liu S, Zhang M, et al. Effectiveness evaluation of organized screening for esophageal cancer: a case-control study in Linzhou city, China. Sci Rep. (2016) 6:35707. doi: 10.1038/srep35707 20. Liu M, Zhang C, Cai H, Liu F, Liu Y, Li J, et al. The willingness to change risky health behaviors among Chinese rural residents: what we learned from a population-based esophageal cancer cohort study. PLoS ONE. (2016) 11:e0161999. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161999 10. Wei WQ, Chen ZF, He YT, Feng H, Hou J, Lin DM, et al. Long-term follow-up of a community assignment, one-time endoscopic screening study of esophageal cancer in China. J Clin Oncol. (2015) 33:1951–7. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.58.0423 21. Sha H, Hu D, Wu S, Peng F, Xu G, Fan G, et al. Baseline metabolic risk score and postsurgical esophageal cancer-specific mortality: the Fujian Prospective Investigation of Cancer (FIESTA) Study. J Cancer. (2018) 9:1173– 81. doi: 10.7150/jca.23631 11. Zeng H, Zheng R, Guo Y, Zhang S, Zou X, Wang N, et al. Cancer survival in China, 2003–2005: a population-based study. Int J Cancer. (2015) 136:1921– 30. doi: 10.1002/ijc.29227 22. Liu S, Huang B, Huang H, Li X, Chen G, Zhang G, et al. Patrilineal background of esophageal cancer and gastric cardia cancer patients in a Chaoshan high-risk area in China. PLoS ONE. (2013) 8:e81670. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081670 12. Zeng H, Chen W, Zheng R, Zhang S, Ji JS, Zou X, et al. Changing cancer survival in China during 2003–15: a pooled analysis of 17 June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org 8 Hou et al. Survival of Esophageal Cancer in China high-risk areas of rural China. Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi. (2015) 37:476–80. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-3766.2015.06.017 23. Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES Zhao JK, Wu M, Kim CH, Jin ZY, Zhou JY, Han RQ, et al. Jiangsu Four cancers study: a large case-control study of lung, liver, stomach, and esophageal cancers in Jiangsu Province, China. Eur J Cancer Prev. (2017) 26:357–64. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000262 high-risk areas of rural China. Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi. (2015) 37:476–80. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-3766.2015.06.017 30. Wei WW, He J. Some thoughts on cancer registry in China: in the era of big data and informatization. Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi. (2019) 41:15–8. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-3766.2019.01.004 24. Han C, Qiao G, Hubbert NL, Li L, Sun C, Wang Y, et al. Serologic association between human Papillomavirus type 16 infection and esophageal cancer in Shaanxi Province, China. J Natl Cancer Inst. (1996) 88:1467–71. doi: 10.1093/jnci/88.20.1467 31. Investigation Group of Action Plan for Cancer Prevention and Control in China. Spot investigation report of action plan for cancer prevention and control in China. China Cancer. (2012) 21:641–3. doi: 10.11735/j.issn.1004-0242.2012.9.A001 25. Liu X, Wang X, Lin S, Lao X, Zhao J, Song Q, et al. Dietary patterns and the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a population-based case-control study in a rural population. Clin Nutr. (2017) 36:260–66. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2015.11.009 32. Allemani C, Matsuda T, Di Carlo V, Harewood R, Matz M, Nikši´c M, et al. Global surveillance of trends in cancer survival 2000–14 (CONCORD-3): analysis of individual records for 37 513 025 patients diagnosed with one of 18 cancers from 322 population-based registries in 71 countries. Lancet. (2018) 391:1023–75. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)33326-3 26. Shang QX, Yang YS, Xu LY, Li EM, Hu WP, Chen LQ. Prognostic significance and role in TNM stage of tumor deposits in esophageal cancer. J Thorac Dis. (2017) 9:4461–76. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2017. 10.60 Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. 27. Yang D, Mao YS, He J, Gao SG, Sun KL, Mu JW, et al. Long-term survival of the middle and lower thoracic esophageal cancer patients after surgical treatment through left or right thoracic approach. J Thorac Dis. (2018) 10:2648–55. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2018.04.45 Copyright © 2019 Hou, Meng, Zhao, Ding, Sun, Wang and Wang. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 REFERENCES The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Copyright © 2019 Hou, Meng, Zhao, Ding, Sun, Wang and Wang. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Copyright © 2019 Hou, Meng, Zhao, Ding, Sun, Wang and Wang. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. 28. Hur C, Choi SE, Kong CY, Wang GQ, Xu H, Polydorides AD, et al. High-resolution microendoscopy for esophageal cancer screening in China: a cost-effectiveness analysis. World J Gastroenterol. (2015) 21:5513–23. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i18.5513 29. Feng H, Song G, Yang J, Hao C, Wang M, Li B, et al. Cost-effectiveness analysis of esophageal cancer once-in-a-lifetime endoscopic screening in June 2019 | Volume 9 | Article 548 Frontiers in Oncology | www.frontiersin.org 9
https://openalex.org/W3201014702
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc8469337?pdf=render
English
null
Effectiveness of a Problem-Solving Program in Improving Problem-Solving Ability and Glycemic Control for Diabetics with Hypoglycemia
International journal of environmental research and public health/International journal of environmental research and public health
2,021
cc-by
6,611
  Citation: Wu, F.-L.; Lin, C.-H.; Lin, C.-L.; Juang, J.-H. Effectiveness of a Problem-Solving Program in Improving Problem-Solving Ability and Glycemic Control for Diabetics with Hypoglycemia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559. https://doi.org/10.3390 /ijerph18189559 Keywords: diabetes; problem-solving; hypoglycemia; self-management; glycated hemoglobin Effectiveness of a Problem-Solving Program in Improving Problem-Solving Ability and Glycemic Control for Diabetics with Hypoglycemia Fei-Ling Wu 1,2, Chia-Hung Lin 2,3 , Chia-Ling Lin 1 and Jyuhn-Huarng Juang 2,4,* 1 Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan; flwu@mail.cgust.edu.tw (F.-L.W.); lcling@mail.cgust.edu.tw (C.-L.L.) 2 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan; adronlin@cgmh.org.tw 3 Department of Chinese Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan 4 Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan * Correspondence: jjuang@cgmh.org.tw; Tel.: +886-3-3281200 (ext. 8821) Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a hypoglycemia problem-solving program (HPSP) on problem-solving ability and glycemic control in diabetics with hypoglycemia. This was a prospective, quasi-experimental study with two groups, using a pre- and post-repeated measures design. A total of 71 diabetic patients with hypoglycemia were purposively assigned to an experimental group (n = 34) and a control group (n = 37). The experimental group participated in an 8-week HPSP, and each weekly session lasted approximately 90 min, while the control group received usual care. Participants were assessed at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention care. In the experimental group, 6 months after the HPSP intervention, HbA1c was superior to that before the intervention. In both groups, the score obtained using the hypoglycemia problem-solving scale (HPSS) was low before the intervention. In the experimental group, HPSS tracking improved at all stages after the intervention compared to before the intervention. In the control group, the HPSS score improved slightly in the first month and sixth months after usual care. There were significant differences between and within groups in HbA1c levels and HPSS score over time. The intervention based on the HPSP effectively improves HbA1c level and hypoglycemia problem-solving ability in patients with hypoglycemia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 1. Introduction In 2016, the World Health Organization issued a global call for action on dedicating greater attention to diabetes and identifying relevant solutions [1]. Although diabetes- related medical treatments and health care in Taiwan continue to improve, a survey on type 2 diabetes in 2018 revealed that 2.2 million people in Taiwan had diabetes, with the prevalence being 9.32%, and the number of new patients being nearly 160,000 annually. Because of the continual increase in the number of patients with diabetes, the pursuit of optimal glycemic control and reduction of possible complications has long been a major goal in diabetes care [2]. Therefore, patients with poor glycemic control should be encour- aged to adopt insulin regimens as early as possible [3,4]. According to statistics from the National Health Insurance (NHI) database in Taiwan, the use of insulin regimens increased annually until 2014, with 4.67% of people with diabetes using insulin injections alone, and 8.01% using concomitant oral agents and insulin [5]. A global survey of patients receiving insulin treatment indicated that the incidence of hypoglycemia is as high as 78.3% [6]. The cost of achieving effective glycemic control may increase the incidence of hypoglycemia. As patients learn to adapt to having diabetes, they face a typical predicament: they are con- cerned about experiencing hypoglycemia but are also aware that addressing the symptoms Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189559 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559 2 of 10 of hypoglycemia may lead to high blood sugar [7]. Moreover, recurrent hypoglycemic episodes tend to cause changes in nerve conduction between neuron synapses [8] as well as reduced intelligence [9]. Therefore, hypoglycemia has become a principal limiting factor in the management of patients with diabetes and may also lead to poor glycemic control in such patients [10]. p The most effective method for preventing hypoglycemia is to provide guidance to patients with diabetes and their family and friends [11]. 1. Introduction The current diabetes health education is based on a self-management model with the aim of maintaining optimal health and quality of life. Patients must learn specific decision-making, adjustment, and management methods according to their unique lifestyles, rather than allow the disease to control their living habits. Problem-solving is a logical thinking process [12] and it is the optimal approach for guiding patients to face care problems; moreover, an effective overall care ability can be gradually achieved through experience and learning [13]. When solving a problem, patients must use inductive reasoning and knowledge applications as they attempt to develop possible solution strategies. This process requires the participation of and flexible interactions between healthcare providers and patients [14]. Problem-solving has been demonstrated to be a critical ability for patients with diabetes to successfully master their self-management skills; however, it is also the most difficult skill for diabetes health educators to teach to patients [13]. In addition, the problem-solving ability of patients with hypoglycemia is positively correlated with their glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) control status [15]. Problem-solving is affected by a patient’s own perspectives, personal factors, and external environmental factors. Thus, health educators must first understand a patient’s solution and evaluate their disease problems before providing individual guidance skills to help the patient effectively implement self-management [16]. Scholars point out that in the face of long-term and unchangeable health problems, they may lack self-efficacy for problem solving, which often affects the application of problem-solving skills [17]. According to research on diabetes care, problem-solving interventions not only improve patients’ problem-solving ability but also have a positive impact on the physical and psychological results of disease care [18,19]. Patients’ learning of effective problem-solving methods and their use of blood glucose self-monitoring data enable them to provide effective explanations, make informed decisions, accurately adjust their insulin dosage, calculate the composition of their foods, and perceive the significance of and risks indicated by the data [16]. Our goal is to coach the participants’ problem- solving skills to enhance self-efficacy in identifying symptoms, analyzing the causes and devising strategies to solve them, and effectively achieve glycemic control. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a problem-solving intervention program in the self-management of hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes. 2.1. Participants and Sample Size Purposive sampling was used to recruit patients with diabetes from the metabolic outpatient clinics of two major medical centers and regional hospitals. Healthcare providers referred outpatients who satisfied the inclusion criteria. These patients were then invited by the researchers to participate in the study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) being ≥20 years of age, (2) living with diagnosed type 2 diabetes for at least 1 year, (3) having experienced at least one hypoglycemic episode in the previous 6 months (hypoglycemic episode: blood glucose level <70 mg/dL or presenting hypoglycemic symptoms of shaking, sweating, drowsiness, or behavioral changes), and (4) being treated with insulin. Patients were excluded if they had renal failure, mental illness, blindness, severe physical handicap or if they were pregnant. G-power version 3.1 was adopted to estimate the appropriate sample size, which was 64 participants; considering a 20% attrition rate, the required sample size was 76. The corresponding statistical parameters were as follows: α = 0.05, power = 0.80, covariance R2, and effect size = 0.40. This study was approved by the institutional review board of a Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559 3 of 10 medical center in northern Taiwan (1040147B). All participants provided written informed consent before data collection. medical center in northern Taiwan (1040147B). All participants provided written informed consent before data collection. 2.2. Study Design This was a prospective, quasi-experimental study with two groups, and a pre- and post-test repeated-measures design was employed. In order to avoid interventional con- tamination, a draw was used to determine patients with single-month admissions as the experimental group and patients with bimonthly admissions as the control group. Par- ticipants in the experimental group participated in the hypoglycemic problem-solving program (HPSP), whereas the control group received usual care. The main aim was to compare the frequency of hypoglycemia, HbA1c level, and hypoglycemic problem-solving abilities between the experimental and the control groups. 2.3. Interventions The HPSP was developed on the basis of the theory of social problem-solving. The program consisted of two phases with a total duration of 8 weeks, and the weekly activity time was approximately 90 min. The goal of the activities during the first stage was to learn about problem-solving. The diabetes team (consisting of a physician, a health educator, and a nutritionist) provided instruction on basic hypoglycemia care to improve the participants’ accuracy in solving hypoglycemia problems. Phase 2 focused on the application of problem- solving skills. We used situational case introduction, group discussions, experience sharing, and individual guidance to summarize the causes of hypoglycemia, develop feasible goals and strategies, and perform self-analysis on the reasons for the difficulty or success of the implemented strategy as a reference for the self-management of hypoglycemia. Table 1 provides a description summarizes the details of the program. Before each weekly activity, the study team sent reminders to the participants by phone. The comparison group received usual care only. Health education nurses provided instruction in the hypoglycemia education leaflet (identification of hypoglycemia, management of hypoglycemia, and prevention methods). Table 1. Course Schedule for the HPSP. Stage Number/Main Topic Weekly Course Content Stage1 Recognition problem-solving 1–2 w Learn the steps and skills of problem-solving 1. problem orientation responses 2. problem-solving perception 3. detection control 4. problem-solving skill 5. problem-solving principles 3–4 w learned about hypoglycemia and self-care 1. blood glucose for self-monitoring 2. identify the symptoms and signs of hypoglycemia 3. hypoglycemia problem definition and formulation 4. analyze the causes of hypoglycemia 5. generation of alternative solutions Stage2 Application of problem-solving skills 5–6 w clarify hypoglycemia-related problems problem-solving health education manual, case studies and discussions, situational case introduction, group discussions, and experience sharing (diet, exercise, medication, body weight control, disease stress adjustment, and blood glucose self-monitoring) 7–8 w implement and evaluate the solution strategies 1. coaching, modeling, shaping, rehearsal 2. solution implementation 3. verification Table 1. Course Schedule for the HPSP. Table 1. Course Schedule for the HPSP. Baseline data for all measures were obtained before intervention assignment. The participants were assessed at four time points: the baseline assessment (T0) was conducted before the HPSP, with follow-up assessments 1 (T1), 3 (T2), and 6 (T3) months after Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559 4 of 10 participation in the HPSP. Outcome measures were HbA1c and Hypoglycemia Problem- Solving Scale (HPSS) scores. 2.5. Statistical Analysis SPSS, version 23.0 for Windows (Armonk, NY, USA) was adopted to analyze the data. Descriptive statistical analysis, including mean (SD), counts, and percentages, was employed to describe the demographic data, disease characteristics, and hypoglycemia problem-solving ability. Inferential statistical analysis was performed using a chi-square distribution test, t test, and Fisher’s exact test. The effects of the HPSP on frequency of hypoglycemic episodes, HbA1c levels, and hypoglycemic problem-solving ability were an- alyzed using a repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), including the assessment of changes over time and the time × group interaction effect. 2.4.1. Demographic and Disease Characteristics 2.4.1. Demographic and Disease Characteristics The demographic variables were sex, age, marital status, educational level, and employment status. Disease characteristics were medication regimen, duration of insulin treatment, and frequency of hypoglycemic episodes in the previous 6 months. HbA1c was measured at the beginning of the study and at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. Demographic and disease-related characteristics were obtained from chart reviews and self-monitored blood glucose records. 3. Results 3.1. Participant Characteristics by Group 2.4.2. HPSS The HPSS was used to measure the participants’ problem-solving ability in terms of hypoglycemia [20]. The HPSS consists of 24 items scored on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 (not applicable) to 4 (always applicable), and higher scores indicate higher degrees of problem-solving ability for hypoglycemia. The Cronbach’s alphas of the HPSS ranged from 0.83 to 0.90 in this study, indicating favorable to excellent internal consistency reliability. 2.4. Research Instruments 2.4. Research Instruments 2.3. Interventions participation in the HPSP. Outcome measures were HbA1c and Hypoglycemia Problem- Solving Scale (HPSS) scores. 3.1. Participant Characteristics by Group A total of 76 eligible patients were invited to participate in this study. Five participants withdrew during the intervention process because of limited time availability, unwilling- ness to participate, and transportation problems. Therefore, the data of 71 participants were analyzed; the experimental and control groups included 34 and 37 participants, respectively (Figure 1). The intervention completion rate was 93.4%. To ensure the accuracy of the exper- imental results, a chi-square test and an independent sample t test were employed to assess the homogeneity of the two groups. No significant differences were observed between the two groups (p > 0.05) regarding demographic or disease characteristics (Table 2). The participants in the experimental and control groups had average ages of 53.71 (SD = 15.66) and 54.87 (SD = 15.28) years, respectively. More than half of the participants were men, married, and working, and the most common educational level was senior high school. In addition, 70.4% of the participants’ medication regimen was insulin injections alone. The mean duration of the insulin treatments was 7.19 (SD = 7.24) years. In the preceding 6 months, 69.01% of the participants had experienced ≥6 hypoglycemic episodes. 5 of 10 Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559 y p cemic episod Figure 1. Recruitment for the Hypoglycemia Problem Solving Program. Figure 1. Recruitment for the Hypoglycemia Problem Solving Program. ure 1. Recruitment for the Hypoglycemia Problem Solving Program. Figure 1. Recruitment for the Hypoglycemia Problem Solving Program. ble 2. Homogeneity test of the demographic and disease characteristics of the two groups (N = 71). Table 2. Homogeneity test of the demographic and disease characteristics of the two groups (N = 71). Table 2. Homogeneity test of the demographic and disease characteristics of the two groups (N = 71). a Fisher’s exact test. 3 3 Effects of the S on bA c evels and SS Scores The results of the repeated-measures ANOVA for H 3.3. Effects of the HPSP on HbA1c Levels and HPSS Scores hypoglycemic episodes of the two groups at the four evaluation times are listed in Table 3. Regarding the HbA1c results, in the experimental group (HPSP), the average HbA1c The results of the repeated-measures ANOVA for HbA1c levels, HPSS scores, and hypoglycemic episodes of the two groups at the four evaluation times are listed in Table 3. Regarding the HbA1c results, in the experimental group (HPSP), the average HbA1c level from T1 (1 month after intervention) to T3 (6 months after intervention) was significantly lower than that at T0 (before intervention). The average HbA1c levels from T0 to T1 and T2 to T3 decreased significantly, whereas that from T1 to T2 rose slightly; moreover, the average HbA1c level at T3 was significantly lower than that at T0, and HbA1c reached a statistically significant difference over time (F = 5.090, p < 0.01). The HbA1c levels of the control group (usual care) did not change significantly from T0 to T3. HbA1c at T3 was not significantly higher than that at T0. The average total HPSS score of the two groups before the intervention was less than half of the total potential score (47.62 vs. 46.27 points). After the intervention, the HPSS scores of the experimental group from T1 to T3 were significantly higher than that at T0, and the average problem-solving ability scores from T0 to T1 and T2 to T3 increased significantly, whereas that from T1 to T2 decreased slightly. In the control group, the average HPSS scores at T1 and T3 were higher than that at T0, and the two groups differed significantly in HPSS scores. There was no significant change in the frequency of hypoglycemia from T0 to T3 in the control and experimental groups. However, the frequency of hypoglycemia in the experimental group showed a decreasing trend from T2 to T3. The two-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction of time and group for HbA1c level after the intervention (F = 5.816, p < 0.01). After 6 months, the reduction of HbA1c in the experimental group was significantly greater than in the control group. Notably, no significant difference was observed between the two groups of patients with diabetes in terms of their ability to resolve hypoglycemia problems before the start of the program. 3.2. Comparison of Group Outcomes at Baseline 3 2 Comparison of Group Outcomes at Baseline 3.2. Comparison of Group Outcomes at Baseline 3 2 Comparison of Group Outcomes at Baseline 3.2. Comparison of Group Outcomes at Baseline 3 2 Comparison of Group Outcomes at Baseline The HbA1c, HPSS, and hypoglycemic episodes results for the experimental and control groups at baseline are presented in Figure 2. At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in HbA1c level (Z = −0.053, p > 0.05), HPSS (Z = −0.948, p > 0.05), and frequency of hypoglycemia (t = −0.913, p > 0.05). 3.2. Comparison of Group Outcomes at Baseline The HbA1c, HPSS, and hypoglycemic episodes results for the experimental and con- trol groups at baseline are presented in Figure 2. At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in HbA1c level (Z = 0.053, p > 0.05), HPSS (Z = 0.948, p > 0.05), and frequency of hypoglycemia (t = 0.913, p > 0.05). The HbA1c, HPSS, and hypoglycemic episodes results for the experimental and control groups at baseline are presented in Figure 2. At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in HbA1c level (Z = −0.053, p > 0.05), HPSS (Z = −0.948, p > 0.05), and frequency of hypoglycemia (t = −0.913, p > 0.05). 3.2. Comparison of Group Outcomes at Baseline The HbA1c, HPSS, and hypoglycemic episodes results for the experimental and con- trol groups at baseline are presented in Figure 2. At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in HbA1c level (Z = 0.053, p > 0.05), HPSS (Z = 0.948, p > 0.05), and frequency of hypoglycemia (t = 0.913, p > 0.05). Figure 2. Comparison of group outcomes at baseline (N = 71): EG, experimental group (n = 34); CG, control group (n = 37); HPSS, Hypoglycemia Problem-Solving Scale. Figure 2. Comparison of group outcomes at baseline (N = 71): EG, experimental group (n = 34); CG, control group (n = 37); HPSS, Hypoglycemia Problem-Solving Scale. Figure 2. Comparison of group outcomes at baseline (N = 71): EG, experimental group (n = 34); CG, control group (n = 37); HPSS, Hypoglycemia Problem-Solving Scale. Figure 2. Comparison of group outcomes at baseline (N = 71): EG, experimental group (n = 34); CG, control group (n = 37); HPSS, Hypoglycemia Problem-Solving Scale. 3.1. Participant Characteristics by Group Variables Total (N = 71) Experimental Group (n = 34) Control Group (n = 37) χ2/t p N%/M ± SD n%/M ± SD n%/M ± SD Demographic data Gender 0.104 0.814 Male 39 54.93 18 52.9 21 56.8 Female 32 45.07 16 47.1 16 43.2 Age (years) 53.10  15.98 53.71  15.66 54.87  15.28 0.158 0.692 a 40 18 25.4 7 20.6 11 29.7 41–50 13 18.3 9 26.5 4 10.8 51–60 12 16.9 3 8.8 9 24.3 61–70 16 22.5 9 26.5 7 18.9 >70 12 16.9 6 17.6 6 16.3 Marital status 0.592 0.502 Unmarried 24 33.8 11 32.3 13 35.1 Married 47 66.2 23 67.7 24 64.9 Education level 3.320 0.851 a Variables Total (N = 71) Experimental Group (n = 34) Control Group (n = 37) χ2/t p N%/M ± SD n%/M ± SD n%/M ± SD Demographic data Gender 0.104 0.814 Male 39 54.93 18 52.9 21 56.8 Female 32 45.07 16 47.1 16 43.2 Age (years) 53.10 ± 15.98 53.71 ± 15.66 54.87 ± 15.28 0.158 0.692 a ≤40 18 25.4 7 20.6 11 29.7 41–50 13 18.3 9 26.5 4 10.8 51–60 12 16.9 3 8.8 9 24.3 61–70 16 22.5 9 26.5 7 18.9 >70 12 16.9 6 17.6 6 16.3 Marital status 0.592 0.502 Unmarried 24 33.8 11 32.3 13 35.1 Married 47 66.2 23 67.7 24 64.9 Education level 3.320 0.851 a Junior high school or below 16 22.5 7 20.6 9 24.3 Senior high school 31 43.7 16 47.1 15 40.6 University or above 24 33.8 11 32.3 13 35.1 Employment status 3.267 0.073 Unemployed 20 28.2 13 38.2 7 18.9 Working 51 71.8 21 61.8 30 81.1 Disease characteristics 0.012 0.963 Medication regimen Insulin 50 70.4 24 70.6 26 70.3 Oral medication and Insulin 21 29.6 10 29.4 11 29.7 Duration of insulin treatment (years) 7.19 ± 7.24 7.26 ± 7.45 7.11 ± 7.15 0.474 0.946 ≤5 41 57.7 19 55.9 22 59.4 ≥5.1 30 42.3 15 44.1 15 40.6 Frequency of hypoglycemia (in the previous 6 months) 10.65 ± 8.38 9.56 ± 7.91 11.65 ± 8.78 0.913 0.343 <6 22 31.0 11 32.3 11 29.7 ≥6 49 69.0 23 67.7 26 70.3 a Fisher’s exact test. 6 of 10 Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559 (in the previous 6 months) 10.65 <6 22 4. Discussion Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires patients to implement self-management; therefore, health education strategies are instrumental in disease treatment and blood sugar control [21]. Although there is a rich body of research on the effects and man- agement of diabetes, most studies focus on improving knowledge and behaviors in self- management [22,23]. The literature is sparse in relation to the implementation of protocols to manage hypoglycemia. Problem-solving skills are required for education and cumu- lative experience training [13]. Our program facilitates healthcare providers’ work with patients to develop care goals and plans and provides problem-solving skills using a va- riety of strategies to address the realities of caring for people with hypoglycemia. The training provided in the HPSP in this study focused on problem-solving guidance. The HPSP intervention emphasizes that health-care personnel must guide patients with type 2 diabetes to clarify the cause of hypoglycemic events that they experience and must help patients learn to self-monitor their blood glucose; self-monitoring helps patients detect the factors of hypoglycemia and make timely corrections in their disease self-management according to the monitored values. The healthcare personnel’s assistance with adjusting patients’ daily treatment methods can reduce the patients’ sense of frustration during problem-solving. Therefore, educational programs regarding hypoglycemia events should focus on understanding the problems and analyzing the possible causes of hypoglycemia. g p y g p yp g y The HPSP intervention had a significant effect on HbA1c levels, with values from T1 to T3 being lower than that at T0 (7.95%) before the intervention. Because a longer period had elapsed after the intervention, the HbA1c level at T2 (7.63%) was higher than that at T1 (7.41%). This project emphasized patient autonomy in disease care and focused on the learning and application of problem-solving, including the numerous aspects that must be considered in hypoglycemia self-management. After a period of dedication, the participants’ perception of hypoglycemia might have been reduced. Similarly, their ability to solve hypoglycemia problems at T2 (58.59 points) was slightly lower than that at T1 (60.65 points). Thus, HbA1c control may have been affected by the participants’ problem-solving ability. Studies have suggested that training in problem-solving requires patients and healthcare personnel to act as partners in a diabetes care team; this approach helps cultivate patients’ problem-solving skills to manage diverse life situations [24,25]. 3 3 Effects of the S on bA c evels and SS Scores The results of the repeated-measures ANOVA for H 3.3. Effects of the HPSP on HbA1c Levels and HPSS Scores After 8 weeks of HPSP intervention and a 6-month interval, the hypoglycemia problem-solving ability at T3 (6 months) in both groups was higher than that at T0 (baseline). Although the problem-solving ability of the control group (usual care) improved slightly, the effectiveness of this ability was significantly lower that of the experimental group (F = 13.653, p < 0.001; Table 3). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559 7 of 10 Table 3. Repeated-measures analysis results for HbA1c level and HPSS scores by group (N = 71). Variables Group T0 Mean (SD) T1 Mean (SD) T2 Mean (SD) T3 Mean (SD) Time F (p) Time * Group F (p) HbA1c EG 7.95 (1.20) 7.41 (0.98) 7.63 (0.84) 7.22 (0.61) 5.090 <0.01 5.816 <0.01 CG 8.16 (1.30) 8.20 (0.58) 8.13 (1.04) 8.30 (1.03) 2.487 0.080 HPSS EG 47.62 (14.71) 60.65 (9.29) 58.59 (8.66) 64.53 (9.73) 19.476 <0.001 13.653 <0.001 CG 46.27 (12.52) 46.78 (11.81) 46.05 (11.80) 46.68 (11.67) 5.113 <0.05 FOH EG 9.56 (7.91) 1.51 (1.08) 4.08 (1.78) 3.24 (0.75) 2.910 0.068 3.114 0.073 CG 11.65 (8.78) 1.96 (1.45) 5.34 (2.11) 6.63 (0.83) 0.872 0.640 EG, experimental group; CG, control group; FOH, frequency of hypoglycemia; HPSS, Hypoglycemia Problem-Solving Scale; T0, baseline; T1, 1 month after HPSP or usual care; T2, 3 months after HPSP or usual care; T3, 6 months after HPSP or usual care. HPSP, Hypoglycemia Problem-Solving Program. Time * Group, F value of the interaction of between groups and within pre- and post-test. Table 3. Repeated-measures analysis results for HbA1c level and HPSS scores by group (N = 71). EG, experimental group; CG, control group; FOH, frequency of hypoglycemia; HPSS, Hypoglycemia Problem-Solving Scale; T0, baseline; T1, 1 month after HPSP or usual care; T2, 3 months after HPSP or usual care; T3, 6 months after HPSP or usual care. HPSP, Hypoglycemia Problem-Solving Program. Time * Group, F value of the interaction of between groups and within pre- and post-test. 4. Discussion The results of the current 6-month short-term follow-up indicated that the participants interacted with the care team through blood glucose monitoring and were taught how to interpret their monitoring results and improve their blood glucose on the basis of the measured values. Frequent discussions and reviews of the strategies not only improved the participants’ ability to solve hypoglycemia problems but also supported their blood sugar control, especially for participants with hypoglycemia who actively maintained optimal blood sugar control. In addition, Schmitt et al. showed that better self-management was associated with better control of HbA1c levels [26]. The mean HbA1c of the participants in this study was 8.06%; although there was no significant difference between the samples Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559 8 of 10 of the two groups before the intervention, their previous experience may have influenced their self-management and compliance to control HbA1c levels. of the two groups before the intervention, their previous experience may have influenced their self-management and compliance to control HbA1c levels. g p The HPSP intervention had a significant effect on HPSS scores. In this study, the average HPSS score of the two groups before the intervention was less than half of the total score (full score of 96) and lower than the average HPSS score (58.22) recorded in a study investigating hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes [15]. This result indicates that the participants in the present study were generally deficient in their problem- solving ability for hypoglycemia, which might be related to the long-term nature of higher blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes; that is, these patients no longer regard hypoglycemia events as a challenge requiring aggressive treatment. The HPSS score in the experimental group (HPSP intervention) increased significantly by nearly 20 points from T0 to T3. This result indicates that in the HPSP intervention, the healthcare team helped the participants to develop problem-solving skills, which improved the participants’ positive thinking and awareness of hypoglycemia, in addition to enhancing their willingness to participate in problem-solving and their belief that hypoglycemia can be resolved. The control group received only conventional health education, and although their scores after the intervention differed significantly from the baseline scores, the scores for hypoglycemia problem-solving ability at T3 (46.68) remained in the middle or lower level. 4. Discussion The results suggest that, although the provision of conventional health education through medical and nursing personnel improved the participants’ problem-solving ability or compliance with health education, addressing hypoglycemia-related problems requires a clear goal that is developed according to patients’ daily information. This phenomenon might also be related to the fact that the participants in this study were mainly middle- aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes. Thus, patients in these age groups require thorough educational interventions from health-care personnel, which should include more interactive learning opportunities to compensate for the learning obstacles caused by aging. Although the HPSP intervention had no significant effect on hypoglycemic episodes, the frequency of hypoglycemia in the experimental group showed a decreasing trend at T3 compared to T2. This is a limit of our study, related to the different collection times between the T0 and the T3 stages, and the study design should be improved in the future. Patients with diabetes face diverse challenges that are affected by several personal and environmental factors. Scholars have suggested that patients should learn to adjust their lifestyles according to their particular situations. Moreover, problem-solving is a critical element in self-management [27], and its effect on healthcare behaviors should not be neglected. This study verified that a problem-solving intervention could significantly improve the hypoglycemia care of patients with diabetes. Limitations and Suggestions Several limitations of our study should be considered. First, many relevant factors were not included in the analysis, such as the evolution of the pharmacological ther- apy, body mass index, physical exercise, meal times, consumption of snacks, and stress, which may result in residual confounding. Second, time limitation affects the observation effect. The intervention period of this study was six months. To understand whether the participants could show the behavioral effect in the long term, it is suggested that a longer intervention period should be observed in the future. Third, the management of hypoglycemia is a core learning component of sick day management, and future research suggests that it be included in the guidelines. 5. Conclusions Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflict of interest or competing interest to declare. J g J y 13. Schumann, K.P.; Sutherland, J.A.; Majid, H.M.; Hill-Briggs, F. Evidence—Based Behavioral Treatments for Diabetes: Problem- Solving Therapy. Diabetes Spectr. 2011, 24, 64–69. [CrossRef] 5. Conclusions The current HPSP intervention effectively improved the problem-solving abilities of the experimental group with hypoglycemia as measured by HbA1c level and HPSS scores. Although conventional health education did not have a significant effect on the HbA1c level of the control group, it had a small significant effect on problem-solving ability for hypoglycemia at 6 months after the intervention compared to problem-solving ability Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559 9 of 10 9 of 10 before the intervention. Problem-solving ability training involves the accumulation of experiences and learning and emphasizes the importance of interactions between healthcare providers and patients. For effective hypoglycemia-related problem-solving, patients must apply their knowledge, analyze the causes of hypoglycemia, and attempt to develop their own solution strategies, so to maintain an ideal blood sugar level and reduce the frequency of hypoglycemia. The current results may serve as a reference for future hypoglycemia care plans. Author Contributions: F.-L.W. and J.-H.J. conceived, designed the study and wrote the manuscript; F.-L.W., C.-H.L. and J.-H.J. collected data; F.-L.W. and C.-L.L. performed analyses of the data. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding: This research was supported by Grant NSC 104-2314-B-255-002 -MY3 from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Chang Gung Medical Foundation Institutional Review Board (IRB No1040147B). Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent has been obtained from all participants involved in the study and to publish this paper. Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent has been obtained from all participants involved in the study and to publish this paper. Data Availability Statement: Data are from 71 participants of the metabolic outpatient clinics of two major medical centers and regional hospitals. Due to legal restrictions imposed by the government of Taiwan in relation to the “Personal Information Protection Act”, data cannot be made publicly shared. Acknowledgments: We acknowledge the support of experts in metabolism, nutrition, and healthcare for their advice and assistance. We also thank the patients with diabetes who contributed to and participated in this study. Acknowledgments: We acknowledge the support of experts in metabolism, nutrition, and healthcare for their advice and assistance. We also thank the patients with diabetes who contributed to and participated in this study. References 1. World Health Organization. Global Report on Diabetes. 2016. Available online: https://www.who.int/diabetes/global-report/ en/ (accessed on 21 March 2021). 2. Hsu, C.C.; Tu, S.T.; Sheu, W.H.H. 2019 Diabetes Atlas: Achievements and challenges in diabetes care in Taiwan. J. Formos. Med. Assoc. 2019, 118, S130–S134. [CrossRef] 3. Battelino, T.; Danne, T.; Bergenstal, R.M.; Amiel, S.A.; Beck, R.; Biester, T.; Bosi, E.; Buckingham, B.A.; Cefalu, W.T.; Close, K.L.; et al. Clinical targets for continuous glucose monitoring data interpretation: Recommendations from the international consensus on time in range. Diabetes Care 2019, 42, 1593–1603. [CrossRef] g [ ] 4. Reach, G.; Pechtner, V.; Gentilella, R.; Corcos, A.; Ceriello, A. Clinical inertia and its impact on treatment intensification in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Metab. 2017, 43, 501–511. [CrossRef] 5. Chu, C.H.; Hsu, C.C.; Lin, S.Y.; Chuang, L.M.; Liu, J.S.; Tu, S.T. Trends in antidiabetic medical treatment from 2005 to 2014 in Taiwan. J. Formos. Med. Assoc. 2019, 118, S74–S82. [CrossRef] 6. Khunti, K.; Alsifri, S.; Aronson, R.; Berkovi´c, M.C.; Enters-Weijnen, C.; Forsén, T.; Galstyan, G.; Geelhoed-Duijvestijn, P.; Goldfracht, M.C.; Gydesen, H.; et al. Impact of hypoglycaemia on patient-reported outcomes from a global, 24-country study of 27,585 people with type 1 and insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract. 2017, 130, 121–129. [CrossRef] p p yp yp 7. Wu, F.L.; Juang, J.H.; Yeh-Chang, M. The dilemma of diabetic patients living with hypoglycaemia. J. Clin. Nurs. 2011, 20, 2277–2285. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 8. McNay, E.C.; Cotero, V.E. Mini-review: Impact of recurrent hypoglycemia on cognitive and brain function. Physiol. Behav. 2010, 100, 234–238. [CrossRef] [PubMed] ron, F.J.; Northam, E.A.; Ryan, C.M. The effect of type 1 diabetes on the developing brain. Lancet Child. A 3, 427–436. 10. Yun, J.S.; Ko, S.H. Avoiding or coping with severe hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Korean J. Intern. Med. 2015, 30, 6–16. [CrossRef] 11. Lo, F.S. Frequency, causes, risk factors and management of hypoglycemia in Type 1 diabetes. Formos. J. Med. 2020, 24, 280–288. 12. D’Zurilla, T.J.; Goldfried, M.R. Problem solving and behavior modification. J. Abnorm. Psychol. 1971, 78, 107–126. [CrossRef] 11. Lo, F.S. Frequency, causes, risk factors and management of hypoglycemia in Type 1 diabetes. Formos. J. Med. 2020, 24, 280–288. Lo, F.S. Frequency, causes, risk factors and managem J g J y 13. Schumann, K.P.; Sutherland, J.A.; Majid, H.M.; Hill-Briggs, F. Evidence—Based Behavioral Treatments for Diabetes: Problem- Solving Therapy. Diabetes Spectr. 2011, 24, 64–69. [CrossRef] 13. 11. Lo, F.S. Frequency, causes, risk factors and management of hypoglycemia in Type 1 diabetes. Formos. J. Med. 2020, 24, 280–288. 12. D’Zurilla, T.J.; Goldfried, M.R. Problem solving and behavior modification. J. Abnorm. Psychol. 1971, 78, 107–126. [CrossRef] References Schumann, K.P.; Sutherland, J.A.; Majid, H.M.; Hill-Briggs, F. Evidence—Based Behavioral Treatments for Diabetes: Problem- Solving Therapy. Diabetes Spectr. 2011, 24, 64–69. [CrossRef] 10 of 10 10 of 10 Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 9559 14. Nieuwsma, J.A.; Wray, L.O.; Voils, C.I.; Gierisch, J.M.; Dundong, M.; Edelman, D. A problem-solving intervention for cardio- vascular disease risk reduction in veterans: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Contemp. Clin. Trials 2017, 60, 42–50. [CrossRef] 15. Wu, F.L.; Wu, E.C.; Chang, Y.C.; Hu, W.Y.; Juang, J.H.; Yeh-Chang, M. Factors Affecting the Ability of Avoid Hypoglycemia. J. Nurs. Res. 2018, 26, 44–51. [CrossRef] o ypog yce J 0 8, , 5 [C oss e ] 16. Fitzpatrick, S.L.; Schumann, K.P.; Hill-Briggs, F. Problem solving interventions for diabetes self-management and control: A systematic review of the literature. Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract. 2013, 100, 145–161. [CrossRef] [PubMed] yp g y 16. Fitzpatrick, S.L.; Schumann, K.P.; Hill-Briggs, F. Problem solving interventions for diabetes self-man systematic review of the literature. Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract. 2013, 100, 145–161. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 17. D’Zurilla, T.J.; Maydeu-Olivares, A.; Kant, G.L. Age and gender differences in social problem-solving ability. Pers. Individ. Differ. 1998, 25, 241–252. [CrossRef] 18. Rees, G.; O’Hare, F.; Saeed, M.; Sudholz, B.; Sturrock, B.A.; Lamoureux, E.L. Problem-solving therapy for adults with diabetic retinopathy and diabetes specific distress: A pilot randomized controlled trial. BMJ Open Diabetes Res. Care 2017, 5, e000307. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 19. Shin, N.; Hill-Briggs, F.; Langan, S.; Payne, J.; Lyketsos, C.; Hill, G.S. The association of minor and major depression with health problem-solving and diabetes self-care activities in a clinic-based population of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. J. Diabetes Complicat. 2017, 31, 880–885. [CrossRef] p 20. Wu, F.L.; Juang, J.H.; Lin, C.H. Development and validation of the hypoglycaemia problem-solving scale mellitus. J. Int. Med. Res. 2016, 44, 592–604. [CrossRef] 21. American Diabetes Association. Facilitating behavior change and well-being to improve health outcomes: Standards of medical care in diabetes 2020. Diabetes Care 2020, 43, S48–S65. [CrossRef] 22. Hill-Briggs, F.; Lazo, M.; Peyrot, M.; Doswell, A.; Chang, Y.T.; Hill, M.N.; Levine, D.; Wang, N.-Y.; Brancati, F.L. Effect of problem-solving-based diabetes self-management training on diabetes control in a low income patient sample. J. Gen. Intern. Med. 2011, 26, 972–978. [CrossRef] 23. Huang, M.C.; Hung, C.H.; Yu, C.Y.; Diane, C.B.; Shin, S.J.; Hsu, Y.Y. The effectiveness of multimedia education for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. J. Adv. Nurs. References 2017, 73, 943–954. [CrossRef] yp 24. American Diabetes Association. 4 Comprehensive medical evaluation and assessment of comorbidities: Standards of medical care in diabetes-2019. Diabetes Care 2019, 42, S34–S45. [CrossRef] 25. A˘gce, Z.B.; Ekici, G.E. Person-centred, occupation-based intervention program supported with problem-solving therapy for type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial. Health Qual. Life Outcomes 2020, 18, 265–279. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 25. A˘gce, Z.B.; Ekici, G.E. Person-centred, occupation-based intervention program supported with problem-solving therapy for type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial. Health Qual. Life Outcomes 2020, 18, 265–279. [CrossRef] [PubMed] f 26. Schmitt, A.; Reimer, A.; Hermanns, N.; Huber, J.; Ehrmann, D.; Schall1, S.; Wang, X. Assessing diabetes self management with the diabetes self management questionnaire (DSMQ) can help analyse behavioural problems related to reduced glycaemic control. PLoS ONE 2016, 11, e0150774. [CrossRef] [PubMed] f 26. Schmitt, A.; Reimer, A.; Hermanns, N.; Huber, J.; Ehrmann, D.; Schall1, S.; Wang, X. Assessing diabetes self management with the diabetes self management questionnaire (DSMQ) can help analyse behavioural problems related to reduced glycaemic control. PLoS ONE 2016, 11, e0150774. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 27. Powers, M.A.; Bardsley, J.K.; Cypress, M.; Duker, P.; Funnell, M.M.; Uelmen, S. Diabetes self-management education and support in adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Educ. 2020, 46, 350–369. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 27. Powers, M.A.; Bardsley, J.K.; Cypress, M.; Duker, P.; Funnell, M.M.; Uelmen, S. Diabetes self-management education and support in adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Educ. 2020, 46, 350–369. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
https://openalex.org/W4311938098
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/froh.2022.1083035/pdf
English
null
Editorial: Frontiers in oral health: Highlights in oral cancers 2021/2
Frontiers in oral health
2,022
cc-by
1,808
Front. Oral. Health 3:1083035. doi: 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 Oral cancer is a multi-step tumour associated with diverse presentations and unpredictable outcomes. Regardless of advances in technology and research, the prognosis of oral cancer has not improved over the last decades, which makes this condition a significant health burden that warrants urgent attention in a multidisciplinary manner (1). COPYRIGHT © 2022 Kujan and Coletta. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. © 2022 Kujan and Coletta. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). This Frontiers Research Topic, Highlights in Oral Cancers 2021/2, aimed to shed light on the latest evidence-based findings to answer historically debatable questions in this field. The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. This Research Topic starts with a review by Philips et al. titled Preoperative immunotherapy in the multidisciplinary management of oral cavity cancer to provide insights into current knowledge in the field of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) immunotherapy. In this review, several hot topics were comprehensively discussed, like immune response, the rationale for preoperative immunotherapy, limitations of immunotherapy, and prospects. A table summarising the results of all relevant clinical trials in the study area was presented to show the latest advances. In conclusion, the authors proposed generating personalised, tumour-specific algorithms based on multiple factors like pathology, response to preoperative immunotherapy, and immune profile to assure optimum oncologic and functional outcomes. To highlight the inflammatory response’s critical role in explaining the defective anti-tumour immunological responses in some OSCC patients, Laliberté et al. conducted a prospective, case-controlled pilot study to characterise OSCC-associated inflammation titled Characterisation of oral squamous cell carcinoma associated inflammation: a pilot study. In this study, inflammatory changes in the saliva of 37 OSCC patients were compared with changes in 32 healthy controls with and without periodontitis. TYPE Editorial PUBLISHED 08 December 2022 DOI 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 EDITED AND REVIEWED BY Arvind Babu Rajendra Santosh, University of the West Indies, Jamaica *CORRESPONDENCE Omar Kujan omar.kujan@gmail.com, omar.kujan@uwa.edu.au SPECIALTY SECTION This article was submitted to Oral Cancers, a section of the journal Frontiers in Oral Health RECEIVED 28 October 2022 ACCEPTED 15 November 2022 PUBLISHED 08 December 2022 CITATION Kujan O and Coletta RD (2022) Editorial: Frontiers in oral health: Highlights in oral cancers 2021/2. Front. Oral. Health 3:1083035. doi: 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 COPYRIGHT © 2022 Kujan and Coletta. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not EDITED AND REVIEWED BY Arvind Babu Rajendra Santosh, University of the West Indies, Jamaica *CORRESPONDENCE Omar Kujan omar.kujan@gmail.com, omar.kujan@uwa.edu.au SPECIALTY SECTION This article was submitted to Oral Cancers, a section of the journal Frontiers in Oral Health RECEIVED 28 October 2022 ACCEPTED 15 November 2022 PUBLISHED 08 December 2022 CITATION Kujan O and Coletta RD (2022) Editorial: Frontiers in oral health: Highlights in oral cancers 2021/2. Front Oral Health 3:1083035 EDITED AND REVIEWED BY Arvind Babu Rajendra Santosh, University of the West Indies, Jamaica *CORRESPONDENCE Omar Kujan omar.kujan@gmail.com, omar.kujan@uwa.edu.au SPECIALTY SECTION This article was submitted to Oral Cancers, a section of the journal Frontiers in Oral Health RECEIVED 28 October 2022 ACCEPTED 15 November 2022 PUBLISHED 08 December 2022 CITATION Kujan O and Coletta RD (2022) Editorial: Frontiers in oral health: Highlights in oral cancers 2021/2. Front Oral Health 3:1083035 Omar Kujan 1* and Ricardo D. Coletta 2 1UWA Dental School, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia, 2Department of Oral Diagnosis and Graduate Program in Oral Biology, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, Campinas University, Piracicaba-São Paulo, Brazil Editorial on the Research Topic Frontiers in oral health: Highlights in oral cancers 2021/2 Front. Oral. Health 3:1083035. doi: 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 KEYWORDS oral cancer, head and neck cancer, special collection, recent advances, editorial Editorial on the Research Topic Frontiers in oral health: Highlights in oral cancers 2021/2 Front. Oral. Health 3:1083035. doi: 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 Multi-channel flow cytometry with a panel of 12 antibodies was employed to determine the inflammatory cell profile in saliva. Moreover, 30 cytokines/chemokines were evaluated in the saliva samples. Fluorescent immunohistochemistry was undertaken to validate results using a cohort of cancer specimens. This paper showed an increase in OSCC-associated inflammation characterised by specific cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNFa, and GMCSF). These findings can be used to design clinical tests that may aid in treatment decision-making, like identifying patients at higher risk of developing disease adverse events and recurrence. Frontiers in Oral Health frontiersin.org 01 Kujan and Coletta 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 purpose was conducted. This study, Mesenchymal gene expression subtyping analysis for early-stage human papillomavirus-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma reveals prognostic and predictive applications. For training, the authors performed a retrospective genomic analysis of open- source databases, including 418 patients. The classifier was then validated using a different validation cohort. This study demonstrated that mesenchymal subtypes are associated with poor survival rates even in early-stage, lymph node-negative oral cancers. This finding was contrary to the favourable outcomes of the mesenchymal subtype in non-oral cancer cases. The study highlights the significance of gene expression for the treatment decision-making of HNSCC. To report the incidence of malignant lymphoid neoplasms in the oral and maxillofacial region, Flores-Hidalgo et al. retrospectively reviewed records of patients diagnosed with lymphoid neoplasms over ten years in two different institutions. This paper is titled Malignant lymphoproliferative disorders of the oral and maxillofacial region: report of two institutions. Accordingly, a total of 318 records were retrieved and reassessed according to an updated classification version, of which 138 met the inclusion criteria. Most hematolymphoid malignancies are associated with intra-bony locations. Thus, the authors highlighted the significance of microscopic examination of all tissue samples, even if they present features of persistent periapical lesions after failed root canal therapy. Further, a paper titled Preoperative prediction of the aggressiveness of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma with quantitative parameters from dual-energy computed tomography was conducted by Yang et al. to propose a preoperative non- surgical tool that helps clinicians and pathologists while diagnosing tongue OSCC cases. Ninety-three out of 161 were included in this study based on clearly specified inclusion criteria and underwent preoperative dual-energy computed tomography (DECT). Specific DECT quantitative parameters were compared to certain pathological characteristics of tongue OSCC. Accordingly, the inter- and intra-observer agreements in evaluating DECT parameters were excellent. Front. Oral. Health 3:1083035. doi: 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 Among several DECT parameters, the slope of the spectral Hounsfield unit curve in the venous phase was associated with the highest accuracy (75.3%) in predicting the overall pathological stage. Likewise, the accuracy of the normalised iodine concentration in the venous phase in predicting the histologic differentiation was 75.3%. In conclusion, DECT shows the potential to be a valuable tool for the preoperative evaluation of tongue OSCC aggressiveness. Interestingly, several studies assessed the prognosis of patients with oral carcinoma using a mixed population of young and old patients, which were associated with wide discrepancies and heterogeneities, mainly because old patients usually suffered poor systemic conditions. To reduce potential bias, Baba et al. conducted a study that classified patients into three groups instead of two. This study is titled Comparison between three age-stratified cohorts reveals poor prognosis of young patients with tongue carcinoma. Two hundred fifty-seven eligible OSCC patients were classified into three groups: young, middle-aged, and older. Accordingly, multivariate analyses found that compared to young patients, there were no differences in overall survival and disease-free survival rates for middle-aged or older patients. However, middle patients were associated with a significant low local recurrence rate. The authors emphasised the importance of categorising patients into various groups according to their age, specifically for patients older than 70 years, while this measure should also be applied to future genomic research. To answer the controversial question about the concept of resection margins in OSCC surgery, whether adequate or inadequate, Pei et al. conducted a molecular study titled Risk factors of microscopically tumor-free surgical margins for recurrence and survival of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients. A total of 235 OSCC patients who underwent surgery over ten years were retrospectively reviewed and included in this study. Two epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-associated genes (Axin2 and Snail) were immunohistochemically assessed using tissue specimens of surgical margins. The results were validated by developing an in vitro model of a knocked-down Axin2 cell line and injecting this cell line into mice. The significant outcomes of this study found that molecular analysis provides a more accurate and objective assessment of surgical margins. In opposition to the histopathological assessment of surgical margins, Axin2 and Snail expressions had independent impacts on the overall survival and recurrence-free survival rates of OSCC patients. Front. Oral. Health 3:1083035. doi: 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 The seven studies contained in this Research Topic described many relevant aspects for development, progression and treatment of oral cancers, especially highlighting possible therapeutic developments and biomarkers to fight these very aggressive cancers. Such studies are essential towards the development of more effective and predictable therapeutic strategies. Author contributions All authors conceived the editorial and drafted and finalised the manuscript. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version. Conflict of interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Next, to predict the recurrence of early-stage, HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a study by Mayhew et al. to identify a gene expression classifier for this Frontiers in Oral Health frontiersin.org 02 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 10.3389/froh.2022.1083035 Kujan and Coletta Publisher’s note affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their Reference 1. Farah CS, Kujan O, Prime S, Zain R. “Oral mucosal malignancies”. In: Farah C, Balasubramaniam R, McCullough M, editors. Contemporary Oral Medicine. Cham: Springer (2018). p. 1–188. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-28100-1_21-1 03 Frontiers in Oral Health frontiersin.org 03
https://openalex.org/W2231503008
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc4699505?pdf=render
English
null
Iranian Patients’ Experiences of the Internal Cardioverter Defibrillator Device Shocks: a Qualitative Study
Journal of caring sciences
2,015
cc-by
6,391
Journal of Caring Sciences, 2015, 4(4), 277-286 doi:10.15171/jcs.2015.028 http:// journals.tbzmed.ac.ir/ JCS Journal of Caring Sciences, 2015, 4(4), 277-286 ABSTRACT Data analysis was also performed simultaneously using constant comparative analysis. p y Results: In this study, two main themes, namely “with a parachute for life” and “Faced with nuisance”, were obtained representing the patients’ experiences regarding ICD shock. With a parachute for life included subthemes, such as “Rebirth”, “Comforter and healing”, and “Life assurance”. In addition, “Faced with nuisance” consisted of 2 subthemes of “Discomfort in moments of shock” and “Displeasure after shock”. Conclusion: This study provided a basis for evaluation of patients nursing after discharge. By identification of the patients’ experiences regarding shock, the present study can help the professional health staff to efficiently play their roles and provide patients with holistic care. It can also be effective in designing behavioral and cognitive interventional programs to change the patients’ attitude and promote their adaptation with their conditions. p y Results: In this study, two main themes, namely “with a parachute for life” and “Faced with nuisance”, were obtained representing the patients’ experiences regarding ICD shock. With a parachute for life included subthemes, such as “Rebirth”, “Comforter and healing”, and “Life assurance”. In addition, “Faced with nuisance” consisted of 2 subthemes of “Discomfort in moments of shock” and “Displeasure after shock”. Conclusion: This study provided a basis for evaluation of patients nursing after discharge. By identification of the patients’ experiences regarding shock, the present study can help the professional health staff to efficiently play their roles and provide patients with holistic care. It can also be effective in designing behavioral and cognitive interventional programs to change the patients’ attitude and promote their adaptation with their conditions. Please cite this paper as: Pasyar N, Sharif F, Rakhshan M, Nikoo MH, Navab E. Iranian patients’ experiences of defibrillator device shocks: a qualitative study. J Caring Sci 2015; 4 (4): 277-86. doi:10.15171/jcs.2015.028. deaths.2 Implantable Cardioverter- Defibrillator (ICD) is one of the rhythm management devices utilized for prevention of death in the patients survived after cardiac arrest or life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.3 Implantation of ICD has shown considerable improvements through ABSTRACT ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article Type: Original Article Introduction: Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is a valuable treatment for the patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. In this method, after diagnosis of pathological cardiac rhythms, shock is automatically applied to normalize the rhythms. Shock is discharged when the patients are conscious, but the patients’ experiences of shock have remained unknown. Thus, this study aimed to identify and describe the patients’ experiences of shocks received from ICD. Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted through thematic analysis and semi-structured interviews on 9 patients mean age 41.55 (1.57) with ICD from November 2013 to July 2014. Data analysis was also performed simultaneously using constant comparative analysis. Results: In this study, two main themes, namely “with a parachute for life” and “Faced with nuisance”, were obtained representing the patients’ experiences regarding ICD shock. With a parachute for life included subthemes, such as “Rebirth”, “Comforter and healing”, and “Life assurance”. In addition, “Faced with nuisance” consisted of 2 subthemes of “Discomfort in moments of shock” and “Displeasure after shock”. Conclusion: This study provided a basis for evaluation of patients nursing after discharge. By identification of the patients’ experiences regarding shock, the present study can help the professional health staff to efficiently play their roles and provide patients with holistic care. It can also be effective in designing behavioral and cognitive interventional programs to change the patients’ attitude and promote their adaptation with their conditions. Article History: Received: 17 Feb. 2015 Accepted: 25 Jun. 2015 ePublished: 1 Dec. 2015 Keywords: Defibrillators, Implantable Arrhythmias Cardiac Qualitative research Please cite this paper as: Pasyar N, Sharif F, Rakhshan M, Nikoo MH, Navab E. Iranian patients’ experiences of the internal cardioverter defibrillator device shocks: a qualitative study. J Caring Sci 2015; 4 (4): 277-86. doi:10.15171/jcs.2015.028. Introduction: Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is a valuable treatment for the patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. In this method, after diagnosis of pathological cardiac rhythms, shock is automatically applied to normalize the rhythms. Shock is discharged when the patients are conscious, but the patients’ experiences of shock have remained unknown. Thus, this study aimed to identify and describe the patients’ experiences of shocks received from ICD. p p Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted through thematic analysis and semi-structured interviews on 9 patients mean age 41.55 (1.57) with ICD from November 2013 to July 2014. Nilofar Pasyar1, Farkhondeh Sharif2*, Mahnaz Rakhshan3, Mohammad Hussein Nikoo4, Elham Navab5 1Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran 2Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Community Based Psychiatric Care Research Center, School of Nursing Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Psychiatric Nursing, Community Based Psychiatric Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran y f 3Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran 4Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Center, School of Medicine , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran 3Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran 4Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Center, School of Medicine , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran 5Department of Critical Care Nursing and Management, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 5Department of Critical Care Nursing and Management, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 5Department of Critical Care Nursing and Management, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran © 2015 The Author(s). This work is published by Journal of Caring Sciences as an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted, provided the original work is properly cited. *Corresponding Author: Farkhondeh Sharif (PhD), email: fsharif@sums.ac.ir. This project was approved and funded by the shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Project number: 92-6757). Please cite this paper as: Pasyar N, Sharif F, Rakhshan M, Nikoo MH, Navab E. Iranian patients’ experiences of the internal cardioverter defibrillator device shocks: a qualitative study. J Caring Sci 2015; 4 (4): 277-86. doi:10.15171/jcs.2015.028. the recent years.4 According to some studies, pacemaker implantation is the first phase of lifetime treatment in these patients,5 because insertion of a device into the heart is accompanied by some alterations which involve all but some unique characteristics of the patients.6 Overall, we felt the need to raise awareness about shock experiences of patients with ICD. Despite some consistent studies in other countries, multiple and subjective interpretations of reality necessitate performance of this research. Thus, considering the effect of cultural and religious contexts, the present qualitative study was conducted on Iranian patients with ICD in order to identify and describe their experiences of the shocks they received from the device. p Determining the potentially dangerous cardiac rhythms and discharging shock, ICD normalizes cardiac rhythm.7 Nevertheless, this treatment causes some psychological distresses in this patients and non-adaptation with ICD can affect the patients’ quality of life.8 According to research, almost half of the patients experience shock within the first year after implantation. Therefore, these patients restrict their physical daily activities, become depressed, and do not believe in their adaptability.9 Determining the potentially dangerous cardiac rhythms and discharging shock, ICD normalizes cardiac rhythm.7 Introduction deaths.2 Implantable Cardioverter- Defibrillator (ICD) is one of the rhythm management devices utilized for prevention of death in the patients survived after cardiac arrest or life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.3 Implantation of ICD has shown considerable improvements through Cardiovascular diseases are among the major reasons of mortality and morbidity worldwide.1 In spite of advances in diagnosis and treatment, sudden cardiac death is still considered as a global problem, accounting for more than half of all cardiac Pasyar et al. included in designing healthcare services. This can increase nurses’ ability to understand and interpret patients’ views, improve the quality of patient care, create positive outcomes, and enhance patients’ satisfaction. 278 | Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 Materials and methods Considering the research question, this qualitative study was conducted through thematic analysis. Thematic analysis is similar to content analysis, but requires more attention to the qualitative aspects.33 This method is appropriate for identification, analysis, and reporting of the themes and reveals different dimensions of the issues accurately.34 To date, the major part of our knowledge is related to the technical function of the device and the patients’ biophysical life. Yet, the negative psychosocial effects of shock on the patients turn shock-related experiences into a valuable source for research.10 Up to now, only a limited number of studies have been conducted on the patients’ experiences of encounter with ICD shock and its effects on their adaptability,11 while more information is required in this regard. Most previous studies have investigated experiences of living with ICD9,12-20 in female recipients,21 male recipients,22 old men,7,23 spouses of patients with ICD,24,25 and these patients’ families.26 However, only few studies have specifically focused on shock,27,28 mental adaptability with shock,29 patients’ attitude towards shock,30 and patients’ and their families’ experiences regarding shock.31,32 The participants were selected through purposive sampling based on a variety of different characteristics, such as maximum age range, gender differences, and different cultural, economic, and social conditions. Considering patients’ follow-up at the clinic for ICD analysis, the participants were selected among the patients referred to the cardiology clinics of two hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The inclusion criteria of the study were having lived with ICD for a year or more, experience of shock from ICD, age above 18 years, understanding and speaking Persian, being able to remember and express one’s experiences related to the study objectives, ability to take part in interviews for at least 20 minutes, being aware of time, place, and person, and not suffering from cognitive Besides, most of these studies have been carried out in other countries and no reliable documents were found concerning the experiences of patients with ICD in Iran. Knowing the lived experiences of patients is important and should be 278 | Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 Iranian patients’ experiences about ICD shocks disorders. After all, 9 patients with ICD (7males and 2 females) were recruited into the study. description of the concept of shock was presented by considering all the categories’ meanings. Materials and methods g In order to accelerate organization and coding in this study, MAXQDA software (version 2010) was used to seek for similar themes and combine the categories. In addition, various approaches were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. The researcher’s prolonged engagement and insistent observation as well as considering sufficient time for data collection and patients’ follow-up at the clinic and at home determined the credibility of the data. Also, member checking was done by some patients to compare the findings to their expectations. This helped the researchers better understand the study setting. It should be noted that three relevant experts directed data analysis and analytical field note was used to accurately determine the patients’ experiences of ICD shock. After selection of the participants based on the inclusion criteria, the study objectives were explained for all participants, and written informed consents were obtained. All interviews were performed in a private room in the cardiology clinics when the participants were comfortable. Interview, as one of the most fundamental, certain, and flexible data collection methods,35 allows entrance to individuals’ lives and is consequently an excellent source of data collection in qualitative studies.36 In this study, the data were gathered through semi-structured interviews each lasting for 30-90 minutes from November 2013 to July 2014. The interviews were started by an open question about the patients’ experiences of shock while living with ICD, and the patients could take a rest in case they got tired during the interviews. Data collection was continued until data saturation. Then, the interviews were read word by word and data analysis was performed simultaneously. In doing so, first the participants’ descriptions were reviewed, primary coding was performed, and themes were determined. Afterwards, the codes with specific meanings were located in the same category with respect to context and these subthemes were then placed in the main categories based on content similarity. After that, the main themes were reviewed again and appropriate abstract terms were selected. All the research processes were performed according to Declaration of Helsinki. Besides, the study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. When a study is conducted on human subjects, their rights should be taken into account. Therefore, the study participants were provided with the necessary information about the study objectives and procedures and written informed consents for taking part in the study were obtained from them. Materials and methods In this way, the participants were ascertained that they could withdraw from the study at anytime. They were also assured about the confidentiality of their information and explained about voice recording and how the recordings were going to be used. Thus, the archives of recordings, notes, and participants’ information were kept completely secret. Data collection was stopped after nine interviews and reaching the point of data saturation when no new themes could be found in the participants' statements. It should be noted that the two final interviews were performed so as to make sure about data saturation. At the end, final descriptions were selected based on the research objectives and a comprehensive Results In the present study, 9 patients with the mean age of 41.55 (1.57) years (range: 24-72 years) were selected through purposive Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 |279 Pasyar et al. sampling based on the inclusion criteria of the study. The participants’ characteristics have been presented in Table 1. 1.2. Comforter and healing 1.2. Comforter and healing Concepts, such as convenience, healing, relief of disease symptoms, and peace were involved in emergence of this theme. Some of the participants referred to the comforting and healing nature of the device as follows: “After the device’s shock, my heart was quiet. I mean I didn’t have palpitation. My heart rate was regulated. Now I’m comfortable…somewhat comfortable” (a 29-year-old man). A 47- year-old man also mentioned: “A few minutes later, you’re fit again; you’re on your way and your heart rate will be regular”. With regard to healing and peace, a 45-year-old man stated: “Living with shock is like living with a health contributor. After the shock, the situation is calming and healing…at least physically”. Concepts, such as convenience, healing, relief of disease symptoms, and peace were involved in emergence of this theme. Some of the participants referred to the comforting and healing nature of the device as follows: “After the device’s shock, my heart was quiet. I mean I didn’t have palpitation. My heart rate was regulated. Now I’m comfortable…somewhat comfortable” (a 29-year-old man). A 47- year-old man also mentioned: “A few minutes later, you’re fit again; you’re on your way and your heart rate will be regular”. With regard to healing and peace, a 45-year-old man stated: “Living with shock is like living with a health contributor. After the shock, the situation is calming and healing…at least physically”. Investigating the participants’ descriptions in the interviews, 184 primary codes were extracted according the research objective. After review and summarization, the codes were categorized based on their similarity. Then, by further reviewing, analyzing, and comparing the categories, conceptual names were selected for their meanings. Finally two main themes were revealed as follows: “with a parachute for life” and “Faced with nuisance”. These themes were about the study objectives; i.e., identification and description of the experiences of shock in the patients with ICD. Now I’m comfortable…somewhat comfortable” (a 29-year-old man). A 47- year-old man also mentioned: “A few minutes later, you’re fit again; you’re on your way and your heart rate will be regular”. With regard to healing and peace, a 45-year-old man stated: “Living with shock is like living with a health contributor. After the shock, the situation is calming and healing…at least physically”. 1. With a parachute for life Despite the discomforts of shock for the patients, it was considered as a guarantee for life, revealing the first theme; i.e., “with a parachute for life”. Parachute for life highlights the life-saving nature of the device. “Rebirth”, “Comforter and healing”, and “Life assurance” were the main axes of this theme. 1.3. Life assurance In the patients’ descriptions of shock, life assurance was of great importance. Accordingly, the device played the role of a supporter for the patients. After ICD implantation and shock delivery, the patients experienced assuredness: “ICD is like my second heart and shock is a body protector. Well, I’m glad I had the device implanted and I saved myself from worry about cardiac arrest” (a 56-year-old man). One other patient also said: “I’m feeling peace of mind that the device is implanted. I’m reassured, I have hope” (a 26-year-old man). A 47-year-old man also stated: “Finally, ICD has benefits…think…if you fall somewhere, it gives you shock and you can stand up again. I feel being supported”. Besides, a 56-year-old man explained: “After receiving shock, I thought to myself…don’t worry… you don’t have any problems…if a problem arises, you won’t need a doctor”. 2.2. Displeasure after shock By creating excitation in the patients, shock led to dissatisfaction, inability to tolerate shock, fear from shock, relating physical problems to shock, anxiety after shock, and worry about discharge of shock which resulted from confusion, novelty of the experience, permanent probability of shock at any time and place, discharge of shock at consciousness, and previous experience of shock. The study participants stated that the effects of shock were highly undesirable: “It’s terrible; I’d rather die but not experience shock again”. Fear from shock was also experienced by most of the patients and was expressed by “I was really scared”, “I’ve become timid since then”, and “I’m afraid of it”. In addition, some patients indicated that confusion was effective in their fear. For instance, a 49-year old woman said: “Confusion adds to the effect of anything. It was difficult that I was confused”. On the other hand, they experienced force to accept shock, preoccupation, mental evasion, irritation, acceptance of the nature of shock, seeking a way to remove shock from the device’s program, and regret from implantation of ICD. In this regard, a 72-year-old man said: “I always have shock in mind, I never forget it. I may forget eating, but I don’t forget the shock. I always remember it”. Considering acceptance of the nature of shock, a 45-year- old-man stated with sadness: “Well, this is what the device is good for, it is a part of it, it discharges shock whenever needed”. However, some patients were desperately seeking for a way to stop the shock. A 72- year-old man mentioned: “I don’t know Shock was accompanied by a spiritual experience in some patients. A 52-year-old man said with worry: “At the moment of shock, one recourses to God and holy prophets until that moment is gone. One still has the same feeling afterwards”. g At the time of discharge, the patients experienced physical problems, such as pain, burning, being thrown, and reduction of physical power, and then needed to follow battery analysis. In spite of believing in the life-saving role of shock, most patients considered it a bitter and disappointing experience in life. A 45-year- old man said: “When the device discharges shock, it is a very bitter and disappointing experience, a bitter experience”. Some participants stated that shock was accompanied by a pressure or strike on the chest. 1.1. Rebirth According to some participants’ view points, shock played the role of a survivor. These patients mainly focused on continue living with the assistance of shock. A 52- year-old man mentioned: “See, that moment is a bad moment, but it is between life and death. It means that if that moment is not there, death will certainly happen, cardiac arrest. Between life and death, all choose life normally”. One of the participants pointed to rebirth as follows: “I call it second life” (a 30-year- old man). A 29-year-old man also said: “When I experienced cardiac arrest and the device gave me a shock, my life started again”. Besides, a 56-year old woman with grief stated: “Shock was a man of hope. If it wasn’t there, I might have been dead. But I gained a new life”. 2. Faced with nuisance 2. Faced with nuisance The other dimension of the patients’ experiences of shock was “faced with nuisance”. Nuisance was experienced as a whole and more detailed statements were 280 | Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 Iranian patients’ experiences about ICD shocks expressed by the patients, which will be discussed more extensively in this section. According to the study findings, nuisance involved “discomfort in moments of shock” and “displeasure after shock”. shock or I experienced an electric shock” (a 26-year-old man). Moreover, shock was sometimes considered to be equal to death. In this regard, a 24-year-old woman said: “Shock produces a sound inside you and you think you are leaving here. You feel you are leaving here and that’s too bad. Shock is a part of death”. 2.1. Discomfort in moments of shock 2.1. Discomfort in moments of shock In some patients, unpleasant alarming signs of shock were expressed as an aura or a relative awareness of the probability of shock before shock discharge: “Shock is a bad feeling. It is like you know something bad is going to happen and you are aware of it. One knows it is going to discharge shock. It gives one a bad feeling” (a 52-year- old man). In this regard, the patients stated that they had a relative awareness of the probability of shock before its discharge, which was accompanied by apprehension as well as physical signs, such as flushing and dizziness. 2.2. Displeasure after shock 2.2. Displeasure after shock Discussion In line with the present study results, some authors stated that shock resulted in fear and anxiety and mentioned the effects of shock as one of the themes of their study.26 Some researchers also mentioned fear from shock as one of the general themes in ICD receptors.39 Moreover, physical signs, such as dizziness, general weakness, nausea, vomiting, palpitation, chest pain, and chest soreness,31 and psychological signs, such as fear, anxiety, Table 1. The characteristics of the participants Table 1. The characteristics of the participants ID code Age Sex Marital status Education level Employment status 1 72 Male Married Illiterate Quit due to disability 2 24 Female Single Academic Employee 3 45 Male Married Academic Employee 4 52 Male Married Academic Retired 5 30 Male Married High school Quit due to disability 6 26 Male Married Primary school Quit due to disability 7 49 Female Married High school Housekeeper 8 29 Male Married High school Quit due to disability 9 47 Male Married High school Employee secure 37 Also the patients mentioned secure.37 Also, the patients mentioned horrible feelings about shock along with their appreciation of the device as their survivor.38 expressed as a double-edged sword. In spite of perceiving the worst conditions after shock, from electric shock and explosion in the chest to death, the patients admitted the life-saving role of shock. They had found out this role by experiencing shock discharge. Shock with its special surviving function has great effects on the patients’ lives. Recourse to God and holy prophets at the moment of shock discharge represents the spiritual effects of shock on the patients. Nonetheless, most studies have mainly focused on the physical, mental, and psychological effects of shock on the patients. Shock was an unpleasant experience for most of the patients and the alarming signs of shock or aura are one of the special findings of this study. 2.2. Displeasure after shock A 47-year-old man mentioned: “At the moment of shock, you have just fallen on the ground and something like a bomb is exploding in your chest”. Also, some other participants considered shock to be similar to electric shock and stated that “It is like you have caught an electric wire”, “Shock is itself an electric flow”, and “I didn’t get whether it was Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 |281 Pasyar et al. what to do. Please kindly do something that it doesn’t give shock. I’m innocent”. Furthermore, some patients regretted ICD implantation and expressed that “I don’t want it anymore, I regret” (a 47-year-old man). observed among the patients. For example, a 72-year-old man said: “I don’t dare to go anywhere. I’m afraid of shock. I’m very scared. I don’t dare to go anywhere alone. Even when I want to go farming, I take one of my children with me”. Shock led to some aggressive behaviors, including fighting with children and unwilling to watch other patients experiencing shock. Shock also had various effects on the patients’ social conditions. For instance, restriction in daily activities and dependence on others after shock were Discussion According to the findings of the present study, shock has an important role in all aspects of life of the patients with ICD. Table 1. The characteristics of the participants ID code Age Sex Marital status Education level Employment status 1 72 Male Married Illiterate Quit due to disability 2 24 Female Single Academic Employee 3 45 Male Married Academic Employee 4 52 Male Married Academic Retired 5 30 Male Married High school Quit due to disability 6 26 Male Married Primary school Quit due to disability 7 49 Female Married High school Housekeeper 8 29 Male Married High school Quit due to disability 9 47 Male Married High school Employee expressed as a double-edged sword. In spite of perceiving the worst conditions after shock, from electric shock and explosion in the chest to death, the patients admitted the life-saving role of shock. They had found out this role by experiencing shock discharge. Shock was an unpleasant experience for most of the patients and the alarming signs of shock or aura are one of the special findings of this study. Some authors reported the patients’ general experiences of shock as "a blow to the body" or "a spasm causing the entire body to jump".30 The patients considered shock as a highly frightening, life-altering, painful, and stressful experience and described it as an explosion in the chest, explosion of mind, and an impact of death.17Nevertheless, the patients tolerated the shock because of its life-saving role.30 In fact, although shock reminded the patients of death, they considered ICD as their survivor and felt secure.37 Also, the patients mentioned horrible feelings about shock along with their appreciation of the device as their survivor.38 Shock with its special surviving function has great effects on the patients’ lives. Recourse to God and holy prophets at the moment of shock discharge represents the spiritual effects of shock on the patients. Nonetheless, most studies have mainly focused on the physical, mental, and psychological effects of shock on the patients. Discussion Some authors reported the patients’ general experiences of shock as "a blow to the body" or "a spasm causing the entire body to jump".30 The patients considered shock as a highly frightening, life-altering, painful, and stressful experience and described it as an explosion in the chest, explosion of mind, and an impact of death.17Nevertheless, the patients tolerated the shock because of its life-saving role.30 In fact, although shock reminded the patients of death, they considered ICD as their survivor and felt In line with the present study results, some authors stated that shock resulted in fear and anxiety and mentioned the effects of shock as one of the themes of their study.26 Some researchers also mentioned fear from shock as one of the general themes in ICD receptors.39 Moreover, physical signs, such as dizziness, general weakness, nausea, vomiting, palpitation, chest pain, and chest soreness,31 and psychological signs, such as fear, anxiety, 282 | Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 Iranian patients’ experiences about ICD shocks depression, aggression, anger, and stress levels, were higher among the patients who had experienced shock compared to other patients.37,40 the patients’ experiences of shock and the effects of shock on various dimensions of the patients’ lives can help healthcare professionals to efficiently play their roles and provide the patients with holistic care. p Anxiety may result from unfamiliarity with the experience of shock.9 Consistently, some researchers believed that anxiety was associated with shock due to unknown time and place of shock discharge, experience of shock, and recovery.14 Fear from shock discharge is one of the factors affecting the patients’ restriction of activities.22 Also, in some previous qualitative studies, the patients who had experienced shock within the last year had restricted their daily activities due to physical or mental problems.11 Similarly, some researchers reported more limitations in patient’s leisure activities,24 reduction of physical activities for prevention of shock, fear from loneliness and dependence on one’s partner after shock among their study participants.37 p p It is also of great help in designing programs for strengthening financial resources, facilitating reduction of tensions, and helping psychosocial adaptation in these patients. Hence, healthcare staff can change the patients’ views toward shock by designing behavioral and cognitive interventions, informing, training, supporting, and consultation, which eventually accelerate the patients’ adaptability. Ethical issues None to be declared. Acknowledgments This study was carried out at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. The authors would like to thank the ICD recipients who participated in the study. We are also grateful for Ms. A. Keivanshekouh at the Research Improvement Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences for improving the use of English in the manuscript. Discussion Yet, further studies are required to be conducted on the issue to open new horizons regarding this phenomenon for directing holistic care for such patients. One of the limitations of the present study was that all the patients were Muslim. Thus, the experiences of ICD receptors with other religious backgrounds should be investigated, as well. It should be noted that the previous studies mainly focused on experience of living with ICD, and shock was expressed as one of the themes of the studies. Furthermore, experience of heartbreak, uncertainty about future,14 uncertainty about shock, tendency to remove ICD in case of continuation of shock discharge, breakability due to the probability of future shocks, and regaining control through acceptance of life changes have been mentioned in various studies. It is important to note that the patients finally considered ICD as their survivor and accepted the uncertainties.37 Conflict of interest The present study revealed the experiences of the patients with ICD regarding shock discharge referred to the cardiology clinics of two hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. According to the main research question, the patients’ experiences of shock were classified into two categories of “with a parachute for life” and “Faced with nuisance”. Identification of The authors declare no conflict of interest in this study. References 1. Kalyani MN, Sharif F, Ahmadi F, Iman MT. Iranian patient's expectations about coronary angiography: A Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 |283 Pasyar et al. implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Kobe J Med Sci 2012; 58 (3): E72-81. qualitative study. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res 2013; 18 (3): 180-5. 2. Sadeghi R, Adnani N, Sohrabi MR, Alipour Parsa S. Risk of sudden cardiac death. ARYA Atherosclerosis 2013; 9 (5): 274-9. 10. Sears SF, Amant JB, Zeigler V. Psychosocial considerations for children and young adolescents with implantable cardioverter defibrillators: an update. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2009; 32 (Suppl 2): S80-2. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2009.02391.x. 3. Health Quality Ontario. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Prophylactic use: an evidence-based analysis. Ont Health Technol Assess Ser 2005; 5 (14): 1-74. 11. Kamphuis HC, de Leeuw JR, Derksen R, Hauer RN, Winnubst JA. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator recipients: quality of life in recipients with and without ICD shock delivery: a prospective study. EP-Europace 2003; 5 (4): 381-9. 4. Bolse K, Johansson I, Strömberg A. Organisation of care for Swedish patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a national survey. J Clin Nurs 2011; 20 (17-18): 2600-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702. 2010.03540.x. 12. Palacios-Ceña D, Alonso-Blanco C, Cachón-Pérez JM, Alvarez-López C. The daily experience of the patient with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Enferm Clin 2010; 20 (2): 97-104. doi: 10.1016/j.enfcli. 2009. 09.002. 5. Rakhshan M, Hassani P, Ashktorab T, Majd HA. The nature and course of illness perception following cardiac pacemaker implantation: a self‐regulatory approach. Int J Nurs Pract 2013; 19 (3): 318-25. doi: 10. 1111 / ijn.12073. 13. Kühlkamp V. Initial experience with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator incorporating cardiac resynchronization therapy. J Am Coll Cardiol 2002; 39 (5): 790-7. 6. Rakhshan M, Hassani P, Ask torab T, Alavi majd H. Lived experiences of cardiac pacemaker patients. Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences 2013; 2 (1): 33-45. 14. Kamphuis HC, Verhoeven NW, Leeuw R, Derksen R, Hauer RN, Winnubst JA. ICD: a qualitative study of patient experience the first year after implantation. J Clin Nurs 2004; 13 (8): 1008-16. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702. 2004. 01021.x. 7. Palacios-Cena D, Losa-Iglesias ME, Salvadores-Fuentes P, Alonso-Blanco C, Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C. Experience of elderly Spanish men with an implantable cardioverter- defibrillator. Geriatrics & Gerontology International 2011; 11 (3): 320-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0594.2010.00689.x. 15. Higgins SL, Pak JP, Barone J, Williams SK, Bollinger FM, Whiting SL, et al. The first year experience with the dual chamber ICD. References Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2000; 23 (1): 18-25. 8. Chair SY, Lee CK, Choi KC, Sears SF. Quality of life outcomes in chinese patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2011; 34 (7): 858-67. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2011.03048. x. 16. Sneed NV, Finch N. Experiences of patients and significant others with automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators after discharge from the hospital. Prog Cardiovasc Nurs 1992; 7 (3): 20-4. 9. Saito N, Taru C, Miyawaki I. Illness experience: living with arrhythmia and 17. Zeigler VL, Nelms T. Almost normal: experiences of adolescents with 284 | Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 Iranian patients’ experiences about ICD shocks implantable cardioverter defibrillators. J Spec Pediatr Nurs 2009; 14 (2): 142- 51. doi: 10.1111/j.1744- 6155.2009.00186.x. partners of patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator: a systematic review and recommendations for future research. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2010; 33 (12): 1442-50. doi: 10.1111/j. 1540- 8159. 2010.02885.x. 18. Bytesník J, Náprstek Z, Fabián J. Long- term experience with the automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in a patient with ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Czech Med 1988; 11 (2): 114-8. 26. Palacios-Ceña D, Losa-Iglesias ME, Alvarez-López C, Cachón-Pérez M, Reyes RA, Salvadores-Fuentes P, et al. Patients, intimate partners and family experiences of implantable cardioverter defibrillators: qualitative systematic review. J Adv Nurs 2011; 67 (12): 2537- 50. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011 .05694.x. 19. Deaton C, Dunbar SB, Moloney M, Sears SF, Ujhelyi MR. Patient experiences with atrial fibrillation and treatment with implantable atrial defibrillation therapy. Heart Lung 2003; 32 (5): 291-9. 27. Newman DM, Dorian P, Paquette M, Sulke N, Gold MR, Schwartzman DS, et al. Effect of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator with atrial detection and shock therapies on patient-perceived, health-related quality of life. Am Heart J 2003; 145 (5): 841-6. doi: 10.1016/ s0002- 8703(02)94817-9. 20. McDonough A. The experiences and concerns of young adults (18-40 years) living with an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). European Journal Of Cardiovascular Nursing 2009; 8 (4): 274-80. doi: 10.1016/j.ejcnurse. 2009.03. 002. 21. Walker RL, Campbell KA, Sears SF, Glenn BA, Sotile R, Curtis AB, et al. Women and the implantable cardioverter defibrillator: a lifespan perspective on key psychosocial issues. Clin Cardiol 2004; 27 (10): 543-6. 28. Van den Broek KC, Nyklicek I, Van der Voort PH, Alings M, Denollet J. Shocks, personality, and anxiety in patients with an implantable defibrillator. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2008; 31 (7): 850-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2008.01099.x. ( ) 22. Palacios-Ceña D Losa Iglesias ME, Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, Salvadores- Fuentes P. 286 | Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 References Living with life insurance: a qualitative analysis of the experience of male implantable defibrillator recipients in Spain. J Clin Nurs 2011; 20 (13-14): 2003-13. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010. 03508.x. j 29. Kovacs AH, Feigofsky S, Goff JS, Saidi AS, Curtis AB, Conti JB, et al. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator implant-explant-implant case study: addressing the psychological adjustment to multiple shocks. Clin Cardiol 2006; 29 (6): 274-6. 30. Ahmad M, Bloomstein L, Roelke M, Bernstein AD, Parsonnet V. Patients' attitudes toward implanted defibrillator shocks. Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology 2000; 23 (6): 934-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-159.2000.tb00877.x. 23. Arato A, Biggs AJ, Williams J. Elderly care. Automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators. J Gerontol Nurs 1992; 18 (12): 15-22. 24. Albarran JW, Tagney J, James J. Partners of ICD patients--an exploratory study of their experiences. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs 2004; 3 (3): 201-10. doi: 10.1016/j. ejcnurse. 2004.06.008. 31. Dunbar SB, Warner CD, Purcell JA. Internal cardioverter defibrillator device discharge: experiences of patients and family members. Heart Lung 1992; 22 (6): 494-501. 25. Van Den Broek KC, Habibovic M, Pedersen SS. Emotional distress in Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2015; 4 (4), 277-286 |285 Pasyar et al. cardioverter defibrillator over time. J Clin Nurs 2010; 19 (3-4): 537-46. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2009.02898.x. 32. Dunbar SB, Warner CD, Purcell JA. Internal cardioverter defibrillator device discharge: experiences of patients and family members. Heart Lung 1993; 22 (6): 494-501. 38. Hallas CN, Burke JL, White DG, Connelly DT. Pre-ICD illness beliefs affect postimplant perceptions of control and patient quality of life. Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology 2010; 33 (3): 256-65. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2009. 02641.x. 33. Marks DF, Yardley L. Research methods for clinical and health psychology: Sage; 2004. Available from: https://uk.sagepub. com/en-gb/eur/research-methods-for-clini cal-and-health-psychology/ book 217 589 39. Zayac S, Finch N. Recipients' of implanted cardioverter-defibrillators actual and perceived adaptation: a review of the literature. J Am Acad Nurse Pract 2009; 21 (10): 549-56. doi:10.1111/ j.1745-7599.2009.00445.x. 34. Pickard AJ, Childs S. Research methods in information. 2nd ed. London: Facet; 2007. 35. Abbaszadeh Bazzi M. Principles of research methodology in medical sciences. Tehran: Salemi publisher; 2010. 36. Strubert HJ, Carpenter DR. Qualitative research in nursing, advancing the humanistic imperative. 15th ed. Phiadelphia: wolters kluwer, lippincott williams &wilkins; 2011. 40. Dougherty CM. Psychological reactions and family adjustment in shock versus no shock groups after implantation of internal cardioverter defibrillator. Heart Lung 1995; 24 (4): 281-91. 37. Morken IM, Severinsson E, Karlsen B. Reconstructing unpredictability: experiences of living with an implantable
https://openalex.org/W4286961794
https://zenodo.org/records/5516395/files/evidence_of_general_precursor_events.pdf
English
null
Evidence of general precursor events
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
2,021
cc-by
3,132
1.1 General precursor A general precursor is an individual of population whose current space/time is generally entangled (correlated) with future space/time of general population. This correlation is aligned. Like any entanglement it is not absolutely lossless. Here, correlated phenom- ena include physical and mental lifestyle, living conditions and, thus, experiences that impact these conditions and states, but more specific details will not be preserved - ie. reason for particular experience or condition will generally be different. Due to difference in karma, not only reasons for change of states may be different, but magnitude of impact. Current space/time of a general precursor is also correlated with current space/time of general population, however, such correlation is generally anti- aligned (ie. lifestyle of general population may be a complete opposite to lifestyle of a general precursor). This will be changing with a pulse of strong evolution, when evolution of general population accelerates while evolution of general pre- cursor decelerates, leading to synchronization. Abstract Future can be predicted with great certainty when it has already hap- pened elsewhere. In example, the events in embryonic development of a human being can very accurately be predicted due to great relative equality in development between individuals of species. y Many (or all) cells and events in development (evolution) are preceded by precursor cells and events. I have hypothesized elsewhere that evolution of complex life on the surface of Earth during Phanerozoic is part of Earth’s neurogenesis and that this process is qualitatively similar to neurogenesis of standard scale complex life. Major extinction events here mark the events of cell/protein migration to mantle layers. Since major extinction event is currently happening on Earth, a lot of upcoming events can be predicted based on comparison with past such events and standard scale neurogenesis. Predictable (expected) events should thus be asteroid bombardments, earthquakes, volcanism, floods, etc. While all of these events should be global (or have a global effect), each of these should be preceded by smaller scale [precursor] events. If all these events are concentrated in specific space/time, then these could be considered root events, a general precursor frame. Since cells and proteins also exist as precursors, a general precursor frame should be associated with a general precursor cell or a protein. This protein should be significantly more evolved (more neutral) than other proteins at time of precursor events. In the context of Earth, pre- cursor neuron proteins are human beings. Here, I hypothesize that I am one of the general precursors and provide some evidence. 1 tion of] this knowledge. The more one is synchronized with its host or god (Earth, in this case), or, the more evolved one is, the less one should be impacted by events of neuroge- nesis. Such one is thus a good candidate for a general precursor, one who will experience events in smaller scale. Due to low intensity and magnitude, these events may even be beneficial for the habitat and life of such one rather than destructive. Based on my research and experience, due to determinism in physical laws and synchronicity due to entanglement of past and future, even a thought of a general precursor, regarding a specific upcoming event, can be strongly cor- related to that event. Effectively, a wish of a general precursor will generally become true, with confidence proportional to the proximity of the upcoming event. This is natural and unsurprising, if one understands that mental pro- cesses are physical on some scale. I am convinced that anyone who sincerely promotes truth and sincerely lives in truth, one who is truly not anthropocentric and doesn’t support the cancer of god is one of precursors whose wishes will eventually become true. It’s logical - a cancer cannot be a precursor for something other than death. This is natural and unsurprising, if one understands that mental pro- cesses are physical on some scale. I am convinced that anyone who sincerely promotes truth and sincerely lives in truth, one who is truly not anthropocentric and doesn’t support the cancer of god is one of precursors whose wishes will eventually become true. It’s logical - a cancer cannot be a precursor for something other than death. 2 Intro I have previously hypothesized that I am a general precursor[1] and that many events concentrated around me and in me, impacting my life, are precursors to such events on global scale. Here I will present some evidence for that. A general precursor is likely to be experiencing synchronicity events on a regular basis. A belief of a general precursor is generally a precursor to general knowl- edge. A belief in general population is generally a postcursor of [corrup- 2 3 Seismic anomalies I have predicted that global earthquakes are common during events of neuro- genesis and that these should be preceded by localized precursor earthquakes which will then spread globally, increasing in magnitude. It is also possible that these precursor events are not only separated in time from main events, but generally, in space too - the area of localized precursor events will be less affected by global events they are a precursor of. These precursor events should however be roughly localized to residence of a general precursor. Perhaps there are more general precursors in this world, but evidence does suggest that I am one. 3 Note that this does not imply a strong cause-effect relationship between [the location of] a general precursor and precursor events, the correlation is the effect of synchronicity. For the whole of my life I have lived in the country of Croatia, mostly in Sibinj, but for significant part in Zagreb also. Exactly 1 year after I’ve left Zagreb and returned to Sibinj, a large earth- quake hit Zagreb, in March, 2020. Soon, large earthquakes started happening elsewhere in Croatia and the ground has been shaking ever since (although, not much in Sibinj, suggesting that even if Croatia as a precursor won’t be so strongly affected by earthquakes, there is a specific localized area within that area which may be affected even less - the area where general precursor is located or has been located for most of life). Last earthquake [that was felt by humans] in/around Sibinj occurred in June, 2018, magnitude R4.0. Note that this earthquake was sychronized with, and probably detected by one of my experiments[2]. I have also predicted increased frequency and magnitude of asteroids, so something should land in Croatia as a precursor. I predicted a meteor will fall north-east from my house precursor[3] and that this will be [at least roughly] synchronized with an earthquake and creation of a spring of fresh water in that area (possibly also hydrothermal). Well, this has now been confirmed to me, as I have noticed surface ruptures started appearing exactly north-east of my house precursor. There were no noticeable earthquakes here since 2018., but these ruptures clearly indicate the presence of a fault below and recent strongly localized activity, boosting the probability that a spring will indeed be created here. 3 Seismic anomalies Strongest ruptures are 5 cm wide and localized some 30-40 m north-east of my house precursor. Ruptures continue up to ≈90 m south/south- east and ≈60 m north/north-west from the hotspot but with much lower intensity and magnitude. Outside of that area ruptures are scarce and smaller. The affected north-east area seems somewhat elevated but no noticeable changes in elevation have occurred in this event. While most and greatest ruptures are concentrated along the north/north-west - south/south-east line of a couple of meters in width, they are irregular and there seems to be no preferred direction (ie. north-south) in ruptures themselves. ( ) All this suggests a strike-slip earthquake with an epicenter at the north- 4 east hotspot, but with a loose connection of top soil and the source, possibly due to soil liquefaction along the fault. In any case, the epicenter is exactly where I predicted it (to be more precise, in my prediction I did not specify where the epicenter of the earthquake will be, only where the spring will be created with the earth- quake, but it makes sense that the creation of a spring has the highest probability at or near the epicenter). I guess it will take one or more earthquakes at the same location to actually create the spring, but I’m not in a hurry. And, of course, it appears that I have noticed these ruptures on my birthday, so it was another synchronicity event. east hotspot, but with a loose connection of top soil and the source, possibly due to soil liquefaction along the fault. east hotspot, but with a loose connection of top soil and the source, possibly due to soil liquefaction along the fault. In any case, the epicenter is exactly where I predicted it (to be more precise, in my prediction I did not specify where the epicenter of the earthquake will be, only where the spring will be created with the earth- quake, but it makes sense that the creation of a spring has the highest probability at or near the epicenter). ) I guess it will take one or more earthquakes at the same location to actually create the spring, but I’m not in a hurry. And, of course, it appears that I have noticed these ruptures on my birthday, so it was another synchronicity event. Ruptures are shown in Fig. 1. 3.1.1 2021.09.05 Another hotspot (2) appeared 40-50 m north from the original hotspot, with similar configuration and maximum rupture width. 3 Seismic anomalies Red arrow on the left indicates the location of my house precursor. Figure 1: left) Surface ruptures and house precursor, right) Closeup of ruptures Figure 1: left) Surface ruptures and house precursor, right) Closeup of ruptures Fig. 2 shows another view on the hotspot (1) ruptures. ( ) A land map with layout of hotspots is shown in Fig. 3. Green cross is my house precursor, blue is the original hotspot, red are additional hotspots. 3.1.3 2021.09.15 The ground is still active. I’m noticing new ruptures on a daily basis. Interestingly, ruptures smaller in width seem to be connected by round holes. There are many holes not connected by ruptures, suggesting that these holes precede ruptures. I wonder if these holes could be the smaller scale equivalent of holes appear- ing recently in Siberia and Arctic permafrost. The ground is becoming increasingly bumpy at ruptures. The weather is calm, sunny, and there is no precipitation. There were no changes in weather since observations began. All of this suggests there is an ongoing vertical creation (or expansion) of veins filled with a fluid mixture of gas and liquid (most likely water). Also, it appears this is not a continuous process, rather pulsed phenomena, such as the phenomena of geysers. While it is probably unlikely that water is coming out of ruptures period- ically at this point, periodic degassing might be possible. I may increase the periodicity of inspections to test this hypothesis. 3.1.2 2021.09.06 Another hotspot (3) appeared ≈40 m north-west from the original hotspot, with similar configuration. Maximum rupture width here is 4 cm. 5 Figure 2: Surface ruptures Figure 2: Surface ruptures Figure 3: Land map, showing hotspots Figure 3: Land map, showing hotspots 6 Additional closer inspection of ruptures at original hotspot (1) has been performed. A couple of ruptures were found with a noticeable difference in elevation between sides. Some may be attributed to erosion, however, some are more likely to have been caused by difference in pressure below. It is unknown if this is a new feature or originally created. 3.1.5 2021.09.17 Some heavy rain today. I’ve learned from a separate experiment that, without vegetation, most water simply goes down through the soil, taking soil with it if that is possible. In this case, as the water goes down a hill it carries some mud with it. Once it encounters the ruptures it goes down, eroding the northern side of ruptures in the process and depositing all the mud inside. With rain, the southern side of ruptures also gets eroded to some extent. But at some point, space becomes too tight and it becomes impossible for soil to penetrate deeper with water, so it starts accumulating. Generally, this process is smoothing out the landscape - healing the ruptured skin. Note that rain and wind are slowly eroding mountains and, generally over millions of years, smoothing out the landscape globally. With no vege- tation, tectonic processes and changes in pressure below - the smoother the surface the older the body, as long as there is atmosphere. However, this is all correlated. Energy cannot be destroyed. Thus, energy at the surface may only be lost out to space or conserved deeper underground. It also has to oscillate, but it will generally be getting lost outwards or lost inwards - if no additional energy is acquired. Mars, for example, is not dead - it has conserved this energy below the apparent surface, and it periodically returns, when apparent surface becomes real (living) surface again. But what happens to water? The water goes down (more precisely, it follows the gradient of gravitational potential) as long as it can. Once it encounters denser rock, which it cannot penetrate, it starts accumulating and spreading laterally. But if these ruptures were created with soil liquefaction, additional water could create new ruptures. 3.1.4 2021.09.16 More holes observed, greatest concentration more south/south-east of main area. Typical holes 2 cm in width, shallow, different angles, some more horizontal than vertical. 4 cm holes also common. Ruptures and holes typically appear in areas of low vegetation, as shown in Fig. 4. Nice example of how plants protect the soil from erosion. Figure 4: Typical smaller ruptures Figure 4: Typical smaller ruptures 7 3.1.7 2021.09.19 I have previously considered my sinkholes to be small scale equivalent of Arctic and Siberia sinkholes. However, even if they may be correlated, the mechanism of creation must be different. More precisely, my sinkholes are the equivalent of sinkholes appearing with some earthquakes, such as those that have appeared lately in Croatia[4]. Interestingly, these sinkholes started appearing in north/north-east Croatia, while my sinkholes started appearing north/north-east of my house precursor (interestingly, Arctic and Siberia are north/north-east of Croatia...). All this goes in favor of the general precursor hypothesis, and if these sink- holes are precursor to ruptures, one can expect large scale ruptures there too. The question is how much time will pass before ruptures appear? To answer that question, I have already marked some sinkholes on 2021.09.15. At this point there are no significant changes. The other question is - is the scale difference in time proportional to scale difference in space? Considering that the largest sinkhole was 25-30 m (25 m initially[5], grew to 30 m), while my largest (pre-rain) sinkhole was 4-4.3 cm in width, that is a spatial difference of ≈666 in magnitude. New large sinkholes were appearing on a weekly basis while my new sinkholes were appearing daily - much lower difference in temporal magnitude (7). Large sinkholes are the aftermath of an M6.2 earthquake occurred on 2020.12.29 in Petrinja, Croatia[6]. These started appearing south of Petrinja (villages Boro- jevići, Mečenčani). This area is some 120 km west (roughly at the same latitude) from my sinkholes. It is thus entirely possible that these events are more correlated - in an oscillatory fashion. Note that my faults and movements of rock seem to be a smaller scale copy of faults and movements in Petrinja (shown in Fig. 5) - north-south horizontal strike-slip block movement with a transverse component near the epicenter. In that case, compared to Petrinja earthquake, if main ruptures appear at the crossing of faults, the epicenter is near south-west, toward my precursor house. Assuming that my first sinkholes appeared on 2020.12.29, while ruptures appeared 9 months later, large scale ruptures in Petrinja could follow approxi- mately 63 (9*7) months after the sinkholes, 4-5 years from now. Due to accel- erated evolution, this interval may be compressed. However, I find it likely that subsequent intervals between new ruptures will be getting more and more compressed, this one may not. 3.1.6 2021.09.18 Some rupture healing has occurred, as expected. A lot of new holes have ap- peared south/south-east of the main area. At least some should probably be attributed to rainwater entering ruptures up north. It is unlikely, however, that main ruptures were created by the same process (rain entering ground further up north), as there isn’t much ground up north [to the top of the hill] and there was no rain before and during previous observations. The fact that, after heavy rain, only smaller holes appeared and mostly concentrated south/south-east, goes in favor of the hypothesis. 8 8 3.1.7 2021.09.19 In that case, my next ruptures should appear less than 9 months from now (perhaps in 3 months or even less). Considering my largest ruptures are some 4 m in length and 5 cm in width, large scale ruptures in Petrinja should be ≈2.66 km in length and ≈33 m in width. 9 Figure 5: Earthquakes and faults in Petrinja, Markušić et al (2021) Figure 5: Earthquakes and faults in Petrinja, Markušić et al (2021) Note that Petrinja was devastated in a war during 1990s so that war could also be interpreted as a precursor to larger devastation. The war is a product of human stupidity (humanity), but devastation is certainly very relative in case of natural disasters. This is a reaction to human stupidity, in order to restore the balance. Fig e 5 Ea th akes a d fa lts i Pet i ja Ma k šić et al (2021) Figure 5: Earthquakes and faults in Petrinja, Markušić et al (2021) Note that Petrinja was devastated in a war during 1990s so that war could also be interpreted as a precursor to larger devastation. The war is a product of human stupidity (humanity), but devastation is certainly very relative in case of natural disasters. This is a reaction to human stupidity, in order to restore the balance. https://www.hgi-cgs.hr/urusavanje-tla-u-mecencanima-i-okolici-izazvano- potresom-magnitude-6-2-kod-petrinje-te-prethodnim-i-naknadnim- potresima/ [6] Destructive M6.2 Petrinja Earthquake (Croatia) in 2020—Preliminary Mul- tidisciplinary Research (2021), S. Markušić et al https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13061095 References [1] Amenoum (2020), Amenoum https://amenoum.org/authors/Amenoum.html [1] Amenoum (2020), Amenoum https://amenoum.org/authors/Amenoum.html [1] Amenoum (2020), Amenoum https://amenoum.org/authors/Amenoum.html [2] Experiments on seismic activity (2021), Amenoum https://amenoum.org/log/8_experiments_on_seismic_activity.html [3] Amenoum (2020), Amenoum https://amenoum.org/authors/Amenoum.html [3] Amenoum (2020), Amenoum https://amenoum.org/authors/Amenoum.html [4] The Croatian village where the land became ’Swiss cheese’ (2021), V. Simičević https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210702-how-an-earthquake-created- a-village-full-of-sinkholes [4] The Croatian village where the land became ’Swiss cheese’ (2021), V. Simičević https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210702-how-an-earthquake-created- a-village-full-of-sinkholes [5] Urušavanje tla u Mečenčanima i okolici izazvano potresom magnitude 6.2 kod Petrinje, te prethodnim i naknadnim potresima (2021), J. Terzić et al 10 https://www.hgi-cgs.hr/urusavanje-tla-u-mecencanima-i-okolici-izazvano- potresom-magnitude-6-2-kod-petrinje-te-prethodnim-i-naknadnim- potresima/ [6] Destructive M6.2 Petrinja Earthquake (Croatia) in 2020—Preliminary Mul- tidisciplinary Research (2021), S. Markušić et al https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13061095 11
https://openalex.org/W2580576802
https://escholarship.org/content/qt4fb9g2kk/qt4fb9g2kk.pdf?t=plqig1
English
null
Clinical Assessment of Medical Students in the Emergency Department, a National Consensus Conference
˜The œwestern journal of emergency medicine/Western journal of emergency medicine
2,017
cc-by
2,033
UC Irvine Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergen Care with Population Health Title Clinical Assessment of Medical Students in the Emergency Department, a National Consensus Conference Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fb9g2kk Journal Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, 18(1) ISSN 1936-900X Authors Hiller, Katherine Franzen, Douglas Lawson, Luan et al. Publication Date 2017 DOI 10.5811/westjem.2016.11.32686 Supplemental Material https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fb9g2kk#supplemental Copyright Information Copyright 2017 by the author(s).This work is made available under the terms of a Creativ Commons Attribution License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Peer reviewed UC Irvine Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergen Care with Population Health Title Clinical Assessment of Medical Students in the Emergency Department, a National Consensus Conference Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fb9g2kk Journal Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, 18(1) ISSN 1936-900X Authors Hiller, Katherine Franzen, Douglas Lawson, Luan et al. Publication Date 2017 DOI 10.5811/westjem.2016.11.32686 Supplemental Material https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fb9g2kk#supplemental Copyright Information Copyright 2017 by the author(s).This work is made available under the terms of a Creativ Commons Attribution License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Peer reviewed UC Irvine Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergen Care with Population Health Title Clinical Assessment of Medical Students in the Emergency Department, a National Consensus Conference Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fb9g2kk Journal Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, 18(1) ISSN 1936-900X Authors Hiller, Katherine Franzen, Douglas Lawson, Luan et al. Publication Date 2017 DOI 10.5811/westjem.2016.11.32686 Supplemental Material https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fb9g2kk#supplemental Copyright Information Copyright 2017 by the author(s).This work is made available under the terms of a Creati Commons Attribution License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Peer reviewed Title Copyright Information Copyright 2017 by the author(s).This work is made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Peer reviewed UC Irvine UC Irvine Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health Powered by the California Digital Library University of California eScholarship.org Brief Educational Advances Clinical Assessment of Medical Students in the Emergency Department, a National Consensus Conference Hiller, MD, MPH* Douglas Franzen, MD, MEd† Luan Lawson, MD, MAEd‡ David Manthey, MD§ Jonathan Fisher, MD, MPH* Marianne Haughey, MD¶ Matthew Tews, DO, MS|| Nicole Dubosh, MD# Joseph House, MD** Arleigh Trainor, MD†† David Wald, DO‡‡ Julianna Jung, MD§§ East Carolina University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina ‡ Wake Forest University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina § St. Barnabas Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Bronx, New York ¶ Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Emergency Medicine, Milwaukee, Wisconsin H d U i it D t t f E M di i C b id || # Harvard University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cambridge, Massachusetts # University of Michigan, Department of Emergency Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan University of South Dakota, Department of Emergency Medicine, Vermillion, South Dakota ** †† Section Editor: Andrew Phillips, MD Submission history: Submitted September 28, 2016; Accepted November 1, 2016 Electronically published November 23, 2016 Full text available through open access at http://escholarship.org/uc/uciem_westjem DOI: 10.5811/westjem.2016.11.32686 [West J Emerg Med. 2017;18(1)82-83.] BACKGROUND the executive committee and refined at a large-group planning meeting at the 2015 CORD Academic Assembly (Table). i The clinical assessment of medical students in the emergency department (ED) is a highly variable process in which clerkship directors (CD) create and use institution-specific tools, many with unproven reliability or validity, to assess students of differing experience and from different institutions.1,2 In May 2015, theme leaders were identified and tasked with recruiting relevant stakeholders to their respective small groups, synthesizing the background literature and articulating key issues surrounding their theme. Simultaneously, the executive committee derived “building blocks” of assessment from foundational source materials.1,3-9 Each contained the following: name, background and definition, benefits/ drawbacks/alternatives to use in the clinical setting, areas of OBJECTIVES Standardization of assessment practices and tools of assessment could enhance grading, improve the reliability and validity of information on the standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE) for program directors, and most importantly, provide consistent, valid and reliable formative feedback for students. 2 Volume XVIII, no. 1: January 2017 Themes Criterion vs norm-referenced assessment Learners at different levels of learning Translation of assessment data into other products Utilization of clinical assessment tools Ensuring post-implementation validation/research CDEM, Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine. Table. Themes of assessment discussed at the CDEM national end-of-shift consensus conference. 2 Volume XVIII, no. 1: January 2017 Themes Criterion vs norm-referenced assessment Learners at different levels of learning Translation of assessment data into other products Utilization of clinical assessment tools Ensuring post-implementation validation/research CDEM, Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine. Table. Themes of assessment discussed at the CDEM national end-of-shift consensus conference. Table. Themes of assessment discussed at the CDEM national end-of-shift consensus conference. Table. Themes of assessment discussed at the CDEM national end-of-shift consensus conference. Clinical Assessment of Medical Students in the Emergency Department, a National Consensus Conference p , Katherine M. Hiller, MD, MPH* Douglas Franzen, MD, MEd† Luan Lawson, MD, MAEd‡ David Manthey, MD§ Jonathan Fisher, MD, MPH* Marianne Haughey, MD¶ Matthew Tews, DO, MS|| Nicole Dubosh, MD# Joseph House, MD** Arleigh Trainor, MD†† David Wald, DO‡‡ Julianna Jung, MD§§ Section Editor: Andrew Phillips, MD Submission history: Submitted September 28, 2016; Accepted November 1, 2016 Electronically published November 23, 2016 Full text available through open access at http://escholarship.org/uc/uciem_westjem DOI: 10.5811/westjem.2016.11.32686 [West J Emerg Med. 2017;18(1)82-83.] University of Arizona, Department of Emergency Medicine, Tucson, Arizona University of Washington, Department of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, Seattle, Washington East Carolina University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina Wake Forest University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina St. Barnabas Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Bronx, New York Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Emergency Medicine, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Harvard University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cambridge, Massachusetts University of Michigan, Department of Emergency Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan University of South Dakota, Department of Emergency Medicine, Vermillion, South Dakota Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Johns Hopkins University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland * † ‡ § ¶ || # ** †† ‡‡ §§ University of Arizona, Department of Emergency Medicine, Tucson, Arizona University of Washington, Department of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, Seattle, Washington East Carolina University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina Wake Forest University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina St. Barnabas Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Bronx, New York Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Emergency Medicine, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Harvard University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cambridge, Massachusetts University of Michigan, Department of Emergency Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan University of South Dakota, Department of Emergency Medicine, Vermillion, South Dakota Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Johns Hopkins University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland * † ‡ § ¶ || # ** †† ‡‡ §§ University of Arizona, Department of Emergency Medicine, Tucson, Arizona University of Washington, Department of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, Seattle, Washington * † Katherine M. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine DESIGN A consensus conference on end-of-shift assessment of medical students in the ED was held in the Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine (CDEM) track of the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) Academic Assembly in Nashville, TN, in March 2016. Themes surrounding the practice of end-of-shift assessment of medical students were derived from small-group discussions among Volume XVIII, no. 1: January 2017 Western Journal of Emergency Medicine 82 Clinical Assessment of Medical Students in the ED Hiller et al. in our specialty. The creation of a reliable and valid assessment tool will provide a critical method for measuring outcomes in educational innovations and research in the future. overlap with other domains of assessment, examples of how an assessment of this domain would appear on an assessment form in three formats (narrative, dichotomous, and an anchored ratings scale), and references. Please see Appendix for CDEM Consensus Conference on End- of-shift Assessment of Medical Students: Executive Summary. On Day 1 of the conference, participants were divided into small groups. Each theme leader met with each small group providing background and guiding further discussion. Pre- determined questions with discrete responses were asked within each small group. During the second morning of the conference, the “building blocks” were discussed. Participants voted using an electronic audience response system (www.polleverywhere.com). Address for Correspondence: Katherine M. Hiller, MD, MPH, University of Arizona, Department of Emergency Medicine, 1501 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85724. Email: khiller@aemrc. arizona.edu. REFERENCES 1. Hiller K, Lawson L, Franzen D, et al. End-of-shift Emergency Medicine Medical Student Clinical Evaluation Forms: A Taxonomy. Acad Emerg Med. 2015;22(S1):S196-7. 2. Lawson L, Jung J, Franzen D, et al. Clinical Assessment of Medical Students in Emergency Medicine Clerkships: A Survey of Current Practice. J Emerg Med. Sep 7 2016. Based on the variability of assessment forms currently in use, we anticipated a large range of opinion on the topics presented. Instead, we were surprised by the strength of consensus on most topics. 3. Santen SA, Peterson WJ, Khandelwal S, et al. Medical student milestones in emergency medicine. Acad Emerg Med. Aug 2014;21(8):905-11. 4. AAMC. Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency--Curriculum Developers Guide. Available at: https:// members.aamc.org/eweb/upload/core%20EPA%20Curriculum%20 Dev%20Guide.pdf. Accessed Feb 11, 2016. Limitations to this process include that only approximately half of the CDEM Academy membership was present, despite extensive advertisement about the conference. Additionally, voting may have been affected by the order in which the building blocks of assessment were presented. Participants may have been more apt to comment later once they had a better understanding and more familiarity with how the materials were presented and referenced. We attempted to mitigate this effect by providing the materials to participants beforehand and providing preparatory background material in discussion groups. Finally, participants were able to change their vote while group discussion occurred. Large-group discussion did sway votes; however, we feel this culminated in a better representation of the group’s actual opinions. Discussion helped guide the decision in real time, and allowed minority opinions to be heard and considered.i 5. Tews MC, Ditz Wyte CM, Coltman M, et al. Implementing a Third- Year Emergency Medicine Medical Student Curriculum. J Emerg Med. Mar 27 2015. 6. Manthey DE, Ander DS, Gordon DC, et al. Emergency medicine clerkship curriculum: an update and revision. Acad Emerg Med. 2010;17(6):638-43. 7. Englander R, Cameron T, Ballard AJ, et al. Toward a common taxonomy of competency domains for the health professions and competencies for physicians. Acad Med. Aug 2013;88(8):1088-94. 8. CORD. Standardized Letter of Evaluation in Emergency Medicine. 2016. Available at: http://www.cordem.org/files/ DOCUMENTLIBRARY/SLOR/SLOE%20Standard%20Letter%20 of%20Evaluation%202015.pdf. Accessed May 25, 2016. This conference was a critical first step in the development of national guidelines and a standardized clinical assessment tool in EM. The education and discussion that the conference provided elevated the level of conversation around assessment 9. Beeson MS, Carter WA, Christopher TA, et al. IMPACT/EFFECTIVENESS Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. The authors disclosed none. Sixty people participated on Day 1 and 70 participated on Day 2 of the conference. Participants agreed on 63.4% of the theme questions and 87.5% of the domains of assessment. The group felt that both norm- and criterion-based assessment should be incorporated, EM faculty and senior residents should be allowed to complete the form, the unit of observation should be a single shift, and that 6-10 shifts would be adequate to accurately assess a student. Medical students (MS3) and (MS4) should be assessed using the same tools, but grading should differ. Learners with varying experience within a year present a challenge; however, this is not prohibitive to using a common form or grading rubric. Clinical assessment data should be translated into a grade and onto the SLOE. Of 16 domains of assessment presented, nine were included, five omitted, and two did not reach consensus. All domains should be assessed via rating scale except professionalism, for which a combined narrative/dichotomous approach was preferred. Copyright: © 2016 Hiller et al. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License. See: http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/ REFERENCES Emergency medicine milestones. J Grad Med Educ. Mar 2013;5(1 Suppl 1):5-13. Volume XVIII, no. 1: January 2017 Western Journal of Emergency Medicine 83
https://openalex.org/W2676406204
https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/143101/7/143101.pdf
English
null
Oncogene-Expressing Senescent Melanocytes Up-Regulate MHC Class II, a Candidate Melanoma Suppressor Function
˜The œjournal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology
2,017
cc-by
10,116
Oncogene-Expressing Senescent Melanocytes Up-Regulate MHC Class II, a Candidate Melanoma Suppressor Function John van Tuyn1, Farah Jaber-Hijazi1, Douglas MacKenzie1, John J. Cole1, Elizabeth Mann2, Jeff S. Pawlikowski3, Taranjit Singh Rai4, David M. Nelson1, Tony McBryan1, Andre Ivanov5, Karen Blyth6, Hong Wu7, Simon Milling2 and Peter D. Adams1,8 On acquisition of an oncogenic mutation, primary human and mouse cells can enter oncogene-induced senescence (OIS). OIS is characterized by a stable proliferation arrest and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Proliferation arrest and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype collaborate to enact tumor suppression, the former by blocking cell proliferation and the latter by recruiting immune cells to clear damaged cells. However, the interactions of OIS cells with the immune system are still poorly defined. Here, we show that engagement of OIS in primary human melanocytes, specifically by melanoma driver mutations NRASQ61K and BRAFV600E, causes expression of the major histocompatibility class II antigen presentation apparatus, via secreted IL-1ß signaling and expression of CIITA, a master regulator of major histocompatibility class II gene transcription. In vitro, OIS melanocytes activate T-cell proliferation. In vivo, nonproliferating oncogene-expressing melanocytes localize to skin-draining lymph nodes, where they induce T-cell proliferation and an antigen presentation gene expression signature. In patients, expression of major histocompatibility class II in melanoma is linked to favorable disease outcome. We propose that OIS in melanocytes is accompanied by an antigen presentation phenotype, likely to promote tumor suppression via activation of the adaptive immune system. Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017) 137, 2197e2207; doi:10.1016/j.jid.2017.05.030 1Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow, UK; 2Institute for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; 3Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA; 4Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK; 5Barts Cancer Institute. Queen Mary, University of London. Charterhouse Square, London, UK; 6Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Garscube Estate. Switchback Road, Glasgow, UK; 7Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; and 8Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, San Diego, California, USA ORIGINAL ARTICLE ORIGINAL ARTICLE Oncogene-Expressing Senescent Melanocytes Up-Regulate MHC Class II, a Candidate Melanoma Suppressor Function John van Tuyn1, Farah Jaber-Hijazi1, Douglas MacKenzie1, John J. Cole1, Elizabeth Mann2, Jeff S. Pawlikowski3, Taranjit Singh Rai4, David M. Nelson1, Tony McBryan1, Andre Ivanov5, Karen Blyth6, Hong Wu7, Simon Milling2 and Peter D. Adams1,8 Correspondence: Peter D. Adams, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. E-mail: padams@sbpdiscovery.org Abbreviations: MHC, major histocompatibility complex; NK, natural killer; OIS, oncogene-induced senescence; RNA-seq, RNA sequencing; SA b-gal, senescence-associated b-galactosidase ª 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier, Inc. on behalf of the Society for Investigative Dermatology. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Received 12 May 2016; revised 26 April 2017; accepted 9 May 2017; accepted manuscript published online 22 June 2017; corrected proof published online 31 August 2017 Correspondence: Peter D. Adams, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. E-mail: padams@sbpdiscovery.org Abbreviations: MHC, major histocompatibility complex; NK, natural killer; OIS, oncogene-induced senescence; RNA-seq, RNA sequencing; SA b-gal, senescence-associated b-galactosidase Received 12 May 2016; revised 26 April 2017; accepted 9 May 2017; accepted manuscript published online 22 June 2017; corrected proof published online 31 August 2017 INTRODUCTION The time span of oncogene activation was kept at 2 weeks for all OIS experiments unless indicated otherwise. (b) Quantification of EdU incorporation and SA ß-gal staining. Graph shows means  standard deviation, n ¼ 3. (c) Representative RNA sequencing track showing HLA- DRA sequence reads for control and BRAFV600E-transduced melanocytes. Y-axis shows sequence tags per million tags; x-axis shows position along the HLA-DRA gene (spanning 5,178 base pairs), with boxed exons. (d) Detection of HLA-DRA transcript levels by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR analysis. (e) Representative immunofluorescent image of HLA-DRA-GFP (left three panels) and HLA-DRB-GFP (right three panels) fusion protein- transduced melanocytes. GFP staining in green, staining for MHC class II in red, and nuclei in blue. Scale bar ¼ 200 mm. (f) Western blot showing BRAF, beta-actin (ATCB), and MHC class II (HLA-DR) expression. (g) Confocal immunofluorescent image of melanocytes stained for MHC class II (HLA-DR; red) and nuclei (blue). Scale bar ¼ 10 mm. All graphs show means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. chr, chromosome; MHC, major histocompatibility; OIS, oncogene-induced senescence; SA-Bgal, senescence-associated b-galactosidase. Figure 1. Melanocytes express MHC class II upon OIS. (a) Staining for SA ß-gal activity (blue) on vector- or BRAF600E-transduced melanocytes. Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. The time span of oncogene activation was kept at 2 weeks for all OIS experiments unless indicated otherwise. (b) Quantification of EdU incorporation and SA ß-gal staining. Graph shows means  standard deviation, n ¼ 3. (c) Representative RNA sequencing track showing HLA- DRA sequence reads for control and BRAFV600E-transduced melanocytes. Y-axis shows sequence tags per million tags; x-axis shows position along the HLA-DRA gene (spanning 5,178 base pairs), with boxed exons. (d) Detection of HLA-DRA transcript levels by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR analysis. (e) Representative immunofluorescent image of HLA-DRA-GFP (left three panels) and HLA-DRB-GFP (right three panels) fusion protein- transduced melanocytes. GFP staining in green, staining for MHC class II in red, and nuclei in blue. Scale bar ¼ 200 mm. (f) Western blot showing BRAF, beta-actin (ATCB), and MHC class II (HLA-DR) expression. (g) Confocal immunofluorescent image of melanocytes stained for MHC class II (HLA-DR; red) and nuclei (blue). Scale bar ¼ 10 mm. All graphs show means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. chr, chromosome; MHC, major histocompatibility; OIS, oncogene-induced senescence; SA-Bgal, senescence-associated b-galactosidase. stoco pat b ty; O S, duced senescence; escence-associated se. INTRODUCTION oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) (Munoz-Espin and Serrano, 2014). Nevus melanocytes express several molecu- lar markers of senescence, including senescence-associated ß-galactosidase (SA ß-gal) and tumor suppressor p16INK4a (Gray-Schopfer et al., 2006; Michaloglou et al., 2005; Pawlikowski et al., 2013; Suram et al., 2012). Aggregates of apparently nonmalignant, nonproliferative, p16INK4a- expressing, melanocytic nevus-like cells, in the absence of any concurrent or subsequent melanoma, have also been well documented in the skin-draining lymph nodes of humans (Mihic-Probst et al., 2003; Patterson, 2004). Melanoma is a frequently fatal cancer originating from pigment-producing melanocytes of the skin (Lo and Fisher, 2014). The most common mutations found in melanoma are those that activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, most notably in BRAF and NRAS (Lo and Fisher, 2014). The same mutations are also commonly found in benign nevi (or moles) (Omholt et al., 2002; Pollock et al., 2003). However, benign nevi only rarely progress to cancer because oncogene-expressing nevus melanocytes are ulti- mately checked in a proliferation-arrested state called , ; , OIS is also characterized by a secretory program, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (Acosta et al., 2008; Krtolica et al., 2001; Kuilman et al., 2008). The senescence-associated secretory phenotype has various functions in OIS, including reinforcement and maintenance of proliferation arrest (Acosta et al., 2008; Kuilman et al., 2008) and recruitment of macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer (NK) cells of the innate immune system to clear premalignant oncogene-expressing senescent cells (Xue et al., 2007). NK cells also clear senescent cells in response to other cell- and tissue-damaging stresses (Krizhanovsky et al., 2008; Soriani et al., 2009). However, clearance of mouse hepatocytes expressing an activated NrasQ61K oncogene was also shown to depend on activa- tion of adaptive immunity, specifically on CD4þ T cells (Kang et al., 2011). Typically, CD4þ T cells are activated in the secondary lymphoid tissues, such as lymph nodes and spleen, by professional antigen-presenting cells such as Received 12 May 2016; revised 26 April 2017; accepted 9 May 2017; accepted manuscript published online 22 June 2017; corrected proof published online 31 August 2017 www.jidonline.org 2197 J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Figure 1. Melanocytes express MHC class II upon OIS. (a) Staining for SA ß-gal activity (blue) on vector- or BRAF600E-transduced melanocytes. Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. INTRODUCTION nonproliferating melanocytes enact an antigen presentation function to activate the adaptive immune system. nonproliferating melanocytes enact an antigen presentation function to activate the adaptive immune system. dendritic cells (Trombetta and Mellman, 2005). Dendritic cells endocytose and process antigens in peripheral tissues and then migrate via the lymphatic vessels to the lymph nodes, where they activate CD4þ T cells by major histo- compatibility (MHC) class II-mediated antigen presentation to naı¨ve T cells. RESULTS Melanocytes express MHC class II upon oncogene-induced senescence initiated by melanoma driver mutations As we and others previously showed (Michaloglou et al., 2005; Pawlikowski et al., 2013), ectopic expression of BRAFV600E in primary human melanocytes induces OIS. Indicative of senescence, BRAFV600E-expressing melano- cytes up-regulated SA ß-gal (Figure 1a, 1b), arrested DNA replication as determined by a lack of EdU incorporation (Figure 1b) and showed senescence-associated heterochro- matin foci in the nucleus (see Supplementary Figure S1 online). Melanocytes express MHC class II upon oncogene-induced senescence initiated by melanoma driver mutations Melanocytes express MHC class II upon oncogene-induced senescence initiated by melanoma driver mutations How senescent cells can activate the adaptive immune systems has been a mystery. Here we show that OIS in me- lanocytes caused by activation of the RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway is accompanied by dramatic up- regulation of the MHC class II antigen presentation com- plex. Furthermore, melanocytes carrying either BrafV600E or NrasQ61K mutations re-localize specifically to skin-draining lymph nodes in mouse models. We also present functional evidence that in the nodes, oncogene-expressing Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017), Volume 137 2198 2198 J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II We previously investigated the transcriptional changes of melanocytes undergoing OIS by whole-genome microarray analysis and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis (Pawlikowski et al., 2013). Comparing BRAFV600E- expressing melanocytes against vector-transduced and unin- fected melanocytes, we observed striking up-regulation of MHC class II complex transcripts (Figure 1c, Supplementary Table S1 online). The cell surface of MHC class II complex is a heterodimer of a and ß polypeptides, for example HLA- DRA and HLA-DRB1, respectively. Antigen presentation also depends on expression of chaperones and accessory factors, such as HLA-DM, HLA-D0, and CD74, which facilitate antigen processing, loading, and presentation by the MHC class II complex (Trombetta and Mellman, 2005). We observed HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB among the top changes (see Supplementary Table S1). In addition, related HLA-DQA, HLA-DQB, HLA-DPA, and HLA-DPB were also up-regulated, together with important antigen processing and presentation accessory molecules, such as HLA-DMA, HLA- DMB, and invariant chain CD74 (see Supplementary Tables S2, S3 online). investigated replicative senescence melanocytes. Melano- cytes were serially passaged until they ceased proliferation and were confirmed to show replicative senescence by pos- itive staining for SA ß-gal (Figure 2c, 2d) and lack of BrdU incorporation (Figure 2d). RESULTS In contrast to BRAFV600E- mediated OIS, replicative senescence did not induce robust up-regulation of HLA-DRA or HLA-DRB, as detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR (Figure 2e). Finally, no MHC class II protein could be detected by Western blotting (data not shown). These findings suggest that MHC class II induction is specific to OIS in some cell types and not replicative senescence. p To establish whether MHC class II up-regulation in mela- nocytes is specific to activated BRAFV600E or also triggered by other perturbations of melanoma oncogenic and tumor suppressor pathways, melanocytes were transduced with activated oncogenes, HRASG12V and NRASQ61K, activated MEK1Q56P (Emery et al., 2009), and activated myrAKT, as well as two short hairpin RNAs to stably knock down PTEN (Figure 2f). Ectopic expression of each of these oncogenes and knockdown of PTEN resulted in senescence as deter- mined by positive staining for SA ß-gal (Figure 2g, left, and see Supplementary Figure S5 online) and lack of proliferation indicated by the absence of EdU incorporation (Figure 2g, right). Expression of NRASQ61K, BRAFV600E, and MEK1Q56P resulted in robust up-regulation of both HLA- DRA and HLA-DRB, whereas expression of HRASG12V gave rise to a significantly weaker up-regulation of both. In marked contrast, myrAKT expression and PTEN knockdown did not result in detectable HLA-DR up-regulation (Figure 2h). In contrast to results reported here, PTEN knockdown has previously been reported to not cause in- duction of senescence (Vredeveld et al., 2012). There could be many reasons for this apparent discrepancy—genetic and/ or epigenetic differences in the melanocytes, cell culture conditions, and others. Regardless, these results suggest that, at least under conditions used here, MHC class II induction is specific to aberrant mitogenic signaling through the RAS/ BRAF/ERK pathway but not the PTEN-Akt signaling pathway. Up-regulation of the major components of MHC class II mRNAs HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB was confirmed by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR (Figure 1d). Expression of BRAFV600E also enhanced expression of ectopic HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB GFP fusion proteins (Figure 1e). Because this increase is independent of the genes’ normal transcription control elements, this also suggests at least some level of posttranscriptional regulation. Expression of endogenous HLA-DR protein in melanocytes upon OIS was shown by Western blot analysis (Figure 1f) and immunofluorescence (Figure 1g, Supplementary Figure S2 online). RESULTS J y Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Figure 2. Expression of MHC class II is specific to melanocytes and OIS. (a) Western blot of BRAFV600E expression in melanocytes, keratinocytes, and fibroblasts transduced with a vector encoding BRAFV600E (B) or control vector (V). (b) HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB transcript levels detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR analysis, in melanocytes (mel), fibroblasts (fib), or keratinocytes (ker). ND indicates no signal detected. (c) Staining for SA ß-gal activity in melanocytes in exponential growth phase (PD 26) or at replicative senescence (PD 43). Scale bar ¼ 50 mm. (d) Quantification of SA ß-gale and BrdU-positive melanocytes. (e) HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB transcript levels in melanocytes detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR. (f) Western blots of HRASG12V, NRASQ61K, BRAFV600E, MEKQ56P, and myrAKT expression and knockdown of PTEN. (g) Quantification of SA ß-gal staining (left) and EdU incorporation (right) of melanocytes transduced as indicated. (h) HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB transcript levels detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR of melanocytes transduced as indicated. (i) Western blot Figure 2. Expression of MHC class II is specific to melanocytes and OIS. (a) Western blot of BRAFV600E expression in melanocytes, keratinocytes, and fibroblasts transduced with a vector encoding BRAFV600E (B) or control vector (V). (b) HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB transcript levels detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR analysis, in melanocytes (mel), fibroblasts (fib), or keratinocytes (ker). ND indicates no signal detected. (c) Staining for SA ß-gal activity in melanocytes in exponential growth phase (PD 26) or at replicative senescence (PD 43). Scale bar ¼ 50 mm. (d) Quantification of SA ß-gale and BrdU-positive melanocytes. (e) HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB transcript levels in melanocytes detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR. (f) Western blots of HRASG12V, NRASQ61K, BRAFV600E, MEKQ56P, and myrAKT expression and knockdown of PTEN. (g) Quantification of SA ß-gal staining (left) and EdU incorporation (right) of melanocytes transduced as indicated. (h) HLA-DRA and HLA DRB transcript levels detected by quantitative real time reverse transcriptaseePCR of melanocytes transduced as indicated (i) Western blot Figure 2. Expression of MHC class II is specific to melanocytes and OIS. (a) Western blot of BRAFV600E expr ass II is specific to melanocytes and OIS. (a) Western blot of BRAFV600E expression in melanocytes, keratinocytes, g p p y p y y and fibroblasts transduced with a vector encoding BRAFV600E (B) or control vector (V). RESULTS A significant fraction of HLA-DR was localized at the plasma membrane of se- nescent cells (Figure 1g, Supplementary Figure S2b), consistent with a role in antigen presentation. g p To establish whether BRAFV600E-associated MHC class II expression is cell-type restricted, we transduced mela- nocytes, primary human fibroblasts (IMR90), and primary human epidermal keratinocytes with BRAFV600E or con- trol vector (Figure 2Aa). In contrast to BRAFV600E- transduced melanocytes, neither fibroblasts nor keratino- cytes exhibited significant up-regulation of MHC class II transcript levels (Figure 2b). Furthermore, gene expression profiling of fibroblasts transduced with BRAFV600E showed marked down-regulation of proliferation- promoting genes and up-regulation of inflammatory/ senescence-associated secretory phenotype genes charac- teristic of senescence (see Supplementary Figure S3 online) and confirmed no significantly up-regulated MHC class II genes (see Supplementary Figure S4 online). These results together suggest that MHC class II induction is not a common feature of all primary cell types in response to OIS (fibroblasts) and/or oncogene expression (keratinocytes). Because MHC class II induction in BRAFV600E mutant melanocytes occurs concomitantly with induction of senes- cence, we wished to elucidate whether MHC class II in- duction is dependent on known effectors of the senescence program. In human cells, an intact p53 or pRB tumor sup- pressor pathway is necessary for initiation and maintenance of the senescence program (Salama et al., 2014), and aboli- tion of p53/pRB signaling by ectopic expression of SV40 T-antigen disrupts most, if not all, hallmarks of senescence (Shay et al., 1991). To test whether MHC class II induction is abolished by ectopic expression of SV40 T antigen, we co- expressed BRAFV600E together with SV40 T antigen (Figure 2i). As expected, T-antigen prevented the growth arrest and SA ß-gal staining associated with senescence in BRAF-expressing melanocytes (Figure 2j, Supplementary Figure S6 online). Moreover, co-expression of SV40 T anti- gen abolished virtually all of the MHC class II induction (Figure 2k). This suggests that MHC class II induction is not only initiated by expression of oncogenic BRAFV600E but requires at least some elements of the p53/pRB-dependent senescence effector pathways. In addition to activated oncogenes, other triggers also initiate cell senescence. For example, so-called replicative senescence, which results from excess rounds of cell division (Salama et al., 2014). To test whether MHC class II up- regulation is common to different modes of senescence, we www.jidonline.org 2199 J van Tuyn et al. J van Tuyn et al. RESULTS (b) HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB transcript levels detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR analysis, in melanocytes (mel), fibroblasts (fib), or keratinocytes (ker). ND indicates no signal detected. (c) Staining for SA ß-gal activity in melanocytes in exponential growth phase (PD 26) or at replicative senescence (PD 43). Scale bar ¼ 50 mm. (d) Quantification of SA ß-gale and BrdU-positive melanocytes. (e) HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB transcript levels in melanocytes detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR. (f) Western blots of HRASG12V, NRASQ61K, BRAFV600E, MEKQ56P, and myrAKT expression and knockdown of PTEN. (g) Quantification of SA ß-gal staining (left) and EdU incorporation (right) of melanocytes transduced as indicated. (h) HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB transcript levels detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR of melanocytes transduced as indicated. (i) Western blot Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017), Volume 137 2200 Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017), Volume 137 2200 2200 J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Fi re m ex ce Ca RN re Co tw (n an bo pa (b At co ve ve pa of ge no ex an lin BR m ta po w re an de de n de re de n co se Figure 3. CIITA is a candidate regulator of MHC class II in OIS melanocytes. (a) Whole transcriptome expression correlation network centered on CIITA generated from The Cancer Genome Atlas melanoma RNA sequencing data. Genes are represented as nodes and a Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC) between two genes of at least 0.6 as an edge (n ¼ 375). CIITA is shaded dark red, and HLA genes are light red. The boxed highlighted region in the left panel is shown in the right panel. (b) Scatterplots of The Cancer Genome Atlas melanoma RNA sequencing data comparing the expression of CIITA versus HLA-DRA (left) and CIITA versus HLA-DRB1 (right) in 375 patients. (c) Representative University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) genome browser tracks of library normalized RNA sequencing expression at HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB1, and CIITA in seven melanoma cell lines, melanocytes infected with BRAFV600E, and uninfected melanocytes. Y-axis shows sequence tags per million tags; x-axis shows position along the HLA-DRA gene, with boxed exons. (d) Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR analysis of CIITA transcript levels detected in melanocytes. Graph depicts means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (e) CIITA transcript levels detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR. showing expression of BRAFV600E and SV40 T antigen. (j) Quantification of SA ß-gal staining and EdU incorporation of melanocytes transduced with BRAFV600E and SV40 T-antigen. (k) All graphs show means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. MHC, major histocompatibility complex; SA ß-gal, senescence-associated b-galactosidase; SA-Bgal, senescence-associated b-galactosidase. = J van Tuyn et al. RNAs (Figure 4h) inhibited HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB expression induced by recombinant IL-1ß (Figure 4k). Knockdown of CIITA with two different short hairpin RNAs also tended to decrease BRAFV600E-induced expression of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB, and with the most effective short hairpin RNA, the effect on HLA-DRB expression was sig- nificant (P < 0.05) (Figure 4i). The reduced effectiveness of CIITA knockdown in blocking the effects of activated BRAF compared with IL-1ß suggests that BRAFV600E can act via additional signaling effectors besides CIITA. Consistent with an IL1ß-CIITA-MHC II pathway, ectopic expression of CIITA was sufficient to induce expression of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB, but not IL-1ß, in melanocytes (Figure 4j). Together, these results indicate that IL-1ßeinduced expression of CIITA is a major pathway for expression of MHC class II in OIS melanocytes. BRAFV600E-expressing fibroblasts up-regulate IL-1ß but neither CIITA nor MHC II (see Supplementary Figure S4). This suggests that func- tional coupling between IL-1ß and CIITA occurs in OIS melanocytes but not fibroblasts. RNAs (Figure 4h) inhibited HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB expression induced by recombinant IL-1ß (Figure 4k). Knockdown of CIITA with two different short hairpin RNAs also tended to decrease BRAFV600E-induced expression of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB, and with the most effective short hairpin RNA, the effect on HLA-DRB expression was sig- nificant (P < 0.05) (Figure 4i). The reduced effectiveness of CIITA knockdown in blocking the effects of activated BRAF compared with IL-1ß suggests that BRAFV600E can act via additional signaling effectors besides CIITA. Consistent with an IL1ß-CIITA-MHC II pathway, ectopic expression of CIITA was sufficient to induce expression of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB, but not IL-1ß, in melanocytes (Figure 4j). Together, these results indicate that IL-1ßeinduced expression of CIITA is a major pathway for expression of MHC class II in OIS melanocytes. BRAFV600E-expressing fibroblasts up-regulate IL-1ß but neither CIITA nor MHC II (see Supplementary Figure S4). This suggests that func- tional coupling between IL-1ß and CIITA occurs in OIS melanocytes but not fibroblasts. To confirm this correlation, we analyzed RNA-seq data from seven different melanoma-derived cell lines (Pawlikowski et al., 2013) and found that CIITA transcript levels corre- lated strongly with HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB levels across this panel of melanoma lines (Figure 3c). Moreover, we found that MHC class II induction in melanocytes upon BRAFV600E-mediated OIS is also accompanied by increased CIITA expression (Figure 3d). Like expression of MHC class II, oncogene-induced expression of CIITA was abolished by SV40 T-antigen (Figure 3e). J van Tuyn et al. Consistent with up-regulation of MHC class II in OIS melanocytes, but not other modes of senescence (Figure 2), we did not observe up-regulation of CIITA in OIS fibroblasts (see Supplementary Figure S4). Together, these data from melanoma tumors, cell lines, and primary human melanocytes indicate that CIITA is a likely driver of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB in OIS primary human melanocytes. In cells known to conditionally express CIITA, expression is frequently induced by extracellular ligands (Trombetta and Mellman, 2005). Significantly, naı¨ve melanocytes exposed to medium from OIS melanocytes up-regulated CIITA tran- scripts (Figure 4a) in conjunction with MHC class II expres- sion (Figure 4a). To identify the extracellular factors responsible for up-regulation of CIITA and MHC class II expression, we probed conditioned medium with an anti- body array. Medium from BRAFV600E OIS melanocytes contained increased amounts of inflammatory cytokines compared with conditioned medium from proliferating cells (Figure 4b, Supplementary Table S4 online), including IL-1ß (in the form of either uncleaved pro-IL1ß or cleaved mature IL-1ß), CCL7, CXCL5, CXCL1, vascular endothelial growth factor, and CCL5. The presence of one or more IL-1ß (180  9 pg/ml, n ¼ 4) isoforms in the extracellular medium of OIS melanocytes was confirmed by ELISA (Figure 4c), and robust up-regulation of IL-1ß mRNA transcripts was detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR (Figure 4d). When added as recombinant proteins to primary human melanocytes, from a panel of secreted cytokines, only mature IL-1ß was able to induce CIITA and MHC class II expression (Figure 4e), but without accompanying activation of senes- cence, as evidenced by lack of SA ß-gal staining and unim- peded DNA synthesis (Figure 4f). Conversely, partial knockdown of IL-1ß using three independent short hairpin RNAs (Figure 4g) reduced MHC class II induction by BRAFV600E (Figure 4g). Although we have not formally confirmed secretion of cleaved mature IL-1ß in this study (rather than uncleaved proeIL-1ß), previous studies have shown that OIS cells do secrete processed mature IL-1ß (Acosta et al., 2013), and IL-1a and IL-1ß are key upstream regulators of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (Acosta et al., 2013; Orjalo et al., 2009). In sum, consistent with these previous studies, our studies indicate a central role for extracellular IL-1ß in induction of MHC class II. RESULTS Graph depicts means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. MHC, major histocompatibility complex; OIS, oncogene-induced senescence. MHC class II up-regulation is mediated by an IL-1ßeCIITA signaling loop melanoma gene expression datasets from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA; http://cancergenome.nih.gov/). This showed that, across all these datasets, expression of both HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB correlated most strongly with other HLA molecules (e.g., HLA-DQ and HLA-DP); other mole- cules involved in antigen presentation (e.g., CD74); and CIITA, a transcription factor already known to drive expres- sion of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB in dendritic cells (Figure 3a, 3b) (Muhlethaler-Mottet et al., 1997). Conversely, expression of CIITA correlated most strongly with expression of MHC class II antigen presentation molecules (Figure 3a, 3b). g g p Even though expression of SV40 T antigen suppressed in- duction of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB (Figure 2iek), it is well documented that MHC class II expression is typically found in 50e60% of freshly isolated melanomas (Taramelli et al., 1986). We exploited this observation from the melanocytic lineage to gain insight into candidate regulators of MHC class II in primary human melanocytes. We assessed the correla- tion between mRNA expression of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB and all other genes in the publicly available skin cutaneous Even though expression of SV40 T antigen suppressed in- duction of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB (Figure 2iek), it is well documented that MHC class II expression is typically found in 50e60% of freshly isolated melanomas (Taramelli et al., 1986). We exploited this observation from the melanocytic lineage to gain insight into candidate regulators of MHC class II in primary human melanocytes. We assessed the correla- tion between mRNA expression of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB and all other genes in the publicly available skin cutaneous www.jidonline.org 2201 J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Oncogene activation causes localization of melanocytes to lymph nodes and T-cell activation y p Previously, a mouse model expressing activated NRASQ61K in melanocytes under control of a tyrosinase promoter (Tyr- NrasQ61K) was shown to be hyperpigmented because of an excess of melanocytes in the skin but also to contain mela- nocytes in the lymph nodes (Ackermann et al., 2005). Extending this observation in these mice, we showed that infiltration of pigmented melanocytes occurs into skin- draining (Figure 5a, inguinal and brachial) nodes but not into noneskin-draining nodes (Figure 5a, mesenteric) and spleen (Figure 5a, spleen). Although immunohistochemical analysis showed melanotic material dispersed throughout the skin-draining lymph nodes, particularly in older mice (Figure 5a), immunofluorescence analysis in lymph nodes of albino Tyr-NrasQ61K (but not wild-type) mice showed cells expressing the melanocyte marker DCT and exhibiting den- dritic features characteristic of melanocytes predominantly localized adjacent to the subcapsular sinus of the lymph node (Figure 5b, Supplementary Figure S8a online). There- fore, to some extent, the melanotic material in the interior cortex of the node might reflect residual cell debris, including melanin (oxidized tyrosine polymers), after phagocytic digestion of melanocytes. To eliminate the possibility that localization of melanocytes to lymph nodes is unique to Tyr- NrasQ61K mice, we also confirmed in another mouse model of inducible BRAFV600E in melanocytes (Tyr-Cre-Er:LSL- BrafV600E) (Mercer et al., 2005) that 4 weeks after oncogene activation, predominantly in the skin of young adult mice (through topical application of tamoxifen), melanocytes also accumulated in skin-draining brachial and inguinal lymph nodes (see Supplementary Figure S8b). We next tested whether IL-1ßemediated up-regulation of MHC class II also depends on CIITA. In support of this idea, stimulation of melanocytes with IFN-g, a well-known inducer of CIITA (Trombetta and Mellman, 2005), also up- regulated expression of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB (see Supplementary Figure S7 online). More pointedly, partial knockdown of CIITA using two different short hairpin As noted previously (Ackermann et al., 2005), compared with wild-type mice, the lymph nodes of Tyr-NrasQ61K mice were enlarged (Figure 5c, Supplementary Figure S8c), and their size progressively increased over at least the first several months after birth (Figure 5c). Moreover, the Tyr-NrasQ61K mice exhibited more melanocytes in the nodes than the Tyr-Cre-Er:LSL-BrafV600E mice (compare Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017), Volume 137 202 2202 J van Tuyn et al. J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Figure 4. Expression of MHC class II is controlled by an IL-1ßeCIITA loop. Oncogene activation causes localization of melanocytes to lymph nodes and T-cell activation (h) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts in melanocytes induced with vehicle or recombinant IL-1ß and transduced with shRNAs against CIITA or nontargeting control (NTC). (i) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts in melanocytes transduced with vector or BRAFV600E and an shRNA against CIITA or nontargeting control (NTC). Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. *P < 0.05. (j) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA, HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB, and IL-1ß transcript levels in melanocytes transduced with control vector (V), BRAFV600E (B), or CIITA (C) overexpression vectors. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. MHC, major histocompatibility complex; qRT-PCR, quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR; SA ß-gal, senescence-associated b-galactosidase; shRNA, short hairpin RNA. Figure 4. Expression of MHC class II is controlled by an IL-1ßeCIITA loop. (a) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes exposed to conditioned medium for 14 days from mock, vector, and BRAFV600E-transduced melanocytes. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (b) Heat map of cytokinesinconditionedculturemedium.SeeSupplementaryTableS4forfoldchangeandsignificanceincytokinelevels.(c)QuantificationbyELISAofIL-1ßinconditioned culture medium. Graph shows mean  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. *P < 0.0001. (d) qRT-PCR analysis of IL-1ß transcripts. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (e) CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts detected by qRT-PCR of mock or cytokine-treated melanocytes. Cells were cultured for 6 days in culture medium supplemented with 10 ng/ml of the indicated cytokine. Graph depicts means  standard deviation, n ¼ 3. (f) Quantification of EdU incorporation and SA ß-gal staining of melanocytes. Graphs are means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (g) qRT-PCR analysis of IL-1ß and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes transduced with vector (V) or BRAFV600E (B) in combination with an shRNA to IL-1ß or nontargeting control (NTC). Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (h) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts in melanocytes induced with vehicle or recombinant IL-1ß and transduced with shRNAs against CIITA or nontargeting control (NTC). (i) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts in melanocytes transduced with vector or BRAFV600E and an shRNA against CIITA or nontargeting control (NTC). Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. *P < 0.05. (j) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA, HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB, and IL-1ß transcript levels in melanocytes transduced with control vector (V), BRAFV600E (B), or CIITA (C) overexpression vectors. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. Oncogene activation causes localization of melanocytes to lymph nodes and T-cell activation (a) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes exposed to conditioned medium for 14 days from mock, vector, and BRAFV600E-transduced melanocytes. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (b) Heat map of cytokinesinconditionedculturemedium.SeeSupplementaryTableS4forfoldchangeandsignificanceincytokinelevels.(c)QuantificationbyELISAofIL-1ßinconditioned culture medium. Graph shows mean  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. *P < 0.0001. (d) qRT-PCR analysis of IL-1ß transcripts. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (e) CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts detected by qRT-PCR of mock or cytokine-treated melanocytes. Cells were cultured for 6 days in culture medium supplemented with 10 ng/ml of the indicated cytokine. Graph depicts means  standard deviation, n ¼ 3. (f) Quantification of EdU incorporation and SA ß-gal staining of melanocytes. Graphs are means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (g) qRT-PCR analysis of IL-1ß and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes transduced with vector (V) or BRAFV600E (B) in combination with an shRNA to IL-1ß or nontargeting control (NTC). Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (h) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts in melanocytes induced with vehicle or recombinant IL-1ß and transduced with shRNAs against CIITA or nontargeting control (NTC). (i) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts in melanocytes transduced with vector or BRAFV600E and an shRNA against CIITA or nontargeting control (NTC) Graphs depict means  standard deviation n ¼ 4 *P < 0 05 (j) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA HLA-DRA HLA-DRB and IL-1ß transcript levels in J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Figure 4. Expression of MHC class II is controlled by an IL-1ßeCIITA loop. (a) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes exposed to conditioned medium for 14 days from mock, vector, and BRAFV600E-transduced melanocytes. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (b) Heat map of cytokinesinconditionedculturemedium.SeeSupplementaryTableS4forfoldchangeandsignificanceincytokinelevels.(c)QuantificationbyELISAofIL-1ßinconditioned culture medium. Graph shows mean  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. *P < 0.0001. (d) qRT-PCR analysis of IL-1ß transcripts. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (e) CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts detected by qRT-PCR of mock or cytokine-treated melanocytes. Cells were cultured for 6 days in culture medium supplemented with 10 ng/ml of the indicated cytokine. Graph depicts means  standard deviation, n ¼ 3. (f) Quantification of EdU incorporation and SA ß-gal staining of melanocytes. Graphs are means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. Oncogene activation causes localization of melanocytes to lymph nodes and T-cell activation (g) qRT-PCR analysis of IL-1ß and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes transduced with vector (V) or BRAFV600E (B) in combination with an shRNA to IL-1ß or nontargeting control (NTC). Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (h) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA, Figure 4. Expression of MHC class II is controlled by an IL-1ßeCIITA loop. (a) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes exposed to diti d di f 14 d f k t d BRAFV600E t d d l t G h d i t  t d d d i ti 4 (b) H t f Figure 4. Expression of MHC class II is controlled by an IL-1ßeCIITA loop. (a) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes exposed to conditioned medium for 14 days from mock, vector, and BRAFV600E-transduced melanocytes. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (b) Heat map of cytokinesinconditionedculturemedium.SeeSupplementaryTableS4forfoldchangeandsignificanceincytokinelevels.(c)QuantificationbyELISAofIL-1ßinconditioned culture medium. Graph shows mean  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. *P < 0.0001. (d) qRT-PCR analysis of IL-1ß transcripts. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (e) CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts detected by qRT-PCR of mock or cytokine-treated melanocytes. Cells were cultured for 6 days in culture medium Figure 4. Expression of MHC class II is controlled by an IL-1ßeCIITA loop. (a) qRT-PCR analysis of CIITA and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes exposed to conditioned medium for 14 days from mock, vector, and BRAFV600E-transduced melanocytes. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (b) Heat map of cytokinesinconditionedculturemedium.SeeSupplementaryTableS4forfoldchangeandsignificanceincytokinelevels.(c)QuantificationbyELISAofIL-1ßinconditioned culture medium. Graph shows mean  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. *P < 0.0001. (d) qRT-PCR analysis of IL-1ß transcripts. Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (e) CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB transcripts detected by qRT-PCR of mock or cytokine-treated melanocytes. Cells were cultured for 6 days in culture medium supplemented with 10 ng/ml of the indicated cytokine. Graph depicts means  standard deviation, n ¼ 3. (f) Quantification of EdU incorporation and SA ß-gal staining of melanocytes. Graphs are means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (g) qRT-PCR analysis of IL-1ß and HLA-DRA transcripts in melanocytes transduced with vector (V) or BRAFV600E (B) in combination with an shRNA to IL-1ß or nontargeting control (NTC). Graphs depict means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. J van Tuyn et al. Scale ( ) i l l h d i l d i f h i i i l d ( d ) (d) M l d d b mesenteric lymph node spleen brachial lymph node WT NrasQ61K a d DCT b C I P A D c 0 50 100 150 200 250 0 10 20 30 40 50 NRASQ61K wt age (days) Inguinal node size (mm3) b DCT c Ki67 CT Merge d DCT e wt NRASQ61K 0 2×10 06 4×10 06 6×10 06 8×10 06 1×10 07 * total cells wt NRASQ61K 0 1×10 06 2×10 06 3×10 06 4×10 06 # CD3+ lymphocytes DCT d e e NRAS NRAS g CSFE counts CSFE CSFE CSFE neg LPS vector BRAFV600E neg LPS (pos) vector BRAFV600E 0 20 40 60 P < 0.0001 replicating CD3+ cells (%) f g R D F t n e m h cir n E dlo F t n u o C e m a N m r e T D I m r e T GO:0050764 regulation of phagocytosis 6 10.49 0.37% GO:0045807 positive regulation of endocytosis 6 7.71 1.62% GO:0048002 antigen processing and presentation of peptide antigen 6 7.49 1.85% GO:0030100 regulation of endocytosis 8 6.72 0.28% GO:0060627 regulation of vesicle-mediated transport 9 4.74 1.00% h h j i WT NrasQ61K WT NrasQ61K STON2 VAMP2 PTX3 SLC11A1 CD63 SIRPA H2-Q10 H2-Q6 TAPBP H2-AB1 CTSE TGFB1 IGHG2C 2 -2 0 Figure 5. Oncogene-expressing melanocytes localize to skin-draining lymph nodes. (a) Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of lymph nodes and spleen of WT and Tyr-NrasQ61K mice. Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (b) DCT (green)-expressing cells in lymph node. DAPI, blue. C, cortex; Sub S, subcapsular sinus. Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (c) Inguinal lymph node size plotted against age of mouse. Each point is a single node (two nodes per mouse). (d) Melanocytes detected by DCT (green) in lymph nodes of albino Tyr-NrasQ61K transgenic mice and cycling cells detected by Ki67 (red). Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (e) Quantification of total j i WT NrasQ61K WT NrasQ61K STON2 VAMP2 PTX3 SLC11A1 CD63 SIRPA H2-Q10 H2-Q6 TAPBP H2-AB1 CTSE TGFB1 IGHG2C 2 -2 0 j i WT NrasQ61K STON2 VAMP2 PTX3 SLC11A1 CD63 SIRPA H2-Q10 H2-Q6 TAPBP H2-AB1 CTSE TGFB1 IGHG2C 2 -2 0 j WT NrasQ61K i Figure 5. Oncogene-expressing melanocytes localize to skin-draining lymph nodes. J van Tuyn et al. J van Tuyn et al. J y Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II brachial lymph node Inguinal lymph node mesenteric lymph node spleen WT NrasQ61K a c e d Ki67 DCT b C Sub S C 0 50 100 150 200 250 0 10 20 30 40 50 NRASQ61K wt age (days) Inguinal node size (mm3) wt NRASQ61K 0 2×10 06 4×10 06 6×10 06 8×10 06 1×10 07 * total cells wt NRASQ61K 0 1×10 06 2×10 06 3×10 06 4×10 06 # CD3+ lymphocytes Merge DCT e g r e M I P A D g CSFE counts CSFE CSFE CSFE neg LPS vector BRAFV600E neg LPS (pos) vector BRAFV600E 0 20 40 60 P < 0.0001 replicating CD3+ cells (%) R D F t n e m h cir n E dlo F t n u o C e m a N m r e T D I m r e T GO:0050764 regulation of phagocytosis 6 10.49 0.37% GO:0045807 positive regulation of endocytosis 6 7.71 1.62% GO:0048002 antigen processing and presentation of peptide antigen 6 7.49 1.85% GO:0030100 regulation of endocytosis 8 6.72 0.28% GO:0060627 regulation of vesicle-mediated transport 9 4.74 1.00% h j i WT NrasQ61K WT NrasQ61K STON2 VAMP2 PTX3 SLC11A1 CD63 SIRPA H2-Q10 H2-Q6 TAPBP H2-AB1 CTSE TGFB1 IGHG2C 2 -2 0 f e 5. Oncogene-expressing melanocytes localize to skin-draining lymph nodes. (a) Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of lymph nodes and splee nd Tyr-NrasQ61K mice. Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (b) DCT (green)-expressing cells in lymph node. DAPI, blue. C, cortex; Sub S, subcapsular sinus. Oncogene activation causes localization of melanocytes to lymph nodes and T-cell activation MHC, major histocompatibility complex; qRT-PCR, quantitative real-time reverse transcriptaseePCR; SA ß-gal, senescence-associated b-galactosidase; shRNA, short hairpin RNA. www.jidonline.org 2203 J van Tuyn et al. (a) Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of lymph nodes and spleen of WT and Tyr-NrasQ61K mice. Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (b) DCT (green)-expressing cells in lymph node. DAPI, blue. C, cortex; Sub S, subcapsular sinus. Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (c) Inguinal lymph node size plotted against age of mouse. Each point is a single node (two nodes per mouse). (d) Melanocytes detected by DCT (green) in lymph nodes of albino Tyr-NrasQ61K transgenic mice and cycling cells detected by Ki67 (red). Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (e) Quantification of total Figure 5. Oncogene-expressing melanocytes localize to skin-draining lymph nodes. (a) Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of lymph nodes and spleen of WT and Tyr-NrasQ61K mice. Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (b) DCT (green)-expressing cells in lymph node. DAPI, blue. C, cortex; Sub S, subcapsular sinus. Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (c) Inguinal lymph node size plotted against age of mouse. Each point is a single node (two nodes per mouse). (d) Melanocytes detected by DCT (green) in lymph nodes of albino Tyr-NrasQ61K transgenic mice and cycling cells detected by Ki67 (red). Scale bar ¼ 100 mm. (e) Quantification of total Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017), Volume 137 2204 Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017), Volume 137 2204 2204 J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Tyr-NrasQ61K mice could be associated with immune acti- vation or induction of immune tolerance, the latter by acti- vation of regulatory T cells (Delacher et al., 2014). To distinguish between these possibilities, we stained lymph nodes for expression of FoxP3, a transcription factor expressed by regulatory T cells (Delacher et al., 2014). This did not show an increase in the frequency of regulatory T cells in lymph nodes from Tyr-NrasQ61K mice (Figure 5j). We conclude that oncogene-expressing, nonproliferating primary melanocytes, directly or indirectly, facilitate an an- tigen presentation function and potential immune activation function in the lymph nodes. Figure 5a and Supplementary Figure S8b, NrasQ61K and BrafV600E), paralleling the relative numbers of melano- cytes in the skin of each model (Ackermann et al., 2005; Dhomen et al., 2009). Figure 5a and Supplementary Figure S8b, NrasQ61K and BrafV600E), paralleling the relative numbers of melano- cytes in the skin of each model (Ackermann et al., 2005; Dhomen et al., 2009). J van Tuyn et al. To determine the proliferative status of the melanocytes in the lymph nodes, we used two-color immunofluorescence to stain melanocyte-containing lymph nodes of wild-type and Tyr-NRasQ61K albino mice for Ki67, a marker of cycling cells, and DCT, a marker of melanocytes. DCT-positive me- lanocytes in lymph nodes were invariably Ki67 negative, whereas large numbers of surrounding lymphocytes stained positive for Ki67 (Figure 5d). In fact, quantification of the cell fractions from the nodes, showed a massive expansion of nonmelanocyte (nonemelanin-containing) cells (Figure 5e, left) and of CD3þ T cells in particular (Figure 5e, right), suggesting that the melanocytes present in the lymph nodes, directly or indirectly, induce a marked activation and expansion of T cells in these nodes. In sum, the increase in lymph node size appears to result primarily from expansion of T-cell populations in melanocyte-containing nodes. y p To assess the significance of MHC class II expression in human melanocytic neoplasia, we mined human melanoma Cancer Genome Atlas data comparing expression of CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB with patient survival. Remarkably, high expression of each of these genes predicted improved patient survival (see Supplementary Figure S10 online). Moreover, HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB are both components of the recently defined “immune infiltration” gene expression signature that is associated with good prognosis in this dis- ease (The Cancer Genome Atlas Network, 2015; data not shown). Of course, at least part of the CIITA, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DRB could be expressed by infiltrating immune cells themselves. However, previous studies have reported expression of HLA-DR on melanoma cells (Barbieri et al., 2011; Colloby et al., 1992; Pollack et al., 1981), and we also confirmed expression of HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB, and CIITA in a number of melanoma cell lines (Figure 3c). This underscores the importance of MHC class II expression in melanoma and is consistent with a tumor suppressor role for MHC class II. p p y g T-cell activation and proliferation can be stimulated by MHC class II-mediated antigen presentation (Trombetta and Mellman, 2005). To investigate whether MHC class II-expressing melanocytes acquire the ability to activate T cells, we performed the mixed leukocyte reaction in which antigen-presenting cells stimulate proliferation of T cells. Indeed, BRAFV600E-expressing OIS melanocytes induced cell division in Carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl esterelabeled CD3þ cells in vitro, much more efficiently than control melanocytes (2.3-fold, P < 0.0001) (Figure 5f, 5g). nonmelanocyte (nonpigmented, left) and CD3þ fraction (right) from pooled inguinal, brachial, and axillary lymph nodes per mouse. Graph plots means  standard deviation, n ¼ 3 per group. *7.2-fold difference, P ¼ 0.0049. #5.3-fold difference, P ¼ 0.0007. (f) FACS analysis of CSFE levels in CD3þ cells after co-culture with WBCs (neg, solid line), WBCs incubated with LPS (LPS), and melanocytes transduced with vector or BRAFV600E. The plot with the negative sample result also shows unstained WBCs (neg, dotted line). (g) Percentage of replicating CD3þ cells after induction with WBCs (neg), WBCs incubated with LPS (LPS), and vector or BRAFV600E-transduced melanocytes. Bars represent means  standard deviation, n ¼ 4. (h) Table of the five most enriched gene ontologies (FDR  5%) for genes that are up-regulated by RNA sequencing (FDR  5%) in Tyr-NrasQ61K over WT lymph nodes. (i) Column clustered heat map of all genes in the ontologies given in h for WT and Tyr-NrasQ61K lymph nodes. Genes are given by column and samples by row. The color intensity represents column z-score, where red indicates more highly expressed and blue indicates more lowly expressed genes. (j) Representative Foxp3 staining (brown) of albino WTand Tyr-NrasQ61K mice. Nuclei are counterstained with hematoxylin (blue). Scale bar ¼ 50 mm. Quantification of the number of positive cells in two NRAS61K mice and two WT littermates, by calculating the average number positive cells from two slides per lymph node and counting three lymph nodes (two inguinal, one brachial) per mouse, showed no significant difference between the nodes (160.8  21.1 vs. 174.3  27.6, n ¼ 2, P ¼ 0.83). CSFE, Carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester; FDR, false discovery rate; ID, identification; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; neg, negative; WBC, white blood cell; WT, wild type. = J van Tuyn et al. Although this assay using unpurified T cells does not allow us to attribute T-cell activation to a direct physical interaction between T cells and MHC II on melanocytes, it does show that BRAFV600E mutant melanocytes are more able, either directly by physical interaction or indirectly via other cell types or secreted factors, to stimulate T cells than are control melanocytes. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Neil Robertson and Billy Clark for RNA-seq analysis; Colin Nixon for immunohistochemistry; Richard Marais, Catrin Pritchard, Friedrich Beer- mann, Lynda Chin, and Marcus Bosenberg for mouse gene alleles; Daniel Peeper for the BRAFV600E oncogene; and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) for excess human donor buffy coats. Work in the laboratory of PDA was funded by CRUK program C10652/A16566 and A17196, AI by Kay Kendall Leukemia Fund KKL1101, and EM by the Medical Research Council grants MR/K021095/1 and MR/N023625/1. Thanks to all members of the Adams laboratory for critical discussions. Cell culture Lightly pigmented neonatal human epidermal melanocytes, human neonatal epidermal keratinocytes (both from Gibco, Waltham, MA) IMR90 fibroblasts (ATCC, Manassas, VA) were cultured according to supplier instructions. Infections with lentiviral vectors were per- formed as described (Pawlikowski et al., 2013). In all experiments, oncogene and control vector transduced cells were kept in culture under selection for 2 weeks before being assayed for senescence and gene expression. Alternatively, melanocytes were cultured in me- dium supplemented with 10 ng/ml recombinant growth factor listed in Figure 4e (all from Gibco, Waltham, MA) for 6 days. MATERIALS AND METHODS MATERIALS AND METHODS antigen-presenting dendritic cells, not nonspecifically via the blood. Second, these cells do not appear to be malignant, as judged by the absence of proliferation and their routine occurrence in mice lacking any detectable melanoma. Both the NRas and Braf models exhibit a long latency in progres- sion to melanoma, of several months to more than a year (Ackermann et al., 2005; Dhomen et al., 2009). In both models, melanocytes were detected in nodes months before any melanoma was detected and is expected (e.g., at 39 days old). As noted previously, aggregates of apparently nonma- lignant, nonproliferative, p16INK4a-expressing, melanocytic nevus-like cells, in the absence of any concurrent or subse- quent melanoma, have also been reported in the skin- draining lymph nodes of humans (Mihic-Probst et al., 2003; Patterson, 2004) (albeit not as frequently or markedly as observed in the Tyr-NrasQ61K mouse model). Third, oncogene-expressing primary melanocytes appear to pro- mote activation of the immune system. Oncogene-expressing senescent melanocytes stimulated T-cell proliferation in vitro in the mixed leukocyte reaction assay, and localization of melanocytes to the nodes was accompanied by a large in- crease in node-resident CD3þ T cells. RNA-seq analysis of lymph nodes also showed gene expression signatures char- acteristic of increased antigen presentation in the melanocyte-containing lymph nodes of Tyr-NrasQ61K mice. The increase in T cells was not accounted for by an overt increase in FoxP3-expressing tolerance-inducing regulatory T cells. In sum, although we cannot, of course, formally rule out the possibility that the node melanocytes are very early and/or failed micrometastases, the collective data from mice and humans at least suggest the possibility that oncogene- expressing premalignant melanocytes might be pro- grammed to activate the adaptive immune system. Details of materials and methods are available in the Supplementary Materials and Methods online (see also Supplementary Tables S5, S6). Details of materials and methods are available in the Supplementary Materials and Methods online (see also Supplementary Tables S5, S6). Details of materials and methods are available in the Supplementary Materials and Methods online (see also Supplementary Tables S5, S6). Genetically modified mouse strains Mice carrying a tyrosinase promoter driven NrasQ61K gene (Tyr-NrasQ61K) have been described (Ackermann et al., 2005). Mice conditionally expressing the mutant BrafV600E gene under control of tyrosinase driven CRE-ER (Delmas et al., 2003) (Tyr-CRE- ER:LSL-BrafV600E) have also been described (Dhomen et al., 2009). Albino mice carrying the Tyr-NrasQ61K allele were generated by cross-breeding with the albino FVB/NJ (Taketo et al., 1991) strain. Control wild-type mice were littermate albino mice lacking the Tyr-NRasQ61K transgene. All experiments were carried out in compliance with UK Home Office guidelines at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research (Home Office PCD 60/2607) under project license 60/4079. Microarray, RNA-seq, and The Cancer Genome Atlas data Microarray and RNA-seq analysis of melanocytes transduced with BRAF600E expression or control vectors has been described (Pawlikowski et al., 2013); sequences are available from www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/geo (accession nos. GSE46818, GSE99397). g p y Other caveats should also be considered. In general, benign human nevi do not express MHC II, nor are they associated with immune infiltration (Campoli et al., 2012; Lyle et al., 2000). By IHC, we also found that nevi only very rarely (<10%) express detectable MHC II. Conceivably, benign human nevi represent a subset of OIS melanocytes that have been selected for down-regulation of MHC II via evasion of MHC II-mediated immune- editing. In apparent contrast to the data presented here, vemurafenib, a BRAFV600E inhibitor, was previously found to up-regulate IFN-mediated MHC II expression in A375 melanoma cells (Sapkota et al., 2013). A wider comparison of the functional relationship between BRAFV600E and expression of MHC II in transformed melanoma cells, compared with primary OIS melanocytes studied here, is justified. CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors state no conflict of interest. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL Supplementary material is linked to the online version of the paper at www. jidonline.org, and at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2017.05.030. Notwithstanding these caveats and the overall complexity of immune responses, composed of intricate temporally and spatially controlled antagonistic and synergistic interactions between many cell types, these data suggest a model whereby oncogene-expressing primary melanocytes up-regulate expression of MHC class II via an IL-1ß/CIITA autocrine loop. These melanocytes re-localize to the skin-draining lymph nodes, where they appear able to directly or indi- rectly stimulate proliferation of T cells. We propose that the ability of oncogene-expressing primary melanocytes to engage the adaptive immune system may facilitate tumor suppression. DISCUSSION h Here we show that oncogene activation in primary human melanocytes is accompanied by up-regulation of MHC class II antigen presentation molecules, and phenotypes and functions suggestive of an antigen presentation role in vivo. Up-regulation of MHC class II molecules in OIS melanocytes is triggered by senescence-associated secretory phenotype factor IL-1ß, followed by IL-1ßemediated up-regulation of CIITA, a master regulator of MHC class II expression (Trombetta and Mellman, 2005). y To investigate whether melanocyte-containing lymph nodes of Tyr-NRasQ61K mice exhibited features of increased antigen presentation, we harvested RNA from lymph nodes and performed RNA-seq. This showed up- and down- regulation of approximately 577 and 423 genes, respec- tively (see Supplementary Figure S9 online). Remarkably, the top five gene ontologies represented in the up-regulated genes of Tyr-NRasQ61K nodes reflected increased antigen presentation and associated processes, such as endocytosis and vesicle-mediated transport (Figure 5h, 5i). In principle, T-cell expansion and antigen presentation in lymph nodes of Several observations suggest that MHC class II expression in oncogene-expressing melanocytes has a dedicated function. First, melanocytes are restricted to the skin- draining nodes, suggesting that they reach the nodes specif- ically via the lymphatics, the normal route for migration of www.jidonline.org 2205 J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Cellular senescence and its effector programs. Genes Dev 2014;28:99e114. Sapkota B, Hill CE, Pollack BP. Vemurafenib enhances MHC induction in BRAF homozygous melanoma cells. Oncoimmunology 2013;2(1):e22890. Gray-Schopfer VC, Cheong SC, Chong H, Chow J, Moss T, Abdel-Malek ZA, et al. Cellular senescence in naevi and immortalisation in melanoma: a role for p16? Br J Cancer 2006;95:496e505. Shay JW, Wright WE, Werbin H. Defining the molecular mechanisms of human cell immortalization. Biochim Biophys Acta 1991;1072(1):1e7. Kang TW, Yevsa T, Woller N, Hoenicke L, Wuestefeld T, Dauch D, et al. Senescence surveillance of pre-malignant hepatocytes limits liver cancer development. Nature 2011;479(7374):547e51. Soriani A, Zingoni A, Cerboni C, Iannitto ML, Ricciardi MR, Di Gialleonardo V, et al. ATM-ATRedependent up-regulation of DNAM-1 and NKG2D ligands on multiple myeloma cells by therapeutic agents results in enhanced NK-cell susceptibility and is associated with a senescent phenotype. Blood 2009;113:3503e11. KrizhanovskyV,YonM,DickinsRA,HearnS,SimonJ,MiethingC,etal.Senescence of activated stellate cells limits liver fibrosis. Cell 2008;134:657e67. Krtolica A, Parrinello S, Lockett S, Desprez P-Y, Campisi J. Senescent fibro- blasts promote epithelial cell growth and tumorigenesis: A link between cancer and aging. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2001;98:12072e7. Suram A, Kaplunov J, Patel PL, Ruan H, Cerutti A, Boccardi V, et al. Onco- gene-induced telomere dysfunction enforces cellular senescence in human cancer precursor lesions. EMBO J 2012;31:2839e51. Kuilman T, Michaloglou C, Vredeveld LCW, Douma S, van Doorn R, Desmet CJ, et al. Oncogene-induced senescence relayed by an interleukin- dependent inflammatory network. Cell 2008;133:1019e31. Taketo M, Schroeder AC, Mobraaten LE, Gunning KB, Hanten G, Fox RR, et al. FVB/N: an inbred mouse strain preferable for transgenic analyses. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1991;88:2065e9. Lo JA, Fisher DE. The melanoma revolution: from UV carcinogenesis to a new era in therapeutics. Science 2014;346(6212):945e9. Taramelli D, Fossati G, Mazzocchi A, Delia D, Ferrone S, Parmiani G. Classes I and II HLA and melanoma-associated antigen expression and modulation on melanoma cells isolated from primary and metastatic lesions. Cancer Res 1986;46:433e9. Lyle S, Salhany KE, Elder DE. TIA-1 positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in nevi and melanomas. Mod Pathol 2000;13:52e5. Mercer K, Giblett S, Green S, Lloyd D, DaRocha Dias S, Plumb M, et al. Expression of endogenous oncogenic V600EB-raf induces proliferation and developmental defects in mice and transformation of primary fibroblasts. Cancer Res 2005;65:11493e500. The Cancer Genome Atlas Network. Genomic classification of cutaneous melanoma. Cell 2015;161:1681e96. Trombetta ES, Mellman I. Cell biology of antigen processing in vitro and in vivo. J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Barbieri G, Rimini E, Costa MA. Effects of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR engagement on melanoma cells. Int J Oncol 2011;38:1589e95. Omholt K, Karsberg S, Platz A, Kanter L, Ringborg U, Hansson J. Screening of N-ras codon 61 mutations in paired primary and metastatic cutaneous melanomas: mutations occur early and persist throughout tumor progres- sion. Clin Cancer Res 2002;8:3468e74. Omholt K, Karsberg S, Platz A, Kanter L, Ringborg U, Hansson J. Screening of N-ras codon 61 mutations in paired primary and metastatic cutaneous melanomas: mutations occur early and persist throughout tumor progres- sion. Clin Cancer Res 2002;8:3468e74. Campoli M, Fitzpatrick JE, High W, Ferrone S. HLA antigen expression in melanocytic lesions: Is acquisition of HLA antigen expression a biomarker of atypical (dysplastic) melanocytes? J Am Acad Dermatol 2012;66: 911e916.e8. Orjalo AV, Bhaumik D, Gengler BK, Scott GK, Campisi J. Cell surface-bound IL-1a is an upstream regulator of the senescence-associated IL-6/IL-8 cytokine network. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2009;106:17031e6. Colloby PS, West KP, Fletcher A. Is poor prognosis really related to HLA-DR expression by malignant melanoma cells? Histopathology 1992;20:411e6. Patterson JW. Nevus cell aggregates in lymph nodes. Am J Clin Pathol 2004;121:13e5. Delacher M, Schreiber L, Richards DM, Farah C, Feuerer M, Huehn J. Tran- scriptional control of regulatory T cells. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2014;381:83e124. Pawlikowski JS, McBryan T, van Tuyn J, Drotar ME, Hewitt RN, Maier AB, et al. Wnt signaling potentiates nevogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2013;110:16009e14. Delmas V, Martinozzi S, Bourgeois Y, Holzenberger M, Larue L. Cre-mediated recombination in the skin melanocyte lineage. Genesis 2003;36:73e80. Pollack MS, Heagney SD, Livingston PO, Fogh J. HLA-A, B, C and DR allo- antigen expression on forty-six cultured human tumor cell lines. J Natl Cancer Inst 1981;66:1003e12. Dhomen N, Reis-Filho JS, da Rocha Dias S, Hayward R, Savage K, Delmas V, et al. Oncogenic Braf induces melanocyte senescence and melanoma in mice. Cancer Cell 2009;15:294e303. Pollock PM, Harper UL, Hansen KS, Yudt LM, Stark M, Robbins CM, et al. High frequency of BRAF mutations in nevi. Nat Genet 2003;33:19e20. Emery CM, Vijayendran KG, Zipser MC, Sawyer AM, Niu L, Kim JJ, et al. MEK1 mutations confer resistance to MEK and B-RAF inhibition. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2009;106:20411e6. Salama R, Sadaie M, Hoare M, Narita M. REFERENCES Ackermann J, Frutschi M, Kaloulis K, McKee T, Trumpp A, Beermann F. Metastasizing melanoma formation caused by expression of activated N-RasQ61K on an INK4a-deficient background. Cancer Res 2005;65: 4005e11. Acosta JC, Banito A, Wuestefeld T, Georgilis A, Janich P, Morton JP, et al. A complex secretory program orchestrated by the inflammasome controls paracrine senescence. Nat Cell Biol 2013;15:978e90. Acosta JC, O’Loghlen A, Banito A, Guijarro MV, Augert A, Raguz S, et al. Chemokine signaling via the CXCR2 receptor reinforces senescence. Cell 2008;133:1006e18. Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017), Volume 137 2206 J van Tuyn et al. Oncogene-Carrying Melanocytes Activate MHC II Ann Rev Immunol 2005;23:975e1028. Michaloglou C, Vredeveld LC, Soengas MS, Denoyelle C, Kuilman T, van der Horst CM, et al. BRAFE600-associated senescence-like cell cycle arrest of human naevi. Nature 2005;436(7051):720e4. Vredeveld LC, Possik PA, Smit MA, Meissl K, Michaloglou C, Horlings HM, et al. Abrogation of BRAFV600E-induced senescence by PI3K pathway activation contributes to melanomagenesis. Genes Dev 2012;26:1055e69. Mihic-Probst D, Saremaslani P, Komminoth P, Heitz PU. Immunostaining for the tumour suppressor gene p16 product is a useful marker to differentiate mela- noma metastasis from lymph-node nevus. Virchows Arch 2003;443:745e51. Xue W, Zender L, Miething C, Dickins RA, Hernando E, Krizhanovsky V, et al. Senescence and tumour clearance is triggered by p53 restoration in murine liver carcinomas. Nature 2007;445(7128):656e60. Muhlethaler-Mottet A, Otten LA, Steimle V, Mach B. Expression of MHC class II molecules in different cellular and functional compartments is controlled by differential usage of multiple promoters of the transactivator CIITA. EMBO J 1997;16:2851e60. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/ Munoz-Espin D, Serrano M. Cellular senescence: from physiology to pathology. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2014;15:482e96. www.jidonline.org 2207
https://openalex.org/W3014093423
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc7138296?pdf=render
English
null
The pathogenicity of novel GUCY2D mutations in Leber congenital amaurosis 1 assessed by HPLC-MS/MS
PloS one
2,020
cc-by
5,679
Abstract Citation: Feng X, Wei T, Sun J, Luo Y, Huo Y, Yu P, et al. (2020) The pathogenicity of novel GUCY2D mutations in Leber congenital amaurosis 1 assessed by HPLC-MS/MS. PLoS ONE 15(4): e0231115. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0231115 Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a group of severe congenital retinal diseases. Variants in the guanylate cyclase 2D gene (GUCY2D), which encodes guanylate cyclase 1 (ROS- GC1), are associated with LCA1 and account for 6%–21% of all LCA cases. In this study, one family with LCA1 was recruited from China. A combination of next generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing was used to screen for disease-causing mutations. We found three novel mutations (c.139delC, p.Ala49Profs*36; c.835G>A, p.Asp279Asn and c.2783G>A, p.Gly928- Glu) in the GUCY2D gene. Proband III-2 carries mutations c.139delC and c.2783G>A, which are inherited from the heterozygous mutation carriers, II-2 (c.139delC) and II-3 (c.2783G>A) that possess c.139delC and c.2783G>A. Additionally, II-8 carries heterozygous mutation c.835G>A. Sanger sequencing was used to confirm the presence of the three novel mutations in other family members. Mutation c.139delC results in a truncated protein. Mutations c.835G>A and c.2783G>A significantly reduce the catalytic activity of ROS-GC1. Our findings highlight the gene variants range of LCA. Moreover, HPLC-coupled tandem mass spectrome- try (HPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze the concentration of 3’,5’-cyclic guanosine mono- phosphate (cGMP), suggesting that HPLC-MS/MS is an effective alternative method to evaluate the catalytic activity of wild-type and mutant ROS-GC1. Editor: Karl-Wilhelm Koch, Carl von Ossietzky Universitat Oldenburg, GERMANY Received: November 11, 2019 Accepted: March 16, 2020 Published: April 7, 2020 Copyright: © 2020 Feng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Editor: Karl-Wilhelm Koch, Carl von Ossietzky Universitat Oldenburg, GERMANY Received: November 11, 2019 Accepted: March 16, 2020 Published: April 7, 2020 Copyright: © 2020 Feng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files. PLOS ONE RESEARCH ARTICLE Abstract Funding: The study was supported by grants from National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFC1004900), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371271, 81200662) and the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LZ14C060001, LY12H12010). In this research, the funding organization exerted no role in the design or conduct. BGI-Wuhan provided Xue Feng1☯, Tianying Wei1☯, Junhui Sun1, Yuqin Luo2, Yanan Huo3, Ping Yu1, Jiao Chen1, Xiaoming Wei4, Ming Qi1*‡, Yinghui YeID5*‡ 1 Department of Cell Biology and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 2 Department of Reproductive Genetics, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 3 Department of Eye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 4 BGI-Wuhan, Wuhan, China, 5 Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics, Ministry of Education, and Women’s Reproductive Health Laboratory of Zhejiang Province, Women’s Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 ☯These authors contributed equally to this work. ‡ MQ and YY also contributed equally to this work * yeyh1999@zju.edu.cn (YY); mingqi@zju.edu.cn (MQ) PLOS ONE PLOS ONE The pathogenicity of novel GUCY2D mutations in Leber congenital amaurosis 1 assessed by HPLC-MS/MS Xue Feng1☯, Tianying Wei1☯, Junhui Sun1, Yuqin Luo2, Yanan Huo3, Ping Yu1, Jiao Chen1, Xiaoming Wei4, Ming Qi1*‡, Yinghui YeID5*‡ Introduction Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), accounts for at least 5% of all inherited retinal dystro- phies, and is the earliest and most severe form of all inherited retinal dystrophies [1]. LCA is generally inherited in an autosomal recessive manner [2–4] and characterized by genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Currently, mutations in 20 genes are associated with LCA [5]. The distribution of pathogenic genes vary considerably among different populations; 1 / 12 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 however, guanylate cyclase 2D (GUCY2D) is a prevalent LCA gene because mutations to GUCY2D account for 6%-12% of all LCA (LCA1) cases [4, 5]. support in the form of salaries for authors [Xiaoming Wei], but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of this author are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. Guanylate cyclase 1 (ROS-GC1), encoded by GUCY2D, is expressed in rod and cone cells of vertebrae retina and catalyzes the synthesis of 3’,5’-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). ROS-GC1 is negatively controlled by a Ca2+ feedback loop because a reduction in Ca2+ con- centration causes an increase in ROS-GC1 activity. However, the effects of the Ca2+ concentra- tion on ROS-GC1 activity are indirect because this feedback loop is regulated by small Ca2 +-binding guanylate cyclase-activating proteins (GCAPs), which interact with overlapping binding sites within the juxtamembrane domain (JMD), kinase homology domain (KHD) and dimerization domain (DD) of ROS-GC1. In addition to these latter domains, ROS-GC1 also possesses a leader sequence (LS), an extracellular domain (ECD), a transmembrane domain (TM) and a cyclase catalytic domain (CCD) [6]. Currently, 127 GUCY2D point mutations in different domains of ROS-GC1 cause protein dysfunction and subsequently result in LCA1 [5]. Competing interests: The authors report no conflict of interests. BGI-Wuhan provided support in the form of salaries for authors [Xiaoming Wei], but this does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. Abbreviations: CCD, cyclase catalytic domain; DD, dimerization domain; ECD, extracellular domain; GCAPs, guanylate cyclase-activating proteins; GUCY2D, guanylate cyclase 2D; HPLC-MS/MS, HPLC-coupled tandem mass-spectrometry; JMD, juxtamembrane domain; KHD, kinase homology domain; LCA, Leber congenital amaurosis; LS, leader sequence; NGS, next-generation sequencing; ROS-GC1, guanylate cyclase protein 1; TM, transmembrane domain; wt, wild type. LCA patients A family with a 5-year-old proband (III-2) and two suspected patients (III-1 and III-3) was recruited for this study. The proband was diagnosed with LCA at Guangdong Zhongshan Hos- pital, Shanghai General Hospital and the Second Affiliated Hospital of the School of Medicine, Zhejiang University. The pedigree was constructed for the proband based on information pro- vided by the guardians. Ethics approval and consent to participate All procedures performed were in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the ethical standards of the Institutional Review Board, Zhejiang University. Written informed consent was obtained from all individuals who participated in this study and the parent of children under 16. Introduction In the present study, targeted-next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed to screen 222 genes that are responsible for 24 kinds of ophthalmic genetic diseases in the proband. After confirming the results by Sanger sequencing, the identity of three novel variants of the GUCY2D gene were found, c.139delC (p.Ala49Profs36), c.835G>A (p.Asp279Asn) and c.2783G>A (p.Gly928Glu). Mutations c.139delC and c.2783G>A were carried by proband III-2, and heterozygous mutation c.835G>A was carried by II-2. This study probes the patho- genesis of LCA1 and addresses the effects of mutations on ROS-GC1 activity. The three novel mutations may be suitable for LCA1 screening, and HPLC-MS/MS represents a convenient and effective method for cGMP quantification. DNA isolation and qualification Total genomic DNA was extracted using the Relax Gene Blood DNA System (Tiangen, Beijing, China) following the manufacturer’s instructions. All DNA was dissolved in sterilized double- distilled water and kept at –20 ˚C until assayed. One percent agarose gels were used to monitor DNA degradation and contamination. All DNA samples were examined for protein contamination (as indicated by the A260/A280 ratio) and reagent contamination (indicated by the A260/A230 ratio) with a NanoDrop ND 1000 spec- trophotometer (NanoDrop, Wilmington, DE, USA). 2 / 12 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 Targeted-next generation sequencing (NGS) DNA samples obtained from the proband were sequenced using microarray-based targeted- NGS. A customized Agilent SureSelect All Exome Kit (Agilent Technologies, CA, USA) was designed to capture 3093 exons (including 100 bp regions that flanked the exons) from 222 genes known to be associated with common genetic diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa, Waardenburg syndrome, X-linked juvenile retinoschisis, crystalline retinitis pigmentosa, albi- nism, LCA, Bardet Biedl syndrome and cone-rod dystrophy (Additional Table 1). The procedure for the preparation of the libraries was consistent with standard protocols published previously [7]. The data of targeted-NGS assay was analyzed by Illumina basecalling Software 1.7. Mutation validation by Sanger sequencing Sanger sequencing was used to validate candidate variants identified by NGS. Primers of the GUCY2D gene (NG_009092.1) used in Sanger sequencing were designed by Primer-BLAST (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/tools/primer-blast/) and synthesized by Sangon Biotech (Shang- hai, China) (Table 1). All amplifications were examined by electrophoresis using 2% agarose gels and sequenced by BioSune Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China). The sequencing results were further compared and analyzed by Mutation Surveyor [8]. Construction of wild-type (wt) and mutant human ROS-GC1 recombinant plasmids The cDNA of human ROS-GC1 was obtained from Gene Copoeia (EX-Z0715-M98). Primers F and R containing XhoI and AgeI restriction sites were used to amplify ROS-GC1 (Table 2). The pEGFP-N1 vector was digested with XhoI and AgeI restriction enzymes. PCR amplifica- tion product was sub-cloned into pEGFP-N1 using ClonExpress (Vazyme, Nanjing, China) to give the recombinant plasmid pEGFP-GC1. Site-directed mutagenesis PCR was used to construct the ROS-GC1 mutants. Primers used in site-directed mutagenesis PCR are shown in Table 2. Each mutant was achieved by two-step PCRs using pEGFP-GC1 as the template. For c.835G>A (p.Asp279Asn) two pairs of primers, F and r-835 and R-BamHI and f-835, were used in the first PCR step. Primers F and R-BamHI were used in the second step. For c.2783G>A (p.Gly928Glu), primers F-BamHI and r-2783 and R and f-2783 were used in the first PCR step. Primers F-BamHI and R were used in the second step. For each mutation, amplification products in the first step were cleaned (Axygen, CA, USA), mixed and used as the template in the second PCR reaction. All final PCR amplifi- cations were ligated into the digested pEGFP-N1 vector using ClonExpress. g g g Recombinant plasmids pEGFP-GC1, pEGFP-Asp279Asn and pEGFP-Gly928Glu were transformed into Escherichia coli DH5α cells. DNA was prepared by using a plasmid DNA purification kit from Macherey-Nagel following the manufacturer’s instructions. Sanger sequencing was used to verify sequences. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 PLOS ONE Table 1. Primers for mutation screening. Name Sequence Length (bp) GUCY2D-exon1-F GAAGCCAGGACAGATCCCAC 322 GUCY2D-exon1-R GGAGGCGTCAGGGGTCA GUCY2D-exon2-1-F GCCCCAGTTAGTCTTCCCAG 550 GUCY2D-exon2-1-R AGGGTTCACCGGACCCAC GUCY2D-exon2-2-F TGCTGCCCGAGCCTTG 549 GUCY2D-exon2-2-R TCCTCGCCACCCAGCA GUCY2D-exon3-F CAGGTAGGCTCCCTTGCAG 496 GUCY2D-exon3-R AGAGCTGCCAGTGGTTCTTT GUCY2D-exon4-F AACAGTGGATACCCTGGGC 550 GUCY2D-exon4-R GGGCATCGAAGACGGATTAC GUCY2D-exon5-F ATTCCCAGCCTCTCCCCTTT 387 GUCY2D-exon5-R ACTCTACCAGCCCACCAGAA GUCY2D-exon6-F TTCTGGTGGGCTGGTAGAGT 464 GUCY2D-exon6-R CCCGCCAGGAAAGTAGTCAG GUCY2D-exon7-F CCTGACTACTTTCCTGGCGG 477 GUCY2D-exon7-R TCCCTAGATCCTGTCTGGGC GUCY2D-exon8-F ATGGCTGTGAAGTGGATGGG 423 GUCY2D-exon8-R ATCCTCCCTCACATCTGCCT GUCY2D-exon9-F GAGAGCCCCCGTACATACCT 487 GUCY2D-exon9-R CGCCTCGATGGTGCAGATAC GUCY2D-exon10-F ATCAAGGTGTGTGTCTGGGG 476 GUCY2D-exon10-R CAGCTCAGGTACAAGTCCCG GUCY2D-exon11-F GGCCTATTTGCCAGGCTTTC 476 GUCY2D-exon11-R ACCTGCAGATGCCAGCTTT GUCY2D-exon12-F CTAGCAACCCCCTTCCACAC 402 GUCY2D-exon12-R AGCTGTCTCAGGTTGCTGAC GUCY2D-exon13-F ACGTGCCTCCTAATCGTGTC 505 GUCY2D-exon13-R GCTCAAAGTACTCGGGCTCC GUCY2D-exon14-F GCTGCTTACACAGATGCTGC 440 GUCY2D-exon14-R TAAGGGACAGGAGGTCTGGG GUCY2D-exon15-F CAGCTCAGTCCTTCCACTAGC 468 GUCY2D-exon15-R CGCACCCATTATCTCCACCA GUCY2D-exon16-17-F AGAGGATGCACTTAACAAGGCT 538 GUCY2D-exon16-17-R ATCTCGAGTCTGCGTGGAAC GUCY2D-exon18-F CCCTGTCCTGAGGCACC 365 GUCY2D-exon18-R CTCAGGGAAGGGGAATGGG GUCY2D-exon19-F CGAGGGACCCCTGCCT 393 GUCY2D-exon19-R ATTCCTGCAATGGCTGCTTC GUCY2D-exon20-F TAGCTGGCAGAGCAGTGATG 487 GUCY2D-exon20-R ACTTCCCCTCTTCAGGCCAT https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115.t001 Cellular localization of wt and mutant ROS-GC1 recombinant plasmids pEGFP-N1, pEGFP-GC1, pEGFP-Asp279Asn and pEGFP-Gly928Glu were transfected into HeLa cells using the PolyJet Reagent (SigmaGen, MD, USA). After 36 h, cells were washed and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. The antibody anti-Na+/K+-ATPase (1:100, HuaAn Biotechnol- ogy Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China) was used to identify the plasma membrane of HeLa cells. Details about the process have been described previously [9]. In HeLa cells, the localization of pEGFP-N1, pEGFP-GC1, pEGFP-Asp279Asn and pEGFP-Gly928Glu was acquired by observ- ing EGFP at 488nm excitation wavelength using a Nikon A1R. 3 / 12 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 Validation of cGMP quantitation by HPLC-MS/MS HeLa cells were transfected with pEGFP-N1, pEGFP-GC1, pEGFP-Asp279Asn and pEGFP-- Gly928Glu. After 36 h, cells were collected from 100 mm plates and washed three times with PBS. The supernatant was removed carefully and 300 μL of ice-cold extraction medium (aceto- nitrile/methanol/water, 2/2/1 v/v/v) was added to each tube. Twenty-five ng/mL Tenofovir (TNF) was added as the internal standard. After dissolving, the sample was frozen immediately in liquid nitrogen for 30 s to terminate cGMP metabolism, and this was followed by incubation in a 37 ˚C water bath for 60 s. After repeating 6 times, samples were heated at 98 ˚C for 20 min. Samples were cooled on ice and centrifuged at 20,000 × g at 4 ˚C for 10 min. The superna- tant was transferred into a new tube and the non-dissolved residue was extracted two more times with 400-μL extraction medium. After evaporation, residues were collected and dis- solved in water for further analysis. The cGMP concentrations were analyzed via HPLC-MS/MS. The samples were applied to an HPLC utilizing an ACQUITY CSH-C18 column (1.7 μm, 2.1 × 100 mm column, Waters, Ireland). The binary pump system supplied two eluents for chromatographic analysis, eluent A (10 mM formic acid) and eluent B (acetonitrile). The flow rate was 0.3 mL/min. Analyte detec- tion was conducted on a sensitive triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (Waters TQ-XS, USA). Nitrogen was used as the collision gas. One-hundred ng/mL cGMP (G7504, Sigma, Germany) was used as the standard. All processes were referenced to the method described previously [10]. cGMP concentrations presented as means ± SEM are based on three repeated measure- ments. P-values were calculated by means of the independent sample T-test. PLOS ONE PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 Table 2. Primers for construction of recombination plasmids. Primer Sequence Restriction Enzyme F TCCGCTAGCGCTACCGGACTCAGATctcgagATGACCGCCTGCGCCCGCCGAGCGGGTGGGCTT XhoI R CTCGCCCTTGCTCACCATGGTGGCGaccggtGGTGAAGAGAACTGGCCCGGCCGCGCC AgeI f-835 GGCTCCCTGGTCTTCCTGCCCTTCaACACGATCCACTACGCCTTGTCCCCA r-835 TGGGGACAAGGCGTAGTGGATCGTGTtGAAGGGCAGGAAGACCAGGGAGCC R-BamHI GGCGGAGAGGAAGGAGCCCCGGGCAggatccAGCATGTATGTGGCAAAAAGCCGGT BamHI F-BamHI ACCGGCTTTTTGCCACATACATGCTggatccTGCCCGGGGCTCCTTCCTCTCCGCC BamHI f-2783 CTACAAGGTGGAGACAATAGaGGACGCCTATATGGTGGCC r-2783 GGCCACCATATAGGCGTCCtCTATTGTCTCCACCTTGTAG Table 2. Primers for construction of recombination plasmids. washed with PBS and incubated with fluorescent secondary antibodies (1:1000, Abbkine, Wuhan, China) for 2 h at room temperature. The protein bands were visualized using an Odyssey Imager (Li-Cor Biosciences, NE, USA). GAPDH was used as the standard. Western blotting Proteins from transfected HeLa cells were electrophoresed on a 12% sodium dodecyl sulfate- polyacrylamide gel (SDS-PAGE) and transferred to polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) mem- branes (Millipore, MA, USA), and then incubated with the primary antibodies, anti-GFP (1:1000, Proteintech, Wuhan, China) or anti-glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) (1:5000, Abcam, Cambridge, UK) overnight at 4 ˚C. The PVDF membranes were PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 4 / 12 Clinical description of the proband The proband (III-2) was a five-year-old girl who showed the disorder visually but could per- ceive light in a dark room. The proband displayed the classic signs of oculo-digital symptoms. Ophthalmological examination revealed pendular nystagmus, roving eye movements, macular “colobomas” and optic disc abnormalities. Additionally, dim retina and salt-and-pepper pig- mentation were found in the fundus. The results of flash visual evoked potential (VEP) showed that the latent period of binocular P-waves was severely prolonged and the amplitudes were severely reduced. The electroretinogram (ERG) results showed that the latent period and the amplitude of binocular scotopia rod response b-wave, mixed response a-wave and mixed response b-wave were flat. With an attenuated photopic 30-Hz flicker, the full-field ERG (ffERG) showed a worsening delay of the cone-dependent response. The latent period and amplitude of the binocular photopic cone response a-wave and b-wave were flat. Clinical examination of the parents confirmed that neither was affected. Bioinformatics analysis All sequences were analyzed by Mutation Surveyor software and aligned to the NCBI nucleo- tide sequence of GUCY2D (NG_009092.1). The pathogenicity of mutations was evaluated using the in silico predictors SIFT (http://sift.jcvi.org/), PolyPhen-2 (http://genetics.bwh. harvard.edu/pph2/) and Mutation Taster (http://www.mutationtaster.org/). Computational modeling of the mutant ROS-GC1 by Chimera (PDB ID: 1AWL) was carried out to study the effect of the p.Gly928Glu mutation on the three-dimensional (3D) structure of ROS-GC1. 5 / 12 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 GUCY2D mutation analysis In order to discover the pathogenesis of the proband, targeted-NGS was performed using Agilent SureSelect All Exome Kit with Hiseq2000 sequencer. After analyzing the sequencing results of targeted-NGS, two novel mutations, c.139delC and c.2783G>A, in the GUCY2D gene were identified in the proband (III-2). Sanger sequencing confirmed the presence of c.139delC and c.2783G>A in other family members. The sequencing results showed that II-2 and II-3 are heterozygous mutation carriers that possess c.139delC and c.2783G>A, respec- tively (Fig 1B1 and 1B2). Fig 1. Brief introduction to the GUCY2D mutations in the LCA1 family. (A) Pedigree of the LCA1 family. % represents the proband, □represents the normal male,  represents the normal female and crosses represent the deceased subject. ●and ■denote patients, whereas the half-shaded icons denote the mutation carriers as ⚅= c.139delC (p.Ala49Profs36), ▨= c.2783G>A (p.Gly928Glu) and ▤= c.835G>A (p.Asp279Asn). (B) 1: The sequencing results of the family show the mutation c.139delC, indicated by the arrows. 2: The sequencing results of the family show the mutation c.2783G>A, indicated by the arrows. 3: The sequencing result of the family member II-8 with mutation c.835G>A; forward sequencing result (top) and reverse sequencing result (bottom). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115.g001 Fig 1. Brief introduction to the GUCY2D mutations in the LCA1 family. (A) Pedigree of the LCA1 family. % represents the proband, □represents the normal male,  represents the normal female and crosses represent the deceased subject. ●and ■denote patients, whereas the half-shaded icons denote the mutation carriers as ⚅= c.139delC (p.Ala49Profs36), ▨= c.2783G>A (p.Gly928Glu) and ▤= c.835G>A (p.Asp279Asn). (B) 1: The sequencing results of the family show the mutation c.139delC, indicated by the arrows. 2: The sequencing results of the family show the mutation c.2783G>A, indicated by the arrows. 3: The sequencing result of the family member II-8 with mutation c.835G>A; forward sequencing result (top) and reverse sequencing result (bottom). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115.g001 6 / 12 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 III-3 was described as an LCA1 patient (Fig 1A). Sanger sequencing was used to determine the GUCY2D gene sequences of the suspected sibling of the patient (III-4) and parents (II-7 and II-8). The results showed that II-7 is a c.2783G>A mutation carrier, and II-8 possesses another novel mutation c.835G>A (Fig 1B3). The sibling (III-4) possessed no GUCY2D muta- tion. In addition, all heterozygous mutation carriers showed no clinical symptoms. Prediction of the pathogenic effect of ROS-GC1 mutations p.Ala49Profs36, p.Asp279Asn and p.Gly928Glu are located in the LS, ECD and CCD of ROS-GC1, respectively (Fig 2C). After analyzing the three mutations by SIFT, PolyPhen-2 and Mutation Taster, we propose that c.835G>A (SIFT: damaging, score: 0.01; PloyPhen-2: proba- bly damaging, score: 1.00; Mutation Taster: disease-causing), c.2783G>A (SIFT: damaging, score: 0.00; PloyPhen-2: probably damaging, score: 1.00; Mutation Taster: disease causing) and c.139delC (Mutation Taster: disease-causing) are disease-causing mutations. Additionally, multiple sequence alignments showed that aspartic acid and glycine at positions 279 and 928 are highly conserved across species (S1 Fig), indicating that p.Asp279 and p.Gly928 play important roles in ROS-GC1 and that mutations to these two residues are likely to cause ROS-GC1 dysfunction. The high-resolution 3D structure of full-length ROS-GC1 remains unsolved. The theoreti- cal model (PDB ID: 1AWL), which contains 158 amino acids from 871 to 1028 was used to study the impact of c.2783G>A (p.Gly928Glu) on the 3D structure of ROS-GC1. 3D modeling analysis showed that Glu928 directly interacts with GTP (Fig 2) and this change may reduce the size of the catalytic core, leading to a change in the relative position of GTP and the cata- lytic core. Furthermore, this mutation likely hampers ligand binding and reduces the catalytic activity of ROS-GC1. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 Localization of wt and mutant ROS-GC1 ROS-GC1 is a member of the membrane guanylyl cyclase family, the correct localization of ROS-GC1 is critical for the synthesis of cGMP. In this study, immunofluorescence was used to confirm the localization of wt and mutant ROS-GC1. pEGFP-N1, pEGFP-GC1, Fig 2. Protein domains and modeling analysis of the p.Gly928Glu mutation. (A) 3D-modeling analysis of Gly928. (B) 3D-modeling analysis of Glu928. The green line indicates the ROS-GC1 residue. (C) ROS-GC1 domains and location of p.Ala49Profs36, p.Asp279Asn and p.Gly928Glu. LS: leader sequence; ECD: extracellular domain; TM: transmembrane domain; JMD: juxtamembrane domain; KHD: kinase homology domain; DD: dimerization domain; and CCD: cyclase catalytic domain. https://doi org/10 1371/journal pone 0231115 g002 Fig 2. Protein domains and modeling analysis of the p.Gly928Glu mutation. (A) 3D-modeling analysis of Gly928. (B) 3D-modeling analysis of Glu928. The green line indicates the ROS-GC1 residue. (C) ROS-GC1 domains and location of p.Ala49Profs36, p.Asp279Asn and p.Gly928Glu. LS: leader sequence; ECD: extracellular domain; TM: transmembrane domain; JMD: juxtamembrane domain; KHD: kinase homology domain; DD: dimerization domain; and CCD: cyclase catalytic domain. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115.g002 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 7 / 12 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 pEGFP-Asp279Asn and pEGFP-Gly928Glu were transfected into HeLa cells after verification by Sanger sequencing (S2 Fig) and the localization was acquired by observing EGFP under the 488nm excitation. The localization of p.Asp279Asn and p.Gly928Glu was similar to the locali- zation of the wt ROS-GC1. (Fig 3, top panels). The anti-Na+/K+-ATPase antibody was used as a specific marker of the plasma membrane (Fig 3, second panels). Catalytic features of wt and mutant ROS-GC1 HPLC-MS/MS was used to analyze cGMP concentrations in HeLa cells. The cGMP concentra- tion in cells transfected with pEGFP-N1 was undetectable. In contrast, the cGMP concentration in cells transfected with pEGFP-GC1 was about 3.631 pmol/mL. Compared with wt, cells trans- fected with pEGFP-Asp279Asn or pEGFP-Gly928Glu showed significantly lower concentrations of cGMP (Fig 4A), implying that p.Asp279Asn and p.Gly928Glu significantly reduced the cata- lytic activity of ROS-GC1. In addition, p.Gly928Glu disrupted the catalytic activity of ROS-GC1 more severely than the other mutants, which is consistent with the bioinformatics analysis. Moreover, all missense mutations did not affect the expression level of ROS-GC1 (Fig 4B). PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 Discussion Twenty known genes associated with LCA have been identified. The large number of genes and exons and the lack of mutational hot spots make individual screening for disease-causing mutations by Sanger sequencing difficult and expensive. However, NGS technologies provide more convenient and effective strategies to screen for pathogenic mutations in genes [11–13]. Fig 3. Cellular localization of wt and mutant ROS-GC1 in HeLa cells. Localization of ROS-GC1 wt and mutants were acquired by observing EGFP. Immunostaining from top to bottom: EGFP with 488nm excitation (top panels), anti-Na+/K+-ATPase (second panels) as the cell membrane marker, DAPI (third panels) as the nucleus marker, and overlay images (bottom panels). The scale bar is 10 μm. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115.g003 Fig 3. Cellular localization of wt and mutant ROS-GC1 in HeLa cells. Localization of ROS-GC1 wt and mutants were acquired by observing EGFP. Immunostaining from top to bottom: EGFP with 488nm excitation (top panels), anti-Na+/K+-ATPase (second panels) as the cell membrane marker, DAPI (third panels) as the nucleus marker, and overlay images (bottom panels). The scale bar is 10 μm. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115.g003 8 / 12 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 Fig 4. cGMP concentrations and ROS-GC1 expression levels in HeLa cells. (A) Transfected HeLa cells with pEGFP-N1, pEGFP-GC1, pEGFP-Asp279Asn and pEGFP-Gly928Glu. Cells were collected and used to estimate cGMP concentrations. P-values were calculated by means of an independent sample T-test. : p  0.001. (B) Western blot of HeLa cells expressing human EGFP, wt and mutant ROS-GC1. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115.g004 Fig 4. cGMP concentrations and ROS-GC1 expression levels in HeLa cells. (A) Transfected HeLa cells with pEGFP-N1, pEGFP-GC1, pEGFP-Asp279Asn and pEGFP-Gly928Glu. Cells were collected and used to estimate cGMP concentrations. P-values were calculated by means of an independent sample T-test. : p  0.001. (B) Western blot of HeLa cells expressing human EGFP, wt and mutant ROS-GC1. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115.g004 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115.g004 In this study, a family with one LCA proband was analyzed. Targeted-NGS and Sanger sequencing were combined to identify three mutations (c.139delC, c.2783G>A and c.835G>A) in the GUCY2D gene in this pedigree, and all the mutations have yet to be docu- mented by the 1000 Genomes Project. According to the description, there are two suspected patients in this pedigree, III-1 and III-3. However, both of them died at a very young age, thereby we only verified the GUCY2D gene mutation in II-7 and II-8. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 Discussion Additionally, in this pedigree all the heterozygous mutation carriers showed no clinical symptoms. The novel disease-causing mutation c.139delC (p.Ala49Profs36) carried by II-1 and puta- tively by II-2 and III-3 generates a truncated protein (83 amino acids), containing only a part of the LS (Fig 2C). As all the domains of ROS-GC1 are presumably absent, there is no enzymatic activity for this ROS-GC1 mutant and thus no cGMP production. Thus, the absence of suffi- cient levels of cGMP results in photoreceptor cell polarization, which finally leads to vision loss. Multiple sequence alignments indicated that aspartic acid and glycine at positions 279 and 928 are highly conserved across species, indicating that these residues are important for pro- tein function. This is consistent with previous observations that mutations located in the ECD decrease cGMP production and result in LCA1 [14]. The p.Asp279Asn mutation of this reported family decreased ROS-GC1 catalytic activity significantly; however, this mutation does not alter the cellular localization and the expression level of ROS-GC1. Mutant c.2783G>A (p.Gly928Glu) is located in the pocket like catalytic domain of ROS-GC1 [15]. Bioinformatics analysis was used to estimate the effects of p.Gly928Glu on the catalytic activity of ROS-GC1. In contrast to Gly928, Glu928 directly interacts with the substrate GTP. Alter- ation of the catalytic core pocket by the p.Gly928Glu mutation perturbs the catalytic activity of ROS-GC1. HPLC-MS/MS was used to further characterize the effect of the missense mutations on ROS-GC1 activity, and therefore provide additional experimental evidence of the effects of the mutations on ROS-GC1 activity. Results from HPLC-MS/MS showed that mutations p. Asp279Asn and p.Gly928Glu decreased ROS-GC1 activity significantly, especially p.Gly928- Glu, consistent with the 3D-modeling and bioinformatics analysis by SIFT, PolyPhen-2 and Mutation Taster. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 9 / 12 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 In this study, the endogenous concentration of cGMP in HeLa cells, which were transfected with pEGFP-N1, is too low to be measured. This phenomenon can be observed in other studies of GUCY2D mutations, such as HEK293 cells expressed mutant ROS-GC1 (A710V and P873R) showed undetectable cGMP concentrations, indicating that endogenous cGMP concentration exerted no contribution to cGMP levels. Although GUCY2D gene encodes a retina-specific protein, use other cell lines to investigate the localization and enzymatic activity of ROS-GC1 is feasible, for example, HEK293 cells were widely used to study the cellular localization of ROS-GC1 [9,10, 16,17,18]. Conclusions In this study, we found three novel mutations (c.139delC, c.2783G>A and c.835G>A) in the GUCY2D gene. Mutation c.139delC results in a truncated protein that lacks all functional domains of ROS-GC1. Although mutations c.835G>A and c.2783G>A showed normal pro- tein expression levels and subcellular localization, both mutations significantly reduced the catalytic activity of ROS-GC1. As an alternative to radioisotope labeling assays, HPLC-MS/ MS was used herein to analyze cGMP concentrations. Compared with traditional methods, HPLC-MS/MS is more convenient and is an effective alternative to evaluate the cGMP con- centration in cells. Discussion It has been reported that ROS-GC1 was present in cell membranes and mainly co-localized with the endoplasmic reticulum in HEK293 cells [9,16]. However, in our study, ROS-GC1 exhibited endoplasmic reticulum localization, without obvious co-locali- zation with plasma membrane marker in HeLa cells. The discrepancy may be explained by the different cells type and the different method used to detect the localization of ROS-GC1. It has been found that ROS-GC1 trafficking from reticulum to the plasma membrane was facilitated by co-expression of retinal degeneration 3 (RD3) protein [19]. Thus, impaired interaction between ROS-GC1 and RD3 cannot be ruled out. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 Acknowledgments We thank the patient and his family for their cooperation and participation in the study. Addi- tionally, we thank Edanz Editing China (www.liwenbianji.cn/ac), for editing the English text of a draft of this manuscript. Supporting information S1 Fig. Multiple sequence alignment of ROS-GC1 from different species. Results from mul- tiple sequence alignment reveal that codon 279 and 928 where the mutations Asp279Asn and Gly928Glu occurred are located within a highly conserved region. (TIF) (TIF) S2 Fig. Sequencing results of wt and mutant GUCY2D. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the sequences of the recombinant plasmids pEGFP-GC1, pEGFP-Ala49Profs36, pEGFP-As- p279Asn and pEGFP-Gly928Glu. (TIF) S1 Table. Screening scope of the targeted-NGS in eye diseases. (DOCX) S1 File. (RAR) S2 File. (RAR) S3 File. (RAR) S4 File. (RAR) S2 Fig. Sequencing results of wt and mutant GUCY2D. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the sequences of the recombinant plasmids pEGFP-GC1, pEGFP-Ala49Profs36, pEGFP-As- p279Asn and pEGFP-Gly928Glu. S2 Fig. Sequencing results of wt and mutant GUCY2D. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the sequences of the recombinant plasmids pEGFP-GC1, pEGFP-Ala49Profs36, pEGFP-As- p279Asn and pEGFP-Gly928Glu. (TIF) PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 10 / 12 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 S5 File. (RAR) S6 File. (RAR) S7 File. (RAR) S8 File. (RAR) S9 File. (RAR) S10 File. (RAR) S11 File. (RAR) Data curation: Xiaoming Wei. Funding acquisition: Ming Qi, Yinghui Ye. Funding acquisition: Ming Qi, Yinghui Ye. Investigation: Tianying Wei, Yanan Huo. Investigation: Tianying Wei, Yanan Huo. Methodology: Xue Feng, Tianying Wei, Junhui Sun, Yuqin Luo, Ping Yu, Jiao Chen, Xiaom- ing Wei. Resources: Yuqin Luo, Yanan Huo. Writing – original draft: Xue Feng. Writing – original draft: Xue Feng. Writing – review & editing: Ping Yu, Ming Qi, Yinghui Ye. Writing – review & editing: Ping Yu, Ming Qi, Yinghui Ye. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 Author Contributions Data curation: Xiaoming Wei. References References 1. Perrault I, Rozet JM, Gerber S, Ghazi I, Leowski C, et al. (1999) Leber congenital amaurosis. Mol Genet Metab 68:200208. https://doi.org/10.1006/mgme.1999.2906 PMID: 10527670 2. Cremers FP, van den Hurk JA, den Hollander AI. (2002) Molecular genetics of Leber congenital amau- rosis. Hum Mol Genet 11:1169–1176. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/11.10.1169 PMID: 12015276 3. Kaplan J, Bonneau D, Frezal J, Munnich A, Dufier JL. (1990) Clinical and genetic heterogeneity in retini- tis pigmentosa. Hum Genet 85:635–642. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00193589 PMID: 2227956 4. den Hollander AI, Roepman R, Koenekoop RK, Cremers FP. (2008) Leber congenital amaurosis: genes, proteins and disease mechanisms. Prog Retin Eye Res 27:391–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. preteyeres.2008.05.003 PMID: 18632300 5. Chacon-Camacho OF, Zenteno JC. (2015) Review and update on the molecular basis of Leber congen- ital amaurosis. World J Clin Cases 2015; 3:112–124. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v3.i2.112 PMID: 25685757 1. Perrault I, Rozet JM, Gerber S, Ghazi I, Leowski C, et al. (1999) Leber congenital amaurosis. Mol Genet Metab 68:200208. https://doi.org/10.1006/mgme.1999.2906 PMID: 10527670 2. Cremers FP, van den Hurk JA, den Hollander AI. (2002) Molecular genetics of Leber congenital amau- rosis. Hum Mol Genet 11:1169–1176. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/11.10.1169 PMID: 12015276 3. Kaplan J, Bonneau D, Frezal J, Munnich A, Dufier JL. (1990) Clinical and genetic heterogeneity in retini- tis pigmentosa. Hum Genet 85:635–642. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00193589 PMID: 2227956 4. den Hollander AI, Roepman R, Koenekoop RK, Cremers FP. (2008) Leber congenital amaurosis: genes, proteins and disease mechanisms. Prog Retin Eye Res 27:391–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. preteyeres.2008.05.003 PMID: 18632300 5. Chacon-Camacho OF, Zenteno JC. (2015) Review and update on the molecular basis of Leber congen- ital amaurosis. World J Clin Cases 2015; 3:112–124. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v3.i2.112 PMID: 25685757 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 11 / 12 PLOS ONE GUCY2D gene mutations cause Leber congenital amaurosis 1 6. Sharon D, Wimberg H, Kinarty Y, Koch KW. (2018) Genotype-functional-phenotype correlations in pho- toreceptor guanylate cyclase (GC-E) encoded by GUCY2D. Prog Retin Eye Res 63:69–91. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.10.003 PMID: 29061346 7. Gnirke A, Melnikov A, Maguire J, Rogov P, LeProust EM, et al. (2009) Solution hybrid selection with ultra-longoligonucleotides for massively parallel targeted sequencing. Nat Biotechnol 27: 182–189. https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.1523 PMID: 19182786 8. Ho Duy B, Zhytnik L, Maasalu K, Kandla I, Prans E, et al. (2016) Mutation analysis of the COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes in Vietnamese patients with osteogenesis imperfecta. Hum Genet 10:27. 9. Zagel P, Dell’Orco D, Koch KW. (2013) The dimerization domain in outer segment guanylate cyclase is a Ca(2)(+)-sensitive control switch module. Biochemistry 52:5065–5074. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231115 April 7, 2020 References https://doi.org/10.1021/ bi400288p PMID: 23815670 10. Beckert U, Aw WY, Burhenne H, Forsterling L, Kaever V, et al. (2013) The Receptor-Bound Guanylyl Cyclase DAF-11 Is the Mediator of Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced cGMP Increase in Caenorhabditis ele- gans [corrected]. Plos One 8:e72569. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0072569 PMID: 24015261 11. Siu LL, Conley BA, Boerner S, LoRusso PM. (2015) Next-Generation Sequencing to Guide Clinical Tri- als. Clin Cancer Res 21:4536–4544. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-14-3215 PMID: 26473189 12. Birtel J, Eisenberger T, Gliem M, Mu¨ller PL, Herrmann P, et al. (2018) Clinical and genetic characteris- tics of 251 consecutive patients with macular and cone/cone-rod dystrophy. Sci Rep. 8(1):4824. https:// doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22096-0 PMID: 29555955 13. Ng SB, Buckingham KJ, Lee C, Bigham AW, Tabor HK, et al. (2010) Exome sequencing identifies the cause of a mendelian disorder. Nat Genet 42:30–35. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.499 PMID: 19915526 14. Tucker CL, Ramamurthy V, Pina AL, Loyer M, Dharmaraj S, et al. (2004) Functional analyses of mutant recessive GUCY2D alleles identified in Leber congenital amaurosis patients: protein domain compari- sons and dominant negative effects. Mol Vis 10:297–303. PMID: 15123990 15. Liu Y, Ruoho AE, Rao VD, Hurley JH. (1997) Catalytic mechanism of the adenylyl and guanylyl cyclases: modeling and mutational analysis. P Natl Acad Sci USA 94:13414–13419. 16. Zagel P, Koch KW. (2014) Dysfunction of outer segment guanylate cyclase caused by retinal disease related mutations. Front Mol Neurosci 7:4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2014.00004 PMID: 24616660 17. Gibb BJ, Wykes V, Garthwaite J. (2003) Properties of NO-activated guanylyl cyclases expressed in cells. Brit J Pharmacol 139(5):1032–1040. 18. Wimberg H, Lev D, Yosovich K, Namburi P, Banin E, et al. (2018) Photoreceptor Guanylate Cyclase (GUCY2D) Mutations Cause Retinal Dystrophies by Severe Malfunction of Ca2+-Dependent Cyclic GMP Synthesis. Front Mol Neurosci 11:348. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2018.00348 PMID: 30319355 19. Molday LL, Jefferies T, Molday RS. (2014) Insights into the role of RD3 in guanylate cyclase trafficking, photoreceptor degeneration, and Leber congenital amaurosis. Front Mol Neurosci 7:44. https://doi.org/ 10.3389/fnmol.2014.00044 PMID: 24904271 12 / 12
https://openalex.org/W2979678101
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc6826354?pdf=render
English
null
Relationship between Selenium and Hematological Markers in Young Adults with Normal Weight or Overweight/Obesity
Antioxidants
2,019
cc-by
5,993
Received: 22 September 2019; Accepted: 5 October 2019; Published: 8 October 2019 Abstract: Selenium deficiency has been linked to anemia of inflammation, which is mediated by hepcidin. However, there are few studies providing evidence of the role of hepcidin in this relationship. In this study, we investigated the interrelationships among selenium biomarkers, hepcidin concentration, and iron status among individuals with overweight/obesity compared to their normal weight counterparts, since obesity is associated with chronic inflammation. A total of 59 college students were recruited for this study. Fasting blood samples were collected for the analysis of iron status, plasma selenoproteins (glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity and selenoprotein P (SEPP1)), and plasma hepcidin. Subjects completed three-day dietary records to determine average daily nutrient intakes. SEPP1 concentration, GPX activity, and iron status biomarkers (serum iron, transferrin saturation, and hemoglobin concentration) were lower among individuals with overweight/obesity compared with individuals with normal weight, but these differences were not significant (p > 0.05). Regression analysis showed that GPX activity (β = −0.018, p = 0.008) and SEPP1 concentration (β = −1.24, p = 0.03) were inversely associated with hepcidin concentration. The inverse association between selenoproteins and hepcidin concentration supports a potential role of hepcidin as a mediator between selenium and iron status and warrants further studies to better understand this relationship. Keywords: anemia of inflammation; hepcidin; iron status; selenoprotein P; glutathione peroxidase; inflammation Relationship between Selenium and Hematological Markers in Young Adults with Normal Weight or Overweight/Obesity Doreen Yvonne Larvie 1 , Jeanne Lynn Doherty 1, George L. Donati 2 and Seth Mensah Armah 1,* 1 Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA; dylarvie@uncg.edu (D.Y.L.); jldohert@uncg.edu (J.L.D.) 2 Department of Chemistry, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA; donatigl@wfu.edu * Correspondence: s_armah@uncg.edu; Tel.: +1-336-256-0324   antioxidants antioxidants antioxidants Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463; doi:10.3390/antiox8100463 www.mdpi.com/journal/antioxidants 1. Introduction Anemia affects a third of the world’s population [1]. In the US, the prevalence increased by 3% from years 2003 to 2012 [2]. Anemia results from a homeostatic iron imbalance with increased destruction and/or impaired synthesis of erythrocytes [1]. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia accounting for about half of all cases, followed by inflammation [3,4]. Inflammation refers to a biological response of the immune system to infection and is a secondary component of chronic diseases [5,6]. Inflammation accounts for about a fifth of anemia cases in older adults in the US and, among individuals with obesity, the observed chronic low-grade inflammation is implicated to result in hypoferremia [1,3,4,7]. Anemia caused by inflammation is associated with alterations in iron metabolism, erythrocyte life span and production, lowered transferrin saturation and serum iron, and increased ferritin concentrations [8]. The link between inflammation and anemia has been explained by the iron regulatory protein, hepcidin. Hepcidin is a 25-amino-acid (disulfide-rich) peptide that plays a critical role in iron metabolism by acting as a signaling molecule, and in immunity Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463; doi:10.3390/antiox8100463 www.mdpi.com/journal/antioxidants 2 of 10 Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463 due to its antimicrobial properties [9,10]. Hepcidin acts by binding to the iron transporter (ferroportin) resulting in its degradation [11]. Hepcidin concentration increases in response to high iron stores and inflammation and decreases with anemia and hypoxia [12]. In obesity, macrophages and immune system cells invade the adipose tissue in response to fat accumulation leading to the production of proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin 6 (IL-6) [13]. With the increased production of IL-6, hepcidin is upregulated leading to a reduction in circulating iron, an increase in iron storage in macrophages and hepatocytes, and a consequent mild iron deficiency [14,15]. Due to oxidative stress and inflammation in obesity, there is increased need for antioxidant nutrients such as selenium [16,17]. Selenium is incorporated as part of selenocysteine at the active site of selenoproteins (glutathione peroxidase (GPX), selenoprotein P (SEPP1), and thioredoxin reductase). GPX refers to a family of antioxidant enzymes that protects cells against oxidative stress while SEPP1, an extracellular protein, functions in selenium distribution [18,19]. Studies show that selenoproteins may play a critical role in reducing inflammation in adipose tissue [16,20]. Poor selenium status also impairs functional iron status as it contributes to the formation of methemoglobin, which contains ferric iron (Fe3+) and is unable to carry oxygen to tissues [21,22]. 1. Introduction Studies also suggest that selenium is linked to anemia through the modulation of inflammation via the IL-6 pathway, the increased expression of heme-oxygenase 1 and oxidative stress [17,23–25]. Other researchers cite serum zinc as a potential mediator in this relationship [26]. Despite the increasing knowledge about the role of selenium in addressing inflammation, no study has investigated how selenium influences the chronic inflammation found in obesity and its relationship with hepcidin and iron status. The aim of this study was to compare selenium status, hepcidin concentration, and iron status biomarkers between individuals with normal weight and those with overweight/obesity, and to determine the associations among these biomarkers. We hypothesized that selenium status will be negatively correlated with hepcidin concentration and positively correlated with iron status biomarkers among study participants. 2.1. Study Participants and Recruitment Students and staffof the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG), USA, were recruited via mass emails in the summer of 2018. Out of a total of 129 subjects who responded to the mass emailing, 66 came for screening at the Cemala Foundation Human Nutrition Research Laboratories of the Nutrition Department (Figure 1). At the screening visit, potential subjects were provided with a copy of the informed consent form to read and sign if they agreed to participate in the study. The informed consent contained information on the study, as well as benefits and risks of participating. After the subjects had provided consent, they filled out the screening form with information on demographics, use of vitamin and mineral supplements, medical history, and any current medication. As part of the screening procedure, duplicates of their height and weight were also measured to estimate their body mass index (BMI) to assess their eligibility for the study. Subjects were eligible for the study if they were 18 to 49 years of age, with a BMI of 18.5 kg/m2 or over, with no history of inflammation-associated chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease, cancer, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and severe/mild hypertension. In addition, they were eligible if they were non-smokers, non-pregnant, non-lactating, and not taking any mineral/vitamin supplements or medicines that could interfere with iron and selenium status or inflammatory markers. Additionally, individuals who had donated blood within two months to the start of the study were excluded. We estimated that 58 subjects were needed to determine a significant association between selenium biomarkers and hepcidin concentration in a regression model assuming an R-squared of 0.5 (with a partial R-squared of 15% from selenium biomarkers) for a regression model with up to nine predictors at an alpha level of 0.05 and with a statistical power of 0.8. To meet this sample size, we recruited a total of 66 subjects with equal numbers of subjects having either normal weight or overweight/obesity. Out 3 of 10 Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463 of this number, 2 subjects opted out for personal reasons, 3 of them did not come in for blood draw, 1 had a BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 at the screening visit, and 1 was excluded from the analysis because the required volume of blood could not be drawn at the study visit. Thus, 59 subjects were used in the final data analysis. 2.2. Study Design 2.2. Study Design The study was a cross-sectional study in which anthropometry, dietary intake data, and blood samples were obtained from subjects. Subjects who qualified based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria were provided with three-day dietary record forms and weighing scales to weigh and record foods eaten. They were to be completed and returned at the study visit. Instructions for completing the dietary record were provided by trained research assistants. The study was a cross-sectional study in which anthropometry, dietary intake data, and blood samples were obtained from subjects. Subjects who qualified based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria were provided with three-day dietary record forms and weighing scales to weigh and record foods eaten. They were to be completed and returned at the study visit. Instructions for completing the dietary record were provided by trained research assistants. y p y For the study visit, the participants were required to do a 10 h overnight fast. Dietary records were collected and height, weight, and other anthropometric measurements were taken. Approximately 30 mL of venous blood was collected to measure the concentrations of selenium biomarkers, C-reactive protein (CRP), and hematological parameters. For the study visit, the participants were required to do a 10 h overnight fast. Dietary records were collected and height, weight, and other anthropometric measurements were taken. Approximately 30 mL of venous blood was collected to measure the concentrations of selenium biomarkers, C-reactive protein (CRP), and hematological parameters. 2.1. Study Participants and Recruitment The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of University of North Carolina at Greensboro (18-0173). Antioxidants 2019, 8, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 11 were used in the final data analysis. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of University of North Carolina at Greensboro (18-0173). Figure 1. Subject recruitment. Figure 1. Subject recruitment. Figure 1. Subject recruitment. Figure 1. Subject recruitment. 2.5. Sample Analyses Fasting blood samples collected at the study visit were processed into serum, plasma, or whole blood for the measurement of selenium, iron status, and inflammatory markers as well as plasma hepcidin. Iron status biomarkers (ferritin, hemoglobin, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation, and serum iron) and CRP concentration were measured from serum or whole blood (in the case of hemoglobin) by LabCorp Laboratories (Burlington, NC, USA). With the exception of the serum and whole blood samples that were sent to LabCorp, all other samples were stored at the Department of Nutrition of UNCG at −80 ◦C and analyzed upon study completion. To measure plasma selenium concentration, plasma samples were digested with trace metal grade HNO3 overnight in a sand bath at 65 ◦C. The samples were then diluted to a final concentration of 2% v/v HNO3 using deionized water. The digested plasma samples were analyzed for plasma selenium concentration using an Agilent 8800 ICP-MS/MS from Agilent Technologies (Santa Clara, CA, USA) at the Department of Chemistry, Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC, USA). Plasma concentrations of hepcidin, SEPP1, and GPX activity were measured using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. Erythrocyte GPX activity was measured from red blood cell lysate obtained after the plasma was collected and the remaining red blood cells lysed. The GPX activity ELISA kit was obtained from Cayman Chemical (Ann Arbor, MI, USA), whereas the SEPP1 and hepcidin kits were obtained from MyBioSource (San Diego, CA, USA) and Peninsula Laboratories International (San Carlos, CA, USA) respectively. 2.4. Dietary and Nutrient Intake To assess dietary intake using the three-day weighed dietary record, subjects were required to keep a log of all foods consumed on 3 non-consecutive days (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) between the screening and study visits as previously described [28]. Dietary records were analyzed into nutrients and food groups using the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR software, version 2016, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA). To ensure reliability and accuracy of dietary records, a trained research assistant reviewed the dietary information with participants on the study visit and data were reviewed by another research assistant during data entry into NDSR. 2.3. Anthropometry 2.3. Anthropometry A Seca 213 stadiometer (Seca, Hammer Steindamm, HH, Germany) was used to measure the standing height of the study participants following standard procedure, and weight in kilograms was measured using a Tanita BWB-800 weighing scale (Tanita Corporation of America, Inc., Arlington Heights, IL, USA) with subjects in light clothing [27]. A Seca 213 stadiometer (Seca, Hammer Steindamm, HH, Germany) was used to measure the standing height of the study participants following standard procedure, and weight in kilograms was measured using a Tanita BWB-800 weighing scale (Tanita Corporation of America, Inc., Arlington Heights, IL, USA) with subjects in light clothing [27]. 4 of 10 Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463 2.6. Statistical Analysis Data were stratified according to subject BMI category (normal or overweight/obese). The primary outcome variables were the hematological parameters, whereas the independent variables were GPX activity and SEPP1. Means and standard deviations were reported for continuous variables with normal distributions. Median and interquartile ranges were reported for nutrient intakes. Percentages were reported for categorical variables. Ferritin, TIBC, SEPP1, plasma selenium, CRP, and hepcidin concentrations were log transformed to approximate normality. Student’s t-test was used to compare continuous variables between the two groups. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to determine significant differences in nutrient intakes between the two subject groups. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the associations among selenium biomarkers, iron status, and hepcidin concentration adjusting for the potential confounders. Variables adjusted for in the regression analysis were age, gender, BMI category, ethnicity, and dietary selenium. Statistical significance was set at p ≤0.05. The R-software (Rx64 3.5.0.ink, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria) was used for data analysis. 3. Results Out of the 59 participants included in the final analysis, a majority (71%; n = 42) were female, and 42% (n = 25) were Non-Hispanic Blacks. There were 46% (n = 27) of study participants with normal weight and 54% (n = 32) with overweight/obesity. About 19% (n = 11) of the participants had high C-reactive protein (CRP ≥3 mg/L). 5 of 10 Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463 Table 1 shows the nutrient intake of participants. The median caloric intake was not significantly different between subjects with normal weight and those with overweight/obesity. Among the nutrients, vitamin C intake was lower in individuals with overweight/obesity (43.37 mg/day) compared to individuals with normal weight (88 mg/day), p = 0.028. All other nutrient intakes were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05). Table 1. Daily nutrient intakes among young adults with normal weight or overweight/obesity 1. Nutrient/Calories Normal (n = 27) Overweight/Obese (n = 32) Total p-Value 2 Caloric intake, kcal 1844 (1423, 2611) 1878 (1347, 2234) 1875 (1357, 2304) 0.667 Total fat, g 66.28 (56, 107) 80.67 (53, 98) 72.01 (54, 104) 0.982 Protein, g 70.52 (50, 97) 73.1 (52, 96) 73.16 (51, 97) 0.994 Selenium, mcg 99.42 (70, 151) 102 (83, 153) 101.82 (79, 152) 0.645 Iron, mg 17.24 (10, 20) 12.41 (10, 16) 13.33 (10, 19) 0.272 Zinc, mg 8.97 (6, 16) 9.28 (7, 12) 9.19 (6, 14) 0.886 Vitamin A, mcg 352.51 (214, 442) 318.71 (180, 427) 352.51 (190, 430) 0.667 Vitamin C, mg 88 (52, 124) 43.37 (19, 95) 57.44 (34, 103) 0.028 * Vitamin E, mg 11.22 (7, 21) 9.39 (7, 12) 10.53 (7, 13) 0.19 * p < 0.05; 1 Values are median (25th, 75th percentile); 2 p-values are based on the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Table 1. Daily nutrient intakes among young adults with normal weight or overweight/obesity 1. Table 1. Daily nutrient intakes among young adults with normal weight or As expected, the mean BMI was significantly lower among individuals with normal weight compared with individuals with overweight/obesity, p < 0.001 (Table 2). The results showed a trend of high hepcidin and ferritin, and low selenium biomarkers, transferrin saturation, serum iron, and hemoglobin concentrations in the overweight/obese group although the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Table 2. BMI and biochemical markers among young adults with normal weight or overweight/obesity 1. 3. Results BMI/Biochemical Markers Normal (n = 27) Overweight/Obese (n = 32) Total p-Value 2 Mean Mean Mean BMI, kg/m2 22.43 ± 0.34 29.28 ± 0.74 26.15 ± 0.62 <0.001 *** Erythrocyte GPX activity, nmol/min/mL 1001 ± 76 1077 ± 75 1042 ± 523 0.766 Plasma GPX activity, nmol/min/mL 84.29 ± 3.59 79.48 ± 3.31 81.75 ± 2.41 0.169 Hemoglobin 3, g/dL 13.48 ± 0.30 13.25 ± 0.35 13.35 ± 0.23 0.616 Transferrin saturation, % 29.33 ± 2.98 26.59 ± 2.21 27.85 ± 1.79 0.456 Serum iron, µg/dL 98.37 ± 8.96 91.06 ± 7.55 94.41 ± 5.71 0.528 Ferritin 4, ng/mL 36.2 (13, 101) 41.07 (13,136) 38.76 (13, 118) 0.677 TIBC 4, µg/dL 350.37 (284, 432) 347.56 (296, 407) 348.84 (287, 420) 0.874 Plasma selenium 4, ng/mL 114.38 (90, 145) 112.06 (92, 137) 113.1 (91, 141) 0.363 SEPP1 4, ng/mL 360.77 (290, 450) 352.13 (276, 446) 356.05 (284, 450) 0.347 Hepcidin 4, ng/mL 9.95 (3, 29) 15.09 (3, 67) 12.47 (3, 47) 0.218 BMI, Body mass index; TIBC, Total iron-binding capacity; SEPP1, selenoprotein P. *** p < 0.001; 1 Values are mean ± SD; 2 Missing data (n = 1); 3 p-values are based on independent t-test; 4 Values are geometric means (± 1SD). Table 2. BMI and biochemical markers among young adults with normal weight or overweight/obesity 1. In multiple linear regression analysis, hepcidin concentration was significantly predicted by plasma GPX activity (β = −0.02, p < 0.01), SEPP1 concentration (β = −1.23, p = 0.028), and ferritin concentration (β = 1.01, p < 0.001), as shown in Table 3. Serum iron was predicted by ferritin concentration (β = 13.26, p = 0.035). Transferrin saturation was predicted by ferritin concentration (p < 0.001). Hemoglobin concentration was significantly predicted by ferritin concentration (p < 0.01). All the regression models were adjusted for age, gender, BMI category, and ethnicity. 6 of 10 Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463 Table 3. Association between iron status biomarkers and selenoproteins in young adults with normal weight or overweight/obesity. 4. Discussion In spite of the recognized association between selenium status and anemia, to our knowledge, no study has investigated the role of hepcidin in this relationship. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations among selenium status, hepcidin concentration, and iron status biomarkers among young adults with normal weight or overweight/obesity. Although a few studies have reported significantly higher concentrations of serum iron, transferrin saturation, and hemoglobin in obese adolescents compared to their non-obese counterparts (20,21), most studies have demonstrated that obesity is associated with iron deficiency, hypoferremia, and hyperferritinemia [29,30]. This is due to low-grade chronic inflammation which results in increased hepcidin concentration and concomitant iron sequestration [31,32]. There is supporting evidence that invading macrophages in obese adipose tissue sequester iron, resulting in iron overload [33]. While the results of this study showed the expected trends in serum iron, hemoglobin, transferrin saturation and ferritin, it is likely that the differences were not significant because there were no individuals with morbid obesity in the overweight/obese group, with most of them having overweight status. Studies comparing subjects with extreme obesity to those with normal weight may show statistically significant relationships among these variables. In addition, while higher hepcidin concentration is expected in obesity due to increased inflammation [34] and IL-6 concentration [35], the observed difference in this study between the normal weight and overweight/obese groups was not statically significant. Selenium is incorporated as selenocysteine into selenoproteins which exert immune and anti-inflammatory effects. Total plasma selenium is measured by the concentrations of the two predominant selenoproteins (GPX and SEPP1) in the body [36]. Low levels of selenium biomarkers are seen in obesity [37,38]. For example, there was a reduction in local SEPP1 expression in obese mice, and this is possibly because these selenoproteins, which regulate oxidative stress, are depleted due to the increased inflammation in obesity [39]. While some studies have reported a significant negative correlation between selenoproteins and BMI [23], our observed differences in plasma SEPP1 and GPX concentrations between the BMI categories were not significant, which may be because almost all subjects in our study were selenium replete. The daily median selenium intake for subjects in this study was 100.5 mcg compared to the recommended intake of 55 mcg for adults in the US [40]. Mean plasma selenium concentration of subjects was 113.1 ng/mL, also well above the reference level of 70 ng/mL [41]. 3. Results Demographic and Biochemical Indicators Hepcidin ng/mL (n = 55) 1 Serum Iron, ug/dL (n = 55) Transferrin Saturation, % (n = 55) Hemoglobin, g/dL (n = 54) Predictors β ± SE p β ± SE p β ± SE p β ± SE p Plasma GPX activity, nmol/min/mL −0.02 ± 0.01 0.009 −0.24 ± 0.33 0.474 −0.03 ± 0.09 0.705 −0.01 ± 0.01 0.208 Ferritin, ng/mL 1 1.01 ± 0.12 <0.001 13.26 ± 6.07 0.035 6.58 ± 1.59 <0.001 0.51 ± 0.16 0.002 C-reactive protein, mg/L 1 0.02 ± 0.09 0.849 −6.47 ± 4.53 0.161 −2.23 ± 1.18 0.067 −0.08 ± 0.12 0.483 Erythrocyte GPX activity, nmol/min/mL −0.00 ± 0.00 0.776 −0.00 ± 0.01 1.000 0.00 ± 0.00 0.839 0.00 ± 0.00 0.808 Selenoprotein P, ng/mL 1 −1.23 ± 0.54 0.028 −26.15 ± 26.74 0.334 −4.26 ± 6.99 0.545 −0.93 ± 0.70 0.192 Gender Male −0.38 ± 0.32 0.245 20.92 ± 15.80 0.193 6.07 ± 4.13 0.149 1.94 ± 0.41 <0.001 Age, years 0.01 ± 0.04 0.887 1.65 ± 1.85 0.376 0.37 ± 0.48 0.454 0.05 ± 0.05 0.343 Weight status, kg/m 2 Overweight/obese 0.23 ± 0.26 0.386 0.14 ± 12.77 0.991 −0.07 ± 3.34 0.984 0.30 ± 0.34 0.383 Ethnicity Black −0.12 ± 0.31 0.699 −10.00 ± 15.17 0.513 −3.92 ± 3.96 0.328 −1.27 ± 0.41 0.003 Hispanic −0.46 ± 0.40 0.262 −25.83 ± 19.88 0.201 −9.34 ± 5.19 0.079 −0.73 ± 0.53 0.173 Other Race 2 0.33 ± 0.37 0.376 −4.22 ± 18.22 0.818 −4.93 ± 4.76 0.307 −0.54 ± 0.49 0.273 1 Variables were log transformed before analysis; 2 Other Race are Asians, Arabs, Multiracial, and Persians. Table 3. Association between iron status biomarkers and selenoproteins in young adults with normal weight or overweight/obesity. Table 3. Association between iron status biomarkers and selenoproteins in young adults with norm n iron status biomarkers and selenoproteins in young adults with normal weight or overweight/obesity. Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463 7 of 10 7 of 10 5. Limitations Causal inference cannot be drawn from this study because it is a cross-sectional study. Additionally, other parameters that can influence the antioxidant and hepcidin levels of subjects were not measured in this study. Most of our participants were selenium sufficient and none had anemia of inflammation, hence the inability to observe obvious trends in selenium and iron status markers as statistically significant. In this study, GPX activity in erythrocytes was measured to determine intracellular GPX pools and long-term selenium status. However, erythrocytes are collected with blood and, if not treated properly, may be less advantageous over plasma as a specimen for assessing selenium status. Also of note is the likely interaction of glutathione with heme iron impacting the results [41]. To mitigate this shortcoming, GPX activity in plasma was also measured. 4. Discussion Both plasma selenium concentration and dietary selenium intakes were not significantly different between the subjects with normal weight and those with overweight/obesity. Our key finding in this study was that hepcidin concentration was predicted by SEPP1 and plasma GPX activity in a regression model adjusted for potential confounders. The results from the model indicate that lower SEPP1 and plasma GPX activity were associated with higher hepcidin concentration. This observation supports one of the proposed mechanisms through which selenium deficiency increases anemia risk. This inverse relationship may be due to the fact that lower concentrations of selenoproteins are associated with increased oxidative stress, leading to inflammation. In inflammation, there is increased production of IL-6, which induces hepcidin production that leads to hypoferremia as described earlier, eventually resulting in anemia. Petrova et al. espoused this relationship and reported higher hepcidin and lower GPX concentrations in chronic kidney patients with ischemic stroke compared with healthy adults [42]. In these patients and among Alzheimer’s disease patients, hepcidin concentration was negatively correlated with superoxide dismutase and GPX [42,43]. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to discover this relationship among healthy individuals with normal weight or overweight/obesity. Other mechanisms by which selenium deficiency increases risk of anemia include increases in heme oxygenase 1, oxidative stress, and possibly through the effect of serum zinc as suggested by Houghton et al. [26]. It is interesting that, despite observing this relationship between selenoprotein concentrations and hepcidin, we did not find a significant association between selenoproteins and iron status biomarkers, as shown by other studies [22,23]. Since this relationship is well documented, our lack of significant observations may be because the study was not powered to determine those associations as significant. 8 of 10 Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463 The sample size was calculated to determine a 15% variability in hepcidin concentration attributed to selenoproteins which is close to what we observed (16%). Other possible reasons for the non-significant association between circulating iron and selenium biomarkers may be because few subjects (17%; n = 10) in this study had anemia, with 7 of these subjects in the overweight/obese category. Moreover, none of these anemia cases were due to inflammation. Studies show that pathological conditions of induced anemia in mice is linked to reduced glutathione peroxidase and selenoprotein W concentrations, suggesting that these associations may be more evident in anemia [24]. 6. Conclusions This study is novel in showing an inverse association between hepcidin and selenium status among healthy subjects with normal weight or overweight/obesity. Additional studies on this relationship, including individuals with morbid obesity (who due to adipose tissue inflammation are prone to selenium deficiency and impaired iron status), are needed. Furthermore, using animal models of obesity will be helpful in investigating mechanistic relationships among selenium status, hepcidin, and iron status. Studies are also needed to investigate whether improving selenium status among individuals with selenium deficiency will improve iron status via hepcidin. Author Contributions: Conceptualization, D.Y.L., J.L.D., and S.M.A.; Methodology, D.Y.L., J.L.D., and S.M.A.; Formal Analysis, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Investigation, D.Y.L., J.L.D., and S.M.A.; Resources, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Data Curation, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Writing—Original Draft Preparation, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Writing—Review and Editing, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D. Author Contributions: Conceptualization, D.Y.L., J.L.D., and S.M.A.; Methodology, D.Y.L., J.L.D., and S.M.A.; Formal Analysis, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Investigation, D.Y.L., J.L.D., and S.M.A.; Resources, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Data Curation, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Writing—Original Draft Preparation, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Writing—Review and Editing, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D. Author Contributions: Conceptualization, D.Y.L., J.L.D., and S.M.A.; Methodology, D.Y.L., J.L.D., and S.M.A.; Formal Analysis, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Investigation, D.Y.L., J.L.D., and S.M.A.; Resources, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Data Curation, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Writing—Original Draft Preparation, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D.; Writing—Review and Editing, D.Y.L., J.L.D., S.M.A., and G.L.D. Funding: This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation Program (NSF MRI, grant CHE-1531698). Funding: This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation Program (NSF MRI, grant CHE-1531698). Funding: This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation’s Major Rese nstrumentation Program (NSF MRI, grant CHE-1531698). Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. References The elemental role of iron in DNA synthesis and repair. Metallomics 2017, 9, 1483–1500. [CrossRef] 12. Nemeth, E. Targeting the Hepcidin-Ferroportin Axis in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Anemias. Adv. Hematol. 2010, 2010, 750643. [CrossRef] 13. Castro, A.M.; Macedo-de la Concha, L.E.; Pantoja-Meléndez, C.A. Low-grade inflammation and its relation to obesity and chronic degenerative diseases. Rev. Méd. Hosp. Gen. México 2017, 80, 101–105. [CrossRef] 14. Madu, A.J.; Ughasoro, M.D. Anaemia of Chronic Disease: An In-Depth Review. Med. Princ. Pract. 2017, 26, 1–9. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 15. Wang, Y.; Wang, H.; Hegde, V.; Dubuisson, O.; Gao, Z.; Dhurandhar, N.V.; Ye, J. Interplay of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines to determine lipid accretion in adipocytes. Int. J. Obes. (Lond.) 2013, 37, 1490–14908. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 6. Karatela, S.; Ward, N.I. Trace elements and human obesity: An overview. Manipal J. Nurs. Health Sci. 201 10. 17. Petkova-Marinova, T.V.; Ruseva, B.K.; Atanasova, B.D. Selenium deficiency as a risk factor for development of anemia. J. Biomed. Clin. Res. 2017, 10, 9–17. [CrossRef] 18. Barbosa, K.B.F.; Volp, A.C.P.; Marques-Rocha, J.L.; Ribeiro, S.M.R.; Navarro-Blasco, I.; Zulet, M.Á.; Martínez, J.A.; Bressan, J. Modulators of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity in healthy adults: An observational study. Redox Rep. 2014, 19, 251–258. [CrossRef] 19. Burk, R.F.; Hill, K.E. Selenoprotein P—Expression, functions, and roles in mammals. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 2009, 1790, 1441–1447. [CrossRef] 20. Zhang, W.; Zhang, R.; Wang, T.; Jiang, H.; Guo, M.; Zhou, E.; Sun, Y.; Yang, Z.; Xu, S.; Cao, Y.; et al. Selenium inhibits LPS-induced pro-inflammatory gene expression by modulating MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in mouse mammary epithelial cells in primary culture. Inflammation 2014, 37, 478–485. [CrossRef] 21. Gürgöze, M.K.; Denizmen Aygün, A.; Ölçücü, A.; Do˘gan, Y.; Yılmaz, E. Plasma selenium status in children with iron deficiency anemia. J. Trace Elem. Med. Biol. 2004, 18, 193–196. [CrossRef] 22. Walston, J.; Xue, Q.; Semba, R.D.; Ferrucci, L.; Cappola, A.R.; Ricks, M.; Guralnik, J.; Fried, L.P. Serum antioxidants, inflammation, and total mortality in older women. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2006, 163, 18–26. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 23. Van Nhien, N.; Yabutani, T.; Khan, N.C.; Khanh, L.N.B.; Ninh, N.X.; Chung, L.T.K.; Thuy, L.T.X.; Motonaka, J.; Nakaya, Y. Association of low serum selenium with anemia among adolescent girls living in rural Vietnam. Nutrition 2009, 25, 6–10. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 24. Liao, C.; Hardison, R.C.; Kennett, M.J.; Carlson, B.A.; Paulson, R.F.; Prabhu, K.S. Selenoproteins regulate stress erythroid progenitors and spleen microenvironment during stress erythropoiesis. Blood 2018, 131, 2568–2580. References 1. Patel, K.V. Epidemiology of Anemia in Older Adults. Semin. Hematol. 2008, 45, 210–217. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 2. Le, C.H.H. The prevalence of anemia and moderate-severe anemia in the US population (NHANES 2003–2012). PLoS ONE 2016, 11, e0166635. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 1. Patel, K.V. Epidemiology of Anemia in Older Adults. Semin. Hematol. 2008, 45, 210–217. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 2. Le, C.H.H. The prevalence of anemia and moderate-severe anemia in the US population (NHANES 2003–2012). PLoS ONE 2016, 11, e0166635. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 2. Le, C.H.H. The prevalence of anemia and moderate-severe anemia in the US population (NHANES 2003–2012). PLoS ONE 2016, 11, e0166635. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 3. Fayet-Moore, F.; Petocz, P.; Samman, S. Micronutrient status in female university students: Iron, zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin B12 and folate. Nutrients 2014, 6, 5103–5116. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 4. Anemia of Inflammation & Chronic Disease | NIDDK. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases n.d. Available online: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/blood-diseases/ anemia-inflammation-chronic-disease (accessed on 6 September 2018). p 5. Hunter, P. The inflammation theory of disease. EMBO Rep. 2012, 13, 968–970. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 5. Hunter, P. The inflammation theory of disease. EMBO Rep. 2012, 13, 968–970. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 6. Kotas, M.E.; Medzhitov, R. Homeostasis, inflammation, and disease susceptibility. Cell 2015, 160, 816–827. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 7. Van Eijk, L.T.; Kroot, J.J.; Tromp, M.; van der Hoeven, J.G.; Swinkels, D.W.; Pickkers, P. Inflammation-induced hepcidin-25 is associated with the development of anemia in septic patients: An observational study. Crit. Care 2011, 15, R9. [CrossRef] 7. Van Eijk, L.T.; Kroot, J.J.; Tromp, M.; van der Hoeven, J.G.; Swinkels, D.W.; Pickkers, P. Inflammation-induced hepcidin-25 is associated with the development of anemia in septic patients: An observational study. Crit. Care 2011, 15, R9. [CrossRef] 7. Van Eijk, L.T.; Kroot, J.J.; Tromp, M.; van der Hoeven, J.G.; Swinkels, D.W.; Pickkers, P. Inflammation-induced hepcidin-25 is associated with the development of anemia in septic patients: An observational study. Crit. Care 2011, 15, R9. [CrossRef] 9 of 10 Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463 8. Roy, C.N. Anemia of inflammation. Hematology 2010, 2010, 276–280. [CrossRef] 9. Ganz, T. Hepcidin and iron regulation, 10 years later. Blood 2011, 117, 4425–4433. [CrossRef] 10. Nemeth, E.; Rivera, S.; Gabayan, V.; Keller, C.; Taudorf, S.; Pedersen, B.K.; Ganz, T. IL-6 mediates hypoferremia of inflammation by inducing the synthesis of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin. J. Clin. Investig. 2004, 113, 1271–1276. [CrossRef] 11. Puig, S.; Ramos-Alonso, L.; Romero, A.M.; Martínez-Pastor, M.T. References [CrossRef] [PubMed] 25. Tron, K.; Novosyadlyy, R.; Dudas, J.; Samoylenko, A.; Kietzmann, T.; Ramadori, G. Upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 gene by turpentine oil-induced localized inflammation: Involvement of interleukin-6. Lab. Investig. 2005, 85, 376–387. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 26. Houghton, L.A.; Parnell, W.R.; Thomson, C.D.; Green, T.J.; Gibson, R.S. Serum zinc Is a major predictor of anemia and mediates the effect of selenium on hemoglobin in school-aged children in a nationally representative survey in New Zealand. J. Nutr. 2016, 146, 1670–1676. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 27. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Health and Nutrition Health Survey. Anthropometry Procedures Manual n.d. Version Current January 2007. Available online: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ nhanes3/manuals/anthro.pdf (accessed on 7 September 2018). 28. Armah, S.M.; Boy, E.; Chen, D.; Candal, P.; Reddy, M.B. Regular Consumption of a High-Phytate Diet Reduces the Inhibitory Effect of Phytate on Nonheme-Iron Absorption in Women with Suboptimal Iron Stores. J. Nutr. 2015, 145, 1735–1739. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 10 of 10 Antioxidants 2019, 8, 463 29. Cheng, H.L.; Bryant, C.; Cook, R.; O’Connor, H.; Rooney, K.; Steinbeck, K. The relationship between obesity and hypoferraemia in adults: A systematic review. Obes. Rev. 2012, 13, 150–161. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 30. Hamza, R.T.; Hamed, A.I.; Kharshoum, R.R. Iron homeostasis and serum hepcidin-25 levels in obese children and adolescents: Relation to body mass index. Horm. Res. Paediatr. 2013, 80, 11–17. [CrossRef] 31. Sangkhae, V.; Nemeth, E. Regulation of the iron homeostatic hormone hepcidin. Adv. Nutr. 2017, 8, 126–136. [CrossRef] 32. Girelli, D.; Nemeth, E.; Swinkels, D.W. Hepcidin in the diagnosis of iron disorders. Blood 2016, 127, 2809–2813. [CrossRef] 33. Nikonorov, A.A.; Skalnaya, M.G.; Tinkov, A.A.; Skalny, A.V. Mutual interaction between iron homeostasis and obesity pathogenesis. J. Trace Elem. Med. Biol. 2015, 30, 207–214. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 34. Sun, C.C.; Vaja, V.; Babitt, J.L.; Lin, H.Y. Targeting the hepcidin-ferroportin axis to develop new treatment strategies for anemia of chronic disease and anemia of inflammation. Am. J. Hematol. 2012, 87, 392–400. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 35. Cheng, H.L.; Bryant, C.E.; Rooney, K.B.; Steinbeck, K.S.; Griffin, H.J.; Petocz, P.; O’Connor, H.T. Iron, hepcidin and inflammatory status of young healthy overweight and obese women in Australia. PLoS ONE 2013, 8, e68675. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 36. Hurst, R.; Armah, C.N.; Dainty, J.R.; Hart, D.J.; Teucher, B.; Goldson, A.J.; Broadley, M.R.; Motley, A.K.; Fairweather-Tait, S.J. Establishing optimal selenium status: Results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2010, 91, 923–931. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 37. Matoušková, P.; Hanousková, B.; Skálová, L. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). References MicroRNAs as potential regulators of glutathione peroxidases expression and their role in obesity and related pathologies. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2018, 19. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 38. Hosseini, B.; Saedisomeolia, A.; Allman-Farinelli, M. Association between antioxidant intake/status and obesity: A systematic review of observational studies. Biol. Trace Elem. Res. 2017, 175, 287–297. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 39. Bellinger, F.P.; Raman, A.V.; Reeves, M.A.; Berry, M.J. Regulation and function of selenoproteins in human disease. Biochem. J. 2009, 422, 11–22. [CrossRef] 40. Otten, J.J.; Hellwig, J.P.; Meyers, L.D. (Eds.) Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements; National Academies Press: Washington, DC, USA, 2006. q g 41. Combs, G.F. Biomarkers of selenium status. Nutrients 2015, 7, 2209–2236. [CrossRef] 42. Petrova, J.; Manolov, V.; Hadjidekova, S.; Yonova, D.; Bogov, B.; Vasilev, V.; Tzatchev, K.; Petrova, M.; Vazelov, E.; Georgieva, I. Quantification of hepcidin, Se, Zn, SOD and GPX in chronic kidney disease patients with ischemic stroke. Austin J. Cardiovasc. Dis. Atheroscler. 2017, 4, 1032. 43. Manolov, V.; Hadjidekova, S.; Petrova, J.; Vasilev, V.; Petrova, M.; Traykov, L.; Tzatchev, K.; Borislav, M.; Grozdanova, R.E.; Bogov, I. The role of iron homeostasis in alzheimer’s disease. J. Alzheimers Neurodegener. Dis. 2017, 3, 1–4. [CrossRef] © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
https://openalex.org/W2786134524
https://jurnal.unimed.ac.id/2012/index.php/GDG/article/download/7917/6675
Indonesian
null
Keunikan Empat Karya Musik Kontemporer pada Gelaran Seremonialita Javid Nama Tanaka Manalu
Gondang
2,017
cc-by
2,433
Abstrak Music kontemporer muncul sebagai sebuah perkembangan kekinian pada proses perjalanan seni music. Kontemporer dianggap sebagai sebuah cara untuk menanggapi yang kekinian, atau pola penggarapan mutakhir ataupun juga salah satu sikap menggarap keseni yang digeluti. Walaupun kemudian, perkembangan musik kontemporer justru banyak memunculkan pertanyaan akan keberadaan musik kontemporer di Indonesia. Music kontemporer semakin mewabah dan menyebar dengan tidak terbendung diantara bergamnya definisi kontemporer itu sendiri. Dalam sebuah hajatan yang dipergelarkan oleh anak-anak muda Medan, dengan menyajikan karya music sesuai dengan cara pandang mereka. Nampak jelas bahwa kesimpang siuran istilah kontemporer tidak bisa membendung hasrat berkarya generasi muda, yang menampilkan sisi yang masih berkaitan dengan budaya dalam negeri sendiri dan tetap menggambarkan ciri khas budaya Indonesia. Kata Kunci: Keunikan Musik Kontemporer Keunikan Empat Karya Musik Kontemporer pada Gelaran Seremonialita Javid Nama Tanaka Manalu Wiflihani* Jurusan Sendratasik, Fakultas Bahasa dan Seni, Universitas Negeri Medan Jurusan Sendratasik, Fakultas Bahasa dan Seni, Universitas Negeri Medan Gondang: Jurnal Seni dan Budaya , 1 (1) (2017): 1-5 Gondang: Jurnal Seni dan Budaya , 1 (1) (2017): 1-5 E-mail: wiflihani@unimed.ac.id *Corresponding author: PENDAHULUAN tetapi juga menggunakan sarana yang non alat musik. Misalnya saja seperti batu, alat dapur, meja, kursi maupun kaleng juga bisa menjadi sarana untuk mengekspresikannya. Hal ini yang menyebabkan terkadang aransemen dalam music kontemporer menjadi aneh dan sulit dicerna oleh semua penonton dalam sebuah pertunjukan. Ungkapan bahwa seni sedemikian terkait dengan ekspresi jiwa manusia, sehingga dengan kesadarannya sendiri, terciptalah bentuk- bentuk seni dengan berbagai media ungkapnya. Musik kontemporer, menjadi salah satu bentuk seni dari ekspresi seniman secara individual untuk mengungkapkan subjektifitasnya dalam bentuk objektifitas. Hasil dari pengendapan pengalaman secara individual (subjektif), digelar dan dipertontonkan (objektif) untuk didinikmati oleh audience. Salah satu format penggarapan yang bisa mewadahinya adalah kontemporer. Wajar apabila hal ini menimbulkan berbagai pendapatpun di masyarakat tentang music kontemporer, baik itu positif maupun negative. Pendapat negative yang sering muncul adalah karena karya musik kontemporer susah untuk dipahami oleh penonton yang menganggap susah untuk dimengerti. Penonton pada umumnya lebih gampang untuk menikmati musik pop atau tradisi dalam kesehariannya music tradisi lebih sering didengar, sehingga tidak asing lagi bagi telinga setiap orang. Musik kontemporer menurut kajian Prof Dieter Mack seorang komposer,pianis dan pakar tentang budaya musik Indonesia dari Universitas Freiburg Jerman, keberadaan musik kontemporer di Indonesia dapat dibagi menjadi 3, yaitu : (1) Musik kontemporer dalam idiom tradisi barat yang materi garapannya berupa musik tradisional, namun teknik garapannya memakai prinsip-prinsip yang lazim dikenal pada musik barat. (2) Musik kontemporer yang bersumber dari unsure etnik yang bisa dikatakan sebuah revitalisasi musik tradisi.cara menabuh dengan teknik baru. Misalnya dengan sendok makan, gesekan kuku jari, ataupun adanya solis pada tiap instrument di gamelan jawa. (3) Musik baru yang berlatar budaya Indonesia dan budaya barat teknik garapan gendhing gamelan. Walaupun tidak semuanya bisa ditandai di semua musik kontemporer, biasanya judul karyanya menggunakan judul yang aneh dan bahkan asing. Tema yang diangkat dalam karya musik kontemporer sedemikian yang lazim dikenal seperti musik biasa , yaitu berkisar pada cinta, duka, gembira. Yang membedakannya adalah mengusung tema yang seringkali bisa dibilang unik, dan penuh dengan kebaruan. Instrumentasi dalam musik kontemporer, karena menggunakan sarana non musik, sehingga terdengar berbeda dengan yang lain. Keunikan yang lain adalah dalam menggunakan partitura, yaitu tidak cukup dengan notasi balok dan/atau angka, akan tetapi seringkali disertai petunjuk yang detail tentang gambaran bunyi dan cara memproduksi bunyi tersebut. Teknik garapan musik kontemporer membuat sendiri tata gramatika, idiom musik, susunan dan struktur harmoni yang baru. Ide garapan dapat saja menggunakan idiom dan tata gtramatik musik tradisi. PENDAHULUAN Pada gelaran Seremonialita Javid Nama Tanaka Manalu yang diselenggarakan di akhir bulan Juni tahun 2014 lalu, terlihat beberapa penggarapan musik kontemporer yang dipertunjukkan. Karya-karya tersebut berasal dari Hendrik Perangin-angin, Tanaka Manalu, Brehme Adyatmo Purba (Medan) dan Antonio Montoya (Yogyakarta). Hendrik Perangin-angin adalah sosok yang tidak kenal lelah dalam menggarap musik baru maupun aransemen yang berlatar musik tradisi. Terutama musik tradisi dari etnis Karo yang khusus digarapnya untuk pertunjukan malam itu. Alat musik tradisi etnis Karo, yaitu kulcapi menjadi inspirasinya dengan Abstract Contemporary music emerges as a contemporary development in the journey of the art of music. Contemporary is regarded as a way to respond to the present, or the latest cultivation pattern or also one of the working attitude of art that is involved. Although later, the development of contemporary music that many raises questions about the existence of contemporary music in Indonesia. Contemporary music is increasingly pervasive and spreads unstoppable among the contemporary definition of bergamnya itself. In a celebration performed by young people of Medan, by presenting the work of music in accordance with their perspective. It seems clear that contemporary terminology is not able to stem the desire to work of the young generation, which shows a side that is still related to the culture of the country itself and still describes the characteristics of Indonesian culture. Keywords: Uniqueness, Contemporary Music. How to Cite: Wiflihani, (2017). Keunikan Empat Karya Musik Kontemporer pada Gelaran Seremonialita Javid Nama Tanaka Manalu. Gondang: Jurnal Seni dan Budaya, 1 (1): 1-5 p-ISSN 2599 - 0594 e-ISSN 2599 - 0543 E-mail: wiflihani@unimed.ac.id 1 1 Wiflihani, Keunikan Empat Karya Musik Kontemporer pada Gelaran Seremonialita Javid Wiflihani, Keunikan Empat Karya Musik Kontemporer pada Gelaran Seremonialita Javid HASIL DAN PEMBAHASAN Ekspresi yang ditujukkan oleh seniman dalam musik kontemporer, karena keunikan dan kebebasannya, terkadang terlihat aneh, membosankan atau sulit dicerna oleh penonton. Penyajian musik kontemporer, memang tidak semata-mata terpaku pada alat musik saja, akan 2 2 Gondang: Jurnal Seni dan Budaya, 1 (1) (2017): 1-5 menghadirkan 6 pemusik untuk memainkannya. “Resah”, terdiri dari untaian bunyi yang berasal dari 6 kulcapi, terangkai dalam aransemen berbeda dengan karakter dan warna khas bunyi musik tradisi. musik modern yang mengkolaborasikan idiom- idiom musik, seni tari, kontemporer dan kendang sebagai instrumen tradisi jawa untuk mempertegas ritme. Reportoar komposisi ini dimainkan oleh empat orang. Dua diantaranya sebagai penari, dan musisi lainya memainkan piano dan kendang. Di tangannya. musik tradisi yang sepertinya biasa-biasa saja saat didengar oleh peminatnya, menjadi satu olahan unik dan tertata serta menjadi menarik penonton. Rangkaian ke 6 bunyi kulcapi itu saling membunyikannya secara bergantian, serta dimainkan dengan cara yang berbeda. Teknik saling mengisi (invention) bunyi petikannya satu dengan yang lain sedemikian harmonis, demikian juga permainan teknik interlocking yang tingkah meningkah menjadi sedemikian menarik. Kolaborasi antara permainan piano dan penari dilakukan dengan teknik inversi (saling mengisi), antara gerak dan bunyi yang dihadirkan. Bisa diartikan bahwa peran musisi (bunyi) dan penari (gerak) tidak bisa dihilangkan, dikarenakan satu sama lain saling berkaitan. Antonio Montoya hanya mereproduksi bentuk dan gaya penari pada kesenian ronggeng dalam karya ini, oleh karena hanya menggunakan instrumen diatonis yaitu piano dan kendang (etnis jawa), bukan menggunakan instrumen tradisi asli pengiring ronggeng. Dinamika penyajiannya juga runut untuk diikuti, padahal tanpa ada partitur untuk memainkannya. Satu dengan yang lain, seperti secara otomatis bisa memainkan repertoar “Risau” terlihat menyatu dan berjalan apa adanya. Ada kesepakatan-kesepakatan yang hanya dimengerti diantara mereka, terutama Hendrik Perangin-angin sebagai leader. Penonton seolah-olah dibawa ke suasana yang terkadang tidak terlihat ketradisiannya, dengan hadirnya alat musik kulcapi lewat harmonisasi irama yang tersaji. Antonio Montoya, sebagai salah satu pemusik yang khusus didatangkan ke Medan di acara tersebut, menjadi salah satu tamu yang membawa sesuatu yang bisa dikatakan berbeda. Gerak tari tradisi tidak lagi identik dengan iringan tradisi, akan tetapi instrumen diatonis juga bisa menjadi pengiringnya. Bisa menjadi sesuatu yang indah jika dapat dikemas dalam suatu ide dan teknik tertentu, yang dapat menghasilkan suatu karya baru. Sebuah penggarapan musik kontemporer yang bersumber dari unsure etnik dengan cara memetik kulcapi, dengan teknik baru seperti sebuah perkusi. Bisa dibilang punya kesulitan tersendiri, karena tidak mudah mengumpulkan pemain dan tidak mudah pula menggarapnya. HASIL DAN PEMBAHASAN Namun, pada malam itu, sudah terealisasi untuk menjadi sebuah karya yang menarik, khususnya bagi pecinta musik. Itulah yang menjadi insprirasi Hendrik Peranginangin menggarap musik tradisi dalam aransemen kontemporer bersama grupnya Incidental Music. Antonio Montoya mulai mengenal musik secara formal pada waktu bersekolah di Sekolah Menengah Musik Yogyakarta (SMM)d engan mengambil instrumen mayor oboe. Kemudian melanjutkan Sarjana S1 Musik pendidikan dan komposisi, S2 minat utama penciptaan Musik Barat (komposisi) dan mengajar instrument mayor oboe dan ansambel tiup kayu di Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) Yogyakarta. Melihat latar belakang pendidikan, dia sedemikian lekat dengan musik barat, akan tetapi tidak menutup kemungkinan untuk mengambil ide dasar karya tradisi. Penggarapan Hendrik Perangin-angin, bisa dibilang hampir sama dengan pola garap Antonio Montoya (Yogyakarta) yang sama-sama mengangkat tradisi. Hendrik dengan alat musik tradisi, sedangkan Antonio Montoya mengambil tema tradisi yaitu “Ronggeng”. Komposisi “Ronggeng” adalah sebuah karya komposisi Karya lain dari Tanaka Manalu selain Javid Nama (Ziarah Abadi) adalah Lake, Still, dan Invetion. Masih dalam penggarapan orchestra musik barat, Lake, merupakan komposisi ansambel musik programa dari 20 gitar akustik. 3 3 Wiflihani, Keunikan Empat Karya Musik Kontemporer pada Gelaran Seremonialita Javid Wiflihani, Keunikan Empat Karya Musik Kontemporer pada Gelaran Seremonialita Javid (cello) menggambarkan sosok seorang laki-laki yang sudah menjadi seorang ayah. Sosok perempuan (piano) yang selalu mengisi dan pada perjalanannya menjadi seorang ibu dari anak-anaknya. Mereka dipandang sebagai dua sisi yang berbeda, tetapi menjalin sebuah keharmonisan, damai dan sejahtera serta dipersatukan untuk saling mendukung dan melengkapi. Dalam beberapa bagian musik terdapat gambaran cerita bukan hanya kebahagiaan namun ada suatu kontra dan kejanggalan, yang diakhiri dengan keterikatan yang menjadi satu kesatuan. Mengambarkan suasana keindahan danau dalam nuansa ketenangan yang lebih mendekati ke-Jawa-an berbentuk suita. Memang secara abriter karya ini menggambarkan sebuah kekaguman tentang sebuah ruang yang mempunyai nilai, sedikit menggunakan idiom- idiom yang menyerupai medium di dalam ruang tersebut. Semuanya diwakili oleh dentingan 20 gitar akustik yang apik dan rapi. Masih dalam instrument gitar, Still merupakan karya komposisi trio bass ini mengusung gaya modern. Masih menggunakan unsur atau gaya yang umum pada permainan gitar bass di komposisi ini, akan tetapi berbeda dengan karya Giovanni Bottesini yang terkenal dengan trio double bass. Jika Giovani Botessini (1821 - 1889) hidup di zaman romantic dengan double bass dalam orchestra musik barat, maka Tanaka Manalu trio bass gitar, sehingga sedikit berbeda melalui perkembangan instrumen. HASIL DAN PEMBAHASAN Sedikit berbeda dengan “Mutual Support”, karya “Kebersamaan” merupakan yang dijadikan musik untuk sebuah kegiatan dimana mengangkat konteks tema sebuah Perhelatan Ziarah Abadi. Karena setiap yang dilakukan dalam hal apapun selalu bersama, hingga nantinya pada saat terselenggaranya ada sebuah Kebersamaan dalam menyaksikan sajian musik, dihadiri penyaji dan yang disaji, berbeda-beda namun saat itu ada bersama. Ada berbagai macam kemampuan dan potensi yang dimiliki seseorang dalam suatu tim, namun sulit untuk maksimal jikalau tidak dipersatukan dalam kepentingan suatu proses. Dalam musiknya dibawakan dalam empat instrumen gesek dengan unsur musik minor mayor, direlasikan dalam suatu kesedihan dan diakhiri kegembiraan menggambaran cerita itulah bagian proses yang dialami suatu tim. Invetion adalah Karya Tanaka manalu berupa solo piano dengan menggunakan teknik- teknik dua suara yaitu polifoni dengan arah menuju fuga, yang dimainkan oleh Jovita. Dia mencoba kembali ke masa 300 tahun yang lalu, yaitu berasal dari karya JS Bach “Invention” . Invention ditulis untuk mengajarkan kebenaran dalam bermain dan membantu murid untuk dapat menghasilkan nada yang bernyanyi (singing out). Tanaka Manalu menerjemahkannya, tidak sekedar gerakan sinkronisasi jari tangan kiri kanan, akan tetapi kepada produksi bunyi dan nada yang semanusiawi mungkin. SIMPULAN Sebagai sebuah wadah ekspresi secara individual, format karya music kontemporer kian berkembang, walaupun masih dipertanyakan, apakah akan mendominasi cara berkarya music. Musik kontemporer sedemikian cepat menyebar menjangkiti beberapa composer muda, diiringi dengan mendominasinya Institusi pendidikan music setara master yang menjadi penyebar ‘virus’ kontempporer. Beberapa anak muda yang kemudian pulang ke asalnya, menjadi salah satu actor yang berperan. Di sisi lain, aktivitas yang berbasis tradisional akan terus dipelihara oleh institusi tersebut sebagai salah satu Komposer yang terakhir adalah dua karya dari Brehme Adyatmo Purba yaitu Mutual Support dan Kebersamaan. Admo, demikian panggilan kesehariannya mendapatkan gelar sarjana seni dari Fakultas Bahasa & Seni Universitas HKBP Nommensen dengan mendalami Jurusan komposisi. Pemuda kelahiran Tarutung 07 Juli 1990 ini dalam penggarapannya komposisi musiknya, masih menggunakan idiom musik barat dengan instrumentnya gesek dan piano. Mutual Support adalah karya duet cello dan piano yang merupakan gambaran kehidupan laki-laki 4 Gondang: Jurnal Seni dan Budaya, 1 (1) (2017): 1-5 Holt, C. (1967). Art In Indonesia Continuities And Changes, Ithaca New York: Cornell University Press. penyeimbang untuk mendukung kelangsungan praktek kinerja tradisional. Kondisi ini juga menjadi agak rumit dengan berkebangnya komodifikasi music popular yang tetap mengiringi perkembangan jaman. Mengemukanya estetika tradisional, kontemporer dan popular juga menambah kerumitan tersendiri. Walaupun begitu, anak- anak muda Medan tetap berkarya dan mengekpresikan pengalaman batinnya dalam karya music, dengan mengembangkan idiom- idiom tradisional maupun klasik sebagai sebuah titik pandang yang berbeda, yang tentunya sama-sama penting. Ratna, N.K. (2007). Estetika, Sastra dan Budaya, Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar. Langer, S.K. (Terj. Fx. Widaryanto). (2006). Problematika Seni. Bandung: Sunan Ambu Press. Lindsay, J. (1991). Klasik, Kitsch, Kontemporer, Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press. Mack, D. (2004). Musik Kontemporer dan Persoalan Interkultural, Bandung: ARTI. Merriam, A.P. (1964). The Anthropology Of Music, Northwestern: University Press. Meyer, L.P. (1970). Music, The Arts, and Ideas, Chicago, London: University of Chicago Press. Munro, T. (1969). The Arts and Their Interrelations, Cleveland and London: The Press Of Case Western Reserve University. DAFTAR PUSTAKA Arsawijaya, S.N.P. (2005). Gerausch, Skrip Karawitan untuk memenuhi syarat-syarat untuk mencapai gelar sarjana (S1) pada Institut Seni Indonesia Denpasar. Raden, F. (1994). ”Dinamika Pertemuan Dua Tradisi, Musik Kontemporer Indonesia di Abad ke-20, dalam Jurnal Kebudayaan Kalam Edisi 2 – 1994. Atmaja, J. (1993). ”Seni Kontemporer” dalam Brosur Festival Seni Masa Kini, Denpasar: Yayasan Walter Spies. Ramseyer, U dan I Gusti R.P.T., (Editor). (2002). Bali Dalam Dua Dunia. Basel: Musium der Kulturen. Bahm, A.J. (2007). Filsafat Perbandingan, Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kanisius. Read, H., (Terj. Soedarso Sp). (1993). Pengertian Seni.Yogyakarta: Saku Dayar Sana. Baker SJ, J.W.M. (2005). Filsafat Kebudayaan, Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kanisius. Ritzer, G. (2008). Teori Sosial Postmodern. Jakarta: Juxtapose bekerja sama dengan Kreasi Wacana. Bandem, I.M, (1986). Prakempa, Sebuah Lontar Gamelan Bali, Denpasar: Akademi Seni Tari Indonesia. Rustopo. (1991). Gamelan Kontemporer di Surakarta: Pembentukan dan Perkembangannya (1970- 1990), Laporan Penelitian yang dibiayai oleh Proyek Operasi dan Perawatan Fasilitas STSI Surakarta. Dickie, G. (1979). Aesthetics, Indiana Polis: Pegasus, Bobbs-Meril Education Publishing. Djelantik, (1990). Pengantar Dasar Ilmu Estetika Jilid II, Falsafah Keindahan dan Kesenian, Denpasar: Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia. Sachari, A. (2002). Estetika, Makna, Simbol dan Daya, Bandung: Penerbit ITB. Sedyawati, E. (1981). Pertumbuhan Seni Pertunjukan, Jakarta: Sinar Harapan. Dwi Maryanto M. (2002). Seni Kritik Seni, Yogyakarta: Lembaga Penelitian ISI Yogyakarta. Dwi Maryanto M. (2002). Seni Kritik Seni, Yogyakarta: Lembaga Penelitian ISI Yogyakarta. Suharyanto, A., (2015), Kesinambungan, Regenerasi dan Pemertahanan Musik Tradisi, Majalah Midmagz, Medan. 2015/3/5 Harjana, S. (2003). Corat-Coret Musik Kontemporer Dulu dan Kini, Jakarta: The Ford Foundation dan Masyarakat Seni Pertunjukan Indonesia. Anh. T.T., (1985). Nilai Budaya Timur dan Barat, Jakarta: PT Gramedia. __________ (2004). Musik Antara Kritik dan Apresiasi, Jakarta: Kompas. Sadra, I W. (2003). Gamelan Kontemporer Antara Ada dan Tiada, Mencermati Seni Pertunjukan I 5 5
https://openalex.org/W4251612588
https://www.qeios.com/read/YCIEAC/pdf
English
null
Microplate Reader
Definitions
2,020
cc-by
56
Qeios · Definition, February 7, 2020 Open Peer Review on Qeios Microplate Reader National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute Qeios ID: YCIEAC · https://doi.org/10.32388/YCIEAC Source National Cancer Institute. Microplate Reader. NCI Thesaurus. Code C70661. An instrument for the automated determination of absorbance data from multiple samples contained in a microplate. Qeios ID: YCIEAC · https://doi.org/10.32388/YCIEAC 1/1
https://openalex.org/W1753421700
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc4531487?pdf=render
English
null
Diagnostic TCD for intracranial stenosis in acute stroke patients: experience from a tertiary care stroke center in Karachi, Pakistan
BMC research notes
2,015
cc-by
5,671
Kamal et al. BMC Res Notes (2015) 8:341 DOI 10.1186/s13104-015-1289-3 RESEARCH ARTICLE Diagnostic TCD for intracranial stenosis in acute stroke patients: experience from a tertiary care stroke center in Karachi, Pakistan Ayeesha Kamran Kamal1*, Hasan Rehman2, Nasir Mustafa2, Bilal Ahmed3, Mohammad Jan4, Faisal Wadivalla2 and Syed Kamran2 Open Access Kamal et al. BMC Res Notes (2015) 8:341 DOI 10.1186/s13104-015-1289-3 RESEARCH ARTICLE Diagnostic TCD for intracranial stenosis in acute stroke patients: experience from a tertiary care stroke center in Karachi, Pakistan Ayeesha Kamran Kamal1*, Hasan Rehman2, Nasir Mustafa2, Bilal Ahmed3, Mohammad Jan4, Faisal Wadivalla2 and Syed Kamran2 Open Access Kamal et al. BMC Res Notes (2015) 8:341 DOI 10.1186/s13104-015-1289-3 © 2015 Kamal et al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Abstract Conclusions:  This study indicates the poor sensitivity of TCD to be a reliable screening tool for the presence of ICAD in the South Asian population in a real life clinical setting. Keywords:  Transcranial Doppler, Intracranial stenosis, Magnetic resonance angiography, Cerebral infarction prevention, Cerebrovascular accident Keywords:  Transcranial Doppler, Intracranial stenosis, Magnetic resonance angiography, Cerebral infarction prevention, Cerebrovascular accident disease (ICAD) is believed to have a higher frequency among the South Asians [2–7] with one study [8] report- ing it to be responsible for at least 30–50% strokes among the Asian population. Abstract Background:  Stroke is a common cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Intracranial large artery atherosclerosis (ICAD) is a frequent etiology of stroke in the South Asian population. There is a need for widely avail- able screening tools to identify patients that are at high risk of stroke due to ICAD for aggressive risk management. This study describes the experience of using the transcranial Doppler (TCD) as a screening tool for this purpose at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country. Methods:  86 Patients admitted with stroke due to ICAD underwent TCD for six arteries (Right and left middle cer- ebral arteries, right and left anterior cerebral arteries, right and left posterior cerebral arteries) in addition to the mag- netic resonance angiography (MRA) that is done routinely at the stroke center. Arteries were labeled with either <50 or >50% stenosis by TCD using two separate criteria. These findings were compared with those from the MRA which was used as the gold standard. The proportion of patients that had complete exams (all six arteries insonated by TCD) was reported. The success rate of each TCD criteria in detecting arteries with >50% stenosis was also calculated. Results:  There was an attempt to visualize 516 arteries (86 patients with 6 arteries each) of which 375 (72.7%) were successfully insonated. 38 of the 86 (55.8%) patients had complete examinations. MRA reported 43 (8.3%) arteries as stenosed >50%. The TCD did not categorize any artery as stenosed using either criterion and hence failed to classify any stenosed artery correctly. The positive predictive and sensitivity was 0 for this study and the negative predictive value was 93.3%. Results:  There was an attempt to visualize 516 arteries (86 patients with 6 arteries each) of which 375 (72.7%) were successfully insonated. 38 of the 86 (55.8%) patients had complete examinations. MRA reported 43 (8.3%) arteries as stenosed >50%. The TCD did not categorize any artery as stenosed using either criterion and hence failed to classify any stenosed artery correctly. The positive predictive and sensitivity was 0 for this study and the negative predictive value was 93.3%. Conclusions:  This study indicates the poor sensitivity of TCD to be a reliable screening tool for the presence of ICAD in the South Asian population in a real life clinical setting. Diagnostic TCD for intracranial stenosis in acute stroke patients: experience from a tertiary care stroke center in Karachi, Pakistan Ayeesha Kamran Kamal1*, Hasan Rehman2, Nasir Mustafa2, Bilal Ahmed3, Mohammad Jan4, Faisal Wadivalla2 and Syed Kamran2 *Correspondence: ayeesha.kamal@aku.edu 1 Stroke Service, Stroke Fellowship Program, International Cerebrovascular Translational Clinical Research Training Program, Fogarty International Center and The National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi 74800, Pakistan Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © 2015 Kamal et al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Background Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide resulting in an estimated 4.4 million deaths each year [1]. Large vessel intracranial atherosclerotic The pathophysiology of ischemic stroke revolves around atherosclerotic plaque formation over a number of years in the arteries of the Circle of Willis before the final cerebrovascular event. This event is presumably caused by a rupture of that plaque or progressive hemo- dynamic stenosis leading to decompensated low flow state with failure of the collaterals [9, 10]. Kamal et al. BMC Res Notes (2015) 8:341 Page 2 of 6 Data collection instruments Regardless of the mechanism of stroke, prevention is the key to reduce mortality [11]. Studies such as WASID study [12] have identified medications that are beneficial in high risk patients. However, to identify intracranial stenosis there need to be screening tools that are not only effective but also widely available at an affordable cost to make them relevant to low income countries where this condition is prevalent. Relevant demographic data including, age and gender was extracted from the medical records available.h The subtype of stroke was determined using the causa- tive classification system for ischemic stroke (CCS) [22].h i The MRA was interpreted on digital images and the degree of stenosis was calculated using the following equation [13]: The gold standard to detect large artery intracranial stenosis is conventional cerebral angiography [13] but the cost, unavailability and risk of stroke [14–17] make it impractical for screening purposes. Similarly magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is not considered a viable option due to its high cost and availability issues [18]. Due to its wide availability, significantly less cost and non-invasiveness, the transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) is considered a potentially valuable screening tool [19]. Previous studies that have looked at this diagnostic modality have shown encouraging results by reporting negative predictive values and sensitivities comparable to that of the MRA [20]. % stenosis = [1 −(Dstenosis/Dnormal)] × 100 Using the degree of stenosis, the artery was then clas- sified as normal or with mild atherosclerotic changes, moderately stenosed and severely stenosed or occluded. A normal artery had <30% stenosis, a moderately sten- osed artery had 30–50% stenosis and a severely sten- osed artery was defined as an artery with >50% stenosis. Study settingh This study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, a metropolitan city located in the south of Paki- stan with a multiethnic population of more than 13 mil- lion persons [21]. The hospital has its own stroke team and is equipped with MRA and TCD facilities along with on call radiologists round the clock. Using the TCD, intracranial stenosis was categorized as >50 or <50%. There were two criteria that were used for this purpose. The first criterion used the mean velocity (MV) while the second criterion used the peak velocity (PV). Both criteria were used independently and results using each criterion are reported. Background The severely stenosed artery was used as the outcome of interest since the WASID study [12] had defined this as the critical value beyond which there is proven benefit of antiplatelet therapy. The MRA was used as the gold standard since catheter angiography was considered too invasive for the purpose of this study. However, the majority of these studies have been per- formed on the Western population. Hence, this study aims to explore the viability of the TCD in this region as a screening tool to detect intracranial atherosclerotic disease in a real life low middle income country clinical setting. All the TCDs were performed and reported by the same sonographer who had received training in this field. He was blinded to the MRA findings and was required to report the peak velocity (PV) and the time averaged mean of the maximum velocity (MV) for the following arteries: the right middle cerebral artery (RMCA), the left middle cerebral artery (LMCA), the right anterior cerebral artery (RACA), the left anterior cerebral artery (LACA), the right posterior cerebral artery (RPCA) and the left posterior cerebral artery (LPCA). The vertebral and the basilar arteries were excluded. Statistical considerationshi The findings of the MRA were compared to those from the TCD to calculate the sensitivity, the positive predic- tive value and the negative predictive value of the TCD. Sensitivity = true positive/(true positive + false nega- tive) [25]. Negative predictive value = true negative/(true nega- tive + false negative) [25]. All data was entered and analyzed via SPSS v19. Statis- tical analysis were reviewed by a biostatistician. Selection of participants The arteries most successfully insonated were the MCAs (91.7% RMCAs and 89.5% LMCAs) followed by the ACAs (65.1% LACAs and 68.6% RACAs) while the PCAs were insonated least successfully (61.6% in right 60.5% in left). Insonation suc- cess rate for each artery is given in Table 2.hi The highest proportion of severely stenosed arteries was in the RMCA (17.4%, n  =  15) followed by the LMCA (9.3%). Detailed findings of the MRA are given in Table 1. (9.3%). Detailed findings of the MRA are given in Table 1. Of the 86 patients, 38 (44.2%) had complete exami- nations where all 6 arteries of interest (LACA, RACA, LMCA, RMCA, LPCA, RPCA) were seen, 45 had incom- plete assessments where at least one but not all arteries were visualized and there were 3 patients, all women, in whom not a single artery was visualized. Overall, there was an attempt to visualize a total of 516 arteries in 86 patients (6 arteries in each patient) through the TCD but they were successful in insonating only 375 (72.7%) arter- ies. The insonation failure in men was 19.6% (n  =  53) while it was 35.7% (n = 88) in women. The arteries most successfully insonated were the MCAs (91.7% RMCAs and 89.5% LMCAs) followed by the ACAs (65.1% LACAs and 68.6% RACAs) while the PCAs were insonated least successfully (61.6% in right 60.5% in left). Insonation suc- cess rate for each artery is given in Table 2.hi Ethical considerations Prior to obtaining data, the study protocol was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of the Aga Khan Uni- versity Hospital. No financial incentives were provided to any study participant. Written informed consent and verbal assent was given by all participants or their legal surrogate respondents prior to the investigation. The findings of the sonography were categorized both via the peak velocity as well as the mean velocity to cat- egorize the degree of stenosis as assessed by the TCD. Regardless of the criteria used, no artery was labeled as having >50% stenosis by the TCD. This essentially gives us sensitivity and positive predictive values of 0% for all arteries using either criterion. Similarly both criteria Selection of participants All patients admitted to this center after being diagnosed with stroke between January 2012 and January 2013 were eligible for this study. Participants were men and women aged >18 years who presented to the Emergency Depart- ment and were subsequently diagnosed with stroke due to atherosclerotic disease via CT scan or MRI. Partici- pants had to consent to TCD in addition to routine MRA which is done as part of standard of care of every patient admitted with stroke at this center. Using the MV, any artery with a time averaged mean of the maximum velocity of >100 m/s was considered to have >50% stenosis. This value was chosen taking into consideration the findings of the SONIA trial [20]. i Using the peak velocity to determine the degree of ste- nosis, the criterion verified by Baumgartner et  al. [23] was used which was slightly more complex. The cut offs for the peak velocity for >50% stenosis were as follows: for the MCAs >220 cm/s; for the PCAs >145 cm/s; For the ACAs >155 cm/s. Patients were excluded from participation if they had concomitant acute coronary syndrome or any extracra- nial vascular disease. Any patient who refused consent was also excluded. As in the SONIA trial [20], the standards set by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Page 3 of 6 Page 3 of 6 Kamal et al. BMC Res Notes (2015) 8:341 Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL) [24] were followed for the TCD. Details of these standards are given in Additional file 1: Appendix 1. The highest proportion of severely stenosed arteries was in the RMCA (17.4%, n  =  15) followed by the LMCA (9.3%). Detailed findings of the MRA are given in Table 1. Of the 86 patients, 38 (44.2%) had complete exami- nations where all 6 arteries of interest (LACA, RACA, LMCA, RMCA, LPCA, RPCA) were seen, 45 had incom- plete assessments where at least one but not all arteries were visualized and there were 3 patients, all women, in whom not a single artery was visualized. Overall, there was an attempt to visualize a total of 516 arteries in 86 patients (6 arteries in each patient) through the TCD but they were successful in insonating only 375 (72.7%) arter- ies. The insonation failure in men was 19.6% (n  =  53) while it was 35.7% (n = 88) in women. Resultsh There were a total of 86 patients who were enrolled in the study. 45 (52%) were male while 41 (48%) were female. The mean age for male patients was 57 (SD: 16) while the mean age for female patients was 60 (SD: 14). 97.7% patients (n = 84) had suffered from an ischemic stroke while only 2.3% (n = 2) had a hemorrhagic stroke. Table 2  The proportion of  successful and  unsuccessful insonations in each artery Successful Unsuccessful Right middle cerebral artery 78 (91.7%) 8 (9.3%) Left middle cerebral artery 77 (89.5%) 9 (10.5%) Right anterior cerebral artery 59 (68.6%) 27 (31.4%) Left anterior cerebral artery 56 (65.1%) 30 (34.9%) Right posterior cerebral artery 53 (61.6%) 33 (38.4%) Left posterior cerebral artery 52 (60.5%) 34 (39.5%) Total 375 (73.7%) 141 (27.3) Table 2  The proportion of  successful and  unsuccessful insonations in each artery Among the 86 patients enrolled in the study, all 6 arter- ies (LACA, RACA, LMCA, RMCA, LPCA, RPCA) were found normal in 55 (63.9%) of the patients as detected by the MRA while the remaining 31 patients had at least one diseased artery. In all, 516 arteries (86 patients with 6 arteries each) were looked at and the MRA reported 407 (78.9%) of the arteries to be either normal or with mild atheroscle- rotic irregularity, 66 (12.8%) had moderate stenosis and 43 (8.3%) were severely stenosed or completely occluded. Table 1  Magnetic resonance angiography findings Normal/mild atherosclerotic changes (<30% stenosis) Moderately stenosed (30–50% stenosis) Severely stenosed (>50% stenosis) Right middle cerebral artery 60 (69.8%) 11 (12.8%) 15 (17.4%) Left middle cerebral artery 67 (77.9%) 11 (12.8%) 8 (9.3%) Right anterior cerebral artery 71 (82.6%) 10 (11.6%) 5 (5.8%) Left anterior cerebral artery 70 (81.4%) 11 (12.8%) 5 (5.8%) Right posterior cerebral artery 70 (81.4%) 12 (14.0%) 4 (4.7%) Left posterior cerebral artery 69 (80.2%) 11 (12.8%) 6 (7.0%) Overall 407 (78.9%) 66 (12.8%) 43 (8.3%) Table 1  Magnetic resonance angiography findings Kamal et al. BMC Res Notes (2015) 8:341 Page 4 of 6 also had an identical negative predictive value (93.3%). A brief comparison on MRA and TCD findings is given in Table 3. when it used multivariate analysis. Discussion With the abundant data available on the prevalence and the magnitude of ICAD [6, 26–29] it is important to look at screening and diagnostic modalities that can be effec- tive in reducing morbidity and mortality. This is one of the earlier studies to explore the use of intracranial Dop- pler among the South Asian population. Previous stud- ies [20, 30–33] in other parts of the world regarding the TCD have had promising results. Although the sensitivity has been reported to be as low as 65% in some cases [20], a negative predictive value of over 90% would suggest that the Doppler can be used to screen out patients who would benefit from aggressive risk management [34]. Unfortunately, this study suggests the Doppler ultra- sound is an ineffective tool for this purpose in the South Asian setting when done in a pragmatic fashion in real life patients admitted for stroke. The rate of insonation failures was higher in women as compared to men. Although this finding has not been encountered commonly, there has been at least one pre- vious study [40] that reported a higher insonation fail- ure rate in women compared to men. On the other hand, Hashimoto et al. [37] reported a much higher (84 vs. 52%) rate of successful insonations in men compared to women. The most significant result pertaining to the outcome of the ultrasound was the inability of the TCD to cor- rectly detect any vessel as stenosed or occluded. This would rule out the TCD as a screening tool since it fails to identify high risk patients that need to be managed. The two criteria that were used to classify stenosis TCD findings, the PV and MV, both reported negative predic- tive values of 93.3%. This would seem to be in line with previous studies [20] but it is in fact a reflection of the proportion of normal vessels and their of correct classifi- cation Hence, this does not have any importance in rela- tion to identifying diseased vessels. This study therefore cannot be used to establish the superiority of one cri- terion over another nor does this have any importance when assessing the TCD as a screening tool. Since only 38 of the 86 patients had complete exami- nations, TCD appears to be an unreliable screening tool since most patients will then have to undergo fur- ther evaluation based on inconclusive results. Resultsh This would support the belief that difficulties that have been documented [19] using TCD, such as difficulty in visualizing temporal windows and fixating probe positions, are more applica- ble to certain populations compared to others and more specifically Asians and African Americans as compared to Caucasians. The proportion of stenosed vessels among arteries that were not successfully insonated was 12.7% which is higher than the proportion of stenosed or occluded ves- sels (8.3%) among the visualized arteries. What is also of note however, is that most studies [20, 33, 41–44] that have studied the TCD have primarily looked at the MCAs while only some have studied the ver- tebrobasilar arteries [32], the PCAs [32, 45, 46] or all the arteries that were included in this study [35, 47]. When we look at the failure rate of MCAs in our study (<10%), it does become comparable to the other studies mentioned earlier. And so perhaps the only artery that had any results was the MCA but even this does not seem feasible.h Discussion Although previous studies [35, 36] have reported insonation fail- ures, these failures are estimated to be between 10 and 30%. Hashimoto et al. [37] reported a failure to visualize temporal windows in 29% of the subjects when he stud- ied the Japanese population while another study, also in Japan, by Itoh [38] had a failure rate of around 22.8%. Similarly, when Seidel used the color coded doppler in the German population, he failed to visualize the intrac- ranial arteries in 20% of cases [39]. One study in 2011 [40] in the United States reported an insonation failure of around 22.2% in 99 patients Interestingly, the study mentioned above quoted higher insonation failure rates for African Americans (47%) compared to whites (15%) This study is one of the first to look at the TCD in the South Asian population. However, it is a limited observa- tion in a single center with a trained operator who had standardized training and audit. The strokes were classi- fied with rigor and the images reviewed with MRA and radiology. Under these settings and clinical conditions it appears that the TCD is not a useful tool at all. Whether broad based population studies on community based patients would be different is an area of further investi- gation and these finding are limited to an inpatient type setting. Table 3  Comparison of transcranial Doppler and magnetic resonance angiography findings TCD MRA >50% stenosis <50% stenosis >50% stenosed 0 0 <50% stenosed 25 350 Failed to insonate 18 123 Total 43 473 Table 3  Comparison of transcranial Doppler and magnetic resonance angiography findings Acknowledgements 12. Chimowitz MI, Kokkinos J, Strong J, Brown MB, Levine SR, Silliman S et al (1995) The warfarin-aspirin symptomatic intracranial sisease study. Neurology 45(8):1488–1493 This work was facilitated by the following: The Karachi Intracranial Stenosis Study was funded by a grant awarded to Ayeesha Kamran Kamal and Philippe M Frossard (formerly Dept. of Biologic and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University) by the Higher Education Commission, Government of Pakistan, and No. 20-941/R&D/07. Ayeesha Kamran Kamal was also the recipient of a seed money Grant from the University Research Council, Aga Khan University Hospital to initiate exploratory work that led to the elaborated study. Dr. Faisal Wadiwalla trained as neurovascular research fellow whose training was cur- rently funded by Award Number D43TW008660 from the Fogarty Interna- tional Center and the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The content is solely the respon- sibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke or the National Institute of Health or the Higher Education Com- mission, Government of Pakistan. 13. Samuels OB, Joseph GJ, Lynn MJ, Smith HA, Chimowitz MI (2000) A stand- ardized method for measuring intracranial arterial stenosis. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 21(4):643–646 14. (1991) Beneficial effect of carotid endarterectomy in symptomatic patients with high-grade carotid stenosis. N Engl J Med 325(7):445–453 15. Walker MD, Marler JR, Goldstein M, Grady PA, Toole JF, Baker WH et al (1995) Endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. JAMA 273(18):1421–1428 16. Dion JE, Gates PC, Fox AJ, Barnett HJ, Blom RJ (1987) Clinical events fol- lowing neuroangiography: a prospective study. Stroke 18(6):997–1004 17. Hobson RW, Weiss DG, Fields WS, Goldstone J, Moore WS, Towne JB et al (1993) Efficacy of carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid stenosis. N Engl J Med 328(4):221–227 18. Feldmann E (2009) Diagnosis and quantitation of intracranial stenosis. J Neuroimaging 19(Suppl 1):22S–24S The authors would like to acknowledge the patience, kindness, time and cooperation of all patients and their families who contributed to this study. We would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge, Hina Tejani for their excellent secretarial support. In addition the stroke team would like to acknowledge the support of the Section of Neurology at AKUH who always facilitate logistically all research endeavors. 19. Received: 3 March 2014 Accepted: 22 July 2015 Received: 3 March 2014 Accepted: 22 July 2015 Received: 3 March 2014 Accepted: 22 July 2015 Additional file 1:  Appendix 1. Reference standards for TCD performance. Additional file 1:  Appendix 1. Reference standards for TCD performance. Competing interests p g The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Abbreviations ICAD: large artery intracranial atherosclerosis; TCD: transcranial Doppler; MRA: magnetic resonance angiography; WASID: warfarin aspirin sympto- matic intracranial disease; SONIA: the stroke outcomes and neuroimaging of intracranial atherosclerosis; CCS: causative classification system for ischemic stroke; PV: peak velocity; MV: time averaged mean of the maximum velocity; PCA: posterior cerebral artery; MCA: middle cerebral artery; ACA: anterior cerebral artery; LPCA: left posterior cerebral artery; LMCA: left middle cerebral artery; LACA: left anterior cerebral artery; RPCA: right posterior cerebral artery; RMCA: right middle cerebral artery; RACA: right anterior cerebral artery; ICAVL: Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories. 2. De Silva DA, Woon FP, Lee MP, Chen CP, Chang HM, Wong MC (2007) South Asian patients with ischemic stroke: intracranial large arteries are the predominant site of disease. Stroke 38(9):2592–2594 3. Feldmann E, Daneault N, Kwan E, Ho KJ, Pessin MS, Langenberg P et al (1990) Chinese-white differences in the distribution of occlusive cerebro- vascular disease. Neurology 40(10):1541–1545 y 4. Kieffer SA, Takeya Y, Resch JA, Amplatz K (1967) Racial differences in cer- ebrovascular disease. Angiographic evaluation of Japanese and American populations. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med 101(1):94–99 5. Nishimaru K, McHenry LC Jr, Toole JF (1984) Cerebral angiographic and clinical differences in carotid system transient ischemic attacks between American Caucasian and Japanese patients. Stroke 15(1):56–59 References 1. Gaziano TA, Bitton A, Anand S, Abrahams-Gessel S, Murphy A (2010) Growing epidemic of coronary heart disease in low- and middle-income countries. Curr Probl Cardiol 35(2):72–115 1. Gaziano TA, Bitton A, Anand S, Abrahams-Gessel S, Murphy A (2010) Growing epidemic of coronary heart disease in low- and middle-income countries. Curr Probl Cardiol 35(2):72–115 Author details 1 1 Stroke Service, Stroke Fellowship Program, International Cerebrovascular Translational Clinical Research Training Program, Fogarty International Center and The National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi 74800, Pakistan. 2 Stroke Service, Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. 3 Epidemiology and Bio- statistics, Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. 4 Data Management Stroke Service, Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. 9. Fuster V, Stein B, Ambrose JA, Badimon L, Badimon JJ, Chesebro JH (1990) Atherosclerotic plaque rupture and thrombosis. Evolving concepts. Circulation 82(3 Suppl):II47–II59 10. Steve E, Roach KB, Biller J (2010) Atherosclerosis of the cervicocranial arteries, chap 7. Cambridge University Press, pp 105–117. doi:10.1017/ CBO9781139644235.010 11. Feldmann E (2005) Transcranial Doppler: evaluation of intracranial occlusive cerebrovascular disease: a methodological perspective. Semin Cerebrovasc Dis Stroke 5(2):93–105 Authors’ contributions AKK conceptualized the study and organized it, reviewed this manuscript and wrote the first outline; HR, wrote the second draft, edited the paper and helped analyze the results; NM reviewed the paper and performed ultrasound evaluations; BA provided statistical support; MJ reviewed the paper and the data entry procedures; FW, SK classified the strokes for this study and reviewed this manuscript prior to publication. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. 6. Sacco RL, Kargman DE, Gu Q, Zamanillo MC (1995) Race-ethnicity and determinants of intracranial atherosclerotic cerebral infarction. The Northern Manhattan stroke study. Stroke 26(1):14–20 y 7. Wong KS, Li H (2003) Long-term mortality and recurrent stroke risk among Chinese stroke patients with predominant intracranial atheroscle rosis. Stroke 34(10):2361–2366 7. Wong KS, Li H (2003) Long-term mortality and recurrent stroke risk among Chinese stroke patients with predominant intracranial atheroscle- rosis. Stroke 34(10):2361–2366 8. Viaro F, Farina FM, Onofri A, Meneghetti G, Baracchini C (2012) Sympto- matic intracranial stenosis: a university hospital-based ultrasound study. Perspect Med 1(1–12):211–213 8. Viaro F, Farina FM, Onofri A, Meneghetti G, Baracchini C (2012) Sympto- matic intracranial stenosis: a university hospital-based ultrasound study. Perspect Med 1(1–12):211–213 Compliance with ethical guidelines that can identify high risk patients so that strokes may be prevented. This study evaluated the TCD as a potential screening tool for this purpose in a hospital setting. Conclusions With the rapidly growing morbidity and mortality rates of stroke in this region, screening tools need to be devised Page 5 of 6 Kamal et al. BMC Res Notes (2015) 8:341 Acknowledgements Gorelick PB, Wong KS, Bae HJ, Pandey DK (2008) Large artery intracranial occlusive disease: a large worldwide burden but a relatively neglected frontier. Stroke 39(8):2396–2399 43. Chen J, Wang L, Bai J, Lun Z, Zhang J, Xing Y (2014) The optimal velocity criterion in the diagnosis of unilateral middle cerebral artery stenosis by transcranial Doppler. Cell Biochem Biophys 69(1):81–87 28. Kasner SE, Chimowitz MI, Lynn MJ, Howlett-Smith H, Stern BJ, Hertzberg VS et al (2006) Predictors of ischemic stroke in the territory of a sympto- matic intracranial arterial stenosis. Circulation 113(4):555–563 44. Telman G, Namestnikov O, Kouperberg E, Sprecher E, Yarnitsky D (2008) Ischemic middle cerebral artery stroke missing the tissue plasminogen activator time window: transcranial Doppler evaluation. J Stroke Cerebro- vasc Dis 17(6):366–369 29. Wong LK (2006) Global burden of intracranial atherosclerosis. Int J Stroke 1(3):158–159 30. Camerlingo M, Casto L, Censori B, Ferraro B, Gazzaniga GC, Mamoli A (1993) Transcranial Doppler in acute ischemic stroke of the middle cerebral artery territories. Acta Neurol Scand 88(2):108–111 45. Jatuzis D, Zachrisson H, Blomstrand C, Ekholm S, Holm J, Volkmann R (2000) Evaluation of posterior cerebral artery blood flow with transcranial Doppler sonography: value and risk of common carotid artery compres- sion. J Clin Ultrasound 28(9):452–460 y 31. Cher LM, Chambers BR, Smidt V (1992) Comparison of transcranial Dop- pler with DSA in vertebrobasilar ischaemia. Clin Exp Neurol 29:143–148 46. Tian JW, Sun LT, Zhao ZW, Gao J (2006) Transcranial color Doppler flow imaging in detecting severe stenosis of the intracranial vertebral artery: a prospective study. Clin Imaging 30(1):1–5 32. Rorick MB, Nichols FT, Adams RJ (1994) Transcranial Doppler correla- tion with angiography in detection of intracranial stenosis. Stroke 25(10):1931–1934 47. Wong KS, Li H, Chan YL, Ahuja A, Lam WWM, Wong A et al (2000) Use of transcranial Doppler ultrasound to predict outcome in patients with intracranial large-artery occlusive disease. Stroke 31(11):2641–2647 33. Gerriets T, Goertler M, Stolz E, Postert T, Sliwka U, Schlachetzki F et al (2002) Feasibility and validity of transcranial duplex sonography in patients with acute stroke. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 73(1):17–20 34. Nahab F, Kingston C, Frankel MR, Dion JE, Cawley CM, Mitchell B et al (2013) Early aggressive medical management for patients with sympto- matic intracranial stenosis. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 22(1):87–91 35. Acknowledgements Alexandrov AV, Babikian VL, Adams RJ, Tegeler CH, Caplan LR, Spencer MP (1998) The evolving role of transcranial doppler in stroke prevention and treatment. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 7(2):101–104 Kamal et al. BMC Res Notes (2015) 8:341 Page 6 of 6 20. Feldmann E, Wilterdink JL, Kosinski A, Lynn M, Chimowitz MI, Sarafin J et al (2007) The Stroke Outcomes and Neuroimaging of Intracranial Atherosclerosis (SONIA) trial. Neurology 68(24):2099–2106 37. Hashimoto H, Etani H, Naka M, Kinoshita N, Nukada T (1992) Assessment of the rate of successful transcranial Doppler recording through the temporal windows in Japanese with special reference to aging and sex. Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi 29(2):119–122 21. GeoHive (2014) Cities: largest (without surrounding suburban areas). http://www.geohive.com/earth/cy_notagg.aspx. Cited 16 Jan 2014 38. Itoh T, Matsumoto M, Handa N, Maeda H, Hougaku H, Hashimoto H et al (1993) Rate of successful recording of blood flow signals in the middle cerebral artery using transcranial Doppler sonography. Stroke 24(8):1192–1195 22. Ay H, Benner T, Arsava EM, Furie KL, Singhal AB, Jensen MB et al (2007) A computerized algorithm for etiologic classification of ischemic stroke: the causative classification of stroke system. Stroke 38(11):2979–2984 23. Baumgartner RW, Mattle HP, Schroth G (1999) Assessment of ≥50% and <50% intracranial stenoses by transcranial color-coded duplex sonogra- phy. Stroke 30(1):87–92 39. Seidel G, Kaps M, Gerriets T (1995) Potential and limitations of transcranial color-coded sonography in stroke patients. Stroke 26(11):2061–2066 40. Suri MF, Georgiadis AL, Tariq N, Vazquez G, Qureshi N, Qureshi AI (2011) Estimated prevalence of acoustic cranial windows and intracranial stenosis in the US elderly population: ultrasound screening in adults for intracranial disease study. Neuroepidemiology 37(1):64–71 24. Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (2012) IAC standards and guidelines for vascular testing accreditation. Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, Ellicott City, MD, pp 29–32. http://intersocietal.org/vascular/ main/vascular_standards.htm. Accessed 8 Mar 2015 41. Arenillas JF, Molina CA, Montaner J, Abilleira S, Gonzalez-Sanchez MA, Alvarez-Sabin J (2001) Progression and clinical recurrence of symptomatic middle cerebral artery stenosis: a long-term follow-up transcranial Dop- pler ultrasound study. Stroke 32(12):2898–2904 25. Gordis L (2009) Epidemiology. Medical. Elsevier/Saunder. https://books.google.com.pk/books/about/Epidemiology. html?id=GseHgIbJo4gC&redir_esc. Accessed 8 Mar 2015 y 42. Burgin WS, Malkoff M, Felberg RA, Demchuk AM, Christou I, Grotta JC et al (2000) Transcranial doppler ultrasound criteria for recanalization after thrombolysis for middle cerebral artery stroke. Stroke 31(5):1128–1132 26. Arenillas JF (2011) Intracranial atherosclerosis: current concepts. Stroke 42(1 Suppl):S20–S23 27. Acknowledgements Felberg RA, Christou I, Demchuk AM, Malkoff M, Alexandrov AV (2002) Screening for intracranial stenosis with transcranial Doppler: the accuracy of mean flow velocity thresholds. J Neuroimaging 12(1):9–14 36. Saqqur M, Shuaib A, Alexandrov AV, Hill MD, Calleja S, Tomsick T et al (2005) Derivation of transcranial Doppler criteria for rescue intra-arterial thrombolysis: multicenter experience from the interventional manage- ment of stroke study. Stroke 36(4):865–868 36. Saqqur M, Shuaib A, Alexandrov AV, Hill MD, Calleja S, Tomsick T et al (2005) Derivation of transcranial Doppler criteria for rescue intra-arterial thrombolysis: multicenter experience from the interventional manage- ment of stroke study. Stroke 36(4):865–868 Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission
https://openalex.org/W3159476791
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.633505/pdf
English
null
Analysis of Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea of the Inner Ear
Frontiers in pharmacology
2,021
cc-by
12,555
Edited by: Tod Edward Kippin, University of California, United States Edited by: Tod Edward Kippin, University of California, United States REVIEW published: 03 May 2021 doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.633505 †ORCID: Seishiro Sawamura orcid.org/0000-0002-3713-303X Genki Ogata orcid.org/0000-0003-1753-428X Kai Asai orcid.org/0000-0002-2885-7116 Sasya Madhurantakam orcid.org/0000-0001-5605-9448 Daisuke Ino orcid.org/0000-0002-8112-0746 Sho Kanzaki orcid.org/0000-0001-9056-0850 Masato Moriyama orcid.org/0000-0002-8773-8686 Yasuo Saijo orcid.org/0000-0003-4721-1270 Arata Horii orcid.org/0000-0002-6036-0492 Yasuaki Einaga orcid.org/0000-0001-7057-4358 Hiroshi Hibino orcid.org/0000-0003-0688-1489 Hearing loss affects >5% of the global population and therefore, has a great social and clinical impact. Sensorineural hearing loss, which can be caused by different factors, such as acoustic trauma, aging, and administration of certain classes of drugs, stems primarily from a dysfunction of the cochlea in the inner ear. Few therapeutic strategies against sensorineural hearing loss are available. To develop effective treatments for this disease, it is crucial to precisely determine the behavior of ototoxic and therapeutic agents in the microenvironment of the cochlea in live animals. Since the 1980s, a number of studies have addressed this issue by different methodologies. However, there is much less information on pharmacokinetics in the cochlea than that in other organs; the delay in ontological pharmacology is likely due to technical difficulties with accessing the cochlea, a tiny organ that is encased with a bony wall and has a fine and complicated internal structure. In this review, we not only summarize the observations and insights obtained in classic and recent studies on pharmacokinetics in the cochlea but also describe relevant analytical techniques, with their strengths, limitations, and prospects. Keywords: sensorineural hearing loss, pharmacokinetics, ototoxic drug, therapeutic reagent, cochlea, real-time measurement Specialty section: This article was submitted to Neuropharmacology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology Specialty section: This article was submitted to Neuropharmacology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology Received: 25 November 2020 Accepted: 16 April 2021 Published: 03 May 2021 *Correspondence: Hiroshi Hibino hibino@pharma2.med.osaka- u.ac.jp *Correspondence: Hiroshi Hibino hibino@pharma2.med.osaka- u.ac.jp INTRODUCTION Audition is an essential sensation for animals. Humans can hear sounds at diverse frequencies ranging from 20 to 20,000 Hz and perceive a millionfold difference in sound pressure level (Hudspeth, 2014). These characteristics stem primarily from the specialized function of the cochlea in the inner ear (Dallos, 1981; Hudspeth, 1989). In mammals, the cochlea has snail-like structure. The interior of this organ is separated by membranous partitions into three chambers: the scala media, scala tympani, and scala vestibuli (Figure 1). The scala media contains a K+-rich extracellular solution, endolymph, whereas the scala tympani and scala vestibuli are filled with perilymph, which has ionic composition similar to that of a regular extracellular fluid. Between the scala media and scala tympani lies the “cochlear partition,” which consists of sensory hair cells, supporting cells, and the basilar membrane. Mechanical stimuli of a sound elicit oscillatory waves that travel apically along the cochlear partition. The width of the partition increases, and its thickness and stiffness decrease longitudinally toward the apex from the base (Wever, 1971; Webster and Webster, 1980; Naidu and Mountain, 2007; Ekdale, Received: 25 November 2020 Accepted: 16 April 2021 Published: 03 May 2021 Keywords: sensorineural hearing loss, pharmacokinetics, ototoxic drug, therapeutic reagent, cochlea, real-time measurement Analysis of Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea of the Inner Ear Reviewed by: Philip A. Vieira, California State University, United States Philippe Dauphin Ducharme, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada Netz Arroyo, Johns Hopkins University, United States Seishiro Sawamura 1†, Genki Ogata 1†, Kai Asai 2†, Olga Razvina 3,4, Takeru Ota 1, Qi Zhang 1,3,5, Sasya Madhurantakam 1†, Koei Akiyama 3, Daisuke Ino 1†, Sho Kanzaki 6†, Takuro Saiki 7, Yoshifumi Matsumoto 7, Masato Moriyama 7†, Yasuo Saijo 7†, Arata Horii 5†, Yasuaki Einaga 2† and Hiroshi Hibino 1,8*† Seishiro Sawamura 1†, Genki Ogata 1†, Kai Asai 2†, Olga Razvina 3,4, Takeru Ota 1, Qi Zhang 1,3,5, Sasya Madhurantakam 1†, Koei Akiyama 3, Daisuke Ino 1†, Sho Kanzaki 6†, Takuro Saiki 7, Yoshifumi Matsumoto 7, Masato Moriyama 7†, Yasuo Saijo 7†, Arata Horii 5†, Yasuaki Einaga 2† and Hiroshi Hibino 1,8*† 1Division of Glocal Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan, 2Department of Chemistry, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan, 3Department of Molecular Physiology, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata, Japan, 4G-MedEx Office, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata, Japan, 5Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan, 6Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan, 7Department of Medical Oncology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan, 8AMED-CREST, AMED, Osaka, Japan *Correspondence: Hiroshi Hibino hibino@pharma2.med.osaka- u.ac.jp Citation: Sawamura S, Ogata G, Asai K, Razvina O, Ota T, Zhang Q, Madhurantakam S, Akiyama K, Ino D, Kanzaki S, Saiki T, Matsumoto Y, Moriyama M, Saijo Y, Horii A, Einaga Y and Hibino H (2021) Analysis of Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea of the Inner Ear. Front. Pharmacol. 12:633505. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.633505 May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 1 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Sawamura et al. FIGURE 1 | Structure of the cochlea in the inner ear. Schematic images of a human ear and a cross-section of the cochlea are depicted in the upper left and right panels, respectively. The lower panel illustrates the tissue and cellular architecture of the cochlea. Perilymph has ionic composition similar to that of an ordinary extracellular liquid. On the other hand, endolymph maintains 150 mM K+ and a highly positive endocochlear potential (EP) relative to perilymph. Cellular composition of the cochlear partition is shown as well. Inner and outer hair cells are surrounded by various types of supporting cells. These cells are mounted on the basilar membrane. Adapted from Nin et al. (2008) with permission. Copyright (2008) National Academy of Sciences. FIGURE 1 | Structure of the cochlea in the inner ear. Schematic images of a human ear and a cross-section of the cochlea are depicted in the upper left and right panels, respectively. The lower panel illustrates the tissue and cellular architecture of the cochlea. Perilymph has ionic composition similar to that of an ordinary extracellular liquid. On the other hand, endolymph maintains 150 mM K+ and a highly positive endocochlear potential (EP) relative to perilymph. Cellular composition of the cochlear partition is shown as well. Inner and outer hair cells are surrounded by various types of supporting cells. These cells are mounted on the basilar membrane. Adapted from Nin et al. (2008) with permission. Copyright (2008) National Academy of Sciences. 2016). This physical property allows a traveling wave to peak in a specific region in accordance with the stimulus frequency; high- pitch sounds induce a motion at the base, whereas low-frequency sounds excite the apex (Békésy and Wever, 1960; Zhang et al., 2007). Vibrations of the cochlear partition next stimulate hair cells, which are classified into inner- and outer hair cells. Both types of cells have their cell bodies immersed in perilymph, whereas their apical surfaces are exposed to endolymph. Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org Citation: Method categories Method names Sensitivity Selectivity Spatial resolution Temporal resolution Live monitoring Invasiveness Detection of metabolites Spatial dimensionality In vitro chemical analysis HPLC ++ ++ + + ±a +++ ++ 1 dimension LC-MS +++ +++ + + ±a +++ +++ 1 dimension Immunoassay + + + + ±b +++ — 1 dimension Imaging Fluorescence microscopy + + to ++ +++ + ±b ++ + 2 dimensions Imaging MS +++ +++ ++ + – ++ +++ 2 dimensions MRI + + + ++ + + — 3 dimensions μCT + + ++ ++ + + — 3 dimensions In vivo electrochemistry + to +++c ++ ++ +++ + ++ – to ++c 1 dimension aP ibl i h i di l i li TABLE 1 | Comparison of profiles of different drug detection methods. FIGURE 2 | In vitro chemical analyses of the perilymph and endolymph. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC, top panel) can quickly separate a mixture of molecules from a sample according to their chemical properties such as size and hydrophobicity. Each reagent is sequentially detected as a peak and quantified by calculating the peak area. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS, middle panel) is a highly sensitive and selective analytical method for molecular identification and quantification. First, mixtures of multiple compounds are separated by liquid chromatography (LC). Thereafter, the target drug(s) can be extracted and quantified via mass spectrometry (MS). An immunoassay can analyze target molecules using a specific antibody conjugated with a fluorescent dye (bottom panel). This method is characterized by relatively high quantitativity, easy handling, and time- and cost-savings. FIGURE 2 | In vitro chemical analyses of the perilymph and endolymph. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC, top panel) can quickly separate a mixture of molecules from a sample according to their chemical properties such as size and hydrophobicity. Each reagent is sequentially detected as a peak and quantified by calculating the peak area. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS, middle panel) is a highly sensitive and selective analytical method for molecular identification and quantification. First, mixtures of multiple compounds are separated by liquid chromatography (LC). Thereafter, the target drug(s) can be extracted and quantified via mass spectrometry (MS). An immunoassay can analyze target molecules using a specific antibody conjugated with a fluorescent dye (bottom panel). This method is characterized by relatively high quantitativity, easy handling, and time- and cost-savings. Citation: irreversible due to extensive destruction of cochlear cells, including hair cells. More than 150 drugs have ototoxic effects (Cianfrone et al., 2011; Lanvers-Kaminsky et al., 2017). The measurement of drug pharmacokinetics in the cochlear compartment of live animals would vastly improve our understanding of molecular permeability across the cochlear membranes, and could further aid in improving drug design during lead compound development. It is likely to be difficult to access and accurately analyze the cochlea in vivo because this organ is deeply buried in the temporal bone and is composed of fragile membranous and cellular structures. Therefore, relevant pharmacological information is scarce. This problem is also the case for common prescription drugs for the treatment of SNHL; they include corticosteroids, vasodilators, antioxidants, and vitamin preparations. It is noteworthy that although these agents are used empirically for the disease worldwide, their pharmacological targets and clinical significance remain controversial (Rauch, 2008; Agarwal and Pothier, 2009; Schreiber et al., 2010; Wei et al., 2013; Crowson et al., 2017). Accordingly, the pharmacokinetics of ototoxic and therapeutic reagents in the cochlea of the inner ear need to be clarified and have been recently examined by chemical analysis, imaging, and electrochemical procedures. Each of these approaches has its own merits and limitations (Table 1). In the following sections, we describe cochlear pharmacokinetics of different drugs and characteristics of the methodologies used. Citation: The mechanical vibrations deflect the hair bundle projecting from the apical surfaces; this event results in the opening of mechanoelectrical transduction channels at the tip of the bundle and permits K+ to enter hair cells from endolymph (Oghalai, 2004; Hibino and Kurachi, 2006; Reichenbach and Hudspeth, 2014). Depolarization of inner hair cells induces a neurotransmitter release on the basolateral surface. On the other hand, excitation of outer hair cells changes the length of the cell bodies. This somatic motility can mechanically amplify oscillations of the cochlear partition (Ashmore, 2008; Fettiplace, 2020). The high sensitivity of hearing depends not only on the properties of outer hair cells but also on a highly positive potential of +70 to +90 mV observed in K+-enriched endolymph (Békésy, 1952; Dallos, 1996; Hibino et al., 2010; Hudspeth, 2014; Nin et al., 2016). This endocochlear potential (EP) accelerates sound-induced K+ entry from endolymph into hair cells: the process that triggers neurotransmission in inner hair cells and somatic motility in outer hair cells. Several studies have shown that the EP is likely to be maintained by ion transport mechanisms in the lateral cochlear wall, which is made up of the stria vascularis and spiral ligament (Wangemann, 2006; Hibino et al., 2010; Nin et al., 2016). Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is caused by noise exposure, aging, a viral or bacterial infection, or ototoxic drugs (Cunningham and Tucci, 2017). The main organ affected by this disease is the cochlea. In particular, the hearing loss induced by such drugs as loop diuretics, anticancer agents, and antibiotics is a global problem because this adverse effect limits the treatment options and directly worsens the patients’ quality of life during and/or after therapies (Lanvers-Kaminsky et al., 2017). The hearing impairment is reversed by discontinuation of drug administration in many cases but sometimes becomes May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org 2 Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Sawamura et al. i ibl d i d i f hl ll h l i l d li i l i ifi i TABLE 1 | Comparison of profiles of different drug detection methods. Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org Citation: Method categories Method names Sensitivity Selectivity Spatial resolution Temporal resolution Live monitoring Invasiveness Detection of metabolites Spatial dimensionality In vitro chemical analysis HPLC ++ ++ + + ±a +++ ++ 1 dimension LC-MS +++ +++ + + ±a +++ +++ 1 dimension Immunoassay + + + + ±b +++ — 1 dimension Imaging Fluorescence microscopy + + to ++ +++ + ±b ++ + 2 dimensions Imaging MS +++ +++ ++ + – ++ +++ 2 dimensions MRI + + + ++ + + — 3 dimensions μCT + + ++ ++ + + — 3 dimensions In vivo electrochemistry + to +++c ++ ++ +++ + ++ – to ++c 1 dimension aPossible with microdialysis sampling. bPossible by means of two-photon laser microscopy. cThese properties vary among different drugs. FIGURE 2 | In vitro chemical analyses of the perilymph and endolymph. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC, top panel) can quickly separate a mixture of molecules from a sample according to their chemical properties such as size and hydrophobicity. Each reagent is sequentially detected as a peak and quantified by calculating the peak area. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS, middle panel) is a highly sensitive and selective analytical method for molecular identification and quantification. First, mixtures of multiple compounds are separated by liquid chromatography (LC). Thereafter, the target drug(s) can be extracted and quantified via mass spectrometry (MS). An immunoassay can analyze target molecules using a specific antibody conjugated with a fluorescent dye (bottom panel). This method is characterized by relatively high quantitativity, easy handling, and time- and cost-savings. TABLE 1 | Comparison of profiles of different drug detection methods. IN VITRO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS Their assay detected a low concentration and slow time course (Cmax: 1.61 μg/ml, Tmax: 60 min) as compared to the profile in perilymph (Cmax: 4.9 μg/ml, Tmax: 15 min). Pretreatment with probenecid, an inhibitor of the anion transporters mediating active transport of furosemide, drastically delayed the delivery of the drug into perilymph, whereas this arrangement had a negligible effect on the pharmacokinetics in endolymph and serum. This result suggests that furosemide is passively imported into endolymph through a blood vessel with relatively low permeability. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC- MS) has the advantage of highly sensitive detection of drugs as ll t ti f d ith i il t t Immunoassays for drug quantification are currently employed not only for basic research but also for clinical tests (Figure 2). In general, the advantages are relatively high quantitativity, easy handling, and time- and cost savings (Stead, 2000; Taylor et al., 2015). Nevertheless, sensitivity and selectivity of these methods are lower than those of HPLC and MS. Moreover, their applications are limited to the drugs against which antibodies have been developed. Specific antibodies are available against several antibiotics including vancomycin, amikacin, and gentamicin. As for the cochlea of guinea pigs and chinchillas, a fluorescence polarization immunoassay clarified the kinetics and longitudinal gradient of ototoxic gentamicin in perilymph (Hoffer et al., 2001). In chinchillas, a continuous release of the drug toward the round window membrane through a microcatheter controlled by an osmotic pump resulted in lower Cmax and longer retention time than did intratympanic administration (Hoffer et al., 2001). A peak concentration of 913 mg/ml was registered 24 h after transient injection of 3.75 mg gentamicin sulfate, and then the drug was quickly eliminated, within 48 h. On the other hand, sustained delivery of a 10 mg/ml drug solution at a rate of 1 μl/h led to nearly identical concentrations at 24, 48, and 72 h, with a peak of 322 mg/ml (72 h). In a guinea pig cochlea into which gentamicin was administered from the round window membrane, a large concentration gradient along the longitudinal axis was found; the concentration was >4000-fold higher at the base than at the apex (Plontke et al., 2007). Conversely, after systemic application of intravenous and subcutaneous dosing, the perilymphatic drug level was highest at the apex and gradually decreased as the analyzed point was moved toward the basal region (Hahn et al., 2013). IN VITRO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS To determine drug behavior in the cochlea, in many cases, perilymph and/or endolymph are collected from inner ears of May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org 3 Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Sawamura et al. multiple live animals, and the samples are chemically analyzed in vitro. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a commonly used technique for the quantification of different classes of drugs in the cochlea (Figure 2). The analytes are ototoxic drugs, such as loop diuretics and platinum anticancer drugs, as well as therapeutic agents for deafness, including corticosteroids (Green et al., 1981; Rybak et al., 1984; Laurell et al., 1995; Hahn et al., 2012; Liu et al., 2015). In guinea pigs and chinchillas, drug behavior in cochlear fluids is characterized by a slow time course of the distribution and elimination of the drugs, as compared to the kinetic profiles of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (Hara et al., 1993; Laurell et al., 1995; Parnes et al., 1999; Hellberg et al., 2009). The relevance of different administration routes to the pharmacokinetics has also been reported; the level of corticosteroids in perilymph after intratympanic administration is significantly higher than that after administration via systemic routes, e.g., intravenous injection or oral gavage (Parnes et al., 1999). Regarding hydrocortisone, maximum concentration (Cmax) and the time to achieve Cmax (i.e., Tmax) for different administration routes are as follows: 72.42 ± 23.31 mg/L and 1 h for intratympanic injection, 2.03 ± 0.22 mg/L and 1 h for intravenous injection, and 0.86 ± 0.22 at 4 h for oral gavage. In guinea pigs treated with dexamethasone or cisplatin, a small aliquot of cochlear perilymph is aspirated gradually and sequentially via a narrow glass capillary inserted into the apex to determine the longitudinal gradient of the drug concentrations along the cochlea axis. The dexamethasone level in the basal region (136 ± 185 μg/ml) exceeds that in the apical region (∼1 μg/ ml) for 2–3 h after intratympanic injection (Plontke et al., 2008). As for cisplatin, its perilymphatic concentration is 4-fold higher in the base than in the apex 10 min after intravenous administration (Hellberg et al., 2013). Notably, this gradient disappears in 30 min. The endolymph in the scala media is more difficult to access and has much smaller volume (∼2 µl) than does the perilymph in the scala tympani and scala vestibuli (∼10 µl) (Shinomori et al., 2001). IN VITRO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS Nevertheless, this K+-enriched fluid has been analyzed in a few studies. Some researchers approached the guinea pig cochlea and quantified corticosteroids in endolymph (Parnes et al., 1999). They demonstrated that a few hours after intratympanic administration, hydrocortisone concentration in endolymph substantially exceeds that in perilymph. Other authors examined the pharmacokinetics of an ototoxic loop diuretic, furosemide, in the endolymph of guinea pigs (Hara et al., 1993). Their assay detected a low concentration and slow time course (Cmax: 1.61 μg/ml, Tmax: 60 min) as compared to the profile in perilymph (Cmax: 4.9 μg/ml, Tmax: 15 min). Pretreatment with probenecid, an inhibitor of the anion transporters mediating active transport of furosemide, drastically delayed the delivery of the drug into perilymph, whereas this arrangement had a negligible effect on the pharmacokinetics in endolymph and serum. This result suggests that furosemide is passively imported into endolymph through a blood vessel with relatively low permeability e.g., metabolites (Figure 2). With this method, perilymph in guinea pigs was analyzed to clarify the pharmacokinetics of dexamethasone administered via three different routes: intraperitoneal, intratympanic, and postaural injection (Wang et al., 2018). The intratympanic administration yielded a higher maximum drug concentration within a shorter period (Cmax: 25,343.38 ± 2641.17 ng/ml, Tmax: 1 h) than did the other two routes (Cmax: 532.56 ± 145.66 ng/ml, Tmax: 4 h for postaural injection; Cmax: 100.87 ± 48.05 ng/ml, Tmax: 2 h for intraperitoneal injection). Some investigators addressed how a difference in the dosing route can affect drug pharmacokinetics in the rat cochlea, as follows (Grondin et al., 2013): They administered antioxidant D-methionine to animals intratracheally, intranasally, orally, or intravenously; sampled a cochlear fluid containing both perilymph and endolymph; and examined the compounds’ behavior by LC-MS. The pulmonary delivery induced the highest concentrations of methionine (Cmax: 110.3 ± 27.6 µM) and its metabolite acetyl-L-carnitine (Cmax: 12.9 ± 12.5 µM), whereas the intranasal route was the least effective: Cmax of 12.0 ± 7.4 µM for methionine and 2.9 ± 0.3 µM for the metabolite. multiple live animals, and the samples are chemically analyzed in vitro. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a commonly used technique for the quantification of different classes of drugs in the cochlea (Figure 2). IN VITRO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS The analytes are ototoxic drugs, such as loop diuretics and platinum anticancer drugs, as well as therapeutic agents for deafness, including corticosteroids (Green et al., 1981; Rybak et al., 1984; Laurell et al., 1995; Hahn et al., 2012; Liu et al., 2015). In guinea pigs and chinchillas, drug behavior in cochlear fluids is characterized by a slow time course of the distribution and elimination of the drugs, as compared to the kinetic profiles of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (Hara et al., 1993; Laurell et al., 1995; Parnes et al., 1999; Hellberg et al., 2009). The relevance of different administration routes to the pharmacokinetics has also been reported; the level of corticosteroids in perilymph after intratympanic administration is significantly higher than that after administration via systemic routes, e.g., intravenous injection or oral gavage (Parnes et al., 1999). Regarding hydrocortisone, maximum concentration (Cmax) and the time to achieve Cmax (i.e., Tmax) for different administration routes are as follows: 72.42 ± 23.31 mg/L and 1 h for intratympanic injection, 2.03 ± 0.22 mg/L and 1 h for intravenous injection, and 0.86 ± 0.22 at 4 h for oral gavage. In guinea pigs treated with dexamethasone or cisplatin, a small aliquot of cochlear perilymph is aspirated gradually and sequentially via a narrow glass capillary inserted into the apex to determine the longitudinal gradient of the drug concentrations along the cochlea axis. The dexamethasone level in the basal region (136 ± 185 μg/ml) exceeds that in the apical region (∼1 μg/ ml) for 2–3 h after intratympanic injection (Plontke et al., 2008). As for cisplatin, its perilymphatic concentration is 4-fold higher in the base than in the apex 10 min after intravenous administration (Hellberg et al., 2013). Notably, this gradient disappears in 30 min. The endolymph in the scala media is more difficult to access and has much smaller volume (∼2 µl) than does the perilymph in the scala tympani and scala vestibuli (∼10 µl) (Shinomori et al., 2001). Nevertheless, this K+-enriched fluid has been analyzed in a few studies. Some researchers approached the guinea pig cochlea and quantified corticosteroids in endolymph (Parnes et al., 1999). They demonstrated that a few hours after intratympanic administration, hydrocortisone concentration in endolymph substantially exceeds that in perilymph. Other authors examined the pharmacokinetics of an ototoxic loop diuretic, furosemide, in the endolymph of guinea pigs (Hara et al., 1993). Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org IN VIVO IMAGING TECHNIQUES Molecular imaging is widely utilized to analyze biological phenomena and is applied in pharmacological research. Recent progress in optics and data-processing techniques offers a variety of options. Fluorescence imaging using confocal microscopy is a common method. This approach is characterized by the high spatial resolution of several hundred nanometers and can determine the cellular distribution or subcellular localization of drugs in biological samples. In the cochlea, the distribution of dexamethasone was visualized as follows: mice were treated with dexamethasone via hypodermic or intratympanic routes, and the distribution and pharmacokinetics in cochlear slice sections were examined (Grewal et al., 2013). The drug was immunohistochemically detected with a specific antibody and a secondary antibody conjugated with a fluorescent molecule. Fluorescence was well pronounced in inner hair cells, and this cellular signal gradually decreased from the base toward the apex along the cochlear axis. In addition, dexamethasone injected via the transtympanic route was retained in the hair cells for the long period of 12 h, whereas the systemically administered drug was rapidly eliminated from the cells, with weak staining at 6 h and almost no signal after 12 h. In rats, an intracochlear distribution of dexamethasone was determined (Lee et al., 2018); in that study, the compound was directly labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. Obvious signals were noted in the spiral ganglion, organ of Corti, and lateral cochlear wall 6 h and 3 days after intraperitoneal or intratympanic injection. Furthermore, in these tissue components, the drug was likely to be retained for 7 days after intratympanic administration, whereas at that time point, only a small proportion remained there in the case of systemic application. Distribution and pharmacokinetics of gentamicin and cisplatin are examined by fluorescence imaging as well. One research group assayed gentamicin in the inner ear of chinchillas by an immunolabeling approach and analyzed the difference in the effect on the drug behavior between intratympanic injection and a sustained release from an osmotic pump (Roehm et al., 2007). Cochlear samples were evaluated at 4 and 8 h. With either administration route, the fluorescent signal was concentrated on the spiral ganglion, lateral wall, and organ of Corti. A minimal concentration gradient was observed along the longitudinal axis of the cochlea. In another work, fluorescent- dye–conjugated cisplatin was used to determine the cellular distribution in the mouse cochlea (Figure 3A) (Breglio et al., 2017). IN VIVO IMAGING TECHNIQUES The procedure for preparation of the cisplatin ototoxicity Molecular imaging is widely utilized to analyze biological phenomena and is applied in pharmacological research. Recent progress in optics and data-processing techniques offers a variety of options. Fluorescence imaging using confocal microscopy is a common method. This approach is characterized by the high spatial resolution of several hundred nanometers and can determine the cellular distribution or subcellular localization of drugs in biological samples. In the cochlea, the distribution of dexamethasone was visualized as follows: mice were treated with dexamethasone via hypodermic or intratympanic routes, and the distribution and pharmacokinetics in cochlear slice sections were examined (Grewal et al., 2013). The drug was immunohistochemically detected with a specific antibody and a secondary antibody conjugated with a fluorescent molecule. Fluorescence was well pronounced in inner hair cells, and this cellular signal gradually decreased from the base toward the apex along the cochlear axis. In addition, dexamethasone injected via the transtympanic route was retained in the hair cells for the long period of 12 h, whereas the systemically administered drug was rapidly eliminated from the cells, with weak staining at 6 h and almost no signal after 12 h. In rats, an intracochlear distribution of dexamethasone was determined (Lee et al., 2018); in that study, the compound was directly labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. Obvious signals were noted in the spiral ganglion, organ of Corti, and lateral cochlear wall 6 h and 3 days after intraperitoneal or intratympanic injection. Furthermore, in these tissue components, the drug was likely to be retained for 7 days after intratympanic administration, whereas at that time point, only a small proportion remained there in the case of systemic application. Distribution and pharmacokinetics of gentamicin and cisplatin are examined by fluorescence imaging as well. One research group assayed gentamicin in the inner ear of chinchillas by an immunolabeling approach and analyzed the difference in the effect on the drug behavior between intratympanic injection and a sustained release from an osmotic pump (Roehm et al., 2007). Cochlear samples were evaluated at 4 and 8 h. With either administration route, the fluorescent signal was concentrated on the spiral ganglion, lateral wall, and organ of Corti. A minimal concentration gradient was observed along the longitudinal axis of the cochlea. In another work, fluorescent- dye–conjugated cisplatin was used to determine the cellular distribution in the mouse cochlea (Figure 3A) (Breglio et al., 2017). IN VITRO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS Nevertheless, the method remains invasive because it should be accompanied by insertion of a sampling probe with a diameter of >200 µm into the cochlea; this technique may damage tissue structure and affect fluid flow (Khan and Michael, 2003). In addition, considerable prolonged sample collection is likely necessary to ensure the quantitativity of drug concentration. IN VITRO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS All the analytical methods described above require a few invasive procedures for animal preparation. First, because the cochlea is deeply buried in the temporal bone, a surgical procedure to approach this organ is mandatory. Further, it is necessary to make a fenestra on the cochlear bony wall to sample Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC- MS) has the advantage of highly sensitive detection of drugs as well as accurate separation of compounds with similar structure, May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org 4 Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Sawamura et al. cochlear fluids. Additionally, the sampling requires insertion and indwelling of pipettes or tubes. Another problem is that excess collection of perilymph or endolymph is likely to impair physiological function of the cochlea and to contaminate such fluids with neighboring blood and cerebrospinal fluid. Owing to this issue as well as the extremely small total volume of perilymph (∼10 μl) and endolymph (∼2 μl; guinea pig), only a limited amount of cochlear fluids can be obtained. In this context, highly sophisticated and expert skills are necessary to implement stable and reproducible experiments. Most investigators validate the purity of a sample and/or intactness of cochlear function during fluid aspiration by measuring perilymphatic and/or endolymphatic physiological parameters such as ion concentrations and a potential (Green et al., 1981; Rybak et al., 1984; Hara et al., 1993; Parnes et al., 1999). On the basis of such observations, it seems probable that cochleostomy and contamination with cerebrospinal fluid during sample collection considerably affect drug kinetics (Salt and Plontke, 2005). An additional concern is relatively low spatial resolution. The conventional methods require certain amounts of samples and therefore necessitate the collection of perilymph or endolymph compartments that may originate from a wide range of cochlear chambers. As described above, a few research groups have examined the longitudinal gradient of drug distribution in the guinea pig cochlea (Plontke et al., 2008; Hellberg et al., 2013; Salt et al., 2016). In these cases, perilymph was sequentially sampled from a hole made in the cochlear apex such that the fluid was sorted into 10 or fewer segments along the longitudinal axis. Spatial resolution of this procedure may be worse than 1 mm because the total longitudinal length is approximately 18 mm (Shinomori et al., 2001). IN VITRO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS It is also crucial that the number of samplings of cochlear fluids be practically restricted to once or twice in an individual animal. Therefore, a large number of animals should be examined to determine the kinetics of a drug over time. In this regard, significant differences in the data are observed among different animals, and this interanimal variation can interfere with accurate determination of pharmacokinetics (Hahn et al., 2006). This disadvantage further worsens time resolution of the kinetic data. The Tmax values of the majority of drugs are in the scale of dozens of minutes to several hours when administrated to living animals systemically (Rowland and Tozer, 2005; Brunton et al., 2018). Therefore, ideally, the drug concentration should be measured every 2–10 min for a few hours or even for a few days to accurately understand the kinetics. Nonetheless, to achieve this resolution with the conventional methods, a large number of experimental animals is required. Accordingly, in most studies, the data are collected at an interval of dozens of minutes or hours. These problems may be at least in part overcome by a microdialysis technique that can continuously obtain biological samples from an individual animal (Chaurasia et al., 2007). Nevertheless, the method remains invasive because it should be accompanied by insertion of a sampling probe with a diameter of >200 µm into the cochlea; this technique may damage tissue In summary, HPLC, LC-MS, and an immunoassay with sampled perilymph and endolymph are the methods frequently used for quantifying drug concentrations in these cochlear fluids over time. Although such conventional methods have provided key insights into the pharmacokinetics of a few ototoxic and therapeutic reagents, the shortcomings to be addressed are the invasiveness associated with the sampling, low spatiotemporal resolution, and necessity of a large number of animals for the determination of longitudinal drug behavior. cochlear fluids. Additionally, the sampling requires insertion and indwelling of pipettes or tubes. Another problem is that excess collection of perilymph or endolymph is likely to impair physiological function of the cochlea and to contaminate such fluids with neighboring blood and cerebrospinal fluid. Owing to this issue as well as the extremely small total volume of perilymph (∼10 μl) and endolymph (∼2 μl; guinea pig), only a limited amount of cochlear fluids can be obtained. In this context, highly sophisticated and expert skills are necessary to implement stable and reproducible experiments. IN VITRO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS Most investigators validate the purity of a sample and/or intactness of cochlear function during fluid aspiration by measuring perilymphatic and/or endolymphatic physiological parameters such as ion concentrations and a potential (Green et al., 1981; Rybak et al., 1984; Hara et al., 1993; Parnes et al., 1999). On the basis of such observations, it seems probable that cochleostomy and contamination with cerebrospinal fluid during sample collection considerably affect drug kinetics (Salt and Plontke, 2005). An additional concern is relatively low spatial resolution. The conventional methods require certain amounts of samples and therefore necessitate the collection of perilymph or endolymph compartments that may originate from a wide range of cochlear chambers. As described above, a few research groups have examined the longitudinal gradient of drug distribution in the guinea pig cochlea (Plontke et al., 2008; Hellberg et al., 2013; Salt et al., 2016). In these cases, perilymph was sequentially sampled from a hole made in the cochlear apex such that the fluid was sorted into 10 or fewer segments along the longitudinal axis. Spatial resolution of this procedure may be worse than 1 mm because the total longitudinal length is approximately 18 mm (Shinomori et al., 2001). It is also crucial that the number of samplings of cochlear fluids be practically restricted to once or twice in an individual animal. Therefore, a large number of animals should be examined to determine the kinetics of a drug over time. In this regard, significant differences in the data are observed among different animals, and this interanimal variation can interfere with accurate determination of pharmacokinetics (Hahn et al., 2006). This disadvantage further worsens time resolution of the kinetic data. The Tmax values of the majority of drugs are in the scale of dozens of minutes to several hours when administrated to living animals systemically (Rowland and Tozer, 2005; Brunton et al., 2018). Therefore, ideally, the drug concentration should be measured every 2–10 min for a few hours or even for a few days to accurately understand the kinetics. Nonetheless, to achieve this resolution with the conventional methods, a large number of experimental animals is required. Accordingly, in most studies, the data are collected at an interval of dozens of minutes or hours. These problems may be at least in part overcome by a microdialysis technique that can continuously obtain biological samples from an individual animal (Chaurasia et al., 2007). IN VIVO IMAGING TECHNIQUES After the completion of the regimen, a fluorescent signal was well pronounced in the stria vascularis and moderately strong in the spiral ganglion, organ of Corti, and interscalar septum, a bony plate that separates adjoining cochlear turns. HPLC and MS. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that labeling a drug with fluorescent molecules can affect its properties related to pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution. HPLC and MS. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that labeling a drug with fluorescent molecules can affect its properties related to pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution. Imaging mass spectrometry is an advanced technique that extends mass spectrometry to two-dimensional mapping of substances in biological samples. This approach can quantitatively determine a spatial distribution of a broad array of molecules, such as drugs, proteins, and their metabolites, at high resolution (McDonnell and Heeren, 2007). A practical example is a cisplatin distribution in a cochlear slice section in mice (Breglio et al., 2017). Although imaging mass spectrometry requires no labeling procedure for the compounds, the samples need to be prepared from the cochleae extracted from euthanized animals. Therefore, pharmacokinetics cannot be assessed over time in a live animal. Imaging mass spectrometry is an advanced technique that extends mass spectrometry to two-dimensional mapping of substances in biological samples. This approach can quantitatively determine a spatial distribution of a broad array of molecules, such as drugs, proteins, and their metabolites, at high resolution (McDonnell and Heeren, 2007). A practical example is a cisplatin distribution in a cochlear slice section in mice (Breglio et al., 2017). Although imaging mass spectrometry requires no labeling procedure for the compounds, the samples need to be prepared from the cochleae extracted from euthanized animals. Therefore, pharmacokinetics cannot be assessed over time in a live animal. The imaging approaches mentioned above provide crucial insights into drug distribution, which is valuable for understanding the mechanisms underlying desired and adverse therapeutic effects. Nevertheless, some disadvantages should be considered. In general, this method is applied to slice sections of cochlear tissues dissected from euthanized animals. Therefore, only single-timepoint data can be obtained from an individual animal. Furthermore, in many cases, the cochlea is perfused with phosphate buffers and/or fixation agents before sectioning. This pretreatment washes out the drugs from the scala tympani, scala vestibuli, and/or scala media to some extent. IN VIVO IMAGING TECHNIQUES The procedure for preparation of the cisplatin ototoxicity May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org 5 Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Sawamura et al. FIGURE 3 | In vivo imaging analyses of the cochlea. (A) Confocal image of a slice from cochlear cryosections of mice systemically administered cisplatin conjugated with a green fluorescent dye, BODIPY FL. The green signal indicates cisplatin accumulation. SG: spiral ganglion, OC: organ of Corti, SV: stria vascularis, IS: interscalar septum. Adapted from Breglio et al. (2017) with permission from Springer Nature. Copyright (2017) Nature Communications. (B,C) Three-dimensional magnetic resonance images taken 1 day after intratympanic injection of gadolinium in a patient with Meniere’s disease. (B) Gadolinium signals are observed in the perilymphatic area of the basal and second turns of the cochlea, as well as in the vestibule and semicircular canals. Large black areas in the vestibule represent vestibular endolymphatic hydrops (arrow). (C) The same image scanned at a different cross-section. The scala tympani of the three turns of the cochlea are clearly visualized by gadolinium. Adapted from Nakashima et al. (2007) with permission from John Wiley and Sons. Copyright (2007) The Laryngoscope. FIGURE 3 | In vivo imaging analyses of the cochlea. (A) Confocal image of a slice from cochlear cryosections of mice systemically administered cisplatin conjugated with a green fluorescent dye, BODIPY FL. The green signal indicates cisplatin accumulation. SG: spiral ganglion, OC: organ of Corti, SV: stria vascularis, IS: interscalar septum. Adapted from Breglio et al. (2017) with permission from Springer Nature. Copyright (2017) Nature Communications. (B,C) Three-dimensional magnetic resonance images taken 1 day after intratympanic injection of gadolinium in a patient with Meniere’s disease. (B) Gadolinium signals are observed in the perilymphatic area of the basal and second turns of the cochlea, as well as in the vestibule and semicircular canals. Large black areas in the vestibule represent vestibular endolymphatic hydrops (arrow). (C) The same image scanned at a different cross-section. The scala tympani of the three turns of the cochlea are clearly visualized by gadolinium. Adapted from Nakashima et al. (2007) with permission from John Wiley and Sons. Copyright (2007) The Laryngoscope. model was as follows: The mice underwent three cycles of cisplatin treatment; each cycle consisted of intraperitoneal drug administration at 3.5 mg/kg per day for four consecutive days, followed by a recovery period of 10 days. Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org IN VIVO ELECTROCHEMISTRY Electrochemistry with the help of small and sharp electrodes is a powerful analytical method for detecting substances in vivo. In this procedure, the electrode is directly exposed to a solution containing chemical compound(s); application of suitable potentials to this sensor causes a redox reaction of the compound. The reaction is accompanied by a transfer of electron(s), whose number depends on the concentration of the reactant. Therefore, the detected current density is commensurate with the concentration of the compound (Bagotsky, 2005). The conventional materials utilized for constructing the electrodes are gold, platinum, and some carbon types including glassy carbon. A major application of this technique is the monitoring of neurotransmitters in the brain (Venton and Wightman, 2003; Jackowska and Krysinski, 2013); a limited number of investigators have examined the cochlea. An example is real-time measurement of ascorbate concentration in the perilymph of guinea pigs by means of carbon fiber microelectrodes modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (Liu et al., 2012). This experiment showed that when ototoxic salicylate was injected into perilymph through a microinfusion system, ascorbate concentration sharply decreased to 28 ± 10% (45.0 ± 5.1 μM) of its baseline level in 2.5 min. The other approach is a microsensing system that we recently developed (Ogata et al., 2017). The sensor here is a needle-type electrode composed of boron-doped diamond (BDD), which is an advanced material for electrochemistry (Figure 4A), and this sensor was employed for in vivo real-time detection of a drug. BDD has several prominent advantages (Einaga et al., 2001; Fujishima et al., 2005). First, this material offers high physicochemical stability and response speed and thus enables prolonged recording with high temporal resolution. Additionally, a BDD electrode can detect a broad array of compounds due to the wider potential window of water stability as compared with that of classic materials such as carbon, platinum, and gold. Moreover, the background noise induced by the reaction on the BDD electrode is low. These characteristics depend primarily on the properties of the electrode’s surface, which is composed predominantly of sp3 carbon; this material reduces the adsorption of reactants to the electrode (Fujishima et al., 2005). In our microsensing system, the needle-type BDD microelectrode was combined with a glass microelectrode, which can monitor cellular electrical activity in a small area (Ogata et al., 2017). Drug behavior can be determined every 5 s, thereby providing high temporal resolution for pharmacokinetic studies. IN VIVO IMAGING TECHNIQUES Note that in >50% of the tested cochleae, a significant inflammatory response was found in the scala tympani with either contrast agent. CT can yield tomographic images of an object via multiangle X-ray scanning. Combining the multiple images results in the reconstruction of three- dimensional structure of the object. μCT is a specialized technique that is characterized by high spatial resolution and is applicable to tiny biological samples. A few researchers have taken the challenge of μCT imaging of cochlear fluids in live animals. For instance, in mice, artificial perilymph containing an iodine-based contrast agent, ioversol, was continuously perfused into the cochleae from the scala tympani at the basal turn, while μCT imaging was performed on the organ (Haghpanahi et al., 2013). A series of scans took 13.2 min, which visualized the anatomy of the whole cochlea (voxel size: 15 × 15 × 15 μm). From signal intensities in each pixel of the image, the distribution and kinetics of the agent were determined over ∼90 min within scala tympani and scala vestibuli. As expected, the compound’s concentration was the highest at the base of the cochlea. In addition, the longitudinal gradient of the concentration stabilized 55 min after the infusion. Another research group performed μCT imaging to examine the kinetic profile of iopamidole in the mouse cochlea (Moudgalya et al., 2019). This contrast agent was infused from the scala tympani at the cochlear basal end. In each experiment, the imaging was started after ∼30 min of iopamidole infusion. Five contrast scanning images were continuously acquired during 20 min. The temporal distribution of the agent along the longitudinal axis was quantified in the scala tympani, scala media, and scala vestibuli by using reconstructed three-dimensional images. By means of this spatiotemporal profile, diffusion and transport parameters of the agent were estimated to be: the diffusion coefficient at zero concentration (D0)  6.226 × 10–4 mm2/s and transport coefficients between the scala tympani and scala media (KST-SM)  1.01 × 10–3 mm/s, between the scala media and scala vestibuli (KSM-SV)  0.38 × 10–3 mm/s, and between scala media and a clearance compartment (KSM-clearance)  0.035 × 10–3 mm/s. This information was used to develop a cochlear pharmacokinetic model. IN VIVO IMAGING TECHNIQUES A series of scans took 13.2 min, which visualized the anatomy of the whole cochlea (voxel size: 15 × 15 × 15 μm). From signal intensities in each pixel of the image, the distribution and kinetics of the agent were determined over ∼90 min within scala tympani and scala vestibuli. As expected, the compound’s concentration was the highest at the base of the cochlea. In addition, the longitudinal gradient of the concentration stabilized 55 min after the infusion. Another research group performed μCT imaging to examine the kinetic profile of iopamidole in the mouse cochlea (Moudgalya et al., 2019). This contrast agent was infused from the scala tympani at the cochlear basal end. In each experiment, the imaging was started after ∼30 min of iopamidole infusion. Five contrast scanning images were continuously acquired during 20 min. The temporal distribution of the agent along the longitudinal axis was quantified in the scala tympani, scala media, and scala vestibuli by using reconstructed three-dimensional images. By means of this spatiotemporal profile, diffusion and transport parameters of the agent were estimated to be: the diffusion coefficient at zero concentration (D0)  6.226 × 10–4 mm2/s and transport coefficients between the scala tympani and scala media (KST-SM)  1.01 × 10–3 mm/s, between the scala media and scala vestibuli (KSM-SV)  0.38 × 10–3 mm/s, and between scala media and a clearance compartment (KSM-clearance)  0.035 × 10–3 mm/s. This information was used to develop a cochlear pharmacokinetic model. So far the application of the three dimensional live imaging the drugs; this modification may alter the kinetics, distribution, and pharmacological effects in some cases. Besides, it is difficult for this methodology to separate the signals of parent drugs from the signals of their metabolites. (Figure 3B). The behavior of the injected contrast agent was analyzed too; gadolinium first went into the basal turn of the scala tympani and then spread to almost all parts of perilymphatic space 1 day after the injection (Figure 3C). In rats, the perilymphatic space was visualized through 9.4 T µMRI imaging. The cochlea was scanned every 30 min from the timepoint of 1–4 h after intratympanic injection of either gadoterate meglumine or gadodiamide (Park et al., 2016). The perilymphatic space, but not endolymphatic space, was clearly analyzed in live animals. IN VIVO IMAGING TECHNIQUES These shortcomings can be addressed by two-photon excitation microscopy, which employs highly tissue-penetrating long-wavelength types of light and thus enables live and deep-tissue imaging. Nevertheless, readers should keep in mind that exposure to high-power laser pulses for a long period can have deleterious effects, including photobleaching and heating (Huisken and Stainier, 2009). The other problem for fluorescence imaging is relatively low quantitativity as compared to in vitro techniques such as Noninvasive three-dimensional imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and micro–computed tomography (μCT) are available for physiological and pharmacological studies. MRI can acquire information on tissue structures and functions by measuring the signals generated by magnetic resonance of certain atomic nuclei. A contrast agent, gadolinium hydrate, was injected intratympanically into patients with an inner ear disorder, Meniere’s disease, and the distribution was monitored over time to track the sizes of the cochlear chambers, scala tympani, and scala vestibuli (Nakashima et al., 2007). With this technique, endolymphatic hydrops was detected clearly May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 6 Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Sawamura et al. (Figure 3B). The behavior of the injected contrast agent was analyzed too; gadolinium first went into the basal turn of the scala tympani and then spread to almost all parts of perilymphatic space 1 day after the injection (Figure 3C). In rats, the perilymphatic space was visualized through 9.4 T µMRI imaging. The cochlea was scanned every 30 min from the timepoint of 1–4 h after intratympanic injection of either gadoterate meglumine or gadodiamide (Park et al., 2016). The perilymphatic space, but not endolymphatic space, was clearly analyzed in live animals. Note that in >50% of the tested cochleae, a significant inflammatory response was found in the scala tympani with either contrast agent. CT can yield tomographic images of an object via multiangle X-ray scanning. Combining the multiple images results in the reconstruction of three- dimensional structure of the object. μCT is a specialized technique that is characterized by high spatial resolution and is applicable to tiny biological samples. A few researchers have taken the challenge of μCT imaging of cochlear fluids in live animals. For instance, in mice, artificial perilymph containing an iodine-based contrast agent, ioversol, was continuously perfused into the cochleae from the scala tympani at the basal turn, while μCT imaging was performed on the organ (Haghpanahi et al., 2013). Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org IN VIVO ELECTROCHEMISTRY As a test analyte, we selected the ototoxic reagent bumetanide; this loop diuretic can reduce the EP in endolymph and thus induce hearing loss (Figure 4B). The BDD microelectrode, when placed in perilymph, detected a clear-cut and rapid response with Tmax of ∼1.5 min and Cmax So far, the application of the three-dimensional live imaging mentioned above has been restricted to the quantitation of contrast agents per se. This approach may be applied to different ototoxic or therapeutic drugs from the standpoint of minimally invasive pharmacokinetic studies in live animals. Nonetheless, there are a few limitations to this method. Firstly, temporal resolution is still insufficient because multiple scanning for three-dimensional reconstruction of the object takes 10–30 min. Furthermore, these techniques require labeling of May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org 7 Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Sawamura et al. FIGURE 4 | In vivo electrochemical drug monitoring with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode. (A) A needle-type BDD microelectrode. As shown in the left panel, the BDD needle was encased with a glass capillary tube. The needle tip, which has a diameter of ∼40 μm, was pulled out of the capillary. The right panel displays a magnified image of the tip obtained by means of a scanning electron microscope. (B) The experimental setup for in vivo detection of bumetanide in a cochlea. A BDD microelectrode was inserted into the perilymph of the scala tympani (ST), whereas a glass microelectrode for recording of the endocochlear potential (EP) was placed in the endolymph of the scala media (SM). SV: scala vestibuli. (C) In vivo recording of bumetanide levels in the cochlea. Bumetanide was injected into the external jugular vein 30 min (arrowhead) after the onset of the measurement. The green line denotes the current detected by the BDD microelectrode, whereas the EP measured with the glass microelectrode is displayed by the red line. The concentration scale on the vertical axis was calculated on the basis of in vitro calibration of the BDD electrode (for details, see Ogata et al., 2017). The brown line means the in vivo limit of detection for the microelectrode. Adapted from Ogata et al. (2017) with permission from Springer Nature. Copyright (2017) Nature Biomedical Engineering. (D) Schematic illustration of the in vivo experimental setup for methylcobalamin detection in a guinea pig. IN VIVO ELECTROCHEMISTRY The system contains two different BDD microsensors: one was inserted into cochlear perilymph, and the other was placed in the extracellular space of the gracilis muscle of the right hind leg. (E,F) In vivo recording of methylcobalamin concentrations. The currents in perilymph (blue) and in the muscle (red) were simultaneously measured with two BDD microelectrodes. The concentration scales on the vertical axis are derived from in vitro calibration for each electrode (for details, see Hanawa et al., 2020). Methylcobalamin (10 mg/kg) was injected into the left external jugular vein at 30 min (filled arrowhead) after the onset of the recording. Then, doxorubicin (5 mg/kg) was injected via the same route (open arrowhead). The trace in the boxed region in (E) is enlarged in panel (F). The limit of detection (LOD) for each microsensor is indicated as a blue (muscle) or red (cochlea) dotted line. Adapted from Hanawa et al. (2020) with permission. Copyright (2020) American Chemical Society. FIGURE 4 | In vivo electrochemical drug monitoring with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode. (A) A needle-type BDD microelectrode. As shown in the left panel, the BDD needle was encased with a glass capillary tube. The needle tip, which has a diameter of ∼40 μm, was pulled out of the capillary. The right panel displays a magnified image of the tip obtained by means of a scanning electron microscope. (B) The experimental setup for in vivo detection of bumetanide in a cochlea. A BDD microelectrode was inserted into the perilymph of the scala tympani (ST), whereas a glass microelectrode for recording of the endocochlear potential (EP) was placed in the endolymph of the scala media (SM). SV: scala vestibuli. (C) In vivo recording of bumetanide levels in the cochlea. Bumetanide was injected into the external jugular vein 30 min (arrowhead) after the onset of the measurement. The green line denotes the current detected by the BDD microelectrode, whereas the EP measured with the glass microelectrode is displayed by the red line. The concentration scale on the vertical axis was calculated on the basis of in vitro calibration of the BDD electrode (for details, see Ogata et al., 2017). The brown line means the in vivo limit of detection for the microelectrode. Adapted from Ogata et al. (2017) with permission from Springer Nature. Copyright (2017) Nature Biomedical Engineering. (D) Schematic illustration of the in vivo experimental setup for methylcobalamin detection in a guinea pig. IN VIVO ELECTROCHEMISTRY The system contains two different BDD microsensors: one was inserted into cochlear perilymph, and the other was placed in the extracellular space of the gracilis muscle of the right hind leg. (E,F) In vivo recording of methylcobalamin concentrations. The currents in perilymph (blue) and in the muscle (red) were simultaneously measured with two BDD microelectrodes. The concentration scales on the vertical axis are derived from in vitro calibration for each electrode (for details, see Hanawa et al., 2020). Methylcobalamin (10 mg/kg) was injected into the left external jugular vein at 30 min (filled arrowhead) after the onset of the recording. Then, doxorubicin (5 mg/kg) was injected via the same route (open arrowhead). The trace in the boxed region in (E) is enlarged in panel (F). The limit of detection (LOD) for each microsensor is indicated as a blue (muscle) or red (cochlea) dotted line. Adapted from Hanawa et al. (2020) with permission. Copyright (2020) American Chemical Society. space of a leg muscle (Figure 4D). Then, a solution containing 10 mg/kg methylcobalamin was injected into the left external jugular vein. Figure 4E shows a representative recording. Over a period of 120 min, little change in the current was observed in perilymph. By contrast, a clear response was detectable in the leg muscle; current amplitude markedly increased immediately after the injection and reached a peak of 0.4 μM in 45 min. As a control experiment, 5 mg/kg doxorubicin, which can react on a BDD microelectrode (Ogata et al., 2017), was additionally injected at a time point of 150 min (Figures 4E,F). As expected, a rapid response was detectable in both perilymph and the leg muscle. Although the amount of the systemically injected methylcobalamin (10 mg/kg) greatly exceeded the clinical dose (10 μg/kg) (Yamane et al., 1995), a current exceeding the detection limit was not detectable in cochlear perilymph. These findings suggest that methylcobalamin possibly reaches compartments other than perilymph and exerts a pharmacological effect. of 5.3 µM in an experiment shown in Figure 4C. On the other hand, the EP measured by the glass microelectrode inserted into endolymph began to decrease when bumetanide concentration was maximized. Finally, the EP reached a negative value of –30 mV, which mirrors severe hearing impairment, although the signal detected by the BDD electrode returned to baseline. It is noteworthy that the drug kinetics were clearly different from the EP kinetics, which correlate with the hearing threshold. IN VIVO ELECTROCHEMISTRY These results indicate that our microsensing system can simultaneously monitor pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in a live cochlea. Additionally, we constructed a different system, composed of two BDD microelectrodes, and examined methylcobalamin concentration in separate targets (Hanawa et al., 2020). This cobalamin derivative is often administered to patients with SNHL (Wang et al., 2013). In an anesthetized guinea pig, one microsensor was inserted into cochlear perilymph in scala tympani, whereas the other was placed in the extracellular of 5.3 µM in an experiment shown in Figure 4C. On the other hand, the EP measured by the glass microelectrode inserted into endolymph began to decrease when bumetanide concentration was maximized. Finally, the EP reached a negative value of –30 mV, which mirrors severe hearing impairment, although the signal detected by the BDD electrode returned to baseline. It is noteworthy that the drug kinetics were clearly different from the EP kinetics, which correlate with the hearing threshold. These results indicate that our microsensing system can simultaneously monitor pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in a live cochlea. Additionally, we constructed a different system, composed of two BDD microelectrodes, and examined methylcobalamin concentration in separate targets (Hanawa et al., 2020). This cobalamin derivative is often administered to patients with SNHL (Wang et al., 2013). In an anesthetized guinea pig, one microsensor was inserted into cochlear perilymph in scala tympani, whereas the other was placed in the extracellular May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org 8 Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Sawamura et al. fluids is correlated with its distribution within the cellular and tissue components of the cochlear partition and lateral wall. The analytical procedures described in this review have various advantages and disadvantages. In addition to technical improvements, the combination of multiple methods will help to clarify unexpected drug behavior in the “labyrinth.” As described above, the electrochemical approach can help to monitor concentrations of substances in vivo with high sensitivity. This method can target a small region—even inside cochlear chambers—with a sharp sensor so that it can minimize contamination with off-target body fluids and cells. Nevertheless, the surgical procedures for exposure of the cochlea and for making a hole for electrode insertion on the cochlear bony wall are invasive for animals to some extent and may modestly but significantly affect hearing. Another limitation is that certain types of chemical compounds are electrochemically inactive. REFERENCES Crowson, M. G., Hertzano, R., and Tucci, D. L. (2017). Emerging Therapies for Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Otol. Neurol. 38, 792–803. doi:10.1097/MAO. 0000000000001427 Agarwal, L., and Pothier, D. D. (2009). Vasodilators and Vasoactive Substances for Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2009, CD003422. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003422.pub4 Cunningham, L. L., and Tucci, D. L. (2017). Hearing Loss in Adults. N. Engl. J. Med. 377, 2465–2473. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1616601 Dallos, P. (1981). Cochlear Physiology. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 32, 153–190. doi:10. 1146/annurev.ps.32.020181.001101 Ashmore, J. (2008). Cochlear Outer Hair Cell Motility. Physiol. Rev. 88, 173–210. doi:10.1152/physrev.00044.2006 Dallos, P. (1996). “Overview: Cochlear Neurobiology,” in The Cochlea. Editors P. Dallos, A. N. Popper, and R. R. Fay (New York, NY: Springer), 1–43. doi:10. 1007/978-1-4612-0757-3_1 Bagotsky, V. S. (2005). Fundamentals of Electrochemistry. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/047174199X Békésy, G. V., and Wever, E. G. (1960). Experiments in Hearing. 195, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Einaga, Y., Kim, G-S., Park, S-G., and Fujishima, A. (2001). A Study of the Crystalline Growth of Highly Boron-Doped CVD Diamond: Preparation of Graded-Morphology Diamond Thin Films. Diam. Relat. Mater. 10 (3–7), 306–311. doi:10.1016/S0925-9635(01)00375-2 Békésy, G. V. (1952). DC Resting Potentials Inside the Cochlear Partition. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 24, 72–76. doi:10.1121/1.1906851 Ekdale, E. G. (2016). Form and Function of the Mammalian Inner Ear. J. Anat. 228, 324–337. doi:10.1111/joa.12308 Breglio, A. M., Rusheen, A. E., Shide, E. D., Fernandez, K. A., Spielbauer, K. K., McLachlin, K. M., et al. (2017). Cisplatin Is Retained in the Cochlea Indefinitely Following Chemotherapy. Nat. Commun. 8, 1654. doi:10.1038/s41467-017- 01837-1 Fettiplace, R. (2020). Diverse Mechanisms of Sound Frequency Discrimination in the Vertebrate Cochlea. Trends Neurosci. 43, 88–102. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2019.12.003 Brunton, L. L., Hilal-Dandan, R., and Knollmann, B. C. (2018). Goodman & Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Fujishima, A., Einaga, Y., Rao, T. N., and Tryk, D. A. (2005). Diamond Electrochemistry. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. Green, T. P., Rybak, L. P., Mirkin, B. L., Juhn, S., and Morizono, T. (1981). Pharmacologic Determinants of Ototoxicity of Furosemide in the chinchilla. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 216, 537–542. Chaurasia, C. S., Müller, M., Bashaw, E. D., Benfeldt, E., Bolinder, J., Bullock, R., et al. (2007). AAPS-FDA Workshop White Paper: Microdialysis Principles, Application and Regulatory Perspectives. Pharm. Res. 24, 1014–1025. doi:10. 1007/s11095-006-9206-z Grewal, A. S., Nedzelski, J. M., Chen, J. M., and Lin, V. Y. (2013). Dexamethasone Uptake in the Murine Organ of Corti with Transtympanic versus Systemic Administration. IN VIVO ELECTROCHEMISTRY Moreover, with a needle-type microelectrode, two- dimensional mapping of drug distribution is impossible. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS SS, GO, YE, and HH conceptualized the review. SS, KAs, OR, QZ, and HH wrote the first draft. SS, SM, KAk, DI, SK, TS, YM, MM, YS, AH, and HH revised and corrected the manuscript. SS, OR, TO, SM, and MM prepared or modified the figures. All the authors contributed to the manuscript and approved the submitted version. SS, GO, YE, and HH conceptualized the review. SS, KAs, OR, QZ, and HH wrote the first draft. SS, SM, KAk, DI, SK, TS, YM, MM, YS, AH, and HH revised and corrected the manuscript. SS, OR, TO, SM, and MM prepared or modified the figures. All the authors contributed to the manuscript and approved the submitted version. DISCUSSION The determination of pharmacokinetics of ototoxic and therapeutic drugs in the cochlea should provide key insights into the mechanisms underlying drug-induced hearing loss and may facilitate the development of effective therapies for SNHL. Nonetheless, this task is still challenging due to technical hurdles. As the cochlea has a complicated structure and a “blood–labyrinth barrier” that interferes with drug permeation, it is difficult to predict the pharmacokinetics in a target small area inside the organ. The majority of pharmacokinetic studies in the cochlea have analyzed the perilymph. In this regard, these observations provide valuable insights into the permeability of a few drug molecules across the vessels and cellular membranes to the perilymph. Nevertheless, little is known about the transport of compounds into the endolymph. Furthermore, it remains largely unclear whether and how the behavior of a drug in these cochlear FUNDING This work is supported by the following research grants and funds: AMED-CREST JP20gm0810004 (to HH) from AMED, Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists 20K16005 (to SS), Grant- in-Aid for Scientific Research B 18H03513 (to GO), Grant- in-Aid for Young Scientists 19K16442 (to RO), Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists 19K16826 (to YM), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research C 20K07842 (to MM), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research A 18H04062 (to HH), and Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research 20K21883 (to HH) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. REFERENCES Visualization of Endolymphatic Hydrops in Patients with Meniere’s Disease. Laryngoscope 117, 415–420. doi:10.1097/MLG.0b013e31802c300c Nin, F., Hibino, H., Doi, K., Suzuki, T., Hisa, Y., and Kurachi, Y. (2008). The Endocochlear Potential Depends on Two K+ Diffusion Potentials and an Electrical Barrier in the Stria Vascularis of the Inner Ear. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 105, 1751–1756. doi:10.1073/pnas.0711463105 Hanawa, A., Ogata, G., Sawamura, S., Asai, K., Kanzaki, S., Hibino, H., et al. (2020). In vivo real-time Simultaneous Examination of Drug Kinetics at Two Separate Locations Using Boron-Doped Diamond Microelectrodes. Anal. Chem. 92, 13742–13749. doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01707 Nin, F., Yoshida, T., Sawamura, S., Ogata, G., Ota, T., Higuchi, T., et al. (2016). The Unique Electrical Properties in an Extracellular Fluid of the Mammalian Cochlea; Their Functional Roles, Homeostatic Processes, and Pathological Significance. Pflugers Arch. 468, 1637–1649. doi:10.1007/s00424-016-1871-0 Hara, A., Machiki, K., Senarita, M., Komeno, M., and Kusakari, J. (1993). Pharmacokinetics of Furosemide in Endolymph. Auris Nasus Larynx 20, 247–254. doi:10.1016/s0385-8146(12)80116-7 Hellberg, V., Wallin, I., Eriksson, S., Hernlund, E., Jerremalm, E., Berndtsson, M., et al. (2009). Cisplatin and Oxaliplatin Toxicity: Importance of Cochlear Kinetics as a Determinant for Ototoxicity. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 101, 37–47. doi:10.1093/jnci/djn418 Ogata, G., Ishii, Y., Asai, K., Sano, Y., Nin, F., Yoshida, T., et al. (2017). A Microsensing System for the in vivo Real-Time Detection of Local Drug Kinetics. Nat. Biomed. Eng. 1, 654–666. doi:10.1038/s41551-017-0118-5 Oghalai, J. S. (2004). The Cochlear Amplifier: Augmentation of the Traveling Wave within the Inner Ear. Curr. Opin. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 12, 431–438. doi:10.1097/01.moo.0000134449.05454.82 Hellberg, V., Wallin, I., Ehrsson, H., and Laurell, G. (2013). Cochlear Pharmacokinetics of Cisplatin: an in vivo Study in the Guinea Pig. Laryngoscope 123, 3172–3177. doi:10.1002/lary.24235 Park, M., Lee, H. S., Kim, H., Oh, S. H., Lee, J. H., and Suh, M-W. (2016). Differences in Perilymphatic Space Enhancement and Adverse Inflammatory Reaction after Intratympanic Injection of Two Different Gadolinium Agents: A 9.4-T Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. Hear. Res. 333, 118–126. doi:10. 1016/j.heares.2015.10.022 Hibino, H., and Kurachi, Y. (2006). Molecular and Physiological Bases of the K+ Circulation in the Mammalian Inner Ear. Physiology (Bethesda) 21, 336–345. doi:10.1152/physiol.00023.2006 Hibino, H., Nin, F., Tsuzuki, C., and Kurachi, Y. (2010). How Is the Highly Positive Endocochlear Potential Formed? the Specific Architecture of the Stria Vascularis and the Roles of the Ion-Transport Apparatus. Pflugers Arch. 459, 521–533. doi:10.1007/s00424-009-0754-z Parnes, L. S., Sun, A-H., and Freeman, D. J. (1999). REFERENCES Corticosteroid Pharmacokinetics in the Inner Ear Fluids: an Animal Study Followed by Clinical Application. Laryngoscope 109 (S91), 1–17. doi:10.1097/00005537-199907001-00001 Hoffer, M. E., Allen, K., Kopke, R. D., Weisskopf, P., Gottshall, K., and Wester, D. (2001). Transtympanic Versus Sustained-Release Administration of Gentamicin: Kinetics, Morphology, and Function. Laryngoscope 111, 1343–1357. doi:10.1097/00005537-200108000-00007 Plontke, S. K., Mynatt, R., Gill, R. M., Borgmann, S., and Salt, A. N. (2007). Concentration Gradient along the Scala Tympani after Local Application of Gentamicin to the Round Window Membrane. Laryngoscope 117, 1191–1198. doi:10.1097/MLG.0b013e318058a06b Hudspeth, A. J. (1989). How the Ear’s Works Work. Nature 341, 397–404. doi:10. 1038/341397a0 Plontke, S. K., Biegner, T., Kammerer, B., Delabar, U., and Salt, A. N. (2008). Dexamethasone Concentration Gradients along Scala Tympani after Application to the Round Window Membrane. Otol. Neurotol. 29, 401–406. doi:10.1097/MAO.0b013e318161aaae Hudspeth, A. J. (2014). Integrating the Active Process of Hair Cells with Cochlear Function. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 15, 600–614. doi:10.1038/nrn3786 Huisken, J., and Stainier, D. Y. R. (2009). Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy Techniques in Developmental Biology. Development 136, 1963–1975. doi:10. 1242/dev.022426 Rauch, S. D. (2008). Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. N. Engl. J. Med. 359, 833–840. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp0802129 Reichenbach, T., and Hudspeth, A. J. (2014). The Physics of Hearing: Fluid Mechanics and the Active Process of the Inner Ear. Rep. Prog. Phys. 77, 076601. doi:10.1088/0034-4885/77/7/076601 Jackowska, K., and Krysinski, P. (2013). New Trends in the Electrochemical Sensing of Dopamine. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 405, 3753–3771. doi:10.1007/ s00216-012-6578-2 Roehm, P., Hoffer, M., and Balaban, C. D. (2007). Gentamicin Uptake in the chinchilla Inner Ear. Hear. Res. 230 (1–2), 43–52. doi:10.1016/j.heares.2007. 04.005 Khan, A. S., and Michael, A. C. (2003). Invasive Consequences of Using Micro- electrodes and Microdialysis Probes in the Brain. Trends Anal. Chem. 22, 503–508. doi:10.1016/S0165-9936(03)00908-7 Rowland, M., and Tozer, T. N. (2005). Clinical Pharmacokinetics/ Pharmacodynamics. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Lanvers-Kaminsky, C., Zehnhoff-Dinnesen, A. A., Parfitt, R., and Ciarimboli, G. (2017). Drug-induced Ototoxicity: Mechanisms, Pharmacogenetics, and Protective Strategies. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 101, 491–500. doi:10.1002/cpt.603 Rybak, L. P., Green, T. P., Juhn, S. K., and Morizono, T. (1984). Probenecid Reduces Cochlear Effects and Perilymph Penetration of Furosemide in chinchilla. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 230, 706–709. Laurell, G., Andersson, A., Engström, B., and Ehrsson, H. (1995). Distribution of Cisplatin in Perilymph and Cerebrospinal Fluid after Intravenous Administration in the Guinea Pig. Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 36, 83–86. doi:10.1007/BF00685738 Salt, A. N., and Plontke, S. K. R. (2005). Local Inner-Ear Drug Delivery and Pharmacokinetics. REFERENCES J. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 42, 19. doi:10.1186/1916-0216- 42-19 Cianfrone, G., Pentangelo, D., Cianfrone, F., Mazzei, F., Turchetta, R., Orlando, M., et al. (2011). Pharmacological Drugs Inducing Ototoxicity, Vestibular Symptoms and Tinnitus: A Reasoned and Updated Guide. Eur. Rev. Med. Pharmacol. Sci. 15, 601–636. Grondin, Y., Cotanche, D. A., Manneberg, O., Molina, R., Treviño-Villarreal, J. H., Sepulveda, R., et al. (2013). Pulmonary Delivery of D-Methionine Is Associated May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org 9 Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Sawamura et al. with an Increase in ALCAR and Glutathione in Cochlear Fluids. Hear. Res. 298, 93–103. doi:10.1016/j.heares.2012.12.011 with an Increase in ALCAR and Glutathione in Cochlear Fluids. Hear. Res. 298, 93–103. doi:10.1016/j.heares.2012.12.011 Liu, Y., Jolly, C., Braun, S., Janssen, T., Scherer, E., Steinhoff, J., et al. (2015). Effects of a Dexamethasone-Releasing Implant on Cochleae: a Functional, Morphological and Pharmacokinetic Study. Hear. Res. 327, 89–101. doi:10. 1016/j.heares.2015.04.019 Haghpanahi, M., Gladstone, M. B., Zhu, X., Frisina, R. D., and Borkholder, D. A. (2013). Noninvasive Technique for Monitoring Drug Transport through the Murine Cochlea Using Micro-computed Tomography. Ann. Biomed. Eng. 41, 2130–2142. doi:10.1007/s10439-013-0816-4 McDonnell, L. A., and Heeren, R. M. A. (2007). Imaging Mass Spectrometry. Mass. Spectrom. Rev. 26, 606–643. doi:10.1002/mas.20124 Hahn, H., Kammerer, B., DiMauro, A., Salt, A. N., and Plontke, S. K. (2006). Cochlear Microdialysis for Quantification of Dexamethasone and Fluorescein Entry into Scala Tympani during Round Window Administration. Hear. Res. 212 (1–2), 236–244. doi:10.1016/j.heares.2005.12.001 Moudgalya, S. S., Wilson, K., Zhu, X., Budzevich, M. M., Walton, J. P., Cahill, N. D., et al. (2019). Cochlear Pharmacokinetics - Micro-computed Tomography and Learning-Prediction Modeling for Transport Parameter Determination. Hear. Res. 380, 46–59. doi:10.1016/j.heares.2019.05.009 Naidu, R. C., and Mountain, D. C. (2007). Basilar Membrane Tension Calculations for the Gerbil Cochlea. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 121, 994–1002. doi:10.1121/1. 2404916 Hahn, H., Salt, A. N., Biegner, T., Kammerer, B., Delabar, U., Hartsock, J. J., et al. (2012). Dexamethasone Levels and Base-To-Apex Concentration Gradients in the Scala Tympani Perilymph after Intracochlear Delivery in the Guinea Pig. Otol. Neurol. 33, 660–665. doi:10.1097/MAO.0b013e318254501b Nakashima, T., Naganawa, S., Sugiura, M., Teranishi, M., Sone, M., Hayashi, H., et al. (2007). Visualization of Endolymphatic Hydrops in Patients with Meniere’s Disease. Laryngoscope 117, 415–420. doi:10.1097/MLG.0b013e31802c300c Hahn, H., Salt, A. N., Schumacher, U., and Plontke, S. K. (2013). Gentamicin Concentration Gradients in Scala Tympani Perilymph Following Systemic Applications. Audiol. Neurotol. 18, 383–391. doi:10.1159/000355283 (2007). REFERENCES Drug Discov. Today 10, 1299–1306. doi:10.1016/S1359- 6446(05)03574-9 Salt, A. N., Hartsock, J. J., Gill, R. M., King, E., Kraus, F. B., and Plontke, S. K. (2016). Perilymph Pharmacokinetics of Locally-Applied Gentamicin in the guinea Pig. Hear. Res. 342, 101–111. doi:10.1016/j.heares.2016.10.003 Lee, J. J., Jang, J. H., Choo, O-S., Lim, H. J., and Choung, Y-H. (2018). Steroid Intracochlear Distribution Differs by Administration Method: Systemic Versus Intratympanic Injection. Laryngoscope 128, 189–194. doi:10.1002/lary.26562 Schreiber, B. E., Agrup, C., Haskard, D. O., and Luxon, L. M. (2010). Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Lancet 375, 1203–1211. doi:10.1016/S0140- 6736(09)62071-7 Liu, J., Yu, P., Lin, Y., Zhou, N., Li, T., Ma, F., et al. (2012). In vivo electrochemical Monitoring of the Change of Cochlear Perilymph Ascorbate During Salicylate- Induced Tinnitus. Anal. Chem. 84, 5433–5438. doi:10.1021/ac301087v May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org 10 Sawamura et al. Pharmacokinetics in the Cochlea Shinomori, Y., Jones, D. D., Spack, D. S., and Kimura, R. S. (2001). Volumetric and Dimensional Analysis of the guinea Pig Inner Ear. Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Laryngol. 110, 91–98. doi:10.1177/000348940111000117 Wei, B. P., Stathopoulos, D., and O’Leary, S. (2013). Steroids for Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2013, CD003998. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003998.pub3 Stead, D. A. (2000). Current Methodologies for the Analysis of Aminoglycosides. J. Chromatogr. B 747 (1–2), 69–93. doi:10.1016/s0378-4347(00)00133-x Wever, E. G. (1971). The Mechanics of Hair-Cell Stimulation. Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Laryngol. 80, 786–804. doi:10.1177/000348947108000606 Taylor, A. E., Keevil, B., and Huhtaniemi, I. T. (2015). Mass Spectrometry and Taylor, A. E., Keevil, B., and Huhtaniemi, I. T. (2015). Mass Spectrometry and Immunoassay: How to Measure Steroid Hormones Today and Tomorrow. Eur. J. Endocrinol. 173, D1–D12. doi:10.1530/eje-15-0338 Yamane, K., Usui, T., Yamamoto, T., Tsukamoto, T., Soma, Y., Yoshimura, N., et al. (1995). Clinical Efficacy of Intravenous Plus Oral Mecobalamin in Patients with Peripheral Neuropathy Using Vibration Perception Thresholds as an Indicator of Improvement. Curr. Ther. Res. 56, 656–670. doi:10.1016/0011-393X(95)85135-6 Immunoassay: How to Measure Steroid Hormones Today and Tomorrow. Eur. J. Endocrinol. 173, D1–D12. doi:10.1530/eje-15-0338 j Venton, B. J., and Wightman, R. M. (2003). Psychoanalytical Electrochemistry: j Venton, B. J., and Wightman, R. M. (2003). Psychoanalytical Electrochemistry: Dopamine and Behavior. Anal. Chem. 75, 414A–421A. doi:10.1021/ ac031421c Dopamine and Behavior. Anal. Chem. 75, 414A–421A. doi:10.1021/ ac031421c Zhang, Y., Kim, C. K., Lee, K. J. B., and Park, Y. (2007). Resultant Pressure Distribution Pattern along the Basilar Membrane in the Spiral Shaped Cochlea. J. Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES Biol. Phys. 33, 195–211. doi:10.1007/s10867-007-9052-1 Wang, M., Han, Y., Fan, Z., Zhang, D., and Wang, H. (2013). Therapeutic Effect on Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss with Duration of Onset More Than 3 Months. Indian J. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 65, 61–65. doi:10.1007/ s12070-012-0604-8 Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Wang, Y., Han, L., Diao, T., Jing, Y., Wang, L., Zheng, H., et al. (2018). A Comparison of Systemic and Local Dexamethasone Administration: From Perilymph/cochlea Concentration to Cochlear Distribution. Hear. Res. 370, 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.heares.2018.09.002 Copyright © 2021 Sawamura, Ogata, Asai, Razvina, Ota, Zhang, Madhurantakam, Akiyama, Ino, Kanzaki, Saiki, Matsumoto, Moriyama, Saijo, Horii, Einaga and Hibino. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Wangemann, P. (2006). Supporting Sensory Transduction: Cochlear Fluid Homeostasis and the Endocochlear Potential. J. Physiol. 576 (Pt 1), 11–21. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2006.112888 Webster, D. B., and Webster, M. (1980). Mouse Brainstem Auditory Nuclei Development. Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Laryngol. Suppl. 89 (3 Pt 2), 254–256. doi:10.1177/00034894800890s359 May 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 633505 Frontiers in Pharmacology | www.frontiersin.org 11
https://openalex.org/W2014625456
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0030422&type=printable
English
null
In vivo Expansion of Naïve CD4+CD25high FOXP3+ Regulatory T Cells in Patients with Colorectal Carcinoma after IL-2 Administration
PloS one
2,012
cc-by
11,531
Abstract Competing Interests: The authors have read the journal’s policy and have the following conflicts: This study was supported through a research grant from Becton Dickinson to JLS and MB. There are no patents or products in development and this does not alter the authors9 adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. * E-mail: marc.beyer@uni-bonn.de (MB); j.schultze@uni-bonn.de (JLS) Treg cells seem to be a hallmark of tumor progression and metastasis [10,11]. Moreover, efficient anti-tumor immune responses are induced by deletion of these cells resulting in complete tumor regression [12,13]. In humans, we and others have demonstrated that CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells are also expanded in patients with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies and contribute to the overall immunosuppression in these patients [14,15]. Numerous animal models over the last years could demonstrate that increased numbers of Treg cells are beneficial for tumor growth while depletion of Treg cells can lead to tumor regression [16]. In humans, administration of an IL-2 immunotoxin to tumor patients results in decreased numbers of Treg cells and higher responses against simultaneously adminis- tered tumor peptides [17,18]. Several studies over the last years have addressed the question of Treg-cell frequencies in colorectal cancer patients [19,20,21]. These reports could demonstrate increased number of FOXP3+ Treg cells in the peripheral blood, tumor-draining lymph nodes and in close tumor proximity [19,20,21]. Still, the question why Treg cells are expanded in human tumors remains elusive. Abstract Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) are increased in context of malignancies and their expansion can be correlated with higher disease burden and decreased survival. Initially, interleukin 2 (IL-2) has been used as T-cell growth factor in clinical vaccination trials. In murine models, however, a role of IL-2 in development, differentiation, homeostasis, and function of Treg cells was established. In IL-2 treated cancer patients a further Treg-cell expansion was described, yet, the mechanism of expansion is still elusive. Here we report that functional Treg cells of a naı¨ve phenotype - as determined by CCR7 and CD45RA expression - are significantly expanded in colorectal cancer patients. Treatment of 15 UICC stage IV colorectal cancer patients with IL-2 in a phase I/II peptide vaccination trial further enlarges the already increased naı¨ve Treg-cell pool. Higher frequencies of T-cell receptor excision circles in naı¨ve Treg cells indicate IL-2 dependent thymic generation of naı¨ve Treg cells as a mechanism leading to increased frequencies of Treg cells post IL-2 treatment in cancer patients. This finding could be confirmed in naı¨ve murine Treg cells after IL-2 administration. These results point to a more complex regulation of Treg cells in context of IL-2 administration. Future strategies therefore might aim at combining IL-2 therapy with novel strategies to circumvent expansion and differentiation of naı¨ve Treg cells. Citation: Beyer M, Schumak B, Weihrauch MR, Andres B, Giese T, et al. (2012) In vivo Expansion of Naı¨ve CD4+CD25high FOXP3+ Regulatory T Cells in Patients with Colorectal Carcinoma after IL-2 Administration. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30422. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422 Editor: Hossam M. Ashour, Wayne State University, United States of America Editor: Hossam M. Ashour, Wayne State University, United States of America Received June 6, 2011; Accepted December 15, 2011; Published January 20, 2012 Copyright:  2012 Beyer et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was supported by the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award of the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation (JLS), the Wilhelm-Sander Stiftung (JLS and MB), the Deutsche-Jose-Carreras-Leuka¨mie-Striftung (JLS and MB), and the German Research Foundation (SFB 704, SFB 832, INST 217/576-1, INST 217/577-1). JLS and MB have received support through a research grant from Becton Dickinson. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. In vivo Expansion of Naı¨ve CD4+CD25high FOXP3+ Regulatory T Cells in Patients with Colorectal Carcinoma after IL-2 Administration Marc Beyer1*, Beatrix Schumak2, Martin R. Weihrauch3, Bettina Andres3, Thomas Giese4, Elmar Endl5, Percy A. Knolle5, Sabine Classen1, Andreas Limmer5, Joachim L. Schultze1* 1 Life and Medical Sciences Institute, Genomics and Immunoregulation, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, 2 Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, 3 Clinic I for Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, 4 Institute of Immunology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, 5 Institute for Molecular Medicine and Experimental Immunology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany Expansion of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells after chemoimmunotherapy including low-dose IL-2 administration Next, we investigated changes in frequency of Treg cells in respect to IL-2 administration (Fig. 2). From the 15 patients included in the trial, 12 successfully completed the whole protocol, while 3 patients were rapidly progressing under therapy and deceased shortly thereafter. Blood samples from the 12 patients (P1–12) who completed the whole treatment were taken after completion of IL-2 treatment following vaccination. For the 3 rapidly progressing patients (P13–15) who were taken off study, Treg-cell frequencies were assessed at the last time point were material was available. As depicted for patient P11 in Figure 2A we observed an expansion of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in the majority of patients. When assessing all patients, 11 colorectal cancer patients had higher frequencies post therapy while 2 (P3, P15) had lower frequencies at the second time point of analysis and two other patients (P4, P5) showed similar frequencies at both time points (Fig. 2B). No feature (laboratory test, treatment or clinical parameter) we have assessed so far showed an association with changes in Treg-cell frequency in these patients (data not shown). In addition, we did not observe any cytopenia greater grade 2 during therapy. Overall, in the majority of patients the frequency of Treg cells after combined chemoimmunotherapy was increased compared to the initial frequencies before treatment (5.8%61.7% vs. 4.7%61.2%, p,0.05) (Fig. 2C) as well as in comparison to healthy donors (5.8%61.7% vs. 2.9%61.2%, p,0.001). When assessing the absolute numbers of Treg cells we observed the same trend; total numbers of Treg cells were increased after chemoim- munotherapy (after: 29.26106/l620.56106/l vs. before: 21.36 106/l617.16106/l, p,0.005) and only one of the rapidly progressing patients showed reduced numbers of Treg cells (Fig. 2D). On the one hand, IL-2 is both important for the development and expansion of effector T cells and also critical in the context of immune tolerance [32]. On the other hand, experiments performed in murine models established that IL-2 and its downstream effector molecules are essential for the generation, maintenance, and function of Treg cells [33,34,35,36]. Several studies have addressed the role of IL-2 administration on the frequency and function of human Treg cells in cancer patients and demonstrated that treatment with recombinant IL-2 induces an expansion of Treg cells in peripheral blood, thereby interfering with efficient anti-tumor immune responses [37,38,39,40,41, 42,43]. These studies pointed to a peripheral expansion of Treg cells post IL-2 therapy [41]. Expansion of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells after chemoimmunotherapy including low-dose IL-2 administration It was further suggested that altered migratory behavior due to increased expression of CCR4 and CXCR4 on Treg cells might be associated with peripheral expansion and increased migration to the tumor site [41]. In two recent studies however, Correale et al. demonstrated that the combination of chemotherapy with GM-CSF and IL-2 adminis- tration leads to reduced Treg-cell numbers [44,45]. These findings suggested a more complex regulation of Treg-cell frequency, distribution and function than previously thought. Moreover, it remains unclear whether different mechanisms might be respon- sible for frequency changes of Treg cells in these different patient populations treated with IL-2. In the current study, we investigated the impact of IL-2 administration on the frequency and function of CD4+CD25high- FOXP3+ Treg cells. We provide clear evidence for an increased expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells particularly post IL-2 therapy as a major mechanism of overall Treg-cell expansion in these cancer patients. Our data clearly suggest an increase of newly generated Treg cells in cancer patients. These novel findings are of particular interest for strategies targeting Treg cells in cancer patients. Among the 15 colorectal cancer patients, 4 patients had progressive disease at the time of analysis while 11 showed a response or stable disease. Comparing these two patient cohorts revealed no significant difference in the proportion of Treg cells, whereas both patient cohorts showed higher frequencies of Treg cells compared to healthy controls (data not shown). Next, we assessed if Treg-cell frequencies were indicative of longer freedom from treatment failure or overall survival or if these 2 parameters were linked to the expansion of Treg cells, yet no statistically significant correlation was detected (data not shown). Our data indicate that an expansion of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells occurred in the majority of colorectal cancer patients after IL-2 administration as part of combined chemoimmunotherapy. IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC CD45RO expression has been primarily linked to Treg cells, which led to the assumption that Treg cells belong to the memory T-cell compartment [4,22]. Recently, a Treg-cell population with a naı¨ve phenotype (CCR7+CD45RA+) was identified in healthy individuals [23,24]. These naı¨ve Treg cells proliferated vigorously in response to auto-antigens suggesting that particularly this subpopulation was specific for self rather than foreign antigens [23]. Persistence of naı¨ve Treg cells has been described throughout adult life [25,26], although it must be pointed out that this pool of naı¨ve Treg cells is relatively small in peripheral blood of healthy individuals [27]. In patients with multiple myeloma (MM), however, we could demonstrate an expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells [28]. We could validate this finding for a number of hematologic malignancies and patients with solid tumors and even show strong suppressive function for the naı¨ve Treg-cell population [29]. Comparison of levels of T-cell receptor excision circles (TREC) in Treg cells of healthy individuals addressed the diversity and developmental stage of thymic emigrants as well as peripheral blood Treg cells [30,31]. As expected, TREC numbers were significantly higher in thymic emigrants compared to peripheral blood derived Treg cells, which supports thymic development of human CD4+CD25high Treg cells [31]. healthy controls (Fig. 1A). The frequency of Treg cells in healthy donors (n = 22, 2.9%61.2%) was comparable to previously published results (Fig. 1B) [46,47]. In contrast, individuals with colorectal cancer assessed before initiation of treatment (n = 15, 4.7%61.2%, p,0.001) showed significantly increased frequencies of Treg cells compared to healthy individuals (Fig. 1A and 1B). We also assessed previously described surface receptors associated with Treg cells including CTLA4 and GITR on CD4+CD25high- FOXP3+ T cells in colorectal cancer patients as well as healthy individuals. As depicted in Figure 1C, we observed comparable expression of both molecules on Treg cells from healthy donors and colorectal cancer patients while percentages of CD4+CD25high- FOXP3+ Treg cells expressing either molecule were significantly increased in colorectal cancer patients (CTLA4: 3.7%61.2% vs. 1.5%60.6%, p,0.001; GITR: 1.7%60.8% vs. 0.5%60.2%, p,0.001) (Fig. 1D). Expansion of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells after chemoimmunotherapy including low-dose IL-2 administration PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 Introduction Human regulatory T cells (Treg cells) have been characterized as CD4+CD25high T cells with inhibitory function [1]. They are crucial for the preservation of T-cell homeostasis and self-tolerance and regulate the immune responses to alloantigens, pathogens and tumors [2]. Both in humans and animal models activation of Treg cells results in exertion of their full suppressive function [3,4]. Natural Treg cells are generated in the thymus as a distinct lineage of anergic CD4+ T cells bearing self-reactive T-cell receptors, although cells with similar characteristics can also be generated in the periphery under appropriate conditions [5]. Typically, Treg cells express cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated-antigen 4 (CTLA- 4) and glucocorticoid-induced tumor-necrosis-factor receptor- related protein (GITR), although both molecules can also be expressed by activated T cells [6,7]. The transcription factor forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) has been demonstrated to be expressed exclusively on Treg cells in the mouse [2], while data concerning its expression in humans are not as clear-cut [8,9]. In numerous murine tumor models increased frequencies of CD4+CD25high January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 1 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Increased frequencies of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in peripheral blood of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer Shown here are median, 25th and 75th percentile (box), 10th and 90th percentile (whiskers) and outliers (dots), (*, p,0.05, Student’s t test). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g001 Inhibitory function of CD4+CD25high Treg cells from colorectal cancer patients Increased frequencies of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in peripheral blood of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer Within a clinical phase I/II combined chemoimmunotherapy trial of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer we assessed frequencies of FOXP3-expressing CD4+CD25high Treg cells in peripheral blood before initiation of therapy in comparison to PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 2 IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Figure 1. Frequency of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells. (A) Flow cytometric analysis of CD25 and FOXP3 on peripheral blood derived CD4+ T cells from a representative healthy individual (left panel) and a representative colorectal cancer patient before treatment (right panel). Number represent percentage of events within the gate. (B) Frequency of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in 22 healthy donors and 15 colorectal cance patients (CRC) before treatment. Each dot represents a single individual assessed in the respective group; mean expression (line) of all samples in each group is also shown (*, p,0.05, Student’s t test). (C) CTLA4 (top) and GITR expression (bottom) in CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells of health donors (left, grey fill) and colorectal cancer patients (right, grey fill). Isotype control (black line). (D) Frequency of CTLA4 (left) and GITR (right expressing CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in healthy donors (white) and colorectal cancer patients (grey, CRC) before treatment. Shown here ar median, 25th and 75th percentile (box), 10th and 90th percentile (whiskers) and outliers (dots), (*, p,0.05, Student’s t test). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g001 IL-2 Induced Naıve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Figure 1. Frequency of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells. (A) Flow cytometric analysis of CD25 and FOXP3 on peripheral blood derived CD4+ T cells from a representative healthy individual (left panel) and a representative colorectal cancer patient before treatment (right panel). Numbers represent percentage of events within the gate. (B) Frequency of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in 22 healthy donors and 15 colorectal cancer patients (CRC) before treatment. Each dot represents a single individual assessed in the respective group; mean expression (line) of all samples in each group is also shown (*, p,0.05, Student’s t test). (C) CTLA4 (top) and GITR expression (bottom) in CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells of healthy donors (left, grey fill) and colorectal cancer patients (right, grey fill). Isotype control (black line). (D) Frequency of CTLA4 (left) and GITR (right) expressing CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in healthy donors (white) and colorectal cancer patients (grey, CRC) before treatment. Inhibitory function of CD4+CD25high Treg cells from colorectal cancer patients basis highly purified CD4+CD25high Treg cells from colorectal cancer patients (before initiation of therapy) showed an equally strong inhibitory function on conventional CD4+CD252 T-cell proliferation (dark grey bar, Fig. 3C, p,0.001). Titration experiments demonstrated that the inhibitory function of Treg cells from healthy individuals and colorectal cancer patients was comparable also at lower Treg:Tconv ratios (data not shown). Moreover, after IL-2 treatment of colorectal cancer patients (after treatment), Treg cells had equal suppressive function on conven- tional CD4+CD252 T-cell proliferation when compared to Treg cells isolated before start of therapy (light grey bar, Fig. 3C, p,0.001). Taken together, these data suggest, that Treg cells from colorectal cancer patients have normal suppressive function. In 4 colorectal cancer patients sufficient numbers of highly purified CD4+CD25high Treg cells (Fig. 3A and B) were isolated from peripheral blood by flow cytometric cell sorting before and after vaccination to analyze their inhibitory function in comparison to Treg cells from healthy controls (n = 4). Proliferation of allogeneic conventional CD4+CD252 T cells stimulated by beads coated with CD3 and CD28 mAbs was used as the read out to assess inhibitory function of CD4+CD25high Treg cells [28]. Proliferation of allogeneic conventional CD4+CD252 T cells was significantly inhibited when highly purified CD4+CD25high T cells from healthy donors were added at a 1:1 ratio (white bar, Fig. 3C, p,0.001). On a cell-to-cell PLoS ONE | www.ploson January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 3 IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Figure 2. Analysis of frequencies of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells after chemoimmunotherapy. (A) Flow cytometric analysis of CD25 and FOXP3 on peripheral blood derived CD4+ T cells from a representative colorectal cancer patient before (left panel) and after chemoimmunotherapy (right panel). Numbers represent percentage of events within the gate. (B) Serial analysis of frequencies of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients before and after chemoimmunotherapy. (C) Frequency of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in 15 colorectal cancer patients before (light grey box) and after (dark grey box) chemoimmunotherapy. Shown here are median, 25th and 75th percentile (box), 10th and 90th percentile (whiskers) and outliers (dots), (*, p,0.05, Student’s t test). (D) Serial analysis of total numbers of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients before and after chemoimmunotherapy. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g002 Figure 2. Analysis of frequencies of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells after chemoimmunotherapy. Administration of IL-2 leads to an expansion of a population of murine ‘‘naı¨ve’’ CD4+ CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells Administration of IL-2 leads to an expansion of a population of murine ‘‘naı¨ve’’ CD4+ CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells To demonstrate that IL-2 administration indeed leads to an increase of naı¨ve Treg cells, we administered IL-2 or PBS i.p. in C57BL/6 mice for 10 days and assessed the frequency of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in these animals after the treatment period. In comparison to PBS-treated animals a significant expansion of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells oc- curred after IL-2 administration in spleen, peripheral as well as mesenteric lymph nodes, peripheral blood, thymus, and liver (Fig. 6A). Of particular interest was the increase of Treg cells in the thymus, which could be indicative of an increased thymic output. As a first approximation for vicinity of T cells to thymic output expression of CD45RB on CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells was assessed since up to now no true marker for murine naı¨ve Treg cells has been established. We observed a significant increase of CD45RBhigh CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in spleen, periph- eral as well as mesenteric lymph nodes, peripheral blood, thymus, and liver of IL-2 treated mice (Fig. 6B) clearly indicating that an increase of naı¨ve Treg cells contributed to the overall expansion of Treg cells after IL-2 administration and that the overall Treg-cell expansion was related to elevated frequencies of naı¨ve Treg cells in the thymus. Next, we assessed the suppressive function of naı¨ve versus memory Treg-cell populations before and after therapy (Fig. 4E). We observed a clear inhibition of conventional CD4+CD252 T- cell proliferation induced by stimulation with CD3/CD28-coated beads by adding sorted Treg cells to the culture irrespective of the subtype (naı¨ve vs. memory) used or the status of therapy (no therapy vs. chemoimmunotherapy) demonstrating that the differ- ent subtypes of Treg cells have full suppressive activity independent of IL-2 therapy. Taken together, these data demonstrate a significant expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells post IL-2 treatment. Furthermore, these cells are similarly effective in suppressing conventional T-cell activation when analyzed on a cell-to-cell basis, suggesting an overall higher suppressive effect of these cells in colorectal cancer patients. To further delineate if IL-2 treatment induces generation of naı¨ve Treg cells in the thymus we sorted CD45RB+ CD44lowCD62L+ naı¨ve Tconv and Treg cells from IL-2 as well as PBS treated animals (Fig. 6C) and assessed TREC levels in the naı¨ve Tconv and Treg-cell population. We observed significantly higher levels of TREC in Tconv and Treg-cell populations after IL-2 administration (Fig. Administration of IL-2 leads to an expansion of a population of murine ‘‘naı¨ve’’ CD4+ CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells 6C) suggesting that IL-2 treatment indeed results in a higher thymic output of naı¨ve Treg cells as observed in IL-2 treated human colorectal cancer patients. Thymic expansion of naı¨ve CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in patients with colorectal cancer after IL-2 administration As Treg cells with a naı¨ve phenotype were increased in patients with colorectal cancer, particularly post IL-2 treatment, we were interested to assess whether the increase of Treg cells resulted from peripheral expansion or possibly thymic generation of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells. We previously reported that the level of TREC can be used as a marker to estimate the developmental vicinity of Treg cells to the thymus and their IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC division history [28] and therefore applied TREC analysis to address this issue in relation to IL-2 treatment. PB derived CD4+ T cells from two colorectal cancer patients and two age-matched healthy individuals were sorted according to their CD25, CCR7 and CD45RA expression into the appropriate CD4+CD25high Treg-cell subsets, namely Tnaı¨ve, TCM, and TEM (Fig. 5A and B). TREC values for the highly purified Treg-cell subsets were assayed by real-time PCR. As described before, CD4+CD25high Treg cells showed relatively low TREC contents in the naı¨ve T-cell population and TREC levels were below detection threshold in the TCM and TEM subsets (Fig. 5C) [28]. These observations are in line with the concept of antigen-driven peripheral expansion of Treg cells in healthy individuals rather than recent thymic emigration. In contrast, the TREC content on the single cell level in naı¨ve CD4+CD25high Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients was more than two-fold higher in average compared to healthy individuals before initiation of chemoimmunotherapy and even more increased after administration of IL-2 (.4–fold in average, Fig. 5C). These results strongly suggest that the expansion of Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients was nurtured by the generation of new Treg cells in the thymus and the further increase of Treg-cell frequencies post IL-2 administration was strongly associated with an increase of thymic emigrants of naı¨ve Treg cells. Inhibitory function of CD4+CD25high Treg cells from colorectal cancer patients (A) Flow cytometric analysis of CD25 and FOXP3 on peripheral blood derived CD4+ T cells from a representative colorectal cancer patient before (left panel) and after chemoimmunotherapy (right panel). Numbers represent percentage of events within the gate. (B) Serial analysis of frequencies of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients before and after chemoimmunotherapy. (C) Frequency of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in 15 colorectal cancer patients before (light grey box) and after (dark grey box) chemoimmunotherapy. Shown here are median, 25th and 75th percentile (box), 10th and 90th percentile (whiskers) and outliers (dots), (*, p,0.05, Student’s t test). (D) Serial analysis of total numbers of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients before and after chemoimmunotherapy. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g002 Figure 3. Functional analysis of CD4+CD25highFOXP+ Treg cells. (A) CD4+ cells were separated by flow cytometric cell sorting into conventional CD4+CD252 and regulatory CD4+CD25high T cells as defined by their expression of CD25. (B) Re-analysis of FOXP3 expression in CD4+CD252 Tconv (left, grey fill) and CD4+CD25high Treg cells (right, grey fill) post cell sorting. Isotype control (black line). (C) Reduction of proliferation of CD4+CD252 Tconv cells stimulated with beads coated with CD3 and CD28 mAbs (black bar) by highly purified CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells from healthy donors (white bar) or colorectal cancer patients before (dark grey bar) and after therapy (light grey bar). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g003 Figure 3. Functional analysis of CD4+CD25highFOXP+ Treg cells. (A) CD4+ cells were separated by flow cytometric cell sorting into conventional CD4+CD252 and regulatory CD4+CD25high T cells as defined by their expression of CD25. (B) Re-analysis of FOXP3 expression in CD4+CD252 Tconv (left, grey fill) and CD4+CD25high Treg cells (right, grey fill) post cell sorting. Isotype control (black line). (C) Reduction of proliferation of CD4+CD252 Tconv cells stimulated with beads coated with CD3 and CD28 mAbs (black bar) by highly purified CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells from healthy donors (white bar) or colorectal cancer patients before (dark grey bar) and after therapy (light grey bar). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g003 January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 4 IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Expansion of fully functional naı¨ve Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients after chemoimmunotherapy Expansion of fully functional naı¨ve Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients after chemoimmunotherapy y It has been previously reported by us and others that differential expression of the cell surface receptors CD45RA and CCR7 can be used to differentiate between naı¨ve, central and effector memory Treg cells (Fig. 4A) [23,28,48]. This approach can be used to address the question, if naı¨ve, central or effector memory Treg cells contribute to the overall expansion of Treg cells in patients with solid tumors and how treatment, particularly administration of IL-2 influences the frequency and function of naı¨ve versus memory CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells. In healthy individuals, naı¨ve CCR7+CD45RA+ Treg cells were hardly detectable (Fig. 4B). Treg cells were almost exclusively of a memory phenotype (Fig. 4C and D) with a higher frequency of TEM cells (Fig. 4D). In contrast, in colorectal cancer patients we observed a significantly higher number of Treg cells with a CCR7+CD45RA+ naı¨ve phenotype (Fig. 4B). This was further accompanied by an increase of Treg cells with a central memory phenotype in colorectal cancer patients prior to therapy (Fig. 4C) while effector memory Treg cell levels were comparable in colorectal cancer patients (prior to therapy) and healthy donors (Fig. 4D). However, most surprising, after IL-2 treatment, expansion of Treg cells almost exclusively occurred within the naı¨ve Treg-cell population (Fig. 4B) while frequencies of central and effector memory Treg cells remained unchanged (Fig. 4C and D). To further characterize the increased subset of naı¨ve CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells, we assessed the expression of intracellular CTLA4 or GITR expression. Compa- rable to the data obtained for the total Treg-cell population both molecules were expressed at similar levels on a per cell basis on naı¨ve Treg-cells from healthy individuals and cancer patients irrespective of IL-2 treatment (data not shown) while percentages of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells expressing either molecule were significantly increased in colorectal cancer patients (CTLA4: 0.31%60.23% vs. 0.05%60.01%, p,0.05; GITR: 0.10%6 0.07% vs. 0.02%60.01%, p,0.05) with a further increase after IL-2 administration (CTLA4: 0.78%60.56% vs. 0.31%60.23%, p,0.001; GITR: 0.24%60.19% vs. 0.10%60.07%, p,0.05) (Fig. S1). IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Figure 4. Increase of naı¨ve CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients after chemoimmunotherapy. (A) Strategy of flow cytometric analysis of CCR7 and CD45RA expression on the surface of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells as exemplified for a representative healthy donor (left) and a representative colorectal cancer patient (right). Frequencies of (B) CCR7+CD45RA+ naı¨ve Treg cells (Tnaive), (C) CCR7+CD45RA2 central memory Treg cells (TCM), and (D) CCR72CD45RA2 effector memory Treg cells (TEM) were assessed in peripheral blood of colorectal cancer patients (n = 15) before (light grey bars) and after therapy (dark grey bars) as well as healthy individuals (white bars, n = 22). Significant differences (p,0.05, Student’s t test) between healthy donors and colorectal cancer patients before and after chemoimmunotherapy are marked by an asterisk (*). Error bars represent SD. (E) Assessment of regulatory function of naı¨ve and memory CD4+CD25high Treg cells sorted according to their CD45RA expression from colorectal cancer patients. Reduction of proliferation of CD4+CD252 Tconv cells stimulated with beads coated with CD3 and CD28 mAbs by highly purified naı¨ve and memory CD4+CD25high Treg cells from colorectal cancer patients before and after therapy. doi:10 1371/journal pone 0030422 g004 Figure 4. Increase of naı¨ve CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients after chemoimmunotherapy. (A) Strategy of flow cytometric analysis of CCR7 and CD45RA expression on the surface of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells as exemplified for a representative healthy donor (left) and a representative colorectal cancer patient (right). Frequencies of (B) CCR7+CD45RA+ naı¨ve Treg cells (Tnaive), (C) CCR7+CD45RA2 central memory Treg cells (TCM), and (D) CCR72CD45RA2 effector memory Treg cells (TEM) were assessed in peripheral blood of colorectal cancer patients (n = 15) before (light grey bars) and after therapy (dark grey bars) as well as healthy individuals (white bars, n = 22). Significant differences (p,0.05, Student’s t test) between healthy donors and colorectal cancer patients before and after chemoimmunotherapy are marked by an asterisk (*). Error bars represent SD. (E) Assessment of regulatory function of naı¨ve and memory CD4+CD25high Treg cells sorted according to their CD45RA expression from colorectal cancer patients. Reduction of proliferation of CD4+CD252 Tconv cells stimulated with beads coated with CD3 and CD28 mAbs by highly purified naı¨ve and memory CD4+CD25high Treg cells from colorectal cancer patients before and after therapy. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g004 there was no difference in Treg cells with an effector memory phenotype. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org Discussion In the current study we addressed the question whether IL-2 treatment leads to an expansion of fully functional Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients and whether an increase of Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients is due to peripheral or thymic PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 5 IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Most surprising, expansion of Treg cells post IL-2 treatment was almost exclusively due to an increase of naı¨ve Treg cells. Expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells was further supported by the increase of TREC numbers that were significantly higher in naı¨ve Treg cells from untreated colorectal cancer patients when compared to healthy controls and further increased post IL-2 treatment. To demonstrate that the observed results in humans are dependent on the IL-2 administration, we treated mice with IL-2 and could detect increased levels of Treg cells in these animals. In line with our results in humans, we observed thymic generation of naı¨ve Treg cells after IL-2 treatment as shown by high TREC levels in the naı¨ve Treg-cell population. These findings strongly suggest that Treg-cell expansion in colorectal cancer patients is due to higher thymic output which is further increased by IL-2 treatment. expansion. Using phenotypic, functional and molecular approach- es we demonstrate an increase of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients already before initiation of an IL- 2 containing chemoimmunotherapy regimen. The increase of Treg cells in these patients was further augmented after completion of treatment, clearly demonstrating that IL-2 treatment is associated with an increase in Treg-cell numbers an alarming effect which could potentially influence and dampen the immune response in an immunotherapy protocol. Treg cells expressed phenotypic markers associated with Treg cells (e.g. CTLA-4 and GITR) and suppressed the proliferation of CD4+CD252 Tconv cells. Further- more, we can clearly show that Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients have normal suppressive function. In addition, we demonstrate that the expansion of Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients was particularly prominent within the naı¨ve CCR7+CD45RA+ CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cell popu- lation and to a lesser extent in central memory Treg cells, while Over the last years several murine studies showed the importance of IL-2 for Treg cells. IL-2 is a critical growth factor PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 6 IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Figure 5. Replicative history of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cell populations defined by the expression of CD45RA and CCR7. CD4+CD25high Treg cells were isolated by flow cytometric cell sorting according to their expression of CD25 as well as CD45RA and CCR7 in three Treg- cell subsets, namely Tnaı¨ve (CD45RA+CCR7+), TCM (CD45RA2CCR7+), and TEM cells (CD45RA2CCR72). IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Indeed, a recent study in patients with renal cell carcinoma or malignant melanoma suggested an enormously high proportion of naı¨ve Treg cells [39]. However, the number of naı¨ve Treg cells in the healthy control group was also reported to exceed 50% of all Treg cells, a frequency that could never be confirmed by us and others [24,27]. Irrespective of these experimental differences in earlier studies, we clearly unraveled the expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells to be one of the mechanisms leading to an overall expansion of fully functional Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients which was further augmented by IL-2 therapy. Over the last years differentiation of Treg cells into naı¨ve, central and effector memory Treg cells according to their expression of CCR7 and CD45RA has been established for healthy individuals [23,24,25,31,53]. We have incorporated this strategy for the analysis of Treg cells in cancer patients and demonstrated an expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells in human multiple myeloma patients and B-CLL patients [28]. Remarkably, in B cell malignancies, increase of Treg cells was associated with peripheral expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells while in patients with colorectal cancer the expansion seems to be thymus These rather opposite results might be explained by the differences in the vaccination and chemotherapy protocols, e.g. high-dose vs. low-dose 5-FU, irinotecan vs. oxaliplatin, forgoing of gemcitabine, dosage and schedule of GM-CSF administration, or addition of CAP-1-peptide, in the time course of administration, in the patient cohort under study (metastatic colorectal cancer vs. unselected colorectal cancer), number of patients analyzed, and additional, yet unknown, confounding factors. Further conflicting might be technical issues as it has been previously stated by Baecher-Allan et al. that the assessment of human Treg cells is still difficult and the use of different assays sometimes makes it difficult to compare different studies [47]. Indeed, a recent study in patients with renal cell carcinoma or malignant melanoma suggested an enormously high proportion of naı¨ve Treg cells [39]. However, the number of naı¨ve Treg cells in the healthy control group was also reported to exceed 50% of all Treg cells, a frequency that could never be confirmed by us and others [24,27]. for murine Treg cells, it is responsible for maintenance and regulation of Treg cells in the periphery [33,34,35]. IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC IL-2 seems to be involved in the generation of Treg cells during antigen-specific immune responses [49] and has been suggested to be involved in the suppressive function of Treg cells [50,51]. In human Treg-cell biology, IL-2 is supposed to induce a peripheral expansion of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells as suggested by Wei et al. [41] while it has no effect on FOXP3 expression in conventional T cells. This has been further confirmed in a second study which reported that IL-2 induced STAT-dependent mechanisms are responsible for the selective expression of FOXP3 in Treg cells and in vivo expansion following IL-2 administration indicating a unique programming of CD4+CD25high Treg cells within the IL-2 signaling pathway [52]. hi h for murine Treg cells, it is responsible for maintenance and regulation of Treg cells in the periphery [33,34,35]. IL-2 seems to be involved in the generation of Treg cells during antigen-specific immune responses [49] and has been suggested to be involved in the suppressive function of Treg cells [50,51]. In human Treg-cell biology, IL-2 is supposed to induce a peripheral expansion of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells as suggested by Wei et al. [41] while it has no effect on FOXP3 expression in conventional T cells. This has been further confirmed in a second study which reported that IL-2 induced STAT-dependent mechanisms are responsible for the selective expression of FOXP3 in Treg cells and in vivo expansion following IL-2 administration indicating a unique programming of CD4+CD25high Treg cells within the IL-2 signaling pathway [52]. Most recently increased frequencies of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells were reported for patients with renal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma or ovarian cancer patients after IL-2 monotherapy [37,39,40,41] and administration of IL-2 during immune reconstitu- tion after chemotherapy in pediatric sarcomas led to a preferential expansion of Treg cells after cytoreductive chemptherapy [38]. In contrast, patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with a combined chemoimmunotherapy containing gemcitabine and FOL- FOX-4 (oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and folinic acid) polychemotherapy followed by the subcutaneous administration of GM-CSF and low- dose IL-2 showed clinical objective responses in the majority of patients associated with a significant reduction in CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells as reported by Correale et al. [44,45]. IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC (A) Strategy of flow cytometric analysis of CD4 and CD25 expression on the surface of CD4+ T cells as exemplified for a colorectal cancer patient. (B) Re-analysis of FOXP3 and CD25 expression (left) as well as CCR7 and CD45RA expression (right) in CD4+CD25high Treg cells. (C) Naı¨ve, central and effector memory CD4+CD25high Treg cells from healthy donors and colorectal cancer patients before and after chemoimmunotherapy were assessed for TREC (T-cell receptor excision circle) content. Genomic DNA of sorted subsets was isolated, and the number of TREC was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Data are shown as the mean values obtained for 2 independent healthy donors and 2 colorectal cancer patients. Error bars represent SD. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g005 Figure 5. Replicative history of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cell populations defined by the expression of CD45RA and CCR7. CD4+CD25high Treg cells were isolated by flow cytometric cell sorting according to their expression of CD25 as well as CD45RA and CCR7 in three Treg- cell subsets, namely Tnaı¨ve (CD45RA+CCR7+), TCM (CD45RA2CCR7+), and TEM cells (CD45RA2CCR72). (A) Strategy of flow cytometric analysis of CD4 and CD25 expression on the surface of CD4+ T cells as exemplified for a colorectal cancer patient. (B) Re-analysis of FOXP3 and CD25 expression (left) as well as CCR7 and CD45RA expression (right) in CD4+CD25high Treg cells. (C) Naı¨ve, central and effector memory CD4+CD25high Treg cells from healthy donors and colorectal cancer patients before and after chemoimmunotherapy were assessed for TREC (T-cell receptor excision circle) content. Genomic DNA of sorted subsets was isolated, and the number of TREC was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Data are shown as the mean values obtained for 2 independent healthy donors and 2 colorectal cancer patients. Error bars represent SD. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g005 These rather opposite results might be explained by the differences in the vaccination and chemotherapy protocols, e.g. high-dose vs. low-dose 5-FU, irinotecan vs. oxaliplatin, forgoing of gemcitabine, dosage and schedule of GM-CSF administration, or addition of CAP-1-peptide, in the time course of administration, in the patient cohort under study (metastatic colorectal cancer vs. unselected colorectal cancer), number of patients analyzed, and additional, yet unknown, confounding factors. Further conflicting might be technical issues as it has been previously stated by Baecher-Allan et al. that the assessment of human Treg cells is still difficult and the use of different assays sometimes makes it difficult to compare different studies [47]. January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Irrespective of these experimental differences in earlier studies, we clearly unraveled the expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells to be one of the mechanisms leading to an overall expansion of fully functional Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients which was further augmented by IL-2 therapy. Over the last years differentiation of Treg cells into naı¨ve, central and effector memory Treg cells according to their expression of CCR7 and CD45RA has been established for healthy individuals [23,24,25,31,53]. We have incorporated this strategy for the analysis of Treg cells in cancer patients and demonstrated an expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells in human multiple myeloma patients and B-CLL patients [28]. Remarkably, in B cell malignancies, increase of Treg cells was associated with peripheral expansion of naı¨ve Treg cells while in patients with colorectal cancer the expansion seems to be thymus Our data however support an alternative outcome of combined chemoimmunotherapy as low-dose IL-2 in combination with a peptide-vaccination resulted in increased frequencies of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells, particularly naı¨ve Treg cells. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 7 January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC All patients received low-dose IL-2 (16106 IU) post vaccination. For vaccination, several approaches were compared in this study, namely a vaccine containing only the CAP-1-peptide, or the CAP- 1-peptide together with 50 mg GM-CSF (Novartis) or the CAP-1- peptide together with an oligonucleotide adjuvant (dSLIM, Mologen); as a fourth option, patients obtained autologous CAP- 1-pulsed dendritic cells as a cellular vaccine. For the analysis of Treg-cell frequency and function post IL-2 treatment, no statistically significant influence of the different types of vaccina- tions could be established (data not shown). Two cycles of vaccination and IL-2 treatment were given 2 and 1 week before the first cycle of chemotherapy consisting of 80 mg/m2 irinotecan, 2,000 mg/m2 high-dose 5-FU, and 500 mg/m2 leucovorin (six weekly administrations). Alternating, two cycles of IL-2 and vaccination were combined with one cycle of chemotherapy and repeated three times. After the third cycle, patients were treated with IL-2 and CAP-1-peptide vaccination on a weekly schedule until progressive disease. At baseline and after three cycles of chemoimmunotherapy, patients underwent a leukapheresis to obtain PBMC for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. PBMC were isolated using Ficoll/Hypaque (Amersham, Uppsala, Swe- den) density centrifugation. Staging was performed according to the UICC classification for colorectal cancer. All patients were UICC stage IV. The treatment schedule is provided as Figure S2. Characteristics of the patients studied are summarized in Table 1. The assessment of the source of expanded Treg cells in cancer patients is of particular importance as the mechanism of expansion, an augmented production of Treg cells in the thymus, expansion of Treg cells in the periphery, preferential migration of Treg cells to the tumor site, increased conversion of conventional T cells into Treg cells as well as diminished apoptosis and cell death of peripheral Treg cells, might influence the strategy to therapeuti- cally target Treg cells to increase anti-tumor immunity. E.g. peripherally expanded Treg cells might be deleted by short-term use of cytotoxic agents such as denileukin diftitox while continuing thymic expansion would require either long-term treatment or deletion of the cause of thymic expansion of these inhibitory cells to induce a long-lasting reduction of Treg cells. IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC dependent as determined by analysis of TREC as an approxima- tion of adjacency of Treg cells to the thymus. Moreover, administration of IL-2 further augmented this increase. Two recent publications underlined the importance of IL-2 for the development of Treg cells in the thymus [54,55], while other results support a more restricted role for IL-2 of regulating Treg cells in the periphery without alteration of the thymic output [34]. The latter proposition has been further strengthened by data obtained by Wei et al. who could demonstrate expansion of memory Treg cells in vitro by IL-2 treatment [41]. To address whether effects induced by IL-2 were limited to peripheral expansion of mainly memory Treg cells, we treated C57BL/6 mice with IL-2 and assessed the frequencies of Treg cells with a special focus on naı¨ve Treg cells in the periphery and in the thymus. We observed an overall expansion of Treg cells in these animals and detected a particular enrichment of naı¨ve Treg cells in the thymus and peripheral lymph nodes. By assessment of TREC in the naı¨ve Treg- cell population we could demonstrate thymic generation of naı¨ve Treg cells as a result of IL-2 adminstration, clearly suggesting that increased thymic output is an important mechanism leading to increased frequencies of naı¨ve Treg cells post IL-2 treatment and these cells subsequently can differentiate into peripheral Treg cells with a memory phenotype. Whether peripheral expansion might also occur under these conditions might be further studied by administration of IL-2 to thymectomized animals. with a HLA-A2 peptide derived from the carcinoembryonic antigen CEA (CAP-1) and irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil, and leucov- orin after approval by the institutional review committee at the University of Cologne and the German Drug Administration [56]. All patients signed informed consent. Mean age was 56.2613.1 years; 8 were male and 7 were female; 12 had colon while 3 had rectal cancer. Mean age for the corresponding healthy controls was 49.569.3 years with no significant differences in gender and age. Inclusion criteria required an age of between 18 and 75 years, positive HLA-A2 status, elevated serum CEA (.5 mg/l) and/or CEA-positive tumor, untreated metastatic disease, chemotherapy- free interval after adjuvant treatment of at least 6 months, Karnofsky index .70%, life expectancy of at least 3 months, sufficient bone marrow and liver function, HIV and hepatitis B and C negativity, absence of central nervous system metastases, no immunosuppressant medication, and negative pregnancy test. Isolation of CD4+CD25high and CD4+CD252 T cells hi h For functional analysis, CD4+CD25high T cells were purified from PBMC. Briefly, CD4 MACS Beads (Miltenyi Biotec) were used for isolation of CD4+ T cells [28,46]. After staining with CD25-PE, and CD4-APC (BDPharMingen) according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, CD4+CD25high T cells were purified using a FACSDiVa Cell Sorter (BDBiosciences) and used IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Other mechanisms such as conversion of differentiated conventional T cells into Treg cells might also contribute to the overall expansion of Treg cells in cancer patients as well the preferential egress of activated Treg cell from the tumor microenvironment into the peripheral blood and will have to be addressed when targeting Treg cells [5]. IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Figure 6. IL-2 administration leads to an expansion of ‘‘naı¨ve’’ CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in C57BL/6 mice. (A) Flow cytometric analysis of CD4 and FOXP3 expression in CD4+ T cells from untreated as well as IL-2-treated animals in spleen, peripheral and mesenteric lymph nodes, peripheral blood, thymus, and liver. Significant differences (p,0.05, Student’s t test) between untreated and IL-2 treated animals are marked by an asterisk (*). (B) Analysis of ‘‘naı¨ve’’ CD45RBhigh CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in spleen, peripheral and mesenteric lymph nodes, peripheral blood, thymus, and liver. Significant differences (p,0.05, Student’s t test) between untreated and IL-2 treated animals are marked by an asterisk (*). Similar results were obtained in two independent experiments. (C) CD45RB+CD44lowCD62L+ naı¨ve CD4+CD252 Tconv and CD4+CD25high Treg cells were isolated by flow cytometric cell sorting and assessed for TREC content. Genomic DNA of sorted subsets was isolated, and the number of TREC was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (n = 3, p,0.05, Student’s t test). Error bars represent SD. Similar results were obtained in three independent experiments. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g006 Figure 6. IL-2 administration leads to an expansion of ‘‘naı¨ve’’ CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in C57BL/6 mice. (A) Flow cytometric analysis of CD4 and FOXP3 expression in CD4+ T cells from untreated as well as IL-2-treated animals in spleen, peripheral and mesenteric lymph nodes, peripheral blood, thymus, and liver. Significant differences (p,0.05, Student’s t test) between untreated and IL-2 treated animals are marked by an asterisk (*). (B) Analysis of ‘‘naı¨ve’’ CD45RBhigh CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in spleen, peripheral and mesenteric lymph nodes, peripheral blood, thymus, and liver. Significant differences (p,0.05, Student’s t test) between untreated and IL-2 treated animals are marked by an asterisk (*). Similar results were obtained in two independent experiments. (C) CD45RB+CD44lowCD62L+ naı¨ve CD4+CD252 Tconv and CD4+CD25high Treg cells were isolated by flow cytometric cell sorting and assessed for TREC content. Genomic DNA of sorted subsets was isolated, and the number of TREC was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (n = 3, p,0.05, Student’s t test). Error bars represent SD. Similar results were obtained in three independent experiments. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.g006 January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 8 Antibodies and FACS analysis Phenotype of T cells was defined by flow cytometry using the following antibodies: CD4-FITC, CD45RA-PE-Cy-5, CD4-APC, CD4-APC-Cy-7 (all from Becton Dickinson PharMingen), CD25- PE-Cy7 (BDBiosciences), CCR7-FITC (R&D Systems) as well as the corresponding isotype control antibodies (BDPharMingen). Intracellular staining was performed with the following antibodies: FOXP3-PE or APC (eBioscience), GITR-FITC (R&D Systems), CTLA4-PE or with the appropriate isotype controls (BDPharMin- gen) [28,46]. Cells were stained according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. g Taken together, we demonstrate an in vivo expansion of fully functional CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in colorectal cancer patients due to an increase in naı¨ve Treg cells with an increased TREC content. Moreover, naı¨ve Treg cells with a further increase of TREC are expanded post IL-2 treatment clearly pointing to an increased thymic output of naı¨ve Treg cells after IL-2 therapy, a mechanism also observed in mice in vivo post IL-2 treatment. This expansion of Treg cells post administration of IL-2 can potentially hinder an immune response towards co-administered anti-tumor reagents and should therefore be avoided when planning new cancer immunotherapy protocols. The existence of different mechanisms of expansion of Treg cells (thymic vs. peripheral expansion and conversion) highlights the complexity of regulation of these cells and cautions the use of simple strategies targeting these highly regulated cells in future cancer immunotherapy approaches. Samples were acquired on a FACSCanto and analyzed with FlowJo software (TreeStar Inc.). Frequencies of CD4+CD25high- FOXP3+ T cells are shown as percent values of CD4+ T cells. Isolation of CD4+CD25high and CD4+CD252 T cells For functional analysis, CD4+CD25high T cells were purified from PBMC. Briefly, CD4 MACS Beads (Miltenyi Biotec) were used for isolation of CD4+ T cells [28,46]. After staining with CD25-PE, and CD4-APC (BDPharMingen) according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, CD4+CD25high T cells were purified using a FACSDiVa Cell Sorter (BDBiosciences) and used Materials and Methods Patients and clinical parameters 15 HLA-A2+ patients with primary metastatic colorectal cancer were enrolled in this Phase I/II combined chemoimmunotherapy PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 9 IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Table 1. patient characteristics. Patient ID Sex Age(y) Primary tumor Sites of metastases Primary vaccine Boost time point of 2nd analysis Clinical response FFTF (mo) Survival (mo) P01 M 66 Colon Liver CAP-1+GM-CSF+IL-2 CAP-1+IL-2 after 3 cycles PR 15 34 P02 F 44 Colon Liver CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 after 3 cycles SD 5 21 P03 F 70 Colon Liver CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 after 3 cycles SD 12 32 P04 F 32 Colon Liver, spleen, ovaries, pelvis, peritoneum DC-CAP-1+IL-2 CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 after 3 cycles CR 12 26 P05 F 60 Colon Liver CAP-1+IL-2 CAP-1+IL-2 after 3 cycles SD 11 15 P06 M 57 Rectum Lung CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 after 3 cycles SD 7 17 P07 M 44 Rectum Liver CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 after 3 cycles CR 12 28 P08 M 64 Colon Liver, lung DC-CAP-1+IL-2 CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 after 3 cycles SD 10 28 P09 F 43 Rectum Liver, bone, pararectal, paraaortal lymphnodes CAP-1+GM-CSF+IL-2 CAP-1+GM-CSF+IL-2 after 3 cycles PD 6 13 P10 M 61 Colon Liver CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 after 3 cycles CR 9 11 P11 M 62 Colon Peritoneum CAP-1+IL-2 CAP-1+IL-2 after 3 cycles CR 13 21 P12 M 55 Colon Liver (primary resection) CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 after 3 cycles CR 24 24 P13 F 38 Colon Liver DC-CAP-1+IL-2 CAP-1+dSLIM+IL-2 after 1 cycle PD 3 10 P14 F 72 Colon Liver, spleen, lung, mediastinum CAP-1+IL-2 CAP-1+IL-2 after 0.5 cycle PD 2 2 P15 M 75 Colon Liver CAP-1+IL-2 CAP-1+IL-2 after 0.5 cycle PD 1 6 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030422.t001 using a FACSDiVa Cell Sorter and used for either functional characterization or assessment of TREC levels. for functional characterization. The CD4+CD252 T cells isolated from healthy individuals were used as effectors to assess Treg cell function independently of potential defects of conventional CD4+ T cells from colorectal cancer patients [28,46]. The cells were re- analyzed for FOXP3 expression after sorting and routinely showed .95% purity. DNA was isolated from purified CD4+CD252, CD4+CD25low and CD4+CD25high Tnaı¨ve, TCM, and TEM cells respectively using a DNA Isolation Kit (Roche Diagnostics) following the manufac- turer’s instructions. Relative TREC levels were determined using real-time PCR with a LightCycler (Roche Diagnostics) based on specific primers and general fluorescence detection with SYBR Green. Analysis of IL-2 effects on murine Treg cells Analysis of IL 2 effects on murine Treg cells Female C57BL/6 mice of 7 weeks were obtained from Elevage Janvier (France) and maintained in our animal facility. In vivo experiments were approved by the Animal Care Commission of Nord-Rhein-Westfalia, Germany (TVZ 9.93.2.10.31.07.089). Af- ter either treatment with human IL-2 (16105 IU/mouse/day, Proleukin) i.p. or PBS as control for 10 days [57], mice were sacrificed and their spleens, thymi, liver, and LN removed. Single- cell suspensions were prepared and stained for flow cytometric analysis. Antibodies used for staining were CD4-PE-Cy7, CD8a- Pacific Blue, CD45RB-APC-Cy7, CD25-Alexa 647, and FOXP3- Alexa 488 as well as appropriate isotype controls (all from BDBiosciences or BioLegend). Samples were acquired on a FACSCantoII and analyzed with FlowJo software. Frequencies of CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells are shown as percent values of CD4+ T cells. Materials and Methods All PCR were performed using LightCycler-FastStart DNA Master SYBR Green I kit (Roche Diagnostics). All samples were studied in duplicate reactions using the human TREC primer kit (Search-LC). The number of TREC molecules in the sample was calculated as number of copies per 104 cells (detection limit $10 molecules). Assessment of inhibitory function To assess the suppressive activity of Treg cells, 5,6-Carboxy- fluorescin-Diacetat-Succinimidyl-Ester (CFSE, Sigma-Aldrich) stained CD4+CD252 T cells (56104/well) were stimulated with magnetic beads (Dynal Biotech) coated with 5% anti-CD3 (OKT3), 14% anti-CD28 (9.3) and 81% anti-MHC class I (W6/ 32) at a ratio of 3:1 (cells:beads) in X-VIVO 15 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, 100 U/ml penicillin/streptomycin and 2 mM glutamine (all from Invitrogen). PKH-26 (Sigma-Aldrich)- labelled allogeneic CD4+CD25high T cells or naive or memory CD4+CD25high T cells activated for 20 hours with 10 U/ml IL-2 (ProleukinH, Chiron) and 0.5 mg/ml anti-CD3 mAb in X-VIVO 15 (BioWhittakker) were added at a 1:1 ratio to the culture and proliferation of CD4+CD252 T cells was determined by assessing CFSE dilution after four days of culture [28]. References 10. Tan W, Zhang W, Strasner A, Grivennikov S, Cheng JQ, et al. (2011) Tumour- infiltrating regulatory T cells stimulate mammary cancer metastasis through RANKL-RANK signalling. Nature 470: 548–553. g y ( ) g y T cells in the human immune system. Nature reviews Immunology 10: 490–500. 2. Sakaguchi S (2005) Naturally arising Foxp3-expressing CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells in immunological tolerance to self and non-self. Nat Immunol 6: 345–352. 2. Sakaguchi S (2005) Naturally arising Foxp3-expressing CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells in immunological tolerance to self and non-self. Nat Immunol 6: 345–352. 11. Kortylewski M, Xin H, Kujawski M, Lee H, Liu Y, et al. (2009) Regulation of the IL-23 and IL-12 balance by Stat3 signaling in the tumor microenvironment. Cancer cell 15: 114–123. 3. Shevach EM (2001) Certified professionals: CD4(+)CD25(+) suppressor T cells. J Exp Med 193: F41–46. 12. Ghiringhelli F, Larmonier N, Schmitt E, Parcellier A, Cathelin D, et al. (2004) CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells suppress tumor immunity but are sensitive to cyclophosphamide which allows immunotherapy of established tumors to be curative. Eur J Immunol 34: 336–344. 4. Taams LS, Smith J, Rustin MH, Salmon M, Poulter LW, et al. (2001) Human anergic/suppressive CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells: a highly differentiated and apoptosis-prone population. Eur J Immunol 31: 1122–1131. 13. Shimizu J, Yamazaki S, Sakaguchi S (1999) Induction of tumor immunity by removing CD25+CD4+ T cells: a common basis between tumor immunity and autoimmunity. J Immunol 163: 5211–5218. 5. Vukmanovic-Stejic M, Zhang Y, Cook JE, Fletcher JM, McQuaid A, et al. (2006) Human CD4+ CD25hi Foxp3+ regulatory T cells are derived by rapid turnover of memory populations in vivo. J Clin Invest 116: 2423–2433. 14. Beyer M, Schultze JL (2006) Regulatory T cells in cancer. Blood 108: 804–811. 14. Beyer M, Schultze JL (2006) Regulatory T cells 6. Takahashi T, Tagami T, Yamazaki S, Uede T, Shimizu J, et al. (2000) Immunologic self-tolerance maintained by CD25(+)CD4(+) regulatory T cells constitutively expressing cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4. J Exp Med 192: 303–310. 15. Beyer M, Schultze JL (2008) Immunoregulatory T cells: role and potential as a target in malignancy. Curr Oncol Rep 10: 130–136. 16. Beyer M, Schultze JL (2009) Regulatory T cells: major players in the tumor microenvironment. Current pharmaceutical design 15: 1879–1892. 7. McHugh RS, Whitters MJ, Piccirillo CA, Young DA, Shevach EM, et al. ) (TIF) Figure S2 Therapy schedule. Patients were first randomized to receive CAP-1 and IL-2 with different adjuvants (dSLIM, GM- CSF, or none). Subsequently, they were randomized to receive their first vaccination with or without pulsed autologous dendritic cells. Vaccinations (V) and chemotherapy (Chemo) were given in an alternating schedule, starting with two vaccinations. (TIF) Figure S2 Therapy schedule. Patients were first randomized to receive CAP-1 and IL-2 with different adjuvants (dSLIM, GM- CSF, or none). Subsequently, they were randomized to receive their first vaccination with or without pulsed autologous dendritic cells. Vaccinations (V) and chemotherapy (Chemo) were given in an alternating schedule, starting with two vaccinations. (TIF) Acknowledgments We are indebted to our patients for their commitment to this study. We thank I. Bu¨chmann, A. Dolf, and P. Wurst for excellent technical assistance, and J. Oldenburg and the Division of Transfusion Medicine for providing us with blood samples from healthy individuals. We thank Dr. Yu-Waye Chu (National Institutes of Health) for providing the TREC protocol and standards for murine TRECs and CD8b. Author Contributions Conceived and designed the experiments: MB JLS. Performed the experiments: MB BS MRW BA TG EE SC AL JLS. Analyzed the data: MB JLS. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: EE PAK. Wrote the paper: MB BS MRW BA TG SC AL JLS EE PAK. Statistical analysis Comparison between paired or unpaired groups was performed using the appropriate Student’s t-test. A p-value,0.05 was defined as statistically significant. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS statistical software package (SPSS 19, SPSS Inc.). Figures were created using SigmaPlot 12.0 (Systat Software Inc). Briefly, CD4 MACS Beads were used for isolation of murine CD4+ T cells from the spleen after treatment with IL-2 as described above [46]. After staining with CD44-FITC, CD62L- PE, CD25-Alexa 647, CD45RB-APC-Cy-7, CD8a-PE-Cy-7, and CD4-Alexa 405, naı¨ve CD45RB+CD44lowCD62L+ conventional CD4+CD252 T cells as well as naı¨ve CD4+CD25+ Treg cells were purified using a FACSDiVa Cell Sorter and used for assessment of TREC levels. Supporting Information Figure S1 CTLA4 and GITR expression in naı¨ve Treg cells. Frequency of CTLA4 (left) and GITR (right) expressing naı¨ve CCR7+CD45RA+ CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ Treg cells in healthy donors (white) and colorectal cancer patients before (light grey) and after IL-2 administration (dark grey) before treatment. Shown here are median, 25th and 75th percentile (box), 10th and 90th percentile (whiskers) and outliers (dots), (*, p,0.05, Student’s t test). (TIF) Murine dRec-yJa TRECs were determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as described before [58]. Briefly, cells were centrifuged and the pellet frozen at 280uC until analysis. DNA was isolated from purified naı¨ve CD4+CD252 Tconv and naı¨ve CD4+CD25high Treg cells using a DNA Isolation Kit (Roche Diagnostics) following the manufacturer’s instructions. Relative TREC levels were determined using real-time PCR containing mdRec primer (59-GGGCACACAGCAGCTGTG), yJa primer (59-GCAGGTTTTTGTAAAGGTGCTCA), and mdRec-yJa fluorescent probe (59-FAM-CACAAGCACCTG- CACCCTGTGCA-TAMRA-39). Lysates were separately subject- ed to amplification of the single-copy CD8b chain gene using a CD8b forward primer (59-CAGGACCCCAAGGACAAGTACT- 39), CD8b reverse primer (59-CACTTTCACCATACAAAA- CTCCTTTG-39), and CD8b probe (59-FAMTGAGTTCCT- GGCCTCCTGGAGTTCTTC-TAMRA-39). Reactions con- tained 0.5 mM of each primer, 0.3 mM fluorescent probe, and Platinum Quantitative PCR Supermix-UDG (Invitrogen) Ampli- fications were performed in triplicate on an LightCycler 480 II (Roche Diagnostics). Amplification conditions were 50uC for 2 minutes, 95uC for 5 minutes, then 40 cycles of 95uC for 15 seconds, and 60uC for 1 minute. Standards for murine TRECs (mdREC-yJa) and CD8b were provided by Dr. Y.-W. Chu (Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health). Standard curves were generated as described before [58]. TREC frequency (TREC molecules per 10 000 cells) was determined by normalizing the number of TRECs amplified in the real-time PCR reaction to the number of amplified CD8b molecules. y gy 2. Sakaguchi S (2005) Naturally arising Foxp3-expressing CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells in immunological tolerance to self and non-self. Nat Immunol 6: 345–352. Isolation of CD4+CD25high T-cell subpopulations for assessment of T-cell receptor excision circles and functional characterization Briefly, CD4 MACS Beads were used for isolation of CD4+ T cells [46]. After staining with CCR7-FITC, CD25-PE, CD45RA- PE-Cy-5, and CD4-APC, CD4+CD25high T cells and the respective T cell subsets, CCR7+CD45RA+ Tnaı¨ve, CCR7+ CD45RA2 TCM, and CCR72CD45RA2 TEM cells were purified PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 10 IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Isolation of CD4+CD45RB+CD44lowCD62L+ naı¨ve murine T-cells for assessment of T-cell receptor excision circles IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC interleukin-2 in patients with HLA-A2-positive advanced melanoma. J Clin Oncol 26: 2292–2298. 20. Yaqub S, Henjum K, Mahic M, Jahnsen FL, Aandahl EM, et al. (2008) Regulatory T cells in colorectal cancer patients suppress anti-tumor immune activity in a COX-2 dependent manner. Cancer Immunol Immunother 57: 813–821. interleukin-2 in patients with HLA-A2-positive advanced melanoma. J Clin Oncol 26: 2292–2298. 41. Wei S, Kryczek I, Edwards RP, Zou L, Szeliga W, et al. (2007) Interleukin-2 administration alters the CD4+FOXP3+ T-cell pool and tumor trafficking in patients with ovarian carcinoma. Cancer Res 67: 7487–7494. 21. Ling KL, Pratap SE, Bates GJ, Singh B, Mortensen NJ, et al. (2007) Increased frequency of regulatory T cells in peripheral blood and tumour infiltrating lymphocytes in colorectal cancer patients. Cancer Immun 7: 7. 42. van der Vliet HJ, Koon HB, Yue SC, Uzunparmak B, Seery V, et al. (2007) Effects of the administration of high-dose interleukin-2 on immunoregulatory cell subsets in patients with advanced melanoma and renal cell cancer. Clin Cancer Res 13: 2100–2108. 22. Thornton AM, Shevach EM (1998) CD4+CD25+ immunoregulatory T cells suppress polyclonal T cell activation in vitro by inhibiting interleukin 2 production. J Exp Med 188: 287–296. 43. Jensen HK, Donskov F, Nordsmark M, Marcussen N, von der Maase H (2009) Increased intratumoral FOXP3-positive regulatory immune cells during interleukin-2 treatment in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 15: 1052–1058. 23. Valmori D, Merlo A, Souleimanian NE, Hesdorffer CS, Ayyoub M (2005) A peripheral circulating compartment of natural naive CD4 Tregs. J Clin Invest 115: 1953–1962. 44. Correale P, Cusi MG, Tsang KY, Del Vecchio MT, Marsili S, et al. (2005) Chemo-immunotherapy of metastatic colorectal carcinoma with gemcitabine plus FOLFOX 4 followed by subcutaneous granulocyte macrophage colony- stimulating factor and interleukin-2 induces strong immunologic and antitumor activity in metastatic colon cancer patients. J Clin Oncol 23: 8950–8958. 24. Miyara M, Yoshioka Y, Kitoh A, Shima T, Wing K, et al. (2009) Functional delineation and differentiation dynamics of human CD4+ T cells expressing the FoxP3 transcription factor. Immunity 30: 899–911. 25. Santner-Nanan B, Seddiki N, Zhu E, Quent V, Kelleher A, et al. (2008) Accelerated age-dependent transition of human regulatory T cells to effector memory phenotype. Int Immunol 20: 375–383. tivity in metastatic colon cancer patients. J Clin Oncol 23: 8950–8958 45. Correale P, Tagliaferri P, Fioravanti A, Del Vecchio MT, Remondo C, et al. IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Malek TR, Bayer AL (2004) Tolerance, not immunity, crucially depends on IL- 2. Nat Rev Immunol 4: 665–674. 33. Bayer AL, Yu A, Adeegbe D, Malek TR (2005) Essential role for interleukin-2 for CD4(+)CD25(+) T regulatory cell development during the neonatal period. J Exp Med 201: 769–777. 52. Zorn E, Nelson EA, Mohseni M, Porcheray F, Kim H, et al. (2006) IL-2 regulates FOXP3 expression in human CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells through a STAT-dependent mechanism and induces the expansion of these cells in vivo. Blood 108: 1571–1579. 34. Fontenot JD, Rasmussen JP, Gavin MA, Rudensky AY (2005) A function for interleukin 2 in Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells. Nat Immunol 6: 1142–1151. 53. Seddiki N, Santner-Nanan B, Tangye SG, Alexander SI, Solomon M, et al. (2005) Persistence of naive CD45RA+ regulatory T cells in adult life. Blood. 35. Setoguchi R, Hori S, Takahashi T, Sakaguchi S (2005) Homeostatic maintenance of natural Foxp3(+) CD25(+) CD4(+) regulatory T cells by interleukin (IL)-2 and induction of autoimmune disease by IL-2 neutralization. J Exp Med 201: 723–735. 54. Watanabe N, Wang YH, Lee HK, Ito T, Wang YH, et al. (2005) Hassall’s corpuscles instruct dendritic cells to induce CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells in human thymus. Nature 436: 1181–1185. 55. Burchill MA, Yang JY, Vogtenhuber C, Blazar BR, Farrar MA (2007) IL-2 receptor beta-dependent STAT5 activation is required for the development of Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells. Journal of Immunology 178: 280–290. 36. Furtado GC, Curotto de Lafaille MA, Kutchukhidze N, Lafaille JJ (2002) Interleukin 2 signaling is required for CD4(+) regulatory T cell function. J Exp Med 196: 851–857. 56. Weihrauch MR, Ansen S, Jurkiewicz E, Geisen C, Xia Z, et al. (2005) Phase I/II combined chemoimmunotherapy with carcinoembryonic antigen-derived HLA- A2-restricted CAP-1 peptide and irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin in patients with primary metastatic colorectal cancer. Clin Cancer Res 11: 5993–6001. 37. Ahmadzadeh M, Rosenberg SA (2006) IL-2 administration increases CD4+ CD25(hi) Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in cancer patients. Blood 107: 2409–2414. 38. Zhang H, Chua KS, Guimond M, Kapoor V, Brown MV, et al. (2005) Lymphopenia and interleukin-2 therapy alter homeostasis of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells. Nat Med 11: 1238–1243. 57. Chen X, Oppenheim JJ, Winkler-Pickett RT, Ortaldo JR, Howard OM (2006) Glucocorticoid amplifies IL-2-dependent expansion of functional FoxP3(+)CD4(+)CD25(+) T regulatory cells in vivo and enhances their capacity to suppress EAE. Eur J Immunol 36: 2139–2149. 39. IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC (2008) Immunity Feedback and Clinical Outcome in Colon Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemoimmunotherapy with Gemcitabine+FOLFOX followed by Subcutaneous Granulocyte Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor and Aldesleukin (GOLFIG-1 Trial). Clin Cancer Res 14: 4192–4199. 26. Seddiki N, Santner-Nanan B, Tangye SG, Alexander SI, Solomon M, et al. (2006) Persistence of naive CD45RA+ regulatory T cells in adult life. Blood 107: 2830–2838. 27. Beyer M, Schultze JL (2007) CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ regulatory T cells in peripheral blood are primarily of effector memory phenotype. J Clin Oncol 25: 2628–2630. 46. Beyer M, Kochanek M, Darabi K, Popov A, Jensen M, et al. (2005) Reduced frequencies and suppressive function of CD4+CD25hi regulatory T cells in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia after therapy with fludarabine. Blood 106: 2018–2025. 28. Beyer M, Kochanek M, Giese T, Endl E, Weihrauch MR, et al. (2006) In vivo peripheral expansion of naive CD4+CD25high FoxP3+ regulatory T cells in patients with multiple myeloma. Blood 107: 3940–3949. 47. Baecher-Allan C, Viglietta V, Hafler DA (2004) Human CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells. Semin Immunol 16: 89–98. 29. Beyer M, Classen S, Endl E, Kochanek M, Weihrauch MR, et al. (2011) Comparative Approach to Define Increased Regulatory T Cells in Different Cancer Subtypes by Combined Assessment of CD127 and FOXP3. Clinical & developmental immunology 2011: 734036. 48. Tosello V, Odunsi K, Souleimanian NE, Lele S, Shrikant P, et al. (2008) Differential expression of CCR7 defines two distinct subsets of human memory CD4+CD25+ Tregs. Clin Immunol 126: 291–302. 49. Knoechel B, Lohr J, Kahn E, Bluestone JA, Abbas AK (2005) Sequential development of interleukin 2-dependent effector and regulatory T cells in response to endogenous systemic antigen. J Exp Med 202: 1375–1386. 30. Hori S, Haury M, Lafaille JJ, Demengeot J, Coutinho A (2002) Peripheral expansion of thymus-derived regulatory cells in anti-myelin basic protein T cell receptor transgenic mice. Eur J Immunol 32: 3729–3735. 50. Thornton AM, Donovan EE, Piccirillo CA, Shevach EM (2004) Cutting edge: IL-2 is critically required for the in vitro activation of CD4+CD25+ T cell suppressor function. J Immunol 172: 6519–6523. 31. Kasow KA, Chen X, Knowles J, Wichlan D, Handgretinger R, et al. (2004) Human CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells share equally complex and comparable repertoires with CD4+CD252 counterparts. J Immunol 172: 6123–6128. pp J 51. Pandiyan P, Zheng L, Ishihara S, Reed J, Lenardo MJ (2007) CD4+CD25 +Foxp3+ regulatory T cells induce cytokine deprivation-mediated apoptosis of effector CD4+ T cells. Nat Immunol 8: 1353–1362. 32. References (2002) CD4(+)CD25(+) immunoregulatory T cells: gene expression analysis reveals a functional role for the glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor. Immunity 16: 311–323. 17. Mahnke K, Schonfeld K, Fondel S, Ring S, Karakhanova S, et al. (2007) Depletion of CD4+CD25+ human regulatory T cells in vivo: kinetics of Treg depletion and alterations in immune functions in vivo and in vitro. International journal of cancer Journal international du cancer 120: 2723–2733. 8. Allan SE, Crome SQ, Crellin NK, Passerini L, Steiner TS, et al. (2007) Activation-induced FOXP3 in human T effector cells does not suppress proliferation or cytokine production. Int Immunol 19: 345–354. 18. Morse MA, Hobeika AC, Osada T, Serra D, Niedzwiecki D, et al. (2008) Depletion of human regulatory T cells specifically enhances antigen-specific immune responses to cancer vaccines. Blood 112: 610–618. 9. Tran DQ, Ramsey H, Shevach EM (2007) Induction of FOXP3 expression in naive human CD4+FOXP3 T cells by T-cell receptor stimulation is transforming growth factor-beta dependent but does not confer a regulatory phenotype. Blood 110: 2983–2990. 19. Clarke SL, Betts GJ, Plant A, Wright KL, El-Shanawany TM, et al. (2006) CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells suppress anti-tumor immune respons- es in patients with colorectal cancer. PLoS ONE 1: e129. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 11 IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC IL-2 Induced Naı¨ve Treg Cell Expansion in CRC Cesana GC, DeRaffele G, Cohen S, Moroziewicz D, Mitcham J, et al. (2006) Characterization of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in patients treated with high-dose interleukin-2 for metastatic melanoma or renal cell carcinoma. J Clin Oncol 24: 1169–1177. 58. Chu YW, Memon SA, Sharrow SO, Hakim FT, Eckhaus M, et al. (2004) Exogenous IL-7 increases recent thymic emigrants in peripheral lymphoid tissue without enhanced thymic function. Blood 104: 1110–1119. 40. Sosman JA, Carrillo C, Urba WJ, Flaherty L, Atkins MB, et al. (2008) Three phase II cytokine working group trials of gp100 (210M) peptide plus high-dose PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 1 | e30422 12
W2126393831.txt
https://ajgiph.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/2195-3007-3-1
en
Gambling problems amongst the CALD population of Australia: hidden, visible or not a problem?
Asian journal of gambling issues and public health
2,013
cc-by
9,243
Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Gambling problems amongst the CALD population of Australia: hidden, visible or not a problem? Matthew Stevens1,2* and Kate Golebiowska1 * Correspondence: matthew. stevens@menzies.edu.au 1 Charles Darwin University, The Northern Institute, Darwin, Australia 2 Charles Darwin University, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Australia Abstract There have been mixed research results when studying gambling problems in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities in Australia and internationally. This study tests the feasibility of using nationally representative General Social Surveys for examining trends and patterns in gambling problems and other life stressors amongst the Australian CALD population. Two surveys were analysed to determine whether the CALD population experienced gambling problems and other life stressors at different levels to the non-CALD population, and to identify, using multivariable models, whether CALD related variables showed evidence of an association with reported gambling problems after adjustment for other covariates. There was no evidence that 2002 estimates of gambling problems were different in CALD and non-CALD populations. In 2006, there was evidence that gambling problems were lower in the CALD population compared with the nonCALD population (1.3% cf. 3.5%). In 2002 multivariable models there was no evidence of an association between CALD status or related variables with gambling problems, after adjustment for other variables. In 2006 multivariable models, there was evidence of an association between being the CALD population (protective), and being born in Oceania or New Zealand (risk) with gambling problems, after adjustment for other variables. Keywords: Culturally and linguistically diverse, Gambling, Population surveys, Ethnicity Background Australia has an ethnically diverse population, with nearly 25% of the population being born overseas (Department of Immigration and Citizenship 2009). Within this group, the term ‘Culturally and Linguistically Diverse’ (CALD), has been used to describe people born overseas who do not speak English at home. The make-up of this group within Australia has changed markedly since early immigration waves post World War II, with early waves of immigrants predominantly coming from the United Kingdom and European countries and an increase in intake from Asian countries from the 1980’s onwards (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008; Stevens et al. 2010). Grants of permanent residence visas in Australia are made in three categories: skill (comprises business), family and humanitarian. Skilled and business migrants have been sought by successive Australian Governments predominantly since the 1980s to © 2013 Stevens and Golebiowska; licensee Springer. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 contribute to the economic growth and development of the country. Their proportionate share has been increasing and in 2007–08 it represented nearly 70% of the annual migration program in Australia. The Australian Government periodically adjusts skilled entry criteria to select higher calibre migrants and match economic conditions. For example, in 2007 and 2010, it tightened entry requirements for skilled visas with regards to the types of skills, level of education and proficiency in English language (Minister for Immigration and Citizenship 2007, 2010), leading to more educated immigrants compared with past decades (Department of Immigration and Citizenship 2009). The policy changes and economic conditions between 1999–2000 and 2008–09, led to a more than doubling in the number of skilled and business visas from 38,000 to 134,000, respectively (Markus et al. 2009). The family stream group of migrants are not subject to skilled entry criteria and many of these visa holders are women from various Asian countries and the proportionate share of this stream has fallen from 42% (2000– 01) to 30% (2008–09) as the skilled and business stream increased its share (Department of Immigration and Citizenship 2009). Australia has a long history of re-settling refugees. This is the smallest migration stream, which over the decade of 1999–2000 and 2008–09 has fluctuated between 10,000 and 14,000 annually. Around half of these places go to refugees selected from refugee camps (Markus, et al. 2009). Currently, humanitarian entrants largely come from the African, Asian and Middle East countries. Their human capital varies greatly from no schooling at all to trades and professional qualifications but no recognition of qualifications and common English language difficulties mean it is some time before this group can become financially self-sufficient. Humanitarian and family entrants are entitled to free English language tuition upon arrival to enable them to quickly participate in economic and social life of Australia. All in all, the composition of the Australian immigration intake is socio-economically and culturally very diverse, includes native and non-native English speakers as well as those who will learn it only in Australia. Research on problem gambling with CALD populations has tended to focus on specific ethnic communities (Loo et al. 2008), or on particular geographic locations (Brozovic-Basic 2005; Cultural Partners Australia 2000; The Ethnic Communities' Council of New South Wales 1999) or both (Chui and O'Connor 2006). The research in Australia and from other English speaking countries has found that non-Caucasian ethnicity is a risk factor for gambling related harm (Clarke et al. 2007; Gibbs Van Brunschot 2000; Raylu and Oei 2004). Factors found to be conducive to gambling may be a) uniquely related to the minority status experience and b) to more universal circumstances (e.g. low income status) relevant to gambling among ethnic groups and the general community alike. Three cultural variables, which have been considered in the uptake and maintenance of gambling, are: a) adherence to cultural values; b) acculturation, and c) culturally-determined help seeking behaviours (Oei and Raylu 2009; Raylu and Oei 2004). These three factors have also been found to be important in the initiation of mental health and drug and alcohol-related issues (De La Rosa et al. 2000; Escobar et al. 2000; Loue 1998; Westermeyer 1999). Cultural norms, practices and beliefs related to gambling can be passed to an individual in different ways. The social learning perspective, which proposes that such norms and beliefs are socially transmitted is often invoked (Bandura 1986). For example, the Page 2 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 transfer can occur via the behaviour of the immediate family members and/or other respected community members who are perceived as role models. It can also occur if role models show their approval of gambling, or share an oral or written history which accepts it (Raylu and Oei 2004). Studies of the role of familial influence on gambling focus upon parental/caregiver gambling and they have found correlations between problem and/or pathological gambling of the offspring and parents’ gambling (Ladouceur and Mireault 1988; Lesieur et al. 1991; Lesieur and Heineman 1988; Oei and Raylu 2009; Teo et al. 2007; Toneatto and Brennan 2002). So, while there have been numerous small-scale, geographically-contained studies across Australia, there is a lack of data that are comparable through time that allow for identification of gambling problems at the national level for the CALD population. The Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducts the General Social Survey (GSS) 4-yearly, which collects a broad range of information from demographic, social, cultural, economic and emotional and social well-being (ESWB) domains including information on gambling problems. However, the feasibility of using this data set to measure gambling problems for Australia’s CALD population has not been tested. The advantage of being able to use information collected from national surveys comes from the use of a consistent methodology to measure gambling problems geographically and over time. To test the feasibility of using the routinely collected nationally representative surveys for measuring gambling problems amongst the CALD population, data access was obtained to analyse the 2002 and 2006 GSS’s. This allowed for a range of important demographic, socioeconomic, and social connectedness variables to be included in the analyses of reported gambling problems amongst the CALD population. Specifically the research addresses the following questions: (1) Does the CALD population experience life stressors, including gambling problems, at different levels to the non-CALD population in Australia? (2) Are CALD status and related variables associated with reported gambling problems after adjustment for other variables in multivariable models? (3) Is the GSS a suitable data set to measure gambling problems amongst the CALD population? Methods Data sources and survey design Full details of sample design, collection methods, and data quality for the General Social Surveys (GSSs) have been reported elsewhere (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2003, 2007) and a summary is therefore provided here. The GSS is a general population survey conducted every four years and forms part of the ABS social survey program. The 2002 and 2006 GSSs employed a stratified multistage area sample, with a scope that included all people aged 15 years and over in non-remote areas of Australia, with all data collected in face-to-face interviews. The map in Figure 1 provides the boundaries of the remoteness structure used in Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) surveys in Australia. Non-remote areas include major cities and inner and outer regional areas, and cover over 98% of Australia’s total population. The survey goes through a process of testing questions, before completing a full dress-rehearsal of all survey processes. Page 3 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Figure 1 ABS Australian Standard Geographical Classification remoteness structure. Page 4 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Accessibility CALD, demographic, SES Social networks Gambling problems Acculturation Norms & beliefs: luck, control Availability Figure 2 Framework conceptualising pathways to gambling related problems. For the current analyses, only data from people aged 18 years and over were used because respondents under the age of 18 years were not administered the module containing the question on gambling problems. Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs) or data files for the GSSs were accessed via the ABS Remote Access Data Laboratory or RADL (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006). This is a web-based interface that allows the user to enter code, which is then processed on site at the ABS, to ensure confidentiality restrictions associated with the 1905 Census and Statistics Act for Australia are adhered to. All ABS survey data is de-identified and ethics approval was not required as the analyses constitute secondary use of data. Socio-environmental pathways model to gambling problems Figure 2 shows a conceptual framework representing pathways to gambling problems (from the outside square through to the middle square). Starting from the outside moving in, if gambling opportunities through accessibility or availability are not there then it is not possible to develop problems with gambling (Nerilee Hing and Haw 2009; Moore and Ohtsuka 1997). If gambling is accessible and available then factors relating to being a member of the CALD population along with other socio-demographic and socioeconomic factors may indicate higher (or lower) risk associated with developing gambling related problems (Stevens et al. 2010; Teo, et al. 2007; Volberg 1994). For example, young men, low or high income, and labour force status have all been shown to be associated with increased levels of problem gambling (Young and Stevens 2009). Also in this square are social norms and personal beliefs (e.g. luck and control over outcomes) which have been shown to have bearing on the risk of problem gambling (Chantal and Vallerand 1996; Nerilee Hing and Breen 2001; Tanasornnarong et al. 2004; Wohl and Enzle 2002; Wohl et al. 2005). For example, research suggests that gamblers who learnt to play from their parents are at higher risk due to the normalisation of gambling as an activity (even when it is problematic) (Breen et al. 2010). The box surrounding ‘gambling problems’ contains factors associated with social networks Page 5 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 and acculturation. These factors can be either protective (Beattie et al. 1999; Stanton 2004) or risk factors (Kidman 2004) in the development of gambling problems. Measurement of gambling problems and the Negative Life Events Scale (NLES) The NLES is a regular survey module used by the ABS in social and health surveys, and is designed to measure individuals’ emotional and social wellbeing (ESWB) by identifying life stressors that individuals are exposed to. The NLES module was developed for use with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, with the specific purpose of comparing ESWB between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations of Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004). The NLES asks respondents have any of these things [list of ‘stressors’ or ‘negative life events’] been a problem for you or your family or friends during the last year? Respondents then answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to a list of 12 ‘stressors’ or ‘negative life events’, which are: gambling problem; divorce or separation; death of family member or close friend; serious illness or disability; serious accident; alcohol or drug related problems; not able to get a job; lost job, made redundant, sacked; witness to violence; victim of abuse or violent crime; trouble with the police; and mental illness. It is clear from the wording of the NLES question that the instrument does not measure problem gambling prevalence or prevalence for any of the items. It asks respondents if gambling has . . .been a problem for you, your family or close friends during the last year. Therefore, the NLES gambling problem item measures the reach or extent of gambling problems throughout peoples’ social and family networks and is not an individual measure of problem gambling. This broader conceptualisation of gambling-related harm is consistent with the Australian definition of problem gambling which states that “problem gambling is characterised by difficulties in limiting money and/or time spent on gambling which leads to adverse consequences for the gambler, others, or for the communities” (Neal et al. 2005, p 126). Explanatory variables There is no single variable contained in the GSS indicating a respondents’ CALD status and therefore it had to be derived from related variables. Two variables, region of birth and main language spoken at home were used to generate a CALD status variable that indicated whether the respondent was both born overseas and did not speak English at home. Other variables related to CALD status were main language spoken at home, level in spoken English, region of birth, and year of arrival in Australia. The GSS also contains a large number of variables from demographic (age sex, location, marital status, crowding, household and family type), socioeconomic status (tenure type, income, education), financial stress (ran out of money, raise money in emergency), social connectedness (participation in a range of social and sporting activities and events) and health (self-reported health) related domains that are used in the analyses. Statistical analysis The distribution of CALD related social connectedness variables, and estimates of NLES items are given for the 2002 and 2006 surveys. Statistical differences were determined by dividing the absolute difference between the estimates by the standard error of the Page 6 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi difference ( SE1 2 þ SE2 2 ), where SE1 and SE2 are the standard errors of the estimates being compared respectively, to obtain a test statistic for comparison with Student’s t-distribution. Statistical differences were determined for CALD related variables between the 2002 and 2006 CALD populations; for social connectedness variables between the 2006 CALD and non-CALD populations; and for NLES items between 2002 and 2006 CALD populations, and between CALD and non-CALD populations for 2002 and 2006. The outcome variable, reported gambling problem is dichotomous and therefore well suited to logistic regression modelling. Separate models for the CALD and non-CALD populations were unable to be generated due to the small percentage of the CALD population reporting gambling problems and the relatively small size of this subpopulation group. Therefore models for the total population were first generated and then CALD related variables were substituted into final models to assess if the CALD status or any related variables showed an independent association with reported gambling problems after controlling for other variables. First, unadjusted associations between reported gambling problem and all explanatory variables, including those relating to CALD status (region of birth, year of arrival, language region, proficiency in English and the CALD status variable) were assessed. Explanatory variables (but not CALD related variables) showing a significant (p ≤ 0.05) association with gambling problems were then assessed for collinearity to ensure the assumptions associated with logistic regression modelling were adhered to. Where two or more explanatory variables were significantly correlated, these were first entered into a separate model and variable(s) remaining significant were retained for the next stage. Next, significant explanatory variables were entered simultaneously into a multivariable logistic regression model and backward elimination carried out with removal of variables set at p > 0.05. Lastly, CALD-related variables were added to models to determine if any had an adjustyed association with reported gambling problems. All analyses were carried out using Stata v9.2 accessed via the ABS Remote Access Data Laboratory or RADL (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006) using the expanded confidentialised unit record files (CURF) for the 2002 and 2006 GSS’s. Data was weighted to the Estimated Resident Population for non-remote Australia at the time of the survey, and survey replicate method (SVR) set of commands was used to analyse data (Winter 2008). All confidence intervals were calculated using the Jack Knife (jk1) method and adjusted for the survey design. Results Table 1 shows the distribution of CALD related variables for 2002 and 2006. Statistically significant differences were present for main language spoken at home (South European, East European, East Asian) and region of birth (Europe, North/ South/East Asia) and year of arrival (Recent, Long term). In 2002, 13% of Australia’s adult population were defined as CALD, increasing to 13.3% in 2006. Table 2 reports estimates for variables related to social connectedness for the 2006 CALD and non-CALD populations, and the 2002 CALD population. All measures of social connectedness, except participation in church or religious activities, indicated lower levels of participation for the CALD population in 2006. Social support amongst the CALD population was also significantly lower than in the non-CALD population. Page 7 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Page 8 of 20 Table 1 Distribution of CALD status for the total Australian population and the distribution of CALD-related variables for the CALD population, 2002 and 2006 Culture and language variables 2002 2006 % (SE) % (SE) t-value p-value 69.4 (0.5) 68.7 (0.7) 0.81 0.416 3.0 (0.2) 3.1 (0.3) 0.28 0.782 14.6 (0.4) 14.8 (0.3) 0.40 0.689 13.0 (0.4) 13.3 (0.5) 0.47 0.639 Non-CALD population 87.0 (0.4) 86.7 (0.5) 0.47 0.639 CALD population 13.0 (0.4) 13.3 (0.5) 0.47 0.639 100.0 100.0 - - 14,548,869 15,307,066 - - North European 4.8 (0.7) 6.3 (0.7) 1.52 0.130 South European 25.6 (1.6) 19.3 (1.6) 2.78 0.005 East European 15.9 (1.0) 11.0 (1.4) 2.85 0.004 SW Asian central 9.4 (1.0) 10.3 (1.4) 0.52 0.601 South Asian 9.2 (0.9) 9.9 (1.0) 0.52 0.603 Total Australian population CALD: Birthplace and language groups Non-CALD population Australia & English at home Australia & not English at home Overseas & English at home CALD population Overseas & not English at home CALD status Total Australian population N (weighted population) Total CALD population Main language spoken at home SE Asian 11.9 (1.2) 14.9 (1.8) 1.39 0.166 East Asian 18.5 (1.3) 23.3 (1.8) 2.16 0.031 4.6 (0.7) 4.9 (0.9) 0.26 0.792 Other language Level in spoken English Very well 35.9 (1.6) 38.4 (2.0) 0.98 0.329 Well 38.7 (1.5) 38.0 (2.1) 0.27 0.786 Not well 23.0 (1.7) 20.8 (1.3) 1.03 0.304 2.4 (0.5) 2.8 (0.6) 0.51 0.609 None Region of birth Europe 40.8 (1.8) 32.4 (2.3) 2.88 0.004 Africa/Middle East 11.5 (0.9) 14.1 (1.5) 1.49 0.137 North/South/East Asia 30.9 (1.5) 38.1 (2.1) 2.79 0.005 7.8 (0.9) 8.7 (1.1) 0.63 0.527 India/Central Asia New Zealand/Oceania 4.5 (0.8) 3.7 (0.8) 0.71 0.480 Americas and not stated 4.6 (0.7) 2.9 (0.7) 1.72 0.086 5.1 (0.8) 16.9 (1.6) 6.60 0.000 1991-2000 (medium) 26.8 (1.8) 23.0 (1.7) 1.53 0.125 Before 1991 (long term) 68.1 (1.9) 60.2 (1.8) 3.02 0.003 100.0 100.0 - - 1,891,353 2,034,595 - - Year of arrival 2001-2006 / 2002 (recent)1 Total CALD population N (weighted population) NOTES: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Totals for 18 years and over. 1 Recent = 2001–2002 in the 2002 GSS and Recent = 2001–2006 in the 2006 GSS. Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Page 9 of 20 Table 2 Distribution of social connectedness variables by CALD status: 2006 GSS Social connectedness and support variables 2006 2006 CALD Non-CALD t-value p-value CALD 2002 % (SE) % (SE) % (SE) None 42.5 (1.6) 32.0 (0.6) 6.14 0.000 nc Participated in 57.5 (1.6) 68.0 (0.6) 6.14 0.000 nc None 69.2 (1.7) 82.0 (0.5) 7.22 0.000 60.4 (1.5) Participated in religion 30.8 (1.7) 18.0 (0.5) 7.22 0.000 39.6 (1.5) None 88.3 (1.4) 78.7 (0.5) 6.46 0.000 nc Attended 11.7 (1.4) 21.3 (0.5) 6.46 0.000 nc None 81.3 (1.7) 63.4 (0.6) 9.93 0.000 67.4 (1.9) Participate/attended/watched 18.7 (1.7) 36.6 (0.6) 9.93 0.000 32.6 (1.9) Social activities last 12 months Adult education/special interest group Church or religious Restaurant/cafe/bar/social club Sports/physical activity Arts/craft group None 93.4 (0.9) 83.7 (0.4) 9.85 0.000 nc Visited 6.6 (0.9) 16.3 (0.4) 9.85 0.000 nc None 18.7 (1.3) 10.3 (0.3) 6.30 0.000 20.2 (1.2) Attended 81.3 (1.3) 89.7 (0.3) 6.30 0.000 79.8 (1.2) None 73.3 (2.1) 44.0 (0.6) 13.42 0.000 74.3 (1.5) Attended 26.7 (2.1) 56.0 (0.6) 13.42 0.000 25.7 (1.5) None 48.6 (2.3) 36.1 (0.8) 5.13 0.000 51.7 (1.5) Participated 51.4 (2.3) 63.9 (0.8) 5.13 0.000 48.3 (1.5) Leisure/culture/recreation Sport/physical activity attendance Sport/physical activity participation Support if needed help in last 12 months No support 13.5 (0.8) 5.6 (0.3) 9.25 0.000 12.1 (1.0) Support 86.5 (0.8) 94.4 (0.3) 9.25 0.000 87.9 (1.0) Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 N (weighted population) 2,034,595 13,272,471 1,891,353 Australia 13.3 (0.5) 86.7 (0.5) 13.0 (0.4) NOTES: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. nc = Non-comparable due to different wording in questions between 2002 and 2006 surveys. Figures 3 and 4 present estimates for NLES items by CALD status for the 2002 and 2006 populations’ respectively. In 2002, there was no evidence of a difference between a report of ‘gambling problem’ in the CALD and non-CALD populations respectively (3.3% and 3.5%). In 2002, estimates for all NLES items were statistically lower in the CALD population compared with the non-CALD population, except for ‘gambling problem’, ‘not able to get a job (no job)’, ‘death of a family member’, and ‘other stressor’. The most commonly reported stressor for the CALD population was ‘death of family member’ (17.5%), while for the non-CALD population it was having or living with someone with a ‘chronic illness’ (24.5%). Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Page 10 of 20 Death family member Chronic illness No job Divorce Serious accident Lost job Gambling problem Mental illness Alcohol and/or drugs Abuse or violent crime Police trouble 2002 CALD Witness to violence 2002 non-CALD Other stressor 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 % Figure 3 NLES item estimates (standard errors) by CALD status for 2002. Estimates of NLES items in 2006 were all statistically lower for the CALD population except for ‘not able to get a job’ and ‘other stressor’. Estimates for reported ‘gambling problem’ were 1.3% and 3.5% for the CALD and non-CALD 2006 populations respectively. Living with someone or having a ‘chronic illness’ was reported most frequently for the CALD (20.3%) and non-CALD (20.7%) 2006 populations. Comparing the 2002 and 2006 CALD populations, only one NLES item, ‘gambling problem’ showed evidence of a difference (3.3% to 1.3%). Table 3 presents unadjusted associations between CALD status and related variables and reported gambling problems. None of the CALD related variables had a significant unadjusted association with reported gambling problems in the 2002 survey. When the variables country of birth and main language spoken at home were combined, the category of being born overseas and speaking English at home, was marginally nonsignificant (p = 0.080) and associated with reduced levels of reported gambling problems (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51 to 0.93). In 2006, the CALD status variable and a number of other CALD related variables showed a significant association with reported gambling problems. Being a member of the CALD population was significantly associated with reduced levels of reporting gambling problems (OR 0.38, CI 0.21 to 0.68). The variable combining country of birth and main language spoken at home was also significantly associated with reported gambling problems, with people not born in Australia and not speaking English at home (equivalent to the CALD population) being associated with reduced reporting of gambling problems, while people born in Australia and not speaking English at home had marginally non-significant association with increased reporting of gambling problems (OR 2.14, CI 0.95 to 4.85). People who spoke either a southern, south-eastern or eastern Asian language reported fewer gambling problems (OR 0.14, CI 0.04 to 0.54), though this was marginally non-significant (p = 0.067), while people not speaking English very well, also reported significantly (p = 0.015) fewer gambling problems (OR 0.30, CI 0.14 to 0.65). People whose region of birth was from New Zealand or Oceania reported significantly higher levels of gambling problems (OR 2.16, CI 1.04 to 4.49). Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Page 11 of 20 Chronic illness Death family member No job Divorce Mental illness Serious accident Alcohol and/or drugs Lost job Police trouble Gambling problem Witness to violence 2006 CALD Abuse or violent crime 2006 non-CALD Other stressor 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 % Figure 4 NLES item estimates (standard errors) by CALD status for 2006. No models are presented for the 2002 survey as no CALD related variables showed a significant association with reported gambling problems, and multivariable adjusted models for reported gambling problems have been reported in previous work (Stevens and Young 2009; Stevens et al. 2010). Table 4 presents multivariable adjusted models for reported gambling problems from the 2006 survey. Two models are presented that contain variables related to CALD status which remained significant after adjusting for all other significant correlates of reported gambling problems. Model 1 includes the combination variable, country of birth and main language spoken at home, with people born overseas and not speaking English at home having reduced odds of reporting a gambling problem (OR 0.53, CI 0.30 to 0.95), after adjustment for state/territory, age, cash flow problems, social participation, victim of physical or threatened violence and self-assessed health. In Model 2, the CALD status variable and the region of birth variable remained significant after adjustment for all other significant correlates of reported gambling problems (Table 2: Model 2). Being a member of the CALD population was associated with reduced odds of reporting a gambling problem (OR 0.47, CI 0.26 to 0.85), while being born in either New Zealand or Oceania was associated with increased odds (OR 2.13, CI 1.00 to 4.52). All other variables reported for Model 1 remained significant in this model with minimal change in reported odds ratios. Discussion Using population surveys to measure gambling problems in the CALD population This paper presented an analysis of gambling problems in the CALD population using nationally representative ABS population surveys. The analyses, while providing an overall picture of reported gambling problems amongst individuals, their family and close friends for the CALD population of Australia, also raised a number of issues and questions regarding the utility of current ABS general social survey for this purpose. While gambling problem estimates for the total CALD population were able to be Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Page 12 of 20 Table 3 Unadjusted associations between reported gambling problems and CALDrelated variables 2002 OR (95% CI) 2006 Reported gambling problems% (SE) OR (95% CI) Reported gambling problems% (SE) CALD status Non-CALD (p = 0.758) 1.00 3.5 (0.2) (p = 0.002) 1.00 3.5 (0.3) CALD 0.94 (0.64-1.39) 3.3 (0.6) 0.38 (0.21-0.68) 1.3 (0.4) Country of birth and language Australia and English at home (p = 0.080) 1.00 3.6 (0.2) (p = 0.017) 1.00 3.3 (0.2) Australia and not English at home 1.74 (0.85-3.59) 6.1 (1.7) 2.14 (0.95-4.85) 6.7 (2.4) 0.69 (0.51-0.93) 2.5 (0.4) 1.13 (0.71-1.80) 3.7 (0.7) 3.3 (0.6) 0.40 (0.23-0.72) 1.3 (0.4) Overseas & English at home Overseas & not English at home1 0.92 (0.61-1.38) Language region2 Australia (p = 0.252) 1.00 3.4 (0.2) (p = 0.067) 1.00 3.3 (0.2) North European 0.52 (0.01-41.2) 1.8 (1.6) 1.72 (0.37-7.97) 5.6 (3.2) South/East European South-west Asian 1.39 (0.73-2.64) 4.6 (1.2) 0.94 (0.44-1.97) 3.1 (1.0) 2.41 (1.10-5.27) 7.8 (2.6) 0.65 (0.17-2.45) 2.2 (1.2) 0.5 (0.2) South/South-east/ East Asian 0.45 (0.19-1.09) 1.6 (0.6) 0.14 (0.04-0.54) Other language region 1.70 (0.51-5.71) 5.6 (2.8) 2.87 (0.79-10.4) 9.0 (4.5) (p = 0.334) 1.00 3.4 (0.2) (p = 0.015) 1.00 3.3 (0.2) Proficiency in English Speaks English at home Very well 1.38 (0.84-2.26) 4.6 (0.9) 1.15 (0.64-2.07) 3.8 (1.0) Well/not well/none 0.92 (0.58-1.46) 3.1 (0.7) 0.30 (0.14-0.65) 1.0 (0.4) (p = 0.531) 1.00 3.7 (0.2) Region of birth2 Australia 1.34 (0.91-1.97) 3.4 (0.3) Europe 0.73 (0.45-1.18) 2.7 (0.6) 0.71 (0.48-1.04) 2.4 (0.4) Africa/Middle East 0.95 (0.44-2.07) 3.5 (1.3) 0.84 (0.36-1.99) 2.7 (1.1) North/South/East Asia 0.53 (0.22-1.28) 2.0 (0.8) 0.61 (0.23-1.60) 2.0 (0.8) India/North/West Asia 0.49 (0.04-5.69) 1.9 (1.4) ne 0.4 (0.4) New Zealand/ Oceania 1.35 (0.73-2.50) 4.9 (1.3) 2.16 (1.04-4.49) 6.4 (2.0) Americas/not stated 0.85 (0.18-3.98) 3.2 (1.9) 0.29 (0.02-4.15) 1.0 (0.7) Born in Australia (p = 0.354) 1.00 3.7 (0.2) (p = 0.266) 1.00 3.4 (0.3) Recent (2001-2002/2006) 0.64 (0.10-3.95) 2.4 (1.6) 0.66 (0.22-2.02) 2.3 (1.1) Time in Australia Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Page 13 of 20 Table 3 Unadjusted associations between reported gambling problems and CALDrelated variables (Continued) Medium (1991–2000) 0.61 (0.29-1.27) 2.3 (0.7) 1.22 (0.67-2.22) 4.1 (1.1) Long-term (before 1991) 0.82 (0.58-1.16) 3.0 (0.5) 0.65 (0.41-1.03) 2.2 (0.4) NOTES: Bold font indicates statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05). 1 This category is the same as the CALD group in the CALD status variable. 2 For 2006 data, the small sample size restricted the bivariate analysis, so odds ratios for Region of Birth are calculated for individual regions, with the reference category being all other regions including Australia. ne = Not estimable due to small sample size for this group. produced, estimates for states and territories could not be produced with adequate accuracy. Further, the GSS is a population level survey, and CALD sub-populations may not be randomly sampled within the overall sample, due to the patchy nature of their distribution across Australia (Markus, et al. 2009). The small sample sizes associated with sub-populations within the CALD population also gave rise to unacceptably high standard errors associated with estimates of reported gambling problems for CALD sub-populations. This also limited the power of the statistical models to detect evidence that gambling problems were occurring at significantly higher (or lower) levels than in the non-CALD population. In addition to these survey and statistical problems, the composition of CALD population is not stable over time due to the changing circumstances in which people immigrate to Australia. There are three primary reasons for this: 1) Australia has substantially increased its skilled immigrant intake to lessen the effects of the skills shortage in the job market; 2) the stability of various countries around the world from which migrants move to Australia is more often than not in a state of flux, changes substantially over time and is dependent on circumstances outside of the control of Australian immigration policy; and 3) the heterogeneity within the CALD population, which includes a diverse range of different cultural attributes (e.g. collectivist cf. individualistic cultures). Related to this third point, the definition used to identify the CALD population excludes approximately 18% of the adult population that could also be considered part of the CALD population (see ‘country of birth’ and ‘language spoken at home’ variable in Table 1). For example, 3% of the adult population were born in Australia and do not speak English at home – these people were not included in the CALD population derived from the survey data used in the analyses. Furthermore, some 13% of adults were born overseas and spoke English at home, of which an unknown percentage would be multi-lingual and would very likely exhibit characteristics of the CALD population as defined for the analyses. The CALD population is not a homogenous population group either, so from a statistical viewpoint it is not a clearly identifiable population. Within the CALD population there will be people of different religions, from different countries and from differing circumstances (e.g. skilled migrants, refugees from war torn countries). These factors lead to the CALD population, as a grouped entity being heterogeneous, which means that issues that may be occurring for various segments within this population may remain obscured. Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Page 14 of 20 Table 4 Multivariable models for 2006 reported gambling problems Explanatory variables Model 1 Model 2 OR (95% CI) OR (95% CI) Reported gambling problems % (SE) Non-CALD na (p = 0.015) 1.00 3.5 (0.3) CALD na 0.47 (0.26-0.85) 1.3 (0.4) Australia and English at home (p = 0.064) 1.00 na 3.3 (0.2) Australia and not English at home 1.58 (0.64-3.87) na 6.7 (2.4) CALD status Country of birth and language Overseas and English at home 1.48 (0.92-2.37) na 3.7 (0.7) 0.53 (0.30-0.95) na 1.3 (0.4) Any other country (incl. Australia) na (p = 0.049) 1.00 3.1 (0.2) New Zealand/Oceania na 2.13 (1.00-4.52) 6.4 (2.0) Speaks at home dropped 3.3 (0.2) Very well dropped 3.8 (1.0) Well/not well/none dropped 1.0 (0.4) Overseas and not English at home Region of birth Proficiency in English language State/Territory WA NSW 1.00 1.00 1.5 (0.4) 2.58 (1.35-4.92) 2.39 (1.27-4.51) 3.3 (0.5) VIC 2.60 (1.44-4.69) 2.45 (1.34-4.47) 3.2 (0.5) QLD 2.45 (1.41-4.23) 2.31 (1.32-4.02) 3.6 (0.5) SA 2.70 (1.54-4.73) 2.66 (1.52-4.67) 3.6 (0.5) NT 2.65 (1.61-4.36) 2.57 (1.57-4.22) 4.5 (0.6) ACT 3.26 (1.79-5.92) 3.14 (1.73-5.69) 4.3 (0.5) TAS 1.93 (1.01-3.71) 1.87 (0.96-3.67) 2.4 (0.4) 1.90 (1.12-3.21) 1.84 (1.12-3.05) 4.0 (0.9) Age (years) 18-24 25-34 2.83 (1.68-4.75) 2.71 (1.66-4.45) 4.3 (0.6) 35-44 2.70 (1.61-4.53) 2.64 (1.62-4.30) 4.0 (0.4) 45-54 2.59 (1.41-4.73) 2.54 (1.40-4.63) 3.7 (0.7) 1.00 1.00 1.3 (0.2) 1.00 1.00 2.3 (0.2) 55 or more Cash flow problems No cash flow problems One problem Two or more problems 1.62 (0.97-2.70) 1.63 (0.98-2.72) 4.8 (1.0) 2.39 (1.61-3.55) 2.40 (1.61-3.59) 8.6 (1.0) 1.36 (1.05-1.76) 1.40 (1.08-1.80) 4.0 (0.4) 1.00 1.00 2.7 (0.2) 1.53 (1.03-2.27) 1.55 (1.04-2.31) 4.5 (0.7) 1.00 1.00 2.9 (0.3) 2.94 (2.16-4.01) 2.99 (2.18-4.10) 9.8 (1.0) Social participation last 12 months Sport and recreation No sport and recreation Social participation last 12 months Arts and crafts No arts and crafts Physical or threatened violence Victim Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Page 15 of 20 Table 4 Multivariable models for 2006 reported gambling problems (Continued) Not a victim 1.00 1.00 2.4 (0.2) Self assessed health Excellent Very good Good 1.00 1.00 2.5 (0.5) 1.13 (0.68-1.88) 1.11 (0.67-1.84) 2.7 (0.3) 1.66 (1.04-2.63) 1.62 (1.02-2.58) 4.0 (0.5) Fair 1.75 (0.90-3.40) 1.71 (0.89-3.29) 3.5 (0.8) Poor 1.96 (0.93-4.15) 1.92 (0.92-4.02) 4.1 (1.1) NOTE: Bold font indicates statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05). In terms of data quality and quantity, the GSSs have limited information on gambling and associated concepts (e.g. belief in luck, frequency of gambling, game preferences, and time and money spent gambling). Therefore, the analyses could not relate the measurement of gambling problems to the gambling habits and potential problems associated with gambling by members of the CALD population (or the non-CALD population). However, the strong associations with social connectedness variables did suggest that the CALD population, as a whole, were less socially connected and experienced fewer life stressors, including gambling problems, than the non-CALD population. The subjective nature of the module that captured information on gambling problems could also be influencing findings for the CALD population, as this group may be less reluctant to report problems, even if they do exist (Cultural Perspectives Pty Ltd 2005). There is no way of testing this possibility, though the ABS goes through extensive testing for all survey questions used in the General Social Survey (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2003, 2007). The following section now discusses what could be ascertained from the analyses of gambling problems amongst the CALD population. However, the previously noted caveats should be considered in the following interpretations. The relationship between CALD status and reported gambling problems In the analysis of the 2002 survey, there was no evidence of an association between gambling problems and being a member of the CALD population (or related variables). However, the 2006 analysis revealed that being a member of the CALD population was protective of gambling problems and this association remained after controlling for other variables that showed evidence of an association with reported gambling problems (State/Territory, age, financial stress, social connectedness, being a victim of physical or threatened violence, and self-assessed health). Social connectedness has been shown to be protective against developing problems associated with gambling in some studies (Escobar, et al. 2000; Tanasornnarong, et al. 2004). However, the 2006 multivariable model for the total population showed that people who were more likely to be socially connected were more likely to report a gambling problem for themselves or someone in the family and social networks. Importantly, social connectedness variables were lower amongst the CALD population (except for attending religious activities), as were most estimates of stressors collected as part Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 of the NLES. These two findings alone support the notion that the CALD population as a whole, experience fewer gambling-related problems. Problems with acculturation for immigrants have also been shown to be associated with problem gambling in CALD communities (Brozovic-Basic 2005; Scull and Woolcock 2005), though in the current analysis there was no evidence of an association between year of arrival and reported gambling problems. The lack of an association between this year of arrival and reported gambling problems is most likely attributable to heterogeneity within the CALD population and the smaller sample size when crosstabulating variables. Another possibility explaining the lower levels of gambling problems observed for the CALD population may relate to actually not being able to speak English and therefore not attending places where gambling facilities are available. In all variables relating to social connectedness except for attending church or religious activities (which is protective of problem gambling), the CALD population had lower participation. So, if the CALD population does not socialise in places where commercial gambling is available, then language is acting as a barrier to access, therefore limiting their interaction with gambling activities such as electronic gambling machines (EGMs or ‘pokies’). This may be important, as EGMs are the most common form of gambling available in places where people socialise in Australia, and is also the most risky form of gambling, in terms of developing gambling-related problems (Productivity Commission 2010). Given the change in migrant intake over the last decade or two, the lower levels of gambling problems and social connectedness, may be a result of migrants not having had time to be cultured into EGM gambling and various Australian social activities. Additionally, many recent immigrants have been encouraged to live in regional locations (Department of Immigration and Citizenship 2009), and it may be that accessibility to gambling opportunities is limited (physically and socially), leading to lower levels of participation in gambling. Furthermore, many skilled immigrants come from middle-eastern countries where Islam is the predominant religion and gambling is specifically forbidden in the Koran (Binde 2005). Overall, this could translate into a lower percentage of this group developing problems associated with gambling, and lower participation in gambling leads to lower average time and money spent gambling, which in turn leads to lower levels of problem gambling. This is known as the consumption model, where the average amount consumed of a product increases with the percentage of the population that use the product and has been found to hold with alcohol and gambling (Lund 2006). The literature reviewed indicates that some CALD sub-populations may have significant problems with gambling, but they are likely to be in the minority in their respective communities (Clarke et al. 2006; Cultural Partners Australia 2000; Loo, et al. 2008). Additionally, gambling participation rates have also been found to be lower amongst some CALD sub-populations compared with the general community (Cultural Partners Australia 2000). Only one sub-population of immigrants to Australia showed a significant association with reported gambling problem, those originating from New Zealand or Oceania. This finding is consistent with research in New Zealand, where Pacific Islanders and Maori populations have been found to have levels of problem gambling up to four times higher than the general New Zealand population after accounting for age differences (Abbott et al. 2004; Clarke, et al. 2006; Ministry of Health 2009). This Page 16 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 finding may indicate the need to develop programs and improve services targeting this population group. In the current study, the CALD population were more likely to be unemployed and have lower incomes, which are both risk factors associated with problem gambling (Hraba and Lee 1995; Shepherd et al. 1998; Young et al. 2008). However, the better levels of education observed for the CALD population would likely act as a protective factor with regards to developing gambling problems (Productivity Commission 1999, 2010), and are a by-product of Australia’s recent migration policies that select for skilled immigrants (Department of Immigration and Citizenship 2009). An important point is that the definition of the CALD population used for the current analyses excluded people born in Australia, who did not speak English at home. There was some evidence to suggest that this group experienced higher levels of gambling problems for themselves, family or friends. The combination variable of birth country and language spoken at home showed this group to have higher levels of reported gambling problems in both 2002 (6.1%) and 2006 (6.7%) than the non-CALD population (3.5% and 3.5% respectively), though these elevated levels were marginally non-significant. This group represents a small percentage of the Australian adult population, which would partly contribute to the non-significance of the association between reported gambling problems and being a member of the CALD population. However, this highlights the subjective nature of ‘CALD’ as a label for use in research and policy. For example, if this group of non-English speaking Australians were included in the CALD population used in this analysis, it is possible that the finding that being in the CALD population is protective may not have been observed. More nuanced studies of ethnic groups within the CALD population are required to gain a better understanding of which groups are more at risk of developing gambling problems. Conclusions The analysis of gambling problems amongst the CALD population did not support the notion that gambling problems are occurring at higher levels amongst this group (as a whole) compared with the non-CALD population in Australia. Consistent with less reporting of gambling problems, the CALD population had lower reports of other life stressors measured in the NLES. There was also no evidence to suggest that immigrants who had settled in Australia at different times were more likely to report gambling problems. Consistent with the conceptual framework presented earlier, variables relating to a person’s age, socioeconomic status, and social connectedness were all related to reports of gambling problems. Future studies on Australia’s CALD populations will require more targeted approaches. Perhaps a more effective future strategy is to carefully measure the characteristics of different immigration waves and/or populations to help identify their relationships to different forms of gambling behaviour. These characteristics may include, for example, not just ‘country of origin’ and ‘language spoken at home’, but exposure to violence and trauma, social position in their country of origin, English proficiency and skills/qualifications, refugee status, forms of economic participation in Australia and level of social integration as well as the usual battery of demographics measures. First, the specificity of these and other measures are more likely to help Page 17 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 identify both risk and protective factors for gambling-related harm and the various ways that such groups gamble. Second, they may indicate where, when, to what purpose and for what motivation these groups gamble. What is required is more targeted research identifying which CALD populations are more vulnerable to problem gambling and more generally, identify the risk factors that may predispose people regardless of their cultural background. Another avenue may involve identifying people (and CALD sub-populations) within venues, rather than using population based surveys to monitor trends at a coarse level for CALD population. Key messages  The 2006 CALD population, as whole, experienced fewer gambling problems than the non-CALD population of Australia.  The CALD population is a diverse population group that includes people who differ across important, demographic, socioeconomic, cultural and historical factors.  National social surveys were limited in their usefulness for monitoring trends in gambling amongst the CALD population and sub-populations in Australia.  More nuanced and targeted research designs are required to identify how gambling affects different CALD sub-populations. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors’ contributions KG carried out the literature review that informed the introduction and discussion, and was partially responsible for drafting the introduction. MS carried out all statistical analyses and was responsible for the overall drafting of the manuscript, including introduction, methods, results and discussion. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge two anonymous reviewers for comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We would also like to thank the Australian Bureau of Statistics for making their survey data available and the respondents who participated in the surveys. Funding Research grant CD/09/148478 from Gambling Research Australia made on behalf of the Ministerial Council on Gambling Received: 2 February 2013 Accepted: 2 February 2013 Published: 20 February 2013 References Abbott, MW, Volberg, RA, & Rönnberg, S (2004). Comparing the New Zealand and Swedish National Surveys of Gambling and Problem Gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 20(3), 237–258. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2003). General Social Survey, 2002: Data Reference package Cat. no. 4717.55.001. Canberra: ABS. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, Australia, 2002 (Cat. no. 4717.0.55.001). Canberra: ABS. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006). Remote Access Data Laboratory (RADL) User Guide. Version 4 (Cat. no. 1406.0.55.002). Canberra: ABS. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007). General Social Survey, 2006: Users Guide (Cat. no. 4159.55.002). Canberra: ABS. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008). Year Book, 2008 (Cat. no. 1301.0). Canberra: ABS. Bandura, A (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Beattie, L, Blaszczynski, A, Maccallum, F, & Joukhador, J (1999). Gambling problems in a multicultural society. Developing strategic alliances. Gold Coast: Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 9th National Association of Gambling Studies. Binde, P (2005). Gambling Across Cultures: Mapping Worldwide Occurrence and Learning from Ethnographic Comparison. International Gambling Studies, 5(1), 1–27. Breen, H, Hing, N, & Gordon, A (2010). Exploring Indigenous Gambling: Understanding Indigenous Gambling Behaviour, Consequences, Risk Factors and Potential Interventions (pp. 1–242). Lismore: Southern Cross University. Brozovic-Basic, K (2005). Pokie-free activities and places for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities in Darebin Project. Darebin: Darebin City Council. Page 18 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Chantal, Y, & Vallerand, RJ (1996). Skill versus luck: A motivational analysis of gambling involvement. Journal of Gambling Studies, 12(4), 407–418. Chui, WH, & O'Connor, I (2006). Understanding problem gambling in two ethnic communities in Brisbane, Queensland - A pilot study. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work & Development, 6(1), 67–75. Clarke, D, Abbott, M, Tse, S, Townsend, S, Kingi, P, & Manaia, W (2006). Gender, age, ethnic and occupational associations with pathological gambling in a New Zealand urban sample. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 35(2), 84–91. Clarke, D, Tse, S, Abbott, MW, Townsend, S, Kingi, P, & Manaia, W (2007). Reasons for Starting and Continuing Gambling in a Mixed Ethnic Community Sample of Pathological and Non-problem Gamblers. International Gambling Studies, 7(3), 299–313. Australia, CP (2000). The impact of gaming on specific cultural groups. Melbourne: Project report prepared for Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority. Cultural Perspectives Pty Ltd (2005). Research into health promotion and best practice services for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. V. G. D. o. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Justice, Office for Gaming and Racing. De La Rosa, M, Vega, R, & Radisch, MA (2000). The Role of Acculturation in the Substance Abuse Behavior of AfricanAmerican and Latino Adolescents: Advances, Issues, and Recommendations. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 32(1), 33–42. Department of Immigration and Citizenship (2009). Population flows: Immigration aspects 2007–08 edition. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia. Escobar, JI, Nervi, CH, & Gara, MA (2000). Immigration and Mental Health: Mexican Americans in the United States. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 8(2), 64–72. Gibbs Van Brunschot, E (2000). Gambling in context: The socio-cultural domain literature overview and annotated bibliography. Edmonton: Alberta Gaming Institute. Hing, N, & Breen, H (2001). Profiling Lady Luck: An Empirical Study of Gambling and Problem Gambling Amongst Female Club Members. Journal of Gambling Studies, 17(1), 47–69. Hing, N, & Haw, J (2009). The Development of a Multi-dimensional Gambling Accessibility Scale. Journal of Gambling Studies, 25(4), 569–581. Hraba, J, & Lee, G (1995). Problem gambling and policy advice: The mutability and relative effects of structural, associational and attitudinal variables. Journal of Gambling Studies, 11(2), 105–121. Kidman, R (2004). Social networks: Good, bad or ugly? Weekly Addiction Gambling Education Report, 9(49), 8. Ladouceur, R., & Mireault, C. (1988). Gambling behaviors among high school students in the Quebec area. Journal of Gambling Studies, 4(1), 3–12. Lesieur, HR, Cross, J, Frank, M, Welch, M, White, CM, Rubenstein, G, et al. (1991). Gambling and pathological gambling among university students. Addictive Behaviors, 16(6), 517–527. Lesieur, HR, & Heineman, M (1988). Pathological Gambling Among Youthful Multiple Substance Abusers in a Therapeutic Community. British Journal of Addiction, 83(7), 765–771. Loo, J, Raylu, N, & Oei, T-P (2008). Gambling among the Chinese: A comprehensive review. Clinical Psychology Review, 28(7), 1152–1166. Loue, S (1998). Handbook of immigrant health. New York: Plenum Press. Lund, I (2006). Gambling and problem gambling in Norway: What part does the gambling machine play? [Article]. Addiction Research & Theory, 14(5), 475–491. Markus, A, Jupp, J, & McDonald, P (2009). Australia's Immigration Revolution. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin. Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. (2007). Important changes to general skilled migration commence today. In Joint media release with the Hon Julie Bishop MP, Minister for Education, Science and Training, 1 September 2007. Retrieved 5 May, 2010, from http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/67564/20071110-0000/www.minister.immi.gov.au/ media/media-releases/2007/ka07078-joint.html. Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. (2010). Migration reforms to deliver Australia's skills needs. Media release 8 February 2010. Retrieved 8 February, 2010, from http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2010/ ce10006.htm. Ministry of Health (2009). A Focus on Problem Gambling: Results of the 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey. Wellington: New Zealand Government. Moore, SM, & Ohtsuka, K (1997). Gambling Activities of Young Australians: Developing a Model of Behaviour. Journal of Gambling Studies, 13(3), 207–236. Neal, P, Delfabbro, PH, & O'Neil, M (2005). Problem Gambling and Harm: Towards a National Definition. Melbourne: Report prepared for the National Gambling Research Program Working Party. Oei, T, & Raylu, N (2009). The Relationship Between Cultural Variables and Gambling Behavior Among Chinese Residing in Australia. Journal of Gambling Studies, 25(4), 433–445. Productivity Commission (1999). Australia's Gambling Industries: Inquiry Report No.10. Melbourne: Productivity Commission. Productivity Commission (2010). Gambling: Productivity Commission Inquiry, Volume 1, Report No.50 (Vol. 1). Canberra: Productivity Commission. Raylu, N, & Oei, TP (2004). Role of culture in gambling and problem gambling. Clinical Psychology Review, 23(8), 1087–1114. Scull, S, & Woolcock, G (2005). Problem gambling in non-English speaking background communities in Queensland, Australia: a qualitative exploration. International Gambling Studies, 5(1), 29–44. Shepherd, R-M, Ghodse, H, & London, M (1998). A Pilot Study Examining Gambling Behaviour Before and After the Launch of the National Lottery and Scratch Cards in the UK. Addiction Research & Theory, 6(1), 5–12. Stanton, M (2004). Gambling problems: Relationships and social networks: Introduction to the series. Weekly Addiction Gambling Education Report, 9(49), 1–2. Stevens, M, Golebiowska, K, & Morrison, P (2010). Correlates of reported gambling problems in the CALD population of Australia (pp. 1–60). Melbourne: Office of Gaming and Racing Department of Justice for Gambling Research Australia. Page 19 of 20 Stevens and Golebiowska Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013, 3:1 http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/1 Stevens, M, & Young, M (2009). Reported Gambling Problems in the Indigenous and Total Australian Population. Melbourne: Office of Gaming and Racing, Department of Justice for Gambling Research Australia. Tanasornnarong, N, Jackson, A, & Thomas, S (2004). Gambling among young Thai people in Melbourne, Australia: an exploratory study. International Gambling Studies, 4(2), 189–203. Teo, P, Mythily, S, & Anantha, S (2007). Demographic and Clinical Features of 150 Pathological Gamblers Referred to a Community Addictions Programme. Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, 36(3), 165–168. The Ethnic Communities' Council of New South Wales. (1999). Gambling among members of ethnic communities in Sydney. Sydney: Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW for the Casino Community Benefit Fund. Toneatto, T, & Brennan, J (2002). Pathological gambling in treatment-seeking substance abusers. Addictive Behaviors, 27(3), 465–469. Volberg, RA (1994). The prevalence and demographics of pathological gamblers: Implications for public health. American Journal of Public Health, 84(2), 237–241. Westermeyer, J (1999). The role of cultural and social factors in the cause of addictive disorders. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 22(2), 253–273. Winter, N (2008). Programs for Stata Retrieved 19 December, 2008. from http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/nwinter/progs/. Wohl, MJA, & Enzle, ME (2002). The Deployment of Personal Luck: Sympathetic Magic and Illusory Control in Games of Pure Chance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(10), 1388–1397. Wohl, MJA, Young, MM, & Hart, KE (2005). Untreated young gamblers with game-specific problems: Self-concept involving luck, gambling ecology and delay in seeking professional treatment. Addiction Research & Theory, 13(5), 445–459. Young, M, & Stevens, M (2009). Player preferences and social harm: An analysis of the relationships between player characteristics, gambling modes, and problem gambling. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 7(1), 262–279. Young, M, Stevens, M, & Morris, M (2008). Problem gambling within the non-Indigenous population of the Northern Territory of Australia: A multivariate analysis of risk factors. International Gambling Studies, 8(1), 77–93. doi:10.1186/2195-3007-3-1 Cite this article as: Stevens and Golebiowska: Gambling problems amongst the CALD population of Australia: hidden, visible or not a problem?. Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health 2013 3:1. Submit your manuscript to a journal and benefit from: 7 Convenient online submission 7 Rigorous peer review 7 Immediate publication on acceptance 7 Open access: articles freely available online 7 High visibility within the field 7 Retaining the copyright to your article Submit your next manuscript at 7 springeropen.com Page 20 of 20
https://openalex.org/W2969840533
https://pure.uvt.nl/ws/files/49923936/MCP_Schellekens_exploring_the_interconnectedness_of_fatique_JoBM_2020.pdf
English
null
Exploring the interconnectedness of fatigue, depression, anxiety and potential risk and protective factors in cancer patients: a network approach
Journal of behavioral medicine
2,019
cc-by
9,823
Exploring the interconnectedness of fatigue, depression, anxiety and potential risk and protective factors in cancer patients Schellekens, Melanie; Wolvers, Marije; Schroevers, Maya; Bootsma, Tom I; Cramer, Angélique; van der Lee, Marije Citation for published version (APA): Schellekens, M., Wolvers, M., Schroevers, M., Bootsma, T. I., Cramer, A., & van der Lee, M. (2020). Exploring the interconnectedness of fatigue, depression, anxiety and potential risk and protective factors in cancer patients: A network approach. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 43(4), 553-563. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865- 019-00084-7 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Tilburg University Tilburg University General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Citation for published version (APA): Schellekens, M., Wolvers, M., Schroevers, M., Bootsma, T. I., Cramer, A., & van der Lee, M. (2020). Exploring the interconnectedness of fatigue, depression, anxiety and potential risk and protective factors in cancer patients: A network approach. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 43(4), 553-563. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865- 019-00084-7 • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain Melanie P. J. Schellekens1,2 • Marije D. J. Wolvers1 • Maya J. Schroevers3 • Tom I. Bootsma1,4 • Ange´lique O. J. Cramer2 • Marije L. van der Lee1 Melanie P. J. Schellekens1,2 • Marije D. J. Wolvers1 • Maya J. Schroevers3 • Tom I. Bootsma1,4 • Ange´lique O. J. Cramer2 • Marije L. van der Lee1 Received: February 4, 2019 / Accepted: July 17, 2019 / Published online: August 22, 2019  The Author(s) 2019 and stability of the network were explored. Among risk factors, the relationship of helplessness and physical symptoms with fatigue stood out as they were stronger than most other connections in the network. Among protective factors, illness acceptance was most centrally embedded within the network, indicating it had more and stronger connections than most other variables in the network. The network identified key connections with risk factors (helplessness, physical symptoms) and a key protective factor (acceptance) at the group level. Longitudinal studies should explore these risk and protective factors in indi- vidual dynamic networks to further investigate their causal role and the extent to which such networks can inform us on what treatment would be most suitable for the individual cancer patient. Abstract Researchers have extensively studied fatigue, depression and anxiety in cancer patients. Several risk and protective factors have been identified for these symptoms. As most studies address these constructs, independently from other symptoms and potential risk and protective factors, more insight into the complex relationships among these constructs is needed. This study used the multivariate network approach to gain a better understanding of how patients’ symptoms and risk and protective factors (i.e. physical symptoms, social withdrawal, illness cognitions, goal adjustment and partner support) are interconnected. We used cross-sectional data from a sample of cancer patients seeking psychological care (n = 342). Using net- work modelling, the relationships among symptoms of fatigue, depression and anxiety, and potential risk and protective factors were explored. Additionally, centrality (i.e. the number and strength of connections of a construct) Abstract Researchers have extensively studied fatigue, depression and anxiety in cancer patients. Several risk and protective factors have been identified for these symptoms. Keywords Cancer  Cancer-related fatigue  Anxiety  Depression  Acceptance  Helplessness  Coping  Network analysis Keywords Cancer  Cancer-related fatigue  Anxiety  Depression  Acceptance  Helplessness  Coping  Network analysis Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-019-00084-7) contains sup- plementary material, which is available to authorized users. Receiving a cancer diagnosis has a major impact on patients’ lives. General rights C i h d • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. f h di ib h i l i f fi ki i i i l i • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Take down policy f you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately down policy believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the wo vestigate your claim. y this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediate ur claim Download date: 24. Oct. 2024 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-019-00084-7 & Melanie P. J. Schellekens mschellekens@hdi.nl Melanie P. J. Schellekens1,2 • Marije D. J. Wolvers1 • Maya J. Schroevers3 • Tom I. Bootsma1,4 • Ange´lique O. J. Cramer2 • Marije L. van der Lee1 One of the most prevalent long-term side- effects of cancer and its treatment is fatigue. Patients who suffer from severe fatigue also often suffer from symptoms of depression and/or anxiety (Donovan et al., 2013; Hof- man et al., 2007; Zhu et al., 2017). In addition, depression and anxiety often co-occur in cancer patients (Mitchell et al., 2011). Multiple studies have demonstrated high correlations among these three problem areas in cancer patients (Brown & Kroenke, 2009). Agasi-Idenburg et al. (2017) demonstrated that fatigue, depression and anxiety form a symptom cluster: a set of multiple co-occurring symptoms that are strongly interrelated (Miaskowski et al., 2017). Compared with a single symptom, the occurrence of & Melanie P. J. Schellekens mschellekens@hdi.nl 1 Scientific Research Department, Centre for Psycho- Oncology, Helen Dowling Institute, Professor Bronkhorstlaan 20, Postbus 80, 3720 AB Bilthoven, The Netherlands 2 Department of Methodology and Statistics, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands 3 Department of Health Psychology, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands 4 Department of Cultural Studies, School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands 12 3 554 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 symptom clusters appears to worsen patient outcomes as symptoms interact with one another. Longitudinal studies provide additional support for this clustering, such that when patients improve on either fatigue, depression or anxiety, they are likely to improve on the other problem areas as well (Zhu et al., 2017). These strong relationships between fatigue, depressive and anxiety symptoms is not surprising, given that ‘‘fatigue or loss of energy’’ is one of the three overlapping criteria (i.e. in addition to concen- tration problems and sleep problems) between major depression disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety dis- order (GAD), according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual version 5 (DSM-5) (APA, 2013). In order to pro- vide patients with the best possible care, we need a better understanding of how these symptoms are interconnected and what kind of risk and protective factors are related to these symptoms. tions (such as structural equation modeling), most studies address these constructs, independently from other symp- toms and potential risk and protective factors. This most likely is not a reflection of reality. The notion that these symptoms are likely interrelated in more complex ways (e.g. fatigue ? concentration problems ? social with- drawal ? worthlessness ? depressed mood) and can have a reciprocal relationship (e.g. Melanie P. J. Schellekens1,2 • Marije D. J. Wolvers1 • Maya J. Schroevers3 • Tom I. Bootsma1,4 • Ange´lique O. J. Cramer2 • Marije L. van der Lee1 fatigue ? depressed mood; depressed mood ? fatigue) is ignored. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complex nature of how these symptoms and risk and protective factors are interconnected, it might be more suitable to take a network approach. The network approach is a relatively new research area in clinical psychology and psychiatry, in which a mental disorder such as MDD is theorized to be the result of the causal interplay between symptoms in a network structure (Borsboom, 2017; Borsboom & Cramer, 2013; Cramer et al., 2010, 2016). A network structure consists of ‘‘nodes’’ representing the selected variables and ‘‘edges’’ repre- senting the links that connect two nodes (e.g. regularized partial correlation coefficients). Thus, rather than viewing symptoms as manifestations of a common cause (i.e. you feel depressed because you have MDD), symptoms are conceptualized as elements of a complex dynamical sys- tem, in which symptoms are mutually interacting with one another (Borsboom & Cramer, 2013). That is, a certain symptom can activate other symptoms in the network (e.g. sleep problems can trigger fatigue and worthlessness, which in turn can trigger depressed mood and loss of enjoyment) and, in line with what has long been common knowledge among clinicians, symptoms can reinforce one another leading to symptom cycles. Consequently, such a network of strongly interconnected symptoms can fulfil the criteria of MDD (Borsboom, 2017). To date, the network approach has contributed to several advancements in psy- chopathology research [for a review of hallmark empirical insights, see Fried et al., 2017]. y p A relevant and well-known theory to understand patients’ adaptation to cancer and their functioning is the stress-coping model. The model predicts that a diagnosis of cancer can lead to symptoms of fatigue, depression, and/or anxiety, due to the appraisal of and patients’ coping with cancer and related stressful events (Maes et al., 1996). In line with the stress-coping model, several studies have successfully identified factors that put patients at risk or protect them from the development and persistence of fatigue, depression and anxiety. For example, several studies found evidence that indeed, patients’ appraisals or illness cognitions such as acceptance, helplessness and perceived benefits, are significantly related to patients’ reports of distress and fatigue (Evers et al., 2001; Hudson et al., 2018; Richardson et al., 2017; Westbrook et al., 2016). Symptom measures Symptom measures For an overview of the used questionnaires and selected nodes, see Online Supplementary Table 1. Symptoms were selected based on clinical relevance, assuring that the items did not overlap in content. That is, we selected eight symptom measures from the available dataset that matched a subset of the DSM-5 criteria of MDD and GAD (APA, 2013): fatigue (FATIG), depressed mood (DEPRE), loss of enjoyment (ENJOY), anxiety (ANXIE), sleep problems (SLEEP), concentration problems (CONCE), worthlessness (WORTH) and appetite loss (APPET). If there were more items representing a DSM criterion we averaged those items into one score. The following criteria of MDD or GAD were not assessed in the available dataset: suicidality, difficulty controlling anxiety, restlessness, irritability and muscle tension. Note that in the selection of symptoms and risk and protective factors we were limited by the size of the available sample. We ensured that at least the number of estimated parameters in the network did not exceed the number of cases (Epskamp et al., 2017). In order to study which symptoms activate or trigger one another, dynamic networks are needed, which requires intensive longitudinal study designs. However, network modeling can also be employed in cross-sectional designs to study the co-occurrence of certain concepts, offering insight into patterns of symptoms, risk and protective factors across individuals. Moreover, cross-sectional net- works provide a valuable first step in designing longitudi- nal studies as they can offer insight into what concepts and what connections are of importance at the group level. The aim of the present study is to contribute to revealing the complex nature of the cross-sectional relationships among patients’ symptoms (i.e. fatigue, depression and anxiety) and potential risk and protective factors (i.e. physical symptoms, social withdrawal, illness cognitions, goal adjustment and partner support), by analysing the multi- variate network structure of these symptoms and factors at the group level. To assess the MDD/GAD criteria of Fatigue, we used all of the 8-item Fatigue Severity subscale of the Dutch Checklist Individual Strength (CIS-FS) (Vercoulen et al., 1994). A sample item is ‘‘I feel tired’’. For each item, participants indicated the extent to which it was true during the past 2 weeks. Response categories ranged from 1 (yes, that is true) to 7 (no, that is not true). Symptom measures The CIS has been validated and showed good psychometric properties in chronic fatigue syndrome patients and the general popu- lation (Vercoulen et al., 1994; Worm-Smeitink et al., 2017). Internal consistency was good in the present sample (a = .92). Participants and procedure We analysed data from an observational cohort study (Garssen et al., 2016), which evaluated psychological care for cancer patients. Patients who applied for psychological care at one of the seven mental health care institutes spe- cialised in psycho-oncology care (IPSO) in the Netherlands were consecutively sampled. The full sample consisted of patients with cancer (n = 384) and their partners (n = 99). In the present study, we used baseline data from the patient sample only. Inclusion criteria were: (1) diagnosed with cancer and seeking psychological help at one of the seven IPSO, (2) C 18 years of age and (3) sufficient under- standing of Dutch language. Patients who agreed to par- ticipate signed the informed consent form and were assessed before initiating psychological care. The study was approved by the Ethical Board of the Helen Dowling Institute. More detailed information on the study is described elsewhere (Garssen et al., 2016; Zhu et al., 2017). Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured with 8 items of the 16-item version of the Center for Epidemio- logic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The Dutch ver- sion of the CES-D has been validated in cancer patients and healthy controls and shows good psychometric properties (Schroevers et al., 2000). To assess Depressed Mood the following items were averaged: ‘‘I felt I could not shake of the blues’’, ‘‘I felt depressed’’ and ‘‘I felt sad’’ (a = .85 in the present sample). Note that the CES-D does not use as skip structure when the basic criteria of MDD (depressed mood and loss of enjoyment) are not met. To measure Sleep Problems the item ‘‘My sleep was restless’’ was used. To measure Concentration Problems the item ‘‘I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing’’ was used. To assess feelings of Worthlessness the item ‘‘I thought my life had been a failure’’ was used. To measure Appetite Loss the item ‘‘I did not feel like eating; my appetite was poor’’ was used. One item of the CES-D was used to measure Anxiety: ‘‘I felt fearful’’. We choose an item of the CES-D rather than the total scale of the 6-item State Melanie P. J. Schellekens1,2 • Marije D. J. Wolvers1 • Maya J. Schroevers3 • Tom I. Bootsma1,4 • Ange´lique O. J. Cramer2 • Marije L. van der Lee1 Moreover, the stress-coping model poses that the extent to which cancer patients are able to flexibly manage the goals that have become unattainable is a key factor in adaptively coping with cancer and related symptoms. Previous research in cancer patients has shown that being better able in such goal adjustment is related to less depressive and anxiety symptoms (Schroevers et al., 2011; Zhu et al., 2015). Finally, the stress-coping model states that additional stressful events in terms of somatic comorbidity as well as (a lack of) social support from the environment may impact adaptation. In cancer patients, it has been found that an overall poorer health and comor- bidity are related to higher levels of fatigue, depression and anxiety (Husson et al., 2015; Zhu et al., 2017) and that social support (e.g. from the partner) is related to less psychological distress (Kamen et al., 2015; Kuijer et al., 2000). Recently, researchers have suggested to move beyond symptom measures and also include theoretically relevant nodes within the network to gain more insight into the nature of the relationships and core mechanisms involved in psychopathology (Borsboom, 2017; Fried & Cramer, 2017). By including other factors in addition to symptoms of psychopathology in the multivariate model, the network model provides a more integrative approach, making it ideally suited to study constructs that operate at the crossroads between psychology and health (Van der Lee & Schellekens, 2019). For example, it provides the opportu- nity to examine how bodily symptoms related to cancer are associated with symptoms of psychopathology. Also potential risk or protective factors related to appraisals of cancer (e.g. feeling helpless, acceptance of illness) and While these studies have provided valuable insights into the risk and protective factors for the development and persistence of fatigue, depression and anxiety, current research findings are limited. With some notable excep- 123 123 555 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 social support, can be added to the network model, allowing us to explore patients’ adjustment to cancer in its full complexity. Measures Socio-demographic (age, gender, relationship status, chil- dren at home, educational level, job status) and clinical characteristics (time since diagnosis, cancer type, metas- tasis, medical treatment and current treatment) were obtained through a self-report questionnaire. 12 3 3 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 556 Anxiety Inventory (SAI) (Korfage et al., 2006) because the SAI refers to anxious feelings from a different timeframe than the other symptom measures (i.e. the present moment rather than the past week/weeks). Participants scored how often they experienced a symptom in the past week, ranging from 0 (rarely or none of the time) to 3 (most or all of the time). der Lubbe, 2001; Van der Lubbe, 1995). A sample item is ‘‘I contacted my friends and close acquaintances less than usual’’. Participants indicated to what extent they agreed with the statement in the past 4 weeks, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The GSBQ has been validated in psychiatric patients, showing good psy- chometric properties (De Jong & Van der Lubbe, 2001; Van der Lubbe 1995). In the present study internal con- sistency was good (a = .91). To assess the MDD criteria Loss of Enjoyment (De Bruin et al., 1996) we used the Wellbeing subscale of the Dutch Health and Disease Inventory (HDI). The HDI has shown good psychometric properties (De Bruin et al., 1996). We selected four (out of 13) items that focus on enjoyment: ‘‘I have lots of plans’’, ‘‘I enjoy the things I do’’, ‘‘I have pleasant things to look forward to’’, ‘‘I enjoy my life’’ (a = .82 in present sample). Scores were recoded such that a higher score portrayed less enjoyment. Each item was rated to how often it was true in the past four weeks, ranging from 1 (never) to 6 (always). The illness cognitions Helplessness, Acceptance of Ill- ness, and Perceived Benefits of Illness were assessed with all items of the corresponding subscales of the 18-item - Dutch Illness Cognitions Questionnaire (ICQ). Helpless- ness is considered a way of emphasizing the negative meaning of the disease, Acceptance as a way to diminish the aversive meaning, and Perceived Benefits as a way of adding positive meaning to the disease. A sample item of each subscale is ‘‘My illness makes me feel useless at times’’, ‘‘I have learned to live with my illness’’, ‘‘Dealing with my illness has made me a stronger person’’, respec- tively. Measures Each item is answered to the extent to which one agrees with the item, ranging from 1 (not at all) to 4 (completely). The ICQ was validated in a sample of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis and showed to be valid and reliable. In the present study the subscales Helplessness (a = .84), Acceptance (a = .89) and Perceived Benefits (a = .86) showed good internal consistency. Measures of risk and protective factors Based on the stress-coping model and previous findings (e.g. Evers et al., 2001; Kamen et al., 2015; Zhu et al., 2015, 2017), risk and protective factors were chosen from the dataset. This led to the following selection of risk factors (physical symptoms (PHYSI), social withdrawal (SOCIAL), and helplessness (HELPL)) and protective factors (acceptance of illness (ACCEPT), perceived bene- fits of illness (BENEF), disengagement of unattainable goals (DISENG) and reengagement of new goals (REENG)) for the network analysis. Additional analyses also included three partner support factors: active engage- ment (P-ACTI), protective buffering (P-BUFF) and over- protection (P-OVER). Goal Disengagement and Goal Reengagement were assessed with all items of the corresponding subscales of the 10-item Goal Adjustment Scale (GAS) (Wrosch et al., 2003). The 4-item subscale Goal Disengagement measures the ease with which participants can give up efforts and commitment towards unattainable goals. A sample item is ‘When I could no longer pursue this goal, it was easy for me to reduce effort towards the goal’. The 6-item subscale Goal Reengagement measures the extent to which patients reengage into new attainable goals when confronting unattainable goals. A sample item is ‘When I could no longer pursue this goal, I put effort towards other mean- ingful goals’. Participants rated to what extent they agreed with each item, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The GAS has been validated in the gen- eral population as well as in cancer patients, showing good psychometric properties (Schroevers et al., 2011; Wrosch et al., 2003). Internal consistency of the subscales Goal Disengagement (a = .82) and Goal Reengagement (a = .87) was good in the present study. Physical Symptoms were measured with the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL) (de Haes et al., 1990). Previ- ous validation studies in cancer patients showed good psychometric properties (de Haes et al., 1990). We selected the following nine (out of twelve) items: ‘‘nausea’’, ‘‘headache’’, ‘‘stomach ache’’, ‘‘shivering’’, ‘‘tingling’’, ‘‘shortness of breath’’, ‘‘dizziness’’, ‘‘diarrhoea’’ and ‘‘constipation’’ (a = .74 in the present sample). Because of the limited number of variables that can be included in the network, we averaged these symptoms into one variable. Three items were not selected because the symptoms (i.e. appetite loss, insomnia, concentration problems) were already covered by the CES-D. Patients indicated to what extent they were bothered by the symptom in the past week from 0 (not at all) to 4 (very much). Measures of risk and protective factors The 6-item Overprotection subscale mea- sures an underestimation of the patients’ capabilities, resulting in unnecessary help or attempts to restrict activ- ities. Sample item of the subscales are ‘‘My partner asks me how I feel’’, ‘‘My partner tries to hide his or her worries about me’’, ‘‘When it comes down to it, my partner seems to think that I don’t know what’s right for me’’, respec- tively. Patients were asked to rate to what extent their partner adopted these ways of giving support, ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). Psychometric properties of the WGS seem adequate (Buunk et al., 1996; Kuijer et al., 2000). Internal consistency of the subscales Active Engagement (a = .73), Protective Buffering (a = .58) and Overprotection (a = .72) were adequate to good in the present sample. The R package bootnet (Epskamp et al., 2017) was used to explore the stability of the network parameters. To estimate the accuracy of edge weights, bootnet estimates 95% bootstrapped confidence intervals around each edge in the network. The package also provides significance tests to examine whether certain edges are stronger than other edges, based on the bootstrapping results. Only the edges that prove to be significantly stronger than most other edges will be interpreted as such. Statistical analysis The data analysis plan was pre-registered online at Open Science Framework, before we commenced data analysis (https://osf.io/5r3pn/). We estimated two network models: (1) a network with symptoms, risk and protective factors, based on complete cases (i.e. main sample) and (2) a net- work with partner support in addition to the symptoms and factors explored in the first network, based on complete cases from patients with a partner (i.e. relationship sample). As the data were not multivariate normally distributed, a nonparanormal transformation was applied to relax the normality assumption prior to estimating the networks (Liu et al., 2009). Node centrality To examine the importance of each node in the network we estimated three indices of node centrality (Opsahl et al., 2010): node strength, betweenness and closeness. In a weighted network, node strength refers to the number and strength of the direct connections of a node. Betweenness is a measure of how often a node lies on the shortest path between every combination of two other nodes, indicating to what extent the node facilitates the flow of information through the network. Closeness measures the average dis- tance from a node to all other nodes in the network, rep- resenting how fast a node can be reached from the other nodes in the network. To estimate the stability of node centrality, the R package bootnet provides the central sta- bility coefficient (CS-coefficient), which is estimated based on a subsetting bootstrapping procedure. The CS-coeffi- cient represents the proportion of participants that can be dropped from the analysis, such that the correlation between the original centrality indices and the subset centrality indices is at least 0.7 with 95% probability (Costenbader & Valente, 2003). Only the centrality mea- sures with a CS-coefficient C 0.25 will be interpreted. Measures of risk and protective factors Partner support in terms of Active Engagement, Pro- tective Buffering and Overprotection was assessed with all items of the corresponding subscales of the 19-item Ways of Giving Support (WGS) questionnaire (Buunk et al., 1996). The 5-item Active Engagement subscale assesses Social Withdrawal was assessed with all items of the 8-item subscale Social Roles of the Dutch Groningen Social Behaviour Questionnaire (GSBQ) (De Jong & Van 123 123 557 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 To control for spurious connections that may result from sampling error (Costantini et al., 2015), we applied the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) (Tibshirani, 1996). The LASSO is a regularization method, leading (small) edge estimates to shrink to exactly zero. Consequently, the LASSO returns a sparse and more interpretable network model. To control the degree to which regularization is applied the LASSO utilizes a tuning parameter, which can be selected by minimizing the Extended Bayesian Information Criteria (EBIC). The qgraph package in R (Epskamp et al., 2012) combines the graphical LASSO (glasso, a well-established and fast algorithm for estimating LASSO regularization) (Friedman et al., 2008) with EBIC model selection (using the default value of hyperparameter c = 0.5) to estimate a regularized partial correlation network. constructive problem-solving methods of giving support, such as involving the patient in discussions. The 8-item Protective Buffering subscale measures behaviour like hiding concerns and yielding to the patient in order to avoid disagreements. The 6-item Overprotection subscale mea- sures an underestimation of the patients’ capabilities, resulting in unnecessary help or attempts to restrict activ- ities. Sample item of the subscales are ‘‘My partner asks me how I feel’’, ‘‘My partner tries to hide his or her worries about me’’, ‘‘When it comes down to it, my partner seems to think that I don’t know what’s right for me’’, respec- tively. Patients were asked to rate to what extent their partner adopted these ways of giving support, ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). Psychometric properties of the WGS seem adequate (Buunk et al., 1996; Kuijer et al., 2000). Internal consistency of the subscales Active Engagement (a = .73), Protective Buffering (a = .58) and Overprotection (a = .72) were adequate to good in the present sample. constructive problem-solving methods of giving support, such as involving the patient in discussions. The 8-item Protective Buffering subscale measures behaviour like hiding concerns and yielding to the patient in order to avoid disagreements. Network estimation Of all patients, 58.5% was considered severely fatigued (CIS-SF C 35), 68.1% was depressed (total CES- D C 10) and 56.1% was anxious (SAI C 14) (Korfage et al., 2006). See Table 1 for baseline characteristics. Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of 342 cancer patients n (%) Age [M (SD)] 51.35 (10.62) Female gender 264 (77.2) In a relationshipa 271 (79.2) Educational levelbc Low 38 (11.1) Intermediate 129 (37.7) High 173 (50.6) Paid job 203 (59.4) Absenteeism due to cancer past montha 164/203 (80.8) Months since diagnosis [M (SD)]d 37.46 (64.30) Cancer typee Breast 156 (45.6) Digestive system 37 (10.8) Lung 22 (6.4) Hematologic 44 (12.9) Head and neck 26 (7.6) Gynaecological 31 (9.1) Other types 62 (18.2) Cancer recurrence 53 (15.5) Cancer metastasesb 126 (36.8) Medical treatmentfg Surgery 255 (74.6) Chemotherapy 207 (60.5) Radiotherapy 166 (48.5) Hormone treatment 89 (26.0) Immunotherapy 16 (4.7) Bone marrow transplant 8 (2.3) Other treatment 52 (15.2) Current treatmenth 159 (46.5) a1 missing b Table 2 Labels and mean scores of the selected nodes Node (range) M (SD) Fatigue (7–56) 36.76 (12.25) Depressed mood (0–9) 3.15 (2.43) Loss of enjoyment (4–24) 12.93 (4.14) Anxiety (0–3) 1.03 (0.94) Sleep problems (0–3) 1.44 (1.00) Concentration problems (0–3) 1.41 (0.90) Worthlessness (0–3) 0.58 (0.86) Appetite loss (0–3) 0.42 (0.73) Physical symptoms (0–36) 14.08 (4.06) Social withdrawal (8–40) 20.37 (7.48) Helplessness (6–24) 12.92 (3.95) Acceptance of illness (6–24) 12.80 (3.72) Perceived benefits of illness (6–24) 13.96 (4.27) Disengagement of unattainable goals (4–20) 10.84 (3.05) Reengagement of new goals (6–30) 20.56 (3.85) cases did not differ from the patients with missing data regarding sociodemographic, clinical and psychological characteristics (p [ .05), except for hormone treatment. Patients included in the analysis were more often treated with hormone treatment than excluded patients (respec- tively 26.2% vs. 9.5%, p = .018). Patients in the main sample, of whom 77.2% were female, had a mean age of 51.35 years (SD = 10.62). Patients were mainly diagnosed with breast cancer (45.6%). In 36.8% of cases the cancer had metastasized and 46.5% received current treatment for their cancer. Of all patients, 58.5% was considered severely fatigued (CIS-SF C 35), 68.1% was depressed (total CES- D C 10) and 56.1% was anxious (SAI C 14) (Korfage et al., 2006). See Table 1 for baseline characteristics. Table 2 presents the mean scores of the nodes used in the networks. Network estimation The regularized partial correlation coefficients networks were estimated using the R package qgraph (Epskamp et al., 2012; Epskamp & Fried, 2016; R Core Team, 2016). In the network, ‘‘nodes’’ represent the selected variables while ‘‘edges’’ (links connecting two nodes) represent the regularized partial correlation coefficients. In regularized partial correlation networks the association between two nodes is estimated while controlling for all other nodes. As such, edges in these networks can be interpreted as con- ditional (in)dependence relations: if an edge is absent between two nodes, this means that these two nodes are conditionally independent given all other nodes. If an edge is present between two nodes, this means that these two nodes are conditionally dependent given all other nodes in the network. 123 12 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 558 Results Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of 342 cancer patients n (%) Age [M (SD)] 51.35 (10.62) Female gender 264 (77.2) In a relationshipa 271 (79.2) Educational levelbc Low 38 (11.1) Intermediate 129 (37.7) High 173 (50.6) Paid job 203 (59.4) Absenteeism due to cancer past montha 164/203 (80.8) Months since diagnosis [M (SD)]d 37.46 (64.30) Cancer typee Breast 156 (45.6) Digestive system 37 (10.8) Lung 22 (6.4) Hematologic 44 (12.9) Head and neck 26 (7.6) Gynaecological 31 (9.1) Other types 62 (18.2) Cancer recurrence 53 (15.5) Cancer metastasesb 126 (36.8) Medical treatmentfg Surgery 255 (74.6) Chemotherapy 207 (60.5) Radiotherapy 166 (48.5) Hormone treatment 89 (26.0) Immunotherapy 16 (4.7) Bone marrow transplant 8 (2.3) Other treatment 52 (15.2) Current treatmenth 159 (46.5) a1 missing b2 missing cLow = primary and lower secondary education, intermediate = up- per secondary education, high = higher vocational training/university d100 missing ePercentages do not add up to 100 because 33 patients had multiple types of cancer f4 missing gPercentages do not add up to 100 because patients followed multiple treatments h34 missing cases did not differ from the patients with missing data regarding sociodemographic, clinical and psychological characteristics (p [ .05), except for hormone treatment. Patients included in the analysis were more often treated with hormone treatment than excluded patients (respec- tively 26.2% vs. 9.5%, p = .018). Patients in the main sample, of whom 77.2% were female, had a mean age of 51.35 years (SD = 10.62). Patients were mainly diagnosed with breast cancer (45.6%). In 36.8% of cases the cancer had metastasized and 46.5% received current treatment for their cancer. Network estimation Of the 342 complete cases in the first network, 71 were dropped because they had no partner and 3 were dropped because they had missing data on the partner support variables, leaving 268 (72%) complete cases to be included in the relationship sample. Patients included in the rela- tionship sample did not differ from those excluded from the relationship sample (p [ .05), except for having a job. Included patients more often had a paid job than excluded patients (respectively 62.3% vs. 48.6%, p = .034). gPercentages do not add up to 100 because patients followed multiple treatments h34 missing Network centrality The CS-coefficients for strength, closeness, and between- ness were 0.59, 0.44 and 0.21, respectively (Online Sup- plementary Figure 4), indicating that strength was the most reliable centrality index (see Fig. 2, for the other centrality indices see Online Supplementary Figure 5). Significance tests of differences in strength (Online Supplementary Figure 6) indicated that Depressed Mood, Worthlessness, Loss of Enjoyment and Acceptance were more central than most other nodes, that is these nodes had more and stronger connections with both symptoms and risk and protective factors than most other nodes in the network. Sleep prob- lems, Goal Reengagement, Goal Disengagement and Social Withdrawal were the least central nodes in the network. Fig. 2 Strength centrality of each node in the network. Node strength refers to the number and strength of the direct connections of a node Figure 2). Significance tests of edge weight differences (Online Supplementary Figure 3) indicated that the seven thickest and most saturated edges were significantly stronger than most other edges (i.e. 33–51) in the network: Depressed Mood—Worthlessness, Depressed Mood—Loss of Enjoyment, Acceptance—Perceived Benefits, Accep- tance—Helplessness, Fatigue—Helplessness, Fatigue— Physical Symptoms, Appetite loss—Physical Symptoms. Many of the remaining edges were not reliably different from other edges, that is ten edges were significantly factors Of the 384 patients who filled out the baseline question- naire, 342 (89%) were complete cases and were therefore included in the analysis of the main sample. The complete The regularized partial correlation network is presented in Fig. 1. Based on the 95% bootstrapped CI, the edge weights appeared rather stable (Online Supplementary 123 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 559 Fig. 1 The network structure of symptoms and risk and protective factors of 342 cancer patients. The stronger a connection between two nodes, the thicker and more saturated the edge. Positive and negative connections are denoted by blue and red edges, respectively. FATIG = fatigue, DEPRE = depressed mood, ENJOY = loss of enjoyment, ANXIE = anxiety; SLEEP = sleep problems, CONCE = concentration problems, WORTH = worthlessness, APPET = appetite loss, PHYSI = physical symptoms, SOCIAL = so- cial withdrawal, HELPL = helplessness, ACCEPT = acceptance of illness, BENEF = perceived benefits of illness; DISENG = disen- gagement of unattainable goals; REENG = reengagement of new goals CONCE = concentration problems, WORTH = worthlessness, APPET = appetite loss, PHYSI = physical symptoms, SOCIAL = so- cial withdrawal, HELPL = helplessness, ACCEPT = acceptance of illness, BENEF = perceived benefits of illness; DISENG = disen- gagement of unattainable goals; REENG = reengagement of new goals CONCE = concentration problems, WORTH = worthlessness, APPET = appetite loss, PHYSI = physical symptoms, SOCIAL = so- cial withdrawal, HELPL = helplessness, ACCEPT = acceptance of illness, BENEF = perceived benefits of illness; DISENG = disen- gagement of unattainable goals; REENG = reengagement of new goals Fig. 1 The network structure of symptoms and risk and protective factors of 342 cancer patients. The stronger a connection between two nodes, the thicker and more saturated the edge. Positive and negative connections are denoted by blue and red edges, respectively. FATIG = fatigue, DEPRE = depressed mood, ENJOY = loss of enjoyment, ANXIE = anxiety; SLEEP = sleep problems, Fig. 2 Strength centrality of each node in the network. Node strength refers to the number and strength of the direct connections of a node stronger than a few other edges (i.e. 1–23) and 39 edges were not stronger than any other edge. Discussion A possible explanation could be that all other nodes in the network reflect patients’ thoughts, feelings and behaviour while partner support reflects patients’ perception of their part- ners’ behaviour. Future studies could further explore the role of the partner by studying other aspects of the rela- tionship (e.g. relationship satisfaction, intimacy, commu- nication) in a network perspective on cancer patients’ functioning. The present finding that depressed mood and loss of enjoyment are centrally embedded in the network corre- spond with the diagnostic criteria of MDD, which require that either depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure are present. In other studies depressed mood and loss of interest/pleasure have also shown high centrality in both healthy controls as well as psychiatric patients (Boschloo et al., 2016; Fried et al., 2016). Regarding the connection between depressed mood, anxiety and fatigue, we found that anxiety and depressed mood are strongly related to one another but not to fatigue. This is in line with a recent study in a mixed sample of psychiatric patients and healthy controls, who also found that anxiety and depressed mood are mainly connected to fatigue via loss of enjoyment (Bekhuis et al., 2016). Other studies with samples of depressed patients, however, found different patterns regarding the connection between fatigue and depression (Beard et al., 2016; McWilliams et al., 2017). Overall, the symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and depres- sion appear to be strongly interconnected. Past research efforts may have overlooked the implications of concep- tualizing psychiatric disorders as mutually interacting symptoms in cancer patients. While the literature has concluded that patients with cancer are vulnerable to develop psychiatric disorders (Mitchell et al., 2011), such as MDD, the network perspective might offer us an understanding into why these patients are vulnerable: cancer might lead to certain symptoms of MDD, which, in turn, can trigger other symptoms and eventually develop A key hypothesis of the network approach is that by identifying and subsequently intervening on key nodes or connections in the network it should be possible to modify the behaviour of the network. That is, intervening on cer- tain aspects of a network structure may serve to make the system, or network, return to a healthier state (e.g. no case of CRF or MDD). It would seem likely that for treatment to be successful, therapists could target (central) nodes in the network or specific relationships between nodes. Discussion The present study applied a network approach to examine the interconnectedness among risk and protective factors on the one hand and symptoms of fatigue, depression and anxiety on the other hand, in cancer patients seeking psy- chological care. The network revealed that the symptoms depressed mood, loss of enjoyment and worthlessness were central nodes in the network, meaning that these symptoms had more and stronger connections than most other nodes in the network. Regarding risk factors, the relationships of helplessness and physical symptoms with fatigue were among the strongest connections in the network. The node physical symptoms was also strongly associated with appetite loss. Among the protective factors, acceptance of illness was centrally embedded in the network. Thus, while taking into account several risk and protective factors, acceptance of illness was most strongly connected to both symptoms as well as other risk and protective factors. The symptom sleep problems and the factors related to goal adjustment, social withdrawal and partner support appeared peripheral in the network and were less strongly associated with other nodes. Among the risk factors, the relationship between help- lessness and fatigue stood out. This is in line with previous qualitative research showing how cancer related fatigue (CRF) is often experienced as uncontrollable, unpre- dictable and unchangeable, making patients feel helpless and distressed (Hofman et al., 2007; Scott et al., 2011). Among protective factors, acceptance of illness was cen- trally embedded in the network. This confirms previous bivariate research showing that coming to terms with one’s illness and its consequences is associated with a variety of physical and psychological health indicators, such as decreased anxiety and depression, adjustment to disease, and improved quality of life (Chabowski et al., 2017; Evers et al., 2001; Li & Moore, 1998; Peters et al., 2014). Fur- thermore, interventions targeting acceptance, such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, are effective in reducing fatigue, depression and anxiety (Bruggeman- Everts et al., 2017; Compen et al., 2018; Piet et al., 2012; Schellekens et al., 2017). Contrary to our expectations, the partner support factors were not strongly connected to symptoms and appeared peripheral in the network. This indicates that partner support is associated with patients’ symptoms and functioning but does not seem to play a central role in fatigue, depression and anxiety. Relationship among symptoms, risk and protective factors, including partner support The regularized partial correlation network of the rela- tionship sample was similar to the network of the main sample. The nodes on partner support (Active Engagement, Protective Buffering, Overprotection) were peripheral in the network. See Online Supplementary Material 7 for the results. 12 3 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 560 into a network of symptoms that correspond with the diagnostic criteria of MDD (Guloksuz et al., 2017; Van der Lee & Schellekens, 2019). This hypothesis is reflected in the present findings, showing that physical symptoms are strongly connected with fatigue and appetite problems, which in turn are related to other depressive symptoms. Note, however, that the cross-sectional design prevents us from drawing conclusions on any potential causal nature of these relationships. Discussion However, note that in order to make statements regarding the suit- ability of treatment we need to study the dynamic networks of individual patients rather than group-level networks 123 123 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 561 (Borsboom, 2017; Borsboom & Cramer, 2013). Future studies exploring individual dynamic networks can provide information on which symptoms and which risk and pro- tective factors play a key role in the network for a specific individual, informing us which nodes and connections could and should be intervened upon, and consequently, what kind of treatment would be best suited for him or her. Given the present findings, acceptance and helplessness would be prime candidates to explore in these future studies. embedded in the network. Longitudinal studies should explore these constructs in individual dynamic networks to further investigate their causal role and the extent to which such networks can inform us on what treatment would be most suitable for the individual cancer patient. Funding The study was financially supported by the Ingeborg Douwes Stichting and the Dutch Pink Ribbon Foundation. This report was supported by a Grant from the Dutch Cancer Society (10761) awarded to Dr. M.L. van der Lee and Dr. A.O.J. Cramer. The present study is the first to provide a network per- spective on how risk and protective factors are related to key symptoms in cancer patients seeking psychological care. Moreover, the used questionnaires were selected based on their importance in clinical practice. We were able to analyse the stability of the estimated networks and identify differences between how central and how strongly connected certain symptoms and risk and protective factors were (Epskamp et al., 2017). Besides these strengths, some limitations should be taken into account. The study sample consisted of distressed cancer patients seeking psycholog- ical care. Consequently, findings cannot be generalized to distressed patients who are not seeking help. In addition, while the network models estimate how symptoms and factors are interrelated at a certain moment in time, the associations between such variables may be different when observed over multiple time points. Importantly, the cross- sectional between-subjects design allows for estimating conditional dependence relations, which are consistent with causal hypotheses about these relations but not sufficient to base causality on. In addition, as is the case for any cross- sectional model—whether it be networks or, say, factor models—cross-sectional results do not readily generalize to individuals (Bos & Wanders, 2016). Compliance with ethical standards Conflict of interest Melanie P. J. Schellekens, Marije (M. D. J.) Wolvers, Maya J. Schroevers, Tom I. Bootsma, Ange´lique O. J. Cramer, and Marije L. van der Lee declare that they have no conflict of interest. Human and animal rights and Informed consent All procedures followed were in accordance with ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Ethical approval All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. References Agasi-Idenburg, S. C., Thong, M. S. Y., Punt, C. J. A., Stuiver, M. M., & Aaronson, N. K. (2017). Comparison of symptom clusters associated with fatigue in older and younger survivors of colorectal cancer. Supportive care in cancer : Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 25, 625–632. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3451-4 APA. (2013). American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: APA. Discussion Therefore, future studies could employ time-series designs, such as experi- ence sampling (for an overview of how this method is applied in cancer research, see Kampshoff et al., 2019), in order to estimate dynamic networks for individuals in which an edge denotes a predictive relation (e.g. more fatigue in the morning predicts higher depressed mood in the afternoon). Conclusions Beard, C., Millner, A. J., Forgeard, M. J. C., Fried, E. I., Hsu, K. J., Treadway, M. T., et al. (2016). Network analysis of depression and anxiety symptom relationships in a psychiatric sample. Psychological Medicine, 46,3359–3369. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0033291716002300 In conclusion, the network of symptoms and risk and protective factors identified depressed mood, worthlessness and loss of enjoyment as the most strongly connected symptoms in cancer patients seeking psychological care. Regarding the risk and protective factors, the relationships of helplessness and physical symptoms with fatigue were amongst the strongest connections in the network. The extent to which patients accept the cancer appeared highly Bekhuis, E., Schoevers, R. A., Van Borkulo, C. D., Rosmalen, J. G. M., & Boschloo, L. (2016). The network structure of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and somatic symptomatology. Psychological Medicine, 46,2989–2998. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716001550 12 3 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 562 behavior questionnaire]. Groningen: Rob Giel Onderzoekcen- trum. Borsboom, D. (2017). A network theory of mental disorders. World Psychiatry, 16, 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20375 Borsboom, D., & Cramer, A. O. J. (2013). Network analysis: An integrative approach to the structure of psychopathology. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 91–121. https://doi.org/10. 1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185608 Donovan, K. A., McGinty, H. L., & Jacobsen, P. B. (2013). A systematic review of research using the diagnostic criteria for cancer-related fatigue. Psycho-Oncology, 22, 737–744. https:// doi.org/10.1002/pon.3085 Bos, E. H., & Wanders, R. B. K. (2016). Group-level symptom networks in depression—Reply. JAMA Psychiatry, 73, 411–412. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.3157 Epskamp, S., Borsboom, D., & Fried, E. I. (2017). Estimating psychological networks and their accuracy: A tutorial paper. Behavior Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428- 017-0862-1 Boschloo, L., Van Borkulo, C. D., Borsboom, D., & Schoevers, R. A. (2016). A prospective study on how symptoms in a network predict the onset of depression. Psychotherapy and Psychoso- matics, 85, 183–184. https://doi.org/10.1159/000442001 Epskamp, S., Cramer, A. O. J., Waldorp, L. J., Schmittmann, V. D., & Borsboom, D. (2012). Qgraph: Network visualizations of relationships in psychometric data. Journal of Statistical Soft- ware, 48, 1–18. Brown, L. F., & Kroenke, K. (2009). Cancer-Related fatigue and its associations with depression and anxiety: A systematic review. Psychosomatics, 50, 440–447. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0033- 3182(09)70835-7 Epskamp, S., & Fried, E. I. (2016). A tutorial on regularized partial correlation networks. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.69. 161303 Bruggeman-Everts, F. Z., Wolvers, M. D. J., van de Schoot, R., Vollenbroek-Hutten, M. M. R., & Van der Lee, M. L. (2017). Conclusions Effectiveness of two web-based interventions for chronic cancer- related fatigue compared to an active control condition: Results of the ‘‘Fitter na kanker’’ Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet research, 19, e336. Evers, A. W. M., Kraaimaat, F. W., van Lankveld, W., Jongen, P. J. H., Jacobs, J. W. G., & Bijlsma, J. W. J. (2001). Beyond unfavorable thinking: The illness cognition questionnaire for chronic diseases. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 1026–1036. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.69.6.1026 Fried, E. I., & Cramer, A. O. J. (2017). Moving forward: Challenges and directions for psychopathological network theory and methodology. Perspectives on Psychological Science. https:// doi.org/10.1177/1745691617705892 Buunk, B. P., Berkhuysen, M. A., Sanderman, R., & Nieuwland, W. (1996). Actieve betrokkenheid, beschermend bufferen en overbescherming: Meetinstrumenten voor de rol van de partner bij hartrevalidatie [The role of the partner in heart disease: Active engagement, protective buffering, and overprotection]. Gedrag and Gezondheid: Tijdschrift voor Psychologie en Gezondheid, 24, 304–313. g Fried, E. I., Epskamp, S., Nesse, R. M., Tuerlinckx, F., & Borsboom, D. (2016). What are ‘‘good’’ depression symptoms? Comparing the centrality of DSM and non-DSM symptoms of depression in a network analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 189, 314–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.09.005 Chabowski, M., Polan´ski, J., Jankowska-Polanska, B., Lomper, K., Janczak, D., & Rosinczuk, J. (2017). The acceptance of illness, the intensity of pain and the quality of life in patients with lung cancer. Journal of thoracic disease, 9, 2952. Fried, E. I., van Borkulo, C. D., Cramer, A. O. J., Boschloo, L., Schoevers, R. A., & Borsboom, D. (2017). Mental disorders as networks of problems: A review of recent insights. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52, 1–10. https://doi. org/10.1007/s00127-016-1319-z Compen, F. R., Bisseling, E., Schellekens, M., Donders, R., Carlson, L., van der Lee, M., et al. (2018). Face-to-face and internet-based mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared with treatment as usual in reducing psychological distress in patients with cancer: A multicenter randomized controlled trial. Journal of clinical oncology : Official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2017.76.5669 Friedman, J., Hastie, T., & Tibshirani, R. (2008). Sparse inverse covariance estimation with the graphical lasso. Biostatistics, 9, 432–441. Garssen, B., Van der Lee, M., Van der Poll, A., Ranchor, A. V., Sanderman, R., & Schroevers, M. J. (2016). Characteristics of patients in routine psycho-oncological care, and changes in outcome variables during and after their treatment. Psychology and Health, 31, 1237–1254. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446. Conclusions 2016.1204447 Costantini, G., Epskamp, S., Borsboom, D., Perugini, M., Mo˜ttus, R., Waldorp, L. J., et al. (2015). State of the aRt personality research: A tutorial on network analysis of personality data in R. Journal of Research in Personality, 54, 13–29. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.jrp.2014.07.003 Guloksuz, S., Pries, L. K., & van Os, J. (2017). Application of network methods for understanding mental disorders: Pitfalls and promise. Psychological Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1017/ s0033291717001350 j j p Costenbader, E., & Valente, T. W. (2003). The stability of centrality measures when networks are sampled TT. Social Networks, 25, 283–307. Cramer, A. O. J., van Borkulo, C. D., Giltay, E. J., van der Maas, H. L. J., Kendler, K. S., Scheffer, M., et al. (2016). Major depression as a complex dynamic system. PLoS ONE, 11, e0167490. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167490 Hofman, M., Ryan, J. L., Figueroa-Moseley, C. D., Jean-Pierre, P., & Morrow, G. R. (2007). Cancer-related fatigue: The scale of the problem. The Oncologist, 12, 4–10. https://doi.org/10.1634/ theoncologist.12-s1-4 g Hudson, J. L., Bundy, C., Coventry, P. A., & Dickens, C. (2018). Exploring the relationship between cognitive illness representa- tions and poor emotional health and their combined association with diabetes self-care. A systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 76, 265–274. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.02.004 Cramer, A. O. J., Waldorp, L. J., van der Maas, H. L. J., & Borsboom, D. (2010). Comorbidity : A network perspective. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33, 137–193. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0140525X09991567 De Bruin, E. J., Van Dijk, M., & Duivenvoorden, H. J. (1996). Assessing adjustment to cancer: The Health and Disease Inventories (HDI). Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger. Husson, O., Mols, F., van de Poll-Franse, L., de Vries, J., Schep, G., & Thong, M. S. Y. (2015). Variation in fatigue among 6011 (long-term) cancer survivors and a normative population: A study from the population-based profiles registry. Supportive Care in Cancer, 23, 2165–2174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520- 014-2577-5 de Haes, J., van Knippenberg, F., & Neijt, J. (1990). Measuring psychological and physical distress in cancer patients: Structure and application of the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist. British Journal of Cancer, 62, 1034–1038. De Jong, A., & Van der Lubbe, P. (2001). Handleiding Groningse Vragenlijst voor Sociaal Gedrag [Guidelines groningen social 12 3 J Behav Med (2020) 43:553–563 563 Schellekens, M. P. J., Karremans, J. C., van der Drift, M. A., Molema, J., van den Hurk, D. G. M., Prins, J. B., et al. (2017). Conclusions Endler (Eds.), Handbook of coping: Theory, research, applications (pp. 221–251). Oxford: Wiley. Van der Lubbe, P. M. (1995). De ontwikkeling van de Groningse Vragenlijst over Sociaal Gedrag (GVSG) [The development of the Groningen Questionnaire about Social Behavior (GQSB)]. Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. McWilliams, L. A., Sarty, G., Kowal, J., & Wilson, K. G. (2017). A network analysis of depressive symptoms in individuals seeking treatment for chronic pain. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 33, 899–904. https://doi.org/10.1097/AJP.0000000000000477 Vercoulen, J. H. M. M., Swanink, C. M. A., Fennis, J. F. M., Galama, J. M. D., van der Meer, J. W. M., & Bleijenberg, G. (1994). Dimensional assessment of chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 38, 383–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/ 0022-3999(94)90099-X Miaskowski, C., Barsevick, A., Berger, A., Casagrande, R., Grady, P., Jacobsen, P., et al. (2017). Advancing symptom science through symptom cluster research: Expert panel proceedings and recommendations. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djw253. Westbrook, T. D., Maddocks, K., & Andersen, B. L. (2016). The relation of illness perceptions to stress, depression, and fatigue in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Psychology and health, 31, 891–902. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2016.1158259 Mitchell, A. J., Chan, M., Bhatti, H., Halton, M., Grassi, L., Johansen, C., et al. (2011). Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorder in oncological, haematological, and pallia- tive-care settings: A meta-analysis of 94 interview-based studies. The lancet Oncology, 12, 160–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/ S1470-2045(11)70002-X Worm-Smeitink, M., Gielissen, M., Bloot, L., van Laarhoven, H. W. M., van Engelen, B. G. M., van Riel, P., et al. (2017). The assessment of fatigue: Psychometric qualities and norms for the checklist individual strength. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 98, 40–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.05.007 Opsahl, T., Agneessens, F., & Skvoretz, J. (2010). Node centrality in weighted networks: Generalizing degree and shortest paths. Social Networks, 32, 245–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet. 2010.03.006 Wrosch, C., Scheier, M. F., Miller, G. E., Schulz, R., & Carver, C. S. (2003). Adaptive self-regulation of unattainable goals: Goal disengagement, goal reengagement, and subjective well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 1494–1508. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167203256921 Peters, M. E. W. J., Goedendorp, M. M., Verhagen, S. A. H. H. V. M., Van Der Graaf, W. T. A., & Bleijenberg, G. (2014). Exploring the contribution of psychosocial factors to fatigue in patients with advanced incurable cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 23, 773–779. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.3481 Zhu, L., Ranchor, A. V., van der Lee, M., Garssen, B., Almansa, J., Sanderman, R., et al. (2017). Co-morbidity of depression, anxiety and fatigue in cancer patients receiving psychological care. Conclusions Are mindfulness and self-compassion related to psychological distress and communication in couples facing lung cancer? A Dyadic Approach. Mindfulness, 8, 325–336. https://doi.org/10. 1007/s12671-016-0602-0 Kamen, C., Mustian, K. M., Heckler, C., Janelsins, M. C., Peppone, L. J., Mohile, S., et al. (2015). The association between partner support and psychological distress among prostate cancer survivors in a nationwide study. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 9, 492–499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-015-0425-3 Kampshoff, C. S., Verdonck-de Leeuw, I. M., Oijen, M. G., Sprangers, M. A., & Buffart, L. M. (2019). Ecological momen- tary assessments among patients with cancer: A scoping review. European Journal of Cancer Care, 28, e13095. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/ecc.13095 Schroevers, M. J., Kraaij, V., & Garnefski, N. (2011). Cancer patients’ experience of positive and negative changes due to the illness: Relationships with psychological well-being, coping, and goal reengagement. Psycho-Oncology, 20, 165–172. https://doi. org/10.1002/pon.1718 Korfage, I. J., Essink-Bot, M.-L., Janssens, A. C. J. W., Schro¨der, F. H., & de Koning, H. J. (2006). Anxiety and depression after prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment: 5-year follow-up. British Journal of Cancer, 94, 1093–1098. https://doi.org/10. 1038/sj.bjc.6603057 Schroevers, M. J., Sanderman, R., van Sonderen, E., & Ranchor, A. V. (2000). The evaluation of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale: Depressed and positive affect in cancer patients and healthy reference subjects. Quality of Life Research, 9, 1015–1029. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016673003237 j j Kuijer, R. G., Ybema, J. F., Buunk, B. P., & De Jong, M. G. (2000). Active engagement, protective and overprotection : Intimate partners of patients. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 19, 256–276. Scott, J. A., Lasch, K. E., Barsevick, A. M., & Piault-Louis, E. (2011). Patients’ experiences with cancer-related fatigue: A review and synthesis of qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 38, E191–203. https://doi.org/10.1188/11.ONF.E191-E203 Li, L., & Moore, D. (1998). Acceptance of disability and its correlates. The Journal of social psychology, 138, 13–25. Tibshirani, R. (1996). Regression shrinkage and selection via the lasso. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 58, 267–288. Liu, H., Lafferty, J., & Wasserman, L. (2009). The nonparanormal: Semiparametric estimation of high dimensional undirected graphs. Journal of Machine Learning Research, 10, 2295–2328. Van der Lee, M. L., & Schellekens, M. P. J. (2019). Capturing the complexity of mental disorders in the medically ill: The network approach on behavioral medicine. Translational Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibz019 Maes, S., Leventhal, H., & de Ridder, D. T. D. (1996). Coping with chronic diseases. In M. Zeidner & N. Conclusions Psycho- Oncology, 26, 444–451. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.4153 Piet, J., Wu¨rtzen, H., & Zachariae, R. (2012). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on symptoms of anxiety and depres- sion in adult cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychol- ogy, 80, 1007–1020. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028329 Zhu, L., Ranchor, A. V., van der Lee, M., Garssen, B., Sanderman, R., & Schroevers, M. J. (2015). The role of goal adjustment in symptoms of depression, anxiety and fatigue in cancer patients receiving psychosocial care: A longitudinal study. Psychology and Health, 30, 268–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446. 2014.969263 R Core Team. (2016). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. Retrieved from https://www.R-project.org/ Richardson, E. M., Schu¨z, N., Sanderson, K., Scott, J. L., & Schu¨z, B. (2017). Illness representations, coping, and illness outcomes in people with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psycho-Oncology, 26, 724–737. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon. 4213 Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. 12 3
https://openalex.org/W3184810480
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc8486944?pdf=render
French
null
Tumeur desmoïde géante de la paroi abdominale: à propos d’un cas
˜The œPan African medical journal
2,021
cc-by
2,496
Issam Loukil, Amine Zouari Corresponding author: Issam Loukil, Service de Chirurgie Générale Tataouine, Tataouine, Tunisie. issamloukilyoussef@gmail.com Received: 20 Jan 2021 - Accepted: 05 Jul 2021 - Published: 23 Jul 2021 Keywords: Tumeur desmoïde, géante, chirurgie, à propos d’un cas Copyright: Issam Loukil et al. Pan African Medical Journal (ISSN: 1937-8688). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Cite this article: Issam Loukil et al. Tumeur desmoïde géante de la paroi abdominale: à propos d’un cas. Pan African Medical Journal. 2021;39(211). 10.11604/pamj.2021.39.211.27965 Available online at: https://www.panafrican-med-journal.com//content/article/39/211/full Article Case report Case report Résumé La tumeur desmoïde de taille géante rarement rapportée à travers la littérature et qui implique un défi dans sa prise en charge thérapeutique. Pour notre cas la tumeur exerce un effet de masse abdominal, ce qui la rend douloureuse, et un problème esthétique majeur. Le bilan d'extension radiologique a permis de délimiter son extension en profondeur et ses limites d'exérèses. La tumeur desmoïde de la paroi abdominale a été évoquée et réséquée chirurgicalement avec des suites opératoires simples. Ce cas illustre les difficultés de prise en charge de cette entité vu sa grande taille. Giant abdominal wall desmoid tumor: a case report 1Service de Chirurgie Générale Tataouine, Tataouine, Tunisie, 2Service de Chirurgie Générale Sfax, Sfax, Tunisie English abstract magnétique (IRM) abdominale en juillet 2020 a montré une volumineuse masse tissulaire aux dépens du muscle droit de l´abdomen gauche grossièrement ovalaire de contours lobulés mesurant 190x188x160 mm faiblement hypo- dense qui prend le contraste après injection de gadolinium (Figure 2). Devant ce tableau une tumeur fibromateuse type desmoïde a été évoquée et une colonoscopie a été demandée à la recherche de polypes coliques associés, revenue sans anomalies. Giant desmoid tumor has been rarely reported in the literature but it is a therapeutic challenge. We here report a case of tumor manifesting as painful abdominal mass causing a major esthetic problem. Radiological assessment allowed to determine its depth extension and limits of resection. Desmoid tumor of the abdominal wall was evoked and surgically resected, with simple outcome. This study highlights challenges in the management of this entity,due to its large size. Intervention thérapeutique: la patiente a été opérée par laparotomie médiane. L´exploration peropératoire montre une masse polylobée aux dépends des différentes tuniques adjacentes de la paroi abdominale gauche sans extension ni localisations secondaires intra-péritonéale. Une résection en monobloc de cette masse a été faite emportant le plan cutané, sous cutané, la partie musculaire envahie ainsi que ses aponévroses et le plan péritonéal adjacent avec une marge chirurgicale macroscopique de sécurité minimale de 1 cm en latéral et en profondeur (Figure 3). La fermeture pariétale a nécessité un geste de reconstruction par une prothèse synthétique biface (Figure 4). Key words: Desmoid tumor, giant, surgery, case report Introduction Les tumeurs desmoïdes sont extrêmement rares. Elles représentent 3% des tumeurs des tissus mous et son incidence est estimée de 2 à 4 cas/millions de population [1]. La taille géante de cette tumeur est rarement rapportée dans la littérature. Le diagnostic positif est difficile et la prise en charge thérapeutique est très complexe nécessitant une approche multidisciplinaire impliquant chirurgien, radiologue et carcinologue, en raison de l´évolution imprévisible et des conséquences fonctionnelles de la maladie [2]. Suivi et résultats des interventions thérapeutiques: l´étude histologique de la pièce opératoire a confirmé le diagnostic d´une fibromatose agressive en montrant un agencement cellulaire en longs faisceaux divergents dissociant le muscle strié avec marge de résection microscopique saine (Figure 5). Le dossier a été présenté en réunion de concertation pluridisciplinaire et un traitement adjuvant postopératoire n´a pas été indiqué. Un contrôle à 6 mois clinique et scannographique n´a pas montré de signes de récidive locale. Patient et observation Article English abstract &Auteur correspondant Issam Loukil, Service de Chirurgie Générale Tataouine, Tataouine, Tunisie Issam Loukil, Service de Chirurgie Générale Tataouine, Tataouine, Tunisie Article Discussion Le point fort de cette publication est qu´il rapporte un cas très rare de tumeur desmoïde de grande taille. Notre approche s´est basée sur l´étude des cas rapportés, bien que limités à travers la littérature et notre discussion du consensus de prise en charge. La tumeur desmoïde est définie par l´Organisation Mondiale de la Santé en tant qu´une prolifération fibroblastique clonale qui survient dans les tissus mous profonds et se caractérise par une incapacité à métastaser même si elle peut être multifocale dans le même membre ou partie du corps [3]. Elle touche plus fréquemment les femmes entre 15 et 60 ans avec un pic entre 30 et 40 ans [4,5]. Deux grandes catégories de tumeurs desmoïdes sont reconnues: les tumeurs sporadiques majoritaires de 85 à 90 % des cas associée à une mutation dans la voie codante pour la béta- caténine CTNNB1, et les tumeurs associées à la mutation du gène APC de la polypose adénomateuse familiale (PAF) touchant principalement l´abdomen [4,6]. Le tableau clinique peut présenter plusieurs aspects selon la localisation et peuvent être très agressives avec une croissance accrue et effet de masse comme pour le cas de notre patiente [7]. L´IRM est l´examen de référence pour le diagnostic, la stadification et le suivi. Elle permet d´étudier l´extension tumorale et de déterminer le plan de résection chirurgicale à atteindre. Sur les images pondérées en T1, la tumeur apparait hypo ou iso- intense par rapport au muscle et apparait hyper- intense en T2 avec un renforcement après injection de gadolinium et persistance de bondes hypo- intenses [3,4]. Le diagnostic de certitude est histologique sur une biopsie percutanée ou de la pièce opératoire en montrant une prolifération de cellules fusiformes uniformes ressemblant à des myofibroblastes, dans un stroma de collagène abondant et de réseau vasculaire. Les recommandations du consensus de Milan 2018 ont défini un algorithme de prise en charge (Figure 6) et adopte la stratégie initiale de surveillance active pour les patients qui présentent des tumeurs desmoïdes pour une période de 1 à 2 ans par examen clinique et IRM mensuel durant les premiers mois puis à un intervalle de 3 à 6 mois, à la recherche de progression tumorale ou augmentation des symptômes qui va justifier un traitement actif [4,9]. Certaines situations rendent la chirurgie inévitable telle que les complications (occlusions, perforation, hémorragie) ou des problèmes esthétiques majeurs, tel est le cas de notre patiente. Patient et observation Informations sur le patient: nous rapportons le cas d´une patiente âgée de 46 ans, sans antécédents pathologiques notables, qui a consulté en juin 2020 pour une volumineuse masse abdominale évoluant depuis plus d´un an. Résultats cliniques: l´examen a montré une masse de 20 cm de grand axe para-ombilicale gauche, non douloureuse et mobile par rapport au plan profond (Figure 1). La patiente n´a pas rapporté de signes digestifs associés. Perspectives du patient: la patiente a déclaré être satisfaite de la qualité de la prise en charge et des soins fournis. Démarche diagnostique: pour mieux spécifier cette tumeur et étudier ses rapports, un complément d´exploration par imagerie par résonance Consentement éclairé: la patiente a fourni son consentement. 2 2 Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. Article pour les chirurgiens surtout pour les tumeurs géantes. En raison du schéma de croissance infiltrant, la portée de la résection nécessaire pour obtenir des marges négatives pourrait souvent entrainer des altérations fonctionnelles importantes et des altérations esthétiques [5]. Cette résection confère un bon taux de contrôle local à environ 80% à 5 ans [3]. Aucun consensus concernant la technique chirurgicale de fermeture des défects abdominaux n´a été établit. Le chirurgien aura le choix entre l´utilisation des prothèses pariétales synthétiques ou l´utilisation de lambeaux libres musculo-cutanés et les procédés de rapprochement aponévrotiques [1]. La chimiothérapie reste une option dans les cas des maladies symptomatiques non résécables ou avancées [4-6]. Les thérapies ciblés (Imatinib) confère un taux élevé de stabilisation de la maladie de 60 à 80% des cas [5], l´hormonothérapie (Tamoxifène) par son action anti-oestrogéniques est associée à un bénéfice clinique dans environ 30% des cas [6] et les anti-inflammatoire non stéroïdien (AINS) par leur capacité de réguler la voie de la ß-caténine par l´inhibition de la cyclo- oxygénase-2 ou des prostaglandines [5]. Le traitement locorégional par radiothérapie ou de cryothérapie peut réduire le risque de récidive après résection chirurgicale incomplète [3,4,6,8]. Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. Conflits d’intérêts Les auteurs ne déclarent aucun conflit d´intérêts. PubMed| Google Scholar 3. Kasper B, Baumgarten C, Garcia J, Bonvalot S, Haas R, Haller F et al. An update on the management of sporadic desmoid-type fibromatosis: a European Consensus Initiative between Sarcoma PAtients EuroNet (SPAEN) and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)/Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group (STBSG). Annals of Oncology. 2017;28(10): 2399-2408. PubMed| Google Scholar Article et qui prend le contraste après injection de gadolinium Figure 3: aspect macroscopique de la masse abdominale réséquée Figure 4: réfection du défect pariétal par une prothèse synthétique biface Figure 5: aspect histologique Figure 6: algorithme de prise en charge tumeurs de grandes tailles sont plus susceptibles de récidiver. En conclusion, il s´agit bien d´une tumeur rare dont la taille géante rend sa prise en charge plus délicate. L´approche thérapeutique actuelle opte pour la stratégie de surveillance active. Le cas de notre patiente présente des arguments d´atteinte esthétique et de douleur abdominale, indiquant une résection chirurgicale d´emblée. La résection de cette masse implique un deuxième geste de réfection pariétale par plaque synthétique. Références 1. Couto Netto SD, Teixeira F, Menegozzo CAM, Albertini A, Akaishi EH, Utiyama EM. Abdominal wall reconstruction after desmoid type fibromatosis radical resection: case series from a single institution and review of the literature. International Journal of Surgery Case Reports. 2017;33: 167-172. PubMed| Google Scholar Google Scholar 4. Master SR, Mangla A, Shah C. Desmoid Tumor. In: StatPearls. 2020. PubMed 4. Master SR, Mangla A, Shah C. Desmoid Tumor. In: StatPearls. 2020. PubMed Discussion La surveillance après résection chirurgicale, est essentiellement clinique et radiologique par une IRM ou tomodensitométrie (TDM) [10]. Les taux de récidive locale dépendent essentiellement des marges de résection. Les La prise en charge thérapeutique comporte plusieurs volets: chirurgical, systémique et locorégional. Le traitement chirurgical reste un défi Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. 3 3 Article Conclusion Les tumeurs desmoïdes géantes sont des fibromatoses agressives du fait de leur caractère infiltrant avec un haut potentiel de récidive. Le diagnostic doit être évoqué devant toute masse tissulaire pariétale abdominale. L´IRM permet de poser le diagnostic, de guider la prise en charge thérapeutique et de suivre l´évolution. La confirmation du diagnostic est histologique. Le traitement repose actuellement sur une stratégie de surveillance active initiale en quête de signes de complications ou de progression. 2. Penel N, Coindre J-M, Bonvalot S, Italiano A, Neuville A, Le Cesne A et al. Management of desmoid tumours: a nationwide survey of labelled reference centre networks in France. European Journal of Cancer. 2016;58: 90-96. PubMed| Google Scholar 2. Penel N, Coindre J-M, Bonvalot S, Italiano A, Neuville A, Le Cesne A et al. Management of desmoid tumours: a nationwide survey of labelled reference centre networks in France. European Journal of Cancer. 2016;58: 90-96. PubMed| Google Scholar Contributions des auteurs Tous les auteurs ont participé à la mise en œuvre et la rédaction de ce manuscrit. Ils déclarent également avoir lu et approuvé la version finale du manuscrit. Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. Figures 5. Martínez Trufero J, Pajares Bernad I, Torres Ramón I, Hernando Cubero J, Pazo Cid R. Desmoid-Type Fibromatosis: Who, When, and How to Treat. Curr Treat Options in Oncol. 2017;18(5): 29. PubMed| Google Scholar Figure 1: masse abdominale géante, vue préopératoire Figure 2: IRM abdominale, masse tissulaire aux dépens du muscle droit de l´abdomen gauche grossièrement ovalaire de contours lobulés mesurant 190x188x160 mm faiblement hypo dense Figure 1: masse abdominale géante, vue préopératoire Figure 1: masse abdominale géante, vue préopératoire Figure 2: IRM abdominale, masse tissulaire aux dépens du muscle droit de l´abdomen gauche grossièrement ovalaire de contours lobulés mesurant 190x188x160 mm faiblement hypo dense 6. Napolitano A, Mazzocca A, Spalato Ceruso M, Minelli A, Baldo F, Badalamenti G et al. Recent advances in desmoid tumor therapy. Cancers. 2020;12(8): 2135. PubMed| Google Scholar Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. 4 Article Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. Article 9. Alman B, Attia S, Baumgarten C, Benson C, Blay J-Y, Bonvalot S et al. The management of desmoid tumours: a joint global consensus- based guideline approach for adult and paediatric patients. European Journal of Cancer. 2020; 127: 96-107. PubMed| Google Scholar 7. Zenzri Y, Yahyaoui Y, Charfi L, Ghodhbani Z, Letaief F, Ayadi M et al. The Management of desmoid tumors: a retrospective study of 30 cases. International Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2020 Jul 18;2020: 9197216. PubMed| Google Scholar 8. Kurtz J-E, Gantzer J, Garnon J, Gangi A. Traitements loco-régionaux des tumeurs desmoides? quelles perspectives?. Bulletin du Cancer. 2020; 107(3): 371-374. PubMed| Google Scholar 8. Kurtz J-E, Gantzer J, Garnon J, Gangi A. Traitements loco-régionaux des tumeurs desmoides? quelles perspectives?. Bulletin du Cancer. 2020; 107(3): 371-374. PubMed| Google Scholar 10. Kasper B, Raut CP, Gronchi A. Desmoid tumors: to treat or not to treat, that is the question. Cancer. 2020; 126(24): 5213-5221. PubMed| Google Scholar Figure 1: masse abdominale géante, vue préopératoire Figure 1: masse abdominale géante, vue préopératoire 5 Article Figure 2: IRM abdominale, masse tissulaire aux dépens du muscle droit de l´abdomen gauche grossièrement ovalaire de contours lobulés mesurant 190x188x160 mm faiblement hypo dense et qui prend le contraste après injection de gadolinium Figure 2: IRM abdominale, masse tissulaire aux dépens du muscle droit de l´abdomen gauche grossièrement ovalaire de contours lobulés mesurant 190x188x160 mm faiblement hypo dense et qui prend le contraste après injection de gadolinium Figure 3: aspect macroscopique de la masse abdominale réséquée Figure 3: aspect macroscopique de la masse abdominale réséquée Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. 6 Article Figure 4: réfection du défect pariétal par une prothèse synthétique biface Figure 4: réfection du défect pariétal par une prothèse synthétique biface Figure 5: aspect histologique Figure 5: aspect histologique 7 Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes. 7 Article Figure 6: algorithme de prise en charge Figure 6: algorithme de prise en charge Issam Loukil et al. PAMJ - 39(211). 23 Jul 2021. - Page numbers not for citation purposes 8
https://openalex.org/W2090948760
https://www.scielo.br/j/rbem/a/WyD9PHw7QSLBdMYtfz5Y5md/?lang=pt&format=pdf
Portuguese
null
Educação em saúde para a prevenção do câncer cérvico-uterino
Revista Brasileira de Educação Médica
2,012
cc-by
4,585
RESUMO Este estudo se trata do relato de uma experiência vivenciada por graduandos de Medicina e Enfer- magem participantes do PET-Saúde da Universidade de Brasília, cujo objetivo foi realizar atividades de educação em saúde dentro do tema prevenção de câncer cérvico-uterino nos municípios de Ceres e Santa Isabel, Goiás. Para tanto, foram feitas diferentes ações comunicativas, tais como: confecção e distribuição de cartazes/panfletos; produção de um programa de rádio; e promoção de rodas de conver- sa na sala de espera das unidades básicas de saúde. Essa atividade se mostrou como uma oportunidade de compartilhar experiências e sentimentos, bem como discutir ideias e conceitos visando a construir um novo conhecimento, com contribuições do saber teórico dos acadêmicos e do saber prático das usuárias. As dúvidas e questionamentos das usuárias estavam de acordo com os apontados trazidos pela literatura, e as atividades mostraram-se uma boa forma de esclarecer as dúvidas das usuárias e aproximar sistema de saúde e população, bem como de promover a educação em saúde, especialmente no âmbito da autovalorização, da prevenção e da promoção da saúde. Educação em Saúde para a Prevenção do Câncer Cérvico-uterino Health Education for Cervical Cancer Prevention Bruna Côrtes RodriguesI Ana Catarine Melo de Oliveira CarneiroI Tábata Longo da SilvaI Ana Cláudia Nunes SoláI Natália de Melo ManziI Noel Peixoto SchechtmanI Hugo Leonardo Gonçalves de Oliveira MagalhãesI Jane Lynn Garrison Dytz I Bruna Côrtes RodriguesI Ana Catarine Melo de Oliveira CarneiroI Tábata Longo da SilvaI Ana Cláudia Nunes SoláI Natália de Melo ManziI Noel Peixoto SchechtmanI Hugo Leonardo Gonçalves de Oliveira MagalhãesI Jane Lynn Garrison Dytz I PALAVRAS-CHAVE: – Serviços Preventivos de Saúde – Educação em Saúde – Neoplasias do Colo do Útero – Saúde Pública. – Serviços Preventivos de Saúde – Educação em Saúde – Neoplasias do Colo do Útero – Saúde Pública. – Serviços Preventivos de Saúde – Educação em Saúde – Neoplasias do Colo do Útero – Saúde Pública. I Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brasil. ABSTRACT This case report describes the experience of undergraduate medical and nursing students participa- ting in the Educational Program for Health Work (PET-Saúde) at the University of Brasília, the ob- jective of which was to conduct health education activities in cervical cancer prevention in Ceres and Santa Isabel, Goiás State. The following communications activities were used: preparation and dis- tribution of posters and leaflets; production of a radio program; and conversation groups held in the waiting rooms of primary healthcare units. This activity provided an opportunity to share experiences and feelings, as well as discussing ideas and concepts aimed at building new knowledge, with con- tributions from the students’ academic training and the users’ practical knowhow. The users’ doubts and questions were consistent with those found in the literature, and the activities proved to be a good way for clearing up users’ doubts and drawing the health system and the population closer, as well as promoting health education, especially in the areas of self-esteem, prevention, and health promotion. INTRODUÇÃO Alguns motivos identificados para não realização do exa- me são: crença de ser saudável por não apresentar queixas ginecológicas; medo em relação ao câncer e ao próprio proce- dimento; sentimentos de embaraço ou vergonha; desconfor- to físico; desconhecimento da importância e da finalidade do exame; dificuldades em marcá-lo e em ter acesso ao local, entre outros.6 Percebe-se que, em muitos casos, a falha no diagnósti- co precoce encontra explicação no conhecimento inadequado da população sobre a doença e sua condição assintomática, bem como sobre a importância do exame e possibilidade de tratamento precoce. O câncer de colo do útero é o segundo tipo de câncer mais frequente entre as mulheres, apresentando aproximadamente 500 mil casos novos por ano no mundo, sendo responsável pelo óbito de 230 mil mulheres por ano. No Brasil, para 2010, eram esperados 18.430 novos casos, com um risco estimado de 18 casos para cada 100 mil mulheres.1 Sabe-se da existência de fatores de risco para o desenvolvi- mento desse tumor. Os principais são: infecção pelo papiloma vírus humano (HPV); tabagismo; multiplicidade de parceiros sexuais; uso de contraceptivos orais; multiparidade; baixa in- gestão de vitaminas; iniciação sexual precoce; e coinfecção por agentes infecciosos, como o vírus da imunodeficiência huma- na (HIV) e o Chlamydia trachomatis. A educação em saúde representa uma estratégia muito importante na formação de comportamentos que promovam ou mantenham uma boa saúde.7 Ela é uma prática social que contribui para a formação da consciência crítica das pessoas a respeito de seus problemas de saúde, levando em conta a sua realidade. Estimula também a busca de soluções e a orga- nização de ações individuais e coletivas.8 É considerada um recurso por meio do qual o conhecimento científico na área de saúde atinge a vida cotidiana das pessoas, uma vez que a compreensão dos condicionantes do processo saúde-doença oferece subsídios para a adoção de novos hábitos e condutas de saúde.9 O tratamento do câncer de colo de útero é mais efetivo quando a doença é diagnosticada na fase inicial, antes do apa- recimento dos sintomas clínicos. Esse fato justifica a importân- cia de estratégias para a detecção precoce desse tipo de câncer e de suas lesões precursoras. Dentre os métodos de diagnós- tico, destaca-se o exame citopatológico cérvico-vaginal (Papa- nicolau), que consiste em uma tecnologia simples, eficaz e de baixo custo para o sistema de saúde. INTRODUÇÃO De acordo com a OMS, quando o rastreamento apresenta boa cobertura – 80% – e é realizado dentro dos padrões de qualidade, modifica efetiva- mente as taxas de incidência e mortalidade por esse tipo de câncer.2 Posto isso, verifica-se que a educação em saúde é forte aliada no objetivo de despertar mudanças de comportamento. Por intermédio dela, as usuárias do sistema de saúde podem adquirir informação, refletir sobre suas práticas, bem como sobre a importância do exame ginecológico e da autovaloriza- ção. O desafio está em buscar um momento e um espaço para educar. Diante disso, a sala de espera se mostra como um local propício para passar informações relevantes à paciente, antes da consulta, e para compartilhar informações com pessoas que possuam uma necessidade de saúde em comum.10 Porém, essa prática deve ser aliada a outras estratégias que visem a pro- mover e a facilitar a disseminação das informações de forma criativa e atraente ao maior número de pessoas possível. Apesar da possibilidade de tratamento precoce, essa do- ença ainda é um problema de saúde pública em países em desenvolvimento, pois apresenta altas taxas de prevalência e morbi-mortalidade em mulheres de nível socioeconômico baixo e na fase produtiva de suas vidas.3 Há um prejuízo financeiro e social considerável, já que essas mulheres, uma vez doentes, podem ocupar leitos hospitalares, ficar afas- tadas do mercado de trabalho e ser privadas do convívio familiar. Diante dos índices elevados de morbi-mortalidade por câncer de colo uterino, o governo brasileiro, por meio do Inca/ Ministério da Saúde, desenvolveu, em 1997, um Programa Na- cional de Rastreamento do Câncer do Colo Uterino, chamado Programa Viva Mulher. A abordagem adotada pelo programa é o oferecimento do exame citopatológico e do tratamento ou acompanhamento das lesões detectadas.4 Assim, o objetivo deste estudo é relatar uma experiência prática em educação em saúde acerca do tema prevenção do câncer cérvico-uterino que foi realizada em Ceres e Santa Isa- bel, GO, tendo como público-alvo usuárias da rede pública de saúde desses municípios. A temática foi definida a par- tir da demanda apresentada pelos profissionais de saúde de ambos os municípios, em razão da baixa adesão ao exame colpocitológico. KEYWORDS: KEYWORDS: – Preventive Health Services – Health Education – Uterine Cervical Neoplasms – Public Health. Recebido em: 01/04/2010 Reencaminhado em: 20/08/2010 Aprovado em: 18/09/2010 REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1, Supl. 1) : 149-154; 2012 149 – Preventive Health Services – Health Education – Uterine Cervical Neoplasms – Public Health. Recebido em: 01/04/2010 Reencaminhado em: 20/08/2010 Aprovado em: 18/09/2010 REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1, Supl. 1) : 149-154; 2012 149 149 Bruna Côrtes Rodrigues et al. Educação para Prevenir CA Colo Uterino REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1 Supl. 1) : 149 – 154 ; 2012 150 RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO Os resultados do período de integração entre acadêmicos e comunidade são apresentados a seguir. Embora de curta du- ração, essa vivência foi muito gratificante para os participan- tes e terá inegável repercussão em suas práticas profissionais futuras. Como o objetivo era alcançar o maior número de pessoas possível, optou-se por realizar diferentes ações comunicativas, tais como: 1. Confecção e distribuição de cartazes e panfletos; 2. Apresentação de um programa de rádio; 3. Realização de rodas de conversa na sala de espera com as usuárias nas Uni- dades Básicas de Saúde (UBS). Os panfletos confeccionados, além de serem distribuídos às usuárias, também foram fornecidos aos agentes comu- nitários de saúde para serem entregues à comunidade, pois foi percebido que, dessa forma, esse meio de comunicação poderia ser mais bem propagado entre a população. Na sala de espera, os acadêmicos também utilizaram o folheto como guia para as respostas, auxiliando na compreensão deste pelas usuárias. O material impresso permite ao usuário uma leitu- ra posterior, reforçando as informações orais e servindo como guia de orientação.12 O panfleto continha informações em forma de perguntas e respostas sobre exame citopatólogico e câncer do colo do úte- ro. Procurou-se utilizar linguagem coerente com o público-al- vo e elaborar explicações e orientações de uma forma didática, auxiliadas por figuras simples e coloridas. Foram feitos dois modelos de cartazes, ambos bem coloridos e atrativos, com mensagens e figuras de incentivo à realização desse exame. A preparação e a apresentação de um programa de rádio foram feitas de forma a abordar o tema de maneira clara e didática, incluindo-o em situações cotidianas da vida da po- pulação. O programa foi transmitido ao vivo pela Rádio Al- vorada de Rialma – GO, na frequência de 810 kHz (AM), no dia 4/2/2010 às 20h, com duração de 30 minutos. Foi disponi- bilizado o número do telefone da rádio para que os ouvintes pudessem expor dúvidas sobre o assunto. Os dois modelos de cartazes foram afixados em todas as UBSs, mas verificou-se que, em uma das unidades, o car- taz com a silhueta de mulher nua havia sido retirado um dia após a colagem. A justificativa dada para esse ato foi a de que a imagem poderia escandalizar a população. INTRODUÇÃO Apesar dessa iniciativa, os resultados não têm sido satis- fatórios, pois as taxas de mortalidade por esse tipo de câncer continuam moderadamente altas no País e, do ponto de vista temporal, vem-se mantendo estáveis.5 Uma explicação para esse resultado pode ser a não adesão das mulheres ao exame preventivo. Tal atividade faz parte do Programa de Educação pelo Trabalho para a Saúde (PET-Saúde), instituído pelo Ministé- rio da Saúde em parceria com o Ministério da Educação, para viabilizar programas de iniciação ao trabalho, estágios e vi- REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1 Supl. 1) : 149 – 154 ; 2012 150 Educação para Prevenir CA Colo Uterino Bruna Côrtes Rodrigues et al. vências dirigidos aos estudantes da área da saúde e pesquisas voltadas para melhoria da qualidade dos serviços de saúde. por figuras, espéculo e molde do aparelho reprodutor femini- no. As questões foram estruturadas com o intuito de estimular reflexão e debate sobre o assunto. Além disso, as mulheres fo- ram instigadas a discutir e partilhar tanto seus conhecimentos prévios a respeito do tema, quanto suas experiências pessoais. Após cada conversa, os educadores/coordenadores se reu- niam para discutir as vivências e registrar suas observações e percepções, bem como as manifestações dos grupos. METODOLOGIA O trabalho se trata de um relato descritivo sobre uma ativida- de de educação em saúde desenvolvida por nove acadêmicos de Medicina e Enfermagem da Universidade de Brasília – UnB acerca do tema prevenção do câncer de colo cérvico-uterino, nos municípios de Ceres e Santa Isabel, Goiás, no período de 2 a 7 de fevereiro de 2010. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO Essa atitu- de evidencia a dificuldade que existe em lidar com o corpo e corrobora o fato de a vergonha e o desconforto serem moti- vos para as mulheres não realizarem o exame citopatológico cérvico-vaginal.6 Esses sentimentos são comuns na realização de exames íntimos, mas devem ser confrontados quando im- pedem a realização de um procedimento que, feito dentro dos padrões de qualidade, modifica efetivamente as taxas de inci- dência e mortalidade pelo câncer do colo de útero.2 Por isso, foi escolhida a figura de uma silhueta de mulher nua para fazer parte dos cartazes. Tomados os devidos cuidados para que a imagem não fosse agressiva ou vulgar, ela represen- tava a mulher em contato com seu corpo e sem conflito. No entanto, o estigma existente sobre a relação da mulher com o próprio corpo, no qual se compreende o seu contato como algo inapropriado, ainda é muito forte, inclusive entre alguns profissionais da saúde que desconhecem a interferência desse estigma na adesão ao exame. Por prever esse tipo de reação e ter como objetivo principal a divulgação de informações, Veríssimo e Valle11 referem que o grupo de sala de espera é caracterizado como uma forma produtiva de ocupar um tem- po ocioso nas instituições, com a transformação do período de espera pelas consultas médicas em momento de trabalho. Com o intuito de preencher esse espaço em potencial, foram realizadas rodas de conversas na sala de espera em três Unida- des Básicas de Saúde, com duração média de 30 minutos cada uma delas. O grupo era disposto em círculo em local reserva- do, e a temática era desenvolvida em duas etapas distintas: dinâmica corporal e conversa estruturada por perguntas. Na primeira etapa, a proposta era realizar uma atividade de alongamento e contato corporal individual, acompanhada de música relaxante. Na segunda etapa, cada mulher selecio- nava um número correspondente a uma pergunta previamen- te elaborada pelos acadêmicos. Em seguida, cada participante respondia à pergunta selecionada e, caso necessário, os acadê- micos explicavam e/ou sanavam dúvidas, sendo auxiliados REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1 Supl. 1) : 149 – 154 ; 2012 151 Bruna Côrtes Rodrigues et al. Educação para Prevenir CA Colo Uterino Na primeira unidade, oito mulheres participaram ativa- mente tanto da dinâmica quanto da discussão e criaram um ambiente de descontração e cumplicidade. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO Foi observado que elas já conversavam descontraídas antes da atividade, inclusi- ve sobre o exame colpocitológico. Já na segunda UBS, o gru- po de oito usuárias aguardava a consulta antes da atividade sem muito entrosamento, mostrando-se bem inibido e pouco participativo na etapa inicial, o que revelou dde sua parte di- ficuldade em tocar o próprio corpo. Na discussão do tema, as mulheres expressaram-se pouco, respondendo com escassez de palavras aos questionamentos feitos pelos acadêmicos. No entanto, após a chegada de uma usuária que fazia diversas perguntas, elas se sentiram mais à vontade para participar da atividade, expor dúvidas e compartilhar histórias. Na terceira unidade, apenas quatro mulheres participaram, o que, con- tudo, não tornou a conversa menos proveitosa. As usuárias pareciam tranquilas, esclareceram dúvidas e uma participante que não fazia o exame há 10 anos decidiu marcar uma consul- ta logo após a conversa. também foram confeccionados cartazes com gravura menos impactante. Optou-se pela realização de programa de rádio por ser, segundo Nascimento,13 “um poderoso instrumento de comu- nicação e um espaço de interação entre a lógica de pensar das camadas populares e a lógica do conhecimento técnico-cientí- fico representado principalmente pelos profissionais da saú- de”. Também por ser um dos meios de comunicação de massa mais acessíveis para a população rural,14 como era o caso dos municípios envolvidos, o rádio torna-se um importante canal para realização de iniciativas que aproximam diferentes reali- dades, visando a um crescimento cultural e educacional. Nessa experiência, buscou-se inserir as situações viven- ciadas pela comunidade e a linguagem utilizada pela popu- lação ao tratar do tema prevenção do câncer cérvico-uterino. O programa de rádio contou com a participação de duas en- fermeiras e, no seu decorrer, três usuárias ligaram para sanar dúvidas quanto ao exame colpocitológico. De acordo com Freire,15 “a educação é comunicação, é diálogo, na medida em que não é a transferência de saber, mas um encontro de sujei- tos interlocutores que buscam a significação dos significados”. Portanto, quanto maior a participação do receptor no processo de educação, mais efetivo este é. As questões levantadas por ouvintes durante o programa de rádio demonstraram que eles se apropriaram do tema abordado e o transferiram para suas próprias realidades. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO Os questionamentos foram: se o exame é recomendado para mulheres que realizaram histerectomia; se quem ainda não teve relação sexual pode realizá-lo; e o que fazer se não for possível realizar o exame nos dias da semana determinados pela UBS. Além de as dúvidas terem sido es- clarecidas durante o programa de rádio, elas também foram abordadas pelos acadêmicos durante as conversas nas salas de espera. Isso demonstra que o conteúdo tratado nas atividades estava de acordo com a necessidade da comunidade. A priori, os clientes que estão na sala de espera não cons- tituem um grupo propriamente dito, mas um agrupamento. Geralmente as pessoas que se encontram nesse espaço não se conhecem nem mantêm um vínculo estável,17 entretanto, como expressam Rodrigues et al.,18 a sala de espera permite o “reconhecimento da realidade sociocultural, bem como cren- ças e a expressão dos sentimentos dos participantes”. Para isso, quanto mais confortáveis as usuárias estiverem para ex- por suas ideias e anseios, mais fáceis serão as trocas entre as participantes da conversa. Foi observado que a interação das usuárias com a atividade esteve relacionada ao entrosamento delas entre si, o que justifica a diferença de reação entre a pri- meira e a segunda UBS. Na terceira, as usuárias também não estavam interagindo antes da atividade, mas o fato de haver poucas pessoas no grupo possivelmente permitiu que elas se sentissem mais à vontade para expor opiniões e dúvidas sobre o tema. Abrir espaços de produção de diálogo, reflexão e pro- blematização junto à comunidade possibilita a construção de uma relação de corresponsabilidade, favorecendo formas mais humanas e efetivas do processo de trabalho em saúde.16 Com esse intuito, a atividade de sala de espera tem-se mostra- do interessante meio de estreitamento da relação entre serviço de saúde e usuários e, por isso, foi utilizada como estratégia nessa vivência. A etapa das perguntas previamente elaboradas estimulou a reflexão e a discussão sobre o assunto. Durante a atividade, outras questões foram discutidas pelo grupo, seja por dúvidas e comentários expostos pelas usuárias, seja por novos questio- namentos trazidos pelos acadêmicos. A pergunta sobre o conceito de câncer foi a que mais gerou dúvidas ou respostas gerais, como: “é uma doença que mata”. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1 Supl. 1) : 149 – 154 ; 2012 152 RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO Aparentemente, esse assunto é transmitido para a população como algo assustador, uma doença cruel que deve ser evitada por intermédio da realização do exame, porém, geralmente, outras informações relevantes não costumam ser comunica- das. Apesar de, aparentemente, ser a maneira mais eficaz de As rodas de conversas realizadas nas UBSs foram condu- zidas por uma dupla fixa de acadêmicos, seguindo um roteiro pré-estruturado. Contudo, verificou-se que cada grupo reagiu de forma diferente a essa dinâmica. Tal fato era esperado uma vez que a sala de espera é um local onde as pluralidades emer- gem por meio do processo interativo.17 REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1 Supl. 1) : 149 – 154 ; 2012 152 Educação para Prevenir CA Colo Uterino Bruna Côrtes Rodrigues et al. e a prevenção de doenças. Além disso, mostrou ser uma ótima oportunidade no sentido de estreitar a relação entre ensino, serviço e comunidade, a partir da qual todos saem beneficia- dos. Durante as conversas, foi possível aferir que a carência de informação da população foi abrangida e foi permitido um processo de trocas de experiências entre pessoas distintas e intercâmbios de saberes. Aos acadêmicos foi permitido de- senvolver a capacidade reflexiva diante dos diversos cenários encontrados e expandir seus conhecimentos acerca do tema prevenção do câncer cérvico-uterino. Além disso, possibilitou- -se a interação interdisciplinar entre acadêmicos de Medicina e Enfermagem. Se as atividades repercutirão em maior adesão das usuárias à prevenção do câncer do colo do útero, ainda é cedo para afirmar. No entanto, os autores do presente trabalho acreditam que a educação em saúde é um ponto fundamental na edificação de um sistema de saúde mais eficaz e, portanto, mais experiências devem ser relatadas a fim de que se expan- da tal prática. conseguir a adesão das usuárias de saúde, essa prática parece ser pouco efetiva, pois várias usuárias demonstraram o medo de desenvolver o câncer, mas, contraditoriamente, não reali- zam o exame colpocitológico com justificativas diversas, tais como: “não sinto nada”, “só tive um homem”, “eu esqueço”, “dá muita vergonha fazer esse exame”, entre outras. A interpretação equivocada de que a usuária é desprovida de autocuidado por enumerar tais justificativas não deve ser prática na rotina da assistência. Deve-se ter em mente que o cuidado que a paciente tem consigo mesma adentra a esfera relacional, ou seja, compreende a relação estabelecida entre ela, o serviço e os profissionais da saúde. REFERÊNCIAS 1. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Instituto Nacional de Câncer. Estimativa 2010: incidência de câncer no Brasil. Rio de Ja- neiro: INCA; 2009. 1. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Instituto Nacional de Câncer. Estimativa 2010: incidência de câncer no Brasil. Rio de Ja- neiro: INCA; 2009. 2. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Atenção à Saúde. Departamento de Atenção Básica. Controle dos cânceres do colo do útero e da mama. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde; 2006. 3. Brenna SMF. Conhecimento, atitude e prática do exame de Papanicolau em mulheres com câncer de colo uteri- no. Caderno de Saúde Pública. Jul-ago de 2001; 17(4):909- 914. 4. Pinho VFS, Coutinho ESF. Variáveis associadas ao câncer de mama em usuárias de unidades básicas de saúde. Ca- derno de Saúde Pública. 2007; 23(5):1061-1069. 5. Martins LFL, Thuler LCS, Valente JG. Cobertura do exa- me de Papanicolau no Brasil e seus fatores determinantes: uma revisão sistemática da literatura. Rev. bras. ginecol. obstet. Ago de 2005; 27(8):485-492. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO Tal relação engloba acesso, acolhimento, vínculo construído, compartilhamento de queixas e angústias e elaboração de condutas adequadas ao contexto.16 A visão do autocuidado por essa óptica é impor- tante no sentido de questionar a abordagem que está sendo oferecida às pacientes e de incentivar a corresponsabilização pela adesão a tratamentos e medidas preventivas. Apoio: Projeto financiado pelo Fundo Nacional de Saúde. Especificamente relacionada ao tema desenvolvido neste trabalho está a importância de os profissionais se esforçarem em dissociar a visão funesta do câncer e despertar ânimo ao lidar com um paciente que tenha recebido tal diagnóstico. Quando informadas de como o câncer surge, os fatores de ris- co associados, por que o exame previne e por que é realizado daquela maneira, há uma emancipação das usuárias, que por meio do conhecimento deixam de ter uma atuação passiva e passam a ser sujeitos na promoção de sua própria saúde.9 Por- tanto, o empoderamento da usuária dentro do seu processo de autocuidado perpassa o conhecimento. Nesse contexto, é necessária a construção de espaços de diálogo com a comu- nidade.16 Tendo em vista essa proposta, as rodas de conversa em sala de espera mostraram-se uma ferramenta útil para a discussão sobre o câncer de colo uterino e sua prevenção, ca- racterizando-se como uma oportunidade de troca de saberes e aprendizagem. CONTRIBUIÇÃO DOS AUTORES CONTRIBUIÇÃO DOS AUTORES 9. Candeias NMF. Conceitos de educação e de promoção em saúde: mudanças individuais e mudanças organizacionais. Rev. Saúde Pública [Internet]. 1997; 31(2):209-213. Disponí- vel em: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rsp/v31n2/2249.pdf. Todos os autores auxiliaram na concepção e planejamento do projeto e desenho do estudo, análise e interpretação dos da- dos e revisão crítica do artigo. Bruna C. Rodrigues também auxiliou na redação resumo, introdução, metodologia e resul- tados/discussão. Ana Catarine M de Oliveira Carneiro e Ana Cláudia N. Solá, auxiliaram na obtenção de dados, na redação resumo, introdução, metodologia e resultados/discussão e considerações finais. Tábata L. da Silva auxiliou na redação da introdução, resultados/discussão e metodologia. Natália de Melo Manzi auxiliou na, obtenção de dados, na redação da metodologia e resultados/discussão. Noel P. Schechtman auxiliou na redação do abstract e resultados/discussão. Hugo Leonardo G. de Oliveira Magalhães auxiliou na obtenção dos dados, redação do abstract e resultados/discussão. Jane L. G. Dytz auxiliou na concepção e desenho do estudo e ajuda na redação da metodologia. 10. Moraes MLC, Costa PB, Aquino OS, Pinheiro AKB. Edu- cação em saúde com prostitutas de Fortaleza: relato de experiência. Rev. Eletr. Enf. [Internet]. 2008;10(4):1144-51. Disponível em: http://www.fen.ufg.br/revista/v10/n4/ v10n4a27.htm. 11. Veríssimo DS, Valle ERM. A experiência vivida por pessoas com tumor cerebral e por seus familiares. Psicol. Argum. Abr-jun de 2006; 24(45):45-57. 12. Torres HC, Candido NA, Alexandre LR, Pereira FL. O pro- cesso de elaboração de cartilhas para orientação do auto- cuidado no programa educativo em Diabetes. Rev. bras. enferm. Mar-abr de 2009; 62(2):312-316. 13. Nascimenro JA, Dias CV, Rodrigues HC, Passos MRS, Faustino RV. Educação popular na prática do PSF: expe- riência em rádio comunitária. Rev. Sobralense de Políticas Públicas. 1999; 1(1):32-37. CONSIDERAÇÕES FINAIS A partir dessa vivência, compreendeu-se a experiência como algo de grande valia, apesar de não ter sido possível a men- suração de quanto a população assimilou e quanto a informa- ção foi disseminada. A utilização da mídia impressa e verbal visou a atingir o maior número de usuárias, porém o alcance de tal estratégia é de difícil delimitação. Em contrapartida, as conversas na sala de espera, considerando-se o número de pessoas abordadas, foi o de menor impacto quantitativo, mas foi a estratégia que permitiu a maior interação entre os aca- dêmicos e as usuárias. Tal atividade demonstrou ser uma boa alternativa para promover o processo de educação em saúde 6. Pinho AA. Cobertura e motivos para a realização ou não do teste de Papanicolau no Município de São Paulo. Cad. Saúde Pública. 2003; 19(2):303-313. 7. Campos JADB, Zuanon ACC, Guimarães MS. Educação em saúde na adolescência. Ciên. odontol. bras. Out-dez de 2003; 6(4):48-53. 8. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Atenção à Saúde. Departamento de Atenção Especializada. Manual de Edu- cação em Saúde. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde; 2008. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1 Supl. 1) : 149 – 154 ; 2012 153 Bruna Côrtes Rodrigues et al. Educação para Prevenir CA Colo Uterino REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1 Supl. 1) : 149 – 154 ; 2012 154 CONFLITO DE INTERESSES Declarou não haver. Declarou não haver. 14. Oliveira KF. O potencial educativo do rádio e da comuni- cação popular. Cad. Cult. Ciênc. 2008; 2(1):22-35. ENDEREÇO PARA CORRESPONDÊNCIA ENDEREÇO PARA CORRESPONDÊNCIA Bruna Côrtes Rodrigues SGAS 606, conj A, apto 15 Asa Sul – Brasília CEP. 70200-660 DF E-mail: brunacr.med@gmail.com ENDEREÇO PARA CORRESPONDÊNCI Bruna Côrtes Rodrigues SGAS 606, conj A, apto 15 Asa Sul – Brasília CEP. 70200-660 DF E-mail: brunacr.med@gmail.com 15. Freire P. Pedagogia da Esperança. 8ª ed. Rio de Janeiro: Paz e Terra; 2001. 16. Camargo-Borges C, Japur M. Sobre a (não) adesão ao trata- mento: ampliando sentidos do autocuidado. Texto e Con- texto Enferm. Jan-Mar de 2008; 17(1):64-71. 17. Teixeira ER, Veloso RC. O grupo em sala de espera: territó- rio de práticas e representações em saúde. Texto e Contex- to Enferm. Abr-Jun de 2006; 15(2):320-325. 18. Rodrigues AD, Dallanora CR, Rosa J. Sala de espera: um ambiente para efetivar a educação em saúde. Vivências. Mai de 2009; 5(7):101-106. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCAÇÃO MÉDICA 36 (1 Supl. 1) : 149 – 154 ; 2012 154
https://openalex.org/W3054014712
https://actaneurocomms.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s40478-020-01023-3
English
null
BRAF V600E mutation mediates FDG-methionine uptake mismatch in polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young
Acta neuropathologica communications
2,020
cc-by
5,513
© The Author(s). 2020 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creat​iveco​mmons​.org/licen​ses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creat​iveco​ mmons​.org/publi​cdoma​in/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-020-01023-3 Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-020-01023-3 Open Access BRAF V600E mutation mediates FDG‑methionine uptake mismatch in polymorphous low‑grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young Kensuke Tateishi1*  , Naoki Ikegaya1, Naoko Udaka2, Jo Sasame1, Takahiro Hayashi1, Yohei Miyake1, Tetsuhiko Okabe3, Ryogo Minamimoto4, Hidetoshi Murata1, Daisuke Utsunomiya3, Shoji Yamanaka2 and Tetsuya Yamamoto1 Abstract We present a case of a 14-year old boy with tumor-associated refractory epilepsy. Positron emission tomography imaging demonstrated a region with heterogeneous high 11C-methionine uptake and a region with homogenous low 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake within the tumor. Histopathological and genomic analyses confirmed the tumor as BRAF V600E-mutated polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young (PLNTY). Within the high- methionine-uptake region, we observed increased protein levels of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), a major transporter of methionine; c-Myc; and constituents of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. We also found that LAT1 expression was linked to the BRAF V600E mutation and subsequent activation of MAPK signaling and c-Myc. Pharmacological and genetic inhibition of the MAPK pathway suppressed c-Myc and LAT1 expression in BRAF V600E-mutated PLNTY and glioblastoma cells. The BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib moderately suppressed cell viability in PLNTY. Collectively, our results indicate that BRAF V600E mutation-activated MAPK signaling and downstream c-Myc induces specific metabolic alterations in PLNTY, and may represent an attractive target in the treatment of the disease. Keywords:  PLNTY, BRAF V600E mutation, Methionine PET, LAT1 are commonly driven by genomic alterations in the Ras/ mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, such as mutations in BRAF and NF-1 [23, 29]. Recent large-scale genomic studies and genome-wide meth- ylation analyses allowed a thorough characterization of P-LGNTs [24], and cIMPACT-NOW (the Consortium to Inform Molecular and Practical Approaches to CNS Tumor Taxonomy) currently classifies P–LGNTs as dis- tinct disease entities [4, 17]. In 2017, Huse et al. described ten cases of polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young (PLNTY), which were histologically characterized by oligodendroglioma-like cellular compo- nents with intense CD34 immunopositivity. According to previous publications, PLNTYs are indolent tumors Introduction Pediatric low-grade neuroepithelial tumors (P-LGNTs) encompass a group of central nervous system neoplasms that includes long-term epilepsy-associated tumors (LEATs), such as ganglioglioma and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT). P-LGNTs have differ- ent characteristics than their adult counterparts, and *Correspondence: ktate12@yokohama‑cu.ac.jp 1 Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, 3‑9 Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama 2360004, Japan Full list of author information is available at the end of the article *Correspondence: ktate12@yokohama‑cu.ac.jp 1 Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, 3‑9 Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama 2360004, Japan Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Western blotting ll l d Cells were lysed in RIPA buffer (Sigma-Aldrich) with a cOmplete™, Mini, EDTA-free Protease Inhibitor Cocktail (Roche). Fifty micrograms of protein was separated by 10% SDS-PAGE gel and transferred to polyvinylidene dif- luoride membranes (Millipore) by electroblotting. After blocking with 1% or 5% nonfat dry milk in TBST (25 mM Tris [pH, 7.4], 137  mM NaCl, 0.5% Tween20), mem- branes were incubated at 4  °C overnight with primary antibodies. After washing and incubation with horserad- ish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies (Cell Signaling Technology), blots were washed, and signals were visualized with chemiluminescent HRP substrate (Millipore). Primary antibodies against BRAF (Gene Tex), c-Myc (Cell Signaling Technology), GAPDH (Gene Tex), LAT1 (Cell Signaling Technology), phospho-MEK (Cell Signaling Technology), phospho-ERK (Bethyl Labo- ratories), and Vinculin (Novus Biologicals) were used for western blotting. Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 Page 2 of 8 that generally exhibit a benign clinical course and har- bor either a BRAF V600E mutation or FGFR2/FGFR3 fusion [9]. Based on its histological and genomic profiles, cIMPACT-NOW Update 6 recommends PLNTY as a possible future classification for pediatric-type glial/gli- oneuronal tumors. However, because of their rare etiol- ogy, only a few PLNTYs have been described to date [3, 5, 9, 10, 16, 21, 27, 28], and it is unclear how genomic alter- ations promote the pathogenesis of the disease. Herein, we present a case of PLNTY with unique metabolic imag- ing features. Using positron emission tomography (PET), we found regions of heterogeneous high 11C-methionine uptake and homogenous low 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake within the tumor. Activation of the MAPK pathway, c-Myc, and expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) were increased in the high-methio- nine-uptake area compared with the surrounding cortex (low-methionine-uptake). Glycolytic metabolites were expressed only weakly in tumor cells. Pharmacological and genetic inhibition of the MAPK pathway suppressed c-Myc and LAT1 and inhibited tumor cell viability, sug- gesting that MAPK signaling and downstream c-Myc activates methionine metabolism and inhibition of this pathway induces therapeutic vulnerability in PLNTY. non-silencing lentiviral shRNA Control (RHS4348, Hori- zon Discovery) was used as a non-silencing (NS) control. Materials and methods Cell viability analysis y y AM-38 and normal human astrocytes was purchased from JCRB Cell Bank and ScienCell Research Labora- tories, respectively. Tumorsphere lines were cultured in serum-free neural stem cell medium, as previously described [31]. Normal human astrocytes were cultured with astrocyte medium (ScienCell). To assess cell viabil- ity, primary cultured cells were dissociated into single cells and seeded into 96-well plates at a density of 3000 cells/well. After 12 h, dabrafenib (Selleck) and trametinib (Selleck) were serially diluted and added to the wells. Cell viability was measured using the CellTiter-Glo (Promega) assay at day 3, and the results were indicated as % viabil- ity of the DMSO control. Immunohistochemistry Tumor tissue specimens were fixed in 10% neutral buff- ered formalin and embedded in paraffin. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed using standard pro- cedures. For immunohistochemical analysis, 5-µm-thick sections were deparaffinized, treated with 0.5% ­H2O2 in methanol, rehydrated, and heated for 20 min for antigen retrieval. After blocking with serum, tissue sections were incubated with primary antibodies against CD34 (Novus Biologicals), LAT1 (Cell Signaling Technology), phospho- MEK (Cell Signaling Technology), phospho-ERK (Bethyl Laboratories), and c-Myc (Cell Signaling Technology) at 4 °C overnight. The next day, sections were washed with PBS, incubated with biotinylated secondary antibody for 30  min at room temperature, and then incubated with ABC solution (PK-6101, PK-6102; Vector laboratories) for 30  min at room temperature. Finally, the sections were incubated with DAB (Dako) and counter-stained with hematoxylin. Case presentationh To knockdown BRAF, 293T cells were transfected with lentiviral vector packaging plasmid DNA containing 6  μg of Human BRAF shRNA (#1, TRCN0000381693; #2, TRCN0000196844; Sigma Aldrich), 3.5 μg of pHIV- GP, and 3.5 μg of pVSVg-Rev with Lipofectamine™ 3000 (Thermo Fisher Scientific). YMG62 and AM-38 cells were infected with lentivirus in polybrene (8 μg/mL) for 12 h. Two days later, the cells were selected with puromycin (0.6 μg/mL) for 2 days, and used for experiments. GIPZ This study was performed in accordance with decla- ration of Helsinki and was approved by the Institu- tional Review Board (Yokohama City University [YCU, Yokohama, Japan], IRB numbers: A1711300006 and B190600002). Written informed consent was obtained from the patient and parents. A 14-year old boy pre- sented with chronic medial temporal lobe epilepsy for a year. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated Page 3 of 8 Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 Fig. 1  Characteristics of a patient with PLNTY. a T2-weighted (left), T1-weighted (middle), and contrast-enhanced (right) MR images. b Computed tomography (CT, left), 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/CT (middle), and 11C-methionine-PET/CT (right) images. c Video electroencephalography indicating ictal onset in the left temporal lobe, with spread to the contralateral temporal lobe. d PET/CT and MRI merged intraoperative navigation image (left) and surgical image (right) showing the high-methionine-uptake region (#1) and surrounding abnormal lesion (#2) on MRI (See figure on next page.) Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 Page 3 of 8 Fig. 1  Characteristics of a patient with PLNTY. a T2-weighted (left), T1-weighted (middle), and contrast-enhanced (right) MR images. b Computed tomography (CT, left), 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/CT (middle), and 11C-methionine-PET/CT (right) images. c Video electroencephalography indicating ictal onset in the left temporal lobe, with spread to the contralateral temporal lobe. d PET/CT and MRI merged intraoperative navigation image (left) and surgical image (right) showing the high-methionine-uptake region (#1) and surrounding abnormal lesion (#2) on MRI (See figure on next page.) Fig. 1  Characteristics of a patient with PLNTY. a T2-weighted (left), T1-weighted (middle), and contrast-enhanced (right) MR images. b Computed tomography (CT, left), 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/CT (middle), and 11C-methionine-PET/CT (right) images. c Video electroencephalography indicating ictal onset in the left temporal lobe, with spread to the contralateral temporal lobe. Case presentationh d PET/CT and MRI merged intraoperative navigation image (left) and surgical image (right) showing the high-methionine-uptake region (#1) and surrounding abnormal lesion (#2) on MRI (See figure on next page.) hypointensity on T2-weighted images and hyperinten- sity on T1-weighted images, with a cystic component in the left temporal lobe. Contrast-enhanced MRI showed no significant enhancement in the lesion (Fig. 1a) while computed tomography revealed heavy calcification. FDG-PET showed lower FDG uptake in the tumor, while 11C-methionine-PET demonstrated increased methio- nine uptake in the same lesion (SUVmax = 3.9, tumor/ normal tissue ratio = 2.9; Fig. 1b). Video-electroenceph- alographic (EEG) monitoring indicated ictal onset in the left temporal lobe with subsequent spread to the con- tralateral temporal lobe (Fig. 1c). We speculated that this abnormal lesion was a LEAT. Since we considered this tumor to be completely resectable, the patient underwent craniotomy and resection of the neoplasm, including the high-methionine-uptake region (Fig. 1d). To achieve epi- leptic control, electrocorticography was performed intra- operatively. After removal of the high-methionine-uptake and T2 hyperintense lesions, the surrounding tissue was resected until interictal epileptiform discharge could no longer be detected by electrocorticography. The patient became epilepsy-free after lesion removal, and MRI indi- cated complete remission 16 months after the surgery. transporter, was more highly expressed in #1 than in #2 (Fig. 3a). In contrast, GLUT-1 and HK-2, which is cor- related with FDG uptake, and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) expression were weak in either region (Addi- tional file  1: Fig. S1). LAT1 expression is mediated by c-Myc activation and BRAF V600E mutation activates the MAPK pathway and downstream c-Myc [8, 32, 33]. Therefore, we hypothesized that BRAF V600E mutation promotes LAT1 expression through MAPK signaling and consequent c-Myc activation  in PLNTY. Levels of phospho-MEK, phospho-ERK, and c-Myc were higher in tissue region #1 than in #2 (Fig. 3a), suggesting activa- tion of the MAPK pathway and c-Myc within the high- methionine-uptake lesion. To verify whether the BRAF V600E mutation can induce the expression of LAT1, we exposed primary cultured YMG83 PLNTY cells to a BRAF inhibitor (dabrafenib). As expected, the expression of phospho-MEK, phospho-ERK, c-Myc, and LAT1 was suppressed after dabrafenib treatment in YMG83 cells (Fig. 3b). Notably, BRAF inhibitor (dabrafenib)-treated YMG83 cells had lower cell viability compared to normal human astrocytes (Fig. 3c). Case presentationh To confirm the reproducibil- ity of these molecular features, we used patient-derived YMG62 cells (epithelioid glioblastoma with the BRAF V600E mutation), which exhibited high 11C-methionine uptake by PET imaging (Additional file  1: Fig. S2), and AM-38 glioblastoma cells (BRAF V600E mutant). We found that dabrafenib and a MEK inhibitor (trametinib) inhibited the expression of proteins in the MAPK path- way as well as c-Myc and LAT1 (Fig. 3d and 3e). Similarly, BRAF knockdown suppressed the expression of pro- teins in the MAPK pathway as well as c-Myc and LAT1 (Fig. 3f). Collectively, these findings indicated that acti- vation of the MAPK pathway by the BRAF V600E muta- tion deregulates c-Myc and promotes LAT1 expression. This oncogenic signaling pathway increases methionine metabolism and tumor maintenance in PLNTY. Tissue samples of the high-methionine-uptake region (#1) and surrounding cortex (low methionine uptake, #2) were collected. Hematoxylin and eosin staining indicated diffusely infiltrating growth patterns and presence of oligodendroglia-like cellular components (Fig. 2a). Astro- cytic and high-grade features were absent, with a Ki-67 index of less than 2%. Chicken wire-like branching capil- laries and microcalcification were also found in region #1. Despite lower cellularity, oligodendroglia-like cells were present in the surrounding tissue. Immunohistochemis- try revealed extensive CD34 expression and peripherally associated ramified neural elements in the tumor cells (Fig. 2a). Targeted DNA sequencing identified a BRAF V600E mutation in the tumor, without recurrent muta- tions in IDH1, IDH2, TERT promoter, FGFR1, H3F3A, or HIST3H1B (Fig. 2b). Chromosome 1p/19q co-deletion was absent (Fig. 2c). The above histological and genetic features fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for PLNTY. Discussionh Thirty cases of PLNTY have been described to date, with the first ten reported by Huse et al. in 2017 [3, 5, 9, 10, 16, 21, 27, 28]; BRAF V600E mutation was seen in 14 of the patients and BRAF fusion in 1 patient. These BRAF alterations were mutually exclusive with other genomic events, including FGFR3-TACC3 fusion, FGFR3 ampli- fication, FGFR2-CTNNA3 fusion, FGFR2-INA fusion, i To assess the mechanisms underlying the methionine- FDG uptake mismatch indicated by PET, we compared the expression of LAT1, glucose transporter 1 (GLUT- 1), and hexokinase-2 (HK-2) between tissue regions #1 and #2. Notably, LAT1, which is a major methionine Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 Page 4 of 8 Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 Page 5 of 8 Fig. 2  Histopathologic and genomic features of a patient with PLNTY. a Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining (top) and CD34 immunohistochemistry (bottom) in the high-methionine-uptake (#1) and low-methionine-uptake (#2) region within tumor tissue. Bars, 50 μm. b Sanger sequencing for detection of BRAF V600E (arrow, left) and IDH1 R132H (arrow, right) mutations. c Fluorescence in situ hybridization for detection of 1p31/1q25 (left) and 19q13/19p13 (right) chromosomal deletions Fig. 2  Histopathologic and genomic features of a patient with PLNTY. a Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining (top) and CD34 immunohistochemistry (bottom) in the high-methionine-uptake (#1) and low-methionine-uptake (#2) region within tumor tissue. Bars, 50 μm. b Sanger sequencing for detection of BRAF V600E (arrow, left) and IDH1 R132H (arrow, right) mutations. c Fluorescence in situ hybridization for detection of 1p31/1q25 (left) and 19q13/19p13 (right) chromosomal deletions Fig. 2  Histopathologic and genomic features of a patient with PLNTY. a Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining (top) and CD34 immunohistochemistry (bottom) in the high-methionine-uptake (#1) and low-methionine-uptake (#2) region within tumor tissue. Bars, 50 μm. b Sanger sequencing for detection of BRAF V600E (arrow, left) and IDH1 R132H (arrow, right) mutations. c Fluorescence in situ hybridization for detection of 1p31/1q25 (left) and 19q13/19p13 (right) chromosomal deletions Fig. 2  Histopathologic and genomic features of a patient with PLNTY. a Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining (top) and CD34 immunohistochemistry (bottom) in the high-methionine-uptake (#1) and low-methionine-uptake (#2) region within tumor tissue. Bars, 50 μm. b Sanger sequencing for detection of BRAF V600E (arrow, left) and IDH1 R132H (arrow, right) mutations. Discussionh c Fluorescence in situ hybridization for detection of 1p31/1q25 (left) and 19q13/19p13 (right) chromosomal deletions FGFR2- KIAA1598 fusion, FGFR2 rearrangement, and NTRK2 disruption, suggesting that the vast majority of PLNTYs are induced by BRAF mutation or FGFR fusion and subsequent MAPK activation. Therefore, target- ing MAPK signaling may become a potential therapeu- tic strategy in PLNTY. Indeed, BRAF V600E-mutated PLNTY cells were relatively vulnerable to dabrafenib and trametinib in the present study. Thus, targeted molecular therapy for the MAPK pathway may be particularly use- ful in PLNTY located in surgically unresectable regions. In addition, Koh et  al. reported that the BRAF V600E mutation contributes to the intrinsic epileptogenicity in pediatric brain tumors, and that inhibition of BRAF suppressed epileptic seizures [14]. Thus, BRAF/MEK inhibitors could exert anti-epileptic as well as anti-tumor effects in PLNTY. f PET imaging revealed a region with increased methionine uptake and low FDG uptake within tumor tissue in our patient. Consistent with this finding, pre- vious case reports demonstrated increased methio- nine uptake but only mild FDG uptake in patients with BRAF V600E-mutated PLNTY [5, 16]. Thus, excessive Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 Page 6 of 8 Fig. 3  Activating the MAPK pathway induces LAT1 expression in a patient with PLNTY. a Immunohistochemistry of indicated proteins in the high-methionine-uptake (#1) and low-methionine-uptake (#2) regions within tumor tissue. Bars, 50 μm. b Western blot analysis of phospho-MEK, phospho-ERK, c-Myc, and LAT1 proteins in YMG83 (PLNTY, left) cells treated with DMSO and 10 μM BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi, dabrafenib) for 12 h. GAPDH, loading control. c Relative cell viability of dabrafenib-treated (left) and trametinib-treated (right) YMG83 cells and immortalized normal human astrocytes (NHA). *P < 0.05, DMSO versus dabrafenib (left) and trametinib (right). d Western blot analysis for indicated proteins in YMG62 (epithelioid glioblastoma, left) and AM-38 (glioblastoma, right) cells treated with DMSO, 10 μM BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi, dabrafenib), and 10 μM MEK inhibitor (MEKi, trametinib) for 24 h. GAPDH, loading control. e Western blot analysis of BRAF, phospho-MEK, phospho-ERK, c-Myc, and LAT1 proteins in YMG62 (left) and AM-38 (right) cells treated with DMSO and dabrafenib at indicated concentrations. Vinculin, loading control. f Western blot analysis for indicated proteins in non-silencing- (NS) and BRAF- (#1 and #2) transduced YMG62 and AM38 cells. GAPDH, loading control Fig. 3  Activating the MAPK pathway induces LAT1 expression in a patient with PLNTY. Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https​://doi. org/10.1186/s4047​8-020-01023​-3. Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https​://doi. org/10.1186/s4047​8-020-01023​-3. Previous studies have reported that methionine uptake was correlated with LAT1 in gliomas [13, 18]. LAT1 plays a major role in the transport of neutral essential amino acids, including methionine, and is driven by several cancer-related genes such as MYC [25]. It has been demonstrated that c-Myc, which is partly mediated by the MAPK pathway, regulates LAT1 expression and MEK inhibitor suppresses LAT1 (SLC7A5) transcription [6, 8], thereby indicating a role of the MAPK pathway and c-Myc in the regulation of LAT1. Since RAS/MAPK pathway-associated genomic alterations are common in LEATs [24] and that the BRAF V600E mutation has been identified in 20–60% and 30% of gangliogliomas and DNTs, respectively [2, 26], there is a possibility that the BRAF V600E mutation and MAPK pathway-related genomic alterations may activate methionine metabolism in LEATs. To investi- gate this hypothesis, we evaluated the protein expres- sion of LAT1 and the molecules that are involved in the MAPK pathway. As expected, levels of phospho-MEK, phospho-ERK, c-Myc, and LAT1 were higher in the high-methionine-uptake area than in the low-methio- nine-uptake area. We also found that genetic and/or pharmacological BRAF inhibition suppressed MAPK pathway activation and attenuated LAT1 expression in BRAF V600E-mutated-PLNTY cells and -glioblastoma cell lines. These findings support the hypothesis that the BRAF V600E mutation may upregulate LAT1 and methionine metabolism through c-Myc activation for cell survival. In addition to LAT1, methionine uptake was correlated with microvascular density (MVD) in gliomas [15]. PLNTYs are considered benign brain neo- plasms (proposed as WHO grade I); however, in the present case, a chicken wire-like MVD, which is one of the histopathological characteristics of oligoden- droglioma, was also observed in the high-methionine- uptake tissue region. Intriguingly, methionine uptake has been reported to be relatively higher in oligoden- drogliomas than in astrocytomas [11]. Thus, PLNTY, which has an oligodendroglioma-like microvascular structure, might show unique metabolic imaging fea- tures. Further studies are warranted to validate this hypothesis. Nonetheless, our data indicated that the BRAF V600E mutation induced MAPK pathway activa- tion and downstream c-Myc promoted LAT1 expres- sion and methionine metabolism with little effect on glycolytic pathway activation. These findings may Additional file 1: Figure S1. Low glycolysis activation in a patient with PLNTY. Immunohistochemistry for glucose transporter 1, hexokinase 2, and lactate dehydrogenase A in the high-methionine-uptake (#1, upper) and low-methionine-uptake (#2, lower) region within tumor tissue. A. explain the unique metabolic imaging features of FDG- methionine mismatch in PLNTY. high-grade adult gliomas than in lower-grade gliomas [7, 30]. In epileptogenic brain tumors, however, all gan- gliogliomas and 37–57% of DNT had increased methio- nine uptake, although these tumors are classified as WHO grade I [20, 22], implying that methionine uptake may be irrespective of tumor grade in LEATs. Authors’ contributions KT led the study, collected samples, designed experiments, performed experi- ments, interpreted data, and wrote the manuscript. JS, TH, and YM performed experiments. NI, HM provided tumor samples and associated clinical details. TO, RM, and DU interrupted PET and MRI studies. NU, and SY performed the histological classification of tumor samples. TY designed experiments and interpreted data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Received: 26 June 2020 Accepted: 12 August 2020 Received: 26 June 2020 Accepted: 12 August 2020 Received: 26 June 2020 Accepted: 12 August 2020 Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https​://doi. org/10.1186/s4047​8-020-01023​-3. Bars, 50 μm. Figure S2. Images of the patient’s glioblastoma with the BRAF V600E mutation. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (left) and 11C-methionine positron emission tomography (right) images of the YMG62 patient. Funding This work was supported by Grant-Aid for Scientific Research (19K09488), Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund, Takeda Science Foundation, SGH Cancer foundation, Yokohama Foundation for Advancement of Medical Sci- ence, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. Acknowledgements We thank Mrs. Emi Hirata and Yasuko Tanaka (YCU) for technical and adminis- trative assistance. We also would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Competing interests p g The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Author details 1 Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, 3‑9 Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama 2360004, Japan. 2 Department of Pathology, Yokohama City University Hospital, Yokohama, Japan. 3 Depart- ment of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan. 4 Departmento of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. Discussionh a Immunohistochemistry of indicated proteins in the high-methionine-uptake (#1) and low-methionine-uptake (#2) regions within tumor tissue. Bars, 50 μm. b Western blot analysis of phospho-MEK, phospho-ERK, c-Myc, and LAT1 proteins in YMG83 (PLNTY, left) cells treated with DMSO and 10 μM BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi, dabrafenib) for 12 h. GAPDH, loading control. c Relative cell viability of dabrafenib-treated (left) and trametinib-treated (right) YMG83 cells and immortalized normal human astrocytes (NHA). *P < 0.05, DMSO versus dabrafenib (left) and trametinib (right). d Western blot analysis for indicated proteins in YMG62 (epithelioid glioblastoma, left) and AM-38 (glioblastoma, right) cells treated with DMSO, 10 μM BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi, dabrafenib), and 10 μM MEK inhibitor (MEKi, trametinib) for 24 h. GAPDH, loading control. e Western blot analysis of BRAF, phospho-MEK, phospho-ERK, c-Myc, and LAT1 proteins in YMG62 (left) and AM-38 (right) cells treated with DMSO and dabrafenib at indicated concentrations. Vinculin, loading control. f Western blot analysis for indicated proteins in non-silencing- (NS) and BRAF- (#1 and #2) transduced YMG62 and AM38 cells. GAPDH, loading control methionine uptake and low FDG uptake may be imag- ing features specific to PLNTY. A preclinical study has demonstrated that high uptake of 18F-FDG was cor- related with increased Glut-1 and HK-2 expression in human cancers [19]. Although the diagnostic accuracy is insufficient, FDG-PET imaging is useful to differ- entiate high-grade from low-grade gliomas [1]. In the present case, low FDG uptake and weak expression of Glut-1, HK-2, and LDHA were observed in tumor tis- sue, suggesting low glycolytic activity in PLNTY. On the other hand, due to a high signal-to-noise ratio, 11C-methionine PET imaging is practical for brain tumors [12, 34]. Several PET imaging studies have demonstrated that methionine uptake was higher in Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 Page 7 of 8 explain the unique metabolic imaging features of FDG- methionine mismatch in PLNTY. explain the unique metabolic imaging features of FDG- methionine mismatch in PLNTY. References Kato T, Shinoda J, Oka N, Miwa K, Nakayama N, Yano H, Maruyama T, Mur- agaki Y, Iwama T (2008) Analysis of 11C-methionine uptake in low-grade gliomas and correlation with proliferative activity. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 29:1867–1871. https​://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.A1242​ 28. Surrey LF, Jain P, Zhang B, Straka J, Zhao X, Harding BN, Resnick AC, Storm PB, Buccoliero AM, Genitori L et al (2019) Genomic analysis of dysembryo- plastic neuroepithelial tumor spectrum reveals a diversity of molecular alterations dysregulating the MAPK and PI3K/mTOR pathways. J Neuro- pathol Exp Neurol 78:1100–1111. https​://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlz10​1 12. Katsanos AH, Alexiou GA, Fotopoulos AD, Jabbour P, Kyritsis AP, Sioka C (2019) Performance of 18F-FDG, 11C-methionine, and 18F-FET PET for glioma grading: a meta-analysis. Clin Nucl Med 44:864–869. https​://doi. org/10.1097/RLU.00000​00000​00265​4 29. Tateishi K, Nakamura T, Yamamoto T (2019) Molecular genetics and therapeutic targets of pediatric low-grade gliomas. Brain Tumor Pathol 36:74–83. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s1001​4-019-00340​-3 13. Kobayashi K, Ohnishi A, Promsuk J, Shimizu S, Kanai Y, Shiokawa Y, Nagane M (2008) Enhanced tumor growth elicited by L-type amino acid trans- porter 1 in human malignant glioma cells. Neurosurgery 62:493–503; discussion 503–494 https​://doi.org/10.1227/01.neu.00003​16018​.51292​.19 30. Tateishi K, Tateishi U, Nakanowatari S, Ohtake M, Minamimoto R, Suenaga J, Murata H, Kubota K, Inoue T, Kawahara N (2014) (62)Cu-diacetyl-bis (N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazone) PET in human gliomas: comparative study with [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose and L-methyl-[(11)C]methionine PET. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 35:278–284. https​://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr. A3679​ 14. Koh HY, Kim SH, Jang J, Kim H, Han S, Lim JS, Son G, Choi J, Park BO, Heo WD et al (2018) BRAF somatic mutation contributes to intrinsic epilep- togenicity in pediatric brain tumors. Nat Med 24:1662–1668. https​://doi. org/10.1038/s4159​1-018-0172-x 15. Kracht LW, Friese M, Herholz K, Schroeder R, Bauer B, Jacobs A, Heiss WD (2003) Methyl-[11C]- l-methionine uptake as measured by positron emission tomography correlates to microvessel density in patients with glioma. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 30:868–873. https​://doi.org/10.1007/ s0025​9-003-1148-7 31. Wakimoto H, Kesari S, Farrell CJ, Curry WT Jr, Zaupa C, Aghi M, Kuroda T, Stemmer-Rachamimov A, Shah K, Liu TC et al (2009) Human glioblas- toma-derived cancer stem cells: establishment of invasive glioma models and treatment with oncolytic herpes simplex virus vectors. Cancer Res 69:3472–3481. https​://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-08-3886 16. Lelotte J, Duprez T, Raftopoulos C, Michotte A (2020) Polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young: case report of a newly described histopathological entity. Acta Neurol Belg 120:729–732. https​ ://doi.org/10.1007/s1376​0-019-01241​-0 32. References Hafliger P, Graff J, Rubin M, Stooss A, Dettmer MS, Altmann KH, Gertsch J, Charles RP (2018) The LAT1 inhibitor JPH203 reduces growth of thyroid carcinoma in a fully immunocompetent mouse model. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 37:234. https​://doi.org/10.1186/s1304​6-018-0907-z 22. Rosenberg DS, Demarquay G, Jouvet A, Le Bars D, Streichenberger N, Sindou M, Kopp N, Mauguiere F, Ryvlin P (2005) [11C]-Methionine PET: dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours compared with other epilep- togenic brain neoplasms. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 76:1686–1692. https​://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.2004.05160​7 7. Hatakeyama T, Kawai N, Nishiyama Y, Yamamoto Y, Sasakawa Y, Ichikawa T, Tamiya T (2008) 11C-methionine (MET) and 18F-fluorothymidine (FLT) PET in patients with newly diagnosed glioma. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imag- ing 35:2009–2017. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s0025​9-008-0847-5 23. Ryall S, Tabori U, Hawkins C (2020) Pediatric low-grade glioma in the era of molecular diagnostics. Acta Neuropathol Commun 8:30. https​://doi. org/10.1186/s4047​8-020-00902​-z 8. Hayashi K, Jutabha P, Endou H, Anzai N (2012) c-Myc is crucial for the expression of LAT1 in MIA Paca-2 human pancreatic cancer cells. Oncol Rep 28:862–866. https​://doi.org/10.3892/or.2012.1878 24. Ryall S, Zapotocky M, Fukuoka K, Nobre L, Guerreiro Stucklin A, Bennett J, Siddaway R, Li C, Pajovic S, Arnoldo A et al (2020) Integrated molecular and clinical analysis of 1,000 pediatric low-grade gliomas. Cancer Cell 37(569–583):e565. https​://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell​.2020.03.011 9. Huse JT, Snuderl M, Jones DT, Brathwaite CD, Altman N, Lavi E, Saffery R, Sexton-Oates A, Blumcke I, Capper D et al (2017) Polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young (PLNTY): an epilepto- genic neoplasm with oligodendroglioma-like components, aberrant CD34 expression, and genetic alterations involving the MAP kinase pathway. Acta Neuropathol 133:417–429. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s0040​ 1-016-1639-9 25. Salisbury TB, Arthur S (2018) The regulation and function of the l-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) in cancer. Int J Mol Sci. https​://doi. org/10.3390/ijms1​90823​73 26. Schindler G, Capper D, Meyer J, Janzarik W, Omran H, Herold-Mende C, Schmieder K, Wesseling P, Mawrin C, Hasselblatt M et al (2011) Analysis of BRAF V600E mutation in 1,320 nervous system tumors reveals high muta- tion frequencies in pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, ganglioglioma and extra-cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma. Acta Neuropathol 121:397–405. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s0040​1-011-0802-6 10. Johnson DR, Giannini C, Jenkins RB, Kim DK, Kaufmann TJ (2019) Plenty of calcification: imaging characterization of polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young. Neuroradiology 61:1327–1332. https​ ://doi.org/10.1007/s0023​4-019-02269​-y 27. Sumdani H, Shahbuddin Z, Harper G, Hamilton L (2019) Case report of rarely described polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young and comparison with oligodendroglioma. World Neurosurg 127:47–51. https​://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2019.03.181 11. References Yue M, Jiang J, Gao P, Liu H, Qing G (2017) Oncogenic MYC activates a feedforward regulatory loop promoting essential amino acid metabolism and tumorigenesis. Cell Rep 21:3819–3832. https​://doi.org/10.1016/j.celre​ p.2017.12.002 17. Louis DN, Wesseling P, Aldape K, Brat DJ, Capper D, Cree IA, Eberhart C, Figarella-Branger D, Fouladi M, Fuller GNet al (2020) cIMPACT-NOW update 6: new entity and diagnostic principle recommendations of the cIMPACT-Utrecht meeting on future CNS tumor classification and grad- ing. Brain Pathol. https​://doi.org/10.1111/bpa.12832​ 33. Zhang W, Liu HT (2002) MAPK signal pathways in the regulation of cell proliferation in mammalian cells. Cell Res 12:9–18. https​://doi. org/10.1038/sj.cr.72901​05 34. Zhao C, Zhang Y, Wang J (2014) A meta-analysis on the diagnostic perfor- mance of (18)F-FDG and (11)C-methionine PET for differentiating brain tumors. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 35:1058–1065. https​://doi.org/10.3174/ ajnr.A3718​ g p g p 18. Okubo S, Zhen HN, Kawai N, Nishiyama Y, Haba R, Tamiya T (2010) Correla- tion of L-methyl-11C-methionine (MET) uptake with L-type amino acid transporter 1 in human gliomas. J Neurooncol 99:217–225. https​://doi. org/10.1007/s1106​0-010-0117-9 19. Ong LC, Jin Y, Song IC, Yu S, Zhang K, Chow PK (2008) 2-[18F]-2-deoxy- d-glucose (FDG) uptake in human tumor cells is related to the expression of GLUT-1 and hexokinase II. Acta Radiol 49:1145–1153. https​://doi. org/10.1080/02841​85080​24824​86 References 1. Borbely K, Nyary I, Toth M, Ericson K, Gulyas B (2006) Optimization of semi-quantification in metabolic PET studies with 18F-fluorodeoxyglu- cose and 11C-methionine in the determination of malignancy of gliomas. J Neurol Sci 246:85–94. https​://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2006.02.015 1. Borbely K, Nyary I, Toth M, Ericson K, Gulyas B (2006) Optimization of semi-quantification in metabolic PET studies with 18F-fluorodeoxyglu- cose and 11C-methionine in the determination of malignancy of gliomas. J Neurol Sci 246:85–94. https​://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2006.02.015 2. Chappe C, Padovani L, Scavarda D, Forest F, Nanni-Metellus I, Loundou A, Mercurio S, Fina F, Lena G, Colin C et al (2013) Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors share with pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas and gangliogliomas BRAF(V600E) mutation and expression. Brain Pathol 23:574–583. https​://doi.org/10.1111/bpa.12048​ 3. Chen Y, Tian T, Guo X, Zhang F, Fan M, Jin H, Liu D (2020) Polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young: case report and review focus on the radiological features and genetic alterations. BMC Neurol 20:123. https​://doi.org/10.1186/s1288​3-020-01679​-3 4. Ellison DW, Hawkins C, Jones DTW, Onar-Thomas A, Pfister SM, Reif- enberger G, Louis DN (2019) cIMPACT-NOW update 4: diffuse gliomas Page 8 of 8 Tateishi et al. acta neuropathol commun (2020) 8:139 characterized by MYB, MYBL1, or FGFR1 alterations or BRAF(V600E) mutation. Acta Neuropathol 137:683–687. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s0040​ 1-019-01987​-0 characterized by MYB, MYBL1, or FGFR1 alterations or BRAF(V600E) mutation. Acta Neuropathol 137:683–687. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s0040​ 1-019-01987​-0 characterized by MYB, MYBL1, or FGFR1 alterations or BRAF(V600E) mutation. Acta Neuropathol 137:683–687. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s0040​ 1-019-01987​-0 dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors and other epileptogenic brain neoplasms with [(1)(1)C]methionine PET. Neuro Oncol 16:1417–1426. https​://doi.org/10.1093/neuon​c/nou02​2 5. Gupta VR, Giller C, Kolhe R, Forseen SE, Sharma S (2019) Polymor- phous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young: a case report with genomic findings. World Neurosurg 132:347–355. https​://doi. org/10.1016/j.wneu.2019.08.221 5. Gupta VR, Giller C, Kolhe R, Forseen SE, Sharma S (2019) Polymor- phous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young: a case report with genomic findings. World Neurosurg 132:347–355. https​://doi. org/10.1016/j.wneu.2019.08.221 21. Riva G, Cima L, Villanova M, Ghimenton C, Sina S, Riccioni L, Munari G, Fas- san M, Giangaspero F, Eccher A (2018) Low-grade neuroepithelial tumor: unusual presentation in an adult without history of seizures. Neuropa- thology 38:557–560. https​://doi.org/10.1111/neup.12504​ y thology 38:557–560. https​://doi.org/10.1111/neup.12504​ 6. Hafliger P, Graff J, Rubin M, Stooss A, Dettmer MS, Altmann KH, Gertsch J, Charles RP (2018) The LAT1 inhibitor JPH203 reduces growth of thyroid carcinoma in a fully immunocompetent mouse model. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 37:234. https​://doi.org/10.1186/s1304​6-018-0907-z 6. Publisher’s Note S Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in pub- lished maps and institutional affiliations. g 20. Rheims S, Rubi S, Bouvard S, Bernard E, Streichenberger N, Guenot M, Le Bars D, Hammers A, Ryvlin P (2014) Accuracy of distinguishing between 20. Rheims S, Rubi S, Bouvard S, Bernard E, Streichenberger N, Guenot M, Le Bars D, Hammers A, Ryvlin P (2014) Accuracy of distinguishing between
https://openalex.org/W2275460689
https://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/economia/article/download/14673/15262, https://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/economia/article/download/14673/15262/
es
Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano
Economía/Economía
2,015
cc-by
13,525
Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, semestre julio-diciembre 2015, pp. 117-148 / ISSN 0254-4415 Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano* Cecilia Garavito** RESUMEN El objetivo de este artículo es analizar qué determina que los jóvenes que aún viven en la casa de sus padres se encuentren estudiando, trabajando, combinado ambas actividades, o fuera del sistema educativo y de la fuerza laboral. Nos interesa determinar qué mantiene a los jóvenes en el sistema educativo, aun si están trabajando, y si existen diferencias por género. Partimos de un modelo de negociación cooperativa eficiente entre los padres y el joven, y estimamos una regresión Logit Multinomial con datos del Perú Urbano para el año 2014. Encontramos que los jóvenes se mantendrán en el sistema educativo aun si están trabajando, mientras mayor sea su poder de negociación en el hogar, menor su costo de oportunidad, y más años de estudios tengan sus padres. Palabras clave: empleo juvenil, educación, mercado de trabajo Códigos JEL: D1, I24, J16, J22, D21 Education and Youth Employment in Urban Peru ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is to analyze which variables determine that young people who still live with their parents study, work, combine both activities or stay away from them. We are interested in what is it that keeps young people in the educative system, even if they are working, and if there are differences related to gender roles. We work with a model of efficient cooperative negotiation between parents and the son or daughter, and estimate a Multinomial Logit regression with data for urban Peru in the year 2014. We find that young people will stay in the educative system, even if they are working, when their negotiation power at home is high, when their opportunity cost is low, and when their parents have a higher level of education. Keywords: Youth employment, Education, Labor market. JEL Codes: D1, I24, J16, J22, D21 * Agradezco los comentarios de un árbitro anónimo sobre esta versión del artículo, y de colegas del Departamento de Economía de la PUCP sobre versiones anteriores. Como siempre, los errores que subsistan son de mi responsabilidad. ** Profesora principal del Departamento de Economía de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. 118 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 1. INTRODUCCIÓN Uno de los problemas más importantes que enfrentan los miembros jóvenes de una familia es la disyuntiva entre trabajo y educación. Si bien parte de este grupo demográfico es aún menor de edad y no se puede asumir que la decisión de continuar estudiando o no sea independiente de lo que desean sus progenitores, aquellos jóvenes mayores de 18 años de edad son adultos que ya toman algunas decisiones propias, aun si todavía forman parte del hogar de sus padres. La transición del estudio al trabajo, parte normal de su desarrollo se ve alterada en algunos casos y el joven abandona los estudios prematuramente para insertarse en la fuerza laboral, o bien permanece en el hogar sin participar en la actividad económica ni estudiar, todo lo cual determina un deterioro del capital humano adquirido previamente, y un perfil de ingresos bajos a lo largo de su vida laboral. En esta etapa de transición en la vida del joven es importante determinar qué factores lo retienen en el sistema educativo y cuáles lo llevan a retirarse de él. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar qué determina que los jóvenes adultos que aún viven con sus padres se encuentren estudiando, trabajando, combinado ambas actividades o no llevando a cabo ninguna. Trabajaremos el tema por medio de un modelo de negociación entre los miembros de la familia, lo cual nos permitirá tomar en cuenta las diferencias en el comportamiento laboral de los jóvenes por sexo. Nos parece importante estudiar a los jóvenes que aún viven en casa de sus padres dado que si bien contarían con facilidades para continuar invirtiendo en su capital humano, no siempre lo hacen debido tanto a variables individuales como su poder de negociación, su nivel de educación y su estado marital, como a variables relacionadas con la estructura del hogar, así como los ingresos y nivel de educación de sus padres. Al ser este un estudio de corte transversal no es posible incluir el efecto de la variación de la actividad económica sobre las decisiones de los jóvenes, análisis que podría hacerse con datos de panel. Los primeros modelos sobre el tema de la utilización del tiempo de la familia sobre la base de una negociación entre sus miembros (Manser y Brown, 1980; MacElroy y Horney, 1981, 1990; Browning y Chiappori, 1998; y Chen y Woolley, 2001) analizan la negociación entre esposos, sin incluir a los hijos, lo cual implica un cambio en la naturaleza de dicha negociación. Chiappori y Donni (2009) nos dan algunos alcances sobre lo que significa negociar entre más de dos miembros en el hogar, si bien no mencionan el efecto que una relación jerárquica entre padres e hijos tendría sobre esta negociación. Esto es especialmente importante en el caso de los jóvenes que aún viven en la casa de sus padres. Mientras la madre y el padre son adultos en una relación libremente acordada, las decisiones de los hijos también adultos no son del todo independientes de las decisiones de los padres mientras viven en el hogar común1. En este caso, tomamos en 1 Aun si se tratara de un hogar monoparental, las decisiones de los hijos no son independientes de las decisiones del único padre presente en el hogar. Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 119 cuenta las características de los padres como determinantes adicionales de las decisiones de los jóvenes en un modelo de negociación cooperativa eficiente. El análisis se hará a nivel nacional urbano, dado que en las ciudades hay un mayor desarrollo del mercado de trabajo; asimismo, la distancia a los centros educativos no es muy grande, todo lo cual nos permite analizar la decisión familiar en un contexto de bajos costos de transacción y mercados completos. Desde el punto de vista de la relevancia empírica de este trabajo, el 76,7% de la población peruana2, y el 80,5% de la Población en Edad de Trabajar (PET) se encuentra en las ciudades. Asimismo, la población juvenil urbana de 18 a 24 años constituye el 17,2% de la PET urbana total, y un 74,9% de este grupo aún vive con sus padres3. Vamos a emplear los datos para el Perú Urbano de la Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (ENAHO) del Instituto Nacional de ­Estadística e Informática (INEI) para el año 2014. En la sección 2 discutimos la literatura sobre el tema. En la sección 3 presentamos un análisis descriptivo de los datos, el cual nos permite establecer ciertas regularidades empíricas para el caso del Perú Urbano. En la sección 4 presentamos el modelo que vamos a emplear así como las hipótesis de nuestro trabajo. En la sección 5 llevamos a cabo el análisis empírico y por medio de una regresión Logit Multinomial estimamos los efectos de variables individuales y familiares sobre la probabilidad de que el joven se encuentre estudiando, trabajando, combinando ambas actividades, o fuera de la fuerza laboral y del sistema educativo. Finalmente, en la sección 6 presentamos las conclusiones y recomendaciones de política. 2. NEGOCIACIÓN EN EL HOGAR Y ACTIVIDADES DE LOS JOVENES Los trabajos de Becker (1965, 1993) y Gronau (1977) ponen las bases para el análisis de los determinantes de la asignación del tiempo de la familia entre el trabajo doméstico, el trabajo en el mercado y el ocio. Los problemas de consistencia de la función de utilidad familiar, ya señalados por Arrow (1966) y discutidos por Samuelson (1956) llevan al desarrollo del modelo del jefe de hogar altruista y el teorema del rotten kid (­Becker, 1974,1976), así como a modelos de negociación en el hogar, tanto cooperativos, como no cooperativos (Leuthold, 1968; Chen y Woolley, 2001). Entre los modelos de negociación cooperativa tenemos los de Manser y Brown (1980) y McElroy y Horney (1981, 1990), quienes analizan la negociación en el hogar entre esposos como un juego cooperativo eficiente, donde la amenaza es el divorcio; mientras que Lundberg y Pollak (1993) modelan la amenaza como un comportamiento no cooperativo. Por otro lado, Browning y Chiappori (1998) y Chiappori y Donni (2009) trabajan con una función 2 Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática, porcentaje a junio del año 2015. No tomamos en cuenta a los nietos de dicho rango de edad (5,9%), ya que aun cuando en teoría también viven con sus padres, estos no son jefes de hogar y lo que queremos es establecer la relación de un hijo adulto con el jefe de hogar. 3 120 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 de preferencias colectiva, donde los pesos de las funciones individuales son los poderes de negociación de cada esposo al interior del hogar. Con datos para Canadá los autores muestran que los ingresos de los esposos no se agrupan como predice el modelo unitario, y que el modelo colectivo que postulan es plausible. Para el caso del Perú, Monge (2004) encuentra evidencia empírica que permite rechazar el modelo unitario para el caso de los gastos en comida, en educación y en salud de los miembros del hogar; mientras que la evidencia con respecto a los gastos relacionados a la vivienda es consistente con el modelo unitario; asimismo, encuentra evidencia estadística que le permite afirmar que la negociación entre los miembros de la familia es eficiente. Finalmente, con datos para Perú, Vera Tudela (2009) encuentra que la mayor parte de las decisiones en el hogar son tomadas por la mujer, o de manera conjunta con su compañero. Si aceptamos que el modelo unitario no es adecuado, y adoptamos el modelo de negociación, un punto importante a discutir es la diferencia en el poder de negociación de mujeres y varones en el hogar, la cual afectaría las decisiones de los miembros del hogar. En este punto hay dos elementos a tomar en cuenta: la medida del poder de negociación en el hogar, y los resultados de un aumento de dicho poder de negociación (Doss, 2013). Así, por ejemplo, con datos para Tailandia, Schultz (1990) encuentra que un aumento del poder de negociación de la madre, entendido como un mayor ingreso no laboral, aumenta su propio consumo y tiempo libre4. Sobre el mismo tema, Datta Gupta y Straton (2008) encuentran que el tiempo libre (ocio) está positivamente asociado al poder de negociación en el hogar en el caso de los Estados Unidos de ­Norteamérica, donde los beneficios sociales van a personas de bajos ingresos, mientras que no ocurre así en Dinamarca, donde los beneficios sociales son universales. Song (2008) encuentra para el sector rural de China que el poder de negociación de las mujeres aumenta con su nivel de educación. En cuanto a los efectos del poder de negociación de la madre sobre el bienestar de los hijos, tenemos el estudio de Thomas (1990) para las familias brasileñas. Tomando el ingreso no laboral de que dispone cada miembro de la pareja como indicador del poder de negociación al interior del hogar, el autor encuentra evidencia de que el aumento del poder de negociación de la madre tiene mayor efecto sobre el bienestar de los hijos que el aumento del ingreso no laboral del padre. En relación con este tema, Song (2008) encuentra que un aumento del poder de negociación de la madre en el hogar aumenta los gastos en la salud de sus hijos, pero que aun en este caso se da una diferencia a favor de los niños varones debido a que en el sector rural son ellos quienes se hacen cargo de los padres ancianos; esto nos permite decir que las instituciones sociales deben ser tomadas en cuenta en el análisis. En el caso del Perú, Riesco y Alburqueque (2007) encuentran que mientras el ingreso de los varones alivia la percepción ­subjetiva 4 También aumenta el número de hijos, lo cual el autor atribuye a que es tradición que los hijos se ocupen de la madre anciana cuando esta ya no puede valerse por sí misma. Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 121 de ­estrechez ­económica5, el ingreso de la mujer asegura estabilidad en los ingresos familiares y suficientes comidas al día. Como vemos, el ingreso de la madre, así como su poder de negociación en el hogar, son determinantes importantes del bienestar de los hijos. Con relación al problema que nos ocupa, la relación entre trabajo juvenil y educación, es necesario discutir la asignación del tiempo de los jóvenes en el hogar. En general, el tiempo de un individuo se puede asignar al trabajo en el mercado, al trabajo doméstico, a la educación y a otras actividades heterogéneas que llamaremos “tiempo libre”. Dado que el trabajo del joven en el mercado contribuye a los ingresos familiares, el costo alternativo de cualquier otra actividad es el ingreso dejado de ganar6; mientras que en el caso específico de la educación es necesario tomar en cuenta el costo directo de esta. Entonces, ¿qué determina que una parte del tiempo de los jóvenes sea asignada a la ­educación? A partir de los modelos de acumulación de capital humano al interior del hogar de Ben Porath (1967) y Becker (1993) se deriva la literatura sobre demanda de educación para los hijos, la cual busca determinar las causas de las diferencias en la inversión en su capital humano por parte de los padres. Becker y Tomes (1979) demuestran que bajo ciertos supuestos los padres invertirán más en el capital humano de los hijos más hábiles, compensando a los menos hábiles por medio de la inversión en capital no humano. Lundberg y Pollak (2007) señalan que la inversión inadecuada en el capital humano de los hijos puede deberse a dos razones: las externalidades positivas de esta inversión hacen que parte de los beneficios no sean capturados privadamente, sino que pasen a la sociedad; y la limitada capacidad de los padres para diseñar contratos que obliguen a los hijos a repagarles por la inversión. Para el caso de América Latina, Dahan y Gaviria (2000) encuentran que la desigualdad en la inversión en el capital humano entre hermanos es mayor entre las familias moderadamente pobres y de clase media, y que los padres tienden a invertir más en los hijos más hábiles. Asimismo, Gaviria (2001) encuentra que los hogares responden a los shocks de ingresos, trabajando más, reduciendo la inversión en capital humano, y vendiendo activos, siendo los que los hogares de menores ingresos los que tienen una mayor probabilidad de sufrir estos shocks. Finalmente, con datos para el Perú, Castro y asociados (2008) encuentran que las restricciones crediticias que enfrentan las familias ubicadas en los quintiles más bajos de ingresos afectan su demanda por educación superior, aun en periodos de crecimiento de la economía. Es decir, los hogares con menores ingresos invertirán menos y desigualmente en el capital humano de sus hijos. Dos determinantes importantes de la inversión en la educación de los hijos son el nivel de educación de la madre y el sexo de los hijos. En la India rural, ­Rosenzweig y Evenson (1977) encuentran que un mayor nivel de educación de la madre lleva a un incremento en la escolaridad de las hijas. Gertler y Glewwe (1992) ­encuentran, 5 Los autores emplean las siguientes preguntas de la encuesta de hogares: ¿con sus ingresos viven bien? ¿sus ingresos le permiten garantizar el número de comidas al día? ¿sus ingresos son estables? 6 Incluso en el caso del trabajo doméstico de los jóvenes, que permite la liberación del tiempo de los padres para el trabajo en el mercado, el costo sigue siendo el ingreso dejado de ganar en el mercado. 122 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 para el sector rural del Perú, que los padres prefieren enviar a los hijos que a las hijas al colegio, si bien existe una demanda de educación para ellas. Gaviria (2001) y Dahan y Gaviria (2000) señalan que la preferencia de los padres por invertir más en la educación de los hijos varones afecta el ingreso relativo por sexo, y por lo tanto, su bienestar. Estas diferencias por sexo también se dan en la distribución de las tareas domésticas al interior del hogar. Así, la literatura empírica confirma que la mayor carga de las tareas domésticas recae sobre la mujer (Coltrane, 2000; Dagsvik y Aaberge, 1991; y Garavito, 2001); y que el ciclo de vida solamente influye en la dedicación a las tareas domésticas de estas (Programa de Estadísticas Laborales, 2009a, 2009b). La literatura también nos muestra que la contribución del varón a las tareas domésticas es mayor cuando la mujer trabaja, mayor es su nivel de educación, y/o más alto su salario (Bloemen, Pasqua y Stancanelli, 1998; Newman, 2002; García, 2007). Asimismo señala que este patrón de distribución de tareas domésticas en el hogar alcanza también a los hijos e hijas, por lo cual estas últimas dedicarán más tiempo a las tareas del hogar. Se podría concluir que una parte importante de los trabajos empíricos presentan evidencias de que el modelo unitario de la familia no es consistente con la realidad. Deaton (1988), Folbre (1984), Bhalotra y Attfield (1998), y Monge (2004) encuentran evidencia empírica de una distribución desigual de los frutos del trabajo al interior del hogar. Asimismo, Song (2008), Thomas (1990), y Schultz (1990) encuentran evidencia de diferencias en el comportamiento y en el poder de negociación de mujeres y varones al interior del hogar, resultados que nos alejan del enfoque de los modelos unitarios de la economía de la familia. Finalmente, Browning y Chiappori (1998) aplican a sus datos pruebas estadísticas que permiten rechazar el modelo unitario y establecer el modelo de negociación familiar que proponen como plausible. 3. HECHOS ESTILIZADOS PARA EL PERU URBANO Vamos a emplear los datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (ENAHO) del Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (INEI)7 para el año 2014. Trabajaremos solamente con el Perú urbano, ya que consideramos que los determinantes de la asignación del tiempo de los jóvenes entre las actividades mencionadas son cualitativamente distintos en la ciudad y en el campo. Asimismo, nuestra muestra incluye solamente a los jóvenes adultos que aún viven en casa de sus padres que constituyen más del 70% del total de jóvenes entre 18 y 24 años de edad. 7 Esta encuesta es de cobertura nacional, y tiene como población objetivo al conjunto de viviendas y sus ocupantes, tanto para el área urbana como rural del país El tipo de muestreo es probabilístico, estratificado, multietápico y de áreas, y el marco muestral para el diseño de ambas encuestas es la información estadística del Censo Nacional 2005. Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 123 Un punto importante a tomar en cuenta es que no existe una diferencia significativa entre la proporción de jóvenes varones y mujeres que aún viven con sus padres —los porcentajes son de 49,7% y 50,3%, respectivamente8—. Si vemos los mismos datos de acuerdo al sexo del jefe de hogar, los porcentajes serán de 50,5% y 49,4% en los hogares donde el jefe de hogar es varón, y de 47,5% y 52,5% en los hogares donde el jefe de hogar es mujer9. En el Cuadro 1 presentamos los datos de las cuatro actividades a las que los jóvenes mayores de edad que aún viven con sus padres dedican su tiempo. Vemos en primer lugar que la mayoría de los jóvenes “solamente trabaja”, siendo los porcentajes mayores para los varones, lo cual es consistente con el papel tradicional de “proveedor” que se espera de estos. En segundo lugar vemos que la siguiente actividad en importancia es “estudia y trabaja”, siendo el porcentaje mayor en el caso de las mujeres. En cuanto a la categoría “no estudia ni trabaja” esta es la última actividad en importancia; sin embargo, las mujeres se encuentran en mayor porcentaje en esta situación. Cuadro 1. Perú urbano. Actividades de los jóvenes (18 – 24 años) Actividad 2014 Mujer Varón Total Solo estudia Estudia y trabaja * Solo trabaja * No estudia ni trabaja 19,5% 22,5% 40,3% 17,7% 17,5% 20,6% 49,0% 12,9% 18,5% 21,6% 44,6% 15,3% Total 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% Población a/ 1 635 648 1 617 100 3 252 748 4899 4904 9803 Muestra Fuente: ENAHO - INEI Elaboración propia a / Valores expandidos * Incluye a TFNR que trabajan menos de 15 horas a la semana En el Anexo 1 podemos ver el mismo cuadro para la población en edad activa total, y si bien la actividad más importante sigue siendo “solo trabaja”, el porcentaje de varones que “solamente estudia” es similar al de mujeres en la misma actividad. En el caso de “estudia y trabaja” los varones lo hacen en un porcentaje mayor que las mujeres, al contrario que entre los jóvenes que viven en la casa de sus padres. Es posible que el estar en el hogar paterno les de cierta ventaja a las jóvenes, la cual pierden al independizarse. 8 Ver el Anexo 1 para los porcentajes de varones y mujeres a nivel nacional, urbano y rural, y jóvenes urbanos menores y mayores de edad. 9 En el caso del Perú, en el año 2014, el 78,6%de los hogares con jefe de hogar mujer son monoparentales; en el caso de los jóvenes adultos que aún viven en casa de sus padres, el porcentaje es de 80,1%. 124 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 Sin embargo, la diferencia más importante se da en el caso de las mujeres que “no estudian ni trabajan”, las cuales superan en 14,6 puntos porcentuales a los varones, mientras que en el caso de los jóvenes que viven en casa de sus padres, la diferencia es solamente de 4,8 puntos porcentuales. Esto nos estaría mostrando la importancia de la educación de las mujeres jóvenes ya que la situación será desventajosa para ellas a mayor edad. Una pregunta que surge en este punto es si los datos simplemente reflejan la evolución “normal” de los jóvenes hacia la adultez, donde el paso de estudiar a combinar los estudios con el trabajo, y finalmente a solamente trabajar es la vía usual de desarrollo10. Este proceso es ciertamente parte de lo que sucede, pero los datos de las actividades por edades en el Gráfico 1 nos muestran que si bien el porcentaje de los jóvenes que solamente estudian va disminuyendo al aumentar la edad, a la vez que aumenta el porcentaje que solamente trabaja, los porcentajes de jóvenes que “estudian y trabajan” y sobre todo de quienes “no estudian ni trabajan” no tienen un patrón claro de acuerdo a la edad del joven, lo cual nos hace presumir que hay otras causas que explican esta situación. Un examen de los Gráficos 2 y 3 nos muestra la las diferencias por sexo; así vemos que el porcentaje de jóvenes varones que solamente trabaja es mayor que el porcentaje respectivo de jóvenes mujeres, a todas las edades, y llegar a su pico más rápido. Asimismo, podemos ver que el porcentaje de jóvenes mujeres que solamente estudian es mayor que el porcentaje de varones, en todos los casos. Gráfico 1. Perú urbano: actividades de los jóvenes por edades 70.0 60.0 50.0 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 Sólo Estudia Estudia y Trabaja * Fuente: ENAHO INEI. Elaboración propia 10 Sobre esto ver J. Chacaltana y C. Ruiz (2012). Sólo Trabaja * No Estudia Ni Trabaja Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano Gráfico 2. Perú urbano: Actividades de los jóvenes (varones) por edades 80.0 70.0 60.0 50.0 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 Sólo Estudia Estudia y Trabaja * Sólo Trabaja * No Estudia Ni Trabaja Gráfico 3. Perú urbano: Actividades de los jóvenes (mujeres) por edades 70.0 60.0 50.0 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 Sólo Estudia Estudia y Trabaja * Fuente: ENAHO INEI. Elaboración propia Sólo Trabaja * No Estudia Ni Trabaja 125 126 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 El patrón no es claro para quienes estudian y trabajan o solamente estudian, por lo cual de nuevo podemos decir que habría otras razones además de la edad y el sexo del joven para estas diferencias. Es importante asimismo analizar las razones por las cuales los jóvenes que aún viven en el hogar de sus padres no estudian ni trabajan. Si bien el vivir con sus padres implica que su salario de reserva es más alto que si hubieran dejado el hogar, están en una edad de formación, por lo cual sería de esperar que si no están trabajando estuvieran estudiando. En el Cuadro 2 podemos ver las razones que los jóvenes señalan como causas de su inactividad. Aun si solamente el 11,1% de los jóvenes que no estudian ni trabajan responden a esta pregunta en la encuesta, es un indicador grueso de la tendencia. Vemos en primer lugar que en general las razones principales son: “no hay trabajo” y “quehaceres del hogar”, siendo la primera razón la más importante para los varones y la segunda para las mujeres. Si bien es cierto que la falta de trabajo explica en gran medida la inactividad de los jóvenes, el hecho de vivir con sus padres permite que continúen inactivos, o es quizá una solución al problema. Por otro lado, los quehaceres del hogar pesan más sobre las mujeres. En cuanto a los (21) jóvenes que aducen estudios como razón para su inactividad, estos no están matriculados ni asisten a un centro de estudios de acuerdo a lo visto cruzando preguntas de la encuesta. Vemos así que si bien en la mayoría de los casos la razón más importante está relacionada con la falta de trabajo (28,5% de la muestra en el agregado), en el caso de las mujeres la razón más importante son los quehaceres del hogar (43,2%). Así, podemos ver que alrededor de un tercio de los jóvenes no son activos porque no encuentran trabajo o han dejado de buscarlo. Aun cuando puede argumentarse una falta de demanda, si tomamos en cuenta que todos los jóvenes enfrentan el mismo contexto macroeconómico y que todos viven con sus padres, es necesario considerar el hecho que si los jóvenes no contaran con el ingreso de sus padres no podrían permanecer inactivos. Cuadro 2. Razones de inactividad de los jóvenes por sexo (18 – 24 años) Actividad Mujer Varón Total No hay trabajo Se canso de buscar Falta de experiencia Estudios Quehaceres del hogar Razones de salud Otro 15,6 9,6 7,4 14,7 43,2 3,9 5,6 43,0 3,3 23,8 7,3 1,1 3,1 18,3 28,5 6,7 15,1 11,2 23,4 3,6 11,6 Total 100,0 100,0 100,0 Muestra 98 71 169 Fuente: ENAHO - INEI. Elaboración propia * Incluye a TFNR que trabajan menos de 15 horas a la semana Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 127 En los Cuadros 3a y 3b presentamos las características del joven y de su hogar, de acuerdo al sexo, para las distintas actividades que realizan. Vemos así que la mayoría de los jóvenes urbanos se reconocen como mestizos o blancos y que las diferencias por actividad no son destacables a este nivel de desagregación. Por otro lado, si bien las mujeres tienen una edad promedio mayor que los varones en todos los casos, las diferencias no son estadísticamente significativas. Asimismo, en la mayoría de los casos las jóvenes mujeres tienen en promedio más años de educación que los varones, sin embargo, el coeficiente de variación que hemos calculado es también mayor. En el caso del ingreso no laboral propio del joven11, este es mayor para aquellos que solamente estudian y los que no estudian ni trabajan, lo cual es consistente con un mayor salario de reserva y por lo tanto, un mayor su poder de negociación al interior del hogar. En el caso de las mujeres, en cambio, sus ingresos no laborales propios son mayores para aquellas que solamente trabajan, y para aquellas que no estudian ni trabajan, siendo el primer resultado no esperado y el segundo consistente con un mayor salario de reserva y poder de negociación dentro del hogar. Es decir que un mayor ingreso no laboral propio permite a los jóvenes disponer de más tiempo fuera del mercado de trabajo, pero que los efectos por sexo no son los mismos. En el caso del estado marital, vemos que el porcentaje de varones casados o convivientes es mayor para quienes solamente trabajan, mientras que en el caso de las mujeres el mayor porcentaje de casadas y convivientes se encuentra entre quienes no estudian ni trabajan. De nuevo tenemos un efecto distinto de una variable sobre las actividades de los jóvenes, donde la inactividad de la mujer estaría asociada en muchos casos a su decisión de vivir en pareja. En cuanto a las características del hogar, vemos que los jóvenes sin hermanos tienen más probabilidades de no estudiar ni trabajar, mientras que en segundo lugar los jóvenes varones solamente estudian mientras que las jóvenes mujeres estudian y trabajan. Esto estaría relacionado con una salida más temprana de las jóvenes al mercado laboral con relación a los varones, aun si no abandonan sus estudios. En un trabajo anterior encontramos que las mujeres se concentran en una mayor proporción en las carreras cortas (estudios superiores no universitarios) para salir antes al mercado (Garavito, 2005). Vemos, asimismo, que en los hogares donde la jefa de hogar es mujer, es más probable que los jóvenes trabajen, lo cual estaría relacionado a los menores ingresos de la familia. En cuanto a los años de educación de ambos padres, vemos que mayor será la probabilidad de que los hijos de ambos sexos solamente estudien; sin embargo, también hay un efecto positivo sobre la probabilidad de las jóvenes mujeres trabajen y continúen estudiando. Observamos asimismo un efecto positivo similar en el caso de los ingresos laborales de la madre y del padre, los cuales estarían relacionados con mayores niveles de estudios de ambos. Sin embargo, dado que el nivel de educación también mide la actitud hacia la educación de los hijos por parte de los padres, incluiremos ambas variables en el análisis empírico. 11 Ingreso no laboral total = suma de ingresos por transferencias + rentas + otros ingresos extra + ingresos extraordinarios. 128 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 Cuadro 3a. Varones de 18 – 24 años por variables principales - 2014 Solo estudia Estudia y trabaja Solo trabaja No est. ni trab. Características del joven % de jóvenes blancos y mestizos Edad promedio del joven Años de estudios promedio % de jóvenes casados / convivientes Ingreso no laboral del joven 72,3% 20,2 12,5 0,1% 647,9 68,4% 20,3 12,2 1,3 442,3 68,5% 20,9 10,9 6,0% 413,9 69,4% 19,9 11,1 0,8% 692,3 % hogares con jefe de hogar mujer % de jóvenes sin hermanos 21,1% 35,9% 22,2% 33,9% 25,4% 28,8% 27,1% 37,8% Nivel educativo de la madre* Ingreso laboral de la madre Ingreso no laboral de la madre 6,2 14 245,6 1774,8 5,5 10 396,0 1412,6 4,7 8456,6 1378,5 5,8 11 382,8 2053,1 Nivel educativo del padre* Ingreso laboral del padre Ingreso no laboral del padre 6,9 25 895,5 4909,4 6,3 20 493,9 2195,9 5,4 15 901,8 1479,9 6,4 22 643,5 3144,6 Características del hogar Fuente: ENAHO - INEI. Elaboración propia Las cifras entre paréntesis son las desviaciones estándar * Un nivel educativo de 5 es equivalente a estudios secundarios completos Cuadro 3b. Mujeres de 18 – 24 años por variables principales - 2014 Solo estudia Estudia y trabaja Solo trabaja No est. ni trab. Características de la joven % de jóvenes blancos y mestizos Edad promedio de la joven Años de estudios promedio % de jóvenes casados / convivientes Ingreso no laboral del joven 73,9% 20,2 12,7 2,2% 652,7 62,9% 20,4 12,6 1,4% 615,4 67,6% 21,2 11,7 7,4% 746,4 74,5% 20,5 11,0 10,0% 745,9 % hogares con jefe de hogar mujer % de jóvenes sin hermanos 19,0% 30,3% 29,9% 31,9% 28,9% 26,5% 25,5% 33,1% Nivel educativo de la madre* Ingreso laboral de la madre Ingreso no laboral de la madre 6,5 15 154,8 2848,4 5,6 11 713,3 1834,1 4,9 9294,6 1095,9 5,2 11 016,8 1397,4 Nivel educativo del padre* Ingreso laboral del padre Ingreso no laboral del padre 6,9 24 056,5 4118,6 6,4 21 097,1 2696,2 5,6 17 333,6 1680,3 6,0 19 465,1 2824,8 Características del hogar Fuente: ENAHO - INEI. Elaboración propia Las cifras entre paréntesis son las desviaciones estándar * Un nivel educativo de 5 es equivalente a estudios secundarios completos Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 129 Finalmente, los ingresos no laborales de la madre y del padre, al no estar relacionados con su nivel de educación o con sus horas de trabajo, son proxies de su poder de negociación en el hogar y como tal podrían ser otro indicador de sus preferencias con respecto a las actividades de sus hijos. Así vemos que mayores ingresos no laborales de ambos padres están en general relacionados a una mayor probabilidad de que los jóvenes solamente estudien, o de que no estudien ni trabajen, si bien en el caso de las jóvenes mujeres un mayor ingreso no laboral de la madre lleva a una mayor probabilidad de que estudien y trabajen en segundo lugar. Vemos que en general, los ingresos de los padres permiten que los jóvenes se mantengan en el sistema educativo. En el caso de los jóvenes que no estudian ni trabajan, los ingresos de los padres les permiten quedarse en casa, lo cual estaría relacionado ya sea a los roles de género como a las dificultades de encontrar trabajo12. En la siguiente sección presentamos un modelo de negociación entre los padres y el (la) hijo(a) que busca tomar en cuenta las regularidades encontradas en esta sección. 4. MODELO DE NEGOCIACIÓN El modelo a desarrollar en esta sección toma como base el trabajo de Browning y Chiappori (1998) y Chiappori y Donni (2009), presentando una negociación de ambos padres con el hijo. Asumimos que los padres tienen una función de utilidad que incluye las horas de educación del hijo por motivos altruistas13; en el caso de tratarse de un hogar monoparental, la función de utilidad del padre presente será individual. Si asumimos que los padres no consumen ocio y trabajan en el mercado todas sus horas disponibles, su función agregada de utilidad14 tendrá como argumentos la canasta de bienes que consumen (C )15, y las horas de estudios del hijo (E ): U = U[C, E(g )] Uj > 0; Uij > 0; Ujj < 0  ∀iu, j = C, E (1) 12 En el año 2014 el producto interno bruto creció a una tasa menor que en el año anterior, mientras que el producto per cápita disminuyo. Podemos asumir que la dificultad para encontrar trabajo fue mayor en este año, en relación con los años anteriores. Sin embargo, debemos recordar que al ser este un análisis de corte transversal todos los jóvenes enfrentan la misma situación. 13 La educación como un bien negociable entre los padres es consistente con lo hallado por Monge (2004) para el caso del Perú. 14 La función de utilidad es estrictamente cuasi-cóncava, con derivadas de primer y segundo orden continuas. Si solamente está presente un progenitor, esta será su función de utilidad individual. 15 C es un bien hicksiano, es decir, una canasta de bienes en la cual los precios relativos de sus componentes no varían. 130 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 Donde el parámetro g representa las diferencias en las preferencias del padre y de la madre con respecto a la educación de los hijos de acuerdo a su sexo (Iversen y R ­ osenbluth, 2006); Gertler y Glewwe, 1992). En cuanto al hijo, este consume una canasta de bienes (Ch ), horas de educación (E ) y horas libres (H ). Por lo tanto, su ­función de ­utilidad será16: V = V(Ch, E, H ) Vj > 0; Vij > 0  ∀i, j = Ch, E, H (2) Planteamos entonces un modelo de negociación eficiente en el sentido de Pareto17 donde la función de utilidad colectiva es la suma ponderada de las funciones de utilidad de los padres y del hijo. Por lo tanto la función a maximizar será la siguiente: Ω = (1 - m)U[C, E(g )] + mV(Ch, E, H) (3) Donde 0 < m < 1 es el poder de negociación del hijo frente a los padres. En cuanto a los determinantes del poder de negociación en el hogar son varios los indicadores posibles, como hemos visto en la literatura revisada. Destacan el nivel de educación, que está asociado a la capacidad potencial de generación de ingresos y por lo tanto, a la posibilidad de tomar decisiones; y los ingresos no laborales que cada individuo pueda tener, los cuales aumentarían no solamente su salario de reserva en el mercado sino también su capacidad de negociación en el hogar. En el caso de los jóvenes el número de hermanos también influye —negativamente en este caso— en su capacidad de negociación en el hogar, ya que los recursos generados deben repartirse entre más personas. Dado que asumimos que ambos padres trabajan todas sus horas disponibles, ya sea como asalariados o en un negocio propio, sus ingresos (Ii, ∀i = P.M ) serán fijos e independientes de las horas de trabajo del hijo. Entonces, la restricción de presupuesto familiar será la siguiente: wT + IP + IM = PC + PhCh + (Pe + w)E + wH (4) Donde T es la dotación de tiempo del hijo, P y Ph los precios de las canastas de consumo de los padres y del hijo, Pe el precio por hora de la educación, y w la tasa salarial del hijo. Dado que la dotación de tiempo es fija, una vez que se determinan el tiempo que el hijo dedica a la educación y al ocio, sus horas de trabajo quedarán también determinadas. Si L son las horas de trabajo del hijo, su restricción de tiempo será: 16 T=H+E+L (5) La función de utilidad del hijo es estrictamente cuasi-cóncava, y sus derivadas de primer y segundo orden son continuas. 17 Este supuesto tiene sentido dado que los miembros de una familia están inmersos en una relación de largo plazo y por lo tanto tienen un conocimiento bastante cercano de las preferencias de cada miembro de la familia. Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 131 El problema económico que la familia debe resolver por medio de una negociación cooperativa eficiente será entonces: Max Ω = (1 - m)U[C, E(g )] + mV(Ch, E, H ) s.a. wT + Ip + IM = PC + PhCh + (Pe + w)E + wH L=T-E-H 0<m<1 A partir de la ecuación de Lagrange obtenemos las condiciones de primer orden: (1 - m)UC - lP = 0 (6) (1 - m)UE(g ) + mVE - l(Pe + w) = 0 (7) mVCh - lPh = 0 (8) mVH - lw = 0 (9) wT + IP + IM - PC - PhCh - (Pe + w)E - wH = 0 (10) De las cuales obtenemos las curvas de demanda de educación y de horas libres del hijo: E = E(P, Pe, w, IP, IM; g, m) (11) H = H(P, Pe, w, IP, IM; g, m) (12) Finalmente, a partir de la expresión (5), obtenemos la curva de oferta de trabajo del hijo18: L = L(P, Pe, w, IP, IM; g, m) (13) La condición de equilibrio de la solución interior será la siguiente: λ1 = (1 − µ )U C (1 − µ )U E (γ ) µU Ch µU H = = = P Pe + wh Ph wh (14) 18 Debido a limitaciones de los datos, esta es la única ecuación que podría estimarse, ya que no tenemos los datos de las horas que los jóvenes dedican a los estudios o al ocio. 132 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 En el Anexo 2 se encuentra la presentación matricial del sistema de ecuaciones, que nos permitirá evaluar los efectos sobre las actividades del joven de su costo de oportunidad, de su ingreso no laboral, del número de hermanos que tiene, así como de los ingresos y preferencias de sus padres19. En primer lugar esperamos que un aumento del costo de oportunidad del tiempo de los hijos en el mercado llevará, por efecto sustitución, a una menor demanda de horas de estudios y de horas libres. Sin embargo, si bien el efecto ingreso ordinario también llevará a un menor consumo de ambos bienes al caer el ingreso real, el efecto ingreso dotación llevaría a un mayor consumo de ambos bienes debido al mayor valor de la dotación. El efecto final dependerá de las magnitudes de los efectos parciales20. En segundo lugar, esperamos que un mayor ingreso no laboral y un menor número de hermanos aumenten el poder de negociación de los hijos en el hogar, aumentando sus horas de estudios y de tiempo libre. Esto reduciría sus horas de trabajo. En este caso, dado que los padres también desean que los jóvenes estudien y asumimos que su poder de negociación es mayor esperaríamos que el balance entre las horas de estudio y de tiempo libre se de en favor de la primera actividad. En todo caso, más horas de tiempo libre a mayor ingreso no laboral del joven, proxy de su poder de negociación en el hogar, serían un resultado consistente con lo esperado. En tercer lugar, esperamos que un mayor ingreso de ambos padres aumente el consumo de horas de educación y de horas libres de educación de los jóvenes de ambos sexos. Sin embargo, es necesario tomar en cuenta las diferencias en las actitudes de los padres de cada sexo con respecto a las actividades de los hijos de acuerdo a su sexo. Por lo tanto, si los padres prefirieran educar a los hijos varones, un aumento en sus ingresos reduciría las horas de trabajo de los hijos en mayor medida que en el caso de las hijas. Sin embargo, en ambos casos mayores ingresos de los padres llevarían a menos horas de trabajo de los jóvenes en el mercado. Finalmente, mayores niveles de estudios de los padres debería llevar a mayores niveles de educación y de horas libres de los hijos. Aun si un mayor nivel de educación está correlacionado con los ingresos, en el caso de las mueres esta correlación podría ser más débil. En todo caso, hay efectos positivos del capital humano de los padres sobre la adquisición de capital humano de los hijos. 19 En Garavito (2011) se presenta una estimación algebraica de los efectos esperados de las variables que nos interesan sobre la demanda de horas de estudio y la demanda de horas de trabajo. En dicho modelo, el poder de negociación de los padres es cercano a 1, lo cual nos permite tomar en cuenta el hecho de que si bien el poder de negociación en el hogar del joven adulto aumenta con su edad, sus ingresos no laborales y su nivel de educación, persiste una jerarquía en las decisiones ya que aún vive en la casa de sus padres. 20 Si el hijo no trabaja, o trabaja pocas horas (T - E - H ≈ 0), el efecto precio total será negativo. Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 133 Soluciones de Esquina: Los jóvenes se encontrarán estudiando siempre que el precio pagado por hora de la educación sea menor o igual al precio de reserva de la educación (Pe* ), el cual dependerá de los precios de los bienes de consumo, de la tasa salarial del hijo, del ingreso de los padres, de sus preferencias con respecto a la educación del hijo, y del poder de negociación de este: Pe* = Pe*(P, Ph, w, IP, IM; g, m) (15) Por otro lado, los jóvenes entrarán a trabajar si el ingreso por hora obtenido en el mercado es mayor que el valor de su tiempo o salario de reserva (w* ), el cual dependerá de los precios de los bienes de consumo, del precio de la educación superior, del ingreso de los padres y de sus preferencias con respecto a la educación de los hijos, así como del poder de negociación del hijo en el hogar: w* = w*(P, Ph, Pe, IP, IM; g, m) (16) Por lo tanto, tenemos las siguientes posibles situaciones: Si Pe < Pe* y w ≤ w* ⇒ E > 0 & L = 0, el joven solo estudia Si Pe < Pe* y w > w* ⇒ E > 0 & L > 0, el joven estudia y trabaja Si Pe ≥ Pe* y w > w* ⇒ E = 0 & L > 0, el joven solo trabaja Si Pe ≥ Pe* y w ≤ w* ⇒ E = 0 & L = 0, el joven no estudia ni trabaja A partir de estos resultados podemos plantear nuestras hipótesis. En primer lugar deberíamos esperar que un mayor poder de negociación del hijo en el hogar lleve a un aumento en la probabilidad de que dedique su tiempo al estudio o al tiempo libre, lo cual reducirá la probabilidad de que esté trabajando. En segundo lugar, un mayor costo de oportunidad del tiempo del joven reducirá la probabilidad de que solamente estudie o que dedique horas a trabajar o al tiempo libre, y por lo tanto mayor será la probabilidad de que se encuentre trabajando, aun si está estudiando. En tercer lugar, un mayor ingreso de los padres elevará tanto el salario de reserva de los hijos como el precio de reserva de la educación, lo cual aumentará la probabilidad de que el joven se encuentre estudiando o dedicando horas al tiempo libre, reduciendo la probabilidad de que esté trabajando; este efecto sería mayor para los varones que para las mujeres, debido al mayor precio de reserva de la educación de estos. Finalmente, dado que las preferencias del padre y de la madre influyen en la demanda de educación para sus hijos, esperamos que un mayor nivel de educación de los padres reduzca la probabilidad de que los hijos dejen de estudiar, ya que padres más educados tienen una valoración positiva (preferencias) de la educación de sus hijos. Asimismo, un mayor nivel de educación de la madre 134 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 equilibraría la demanda diferencial por educación, aumentando la probabilidad de que las hijas se mantengan en el sistema educativo. En la siguiente sub-sección llevamos a cabo el análisis econométrico de los determinantes de la asignación del tiempo de los jóvenes al estudio, al trabajo, a la combinación de ambas actividades, y a actividades no económicas. 5. EVALUACION EMPIRICA En esta sección vamos a realizar regresiones para estudiar las asociaciones entre las variables con el fin de ver si tales asociaciones son consistentes con las predicciones del modelo teórico. Dado que nuestro objetivo es analizar la probabilidad de que los jóvenes hayan asignado su tiempo a cuatro actividades (solamente trabaja, estudia y trabaja, solamente trabaja, no estudia ni trabaja), vamos a emplear el modelo Logit Multinomial (Cameron y Trivedi, 2005). Tomaremos como base a la categoría “solo trabaja”, donde se encuentran la mayoría de los jóvenes. Entonces, si yj es la variable endógena: yj = 0  Solo trabaja (Pe > Pe*, w > w*)  (base) yj = 1  Solo estudia (Pe < Pe*, w < w*) yj = 2   Estudia y trabaja (Pe < Pe*, w > w*) yj = 3   No estudia ni trabaja (Pe > Pe*, w < w*) Las variables explicativas (xi) serán las siguientes: – Sexo: variable dicotómica que se tomará en cuenta separando la muestra en jóvenes varones y mujeres. – Jefev: Variable dicotómica que indica si el jefe de hogar es varón o no, y se tomará en cuenta separando las submuestras por sexo en aquellos jóvenes que viven en hogares donde el jefe es varón y aquellos que lo hacen en hogares donde el jefe es mujer. – Logaritmo natural del costo de oportunidad del tiempo del hijo (COTH): variable numérica medida en nuevos soles por hora, y que representa el costo de oportunidad de las horas que el hijo dedica a estudiar o a actividades no económicas. Dado que no todos los jóvenes trabajan, y que parte de los que trabajan no reciben una remuneración (TFNR) estimaremos esta variable para aquellos que no tienen ingresos por medio de la ecuación de Mincer, corrigiendo el sesgo de selección por medio de Heckman (1974, 1979)21. Un mayor costo de oportunidad debería llevar a una mayor probabilidad de que los jóvenes estén trabajando. 21 Ver el Anexo 3 para la estimación del ingreso esperado de los jóvenes que solamente estudian o que no trabajan ni estudian. Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 135 – Indicadores del poder de negociación del hijo (IPNH ): variable multidimensional no observable para la cual emplearemos dos variables proxy: los ingresos no laborales del hijo22, que aumentarían su poder de negociación en el hogar ya que son ingresos propios e independientes de su trabajo; y el número de hermanos, que lo disminuirían al tener que repartirse los ingresos familiares entre más personas. Esperamos que a mayor poder de negociación del hijo, mayor sea la probabilidad de que esté estudiando, aun si trabaja. – Estado marital: variable dicotómica que toma el valor de 1 si el joven está casado o es conviviente y el valor de cero en caso contrario. Se espera que los varones casados o convivientes estén trabajando y estudiando o solamente trabajando, mientras que en el caso de las mujeres no es claro el resultado debido a que podrían estar fuera de la fuerza laboral y del sistema educativo si es que tienen hijos, o estar trabajando ya que aún viven en el hogar de sus padres. – Logaritmos naturales de los ingresos laborales de la madre (ILM) y del padre (ILP): variables numéricas, medidas en nuevos soles. Un mayor ingreso de los padres llevaría a una menor probabilidad de que los jóvenes estén trabajando. – Logaritmos naturales de los ingresos no laborales de la madre (INLM) y del padre (INLP): variables numéricas, medidas en nuevos soles. Un mayor ingreso no laboral de los padres también llevaría a una menor probabilidad de que los jóvenes estén trabajando. Por otro lado, los ingresos no laborales de los padres son indicadores de su poder de negociación en el hogar. – Nivel de educación de la madre (NEM) y del padre (NEP), variables numéricas que empleamos como proxi de sus preferencias. Un resultado empírico establecido en otros trabajos es que a mayor nivel de educación de la madre, mayor es la probabilidad que los hijos estudien, aun si la madre no trabaja, razón por la cual examinamos aquí el efecto del nivel de educación de cada padre por separado. En los Cuadro 4a-4d presentamos las estimaciones de la ecuación de Logit Multinomial para jóvenes varones que viven en un hogar donde el jefe es varón, para los que viven en un hogar donde la jefa es mujer, para jóvenes mujeres que viven en un hogar donde el jefe de hogar es varón y para aquellas que viven en un hogar donde la jefa es mujer23. Presentamos asimismo los respectivos efectos marginales. Vemos que en todos los casos el test F es significativo al 1%, lo cual nos permite decir que las variables explicativas en conjunto son estimadores adecuados de la variable estudiada. 22 Es importante señalar que un 31,0% de la muestra reporta tener ingresos no laborales propios. Si bien existe un porcentaje pequeño de hogares donde la jefa de hogar es mujer y el padre está presente hemos estimado estas ecuaciones sin los datos del padre. Los resultados incluyéndolos no varían sustantivamente de los resultados presentados aquí. 23 136 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 En cuanto a las variables personales, podemos ver que el mayor costo de oportunidad de los jóvenes lleva a una menor probabilidad de solamente estudiar o de no estudia ni trabajar, con respecto a solamente trabajar, independientemente de su sexo, lo cual que es un resultado esperado. Además, las probabilidades de solamente estudiar, estudiar y trabajar y no estudiar ni trabajar, con respecto a solamente trabajar, se reducen con la edad. Esto se corrobora en los efectos marginales, donde un año más aumenta la probabilidad de solamente trabajar. En cuanto a los ingresos no laborales de los jóvenes, la primera de nuestras variables proxy de su poder de negociación en el hogar, podemos ver similitudes y diferencias tanto por sexo del joven como por el sexo del jefe de hogar. En todos los casos, un mayor ingreso no laboral del joven lleva a una menor probabilidad de solamente estudiar, lo cual es un resultado no esperado ya que asumimos que el joven desea estudiar. Dado que los padres del joven también desean que estudie, un resultado que nos permitiría decir que el ingreso no laboral del joven es adecuado para representar su poder de negociación en el hogar sería un aumento en la probabilidad de no estudiar ni trabajar, con relación a solamente trabajar, a mayor ingreso no laboral. Esto solamente se cumple para los jóvenes varones en hogares con jefe mujer y las jóvenes mujeres es hogares con jefe varón; sin embargo, los signos no son significativos. Es posible que otros elementos expliquen este resultado, como problemas de medición, o el hecho que solamente un porcentaje reducido de la PEA consigna ingresos no laborales en la encuesta. En el caso del estado marital existen diferencias importantes por sexo. Encontramos que la probabilidad de que los varones solamente estudien, estudien y trabajen, y no estudien ni trabajen, en relación con solamente trabajar es menor si están casados o conviven, independientemente del sexo del jefe del hogar. En el caso de las jóvenes mujeres, esta probabilidad es positiva —si bien no significativa— si el jefe de hogar es varón, y en general negativa si el jefe de hogar es mujer. En el caso de esta muestra particular no se puede explicar el resultado positivo para las jóvenes en hogares donde el jefe es varón por una diferencia de ingresos promedio o mediana de ingresos entre ambos tipos de hogares. Estas diferencias son similares a las halladas para el número de hermanos, nuestra segunda variable proxy de poder de negociación en el hogar. Así vemos que un mayor número de hermanos reduce la probabilidad de solamente estudiar, estudiar y trabajar y no estudiar ni trabajar, con respecto a solamente trabajar, en todos los casos, salvo cuando el jefe de hogar es mujer, donde la probabilidad de no estudiar ni trabajar con respectoa solamente trabajar, es mayor para los jóvenes de ambos sexos. En cuanto a los efectos marginales, la reducción en la probabilidad de solamente estudiar y el aumento en la probabilidad de solamente trabajar, a mayor número de hermanos, es mayor para los varones que para las mujeres. Costo de oportunidad del joven Edad del joven Ingreso no laboral del joven Casado o conviviente Número de hermanos Ingreso laboral de la madre Ingreso no laboral de la madre Nivel educativo promedio de la madre Constante F Tamaño de la población Número de observaciones Efectos marginales -0.4973** -0.2243*** -0.0869** -3.1187** -0.3534*** 0.0819 -0.0369 0.0899** 0.0042 0.2756*** 0.1773** 1.9306 316.74*** 623288 1921 0.1264 -0.0684 0.0521 -0.6669 -0.2672** 8.74E-02 4.46E-02 3.02E-02 -2.81E-02 0.0010 0.1027 -0.6859 -0.5242** -0.2578*** -0.0754 -22.0607*** -0.2425 7.88E-02 0.0253 0.0006 -0.0639* 0.1312* 0.1122 3.5100** 0.0591 0.0041 0.0156** -0.0119 -0.0269 0.0104 0.0991 0.0014 -0.0038 -0.0058 0.0079 *** significativo al 1% ** significativo al 5% *significativo al 10% -0.0726** -0.0265** -0.0144** -0.1725*** -0.0375** 7.00E-03 -7.80E-03 0.0125** 3.20E-03 0.0400*** 0.0205** 0.0544 0.0397*** 0.0054 0.3542*** 0.0729*** -0.0209 -3.20E-03 -0.0114 5.80E-03 -0.0308** -0.0326** Efectos marginales -0.6152** -0.02047 -0.3660** -19.9873*** 0.4436 1.77E-01 -0.0646 0.4958*** -2.5571 56.01*** 188242 573 -0.1532 -0.2854*** 1.39E-02 -2.4133** -9.04E-02 2.02E-01 1.57E-02 0.0553 3.0479 -0.5126** -0.4328** 0.0006 -19.8698*** 0.1139 0.3836 0.1131 0.3561** 0.1249 -0.0035** -0.0009 -0.0022** -0.0174** 0.0028 8.00E-04 -4.00E-04 0.0029** *** significativo al 1% ** significativo al 5% *significativo al 10% -0.0234 -0.0454*** 0.0027 -0.0153 -0.0153 0.0319 0.0025 0.0079 0.0296 0.0484*** -0.0005 0.2282*** 0.0118 -3.47E-02 -2.70E-03 -0.0127 -0.0027* -0.0021** 3.54E-06 5.57e-08 0.0007 0.0019 6.00E-04 0.0019 solo estudia estudia y trabaja no estudia ni trabaja solo e studia estudia y trabaja solo trabaja no estudia ni trabaja Estimaciones -0.0409** -0.0173** -0.0064 -0.1699*** -0.0086 3.40E-03 0.0018 -0.0024 -0.0052 0.0065 0.0042 solo estudia estudia y trabaja no estudia ni trabaja solo estudia estudia y trabaja solo trabaja no estudia ni trabaja Estimaciones Cuadro 4b. Logit Multinomial y efectos marginales jóvenes varones, jefe de hogar mujer – 2014 Regresión Logit Multinomial Base=Solo trabaja F Tamaño de la población Número de observaciones Costo de oportunidad del joven Edad del joven Ingreso no laboral del joven Casado o conviviente Número de hermanos Ingreso laboral del padre Ingreso laboral de la madre Ingreso no laboral del padre Ingreso no laboral de la madre Nivel educativo promedio del padre Nivel educativo promedio de la madre Constante Regresión Logit Multinomial Base=Solo trabaja Cuadro 4a. Logit Multinomial y efectos marginales jóvenes varones, jefe de hogar varón – 2014 F Tamaño de la población Número de observaciones Costo de oportunidad de la joven Edad de la joven Ingreso no laboral de la joven Casada o conviviente Número de hermanos Ingreso laboral del padre Ingreso laboral de la madre Ingreso no laboral del padre Ingreso no laboral de la madre Nivel educativo promedio del padre Nivel educativo promedio de la madre Constante Regresión Logit Multinomial Base=Solo trabaja Efectos marginales -0.8458*** -0.1469** -0.0575 0.5313 -0.0919 0.0391 -0.0319 0.0318 0.0589* 0.0797 0.3405*** 1.1287 4.61*** 555764 1771 0.1375 -0.1562** 0.0508 0.8446 -0.1106 6.45E-02 -2.09E-02 2.34E-02 2.86E-02 0.1906** 0.0197 0.8123 -0.0756*** -0.2019** 0.0174 0.6679 -0.0774 5.24E-02 0.0209 0.0561 -0.0091 0.0109 0.1741** 2.6512 0.0961** -0.0089 0.0103* -0.1326** -0.0095 0.0060 -0.0024 -0.0002 0.0017 0.0252** -0.0216** *** significativo al 1% ** significativo al 5% *significativo al 10% -0.1326*** -0.0099 -0.0149* 0.0942 -0.0082 1.50E-03 -6.40E-03 2.00E-03 0.0106* 0.0051 0.0569*** 0.0197** 0.0370** 0.0008 -0.0689 0.0207 -0.0113 -1.47E-06 2.90E-03 -8.20E-03 -0.0234* -0.0439** -0.0832*** -0.0182 0.0039 0.1073 -0.0031 3.80E-03 0.0059 0.0063 -0.0057 -0.0099 0.0086 solo estudia estudia y trabaja no estudia ni trabaja solo estudia estudia y trabaja solo trabaja no estudia ni trabaja Estimaciones Cuadro 4c. Logit Multinomial y efectos marginales jóvenes mujeres, jefe de hogar varón – 2014 Efectos marginales -1.5355** -0.1688 -7.8261*** 1.2314 0.2824 -0.2117 -0.2667** 0.4644** 2.0618 170.95*** 201703 541 0.3841* -0.1208 -5.22E-02 -2.3031** -0.2388 8.37E-02 0.0007 0.0634 1.2257 -0.0013 -0.00009 -0.0008 -0.0044 0.00005 6.00E-04 -5.38E-06 0.0002 *** significativo al 1% ** significativo al 5% *significativo al 10% 0.0915* -0.0286 -0.0121 -0.3521*** -0.0566 0.0196 0.0002 0.0149 -0.0902* 0.0287 0.0129 0.3565*** 0.0565 -2.02E-02 -2.00E-04 -0.0151 -4.27E-12 -3.10e-13 -1.98e-11 1.00e-11 9.50e-13 -6.21e-13 -6.77E-13 1.12E-12 Los efectos marginales para “no estudia ni trabaja” no pudieron ser calculados adecuadamente debido a problemas con la variable edad. Se trató de cambiar la escala de dicha variable, pero aun así el paquete estadístico no pudo encontrar la derivada. 24 F Tamaño de la población Número de observaciones Estimaciones solo estudia estudia y trabaja no estudia ni trabaja solo estudia estudia y trabaja solo trabaja no estudia ni trabaja Costo de oportunidad de la joven -1.2470** Edad de la joven -0.1474 Ingreso no laboral de la joven -0.9214** Casada o conviviente -25.5112*** Número de hermanos -0.0332 Ingreso laboral de la madre 0.6351** Ingreso no laboral de la madre -0.0056 Nivel educativo promedio de la madre 0.1980 Constante -4.0181 Regresion Logit Multinomial Base=Solo trabaja Cuadro 4d. Logit Multinomial y efectos marginales jóvenes mujeres, jefe de hogar mujer – 201424 140 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 En cuanto a las variables familiares, los coeficentes de los ingresos laborales de los padres no son significativos, si bien podemos decir que en general aumentan la probabilidad de solamente estudiar, estudiar y trabajar y no estudiar ni trabajar, con relación a solamente trabajar. Los ingresos no laborales, en cambio, tienen efectos distintos según sexo. Un mayor ingreso no laboral del padre aumenta la probabilidad de solamente estudiar, estudiar y trabajar y no estudiar ni trabajar, en relación solamente trabajar. El ingreso no laboral de la madre aumenta las dos primeras probabilidades pero reduce la probabilidad de no estudiar ni trabajar para los jóvenes de ambos sexos. Estimaciones sumando los ingresos laborales y no laborales de cada padre no mejoran el ajuste. Estos resultados coinciden con lo obtenido por Garavito (2011) para los años 2008 y 2009, y estimaciones no publicadas hechas para los años 2011 y 2013. En general, un mayor nivel de ingresos de los padres reduce la probabilidad de solamente trabajar, y un mayor ingreso laboral de la madre aumenta la probabilidad de que los jóvenes de ambos sexos no abandonen el sistema educativo. Finalmente, a más años de estudios del padre y de la madre, mayor es la probabilidad de que los jóvenes de ambos sexos solamente estudien, estudien y trabajen, y no estudien ni trabajen con relación a solamente trabajar. El efecto de los años de educación del padre sobre la probabilidad de que los jóvenes solamente estudien con relación a solamente trabajar es mayor para los hijos que para las hijas, mientras que en el caso de los años de educación de la madre se da lo contrario. En general, asimismo, vemos en los efectos marginales que más años de estudios de ambos padres reducen la probabilidad de que los jóvenes de ambos sexos solamente trabajen, siendo este último efecto siempre mayor en el caso de la madre. 6. CONCLUSIONES Y RECOMENDACIONES DE POLITICA Las estimaciones llevadas a cabo nos permiten establecer que nuestras hipótesis son en su mayor parte consistentes con la realidad. Una primera interrogante es qué determina que aumente la probabilidad de que los jóvenes estudien, aun si también trabajan. Sobre este punto podemos decir que un mayor ingreso no laboral del joven, un mayor ingreso de sus padres y más años de educación de estos aumentan la probabilidad de que los jóvenes se mantengan en el sistema educativo aun si también trabajan. En el caso de los años de educación de los padres existe un sesgo a favor de los varones en el caso del padre y a favor de las mujeres en el caso de la madre. En el caso de la presencia de hermanos, esta reduce la probabilidad de solamente estudiar de los jóvenes, independientemente de su sexo, salvo para el caso de varones en hogares donde la jefa de hogar es mujer. Esto ya un indicio de una actitud diferente ante la educación de los varones en hogares monoparentales. Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 141 Como era de esperarse, la probabilidad de que los jóvenes de ambos sexos solamente trabajen aumenta con su costo de oportunidad, con su edad, y con el número de hermanos. Sin embargo, las jóvenes mujeres casadas o convivientes tienen una menor probabilidad de solamente trabajar cuando el jefe del hogar donde viven es varón, lo cual es otro indicio de diferencias en los roles por género de los jóvenes. Por otro lado, el efecto de más años de educación de la madre sobre la reducción de la probabilidad de que los jóvenes solamente trabajen es mayor para las hijas que para los hijos; el efecto de más años de educación del padre es el contrario, es decir, mayor para los hijos que para las hijas. Finalmente, a más años de estudios del padre y de la madre, mayor es la probabilidad de que los jóvenes de ambos sexos solamente estudien, estudien y trabajen, y no estudien ni trabajen con relación a solamente trabajar. El efecto de los años de educación del padre sobre la probabilidad de que los jóvenes solamente estudien con relación a solamente trabajar es mayor para los hijos que para las hijas, mientras que en el caso de los años de educación de la madre se da lo contrario. En cuanto a la probabilidad de que el joven no estudie ni trabaje esta aumenta con los ingresos no laborales de los jóvenes, y con los años de educación de la madre, y se reduce con su costo de oportunidad y con el número de hermanos. Sin embargo, los efectos de los ingresos de los padres no son concluyentes. Aquí es necesario recordar la heterogeneidad de las razones por las cuales los jóvenes de ambos sexos no estudian ni trabajan, por lo cual sería necesario un estudio en profundidad sobre estos jóvenes que no están ni en el mercado laboral ni en el sistema educativo. Es posible plantear algunas recomendaciones a partir de nuestros resultados. En primer lugar, si bien el efecto de los ingresos no laborales sobre la probabilidad de que el joven siga estudiando no es concluyente, su efecto es positivo por lo cual transferencias o préstamos condicionados a llevar a cabo estudios superiores con cierto éxito y regularidad los mantendrían en el sistema educativo. En segundo lugar, vemos que en general mayores ingresos de los padres llevan a una mayor probabilidad de que los jóvenes estudien, aunque también trabajen. Una manera de aumentar estas probabilidades es tomar medidas para aumentar los ingresos de los padres en situación de vulnerabilidad, con programas de empleo y de capacitación. Finalmente vemos que un mayor nivel de educación de ambos padres aumenta la probabilidad de que los jóvenes de ambos sexos continúen estudiando, si bien el efecto marginal es distinto de acuerdo al sexo de los padres y del hijo. En general la madre tiene una influencia muy importante en la asignación de parte del tiempo del joven a los estudios, por lo cual los programas de apoyo a familias en situación de vulnerabilidad mencionados arriba deberán dirigirse en especial a las madres. 142 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 ANEXO 1. Estructura de la muestra total por género Perú urbano: nuestra por sexo - 2014 Mujeres Varones Total Muestra Perú total 54,6 45,4 100,0 124 054 Perú urbano Perú rural 54,9 53,4 45,1 46,6 100,0 100,0 82 913 41 141 Jóvenes 51,2 48,8 100,0 39 858 14 - 17 años 18 - 24 años 48,8 53,3 51,2 46,7 100,0 100,0 19 626 20 232 Jóvenes urbanos 51,7 48,3 100,0 25 070 Jóvenes urbanos 18 - 24 años 53,5 46,5 100,0 14127 Jóvenes urbanos hijos 50,3 49,7 100,0 9803 Fuente: ENAHO 2014. Elaboración propia. Perú urbano: población en edad de trabajar - 2014 2014 Actividad Mujer Varón Total 8,0% 9,1% 58,7% 24,2% 8,7% 11,9% 69,8% 9,6% 8,3% 10,4% 63,8% 17,5% 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% Solo estudia Estudia y trabaja * Solo trabaja * No estudia ni trabaja Total Población a/ Muestra 17 874 030 14 870 055 32 744 085 67 721 56 316 124 037 Fuente: ENAHO - INEI. Elaboración propia a/ Valores expandidos * Incluye a TFNR que trabajan menos de 15 horas a la semana Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 143 ANEXO 2. Presentación matricial de la solución interior (1 − µ )U CE 0 0 − P   dC  (1 − µ )U CC (1 − µ )U (1 − µ )U EE + µVEE µVECh µVEH −( Pe + w)  dE  EC     µVCh E µVChCh µVCh H − Ph  dCh  = 0    0 µVHE µVHCh µVHH − w   dH     dλ     0 −P −( Pe + wh ) − Ph −w   A λ 0  0  0 C  0 0 λ 0 λ 0 0 0 λ 0 λ E −(T − E − H ) Ch 0  dP  0 UC    dP 0 (U E − VE )  e  dw  0 −VCh     dPh 0 −VH      dI i  0 −1  d µ    ∀i = P, M El determinante de la matriz A es positivo: det( A) = µ 2 P(VChCh VHH − VC2h H ){(1 − µ )( Pe + w)U CE − [(1 − µ )U EE + VEE ]} > 0 ANEXO 3. Estimación del ingreso laboral esperado del joven La estimación del ingreso laboral por hora del joven se hace sobre la base de una ecuación de ingresos de Mincer, y corrigiendo el sesgo de selección por el método de Heckman (1974, 1979). Para ello planteamos una ecuación de ingresos y una ecuación de participación en la fuerza laboral. La ecuación de ingresos es muy simple para no perder información, dado el rango de edad con el cual trabajamos: ln( w) = β 0 + β1Sexo + β 2 Blanco _ mestizo + β 3 Lengua _ nativa + β 4 AEH + β 5 EXPLAB + β 6 LM + β 7 λM + ε 1 Donde w es el ingreso laboral por hora del hijo, medido en nuevos soles. Asimismo, la ecuación de participación será la siguiente: PL = γ 0 + γ 1Sexo + γ 2 Edad + γ 3 Ln( Ingnolab) + γ 4 Ln( Inglabpadre) +γ 5 Ln(IInglabmadre) + γ 6 Ln( Ingnolabpadre) + γ 7 Ln( Ingnolabmadre) + ε 2 144 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 Donde PL es una variable dicotómica, cuyos valores son 1 si el joven participa en la fuerza laboral, y 0 si no participa. Las variables explicativas serán las siguientes: – Sexo: variable dicotómica cuyo valor es 1 si el joven es varón, y es 0 en caso contrario. En la ecuación de ingresos se busca capturar diferencias en los ingresos asociados a los efectos de los roles de género en la sociedad. En la ecuación de participación se busca capturar las diferencias en la participación laboral de varones y mujeres. – Blanco_mestizo: variable dicotómica que busca capturar el “premio” a los ingresos que reciben los trabajadores blancos y mestizos, ampliamente documentado en estudios sobre el tema. – Lengua_nativa: variable dicotómica que busca capturar el “castigo” en los ingresos que reciben los trabajadores cuya lengua materna es nativa, documentado en estudios sobre el tema. – Años de educación del Hijo (AEH ): variable numérica que mide el efecto de más años de educación sobre el ingreso laboral. Esperamos que el signo de esta variable sea positivo. – Experiencia laboral potencial (EXPLAB = Edad - AEH - 6): variable numérica que mide la experiencia potencial de los jóvenes, tomando en cuenta que los estudios primarios empiezan a los 6 años de edad. Se espera un efecto positivo de esta variable sobre los ingresos laborales. – LM: Variable dicotómica que toma el valor de 1 si el joven vive en Lima Metropolitana, y de = en caso contrario. Esta variable intenta capturar las diferencias en los niveles de desarrollo económico de la capital y el resto de la zona urbana. – Lambda de Mills (lM): La inversa del Ratio de Mills que mide la probabilidad estimada de trabajar. – Edad: variable numérica medida en años. Se espera un efecto positivo sobre la probabilidad de participación del joven en la fuerza laboral. – Logaritmos de los ingresos laborales y no laborales del padre y de la madre: variables numéricas medida en nuevos soles anuales, que incluye la suma de los ingresos laborales y no laborales de cada progenitor. Se espera que a mayor ingreso de sus padres, el joven tenga una menor probabilidad de formar parte de la fuerza laboral. Como se ve en el cuadro siguiente, los signos de las variables son los esperados y en su mayoría significativos al 99%. En cuanto a la inversa del ratio de Mills, el coeficiente es positivo y significativo, por lo cual existe un sesgo de selección en la participación de los jóvenes en el mercado de trabajo. Finalmente, el Test de Wald es significativo al 1%, Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 145 lo cual indica que las variables independientes explican la participación y los ingresos en forma conjunta. A partir de los coeficientes obtenidos en cada regresión de ingresos estimamos el costo de oportunidad del tiempo de los jóvenes sin ingresos. Modelo de Selección de Heckman en dos etapas Número de obs = 4957 (modelo de regresión con sesgo de selección) Obs Truncadas = 2678 Obs No Truncadas = 2279 Test de Wald chi2(6) = 140,21 Prob > chi2 = 0,0000 Coef, Std, Err, z P>|z| [95% Conf, Interval] Sexo 0,3394 0,0530 6,40 0,000 0,2355 0,4433 Blanco o mestizo 0,1402 0,0493 2,84 0,004 0,0435 0,2369 Lengua nativa -0,0391 0,0933 -0,42 0,675 -0,2220 0,1438 Años de estudios 0,1728 0,0182 9,51 0,000 0,1372 0,2084 Ln(Ingreso por Hora) Experiencia potencial 0,1403 0,0179 7,82 0,000 0,1051 0,1755 Lima Metropolitana 0,2559 0,0603 4,24 0,000 0,1378 0,3742 Constante -1,7893 0,3783 -4,73 0,000 -2,5308 -1,0478 Select Sexo 0,2860 0,0367 7,79 0,000 0,2141 0,3579 Edad 0,1241 0,0095 13,01 0,000 0,1054 0,1428 Ln(ingreso no laboral) 0,0639 0,0064 10,01 0,000 0,0514 0,0764 Ln(ingreso laboral del padre) -0,0369 0,0103 -3,59 0,000 -0,0571 -0,0168 Ln(ingreso laboral de la madre) -0,0014 0,0059 -0,24 0,810 -0,0131 0,0102 Ln(ingreso no laboral del padre) -0,0278 0,0051 -5,48 0,000 -0,0378 -0,0179 Ln(ingreso no laboral de la madre) -0,0173 0,0054 -3,19 0,001 -0,0279 -0,0067 Constante -2,4294 0,2333 -10,88 0,000 -2,8672 -1,9917 0,1574 2,9 0,004 0,1473 0,7646 Lambda de Mills 0,4559 rho 0,4060 sigma 1,1229 146 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 REFERENCIAS BIBLIOGRÁFICAS Arrow, Kenneth (1966). Social Choice and Individual Values. Third Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Becker, Gary (1965). A theory of the allocation of time. Economic Journal, 75(299), September. Becker, Gary (1974). A Theory of Social Interactions. Journal of Political Economy, 82(6), ­1063-1091. Becker, Gary (1976). Altruism, Egoism, and Genetic Fitness: Economics and Sociobiology. ­Journal of Economic Literature, 14(3). Becker, Gary (1993). The Allocation of Time and Goods over Time. En G. Becker, Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education, ­ ­Addendum to Chapter 4. Third Edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Becker, Gary y Nigel Tomes (1979). An Equilibrium Theory of the Distribution of Income and Intergenerational Mobility. The Journal of Political Economy, 87(6), 1153-1189. Ben-Porath, Yoram (1967). The production of Human Capital and the Life Cycle of earnings. The Journal of Political Economy, 75(4), Part 1, 352-365. Bhalotra, Sonia y Cliff Attfield (1998). Intrahousehold Resource Allocation in Rural Pakistan: A Semiparametric Analysis. Journal of Applied Econometrics, 13(5), 463-480. Bloemen, H., Pasqua, S. y E. Stancanelli (1998). An Empirical Analysis of the Time Allocation of Italian Couples: Are Italian Men Irresponsive? Discussion Paper No 3823, Institute for the Study of Labor. Browning, M. y P. Chiappori (1998). Efficient Intra-Household Allocations: A General Characterization and Empirical Tests. Econometrica, 66(6). Cameron, A. Colin y Pravin K. Trivedi (2005). Microeconometrics: Methods and Applications. New York: Cambridge University Press. Castro, J., Casavilca, P. y R. Lizarzaburu (2008). Crecimiento Económico y Demanda por Educación Superior en el Perú. Un estudio para el periodo 2004-2006. Informe Final. Consorcio de Investigación Económica y Social – Centro de Investigaciones de la Universidad del Pacífico. Chacaltana, Juan y Claudia Ruiz (2012). El empleo juvenil en el Perú: diagnóstico y políticas. En C. Garavito e I. Muñoz, Empleo y protección social. Lima: Fondo Editorial de la PUCP. Chen, Zhiqi y Frances Woolley (2001). A Cournot - Nash Model of Family Decision Making. The Economic Journal, 111(74), 722-748. Chiappori, P. y O. Donni (2009). Non-unitary Models of Household Behavior: A Survey of the Literature. Discussion Paper No. 4603, Institute for the Study of Labor. Coltrane, Scott (2000). Research on Household Labor: Modeling and Measuring the Social Embeddedness of Routine Family Work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62(4), ­1208-1233. Dagsvik, J. y R. Aaberge (1991). Household production, time allocation and welfare in Peru. En B. Herz y S. Khandker (eds.), Women’s work, education and family welfare in Peru. Discussion Paper No. 116, Banco Mundial. Dahan, M. y A. Gaviria (2000). Parental Action and Sibling Inequality. Research Department: Banco de Israel / Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. Datta Gupta, Nabanita y Leslie Stratton (2008) Institutions, Social Norms, and Bargaining Power: An Analysis of Individual Leisure Time in Couple Households. Discussion Paper No. 3773, Institute for the Study of Labor. Cecilia Garavito Educación y trabajo juvenil en el Perú urbano 147 Deaton, Angus (1988). The allocation of goods within the households. Adults, children and gender. LSMS No. 39, Banco Mundial. Decimotercera Conferencia Internacional de Estadígrafos del Trabajo (1982). Resolución sobre estadísticas de la población económicamente activa, del empleo, del desempleo y del subempleo. Doss, Cheryl (2013). Intrahousehold bargaining and Resource Allocation in Developing Countries. Policy Research Working Papers 6337. The World Bank. Folbre, Nancy (1984). Household Production in the Philippines: A Non-neoclassical Approach. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 32(2), January. Garavito, Cecilia (2001). Cambios en la oferta laboral de la familia limeña. Documento de Trabajo 200, Departamento de Economía de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Garavito, Cecilia (2005). Feminización de la matrícula de educación superior y mercado de trabajo en el Perú: 1978-2003. En Unesco, Feminización de la matrícula de educación superior en América Latina y el Caribe. México, D.F.: UDUAL / IESALC. Garavito, Cecilia (2011). Asignación de la fuerza laboral juvenil entre trabajo y educación. Tesis para optar el grado de Doctora en Economía. Lima: Escuela de Graduados de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. García, Luis (2007). Who does the Chores? Estimation of a Household Production Function in Peru. Lima: Departamento de Economía de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Gaviria, Alejandro (2001). Household responses to adverse income shocks in Latin America. ­Documento de Trabajo No. 455, Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. Gertler, P. y P. Glewwe (1992). The Willingness to Pay for Education for Daughters in Contrast to Sons: Evidence from Rural Peru. The World Bank Economic Review, 6(19), 171-188. Gronau, Reuben (1977). Leisure, Home Production and Work – The Theory of the Allocation of Time Revisited. Journal of Political Economy, 86(6), 1099-1123. Heckman, James (1974). Shadow Prices, Market Wages and Labor Supply. Econometrica, 42(4), 679-694. Heckman, James (1979). Sample selection bias as a specification error. Econometrica, 47, ­153-161. Iversen, Torben y Frances Rosenbluth (2006). The Political Economy of Gender: Explaining Cross-National variation in the Gender Division of Labor and the Gender Voting Gap. American Journal of Political Science, 50(1), 1-19. January. Leuthold, Jane (1968). An Empirical Study of Formula Income Transfers and the Work Decision of the Poor. The Journal of Human Resources, 3(3), 312-323. Lundberg, Shelly y Robert Pollak (1991). Separate Spheres Bargaining and the Marriage Market. Journal of Political Economy, 101(6), 988-1010. Lundberg, Shelly y Robert Pollak (2007 ). The American Family and Family Economics. WP 12908, National Bureau of Economic Research. Manser, Marilyn y Murray Brown (1980). Marriage and Household Decision-Making: A Barga­ ining Analysis. International Economic Review, 21(1), 1-44. McElroy, M. y M. Horney (1981). Nash-bargained Household Decisions: Towards a Generalized Model. International Economic Review, 22, 333-349. McElroy, M. y M. Horney (1990). Nash-Bargained Household Decisions: Reply. International Economic Review, 31(1), 237-242. Mincer, Jacob (1970). The distribution of labor Incomes: A survey with special reference to the human capital approach. Journal of Economic Literature, 8(1), 1-26. 148 Economía Vol. XXXVIII, N° 76, 2015 / ISSN 0254-4415 Monge, Alvaro (2004). Unitary or Collective Models? Theoretical Insights and Preliminary Evidence from Peru. Apuntes, Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 55, Segundo Semestre. Lima: Centro de Investigaciones de la Universidad del Pacífico. Newman, Constance (2002). Gender, Time Use, and Change: The Impact of the Cut Flower Industry in Ecuador. The World Bank Economic Review, 16(3), 375-396. Programa de Estadísticas Laborales (2009a). Informe Estadístico del Módulo Uso del Tiempo. Módulo de la Encuesta de Hogares Especializada en Niveles de Empleo, Lima Metropolitana - 2008. Lima: Ministerio de Trabajo y Promoción del Empleo. Programa de Estadísticas Laborales (2009b). Uso del tiempo e inequidades de género en el trabajo remunerado y doméstico en Lima Metropolitana. Boletín de Economía Laboral, 40. Lima: Ministerio de Trabajo y Promoción del Empleo. Riesco, Gustavo y Diana Alburqueque (2007). Impactos de la Estructura Familiar en Hogares con Niños y Adolescentes en Perú: Indicadores de Ingreso y Percepción de Estrechez Económica. Informe Final Consorcio de Investigación Económica y Social /Universidad de Piura. Rosenzweig, Mark y Robert Evenson (1977). Fertility, Schooling, and the Economic ­Contribution of Children in Rural India: An Econometric Analysis. Econometrica, 45(5), 1065-1079. Samuelson, Paul (1956). Social Indifference Curves. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 70(1). February. Schultz, T. Paul (1990). Testing the Neoclassical Model of Family Labor Supply and Fertility. The Journal of Human Resources, 25(4), 635-664. Song, Lina (2008). In Search of Gender Bias in Household Resource Allocation in Rural China. IZA Discussion Paper No. 3464. Thomas, Duncan (1990). Intra-Household resource Allocation. An Inferential Approach. The Journal of Human Resources, 25(4), 635-664. Vera Tudela, David (2009). Impacto Económico del Empoderamiento de la Mujer en el Hogar. Una aplicación al caso peruano. Informe Final Consorcio de Investigación Económica y Social – Macroconsult. Lima. Documento recibido el 20 de agosto de 2015 y aprobado el 5 de noviembre de 2015
https://openalex.org/W3103283217
https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/photocatalytic-properties-of-persistent-luminescent-rare-earth-doped-sral2o4-phosphor-under-solar-radiation/pdf
English
null
Photocatalytic properties of persistent luminescent rare earth doped SrAl2O4 phosphor under solar radiation
Nanosistemy: fizika, himiâ, matematika
2,020
cc-by
2,716
1. Introduction Today, environmental pollution is major concern, especially resulting from volatile organic compounds like ben- zene or textile dyes, like Methylene blue, Congo red, etc.; these volatile organic compounds are known to be toxic and carcinogenic. It is required to develop photo-catalysts for the degradation of these toxic materials to reduce air pollution and to develop better wastewater cleaning process. Advanced oxidation is a process which produces reactive oxygen groups to react with different chemicals which in turn help in degradation of these chemicals. Photocatalysis is also a kind of advanced oxidation process to remove organic pollutants from water [1,2]. When photocatalysts are dispersed in water, they absorb UV or sun light to produce electron-hole pairs which in turn generate free radicals (e.g. hydroxyl radicals OH−and O2−) that take part in secondary reactions which removes organic pollutants from water [3]. Photocatalysts are semiconductors or insulators such as Al2O3 [4], ZnO [5], Fe2O3 [6]. TiO2 has been widely used for decolorizing of organic contaminants, dyes and phenols. The problem with TiO2 is that it is toxic for living organisms [7,8] like fish and other aquatic animals, as it can penetrate their skin to produce oxidative stress and impaired liver function. Hence, the search for new environmentally friendly photocatalysts is required that could be easily removed from water. It has been found that long-lasting phosphors show photocatalytic properties [9]. Rare earth doped alkaline earth aluminates are a very important class of luminescent materials due to their higher quan- tum efficiency and persistent luminescence [10]. They are good host materials and have wide band gaps, thus, they have been suggested for possibile application such as development of white LED’S, gamma ray dosimeter, pressure sensor, stress sensor, environmental radiation dosimetry, luminescent paint, emergency exit lamps, radiation detec- tion [11,12] etc. There are few papers which report persistent luminescent phosphors prepared by combustion method as photocatalytic materials. In this paper, we have reported the synthesis of SrAl2O4 doped with Eu/Dy/Ho by combustion method and their photocatalytic properties. NANOSYSTEMS: PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS, 2020, 11 (5), P. 590–594 NANOSYSTEMS: PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS, 2020, 11 (5), P. 590–594 PACS 52.70.Kz, 81.16.Hc, 87.15.Mi This paper aims to study the photocatalytic properties of strontium aluminate phosphors. The rare earth doped strontium aluminate was synthesized by combustion method. The photocatalytic property was studied by absorption of methyle orange in aqueous solution under solar radiation. Eu:Dy codoped SrAl2O4 shows better photocatalytic properties than Eu or Dy doped or Eu, Dy, Ho codoped SrAl2O4. Structural and morphological characterization was done by X-ray diffraction, SEM, EDX techniques. Keywords: photocatalysis, strontium aluminate, combustion method, persistence luminescence. Received: 10 May 2020 Revised: 26 August 2020 Final revision: 16 September 2020 Received: 10 May 2020 Final revision: 16 September 2020 Final revision: 16 September 2020 Photocatalytic properties of persistent luminescent rare earth doped SrAl2O4 phosphor under solar radiation Deepika Pal1, Anil Kumar Choubey2 1Department of Nanotechnology, Christian College of Engineering & Technology, Kailash Nagar Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India 2Department of Physics, M. J. College, Junwani-Kohka Road, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India 1Department of Nanotechnology, Christian College of Engineering & Technology, Kailash Nagar Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India 2Department of Physics, M. J. College, Junwani-Kohka Road, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India deepikapal664@gmail.com, anil.choubey@hotmail.com deepikapal664@gmail.com, anil.choubey@hotmail.com DOI 10.17586/2220-8054-2020-11-5-590-594 PACS 52.70.Kz, 81.16.Hc, 87.15.Mi 2. Experimental The combustion method involves a highly exothermic reaction between an organic fuel and metal nitrates. The reaction is initiated at low temperatures (around 610 ◦C) and proceeds to completion in a few minutes. The exothermic chemical reaction between the metal nitrates and fuel provides the required heat for synthesis of nano-phosphor. Research grade strontium nitrate Sr(NO3)2, aluminum nitrate Al(NO3)3 · 9H2O, europium oxide Eu2O3, dysprosium oxide Dy2O3, holmiun oxide Ho2O3 were used as the staring materials and urea CO(NH2)2 was used as a fuel. The Stoichiometric composition to prepare Sr1−xAl2O4:Eux phosphor, the chemical reaction used for the combustion reaction is as follows: 591 Photocatalytic properties of persistent luminescent rare earth doped SrAl2O4 phosphor ... (1 −x) Sr (NO3)2 + x1 2Eu2O3 + 2Al (NO3)3 · 9H2O = Sr1−xAl2O4 : Eux + 4N2 + 18H2O + 10O2, 2CO (NH2)2 + 3O2 = 2CO2 + 2N2 + 4H2O. 2CO (NH2)2 + 3O2 = 2CO2 + 2N2 + 4H2O. The stoichiometric composition of the metal nitrates (oxidizers) and urea (fuel) were calculated using the total oxidizing and reducing valences of the components, which serve as the numerical coefficients so that the equivalence ratio is unity and the heat liberated during combustion is at a maximum. For the calculation of oxidizer to fuel ratio, the elements were assigned formal valences as follows: Sr = +2, Al = +3, Eu/Dy/Ho = +3, C = +4, N = 0, O = −2 and H= +1. Nitrogen had a valence of zero because N2 was assumed to be liberated during the combustion process. The rare earth oxides were dissolved in minimum amount of HNO3. The stoichiometric quantities of metal nitrate and urea were mixed for crushing in a mortar; then the nitrates of rare earth were mixed. The composition was stirred for 1 hour at 80 ◦C to form a thick paste. The paste was transferred to a crucible and put into a vertical cylindrical muffle furnace maintained at 610 ◦C. The mixture went decomposition with the evolution of large amount of gases (oxides of carbon, nitrogen and ammonia). The exothermic reaction continues and the spontaneous ignition occurs. The solution underwent smoldering combustion with enormous swelling, producing white foamy and voluminous ash. The whole process completed in ∼30 seconds. The foamy product was milled to obtain the precursor powder. Sample annealing was done at 1050 ◦C for 3 hours in reducing atmosphere. 2. Experimental The structural characterization XRD was done with a PANalytical 3kW X’pert powder- Multifunctional X-ray diffractometer available at NIT, Raipur in the range 10◦< 2θ < 80◦with a step of 0.02◦. The morphology of the sample powders was done with ZEISS EVO 18 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), 30 kV of acceleration voltage with Quorum SC7620 sputter gold coater. The Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) of the phosphor was done with INCA 250 EDS with X-MAX 20 nm detector at NIT, Raipur. The absorbance spectra of powders were taken using ELICO-SL210 UV Spectrometer in 200 – 700 nm range. Photocatalytic properties were studied after dissolving 0.1 gm of photocatalysts powder in the solution of methylene orange. The mixture was stirred in the dark for 30 minutes and then placed in direct sunlight for different intervals and absorbance studies were performed subsequently. 3.1. Structural and morphological characterization Figure 1 shows the XRD patterns of the SrAl2O4 powders doped and codoped with Eu/Dy/Ho which matchs well with the monoclinic phase of SrAl2O4, JCPDS card number 34-0379. The main peak corresponds to 220, 031, −211, 211 planes. The doping of rare earth ions does not affect the crystal structure due similar ionic radii of Sr2+ (0.114 nm), Eu2+ (0.112 nm), Dy3+ (0.117 nm), Ho3+ (0.115 nm). The average crystallite sizes calculated by Scherrer method for Eu, Dy, EuDy, EuDyHo doped samples were found to be 17.12, 20.54, 17.78 and 18.34 nm respectively. The SEM micrograph of Eu, Dy, Eu:Ho, Eu:Dy:Ho doped SrAl2O4 is shown in Fig. 2(A), 2(B), 2(C) and 2(D) respectively. Each sample were coated with gold by gold sputter before SEM. The samples show flower like structure with flakes randomly oriented. The EDX spectral studies provide the elemental contents qualitatively and quantitatively. The EDX studies of Eu, Dy, Eu:Ho, Eu:Dy:Ho doped SrAl2O4 is shown in Fig. 3(A), 3(B), 3(C) and 3(D) respectively. Clearly the spectra show sharp peaks corresponding to Sr, Al, O and Eu/Dy/Ho elements respectively and show no other impurities presence of the samples. The elemental contents are shown in Table 1. 3.2. Photocatalytic activity under solar irradiation It has been reported earlier [13] that Eu:Dy codoped SrAl2O4 was known to be more persistent luminescent material than that of the doped alone, though its luminescence intensity decreased. Since the photocatalytic activity depends upon the generation of free carriers, the long persistent luminescent materials allow more time for the free carriers for catalytic action, in comparison to the high luminescent but less persistent materials. With codoping of Ho and Dy in SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy, the luminescence intensity increases but the persistence time is decreased [14] which results in less photocatalytic activity in Ho:Dy codoped phosphor. 3.2. Photocatalytic activity under solar irradiation Photocatalytic activity was observed by the percentage degradation of methylene orange (MO) in aqueous so- lution. MO shows an absorbance band at 465 nm and absorption intensity of this peak as a function of time was observed. Decrease in absorbance intensity indicate the decrement of MO concentration. The percentage degradation was calculated as: Degradation (%) = It −I0 I0 × 100 %, (1) (1) where I0 – absorbance before solar radiation, It – absorbance after time t of solar radiation. ance before solar radiation, It – absorbance after time t of solar radiation. where I0 – absorbance before solar radiation, It – absorbance after time t of solar radiation. Aqueous solutions of Methylene Orange (0.0025 gm /100 mL) were prepared in a beaker subsequently, 0.1 gm of photocatalysts powder were added to 100 ml aliquots of these solutions. The mixture was stirred in the dark for half hour. Later, the solutions of dye photocatalyst were directly exposed to sunlight for regular intervals. Fig. 4 shows the percentage degradation of MO as a function of time. The percentage degradation of undoped samples were 592 592 Deepika Pal, Anil Kumar Choubey 592 Deepika Pal, Anil Kumar Choubey FIG. 1. The XRD image of rare earth doped and codoped SrAl2O4 (A) (B) (C) (D) FIG. 2. SEM micrograph of SrAl2O4 doped with A) Eu0.05; B) Dy0.1; C) Eu0.05Ho0.01; D) Eu0.05Dy0.1Ho0.01 FIG. 1. The XRD image of rare earth doped and codoped SrAl2O4 (A) (B) (C) (D) FIG. 2. SEM micrograph of SrAl2O4 doped with A) Eu0.05; B) Dy0.1; C) Eu0.05Ho0.01; D) Eu0.05Dy0.1Ho0.01 FIG. 1. The XRD image of rare earth doped and codoped SrAl2O4 FIG. 1. The XRD image of rare earth doped and codoped SrAl2O4 arth doped and codoped SrAl2O4 (B) (A) (B) (D) (A) (B) (A) (C) (D) (C) FIG. 2. SEM micrograph of SrAl2O4 doped with A) Eu0.05; B) Dy0.1; C) Eu0.05Ho0.01; D) Eu0.05Dy0.1Ho0.01 Photocatalytic properties of persistent luminescent rare earth doped SrAl2O4 phosphor ... 593 (A) (B) (C) (D) FIG. 3. EDX spectra of SrAl2O4 doped with A) Eu0.05; B) Dy0.1; C) Eu0.05Ho0.01; D) Eu0.05Dy0.1Ho0.01 TABLE 1. Element contents of SrAl2O4 (B) (A) (A) (B) (C) (D) (C) (D) FIG. 3. EDX spectra of SrAl2O4 doped with A) Eu0.05; B) Dy0.1; C) Eu0.05Ho0.01; D) Eu0.05Dy0.1Ho0.01 TABLE 1. Element contents of SrAl2O4 FIG. 3. EDX spectra of SrAl2O4 doped with A) Eu0.05; B) Dy0.1; C) Eu0.05Ho0.01; D) Eu0.05Dy0.1Ho0.01 TABLE 1. 3.2. Photocatalytic activity under solar irradiation Element contents of SrAl2O4 Elements SrAl2O4:Eu0.05 % SrAl2O4:Dy0.1 % SrAl2O4:Eu0.05Ho0.1 % SrAl2O4: Eu0.05Dy0.1Ho0.01 % weight % Atomic % weight % Atomic % weight % Atomic % weight % Atomic % Sr 36.11 10.73 34.66 10.19 34.96 10.48 35.93 10.73 Al 20.95 20.21 22.05 21.06 23.71 23.08 21.39 20.73 O 42.4 68.97 42.61 68.64 40.37 66.28 41.84 68.4 Eu 0.54 0.09 – – 0.41 0.07 0.21 0.04 Dy – – 0.68 0.11 – – 0.46 0.07 Ho – – – – 0.57 0.09 0.17 0.03 Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 negligible and not reported here. The percentage degradation of Eu, Dy, Eu:Dy, and Eu:Dy:Ho doped samples after 240 minutes were 20.8%, 15.7%, 22.8%, and 13.2% respectively. The highest percentage degradation was obtained for Eu:Dy codoped SrAl2O4. It has been reported earlier [13] that Eu:Dy codoped SrAl2O4 was known to be more persistent luminescent material than that of the doped alone, though its luminescence intensity decreased. Since the photocatalytic activity depends upon the generation of free carriers, the long persistent luminescent materials allow more time for the free carriers for catalytic action, in comparison to the high luminescent but less persistent materials. With codoping of Ho and Dy in SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy, the luminescence intensity increases but the persistence time is decreased [14] which results in less photocatalytic activity in Ho:Dy codoped phosphor. negligible and not reported here. The percentage degradation of Eu, Dy, Eu:Dy, and Eu:Dy:Ho doped samples after 240 minutes were 20.8%, 15.7%, 22.8%, and 13.2% respectively. The highest percentage degradation was obtained for Eu:Dy codoped SrAl2O4. It has been reported earlier [13] that Eu:Dy codoped SrAl2O4 was known to be more persistent luminescent material than that of the doped alone, though its luminescence intensity decreased. Since the photocatalytic activity depends upon the generation of free carriers, the long persistent luminescent materials allow more time for the free carriers for catalytic action, in comparison to the high luminescent but less persistent materials. With codoping of Ho and Dy in SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy, the luminescence intensity increases but the persistence time is decreased [14] which results in less photocatalytic activity in Ho:Dy codoped phosphor. negligible and not reported here. The percentage degradation of Eu, Dy, Eu:Dy, and Eu:Dy:Ho doped samples after 240 minutes were 20.8%, 15.7%, 22.8%, and 13.2% respectively. The highest percentage degradation was obtained for Eu:Dy codoped SrAl2O4. 4. Conclusions SrAl2O4 doped and codoped with Eu, Dy and Ho were synthesized by combustion method. The XRD analysis shows monoclinic structure of SrAl2O4 without any considerable effect on structure due to doping. The photocatalytic properties under solar radiation were observed. The undoped samples showed negligible photocatalytic effect with respect to the doped samples. The Eu:Dy codoped samples showed better photocatalytic properties than Eu/Dy doped or Eu:Dy:Ho codoped samples. The photocatalytic response of strontium aluminate phosphors were less than TiO2 but they are more environmental friendly as they are activated by solar radiation and they can be removed from water by simple precipitation method. 594 Deepika Pal, Anil Kumar Choubey FIG. 4. The percentage degradation of MO under solar radiation as a function of time Deepika Pal, Anil Kumar Choubey Deepika Pal, Anil Kumar Choubey FIG. 4. The percentage degradation of MO under solar radiation as a function of time FIG. 4. The percentage degradation of MO under solar radiation as a function of time References [1] Berlanga A., Garcia-Diaz R., et al. Photocatalytic Activity of SrAl2O4:αCu powders under Solar Irradiation. Nano Hybrid and Composites, 2017 16 P 63 66 [2] Sang Y., Liu H., Umar A. Photocatalysis from UV/Vis to near-infrared light: Towards full solar-light spectrum activity. Chem. Cat. Che 2015, 7, P. 559–573. [3] Ibhadon A., Fitzpatrick P. Heterogeneous Photocatalysis: Recent Advances and Applications. Catalysts, 2013, 3, P. 189–218. [4] Tzompantzi F., Pi˜na Y., et al. Hydroxylated sol-gel Al2O3 as photocatalyst for the degradation of phenolic compounds in presence of UV light. Catalysis Today, 2014, 220–222, P. 49–55. dy M.A., Modirshahla N., Hamzavi R. Kinetic study on photocatalytic degradation of C.I. Acid Yellow 23 by ZnO photocatalyst of Hazardous Materials,2006, 133 (1–3), P. 226–232. [6] Karunakaran C., Senthilvelan S. Fe2O3-photocatalysis with sunlight and UV light: Oxidation of aniline. Electrochemistry Communications, 2006, 8 (1), P. 95–101. [7] Wu J., Liu W., et al. Toxicity and penetration of TiO2 nanoparticles in hairless mice and porcine skin after sub chronic dermal exposure. Toxicology Letters, 2009, 191, P. 1–8. , Zeng G., et al. An overview on limitations of TiO2-based particles for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and the nding countermeasures. Water Research, 2015, 79, P. 128–146. p g [9] Zhong J.B., Ma D., et al. Sol-gel preparation and photocatalytic performance of TiO2/SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+ toward the oxidation of gaseous benzene. Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology, 2009, 52 (1), P. 140–145. f gy ( ) [10] Liu B., Gu M., et al. Theoretical Study of Structural, Electronic, lattice dynamical and dielectric properties of SrAl2O4. Journals of Alloys and Compounds, 2011, 509, P. 4300–4303. [11] Choubey A.K., Brahme N., et al. Thermoluminescence characterization of γ-ray irradiated Dy3+ activated SrAl4O7 nanophosphor. Advanced Materials Letters, 2014, 5 (7), P. 396–399. hou S., Pan T., Zhang S. Band structure calculations on the monoclinic bulk and nano- SrAl2O4 crystals. Journals of Solid state ry, 2005, 178, P. 230–233. [13] L¨u X., Shu W.et al. Roles of Doping Ions in Persistent Luminescence of SrAl2O4: Eu2+, RE3+ Phosphors. Glass Physics and Chemistry, 2007, 33 (1), P. 62–67. [14] Gy¨ori Z., Havasi V., et al. Luminescence properties of Ho3+ co-doped SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+ long-persistent phosphors synthesized with a solid-state method. Journal of Molecular Structure, 2013, 1044, P. 87–93.
https://openalex.org/W3045560527
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0234612&type=printable
English
null
Work honored by Nobel prizes clusters heavily in a few scientific fields
PloS one
2,020
cc-by
7,431
PLOS ONE RESEARCH ARTICLE a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 OPEN ACCESS OPEN ACCESS Citation: Ioannidis JPA, Cristea I-A, Boyack KW (2020) Work honored by Nobel prizes clusters heavily in a few scientific fields. PLoS ONE 15(7): e0234612. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0234612 Editor: Sergi Lozano, Universitat de Barcelona, SPAIN Received: October 8, 2019 Accepted: May 29, 2020 Published: July 29, 2020 Copyright: © 2020 Ioannidis et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Citation: Ioannidis JPA, Cristea I-A, Boyack KW (2020) Work honored by Nobel prizes clusters heavily in a few scientific fields. PLoS ONE 15(7): e0234612. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0234612 Citation: Ioannidis JPA, Cristea I-A, Boyack KW (2020) Work honored by Nobel prizes clusters heavily in a few scientific fields. PLoS ONE 15(7): e0234612. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0234612 Editor: Sergi Lozano, Universitat de Barcelona, SPAIN Copyright: © 2020 Ioannidis et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract We aimed to assess whether Nobel prizes (widely considered the most prestigious award in science) are clustering in work done in a few specific disciplines. We mapped the key Nobel prize-related publication of each laureate awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry (1995–2017). These key papers mapped in only narrow sub-regions of a 91,726-cluster map of science created from 63 million Scopus-indexed published items. For each key Nobel paper, a median of 435 (range 0 to 88383) other Scopus-indexed items were published within one year and were more heavily cited than the Nobel paper. Of the 114 high-level domains that science can be divided into, only 36 have had a Nobel prize. Five of the 114 domains (particle physics [14%], cell biology [12.1%], atomic physics [10.9%], neuroscience [10.1%], molecular chemistry [5.3%]) have the lion’s share, account- ing in total for 52.4% of the Nobel prizes. Using a more granular classification with 849 sub- domains shows that only 71 of these sub-domains (8.3%) have at least one Nobel-related paper. Similar clustering was seen when we mapped all the 40,819 Scopus-indexed publi- cations representing the career-long output of all the Nobel laureates. In conclusion, work resulting in Nobel prizes is concentrated in a small minority of scientific disciplines. Work honored by Nobel prizes clusters heavily in a few scientific fields John P. A. IoannidisID1,2*, Ioana-Alina CristeaID1,3, Kevin W. BoyackID4 1 The Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford, CA, United States of America, 2 The Meta-Research Innovation Center Berlin (METRIC-B), Berlin, Germany, 3 Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, 4 SciTech Strategies, Inc., Albuquerque, NM, United States of America 1 The Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford, CA, United States of America, 2 The Meta-Research Innovation Center Berlin (METRIC-B), Berlin, Germany, 3 Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, 4 SciTech Strategies, Inc., Albuquerque, NM, United States of America * jioannid@stanford.edu * jioannid@stanford.edu a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 PLOS ONE PLOS ONE Results The map of science that we used (Fig 1) includes data from a total of 63 million published items, and it is divided into 12 major disciplines and a total of 91,726 clusters. The full list of the key papers related to the Nobel work (with one paper selected per Nobel laureate) along with relevant data appear in the Supporting Information (S1 Table). Fig 1B shows where the key papers of the laureates are placed within the map of science: they tend to be localized to a small number of neighboring areas. Conversely, the vast majority of clusters in the science map contain no key Nobel papers in themselves or in their vicinity. Fig 1C shows the localization in the science map of the papers that have cited the key Nobel papers as of May 2017. We examined the location of the papers that have cited the key Nobel papers, since an even spread of such papers across the science map could signal a wide interest of the research rewarded with the Nobel prize, while a more circumscribed and limited spread would suggest more topical interest. The vast majority of these citing papers are also in the same disciplinary areas as the key Nobel index papers. There is some modest spill over in some other, mostly neighboring, disciplines, but very few citing papers are in areas that are not in the immediate vicinity of the Nobel key papers, if not in the same exact sub-discipline. Fig 1D shows the location of papers that have been more-cited than the respective Nobel key paper even though they were published within one calendar year of the Nobel key paper. Their distribution is very wide, and it covers almost all major fields of science. The distribution is almost as variegated as the distribution of all papers in Fig 1A. For each key Nobel paper, a median of 435 (range 0 to 88383) other Scopus-indexed items were published within one year and were more heavily cited than the Nobel paper as of May 2017. If one adds published items that are not indexed in Scopus but can still be cited by Scopus-indexed items (mostly these would be books), a median of 915 items (range 0 to 128049) published within one year of the respective key Nobel papers were more heavily cited than the Nobel paper as of May 2017. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. While it is difficult, if not impossible, to answer reliably whether any clustering is deserved or undeserved for this top recognition, at a minimum it would help to understand whether this clustering of favored scientific disciplines does exist and, if so, how strong it is. If it does exist, what fields are mostly preferred and how strong is the selection? How many major fields have never been honored by Nobel prizes? Here we aimed to address these issues systemati- cally by mapping Nobel prize work in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine/Physiology as well as the spread of the subsequent scientific publications that cited this work within a comprehen- sive map of science [15]. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. The Nobel prize is undoubtedly the most visible, influential, and coveted award across science. Nobel laureates represent a readily demarcated and most illustrious cohort of exceptional sci- entists, and data on their work have been repeatedly used [1–14] to assess aspects of citation impact, perception of rewards, credit allocation, paradigm shifts, and networking in science. Much can be learned by studying this influential cohort. A fundamental question is what disci- plines of science are really covered by these top awards. Funding: JPAI is one of the two directors of the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), which is supported by a grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. JPAI is also a visiting Einstein fellow and director of METRIC B and the Einstein fellowship is supported by the Foundation Charite´ and the Einstein Foundation. The work of JPAI is also supported by an unrestricted gift from Sue and Bob O’Donnell. Not all fields of scholarship are thematically covered by the Nobel prizes, but the three prizes that focus on the natural and biomedical sciences (Chemistry, Physics, and Physiology/ Medicine) have very wide coverage. In theory, almost any work within the broad range of nat- ural sciences or biomedicine would be potentially eligible for this honor, if it has tremendous 1 / 11 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields impact. However, a different viewpoint may be that these awards should be sharply focused in specific disciplines. Particular areas or sub-disciplines may attract far more Nobel honors than others and some investigators have suggested that a select scientific elite is more deserving and legitimately attract more honors, prizes; according to this view, a relatively constrained num- ber of ideas and scholars push the boundaries of science [11]. Conversely, clustering in a few fields may herald bias and undeserved neglect of many/most scientific disciplines from these utmost rewards. Additional funding was provided by SciTech Strategies Inc in the form of salary for KWB. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors is articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. Competing interests: KWB is an employee of SciTech, Inc. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 Results (D) The location of papers that have been more-cited than the respective Nobel key paper even though they were published within one calendar year of the Nobel key paper. Color legend as in panel A. (E) the location of the entire career-long publication record (40,819 papers) published by scientists awarded Nobel prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology/Medicine 1995–2017. Color legend as in panel A. In order to map the location of the key Nobel papers in specific domains that are more granular than the 12 large disciplines of science, but more concentrative than the 91,726 finely delineated clusters, we used the DC2 classification system which has been previously described [17] and which breaks science into 114 domains, aggregated from the 91,726 clusters. Table 1 shows that of the 114 domains, only 36 have been touched at all by Nobel prizes and have at least 0.333 points (i.e. representing one of three laureates awarded a prize in a single year); of those 36 domains only 20 have at least 1 full point. Five domains (particle physics [14%], cell biology [12.1%], atomic physics [10.9%], neuroscience [10.1%], molecular chemistry [5.3%]) have the lion’s share, accounting in total for 52.4% of the 69 Nobel prizes that we mapped, even though these 5 domains publish only 10.2% of all the Scopus-indexed papers. Using the DC3 classification [17], an intermediate level of aggregation that breaks science into 849 sub- domains, only 71 of these sub-domains (8.3%) are touched by at least one Nobel-related paper. Of the 114 DC2 domains, only 20,10, and 15 domains are ever represented in Chemistry, Physics, and Medicine/Physiology Nobel prizes, respectively. Of note, Chemistry Nobel prizes are more scattered across more domains, many of which may not be seen as typical core chem- istry areas (Table 1). The 76 domains that have not been touched by any Nobel prizes in In order to map the location of the key Nobel papers in specific domains that are more granular than the 12 large disciplines of science, but more concentrative than the 91,726 finely delineated clusters, we used the DC2 classification system which has been previously described [17] and which breaks science into 114 domains, aggregated from the 91,726 clusters. Table 1 shows that of the 114 domains, only 36 have been touched at all by Nobel prizes and have at least 0.333 points (i.e. Results In fact, there is only one case where the key Nobel paper has been the most-cited than anything else published within one year across science (the paper in Science on graphene [16]). A large share of the items that are more heavily cited than the respective key Nobel paper belong actu- ally in the same field as the Nobel paper. Some caution is needed because these are crude cita- tion counts and different fields and subfields have different citation densities. However, most Nobel papers come from fields with quite high citation densities. The full distribution of the more highly-cited per field is shown in the Supporting Information (S2 Table). PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 2 / 11 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields Fig 1. Location of papers in a map of science. (A) Map of science 91,726 clusters and associated large disciplines. The color legend is derived from the original construction of that map of science [15]). (B) The location of the key papers for Nobel prizes in Physics (purple), Chemistry (blue), and Physiology/Medicine (red) in 1995–2017. (C) The location of papers citing the key papers for Nobel prizes. Color legend as in panel B; grey color is used for areas that cite papers from two or more of three Nobel types. (D) The location of papers that have been more-cited than the respective Nobel key paper even though they were published within one calendar year of the Nobel key paper. Color legend as in panel A. (E) the location of the entire career-long publication record (40,819 papers) published by scientists awarded Nobel prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology/Medicine 1995–2017. Color legend as in panel A. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612.g001 Fig 1. Location of papers in a map of science. (A) Map of science 91,726 clusters and associated large disciplines. The color legend is derived from the original construction of that map of science [15]). (B) The location of the key papers for Nobel prizes in Physics (purple), Chemistry (blue), and Physiology/Medicine (red) in 1995–2017. (C) The location of papers citing the key papers for Nobel prizes. Color legend as in panel B; grey color is used for areas that cite papers from two or more of three Nobel types. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 The following 76 fields did not have any key paper of any Nobel prize in Medicine/Physiology, Chemistry, or Physics in 1995–2017: Lithography, Offshore Mechanics, Tobacco, Acoustic Engineering, Electronic Packaging, Mycology, Petroleum Engineering, Brazil & Latin America, Information Science, Blood Disorders, Forestry, Law, Tuberculosis, Alcohol, Machining & Tribology, Philosophy, Plasma Physics, Energy Usage, Veterinary Sciences, Music & Sound, Mining Chemistry, Transportation, Bone Research, Energy Production, Separation Science, Nuclear Science, Cryptography, Metabolism Science, Environmental Engineering, Virology, Anesthesiology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Endocrinology, Toxicology, Statistics, Emergency Medicine, Dermatology, Human Computing, Optical Materials, Archaeology, Pregnancy & Childbirth, Agricultural Policy, Urology, Composites, Nuclear Medicine, Ophthalmology, Planetary Science, Respiratory Diseases, Geological Engineering, Environmental Chemistry, Hematology, Civil Engineering, Liver Diseases, Operations Research, Dentistry, Power & Electricity, Microbiology, Brain/Vision & Hearing, Medicinal Chemistry, Oncology, Industrial Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Animal Science, Networks, Cardiology, Orthopedics, Medieval Studies, Patient Care & Health Practitioners, Learning, Economics & Finance, Management, Computer Vision & Imaging Computing, Marine Science, Geoscience, Plant Science, Psychiatry & Psychology, Governance https //doi org/10 1371/jo rnal pone 0234612 t001 Results representing one of three laureates awarded a prize in a single year); of those 36 domains only 20 have at least 1 full point. Five domains (particle physics [14%], cell biology [12.1%], atomic physics [10.9%], neuroscience [10.1%], molecular chemistry [5.3%]) have the lion’s share, accounting in total for 52.4% of the 69 Nobel prizes that we mapped, even though these 5 domains publish only 10.2% of all the Scopus-indexed papers. Using the DC3 classification [17], an intermediate level of aggregation that breaks science into 849 sub- domains, only 71 of these sub-domains (8.3%) are touched by at least one Nobel-related paper. Of the 114 DC2 domains, only 20,10, and 15 domains are ever represented in Chemistry, Physics, and Medicine/Physiology Nobel prizes, respectively. Of note, Chemistry Nobel prizes are more scattered across more domains, many of which may not be seen as typical core chem- istry areas (Table 1). The 76 domains that have not been touched by any Nobel prizes in 3 / 11 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields Table 1. The 36 domains that have been touched by at least 1 key paper from a Nobel prize. DC2 Domain Major field Papers in Scopus Nobel points Chemistry Physics Medicine 32 Particle Physics 6—Basic Physics 478415 9.667 9.667 7 Cell Biology 5—Biochemistry 1085864 8.333 2.000 6.333 25 Atomic Physics 8—Appl Physics 576205 7.500 2.500 5.000 8 Neuroscience 2—Medicine 952232 7.000 1.333 5.667 1 Molecular Chemistry 5—Biochemistry 1159261 3.667 3.667 19 Molecular Biochemistry 5—Biochemistry 743948 2.667 1.333 1.333 15 Semiconductor Physics 8—Appl Physics 789874 2.667 2.667 28 Magnetics 8—Appl Physics 573316 2.333 2.333 38 Optoelectronics & Photonics 8—Appl Physics 546614 2.333 2.000 0.333 64 Carbon Science 8—Appl Physics 293274 2.167 1.167 1.000 106 Medical Imaging 2—Medicine 90218 1.833 0.833 1.000 70 Reproductive Medicine 2—Medicine 240215 1.667 1.667 37 Gastrointestinal Science 2—Medicine 495843 1.333 0.333 1.000 79 Receptor & Channel Science 5—Biochemistry 227776 1.333 1.333 41 Nanochemistry 8—Appl Physics 454873 1.333 1.333 11 Immunology 2—Medicine 921957 1.333 1.333 102 Nonlinear Dynamics 7—Artif Intell 110760 1.000 1.000 10 Materials 9—Engineering 770157 1.000 1.000 80 Sleep 2—Medicine 230643 1.000 1.000 48 Astronomy & Astrophysics 6—Basic Physics 253024 0.833 0.833 23 Electrochemistry & Energy 8—Appl Physics 658303 0.833 0.833 20 Mathematics 7—Artif Intell 560776 0.833 0.500 0.333 110 Gasotransmitters 5—Biochemistry 64778 0.667 0.667 42 Tropical Disease & Parasites 3—Inf Disease 378898 0.667 0.667 31 Entomology 4—Sustainability 363741 0.667 0.667 63 AIDS 3—Inf Disease 284973 0.500 0.500 54 Climate Science 4—Sustainability 269801 0.500 0.500 49 Cancer in Women 2—Medicine 349174 0.500 0.500 21 Ecology 4—Sustainability 447972 0.500 0.500 91 Reconstructive Surgery 2—Medicine 156004 0.333 0.333 77 Analytical Chemistry 5—Biochemistry 217249 0.333 0.333 68 Pharmacology 5—Biochemistry 259001 0.333 0.333 52 Telecommunications 7—Artif Intell 348515 0.333 0.333 30 Wildlife Science 4—Sustainability 384807 0.333 0.333 18 Diabetes & Lifestyle/Prevention 2—Medicine 790664 0.333 0.333 16 Polymers 8—Appl Physics 657627 0.333 0.333 Table 1. The 36 domains that have been touched by at least 1 key paper from a Nobel prize. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 4 / 11 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields Chemistry, Physics or Medicine/Physiology appear in the footnote of Table 1 and data on their numbering/classification in DC2 and the number of papers in each appear in the Supporting Information (S3 Table). PLOS ONE One of the 76 is Economics and Finance, and certainly Nobel prizes in Economics (which we did not consider here) are likely to cluster in that domain. Some key papers of the same Nobel prize may also spill over in some additional fields. However, the majority of scientific fields seem to have been excluded by Nobel honors, even though in the- ory work done in these areas would be eligible for one or more of the three types of Nobel prizes that we analyzed. One may argue that a single paper may not suffice to represent the work underlying a Nobel prize and a different rule may have selected different papers as being the most important hallmark of some Nobel-honored work. However, typically all the major papers underlying the same work tend to locate very close to each other in the map of science. A different empiri- cal study [12] that tried to evaluate which authors are considered the ones deserving more credit in papers that led to Nobel recognitions selected papers with a different approach. Another group of scientists [13,14] used their own rules to arrive at a set of Nobel-related papers. These different selections largely pertain to the same domains as those papers that we selected. For example, 97 of the 144 papers that we selected overlap with the Li et al. selection [13,14] and the others are mostly in similar domains as those selected by Li et al. To take this a step further, we also identified all the 40,819 Scopus-indexed publications representing the career-long output of all the scientists awarded a Nobel prize in Physics, Chemistry, or Medi- cine/Physiology in 1995–2017. These 40,819 papers are mapped in Fig 1E and they still show strong clustering into the same, few scientific fields. Discussion This may reinforce a circle where privileged fields become even more privileged and achieve even more power and funds, rela- tive to other scientific fields that remain more neglected. A similar circle may be reinforced at the level of what work will get recognized by Nobel awards in the following years. One limitation of the present study is that it is sometimes difficult to identify a single paper that is clearly the epitome of the Nobel work. Other investigators [10] have used the same source of information as we did (information deposited in the Nobel official website) and tried to identify the most relevant papers for each laureate qualitatively by reading several papers that would have been candidates for selection. We preferred to use more objective bibliometric criteria of impact to select one paper for each laureate when there were several contesters, so as to avoid potential subjectivity. Regardless, the papers that we selected match substantially the corpus of papers selected by other authors [13,14]. Moreover, we also performed analyses focusing on the entire publication corpus of each laureate and this evaluation gave a similar overall picture, since most laureates (like most other scientists) largely focus their work in a particular single discipline. Moreover, we should acknowledge that some disciplines may indeed not be very relevant for the three Nobel awards that we examined. For example, most work in law, philosophy, and medieval studies may be far too remote from medicine, chemistry, or physics. For several other disciplines, their exact level of relevance to the three Nobel awards may also be contested. Therefore, we do not argue that papers across all disciplines should be equally represented in Nobel awards. Moreover, we avoid testing the observed distribution of the past awards across disciplines versus some preconceived “gold standard” of what that distribution should ideally look like. Nevertheless, a perusal of the list of disciplines that have no Nobel award shows many disciplines that clearly would be relevant to the three Nobel award areas. Even taking for granted that different disciplines unavoidably have different levels of rele- vance for Medicine/Physiology, Chemistry and Physics, the lack of representation of many fields in Nobel awards means that these fields never enjoy the prestige stemming from this most illustrious recognition. This may have implications for scientists and scientific communi- ties, creating perceptions of second-class citizenship. Discussion The present study shows that there is strong clustering of the work leading to Nobel awards in Medicine, Chemistry, and Physics. Five out of 114 fields of science (particle physics, atomic physics, cell biology, neuroscience, molecular chemistry) account for more than half of the awards. The majority of scientific fields were never honored with a Nobel prize in the exam- ined period (1995–2017). This observation remains true regardless of the level of granularity in defining scientific fields and disciplines. The current analysis also shows that almost always when a Nobel prize is awarded there are many other works that were published at the same time as the Nobel-honored work and that have been cited more extensively than the honored work. We should acknowledge, however, that citations do not cover the entire picture of potential impact. E.g., some work may lead to major advances but stop being cited because it helped the field move very far ahead. Con- versely, a field where little progress is made may continue citing the same reference papers, e.g. nutritional epidemiology receives very high numbers of citations despite having made very lit- tle uncontested progress. Moreover, highly cited papers may differ substantially in ingenuity, innovation and translational potential [18]. Of course, not all highly-cited papers have identi- cal value. Some types of articles and some books may attract a lot of citations, but there is no gold standard on measuring impact in ways that would be applicable to all science and would have high consensus across scientists doing different types of work (e.g. methods, discovery, applications, implementation). E.g. scientists may sometimes think more highly of the type of work that they do than other types of work. Previous work [19] suggests that the most influential papers are extremely concentrated in few journals, especially in fields with high citation density. Nobel prizes also tend to come from fields with quite high citation densities. Thus clustering operates at multiple levels, including discipline, journal, as well as institutions [10]. Moreover, Nobel-awarded work may 5 / 11 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields also influence future research, including allocation of funds and preferences of the most influ- ential multidisciplinary journals regarding what to publish. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 Discussion Uneven prestige may affect institutional decisions in universities and research institutes on what work to cherish and support. Funders may also be influenced in their decisions on what to include or prioritize in their funding agenda. Even the perceptions of lay people on what fields of science are valuable (or even on what science is really dealing with) may be grossly distorted. One solution to achieve more evenness might be to create additional awards that are equally prestigious and that cover other fields besides those already primarily honored. For example, the addition of the Nobel Memo- rial Prize in Economic Sciences represents such an expansion of field coverage. It needs to be better appreciated that the chances of a scientist getting a Nobel prize are markedly different depending on what field he/she works in, regardless of the excellence, rigor or quality of his/ her work. For example, 108,277 scientists have published at least 5 papers and focus primarily in Economics- and Business-related disciplines (Scopus data until end of 2017) [20], and there are 84 Nobel laureates in economics to-date. Thus, the odds of getting a Nobel prize is about 1 in 1,300 among economists. Conversely, there are over 3 million scientists working in medi- cine and life sciences and who have published at least 5 papers [20]. The average odds of get- ting a Nobel prize for them is miniscule compared with economists. Moreover, the odds of such a top recognition varies a lot for people working in different subdisciplines within bio- medicine. In some subdisciplines, the odds of a scientist getting a Nobel prize may be better than 1:1,000, while in other subdisciplines no scientist may ever be honored, even though many tens of thousands of scientists work diligently in that subdiscipline. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 6 / 11 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields It is unknown whether the clustering is driven by the nomination of candidates or by the selection of the winners among those who have been nominated, or both. One would need to assess whether strong clustering is already present among the group of nominees. Information on nominees is released however with a 50 years’ lag and thus the work of released nominees is largely outside the remit of the Scopus data. Discussion Acknowledging these caveats, the clustering of Nobel-honored work in a few, restricted parts of the map of science seems highly prominent. The phenomenon may have different explanations, and different investigators may disagree on whether this intense clustering is desirable or not. Scientists working in the privileged domains may consider this inequality-in- honors highly appropriate, while other “excluded” scientists may consider it grossly unfair. There is a risk that this inequality creates a culture of exclusivity with some scientists consid- ered second-class citizens simply because of the field in which they work or the type of research that they do. The clustering may reflect how different fields are perceived in general and/or by those scientists who nominate and award these prestigious prizes. A Matthew effect [21] may operate where the rich fields become richer, e.g. if the opinion of past awardees mat- ters a lot either directly through their recommendations or by creating a frame upon which the next years’ prizes will be placed in context. This Matthew effect of reinforced field-specificity may apply also to any prestigious award, besides the Nobel prize. Some critics even claim [22] that the notion of trying to identify and single out one to three people goes against the commu- nal spirit of science; for most major advances currently, there are important and distributed contributions across hundreds and thousands of researchers [23]. Fields that use more team science may thus be at a disadvantage and those where solitary investigators thrive may be at an advantage for a Nobel prize. Other investigators still propose that small teams are better suited for disruptive discoveries [24]. The large inequality in Nobel prize allocation across different domains of science may also resonate the debate about whether the relative extent to which scientific progress depends on bench science and reductionist discoveries, or more applied work, e.g. clinical or population research in the case of medicine [25,26]. Obviously, the Nobel prizes have focused to-date more on the former, with few prizes given for the latter (e.g. the work on H. pylori and peptic ulcer) [27]. Some may argue that we need to strengthen more bench discovery and this may create even greater concentration of honors to very few fields that are already privileged. Oth- ers may argue that we need to shift more attention to team work, since team work has become dominant in science [23]. Discussion Or to interdisciplinary work, data sciences, social determinants, applied clinical research, and other domains that may have even more translational value, but which have remained largely outside the remit of Nobel prizes [28,29]. We offer the data in this analysis as a stimulus for scientists in all fields, privileged or not, to ponder on these issues. Selection of key papers for Nobel laureates We focus on Nobel prizes starting in 1995, since earlier prizes are more likely to recognize work done a long time ago and very old papers may not be contained in the Scopus database or may be less relevant to place in the map of science that we used based on Scopus data. We refer to the Nobel website (https://www.nobelprize.org/) for more details on the process of receiving nominations for the Nobel prize and choosing laureates. We mapped the key Nobel prize-related publication of each laureate awarded the Nobel Prize between 1995 and 2017. We picked only a single paper per laureate, to avoid giving more weight to the work of some laureates over the others. Key papers (one per laureate) were iden- tified from the Advanced Background Material/Advanced Information section for each Nobel Prize, as listed the official website (https://www.nobelprize.org/). As a general rule, both cita- tion count and main authorship were considered in choosing a key paper for each author. Main authorship was defined as being listed as 1st or last author. Specifically, for each Nobel laureate, we selected the most highly cited paper listed in the advanced information and where the laureate was a main author. Citation searches in Google Scholar were conducted between May 25th and July 18th, 2018. If a laureate also appeared on papers co-authored with other lau- reates, main authorship was prioritized (i.e., the paper where the 1st laureate was 1st or last was retained) unless the other paper (i.e., where the 1st laureate was a not main author) had at least 3 times more citations. A few special cases occurred. For a few laureates, no papers including them as main authors were present in the Advanced Information. In these cases, we selected the most highly cited paper that was present in the Advanced Information and had the laureate in any authorship position (i.e., even if not main). Precedence was given to papers listed in the Advanced Infor- mation, so as to minimize the need to have to decide whether other, not listed, papers, were relevant to the Nobel prize. In two cases, authorship on the most highly cited paper in the Advanced Information was determined alphabetically; the papers in question was included even if the laureates were not main authors, as the practice appeared to be the custom of the research group laureates belonged to. Map of science based on Scopus data We used a previously developed comprehensive map of science which is based on the Scopus database [15]. The map consists of approximately 63 million documents through 2016 and was created in a multi-step process. The original map was created using 48 million documents through 2012 of which roughly half were Scopus indexed source documents from 1996–2012 and the other half were documents not indexed in Scopus but that were cited at least twice. 582 million direct citation links between the documents were used as the clustering input, and clustering was done using the smart local moving (SLM) modularity-based algorithm [30]. Clustering resulted in a four-level hierarchical solution with 91,726 clusters each containing at least 50 articles at the most granular (DC5, roughly 105 clusters) level, 10,058 clusters at the 7 / 11 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields DC4 (~104 clusters) level, 849 sub-disciplines at the DC3 (~103 clusters) level and 114 disci- plines at the DC2 (~102 clusters) level [17]. An additional 15 million papers through 2016 were later added to the existing clusters; each paper was added to the cluster to which it had the most reference links. Each paper resides in a cluster with other papers that either cite or are cited by them. y A visual map of the DC5 clusters (Fig 1A) was created using the following process: 1) simi- larity between pairs of clusters was calculated from the titles and abstracts of the documents in each topic using the BM25 text similarity measure [31], 2) the resulting similarity list was fil- tered to keep only the top-n (between 5 and 15) similarities per cluster, and 3) a layout of the clusters was generated using the DrL/OpenOrd algorithm [32], which gives each an x,y posi- tion based on the similarity graph. The DrL/OpenOrd algorithm is available at https://www. sandia.gov/smartin/software.html and is also available at https://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/ homepages/smartin/software.php. Clusters with similar content are adjacent in the map. Each cluster has been designated as belonging primarily to one of twelve high-level fields and is col- ored accordingly. Color designations were made by assigning papers to fields using the UCSD journal-to-field assignments [33]. Map of science based on Scopus data A visual map of the DC5 clusters (Fig 1A) was created using the following process: 1) simi- larity between pairs of clusters was calculated from the titles and abstracts of the documents in each topic using the BM25 text similarity measure [31], 2) the resulting similarity list was fil- tered to keep only the top-n (between 5 and 15) similarities per cluster, and 3) a layout of the clusters was generated using the DrL/OpenOrd algorithm [32], which gives each an x,y posi- tion based on the similarity graph. The DrL/OpenOrd algorithm is available at https://www. sandia.gov/smartin/software.html and is also available at https://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/ homepages/smartin/software.php. Clusters with similar content are adjacent in the map. Each cluster has been designated as belonging primarily to one of twelve high-level fields and is col- ored accordingly. Color designations were made by assigning papers to fields using the UCSD journal-to-field assignments [33]. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 Sensitivity analyses We performed similar analyses to understand the potential clustering, using the database of Nobel-related papers constructed by other authors [13,14]. We also mapped all 40,819 papers published by the Nobel laureates examined in this project. Selection of key papers for Nobel laureates Conversely, if papers present in the Advanced Informa- tion section including the laureate as main author had low citation counts compared to others in the section that did not list the laureate as main author, citation counts were prioritized over main authorship if the difference was large (i.e., three-fold or more). For the years where there 8 / 11 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields were very few papers listed in the Advanced Information section, where all had low citation counts or in which no Advanced Information document accompanied the Nobel Prize, prece- dence was given to the most highly-cited paper that seemed relevant for the prize. For the analyses pertaining to the DC2 and DC3 aggregations, we allocated 1 point to each Nobel prize each year, which means for example that if there were three laureates with three different papers, each paper gets 0.333 points. With 23 years and three prizes for each, a total of 69 points could be allocated. The analysis of citing papers considers all papers that cited the key Nobel papers and that had been indexed in Scopus as of May 2017. The same time stamp was used to search for papers and other published items (e.g. books) that had received more citations than each key Nobel paper even though they were published within one year of the respective key Nobel paper. Of course, competition for Nobel awards is not limited to single years (or three year windows), but the number of highly cited papers that are temporally congruent with each paper that led to an award places the citation impact of the honored work in better context, by adjusting for time since publication which is a key factor affecting citation counts. Supporting information Supporting information S1 Table. Selected key papers for Nobel prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine/Physi- ology, 1995–2017. (DOCX) S2 Table. Number of papers in different fields published within one year of each Nobel paper that are more cited than the Nobel paper. (XLSX) S3 Table. 76 scientific domains that have had no key papers for the three types of Nobel prizes. (DOCX) Acknowledgments We thank Albert-Laszlo Baraba´si for insightful comments. Author Contributions Conceptualization: John P. A. Ioannidis, Kevin W. Boyack. Data curation: Ioana-Alina Cristea, Kevin W. Boyack. Formal analysis: Kevin W. Boyack. Funding acquisition: Kevin W. Boyack. Investigation: John P. A. Ioannidis. Methodology: John P. A. Ioannidis, Ioana-Alina Cristea, Kevin W. Boyack. Project administration: John P. A. Ioannidis. S1 Table. Selected key papers for Nobel prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine/Physi- ology, 1995–2017. (DOCX) S1 Table. Selected key papers for Nobel prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine/Physi- ology, 1995–2017. (DOCX) S2 Table. Number of papers in different fields published within one year of each Nobel paper that are more cited than the Nobel paper. (XLSX) S3 Table. 76 scientific domains that have had no key papers for the three types of Nobel prizes. (DOCX) (XLSX) S3 Table. 76 scientific domains that have had no key papers for the three types of Nobel prizes. (DOCX) Acknowledgments We thank Albert-Laszlo Baraba´si for insightful comments. References 1. Mazloumian A., Eom Y.-H., Helbing D., Lozano S., & Fortunato S. (2011). How citation boosts promote scientific paradigm shifts and Nobel Prizes. PLoS ONE, 6, e18975. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0018975 PMID: 21573229 2. Heneberg P. Supposedly uncited articles of Nobel laureates and Fields medalists can be prevalently attributed to the errors of omission and commission. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 2013; 64:448–54. 3. Zhou ZW, Xing R, Liu J, Xing FY. Landmark papers written by the Nobelists in physics from 1901 to 2012: A bibliometric analysis of their citations and journals. Scientometrics 2014; 100(2):329–338. 4. Ye SQ, Xing R, Liu J, Xing FY. Bibliometric analysis of Nobelists’ awards and landmark papers in physi- ology or medicine during 1983–2012. Annals of Medicine 2013; 45(8):532–538. https://doi.org/10.3109/ 07853890.2013.850838 PMID: 24195599 5. Wagner CS, Horlings E, Whetsell TA, Mattsson P, Nordqvist K. Do Nobel laureates create prize-winning networks? An analysis of collaborative research in physiology or medicine. PLoS One 2015; 10(7): e0134164. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0134164 PMID: 26230622 6. Chan HF, Torgler B. Correspondence: Time-lapsed awards for excellence. Nature 2013; 500:29. 7. Chan HF, Torgler B. The implications of educational and methodological background for the career suc- cess of Nobel laureates: an investigation of major awards. Scientometrics 2015: 102(1):847–863. 8. Chan HF, Onder AS, Torgler B. Do Nobel laureates change their patterns of collaboration following prize reception? Scientometrics 2015; 105(3):2215–2235. 9. Chan HF, Onder AS, Torgler B. The first cut is the deepest: repeated interactions of coauthorship and academic productivity in Nobel laurate teams. Scientometrics 2015; 106(2):509–524. 10. Schlagberger EM, Bornmann L, Bauer J. At what institutions did Nobel laureates do their prize-winning work? An analysis of biographical information on Nobel laureates from 1994 to 2014. Scientometrics 2016; 109(2):723–767. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-2059-2 PMID: 27795592 11. Ma Y, Uzzi B. Scientific prize network predicts who pushes the boundaries of science. PNAS 2018; 115 (50):12608–12615. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1800485115 PMID: 30530666 12. Shen HW, Baraba´si AL. Collective credit allocation in science. PNAS 2014; 111(34):12325–30. https:// doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1401992111 PMID: 25114238 13. Li J, Yin Y, Fortunato S, Wang D. A dataset of publication records for Nobel laureates. Scientific Data 2019; 6:33. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-019-0033-6 PMID: 31000709 14. Li J, Yin Y, Fortunato S, Wang D. Nobel laureates are almost the same as us. Nature Rev Physics 2019; 1:301–303. 15. Klavans R, Boyack KW. Research portfolio analysis and topic prominence. Journal of Informetrics. 2017; 11(4):1158–1174. 16. Author Contributions Conceptualization: John P. A. Ioannidis, Kevin W. Boyack. Data curation: Ioana-Alina Cristea, Kevin W. Boyack. Formal analysis: Kevin W. Boyack. Funding acquisition: Kevin W. Boyack. Investigation: John P. A. Ioannidis. Methodology: John P. A. Ioannidis, Ioana-Alina Cristea, Kevin W. Boyack. Project administration: John P. A. Ioannidis. Project administration: John P. A. Ioannidis. Project administration: John P. A. Ioannidis. 9 / 11 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields Resources: Kevin W. Boyack. Software: Kevin W. Boyack. Supervision: John P. A. Ioannidis. Validation: Ioana-Alina Cristea. Visualization: Kevin W. Boyack. Writing – original draft: John P. A. Ioannidis. Writing – review & editing: Ioana-Alina Cristea, Kevin W. Boyack. Resources: Kevin W. Boyack. Software: Kevin W. Boyack. Supervision: John P. A. Ioannidis. Validation: Ioana-Alina Cristea. Visualization: Kevin W. Boyack. Writing – original draft: John P. A. Ioannidis Writing – review & editing: Ioana-Alina Crist Resources: Kevin W. Boyack. Software: Kevin W. Boyack. Supervision: John P. A. Ioannidis. Validation: Ioana-Alina Cristea. Validation: Ioana-Alina Cristea. Visualization: Kevin W. Boyack. Writing – original draft: John P. A. Ioannidis. References Novoselov KS, Geim AK, Morozov SV, Jiang D, Zhang Y, Dubonos SV, et al. Electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films. Science. 2004; 306(5696):666–9. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1102896 PMID: 15499015 17. Klavans R, Boyack KW. The research focus of nations: economic vs. altruistic motivations. PLoS One. 2017; 12(1):e0169383. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169383 PMID: 28056043 18. Ioannidis JP, Boyack KW, Small H, Sorensen AA, Klavans R. Bibliometrics: Is your most cited work your best? Nature. 2014; 514(7524):561–2. https://doi.org/10.1038/514561a PMID: 25355346 19. Ioannidis JP. Concentration of the most-cited papers in the scientific literature: analysis of journal eco- systems. PLoS One. 2006 Dec 20; 1:e5. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000005 PMID: 17183679 10 / 11 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 PLOS ONE Clustering of Nobel prizes to few fields 20. Ioannidis JPA, Baas J, Klavans R, Boyack KW. A standardized citation metrics author database anno- tated for scientific field. PLoS Biol. 2019; 17(8):e3000384. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000384 PMID: 31404057 21. Merton RK. The Matthew effect in science. Science 1968; 159:56–63 PMID: 5634379 22. Yong E. The absurdity of the Nobel prizes in science. The Atlantic, October 3, 2017. In: https://www. theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/10/the-absurdity-of-the-nobel-prizes-in-science/541863/, accessed May 3, 2019. 23. Wuchty S, Jones BF, Uzzi B. The increasing dominance of teams in production of knowledge. Science 2007; 316:1036–1039. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1136099 PMID: 17431139 24. Wu L, Wang D, Evans JA. Large teams develop and small teams disrupt science and technology. Nature. 2019; 566(7744):378–382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-0941-9 PMID: 30760923 25. Comroe JH Jr, Dripps RD. Scientific basis for the support of biomedical science. Science. 1976; 192 (4235):105–11. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.769161 PMID: 769161 26. Smith R. Comroe and Dripps revisited. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1987; 295(6610):1404–7. 27. Marshall BJ, Warren JR. Unidentified curved bacilli in the stomach of patients with gastritis and peptic ulceration. Lancet. 1984; 1(8390):1311–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(84)91816-6 PMID: 6145023 28. Szell M, Ma Y, Sinatra R. A Nobel opportunity for interdisciplinarity. Nature Physics 2018; 4:1075–1078. 28. Szell M, Ma Y, Sinatra R. A Nobel opportunity for interdisciplinarity. Nature Physics 2018; 4:1075–1078. 29. Adami HO. Epidemiology and the elusive Nobel prize. Epidemiology. 2009; 20(5):635–7. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181a99915 PMID: 19680034 29. Adami HO. Epidemiology and the elusive Nobel prize. Epidemiology. 2009; 20(5):635–7. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181a99915 PMID: 19680034 30. Waltman L, van Eck NJ. A smart local moving algorithm for large-scale modularity-based community detection. European Physical Journal B 2013; 86:471. 31. Sparck Jones K, Walker S, Robertson SE. A probabilistic model of information retrieval: Development and comparative experiments. Parts 1 and 2. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234612 July 29, 2020 References Information Processing & Management 2000; 36(6):779– 840. 32. Martin S, Brown WM, Klavans R, Boyack KW. OpenOrd: An open-source toolbox for large graph layout. Proceedings of SPIE—The International Society for Optical Engineering 2011; 7868:786806. 33. Bo¨rner K, Klavans R, Patek M, Zoss AM, Biberstine JR, Light RP, et al. Design and update of a classifi- cation system: The UCSD map of science. PLoS ONE 2012; 7(7):e39464. https://doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pone.0039464 PMID: 22808037 11 / 11
https://openalex.org/W4361849734
https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplementary_Figure_S5_from_RANK_Signaling_Blockade_Reduces_Breast_Cancer_Recurrence_by_Inducing_Tumor_Cell_Differentiation/22408442/1/files/39854315.pdf
Galician
null
Supplementary Figure S3 from RANK Signaling Blockade Reduces Breast Cancer Recurrence by Inducing Tumor Cell Differentiation
null
2,023
cc-by
354
Supplementary Figure S5 Supplementary Figure S5 0,00 0,02 0,04 0,06 0,08 0,10 0,12 sh5424 sh5425 sh5426 sh5427 sh5428 Tfap2b sh5427 sh5428 Tfap2b Rank pp y g A B pLKO pLKO-shRANK pSD69-Tfap2b pLKO-shTfap2b-5427 pLKO-shTfap2b-5428 non infected pSD69-Tfap2b plenti6-Tfap2b pSD69-Tfap2b pSD69-lacZ plenti6-lacZ plenti6-Tfap2b Tfap2b Beta actin 0,00 0,04 0,08 0,12 0,16 0,20 0 1 2 3 25 Tfap2b Beta actin shSCR shSCR pLKO pGIPz shSCR pLKO pGIPz sh698 sh699 sh700 sh701 sh702 Relative expression Relative expression Relative expression C shRANK-698 fold change -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 Tfap2b p21 Fbp1 Spdef Krt8 Tfap2c Krt14 Rspo1 Tfap2a Rank * * * * D 55 KDa 35 KDa 55 KDa 35 KDa shTfap2b shTfap2b shRank *** fold change * *** ** * Tfap2b Rank Tfap2a Tfap2c Spdef p21 Fbp Krt8 Rspo1 Krt14 -5 0 5 10 100 300 shTfap2b-5427 shTfap2a-5428 pSD69-Tfap2b plenti6-Tfap2b 0,00 0,02 0,04 0,06 0,08 0,10 0,12 sh5424 sh5425 sh5426 sh5427 sh5428 Tfap2b sh5427 sh5428 Tfap2b Rank A B pLKO pLKO-shRANK pSD69-Tfap2b pLKO-shTfap2b-5427 pLKO-shTfap2b-5428 non infected pSD69-Tfap2b plenti6-Tfap2b pSD69-Tfap2b pSD69-lacZ plenti6-lacZ plenti6-Tfap2b Tfap2b Beta actin 0,00 0,04 0,08 0,12 0,16 0,20 0 1 2 3 25 Tfap2b Beta actin shSCR shSCR pLKO pGIPz shSCR pLKO pGIPz sh698 sh699 sh700 sh701 sh702 Relative expression Relative expression Relative expression 55 KDa 35 KDa 55 KDa 35 KDa shTfap2b shTfap2b shRank 0,00 0,02 0,04 0,06 0,08 0,10 0,12 sh5424 sh5425 sh5426 sh5427 sh5428 Tfap2b sh5427 sh5428 Tfap2b Rank A pSD69-Tfap2b plenti6-Tfap2b 0,00 0,04 0,08 0,12 0,16 0,20 0 1 2 3 25 shSCR shSCR pLKO pGIPz shSCR pLKO pGIPz sh698 sh699 sh700 sh701 sh702 Relative expression Relative expression Relative expression shTfap2b shTfap2b shRank A shRank B pLKO pLKO-shRANK pSD69-Tfap2b pLKO-shTfap2b-5427 pLKO-shTfap2b-5428 non infected Tfap2b Beta actin 55 KDa 35 KDa B pSD69-Tfap2b pSD69-lacZ plenti6-lacZ plenti6-Tfap2b Tfap2b Beta actin 55 KDa 35 KDa C *** fold change * *** ** * Tfap2b Rank Tfap2a Tfap2c Spdef p21 Fbp Krt8 Rspo1 Krt14 -5 0 5 10 100 300 shTfap2b-5427 shTfap2a-5428 pSD69-Tfap2b plenti6-Tfap2b shRANK-698 fold change -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 Tfap2b p21 Fbp1 Spdef Krt8 Tfap2c Krt14 Rspo1 Tfap2a Rank * * * * D D C
https://openalex.org/W2083646959
https://www.scielo.br/j/pab/a/GF4sLPpj6prTYHZWmHh6LrP/?lang=pt&format=pdf
Portuguese
null
Produção e qualidade da videira 'Superior Seedless' sob restrição hídrica na fase de maturação
Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira
2,009
cc-by
7,463
Production and quality of 'Superior Seedless' grapes under irrigation restrictions during berry maturation Abstract – The objective this work was to evaluate the effect of water defi cit conditions, during the maturation phase of grapes, on the production and quality of the 'Superior Seedless', between July and November of 2007. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design, with four replicates, in a (3x3) + 1 factorial arrangement: three times of alteration of the irrigation depths (21, 13 e 5 days before harvest); three irrigation depths (100, 50 e 0% of crop evapotranspiration); and a control treatment, which was the producer’s irrigation management scheme. Irrigation timing and depth infl uenced berry fi rmness and titrable acidity. The management with cut-off irrigation depths at 13 or 21 days before harvesting and the control had the same yield, grape quality and water use effi ciency, and may be adopted to save water for irrigation in the São Francisco Valley region. Index terms: Vitis vinifera, water stress, grape quality, yield. alternativas que racionalizem o uso de água na irrigação, a fi m de aumentar a competitividade desta região em relação a outras tradicionalmente produtoras de uva. No Submédio do Vale do São Francisco, os viticultores não têm empregado padrões adequados de defi cit hídrico, na fase fi nal de maturação da uva de mesa. Estratégias de imposição do defi cit hídrico só devem ser adotadas se a economia de água não tiver impacto negativo na produtividade e na qualidade da uva (Netzer et al., 2009). Produção e qualidade da videira 'Superior Seedless' sob restrição hídrica na fase de maturação Lígia Borges Marinho(1), José Julio Vilar Rodrigues(1), José Monteiro Soares(2), Maria Auxiliadora Coelho de Lima(2), Magna Soelma Beserra de Moura(2), Elieth Oliveira Brandão(2), Thieres George Freire da Silva(3) e Marcelo Calgaro(2) (1)Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Departamento de Tecnologia Rural, CEP 52171-900 Recife, PE. E-mail: ligia.bmarinho@gmail.com, juba.vilar@oi.com.br (2)Embrapa Semiárido, Caixa Postal 23, CEP 56310-000 Petrolina, PE. E-mail: monteiro@cpatsa.embrapa.br, magna@cpatsa.embrapa.br, maclima@cpatsa.embrapa.br, elieth.brandao@cpatsa.embrapa.br, marcelo.calgaro@cpatsa.embrapa.br (3)Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Unidade Acadêmica de Serra Talhada, CEP 56900-000 Serra Talhada, PE. E-mail: thieres@uast.ufrpe.br Resumo – O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito das condições de defi cit hídrico, na fase de maturação da uva, sobre a produção e qualidade da uva 'Superior Seedless' entre julho e novembro de 2007. O experimento foi realizado em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições, em arranjo fatorial (3x3) + 1: três épocas de alteração da aplicação das lâminas de irrigação (21, 13 e 5 dias antes da colheita); três lâminas de irrigação (100, 50 e 0% da evapotranspiração da cultura); e um tratamento controle (manejo de irrigação adotado pelo produtor). As épocas de irrigação e as lâminas de irrigação utilizadas infl uenciaram a fi rmeza das bagas e a acidez titulável. A interrupção da irrigação, aos 13 ou 21 dias antes da colheita, resultou em produtividade, qualidade de frutos e efi ciência do uso da água semelhante às obtidas pelo produtor, assim, pode ser adotada para economia da água de irrigação na Região do Submédio do Vale do São Francisco. Termos para indexação: Vitis vinifera, estresse hídrico, qualidade da uva, rendimento. Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Index terms: Vitis vinifera, water stress, grape quality, yield. Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ 1683 Segundo Ávila Netto et al. (2000), a restrição hídrica durante as duas primeiras fases de crescimento das bagas pode reduzir o tamanho dos frutos e atrasar o seu amadurecimento. Serman et al. (2004), em experimento com a cultivar Apirênia Superior Seedless, irrigada sob diferentes percentagens da evapotranspiração, verifi caram diminuição do número de cachos comercializáveis, nos tratamentos com defi cit hídrico, apesar de não terem observado diferenças signifi cativas nos sólidos solúveis. No entanto, no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco, Bassoi et al. (1999) avaliaram a suspensão total da irrigação na cultivar Itália, num período de até 30 dias antes da colheita, e não constataram redução signifi cativa na qualidade ou na produtividade da uva. De acordo com Ferreyra et al. (2006), a aplicação de defi cit hídrico à cultivar Crimson Seedless proporcionou diferenças signifi cativas apenas quanto à produtividade, sobretudo a partir do segundo ciclo de cultivo, possivelmente em razão dos efeitos cumulativos dos diferentes anos de restrição de irrigação. três épocas (E) de alteração da aplicação de diferentes lâminas de irrigação, em relação à colheita – 21 (E21), 13 (E13) e 5 (E5) dias antes da colheita (DAC) –; três lâminas de irrigação (L) – 100% (L100), 50% (L50) e 0% (L0) da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc) –; mais um tratamento controle, correspondente ao manejo adotado pelo produtor (LP), com irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (L95–E01); quando foi totalmente suspensa. q p No talhão selecionado, foi escolhida uma área de 2.240 m2 (28 x 80 m), constituída por oito fi leiras com 40 plantas cada, no total de 320 plantas, onde foram distribuídos os blocos. Em cada bloco, havia quatro linhas com seis plantas por tratamento, em que foram consideradas as quatro plantas centrais como unidades experimentais, no total de 160 plantas úteis. As lâminas de irrigação, até os 21 DAC, foram quantifi cadas pelo produtor com base em dados de evapotranspiração de referência (ETo), provenientes de uma estação meteorológica automática situada a aproximadamente 2 km da área experimental, e com base nos dados do coefi ciente de cultura (Kc) defi nidos para a fase de maturação (0,8 para o período entre 85 e 92 dias após a poda – DAP –; 0,6, entre 93 e 100 DAP; e 0,4 entre 101 e 104 DAP) conforme Soares & Costa (2000). Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ Para estimar a Eto, foi utilizada a equação de Penman-Montheith parametrizada pela FAO (Allen et al., 1998). O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da irrigação defi citária no período de maturação sobre a produção e a qualidade da cultivar de uva de mesa Superior Seedless, no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco. Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Introdução alternativas que racionalizem o uso de água na irrigação, a fi m de aumentar a competitividade desta região em relação a outras tradicionalmente produtoras de uva. A 'Superior Seedless', também conhecida por 'Sugraone' (Vitis vinifera L.), é a principal cultivar de uva sem sementes produzida no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco (Grangeiro et al., 2002). Nas condições desta região vinícola, com clima semiárido, o uso de irrigação é indispensável. No Submédio do Vale do São Francisco, os viticultores não têm empregado padrões adequados de defi cit hídrico, na fase fi nal de maturação da uva de mesa. Estratégias de imposição do defi cit hídrico só devem ser adotadas se a economia de água não tiver impacto negativo na produtividade e na qualidade da uva (Netzer et al., 2009). Em razão da escassez dos recursos hídricos e do alto custo dos insumos, cada vez mais, têm-se buscado Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ Material e Métodos O índice de fertilidade real de gemas foi obtido pela divisão do número total de cachos pelo número total de gemas (varas e esporões), conforme Leão & Silva (2003). Esta avaliação foi realizada em 16 plantas por tratamento, antes da desbrota dos ramos. Por meio da relação entre a quantidade total de uva produzida e a lâmina de água aplicada, acumulada entre a poda e a colheita, calculou-se a efi ciência de uso da água (EUA) (Doorenbos & Kassam, 1994). Aos 2, 5, 9 e 14 DAC, foram feitas amostragens de seis bagas por cacho, de cada parcela experimental. Após a coleta, as amostras foram armazenadas em isopor com gelo e transportadas para o Laboratório de Pós-Colheita da Embrapa Semiárido, em Petrolina, PE, onde foram realizadas as seguintes análises químicas: teor de sólidos solúveis (SS), por meio de refratômetro digital (Hanna, Modelo – HI – 96801, Milliminas Limitada, Belo Horizonte, Brasil); ácidez titulável (AT), por meio da titulação da polpa das bagas com NaOH 0,1N, expresso em gramas de ácido tartárico por 100 mL de suco, conforme Pregnolatto & Pregnolatto (1985); relação SS/AT. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância, para se determinar a interação entre os fatores e comparar as médias conforme Yassin et al. (2002). As médias dos tratamentos foram comparadas pelo teste de Duncan, a 5% de probabilidade. Por meio de teste F (p<0,05), obteve-se a signifi cância do contraste, pela comparação da média dos tratamentos do fatorial com o controle e, quando signifi cativas, foram comparadas as médias do tratamento adicional às médias dos fatoriais, pelo teste de Dunnett, a 5% de probabilidade. Utilizou-se o programa SAS versão 9.0 for Windows (SAS Institute, 2002). Logo após a colheita da uva, no dia 24/10/2007 (aos 105 DAP), em conformidade com a programação da fazenda, quantifi cou-se: o diâmetro de baga, com paquímetro digital (Stainless Hardened, VTC, Ribeirão Preto, Brasil), em oito cachos por tratamento e três bagas por cacho (uma baga localizada no ápice, uma no meio e outra na extremidade inferior do cacho), no total de 240 amostragens; o peso médio de cachos (em g), por meio de balança digital (capacidade de 6.100 g, sensibilidade de 0,1 g, Marte, Brasil); o número total de cachos por planta; o peso total de cachos por planta (em kg); e a produtividade (Mg ha-1). Material e Métodos O sistema de irrigação utilizado foi o gotejamento, com uma linha lateral por fi leira de plantas, e emissores autocompensantes espaçados em 30 cm. A frequência de irrigação foi diária, exceto aos domingos. Realizou-se a avaliação do coefi ciente de uniformidade de distribuição de água, conforme Karmeli & Keller (1975), com valor médio de 94,4%, e vazão média de 2,89 L por hora. Diariamente, realizou-se o monitoramento do potencial mátrico do solo, por meio de tensiômetros instalados a 20 e 40 cm de profundidade. A partir da curva de retenção da água no solo (Marinho, 2008), os valores em umidade volumétrica (θ) foram convertidos em base de cm3 cm-3. O experimento foi realizado na Fazenda Agrobrás Tropical do Brasil S/A, no Município de Casa Nova, BA (9o19'36"S, 40o47'53"W e a 399 m de altitude), na região semiárida do Submédio do Vale do São Francisco, de julho a novembro de 2007. O clima local é do tipo BSwh, segundo Köppen, com estação chuvosa limitada aos meses de janeiro a abril, e precipitações escassas de distribuição irregular, com média anual em torno de 400 mm (Hargreaves, 1974; Reedy & Amorim Neto, 1993). O solo da área experimental é classifi cado como Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo (Embrapa Semiárido, 2007). A poda, realizada no dia 11/7/2007, foi do tipo mista com varas e esporões. Foram mantidas as varas que tinham de 10 a 16 gemas e os esporões com duas ou três gemas. Logo após a poda, os ramos foram pulverizados com calcianamina hidrogenada (Dormex, formulada pela Basf, fabricada pela AlzChem Trostberg GmbH, Trostberg, Alemanha), à concentração 5% v/v Utilizou-se a cultivar Superior Seedless (Vitis vinifera L.), enxertada sobre a cultivar SO4, com quatro anos de idade e segundo ciclo de produção, cultivada no espaçamento de 3,5 m x 2,0 m e conduzida no sistema de latada. O delineamento experimental foi blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições, em arranjo fatorial (3x3) + 1: Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 1684 L.B. Marinho et al. cinco bagas cada quanto à fi rmeza da polpa, sólidos solúveis, acidez titulável e relação SS/AT. A fi rmeza da polpa da baga foi determinada com um penetrômetro (TR, Modelo – FT 327, Gold Lab, Ribeirão Preto, Brasil). para quebra de dormência das gemas e uniformização da brotação. Material e Métodos Nesse momento, também foram separados quatro cachos representativos de cada parcela, tendo-se utilizado 16 plantas por tratamento, dos quais foram avaliadas Resultados e Discussão (2000) (333,6 mm), em estudo no Submédio do São Francisco, com a cultivar Itália, sob regime de defi cit hídrico. No Chile, Ferreyra et al. (2006) obtiveram lâmina média aplicada de 376,90 mm para videiras 'Crimson Seedless' irrigadas com 50% da ETc, durante todo o ciclo produtivo. Lâminas maiores (entre 649 e 1.060 mm por ano) foram determinadas para a videira 'Superior Seedless', por Serman et al. (2004), que trabalharam com a aplicação de defi cit hídrico com base na ETc, na Argentina. Entretanto, vale salientar que o ciclo da cultura tem maior duração na Argentina e no Chile do que no Brasil, em razão das diferentes condições climáticas. Seedless, por Leão & Silva (2003). Essa superioridade, possivelmente, é resultante de que, no presente trabalho, as podas foram mais longas e, consequentemente, analisaram-se até 16 gemas nas varas. Não houve diferença signifi cativa para os sólidos solúveis (SS), em função das épocas de alteração da irrigação em relação à colheita e das lâminas, nas datas amostradas, ou das diferenças das médias dos fatoriais comparadas ao tratamento controle (LP) (Tabela 3). Porém, ao se considerarem as datas de amostragem (Tabela 4), houve aumento progressivo de SS, que alcançou os maiores valores aos 2 e 5 DAC, e os menores aos 9 e 14 DAC. Estes resultados indicam que esse incremento de SS pode ser atribuído à modifi cação metabólica na translocação do açúcar, que foi acumulado nas bagas, na fase de maturação. Os sólidos solúveis tendem a aumentar acentuadamente com o crescimento da baga até alcançar um ponto de equilíbrio, com valores que dependem da cultivar, tamanho da baga, produção por planta e das condições climáticas durante a maturação da baga. O teor de sólidos solúveis tende a aumentar com a maturação da baga, em consequência da degradação dos polissacarídeos (Chitarra & Chitarra, 1990), e do conteúdo de água no solo. O conteúdo de água no solo, durante o ciclo produtivo da videira 'Superior Seedless', está apresentado na Figura 1. Até 84 DAP, a umidade volumétrica θ (cm3 cm-3) variou pouco na camada do solo de 0 a 20 cm de profundidade, com valores médios de 0,244 cm3 cm-3. Contudo, depois dos 89 DAP, o tratamento E21–L0 teve conteúdo de água no solo de 0,129 cm3 cm-3, próximo ao ponto de murcha (0,117 cm3 cm-3) e, nos demais tratamentos, os valores de θ foram superiores a 0,150 cm3 cm-3. Resultados e Discussão Durante o período experimental, a temperatura média do ar oscilou em torno de 25,3±1,57oC, com umidade relativa média de 56,5±6,62%, e com evapotranspiração de referência média de 5,37±0,88 mm por dia. As lâminas aplicadas, acumuladas na fase de maturação e no ciclo produtivo da uva 'Superior Seedless', e o defi cit de irrigação, em relação ao tratamento LP, podem ser observadas na Tabela 1. A diminuição de aplicação de água, na fase de maturação da uva nas E21–L0, E21–L50 e E13–L0, em Tabela 1. Lâminas acumuladas de irrigação, durante a fase de maturação e o ciclo produtivo completo da cultivar de videira Superior Seedless. (1)E, época de alteração da lâmina de irrigação, em relação à colheita: E5, 5 dias; E13, 13 dias e E21, 21 dias antes da colheita; L, lâminas de irrigação aplicadas: L0, L50 e L100, lâminas de 0, 50 e 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc), respectivamente; LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). adas de irrigação, durante a fase de maturação e o ciclo produtivo completo da cultivar de videira acumuladas de irrigação, durante a fase de maturação e o ciclo produtivo completo da cultivar de videira Tabela 1. Lâminas acumuladas de irrigação, durante a fase de maturação e o ciclo produtivo completo da Superior Seedless a 1. Lâminas acumuladas de irrigação, durante a fase de maturação e o ciclo produtivo completo da cultiv i S dl (1)E, época de alteração da lâmina de irrigação, em relação à colheita: E5, 5 dias; E13, 13 dias e E21, 21 dias antes da colheita; L, lâminas de irrigação aplicadas: L0, L50 e L100, lâminas de 0, 50 e 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc), respectivamente; LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ 1685 relação ao tratamento controle (LP), ocasionou defi cit de irrigação, respectivamente, de 19,5, 8,9 e 8,7%, que resultou na economia de água de 53,4, 24,1 e 23,50 mm. Esta economia é representativa sob o ponto de vista econômico. As lâminas aplicadas durante todo o ciclo produtivo da videira variaram de 334,14 a 399,36 mm e foram semelhantes às encontradas por Ávila Netto et al. Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Resultados e Discussão Esses resultados indicam que após o começo da alteração de aplicação das lâminas, as plantas estavam expostas à umidade do solo inferior à capacidade de campo (CC), como era previsto. Nos tratamentos E21–L0 e E5–L100, a umidade do solo variou entre 44,6 e 80,15% da CC e entre 55,8 a 87,3% da CC, respectivamente. Aos 93 DAP, o tratamento E13–L0 registrou o mínimo de água no solo. Valores semelhantes de umidade do solo (entre 59 e 83% CC) foram observados em tratamento com lâmina calculada a 50% da Etc, por Ferreyra et al. (2006), que trabalharam com uva 'Crimson Seedless', em parreiral espanhol. Na L0, houve diferenças signifi cativas em acidez titulável (AT) (Tabela 3) apenas na amostragem aos 2 DAC na E21, em comparação com a E13 e E5; ao se considerarem as épocas de diferenciação, observou-se que a lâmina L50 apresentou maior acidez titulável na E5, em comparação L0 e L100. Valores de acidez titulável altos são benéfi cos sob o ponto de vista microbiológico, pois inibem o crescimento de patógenos nocivos à saúde humana, sem comprometer a qualidade sensorial do produto (Mattiuz et al., 2004). Os resultados do presente trabalho estão de acordo com essa afi rmação para os parâmetros produtivos, em que o tratamento E5 mostrou-se infl uenciado pelas alterações da irrigação. Com isso, entende-se que ao ocorrer defi cit de irrigação antes dessa época, a planta se ajusta e não permite reduções signifi cativas dos seus atributos produtivos e de AT e SS/AT, antes da colheita, e a alteração da irrigação às épocas E13 e E21 pode, então, ser adotada com vistas à economia de água. Não houve diferenças signifi cativas entre os fatoriais nos índices de fertilidade real de gemas (Tabela 2); entretanto, observou-se diferença entre as médias dos fatoriais e o tratamento controle (LP), pelo teste F. Os valores de fertilidade de gema de todos os tratamentos foram 10% superiores àqueles obtidos para a cultivar Superior Analisando-se os valores médios de AT, em relação às datas de amostragem (Tabela 4), verifi ca-se que são inversos aos de SS, pois são inicialmente altos, diminuem aproximadamente 20% a cada dia com a evolução da maturação e atingem valores máximos e mínimos aos 14 e 2 DAC. A redução da AT pode estar Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 L.B. Marinho et al. L.B. Marinho et al. Resultados e Discussão 1686 relacionada ao fato de os ácidos tartárico e málico serem sintetizados pelas folhas e pelas bagas verdes que, no início da maturação apresentam elevado teor de AT. Com a evolução da maturação, a demanda por energia aumenta e, muitas vezes, os ácidos são utilizados como fonte de energia na respiração celular. Além disso, fatores como a diluição dos ácidos orgânicos em consequência do aumento do tamanho da baga, Figura 1. Umidade do solo na camada de 20 cm, em função das épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita e das lâminas de irrigação. LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc), até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). E, épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação, em relação à colheita: E21, 21 dias, E13, 13 dias e E5, 5 dias antes da colheita. L, lâminas de irrigação aplicadas: L100, L50, e L0, lâminas a 100, 50 e 0% da Etc, respectivamente; CC: capacidade de campo; PMP, ponto de murcha permanente. ç ç , p g q g , Figura 1. Umidade do solo na camada de 20 cm, em função das épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita e das lâminas de irrigação. LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc), até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). E, épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação, em relação à colheita: E21, 21 dias, E13, 13 dias e E5, 5 dias antes da colheita. L, lâminas de irrigação aplicadas: L100, L50, e L0, lâminas a 100, 50 e 0% da Etc, respectivamente; CC: capacidade de campo; PMP, ponto de murcha permanente. Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ 1687 teste F, dois dias antes da colheita (Tabela 3). Ao se considerarem as datas de amostragem, percebe-se que a relação SS/AT teve semelhança com a evolução do teor de SS, com baixos valores no início da maturação e aumento progressivo até o período próximo à colheita. Resultados semelhantes da evolução de SS/AT foram encontrados por Sato et al. (2009), em estudo sobre a evolução da maturação e as características físico-químicas da uva 'Isabel' sobre diferentes porta-enxertos, na região norte do Paraná. Resultados e Discussão a migração de bases e a consequente salifi cação dos ácidos orgânicos também contribuem para a redução no teor de AT (Rizzon et al., 2000). Os valores de SS/AT não apresentaram diferenças signifi cativas, em função das épocas de alteração da irrigação e lâminas. Entretanto, observou-se diferença entre as médias e o tratamento controle (LP), pelo Tabela 2. Fertilidade de gemas da cultivar de videira Superior Seedless, em função das épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita e das lâminas de irrigação(1). Para diâmetro de baga, peso médio, número médio de cachos e peso total de cachos por planta e produtividade, não houve diferença signifi cativa, pelo teste F, entre os tratamentos e o tratamento controle (LP). O uso de diferentes épocas e lâminas poderá ser adotado pelo produtor, sem efeitos negativos no manejo da irrigação, sempre com vistas à economia de água. Assim, para estes atributos de produção, foram comparadas apenas as médias dos tratamentos (Tabela 5). O diâmetro das bagas e o peso médio do cacho por planta não diferiram signifi cativamente, a 5% de probabilidade, em função das épocas, lâminas e interação entre os fatores. Todos os valores obtidos de diâmetro de bagas e peso médio de cacho por planta foram superiores ao padrão g ç (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, maiúsculas nas colunas e minúsculas nas linhas, não diferem entre si pelo teste de Ducan, a 5% de probabilidade. **Média do tratamento LP em relação à média dos tratamentos signifi cativa, pelo teste F, a 1% de probabilidade. (2)Épocas de alteração da lâmina de irrigação em relação à colheita: E5, 5 dias; E13, 13 dias e E21, 21dias antes da colheita. (3)L0, L50 e L100, lâminas de irrigação a 0, 50 e 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc), respectivamente; LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, maiúsculas nas colunas e minúsculas nas linhas, não diferem entre si pelo teste de Ducan, a 5% de probabilidade. **Média do tratamento LP em relação à média dos tratamentos signifi cativa, pelo teste F, a 1% de probabilidade. (2)Épocas de alteração da lâmina de irrigação em relação à colheita: E5, 5 dias; E13, 13 dias e E21, 21dias antes da colheita. Resultados e Discussão Segundo Ferreyra et al. (2006), é importante detectar um período em que o defi cit de irrigação é moderado, pois se sabe que a falta de água, durante o crescimento da uva mesa, limita a produção e a qualidade da fruta, particularmente se o defi cit hídrico se iniciar entre a fl oração e a pinta. mínimo, exigido pelo mercado externo para uva sem semente, que é de 19 mm e de 250 g (Brazilian Grapes Marketing Association, 1999). Resultados semelhantes de peso médio de cacho de uva 'Superior Seedless' variaram de 370 a 490 g, em regime de defi cit hídrico aplicado ao longo do ciclo fenológico, na Argentina Tabela 4. Sólidos solúveis (SS, oBrix), acidez titulável (AT, g ácido tartárico por 100 mL de suco) e relação SS/AT da cultivar de videira Superior Seedless, aos 14, 9, 5 e 2 dias antes da colheita(1). (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, nas colunas não diferem entre si pelo teste de Duncan, a 5% de probabilidade. Tabela 4. Sólidos solúveis (SS, oBrix), acidez titulável (AT, g ácido tartárico por 100 mL de suco) e relação SS/AT da cultivar de videira Superior Seedless, aos 14, 9, 5 e 2 dias antes da colheita(1). ç p Houve interação entre as épocas e lâminas quanto ao número médio de cachos e peso total de cachos por planta, produtividade e efi ciência de uso de água (Tabela 5). Verifi ca-se que, apenas para a época E5, a lâmina L100 apresentou maior número de cachos e peso total de cachos por planta que a L0, não tendo diferido da lâmina L50. Nas demais épocas (E13 e E21), não houve diferença estatística para o número médio de cachos e peso total de cachos por planta, tendo-se obtido uma economia de água de 53,38 mm, quando a irrigação foi suspensa 21 dias antes da colheita. Todavia, as diferenças estatísticas do presente trabalho devem-se também ao raleio das bagas das uvas – efetuado de maneira irregular entre as plantas no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco –, visto que não houve diferença estatística na fertilidade de gemas (Tabela 2), nem no peso médio de cachos por planta, pois, na fase de maturação, o número de cachos não se altera mais. Resultados e Discussão (3)L0, L50 e L100, lâminas de irrigação a 0, 50 e 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc), respectivamente; LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). Tabela 3. Evolução de sólidos solúveis (SS, oBrix), acidez titulável (AT, g de ácido tartárico por 100 mL de suco) e relação SS/AT, da cultivar de videira Superior Seedless, em função das épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita e das lâminas de irrigação, aos 14, 9, 5 e 2 dias antes da colheita(1). SS/AT, da cultivar de videira Superior Seedless, em função das épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita e das lâminas de irrigação, aos 14, 9, 5 e 2 dias antes da colheita(1). (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, maiúsculas nas colunas e minúsculas nas linhas, não diferem entre si pelo teste de Ducan, a 5% de probabilidade. ns e **Média do tratamento LP em relação à média dos tratamentos não signifi cativa e signifi cativa, respectivamente, pelo teste F, a 1% de probabilidade. (2)Épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita: E5, 5 dias; E13, 13 dias e E21, 21dias antes da colheita; (3)L0, L50 e L100, lâminas de irrigação a 0, 50 e 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc), respectivamente; LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, maiúsculas nas colunas e minúsculas nas linhas, não diferem entre si pelo teste de Ducan, a 5% de probabilidade. ns e **Média do tratamento LP em relação à média dos tratamentos não signifi cativa e signifi cativa, respectivamente, pelo teste F, a 1% de probabilidade. (2)Épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita: E5, 5 dias; E13, 13 dias e E21, 21dias antes da colheita; (3)L0, L50 e L100, lâminas de irrigação a 0, 50 e 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc), respectivamente; LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 1688 L.B. Marinho et al. (Serman et al., 2004). O diâmetro de baga e o peso de cacho por planta, na fase de maturação da uva, mostraram-se pouco sensíveis ao defi cit hídrico que pode ser adotado em estratégias de economia de água. (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, maiúsculas nas colunas e minúsculas nas linhas, não diferem entre si pelo teste de Ducan, 5% de probalidade. nsMédia do tratamento LP em relação à média dos tratamentos, não signifi cativa pelo teste F, a 1% de probabilidade. (2)Épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita: E5, 5 dias; E13, 13 dias e E21, 21dias antes da colheita; (3)L0, L50 e L100, lâminas de irrigação a 0, 50 e 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc), respectivamente; LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Resultados e Discussão Menores valores de número de cachos e peso total de cachos da cultivar Itália, para os tratamentos que obtiveram a irrigação suspensa aos 16 DAC e infl uência do raleio das bagas nestes parâmetros, foram observadas por Bassoi et al. (1999), no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco. O número médio de cachos obtido por planta não apresentou diferenças signifi cativas nos tratamentos com defi cits hídricos, nas diferentes fases de cultivo, em comparação ao tratamento com irrigação plena, em videira 'Sultanina', no Sul da África (Myburgh, 2003), provavelmente por não se realizar o raleio de bagas nessa região. (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, nas colunas não diferem entre si pelo teste de Duncan, a 5% de probabilidade. (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, nas colunas não diferem entre si pelo teste de Duncan, a 5% de probabilidade. Tabela 5. Número de cachos por planta, peso total de cachos por planta, produtividade e efi ciência de uso de água da cultivar de videira Superior Seedless, em função das épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita e das lâminas de irrigação(1). Ao se considerarem as lâminas de irrigação, observa-se que apenas a época E5 apresentou diferenças signifi cativas quanto à produtividade (Tabela 5). Quando aplicada a lâmina L100, as videiras apresentaram, estatisticamente, maior valor (34,9 Mg ha-1) que L0. Valores de produtividade semelhantes foram observados por Serman et al. (2004), em estudo realizado para avaliar o efeito do Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ 1689 defi cit hídrico na 'Superior Seedless', em que obtiveram produtividade entre 20,53 e 25,21 Mg ha-1. entre as diferentes lâminas nas épocas E13 e E5. Esta resposta é altamente desejável pois a fi rmeza ou turgidez da baga é um atributo físico bastante importante para avaliar a qualidade da uva na pós-colheita, por permitir maior resistência ao transporte e conservação em câmara fria. As diferenças de produtividade também estão relacionadas ao número de cachos por planta e, consequentemente, ao peso total de cachos por planta. Essas respostas, de alguma maneira, podem ter sido ocasionadas pelo raleio das bagas e pelo manejo da videira, realizado no ano anterior, uma vez que a alteração das lâminas de irrigação ocorreu apenas na fase de maturação da uva. Resultados e Discussão Porém, a falta de diferenças signifi cativas de produtividade, para as épocas E13 e E21, pode ser resultado da regulação da perda de água por transpiração, principalmente nas horas de maior demanda, conforme Ferreyra et al. (2006). Isto pode levar mais de cinco dias para acontecer e, por isso, as plantas que tiveram 13 e 21 dias conseguiram evitar perdas evapotranspirométricas e não tiveram perdas signifi cativas de produtividade. Segundo Bidin et al. (2005), as plantas sujeitas a defi cit de água no solo, em comparação às plantas sob irrigação plena, realizaram ajustes na taxa de transpiração para minimizar as respostas ao estresse, tendo-se verifi cado um decréscimo na taxa de transpiração 14 dias após o início do experimento. Pode-se observar que, para a época E5, a lâmina L100 apresentou os maiores valores de efi ciência de uso de água (EUA), e que a lâmina L50 igualou-se estatisticamente à L0, com os menores valores (Tabela 5). Para a lâmina L0, a época E21 teve as melhores médias de EUA, tendo diferido de E5 e E13. Vale salientar que estes valores foram obtidos considerando-se apenas uma safra por ano. Os valores de EUA, obtidos neste trabalho, são superiores aos encontrados por Serman et al. (2004), que trabalharam com diferentes lâminas de irrigação na videira 'Superior Seedless' e obtiveram valores de EUA entre 2,62 a 3,16 kg m-3, todavia, na região de estudos desses autores, a duração do ciclo fenológico é maior que no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco. Não houve diferença estatística no teor de SS, na pós-colheita em função das épocas e lâminas de irrigação, nem entre as médias dos tratamentos e o tratamento LP (Tabela 6), o que pode indicar uma das estratégias de manejo a ser adotada pelo produtor para economizar água, sem impactos negativos nos SS. Resultados semelhantes foram encontrados por Shellie et al. (2006), em dois anos de produção (2003 e 2004). Entretanto, estes autores observaram, no ano de 2002, no sudeste de Idaho, que as concentrações de SS foram levemente maiores nas plantas sob irrigação com 35 ou 35–70% da ETc (iniciada com a frutifi cação até duas semanas depois da colheita). No presente trabalho, os valores médios de SS oscilaram entre 15,2oBrix e 16,8oBrix. Estes resultados foram semelhantes ao valor Tabela 6. Resultados e Discussão Atributos físico-químicos da cultivar de videira Superior Seedless, na pós-colheita, em função das épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita e das lâminas de irrigação(1). das â as de gação . (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, maiúsculas nas colunas e minúsculas nas linhas, não diferem entre si pelo teste de Ducan, a 5% de probalidade. nsMédia do tratamento LP em relação à média dos tratamentos não signifi cativa pelo teste F, a 1% de probabilidade (2)Épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita: E5, 5 dias; E13, 13 dias e E21, 21dias antes da colheita. (3)L0, L50 e L100, lâminas de irrigação a 0, 50 e 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc); LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). Os resultados dos atributos de qualidade da uva, obtidos na pós-colheita, podem ser observados na Tabela 6. Houve diferença estatística, pelo teste Duncan (p<0,05), quanto à fi rmeza da baga da uva pós-colheita, em função da época e das lâminas, o que não foi observado entre as médias dos tratamentos e o tratamento LP. Ao se considerar a época de alteração, nota-se que houve diferença de fi rmeza apenas quando utilizada a lâmina L0, tendo-se alcançado os melhores resultados na E21. Não houve diferença signifi cativa (1)Médias seguidas de letras iguais, maiúsculas nas colunas e minúsculas nas linhas, não diferem entre si pelo teste de Ducan, a 5% de probalidade. nsMédia do tratamento LP em relação à média dos tratamentos não signifi cativa pelo teste F, a 1% de probabilidade (2)Épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação em relação à colheita: E5, 5 dias; E13, 13 dias e E21, 21dias antes da colheita. (3)L0, L50 e L100, lâminas de irrigação a 0, 50 e 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (Etc); LP, lâmina do produtor: irrigação com cerca de 95% da Etc, até um dia antes da colheita (E1–L95). Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 1690 L.B. Marinho et al. 'Superior Seedless', apenas aos cinco dias antes da colheita. encontrado (17,3oBrix) por Grangeiro et al. (2002), que trabalharam com a cultivar Superior Seedless no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco, sem condição de supressão da irrigação. Referências ALLEN, R.G.; PEREIRA, L.S.; RAES, D.; SMITH, M. Crop evapotranspiration: guidelines for computing crop water requirements. Rome: FAO, 1998. 310p. (Irrigation and drainage paper, 56). Para a relação SS/AT, na pós-colheita, constatou- se que houve diferença estatística apenas para L50, com os maiores valores na E13 e E21 (Tabela 6). Entretanto, todas as médias dos tratamentos e do tratamento LP apresentaram valores acima de 20:1, limite desejável para a exportação (Beinroth, 1993; Choudhury, 2000). Sabe-se que a relação SS/AT é um importante atributo qualitativo, por indicar o sabor do produto, o qual é resultado da contribuição dos componentes responsáveis pela acidez e doçura (Mattiuz, 2002). ÁVILA NETTO, J.; AZEVEDO, P.V. de; SILVA, B.B. da; SOARES, J.M.; TEIXEIRA, A.H. de C. Exigência hídrica da videira na Região do Submédio São Francisco. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, v.35, p.1559-1566, 2000. BASSOI, L.H.; ASSIS, J.S. de; LIMA FILHO, J.M.P.; RIBEIRO, H.A.; SILVA, M.R.; MIRANDA, A.A. Interrupção da irrigação no período de maturação da uva cv. Itália. Petrolina: Embrapa-CPATSA, 1999. 5p. (Embrapa-CPATSA. Comunicado técnico, 79). BEINROTH, E.W. Determinação do ponto de colheita. In: GORGAATI NETO, A.; GAYET, J.P.; BEINROTH, E.W. (Ed.). Uva para exportação: procedimentos de colheita e pós-colheita. Brasília: Embrapa-SPI: Frupex, 1993. p.20-21. (Frupex. Publicações técnicas, 2). Agradecimentos À Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco e à Embrapa Semiárido, pelo apoio técnico-científi co e fi nanceiro; à Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, pela concessão de bolsa; e à Fazenda Agrobrás, pelo apoio técnico. Resultados e Discussão Valores inferiores de SS foram observados para esta mesma cultivar, sob defi cit hídrico, na Argentina (Serman et al., 2004), e para cultivar Itália no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco (Bassoi et al., 1999). 3. Há infl uência das épocas de alteração da irrigação e lâminas de irrigação sobre a fi rmeza das bagas, a acidez titulável e a relação entre sólidos solúveis e acidez titulável. 3. Há infl uência das épocas de alteração da irrigação e lâminas de irrigação sobre a fi rmeza das bagas, a acidez titulável e a relação entre sólidos solúveis e acidez titulável. 4. A redução das lâminas, na fase de maturação da uva 'Superior Seedless', benefi cia a qualidade da uva no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco. Diferenças signifi cativas na AT, na pós-colheita, foram observadas em função dos fatores épocas e lâminas de irrigação, sem diferenças entre as médias dos tratamentos e o tratamento LP (Tabela 6). Ao se considerar a época de diferenciação da irrigação em relação à colheita, houve diferenças nos valores de AT quando foram utilizadas as lâminas L0 e L50, tendo-se obtido maior AT com essas lâminas na época E5. Quanto às lâminas de irrigação, verifi ca-se que apenas a E21 apresentou diferenças estatísticas, com os menores valores de AT para L0 e L50. Estes resultados indicam que quanto maior o defi cit de irrigação e a sua duração, maior a redução de acidez titulável na uva 'Superior Seedless'. Redução aparente de AT também foi observada em videiras 'Merlot' submetidas a defi cit de irrigação, no sudeste de Idaho (Shellie et al., 2006). Essa redução da acidez titulável, associada ao defi cit hídrico, pode ser atribuída à redução de malato (Matthews & Anderson, 1988; Esteban et al., 1999). 5. A estratégia de defi cit hídrico, na fase de maturação da uva 'Superior Seedless' aos 13 ou aos 21 dias antes da colheita, permite produtividade, qualidade da uva e efi ciência de uso de água semelhante ao do manejo adotado pelo produtor. Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Conclusões Petrolina: Embrapa- CPATSA, 1993. 280p. FERREYRA, R.E.; SELLES, G.; SILVA, H.; AHUMADA, R.; MUÑOZ, I.; MUÑOZ, V. Efecto del água aplicada em las relaciones hídricas y productividad de la vid 'Crimson Seedless'. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, v.41, p.1109-1118, 2006. locais e classifi cação climática do Nordeste do Brasil. Petrolina: Embrapa- CPATSA, 1993. 280p. RIZZON, L.A.; MIELE, A.; MENEGUZZO, J. Avaliação da uva cv. Isabel para elaboração de vinho tinto. Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos, v.20, p.115-121, 2000. GRANGEIRO, L.C.; LEAO, P.C. de S.; SOARES, J.M. Caracterização fenológica e produtiva da variedade de uva Superior Seedless cultivada no Vale do São Francisco. Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura, v.24, p.552-554, 2002. SAS INSTITUTE. SAS user’s guide. Version 9.0. Cary: SAS Institute, 2002. SATO, A.J.; SILVA, B.J. da; BERTOLUCCI, R.; CARIELO, M.; GUIRAUD, M.C.; FONSECA, I.C. de B.; ROBERTO, S.R. Evolução da maturação e características fi sico-químicas de uvas da cultivar Isabel sobre diferentes porta-enxertos na Região Norte do Paraná. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, v.30, p.11-20, 2009. HARGREAVES, G.H. Climate zoning for agricultural production in Northeast Brazil. Logan: Utah State University, 1974. 6p. KARMELI, D.; KELLER, J. Trickle irrigation design. California: Rain Bird Sprinkler Manufacturing Corporation, 1975. 133p. LEÃO, P.C. de S.; SILVA, E.E.G. da. Caracterização fenológica e requerimentos térmicos de variedades de uvas sem sementes no vale do São Francisco. Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura, v.25, p.379-382, 2003. SERMAN, F.V.; LIOTTA, M.; PARERA, C. Effects of irrigation defi cit on Table grape cv. Superior Seedless production. Acta Horticulturae, n.646, p.183-186, 2004. SHELLIE, K.C. Vine and berry response of Merlot (Vitis vinifera L.) to differential water stress. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, v.57, p.514-518, 2006. MARINHO, L.B. Defi cit hídrico regulado na fase de maturação da uva “Superior Seedless” na região do Submédio São Francisco. 2008. 106p. Dissertação (Mestrado) - Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife. SOARES, J.M.; COSTA, F.F. da. Irrigação da cultura da videira. In: LEÃO, P.C. de S.; SOARES, J.M. (Org.). A viticultura no SOARES, J.M.; COSTA, F.F. da. Irrigação da cultura da videira. In: LEÃO, P.C. de S.; SOARES, J.M. (Org.). A viticultura no Semi-Árido brasileiro. Petrolina: Embrapa Semiárido, 2000. p.147-212. MATTHEWS, M.A.; ANDERSON, M.M. Fruit ripening in Vitis vinifera L.: responses to seasonal water defi cits. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, v.39, p.313-320, 1988. YASSIN, N.; MORAIS, A.R. de; MUNIZ, J.A. Análise de variância em um experimento fatorial de dois fatores com tratamentos adicionais. Conclusões técnicas, 2). BIDIN, M.; BELLESI, S.; ORLANDINI, S.; FIBBI, L.; MORIONDO, M.; SINCLAIR, T. Infl uence of water defi cit stress on leaf area development and transpiration of Sangiovese grapevines grown in pots. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, v.56, p.68-72, 2005. 1. As épocas de alteração das lâminas de irrigação, em relação à colheita e as lâminas de irrigação não afetam o diâmetro de bagas e o peso médio de cachos por planta. 2. Lâminas de irrigação têm efeitos diferentes sobre o número e o peso total de cachos por planta, produtividade e efi ciência de uso de água da uva BRAZILIAN GRAPES MARKETING ASSOCIATION. Instrutivo: controle de qualidade: safra II/99. Petrolina: BGMA, 1999. Paginação irregular. Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Produção e qualidade da videira ‘Superior Seedless’ 1691 MATTIUZ, B.-H.; MIGUEL, A.C.A.; NACHTIGAL, J.C.; DURIGAN, J.F.; CAMARGO, U.A. Processamento mínimo de uvas de mesa sem semente. Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura, v.26, p.226-229, 2004. CHITARRA, M.I.F.; CHITARRA, A.B. Pós-colheita de frutos e hortaliças: fi siologia e manuseio. Lavras: ESAL: FAEPE, 1990. 320p. CHOUDHURY, M.M. Colheita, manuseio pós-colheita e qualidade mercadológica de uvas de mesa. In: LEÃO, P.C. de S.; SOARES, J.M. (Ed.). A viticultura no Semi-Árido brasileiro. Petrolina: Embrapa Semiárido, 2000. p.347-368. MYBURGH, P.A. Responses of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Sultanina to water defi cits during various pré- and post-harvest phases under semi-arid conditions. South African Journal of Enology and Viticulture, v.24, p.25-33, 2003. DOORENBOS, J.; KASSAM, A.H. Efeito da água no rendimento das culturas. Campina Grande: UFPB, 1994. 306p. (FAO. Estudo FAO. Irrigação e drenagem, 33). NETZER, Y.; YAO, C.; SHENKER, M. Water use and the development of seasonal crop coeffi cients for Superior Seedless grapevines trained to an open-gable trellis system. Irrigation Science, v.27, p.109-120, 2009. EMBRAPA SEMIÁRIDO. Registro de observações meteorológicas. Petrolina: Embrapa Semiárido. Disponível em: <http://www.cpatsa.embrapa.br:8080/servicos/dadosmet/estacoes/ bebnovembro.html>. Acesso em: 24 out. 2007. PREGNOLATTO, W.; PREGNOLATTO, N.P. (Coord.). Normas analíticas do Instituto Adolfo Lutz: métodos químicos e físicos para análise dos alimentos. 3.ed. São Paulo: Instituto Adolfo Lutz, 1985. 533p. ESTEBAN, M.A.; VILLANUEVA, M.J.; LISSARRAGUE, J.R. Effect of irrigation on changes in berry composition of Tempranillo during maturation. Sugars, organic acids, and mineral elements. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, v.50, p.418-434, 1999. REEDY, S.J.; AMORIM NETO, M. da S. Dados de precipitação, evapotranspiração potencial, radiação solar global de alguns locais e classifi cação climática do Nordeste do Brasil. Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009 Recebido em 16 de setembro de 2009 e aprovado em 22 de novembro de 2009 Conclusões Ciência e Agrotecnologia, edição especial, p.1541-1547, 2002. MATTIUZ, B.-H. Efeitos de injúrias mecânicas e do processamento mínimo na fi siologia pós-colheita de goiabas. 2002. 120p. Tese (Doutorado) - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal. Recebido em 16 de setembro de 2009 e aprovado em 22 de novembro de 2009 Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.44, n.12, p.1682-1691, dez. 2009
https://openalex.org/W4362642297
https://zenodo.org/record/7805402/files/TANGENTE%20ENTRE%20O%20DIAGN%C3%93STICO%20DE%20TRANSTORNO%20DE%C2%A0%20PERSONALIDADE%20BORDERLINE%20E%20OS%20DEMAIS%20TRANSTORNOS%20DE%C2%A0PERSONALIDADE%C2%A0%20%E2%80%93%20ISSN%201678-0817%20Qualis%20B2.pdf
Portuguese
null
TANGENTE ENTRE O DIAGNÓSTICO DE TRANSTORNO DE PERSONALIDADE BORDERLINE E OS DEMAIS TRANSTORNOS DE PERSONALIDADE
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
2,023
cc-by
7,159
TANGENTE ENTRE O DIAGNÓSTICO DE TRANSTORNO DE  PERSONALIDADE BORDERLINE E OS DEMAIS TRANSTORNOS DE PERSONALIDADE  Ciências da Saúde, Edição 121 ABR/23 / 06/04/2023 TANGENT BETWEEN THE DIAGNOSIS OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND OTHER PERSONALITY DISORDERS  REGISTRO DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7805402 ISSN 1678-0817 Qualis B2 Revista Científica de Alto Impacto. Caroline Mioranza Veit¹ Pedro Zabot² Rogélio Rocha Barros³ Caroline Mioranza Veit¹ Pedro Zabot² Rogélio Rocha Barros³ RESUMO INTRODUÇÃO: Os aspectos que cada padrão comportamental e emocional que os indivíduos  expressam e sentem diante a situações cotidianas ou de dificuldade caracterizam os transtornos  de personalidade, que foram divididos em 3 grupos, cada um apresentando um parecer que se  relacione às peculiaridades do transtorno pertencente, como excêntrico, emocional e ansioso,  respectivamente. Até os dias atuais o TPB era classificado como uma ampla categoria, pelos  diversos sintomas envolvidos, como sensação extrema de vazio, submissão e manipulação a fim  de ganhar atenção e afeto, entre outros, que podem ou não apresentarem semelhanças com  outros transtornos de personalidade, que dificultam ainda mais a identificação e diagnóstico. As  fases de desenvolvimento tendem a aflorar os sintomas característicos, que se expressam ao  adentrar na vida adulta, podendo afetar diversas áreas na vida pessoal do indivíduo. OBJETIVO:  Busca-se caracterizar e analisar as peculiaridades dos indivíduos com Transtorno de  Personalidade Borderline, bem como diferenciá-lo dos demais transtornos de personalidade que  confundem o diagnóstico clínico. METODOLOGIA: Para o referido estudo, foi utilizado uma  pesquisa bibliográfica, por meio de ferramentas de busca on-line de artigos científicos em inglês  e português, como: PubMed, ERIC, MedScape e Scielo, com filtros de ensaios clínicos, estudos  randomizado e textos completos, no intervalo de tempo de 2010 a 2021. CONCLUSÃO: Nota-se  grandes semelhanças entre os critérios diagnósticos do DSM-5 acerca dos transtornos de  personalidade, mas que se diferenciam pela motivação acerca do comportamento, sendo  característico com cada diferente traço de personalidade, fazendo-se possível a distinção entre  eles. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: The aspects that each behavioral and emotional pattern that individuals  express and feel in everyday or difficult situations characterize personality disorders, which were  divided into 3 groups, each one presenting an opinion that relates to the peculiarities of the  disorder belonging, as eccentric, emotional and anxious, respectively. Until the present day, BPD  was classified as a broad category, due to the various symptoms involved, such as extreme  feelings of emptiness, submission and manipulation in order to gain attention and affection,  among others, which may or may not present similarities with other personality disorders, which  make identification and diagnosis even more difficult. The stages of development tend to bring  out the characteristic symptoms, which are expressed when entering adulthood, and can affect  several areas in the individual’s personal life. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to characterize and analyze  the peculiarities of individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as to differentiate it  from other personality disorders that confuse the clinical diagnosis. METHODOLOGY: For this  study, a bibliographic search was used, using online search tools for scientific articles in English  and Portuguese, such as: PubMed, ERIC, MedScape and Scielo, with filters for clinical trials,  randomized studies and texts complete, in the time interval from 2010 to 2021. CONCLUSION:  There are great similarities between the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5 about personality  disorders, but they differ by the motivation about the behavior, being characteristic with each  different personality trait , making it possible to distinguish between them. 1. INTRODUÇÃO Transtornos de personalidade (TP) caracterizam-se por padrões  comportamentais e emocionais do indivíduo, sua percepção, frente a situações  cotidianas, relacionamentos profissionais ou pessoais, até mesmo a forma como lida com  suas próprias emoções, sendo persistentes e inflexíveis. Cada indivíduo possui traços  de personalidade, quando algum deles se sobressaem e passam a prejudicar a vida do  indivíduo, o mesmo deixa de ser um traço/característica e torna-se um transtorno de  personalidade. (BANON, 2013) De acordo com o National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related  Conditions, que realizou um estudo com a população estadunidense, entre 2001- 2002,  estima-se que cerca de 15% dos indivíduos adultos possuíam algum transtorno de  personalidade. (GOODMAN et al., 2014) Até o TBP realmente ser categorizado, passou por diversas considerações  bibliográficas, onde muitos, até hoje, o chamam de transtorno limítrofe, já que sua  peculiaridade era o limite entre a neurose e a psicose, demonstrando características de ambos, mas sem que seja possível diagnosticar um ou outro. Dentre todos os rodeios  envolvendo a nomenclatura borderline, que em 1890 recebeu sua primeira  consideração, sendo esta, alterada frequentemente até 1994, quando finalmente o  DSM-IV inclui e manteve as características envolvendo o transtorno, sendo essas,  renovadas em 2014 pelo DSM-V. (GOODMAN et al., 2014) Após mais de cem anos de considerações, o TPB ainda é considerado um  desafio no âmbito diagnóstico, por mais que a prevalência estimada seja quase 6% da  população, as queixas assemelham-se a de diversos outros TP, sendo, muitas vezes,  confundidos e tratados inadequadamente. (AGNOL et al., 2019) A complexidade de diagnóstico de TPB muitas vezes depende da evolução em  fases de desenvolvimento, já que a cada avanço, novas responsabilidades e exigências  surgem na vida do indivíduo, ficando mais evidente seu desarranjo emocional, muitas  vezes resultando em sérios quadros de dependência emocional, envolvendo a  manipulação de terceiros, como forma de buscar “apoio” e “aprovação” que  proporcionam errôneo ‘aconchego’ e ‘segurança’ para enfrentar os respectivos desafios  da vida adulta, principalmente quando a principal característica é a sensação extrema  de vazio. O DSM V descreve essa busca por terceiros como: “esforços desesperados  para evitar abandono real ou imaginário”, que inclusive, trata-se de um dos critérios para  diagnóstico do TPB. (PIMENTEL, 2019) Dessa forma, é possível afirmar que o diagnóstico do TPB depende de padrões  estáveis, além de persistentes, por isso, geralmente, a identificação do transtorno ocorre  na transição da adolescência para a vida adulta. 1. INTRODUÇÃO Diante disso, o diagnóstico do  transtorno de personalidade borderline tende a ser demorado, já que as discrepâncias  de comportamentos normais são identificadas ao longo da terapia e uma das  características dos indivíduos acometidos pelo transtorno são as grandes taxas de  abandono do acompanhamento terapêutico. (AMORIM, 2000) Diante das semelhanças existentes entre os diversos critérios de diagnóstico,  também é percebido inúmeras motivações que as envolve, sendo esta, a principal  característica para diferenciar um transtorno de outro, sendo únicas e inconfundíveis. De acordo com o próprio manual de diagnóstico dos transtornos mentais, as motivações  variam entre afeto, reconhecimento, dinheiro, entre outros, sendo possível diferenciar  os ‘ganhos’ nos critérios semelhantes, facilitando o diagnóstico e melhorando a  qualidade de vida dos indivíduos acometidos, já que poderão usufruir de um tratamento  eficaz. (VAZQUEZ et al., 2018) Diante das semelhanças existentes entre os diversos critérios de diagnóstico,  também é percebido inúmeras motivações que as envolve, sendo esta, a principal  característica para diferenciar um transtorno de outro, sendo únicas e inconfundíveis. De acordo com o próprio manual de diagnóstico dos transtornos mentais, as motivações  variam entre afeto, reconhecimento, dinheiro, entre outros, sendo possível diferenciar  os ‘ganhos’ nos critérios semelhantes, facilitando o diagnóstico e melhorando a  qualidade de vida dos indivíduos acometidos, já que poderão usufruir de um tratamento  eficaz. (VAZQUEZ et al., 2018) 2.  METODOLOGIA Para este referido estudo, foi utilizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica, baseado em  artigos na íntegra, achados em ferramentas on-line de busca de artigos científicos em  inglês, como: PubMed, sendo filtrado na pesquisa avançada: ensaios clínicos, estudo  completo randomizado, textos completos gratuitos e pagos, com dois ou mais termos,  associados; ERIC – Educational Resources Information Center, utilizando como filtro de  inclusão, apenas textos completos disponíveis. Para este referido estudo, foi utilizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica, baseado em  artigos na íntegra, achados em ferramentas on-line de busca de artigos científicos em  inglês, como: PubMed, sendo filtrado na pesquisa avançada: ensaios clínicos, estudo  completo randomizado, textos completos gratuitos e pagos, com dois ou mais termos,  associados; ERIC – Educational Resources Information Center, utilizando como filtro de  inclusão, apenas textos completos disponíveis. Busca de artigos científicos em português, contidos em ferramentas de buscas  como: Scientific Eletronic Library Online (Scielo), Google Acadêmico e MedScape, no  intervalo de 2000 a 2020, alguns referindo-se ao século XIX, especificamente, a partir  de 1890. Para escolha da literatura consideramos os seguintes descritores vigentes na  língua portuguesa, inglesa e espanhola: Transtornos de Personalidade, Transtorno de  Personalidade Borderline, aspectos clínicos do Transtornos de Personalidade  associados ao Borderline, entre outros. Predominantemente as bibliografias foram  produzidas nas duas últimas décadas, sendo descartadas aquelas incompletas ou que  não contribuíram no conteúdo estudado e/ou literaturas revisadas. Busca de artigos científicos em português, contidos em ferramentas de buscas  como: Scientific Eletronic Library Online (Scielo), Google Acadêmico e MedScape, no  intervalo de 2000 a 2020, alguns referindo-se ao século XIX, especificamente, a partir  de 1890. Para escolha da literatura consideramos os seguintes descritores vigentes na  língua portuguesa, inglesa e espanhola: Transtornos de Personalidade, Transtorno de  Personalidade Borderline, aspectos clínicos do Transtornos de Personalidade  associados ao Borderline, entre outros. Predominantemente as bibliografias foram  produzidas nas duas últimas décadas, sendo descartadas aquelas incompletas ou que  não contribuíram no conteúdo estudado e/ou literaturas revisadas. A pesquisa bibliográfica levou em consideração o grupo amostral a ser estudado,  que envolverá indivíduos com transtorno de personalidade borderline e suas  características. A justificativa da escolha se dá a partir do próprio objetivo do respectivo  estudo, que visa especificar as características borderline, além de diferenciá-las dos  demais transtornos para que venha a agregar maior simplicidade frente ao diagnóstico  clínico. Por meio da leitura e análise das publicações citadas, as obras científicas foram  criteriosamente escolhidas, a fim de elaborar um trabalho a partir de uma leitura  informativa sistemática. 2.  METODOLOGIA Os artigos foram ordenados pelos objetivos, resultados e  conclusão. Assim, os mesmos foram analisados e utilizados para a produção. 3.  RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÕES 3.1 Evolução histórica do conceito borderline Desde os primórdios da psiquiatria houve a necessidade da criação de  categorias para enquadrar sintomas de ‘loucura’ em distúrbios mentais específicos. O  transtorno de personalidade Borderline passou a ser introduzido ao final do século XIX,  onde características clínicas passaram a ser nomeadas, até receber seu conceito formal  pelo DSM IV, o mesmo recebeu 10 terminologias diferentes até então. (BANON, 2013) Kahlbaum e Edwald Hecker criaram o conceito de hebefrenia, a partir disso, o  psiquiatra alemão Hecker, descreveu detalhadamente a Hebefrenia, sendo uma ‘loucura  juvenil’, onde apresentaram grandes oscilações comportamentais, mudanças  incoerentes de pensamento, ou perturbações do mesmo, além dos delírios, o afeto que  é considerado imaturo e infantil, Hecker ainda salientou a existência de quadros mais  leves desta mesma loucura, que posteriormente nomeou como Heboidofrenia,  caracterizada pela alienação juvenil, onde notam- se sérias alterações de pensamento e  raciocínio, evidenciando a incompreensão a regras morais, sendo comum a indivíduos  delinquentes, onde associou-se aos traços do, hoje conhecido, transtorno de  personalidade borderline, e nomeou como heboidofrenia. (HADDAD et al., 2021) O próprio criador do tema heboidofrenia ressaltou que a mesma é menos  catastrófica que a hebefrenia, já que a última se faz ausente das capacidades cognitivas  básicas, além da confusão e deficiência mental. Visto que a Heboidofrenia se apresenta  por repentinas oscilações de humor, com rápida flatulência entre estados de tristeza  profunda a estados de expansividade emocional, com ausência de delírios, é  determinada então, como a nomenclatura para o que hoje chama-se transtorno de  personalidade borderline. (COLLI et al., 2015) Sequencialmente o psiquiatra Suiço Eugen Bleuler, em 1911, afirma que alguns  casos de esquizofrenia leve não se diferenciavam da ‘heboidofrenia’, já que os mesmos  apresentavam comportamentos convencionais e comuns, porém, elementos  subjacentes de esquizofrenia eram identificados. Bleuler denominou, o que até então  era ‘heboidofrenia’, como “esquizofrenia latente”, que foi reafirmada 10 anos depois por  Hermann Rorschach. (COLLI et al., 2015) A utilização do termo borderline só aconteceu em 1938, por Stern, em um texto  sobre “Terapia e investigação psicanalítica do grupo das neuroses borderline”. Consequentemente, quatro anos depois, em 1942, Deutsch revisou quadros discretos  entre a neurose e a psicose, concluindo que os indivíduos acometidos pelo transtorno A utilização do termo borderline só aconteceu em 1938, por Stern, em um texto  sobre “Terapia e investigação psicanalítica do grupo das neuroses borderline”. 3.  RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÕES Consequentemente, quatro anos depois, em 1942, Deutsch revisou quadros discretos  entre a neurose e a psicose, concluindo que os indivíduos acometidos pelo transtorno apresentavam uma personalidade que se flexionava entre os relacionamentos para  adequar-se. O nomeou de “Personalidade como se”. (LIEBMAN et al., 2013) Assim, portanto, em 1949, dois autores, Hoch e Polation, introduziram uma nova  nomenclatura, os dois passaram por grande hesitação ao tentar associar o transtorno  como uma pré-esquizofrenia e por fim, a definiu como “Esquizofrenia Pseudoneurótica”,  descrevendo assim uma condição específica que se finda pela combinação de uma “Pan  Neurose” e uma “Pan Psicose”, já que os quadros clínicos eram insuficientes para  diagnóstico de neurose e psicose propriamente dita, porém, apresentando ambas  características, além de discretas características esquizofrênicas. (MÖLLER et al.,  2018) Diante disso, a nomenclatura sempre estava associada a algum tipo de  esquizofrenia, que só mudou após o trabalho de Robert Knight onde a terminologia  ‘borderline’ passou a se concretizar entre todos os pensadores. O trabalho de Knight,  chamado de “Estados Borderline” apontava que os indivíduos com o respectivo  transtorno não poderiam ser diagnosticados como quadros neuróticos ou até mesmo  psicóticos, já que apresentavam características semelhantes a ambos os quadros, mas  não o pertenciam a nenhum deles. (GOODMAN et al., 2014) Com a repercussão do trabalho de Knight, a nomenclatura foi abrangida pelo  CID-9, que passou a ser classificada como “Esquizofrenia Borderline”. O próprio código  internacional de doenças afirmou que a descrição não era completamente aceitável e  desaconselhou que fosse usada de forma generalizada. (ANDERSON et al., 2014) Finalmente, em 1980, o DSM-III introduziu o transtorno de personalidade  borderline, com mudanças significativas para um diagnóstico, com cinco eixos para  avaliação, que deveria envolver transtornos psiquiátricos ou de personalidade, doenças  físicas ou estressores psicossociais e por último, nível de adaptação social. Em 1992 o  CID-10 abrangeu o até então ‘Transtorno de Personalidade Borderline’, como  ‘Transtorno Esquizotípico’ com duas subdivisões, do tipo impulsivo ou borderline. (ANDERSON et al., 2014) O Transtorno de Personalidade Borderline foi finalmente reconhecido como  terminologia somente em 1994, onde o mesmo passou a pertencer ao DSM-IV,  abrangendo critérios de diagnóstico, além de ser inserido em um grupo específico para  transtornos emocionais (SKODOL et al., 2011). Todas as terminologias dedicadas ao  borderline ao decorrer dos anos foram resumidas na tabela 1. TABELA 1: Evolução Histórica da nomenclatura borderline. 3.  RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÕES ANO AUTOR  Nomenclatura 1890  Kahlbaum  Heboidofrenia 1911  Bleuler  Esquizofrenia Latente 1921  Rorschach  Esquizofrenia Latente 1938  Stern  Neuroses Borderline 1941  Zilborg  Esquizofrenia Ambulatorial 1942  Deutsch  Personalidade “como se” 1949  Hoch e Polatin  Esquizofrenia Pseudoneurótica 1953  Knight  Estados Borderline 1976  CID-9  Esquizofrenia Latente 1980  DSM-III  Transtorno de Personalidade Borderline TABELA 1: Evolução Histórica da nomenclatura borderline. 1992  CID-10  Transtorno de personalidade emocionalmente instável 1994  DSM-IV  Transtorno de Personalidade Borderline 3.2 TRANSTORNOS DE PERSONALIDADE O TP é padrão comportamental persistente que pode envolver diversas áreas,  como a cognição, afetando diretamente a percepção e interpretação do indivíduo com  os acontecimentos, com as pessoas, até com ele mesmo; A afetividade, que expressa  intensidade nas relações interpessoais e respostas emocionais variadas; O  funcionamento interpessoal e o controle de impulsos, onde o mesmo pode ou não ter  controle sobre seus desejos e sentimentos. (BARTTEL et al., 1995) Esses padrões comportamentais apresentam persistência de longa data, além  de prejudicarem o indivíduo em todos âmbitos, social, cultural, profissional, familiar,  entre outros que possam ser afetados diante da inflexibilidade presente nos TP. (FAUSTINO, 2014) Os traços de personalidade são presentes durante a vida toda, de todos os  indivíduos e só se tornam um transtorno de personalidade, quando esses traços passam  a prejudicar a vivência de um indivíduo, causando-lhe sofrimento, seja por qualquer  motivo. (FAUSTINO, 2014) Geralmente esses traços de personalidade são identificados como transtornos  de personalidade no início da vida adulta, quando o indivíduo passa a assumir mais  responsabilidades e suprir exigências. Normalmente ao adentrar a vida adulta, passa-se por várias dificuldades, onde a existência de um transtorno de personalidade torna-se mais evidente, sendo possível a sua percepção. Cabe ao profissional, diferenciar se  o comportamento da pessoa está associado a situações de estresse, ou trata-se  realmente de traços de personalidade que caracterizam um transtorno em si. (BACH et  al.,2016) situações de estresse, ou trata-se  realmente de traços de personalidade que caracterizam um transtorno em si. (BACH et  al.,2016) De acordo com a quinta edição do manual de diagnóstico e estatística dos  transtornos mentais (DSM-V), os transtornos de personalidade são subdivididos em três  grupos, baseado nas semelhanças apresentadas por cada um, sendo eles  representados na tabela 2: Tabela 2: Divisão dos transtornos de personalidade em grupos de acordo com  DSM-V  Grupo  Característica do grupo  Transtornos pertencentes GRUPO A  Características excêntricas -TP Esquizóide  -TP Esquizotípico  -TP Paranóide GRUPO B  Características Dramáticas e  impulsivas -TP Borderline  -TP Antissocial  -TP Narcisista -TP Histriônica GRUPO C  Características ansiosas e  apreensivas -TP Obsessivo-Compulsivo  -TP Evitativa  -TP Dependente 2: Divisão dos transtornos de personalidade em grupos de acordo SM-V FONTE: AUTORIA PRÓPRIA. Diante disso, é desejável, de acordo com o DSM-V, que cada transtorno de  personalidade apresenta semelhanças somente aos demais que pertençam ao grupo,  mas a realidade é que os TP podem apresentar critérios semelhantes aos do mesmo grupo, ou de grupos diferentes. No que tange os critérios clínicos dos diferentes transtornos de quaisquer  grupos, sabe-se que a possibilidade de erro diagnóstico é evidentemente presente, já  que queixas podem ser comuns nos mais diferentes casos. Evidencia-se, portanto, a dificuldade do diagnóstico clínico tangenciando o  Transtorno de Personalidade Borderline, principalmente se levado em consideração as  queixas iniciais, na qual representam, em sua maioria, comportamentos depressivos,  seguidos por ideações suicidas, geralmente associado aos relacionamentos afetivos. (MACHADO et al., 2014) Evidencia-se, portanto, a dificuldade do diagnóstico clínico tangenciando o  Transtorno de Personalidade Borderline, principalmente se levado em consideração as  queixas iniciais, na qual representam, em sua maioria, comportamentos depressivos,  seguidos por ideações suicidas, geralmente associado aos relacionamentos afetivos. (MACHADO et al., 2014) A partir disso, é possível estimar como esses quadros são tratados inicialmente,  já que o risco suicida é alarmante e de intervenção imediata, interferindo no diagnóstico  do transtorno em si, inclusive se levado em consideração as características dos indivíduos borderline, que apresentam altos índices de desistência terapêutica, onde a  melhora dos sintomas não se apresentou de forma evidente, afinal, muitas vezes o  tratamento abrange depressão associada a ideação suicida, não incluindo as oscilações  emocionais, acarretando em um tratamento ineficaz e persistência dos sintomas de  vazio e abandono, que podem levar o indivíduo a repetir as tentativas de mutilação e  suicídio. indivíduos borderline, que apresentam altos índices de desistência terapêutica, onde a  melhora dos sintomas não se apresentou de forma evidente, afinal, muitas vezes o  tratamento abrange depressão associada a ideação suicida, não incluindo as oscilações  emocionais, acarretando em um tratamento ineficaz e persistência dos sintomas de  vazio e abandono, que podem levar o indivíduo a repetir as tentativas de mutilação e  suicídio. 3.3 Aspectos do transtorno de personalidade borderline Diante do exposto, nota-se em indivíduos com transtorno de personalidade  borderline, a caracterização de quadros padronizados, envolvendo, na maioria das  vezes, senão em todas, instabilidade emocional, onde se faz presente oscilações de  emocionais recorrentes, além de impulsividade e queixas compulsivas, a self do  indivíduo é subestimada, geralmente associada a quadros depressivos, tendo a  dependência emocional como agravante. (ANDO et al., 2019) Dentre todos aspectos já citados, é comum observar nestes indivíduos  autodepreciação, autodestruição, abuso e dependência de substâncias lícitas e/ou  ilícitas, sensação de vazio (muitas vezes crônica), associado ao medo do abandono,  relacionamentos interpessoais totalmente instáveis, que geram crises inesperadas,  tornando seu comportamento imprevisível e característico pela manipulação, onde  geralmente associa-se tentativas suicidas, ou apenas ameaças como moeda de troca,  a fim de receber consolo e aprovação. (MÖLLER et al., 2018) Além das tentativas falhas na busca por afeto, os indivíduos borderline,  geralmente envolvem-se em atividades que possam promover riscos ou danos  pessoais, como andar em alta velocidade, envolver-se em brigas, automutilação e até  mesmo a ideação suicida se enquadra em tentativas autodestrutivas. Diante disso,  destacam-se também quadros compulsivos, que envolvem alimentação, ingestão de  álcool, dependência por nicotina, promiscuidade sexual, entre outros que abrangem os  quadros secundários assumidos como consequência ou agravante do transtorno de  personalidade borderline. (MÖLLER et al., 2018) 3.4 Diagnóstico borderline: a partir do DSM-V 3.4 Diagnóstico borderline: a partir do DSM-V Diante a todas as dificuldades envolvidas no diagnóstico de transtorno de  personalidade, os profissionais, em sua maioria, optam pelos critérios apresentados no  DSM-V, sendo eles representados na tabela 3: Tabela 3: Critérios diagnósticos do DSM-V para transtorno de personalidade  borderline  Critério 1  “Esforços desesperados para evitar abandono real ou imaginário”  (DSM-V, 2014, p.663). Critério 2  “Um padrão de relacionamentos interpessoais instáveis e intensos  caracterizados pela alternância entre extremos de idealização e  desvalorização” (DSM-V, 2014, p.663). Critério 3  “Perturbação da identidade: instabilidade acentuada e persistente da  autoimagem ou da percepção de si mesmo” (DSM-V, 2014, p.663). Critério 4  “Impulsividade em pelo menos duas áreas potencialmente  autodestrutivas” (DSM-V, 2014, p.663). Tabela 3: Critérios diagnósticos do DSM-V para transtorno de personalidade  borderline Critério 5  “Recorrência de comportamento, gestos ou ameaças suicidas ou de  comportamento automutilante” (DSM-V, 2014, p.663). Critério 6  “Instabilidade afetiva devida a uma acentuada reatividade de humor”  (DSM-V, 2014, p.663). Critério 7  “Sentimentos crônicos de vazio” (DSM-V, 2014, p.663). Critério 8  “Raiva intensa e inapropriada ou dificuldade em controlá-la” (DSM- V,  2014, p.663). Critério 9  “Ideação paranóide transitória associada a estresse ou sintomas  dissociativos intensos” (DSM-V, 2014, p.663) FONTE: DSM-V Critério 1: Segundo Maranga (2002) o indivíduo borderlaine sempre irá,  frequentemente, desenvolver novos investimentos para um amor incondicional. A  característica desses “investimentos amorosos” se dão principalmente pela distorção do  próprio self, onde o mesmo regularmente subestima-se, se fazendo necessário uma  incansável busca por apoio, afeto e aprovação, geralmente inserindo esses indivíduos  em relacionamentos abusivos, no qual toleram a submissão por medo da solidão, ou  por se sentir incapaz de viver sem o/a parceiro(a). (KROLL et al., 2016) Critério 2: Os indivíduos borderline inconscientemente ressignificam suas  relações, tornando-as muito intensas ou intensificando os problemas associados,  aproximando-se demais por necessidade de não se sentir vazio e ao mesmo tempo  afastando-se por problematizar esse relacionamento. Os investimentos afetuosos são  proporcionais a ruptura de vínculos nos relacionamentos desses indivíduos. Essas  determinadas características de instabilidade emocional e hipersensibilidade afetam  todos os relacionamentos negativamente, já que as então características não são  comuns apenas em relacionamentos afetuosos, mas em todos, seja ele pessoal ou  profissional (LIEB et al., 2004) Critério 3: De acordo com o DSM-V, 2013, a angústia que o indivíduo borderline  apresenta sobre sua autoimagem, impede o mesmo de transmiti-la integralmente,  gerando uma contradição entre a autoimagem, imagem transmitida e a consciência da  percepção de terceiros sobre a mesma imagem. A baixa auto estima e a subestimação,  apesar de não ser uma realidade, é percebida de tal forma pelo indivíduo, tornando-o,  muitas vezes, conformado com tratamentos indignos, já que não se sentem capazes  de conquistar méritos próprios. (KROLL et al., 2016) Critério 4: Devido a intensa dependência emocional, o indivíduo tende a  impulsividade, a fim de que o prazer gerado, possa suprir a ausência de prazeres  ausentes. Geralmente apresentam tendências a compulsão alimentar, ou impulsividade  em decisões arriscadas, a fim de que resulte em emoção. Áreas autodestrutivas se  fazem presentes, principalmente em estados depressivos, onde buscam realizar  atividades que tragam risco à vida, já que não encontram sentido para a existência, ou  entregam-se a compulsividade, podendo trazer vícios, como etilismo e tabagismo  (FARIA., 2003) Critério 5: A automutilação, tentativas suicidas, ou ameaças do indivíduo  borderline, são uma forma de recuperar a atenção ou apoio perdido, já que o mesmo  sente-se dependente da presença de terceiros, não consegue cogitar a possibilidade da  ausência deles. O Borderline capta os sentimentos e sensações de forma intensificada,  gerando enorme sofrimento, recorrendo a mecanismos automutilantes a fim de aliviar a  forte angústia (FARIA., 2003). FONTE: DSM-V Critério 6: A intensidade dos sentimentos do borderline, associado à constante  oscilação de humor, contribuem para a instabilidade emocional do indivíduo, o  caracterizando pelo ‘tudo ou nada’, já que ele apresenta imenso sentimento por  determinada pessoa, mas um único ato insignificante é capaz de mudar seu humor, fazendo-o se sentir prejudicado ou excluído, opondo instantaneamente o sentimento  existente pelo respectivo indivíduo. (OLIVEIRA et al., 2020) Critério 7: O sentimento de vazio é uma das principais características dos  indivíduos borderline. As necessidades afetuosas, instabilidades em relacionamentos e  as mais diversas características, originam-se pelo sentimento de vazio. A busca  incansável do indivíduo borderline provoca comportamentos impulsivos, compulsivos,  submissos, até mesmo agressivos como uma forma de amenizar a sensação de estar  só, muitas vezes, buscando em terceiros aquilo que já tem. (MAZER et al., 2017) Critério 8: A intensificação das situações cotidianas são os pré-requisitos da  intensa raiva, já que a mesma, conscientemente é proporcional ao ocorrido, sendo que  a intensificação do mesmo ocorreu inconscientemente. Um ato pequeno é percebido  como grandioso e intenso, sendo benéfico, será percebido como uma imensa forma de  carinho, amizade e amor, sendo maléfico, o indivíduo perceberá como um ato  imperdoável, uma traição, afastamento, entre outros. (PANIGRAHI et al., 2022) Critério 9: Os indivíduos borderline apresentam uma intensa atividade  imaginária, com inserção de ocorridos fictícios a situações passadas, além de ideações  ao futuro, geralmente comuns a quadros de ansiedade presente nesses indivíduos,  intensificando dificuldades passadas ou superestimando dificuldades futuras, o que  causa grande insegurança ao indivíduo, fazendo-o acreditar em possibilidades  inexistentes. (SIMONI et al., 2018) 3.5 Semelhanças no diagnóstico de transtorno de personalidade borderline com os  demais transtornos de personalidade Cada transtorno de personalidade possui características/critérios próprios, que  apresentam muita semelhança com critérios de outros transtornos de personalidade,  visto que, cada um, conta com motivações únicas, que rotineiramente são confundidos  na psiquiatria clínica, onde o paciente relata brevemente o que está acontecendo e cabe  ao psiquiatra encaixar o que foi dito pelo paciente nos critérios específicos dos  transtornos, para que seja possível a realização de um tratamento eficaz. FONTE: DSM-V (FAUSTINO,  2014) De acordo com o conselho federal de medicina, é aconselhável que médicos e  especialistas que atendam em CAPS, UBS e UPA, exceto em situações de emergência,  3 pacientes por hora, ou seja, cada consulta tem duração média de 20 minutos, com retorno aproximado de 30 dias, quando será possível visualizar a eficácia ou não do  tratamento prescrito, o que deixa o paciente suscetível a um diagnóstico errôneo, juntamente com tratamento ineficaz, além do uso medicamentoso estendido. (ZIMMERMAN, 2020) Diante do exposto, é visível a falha no atendimento ao público, principalmente  no sistema público, onde o profissional não dispõe de tempo suficiente para realizar uma  adequada análise das queixas do paciente e diferenciá-las de outros transtornos. Alguns TP necessitam de enquadramento apenas de parte dos critérios para  realizar o diagnóstico, existindo a possibilidade que mais de um transtorno de  personalidade seja diagnosticado ao mesmo tempo. Vale destacar a importância da  correta associação entre as queixas e os critérios, a fim de evitar uma conclusão  desnecessária, levando o paciente a realizar tratamento para transtornos de  personalidade não cabíveis ao indivíduo. As motivações envolvidas nos critérios são extremamente importantes, visto  que, por exemplo, enquanto um transtorno apresenta determinados comportamentos  a fim de se beneficiar, outros buscam atenção, por isso se faz essencial diferenciá-lo dos  demais. 3.5.1 Borderline X Transtorno de Personalidade Histriônico O transtorno de personalidade histriônico ganha o pódio no ranking de erro  diagnóstico envolvendo o transtorno de personalidade borderline, ou vice versa, os dois  são constantemente confundidos na psiquiatria clínica, visto que a base diagnóstica são,  na maioria das vezes, senão todas, os critérios do DSM-V, onde cada transtorno conta  com uma série de critérios a serem enquadrados. (BACH et al., 2016) O transtorno de personalidade Histriônico e Borderline recebem grande  destaque no âmbito da manipulação e oscilações emocionais, onde os critérios, apesar  de não existirem referências diretas um com o outro, apresentam características  semelhantes no que diz respeito aos critérios do DSM-V, observadas na tabela 4: Tabela 4: Comparação entre os principais critérios do DSM-V para TP borderline  e TP histriônico. Critérios  TP BORDERLINE  Critérios  TP HISTRIÔNIC 5 “Recorrência de comportamento,  gestos ou ameaças suicidas ou  de comportamento  automutilante” (DSM -V, 2014, p.663). 6 “Mostra autodramatizaç teatralidade e expressão  exag das emoções.” ( V, 2014, p.667) 6 “Instabilidade afetiva devida a  uma acentuada reatividade de  humor” (DSM-V, 2014, p.663). 3 “Exibe mudança rápidas e  expre superficial das  emoções” (DSM 2014, p.667) FONTE: AUTORIA PRÓPRIA. O critério 6 do TP Borderline assemelha-se ao critério 3 do TP Histriônico, onde  as oscilações de humor são frequentes, muitas vezes abruptas, quando relacionadas a  pessoas do meio. As oscilações de humor são causadas por motivos diferentes nos dois  TP, enquanto a causa do borderline associa-se ao medo do abandono e vazio, a causa  do histriônico é a sensação de perder o posto de centro das atenções, sendo assim, o  primeiro associado à afetividade e o segundo à vanglorização. posto de centro das atenções, sendo assim, o  primeiro associado à afetividade e o segundo à vanglorização. As oscilações de humor são as principais causas para comportamentos  manipulativos, a fim de evitar a perda, ou recuperar aquilo que perdeu. Os extremos de  humor fazem com que o indivíduo se sinta completo, tendo aquilo que quer, porém, a  estabilidade de humor não é constante, fazendo com que o completo se torne  insuficiente, obrigando o indivíduo a tomar uma atitude, no caso, a manipulação. O critério 5 do TP borderline demonstra uma manipulação perigosa, já que as  tentativas de suicídio podem causar a morte. De acordo com o Manual de Diagnóstico  e Estatísticas de Transtornos Mentais de 2014, as tentativas podem resultar em suicídio  em até 10% dos indivíduos, o que torna a manipulação do histriônico bem mais leve, se  comparado, já que o risco de suicídio, de acordo com a mesma fonte, é desconhecido,  afinal esses indivíduos usam o exagero de emoções, como muito choro e muita dor,  para chamar a atenção, até mesmo envergonhar terceiros para se sobressair em  diversas situações. Ambos buscam atenção total, além das grandes e frequentes oscilações de  humor. Umas das maiores semelhanças existentes entre os dois transtornos é a intensidade emocional, excesso de demonstrações de afeto ou atenção, porém, quando  tratamos de borderline, estamos envolvidos por dois extremos: intensidade emocional e  o total descaso emocional, já que o indivíduo busca atenção desesperadamente, mas é  capaz de perceber quando não a terás, mudando totalmente o comportamento para com  esse indivíduo. FONTE: AUTORIA PRÓPRIA. O histriônico busca emoção imediata, sendo o mesmo capaz de restabelecer  sentimentos de muito carinho e muita raiva por pessoas de seu meio, por períodos  tenta agradar, presentear ou elogiar excessivamente pessoas que não são íntimas o  suficiente para tal comportamento, da mesma forma que se chateiam pela falta de  retribuição desses indivíduos, resultando em expressões dramáticas, seguidas de  afastamento, que pouco dura, já que em novas tentativas de chamar a atenção, o  histriônico pode até inventar histórias convictas, concordar com opiniões divergentes,  sendo regularmente sugestionáveis, a fim de atrair o foco da mesma pessoa na qual  estava ressentido. (HASLAM et al., 2012) A partir disso, é possível perceber que histriônico faz uso de diversas formas de  manipulação, a fim de atrair a atenção que pensa ter perdido, por consequência de suas  frequentes oscilações de humor. Além das formas dramáticas e entusiasmadas de  manipulação, o indivíduo busca chamar a atenção pela aparência física, preza por  roupas chamativas e extravagantes, muitas vezes vulgares, que torna a sexualidade  uma característica marcante deste transtorno. Além dos pontos citados, o histriônico  apresenta-se como um indivíduo poliqueixoso, regularmente apresentando reclamações  diferentes, relacionadas a sintomas físicos e psicológicos, onde os relatam com a  intensidade exageradamente aumentada, para coagir todos ao seu redor a fornecer os  cuidados que desejam. (HASLAM et al., 2012) Sendo assim, entendível a diferença existente entre ambos os TP, sendo  possível identificar o que se difere nas motivações e extremos expressos, a fim de  chamar a atenção ou manipular indivíduos, em cada um dos casos, porém, se os  aspectos do indivíduo se enquadrar em ambos os transtornos de personalidade, os dois  podem ser diagnosticados. 3.5.2 Transtorno de Personalidade Antissocial x Borderline O antissocial e o Borderline apresentam manipulação constante, a fim de obter  benefício, no caso do antissocial, a manipulação é consciente, o indivíduo tem total  conhecimento e planeja como usará tal meio ao seu favor, geralmente envolvendo ganhos, como, por exemplo, uma forma de conseguir mais reconhecimento ou lucro,  enquanto o borderline manipula inconscientemente, acreditando depender de um  indivíduo e de sua total atenção, fazendo-o se compadecer com seu sofrimento, o  obrigando a fornecer aquilo que o borderline deseja: afeto. (NUNES et al., 2018) Ao ser questionado sobre sua manipulação, o indivíduo antissocial não  apresenta remorso, são indiferentes ao sofrimento que causou em terceiros, acreditam  e afirmam que são merecedores dos privilégios obtidos mediante fraude ou mentiras. Enquanto o borderline, quando questionado sobre mentiras e manipulações, reagem de  forma totalmente diferente, demonstrando intensa dificuldade em controlar as  oscilações de sentimentos, geralmente apresentando intensa raiva, que pode chegar  até a agressão física, já que os mesmos não enxergam isso como manipulação, mas  sim como uma necessidade vital que não está sendo fornecida. (LIEBMAN et al., 2013) As características de manipulação envolvendo TP antissocial e TP borderline  são semelhantes e diferem-se pela consciência do ato, onde o primeiro planeja, executa  e usufrui, sem se importar com as consequências, mas tendo noção total que se trata  de uma manipulação. Enquanto o segundo acredita estar apenas expressando seus  sentimentos, sua necessidade de atenção, podendo chegar a tentativas suicidas, a fim  de demonstrar que precisa do afeto que não está recebendo. (ANDO et al., 2019) Os ganhos envolvidos na manipulação dos dois transtornos diferem-se pelo fato  do antissocial buscar status social e bens materiais, que acreditam merecê-los,  enquanto o borderline acredita necessitar da atenção e apoio de terceiros. (BACH et  al.,2016) 3.5.3 Transtorno de Personalidade Esquizotípica X Borderline 3.5.3 Transtorno de Personalidade Esquizotípica X Borderline Um indivíduo com transtorno de personalidade esquizotípica expressa  pensamentos paranóides, isolamento social, afeto inapropriado, e períodos  dissociativos, que podem parecer semelhantes ao borderline, mas a diferença existe na  constância e duração deste comportamento. (AGNEW-BLAIS et al., 2018) O indivíduo borderline sofre diversas oscilações emocionais, que podem, muitas  vezes, resultar em repetidos comportamentos agressivos e de intensa raiva,  prejudicando os relacionamentos, causando, muitas vezes, afastamento de terceiros. (FAUSTINO, 2014) O intenso estresse pode causar, no indivíduo borderline, sintomas transitórios e  dissociativos, ligados a mudanças em seus relacionamentos afetuosos, caracterizando  a sensação de distanciamento de seu próprio pensamento ou corpo, uma  despersonalização e desrealização, que duram, geralmente, poucas horas. (MACHADO  et al., 2014) O intenso estresse pode causar, no indivíduo borderline, sintomas transitórios e  dissociativos, ligados a mudanças em seus relacionamentos afetuosos, caracterizando  a sensação de distanciamento de seu próprio pensamento ou corpo, uma  despersonalização e desrealização, que duram, geralmente, poucas horas. (MACHADO  et al., 2014) A ideação paranóide ocorre com mais frequência, principalmente pelos sintomas  crônicos de vazio, onde o mesmo, ao considerar-se dependente, teme pelo  afastamento, o que possibilita diversos pensamentos paranóides e consequentemente  atitudes impulsivas a fim de evitar o que imagina que pode acontecer. (VAZQUEZ et al.,  2018) A maior diferença existente entre os dois transtornos são as características  impulsivas e manipuladoras do borderline, que são raramente apresentadas por  esquizotípicos. Apesar do borderline apresentar sintomas semelhantes, a duração se  difere, sendo esta característica duradoura em indivíduos esquizotípicos, chegando a  serem quase constantes, enquanto o borderline apresenta-se nesta posição somente  em situações extremas. (RESENDE et al., 2019) Alguns casos de isolamento social podem surgir no borderline, mas não por  escolha própria e sim de terceiros, já que alguns comportamentos agressivos e a  constante mudança de humor afasta todos ao seu redor, o obrigando a viver períodos  de isolamento. Os dois transtornos podem apresentar-se juntos no mesmo indivíduo,  sendo quase impossível distinguir os comportamentos providos de cada um dos  transtornos, sendo necessário reavaliação do indivíduo quando os sintomas  dissociativos e transitórios causados por estresse da personalidade borderline  desapareçam. (TYRER et al., 2019) 4.  CONCLUSÃO Portanto, a partir da dificuldade em diagnósticos clínicos convencionais  para o Transtorno de Personalidade Borderline, surgiu a necessidade de  esclarecimento sobre as características específicas do determinado transtorno. Por consequência deste cenário comum em ambientes psiquiátricos, a partir disso nota-se os critérios de avaliação pessoal fazendo com que a avaliação do  possível transtorno seja mais tangível e assim ter a oportunidade do tratamento  e acompanhamento pessoal. disso nota-se os critérios de avaliação pessoal fazendo com que a avaliação do  possível transtorno seja mais tangível e assim ter a oportunidade do tratamento  e acompanhamento pessoal. 5.  REFERÊNCIAS AGNEW-BLAIS, J. C. et al. Young adult mental health and functional outcomes among  individuals with remitted, persistent and late-onset ADHD. The British journal of  psychiatry: the journal of mental science, v. 213, n. 3, p. 526–534, 2018. AGNOL, E. C. D. et al. Cuidado de enfermagem às pessoas com transtorno de  personalidade borderline na perspectiva freireana. Revista gaúcha de enfermagem, v. 40, n. 0, p. e20180084, 2019. AMORIM, P. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI): validação de  entrevista breve para diagnóstico de transtornos mentais. Revista brasileira de  psiquiatria (São Paulo, Brazil: 1999), v. 22, n. 3, p. 106–115, 2000. ANDERSON, J. et al. A comparison of the DSM-5 Section II and Section III personality  disorder structures. Psychiatry research, v. 216, n. 3, p. 363–372, 2014. ANDO, A. et al. Assessing the personality profile with ADHD characteristics using the  Rorschach performance assessment system (R-PAS). Journal of child and family  studies, v. 28, n. 5, p. 1196–1206, 2019. BACH, B.; SELLBOM, M. Continuity between DSM-5 categorical criteria and traits  criteria for borderline personality disorder. Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue  canadienne de psychiatrie, v. 61, n. 8, p. 489–494, 2016. BANON, E. et al. Therapist interventions using the Psychodynamic Interventions Rating  Scale (PIRS) in dynamic therapy, psychoanalysis and CBT. Psychotherapy research:  journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, v. 23, n. 2, p. 121– 136, 2013. BARTELL, S. S.; SOLANTO, M. V. Usefulness of the Rorschach inkblot test in  assessment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Perceptual and motor skills, v. 80, n. 2, p. 531–541, 1995. COLLI, A.; FERRI, M. Patient personality and therapist countertransference. Current  opinion in psychiatry, v. 28, n. 1, p. 46–56, 2015. COLLI, A.; FERRI, M. Patient personality and therapist countertransference. Current  opinion in psychiatry, v. 28, n. 1, p. 46–56, 2015. COLLI, A.; FERRI, M. Patient personality and therapist countertransference. Current  opinion in psychiatry, v. 28, n. 1, p. 46–56, 2015. Current  opinion in psychiatry, v. 28, n. 1, p. 46–56, 2015. CORONATO-NUNES, T. et al. Borderline personality disorder: an adaptation of the  Taiwan short version of the screening inventory into Brazilian Portuguese. Trends in  psychiatry and psychotherapy, v. 40, n. 1, p. 16–20, 2018. GOODMAN, G.; ANDERSON, K.; DIENER, M. J. Processes of therapeutic change in  psychodynamic therapy of two inpatients with borderline personality disorder. Journal  of psychotherapy integration, v. 24, n. 1, p. 30–45, 2014. HADDAD, A. H. et al. Personality impairment in children and adolescents with  ADHD. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), v. 31, 2021. HADDAD, A. H. et al. Personality impairment in children and adolescents with  ADHD. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), v. 31, 2021. HASLAM, N.; HOLLAND, E.; KUPPENS, P. Categories versus dimensions in personality  and psychopathology: a quantitative review of taxometric research. Psychological  medicine, v. 42, n. 5, p. 903–920, 2012. HASLAM, N.; HOLLAND, E.; KUPPENS, P. Categories versus dimensions in personality  and psychopathology: a quantitative review of taxometric research. Psychological  medicine, v. 42, n. 5, p. 903–920, 2012. FAUSTINO, V.S. (2014). Perturbação da personalidade borderline e o uso da  clivagem. Universidade de Coimbra. FAUSTINO, V.S. (2014). Perturbação da personalidade borderline e o uso da  clivagem. Universidade de Coimbra. LIEBMAN, R. E.; BURNETTE, M. It’s not you, it’s me: an examination of clinician- and  client-level influences on countertransference toward borderline personality  disorder. The American journal of orthopsychiatry, v. 83, n. 1, p. 115– 125, 2013. MACHADO, D. DE B. et al. Systematic review of studies about countertransference in  adult psychotherapy. Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy, v. 36, n. 4, p. 173– 185, 2014. MAZER, A. K.; MACEDO, B. B. D.; JURUENA, M. F. Personality disorders. Medicina  (Ribeirao Preto Online), v. 50, n. supl.1, p. 85–97, 2017. MÖLLER, R. L. et al. Manifestações Contratransferenciais no Processo Terapêutico de  uma Paciente com Personalidade Borderline. Psico-USF, v. 23, n. 4, p. 705–717, 2018. OLIVEIRA, S. E. S. DE et al. Personality types and personality traits in DSM-5: Do they  really match? Psicologia Teoria e Pesquisa, v. 36, n. spe, 2020. PANIGRAHI, T. K. et al. Determinação dos parâmetros anatômicos limítrofes para  melhor desfecho funcional da fratura de Colles: Um estudo prospectivo. Revista  brasileira de ortopedia, v. 57, n. 4, p. 619–628, 2022. PIMENTEL, R. Disponível em: <https://clinicajorgejaber.com.br/novo/wp content/uploads/2019/11/nov_9_robson.pdf>. Acesso em: 11 nov. 2022. PIMENTEL, R. Disponível em: <https://clinicajorgejaber.com.br/novo/wp content/uploads/2019/11/nov_9_robson.pdf>. Acesso em: 11 nov. 2022. RESENDE, A. C. et al. COLLI, A.; FERRI, M. Patient personality and therapist countertransference. Current  opinion in psychiatry, v. 28, n. 1, p. 46–56, 2015. Criterion validity of the Rorschach Developmental Index with  children. Journal of personality assessment, v. 101, n. 2, p. 191–198, 2019. RESENDE, A. C. et al. Criterion validity of the Rorschach Developmental Index with  children. Journal of personality assessment, v. 101, n. 2, p. 191–198, 2019. SIMONI, L.; BENETTI, S. P. C.; BITTENCOURT, A. A. Intervenções do terapeuta  psicanalítico no processo psicoterapêutico de uma paciente com transtorno de  personalidade borderline. Temas em Psicologia, v. 26, n. 3, p. 1499–1512, 2018. SKODOL, A. E. et al. Personality disorder types proposed for DSM-5. Journal of  personality disorders, v. 25, n. 2, p. 136–169, 2011. TYRER, P. et al. The development of the ICD-11 classification of personality disorders:  An amalgam of science, pragmatism, and politics. Annual review of clinical  psychology, v. 15, n. 1, p. 481–502, 2019. VAZQUEZ, A. L.; SIBLEY, M. H.; CAMPEZ, M. Measuring impairment when diagnosing  adolescent ADHD: Differentiating problems due to ADHD versus other  sources. Psychiatry research, v. 264, p. 407–411, 2018. ZIMMERMAN, M. Transtorno de personalidade borderline. Disponível em:  <https://www.msdmanuals.com/pt-br/profissional/transtornos- psiquiátricos/transtornos de-personalidade/transtorno-de-personalidade- borderline-tpb>. Acesso em: 11 nov. 2022. ZIMMERMAN, M. Transtorno de personalidade borderline. Disponível em:  <https://www.msdmanuals.com/pt-br/profissional/transtornos- psiquiátricos/transtornos de-personalidade/transtorno-de-personalidade- borderline-tpb>. Acesso em: 11 nov. 2022. Discente do curso de medicina da UNIFIMCA  Discente do curso de medicina da UNIFIMCA  Orientador e docente do curso de medicina da UNIFIMCA 1 2 3 Discente do curso de medicina da UNIFIMCA  Discente do curso de medicina da UNIFIMCA  1 2 ← Post anterior ← Post anterior RevistaFT A RevistaFT é uma Revista Científica Eletrônica Multidisciplinar Indexada de Alto Impacto e Qualis “B2” em 2023. Periodicidade mensal e de acesso livre. Leia gratuitamente todos os artigos e publique o seu também clicando aqui. Contato Queremos te ouvir. WhatsApp: 11 98597-3405 e-Mail: contato@revistaft.com.br Queremos te ouvir. WhatsApp: 11 98597-3405 e-Mail: contato@revistaft.com.br Queremos te ouvir. WhatsApp: 11 98597-3405 e-Mail: contato@revistaft.com.br ISSN: 1678-0817 CNPJ: 48.728.404/0001-22 Conselho Editorial Editores Fundadores: Dr. Oston de Lacerda Mendes. Dr. João Marcelo Gigliotti. Editora Científica: Dra. Hevellyn Andrade Monteiro Orientadoras: Dra. Hevellyn Andrade Monteiro Dra. Chimene Kuhn Nobre Dra. Edna Cristina Dra. Tais Santos Rosa Revisores: Lista atualizada periodicamente em revistaft.com.br/expediente Venha fazer parte de nosso time de revisores também! Copyright © Editora Oston Ltda. 1996 - 2023 Rua José Linhares, 134 - Leblon | Rio de Janeiro-RJ | Brasil Copyright © Editora Oston Ltda. 1996 - 2023 Rua José Linhares, 134 - Leblon | Rio de Janeiro-RJ | Brasil
https://openalex.org/W4392560998
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/52A6FFFC54AD12882A1657CB32BBE485/S0041977X24000120a.pdf/div-class-title-the-southwest-silk-road-artistic-exchange-and-transmission-in-early-china-div.pdf
English
null
The Southwest Silk Road: artistic exchange and transmission in early China
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
2,024
cc-by
17,673
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4. 0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract In examining wares discovered from the cultures of Sanxingdui and Jinsha and from the former site of the ancient kingdom of Dian in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, this article highlights a number of shared features and trends that suggest a continued artistic, technological and cultural transmission through time and space. The article aims to supplement established theories on the rich material culture of this region. It will look in particular at the development of its striking bronze metallurgy, largely deriving from the established traditions of the Yellow River valley in China’s Bronze Age. It highlights the function of a dense network of trading routes, referred to in modern scholarship as the “Southwest Silk Road”, as an important facilitator of cultural and artistic exchange and recip- rocation from ancient times. Keywords: Southwest Silk Road; Sanxingdui; Jinsha; Dian; material culture The Southwest Silk Road: artistic exchange and transmission in early China Hajni Elias University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK Email: hpe20@cam.ac.uk Hajni Elias Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (2024), 1–26 doi:10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (2024), 1–26 doi:10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (2024), 1–26 doi:10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (2024), 1–26 doi:10.1017/S0041977X24000120 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Introduction Sanxingdui 三星堆, Jinsha 金沙and Dian 滇, in today’s Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, were the centres of significant artistic and bronze casting traditions in southwest China (Figure 1). The site of the ancient civilization of Sanxingdui, situated 40 kilometres north- east of present-day Chengdu city, has been dated to the late Shang period (c. 1300–1050 BCE) (von Falkenhausen 2003: 191). Archaeological finds, primarily from two pits discovered in 1986, confirm the presence of an advanced culture in the region, referred to as ‘the Southwest’ in early Chinese sources.1 For reasons that remain unknown, the people of Sanxingdui abandoned their walled city along the Jian River 湔江, deliberately burning 1 Some of the important textual sources that include information on the Southwest may be found in the geo- graphical treatises (dili zhi 地理志) section of the Hanshu 漢書and the Hou Hanshu 後漢書. See Tan 2001 for a collection of annotations on the treatises on administrative geography in the standard histories. Another import- ant textual source for the Southwest is the Huayang guo zhi yizhu 華陽國志(Record of the Kingdoms South of Mount Hua) compiled by Chang Qu 常璩(fl. 347 CE). Its comprehensive geographical, historical, political and bio- graphical account of the former territories of the Ba 巴, Shu 蜀, Hanzhong 漢中and Nanzhong 南中command- eries in early and medieval times provides detailed surveys of the Southwest’s mountains, rivers, wildlife, produce, people, customs and culture. It is also a biographical account of the lives of some of its eminent persons and worthy men and women from antiquity to the fourth century of the Eastern Jin period (265–420 CE). In add- ition to the two pits discovered in 1986 at Sanxingdui, six further ritual pits have been unearthed since 2020. A joint excavation team from several universities and research institutions in China have unearthed more https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Hajni Elias 2 Figure 1. Map of the locations of the Sanxingdui, Jinsha and Dian cultures in early China Figure 1. Map of the locations of the Sanxingdui, Jinsha and Dian cultures in early China ritual vessels and paraphernalia in sacrificial pits. The Jinsha site, located on the outskirts of Chengdu, was discovered in 2001 and is considered the final phase of the Sanxingdui culture (Ye 2011). than 500 artefacts, including gold masks and a large number of fine bronzes and bird-shaped gold ornament pieces. As these finds have not yet been officially published, they are not included in this article. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Introduction Finds from Jinsha have been dated to 1000–650 BCE by archaeologists, which corresponds to the Western Zhou period 西周(eleventh century–770 BCE) (Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology 2013). The Dian people were settled in the region of Lake Dian 滇池in present-day Yunnan province, located south of Sichuan, and were active from around 500 BCE until 109 BCE, when they were con- quered and attached as a vassal state to the Western Han Empire (202 BCE–9 CE) (Yao 2005: 381). Archaeological excavations at the two principal sites of Shizhaishan 石寨山and Lijiashan 李家山revealed them as a highly complex and localized kingdom with a society of significant traditions. This article aims to supplement established theories that consider the Southwest’s early material culture as largely deriving from the established traditions of the Yellow River valley in the central plains of China. Through an examination of ritual wares discov- ered from Sanxingdui and Jinsha and from the former sites of the Kingdom of Dian, the article highlights a number of shared artistic preferences and metallurgical practices that show a flourishing interaction between the sedentary and pastoral societies in the region which facilitated local transmission and exchange, resulting in the development of a number of advanced artistic traditions over time. This exchange was aided by a net- work of trading and communication routes, referred to in modern scholarship as the Southwest Silk Road; from early on it played a central role in bringing people with estab- lished bronze technology and tradition to the region. While the cultures of Sanxingdui and Jinsha preceded the civilization of the Dian people by several centuries and their centres are at a great distance from each other (over 800 kilometres), we may assume that the https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS BSOAS BSOAS 3 movement of people in the region was continuous and active until the founding of the Qin (221–206 BCE) and Han (206 BCE –220 CE) dynasties when central military and government control over the region was established and consolidated. movement of people in the region was continuous and active until the founding of the Qin (221–206 BCE) and Han (206 BCE –220 CE) dynasties when central military and government control over the region was established and consolidated. Introduction A nuanced understanding of local and regional developments challenges arguments that presume the overriding influence of dominant cultures, such as that found in the Yellow River valley, and underplays the possibility of local indigenous developments.2 In China’s case this paradigm views the Southwest, and indeed most of the early cultures of Southeast Asia – the territory encompassed by modern day Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia – as dependent on China for the origin of most technological and artistic innovations. Especially in the field of metallurgy, these views trace the spread of early bronze making from the elite and sophisticated Shang and Zhou cultures to the less complex societies of the Southwest via networks of contact and exchange (White and Hamilton 2009: 357–8).3 Following an examination of some of the key routes associated with the Southwest Silk Road, the article highlights the nature of societies in the region and introduces estab- lished theories on the early transfer of metallurgy to the Southwest. After this, it focuses on the cultures of Sanxingdui, Jinsha and the ancient Kingdom of Dian, looking at some of the shared features and trends that indicate a number of related artistic and material tra- ditions facilitated by the presence of different social and ethnic groups and a well- developed network of trading routes in the Southwest. 2 For examples of Sino-centric studies on the cultures of the Southwest, see Cao 2016, Li 2018, Qiu 2013 and Wang 2002. 3 In their analysis, White and Hamilton 2009: 358 question Sinocentric models for the source of Southeast Asian bronze technology as flawed for chronological, technological and conceptual reasons. 4 For studies on the Southwest Silk Road, see Cao 2016; Fang 2015; Hu 1989; Li 2018; Lin 2008; Luo 1993; Qiu 2013; Wang 2002; Wang and Dai 2020; Yang 2004, 2018; and Zhang 2018. The Southwest Silk Road does not des- ignate a single unbroken passage but refers to a network of interconnected routes that passed through distinct regions. Bin Yang’s study on the use of cowrie shells as money among Indian, Chinese, Southeast Asian and West African societies is an example of research on the impact of the Southwest Silk Road in the region. See Yang 2004, 2009, 2011 and 2018. Asian bronze technology as flawed for chronological, technological and conceptual reasons. 4 For studies on the Southwest Silk Road, see Cao 2016; Fang 2015; Hu 1989; Li 2018; Lin 2008; Luo 1993; Qiu 2013; Wang 2002; Wang and Dai 2020; Yang 2004, 2018; and Zhang 2018. The Southwest Silk Road does not des- ignate a single unbroken passage but refers to a network of interconnected routes that passed through distinct regions. Bin Yang’s study on the use of cowrie shells as money among Indian, Chinese, Southeast Asian and West African societies is an example of research on the impact of the Southwest Silk Road in the region. See Yang 2004, 2009, 2011 and 2018. 3 In their analysis, White and Hamilton 2009: 358 question Sinocentric models for the source of Southeast Asian bronze technology as flawed for chronological, technological and conceptual reasons. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press The Southwest Silk Road Studies of the Silk Road, a network of overland routes that connected the continents of Europe and Central Asia with northern China across the Eurasian Steppe, and also of the Maritime Silk Road, a number of sea routes that linked southern China with Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and reaching as far as the Arabian peninsula and Europe, are well established. These studies have overshadowed a third system of trad- ing routes constituted by overland passages stretching through the mountainous areas of the eastern Tibetan Plateau and the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan through- out the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and into the neighbouring states of Southeast Asia. Labelled as the Southwest Silk Road in modern scholarship, this complex network of trav- ersable roads played a key role in the exchange of goods; however, its contribution to the transmission of culture and art on a trans-regional level in early times remains to be explored.4 Although named as the Southwest Silk Road in association with the great trade routes – the Northern and Maritime Silk Roads – there is little evidence that silk was ever exchanged along it. The term has come to be used as a short reference for the routes of trade and cultural exchange across the region. g g Rivers and traversable plateaus in the Southwest were key to traffic from early on, among which the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, a southern extension of the Tibetan Plateau, was possibly one of the most heavily crossed routes employed by the many 2 For examples of Sino-centric studies on the cultures of the Southwest, see Cao 2016, Li 2018, Qiu 2013 and Wang 2002. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Hajni Elias 4 nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes in the region. It served as an interaction zone between the main cultural centres in the northern, eastern and the southwestern parts of the region (Yang 2004: 315). The Tibetan Plateau itself is a vast area that extends over 2.5 mil- lion square kms, and comprises parts of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, as well today’s Tibetan Autonomous Region (Guedes and Aldenderfer 2020: 340). Along with land routes, rivers were also of key significance to anyone traversing this region. The Southwest Silk Road We find that the major rivers in the Southwest, the Yangtze 揚子江, Pearl 珠江, Mekong 湄公河 and Hong rivers 洪江, mostly originate from the Tibetan Plateau with their main tribu- taries passing through Sichuan and Yunnan and flowing south towards Southeast Asia. These rivers and their many tributaries functioned as passages for the movement of peo- ple as well as goods, ideas and the arts (Hignam 1999: 1). Joyce White and Elizabeth Hamilton (2009: 390), in their examination of the transmission of early bronze technology to Southeast Asia, note how the complex river systems extending out of the southeastern foothills of the Himalayas may have aided the direct and swift spread of the Eurasian Steppe metallurgical traditions, especially the lost-wax casting of ornaments to the south and southwest, reaching today’s Thailand as early as 2000 BCE. The dating of the dif- ferent branches of the Southwest Silk Road remains a matter of debate among scholars, some of whom believe that the route to India across the Southwest, referred to in early historical accounts, may in fact have emerged well before the third century BCE (Yang 2009: 34). The earliest mention in Chinese textual sources of an active trade route in the Southwest may be found in the Shiji 史記where the explorations of the official and dip- lomat, Zhang Qian 張騫(138 –126 BCE), are recorded as follows: 及元狩元年, 博望侯張騫使大夏來, 言居大夏時見蜀布、邛竹杖, 使問所從來, 曰 「從東南身毒國, 可數千里, 得蜀賈人市」。或聞邛西可二千里有身毒國。騫因 盛言大夏在漢西南, 慕中國, 患匈奴隔其道, 誠通蜀, 身毒國道便近, 有利無害。於 是天子乃令王然于、柏始昌、呂越人等, 使閒出西夷西, 指求身毒國。至滇, 滇王 嘗羌[3]乃留為求道西十餘輩。歲餘, 皆閉昆明, 莫能通身毒國。 及元狩元年, 博望侯張騫使大夏來, 言居大夏時見蜀布、邛竹杖, 使問所從來, 曰 「從東南身毒國, 可數千里, 得蜀賈人市」。或聞邛西可二千里有身毒國。騫因 盛言大夏在漢西南, 慕中國, 患匈奴隔其道, 誠通蜀, 身毒國道便近, 有利無害。於 是天子乃令王然于、柏始昌、呂越人等, 使閒出西夷西, 指求身毒國。至滇, 滇王 嘗羌[3]乃留為求道西十餘輩。歲餘, 皆閉昆明, 莫能通身毒國。 In the first year of yuanshou (122 B.C.E.) Zhang Qian, the Bowang marquis, returned from his mission to the land of Daxia (Bactria) and reported that while he was there he had seen cloth produced in Shu and bamboo canes from Qiong. On inquiring how they had arrived in Daxia, he was told, “They come from the land of Shendu (India), which lies some several thousand li west of here. We buy them in the shops of the Shu merchants there.” He was told that Shendu was situated some 2,000 li west of Qiong. “Daxia, which is situated southwest of our country,” Zhang Qian reported to the emperor with enthusiasm, “is eager to open relations with China and is much distressed that the Xiongnu are blocking the road in between. 5 Shiji 116.2996; Watson 1993: II, 256. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press The Southwest Silk Road If we could find a new route from Shu via the land of Shendu, however, we would have a short and convenient way to reach Daxia which would avoid the danger of the northern route!”5 This passage confirms the presence of an established road between Sichuan and Bactria via India by the Han dynasty, used by traders in the Southwest but not familiar to or explored yet by the Han themselves. Indeed, the mention of Shu 蜀merchants selling their goods in India suggests the presence of developed trading relations between local https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press 5 BSOAS BSOAS societies in the Southwest and distant regions that must have flourished well before Sima Qian’s 司馬遷(c. 145–86 BCE) writing of the Shiji.6 societies in the Southwest and distant regions that must have flourished well before Sima Qian’s 司馬遷(c. 145–86 BCE) writing of the Shiji.6 A further passage in the Shiji refers to the attempts made by Han emissaries to locate a safe and more direct route to Bactria in order to avoid dangers encountered by the Qiang 羌people in the Tibetan Plateau and the Xiongnu 匈奴in the north. 昆明之屬無君長,善寇盜,輒殺略漢使,終莫得通。然聞其西可千餘里有乘象 國,名曰滇越,而蜀賈姦出物者或至焉,於是漢以求大夏道始通滇國。初,漢 欲通西南夷,費多,道不通,罷之。及張騫言可以通大夏,乃復事西南夷。 昆明之屬無君長,善寇盜,輒殺略漢使,終莫得通。然聞其西可千餘里有乘象 國,名曰滇越,而蜀賈姦出物者或至焉,於是漢以求大夏道始通滇國。初,漢 欲通西南夷,費多,道不通,罷之。及張騫言可以通大夏,乃復事西南夷。 The Kunming tribes have no rulers but devote themselves to plunder and robbery, and as soon as they seized any of the Han envoys they immediately murdered them. Thus none of the parties were ever able to get through to their destination. They did learn, however, that some 1,000 or more li to the west there was a state called Dianyue whose people rode elephants and that the merchants from Shu some- times went there with their goods on unofficial trading missions. In this way the Han, while searching for the route to Daxia, first came into contact with the Kingdom of Dian.7 Another passage in the Hanshu 漢書records how Emperor Wu 漢武帝(r. 141–87 BCE) dis- patched envoys in search of the route to India via the Southwest: 於是天子乃令王然于、柏始昌、呂越人等十餘輩間出西南夷,指求身毒國。至 滇,滇王當羌乃留為求道。四歲餘,皆閉昆明,莫能通。滇王與漢使言:「漢 孰與我大?」及夜郞侯亦然。各自以一州王,不知漢廣大。使者還,因盛言滇 大國,足事親附。天子注意焉。 The emperor therefore ordered Wang Ranyu, Bo Shichang, Lü Yueren and others, ten or more, to go on a secret expedition to the region of the Southwestern Yi barbar- ians, instructing them to search for the Kingdom of Shendu. The expedition reached as far as Dian. The King of Dian, Changqiang made them stay and told them that he would send out a party to search for the road to Shendu. 6 The region known in early textual sources as the Southwest (xinan 西南) primarily occupies the combined areas of northwestern Guizhou, Sichuan and northeastern Yunnan provinces today. It encompasses the geo- graphical landscape referred to as the Ba-Shu 巴蜀territory, a peripheral region in early Imperial times, which combined the two states or kingdoms known as Ba and Shu within the greater Sichuan Basin. Ba was where today’s eastern Sichuan lies, with its capital Jiangzhou 江州(present-day Chongqing city) on the banks of the Yangtze River; while Shu, with its capital Chengdu 成都, occupied the lowlands of the Chengdu Plain and the adjacent mountainous territories of the western part of the province. Mention of the Shu people refers to those living in the former kingdom of Shu. For a detailed account on the early history of Sichuan, see Sage 1992. 7 Shiji 123, 3166; Watson 1993: II, 236–7. 8 Hanshu 95.3841. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Hajni Elias From these textual records it is evident that although there was a route from the Western Han capital of Chang’an 長安to Yunnan via Sichuan, the stretch of road from Yunnan westwards to Bactria in Central Asia via the region of present-day Myanmar and India was blocked by the local ethnic tribes who may have considered the Han as intruders rather than “friends”. Over time, Han government missions deployed to search for a route to Bactria via the Southwest proved not only dangerous but financially costly. As noted in the Shiji, “Earlier the Han had tried to establish relations with the barbarians of the Southwest, but the expense proved too great and no road could be found through the region and so the project was abandoned (初, 欲通西南夷, 多道不同, 罷之).”9 What is also evident from early writings is the highly localized nature of interaction between different societies in the Southwest and the difficulties encountered by those, such as the Han, who as “outsiders” may have been viewed as encroaching upon their established affairs. Although there was interest in the Southwest and the territories beyond the Han Empire’s borders, primarily for economic purposes, it never became a pri- ority, possibly due to contentious relations between the Han government and the nomadic steppe tribes, united under the Xiongnu and occupying much of the territory north of the empire’s borders, and which had a decisive influence on its political, eco- nomic and military life (Di Cosmo 1994). y The Southwest Silk Road comprised a number of key sections. A route labelled in mod- ern scholarship as the Sichuan-Yunnan-Burma-India road linked Chengdu with Kunming in the east and Dali 大理in the west of Yunnan province (Yang 2004: 287).10 From Dali the road crossed the Bonan Mountain 博南山pass to today’s Myanmar and Thailand, even- tually reaching India and was thus labelled the “Ancient Road of Bonan (Bonan gudao 博南古道)” (Yang 2004: 287). Another branch of the Southwest Silk Road connected Chengdu with Kunming and then forked southeast towards Vietnam following the course of the Hong River that flows to northern Vietnam. The third major route connected Sichuan and Yunnan with the regions of today’s Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Key to the discussion in this article is a fourth route that joined Sichuan, Yunnan and the Tibetan Plateau with the north. Shiji 123, 3166; Watson 1993: II, 237. 10 See Yang 2004 for a description of the different network of routes that comprised the Southwest Silk Road. 11 Shiji 116.2993 (巴蜀民或竊出商賈,取其筰馬、僰僮、髦牛,以此巴蜀殷富). 10 See Yang 2004 for a description of the different network of routes that comprised the Southwest Silk Roa 11 Shiji 116.2993 (巴蜀民或竊出商賈,取其筰馬、僰僮、髦牛,以此巴蜀殷富). 9 Shiji 123, 3166; Watson 1993: II, 237. 10 The Southwest Silk Road After more than four years of waiting, all the roads were closed off by the inhabitants of Kunming and the search party was not able to get through. The King of Dian told the Han envoy, “Which is greater, my domain or that of the Han ruler?” The Marquis of Yelang asked the same question. They both thought of themselves as kings of one vast region and did not know the vast greatness of the Han. The Han envoys returned and made an effort to claim that the Dian Kingdom was large and should be good enough to have a close relation and binding to the Han. The emperor paid close attention to this matter.8 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press 6 Hajni Elias g p 11 Shiji 116.2993 (巴蜀民或竊出商賈,取其筰馬、僰僮、髦牛,以此巴蜀殷 Hajni Elias Entire horse skeletons placed in “sacrificial features”, similar to the horse sacrificial burials known from across the Eurasian Steppe, have been discovered, suggesting that people in the region engaged in ritual practices that were formed among the nomadic steppe peoples of Central Asia.14 Jade Guedes and Mark Aldenderfer (2020: 376) note how the introduction of the horse most likely changed the way humans occu- pied the Tibetan Plateau in several ways. Transport on horseback made it easier to cross larger distances in shorter amounts of time, which increased people’s ability to engage in long-distance patterns of trade and exchange that came to characterize subsistence on the Tibetan Plateau. Indeed, representations of horses and riders on bronze vessels, showing horsemen with a cape similar to that worn by the Yi 彝people in the Liangshan 凉山region of southern Sichuan today, are prominent in the arts of the Dian people.15 The modern Yi are the des- cendants of the ancient Di 氐and Qiang ethnic tribes, the former from the lowlands of northwest Yunnan and the latter from the highlands of Tibet.16 The cost or value of a horse is recorded on a Dian tally plaque unearthed from a tomb at Shizhaishan and dated to the height of the Dian Kingdom. This tally contains an unusual engraved drawing in the form of an inventory list. Along with a horse head, there are representations of slaves, heads of sheep and ox and cowrie shells, all of which appear to represent forms of moveable wealth. The inclusion of cowrie shells on the plaque is noteworthy, especially because the large quantities of these small sea snails found at the sites of Sanxingdui and Dian have raised scholars’ interest in their role and meaning for the region’s early soci- eties.17 While cowries have been found at the Shang and Zhou sites in Central China, its prevalence in the Southwest and the production of elaborate bronze vessels for their stor- age, suggest their significance to local societies in the region. The most frequent cowrie type found in the Southwest is the Gold Ring cowrie which came primarily from the Indian Ocean, more specifically from the Maldive Islands. They were probably brought to the Southwest by traders who followed the land route that connects Sichuan and Yunnan with Thailand and Burma, extending to India and thereby reaching the shores of the Indian Ocean and the Maldives (Pirazzoli-t’Serstevens 1990: 47). Hajni Elias The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, mentioned earlier, is a nat- ural corridor for the northern part of this route. Much later, in the Ming dynasty (1368– 1644), tea became an important commodity traded along this route. It was exported from Sichuan and the Puer region in Yunnan, via Dali to Lhasa and from Lhasa to Nepal and India (Yang 2009: 32–3). Known at the time as the “Tea Horse Route”, the Yunnan-Tibet connection started much earlier, even before the custom of tea drinking began among the Tibetan people in the Tang period (618–907) (Yang 2009: 33). 筰都 Long before the tea trade, horses from the Zuodu 筰都people, who lived west of Sichuan at the Tibetan-Yunnan borders, were traded along the fourth major network of routes mentioned above. We read in the Shiji how Ba and Shu traders made good profits from the purchase of Zuodu horses, slaves and oxen in the region.11 The earliest geo- graphical treaties in the Southwest – the Huayang guo zhi, 華陽國志(Records of the Kingdoms South of Mount Hua) compiled by Chang Qu 常璩(c. 291–361 CE) – mentions the presence of “divine horses (shenma 神馬)” in the region as follows: 滇池縣郡治。故滇國也。有澤水,周回二百里。所出深廣,下流淺狹,如倒流, 故曰滇池。長老傳言,池中有神馬,或交焉,即生駿駒,俗稱之曰“滇池駒”. 滇池縣郡治。故滇國也。有澤水,周回二百里。所出深廣,下流淺狹,如倒流, 故曰滇池。長老傳言,池中有神馬,或交焉,即生駿駒,俗稱之曰“滇池駒”. 滇池縣郡治。故滇國也。有澤水,周回二百里。所出深廣,下流淺狹,如倒流, 故曰滇池。長老傳言,池中有神馬,或交焉,即生駿駒,俗稱之曰“滇池駒”. The commandery administration is located in Dianchi county, seat of the ancient Dian Kingdom. There is a large lake with a circumference of two-hundred li. The https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS 7 7 BSOAS BSOAS source of the lake is deep and wide and at the lower course it becomes shallow and narrow. It is as if it has a reverse flow thus called Dianchi. Rumours according to the chiefs and the elders say that there are spirit horses in the lake. When these horses are bred with other horses then they give birth to spirit colts that are commonly referred to as the “Dianchi colts”.12 The Hou Hanshu also documents a special breed of horse to be found at Lake Dian.13 Archaeological evidence shows that horse husbandry was practised in the Southwest from early times and these legends suggest that high-quality horses were present in the region well before the Qin and Han occupation (Yang 2009: 49). The importance of horses to societies settled on the Tibetan Plateau is evident from archaeological findings. 12 Huayang guozhi yizhu, 4.267–8. 13 Huayang guozhi yizhu 4.153; Hou Hanshu 86.2847. 14 See Guedes and Aldenderfer 2020: 376, where the authors note that, while there is no direct radiocarbon date associated with these finds, nevertheless, horses have been unearthed from the region’s cist tombs that have been dated to between 2710 and 2360 BCE. 15 See Figure 3 which is examined in more detail later. 16 On the subject of ethnic tribes in the Southwest, see Peters 2002 and Harrell 2001. 17 Although to date no cowrie shells have been unearthed at the Jinsha site, we have an example of a jade carving in the form of a shell that suggests its continued importance at the time. The shell-form jade carving is in the collection of and on display at the Jinsha Museum in Chengdu city. 12 Huayang guozhi yizhu, 4.267–8. Huayang guozhi yizhu 4.153; Hou Hanshu 86.2847. 14 See Guedes and Aldenderfer 2020: 376, where the authors note that, while there is no direct radiocarbon date associated with these finds, nevertheless, horses have been unearthed from the region’s cist tombs that have been dated to between 2710 and 2360 BCE. 15 See Figure 3 which is examined in more detail later. 16 On the subject of ethnic tribes in the Southwest, see Peters 2002 and Harrell 2001. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press g 16 On the subject of ethnic tribes in the Southwest, see Peters 2002 and Harrell 2001. 17 Although to date no cowrie shells have been unearthed at the Jinsha site, we have an example of a jade carving in the form of a shell that suggests its continued importance at the time. The shell-form jade carving is in the collection of and on display at the Jinsha Museum in Chengdu city. Hajni Elias In the Southwest, at least, they appear to have functioned as a form of exchange in a society https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press 8 Hajni Elias 8 that did not have coins or any other form of currency and had ritual or religious connota- tions. Their long journey is a testament to their significance as a valued commodity avail- able primarily through trade along the Southwest Silk Road.18 p y g g Another important commodity produced and transported via the road and river net- works in the Southwest, especially along the fourth route mentioned above, was metal ore. Today’s Yunnan and the region of Myanmar contain some of the richest deposits of copper, lead and tin in the wider region.19 A recent discovery of primary metallurgical activities at six smelting sites dated to the middle to late second millennium BCE in Yunnan highlight the early exploitation of ores in the Southwest (Yao et al. 2020: 2). It is worth noting that the production of quality bronze work requires a copper content of about 90 per cent and a tin content of about 10 per cent. While copper was readily available throughout the region, in Sichuan and Yunnan, tin was more scarce and a far more precious material, with deposits found primarily in Yunnan and today’s Myanmar.20 This suggests that early cultures and societies in the region, such as the three examined in this article, must have been in contact with metal traders along the Sichuan-Yunnan branch of the Southwest Silk Road, obtaining precious raw material from local deposits. Furthermore, as noted by Rubin Han and Li Xiaocen (2009: 181) in their examination of early metallurgies in the Southwest, in particular the ancient sites of the Dian, “the appearance of tinned bronzes (and other products) unquestionably docu- ments experimentations with the appearance of an ‘outsider’ technology. The tinning technique can be seen as one important invention of the bronze cultures in the steppe area of the Northern Frontier.” The use of tin-plating or the application of tin-enriched surfaces, giving objects a shiny and attractive appearance, required tin that was available and sourced locally from mines in the Southwest. Buoyant trade along the Southwest Silk Road also connected nomadic and semi- nomadic societies with sedentary ones. Hajni Elias Pastoral nomadism does not normally exist in iso- lation from farming communities, as the pastoral nomadic economy cannot provide all basic necessities, and their contact, commercial exchange and mutual dependency with settled people played an important role in the shaping of early societies in China (Di Cosmo 1994: 1092). Below let us examine some of the theories on the transfer of bronze metallurgy in the Southwest. 18 For an in-depth study on cowrie shells in early China, see Yang 2004, 2011 and 2018. 19 On the Southwest’s deposits and the locations of casting moulds discovered, see Han and Li 2009. 20 See Han and Li 2009: 183, who discuss the Southwest, in particular Yunnan province, as a region rich in mineral resources. They note that the region’s rich mines and the presence of ancient moulds demonstrate the possibility and conditions for bronze manufacturing in the region. 21 See von Falkenhausen 2003 and Xu 2001b. 18 For an in-depth study on cowrie shells in early China, see Yang 2004, 2011 and 2018. 19 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press 19 On the Southwest’s deposits and the locations of casting moulds discovered, see Han and Li 2009. Transfer of bronze metallurgy in the Southwest While there is an ongoing debate over the exact dating of the transfer and development of metallurgy to societies in the Southwest, it is commonly asserted that there was contact with “outside” that served as the main stimulus for local metallurgical experimentation.21 Established views explain the appearance of bronze production in the Southwest by look- ing north to the early states of the Yellow River in the Central Plains and their sophisti- cated bronze tradition. However, the metallurgy of the Central Plains had a prior source in the Eurasian Steppe, entering China via the north and northwest where cultures such as the Qijia 齊家(2200–1800 BCE) and Siba 四垻(1950–1550 BCE) were settled along the Gansu corridor and interacted with the steppe peoples from Eurasia from the late third https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS BSOAS BSOAS 9 millennium BCE.22 Mei Jianjun (2009: 10–14) notes how many of the metal objects associated with these two cultures, made of copper, tin bronze or leaded tin bronze and in the form of knives, axes, spearheads and smaller accessories, show a similarity in typology to metal objects found in the Eurasian Steppe which strongly suggests cultural connections. He fur- ther observes how various steppe features from different areas coexisted among the early bronze cultures in the Qinghai-Gansu region, suggesting that contacts between northwest China and the Eurasian Steppe were made over an extensive period rather than in the form of a direct influence due to a specific migration. This argument suggests a more local or regional development that was aided by, but not dependent on, “outside” sources with a high level of bronze metallurgical know-how. It represents a pattern of interregional interaction rather than a simple process of one-way diffusion (Mei 2009: 40–41). p p y Scholarship on the anthropology of technology transmission can help us understand the complex questions of how and why certain technologies move or transfer from one society to another. Transfer of bronze metallurgy in the Southwest White and Hamilton alert us to the importance of differentiating tech- nology – the application of knowledge of the material properties of physical things to achieve practical purposes – from a technological system that refers to the way knowledge is implemented in a specific context.23 During the second and first millenniums BCE, states in China’s Central Plains and cultures in the Southwest undeniably had a high level of knowledge of bronze technology, but the technological systems for producing and using bronze vessels and artefacts in the two regions differed. The amount of knowledge and the skills involved in metal production are complex and the transfer of any, even the simplest, technology to a society with no prior experience of working with metals is almost impossible. Therefore, transmission of complex metal technologies to an area with no prior experience in metalworking is not likely to have occurred by mere exposure to the idea of smelting, particularly in areas lacking evidence of a period of experimen- tation (White and Hamilton 2009: 361). White and Hamilton further note how the smelt- ing of copper and the production of bronze artefacts are part of a complex technological system that involves the acquisition and manipulation of ores and fuels, the creation of refractory ceramics, the refining of molten metal, alloying, casting, fabrication and manipulation of moulds and the management of post-casting treatments such as working. To determine the source of the knowledge of metalworking in a culture requires not merely looking at who produced the geographically nearest metal artefacts in a suitable period of time, but who produced the nearest artefacts using a similar technological sys- tem (White and Hamilton 2009: 360–01). If there was no similar system employed, then the technology was indeed special to that culture or cultures within a region. We shall see how this aptly applies to the Southwest where techniques, such as the lost-wax pro- cess, and decorative styles not commonly employed in the Central Plains were used. 22 See White and Hamilton 2009: 373, for a discussion on the Qijia culture where it is mentioned that the metallurgy of the Central Plains had a prior source in the Eurasian Steppe, entering China via the north and northwest where cultures such as the Qijia and Siba were settled. j 23 See White and Hamilton 2009: 360, for a detailed analysis of this concept and argument. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Transfer of bronze metallurgy in the Southwest Peng Peng’s study of the use of lost-wax technique in Bronze Age China highlights its import- ation from the Eurasian Steppe along with other metallurgical processes such as tinning, gilding, chasing and inlay, strengthening the argument that they were not only intro- duced to the Southwest via exchange with the northern nomadic steppe people, but also that the communication routes of the Southwest Silk Road may have played a role in its transfer to other regions within China and Southeast Asia (Peng 2017, 2020). It appears that key to the transfer of bronze technologies is the movement of peoples and interaction between sedentary and non-sedentary societies of the Southwest, the sub- ject of our next discussion. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Hajni Elias 10 24 I have hesitated to term these cultures “multi ethnic”, since the meaning of ethnicity in that time and con- text is a topic fraught with difficulties. My aim is to simply highlight the coexistence of peoples in the Southwest with distinct characteristics (at least as represented in their art) as opposed to cultures where one ethnic group is dominant to the apparent exclusion of others 25 Hanshu 95.3837. The Hanshu provides a detailed description of the different social and cultural groups in the Southwest. Research into the identity of these groups is both complex and inconclusive. On the Di and Qiang in the Southwest, see Wang 1992, 1999. Early societies in the Southwest In our attempt to understand the Southwest’s population during the period of our exam- ination, we have to rely on information from later textual sources, such as the Hanshu, which mentions the complex amalgam of ethnic groups in the region before its conquest by Qin and Han forces. While these accounts are from a later period, they nevertheless provide us with valuable insight into the complex nature of societies in the region in earl- ier times, a situation that continues to exist to this day.24 The many ethnic tribes who subsisted in different ways are described in the Hanshu as follows: [西南]夷君長以十數, 夜郞最大。其西, 靡莫之屬以十數, 滇最大。自滇以北, 君 長以十數, 邛都最大。此皆椎結, 耕田, 有邑聚。其外, 西至桐師以東, 北至葉楡, 名 為巂、昆明, 編髮, 隨畜移徙, 亡常處, 亡君長, 地方可數千里。自巂以東北, 君長以 十數, 徙、莋都最大。自莋以東北, 君長以十數, 冉駹最大。其俗, 或土著, 或移 徙。在蜀之西。自駹以東北, 君長以十數, 白馬最大, 皆氐類也。此皆巴蜀西南外 蠻夷也。 There are dozens of chiefs ruling amongst the Yi (Southwest) barbarians, but Yelang amongst them is the greatest. To the West of Yelang live the chiefs of Mimo in their dozens, amongst them the Dian are the greatest (or most important). North of the Dian there are dozens of chiefs and amongst them the Qiongdu are the greatest (or most important). All of these tribes wear their hair in the mallet-shaped fashion, work the fields and gather in their own cities and settlements. Beyond them, in the West from Tongzhi going East, to the north one reaches Yeyu where all the tribes are called Sui and Kunming. People here braid their hair, move from place to place fol- lowing their herds of domestic animals, and do not have a fixed place to live and chieftains. Their land measures several thousand li. From Sui heading towards the north-east there are dozens of chiefs amongst whom the Xi and Zuodu are the great- est (or most important). Northeast of Zuo, there are a dozen of chiefs amongst which the Ran and Mang are the greatest (or most important). Their custom include those who are settled on the land and those who move about from place to place. Their territory is west of Shu. Northeast of Ran and Mang there are a dozen of chiefs amongst which the Baima are the greatest (or most important). They all belong to the category of the Di tribe. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Early societies in the Southwest These are all the foreign Yi barbarian groups of the Southwest of Ba and Shu.25 Collectively called the Southwestern Yi (Xinan Yi 西南夷), inhabitants of the Southwest were ethnically, culturally, linguistically and in their appearance distinguished from the Han in early historiography, with a clear separation of “us” versus “them” or “civilized” versus “barbarian”. While they may be called various names in different sources, the Southwest’s indigenous population can be broadly divided into three different economic and cultural groups. Those working the fields and tied to their land, such as the Yelang, the Dian and the Qiongdu; those with a nomadic lifestyle included the Sui and the Kunming; and those leading a semi-nomadic semi-agricultural existence were the Xi, Collectively called the Southwestern Yi (Xinan Yi 西南夷), inhabitants of the Southwest were ethnically, culturally, linguistically and in their appearance distinguished from the Han in early historiography, with a clear separation of “us” versus “them” or “civilized” versus “barbarian”. While they may be called various names in different sources, the Southwest’s indigenous population can be broadly divided into three different economic and cultural groups. Those working the fields and tied to their land, such as the Yelang, the Dian and the Qiongdu; those with a nomadic lifestyle included the Sui and the Kunming; and those leading a semi-nomadic semi-agricultural existence were the Xi, 24 I have hesitated to term these cultures “multi ethnic”, since the meaning of ethnicity in that time and con- text is a topic fraught with difficulties. My aim is to simply highlight the coexistence of peoples in the Southwest with distinct characteristics (at least as represented in their art) as opposed to cultures where one ethnic group is dominant to the apparent exclusion of others. 25 Hanshu 95.3837. The Hanshu provides a detailed description of the different social and cultural groups in the Southwest. Research into the identity of these groups is both complex and inconclusive. On the Di and Qiang in the Southwest, see Wang 1992, 1999. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS BSOAS BSOAS 11 the Zuodu, the Ran and Mang. All these are subgroups of the Di and the Qiang who were important groups in early migration. Early societies in the Southwest Interestingly, a possible ethnic relatedness between the Qijia in the north, mentioned earlier, and the Qiang ethnic peoples in the west and southwest, may be seen when we look at the burial practices of these two groups. The discovery of cremated burials in the Qijia site of Mogou 魔沟in Gansu province confirms the use of cremation by the Qijia in the Bronze Age. The Lüshi chunqiu 呂氏春秋(The Spring and Autumn [Annals] of Mr Lü) compiled by Lü Buwei 呂不韋(c. 290–235 BC) men- tions how the Qiang also used cremation as a form of burial ritual. According to this text, when captured, the Qiang did not grieve for their relations but were anguished at the notion that they were not going to be cremated.26 More specifically, the discovery of the custom of piling white stones in Qijia burials, a practice continued to this day by the Qiang, further confirms a cultural connection between the two (Guedes and Aldenderfer 2020: 369). The link between the Qijia and the Qiang is significant, especially in the context of the early dissemination of bronze technologies and production. As men- tioned earlier, northern pastoralists would have made their way along the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau to the metal-rich Southwest in order to obtain necessary raw material for their craft. Their nomadic way of life facilitated long-distance travel and, with their advanced metalworking abilities and trading skills, as well as bringing highly valued domesticated animals, such as horses, they were invaluable to societies in the region. y g Another group of significance for this overview are the Sui people (mentioned above) who led a nomadic form of existence in the area of Yuexi 越雟, located in the northwest territories of Yunnan province and along the eastern borderland of the Tibetan Plateau (Huang 2020).27 The Sui played an intermediating role in the Southwest’s cultural exchange, forming relations with societies along a “Crescent-Shaped Cultural-Communication Belt”, a term coined by the late historian Tong Enzheng (1935–1997) (Huang 2020: 101). Tong explains how a crescent-shaped belt, containing territories stretching from northeast and northwest China, along the Tibetan borderlands to Yunnan in the southwest, formed a far- reaching network of exchange across an area where parallel practices and cultural traits may be found due to similarities in ecological, topographical and typological conditions. 26 Lüshi chunqiu xin jiaoshi (氐羌之民,其虜也,不憂其係纍,而憂其死不焚也;皆成乎邪也). For the importance and meaning of the act of piling white stones in Qiang culture, see Su 2018: 291. 27 Yuexi commandery was established in 111 BCE on the orders of Emperor Wu. The character 雟may be read as sui or xi. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press 27 Yuexi commandery was established in 111 BCE on the orders of Emperor Wu. The character 雟may be re sui or xi. 26 Lüshi chunqiu xin jiaoshi (氐羌之民,其虜也,不憂其係纍,而憂其死不焚也;皆成乎邪也). For t portance and meaning of the act of piling white stones in Qiang culture, see Su 2018: 291. Early societies in the Southwest Along this belt different social economies were formed, with a high degree of migration, fusion and exchange between various cultural groups that had similar needs and material conditions (Tong 1990: 266–7). The Sui are known to have utilized the network of passages across the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau within the belt. For example, Kazuo Miyamoto sees the emergence of bronze working in the Southwest as a direct result of the active exchange that took place between the Sui and other social groups, including those from the northern steppe. He notes how this exchange is reflected in the shared artistic forms and the use of the lost-wax technique seen in the region’s metallurgy (Miyamoto 2014: 79–80). Miyamoto’s examination of the contents of grave sites along the upper and middle Yalong River 雅礱江in the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau confirms that the bronze objects found there originated from northwest China, today’s Gansu and Qinghai provinces, and date to the fifteenth–twelfth centuries BCE, a period considerably earlier than formerly ascribed to the first bronze culture in the region and which predates interaction with the Zhou cultural sphere of the ninth–eighth centuries BCE (Miyamoto 2014). Significantly for our study here, these finds are dated slightly earlier than the Sanxingdui culture of the Chengdu Plain and proposes that the beginnings of the Southwest’s bronze tradition may https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Hajni Elias 12 well have developed not only earlier but independently from the Shang and Zhou practices, and that it is connected with the bronze working cultures of the north and northwest. One part of the “Crescent-Shaped Cultural-Communication Belt” is the “Tibetan-Yi Corridor” mentioned first by Fei Xiaotong in his examination of early migration move- ments in the Southwest. 28 See Fei 1982, in which the author uses the label “Tibetan-Yi Corridor” because in China today the Tibetan and Yi peoples are the two most populous groups in the corridor. This corridor is also known as the Tibeto-Burman Corridor which reflects more accurately its ethnic connotation. For further information, see Shuo 2018: 2, and Feuchtwang et al. 2010: 904. Early societies in the Southwest Fei notes how the Qiang and Di played a key role along this cor- ridor, spreading from eastern Qinghai and southwestern Gansu in the north through to western Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan in the southwest.28 Over a period of time, stretching from the late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, these peoples relocated southwards, first establishing a number of relatively large settlements along the Upper Mekong, Dadu 大渡and Min 岷rivers in the northern part of the “Tibetan-Yi Corridor”, forming a mature and prosperous culture, and thereafter migrating further south along the river valleys and establishing exchange and relations with the population of the Yangtze River basin and in southwestern and central Yunnan (Shuo 2018: 4). In summary, we see three aspects that are key to the development of early bronze cast- ing traditions in the Southwest: first, the movement and flow of peoples from the north- west and northern regions along the “Crescent-Shaped Cultural-Communication Belt” and the “Tibetan-Yi Corridor”; second, the multi-ethnic nature of societies who relied on trade and interaction with each other for their livelihood; and third, the availability of precious metal ore in the region for the development of its metalworking tradition. It may also be said that different societies in the Southwest appear to have coexisted with each other. Their presence may be seen in the many artefacts discovered at the sites of Sanxingdui, Jinsha and Dian, which is examined below. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press he Sanxingdui and Jinsha cultures and the ancient site of the Dian Kingdom g y p As already mentioned, some scholars are keen to emphasize the nature of the Sanxingdui culture as one that evolved against the backdrop of developments in Central China. According to Jay Xu, the century from 1300 to 1200 BCE was marked by regional diversification (commonly referred to by archaeologists as the “transition per- iod”) and China’s Bronze Age civilization spread out from the Central Plains and diversi- fied regionally over the next three centuries (Xu 2001a: 27–8). Although the Sanxingdui finds are accepted to be radically different, and as such represent a unique culture that is in sharp contrast with that of the Central Plains, it is nevertheless suggested that there was heavy borrowing and importing from the middle Yellow River valley, the mid- dle Yangtze valley and the northern region of modern day Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. Advocates of this theory see this as the ultimate source for Sanxingdui’s bronze casting technology (Xu 2001a: 32). We shall return to this theory after a brief examination of the Jinsha and Dian sites below. The settlement at Jinsha, discovered in 2001, occupies an area of about 3 square kms and is believed to be contemporaneous with the late Shang to the early Western Zhou periods (Zhu et al. 2003: 248). The site itself can be divided into four separate areas: the eastern part reserved for religious and ceremonial activities and workshops; the south and central areas of a residential nature with a cemetery; and the area in the north- east was most likely reserved for the elite, as it includes the remains of a large palace structure. Current scholarship in China considers Jinsha as the political, cultural and eco- nomic centre of the ancient Shu state in the Chengdu Plain during the late Shang and Western Zhou periods (Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology 2013: 13). Since its discovery, more than 2,000 artefacts have been unearthed at Jinsha, includ- ing approximately 40 gold objects, more than 700 bronze items, over 900 jade pieces, nearly 300 stone carvings and more than 40 ivory and bone artefacts, in addition to a large number of elephant tusks and approximately 10,000 pottery vessels and sherds (Zhu et al. 2003: 261). Decorative motifs found on objects include the prominent use of birds, fish and the sun, all of which are notable features on objects found at Sanxingdui. he Sanxingdui and Jinsha cultures and the ancient site of the Dian Kingdom The small village of Sanxingdui, where the remains of the ancient city and culture of Sanxingdui were discovered, is located in today’s Guanghan city 廣漢市. It covers an area of approximately 10–17 square kms determined by the distribution of walls, founda- tions and artefacts found since excavations started in 1980. The main finds at the site were placed in two pits, known as Pit 1 and Pit 2, which were accidentally exposed during exca- vations in the summer of 1986, and contained hundreds of bronzes, stone and jade imple- ments, gold objects and elephant tusks (Xu 2001a: 25). Although a further six pits have been discovered at the site more recently, their contents have not yet been officially pub- lished. The contents of the original two pits represent the height of a culture that is not recorded nor was known until this discovery. Some of the findings in the two pits are highly unusual and fantastic in nature. Bronzes of a kind never seen before include an impressive human figure over 2.5 metres high, bronze trees soldered with figures and giant bronze human heads covered with gold foil masks. In addition to finished objects, the pits also contained raw material, half-finished products and even waste material and stones used for grinding. These findings suggest the existence of workshops for pro- ducing stone and jade wares located at the site or nearby; however, no bronze foundry has been discovered to date (Xu 2001a: 27). Objects in both pits were arranged in a purposeful and orderly fashion, suggesting that they were intentionally destroyed and not in haste (Chen 1999: 171). Thus it has been sug- gested that the pits were most likely of a sacrificial ritual nature, which involved either the strategic renunciation of wealth, as was often the case in ethnographically documen- ted potlatching behaviour, or the proper disposal of religious objects, an important https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS BSOAS BSOAS 13 procedure for controlling the supernatural power invested in religious objects so that they do not harm the community. Rowan Flad and Pochan Chen (2013: 213–14) note how the bronze figures and anthropomorphic heads were almost certainly important ritual objects used in public display and played critical roles in ritual representation, a feature of Sanxingdui material culture that sets it distinctly apart from the traditions of North China. 29 Shiji 116.2997 (滇王離難西南夷,舉國降,請置吏入朝。於是以為益州郡,賜滇王王印,復長其民). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press he Sanxingdui and Jinsha cultures and the ancient site of the Dian Kingdom The decoration of birds and fish pierced by arrows on a gold leaf band from the Jinsha site is almost identical to that on a gold sheath from Pit 1 at Sanxingdui. However, most of the objects from Jinsha, especially bronze wares, are much smaller in size compared to those from Sanxingdui. An example is a bronze human figure about 20 cm in height standing on a base. With arms stretched out in the gesture of holding an object, its pose closely resembles some of the magnificent stand- ing figures from Sanxingdui’s Pit 2. There is little doubt that the Jinsha culture was sub- stantially derived from, or at least very closely related to, Sanxingdui. It is reasonable to suggest that Jinsha became a major political, economic and cultural centre on the Chengdu Plain as a consequence of the collapse of the Sanxingdui site. The discovery of a richly furnished royal tomb at Shizhaishan in December 1956, con- taining the golden seal of the Dian king, proved the existence of the Dian Kingdom as recorded in the Shiji. Sima Qian describes how in 109 BCE the chief of the Dian Kingdom received a gold seal from Emperor Wu, acknowledging its position as a vassal state and tributary kingdom to the Han.29 The gold seal bears the characters “Seal belonging to King of Dian (Dian wang zhi yin 滇王之印)”, accurately corroborating Sima Qian’s account https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Hajni Elias 14 of events at the time. Our knowledge of the Dian people comes primarily from historical texts such as the Shiji, Hanshu and the Huayang guo zhi. From these writings it is evident that the Dian were much advanced in their social and political organization, settled in the region around the shores of Lake Dian and were led by a ruler with a large following. They wore their hair pulled up in a mallet-shaped bun, worked the fields and lived in cities and settlements. Early writings indicate that the wider region around Lake Dian was inhabited by a number of different ethnic groups (just as today), such as the Sui and Kunming who braided their hair and subsisted on pastoralism, moving around with their herds and lead- ing a nomadic life without a fixed place or, according to the texts, a chieftain. They were part of the Di tribe who led a semi-nomadic lifestyle. he Sanxingdui and Jinsha cultures and the ancient site of the Dian Kingdom The Di lived primarily in the high- lands near the Jinsha River in the west, northwest of the Mimo territory. The Mimo were a confederation of ethnic groups who were settled in the region corresponding to today’s southern Sichuan, eastern Yunnan and western Guizhou.30 According to records in the Hanshu, the first king of Dian derived originally from the state of Chu 楚國who settled in the region, taking over their custom and habits and becoming their ruler prior to the invasion of the Qin. Events from this time are documen- ted as follows: 始楚威王時, 使將軍莊蹻將兵循上, 略巴、黔中以西。莊蹻者, 楚莊王苗裔也。蹻 至滇池, 方三百里, 旁平地肥饒數千里, 以兵威定屬楚。欲歸報, 會秦擊奪楚巴、 黔中郡, 道塞不通, 因乃以其眾王滇, 變服, 從其俗, 以長之。 始楚威王時, 使將軍莊蹻將兵循上, 略巴、黔中以西。莊蹻者, 楚莊王苗裔也。蹻 至滇池, 方三百里, 旁平地肥饒數千里, 以兵威定屬楚。欲歸報, 會秦擊奪楚巴、 黔中郡, 道塞不通, 因乃以其眾王滇, 變服, 從其俗, 以長之。 In earlier times, when King Wei ruled the state of Chu, he dispatched his general Zhuang Qiao to lead an army along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and invade west of Ba and Qianzhong commanderies. This Zhuang Qiao was a descendant of King Zhuang of Chu. Zhuang advanced reaching the Lake of Dian, a body of water of 300 li in circumference surrounded by several thousand li of fertile rich flatland. By means of his military might he subdued the region and brought it under Chu rule. Zhuang Qiao wished to return to report his achievements but encountered the Qin army that attacked Chu and seized the commanderies of Ba and Qianzhong and blocked the road not allowing him to pass through. Because of this he returned to Lake Dian and with the men under his command he made himself King of Dian. He changed his clothes and followed the Dian custom and acted as their chief.31 There is an argument made for some possible Chu influence in Dian art, such as the use of bronze drums that appear to have been vital to both cultures; however, the greater part of Dian material draws from the indigenous cultures of the Southwest, borrowing from those who had migrated down the narrow mountain passes of Sichuan and the corridors of the Tibetan Plateau (Mei 2009: 12). It is a culture of a multifaceted hybrid society of pastoral nomads and sedentary agriculturalists with mixed economies, lifestyle, customs and tra- ditions. In the arts of the Dian, nomadic steppe influence may be seen in the prevalence of animal combat scenes on plaques (Figures 2–3). 30 See Hanshu 95.3837 on the different categories of ethnic population in the region. 31 Hanshu 95.3838. 31 Hanshu 95.3838. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press he Sanxingdui and Jinsha cultures and the ancient site of the Dian Kingdom However, Dian artists presented this kind of subject matter in a more natural fashion, stripping away some of the opulence created through gilding and precious stone inlay characteristic of the northern steppe tradition. The composition of Dian animal sculptures is, on the whole, well balanced and extremely detailed, displaying the craftsman’s understanding of the subject matter (Li 1999: 156). p y g g j Among some of the most striking Dian bronze ritual objects are the bronze kettle- drums, typical of the rice-cultivating cultures of Southeast Asia, which included the https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS 15 BSOAS 15 Figures 2 (left) and 3 (right). Bronze plaques depicting scenes of animal combat, Western Han period (206 BCE– 24 CE), excavated from Shizhaishan (left) and Lijiashan (right), Yunnan. Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Images reproduced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum. Figures 2 (left) and 3 (right). Bronze plaques depicting scenes of animal combat, Western Han period (206 BCE– 24 CE), excavated from Shizhaishan (left) and Lijiashan (right), Yunnan. Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Images reproduced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum. cultures of present-day Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Known as the “Shizhaishan Drums” or Heger Type I drums, in Dian culture these musical instruments came to be placed in an inverted position in graves to store precious cowrie shells (Han 1998: 16). Bronze vessels were also made specifically to contain cowrie shells, some of which had lids decorated with realistic narrative scenes in a three-dimensional form. These bronze containers show lively genre scenes of warfare, markets, ritual sacrifices, tribute proces- sions, weaving and other images covering a wide range of subject matter that appears to document aspects of life in Dian society (Figures 4 and 5a) (TzeHuey 2008: 226). Apart from cowrie containers and drums, large quantities of agricultural implements and weap- ons have also been found at the Dian culture sites, many of which contain elaborate dec- oration, suggesting their use as ritual or grave goods rather than as utilitarian wares (Zhang 1993). An important aspect to note is the technology used in the production of the Dian bronzes which suggests a substantial metalworking tradition that existed prior to the Han conquest. The prevalent use of lost-wax casting, mentioned earlier, is distinct to Dian. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press he Sanxingdui and Jinsha cultures and the ancient site of the Dian Kingdom Although the technique was familiar in the Shang and Zhou bronze tradition of the Warring States period (475–221 BCE) and Western Han times, it was not adapted on a wide scale, certainly not as we see it in Dian, until much later (Peng 2017, 2020). The fluid and intricate modelling of human figures and animal forms, often in freestanding relief, is evidence of the use of lost-wax casting. Scholars remain divided on the origins of lost-wax casting in the Southwest, with some convinced that, as no local technical trad- ition is known, it must have been imported, possibly from the Eurasian Steppe, most likely with other metallurgical techniques such as tinning, gilding, chasing and inlay (Peng 2017: 18). However, the construction of objects in a piecemeal manner, whereby sculptural fig- ures and architectural forms are all cast separately and then assembled by the process of soldering, was also extensively employed at Sanxingdui, suggesting that these techniques were well established in the wider Southwest region. We see this especially on the bronze tree which shall be discussed below (Figure 6). Dian bronze casters, perhaps inspired by their example, created sculptural forms in component parts, but with the use of the lost- wax technology which allowed more varied and complex designs. Interestingly, after the Han takeover of the Dian in 109 BCE, characteristic features of Dian art and culture were completely abandoned. Iron implements and weapons replaced bronze ones, and bronze vessels were made in imitation of Han models or were imported from the Central Plains to be placed in tombs (Fong 1980: 327). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press 16 Hajni Elias Hajni Elias 16 Figure 4. Bronze cowrie container showing scene of a rider with cattle, Western Han period (206 BCE–24 CE), excavated from Shizhaishan, Yunnan. Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Image reproduced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum. Figure 4. Bronze cowrie container showing scene of a rider with cattle, Western Han period (206 BCE–24 CE), excavated from Shizhaishan, Yunnan. Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Image reproduced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum. Figures 5a and 5b (detail). Bronze cowrie container with scene depicting a ritual offering, Western Han period (206 BCE–24 CE), excavated from Shizhaishan, Yunnan. Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Image reproduced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum. Figures 5a and 5b (detail). he Sanxingdui and Jinsha cultures and the ancient site of the Dian Kingdom Bronze cowrie container with scene depicting a ritual offering, Western Han period (206 BCE–24 CE), excavated from Shizhaishan, Yunnan. Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Image reproduced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS 17 BSOAS 17 Figure 6. Bronze tree, twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 2, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. BSOAS 17 Figure 6. Bronze tree, twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 2, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figure 6. Bronze tree, twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 2, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figure 6. Bronze tree, twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 2, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. 33 See Su et al. 2018: 157, where the authors explain how Carlin-type gold deposit, named after a type of gold found in Carlin, Nevada, may be characterized by being an invisible gold that can only be found through chemical analysis. 32 See So and Bunker 1995 for illustrations of artefacts from the northern steppe cultures decorated in gilt and made of gold. 33 See Su et al 2018: 157 where the authors explain how Carlin-type gold deposit named after a type of gold 32 See So and Bunker 1995 for illustrations of artefacts from the northern steppe cultures decorated in gilt and made of gold. 33 See Su et al. 2018: 157, where the authors explain how Carlin-type gold deposit, named after a type of gold found in Carlin, Nevada, may be characterized by being an invisible gold that can only be found through chemical https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press 32 See So and Bunker 1995 for illustrations of artefacts from the northern steppe cultures decorated in gilt and made of gold. 33 See Su et al. 2018: 157, where the authors explain how Carlin-type gold deposit, named after a type of gold found in Carlin, Nevada, may be characterized by being an invisible gold that can only be found through chemical analysis. Continuity and parallels Figures covered in gold leaf are also a distinct feature of Dian bronzes. Some of the prominent figures in scenes welded on to the lids of cowrie containers are wrapped in gold leaf. A particularly fine example is found on the cover of a bronze container with a large gilded figure on horseback sur- rounded by cattle (see Figure 4). The composition is not only impressive for its sculptural style, but the gold leaf draws the viewer’s attention to the rider, marking his form with a sense of importance and luxury. p y The stylistic preference for the use of sculptural components that are welded onto ves- sels and ritual objects, mentioned earlier, may be seen on Sanxingdui and Dian bronzes. Pre-eminent examples are the bird ornaments that formed part of the “spirit tree” exca- vated from Sanxingdui (see Figure 6). A tree from Pit 2 consists of at least a hundred sep- arate compositions, mostly made in two-part moulds then joined and cast together. This impressive tree-form sculpture has nine branches attached to the trunk in groups of three with each branch bearing blooming flowers at the top of its arc and a bird seated on it. Jay Xu suggests that the bronze tree must have been heavily decked with movable pendants and ornamental components in various media at some stage, hanging from the branches or from the beaks of the birds (Xu 2001b: 118). There are conflicting opinions on the use of this fascinating bronze object, with some suggesting that it was made for display on a sac- rificial altar as an embodiment of worship, while others propose that it was developed by the ancient Shu people and is linked to their legendary “cosmic tree”. In Shu culture birds were regarded as symbolic of the sun and thus composites of this type may have been seen as tools of communication between Heaven and Earth (Sanxingdui Museum 2006: 69–70). The Sanxingdui tree may have also been the precursor for the later, Eastern Han period (25–220 CE) bronze trees known as “money trees” discovered in tombs in Sichuan.34 The technique of soldering different components onto a main bronze piece and creat- ing a complex composition of multiple parts is described by some as unlike anything ever attempted in the Central Plains (Xu 2001b: 62). Continuity and parallels It has been suggested that bronze casters of the bronze casting tradition of Sanxingdui were in close touch with Shang centres, evidenced by the presence in the pits of bronzes of common Shang shapes made in North China since Erligang times (c. 1500–1300 BCE) (Pirazzoli-t’Serstevens 1990: 52). Although there may well have been contact and influence from northern and Central China, such a Sinocentric view can obscure the important con- nection between the different cultures of the Southwest. A number of distinctive features and artistic preferences that are not mainstream in the early bronze tradition of Central China are evident in the arts of the Southwest. For example, the employment of gold leaf decoration is a common feature seen in Sanxingdui, Jinsha and Dian but was rarely (if ever) used in the Central Plains’ bronze tradition. The practice of employing gold on bronze wares is most likely to have derived from the influence of the northern steppe cul- tures where gold and the technique of gilding was readily employed for the decoration of small objects, such as jewellery, ornaments and plaques.32 On the sourcing of gold ore, scholars have noted how the western part of Yunnan is particularly rich in copper, tin, iron, lead and gold, much of which was exploited from early times (Zhang 1954). To this day, the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces is known as the “Golden Triangle” as it has one of the largest concentrations of Carlin-type gold deposits in the world (Su et al. 2018: 157).33 Six of the bronze heads from Pit 2 at Sanxingdui have mask coverings made of gold leaf. Gold leaf about 0.2 mm thick was pressed against the https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Hajni Elias 18 bronze head and rubbed to make it adhere to the surface. The gold mask covered the entire face expect for the eyes and eyebrows. The use of gold undoubtedly enhanced the value of the object, which may have had other religious or auspicious connotations, perhaps associated with local sun worshipping traditions (Bagley 2001: 91). The employment of gold leaf as a decorative technique remained a popular choice for the people at Jinsha where an especially large number of gold artefacts have been unearthed. Gold was used for jewellery and for the making of masks, although substan- tially smaller in scale compared to those at Sanxingdui. 34 On Eastern Han money trees, see Su 2004, He 2006 and Erickson 1994. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Representations of social groups The bronze culture of the Southwest was the outcome of the merging of different bronze production technologies and cultures, most likely influenced by the migration of peoples over many centuries who brought their skills and know-how with them (Han and Li 2009: 170). Among Sanxindui bronze heads there is a clear distinction between those that have their hair pleated and those who do not. These are stylistic markers that may have been intended to set apart groups of different ethnic or social status, or perhaps both. We have already noted how early texts described the Di and Qiang peoples as wearing their hair in mallet-shaped buns, while the Sui and Kunming wore theirs in plaits. These texts go fur- ther in their demarcation of distinctive traits such as clothing, noting on which side it is buttoned, and body features that include the presence of tattoos and facial hair. What seems apparent is that a number of the distinctive traits – a particular hairstyle, a tattoo, a mode of dress, a type of hat or piece of personal adornment – were used by bronze makers at Sanxingdui to distinguish between different peoples (Peters 2002: 86). g g p p ( ) So who were those memorialized on Sanxingdui bronzes? A bronze head discovered in Pit 1 is a comparatively realistic modelling of a face that sets it apart from more stylized heads. It shows a hairline that is clipped straight across the back of the head and pulled back into a bun under a headdress that is now lost (Figure 7). However, a different hair- style may be seen on another head from Pit 2, where the hair is formed into a long pigtail at the back (Figures 8a–b). There are further examples where headdresses are cast with the head in a number of styles and shapes. Square tall-form caps appear to be common, such as the example decorated with a pattern of rectangular spiral design seen on a head from Pit 2 (Figure 9) where the hair is tied up in a bun under the cap. Another type of headdress is the distinct braided crown or garland seen on a head from Pit 2 (Figure 10). Continuity and parallels On the casting of the many birds standing on flowers hanging from the tree branches, scholars note how a metal worker from Anyang would probably have cast the bird in one piece, using a complex mould, while the Sanxingdui caster seems to have cast it in four separate pours of metal, each made of a simple two-part mould. The bird’s wings were joined onto its shoulders, its head attached to its neck by a collar of solder and solder beneath its claws joins it to the flower on which it stands (Xu 2001b: 62). A more developed form of the technique seen on Sanxingdui bronzes for the placement of sculptural components may be seen on Dian bronzes where lost-wax casting was employed for this purpose. The raison d’être for lost- wax casting is to produce complex shapes that are impossible or difficult to make by piece-mould casting as seen at Sanxingdui. Some of the most realistic and highly three- dimensional bronzes in lost-wax casting were made by Dian craftsmen who, as mentioned earlier, are likely to have acquired their skills from the nomadic steppe cultures that read- ily employed different metallurgical techniques in their art (Peng 2017: 18). Tzehuey Chiou-Peng notes how perceptible signs of incipient copper-based metallurgical activities https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS BSOAS BSOAS 19 at second-millennium sites in western and northwestern Yunnan point to steppe-related cultures as the source for the inspiration of metallurgical activities in other parts of the region, which commenced during the latter part of the second millennium BCE. The arrival of metallurgical technology revolutionized the tool-making industry in the region, and knowledge of metal production and the making of artefacts were also disseminated through interconnected valleys and flat lands along the eastward-flowing Jinsha River (Tzehuey 2009: 83). It is worth noting that Tzehuey’s dating coincides with the height of the Sanxingdui culture, which suggests the existence of a direct transmission route from Sichuan where similar stylistic choices were made in the use of sculptural ornamen- tation. Dian craftsmen were aided by imported metallurgical know-how but were also cre- atively selective in their employment of different and unusual techniques that had a more localized origin. Apart from the use of lost-wax casting, they also incised bronzes with sharp tools as evident from the excavated bronze tally plaque mentioned earlier (Whitfield and Wang 1999: 154–5). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Representations of social groups Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum Figure 7. Bronze head, thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum gold leaf, with his hair tied in a topknot and dressed in a distinctive cloak over trousers on the lid of a cowrie container (see Figure 4). A member of the Kunming with loose hair may be seen on the cover of another cowrie container decorated with a scene of sacrificial offering and ritual celebration (see Figures 5a–b). Following Wang’s explanation, this per- son should be a prisoner or a war victim. However, in the same scene we see another male figure with his hair in a bun tied to a post, perhaps waiting to be sacrificed or punished. The theory that those wearing their hair in a bun represent the Dian elite is therefore problematic. A cowrie container decorated with a scene of 17 figures dressed in different styles of costumes and wearing their hair in varying ways is a good example of the range of appearance across societies in the region (Figures 11 a–b). A line drawing of the scene (see Figure 11b) illustrates the distinctive hats, turbans and even a type of headdress with an ornament attached to the front. Hair may be seen worn pulled up in a bun or left long in plaits in the back. Both hairstyles are worn by figures of apparent status, carrying Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum Figures 8a and 8b. Bronze head, twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 2, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Images reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figures 8a and 8b. Bronze head, twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 2, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Images reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figures 8a and 8b. Bronze head, twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 2, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Images reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figures 8a and 8b. Bronze head, twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 2, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Images reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. gold leaf, with his hair tied in a topknot and dressed in a distinctive cloak over trousers on the lid of a cowrie container (see Figure 4). Representations of social groups Below the garland the hairline is indicated all the way around the head, clipped short over the forehead, trimmed to modest sideburns at the temples and des- cending at the back as far as the bottom of the ear (Bagley 2001: 100). The multi-ethnic make up of the Dian Kingdom is represented in the variety of figures portrayed on the many bronze drums and cowrie receptacles which differentiate between a number of ethnic or social groups. Wang Ningsheng has analysed Dian figures on the basis of their hairstyle and costumes, labelling those with their hair tied up in a bun as the dominant population in the Dian region and thus members of “the kinds of Me-mo” (better known as the Mimo), and others with braided or loose hair belonging to “the kinds of Kun-Ming” (better known as the Kunming) (Wang 1979). An example of a typical Dian figure of the Mimo type is the rider on horseback, decorated with Figure 7. Bronze head, thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum 20 Hajni Elias 20 Hajni Elias Hajni Elias 20 gold leaf, with his hair tied in a topknot and dressed in a distinctive cloak over trousers on the lid of a cowrie container (see Figure 4). A member of the Kunming with loose hair may be seen on the cover of another cowrie container decorated with a scene of sacrificial offering and ritual celebration (see Figures 5a–b). Following Wang’s explanation, this per- son should be a prisoner or a war victim. However, in the same scene we see another male Figure 7. Bronze head, thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum Figures 8a and 8b. Bronze head, twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 2, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Images reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. head, thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, excavated it 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum Figure 7. Bronze head, thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum Figure 7. Bronze head, thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, excavated from Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Representations of social groups A member of the Kunming with loose hair may be seen on the cover of another cowrie container decorated with a scene of sacrificial offering and ritual celebration (see Figures 5a–b). Following Wang’s explanation, this per- son should be a prisoner or a war victim. However, in the same scene we see another male figure with his hair in a bun tied to a post, perhaps waiting to be sacrificed or punished. The theory that those wearing their hair in a bun represent the Dian elite is therefore problematic. A cowrie container decorated with a scene of 17 figures dressed in different styles of costumes and wearing their hair in varying ways is a good example of the range of appearance across societies in the region (Figures 11 a–b). A line drawing of the scene (see Figure 11b) illustrates the distinctive hats, turbans and even a type of headdress with an ornament attached to the front. Hair may be seen worn pulled up in a bun or left long in plaits in the back. Both hairstyles are worn by figures of apparent status, carrying gold leaf, with his hair tied in a topknot and dressed in a distinctive cloak over trousers on the lid of a cowrie container (see Figure 4). A member of the Kunming with loose hair may be seen on the cover of another cowrie container decorated with a scene of sacrificial offering and ritual celebration (see Figures 5a–b). Following Wang’s explanation, this per- son should be a prisoner or a war victim. However, in the same scene we see another male figure with his hair in a bun tied to a post, perhaps waiting to be sacrificed or punished. The theory that those wearing their hair in a bun represent the Dian elite is therefore problematic. A cowrie container decorated with a scene of 17 figures dressed in different styles of costumes and wearing their hair in varying ways is a good example of the range of appearance across societies in the region (Figures 11 a–b). A line drawing of the scene (see Figure 11b) illustrates the distinctive hats, turbans and even a type of headdress with an ornament attached to the front. Hair may be seen worn pulled up in a bun or left long in plaits in the back. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Representations of social groups Both hairstyles are worn by figures of apparent status, carrying https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS 21 BSOAS 21 Figure 9. Bronze head, thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figure 9. Bronze head, thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figure 9. Bronze head, thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figure 10. Bronze head thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, exca- vated from Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figure 10. Bronze head thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, exca- vated from Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figure 10. Bronze head thirteenth–twelfth century BCE, exca- vated from Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. swords suspended from their sides with a shoulder strap. There is an air of ceremonial formality to the scene, lending credence to the theory that this is a procession expressing fealty (Peters 2002: 95). Finally, a small bronze figure of a kneeling man from Pit 1 at Sanxingdui may be iden- tified as “special” for its unusual hairstyle, with the front fringe combed back but then swept into a curl in reverse (Figure 12). The figure is dressed in a robe with distinct striped cuffs. Remarkably, centuries later, the same unusual hairstyle may be found on figures depicted on Dian bronze plaques, an example of which is a scene of three male figures https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press 22 Hajni Elias Hajni Elias 22 Figures 11a and 11b. Bronze cowrie container with scene depicting a procession of tribute bearers, with a line drawing showing detail, Western Han period (206 BCE–24 CE), excavated from Shizhaishan, Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Image reproduced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum; line drawing by the author. Figures 11a and 11b. Bronze cowrie container with scene depicting a procession of tribute bearers, with a line drawing showing detail, Western Han period (206 BCE–24 CE), excavated from Shizhaishan, Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Representations of social groups Image reproduced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum; line drawing by the author. Figure 12. Bronze seated human figure, thirteenth–twelfth cen- tury BCE, Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. leading a bull (Figure 13). All three figures wear their hair in a similar fashion and are clothed in robes and wear striped cuffs, reminiscent of the Sanxingdui figure and suggest- ive that this type of hairstyle and attire may have been worn by a specific group of people over a long period of time. d if i l h i b d d i i f d i l l Figure 12. Bronze seated human figure, thirteenth–twelfth cen- tury BCE, Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. Figure 12. Bronze seated human figure, thirteenth–twelfth cen- tury BCE, Sanxingdui Pit 1, Guanghan Sanxingdui Site Museum, Sichuan. Image reproduced with permission from the Sanxingdui Site Museum. leading a bull (Figure 13). All three figures wear their hair in a similar fashion and are clothed in robes and wear striped cuffs, reminiscent of the Sanxingdui figure and suggest- ive that this type of hairstyle and attire may have been worn by a specific group of people over a long period of time. Identifying early ethnic groups based on descriptions found in early textual sources may not be possible as these texts are often prejudiced and restricted in their views. As noted by Heather Peters (2002: 98), the nature of ethnicity is subjective, flexible and dynamic, and is better expressed in terms of the ethnic identities or ethnic roles a https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS 23 BSOAS 23 particular group holds or plays at a particular period in time. What we can say about the variety of visual representations in the arts we have examined is that societies in the Southwest were made up of a rich mixture of peoples, even if their precise identification is not possible. Figure 13. Bronze plaque with a scene showing three men and an ox, Warring States period (475– 221 BCE), Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Image repro- duced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum. Figure 13. Bronze plaque with a scene showing three men and an ox, Warring States period (475– 221 BCE), Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming. Representations of social groups Image repro- duced with permission from the Yunnan Provincial Museum. particular group holds or plays at a particular period in time. What we can say about the variety of visual representations in the arts we have examined is that societies in the Southwest were made up of a rich mixture of peoples, even if their precise identification is not possible. particular group holds or plays at a particular period in time. What we can say about the variety of visual representations in the arts we have examined is that societies in the Southwest were made up of a rich mixture of peoples, even if their precise identification is not possible. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Concluding remarks Examining the three sites of Sanxingdui, Jinsha and Dian, this article set out to explore some of the possible traits and influences that may have connected them over time and geography. It has been argued that the ancient network of trading routes known as the Southwest Silk Road played a key role not only in the transmission of commodities and goods, but also that the movement of people, especially those with established metal- lurgical technologies, had a special part in the development of bronze cultures in the Southwest. Secondly, the multi-ethnic nature of the Southwest, inherent in its topog- raphy, was a significant factor in the transmission and sharing of culture, art and technol- ogy, in particular bronze metallurgy. The employment of a new technological system, that is, the lost-wax production and the use of multiple sculptural components, born out of established practices but advanced independently in order to produce the desired effect, reflect exceptional workmanship and is distinct to the Southwest. Thirdly, the Tibetan-Yi corridor inhabited by nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples with long-standing connections with the steppe cultures in Central Asia probably contributed to the development of bronze technology in the Southwest. This corridor seems to be a likely, or likelier, route for transmission to the Southwest than that conventionally assumed from the Central Plains of China. Finally, the richness of the region in scarce minerals such as lead, gold and especially tin (the rarest constituent in bronze metallurgy) makes the Southwest a natural place for the development of bronze technology. Given the expertise provided by the movement of the nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes, with their long- standing links to the steppe cultures, the appearance of distinctly local metallurgical cul- tures should not surprise anyone. y Many of the ideas presented in this article suggest the need for further investigation. Any substantial bronze culture needs not only the knowledge and practice of bronze min- ing, metallurgy and casting, but also the resources and organization to support and man- age it. Although steppe cultures may have had the technical know-how, it was only when they came into contact with sedentary societies with considerable resources that more https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Hajni Elias 24 substantial bronze manufacture was enabled. Primary literature Hanshu 漢書. Compiled by Ban Gu 班固(32–92 CE). Beijing: Zhonghua, 1962. Hanshu 漢書. Compiled by Ban Gu 班固(32–92 CE). Beijing: Zhonghua, 1962. Hou Hanshu 後漢書. Compiled by Fan Ye 范曄(398–445 CE) et al. Beijing: Zhonghua, 1965. Huang guo zhi yizhu 華陽國志譯註(Record of the Kingdoms South of Mount Hua). Compiled p y ( ) j g g , Hou Hanshu 後漢書. Compiled by Fan Ye 范曄(398–445 CE) et al. Beijing: Zhonghua, 1965. Huang guo zhi yizhu 華陽國志譯註(Record of the Kingdoms South of Mount Hua) Compile y j g g Hou Hanshu 後漢書. Compiled by Fan Ye 范曄(398–445 CE) et al. Beijing: Zhonghua, 1965. Huang guo zhi yizhu 華陽國志譯註(Record of the Kingdoms South of Mount Hua). Compiled by Chang Qu g g y g p y g (fl. 347 CE). Translated and annotated by Wang Qiming 汪啟明. Chengdu: Sichuan University Press, 2007. Lüshi chunqiu xin jiaoshi 呂氏春秋新校釋. Compiled under the auspices of Lü Buwei 呂不韋(290–235 BCE) 陳奇猷 g g y g p y g (fl. 347 CE). Translated and annotated by Wang Qiming 汪啟明. Chengdu: Sichuan University Press, 2007. (fl. 347 CE). Translated and annotated by Wang Qiming 汪啟明. Chengdu: Sichuan University Press, 2007. Lüshi chunqiu xin jiaoshi 呂氏春秋新校釋. Compiled under the auspices of Lü Buwei 呂不韋(290–235 BCE). Lüshi chunqiu xin jiaoshi 呂氏春秋新校釋. Compiled under the auspices of Lü Buwei 呂不韋(290–235 BCE). Annotated by Chen Qiyou 陳奇猷. Shanghai: Guji chubanshe, 2002. q j p p Annotated by Chen Qiyou 陳奇猷. Shanghai: Guji chubanshe, 2002. 史記 司馬談( ) 司馬遷( ) Annotated by Chen Qiyou 陳奇猷. Shanghai: Guji chubanshe, 2002. Shiji 史記Begun by Sima Tan 司馬談(d 112 BCE) primarily composed by Sima Qian 司馬遷(c 145–c 86 BCE) 史記. Begun by Sima Tan 司馬談(d. 112 BCE), primarily composed by Sima Qian 司馬遷(c. 145–c. 86 BCE). ing: Zhonghua, 1959. Beijing: Zhonghua, 1959. Concluding remarks Therefore, an important next step in this research is to understand more fully the requisite structural features of sedentary soci- eties that were able to embrace bronze culture successfully in the Southwest. Given the lack of textual records for the period examined and the uncertainties inherent in researching and understanding the cultural movements of multi-ethnic peoples, it is hoped that this article may be regarded as part of a much larger body of study that awaits further investigation by comparative research. The recent announcement of the discovery of a further six sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui, reported to contain over 500 artefacts and cultural relics, is exciting news. At the time of writing this article, the archaeological report detailing the new finds has not been published. It is hoped that the finds will provide new information and evi- dence that will give further insight into some of the hypotheses discussed in this article. Acknowledgements. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the Leverhulme Trust for their generous fund- ing of my research on the Southwest Silk Road. The completion of this article would not have been possible with- out the support the Trust offered over the past three years. I also wish to thank the two anonymous reviewers of this journal for their insights and constructive comments which helped greatly improve the content of this art- icle. In addition, I thank those in the field for the advice I received and my husband, Hugo Macey, for his endless patience and encouragement. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Secondary literature “Xinan sichou zhi lu 西南絲綢之路”, Lishi jiaoxue 8, 15–19. Huang, Wei 黃維. 2020. “Zai lun Dian wenhua de jinshu shijian 再論滇文化的金屬飾件”, Sichuan Cultural Relics 4, 101–09. Li, Kunsheng. 1999. “The Bronze Age of Yunnan”, in Roderick Whitfield and Wang Tao (eds), Exploring China’s Past, 165–71. London: Saffron Books. Si 李斯. 2018. “Wen Weng hua Shu yu zaoqi xinan sichou zhi lu kaituo 文翁化蜀與早期西南絲綢之路開拓 Xinan minzu daxue xuebao (renwenshe keban) 12, 200–03. Lin, Xiang 林向. 2008. “Linqiong yu xinansichou zhi lu 臨邛與西南絲綢之路”, Zhonghua wenhua luntan 12, 23–27. Luo, Erhu 羅二虎. 1993. “Sichou zhi lu de kaogu diaocha 絲綢之路的考古調查”, Nanfang minzu kaogu 5, 372–409. g f g g Mei, J. 2009. “Early metallurgy in China: some challenging issues in current studies”, in J. Mei and Th. Rehren (eds), Metallurgy and Civilisation: Eurasia and Beyond, 9–16. London: Archetype. Miyamoto, Kazuo. 2014. “The emergence and chronology of early bronzes on the eastern rim of the Tibetan plat- eau”, in Anke Hein (ed.), The “Crescent-Shaped Cultural-Communication Belt”: Tong Enzheng’s Model in Retrospect, 79–88. Oxford: Archaeopress. p Peng, Peng. 2017. “A study on the origin of Chinese lost-wax casting from the perspectives of art, technology, and social agency”, Sino-Platonic Papers 265, 1–51. g y p Peng, Peng. 2020. Metalworking in Bronze Age China. The lost-wax process. Amherst, New York: Cambria Press. Peters, Heather. 2002. “Ethnicity along China’s southwestern frontier, JEEA 3/1–2, 75–102. Peng, Peng. 2020. Metalworking in Bronze Age China. The lost-wax process. Amherst, New York: Cambria Press P t H th “Eth i it l Chi ’ th t f ti JEEA /1 1 Pirazzoli-t’Serstevens, M. 1990. “Cowry and Chinese copper cash as prestige goods in Dian”, Southeast Asian Archaeology Special Issue 45–52. Qiu Dengcheng 邱登成. 2013. “Cong Sanxingdui yizhi kaogu faxian kan nanfang sichou zhi lu de kaitong 從三星 堆遺址考古發現看南方絲綢之路的開通”, Zhonghua wenhua luntan 4, 37–44, 190. 堆遺址考古發現看南方絲綢之路的開通”, Zhonghua wenhua luntan 4, 37–44, 190. Sage, Steven. 1992. Ancient Sichuan and the Unification of China. Albany: State University of New York Pres d h d l k h d h Sanxingdui Museum. 2006. The Sanxingdui Site. Mystical Mask on Ancient Shu Kingdom. Beijing: China International Press. Shuo, Shi. 2018. “Ethnic flows in the Tibetan-Yi corridor throughout history”, International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology 2/2, 2–22. So, Jenny and Emma Bunker (eds). 1995. Traders and Raiders on China’s Northern Frontier. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press. Su, Bai 宿白. 2004. Secondary literature Bagley, Robert W. (ed.). 2001. Ancient Sichuan. Treasures from a Lost Civilisation. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Cao, Xue 曹雪. 2016. “Xinan sichou zhi lu ji qi dui xinan jingji de yingxiang 西南絲綢之路及其對西南經濟的影 響” Tangshan zhiye jishu xueyuan xuebao 唐山職業技術學院學報14/4 57–62 66 Cao, Xue 曹雪. 2016. “Xinan sichou zhi lu ji qi dui xinan jingji de yingxiang 西南絲綢之路及其對西南 響” h h h b 唐山職業技術學院學報 / Cao, Xue 曹雪. 2016. Xinan sichou zhi lu ji qi dui xinan jingji de yingxiang 西南絲綢之 響”, Tangshan zhiye jishu xueyuan xuebao 唐山職業技術學院學報14/4, 57–62, 66. 響”, Tangshan zhiye jishu xueyuan xuebao 唐山職業技術學院學報14/4, 57–62, 66. Chen, Xiandan. 1999. “The sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui: their nature and date”, in Roderick Whitfiel W T ( d ) E l i Chi ’ P t 165 71 L d S ff B k Chen, Xiandan. 1999. “The sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui: their nature and date”, in Roderick Whitfield and Wang Tao (eds), Exploring China’s Past, 165–71. London: Saffron Books. Chen, Xiandan. 1999. “The sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui: their nature and date”, C e , a da . 999. e sac c a p ts at Sa gdu : t e atu e a d date , Rode c W t e d a d Wang Tao (eds), Exploring China’s Past, 165–71. London: Saffron Books. Wang Tao (eds), Exploring China’s Past, 165–71. London: Saffron Books. h d i i l i f i i d h l “ i Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology. 2013. “Discovery and studies of the Jinsha site”, Kaogu 3, 7–13. Di Cosmo, Nicola. 1994. “Ancient Inner Asian nomads: their economic basis and its significance in Chinese his- tory”, The Journal of Asian Studies 53/4, 1092–126. ckson, Susan N. 1994. “Money trees of the Eastern Han dynasty”, Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquit 66, 5–115. Fang, Tie 方鐵. 2015. “Jianlun xinan sichou zhi lu 簡論西南絲綢之路”, Journal of Chang’an University Social Science Edition 17/3, 114–20. Fei, Xiaotong 费孝通. 1982. “Tan shenru kaizhan minzu diaocha wenti 談深入開展民族調查問題”, Journal of South-Central University for Nationalities 3, 2–6. Feuchtwang, Stephan, Michael Rowland and Wang Mingming. 2010. “Some Chinese directions in anthropology”, Anthropological Quarterly 83/4, 897–925. p g y Flad, Rowan and Pochan Chen. 2013. Ancient Central China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Fong, Wen (ed). 1980. The Great Bronze Age of China. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Secondary literature https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press BSOAS BSOAS 25 Guedes, Jade d’Alpoim and Mark Aldenderfer. 2020. “The archaeology of the early Tibetan plateau: new research on the initial peopling through the Early Bronze Age”, Journal of Archaeological Research 28, 339–92. Guedes, Jade d’Alpoim and Mark Aldenderfer. 2020. “The archaeology of the early Tibetan plateau: new research on the initial peopling through the Early Bronze Age”, Journal of Archaeological Research 28, 339–92. Han, Rubin and Li Xiaocen. 2009. “The bronze-using cultures in the northern frontier of Ancient China an Han, Rubin and Li Xiaocen. 2009. The bronze using cultures in the northern frontier of Ancient China an metallurgies of Ancient Dian area in Yunnan Province”, in Bryan K. Hanks and Katheryn M. Linduff (eds) metallurgies of Ancient Dian area in Yunnan Province , in Bryan K. Hanks and Katheryn M. Linduff (eds), Social Complexity in Prehistoric Eurasia. Monuments, Metals and Mobility, 168–86. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Han Xiaorong 1998 “The present echoes of the Ancient Bronze drum: nationalism and archeology in modern Complexity in Prehistoric Eurasia. Monuments, Metals and Mobility, 168–86. Cambridge: Cambridge University Vietnam and China”, Journal of the Southeast Asian Studies Student Association 2/2, n.p. Vietnam and China”, Journal of the Southeast Asian Studies Student Association 2/2, n.p. ll St ( d ) P i h i f S h Chi B k l i it f C lif i P al of the Southeast Asian Studies Student Association 2/2, Harrell, Stevan (ed.). 2001. Perspectives on the Yi of Southwest China. Berkeley: University of California Press. He, Zhiguo 何志國. 2006. Han Wei yaoqianshu chubu yanjiu 漢魏搖錢樹初步研究(Initial Research on Money Trees Harrell, Stevan (ed.). 2001. Perspectives on the Yi of Southwest China. Berkeley: University of California Press. He, Zhiguo 何志國. 2006. Han Wei yaoqianshu chubu yanjiu 漢魏搖錢樹初步研究(Initial Research on Money Trees from the Han and Wei Dynasties). Beijing: Kexue chubanshe. from the Han and Wei Dynasties). Beijing: Kexue chubanshe. from the Han and Wei Dynasties). Beijing: Kexue chubanshe. Hignam, Charles. 1999. The Bronze Age of Southwest Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hu, Shaohua 胡紹華. 1989. “Xinan sichou zhi lu 西南絲綢之路”, Lishi jiaoxue 8, 15–19. 黃維 再論滇文化的金屬飾件 Hignam, Charles. 1999. The Bronze Age of Southwest Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hignam, Charles. 1999. The Bronze Age of Southwest Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hu, Shaohua 胡紹華. 1989. “Xinan sichou zhi lu 西南絲綢之路”, Lishi jiaoxue 8, 15–19. Hu, Shaohua 胡紹華. 1989. Cite this article: Elias H (2024). The Southwest Silk Road: artistic exchange and transmission in early China. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Secondary literature “Sichuan before the warring states period”, in Robert Bagley (ed.), Ancient Sichuan. Treasures from i ili i i i i i Xu, Jay. 2001a. “Sichuan before the warring states period”, in Robert Bagley (ed.), Ancient Sichuan. Treasures from a Lost Civilization, 21–37. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Lost Civilization, 21–37. Princeton: Princeton University Press. b “ i d i” i b l ( d ) i Lost Civilization, 21–37. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Lost Civilization, 21–37. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Xu, Jay. 2001b. “Bronze at Sanxingdui”, in Robert Bagley (ed.), Ancient Sichuan. Treasures from a Lost Civilization, 59– 151. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Xu, Jay. 2001b. “Bronze at Sanxingdui”, in Robert Bagley (ed.), Ancient Sichuan. Treasures from a Lost Civilization, 59– 151. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Yang, Bin. 2004. “Horses, silver, and cowries: Yunnan in global perspective”, Journal of World History 15/3, 281–322. Xu, Jay. 2001b. Bronze at Sanxingdui , in Robert Bagley (ed.), Ancient Sichuan. Treasures from a Lost Civilization, 59 151. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Yang, Bin. 2004. “Horses, silver, and cowries: Yunnan in global perspective”, Journal of World History 15/3, 281–322. Yang, Bin. 2009. Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century B.C.E. to Twentieth Century C.E). y Yang, Bin. 2004. “Horses, silver, and cowries: Yunnan in global perspective”, Journal of World History 15/3, 281–322. Yang, Bin. 2009. Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century B.C.E. to Twentieth Century C.E). N Y k C l bi U i it P y Bin. 2004. “Horses, silver, and cowries: Yunnan in global perspective”, Journal of World History 15/3, 281–322. ( ) y ng, Bin. 2004. “Horses, silver, and cowries: Yunnan in global perspective”, Journal of World History 15/3, 281–32 ng, Bin. 2009. Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century B.C.E. to Twentieth Century C. Yang, Bin. 2004. Horses, silver, and cowries: Yunnan in global perspective , Journal of World History 15/3, 281–322. Yang, Bin. 2009. Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century B.C.E. to Twentieth Century C.E). New York: Columbia University Press Bin. 2009. Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century B.C.E. to Twentieth Century C.E). w York: Columbia University Press. New York: Columbia University Press. New York: Columbia University Press. : y . Yang, Bin. 2011. “The rise and fall of cowrie shells: the Asian story”, Journal of World Histo ng, Bin. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Secondary literature “Sichuan qianshu he Changjiang zhong xiayou bufen qiwu shang de foxiang 錢錢樹和長江中 下游部分器物上的佛像”, Wenwu 10, 61–71. Su, Wenchao, Dong Wendou, Zhang Xingchun, Shen Nengping, Hu Ruizhong, Albert H. Hofstra, Cheng Lianzheng, Xia Yong and Yang Keyou. 2018. “Carlin-type gold deposits in the Dian-Qian-Gui ‘Golden Triangle’ of southwest China”, Reviews in Economic Geology 20, 157–85. Su, Yanfei. 2018. “A study of the cultural meanings of Qiang’s traditional dress and adornment”, Cultural and Religious Studies 6/5, 285–93. Tan, Qixiang 譚其驤(ed.). 2001. Zhenshi dili zhi huishi congkan 正史地理志汇釋叢刊. Anhui: Anhui jiaoyu chubanshe. Tong, Enzheng. 1990. “Shilun woguo cong dongbei zhi xinan de biandi banyuexing wenhua chuanliudai 詩論我國 從東北至西南的遍地半月形傳播帶”, in Tong Enzheng (ed.), Zhongguo xinan minzu kaosu lunwenji, 252–78. Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe. TzeHuey, Chiou-Peng. 2008. “Horses in the Dian culture of Yunnan”, in Elisabeth A. Bacus, Ian Glover and Peter D. Sharrock (eds), Interpreting Southeast Asia’s Past, 225–38. Singapore: NUS Press. TzeHuey, Chiou-Peng. 2009. “Incipient metallurgy in Yunnan: new data for old debates”, in J. Mei and Th. Rehren (eds), Metallurgy and Civilisation: Eurasia and Beyond, 79–84. London: Archetype. von Falkenhausen, Lothar. 2003. “The external connections of Sanxingdui”, Journal of East Asian Archaeology 5, 191–245. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press Hajni Elias 26 Wang, Lijiao 王立教and Dai Rong 戴蓉. 2020. “Nanfang sichou zhi lu kaizao dui xinan sichou zhi lu dui xinan bianjiang wenhua suzao tanxi 南方絲綢之路開鑿對西南邊疆文化探析”, Guizhou shehui kexue 365/5, 102–08. Wang, Ming-ke. 1992. ‘The Ch‘iang (Qiang) of Ancient China through the Han dynasty: ecological frontie ethnic boundaries’, PhD thesis, Harvard University. Wang, Ming-ke. 1999. “From the Qiang barbarians to the Qiang nationality: the making of a new Chinese bound- ary”, in Shu-min Huang and Cheng-kuang Hsu (eds), Imaging China: Regional division and national unity, 43–80. Taipei: Academia Sinica Institute of Ethnology. Wang, Ningsheng 汪寧生. 1979. “Jinning Shizhaishan qingtong tu- xiang suojian gudai minzu kao晉寧石寨山青 銅圖象所見古代民族考”, Kaogu xuebao 4, 423–39. g ang, Qinghua 王清華. 2002. “Xinan sichouzhilu yu zhong Yin wenhua jiaoliu 西南絲綢之路與中印文化交流 Social Sciences in Yunnan 2, 81–85. Watson, Burton (trans.). 1993. Records of the Grand Historian. Han Dynasty. Vols. I–II. Hong Kong and New York: Columbia University Press. White, Joyce C. and Elizabeth G. Hamilton. 2009. “The transmission of early bronze technology to Thailand: new perspectives”, Journal of World Prehistory 22, 357–97. Whitfield, Roderick and Wang Tao. 1999. Exploring China’s Past. New Discoveries and Studies in Archaeology and Art. London: Saffron Books. , Jay. 2001a. Secondary literature “The rise and fall of cowrie shells: the Asian story”, Journal of World History 22/1, 1–25. Yang, Bin. 2018. Cowrie Shells and Cowrie Money: A Global History. New York: Routledge. Yao, Alice. 2005. “Scratching beneath iconographic and textual clues: a reconsideration of the social hierarchy in the Dian culture of southwestern China”, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 24, 378–405. Yao, Alice, Valentin Darre, Jiang Zhilong, Wengcheong Lam and Yang Wei. 2020. “Bridging the time gap in the Bronze Age of Southeast Asia and southwest China”, Archaeological Research in Asia 22, 1–13. h 叶舒憲 d h h l 星堆與西南玉石之路 , Shuxian 叶舒憲. 2011. “Sanxingdui yu xinan yushi zhi lu 三星堆與西南玉石之路”, Minzu yishu 4, 33–43 Zhang, Dunsheng 張囤生(ed.). 1993. Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji. Vol. 14: Dian. Kunming 中國青銅器全集. Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe. Zhang, Hongzhao 章鴻釗(ed.). 1954. Gu kuang lu 古鑛錄. Beijing: Geological Press. Zhang, Xuejun 張學君. 2018. “Lun xinan sichou zhi lu de maoyi huodong 論西南絲綢之路的貿易活動”, Wenshi zazhi 4, 35–42. Zhu, Zhangyi, Zhang Qing and Wang Fang. 2003. “The Jinsha site: an introduction”, Journal of East Asian Archaeology 5, 247–76. Cite this article: Elias H (2024). The Southwest Silk Road: artistic exchange and transmission in early China. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000120 Published online by Cambridge University Press
https://openalex.org/W4389141461
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2023/ma/d3ma00589e
English
null
Band-gap engineering in methylammonium bismuth bromide perovskites for less-toxic perovskite solar cells
Materials advances
2,024
cc-by
5,802
a Department of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK. E-mail: s.r.pering@lboro.ac.uk b Loughborough Materials Characterisation Centre, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK c CREST, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK d Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental Section and additional data. CCDC 2265208. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ma00589e ‡ Current address: WMG University of Warwick, 6 Lord Bhattacharyya Way, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK. Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 U Bismuth-based perovskites could be a viable and efficient alternative to lead-based perovskite materials. To widen possible applications, it is necessary to be able to alter the band gap of the absorber material (i.e. for water splitting or multijunction cells). In this work we show the possibility of colour- management in methylammonium bismuth halide perovskites. When synthesised using DMSO, methylammonium bismuth bromide is characterised and identified as possessing a zero-dimensional perovskite type structure with a formula of MA3BiBr6 DMSO solvate, and a band gap of 2.51 eV. An increasing mole fraction of iodide ions into methylammonium bismuth bromide is shown to produce a single-phase with a decreasing band gap, with an associated colour change from yellow (2.51 eV) for methylammonium bismuth bromide to red (1.88 eV) for methylammonium bismuth iodide. The methylammonium bismuth iodide structure is tolerant to high degrees of bromide substitution, up to 40%, before significant effects in band gap or morphology are observed. Halide substitution was also found to aid thin-film stability over 10 weeks in air. The insights obtained from this study could provide additional stability at a reduced cost to lead-free bismuth halide perovskite materials. Received 24th August 2023, Accepted 27th November 2023 DOI: 10.1039/d3ma00589e rsc.li/materials-advances Received 24th August 2023, Accepted 27th November 2023 DOI: 10 1039/d3ma00589e Received 24th August 2023, Accepted 27th November 2023 Cite this: Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625 Introduction Renewable, low-carbon ene societal dependence on fossi Received 24th August 2023, Accepted 27th November 2023 DOI: 10.1039/d3ma00589e rsc.li/materials-advances Materials Advances PAPER Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Materials Advances View Article Online View Journal | View Issue View Article Online View Journal | View Issue Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625–631 | 625 Band-gap engineering in methylammonium bismuth bromide perovskites for less-toxic perovskite solar cells† Cite this: Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625 Samuel R. Pering, *a Hunaynah Abdulgafar,‡a Madeleine Mudd,a Keith Yendall,b Mustafa Togayc and Mark R.J. Elsegood d Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Band gap engineering has been used throughout perovskite solar cell research to improve device performance, and can also be used to form an ideal material for certain applications, e.g. in tandem cells or for building integrated photovoltaics, and halide mixing has been demonstrated to be an effective way of altering the band-gap/colour of a material.17,40–42 In this article we introduce a previously unreported structure of the material methylammonium bismuth bromide, including single crystal data. The effect of halide mixing on bismuth perovskites is then examined, using various ratios of iodide to bromide from MA3Bi2I9 to MA3Bi2Br9, analysing the structural, optical and morphological effects to both assess any improvements in material performance, and observe any similarities to band- gap engineering in lead-based perovskites. Fig. 1 (a) Photograph of the crystal fragment used for the single crystal X-ray diffraction study, (b) The formula unit in the crystal structure of 1, with minor DMSO and methyl ammonium disorder components omitted for clarity and (c) Packing plot for 1 showing the extensive H-bonded network of interactions between cations, anions and the DMSO of crystal- lisation. Structure viewed parallel to b. Fig. 1 (a) Photograph of the crystal fragment used for the single crystal X-ray diffraction study, (b) The formula unit in the crystal structure of 1, with minor DMSO and methyl ammonium disorder components omitted for clarity and (c) Packing plot for 1 showing the extensive H-bonded network of interactions between cations, anions and the DMSO of crystal- lisation. Structure viewed parallel to b. cations the two ends were positionally disordered i.e. C/N swap places. Layers of cations and anions are linked via an extensive network of H-bonds involving all structural components. The BiBr6 3 anions are almost perfectly octahedral and do not connect with each other (0D). The monoclinic, C2/m structure characterised from these experiments is not a typically observed perovskite structure, nor is it the same as previous characterisations of methylammonium bismuth bromide. A study by Djokic et al. Introduction opportunity for solar technologies.3 Abundant starting materi- als and simple processing methods are significant advantages of these materials; the latter enabling the fabrication of flexible perovskite solar cells (PSC).4–8 From a 3% efficient cell reported for the original material, methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) in 2009, the record efficiency for perovskite solar cells now lies at over 25%, competitive with commercially established solar cell technologies such as silicon.3,9 A major part of improving device performance was tailoring the constituents of the per- ovskite by the inclusion of additives at the A or X-site (from an ABX3 general structure).10–12 This could involve small ions such as Br, with halide mixing proving to improve stability and aid in the control of the material band-gap.13–15 An easily con- trolled band gap has opened the possibility of implementing perovskite materials in multijunction cells, as complementary band gaps to those of other materials for maximum absorption can be designed.16,17 Additionally the incorporation of larger cations can improve material stability, for example the most stable cells use longer chain organic compounds that form a more stable 2D perovskite structure.18–20 Renewable, low-carbon energy sources are vital for reducing societal dependence on fossil fuels and mitigating the effects of carbon emissions. Reducing both start-up and implementation costs is key to the uptake of new technologies to decrease our environmental impact. With increasingly reducing energy- payback times, solar power has become an attractive alternative energy source. Its flexibility, finding use in both 4100 MW solar farms and smaller rooftop arrays means that it is acces- sible to a range of applications. New materials can widen these possibilities further for building-integration, such as photovol- taic windows.1,2 In the past 10 years, perovskite-structured photovoltaic materials have established themselves as an exciting new However, the long-term stability of perovskite solar cell devices has been significantly less than commercially estab- lished technologies, which is further complicated by the potential release into the environment of the toxic element lead.21–25 The exploration of lead-free materials is therefore Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625–631 | 625 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry 625 Fig. Methylammonium bismuth bromide Single crystal analysis determined that the structure obtained was a DMSO solvate crystal structure. Large, single, crystals of methylammonium bismuth bromide dimethyl sulfoxide sol- vate, 1, were grown using a 2 : 1 ratio of methylammonium bromide:bismuth bromide in a mixed solvent of g-butyro- lactone and dimethyl sulfoxide, using a solvent evaporation method. An image of the crystal fragment used for the data collection is shown in Fig. 1a. Fig. 1b and c show the formula unit and packing motifs in the crystal structure of 1. Fig. S1 and S2 (ESI†) show packing plots in different orientations. All crystal data is in Table S2 (ESI†). Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. produced a more expected MA3Bi2Br9 material, with 2D layered structure belonging to the space group P%3m1, similar to previous studies on bismuth and antimony halide perovskites.43,44 It is also unlike the crystal structure of methylammonium bismuth iodide, which usually possesses a structure in which two face-sharing octahedra form the main part of the repeating unit.45 This difference is likely due to the synthesis method of the single crystals, a slow, solvent evaporation-based method that allows plenty of time for the crystallisation of the material to include the DMSO solvent. Introduction 1 (a) Photograph of the crystal fragment used for the single crystal X-ray diffraction study, (b) The formula unit in the crystal structure of 1, with minor DMSO and methyl ammonium disorder components omitted for clarity and (c) Packing plot for 1 showing the extensive H-bonded network of interactions between cations, anions and the DMSO of crystal- lisation. Structure viewed parallel to b. Materials Advances View Article Online Materials Advances Materials Advances Paper important to further development of perovskite solar cell technology. Recently lead-free perovskite solar cells have seen significant progress, albeit with lower efficiencies than lead- based analogues.26,27 The next element up in group 14, tin, is the most widely analysed alternative, but its toxicity, efficiency, and stability have not shown improvements over lead.28,29 Recently, bismuth has been employed as a lead replacement in the B-site; its most common oxidation state of +3 has led to a variance in structures, for example double perovskites are formed when used in conjunction with a +1 ion such as silver.30–32 Silver–bismuth double perovskite solar cells have reached efficiencies of over 2% in thin-film solar cells, and over 4% when the perovskite is converted into quantum dot form.33,34 Functioning solar cells can also be produced when bismuth is used as the solitary B-site cation, although efficien- cies remain mostly below 1%, with the highest of these obtained with caesium as the A-site cation.35–38 Improving the performance of A3Bi2X9 materials is therefore paramount to establish bismuth as a potential competitor to lead. For exam- ple, by using a two-step deposition method, cells exhibiting 3.17% efficiency for a methylammonium bismuth iodide cell have been produced.39 Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Halide mixing in bismuth halide perovskites To investigate the effect of halide mixing, powders of methy- lammonium bismuth halide with different ratios of iodide to bromide were prepared for powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis. These were prepared with an increasing molar ratio of bromide by 0.2 in each solution, to provide a broad picture of the potential band-gap engineering available in bismuth-based [(BiBr6 3)(H3CNH3 +)3]2((CH3)2SO) (1) is the moiety formula for the crystallised material, and one quarter of this represents the asymmetric unit. The DMSO and methylammonium cations were substantially disordered. In the case of the methylammonium © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry 626 | Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625–631 626 View Article Online Materials Advances Fig. 2 Powder X-ray diffractograms (normalised) for methylammonium bismuth halide with varying iodide:bromide ratio: (a) full diffractogram, and (b) zoomed-in image of shaded area, tracking the (1,0,2)46 peak. Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. Fig. 2 Powder X-ray diffractograms (normalised) for methylammonium bismuth halide with varying iodide:brom zoomed-in image of shaded area, tracking the (1,0,2)46 peak. Fig. 2 Powder X-ray diffractograms (normalised) for methylammonium bismuth halide with varying iodide:bromide ratio: (a) full diffractogram, and (b) zoomed-in image of shaded area, tracking the (1,0,2)46 peak. ms (normalised) for methylammonium bismuth halide with varying iodide:bromide ratio: (a) full diffractogram, and (b) tracking the (1,0,2)46 peak. Fig. 3 (a) Photograph of methylammonium bismuth halide films with varying iodide:bromide ratio, from left: 100% I, 80% I, 60% I, 40% I, 20% I, 100% Br and (b) Kubelka–Munk Analysis from Diffuse Reflectance Spectro- scopy of methylammonium bismuth halide films data of materials (dashed lines show extrapolation for band gap calculation). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons At Fig. 3 (a) Photograph of methylammonium bismuth halide films with varying iodide:bromide ratio, from left: 100% I, 80% I, 60% I, 40% I, 20% I, 100% Br and (b) Kubelka–Munk Analysis from Diffuse Reflectance Spectro- scopy of methylammonium bismuth halide films data of materials (dashed lines show extrapolation for band gap calculation). There is little change in the overall diffractogram from MA3Bi2I9 to MA2Bi2(I0.8Br0.2)9 suggesting that the structure is potentially tolerant to high levels of substitution. Halide mixing in bismuth halide perovskites As BiBr3 can be significantly cheaper than BiI3 (at lower purities, BiBr3: d175/ 100 g (Z 98%) BiI3: d270/100 g (99%) (Merck) in May 2023), these findings could greatly reduce the cost of bismuth-based perovskite solar cells, if the other major properties such as band gap and device efficiency can be maintained at these substitution levels. At 40% bromide substitution and above, there is a more significant shift in peak positions, this more pronounced change matching the change in the colour of the powders. A single-step spin-coating method was employed to produce thin-films for analysis to reduce procedural complexity and to ensure observed morphology differences are due to the material composition as opposed to deposition method. An image of the thin films is shown in Fig. 3a. UV/Vis analysis of these films shows that the band gap has been successfully altered through varying the halide composition (Fig. 3b). Fig. 3 (a) Photograph of methylammonium bismuth halide films with varying iodide:bromide ratio, from left: 100% I, 80% I, 60% I, 40% I, 20% I, 100% Br and (b) Kubelka–Munk Analysis from Diffuse Reflectance Spectro- scopy of methylammonium bismuth halide films data of materials (dashed lines show extrapolation for band gap calculation). Analysis of the band-gap extracted from linear fitting of the first visible transition in the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy echoes the trends obtained from PXRD measurements; i.e. the material is tolerant to high levels of bromide substitution without significant change (Fig. S4, ESI†). Table 1 below shows the band gaps extracted from UV/Vis analysis. perovskite materials. An immediate colour difference in the powders was observed, from a deep red for MA3Bi2I9, through shades of orange to yellow in MA3BiBr6 (Fig. 3a displays this colour difference in the thin-films). This echoes the trends shown by lead halide perovskites, in which increasing the proportion of bromide in the material increases the band gap.13 The PXRD results obtained from the powders are shown in Fig. 2 and a comparison with the starting materials for the 100% iodide and 100% bromide material are included in Fig. S3 (ESI†). These show distinct peaks, separate from those of the starting materials, however a lack of complete conversion is observed. The diffractograms show no obvious peak separation, so a single phase of mixed halide methylammonium bismuth perovskite is produced in each case. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry Halide mixing in bismuth halide perovskites An enhanced image tracking the (1,0,2) peak46 of MA3Bi2I9 shows a gradual shift to higher 2y values as the proportion of bromide increases, suggesting that the inclusion of the smaller bromide ion is reducing the overall size of the unit cell (see Fig. 2b). For MA3Bi2I9 a band gap of 1.88 eV is obtained, which is consistent with previously reported results.46–48 A slight shift is Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625–631 | 627 Table 1 Values for band gap extracted from Kubelka Munk analysis of reflectance spectroscopy Material Band gap (eV) MA3Bi2I9 1.88 MA3Bi2(I0.8Br0.2)9 1.91 MA3Bi2(I0.6Br0.4)9 1.93 MA3Bi2(I0.4Br0.6)9 1.98 MA3Bi2(I0.8Br0.2)9 2.08 MA3BiBr6 2.51 Table 1 Values for band gap extracted from Kubelka Munk analysis of reflectance spectroscopy © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry Materials Advances View Article Online Materials Advances View Article Online View Article Online Paper Materials Advances Materials Advances seen at low percentages of bromide substitution, however as the percentage of bromide in the lattice increases further, there is a starker change in band gap. MA3Bi2(I0.4Br0.6)9 possesses a band gap of 1.98 eV, increasing to 2.08 eV for MA3Bi2(I0.8Br0.2)9. Finally, the 100% Br-containing material has a measured band gap of 2.51 eV. The UV/Vis data establishes that the band-gap of methylammonium bismuth halide perovskites can be con- trolled through halide substitution, a property that could prove useful for their deployment as a top cell in multijunction solar cells. Compared with methylammonium lead iodide perovs- kites, methylammonium bismuth iodide requires greater bro- mide substitution to enact similar degrees of band gap shift.13 A plot of bromide mole fraction against band gap (Fig. S4b, ESI†) produces a curve which appears to show an exponential trend. To test this trend an additional sample was made and measured with 90% bromide (Fig. S4c and d, ESI†). The band gap for MA3Bi2(I0.1Br0.9)9 was measured at 2.18 eV, which fits with the observed trend, and this is likely due to the significant shifts in crystalline structure at higher mole frac- tions of bromide as seen in the PXRD measurements. The stability of the thin-films when left in atmospheric conditions was observed over 10 weeks using both XRD (Fig. 4) and UV/Vis (Fig. S6, ESI†). Firstly, the thin-film XRD shows significantly less disorder than the powder, and for all ratios of iodide/bromide appears to be relatively stable through- out the 10 week period, with little change in the major peaks. Halide mixing in bismuth halide perovskites Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:5 This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Fig. 4 10 week stability study of thin-films through X-ray diffraction. Graph headings correspond to the proportion of iodide or bromide in the sample. Fig. 4 10 week stability study of thin-films through X-ray diffraction. Graph headings correspond to the proportion of iodide or bromide in the sample. 4 10 week stability study of thin-films through X-ray diffraction. Graph headings correspond to the proportion of io in-films through X-ray diffraction. Graph headings correspond to the proportion of iodide or bromide in the sample © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry 628 | Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625–631 View Article Online Paper Materials Advances analysis. All films show high surface roughness and a film thickness of between 700 nm to 1 mm, with low surface cover- age. For MA3Bi2I9 (Fig. 5a and Fig. S7a, ESI†) flat grains of 1 mm length populate the surface. Films containing 20% and 40% bromide show similar morphologies, and as the proportion of bromide increases further the grains become more rod-like and increase in size (Fig. 5d, e and Fig. S7c–e, ESI†) towards the large, 42 mm size grains that form MA3Bi2Br9. Improving the film morphology of these less-toxic perovskite materials is vital for performance, and should be the subject of further study. Fig. 5 SEM Images at 5000x magnification of methylammonium bismuth halide films: (a) MA3Bi2I9, (b) MA3Bi2(I0.8Br0.2)9, (c) MA3Bi2(I0.6Br0.4)9, (d) MA3Bi2(I0.4Br0.6)9, (e) MA3Bi2(I0.2Br0.8)9, and (f) MA3BiBr6. p j y Methylammonium bismuth halide solar cells were fabri- cated, using polyethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) as the hole-transport material and phenyl-C61- butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the electron transport material (Fig. S9 and S10, ESI†). These materials were chosen as they had the simplest fabrication procedures and lowest cost, to maintain the key advantage of simple processing that makes perovskite solar cells attractive. Previous studies looking at MA3Bi2I9 solar cells produced devices with efficiencies of up to 3.17%.36,39,46,49 6 devices were fabricated for each material, with few showing measurable efficiency. The new material MA3BiBr6 exhibited some, albeit minimal photovoltaic activity, in the range of pA cm2 JSC and o0.05 V VOC displayed in Fig. S9f (ESI†). Similar performance was observed across the halide substitution range (Fig. Halide mixing in bismuth halide perovskites S10, shown alongside dark measure- ments, ESI†), therefore direct comparisons of the effects of halide mixing on methylammonium bismuth halide solar cells are not possible in this case. This likely has multiple causes: the poor film coverage, uneven film morphology, and zero- dimensional crystal structure, particularly of the MA3BiBr6 materials leading to inefficient charge transport. Improving the morphology of MA3Bi2(I1xBrx)9 could lead to improved performance at a reduced cost compared with MA3Bi2I9. Other solvents to DMSO should be explored, as the formation of the DMSO solvate crystal into a zero-dimensional structure, as opposed to the previously reported 3-D crystal structures, likely hampers performance.43,44 Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Fig. 5 SEM Images at 5000x magnification of methylammonium bismuth halide films: (a) MA3Bi2I9, (b) MA3Bi2(I0.8Br0.2)9, (c) MA3Bi2(I0.6Br0.4)9, (d) MA3Bi2(I0.4Br0.6)9, (e) MA3Bi2(I0.2Br0.8)9, and (f) MA3BiBr6. Interestingly in the first few weeks for MA3Bi2I9 (100% iodide on Fig. 4), there is a split peak at B12.51 highlighted in Fig. S6 (ESI†). This suggests that there are two competing phases within the material, which also appears as two separate absor- bance changes in the UV/Vis spectra (Fig. S6, ESI†). This apparent phase separation disappears after 4 weeks in both the XRD and UV/Vis suggesting that a single, dominant phase is present. However, in the UV/Vis this is manifested as an increase in the initial band-gap, meaning that less overall light is absorbed. This will likely have implications for device per- formance, and therefore these phases should be explored in more detail to determine the origin and if it is possible to isolate and maintain the lower band gap phase. This splitting does not occur in any of the mixed iodide:bromide samples. Additionally, there is the appearance over time of a peak at B101, attributed to the methylammonium halide starting material, suggesting material degradation. This is significantly more pronounced in the pure bromide and iodide samples than the mixed halides. An increase in phase stability from halide mixing has also been observed in lead-based perovskites.13,14 These results suggest that halide-mixing could also be a useful tool for bismuth-based perovskites to improve both phase stability and long-term stability. An additional factor is that at low bromide loading the impact on band gap is minimal for a potential increase in long-term stability. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry References F. De Angelis, M. Graetzel and M. K. Nazeeruddin, Nat. Commun., 2017, 8, 15684. 1 M. Batmunkh, Y. L. Zhong and H. Zhao, Adv. Mater., 2020, 2000631. 1 M. Batmunkh, Y. L. Zhong and H. Zhao, Adv. Mater., 2020, 2000631. 21 Y. Y. Zhang, S. Chen, P. Xu, H. Xiang, X. G. Gong, A. Walsh and S. H. Wei, Chin. Phys. Lett., 2018, 35, 036104. 2 L. Shen, H. Yip, F. Gao and L. Ding, Sci. Bull., 2020, 65, 980–982. 2 L. Shen, H. Yip, F. Gao and L. Ding, Sci. Bull., 2020, 65, 980–982. 22 C. Tian, E. Castro, T. Wang, G. Betancourt-Solis, G. Rodriguez and L. Echegoyen, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016, 8, 31426–31432. 3 A. Kojima, K. Teshima, Y. Shirai and T. Miyasaka, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2009, 131, 6050–6051. 23 J. Li, H.-L. Cao, W.-B. Jiao, Q. Wang, M. Wei, I. Cantone, J. Lu¨ and A. Abate, Nat. Commun., 2020, 11, 310. 4 J. Burschka, N. Pellet, S.-J. Moon, R. Humphry-Baker, P. Gao, M. K. Nazeeruddin and M. Gra¨tzel, Nature, 2013, 499, 316–319. 24 P. Su, Y. Liu, J. Zhang, C. Chen, B. Yang, C. Zhang and X. Zhao, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2020, 11, 2812–2817. 25 Y. Zhai, Z. Wang, G. Wang, W. J. G. M. Peijnenburg and M. G. Vijver, Chemosphere, 2020, 249, 126564. 5 N. K. Noel, S. N. Habisreutinger, B. Wenger, M. T. Klug, M. T. Horantner, M. B. Johnston, R. J. Nicholas, D. T. Moore and H. J. Snaith, Energy Environ. Sci., 2017, 10, 145–152. 26 T. Miyasaka, A. Kulkarni, G. M. Kim, S. O¨z and A. K. Jena, Adv. Energy Mater., 2019, 0, 1902500. 6 L. Chao, L. Pengwei, G. Hao, Z. Yiqiang, L. Fengyu, S. Yanlin, S. Guosheng, M. Nripan and X. Guichuan, Sol. RRL, 2018, 2, 1700217. 27 S. F. Hoefler, G. Trimmel and T. Rath, Monatsh. Chem., 2017, 148, 795–826. 28 N. K. Noel, S. D. Stranks, A. Abate, C. Wehrenfennig, S. Guarnera, A.-A. Haghighirad, A. Sadhanala, G. E. Eperon, S. K. Pathak, M. B. Johnston, A. Petrozza, L. M. Herz and H. J. Snaith, Energy Environ. Sci., 2014, 7, 3061–3068. 7 K. Hwang, Y. S. Jung, Y. J. Heo, F. H. Scholes, S. E. Watkins, J. Subbiah, D. J. Jones, D. Y. Kim and D. Vak, Adv. Mater., 2015, 27, 1241–1247. 8 X. Yin, P. Chen, M. Que, Y. Xing, W. Que, C. Niu and J. Materials Advances Paper Materials Advances 12 G. R. Berdiyorov, F. El-Mellouhi, M. E. Madjet, F. H. Alharbi, fabrication route chosen. Further refinement of the synthesis procedure including analysis of other solvent systems to improve the film morphology of the mixed halide materials and allow solvate-free crystallisation, could lead to cheaper, more sustainable, lead-free perovskite materials. 12 G. R. Berdiyorov, F. El-Mellouhi, M. E. Madjet, F. H. Alharbi, F. M. Peeters and S. Kais, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 2015, 1–9. F. M. Peeters and S. Kais, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 2015, 1–9. 13 J. H. Noh, S. H. Im, J. H. Heo, T. N. Mandal and S. Il Seok, Nano Lett., 2013, 13, 1764–1769. 14 R. Garcı´a-Rodrı´guez, D. Ferdani, S. Pering, P. J. Baker and P. J. Cameron, J Mater Chem A, 2019, 7, 22604–22614. 14 R. Garcı´a-Rodrı´guez, D. Ferdani, S. Pering, P. J. Baker and 14 R. Garcıa Rodrıguez, D. Ferdani, S. Pering, P. J. Baker and P. J. Cameron, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, 7, 22604–22614. P. J. Cameron, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, 7, 22604–22614. Conflicts of interest 17 T. Moot, J. Werner, G. E. Eperon, K. Zhu, J. J. Berry, M. D. McGehee and J. M. Luther, Adv. Mater., 2020, 2003312. There are no conflicts to declare. 18 N. De Marco, H. Zhou, Q. Chen, P. Sun, Z. Liu, L. Meng, E.-P. Yao, Y. Liu, A. Schiffer and Y. Yang, Nano Lett., 2016, 16, 1009–1016. Acknowledgements 19 S. R. Pering, W. Deng, J. R. Troughton, P. S. Kubiak, D. Ghosh, R. G. Niemann, F. Brivio, F. E. Jeffrey, A. B. Walker, M. S. Islam, T. M. Watson, P. R. Raithby, A. L. Johnson, S. E. Lewis and P. J. Cameron, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017, 5, 20658–20665. 20 G. Grancini, C. Rolda´n-Carmona, I. Zimmermann, E. Mosconi, X. Lee, D. Martineau, S. Narbey, F. Oswald, F. De Angelis, M. Graetzel and M. K. Nazeeruddin, Nat. Commun., 2017, 8, 15684. 19 S. R. Pering, W. Deng, J. R. Troughton, P. S. Kubiak, D. Ghosh, R. G. Niemann, F. Brivio, F. E. Jeffrey, A. B. Walker, M. S. Islam, T M Watson P R Raithby A L Johnson S E Lewis and 19 S. R. Pering, W. Deng, J. R. Troughton, P. S. Kubiak, D. Ghosh, R. G. Niemann, F. Brivio, F. E. Jeffrey, A. B. Walker, M. S. Islam, T. M. Watson, P. R. Raithby, A. L. Johnson, S. E. Lewis and P. J. Cameron, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017, 5, 20658–20665. 20 G. Grancini, C. Rolda´n-Carmona, I. Zimmermann, 19 S. R. Pering, W. Deng, J. R. Troughton, P. S. Kubiak, D. Ghosh, 19 S. R. Pering, W. Deng, J. R. Troughton, P. S. Kubiak, D. Ghosh, R. G. Niemann, F. Brivio, F. E. Jeffrey, A. B. Walker, M. S. Islam, We thank the EPSRC UK National Crystallography Service at the University of Southampton for the collection of the crystal- lographic data for 1.46 SRP thanks the University of Loughbor- ough for funding. R. G. Niemann, F. Brivio, F. E. Jeffrey, A. B. Walker, M. S. Islam, T. M. Watson, P. R. Raithby, A. L. Johnson, S. E. Lewis and P. J. Cameron, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017, 5, 20658–20665. 20 G. Grancini, C. Rolda´n-Carmona, I. Zimmermann, E. Mosconi, X. Lee, D. Martineau, S. Narbey, F. Oswald, F. De Angelis, M. Graetzel and M. K. Nazeeruddin, Nat. Commun., 2017, 8, 15684. 20 G. Grancini, C. Rolda´n-Carmona, I. Zimmermann, E. Mosconi, X. Lee, D. Martineau, S. Narbey, F. Oswald, Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Un L. Korte, B. Rech, M. B. Johnston, L. M. Herz and H. J. Snaith, Science, 2016, 351, 151–155. Conclusions The crystal structure of the new material methylammonium bismuth bromide dimethylsulfoxide solvate is reported, which shows a zero-dimensional, monoclinic C2/m structure. Methy- lammonium bismuth halide perovskites are then studied through halide mixing to explore the effects on band-gap and structure. MA3Bi2I9 displays a high tolerance to halide mixing on structure and band gap, which show small changes at bromide substitutions of o40%. Halide substitution has been shown to improve the stability of the materials over 10 weeks in air, suggesting that, this could be a method to increase material lifetime whilst not compromising on band gap. This report contains the first attempted synthesis of a methylammonium bismuth bromide solar cell, which recorded minimal photo- voltaic activity; this is attributed to film morphology and the zero-dimensional crystal structure obtained through the Thin-film morphology was analysed in closer detail using both SEM (Fig. 5 and Fig. S7, ESI†) and AFM (Fig. S8, ESI†) © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625–631 | 629 629 View Article Online Author contributions 15 M. Saliba, T. Matsui, J.-Y. Seo, K. Domanski, J.-P. Correa- Baena, M. K. Nazeeruddin, S. M. Zakeeruddin, W. Tress, A. Abate, A. Hagfeldt and M. Gra¨tzel, Energy Environ. Sci., 2016, 9, 1989. Open Access Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. SRP: conceptualisation, funding acquisition, project adminis- tration, methodology, supervision, writing – original draft. HA, MM, KY, MT & ME data curation, formal analysis, investigation, resources and writing – review and editing. ME – crystallo- graphic analysis. 16 D. P. McMeekin, G. Sadoughi, W. Rehman, G. E. Eperon, M. Saliba, M. T. Horantner, A. Haghighirad, N. Sakai, L. Korte, B. Rech, M. B. Johnston, L. M. Herz and H. J. Snaith, Science, 2016, 351, 151–155. 16 D. P. McMeekin, G. Sadoughi, W. Rehman, G. E. Eperon, M. Saliba, M. T. Horantner, A. Haghighirad, N. Sakai, h h d References Shao, ACS Nano, 2016, 10, 3630–3636. 29 A. Babayigit, D. Duy Thanh, A. Ethirajan, J. Manca, M. Muller, H.-G. Boyen and B. Conings, Sci. Rep., 2016, 6, 18721. 9 M. A. Green, E. D. Dunlop, J. Hohl-Ebinger, M. Yoshita, N. Kopidakis and A. W. Y. Ho-Baillie, Prog. Photovoltaics Res. Appl., 2020, 28, 3–15. 30 D. E. Lee, S. Y. Kim and H. W. Jang, J. Korean Ceram. Soc., 2020, 57(5), 455–479. 10 C. Yi, J. Luo, S. Meloni, A. Boziki, N. Ashari-Astani, C. Gratzel, S. M. Zakeeruddin, U. Rothlisberger and M. Gratzel, Energy Environ. Sci., 2016, 9, 656–662. 31 G. Volonakis, M. R. Filip, A. A. Haghighirad, N. Sakai, B. Wenger, H. J. Snaith and F. Giustino, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2016, 7, 1254–1259. 11 O. J. Weber, B. Charles and M. T. Weller, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 15375–15382. 630 | Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625–631 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry View Article Online Materials Advances Paper 40 E. Pulli, E. Rozzi and F. Bella, Energy Convers. Manage., 2020, 219, 112982. 40 E. Pulli, E. Rozzi and F. Bella, Energy Convers. Manage., 2020, 219, 112982. 32 A. H. Slavney, T. Hu, A. M. Lindenberg and H. I. Karunadasa, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138, 2138–2141. 41 M. L. Davies, M. Carnie, P. J. Holliman, A. Connell, P. Douglas, T. Watson, C. Charbonneau, J. Troughton and D. Worsley, Mater. Res. Innovations, 2014, 18, 482–485. 33 B. Ghosh, B. Wu, X. Guo, P. C. Harikesh, R. A. John, T. Baikie, Arramel, A. T. S. Wee, C. Guet, T. C. Sum, S. Mhaisalkar and N. Mathews, Adv. Energy Mater., 2018, 8, 1802051. 42 B.-B. Yu, M. Liao, J. Yang, W. Chen, Y. Zhu, X. Zhang, T. Duan, W. Yao, S.-H. Wei and Z. He, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, 7, 8818–8825. 34 S. M. Jain, T. Edvinsson and J. R. Durrant, Commun. Chem., 2019, 2, 91. ess Article. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. rticle. Published on 29 November 2023. Downloaded on 10/24/2024 5:40:58 AM. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. 43 V. Djokic´, P. Andricˇevic´, M. Kolla´r, A. Ciers, A. Arakcheeva, M. Vasiljevic´, D. Damjanovic´, L. Forro´, E. Horva´th and T. Ivsˇic´, Crystals, 2022, 12. 35 R. L. Z. Hoye, R. E. Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625–631 | 631 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry References Brandt, A. Osherov, V. Stevanovic, S. D. Stranks, M. W. B. Wilson, H. Kim, A. J. Akey, J. D. Perkins, R. C. Kurchin, J. R. Poindexter, E. N. Wang, M. G. Bawendi, V. Bulovic and T. Buonassisi, Chem. – Eur. J., 2016, 22, 2605–2610. 44 B. Saparov, F. Hong, J.-P. Sun, H.-S. Duan, W. Meng, S. Cameron, I. G. Hill, Y. Yan and D. B. Mitzi, Chem. Mater., 2015, 27, 5622–5632. 36 B. W. Park, B. Philippe, X. Zhang, H. Rensmo, G. Boschloo and E. M. J. Johansson, Adv. Mater., 2015, 27 6806–6813. 45 K. Eckhardt, V. Bon, J. Getzschmann, J. Grothe, F. M. Wisser and S. Kaskel, Chem. Commun., 2016, 52, 3058–3060. 37 R. Waykar, A. Bhorde, S. Nair, S. Pandharkar, B. Gabhale, R. Aher, S. Rondiya, A. Waghmare, V. Doiphode, A. Punde, P. Vairale, M. Prasad and S. Jadkar, J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 2020, 146, 109608. 46 H. Wang, J. Tian, K. Jiang, Y. Zhang, H. Fan, J. Huang, L. Yang, B. Guan and Y. Song, RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 43826–43830. 47 C. Ran, Z. Wu, J. Xi, F. Yuan, H. Dong, T. Lei, X. He and X. Hou, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2017, 8, 394–400. 38 K. Ahmad, P. Kumar, H. Kim and S. M. Mobin, ChemNano- Mat, 2022, 8, e202200061. 48 R. E. Brandt, R. C. Kurchin, R. L. Z. Hoye, J. R. Poindexter, 39 S. M. Jain, D. Phuyal, M. L. Davies, M. Li, B. Philippe, C. De Castro, Z. Qiu, J. Kim, T. Watson, W. C. Tsoi, O. Karis, H. Rensmo, G. Boschloo, T. Edvinsson and J. R. Durrant, Nano Energy, 2018, 49, 614–624. M. W. B. Wilson, S. Sulekar, F. Lenahan, P. X. T. Yen, V. Stevanovic´, J. C. Nino, M. G. Bawendi and T. Buonassisi, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2015, 6, 4297–4302. V. Stevanovic´, J. C. Nino, M. G. Bawendi and T. Buonassisi, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2015, 6, 4297–4302. 49 T. Okano and Y. Suzuki, Mater. Lett., 2017, 191, 77–79. 49 T. Okano and Y. Suzuki, Mater. Lett., 2017, 191, 77–79. Mater. Adv., 2024, 5, 625–631 | 631 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry
https://openalex.org/W4315640769
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003/pdf
English
null
A comparison of temporal pathways to self-harm in young people compared to adults: A pilot test of the Card Sort Task for Self-harm online using Indicator Wave Analysis
Frontiers in psychiatry
2,023
cc-by
12,203
TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 12 January 2023 DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 12 January 2023 DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 12 January 2023 DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 CITATION Background: Self-harm is complex, multifaceted, and dynamic, typically starts in adolescence, and is prevalent in young people. A novel research tool (the Card Sort Task for Self-harm; CaTS) offers a systematic approach to understanding this complexity by charting the dynamic interplay between multidimensional factors in the build-up to self-harm. Sequential analysis of CaTS has revealed differences in key factors between the first and the most recent episode of self-harm in adolescence. Rates of self-harm typically decline post-adolescence, but self-harm can continue into adulthood. A comparison between factors linked to self-harm in young people vs. adults will inform an understanding of how risk unfolds over time and clarify age- specific points for intervention. A pilot online adaptation (CaTS-online) and a new method (Indicator Wave Analysis; IWA) were used to assess key factors in the build-up to self-harm. Lockwood J, Babbage C, Bird K, Thynne I, Barsky A, Clarke DD and Townsend E (2023) A comparison of temporal pathways to self-harm in young people compared to adults: A pilot test of the Card Sort Task for Self-harm online using Indicator Wave Analysis. Front. Psychiatry 13:938003. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 OPEN ACCESS OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Oswald David Kothgassner, Medical University of Vienna, Austria REVIEWED BY Joanna Anderson, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Yuanyuan Xiao, Kunming Medical University, China *CORRESPONDENCE Joanna Lockwood Joanna.lockwood@ nottingham.ac.uk SPECIALTY SECTION This article was submitted to Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry RECEIVED 21 June 2022 ACCEPTED 12 December 2022 PUBLISHED 12 January 2023 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Oswald David Kothgassner, Medical University of Vienna, Austria REVIEWED BY Joanna Anderson, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Yuanyuan Xiao, Kunming Medical University, China *CORRESPONDENCE Joanna Lockwood Joanna.lockwood@ nottingham.ac.uk SPECIALTY SECTION This article was submitted to Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry RECEIVED 21 June 2022 ACCEPTED 12 December 2022 PUBLISHED 12 January 2023 Joanna Lockwood1*, Camilla Babbage1, Katherine Bird2, Imogen Thynne2, Andrey Barsky3, David D. Clarke2 and Ellen Townsend2 Joanna Lockwood1*, Camilla Babbage1, Katherine Bird2, Imogen Thynne2, Andrey Barsky3, David D. Clarke2 and Ellen Townsend2 1National Institute of Health Research MindTech MedTech Co-operative, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom, 2School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom, 3School of Computational Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom RECEIVED 21 June 2022 ACCEPTED 12 December 2022 PUBLISHED 12 January 2023 A comparison of temporal pathways to self-harm in young people compared to adults: A pilot test of the Card Sort Task for Self-harm online using Indicator Wave Analysis A comparison of temporal pathways to self-harm in young people compared to adults: A pilot test of the Card Sort Task for Self-harm online using Indicator Wave Analysis Introduction Yet, while less common in adulthood, self-harm is nonetheless present and also on the rise in adult groups (15, 16). In fact, rates and risk factors for self-harm across adult populations, particularly, in older adulthood remain under-researched, especially within community-based studies. There may be distinctions in risk profiles that underlie adult- vs. adolescent-presenting self-harm. Self-harm in older adults compared to adolescents certainly appears associated with higher lethality, conferring a 67 times greater risk of completed suicide (17). Diminishing self-harm in adulthood may also relate to the substitution of self-harm with other risky behaviours, such as problematic drinking (13). Arguably, self-harm, which continues into adulthood or adult-incident self-harm, may be characterised by distinct emotional, behavioural, or environmental self-harm pathways from adolescent-only self-harm, which suggest opportunities for targeted intervention and treatment. Self-harm across adolescence and adulthood Self-harm (non-fatal intentional self-injury or self- poisoning regardless of the motivation or intent associated with the act) (1) is a complex and common behaviour in adolescence (the developmental stage from around 11–25 years of age) which is recognised to correspond to the social, psychological, neurodevelopmental, and biological growth undertaken between childhood and adulthood (2). Around one in five youth report having self-harmed at least once (3), although this figure is likely to underestimate true prevalence given that for many young people self-harm remains hidden at a community level (4). Self-harm behaviour typically starts and peaks during early- (11–14 years) to mid-adolescence (15–18 years) and is associated with risk of repetition, potential life-long adverse outcomes, future mental health conditions, and, substantially increased likelihood of suicidal thoughts and behaviour (3, 5–9). Rates of self-harm are also higher among adolescent than child or adult populations, particularly in mid and late adolescent groups, and have risen sharply in recent years (10, 11). Population-based cohort studies charting the natural history of self-harm clearly indicate that the frequency of self-harm substantially decreases during the transition from late adolescence to early adulthood (9, 12–14). The prevalence, lifelong consequences, and the risk to life in youth underscore the importance of a research focus on clarifying self-harm, adolescence, adulthood, card sort, Indicator Wave Analysis, CaTS-online, digital interventions, co-development COPYRIGHT © 2023 Lockwood, Babbage, Bird, Thynne, Barsky, Clarke and Townsend. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Methods: Community-based young people (n = 66; 18–25 years, M = 21.4; SD = 1.8) and adults (n = 43; 26–57 years, M = 35; SD = 8.8) completed CaTS-online, documenting thoughts, feelings, events, and behaviours over a 6-month timeline for the first ever and most recent self-harm. A notable interdependence between factors and time points was identified using IWA. Results: Positive emotion at and immediately after self-harm exceeded the threshold for both groups for both episodes. Feeling better following self-harm was more pronounced for the first-ever episodes. Impulsivity was Frontiers in Psychiatry 01 frontiersin.org Lockwood et al. 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 an important immediate antecedent to self-harm for both groups at both episodes but most markedly for young people. Acquired capability was notable for adults’ most recent episodes, suggesting this develops over time. Burdensomeness was only more notable for adults and occurred 1 week prior to a recent episode. Both groups revealed patterns of accessing support that were helpful and unhelpful. Conclusion: Commonalities and differences in the temporal organisation of factors leading to and following self-harm were identified in young people and adult pathways which shed light on age-specific factors and possible points of intervention. This has implications for clinical support and services around approaches to positive feelings after self-harm (especially for first-ever self- harm), feeling of burdensomeness, impulsivity, and acquired capability leading up to self-harm. Support is provided for card-sort approaches that enable the investigation of the complex and dynamic nature of pathways to self-harm. risk and protective factors for self-harm salient during this key transitional phase. Introduction KEYWORDS Risk factors across the life-span A substantial body of empirical and theoretical work supports an increased understanding of the influencing factors associated with self-harm and suggests self-harm results from a complex interplay between various genetic, biological, psychological, psychiatric, cultural, and sociodemographic factors that act in concert to confer risks (18) and which are developmentally charged and fluid. Psychiatric disorders, Frontiers in Psychiatry 02 frontiersin.org 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 Lockwood et al. 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 particularly mood and anxiety disorders, and psychological factors (including low problem-solving, low self-esteem, impulsivity, vulnerability to hopelessness, and a sense of entrapment) are recognised as contributing to vulnerability to self-harm across the lifespan (19–22). Psychological vulnerability for self-harm in young people is proposed to relate to developmental changes in childhood and adolescence, which undermine emotional control and coping with stress (12), with pubertal stage—rather than age—the critical contributory factor (23). By adulthood protective factors such as affective stability, emotion regulation and increased behavioural inhibition may typically temper this vulnerability (24). Psychological vulnerability for self-harm in older adults is characterised by feelings of burdensomeness, isolation, loneliness, hopelessness and loss of control and the impact of factors (physical/social/economic) preceding self-harm which relate to older life-stage challenges (17, 25, 26). Consistent evidence has clarified that self-harm often occurs in the context of one or multiple negative life events that are typically social/interpersonal and which also differ by age, such as family and peer group problems in children and younger adolescents, or spouse/partner problems in older adolescence and adulthood (5). The Card Sort Task for Self-harm (CaTS) (30) is a research tool that takes a dynamic approach to map the influence of multiple potential distal and proximal biopsychosocial factors that precede an episode of self-harm. CaTs offers a way of examining patterns of thoughts, feelings, events, and behaviours experienced as salient at an individual level through the positioning of cards along a timeline, providing a nuanced understanding of how and when the risk for self-harm emerges and progresses. The approach reflects important contemporary explanatory models that account for the multidimensional nature of self-harm and the transition from vulnerability, to thinking about self-harm (ideation) and to acting on those thoughts (behavioural enaction) (31–34). In a first test of the CaTS, Townsend et al. used a lag sequence analysis statistical technique to identify the important sequences of items leading to a first-ever and the most recent episode of self-harm in a sample of 45 young people. Risk factors across the life-span This distinction in episodes allows reflection on the transition from ideation to behavioural enaction for the first onset of self-harm and highlights maintained factors of risk over time. Sequence statistical approaches, such as lag sequence analysis, analyse the transitions between one event (antecedent) and the following event (the sequitur) and enabled Townsend and colleagues to show that factors most proximal to self-harm in young people were negative emotions, impulsivity, and having access to means. They also identified important distinctions in significant sequential structures between the first-ever and most recent self- harm. For example, hopelessness was an important antecedent of behaviour in the most recent episode of self-harm, but while the first-ever self-harm was associated with feeling better after self-harm, this was no longer the case by the most recent episode. Additional examination of temporal dynamics in self- harm using the CaTS tool within research settings could extend the examination of pathways to self-harm in adolescents versus adult groups and offer a method of targeting developmentally specific points for intervention in the self-harm pathway. Longitudinal cohort studies have advanced understanding of the developmental history of self-harm and improved the identification of biopsychosocial causes for self-harm over time, charting distinct behavioural and emotional risk profiles. Moran et al. revealed that although most self- harm spontaneously resolves by adulthood, persistence into adulthood is associated with high anxiety and depressive symptomatology in adolescence (12). Research that continues to elucidate how characteristics of self-harm unfold over time may help to pinpoint salient intervention points. The current study Despite considerable research focus on potential factors influencing self-harm, the accurate prediction of who is likely to self-harm and when they are likely to do so remains poor (27). In part, this may be due to a methodological over-reliance on simple cross-sectional associative studies and examination of factors associated with self-harm in isolation, which limits their predictive utility (27, 28). Such approaches fail to account for the complexity of risk factors or the dynamic temporal context in which these factors are likely to confer their risk. In response, recent strides in novel research approaches are improving our ability to understand, predict, and prevent self-harm, including those employing real-time monitoring methods which follow the dynamic course of self-harm within a natural environment at an individual level (29). This study uses an internet-mediated version of the CaTS (CaTS-online) to systematically compare the dynamic interplay of factors that lead to self-harm in young people (18–25 years) and adults using a longitudinal design. Traditionally, CaTS is a manual task with cards presented along a timeline in a tabletop manner. An online adaptation of CaTs could offer increased functionality and scope, including a more efficient process of recording, coding, and tracking the order and frequency of cards, and the capacity to allow for multiple uses of the same card at different time points, which was not a feature of the manual version. Previous tests of the CaTS have focused on relatively small, clinical, or targeted populations. An online version extends the capacity to access a wider, more diverse Frontiers in Psychiatry 03 frontiersin.org Lockwood et al. 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 participant pool (35) and allows the task to be performed anonymously and in less-formal settings (36). Given the remote nature of CaTS-online, the study will draw on adult and late adolescent (18+) groups, herein specified as “young people.” through gatekeepers (national self-harm support organisations). Undergraduate students at the University of Nottingham were also invited to take part in return for course credits. Participants received an online information sheet and completed the online consent form and were then invited to complete CaTS online. This research adhered to and was approved by the University of Nottingham, School of Psychology Research Ethics Committee (Ref: F967). Novel approaches to analyse the multi-dimensional nature of risk over time are necessary to advance the understanding of when, why, and who is at risk of self-harm. Research questions 1. Is there an association between cards that are selected as part of the CaTS and the timepoint leading up to and after self-harm episodes in adults and young people? 2. Do items at time points leading up to and after self-harm differ between adults and young people? 3. Do items at time points leading up to and after self-harm differ between the first ever and the most recent episode of self-harm for adults and young people? The current study A limitation of the sequence analysis approach previously employed by Townsend et al. (30) was that the use of the same card at multiple time points was prohibited, a restriction noted by young people in anecdotal feedback and in Patient Public Involvement work used to develop the original CaTS (30). To address this issue, the present study uses Indicator Wave Analysis (IWA) as a method of temporal measurement, which allows multiple, simultaneous, and sequential events to be analysed across varying time spans (37). In addition, IWA produces easy-to- interpret wave diagrams (known as indicator wave diagrams) that provide a profile of the factors (indicators) absent or prevalent relative to other indicators at a time point (37). The use of IWA in psychological methods is novel, but as a method of allowing complex data to be plotted and examined in simplified diagrams, it is an attractive approach to aid the interpretation and discourse of the fluctuating and complex nature of self- harm and suited to analyse the CaTS-online data. As IWA is a novel approach, and there is limited data specifically comparing adults and young people who self-harm, no specific predictions are made concerning the absence or presence of items across time. An additional aim of this study was to explore what can we learn from CaTS-online as a research tool and the potential for application of IWA as an analysis technique to support further development of CaTS. Adaptation of CaTS The CaTS is a card sort task of 117 cards grouped broadly into sub-sets describing thoughts, feelings, events, behaviours, services and support, and items relevant to and after self- harm. Groupings allow participants to easily navigate the cards provided. CaTS was developed in conjunction with academic and clinical experts and an advisory group of young people with lived experience, and it draws on insight from key theoretical models and empirical evidence. During the task, the participant is asked to select and organise cards that are salient to a specific self-harm episode chronologically along a 6- month sequential timeline. Timestamps are provided (6 months before, 1 month before, 1 week before, 1 day before, 1 h before self-harm, and afterwards) [Refer Ref. (30) for more detailed information about CaTS]. The CaTS-online was intended to replicate the manual version of CaTS with a modification to the format which extended the timeline to run over 6 months before, 6 months before, 1 month before, 1 week before, 1 day before, 1 h before, just before self-harm, immediately afterwards, and a later on after. This modified timeline was suggested by a PPI focus group with young people that explored ways to develop the original CaTS. The timeline was presented graphically as a table with timestamps as the heading of each column, as shown in Figure 1. Each sub-set was presented above the timeline screen. When clicked, items in the sub-set would appear in a drop- down menu in random order. The participant could then drag and drop cards from each sub-set into the relevant timeline column. Participants were able to delete cards that were placed incorrectly. As with the manual version, participants were able to use as many or as few cards as they wanted and were able to create their own cards by selecting “custom card” at the bottom of the drop-down list. Uniquely, CaTS-online allowed participants to use the same card multiple times. On completion of the task, a custom string of data including the time point and cards selected during the task was created. These data were only accessible to the research team. Frontiers in Psychiatry Recruitment As CaTS-online is completed remotely, signposting information with contact details for the available support organisations (including those acting as gatekeepers to the study) was included at the bottom of each of the CaTS- online windows, along with contact details for the Principal Individuals with lived self-harm experience and access to the internet, and aged 18 years or more were invited to participate in the study via social media advertisements Frontiers in Psychiatry 04 frontiersin.org 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 Lockwood et al. FIGURE 1 A screenshot of the first ever and most recent episode of self-harm tasks for CaTS-online. FIGURE 1 A screenshot of the first ever and most recent episode of self-harm tasks for CaTS-online. FIGURE 1 A screenshot of the first ever and most recent episode of self-harm tasks for CaTS-online. Investigator (ET). An initial prototype of CaTS-online, which was created and piloted with Undergraduate students at the University of Nottingham and members of the research team (ET, IT) and PPI group necessitated no format or delivery changes. than two hundred and if they had used “self-injury,” “self- poisoning,” or “other” methods of self-harm [adapted from Wadman et al. (38)]. An open-response box could be used to record other methods of self-harm. Open-response boxes were also used to measure participant estimations of how long ago they had first and most recently self-harmed in years, months, and days. Data were collected between December 2017 and February 2018. All data, including consent, and completion of the card-sort task was captured by the CaTS-online programme in the same session. Frontiers in Psychiatry Study procedure At the start of the study, participants were asked for their demographic information (age, date of birth, sexuality, gender, ethnicity and country of residence, and current employment/education status). Closed response questions asked participants to estimate how many times they had self-harmed across 9 options increasing incrementally from once to more Participants were asked to complete the CaTS-online task twice, reflecting on their first-ever and most recent episode of self-harm in line with previous studies, as shown in Figure 1 (30, 38). 05 frontiersin.org 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 Lockwood et al. Lockwood et al. comparable graphs due to differences in the number of cards selected between the four conditions (Figure 2). In order to monitor the impact of taking part in the study, participants were required to rate their current emotional state at the start and end of the study by completing a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) presented as a scale ranging from 0 (illustrated with an unhappy face) to 10 (illustrated with a smiling face). Participants were provided with the prompt: “How are you feeling right now?.” They were asked to reflect on their VAS rating and any change in their mood and were provided with signposting information and prompts for self-care. Cute animal pictures were also included at the end of the task as part of the final debrief in line with recommended practice to support mood mitigation in sensitive research (39). Finally, to produce standardised residuals (SRs), a chi- square analysis was conducted in SPSS (2021, Version 28.0) for young persons’ and adults’ most recent and first-ever self-harm episodes. SRs are used as descriptive variables giving a measure of the strength of the difference between observed and expected values to highlight points of interest by indicating when an event is happening more or less frequently than would be expected by chance. Requirements for the chi-square are not presented here as the outcome of the chi-square statistic is not required for this method. These identified which categories were disproportionately more or less likely to occur than might be expected by chance at specific time points, suggesting an association of cards within a category being selected at a time point more frequently than would be picked up by chance. A threshold value of ≥2.0 was used to identify an association, in line with the convention for the evaluation of categorical data using chi-square (40). Study procedure All data were input by CB and checked by KB for inconsistencies. Data collation and pre-statistical manipulation Data were downloaded as a.CSV file and imported into a spreadsheet programme. Participants were divided into two age categories, young people (18–25 years) and adults (26 years and over). Data were organised into separate time points across the timeline, for the most recent and first-ever self-harm episode. Incomplete data Individual analysis of each card would be too complex for IWA, given the high volume of cards in the CaTS (n = 117) (37). Therefore, the complexity of data analysis and figures was reduced [as in previous sequence-based approaches (30, 38)] by grouping items into categories. This process was initially completed by two Psychology Undergraduates, who were part of the research team, and then reviewed further with the wider research team, leading to 17 categories being developed such as “negative life events or social problems” and “exposure” (refer to Supplementary material 2 for details of which cards were placed into which categories). A total of 89 (76%) of the 117 cards were categorised. In the interests of parsimony, cards were prioritised, which fitted conceptually into categories or were retained where they were considered of theoretical relevance for the current study, as agreed by consensus in the research team. In total, 101 participants completed the CaTS for their first- ever self-harm episode, and 96 participants completed the CaTS for their most recent self-harm episode. This sample size is consistent with previously published research utilising CaTS and sequence analysis techniques (30, 38). There was a low level of missing data; four out of 66 young people and four out of 43 adults did not complete the CaTS for their first-ever episode of self-harm. A total of 11 young people and two adults did not complete the CaTS for their most recent self-harm episode. Analysis proceeded on the remaining completed CaTS data. Frontiers in Psychiatry Indicator Wave Analysis Indicator Wave Analysis (IWA) can be used to assess whether an event is interdependent on another by analysing multiple behaviours and events along a time scale (37). A total of 109 people participated, aged 18–57 years (M = 26.8 years; SD = 8.7). In the young people group (N = 66; Age: M = 21.4 years; SD = 1.8), there were 58 women (87.9%), 4 men (6.1%), 3 transgender individuals not identifying as either male or female (4.5%), and 1 transgender male (1.5%). The adult group (N = 43; Age: M = 35 years; SD = 8.8) included 30 women (69.8%), 10 men (23.2%), 2 transgender individuals not identifying as male or female (4.7%), and 1 participant who was unsure (2.3%). The process of IWA begins with “unitisation” to divide items into related categories. Second, items were organised into timepoints, e.g., “1 h before,” along the timeline. Frequencies were then calculated for items in each time point, leading up to the action/behaviour. For each card, the frequency of that card occurring at a particular time point was calculated for both age groups during their most recent and first-ever episode of self-harm. A frequency table of the number of occurrences of cards within a category across the timeline was also produced. For each of the four groups, percentages were calculated based on the total number of cards within that category to produce Across both groups, participants self-reported as “heterosexual” (56.9%), “bisexual” (23.9%), and “homosexual” (10.1%). Participants reported their ethnicity as “White British” (79.8%) or “Other White” (11.9%). A total of 51.4% were in 06 frontiersin.org Lockwood et al. 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 FIGURE 2 A graph displaying the frequency of cards, pooled as a percentage of cards in each category, across each of the four groups. A graph displaying the frequency of cards, pooled as a percentage of cards in each category, across each of the four groups. full time education, 38.5% were employed, and 10.1% were not employed. Supplementary material 3). Out of 66, 33 young people (47%) and 30 out of 43 adults (70%) reported self-harm in the last 6 months. All participants reported repeat self-harm except 2 adolescents who reported only one episode of self-harm, and 2 participants who did not provide a response. Frontiers in Psychiatry Frequency analysis The age at the first self-harm episode ranged between 7 and 21 years (M = 14.6 years; SD = 3.1) for young people and between 7 and 46 years (M = 17.5 years; SD = 8.4) in the adult group. The average duration was 5 years 6 months for young people (range 1 month–13 years, 4 months), and 15 years 7 months (range 1 month–48 years) for adults. Almost all participants across the total sample had their first self-harm episode in adolescence, with only 4/43 (9%) reporting adult incident self-harm. Self-injury was the most common method of self-harm, reported by all participants. Additionally, 16 young people (24.2%) and 14 adults (32.6%) reported using self-poisoning (other methods of self-harm, reported by 13 participants completing the CaTS, are detailed in In total, young people selected 1,977 and 1,233 cards, and adults selected 818 and 814 cards in relation to their first- ever and most recent self-harm, respectively. The frequency percentage of cards selected in each category for each group is displayed in Figure 2. The category “Negative Emotion” accounted for the largest percentage of cards selected across all groups, with a peak of 31.96% of total cards selected by young people distributed within this category for most recent self-harm. Table 1 presents the top 10 most frequently selected cards for both groups at both time points. Notably, for the first and most Frontiers in Psychiatry 07 frontiersin.org 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 Lockwood et al. recent episode of self-harm, feelings of depression and sadness were frequently reported by both adults and young people, and self-hatred was also a prominent shared selection, markedly for young people. Both groups also reported not being able to tell anyone how they were feeling, and this was highly selected for the first-ever and most recent self-harm. “I felt exhausted” and “I was angry” were often selected by both adults and young people in relation to the most recent, but not the first-ever, self-harm. Other highly occurring card selections for both groups included wanting to die, feeling anxious, and feeling worthless. across timestamps is included in Supplementary material 5. IWA graphs summarising all categories, i.e., including those where SRs did not exceed the threshold, are included in Supplementary material 6. For key categories of interest, Indicator Wave graphs are presented (Figures 6, 7) displaying the SRs for young people and adults at each time point for the category. Indicator Wave Analysis graphs Standardised residuals, obtained from the chi-squared statistic, are used to develop a (category × timepoint) frequency matrix and to enable the development of IWA graphs as a guide to points of interest rather than to report an association between variables. Nonetheless, the chi-squared statistic is presented in the following text (Table 2), detailing the significant association between categories and time for each group. Frequency analysis These graphs visually highlight key indicators of relative importance at time points and allow for comparison across groups. For example, the card category “accessed support that didn’t help” exceeded the threshold, occurring more often than might be expected by chance relative to other indicators, immediately after self- harm, and this was the case for both groups for the first- ever but neither group for the most recent episode of self- harm. For adults, there is a notable spike reaching above the threshold at the “accessed support that helped category” on both timelines (Indicator Wave graphs for all remaining categories are presented in Supplementary material 7). Frequencies for all cards, including those that were not chosen by participants across either self-harm episode, can be seen in Supplementary material 4–Frequency of Individual Cards. Examination of item frequencies outside of those most frequently endorsed is also noteworthy in highlighting the differential relevance of individual items for age groups and self-harm episodes where categories include multiple items. For example, frequency data suggest that mental abuse and bullying within the category “Negative life events and social problems” are more prominent items for the first-ever self- harm in young people than for recent self-harm. Relatively, low-level endorsement of cards among participants is also of importance. For example, in general, endorsement of items relating to support, irrespective of whether it was helpful or not, was low, indicating modest levels of support seeking broadly and, in particular, little endorsement of support through formal (clinical/education) settings. Visual Analogue Scale The mean score on the emotional state VAS before completing the CaTS for young people was 5.32 (SD = 2.13) and 4.79 (SD = 1.97) after completion. The mean emotional state score for adults was 4.93 (SD = 2.79) before completion and 4.50 (SD = 2.79) after completion. Thus, scores persisted around the mid-range of the scale for both groups before and after completion. For young people, this represented a significant decrease in mood [t(56) = 2.49, p = 0.02], but no significant change in VAS scores was observed for adults [t(39) = 1.50, p = 0.14]. Frontiers in Psychiatry Discussion This exploratory study reports early findings using a novel analysis approach (Indicator Wave Analysis) to chart and aid understanding of the temporal dynamics of biopsychosocial factors associated with self-harm. Using the prototype CaTS- online, we were able to describe the salient factors building up to and following self-harm for young people and adults’ first-ever and most recent self-harm pathways. Our findings indicate that there is an association between factors leading up to self-harm episodes in adults and young people at specific time points and suggests similarities and differences between these groups that unfold over time. This replicates and extends earlier work demonstrating the sequential pattern of self-harm using CaTS (30). Across the 17 categories, 13 categories had SRs that indicated cards in the card category were selected more frequently than would be expected by chance, at particular time points along the timeline for an adult’s first-ever episode of self-harm. Similarly, 12, 11, and 12 card categories reached the notable threshold for adults’ most recent, young people’s first ever, and young people’s most recent episodes of self-harm, respectively. This suggests an association between cards relating to particular thoughts, feelings, events, and behaviours leading up to and after self- harm, across adults and young people. For the categories where an SR reached a higher or lower than expected frequency, an IWA graph is presented (Figures 3, 4) and these are narratively described in a snapshot wave profile in Figure 5. An Indicator Wave frequency matrix showing the SRs of categories occurring more or fewer times than expected by chance While raw frequencies support an understanding of which multiple factors are consistently identified as associates of self-harm, the IWA analysis allows an examination of their temporal importance, relative to other indicators, in the Frontiers in Psychiatry 08 frontiersin.org 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 Lockwood et al. TABLE 1 A table displaying the most frequently selected cards, across the four groups. TABLE 1 A table displaying the most frequently selected cards, across the four groups. Discussion p y g q y g p Position Card # Card description Frequency Adult first ever 1 B04 I felt depressed and sad 53 2 A09 I could not tell anyone how I was feeling 48 3 B10 I hated myself 47 4 B20 I felt like I did not belong 36 5 B14 I felt trapped 35 6 F06 I felt better after self-harm 35 7 D12 I isolated myself from others 34 8 A01* I wanted to die 32 9 A03 There was no one to turn to for help 32 10 A04 I could not trust anyone 29 Adult most recent 1 B10 I hated myself 54 2 B04 I felt depressed and sad 42 3 B05 I felt very anxious 42 4 B03* The mental pain was unbearable 39 5 A09 I could not tell anyone how I was feeling 38 6 D12 I isolated myself from others 37 7 B08* I felt exhausted 36 8 B01 I was angry 34 9 B06 I felt worthless 32 10 A03 There was no one to turn to for help 30 Young people first ever 1 B04 I felt depressed and sad 132 2 B10 I hated myself 104 3 B06 I felt worthless 96 4 A03* There was no one to turn to for help 89 5 A09 I could not tell anyone how I was feeling 84 6 B05 I felt very anxious 81 7 A01* I wanted to die 77 8 B03 The mental pain was unbearable 71 9 B25* I felt numb 60 10 B07 I felt disgusting 57 Young people most recent 1 B05 I felt very anxious 61 2 B08* I felt exhausted 47 3 B04 I felt depressed and sad 99 4 B06 I felt worthless 59 5 A09 I could not tell anyone how I was feeling 50 6 B10 I hated myself 73 7 B01 I was angry 45 8 B16 I felt I could not escape from feelings or situations 49 9 A01* I wanted to die 67 10 B18* I felt very hopeless about the future 44 *Indicates cards that were not categorised. *Indicates cards that were not categorised. the temporal distribution of relevance to established affect regulation models of self-harm (41, 42). Positive emotions (feeling energised) first reach the positive threshold value from months, weeks, days, hours, and moments preceding and after self-harm. Frontiers in Psychiatry Discussion In terms of negative and positive emotions, the Indicator Wave diagrams provide a clear indication of 09 Frontiers in Psychiatry Frontiers in Psychiatry frontiersin.org 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 Lockwood et al. TABLE 2 The chi-squared statistic of associations between categories and time points for each group with violations reported. TABLE 2 The chi-squared statistic of associations between categories and time points for each group with violations reported. Condition Chi-squared value (to one d.p.) Degrees of freedom Significance level Young people, ≤25 years (Most recent) 815.8a 144 p < 0.001 Young people ≤25 years (First ever) 1202.5b 144 p < 0.001 Adults, ≥26 years (Most recent) 652.2c 144 p < 0.001 Adults, ≥26 years (First ever) 738.9d 144 p < 0.001 a104 cells (61.2%) have an expected count of less than 5. The minimum expected count is 0.32. b73 cells (42.9%) have an expected count of less than 5. The minimum expected count is 0.51. c119 cells (70.0%) have an expected count of less than 5. The minimum expected count is 0.56. d122 cells (71.8%) have an expected count of less than 5. The minimum expected count is 0.33. FIGURE 3 Indicator Wave graphs showing the temporal organization of categories where at least one time point reached ± 2 for young people first ever and most recent episode of self-harm, SRs ± 2 indicating higher or lower frequency than would be expected by chance. FIGURE 3 Indicator Wave graphs showing the temporal organization of categories where at least one time point reached ± 2 for young people first ever and most recent episode of self-harm, SRs ± 2 indicating higher or lower frequency than would be expected by chance. FIGURE 3 Indicator Wave graphs showing the temporal organization of categories where at least one time point reached ± 2 for young people first ever and most recent episode of self-harm, SRs ± 2 indicating higher or lower frequency than would be expected by chance. FIGURE 3 Indicator Wave graphs showing the temporal organization of categories where at least one time point reached ± 2 for young people first ever and most recent episode of self-harm, SRs ± 2 indicating higher or lower frequency than would be expected by chance. emotions following self-harm indicated in the most recent adult self-harm. Discussion This pattern is noticeable in an item specifically targeting “feeling better after self-harm,” which clearly shows a stronger endorsement for improvement in feelings post self- harm for the first-ever in comparison to the most recent self- harm in both age groups. just before and at the point of self-harm and continue to rise before diminishing in value. Of note, for young people’s first-ever self-harm, the peak in positive emotions relative to other indicators at the point of self-harm is higher than the peak for positive emotions relative to other indicators for most recent self-harm. This is consistent with previous data from sequential analyses, which reveal an attenuation in feeling positive following self-harm associated with repeat behaviour (30) and which could be associated with habituation (43). Similarly, adult presentations indicated a peak in positive emotions following self-harm for the first-ever episode, which is in marked contrast to the large fall in the SRs for positive In terms of negative emotion, despite the high frequency with which items were selected by all groups, profiles at individual time points did not reach the notable threshold in the build-up to self-harm, with the exception of the adult’s first ever self-harm which was notable 1 day prior to behaviour. As such, support for negative affect regulation functional accounts Frontiers in Psychiatry Frontiers in Psychiatry 10 frontiersin.org Lockwood et al. 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 FIGURE 4 Indicator Wave graphs showing the temporal organization of categories where at least one time point reached ± 2 for adult first ever and most recent episode of self-harm, SRs ± 2 indicating higher or lower frequency than would be expected by chance. FIGURE 4 Indicator Wave graphs showing the temporal organization of categories where at least one time point reached ± 2 for adult first ever and most recent episode of self-harm, SRs ± 2 indicating higher or lower frequency than would be expected by chance. no longer present. A deeper dive into what “better” and “worse” constitutes could be achieved in card-sort models which zoom into time points, particularly given the complex and multifactorial nature of the emotional response to self-harm. Findings overall underscore a mixed emotional response but suggest a degradation in the function of self-harm as a means of affect regulation, which emerges with repeated self-harm and is relevant for a long time post self-harm. Discussion of self-harm which hold that individuals are motivated to self- harm to reduce aversive negative emotions receives only partial support in the IWA. We might for example expect to see self- harm preceded by a spike in negative emotions, followed by a reduction in negative mood state, as demonstrated in real-time EMA data (44). There are potential explanations for this. In initial frequency analyses, negative emotion was indeed a high- frequency category and demonstrated a high distribution at all time points prior to and following self-harm, and thus may not have emerged with a greater likelihood of occurrence at any particular time point in IWA. In addition, CaTS permits a highly individualistic representation of self-harm, and consequently, a variety of different forms of negative affect were included within the category. In terms of developmental differences between young people and adult pathways to self-harm, an interesting distinction is demonstrated in terms of impulsivity, here, specifically the concept of low premeditation or acting on the spur of the moment. This facet of impulsivity is recognised as a risk factor in adolescent and adult self-harm (22, 46) and also plays a prominent role as a key volitional moderator in ideation to enaction models (31), i.e., those who self-harm are more likely to be impulsive than those who have only thought about self- harm (47). The IWA highlights a pattern of an increased likelihood of endorsing impulsivity just before and at the point of self-harm, which is consistent across all groups and which is relevant at the first-ever onset and maintained at the most recent occurrence. These findings extend those from sequence analysis techniques that identify impulsivity as the only immediate precursor to both a first and most recent episode of self-harm to a broader age span (30). Of note, the peak of impulsivity was markedly higher for adolescents at both Different forms of negative affect may have salience across time (45) and it would be helpful to separate out affect presentations in future examinations. In terms of the specific question relating to “feeling worse after self-harm,” response profiles show a clear indication of worsening feelings immediately post-episode for all groups, except again in adult’s first ever self-harm, where feeling worse did not immediately reach the threshold until a later time-point after self-harm. Frontiers in Psychiatry Discussion Again, endorsement of feeling worse following self-harm was higher in most recent than the first-ever self-harm for both groups, and by the most recent account of adult self-harm, the absence of feeling worse immediately post self-harm was 11 frontiersin.org Lockwood et al. 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 ofiles based on notable category selection by time point. Frontiers in Psychiatry FIGURE 5 Snapshot wave profiles based on notable category selection by time point. Frontiers in Psychiatry Snapshot wave profiles based on notable category selection by time point. self-harm. In addition, burdensomeness exceeded the threshold in most recent adult self-harm at 1 week prior to behaviour. This is consistent with recent review evidence suggesting that such factors commonly characterise self-harm in older adults and may be a particular feature of self-harm at an older life stage (17). In fact, loneliness, isolation, and entrapment were similarly interdependent with a time point proximal to self-harm for young people; however, burdensomeness was not and appears to be a particular feature of self-harm at an older age. Interestingly, acquired capability also reached the threshold (at the point of self-harm) for an adult’s most recent self-harm only. Theoretically, it is plausible that an acquired capability to overcome a natural fear of death or pain, would be associated with repeated rather than the first onset of self-harm, and this replicates previous findings time points, than for adults, which is in line with previous findings of a developmental difference in levels of impulsivity as associated with self-harm (48) and is consistent with the suggestion that impulsivity is heightened in adolescence (49). Interestingly, premeditation also exceeded the threshold (albeit at a much lower level than impulsivity) for all groups just prior to and at the point of self-harm. Although seemingly at odds, this is consistent with some research that has shown that for some young people a deliberative thought-through plan for self-harm can be delayed if the situation is not suitable, and then subsequently acted on without the need for additional planning (50). Our data suggested that feelings of isolation, loneliness, and entrapment were marked in pathways for adult self-harm with a notable interdependence 1 h prior to the most recent 12 frontiersin.org Lockwood et al. 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 FIGURE 6 Indicator Wave graphs comparing standardised residuals (SRs) for each group across the timeline, for the categories: Positive emotions, premeditation, feeling positive after self-harm, and impulsivity. FIGURE 7 Indicator Wave graphs comparing the standardised residuals (SRs) for each group across the timeline, for the categories: Acquired capability, burdensomeness, accessed support that didn’t help, and accessed support that helped. (43). Our findings provide temporal evidence consistent with prominent models of suicide and self-harm (31, 33) of the transition through motivational phase moderators (entrapment indicate that this pathway may be of particular importance in adult behaviour. This limitation could be addressed through a more collaborative digital implementation, e.g., within a therapeutic session. episode of behaviour. However, accessing unhelpful support did not reach the threshold post self-harm in either case of recent self-harm. Indeed, most recent self-harm behaviours were associated with a sharp rise in accessing support that was classed as “helpful” immediately following self-harm and continued to rise later on after. As such, while there are endorsements for an experience of support that is helpful and unhelpful, there appears to be a different pattern and more positive evaluation of support for more recent presentations. Notably, support access of whatever quality did not feature notably, or reach a nadir, at earlier stages in the timeline. These temporal findings could indicate support for functional motivations of self-harm as a “cry for help” (51), which secures support following self-harm. It is possible that contemporary help-seeking experiences of young people do qualitatively differ from those of an adult’s first-ever experience of self-harm dating from many years previously. It is also true that there are myriad types of help and support (including informal and formal, online, and face-to-face) and a considerable range in the quality and suitability of this provision, which will differ for individuals and by episode. Recent co-produced avenues of prevention and intervention support, e.g., reaching young audiences by directing support within online social spaces and new media avenues (52, 53) may be contributing to recent improved access and response to support, particularly in young people. Importantly, the findings suggest that groups are help-seeking. There is nonetheless an opportunity to increase targeted support at earlier stages in self-harm pathways, e.g., through universal prevention programmes. Importantly, the broad categorisation of helpful or unhelpful support also masks the salience of individual support-related items. Inspection of frequencies of card selection (Supplementary material 1) reveals that items relating to formal support seeking through dedicated services such as GPs or teachers were endorsed less frequently than informal sources of support such as friends and partners. Increased participatory approaches would support an improved understanding of barriers and facilitators to support seeking and engagement and improve the design and implementation of service provision. For example, recent work focused on improving the experience of visiting a GP and preparing young people for their GP consultation (54) models how youth- oriented involvement and co-production can facilitate improved formal service use. Our analyses identified interesting patterns of category FIGURE 6 FIGURE 6 Indicator Wave graphs comparing standardised residuals (SRs) for each group across the timeline, for the categories: Positive emotio premeditation, feeling positive after self-harm, and impulsivity. premeditation, feeling positive after self-harm, and impulsivity. FIGURE 7 Indicator Wave graphs comparing the standardised residuals (SRs) for each group across the timeline, for the categories: Acquired capability, burdensomeness, accessed support that didn’t help, and accessed support that helped. Indicator Wave graphs comparing the standardised residuals (SRs) for each group across the timeline, for the categories: Acquired capability, burdensomeness, accessed support that didn’t help, and accessed support that helped. (43). Our findings provide temporal evidence consistent with prominent models of suicide and self-harm (31, 33) of the transition through motivational phase moderators (entrapment, burdensomeness, and social isolation) at time points prior to self-harm, which can lead to ideation, to volitional phase moderators (acquired capability) at the point of self-harm, and describing the translation of ideation into action. Our findings indicate that this pathway may be of particular importance in adult behaviour. Our analyses identified interesting patterns of category selection in relation to accessing support. In terms of support classed as “unhelpful,” both young people and adult pathways demonstrated a sharp increase in accessing unhelpful support immediately after self-harm, peaking later on after their first 13 Frontiers in Psychiatry frontiersin.org 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 Lockwood et al. timeframe, may be open to question. Having said this, the first-ever experience of self-harm is a focal event that is likely to be subject to easier recall than other experiences. While caution is advocated in the interpretation of findings as discussed, responses provided show consistent parallels with key theoretical frameworks. There were also commonalities occurring across groups indicate a shared pattern of behaviour. It is noteworthy nonetheless that overall adults selected half the number of cards that younger participants selected, which could indicate difficulties with recall. Lower card usage by adults could also relate to reluctance or difficulty engaging with the online tool. In addition, the online and anonymous nature of the CaTS- online tool limited the ability to understand reasons for failure to complete the task (e.g., lack of interest, not being able to remember details, lack of understanding, and wanting to exit the task) and precluded the ability to sense check with participants. While our aim was to identify similarities and differences between self-harm in young people and adults and hence we distinguished groups at a cut-offof 25 years in accordance with established categorisations of adolescence (2), this may nonetheless represent fairly arbitrary segregation at a developmental level and as such our groups may not be sufficiently distinct. In the vast majority of cases, adult participants also indicated an adolescent first incidence of self-harm, and as such, adult first ever and young person first ever were both representations of self-harm onset pre- adulthood. However, it is also important to recognise that contemporary risk factors, attitudes towards, experiences of support for self-harm, etc., are likely to differ considerably between these groups at the time of the first incidence. For example, young people today are living in extraordinarily stressful times, with unprecedented social and online pressure, increased psychological distress, and high levels of self- dissatisfaction (10), particularly among girls. A larger or more targeted sampling frame could allow for the comparison of adolescent/young person incident vs. adult incident self- harm. There are also limitations to discuss in relation to the IWA approach as employed to analyse CaTS data. Grouping cards into categories in the first stage of IWA facilitates relatively simple data outputs for the ease of analysis and presentation but necessarily removes some of the complexity and nuance associated with the multi-card task. In some cases, related concepts were included in a shared category (e.g., loneliness, isolation, and entrapment) which reduces their specificity. Arguably, the IWA can be used to pinpoint areas that warrant examination at greater granulation. It would be informative to explore in more detail the importance of individual items that show variable prominence at time points or age groups within a multi-item category. A strength of the original CaTS development was the involvement of young people with lived Frontiers in Psychiatry Limitations An additional limitation of the approach as applied to self-harm items in this study was the inclusion of two cards that included a time reference (feeling positive after self-harm or feeling negative after self-harm) that were not, therefore, independent of timing. It is, however, possible to draw comparisons on the selection of either card across groups. Finally, it should be noted that young participants were offered participation in exchange for course credit which may have introduced incentivised bias. • The adoption of IWA supports calls for innovative approaches and techniques to account for the complexity and dynamic nature of self-harm (29). Using IWA with a card-sort task is novel, and we look now to refine and improve this process. The IWA does not provide a prediction of behaviour, but rather a “characteristic signature” visible at time points in relation to self-harm, for example, a week before. Such an approach may support the early identification of “warnings signs” to be picked up and monitored. However, turning the patterns of peaks and troughs into a statistically valid prediction (given the measure is derived from standard residuals rather than raw frequencies) is something still being explored. • The adoption of IWA supports calls for innovative approaches and techniques to account for the complexity and dynamic nature of self-harm (29). Using IWA with a card-sort task is novel, and we look now to refine and improve this process. The IWA does not provide a prediction of behaviour, but rather a “characteristic signature” visible at time points in relation to self-harm, for example, a week before. Such an approach may support the early identification of “warnings signs” to be picked up and monitored. However, turning the patterns of peaks and troughs into a statistically valid prediction (given the measure is derived from standard residuals rather than raw frequencies) is something still being explored. Creating CaTS-online brought benefits in terms of increasing reach and access to a large community-based sample and increased functionality (i.e., being able to select a card multiple times), but there are ethical limitations with a task that explores complex and sensitive topics in a detailed approach, remotely, and outside of support. Factors were included to mitigate risk, including an 18+ age range, and signposting. Nonetheless, we report a decline in VAS scores at the completion of the task though this was significant for young people only. Limitations In fact, this finding is consistent with other studies that have reported a reduction in mood following participation in self-harm research, but which have also indicated that changes are often short-lived and while the mood is impacted, this is not necessarily judged as distressing (55, 56). Clinical implications • In line with previous CaTS examinations, we identify what factors might be indicators of risk (such as increased impulsivity) and an understanding of when in relation to other complex factors these factors are likely to become most salient. As such, the findings offer targeted and time-specific points for intervention. Many of the factors identified are modifiable and exist as treatment targets within therapeutic approaches (e.g., DBT-A). The use of a tool such as CaTS within a clinical setting could support clinicians with a needs-based assessment in line with recently published NICE guidelines (58) and supports decision-making on the timing and pertinence of therapeutic support. In addition, there may be value in the mapping of individual risk profiles via visual diagrams which are simple to generate, readable, and can support collaborative discussion and shared understanding between patients and practitioners within and across care settings. Limitations There are limitations associated with the nature of the CaTS-task itself which relies on retrospective recall. It is recognised that for adult participants, in particular, this may have required recalling an episode of self-harm occurring many years previously, and as such the accuracy of recall, in particular, in terms of the placing of items against a pinpointed 14 frontiersin.org Lockwood et al. 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 • We address calls for greater representation of community- based adult samples (17) and point to commonalities and differences in the characteristic pattern of indicators noted for adults and young people, suggesting that some indicators, e.g., the nature of belonging for young people or the nature of burdensomeness for adults are of heightened relevance prior to self-harm (relative to other multiple and shared risk factors). The characteristic profiling approach adopted here speaks to wider approaches that seek to delineate distinctive psychological risk profiles [e.g., (57)] in order to provide more targeted treatment options throughout the self-harm cycle. • We address calls for greater representation of community- based adult samples (17) and point to commonalities and differences in the characteristic pattern of indicators noted for adults and young people, suggesting that some indicators, e.g., the nature of belonging for young people or the nature of burdensomeness for adults are of heightened relevance prior to self-harm (relative to other multiple and shared risk factors). The characteristic profiling approach adopted here speaks to wider approaches that seek to delineate distinctive psychological risk profiles [e.g., (57)] in order to provide more targeted treatment options throughout the self-harm cycle. experience in the identification of card items. Continued development of the CaTS would benefit from further co- production and expert involvement work to refine and update item selection, potential category membership, and analysis approach. An advantage of IWA is that participants were able to use cards multiple times. In some cases, this resulted in multiple uses of the same card (e.g., “I felt depressed and sad”) at every time point preceding self-harm, and thus IWA only showed limited notable interdependence for the category of negative emotion at time points. It is also possible that low mood is an ever-present indicator leading to self-harm, which is not notable at any one particular time point. Research implications • Our findings offer support for prominent theories and models, including the Interpersonal Theory of Suicidal Behaviour e.g., (33) and the IMV (31), and contribute to an understanding of the relative interplay between multiple factors associated with risk for self-harm over a period of time. By also comparing pathways between the first- ever and most recent self-harm, we identify the patterns that emerge over repeated behaviour, including notably changed experiences of support. Further work delineating factors associated with “helpful” or “unhelpful” support at stages of the self-harm pathway are particular points of note resulting from this work. frontiersin.org Conflict of interest Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, supporting data is available with conditions. Further information about the data and conditions for access are available at the University of Nottingham data repository (doi: 10.17639/nott.72). The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Funding JL, CB, and ET acknowledged the support of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Digital Youth Programme award (MRC project reference: MR/W002450/1) which was part of the AHRC/ESRC/MRC Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind programme. JL and CB also acknowledged the financial support of National Institute of Health and Care Research MindTech MedTech Co-operative and National Institute of Health and Care Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre. This work was also supported by the Wellcome Trust (202668/Z/16/Z). Acknowledgments We would like to acknowledge the contributions of our PPI participant group at Café Connect and Lee Melton for IT support. Publisher’s note The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by University of Nottingham, School of Psychology Research Ethics Committee. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study. All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. Conclusion The CaTS offers a systematic approach to understanding the complex interplay between thoughts, feelings, events, and behaviours in the build-up to self-harm. A pilot test of CaTS- online using a novel analytical approach (IWA) successfully captured and visually presented the multidimensional and dynamic pattern of risk across young people and adults’ first- ever and most recent pathways. Key indicators of risk and intervention points are identified and indicate the changing profile of risk with repeat self-harm. Work to extend these pilot findings should further develop the potential for digital application, particularly, in clinical settings. Next steps • This study used a prototype version of CaTS-online and provides a pilot test of this initial digital iteration of CaTS. Developing the task into a digital innovation was anecdotally discussed within our PPI group. As a first test, the study shows at a practical level that participants were • This study used a prototype version of CaTS-online and provides a pilot test of this initial digital iteration of CaTS. Developing the task into a digital innovation was anecdotally discussed within our PPI group. As a first test, the study shows at a practical level that participants were 15 Frontiers in Psychiatry frontiersin.org Lockwood et al. 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 the manuscript. JL, CB, IT, KB, and ET were responsible for interpreting results. DC devised the original CaTS and Indicator Waves techniques as part of an earlier project on self-harm led by ET. All authors contributed to preparing and approving the final manuscript. able to engage with and complete the task in this format, and the extracted data was sufficient for analyses. As such, the further development of CaTS as a digital tool (e.g., an online version or a mobile app) merits exploration. Work is now needed to explore in greater depth how that tool might look, function, or be implemented, and build an understanding of acceptability, usability, and feasibility. As part of this, we might revisit the cards and card categories in the original CaTS to consider new markers of risk and how to group the cards. Such work should be driven by a strong co-production focus (59). Frontiers in Psychiatry References Life problems in children and adolescents who self-harm: findings from the multicentre study of self-harm in England. Child Adolesc Ment Health. (2022) 27:352–60. doi: 10.1111/camh.12544 26. Dennis M, Wakefield P, Molloy C, Andrews H, Friedman T. Self-harm in older people with depression: comparison of social factors, life events and symptoms. Br J Psychiatry. (2005) 186:538–9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.186.6.538 6. Cipriano A, Cella S, Cotrufo P. Nonsuicidal self-injury: a systematic review. Front Psychol. (2017) 8:1946. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01946 27. Fox KR, Franklin J, Ribeiro J, Kleiman E, Bentley K, Nock M. Meta-analysis of risk factors for nonsuicidal self-injury. Clin Psychol Rev. (2015) 42:156–67. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.09.002 7. Hawton K, Bale L, Brand F, Townsend E, Ness J, Waters K, et al. Mortality in children and adolescents following presentation to hospital after non-fatal self- harm in the multicentre study of self-harm: a prospective observational cohort study. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. (2020) 4:111–20. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(19) 30373-6 28. Franklin JC, Ribeiro J, Fox K, Bentley K, Kleiman E, Huang X, et al. Risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors: a meta-analysis of 50 years of research. Psychol Bull. (2017) 143:187–232. doi: 10.1037/bul0000084 8. Castellví P, Lucas-Romero E, Miranda-Mendizábal A, Parés-Badell O, Almenara J, Alonso I, et al. Longitudinal association between self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and suicidal behavior in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. (2017) 215:37–48. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.03.035 29. Kiekens G, Robinson K, Tatnell R, Kirtley O. Opening the black box of daily life in nonsuicidal self-injury research: with great opportunity comes great responsibility. JMIR Ment Health. (2021) 8:e30915. doi: 10.2196/30915 30. Townsend E, Wadman R, Sayal K, Armstrong M, Harroe C, Majumder P, et al. Uncovering key patterns in self-harm in adolescents: sequence analysis using the Card Sort Task for Self-harm (CaTS). J Affect Disord. (2016) 206:161–8. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.07.004 9. Mars B, Heron J, Crane C, Hawton K, Kidger J, Lewis G, et al. Differences in risk factors for self-harm with and without suicidal intent: findings from the ALSPAC cohort. J Affect Disord. (2014) 168:407–14. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.07.009 31. O’Connor RC, Kirtley OJ. The integrated motivational-volitional model of suicidal behaviour. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. (2018) 373:20170268. 10. Morgan C, Webb R, Carr M, Kontopantelis E, Green J, Chew-Graham C, et al. Incidence, clinical management, and mortality risk following self harm among children and adolescents: cohort study in primary care. BMJ. (2017) 359:j4351. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j4351 32. Supplementary material IT and ET conceptualised and designed the study. AB and IT developed the CaTS-online with an undergraduate research team. IT recruited the participants and performed the data collection alongside an undergraduate research team. CB and KB performed the analysis. JL wrote the first draft of The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ fpsyt.2022.938003/full#supplementary-material Frontiers in Psychiatry 16 frontiersin.org frontiersin.org 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 Lockwood et al. References 20. Hawton K, Saunders K, Topiwala A, Haw C. Psychiatric disorders in patients presenting to hospital following self-harm: a systematic review. J Affect Disord. (2013) 151:821–30. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.08.020 1. National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health. Self-Harm: The Short-term Physical and Psychological Management and Secondary Prevention of Self-harm in Primary and Secondary Care. Leicester: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2004). 21. Witt KG, Hetrick S, Rajaram G, Hazell P, Taylor Salisbury T, Townsend E, et al. Psychosocial interventions for self-harm in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. (2021) 4:Cd013668. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013668.pub2 2. Sawyer S, Azzopardi P, Wickremarathne D, Patton G. The age of adolescence. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. (2018) 2:223–8. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30022-1 22. Lockwood J, Daley D, Townsend E, Sayal K. Impulsivity and self-harm in adolescence: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. (2017) 26:387–402. doi: 10.1007/s00787-016-0915-5 3. Gillies D, Christou M, Dixon A, Featherston O, Rapti I, Garcia-Anguita A, et al. Prevalence and characteristics of self-harm in adolescents: meta-analyses of community-based studies 1990-2015. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. (2018) 57:733–41. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2018.06.018 3. Gillies D, Christou M, Dixon A, Featherston O, Rapti I, Garcia-Anguita A, et al. Prevalence and characteristics of self-harm in adolescents: meta-analyses of community-based studies 1990-2015. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. (2018) 57:733–41. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2018.06.018 23. Patton GC, Hemphill S, Beyers J, Bond L, Toumbourou J, McMORRIS B, et al. Pubertal stage and deliberate self-harm in adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. (2007) 46:508–14. doi: 10.1097/chi.0b013e31803065c7 4. Geulayov G, Casey D, McDonald K, Foster P, Pritchard K, Wells C, et al. Incidence of suicide, hospital-presenting non-fatal self-harm, and community- occurring non-fatal self-harm in adolescents in England (the iceberg model of self-harm): a retrospective study. Lancet Psychiatry. (2017) 5:167–74. doi: 10.1016/ S2215-0366(17)30478-9 4. Geulayov G, Casey D, McDonald K, Foster P, Pritchard K, Wells C, et al. Incidence of suicide, hospital-presenting non-fatal self-harm, and community- occurring non-fatal self-harm in adolescents in England (the iceberg model of self-harm): a retrospective study. Lancet Psychiatry. (2017) 5:167–74. doi: 10.1016/ S2215-0366(17)30478-9 24. Cassels M, Wilkinson P. Non-suicidal self-injury in adolescence. Paediatr Child Health. (2016) 26:554–8. doi: 10.1016/j.paed.2016.08.006 25. Troya MI, Dikomitis L, Babatunde O, Bartlam B, Chew-Graham C. Understanding self-harm in older adults: a qualitative study. EClinicalMedicine. (2019) 12:52–61. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2019.06.002 5. Townsend E, Ness J, Waters K, Rehman M, Kapur N, Clements C, et al. References Hasking P, Whitlock J, Voon D, Rose A. A cognitive-emotional model of NSSI: using emotion regulation and cognitive processes to explain why people self-injure. Cogn Emot. (2017) 31:1543–56. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2016.1241219 11. McManus S, Gunnell D. Trends in mental health, non-suicidal self-harm and suicide attempts in 16-24-year old students and non-students in England, 2000- 2014. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. (2020) 55:125–8. doi: 10.1007/s00127- 019-01797-5 33. Joiner T. Why People Die by Suicide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (2005). 34. Klonsky ED, May AM. The three-step theory (3ST): a new theory of suicide rooted in the “ideation-to-enaction” framework. Int J Cogn Therapy. (2015) 8:114– 29. 12. Moran P, Coffey C, Romaniuk H, Olsson C, Borschmann R, Carlin J, et al. The natural history of self-harm from adolescence to young adulthood: a population- based cohort study. Lancet. (2012) 379:236–43. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61 141-0 35. Hewson C. Research design and tools for online research. In: Fielding N, Lee R, Blank G editors. The SAGE Handbook of Online Research Methods. London: SAGE (2017). 13. Schumacher T, Munz L, Groschwitz R. The longitudinal course of non- suicidal self-injury and deliberate self-harm: a systematic review of the literature. Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. (2015) 2:2. doi: 10.1186/s40479-014- 0024-3 36. Berg V. A game-based online tool to measure cognitive functions in students. Int J Ser Games. (2021) 8:71–87. 37. Keatley DA, Clarke DD. Indicator Waves: a new temporal method for measuring multiple behaviours as indicators of future events. Proceedings of the Measuring Behaviour Conference. Manchester (2018). 14. Daukantaitë D, Lundh L, Wångby-Lundh M, Claréus B, Bjärehed J, Zhou Y, et al. What happens to young adults who have engaged in self-injurious behavior as adolescents? A 10-year follow-up. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. (2021) 30:475–92. doi: 10.1007/s00787-020-01533-4 38. Wadman R, Clarke D, Sayal K, Armstrong M, Harroe C, Majumder P, et al. A sequence analysis of patterns in self-harm in young people with and without experience of being looked after in care. Br J Clin Psychol. (2017) 56:388–407. doi: 10.1111/bjc.12145 15. McManus S, Gunnell D, Cooper C, Bebbington P, Howard L, Brugha T, et al. Prevalence of non-suicidal self-harm and service contact in England, 2000- 14: repeated cross-sectional surveys of the general population. Lancet Psychiatry. (2019) 6:573–81. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30188-9 39. Townsend E, Nielsen E, Allister R, Cassidy S. Key ethical questions for research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet Psychiatry. (2020) 7:381–3. 16. References Hawton K, Bergen H, Casey D, Simkin S, Palmer B, Cooper J, et al. Self-harm in England: a tale of three cities. multicentre study of self-harm. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. (2007) 42:513–21. doi: 10.1007/s00127-007-0199-7 16. Hawton K, Bergen H, Casey D, Simkin S, Palmer B, Cooper J, et al. Self-harm in England: a tale of three cities. multicentre study of self-harm. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. (2007) 42:513–21. doi: 10.1007/s00127-007-0199-7 40. Sharpe D. Chi-Square test is statistically significant: Now What? Pract Assess Res Eval. (2015) 20:1–10. 41. Klonsky ED. The functions of self-injury in young adults who cut themselves: clarifying the evidence for affect-regulation. Psychiatry Res. (2009) 166:260–8. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2008.02.008 17. Troya MI, Babatunde O, Polidano K, Bartlam B, McCloskey E, Dikomitis L, et al. Self-harm in older adults: systematic review. Br J Psychiatry. (2019) 214:186–200. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2019.11 17. Troya MI, Babatunde O, Polidano K, Bartlam B, McCloskey E, Dikomitis L, et al. Self-harm in older adults: systematic review. Br J Psychiatry. (2019) 214:186–200. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2019.11 42. Nock MK. Self-injury. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. (2010) 6:339–63. 18. Hawton K, Saunders KE, O’Connor RC. Self-harm and suicide in adolescents. Lancet. (2012) 379:2373–82. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60322-5 43. Wadman R, Clarke D, Sayal K, Vostanis P, Armstrong M, Harroe C, et al. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experience of self-harm repetition and recovery in young adults. J Health Psychol. (2017) 22:1631–41. doi: 10.1177/ 1359105316631405 19. Hawton K, Witt K, Taylor Salisbury T, Arensman E, Gunnell D, Hazell P, et al. Psychosocial interventions for self-harm in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. (2016) 2016:CD012189. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012189 Frontiers in Psychiatry 17 frontiersin.org 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938003 Lockwood et al. about suicide on social media: a Delphi study. PLoS One. (2018) 13:e0206584. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206584 44. Kuehn KS, Dora J, Harned M, Foster K, Song F, Smith M, et al. A meta- analysis on the affect regulation function of real-time self-injurious thoughts and behaviours. Nat Hum Behav. (2022) 6:964–74. doi: 10.1038/s41562-022-01340-8 53. La Sala L, Teh Z, Lamblin M, Rajaram G, Rice S, Hill N, et al. Can a social media intervention improve online communication about suicide? A feasibility study examining the acceptability and potential impact of the #chatsafe campaign. PLoS One. (2021) 16:e0253278. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253278 45. Armey MF, Crowther JH, Miller IW. Changes in ecological momentary assessment reported affect associated with episodes of nonsuicidal self-injury. Behav Ther. (2011) 42:579–88. 54. References Michail M, Hunter R, Mitchell L, Morgan J, Rathore I, Reid K, et al. Visiting your General Practitioner: A Guide For Young People With Lived Experience Of Self-Harm And Suicidality. Birmingham: Institute for Mental Health (2021). 46. Hamza CA, Willoughby T, Heffer T. Impulsivity and nonsuicidal self-injury: a review and meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev. (2015) 38:13–24. 47. O’Connor RC, Rasmussen S, Hawton K. Distinguishing adolescents who think about self-harm from those who engage in self-harm. Br J Psychiatry. (2012) 200:330–5. 55. Lockwood J, Townsend E, Royes L, Daley D, Sayal K. What do young adolescents think about taking part in longitudinal self-harm research? Findings from a school-based study. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. (2018) 12:23. doi: 10.1186/s13034-018-0230-7 48. Hjelmeland H, Grøholt B. A comparative study of young and adult deliberate self-harm patients. Crisis. (2005) 26:64–72. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910.26.2.64 56. Biddle L, Cooper J, Owen-Smith A, Klineberg E, Bennewith O, Hawton K, et al. Qualitative interviewing with vulnerable populations: individuals’ experiences of participating in suicide and self-harm based research. J Affect Disord. (2013) 145:356–62. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2012.08.024 49. Littlefield AK, Stevens A, Ellingson J, King K, Jackson K. Changes in negative urgency, positive urgency, and sensation seeking across adolescence. Pers Individ Dif. (2016) 90:332–7. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2015.11.024 50. Lockwood J, Townsend E, Allen H, Daley D, Sayal K. What young people say about impulsivity in the short-term build up to self-harm: a qualitative study using card-sort tasks. PLoS One. (2020) 15:e0244319. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244319 57. Uh S, Dalmaijer E, Siugzdaite R, Ford T, Astle D. Two pathways to self-harm in adolescence. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. (2021) 60:1491–500. 58. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Self-harm: Assessment, Management And Preventing Recurrence. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2022). 51. Scoliers G, Portzky G, Madge N, Hewitt A, Hawton K, de Wilde E, et al. Reasons for adolescent deliberate self-harm: a cry of pain and/or a cry for help? Findings from the child and adolescent self-harm in Europe (CASE) study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. (2009) 44:601–7. doi: 10.1007/s00127-008-0469-z 59. Bevan Jones R, Stallard P, Agha S, Rice S, Werner-Seidler A, Stasiak K, et al. Practitioner review: co-design of digital mental health technologies with children and young people. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. (2020) 61:928–40. doi: 10.1111/jcpp. 13258 52. Robinson J, Hill N, Thorn P, Battersby R, Teh Z, Reavley N, et al. The #chatsafe project. References developing guidelines to help young people communicate safely 18 Frontiers in Psychiatry 18 frontiersin.org
https://openalex.org/W3049453987
https://hrmars.com/papers_submitted/6903/Usage_of_Metacognitive_Strategy_in_Reading_Skill_of_Malay_Essay_Text.pdf
English
null
Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text
International journal of academic research in progressive education and development
2,019
cc-by
5,600
national Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education a opment o. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Internat Developm Vol. 8, No. 4, Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://hrmars.com/index.php/pages/detail/publication-ethics Essay Text Ruzanita Sarman, Azhar Md. Sabil, Shamsudin Othman and Rozita Radhiah Said To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v8-i4/6903 DOI:10.6007/IJARPED/v8-i4/6903 Received: 20 October 2019, Revised: 30 November 2019, Accepted: 11 December 2019 Published Online: 30 December 2019 In-Text Citation: (Sarman et al., 2019) To Cite this Article: Sarman, R., Sabil, A. M., Othman, S., & Said, R. R. (2019). Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 8(4), 1043–1052. Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s) Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com) This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode Vol. 8(4) 2019, Pg. 1043 - 1052 http://hrmars.com/index.php/pages/detail/IJARPED JOURNAL HOMEPAGE Published Online: 30 December 2019 International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text Ruzanita Sarman, Azhar Md. Sabil, Shamsudin Othman and Rozita Radhiah Said To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v8-i4/6903 DOI:10.6007/IJARPED/v8-i4/6903 Received: 20 October 2019, Revised: 30 November 2019, Accepted: 11 December 2019 Published Online: 30 December 2019 In-Text Citation: (Sarman et al., 2019) To Cite this Article: Sarman, R., Sabil, A. M., Othman, S., & Said, R. R. (2019). Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 8(4), 1043–1052. Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s) Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com) This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text Ruzanita Sarman, Azhar Md. Sabil, Shamsudin Othman and Rozita Radhiah Said To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v8-i4/6903 DOI:10.6007/IJARPED/v8-i4/6903 Received: 20 October 2019, Revised: 30 November 2019, Accepted: 11 December 2019 Published Online: 30 December 2019 In-Text Citation: (Sarman et al., 2019) To Cite this Article: Sarman, R., Sabil, A. M., Othman, S., & Said, R. R. (2019). Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 8(4), 1043–1052. Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s) Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com) This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode To Cite this Article: Sarman, R., Sabil, A. M., Othman, S., & Said, R. R. (2019). Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 8(4), 1043–1052. In-Text Citation: (Sarman et al., 2019) In-Text Citation: (Sarman et al., 2019) Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s) Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s) Vol. 8(4) 2019, Pg. 1043 - 1052 http://hrmars.com/index.php/pages/detail/IJARPED Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://hrmars.com/index.php/pages/detail/publication-ethics 1043 Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text Ruzanita Sarman, Azhar Md. Sabil, Shamsudin Othman Rozita Radhiah Said Ruzanita Sarman, Azhar Md. Sabil, Shamsudin Othman and Rozita Radhiah Said Faculty of Educational Studies, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Rozita Radhiah Said of Educational Studies, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Abstract This concept paper aims to identify learning using a metacognitive strategy in reading skill. The skill of reading and understanding text is a key goal to enhance knowledge and the key to success for an individual. In fact, in the learning of reading skill, a focus must be given to the aspects of comprehension and reasoning to achieve success in reading. In addition, the reader needs to know that the reading process is conscious and provides meaning to the reader. The reader needs to create awareness of his reading while focusing on the content of the text being read. By using an effective strategy while reading, the students may know and identify the level of reading comprehension. The metacognitive strategy needs to be applied during the reading process to make sense of the text. The metacognitive means the awareness of thinking or thinking about thought. The metacognitive strategy, too, refers to a way of improving the reading skill which is awareness that includes planning, monitoring, and evaluation. Students can apply the metacognitive strategy and control their learning through the process of designing what they want to learn, monitoring their learning progress and students can evaluate what they learn. The strategy found in the metacognitive can enhance students' learning and intelligence. Keywords: Metacognitive, Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, Reading Skill, Education ywords: Metacognitive, Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, Reading Skill, Education tional Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education a ment 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Internat Developm Vol. 8, No. 4, Introduction Reading and understanding a text is something that is intertwined. Reading is one of the sources of knowledge and the foundation towards achieving knowledge for self-formation (Rahman et.al., 2017). By mastering the reading skill, a student can understand the content of the text information being read. However, reading comprehension is often influenced by the teaching effectiveness of a teacher because the ability to read and understand the text is a fundamental skill that needs to be taught in the Malay language subject. Reading and understanding are not only important for students to improve the performance of the Malay language subject, but other subjects are also important to master. 1044 Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Reading skill is one of the four essential language skills an individual possesses in the language teaching and learning process. This skill is also a continuation of other basic skills such as listening, speaking and writing. The purpose of reading is to help broaden thoughts, experiences, digest ideas and to enhance the creativity of an individual in various fields. Through mastering this language skill, students are able to communicate in a variety of situations more effectively. Through reading skill, students can improve vocabulary while developing reading interest (Peng, 2016). Reading is also a process of finding information. In accordance with the needs of students who must read, they access the information contained in the reading text. The reading process is in line with students' need to expand existing information in completing tasks (Othman, 2008). Reading and understanding text is not an easy task for an individual to master. In the process of reading the text, the reader needs to understand each word, and the information contained or what the author would like to deliver. Without understanding the text being read, the reader is not considered to master the reading skill Mahzan (2008). He also pointed out that the reading skill is not limited to text comprehension skill and the ability to answer a variety of comprehension questions only. This is because the reading skill also needs to involve the skills of using the information contained in solving problems, relating information to the situation, commenting and making judgments and conclusions based on information obtained from reading materials. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development Vol 8 No 4 2019 E ISSN: 2226 6348 © 2019 HRMARS Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS for example, can improve readers' understanding by the methods of planning, monitoring, and evaluating. In addition, students who are poor at reading comprehension will have difficulties in learning, causing their thinking ability to be limited, and thus achieving a less favorable level of achievement in their learning. This leads to problems of not interested in learning, hopelessness and further discontinuance from the learning that happens in the classroom (Safiah, 1989). Apart from that, the weakness of the candidates who do not understand the requirements of the questions in the public examination will cause the candidates to be unable to provide content that meets the title (Zamri, 2016). Therefore, the lack of mastery of reading comprehension skill is one of the reasons why students are not able to master the reading comprehension skill at a higher level (Kyairaniah, 2017). By choosing the right strategy, the goal of the reader to master the text quickly and effectively can be realized. A proper reading skill will help improve comprehension with more effective. A student who can read but does not understand what is read is still considered as not able to read (Yunus, 2016). A variety of activities or assignments can be provided by the teachers so that the effective reading process can be implemented. Hence, reading behavior can be defined as a complex behavior and an individual who reads is required to think, feel and imagine what they are reading. Through reading, the students are able to acquire knowledge that cannot be gained through experience and help to develop ideas and enhance one's thinking ability in various fields. The education system has now changed with the implementation of Primary School Curriculum (KSSR) that brings changes in the curriculum content and practice in the primary school system is the responsibility of educators and the students to master the reading skill holistically. In line with the implementation of this new KSSR curriculum, it is more empowered through a variety of teaching and learning activities inside and outside of the classroom. These include activities and campaigns related to reading programs. The content of Curriculum and sment Standard Document (DSKP) 2014, KSSR Primary School Malay Language out tives of the reading skill to ensure the students know and capable as follows: 1. Read and understand sentences containing affix words from various sources with the correct pronunciation. Reading Skill Reading skill needs to be mastered by each student. Therefore, reading and understanding of the text are crucial in determining learning success, critical and creative thinking ability, academic achievement, and individual intellectual ability. The importance and mastery of this skill are very important in the education system that values academic achievement as a measure of an individual's educational success (Surat, 2012). However, in order to master the reading skill, teachers need to know various reading strategies especially for primary school students. Metacognitive strategy is one of the strategies that can be used to help students improve to the maximum their comprehension of the text they are reading (Lasan, 2017). In this regard, the Malay language teachers should redouble their teaching efforts to help students mastering the reading skill and to understand the content of the text. Students need to be exposed to a variety of reading materials such as literary and non- literary reading, electronic and non-electronic reading. Teachers need to teach reading techniques such as mekanis, mentalist, intensive and extensive reading. A student's weakness in his effort of doing reading activities will negatively affect his or her individual language skills and may adversely affect his or her achievement in other subjects (Othman, 2003). According to Jamian (2011), the problem of mastering reading and writing skills has caused students to become weak and they are uninterested in the Malay language as a result of their inability to master it. Therefore, students need to understand their learning style with the guidance of teachers to adapt easily, have a positive attitude towards learning and achieve higher achievement (Mohamad et.al., 2013). In consequence of that, students need to use a variety of appropriate strategies to achieve their goals in learning. The metacognitive strategy, 1045 Reading Skill Concept The concept of reading skill refers to the ability of a student to speak with correct pronunciation, intonation, pause, and fluency. According to Kamarudin (1996), reading comprehension is a complex activity that involves several key elements, namely, the reader, the text read, and the context and task of reading. The concept of reading comprehension is the same as the concept of reading, which will only be complete and perfect with the presence of the text comprehension process (Osman, 1990; Savage, 1998; Arshad, 2008). The process of understanding this text requires the reader to respond to the text being read in order to formulate and define the meaning of the text based on their cognitive experience. According to Yusoff (2014), the process of understanding or constructing this text can be divided into three main categories, namely, create, interpret and evaluate meaning. The same view is presented by Yahya Othman (2008), who views reading comprehension as a cognitive process that involves the integration of new information from text with the reader's existing (schematic) information. Besides that, cognitive activities such as word recognition, choosing appropriate meanings, associating ideas with experiences and schemas, formulating ideas, generalizing and evaluating, all occur simultaneously in a process of reading comprehension (Yusuff, 2014). Therefore, the main factor is to understand the text by designing the reading activity and choosing the right type of reading. In addition, the concept of reading skill covers mastery of basic alphabet recognition skill as well as the mastery of high-level cognitive skills, such as inference skills, assessment and appreciation of texts, the process of understanding and constructing meaning by the reader through the interaction of existing knowledge (schema) with the author's ideas. This publishing activity demands the active role of readers in integrating their schemata with linguistic backgrounds. Nambiar et. al. (2004), on the other hand, considers comprehension as the essence of reading activity and the importance of teaching comprehension is as important as the introduction of alphabet and spelling in mekanis reading activity. According to Elers, et. al. (2006) reading comprehension is a complex activity that involves several key elements, namely, the reader, the text read, and the context and task of reading. The process of understanding this text requires the reader to respond to the text in order to formulate and define the meaning of the text based on their cognitive strength. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS 1. Read and understand sentences containing affix words from various sources with the correct pronunciation. 2. Read various materials that contain different types of sentences in mekanis with smooth, clear pronunciation and right intonation. 3. Read and understand explicit and implicit information to identify key ideas and ancillary ideas, generate ideas and evaluate correctly. 4. Read, understand and reason explicit and implicit information from prose material and transfers it to poetry form correctly. 5. Reads and understands literary and non-literary materials to enhance creative thinking and to identify their value. In addition of KSSR through Malaysian Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013 until 2015 via second shift, touches on strengthening Malay language proficiency among primary school students. By mastering the reading skill at the primary school level, student excellence can have a significant impact on the country (KPM, BPK 2015). 1046 Definition and Element of Metacognitive Metacognitive originates from the Greek word which is Meta that means anything that can be covered or achieved by the individual. Meta also involves higher understanding, more abstract and everything outside of individual coverage Flavell (1981). Cognitive refers to thinking, mental and reasoning processes. In addition, metacognitive is a process by which an individual thinks about his or her mind during meaningful and effective cognitive activity (Flavel 1976, 1978). Metacognitive is also a process of thinking that governs and controls how one exercises his or her mind at a high level of thinking. Flavel also divides metacognitive into metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive experience. Metacognitive knowledge refers to a person's knowledge of cognitive process, which is knowledge that can be used to control cognitive processes. He also divided into three categories which are knowledge of self or individual, knowledge of assignments or activities on learning strategy. Metacognitive is a term that means awareness of what is known and what is unknown. A person's metacognitive awareness varies by individual (Carreker, 2004). This reading skill based on the metacognitive awareness is not only believed to be born naturally but can be expected to be learned from one's learning experience. The metacognitive strategy refers to ways to improve thinking skills in the learning process. Therefore, when such awareness exists, an individual can control his or her mind by planning, executing, monitoring and evaluating. Reading activity is a very important learning activity and has been practiced since elementary school. The use of metacognitive strategy in teaching the reading comprehension has also been widely used by researchers in order to create maximum impact in teaching. According to Savia (2008), students with poor metacognitive status will benefit if given metacognitive training. Whereas, good metacognitive students show better academic achievement than the poor metacognitive students (Surat, 2012). Fogarty (1994) states that metacognitive is the awareness of what is known and what is unknown. Metacognitive is the awareness and control of one's own thinking behavior. He lists three key components of metacognition, namely planning, detection and evaluation. Planning involves thinking about the whole problem-solving process. Detection involves thinking about rules and steps in solving problems and assessing / evaluating, including thinking about the processes used and their effectiveness. The metacognitive benefit for teachers and students is to emphasize self- monitoring and responsibility from teachers and students. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development is a process of constructing active meanings from written texts and are relevant to the reader's experience and knowledge. Marohaini (2014); Pragasam, Singh, Singh, Mostafa, Ja’afar, Abdullah, Khaja, (2018); Pihie, Dahiru, Basri, & Hassan, (2018), on the other hand, describes the process of reading as a complex process that must generate comprehension other than word recognition and utterance of words, involving the process of thinking, feeling and imagining what is read, not happening with empty thoughts that are without purpose, expectation, the knowledge or experience of the reader and involves a number of tasks in the reading process that require active thinking. The true reading skill also means a skill that can help the reader to understand and not just involve the process of uttering letters or words (Sakiah, 2016). Reading Skill Concept Therefore, before discussing the teaching and learning practices of the reading skill, a teacher should understand what the reading skill means. Understanding of this reading skill is important for teachers as teachers are the most important factors that determine the success or failure of a teaching and learning reading (Marohaini, 2014). Next, Marohaini (2014), also stated that teachers' understanding of the reading skill will also influence teachers' choice of teaching methods, materials, and tools used as well as determine techniques and focus on teaching the reading skill. There are several meanings given to reading. Azhar (2004), states that reading has a lot of meaning and depends on context and type of reading. According to Savia (2008), reading is a meaningful interpretation of printed or written verbal symbols. While reading comprehension is the result of the interaction between the perceptions of a graphic symbol representing a person's language and knowledge. The concept of reading skill will only be understood if the students are able to achieve their learning goals through their own efforts. Heilman et. al. (2002), states that the reading skill 1047 Metacognitive Strategy in Malay Language Learning Metacognitive is known as a construct that describes one's ability to reflect on thought, thinking about thought, knowing what is known and can be used to enhance learning activities (Surat, 2012). In Malay Language subject, during reading activity, the metacognitive strategy can be used to understand the content of text. The metacognitive strategy used is to plan, monitor and evaluate. In learning as teachers and educators, teachers can develop and direct students' metacognitive behaviors. Fogarty (1994), proposing the strategy to strengthen the students' metacognitive behaviors where there are four stages in classroom learning i.e. (i) Teaching For Thinking (satisfactory), (ii) Teaching of Thinking (Good), (iii) Teaching With Thinking (Excellent), dan (iv) Teaching about Thinking (Superior). All these four strategies can guide students' metacognitive behaviors that can be incorporated into the classroom learning process. Teaching about thinking is the best learning about thinking, in which the teacher provides instruction in thinking skill (converting cognitive to metacognitive). As a teacher and educator in the learning process, they can foster and guide students' metacognitive behavior. Fogarty (1994); Triantafyllia & Katerina, (2015) explains in fostering and guiding students' metacognitive behavior using a calm and serious model, and true, a fantastic classroom model, which shows that we teach for, from, with, and about to think new ideas begin to understand teaching quality. The teachers use class model full with thought that shows the teachers teach; teaching FOR thinking (satisfactory), teaching Of thinking (good), teaching WITH thinking (excellent), and teaching ABOUT thinking (superior). Teaching for Thinking is called a satisfied teacher. In classroom, the satisfied teachers set a condition where students will take care about being good of themselves and able to build confidence and belief in their abilities. This teacher observes the affective and cognitive development of students. Teaching of Thinking is referred to as a good teacher who is a teacher who sets a thoughtful atmosphere. This teacher discusses the ability to think and strictly teaches critical thinking and creative thinking in a live instruction model to ensure that students have skills and tools for lifelong learning. Teaching with thinking is called a diamond teacher. Diamond teachers not only create a caring and warm atmosphere in their skills, but also work to create strategies for a truly interactive classroom with their thinking. Teaching about thinking is called a great teacher. Great / superior teachers know the setting of teaching from cognitive to metacognitive. Definition and Element of Metacognitive Metacognitive strategy is the awareness belongs to the students about their metacognitive knowledge and regulation. According to Beyer (1997), competent thinking 1048 Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS involves two types of cognitive operations simultaneously; cognitive and metacognitive. Cognitive operation is an operation that uses various combinations of skills and strategies to achieve meaningful thinking goals. Whereas, the metacognitive operation is an operation that controls and directs the meaningful strategy and skill. During cognitive and metacognitive operations such as planning, monitoring, and evaluation are applied to cognitive skills to control the thinking process. This cognitive operation consists of the operations used to plan and find meaning. Cognitive operation involves a variety of complex strategies such as decision-making and problem-solving, analyzing, synthesizing, reasoning, and critical thinking. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Corresponding Author Corresponding Author Ruzanita Sarman Faculty of Educational Studies, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM,Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Email: izaneryna74@gmail.com Email: izaneryna74@gmail.com Email: izaneryna74@gmail.com International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development discussion strategy to make sense of learning for students. By paying particular attention to not only what they do, but also how and why they do the activity (Fogarty 1994). Metacognitive Strategy in Malay Language Learning Great / superior teachers know that setting the atmosphere for thinking and teaching explicit skills through cooperative learning should be accompanied by a reflective 1049 Conclusion Reading skill should be mastered by each individual and should not be overlooked by every student. There are three phases used through the metacognitive strategies used in reading skills, namely the planning, monitoring and evaluation phases. These phases include statements of metacognitive awareness used during reading. Students can easily understand the text by using the phase. The reader is prepared by designing the readings so that the information required is easily understood. Readers are free to read through their own goals. The text monitoring aspect can also have a deeper impact on the reading process. Besides that, the aspect of assessment is also an important element in the implementation of metacognitive strategies. Repeated exposures will help readers improve their ability to understand text. Therefore, every student needs to know the right strategies for reading skill as this skill is vital in the learning process. The use of metacognitive reading can explicitly and implicitly increase the comprehension of a text. Choosing a strategy can also help readers plan and further evaluate the extent to which they are reading. References Rasid, A. J. (2011). Permasalahan Kemahiran Membaca dan Menulis Bahasa Melayu Murid- murid Sekolah Rendah di Luar Bandar.Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu, ISSN: 2180-4 842, Vol. 1, Bil. 1 (Mei 2011),1-12. Rasid, A. J. (2011). Permasalahan Kemahiran Membaca dan Menulis Bahasa Melayu Murid- murid Sekolah Rendah di Luar Bandar.Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu, ISSN: 2180-4 842, Vol. 1, Bil. 1 (Mei 2011),1-12. Beyer, B. K. (1997). Improving Student Thinking: A Comprehensive Approach. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Beyer, B. K. (1997). Improving Student Thinking: A Comprehensive Approach. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Carreker, S. (2004). DevelopingMetacognitive Skills: Vocabolary and Comprehension. Ellaire, X: Neuhaus ducation Center. Carreker, S. (2004). DevelopingMetacognitive Skills: Vocabolary and Comprehension. Ellaire, X: Neuhaus ducation Center. Lasan, C. A. (2017). Amalan Pembelajaran Kemahiran Membaca Bahasa Melayu Dalam Kalangan Murid Peribumi Bidayuh. Tesis Ph.D. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Peng, C. F. (2016). Masalah Pembelajaran Bahasa Melayu Dalam Kalangan Murid Cina Sekolah Rendah.Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu, 2(11): 10-22 Elers, L. H. & Pinkley. (2006). Metacognitive Strategies Help Students to Comprehend all Text. Reading Improvement. Vol. 43(1), 13-29. Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive Aspect og Problem Solving. In:Resnick, L. B. ed. The Nature of ntelligence. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.231-235. Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive Aspect og Problem Solving. In:Resnick, L. B. ed. The Nature of ntelligence Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum 231-235 Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive Aspect og Problem Solving. In:Resnick, L. B. ed. Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive Aspect og Problem Solving. In:Resnick, L. B. ed. The Nature of ntelligence. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.231-235. Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive Aspect og Problem Solving. In:Resnick, L. B. ed. The Nature of ntelligence. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.231-235. Flavell, J. H. (1981). Cognitive Monitoring. Dim W P Dickson,( Ed.), Children’s Oral Flavell, J. H. (1981). Cognitive Monitoring. Dim W P Dickson,( Ed.), Children’s Oral Flavell, J. H. (1981). Cognitive Monitoring. Dim W P Dickson,( Ed.), Children’s Oral 1050 Communication Skills (ms.35-60). New York Academic Communication Skills (ms.35-60). New York Academic. Forgaty, R. (1994). How To Teach for Metacognitive Reflection. Glenview, Illinios: Pearson Sky Light. Forgaty, R. (1994). How To Teach for Metacognitive Reflection. Glenview, Illinios: Pearson Sky Light. Forgaty, R. (1994). How To Teach for Metacognitive Reflection. Glenview, Illinios: Pearson Sky Light. Gourgrey, E. F. (1998). Metacognition I basic skills instruction. Journal of Reading 26(2):81-86 Heilman, A. W., Blair, T. R., Rupley, W. H. (2002). Principles and Practices In Teaching Reading (Edisi ke-10). New Jersey: Merill Prentices Hall. g y ( ) g f g ( ) Heilman, A. W., Blair, T. R., Rupley, W. H. (2002). Principles and Practices In Teaching Reading (Edisi ke-10). New Jersey: Merill Prentices Hall. Heilman, A. W., Blair, T. R., Rupley, W. H. (2002). Principles and Practices In Teaching Reading (Edisi ke-10). New Jersey: Merill Prentices Hall. Husin, K. (1996). Penguasaan Kemahiran Membaca: Strategi dan Teknik Membaca. Kuala Lumpur: Kumpulan Budiman Sdn. Bhd. Husin, K. (1996). Penguasaan Kemahiran Membaca: Strategi dan Teknik Membaca. Kuala Lumpur: Kumpulan Budiman Sdn. Bhd. Hassan, K. A. (2017). Tahap Kemahiran Metakognitif Murid Sekolah Menengah Di Kawasan Felda Dalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Islam. Asean Comparative Education Research Journal on Islam and Civilization(ACER-J) Volume 1(1) January 2017, 94-106 Arshad, M. (2008). Pendidikan Literasi Bahasa Melayu :Strategi Perancangan dan Pelaksanaan. Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Publication Distributors Sdn. Bhd. Azhar, M. (2004). Kesedaran Metakognitif Membaca di Kalangan Pelajar Sekolah Menengah. Jurnal Pendidikan, 24(1): 113-121. Yunus, M. (2016). Hubungan dan Sikap Persepsi Murid Terhadap Pembelajaran Bahasa Melayu dengan Kemahiran Abad Ke-21. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu 5(11): 22-30 Yusoff, M. (2014). Strategi Pengajaran Bacaan dan Kefahaman. Batu Caves: PTS A Akademia. Mohamad, N. A. (2014). Tahap Kemahiran Metakognitif Murid Tingkatan Empat Dalam Pembelajaran Bahasa Melayu. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu,JPBM ISSN: 2180- 4842 Vol. 4, Bil. 1 Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia. (2012). Putrajaya: Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. Nambiar, R., Ibrahim, N., & Krish, P. (2008). Penggunaan Strategi Pembelajaran Bahasa dalam Kalangan Pelajar Tingkatan 2. Jurnal Bangi, 3(3): 1-17. Rahman, A. A., Mahyuddin, M. K., Jamali, H. N, Azizan, K. F. K, and Isa, S. N. M. (2017). Teori Skemata Melalui Pemguasaan Bahan Bacaan: Satu Proses Interaktif. Jurnal Sultan Alaudin Sulaiman Shah Special Issue. e-ISSN 2289-8042: 82-92 Ismail, R. (2016). Kesan Pembelajaran Koperatif STAD ke atas Sikap, Kesedar Atribusi Pencapaian, Dan Pencapaian Dalam Mata Pelajaran Pengetahuan Agama Islam . Tesis Ph.D Yang tidak Diterbitkan. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Lumpur: Othman, Y. (2005). Trend dalam pengajaran bahasa Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: PTS Professional Publishing Sdn. Bhd. Othman, Y. (2005). Trend dalam pengajaran bahasa Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: PTS Professional Publishing Sdn. Bhd. Othman, Y. (2006). Mengajar Membaca: Teori dan Aplikasi. Edisi Kedua. Kuala Lumpur: PTS Professional. Othman, Y. (2006). Mengajar Membaca: Teori dan Aplikasi. Edisi Kedua. Kuala Lumpur: PTS Professional. Othman, Y. (2008). Proses & Strategi Membaca Berkesan. Serdang. Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia. Othman, Y. (2008). Proses & Strategi Membaca Berkesan. Serdang. Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia. Mahamod, Z. (2016). Sikap dan Motivasi Murid Iban dalam Mempelajari Bahasa Melayu Sebagai bahasa ke-2. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu, 1(1): 13-25 Mahamod, Z. (2016). Sikap dan Motivasi Murid Iban dalam Mempelajari Bahasa Melayu Sebagai bahasa ke-2. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu, 1(1): 13-25 Mahamod, Z. (2008). Psikolinguistik dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran bahasa Melayu. Shah Alam:Karisma Publications Sdn. Bhd. Mahamod, Z. (2008). Psikolinguistik dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran bahasa Melayu. Shah Alam:Karisma Publications Sdn. Bhd. Pragasam, J. A., Singh, C. K. S., Singh, T. S. M., Mostafa, N. A., Ja’afar, H., Abdullah, M. S., … Khaja, F. N. M. (2018). The Use of Task-Based Learning (TBL) to Improve form Four Students’ Performance in Narrative Writing. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 7(3), 48–59. Pragasam, J. A., Singh, C. K. S., Singh, T. S. M., Mostafa, N. A., Ja’afar, H., Abdullah, M. S., … Khaja, F. N. M. (2018). The Use of Task-Based Learning (TBL) to Improve form Four Students’ Performance in Narrative Writing. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 7(3), 48–59. Sarman, R., Sabil, A. M., Othman, S., & Said, R. R. (2019). Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 8(4), 977–986. Sarman, R., Sabil, A. M., Othman, S., & Said, R. R. (2019). Usage of Metacognitive Strategy in Reading Skill of Malay Essay Text. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 8(4), 977–986. Triantafyllia, K., & Katerina, S. (2015). WOMEN, MOTHERHOOD AND WORK: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH. Multilingual Academic Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 3(1), 28–51. Triantafyllia, K., & Katerina, S. (2015). WOMEN, MOTHERHOOD AND WORK: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH. Multilingual Academic Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 3(1), 28–51. Pihie, Z. A. L., Dahiru, A. S., Basri, R., & Hassan, S. A. (2018). Relationship between Entrepreneurial Leadership and School Effectiveness among Secondary Schools. Communication Skills (ms.35-60). New York Academic Atribusi Pencapaian, Dan Pencapaian Dalam Mata Pelajaran Pengetahuan Agama Islam . Tesis Ph.D Yang tidak Diterbitkan. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Savia, C. (2008). Self-Efficacy, Metacognition and Performance. North American Journal of Psychology, 10(1): 165-172 Savia, C. (2008). Self-Efficacy, Metacognition and Performance. North American Journal of Psychology, 10(1): 165-172 Surat, S. (2012). Keberkesanan Strategi 4-Meta Dalam Penulisan Karangan Bahasa Melayu Pelajar Tingkatan 4. Tesis PhD yang Tidak Diterbitkan. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Surat, S. (2012). Keberkesanan Strategi 4-Meta Dalam Penulisan Karangan Bahasa Melayu Pelajar Tingkatan 4. Tesis PhD yang Tidak Diterbitkan. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Ngah, W. S. W.(2016). Perkaitan atara Faktor, Proses & Produk dalam Pengajaran & Pembelajaran Kefahaman Bacaan Bahasa Arab. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Ngah, W. S. W.(2016). Perkaitan atara Faktor, Proses & Produk dalam Pengajaran & Pembelajaran Kefahaman Bacaan Bahasa Arab. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. & Othman, Y., & Pakar, D. R. (2013). Keberkesanan Strategi Metakognisi dalam Pengajaran Bacaan dan Kefahaman Menggunakan Teks Ekspositori. Gema Online Journal of Language Studies Volume 13(3): 133-148. Othman, Y., & Pakar, D. R. (2013). Keberkesanan Strategi Metakognisi dalam Pengajaran Bacaan dan Kefahaman Menggunakan Teks Ekspositori. Gema Online Journal of Language Studies Volume 13(3): 133-148. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development V l 8 N 4 2019 E ISSN 2226 6348 © 2019 HRMARS Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2019 HRMARS Lumpur: International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(12), 258–274. Pihie, Z. A. L., Dahiru, A. S., Basri, R., & Hassan, S. A. (2018). Relationship between Entrepreneurial Leadership and School Effectiveness among Secondary Schools. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(12), 258–274. 1052 1052
https://openalex.org/W2973388696
https://www.mechanics-industry.org/articles/meca/pdf/2019/06/mi180155.pdf
English
null
Stress analysis of a second stage gas turbine blade under asymmetric thermal gradient
Mechanics & industry
2,019
cc-by
4,739
1 Introduction models. Among numerical studies done, we can note the physical effect of the flow in the cooling hole on the heat transfer in turbine blade [13], improvement and develop- ment of turbulence models, in order to accurately predict heat transfer from the surface of the turbine blade with cooling and without cooling [14]. However, most of the numerical simulations conducted in this matter are 2 dimensional or does not applied on near-real conditions. So a thorough assessment considering the real geometry and near-real boundary conditions needs to be done. One of the important components of gas turbines is their moving blades which are under mechanical and thermal stresses due to high-speed rotation and exposure to high temperatures. To improve turbine efficiency, gas turbine inlet temperature should be increased [1,2]. On the other hand, the temperature of the turbine blades needs to be kept lower than a certain value because of the limitations of the material properties at high temperatures. In order to achieve ideal conditions in the design and manufacture of gas blades, the accuracy in the measurement of the temperature distribution of the blade is very important. So, in recent years, many studies have been done to estimate temperature and stress distribution of the turbine blade [3], turbulence intensity of the streamline [4,5], the Reynolds number and Mach number [6,7], to experimentally study the effect of cooling temperatures and mass flow on the heat transfer distribution on the turbine blades [8], swirl effects of unsteady vortices [9,10] as well as the tip and shape of the blade [11,12]. In addition to these experiments, numerical studies have been carried out using CFD codes developed based on the Navier-Stokes equations and boundary layer In this study, numerical analysis is conducted in order to estimate thermal stresses due to temperature gradient and stresses caused by aerodynamic and centrifugal effects on a fractured blade. Figure 1 shows the fractured blade, as it can be seen from this illustration. Received: 1 July 2018 / Accepted: 11 July 2019 Abstract. In this study the main causes of the failure of a GE-F9 second stage turbine blade were investigated. The stress distribution of the blade which has 6 cooling vents in three modes (with full cooling, closure of half of the cooling channels, and without cooling) was studied. A three dimensional model of the blade was built and the fluid flow on the blade was studied using the FVM method. The stress distribution due to centrifugal forces applied to the blade, temperature gradients and aerodynamic forces on the blade surface was calculated by the finite element model. The results show that the highest temperature gradient and as a result the highest stress value occurs for the semi-cooling state at the areas near the blade root and this status is true for the full cooling mode for the regions far from the root. However, the field observations showed that the failure occurred for the blade with the semi-cooling state (due to closure of some of the channels) at areas far from the root. It is discussed that the main factor of the failure is not the stress values being maximum because in the state of full cooling mode (the state with the maximum stress values) the temperature of the blade is the lowest state and as a result the material properties of the blade show a better resistance to phenomena like hot corrosion and creep. Keywords: turbine blade failure / blade cooling / thermal stress / stress analysis / finite element modelling Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) © AFM, EDP Sciences 2019 https://doi.org/10.1051/meca/2019041 Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) © AFM, EDP Sciences 2019 https://doi.org/10.1051/meca/2019041 Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) © AFM, EDP Sciences 2019 https://doi.org/10.1051/meca/2019041 Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) © AFM, EDP Sciences 2019 https://doi.org/10.1051/meca/2019041 * e-mail: khavasi@znu.ac.ir Mechanics &Industry Available online at: www.mechanics-industry.org Available online at: www.mechanics-industry.org REGULAR ARTICLE 3.1 Fluid flow analysis meshing. For this purpose, several meshing with different numbers of elements was built by Gambit 2.4.6 software and mesh independency was investigated. In order to analyze the fluid flow, the sector volume around the blade was calculated considering the arrangement of 93 adjacent turbine blades of the second stage. A total of 3,287,137 structured elements were used, 1,482,314 elements of which are for the blade body (Fig. 2), and the rest for the environment around the blade and 6 cooling holes (Fig. 3). It should be noted that according to Figure 2 a boundary layer mesh was used in areas near surface of the blade. The uniform distribution of the force from the fluid pressure from bottom to top of the blade is of great importance. Unequal distribution of the force makes the gases flow over the blade with different speed and pressure. The difference in rotational speed at the hub and tip of the blade reduces the gases relative speed at the tip, so less force is applied to the tip of the blade compared with hub. So, modern gas turbines use blades that have impaction at the hub and reaction at the tip. Figure 5 shows the distribution of static pressure on the blade. Pressure drop required for the blade reaction appears at the tip, and gradually changes to the conditions without drop for the impaction at the hub. High pressure at the tip makes the gases move toward the roots of the blade; this effect is opposed to centrifugal forces which flow gases into the tip. As a result, a uniform force distribution occurs across the entire blade. Boundary conditions used in this study is based on measurements done in the power plant. According to Figure 4 the inlet mass flow rate is 4 kg/s with the temperature of 1149 °K. In the case of cooling channels, the inlet cooling fluid mass flow rate from the compressor is 7.2  104 kg/s for each channel, and its temperature is 620 Kelvin. Periodic boundary condition is used for the lateral boundaries; the output pressure boundary condition is used for the outlet surface. Figure 6 shows the static pressure coefficient which is obtained by Cp = [Px  Pref]/[1/2 pV 2 b], where Px and Pref are the static pressure on the mid-surface of the blade and the reference pressure on the stagnation point, respectively. Vbisthespeedatthebladeinputthatisusedasareferencefor dynamic pressure term. 3.1 Fluid flow analysis The differenceoftheresultsfrom the present study and the result from reference [3] is due to the physical conditions of the flow. Since the flow around the turbine blade is turbulent, k –e model was used to simulate the flow. The convergence criteria determined to be 10‒6 for the residuals. The material properties of the GTD 111 nickel-base alloy are shown in Table 1. 3 Results and discussion In the sight of theory, the thermal stresses, static and dynamic forces that affect the performance of the turbine blades are as follows: 2 Geometry, boundary conditions and material properties The model of blade was designed using CAD software. Since there are several effective parameters such as complex geometry of the blade, the unsteady nature of the flow, relative motion of the components and turbulence in order to obtain accurate results, there is a need for proper J. Rahimi et al.: Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) 2 Fig. 3. Mesh the surrounding environment of the blade and cooling holes. Fig. 1. Broken blades of the second stage of power plant and obstruction of one of the cooling channels. Fig. 1. Broken blades of the second stage of power plant and obstruction of one of the cooling channels. Fig. 1. Broken blades of the second stage of power plant and obstruction of one of the cooling channels. Fig. 2. GEF9 turbine blade meshing using boundary layer mesh. Fig. 3. Mesh the surrounding environment of the blade and cooling holes. In this part these that the effect of each parameter on the blade performance will be explained. Fig. 2. GEF9 turbine blade meshing using boundary layer mesh. meshing. For this purpose, several meshing with different numbers of elements was built by Gambit 2.4.6 software and mesh independency was investigated. In order to analyze the fluid flow, the sector volume around the blade was calculated considering the arrangement of 93 adjacent turbine blades of the second stage. A total of 3,287,137 structured elements were used, 1,482,314 elements of which are for the blade body (Fig. 2), and the rest for the environment around the blade and 6 cooling holes (Fig. 3). It should be noted that according to Figure 2 a boundary layer mesh was used in areas near surface of the blade. 3.2 Heat transfer analysis Figure 7 shows the comparison of the heat transfer coefficient in the middle part of the blade in the recent study and the amount of mass and heat transfer coefficient in the previous studies conducted by others [3,4,5,9,10]. – the aerodynamic forces of flow; – the stresses resulting from temperature gradient; – forces due to centrifugal effect. J. Rahimi et al.: Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) 3 Fig. 4. Boundary conditions of the flow variables with 6 cooling channels. Fig. 4. Boundary conditions of the flow variables with 6 cooling channels. Table 1. Properties of the alloy GTD-111 [15]. Ultimate tensile strength (21 °C) 0.2% yield strength (21 °C) MPa Ksi MPa Ksi Mechanical properties at room temperature GTD-111 1095 159 950 135 Density (g/cm3) Melting point (°C) Specific heat (J/kg K) Thermal conductivity (W/m K) Thermal expansion (106/K) 21 °C 538 °C 1093 °C 538 °C 1093 °C 93 °C 538 °C Physical properties GTD-111 8.11 1230–1315 420 565 710 17.7 27.2 11.6 14 Table 1. Properties of the alloy GTD-111 [15]. The highest amount of heat transfer occurs due to collision of the main flow on the stagnation point at leading edge. The lowest amount of heat transfer coefficient occurs due to the development of thermal boundary layer at the trailing edge. The highest temperature is observed at the blade tip. results is the condition in which the flow passes the blade surface. results is the condition in which the flow passes the blade surface. Since the effect of temperature gradient on stress distribution occurring in the blade is much more than the pressure of the fluid on the blade, and with respect to blades’ working conditions, there is blocking probability in some cooling channels, therefore, for better comparison, simulation is done in three modes of (1) full cooling with 6 cooling channels; (2) cooling assuming the blockage of half of thecooling channels (Fig.8); (3) assuming theblockage of all cooling channels. Since the effect of temperature gradient on stress distribution occurring in the blade is much more than the pressure of the fluid on the blade, and with respect to blades’ working conditions, there is blocking probability in some cooling channels, therefore, for better comparison, simulation is done in three modes of (1) full cooling with 6 cooling channels; (2) cooling assuming the blockage of half of thecooling channels (Fig.8); (3) assuming theblockage of all cooling channels. 3.2 Heat transfer analysis In this study, the Reynolds number is considered to be equal to 1.07  106. One of the reasons for the different results in some parts is the difference in the blade geometry studied by other researchers. Of course, another thing that has impact on the change of these J. Rahimi et al.: Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) 4 three modes but the temperature gradient is reduced at any section. On the other hand with reduces the temperature gradient we can also see decrease of corresponding stresses. Figure 12 shows the section 3 at the distance of two In order to find the temperature distribution and Stress caused by temperature gradients in the blade, 4 sections are considered with similar distances in the blade according to Figure 9 for all three cooling modes. Figure 12 shows the section 3 at the distance of two third of the blades’ length from hub of the blade. The blade without cooling is subjected to relatively little temperature changes. In blades with cooling channels, as height increases the cooling fluid impact reduces, so the section temperature will be increased. The maximum temperature of the section (3) happens at the trailing edge of the blade in all three modes, and the highest temperature is in the mode without cooling. In this section also a reduction in the stresses caused by the temperature gradient in three sections can be seen. Figure 10 shows the temperature distribution and stress caused by temperature gradients in section 1 for all three modes. In the full cooling with 6 cooling channels, maximum blade temperature is significantly lower than the other two conditions. The highest temperature gradient is in the half-cooling mode and is equal to 74 Kelvin.The maximum stresses caused by the temperature gradient in this section is related to half-cooling state. Figure 11 shows the section 2 at the distance of one third of the blades’ length from hub of the blade. With increasing altitude, average temperature is increased in all Figure 13 shows near the blade tip, i.e. section (4). Compared to all sections, the maximum temperature occurred in this section, and in all cases, the trailing edge of the blade is in high temperature which is due to the cooling fluid warming and its low impact in this height of the blades. On the other hand, the temperature difference between the three modes is reduced. 3.2 Heat transfer analysis On the other hand the thermal stress at this section is the lowest and is near together in three states. Fig. 5. Distribution of pressure on both sides of the blade. g Figure 14 shows the temperature distribution on the wall attached to the cooling fluid with 6 cooling channels. The results show that with increasing altitude, cooling fluid gets warmer and the wall temperature goes higher. 3.3 Centrifugal force This force is a function of the rotor rotation speed, turning radius and mass of blades. This force is a harmful one for the blades so, designers are always trying to reduce mass of blades to minimize its amount. In order to calculate Fig. 5. Distribution of pressure on both sides of the blade. Fig. 6. Static pressure coefficient on the mid-surface of the blade. Fig. 6. Static pressure coefficient on the mid-surface of the blade. J. Rahimi et al.: Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) 5 Fig. 7. Comparing the local heat transfer on the middle part of the blade in previous researches with the current study. Fig. 7. Comparing the local heat transfer on the middle part of the blade in previous researches with the current study. Fig. 9. Plotted sections for blade temperature analysis. Fig. 8. Cooling channels in semi-open mode (2, 4 and 6 are closed). Fig. 8. Cooling channels in semi-open mode (2, 4 and 6 are closed). Fig. 9. Plotted sections for blade temperature analysis. analytically the function of the changes in stress distribu- tion caused by the centrifugal force along a blade with variable cross-section, we act as follows [16]: is a piece of the blade, which is applied in the area between section r and blade end radius Rtip with rotational speed of 3000 rpm. In order to calculate the Fbl for the airfoil, according to Figure 15, considering a longitudinal element, centrifugal force is achieved. sr ¼ Fr=Sr ð1Þ Fr ¼ FblðrÞ þ Fb ð2Þ sr ¼ Fr=Sr ð1Þ ð1Þ FblðrÞ ¼ ∫l rRHubrv2SðjÞðRHub þ jÞdj: ð3Þ Fr ¼ FblðrÞ þ Fb ð2Þ ð3Þ ð2Þ To compute the integral in equation (3) area function (S(j)) needs to be obtained. To evaluate S(j) the area of forty different sections of blade obtained and interpolated. S(j) is achieved as follow: where Fr is the amount of centrifugal force and Sr is the area function at any section of the blade, both of which are defined as functions of the turning radius of blades. According to Figure 15, Rhub = the radius of the blade hub and Rtip = the radius of the blade tip. In relation 2, Fb parameter is the centrifugal force of the Shroud Banding which is considered to be zero for this kind of blade due to the lack of Shroud Banding part. 3.3 Centrifugal force Centrifugal force of Fbl(r) SðjÞ ¼ 3:02 105j3 þ 1:36 102j2  9:9 103j þ2:58  103: J. Rahimi et al.: Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) 6 Fig. 10. Temperature distribution and normal stress caused by temperature gradients in section (1) near the hub in the modes (a) without cooling, (b) half-cooling, (c) full cooling. Fig. 10. Temperature distribution and normal stress caused by temperature gradients in section (1) near the hub in the modes (a) without cooling, (b) half-cooling, (c) full cooling. Consequently Fr can be obtained: To examine the stress on the blade from the fluid, the results of the fluid analysis, including temperature and pressure distribution on the blade, are inserted as boundary conditions; and the stresses obtained in different sections of the blade are investigated by applying a 3000 rpm rotation on the blade Figure 17 shows the overall stress that applied on the blades in half cooling state. Fr ¼ 4:837103r5 þ 2:730106r4 þ 9:34105r3 2:851  106r2 þ 2:022  106r: Finally, having the area and force functions, the stress distribution function can be obtained in accordance with equation (1) which is shown by solid line in Figure 16. To ensure the validity of the results obtained by numerical simulation, the stress distribution due to centrifugal force compared by analytical results. Numerical results (the average stress in each section) are also illustrated by circles in this figure. The agreement between the results is suitable and the differences can be because of assumptions have been made in the analytical method; normal stress distribution in each section is assumed to be constant and the deformation of the blade is ignored. Field surveys of the second stage blade fracture surfaces show that the fractures occurred at the section 2 and lower sections of the blade, started to grow and finally caused the failure of the blade. Thermo-mechanical analyses also show the fact that the maximum stress occurred in the hub. It seems this is because of high temperature gradients in this area due to the proximity of these pages to the inlet opening of the cooling fluid on the one hand, and inability of deformation as a result of root constraint, on the other hand. J. Rahimi et al.: Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) 7 Fig. 11. 3.3 Centrifugal force Temperature distribution and normal stress caused by temperature gradients in section (2) at the distance of one third of the blades’ length from hub of the blade in the modes (a) without cooling, (b) half-cooling, (c) full cooling. Fig. 11. Temperature distribution and normal stress caused by temperature gradients in section (2) at the distance of one third of the blades’ length from hub of the blade in the modes (a) without cooling, (b) half-cooling, (c) full cooling. – It can be said about the pressure that in three modes of 6- and 3-channel cooling and without cooling, there is no significant change in the pressure on the blades, and the pressure is almost equal in all modes, and the highest pressure is at the stagnation point near the peak leading. Another important point is that the influence of this parameter is very low compared to the impact of stresses caused by rotation and temperature gradient. – It can be said about the pressure that in three modes of 6- and 3-channel cooling and without cooling, there is no significant change in the pressure on the blades, and the pressure is almost equal in all modes, and the highest pressure is at the stagnation point near the peak leading. Another important point is that the influence of this parameter is very low compared to the impact of stresses caused by rotation and temperature gradient. 4 Conclusion Internal cooling of GEF9 turbine blade was presented and investigated in this paper. In the first step, the cooling air flow inside the channel was simulated and evaluated. In the next step, normal stresses were evaluated in four sections using the results obtained from the fluid analyses and cooling system effect on the temperature parameters. According to the results presented in this report, the following cases can be presented as the conclusion: According to the results presented in this report, the following cases can be presented as the conclusion: Investigating the four sections cut on the blade, it can be concluded about the applied stress that the stress will be reduced gradually with increasing distance from the blade root, and the maximum stress occurs in the section near the blade root. These stresses are caused by applying blade rotation, temperature gradient and fluid pressure on the blade. Comparing the three modes above, it can be found that highest stress is related to the 6-channel cooling mode. Stress difference between cooling and without cooling modes is at maximum at the blade root. – Investigating the four sections cut on the blade, it can be concluded about the applied stress that the stress will be reduced gradually with increasing distance from the blade root, and the maximum stress occurs in the section near the blade root. These stresses are caused by applying blade rotation, temperature gradient and fluid pressure on the blade. Comparing the three modes above, it can be found that highest stress is related to the 6-channel cooling mode. Stress difference between cooling and without cooling modes is at maximum at the blade root. – Using cooling system as a channel in the blade significantly reduces the temperature in all parts of the blade. Results showed that maximum temperature is in the mode without cooling at all sections, and the temperature difference is more tangible in the modes of cooling and without cooling in the blade root, and this difference decreases with increasing altitude; but in general, the temperature increases with increased blade height, and maximum temperature occurs in the upper part of the blade. J. Rahimi et al.: Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) 8 8 Fig. 12. Nomenclature g – It can be said blade in full cooling mode provides turbine blade function optimal conditions compared to the half- cooling and without cooling modes. Thanks to cooling, the blade temperature operating range is decreased and as a consequence, the material can tolerate higher stresses. Cp Local pressure coefficient, [Px ‑ Pref]/[1/2 pV 2 b] Cx Blade axial chord length Px Local pressure Pref Reference pressure Fr Centrifugal force as a function of blades’ radios Sr Area of a cross section of the blade as a function of blades’ radios Rhub Radios of the blade at hub Rtip Radios of the blade at tip Fb Centrifugal force of the Sherrod bonding area Fbl(r) Centrifugal force of a section of the blade that is between r cross section and r of tip of blade p Cx Blade axial chord length Local pressure 4 Conclusion Temperature distribution and normal stress caused by temperature gradients in section (3) at the distance of one third of the blades’ length from hub of the blade in the modes (a) without cooling, (b) half-cooling, (c) full cooling. Fig. 12. Temperature distribution and normal stress caused by temperature gradients in section (3) at the distance of one third of the blades’ length from hub of the blade in the modes (a) without cooling, (b) half-cooling, (c) full cooling. Fig. 12. Temperature distribution and normal stress caused by temperature gradients in section (3) at blades’ length from hub of the blade in the modes (a) without cooling, (b) half-cooling, (c) full coolin – In this study, cooling channels was considered alter- nately closed, however, due to the expected weather conditions, channels would be closed consecutively which leads to create a more intense temperature gradient. – Another solution is regular oversee of the hot paths of the turbine. – Another solution is regular oversee of the hot paths of the turbine. 4.1 Solutions to prevent such events – Some infiltration filters can be installed in the way air flow to the compressor to prevent the entrance of dusts and impurities. These filters should be visited periodi- cally. J. Rahimi et al.: Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) 9 Fig. 13. Temperature distribution and normal stress caused by temperature gradients in section (4) at tip of the blade in the modes (a) without cooling, (b) half-cooling, (c) full cooling. Fig. 13. Temperature distribution and normal stress caused by temperature gradients in section (4) at tip of the blade in the modes (a) without cooling, (b) half-cooling, (c) full cooling. to the Fig. 15. Schema of a moving blade having Sherrod bonding with corresponding coordinates [16]. t to the Fig. 15. Schema of a moving blade having Sherrod bonding with corresponding coordinates [16]. Fig. 14. Temperature distribution on the wall adjacent to the cooling fluid with 6 cooling channels. Fig. 15. Schema of a moving blade having Sherrod bonding with corresponding coordinates [16]. Fig. 14. Temperature distribution on the wall adjacent to the cooling fluid with 6 cooling channels. Fig. 15. Schema of a moving blade having Sherrod bonding with corresponding coordinates [16]. J. Rahimi et al.: Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) 10 Fig. 16. The normal stress from centrifugal force. [3] K.M. Kim, J.S. Park, D.H. Lee, T.W. Lee, H.H. Cho, Analysis of conjugated heat transfer, stress and failure in a gas turbine blade with circular cooling passages, Eng. Fail. Anal. 18, 1212–1222 (2011) [4] L. Zhang, J.-C. Han, Influence of mainstream turbulence on heat transfer coefficients from a gas turbine blade, J. Heat Transfer 116, 896–903 (1994) ( ) [5] T. Arts, M. Lambertderouvroit, A.W. Rutherford, Aero- thermal investigation of a highly loaded transonic linear turbine guide vane cascade. A test case for inviscid and viscous flow computations, NASA STI/Recon Tech. Rep. N 91, 23437 (1990) [6] R.J. Boyle, C.M. Spuckler, B.L. Lucci, W.P. Camperchioli, Infrared low temperature turbine vane rough surface heat transfer measurements, in ASME Turbo Expo 2000: Power forLand,Sea,andAir (2000)p.V003T01A024-V003T01A024 ( ) [7] F.E. Ames, C. Wang, P.A. Barbot, Measurement and prediction of the influence of catalytic and dry low NOx combustor turbulence on vane surface heat transfer, in ASME Turbo Expo 2002: Power for Land, Sea, and Air (2002), pp. 969–980 Fig. 16. The normal stress from centrifugal force. [8] C. Camci, T. 4.1 Solutions to prevent such events Arts, An experimental convective heat transfer investigation around a film-cooled gas turbine blade, J. Turbomach. 112, 497–503 (1990) Fig. 17. Overall stress that applied on the blades in half cooling state. [9] P.W. Giel, R.J. Boyle, R.S. Bunker, Measurements and predictions of heat transfer on rotor blades in a transonic turbine cascade, in ASME Turbo Expo 2003, collocated with the 2003 International Joint Power Generation Conference (2003), pp. 623–638 ( ) [10] D.-H. Rhee, H.H. Cho, Effect of vane/blade relative position onheat transfer characteristics in a stationary turbine blade: Part 2. Blade surface, Int. J. Therm. Sci. 47, 1544–1554 (2008) ( ) [11] M.D. Polanka, D.A. Hoying, M. Meininger, C.D. MacArthur, Turbine tip and shroud heat transfer and loading: Part A—Parameter effects including reynolds number, pressure ratio, and gas to metal temperature ratio, in ASME Turbo Expo 2002: Power for Land, Sea, and Air (2002), pp. 219–230 Fig. 17. Overall stress that applied on the blades in half cooling state. [12] J.S. Kwak, J.-C. Han, Heat transfer coefficient and film- cooling effectiveness on a gas turbine blade tip, in ASME Turbo Expo 2002: Power for Land, Sea, and Air (2002), pp. 309–318 Cite this article as: J. Rahimi, E. Poursaeidi, E. Khavasi, Stress analysis of a second stage gas turbine blade under asymmetric thermal gradient, Mechanics & Industry 20, 607 (2019) References [13] V.K. Garg, D.L. Rigby, Heat transfer on a film-cooled blade- effect of hole physics, Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 20, 10–25 (1999) [1] J. Polezhaev, The transpiration cooling for blades of high temperatures gas turbine, Energy Convers. Manag. 38, 1123–1133 (1997) ( ) [14] G. Medic, P.A. Durbin, J. Turbomach. 124, 193–199 (2002) [15] J.R. Davis, ASM specialty handbook: heat-resistant materi- als. ASM International (1997) [2] R.M.A. El-maksoud, Gas turbine with heating during the expansion in the stator blades, Energy Convers. Manag. 78, 219–224 (2014) [16] A. Kostyuk, V. Frolov, Steam and gas turbines. Mir Pub. (1988)
https://openalex.org/W4379389986
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-2862194/latest.pdf
English
null
Dynamic response of carbon storage to ecological restoration measures in Liupanshui City, Mountain, Water, Forest, Field, Lake and Grassland
Research Square (Research Square)
2,023
cc-by
7,393
Dynamic response of carbon storage to ecological restoration measures in Liupanshui City, Mountain, Water, Forest, Field, Lake and Grassland Jiajing Ning  Guizhou University Hu Wang  Guizhou Chuyang Ecological Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd Qiong Yang  Guizhou University Tengbing He  Guizhou University Tianling Fu  (  tlfu@gzu.edu.cn ) Guizhou University Article Keywords: Mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes and grasses; Ecological restoration; Carbon storage; Land use type change Posted Date: June 5th, 2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2862194/v1 License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License Abstract To verify the impact of ecological restoration of mountains, forests, fields, lakes and grasses on carbon stocks, the implementation of ecological restoration of mountains, forests, fields, lakes and grasses in the karst region of southwestern China, the ecologically fragile area of Liupanshui City, western Guizhou Province, was analyzed by means of RS and GIS, corresponding to the carbon stocks in the region. The results showed that the carbon stocks in the study area in 2015, 2018 and 2020 were 424.05 × 106 t, 426.46 × 106 t and 436.91 × 106 t, respectively, and the carbon stocks in the area where ecological restoration actually occurred in 2015, 2018 and 2020 were 28.85 × 106 t, 29.31 × 106 t and 30.63 ×106 t, all showing an increasing trend, with a cumulative increase of 12.86 ×106 t in the study area and 1.78 ×106 t in the actual occurrence area of ecological restoration, and analyzed the effects of different implementation measures on carbon stock changes, among which, afforestation (non-shrub) had the best effect on regional carbon stock increase, afforestation (shrub) was not obvious, while soil improvement works for crop health had There is no significant effect on carbon stock. It can be concluded that the carbon stock of Liupanshui city responded positively to the ecological restoration measures of landscape, forest, field, lake and grass. Article License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License Page 1/23 Page 1/23 Page 1/23 1. Introduction Global climate change is an increasingly serious problem, posing a major challenge to human survival and sustainable development. Carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems is an important part of global carbon storage [1], which effectively regulates regional climate by absorbing and releasing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and plays a crucial role in mitigating global warming [2]. As a major source of greenhouse gases, carbon emissions are gradually aggravating global warming, and in order to achieve the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, countries around the world are formulating relevant policies and implementing low-carbon development strategies according to their own national conditions [3]. 2020, the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, China put forward the goal of reaching carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 [4]. China has implemented a series of comprehensive national land remediation and ecological protection and restoration efforts to cope with the adverse effects on natural ecosystems caused by unreasonable development and construction activities in the process of rapid urbanization and industrialization, and has achieved certain results [5]. However, most of the previous remediation and restoration efforts were sectoral projects implemented for a single element and a single goal, which were not systematic, holistic and comprehensive enough, which restricted the effect of remediation and restoration [6]. After the 18th Party Congress, China put forward the concept of "mountain, water, forest, field, lake, grass, and sand are a community of life" for the problems of scattered departments, single remediation tasks, weak overall system, and poor remediation and restoration effects in remediation and restoration, and systematically promoted the integrated protection and restoration of mountain, water, forest, field, lake, grass, and sand, and Positive progress has been achieved. 1. Introduction Page 2/23 Mountain, water, forest, field, lake, grass and lake have changed land use types on a large scale through large-scale ecological restoration, including various measures linked together, leading to land use change [7], and as land use change occurs, it will subsequently lead to many situations, such as land use change plays a key role in ecological processes such as water cycle, carbon and nitrogen cycle, and ecosystem services [8], and some studies have shown that land use change affects greenhouse gas emissions mainly through land use category conversion [9], for example, conversion from forest or grassland to agricultural land may reduce carbon stocks [10], and in recent decades, dramatic climate change and human activities have led to significant land use/change, such as glacial melting, grassland development, afforestation, desertification management, and agricultural expansion [11]. This study focuses on the dynamic response of carbon stocks by exploring the large land use changes that have resulted with the ecological restoration of mountains, water, forests, fields, lakes and grasses. The traditional field survey method mainly uses regional carbon density profiles of different vegetation and soil types to estimate carbon stocks, which is relatively simple and accurate, but the applicable area is small and the assessment results cannot reflect the dynamic changes of carbon stocks [13]. The use of models can simulate, predict and assess carbon stocks at different scales, such as global, national and regional, among which the InVEST model is the most widely used, and previous studies have shown that the InVEST model can estimate carbon stocks in a simple and reliable way [14]. storage [14], and the model is based on land use type maps and carbon density, and estimates carbon stocks using four carbon pools: aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, soil carbon density, and dead organic carbon, and has been widely used by many scholars to assess regional carbon stocks and their spatial and temporal distribution patterns [15]. 2.1 Overview of the study area As shown in Fig. 1,the study area is located in the karst region of southwestern China and the ecologically fragile area of Liupanshui City in western Guizhou Province, with a total land area of 9,914 km2. It belongs to the north subtropical - warm temperate climate zone, with abundant rainfall, the average annual rainfall is 1363.39 mm, and the rainfall is mostly concentrated between May and October. Due to the undulating terrain, the temperature vertically changes significantly, and there are large differences in light, radiation and heat in various places, and the ecological environment is complex and diverse. Liupanshui City carried out the ecological restoration project in the Wumeng Mountains, and the actual ecological restoration occurred mainly in the coal mining concentration area of Dahe Town in Zhongshan District, which is one of the major projects of ecological restoration in the Wumeng Mountains of Guizhou Province. Through the ecological environment survey, there are seven major ecological problems in Dahue Town: geological disasters, land suppression and destruction problems, vegetation degradation, soil erosion, river destruction (siltation), surface water pollution, and soil pollution problems. This study mainly focuses on the changes of carbon stock in Dahue town of Liupanshui City, where the ecological Page 3/23 Page 3/23 restoration project of Zhongshan District, i.e., Liupanshui City, was implemented, and the dynamic response of the main project measures of the project to the carbon stock of Liupanshui City. 2.2 Data sources Data sources: (1) land use data from the Geographic State Monitoring Cloud Platform (http://www.dsac.cn/); (2) land use type data from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Land Use/Cover Standard; (3) basic geographic information data from the 1:1 million national basic geographic database published by the National Basic Geographic Information Center (http://www) .webmap.cn), including administrative boundaries, roads, railroads, rivers, and rural settlements in Liupanshui; (4) meteorological data from the China Meteorological Data Network (http://data.cma.cn/); (5) elevation data from the Geospatial Data Cloud (https://www.gscloud.cn/search), using the is ASTERGDEMV2 version data. The spatial resolution of all data used in this paper is 30m, and the spatial coordinate system is Krasovsky_1940_Albers. The aboveground carbon density of national horizontal cropland, forest land and grassland was obtained according to the relevant studies of Xu Quan et al [16] and Xie Xianli et al [17]; the belowground carbon density of national horizontal cropland, forest land and grassland was determined according to the study of Xie Xianli et al [17]; the soil carbon density of national horizontal cropland, grassland and forest land was determined according to the studies of Li Kejan and Ma Qinyan et al [18, 19]; the soil carbon density of national horizontal cropland, grassland and forest land was obtained according to the study of Tui Xiaowei [20], the above-ground carbon density and soil carbon density of watershed, urban and rural industrial and mining construction land in Guizhou province were obtained, and the subsurface carbon density was defaulted to 0. Then, by referring to the data provided by the national meteorological data network, the multi-year average temperature of the whole country, Guizhou province and Liupanshui city was obtained, and finally, the model on the relationship between biomass carbon density and soil carbon density and temperature and precipitation, respectively, from the studies of Chen Guangshui et al [21] and Zeng Weisheng et al [22] was adopted to obtain the relationship between biomass carbon density and soil carbon density. Finally, the relationship models of biomass carbon density and soil carbon density with temperature and precipitation, respectively, from the studies of Chen Guangshui et al. The specific data are shown in Table 1. 2.2 Data sources Page 4/23 Table 1 Carbon density of various parts of different land use types(t/hm2) Land Use Type Above-ground biogenic carbon stocks Subsurface biogenic carbon stocks Soil carbon density Carbon density of dead organic matter Arable land 5.70 0.68 90.56 0.00 Woodland 26.50 4.27 84.03 0.00 Grassland 3.40 11.70 101.27 0.00 Waters 1.00 0.50 46.90 0.00 Residential land 0.00 0.00 50.65 0.00 Unused land 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.3 Research Methodology Table 1 arbon density of various parts of different land use types(t/hm2) 2.3 Research Methodology In this study, the InVEST model was used to estimate regional ecosystem carbon stocks. The model consists of a series of sub-modules that can simulate the effects of land use change on ecosystem service functions, in which the carbon stock module divides the carbon stock of each land use type into four basic carbon pools: aboveground biogenic carbon ( ), below-ground biogenic carbon ( ), soil carbon ( ), dead organic matter carbon ( ). The model combines the land use data and the carbon pool data corresponding to each land use type to generate the spatial distribution map of carbon stocks. According to the classification of land use, the average carbon density of different land use types are calculated and counted separately, and the calculation formula is as follows: Cabove Cbelow Csoil Cdead Ctotal Ctotal = Cabove + Cbelow + Csoil + Cdead 1 Based on the carbon density and land use data of different land use types, the total carbon stock of each land use type in the study area was calculated: Based on the carbon density and land use data of different land use types, the total carbon stock of each land use type in the study area was calculated: Ctotali = (Cabovei + Cbelowi + Csoili + Cdeadi) × Ai 2 2 where : is the average carbon density of aboveground biogenic carbon, and is the average carbon density of belowground biogenic carbon, and is the average carbon density of soil carbon, and is the dead organic matter carbon, and is the area of the land use, and is the total carbon stock of each land use type. Cabovei Cbelowi Csoili Cdeadi Ai Ctotali where : is the average carbon density of aboveground biogenic carbon, and is the average carbon density of belowground biogenic carbon, and is the average carbon density of soil carbon, and is the dead organic matter carbon, and is the area of the land use, and is the total carbon stock of each land use type. Cabovei Cbelowi Csoili Cdeadi Ai Ctotali Page 5/23 Page 5/23 Data processing: (1) According to the land use data of three time points in Liupanshui City and the actual situation of project implementation, the ecological restoration project was divided into project implementation stage (2015–2018) and ecological benefit generation stage (2018–2020) respectively. 2.3 Research Methodology The carbon stock images outputted by the carbon storage module were used for carbon stock change statistics according to the administrative division of Liupanshui City by using the regional statistics tool in ArcGIS software, so as to analyze the changes in the spatial distribution of carbon stocks in Liupanshui City and recount the area of each category; then the total carbon stocks of the three phases were obtained by combining with the land use distribution map. And according to the same approach, the carbon stocks of the actual occurrence area of ecological restoration during 2015–2020 were estimated separately by using the carbon stock module of InVEST model. 3. Results and Discussion The carbon stocks in the study area during 2015–2020 are shown in Fig. 2. The total carbon stocks in the study area in 2015, 2018 and 2020 are 424.05×106 t, 426.46×106 t and 436.91×106 t, respectively, with an overall increasing trend and a cumulative increase of 12.85×106 t in 2020 compared with 2015. The specific data are shown in Table 2. Table 2 Whole change of carbon storage from 2015 to 2020 ProjectItem 2015 2018 2020 Change volume 2015–2020 Variation/106 t Rate of change 2015–2020 Change rate/% Total Carbon Reserves /106 t 424.05 426.46 436.91 12.86 3.03 Average carbon stock /(t-hm²) 782.31 786.43 794.13 11.82 1.51 The carbon stock of forest land has been dominant during 2015–2020. The carbon stocks of woodlands and grasslands showed an increasing trend. Among them, the carbon stock of forest land increased prominently with a growth rate of 13.2%; the carbon stock of cropland and watershed showed a decreasing trend, among which the carbon stock of cropland decreased most prominently with a decrease rate of 5.29%; the carbon stock of unused land did not change (Table 3). Page 6/23 Page 6/23 Table 3 Carbon storage change for each land use types from 2015 to 2020 Land type Arable land Woodland Grassland Waters Residential land Unused land Carbon stock in 2015/106 t 119.21 211.97 80.56 9.03 3.28 0 2018 carbon stocks/106 t 117.37 216.52 81.19 8.38 3.00 0 Carbon stock in 2020/106 t 113.92 225.17 86.74 8.11 2.97 0 Carbon stock change /106 t -5.29 13.2 6.18 -0.92 -0.31 0 Table 3 The carbon stocks of the ecological restoration actual occurrence area for the period 2015–2020 were estimated separately using the carbon stock module of the InVEST model, and the results are shown in Table 4. In terms of quantity, the total carbon stocks in the ecological restoration actual occurrence area in 2015, 2018 and 2020 were 28.85×106 t, 30.00×106 t and 32.13×106 t, respectively, with an overall increasing trend and a cumulative increase of 3.28×106 t. The total carbon stocks in the ecological restoration actual occurrence area in 2015, 2018 and 2020 were estimated as 28.85×106 t, 30.00×106 t and 32.13×106 t, respectively. 3. Results and Discussion Table 4 Carbon storage change for each land use types from 2015 to 2020 ProjectItem 2015 2018 2020 Amount of change Variation/106 t Rate of change Change rate/% Carbon stock /106 t 28.85 29.31 30.63 1.78 6.20 Average carbon stock /(t-hm²) 778.67 784.91 799.26 20.59 2.64 During 2015–2020, the carbon stock of forest land was equally dominant in the areas where ecological restoration actually occurred. The carbon stocks of woodlands and grasslands showed an increasing trend. Among them, the carbon stock of grassland increased prominently with a growth rate of 21.69%, and the carbon stock of forest land increased with a growth rate of 17.61%; the carbon stock of cropland and water area showed a decreasing trend, among which the carbon stock of cropland decreased most prominently with a decrease rate of 9.02%.(Table 5) During 2015–2020, the carbon stock of forest land was equally dominant in the areas where ecological restoration actually occurred. The carbon stocks of woodlands and grasslands showed an increasing trend. Among them, the carbon stock of grassland increased prominently with a growth rate of 21.69%, and the carbon stock of forest land increased with a growth rate of 17.61%; the carbon stock of cropland and water area showed a decreasing trend, among which the carbon stock of cropland decreased most prominently with a decrease rate of 9.02%.(Table 5) During 2015–2020, the carbon stock of forest land was equally dominant in the areas where ecological restoration actually occurred. The carbon stocks of woodlands and grasslands showed an increasing trend. Among them, the carbon stock of grassland increased prominently with a growth rate of 21.69%, and the carbon stock of forest land increased with a growth rate of 17.61%; the carbon stock of cropland and water area showed a decreasing trend, among which the carbon stock of cropland decreased most prominently with a decrease rate of 9.02%.(Table 5) During 2015–2020, the carbon stock of forest land was equally dominant in the areas where ecological restoration actually occurred. The carbon stocks of woodlands and grasslands showed an increasing trend. 3. Results and Discussion Among them, the carbon stock of grassland increased prominently with a growth rate of 21.69%, and the carbon stock of forest land increased with a growth rate of 17.61%; the carbon stock of cropland and water area showed a decreasing trend, among which the carbon stock of cropland decreased most prominently with a decrease rate of 9.02%.(Table 5) Page 7/23 Table 5 Carbon storage change for each land use types in the actual area of ecological restoration from 2015 to 2020 Land type Arable land Woodland Grassland Waters Residential land Unused land Carbon stock in 2015/106 t 6.32 16.13 4.38 1.26 0.76 0 Carbon stock in 2018106 t 6.18 16.87 4.62 1.31 0.72 0 Carbon stock in 2020/106 t 5.95 17.67 4.93 1.39 0.69 0 Carbon stock change /106 t -0.37 1.54 0.55 0.13 -0.07 0 3.2 Dynamic response of carbon stocks to ecological restoration measures 3 2 1 Vegetation restoration and greening 3.2 Dynamic response of carbon stocks to ecological restoration measures 3.2.1 Vegetation restoration and greening As shown in Fig. 3,the project is mainly deployed in Dahebian coal mine gangue mountain, no main gangue mountain, Dahebian coal mine gangue mountain area of 5.31 hm2, take the side discharge, side treatment method for management, mainly using gangue mountain slope reduction cutting, retaining wall, drainage ditch and vegetation restoration and greening and other projects for management. Related measures include site leveling about 0.330 hm2, covering soil area about 6800 m2, planting 365 trees, grass seeding area about 0.35 hm2. The carbon stocks of the three project sites were obtained by remote sensing images combined with aerial photography interpretation by UAV using the InVEST model, as shown in the figure, and the specific data are shown in the Table 6, the vegetation restoration and greening project implementation sites, during the period of 2015–2018, did not change significantly, and the carbon stocks increased by 0.63×106 t from 2018 to 2020. The specific data are shown in Fig. 4. Table 6 Changes in vegetation restoration and green carbon stock from 2015–2020 ProjectItem 2015 2018 2020 2015–2020 Variation/106 t Carbon stock/106 t 5.62 5.71 6.34 0.72 3.2.2 Vegetation degradation re-greening 3.2.2 Vegetation degradation re-greening 3.2.2 Vegetation degradation re-greening Page 8/23 As shown in Fig. 5,The project is located in the northern part of Dadi Village and the vegetation degradation area caused by Wangjiazhai and Naluo coal mines, with a total treatment area of 292.71hm2. The relevant measures include setting up protection areas, planting shrubs (tea trees) as the main measures, including the main sub-projects: shrub planting, construction of production roads, construction of machine farming roads, construction of water reservoirs, construction of irrigation pipeline network and other measures. Completion of revegetation 330 hm2. As shown in Fig. 5,The project is located in the northern part of Dadi Village and the vegetation degradation area caused by Wangjiazhai and Naluo coal mines, with a total treatment area of 292.71hm2. The relevant measures include setting up protection areas, planting shrubs (tea trees) as the main measures, including the main sub-projects: shrub planting, construction of production roads, construction of machine farming roads, construction of water reservoirs, construction of irrigation pipeline network and other measures. Completion of revegetation 330 hm2. 3.2.1 Vegetation restoration and greening The carbon stocks of the three project sites were obtained by remote sensing images combined with aerial photography interpretation by UAV using InVEST model, as shown in the figure, and the specific data are shown in the Table 7, the vegetation degradation regeneration project implementation sites, during the period of 2015–2018, the carbon stocks increased by 0.19×106 t, and during the period of 2018–2020, the carbon stocks increased by 0.13×106 t. The specific data are shown in Fig. 6. Table 7 Change in carbon stock of vegetation degradation re-greening, 2015–2020 ProjectItem 2015 2018 2020 2015–2020 Variation/106 t Carbon stock/106 t 4.99 5.18 5.31 0.32 Table 8 Change in carbon stock for soil improvement projects, 2015–2020 ProjectItem 2015 2018 2020 2015–2020 Variation/106 t Carbon stock/106 t 2.17 2.17 2.18 0.01 3.3 Analysis of the contribution of ecological restoration to carbon stocks 3.2.3 Soil improvement works As shown in Fig. 7,The soil improvement project is mainly arranged in the arable land within the Dazhai bag in Dazhai Village, totaling 51.34 hm2. The project uses in-situ passivation restoration + low absorption vegetable species planting to reduce the activity of heavy metals in the soil, reduce the accumulation in vegetables, ensure the safety of agricultural products and realize the safe use of soil. Under the premise of crop quality safety, try to ensure normal agricultural production; realize the production and restoration of the dam area at the same time. The main project includes: in-situ passivation restoration + low absorption vegetable species planting: 450 mu of leafy vegetables (lotus white, cabbage, lettuce, cilantro, shallot, garlic seedlings, coronary, celery, spinach, pea tips, etc., fishy grass), 150 mu of melon vegetables (zucchini, pumpkin) and 170 mu of bean vegetables (beans, peas, beans). The carbon stocks of the three project sites were obtained by remote sensing images combined with aerial photography interpretation by UAV using the InVEST model, as shown in Fig. The specific data are shown in the Table 8, the soil improvement project implementation sites, during 2015–2018, there was no significant change in carbon stocks, and during 2018–2020, the carbon stocks increased by 0.01×106 t. The specific data are shown in Fig. 8 Page 9/23 3.3 Analysis of the contribution of ecological restoration to carbon stocks It is obvious from the data that the growth of carbon stock in the study area is 12.86×106 t with a change rate of 3.03%, and the growth of carbon stock in the area where the ecological restoration actually occurred is 1.78×106 t with a change rate of 6.20%, where the proportion of carbon stock in the area where the ecological restoration actually occurred in the whole study area increased from 6.80–7.01%, and the change accounts for the total change 13.74%.(Table 9) Table 9 Comparison of carbon stock changes from 2015–2020 ProjectItem 2015 2018 2020 Amount of change Rate of change Variation/106 t Change rate/% Carbon stock in the study area/106 t 424.05 426.46 436.91 12.86 3.03% Carbon stock in the area where ecological restoration actually occurs/106 t 28.85 29.31 30.63 1.78 6.20% Percentage/% 6.80 6.87 7.01 13.74 / By analyzing the proportion of the increase in carbon stock of each land type in the actual occurrence area of ecological restoration to the total study area, we obtained the data as shown in Table 10, the contribution of forest land to the increase of carbon stock in ecological restoration reached 11.67%, and the contribution of grassland to the increase of carbon stock reached 8.89%, which is mainly due to the large area of afforestation caused by the reforestation and revegetation. Table 9 Comparison of carbon stock changes from 2015–2020 ProjectItem 2015 2018 2020 Amount of change Rate of change Variation/106 t Change rate/% Carbon stock in the study area/106 t 424.05 426.46 436.91 12.86 3.03% Carbon stock in the area where ecological restoration actually occurs/106 t 28.85 29.31 30.63 1.78 6.20% Percentage/% 6.80 6.87 7.01 13.74 / Table 9 Comparison of carbon stock changes from 2015–2020 By analyzing the proportion of the increase in carbon stock of each land type in the actual occurrence area of ecological restoration to the total study area, we obtained the data as shown in Table 10, the contribution of forest land to the increase of carbon stock in ecological restoration reached 11.67%, and the contribution of grassland to the increase of carbon stock reached 8.89%, which is mainly due to the large area of afforestation caused by the reforestation and revegetation. 3.3 Analysis of the contribution of ecological restoration to carbon stocks By analyzing the proportion of the increase in carbon stock of each land type in the actual occurrence area of ecological restoration to the total study area, we obtained the data as shown in Table 10, the contribution of forest land to the increase of carbon stock in ecological restoration reached 11.67%, and the contribution of grassland to the increase of carbon stock reached 8.89%, which is mainly due to the large area of afforestation caused by the reforestation and revegetation. By analyzing the proportion of the increase in carbon stock of each land type in the actual occurrence area of ecological restoration to the total study area, we obtained the data as shown in Table 10, the contribution of forest land to the increase of carbon stock in ecological restoration reached 11.67%, and the contribution of grassland to the increase of carbon stock reached 8.89%, which is mainly due to the large area of afforestation caused by the reforestation and revegetation. Page 10/23 Table 10 Carbon stock contribution of the actual occurrence area of ecological restoration, 2015–2020 ProjectItem Volume of change in the study area /106 t Actual occurrence of zone change /106 t Change volume as a percentage Arable land -5.29 -0.37 6.99% Woodland 13.2 1.54 11.67% Grassland 6.18 0.55 8.89% Waters -0.92 0.13 14.13% Residential land -0.31 -0.07 22.58% Unused land 0 0 0.00% By analyzing the impact of each measure on the change of carbon stock, it can be found that the vegetation restoration and greening measures have changed the land use type the most, mainly because of the large number of trees and land leveling, while the vegetation degradation restoration is also a large number of trees, but the tree species chosen is mainly shrubs (tea tree), which has a low carbon density, resulting in little change in carbon stock. The soil improvement project did not have much impact on carbon stock before and after the implementation, mainly because the restoration goal of the soil improvement project is to reduce the activity of heavy metals in the soil, reduce the accumulation of vegetables, ensure the safety of agricultural products, and realize the safe use of soil. This shows that the land use type was not changed, resulting in little change in carbon stocks. 4.1 Effect of carbon density data on estimation results The accuracy of carbon stock estimation results is mainly influenced by the input parameter data, so the selection of reasonable carbon density data is the key to model simulation. The carbon density data used in this study are mainly from previous related carbon density studies, and the selected data are processed to obtain carbon density data in Liupanshui area by carbon density correction formula. The carbon density data obtained in this study were compared with the carbon density data obtained by the actual measurement method in similar areas, and the results were relatively similar. 4. Discussion Many studies have shown that [23]. that the increase of forest land is beneficial to the increase of regional carbon stock, and the present study reached a similar conclusion, which is mainly related to the increase of forest land driven by the implementation of landscape, water, forest, field, lake and grass projects. It is worth noting that although the increase in the area of watershed and residential land is not conducive to the increase of regional carbon stock, its impact on carbon stock is not significant, mainly because the amount of area of these two types of land is much smaller than the increase in forest land, which is an important factor leading to the overall trend of increasing carbon stock in the region. At the same time, this also fully indicates that with the further effect of the ecological restoration project of mountains, water, forests, fields, lakes and grasses, the carbon stock in the region will continue to increase in the future period. Conversion of cropland to forest land exhibits strong carbon sink [24] The conversion of arable land to construction land will reduce the regional carbon sequestration capacity, which is influenced by mountainous terrain, with dry land mostly distributed on steep slopes and paddy land mostly distributed Page 11/23 Page 11/23 on dams. Under the coupling effect of the ecological restoration project of mountains, water, forests, fields, lakes and grasses and rapid urbanization, a large amount of dryland is converted to forest land and paddy land is converted to construction land, which makes the transfer of dryland have a positive effect on the increase of regional carbon stock, while the transfer of paddy land has a negative effect. If this scenario is developed, the contribution of dryland transfer to regional carbon stock increase will always be positive in the future, while the transfer of paddy land will continue to maintain the negative effect. 4.2 Impact of land use change on carbon stock The results of this study show that the carbon stock in the study area increased by 12.85×106 t from 2015 to 2020, showing an overall increasing trend, indicating that the carbon sequestration function of the ecosystem in the Liupanshui region has improved. Due to the model setting, the change of carbon stock mainly depends on the interconversion between different land types in the region. Liupanshui area is an ecologically fragile area because of the long-term mining exploitation, and its ecological environment is easily changed by external disturbance, while in recent years is the implementation of ecological management and protection projects also lead to significant changes in land use in the region. First, land use change is a complex process influenced by multiple socioeconomic and natural drivers. The time span of carbon density data used in this study is 2015–2020, which does not consider the temporal changes of carbon density of different land use types. Meanwhile, the carbon stock module of the InVEST model only considers the carbon density variation of different land use types, ignoring the spatial heterogeneity of carbon density within the same land use type. Therefore, the carbon density should be validated in future studies with the measured data. The implementation of the ecological restoration project of landscapes, forests, fields, lakes and grasses has caused changes in land use, which affects the carbon sequestration capacity of the ecosystem by changing the structure (species composition, biomass) and function (biodiversity, energy balance, carbon cycle, etc.) of the ecosystem. During the conversion of forest and grassland to cropland and cropland to urban construction and industrial land, the humus entering the soil decreases, and tillage practices also destroy the conservation of soil organic matter, increase the mineralization of soil humus, and reduce soil carbon storage. This is more consistent with the findings of Rong Yuejing et al. (2016) on the Taihu River basin in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Gao Hongjuan et al. (2016) on the Wujiang River Page 12/23 Page 12/23 Page 12/23 basin in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The carbon density of different land use types is an important factor influencing land use change on carbon stock changes, and carbon density is influenced by multiple factors such as climate, hydrological conditions, topography, and soil type (Xiqiao Liu et al.,2017). 4.2 Impact of land use change on carbon stock When existing studies use the InVEST model to assess carbon stocks, most of them are based on the carbon density that comes with the model and are modified by combining field surveys and related studies, which greatly improves the universality and scientific validity of the InVEST model (Jinpu Li et al.,2020). To further improve the estimation accuracy, monitoring and investigation of carbon density of different land use types need to be strengthened in future studies to obtain long-term and dynamic observation data to reduce the uncertainty brought by carbon density. The impact of land use change on carbon stock is ultimately driven mainly by human social activities (Ting-Hui Wang et al.,2021), such as administrative orders and related laws that have a direct impact on land use types (Jiayi Fu et al.,2020). 5. Conclusion In this study, based on RS and GIS means, with the help of InVEST model carbon stock module, we assessed the impact of land use changes on carbon stock under the mountain, water, forest, field, lake and grass restoration model in the karst region of southwest China, the ecologically fragile area of Liupanshui City, western Guizhou Province during 2015–2020, and came to the following main understandings:(1) the carbon in the study area in 2015, 2018 as well as 2020 The carbon stocks in the study area in 2015, 2018 and 2020 were 424.05×106 t, 426.46×106 t and 436.91×106 t, respectively, and the carbon stocks in the ecological restoration actual occurrence area in 2015, 2018 and 2020 were 28.85×106 t, 29.31×106 t and 30.63×106 t, respectively, all of which showed an increasing trend, with a cumulative increase of 12.86×106 t in the study area and a cumulative increase of 1.8×106 t in the ecological restoration actual occurrence area. (2) Forest land and cropland are the most important carbon pools in the study area, and their carbon stocks account for 83.86% of the total carbon sequestered by all land use types in the study area; (3) the total area of the actual ecological restoration area accounts for less than 7% of the total area of the study area, but it contributes 13.74% to the increase of carbon stocks in the study area; (4) the ecological restoration work in the landscape, forest, field, lake and grass Ecological restoration efforts have an overall positive effect on regional carbon stocks, but each measure contributes differently to carbon stocks, with afforestation (non-shrub) having the best effect on regional carbon stock increase, afforestation (shrub) being insignificant, and soil improvement works for crop health having no significant effect on carbon stocks. Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable. Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available in article and supplementary material. Acknowledgments: We thank the Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences for providing experimental site support for us. Acknowledgments: We thank the Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences for providing experimental site support for us. Acknowledgments: We thank the Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences for providing experimental site support for us. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Declarations Supplementary Materials: The following supporting information can be downloaded at: www.mdpi.com/xxx/s1, Figure S1: title; Table S1: title; Video S1: title. Author Contributions: T.F.,J.N. and H.W. contributed to the study conception and design. The first draft of themanuscript was written by J.N. and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript.All Page 13/23 authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript Funding: This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 4216070281). Funding: This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 4216070281). References Science Letter, 2020. 9. Eglinton, T.I., et al., Climate control on terrestrial biospheric carbon turnover. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021. 118(8). 10. M., P.R., et al., Management trade-offs between forest carbon stocks, sequestration rates and structural complexity in the central Adirondacks. Forest Ecology and Management, 2022. 525. 10. M., P.R., et al., Management trade-offs between forest carbon stocks, sequestration rates and structural complexity in the central Adirondacks. Forest Ecology and Management, 2022. 525. 11. Wiktor, H., et al., Editorial: Effects of Land Use on the Ecohydrology of River Basins in Accordance with Climate Change. land, 2022. 11(10). 11. Wiktor, H., et al., Editorial: Effects of Land Use on the Ecohydrology of River Basins in Accordance with Climate Change. land, 2022. 11(10). 12. Heyang, G., L. Yuefen and L. Shujie, Effects of interaction between biochar and nutrients on soil organic carbon sequestration in soda saline-alkalized grassland: a review. Global Ecology and Conservation, 2020 (prepublished). 13. F., A., et al., Spatiotemporal change detection of carbon storage and sequestration in an arid ecosystem by integrating Google Earth Engine and InVEST (the Jiroft plain, Iran). International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2021. 19(7). 14. Chengwu, W., et al., Analysis of the Driving Force of Spatial and Temporal Differentiation of Carbon Storage in Taihang Mountains Based on InVEST Model. Applied Sciences, 2022. 12(20). 14. Chengwu, W., et al., Analysis of the Driving Force of Spatial and Temporal Differentiation of Carbon Storage in Taihang Mountains Based on InVEST Model. Applied Sciences, 2022. 12(20). 15. Lyu, R., et al., Modeling the effects of urban expansion on regional carbon storage by coupling SLEUTH-3r model and InVEST model. Ecological Research, 2019. 34(3). 16. Xu Quan et al. Characteristics and regional differences of soil organic carbon density in Chinese farmland under different utilization practices. Chinese Agricultural Science, 2006(12): pp. 2505– 2510. 17. Xie Xianli, Sun Bo & Pan Xianzhang, Simulation of soil organic carbon stock in red soil hilly areas. China Population - Resources and Environment, 2010. 20(09): pp. 146–152. 18. Ma Qinyan et al. Carbon content analysis of major forest types in North China. Journal of Beijing Forestry University, 2002(Z1): pp. 100–104. 19. Li KJ et al. Carbon fluxes and interannual variability in terrestrial ecosystems in China. In Annual Meeting of the Chinese Meteorological Society 2003. Beijing, China. 20. Tui S. W. et al. References 1. Ting,W.; Xi,W.; Yao,Q.; Pan,G.; Hai,W. Spatial-temporal Correlation Analysis of Ecosystem Services Value and Human Activities in Danjiangkou Reservoir Area. Resources and environment in the yangtze basin, 2021, 30(2): 330–341. 1. Ting,W.; Xi,W.; Yao,Q.; Pan,G.; Hai,W. Spatial-temporal Correlation Analysis of Ecosystem Services Value and Human Activities in Danjiangkou Reservoir Area. Resources and environment in the yangtze basin, 2021, 30(2): 330–341. 2. Wang, Chunyi I. Impacts of climate change on agroecosystem services and adaptation measures. Journal of Ecology, 2022: pp. 1–15. 3. Chen Juanli, Hao Yan. Policy and institutional exploration of carbon emission impact assessment under the carbon peak target [J]. Journal of Central South Forestry University (Social Science Edition), 2022, 16 (06): 48–55. DOI: 10.14067/j.cnki.1673-9272.2022.06.007 4. Hu Angang, China's carbon peak target by 2030 and the main ways to achieve it. Journal of Beijing University of Technology (Social Science Edition), 2021. 21(3): pp. 1–15. 4. Hu Angang, China's carbon peak target by 2030 and the main ways to achieve it. Journal of Beijing University of Technology (Social Science Edition), 2021. 21(3): pp. 1–15. 5. Xiao, H., et al., Evaluation and Construction of Regional Ecological Network Based on Multi-Objective Optimization: A Perspective of Mountains -Rivers-Forests-Farmlands-Lakes-Grasslands Life Community Concept in China. Applied Sciences, 2022. 12(19): p. 9600. 6. Wang Jun, Zhong Lina. Application of ecosystem service theory and ecological protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands [J]. Journal of Ecology, 2019,39 (23): 8702–8708 6. Wang Jun, Zhong Lina. Application of ecosystem service theory and ecological protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands [J]. Journal of Ecology, 2019,39 (23): 8702–8708 7. Fu JX, Cao GC & Guo WJ, Spatial and temporal differentiation of mountain, water, forest, field, lake and grass in Qinghai area of Qilian Mountain National Park. Journal of Applied Ecology, 2021. 32(8): pp. 2866–2874. 7. Fu JX, Cao GC & Guo WJ, Spatial and temporal differentiation of mountain, water, forest, field, lake and grass in Qinghai area of Qilian Mountain National Park. Journal of Applied Ecology, 2021. 32(8): pp. 2866–2874. Page 14/23 8. Science; Findings from National Council for Science and Technology Update Knowledge of Science (Pervasive Human-driven Decline of Life On Earth Points To the Need for Transformative Change). Page 14/23 8. Science; Findings from National Council for Science and Technology Update Knowledge of Science (Pervasive Human-driven Decline of Life On Earth Points To the Need for Transformative Change). Science Letter, 2020. References Spatial econometric analysis of carbon emissions from energy consumption in China (in English). Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2012. 22(04): pp. 630–642. 21. Chen, G. S. et al. Advances in forest subsurface carbon allocation (TBCA). Journal of Subtropical Resources and Environment, 2007(01): pp. 34–42. 22. Zeng W. S. et al. Research on the integration method of all levels of stock data in forest resources survey and monitoring. Forest Resource Management, 2022(04): pp. 13–19. 23. Xie, S.Y. et al. Land use/cover changes in the main urban area of Wuhan and their effects on soil organic carbon stocks. Journal of Huazhong Normal University (Natural Science Edition), 2014. 48(03): pp. 442–447. 24. Chen YL et al. Effects of land use/cover change on forest ecosystem carbon stocks in Central Asia, 1975–2005. Journal of Natural Resources, 2015. 30(03): pp. 397–408. 24. Chen YL et al. Effects of land use/cover change on forest ecosystem carbon stocks in Central Asia, 1975–2005. Journal of Natural Resources, 2015. 30(03): pp. 397–408. Page 15/23 25. Rong, Yuejing, Zhang, Hui & Zhao, Xianfu, Carbon stock function under land use change in Taihu Lake basin based on InVEST model for the past 10 years. Jiangsu Agricultural Science, 2016. 44(06): pp. 447–451. 26. Gao Hongjuan et al. Characterization of topographic gradient distribution of important ecosystem services in Wujiang River Basin. Ecological Science, 2016. 35(05): pp. 154–159. 26. Gao Hongjuan et al. Characterization of topographic gradient distribution of important ecosystem services in Wujiang River Basin. Ecological Science, 2016. 35(05): pp. 154–159. 27. Liu, Xiqiao et al. Carbon stocks, carbon density and their spatial distribution in forest ecosystems of Hunan Province. Journal of Ecology, 2017. 36(09): pp. 2385–2393. 27. Liu, Xiqiao et al. Carbon stocks, carbon density and their spatial distribution in forest ecosystems of Hunan Province. Journal of Ecology, 2017. 36(09): pp. 2385–2393. 28. Li Jinpu et al. Spatial distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon density and storage in the Baiyangdian wetland area. Journal of Ecology, 2020. 40(24): pp. 8928–8935. 28. Li Jinpu et al. Spatial distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon density and storage in the Baiyangdian wetland area. Journal of Ecology, 2020. 40(24): pp. 8928–8935. 29. Wang, T. F. et al. Spatial and temporal correlations between ecosystem service values and human activities in the Danjiangkou Reservoir. Yangtze River Basin Resources and Environment, 2021. 30(02): pp. 330–341. 29. Wang, T. F. et al. References Spatial and temporal correlations between ecosystem service values and human activities in the Danjiangkou Reservoir. Yangtze River Basin Resources and Environment, 2021. 30(02): pp. 330–341. 30. Wu M.W., Zang C.F. & Fu J.Y. Land use changes and driving mechanisms in the Songliao Basin Area from 1990–2015. Chinese Agronomy Bulletin, 2020. 36(31): pp. 77–85. 30. Wu M.W., Zang C.F. & Fu J.Y. Land use changes and driving mechanisms in the Songliao Basin Area from 1990–2015. Chinese Agronomy Bulletin, 2020. 36(31): pp. 77–85. Figures Figures Page 16/23 Page 16/23 Figure 1 Stydy Area Page 17/23 Figure 2 Whole change of carbon storage from 2015 to 2020 Figure 2 Figure 2 Whole change of carbon storage from 2015 to 2020 Page 17/23 Page 17/23 Figure 3 Aerial Photo of Actual Mine Restoration in the Stydy Area Aerial Photo of Actual Mine Restoration in the Stydy Area Page 18/23 Figure 4 Carbon Storage of Comprehensive Treatment Project of Mine Environment Figure 4 Carbon Storage of Comprehensive Treatment Project of Mine Environment Page 19/23 Figure 5 Figure 5 Aerial Photo of Vegetation Degradation and Greening in the Stydy Area Page 20/23 Page 20/23 Figure 6 Carbon Storage of Vegetation Degradation and Greening Projects Figure 6 Figure 6 Carbon Storage of Vegetation Degradation and Greening Projects Page 21/23 Figure 7 Aerial Photo of Soil Improvement Project in the Stydy Area Page 22/23 Figure 8 Carbon Storage of Soil Improvement Project Figure 8 Carbon Storage of Soil Improvement Project Page 23/23
https://openalex.org/W4282595419
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.879360/pdf
English
null
Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Bioinformatics Analysis of the Fiber
Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
2,022
cc-by
7,756
Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Bioinformatics Analysis of the Fiber Ben Wang 1, Minchun Wang 2, Hongling Zhang 1, Jinfeng Xu 2, Jinyu Hou 2,3 and Yanzhu Zhu 2,3* 1 Animal Science and Technology College, Jilin Agriculture Science and Technology University, Jilin, China, 2 Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China, 3 College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China Canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) is a double-stranded DNA virus, which is the causative agent of fox encephalitis. The Fiber protein is one of the structural proteins in CAdV-1, which mediates virion binding to the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor on host cells. The suspected virus was cultured in the MDCK cells, and it was determined through the cytopathic effects, sequencing and electron microscopy. The informatics analysis of the Fiber was done using online bioinformatics servers. The CAdV-1-JL2021 strain was isolated successfully, and were most similar to the CAdV-1 strain circulating in Italy. The occurrence of negative selection and recombination were found in the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1. Host cell membrane was its subcellular localization. The CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber (ON164651) had 6 glycosylation sites and 107 phosphorylation sites, exerted adhesion receptor-mediated virion attachment to host cell, which was the same as CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber. The Fiber tertiary structure of the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 was different, but they had the same coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor. “VATTSPTLTFAYPLIKNNNH” were predicted to be the potential CAdV-1 B cell linear epitope. The MHC-I binding peptide “KLGVKPTTY” were both presented in the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber and it is useful to design the canine adenovirus vaccine. Edited by: Zhanbo Zhu, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, China Reviewed by: Yufei Zhang, Huazhong Agricultural University, China Xijun He, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China *Correspondence: Yanzhu Zhu zyzzu@126 com Edited by: Zhanbo Zhu, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, China Reviewed by: Yufei Zhang, Huazhong Agricultural University, China Xijun He, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China Reviewed by: Yufei Zhang, Huazhong Agricultural University, China Xijun He, *Correspondence: Yanzhu Zhu zyzzu@126.com Keywords: canine adenovirus 1, phylogenetic tree, bioinformatics analysis, B cell epitope, T cell epitope, Fiber *Correspondence: Yanzhu Zhu zyzzu@126.com BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT published: 13 June 2022 doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.879360 INTRODUCTION Specialty section: This article was submitted to Clinical Microbiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology Canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) is a double-stranded DNA genome virus belonging to the mastadenovirus genus of the adenoviridae family. This virus is the etiologic agent of fox encephalitis (Balboni et al., 2019). CAdV-1 is transmitted by saliva, feces, urine (Yang et al., 2019). Foxes infected with CAdV-1 present with fever, cough, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, convulsions, and the characteristic clinical sign of blue eye (corneal edema) (Sun et al., 2019). The large-scale use of the CAdV-2 live attenuated vaccine has reduced the prevalence of CAdV-1. However, CAdV-1 also circulates in wildlife with high pathogenicity and a broad host range (Verin et al., 2019; Zhu et al., 2020). Surveillance for new genetic variants is necessary to evaluate the potential impacts of CAdV-1 on wildlife species. Received: 19 February 2022 Accepted: 25 April 2022 Published: 13 June 2022 Keywords: canine adenovirus 1, phylogenetic tree, bioinformatics analysis, B cell epitope, T cell epitope, Fiber Polymerase Chain Reaction Polymerase Chain Reaction Following infection, DNA was extracted from MDCK cells using the MagicPure® Simple 32 Viral DNA/RNA Kit (EC311-32-11). Amplification of the 508bp CAdV-1 fragment was accomplished using previously published primers (Hu et al., 2001) (Forward primer-HA1:5’-CGCGCTGAACATTACTACCTTGTC-3’ and Reverse primer-HA2:5’-CCTAGAGCACTTCGTGTCCG CTT-3’). Reactions were run in a 50 µL sample volume consisting of 1 µL of DNA template, 25 mL of 2×EasyTaq® PCR SuperMix (Transgen Biotech, AS111-01), 1 µL of forward and reverse primers each, and 22 µL of sterile deionized nuclease free water. The thermocycling profile for amplification was as follow: 5 min of denaturation at 95°C followed by 35 cycles of 1 min of denaturation at 95°C, 15 s of annealing at 58°C, and 30 s of extension at 72°C, with a final 5 min of extension at 72°C. Amplicons were resolved using1.0% agarose gel electrophoresis and stained with GelStain (Transgen Biotech, GS101-01) to visualize the product. An immunogenic protein, the Fiber protein is an attractive candidate for use in the development of subunit vaccines (De Luca et al., 2020). Fiber protein subunit vaccines have been demonstrated to protect fowl against fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (Ruan et al., 2018) and FAdV-8b (Gupta et al., 2017). Limited data have been reported demonstrating efficacy of Fiber protein vaccines against CAdV-1. The bioinformatics may have important applications in the newly discovered and emerging viruses prediction (Foroutan et al., 2018). Bioinformatics analysis of the ROP8 protein was conducted during the design process of a vaccine targeting Toxoplasma gondii (Foroutan et al., 2018). Bioinformatic analysis of the Fiber will be the first step to design the vaccine. In the present study, a CAdV-1 isolated from a sick fox on a farm was characterized and the resulting Fiber sequence data were analyzed using bioinformatics. The resulting data provides a rational and theoretical starting point for the development of CAdV-1 control measures and vaccine development. PCR amplification using the CAdV-1 Fiber primer pair (Fiber-F:5’-ATGAAGCGGACACGAAGTGCT-3’; Fiber-R:5’- TCATTGATTTTCCCCCACATAGGTGAAG-3’) yielding a 1063 bp fragment. The target region PCR reactions were performed six times in 50 µL reaction volumes containing 1 µL denatured DNA template, 5 mL of buffer, 2 mL of 25mM MgSO4, 1 µL of each primer (10 pmol/µL), 5 mL of 2 mM dNTPs, 1 mL of KOD plus (TOYOBO, KOD-201, 1.0 U/µL) and 34 µL of sterile deionized water. Polymerase Chain Reaction The thermocycling profile used was as follows: 5 min denaturation at 95°Cfollowed by 30 cycles of 30 s denaturation at 95°C, 30 s annealing at 60°C, and 1 min extension at 72°C, with a final 5 min extension at 72°C. The amplicons were resolved using 1.0% agarose gel electrophoresis and stained with GelStain (Transgen Biotech, GS101-01). Ethics Statement This experiment was approved by the ethics committee at the Jilin Agriculture Science and Technology University, and the procedures complied with IACUC guidelines on the animals’ care and use for scientific purposes. Preparation of Liver Tissue A fox presenting with clinical encephalitis was collected from a farm in Jilin. One part of the liver was stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) (Lin et al., 2018). The other part of the liver was homogenized in 1 mL of sterile phosphate buffer (PBS), and was centrifuged for 10 min at 8000 g/min. The supernatants were collected and filtered through a filter with a 0.22 µ M pore size and stored at - 80°C. Citation: Wang B, Wang M, Zhang H, Xu J, Hou J and Zhu Y (2022) Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Bioinformatics Analysis of the Fiber. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 12:879360. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.879360 The CAdV-1 genome is 32 kb in length and contains 30 open reading frames (Pizzurro et al., 2017). The Fiber protein is the main capsid protein. The Fiber protein is composed of 3 domains, referred to as the tail, shaft, and knob (Schoehn et al., 2008). During CAdV-1 replication, the Fiber protein binds to the receptor, destroys the binding integrity of the receptor, allowing for viral entry June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Wang et al. into the host cell, and subsequent dissemination between cells. This cell to cell spread helps the virus minimize time in the extracellular environment, greatly limiting detection by the immune system (Walters et al., 2002). When CAdV-1 is detected and identified, Fiber nucleotide sequences are usually selected for homology and similarity analysis in CAdV-1 and CAdV-2 (Balboni et al., 2022). distinct CPE were further characterized by negative-stain transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine morphological characteristics of the infecting virus (Prasad et al., 2020). Bioinformatics Analysis of Fiber Protein Physical and Chemical Properties, Phosphorylation, and Glycosylation Sites Protparam (Walker, 2005) was used to predict the instability coefficient, average water absorption coefficient, relative molecular weight, amino acid composition and isoelectric point of charged amino acids in the Fiber protein. The Protscale with Hphob./Kyte & Doolittle (Walker, 2005) was used to predict the hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the Fiber protein. Phylogenetic and Homology Analyses y g gy y Electrophoretically resolved amplicons from the PCR reactions were eluted from the gel matrix using the EasyPure® Quick Gel Extraction Kit (TransGen, EG101-01), and cloned into an amplification plasmid using the pMD™18-T Vector Cloning Kit (TaKaRa, 6011). Sequencing of the purified plasmids was performed using Sanger sequencing by the Comate Bioscience Co., Ltd. The sequences were assembled and aligned according to the CAdV-1 reference sequences in GenBank, and were translated into amino acid sequences using BioEdit 7.2.5. The resulting Fiber nucleotide sequence (CAdV-1-JL2021 strain) was blasted in the NCBI database and compared to the 14 most similar Fiber nucleotide sequence of all CAdV strains. Based on the sequences, a phylogenetic tree was constructed using the MEGA 7.0.20 software with the neighbor-joining method. The reliability of the phylogenetic tree was verified through the bootstrap method with 1,000 replicates. Cytopathic Effect and Virus Morphology CAdV-1 infection was performed in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells (ATCC CCL-34, derived from normal kidney of Canis familiaris). MDCK cells were cultured at 37°C in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) containing 10% of fetal bovine solution (FBS) and 1% Penicillin-Streptomycin in a 5% CO2 incubator. Confluent MDCK cells (70-90%) were washed with PBS (pH 7.2), and inoculated with 100 µL of filtered liver homogenate supernatant at 37°C for 1 h. Nine milliliters of fresh DMEM containing 5% FBS was added, and the plate was incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2. The cytopathic effect (CPE) was observed and photographed daily. The MDCK infected cells with June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Wang et al. T and B Cell Epitope Prediction p p The BCpred method (El-Manzalawy et al., 2008) (Methods: Fixed length epitope prediction- BCPred, Epitope length-20, Specificity-75%, report only non-overlapping epitopes) was used to predict potential B cell epitopes. MHC-I binding peptides were obtained using the IEDB Analysis Resource (Vita et al., 2019) (Sort peptides by-Predicted Score (descend), Output format-XHTML table). The MHC allele selected for the analysis was DLA-8803401, and the length was 14 aa, with the Transmembrane Region, Signal Peptide, Secondary and Tertiary Structure Prediction y In the CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber, CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber, the transmembrane region was predicted using TMHMMServer 2.0 (Krogh et al., 2001) (Extensive, with graphics). SignalP 5.0 Server (Nielsen et al., 2019) (Eukarya, Long output) was used to predict the signal peptide. Potential secondary structure characteristics were predicted using SOPMA (Deléage ALIGNSEC, 2017) (Number of conformational states-4 (Helix, sheet, turn, coil), Similarity threshold-8, Window width-17). The tertiary structure of CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber, CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber and the Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor _XP_038299179 were predicted using Robetta (Nerli and Sgourakis, 2019). The Fiber Selective Pressure Analysis Negative selective pressure was identified in 375, 281, 292, 170 sites of CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber (Figures 2C–F). Negative selective pressure was identified in 22 sites of CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber (Figures 2C’–F’). The Fiber Recombination Analysis The evidence of recombination breakpoint was found in the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1Fiber GARD analysis. The CAdV-1-JL2021 alignment contained 42 potential breakpoints and 1 inferred breakpoint (Figures 2G–I). The CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 alignment contained 148 potential breakpoints and 2 inferred breakpoint (Figures 2G’–I’). The Fiber Recombination Analysis The evidence of recombination breakpoint was found in the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1Fiber GARD analysis. The CAdV-1-JL2021 alignment contained 42 potential breakpoints and 1 inferred breakpoint (Figures 2G–I). The CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 alignment contained 148 potential breakpoints and 2 inferred breakpoint (Figures 2G’–I’). Protein Subcellular Localization and Function Prediction Virus Isolation and Identification The CPE was observed in MDCK cells. The typical “grape cluster morphology” of CPE was observed while control monolayers remained intact (Figures 1A, B). CAdV-JL2021 caused a series of morphological changes in fox liver, such as cell swelling and necrosis (Figure 1C). The cell with CPE were further examined by TEM, PCR, and sequencing. Characteristic adenoviral particles were observed by TEM (Figure 1D). A 508 bp fragment of the E3 gene was amplified for primary detection. It indicated that the CAdV-1 strain was first isolated. Next, a 1632 bp (Figure 1E) target band consistent with the Fiber gene was amplified and submitted to the GeneBank (ON164651). The Protein subcellular localization of CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber was predicted by Virus-mPLoc in Cell-PLoc 2.0 (Chou and Shen, 2008). The Fiber function of the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 were predicted by EMBL-EBI (Madeira et al., 2022). Bioinformatics Analysis of Fiber Protein Physical and Chemical Properties, Phosphorylation, and Glycosylation Sites The Fiber Phylogenetic and Homology Analyses Three different clusters were identified through the phylogenetic analyses of the Fiber gene sequences accessioned in GenBank. The CAdV-1-JL2021 strain belongs to CAdV-1, and apparently has a close relationship with CAdV-1 strain (accession number, KP840546). This present study revealed the unique nature of the new strain (Figure 2A). The NetPhos 3.1 Server (Blom et al., 1999) (Residues to predict serine-all three, Output format-classical, Generate graphics) was used to predict the potential phosphorylation sites of the Fiber protein. The potential glycosylation sites of the Fiber protein were predicted using the NetNGlyc 1.0 Server (Gupta and Brunak, 2002) with generate graphics. The protein sequences of the CAdV-1 Fiber gene (1632 bp in length, 543 amino acid residues) were compared with CAdV Fiber gene sequences available from NCBI (Figure 2B). The sequence of the Fiber gene was determined and was more similar with isolates from Italy (KP840546), suggesting that the isolated virus was CAdV-1. The virus identified in this study also shared 97.8 to 99.82% identity with other CAdV-1 strains. Transmembrane Region, Signal Peptide, Secondary and Tertiary Structure Prediction Selective Pressure and Recombination Analysis MHC source species being dog. Binding predictions of MHC-II performed using IEDB Analysis Resource as well. The prediction method used was IEDB recommended 2.22. The selected MHC allele was DRB1*01:01. Based on the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber nucleotide sequence, the selective pressure and recombination analysis were conducted through SLAC (Kosakovsky Pond and Frost, 2005) and GARD (Kosakovsky Pond et al., 2006) method in Datamonkey. Fiber Protein Subcellular Localization and Function Prediction The predicted location of the CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber was host cell membrane (Figure 2J). The predicted location of the CAdV-2- AC_000020.1 Fiber was host cell membrane and host cytoplasm June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org 3 Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Wang et al. FIGURE 1 | The isolation and identification of the canine adenovirus 1. (A) Normal MDCK; (B) MDCK with CPE; (C) HE staining of liver; (D) Electron microscopy observation of the adenovirus particles; (E) Amplification of the Fiber gene and identification of adenovirus. FIGURE 1 | The isolation and identification of the canine adenovirus 1. (A) Normal MDCK; (B) MDCK with CPE; (C) HE staining of liver; (D) Electron microscopy observation of the adenovirus particles; (E) Amplification of the Fiber gene and identification of adenovirus. (Figure 2J’). CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1Fiber exerted adhesion receptor-mediated virion attachment to host cell. (Figure 2J’). CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1Fiber exerted adhesion receptor-mediated virion attachment to host cell. phosphorylation sites, 47 potential threonine phosphorylation sites and 8 tyrosine phosphorylation sites. However, the Fiber protein in CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 were not expected to have either a transmembrane region or signal peptide, as were shown in Figures 3E, E’, F, F’, respectively. Prediction on Fiber Secondary and Tertiary Structure The number of amino acids in the Fiber protein was 543, the molecular weight was 56974.49 g/mol, the isoelectric point was 6.26, and the instability coefficient was 39.33. There were 143 amino acids in the hydrophobic region (> 0.5), 168 amino acids in the hydrophilic region (< - 0.5), suggesting that CAdV-1- JL2021 Fiber was a hydrophilic protein. (Figure 3A). According to the CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber, the average hydrophobicity of the Fiber protein is -0.092. There were 129 amino acids in the hydrophobic region (> 0.5), 161 amino acids in the hydrophilic region (< - 0.5), suggesting that CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber was a hydrophilic protein (Figure 3A’). Prediction on Fiber Secondary and Tertiary Structure The CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber protein a- Helix (Hh), extended chain (EE), b- proportions of angle (TT) and irregular curl (CC) were 0.92%, 34.81%, 6.45% and 57.83% respectively (Figure 3D). The CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber protein a- Helix (Hh), extended chain (EE), b- proportions of angle (TT) and irregular curl (CC) were 1.29%, 36.53%, 4.24% and 57.93% respectively (Figure 3D’). The Fiber tertiary structure of the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 was different, but they had the same coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (Figures 3G–I). Their binding models were also predicted (Figures 3J, K). Fiber Prediction of Phosphorylation and Glycosylation Sites (A) CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber Phylogenetic tree; (B) CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber Homology analyses; (C) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-Partition information; (C’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Selective pressure-Partition information; (D) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-SLAC site graph; (D’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Selective pressure-SLAC site graph; (E) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-SLAC Phylogenetic alignment; (E’) CAdV-2- AC_000020.1 Selective pressure-SLAC Phylogenetic alignment; (F) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-Fitted tree; (F’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Selective pressure- Fitted tree; (G) CAdV-1-JL2021 Recombination detection-General information; (G’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Recombination detection-General information; (H) CAdV- 1-JL2021 ecombination detection-Left: the best placement of breakpoints inferred by the algorithm for each number of breakpoints considered. Right: the improvement in the c-AIC score between successive breakpoint numbers (log scale). (H’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Recombination detection-Left: the best placement of breakpoints inferred by the algorithm for each number of breakpoints considered. Right: the improvement in the c-AIC score between successive breakpoint numbers (log scale). (I) CAdV-1-JL2021 Recombination detection-Model-averaged support for breakpoint placement; (I’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Recombination detection-Model-averaged support for breakpoint placement. (J) CAdV-1-JL2021 Subcellular localization; (J’) CAdV-2-AC_00020.1 Subcellular localization. FIGURE 2 | The nucleotide analysis of the Fiber. (A) CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber Phylogenetic tree; (B) CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber Homology analyses; (C) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-Partition information; (C’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Selective pressure-Partition information; (D) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-SLAC site graph; (D’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Selective pressure-SLAC site graph; (E) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-SLAC Phylogenetic alignment; (E’) CAdV-2- AC_000020.1 Selective pressure-SLAC Phylogenetic alignment; (F) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-Fitted tree; (F’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Selective pressure- Fitted tree; (G) CAdV-1-JL2021 Recombination detection-General information; (G’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Recombination detection-General information; (H) CAdV- 1-JL2021 ecombination detection-Left: the best placement of breakpoints inferred by the algorithm for each number of breakpoints considered. Right: the improvement in the c-AIC score between successive breakpoint numbers (log scale). (H’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Recombination detection-Left: the best placement of breakpoints inferred by the algorithm for each number of breakpoints considered. Right: the improvement in the c-AIC score between successive breakpoint numbers (log scale). (I) CAdV-1-JL2021 Recombination detection-Model-averaged support for breakpoint placement; (I’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Recombination detection-Model-averaged support for breakpoint placement. (J) CAdV-1-JL2021 Subcellular localization; (J’) CAdV-2-AC_00020.1 Subcellular localization. CAdV-2. The haemagglutination and neutralization tests do not provide definitive differentiation between CAdV-1 and CAdV-2 isolated from the digestive tract (Timurkan et al., 2018). However, PCR is a powerful tool for the differentiation of CAdV-1 and CAdV-2 (Balboni et al., 2019; Oleaga et al., 2021). The genomic region encoding the E3 gene and flanking sequences were selected as the target for a pair of primers to diagnose and differentiate the two serotypes of CAdV (Hu et al., 2001). Fiber Prediction of Phosphorylation and Glycosylation Sites The resulting PCR product produced bands 508 bp of CAdV-1 E3 gene, and 1632 bp of CAdV-1 Fiber gene, which will identify the occurrence of CAdV-1 in fox using sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. the 432, 202, 80 sites of CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 were simultaneously predicted. CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2- AC_000020.1 Fiber did not have the same B cell linear epitopes. CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber had 3 and 2 discontinuous epitopes, respectively (Figures 4B–F). CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber had 9 MHC-I binding peptides, respectively. Importantly, the peptide “KLGVKPTTY” were both presented in the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber (Figures 4G, H). CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber had 7 MHC-II binding peptides, respectively (Figures 4I, J). the 432, 202, 80 sites of CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 were simultaneously predicted. CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2- AC_000020.1 Fiber did not have the same B cell linear epitopes. CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber had 3 and 2 discontinuous epitopes, respectively (Figures 4B–F). CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber had 9 MHC-I binding peptides, respectively. Importantly, the peptide “KLGVKPTTY” were both presented in the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber (Figures 4G, H). CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber had 7 MHC-II binding peptides, respectively (Figures 4I, J). Double-stranded DNA viruses tend to have lower mutation rates than RNA genome viruses (Sanjuán and Domingo-Calap, 2016). Nucleotide sequence alignment between the CAdV-1- JL2021 strain and 14 reference strains showed high identities ranging from 97.8 to 99.82%. A phylogenetic tree of 23 Fiber nucleatide acid sequences found that the CAdV-1-JL2021 strain was included in the KP840546 strain containing subgroup. The study of this virus strain can provide an alternative strain for the diagnosis and prevention of fox encephalitis. Fiber Prediction of Phosphorylation and Glycosylation Sites T and B Cell Epitope Prediction in Fiber 11 and 14 of B cell linear epitopes were predicted in the Fiber of CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1, respectively (Figure 4A). The peptides in the 1, 9, 433, 198, 168, 272, 71 sites of CAdV-1-JL2021 were simultaneously predicted. Importantly, the peptide “VATTSPTLTFAYPLIKNNNH” was both predicted by the IEDB, BCPred and ElliPro. The peptides in In Figure 3B, 6 glycosylation sites (242, 319, 375, 438, 450 and 493) were identified in the Fiber protein. It can be seen in Figure 3C. CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber had 59 serine phosphorylation sites, 42 potential threonine phosphorylation sites and 6 tyrosine phosphorylation sites. In Figure 3B’, 4 glycosylation sites (125, 320, 437, 449) were identified in the Fiber protein. It can be seen in Figure 3C’, CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber had 42 serine June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Wang et al. A B D D’ E E’ F F’ G G’ I I’ H H’ J J’ C C’ FIGURE 2 | The nucleotide analysis of the Fiber. (A) CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber Phylogenetic tree; (B) CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber Homology analyses; (C) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-Partition information; (C’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Selective pressure-Partition information; (D) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-SLAC site graph; (D’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Selective pressure-SLAC site graph; (E) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-SLAC Phylogenetic alignment; (E’) CAdV-2- AC_000020.1 Selective pressure-SLAC Phylogenetic alignment; (F) CAdV-1-JL2021 Selective pressure-Fitted tree; (F’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Selective pressure- Fitted tree; (G) CAdV-1-JL2021 Recombination detection-General information; (G’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Recombination detection-General information; (H) CAdV- 1-JL2021 ecombination detection-Left: the best placement of breakpoints inferred by the algorithm for each number of breakpoints considered. Right: the improvement in the c-AIC score between successive breakpoint numbers (log scale). (H’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Recombination detection-Left: the best placement of breakpoints inferred by the algorithm for each number of breakpoints considered. Right: the improvement in the c-AIC score between successive breakpoint numbers (log scale). (I) CAdV-1-JL2021 Recombination detection-Model-averaged support for breakpoint placement; (I’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Recombination detection-Model-averaged support for breakpoint placement. (J) CAdV-1-JL2021 Subcellular localization; (J’) CAdV-2-AC_00020.1 Subcellular localization. D’ E’ F’ G G’ I I’ H H’ J J’ D D E A D’ D D’ G G’ G’ E F’ I I’ H H’ J J’ B B B F C C’ F C I’ FIGURE 2 | The nucleotide analysis of the Fiber. DISCUSSION The size and shape of CAdV particles were similar to those of CAdV-1 and CAdV-2 strains isolated from fox (Choi et al., 2014; Tamukai et al., 2020). However, virus isolation is a very time- consuming diagnostic test, which further necessitates additional molecular tests to classify the etiologic agent as either CAdV-1 or June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org 5 Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Wang et al. A A’ B B’ E E’ F F’ G I H J K C D D’ C’ GURE 3 | The structure prediction of the Fiber protein. (A) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber Hydrohilicity and hydeophobicity; (A’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber Hydrohilicity nd hydeophobicity; (B) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber N-glycosylation potential position; (B’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber N-glycosylation potential position; (C) CAdV-1 L2021 Fiber Phosphorylation potential position; (C’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber Phosphorylation potential position; (D) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber secondary structure; D’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber secondary structure; (E) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber Signal peptide; (E’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber Signal peptide; (F) CAdV-1 JL2021 ber transmembrane region; (F’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber transmembrane region; (G) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber Three-dimensional structure; (H) Coxsackievirus nd adenovirus receptor (CAR) Three-dimensional structure; (I) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber Three-dimensional structure; (J) Interaction between CAdV-1 JL2021 ber and CAR; (K) Interaction between CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber and CAR. A A’ B B’ E E’ A A’ B B’ E E’ C C C’ I H D’ G H D D G H D D’ J I H K G FIGURE 3 | The structure prediction of the Fiber protein. (A) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber Hydrohilicity and hydeophobicity; (A’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber Hydrohilicity and hydeophobicity; (B) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber N-glycosylation potential position; (B’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber N-glycosylation potential position; (C) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber Phosphorylation potential position; (C’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber Phosphorylation potential position; (D) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber secondary structure; (D’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber secondary structure; (E) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber Signal peptide; (E’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber Signal peptide; (F) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber transmembrane region; (F’) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber transmembrane region; (G) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber Three-dimensional structure; (H) Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) Three-dimensional structure; (I) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber Three-dimensional structure; (J) Interaction between CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber and CAR; (K) Interaction between CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber and CAR. Selection is an essential component of any evolutionary system and analyzing this fundamental force in evolution can provide relevant insights into the evolutionary development of a population (Haasdijk and Heinerman, 2018). DISCUSSION negative selection removed amino-acid changes that reduced fitness, positive selection maintained amino-acid changes that increase virus fitness. Neutral selection was that the fitness was not affected by the amino-acid changes. In this experiment, negative selective pressure was identified in 375, 281, 292, 170 sites of CAdV-1- JL2021 Fiber and in the 22 sites of CAdV-2-AC_000020.1. The presence of negative selection implies that the sites were functionally important in the virus evolution. The sites in the CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber were less than that of CAdV-2-AC_000020.1. The less negative selection site maybe that the numbers of nucleotide substitutions (cS 1 cN) observed were insufficient for detecting statistically significant differences between cS and cN. More sequence data should be collected in the future. The negative selection identified in CAdV-1- JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 protein may help the June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org Wang et al. Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation A B D E F G I H J C FIGURE 4 | The epitope analysis of the Fiber protein. (A) Table 1 B cell linear epitope prediction; (B–D) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber discontinuous epitopes; (E, F) CAdV- 2-AC_000020.1 Fiber discontinuous epitopes; (G) Table 2 CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber MHC-I-binding prediction; (H) Table 3 CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber MHC-I-binding prediction. (I) Table 4 CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber MHC-II Binding Prediction; (J) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber MHC-II Binding Prediction. A B B D C G D C G H E H J FIGURE 4 | The epitope analysis of the Fiber protein. (A) Table 1 B cell linear epitope prediction; (B–D) CAdV-1 JL2021 Fiber discontinuous epitopes; (E, F) CAdV- 2-AC_000020.1 Fiber discontinuous epitopes; (G) Table 2 CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber MHC-I-binding prediction; (H) Table 3 CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber MHC-I-binding prediction. (I) Table 4 CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber MHC-II Binding Prediction; (J) CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber MHC-II Binding Prediction. The subcellular location of a protein is highly related to its function (Pan et al., 2020). Identifying the location of a given protein is an essential step for investigating its related function. The host cell membrane was the subcellular location of the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1. But host cytoplasm was also the subcellular location of the CAdV-2-AC_000020.1. It indicates that they may have different function during the virus infection. It predicted that CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2- AC_000020.1Fiber exerted adhesion receptor-mediated virion attachment to host cell. More evidences need to further find the function difference between the CAdV-1 and CAdV-2. DISCUSSION In the prokaryotic expression and purification of Fiber protein, the corresponding test scheme can be formulated according to its hydrophilic characteristics. was both a viral receptor and cell adhesion protein (Readler et al., 2019). CAV-2 had been shown to use CAR as a primary receptor (Soudais et al., 2000). But limited data showed the interaction between Knob of the Fiber and the CAR. The CAdV- 1 and CAdV-2 fiber–knobs may share a common receptor as evidenced by the ability of the CAdV- 1 knob to inhibit Ad5Luc1-CK2 function (Stoff-Khalili et al., 2005). In our experiment, The Fiber in CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2- AC_000020.1, CAR were predicted. The binding model between Fiber and CAR was also predicted. It will be helpful to clarify the interaction between Fiber and CAR. The B cell linear peptide “VATTSPTLTFAYPLIKNNNH” in CAdV-1-JL2021 was predicted by the IEDB, BCPred and ElliPro. It indicates that this peptide had high potential in the epitope vaccine design. The B cell linear peptides “STGNINSTTTWGEKPWGNNT” of CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 were both predicted by the IEDB and BCPred. CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber did not have the same peptide. It indicates that B cell linear epitope vaccine should be developed in the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2- AC_000020.1, respectively. Importantly, the T cell peptide “KLGVKPTTY” were both predicted in the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber. It indicates that T cell epitope vaccine maybe both efficient for the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2- AC_000020.1, respectively. Protein phosphorylation is crucial for multiple biological processes including signal transduction, regulation of cell cycle and gene expression through post-translational modifications (Luo et al., 2019; Mehrpouyan et al., 2021). For example, the N protein phosphorylation impairs porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus growth efficiency in porcine alveolar macrophages (Chen et al., 2019). Thus, it is important to predict protein phosphorylation sites in the Fiber protein. It was predicted that CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber protein had 107 phosphorylation sites. The phosphorylation of Fiber protein is related to its antigenicity and virulence. Like phosphorylation, glycosylation is also an important post-translational modification, which affects the structure and function of proteins (Macedo-da-Silva et al., 2021). The glycosylation of the Newcastle disease virus (Kosakovsky Pond et al., 2006) resulted in a virus that was able to proliferate faster than that of the vaccine (Schön et al., 2021). The CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber protein has six glycosylation sites, suggesting that it is related to the virus titer and proliferation rate of CAdV-1. DISCUSSION identification of highly conserved regions useful to implement new future diagnostic protocols. Natural recombination is an important strategy for viruses to adapt to new environmental conditions and hosts. Besides evolving through nucleotide substitution, viruses frequently also evolve by genetic recombination which can occur when related viral variants co-infect the same cells (Varsani et al., 2018). More CAdV genome sequences were added to GenBank, CAdV-1 and CAdV-2 sequences arising from different parts of world. Therefore, it is necessary to find the recombination for genetic variability, and it will be helpful to understand the evolutionary process of the CAdV genome (Eltahir et al., 2011). In our experiment, recombination break-point were observed in the 143 site of CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber, and 397, 1558 site of CAdV-2-AC_000020.1. In the evolution of the CAdV-1 populations, the recombination was not a common event. The genetic diversity of CAdV-1 evolutionary maybe attribute to the recombination. During the infection, the same animal maybe infected by different CAdV genotypes, and this condition will contribute to the CAdV recombination. In the process of CAdV infection, the Fiber protein interacts with the host cell receptor to adsorb on the host cell. While much of the current literature focuses on analysis of the Fiber gene nucleic acid sequence of virus isolates (Schoehn et al., 2008), few have gone so far as to predict the molecular characteristics of the Fiber protein. The isoelectric point was predicted to be 6.26. When pH of the environment was 6.26, the net surface charge of CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber protein was 0. At this time, the Fiber proteins repeled each other in solution, the force between June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org 7 Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Wang et al. molecules was weakened, and Fiber precipitation occured readily. Thus, at the isoelectric point, Fiber protein was easy to obtain because of its low solubility. When the instability coefficient of the protein was greater than 40, it was considered to be an unstable protein (Dong et al., 2021). The total average hydrophobicity of the hydrophilic protein was less than 0 (Zhou, 2016). The average hydrophobicity of the CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber protein was -0.092, suggesting that it was a hydrophilic protein. Protein dissolution in supernatant was an ideal result of prokaryotic expression, but the specific distribution of protein in supernatant and precipitation still need to be analyzed by SDS- PAGE. CONCLUSION In this experiment, the CAdV-1-JL2021 strain was isolated successfully, and were most similar to the CAdV-1 strain circulating in Italy. The occurrence of negative selection and recombination were found in the CAdV-1-JL2021. Host cell membrane was its subcellular localization. The CAdV-1-JL2021 Fiber (ON164651) exerted adhesion receptor-mediated virion attachment to host cell, which was the same as CAdV-2- AC_000020.1 Fiber. “VATTSPTLTFAYPLIKNNNH” were predicted to be the potential CAdV-1 B cell linear epitope. The MHC-I binding peptide “KLGVKPTTY” were both predicted in the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber, and it is useful to design the canine adenovirus epitope vaccine. The secondary structure prediction results showed that the extended chain and irregular curl accounted for the majority of the Fiber protein secondary structure. The irregular curl is responsible for a protein’s enzymatic activity and protein specific functions (Simm et al., 2021). It was also observed that the CAdV-1-JL2021 and CAdV-2-AC_000020.1 Fiber protein contains a large number of antigenic determinants, which is consistent with the prediction results of antigenic determinants. Antigenic determinants can specifically bind to corresponding antibodies or B cells. Since the Fiber protein is the main capsid protein on the adenovirus surface, its antigenic determinants can cause strong neutralization reactions. Therefore, predicting the antigenic determinants of Fiber protein and the dominant B cell epitopes is helpful to understand the mechanisms of viral neutralization via responses to the Fiber protein. DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary files. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author. DISCUSSION The phosphorylation sites and glycosylation sites of CAdV-1- JL2021 Fiber protein is the same as that of CAdV-2- AC_000020.1 Fiber protein. It indicates that they have the same function. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES F., Rosa-Fernandes, L., Marinho, C. R. F., and Palmisano, G. (2021). Protein Glycosylation in Extracellular Vesicles: Structural Characterization and Biological Functions. Mol. Immunol. 135, 226–246. doi: 10.1016/j.molimm.2021.04.017 Chou, K. C., and Shen, H. B. (2008). Cell-PLoc: A Package of Web Servers for Predicting Subcellular Localization of Proteins in Various Organisms. Nat. Protoc. 3, 153–162. doi: 10.1038/nprot.2007.494 Madeira, F., Pearce, M., Tivey, A. R. N., Basutkar, P., Lee, J., Edbali, O., et al. (2022). Search and Sequence Analysis Tools Services From EMBL-EBI in 2022. Nucleic Acids Res. 2022, 1–4. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac240 Deléage ALIGNSEC, G. (2017). Viewing Protein Secondary Structure Predictions Within Large Multiple Sequence Alignments. Bioinformatics 33, 3991–3992. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btx521 Mehrpouyan, S., Menon, U., Tetlow, I. J., and Emes, M. J. (2021). Protein Phosphorylation Regulates Maize Endosperm Starch Synthase IIa Activity and Protein-Protein Interactions. Plant J. 105, 1098–1112. doi: 10.1111/ tpj.15094 De Luca, C., Schachner, A., Mitra, T., Heidl, S., Liebhart, D., and Hess, M. (2020). Fowl Adenovirus (FAdV) Fiber-Based Vaccine Against Inclusion Body Hepatitis (IBH) Provides Type-Specific Protection Guided by Humoral Immunity and Regulation of B and T Cell Response. Vet. Res. 51, 143. doi: 10.1186/s13567-020-00869-8 Nerli, S., and Sgourakis, N. G. (2019). CS-ROSETTA. Methods Enzymol. 614, 321– 362. doi: 10.1016/bs.mie.2018.07.005 Dong, D., Wang, X., Deng, T., Ning, Z., Tian, X., Zu, H., et al. (2021). A Novel Dextranase Gene From the Marine Bacterium Bacillus Aquimaris S5 and its Expression and Characteristics. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 368 (3), fnab007. doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnab007 Nielsen, H., Tsirigos, K. D., Brunak, S., and von Heijne, G. A. (2019). Brief History of Protein Sorting Prediction. Protein J. 38, 200–216. doi: 10.1007/s10930-019- 09838-3 Oleaga, A., Balseiro, A., Espı́, A., and Royo, L. J. (2021). Wolf (Canis Lupus) as Canine Adenovirus Type 1 (CAdV-1) Sentinel for the Endangered Cantabrian Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos Arctos). Transbound Emerg. Dis. 69 (2), 516–523. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14010 El-Manzalawy, Y., Dobbs, D., and Honavar, V. (2008). Predicting Linear B-Cell Epitopes Using String Kernels. J. Mol. Recognit. 21, 243–255. doi: 10.1002/ jmr.893 Eltahir, Y. M., Qian, K., Jin, W., and Qin, A. (2011). Analysis of Chicken Anemia Virus Genome: Evidence of Intersubtype Recombination. Virol. J. 8, 512–512. doi: 10.1186/1743-422X-8-512 Pan, X., Lu, L., and Cai, Y. D. (2020). Predicting Protein Subcellular Location With Network Embedding and Enrichment Features. Biochim. Biophys. Acta Proteins Proteom. 1868, 140477. doi: 10.1016/ j.bbapap.2020.140477 Foroutan, M., Ghaffarifar, F., Sharifi, Z., Dalimi, A., and Pirestani, M. (2018). REFERENCES Balboni, A., Musto, C., Kaehler, E., Verin, R., Caniglia, R., Fabbri, E., et al. (2019). Genetic Characterization of Canine Adenovirus Type 1 Detected by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction in an Oral Sample of an Italian Wolf (Canis Lupus). J. Wildl. Dis. 55, 737–741. doi: 10.7589/2018-08-206 Kosakovsky Pond, S. L., and Frost, S. D. (2005). Not So Different After All: A Comparison of Methods for Detecting Amino Acid Sites Under Selection. Mol. Biol. Evol. 22, 1208–1222. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msi105 Balboni, A., Terrusi, A., Urbani, L., Troia, R., Stefanelli, S. A. M., Giunti, M., et al. (2022). Canine Circovirus and Canine Adenovirus Type 1 and 2 in Dogs With Parvoviral Enteritis. Vet. Res. Commun. 46, 223–232. doi: 10.1007/s11259-021- 09850-y Kosakovsky Pond, S. L., Posada, D., Gravenor, M. B., Woelk, C. H., and Frost, S. D. (2006). Automated Phylogenetic Detection of Recombination Using a Genetic Algorithm. Mol. Biol. Evol. 23, 1891–1901. doi: 10.1093/molbev/ msl051 Balboni, A., Tryland, M., Mørk, T., Killengreen, S. T., Fuglei, E., and Battilani, M. (2019). Unique Genetic Features of Canine Adenovirus Type 1 (CAdV-1) Infecting Red Foxes (Vulpes Vulpes) in Northern Norway and Arctic Foxes (Vulpes Lagopus) in Svalbard. Vet. Res. Commun. 43, 67–76. doi: 10.1007/ s11259-019-09746-y Krogh, A., Larsson, B., von Heijne, G., and Sonnhammer, E. L. (2001). Predicting Transmembrane Protein Topology With a Hidden Markov Model: Application to Complete Genomes. J. Mol. Biol. 305, 567–580. doi: 10.1006/jmbi.2000.4315 Blom, N., Gammeltoft, S., and Brunak, S. (1999). Sequence and Structure-Based Prediction of Eukaryotic Protein Phosphorylation Sites. J. Mol. Biol. 294, 1351– 1362. doi: 10.1006/jmbi.1999.3310 Lin, Z., Li, Y., Gong, G., Xia, Y., Wang, C., Chen, Y., et al. (2018). Restriction of H1N1 Influenza Virus Infection by Selenium Nanoparticles Loaded With Ribavirin via Resisting Caspase-3 Apoptotic Pathway. Inter. J. Nanomed. 13, 5787. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S177658 Chen, Y., Yu, Z., Yi, H., Wei, Y., Han, X., Li, Q., et al. (2019). The Phosphorylation of the N Protein Could Affect PRRSV Virulence In Vivo. Vet. Microbiol. 231, 226–231. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2019.03.018 Luo, F., Wang, M., Liu, Y., Zhao, X.-M., and Li, A. (2019). DeepPhos: Prediction of Protein Phosphorylation Sites With Deep Learning. Bioinformatics 35, 2766– 2773. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bty1051 Choi, J. W., Lee, H. K., Kim, S. H., Kim, Y. H., Lee, K. K., Lee, M. H., et al. (2014). Canine Adenovirus Type 1 in a Fennec Fox (Vulpes Zerda). J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 45, 947–950. doi: 10.1638/2013-0286.1 Macedo-da-Silva, J., Santiago, V. ETHICS STATEMENT This experiment was approved on April 2 in 2021 by Jilin Agriculture Science and Technology College and the procedures complied with IACUCS guidelines on the animals’ care and use for scientific purposes. The Knob of the adenovirus Fiber protein is used for attachment of the virus to a specific receptor on the cell surface. The coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Wang et al. FUNDING BW and MW conduct the experiment. HZ, JX, and JH analyze the data and draw the picture. YZ designed and provide the grant for this experiment. YZ also reviews the manuscript. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version. This work was supported by grants from the Science and Technology department of Jilin Province (20200402045NC) and the Doctoral Start-up Fund Project of the Jilin Agriculture Science and Technology College (20200002). Hu, R. L., Huang, G., Qiu, W., Zhong, Z. H., Xia, X. Z., and Yin, Z. (2001). Detection and Differentiation of CAV-1 and CAV-2 by Polymerase Chain Reaction. Vet. Res. Commun. 25, 77–84. doi: 10.1023/ a:1006417203856 REFERENCES Impact of Protein Glycosylation on the Design of Viral Vaccines. Adv. Biochem. Eng. Biotechnol. 175, 319–354. doi: 10.1007/10_2020_132 Walters, R. W., Freimuth, P., Moninger, T. O., Ganske, I., Zabner, J., and Welsh, M. J. (2002). Adenovirus Fiber Disrupts CAR-Mediated Intercellular Adhesion Allowing Virus Escape. Cell 110, 789–799. doi: 10.1016/s0092- 8674(02)00912-1 Simm, D., Hatje, K., Waack, S., and Kollmar, M. (2021). Critical Assessment of Coiled-Coil Predictions Based on Protein Structure Data. Sci. Rep. 11, 12439. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-91886-w Yang, D.-K., Kim, H.-H., Lee, E.-J., Yoo, J.-Y., Yoon, S.-S., Park, J., et al. (2019). Recharacterization of the Canine Adenovirus Type 1 Vaccine Strain Based on Yang, D.-K., Kim, H.-H., Lee, E.-J., Yoo, J.-Y., Yoon, S.-S., Park, J., et al. (2019). Recharacterization of the Canine Adenovirus Type 1 Vaccine Strain Based on the Biological and Molecular Properties. jbv 49, 124–132. doi: 10.4167/ jbv.2019.49.3.124 Soudais, C., Boutin, S., Hong, S. S., Chillon, M., Danos, O., Bergelson, J. M., et al. (2000). Canine Adenovirus Type 2 Attachment and Internalization: Coxsackievirus- Adenovirus Receptor, Alternative Receptors, and an RGD-Independent Pathway. J. Virol. 74, 10639–10649. doi: 10.1128/jvi.74.22.10639-10649.2000 the Biological and Molecular Properties. jbv 49, 124–132. doi: 10.4167/ jbv.2019.49.3.124 Zhou, S. (2016). Cloning and Functional Analysis of Fm4CL Family Gene From Fraxinus Mandshurica (Harbin, China: Northeast Forestry University). Stoff-Khalili, M., Rivera, A., Glasgow, J., Le, L., Stoff, A., Everts, M., et al. (2005). A Human Adenoviral Vector With a Chimeric Fiber From Canine Adenovirus Type 1 Results in Novel Expanded Tropism for Cancer Gene Therapy. Gene Ther. 12, 1696–1706. doi: 10.1038/sj.gt.3302588 Zhu, Y., Sun, J., Yan, M., Lian, S., Hu, B., Lv, S., et al. (2020). The Biological Characteristics of the Canine Adenovirus Type 1 From Fox and the Transcriptome Analysis of the Infected MDCK Cell. Cell Biol. Int. 45 (5), 936–947. doi: 10.1002/cbin.11537 Sun, J., Qin, F. Y., Zhu, Y. Z., Xue, X. H., Wang, Y., Lian, S. Z., et al. (2019). Comparison of Pathogenicity of Canine Adenovirus Type 1 to Arctic Fox and Silver Fox. Chin. Vet. Sci. 49, 625–631. doi: 10.16656/j.issn.1673- 4696.2019.0094 Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Tamukai, K., Minami, S., Kurihara, R., Shimoda, H., Mitsui, I., Maeda, K., et al. (2020). Molecular Evidence for Vaccine-Induced Canine Distemper Virus and Canine Adenovirus 2 Coinfection in a Fennec Fox. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. REFERENCES Bioinformatics Analysis of ROP8 Protein to Improve Vaccine Design Against Toxoplasma Gondii. Infect. Genet. Evol. 62, 193–204. doi: 10.1016/ j.meegid.2018.04.033 Pizzurro, F., Marcacci, M., Zaccaria, G., Orsini, M., Cito, F., Rosamilia, A., et al. (2017). Genome Sequence of Canine Adenovirus Type 1 Isolated From a Wolf (Canis Lupus) in Southern Italy. Genome Announcements 5, e00225–e00217. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00225-17 Gupta, A., Ahmed, K. A., Ayalew, L. E., Popowich, S., Kurukulasuriya, S., Goonewardene, K., et al. (2017). Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of Virus-Like Particles and Recombinant Fiber Proteins in Broiler-Breeder Vaccination Against Fowl Adenovirus (FAdV)-8b. Vaccine 35, 2716–2722. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.03.075 Prasad, S., Potdar, V., Cherian, S., Abraham, P., Basu, A., and Team, I. C. (2020). Transmission Electron Microscopy Imaging of SARS-CoV-2. Indian J. Med. Res. 151, 241. doi: 10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_577_20 Readler, J. M., AlKahlout, A. S., Sharma, P., and Excoffon, K. (2019). Isoform Specific Editing of the Coxsackievirus and Adenovirus Receptor. Virology 536, 20–26. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2019.07.018 Gupta, R., and Brunak, S. (2002). Prediction of Glycosylation Across the Human Proteome and the Correlation to Protein Function. Pac. Symp. Biocomput. 2002, 310–322. Ruan, S., Zhao, J., Yin, X., He, Z., and Zhang, G. (2018). A Subunit Vaccine Based on Fiber-2 Protein Provides Full Protection Against Fowl Adenovirus Serotype 4 and Induces Quicker and Stronger Immune Responses Than an Inactivated Haasdijk, E., and Heinerman, J. (2018). Quantifying Selection Pressure. Evol. Comput. 26, 213–235. doi: 10.1162/EVCO_a_00207 June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org 9 Wang et al. Canine Adenovirus 1 Isolation Oil-Emulsion Vaccine. Infect. Genet. Evol. 61, 145–150. doi: 10.1016/ j.meegid.2018.03.031 Oil-Emulsion Vaccine. Infect. Genet. Evol. 61, 145–150. doi: 10.1016/ j.meegid.2018.03.031 Type 1 in Red Foxes (Vulpes Vulpes) in Three European Countries. J. Wildl. Dis. 55, 935–939. doi: 10.7589/2018-12-295 Sanjuán, R., and Domingo-Calap, P. (2016). Mechanisms of Viral Mutation. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 73, 4433–4448. doi: 10.1007/s00018-016-2299-6 Vita, R., Mahajan, S., Overton, J. A., Dhanda, S. K., Martini, S., Cantrell, J. R., et al. (2019). The Immune Epitope Database (IEDB): 2018 Update. Nucleic Acids Res. 47, D339–d343. doi: 10.1093/nar/gky1006 Schoehn, G., El Bakkouri, M., Fabry, C. M., Billet, O., Estrozi, L. F., Le, L., et al. (2008). Three-Dimensional Structure of Canine Adenovirus Serotype 2 Capsid. J. Virol. 82, 3192–3203. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02393-07 Walker, J. M. (2005). The Proteomics Protocols Handbook (Hatfield, UK: Springer). Schön, K., Lepenies, B., and Goyette-Desjardins, G. (2021). June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES 32, 598–603. doi: 10.1177/1040638720934809 Publisher’s Note: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. Timurkan, M. O., Aydin, H., and Alkan, F. (2018). Detection and Molecular Characterization of Canine Adenovirus Type 2 (CAV-2) in Dogs With Respiratory Tract Symptoms in Shelters in Turkey. Vet. Arh. 88, 467–479. doi: 10.24099/vet.arhiv.0052 Copyright © 2022 Wang, Wang, Zhang, Xu, Hou and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Varsani, A., Lefeuvre, P., Roumagnac, P., and Martin, D. (2018). Notes on Recombination and Reassortment in Multipartite/Segmented Viruses. Curr. Opin. Virol. 33, 156–166. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2018.08.013 Verin, R., Forzan, M., Schulze, C., Rocchigiani, G., Balboni, A., Poli, A., et al. (2019). Multicentric Molecular and Pathologic Study On Canine Adenovirus June 2022 | Volume 12 | Article 879360 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org 10
https://openalex.org/W4324113040
https://zenodo.org/records/7729348/files/Back%20to%20the%20Future_web.pdf
English
null
Back to the Future. ISPI Report 2023
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
2,023
cc-by
59,697
ISPI REPORT 2023 THE FUTURE edited by Alessandro Colombo and Paolo Magri conclusion by Giampiero Massolo BACK TO THE FUTURE ISPI Report 2023 edited by Alessandro Colombo and Paolo Mag conclusion by Giampiero Massolo edited by Alessandro Colombo and Paolo Magri conclusion by Giampiero Massolo © 2023 Ledizioni LediPublishing Via Antonio Boselli, 10 – 20136 Milan – Italy www.ledizioni.it info@ledizioni.it Back to the Future. ISPI Report 2023 Edited by Alessandro Colombo and Paolo Magri First edition: February 2023 Image cover by Francesco Fadani The opinions expressed herein are strictly personal and do not necessarily reflect the position of ISPI. Print ISBN 9788855268691 ePub ISBN 9788855268707 Pdf ISBN 9788855268714 DOI 10.14672/55268691 ISPI. Via Clerici, 5 20121, Milan, Italy www.ispionline.it Catalogue and reprints information: www.ledizioni.it © 2023 Ledizioni LediPublishing Via Antonio Boselli, 10 – 20136 Milan – Italy www.ledizioni.it info@ledizioni.it Back to the Future. ISPI Report 2023 Edited by Alessandro Colombo and Paolo Magri Back to the Future. ISPI Report 2023 Edited by Alessandro Colombo and Paolo Magri Image cover by Francesco Fadani The opinions expressed herein are strictly personal and do not necessarily reflect th position of ISPI. Catalogue and reprints information: www.ledizioni.it The ISPI Report 2023 was published thanks to the financial support of Fondazione Cariplo. Editors: Alessandro Colombo, Paolo Magri Project and editorial coordination: Matteo Villa Translation from the Italian version of the ISPI Report 2023 Ritorno al futuro edited by Grace Hason Editorial coordination and editing: Renata Meda Editors: Alessandro Colombo, Paolo Magri Project and editorial coordination: Matteo Villa Translation from the Italian version of the ISPI Report 2023 Ritorno al futuro edited by Grace Hason Editorial coordination and editing: Renata Meda Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction Alessandro Colombo, Paolo Magri.......................................... 9 Part I – General Evolution of the International System Introduction Introduction Alessandro Colombo, Paolo Magri.......................................... 9 Part I – General Evolution of the International System 1. The War in Ukraine and the Unstoppable Decline of the Post-Twentieth Century International Order Alessandro Colombo............................................................... 23 2. Back to the Future? NATO in 2022 Andrea Carati................................................................................ 33 3. Are We Heading Back to an Age of Traditional Wars Between Major Powers Valter Coralluzzo......................................................................... 43 4. The Nuclear Threat is Back Luciano Bozzo.............................................................................. 57 5. Return of Inflation Franco Bruni................................................................................... 71 9 Part I – General Evolution of the International System 6. The Three-Dimensional Features of the Global Energy Crisis Francesco Sassi.......................................................................... 85 7. Are We Heading Towards De-Globalisation? Lucia Tajoli...................................................................................... 95 8. The Return of Poverty and Hunger Giovanni Carbone, Lucia Ragazzi.................................. 107 9. The Non-Aligned Movement is Back? Ugo Tramballi............................................................................. 123 Part II – Evolution of the Single Regional Areas 10. The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises Armando Sanguini................................................................... 137 11. The New Militarisation of East Asia Francesca Frassineti, Giulia Sciorati............................ 159 12. The Return of the Left to Latin America Antonella Mori............................................................................ 173 Conclusion Giampiero Massolo......................................................................... 183 About the Authors.......................................................................... 191 Introduction No sooner had the Covid-19 pandemic begun to retreat than the outbreak of war in Ukraine delivered a fourth global shock to the XXI century’s already fragile international order – following the traumas of the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the 2007-08 economic and financial crisis, and, of course, the pandemic itself, which struck between late 2019 and early 2020. Even more than the jolts that preceded it, catastrophic war in the middle of Europe appeared to put an end to all illusions of a New World Order, heralding instead a return to the past in international politics. This idea of regression is echoed in the use of terms like “XIX century” to define and discredit the policies of states like Russia and China. A sense of going backwards certainly sums up the experience of the last 30 years: after promising an unstoppable “transition” to democracy, economic openness, multilateral governance of globalisation, respect for human rights, new sources of energy and, above all, an end to war, we are now seeing a sudden “relapse” to a condition in which all improvements seem to have ground to a halt or even reversed their direction.h This presumed “return to the past” is the focus of our present volume. In it, we examine various aspects of this apparent reversal in post-Cold War expectations: the return of conventional warfare, the renewed threat of nuclear war, the revitalisation of alliances, the re-appearance of “non-aligned” nations, and, on the economic side, the return of inflation, fossil fuels and poverty, along with the spectre of de-globalisation. 10 Back to the Future We also ask whether the phenomena we are seeing today actually constitute a return to the past or not. Were they really “laid to rest” in the golden age of the new liberal order? Does their re-emergence point to a reversal of previous dynamics or merely a new equilibrium? And to what extent, if at all, do the “regressions” of recent months really constitute a “return to the past” rather than stem from entirely or partly new processes? These questions are raised in the very first chapter, devoted to the significance and impact of the war in Ukraine. Rather than the cause, the present conflict should be seen as a result of an ongoing crisis in the post-bipolar international order – a crisis to which ISPI has presciently devoted all recent annual reports. Introduction The present situation seems to replicate the disruptive and conflictual phenomena that have always accompanied the decline of hegemonic orders: struggles to redistribute power and prestige; attempts by rising challengers to construct spheres of influence or buffer zones outside the global influence of the declining hegemon, and the latter’s attempt to prevent them from doing so or even to widen its own sphere of influence; and the calling into question of fundamental principles, norms and institutions of international coexistence. What makes things worse is that the war in Ukraine seems destined to dramatically accelerate this already pervasive crisis. Firstly by exacerbating and generalising the trend towards militarisation in inter-state relations which, for the past two decades, has been limited to highly contended regions such as the Middle East and East Asia and has not assumed global proportions (the European continent certainly being spared). Secondly by giving the international system a further push towards bipolarisation, especially since the war in Europe runs in parallel with a deterioration in relations between the United States and China. Thirdly and most importantly by reversing or at least correcting the trends that seemed central to the “new era” that began in the late XX century: economic, social and cultural globalisation in the first two decades of the post-Cold War era (already severely undermined by the economic and 11 Introduction 11 financial crisis of 2007-08 and the Covid-19 pandemic); the growth of an inclusive and tendentially universal multilateral fabric (now being replaced by coexisting, alternative and in principle competitive multilateralisms constructed on a global or regional scale by the hegemonic powers and, most importantly, open only to their allies; and the very ability to adopt a concerted approach to what are by definition common issues – climate change and the environment in general. g g However, the practical and symbolic crux of this “return to the past” – or return to how international politics has always been, as “realist” scholars see it – is a reaffirmed quest for “security”. This finds expression firstly in a renewed fear of war between the major powers, i.e. precisely the type of war whose disappearance was eagerly celebrated for decades. Valter Coralluzzo examines this issue in his chapter. He points out that the Russo-Ukrainian conflict has seriously called into question many deep-seated beliefs about war, its recent transformations, and its future evolution. Introduction These beliefs had been matured over decades of intense debate, especially in the field of strategic and international studies, and are based on two assumptions that received broad if not unanimous support among scholars: the disappearance of traditional wars between states and that of major wars between great powers. Giving the lie to the expectations embodied in the term “decline of war”, the conflict in Ukraine constitutes a classical, conventional, symmetric, high-intensity, and large-scale war between regular armies (albeit flanked by private military groups) seeking to conquer territory and establish positions of advantage through the widespread use of armour and heavy artillery. In short, the conflict has suddenly brought traditional warfare back to the heart of Europe, in a form that in many respects resembles the two world wars.l On the other hand, the Russo-Ukrainian conflict also presents many aspects of so-called “new war” or, to use another popular term, “hybrid war”: the presence alongside regular forces of private and semi-private troops (foreign fighters, 12 Back to the Future Wagner Group mercenaries, and Chechen kadyrovtsy), the extension of the battlefield to the whole of Ukrainian society, the use of a wide variety of non-conventional weapons (the weaponisation of energy, the use of energy supplies to apply pressure), the massive use of drones and hi-tech weapon systems, and the increased importance of cyber dominance (hacking) and psychological operations (psyops). In some respects, it can be claimed that the conflict (on the Ukrainian side even more than the Russian) is projecting us into the future, into the next and final frontier of contemporary warfare: war for control of the minds of the masses (not transient and partial, but semi- permanent and total). The renewed spectre of war between the great powers is accompanied by an explicit revitalisation of the nuclear question – the theme of Luciano Bozzo’s chapter. The events of 1989- 91 led to a general blackout, or at least a radical reassessment of the risks of nuclear conflict. The key question inherent in the “global and endless” war on terrorism, for example, was whether and how a nuclear deterrent could be used against international terrorist networks belonging to no single state. No less important was the debate on how the threat of a nuclear strike could possibly deter other emerging, inherently non-attributable but potentially devastating challenges: cyber attacks. Introduction Since 24 February last year, the nuclear factor has reassumed a central role in the war in Ukraine as a result of Putin’s more or less explicit references to the possibility of nuclear escalation. This has deeply affected the course of the war in at least two ways. For the present, the rediscovered nuclear dimension has led to a unique condition of “double sanctuarisation” in the strategic theatre: the Russians cannot strike the lines that feed the Ukrainian war effort where they originate beyond the borders of Ukraine; for the same reason, the Allies are begging the Ukrainians to avoid, or at least limit, attacks on Federation territory, excluding, of course, the regions annexed by Moscow. Looking ahead, taboos against the use of nuclear Introduction 13 weapons appear to have lost their force in the minds of national leaders and indeed in public opinion. Worse still, thanks to progress in miniaturisation, reductions in the power of tactical nuclear weapons and a corresponding increase in the power of conventional weapons, the boundary between the two forms of warfare has become so vague that escalation in the field looks much easier. War and rearmament, however, are not the only instruments of security in international politics. Another instrument whose return has been observed (and even celebrated) in recent months is that of alliance. While late 2021 saw the launch of AUKUS in the Indo-Pacific, 2022 saw the rebirth of NATO in Europe. Andrea Carati examines the significance and ambivalence of this relaunch. On the one hand, there is no doubt that 2022 saw a turning point in the recent history of NATO. Compared to the gloomy prognosis commonly attributed to it until the end of 2021, the ongoing conflict at its borders has allowed NATO to re-establish itself as an indispensable security tool for Americans and Europeans alike. On the diplomatic front the allies have united in condemning Russian aggression and in clearly rejecting direct involvement in the conflict. On the military level, the Alliance has reinforced its eastern flank and shipped massive quantities of arms to the Ukrainian government. Finally, on the institutional level, NATO has been strengthened by enlargement to Sweden and Finland. Introduction g y g Despite the undoubted effectiveness with which it has influenced the military balance between Ukraine and Russia, NATO’s present revival has nevertheless not solved key problems from the past: that of burden-sharing, or European tardiness in implementing agreed NATO standards (not only the target of defence spending at 2% of GDP, but the modernisation of armaments and defence sector reforms too); and differences between heterogeneous security demands and expectations of what NATO can actually do (differences destined to become more acute once the war in Ukraine ends). 14 Back to the Future Back to the Future While the revitalisation of transatlantic solidarity seems to confirm the transition towards a new, bipolarised international system, we cannot overlook the fact that such a development is being resisted by many states. This has prevented the formation of a united front against Russian aggression, as when a large number of states (including populous nations like India and Indonesia) abstained in United Nations votes condemning Russian aggression and applying subsequent sanctions. This hypothetical “return” of Non-Alignment is the subject of Ugo Tramballi’s chapter. While avoiding the emphasis that many commentators place on the birth of a new “Global South”, Tramballi recognises that something completely new is indeed happening in global geopolitics and in relations between the Global South and North, not only between emerging nations and the West (i.e. the US and EU), but between the South on the one hand and the West, Russia and China on the other. The new dividing line seems to lie between the established Great Powers and the Rest of the World, with the latter claiming a new autonomy. y Various considerations combine to explain this distancing: past colonialism; memories of the Soviet Union’s support for anti-colonial liberation movements; a pandemic during which, at least early on, African nations were forced to beg vaccines and medicines from a preoccupied Europe; and Russian disinformation. But the most important reason is that the conflict in Ukraine is perceived and represented as a specifically European war, and as another sign – probably the most significant – of the radical changes occurring in relations between Europe and the rest of the world. The same interplay of continuity and discontinuity is repeated in the field of economics. Here, the first phenomenon to return was inflation, which is dealt with in Franco Bruni’s chapter. Introduction Inflation began rising again in the second half of 2021, then surged rapidly in the latter part of 2022 to levels last seen 40 years ago. Virtually the entire world has been hit by renewed inflation as a result of a lively post-pandemic economic 15 Introduction 15 recovery. Consumer demand and investment gave back to the markets the purchasing power that had been forcibly restrained during months of anti-Covid precautions and lock-downs, while households and businesses received significant public cash injections. Large public deficits have also continued to stimulate economies. The inflationary effect of demand has been heightened by continuing problems in international supply chains, partly as a legacy of the pandemic. Significant rigidity has emerged in energy supply chain, raising prices. To all this must be added the vast liquidity created by years of super-expansionary monetary policies. p p y y p The return of inflation has led to the reappearance of interest rate rises in response. Central banks were slow in reacting to rising prices, but eventually did so by tightening monetary policy in a way reminiscent of the radical approach to disinflation adopted by Volcker in 1979. Short-term interest rates, almost all close to zero, remained in place for the first quarter of 2022. The US Federal Reserve only began to tighten policy in March, when inflation already exceeded 8% on an annual basis. In the Eurozone, the ECB waited until July to revise its rates, by which time consumer price inflation was already touching 9%. By the end of the year, central-bank-controlled rates were raised from zero to 4.5% in the US and to 2.5% in the Eurozone. Though falling slowly, consumer price inflation remains high at present: over 7% in the US, around 10% in the Eurozone. At the same time, the war in Ukraine and the spectre of separation between competing economic spaces have combined to fuel speculation about the future of globalisation. This topic is addressed in the chapter by Lucia Tajoli. Over the last 15 years, world trade has been more volatile than ever before. After nearly half a century of continuous growth in the value and volume of global trade, and particularly rapid growth in the first decade of the millennium, international trade has slowed and become increasingly erratic since 2009. Introduction WTO statistics show that annual average growth for world trade (volume) between 2010 and 2019 was less than 3%, well below the figure for the 16 Back to the Future previous decade and, more to the point, below annual average growth in real GDP. Globalisation was defined by increasingly open markets and growing economic integration, leading to growth in trade being systematically higher than growth in GDP. The latest figures have therefore given rise to talk of de- globalisation. The age of continuous and rapid expansion in trade certainly seems to have ended for now. For the moment, however, the chance of globalisation actually failing seems remote, partly because the system of global trade seems to have weathered the storm, despite the problems of the last two years, from Covid to supply chain bottlenecks, soaring freight and international transport costs. More importantly, breaking up and reorganising the many international supply chains and global value chains that drive the process of globalisation would prove extremely costly, especially in the short term. The most likely scenario is that we shall see a limited decoupling in certain strategic areas of industry characterised by advanced technology and the use of semiconductors: globalisation between geographic areas will likely be more fragmented and selective, but the phenomenon will not extend to global trade as a whole. g In parallel with the partial regression of globalisation, the dream of eradicating global poverty has faded in recent years. Giovanni Carbone and Lucia Ragazzi tackle this subject. In the modern world, poverty levels have followed a definite and virtuous trajectory since at least the 1950s: the number of poor in the world has gradually declined, along with the share of global population they represent. The percentage of the world’s population living in extreme poverty has also fallen from almost 60% in 1950 to less than 10% today. Progress accelerated rapidly in the 1980s – albeit with a slowdown in the second half of the 2010s – driven by rapid transformations in China and India, the world’s two most populous nations. By way of example, in the 35 years between 1981 and 2016, the total number of people living in poverty fell from 1.8 billion to 750 million. Introduction 17 The Covid-19 pandemic put an end to this gradual but constant reduction in poverty and halted a trend established for over seventy years. Introduction The almost immediate result was that extreme poverty – the share of the world’s population living on less than $2.15 a day – increased by 11% in 2020, reaching 9.3% (up from 8.4% in 2019). The same applies to hunger, defined as the prevalence of chronic malnutrition, a condition in which daily food consumption is insufficient for a healthy, active life. Progress in the gradual reduction of global hunger, from 12.3% of the world’s population in 2005 to 7.8% in 2014, first stalled and then, over only two years, from 2019 to 2021, saw a dramatic reversal, the figure jumping by almost two percentage points to 9.8%. p g p Finally, international political and economic circumstances have had a major impact on energy transition, and have refocused attention on energy security. The chapter by Francesco Sassi is dedicated to these developments. Though completely different in nature, the shock of the pandemic and that of the Russo- Ukrainian conflict have had very similar consequences for the energy sector. Over the last three years, global energy supply chains have been subjected to repeated commercial shocks of a physical nature, caused by delays and disruptions, or by imbalance between supply and demand. This has disrupted entire national and regional energy systems.h The interruption of climate talks, cancelled because of tensions over Taiwan, and only restarted in extremis during COP27, risks exacerbating the competitive nature of this process. The race between the West and China to achieve energy transition will affect commodity dependencies, condition essential supply chains in a low-carbon world, and influence access to resources in different regions of the Earth. This goes to show that energy geopolitics will remain a core issue for decades to come, whether we are talking about fossil fuels or critical raw materials. Neither does this competitive spiral spare relationships between allies and partners. One need only think of the chorus of protests aroused by the German government’s 18 Back to the Future vast programme of energy subsidies to industry and citizens, and by Germany’s decision to use the full capacity of its coal- fired power stations to minimise its consumption of natural gas. This strategy, of course, is counterbalanced by the confirmed closure of German nuclear power plants in 2023. Introduction While international politics and economics do seem to have resumed the competitive dynamics of the past, these dynamics are now expressed in disparate ways in different regional contexts. Francesca Frassineti and Giulia Sciorati’s chapter deals with the Indo-Pacific region, which seems destined to remain pivotal to international relations in coming years. This region is characterised by continuously evolving security dynamics, including growing threats to public health like Covid-19 and ever more frequent extreme weather phenomena. However, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, territorial and maritime disputes, and demographic decline are the main factors influencing debate on military spending and the modernisation of defence systems and the armed forces. h y The Korean peninsula, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea are all potential flashpoints in the region. The concentration of military resources in geographically limited areas increases the risk of escalation both as a result of technical errors and through misinterpretation of the opponent’s intentions. This has almost led to dramatic consequences on various occasions on the Korean Peninsula recently. The most important aspect of this situation, however, remains what the authors call the “systemic dimension” of regional insecurity, namely the role that the world powers – China and the US – play in the process of regional militarisation. Fuelled by a growing US presence in the region and China’s intensifying military activism, this dynamic has been aggravated in recent years by the infrequency of diplomatic meetings between the parties. Latin America seems to have “returned to the past” in a completely different way. The chapter by Antonella Mori deals with developments in this region. The current prevalence of left-leaning governments recalls the political situation in the 19 Introduction 19 region at the beginning of the millennium, though the nuances are greater and the prospects for stability probably poorer today. In this context, there is a contrast between three groups of left-wing governments with quite different propensities: authoritarian, social-democratic and populist. The authoritarian group includes Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The social- democratic group is made up of leaders like the Chilean President Boric, Colombian President Petro, and Brazilian President Lula, who represent a renewed Latin American left and combine progressive vision with a pragmatic willingness to compromise. The Mexican AMLO, Peruvian Castillo, and Bolivian Arce make up the group of populist left-wing leaders. Introduction p g p p p g Behind the electoral success of the last two categories is very often the failure of previous governments to manage Covid and, more generally, growing frustration with the quality of democracy and its inability to provide adequate solutions to real- life problems. Corruption, impunity and social inequality top the list of voter complaints. Rather than an ideological choice by the population, this second wave of left-wing governments seems to channel dissatisfaction – a factor that regularly drives citizens to vote against any incumbent government and therefore makes the tenure of the current governments fragile and reversible too. Finally, the Middle East has also experienced some significant “returns”: Netanyahu’s re-election to government in Israel; the crisis of democratic transition in Tunisia; and the latest wave of protests in Iran, largely instigated by women, which has spread to all classes of the population and, though lacking clear leadership, has placed severe strains on the regime of the Ayatollahs. But, as Armando Sanguini points out in his chapter, any attempt to lump the mosaic of countries that make up the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) geopolitical area into the same basket runs the risk of ignoring their internal peculiarities and dynamics and the extent to which they are affected by the regional and international influences that traverse the region. 20 Back to the Future Back to the Future Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has clearly exemplified these differences. Apart from absorbing the political attention of Europe and of the West in general, the war has severely jeopardized the supply of cereals, of which the region is the world’s largest importer, while proving particularly advantageous to its oil and gas-producing nations and, lastly, accentuating internal tensions that the region could well do without.i g At the end of the day, though superficially appealing, the suggestion of a “return to the past”, is questionable. This, at least, is the conclusion that Giampiero Massolo reaches at the end of the volume. To begin with, he points out that the shocks of the war in Ukraine, and Covid-19 before it, fell upon an international order already shaken by a crisis of confidence and legitimacy that extends to all major governments. Introduction That same international order was also already rattled by the failure of the two great ambitions to which the West, victorious in the Cold War, had directed its expectations and policies: the inclusion of Russia and China in an expanded liberal international order, and globalisation as an engine of limitless and unstoppable economic progress. p g The present process of change does not necessarily imply a return to an “old world order”. On the contrary, the prospect of a new bipolar order between the United States and China seems to be masking a broader and historically unprecedented juxtaposition: a new duality between “the West and the Rest.” Alessandro Colombo Paolo Magri 1 On the leap from the rhetoric of the “end of history” to the pervasive psychology of siege, allow me to refer to A. Colombo, Il governo mondiale dell’emergenza. Dall’apoteosi della sicurezza all’epidemia dell’insicurezza, Milano R. Cortina, 2022. 2 C.A. Kupchan, “Realpolitik’s Revenge”, The National Interest, September- October 2022, pp. 33-42. See also R. Haas, “The Dangerous Decade. A Foreign Policy for a World in Crisis”, Foreign Affairs, September-October 2022, 101, 5, pp. 25-39. 1. The War in Ukraine and the Unstoppable Decline of the Post- Twentieth Century International Order Alessandro Colombo In those same months when the great global fear of the Covid-19 pandemic seemed to subside, the war in Ukraine nipped in the bud the rather wishful idea of reviving that historical and political imaginary of the liberal international order that accompanied the change from the XX to the XXI centuries.1 During the golden age of the New World Order, the entire (political and legal) edifice of international coexistence might have been able to construe that it was on the threshold of a “new era” – perhaps even the “end of history” – but the Ukrainian war has clearly stood out as sealing the “return” of international politics to the situation that existed before such promises: “power politics”, the primacy of strategic considerations over “liberal values”,2 the subordination of the much celebrated economic “openness” to ties of friendship and political enmity, the return to borders, the new-found centrality of States, and even the Cold War – this 24 Back to the Future time, though, two different cold wars,3 one (between NATO and Russia) that has already degenerated into open confrontation, but only on a regional scale with a lower-level challenger; the other (between the United States and China) that is still only looming, but quite capable of impacting the entire international system and exposing it to the challenge of an entity that both the United States and Europe recognise as a genuine “systemic rival”,4 “the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it”.5 If this is not enough, even in military terms the war in Ukraine has had the power to instantly sweep away the reality and rhetoric of the “new wars”,6 once again bringing to the fore a type of war that is politically and strategically closer to the great wars between nations of the past than to that of the “humanitarian”, “low-intensity”, “surgical”, and “zero-cost” wars of the past 30 years. 3 R. Legvold, “The New Cold Wars”, The National Interest, September-October 2022, pp. 22-32. 3 R. Legvold, “The New Cold Wars”, The National Interest, September-October 2022, pp. 22-32. 4 EU, Strategic Compass, Brussels 2022, p. 18. 5 White House, US National Security Strategy, Washington DC, 2022, p. 23. 6 On how war has changed and the concept of “new wars”, see among others M. Van Creveld, The Transformation of War, New York, The Free Press, 1991; M. Kaldor, New and Old Wars. Organized Violence in a Global Era, Polity Press, 1999; R. Smith, The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World, London, Penguin Books, 2006. 1. The War in Ukraine and the Unstoppable Decline of the Post- Twentieth Century International Order Alessandro Colombo This is a war in which not one, but both sides, are fighting for fundamental interests and values (territorial integrity for Ukraine, maintaining “great power” status for Russia); both sides can inflict significant damage and losses on the other; both sides accept this possibility as an ineradicable part of the conflict; in line with this, both sides are prepared to “take the war to the extreme”, without the slightest thought of an exit strategy, solely a fight until victory or defeat. i It comes as no surprise, then, that a trauma of such magnitude could be seen as a clear break in post-XX-century international relations. Of course, 11  September  2001, the financial and economic crisis of 2007-08 and, in more recent times, the The War in Ukraine and the Unstoppable Decline... 25 pandemic of 2020-21 have also been given the same tag – and this definitely raises a few questions. To really understand how and to what degree the war actually marks a “break”, one must bear in mind the liberal international order so openly challenged by Russia’s attack on Ukraine has arguably been suffering from an irreversible crisis for at least 15 years – that is, at least since the double shock of the political and military failure in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 and the financial and economic crisis in 2007 and 2008. It is no coincidence that ISPI has focused all its recent Annual Reports on various aspects of this crisis. War in Ukraine as a Summary Since the war in Ukraine is better understood as an expression of an ongoing international order crisis, rather than its cause, the first question to tackle is how the two relate. What factors of disaggregation for the liberal international order were “released” in the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine? Plus, once again, why do these factors of disaggregation seem to be “taking us back” to those factors that have always accompanied the declining phases of hegemonic orders? p g The first and most obvious connection relates to, whether one wants it or not, the dimension of power. The disruption of the patently clear hierarchy of the immediate post-Cold War era – a hierarchy dominated by the inordinate power of the United States and its allies, coupled with a lack of any true competitors – has already triggered a dash, with rather foregone conclusions, for a redistribution of power and prestige fuelled by objective changes (China’s spectacular growth, the increasing success of other Asian countries, especially India, Indonesia and Vietnam, and the simultaneous decline of Europe) and visible in the increasing assertiveness of the leading challengers (China and Russia above all) and in the unprecedented elbowing for space in which to manoeuvre by all the others (from India to Brazil, and from the Arab countries to that increasingly anomalous ally of the United States, Turkey). 26 Back to the Future This great dash has contributed to the Ukraine catastrophe in at least two ways. On the one hand, the competition to gain or not to lose positions in the hierarchy of power has made all actors more sensitive about the related benefits, while exacerbating uncertainty about the (peaceful or aggressive) intentions of others. As often happens in the most competitive phases of international politics, this dual drive can trigger “security dilemmas”,7 such as the one that has caused a progressive deterioration over the last two decades of relations between NATO and Russia8 or the one that threatens to make the United States and China fall into Thucydides’s Trap in the future.9 In such spirals, each side becomes convinced the other already has already or is on the verge of aggressive intentions. To prevent this perceived threat, it accumulates defensive resources in advance, particularly weapons and allies, but this only serves to confirm the other’s suspicions, leading it to do the same or, worse, strike first. 7 On the notion of “security dilemma” see H.J. Herz, International relations in the atomic 1978, age, New York, Columbia UP, 1959; R. Jervis, “Cooperation under the Security Dilemma”, World Politics, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 167-214. 8 Ibid. 9 G. Allison, Destined for War. Can America and China escape Thucydides’s Trap?, 2017. 10 R. Gilpin, War and Change in International Politics, Cambridge UP, Cambridge 1981 11 H. Morgenthau, Politics among Nations, New York, Knopf, New York 1948. 7 On the notion of “security dilemma” see H.J. Herz, International relations in the atomic 1978, age, New York, Columbia UP, 1959; R. Jervis, “Cooperation under the Security Dilemma”, World Politics, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 167-214. 8 Ibid. 11 H. Morgenthau, Politics among Nations, New York, Knopf, New York 1948. 9 G. Allison, Destined for War. Can America and China escape Thucydides’s Trap?, 2017. 10 R. Gilpin, War and Change in International Politics, Cambridge UP, Cambridge 1981 War in Ukraine as a Summary The flip side of this is an equally growing sensitivity to considerations of prestige, which are another constant macroscopic element in international politics. In all historical phases in which a mismatch has arisen between the hierarchy of prestige inherited from the past and the emerging hierarchy of power,10 those actors that worry about a decline take all possible steps to defend even the ceremonial structure of the existing international order, using diplomatic and military means or drawing on what Hans Morgenthau called “ideologies of the status quo”.11 By contrast, those nations that believe they are on the upward trajectory are anxious that their status be recognised The War in Ukraine and the Unstoppable Decline... 27 in the hierarchy of international prestige,12 perhaps through the battle for admission to major international organisations (the G20 is a good example), through a redistribution of offices within such organisations or, more traditionally, through various forms of diplomatic or military activism – those that have united Russia and China in the past decade provide an example of this. h p This can be linked to the second major connection between the Ukraine war and the pre-existing crisis of the international order. As is always the case in international politics, the redistribution of power has immediate (though, in turn, intricate) spatial or geopolitical implications. In general terms, this can be seen in the most common questions that policymakers, scholars and commentators often ask about the geopolitical configuration of the near future: where will the political, economic and strategic centre of gravity of the international system shift to? Will the XXI century actually be characterised, as everything would seem to suggest, by a shift in geopolitical centrality from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific? Or will the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific remain what they were to some degree throughout the last century: the two poles of international relations?13 Plus, regardless of where this centre of gravity is, how will the relationships between different regional spheres evolve, and how will they relate to the global arena? Will regional dynamics gradually regain prominence at the expense of global dynamics, as has been increasingly seen over the last three decades? Or will the mounting competition between the United States and China be powerful enough to partially or totally reverse this trend? 12 D.W. Larson and A. Shevchenko, “Status Seekers. Chinese and Russian Responses to U.S. Primacy”, International Security, vol. 34, no. 4, 2010, pp. 63-95. 13 As already noted by O. Young, “Political Discontinuities in the International System”, World Politics, vol. 20, no. 3, April 1968, pp. 369-92. 14 This conflict dynamic is explicitly recognised in the US National Security Strategy of the past year: “Beijing has ambitions to create an enhanced sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific and to become the world’s leading power”. As such, “Competition with the PRC is most pronounced in the Indo-Pacific, but it is also increasingly global” - White House (2022) pp. 23-24. 15 A. Osiander, The States System of Europe, 1640-1990. Peacemaking and the Conditions of International Stability, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1994; I. Clark, Legitimacy in International Society, Oxford - New York, Oxford UP, 2005. 15 A. Osiander, The States System of Europe, 1640-1990. Peacemaking and the Conditions of International Stability, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1994; I. Clark, Legitimacy in International Society, Oxford - New York, Oxford UP, 2005. 14 This conflict dynamic is explicitly recognised in the US National Security Strategy of the past year: “Beijing has ambitions to create an enhanced sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific and to become the world’s leading power”. As such, “Competition with the PRC is most pronounced in the Indo-Pacific, but it is also increasingly global” - White House (2022) pp. 23-24. War in Ukraine as a Summary At the heart of the impact of this competition for power on geopolitics lies the challengers’ already continuous attempts to build spheres of influence or buffer zones that are not subject to the global influence of the 28 Back to the Future United States and Europe – and the efforts by these latter two to prevent this or, even, enlarge their own sphere. This is the same conflict that has caused the catastrophic consequences seen in Ukraine. The same dynamic looks likely to also play out in East Asia and, on a larger scale, in the Indo-Pacific.14 gi Finally, a transformation in power relations and geopolitical configuration of this magnitude cannot happen without also calling into question all the fundamental principles, norms and institutions of international coexistence – those that set out who are the legitimate actors in the system, the basic rules of their coexistence (particularly, whether and under what circumstances they can legitimately resort to war)15 and who has the right to speak on behalf of the entire international community, dictating the political, economic and ideological standards for full membership and defining, as part of the same power, the degrees of non-membership as well. h This is the least noted, but in all likelihood most unwieldy dimension of the war in Ukraine. This dimension was already part of an undoubted and clearly extensive questioning of the existing principles and norms of international coexistence. Indeed, so extensive was this that it has not even spared a surreptitious re-legitimisation of the use of force and, above all, it has led the international community to split into factions in every major international crisis of the past two decades, from the “humanitarian war” in Kosovo in 1999 to the Anglo-American aggression in Iraq in 2003, from the NATO intervention in Libya in 2011 to the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014. This instability in the rules of coexistence has dramatically increased The War in Ukraine and the Unstoppable Decline... 29 29 the space for the opportunistic strategies of various actors. 16 G. Ferrero, Potere. I Geni invisibili della Città, Milano, Sugarco, 1981, pp. 255-305. 17 The three most important strategy documents published in the past year all converge on this: UE (2022); NATO, Strategic Concept, Bruxelles, 2022; White House (2022). War in Ukraine as a Summary This happens in cases of what Guglielmo Ferrero called, during the tormented period between wars, the conditions of quasi- legitimacy.16 When two or more alternative principles face off without one ever managing to impose itself definitively, an actor that violates the rules can justify this by drawing, from time to time, on the principle that most suits it, thus trying to avoid, at least in part, the reputational price it would otherwise have had to pay in a more orderly situation. From Continuities to Discontinuities Still, this does not change the fact the war in Ukraine seems destined to really accelerate this general crisis of order. For starters, it looks set to aggravate and generalise the trend towards the “securitisation” of relations between States that, over the past two decades, was already found in highly competitive regional areas, such as the Middle East and East Asia, but had not yet become a trend (sparing, in particular, the European continent). The manifestations of such “regression” are the same as in all competitive phases of international politics: an increase in military spending, the formation of new alliances and the revival or enlargement of others (NATO, notably), the definitive shift in strategic planning from minor wars (which was, in spite of everything, the “global war on terror”) to the potential for direct confrontation between major powers, the consequent investment in cutting-edge military technologies which, in recent months, has not stopped even in the face of an express return to nuclear.17 Next, the seemingly permanent breakdown in relations between NATO and Russia will probably add impetus to the 30 Back to the Future bi-polarisation of the international system, particularly because it has already become intertwined with the simultaneous deterioration of relations between the United States and China. This bi-polarisation remains uncertain diplomatically and strategically, with many countries resistant to it (including almost all the “champions” of their respective regions: India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc.) and reluctant to take sides in the emerging confrontation, seeking to maintain relations with all parties instead.18 However, in the meantime, the bi-polarisation of the international system has already become fully fledged in terms of the world’s languages and representations, as can be seen in the Euro-American rhetoric of the clash between democracies and autocracies19 and the Russian and Chinese rhetoric of the clash between Westerners and non-Westerners. Consistent with this dualistic portrayal, bi-polarisation has already resulted in a call to “close ranks” against real and potential adversaries, and a call to order for those allies suspected of seeking “dangerous” relations outside their own camp. It is no coincidence that this line of fracture tends to further hold back the economic and political globalisation of the opening two decades of the post-Cold War era, after the other brakes applied by the 2007-08 financial and economic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic in the last three years. 18 S. Menon, “Russia’s War in Ukraine May Bring Nonalignment Back”, Foreign Policy, Summer 2022. For the especially important case of India, see S.L. Jagtiani, S. Wellek, “In the Shadow of Ukraine: India’s Choices and Challenges”, Survival, 2022, vol. 64, no. 3, pp. 29-48. 19 This dualistic portrayal is ubiquitous in political rhetoric and news reporting, and it occupies an increasing place in scholarly works. Some of the most recent accounts are R. Kagan, “A Free World, If You Can Keep It. Ukraine and American Interests”, Foreign Affairs, 2023, 102, 1, pp. 39-53.. 18 S. Menon, “Russia’s War in Ukraine May Bring Nonalignment Back”, Foreign Policy, Summer 2022. For the especially important case of India, see S.L. Jagtiani, S. Wellek, “In the Shadow of Ukraine: India’s Choices and Challenges”, Survival, 2022, vol. 64, no. 3, pp. 29-48. 19 This dualistic portrayal is ubiquitous in political rhetoric and news reporting, and it occupies an increasing place in scholarly works. Some of the most recent accounts are R. Kagan, “A Free World, If You Can Keep It. Ukraine and American Interests”, Foreign Affairs, 2023, 102, 1, pp. 39-53.. 20 It is no coincidence that the saying the “weaponisation of interdependence” is found in the opening pages of the European Union’s Strategic Compass, cit., p. 5. 21 On the nature and limits of the project, B.R. Rubin, “Geography Lessons: American Decline and the Challenge of Asia”, Survival, 2022, vol. 64, no. 1, pp. 121-30; J. Crabtree, “Competing with the BRI: The West’s Uphill Task”, Survival, 2022, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 81-88. From Continuities to Discontinuities Some restrictive repercussions are already fully in place: the drive (more political than economic) to “bring back home” activities that were previously relocated abroad, at least in newly declared “strategic” sectors like healthcare and energy; the promise to The War in Ukraine and the Unstoppable Decline... 31 31 “enclose” and “secure” the borders of individual States and regional organisations (including the European Union), the renewed focus on the strategic need for autonomy, coupled with the even more significant reinterpretation of economic interdependence as a possible (and always looming) “weapon”;20 and, as a solution to all this, the temptation to “disassemble” and, potentially, “reassemble” globalisation in smaller spaces and only around actors, principles and projects that are compatible with their own. This geopolitical disassembly has significant institutional repercussions. On the one hand, it looks likely there will be a worsening in the crisis that, for at least 15 years, has already been affecting those international institutions with universal reach – that is, not only the major international political and economic organisations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the World Bank, but also the sets of agreed principles, norms, rules and decision-making procedures for trade, finance and environmental and military matters. On the other hand, in the place of such inclusive multilateralism that tends towards universalism – it is no coincidence this is reflected in the unitary notion of the “international community” – the current trend is for a coexistence of alternative multilateralisms. In principle, such multilateralisms compete with each other and they are built at the initiative of hegemonic powers on a global or regional scale. Most importantly, though, they are only open to their respective allies – as in the Western Build Back Better World project launched in June 2021 by the G7 in response to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative21 or, even more as a consequence, the establishment of AUKUS (the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia) a few weeks later. 32 Back to the Future Back to the Future The most worrying and potentially most destructive outcome of this laceration is a weakening of the capacity for concerted management of shared problems and emergencies. 22 White House, National Security Strategy, cit., p. 6. White House (2022), p. 6. 1 “Emmanuel Macron warns Europe: NATO is becoming brain-dead”, The Economist, 7 November 2019. 2 A. Carati, “La Nato e la straordinaria persistenza di un’alleanza obsoleta”, in A. From Continuities to Discontinuities This has been seen in the last three years in how Covid-19 was dealt with, as the situation rapidly degenerated into a battle of efficiency and recriminations between the United States and China (like the one that reopened at the end of 2022 in the wake of the rise in infections in China). The same looks likely to be repeated in the face of other major issues that are by definition common or shared, such as climate change and, more generally, the environment. This potential consequence is candidly acknowledged in the latest US National Security Strategy. Indeed, it precisely sees the relationship between the decline of the international order and the growth of “common” emergencies as the political and strategic conundrum of the current moment in history: “We face two strategic challenges. The first is that the post-Cold War era is definitively over and a competition is underway between the major powers to shape what comes next. ... The second is that while this competition is underway, people all over the world are struggling to cope with the effects of shared challenges that cross borders – whether it is climate change, food insecurity, communicable diseases, terrorism, energy shortages, or inflation... But we must be clear-eyed that we will have to tackle these challenges within a competitive international environment where heightening geopolitical competition, nationalism and populism render this cooperation even more difficult and will require us to think and act in new ways”.22 2. Back to the Future? NATO in 2022 Andrea Carati 2022 will go down as a watershed in the history of NATO, not only because the war in Ukraine refocused the spotlight on European security but, more importantly, because of the dramatic change in the way the public at large and, to a great extent, political élites too perceive the organisation. The relevance attributed to NATO today is in complete contrast to the way in which the Alliance was viewed until late 2021. While NATO appeared to languish in a critical condition in the two or three years leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, today the organisation has re-established itself as the principal anchor for European security. The transition from presumed obsolescence to evident resilience has been rapid. As recently as 2019, in a hard-hitting interview with the Economist, President Emmanuel Macron of France declared the Alliance “brain dead”; the United States was seen to be abandoning its European allies and the latter showed no sign of commitment to the continent’s security.1 Macron’s analysis seemed to echo that of Donald Trump, the first American president to threaten a US withdrawal from NATO and the first to question the strategic reasoning that tied the United States to multilateral regional agreements considered inefficient and disadvantageous for Washington.2 34 Back to the Future The withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 had an even more significant impact on the public’s perception of the Alliance as moribund. Traditionally estranged from international affairs, the European public at large, along with political commentators and leaders viewed NATO’s disengagement from Afghanistan as the result of a spontaneous decision by the Biden administration. On the surface, the abandonment of Afghanistan to the Taliban confirmed not only the military inefficiency but the political unreliability of NATO, and clearly signalled the need to relaunch the European defence project.3 In only a few weeks, the war in Ukraine turned public opinion on its head, with one exaggerated view (the obsolescence of NATO) being replaced by its opposite (extraordinary resilience). The truth is that the conflict raging on the borders of the Alliance confirms that despite the many crises it has faced in recent years, NATO remains what it has always been, namely an essential security instrument for Americans and Europeans alike. Colombo and P. Magri (Eds.), La fine di un mondo. La deriva dell’ordine liberale, ISPI Report, Milan, Ledizioni, 2019. 3 O. David, “NATO and the Future of Europe-US Relations after Afghanistan”, The RUSI Journal, vol. 166, n. 5, 2021, pp. 44-48. 4 For the official declarations issued by the Secretary General and Councils of NATO, see the section entitled Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine – NATO’s response in the official website of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. 2. Back to the Future? NATO in 2022 At the same time, setting aside the effectiveness with which it has changed the balance of military power between Ukraine and Russia, the problems facing NATO allies remain unchanged: the dilemma of burden sharing; Europe’s reluctance to conform to agreed standards (not only the defence spending target of 2% of GDP but the modernisation of military equipment and defence sector reforms); and differences between heterogeneous security demands and expectations of NATO capabilities (a problem destined to become even more acute after the war in Ukraine). Unsurprisingly, the contrast between NATO’s resilience and its persistent problems has emerged in all the main events of 2022 discussed in this article. It is naturally most evident in the Alliance’s reaction and policy towards the Russian attack on Ukraine; it is also apparent in the new Strategic Concept Back to the Future? NATO in 2022 35 adopted at the Madrid Summit (28-30 June); and finally it is evident in the process of northward expansion initiated by the membership applications of Sweden and Finland. NATO and the War in Ukraine In response to the Russian Federation’s military offensive against Ukraine on 24 February, NATO immediately adopted a policy of opposition that has remained substantially unchanged until the present day. NATO has reacted on three fronts: 1) condemnation of Russian aggression accompanied by a clear refusal to become directly involved in the conflict; 2) reinforcement of the Alliance’s eastern borders; 3) massive arms supplies to the Ukrainian government. pp g To begin with, on a political level, NATO categorically condemned the Russian invasion on 24 February. The declaration issued by Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Council, and the joint declaration of NATO Heads of State and Government issued 24 and 25 February assume an identical tenor that has been maintained for the duration of the conflict so far. In a consistent script, NATO “condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine”, defines the military operation as a “blatant violation of international law”, and “stands with the people of Ukraine and … will always maintain its full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine”.4 Even in the face of unanimous condemnation, however, NATO has been equally clear in its political and strategic decision not to join the war against Russia. To begin with, the allies have repeatedly pointed to the distinction between NATO members (the only countries for which the organisation is obliged to go to war) and partner countries like Ukraine, for which NATO Back to the Future 36 limits itself to providing indirect military aid while doing everything possible to avoid direct involvement. On top of this, NATO has committed itself to preventing or at least containing the risk of escalation, both horizontal (the geographic spread of conflict) and vertical (the step from conventional to nuclear warfare). It was made clear from the outset that, in the case of Ukraine, NATO would adopt neither of the instruments it has utilised in other crises over the last thirty years: boots on the ground and either aerial bombardment or the imposition of a no-fly zone. l y In keeping with this response, NATO has committed itself only on the two fronts mentioned above: reinforcement of its eastern borders and the supply of arms to Ukraine. 5 NATO, Statement by NATO Heads of State and Government on Russia’s attack on Ukraine, 25 February 2022. 6 Statement by NATO Heads of State and Government, 24 March 2022. NATO and the War in Ukraine In the Extraordinary Virtual Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government of 25 February, an immediate decision was taken to reinforce the Alliance’s eastern flank.5 With this in mind, SACEUR (the Supreme Allied Commander Europe) was charged with drawing up plans for the deployment of a rapid reaction force to the eastern quadrant. In the Extraordinary Summit of 24 March, the leaders of NATO further agreed to station 40,000 men along the eastern flank and to deploy four additional battle groups to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.6 This reinforcement leverages policy adopted by NATO following the 2014 crisis in Ukraine, and therefore represents an acceleration of ongoing deployments rather than a completely new approach. The policy in question is the EFP (Enhanced Forward Presence), first elaborated at the NATO summit in Wales in 2014 and enacted later in 2017. This foresees four multinational battalions stationed in Poland and the three Baltic nations, led by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States, and more than triples the forces present Back to the Future? NATO in 2022 37 at the start of the conflict.7 In a similar manner, the Tailored Forward Presence launched in 2017 has reinforced ground, naval and air capabilities in the Black Sea region to the south east.8 After the 2014 crisis, NATO’s greater engagement in the east was accompanied by an intensification of US commitment. The Obama administration had already launched the European Reassurance Initiative (later renamed the European Deterrence Initiative) establishing a rotating presence of 7,000 men in central and western Europe. In February 2022, the Biden administration reinforced the American contingent with an additional 15,000 men, taking the total number of US troops in Europe to around 100,000.9 p In addition to reinforcing Europe’s eastern flank, NATO countries immediately boosted arms supplies to the government in Kyiv. Western aid proved decisive in enabling Ukraine’s armed forced to withstand the Russian offensive and, later, to retake some occupied territory. All NATO countries have provided military aid with the exception of Bulgaria and Hungary. Arms have been supplied in vast quantities and have included anti- tank weapons, air defence systems (particularly the famous Stinger, Patriot and Javelin missiles), helicopters, drones, howitzers, tanks, military vehicles, small artillery, ammunition and various types of non-lethal military supplies (protective armour, equipment, communication systems, etc.). 7 P. Belkin, Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: NATO’s Response, Congressional Research Service, CRS Insight no. 11866, 21 March 2022. 8 See the dedicated portal in NATO’s official website: NATO’s military presence in the East of the Alliance. 9 A. Cordesman, “The Ukraine War: Preparing for the Longer-term Outcome”, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington DC, 2022. 10 D. Kunertova and N. Masuhr, “The War against Ukraine Shapes NATO”, Policy Perspective, CSS Eth Zurich, vol. 10, no. 4, June 2022, p. 3. 11 J. Master and W. Merrow, How Much Aid Has the U.S. Sent Ukraine? Here Are Six Charts, Council on Foreign Relations, 16 December 2022. 12 G. Sarcina, “Lo scontro con Putin, l’America unita su Kiev”, Corriere della Sera, 21 December 2022. NATO and the War in Ukraine Far more cautious if not completely withheld have been military supplies potentially capable of triggering dangerous escalation, such as long-range missiles or bombers. The supply of MIG-29 jets was blocked, for example.10 The Czech Republic, Poland and 38 Back to the Future Slovakia felt particularly exposed, as their Russian and Soviet- made arms were the only ones compatible with many Ukrainian military systems. In late Spring, as the conflict dragged on and a war of attrition began to look inevitable, NATO members intensified the supply of western-made arms, accompanied by new training programmes for Ukrainian military personnel. Most arms supplies have come from the United States, though US military aid has not exceeded that of the other allies taken together. Estimates vary significantly but many sources quantify US aid in 2022 at around 48 billion dollars11 – more than the US spent on their own war in Afghanistan (around 46 billion per annum). More generally, the NATO members who have contributed most (excluding the United States) are the United Kingdom (around 4 billion dollars), Germany (around 2 billion euros) and, proportionally to their economies, Poland and the Baltic states. Comparatively speaking, the other major European nations have contributed far less: France only 470 million euros and Italy only 310 million, for example.12 13 A. Colombo, Il governo mondiale dell’emergenza. Dall’apoteosi della sicurezza all’epidemia dell’insicurezza, Milano, Cortina, 2022. 14 Active Engagement, Modern Defence. NATO Strategic Concept 2010. 15 NATO Strategic Concept 2022. NATO’s New 2022 Strategic Concept In addition to the war, the big news in 2022 was NATO’s adoption of a new Strategic Concept at the Madrid Summit (28-30 June). The latest version of the Alliance’s most important strategy document completely rewrote rather than merely updating the previous concept issued in 2010. It presented numerous innovations, some of which were evidently responses to the most dramatic events of the war in Ukraine while others pointed to longer term developments. The latter come as a response to the parabola traversed by the liberal international Back to the Future? NATO in 2022 39 order, whose perception of NATO had deteriorated from that of undisputed security guarantor in the Euro-Atlantic area to that of an organisation plagued by increasing instability.13 Compared to its 2010, 1999 and 1991 antecedents, the 2022 Strategic Concept confirms this trajectory: while NATO was deemed an exceptionally secure alliance in the ’90s, by 2010 it was facing new challenges and today feels openly threatened. The 2022 Strategic Concept makes this even too clear: NATO feels directly challenged in Europe – the geopolitical space it is most clearly obliged to defend – and by a formidable threat that for the very first time could seriously endanger the allies’ security. y While NATO’s enemies were never defined in the 1999 and 2010 documents, the new Strategic Concept draws crystal clear lines between those inside and those outside the Alliance. The biggest change is seen in the approach to Russia. In the 2010 concept, the Russian Federation was described as a partner with whom “a common space of peace, stability and security” could be established and one with whom NATO, far from being in conflict, should rather seek “a true strategic partnership”.14 The relationship described in the 2022 Strategic Concept is totally different. Following brief notes on the aims of the Alliance, the very first point made in the Strategic Environment section points an accusing finger at Russian aggression. Soon after, we read that “the Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro- Atlantic area”.15 This is the clearest statement of antagonism ever made. Back to the Future 40 16 J.J. Mearsheimer, “The Causes and Consequences of the Ukraine War”, Horizons, no. 21, Summer 2022, pp. 12-27. 17 See A. Wolff, “The future of NATO enlargement after the Ukraine crisis”, International Affairs, vol. 91, no. 5, 2015, pp. 1103-121. NATO Membership for Sweden and Finland Another key development in 2022, again as a result of the war, was the application of Sweden and Finland to join NATO. The decision of both countries to abandon their traditional neutrality was a direct response to the conflict in Ukraine. What is important here is that, despite the controversy surrounding the policy of expansion, NATO has insisted on maintaining its so-called “open door” policy towards potential applicants. p p y p pp By attributing full responsibility for the attack on Ukraine to the Russian Federation, NATO has rejected the accusation that its eastward expansion could be interpreted as one of the causes for the conflict. Setting aside the debate raging around expansion to the east and the kind of conflict it could trigger with Russia, and excluding too the geopolitical considerations that, historically, have made Ukraine’s geographic position far more problematic than those of other east European countries, the point worth emphasising is that, from a political and strategic point of view, the war has not called into question the open door policy adopted by NATO in the mid ’90s. On the contrary, within NATO circles, the attack on Ukraine seems to confirm the raison d’être behind expansion, which is viewed as a means of securitising eastern Europe and as a bulwark against an increasingly aggressive Russia.16 The Alliance has therefore confirmed its initial reaction to the Ukrainian crisis of 2014: in the face of Russian claims, it has abandoned the hypothesis of Ukrainian neutrality and instead intensified military cooperation, not only keeping Ukrainian membership of NATO on the table but accrediting the prospect too.17 g p p Against this backdrop, on 18 May 2022, when Finland and Sweden jointly presented official applications for NATO membership, abandoning the long tradition of neutrality Back to the Future? NATO in 2022 41 that had characterised both countries, the move was greeted with enthusiasm by all members with the sole exception of Turkey. The arrival of Finland and Sweden represents a round of expansion that is profoundly different from those of the past. For a start, both countries boast internal stability and democratic credentials far superior to those of the east European nations that joined NATO after 1999. Secondly, they come from a history of formal neutrality and substantial alignment with the West rather than from a sphere of influence antagonistic to NATO. 18 E. Ashford, “NATO Should Think Twice Before Accepting Finland and Sweden”, The Washington Post, 30 May 2022. 1 R. Kagan, “Il pretesto del nazionalismo”, Corriere della Sera, 21 August 2008. 2 Id., The Return of History and the End of Dreams, 2008; Italian translation Il ritorno della storia e la fine dei sogni, Milan, Mondadori, 2008. g , p , , g 2 Id., The Return of History and the End of Dreams, 2008; Italian translation Il ritorno della storia e la fine dei sogni, Milan, Mondadori, 2008. 1 R. Kagan, “Il pretesto del nazionalismo”, Corriere della Sera, 21 August 2008. NATO Membership for Sweden and Finland Thirdly, Finland and Sweden boast far more developed defence industries and armed forces than NATO’s new members in eastern Europe, and have already participated in many NATO missions, developing a high level of interoperability. Their military contribution to the Alliance will therefore be significant. i As with all expansions, however, the integration of Finland and Sweden will inevitably be accompanied by numerous problems.18 An Alliance of 32 nations (twice the organisation’s 1991 membership of 16) will have to reckon with more complex decision-making processes and with increasingly heterogeneous security demands – problems already encountered with the post-Cold War admissions. As in the past, expansion to these two Scandinavian nations will inevitably exacerbate the Russian Federation’s perception of encirclement by the West, leading to increased antagonism and an even more strained relationship between Moscow and NATO. In addition, combined with increased defence spending, an expanded Alliance will accelerate the remilitarisation of Europe and significantly reduce areas of neutrality. Finally, while eastward expansion over the last twenty years has driven strategic competition primarily in the region from the Baltic nations to the Black Sea, the arrival of Sweden and Finland will extend competition to the High North and therefore to the Baltic Sea, Barents Sea and the Arctic in general. 42 Back to the Future Alongside the renewed protagonism of NATO referred to in the opening sections, 2022 will therefore go down in history as the start of an era of renewed competition and militarisation in Europe, the outcome of which is disquietingly uncertain. 3. Are We Heading Back to an Age of Traditional Wars Between Major Powers? Valter Coralluzzo Valter Coralluzzo In the aftermath of the “five-day war” between Russia and Georgia (8-12 August 2008) ‒ which in practice was a major offensive by Russian armed forces on Georgian territory, in the name of defending the separatist republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, of which Tbilisi was seeking to regain control through military power ‒ Robert Kagan, a leading figure in American neo-conservative circles, observed that the conflict represented no less significant a turning point in recent history than the fall of the Berlin Wall. It marked, he wrote, “the official return of history... to an almost XIX century style of great-power competition, complete with virulent nationalisms, battles for resources, struggles over spheres of influence and territory, and even — though it shocks our XXI century sensibilities — the use of military power to obtain geopolitical objectives”.1 Furthermore, this confirmed the central thesis of the book that Kagan had just published,2 in which he scorned the optimistic and widely cherished illusion that the end of the Cold War had spawned a new international order, characterised by the disappearance of any serious reason for conflict between states. Instead, he argued that those years had been “just a 44 Back to the Future momentary pause in the eternal competition between peoples and nations”3 and that in the decades to come, the traditional geopolitical contest between major powers would return to the fore, in a global context increasingly marked by the perennial clash between democracies and autocracies. Kagan’s commentary on the “August War” between Russia and Georgia is a perfect fit for the current context. Many features of what can be rightly seen as Europe’s first (albeit underestimated) war of the XXI century are in fact being amplified in the ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine, which is generally depicted as a classical, conventional, symmetrical, high-intensity, large-scale conflict between regular armies (albeit backed up by private military groups) striving to conquer territory and positions of advantage by making widespread use of armoured vehicles and heavy artillery: in other words, a conflict that has undoubtedly brought traditional war back to the heart of Europe, in a form that resembles the two world wars in many respects. 3. Are We Heading Back to an Age of Traditional Wars Between Major Powers? Valter Coralluzzo Public opinion, the media, political decision-makers and various analysts were clearly taken aback: until the very last moment and despite the US’s well-founded forewarnings of an imminent attack by Russia on Ukraine, many denied that such an event could actually happen. For others, however, Russia’s attack came as a surprise only in its form, not its substance, because it could easily be seen as a natural (and hence predictable) step in the development of post- Soviet Russian foreign policy, which had long been focused on the increasingly aggressive and unscrupulous struggle to gain recognition of its status as a major power. 3 Ivi, p. 14. 4 J. Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico, Book III, 18, 6. 5 G.P. Gooch, History of Our Time, 1885-1911, London, Williams and Norgate, 1911, pp. 248-249. 5 G.P. Gooch, History of Our Time, 1885-1911, London, Williams and Norgate, 1911, pp. 248-249. 4 J. Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico, Book III, 18, 6. The Decline-of-War Thesis To fully understand why there is a stubborn refusal to see a war of the type unleashed by Putin’s Russia at dawn on 24 February 2022 as a real possibility ‒ despite the fact that this was no bolt Are We Heading Back to an Age of Traditional Wars Between Major Powers? 45 from the blue, but a sharp escalation of the conflict that had been going on in the Donbass since 2014 ‒ it is worth bearing in mind that all of us, like the Gauls who opposed Caesar, tend to be bound by the logic under which “men willingly believe what they wish”.4 It is no coincidence that the cognitive sciences used for the purposes of prediction and strategic decision-making warn of the danger posed by factors (such as beliefs, values and illusions) that act as a filter on the impartial examination of facts, thus undermining our ability to question our beliefs and causing us to fall into cognitive traps (giving credence only to information that confirms our expectations, or fitting incoming information to our existing world-views) that generate a skewed picture of reality. In this case, the Russia- Ukraine conflict seriously calls into question a number of deep- seated beliefs about war, its recent transformations and its future development. Shaped by the lively debate on these issues over recent decades, especially in strategic and international studies, these beliefs are based on two assumptions that have gained broad (but not unanimous) consensus among scholars: firstly that the age of traditional wars between sovereign states is over, and secondly that wars between major powers have been consigned to history. Usually lumped together under the more general and inclusive heading “the decline of war”, these assumptions, which appear to accurately reflect the historical experience of the Cold War and post-bipolar eras, warrant careful consideration. 6 T.P.M. Barnett, The Pentagon’s New Map, New York, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004, p. 271. 7 M. Singer and A. Wildavski, The Real World Order. Zones of Peaces, Zones of Turmoil, Chatham (NJ), Chatham House, 1993. 8 Battle-related deaths include military and civilian fatalities caused by traditional battlefield fighting, guerrilla activities and bombardments of all types. The Decline-of-War Thesis Over a century has passed since George Gooch, a British historian, wrote: “We can now look forward with something like confidence to the time when war between civilised nations will be as antiquated as the duel”.5 The most authoritative conflict datasets give reason to believe that this time has come, which is why, a few years ago, Thomas Barnett claimed that Back to the Future 46 “state-on-state war has gone the way of the dinosaur”.6 These datasets clearly show that since 1945, despite a large rise in the number of states, the number of classical international wars ‒ i.e. conventional, symmetrical conflicts between sovereign states fought around a military front by regular armies using comparable weapons, tactics and strategies – has fallen so drastically, that such wars have become rare and, in certain parts of the world, a thing of the past. This has spawned the idea of a world of two halves, in which zones of peace (within the confines of the Euro-Atlantic security community), benefiting from economic development, political stability and liberal democracy, co-exist with zones of turmoil (the rest of the world), where in “strong” states (i.e. states capable of fulfilling their sovereign functions), power politics and the security dilemma dictate the rules of the game, and in “weak” states (i.e. states unable to acquire legitimacy by providing security and other services), civil wars and territorial fragmentation proliferate7. While the two-worlds narrative may look somewhat contrived, the fact remains that the few interstate conflicts fought in recent decades ‒ whether minor conflicts or those classified as full-scale wars on the basis that they have exceeded the conventional threshold of 1,000 deaths in battle per year8 ‒ have been geographically confined to peripheral or semi- peripheral areas of the international system. Furthermore, these conflicts have almost invariably involved minor actors. Where they have involved the system’s major powers, they have never developed into direct conflicts on the ground between those powers, but only into proxy wars (i.e. wars between minor players each protected by a major power). Alternatively, they have involved indirect, covert, unconventional or hybrid forms Are We Heading Back to an Age of Traditional Wars Between Major Powers? 47 of warfare. In other cases again, they have pitted a major power (perhaps at the head of a broad coalition of states) against a minor power or non-state actors of a criminal or terrorist nature. 9 C. Holmqvist, Policing Wars. On Military Intervention in the Twenty-First Century, London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. 10 M. Kaldor, New and Old Wars. Organized violence in a Global Era, 1999. 11 Id., Global Civil Society: An Answer to War, 2003. 12 E.N. Luttwak, Towards Post-Heroic Warfare, in “Foreign Affairs”, vol. 74, no. 3, 1995 13 S. Davies, T. Pettersson, and M. Öberg, “Organized Violence 1989-2021 and The Decline-of-War Thesis This latter category takes the name “policing wars”,9 by which western countries (first and foremost the United States) have attempted to restore order in nations torn by civil war, destabilise nations deemed to be “rogue states” (to the point of regime change, by playing the Nazi card against the dictator of the day), or counter the activity of criminal or terrorist organisations by military means. Even Mary Kaldor, whose best-known book10 occasionally appears to stereotype post- bipolar wars as “new wars” ‒ which are basically domestic wars fought in the context of failing states (failing due to the impact of globalisation), by non-state actors in the name of identity politics ‒ has referred to this type of conflict as “spectacle war” and “neo-modern war”11. The former is the remote, hyper- technological, casualty-free form of warfare typical of a “post- heroic” western world12 whose citizens are no longer willing to sacrifice their lives in war, but get involved in it only as distant spectators (because it is reduced to a kind of virtual simulation attracting a disproportionate amount of media attention). The latter can take the form of a limited interstate war, usually attributable to border disputes; or a counter-insurgency war triggered by the increasing political polarisation of fear and hatred that characterises “new wars”. Interstate war is becoming rarer, but seeing this as confirmation of its actual or imminent demise may be wishful thinking. The latest evidence, in fact, points to an increase in the frequency and lethality of inter-state conflicts.13 There is 48 Back to the Future no doubt, however, that many factors militate against recourse to this type of war. Firstly, war has become more destructive and less cost-effective ‒ a classically liberal idea expressed by Norman Angell at the beginning of the XX century.14 Secondly, the use of force has gradually lost legitimacy and war itself has become a taboo. Drone Warfare”, Journal of Peace Research, vol. 59, no. 4, 2022, pp. 593-610. 14 N. Angell, The Great Illusion: A Study of the Relation of Military Power to National Advantage, 1910. 15 J. Mueller, Retreat from Doomsday: The Obsolescence of Major War, New York, Basic Books, 1989, p. 240. 16 A. Colombo, “La guerra in Ucraina e il trionfo contemporaneo della guerra giusta”, La fionda, no. 2, 2022, pp. 28-40. Drone Warfare”, Journal of Peace Research, vol. 59, no. 4, 2022, pp. 593-610. The Decline-of-War Thesis According to John Mueller, therefore, war is not only “rationally” but also “subconsciously inconceivable”,15 to the extent that those who still have recourse to it feel obliged to conceal it behind euphemisms such as “peace-enforcing”, “humanitarian intervention” and “international policing operations”, or to restore its legitimacy by opportunistically leveraging the idea of the “just war”.16 Thirdly, under the current international system, it has become impracticable to pursue territorial conquest, which has always been one of the main objectives of interstate wars but now seems to have been eradicated, because the right to territorial integrity is so rooted in the international political and legal order that it is obvious to anyone that state borders cannot be unilaterally changed and that any attempt to seize territory by force, even if it wins domestic approval, will be considered illegitimate and seriously damaging to the international reputation of a state, its ruling elite or its leader. These factors ‒ alongside others, such as the role played by democratisation, international institutions, the deterrence mechanism and the “benevolent” hegemony of the United States, whose “peacemaking” effect, however, appears to have been diminishing for some time ‒ all play an important role in explaining the decline of the classic interstate war and, even more so, war between major powers. Many commentators, meanwhile, have claimed that major war is a thing of the past, Are We Heading Back to an Age of Traditional Wars Between Major Powers? 49 on the basis that there is virtually no risk of such conflict occurring today or in the foreseeable.17 But how far is this really true? h There can be no doubt that, since 1945, humankind has enjoyed a “long peace”,18 which the system of nuclear deterrence based on Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) helped strengthen, by radically and irreversibly changing the rational calculus of the costs and benefits of war and making it “unthinkable”. Let us not forget, however, that history offers other examples of long episodes of peace destined, nonetheless, to end. The Cold War itself can certainly be regarded as a major war, unlike all others in its form but similar in its consequences, because it spawned a new international order built around the hegemony of the United States. 17 The leading exponent of this school of thought is John Mueller. 20 years after the publication of his best-known book (Retreat from Doomsday), he has emphatically reiterated his arguments (J. Mueller, “War has almost ceased to exist: An Assessment”, Political Science Quarterly, vol. 124, No. 2, 2009, pp. 297-321). For an opposing opinion, see J.W. Forsyth Jr. and T.E. Griffith Jr., “Through the Glass Darkly: The Unlikely Demise of Great-Power War”, Strategic Studies Quarterly, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, pp. 96-115. 20 L. Bonanate, Il futuro della guerra e le guerre del futuro, in Tullio Gregory (ed.), XXI secolo, Roma, Istituto Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani, 2009, vol. 3, p. 434. 19 V.E. Parsi, Il sistema politico globale: da uno a molti, in Id. (ed.), Che differenza può fare un giorno, Milano, Vita e Pensiero, 2003, p. 103. 18 J.L. Gaddis, “The Long Peace: Elements of Stability in the Postwar International System”, International Security, vol. 10, no. 4, 1986, pp. 99-142. 17 The leading exponent of this school of thought is John Mueller. 20 years after the publication of his best-known book (Retreat from Doomsday), he has emphatically reiterated his arguments (J. Mueller, “War has almost ceased to exist: An Assessment”, Political Science Quarterly, vol. 124, No. 2, 2009, pp. 297-321). For an opposing opinion, see J.W. Forsyth Jr. and T.E. Griffith Jr., “Through the Glass Darkly: The Unlikely Demise of Great-Power War”, Strategic Studies Quarterly, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, pp. 96-115. 18 J.L. Gaddis, “The Long Peace: Elements of Stability in the Postwar International System”, International Security, vol. 10, no. 4, 1986, pp. 99-142. 19 V.E. Parsi, Il sistema politico globale: da uno a molti, in Id. (ed.), Che differenza può fare un giorno, Milano, Vita e Pensiero, 2003, p. 103. 20 L. Bonanate, Il futuro della guerra e le guerre del futuro, in Tullio Gregory (ed.), XXI secolo, Roma, Istituto Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani, 2009, vol. 3, p. 434. The Decline-of-War Thesis The fact that the Cold War came to an end “without a single shot being fired in its main theatre (Europe)”, however, “made it unable to give birth to an actual constitutive peace: as if once again, as always and bitterly, only a bloody victory won on the battlefield could transform the power of the hegemon into legitimate authority”.19 To put it another way, if a true international order can only be spawned by a major war (which ruthlessly separates victor from vanquished, and dominant from dominated), then “it follows that periods of history without major wars are destined to witness great disorder”.20 And it is an established fact that the end of the 50 Back to the Future “short century” marked the beginning of a period of increasing disorder, complexity and unpredictability in international politics. So in a context characterised thus far by the absence of conflict (or even the mere expectation of war) between the system’s major powers, how can we rule out the possibility of a major war becoming at least “conceivable” again? j g g Like Alessandro Colombo, we could also ask ourselves whether it still makes sense to use the term “major war” solely to describe a war between major powers on a global scale, or whether it should also apply to war between the major powers of each regional system. 21 A. Colombo, “Guerra e discontinuità nelle relazioni internazionali. Il dibattito sul declino della guerra e i suoi limiti”, Rivista italiana di scienza politica», vol. XLII, no. 3, 2012, pp. 452-453 22 A. Giannuli offers a convincing explanation of why the widespread use of the term “proxy war” to describe the Russia-Ukraine conflict is approximate and inadequate in Spie in Ucraina, Milan, Ponte alle Grazie, 2022, pp. 157-158 and 182-185. The Decline-of-War Thesis This changes the picture dramatically: although the prospect of a global war does not seem plausible, “the same is not at all true if we shift the perspective to the level of individual regions, with the sole and usual exception of Europe and America”.21 This exception no longer seems to apply, however, in light of what is happening in Ukraine, where a local dyadic conflict (with several, generally overlooked features typical of a civil war) has been transformed (since the attrition of the Russian army made it clear to the Americans that Ukraine was no longer a lost cause but a strategic opportunity to weaken and marginalise Russia) into an anomalous proxy war22 with growing potential for global destabilisation ‒ in other words, a proxy war between Russia, whose claims for status have triggered a kind of anti-Western crusade in the name of multipolarism that seems capable of uniting all the revisionist powers against the existing international order, and the United States, which is committed to defending a world order in which right trumps might (despite having resorted to “might” more than once itself) ‒ not to say a “clash of civilisations” between Are We Heading Back to an Age of Traditional Wars Between Major Powers? 51 51 the West and the non-West (see statements to this effect by Putin and Kirill I, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church).23 As Ian Morris points out, at present “any move that carries a risk of open war with the United States still requires a good dose of folly”, but in the future “the possible benefits may look very different to the emerging powers of 2030 and 2040”, and if so, we are likely to face an era that has “much in common with the decade after 1910”.24 This confirms the view of John Mearsheimer, one of the most radical critics of the decline-of-war thesis, who maintains that the end of the Cold War “did not lead to any attenuation in the anarchic structure of the [international] system ‒ if anything it did the opposite ‒ and there is therefore no reason to expect the major powers to behave very differently in the new century from the way they behaved in the previous two centuries”.25 But another issue is also worth raising. 23 M. Rubboli, La guerra santa di Putin e Kirill, Chieti, Edizioni GBU, 2022. 24 I. Morris, War – What Is It Good For?, 2014; cited by G. Breccia, La grande storia della guerra, Rome, Newton Compton Editori, 2020, pp. 354-355. 25 J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, 2001; Italian translation La logica di potenza, Milan, Università Bocconi Editore, 2003, p. 328. 23 M. Rubboli, La guerra santa di Putin e Kirill, Chieti, Edizioni GBU, 2022. The Decline-of-War Thesis It has been said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict marks the return of traditional war to the heart of Europe: but is this conflict really so “traditional” and eccentric compared with the paradigm of “new wars”? The current map of organised violence features a prevalence of conflicts ‒ regardless of whether we call them post-national wars, peoples’ wars, wars of the third kind, hybrid wars, fourth- or fifth-generation wars, post-heroic wars, post-modern wars or simply new wars ‒ fought in a global, multi-dimensional context in which the war’s connection with the Clausewitzian trinity of state, army and people has become decidedly loose, in the sense that these conflicts involve the presence of non- state actors, the blurring of the boundary between battle- space and non-battle space and the coordinated, simultaneous use of a wide range of military and non-military instruments (conventional weapons, irregular tactics, criminal acts, terrorism, 52 52 Back to the Future indiscriminate violence, highly sophisticated technology, classic disinformation and propaganda techniques and acts of cyber, communication, psycho-cognitive, economic, commercial and financial war). If “hybrid warfare” is one of the most widely used terms to describe the reality of today’s conflicts, this is because those conflicts do not involve “fighting a single type of war; instead, various categories (or ‘generations’) of wars converge and develop simultaneously”.26 In this respect, the war in Ukraine is no exception. On the one hand, it looks increasingly like countless past wars, characterised by continuous, bloody confrontations that yield no decisive victory to either party, but give rise only to a war of attrition, whose outcome will be determined by the collapse of the government, the economy or the will to fight, in one of the warring countries. On the other hand, the Russia-Ukraine war has other features ‒ including the presence of private and semi-private entities (such as foreign fighters, Wagner Group mercenaries and Chechen kadyrovcy), the extension of the battlefield to the whole of Ukrainian society, recourse to a wide range of non-conventional instruments (e.g. the weaponisation of energy), large-scale use of drones and high-tech weapon systems, and the increased importance of the cyber and cognitive domains (hackering and psyops respectively) ‒ which are entirely in line with the aforementioned predominant features of contemporary conflicts. 26 C. Jean, La strategia nelle guerre di quinta generazione, in L. Bozzo (editor), Studi di strategia, Milan, EGEA, 2012, p. 59. The Decline-of-War Thesis In certain respects, in fact, it could be argued that the Russia-Ukraine conflict (with reference to Ukraine more than Russia) is propelling us towards the future and towards the next and final frontier of contemporary warfare: the war to control the minds of the masses (not transiently or partially, but semi-permanently and totally).il p y p y y While the Gulf War of 1991 was the first conflict covered in real time by TV cameras, and the Arab Spring saw the first revolutions coordinated on social networks, Ukraine will Are We Heading Back to an Age of Traditional Wars Between Major Powers? 53 certainly be remembered as the first theatre of war in which the sixth dimension of conflict – the cognitive dimension – played an equally (or more) important role as that of the other five dimensions (land, sea, air, outer space and cyberspace), by generating tangible, real-world effects. In fact, the Russia- Ukraine war is “the first conflict fought with weapons that include memes, virtual appeals and advertising-style outputs representing a cross between war propaganda and viral marketing”.27 This unexpectedly and outstandingly effective mix has enabled President Zelensky, the first online wartime leader, to achieve two goals: firstly to generate such a vast “rallying effect” around the Ukrainian flag as to encourage widespread, tenacious civil resistance to Russian aggression; and secondly to awaken the slumbering conscience of an uncertain West, to the point of winning its firm and growing support (diplomatic, political, economic and above all military) for the Ukrainian cause, which in practice reversed an outcome (the rapid capitulation of Kiev) that everyone (first and foremost Putin) had taken for granted. In this respect, “while international relations will be marked by a pre- and post-Ukraine demarcation line, hybrid wars will be marked by a pre- and post-Zelensky demarcation line”.28 Having studied the shrewd and unconstrained way in which Zelensky has leveraged the technological advantage afforded by the strategic use of digital platforms, Zhan Shi, a Chinese analyst, came to describe the Russia-Ukraine war as “the first metaverse war”: a “dispersed, digitised, interconnected and smart” war that is being waged both online and offline and makes “the Russian tactic, with its huge war machine, comparable to that of the Second World War, look clumsy and outdated”.29 But other aspects of the war in Ukraine also appear to be steering us towards a future fraught with risks and unknowns. 27 E. Pietrobon, Zelinskij. La storia dell’uomo che ha cambiato (per sempre) il modo di fare la guerra, Rome, Castelvecchi, 2022, p. 74. 28 Ivi, back cover. 29 Z. Shi, “La prima guerra del Metaverso”, Limes, no. 4, 2022, p. 201. 27 E. Pietrobon, Zelinskij. La storia dell’uomo che ha cambiato (per sempre) il modo di fare la guerra, Rome, Castelvecchi, 2022, p. 74. 29 Z. Shi, “La prima guerra del Metaverso”, Limes, no. 4, 2022, p. 201. The Decline-of-War Thesis Let us focus on just two of these. The first relates to certainly be remembered as the first theatre of war in which the sixth dimension of conflict – the cognitive dimension – played an equally (or more) important role as that of the other five dimensions (land, sea, air, outer space and cyberspace), by generating tangible, real-world effects. In fact, the Russia- Ukraine war is “the first conflict fought with weapons that include memes, virtual appeals and advertising-style outputs representing a cross between war propaganda and viral marketing”.27 This unexpectedly and outstandingly effective mix has enabled President Zelensky, the first online wartime leader, to achieve two goals: firstly to generate such a vast “rallying effect” around the Ukrainian flag as to encourage widespread, tenacious civil resistance to Russian aggression; and secondly to awaken the slumbering conscience of an uncertain West, to the point of winning its firm and growing support (diplomatic, political, economic and above all military) for the Ukrainian cause, which in practice reversed an outcome (the rapid capitulation of Kiev) that everyone (first and foremost Putin) had taken for granted. In this respect, “while international relations will be marked by a pre- and post-Ukraine demarcation line, hybrid wars will be marked by a pre- and post-Zelensky demarcation line”.28 Having studied the shrewd and unconstrained way in which Zelensky has leveraged the technological advantage afforded by the strategic use of digital platforms, Zhan Shi, a Chinese analyst, came to describe the Russia-Ukraine war as “the first metaverse war”: a “dispersed, digitised, interconnected and smart” war that is being waged both online and offline and makes “the Russian tactic, with its huge war machine, comparable to that of the Second World War, look clumsy and outdated”.29 But other aspects of the war in Ukraine also appear to be steering us towards a future fraught with risks and unknowns. Let us focus on just two of these. The Decline-of-War Thesis The first relates to 54 Back to the Future the process of democratisation (or apparent democratisation?) unleashed by the systematic use of Open-Source Intelligence resources, which has made the progress of field operations more transparent and made “information that used to be held secretly in the hands of governments, which decided how much of it to disseminate, now largely available to anyone with an internet connection”.30 The second relates to the prominent role played by the aerospace capabilities of private actors such as Elon Musk, who, by granting the Ukrainian armed forces free use of Starlink, the satellite system of SpaceX, a global corporation that he owns, has pushed the process of privatising war to the extreme at which a private citizen can declare de facto war on a nation, by choosing not merely to influence, but to actually determine the outcome of, a conflict between sovereign states. 30 M. Spagnulo, “L’invisibile battaglia spaziale nella guerra d’Ucraina”, Limes, no. 7, 2022, p. 223. 31 F. Heisbourg, The Future of War, 1997; Italian translation Il futuro della guerra, Milan, Garzanti, 1999, p. 23. 31 F. Heisbourg, The Future of War, 1997; Italian translation Il futuro della guerra, Milan, Garzanti, 1999, p. 23. 30 M. Spagnulo, “L’invisibile battaglia spaziale nella guerra d’Ucraina”, Limes, no. 7, 2022, p. 223. Conclusion In light of the processes in international relations that the war in Ukraine has set in motion (or revitalised) ‒ from a worrying re-militarisation of relations between states to a growing bipolarisation of the international system along the lines of democracies versus autocracies, which nonetheless looks difficult to reconcile with the tendency to form self-sufficient regional resource and technology blocs, spawned by the “rethinking” of globalisation that has received a fresh boost from the war ‒ it is likely to be remembered as the real watershed event of the first part of the XXI century. According to Françoise Heisbourg ‒ who as far back as 1997 wrote an ominous essay on the future of war31 ‒ the Russia-Ukraine conflict, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the attacks of 11 September 2001, represents “the third major historical watershed event of the past fifty Are We Heading Back to an Age of Traditional Wars Between Major Powers? 55 years”, which posterity will see as the beginning of a new “era of war”.32 Some even think that Putin’s decision to resolve the “Ukrainian question” by force is “rapidly welding together the parts of the creeping Third World War denounced by Pope Francis”,33 bringing the world dangerously close to midnight on the Doomsday Clock – all the more so if Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons materialises. Attempting to predict how the situation will evolve, either in Ukraine or worldwide, is of course a daunting task: there are too many variables to consider; and too many “black swans” ‒ rare events of immense impact that can only be seen coming with the benefit of hindsight – have taken to the troubled waters of the post-bipolar world. What is certain is that the post-modern illusion cherished for decades by Europe, as a “civil power”, in the belief that neighbouring regions (and eventually the entire international system) could be reshaped and pacified on the basis of its own experience, has been crushed (probably beyond repair) under the overwhelming weight of the security dilemma and the ruthless laws of power politics, which have exposed Europe’s strategic vulnerabilities. 32 Id., “La Russia alla perdita dell’impero”, Aspenia, no. 99, 2002, pp. 136-137. 33 V. Ilari, “Perché l’indipendenza economica non impedisce la guerra”, Domino, no. 4, 2022, p. 105. 34 M. Evans, “From Kadesh to Kandahar: Military Theory and the Future of War”, Naval War College Review, vol. 56, no. 3, 2003, p. 132. 35 C.S. Gray, Another Bloody Century. Future Warfare, London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2005, p. 21. 2 Id., “La Russia alla perdita dell’impero”, Aspenia, no. 99, 2002, pp. 136-137. 36 E. Morin, Penser global. L’homme et son univers, 2015; Italian translation Sette lezioni sul pensiero globale, Milan, Raffaello Cortina Editore, 2016, pp. 113-14. 37 E. Levenson, The Ambiguity of Change, 1983; Italian translation L’ambiguità del cambiamento, Rome, Astrolabio Ubaldini, 1985, p. 16. 4. The Nuclear Threat is Back Luciano Bozzo Among other macroscopic effects, the events of 1989-91, the collapse of Communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe, the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, and the progressive disintegration and eventual disappearance of the Soviet Union caused a kind of “nuclear eclipse”. Entire libraries dedicated to nuclear war and strategies, written over decades of extraordinary financial and scientific endeavour, suddenly seemed obsolete and fit only for pulping. With very few exceptions, this perception did not change significantly for the next thirty years – until 24 February last year, that is. 1 The translation is edited by F. Kaplan, the Wizards of Armageddon, Stanford, CA, Stanford University Press, 1991. This book accurately tells the tale of the famous Conclusion As for the future of war, which now “seems more dynamic and chameleon-like than ever before”,34 and the form that any global confrontation between the major powers might take, Colin Gray notes that “it is a perennial vice of unimaginative theorists to sketch out a future that is identical to the present ‘but a bit more so’”, but “it is a parallel mistake to predict a future that shares few points of contact with reality as we know it”.35 So the words written by Edgar Morin a few years ago sound more prescient than ever: “We’re experiencing the beginning of a beginning”, so to understand 56 Back to the Future Back to the Future the meaning and direction of the changes taking place, “we must avoid dogmatism, in other words setting our ideas in stone and refusing to measure them against experience”.36 If, however, we cling to the belief that our theories and certainties are beyond question, we risk ending up “like a penguin, drifting out to sea on a melting bed of premises”.37 “lay strategists” recruited by leading US research institutes. 2 B. Brodie, Implications for Military Policy, in Id. (ed.), The Absolute Weapon: Atomic Power and World Order, New York, Harcourt & Brace, 1946, p. 76. 3 A. Roberts, Churchill: Biography, Turin, UTET, 2020, p. 1322. 4 C.M. Santoro, Il sistema di guerra: teoria e strategia del bipolarismo, in L. Bonanate and C.M. Santoro (eds.), Teoria e analisi nelle relazioni internazionali, Bologna, il Mulino, 1986, pp. 315-349. The Nuclear Eclipse Between the first use of the atomic bomb on 6 and 9 August 1945 and the end of the Cold War, thousands of volumes and tens of thousands of articles and papers gave substance to the most convoluted strategic debates. Especially in the United States, a conceptual castle was constructed, as vast as it was complex, characterised by paradoxes and indeed esotericism. This castle was the theory of nuclear deterrence. The best minds from many fields of science, with good reason later dubbed “the Wizards of Armageddon”1 were hired by leading American research 58 Back to the Future centres, the most prestigious being the RAND Corporation. The paradoxical task entrusted to them was to conceive and plan for the use of the most destructive weapons ever devised by man – nuclear weapons and, after 1952, even thermonuclear weapons – whose use, however, had to be prevented at all costs, given their limitless capacity for destruction. As early as 1946, Bernard Brodie predicted that the United States would soon lose its monopoly and that the Soviet Union would acquire nuclear weapons (as indeed it did three years later) along with ballistic missiles, which could not be intercepted either then or for many years after. When this happened, he argued, the combination of the former and latter into a single weapon system would forever change traditional military and diplomatic thinking, and with it the very nature of political- military relationships. In Brodie’s words: “To date, the main task of our military apparatus has been to win wars. From now on it must be to avoid them”.2 Throughout the Cold War, though nuclear weapons were never used in the field, they maintained a constant and decisive influence on political and diplomatic debates between the Great Powers. The Nuclear Eclipse In a famous speech to the House of Commons in 1955, Sir Winston Churchill ironically noted that: “safety will be the sturdy child of terror, and survival the twin brother of annihilation”.3 The threat of reciprocal annihilation by the superpowers, codified in the late 1960s in the American doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), expressed perfectly the ultimate nature of the bipolar system of warfare.4 It was no coincidence that the nightmare of nuclear war and the disturbing prospects of “the day after” entered and remained in the subconscious and imagination of the public, The Nuclear Threat is Back 59 partly as a result of numerous expressions of pop culture and art. Nevertheless, in the West, MAD was envisaged and later widely perceived as the mainstay of international stability: a “balance of terror”. Not surprisingly, the end of such a system was greeted with collective relief. The resulting nuclear eclipse was considered a great “peace dividend” and widely celebrated in the euphoric months of the immediate post-Cold War period. The date of 2 August 1990 – the start of the Gulf War – rudely shattered the dream of peace. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the crisis of the Russian Federation, and the international status of China, then still a developing nation, meant that for the duration of the 1990s the debate around nuclear weapons remained far less intense than in preceding decades. 5 Among others see: J. Record, Defeating Desert Storm (and Why Saddam Didn’t), in Comparative Strategy, vol. 12, no. 2, 1993, pp. 125-140. 9 S.D. Sagan, The Perils of Proliferation: Organization Theory, Deterrence Theory, and the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, in International Security, vol. 18, no. 4, spring 1994, pp. 66-107; now expanded in Id., More Will Be Worse, in S.D. Sagan and K.N. Waltz (1995), pp. 47-91. 8 This argument was first formulated in K.N. Waltz, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: More May Be Better, London, IISS, Adelphi Paper 171, 1981. It was later revived and expanded in Id., More May Be Better, in S.D. Sagan and K.N. Waltz, the Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate, New York, London, W.W. Norton & Co., 1995, pp. 1-45. 7 This is the case of J. J. Mearsheimer, Back to the Future: Instability in Europe After the Cold War, in S. Lynn-Jones (ed.), The Cold War and After: Prospects for Peace, Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 1993, pp. 141-192.i 6 This argument was put forward by J. J. Mearsheimer before the Memorandum was signed. See The Case for a Ukrainian Nuclear Deterrent, in Foreign Affairs, vol. 72, no. 3, summer 1993, pp. 50-66. The text of the Memorandum is available at: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000280401fbb 6 This argument was put forward by J. J. Mearsheimer before the Memorandum was signed. See The Case for a Ukrainian Nuclear Deterrent, in Foreign Affairs, vol. 72, no. 3, summer 1993, pp. 50-66. The text of the Memorandum is available at: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000280401fbb 7 This is the case of J. J. Mearsheimer, Back to the Future: Instability in Europe After the Cold War, in S. Lynn-Jones (ed.), The Cold War and After: Prospects for Peace, Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 1993, pp. 141-192. 8 This argument was first formulated in K.N. Waltz, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: More May Be Better, London, IISS, Adelphi Paper 171, 1981. It was later revived and expanded in Id., More May Be Better, in S.D. Sagan and K.N. Waltz, the Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate, New York, London, W.W. Norton & Co., 1995, pp. 1-45. 9 S.D. Sagan, The Perils of Proliferation: Organization Theory, Deterrence Theory, and the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, in International Security, vol. 18, no. 4, spring 1994, pp. 66-107; now expanded in Id., More Will Be Worse, in S.D. Sagan and K.N. Waltz (1995), pp. 47-91. was signed. See The Case for a Ukrainian Nuclear Deterrent, in Foreign Affairs, vol. 72, no. 3, summer 1993, pp. 50-66. The text of the Memorandum is available at: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000280401fbb 7 This is the case of J. J. Mearsheimer, Back to the Future: Instability in Europe After the Cold War, in S. Lynn-Jones (ed.), The Cold War and After: Prospects for Peace, Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 1993, pp. 141-192. 8 This argument was first formulated in K.N. Waltz, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: More May Be Better London IISS Adelphi Paper 171 1981 It was later revived The Nuclear Weapons Debate in the Nineties In the first decade following the Cold War, as America’s hopes of establishing a new world order underwritten by a victorious US hyperpower gradually faded, the debate around nuclear weapons focused on three main themes. First, it was thought that the “lesson of the Gulf” would provide a valid and powerful reason for nuclear proliferation among the so-called “rogue states” of Iran, North Korea, Syria and Libya. It was widely assumed at the time that had Saddam Hussein succeeded in acquiring nuclear weapons, he could have dissuaded the United States from intervening in the Gulf and liberating Kuwait.5 This same argument has been repeated in recent months by those who believe that Putin would never have attacked Ukraine if Kyiv had not signed the Budapest Memorandum in December 1994 and handed over to the Russian Federation the nuclear weapons it inherited from the Soviet Union, in exchange for Moscow’s Back to the Future 60 now evidently worthless commitment to Ukrainian security.6 Second, in the early 1990s, proponents of the transition to a multipolar international system assumed that the emerging powers, Germany and Japan, would likely develop their own nuclear capabilities for reasons of status and security.7 Third, a theoretical debate begun in the previous decade continued to rage throughout the nineties. Kenneth Waltz, on the one hand, maintained a traditional, heterodox position. According to this view, nuclear proliferation, if limited to fifteen or so nations, would actually stabilise relations between regional rivals (e.g. Israel and Iran or India and Pakistan), as had happened previously in the case of the two superpowers.8 Others, on the other hand, were fearful of the serious risks associated with the spread of nuclear weapons to developing countries governed by authoritarian regimes deemed unable to guarantee adequate security or control their militaries.9 11 September brought this phase to a sudden end and led to a redefinition of the debate around nuclear weapons. 10 See NSC, The National Security Strategy of the United States of America, September 2002, p. 15; see also J. J. Klein, Deterring and Dissuading Nuclear Terrorism, in the Journal of Strategic Security, vol. 5, no. 1, 2012, pp. 22-23, 25-26. 11 J. Arquilla and D. Ronfeldt, Cyberwar is Coming!, in Comparative Strategy, vol. 12, no. 2, 1993, pp. 141-165. 12 M. Van Creveld, the Transformation of War, New York, The Free Press, 1991. 13 R. Smith, The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World, London, Allen Lane, 2005. The Nuclear Weapons Debate in the Nineties With the start of the “global and endless” war on terror, the crucial and controversial first question became whether and how nuclear deterrence could be effective against internationally networked 61 The Nuclear Threat is Back 61 terrorist organisations belonging to no single state.10 No less important was the question of how a nuclear threat could possibly deter other emerging, inherently non-attributable but potentially devastating challenges: cyber-attacks.11 One assumption, however, was widespread throughout the literature: future conflicts would be profoundly different from those of the past. The inter-state wars of the industrial age were about to be permanently superseded by asymmetric or non-Clausewitzian “limited intensity conflicts”,12 by “non-war military operations”, “wars among peoples” and “non-kinetic warfare”.13 Needless to say, in each of these interpretations, nuclear weapons, if considered at all, played only a secondary, residual role as a dangerous and unnecessary legacy of the last great conflict of the industrial age. h l The conventional war between two states that began in Europe last year has given the lie to these and similar theories and refocused debate on the strategy of deterrence, the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield, and the risk of escalation. Terms, concepts, and doctrines first developed during the so-called “golden age” of deterrence theory have been revitalised as a consequence. 14 G.H. Snyder, Deterrence by Denial and Punishment, Research Monograph no. 1, Princeton, NJ, Center of International Studies, 2 January 1959; T. C. Schelling, Arms and Influence, New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, 1966, p. 22. 15 Schelling (1996), pp195-96. 16 P.M. Morgan, Deterrence: A Conceptual Analysis, Beverly Hills, CA, Sage, 1977, p. 111. The Conceptual Legacy of the Early Nuclear Age The foundations of deterrence theory were laid between the mid-1950s and the early 1960s. In the jargon then adopted, an attack is referred to as a “first strike” and retaliation as a “second strike”. Nuclear deterrence can be based either on the ability 62 Back to the Future to prevent an opponent achieving their objectives (“deterrence by denial” or “deterrence by defence”) or on the ability to inflict unacceptable damage on them, without first defeating them and even having suffered attack by them (“deterrence by punishment”).14 The first scenario obviously requires “first-strike counterforce” targets, i.e. the targeting of an opponent’s nuclear weapon sites to eliminate the possibility of a devastating second strike. The objective of the second approach is to dissuade the opponent from carrying out an attack in the first place, by threatening to launch a devastating and therefore unacceptable second strike. A further distinction is made between deterrence and compellence, the latter being more difficult to achieve by its very nature.15 y To be effective, a threat must be credible, and this presupposes firstly survival, or the relative invulnerability of the forces responding to a surprise attack, and secondly the ability to communicate the determination of those forces to the enemy. Faced with an opponent like the Soviet Union (or the Russian Federation today) capable of counterattacks on enemy cities, a second-strike strategy is evidently suicidal and therefore quite irrational. Yet MAD, the very cornerstone of bipolar equilibrium, was based on exactly this kind of reciprocal threat, despite the careful choice of civilian and military objectives listed in the SIOPs (Single Integrated Operational Plans) for nuclear war elaborated by the US over the years. The central tenet of the concept was, and still is, simple and disturbing: “a state cannot rationally […] commit to extremely irrational behaviour, but it cannot guarantee rationality [in a critical situation]”.16 It cannot therefore rule out the unthinkable. In Thomas Schelling’s analysis, this allowed for the voluntarily The Nuclear Threat is Back 63 63 use of violence and extreme risk as a means of deterrence or compellence (brinkmanship). 17 T.C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, New York, Oxford University Press, 1963, pp. 187-203. 18 H. Kahn, On Escalation: Metaphors and Scenarios, New York, Praeger, 1965. 19 A scale of 44 steps and 6 thresholds is found in H. Kahn, op. cit., p. 39. 20 See H. Kahn, On Thermonuclear War, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 1961, pp. 126 and following. 21 See E. Bottome, The Balance of Terror: Nuclear Weapons and the Illusion of Security 1945-1985, Boston, MA, Beacon Press, 1986, pp. 25-31. The kiloton (kt) is the unit of explosive power of an atomic weapon, and corresponds to 1,000 equivalent tons of the conventional explosive, trinitrotoluene (TNT). The Conceptual Legacy of the Early Nuclear Age In other words, purposefully leaving to chance, rather than leadership decisions, the outcome of a threat strategy (threat which leaves something to chance) increased its credibility and its level of intimidation.17 Complete uncertainty as to what would happen were the nuclear threshold to be exceeded, combined with certainty of the devastation that would follow, has therefore been the ultimate justification for the effectiveness of deterrence strategy. f In the Cold War years, the doctrine of deterrence formed part of a more complex theory of escalation.18 According to the latter, in a severe diplomatic crisis, both parties may attempt to win the fight first by threat and then, if necessary, by increasing the intensity of their actions across a series of “thresholds”. In theory, the action spectrum ranges from diplomatic and economic measures to the gradual deployment of conventional military capabilities and eventually to the nuclear threshold, crossing it if necessary.19 This strategy, however, can only succeed if the opponent does not respond to the escalation blow by blow. To ensure success, “escalation dominance” must therefore be maintained, i.e. readiness to move to the next step in the certainty of being able to respond to the opponent’s actions from a position of sufficient advantage. Threatening escalation therefore has a dissuasive and coercive effect; it discourages the opponent not only by raising the intensity of the violence, but by highlighting the risk that the conflict may escape the control of both parties, with catastrophic results. p p In any case, there is little doubt that a nuclear power would indeed resort to the use of nuclear weapons if its survival or vital interests were threatened. The use of threats to defend that power’s allies (extended deterrence) or non-vital national interests is quite another matter. 64 Back to the Future The Problem of Extended Deterrence Classic works of nuclear strategy distinguished between three types of deterrence.20 The first, “basic deterrence”, is used by a nuclear power to prevent a direct attack on its territory or on vital interests on which its survival depends. Such threats obviously have maximum credibility and effectiveness. This changes when we come to the second, “active” form of deterrence, which aims at defending key allies. Finally, the third type, “tit-for-tat deterrence”, identifies lesser, retaliatory threats intended to protect friendly nations, for example. Needless to say, the effectiveness of this last type of threat is, by its very nature, limited. This problem became apparent to NATO in the mid-1950s, when it was seen that the objectives agreed at the Lisbon Conference in 1952, to increase the Alliance’s conventional forces in Europe to counterbalance the far superior conventional forces of the Warsaw Pact, would not, in fact, be achieved. Western Europe was enjoying a post-war recovery, and national governments had no intention of implementing massive and extremely expensive conventional rearmament plans. The West therefore began the deployment of American tactical nuclear weapons (bombs, shells, warheads and mines) for use on the battlefield. These devices had a maximum power of 20 kilotons, roughly equivalent to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.21 The intention was to redress the imbalance in conventional forces with cheaper but more devastating nuclear weapons. Had war broken out and had the Soviets and Warsaw Pact armoured battalions broken through, a result that was taken for granted, NATO would have made a “first use” of tactical The Nuclear Threat is Back 65 65 nuclear weapons to stop them. This prospect alone, it was believed, provided a sufficient deterrent. h The Americans and Europeans, however, had, and still have, two very different interpretations of this strategy. This emerged clearly in the next decade when NATO adopted the nuclear doctrine of “flexible response”. The same divergent interpretations continue to impact the Euro-Atlantic debate on nuclear weapons and security even today. The Americans viewed tactical nuclear weapons as practical instruments that, if deterrence failed, could be used to fight a nuclear war of limited scale (i.e. limited to Europe). According to many US analysts and academics, Henry Kissinger first and foremost,22 doing so would restore military “agility” and therefore political instrumentality, to weapons otherwise so powerful as to be considered politically paralysing. The Problem of Extended Deterrence For the Europeans, however, any nuclear war fought in Europe would be so devastating as to be unacceptable: they therefore saw the deployment of nuclear weapons only as a powerful tool for “coupling” European security to that of the US. Their use in a war, they believed, would inevitably trigger escalation to the strategic level and involve the United States and Soviet Union in nuclear exchanges. The presence of nuclear weapons would therefore force both superpowers to adopt extreme caution. The French, and De Gaulle in particular, first raised the now highly topical question of why the United States should endanger New York to defend Paris? For the French, the answer was to develop their own deterrent, reject the doctrine of flexible response and withdraw from NATO’s integrated military command in 1966. 22 H.A. Kissinger, Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy, New York, Harper & Bros, 1957, pp. 188-190. 23 For reference documents on Russian nuclear deterrence doctrine, see L. Wachs, Limited nuclear options and extended deterrence: adapting to the changing strategic context in Europe, in A. Gilli and P. de Dreuzy (eds.), Nuclear Strategy in the 21st Century: Continuity or Change?, Rome, NATO Defense College, NDC Research Paper no. 27, December 2022, p. 27. Ukraine: The Return of the Nuclear Debate Since 24 February last year, the threat of escalation has played a key role in the war in Ukraine and refocused attention on the political and military implications of nuclear weapons. Already Back to the Future 66 in the early stages of his “special military operation”, Putin threatened that any third-party intervention in the conflict would trigger a rapid response, while simultaneously reminding the West of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. Two days later, he ordered Russia’s nuclear deterrence system to a first stage of alert in response to the “hostile sanctions” imposed on the Russian Federation and the “aggressive statements” made by Western leaders. Since then, Putin has continued to make more or less explicit references to the possibility of nuclear escalation. Other members of the Russian political elite have also issued regular bombastic and sometimes ridiculous threats. This has deeply affected the course of the war in at least two ways. f y Firstly, frequent threats of nuclear escalation have created a unique condition of “double sanctuarisation” in the strategic theatre. The Russians find themselves deterred from striking the supply lines that feed Ukraine’s war effort where they originate beyond that country’s borders: any attack on the territory of a NATO member, Poland first and foremost, would inevitably provoke a reaction by the Alliance and, as has been repeatedly stated, trigger a nuclear third world war. On the other side, the Ukrainians are continuously being begged by the Allies to avoid, or at least limit, attacks on Federation territory, excluding, of course, the regions annexed by Moscow. The restrictions imposed on the supply of long-range weapon systems, which Kyiv has demanded with growing insistence in recent months, are intended precisely to avoid giving the Russian leadership cause to feel that their national security is seriously threatened. After all, according to Russia’s 2020 Nuclear Deterrence Policy,23 the use of nuclear weapons is envisaged: if similar or other weapons of mass destruction are used against the Federation or its allies; if a launch of ballistic 67 The Nuclear Threat is Back 67 missiles directed at Russian or allied territory is detected, or if installations needed to launch retaliatory strikes are hit; and finally, if an attack on the territory of the Russian Federation using conventional forces but no weapons of mass destruction endangers the survival of the state. 24 TASS, Russia News Agency, 27 September, available at: https://tass.com/ politics/1513883 Ukraine: The Return of the Nuclear Debate hf The second effect of the nuclear threat is that, since before the start of hostilities, Putin has practised a strategy of consciously limiting the options available to him, and hence the courses of action open to him, in the shadow of that threat. It is our belief that the Russian leader has cleverly employed brinkmanship, burning bridges and raising the stakes as he goes, in a show of determination and in an attempt to strengthen his negotiating position. His recognition on 21 February 2022 of the Donbas republics of Donetsk and Luhansk that declared independence in May 2014 should be seen in this light. The same applies to the Russian Federation’s annexation of the two republics and of the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia on 30 September last year. Just three days earlier, Dimitry Medvedev, to name one of many, had insisted that NATO would not react to the Federation’s use of nuclear weapons in response to Ukrainian aggression. His point was that the security of Washington, London and Brussels is far more important than the fate of a dying Ukraine.24 This argument is a rhetorical one, however, and obviously refers back to the “New York is worth more than Paris” argument that raged within NATO over the use of tactical nuclear weapons in the 1960s. One major consequence of the present war is therefore that the question of extended deterrence has once again become central to Euro- Atlantic security. The debate has become particularly heated since the Ukrainian oblasts were annexed by the Federation, but the question was also raised when Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014. Given the 2020 Nuclear Deterrence Policy, could Back to the Future 68 a sudden collapse of the Russian front and Ukraine’s recapture of its annexed territories force Moscow into the use of tactical nuclear weapons? And if so, how would NATO react? Rather than real military significance, the use of such weapons would have a symbolic value: they would demonstrate the Kremlin’s determination and its willingness to employ brinkmanship and escalation despite the associated risks. Things would, of course, be different were the survival of the state – or perhaps that of its leader – really at stake. y Two critical facts have emerged from this ongoing war. 25 Council on Foreign Relations, Lessons from History Series: A Conversation with Henry Kissinger, New York, 30 September 2022, available at: https://drive.google. com/drive/folders/1_Ia5KdTiGylUWzHhafGsIwz2O_ia0i6t?usp=sharing  26 K.N. Waltz (1981), op. cit., p. 29. Ukraine: The Return of the Nuclear Debate In the year since hostilities began, references to the possible use of nuclear weapons on the battlefield have been made on many occasions. The taboo against nuclear weapons seems to have weakened in the minds of the leaders and the public at large. Furthermore, given progress in miniaturisation and reductions in the power of tactical nuclear weapons, now rated at mere fractions of kilotons, and a corresponding increase in the power of conventional weapons, the boundary between the two forms of warfare has become extremely blurred, opening the door to easier escalation in the field. Conclusion On 30 September last year, Henry Kissinger, speaking at the headquarters of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, where he published Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy in 1957, warned that nuclear escalation in Ukraine could easily upset the international system.25 Back in 1995, Kenneth Waltz pointed out that: “a nation with nuclear weapons cannot be asked to surrender”.26 The “double sanctuarisation” of the strategic theatre in Ukraine has so far confirmed the effectiveness The Nuclear Threat is Back 69 of deterrence both for NATO and the Russian Federation. Attempts at coercion against Ukraine have, on the contrary, failed miserably. Russia has not even succeeded in deterring Ukraine from launching a counter-offensive in the annexed territories. However, what would happen if the offensive were to be extended to Crimea remains unclear. Regardless of the outcome of the war, the serious human and material losses suffered by the Russian Federation, the effects of sanctions, the unity of NATO and significant increases in the defence budgets of certain Member States, as well as membership applications from Sweden and Finland are all factors that weaken Russia’s conventional strength. This will inevitably lead to its leadership relying more on their nuclear arsenal. This could have a significant effect on future developments. The war has brought to light unexpected risk propensity along with blatant errors of perception and calculation by the Kremlin. All this means that Russia’s future actions are now far less predictable and that the effect on Moscow of any nuclear deterrent may be significantly reduced. gi y In view of all this, the question remains how the United States can exercise credible extended deterrence in favour of its allies given the risk that Russia might make a limited use of nuclear weapons. The old dialectic between deterrence and reassurance has been given a new lease of life. There are two sides to the problem of extended deterrence credibility: the degree of US resolve and the operational capabilities available. Against 1,900 to 2,000 Russian tactical nuclear weapons, NATO has deployed between 100 and 150 to allied bases in Europe, including Aviano. Some 7,000 were available in the mid-1970s. These are B-61 gravity bombs, carried by multirole aircraft that are vulnerable on the ground, whose deployment would be subject to NATO decision-making and which, if used, would still have to penetrate Russian air defences. 27 L. Wachs, op. cit., pp. 29-30. Conclusion This first weapon system is backed up by the low-yield W76-2 warheads of missiles carried by Trident submarines, which are almost invulnerable and well capable of getting through enemy defence systems. 70 Back to the Future Back to the Future Warheads of this type have been kept in deployment by President Biden despite the nuclear rearmament cuts imposed by his predecessor.27 However, any plan to use these missiles and warheads for extended deterrence in the European theatre carries the risk that, as inherently strategic systems, they may trigger immediate escalation to the level of direct confrontation between the United States and the Russian Federation. This obviously undermines their credibility. Failure to achieve the initial objectives of the “special military operation”, the laborious, costly and only partial occupation of the Donbas and subsequently annexed territories, and the setbacks suffered since last summer have undermined Russia’s military credibility and the reputation of the Federation itself. In addition to the organisational limitations that its conventional forces have shown, Russia has used a vast quantity of ammunition and weaponry that it cannot replace easily or quickly as a result of the embargo on “dual-use” technology. This weakening of its conventional military forces, however, lowers the “nuclear threshold.” Fewer taboos against the use of nuclear weapons now combine with increased risk propensity among a leadership intent on revisionism, not only of the European geopolitical order that emerged from the “catastrophe” of 1989- 91, but of relations between the major powers too. The nuclear question was all too soon forgotten, along with all the concepts, strategic doctrines and debates associated with it: that question has now returned to play a fundamental role in international political relations. 5. Return of Inflation Franco Bruni Inflation returned in the second half of 2021 and rose rapidly, such that in the latter part of 2022, it reached levels last seen forty years ago (Figure 5.1). Interest rate hikes to stop inflation have also returned. At first, central banks were slow to respond to accelerating price growth, but then they introduced monetary tightening measures reminiscent of the impetuousness of Volcker’s disinflation in 1979. 72 Back to the Future Causes of Inflation The return of inflation to the fore has affected virtually every corner of the globe, driven by the dynamic recoveries in growth following the pandemic-induced crisis. Demand for consumption and investment also meant an influx of purchasing power into the market after it had been forcibly set aside during the months of anti-covid measures, including lockdowns, during which households and businesses received substantial government aid. Large government deficits also continued to stimulate economies. The inflationary effect of demand has been exacerbated by the persistence of rigidities in international production chains, which are also partly a legacy of the peak of the pandemic. Such rigidity has been particularly evident in energy availability, driving up prices. Such energy scarcity is the result of a prolonged period of remarkably low prices that provided little incentive to invest in research and production. Gas prices rose well before the war started, rebounding from a Return of Inflation 73 long period of low prices partly because post-pandemic demand recovered, but also because Russia deliberately decreased supplies. For example, by the end of September 2021, gas on the Amsterdam market was already three times more expensive than in the first half of the year. Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, energy costs rose dramatically in the second quarter of 2022, with the charcteristics of energy markets contributing to this worsening of prices for households and businesses, at times with producers earning unjustified extra profits. In August, gas was more than four times as expensive as at the beginning of the year, a price to which it returned at the end of the year. Extensive public funding to help users pay high energy bills has been another factor in keeping prices high. p g p g However, all these factors would have been less likely to ignite a raging inflationary fire without the fuel of abundant liquidity created by many years of highly expansionary monetary policies. Practically all short-term interest rates have long hovered around zero, and remained as much through the entire first quarter of 2022. In the US, the Federal Reserve (Fed) only began tightening monetary policy in March, when inflation was already running at more than 8% per annum. In the eurozone, the European Central Bank (ECB) waited until July to move rates when consumer price inflation was already close to 9%. Causes of Inflation The ECB was also slower than the Fed to stop and reverse its quantitative easing, that is, the purchase of long-term bonds to boost liquidity even when interest rates are at zero. q y By the end of the year, central bank-controlled interest rates had risen from zero to 4.5% in the US and 2.5% in the eurozone. However, slowly declining consumer price inflation remains much higher, at over 7% in the US and around 10% in the eurozone. European real interest rates are still very negative: more than 7 points below zero for short-term ECB lending rates and 10-year German government bond rates, and more than 5 points below zero for 10-year Italian government bond rates. Indeed, the 10-year spread between Italian and German bonds is over 200 points, some 70 points higher than at the beginning 74 Back to the Future of the year, as the international rise in interest rates has been more pronounced for Italian bonds, reflecting the greater risk of Italy’s large public debt. h The delayed reaction by central banks, together with their failure to foresee price acceleration, makes them partly responsible for inflation and calls into question the strategies they have adopted for several years, which have seen their balance sheets massively inflated with purchases of securities, especially government bonds, in the name of quantitative easing. Of course, in return for those purchases, ever-increasing amounts of liquidity were poured into the markets. Before the great financial crisis of 2008, the total balance sheet of the Fed and the ECB as a percentage of US and eurozone GDP was 7% and 11% respectively. Quite remarkably, in 2010 these figures were 16% and 20% and at the end of 2021 36% and even 70%. Cost of Inflation Inflation is a general increase in prices, but this does not mean all prices grow equally. One of the main costs of inflation is the disruption it causes in the relationships between different prices, which are important because they determine production and consumption decisions. When inflation is not only high but also highly variable, disorder turns into uncertainty, a feeling that tends to spread from the price system to the general state of the economy, effectively discouraging medium- and long- term commitments and investments. Inflation thus distorts the use of resources, reduces their productivity, and deforms the composition of production and the structure of consumption. It tends to benefit the profits of those with greater market power, and the rents of those in a monopoly or oligopolistic position. One of those prices that tends to lag behind increases in consumer prices is the cost of labour—wages and salaries. As such, inflation tends to eat away at real wages, but then they suddenly pick up and this provides renewed fuel that drives the costs of goods up. This is one of the ways in which large, unjustified redistributions of Return of Inflation 75 income take place, often in favour of profits. This phenomenon is mirrored elsewhere, with the redistribution of wealth from creditors, who see the real value of their receivables shrink, to debtors, whose debts lose real value. This effect is only partly mitigated when interest rates adjust to inflation, forcing debtors to make increasing payments as past debts do not have their interest rates changed until they come due.l g y Inflation acts as a tax between debtors and creditors, received by the former and paid by the latter. The fact that inflation is a hidden tax, not voted on by parliament, becomes particularly clear when we consider its effect on government debt, as bondholders are taxed while the government’s real debt burden falls. This effectively means that, at the end of 2022, the Italian state received a tax of just under 10% on its debt, paid by domestic and foreign investors. This tax brings huge revenue, close to 15 percentage points of the country’s GDP. Strangely, there is much more debate about whether other taxes should be cut. Cost of Inflation This tends to reduce the ratio of public debt to GDP, but it also ultimately encourages an increase through new government spending, the inflationary effect of which can feed back into a vicious circle. li Expectations can turn inflation into a self-fulfilling “prophecy”: if those who set prices in the markets expect inflation to accelerate, they will tend to raise prices more quickly, eventually confirming their expectations. The self- feeding of inflation is all the more likely and dangerous the higher inflation is, and can lead to hyperinflation, i.e. rates of price increases so high that they become the dominant feature of an economy and the driving reason behind manufacturing and consumption decisions. Once this point is reached, huge resources are wasted on the sole task of reacting to inflation, defending against it, profiting from it by hoarding goods and thereby accelerating the rise in their prices (and thus fuelling inflation even more). When inflation rises beyond certain limits, it becomes more difficult to stop it by curbing money creation, because money is needed in increasing quantities for 76 Back to the Future any government spending, and it is the rise in prices that causes monetary expansion rather than the other way round. If, on the other hand, the central bank is able to curb inflation, but inflation is already quite high, there is a new danger, namely that the sharp rise in interest rates and the growing liquidity shortage induced by monetary tightening will lead to financial tensions and a crisis. Rising yields drive down the prices of securities and, more generally, the value of loans, creating problems for creditors who hold them in their portfolios. Falling prices can infect the stock market and even accelerate, potentially threatening a spread of insolvencies. On the other hand, insolvency can also threaten bank debtors if the interest they have to pay suddenly rises while the slowdown in the economy induced by monetary policy reduces their turnover. As a result, anti-inflationary monetary tightening is still trying to strike a delicate balance between the gradualness needed to limit the impact on financial stability and the speed needed to prevent inflationary expectations from building up, which could in turn hamper the reduction of inflation. Monetary Policy Delay Such a balance is easier to achieve if monetary restrictions are introduced early. The delay at the beginning of the year has made the whole operation trickier. Differing explanations for the delay might exist. The “worst” would be that central banks abandoned the independence that characterises their mandate to maintain price stability. In such a case, their independence is violated by facilitating the financing of large public needs through the creation of excess money, or by propping up stock market prices for the benefit of private investors. i However, there are also more technical explanations that are consistent with the goal of pursuing the primary objective of monetary policy. The first is a misdiagnosis of the many inflationary shocks that central banks have faced, from the pandemic to the war and soaring energy prices. In such a Return of Inflation 77 scenario, central banks believed that such inflationary pressures were transitory and therefore deliberately avoided confronting them with monetary tightening that would have unnecessarily slowed production. Then, although the price acceleration did turn out to be prolonged and increasing, it continued to be tolerated because of a new error, this time in the diagnosis of inflation expectations, which were linked to the central bank’s pursuit of a stability target of 2% on average per year. Indeed, while the median values for expectations monitored by central banks rose very gradually, the frequency with which high inflation rates were predicted rose definitively. Higher inflation forecasts contributed to higher actual inflation. Monetary authorities overestimated the credibility of their own announcements. Another mistake made by the authorities may have been to justify keeping interest rates low by claiming that the “neutral interest rate” – a theoretical concept that cannot be observed directly, but measures the productivity of capital in the medium to long term, balances saving and investment and ensures full employment of resources – had been falling. In fact, several estimates of the neutral rate of interest see it as stable or increasing.1 I also believe that an appropriate interest rate increase was postponed because monetary authorities, markets and monetary policy commentators focused too much on the rationale for interest rate changes rather than looking at their levels. For example, rate hikes of 50 basis points were often presented and commented on as applying to a normal level of interest rates rather than, as was the case, to low or zero interest rates. 1 Some of these types of errors are examined and documented in R. Reis, The Burst of High Inflation in 2021–22: How and Why Did We Get Here?, London School of Economics, June 2022. Monetary Policy Delay Reductions in the degree of expansionary monetary policy, although still substantial, thus appeared to be effectively restrictive manoeuvres. It was as if years of extreme expansion had led to a loss of orientation. 78 Back to the Future Supply and Demand Inflation To combat excessive inflation, monetary policy must be restrictive and interest rates higher. If money costs more, less will be spent on consumption and investment, and so aggregate demand will exert less pressure on the supply of goods and services, whose prices will rise less or fall. As central banks adopt a restrictive approach, one objection is often raised: if inflation is caused by supply shortages rather than excess demand, monetary policy has no way of correcting this and only risks causing a recession. This objection needs to be carefully examined in the eurozone, as some people argue that inflation in 2021-22 was driven by supply. The argument is that European inflation then was caused by the persistence of some production rigidities and trade disruptions caused by the pandemic, rising energy prices and the war in Ukraine. In such a situation, a monetary cure would not only be unnecessary, but downright harmful. This is in contrast to the situation in the US, where price rises are mainly due to aggregate demand pressures, driven in part by extremely expansionary fiscal policies. y p yi p The objection is reasonable but far from irrefutable. This becomes clearer when looking at four counter arguments. The first is that it is not true that cost inflation cannot be tackled with monetary policy. In fact, restrictive demand, monetary and fiscal policies, curb supply-side inflation just as much as they curb demand-side inflation. The difference is that, if the price rise is due to excessive demand, it may be possible to rein it in without sacrificing growth, output and employment. If, on the other hand, it results from supply shortages and rising production costs, monetary disinflation will also lead to a slowdown in economic activity. Therefore, in order to decide the extent to which cost inflation should be curbed by monetary policy (obviously to the extent that this is not convenient or cannot be done promptly with restrictive fiscal policy), it is necessary to balance the welfare gain from slowing prices against the loss caused by slowing the economy. 79 Return of Inflation Figure 5.2 shows aggregate demand and supply lines. Rather than correlating static quantities and prices, as such graphs often do, this graph correlates rates of change in the price index (inflation) with rates of change in the real quantity of GDP produced in the economy (growth rates). Supply and Demand Inflation The faster prices rise, the more producers will try to sell (supply curve S with a positive slope) and the less buyers will be willing to buy (demand curve D with a negative slope). The starting point is the intersection of supply and demand in 1, where inflation is 2%, which is the central bank’s desired target and is considered equivalent to “price stability”. Excess demand inflation occurs when D becomes D’ (people buy more at all costs, for example, because they are more optimistic about the future) and the intersection shifts from 1 to 2. By contrast, inflation due to oversupply occurs when S becomes to S’ (firms charge a higher price for each unit produced, for example, because their labour or raw material costs have risen) and the equilibrium shifts from 1 to 3. If it is not possible to manipulate supply in the short to medium term, in order to reduce inflation in 2 by tightening monetary policy, demand D’ must be brought back to D and one returns to 1. On the contrary, , in order to correct inflation in 3 by tightening monetary policy, demand must go from D to D”, ending in 4. Is it better to be in 3 or in 4? It depends on comparing two values: the cost of lost growth from a to b and the well-being gain from reducing inflation from p to 2%. 80 Back to the Future Such a comparison also depends on the sensitivity of those making the comparison to the different effects of inflation in the economy and society, and which effects are considered relevant. For example, if one believes that inflation increases inequality and attaches great importance to the resulting welfare loss from greater inequality, one is more likely to deem positive or convenient monetary tightening that sacrifices growth to reach 4 as worthwhile. Someone else might believe that inflation ultimately erodes some productive capacity by diverting resources to more speculative and less productive uses. Thus, failing to stop inflation carries the risk of a rise towards S”, while reducing growth even more, going from 3 to 5. Supply and Demand Inflation On the other hand, some may consider inflation so harmless that they suggest responding to an inflationary supply shock with expansionary monetary and/or fiscal policies, which would again increase demand and growth, neutralising the shock and creating even more inflation, with a move from 3 to 6. The Return of Inflation 81 81 monetary recipe for cost inflation is not easy to find and may well involve a significant dose of monetary tightening. h i This becomes even clearer when the second counter-argument is examined. This argument is based on the understanding that inflation dynamics are also linked to people’s expectations. Prices are set by decisions of both buyers and sellers, influenced by how they think prices will move in the economy as a whole. For any decision about the maximum amount one is prepared to spend on something, one takes into account how the price is increasing and how much one expects it to increase. In other words, one also takes into account general price inflation in the future. The same process takes place when someone decides at what price to sell. All else being equal, when sellers and buyers expect high inflation, they tend to agree, in the various ways that markets lead to agreement, to buy and sell at rising prices. Thus, inflation expectations feed inflation, and rising inflation in turn leads to expectations of higher inflation in the future. Real and expected inflation feed on each other, and when they rise it becomes a vicious circle. So the counter-argument is that if cost inflation is not tackled with restrictive demand- side policies, price growth may accelerate by feeding itself on expectations. Supply and demand intersect at ever-increasing prices (like in 7). p The third counter-argument follows on from the second, in that the expectations mechanism ends up blurring the distinction between supply and demand inflation. Whatever the initial cause of inflation, it then follows a dynamic that depends very much on how expectations react and thus on how the authorities manage them through their announcements. Central banks play the key role in managing inflation expectations and containing inflation, regardless of the type of shock that initially caused it. To achieve this, their past record of keeping inflation low is important, as is their credibility in promising to tighten monetary policy when inflation gets too high. Supply and Demand Inflation By insisting for a long time on a low but positive inflation target – such as the famous 2% – it can be assumed that if prices 82 Back to the Future grow at that rate, inflation will be stable, while if they deviate from the target, either upwards or downwards, expectations will tend to exacerbate the deviation. In the figure: all intersections of supply and demand higher than 1 tend to shift both the D and the S curves, and vice versa. Importantly, for price increases to be sustained, there must be sufficient liquidity in the markets to fuel transactions at rising prices. Thus, raising interest rates reduces liquidity, makes liquidity more expensive to obtain by borrowing, and thus takes fuel away from inflation, even if it comes from supply. pp y There is also a fourth counter-argument in favour of fighting inflation in the eurozone with restrictive monetary policy. A large part of the inflation in Europe in 2021-22 is demonstrably demand-driven, and the idea that all or most of it is due to the impact of post-pandemic supply rigidities, energy shortages and war is debatable in terms of both common sense and econometric analysis. Common sense tells us that price dynamics and inflation expectations in the eurozone could not have been immune to the effects on aggregate demand of very low interest rates for such a long time, exceptionally abundant liquidity and high government spending due to health, energy and war emergencies. If the price of gas rises but there is no demand to support it, the inflationary effect is limited and the price of gas itself is constrained. Instead, while it may have been the right option to subsidise households and businesses extensively and for a long time to help them pay their energy bills, it certainly did not keep inflation in check. y pl And there is also econometrics, which can show the demand component of inflation in the data. Several recent studies have exploited the fact that when a price rises due to demand pressure, the quantity produced and traded also tends to rise – or at least not fall – while when the rise is due to supply, the quantity produced and traded falls – or at least does not rise. 2 E. Gonçalves and G. Koester, The role of demand and supply in underlying inflation – decomposing HICPX inflation into components, ECB Economic Bulletin, 7/2022; S. Eichmeier and B. Hofmann, What drives inflation? Disentangling demand and supply factors, Discussion Papers, Deutsche Bundesbank, No. 40/2022; A. H. Shapiro, How much do supply and demand drive inflation, FRBSF Economic Letter 2022(15). Supply and Demand Inflation It is therefore necessary to examine how concordant or discordant the movements of prices and quantities, of inflation and production, were over a given period: when concordance 83 Return of Inflation 83 prevails, it is demand that moves and causes inflation; when discordance prevails, it is supply. Studies being completed at several central banks currently show that both in the USA and in the euro area, inflation in 2021-22 was due to both aggregate supply and aggregate demand; in Europe, the supply effect is greater than in the USA, but demand contributes significantly,2 to an extent not far from half. So there are many reasons to argue that even though European inflation is to a considerable extent supply-side driven, with rising costs, it is right to try to stop it with restrictive monetary policy as well. This situation is likely to continue through 2023, although it is hoped that in the following years, after interest rates have been raised above levels that are advisable in normal times when inflation is under control, interest rates will fall back a little. It is also desirable that, from now on, even in the face of large and sudden macroeconomic shocks, monetary policy should avoid losing its bearings by exaggerating its ambitions, going beyond the short-term manipulation of liquidity and pursuing monetary and financial stability, in a vain attempt to boost real growth when it is being held back by obstacles and problems that central banks are not responsible for removing. 6. The Three-Dimensional Features of the Global Energy Crisis Francesco Sassi Francesco Sassi As the new year gets under way, the slight attenuation of the energy crisis affecting Italy and Europe seems to be giving a modest boost to the hopes of consumers and businesses, after a season of dizzying price rises. But if we look at the long-term dynamics, both past and future, the events of 2022 are likely to effect a permanent change on the way we think of energy security and energy transition, and to link these issues with national security and market competitiveness. While 2022 was the third consecutive year of crisis to strike the global order, accelerated by worldwide issues such as the pandemic, climate change and the technological and digital revolutions, 2023 is the first year in which new political and energy-related configurations will settle into place, with Europe at their epicentre. The choice of strategy by which Member States will strive to resolve the fundamental trilemma between international relations, market (in)stability and the fight against human-induced global warming will have repercussions well beyond national and European borders. The dividing line in all this will be the return, or otherwise, of the state to the centre of energy policy in this key decade for energy transition. Back to the Future 86 1 C. Kuzemko et al., “Russia’s war on Ukraine, European energy policy responses & implications for sustainable transformations”, Energy Research and Social Science, vol. 93, 2022. 2 V. Anghel and E. Jones, “Is Europe really forged through crisis? Pandemic EU Pandemic, War and Economic Shocks: How Crises Affect the Fundamental Trilemma While the pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine are entirely different in nature, their impact on the energy sector has been similar. Over the past three years, global energy supply chains have remained constantly vulnerable to commercial shocks of a physical nature, either as a result of delays and interrupted flows or due to a mismatch between supply and demand, but which nonetheless disrupt entire national and regional energy systems. In years to come, the pivotal nature of 2022 will give rise to reams of scientific literature, regardless of whether researchers focus on the critical, generational issue of the energy transition, or on the key question facing governments of all political persuasions, of how to ensure national energy security.hl The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has revealed how the tensions surrounding the attainment of these short- and long-term goals have been accentuated by the fact that policy is now refocused on issues that have been culpably neglected for a long time. With a profile that has grown higher amidst the ashes of crisis, energy security has the potential to pit local and national governments and multilateral organisations, such as the EU, against each other. Although the roots of the imbalance in energy markets can be traced back to before Russia’s invasion, national interests and spurious political simplifications may hinder the prospect of a truly shared approach to transition at European level, and instead stoke the internal conflict it causes.1 l In response to the frivolous and ephemeral assertion that Europe, as a single, integrated political entity, has emerged stronger from various crises, we should be asking how the interaction between different critical junctures has spawned new political processes.2 This tension between the various possible The Three-Dimensional Features of the Global Energy Crisis 87 87 responses to a specific matrix of events will inevitably affect the pathway to decarbonisation chosen by the EU and Italy. It is not yet possible to say with certainty which choices will prevail, and the future remains unclear to observers. and the Russia – Ukraine war”, Journal of European Public Policy, 2022. 3 European Commission, REPowerEU Plan, Com(2022) 230 final, 18 May, 2022 4 F. Birol, “Europe urgently needs a new industrial master plan”, Financial Times, 5 December 2022; F. Simon and K. Taylor, “Energy crisis could worsen poverty for millions of Europeans”, Euractiv, 22 November, 2022. Pandemic, War and Economic Shocks: How Crises Affect the Fundamental Trilemma Despite the high- sounding proclamations of the European Commission, it will be up to Europe’s citizens and their leaders to take action and withstand the vicissitudes of the international situation and the inevitable difficulties that we will face.3h fi The approach to addressing these challenges will have to be sufficiently ductile and adaptable to current and future turbulence, bearing in mind the risk that one crisis might be followed by another that systemically amplifies the threats arising from each. In other words, a recurrence of what happened when the pandemic was followed by the invasion of Ukraine. It is not a foregone conclusion, however, that the instruments used to tackle the challenges facing Europe so far will be as helpful again in the future. It is possible, in fact, that today’s crisis will permanently transform Europe’s approaches, practices and vision in relation to energy policy.h p gy p y The de-industrialisation of entire sectors of the economy and rampant energy poverty not only risk fuelling populist sentiment and centrifugal trends among Member States, but also further fragmenting an already composite framework of policies and strategies for achieving Net-Zero from 27 different energy systems.4 Countries that have already formulated an energy strategy based on renewables will want to accelerate its development. But the diverse range of positions and actions will remain significantly influenced by political ideologies, specific socio-economic contexts and party choices. h The possibility of new global shocks cannot be ruled out either, and governments cannot anticipate which specific Back to the Future 88 strategic link between energy security and energy transition will be affected, thus weakening the other components of national systems. This is why now, more than ever before, we need a multi-sectoral approach designed to strengthen national energy security at its foundations, while at the same time ensuring progress on the construction of low-carbon energy systems, by targeting consumption, infrastructure, decentralisation and social equity.5 5 J. Osička and F. Černoch, “European energy politics after Ukraine: The road ahead”, Energy Research and Social Science, vol. 91, 2022; R.A. Huber et al., “Is populism a challenge to European energy and climate policy? Empirical evidence across varieties of populism”, Journal of European Public Policy, vol. 28, no. 7, 2021, pp. 998-2017; B. Zakeri et al., “Pandemic, War and Global Energy Transitions”, Energies, vol.15, 2022. 5 J. Osička and F. Černoch, “European energy politics after Ukraine: The road ahead”, Energy Research and Social Science, vol. 91, 2022; R.A. Huber et al., “Is populism a challenge to European energy and climate policy? Empirical evidence across varieties of populism”, Journal of European Public Policy, vol. 28, no. 7, 2021, pp. 998-2017; B. Zakeri et al., “Pandemic, War and Global Energy Transitions”, Energies, vol.15, 2022. 6 U. Von der Leyen, 2022 State of the Union Address by President von der Leyen, European Commission, 14 September 2022. 7 F. Sassi, “The Geopolitics of the EU-Russia Gas Trade: Reviewing Power in International Gas Market”, in F. Taghizadeh-Hesary and D. Zhang (eds.), The Handbook of Energy Policy, Springer Nature, 2022. 6 U. Von der Leyen, 2022 State of the Union Address by President von der Leyen, European Commission, 14 September 2022. 7 F. Sassi, “The Geopolitics of the EU-Russia Gas Trade: Reviewing Power in International Gas Market”, in F. Taghizadeh-Hesary and D. Zhang (eds.), The Handbook of Energy Policy, Springer Nature, 2022. 6 U. Von der Leyen, 2022 State of the Union Address by President von der Leyen, European Commission, 14 September 2022. 7 F. Sassi, “The Geopolitics of the EU-Russia Gas Trade: Reviewing Power in International Gas Market”, in F. Taghizadeh-Hesary and D. Zhang (eds.), The Handbook of Energy Policy, Springer Nature, 2022. Europe at the Heart of a Systemic Energy Crisis “This is not only a war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine. This is a war on our energy, a war on our economy, a war on our values and a war on our future. This is about autocracy against democracy. And I stand here with the conviction that with courage and solidarity, Putin will fail and Europe will prevail”.6h These words alone, spoken by the President of the European Commission during her 2022 State of the Union Address, clearly show how many different and opposing dimensions are bundled up in the European energy crisis and how disruptive their effects are. First of all, there is a serious inability to think of energy, especially gas, as an exceptionally effective lever of political influence, despite the fact that it is destined to remain so in the extremely volatile context in which we are now living.7 Even if we take account of the possibility of a permanent The Three-Dimensional Features of the Global Energy Crisis 89 89 break in the chain of interdependence that links the European Union with the Russian Federation and has laid the economic foundations of entire sectors of our economies, the Pandora’s box now seems to be finally open. The situation between Brussels, Europe’s capitals and Moscow is playing out against the backdrop of a worrying polarisation between Member States and recurrent opposition to taking an EU-wide view of possible further-reaching initiatives to address the unprecedented prices being paid for raw materials. g p Take, for example, the gruelling and tortuous race to approve the price cap on natural gas.8 The cap can be switched off before it even comes into force and will serve little or no purpose other than to undermine the strength of the European market if gas shortages come back with full force to threaten Europe. From this point of view, it would therefore be an unforgivable mistake to think that the period of instability had come to an end. Demand for gas remains susceptible to a possible widespread return to wintry weather and to a recovery in the Asian economies, especially China’s. 8 C. Cooper, A. Hernandez, and V. Jack, “EU agrees on gas price cap, skeptics denounce it as an ‘illusion’”, Politico, 19 December 2022. 9 T. Kumagai et al., “EU gas price cap could tighten LNG supplies into Europe as Asia reassesses favorable markets”, S&P Global Platts, 21 December 2022; Argus Media, “Viewpoint: China poised to remain LNG demand centre”, 27 December 2022; S. Stapcynski, “Winter Storm Walloping the US Threatens to Disrupt LNG Exports”, Bloomberg, 23 December 2022. 10 “EU gas consumption down by 20.1%”, 20 December 2022; J. Fokuhl, “Europe Set for Warmest January in Years as Gas Crisis Eases”, Bloomberg, 5 January 2023. Europe at the Heart of a Systemic Energy Crisis On the supply side, fresh geopolitical turbulence and the domestic fragilities of producing countries could again impede world energy flows.9 l Having given consolidated market trends precedence over most of its energy measures, a dependent EU earned a winter reprieve from a combination of action and meteorological luck or chaos (depending on your point of view). Between August and November 2022, in fact, gas consumption fell by 20% compared with the average for 2017-2021. Following a blast of icy weather in mid-December, January kicked off with abnormally high temperatures, making it likely that the start 90 Back to the Future of this year will be one of the warmest in recent decades.10 A mild winter will undoubtedly help Europe wean itself off Russian fossil fuels, but it certainly cannot be seen as a part of a structural transformation of Europe’s energy system. Moreover, there is nothing comforting about this weather in terms of the challenges posed by global warming. On the contrary, it demonstrate the need for a more concrete and urgent response. The energy and climate crises, which are interconnected with the war in Ukraine and the precarious balance of the word order, exacerbate the strategic dilemmas for all those countries that still refuse to play it by ear and remain primarily interested in establishing credible transition policies, or that are not in such a privileged position as Europe. of this year will be one of the warmest in recent decades.10 A mild winter will undoubtedly help Europe wean itself off Russian fossil fuels, but it certainly cannot be seen as a part of a structural transformation of Europe’s energy system. Moreover, there is nothing comforting about this weather in terms of the challenges posed by global warming. On the contrary, it demonstrate the need for a more concrete and urgent response. h g p The energy and climate crises, which are interconnected with the war in Ukraine and the precarious balance of the word order, exacerbate the strategic dilemmas for all those countries that still refuse to play it by ear and remain primarily interested in establishing credible transition policies, or that are not in such a privileged position as Europe. 11 Xi Jinping, “Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects”, Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, 16 October 2022; M. Maidan and A. Hove, “China’s 20th Party Congress and energy: The good, the bad, and the unknown”, OIES Energy Comment, OIES, novembre 2022; China Daily, “China seeks to balance energy needs, green power transition”, 5 January 2023. 12 Consider the two three-dimensional aspects as fundamental components of a single systemic framework: a) national-regional-global & b) international relations - economy and energy markets - energy transition. E. Downs et al., “US-China Energy Relations”, SIPA, 24 January 2022; A.J. Dlouhy and A. Cang, “China, US Resume Climate Work in Latest Sign of Better Relations”, Bloomberg, 19 November 2022. 13 According to the International Energy Agency, the commercial value of critical raw materials is expected to overtake that of oil and natural gas by 2050. International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2021, IEA, p. 282. 14 For more detailed analysis, see: T. Gehrke and M. Ruge, “A united front: How the US and the EU can move beyond trade tensions to counter China”, European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), 20 December 2022; Euractiv, “Made in Europe? The EU’s response to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)”, 22 December 2022; Reuters, “Italy urges EU to give strong and strategic response to U.S. IRA”, 17 December 2022. 15 T. Wilson and J. Jacobs, “US and EU argue over claims of gas crisis profiteering”, Crisis Tests Energy Interdependence and Conflict The People’s Republic of China’s responses to this situation reveal the depth and multiple facets of this crisis. Beijing has decided to increase domestic coal production and speed up the roll-out of substantial investments in renewables. Furthermore, the historic 20th National Congress of the CPC, at which Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term, saw considerably more discussion of security than of other vital issues such as ideology, carbon emissions and innovation. Security appeared to take priority even over the economy, and will involve a primary role for the state and a more marginal role for the market and reforms. The issue of security does not end with energy, of course, but also extends to food security and social welfare, not to mention the well-known international issues and national security challenges. China’s approach suggests there will be a gradual “War on Pollution” in line with the country’s goal of reaching The Three-Dimensional Features of the Global Energy Crisis 91 91 peak emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. In parallel, however, Beijing aims to step up its domestic energy production in order to meet an increasing proportion of its own demand through coal, oil and natural gas. This goal is backed up by a commitment to decarbonising the still largely coal-fired electricity generation sector, by recourse to solar, wind and hydroelectric energy.11 So transition is on the agenda, but not at the expense of energy security or economic development. All this points to the immense gap between China’s approach and that of the European Union. In addition to domestic policy, there is also the global chessboard to consider. Relations between Beijing and Washington will continue to weigh disproportionately on the huge number of decarbonisation processes and will play a vital role in the continuation of dialogue between the Global North and the Global South. Any loss of this dialogue would take away a cornerstone of the entire system of international climate diplomacy that has been built over the past three decades. Similarly, relations between China and the United States underpin various regional balances and therefore directly affect the stability of energy production and trading. Crisis Tests Energy Interdependence and Conflict h y gy p g The breakdown of dialogue on climate issues as a result of tensions over Taiwan, and its last-minute resumption at COP27, shows how intrinsically and significantly the three-dimensional features of the crisis are interlinked.12 This 92 Back to the Future industrial race to transition, between the West and China, will affect raw materials dependencies and essential supply chains in a low-carbon world, as well as access to resources located in different regions of the globe. This goes to show that, whether in relation to fossil fuels or critical raw materials, the geopolitics of energy will remain a key issue for decades to come.13 In a world of growing interdependencies driven by the needs of energy transition, but fragmented in nature, due to the crisis in the international order and accelerated by Russia’s war on Ukraine, tensions can and will emerge even in spaces that were previously considered safe. The era-defining Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) launched by the Biden Administration – a historic initiative aimed at establishing an industrial base for the green revolution in the United States by investing hundreds of billions of dollars – is a striking example of this. Intended as a measure to anticipate future excessive dependencies on the People’s Republic of China, the IRA has caused direct friction in transatlantic relations, and the Italian government seems to be leading the ranks of European countries lobbying for a firm response.14 These tensions between Washington, the governments of the Member States and the EU institutions are already widely visible. They start with the substantial price gap for liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced in the US and exported to the EU in increasing volumes, and end with the recalcitrance of US companies towards the new tax regimes introduced in the EU to tackle rising energy prices.15 These events offer further evidence The Three-Dimensional Features of the Global Energy Crisis 93 93 of how national responses to Europe’s energy crisis, supported by EU authorities, have widened the already clear divergences between the United States and the European Union. hi They are an equally clear sign of how economic, financial and energy-related fire-power, in terms of production capacity and import-export balances, have an extremely high degree of political significance at this stage and can even affect bilateral relations between allies, including EU Member States. Financial Times, 8 November 2022; M. Eddy, “Exxon Mobil sues to try to block a European windfall tax”, The New York Times, 28 December 2022. 16 J. Packroff, “Energy crisis: Commission calls for more targeted government support”, Euractiv, 22 November 2022; J. Fokhul and T. Gillespie, “Germany Revives Coal as Energy Security Trumps Climate Goals”, Bloomberg, 22 December 2022. Crisis Tests Energy Interdependence and Conflict One illustration of this is the chorus of protests triggered by the German government’s extensive programme of energy subsidies to industry and citizens, and the Commission’s concerns over aid policy and Germany’s decision to use the full capacity of its fleet of coal-fired power stations to minimise natural gas consumption. This initiative is counterbalanced by the confirmation of Germany’s strategy to shut down its nuclear power stations in 2023.16 Even in Berlin, where the Greens are the majority members of the current government, security takes priority over energy transition. Energy is also at the top of France’s political agenda, especially in the wake of the loss of credibility suffered by Europe’s civil nuclear superpower over the past 12 months. With over half of its reactors out of action due to maintenance or structural problems, France’s energy system has suffered a severe blow. The forced stoppage turned the country into an electricity importer for many months, thus undermining what appeared to be its untouchable status. This has only exacerbated Europe’s energy crisis. The Elysée Palace has therefore repeated its announcements of a zero-emissions future built on a new generation of power stations and the re-nationalisation of the entire sector. This strategy only partially masks geopolitical and 94 Back to the Future economic intentions. On one side of the equation is the proposal for an energy transition prototype that provides an alternative to prototypes elsewhere in Europe, and the revival of the national interest by exporting the French model (infrastructure, technology and accompanying political influence) both within and beyond Europe’s borders. On the other side, there is the goal of ensuring cheap electricity for citizens and businesses, thereby relaunching an economy that is struggling with high inflation and burdened by energy insecurity.17 This demonstrates that, even in a low-carbon future, Paris sees itself as the leading player in its own transition and will not leave much room for market forces to shape the contours of its energy system.h The energy crisis, which saw its annus horribilis in 2022, is set to remain with us for a long time to come. Against this backdrop of uncertainty, as we aim at a Net-Zero world, energy interdependencies will not only be a bridge to facilitate cooperation, trade and technological progress. 17 T. Wheeldon. “How France’s prized nuclear sector stalled in Europe’s hour of need”, France24, 5 January 2023; D. Vidalon and C. Pailliez, “French government aims to cut red tape for new nuclear reactors”, Reuters, 2 November 2022. 7. Are We Heading Towards De-Globalisation? Lucia Tajoli Crisis Tests Energy Interdependence and Conflict We need to become more aware that these interdependencies are an almost inexhaustible source of economic influence and political pressure, which can be exerted with varying degrees of intent. At the same time, politics has much to gain from a better understanding of certain energy-related processes and dynamics that are so disruptive and consequential that they can in no way be ignored. From this point of view, the struggle between the European Union and the Russian Federation will serve as a cautionary tale for decades to come, while the state, whether it wants to or not, is being called upon throughout Europe to face up to an era-defining challenge dictated by the ways and time- frames for achieving energy security and transition. 1 See Cfr. Unctad, “Global trade hits record high of $28.5 trillion in 2021, but likely to be subdued in 2022”, 17 February 2022. 2 For an analysis of recent developments in international trade please see P. The Patchy Performance of World Trade in Recent Years Over the past 15 years, world trade has been more volatile than in previous decades. After almost half a century of continuous growth in both the value and volume of world trade, including a particular spurt in the first decade of the new millennium, international trade growth has slowed and become less regular since 2009 (Figure 7.1). The international financial crisis of 2008, which triggered a worldwide recession, also had a severe impact on international trade, which dropped by about 20% by value and 12% by volume in the year that followed. Since then, the dynamics of world trade have not been the same. The global shock of the Covid-19 pandemic caused a second, less severe, major downturn in 2020, when trade shrank by about 5% by volume. 96 Back to the Future Figure 7.1 – Global Goods’ Exports Figure 7.1 – Global Goods’ Exports By as early as 2021, international trade had bounced back vigorously: according to the data published by UNCTAD and WTO, global trade reached a record high of well over 20,000 billion dollars, representing a rise of 25% on 2020 and 13% on the pre-pandemic period.1 p p p The growth in value was accentuated by price rises, but even after adjusting for the major fluctuations in prices and exchange rates in recent years, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) data still indicate that international trade by volume increased by about 10% in 2021, to a higher level than before the pandemic. This means that, despite the many problems of the past two years, from Covid to supply-chain bottlenecks, surges in container-ship charter rates and rising international freight prices, the global trading system seems capable of withstanding shocks, and talk of de-globalisation looks premature. Are We Heading Towards De-Globalisation? Are We Heading Towards De-Globalisation? 97 Figure 7.2 - Global rates growth in GDP and trade volume (2015-21) However, the significant change in trend and the increase in fluctuations, clearly shown by the data, need to be assessed. Furthermore, WTO statistics show that the average annual growth rate of world trade by volume between 2010 and 2019 was less than 3%, well below average annual growth in the previous decade and, more significantly, below average annual growth of real GDP (Figure 7.2). The Patchy Performance of World Trade in Recent Years These are the figures that have prompted commentators to talk about de-globalisation, because the process of globalisation was marked by the increasing openness of national economies, increasing economic integration and trade increases that were systematically higher than increases in GDP growth. It is this phase of continuous, rapid trade growth that seems to have come to an end for the time being. Most experts agree that although we are nowhere near the end of globalisation, we are clearly seeing a change in trade trends, in the wake of a period of vigorous growth followed by increased volatility.2 97 Figure 7.2 - Global rates growth in GDP and trade volume (2015-21) Figure 7.2 - Global rates growth in GDP and trade volume (2015-21) However, the significant change in trend and the increase in fluctuations, clearly shown by the data, need to be assessed. Furthermore, WTO statistics show that the average annual growth rate of world trade by volume between 2010 and 2019 was less than 3%, well below average annual growth in the previous decade and, more significantly, below average annual growth of real GDP (Figure 7.2). These are the figures that have prompted commentators to talk about de-globalisation, because the process of globalisation was marked by the increasing openness of national economies, increasing economic integration and trade increases that were systematically higher than increases in GDP growth. It is this phase of continuous, rapid trade growth that seems to have come to an end for the time being. Most experts agree that although we are nowhere near the end of globalisation, we are clearly seeing a change in trade trends, in the wake of a period of vigorous growth followed by increased volatility.2 Back to the Future 98 Antràs, “De-Globalisation? Global Value Chains in the Post-COVID-19 Age”, ECB Forum: “Central Banks in a Shifting World” Conference Proceedings, 2021. 3 See WTO World Trade Report, 2013 and 2021, and also WTO Global Value Chain Development Report, 2021. 4 China’s exports accounted for 15% and its imports for 12% of the global totals in 2021, representing a threefold increase since 2001. China alone therefore accounts for over a quarter of world trade. 5 See on trade with China for example, G. Grieger, “China’s economic recovery and dual circulation model”, European Parliament Briefing, Eprs - European Parliamentary Research Service, 2020. Antràs, “De-Globalisation? Global Value Chains in the Post-COVID-19 Age”, ECB Forum: “Central Banks in a Shifting World” Conference Proceedings, 2021. 3 See WTO World Trade Report, 2013 and 2021, and also WTO Global Value Chain Development Report, 2021. 6 For data on digital exchanges among countries see Unctad, Estimates of global e-commerce 2019 and preliminary assessment of Covid-19 impact on online retail 2020, UNCTAD Technical Notes on ICT for Development no.18, 2021; and for a discussion on the impact of international digital trade, L. Tajoli, “La globalizzazione nei mercati digitali”, Rivista di Politica Economica, June 2022. Possible Reasons for the Change The resilience of globalisation and the international trade system has been the subject of debate since the aforementioned change in trend occurred, and many analyses have tried to identify the reasons for the slowdown in world trade.3 Firstly, it is worth emphasising that the vigorous growth in trade in the first decade of the millennium was also abnormal compared with the trend that preceded it, and difficult to sustain, despite its momentum. According to various analysts, China’s economic performance and international trade policy, considering the substantial share of world trade accounted for by China,4 exerted a significant impact on both the decade of acceleration and the subsequent slowdown. The very rapid growth in world trade until 2008 was partly fuelled by the exponential increase in Chinese exports and imports, especially after China’s accession to the WTO, and by policies aimed at export-driven growth, all of which prompted commentators to refer to this period as an era of “hyper-globalisation”. But these policies changed over a decade ago: the openness of China’s economy (defined as the sum of exports and imports of goods and services in relation to GDP) peaked in 2006, at over 60%. Since then, despite continued growth in trade, China’s economic policy has been much more domestically-oriented, thus contributing to an increase in production capacity that has resulted in the replacement of imports, especially of intermediate goods and technologies, and less focus on exports.5 As with all large countries, after its initial Are We Heading Towards De-Globalisation? 99 growth stage, China’s economy would be expected to become gradually less open and fall into line with the levels seen in other large economies, and this is exactly what is happening: the openness of the Chinese economy in 2021 stood at 38%, down by over a third from its peak. In view of the percentage of world trade that China accounts for, these changes have had a major impact on world trade trends. i j On top of the dynamics of specific countries, the change in trend of globalisation also stems from the fading influence of certain factors that drove the rise of globalisation at the end of the last century and in the first decade of this one. Possible Reasons for the Change Innovations in modes of transport, as a result of “containerisation” and the resulting fall in trade costs, have had significant effects on world trade, as has the spread of the Internet and telecommunications connections, which have virtually eliminated the marginal cost of international calls. These technological changes are now largely complete, and while they continue to support trade, they are unlikely to give it a further boost. This does not mean the trend has gone into reverse; it merely means that the dynamics have changed. One of the factors bringing fresh impetus to world trade is digitisation and the increasing spread of international e-commerce, which picked up pace during the pandemic. This phenomenon is still confined to certain areas of the world, however, and has not yet fulfilled its full potential, so still has only a limited effect on world trade.6 It is interesting, however, to see how digital trade is supporting global trade as a whole, especially in the increasingly important trade in services. As Fig. 7.3 shows, while the growth rate in goods exports has slowed, growth in digital trade in services remains vigorous, and has sped up over the past two years. 100 Back to the Future 100 Figure 7.3 - Exports Digital-delivered services (2005-21) Index 2005=100 The digital transition is impacting various other areas of international trade, such as global value chains, which account for about half of trade between countries. Global value chains are also undergoing change, and the boost to world trade provided by this organisation of production is influenced by the ongoing transition. One of the key factors transforming global value chains is the development of latest-generation digital technologies – integrated automation and robotics, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing and virtual reality – which have reduced the labour-intensiveness of the most repetitive manufacturing processes, thereby reducing the cost- effectiveness of relocating production to areas where labour costs are low. At the same time, these technologies require a higher input of services and intangible factors, which could reduce trade, but also make it more difficult to measure the latter’s value, because it rarely involves any physical crossing of customs borders. At this stage of growth in the tertiarisation and digitisation of trade, the slowdown suggested by the data may be due to problems of recordability and measurment. Possible Reasons for the Change Back to the Future Figure 7.3 - Exports Digital-delivered services (2005-21) Index 2005=100 Figure 7.3 Exports Digital delivered services (2005 21) Index 2005=100 The digital transition is impacting various other areas of international trade, such as global value chains, which account for about half of trade between countries. Global value chains are also undergoing change, and the boost to world trade provided by this organisation of production is influenced by the ongoing transition. One of the key factors transforming global value chains is the development of latest-generation digital technologies – integrated automation and robotics, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing and virtual reality The digital transition is impacting various other areas of international trade, such as global value chains, which account for about half of trade between countries. Global value chains are also undergoing change, and the boost to world trade provided by this organisation of production is influenced by the ongoing transition. One of the key factors transforming global value chains is the development of latest-generation digital technologies – integrated automation and robotics, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing and virtual reality – which have reduced the labour-intensiveness of the most repetitive manufacturing processes, thereby reducing the cost- effectiveness of relocating production to areas where labour costs are low. At the same time, these technologies require a higher input of services and intangible factors, which could reduce trade, but also make it more difficult to measure the latter’s value, because it rarely involves any physical crossing of customs borders. At this stage of growth in the tertiarisation and digitisation of trade, the slowdown suggested by the data may be due to problems of recordability and measurment. i g g y – which have reduced the labour-intensiveness of the most repetitive manufacturing processes, thereby reducing the cost- effectiveness of relocating production to areas where labour costs are low. At the same time, these technologies require a higher input of services and intangible factors, which could reduce trade, but also make it more difficult to measure the latter’s value, because it rarely involves any physical crossing of customs borders. At this stage of growth in the tertiarisation and digitisation of trade, the slowdown suggested by the data may be due to problems of recordability and measurment. 101 Are We Heading Towards De-Globalisation? 7 A debate regarding the need to reform the WTO’s methods, in light of of the organizations lack of success, has been underway for a while P. Lamy and N. Köhler-Suzuki, “Deglobalization Is Not Inevitable. How the World Trade Organization Can Shore Up the Global Economic Order”, Foreign Affairs, June 2022; and A.A.V.V., Roundabout way to multilateralism: how could regional trade agreements and plurilaterals revitalize it?, T20 Indonesia Policy Brief, 2022. The De-Globalisation of Trade Policy: From Multilateralism to Selective Preferential Agreements Changing attitudes towards trade policy in many countries has also played a significant role in reducing the drive for globalisation: from policies of increasing trade liberalisation, which spawned an increase in WTO membership and the signing of many international trade agreements at the end of the last century, there has been a shift towards more closed and protectionist policies, and WTO negotiations have been largely at a halt for some time. Increasingly in recent years, trade policy has been guided by ideological issues and geopolitical rivalries as much as by economic considerations. Each country’s use of trade policy as a means of imposing their own standards and principles (however legitimate those may be), and the instrumental use of economic interdependence spawned by the rise in globalisation in past years, has made any negotiation much more difficult, because matters of principle are non-negotiable., This situation has made the WTO’s efforts to promote increased openness and liberalisation of trade at multilateral level much less effective.7 The growing complexity and different orientation of trade-policy measures, based ever less on traditional instruments and ever more on non-tariff measures, such as standards and regulations, has prompted many countries to enter into regional and preferential trade agreements, which often involve “friendly” countries, with which it is easier to share principles than in the multilateral arena, but which nonetheless carries a risk of distorting global markets in various ways. 102 Back to the Future According to some observers, furthermore, the political climate that was conducive to trade liberalisation has changed somewhat, due in part to increasing pressure from groups who have been potentially disadvantaged by the redistributive effects of globalisation, despite the overall positive net effects for all countries).8 The return of “national security” policies also has an impact on trade, particularly for “strategic” products, a category revived by the Trump administration in the US, which has become considerably wider since the Covid-19 pandemic and even more so since the war in Ukraine, and now includes foodstuffs, medicines, advanced technologies and supplies considered essential for domestic industry. Fortunately, new protectionist policies had no significant adverse effects on the already unpredictable nature of the world market in 2022. 8 P. Antràs, A. de Gortari, and O. Itskhoki, “Globalization, Inequality and Welfare”, Journal of International Economics, vol. 108, 2017, pp. 387-412; T.V. Paul, “Globalization, deglobalization and reglobalization: adapting liberal international order”, International Affairs, vol. 97, no. 5, 2021, pp. 1599-1620; D. Rodrik, “Populism and the economics of globalization”, Journal of International Business Policy, vol. 1, 2018, pp. 12-33. 9 See the data on All state interventions at https://wwwglobaltradealert org 9 See the data on All state interventions at https://www.globaltradealert.org. The De-Globalisation of Trade Policy: From Multilateralism to Selective Preferential Agreements According to Global Trade Alert data,9 after a period of increasing discriminatory measures by many countries (first and foremost the US and China), which raised barriers to world trade, 2022 finally saw a reduction in the measures being taken and an increase in liberalising measures, despite the new sanctions put in place as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Governments may have seen fit to avoid stoking further tensions at an already difficult time, and indeed some progress in negotiations was made at the last WTO ministerial conference in June 2022. So although the tenor of trade policy in recent years has put a partial brake on globalisation, last year seems to have been better than previous years, at least in terms of trade wars. 103 Are We Heading Towards De-Globalisation? 10 See WTO, Trade Statistics and Outlook, Press Release 909, 5 October 2022, “Trade growth to slow sharply in 2023 as global economy faces strong headwinds”. Effects of Recent Circumstances and Future Scenarios The war in Ukraine is another unexpected shock – the second in less than three years – whose effects on globalisation are not yet entirely clear. For the present, the war has clearly caused a reduction in trade with the countries directly involved in the conflict, partly as a result of the sanctions applied against Russia. One major difference compared with the pandemic of 2020 is that the current shock mainly involves an area that is much less crucial to international trading patterns, because Russia is not comparable to China in terms of its share of world trade. However, the uncertainty unleashed on European markets in particular, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has prompted the WTO to downgrade its forecasts for 2022 and 2023. The WTO forecasts that world trade in goods will increase by 3.5% in 2022, and expects an increase of 1% in 2023 – significantly down on the previous estimate of 3.4%.10 This slowdown in trade is associated with weakening growth in the major world economies for a number of reasons, ranging from the negative impact of inflation and the resulting tightening of monetary policies in Europe and the US, to China’s caution and the difficulties facing many developing countries as a result of the surge in prices of various agricultural raw materials. fi It is difficult to predict what might happen to international trade in the medium term, but for the time being there are no signs of any significant or permanent reversal of the trend in globalisation, not least because the nature of the recent shocks appears to be temporary. What we are witnessing, however, is a slowdown in trade growth rates as a result of a series of structural changes. Some of these changes may be the result of shifts in the geopolitical picture due to the ongoing war, such as increased economic cooperation between Russia and China. 104 Back to the Future Looking ahead, these two countries might reduce their ties with the US and Europe, and increase their trade with each other: Russia could support China’s growth with a plentiful supply of fuels and raw materials (agricultural and non-agricultural), while China could provide labour, technology, consumer goods and services to Russia, and both could benefit from each other’s sizeable markets, and perhaps strengthen their positions in Asia and Africa. 11 N.F. Poitiers and P. Weil, “A new direction for the European Union’s half- hearted semiconductor strategy”, Bruegel Policy Contribution, no. 17/21, 2021. Effects of Recent Circumstances and Future Scenarios This possible separation of the Western and Eastern blocks, known as de-coupling, would certainly trigger a slowdown in globalisation, but it still looks unrealistic in the medium term. This is because breaking up or reorganising the huge number of international supply chains or global value chains that underpin globalisation would be very costly, especially if done quickly. p y q y The most likely medium-term scenario – which is already beginning to emerge – is that decoupling will be limited to certain strategic industries with a high degree of technological input and semiconductor usage. China aspires to technological leadership and is working to achieve this at pace. The West has reacted by launching its own plans: the US implemented the Chips and Science Act in July 2022 with 53 billion dollars of funding to boost its semiconductor industry. In January 2022, the EU passed the European Chips Act, aimed at doubling its global market share (from 10% to 20%) between now and 2030. These policies are aimed at increasing technological independence and may reduce trade flows.11 l Another potentially divisive area for international trade is environmental policy, in which the choices that individual countries make to support certain types of production could become barriers to international trade even within the West. As previously mentioned, despite the crucial importance of policies designed to limit climate change, the expansion of national un-coordinated regulations and standards in many industries Are We Heading Towards De-Globalisation? 105 can easily become protectionist instruments that raise barriers between countries. In addition to trade-reducing factors, however, there may also be changes that boost foreign trade: the economic and technological growth of several large countries to an intermediate level of development (e.g. Turkey and India, to name but two) could offset the reduction in trade in more advanced countries. f In conclusion, we are very likely moving towards a more fragmented and selective globalisation between geographical areas, but the process will not be quick and it will not affect all global trade. In the course of 2023, the possible deterioration of the economic situation, especially in the West, combined with a further rise in geopolitical tensions, could further depress trade flows. The possibility of a renewed outbreak of the trade war between the US and China, once the conflict in Ukraine comes to an end, cannot be ruled out. 1 A. Deaton, La grande fuga. Salute, ricchezza e origini della disuguaglianza, Bologna, Il Effects of Recent Circumstances and Future Scenarios A world more divided into economic blocks therefore remains a possibility. But the current level of economic interdependence is indispensable for all the major players on the world stage. As such, the most likely scenario, in a world where these actors behave rationally, is that globalisation will continue for a long time to come, albeit in different forms to those we have seen in recent decades. f Certain features of world trade are certainly changing, partly because of the more selective choices being made by businesses, which are trying to reorganise their footprint on world markets, in such a way as to be less exposed to the shocks that have occurred. However, trade models have become more volatile in recent years. Growing turbulence has led to greater caution over the launch of new initiatives abroad, thereby slowing down exposure to the highest-risk markets, but generally without reducing interest in demand from foreign countries. Against this less predictable backdrop, greater diversification, in terms of both procurement and sales markets, could play an important role in supporting sales and profits. Mulino, 2015. 2 Unless otherwise stated, the figures for poverty are from the World Bank, Poverty and prosperity 2022. Correcting course, World Bank, Washington, 2022. 3 M. Jerven, Poor numbers. How we are misled by African development statistics and what to do about it, Cornell University Press, New York, 2013. 8. The Return of Poverty and Hunger Giovanni Carbone, Lucia Ragazzi The development of poor countries – the structural transformation and expansion of their economies, with the associated social changes and improvements in living standards – has long been associated with the dream of fully eradicating world poverty. The two processes are intricately intertwined: on the simplest level, disadvantaged societies need to increase available resources to lift their populations out of poverty. However, economic growth and development are clearly insufficient in and of themselves, and they do not automatically translate into the elimination or even a drastic reduction in poverty. To have a tangible impact on poverty, the socioeconomic progress of a nation must be distributed, at least to some extent, whether this happens “naturally” through the development processes themselves (e.g. the creation of new jobs) or through specific government policies. In his reconstruction of the economics of poverty and inequality, Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton shows how “great episodes of human progress” − those moments he calls “great escapes” from a prevalence of deprivation, disease and premature death − have led to extraordinary increases in life expectancy and spectacular improvements in material living conditions, but only for certain parts of the societies that experienced them, constantly leaving behind significant parts of the populations involved (and thus, as Deaton points out, creating inequality).1 This historical dynamic also applies 108 Back to the Future to more recent times. Despite a 30-year period (1990-2019) of overall decline in both global poverty rates and the total number of poor people, in 2019 almost a quarter (23%) of the world’s population lived on less than $3.65 per day and almost half (47%) on less than $6.85 per day.2 World Poverty: Measures, Estimates and Past Trends Estimates of the prevalence of poverty are usually based on household consumption surveys, that is, national surveys of household consumption, which provide a basis for calculating the equivalised value in terms of the spending capacity of households and thus the proportion of a given population living below (or above) a given poverty line. The World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP, formerly PovcalNet) has systematically collected such data since 1990, while similar information from 1950 to 1990 is based on extrapolations of national economic growth data. However, poor countries almost by definition suffer from a lack of data, and the data that are available are of poor quality and reliability (this even applies to data on GDP or inflation, which are also needed for the above calculations), making comparisons tricky. This is part of a wider problem with the production of statistics − etymologically the information collected by the State − when a State’s functioning is still plagued by considerable shortcomings.3 hi The World Bank has recently made its first estimates (referring to 2019) using new international poverty “lines”, recalculated using 2017 purchasing power parities (PPPs) as a baseline − they have been updated from the earlier 2011 ones, making it The Return of Poverty and Hunger 109 possible to correctly compare living standards across countries. The new PPPs use the nominal value of the dollar in 2017, and their changes from the past do not mean that poverty lines are now higher in real terms. The three poverty lines correspond to the median of the national poverty lines, respectively, for low- income economies, which is $2.15 per day (previously it was $1.90), below which threshold we speak of absolute or extreme poverty; lower-middle-income economies, which is $3.65 (it was $3.20); upper-middle-income economies, which is $6.85 (it was $5.50). For the three-year period just ended (2020- 2022), the available data come from nowcasts (“forecasts” of the recent past, present or short-term future), that is, provisional estimates that do not adopt the household surveys normally used to study the prevalence of poverty, but GDP growth rates and forecasts, and other types of indicators.4 4 Poverty and prosperity 2022. Correcting course…, cit., pp. 46ss. Pandemic and Poverty In the contemporary era, the trend in world poverty has followed a clear, virtuous trajectory with substantial continuity since at least the 1950s, with the number of poor people in the world declining along with the proportion of world’s population that is poor. The share of people living in extreme poverty has fallen from nearly 60% of the world’s population in 1950 to less than 10% today. Progress accelerated markedly in the 1980s − albeit with a slowdown in the second half of the 2010s − driven by the rapid changes in China and India, the world’s two most populous nations. For example, in the 35 years between 1981 and 2016, the total number of poor people fell from 1.8 billion to 750 million. Such a figure is undoubtedly still far too high, but the gradual decline has been considerable. g As the world was on this slow but steady path of poverty reduction, the Covid-19 pandemic struck, dealing a severe blow to a trend that had been consolidated over more than seven 110 Back to the Future decades. Indeed, the major stumble in 2020 was “the biggest setback [in the fight against] global poverty in decades”.5 i Four main channels of transmission have spread the economic impact of the pandemic to developing nations. The first was direct in nature, dictated by the deterioration in health caused by the spread of the virus, leading to an increase in illness and deaths. The second was the product of the containment and mitigation measures imposed by governments, with lockdowns, quarantines and other forms of isolation resulting in many businesses suspending operations, a lack of human capital development and so on. The third was the shift in value and trade chains as a result of the slowdown in the world’s major economies − especially the western economies and China − which hit energy and mining commodity exporters particularly hard through lower prices, as well as those countries that are heavily involved in such global value chains. The fourth and last was a reduction in foreign financial flows, particularly in sectors such as mining and infrastructure, development aid, remittances and tourism. The recent surge in food and energy inflation, which has hampered the global economic recovery, has exacerbated these pandemic dynamics. 5 Ibid., p. xxi. Pandemic and Poverty p y The almost immediate result was that extreme poverty globally, or the share of the population living on less than $2.15 per day, increased by 11% in 2020, reaching 9.3% of the world’s population (up from 8.4% in 2019). Figure 8.1 shows very clearly that this is a reversal of the trend and a real “break” in the long-term dynamics. There were as many as 71 million new poor, adding to the 648 million already in 2019, bringing the new total to 719 million people (from 2020 onwards, the data are currently based on the aforementioned nowcasts). The Return of Poverty and Hunger 111 Figure 8.1 - Impact of the pandemic on poverty trends Figure 8.1 - Impact of the pandemic on poverty trends Figure 8.1 - Impact of the pandemic on poverty trends 112 Back to the Future The impact of India has heavily influenced the global trend: in the face of a dramatic reduction in domestic GDP (-7.5% in 2020), the country now accounts for 56 of the 71 million new poor in the world in 2020. Economic growth trends suffered less dramatic shocks and the associated increases in poverty were milder in countries that already had the second and third largest numbers of extreme poor, namely Nigeria (with an increase of 3 million individuals linked to a -4.3% contraction in GDP) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (-1.4% of GDP, with 500,000 more poor people). On the other hand, Brazil and South Africa, which are already middle- income countries, bucked the trend and saw poverty drop due to public policies introduced to address the hardships caused by the pandemic. More generally, the distribution of poverty across the world’s regions changes significantly depending on the poverty line adopted. The largest number of the poor below both the $3.65 and $6.85 per day lines might be found in South Asia − the most populous area of the world − but it is sub-Saharan Africans who make up the majority of those living in extreme poverty, below the $2.15 per day line. p y p y Adopting a broader perspective, the systematic drop in absolute poverty had already begun to slow before 2020, in the five-year period from 2014 to 2019, compared with the faster pace of reduction recorded in previous years. Recent nowcasts show that, after the 2020 increase, poverty began to decline again in the two-year period from 2021 to 2022, but at the same moderate pace of the years immediately prior to the pandemic. h p y y p p The costs of Covid-19 go beyond direct “income” or monetary costs, also having a long-term, indirect effect on impoverishment. The pandemic has led to abrupt slowdowns, and even sharp setbacks, for progress in health (premature mortality due to the pandemic has led, globally, to a two-year loss in life expectancy at birth) and education (related to young people missing periods of education and learning during school closures) with lasting repercussions on the lifetime income prospects of individuals. In simple terms, poverty goes The Return of Poverty and Hunger 113 beyond monetary aspects. 6 Poverty in a rising Africa, World Bank, Washington, 2016, pp. 83ss. 7 Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2022. Unpacking deprivation bundles to reduce multidimensional poverty, University of Oxford, 2022. 8 Piecing together the poverty puzzle, World Bank, Washington, 2018, p. 35. Figure 8.1 - Impact of the pandemic on poverty trends The need to account for these other aspects − such as education, health, security and so on6 − led to the notion of multidimensional poverty and the related ways of measuring this, such as the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Global Multidimensional Poverty Index,7 which combines deprivation indicators for child mortality, schooling, access to electricity and drinking water, housing, and so on, or the World Bank’s Multidimensional Poverty Measure, which includes absolute poverty as a monetary indicator, but in relation to indicators for education and basic infrastructure services. Sub-Saharan Africa: Poverty of the Poorest In recent decades, sub-Saharan Africa has demonstrated a far greater capacity for progress and speed of transformation than in the past. Between 2000 and 2014, during a key time in a durable economic revival, the region grew by about 5.5% annually −rates far higher than those achieved between the mid- 1970s and early 1990s. This fruitful time lies at the roots of widespread expressions like “emerging Africa” or “rising Africa” that were coined to focus on the key transformations underway not only for GDP, trade, foreign investment and infrastructure improvement, but also for a number of key social indicators. For example, in 1990, infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa resulted in 180 children under five dying for every 1,000 births, but this figure was less than half in 2018 (77), moving it closer to the number found in other regions around the world.8 Primary schooling rates moved along a similar trajectory, 114 Back to the Future albeit raising questions as to the broader effectiveness of the strategies adopted. Focusing on extreme poverty rates (i.e. the share of people now living on less than $2.15 per day), these have gradually declined from a peak of 58% of the sub-Saharan population in 1993 to 35.1% in 2019.9 Economic growth has definitely slowed and become more erratic in recent years, but the notion of Africa rising and changing has generally held up. This explains, for example, the World Bank choosing to label one of its 2016 reports “Poverty in a Rising Africa”. However, sub-Saharan Africa remains home to 60% of the world’s “absolute” poor, it remains the most deprived region on the planet, and there is little light at the end of the tunnel as 90% of the world’s absolute poor will be in Africa by 2030. While there was a significant reduction in extreme poverty for more than two decades starting in the early 1990s, the pace of progress has more than halved in the last decade, from 13.1 percentage points in 2002-11 to 5.8 percentage points in 2011- 19. This slowdown has reversed the trend in the total number of poor people, which fell from 379 million to 365 million between 2002 and 2011, but then swung back in the other direction to 389 million in 2019. And then the pandemic also hit here, arriving at the same time as the “400 million threshold” was broken. 9 The 35% estimate is 3 percentage points lower than previous analyses, but this is because of the new baselines used-those new 2017 estimates of purchasing power parities. Africa does continue to suffer from particularly poor data availability and quality. 10 K. Abay, N. Yonzan, S. Kurdi, and K. Tafere, Revisiting poverty trends and the role of social protection systems in Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic, International Food Policy Research Institute, IFPRI Discussion Paper 02142, October 2022. 9 The 35% estimate is 3 percentage points lower than previous analyses, but this is because of the new baselines used-those new 2017 estimates of purchasing power parities. Africa does continue to suffer from particularly poor data availability and quality. 10 K. Abay, N. Yonzan, S. Kurdi, and K. Tafere, Revisiting poverty trends and the role of social protection systems in Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic, International Food Policy Research Institute, IFPRI Discussion Paper 02142, October 2022. 11 Abay et al. (2022). Sub-Saharan Africa: Poverty of the Poorest African countries and their populations were vulnerable in specific ways to the incredible external shock caused by Covid-19. These include structural elements such as deficiencies in health systems, high levels of extreme poverty and food insecurity, and limited scope for mitigation through the expansion or creation of social protection programmes.10 Without belittling how The Return of Poverty and Hunger 115 dramatic things have been, in the cold light of day, the pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa has had relatively limited health effects, both compared to other parts of the world and to some of the more catastrophic initial predictions. The situation was by no means uniform, with some countries and their populations − such as South Africa − suffering far more than others. f f Looking at the economic and social effects, though, these were felt early on, and heavily. In 2020, the sub-Saharan region entered its first economic recession (-1.6%) in a quarter of a century. 2021 saw a decent rebound (4.7%), but then the war in Ukraine broke out, severely affecting the international economy, with repercussions for the continuity of Africa’s recovery (estimated at 3.6% for 2022, an insufficient rate for developing countries). p g Extreme poverty in Africa has risen − the pandemic has not been good for anyone − but estimates vary and suffer from inevitable uncertainty and caution required as much by the difficulties of measuring increases in poverty as by the chronic gaps in African statistical data. Over the course of the pandemic, various estimates and hypotheses have calculated new figures for the number of poor created by the pandemic − that is, the new poor people, in addition to those who were already classed as poor − ranging between 23 million and 120 million.11 One of the most widely accepted assessments found that, as a result of Covid-19, sub-Saharan Africa “gained” 28 million more poor people over the three-year period 2020-22. In other words, the continent currently has nearly 420 million people living in absolute poverty. Countries grappling with armed conflict − and Africa has more wars than any other region − tend to be the most fragile and exposed to additional shocks, partly because of the combined effect of a population that is already vulnerable, if not beyond the breaking point, and state apparatuses that are ill-equipped to provide adequate responses. 12 Ibid. Sub-Saharan Africa: Poverty of the Poorest In these already struggling countries, the pandemic has had the greatest impact 11 Abay et al. (2022). 116 Back to the Future in increasing the spread of poverty. Moreover, using the World Bank’s higher poverty line of $3.65 per day, the total number of poor people in sub-Saharan Africa has never really fallen, but has been systematically pushed upwards by the region’s rampant population growth, such that the number of poor has risen to encompass over 700 million people in recent years, out of a total population in the region of 1.2 billion. g So, nearly 30 million more people without basic and essential resources − a huge number of poor people who are more or less directly children of the pandemic. Still, Covid-19 could have had a greater impact on poverty in Africa. Its impact was limited to some extent not only by the above-mentioned smaller direct impact on health than initially feared (a fact at least partly attributable to the region’s average younger populations), but also by the fact that lockdowns and other restrictive measures had less impact in rural areas − those most at risk of poverty − and, finally, by the capacity (albeit diminished) of African states to implement policies to reduce poverty. Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa already had social support programmes in place several years before the pandemic hit, although these had limited resources and reached only a small proportion of the population in need, particularly in rural areas. In only a seeming paradox, the extent of such coverage was most scarce in those countries with the highest percentages of absolute poor. The pandemic was clearly not a context in which it was easy to increase resources and breadth of coverage for the most vulnerable. But efforts were made precisely to do this. Some of the best examples of this are Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program, which reaches about 27% of the poorest people in rural areas, Kenya’s Universal Basic Income, Nigeria’s National Social Safety Net Program cash transfers, and South Africa’s Child Support Grants and the Older Person’s Grant.12 12 Ibid. 13 Poverty in a rising Africa, World Bank…, cit.; Accelerating poverty reduction in Africa, World Bank, Washington, 2019. 14 United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). 15 FAO – IFAD – WFP – WHO – Unicef, The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2022. Repurposing food and agricultural policies to make healthy diets more affordable,2022. Sub-Saharan Africa: Poverty of the Poorest The Return of Poverty and Hunger 117 This does not change the fact that the situation in sub- Saharan Africa, exacerbated by the pandemic, makes it the only region in the world that will fail to meet the target of reducing absolute poverty to below 3% of the population by 2030 − the first target of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the international community in 2015. In 2015, the year these targets were set, the region missed a similar target set 15 years earlier to “halve poverty” − using 1990 as a baseline − which was the number one Millennium Development Goal at the time. Once again, the drop in poverty was too slow and too limited − from 57% in 1990 to 41% in 2015 − thus preventing sub-Saharan Africa from achieving the desired result, the only developing region to fail to do so.13 Hunger, the Other Face of Poverty Hunger is the other side of this coin, although the full picture would have more than just two sides. “No poverty” might rank first among the development goals set by the international community for 2030, but it is immediately followed by “Zero Hunger”, which translates into “ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture”.14 Specific targets include eradicating hunger (goal 2.1) and “all forms of undernourishment”, particularly stunting in children under 5 (goal 2.2), that is, reduced growth because of inadequate nutrition that can also permanently damage physical and cognitive development. p y g p The current global trend is actually moving in precisely the opposite direction − the wrong direction.15 Hunger, in the sense 118 Back to the Future of the prevalence of chronic undernourishment − that is, when habitual food consumption is insufficient for an active, healthy life16 − is on the rise. Progress had gradually reduced the portion of hungry people globally from 12.3% in 2005 to 7.8% in 2014. However, this progress had ground to a halt, with it proving impossible to record further reductions up to and including 2019 (8%) − and it is worth noting here the parallel slowdown in poverty reduction over the same decade − only for it to then leap upward by nearly two percentage points in only two years, driven by the pandemic, touching 9.8% in 2021. In essence, one in 10 people in the world still goes hungry. In terms of absolute numbers, people suffering from hunger rose to 768 million in 2021, which is over 150 million more people than the 618 million in 2019. Forecasts suggest that, by 2030, the number could still be as high as 670 million, an estimated 78 million more than would have been the case had the pandemic not dramatically altered the trajectory. y j y This tough recent period was exacerbated by the sharp rise in many food prices, which were already much higher throughout the entire post-2007 period than before (Figure 8.2). The connections among food inflation, hunger and poverty are complex. In the short term, low-income households are hardest hit by rising prices because the poorest spend on average two thirds of their resources on food and so they are most vulnerable to fluctuations. City dwellers, in particular, have to cope with rising costs without any benefit from food inflation. 16 Ibid., Annex 7: Glossary, 2022. 17 World Bank, Poverty and prosperity 2022. Correcting course…, cit., pp. 53-54. 16 Ibid., Annex 7: Glossary, 2022. y 17 World Bank, Poverty and prosperity 2022. Correcting course…, cit., pp. 53-54. Hunger, the Other Face of Poverty Yet, over 80% of the absolute poor live in rural areas, complicating the links and mechanisms in these processes. Empirical evidence actually suggests an increase in food prices becomes “a driver of poverty reduction”17 over the subsequent five years, essentially through an adjustment in consumption (with a shift to alternative foods), the impact of higher prices leading to increased income for farmers and producers, wage adjustments, new agricultural investments and so on. The Return of Poverty and Hunger 119 Of course, hunger is not evenly distributed across the world. In the rich countries of North America and Europe it affects no more than 2.5% of the population, while at the other end of the scale, one in five Africans (20.2%) are directly affected by undernourishment. Once again sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment (PoU, an indicator that estimates the proportion of the population that lacks access to the dietary energy required for a healthy lifestyle). Although PoU fell from 23.9% to 18.3% between 2005 and 2015 − the most robust period in the economic expansion of ‘rising Africa’ − it then began to rise again, gradually at first, but then more decisively as a result of the pandemic. By 2021, undernourishment had risen to 23.2%, almost back to the level of 16 years earlier, compared with the above-mentioned world average of 9.8%, and with the second most affected region, South Asia, now far behind at 16.9%.18 Although the prevalence of undernourishment is lower than in east and Central Africa, the situation in the western and southern parts of the continent has actually worsened compared to 2005. y p In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of undernourished people has risen sharply, growing by more than 46 million between 2019 and 2021. Once again, the difficulties in this region are compounded by the demographic pressures of a rapidly and steadily growing population, with more than 260 million undernourished people in 2021 compared to 174 million in 2005 (i.e. an increase of 86 million people), and with the prospect that, with population growth, the prevalence of undernourishment could rise to 29.4% by 2030.19 This is a source of pressure on the continent’s food systems that intersects with the persistence − and at times exacerbation − of other shocks that cause or worsen food insecurity on the continent. 18 FAO – IFAD – WFP – WHO – Unicef (2022), p. 14. 19 Africa’s Pulse. Food Systems Opportunities in a Turbulent Time, n. 24, World Bank, Washington, October 2022, p. 56. 19 Africa’s Pulse. Food Systems Opportunities in a Turbulent Time, n. 24, World Bank, Washington, October 2022, p. 56. 20 World Food Programme, Ethiopia. Country Brief, October 2022. 1 A. Taylor, “Africa is being pushed to take sides in the Ukraine war”, The Washington Post, 28 July 2022. 2 “The European Strategy for a “New Deal” with Africa”, European Issue n. 622, Foundation Robert Schuman, 14 February 2022. Hunger, the Other Face of Poverty Take, for example, the conflicts that disrupt food production or access to food. This was recently the case in Ethiopia, where 120 Back to the Future an estimated 13 million people need food aid in areas affected by the Tigray war.20 There is also the increasing incidence of extreme weather, from floods to droughts, such as the drought that struck the Horn of Africa for four consecutive years, or the one that plagued Angola and Madagascar in 2022. Finally, to take another example from earlier, there is food price volatility, exemplified by the soaring cost of wheat in 2022, which rose to record levels in the wake of the war in Ukraine. This has a direct and indirect impact on the food systems of African countries as they are largely wheat importers. All these factors only exacerbate the effects of the 2020 economic slowdown and the subsequent arduous search for a recovery. Thus, the pandemic has left not only a trail of death, but also tens of millions of people in different regions of the planet who have slipped into the tragedy of extreme poverty and hunger. In a situation that has become so much worse, but with much of the world’s attention focusing on other crises, the road to the international community’s 2030 goals has become that much trickier to navigate. The Return of Poverty and Hunger 121 Figure 8.2 - Food price index, 1990-2022 Figure 8.2 - Food price index, 1990-2022 Figure 8.2 - Food price index, 1990-2022 9. The Non-Aligned Movement is Back? Ugo Tramballi The United States and the European Union deployed all their diplomatic skills to achieve an outcome that unequivocally condemned and isolated Vladimir Putin. However, on 2 March, a week after the invasion of Ukraine, 35 countries abstained from voting against Russian aggression at the UN General Assembly. Of these, 17 were African nations. Another eight from the same continent contrived to be absent from the vote. “I saw too much hypocrisy, especially on the African continent”,1 French President Emanuel Macron said a few days later in Cameroon, on a trip intended as a warning to the entire continent. The vote at the U.N. Headquarter came as an unexpected defeat for the European Union. A staunch supporter of multilateralism and international solidarity and an active contributor of development aid, Europe discovered that its friends in the “Global South” were not all loyal. On 17 and 18 February, a few days before the Russian invasion, the European Union had organised the sixth EU- African Union summit to relaunch the “European Strategy for a New deal with Africa”, promising energy, digital transformation, sustainable growth, employment, peace, security, governance, migration and mobility.2 Before the pandemic, the EU had 124 Back to the Future more than $250 billion invested in Africa, far more than the United States (48 billion) and China (43 billion). European trade accounted for $269 billion, twice as much as China and five times more than the US.3 Moscow lagged far behind – and still does. Russia nevertheless remains the largest exporter of arms to the African continent, accounting for 44% of purchases between 2017 and 2021.4 By the end of 2022, however, Chinese investment had grown to $261 billion. This has targeted infrastructure, eye-catching if not always necessary or of the highest quality, and usually built with Chinese manpower. The acquisition of rare earths essential to the industries of the future is another area of Chinese involvement. For many African countries, the result has been an exponential increase in un-repayable debt to Beijing. p p y j g However, China has also had some success in the use of “soft power”, a technique of which Beijing had previously displayed little mastery. As the United States closed its universities to foreign students and continued to underestimate the potential of the continent, Beijing began opening its faculties to African students, welcoming around 80,000 before the pandemic. 3 C. Golubski e A. Schaeffer, “The European Union unveils its new Africa strategy”, Brookings, 14 March 2020. 4 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI. 5 M. Repnikova, “The Balance of Soft Power – American and Chinese Quests to Win Hearts and Minds”, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2022. 9. The Non-Aligned Movement is Back? “Nearly two-thirds of Africans contacted in 34 countries considered Chinese influence partly or very positive”.5 6 “No more Kofis”. It was the Bush administration which opposed appointing Tharoor as UN General Secretary, at the end of Kofifi Annan’s mandate. Both Annan and Tharoor opposed the US invasion of Iraq. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice instructed John Bolton, the then Ambassador to the UN, to veto Shashi Tharoor: “no, we don’t want another strong General Secretary,” was the explanation. 7 S. Tharoor, An Era of Darkness – The British Empire in India, New Delhi, Aleph Book Company, 2016. 7 S. Tharoor, An Era of Darkness – The British Empire in India, New Delhi, Aleph Book Company, 2016. 8 O. Scholz, “The Global Zeitenwende – How to Avoid a New Cold War in a Multipolar Era”, Foreign Affairs, January/February 2023. Zeitenwende Response to the vote at the United Nations has been somewhat exaggerated. Analysts have claimed that a new “Global South” has appeared – a revamped version of the Non-Aligned Movement formed after the Bandung Conference in 1955. In fact, only one African country actually voted against the resolution condemning Russia at the United Nations: Eritrea. Another 28 out of 54 supported it. And not only in March 2022, but in all subsequent votes at the UN, the African Union has consistently condemned the invasion of Ukraine and supported the West in calling for an immediate ceasefire. i Yet something has indeed happened. In addition to China, the countries abstaining included India and Indonesia, two rising economic powers with growing diplomatic influence. The war in Ukraine has not revived the Non-Aligned Movement, but it has given rise to something completely new in global geopolitics and in relations between the Global South and North, not just between emerging nations and the West (i.e. the US and EU), but between the South on the one hand and the West, Russia and China on the other. The distinction is between the established Great Powers and the rest of the world, which is now claiming autonomy. “The world is facing a Zeitenwende, an epochal tectonic change,” admitted Olaf Scholz on Foreign Affairs. For the German Chancellor, “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has put an end to an era... In this new multipolar world, different countries and models of government are competing for power and influence”.8 Colonial Memories A country as important as South Africa may well have preferred not to condemn Russia at the United Nations in appreciation of the support once given by the Soviet Union to the African National Congress in its fight against apartheid. After all, Margaret Thatcher was still refusing to sanction the white The Non-Aligned Movement is Back? 125 segregationist government of Pretoria in the late 1980s. The continent’s colonial past is not such ancient history as to be easily forgotten. Before the Berlin Conference of 1884, 80% of Africa was free. 30 years later, 90% would be controlled by Europe’s seven colonial powers: France, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany. In addition to African nations, the 35 abstentions at the UN included countries from all continents except Oceania. Each of these has suffered from Western domination to a greater or lesser extent. Vietnam, for example, endured almost thirty years or war, first with France, later with the United States. India is another case in point. Shashi Tharoor, former Under-Secretary General at the United Nations6 and defeated candidate in the election to succeed Sonia Gandhi as President of Congress, recently proposed that the UK should pay compensation for the damage inflicted on India by the British Empire. “At the g beginning of the XVIII century India share of the world economy was 23%, as large as all of Europe put together”, Tharoor wrote. “By the time the British departed India, it had dropped to just over 3%. The reason was simple: India was governed for the benefit of Britain. Britain’s rise for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India”.7 Some Indian economists have calculated that reparations could amount to some 300,000 billion pounds sterling – the equivalent of British GDP in 2015, but Tharoor himself would have been satisfied with a symbolic settlement of one pound per year for the 200 years concerned. 126 Back to the Future 9 M. Indyk, Master of the Game – Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy, New York, Alfred Knopf, 2021. 10 R. Mohan, “Why Non-Alignment is Dead and Won’t Return”, Twitter, 10 September 2022. Not Alligned and Free During the Cold War, the Non-Aligned Movement (which technically still exists within the UN) failed because it never The Non-Aligned Movement is Back? 127 succeeded in presenting a coherent image. When China atacked India in 1962, Jawaharlar Nehru, one of the movement’s founders, asked America for military aid. A decade later, his daughter, Indira Gandhi, aligned herself closely with the Soviet Union: Soviet-Indian relations resembled an effective alliance though India never actually joined the Warsaw Pact. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat began the Kippur War of 1973 in the Soviet camp but was convinced by Henry Kissinger to end it on the American side.9 And despite joining an anti-communist alliance with the United States, Pakistan was regularly supported by Mao’s China in its endless disputes with India.h y p The political death of the Non-Aligned Movement was implicitly decreed by Fidel Castro, a close friend of Moscow, at the Havana Summit in 1979. Not inconsistently, the conference established that the Movement’s “natural ally” was the USSR: there was simply no alternative to a bipolar order. p y p “For developing nations, the objective of building a non- Western or post-Western order – part to the ideology of nonalignment from its beginnings in the decolonization era – has been an enduring but elusive mirage,” says Raja Mohan, director of South Asian Studies at the University of Singapore. No new political and diplomatic front will form in the Global South because the concept “died a long time ago. Third Worldism and its offspring ideologies og pan-Asianism, pan- Arabism, and pan-Islamism – was a big failure”. Nevertheless, as Raja Mohan points out, “if Western and Eastern Europe can’t fully agree on how to respond to the war in Ukraine, and if neither US Republicans nor Democrats see Russia through the same eyes, why should one assume Latin America, Africa and Asia will toe the current Western position on Ukraine?”.10 128 Back to the Future Back to the Future Vladimir Putin must, of course, welcome abstentions in motions condemning the war in Ukraine. Even China, though insisting on neutrality despite the “no limits friendship” between Xi Jinping and the Russian President, actually benefits from a weakened Russia – an obsolete superpower reduced to the role of fuel supplier to an increasingly assertive Beijing. A European War Non-Alignment ideology sought to transform the struggle for decolonisation into one against the West, which it saw as the prime culprit behind colonialism. But the Global South, and especially African nations, now see very clearly that the ambitions and behaviors of Russia and China are not very different from those of earlier European colonizers. Though it does not have the same colonial history in Africa, Russia has ruled an empire in Central Asia and the Caucasus: it was and remains an imperialist country – probably the last such power on the European continent. During a UN Security Council debate, Kenyan Ambassador Martin Kimany linked Russia’s present actions and ambitions with Africa’s past experience and argued that the situation in Ukraine “echoes our history; Kenya and almost every African country was birthed by the ending of empire.” p China’s role is not that different. Its actions in acquiring markets and influence in Africa and elsewhere, and in encouraging and controlling the debt of the developing countries it claims to be aiding, is merely a XXI century version of XIX century colonialism. The great “Silk Road” project, One Belt One Road, is not just an economic development plan but an ambitious geopolitical program too.l So Africa is influenced by its colonial past, by the memory of Soviet support for its liberation movements, by a pandemic during which, at least early on, African nations were let to beg vaccines and medicines from an uncaring Europe, and also by Russian disinformation. The Non-Aligned Movement is Back? 129 All this helps explain why it proved so difficult for Europe and the US to create a united coalition against Russian aggression. But the real reason not only Africans but also Indians and Indonesians have maintained a moral and political distance from the conflict, refrained from condemning it, or even supported it, is another: for the Global South, the war in Ukraine is a European war.hf p The rest of the world is of course affected by the global economic consequences of the invasion; by the fact that Russian and Ukrainian grain will not reach Egypt or dozens of other developing countries (Russia and Ukraine previously accounted for almost 30% of global grain exports);11 by uncontrolled rises in oil and gas prices; and because the rest of the world would not be immune to the radiation generated by a nuclear explosion or possible escalation. 11 D. Resnick, “What does the war in Ukraine mean for Africa?”, Brookings, 25 February 2022. A European War However, from a military and geopolitical point of view, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is a European war, fought in a distant and icy region of the Old Continent. Perhaps, in some ways, the Global South may even be pleased that destructive armed conflict has returned to Europe, the source of a thousand years of wars, crusades and colonisation. y Ignoring occasional nuclear jiters, the Cold War was, in a certain sense, a period of “order” precisely because there was no third way between the US and the USSR: Non-Alignment failed to provide a valid alternative. The rest of the world therefore had to support one side or the other, though it was seldom a painless choice. p The war was “cold” for Washington and Moscow, and though Europe was divided by the Wall it remained substantially at peace. In Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and the Far East, however, conflicts, coups and revolutions – direct consequences of the ideological and geopolitical clash between the two superpowers – led to millions of deaths and either prevented or delayed normal economic development. 130 Back to the Future Back to the Future In the long term, it may prove a mistake to have asked the rest of the world to unconditionally join in condemning Russia on every possible occasion, from the General Assembly in New York’s Glass Palace in February 2022 to the Bali G20 in November. Many see this approach as an extension of a Cold War to which they have no wish to return. It is of little importance that Beijing now also has a role to play, even stronger and more influential than Moscow’s. Whether the clash is between two or three, superpower ambitions extend well beyond their geographical spheres of influence. The rest of the world will inevitably be drawn into this kind of competition. y p “We must not divide the world into parts,” Indonesian President Joko Widondo told the G20 in Bali.12 We therefore need a new approach to international relations, to the meaning of friendships and alliances, discussions and compromises. “We want to work and trade with everyone”,13 said Macky Sall, President of Senegal and the African Union, in December, before the Washington summit between the United States and Africa. “We have suffered too much from the burden of history. 12 “Alla ricerca di un nuovo ordine”, Slow News, Il Sole 24 Ore, 18 November 2022. 13 D. Walsh, “Biden brings Africa’s leaders to U.S., hoping to make deals”, The New York Times, 13 December 2022. 14 Z. Bar’el, “Arab countries fear fallout from Netanyahu’s ‘bombs’”, Haaretz, 2 January 2023. 15 E.R. Wald, “Why oil cuts by OPEC are warrated”, The New York Times, 25 October 2022. A European War That is why we do not want to be fertile ground for a new Cold War.” To carry on trading and avoid becoming victims of yet another clash between the Great Powers, we do not need another useless Non-Aligned Movement. g The “extraordinary” fact that a war is being fought in Europe is a very dangerous precedent for us Europeans. To the rest of the world, on the other hand, it signals a paradigm shift: from now on, in a new international order in which everything remains to be defined, decreed and established, conflicts and alliances will be increasingly mobile, short-lived but intense. The Non-Aligned Movement is Back? 131 Arabia Felix At the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate that ISPI atended last November, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, President of the UAE, explained how the new order was unfolding in the Gulf: “For us, our relationship with the United States is crucial: it is the cornerstone of our international relations and security. But we trade with everyone. We live in a multipolar world and it is not in our interest to take sides with any one superpower”. The UAE therefore “maintains diplomatic relations with Iran, has renewed relations with Turkey and abandoned the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemen civil war; the Emirates flirt with Russia and China while seeing themselves as allies of America”.14 g A macroscopic and probably more complex example of this new approach is the clash between Joe Biden and Mohammed bin Salman, known as MbS, crown prince but de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. The US President requested an increase in oil production to lower the price of crude: the call was precipitated by the war in Ukraine and intended to counter Putin’s weaponisation of energy. But along with the Russians, MbS and OPEC actually cut production by one million barrels a day in an attempt to keep the market up or at least stabilise it. Apart from the rebuff to Joe Biden, purposefully sought by MbS, the Saudis were not wrong: all economic indicators point to 2023 being a year of global recession. The last time around, in 2008, the price of a barrel fell from $100 to $40 and as low as $32 in only three months.15 y Last October, OPEC were already producing 3.6 million barrels a day under the quota of 42.2 mbd set by the oil cartel. In previous years, Saudi Arabia would never have gone against the wishes of the President of the United States, the guarantor 132 Back to the Future Back to the Future of Riyadh’s security and that of the other Arab nations in the highly sensitive Gulf. But the Saudis, Bahrainis and Emirates now know they can obtain the weapons they need for regional security from the Americans while still pursuing their energy and trade interests with the Russians. And let us not forget Xi Jinping’s triumphant visit to Riyadh in December 2022. “The Arab states recognise that the United States remains an indispensable ally in the field of military security. Arabia Felix At the same time, they hope that relations will help the development and stability of their countries and provide them with more effective means of putting pressure on the United States”.16 16 Y. Guzansky and T. Gering, “Xi of Arabia: Enjoing the Favor of the King”, Institute for National Security Studies (Inss), Tel Aviv, n. 1671, 18 December 2022. 17 “Modi tells Russia president ‘today’s era is not era of war’”, Financial Times, 17/18 September 2022. 16 Y. Guzansky and T. Gering, “Xi of Arabia: Enjoing the Favor of the King”, Institute for National Security Studies (Inss), Tel Aviv, n. 1671, 18 December 2022. 17 “Modi tells Russia president ‘today’s era is not era of war’”, Financial Times, 17/18 September 2022. Indian Exceptionalism The most successful proponent of geopolitics on demand is India, a nation which has many friends, a few enemies, and no true allies. India abstained in the UN vote on Ukraine. Then, on meeting Vladimir Putin at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand, Narendra Modi openly told the Russian president “this is not the era for war: we have spoken many times on this subject”.17 j But India is a key customer for Russian energy. Before the war in Ukraine, India imported only a few barrels of Russian oil: by August this had grown to 765,000 a day. India is also allied with the United States, Japan, and Australia in an attempt to contain Chinese ambitions, especially in the Himalayas. At the same time, it is also a partner in profitable bilateral trade with China. Last August, a small contingent of Indian troops took part in the Vostok military exercises in Siberia along with The Non-Aligned Movement is Back? 133 Russia and China; in October, the Indian army was doing the same with the Americans on the high peaks of the Himalayas, on the border with China. Russia and China; in October, the Indian army was doing the same with the Americans on the high peaks of the Himalayas, on the border with China.fi Although Xi Jinping officially returned to Marxism- Leninism in the last congress of the CCP, ideologies are no longer scrupulously respected as they were during the Cold War: Though with different nuances, the market is universally freer even if defined as “socialist”. The impassable barriers that once prevented geopolitical movement have disappeared.h g “The old order is disintegrating and a new struggle is about to begin,” says Shivshankar Menon, national security advisor to former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh from 2010 to 2014. “The advantage is on the side of those states that understand the balance of power and have a clear view of a future cooperative order that serves the common good” – not that of a single superpower.18 g p p In this early part of the XXI century, geopolitics have thus become more democratic. It is not yet certain, of course, that super-multipolarism – the assertion of national and regional interests – is more secure than a system governed by two or three hegemonic powers. 18 S. Menon, “Nobody Wants the Current World Order”, Foreign Affairs, 3 August 2022. Indian Exceptionalism Until a new order is established, similar to that imposed by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 or the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1975, permanent instability remains a risk. Armando Sanguini The countries that make up the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) are a patchwork, and lumping them all together under a single heading risks overlooking their respective peculiarities and internal dynamics, as well as the extent of the external, regional and international influences that interweave between them. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a prominent example of this. As well as taking up most of the political bandwidth of Europe and the West, it has seriously jeopardised the supply of cereals of which the area is the world’s largest importer. At the same time, it has given an additional boost to the oil- and gas- producing countries, while also stoking internal tensions in a region already under strain.h The Maghreb has seen no progress except in the sharing of problems that affected the area in 2022, mainly in terms of security, lack of integration and exposure to the presence or influence of regional and international powers, including Russia, China, Turkey, the Gulf monarchies and, to a decreasing extent, the United States. Morocco has seen promising signs in the dynamics of its traditional sectors, following the severe challenges of the previous two years (Covid-19 and drought), thanks in part to the initiatives taken by the governing coalition led by Aziz Akhannouch. 138 Back to the Future Back to the Future Algeria has become a prominent partner for Italy due to the important bilateral visits that have taken place – including the Italian Prime Minister’s visit to Algiers and the Algerian President’s visit to Rome – in the wake of the visit of Italy’s President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in 2021, and the signing of partnership agreements in a vast range of areas of mutual interest. h The authoritarian tendency that has been steadily growing in Tunisia since the election of Kais Saied as the country’s president, has continued to raise concerns. Tunisia was a flag- bearer for democratic values and human rights at the time of the “Jasmine Revolution” (2011), but there are now well-founded doubts as to whether the parliamentary elections held there at the end of the year will yield any benefits. y y yi The ongoing conflicts in Libya, caused in part by the opposing pressures exerted by the aforementioned regional and international powers, have been a further source of despondency. Armando Sanguini The area to the east of the Maghreb (Mashrek) has been no less variegated, and has also been exposed to numerous critical factors influenced by external interference, including of a military nature. y y yi The ongoing conflicts in Libya, caused in part by the opposing pressures exerted by the aforementioned regional and international powers, have been a further source of despondency. The area to the east of the Maghreb (Mashrek) has been no less variegated and has also been exposed to numerous critical i The ongoing conflicts in Libya, caused in part by the opposing pressures exerted by the aforementioned regional and international powers, have been a further source of despondency. p p y The area to the east of the Maghreb (Mashrek) has been no less variegated, and has also been exposed to numerous critical factors influenced by external interference, including of a military nature. Egypt faced the major challenge of hosting COP27, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Sharm el- Sheikh from 6 to 18 November. The event saw the participation of over 90 heads of state, but also the incarceration of 118 human rights activists, which clearly did nothing to disperse the dark clouds hanging over the authoritarian regime of President al-Sisi. It will be interesting to follow COP28, to be held in the United Arab Emirates in November 2023. Like most of the other countries in the MENA region, UAE is showing an increasing commitment to action on climate change.hi The most significant event in Israel was the government crisis (in June) and the return of Benjamin Netanyahu to the leadership of a government expected to be made up of a right- wing/ultra-orthodox coalition that holds little promise for the The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 139 prospect of any constructive shift on the Palestinian question. Palestine, moreover, displayed numerous signs of proximity to Moscow, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, publicly announced that he was “happy and satisfied” with Russia’s support (Astana 13 October). There were also significant changes in Lebanon, with the withdrawal from politics of the former Prime Minister, Saad Al Hariri, in early 2022; the formation of a government led by Najib Mikati, the US-brokered agreement with Israel on the southern maritime border, the rapprochement between Beirut and Riyadh and the other Gulf monarchies, and the wait for the election of a new president. Armando Sanguini Another magnet for external military and other forces, Syria is suffering from a conflict between Turkey and Islamists in the north and a variable-geometry arrangement of Russian and Iranian “protection” in the rest of the country under the relative control of Bashar al-Assad’s government, while the US still has a presence in the central-eastern area (alongside the Kurds) and Israel is continuing to strike at Iranian forces when the need or opportunity arises. pp y Now that the Iraqi parliament has overcome its political deadlock and formed a government (Shia bloc), the country’s Prime Minister, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, faces serious challenges not only of a political and institutional nature, but also in terms of combating corruption, reforming the security services and leading the nation out of its economic and social crisis. And this must be done against a continuing backdrop of uncertainty over what action Muqtada al-Sadr might take and how the anti-Kurdish offensive being waged by Iran and Turkey might evolve, in the broader context of Iran’s rivalry with Saudi Arabia. The FIFA World Cup gave the small but internationally confident Kingdom of Qatar – which had already been designated a “major non-NATO Ally” of the United States – a unique opportunity to raise its profile, which was tarnished, however, in the closing days of the tournament, by the scandal 140 Back to the Future of the huge bribes alleged to have been paid to officials of the European Parliament.h The year was a positive one for Saudi Arabia, whose image was burnished by visits first from the US President, Joe Biden, and then from the Chinese President, Xi Jinping at the end of the year, during which the kingdom was able to play the role of first among equals among the Gulf monarchies. The country also benefited from the rise in oil prices on the back of a surge in demand caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Algeria Two state visits within the space of six months (Sergio Mattarella to Algiers in November 2021 and Tebboune in May 2022); a visit by the then Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio with the CEO of ENI, Claudio Descalzi, in March; an Intergovernmental Summit in July (Algiers) and a meeting of the Joint Technical Committee pursuant to Art. 7 of the Memorandum of Understanding at the end of the year, also in Algiers: this combination of events clearly illustrates the breadth and hands- on nature of Italo-Algerian relations. g There can be no doubt that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the consequent need to ensure a suitably diversified supply of energy played an important part in strengthening these relations. The fact that they bore fruit so promptly and extensively, however, remains largely attributable to the decades- long cooperation between the two countries, which has given rise to the Transmed-Enrico Mattei gas pipeline, followed by the discovery, in March, of a major combined oil and gas field in the Berkine North basin in the Algerian desert by the ENI- Sonatrach consortium. Italy and Algeria have gradually established and implemented a comprehensive cooperation strategy, covering manufacturing, culture, infrastructure, transport, fishing and sustainable mobility, to name but a few. The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 141 Attempts have also been made to resume the search for a political solution to the Western Sahara question, without delay, by fully supporting for the work of Staffan De Mistura, the personal envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who has received recognition for his efforts to achieve a fair, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, in accordance with the aims and principles of the United Nations Charter. Representatives of Algeria and Italy also welcomed the renewal of the mandate for the MINURSO mission launched in 1991, as part of the conflict resolution programme, which began with a ceasefire in the conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front (and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) over the disputed territory of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara). This is one of Africa’s most enduring crises and the aim of the mission is to declare the result of a referendum on self-determination, in which the Sahrawi of Western Sahara will choose either integration with Morocco or independence. Algeria Hundreds of thousands of Sahrawi refugees have been living in refugee camps on Algerian soil for decades, cut off by the world’s longest and most densely mined wall, as they wait to learn their fate. y y Unfortunately, the clashes that broke out again in November 2021 continued throughout 2022, thus reviving the tension between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front and dispelling hopes of any positive outcomes in the foreseeable future. Saudi Arabia The long shadow of the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi has not yet lifted and the kingdom still attracts criticism for its human rights record, with particular reference to the status of women and migrant workers, and its still embryonic level of democracy. But against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on which Riyadh has struck a delicate balance between meeting the expectations of Kiev and safeguarding relations within OPEC+, signs of politically and economically significant dynamics remained visible throughout the year. 142 Back to the Future Back to the Future Bearing in mind that export volumes rose by 33% at the beginning of the year compared with the same month of the previous year, mainly on the back of crude oil and petroleum products, the end of the year saw a significant increase (+9.7%) in the number of small and medium enterprises, suggesting a degree of diversification of the country’s economy, albeit incipient.f In the political arena, the year kicked off with a major shift in relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, following the chill that fell when Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly accused the Crown Prince of ordering the murder of Jamal Kashoggi. h g gg The following month, it was the turn of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to travel to Saudi Arabia and be received by the Crown Prince, in a clear sign of Biden’s (resigned) willingness to drop the term “pariah state” – which he had used to describe Saudi Arabia during the election campaign – and revive the historic bilateral relationship, partly with a view to weakening the oil axis with Moscow. This hope remained unfulfilled, at least with regard to OPEC+ policy. i g p y Having banked this substantial achievement, Riyadh continued to pursue its policy of forging closer relations with the Arab countries in the area, while also fostering discreet relations with Israel, under the impetus of the Abraham Accords. i p No less significant was the visit to Saudi Arabia of Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which representatives of the MENA countries gathered for an innovative Arab-Chinese summit. The summit was designed by Riyadh as a means of strengthening its claim on the role of a kind of regional first among equals in relations with Beijing. Saudi Arabia It is safe to say, however, that the United States remains the partner of choice for Riyadh, as it is for the Emirates and other Gulf monarchies, which depend on it for their security, but Saudi Arabia has long been engaged in a foreign policy designed to bring about the country’s national and ultimately international economic and political transformation. The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 143 Egypt Egypt’s economy showed some signs of recovery following the slowdown caused by the pandemic and the repercussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (high commodity prices and inflation). This was mainly due to a gradual upturn in tourism and construction, an increase in private investment and improvements in gas extraction processes in the Eastern Mediterranean, with particular reference to the Zohr and Nour fields and the reopening of the Idku and Damietta LNG plants after an 8-year hiatus. y The country’s social situation, however, is less promising, and suffers from widespread inequality, consequent discontent and an authoritarianism that often spills over into harsh repression of internal dissent. Internationally, Egypt has continued its efforts to strengthen its image as a strategic linchpin in the area, which declined significantly in the years following the fall of Hosni Mubarak (Arab Spring). At a regional level, while Egypt is in good company in terms of its poor, not to say non-existent, human rights record – we refer in particular, but not only, to Iran, Turkey and the Gulf monarchies – it can leverage the support it receives from those countries in terms of investments and deposits (Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in particular), as well from loans from the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank and the World Bank. It is also worth noting the agreement signed on 15 June with Israel and the European Union on the export of natural gas to Europe in order to reduce the latter’s dependence on Russian gas, and various interventions as a mediator between Israel and Hamas to facilitate agreement on the Gaza Strip and rebuild its own international standing 144 Back to the Future Iraq Following the parliamentary elections, it took almost a year to overcome the difficulties involved in appointing a new President of Iraq. The appointment was finally made on 17 October, and went to the Kurdish engineer Abdul Latif Rashid, who had served as Minister for Water Resources from 2003 to 2010. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the other major Kurdish party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) were involved in the appointment. pp A month later, the problem of forming a new government was solved. Egypt Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, a former minister in the cabinet of Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the Coordination Framework (a pro-Iranian Shia bloc), was appointed as Prime Minister thanks to an alliance between the Coordination Framework and the majority of Kurdish and Sunni MPs, many of whom are former allies of Muqtada al-Sadr who have been released from their coalition obligations following the withdrawal of the parliament’s Sadrists (in the Iraqi institutional system, the presidency is granted to a Kurdish candidate, while the head of government is always a Shia Muslim). g y While the ending of the deadlock that lasted for most of 2022 is a positive, the new government nonetheless faces a series of major challenges, first and foremost its relations with Iran, from which the Prime Minister is by no means independent, followed by combating corruption, reforming the security services and leading the nation out of its economic and social crisis. Furthermore, the appointment of Al-Sudani was so hotly contested that when the coalition proposed him as a potential candidate to head the government, hundreds of Al Sadr’s supporters stormed the Iraqi parliament and occupied it. Muqtada al-Sadr is another major unknown quantity. As politically significant as he is controversial, he is a direct descendent of Mohammed, and belongs to one of the most influential Shia dynasties in the entire Middle East. Long branded as a radical, populist leader, and former head of The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 145 anti-American militias in post-Saddam Iraq, he has increasingly distanced himself from neighbouring Iran over the years. The question is what role does he intend to play, given that his announced withdrawal from politics was accompanied by several serious clashes with law enforcement agents and pro- Iranian factions. He enjoys wide support, as borne out by his clear victory in the October 2021 consultations (where he won 73 seats out of a total of 329). Another unknown quantity at a regional level is the anti- Kurdish offensive being waged from one side by Iran and from the other by Turkey, which shares a border of about a thousand kilometres and continues to regard the Kurdish armed forces as supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), probably with a view to driving them out of their mountain strongholds and handing over control to the Peshmerga of the Kurdish regional government, which has excellent relations with Ankara. Egypt And this is partly motivated by the forthcoming elections in 2023. Iran Although passed by a measured majority (29 votes in favour, 8 against and 16 abstentions), the United Nations Economic and Social Council’s decision, on 14 December, to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women, is a political and moral endorsement of the sanctions adopted by the US, Canada and the European Union, against the Tehran government’s brutal reaction to the wave of protests triggered in September (and still ongoing) by the killing of Mahsa Amini.h Although passed by a measured majority (29 votes in favour, 8 against and 16 abstentions), the United Nations Economic and Social Council’s decision, on 14 December, to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women, is a political and moral endorsement of the sanctions adopted by the US, Canada and the European Union, against the Tehran government’s brutal reaction to the wave of protests triggered in September (and still ongoing) by the killing of Mahsa Amini.h p g g g This endorsement, furthermore, cannot be entirely separated from the Ayatollahs’ worrying determination to carry on enriching uranium and their refusal to consider any conditions that might lead to the US rejoining the Iranian nuclear agreement. It is worth remembering that after 16 months of arduous negotiations, Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, has presented a “definitive” compromise text 146 Back to the Future (in its intentions) for both sides. But negotiations have ground to a halt despite the fact that under the proposed agreement, Iran would put a stop to further uranium enrichment, which is already over 60% (the JCPOA establishes a limit of 3.67%), and the US would commit to lifting the sanctions. This would have enabled Tehran to return to international markets.h The United Kingdom, France and Germany released a joint statement pointing out that, in their opinion, Iran had decided not to take this decisive diplomatic opportunity, but to carry on stepping up its nuclear programme far beyond what could be justified on civil grounds. Iran ji g But perhaps the most worrying news is the announcement by the Head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Air Force that Tehran is in possession of a hypersonic ballistic missile capable of flying both within and beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and “reaching Tel Aviv in less than 4 minutes.” h g This new Iranian threat appears to be part and parcel of its essential unwillingness to soften the overall regional policy that Iran is continuing to implement, directly and indirectly, through the “Axis of Resistance” strategy designed to legitimise its intervention in other countries in the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, as well as in the intra- Palestinian conflict between Al-Fatah and Hamas.h l The shadows over Iran have also grown longer and darker in connection with Tehran’s increasingly clear involvement with Russia, in the latter’s war against Ukraine, not only with drones, but also with surface-to-air missiles. h The year drew to a close on as aggressive a note as it started, but in different terms, namely with the launch of a series of executions of young people found guilty of taking part in the wave of protests triggered by the aforementioned killing of Mahsa Amini. This wave is showing no signs of diminishing and could have unprecedented outcomes. The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 147 Lebanon Although expected, the former Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri’s announcement of his withdrawal from politics in early 2022 nonetheless marked a political milestone. Rumours that the wealthy Najib Mikati might also leave the stage, however, were soon dispelled. Following the elections in May, President Michel Aoun appointed Mikati (for the fifth time) to form a government, which won a vote of confidence from parliament in September with a membership that reflects Lebanon’s political and religious make-up (11 Christians, 10 Muslims and 2 Druze). h The Mikati government faces the enormous challenge of rebuilding acceptable economic and social conditions in the country, first by implementing the reforms required by the International Monetary Fund, and then by responding to the discontent of a population that has been showing increasing signs of protest. Meanwhile, the presidential term of Aoun Michel, a Maronite Christian, who took office in 2016, expired on 31 October, with no designated successor in place, thereby adding to the already considerable political and institutional uncertainty facing the country. g Against this backdrop, exacerbated by severe outbreaks of cholera, it is unsurprising that the 25th anniversary of Lebanon’s independence was celebrated with little enthusiasm. Libya The elections due to be held on 24 December 2021 appeared to be within reach and looked set to mark a decisive turning point in Libya’s troubled dynamics, but this was not to be, despite the fact that some 3 million Libyans were registered on the electoral roll. fi Instead, the elections were officially postponed, the electoral committees were dissolved and preparations for the vote were suspended, in the subsequently unfulfilled hope that they could 148 Back to the Future be held the following month, as proposed by the Libyan High National Elections Commission (HNEC). In the face of this failure, Aguila Saleh (President of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives) convened his deputies to replace the Dbeibah government with a technical executive tasked with carrying the country through to the elections. f Stephanie Williams (UN) took a different view, however, maintaining that it was worth striving to put in place a democratically elected government by the end of June. All this took place against a backdrop of deep internal divisions, fuelled by the presence of numerous armed groups and foreign troops in Libya, all of whom are firmly committed to standing their ground. h yi y g g The situation was certainly not helped by the appointment of Fathi Bashagha, the former Minister of the Interior, by the Tobruk parliament, whose term of office expired some time ago. This appointment was rejected by the Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, in his capacity as head of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord. The country thus found itself split once again between two parallel administrations in conflict with each other, against a backdrop of ethnic, tribal and ideological divisions carved deeper by the various factions’ foreign sponsors p y g p Turkey, meanwhile, is not concealing its support for western Libya. Under their latest Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in early October, Ankara and Tripoli have once again emphasised their intention to step up their cooperation, especially in the energy sector. i It is significant, however, that on the sidelines of the Security Working Group (SWG) held in Tunis on 8 December, the US Ambassador to Libya made it clear, after many years, that the status quo is unsustainable and that there is an urgent need for practical action to put in place a democratically elected government that represents all Libyans. Libya This urgency is clearly at odds with the Libyan Premier Dbeibah’s call to lift the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, the European Union, the US State Department and the UK Foreign Office The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 149 on Abd al Rahman al-Milad (Bija), who is accused of people trafficking and smuggling oil, drugs and weapons. Morocco 2022 turned out to be a fairly good year for Morocco’s image on the world stage, partly because of the attention it attracted by becoming the first Muslim Arab nation to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup. King Mohammed VI, meanwhile, continued to open up his country’s international horizon with some success, starting, of course, with sub-Saharan Africa, by making full use of the space afforded him 5 years ago when Morocco was re-admitted to the African Union. But together with the Prime Minister, Aziz Akhannouch, the sovereign has also made a gradual move towards closer relations with the Gulf monarchies and has welcomed relations with China. Morocco’s partnership with the European Union remains in place, of course, but with a few obstacles to trade agreements, which the General Court of the European Union ruled illegal in September 2021 due to the Sahrawi issue, but which the European Council signed nonetheless. h p g Then, right at the end of the year, Morocco was involved in the “Qatargate” scandal in the European Parliament, again in connection with the serious disagreement that continues to divide the country from Algeria. This disagreement was further fuelled by Rabat’s decision to sign the Abraham Accords, partly in return for US recognition of its claims on Western Sahara. On the domestic front, it is worth noting that, following the shock of the pandemic and the drought that caused a collapse in supply and demand for agricultural produce, Morocco is showing signs of promise in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and foreign investment. Furthermore, the government has changed, and is now made up of a coalition of three parties – RNI (liberal), PAM (centre- left) and Istiqlal (conservative) – which, between them, hold a 150 Back to the Future substantial majority (270 seats out of 395). And it is to be hoped that the internal dissent still being caused by the precarious social conditions facing a large proportion of the population, and the lack of tolerance towards Aziz Akhannouch’s government, will gradually subside thanks to the Prime Minister’s commitment to creating a million jobs, extending health insurance to all Moroccans, increasing teachers’ salaries and guaranteeing pensions for seniors. Qatar Hosting the FIFA World Cup gave Qatar an opportunity prove its credentials as a fully-fledged citizen of the world, within the limits imposed by the fact that it still does not guarantee respect for human rights or have a democratic institutional system. And to a large extent, it achieved this goal, at least until the passion of the football and the grandeur of the logistics were overshadowed by the “Qatargate” scandal that hit the European Parliament. We will have to wait for the outcome of the investigations, of course, but the pending process of justice has already taken its toll on the expectations of this small but immensely rich monarchy, which aspires to being a key regional and international player and is proud to have been the first Middle Eastern country to host this prestigious tournament. y p g Qatar had recently overcome the fall-out from an acrimonious disagreement that had relegated it to the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council because of its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which was welcomed by Turkey, but ran completely counter to the political and financial line pursued by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies. hl y This conflicting position, however, had not threatened the continuing presence of the large air base hosting the UK’s Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force, which is the largest military base in the Middle East. The base also proved to be vitally important in the latest developments in the understanding with the Taliban regime regarding the evacuation from Afghanistan. The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 151 Syria Ten years on from its “own” Arab Spring, Syria is still a kaleidoscope of military forces of various types, with differing domestic, regional and international interests. Ten years on from its “own” Arab Spring, Syria is still a kaleidoscope of military forces of various types, with differing domestic, regional and international interests. g Yes, Bashar Al Assad has managed to regain control of much of the country, but he finds himself sharing it with the Russian and Iranian allies who enabled him to do so and who are still his creditors with their own Mediterranean interests. Ranged against these are the Turkish military forces in the north-west of the country, with militias that enjoy close relations with them, as in the north-east of Syria, from which they are striving to drive out the Kurds who live there because they are believed to be allies of the PKK group. This is being done at Syria’s expense, of course, although the extent of Moscow’s and Washington’s apparent unwillingness to allow Turkey to create such a “Turkish” buffer on Syrian territory remains unclear. f y y Let us not forget that the Kurds were vital allies in the West’s struggle, led by the US, against Islamic State, which kicked off 2022 by displaying a remarkable ability to resume its terrorist activities in both Iraq and Syria, where, backed by some 10,000 fighters (UN estimate), it attacked the “Syrian Alcatraz” in January 2022 and released over 2,500 prisoners held there. Other anti-Assad forces remain in the south and south-west of the country. Another factor not to be underestimated is Israel’s “preventive” action against the Iranian presence (personnel and installations) close to their northern border, which are estimated to number some 15,000 soldiers and Pasdaran, plus 10,000 Lebanese Hezbollah fighters. i Against this far-from-reassuring backdrop, the proposal made by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on 11 August at the 13th Ambassadors’ Conference in Ankara, for a “reconciliation” between the Syrian regime and the opposition was decidedly tone-deaf. Furthermore, he had already made the proposal several months earlier to his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad on the sidelines of a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. Syria 152 Back to the Future Back to the Future “We must bring the opposition and the regime together for reconciliation, otherwise there will be no permanent peace” capable of preventing the break-up of Syria, he pointed out at the time.h The Syrians responded immediately. To a soundtrack of cries of “No reconciliation”, they demonstrated in their thousands in the various areas of Turkish influence in the north and around Idlib, controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, the group believed to have close ties to Al-Qaeda in Syria) and they branded the proposal a violation of the political process approved by UN resolutions, particularly Resolution 2254 of 2015. Tunisia Tunisia has seen a year of rising political and social tensions caused by the economic and financial difficulties facing the country and reactions to the measures that President Saied has been taking since July 2021 to boost his own personal power. g p p On 1 January, the President announced an online national public consultation in preparation for the constitutional and electoral reform to be submitted to a popular referendum on 25 July, and then to legislative elections on 17 December. g In February, the Supreme Judicial Council (CSM) was dissolved and a provisional CSM was set up in its place, which, among other things, gave Saied the power to veto the promotion and appointment of judges. h This was followed by the dissolution of parliament (which had been suspended since July 2021), on grounds of the need to “preserve the state and its institutions”. h The new constitutional charter, approved with 94% of the votes from a low turnout (30.5%), entered into force on 18 August, turning Tunisia into a hyper-presidential republic: the Head of State appoints and can dismiss government ministers and the key figures in the justice system, as well as proposing laws, ratifying international treaties and dissolving parliament. The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 153 He is also Supreme Commander of the armed forces. A bicameral system has been introduced: in addition to the Assembly of the People’s Representatives, there is now also an Upper House, known as the National Council of Regions and Provinces. Lastly, the new Charter removes the controversial reference to Islam as the state religion and enrols Tunisia in the universal Islamic community (Ummah). y Even the Electoral Commission has been changed: its nine members have fallen to seven, three of whom are selected directly by Saïed, with the remainder being appointed by the CSM, controlled by the Tunisian President, who has also announced the launch of a national dialogue on the reforms to be put to a referendum, which included the four national organisations that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015, but not the opposition parties (including Ennahda), which has organised itself into a significant “National Salvation Front”. Tunisia gi It is no wonder that the country’s traditional western partners, especially the United States and the EU, as well as the Venice Commission (Council of Europe), have expressed concern at the political and institutional action taken by President Saïed and have repeatedly called for a return to democratic governance. Turkey, under President Erdogan, has echoed these criticisms, while the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have continued to support President Saïed and offer loan guarantees and investments. In view of Tunisia’s existing socio-economic and financial difficulties, however, these guarantees have done little to make the country less vulnerable to the repercussions of Russia’s war on Ukraine, first and foremost in terms of energy and food prices. As for the legislative elections of 17 December, it is worth noting the European Parliament’s decision “not to observe them or comment on them”. But it will be difficult not to comment on a turnout of less than 12% of registered voters, which marks a clear defeat for Saied, whose resignation has been widely called for. 154 Back to the Future Turkey The level of confidence with which Turkey’s President Erdogan pursued his foreign policy in 2022 was proportional to his ambition to win the presidential election in June 2023, an outcome considered relatively uncertain because of the country’s precarious economic conditions and growing authoritarianism, the latest manifestation of which was the adoption of the “disinformation” law. One of the most notable examples of this is the tricky balancing act he is pulling off in his relations with Moscow. On the one hand, he has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including in the United Nations General Assembly, while on the other, he has chosen not to subscribe to the economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the European countries, so as not to compromise the strong economic and energy ties that have bound Ankara to Russia for years. Furthermore, he has been presenting himself as a mediator in the conflict triggered by Moscow in February, partly in the wake of his undoubted success in facilitating the export of Ukrainian cereals, first in July and then again in November. On top of this, he has purchased a Russian S-400 missile defence system, at the cost of being ejected from the F-35 development programme, while still remaining a member of NATO. Indeed, Turkey has even managed to make Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO conditional upon their extradition of a number of Kurdish figures who have taken refuge there. i It is also worth mentioning Turkey’s attempted rapprochement with Saudi Arabia and with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in particular (this succeeded only formally), whom Erdogan had publicly accused of ordering the murder of the journalist Jamal Kashoggi in Istanbul in 2018.h Things went better with Israel and the United Arab Emirates. A decade of tension with Israel has been overcome in favour of restoring full diplomatic relations and re-establishing cooperation between the two regional powers. Turkey has The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 155 reached a full reconciliation with the United Arab Emirates, thanks to a process initiated in late 2021 and endorsed by Erdoğan’s visit to Abu Dhabi in mid-February. Turkey h This situation contrasts with the initiative launched in 2016 and resumed in November under the name Operation Claw- Sword, against Kurdish troops (who are accused being a military wing of the PKK) stationed on Syrian and Iraqi soil, allegedly in retaliation for the attack in Istanbul on 3 November, in which the accused, however, deny all involvement. The objective is still to create a 432 km long, 30 km deep “belt” free from Kurdish fighters, to which a large proportion of Syria’s refugees could realistically be transferred. y Two pieces of good news emerged with regard to bilateral relations between Turkey and Italy. Firstly, Dalila Procopio, a 25-year-old Italian woman arrested in Istanbul at an unauthorised feminist demonstration, was released; and secondly the two countries’ Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Antonio Tajani, held a meeting on the sidelines of MED22 in Rome (ISPI-MAECI), which yielded the common objective of holding a summit between the two countries in 2023. Yemen Yemen’s devastating, seven-year civil war has now also reached Abu Dhabi. It had already prompted Houthi “rebels” to attack Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition that intervened at the request and in support of the internationally recognised President Hadi. But in 2022, for the first time, the conflict extended to the capital of the United Arab Emirates, 1,200 km away, with drones and possibly missiles deployed and claimed by Yemen. y Such a start to the year clearly did not encourage hopes of a truce or future peace between the two warring factions, which are partly a front for a more covert conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. And yet a truce was reached on 1 April, although it 156 Back to the Future was only provisional (two months, to accommodate Ramadan). It was then renewed for a further two months when it expired. h Thereafter, the Houthis refused to extend it again. h It is worth noting that the Houthis did not open the road to Taiz, despite the fact that this was one of the basic conditions for starting the truce. And in the face of the renewed humanitarian disaster, there was little substance behind the hopes of the Quint member states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, United States and United Kingdom) for a revival of political dialogue between the parties and the renewal of mine-clearance efforts in Yemen. hfll pf The country is also afflicted by other local conflicts, which cast a heavy shadow over Yemen’s future prospects. According to the country’s Foreign Minister, Ahmed bin Mubarak, who spoke at Med Dialogues 2022 in Rome, the EU sees the conflict in purely “humanitarian terms” and pays no attention to any of its other aspects, including security and the economy. In his view, the EU should intervene more assertively, by targeting the rebels’ financial networks and condemning their violation of human rights, starting with women’s rights. g g g The minister also pointed out that “Iran did not start interfering in Yemeni affairs with the outbreak of the conflict and with the entry of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia. As early as 1987, they started funding the Houthis. And then in 2012, when everyone was sitting at the negotiating table using peaceful means, the Iranian government provided financial assistance and weapons to the Shia group”. 1 Although this chapter derives from work carried out jointly by both authors, Francesca Frassineti wrote the introduction and paragraph 1, and Giulia Sciorati wrote paragraph 2 and the conclusion. Conclusion 2022 left an array of uncertainties and critical challenges in its wake, which were clearly accentuated by the fall-out from Russia’s war on Ukraine, despite the fact that the war unexpectedly had certain undeniably useful consequences, mainly for energy-producing countries. One of the pivotal points will be Iran, which is a leading player in the dynamics of the Middle East. The country has The Never-Ending MENA Region Crises 157 been hit by a wave of protests, backed by women, which has spread to multiple layers of the population and, despite lacking any clear leadership, is putting the regime of the Ayatollahs under severe strain. Any change in this leadership could bring change to the regional policy embraced by Iran to date, towards Israel, of course, but also towards Iran’s rival, Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Iran continues to find scope for influence and intervention in countries ranging from Syria to Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Another crucial factor will be the developments in government policy that Netanyahu will want (and be able to) pursue with his new government, especially in relation to the Palestinian situation – marked in December by a general strike in the West Bank called in response to the death in prison of Nasser Abu Hamid, leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade – but also with regard to extending the Abraham Accords, which is likely to be less promising than it was under the previous government. 2023 will mark the centenary of the foundation of the modern Republic of Turkey (1923), which will coincide with the year of a general election in which Recep Tayyip Erdoğan aims to win a new mandate for his role as the political and spiritual leader of the New Turkey and his de-Westernisation of the country’s leadership. The prospect of the election is pushing him towards increasing authoritarianism in the domestic arena, even as the country’s socio-economic conditions deteriorate. y As the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to ratify the Paris Agreement and commit to reducing its carbon emissions, the United Arab Emirates will host COP28, in the hope of achieving more promising results than those that emerged from COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. 11. The New Militarisation of East Asia Francesca Frassineti, Giulia Sciorati1 The Indo-Pacific region is exposed to constantly evolving security dynamics, including growing threats to public health, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and increasingly extreme weather events. New military commitments relating, for example, to disaster relief and humanitarian aid operations require improved capabilities in terms of power projection, mobility, intelligence and inter-force collaboration. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, territorial and maritime disputes and demographic decline, however, are the main factors that influence debates on military spending and the modernisation of national defence and the armed forces. Vladimir Putin’s obsession with nuclear weapons in the context of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, combined with the acceleration of Chinese and North Korean nuclear programmes, has prompted some governments to give more serious consideration to all the options, in the event that today’s Ukraine becomes tomorrow’s East Asia. In South Korea and Japan, the nuclear taboo has been decisively broken in public debate, and the idea of procuring an autonomous deterrent is no longer the subject of behind-the- scenes conversations or the position of a handful of individual politicians. While the Japanese remain broadly sceptical on the issue, for obvious historical reasons, public opinion in South 160 Back to the Future Korea has long been the opposite. Over the past 15 years, support for both the return of US tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea, after the completion of their withdrawal in December 1991, and the development of a military nuclear programme has regularly garnered support of between 60% and 75%.2 Ultimately, the decision to take the nuclear route depends on historical and economic factors, domestic politics and attitudes towards international status. At present, the barriers and estimated costs that South Korea and Japan would face should be enough to prevent any further horizontal proliferation in the area. These alarm bells cannot be ignored, however, and make it imperative to conduct an in-depth assessment of the current defence alliances’ operating processes in order to respond more effectively to a constantly changing kaleidoscope of threats. Last December, Kurt Campbell, the US National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs, said “One of the enormous achievements in Asia for decades has been the stability and reassuring quality of our extended deterrence of our nuclear umbrella”. 2 Data collected in December 2021 by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and published in early 2022 show that 71% of South Koreans interviewed believe that acquiring its own nuclear weapons would be useful for the country’s national security. K. Friedhoff, T. Dalton, and L. Kim, “Thinking Nuclear: South Korean Attitudes on Nuclear Weapons”, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 21 February 2022. 3 K. Campbell, “Fireside Chat”, Aspen Security Forum, Aspen Institute, Washington DC, 8 December 2022. 2 Data collected in December 2021 by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and published in early 2022 show that 71% of South Koreans interviewed believe that acquiring its own nuclear weapons would be useful for the country’s national security. K. Friedhoff, T. Dalton, and L. Kim, “Thinking Nuclear: South Korean Attitudes on Nuclear Weapons”, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 21 February 2022. 3 K. Campbell, “Fireside Chat”, Aspen Security Forum, Aspen Institute, Washington DC, 8 December 2022. 4 V. Jackson, Rival Reputations: Coercion and Credibility in US-North Korea Relations, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2016. 11. The New Militarisation of East Asia He then added: “That is being challenged now”.3 This statement reflects widespread anxiety in Japanese and South Korean political circles about the credibility of Washington’s security guarantees, in light of the somewhat alarming signals coming from the US political world, in which the perceived value of allies in relation to US interests has become yet another bone of contention between the opposing factions. The New Militarisation of East Asia 161 The Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea are some of the main sources of tension in the region. The concentration of military resources for deterrence purposes in geographically limited spaces increases the potential for escalations triggered both by technical errors and misinterpretations of the other party’s intentions, as we have come close to seeing several times on the Korean Peninsula in recent months. After conducting its military exercises on a reduced scale for four years, and in some cases merely running tabletop simulations of them or cancelling them altogether, partly to encourage diplomatic efforts and partly because of the pandemic, the US-South Korea alliance returned to full-scale manoeuvres in 2022. Furthermore, those manoeuvres included the most extensive aerial exercises ever, dubbed ‘Vigilant Storm’. Ever since it first came to power, the Kim family regime has seen these operations as part of the United States’ “hostile policy” and as preparation for a potential attack on its territory. A large proportion of the over 90 cruise and ballistic missiles launched by the North Korean regime over the past year were fired concurrently with and in response to large-scale military operations carried out by its adversaries. This plunged the Korean Peninsula back into yet another cycle of action and reaction. Responding to pressure with more pressure has been the unchanging cornerstone of North Korea’s strategic culture ever since the 1960s.4 The fact that the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, unlike his father, has been displaying a willingness to accept incremental risks in order to achieve his goals further complicates the mechanisms of extended deterrence and raises the risk of accidental clashes. Another common feature of the three cases examined is the fact that, historically, local dynamics have been curbed by the constraints of the broader competition between major powers. 162 Back to the Future Back to the Future 5 “On Report Made by Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un at 8th Congress of WPK”, KCNA, 9 January 2021. 6 “N. Korea reveals leader Kim’s daughter for first time”, Yonhap News Agency, 19 November 2022. The Multidimensional Challenges to Stability on the Korean Peninsula The past three years have been the toughest test for Kim Jong Un’s leadership since he took the helm in December 2011, upon the death of his father, Kim Jong Il. Having ended its short spell of dialogue and summits with the United States and South Korea in October 2019 – a spell that started with the North Korean delegation’s participation in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February 2018 – the regime has closed ranks again. The resumption of intensive missile activity in September 2021 forms an integral part of Kim Jong Un’s efforts to achieve the goals he announced in January of that year. In his speech to the eighth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim presented new five-year plans for the economy and the military, the latter setting out ambitious targets for upgrading the quantity and quality of the nuclear deterrent.5 pg g q y q y Over the past two years, North Korean scientists and military staff have achieved remarkable results in relation to a range of targets set by their leader, from the first tests of hypersonic weapons to the launch of new long-range cruise missiles and the successful launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile in the presence not only of Kim Jong Un but also that of his daughter, who had never appeared in public before.6 Pending the seventh nuclear test, preparations for which have long since been completed, according to satellite images, North Korea’s nuclear and missile programme is progressing naturally, and has moved beyond the stage at which the technical need to test the operation of carriers and weapons systems is at its most pressing, to the extent that the term “test” customarily used to describe North Korean missile launches is no longer appropriate. According to Ankit Panda, what we were seeing, The New Militarisation of East Asia 163 especially in the second half of 2022, was more like “operational exercises for large-scale missile deployment”.7h The regime has pursued its military and defence objectives almost undisturbed, and has benefited considerably from the changes to the international scenario triggered by Russia’s war on Kyiv. 7 A. Panda, “What’s Behind North Korea’s Growing Missile Activity?”, Prospects & Perspectives, no. 70, 6 December 2022. 8 M. Nichols, “China, Russia veto U.S. push for more U.N. sanctions on North Korea”, Reuters, 26 May 2022. 9 Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) e World Food Programme (WFP), “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (Dprk) - Fao/Wfp Joint Rapid Food Security Assessment”, 2019. 10 United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), “Further Analysis on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2017”, 2019. 11 M. Noland, “North Korean Food Insecurity: Is Famine on the Horizon?”, East-West Center, Analysis n. 154, 22 August 2022. 12 H. Smith, “Explaining Food Insecurity in North Korea: The Self-Sufficiency Fallacy,” Global Asia, vol. 16, n. 3, 2021, p. 59. The Multidimensional Challenges to Stability on the Korean Peninsula The Security Council is paralysed by the obstructionism of Moscow and Beijing, which share powerful security motives for frustrating, wherever possible, all new initiatives promoted by Washington to condemn Pyongyang’s conduct.8 The violation of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty has again called into question the effectiveness of sanctions and, more generally, has diverted the US administration’s attention away from North Korea, which had never been a high priority for President Biden anyway. No consideration of the North Korean regime’s military stance can be separated from the triple shock that the country has suffered in recent years. North Korea saw the pandemic as an existential threat to the nation’s survival and hence to the regime’s survival. The fragility of the country’s health system made it imperative to close national borders immediately, as soon as the first cases of infection in China were confirmed. Cross-border trade, which came to a halt at the end of January 2020, resumed in the second half of 2022, but in fits and starts. Experts, meanwhile, are almost unanimous that the effects of infection-control measures imposed by the North Korean regime are comparable, if not greater, than those of decades of international sanctions. No international NGOs or United Nations agencies have been operating in North Korea since March 2021, making it impossible to independently verify the data published by North Korean officials. Despite the suspension of the monitoring system, this is highly likely to have been the worst period for the 164 Back to the Future North Korean population since the famine of the mid-1990s. 13 All of the expert group’s reports are available at: https://www. securitycouncilreport.org/un_documents_type/sanctions-committee- documents/?ctype=DPRK%20%28North%20Korea%29&cbtype=dprk- north-korea 14 For an in-depth analysis of the security implications of climate change, see M. Mobjörk et al. “Climate-related Security Risks”, SIPRI e Stockholm University, October 2016. 15 Although the historical development of the two security issues covered here falls outside the scope of this analysis, some indication of their key features must be given at this point to ensure that readers with a less complete knowledge of the area are equipped to fully understand the analysis set out in this paper. As far as Taiwan is concerned, we need only remember that the insecurity of the island and the strait to which it lends its name is a matter of national sovereignty whose roots lie in the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War. Following the victory of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1949, members and sympathisers of the opposition party (the Kuomintang) opted for self-exile in several Southeast Asian countries and, primarily, on the island of Taiwan, where the Republic of China (ROC) was founded. During the Cold War, most of the international community recognised the legitimacy of the ROC until 1971, when Beijing replaced Taipei on the United Nations Security Council. This marked the start of a period of strategic ambiguity, in which the international system chose not The Multidimensional Challenges to Stability on the Korean Peninsula In an assessment drawn up in 2019, the FAO and WFP estimated that 10.1 million North Koreans (about 40% of the population) were living in conditions food insecurity.9 Although nutritional indicators were showing signs of improvement in the period prior to the pandemic, in 2017 one in five children in North Korea was suffering from rickets.10 f As well as international sanctions and the effects of border closures aimed at preventing the spread of the pandemic, account must also be taken of climate-related events, which have become more extreme with each passing year in this part of the world too, thus making the ecosystem extremely vulnerable and having a dramatic impact on living conditions in rural areas.11 g g Simultaneous North Korean, Chinese and Russian quarantine measures have hindered the flow of food aid and seed into North Korea, as well as local production of pesticides and fertilisers, placing additional strain on an agricultural sector that was already suffering serious adverse effects from the resolutions adopted by the Security Council between 2016 and 2017, and defined in no uncertain terms by Hazel Smith as the “preconditions for famine”.12 It must be remembered, in this respect, that North Korea’s extensive use of chemical fertilisers requires large quantities of natural gas and coal, and that North Korea’s imports of natural gas have been banned, and its imports of oil drastically reduced, since 2017. Pyongyang’s dependence on energy supplies from Moscow and Beijing has inevitably increased, and the aforementioned restrictions have The New Militarisation of East Asia 165 been frequently breached, as duly documented by the expert group responsible for monitoring the implementation of UN resolutions.13 When viewed through a broader lens, the case of North Korea clearly illustrates the interconnections between security and climate change, which is often described as a “threat multiplier”.14 Although environmental degradation does not currently pose any direct threat to the internal control and stability of the regime, we cannot discount the possibility that it could fan the flames of existing regional tensions in the future. to take a clear position between recognising Taiwan either as an integral part of the PRC or as a sovereign state. This ambiguity cyclically foments tension and insecurity. G. Samarani, La Cina del Novecento: Dalla Fine dell’Impero a Oggi, Torino, Einaudi, 2008. 16 Francesca Congiu and Barbara Onnis, Fino all’Ultimo Stato: La Battaglia Diplomatica tra Pechino e Taiwan, Carocci: 2022. 16 Francesca Congiu and Barbara Onnis, Fino all’Ultimo Stato: La Battaglia Diplomatica tra Pechino e Taiwan, Carocci: 2022. 17 Territorial disputes in the South China Sea affect a large number of regional actors – including the PRC and Taiwan, the Sultanate of Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – which claim sovereignty over a stretch of the western Pacific Ocean measuring some 3.5 million square kilometres. Roughly one third of the world’s maritime trade passes through this area, which is also rich in undersea energy resources. These claims have now taken on a significant military dimension: China, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand have all built military bases on islands, atolls and reefs, thereby artificially expanding the extent of their territory. This militarisation pushes the discussion of territorial claims into the realm of security, thus extending the range of players involved to outside powers. B. Hayton, The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia, Yale University Press, 2014. 18 W. Ripley, E. Cheung, and B. Westcott, “Taiwan’s President Says the Threat from China Is Increasing ‘Every Day’ and Confirms Presence of Us Military Trainers on the Island”, CNN, 28 October 2021. 19 M. Raymond and D.A. Welch, “What’s Really Going on in the South China Sea?”, Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, vol. 41, no. 2, 2022. Territorial Sovereignty and the PRC Further expressions of the current insecurity issues facing East Asia feature a leading role for the PRC. Some of these relate to Taiwan, whose situation in recent years has become increasingly central to the militarisation of the Indo-Pacific.15 As Francesca 166 Back to the Future Congiu and Barbara Onnis wrote in a recently published book, “the current evolution of events concerning the island of Taiwan can be seen as a manifestation of the complex tensions and contrasts that now characterise relations between the People’s Republic of China … and the United States of America” (p. 15).16 Others relate to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where, unlike in the rest of the Indo-Pacific, there was no real interruption in militarisation during the pandemic.17 As history shows, these matters of insecurity generally share the common factor of issues relating to the territorial sovereignty of the political entities concerned, and the active involvement of the world’s two superpowers, China and the United States. These elements, in turn, influence those that represent key principles for the political considerations of all the actors involved, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the two matters and connecting them with considerations relating to the international system, especially within the framework of competition between great powers. p g p Today’s militarisation is at least partially attributable to the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic, which became enmeshed The New Militarisation of East Asia 167 with these historic security dynamics from the outset. The very advent of the health crisis, for example, raised the expectation, shared by various observers, that the pandemic would act as a deterrent (positive or negative) to these dynamics. Now that the health emergency has moved into a less acute phase, we can draw a few conclusions based on empirical evidence relating to the region’s security practices and their impact on the current situation. Firstly, we need to draw a distinction between two the types of legacy – direct and indirect – left by the pandemic on the two sources of insecurity in question. When the two matters are viewed through the lens of realpolitik, Covid-19’s contribution to today’s security issues is limited by structural constraints in the first case, but more pronounced in the second. Territorial Sovereignty and the PRC i p Although the Indo-Pacific is increasingly a focus of international debate, the security practices in both matters have involved a limited number of people, especially in terms of local populations. The Taiwanese question, for example, still has what might be described as a Clausewitzian configuration, in the sense that it gives rise to a strategy of mutual containment by the actors involved, which is mainly attributed to the involvement of the armed forces. The main evidence that international observers have on the Taiwanese question is the presence of Chinese or US armed forces around Taiwanese airspace or maritime space, and attempts to militarise Taiwan itself through the acquisition of military materiel or the training of its national armed forces through collaborations with the US.18 As far as the South China Sea is concerned, by contrast, the key factor in its security dynamics is still the role of the PRC, both in terms of the artificial expansion of islands, atolls and reefs in the area, and the formal recognition of these territories as Chinese administrative units.19 In May 2020, for example, 168 Back to the Future the PRC unilaterally established two new administrative districts in areas that are disputed with Vietnam – Xisha 西沙 (Paracel Islands) and Nansha 南沙 (Spratly Islands) – as part of Hainan Province. Beijing’s aim was to increase China’s presence and the effectiveness of its administrative control over the area by building new infrastructure.20f Since one of the most visible effects of Covid-19 is the restrictions it places on the affected populations, the emphasis on armed forces that characterises security practice in the Indo-Pacific clearly acted as a counterbalance to the problems generated by the pandemic, in the case of both Taiwan and the South China Sea. This resulted in levels of militarisation that were broadly comparable to those that preceded the health crisis, although the spread of infection on-board at least one US military ship slowed the traditional development of regional security dynamics (i.e. closely linked with the presence of armed forces) during the most acute phases of the pandemic.21 As for the pandemic’s indirect legacy on the matters in question, two factors need to be taken into account in order to put the processes currently unfolding into context. 20 H. Le Thu, “Fishing When the Water is Muddy: China’s Newly Announced Administrative Districts in the South China Sea”, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, 6 May 2020. 21 M. Gafni and J. Garofoli, “Exclusive: Captain of Aircraft Carrier with Growing Coronavirus Outbreak Pleads for Help from Navy”, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2020. 22 R. Cronin, “Sea of Absurdity: Sansha, China’s New Island ‘City’”, Stimson Center, 14 October 2014. 23.A. Thayer, “COVID-19 Masks Mischief in the South China Sea”, East Asia Forum, 13 January 2021; F. Congiu and B. Onnis, Fino all’Ultimo Stato: La Battaglia Diplomatica tra Pechino e Taiwan, Carocci: 2022, pp. 85-92. 24 Ibid. 25 “T T i C ll B k US P li St ” BBC 3 D b 2016 25 “Trump-Taiwan Call Breaks US Policy Stance”, BBC, 3 December 2016. Territorial Sovereignty and the PRC Firstly, the impact that restrictions on diplomatic meetings in recent years have had on the militarisation of the area; and secondly, the substantial change in the US approach to China’s policy in the south-eastern neighbourhood, especially as far as Taiwan is concerned. In the first case, the suspension of high-level diplomatic meetings due to Covid-19 curbed dialogue on sensitive issues, as it did in other parts of the world, thus facilitating the adoption of one-way practices designed mainly to further national interests, The New Militarisation of East Asia 169 as was typical in the past.22 A prime example of this trend is the establishment of the aforementioned districts of Xisha and Nansha, which helps fulfil China’s national objectives but takes no account of the effects of this action on the region. As noted by Carlyle A. Thayer, Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales, in a contribution to the East Asia Forum in January 2021, the biggest impact of the absence of high-level diplomatic meetings on security matters in the area is that it put a stop to negotiations on the drafting of a shared “code of conduct” between China and all the other actors making territorial claims in the South China Sea.23 Not only has the absence of fresh progress led to militarisation in the area, it has also made it more difficult to resume effective dialogue because the common foundations negotiated between all the parties prior to Covid-19 have now been called back into question by unilateral practices undertaken during the most acute phases of the health crisis. The question of the US presence in the area hinges upon similar considerations. Washington views these unilateral acts as examples of assertive practices undertaken by China to the detriment of the other countries in the area. The US response in recent years has been especially emphatic in relation to Taiwan, although the sovereignty of the island remains a central and inviolable condition for the continuation of diplomatic relations between the PRC and the US.24 Although the more active approach towards Taiwan is largely attributable to the Donald Trump presidency – as witness the controversial phone call to the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in December 201625 – the election of a Democratic government under Joe Biden in 170 Back to the Future 2020 has done little to divert US policy from the approach established by the preceding Republican administration. 26 N. Price, “New Guidelines for U.S. Government Interactions with Taiwan Counterparts”, United States Department of State, 9 April 2021. 27 N. Pelosi, “Why I’m Leading a Congressional Delegation to Taiwan”, The Washington Post, 4 August 2022. 28 “China’s warplane incursions into Taiwan air defence zone doubled in 2022”, The Guardian, 2 January 2023. Territorial Sovereignty and the PRC Under Joe Biden, the renewed focus on Taiwan has translated, in operational terms, into both a higher number of passages through the Taiwan Strait by US Navy ships and a loosening of the rules that have governed contact between American and Taiwanese government personnel since the 1970s.26 Although it pertains to the US administration’s legislative branch, Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August 2022, while still Speaker of the House of Representatives, is a practical example of increased US activism and reduced adherence to structural limitations in the country’s relations with Taiwan.27 However, in view of the highly sensitive nature of the Taiwanese question to the PRC, the growing presence of the United States in matters relating to the island has elicited an equally active reaction from Beijing, which has stepped up those practices that Washington sees as highly detrimental to regional stability. According to several observers, it is no coincidence that Chinese incursions into Taiwanese airspace almost doubled in 2022 compared with the previous year.28 These effects therefore represent the return to a militarisation primarily linked with dynamics that relate to the international system and therefore involve actors (such as the United States) that have no direct involvement in the pending claims, thus broadening the scope of regional insecurity. The New Militarisation of East Asia 171 Conclusion This chapter has examined the main sources of contention currently affecting security in the Indo-Pacific, an area that is becoming increasingly central to the focus of a growing number of international actors.hi The first key factor is the link between militarisation in the area and the restrictions that the Covid-19 pandemic has placed on national and international governance over the past three years. North Korea, for example, is facing what seems to be one of the worst humanitarian crises it has experienced in its recent history. Although these difficulties do not appear to have directly affected the legitimacy of the regime in the eyes of the North Korean people, Kim Jong Un is expected to underscore the visibility of the progress his country has made on the military front so as to project the perception, both internally and externally, that his leadership is solid, in keeping with the pattern of behaviour that has established itself over the past decade. The second key factor is the systemic nature of the region’s insecurity, due to which the world’s superpowers – China and the United States – are prime movers in the area’s militarisation. An emblematic example of this trend is the Taiwanese question. From the Chinese perspective, the current US approach – now less dictated by the rules negotiated with the PRC in the 1970s – violates the core principles underpinning the status quo in the area, thereby increasing the risk that Taiwan will make an even more decisive shift towards independence. From the US perspective, the loosening of policy on Taiwan has been made necessary by the PRC’s approach, under Xi Jinping, to the future of the island, which is seen as being particularly assertive. These tensions between the two world powers therefore give impetus to the tendency to militarise the Indo-Pacific, by shifting the focal point of insecurity from regional issues to considerations involving the international system. * This chapter was concluded on 30 December 2022. Antonella Mori The political map of Latin America is now almost entirely uniform in colour again, following the victory of Luis Inácio “Lula” da Silva in Brazil. The current prevalence of left-wing governments is reminiscent of the political situation in the region at the beginning of the millennium, although the picture is now more nuanced and probably less stable. At the start of the millennium, left-wing presidents could be sorted into two groups. Now, we need at least three to accommodate them. In the first wave, left-wing governments had multiple consecutive terms in office, thanks in part to the favourable economic climate fostered by high international commodity prices. The current wave appears to be driven less by voters’ ideological convictions and more by their anger at the ruling parties, for various reasons, ranging from mismanagement of the pandemic to corruption and a lack of social policies. The economic situation in 2023 is likely to be difficult, with high inflation and low growth, so it is reasonable to expect that the political map will start changing colour again as from the next elections. 174 Back to the Future The First Wave of Left-Wing Governments The 1990s were characterised by the adoption of economic policies designed to restore stability in the wake of the recession and hyperinflation caused by the foreign-debt crisis of the 1980s. In many countries in the region, average per capita income in the early 1990s was worse than it had been ten years earlier, which is why the 1980s are remembered as Latin America’s “lost decade”. The set of economic policies adopted in the 1990s, known as the Washington Consensus, included policies designed to increase the market’s role in the economy, such as liberalisation (of trade, investment and the financial sector), privatisation and deregulation. By the end of the century, however, poverty and inequality in the region were still very high. The disappointing results of the Washington Consensus, combined with the failure of President Menem’s laissez-faire policies in Argentina, prompted the majority of Latin Americans to reject the manifestos of right-wing parties that were ideologically closer to the Washington Consensus, and to vote instead for left-wing parties. A phenomenon widely known as the “pink tide” saw the election of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela (1999), Ricardo Lagos in Chile (2000), Lula in Brazil (2002), Néstor Kirchner in Argentina (2003), Evo Morales in Bolivia (2005) and Rafael Correa in Ecuador (2006).h This wave of left-wing governments in the region coincided with the commodity boom of the early years of this century. High rates of economic growth and substantial inflows of export earnings helped prop up the popularity of governments and generated hopes of continuous, shared prosperity, without any need to implement the structural reforms and investments that might ensure lasting improvements in the health and education services and the productivity of economic systems. Poverty and inequality declined in almost every country in the region during this period, and many Latin Americans joined the ranks of the middle class for the first time. The Return of the Left to Latin America 175 When commodity prices fell dramatically in the middle of the last decade, economic growth and the availability of resources also declined in most of these countries. Many governments found themselves with lower tax revenues to cover public spending, at a time when demand for better public services had actually increased, due to the expansion of the middle class. In many countries where democratic elections were held, Latin Americans gradually started voting against the ruling parties. The First Wave of Left-Wing Governments And so by 2018, the majority of countries were governed by right-wing and centre-right parties. The rise of the right was also fuelled by serious corruption scandals involving politicians and parties throughout the region. p g g In order to avoid this change, free and democratic elections were prevented in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Venezuela is the only country whose political colour has remained unchanged since South America’s first wave of left-wing governments. But the Bolivarian revolution that began under former President Hugo Chávez has turned into an economic and humanitarian disaster under his successor, Nicolás Maduro. The attempt to remove Maduro and replace him with Juan Guaidó in 2018 failed, despite winning support from the United States and many other countries. y But the conservative wave that followed the “pink tide” has not yet fully ebbed. In Uruguay, conservatives took control of the government in 2019 from the left-wing Broad Front coalition, which had been in power for a decade and a half. The conservative Guillermo Lasso won Ecuador’s presidential elections in May 2021, while Argentina’s ruling Peronist government suffered a severe setback in the mid-term elections in November 2021. Right-wing and centre-right governments therefore still control Ecuador, Uruguay and Paraguay. 176 Back to the Future Back to the Future The Return of the Left The past 12 months have seen a consolidation of the trend that emerged in 2018, when the left started winning power in free elections against conservative continuity candidates. In January 2022, Xiomara Castro, the wife of the defenestrated Manuel Zelaya, won the elections in Honduras. In March, Gabriel Boric, the former leader of the student protest movement and a left-wing member of parliament, became Chile’s youngest ever president. In June, Colombia followed suit when its voters made Gustavo Petro the country’s first left-wing president. And then, in October, Lula made a spectacular return to power in Brazil, after defeating the ultra-conservative, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in an election in which many observers feared that Brazilian democracy itself was on the ballot. This new wave of more left-leaning presidents began in 2018 with the election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) for the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), who took over from the conservative Enrique Peña Nieto. In Argentina’s presidential elections in October 2019, Alberto Fernández, a moderate-left Peronist candidate, beat the incumbent President Mauricio Macri, whose austerity measures and heavy debt burden had triggered a profound economic crisis. In October 2020, the Movement for Socialism (MAS) returned to power in Bolivia in the first presidential elections since the ousting of Evo Morales. Lastly, in 2021, Pedro Castillo, a far-left teacher with no previous government experience, won Peru’s presidential elections, beating the right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori by a small margin. hf g There are numerous differences between this second wave of left-wing presidents and the first. h i The left’s new presidents certainly share a similar ideology, but they seem, for example, to have none of the enthusiasm for regional integration that Chávez had. Perhaps Lula’s return will push this issue higher up Latin American government agendas again, so as to open up more opportunities for regional The Return of the Left to Latin America 177 cooperation. An example of the differences between these left-wing presidents and how difficult it is to coordinate their action arose in November 2022, during the election of the new President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Chile, Argentina and Mexico failed to agree on an alternative candidate to Ilan Goldfajn, the Brazilian candidate put forward by Bolsonaro, and therefore missed the chance to win such a significant position for the region. The Return of the Left gi p g All of these governments have their own idiosyncrasies, so there are limits to how far they can be classified into a few categories. But if we attempt to do so anyway, it is fair to say that the first wave involved two versions of the Latin American left: one international, pro-market and social-democratic (as in Brazil and Chile, for example); and the other nationalist, populist and statist (as in Bolivia and Venezuela). Now, there are three versions of the left, each with different leanings, namely authoritarian, social-democratic and populist. The first of the three versions includes the trio of authoritarian regimes made up of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Although they try to associate themselves with the rest of the Latin American left, and the region’s other left-wing leaders avoid criticising them, these three countries remain in a category entirely of their own. They do not have democratically elected leaders, their citizens do not enjoy fundamental freedoms, and their foreign policy is stridently anti-imperialist and anti-American. In November, in the latest of a long string of examples, President Daniel Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) won 100% of Nicaragua’s mayoralties in municipal elections, in which opposition parties were unable to take part. The opposition described the elections as an “electoral farce”, while the executive sought to defend the result on the basis of high turnout, which does not appear to have actually existed: according to the independent organisation Urnas Abiertas, turnout amounted to just 17%. V l h h h h d Ch f Venezuela, which has had a Chavist government for over 20 years, has swapped its populist left, under Chávez, for the current 178 Back to the Future authoritarian left, under Maduro, and the situation may evolve again. Indeed, there is considerable national and international pressure to ensure that the next presidential elections there are free and democratic. Over the past year, international attitudes towards Maduro have softened, partly because of the entire region’s shift to the left and the end of the Trump presidency, and partly because of Venezuela’s importance in efforts to increase oil production, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Venezuela has the largest estimated oil reserves in the world, but its current output is very low, due to a lack of investment in the industry and US sanctions preventing the export of Venezuelan oil. The Return of the Left The rapprochement between Petro and Maduro and the transition from the far-right Bolsonaro government to the incoming Lula administration are particularly important. While there may be concerns that left-wing governments might reduce the pressure on Maduro to tackle the profound institutional crisis, it is equally possible that more friendly governments might have greater leverage with which to persuade Maduro of the need to restore democracy with free and representative elections. The strategy of maximum pressure and isolation launched by Trump in 2019, with harsh economic sanctions, has been unsuccessful anyway. The humanitarian crisis has worsened, Maduro has become stronger and the opposition has fragmented, with interim President Juan Guaidó losing support both in and outside of Venezuela. The Biden administration’s approach could involve a gradual easing of economic sanctions to nudge Maduro into taking part in serious negotiations with the opposition, now in Mexico City, to agree the procedures for the next presidential elections. ll f h l d h f ll h d p All of the current-wave leaders who fall into the second and third categories identify as progressive, and in many cases their electoral success was a reaction to previous governments’ mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic and rising levels of poverty and inequality. Their manifestos place a strong emphasis on social policies and the defence of their countries’ natural resources. The second category includes leaders with The Return of the Left to Latin America 179 social-democratic leanings, including President Boric of Chile, President Petro of Colombia and President Lula of Brazil, who represent a new Latin American left, capable of combining progressive vision with pragmatic willingness to compromise. Boric is a good example. Although his coalition has an intransigent left wing, which includes the Communist Party and the indigenous Mapuche movement, the Chilean President seems to be following in the more moderate footsteps of his predecessors Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet. Boric is also one of the few left-wing leaders who openly criticise the absence of democracy and the absence of the freedoms associated with the rule of law even in left-wing authoritarian countries.i In Colombia, President Petro, the country’s first left-wing president, has shown signs of moderation and pragmatism without compromising on his commitment to giving higher priority to the poorest and most marginalised segments of the population. The Return of the Left His pick for the role of Minister for the Economy is José Antonio Ocampo, a respected centre-left economist, who had campaigned for another candidate, Sergio Fajardo, until the latter’s elimination in the first round. Sharing the president’s priority of implementing tax reform to increase tax revenues, including by raising taxes for the country’s wealthiest people, Ocampo managed to achieve this goal in his first few months in office. Petro has promised to relaunch the FARC agreement and to seek a broader peace with other guerrilla formations and armed groups still operating in the country. Colombia’s fragile peace process faltered after former President Ivan Duque’s hostility to the agreement resulted in only half- hearted implementation of the measures established in it. Lula should also fall within this second group of social- democratic left-wing leaders, if we consider his past experience of government. During his first term (2003-2007) in particular, he adhered to orthodox economic policies, showed virtually no authoritarian tendencies, and implemented effective, properly funded social policies. Lula can take advantage of his Latin American allies in relation to what he has called 180 Back to the Future “climate diplomacy”: the world needs a living Amazon, and this message is in tune with Petro and Boric’s environmental agenda. Alongside them, Lula will be a key player in the global debate on climate change and the policies needed to manage it. The Brazilian President could also become a champion of democracy, against a backdrop of high levels of popular disaffection with democratic systems, and exert an influence against authoritarianism both in and outside of the region, thanks to the worldwide popularity he achieved in his first two terms. President Fernández of Argentina also belongs to this group, despite his more mixed record. Having inherited massive foreign debt and high inflation from the previous government, he has imposed price and exchange rate controls, and adopted more populist rhetoric. p p Ultimately, Boric, Petro, Lula and even Fernández are probably closer to the centre than to the far left, partly because they were elected under systems involving multiple rounds of voting, which inevitably oblige candidates to appeal to voters beyond their own base in order to secure a chance of winning. The cases of AMLO in Mexico, Castillo in Peru and Arce in Bolivia are different and constitute the third group of left-wing populist presidents. The Return of the Left In Mexico, President AMLO has a track-record of illiberal behaviour, involving frequent attacks on the country’s independent institutions, including the electoral authority, the national institute for transparency, the media and various civil society organisations. According to many observers, Mexico’s democracy is also threatened by corruption and militarisation. The armed forces are playing a growing role in infrastructure projects, such as the Tren Maya, a railway construction project on the Yucatán Peninsula. By implementing environmentally regressive and uncompromisingly statist and nationalist energy policies, AMLO has sought to re-establish the era of state oil and energy monopolies. It is very difficult to put AMLO in the second group of left-wing leaders. Boric and Petro support environmental policies, whereas AMLO rejects them. President Petro of Colombia has appointed a human rights defender as The Return of the Left to Latin America 181 Minister of Defence, whereas AMLO has given military leaders a major role in his government. Minister of Defence, whereas AMLO has given military leaders a major role in his government. President Arce of Bolivia is still close and loyal to the populist Morales, his former boss and predecessor as Bolivian president, while Castillo, now the ex-President of Peru, shares much of the statist, nationalist and populist ideology espoused by the others in the third group of left-wing leaders. Castillo, a humble teacher from a rural area, rose to power as the representative of a far-left party. This has made him the target of fierce opposition, due to fears that Peru could turn into a regime like that of Venezuela or Nicaragua. Backed into a corner by corruption trials, ex- President Castillo tried to dissolve Congress in early December and rule by decree, but lacked the military and political support to do so. Congress has charged him with attempted rebellion and appointed Vice-President Dina Boluarate as his replacement. His removal prompted his supporters to stage protests across Peru, resulting in dozens of deaths, and to demand an early general election, which many see as the only way out of the crisis. The former president was ousted due to a combination of incapacity and corruption, and Congress used its constitutional power to dismiss the incumbent president on the grounds of “moral incapacity.” This dubious power has become an established part of the country’s legal framework, which explains why Peru has got through six presidents in the past six years. The Return of the Left In most Latin American countries there is growing frustration with the quality of democracy and its inability to provide effective solutions to problems. Corruption, impunity and social inequalities remain at the top of voters’ lists of complaints. The second wave of left-wing governments represents the tangible outcome of this dissatisfaction, rather than the ideological choice of the region’s citizens, and this dissatisfaction drives people to vote against incumbent governments – a trend that will probably see the ousting of several leaders currently in power, when their terms come to an end. 182 Back to the Future Back to the Future At the beginning of the century, the popularity of left- wing governments was propped up by the benefits of high international commodity prices, but we are unlikely to see a return to lasting increases in these prices today, with the exception of certain commodities that are instrumental to the energy transition, such as lithium (found mainly in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia), copper (in Chile, Peru and Mexico) and nickel (in Brazil and Cuba). After a string of electoral victories for the left in Latin America, 2023 is very likely to see the return of the right. This mainly reflects the continued unpopularity of incumbent governments in a region facing another year of modest economic growth and social discontent. Although at least inflation will fall in the majority of countries in the region, thanks to the prompt action of central banks in raising interest rates, few governments can afford expansionary fiscal policy. Having enjoyed growth of 3.5% in 2022, the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to expand by only in 1.7% in 2023, according to the IMF. Poverty and inequality have risen, tax revenues have fallen, and recovery is taking longer than expected. There is a risk of further outbreaks of social unrest like those that befell several countries before the pandemic. In many cases, presidential elections are won by very slim margins, in contests resulting in the election of Presidents of one political orientation and sub-national government representatives of another. These factors help explain why there has been a tendency to swing from left-wing to right- wing governments and vice versa in the most recent presidential elections. Under an optimistic interpretation, this alternation is evidence that democracy is consolidating in the region. Conclusion Giampiero Massolo The Concept of a “Return” The “return” of the ISPI report this year does not imply a straightforward repetition of the past. Instead, it involves a reiteration of certain parts of the past in a new context, with a new combination of features. This should not be confused with any kind of regression, but seen as an acknowledgement of the fact that, although the present is undoubtedly influenced by the past, history’s continuously unfolding successions of events are comparable, not identical. Basically, we never step into the same river twice, although we may get the impression that we do.h This is the impression that international dynamics have frequently given us in recent years. The Return of the Left Since it is likely to be a manifestation of voters’ dissatisfaction with traditional parties, however, this alternation conceals the risk that, sooner or later, citizens will tire of the democratic process and decide to support more authoritarian forms of government. Return or Continuity? The Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have had a dramatic impact on the world. Nevertheless, it is worth emphasising that these two events did not cause the sudden changes we are now seeing, they simply made them happen more quickly and amplified their effects. h The trends that developed before the pandemic and the war were, in fact, already taking shape. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 184 Back to the Future has certainly prompted a change in international relations. But the signs of growing tension between the world powers pre-date the war by a considerable margin.f Furthermore, these events have impacted different countries and different sectors of the economy in different ways. We can therefore define their effect as a cumulative addition to a pre- existing set of other factors.i A prime example is the fact that governments are finding it more difficult to meet the expectations of their voters, not to mention the expectations of public opinion, which looks increasingly unsettled by a world it perceives to be full of threats, although the precise nature of those threats is not always easy to identify. The growing complexity of the problems to be addressed makes it harder for national governments to pursue one goal without compromising another of equal importance. This is because the strategic exercise of prioritising national interests is no longer adequate. This has impaired the mechanisms that underpin policy responses, which in turn has fanned the flames of nationalist and populist tendencies. p p Governments have thus been forced to focus more on domestic affairs, often from a conservative perspective, thus diverting energy away from international issues, which are often wrongly perceived as secondary in terms of their impact on the constituencies concerned. The search for global solutions to shared problems – starting with the climate crisis – has therefore come to a halt. The polarisation of shifts in domestic opinion, and their repercussions on public debate, has made people less trustful of institutions and the political class, not only in democracies but also in authoritarian regimes, which, like their democratic counterparts, are struggling with deficits in the legitimacy of their mandate and the effectiveness of their action. Return or Continuity? f Another factor that pre-dates the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine is the pair of losing bets that the West placed – first on China and second on Russia – in the first two decades Conclusion 185 of this century. The essence of these bets was that, in the name of the progress and economic prosperity that globalisation had apparently brought within reach, these nations would abandon their hegemonic and revisionist impulses, in favour of greater integration into the American-led Western world order. i In the case of China, the first signs that this view was mistaken were to be seen in its growing assertiveness, first economic and then on the security front, encouraged by exponential and apparently unstoppable economic growth. Thanks to its commercial power and long-term strategic perspective, the People’s Republic has accumulated the necessary resources to pursue its leadership ambitions through soft power and economic and infrastructure collaboration, especially with developing nations, within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. In Russia’s case, it became clear that the West had miscalculated when Putin repeatedly warned the Atlantic Alliance of the dangers that would arise if it were to expand further towards Russian borders. With an economy that is still too dependent on energy exports, Russia does not wield the same influence as China, and its forays into foreign affairs are guided by a still-strong but in many ways outdated military and security establishment. Working to a much shorter time-horizon than Beijing, the Kremlin found itself in the awkward position of having to quickly take its strategic gamble to extremes in order to safeguard the stability of the regime, thus increasing the hostility of its stance towards NATO. The West’s attempts to build on these false premises have led to a first rift between the world powers – the conflict in Ukraine – and a heightening of tensions that is making it difficult to identify collective responses to global problems, first and foremost maintaining international peace and stability.i A third factor is globalisation’s failure to fulfil its promise to deliver indefinite, unstoppable economic progress. i pp p g Globalisation has run out of steam for several reasons. Firstly, labour costs have steadily grown in recent years, thus blunting 186 Back to the Future the competitive edge of a production model based largely on low prices. Return or Continuity? Secondly, the progression of globalisation was accompanied, in parallel, by an unprecedented concentration of wealth and rising inequality, both between countries and between different segments of the population within countries, thus leading to an increase in social conflict. Globalisation has also led to a considerable rise in economic interdependence between states and a race to secure raw materials. This combination of factors has increased the vulnerability of economies that depend most on supply chains with low levels of resilience, and increased competition between powers. p p The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have therefore impacted on a global situation that was already facing critical issues, albeit with asymmetrical effects. The consequences of Covid-19 were not all negative. On the one hand, the pandemic took a terrible toll in human lives worldwide, while also unleashing a dramatic economic crisis. On the other, however, it triggered a formidable leap forward in scientific and technological progress – particularly in the health arena – by putting the Western economic and social system to the test. The West showed its resilience and the effectiveness of its policy of “cohabiting” with the virus, as opposed to the Chinese model of draconian lockdowns. The virus therefore ended up damaging China’s economic power more than Beijing had expected, and curbing its regional and global leadership ambitions. hf p p The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have therefore impacted on a global situation that was already facing critical issues, albeit with asymmetrical effects. The consequences of Covid-19 were not all negative. On the one hand, the pandemic took a terrible toll in human lives worldwide, while also unleashing a dramatic economic crisis. On the other, however, it triggered a formidable leap forward in scientific and technological progress l l h h l h b h W g g p The war in Ukraine was different. Russia’s largely unexpected adventurism has spawned a brutal invasion of a sovereign state and indiscriminate attacks on both military and civilian targets. All this has taken place on Europe’s doorstep, thus awakening the continent from its illusion that peace had become part of the furniture. The word “collaboration” has thus been swept aside by the word “opposition”, which is likely to continue to set the tone in the absence of any realistic chance of resolving the conflict in the near future, by either military or diplomatic means. Return or Continuity? The current deadlock has broken the thread of a 30-year dialogue that began at the end of the Cold War. Conclusion 187 So let us look again at the original meaning of the idea of a “return” as a reappearance of features specific to past eras, but within a changed and self-contained general framework, not as a linear process, but as the result of a series of transitional phases. Is This the Road to a New World Order? So if a return is not simply a replication of the past, but a new interpretation and adaptation of its attributes to the present context, what kind of future are we about to “return” to? It is still too early to say, as there does not yet appear to be any clear drive for a new overall order to replace the G-0 and the “geopolitical recession” described by Ian Bremmer. It could be argued, however, that the bipolarism between the United States and China, which until a moment ago looked like the most likely medium-term scenario, has now been replaced by a different balance, namely the dualism between “the West and the rest.” These two factions have two distinct natures. Despite the differences that separate its members, the West appears to be a bloc capable of expressing common positions based on a core of values and interests that it sees as non-negotiable. The “rest”, by contrast, is a patchwork of countries, which is not Chinese-led and will not necessarily be Chinese-led, at least until Beijing regains its economic heft. This mix of nation-states is based on occasional rather than structural interests. A prime example is India, which clearly represents an oscillating, but far from schizophrenic, strategic approach, which involves siding with the developing countries and BRICS on the one hand, and the American-led QUAD on the other, on a variable-geometry basis. This dualism between the West and the rest of the world may give rise to a future scenario containing multiple world orders, where different geographical regions and different multilateral organisations will play equally important roles in 188 Back to the Future global geopolitics and international relations. This means that there may not be a single, dominant order, led by a hegemonic power, but rather an assortment of different orders, which will coexist and interact with each other along fault-lines having varying degrees of permeability. As countries like India and Brazil and formations like the BRICS increase their influence, we are likely to see a closer balance of power between the world’s major nations, and more interaction and cooperation between emerging and developed countries. Disparate national interests will dance together again as they have not done since the last century, in a manner reminiscent of the dynamics of the Peace of Westphalia and the Congress of Vienna. This time, however, the chessboard will be the whole world, not just Europe. Is This the Road to a New World Order? j p In general, the transition towards a new world order has various complex and uncertain aspects, and will depend on many factors, including the decisions and actions of world leaders, international cooperation and economic and technological developments. What is certain is that the world order is changing right now, and that Italy, Europe and the West will need to be ready to cope with its developments.h The future will not therefore be a simple return to the past, to Mazarin or Castlereagh, but will contain unprecedented new elements. Firstly, in terms of security and hard power, the United States will continue to be a superpower. There will be new threats to global security, however, such as growing and widespread political instability and tensions between emerging powers. In economic terms, China will be a key player in the multipolar economic order of the future. If Beijing succeeds in regaining its dominant position, it will exert a significant influence on the world economy. If it fails to do so, however, a more decentralised economic order shared between multiple regional areas, is likely to take shape. On the technology front, it remains to be seen whether the world’s big-data mega-companies will end up dictating the rules 189 Conclusion to governments or vice versa. As technology becomes more important to society and the economy, technology companies are steadily consolidating their pivotal influence. This is why state actors are showing an increasing interest in regulating them, in order to protect both national security and consumers. This is where Europe, as a regulatory power, has a role to play and will need to show that it can do so. In environmental terms, we shall need to strike a new balance between production and energy transition. The climate crisis is becoming increasingly serious, underscoring the need to find effective solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the environment. Powerful industrial forces, however, remain enmeshed with the use of fossil fuels, which are also interconnected with delicate socio-economic balances. It is therefore crucial to find a formula that reconciles the priorities of the market with the needs of the environment, and non-state actors, such as private companies, non-governmental organisations and local communities, are set to play an increasing role in this formula. This adds a further layer to the already multi-layered structure of global orders. Is This the Road to a New World Order? y y g The future will therefore present many challenges and uncertainties. We will need to keep track of how the security situation, the economy, technology and the environment evolve, so as to understand how they will affect international relations and the global players. g p y Italy and Europe have a deep well of history to draw upon in preparation for an unprecedented new scenario. It is therefore vital that we reflect on the past, not only to avoid replicating its darkest episodes, but also to glean every possible lesson from it that might help shape our future as far as possible. The cost of failing to do so will be a future “return” to an infinitely less comfortable state than any we have seen in recent history. Only a rigorous exercise in strategic thinking in the present can ensure our successful “return to the future.” To achieve this, we need astute leaders who are willing to forego cheap applause in favour of honest public discourse. About the Authors Luciano Bozzo lectures in International Relations and Strategic Studies at Florence University’s “C. Alfieri” School of Political Sciences, where he is also President of the Master’s degree course in International Relations and European Studies, Director of the 2nd level Master’s degree course in Leadership and Strategic Analysis, and Director of the post-graduate specialist course in Intelligence and National Security. He also teaches at the Carabinieri Officers’ School in Rome. Franco Bruni is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Bocconi University. He is Vice-President and joint head of ISPI’s Europe and Global Governance Observatory. He is also an Honorary Member of Société Européenne de Recherches Financières (SUERF) and the Italian Member of the European Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee (ESFRC). He served as Lead Co-Chair of the T20’s International Finance working group on international financial architecture in 2021. He was Co-Chair of the T20’s International Finance and Economic Recovery task force for 2022, and Co-Chair of the T7’s International Cooperation for the Global Common Good task force. Andrea Carati is Associate Professor at the University of Milan, where he teaches International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis. He is an ISPI Associate Research Fellow in the Security and Strategic Studies programme. Among 192 Back to the Future his publications on NATO are: No Easy Way Out: Origins of NATO’s Difficulties in Afghanistan (in Contemporary Security Policy, 2015), Responsibility to Protect, NATO and the Problem of Who Should Intervene: Reassessing the Intervention in Libya (in Global Change, Peace & Security, 2017); NATO and the Impact of the Long War in Afghanistan: Avoiding a Wrong Memory About ISAF, in M. De Leonardis (ed.), NATO in the Post-Cold War Era. Continuity and Transformation (2022). Giovanni Carbone is Head of the Africa Programme at ISPI and Professor of Political Science at University of Milan. His research focus is the comparative study of politics, geopolitics and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, with particular regard to political institutions. He was previously a Research Associate at the Crisis States Programme of the London School of Economics and the Principal Investigator of a research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC). His latest book is Political leadership in Africa. Leaders and development south of the Sahara (with A. Pellegata, 2020). Alessandro Colombo is Professor of International Relations at Milan University and manages ISPI’s Transatlantic Relations Programme. About the Authors He has written numerous essays on the conceptual aspects of international relations and on specific aspects of regional security problems in Europe. His publications include: La disunità del mondo. Dopo il secolo globale (2010); Tempi decisivi. Natura e retorica delle crisi internazionali (2014); La grande trasformazione della guerra contemporanea (2015); Guerra civile e ordine politico (2021); and Il governo mondiale dell’emergenza. Dall’apoteosi della sicurezza all’epidemia dell’insicurezza (2022). Valter Coralluzzo is Associate Professor of International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis at Turin University’s Department of Culture, Politics and Society. He also lectures in International Relations and Strategic Studies at SUISS (the Interdepartmental School of Strategic Sciences) in Turin. He 193 About the Authors also teaches in the Master’s degree course in International Strategic-Military Studies run by SUISS in collaboration with CASD (the Centre for Advanced Defence Studies). Coralluzzo is Director of CISP (the Inter-Disciplinary Centre for Peace Studies). His publications include: La politica estera dell’Italia repubblicana (1946-1992) (2000); Conflitti asimmetrici (edited with M. Nuciari, 2006); Oltre il bipolarismo (2007); Democrazie tra terrorismo e guerra (editor, 2008); Religioni tra pace e guerra (edited with L. Ozzano, 2012). To be published soon: Percorsi di guerra. Fenomenologia dei conflitti armati contemporanei (editor, 2023). Francesca Frassineti is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Bologna and Associate Research Fellow at ISPI. She is also Adjunct Professor of History of Contemporary East Asia at Ca’ Foscari University Venice. Her research mostly focuses on the domestic, foreign, and security policies of the Korean Peninsula, EU-Korea relations, and public diplomacy in East Asia. In March 2020, she was awarded a PhD in Global and International Studies by the University of Bologna. During her doctoral studies, she was a visiting researcher at the National Taiwan University and Korea University. In addition to being an Emerging Leader at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, in 2022, Francesca Frassineti was a Fellow for the Korea Foundation Next Generation Policy Expert Network of Chatham House. Paolo Magri is Executive Vice-President of ISPI and teaches International Relations at Bocconi University. He is a member of the Strategy Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a member of the Europe Policy Group of the World Economic Forum (Davos), a member of the Assolombarda Advisory Board, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Italy- China Foundation. About the Authors He is also a member of the Military Centre for Strategic Studies (Ce.Mi.S.S.) and the Italian Foundation for Charity Donations. In his work as a current affairs journalist, 194 Back to the Future he frequently appears in radio and TV programmes as an expert on global affairs, American foreign policy, and the Middle East. His publications include: Il marketing del terrore (with Monica Maggioni, 2016); Il mondo di Obama. 2008-2016 (2016); Il mondo secondo Trump (2017); Post-vote Iran. Giving Engagement a Chance (with Annalisa Perteghella, 2017); and Four Years of Trump. The US and the World (with Mario Del Pero, 2020). he frequently appears in radio and TV programmes as an expert on global affairs, American foreign policy, and the Middle East. His publications include: Il marketing del terrore (with Monica Maggioni, 2016); Il mondo di Obama. 2008-2016 (2016); Il mondo secondo Trump (2017); Post-vote Iran. Giving Engagement a Chance (with Annalisa Perteghella, 2017); and Four Years of Trump. The US and the World (with Mario Del Pero, 2020). Giampiero Massolo has been President of Atlantia since 29 April 2022 and President of ISPI since 2017. Ambassador Massolo, a career diplomat, has served as Director-General of the Department of Information for Security under the Prime Minister’s office (2012-16), as Sherpa for the G8 and G20 of the Prime Minister (2008-09), and as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2007-12). He lectures on national security issues at the School of Government of LUISS University in Rome and writes for La Stampa and La Repubblica on international and security matters. Antonella Mori is Head of ISPI’s Latin America Programme. She holds a PhD in Economics from the Catholic University of Milan, and MSc in the Economics of Latin America from the University of London and a BA in Economics and Social Sciences from Bocconi University. She teaches Macroeconomics and Economic Prospects at Bocconi University and Macroeconomics and Political Economy in the Master’s degree course in Diplomacy at ISPI. In 2011 she received an official award from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for having favoured the strengthening of Italian-Latin American relations. Her main research interests are Latin American economies, and the economic relations between the EU and Latin America. Lucia Ragazzi is a Research Fellow with the Africa Programme at ISPI. She has previously worked in research and development in the fields of African studies and migration. About the Authors She was a project manager at the University of Liège and an independent editor 195 About the Authors and researcher at the African Studies Centre in Leiden. She was a trainee at DG INTPA in Brussels, working with the EU-ACP and EU-African Union Strategic Partnerships. Lucia Ragazzi holds a Master’s degree in African Relations and Institutions from the “Orientale” University of Naples. Her work deals with the politics and international relations of African countries. Armando Sanguini is Senior Scientific Advisor at ISPI. He teaches History and Analysis of International Crises at LUMSA University (Rome). He started his diplomatic career as commercial attaché in Ethiopia and then in Spain as Vice- Ambassador. Ambassador Sanguini was Head of the Italian diplomatic mission in Chile and Italian Ambassador to Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. He took part in several short missions in Canada, China, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Russia and Venezuela. In Italy, he worked as Deputy Director General for the Unit responsible for Italians living abroad and foreign citizens in Italy and as the Assistant Secretary-General for the reform of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As Director General he worked for the promotion of cultural relations abroad and was in charge of cultural institutes and Italian schools all over the world. Sanguini was also General Director for Sub-Saharan Africa and Personal Representative of the President of the Council for the entire African continent. Ambassador Sanguini left his diplomatic post in late 2008. Francesco Sassi is a Research Fellow in energy geopolitics and markets at RIE, Ricerche Industriali ed Energetiche. He addresses matters concerning the policies and strategies in the fields of energy security and diplomacy, investment trends and global energy scenarios. His main analytical interests are the Eurasian geopolitical dynamics, the political and economic effects of the globalisation of the natural gas market and the relationship between governments, state-owned energy companies and markets. He holds a PhD in Geopolitics - Political Science at the University of Pisa. Francesco’s research has been 196 Back to the Future published in several international peer-reviewed journals and book chapters related to the study of energy geopolitics and the interactions between government actors and market-based ones in highly politicised contexts. Also, Francesco has published in several international newspapers and magazines, and he collaborates, on an ongoing basis, with the Energy Security Focus of the Italian Parliament and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. and International Cooperation. About the Authors Giulia Sciorati is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Trento, a Temporary Lecturer in History of Contemporary China at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, and an Associate Research Fellow at ISPI. Her research focuses on China’s foreign and security policy, relations between China and its western neighbours and the country’s peripheries. She was awarded a PhD in International Studies by the University of Trento in September 2020. Sciorati was a visiting researcher at the University of Nottingham (spring 2018) and the University of Oxford (autumn 2021). Lucia Tajoli is Full Professor of Economic Policy at the Department of Management Engineering of Milan Polytechnic. She is ISPI Senior Associate Research Fellow. She was previously a lecturer at Bocconi University and then an Associate Professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan. She received her degree in Political Economy in 1988 and her PhD in Economics from Bocconi University in 1994. She currently teaches courses in Economics, International Economics, International Markets and European Institutions at the Polytechnic University of Milan in the undergraduate and postgraduate (MBA, EMBA) degree programmes. She has been a Visiting Scholar and Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, Ann Arbor (USA), and a Professor in International Trade Policy and European Integration courses. She has been invited to many European universities, institutions and About the Authors 197 international conferences as a Speaker and Visiting Professor. Her research activity focuses on theoretical and empirical issues related to international trade and economic integration between countries, in particular through the international fragmentation of production and network analysis applications. On these issues she has published hundreds of scientific papers in national and international journals and collective volumes, along with a series of working papers. Ugo Tramballi is a Senior Advisor to and Head of ISPI’s India desk. He is also an editorial writer for Il Sole 24 Ore and a member of the Institute of International Affairs. He has also served as Middle East and Moscow correspondent for Il Giornale and as global correspondent for Il Sole 24 Ore. He received the Premiolino Award for journalism in 1987, the Colombe d’Oro Peace Award in 2003, the Max David Award in 2005, and the Barzini Award in 2008. His published works include: L’Ulivo e le pietre: racconto di una terra divisa (2002); Israele: il sogno incompiuto (2008); India. The Modi Factor (with N. About the Authors Missaglia, 2017); Mother India (2019); India’s Global Challenge (with N. Missaglia, 2019); Looking West. The Rise of Asia in the Middle East (with V. Talbot, 2020). He edits the Slow News blog on international affairs. Matteo Villa is Senior Research Fellow at ISPI and co-heads the ISPI Data Lab, monitoring geopolitical and geo-economic trends (including migration trends and the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic). He is a co-chair of the T20 Task Force on Global Health and Covid-19, as well as a member of the T20 Task Force on Migration. He undertook his Ph.D. in Comparative Politics at the Graduate School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Milan. Formerly, at ISPI, he oversaw the Energy Watch, edited ISPI/Treccani’s Atlante Geopolitico, and managed RAstaNEWS, an FP7 EMU-wide macroeconomic project. Dr. Villa specialises in global health governance, international migration governance, statistical modelling, European politics, and energy issues.
https://openalex.org/W2886592675
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-30604-5.pdf
English
null
A peculiar case of Campylobacter jejuni attenuated aspartate chemosensory mutant, able to cause pathology and inflammation in avian and murine model animals
Scientific reports
2,018
cc-by
10,935
A peculiar case of Campylobacter jejuni attenuated aspartate chemosensory mutant, able to cause pathology and inflammation in avian and murine model animals L. E. Hartley-Tassell1, C. J. Day1, E. A. Semchenko1, G. Tram1, L. I. Calderon-Gomez1, Z. Klipic1, A. M. Barry1, A. K. Lam   2, M. A. McGuckin3 & V. Korolik1 Received: 9 February 2018 Accepted: 1 August 2018 Published: xx xx xxxx An attenuated Campylobacter jejuni aspartate chemoreceptor ccaA mutant caused gross pathological changes despite reduced colonisation ability in animal models. In chickens, the pathological changes included connective tissue and thickening of the mesenteric fat, as well as the disintegration of the villus tips in the large intestine, whereas in mice, hepatomegaly occurred between 48–72 hours post infection and persisted for the six days of the time course. In addition, there was a significant change in the levels of IL-12p70 in mice infected with the C. jejuni ccaA mutant. CcaA isogenic mutant was hyper- invasive in cell culture and microscopic examination revealed that it had a “run” bias in its “run-and- tumble” chemotactic behaviour. The mutant cells also exhibited lower level of binding to fucosylated and higher binding to sialylated glycan structures in glycan array analysis. This study highlights the importance of investigating phenotypic changes in C. jejuni, as we have shown that specific mutants can cause pathological changes in the host, despite reduction in colonisation potential. Campylobacter infections are one of the top four key global causes of bacterial gastroenteritis world-wide1. Campylobacter jejuni is widely regarded as a commensal of the avian gut, and chickens, specifically, are consid- ered to be the major vector for this zoonotic illness1–3. In humans, however, infection results in severe gastroen- teritis in which the pathology presents as severe active inflammation of the intestinal mucosa with an influx of phagocytes4–6.h g y There are several colonisation factors, which contribute to the infection of the human gastrointestinal tract and colonisation of the avian gut as a commensal. These factors include chemotaxis, motility, capsule formation, two-component regulatory systems, invasion and iron regulation (reviewed in7). Specifically, chemotaxis and motility have been implicated in colonisation and virulence of C. jejuni8,9. During infection in humans, C. jejuni invades and traverses the intestinal epithelium5,10, causing disruption to the epithelium and gaining access to the basal side11. Infection also stimulates the innate immune system with upregulation of the inflammatory cytokines Il-1β, IL-8 and nitric oxide12.hf The study of host-pathogen interactions of C. jejuni suffer due to a paucity of suitable animal models which accurately mimic human campylobacteriosis. However, animal models of colonisation and infection, such as chickens13–15 and mice16–18, are commonly used to elucidate interactions of C. jejuni with its hosts. www.nature.com/scientificreports www.nature.com/scientificreports www.nature.com/scientificreports 1Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia. 2School of Medicine and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia. 3Translational Research Institute, Mater Research, Brisbane, Queensland, 4102, Australia. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to V.K. (email: v.korolik@griffith.edu.au) Received: 9 February 2018 Accepted: 1 August 2018 Published: xx xx xxxx www.nature.com/scientificreports/ infection and disease is unrealistic compared to the immunocompetent response. Despite these limitations, murine models are extensively used to study all aspects of C. jejuni colonisation22,23. infection and disease is unrealistic compared to the immunocompetent response. Despite these limitations, murine models are extensively used to study all aspects of C. jejuni colonisation22,23. y y j j Alternatively, study by McAuley et al.18, showed that 129/SvJ background mice were susceptible to persistent colonisation by C. jejuni which localised in digestive and systemic organs of these mice18. While 129/SvJ mice are useful as a colonisation and not a disease model, similar to that with other murine models, they are immunocom- petent and can provide useful information of a mammalian immune response to colonisation with C. jejuni and its isogenic mutants. g One major contrast between the human and avian hosts, is that C. jejuni infection in chickens does not typ- ically lead to the same symptoms and pathological inflammatory response as in humans24. The physiological reasons for this are yet to be elucidated. There is however conflicting evidence as to whether campylobacters can adhere to or invade the chicken gut, and if indeed campylobacters are a commensal2,25. C. jejuni is commonly found in the mucus layer, and especially in the deep crypts of the caecum8, and some evidence suggests that cam- pylobacters have the ability to traverse the intestinal epithelium, as bacteria have been recovered in the liver and lungs of young chicks26. Recent studies have also suggested that C. jejuni infection in the chicken gut initiates an innate immune response27 which has also been shown in avian cell lines with stimulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine response28.hf y p The differences in C. jejuni relationship with its human and animal hosts had been a subject of intense specu- lation with little evidence to support any of the theories. However, genes involved in flagella, motility and chem- otaxis, as either receptors or other elements of chemotaxis machinery, have been shown to be important for colonisation of the gastrointestinal tract of chickens6,15. Additionally, chemotaxis genes were shown to be differ- entially expressed in C. jejuni cells isolated from a chicken host, as well as the genes involved in electron transport and the central metabolic pathways29. Changes in sensory receptor gene expression have also been described for C. Results Colonisation potential in the murine model. To analyse the colonisation deficiency of the C. jejuni aspartate receptor mutant, the colonisation potential of C. jejuni 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat was compared in 129/SvJ mice over a 6 day period. The post-mortem analyses of mice intestinal content on day 6 post-inocu- lation showed that the average bacterial load in the large intestine of mice infected with wild type 11168-O was 1.2 × 104 cfu/g, while mice infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat had an average bacterial load of 1 × 101 cfu/g. This indicated a 3-log reduction in presence of 11168-OΔccaA::cat cells in the large intestine, when compared to that of 11168-O wild-type (p < 0.001) (Fig. 1). It should be noted that infection with 11168-OΔccaA::cat resulted in a reduction in colonisation for the avian host of 1.5-log, (reported previously31). Selective plating of the viable bacteria recovered from the post-mortem intestinal content from the co-infection of the mice with wild-type and mutant CcaA, showed that >98.8% of bacteria present in the small and large intestines was wild-type 11168-O (p > 0.25) on day 6p.i. The average bacterial load in both the small and large intestine for the 11168-O wild-type as sole inoculum and for co-infection with the ccaA mutant were not statistically different at day 6p.i. (students T-test, p > 0.05). Post-mortem analysis of affected murine tissues. Importantly, when mice were sacrificed on day 6p.i., prominent gross pathological differences were observed in the mice infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat, when compared to those infected with 11168-O wild-type. Despite the reduced bacterial load, the liver of the mice infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat appeared noticeably larger. The livers of mice infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat were significantly larger in weight (p < 0.01) when compared to the other groups with mean weight of 1.3 g on day 6p.i., a 60–80% increase in liver weight. Upon dissection of the gastrointestinal tract, the mesenteric lymph nodes were visually more prominent in mice infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat when compared to 11168-O wild-type. Additionally, the Peyer’s patches were enlarged along the entire length of the intestine, for both 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat (not shown). Four-day time course murine infection trial. To ascertain the progression of the pathological changes in the mice, induced by 11168-OΔccaA::cat isogenic mutant, a time course experiment was conducted at time points of 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours post inoculation. (Table S1). www.nature.com/scientificreports/ jejuni strains 11168-O, 11168-GS, 81116 and 520 when isolated from different sources, including the intestine of mice and chickens30. We have previously shown that a mutation of the sensory domain of the aspartate chemosensor CcaA of the original (Skirrow) isolate of C. jejuni, NCTC 11168-O, resulted in a “run” chemotactic motility bias, a reduced ability to colonise the gastrointestinal tract of chickens and increased efficiency in invasion of Caco-2 cells when compared to the 11168-O wild type and ccaA−/+ complemented strains31. Since CcaA appears to play an impor- tant role in colonisation of the chicken, the effect of a mutation in ccaA of C. jejuni 11168-O on interaction with both the avian and mammalian hosts needed to be assessed further.f In this study, we describe systematic analysis of the effect of C. jejuni 11168-O CcaA mutation on the inter- action of the bacteria with avian and mammalian hosts during different stages of colonisation as compared with the parental wild type strain. Here we report the first observation and analysis of abnormal gross pathology of the liver in a murine model, and thickening of the mesenteric fat around the intestinal connective tissue in the chicken model, following infection with C. jejuni ccaA mutant, but not when infected with wild type or comple- mented mutant strain, as we described previously31. We further report the of the isogenic mutant’s ability to bind simple and complex glycans as well as the expression profiles of the pro-inflammatory cytokines in the avian and murine model were investigated in response to infection with C. jejuni 11168-O and its isogenic ccaA mutant A peculiar case of Campylobacter jejuni attenuated aspartate chemosensory mutant, able to cause pathology and inflammation in avian and murine model animals L. E. Hartley-Tassell1, C. J. Day1, E. A. Semchenko1, G. Tram1, L. I. Calderon-Gomez1, Z. Klipic1, A. M. Barry1, A. K. Lam   2, M. A. McGuckin3 & V. Korolik1 The use of mice however, as a campylobacter infection model has proven problematic, as most wild-type laboratory mouse strains are susceptible only to a short transient infection of the gut with no discernible symptoms. In order to elicit a dis- ease phenotype upon infection, mouse models have subsequently been adapted by employing SIGIRR-deficient (−/−) or IL-10(−/−) mice19–21. However, these mice are immunocompromised and the establishment of 1Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia. 2School of Medicine and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia. 3Translational Research Institute, Mater Research, Brisbane, Queensland, 4102, Australia. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to V.K. (email: v.korolik@griffith.edu.au) ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 1 1 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Results The bacterial counts from lungs, liver and spleen for ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 2 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ small intestine large intestine 100 101 102 104 105 106 Log CFU/gram 103 Figure 1. Bacterial load for the small intestine and large intestine at day 6 post-inoculation. Data is displayed as log cfu per gram of intestinal content, n = 5. 11168-O (□), 11168-OΔccaA::cat (Δ), negative non-infected control (○), competition 11168-O WT and ΔccaA::cat (◊). Bar indicates average cfu/gram for each group. <10 cfu/gram of intestinal content was detected for 11168-OΔccaA::cat and mock infected. Broken line indicates level of sensitivity. small intestine large intestine 100 101 102 104 105 106 Log CFU/gram 103 Figure 1. Bacterial load for the small intestine and large intestine at day 6 post-inoculation. Data is displayed l f f i t ti l t t 5 11168 O (□) 11168 OΔ A t (Δ) ti i f t d small intestine large intestine 100 101 102 104 105 106 Log CFU/gram 103 Figure 1. Bacterial load for the small intestine and large intestine at day 6 post-inoculation. Data is displayed as log cfu per gram of intestinal content, n = 5. 11168-O (□), 11168-OΔccaA::cat (Δ), negative non-infected control (○), competition 11168-O WT and ΔccaA::cat (◊). Bar indicates average cfu/gram for each group. <10 cfu/gram of intestinal content was detected for 11168-OΔccaA::cat and mock infected. Broken line indicates level of sensitivity. Figure 2. Liver weights in mice. The mean of each group is shown as a bar. 11168-O (□), 11168-OΔccaA::cat (Δ), negative non-infected control (○). Average weight is shown as a bar for each group at each time point. *p < 0.05 ANOVA, 11168-OΔccaA::cat weights are greater than 11168-O and negative groups at 48, 72 and 96 hours post inoculation. N = 3–10 mice. Figure 2. Liver weights in mice. The mean of each group is shown as a bar. 11168-O (□), 11168-OΔccaA::cat (Δ), negative non-infected control (○). Average weight is shown as a bar for each group at each time point. *p < 0.05 ANOVA, 11168-OΔccaA::cat weights are greater than 11168-O and negative groups at 48, 72 and 96 hours post inoculation. N = 3–10 mice. mice singly infected with 11168-O or 11168-OΔccaA::cat were not statistically different (p < 0.05), and there was no difference in bacterial load in the duodenum, small or large intestine (p > 0.05). Results Post-mortem analysis of affected murine tissues, 4 day time course trial. Further post-mortem analysis of mice during the time course trial, showed no difference in liver weight (as a percentage of body weight) at 24 h p.i. when comparing the mock-infected control, 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat inoculated animals (p > 0.18). However, at 48 h post-inoculation, the liver weight for 11168-OΔccaA::cat inoculated group was sig- nificantly higher than those inoculated with 11168-O and negative controls (p < 0.02, Fig. 2). For the mice inocu- lated with 11168-OΔccaA::cat, an average increase of 23% in relative liver size was observed after 48 h (Fig. 2). In order to determine if this phenomenon persisted long-term mice, mice were sacrificed on day 14p.i. There was no statistical difference in the relative liver size for all groups, indicating that this pathology was only present during the acute infection period (data not shown). Histopathological analysis of the systemic and digestive organs of mice infected with C. jejuni 11168-O or 11168-OΔccaA::cat. To further examine the pathological differences seen in the mice infected with isogenic mutant strain of C. jejuni 11168-O, histological samples for the systemic and digestive organs were taken for each mouse at every time point (24–96 h p.i.), and scored blindly according to tissue pathol- ogy using haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining.fli Pathological differences were noted in the severity of inflammatory cells infiltration into the crypts of the mid-colon, which was found to be significantly higher in 11168-OΔccaA::cat infected mice when compared to that of the 11168-O group and non-infected control groups (p < 0.05) as shown in Table S2. Goblet cell loss within the small intestine was observed in all groups, in conjunction with some goblet cell hyperplasia. There was, ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 3 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ however, no statistical difference in the extent of goblet cell loss or hyperplasia dependent on inoculum or time point (p > 0.05). Paneth cells were prominent in 11168-OΔccaA::cat-infected mice at 24 h (1/10) and 48 h (4/10), this, however, was not statistically significant. There was also evidence of C. jejuni present within the goblet cells of the mid and distal colon in 11168-OΔccaA::cat-infected mice, however this was not consistently observed within the group (7/40). The liver was scored in terms of nuclei enlargement, blood vessel dilation and granula- tion. There were no significant differences between the groups. Results jejuni in systemic organs was assessed by enumeration of bacte- rial load within each chicken at time points of 24, 48, 72 and 96 h p.i. (Table S4). Despite the changes in gross pathology, there was no statistical difference between the overall bacterial counts in the systemic organs, small or large intestine for animals infected with 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat isogenic strains at any time point. The average bacterial counts in the liver for chickens infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat was 2.5 × 102 cfu/gram, when compared to 11168-O which was 1 × 102 cfu/gram. There was no statistical difference in the bacteria present in the for chickens infected with 11168-O or 11168-OΔccaA::cat. Post-mortem analysis of affected avian tissues. Since gross pathological differences were seen in chickens, the remainder of each tissue collected from the animals during the time course experiment was examined histologically. The H & E stained sections of the tissues were scored blindly according to tissue pathology, Table S5. There was no significant difference in pathology between 11168-OΔccaA::cat, 11168-O and non-infected controls for the lungs, liver, spleen, and small intestines. However, there was a statistical dif- ference in the extent of villus epithelium shedding observed in the large intestine of chickens infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat which was significantly higher than that for 11168-O or non-infected controls (p < 0.02). Epithelial shedding was characterised by disintegration of the tips of the villi as shown in Fig. 4. Analysis of adhesion and invasion ability of 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat mutant in cell culture assays. Since high numbers of C. jejuni were recovered from the chicken lung homogenate, the abil- ity of C. jejuni to adhere and invade a lung cell line was investigated. A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cell line was used, noting that the avian lung differs to the mammalian lung, as it does not have alveoli and some surface glycans on the cells also differ. The results from the in vitro cell culture using A549 cells showed that 11168-O was less adherent (0.22%) when compared to 11168-OΔccaA::cat (1.15%) although the difference was not significant (p = 0.058). There was, however, a statistically significant difference between the invasion ability of 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat, showing that 11168-OΔccaA::cat was highly invasive, with 2.24% of adhered bacteria invad- ing the cells (p < 0.001), compared to 0.003% for 11168-O wild-type strain, as shown in Fig. 5. g p p yp g Since viable C. Results No significant differences were noted for the lungs, liver and spleen or in the tissues of proximal or distal colon obtained from mice infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat, 11168-O or non-infected controls. Single-cell tracking microscopic analysis. Unlike other attenuated chemoreceptor mutants previously reported32,33, the mutation of the aspartate receptor CcaA resulted in an increase, rather than the decrease, in both adherence and invasion of cultured Caco-2 cells. This unusual phenotype of the CcaA mutant could be related to a “run” chemotactic behaviour was investigated further. Single-cell tracking of wild-type, mutant and complemented C. jejuni isogenic strains showed that the mutant had increased linear displacement over 1 second in time (Table S3, p < 0.005) confirming a run-biased phenotype, compared to 11168-O and the ccaA−/+ comple- ment which both showed tumbling and running phenotypes. This was further confirmed by a swarm plate assay (Table S3). Colonisation potential in the avian model. A competitive co-infection assay was used to determine the fitness of the isogenic mutant 11168-OΔccaA::cat. Co-infection of chickens with both C. jejuni 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat, showed that only the wild type strain could be could be recovered after 24, 48, 72 and 96 h following inoculation (p < 0.01). g p It was also noted that when the chickens were sacrificed on day 5 post-inoculation, similar to that seen in the murine host, prominent gross pathological differences were observed in the chickens infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat, when compared to those infected with 11168-O wild-type or the ccaA−/+ complement. Despite the reduced bacterial load, the intestines were surrounded by fluid and rope-like thickening of the mes- enteric fat (Fig. 3). Four-day time course avian colonisation trial. To ascertain the time of appearance of the pathological changes induced by 11168-OΔccaA::cat isogenic mutant, a time course experiment was then conducted whereby groups of ten day-old chicks, inoculated with C. jejuni mutant and wild type strains, were sacrificed and dissected every 24 h, over a 96 h period. Histological examination revealed thickening of the mesenteric fat at 72 h with increasing evidence at 96 h. Interestingly, no diarrhoea was noted for this group of chickens. In contrast, for the chicks infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat, stools appeared firm and pellet-like in contrast to typical loose cloacal secretions normally observed for chickens colonised with wild type C. jejuni strains, including 11168-O.h The severity and extent of infection of C. Results jejuni 11168-OΔccaA::cat was recovered from mice livers with hepatomegaly, the abil- ity of C. jejuni to adhere to and invade a liver cell line was investigated. The adherence levels of 11168 and 11168-OΔccaA::cat in vitro cell culture of Hep-G2, human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line were higher for 11168-OΔccaA::cat at 0.78% when compared to that for 11168-O at 0.1% (p < 0.01, Fig. 6). The isogenic mutant 11168-OΔccaA::cat was also more invasive, with 0.925% of adhered bacteria invading the cells (p < 0.001), com- pared to 0.0457% for 11168-O. Glycan binding profile of C. jejuni isolated from avian hosts. Glycan array analysis of the bacterium isolated from the caecum of chicks was performed in order to determine if the host glycan binding profile has ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 4 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Figure 3. Pathology of the chick gut day 5 post inoculation. (A) Chick infected with C. jejuni 11168-0. (B) Chick infected with C. jejuni 11168-0ΔccaA::cat. Arrows show areas for visual comparison of the mesenteric fat surrounding the intestines. Figure 3. Pathology of the chick gut day 5 post inoculation. (A) Chick infected with C. jejuni 11168-0. (B) Chick infected with C. jejuni 11168-0ΔccaA::cat. Arrows show areas for visual comparison of the mesenteric fat surrounding the intestines. altered with the mutation of the CcaA. Glycan array analysis of whole cell C. jejuni was performed as previously described by Day et al., 2013, whereby glycans (Table S6) were tested for binding by C. jejuni 11168-GS and 11168-O isolated from the caecal content of chicks at day 5p.i. by IMS34. The binding specificities of 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat were compared and only statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) are described in Table 1. C. jejuni 11168-OΔccaA::cat had reduced ability to bind type II fucosylated structures, including lacto-N-fucopentaose II, Lewisy, blood group H type II trisaccharide and monofucosyllacto-N-hexaose III. The mutant did however display significantly stronger binding to both 3′-sialyllactosamine and 6′-sialyllactosamine compared to the wild type 11168-O. altered with the mutation of the CcaA. Glycan array analysis of whole cell C. jejuni was performed as previously described by Day et al., 2013, whereby glycans (Table S6) were tested for binding by C. jejuni 11168-GS and 11168-O isolated from the caecal content of chicks at day 5p.i. by IMS34. The binding specificities of 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat were compared and only statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) are described in Table 1. Results C. jejuni 11168-OΔccaA::cat had reduced ability to bind type II fucosylated structures, including lacto-N-fucopentaose II, Lewisy, blood group H type II trisaccharide and monofucosyllacto-N-hexaose III. The mutant did however display significantly stronger binding to both 3′-sialyllactosamine and 6′-sialyllactosamine compared to the wild type 11168-O. Immune response in the murine model - Mouse CBA inflammatory cytokine array. In order to analyse the differences in the immune response triggered by the wild type and the aspartate mutant of C. jejuni, inflammatory cytokine levels were examined. A significant change was seen in the levels of IL-12p70 within the C. jejuni 11168-OΔccaA::cat group, with higher levels detected at 48 h and 72 h when compared to the levels at 24 h p.i.(p < 0.05). There appeared to be no other differences in inflammatory cytokine levels between the non-infected control animals and those infected with either the C. jejuni 11168-O or C. jejuni 11168-OΔccaA::cat at 24 h, 48 h or 72 h p.i. (Fig. 7A–C). Quantitation of inflammatory cytokine expression in chicken by qPCR. Similar to the murine host, the inflammatory response of avian host was also examined. RNA extracted from the large intestine of the chickens at 24 h and 96 h time points, cDNA was isolated and qPCR was performed investigating the levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-8, IL-1β, IL-6, CXCLi1, TNFα and IFNγ. At 24 h p.i., the cytokine levels of IL-8, IL-1β, CXCLi1 and TNFα in chicks infected with both C. jejuni 11168-O and the ccaA mutant showed no significant change in expression. There was however a significant decrease in expression of IFNγ for both WT and mutant infected chicks (Fig. 8A).i g At 96 h p.i., the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα and IFNγ in WT infected chicks was significantly less than the evels determined in the uninfected control group. The expression of these cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα and IFNγ ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 5 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ www.nature.com/scientificreports/ p / Figure 4. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained cross sections of the large intestine of chickens infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat or 11168-O. (A) H&E stained section of large intestine of chicken infected with 11168-O. (B) H&E stained section of large intestine of chicken infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat. LP: Lamina propria, C: Crypt of villi, VT: Villi tip. Figure 4. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained cross sections of the large intestine of chickens infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat or 11168-O. Results CcaA indicates significantly stronger binding of 11168-OΔccaA::cat to the specific glycan compared to 11168-O. Table 1. Glycan binding profile of C. jejuni isolated from avian hosts. WT indicates significantly stronger binding of C. jejuni 11168-O to the specific glycan compared to 11168-OΔccaA::cat. CcaA indicates significantly stronger binding of 11168-OΔccaA::cat to the specific glycan compared to 11168-O. of known virulence genes was investigated. The analysis of gene expression profiles of porA, peb1A and cdtABC in C. jejuni cells isolated directly from the chicken caeca and from mouse intestinal tract (by IMS) showed that there was no difference in expression in porA or peb1A for 11168-O when compared to 11168-OΔccaA::cat when grown at 37 °C or 42 °C in vitro (core temperature of mammals and avians respectively). Interestingly, when grown in the chicken host, the expression of porA was not detectable in the wild type strain 11168-O whereas porA was highly expressed in the isogenic mutant 11168-OΔccaA::cat. In the mouse host, however, both were equally expressed. In 11168-OΔccaA::cat, there was no statistical difference in the level of expression of porA and peb1A in vivo when compared to in vitro at 42 °C (Fig. S1). of known virulence genes was investigated. The analysis of gene expression profiles of porA, peb1A and cdtABC in C. jejuni cells isolated directly from the chicken caeca and from mouse intestinal tract (by IMS) showed that there was no difference in expression in porA or peb1A for 11168-O when compared to 11168-OΔccaA::cat when grown at 37 °C or 42 °C in vitro (core temperature of mammals and avians respectively). Interestingly, when grown in the chicken host, the expression of porA was not detectable in the wild type strain 11168-O whereas porA was highly expressed in the isogenic mutant 11168-OΔccaA::cat. In the mouse host, however, both were equally expressed. In 11168-OΔccaA::cat, there was no statistical difference in the level of expression of porA and peb1A in vivo when compared to in vitro at 42 °C (Fig. S1). p p g Expression of cdtA and C, but not B was significantly higher in 11168-OΔccaA::cat when compared to 11168-O when it was culture in vitro at 37 °C (p < 0.05; Fig. S1). The expression of cdtA in both 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat isolated from chickens was up-regulated. Results (A) H&E stained section of large intestine of chicken infected with 11168-O. (B) H&E stained section of large intestine of chicken infected with 11168-OΔccaA::cat. LP: Lamina propria, C: Crypt of villi, VT: Villi tip. Figure 5. Adherence and Invasion of C. jejuni of in vitro cell culture model using A549 lung epithelial cells. Adherence analysis (black) and invasion (grey) of E. coli DH5α, C. jejuni 11168-0 and 11168-OΔccaA::cat. Results are presented as mean ± SEM adherence or invasion from six to nine wells of a 24-well plate. Two tailed t-test showed no significant increase in adherence of 11168-OΔccaA::cat compared to wild-type, p = 0.058, and a significant increase in invasion of 11168-OΔccaA::cat compared to wild-type (Student’s T-test, p < 0.001). Figure 5. Adherence and Invasion of C. jejuni of in vitro cell culture model using A549 lung epithelial cells. Adherence analysis (black) and invasion (grey) of E. coli DH5α, C. jejuni 11168-0 and 11168-OΔccaA::cat. Results are presented as mean ± SEM adherence or invasion from six to nine wells of a 24-well plate. Two tailed t-test showed no significant increase in adherence of 11168-OΔccaA::cat compared to wild-type, p = 0.058, and a significant increase in invasion of 11168-OΔccaA::cat compared to wild-type (Student’s T-test, p < 0.001). were all significantly higher for the mutant C. jejuni 11168-OΔccaA::cat group than for the WT control group, and for IL-1β and IFNγ the expression is also statistically greater than the uninfected control levels (Fig. 8B). At no time point was there any significant change in the expression of IL-8 cytokine or the CXCLi1 chemokine. xpression of porA, peb1A cdtA, cdtB and cdtC. To ascertain if the “run” phenotype of the aspartate eceptor mutant was responsible for the observed pathological changes in the infected animals, the expression Expression of porA, peb1A cdtA, cdtB and cdtC. To ascertain if the “run” phenotype of the aspartate receptor mutant was responsible for the observed pathological changes in the infected animals, the expression ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 6 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Figure 6. Adherence and Invasion of C. jejuni of in vitro cell culture model using Hep-G2 liver cells. Black) Adherence analysis (black) and invasion (grey) of E. coli DH5α, C. jejuni 11168-0 and 11168-OΔccaA::cat. Results are presented as mean adherence from six to nine wells of a 24-well plate. Standard errors are shown as bars above the mean. Results Two tailed t-test showed a significant increase in adherence of 11168-OΔccaA::cat compared to wild-type, (p < 0.01) and a significant increase for invasion for the ccaA mutant compared to wild- type (p < 0.001). Figure 6. Adherence and Invasion of C. jejuni of in vitro cell culture model using Hep-G2 liver cells. Black) Adherence analysis (black) and invasion (grey) of E. coli DH5α, C. jejuni 11168-0 and 11168-OΔccaA::cat. Results are presented as mean adherence from six to nine wells of a 24-well plate. Standard errors are shown as bars above the mean. Two tailed t-test showed a significant increase in adherence of 11168-OΔccaA::cat compared to wild-type, (p < 0.01) and a significant increase for invasion for the ccaA mutant compared to wild- type (p < 0.001). Compound Strain Structure β1-6 Galactosyl-N-acetyl glucosamine WT ASialo GM1 Lacto-N-neohexaose WT Type I Lacto-N-hexaose WT Type II GalNAcα1-3Galβ1-4Glc CcaA Type I β1-2 N-Acetylglucosamine-mannose CcaA N-type glycan α1-3,α1-6-Mannobiose WT BiMan α1-3,α1-3α,α1-6-Mannopentaose CcaA OligoMan Lacto-N-fucopentaose II WT Type II-fucosylated Lewisy WT Type II-fucosylated Blood group H type II trisaccharide WT Type II-fucosylated Monofucosyllacto-N-hexaose WT Type II-fucosylated 3′-Sialyllactosamine CcaA Type II-sialylated 6′-Sialyllactosamine CcaA Type II-sialylated Colominic acid WT Oligo Sialic acid ΔUA-GlucNS-6S CcaA Digests of GAGs ΔUA-GalNAc-4S,6S (Delta Di-disE) CcaA Digests of GAGs Table 1. Glycan binding profile of C. jejuni isolated from avian hosts. WT indicates significantly stronger binding of C. jejuni 11168-O to the specific glycan compared to 11168-OΔccaA::cat. CcaA indicates significantly stronger binding of 11168-OΔccaA::cat to the specific glycan compared to 11168-O. Compound Strain Structure β1-6 Galactosyl-N-acetyl glucosamine WT ASialo GM1 Lacto-N-neohexaose WT Type I Lacto-N-hexaose WT Type II GalNAcα1-3Galβ1-4Glc CcaA Type I β1-2 N-Acetylglucosamine-mannose CcaA N-type glycan α1-3,α1-6-Mannobiose WT BiMan α1-3,α1-3α,α1-6-Mannopentaose CcaA OligoMan Lacto-N-fucopentaose II WT Type II-fucosylated Lewisy WT Type II-fucosylated Blood group H type II trisaccharide WT Type II-fucosylated Monofucosyllacto-N-hexaose WT Type II-fucosylated 3′-Sialyllactosamine CcaA Type II-sialylated 6′-Sialyllactosamine CcaA Type II-sialylated Colominic acid WT Oligo Sialic acid ΔUA-GlucNS-6S CcaA Digests of GAGs ΔUA-GalNAc-4S,6S (Delta Di-disE) CcaA Digests of GAGs Table 1. Glycan binding profile of C. jejuni isolated from avian hosts. WT indicates significantly stronger binding of C. jejuni 11168-O to the specific glycan compared to 11168-OΔccaA::cat. CcaA indicates significantly stronger binding of 11168-OΔccaA::cat to the specific glycan compared to 11168-O. Table 1. Glycan binding profile of C. jejuni isolated from avian hosts. WT indicates significantly stronger binding of C. jejuni 11168-O to the specific glycan compared to 11168-OΔccaA::cat. Results In contrast CdtA and B expression in 11168-O was up-regulated in vivo compared to in vitro culture grown at 42 °C, while cdtB and C were up-regulated in vitro for 11168-OΔccaA::cat, when gene expression levels were compared to those observed for 11168-O at 42 °C (p < 0.05). Most importantly, however, the expression of cdtABC in vivo, in a chicken and mouse host did not show statistical difference in expression (p > 0.05). This indicates that although the overall expressions of the three CDT subunits results showed that gene expression is variable at different temperatures, and expression is regulated in vivo. These genes are unlikely to be involved in the observed gross pathology. 7 ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Figure 7. Proinflammatory cytokine concentrations in the small intestine of mice infected with C. jejuni. Proinflammatory cytokine concentrations were determined by CBA array at time points of (A) 24 h, (B) 48 h and (C) 72 h, n = 7. Cytokine levels of non-infected (black), 11168-O wild-type (light grey) and 11168-OΔccaA::cat (mid grey). No statistical differences were noted (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Figure 7. Proinflammatory cytokine concentrations in the small intestine of mice infected with C. jejuni. Proinflammatory cytokine concentrations were determined by CBA array at time points of (A) 24 h, (B) 48 h and (C) 72 h, n = 7. Cytokine levels of non-infected (black), 11168-O wild-type (light grey) and 11168-OΔccaA::cat (mid grey). No statistical differences were noted (ANOVA, p < 0.05). ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 Discussion Discussion Mutational analyses are a classical method for determining gene function and attenuation of virulence, particu- larly when assessing potential antimicrobial targets. C. jejuni, a commensal in poultry and pathogen in humans, has also been a subject to many such analyses. j y y Previous avian colonisation studies using various C. jejuni chemosensory pathway mutants, did not report any pathological changes13,32,33. This study revealed that despite attenuation of colonisation in both the murine and avian models, gross pathological changes were observed in both mice and chickens infected with the C. jejuni aspartate chemoreceptor mutant ccaA, including connective tissue and fat roping in chickens and hepatomegaly in mice. The ability of the ccaA mutant to produce pathological changes in animal hosts is a novel and unusual observation.i Specifically, the appearance of intestinal roping was noted at 72 h p.i. along with the disintegration of the tips of the villi in the large intestine of chickens infected with the ccaA mutant, which persisted throughout the entire 96 hour examination period and correlated to the chicken stools appearing unusually firm and pellet-like. This too was unexpected as it has been well established that in humans C. jejuni infection is characterised by diarrhoea whereas in the chickens, C. jejuni colonisation is asymptomatic.h j j y p The hardened appearance of the faeces in chickens infected with the ccaA mutant may be due to dis-regulation of CDT toxin production, causing the faeces to become drier and more solid, compared to normal faeces. In humans, the cytolethal distending toxin, CDT, is thought to destroy the mucosal epithelium, cause secretory ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 8 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Figure 8. Cytokine levels in chickens determined by qPCR. Relative expression levels of the inflammatory cytokines in chicken large intestines at 24 h (A) or 96 h (B), non-infected control (Black), 11168-O WT (light grey) and 11168- OΔccaA::cat (mid grey), n = 5. Expression is standardised and the scale is shown in log (copies per 108 28S). Statistically significant differences are indicated by *, Student’s T-test (p < 0.01). Figure 8. Cytokine levels in chickens determined by qPCR. Relative expression levels of the inflammatory cytokines in chicken large intestines at 24 h (A) or 96 h (B), non-infected control (Black), 11168-O WT (light grey) and 11168- OΔccaA::cat (mid grey), n = 5. Expression is standardised and the scale is shown in log (copies per 108 28S). Discussion Statistically significant differences are indicated by *, Student’s T-test (p < 0.01). diarrhoea and necrosis of the colonic epithelium35. Although in chickens, cdt toxin genes are expressed, no symp- toms of diarrhoea are usually observed36. The expression of the CDT toxin genes, however, may contribute toward the usually observed appearance of semi-solid chicken faeces. This change in the consistency of the cloacal secre- tions may contribute to the damage to the villus epithelium in the large intestine as was seen in the histological sections. The cdtA gene expression by ccaA isogenic mutant cells isolated from chickens was up-regulated as was the expression of cdtB in the mutant cells isolated from the mouse. This was in agreement with a previous study showing that in chickens the cdtA/C subunits could be up-regulated34. Therefore, while it may be a contributing pathogenicity factor, it is possible to speculate that they are unlikely to account for the observed pathology. diarrhoea and necrosis of the colonic epithelium35. Although in chickens, cdt toxin genes are expressed, no symp- toms of diarrhoea are usually observed36. The expression of the CDT toxin genes, however, may contribute toward the usually observed appearance of semi-solid chicken faeces. This change in the consistency of the cloacal secre- tions may contribute to the damage to the villus epithelium in the large intestine as was seen in the histological sections. The cdtA gene expression by ccaA isogenic mutant cells isolated from chickens was up-regulated as was the expression of cdtB in the mutant cells isolated from the mouse. This was in agreement with a previous study showing that in chickens the cdtA/C subunits could be up-regulated34. Therefore, while it may be a contributing pathogenicity factor, it is possible to speculate that they are unlikely to account for the observed pathology. p g y p p y y p gy It is critical to note that ccaA mutant exhibits a “run” bias in its chemotaxis phenotype. It is possible to hypoth- esise that the up-regulation of some genes in the ccaA isogenic mutant may occur to compensate for changes in chemotactic run-bias phenotype of the ccaA mutant. This lack of ability to tumble may indeed be the main cause of attenuation, as well as the reason for increase in invasiveness in vitro31 and bacterial presence in systemic organs. Discussion g In vitro cell culture assays using human cell cultures; Caco-231, HepG2 and A549 cells, have shown that the ccaA mutant is more adherent and highly invasive compared to the wild-type. Although A549 is a human lung cell line, it contains α2,6-sialyl structures similar to those found in the chicken gastrointestinal tract37,38. The hyperinvasive phenotype of the ccaA mutant in A549 cells indicated that this might be similar to the events in the avian gastrointestinal tract.i g In addition, the ccaA isogenic mutant was found to have significantly reduced ability to bind type II fucosylated structures, ubiquitous in all eukaryotic tissue types. A significant decrease in binding ability to structures includ- ing lacto-N-fucopentaose II, Lewisy, blood group H type II trisaccharide and monofucosyllacto-N-hexaose III was also observed. In contrast, ccaA isogenic mutant had significantly stronger binding to both 3′-sialyllactosamine and 6′-sialyllactosamine. The change in this binding ability, together with the “run” phenotype, may provide some insight into the presence of the mutant in the lung of chickens, as terminal αNeuAc2-3Gal structures are found predominantly in the lung of chickens39. This was evident by increased infection of A549 cells by the ccaA mutant, which could be due to increased expression of this glycan by the A549 cells. ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 9 9 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ These changes in glycan binding specificity of the ccaA mutant may contribute toward the pathology observed in model animals. The mutant bacteria may be able not only to move unidirectionally, but also be able to bind glycan structures differently in the avian gut, helping the bacteria to transverse the epithelium. In addition, pre- vious studies have shown that binding to 3′- and 6′-sialyllactosamine structures by 11168-O wild-type cells, was significantly stronger at lower temperatures, 25 °C in vitro40. The higher core temperature of the chicken, 42 °C, the temperature at which the wild-type and mutant cells were tested using glycan arrays in this study, may account for the lower level of sialylated glycan binding for the wild-type compared to the ccaA mutant cells. y g y g yp p This study is the first report of gross pathological differences due to infection with an isogenic mutant, whereby mesenteric tissue abnormalities were observed within 72 hours p.i. In humans, a characteristic feature of Crohn’s disease is mesenteric adipose tissue hypertrophy, or fat wrapping (Reviewed in41). Discussion Mesenteric adipose tissue is an endocrine system and is able to regulated metabolic function and inflammation41. White adipose tissue is known to synthesise PPAR-γ and TNF-α, and release cytokines including adiponectin and IL-642,43, hence may play a role in inflammatory response in Crohn’s disease. In chickens, IL-6 mRNA expression increases ten-fold at day 4 of colonisation28, and this may be more evident in chickens infected with the ccaA isogenic mutant, as in the mutant, an increase in mesenteric fat may also stimulate release of this cytokine. Although it appears that an inflammatory response is occurring in the chicken, it is unclear as the actual cause of the mesen- teric adipose tissue hypertrophy. It is unusual, as in many diseases (including Crohn’s disease) as this manifests over many months, not days. Infectious colitis due to bacterial infection, including Shigella, Salmonella, Yersinia, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus and Chlamydia, have presented symptoms in humans including inflammatory changes in mesenteric fat44. Thus, this suggests that the increase in mesenteric fat may be a clinical sign of this Campylobacter infection. py Gross pathological changes were also observed in the murine model, when mice were infected with the ccaA mutant. The liver weight increased by at least 23% within 48 hours of infection in every mouse infected with the ccaA mutant. In addition, this persisted until at least day 6, even though there was no mutant bacterium present in the gastrointestinal tract at this time point. Similar to the findings of Vučković et al.45 hepatomegaly was observed in BALB/c mice, however there was no spleen enlargement, no yellowish nodes on the liver and no local tissue necrosis of the liver was observed in enlarged livers45. Unlike the study by Vučković45, where mice were infected with C. jejuni via intraperitoneal injection, in our study the mice were infected with C. jejuni by oral inoculation and the method of inoculation may influence the disease pathology observed in the mouse. yl p gy It is well established that one of the main roles of the liver is to remove bacteria from the blood stream and to resist infections by producing immune factors46. During inflammatory response to infection, the primary cellular reaction is the stimulation of monocytes and tissue macrophages46. Histological analysis revialed no statistical difference in cellular response in the livers of mice infected with the ccaA mutant compared to uninfected mice. Discussion Analyses of cytokine levels in mock-infected, 11168-O and ccaA mutant infected mice also showed no statistical difference in the pro-inflammatory cytokines at 24, 48 or 72 h time points. Since the mediators assessed did not change it is therefore unlikely that they contributed to the effect of gross pathological changes that were observed in the mouse. Interestingly, the mice infected with the ccaA mutant showed enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes, which is a common feature of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis47. However both groups of mice infected with C. jejuni had hyperplastic Peyer’s patches. The symptom of hyperplastic Peyer’s patches, where they project into the gut lumen as submucosal elevations, along with the enlargement of the liver, which is observed in the mice infected with the ccaA mutant, are typical symptoms of Typhoid or enteric fever48,49. Campylobacter is one of the non-salmonella organisms causes of infection which is clinically indistinguishable from classic enteric fever caused by S. typhi, S. paratyphi and S. choleraesuis50,51. There is little data on the pathological features of the associated enteritis, but similarities may exist between Campylobacter and Salmonella spp, as C. jejuni may access the submucosa via uptake by M cells, however it is unknown if C. jejuni can translocate across the cells in the colon52,53.h p y j j This study highlights the importance of an alteration of the phenotype due to irreversibly blocking or altering key colonisation factors, and the reason that they must be fully investigated. These factors are often potential targets for the development of new antimicrobial agents. Although there is a reduction in colonisation potential using both avian and mammalian colonisation models, one must ensure that there are no gross pathological changes occurring in the host due to this infection. Methods Tissue samples for histology were prepared using a portion of organ (systemic) or half of the longitudinally cut organ (digestive), fixed immediately in formal saline solution for at least 24 h. The samples were prepared for histology as described in Stahl et al.55. Histopathological scoring of organ tissue. The H & E stained sections were randomly coded for blind scoring, and the pathology of each organ was microscopically examined at 600 x magnification. The lungs, liver and spleen were examined for abnormalities including increase in leukocytes, tissue damage or changes in cellular arrangement. The digestive organs were examined in sections; small intestine, caecum, and proximal, mid and distal colon, for abnormal crypt architecture, crypt length, damage, goblet cell loss or hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltrate or the presence of neutrophils in the lamina propria. After scoring of each organ was performed, the samples were decoded and the results analysed. Direct in vivo Isolation of C. jejuni using M-280 Dyna-Beads. Immunomagnetic separation (IMS) of C. jejuni from mouse intestinal content or chicken caecal content was performed as previously described by King et al.34. Glycan Array analysis. IMS isolated cells were labelled with CFDA-SE and glycan binding profile was ana- ysed as described in Day et al.56. Full list of glycan structures see Table S6. Adherence and Invasion Assays. The assays were performed according to22, with the modifications as described in31. The cell lines used in this study were A549 Human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line (ATCC); Hep-G2 Human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (ATCC). Cytometric bead array for quantification of inflammatory cytokines in mice. Mice were orally inoculated with Brucella broth, C. jejuni 11168-O or C. jejuni 11168-OΔccaA::cat at 5 × 108 CFU. After 24 hours, submandibular punctures were performed to remove approximately 100 µL of blood. Blood was allowed to coagu- late for 15 mins, prior to centrifugation to separate serum. The BD CBA inflammatory mouse kit was used accord- ing to manufacturer’s instructions. After the beads were washed, data was acquired using a Beckman Coulter Cyan Flow cytometer, using the 488 nm laser with settings for FITC, APC and PE. Data was analysed using FlowJo software. Concentrations of cytokines were extrapolated from standard curves using Microsoft Excel. qPCR primers and primer design. C. jejuni primers were designed based on the published nucleotide sequence of C. jejuni 1116857. Methods Bacterial strains and plasmids. The C. jejuni NCTC11168-O original strain was kindly donated by D.G Newell, VLA, London and its isogenic mutant strain 11168-OΔccaA::cat31 were grown on Columbia agar supple- mented with 5% defibrinated horse blood (HBA) with Skirrow antibiotic supplement (Oxoid) or Muellar Hinton agar (MHA) (Oxoid) under microaerophilic conditions (5% O2, 15% CO2, 80% N2; BOC gases) for 48 h at 37 °C or 42 °C where appropriate. Motility assays. Motility assays were performed as described by King et al.54. The motility phenotypes of C. jejuni 11168-O and 11168-OΔccaA::cat were ascertained by calculating the spatial displacement of single cells. Singular cells were tracked via time lapse photography using ImageJ, over a one second time frame. Ethics Statement. Animal experiments were carried out in strict accordance with the Griffith University Animal Ethics Committee guidelines and assigned approval numbers MSC/04/08/AEC, BDD/01/07 and GLY/02/15/AEC. All procedures involving animals were reviewed and approved by National Health and Medical Research Council Australian code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes, 7th edition 2004. ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 10 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Avian and murine models. Unvaccinated Ross breed chickens (Bartters, Rochdale Qld) at one day after hatching were placed into groups of ten, pre-inoculation faecal samples were taken from the cloaca of the chick- ens and cultured. Chickens were housed in clean barrier cages at 32 °C and supplied sterilised food and water ad libitum for the entire experimental period. 129 × 1/SvJ background male mice (Animal Resource Centre, Western Australia) aged between 6–8 weeks, were housed in groups of 6–10 as specified, supplied ad libitum with food and water. The animals were inoculated by orally challenging with 30 μL of Brucella broth containing approximately 1 × 108 C. jejuni cells, as previously published31. Post-inoculation cloacal or faecal samples were taken daily and cultured. 24–96 h post-inoculation, as specified, the animals were euthanized by cervical dislocation, and the gastrointestinal tissues including small and large intestine as well as the systemic organs, lungs, liver and spleen, were removed aseptically. Each organ was weighed and apportioned. An appropriate portion was placed in a 5 mL tube with 2 mL of sterile Brucella broth, homogenised and the bacterial load enumerated by viable count. References 1. WHO. Annual report - Consultation on Campylobacter. (World Health Organization, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2000). 2. Beery, J. T., Hugdahl, M. B. & Doyle, M. P. Colonization of gastrointestinal tracts of chicks by Campylobacter jejuni. Appl Environ Microbiol 54, 2365–2370 (1988). Methods All primers used in this study are listed in Table S7, and source noted. Bacterial 23 s RNA primers or chicken 28 s RNA primers were used for internal controls. All oligonucleotide primers were syn- thesised by Invitrogen. RNA extraction, cDNA preparation and qPCR were performed as previously described30. A PCR standard curve was generated for each primer set by performing five ten-fold serial dilutions. Quantity values (copies) for gene expression was generated by comparison of the fluorescence generated by each sample with a standard curve of known quantities for each PCR product (Table S8). Quantification of inflammatory cytokine expression in chickens. Total RNA was extracted from the chicken small intestines from chicks inoculated with Brucella broth (negative), C. jejuni 11168-O or C. jejuni 11168-OΔccaA::cat. The extracted RNA was used as template for the reverse transcription reaction. qPCR was performed using gene specific sense and anti-sense primers for specific chicken cytokines. All qPCR reactions were carried out using the same thermal profile conditions, 94 °C for 5 minutes, then 45 cycles of 94 °C for 30 sec- onds, 48 °C for 30 seconds then 72 °C for 1 minute, 30 seconds with fluorescence measured during the 72 °C exten- sion phase. Melt curves for each amplification product were measured 80 times over the incremental increases in temperature. Products were visualised by agarose gel electrophoresis. Statistical analysis. The mean of the groups for bacteria load in each organ (n ≥ 5) were individually com- pared to that of control groups at the same time point. Significance was determined by un-paired t-tests with an alpha of 0.05. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine significance in relative gene expression in conjunction with an un-paired t-test. Histopathological scores were analysed by chi-square, non-parametric tests. www.nature.com/scientificreports/ www.nature.com/scientificreports/ 3. DuPont, H. L. The growing threat of foodborne bacterial enteropathogens of animal origin. Clinical infectious disea publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 45, 1353–1361, https://doi.org/10.1086/522662 (2007). 3. DuPont, H. L. The growing threat of foodborne bacterial enteropathogens of animal origin. Clinical infectious diseases: an officia publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 45, 1353–1361, https://doi.org/10.1086/522662 (2007). p f f y f p g 4. Ketley, J. M. Pathogenesis of enteric infection by Campylobacter. Microbiology 143(Pt 1), 5–21 (1997). g y py gy t al. Pathophysiology of Campylobacter enteritis. Microbiological re 5. Walker, R. I. et al. Pathophysiology of Campylobacter enteritis. y gy y g 6. Wassenaar, T. M. & Blaser, M. J. Pathophysiology of Campylobacter jejuni infections of humans. Microbes and Infection 1, 1023–1033 (1999). 7. Hermans, D. et al. Colonization factors of Campylobacter jejuni in the chicken gut. Veterinary Research 42, 82, https://doi org/10.1186/1297-9716-42-82 (2011). g 8. Young, K. T., Davis, L. M. & DiRita, V. J. Campylobacter jejuni: molecular biology and pathogensis. Nature Reviews of Microbiology 5, 665–679 (2007).h 9. Josenhans, C. & Suerbaum, S. The role of motility as a virulence factor in bacteria. International Journal of Medical Microbiology 605–616 (2002).h ( ) 10. Wallis, M. R. The pathogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni. Brititsh. Journal of Biomedical Science 51, 57–64 (1994). . Wallis, M. R. The pathogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni. Brititsh. J h 11. Smith, C. K. et al. Campylobacter jejuni-induced cytokine responses in avian cells. Infection and Immunity 73, 2 doi.org/10.1128/IAI.73.4.2094-2100.2005 (2005). g ( ) 2. Enocksson, A., Lundberg, J., Weitzberg, E., Norrby-Teglund, A. & Svenungsson, B. Rectal nitric oxide gas and stool cytokine levels during the course of infectious gastroenteritis. Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology 11, 250–254 (2004).i 13. Hendrixson, D. R. & DiRita, V. J. Identification of Campylobacter jejuni genes involved in commensal colonization of the chick gastrointestinal tract. Molecular Microbiology 52, 471–484 (2004).f i gastrointestinal tract. Molecular Microbiology 52, 471–484 (200 g gy 14. Ringoir, D. & Korolik, V. Colonisation phenotype and colonisation potential differences in Campylobacter jejuni strains in chickens before and after passage in vivo. Veterinary microbiology 92, 225–235 (2003). and after passage in vivo. Veterinary microbiology 92, 225–235 (200 t p g y gy ( ) 5. Jones, M. A. et al. Adaptation of Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168 to high-level colonization of the avian gastrointestinal tract Infection and Immunity 72, 3769–3776, https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.72.7.3769-3776.2004 (2004). 16. Baqar, S. www.nature.com/scientificreports/ et al. Murine intranasal challenge model for the study of Campylobacter pathogensis and immunity. Infection and immunity 64, 4933–4939 (1996). 17. Blaser, M. J., Duncan, D. J., Warren, G. H. & Wang, W. Experimental Campylobacter jejuni infection of adult mice. Infection and immunity 39, 908–916 (1983). y 8. McAuley, J. et al. MUC1 cell surface mucin is a critical element of the mucosal barrier to infection. Journal of Clinical Investigation 117, 2313–2324 (2007).l 19. Stahl, M. et al. A novel mouse model of Campylobacter jejuni gastroenteritis reveals key pro-inflammatory and tissue protective roles for Toll-like receptor signaling during infection. PLoS pathogens 10, e1004264, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1004264 (2014). 19. Stahl, M. et al. A novel mouse model of Campylobacter jejuni gastroenteritis reveals key pro-inflammatory and tissue protective roles for Toll-like receptor signaling during infection. PLoS pathogens 10, e1004264, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1004264 19. Stahl, M. et al. A novel mouse model of Campylobacter jejuni gastroenteritis reveals key pro-inflammatory and tissue protective ( ) 20. Sham, H. P. et al. SIGIRR, a negative regulator of TLR/IL-1R signalling promotes Microbiota dependent resistance to colonization by enteric bacterial pathogens. PLoS pathogens 9, e1003539, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003539 (2013). ( ) 20. Sham, H. P. et al. SIGIRR, a negative regulator of TLR/IL-1R signalling promotes Microbiota dependent resistance to colonization 20. Sham, H. P. et al. SIGIRR, a negative regulator of TLR/IL-1R signalling promotes Microbiota dependent resistance t by enteric bacterial pathogens. PLoS pathogens 9, e1003539, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003539 (2013).i g g g g p p by enteric bacterial pathogens. PLoS pathogens 9, e1003539, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003539 (2013).i y p g p g p g j pp 21. Malik, A., Sharma, D., St Charles, J., Dybas, L. A. & Mansfield, L. S. Contrasting immune responses mediate Campylobacter jejuni- induced colitis and autoimmunity. Mucosal Immunology 7, 802–817, https://doi.org/10.1038/mi.2013.97 (2014). 21. Malik, A., Sharma, D., St Charles, J., Dybas, L. A. & Mansfield, L. S. Contrasting immune responses mediate Campylobacter jejuni induced colitis and autoimmunity. Mucosal Immunology 7, 802–817, https://doi.org/10.1038/mi.2013.97 (2014). y gy g 2. Yao, R. J., Burr, D. H. & Guerry, P. CheY-mediated modulation of Campylobacter jejuni virulence. Molecular Microbiology 23 1021–1031 (1997).i ( ) 3. Fox, J. G. et al. Gastroenteritis in NF-kB-deficient mice is produced with wild-type Campylobacter jejuni but not with C. jejun 23. Fox, J. G. et al. Gastroenteritis in NF-kB-deficient mice is produced with wild-type Campylobacter jejuni but not with C. jejuni lacking cytolethal distending toxin despite persistant colonization with both strains. www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Infection and immunity 72, 1116–1125 (2004). 23. Fox, J. G. et al. Gastroenteritis in NF-kB-deficient mice is produced with wild-type Campylobacter jejuni but not with C. jejuni lacking cytolethal distending toxin despite persistant colonization with both strains. Infection and immunity 72, 1116–1125 (2004). 24. Ruiz-Palacios, G. M., Escamilla, E. & Torres, N. Experimental Campylobacter diarrhea in chickens. Infection and immunity 34, 250–255 (1981). g y g f y 4. Ruiz-Palacios, G. M., Escamilla, E. & Torres, N. Experimental Campylobacter diarrhea in chickens. Infection and immunity 34 250–255 (1981). 5. Byrne, C. M., Clyne, M. & Bourke, B. Campylobacter jejuni adhere to and invade chicken intestinal epithelial cells in vitro Microbiology 153, 561–569 (2007).f gy 6. Young, C., Ziprin, R., Mume, M. & Stanker, L. Dose response and organ invasion of day-of-hatch Leghorn chicks by different isolate of Campylobacter jejuni. Avian Disease 43, 763–767 (1999).f py j j 7. Humphrey, S. et al. Campylobacter jejuni is not merely a commensal in commercial broiler chickens and affects bird welfare. mBio 5, e01364–01314, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01364-14 (2014).l p y py j j y 5, e01364–01314, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01364-14 (201 p g 8. Smith, C. K. et al. Campylobacter colonization of the chicken induces a proinflammatory response in mucosal tissues. FEMS immunology and medical microbiology 54, 114–121, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-695X.2008.00458.x (2008). 9. Woodall, C. A. et al. Campylobacter jejuni Gene Expression in the Chick Cecum: Evidence for Adaptation to a Low-Oxygen Environment. Infect. Immun. 73, 5278–5285 (2005). f 0. Day, C. J. et al. Variation of chemosensory receptor content of Campylobacter jejuni strains and modulation of receptor gene expression under different in vivo and in vitro growth conditions. BMC Microbiology 12 (2012).i f 1. Hartley-Tassell, L. E. et al. Identification and characterization of the aspartate chemosensory receptor of Campylobacter jejuni Molecular Microbiology 75, 710–730 (2010). 2. Rahman, H. et al. Characterisation of a multi-ligand binding chemoreceptor CcmL (Tlp3) of Campylobacter jejuni. PLoS pathogen 10, e1003822, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003822 (2014). g j 3. Day, C. J. et al. A direct-sensing galactose chemoreceptor recently evolved in invasive strains of Campylobacter jejuni. Nature communications 7, 13206, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13206 (2016). p g 34. King, R. M. et al. Carbohydrate binding and gene expression by in vitro and in vivo propagated Campylobacter jejuni after immunomagnetic separation. Journal of basic microbiology 53, 240–250, https://doi.org/10.1002/jobm.201100466 (2013). g p f gy p g j 35. Okuda, J., Fukumoto, M., Takeda, Y. & Nishibuchi, M. References References 1. WHO. Annual report - Consultation on Campylobacter. (World Health Organization, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2000). 2. Beery, J. T., Hugdahl, M. B. & Doyle, M. P. Colonization of gastrointestinal tracts of chicks by Campylobacter jejuni. Appl Environ Microbiol 54, 2365–2370 (1988). ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 11 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Primary Campylobacter jejuni infection in different mice strains. Microbial pathogenes 263–268, https://doi.org/10.1006/mpat.1997.0194 (1998).l p g p ( ) 46. Monshouwer, M. & Hoebe, K. H. N. Hepatic (dys-)function during inflammation. Toxicology in Vitro 17, 681–686 (2003).h ook, M. G. The size and histological appearances of mesenteric lymph nodes in Crohn’s disease. Gut 13, 970–972 (1972). Woolf, N. Pathology: Basic and Systemic. (Elsevier Health Sciences, 1998). 47. Cook, M. G. The size and histological appearances of mesenteric lymph nodes in Crohns disease. Gut 13, 970 972 (1972) 48. Woolf, N. Pathology: Basic and Systemic. (Elsevier Health Sciences, 1998). h 48. Woolf, N. Pathology: Basic and Systemic. (Elsevier Health Sciences, 1998). gy y ( ) 49 Isaacson M & Hale M In Tropical Pathology Vol 8 (eds Dres H Doerr C & Ashworth G ) 157–175 (Springer 1995) gy y 49. Isaacson, M. & Hale, M. In Tropical Pathology Vol. 8 (eds Dres, H. Doerr, C. & Ashworth, G.) 157–175 (Springer, 1995). 50. Pearson, R. & Guerranti, R. In Principles and practice of infectious diseases (eds Mandell, G. L. Bennett, J. E. & Dolin, R.) (Chu Livingstone, 2000). g 51. Suwansrinon, K., Wilde, H., Sitprija, V. & Hanvesakul, R. Enteric fever-like illness caused by infection with Citrobacter amalonaticus. J Med Assoc Thai 88, 837–840 (2005). h 52. Walker, R. I., Schmauder-Chock, E., Parker, J. & Burr, D. H. Selective association and transport of Campylobacter jejuni through M cells of rabbit Peyer’s patches. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 34, 1142–1147 (1988).h y f gy 3. Konkel, M. E., Monteville, M., Rivera-Amill, V. & Joens, L. The pathogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni-mediated enteritis. Curr Issues Intest. Microbiol. 2, 55–71 (2001).i 54. King, R. M. & Korolik, V. Characterization of Ligand-Receptor Interactions: Chemotaxis, Biofilm, Cell Culture Assays, and Animal Model Methodologies. Methods in molecular biology 1512, 149–161, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6536-6_13 (2017). g gy p g 55. Stahl, M., Graef, F. A. & Vallance, B. A. Mouse Models for Campylobacter jejuni Colonization and Infection. Campylobacter jejuni: Methods and Protocols, 171–188 (2017). 6. Day, C. J., Tram, G., Hartley-Tassell, L. E., Tiralongo, J. & Korolik, V. Assessment of glycan interactions of clinical and avian isolate of Campylobacter jejuni. BMC Microbiol 13, 228, https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2180-13-228 (2013).h 57. Parkhill, J. et al. The genome sequence of the food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni reveals hypervariable sequences. Nature 403, 665–668 (2000). www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Examination of diarrheagenicity of cytolethal distending toxin: suckling mouse response to the products of the cdtABC genes of Shigella dysenteriae. Infect. Immun. 65, 428–433 (1997). 36. AbuOun, M. et al. Cytolethal Distending Toxin (CDT)-Negative Campylobacter jejuni Strains and Anti-CDT Neutralizing Antibodies Are Induced during Human Infection but Not during Colonization in Chickens. Infection and immunity 73, 3053–3062 (2005).ll ( ) 37. Shinya, K. et al. Avian flu: influenza virus receptors in the human airway. Nature 440 (2006). ll 38. Stevens, J. et al. Glycan microarray analysis of the hemagglutinin from modern and pandemic influenza viruses reveals different receptor specificities. J Mol Biol 355, 1143–1155 (2006).hf i 9. Marinina, V. et al. The effect of losing Glycosylation sites near the receptor-binding regions on the receptor phenotype of the Human Influenza Virus H1N1. Molecular Biology 37, 468–472 (2003).fl i 39. Marinina, V. et al. The effect of losing Glycosylation sites nea l gy 40. Day, C. et al. Differential carbohydrate recognition by Campylobacter jejuni strain 11168: Influences of temperature and growth conditions. PLos One (2009).i l 40. Day, C. et al. Differential carbohydrate recognition by Campylobacter jejuni strain 11168: Influences of temperature and growth conditions. PLos One (2009).i 41. Maconi, G. et al. Prevalence and clinical significance of sonographic evidence of mesenteric fat alterations in Crohn’s Disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis 14, 1555–1561 (2008).l 41. Maconi, G. et al. Prevalence and clinical significance of sonographic evidence of mesenteric fat alterations in Crohn’s Disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis 14, 1555–1561 (2008).l fl 2. Desreumaux, P. et al. Inflammatory alterations in mesenteric adipose tissue in Crohn’s disease. Gastroenterology 117, 73–81 (1999) d l d f l fl f d d f b h 42. Desreumaux, P. et al. Inflammatory alterations in mesenteric adipose tissue in Crohns disease. Gastroenterology 117, 73 81 (1999). 43. Karagiannides, I. et al. Induction of colitis causes inflammatory responses in fat deposits: Evidence for substance P pathways in human mesenteric preadipocytes. PNAS 103, 5207–5212 (2006).l l y p gy 43. Karagiannides, I. et al. Induction of colitis causes inflammatory responses in fat deposits: Evidence for substance P pathways in human mesenteric preadipocytes. PNAS 103, 5207–5212 (2006).l p p y 4. Horton, K. M., Corl, F. M. & Fishman, E. K. CT Evaluation of the Colon: Inflammatory Disease. Radiographics 20, 399–418 (2000) ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 12 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ 45. Vuckovic, D., Abram, M. & Doric, M. Author Contributions V.K., L.H.T. and C.J.D. conceived the study, all authors contributed to the design of experiments and analysis of data, L.H.T., C.J.D., G.T., E.A.S., Z.K., L.I.C.G. and A.M.B. performed the experiments, L.H.T. and V.K. wrote the paper, all authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript. V.K., L.H.T. and C.J.D. conceived the study, all authors contributed to the design of experiments and analysis of data, L.H.T., C.J.D., G.T., E.A.S., Z.K., L.I.C.G. and A.M.B. performed the experiments, L.H.T. and V.K. wrote the paper, all authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript. Additional Information Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5. Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-3060 Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Publisher's note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps an institutional affiliations. Publisher's note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Cre- ative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not per- mitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Cre- ative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not per- mitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © The Author(s) 2018 ScienTific REPOrTS | (2018) 8:12594 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30604-5 13
https://openalex.org/W4205450429
https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/pdf/2022/05/e3sconf_esma2021_01006.pdf
English
null
Capacity estimation based on incremental capacity and Gaussian process regression for retired lithium-ion batteries
E3S web of conferences
2,022
cc-by
2,406
Capacity estimation based on incremental capacity and Gaussian process regression for retired lithium-ion batteries School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China Abstract. Fast capacity estimation for retired batteries is necessary when batteries are recycled for echelon utilization. Here, a fast capacity estimation method is proposed for retired LiFePO4 battery. First, a full survey of battery pack and cells degradation after a long period of service is studied. Then the filtered ICA is used to study degradation variation phenomenon of retired batteries, the relationship between IC curve feature and remaining capacity was studied. Finally, a fast capacity estimation using incremental capacity and Gaussian process regression is proposed. Our results show high efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. 1 Introduction Then the filtered ICA is used to study degradation variation phenomenon of retired batteries, the relationship between IC curve feature and remaining capacity was analyzed. Finally, a fast capacity estimation method based on incremental capacity and Gaussian process regression is proposed. Then the filtered ICA is used to study degradation variation phenomenon of retired batteries, the relationship between IC curve feature and remaining capacity was analyzed. Finally, a fast capacity estimation method based on incremental capacity and Gaussian process regression is proposed. Recently, electric vehicles (EVs) have become a significant trend in many countries for the reason of concerns about energy security and environmentally friendly [1]. However, lithium-ion batteries, which is one of the core components in EVs, need to be transposed to guarantee safe operation and sufficient mileage when their capacity drops to 80% [2]. The retired batteries echelon utilization can prolong the useful battery life-span, thus reducing harmful environmental effects and resources conservation [3]. However, for their inconsistency, retired batteries cannot be firsthand recycled for echelon utilization [4], so the capacity estimation and screening methods of retired batteries are of great significance to the echelon utilization of retired batteries and the healthy development of electric vehicles. p g j p g@p © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). * Corresponding author: jinpeng@pkusz.edu.cn © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). * Corresponding author: jinpeng@pkusz.edu.cn E3S Web of Conferences 338, 01006 (2022) ESMA 2021 E3S Web of Conferences 338, 01006 (2022) ESMA 2021 https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202233801006 © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). d by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution ommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). 2.1 Test setup and experimental method Our retired battery pack is received from an electric bus which is operated for more than three years. As is shown in Fig. 1, the experimental pack consists of 42 series-connected battery modules, 28 battery cells are parallel-connected in each module. Air cooling is adopted for battery heat dissipation in the whole battery pack. In order to analyze degradation mechanism of large scale of cells and estimate their state of health (SOH), incremental capacity analysis (ICA) is employed [5-7]. IC curve cannot only indicate the subtle and slowing-changing electrochemical feature of the electrochemical reactions inside cells, it can also depict current acceptance capability in various potentials. In view of the merit of convenient properties for modeling without specific function, Gaussian process regression has been widely adopted in the field of machine learning and statistics [8]. Fig. 1 Experimental retired battery pack Fig. 1 Experimental retired battery pack Fig. 1 Experimental retired battery pack In this thesis, a rapid capacity estimation is applied for retired LiFePO4 battery. First, a comprehensive survey of a battery pack aging and cells after a long period of employment is studied. The battery cell is manufactured by OptimumNano Energy CO., LTD of China, and their The battery cell is manufactured by OptimumNano Energy CO., LTD of China, and their E3S Web of Conferences 338, 01006 (2022) ESMA 2021 https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202233801006 parameters are itemized in Table 1. The 32700-type cell is configured with LiFePO4/graphite as electrode, whose nominal capacity is 5.0 Ah, upper and lower limit voltages are 2.65–3.7V. All of our tests are carried out at room temperature. An 8- channel battery test system (Shenzhen Repower Technology Co.,Ltd ACTS 5V-10A) whose current range is −5A~5A and voltage range is 0~5V( ±0.02% at full scale) is used for battery test. Fig. 2. Battery cell capacity and resistance bargraph and probability plots Table 1 Parameters for the LiFePO4 cell. Items Parameters Manufacturer OptimumNano Group pattern 28 parallel-42 series Cathode material LiFePO4 Anode material Graphite Nominal capacity 5.0Ah Nominal voltage 3.2V End-of-charge voltage 2.65V End-of-discharge voltage 3.7V Table 1 Parameters for the LiFePO4 cell. In order to obtain the remaining capacity, we apply the charging current rate of 1/3 C, i.e., 1.66 A. and test the internal resistance by hybrid pulse power characterization (HPPC) method. Fig. 2. 2.2 Test results Capacity and resistance of all 1176 retired battery cell is surveyed by battery test system, Fig.2 shows the distribution histogram of these batteries. As shown in Fig.2, the capacity data of 1176 single cells in the entire battery pack shows that most of the cells have a capacity between 4.2Ah and 4.6Ah and obey a normal distribution. 90.2% of the cells still maintain the rated capacity. 80%, 98.7% batteries maintain 70% of the rated capacity. In the histograms, the distribution of battery capacity is left-skewed with s=−0.755 and the distribution of battery resistance is s=−1.18. 2.1 Test setup and experimental method Battery cell capacity and resistance bargraph and probability plots For both battery capacity and resistance probability plots, some cells are outside the confidence intervals. However, normal probability has a better fitting quality than that of Weibull probability, for the reason that in the low resistance range of the probability map, there are some points far away from the lower confidence interval. Therefore, the normal distribution is more suitable than the Weibull distribution for the batteries that we study with parallel connections. 3.2 Gaussian process regression Based on Eq. (10), the posterior distribution can be derived as: Gaussian process regression (GPR) is a neoteric regression approach in machine learning, so we explain how apply the algorithm to estimate attenuation of battery capacity. (10) (10) Then, in the predictive distribution, we calculate First, in our training dataset D=(X, y) , the input variable and output variable are indicated as X and y accordingly. As the formula X={x1D,x2D,x3D,⋯xND} shows, there are D-dimensional N input vectors in variable X, which follows multivariable distribution with mean function and covariance function of m(x) and kf(x,x’), respectively. We express the properties of f(x) as following: 𝑚𝑥𝑥𝑘𝑥𝑥𝑚𝑥𝑥𝑚𝑥𝑥 the mean y‾∗ and covariance cov(y*): (11) (12) (11) (12) (11) (12) Finally, a full GPR algorithm modeling is done. Finally, a full GPR algorithm modeling is done. 3.1 Incremental capacity analysis The incremental capacity is obtained from a full charging/discharging cycle, where we get the changing rate of capacity with the voltage as the vertical coordinate, and the changing voltage as the horizontal ordinate, which is shown as following: ௗொሺ௧ሻ ௗ௏ሺ௧ሻൎοொሺ௞ሻ ο௏ሺ௞ሻൌொሺ௞ሻିொሺ௞ିேሻ ௏ሺ௞ሻି௏ሺ௞ିேሻ (1) (1) In Eq. 1,οܳሺ݇ሻ and οܸሺ݇ሻ are the rate of electric quantity and terminal voltage during charging/discharging, respectively. As a result, 2 https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202233801006 E3S Web of Conferences 338, 01006 (2022) ESMA 2021 https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202233801006 οொሺ௞ሻ ο௏ሺ௞ሻ can be described as ௗொሺ௧ሻ ௗ௏ሺ௧ሻ when the sample interval 𝑁𝑁 is short enough. 𝑘𝑘௙ሺ𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥ᇱሻൌ𝜎𝜎௙ ଶ‡šp𝐼ሺ ିሺ௫ି௫ᇲሻమ ଶ௟మ ሻ (3) 𝑘𝑘௙ሺ𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥ᇱሻൌ𝜎𝜎௙ ଶ‡šp𝐼ሺ ିሺ௫ି௫ᇲሻమ ଶ௟మ ሻ (3) ο௏ሺ௞ሻ can be described as ௗ௏ሺ௧ሻ when the sampl interval 𝑁𝑁 is short enough. Fig. 3. (a) Initial IC curve; (b) Filtered IC curve Considering there are D-dimensional N input vectors in variable X, we can converse Eq. (3) as follows: 𝑘𝑥𝑥𝜎 𝑘𝑘௙൫𝑥𝑥௜, 𝑥𝑥௝൯ൌ𝜎𝜎௙ ଶ‡šp𝐼ሺെ ଵ ଶ∑ ሺ௫೔ ೏ି௫ೕ ೏ሻమ ௟೏ మ ஽ ௗୀଵ ሻ (4) 𝜎𝐼 ( ) Here, the noise covariance matrix 𝜎𝜎௡ଶ𝐼𝐼 is appended into Eq. (4) as below: 𝑥𝑥𝑘𝑥𝑥𝜎𝐼 pp q ( ) ൫𝑥𝑥௜, 𝑥𝑥௝൯ൌ𝑘𝑘௙൫𝑥𝑥௜, 𝑥𝑥௝൯൅𝜎𝜎௡ଶ𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼 (5) pp q ( ) ൫𝑥𝑥௜, 𝑥𝑥௝൯ൌ𝑘𝑘௙൫𝑥𝑥௜, 𝑥𝑥௝൯൅𝜎𝜎௡ଶ𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼 (5) ௝𝑘 ௙𝑥𝑥 ௝𝜎𝐼 Considering the input variable X and the properties of the latent function f, the distribution of y is denoted as follows: 𝑁𝜎𝐼 pሺy|Xሻൌ׬ pሺy|f, Xሻpሺf|Xሻ݂݀ൌ𝐼𝑁𝑁ሺͲ𝑥ܭ൅ 𝜎𝜎௡ଶ𝐼𝐼ሻ (6) Then, we denote the marginal log-likelihood of y as: as: (7) (7) Fig. 3. (a) Initial IC curve; (b) Filtered IC curve Here, for the marginal log-likelihood function, we employ the gradient method to optimize the hyper-parameters, and the calculation process of the gradient descending is: As a novel technique to analysis aging phenomenon and survey state of health (SOH) of lithium battery, ICA is applied in fast estimation in our essay. In order to extract capacitance features of incremental capacity, preprocessing needs to be conducted previously. Figure.3 illustrates the initial IC curve contaminated by noises and filtered IC curve using Kalman filter in the 1/3C current rate. Finally we need to record the coordinates of the characteristic peak(P1,P2 and P3) which are highly related to the attenuation of battery capacity. g g (8) (8) Here, in training dataset, we employ a small representative subset for the sparse approximation propose to handle GPR. The joint prior distribution of the training output y and the test output y∗ is deduced and expressed as [8]: p (9) (9) Acknowledgments This work was financially supported by Shenzhen Science Research Project under Grant GJHZ20180928162210431. Fig.4. The error analysis of battery estimation based GPR 5 Conclusion This paper presents an efficient capacity estimation based on ICA and Gaussian process regression for retired lithium-ion batteries. The main contributions are summarized as follows: (1) a detailed survey of a retired battery pack and cells was conducted, normal distribution is more suitable than the Weibull distribution for the batteries that we study with parallel connections. (2) The GPR is employed to establish SOH estimation model and how the algorithm works is demonstrated. (3) Our novel method is verified by LFP retired cells charging and discharging datasets. Verification result with a maximum MAE and RMSE of 1.8%, 2.2% shows strong performance. As illustrated in Table 2, error of the estimation of battery No. 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65 are 1.76%, 1.41%, 2.59%, 1.53%,1.93%, respectively. As a result, the battery SOH estimation of GPR shows strong performance. In addition, we also employ the mean absolute error (MAE) and the root mean square error (RMSE) to analyze the performance of the model quantitatively, whose definition is shown as: 𝑦𝑦  ൌ ଵ ே∑ |𝑦𝑦௜െ𝑦𝑦ത௜ ∗| ே ூୀଵ (18)  ൌටሺ ଵ ே∑ ሺ𝑦𝑦௜െ𝑦𝑦ത௜ ∗ሻଶ ே ௜ୀଵ ሻ (19) 𝑦 (18) (19) Where 𝑦𝑦ത௜ ∗ is the estimated value, the y is the real value, and it is worth noting that N represents how many times battery cycles, so MAE and RMSE could be used to assess the algorithm modelling of different cells in view of absolute sign. 4 Validation and discussion ( ) g ൜ 𝑚𝑚ሺ𝑥𝑥ሻൌܧሺ݂ሺ𝑥𝑥ሻሻ 𝑘𝑘௙ሺ𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥ᇱሻൌܧሾሺ𝑚𝑚ሺ𝑥𝑥ሻെ݂ሺ𝑥𝑥ሻሻሺ𝑚𝑚ሺ𝑥𝑥ᇱሻെ݂ሺ𝑥𝑥ᇱሻሻሿ(2) In view of the proposed GPR battery screening model mentioned above, 5 LFP retired batteries data of 190 cycle are employed to verify the validity of battery estimation. In our experiment, we regard the first 80% data of charging/discharging period as the training datasets and the rest 20% data as testing part. For the GPR algorithm, in order to express the prior assumptions for the properties of latent funtion, calculating the the kernel function 𝑘𝑘௙ሺ𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥ᇱሻ is necessary. We use the squared exponential covariance (SE) to complete this step, as shown in Eq. (3): 3 E3S Web of Conferences 338, 01006 (2022) ESMA 2021 https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202233801006 The results for battery No. 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65 are shown in Table. 2. The results for battery No. 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65 are shown in Table. 2. MAE reflects the mean absolute error between real value and estimated value in our cells SOH estimation, we calculate MAE and RMSE of battery No. 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65. As Fig.4 shows, battery No.63 has the maximum MAE with 1.8% which is not overrun 2%, while battery NO.64 has the minimum MAE with 1.1%. In term of RMSE, all 4 LFP cells are nearly 1.7%, battery NO.63 has the maximum RMSE with 2.2%, and battery NO.65 has the minimum RMSE with 1.4%. As a result, our proposed SOH fast estimation based on GPR indicates high accuracy and reliability. Table 2 Capacity estimation results vs. real capacity of the screening method Table 2 Capacity estimation results vs. real capacity of the screening method Cell number Estimation results (Ah) Real capacity (Ah) error (%) C61 3.94 4.04 1.76 C62 3.69 3.64 1.41 C63 4.92 4.79 2.59 C64 4.15 4.01 1.53 C65 3.91 3.96 1.93 References 1. Debnath, U.K., I. Ahmad and D. Habibi, Quantifying economic benefits of second life batteries of gridable vehicles in the smart grid. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 2014. 63: p. 577-587. 2. Cusenza, M.A., et al., Reuse of electric vehicle batteries in buildings: An integrated load match analysis and life cycle assessment approach. Energy and Buildings, 2019. 186: p. 339-354. 2. Cusenza, M.A., et al., Reuse of electric vehicle batteries in buildings: An integrated load match analysis and life cycle assessment approach. Energy and Buildings, 2019. 186: p. 339-354. 3. Canals Casals, L., M. Barbero and C. Corchero, Reused second life batteries for aggregated demand response services. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2019. 212: p. 99-108. 4. Zhou, L., et al., A study on parameter variation effects on battery packs for electric vehicles. Journal of Power Sources, 2017. 364: p. 242-252. 4. Zhou, L., et al., A study on parameter variation effects on battery packs for electric vehicles. Journal of Power Sources, 2017. 364: p. 242-252. Fig.4. The error analysis of battery estimation based GPR 4 4 E3S Web of Conferences 338, 01006 (2022) ESMA 2021 https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202233801006 5. Tang, X., et al., A fast estimation algorithm for lithium-ion battery state of health. Journal of Power Sources, 2018. 396: p. 453-458. 6. Xiaoyu, L., et al., State of health estimation for Li- ion battery using incremental capacity analysis and Gaussian process regression. Energy, 2020. 190: p. 116-467 7. Weng, C., et al., State-of-health monitoring of lithium-ion battery modules and packs via incremental capacity peak tracking. Applied Energy, 2016. 180: p. 360-368. 8. Zhongkai, Z., et al., An efficient screening method for retired lithium ion batteries based on support vector machine. Journal of Clean Production, 2020. 267: p. 121-882 5 5
https://openalex.org/W3118756531
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc7789536?pdf=render
English
null
The complete genome sequence of Hafnia alvei A23BA; a potential antibiotic-producing rhizobacterium
BMC research notes
2,021
cc-by
3,265
© The Author(s) 2021. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creat​iveco​ mmons​.org/licen​ses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creat​iveco​mmons​.org/publi​cdoma​in/ zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. Abstract Objectives:  The urgent need for novel antibiotics cannot be overemphasized. Hafnia alvei A23BA was isolated from plant rhizosphere as part of an effort to recover novel antibiotic-producing bacterial strains from soil samples. The genome of the isolate was sequenced to facilitate mining for potential antibiotic-encoding biosynthetic gene clusters and to gain insights into how these gene clusters could be activated. Data description:  Here, we report the complete genome sequence of H. alvei A23BA obtained from the hybrid assembly of Illumina HiSeq and GridION reads. The genome, consisting of a circular chromosome and a circular plas- mid, is 4.77 Mb in size with a GC content of 48.77%. The assembly is 99.5% complete with genomic features including 4,217 CDSs, 125 RNAs, and 30 pseudogenes. Thiopeptide, beta-lactone, siderophore, and homoserine lactone biosyn- thetic gene clusters were also identified. Other gene clusters of interest include those associated with bioremediation, biocontrol, and plant growth promotion- all of which are reported for H. alvei for the first time. This dataset serves to expedite the exploration of the biosynthetic and metabolic potentials of the species. Furthermore, being the first pub- lished genome sequence of a soil isolate, this dataset enriches the comparative genomics study of H. alvei strains. Keywords:  Hafnia alvei, H. alvei, Genome mining, Biosynthetic gene clusters, Antibiotics, Rhizobacteria, Bioremediation, Biocontrol, Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria Hafnia alvei is a Gram-negative, rod- shaped, facul- tatively anaerobic psychrotrophic bacterium. It is com- monly isolated from clinical materials, gastrointestinal tract of animals, plant surfaces, soil, and water [4]. Some strains are commensals of the gastrointestinal tract while others are opportunistic pathogens implicated in both nosocomial and community-acquired infections [5, 6]. It is almost never associated with antibiotic produc- tion except for the antimicrobial activities reported for a strain isolated from the gut of honeybees [7]. Phyloge- netic studies of this little-known species have shown its pan-genome to be open and dynamic with each strain possessing sets of unique genes [8]. Unique gene acquisi- tion is mainly by horizontal gene transfer, and it reflects the adaptation of strains to their remarkably diverse natural habitats. Strains show considerable metabolic The complete genome sequence of Hafnia alvei A23BA; a potential antibiotic‑producing rhizobacterium Opeyemi K. Awolope1  , Noelle H. O’Driscoll1  , Alberto Di Salvo1  and Andrew J. Lamb2* Awolope et al. BMC Res Notes (2021) 14:8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-020-05418-2 Awolope et al. BMC Res Notes (2021) 14:8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-020-05418-2 BMC Research Notes BMC Research Notes Open Access Objective Bacterial secondary metabolites are invaluable sources of novel bioactive compounds. Many clinically useful anti- biotics were derived from the secondary metabolites of soil dwelling bacteria [1]. However, only a small fraction of all known species have had their metabolites exploited in this way [2]. To this end, we sought to isolate novel antibiotic-producing bacterial strains from soil samples collected from the rhizosphere as antibiosis occurs natu- rally within it [3]. H. alvei A23BA was recovered as part of this effort. *Correspondence: a.lamb@rgu.ac.uk 2 Graduate School, Robert Gordon University, The Ishbel Gordon Building, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen AB10 7QE, Scotland Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Awolope et al. BMC Res Notes (2021) 14:8 Page 2 of 4 and one plasmid) were identified with a total length of 4,772,047  bp, N50 value of 4,687,005  bp and #N’s per 100 kbp value of 0 (data file 4) [18]. Assembly complete- ness was assessed with BUSCO [19] v3.0.2 and found to be 99.5% (data file 5) [20]. Identity was confirmed as H. alvei by ANI analysis using the FastANI tool [21], with the ANI value of 97.8167. Gene and functional annota- tions were performed with PGAP [22] v4.11 and RAS- Ttk [23]; pathways analyses were performed using the KEGG database [24] Rel 93.0 and the eggNOG mapper [25] vs 2.0.0. smBGCs were identified with antiSMASH [26] v5.0. Genome map was drawn with CGView [27] and presented in data file 6 [28]. pathway diversity and varied biosynthetic potentials because of the open pan-genome making them good mining candidates for novel metabolites. Consequently, the genome of H. alvei A23BA was sequenced to enable mining for potential antibiotic- encoding secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clus- ters (smBGCs) that show little or no homology to known smBGCs. Furthermore, assembled genomes of H. alvei in public repositories are typically of clinical, human or food isolates, to the best of our knowledge, the complete genome sequence of H. alvei A23BA represents the first published complete genome sequence of a soil isolate. i In summary, the complete genome sequence of H. alvei A23BA is 4,772,047 bp in size with the overall GC content of 48.77% and sequencing coverage of 256.0 x. It comprises of one circular chromosome (4,687,005 bp; GC content 48.8%) and one circular plasmid (85,042 bp; GC content 47.2%). Genomic features include 4,217 CDSs, 25 rRNA, 92 tRNA, 8 ncRNA, 30 pseudogenes and 2 CRISPRs. Thiopeptide, beta-lactone (both showing lit- tle or no homology to known smBGCs) and siderophore smBGCs were identified (data file 7) [29]. Thiopeptides and beta-lactones are known for their antibiotic and/or anticancer activities [30, 31], while siderophores are used clinically as “Trojan horse” to deliver antibiotics to anti- biotic resistant bacteria [32]. Gene clusters commonly associated with bioremediation, biocontrol, environmen- tal adaptation, and plant growth promotion were also identified (data file 8) [33]. Please see Table 1 for links to data files 1–8. Data description H. alvei A23BA was recovered from the rhizosphere of a garden plant in Aberdeen, Scotland (57.101 N 2.078 W). It was isolated using an ultra-minimal substrate medium (Data file 1) [9]. Upon isolation and strain purification, isolate was cultivated in nutrient broth (Oxoid, UK) at 37  °C for 24  h. Overnight culture was centrifuged and gDNA was extracted from pellets with the DNeasy® Ultraclean® Microbial Kit for DNA Isolation (Qiagen, UK). Isolate was preliminarily identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison as H. alvei with 99% identity score. Libraries were subsequently prepared from extracted gDNA by MicrobesNG (Birmingham, UK) for whole genome sequencing. For Illumina sequencing, libraries were prepared using the Nextera XT Library Prep Kit (Illumina, USA) and sequenced with the Illumina HiSeq system using a 250 bp paired end protocol. For GridION (Oxford nanopore) sequencing, libraries were prepared with Oxford nanopore SQK-RBK004 kit and/or SQK- LSK109 kit with Native Barcoding EXP-NBD104/114 (ONT, UK) using 400-500  ng HMW DNA. Sequencing was performed on a FLO-MIN106 (R.9.4 or R.9.4.1) flow cell in a GridION (ONT, UK). i Given the quality control measures applied and results of analyses undertaken, we believe Hafnia alvei strain A23BA chromosome, complete genome [34] represents a high-quality dataset that would expedite the exploration of the biosynthetic and metabolic potentials of H. alvei A23BA and would also enrich the comparative genomics study of H. alvei strains. Illumina sequencing run produced 4,973,530 short reads that were trimmed and paired using Trimmo- matic [10] v0.30 with a sliding window quality cut-off of Q15. Ninety eight percent of reads were retained, and quality was assessed with FastQC [11] v0.11.8. Mean phred score across each base position was assessed with MultiQC [12] and found to be ≥ 28 (Data file 2) [13]. GridION sequencing run produced 18,642 reads with the mean read quality score of 10.5 (data file 3) [14] as assessed with NanoStat [15]. Paired short reads and long reads from GridION sequencing were assembled with Unicycler [16] v0.4.8.0. Assembly quality was assessed with QUAST [17] v5.0.2- two contigs (one chromosome g This project was supported by Tenovus Scotland (Grant Number G16.04). g This project was supported by Tenovus Scotland (Grant Number G16.04). g j 3. Lugtenberg B, Kamilova F. Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2009;63:541–56. https​://doi.org/10.1146/annur​ev.micro​ .62.08130​7.16291​8. Received: 12 August 2020 Accepted: 9 December 2020 Received: 12 August 2020 Accepted: 9 December 2020 Received: 12 August 2020 Accepted: 9 December 2020 Author details 1 School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Sir Ian Wood Building, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen AB10 7GJ, Scotland. 2 Graduate School, Robert Gordon University, The Ishbel Gordon Building, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen AB10 7QE, Scotland. Limitationsh This dataset was generated from a hybrid assembly to ensure accuracy and completeness. Furthermore, the hybrid assembler (Unicycler) autocorrects read errors and polishes final assemblies several times to ensure accuracy. Annotations and metabolic pathway analyses were carried out with robust and validated bioinformat- ics tools, and smBGCs were identified with the most comprehensive genome mining tool to date. Therefore, the authors are currently unaware of any limitations of the data. Awolope et al. BMC Res Notes (2021) 14:8 Page 3 of 4 Awolope et al. BMC Res Notes Table 1  Overview of data files/data sets Label Name of data file/data set File types (file extension) Data repository and identifier (DOI or accession number) Data file 1 Composition of ultra-minimal substrate growth medium Portable Document Format file (.pdf) https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12781​ 193.v [9] Data file 2 Quality distribution of Illumina reads Joint Photographic Experts Group file (.jpg) https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12643​ 961.v1 [13] Data file 3 Basic quality statistics of GridION sequenc- ing data Portable Document Format file (.pdf) https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12781​ 280.v1 [14] Data file 4 Quast report Portable Document Format file (.pdf) https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12781​ 289.v1 [18] Data file 5 Short BUSCO summary Joint Photographic Experts Group file (.jpg) https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12643​ 937.v1 [20] Data file 6 Circular representation of H. alvei A23BA genome Joint Photographic Experts Group file (.jpg) https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12643​ 949.v1 [28] Data file 7 Predicted smBGCs of interest in H. alvei A23BA genome Portable Document Format file (.pdf) https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12781​ 274.v1 [29] Data file 8 Other gene clusters of interest in H. alvei A23BA genome Portable Document Format file (.pdf) https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.13309​ 049.v1 [33] Data set 1 Illumina and GridION sequencing reads Fastq file (.fastq.gz) https​://ident​ifier​s.org/ncbi/insdc​.sra:SRP25​ 1948 [35] Data set 2 Genome assembly of H. alvei A23BA Fasta file (.fna) https​://ident​ifier​s.org/ncbi/insdc​ .gca:GCF_01161​7105.1 [36] https​://ident​ifier​s.org/ncbi/insdc​ .gca:GCF_01161​7105.1 [36] Authors’ contributions The project was conceived and designed by OKA and AJL. Data acquisition was performed by OKA. Data analysis and interpretation was performed by OKA, NHO, ADS and AJL. The project was jointly supervised by NHO, ADS and AJL. AJL was the principal investigator. The manuscript was written by OKA and revised by NHO, ADS and AJL. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. References 1. Bérdy J. Bioactive microbial metabolites. J Antibiot. 2005;58:1–26. https​:// doi.org/10.1038/ja.2005.1. 1. Bérdy J. Bioactive microbial metabolites. J Antibiot. 2005;58:1–26. https​:// doi.org/10.1038/ja.2005.1. 2. Bérdy J. Thoughts and facts about antibiotics: where we are now and where we are heading. J Antibiot. 2012;65:385–95. https​://doi. org/10.1038/ja.2012.27. Acknowledgements G Genome sequencing was provided by MicrobesNG (http://www.micro​besng​ .uk) which is supported by the BBSRC (Grant Number BB/L024209/1). Availability of data and materialsi Data files 1–8 described in this Data note can be freely and openly accessed on Figshare (https​://figsh​are.com/) [9, 13, 14, 18, 20, 28, 29, 33]. Data sets 1 and 2 can be freely and openly accessed on the NCBI database. Illumina and GridION reads generated have been deposited in the Sequence Read Archive under accession number SRP251948 (Data set 1) [35]. The genome assembly of H. alvei A23BA has been deposited in GenBank under accession number GCF_011617105.1 (Dataset 2) [36]. The BioProject accession number for the entire project is PRJNA610978. See Table 1 and references for details and links to the data. 4. Rodríguez LA, Vivas J, Gallardo CS, Acosta F, Barbeyto L, Real F. Identifica- tion of Hafnia alvei with the MicroScan WalkAway system. J Clin Microbiol. 1999;37:4186–8. https​://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.37.12.4186-4188.1999. 5. Legrand R, Lucas N, Dominique M, Azhar S, Deroissart C, Le Solliec MA, et al. Commensal Hafnia alvei strain reduces food intake and fat mass in obese mice-a new potential probiotic for appetite and body weight management. Int J Obes. 2020;44:1041–51. https​://doi.org/10.1038/s4136​ 6-019-0515-9. 6. Günthard H, Pennekamp A. Clinical significance of Extraintestinal Hafnia alvei isolates from 61 patients and review of the literature. Clin Infect Dis. 1996;22:1040–5. https​://doi.org/10.1093/clini​ds/22.6.1040. Abbreviations GC: Guanine-Cytosine; CDSs: Coding sequences; RNA: Ribonucleic acid; rRNA: Ribosomal ribonucleic acid; tRNA: Transfer ribonucleic acid; ncRNA: Non-coding ribonucleic acid; CRISPRs: Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats; DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid; gDNA: Genomic deoxyribo- nucleic acid; smBGCs: Secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters; ONT: Oxford Nanopore technology; HMW: High molecular weight; #N’s: Average number of uncalled bases; ANI: Average nucleotide identity. Ethics approval and consent to participate Not applicable. Page 4 of 4 Awolope et al. BMC Res Notes (2021) 14:8 Awolope et al. BMC Res Notes (2021) 14:8 7. Tian B, Moran NA. Genome sequence of Hafnia alvei bta3_1, a bacterium with antimicrobial properties isolated from honey bee gut. Genome Announc. 2016;4:e00439-16. https​://doi.org/10.1128/genom​eA.00439​-16. 7. Tian B, Moran NA. Genome sequence of Hafnia alvei bta3_1, a bacterium with antimicrobial properties isolated from honey bee gut. Genome Announc. 2016;4:e00439-16. https​://doi.org/10.1128/genom​eA.00439​-16. 23. Brettin T, Davis JJ, Disz T, Edwards RA, Gerdes S, Olsen GJ, et al. RASTtk: a modular and extensible implementation of the RAST algorithm for build- ing custom annotation pipelines and annotating batches of genomes. Sci Rep. 2015;5:8365. https​://doi.org/10.1038/srep0​8365. g g Sci Rep. 2015;5:8365. https​://doi.org/10.1038/srep0​8365. 8. Yin Z, Yuan C, Du Y, Yang P, Qian C, Wei Y, et al. Comparative genomic analysis of the Hafnia genus reveals an explicit evolutionary relationship between the species alvei and paralvei and provides insights into patho- genicity. BMC Genomics. 2019;20:768. https​://doi.org/10.1186/s1286​ 4-019-6123-1. 8. Yin Z, Yuan C, Du Y, Yang P, Qian C, Wei Y, et al. Comparative genomic analysis of the Hafnia genus reveals an explicit evolutionary relationship between the species alvei and paralvei and provides insights into patho- genicity. BMC Genomics. 2019;20:768. https​://doi.org/10.1186/s1286​ 4-019-6123-1. 24. Kanehisa M, Goto S. KEGG: kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes. Nucleic Acids Res. 2000;28:27–30. https​://doi.org/10.1093/nar/28.1.27. 25. Huerta-Cepas J, Forslund K, Coelh LP, Szklarczyk D, Jensen LJ, von Mering C, et al. Fast genome-wide functional annotation through orthology assignment by eggNOG-mapper. Mol Biol Evol. 2017;34:2115–22. https​:// doi.org/10.1093/molbe​v/msx14​8. 9. Data File 1: Composition of ultra-minimal substrate growth medium. Figshare. 2020. https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12781​193.v1. 9. Data File 1: Composition of ultra-minimal substrate growth medium. Figshare. 2020. https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12781​193.v1. g 26. Blin K, Shaw S, Steinke K, Villebro R, Ziemert N, Lee SY, et al. antiSMASH 50: updates to the secondary metabolite genome mining pipeline. Nucleic Acids Res. 2019;47:W81–7. https​://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkz31​0. 10. Bolger AM, Lohse M, Usadel B. Trimmomatic: a flexible trimmer for Illumina sequence data. Bioinformatics. 2014;30:2114–20. https​://doi. org/10.1093/bioin​forma​tics/btu17​0. 10. Bolger AM, Lohse M, Usadel B. Trimmomatic: a flexible trimmer for Illumina sequence data. Bioinformatics. 2014;30:2114–20. https​://doi. org/10.1093/bioin​forma​tics/btu17​0. 11. Andrews S. FastQC: a quality control tool for high throughput sequence data. http://www.bioin​forma​tics.babra​ham.ac.uk/proje​cts/fastq​c/ (2010). 11. Andrews S. FastQC: a quality control tool for high throughput sequence data. http://www.bioin​forma​tics.babra​ham.ac.uk/proje​cts/fastq​c/ (2010). 27. Stothard P, Grant JR, Van Domselaar G. Visualizing and comparing circular genomes using the CGView family of tools. Brief Bioinform. Ethics approval and consent to participate 2019;20:1576–82. https​://doi.org/10.1093/bib/bbx08​1. 12. Ewels P, Magnusson M, Lundin S, Käller M. MultiQC: summarize analysis results for multiple tools and samples in a single report. Bioinformatics. 2016;32:3047–8. https​://doi.org/10.1093/bioin​forma​tics/btw35​4. 28. Data file 6: Circular representation of H. alvei A23BA genome. Figshare. https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12643​949.v1 (2020). gi g 29. Data file 7: Predicted smBGCs of interest in H. alvei A23BA genome. Figshare. https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12781​274.v1 (2020). 13. Data file 2: Quality distribution of Illumina reads. Figshare https​://doi. org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12643​961.v1 (2020). i 14. Data file 3: Basic quality statistics of GridION sequencing data. Figshare https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12781​280.v1 (2020). i 30. Just-Baringo X, Albericio F, Álvarez M. Thiopeptide antibiotics: retro- spective and recent advances. Mar Drugs. 2014;12:317–51. https​://doi. org/10.3390/md120​10317​. i 15. De Coster W, D’Hert S, Schultz DT, Cruts M, Van Broeckhoven C. NanoPack: visualizing and processing long-read sequencing data. Bioinformatics. 2018;34:2666–9. https​://doi.org/10.1093/bioin​forma​tics/bty14​9. 31. Robinson SL, Christenson JK, Wackett LP. Biosynthesis and chemical diver- sity of β-lactone natural products. Nat Prod Rep. 2019;36:458–75. https​:// doi.org/10.1039/c8np0​0052b​. y 16. Wick RR, Judd LM, Gorrie CL, Holt KE. Unicycler: resolving bacterial genome assemblies from short and long sequencing reads. PLoS Com- put Biol. 2017;13:1–22. https​://doi.org/10.1371/journ​al.pcbi.10055​95. 32. Saha M, Sarkar S, Sarkar B, Sharma BK, Bhattacharjee S, Tribedi P. Microbial siderophores and their potential applications: a review. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2016;23:3984–99. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s1135​6-015-4294-0. 17. Gurevich A, Saveliev V, Vyahhi N, Tesler G. QUAST: quality assessment tool for genome assemblies. Bioinformatics. 2013;29:1072–5. https​://doi. org/10.1093/bioin​forma​tics/btt08​6. p g 33. Data file 8: Other gene clusters of interest in H. alvei A23BA genome. Figshare. https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12781​181.v1 (2020). i 34. Awolope, OK, Di Salvo A, O’Driscoll NH, Lamb AJ. Hafnia alvei strain A23BA chromosome, complete genome. GenBank. https​://ident​ifier​s.org/ insdc​:CP050​150 (2020). 18. Data file 4: Quast report. Figshare https​://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figsh​ are.12781​289.v1. (2020). 19. Simão FA, Waterhouse RM, Ioannidis P, Kriventseva EV, Zdobnov EM. BUSCO: assessing genome assembly and annotation completeness with single-copy orthologs. Bioinformatics. 2015;31:3210–2. https​://doi. org/10.1093/bioin​forma​tics/btv35​1. 35. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Sequence Read Archive. https​://ident​ifier​s.org/ncbi/insdc​.sra:SRP25​1948 (2020). i 36. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Assembly. https​://ident​ ifier​s.org/ncbi/insdc​.gca:GCF_01161​7105.1 (2020). 20. Data file 5: Short BUSCO summary. Figshare. 2020. https​://doi. org/10.6084/m9.figsh​are.12643​937.v1. 21. Jain C, Rodriguez-R LM, Phillippy AM, Konstantinidis KT, Aluru S. High throughput ANI analysis of 90K prokaryotic genomes reveals clear spe- cies boundaries. Nat Commun. 2018;9:5114. https​://doi.org/10.1038/ s4146​7-018-07641​-9. Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in pub- lished maps and institutional affiliations. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in pub- lished maps and institutional affiliations. 22. Tatusova T, DiCuccio M, Badretdin A, Chetvernin V, Nawrocki EP, Zaslavsky L, et al. NCBI prokaryotic genome annotation pipeline. Nucleic Acids Res. 2016;44:6614–24. https​://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkw56​9. • fast, convenient online submission • thorough peer review by experienced researchers in your field • rapid publication on acceptance • support for research data, including large and complex data types • gold Open Access which fosters wider collaboration and increased citations maximum visibility for your research: over 100M website views per year • At BMC, research is always in progress. Learn more biomedcentral.com/submissions Ready to submit your research Ready to submit your research ? Choose BMC and benefit from: ? Choose BMC and benefit from: • fast, convenient online submission • thorough peer review by experienced researchers in your field • rapid publication on acceptance • support for research data, including large and complex data types • gold Open Access which fosters wider collaboration and increased citations maximum visibility for your research: over 100M website views per year • At BMC, research is always in progress. Learn more biomedcentral.com/submissions Ready to submit your research Ready to submit your research ? Choose BMC and benefit from: ? Choose BMC and benefit from: • fast, convenient online submission • thorough peer review by experienced researchers in your field • rapid publication on acceptance • support for research data, including large and complex data types • gold Open Access which fosters wider collaboration and increased citations maximum visibility for your research: over 100M website views per year • At BMC, research is always in progress. Learn more biomedcentral.com/submissions Ready to submit your research Ready to submit your research ? Choose BMC and benefit from: ? Choose BMC and benefit from:
https://openalex.org/W4361889570
https://aacr.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplemental_Figure_2_from_Tumor_Analyses_Reveal_Squamous_Transformation_and_Off-Target_Alterations_As_Early_Resistance_Mechanisms_to_First-line_Osimertinib_in_i_EGFR_i_-Mutant_Lung_Cancer/22478855/1/files/39930353.pdf
English
null
Supplemental Figure 2 from Tumor Analyses Reveal Squamous Transformation and Off-Target Alterations As Early Resistance Mechanisms to First-line Osimertinib in &lt;i&gt;EGFR&lt;/i&gt;-Mutant Lung Cancer
null
2,023
cc-by
417
Supplemental Figure 2 Supplemental Figure 2 FIRST LINE SECOND LINE STUDY MSK cohort AURA FLAURA MSK cohort AURA Le et al. Piotrowska et al. Oxnard et al. Supplemental Figure 2 Cohort size 27 19 91 35 73 39 32-41 41 EGFR C797X EGFR L792X EGFR L718Q EGFR G724S EGFR S768I EGFR Ex20ins EGFR G796S EGFR amp MET amp HER2 amp KRAS amp PIK3CA amp KRASm BRAF V600E PIK3CAm JAK2m ERBB2m MEK1m ALK fusion FGFR3 fusion NTRK fusion RET fusion BRAF fusion MET exon 14 Small cell trans Squamous cell trans Pleormorphic trans - - - 1 (4%) - - - 2 (11%) - - - - - - 7 (8%) - 2 (%) - 1 (1%) 1 (1%) - 10 (29%) - - - 1 (3%) - - 11 (15%) 2 (3%) 1 (1%) - - 1 (1%) 1 (1%) 9 (23%) 3 (8%) 1 (3%) 1 (3%) - - - 13 (32%) 2 (5%) 1 (2%) 1 (2%) - - - 9 (22%) 1 (2%) - 1 (2%) - - - 1 (4%) 2 (7%) - - - 1 (5%) 1 (5%) - 1 (5%) - - 14 (15%) 2 (2%) - - 2 (6%) 2 (6%) - - - - 14 (19%) 4 (5%) - 3 (4%) 3 (8%) 4 (10%) 3 (8%) 2 (5%) 1 (3%) 14 (36%) 10 (26%) 2 (5%) 3 (7%) 1 (2%) - 4 (10%) - - - 1 (4%) - - - - - 1 (5%) - 1 (5%) 1 (5%) 1 (5%) 1 (5%) 3 (3%) 3 (3%) 6 (7%) - 1 (1%) - 1 (3%) - - - 1 (3%) - 1 (1%) 2 (3%) 1 (1%) - - - 1 (3%) - 2 (5%) - 1 (3%) - - - 1 (2%) 1 (2%) - - 2 (5%) 1 (2%) 4 (10%) - - - - - - 1 (4%) 1 (4%) - - - - - - - 1 (1%) - - - - - 2 (6%) - - - 1 (3%) 1 (3%) - 1 (1%) 1 (1%) 1 (1%) - - - - - 1 (3%) - - - - 1 (3%) 2 (5%) 3 (8%) - 1 (2%) 1 (2%) - 1 (2%) 1 (2%) - 1 (4%) 2 (7%) 1 (4%) - - - - - - 2 (6%) 3 (9%) - - - - 1 (3%) - - 2 (6%) 1 (3%) - 6 (15%) 2 (5%) - On-target: EGFR Off-target: opy-number Off-target: mutations Off-target: fusions Histologic nsformation SECOND LINE
https://openalex.org/W2604582417
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc5401728?pdf=render
English
null
Electrical Stimulation for Wound-Healing: Simulation on the Effect of Electrode Configurations
BioMed research international
2,017
cc-by
6,668
1. Introduction membrane of the skin’s mucosal surface, a transepithelial potential difference (TEPD) is established [6, 7]. And once the epidermis is broken, an electrical leak is produced since the resistance of the wounded site is lower than that of the normal skin. An endogenous EF is then created by reason of the net movement of ions within the layer between the epidermis and the dermis.h A wound is a type of injury in which the skin epithelial layer is broken [1], and the break may go beyond the skin epidermis to deeper layers such as the dermis, the subcutis, and muscle. In 1843, Du Bois-Reymond first measured an electric current of 1 𝜇A flowing out of a cut on his finger [2, 3], and more recently, currents of 35 and 10∼30 𝜇A/cm2 were recorded in the amputated fingers of children and the wounds of guinea pigs, respectively [4]. Since then, it has been demonstrated that endogenous DC electric fields (EFs) occur naturally, in vivo around wounds. An electric potential difference of 30∼100 mV, known as the transepithelial potential (TEP), was measured between the epidermis and the dermis in the normal skin of a cavy [4]. Nuccitelli et al. reported that the mean lateral electric field in the space between the epidermis and stratum corneum adjacent to a lancet wound was around 100∼200 mV/mm, and this value was largest in fresh wounds and slowly declined as the wound closed [5]. The TEP is known to occur as a result of the accumulations of negative and positive charges on the surface of and inside the epidermis, respectively. When the ion channels of Na+, K+, and Na+/K+ ATPase distribute unevenly in the apical This endogenous EF is highly involved in the wound- healing process mainly through its effects on protein synthe- sis and cell migration [8–10]. G. J. Bourguignon and L. Y. W. Bourguignon exposed human fibroblasts to high voltage, pulsed current stimulation (HVPCS) to increase the healing rate of soft tissue injuries [11]. Hindawi BioMed Research International Volume 2017, Article ID 5289041, 9 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5289041 Hindawi BioMed Research International Volume 2017, Article ID 5289041, 9 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5289041 Research Article Electrical Stimulation for Wound-Healing: Simulation on the Effect of Electrode Configurations Yung-Shin Sun Department of Physics, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan Correspondence should be addressed to Yung-Shin Sun; 089957@mail.fju.edu.tw Received 29 November 2016; Revised 22 February 2017; Accepted 21 March 2017; Published Academic Editor: Subhas Gupta Yung-Shin Sun Department of Physics, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan Correspondence should be addressed to Yung-Shin Sun; 089957@mail.fju.edu.tw Received 29 November 2016; Revised 22 February 2017; Accepted 21 March 2017; Published 9 April 2017 Copyright © 2017 Yung-Shin Sun. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Endogenous electric field is known to play important roles in the wound-healing process, mainly through its effects on protein synthesis and cell migration. Many clinical studies have demonstrated that electrical stimulation (ES) with steady direct currents is beneficial to accelerating wound-healing, even though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, a three-dimensional finite element wound model was built to optimize the electrode configuration in ES. Four layers of the skin, stratum corneum, epidermis, dermis, and subcutis, with defined thickness and electrical properties were modeled. The main goal was to evaluate the distributions of exogenous electric fields delivered with direct current (DC) stimulation using different electrode configurations such as sizes and positions. Based on the results, some guidelines were obtained in designing the electrode configuration for applications of clinical ES. 2. Materials and Methods Within the biological tissue, the electric field resulting from constant DC can be treated as quasi-stationary over time. Steady EFs are established by flowing constant DC through volume conductors with homogeneous and isotropic electri- cal properties such as conductivity and relative permittivity. Under this circumstance, the distribution of electric potential (𝑉) is governed by the Laplace equation, ∇2𝑉= 0, with appropriate boundary conditions. In the Dirichlet boundary condition, a fixed scalar potential, the applied voltage, is specified on the surface of the model. i g Knowing that the endogenous EF is highly involved in the wound-healing process, researchers have also demonstrated that exogenous EFs are beneficial for the healing of wounds in both animal and human models [18–24]. Electrotherapies including microcurrent electrical stimulation (MES) [25] and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) [26] have become a current trend in wound-healing applications. Depending on the type of currents, ES can be divided into three categories: DC, alternating current (AC), and pulsed current (PC) [8, 27, 28]. In 1968, DC was first applied on human wounds, showing that patients with chronic leg ulcers healed after 50∼100 𝜇A DC treatments for six weeks [29]. Car- ley and Wainapel observed that low intensity direct current (LIDC) in the range of 200 to 800 𝜇A yielded 1.5 to 2.5 times faster wound-healing rates in thirty patients with indolent ulcers located either below the knee or in the sacral area [18]. Symmetric square wave (an AC form) and asymmetric biphasic pulsed wave (a PC form) were applied on wounds. Baker et al. evaluated the effects of these two stimulation waveforms on healing rates in patients with diabetes and open ulcers. They found that electrical stimulation, given daily with a short pulsed, asymmetric biphasic waveform, enhanced healing by nearly 60% over the control rate of healing [21]. 2.1. The Wound Model. A three-dimensional finite element wound model was built using the software COMSOL Multi- physics (MI, USA). The geometry of the wound and the skin is shown in Figure 1(a) with dimensions listed in Table 1. The outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum, has a thickness of 0.014 mm and is composed of 15∼20 layers of flattened cells. The epidermis, having a thickness of 0.3 mm, is composed of proliferating basal and differentiated suprabasal keratinocytes. The dermis, consisting of connective tissues, has a thickness of 2.2 mm. 1. Introduction found that primary human keratinocytes migrated randomly on collagen substrates in EFs of 5 mV/mm or less, but in fields greater than 50 mV/mm they migrated toward the cathode pole of the field [16]. Cooper and Schliwa showed that, in EFs of 0.5∼15 V/cm, single epidermal cells, cell clusters, and cell sheets migrated toward the cathode, with clusters and sheets breaking apart into single migratory cells in the upper range of these field strengths [17]. g The present study was aimed to optimize the DC stimu- lation therapy for wound-healing enhancement. Given that the endogenous EF is beneficial and necessary for wound- healing, it is important to determine the parameters in exoge- nous electrotherapy. We built a three-dimensional wound model consisting of different tissue types in the skin layers. Using the finite element method (FEM) and the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics, we simulated the distribu- tion of EF near the wounded area under different electrode configurations and further compared these results with what were observed in the endogenous case. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of electrode configurations, including sizes and positions, on the EFs produced around the wound. The total power dissipation due to Joule heating in different skin layers was also discussed. 1. Introduction Cooper and Schliwa showed that, in EFs of 0.5∼15 V/cm, single epidermal cells, cell clusters, and cell sheets migrated toward the cathode, with clusters and sheets breaking apart into single migratory cells in the upper range of these field strengths [17]. Electrical nerve stimulation (ENS) was applied to patients with stasis ulcers, indicating an increase in the healing rate from 15% (sham treatment) to 42% after 12 weeks of treatment [30]. Moreover, low voltage PC (LVPC) [31, 32] and high voltage PC (HVPC) [33–35] electrotherapies have been shown to accelerate wound-healing in many clinical studies. For example, doubled-peaked monophasic impulses of a total duration of 0.1 ms, frequency of 100 Hz, and amplitude of 100 V were demonstrated to be an efficient method for better healing of crural ulceration [36].h electrotaxis or galvanotaxis, describes the directional migra- tion of cells toward the cathode or anode of an applied EF. There are three sequential, distinct, but overlapped phases involved in a normal wound-healing process: the inflamma- tory, the proliferation, and the remodeling phases. During the inflammatory phase, the endogenous EF enhances autolysis and phagocytosis by means of the electrotaxis of macrophages and neutrophils. Investigators have shown that macrophages exposed to a 1 Hz and 2 V/cm EF exhibited an induced migra- tion velocity of around 5.2 × 10−2 𝜇m/min on a glass substrate, possibly due to EF exposure inducing the reorganization of microfilaments from ring-like structures to podosomes [12]. Also, Kindzelskii and Petty reported that the application of extremely low-frequency pulsed DCEFs that were frequency- and phase-matched with endogenous metabolic oscillations led to greatly exaggerated neutrophil extension and metabolic resonance [13]. As the proliferative phase begins, EF promotes fibroplasia by guiding fibroblasts toward the wounded area. Guo et al. demonstrated that human dermal fibroblasts of both primary and cell-line cultures migrated directionally toward the anode in an EF of 50∼100 mV/mm [14]. Chao et al. applied static and pulsed DCEFs to calf anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) fibroblasts and found that these cells showed enhanced migration speed and perpendicular alignment to the applied EFs [15]. In the remodeling phase, EF accelerates wound contraction and epithelialization by directing the migration of myofibroblasts, keratinocytes, and epidermal cells near the wounded area. Nishimura et al. 1. Introduction It was found that the rates of both protein and DNA syntheses were significantly increased by specific combinations of HVPCS voltage and pulse rate; the optimal EFs of protein and DNA syntheses were measured to be 6.7 and 10 V/cm, respectively, with a pulse rate of 100 pulses/sec and the cells located near the negative electrode, and HVPCS intensities greater than 250 V, corresponding to EFs higher than 33.3 V/cm, inhibited both protein and DNA syntheses. Moreover, it has long been proposed that, near the wounded area, cells migrate in response to the endoge- nous EF to repair the wound. This phenomenon, known as 2 BioMed Research International electrotaxis or galvanotaxis, describes the directional migra- tion of cells toward the cathode or anode of an applied EF. There are three sequential, distinct, but overlapped phases involved in a normal wound-healing process: the inflamma- tory, the proliferation, and the remodeling phases. During the inflammatory phase, the endogenous EF enhances autolysis and phagocytosis by means of the electrotaxis of macrophages and neutrophils. Investigators have shown that macrophages exposed to a 1 Hz and 2 V/cm EF exhibited an induced migra- tion velocity of around 5.2 × 10−2 𝜇m/min on a glass substrate, possibly due to EF exposure inducing the reorganization of microfilaments from ring-like structures to podosomes [12]. Also, Kindzelskii and Petty reported that the application of extremely low-frequency pulsed DCEFs that were frequency- and phase-matched with endogenous metabolic oscillations led to greatly exaggerated neutrophil extension and metabolic resonance [13]. As the proliferative phase begins, EF promotes fibroplasia by guiding fibroblasts toward the wounded area. Guo et al. demonstrated that human dermal fibroblasts of both primary and cell-line cultures migrated directionally toward the anode in an EF of 50∼100 mV/mm [14]. Chao et al. applied static and pulsed DCEFs to calf anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) fibroblasts and found that these cells showed enhanced migration speed and perpendicular alignment to the applied EFs [15]. In the remodeling phase, EF accelerates wound contraction and epithelialization by directing the migration of myofibroblasts, keratinocytes, and epidermal cells near the wounded area. Nishimura et al. found that primary human keratinocytes migrated randomly on collagen substrates in EFs of 5 mV/mm or less, but in fields greater than 50 mV/mm they migrated toward the cathode pole of the field [16]. 2. Materials and Methods This electrode covered the whole wounded area and was grounded at 0 mV. The remaining intact skin was covered with the positive electrode assigned an electric potential of 30 mV. In the second configuration (Geo 2), the negative electrode, with a diameter of 3 mm, was placed on the center of the wound. There was a ring-shaped gap of 0.5 mm between the positive (30 mV) and negative (grounded) electrodes. In the third configuration (Geo 3), the negative electrode covered the 2.3. Simulation Conditions. The wound model was first used to simulate the distribution of endogenous EF around the wounded area. A potential difference of 30 mV was estab- lished between the top of the stratum corneum and the bottom of the epidermis. The ground (0 V) was set on the surface of uninjured skin and a potential of 30 mV was placed on the interface between epidermis and dermis. Further, this model was applied to studying the effects of arrangements and sizes of electrodes on the distribution of exogenous EFs. We would like to find the optimal electrode configuration that has a synergistic effect to the existing endogenous EF. The top view of the five electrode configurations is shown in Figure 2. In the first configuration (Geo 1), the diameter of the circular, negative electrode was 4 mm. This electrode covered the whole wounded area and was grounded at 0 mV. The remaining intact skin was covered with the positive electrode assigned an electric potential of 30 mV. In the second configuration (Geo 2), the negative electrode, with a diameter of 3 mm, was placed on the center of the wound. There was a ring-shaped gap of 0.5 mm between the positive (30 mV) and negative (grounded) electrodes. In the third configuration (Geo 3), the negative electrode covered the 2.2. Tissue Properties. The electrical properties of different skin layers are listed in Table 1 [37–41]. For simplicity, the four skin layers were modeled as homogenous, isotropic conduc- tors with constant conductivities and relative permittivities throughout. The conductivities of the stratum corneum, the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutis were 2 × 10−6, 0.026, 0.222, and 0.08 Sm−1, respectively. The relative permittivities of these four tissues were 5 × 102, 106, 108, and 107, respectively. The conductivity and relative permittivity of the surrounding PBS buffer were 1.4 Sm−1 and 80, respectively. 2. Materials and Methods The underlying subcutis (also called the subcutaneous tissue or the hypodermis), with a thickness of 3 mm, has three types of cells: fibroblasts, adipose cells, and macrophages. The wound and the surrounding tissue were immersed in a salty buffer, phosphate-buffered saline or PBS, for better electrical conductance. Figure 1(b) shows the wound model constructed in COMSOL. Viewing from top, the wound and the skin were modeled as a cylinder with a total thickness of 5.514 mm, and the wound itself had a side view of a triangle with a base of 4 mm and a height of 5.514 mm (see Figure 1(b)). Figure 1(c) shows the BioMed Research International 3 PBS Epidermis Subcutis Dermis Wound Stratum corneum (a) 5mm (b) 5mm (c) Figure 1: (a) The geometry of the wound and the skin (not to scale). (b) The wound model constructed in COMSOL. (c) The finite element mesh constructed in COMSOL. PBS Epidermis Subcutis Dermis Wound Stratum corneum (a) 5mm (b) Wound (a) (b) 5mm (c) (c) Figure 1: (a) The geometry of the wound and the skin (not to scale). (b) The wound model constructed in COMSOL. (c) The finite element mesh constructed in COMSOL. Table 1: Parameters used in the wound model. Thickness (mm) Conductivity (𝜎in Sm−1) Relative permittivity (𝜀𝑟) PBS 1.4 80 Stratum corneum 0.014 2 × 10−6 5 × 102 Epidermis 0.3 0.026 106 Dermis 2.2 0.222 108 Subcutis 3.0 0.08 107 Table 1: Parameters used in the wound model. finite element mesh made of 485,510 tetrahedral elements, 73,114 triangular elements, 3,662 edge elements, and 92 vertex elements. 2.3. Simulation Conditions. The wound model was first used to simulate the distribution of endogenous EF around the wounded area. A potential difference of 30 mV was estab- lished between the top of the stratum corneum and the bottom of the epidermis. The ground (0 V) was set on the surface of uninjured skin and a potential of 30 mV was placed on the interface between epidermis and dermis. Further, this model was applied to studying the effects of arrangements and sizes of electrodes on the distribution of exogenous EFs. We would like to find the optimal electrode configuration that has a synergistic effect to the existing endogenous EF. The top view of the five electrode configurations is shown in Figure 2. In the first configuration (Geo 1), the diameter of the circular, negative electrode was 4 mm. 2. Materials and Methods We neglected the facts that epidermis and dermis are polarized epithelia and there are numerous Na+/K+ pumps on the membranes of each layer. In other words, we were most interested in optimizing the electrode configurations when applying external ES. A more detailed model including polarized epithelia and ion pumps is required if one wants to elucidate the underlying mechanism of the endogenous EF. BioMed Research International Negative electrode No electrode Positive electrode Wound (4mm dia.) + − + − + − + − + − 4mm dia. wound) (20mm dia. with Geo 1 (0.5 mm gap) Geo 2 (2mm gap) Geo 3 (2.5 mm gap) Geo 4 Geo 5 Figure 2: Five electrode configurations used in this study. 4mm dia. wound) (20mm dia. with Geo 1 (0.5 mm gap) Geo 2 (2mm gap) Geo 3 + − (2.5 mm gap) Geo 4 Geo 5 Geo 5 (2.5 mm gap) Geo 4 Negative electrode No electrode Positive electrode Wound (4mm dia.) Figure 2: Five electrode configurations used in this study. Figure 2: Five electrode configurations used in this stud flow, as shown in Figure 4(b), indicates a clockwise current flow outside the skin (the top part of the black loop) and a counterclockwise current flow inside the skin (the top part of the black loop). It is the counterclockwise current that could help in wound-healing because its direction is the same as what is observed in the endogenous EF (see Figure 3(b)) [2, 42–44]. Figures 4(c) and 4(d) show the 2D and 1D EF distributions, respectively, demonstrating a maximum EF of around 40 mV/mm near the edge of the wound (𝑥= 8 mm and 𝑥= 12 mm). whole wounded area (diameter = 4 mm), and there was a ring-shaped gap of 2 mm between it (grounded) and the positive (30 mV) electrode. In the fourth configuration (Geo 4), the positive (30 mV) and negative (grounded) electrodes partially covered the intact skin and the wounded area, respectively, and there was a ring-shaped gap of 2.5 mm in between. In the last configuration (Geo 5), no electrodes were placed on the wound, and the positive (30 mV) and negative (grounded) electrodes covered each side of the intact skin. Figures 5(a)–5(c) show the 1D exogenous EF distributions of the Geo 2, Geo 3, and Geo 4 configurations, respectively. 2. Materials and Methods In these three configurations, the directions of the electric current flows are similar to that observed in Geo 1, being a clockwise current flow outside the skin and a counter- clockwise current flow inside the skin. Therefore, comparing with Figure 3(b), these exogenous EFs could have synergistic effects to the existing endogenous EF. In Geo 2, the maximum EF strength, around 40 mV/mm, occurred near the edge of the wound (𝑥= 8 mm and 𝑥= 12 mm). This value is close to what is observed in Geo 1. However, in Geo 2, the EF decreased gradually outward along the intact skin (𝑥 < 8 mm and 𝑥> 12 mm) and reached zero on the outmost region (𝑥 < 3 mm and 𝑥 > 17 mm). In Geo 3, the EF reached a maximum of around 13 mV/mm near the edge of the wound and then decreased to zero right out of the wound toward to intact skin. The EF distribution in Geo 4 is similar to what is observed in Geo 2, except that the EF had a maximum of only about 22 mV/mm. Figure S1 of the Sup- plementary Material shows the 1D EF distributions combing the endogenous EF with the applied EF in different electrode configurations (see Supplementary Material available online at https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5289041). Comparing all these configurations, we concluded that (1) all configurations resulted in the same electric current flow directions, which 3. Results and Discussion The endogenous EF due to a potential difference of 30 mV between the top of the stratum corneum and the bottom of the epidermis is shown in Figure 3. The EF strength near the edge of the wound (i.e., the junction of the wound and the intact skin) was close to the theoretical value of 30 mV/0.314 mm, or 96 mV/mm, as indicated three- dimensionally (3D) in Figure 3(a). Figure 3(b) shows the direction of the electric current flow, indicating the formation of a current loop (marked as a black loop with arrows). In Figure 3(c), the two-dimensional (2D) EF distribution, taken along the horizontal plane marked red in Figure 1(b) (the middle of the epidermis layer), shows an EF value of around 96 mV/mm near the edge of the wound. In Figure 3(d), the one-dimensional (1D) EF distribution, plotted along the horizontal line marked red in Figure 1(b) (taken as the 𝑥-axis from 0 to 20 mm), further verifies that the EF distributes near the wound edge (𝑥= 8 mm and 𝑥= 12 mm) and drops to zero outward along the intact skin (𝑥< 8 mm and 𝑥> 12 mm). Figure 4(a) represents the 3D exogenous EF distribution in the Geo 1 configuration. Similarly, the EF strength had a maximum near the edge of the wound, and this value decreased sharply to almost zero right out of the wound toward the intact skin. The direction of the electric current BioMed Research International 5 120 0 5mm (V/m) (a) 5mm (b) 120 0 5mm (V/m) (c) 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 −10 0 5 10 (mm) −5 (V/m) (d) Figure 3: (a) 3D distribution of the endogenous EF. (b) Direction of the electric current flow. (c) 2D distribution of the endogenous EF. (d) 1D distribution of the endogenous EF. (V/m) (a) 120 0 5mm (V/m) (c) (V/m) (c) (c) Figure 3: (a) 3D distribution of the endogenous EF. (b) Direction of the electric current flow. (c) 2D distribution of the endogenous EF. (d) 1D distribution of the endogenous EF. 120 0 5mm (V/m) (a) 5mm (b) 120 0 5mm (V/m) (c) 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 (mm) −5 −10 − + (V/m) (d) Figure 4: (a) 3D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 1. (b) Direction of the electric current flow in Geo 1. (c) 2D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 1. 3. Results and Discussion (d) 1D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 1. 120 0 5mm (V/m) (a) 5mm (b) 5mm (b) (b) (a) (b) 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 (mm) −5 −10 − + (V/m) (d) 120 0 5mm (V/m) (c) 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 (mm) −5 −10 − + (V/m) (d) Figure 4: (a) 3D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 1. (b) Direction of the electric current flow in Geo 1. (c) 2D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 1. (d) 1D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 1. 120 0 5mm (V/m) (c) (V/m) (c) (d) (c) Figure 4: (a) 3D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 1. (b) Direction of the electric current flow in Geo 1. (c) 2D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 1. (d) 1D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 1. BioMed Research International 6 BioMed Research Internationa 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 (mm) + − −5 −10 (V/m) (a) 0 4 8 12 16 0 5 10 − (mm) −5 −10 (V/m) (b) 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 + − (mm) −5 −10 (V/m) (c) Figure 5: 1D exogenous EF distributions in (a) Geo 2, (b) Geo 3, and (c) Geo 4. 0 4 8 12 16 0 5 10 − (mm) −5 −10 (V/m) (b) (c) Figure 5: 1D exogenous EF distributions in (a) Geo 2, (b) Geo 3, and (c) Geo 4. and x > 12 mm). Moreover, the maximum EF strength was only around 16 mV/mm. This was simply due to the poor conductance of air, so it would be most helpful to keep the wound in moist, salty surroundings. This agrees with clinical findings that (1) cells die when they dry and (2) endogenous and exogenously enhanced electrotaxis is enhanced in a physiological moist wound environment. are helpful in electrotherapy applications, and (2) Geo 1 and Geo 2 provided the highest EF strength, compared to Geo 3 and Geo 4, indicating that covering the whole unwounded area (intact skin) with the positive electrode and the whole or part of the wounded area with the negative electrode resulted in the optimal configuration in such applications. The 1D EF distribution combining the endogenous EF with the applied EF in different electrode configurations is shown in Figure S1 of the Supplementary Material. 3. Results and Discussion Finally, we investigated the power dissipation density (in W/m3) due to Joule heating in different skin layers, as listed in Table 2. In the case of the endogenous EF, the power dissipation density in the stratum corneum was 8.9 W/m3, and this value decreased to 6.77 W/m3 in the epidermis, to 4.75 W/m3 in the dermis, and to 0.28 W/m3 in the subcutis. In Geo 1, these values were 8.05, 2.14, 2.34, and 0.12 W/m3 in the stratum corneum, the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutis, respectively. In Geo 2∼Geo 4, these values were 6.02∼8.5, 0.39∼1.54, 0.64∼1.82, and 0.03∼0.07 W/m3 in the stratum corneum, the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutis, respectively. In the last configuration (Geo 5), the power dissipation densities were smaller compared to those in other cases, being 1.48 W/m3 in the stratum corneum, 0.36 W/m3 in the epidermis, 0.13 W/m3 in the dermis, and 0.02 W/m3 in the subcutis. These results suggested that most of the electrical energy was dissipated in the stratum corneum since it is the thinnest layer and has the smallest conductivity. According to [45], an absorption of surface power density less than 40 mW/cm2 was considered safe to the skin. In our studies, a power dissipation density of 10 W/m3 corresponded pp y In Geo 5, with the positive and negative electrodes being placed on each side of the intact skin, the directions of the electric current flow were opposite outside and inside the skin, as indicated in Figure 6(a) (see the black loop with arrows). A clockwise current flow was established outside the skin, and a counterclockwise one was observed inside the skin. As shown in Figure 6(b), the EF reached a maximum of about 20 mV/mm near the edge of the wound (𝑥= 8 mm and 𝑥= 12 mm) and decreased gradually to zero outward along the intact skin (𝑥< 8 mm and 𝑥> 12 mm). Clearly, this configuration was not suitable for electrotherapy applications because in the endogenous EF and other exogenous EFs (Geo 1∼Geo 4) there are two current loops distributed symmetrically on each side of the wound but in the current configuration (Geo 5) there is only one current loop. After changing the surrounding medium from PBS to air, the difference in the EF distributions was significant. Conflicts of Interest The author declares that he has no conflicts of interest. 4. Conclusion Knowing that the endogenous EF is beneficial and necessary for wound-healing, we built a three-dimensional wound model consisting of different tissue types in the skin layers to study the effects of electrode configurations, including sizes and positions, on the exogenous EFs produced around the wound. According to the results, different electrode config- urations resulted in different magnitudes and distributions of exogenous EFs. The optimal arrangements were to cover the whole intact skin with the positive electrode and the whole or part of the wounded area with the negative electrode. With a potential difference of 30 mV established between positive and negative electrodes, these optimal configurations exhibited a maximum EF of around 40 mV/mm near the 3. Results and Discussion Finally, by investigating the power dissipation density due to Joule heating in different skin layers, it was concluded that these different electrode configurations with an applied voltage of 30 mV should be harmless to the skin. The present study is beneficial to designing the electrode configuration for applications in clinical electrotherapies. 3. Results and Discussion As shown in Figure 6(c), the EF strength was the highest in the edge of the wound (x = 8 mm and x = 12 mm) and was almost zero right outside of that edge along the intact skin (x < 8 mm 7 BioMed Research International + − 5mm (a) 0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 (mm) −5 −10 (V/m) (b) 0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 (mm) −5 −10 (V/m) (c) Figure 6: (a) Direction of the electric current flow in Geo 5 (Ambient = PBS). (b) 1D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 5 (Ambient = PBS). (c) 1D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 5 (Ambient = air). Figure 6: (a) Direction of the electric current flow in Geo 5 (Ambient = PBS). (b) 1D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 5 (Ambient = PBS). (c) 1D exogenous EF distribution in Geo 5 (Ambient = air). Table 2: Power dissipation densities (W/m3) in different configurations. Endo. EF Geo 1 Geo 2 Geo 3 Geo 4 Geo 5 EF (mV/mm) 96 40 40 13 22 20 Stratum corneum 8.90 8.05 8.50 7.57 6.02 1.48 Epidermis 6.77 2.14 1.54 1.10 0.39 0.36 Dermis 4.75 2.34 1.82 1.16 0.64 0.13 Subcutis 0.28 0.12 0.07 0.04 0.03 0.02 Table 2: Power dissipation densities (W/m3) in different configurations. to only 1.4 × 10−5 mW/cm2 surface power density in the 0.014- mm-thick epidermis. Therefore, these electrotherapies with an applied voltage of 30 mV were thought to be harmless to the skin. edge of the wound, which could have synergistic effects to the existing endogenous EF. The results also indicated that it would be helpful to keep the wound in moist, salty surroundings, comparing to the dry environment. Finally, by investigating the power dissipation density due to Joule heating in different skin layers, it was concluded that these different electrode configurations with an applied voltage of 30 mV should be harmless to the skin. The present study is beneficial to designing the electrode configuration for applications in clinical electrotherapies. edge of the wound, which could have synergistic effects to the existing endogenous EF. The results also indicated that it would be helpful to keep the wound in moist, salty surroundings, comparing to the dry environment. References Kirnap, “A comparative study of the effects of electrical stimulation and laser treatment on experimental wound healing in rats,” Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 147–153, 2004. [8] L. C. Kloth, “Electrical stimulation for wound healing: a review of evidence from in vitro studies, animal experiments, and clinical trials,” International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 23–44, 2005. [25] M. Bayat, Z. Asgari-Moghadam, M. Maroufi, F.-S. Rezaie, M. Bayat, and M. Rakhshan, “Experimental wound healing using microamperage electrical stimulation in rabbits,” Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 219– 226, 2006. [9] K. C. Balakatounis and A. G. Angoules, “Low-intensity elec- trical stimulation in wound healing: review of the efficacy of externally applied currents resembling the current of injury,” Eplasty, vol. 8, p. e28, 2008. [26] R. A. Deyo, N. E. Walsh, D. C. Martin, L. S. Schoenfeld, and S. Ramamurthy, “A controlled trial of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and exercise for chronic low back pain,” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 322, no. 23, pp. 1627–1634, 1990. [10] P. G. Unger, “Wound healing currents: a brief review of recent research points to electrical stimulation as a viable treatment technique,” Rehab Management, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 42–43, 1992. [11] G. J. Bourguignon and L. Y. W. Bourguignon, “Electric stimula- tion of protein and DNA synthesis in human fibroblasts,” FASEB Journal, vol. 1, no. 5, pp. 398–402, 1987.h [27] L. C. Kloth, “How to use electrical stimulation for wound healing,” Nursing, vol. 32, no. 12, p. 17, 2002. [12] M. R. Cho, H. S. Thatte, R. C. Lee, and D. E. Golan, “Integrin- dependent human macrophage migration induced by oscilla- tory electrical stimulation,” Annals of Biomedical Engineering, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 234–243, 2000. [28] J. C. Ojingwa and R. R. Isseroff, “Electrical stimulation of wound healing,” The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, vol. 121, no. 1, pp. 1–12, 2003. [29] D. Assimacopoulos, “Low intensity negative electric current in the treatment of ulcers of the leg due to chronic venous insufficiency. Preliminary report of three gases,” The American Journal of Surgery, vol. 115, no. 5, pp. 683–687, 1968. [13] A. L. Kindzelskii and H. R. Petty, “Extremely low fre- quency pulsed DC electric fields promote neutrophil exten- sion, metabolic resonance and DNA damage when phase- matched with metabolic oscillators,” Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)—Molecular Cell Research, vol. References [18] P. J. Carley and S. F. Wainapel, “Electrotherapy for acceleration of wound healing: low intensity direct current,” Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, vol. 66, no. 7, pp. 443–446, 1985. [1] J. Teare and C. Barrett, “Using quality of life assessment in wound care,” Nursing Standard, vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 59–60, 2002. [2] C. D. McCaig, A. M. Rajnicek, B. Song, and M. Zhao, “Con- trolling cell behavior electrically: current views and future potential,” Physiological Reviews, vol. 85, no. 3, pp. 943–978, 2005. [19] M. Brown, M. K. McDonnell, and D. N. Menton, “Polarity effects on wound healing using electric stimulation in rabbits,” Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, vol. 70, no. 8, pp. 624–627, 1989. [3] T. F. Collura, “History and evolution of electroencephalographic instruments and techniques,” Journal of Clinical Neurophysiol- ogy, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 476–504, 1993.fh [20] L. C. Kloth and J. M. McCulloch, “Promotion of wound healing with electrical stimulation,” Advances in Wound Care, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 42–45, 1996. [4] A. T. Barker, L. F. Jaffe, and J. W. Vanable Jr., “The glabrous epidermis of cavies contains a powerful battery,” The American Journal of Physiology, vol. 242, no. 3, pp. R358–R366, 1982. [21] L. L. Baker, R. Chambers, S. K. Demuth, and F. Villar, “Effects of electrical stimulation on wound healing in patients with diabetic ulcers,” Diabetes Care, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 405–412, 1997. [5] R. Nuccitelli, P. Nuccitelli, C. Li, S. Narsing, D. M. Pariser, and K. Lui, “The electric field near human skin wounds declines with age and provides a noninvasive indicator of wound healing,” Wound Repair and Regeneration, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 645–655, 2011.i [22] M. Braddock, C. J. Campbell, and D. Zuder, “Current therapies for wound healing: electrical stimulation, biological therapeu- tics, and the potential for gene therapy,” International Journal of Dermatology, vol. 38, no. 11, pp. 808–817, 1999. [6] R. Nuccitelli, “Endogenous electric fields in embryos during development, regeneration and wound healing,” Radiation Pro- tection Dosimetry, vol. 106, no. 4, pp. 375–383, 2003. [23] S. I. Reger, A. Hyodo, S. Negami, H. E. Kambic, and V. Sahgal, “Experimental wound healing with electrical stimulation,” Arti- ficial Organs, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 460–462, 1999. [7] R. Nuccitelli, “A role for endogenous electric fields in wound healing,” Current Topics in Developmental Biology, vol. 58, pp. 1–26, 2003. [24] H. Demir, H. Balay, and M. Acknowledgments The author acknowledges financial support from Taiwan MOST under Contract no. 105-2112-M-030-002-MY2. BioMed Research International 8 References 1495, no. 1, pp. 90– 111, 2000. [30] T. C. M. Lundeberg, S. V. Eriksson, and M. Malm, “Electrical nerve stimulation improves healing of diabetic ulcers,” Annals of Plastic Surgery, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 328–331, 1992. [14] A. Guo, B. Song, B. Reid et al., “Effects of physiological electric fields on migration of human dermal fibroblasts,” Journal of Investigative Dermatology, vol. 130, no. 9, pp. 2320–2327, 2010. [31] J. A. Feedar, L. C. Kloth, and G. D. Gentzkow, “Chronic dermal ulcer healing enhanced with monophasic pulsed electrical stimulation,” Physical Therapy, vol. 71, no. 9, pp. 639–649, 1991. [15] P.-H. G. Chao, H. H. Lu, C. T. Hung, S. B. Nicoll, and J. C. Bulinski, “Effects of applied DC electric field on ligament fibroblast migration and wound healing,” Connective Tissue Research, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 188–197, 2007. [32] G. D. Mulder, “Treatment of open-skin wounds with electric stimulation,” Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, vol. 72, no. 6, pp. 375–377, 1991. [33] L. C. Kloth and J. A. Feedar, “Acceleration of wound healing with high voltage, monophasic, pulsed current,” Physical Therapy, vol. 68, no. 4, pp. 503–508, 1988. [16] K. Y. Nishimura, R. R. Isseroff, and R. Nucciteili, “Human keratinocytes migrate to the negative pole in direct current electric fields comparable to those measured in mammalian wounds,” Journal of Cell Science, vol. 109, no. 1, pp. 199–207, 1996. [34] A. Alm, A.-M. Hornmark, P.-A. Fall et al., “Care of pressure sores: a controlled study of the use of a hydrocolloid dressing compared with wet saline gauze compresses,” Acta Dermato- Venereologica Supplementum, vol. 149, pp. 1–10, 1989. [17] M. S. Cooper and M. Schliwa, “Electrical and ionic controls of tissue cell locomotion in DC electric fields,” Journal of Neuroscience Research, vol. 13, no. 1-2, pp. 223–244, 1985. BioMed Research International 9 [35] J. W. Griffin, R. E. Tooms, R. A. Mendius et al., “Efficacy of high voltage pulsed current for healing of pressure ulcers in patients with spinal cord injury,” Physical Therapy, vol. 71, no. 6, pp. 433– 444, 1991. [36] A. Franek, A. Polak, and M. Kucharzewski, “Modern applica- tion of high voltage stimulation for enhanced healing of venous crural ulceration,” Medical Engineering and Physics, vol. 22, no. 9, pp. 647–655, 2001. [37] D. ˇSemrov, R. Karba, and V. Valenˇciˇc, “DC electrical stimulation for chronic wound healing enhancement. Part 2. Parameter determination by numerical modelling,” Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics, vol. References 43, no. 2, pp. 271–277, 1997. [38] R. Karba, D. ˇSemrov, L. Vodovnik, H. Benko, and R. ˇSavrin, “DC electrical stimulation for chronic wound healing enhancement. Part 1. Clinical study and determination of electrical field distri- bution in the numerical wound model,” Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 265–270, 1997. [39] S. Gabriel, R. W. Lau, and C. Gabriel, “The dielectric properties of biological tissues: III. Parametric models for the dielectric spectrum of tissues,” Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 41, no. 11, pp. 2271–2293, 1996. [40] C. Gabriel, S. Gabriel, and E. Corthout, “The dielectric proper- ties of biological tissues: I. Literature survey,” Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 41, no. 11, pp. 2231–2249, 1996. [41] S. Gabriel, R. W. Lau, and C. Gabriel, “The dielectric properties of biological tissues: II. Measurements in the frequency range 10 Hz to 20 GHz,” Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 41, no. 11, pp. 2251–2269, 1996. [42] B. Song, Y. Gu, J. Pu, B. Reid, Z. Q. Zhao, and M. Zhao, “Application of direct current electric fields to cells and tissues in vitro and modulation of wound electric field in vivo,” Nature Protocols, vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 1479–1489, 2007. [43] B. Song, M. Zhao, J. Forrester, and C. McCaig, “Nerve regen- eration and wound healing are stimulated and directed by an endogenous electrical field in vivo,” Journal of Cell Science, vol. 117, no. 20, pp. 4681–4690, 2004. [44] M. Zhao, “Electrical fields in wound healing—an overriding signal that directs cell migration,” Seminars in Cell and Devel- opmental Biology, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 674–682, 2009. [45] J. M. Griffith, A. Hamilton, G. Long, A. Mujezinovic, D. Warren, and K. Vij, “Human skin temperature response to absorbed thermal power,” in Medical Imaging 1997: Ultrasonic Transducer Engineering, vol. 3037 of Proceedings of SPIE, pp. 129–134, Newport Beach, Calif, USA, February 1997.
https://openalex.org/W2915167194
https://www.intechopen.com/citation-pdf-url/65718
English
null
Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices
IntechOpen eBooks
2,019
cc-by
4,279
Abstract The fast acting due to the salient features of energy storage systems leads to using of it in the control applications in power system. The energy storage systems such as superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), capacitive energy stor- age (CES), and the battery of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) can storage the energy and contribute the active power and reactive power with the power system to extinguish the rapid change in load demands and the renewable energy sources (RES). This chapter gives an overview about the modeling of energy storage devices and methods of control in them to adjust steady outputs. Keywords: energy storage devices, superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), capacitive energy storage (CES), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices Mahmoud Elsisi 1. Introduction With the increasing of distributed generator (DG) technologies, large numbers of DGs are connected with the grid in different forms, such as wind and solar power systems [1–3]. Because of the fluctuations of their output power, energy storage devices are utilized to adjust steady outputs [4, 5]. In fact, the characteristics of the different storage devices vary widely, including the amount of energy stored and the time for which this stored energy is required to be retained or released [6, 7]. The superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), superconducting capacitive energy storage (CES), and the battery of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) are able to achieve the highest possible power densities. Each storage energy device has a different model. Several control approaches are applied to control the energy storage devices. In [8, 9], model predictive control (MPC) is presented for residen- tial energy systems with photovoltaic (PV) system and batteries. Model predictive control predicts the load and the generation over a certain time horizon into the future and finds the optimum schedule of the battery over that period which can minimize a desired objective. In [10], a voltage regulation in distribution feeders is proposed using residential energy storage units. The control method is carried out by making the charging and discharging rates of the batteries a function in the voltage at the point of common coupling. A fuzzy logic based control method of battery state of charge (SOC) is presented in [11]. This control method regulates the battery SOC at expected conditions, and consequently the energy capacity of BESS can be small. In [12], a state-of-charge feedback control technique is used to keep the charging level of the battery within its proper range while the battery energy storage system make the output fluctuation of a wind farm smooth. The optimal 1 Energy Storage Devices design of MPC with SMES based on the bat-inspired algorithm (BIA) is introduced for load frequency control in [13]. This work is extended to include the MPC with SMES and CES in [14]. Decentralized MPC with PHEVs is utilized for frequency regulation in a smart three-area interconnected power system in [15]. 2.1 Modeling of superconducting magnetic energy storage According to the rectifier or inverter modes, the polarity of the voltage Ed is adjusted while the direction of inductor current Id does not change. As mention in the above section, the regulation of the thyristor firing angle is used to controlling the direction and magnitude of the inductor power Pd. Initially, a small positive voltage is applied to charge the inductor to its rated current according to the desired charging period of the SMES unit. The inductor voltage is reduced to zero and the inductor current reach to its rated value because the coil is superconducting. When the inductor current reached to its rated value, the SMES unit can be coupled to the power system. The error signal ∆e represent the input to control the SMES voltage Ed. This error signal may be the change of system frequency, the change of system voltage, or the change of system current according to the control object. The incre- mental voltage and current changes of the SMES coil are given as follows: ΔEd ¼ Ko 1 þ sTdc Δe ð Þ (2) ΔId ¼ 1 sL ΔEd (3) ΔEd ¼ Ko 1 þ sTdc Δe ð Þ (2) (2) ΔId ¼ 1 sL ΔEd (3) (3) where Tdc is the converter time constant in sec, Ko is the gain of the proportional controller in kV/Hz and s is the Laplace operator. As reported in [19], the inductor current reaches to its nominal value very slowly in the SMES unit. So, the fast rate of the current to restore its rated value is required to extinguish the next load perturbation fastly. Therefore, a negative feedback signal is used in the SMES control loop to provide fast current recovery. Thus, Eq. 2 is rewritten in following form: ΔEd ¼ 1 1 þ sTdc KoΔe  KIdΔId ð Þ (4) (4) where KIdis the negative feedback gain of the current deviation (kV/kA). In the storage mode, the coil is short-circuited, i.e. Edo ¼ 0 and there is no power transfer. So in either phase (charging/discharging), the power is defined by Pd ¼ EdId and the initial inductor power is Pdo ¼ EdoIdo, where Edo and Ido are the voltage and current magnitudes previous to load disturbance. 2. Superconducting magnetic energy storage The SMES units are used to compensate the load increments by the injection of a real power to the system and diminished the load decrements by the absorbing of the excess real power via large superconducting inductor [16–18]. Figure 1a show a schematic diagram of SMES unit consists of superconducting inductor (L), Y-Y/Δ transformer, and controlled ac/dc bridge converter with 12-pulse thyristor. A power conversion system (PCS) is used to connect the superconducting inductor with the AC grid. The PCS is a dual-mode converter and it works as a rectifier or as an inverter in the charging and discharging modes of the inductor respectively. Obvi- ously, the mode of operation is detected according to the nature of load perturba- tion. The charging phase represents the rectifier mode. In the rectifier mode, adjusted positive voltage is applied across the terminals of the inductor. Alternatively, the discharging phase represents the inverter mode. In the inverter mode, adjusted negative voltage is applied across the terminals of the inductor. The controlling in the thyristor firing angle is used to switch either rectifier or inverter modes, the converter output voltage is expressed in kV and it is given in following equation [19]: Ed ¼ 2Eo cos α ð Þ  2IdRc (1) (1) Ed ¼ 2Eo cos α ð Þ  2IdRc Ed ¼ 2Eo cos α ð Þ  2IdRc Figure 1. The SMES unit (a) circuit diagram and (b) corresponding block diagram. Figure 1. The SMES unit (a) circuit diagram and (b) corresponding block diagram. Figure 1. The SMES unit (a) circuit diagram and (b) corresponding block diagram. Figure 1. The SMES unit (a) circuit diagram and (b) corresponding block diagram. 2 Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82327 where Ed is the inductor DC voltage (kV); Eo is the converter open circuit voltage (kV); α is the thyristor firing angle (degrees); Id is the inductor current (kA); RC is the equivalent resistance of commutation (ohm). where Ed is the inductor DC voltage (kV); Eo is the converter open circuit voltage (kV); α is the thyristor firing angle (degrees); Id is the inductor current (kA); RC is the equivalent resistance of commutation (ohm). 2.2 Control techniques of SMES Modern control techniques such as adaptive control, fuzzy logic control, and model predictive control (MPC) can be applied to control the charging and discharging of the SMES instead of the proportional controller as shown in Figure 2. The controller and SMES parameters must be adjusted by proper optimization technique such as genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and artificial bee colony (ABC),…etc. to give a good performance. 3. Capacitive energy storage The capacitive energy storage (CES) has an important role to stabilize the power system against to the sudden change in load demand. The static operation of the CES makes its response faster than of the mechanical systems [20–23]. Parallel storage capacitors form the CES. Figure 3a shows a schematic diagram of a CES unit connected with the AC grid by a PCS. The capacitor bank dielectric and leakage losses are defined by the resistance (R). When the load demand decreases, the capacitor charges up to its rated full value, thus releases an amount of the excess energy in the system. Contrary, the capacitor discharges to its initial value of voltage when the load demand rises suddenly and release the stored energy fastly to the grid through the PCS. A gate turn-off (GTO) thyristors is used as switches to control the direction of the capacitor current during the charging and discharging as shown in Table 1. The controlling in the thyristor firing angle is used to switch either rectifier or inverter modes of CES to adjust the capacitor voltage as defined in Eq. 1. Figure 2. Figure 2. The block diagram of SMES with controller. Figure 2. The block diagram of SMES with controller. Setting the parameters (L, Ko, KId and Ido) of the SMES unit to their optimistic values can enhance its role in achieving well-damped to the responses. Herein, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques is suggested to search for the optimal parameters of the SMES and controller simultaneously. 2.1 Modeling of superconducting magnetic energy storage The inductor power following to the load disturbance is defined as follows: Pd ¼ Edo þ ΔEd ð Þ Ido þ ΔId ð Þ ¼ EdoIdo þ EdoΔId þ IdoΔEd þ ΔEdΔId ¼ Pdo þ EdoΔId þ IdoΔEd þ ΔEdΔId, Edo ¼ 0 (5) Pd ¼ Edo þ ΔEd ð Þ Ido þ ΔId ð Þ (5) Therefore, the real power incremental change ΔPd of the SMES unit in MW is computed as follows: Therefore, the real power incremental change ΔPd of the SMES unit in MW is computed as follows: ΔPd ¼ Pd  Pdo ¼ IdoΔEd þ ΔIdΔEd (6) (6) The corresponding block diagram of an SMES incorporating the negative feed- back of the current deviation is shown in Figure 1b. The corresponding block diagram of an SMES incorporating the negative feed- back of the current deviation is shown in Figure 1b. 3 Energy Storage Devices Setting the parameters (L, Ko, KId and Ido) of the SMES unit to their optimistic values can enhance its role in achieving well-damped to the responses. Herein, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques is suggested to search for the optimal parameters of the SMES and controller simultaneously. Figure 2. The block diagram of SMES with controller. Figure 2. The block diagram of SMES with controller. 3.2 Control techniques of CES Modern control techniques such as adaptive control, fuzzy logic control, and MPC can be applied to control the charging and discharging of the CES instead of the proportional controller as shown in Figure 4. The controller and CES parame- ters must be adjusted by proper optimization technique such as GA, PSO, and ABC, …etc. to give a good performance. Figure 4. g 4 The block diagram of CES with controller. and no power transfer. Hence, the power is defined by PCS ¼ EdId and the initial CES power is PCSo ¼ EdoIdo, where Edo and Ido are the magnitudes of the voltage and current prior to load disturbance. Following a load disturbance, the power flow into the CES is given as follows: and no power transfer. Hence, the power is defined by PCS ¼ EdId and the initial CES power is PCSo ¼ EdoIdo, where Edo and Ido are the magnitudes of the voltage and current prior to load disturbance. Following a load disturbance, the power flow into the CES is given as follows: PCS ¼ Edo þ ΔEd ð Þ Ido þ ΔId ð Þ ¼ EdoIdo þ EdoΔId þ IdoΔEd þ ΔEdΔId ¼ PCSo þ EdoΔId þ IdoΔEd þ ΔEdΔId, Ido ¼ 0 (9) (9) Thus, the real power incremental change ΔPCS of the CES unit in MW is com- puted as follows: Thus, the real power incremental change ΔPCS of the CES unit in MW is com- puted as follows: ΔPCS ¼ PCS  PCSo ¼ EdoΔId þ ΔEdΔId (10) (10) The corresponding block diagram of a CES unit incorporating the negative feedback of the voltage deviation is shown in Figure 3b. The corresponding block diagram of a CES unit incorporating the negative feedback of the voltage deviation is shown in Figure 3b. Setting the parameters (C, Kc, KEd and Edo) of the CES unit to their optimistic values can enhance its role in achieving well-damped to the responses. Herein, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques is suggested to search for the optimal parameters of the CES and controller simultaneously. 3.1 Modeling of superconducting magnetic energy storage The CES unit is ready to be coupled to the power system for LFC when the rated voltage across the capacitor is attained. The current Id of CES is controlled by sensing the error signal Δe. This error signal may be the change of system frequency, the change of system voltage, or the change of system current according to the control object. The incremental current changes of the CES are given as follows: 4 Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82327 Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82327 Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82327 ΔId ¼ Kc 1 þ sTdc Δe ð Þ (7) (7) where Kc is the proportional controller in kA/Hz. where Kc is the proportional controller in kA/Hz. where Kc is the proportional controller in kA/Hz. As stated in [20], the CES voltage reaches to its nominal value very slowly. So, the fast rate of the capacitor voltage to restore its rated value is required to extin- guish the next load perturbation fastly. Therefore, a negative feedback signal is used in the CES control loop to provide a fast voltage recovery. Thus, Eq. 7 is rewritten in following form: ΔId ¼ 1 1 þ sTdc KcΔf  KEdΔEd ð Þ (8) (8) where KEd is the negative feedback gain of the capacitor voltage deviation (kA/kV). In the storage mode, the capacitor represents an open circuit, i.e. Ido ¼ 0 where KEd is the negative feedback gain of the capacitor voltage deviation (kA/kV). In the storage mode, the capacitor represents an open circuit, i.e. Ido ¼ 0 where KEd is the negative feedback gain of the capacitor voltage deviation (kA/kV). In the storage mode, the capacitor represents an open circuit, i.e. Ido ¼ 0 Figure 3. The CES unit (a) circuit diagram and (b) corresponding block diagram. Charging mode Discharging mode S1, S4 ON OFF S2, S3 OFF ON Figure 3 Figure 3. The CES unit (a) circuit diagram and (b) corresponding block diagram. Figure 3. The CES unit (a) circuit diagram and (b) corresponding block diagram. Charging mode Discharging mode S1, S4 ON OFF S2, S3 OFF ON Table 1. The modes of switches during the charging and discharging of CES unit Table 1. The modes of switches during the charging and discharging of CES unit. 5 Energy Storage Devices Figure 4. The block diagram of CES with controller. Figure 4. 4. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle model The PHEV model is represented as first-order transfers function with very small time constant TPHEV as shown in Figure 5(a) [24–27]. The change of PHEV output power ∆PPHEV for charging or discharging is selected according to the control signal Ui of the controller. In this chapter, the control signal is determined by modern control techniques such as adaptive control, fuzzy logic control, and model predic- tive control (MPC). The control signal depends on the error signal to adjust the charging or discharging of PHEVs batteries. Figure 5(b) shows a bi-directional PHEV to charging and discharging power control ‘vehicle to grid (V2G)’. According to the change of error, this V2G release a power to the grid or drain power from the 6 Figure 5. PHEV model: (a) PHEV with controller block diagram, (b) change of PHEV output power against control signal. Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82327 Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82327 Figure 5. PHEV model: (a) PHEV with controller block diagram, (b) change of PHEV output power against control signal. grid. The change of PHEV output power is adjusted by the control signal (U) according to the limit range of output power deviation of PHEV as grid. The change of PHEV output power is adjusted by the control signal (U) according to the limit range of output power deviation of PHEV as ΔPPHEV ¼ Ui, Ui j j≤ΔPmax ΔPmax, Ui>ΔPmax ΔPmax, Ui <  ΔPmax 8 > < > : (11) (11) where Pmax is the maximum PHEV power. max is the maximum PHEV power. sion where Pmax is the maximum PHEV power. 5. Conclusion In this chapter, classifications of energy storage devices and control strategy for storage devices by adjusting the performance of different devices and features of the power imbalance are presented. The modeling of each storage energy devices is discussed. Furthermore, the control method for each one are cleared. These energy storage devices with modern control techniques such as adaptive control, fuzzy logic control, and model predictive control (MPC) can be applied to extinguish the rapid change in load demands and the fluctuations of RES. 7 References Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing. 2013;4:663-671 [1] Heide D, Greiner M, Von Bremen L, Hoffmann C. Reduced storage and balancing needs in a fully renewable European power system with excess wind and solar power generation. Renewable Energy. 2011;36(9): 2515-2523 [8] Schreiber M, Hochloff P. Capacity- dependent tariffs and residential energy management for photovoltaic storage systems. In: Power and Energy Society General Meeting (PES), IEEE. 2013. pp. 1-5 [8] Schreiber M, Hochloff P. Capacity- dependent tariffs and residential energy management for photovoltaic storage systems. In: Power and Energy Society General Meeting (PES), IEEE. 2013. pp. 1-5 [2] Yamegueu D, Azoumah Y, Py X, Kottin H. Experimental analysis of a solar PV/diesel hybrid system without storage: Focus on its dynamic behavior. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems. 2013;44(1):267-274 [9] Worthmann K, Kellett CM, Braun P, Grüne L, Weller SR. Distributed and decentralized control of residential energy systems incorporating battery storage. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 2015;6(4):1914-1923 [9] Worthmann K, Kellett CM, Braun P, Grüne L, Weller SR. Distributed and decentralized control of residential energy systems incorporating battery storage. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 2015;6(4):1914-1923 [3] Datta M, Senjyu T, Yona A, Funabashi T. Frequency control of photovoltaic–diesel hybrid system connecting to isolated power utility by using load estimator and energy storage system. IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering. 2010;5(6): 677-687 [10] Wang Y, Wang BF, Son PL. A voltage regulation method using distributed energy storage systems in lv distribution networks. In: Energy Conference (ENERGYCON), IEEE. 2016. pp. 1-6 [11] Li X, Hui D, Wu L, Lai X. Control strategy of battery state of charge for wind/battery hybrid power system. In: IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE). 2010. pp. 2723-2726 [4] Dıaz-Gonzalez F, Sumper A, Gomis- Bellmunt O, Villafafila-Robles R. A review of energy storage technologies for wind power applications. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2012; 16(4):2154-2171 [4] Dıaz-Gonzalez F, Sumper A, Gomis- Bellmunt O, Villafafila-Robles R. A review of energy storage technologies for wind power applications. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2012; 16(4):2154-2171 [12] Yoshimoto K, Nanahara T, Koshimizu G, Uchida Y. New control method for regulating state-of-charge of a battery in hybrid wind power/battery energy storage system. In: Power Systems Conference and Exposition, IEEE PES. 2006. pp. 1244-1251 [5] Bandara K, Sweet T, Ekanayake J. Photovoltaic applications for offgrid electrification using novel multi-level inverter technology with energy storage. Renewable Energy. [12] Yoshimoto K, Nanahara T, Koshimizu G, Uchida Y. New control method for regulating state-of-charge of a battery in hybrid wind power/battery energy storage system. In: Power Systems Conference and Exposition, IEEE PES. 2006. pp. 1244-1251 Author details Mahmoud Elsisi Electrical Power and Machines Department, Faculty of Engineering (Shoubra), Benha University, Cairo, Egypt *Address all correspondence to: mahmoud.elsesy@feng.bu.edu.eg © 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Energy Storage Devices Energy Storage Devices Energy Storage Devices © 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 8 Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82327 Control Mechanisms of Energy Storage Devices DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82327 [2] Yamegueu D, Azoumah Y, Py X, Kottin H. Experimental analysis of a solar PV/diesel hybrid system without storage: Focus on its dynamic behavior. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems. 2013;44(1):267-274 [1] Heide D, Greiner M, Von Bremen L, Hoffmann C. Reduced storage and balancing needs in a fully renewable European power system with excess wind and solar power generation. Renewable Energy. 2011;36(9): 2515-2523 [14] Elsisi M, Soliman M, Aboelela MAS, Mansour W. Improving the grid frequency by optimal design of model References 2012;37(1):82-88 [6] Zhou Z, Benbouzid M, Fredéric Charpentier J, Scuiller F, Tang T. A review of energy storage technologies for marine current energy systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2013;18:390-400 [13] Elsisi M, Soliman M, Aboelela MAS, Mansour W. Optimal design of model predictive control with superconducting magnetic energy storage for load frequency control of nonlinear hydrothermal power system using bat inspired algorithm. Journal of Energy Storage. 2017;12:311-318 [7] Di Fazio A, Erseghe T, Ghiani E, Murroni M, Siano P, Silvestro F. Integration of renewable energy sources, energy storage systems, and electrical vehicles with smart power distribution networks. Journal of [14] Elsisi M, Soliman M, Aboelela MAS, Mansour W. Improving the grid frequency by optimal design of model [14] Elsisi M, Soliman M, Aboelela MAS, Mansour W. Improving the grid frequency by optimal design of model 9 9 Energy Storage Devices predictive control with energy storage devices. Optimal Control Applications and Methods. 2018;39(1):263-280 capacitive energy storage on two area interconnected power system model using Matlab Simulink. In: 2014 First International Conference on Automation, Control, Energy and Systems (ACES). pp. 1-6 [15] Elsisi M, Soliman M, Aboelela MAS, Mansour W. Model predictive control of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles for frequency regulation in a smart grid. IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution. 2017;11(16):3974-3983 [23] Dhundhara S, Verma YP. Evaluation of CES and DFIG unit in AGC of realistic multisource deregulated power system. International Transactions on Electrical Energy Systems. 2016:1-14 [23] Dhundhara S, Verma YP. Evaluation of CES and DFIG unit in AGC of realistic multisource deregulated power system. International Transactions on Electrical Energy Systems. 2016:1-14 [16] Ali MH, Wu B, Dougal RA. An overview of SMES applications in power and energy systems. IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy. 2010;1(1):38-47 [16] Ali MH, Wu B, Dougal RA. An overview of SMES applications in power and energy systems. IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy. 2010;1(1):38-47 [24] Vachirasricirikul S, Ngamroo I. Robust LFC in a smart grid with wind power penetration by coordinated V2G control and frequency controller. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 2014;5(1): 371-380 [24] Vachirasricirikul S, Ngamroo I. Robust LFC in a smart grid with wind power penetration by coordinated V2G control and frequency controller. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 2014;5(1): 371-380 [17] Bhatt P, Roy R, Ghoshal SP. Comparative performance evaluation of SMES–SMES, TCPS–SMES and SSSC– SMES controllers in automatic generation control for a two-area hydro–hydro system. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems. [19] Tripathy SC, Balasubramanian R, Chandramohanan Nair PS. Adaptive automatic generation control with superconducting magnetic energy storage in power systems. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion. 1992;7(3):434-441 [20] Tripathy SC. Improved load- frequency control with capacitive energy storage. Energy Conversion and Management. 1997;38(6):551-562 [26] Pahasa J, Ngamroo I. Coordinated control of wind turbine blade pitch angle and PHEVs using MPCs for load frequency control of microgrid. IEEE Systems Journal. 2016;10(1):97-105 [18] Banerjee S, Chatterjee JK, Tripathy SC. Application of magnetic energy storage unit as load-frequency stabilizer. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion. 1990;5(1):46-51 [27] Pahasa J, Ngamroo I. Simultaneous control of frequency fluctuation and battery SOC in a smart grid using LFC and EV controllers based on optimal MIMO-MPC. Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology. 2017;12(2): 601-611 [23] Dhundhara S, Verma YP. Evaluation of CES and DFIG unit in AGC of realistic multisource deregulated power system. International Transactions on Electrical Energy Systems. 2016:1-14 References 2011;33(10):1585-1597 [25] Pahasa J, Ngamroo I. PHEVs bidirectional charging/discharging and SoC control for microgrid frequency stabilization using multiple MPC. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 2015;6(2): 526-533 [18] Banerjee S, Chatterjee JK, Tripathy SC. Application of magnetic energy storage unit as load-frequency stabilizer. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion. 1990;5(1):46-51 [18] Banerjee S, Chatterjee JK, Tripathy SC. Application of magnetic energy storage unit as load-frequency stabilizer. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion. 1990;5(1):46-51 [26] Pahasa J, Ngamroo I. Coordinated control of wind turbine blade pitch angle and PHEVs using MPCs for load frequency control of microgrid. IEEE Systems Journal. 2016;10(1):97-105 [19] Tripathy SC, Balasubramanian R, Chandramohanan Nair PS. Adaptive automatic generation control with superconducting magnetic energy storage in power systems. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion. 1992;7(3):434-441 [27] Pahasa J, Ngamroo I. Simultaneous control of frequency fluctuation and battery SOC in a smart grid using LFC and EV controllers based on optimal MIMO-MPC. Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology. 2017;12(2): 601-611 [21] Abraham RJ, Das D, Patra A. Automatic generation control of an interconnected power system with capacitive energy storage. International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems Engineering. 2010;3(1):351-356 [22] Sanki P, Ray S, Shukla RR, Das D. Effect of different controllers and [22] Sanki P, Ray S, Shukla RR, Das D. Effect of different controllers and 10
https://openalex.org/W4386607294
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249/pdf?isPublishedV2=False
English
null
Development of a novel clinical support tool for active surveillance of low risk papillary thyroid cancer
Frontiers in endocrinology
2,023
cc-by
5,884
OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Joana Simões-Pereira, Instituto Portugueˆ s de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, Portugal Eleanor White 1*, Bridget Abbott 2, Geoffrey Schembri 2,3, Anthony Glover 3,4, Roderick Clifton-Bligh 1,3 and Matti L. Gild 1,3 1Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2Department of Radiology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 3Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 4Department of Endocrine Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia Background: Active surveillance (AS) is an alternative to surgery in select patients with very low risk papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Many clinicians feel ill-equipped in selecting appropriate patients. We aimed to 1) Develop an evidence-based web delivered decision support tool to assist clinicians in identifying patients appropriate for AS; and 2) Evaluate the prevalence of patients suitable for AS in a tertiary high volume thyroid cancer centre. CITATION White E, Abbott B, Schembri G, Glover A, Clifton-Bligh R and Gild ML (2023) Development of a novel clinical support tool for active surveillance of low risk papillary thyroid cancer. Front. Endocrinol. 14:1160249. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 © 2023 White, Abbott, Schembri, Glover, Clifton-Bligh and Gild. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Method: A REDCap web based clinical support tool was developed utilising evidence-based characteristics for AS suitability available to clinicals during initial assessment. A retrospective database was interrogated for patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy between 2012 – 2021 with final histopathology demonstrating PTC. Patients with PTCs>2cm, missing data, benign disease on surgical histopathology or incidental PTC were excluded. © 2023 White, Abbott, Schembri, Glover, Clifton-Bligh and Gild. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License Results: Between 2012 - 2021, 763 patients underwent hemithyroidectomy with final histopathology confirming PTC. Of these, 316 patients were excluded (missing data, incidental PTC, concomitant hyperparathyroidism were most common reasons for exclusion) and 114/447 remaining patients had a pre- operative fine needle aspirate (FNA) of Bethesda V or VI (high likelihood of malignancy). TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 11 September 2023 DOI 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 11 September 2023 DOI 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 © 2023 White, Abbott, Schembri, Glover, Clifton-Bligh and Gild. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Development of a novel clinical support tool for active surveillance of low risk papillary thyroid cancer OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Joana Simões-Pereira, Instituto Portugueˆ s de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, Portugal REVIEWED BY Amirhesam Babajani, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran Tetiana Bogdanova, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine *CORRESPONDENCE Eleanor White eleanor.white@health.nsw.gov.au RECEIVED 06 February 2023 ACCEPTED 24 August 2023 PUBLISHED 11 September 2023 CITATION White E, Abbott B, Schembri G, Glover A, Clifton-Bligh R and Gild ML (2023) Development of a novel clinical support tool for active surveillance of low risk papillary thyroid cancer. Front. Endocrinol. 14:1160249. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Joana Simões-Pereira, Instituto Portugueˆ s de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, Portugal REVIEWED BY Amirhesam Babajani, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran Tetiana Bogdanova, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine *CORRESPONDENCE Eleanor White eleanor.white@health.nsw.gov.au RECEIVED 06 February 2023 ACCEPTED 24 August 2023 PUBLISHED 11 September 2023 CITATION White E, Abbott B, Schembri G, Glover A, Clifton-Bligh R and Gild ML (2023) Development of a novel clinical support tool for active surveillance of low risk papillary thyroid cancer. Front. Endocrinol. 14:1160249. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 Introduction decade and is included in the most recent ATA guidelines (7). Evidence for active surveillance dates back to 1993, through a prospective study in Kuma Hospital where patients with low risk PTC either underwent active surveillance or immediate surgery (12). Patients in the AS arm had low rates of tumour growth or development of nodal disease over 10 years. Those who had tumour growth or nodal disease underwent rescue surgery with no difference in mortality between groups (12). This safety data has now been replicated by many other centres (13–15). The bulk of studies for AS are in papillary microcarcinomas (PMC) however there is now evidence for inclusion of tumours up to 2cm. Sakai et al. included patients with tumours up to 2cm in their prospective active surveillance trial, demonstrating low rates of tumour growth and lymph node metastases in patients who underwent active surveillance, at 7% and 3% respectively (13). Even patients who underwent subsequent surgery from the AS arm did not demonstrate any disease recurrence in the follow up period, reflecting that the size criteria can be safely extended (13). This data has also been replicated by Ho et al. (2022) (14). Incidence of thyroid cancer has increased over past decades, largely attributed to improvement in imaging techniques and identification of incidental thyroid nodules (1). Most of these nodules will be benign; however, a small percentage will harbour malignancy (1). Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid malignancy, with excellent prognosis and 5 year survival rates over 97% (2, 3). Despite increased diagnosis of incidental thyroid cancers, mortality rates remain largely unchanged and are overall low, suggesting over-diagnosis of low risk cancers (4). In addition to the psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis, there are financial implications on the health care industry for overdiagnosis which need to be considered. In South Korea the economic burden of thyroid cancer increased from $257 million in 2000 to $1.7 billion by 2010, with no change in thyroid cancer mortality (5). These figures are similarly seen in other countries and highlight the need to balance the risk and cost of treatment against the risk of disease progression (6). While there is robust evidence for AS for low risk PTC <2cm, not every patient with a low risk PTC should undergo AS. Introduction Characterising both the tumour and patient features that make patients ideal candidates has become clearer in the recent years. Tuttle et al. have described tumour and patient characteristics that help risk stratify patients into ideal, appropriate, or inappropriate for active surveillance (15). Presence of nodal or distant metastases, extrathyroidal extension (ETE) or lymphovascular invasion (LVI), or unfavourable tumour location (e.g. adjacent to a critical structure with potential for tumour invasion) exclude active surveillance as a suitable option (15). Lohia et al. recommended there should be >2mm of normal parenchyma between the thyroid nodule and the capsule to avoid potential tumour growth to nearby critical structures and this has been adopted by some centres (15). Thyroid cancer can be classified into low, intermediate or high risk based on tumour stage, presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI), extrathyroidal extension (ETE) and tumour location in relation to the capsule (7). Low risk papillary thyroid cancer are smaller tumours, typically less than 1cm (microcarcinoma), without LVI, ETE or presence of nodal or distant metastasis (8). Certain histological subtypes of papillary thyroid cancer or presence of molecular mutations such as BRAF V600E can behave more aggressively, and this information is typically identified in the final histopathology report (2). The natural history of low risk PTC is indolent and slow growing, with low rates of locoregional or distant metastasis (9). Historically the management of these cancers has been surgical, with either total thyroidectomy or lobectomy. Following the updated American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines in 2015, hemithyroidectomy is now an accepted surgical option for low risk differentiated cancer (7). Potential surgical complications of hemithyroidectomy such as wound infection, vocal cord or recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, temporary or permanent hypoparathyroidism, or hypothyroidism may still occur and while these rates are low in experienced centres, these should be considered in treatment decisions (10, 11). Despite the continuously growing body of evidence for active surveillance, many clinicians do not feel comfortable in identifying appropriate patients (16). Wei et al. performed a scoping review to explore factors that influenced clinician and patients decision in selecting either active surveillance, hemi- or total thyroidectomy for low risk thyroid cancer (17). Patients were more likely to consider conservative therapy if provided with adequate information (17). OPEN ACCESS Using the tool, 59/114 (52%) met criteria for AS. The majority of patients were female (85% vs 15% male); median age 36 years (range 19 – 78). Following initial surgery, 10/59 patients had a completion thyroidectomy, with 4/ 10 demonstrating malignancy in contralateral lobe and eight of those patients undergoing I131 ablation. During a median follow up of over 3 years, 49/59 (83%) did not require further surgery or intervention with no patients developing recurrence. A subgroup analysis with second radiology assessment excluded 4/59 patients as meeting criteria for AS based on presence of ETE on preoperative ultrasound. None of these 4 patients had completion thyroidectomy. Conclusion: Our clinical support tool identifies patients with PTC potentially suitable for AS which could be utilised during initial patient assessment. In a Frontiers in Endocrinology 01 frontiersin.org White et al. 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 retrospective cohort of patients who had hemithyroidectomy for PTC with a pre- operative FNA diagnosis of Bethesda V or VI, 55/114 (48%) patients may have been suitable for AS. Prospective validation studies are required for implementation of the tool in clinical practice. active surveillance, low risk thyroid cancer, clinical support tool, papillary thyroid cancer, watchful waiting, de-escalation treatment active surveillance, low risk thyroid cancer, clinical support tool, papillary thyroid cancer, watchful waiting, de-escalation treatment Frontiers in Endocrinology frontiersin.org KEYWORDS Retrospective analysis A retrospective thyroid cancer surgery database was interrogated for patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy between 2012-2021 with final histopathology demonstrating PTC. This database captures information about thyroid cancer surgery performed by endocrine surgeons at our institution and their affiliated operating sites. Introduction Key barriers identified that prevented patients or physicians from selecting AS included lack of published surveillance protocol/ guidelines and physician comfortability in recommending AS to Due to this epidemic of overdiagnosis, the role of active surveillance (AS) as an alternative to thyroid surgery in the management of low risk PTC has gained traction in the past Frontiers in Endocrinology 02 frontiersin.org White et al. 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 patients (17, 18). This highlights the potential role for a clinical decision support tool to help clinicians identify if their patient is suitable for active surveillance, which to our knowledge is not available in the literature. findings and patient data such as presence of local or distant metastasis, age, calcitonin level, comorbidities that would preclude them from surgery (15). Patients were deemed suitable for active surveillance by the tool if they were aged ≥18 years, tumour size ≤2cm, no evidence of ETE or LVI on ultrasound, had no nodal or distant metastases and >2mm normal gland parenchyma (Figure 1). Tumour size was determined by the maximum tumour diameter and tumours up to 2cm were included. Methods This study was performed at the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, the Department of Endocrine Surgery and the Department of Radiology at Royal North Shore Hospital. Ethics approval was by the local Northern Sydney Health District Ethics Committee (2020/ETH02787). Characteristics of patients suitable for AS Most patients with BV/BVI results who were deemed suitable for active surveillance were young females, with median age 36 years (Table 1). Median size of nodules in this group was 10mm, with size ranging 4mm – 19mm and majority of patients had T1a tumours (tumour ≤1cm). Subgroup analysis with sonologist A sonologist and imaging trainee reviewed the ultrasound images in a subgroup of 22 patients to determine if AS features were easily identified on pre-operative ultrasound. The preoperative ultrasound images were unavailable for the remaining 37 patients deemed suitable for AS. The nodule of interest was assessed for presence of LVI, ETE, proximity to critical structures and presence of 2mm normal gland surrounding the nodule, and the tool was applied. Prevalence of AS suitability During 2012 – 2021, 763 patients underwent hemithyroidectomy with final histopathology demonstrating PTC. Excluded from analysis were 316 patients (see Figure 2), leaving a cohort of 447 potentially eligible patients. We analysed the cohort of 447 patients by Bethesda category and found 114 patients (26%) had a pre-operative Bethesda result of BV or BVI. The tool was applied to the potentially suitable 114 patients with BV/BVI FNA and 59/114 (52%) were found to meet criteria for active surveillance. Of the 55/114 (48%) who were deemed unsuitable, all patients had nodule size >2cm. Assessment of all Bethesda results yielded: 353/447; 79% were unsuitable (>2cm tumour) and 95/447 (21%) potentially suitable for AS. 63% of those 95 patients were BV/VI reflecting that a majority would have a high risk of malignancy from the FNA. Clinical support tool development A web based clinical support tool was developed and built on REDCap software (Supplementary Appendix 1). It utilised evidence based characteristics for AS suitability and generated a result indicating whether a patient was suitable for active surveillance. The tool was designed to apply the pre-operative ultrasound Patients were excluded from analysis if; there was missing histopathology or pre-operative ultrasound data, the histopathology demonstrated a cancer other than PTC, the final histopathology FIGURE 1 The flowchart outlines the algorithm of the clinical support tool. IGURE 1 The flowchart outlines the algorithm of the clinical support tool. 03 03 Frontiers in Endocrinology frontiersin.org White et al. 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 showed an incidental PTC, they had hemithyroidectomy and contralateral nodulectomy, or if they had concomitant hyperparathyroidism and underwent parathyroidectomy. between the group had completion surgery versus those who had no completion surgery as well as between the subgroup who had evidence of malignancy on completion surgery versus those who had no malignancy. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. Remaining patients were stratified according to pre-operative Bethesda category. Our cohort of interest were patients with a high risk of malignancy on biopsy or with a pre-operative biopsy result of either Bethesda V (BV, suspicious for malignancy) or Bethesda VI (BVI, malignancy). The tool was applied utilising pre-operative ultrasound reports and information from surgical database forms. Information was also extracted from surgical consultation letters, histopathology and imaging results, referral letters and electronic medical records where available. Given the retrospective nature of this study, we were unable to ascertain patient willingness to participate in active surveillance, however for the purpose of our prevalence assessment we assumed all patients would be amenable. Patients who had further surgical intervention We next analysed the characteristics of the cohort who went on to have further surgical intervention to ascertain if we could predict the need for further treatment. Most patients (49/59) did not require any further surgical or medical intervention for a median of 3.25 years (ranging from 0.2 – 7.35 years) follow up. After MDT and patient discussion, ten patients went on to have completion hemithyroidectomy. Evaluation of their initial histopathology demonstrated higher rates of lymphovascular invasion (80% versus 18%, p<0.01) and lymph node involvement (90% versus 27%, p<0.01) compared to patients who did not undergo completion hemithyroidectomy. There was a trend for patients who underwent completion surgery to be younger (median age 34 vs. 39 years, p=0.05) with bigger nodules (median nodule size 12mm vs. 10mm, p=0.05) however these were of borderline statistical significance. Rates of tumour multifocality or presence of ETE did not differ significantly between groups (Table 2). patients with malignancy in contralateral lobe had multifocal tumours in initial histopathology, compared with one out of the six patients with benign histopathology on completion. No patients with malignancy in contralateral lobe had an aggressive histological subtype (such as poorly differentiated features, tall cell variant, diffuse sclerosing etc). Histopathology from initial hemithyroidectomy showed similar lesion size between patients who had malignancy vs. benign pathology on completion hemithyroidectomy, with median size 11mm vs. 12mm respectively. Patients who went on to have malignancy in contralateral lobe were slightly younger, with median age 32.5 years versus 35.5 years. There were similar rates of ETE in each group however higher rates of LVI in the group who did not have evidence of malignancy in contralateral lobe (Table 3). Statistical analysis Statistics were performed in Microsoft Excel. Sample T tests were used to analyse differences in age, and median tumour size FIGURE 2 The PRISMA diagram outlines the selection process for our study. PTC, papillary thyroid cancer; FNA, fine needle aspirate; AS, active surveillance; BV, Bethesda V; BVI, Bethesda VI. FIGURE 2 The PRISMA diagram outlines the selection process for our study. PTC, papillary thyroid cancer; FNA, fine needle aspirate; AS, active surveillance; BV, Bethesda V; BVI, Bethesda VI. 04 04 Frontiers in Endocrinology frontiersin.org 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 White et al. TABLE 2 Comparison of patients who had no completion surgery vs. completion surgery. TABLE 2 Comparison of patients who had no completion surgery vs. completion surgery. TABLE 2 Comparison of patients who had no completion surgery vs. completion surgery. Characteristic No comple- tion surgery (n=49) Completion surgery (n=10) P value Age range 19 – 78 20 – 52 Median age 39 years 34 years 0.05 Male Female 8/49 (16%) 41/49 (84%) 1/10 (10%) 9/10 (90%) 0.619 Pre-operative FNA Bethesda V Bethesda VI 23/49 (47%) 26/49 (53%) 6/10 (60%) 4/10 (40%) Median nodule size (range) 10mm (4-19) 12mm (8-18) 0.058 Tumour focality Unifocal Multifocal 41/49 (84%) 8/49 (16%) 7/10 (70%) 3/10 (30%) 0.319 Presence of ETE 9/49 (18%) 2/10 (20%) 0.905 Presence of LVI 9/49 (18%) 8/10 (80%) <0.01 Presence of LN involvement 13/49 (27%) 9/10 (90%) <0.01 BRAF V600E positivity 27/49 (55%) 8/10 (80%) 0.149 FNA, fine needle aspirate; ETE, extrathyroidal extension; LVI, lymphovascular invasion; LN, lymph node. TABLE 1 Baseline characteristics of patients suitable for active surveillance. Characteristic Value Age range 19 – 78 years Median age 36 years Male 9/59 (15%) Female 50/59 (85%) Bethesda V 29 (49%) Bethesda VI 30 (51%) Nodule size range 4-19mm Nodule size T1aN0M0 – 37/59 (63%) T1bN0M0 – 22/59 (37%) Median nodule size 10mm TNM refers to American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging tumour (T), nodes (N), metastes (M). Frontiers in Endocrinology Imaging subgroup We next examined the characteristics of patients who were found to have malignancy in the contralateral lobe and this was seen in 4/10 (40%) of patients who underwent completion thyroidectomy. In these patients the average age was 36 years and median tumour size was 11mm. All four followed up with I-131 therapy, and four patients with benign histopathology in contralateral lobe also received I-131 (Table S1). No patients in the study cohort had evidence of disease recurrence at median 3.25 years follow up (0.2 – 7.35 years). Evaluation of the initial hemithyroidectomy histopathology of the four patients with contralateral lobe malignancy demonstrated that all had classical papillary architectures subtype. All four had lymph node involvement on initial histopathology (Table 3). Two of the four To investigate the real world application of this tool, we conducted a subgroup analysis of patients in whom we were able to obtain their pre-operative ultrasound. Of the 59 patients who met criteria for active surveillance, the preoperative ultrasound images were available for 22 patients. None of the patients in this subgroup analysis were patients who had completion thyroidectomy. In 21/22 patients (95%), the sonologist was unable to identify >2mm of normal gland parenchyma between the nodule and the capsule in the saved images, identifying a real world limitation of this tool. Nodule size ranged from 5-14mm, with median nodule size of 9mm. ETE on pre-operative ultrasound Frontiers in Endocrinology 05 frontiersin.org White et al. 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 eristics of initial nodule size, histopathology, further treatment and recurrence in patients who had completion thyroidectomy. TABLE 3 Characteristics of initial nodule size, histopathology, further treatment and recurrence in patients who had completion thyroidectomy. Imaging subgroup Pt Age Sex Nodule size Initial histopathology Completion Histopathology I 131 therapy Recurrence 1 20 F 12mm Unifocal 12mm tumour, classical, ETE, LVI, 11/17 LN involved, BRAF V600E positive Benign No No 2 35 F 13mm Unifocal 14mm tumour, classical, no LVI, ETE, 3/4 LN involved, tracheal invasion, BRAF V600E positive 0.4mm deposit in contralateral lobe, no LN Yes – 224MBq No 3 52 F 18mm Unifocal 19mm tumour, classical, no LVI, no ETE, 0/6 LN involved, BRAF not done Benign Yes – 1.8 GBq No 4 30 F 12mm Unifocal 12mm tumour, classical, LVI, no ETE, 2/4 LN involved, BRAF V600E positive Benign Yes – 4 GBq No 5 33 F 8mm Unifocal 12mm tumour, classical, LVI, no ETE, 1/7 LN involved, BRAF V600E positive Benign Yes – 1 GBq No 6 36 M 12mm Multifocal 13mm tumour, classical, LVI, no ETE, 2/3 LN involved, BRAFV600E positive 2mm papillary thyroid cancer, no LN involved Yes – 1 GBq No 7 37 F 14mm Unifocal 15mm tumour, mixed papillary/follicular, LVI, no ETE, 1/2 LN involved, BRAF V600E positive Benign Yes – 1 GBq No 8 32 F 14mm Multifocal 11mm tumour, mixed papillary/follicular, LVI, no ETE, 5/14 LN involved, BRAF V600E positive Benign No No 9 32 F 11mm Unifocal 8mm tumour, classical, no LVI, no ETE, 3/5 LN involved, BRAF V600E negative Multifocal PTC, largest deposit 9mm, no LVI, no ETE, 3/5 LN involved Yes – 4 GBq No 10 41 F 9mm Multifocal 9mm tumour, classical, LVI, no ETE, 1/4 LN involved, BRAF V600E positive 6mm PTC, no LN Yes – 4 GBq No ETE, extrathyroidal extension; LVI, lymphovascular invasion; LN, lymph node; PTC, papillary thyroid cancer; MBq, megabecquerel; GBq, gigabecquerel. A strength of this analysis is that it includes patients with tumours up to 2 cm. 37% of patients who were suitable for active surveillance had tumours >1 cm, and therefore would have been excluded without the extended 2 cm tumour diameter. There was no control group for comparison as very few patients in our cohort have AS thus far and the database only captures patients post surgery. was defined as extension of the nodule beyond the normal capsule line. The sonologists identified 4/22 patients with evidence of ETE which had not been identified on initial ultrasound report. Imaging subgroup Of these 4 patients, 1 was identified as definite ETE and 3 were deemed to have features suggestive of ETE, rendering them unsuitable for AS according to our protocol. It is reasonable to propose that patients who required further surgery or medical intervention had progressive disease either distant metastases or further lymph node disease. While we do not know if these patients would have progressed without the initial surgery, our tool correctly identified characteristics meeting criteria for AS with the majority (49/59) having no further surgery. Patients who had completion surgery were generally younger, with lymph node involvement and presence of lymphovascular invasion on initial histopathology. In the group who did not have completion, we are unable to ascertain whether there was malignancy in the remaining lobe however it is reassuring that there has been no evidence of disease recurrence or development of nodal or distant metastases in this cohort (as evidenced by lack of further interventions and available progress imaging reports). Of the patients who had completion thyroidectomy, the majority (7/10 patients) had tumour size >1cm. No patients who had evidence of malignancy on completion thyroidectomy had evidence of disease recurrence on available follow up data, however we are unable to ascertain if any these Discussion In this retrospective analysis of patients treated by hemithyroidectomy for nodules with pre-operative cytology BV or BVI FNA, we have shown a substantial proportion of patients may have been suitable for active surveillance rather than surgery. The strongest evidence for active surveillance is for patients with high risk of malignancy (BV or BVI cytology) and as there is limited data for active surveillance in other Bethesda categories, we focused our analysis on patients with pre-operative FNA of BV or BVI. To our knowledge, there are no decision support tools available to help clinicians identify patients suitable for AS. We present a novel tool with real world application, outlining the experiences of using this tool in a cohort from a tertiary centre. The demographic results for our appropriate AS cohort were unsurprising. Most patients in our suitable active surveillance cohort were young females which reflects known epidemiological data (19). Frontiers in Endocrinology frontiersin.org 06 White et al. 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 main factor that excluded patients from suitability for active surveillance was tumour size >2 cm. patients went on to have further treatment at another treatment location. Tumour size, multifocality, presence of ETE or LVI, presence lymph node involvement and BRAFV600E positivity did not predict malignancy in contralateral lobe. As hemithyroidectomy as a first line operation for low risk cancer gains further evidence, there is a trend away from completion thyroidectomy unless initial histopathology has concerning features. This study was not able to identify any factors in this cohort that predicted risk of malignancy in contralateral lobe, though a key limitation is the small sample size. The higher rates of LVI in the group who had completion thyroidectomy who did not have malignancy in contralateral lobe is of doubtful relevance and likely due to small sample size. Limitations of this study are that it is retrospective single centre data. There is selection bias given we analysed a low risk population by selecting patients who had been managed with hemithyroidectomy. Our follow up data was limited to information available through our thyroid cancer database and electronic medical record. We were unable to ascertain whether patients have gone on to receive further treatment through other centres, which may underestimate the risk of recurrence in our population. Thirdly, our imaging review of the 59 patients identified as being suitable for AS was incomplete as we only had access to the images of 22 patients. Conclusion Our clinical decision support tool is a novel method of assisting clinicians in selecting patients that are suitable for active surveillance. Utilising this tool in our single centre cohort, almost half (48%) of patients with BV/BVI FNA and PTC on final histopathology would have been suitable for active surveillance. No patients had evidence of disease recurrence throughout our follow up period. Further prospective studies are required to evaluate this tool. Furthermore in our subgroup analysis, 21/22 patients did not have ≥2 mm between the nodule and capsule on the ultrasound. However, nodule position is inconsistently reported in ultrasound results, making it difficult to interpret from the report alone whether a nodule would meet this criteria and thus this represents a limitation to the application of this tool. Collaboration with our imaging colleagues would be necessary to develop more relevant reporting schema. Absence of 2mm of normal gland parenchyma does not preclude suitability for active surveillance, and future refinement of this tool would likely eliminate this specification and focus on more discriminatory markers such as tumour location in relation to critical structures and tumour volume kinetics (20). Ethics statement The studies involving humans were approved by Northern Sydney Health District Ethics Committee. The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent for participation was not required from the participants or the participants’ legal guardians/ next of kin in accordance with the national legislation and institutional requirements. This study has several key strengths. Firstly, it demonstrates a novel idea of creating a clinical decision support tool designed to empower clinicians in identifying patients who are potential candidates for active surveillance as a lack of physician knowledge has been identified as a barrier to AS implementation (19). Secondly, it demonstrates likely numbers of patients who would be potentially suitable for active surveillance based on the experience of a tertiary centre. In our cohort, 59/114 (52%) of patients with Bethesda V or VI were suitable for active surveillance based on our clinical support tool, with 55/114 (48%) deemed suitable following imaging review. The Discussion It is likely that further patients would have been excluded had we been able to review the entire cohort. Acknowledging this limitation, we have attempted to estimate prevalence of patients suitable for AS based on our available data. We next attempted to understand how the tool could work in clinical practice, and the feasibility of interpreting findings from the ultrasound report and original images and incorporating these into this tool. Our subgroup analysis with our imaging specialists highlighted some of the challenges of the real world application of this tool. Firstly, there is inter-observer variability in detecting the presence of ETE on ultrasound. Of the 4 patients in whom our imaging specialists deemed there to be ETE present, there was no comment on ETE in the original ultrasound report in three patients and in one patient it was documented as not present. Final histopathology for these patients demonstrated two of four had no ETE and two had presence of ETE, reflecting ultrasound and pathological disparity. The sonologist reviewing the subgroup analysis had 40 years of experience. We conclude that ETE is not feasible to be routinely analysed in a pre-operative ultrasound due to significant heterogeneity, and in further refinement of this tool we would focus more on tumour location in relation to critical structures. Several features we have used to assess feasibility for active surveillance on preoperative ultrasound (ETE, LVI, presence of 2 mm normal gland around nodule) are not routinely reported and a training and reporting template when looking at these ultrasounds may be beneficial. Lastly, in the application of our clinical support tool, patient willingness to undertake active surveillance and engage with follow up is a key component of suitability. In applying our tool to this retrospective data, we were unable to ascertain patient willingness to undergo AS. Prospective studies are required to further evaluate the effectiveness of our clinical support tool in patients who are suitable for AS. Data availability statement The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation. Frontiers in Endocrinology Supplementary material The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249/ full#supplementary-material The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Author contributions EW: Methodology, data collection, formal analysis, writing -original draft, writing - reviewing and editing. BA: data analysis, Frontiers in Endocrinology frontiersin.org frontiersin.org 07 White et al. 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160249 Publisher's note writing -reviewing and editing. GS: data analysis, writing - reviewing and editing. AG: methodology, writing - reviewing and editing. MG: Supervision, conceptualisation, formal analysis, methodology, writing - reviewing and editing. RC-B: supervision, conceptualisation, methodology, writing - reviewing and editing. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version. All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. References 1. Hoang JK, Choudury KR, Eastwood JD, Esclamado RM, Lyman GH, Shattuck TM, et al. An exponential growth in incidence of thyroid cancer: trends and impact of CT imaging. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol (2014) 35(4):778–83. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3743 11. Kandil E, Krishnan B, Noureldine SI, Yao L, Tufano RP. 'Hemithyroidectomy: A meta-analysis of postoperative need for hormone replacement and complications'. ORL (2013) 75:6–17. doi: 10.1159/000345498 2. Hu J, Yuan IJ, Mirshahidi S, Simental A, Lee SC, Yuan X. Thyroid carcinoma: phenotypic features, underlying biology and potential relevance for targeting therapy. Int J Mol Sci (2021) 22(4):1950. doi: 10.3390/ijms22041950 12. Ito Y, Miyauchi A, Inoue H, Fukushima M, Kihara M, Higashiyama T, et al. An observational trial for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma in Japanese patients. World J Surg (2010) 34(1):28–35. doi: 10.1007/s00268-009-0303-0 13. Sakai T, Sugitani I, Ebina A, Fukuoka O, Toda K, Mitani H, et al. Active surveillance for T1bN0M0 papillary thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid (2019) 29(1), 59–63. doi: 10.1089/thy.2018.0462 3. Yu L, Hong H, Han J, Leng SX, Zhang H, Yan X. Comparison of survival and risk factors of differentiated thyroid cancer in the geriatric population. Front Oncol (Head Neck Cancer) (2020) 10:42. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00042 4. Xu S, Han Y. The overdiagnosis of thyroid micropapillary carcinoma: the rising incidence, inert biological behavior, and countermeasures. J Oncol (2021), 5544232. doi: 10.1155/2021/5544232 14. Ho AS, Kim S, Zalt C, Melany ML, Chen IE, Vasquez J, et al. Expanded parameters in active surveillance for low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma: A nonrandomized controlled trial. JAMA Oncol (2022) 8(11):1588–96. doi: 10.1001/ jamaoncol.2022.3875 4. Xu S, Han Y. The overdiagnosis of thyroid micropapillary carcinoma: the rising incidence, inert biological behavior, and countermeasures. J Oncol (2021), 5544232. doi: 10.1155/2021/5544232 5. Park S, Oh CM, Cho H, Lee JY, Jung KW, Jun JK, et al. Association between screening and the thyroid cancer “epidemic” in South Korea; evidence from a nationwide study. BMJ (2016) 355:i5745. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i5745 15. Lohia A, Hanson M, Tuttle RM, Morris LGT. Active surveillance for patients with very low-risk thyroid cancer. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol (2020) 5(1):175– 82. doi: 10.1002/ljo2.356 6. Van Den Heede K, Tolley NS, Di Marco AN, Palazzo FF. Differentiated thyroid cancer: A health economic review. Cancers (Basel) (2021) 13(9), 2253. doi: 10.3390/ cancers13092253 16. Hughes DT, Reyes-Gastelum D, Ward KC, Hamilton AS, Haymart MR. Barriers to the use of active surveillance for thyroid cancer: Results of a physician survey. Ann Surg (2022) 276(1):40–7. References doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000004417 7. Haugen BR, Alexander EK, Bible KC, Doherty GM, Mandel SJ, Nififorov YE, et al. 2015 American thyroid association management guidelines for adult patients with thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer: the American thyroid association guidelines task force on thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer. Thyroid (2016) 1(26):1–133. doi: 10.1089/thy.2015.0020 17. Wei J, Thwin M, Nickel B, Glover A. Factors that inform individual decision making between active surveillance, hemithyroidectomy and total thyroidectomy for low-risk thyroid cancer: A scoping review. Thyroid (2022) 32(7):807–18. doi: 10.1089/ thy.2021.0646 8. Lamartina L, Leboulleux S, Terroir M, Hartl D, Schlumberger M. An update on the management of low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer. Endocr Relat Cancer (2019) 26(11):R597–610. doi: 10.1530/ERC-19-0294 18. Jensen CB, Saucke MC, Pitt SC. Active surveillance for thyroid cancer: a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators to implementation. BMC Cancer (2021) 21(1):471. doi: 10.1186/s12885-021-08230-8 19. Mariotto A, Miller BA, Feuer EJ, Clegg L, Horner MJ, Howlader N, Eisner MP, Reichman M, Edwards BK, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1975-2004. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Available at: http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2004/. 9. Oh HS, Kwon H, Song E, Jeon MJ, Kim TY, Lee JH, et al. Tumor volume doubling time in active surveillance of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid (2019) 29(5):642–9. doi: 10.1089/thy.2018.0609 20. Tuttle RM, Fagin J, Minkowitz G, Wong R, ROman B, Patel S, et al. Active surveillance of papillary thyroid cancer: frequency and time course of the six most common tumor volume kinetic patterns. Thyroid (2022) 32(11):1337–1345. doi: 10.1089/thy.2022.0325 10. Hsiao V, Light TJ, Adil AA. Complication rates of total thyroidectomy vs hemithyroidectomy for treatment of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma. A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg (2022) 148(6):531–9. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2022.0621 Frontiers in Endocrinology 08 frontiersin.org
https://openalex.org/W3045107461
https://periodicos.ufes.br/agora/article/download/30440/21133
Portuguese
null
O jogo político das lideranças do associativismo negro: alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção em Salvador na segunda metade do século XIX
Revista Ágora
2,020
cc-by-sa
8,640
 Doutorando pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em História Social da Universidade Federal da Bahia (PPGH-UFBA) com pesquisa intitulada “Associativismo negro na Bahia da segunda metade do século XIX”. Bolsista da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). Membro da linha de pesquisa “Escravidão e Invenção da Liberdade”. E-mail: lucasribeiroc2@gmail.com. v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 o jogo político das lideranças do associativismo negro: alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção em salvador na segunda metade do século xix Lucas ribeiro campos universidade federal da bahia salvador bahia brasil A Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos, primeira associação civil negra do Brasil, instalada em 1851 na cidade Salvador, se tornou um espaço importante de negociação entre lideranças de cor e políticos baianos, na segunda metade do século XIX. Alguns de seus associados se destacaram como importantes lideranças e alcançaram um status de enorme prestígio entre os trabalhadores de cor da cidade de Salvador. Este artigo tem como objetivo entender quais os sentidos das articulações dessas lideranças com figuras importantes da Bahia. Busca- se investigar como aqueles trabalhadores, em sua maioria artistas e artífices, negociaram e disputaram um projeto político para os homens de cor, com a intenção de alcançar direitos básicos enquanto cidadãos, como educação, dignidade, assistência mútua, participação política e pertencimento racial. resumo Palavras-chave: Associativismo negro; Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos; Política dos homens de cor. The Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos, Brazil's first black civil association, installed in 1851 in the city of Salvador, became an important space for negotiation between color leaders and Bahian politicians in the second half of the 19th century. Some of its associates stood out as important leaders and achieved a status of enormous prestige among the colored workers of the city of Salvador. This article aims to understand the meanings of the articulations of these leaders with important figures from Bahia. It seeks to investigate how those workers, mostly artists and craftsmen, negotiated and disputed a political project for men of color, with the intention of achieving basic rights as citizens, such as education, dignity, mutual assistance, political participation and racial belonging. Keywords: Black associations; Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos; Politics of men of color. 1 SCHWARTZ, Stuart B. Escravos, roceiros e rebeldes. Bauru: EDUSC, 2001, p. 28-29. abstract Keywords: Black associations; Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos; Politics of men of color. REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 , , , , p 2 Cf.: LARA, Silvia Hunold. Blowin’ in the wind: E. P. Thompson e a experiência negra no Brasil. Proj. História, v. 12, outubro , p p g j , , 1995, p. 43-56. LARA, Silvia Hunold. Escravidão, cidadania e história do trabalho no Brasil. Proj. História, São Paulo, (16), fe 1998. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 2 O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 2 introdução Nos últimos anos os estudos sobre escravidão e pós-abolição no Brasil passaram por um processo intenso de transformações, com a expansão de temas, problemas, metodologias e fontes. Ganhou força a chamada nova historiografia da escravidão, dedicada às formas de participação política e cultural de homens livres de cor, libertos e escravizados. De acordo com Stuart Schwartz, diferente do que acontecia nas décadas de 1950 e 1960, em que o interesse primordial eram nas consequências da escravidão como sistema sobre a economia e toda a sociedade, essa nova tendência, que se desenvolveu nas últimas décadas, destaca “a importância de se compreender a organização da escravidão e seu funcionamento tanto como forma de trabalho quanto como sistema social e cultural.”1 Dentre os novos temas dessa historiografia, que interessam a este artigo, vale destacar a participação de pessoas livres e libertas em irmandades, associações e partidos. Na década de 1990, em sintonia com essa nova historiografia da escravidão e muito inspirada no marxismo britânico de Edward Thompson, Silvia Lara chamou a atenção para uma abordagem com mais prioridade na liberdade ao invés da escravidão, ao trazer alguns elementos para que o debate não se restringisse a uma dicotomia desnecessária e pouco producente para os estudos da experiência negra no Brasil. De acordo com a autora, era preciso redimensionar os estudos da escravidão, ao observar livres e libertos e inserir a experiência negra na história social do trabalho, principalmente com a incorporação do século XIX como um período importante para a discussão.2 Para este artigo, será analisada a experiência de lideranças do associativismo negro na Salvador da segunda metade do século XIX. Mais especificamente, a reflexão será feita a partir da vivência dessas lideranças à frente da primeira associação civil negra do Brasil, a Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (doravante SPD), que havia sido fundada na cidade de Salvador, em 29 de outubro de 1851. A SPD era formada, em sua maioria, por trabalhadores da construção civil e, de acordo com seu estatuto de 1874, admitia como sócios efetivos “todos os cidadãos brasileiros de cor preta”, com o objetivo de auxiliá-los na doença, invalidez, prisão, velhice e, até mesmo, após a morte, através de um funeral O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 2 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. introdução 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 digno. Além disso, a SPD buscava proporcionar benefícios aos dependentes dos sócios, como pensões aos familiares dos membros falecidos, assim como supervisão e cuidado com a educação dos órfãos.3 Neste artigo, busca-se responder as seguintes questões: quais os sentidos das articulações das lideranças do associativismo negro com figuras importantes de Salvador na segunda metade do século XIX? O que ganhavam esses indivíduos ao se aliarem com políticos e pessoas de influência naquele momento? Qual era de fato o projeto político de liberdade daqueles artistas e artífices negros? Para responder a estas questões, o artigo tem como objetivo principal compreender como aqueles trabalhadores negociaram e disputaram um projeto político para os homens de cor, com a intenção de alcançar direitos básicos enquanto cidadãos, como acesso a educação, dignidade, ajuda mútua, pertencimento racial, participação política entre outros. Em relação às fontes, foi utilizado para escrita deste artigo documentos do Arquivo da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (ASPD), como atas de reuniões, comunicados, pedidos de inscrição e estatutos. Além disso, as correspondências que eram enviadas pelas lideranças da SPD ao Presidente da Província e os inventários de alguns sócios foram consultados no Arquivo Público do Estado da Bahia (APEB). Periódicos, almanaques e legislações foram pesquisados na Hemeroteca Digital da Biblioteca Nacional, Biblioteca Virtual Consuelo Pondé e Biblioteca Pública do Estado da Bahia. Essas fontes foram fundamentais para a coleta de dados sobre a trajetória e atuação política de lideranças do associativismo negro que serão apresentadas nas próximas páginas. 3 ASPD, Estatuto da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos, aprovado pelo governo da Província em 26 de agosto de 1874. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 3 alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro Algumas lideranças da SPD constituíram redes de proteção, que além de envolver seus aliados dentro da associação, incluía os chamados “sócios protetores”. A categoria de sócio protetor era constituída, em sua grande maioria, por homens brancos, escolhidos pela capacidade de ajudar a associação, apesar de terem influência relativamente limitada ASPD, Estatuto da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos, aprovado pelo governo da Província em 26 de agosto de 1874. REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 nas operações internas da instituição. De acordo com o artigo 8º do estatuto de 1874, os sócios protetores eram “todas aquelas pessoas que por seu coração benfazejo, segundo suas altas representações, queiram voluntariamente proteger a esta Sociedade”.4 Entre eles estavam políticos e figuras influentes da sociedade baiana, como presidentes de província, senadores, deputados, desembargadores, advogados, militares, médicos e outros. Os dirigentes da SPD estabeleceram alianças com estes protetores, que eram sustentadas através de uma política de favores, acordos e relações de compromisso. Essas estratégias, na maioria das vezes, decidiam as disputas pelo controle da associação, pois aqueles que constituíam alianças mais consistentes com os protetores eram os que estavam mais blindados no poder e permaneciam mais tempo no comando da associação. Esse foi o caso do marceneiro Manoel Leonardo Fernandes, um dos membros que mais assumiu cargos diretivos na SPD e protagonizou acirradas disputas pelo comando da associação, principalmente durante as décadas de 1860 e 1870. Manoel Fernandes foi remanescente da antiga Irmandade de Nossa Senhora da Soledade Amparo dos Desvalidos e assumiu na SPD os cargos de presidente, vice-presidente e 1º secretário. Na lista eleitoral da Freguesia da Sé, em 1878, havia declarado ter 50 anos de idade, solteiro e com uma renda anual de 500$000 réis.5 Morava ou trabalhava na antiga Ladeira do Aljube, próximo de onde hoje está o viaduto da Sé, esquina com a Ladeira da Praça.6 Manoel Fernandes tinha ambições dentro da SPD e a sua presença no controle da associação rompeu com a hegemonia de um antigo grupo no poder. Era inegável sua atuação como uma forte liderança dentro da associação, provavelmente protegido por diversos políticos da época. Na eleição para a nova diretoria da SPD do dia 25 de outubro de 1863, o então vice-presidente Manoel Fernandes protagonizou uma disputa com o grupo de Joaquim de Santana Gomes Ferrão. O MONITOR, 30/07/1878, p. 2. 6 MASSON, Camillo de Lellis. Almanak Administrativo e industrial da Bahia, para o anno de 1860. Salvador: Typographia de Camillo de Lellis & Cia, 1860, p. 323. 5 O MONITOR, 30/07/1878, p. 2. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 4 4 ASPD, Estatuto da SPD de 1874. LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 4 alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro Naquela ocasião, Manoel Fernandes assumiu interinamente o cargo de presidente e foi o responsável por ter conduzido aquela eleição, tendo em vista que o titular do cargo, Joaquim Ferrão, estava impossibilitado de comparecer naquele dia, por motivo de doença. Sua presença presidindo uma sessão tão importante como aquela, despertou a desconfiança de antigas lideranças da SPD, que temiam perder a hegemonia LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 e as prerrogativas no comando da associação, construídas através de alianças políticas cultivadas há algum tempo. Durante a sessão da eleição de 1863, Manoel Fernandes foi duramente criticado por alguns sócios, por ter descumprido o estatuto, ao ter aceitado cédulas com votos de associados que não estavam presentes no dia da votação. Contudo, o que provocou maior confusão naquela sessão foi à decisão do vice-presidente de anular a chapa em que constava o nome do sócio suspenso Francisco das Chagas e Assis para o cargo de visitador. Houve muita confusão entre os membros, que se dividiram entre aqueles que estavam ao lado de Francisco Assis e os que não aceitavam a presença dele naquela chapa. Embora o vice-presidente solicitasse ordem diversas vezes, a sessão seguiu em um clima tenso, a ponto do sócio suspenso e seus correligionários – entre eles Bento Ignácio de Oliveira, Feliciano Primo Ferreira, Damião Cardoso da Costa, Pedro Ribeiro de Figueiredo, José Pedro do Sacramento e Gregório Joaquim de Santana –, se retirarem da sala das sessões, dizendo em protesto “que seus pés não se cruzavam mais na sociedade”. Ao final da sessão, Manoel Fernandes foi eleito presidente, junto com alguns sócios do seu grupo, que assumiram cargos importantes.7 No dia 27 de outubro, Manoel Fernandes enviou a lista com os nomes da nova diretoria para o presidente da Província, o conselheiro Antônio Coelho de Sá e Albuquerque, que era sócio protetor da SPD.8 Esse era um procedimento previsto pelo artigo 29, parágrafo 5º, do decreto nº 2.711, de 19 de dezembro de 1860, que dizia que os montepios seriam responsáveis pela eleição ou nomeação de seus quadros administrativos e cabia apenas ao governo da Corte ou presidentes das províncias, nomear entre os mais votados, quem iria presidir as associações.9 Ou seja, apesar da eleição, cabia somente a autoridade máxima da província escolher quem realmente iria conduzir a instituição durante o exercício de um ano. 7 ASPD, ata da Assembleia Geral de 25/10/1863. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 5 8 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora d APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora d Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, relação dos novos funcionários da Sociedade Amparo dos Desvalidos, eleitos em Assemble Geral do dia 25/10/1863, enviada no dia 27/10/1863. , 8 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, relação dos novos funcionários da Sociedade Amparo dos Desvalidos, eleitos em Assembleia Geral do dia 25/10/1863, enviada no dia 27/10/1863. 9 BRASIL. Decreto nº 2.711, de 19 de dezembro de 1860. Contém diversas disposições sobre a criação e organização dos bancos, companhias, sociedades anônimas e outras, e prorroga por mais quatro meses o prazo marcado pelo artigo 1º do Decreto nº 2.686, de 10 de novembro do corrente ano. Colleção das Leis do Império do Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Typografia Nacional, v. 2, p. 1125-1140, 1860. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 5 7 ASPD, ata da Assembleia Geral de 25/10/1863. 8 , 9 BRASIL. Decreto nº 2.711, de 19 de dezembro de 1860. Contém diversas disposições sobre a criação e organização dos banco companhias, sociedades anônimas e outras, e prorroga por mais quatro meses o prazo marcado pelo artigo 1º do Decreto nº 2.686, 10 de novembro do corrente ano. Colleção das Leis do Império do Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Typografia Nacional, v. 2, p. 1125-114 1860. , 8 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da 11 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora d Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, requerimento assinado por Joaquim de Santana Gomes Ferrão em 26/10/1863. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 10 BRAGA, Júlio. Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos: uma irmandade de cor. Salvador: Ianamá, 1987, p. 55, 66-68. 11 11 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, requerimento assinado por Joaquim de Santana Gomes Ferrão em 26/10/1863. BRAGA, Júlio. Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos: uma irmand BRAGA, Júlio. Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos: uma irmandade de cor. Salvador: Ianamá, 1987, p. 55, 66-68. APEB S ã d A i C l i l P i i l P idê i d P í i C dê i bid d S i d d P t t d alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro Esse procedimento fazia parte de uma lógica de controle, 5 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 no qual as autoridades escolhiam lideranças que fossem de sua confiança para conduzirem aquelas associações. Esse controle do governo exigia das lideranças de cor um empenho em estabelecer boas relações com os presidentes da província, pois não bastava apenas serem eleitos pelos sócios e terem o apoio de seus aliados dentro da associação para chegarem ao poder, era necessário que sua capacidade de comando fosse reconhecida pela maior autoridade provincial. Havia nesse jogo político, relações estreitas entre a SPD e o Estado Provincial, no qual a associação se constituiu como uma instituição política importante no tabuleiro do poder. Desse modo, as disputas internas ganharam uma dimensão mais complexa, pois alguns sócios utilizaram essa lógica de dominação ao seu favor, para alcançarem posição de destaque dentro da instituição, em detrimento de seus rivais. De acordo com Júlio Braga, alguns desses sócios permaneceram durante muito tempo ocupando cargos na diretoria da SPD, por conta de “suas habilidades políticas, prestígio pessoal ou tino administrativo” e constituíram verdadeiras oligarquias na associação.10 No ano de 1863, os sócios que saíram insatisfeitos com o resultado da eleição, perceberam as possibilidades de negociação dentro dessa lógica de dominação, pois rapidamente se articularam com o presidente titular da SPD, Joaquim Ferrão, e enviaram um requerimento para a autoridade provincial, Antônio Coelho de Sá e Albuquerque, solicitando intervenção para a realização de nova eleição. Joaquim Ferrão tomou partido desses membros e disse que os argumentos deles eram “plausíveis e razoáveis,” tendo em vista a “parcialidade demonstrada pela Mesa,” ao “fazer prevalecer uma lista ou chapa por ela imposta.” Ainda sugeriu a possibilidade dessa nova eleição ser realizada com assistência de alguma autoridade designada pelo presidente da Província, provavelmente como uma estratégia para acionar políticos que pudessem influenciar uma nova eleição a favor de seu grupo.11 Esse grupo de opositores era constituído basicamente pelos membros que saíram insatisfeitos na sessão do dia 25 de outubro. Francisco das Chagas e Assis, figura central na confusão daquele dia, participou das reuniões da antiga Irmandade dos Desvalidos na década de 1840 e chegou a assumir o cargo de 2º solicitador. Pedro Ribeiro de Figueiredo 6 6 6 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 12 CAMPOS, Lucas R. Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos: mutualismo, política e identidade racial em Salvador (1861-1894). Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal da Bahia, Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Salvador, 2018, p. 42. 13 CASTILLO, Lisa Earl. O terreiro do Alaketu e seus fundadores: história e genealogia familiar, 1807-1867. Afro-Ásia, nº 43, 2011, p.257. 14 APEB, Seção Judiciária, inventário. Classificação 07/3062/11. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 7 O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 7 , ç , 15 CAMPOS, 2018, p. 42-43. , ç , ç 15 CAMPOS, 2018, p. 42-43. 12 CAMPOS, Lucas R. Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos: mutualismo, política e identidade racial em Salvador (1861-189 14 APEB, Seção Judiciária, inventário. Classificação 07/3062/11. 15 CAMPOS, 2018, p. 42-43. alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 ocupou o cargo de porteiro/arquivista duas vezes (1862-1863; 1866-1867) e Damião Cardoso da Costa foi cobrador (1859-1860) e 1º secretário (1860-1861). Já José Pedro do Sacramento foi operário da oficina de carpinteiros do Arsenal da Marinha, assumiu os cargos de 2º cobrador (1859-1860; 1866-1867), e depois foi eleito presidente (1867). O sócio Bento Ignácio de Oliveira exercia o ofício de empalhador e havia sido 1º secretário (1855) e presidente entre os anos de 1860 e 1861.12 Um dos que mais se tem informações daquele grupo é Feliciano Primo Ferreira, que era filho de africana, residia na Ladeira da Conceição da Praia e estava inserido nas redes de sociabilidades dos candomblés.13 Em seu inventário consta que possuía dois armazéns de madeira, com endereço na Ladeira da Preguiça, o que indica que fosse um comerciante deste ramo. Provavelmente era uma figura que tinha fortes contatos na cidade de Salvador, principalmente no meio dos trabalhadores da construção civil, o que lhe dava as credenciais necessárias para assumir cargos diretivos na associação, já que a maioria dos sócios da SPD eram desse ramo. Possuía pelo menos um escravo, que talvez trabalhasse para ele nos armazéns. Faleceu no ano de 1868 e deixou apenas sua mãe como herdeira.14 Assumiu o cargo de 1º secretário (1845) na Irmandade dos Desvalidos e depois as funções de presidente (1852-1853), vice-presidente (1853-1854) e tesoureiro (1859- 1860) da SPD.15 No inventário de Feliciano ainda consta Joaquim Ferrão como seu inventariante, o que indica uma proximidade entre aquelas duas lideranças. Joaquim Ferrão era torneiro mecânico, também morava na Ladeira da Preguiça e, além de ter sido presidente naquela ocasião, havia ocupado os cargos de 1º secretário (1856-1858) e tesoureiro entre os anos de 1860 e 1861 (MASSON, 1857, p. 384). Tendo em vista sua forte influência dentro da instituição, pode ter sido ele quem influenciou, em 1861, na entrada de seu filho, Gregório Joaquim de Santana Gomes Ferrão, como sócio efetivo com apenas 17 anos de idade, o que contrariava as regras do estatuto, que apenas aceitava maiores de 18. Gregório era , ç , 15 CAMPOS, 2018, p. 42-43. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 7 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 16 LOBO, Tânia; OLIVEIRA, Klebson. Escrita liberta: letramento de forros na Bahia do século XIX. In: CASTILHO, Ataliba de; TORRES, Maria Aparecida; CIRINO, Sônia (Org.). Descrição, História e Aquisição do Português Brasileiro: estudos dedicados a Mary Aizawa Kato. São Paulo: Fapesp, 2007. 17 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, ofício assinado pelo 1º secretário Manoel Salustiano Severiano Gomes em 05/11/1863. 18 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, ofício de 27/11/1863, assinado pelo 1º secretário Manoel Salustiano Severiano Gomes, 2º secretário Guilherme Francisco Henrique, tesoureiro Antônio José Bracete, 1º cobrador João Theodoro da Soledade e o 2º cobrador João Pereira dos Santos Godinho. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 8 O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 8 alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 solteiro e, assim como seu pai, também trabalhava como torneiro mecânico e chegou a assumir, em 1861, o cargo de 2º secretário da SPD.16 As queixas desses opositores chegaram ao conhecimento da recém-eleita diretoria da SPD, liderada por Manoel Fernandes, que sinalizou não haver irregularidades nas eleições, pois o pleito havia sido decidido por maioria de votos e a associação não poderia ficar com os seus trabalhos parados.17 Em resposta, o presidente da Província solicitou o encaminhamento de uma cópia da ata daquela eleição para ser examinada, mas a Mesa eleita acusou Joaquim Ferrão de fazer a cópia do documento em sua casa, sem passar por deliberação em sessão, o que era contra o estatuto.18 Existia certo receio do grupo de Manoel Fernandes de uma possível manipulação dos fatos, que favorecesse os argumentos dos queixosos em seu objetivo de anular aquela eleição. Contudo, Joaquim Ferrão enviou a cópia da ata solicitada pela autoridade provincial e aproveitou a oportunidade para reiterar os motivos que levaram aquela oposição a solicitar uma nova eleição: Cumpre-me declarar a Vossa Excelência, que semelhante ata deixou de ser aprovada pelas irregularidades, e oposições, que nela tiveram lugar, que por isso deixou de ser assinada por alguns sócios antigos, que contiveram presentes a discussão dela, por causa de tais irregularidades, e pelo descomportamento do Vice-Presidente [Manoel Leonardo Fernandes]: cujos argumentos de que ele se compõe são todos fabulosos [argumentos falsos], e compostos agora a contento dos opositores para se poder satisfazer a exigência de Vossa Excelência, que evidentemente dela verá o quanto se tem procedido contra as disposições dos Estatutos, que rege a Sociedade, cuja ata não estando ainda lançada no respectivo livro, deu lugar a não ser com brevidade respondida e satisfeita a exigência de Vossa Excelência, e fazendo constar aos sócios, que me representaram a qual representação remeti a Vossa Excelência com o supradito oficio, eles 8 8 8 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 reprovaram completamente a composição em que se acha lançada a referida ata, que deixou de ser aprovada pelas ditas irregularidades, oposições sem fundamento, provável, e descomportamento do referido Vice-Presidente. ( ), ç , p q 20 MATTOS, Ilmar Rohloff de. O Tempo Saquarema: a formação do Estado Imperial. São Paulo: Editora Hucitec, 2004. APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos svalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, oficio assinado por Joaquim de Santana Gomes Ferrão de 28/11/1863. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, oficio assinado por Joaquim de Santana Gomes Ferrão de 28/11/1863. 20 MATTOS Il R hl ff d O T S f d E d I i l S P l Edi H i 2004 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, oficio assinado por Joaquim de Santana Gomes Ferrão de 28/11/1863. 19 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora d Desvalidos (1861 1880) maço 5306 oficio assinado por Joaquim de Santana Gomes Ferrão de 28/11/1863 alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro Julgo ter assim satisfeito ao que me foi exigido por Vossa Excelência de quem espero, que faça à costumada justiça para exato cumprimento da ordem e dos Artigos dos Estatutos, que deve reger à Sociedade respectiva.19 Ao observar a disputa entre os dois grupos, é possível perceber que houve uma movimentação de ambos os lados para justificar o acesso ao espaço que pretendiam ocupar, através de um discurso que buscava obter simpatia e proteção da autoridade provincial. De um lado, os “sócios antigos”, liderados por Joaquim Ferrão, muito preocupados com a possibilidade de perderem a hegemonia no controle da associação, atacaram a gestão eleita e acionaram o presidente da Província, através de um discurso que denunciava o “descomportamento” e as supostas irregularidades promovidas pelo presidente eleito. Do outro lado, a diretoria eleita, comandada por Manoel Fernandes, se defendia e argumentava que inexistia razão para as queixas daquele grupo, pois todo o procedimento da eleição seguia as regras dos estatutos, e que, por sua importância, a SPD não poderia ter os seus trabalhos interrompidos. Esse episódio revela uma disputa política complexa, que provavelmente tinha relação com as inclinações partidárias dos sócios. Quando se instalou a SPD, como uma instituição civil, em 1851, após o racha entre os membros da Irmandade dos Desvalidos, no final da década de 1840, o Império brasileiro estava sob a influência dos conservadores no poder. Esse período é tratado pela historiografia como tempo saquarema (1843-1861), pois existia um projeto conservador de construção e consolidação do Estado imperial, no sentido da manutenção interna dos privilégios coloniais e construção de uma classe senhorial.20 Figuras como Francisco Gonçalves Martins (Barão de São Lourenço), João Mauricio Wanderley (Barão de Cotegipe) e Álvaro Tibério de Moncorvo Lima, presidiram a província da Bahia nessa época e foram matriculados como sócios protetores da SPD. Acredito que talvez o grupo de Joaquim Ferrão, que mantinha uma hegemonia desde a instalação da SPD em 1851, tenha se aproximado desses políticos ligados ao 9 9 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 Partido Conservador naquele período e constituíram acordos para manter o controle da associação. 21 De acordo com Klebson Oliveira, que foi responsável por transcrever diversas atas da SPD em sua tese de doutorado, este documento está dividido em duas partes, uma escrita por Manoel Fernandes e outra por Antônio José Bracete, durante a década de 1860, sem uma data especifica. OLIVEIRA, Klebson. Negros e escrita no Brasil do século XIX: sócio-história, edição filológica de documentos e estudo linguístico. Tese (doutorado) – Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Letras, Salvaor, 2006, p. 637-638, 1039. 22 O MONITOR, 30/07/1878, p. 2. CAMPOS, 2018, p. 45. 24 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, relação dos novos funcionários enviada em 06/11/1865. 21 De acordo com Klebson Oliveira, que foi responsável por transcrever diversas atas da SPD em sua tese de doutorado, este documen tá di idid d t it M l F d t A tô i J é B t d t dé d d 1860 23 CAMPOS, 2018, p. 45. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 10 p CAMPOS, 2018, p. 45. alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro No entanto, algum tempo depois, com a perda da hegemonia política dos conservadores no Brasil e na Bahia, a partir do início da década de 1860, figuras como Manoel Leonardo Fernandes, que tinha o apoio de indivíduos ligados ao Partido Liberal, ascenderam como fortes lideranças dentro da associação. Apesar de Manoel Fernandes ter vencido aquela disputa, as querelas com o grupo de Joaquim Ferrão não cessaram por aí, pois no ano de 1864, o então presidente, que agora contava com a proteção das autoridades legais, fez um discurso que conclamava os sócios a lutarem contra “aqueles que conosco deveriam partilhar as nossas fileiras”. Em um complemento desse mesmo documento, Antônio José Bracete, na época membro da Comissão de Contas e aliado de Manoel Fernandes, disse que a SPD durante seus dez primeiros anos como instituição civil, estava entregue aos cuidados de “meia dúzia de homens inexperientes, decrépitos e até analfabetos”, que administravam a associação como bem queriam. Bracete provavelmente estava se referindo ao grupo de Joaquim Ferrão. Acrescentou que graças ao decreto de 1860, que proporcionou através do governo a aprovação do estatuto da associação, já não era “aquela Sociedade decrepita e sim a Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos que socorre as viúvas e ampara seus órfãos”. Concluiu sua fala ao destacar que seu grupo foi responsável por ter “acabado com tudo quanto era de mau”, além de ter “acabado com este desleixo”, que era “arma mais miserável que há no mundo.”21 Antônio Bracete tinha cerca de 48 anos de idade na época, era solteiro e, assim como Manoel Fernandes, exercia o oficio de marceneiro.22 Havia ocupado na SPD o cargo de tesoureiro (1862-1863) e depois assumiu as funções de arquivista, entre os anos de 1864 a 1865.23 Em novembro de 1865, estava na lista dos sócios mais votados, enviada ao então presidente da Província Manoel Pinto de Souza Dantas, importante chefe político do Partido Liberal e sócio protetor da SPD, que o escolheu como presidente da associação naquele ano.24 Havia sido guarda na Freguesia de Brotas desde 1839, uma espécie de 10 10 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 inspetor de quarteirão, onde também estava qualificado para eleições na época. 25 O ALABAMA, 09/08/1864, p. 4. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 1 alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro Tinha muito orgulho de um batalhão ao qual serviu, ao que parece da Guarda Nacional, mas teve que pedir dispensa em agosto de 1864, pois já se encontrava na reserva por impossibilidade de serviço. Até o ano de 1859, era conhecido como José dos Santos Bracete, mas por conta de ter aparecido na capital da Província outro indivíduo com este nome, vindo do Rio de Janeiro, em 1858, passou a se chamar Antônio José Bracete. Declarou em 1864, que até então nunca havia divulgado na imprensa a mudança de seu nome, “por ser um pobre artista” e que pouco importava que os outros o “chamassem Pedro ou Paulo”, porém “agora qualificado na freguesia da Sé e podendo ser procurado por alguém visto ser tempo de eleições”, achou melhor divulgar a mudança de seu nome .25 Imagino que Bracete e Manoel Fernandes tenham adquirido uma experiência que lhes garantiu acordos com autoridades da época, capaz de possibilitar a presença de ambos no comando da SPD. Com o gabinete liberal no poder e os chefes locais da província da Bahia fortalecidos, ambos ganharam confiança e assumiram uma postura de enfrentamento com os “sócios antigos” da associação. Ao depreciar os opositores em sua fala, Bracete tinha o objetivo de sensibilizar os sócios e os políticos locais para o engajamento de seu grupo na liderança da SPD, através do reconhecimento de suas capacidades de comando. Buscou diferenciar seus aliados de um tipo de indivíduo que era indesejado pelas autoridades. Construiu assim uma imagem alinhada com o ideal de uma liderança moralizada, instruída, qualificada em seu ofício, disciplinada e apurada com as leis de controle do Estado, ou seja, capaz de exercer sua cidadania política. Antes era apenas “um pobre artista”, que não se importava nem mesmo com a forma que era chamado, desconsiderando a própria identidade de seu nome, e só sentiu necessidade de divulgar a mudança, por conta das vantagens de sua inserção na dinâmica eleitoral daquela instituição. Agora, Bracete vislumbrava novas possibilidades de adquirir benefícios das autoridades políticas, como o acesso e permanência no comando da SPD. Algum tempo depois, em agosto de 1876, Manoel Fernandes protagonizou outra disputa pelo controle da SPD. Agora com o sócio Caetano de Mattos. Em certa medida, podemos dizer que essa querela foi decidida pelo nível de influência que os pleiteantes LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 26 ASPD, pedido de inscrição de Caetano de Mattos, indicado por Severiano Pedro da Silva, aprovado em 17/05/1893. PIMENT Altino Rodrigues. Almanak administrativo, commercial e insdustrial da Província da Bahia para o anno de 1873, quinquagésim segundo da Independência e do Império. Bahia: Typographia de Oliveira Mendes & C., Anno I, quarta parte, 1872, p. 25. 27 O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 12 p 29 ASPD, comunicado do vice-presidente Caetano de Mattos de 13/08/1876; ASPD, ata da Assembleia Geral de 20/08/1876. 30 O MONITOR, 13/07/1878, p. 1. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 12 p 31 SILVA, Kátia Maria de Carvalho. O Diário da Bahia e o século XIX. Rio de Janeiro: Tempo brasileiro; Brasília: INL/MEC, 1979, p. 29, 31, 39. ANDRADE, Humberto Santos de. Gráficos e Mutualismo: a trajetória da Associação Tipográfica Baiana (Salvador, final do século XIX e início do XX). Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Estadual Paulista, Programa de Pós-Graduação de Mestrado em História, Assis, 2014, p. 57, 63. 26 ASPD, pedido de inscrição de Caetano de Mattos, indicado por Severiano Pedro da Silva, aprovado em 17/05/1893. PIMENTA, Altino Rodrigues. Almanak administrativo, commercial e insdustrial da Província da Bahia para o anno de 1873, quinquagésimo segundo da Independência e do Império. Bahia: Typographia de Oliveira Mendes & C., Anno I, quarta parte, 1872, p. 25. 27 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, relação nominal dos sócios da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos que ingressariam no Liceu de Artes e Ofícios em 19/08/ 1872. 28 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, discurso proferido na Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos pelo sócio Manoel Francisco dos Santos em 20/10/1879, p. 1. 29 ASPD, comunicado do vice-presidente Caetano de Mattos de 13/08/1876; ASPD, ata da Assembleia Geral de 20/08/1876. 30 O MONITOR, 13/07/1878, p. 1. 31 SILVA, Kátia Maria de Carvalho. O Diário da Bahia e o século XIX. Rio de Janeiro: Tempo brasileiro; Brasília: INL/MEC, 1979, p. 29, 31, 39. ANDRADE, Humberto Santos de. Gráficos e Mutualismo: a trajetória da Associação Tipográfica Baiana (Salvador, final do século XIX e início do XX). Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Estadual Paulista, Programa de Pós-Graduação de Mestrado em História, Assis, 2014, p. 57, 63. 27 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora d Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, relação nominal dos sócios da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos que ingressariam no Lic de Artes e Ofícios em 19/08/ 1872. 28 28 APEB, Seção de Arquivo Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora d Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306, discurso proferido na Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos pelo sócio Manoel Francisco d Santos em 20/10/1879, p. 1. alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 mantinham com os sócios protetores. Na época, Caetano de Mattos tinha cerca de 40 anos de idade, exercia o ofício de funileiro e tinha uma oficina na Rua do Corpo Santo.26 Contou com o apoio de lideranças como Severiano Pedro da Silva, que também exercia a profissão de funileiro,27 com oficina no mesmo endereço, além do pedreiro Manoel Francisco dos Santos, antiga liderança da SPD desde 1857.28 Com a ajuda desses sócios, Caetano de Mattos assumiu interinamente a presidência e conseguiu influenciar a Assembleia Geral em uma deliberação que decidiu pela demissão de Manoel Fernandes, sob alegação de que o presidente titular não merecia mais a confiança da Assembleia, pois havia abandonado uma sessão sem justificar o motivo de sua saída.29 Naquele mesmo dia, compareceu o sócio protetor Albino Henriques da Silva, provavelmente a convite de Manoel Fernandes. Albino tinha em torno de 44 anos de idade, era casado, tinha filhos e exercia a profissão de tipógrafo.30 Havia sido membro da Comissão Fiscal da Associação Tipográfica Baiana em 1871 e administrava o Diário da Bahia desde o ano de 1864, órgão ligado aos correligionários do Partido Liberal, especialmente nas figuras do Conselheiro Dantas, Rui Barbosa e do médico Sátiro de Oliveira Dias, todos protetores da SPD.31 Ao que parece, Albino era um sujeito de grande influência nos meios da imprensa, da classe trabalhadora e das autoridades públicas, o que tornava conveniente para os interesses de Manoel Fernandes a sua presença na sessão daquele dia, provavelmente por terem construído há algum tempo uma relação de proteção. Albino cumpriu bem o seu papel naquela sessão, manifestou apoio ao presidente Manoel Fernandes e registrou em ata que não existia número suficiente de sócios para se O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 12 REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 tomar qualquer deliberação. Ainda questionou as motivações para a realização da Assembleia, ao dizer que se o Conselho havia sido suspenso, o vice-presidente também deveria ser punido, pois era parte do mesmo Conselho. Em resposta, o grupo de Caetano de Mattos argumentou que o procedimento era considerado normal e declararam que o vice-presidente não tinha culpa de nada, pois nem sabia o que o resto do Conselho fazia. , 34 ABREU, Alzira Alves de (Coord.). Dicionário histórico-biográfico da Primeira República [Recurso eletrônico]: 1889-193 Formato EPUB. São Paulo: FGV, 2015. 35 32 ASPD, ata da Assembleia Geral de 20/08/1876. 35 ALBUQUERQUE, Wlamyra R. de. O jogo da dissimulação: abolição e cidadania negra no Brasil. São Paulo: Companhia d Letras, 2009, p. 258. ABREU, Alzira Alves de (Coord.). Dicionário histórico-biográfico da Primeira República [Recurso eletrônico]: 1889-1930, Formato EPUB. São Paulo: FGV, 2015. 35 ALBUQUERQUE, Wlamyra R. de. O jogo da dissimulação: abolição e cidadania negra no Brasil. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2009, p. 258. , 33 ASPD, ata da sessão da Assembleia Geral de 27/08/1876. , 33 ASPD, ata da sessão da Assembleia Geral de 27/08/1876. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 32 ASPD, ata da Assembleia Geral de 20/08/1876. 33 ASPD, ata da sessão da Assembleia Geral de 27/08/1876. 34 ABREU Al i Al d (C d ) Di i á i hi ó i bi áfi d P i i R úbli [R l ô i ] 1889 1930 alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro Além disso, destacaram outras causas que justificavam a demissão de Manoel Fernandes, como sua inadimplência com as mensalidades, a retirada de dinheiro do caixa para empréstimos e pagamentos desconhecidos, além das irregularidades nos últimos demonstrativos de receita e despesa. Com todos esses argumentos em mãos, Caetano de Mattos realizou uma votação que decidiu por 9 votos contra 7 pela demissão do Conselho e a eleição de uma nova gestão, que o tinha como presidente.32 No dia 27 de agosto foi realizada outra sessão da Assembleia Geral, na qual Manoel Fernandes e seus aliados apresentaram um “protesto anulatório” em relação aos trabalhos da sessão anterior. Agora contra-atacavam o grupo de Caetano de Mattos, pois além de contarem com a presença de Albino Henriques da Silva, estava presente também na sessão o sócio protetor Antônio Carneiro da Rocha.33 Este era filho do Major Nicolau Carneiro da Rocha, que também era sócio protetor da SPD. Tinha uma tradição política forte, pois havia ocupado o cargo de deputado provincial (1868-1869) e parece que naquele momento sua aproximação com os membros da SPD tinha algum interesse na busca de apoio para se eleger novamente, porque foi eleito para o mesmo cargo no ano de 1878 a 1881. Era uma figura importante e, assim como seu pai, tinha uma relação próxima com os liberais, pois haveria de ser ministro da Agricultura, no gabinete do Conselheiro Dantas, no ano de 1884. 34 Frequentou também durante a década de 1870, uma das mais importantes sociedades abolicionistas da capital baiana, a Sociedade Libertadora Sete de Setembro.35 Talvez a presença desses dois protetores, que tinham uma vasta rede de possibilidades políticas, tenha intimidado os oposicionistas de alguma forma. Manoel Fernandes utilizou sua rede de proteção, construída há muitos anos à frente da instituição, 13 13 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 para conseguir garantir o comando da SPD naquele momento, tendo em vista as investidas de Caetano de Mattos, apadrinhado por oposicionistas, que provavelmente não estavam satisfeitos com a sua presença no poder. O grupo de Caetano de Mattos perdeu aquela briga em uma votação decidida por 14 votos contra 9, pela reprovação da eleição promovida para derrubar o presidente. 37 ANDREWS, George Reid. América Afro-Latina, 1800-2000. São Carlos: EdUFSCar, 2014, p. 124, 125. 36 ASPD, ata da sessão da Assembleia Geral de 27/08/1876. 36 ASPD, ata da sessão da Assembleia Geral de 27/08/1876. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 14 alianças, conflitos e redes de proteção entre lideranças do associativismo negro Manoel Fernandes reassumiu a cadeira da presidência e reestabeleceu o domínio legal da diretoria.36 Essa disputa, além de evidenciar mais uma vez o quanto Manoel Fernandes tinha uma relação próxima com políticos liberais, desde a década de 1860 – provavelmente mais forte na figura dos Carneiro da Rocha –, demonstra como as lideranças do associativismo negro constituíram e acionaram essas redes de proteção para atenderem os seus interesses. Estes “novos sócios”, no qual fazia parte Manoel Fernandes, Antonio Bracete e outros, talvez tenham constituído alianças com os liberais, pois estes falavam aos grupos subalternizados, como os negros, através de uma retórica do liberalismo, que invocava os conceitos de igualdade cívica, democracia política e os direitos de cidadania. De acordo com George Reid Andrews, em muitos países da América Afro-Latina, existia uma “política negra” organizada em torno de disputas entre os conservadores e liberais. Particularmente na América espanhola, havia uma inclinação das elites tradicionais, proprietárias de terras e comerciantes poderosos dos tempos coloniais, de se agruparem no Partido Conservador, que defendia a preservação da herança colonial, como o catolicismo, a hierarquia social e racial e as grandes propriedades rurais. Apesar do Partido Liberal também ter conseguido o apoio de latifundiários e grandes comerciantes, “seu principal apelo era a grupos sociais que haviam sido excluídos de posições de poder e privilégio durante o período colonial e que estavam agora procurando oportunidades para participar e ascender no novo mundo pós-independência.”37 Portanto, é possível supor que algumas lideranças da SPD, que ascenderam no período que os liberais ganharam força, talvez vislumbrassem nessa retórica um possível caminho para executarem seu projeto de liberdade. LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 38 GOMES, Flávio dos Santos. Negros e política (1888-1937). Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar, 2005, p. 80. O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX 15 O JOGO POLÍTICO DAS LIDERANÇAS DO ASSOCIATIVISMO NEGRO: ALIANÇAS, CONFLITOS E REDES DE PROTEÇÃO EM SALVADOR NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XIX LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS 15 considerações finais Ser livre no contexto escravista pode ter ganhado significados diferentes para diversos sujeitos. A liberdade de poder constituir uma associação formada por homens de cor, que proporcionou a constituição de uma identidade, uma assistência social e promoveu um projeto político de trabalhadores negros, pode ser lida como uma via não apenas de sobrevivência entre aqueles indivíduos, mas também de resistência e dignidade em uma sociedade escravista. Cada trabalhador livre de cor que optou por apostar no projeto político da SPD entendeu que aquele espaço era uma possibilidade de fazer com que suas expectativas fossem alcançadas. Nas estreitas avenidas de participação política e de cidadania no Brasil, alguns negros como Manoel Leonardo Fernandes, Antônio José Bracete, Feliciano Primo Ferreira, Caetano de Mattos, Joaquim de Santana Gomes Ferrão e outros, exploraram ao máximo os espaços de atuação possíveis. Esses indivíduos disputavam o jogo político e partidário do Segundo Reinado, através de alianças e redes de proteção. Essas estratégias consolidavam o poder de barganha de determinadas lideranças de cor, a partir de uma agenda especifica para os negros. Ser sócio da SPD significava ter a possibilidade de lutar por direitos básicos enquanto cidadãos, como educação, dignidade, assistência mútua, participação política e pertencimento racial. Flavio Gomes ressalta a necessidade de atentar para o fato de que as pessoas negras reunidas em coletividades estavam falando "de e para si mesmos". Ao tomarem essa postura, nas palavras do autor, os negros "provavelmente não queriam apenas acesso a direitos de uma dada cidadania. Em sindicatos, associações e projetos de partidos políticos, agendaram a questão racial". Ou seja, "talvez não quisessem apenas debater ou participar, mas sim definir a pauta.”38 As lideranças da SPD de fato estavam definindo a pauta racial que melhor lhes representavam, mesmo diante de tensões, conflitos e negociações cotidianas. Deste modo, o associativismo negro baiano deve ser lido sob uma chave interpretativa da construção de uma resistência política dos trabalhadores negros. 15 REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 ____. Comunicado do vice-presidente Caetano de Mattos de 13/08/1876. ____. Estatuto aprovado pelo governo da Província em 26 de agosto de 1874. ____. Pedido de inscrição de Caetano de Mattos, indicado por Severiano Pedro da Silva, aprovado em 17/05/1893. ____. Seção Judiciária, inventário. Classificação 07/3062/11. ARQUIVO DA SOCIEDADE PROTETORA DOS DESVALIDOS (ASPD). Ata da sessão da Assembleia Geral. Anos indicados. ____. Comunicado do vice-presidente Caetano de Mattos de 13/08/1876. Fontes ARQUIVO PÚBLICO DO ESTADO DA BAHIA (APEB). Seção Colonial e Provincial, Presidência da Província, Correspondência recebida da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (1861-1880), maço 5306; ____. Seção Judiciária, inventário. Classificação 07/3062/11. REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 HEMEROTECA DIGITAL DA BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL. O Monitor, Salvador, 1878. HEMEROTECA DIGITAL DA BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL. O Monitor, Salvador, 1878. MASSON, Camillo de Lellis. Almanak administrativo, mercantil e industrial da Bahia para o ano de 1857. Bahia: Typ. de Camillo de Lellis Masson & C., terceiro ano, 1857; ____. Almanak Administrativo e industrial da Bahia, para o anno de 1860. Salvador: Typographia de Camillo de Lellis & Cia, 1860; PIMENTA, Altino Rodrigues. Almanak administrativo, commercial e insdustrial da Província da Bahia para o anno de 1873, quinquagésimo segundo da Independência e do Império. Bahia: Typographia de Oliveira Mendes & C., Anno I, quarta parte, 1872. BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA DO ESTADO DA BAHIA (BPEB). Brasil. Decreto nº 2.711, de 19 de dezembro de 1860. Contém diversas disposições sobre a criação e organização dos bancos, companhias, sociedades anônimas e outras, e prorroga por mais quatro meses o prazo marcado pelo artigo 1º do Decreto nº 2.686, de 10 de novembro do corrente ano. Colleção das Leis do Império do Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Typografia Nacional, v. 2, p. 1125-1140, 1860. BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA DO ESTADO DA BAHIA (BPEB). Brasil. Decreto nº 2.711, de 19 de dezembro de 1860. Contém diversas disposições sobre a criação e organização dos bancos, companhias, sociedades anônimas e outras, e prorroga por mais quatro meses o prazo marcado pelo artigo 1º do Decreto nº 2.686, de 10 de novembro do corrente ano. Colleção das Leis do Império do Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Typografia Nacional, v. 2, p. 1125-1140, 1860. BIBLIOTECA VIRTUAL CONSUELO PONDÉ (BVCP). O Alabama, Salvador, 1864. Obras Gerais ABREU, Alzira Alves de (Coord.). Dicionário histórico-biográfico da Primeira República [Recurso eletrônico]: 1889-1930, Formato EPUB. São Paulo: FGV, 2015. 16 16 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 ALBUQUERQUE, Wlamyra R. de. O jogo da dissimulação: abolição e cidadania negra no Brasil. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2009. ANDRADE, Humberto Santos de. Gráficos e Mutualismo: a trajetória da Associação Tipográfica Baiana (Salvador, final do século XIX e início do XX). Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Estadual Paulista, Programa de Pós-Graduação de Mestrado em História, Assis, 2014. ANDREWS, George Reid. América Afro-Latina, 1800-2000. São Carlos: EdUFSCar, 2014. BRAGA, Júlio. Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos: uma irmandade de cor. Salvador: Ianamá, 1987. CAMPOS, Lucas R. Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos: mutualismo, política e identidade racial em Salvador (1861-1894). Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal da Bahia, Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Salvador, 2018. CASTILLO, Lisa Earl. HEMEROTECA DIGITAL DA BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL. O Monitor, Salvador, 1878. O terreiro do Alaketu e seus fundadores: história e genealogia familiar, 1807-1867. Afro-Ásia, nº 43, 2011, p. 213-257. CHARLOTTE, Galves; LOBO, Tânia (Org.). O português escrito por afro-brasileiros no século XIX: as atas da Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos. Salvador: EDUFBA, 2019. GOMES, Flávio dos Santos. Negros e política (1888-1937). Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar, 2005. LARA, Silvia Hunold. Blowin’ in the wind: E. P. Thompson e a experiência negra no Brasil. Proj. História, v. 12, outubro de 1995, p. 43-56. ______. Escravidão, cidadania e história do trabalho no Brasil. Proj. História, São Paulo, (16), fev. 1998. LOBO, Tânia; OLIVEIRA, Klebson. Escrita liberta: letramento de forros na Bahia do século XIX. In: CASTILHO, Ataliba de; TORRES, Maria Aparecida; CIRINO, Sônia (Org.). Descrição, História e Aquisição do Português Brasileiro: estudos dedicados a Mary Aizawa Kato. São Paulo: Fapesp, 2007. MATTOS, Ilmar Rohloff de. O Tempo Saquarema: a formação do Estado Imperial. São Paulo: Editora Hucitec, 2004. OLIVEIRA, Klebson. Negros e escrita no Brasil do século XIX: sócio-história, edição filológica de documentos e estudo linguístico. Tese (doutorado) – Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Letras, Salvaor, 2006. SCHWARTZ, Stuart B. Escravos, roceiros e rebeldes. Bauru: EDUSC, 2001. SILVA, Kátia Maria de Carvalho. O Diário da Bahia e o século XIX. Rio de Janeiro: Tempo brasileiro; Brasília: INL/MEC, 1979. LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 Recebido em: 15/05/2020 – Aprovado em: 14/07/2020 REVISTA ÁGORA, v. 31, n. 2, e-2020310204, 2020, ISSN: 1980-0096 Recebido em: 15/05/2020 – Aprovado em: 14/07/2020 LUCAS RIBEIRO CAMPOS
https://openalex.org/W3011987080
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc7078240?pdf=render
English
null
Aberrant Expressions and Variant Screening of SEMA3D in Indonesian Hirschsprung Patients
Frontiers in pediatrics
2,020
cc-by
6,062
ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 11 March 2020 doi: 10.3389/fped.2020.00060 Aberrant Expressions and Variant Screening of SEMA3D in Indonesian Hirschsprung Patients Gunadi 1*, Alvin Santoso Kalim 1, Nova Yuli Prasetyo Budi 1, Hamzah Muhammad Hafiq 1, Annisa Maharani 1, Maharani Febrianti 1, Fiko Ryantono 1, Dicky Yulianda 1, Kristy Iskandar 2 and Joris A. Veltman 3 Gunadi 1*, Alvin Santoso Kalim 1, Nova Yuli Prasetyo Budi 1, Hamzah Muhammad Hafiq 1, Annisa Maharani 1, Maharani Febrianti 1, Fiko Ryantono 1, Dicky Yulianda 1, Kristy Iskandar 2 and Joris A. Veltman 3 1 Pediatric Surgery Division, Department of Surgery/Genetics Working Group, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada/Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 2 Department of Child Health/Genetics Working Group, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada/UGM Academic Hospital, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 3 Faculty of Medical Sciences, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Background: The semaphorin 3D (SEMA3D) gene has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), a complex genetic disorder characterized by the loss of ganglion cells in varying lengths of gastrointestinal tract. We wished to investigate the role of SEMA3D variants, both rare and common variants, as well as its mRNA expression in Indonesian HSCR patients. Citation: Gunadi, Kalim AS, Budi NYP, Hafiq HM, Maharani A, Febrianti M, Ryantono F, Yulianda D, Iskandar K and Veltman JA (2020) Aberrant Expressions and Variant Screening of SEMA3D in Indonesian Hirschsprung Patients. Front. Pediatr. 8:60. doi: 10.3389/fped.2020.00060 Methods: Sanger sequencing was performed in 54 HSCR patients to find a pathogenic variant in SEMA3D. Next, we determined SEMA3D expression in 18 HSCR patients and 13 anorectal malformation colons as controls by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Methods: Sanger sequencing was performed in 54 HSCR patients to find a pathogenic variant in SEMA3D. Next, we determined SEMA3D expression in 18 HSCR patients and 13 anorectal malformation colons as controls by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Edited by: Francesco Morini, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital (IRCCS), Italy Reviewed by: Luca Pio, Hôpital Robert Debré, France Risto Rintala, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland *Correspondence: Gunadi drgunadi@ugm.ac.id Edited by: Francesco Morini, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital (IRCCS), Italy Reviewed by: Luca Pio, Hôpital Robert Debré, France Risto Rintala, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland Results: No rare variant was found in the SEMA3D gene, except one common variant in exon 17, p.Lys701Gln (rs7800072). The risk allele (C) frequency at rs7800072 among HSCR patients (23%) was similar to those reported for the 1,000 Genomes (27%) and ExAC (28%) East Asian ancestry controls (p = 0.49 and 0.41, respectively). A significant difference in SEMA3D expression was observed between groups (p = 0.04). Furthermore, qPCR revealed that SEMA3D expression was strongly up-regulated (5.5-fold) in the ganglionic colon of HSCR patients compared to control colon (1CT 10.8 ± 2.1 vs. 13.3 ± 3.9; p = 0.025). *Correspondence: Gunadi drgunadi@ugm.ac.id Specialty section: This article was submitted to Pediatric Surgery, a section of the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics Conclusions: We report the first study of aberrant SEMA3D expressions in HSCR patients and suggest further understanding into the contribution of aberrant SEMA3D expression in the development of HSCR. In addition, this study is the first comprehensive analysis of SEMA3D variants in the Asian ancestry. Received: 28 November 2019 Accepted: 07 February 2020 Published: 11 March 2020 Received: 28 November 2019 Accepted: 07 February 2020 Published: 11 March 2020 Keywords: aberrant expression, Hirschsprung disease, Indonesia, SEMA3D, rare and common variants Keywords: aberrant expression, Hirschsprung disease, Indonesia, SEMA3D, rare and common variants INTRODUCTION Hirschsprung disease (HSCR: MIM# 142623) is a complex genetic disorder, characterized by the lack of ganglion cells in the bowel, resulting in a functional obstruction during infancy (1). HSCR is categorized into the following types: short-segment, long-segment, and total colonic aganglionosis (1, 2). March 2020 | Volume 8 | Article 60 Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org SEMA3D Expressions/Variant in Indonesian HSCR Gunadi et al. TABLE 1 | Clinical features of the HSCR patients for SEMA3D sequencing analysis. Clinical features n (%); months SEX • Male 38 (70) • Female 16 (30) AGANGLIONOSIS TYPES • Short segment • Long segment • Total colon aganglionosis 53 (98) 1 (2) 0 AGE AT DIAGNOSIS 34.6 ± 44.5 AGE AT DEFINITIVE SURGERY 38.7 ± 43.9 DEFINITIVE SURGERY (49 PATIENTS) • Transanal endorectal pull-through 21 (43) • Duhamel 12 (25) • Transabdominal Soave 11 (22) • Posterior sagittal neurectomy 4 (8) • Posterior myectomy 1 (2) HSCR incidence differs among ethnic groups, with 1.5, 2.1, and 2.8 cases per 10,000 live births in European, African, and Asian ancestry cases, respectively (1, 2). There are at least 17 genes responsible for the development of HSCR, with most of them being members of the RET and EDNRB signaling pathways (1, 2). Two genetic risk factors are the RET rs2435357 and rs2506030 variants (3, 4). Our recent studies showed that the RET rs2435357 and rs2506030 risk alleles have higher frequency in Indonesian ancestry cases as compared with European ancestry cases (5, 6), which might relate to the higher incidence of HSCR in Indonesia (3.1 cases per 10,000 live births) than other populations (7). p p The third signaling pathway of HSCR pathogenesis includes class 3 semaphorins (SEMA3s), involving SEMA3D (4, 8, 9) SEMA3D has been implicated in the development of HSCR and contributes to risk through both common and rare variants in European ancestries (4, 8, 9), as evidenced by (1) the detection of both common and rare SEMA3D variants in HSCR patients; (2) the expression of SEMA3D in the human, mouse, and zebrafish intestines and, particularly, the enteric nervous system (ENS); and (3) the joint effect of Ret and Sema3d loss of function in an aganglionosis animal model. However, our recent study showed that the effect of SEMA3 rs11766001 common variant on HSCR depends on the ethnic background (10). MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients for SEMA3D Variant Screening We identified 54 HSCR patients: 38 males and 16 females (Table 1). We diagnosed HSCR in these patients in Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, after evaluating clinical findings, contrast enema, and histopathology. For histopathological findings, we used hematoxylin-eosin staining and S100 immunohistochemistry (5–7, 10, 15, 16). DNA Genotyping DNA Genotyping DNA genotyping was performed using Sanger sequencing analysis. The SEMA3D rs7800072:A>C (chr7: g. 84,628,989A>C) variant was identified during the Sanger sequencing analysis to find a rare variant in Indonesian HSCR patients. The risk allele (C) was determined according to the 1,000 Genomes Project and ExAC population databases (17, 18). RNA Extraction and Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) The ganglionic and aganglionic intestinal specimens were collected at pull-through surgeries from 18 HSCR patients, while control intestinal specimens were obtained at colostomy closure from 13 anorectal malformation (ARM) patients (Table 2). All parents signed a written informed consent form before participating in this study. The Institutional Review Board of the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada/Dr. Sardjito Hospital gave approval for this study (KE/FK/1356/EC/2015). All experiments were performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Total RNA was isolated from colonic specimens using the total RNA Mini Kit (Tissue) (Geneaid Biotech Ltd., New Taipei City, Taiwan). RNA was quantified by a NanoDrop 2000 Spectrophotometer (Thermo Scientific, Wilmington, DE, USA). The OD260/280 ratios ranged from 1.8 to 2.0, indicating high RNA purity. INTRODUCTION In addition, the allele frequencies of common variants might differ among Asians, since the North Asians, Han Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asians can be distinguished based on their Y chromosome variants (11). Moreover, alterations in the expression of specific genes have been implicated in the development of HSCR (12–15). Therefore, we wished to investigate the role of SEMA3D variants, both rare and common variants, as well as its mRNA expression in Indonesian HSCR patients. identify sequence variants in all 17 exons of the SEMA3D gene in HSCR patients using BigDye Terminator V3.1 Cycle Sequencing Kits (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) and a 3730xl Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems), with DNA Sequencing Analysis Software (Applied Biosystems) 0.1 (7). The primer sequences for SEMA3D rare variant analysis were chosen based on a previous study (4). Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and DNA Sequencing A QIAamp DNA Extraction Kit (QIAGEN, Hilden, Germany) was used to extract genomic DNA from whole blood from each individual, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We stored the extracted DNA samples at −20◦C until analysis. PCR was conducted using a Swift Maxi thermal cycler (Esco Micro Pte. Ltd., Singapore), followed by Sanger sequencing analysis to SEMA3D gene expression was quantified using the BioRad CFX Real-Time PCR System (California, USA) and the SensiFASTTM SYBR R⃝No-ROX One-Step Kit (Bioline, Meridian Bioscience, Memphis, USA) using the 5′-CAACGCAGCCTG ATAAACAA-3′ (forward) and 5′-TCTTTCATCTCTTGTGGGG AGT-3′ (reverse) (19) The primers were designed to bridge March 2020 | Volume 8 | Article 60 Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org 2 SEMA3D Expressions/Variant in Indonesian HSCR Gunadi et al. TABLE 2 | Clinical characteristics of the HSCR patients for SEMA3D expression study. Clinical characteristics n (%); months SEX • Male 11 (61) • Female 7 (39) AGANGLIONOSIS TYPES • Short segment • Long segment • Total colon aganglionosis 16 (89) 2 (11) 0 AGE AT DIAGNOSIS 16.5 ± 33.3 AGE AT DEFINITIVE SURGERY 25.5 ± 35.8 DEFINITIVE SURGERY • Transanal endorectal pull-through 13 (72.2) • Duhamel 3 (16.7) • Transabdominal Soave 2 (11.1) a full-thickness rectal biopsy waiting a pull-through procedure, respectively, with the most common definitive surgery conducted being transanal endorectal pull-through (43%) (Table 1); and our controls were six males and seven females, with a mean age during stoma closure of 47 ± 45.1 months. We could not identify any rare variant in all 17 exons of SEMA3D gene in 54 HSCR patients, but encountered one common variant in exon 17: p.Lys701Gln (rs7800072) (Figure 1). The genotype frequencies for rs7800072 variant among HSCR patients were as follows: AA (32/54, 60%), AC (19/54, 35%), and CC (3/54, 5%). Subsequently, we compared the risk allele (C) frequency of rs7800072 in 54 Indonesian HSCR cases and the 1000 Genomes and ExAC East Asian ancestry controls (Table 3). The risk allele (C) frequency was similar in HSCR cases (23%) and the 1000 Genomes (27%) and ExAC (28%) East Asian ancestry controls, with p-values of 0.49 and 0.41, respectively (Table 3). According to the conservation score prediction using PhyloP, the p.Lys701Gln variant did not reach a deleterious threshold of 0.84, while the predicted deleterious effect (Condel) showed the p.Lys701Gln variant as being neutral (4). Furthermore, the SIFT and PolyPhen-2 analysis of p.Lys701Gln showed the variant as being tolerated and benign, respectively (18). DISCUSSION In this study, we have performed an in-depth genetic and gene expression study of the SEMA3D in Indonesian HSCR patients. We did not detect any rare variants in this gene, although previous studies in European ancestry cases have identified rare coding variants in SEMA3D associated with HSCR. Our results indicate that the association of such variants to the disease may be restricted to specific ethnic groups. It may still be the case that other semaphorin 3 genes could play a role in HSCR pathogenesis (4, 9). A previous study showed the existence of other genetic factors conferring risk to HSCR in specific ethnic populations (3). For example, there were two different RET haplotypes involving the enhancer mutation that were over- transmitted to the HSCR offspring in the European sample, while in the Chinese sample, only one of those haplotypes was present (3). It might be speculated that the enhancer mutation arose in one haplotype, which after the Asian–Caucasian split, rearranged to also give the other haplotype, but exclusively in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and DNA Sequencing SEMA3D exon 8 and 9 junctions (19). Glyceraldehyde-3- phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), a housekeeping gene, was used as an endogenous control. The GAPDH primers were 5′-GCACCGTCAAGGCTGAGAAC-3′ (forward) and 5′- TGGTGAAGACGCCAGTGGA-3′ (reverse). qPCR reactions contained SensiFASTTM SYBR R⃝No-ROX One-Step mix (2×) 10 µL, RiboSafe RNase Inhibitor 0.4 µL, reverse transcriptase 0.2 µL, forward primer (10 µM) 0.8 µL, reverse primer (10 µM) 0.8 µL, and total RNA 50 ng, with final volume of 20 µL. qPCR was performed for 10 minutes (min) at 45◦C for reverse transcription process, followed by 2 min at 95◦C and 39 cycles for 5 s at 95◦C, 10 s at 58◦C and, 5 s at 72◦C, and 1 cycle for 5 s at 65◦C, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We performed the gel electrophoresis for the qPCR of SEMA3D and GAPDH (Supplemental Figure 1). Next, we compared SEMA3D expression in 18 aganglionic and ganglionic colons of HSCR patients and 13 control colons. The distribution of SEMA3D expression data were normal for ganglionic, aganglionic, and control colons (p = 0.2, 0.17, and 0.2, respectively). A significant different of SEMA3D expression was observed between groups (p = 0.04). Furthermore, qPCR showed that the SEMA3D expression was strongly up-regulated (5.5-fold) (Figure 2) in the ganglionic colon of HSCR patients compared to control colon (1CT 10.8 ± 2.1 vs. 13.3 ± 3.9; p = 0.025) (Table 4, Figure 3), while the SEMA3D expression was not significantly different between the aganglionic colon of HSCR patients and the control colon (1CT 13.1 ± 3.0 vs. 13.3 ± 3.9; p = 0.89) (Table 4, Figure 3). The Livak method was utilized to determine the SEMA3D mRNA expression level (20). This method is designed to calculate a relative gene expression and referred to as the 1CT method. The (log) expression is proportional to the negative CT value (the lower the CT, the higher the expression) (20). Statistical Analysis SEMA3D expression was described as a mean value ± SD. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to determine the data distribution, and a one-way ANOVA was utilized to assess statistical differences between groups. A chi-square test was used to establish p-value for the case-control association analysis for SEMA3D rs7800072 variant. A p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS Another example is the NRG1 rs7835688 genetic marker, which has been originally discovered in Chinese HSCR patients (23) and has been shown in other Asian ancestry cases (5, 24), but is rare and shows no effect in the Caucasian population (8, 22). Makhmudi et al. (25) also demonstrated that the MTHFR c.677C>T is a genetic risk factor for Indonesian gastroschisis, but not seen in Caucasians (26, 27). A recent study showed that loss of Sema3d in null homozygotes mice had no impact on the intestinal transcriptome (28). The authors were unable to find evidence for Ret and Sema3d interaction affecting survival, presence of myenteric plexus, or intestine transcriptome (28). Furthermore, Tang et al. revealed that the effects of RET and NRG1 variants are universal across Caucasian and Asian ancestries, but the impact of SEMA3 variant was restricted to Caucasian ancestries (29). It should be noted that our screening method did not cover the promoter and enrich regions of CpG of SEMA3D. FIGURE 2 | The SEMA3D expression was strongly up-regulated (5.5-fold) in the ganglionic colon of HSCR patients compared to control colon (p = 0.025), while the SEMA3D expression was not significantly different between the aganglionic colon of HSCR patients and the control colon (p = 0.89). *p < 0.05. FIGURE 2 | The SEMA3D expression was strongly up-regulated (5.5-fold) in the ganglionic colon of HSCR patients compared to control colon (p = 0.025), while the SEMA3D expression was not significantly different between the aganglionic colon of HSCR patients and the control colon (p = 0.89). *p < 0.05. ENS development is a complex process, regulated by a large range of molecules and signaling pathways. This strictly controlled process needs the correct regulation of ENS-specific gene expression. The expressions of several genes implicated in HSCR development have been shown to be regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. RET expression was regulated by retinoic acid through DNA methylation on this 5′-CG-3′- rich enhancer region (30), while a significantly lower level of EDNRB methylation was also detected in HSCR patients (31). Interestingly, our study clearly demonstrates that SEMA3D gene expression was strongly up-regulated in the ganglionic intestines of HSCR patients as compared to controls. RESULTS Most of our HSCR patients were male (70%) and short-segment aganglionosis type (98%), with the mean age at diagnosis being 34.6 ± 44.5 months (Table 1). Among the 54 HSCR patients, 49, 3, and 2 children underwent a definitive surgery, a colostomy, and March 2020 | Volume 8 | Article 60 Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org 3 SEMA3D Expressions/Variant in Indonesian HSCR Gunadi et al. FIGURE 1 | Sanger sequencing of exon 17 SEMA3D gene in a HSCR patient. Arrow indicates a common variant, p.Lys701Gln (rs7800072). FIGURE 1 | Sanger sequencing of exon 17 SEMA3D gene in a HSCR patient. Arrow indicates a common variant, p.Lys701Gln (rs7800072). TABLE 3 | SEMA3D common variant frequency in Indonesian HSCR and population databases (17, 21). Variant (risk allele) HSCR patients 1000 Genomes* ExAC* p-value vs. 1000 Genomes vs. ExAC p.Lys701Gln (rs7800072) (C) 25/108 274/1,008 2,399/8,626 0.49 0.41 *East Asian ancestries; ExAC, exome aggregation consortium; HSCR, Hirschsprung disease. TABLE 3 | SEMA3D common variant frequency in Indonesian HSCR and population databases (17, 21). FIGURE 2 | The SEMA3D expression was strongly up-regulated (5.5-fold) in the ganglionic colon of HSCR patients compared to control colon (p = 0.025), while the SEMA3D expression was not significantly different between the aganglionic colon of HSCR patients and the control colon (p = 0.89). *p < 0.05. the Caucasian (22). Another example is the NRG1 rs7835688 genetic marker, which has been originally discovered in Chinese HSCR patients (23) and has been shown in other Asian ancestry cases (5, 24), but is rare and shows no effect in the Caucasian population (8, 22). Makhmudi et al. (25) also demonstrated that the MTHFR c.677C>T is a genetic risk factor for Indonesian gastroschisis, but not seen in Caucasians (26, 27). A recent study showed that loss of Sema3d in null homozygotes mice had no impact on the intestinal transcriptome (28). The authors were unable to find evidence for Ret and Sema3d interaction affecting survival, presence of myenteric plexus, or intestine transcriptome (28). Furthermore, Tang et al. revealed that the effects of RET and NRG1 variants are universal across Caucasian and Asian ancestries, but the impact of SEMA3 variant was restricted to Caucasian ancestries (29). It should be noted that our screening method did not cover the promoter and enrich regions of CpG of SEMA3D. the Caucasian (22). Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org RESULTS To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first report of the aberrant In addition, the observed SEMA3D rs7800072 variant frequency in Indonesian HSCR patients is similar to those reported for the 1,000 Genomes Project and ExAC East Asian ancestry controls (17, 18). Therefore, we might conclude that this common variant does not have a role on the development of HSCR in Indonesia. March 2020 | Volume 8 | Article 60 Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org 4 SEMA3D Expressions/Variant in Indonesian HSCR Gunadi et al. TABLE 4 | SEMA3D expressions in colon of HSCR patient and control. SEMA3D 1CT ± SD 11CT (95% CI) Fold change p-value Ganglionic colon 10.8 ± 2.1 −2.5 (−4.7 to −0.2) 5.5 0.025* Aganglionic colon 13.1 ± 3.0 −0.2 (−2.4 to 2.1) 1.1 0.89 Control colon 13.3 ± 3.9 CI, confidence interval; CT, cycle threshold; SD, standard deviation; *p < 0.05 is considered statistically significant. FIGURE 3 | Box-plot graph of 1CT value of the SEMA3D expressions in HSCR ganglionic colon (1CT 10.8 ± 2.1), HSCR aganglionic colon (1CT 13.4 ± 2.9), and control colon (1CT 13.3 ± 3.9). Box-plot graph of 1CT value reveals the median values as lines across the box. Lower and upper boxes are representing the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile, while whiskers indicate the maximum and minimum values. *p < 0.05. expressions in the ganglionic colon involve in the pathogenesis of persistent bowel symptoms in HSCR patients following a properly performed pull-through surgery. y g g y Our results should be interpreted with some caution, however, because they are based on overall means without accounting for other factors generating variation in the data such as gender, age, and degree of aganglionosis. Further studies of the methylation pattern of the SEMA3D gene are required to investigate whether the aberrant expression of SEMA3D in HSCR patients is due to abnormal DNA methylation. It is also necessary to compare the SEMA3D protein expression level between HSCR patients and controls and to identify its location in the colon tissue to prove the increased SEMA3D expressions. Unfortunately, we do not have any data on the methylation pattern, protein expression, and immunohistochemistry of SEMA3D due to resource limitations in our institution. Furthermore, our study utilized ARM patients’ colon as controls. It has been shown that most ARM patients have abnormal colonic motility (41) and low expression of interstitial cells of Cajal marker (42). RESULTS Therefore, further research with more proper control colon (e.g., autopsy bowel material from healthy infants or trauma patients) is necessary to better confirm the role of SEMA3D expression in the pathogenesis of HSCR. Noteworthy, however, our small sample size is a limitation of our study and suggests that a multicenter larger sample population needs to be studied to clarify our findings. FIGURE 3 | Box-plot graph of 1CT value of the SEMA3D expressions in HSCR ganglionic colon (1CT 10.8 ± 2.1), HSCR aganglionic colon (1CT 13.4 ± 2.9), and control colon (1CT 13.3 ± 3.9). Box-plot graph of 1CT value reveals the median values as lines across the box. Lower and upper boxes are representing the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile, while whiskers indicate the maximum and minimum values. *p < 0.05. FIGURE 3 | Box-plot graph of 1CT value of the SEMA3D expressions in HSCR ganglionic colon (1CT 10.8 ± 2.1), HSCR aganglionic colon (1CT 13.4 ± 2.9), and control colon (1CT 13.3 ± 3.9). Box-plot graph of 1CT value reveals the median values as lines across the box. Lower and upper boxes are representing the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile, while whiskers indicate the maximum and minimum values. *p < 0.05. In conclusion, we report the first study of aberrant SEMA3D expressions in HSCR patients and suggest further understanding into the contribution of aberrant SEMA3D expression in the development of HSCR. In addition, this study is the first comprehensive analysis of SEMA3D variants in the Asian ancestry. FIGURE 3 | Box-plot graph of 1CT value of the SEMA3D expressions in HSCR ganglionic colon (1CT 10.8 ± 2.1), HSCR aganglionic colon (1CT 13.4 ± 2.9), and control colon (1CT 13.3 ± 3.9). Box-plot graph of 1CT value reveals the median values as lines across the box. Lower and upper boxes are representing the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile, while whiskers indicate the maximum and minimum values. *p < 0.05. ETHICS STATEMENT The Institutional Review Board of the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada/Dr. Sardjito Hospital gave approval for this study (KE/FK/1356/EC/2015). All parents signed a written informed consent form before participating in this study. It has been shown that some HSCR patients have persistent bowel symptoms, such as constipation, soiling, and enterocolitis, after an appropriate pull-through procedure. Most HSCR patients with persistent bowel symptoms do not have any identifiable etiology for their ongoing bowel dysmotility (36). The current hypothesis is that the aberrant expression of some genes in the ganglionic colon of HSCR patients includes SK3, Cx26, ChAT, and nNOS (37–40). Our study presented the altered SEMA3D expressions in the ganglionic colon of HSCR patients. Therefore, we might hypothesize that the aberrant SEMA3D DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT expressions of SEMA3D in HSCR patients. Another novelty in our findings is we conducted the study on patients with Indonesian ancestry [vs. European (4) ancestry cases]. It has been shown that reduced sema3d expression by morpholino resulted in severe effects on the intestine and its innervation of zebrafish (4). In addition, sema3d bound to nrp1a to facilitate the axonal guidance and contributed to peripheral axon outgrowth interdependently with dpysl3 (32, 33) Binding of Sema3d to neuropilin and plexin receptors introduced biochemical responses in specific neurons and stimulated the neuron migration (34, 35). Therefore, we might hypothesize that the aberrant expressions of SEMA3D will have an impact in our HSCR patients by affecting the neuronal guidance during ENS development. All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in the submission. The raw data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES 14. Tang W, Li B, Xu X, Zhou Z, Wu W, Tang J, et al. Aberrant high expression of NRG1 gene in Hirschsprung disease. J Pediatr Surg. (2012) 47:1694–8. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2012.03.061 1. Tilghman JM, Ling AY, Turner TN, Sosa MX, Krumm N, Chatterjee S, et al. Molecular genetic anatomy and risk profile of Hirschsprung’s disease. N Engl J Med. (2019) 380:1421–32. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1706594 1. Tilghman JM, Ling AY, Turner TN, Sosa MX, Krumm N, Chatterjee S, et al. Molecular genetic anatomy and risk profile of Hirschsprung’s disease. N Engl J Med. (2019) 380:1421–32. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1706594 15. Gunadi, Budi NYP, Kalim AS, Santiko W, Musthofa FD, Iskandar K., et al. Aberrant expressions of miRNA-206 target, FN1, in multifactorial hirschsprung disease. Orphanet J Rare Dis. (2019) 14:5. doi: 10.1186/s13023-018-0973-5 2. Amiel J, Sproat-Emison E, Garcia-Barcelo M, Lantieri F, Burzynski G, Borrego S, et al. Hirschsprung disease, associated syndromes and genetics: a review. J Med Genet. (2008) 45:1–14. doi: 10.1136/jmg.2007.053959 2. Amiel J, Sproat-Emison E, Garcia-Barcelo M, Lantieri F, Burzynski G, Borrego S, et al. Hirschsprung disease, associated syndromes and genetics: a review. J Med Genet. (2008) 45:1–14. doi: 10.1136/jmg.2007.053959 16. Widyasari A, Pravitasari WA, Dwihantoro A, Gunadi. Functional outcomes in hirschsprung disease patients after transabdominal soave and duhamel procedures. BMC Gastroenterol. (2018) 18:56. doi: 10.1186/s12876-018-0783-1 3. Emison ES, Garcia-Barcelo M, Grice EA, Lantieri F, Amiel J, Burzynski G, et al. Differential contributions of rare and common, coding and noncoding ret mutations to multifactorial hirschsprung disease liability. Am J Hum Genet. (2010) 87:60–74. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2010.06.007 17. The (1000) Genomes Project Consortium, Abecasis GR, Altshuler D, Auton A, Brooks LD, Durbin RM, Gibbs RA, et al. A map of human genome variation from population-scale sequencing. Nature. (2010) 467:1061-73. doi: 10.1038/nature09534 4. Jiang Q, Arnold S, Heanue T, Kilambi KP, Doan B, Kapoor A, et al. Functional loss of semaphorin 3C and/or semaphorin 3D and their epistatic interaction with ret are critical to hirschsprung disease liability. Am J Hum Genet. (2015) 96:581–96. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2015.02.014 18. Lek M, Karczewski KJ, Minikel EV, Samocha KE, Banks E, Fennell T, et al. Analysis of protein-coding genetic variation in 60,706 humans. Nature. (2016) 536:285–91. doi: 10.1038/nature19057 5. Gunadi, Kapoor A, Ling AY, Rochadi, Makhmudi A, Herini ES, et al. Effects of ret and NRG1 polymorphisms in Indonesian patients with hirschsprung disease. J Pediatr Surg. (2014) 49:1614–8. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2014.04.011 19. REFERENCES Sanchez-Castro M, Pichon O, Briand A, Poulain D, Gournay V, David A, et al. Disruption of the SEMA3D gene in a patient with congenital heart defects. Hum Mutat. (2015) 36:30-3. doi: 10.1002/humu.22702 6. Gunadi, Iskandar K, Makhmudi A, Kapoor A. Combined genetic effect of RET and NRG1 variants on multifactorial hirschsprung disease in Indonesia. J Surg Res. (2019) 233:96–9. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2018.07.067 20. Livak KJ, Schmittgen TD. Analysis of relative gene expression data using real- time quantitative PCR and the 2(-Delta Delta C(T)) method. Methods. (2001) 25:402–8. doi: 10.1006/meth.2001.1262 7. Gunadi, Karina SM, Dwihantoro A. Outcomes in patients with hirschsprung disease following definitive surgery. BMC Res Notes. (2018) 11:644. doi: 10.1186/s13104-018-3751-5 21. Gunadi, Miura K, Ohta M, Sugano A, Lee MJ, Sato Y, et al. Two novel mutations in the ED1 gene in Japanese families with X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. Pediatr Res. (2009) 65:453–7. doi: 10.1203/PDR.0b013e3181991229 8. Kapoor A, Jiang Q, Chatterjee S, Chakraborty P, Sosa MX, Berrios C, et al. Population variation in total genetic risk of Hirschsprung disease from common RET, SEMA3 and NRG1 susceptibility polymorphisms. Hum Mol Genet. (2015) 24:2997–3003. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddv051 22. Luzón-Toro B, Torroglosa A, Núñez-Torres R, Enguix-Riego MV, Fernández RM, de Agustín JC, et al. Comprehensive analysis of NRG1 common and rare variants in hirschsprung patients. PLoS ONE. (2012) 7:e36524. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036524 9. Luzón-Toro B, Fernández RM, Torroglosa A, de Agustín JC, Méndez-Vidal C, Segura DI, et al. Mutational spectrum of semaphorin 3A and semaphorin 3D genes in Spanish Hirschsprung patients. PLoS ONE. (2013) 8:e54800. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054800 23. Garcia-Barcelo MM, Tang CS, Ngan ES, Lui VC, Chen Y, So MT, et al. Genome-wide association study identifies NRG1 as a susceptibility locus for hirschsprung’s disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. (2009) 106:2694–9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0809630105 10. Gunadi, Makhmudi A, Agustriani N, Rochadi. Effects of SEMA3 polymorphisms in Hirschsprung disease patients. Pediatr Surg Int. (2016) 32:1025–8. doi: 10.1007/s00383-016-3953-7 24. Phusantisampan T, Sangkhathat S, Phongdara A, Chiengkriwate P, Patrapinyokul S, Mahasirimongkol S. Association of genetic polymorphisms in the RET-protooncogene and NRG1 with hirschsprung disease in Thai patients. J Hum Genet. (2012) 57:286–93. doi: 10.1038/jhg.2012.18 11. Tajima A, Pan IH, Fucharoen G, Fucharoen S, Matsuo M, Tokunaga K, et al. Three major lineages of Asian Y chromosomes: implications for the peopling of east and Southeast Asia. Hum Genet. (2002) 110:80–8. doi: 10.1007/s00439-001-0651-9 12. Torroglosa A, Alves MM, Fernández RM, Antiñolo G, Hofstra RM, Borrego S. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped. 2020.00060/full#supplementary-material ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful to Program Bantuan Seminar Luar Negeri, Ditjen Penguatan Riset dan Pengembangan, Kemenristekdikti, We are grateful to Program Bantuan Seminar Luar Negeri, Ditjen Penguatan Riset dan Pengembangan, Kemenristekdikti, Indonesia for providing the conference grant to present the abstract at the 52nd Annual Meeting of PAPS in Christchurch, Supplemental Figure S1 | Gel electrophoresis of qPCR: (A) GAPDH and (B) SEMA3D expressions for HSCR ganglionic, aganglionic, and control colons. M: 100 bp DNA ladder; G: ganglionic colon; A: aganglionic colon; C: control colon; W: no RNA. Indonesia for providing the conference grant to present the abstract at the 52nd Annual Meeting of PAPS in Christchurch, Indonesia for providing the conference grant to present the abstract at the 52nd Annual Meeting of PAPS in Christchurch, FUNDING This work was supported by a grant from the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Teuku Jacob Fellowship 2015-2017: #UPPM/202/M/05/04/09.15 and #UPPM/256/05/04/05.17 to G). This work was supported by a grant from the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, This work was supported by a grant from the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Teuku Jacob Fellowship 2015-2017: #UPPM/202/M/05/04/09.15 and #UPPM/256/05/04/05.17 to G). Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Teuku Jacob Fellowship 2015-2017: #UPPM/202/M/05/04/09.15 and #UPPM/256/05/04/05.17 to G). AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS G and KI conceived the study. G drafted the manuscript. KI and JV critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content. AK, NB, and FR performed total RNA extraction and qPCR. HH, AM, MF, and DY conducted the experimental PCR- based work for Sanger sequencing. All authors have read and approved the manuscript and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the March 2020 | Volume 8 | Article 60 5 SEMA3D Expressions/Variant in Indonesian HSCR Gunadi et al. accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. New Zealand at March 10–14, 2019. We would like to thank the patients, their families, and all those who were involved and provided excellent technical support and assistance during the study. We also thank Professor Aravinda Chakravarti (New York University, School of Medicine) for critically reading the manuscript and his suggestions. REFERENCES Orphanet J Rare Dis. (2007) 2:33. doi: 10.1186/1750-1172-2-33 31. Tang W, Li B, Tang J, Liu K, Qin J, Wu W, et al. Methylation analysis of EDNRB in human colon tissues of Hirschsprung’s disease. Pediatr Surg Int. (2013) 29:683–8. doi: 10.1007/s00383-013-3308-6 42. Xiao H, Huang R, Cui DX, Xiao P, Diao M, Li L. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical findings in congenital anorectal malformations. Medicine. (2018) 97:e11675. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000011675 32. Wolman MA, Liu Y, Tawarayama H, Shoji W, Halloran MC. Repulsion and attraction of axons by semaphorin3D are mediated by different neuropilins in vivo. J Neurosci. (2004) 24:8428–35. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2349-04.2004 Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. 33. Tanaka H, Nojima Y, Shoji W, Sato M, Nakayama R, Ohshima T, et al. Islet1 selectively promotes peripheral axon outgrowth in Rohon-Beard primary sensory neurons. Dev Dyn. (2011) 240:9–22. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.22499 34. Tran TS, Kolodkin AL, Bharadwaj R. Semaphorin regulation of cellular morphology. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. (2007) 23:263–92. doi: 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.22.010605.093554 Copyright © 2020 Gunadi, Kalim, Budi, Hafiq, Maharani, Febrianti, Ryantono, Yulianda, Iskandar and Veltman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Copyright © 2020 Gunadi, Kalim, Budi, Hafiq, Maharani, Febrianti, Ryantono, Yulianda, Iskandar and Veltman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. 35. Osborne NJ, Begbie J, Chilton JK, Schmidt H, Eickholt BJ. REFERENCES Epigenetics in ENS development and hirschsprung disease. Dev Biol. (2016) 417:209–16. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.06.017 25. Makhmudi A, Sadewa AH, Aryandono T, Chatterjee S, Heij HA, Gunadi. Effects of MTHFR c.677C>T, F2 c.20210G>A and F5 Leiden polymorphisms in gastroschisis. J Invest Surg. (2016) 29:88–92. doi: 10.3109/08941939.2015.1077908 13. O’Donnell AM, Coyle D, Puri P. Decreased expression of NEDL2 in Hirschsprung’s disease. J Pediatr Surg. (2016) 51:1839–42. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2016.06.016 26. Cardonick E, Broth R, Kaufmann M, Seaton J, Henning D, Roberts N. et al. Genetic predispositions for thromboembolism as a possible Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org March 2020 | Volume 8 | Article 60 6 SEMA3D Expressions/Variant in Indonesian HSCR Gunadi et al. etiology for gastroschisis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. (2005) 193:426–8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2004.12.010 36. Zimmer J, Tomuschat C, Puri P. Long-term results of transanal pull-through for Hirschsprung’s disease: a meta-analysis. Pediatr Surg Int. (2016) 32:743–9. doi: 10.1007/s00383-016-3908-z 27. Torfs CP, Christianson RE, Iovannisci DM, Shaw GM, Lammer EJ. Selected gene polymorphisms and their interaction with maternal smoking, as risk factors for gastroschisis. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. (2006) 76:723– 30. doi: 10.1002/bdra.20310 37. Coyle D, O’Donnell AM, Puri P. Altered distribution of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel SK3 in Hirschsprung’s disease. J Pediatr Surg. (2015) 50:1659–64. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2015.01.013 28. Kapoor A, Auer DR, Lee D, Chatterjee S, Chakravarti A. Testing the Ret and SEMA3D genetic interaction in mouse enteric nervous system development. Hum Mol Genet. (2017) 26:1811–20. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddx084 38. Gunadi, Sunardi M, Budi NYP, Kalim AS, Iskandar K, Dwihantoro A. The impact of down-regulated SK3 expressions on Hirschsprung disease. BMC Med Genet. (2018) 19:24. doi: 10.1186/s12881-018-0539-3 29. Tang CS, Gui H, Kapoor A, Kim JH, Luzón-Toro B, Pelet A, et al. Trans-ethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for Hirschsprung disease. Hum Mol Genet. (2016) 25:5265–75. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddw333 39. Coyle D, Doyle B, Murphy JM, O’Donnell AM, Gillick J, Puri P. Expression of connexin 26 and connexin 43 is reduced in Hirschsprung’s disease. J Surg Res. (2016) 206:242–51. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2016.08.010 30. Angrisano T, Sacchetti S, Natale F, Cerrato A, Pero R, Keller S, et al. Chromatin and DNA methylation dynamics during retinoic acid-induced RET gene transcriptional activation in neuroblastoma cells. Nucleic Acids Res. (2011) 39:1993–2006. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkq864 40. Coyle D, O’Donnell AM, Gillick J, Puri P. Altered neurotransmitter expression profile in the ganglionic bowel in Hirschsprung’s disease. J Pediatr Surg. (2016) 51:762–9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2016.02.018 41. Levitt MA, Peña A. Anorectal malformations. Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org REFERENCES Semaphorin/neuropilin signaling influences the positioning of migratory neural crest cells within the hindbrain region of the chick. Dev Dyn. (2005) 232:939–49. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.20258 March 2020 | Volume 8 | Article 60 Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org 7
https://openalex.org/W3136728212
https://revista.fct.unesp.br/index.php/nera/article/download/6264/4795
Portuguese
null
MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA/ MATOPIBA: Strategic Territorial Intelligence and regionalization as a tool/ MATOPIBA: la Inteligencia Territorial Estratégica y la regionalización como herramienta
Revista NERA
2,019
cc-by
10,900
Resumo A partir dos anos 2000 observamos o aprofundamento da especialização territorial produtiva no cultivo de commodities agrícolas voltadas ao mercado externo em porções dos cerrados Norte e Nordeste. Diante deste processo de expansão do agronegócio nesta região do país, o Estado brasileiro articula um conjunto de ações visando o fortalecimento da atividade agropecuária no MATOPIBA (região que envolve porções do Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí e Bahia). O presente artigo1 avalia como o Estado, a partir de um conjunto de estudos elaborados pela Embrapa, produziu uma região que pode ser considerada como uma “ferramenta” para o planejamento de políticas públicas destinadas à promoção do agronegócio, com fins de atribuir maior competitividade à produção regional. Tal condição toma contorno mais preciso através da promulgação do Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário (PDA) do MATOPIBA, que confere à região o status de área estratégica de expansão do agronegócio no país, criando de certo modo a viabilização do uso corporativo do território. vras-chaves: Viabilidade territorial; região como ferramenta; agronegócio; MATOPIBA 1 Este trabalho resulta de pesquisa de mestrado que contou com o apoio financeiro do Fundo de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), entre os anos de 2015 e 2017. MATOPIBA: a Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (ITE) e a regionalização como ferramenta Glaycon Vinícios Antunes de Souza Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) – Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil. e-mail: glayconantunes@hotmail.com Mirlei Fachini Vicente Pereira Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU) – Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brasil. e-mail: mirlei@ufu.br Resumen A partir de los años 2000, observamos que en segmentos de los cerrados Norte y Nordeste se produce una profundización de la especialización territorial productiva en el cultivo de commodities agrícolas, enfocadas al mercado externo. Frente a este proceso de expansión del agronegocio en esta región del país, el Estado brasileño ha desplegado una serie de medidas que buscan potenciar el fortalecimiento de las actividades agropecuarias en MATOPIBA (región que abarca segmentos de Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí y Bahia). El presente artículo evalúa como el Estado, a partir de un conjunto de estudios elaborados por la EMBRAPA, produjo una región que puede ser considerada como “herramienta” para la planificación de políticas públicas destinadas a la promoción del agronegocio, con objetivo de contribuir a una mayor competitividad de la producción regional. Dicha condición toma forma, de manera más precisa, a través de la promulgación del Plan de Desarrollo Agropecuario (PDA) de MATOPIBA, que entrega a la región el estatus de área estratégica de expansión del agronegocio en el país, contribuyendo así, a una mayor viabilidad del uso corporativo del territorio. alabras-clave: Viabilidad territorial; región como herramienta; agronegocio; MATOPIBA Abstract From the year 2000 we can observe the deepening of the productive territorial specialization in the cultivation of agricultural commodities aimed at the foreign market in portions of the North and Northeast Cerrados. In the face of the process of the agribusiness expansion in this region of the country the Brazilian State is articulating a set of actions aimed at strengthening the agricultural activity in MATOPIBA (a region that involves portions of the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia). This paper evaluates how the State, from a set of studies elaborated by Embrapa, produced a region that can be considered a “tool” for the planning of public policies destined to the promotion of agribusiness, in order to give greater competitiveness to the regional production. Such condition takes more precise shape through the promulgation of MATOPIBA's Agricultural Development Plan (ADP), which gives the region the status of a strategic agribusiness expansion area in the country, creating, to some extent, the viability of corporate use of the territory. Keywords: Territorial viability; region as a tool; agribusiness; MATOPIBA. . NERA Presidente Prudente v. 22, n. 47, pp. 22-45 Dossiê - 2019 ISSN: 1806-6 Rev. NERA Presidente Prudente v. 22, n. 47, pp. 22-45 Dossiê - 20 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA Introdução Na década de 2000 configura-se um novo conjunto de relações produtivas no campo moderno brasileiro, com o estabelecimento daquilo que Guilherme Delgado denominou como “pacto de economia política do agronegócio” (DELGADO, 2012). Segundo o autor, esta condição do agronegócio resulta de esforços públicos e privados, com objetivo de gerar saldos comerciais externos para suprir o déficit da conta corrente nacional. A principal estratégia para alcançar tal meta, visando a superação do déficit da balança comercial, deu-se através da exportação de commodities agrícolas e minerais. Esta configuração pode ser entendida como uma associação econômica entre a agricultura moderna, as cadeias agroindustriais, o sistema de crédito (sendo o Estado brasileiro um dos principais financiadores do setor), além de garantias para a formação de um novo mercado de terras, com o objetivo de promover uma estratégia econômica própria ao capital financeiro, que busca esquemas renovados de acumulação (DELGADO, 2012). Este pacto de economia política do agronegócio implica na reorganização do território, sendo o aprofundamento da especialização territorial produtiva (na produção de commodities agrícolas) em diferentes regiões do território brasileiro e em especial nos Cerrados, uma de suas expressões mais diretas. Neste sentido, Frederico (2014, p. 2134) considera que há o estabelecimento de um “pacto de economia política do território” fundado no agronegócio, que pode ser entendido como a articulação dos diferentes agentes do setor (Estado, corporações, agricultores e investidores financeiros) com o objetivo de criar 23 MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA estratégias de “[...] apropriação do excedente e a utilização do capital sobreacumulado para a incorporação e organização de espaços sob a lógica do modo de produção dominante”. Neste contexto observamos o aprofundamento da especialização territorial em porções setentrionais dos Cerrados especialmente na produção de grãos, em áreas da Bahia, Maranhão, Piauí e Tocantins. Esta porção do território nacional foi denominada num primeiro momento, e com fins acadêmicos, como BAMAPITO, por Bernardes (2009) ou ainda como Cerrados do Centro Norte, por Alves (2015). A partir de 2015 o Estado brasileiro denomina a referida região como MATOPIBA, com a finalidade de torná-la um recorte regional estratégico voltado ao planejamento institucional da atividade agropecuária, com caráter típico daquilo que Elias (2013) reconhece como “agronegócio globalizado”. Dentre as articulações mais recentes provindas do esforço Estatal para o fortalecimento do agronegócio, destaca-se a criação do Grupo de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (GITE) vinculado a Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, a Embrapa. Introdução O GITE realiza uma série de estudos baseados no entendimento de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (ITE), podendo ser compreendido como uma ferramenta indispensável para o monitoramento e caracterização territorial, tendo como intuito subsidiar a criação de planejamentos voltados ao fortalecimento do agronegócio. O referido grupo foi responsável por delimitar o recorte regional do MATOPIBA (Mapa 1), cujos critérios foram estabelecidos a partir do levantamento e cruzamento de informações sobre o quadro natural, agrário, agrícola, socioeconômico e de infraestrutura da região, com objetivo de caracterizar e diagnosticar as variáveis que são importantes para sustentar a elaboração de planejamentos e políticas públicas para o desenvolvimento do agronegócio na região. Os estudos do GITE sobre o MATOPIBA foram fundamentais para a criação do Plano de Desenvolvimento Agrícola (PDA) do MATOPIBA. Conforme Bernardes e Maldonado (2017, p. 76) o PDA do MATOPIBA “[...] constitui uma ação, tanto reveladora das formas como avança o agronegócio nessa região, como impulsionadora desse agronegócio”, nos demonstrando também como esta região torna-se um espaço importante para o Estado. O PDA do MATOPIBA configura-se como instrumento que estimula a difusão e consolidação do agronegócio no MATOPIBA, pois as diretrizes que dão sustentação ao plano são voltadas ao fortalecimento de setores indispensáveis a esta atividade, tais como a melhoria das condições de logística para a circulação de grãos, o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias de produtos destinados ao campo moderno e ainda a busca de um fortalecimento da chamada “classe média” rural (BRASIL, 2015). Neste sentido a Embrapa, através do GITE, “inventa” e institucionaliza uma região com o propósito de intervenção em setores indispensáveis para atribuir maior competitividade ao agronegócio no MATOPIBA, conferindo-lhe um caráter de “região como ferramenta” (RIBEIRO, 2004). Segundo Ribeiro (2004), tal tipo de compartimentação do território visa a 24 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA produção de um recorte de intervenção/planejamento para atender os interesses dos atores hegemônicos, conduzido por um agir instrumentalizado e carregado de ideologias dominantes, conforma-se como uma ferramenta estratégia para o uso corporativo do território às grandes empresas. Além da institucionalização de uma região como ferramenta para o agronegócio, a partir do PDA do MATOPIBA, observamos a criação de uma viabilidade do território (SILVEIRA, 2003) para o setor, pois essa ação legitima a “invenção” de uma região que visa a instrumentalização do espaço aos interesses dos agentes promotores do agronegócio. Mapa 1: Recorte regional do MATOPIBA. Org.: SOUZA, G.V.A. MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA Portanto, nosso objetivo neste trabalho é analisar como a Embrapa, através do GITE e a partir da ideia de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (ITE), cria uma ferramenta informacional indispensável para a delimitação de uma “região para o agronegócio”, e como este grupo foi importante para subsidiar a elaboração do Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário (PDA) do MATOPIBA. Também analisamos o PDA do MATOPIBA e seu desdobramento, buscando demonstrar como a institucionalização desta região, como área de planejamento, é uma das formas de viabilização do território aos imperativos do mercado globalizado. Mapa 1: Recorte regional do MATOPIBA. Org.: SOUZA, G.V.A. Org.: SOUZA, G.V.A. 25 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA mercado de terras) na busca de estratégias de capital financeiro (DELGADO, 2012). Conforme aponta Guilherme Delgado, mercado de terras) na busca de estratégias de capital financeiro (DELGADO, 2012). Conforme aponta Guilherme Delgado, [...] agronegócio na acepção brasileira do termo é uma associação do grande capital agroindustrial com a grande propriedade fundiária. Essa associação realiza uma estratégia econômica de capital financeiro, perseguindo o lucro e a renda da terra, sob patrocínio de políticas de Estado. (DELGADO, 2012, p. 94). [...] agronegócio na acepção brasileira do termo é uma associação do grande capital agroindustrial com a grande propriedade fundiária. Essa associação realiza uma estratégia econômica de capital financeiro, perseguindo o lucro e a renda da terra, sob patrocínio de políticas de Estado. (DELGADO, 2012, p. 94). A nova configuração da atividade agrícola, a partir de 2000, colaborou decisivamente para a verticalização da atuação de grandes corporações atraídas pelo crescimento da produção regional, pela menor concorrência (quando comparado com as tradicionais áreas de produção agrícola do país), bem como pela grande demanda por grãos no mercado internacional, conferindo possibilidades de novos processos de valorização fundiária. Em 2017, apenas quatro empresas controlam cinco unidades de processamento de soja na região - a Bunge, em Luís Eduardo Magalhães (BA) e Uruçuí (PI), a Cargill em Barreiras (BA), o grupo Algar, presente no município maranhense de Porto Franco e a Granol, com uma unidade em Porto Nacional (TO). Além destas corporações, um conjunto de tradings nacionais e internacionais estendem seus nexos produtivos a diferentes pontos da região a partir de escritórios de exportação, tais como a Glencore, CHS, CGG, Multigrain, ADM, Amaggi & LDC, Agrex do Brasil, entre outras. 2017, apenas quatro empresas controlam cinco unidades de processamento de soja na região - a Bunge, em Luís Eduardo Magalhães (BA) e Uruçuí (PI), a Cargill em Barreiras (BA), o grupo Algar, presente no município maranhense de Porto Franco e a Granol, com uma unidade em Porto Nacional (TO). Além destas corporações, um conjunto de tradings nacionais e internacionais estendem seus nexos produtivos a diferentes pontos da região a partir de escritórios de exportação, tais como a Glencore, CHS, CGG, Multigrain, ADM, Amaggi & LDC, Agrex do Brasil, entre outras. A informação como ferramenta para a definição de uma região do agronegócio: O emprego da Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (ITE) Nas últimas três décadas observamos a constituição de uma nova fronteira agrícola nos cerrados localizados no Norte e Nordeste do país, região esta que se afirma como um espaço estratégico para o agronegócio, a partir da expansão de forma seletiva do meio técnico-científico-informacional (SANTOS, 1994, 2002). A partir da década 1990 a disseminação e utilização de objetos carregados de conteúdos técnicos, científicos e informacionais (como os maquinários agrícolas modernos, as sementes melhoradas, uso de fertilizantes, entre outros), juntamente com um conjunto de ações orquestradas pelo Estado e agentes privados, possibilitou a afirmação de uma agricultura científica globaliza (SANTOS, 2001) na região, fundamentalmente voltada para a produção de commodities mais valorizadas no mercado externo, como é o caso da soja, do milho e do algodão. É sobretudo durante os anos 2000 que verificamos a expansão de forma mais intensa desta fronteira agrícola. Para se ter noção da amplitude do processo, a área produzida com soja (principal commodity na região) aumentou cerca de 310% entre os anos de 2000 (905 mil hectares) e 2015 (3,6 milhões de hectares), enquanto o crescimento entre as décadas de 1990 (407 mil hectares) e 2000 foi de 122%; a quantidade produzida saltou de 2,2 milhões de ton. para 10,7 milhões de ton., entre 2000 e 2015 (em 1990 o volume produzido era de apenas 260 mil ton.) (IBGE/PAM, 2017). Indubitavelmente as inovações científicas e tecnológicas constituem elemento central ao processo de produção voltado para a acumulação de grandes agentes, colaborando assim para o aprofundamento da modernização e incorporação de novos espaços agrícolas à região. Contudo as condições políticas são de grande relevância para a dinâmica agrícola, e neste início de século, as relações políticas e econômicas estão sendo marcadas por um novo pacto do agronegócio, em que há a rearticulação entre os principais agentes da agricultura moderna do país (agricultura moderna, as cadeias agroindustriais, o sistema de crédito e o 26 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA Estas corporações são responsáveis pela dinamização do circuito espacial produtivo (SANTOS; SILVEIRA, 2010) das principais commodities produzidas na região, já que são responsáveis pela comercialização, processamento, circulação e distribuição destes produtos. Estes agentes estabelecem uma relação com o território de forma pontual e seletiva, com intuito de eleger as áreas que permitam maior ampliação do seu capital, criando redes agroindustriais (ELIAS, 2006) para o processamento e circulação de grãos. Além das tradings agrícolas, visualizamos também outros agentes do agronegócio que estendem suas atividades ao MATOPIBA. Nos anos 2000, observamos a atuação de forma intensa de empresas que agem no mercado de terras, muito responsáveis pela valorização de imóveis e por um claro processo de especulação fundiária, implicando fragmentação do território. Tal situação é fomentada por empresas que não possuíam tradição em investir na atividade agrícola, tais como empresas de private equity, fundos de pensões, fundos hedge e fundos soberanos, especializadas na obtenção de ganhos a partir da especulação financeira (FREDERICO; GRAS, 2017). Esta configuração é um dos reflexos da financeirização da economia, em que cada vez mais o capital financeiro cria novas formas para se retroalimentar, e nesse sentido um conjunto de autores (BERNARDES et al, 2017) reconhecem o surgimento de uma nova “safra” de capitalistas na agricultura, cuja principal 27 MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA marca é a presença de agentes do capital financeiro em atividades consideradas como “alternativas”, sendo o mercado fundiário e a especulação de terras um exemplo. Este conjunto imbricado de agentes estabelece verdadeiros círculos de cooperação (SANTOS; SILVEIRA, 2011) com empresas que já atuam no ramo agrícola, criando novas corporações (através de joint ventures) que buscam estratégias do capital financeiro para a obtenção de rendimento a partir da compra, especulação e venda de terras agrícolas. O MATOPIBA configura-se como um espaço de grandes expectativas para ganhos com valorização fundiária, onde as corporações podem adquirir as propriedades a baixo custo e rapidamente criar mecanismo de valorização das terras, através de uma produção agrícola altamente tecnificada e capitalizada, visto que os preços das terras no MATOPIBA são em geral ainda mais baixos que os praticados nas regiões agrícolas consolidadas do Centro- Oeste, Sudeste e Sul do Brasil. Entre as empresas que atuam na exploração do mercado de terras no MATOPIBA destacamos a Brasil Agro, SLC Agrícola, Radar S/A, Adecoagro, Sollus Capital, entre outras. GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA Segundo informações obtidas, no ano de 2017, nos sites das empresas BrasilAgro, SLC Agrícola, Adecoagro e Sollus Capital, as mesmas possuem conjuntamente mais de 215 mil hectares de terras em diferentes porções do MATOPIBA (BRASILAGRO, 2017; SLC AGRÍCOLA, 2017; ADECOAGRO, 2017; SOLLUS CAPITAL, 2017), sobretudo nas porções mais preparadas às atividades do agronegócio, como o Oeste Baiano, o Sudoeste do Piauí e o Sul do Maranhão (SOUZA, 2017). Este dado nos sinaliza que cada vez mais há concentração fundiária sob controle de empresas que fundamentam seus lucros na especulação fundiária, promovendo uma situação de “modernização territorial” pautada em estratégias financeiras nesta porção do país. Diante desta condição de crescimento do agronegócio no MATOPIBA, o Estado brasileiro articula estratégias específicas para esta região, com propósito de tornar essa porção do território nacional ainda mais racionalizada à atividade hegemônica. Desde a década de 1980 a Embrapa Semiárido realiza diagnósticos de áreas dos Cerrados Norte e Nordeste favoráveis à produção em grande escala e voltada para o mercado externo. Antigo membro da Embrapa Semiárido, o agrônomo Evaristo Miranda, atual coordenador do Grupo de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (GITE), relata que “Na época (1980), estávamos em busca de áreas com potencial para a produção de alimentos [...] Foi daí que surgiu o zoneamento agrícola para a soja, no Nordeste, quando poucos acreditavam nela como uma cultura de peso para a região” (ONDEI, 2015). No âmbito propriamente político, observamos uma primeira organização nos anos 2012, quando o Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA) lançou uma portaria com o objetivo de criar um grupo de trabalho para desenvolver estudos sobre o MATOPIBA (Portaria nº 269, de 3 de abril de 2012). Este grupo foi composto por 28 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA representantes do poder executivo a partir de secretárias do MAPA, instituições como a Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (CONAB) e a Embrapa. Assim, percebemos que um conjunto de especulações e interesses sobre esta região dos Cerrados estavam sendo orquestrados desde a década de 1980, com apoio dos estudos técnicos realizados pela Embrapa. Dentre as articulações mais recentes, provindas do esforço estatal, destacamos a criação do Grupo de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (GITE), vinculado a Embrapa, responsável pela delimitação geográfica do MATOPIBA. MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA A ITE pode ser entendida como um conjunto de ferramentas e métodos aplicados para a compreensão de um território em sua dimensão agrícola, agrária, natural, socioeconômica e infraestrutura, através da integração de informações provenientes de diferentes bancos de dados. Essas informações integradas servirão para apoiar a tomada de decisão para o desenvolvimento territorial. (EMBRAPA, 2016). Neste sentido a ITE é um recurso utilizado em estudos de caracterização territorial de uma região, que se dá a partir de uma abordagem multifatorial, agregando as condições agrícolas, agrárias, de infraestruturas, socioeconômica e natural da área avaliada. Para o GITE o objetivo desta noção de ITE é ir além da mensuração e descrição das condições territoriais, a que a contribuição de tal procedimento reside especialmente na proposição de cenários futuros sobre as condições da atividade agropecuária. Dessa forma, cria-se uma possibilidade de antever situações consideradas de riscos para a agricultura e assim corrigi- las, bem como fortalecer setores avaliados como favoráveis ao crescimento econômico do agronegócio. Esta proposição configura-se como um instrumento técnico-científico para a ação de um planejamento tanto do Estado quanto do setor privado que, em última instância, permite traçar “caminhos” para o aprofundamento do capitalismo no campo (como é o caso, por exemplo, das estratégias de incorporação de novas terras e de sua valorização). Mesmo demonstrando certo interesse na dinâmica territorial da atividade agrícola, os estudos baseados na noção de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica têm como essência o propósito de gerar diagnósticos através de levantamentos, enumeração e mapeamento das condições agrícolas da região. Neste sentido é um estudo que visa mostrar a configuração territorial do MATOPIBA, noção esta que pode ser compreendida pelo conhecimento aprofundado do [...] conjunto formado pelos sistemas naturais existentes em um dado país ou numa dada área e pelos acréscimos que os homens superimpuseram a esses sistemas naturais. A configuração territorial não é o espaço, já que sua realidade vem de sua materialidade, enquanto o espaço reúne a materialidade e a vida que a anima (SANTOS, 2002, p. 62). [...] conjunto formado pelos sistemas naturais existentes em um dado país ou numa dada área e pelos acréscimos que os homens superimpuseram a esses sistemas naturais. A configuração territorial não é o espaço, já que sua realidade vem de sua materialidade, enquanto o espaço reúne a materialidade e a vida que a anima (SANTOS, 2002, p. 62). GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA O GITE foi criado em 2013 com a finalidade de ser um grupo de pesquisa “voltado para a temática do planejamento e do monitoramento territorial do uso e da ocupação das terras no Brasil, com ênfase na agricultura” (GITE, 2016). Poucos anos depois de criado, este grupo possui um banco de dados cartográfico e icnográfico (imagens de satélites, fotos aéreas, entre outros) de todo o território brasileiro, contendo informações necessárias para realizar diagnósticos sobre o quadro natural, condições de infraestrutura, situação agrícola, do quadro agrário e socioeconômico. Os diagnósticos são, em alguns casos, bases para nortear ações governamentais, assim como para o planejamento de políticas formuladas por órgãos públicos (Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento, Ministério do Planejamento, Gestão e Orçamento) e setor privado. Entre os trabalhos recentes desenvolvidos por este grupo de pesquisa, podemos destacar o acompanhamento das Obras do Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento (PAC), sobretudo no que diz respeito às obras de eletrificação rural, de construção de estradas, portos e hidrovias que garantem o escoamento das safras; estudos sobre o impacto da colheita mecanizada de cana-de-açúcar no Estado de São Paulo (pesquisa esta solicitada pela Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo- Fiesp); bem como o projeto para o MATOPIBA. Para o desenvolvimento de suas pesquisas, o GITE respalda-se no entendimento de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (ITE), visto como uma ferramenta importante para o planejamento e inovação de pesquisas vinculadas com a atividade agropecuária. Em entrevista à revista da Embrapa, Evaristo Miranda expõe que os estudos de ITE consideram um conjunto de fatores para o desenvolvimento da agricultura, buscando “[...] os melhores caminhos para que ela (agricultura) possa progredir e para que os produtores rurais tenham o melhor retorno do seu trabalho [...], a inteligência e a gestão territorial focam não só o presente, mas também perspectivas de futuro, desenham cenários evolutivos possíveis” (MIURA, 2016, p. 1), com interesse de apresentar o “retrato territorial da agricultura em muitas dimensões temáticas (solo, água, vegetação, cultivos), bem como em termos temporais (evolução) e ainda em muitas escalas espaciais (detalhe de uma fazenda, de um vale ou de uma região geoeconômica)” (MIURA, 2016, p. 1). Portanto, 29 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA de erosão; quais são as melhores localidades para implantar uma rede de fomento agrícola ou para investir em irrigação, armazenagem e logística. (MIURA, 2016, p. 1). Um recurso criado pelo grupo de pesquisa da Embrapa (GITE), a partir dos estudos de ITE para a produção de um banco de dados integrado, foi o Sistema de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (SITE). Para os membros do GITE o planejamento territorial necessita de um SITE “[...] capaz de apoiar diversos zoneamentos, diagnósticos e aplicações, bem como a geração e a simulação de cenários em função dos interesses e necessidades das instituições públicas e privadas que atuam na região” (GITE, 2014, p. 3). Percebemos que a grande preocupação do GITE é de fato elaborar trabalhos que subsidiem a produção de planos para o desenvolvimento do agronegócio, por isso a necessidade de elaborar um conjunto de ferramentas metodológicas para operacionalizar as pesquisas e cumprir tais metas. O SITE figura assim como um importante recurso de investigação dentro da ITE, pois a partir deste sistema pode criar “[...] cenários futuros e definir situações territoriais razoavelmente parecidas ou equiproblemáticas, como também equipotenciais em termos de desenvolvimento agropecuário, a partir desta análise multitemática” (EMBRAPA, 2016). Por ser fruto de estudos da ITE, o SITE segue os seus mesmos eixos estruturantes (Figura 1); agrega imagens de satélite com as geotecnologias – que são programas e softwares que trabalham com essas imagens e com a produção de mapas. Para isto o SITE utiliza de dados governamentais de vários institutos, e têm como base para elaboração cartográfica as normas do IBGE e da INDE – Infraestrutura Nacional de Dados Espaciais. Para a equipe técnica do GITE, o grande diferencial desde sistema de informação (SITE) é a possibilidade de integrar as inúmeras informações inseridas nesse banco de dados, indo além da sobreposição e armazenamento. Somando a isto, o SITE tem a capacidade de inserção contínua de novos dados, o que torna esse sistema uma “[...] ferramenta eficiente e essencial para ações de planejamento e gestão territorial” (GITE, 2014, p. 5). Em 2014 o GITE, juntamente com o INCRA – Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária (até então vinculado ao Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário), estabeleceram uma cooperação técnica para o levantamento e sistematização de uma base de dados territoriais sobre o MATOPIBA. MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA Deste modo os diagnósticos feitos pelo GITE deixam de lado as relações sociais que dinamizam e atribuem funcionamento à configuração territorial a partir do uso do território, ou seja, não considera o território usado (o espaço como um todo; o espaço banal) (SANTOS, 2005) ou as dinâmicas territoriais como um fato político. Assim, o estudo de ITE figura como um instrumento facilitador para a ampliação do capital dos agentes hegemônicos, visto que responde a várias “perguntas”: É como se o interessado tivesse um técnico à sua disposição para dizer qual é o melhor lugar para plantar determinada espécie; onde existem problemas 30 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA O principal critério para a delimitação desta região foi a ocorrência de áreas de Cerrados, bioma esse que representa cerca de 91% da área do MATOPIBA, seguido pelo bioma Amazônia (7,3%) e com mínima área de Caatinga (1,7%) 32 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA (GITE, 2015a); sendo a atividade agrícola o segundo grande critério para a definição da região, atividade esta que é principal responsável pelo dinamismo econômico desta porção do território nacional. Um dos resultados deste estudo técnico (ITE) foi a elaboração do MATOPIBA GeoWeb (lançado em dezembro de 2015), que parece exemplificar de modo mais direto a efetivação do SITE, onde são armazenados e integrados os dados e toda a sistematização de informação sobre a região feito pelo GITE. Na visão de Evaristo Miranda, o MATOPIBA GeoWeb. [...] auxiliará a tomada de decisão de governantes e subsidiará estudos e projetos de empresas e investidores privados e de instituições de ensino superior, sendo, portanto, uma ferramenta estratégica que pode ser usada nos programas do Ministério da Agricultura para o desenvolvimento agropecuário da região (EMBRAPA, 2015, grifo nosso). [...] auxiliará a tomada de decisão de governantes e subsidiará estudos e projetos de empresas e investidores privados e de instituições de ensino superior, sendo, portanto, uma ferramenta estratégica que pode ser usada nos programas do Ministério da Agricultura para o desenvolvimento agropecuário da região (EMBRAPA, 2015, grifo nosso). Isto demonstra que a ITE se trata de um estudo voltado para atender interesses específicos para o “desenvolvimento” agrícola regional do MATOPIBA, sobretudo os interesses do setor privado. Este sistema online de informação geográfica (MATOPIBA GeoWeb) contém mais de 200 bases de dados, agregando informações como a quantidade de pivôs centrais, disponibilidade de armazenamento, condição logística (rodovias e ferrovias), distribuição populacional, produto interno bruto dos municípios, entre outros; em síntese contém dados sobre os cinco grandes eixos que caracterizam o estudo de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica – quadro natural, agrícola, agrário, infraestrutura e socioeconômico (MATOPIBA GEOWEB, 2016). A partir desta exposição, percebemos o quanto há uma construção técnico-científica para promoção e a instrumentalização do território através de uma ação informatizada, alcançada através do trabalho fomentado por um órgão de pesquisa de destaque no país, que é a Embrapa. GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA A partir da ideia de ITE e da criação do SITE específico para o MATOPIBA, foram elaborados diagnósticos e notas técnicas com informações sobre as características físico-naturais, a quantidade de comunidades quilombolas, aldeias indígenas, áreas de proteção ambiental e assentamentos de reforma agrária, entre outras informações. Ou seja, foram mapeados os lugares e as condições que favorecem a expansão da fronteira agrícola na região, bem como reconhecidos os possíveis limites para a expansão do agronegócio no MATOPIBA. 31 MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA Figura 1: Organização do Sitema de Inteligência Territorial do MATOPIBA. Fonte: GITE/EMBRAPA (2014) Figura 1: Organização do Sitema de Inteligência Territorial do MATOPIBA. Fonte: GITE/EMBRAPA (2014) Deste modo, foram mobilizadas para a delimitação territorial do MATOPIBA “[...] bases multifatoriais, contemplando as dimensões agroecológicas e socioeconômicas [...] a partir de dinâmicas do tempo passado e do presente” (GITE, 2015a), criando uma regionalização capaz de definir um recorte que captasse a dinâmica e a expansão da agricultura moderna no MATOPIBA. Os critérios utilizados para a delimitação da região foram: a configuração do quadro natural (biomas, cobertura vegetal, clima, geologia, relevo, pedologia, hidrografia, recursos minerais e energéticos), quadro agrário (unidades de conservação, terras indígenas, áreas quilombolas, assentamentos agrários), quadro socioeconômico (estabelecimentos agropecuários – área e renda, Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano – IDH, população total, rural e urbana, Produto Interno Bruto – PIB), e infraestrutura (energia, rodovias, ferrovias, hidrovias, dutovias e porto) (GITE, 2015a). O cruzamento destas informações, via procedimentos computadorizados, produziu um recorte espacial que engloba 337 municípios dos estados do Maranhão (135), Tocantins (139), Piauí (33) e Bahia (30), correspondendo a aproximadamente 9% do território brasileiro. O recorte territorial proposto pela Embrapa para o MATOPIBA inclui todo o estado do Tocantins (38% da região ou 27.772.052 hectares), porções Sul e Leste do Maranhão (cerca de 33% do MATOPIBA ou 24 milhões de hectares), o Oeste baiano (com mais de 13 milhões de hectares – representando cerca de 11% da região) e a porção Sudoeste do Piauí (11%, com pouco mais de 8 milhões de hectares). MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA Podemos considerar que o GITE, a partir de seus diagnósticos, torna-se uma agência cuja finalidade é a formulação de informações especializadas para atender interesses precisos, que são voltados para o adensamento técnico (tecnosfera) bem como na formulação de discursos (psicosfera) que legitimem ações territoriais no MATOPIBA, pois “As ações necessitam de legitimação prévia para ser mais docilmente aceitas e ativas na vida social e assim mais rapidamente repetidas e multiplicadas” (SANTOS, 1994, p. 51). Toda esta articulação informacional promovida pelo grupo de pesquisa da Embrapa (GITE) foi fundamental para a conformação de uma proposta política criada pelo Estado, com vista de fortalecer e incentivar a expansão do agronegócio nesta região. A proposta em questão é o Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário do MATOPIBA, que expõe as intenções e as expectativas à esta porção do território brasileiro. GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA Estes estudos apontam lugares/regiões viáveis para a produção agrícola moderna, permitindo identificar “os polos de desenvolvimento existentes e potenciais; e delinear o cenário geral, identificando oportunidades, necessidades de avanço de conhecimento e de desenvolvimento tecnológico” (MATOPIBA GEOWEB, 2016). Cria-se deste modo uma densidade informacional sobre o MATOPIBA, sinalizando as potencialidades para a expansão do agronegócio nesta região, ou seja, são identificados os espaços estratégicos para o aumento da riqueza do setor agroindustrial, da atividade agrícola propriamente dita, bem como da especulação/valorização fundiária. Partindo desta perspectiva, apreende-se que o adensamento de informações sobre o MATOPIBA é um instrumento que permite tornar essa porção do território brasileiro integrada aos interesses globais, permitindo a atuação mais aprofundada dos agentes hegemônicos que, em parte, são responsáveis pela implantação de novas cargas de racionalidade ao lugar. 33 O Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário (PDA) do MATOPIBA: Produção da viabilidade territorial ao agronegócio e a institucionalização de uma região como ferramenta Em maio de 2015 foi promulgado o decreto nº 8.447, que criou o Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário (PDA) do MATOPIBA. O referido Plano foi constituído a partir do conjunto de estudos e diagnósticos elaborado pelo GITE, incluindo o próprio recorte territorial, que diretamente expressa o reconhecimento do Estado sobre a importância desta região para o novo pacto de economia do agronegócio (DELGADO, 2012) desenhado para o país neste início de século, e, dessa forma, revela a necessidade de elaborar ações para tornar as condições materiais e imateriais competitivas ao setor. O PDA do MATOPIBA foi o mecanismo estatal privilegiado para viabilizar uma região institucionalizada para o agronegócio, sobretudo para atender aos anseios dos agentes hegemônicos, exemplificando aquilo que Ribeiro (2004) denominou de “regionalização como ferramenta”. Ana Clara Torres Ribeiro (2004) aponta para a necessidade de compreendermos processos distintos de regionalização, que normalmente se processam na tensão entre diferentes projetos, sempre atravessados pelo poder do Estado. Segundo a proposta da autora, podemos reconhecer situações caracterizadas ora por uma “regionalização como fato”, ora por uma “regionalização como ferramenta”. Em linhas gerais, a regionalização como fato deriva da ação social capaz de empreender uma estruturação histórica de regiões, a partir de múltiplos processos que limitam a ação hegemônica (regionalização como resultado da decantação de práticas sociais longamente elaboradas no território). Um processo oposto seria justamente o da regionalização como ferramenta, que resulta de uma conjuntura atual imposta sobre o espaço pretérito, quando recortes espaciais assumem o planejamento conduzido pelo Estado, atendendo a razões hegemônicas (RIBEIRO, 2004, p. 196). “É assim 34 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA que os estudos de regionalização como ferramenta podem desvendar a estratégia de agentes para a constituição de espaços regionais que tornem facilitadas as suas pretensões econômicas” (PEREIRA, 2009, p. 16). Tal conformação espacial é resultado das forças econômicas e políticas que dominam o território, fomentadas principalmente pelo Estado e pelas corporações. No atual período técnico-científico-informacional (SANTOS, 2002), as condições técnicas e políticas são criadas para viabilizar o uso corporativo do território e a invenção de novas regiões de intervenção estatal a partir de instrumentos técnico-científicos configura-se como uma estratégia de afirmação da lógica hegemônica de produção nos lugares. [...] transformação da eficácia em meta política; pela imposição do agir instrumental e estratégico e pelo desvendamento contínuo de contextos de inovação, (e assim) a regionalização como ferramenta adquire extraordinário destaque, o que explica a sua utilização pelos agentes hegemônicos, desestabilizando a estrutura espacial do país (RIBEIRO, 2004, p. 197). O Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário (PDA) do MATOPIBA: Produção da viabilidade territorial ao agronegócio e a institucionalização de uma região como ferramenta Este plano visa dotar o MATOPIBA de maiores condições técnicas e normativas para atribuir à região maior competitividade, visto que as três diretrizes basilares estão voltadas para o fortalecimento de setores estratégicos para o agronegócio da região como: a) melhorar a eficácia da infraestrutura de logística referente à circulação de mercadorias agropecuárias; b) promover e incentivar o desenvolvimento de tecnologias inerentes ao agronegócio; c) estimular o fortalecimento da classe média rural através de ações para mobilidade social, buscando o crescimento da renda, do emprego e da qualificação técnica dos produtores rurais (BRASIL, 2015). Diante destas diretrizes entendemos que, para além de uma região como ferramenta, as intencionalidades e expectativas em torno do PDA do MATOPIBA nos permitem entender este plano como uma flexibilidade organizacional, que possibilita “inventar” a viabilidade territorial (SILVEIRA, 2003) para o agronegócio. Segundo Silveira (2003), a flexibilidade organizacional pode ser compreendida pela criação, via Estado, de uma série de normas que abrandam (tornam facilitadas) as condições jurídicas-políticas para que as grandes corporações possam desempenhar suas atividades de forma mais eficaz. Portanto, trata-se de uma flexibilidade organizacional que privilegia sobretudo os atores hegemônicos da economia, tratando-se de uma flexibilidade setorial (SILVEIRA, 2003). Para o caso em análise, a flexibilidade organizacional se expressa pela criação do PDA, cujo objetivo é o fortalecimento do agronegócio nesta região, a partir do aumento dos investimentos nos sistemas de engenharia – ferrovias, hidrovias, rodovias e armazéns – e no desenvolvimento tecnológico para a agricultura científica globalizada. A própria institucionalização de uma “região para o agronegócio”, também, evidência uma ação que busca viabilizar o território para o uso corporativo, pois as estratégias de “compartimentação do território são formas de valorização feitas, crescentemente pelas firmas, mas com a ajuda de um poder público devotado a ‘inventar’ a viabilidade do território para as empresas” (SILVEIRA, 2003, p. 414). Além da questão normativa para a viabilização do território para melhor atuação das empresas, o Estado é fundamental para a constituição da base técnica que permite maior circulação de mercadorias, capital, ordens e informações das corporações. A fluidez torna-se um elemento essencial no atual período de globalização, visto que a produção, distribuição e consumo tornam-se cada vez mais dispersos e acelerados. Em áreas de novos fronts agrícolas, caso do MATOPIBA, a atuação do Estado para constituição de sistemas de engenharia possui peso ainda maior. O Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário (PDA) do MATOPIBA: Produção da viabilidade territorial ao agronegócio e a institucionalização de uma região como ferramenta Nesse sentido, as regiões muitas vezes são elaboradas para responder as demandas do capital através de elaborações científicas, e, desse modo, vivemos em um momento histórico em que a razão esclarecedora cede lugar para a razão instrumental (KAHIL, 2010). É assim que ocorre a A regionalização como ferramenta traduz-se na elaboração de práticas políticas do presente, construídas por e para atores hegemônicos da política e da economia (RIBEIRO, 2004), ou seja, para aqueles que possuem acesso e controle privilegiado da informação, da técnica e da ciência. A regionalização e a proposição de regiões como “ferramenta” se expressam quando assumem a forma-conteúdo regida pelo planejamento de Estado, e podem ser caracterizadas pela imposição de um acontecer hierárquico (SANTOS, 2001, 2002) muitas vezes estranho às práticas pretéritas estabelecidas no lugar, pois obediente a lógicas exógenas que implicam em vulnerabilidade territorial, já que “a incorporação desses nexos e normas externas têm um efeito desintegrador das solidariedades locais então vigentes, com a perda correlativa da capacidade de gestão da vida local” (SANTOS, 2002, p. 285). Portanto a regionalização como ferramenta configura-se geralmente como um instrumento de planejamento Estatal para intervenção e estruturação (política e técnica) do espaço para o uso corporativo do território. A região delimitada pelo GITE torna-se uma “ferramenta”, uma “peça fundamental” à operacionalização do modelo de acumulação pautado na exportação de commodities, bem como pelos agentes de especulação fundiária, pois ela será suporte para o desenvolvimento de ações e para a emergência de narrativas de fortalecimento dos interesses do mercado globalizado. Por consequência, o PDA do MATOPIBA carrega consigo toda esta carga de intencionalidade que está presente na proposta de delimitação geográfica do MATOPIBA, ainda que oficialmente o PDA possua o objetivo de criar e desenvolver políticas públicas 35 MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA voltadas para agropecuária na região, com fins de promover o “desenvolvimento econômico sustentável do setor” (BRASIL, 2015). GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA Posto isto, observamos que a infraestrutura que permite maior fluidez territorial no MATOPIBA é uma das diretrizes bases do PDA, cujo interesse é justamente melhorar a logística para exportação das commodities produzidas nessa região. Tal diretriz atesta a assertiva de Castillo (2008, 2011) que considera a logística (sinônimo de circulação corporativa) elemento indispensável para atribuir à região maior grau de competividade. Segundo o autor, a circulação corporativa se estrutura a partir de redes técnicas (rodovias, ferrovias, hidrovias, entre outros), do acesso privilegiado a informação e pela regulamentação normativa, tríade esta que permite ser suporte para a competitividade. Portanto as densidades técnicas, informacionais e normativas são indispensáveis para a invenção da viabilidade territorial à atividade agropecuária moderna no MATOPIBA, sendo o Estado o principal agente estruturador dessa situação. Além de proporcionar maior fluidez produtiva para as grandes tradings agrícolas, responsáveis pela circulação dos grãos produzidos na região, a construção de novos fixos como ferrovias e rodovias, bem como a própria melhoria desses, atua como elemento de valorização das terras na região, permitindo práticas de especulação. Como debatem Lima e Nóbrega (2015) as terras que mais se valorizaram entre 2000 a 2014 no Tocantins foram as que estão localizadas na microrregião de Gurupi, em especial as que são próximas a BR-153 (Belém-Brasília), uma das principais rodovias que conecta o Tocantins no sentido norte/sul e importante via para escoar a soja (permitindo o acesso a Ferrovia Norte/Sul em diferentes pontos do estado). As autoras ainda exemplificam o quanto o distanciamento de importantes redes técnicas para a circulação de grãos é um dos elementos que influência diretamente no preço das terras na região do Jalapão. O preço das terras de Cerrado nessa região girava em torno de R$ 440,00/hectare em 2013, no mesmo ano as terras de Cerrado próximas a BR 153 (na margem leste da rodovia) alcançavam R$ 1.140,00/hectare (FNP, 2015). Spadotto (2017) nos traz outro exemplo que retrata a situação de valorização das terras próximas as vias de circulação. O Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário (PDA) do MATOPIBA: Produção da viabilidade territorial ao agronegócio e a institucionalização de uma região como ferramenta Estas áreas possuem densidades técnicas baixas (se comparadas aos belts consolidados), o que constitui um problema para a fluidez corporativa. 36 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA Conforme o autor, a Radar S/A (uma das maiores corporações voltadas para a especulação fundiária no MATOPIBA) adquiriu propriedades agrícolas nos municípios de Balsas (MA) e Santa Filomena (PI), próximas a uma rodovia com expectativa de expansão, e tal antecipação de investimentos realizada por essa empresa garantirá a valorização de suas propriedades ao longo do tempo, demonstrando que a compra de fazendas em áreas próximas a futuras rodovias é uma das estratégias de acumulação de tais agentes. Percebe-se “[...] que a montagem das redes supõe uma antevisão das funções que poderão exercer e isso tanto inclui a sua forma material, como as suas regras de gestão” (SANTOS, 2002, p. 265), sinalizando que o acesso a informação antecipada é uma das formas de atuação do mercado para a obtenção de maiores lucros. Logo, as rodovias e ferrovias 37 MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA configuram-se como redes sociotécnicas (SANTOS, 2002), por serem objetos geográficos que possibilitam a conexão de diferentes porções do território, e sobretudo por serem fixos que expressam relações de poder, pois colaboram para a estruturação e no próprio ordenamento do território. Portanto, não é por acaso que a logística se apresenta como um dos elementos centrais no PDA do MATOPIBA, estratégia que o próprio Estado cria para a viabilização do território para o mercado, especialmente para a atuação de grandes corporações, representadas tanto pelas que dinamizam a circulação da produção ou por aquelas que estão desenvolvendo estratégias de ganho a partir da indução de um lucrativo mercado de terras na região. Tal como a necessidade de novas infraestruturas técnicas, outro ponto estratégico do PDA do MATOPIBA é o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias para o campo, o que é importante para os grandes produtores agrícolas, assim como para a tradings e para as corporações que controlam as terras, pois o aumento da produtividade agrícola implica diretamente em maior obtenção de lucros, seja a partir da oportunidade de exportar maior volume de commodities ou mesmo pela elevação do preço das terras, já que a viabilidade da produção engendra o processo de valorização fundiária. Nesse sentido, desde de 2015 diferentes unidades da Embrapa (27 no total), estão desenvolvendo cerca de 80 projetos agrícolas de Pesquisa, Desenvolvimento e Inovação (PD&I) voltados especificamente para a região do MATOPIBA (GITE, 2015a). I – articular, apoiar e acompanhar a execução de projetos de infraestrutura e logística para o desenvolvimento sustentável do setor agropecuário; II – promover, coordenar, apoiar e elaborar estudos, levantamentos, pesquisas e projetos de desenvolvimento do Matopiba; III – articular e elaborar projetos e atividades, nos âmbitos público e privado, de assistência técnica, extensão rural e formação profissional aos pequenos e médios produtores rurais do Matopiba; IV – promover a capacitação de agentes públicos e privados da região do Matopiba com vistas à organização da base produtiva e à incorporação de novas tecnologias agrícolas, pecuárias e gerenciais; V – gerenciar, técnica e administrativamente, projetos de cooperação técnica e financeira com instituições públicas e privadas nacionais e internacionais; e VI – cooperar com o Poder Público na implementação da política de defesa agropecuária. (BRASIL, 2016). I – articular, apoiar e acompanhar a execução de projetos de infraestrutura e logística para o desenvolvimento sustentável do setor agropecuário; g p g p II – promover, coordenar, apoiar e elaborar estudos, levantamentos, pesquisas e projetos de desenvolvimento do Matopiba; GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA Ainda segundo o GITE (2015a), todos os projetos têm previsão de serem finalizados até 2019, apontando a urgência de criação de produtos carregados de conhecimento científico para o campo moderno na região. Conforme dados do GITE (2015a), o orçamento para o custeio e o investimento destes projetos alcança R$ 124 milhões, divididos nos seguintes temas de pesquisa: a) melhoramento genético; b) sistema de produção; c) defesa sanitária; d) temas transversais; e) transferência de tecnologia. Mais da metade deste valor (aproximadamente R$ 70 milhões) é destinado para o tema “melhoramento genético”, sendo que quase R$ 27 milhões do orçamento (GITE, 2015a), é voltado para a pesquisa e inovação do cultivo de soja, commodity de maior interesse aos grandes produtores e corporações. Ainda sobre o PDA do MATOPIBA, há uma nítida escolha dos agentes que serão beneficiados neste processo - são os chamados produtores de “classe média”, demonstrando o caráter seletivo que privilegia a “ampliação e fortalecimento da classe média rural” (BRASIL, 2015). Tomando como base informações do censo agropecuário de 2006, bem como o valor do salário mínimo da época (R$ 300,00), o GITE estabeleceu quatro classes de renda bruta (que é a produção de 2006 vendida, autoconsumo e indústria caseira) para o MATOPIBA (GITE, 2015b). 38 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA A primeira classe, denominada muito pobre, compreende renda bruta mensal, entre zero, não incluído, e dois salários mínimos, dois incluído. Em símbolos, (0, 2]. A segunda classe é denominada pobre, (2, 10]. A terceira classe, denominada de média, (10, 200]. E, finalmente, a última classe, denominada rica, tem renda bruta mensal maior que duzentos salários mínimos. (GITE, 2015b, p. 7, grifo nosso). GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA A primeira classe, denominada muito pobre, compreende renda bruta mensal, entre zero, não incluído, e dois salários mínimos, dois incluído. Em símbolos, (0, 2]. A segunda classe é denominada pobre, (2, 10]. A terceira classe, denominada de média, (10, 200]. E, finalmente, a última classe, denominada rica, tem renda bruta mensal maior que duzentos salários mínimos. (GITE, 2015b, p. 7, grifo nosso). A primeira classe, denominada muito pobre, compreende renda bruta mensal, entre zero, não incluído, e dois salários mínimos, dois incluído. Em símbolos, (0, 2]. A segunda classe é denominada pobre, (2, 10]. A terceira classe, denominada de média, (10, 200]. E, finalmente, a última classe, denominada rica, tem renda bruta mensal maior que duzentos salários mínimos. (GITE, 2015b, p. 7, grifo nosso). Frente a tal classificação, em que a suposta classe média recebe entre 10 e 200 salários mínimos, percebemos que este plano não se dirige aos quem mais necessitam do apoio estatal para alcançar melhores condições materiais de vida, aqui classificados como pobres e muito pobres. Logo, o recorte regional do MATOPIBA, imbuído de um conteúdo carregado de intencionalidades bem declaradas, é resultado de articulações políticas do Estado e de demandas próprias dos agentes hegemônicos (como associações, sindicatos patronais, tradings, etc), e neste sentido, apreendemos que a compartimentação do território é fruto da construção social que atende a interesses políticos bem definidos e que envolve relações de poder, seja “[...] o poder de criar e estabelecer formas espaciais. E, em segundo lugar, o poder de institucionalizar (e garantir permanência) esta forma” (RIBEIRO, 2004, p. 200). Outro desdobramento decorrente do estudo de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica desenvolvido pelo GITE, foi a criação de uma agência regional de desenvolvimento, resultado também do PDA do MATOPIBA. A “Agência de Desenvolvimento do Matopiba” estava prevista no PDA do MATOPIBA, com propósito de fomentar discussões e elaborar planos/projetos para o estímulo do setor agrícola desta região. Esta agência de desenvolvimento surgiu com o Projeto de lei complementar nº 279 de 2016, com o intuito de desenvolver e executar as diretrizes presentes no PDA do MATOPIBA, sendo delegada à agência a função de operacionalizar e colocar em prática as expectativas e intencionalidades contidas no projeto de lei que oficializa o MATOPIBA como área de interesse estatal. MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA Compreendemos que as propostas para esta agência reforçam de forma detalhada as diretrizes do PDA do MATOPIBA, sobretudo no que diz respeito a organização de uma logística eficiente, na ampliação do uso de tecnologias agrícolas no campo e no fomento da capacitação técnica dos produtores rurais. Além disso, a agência MATOPIBA replica os mesmos erros do PDA do MATOPIBA, visto que esta instituição não inclui instituições que representam os interesses de comunidades “tradicionais” que vivem na região. A ausência de representantes dos quilombolas, das tribos indígenas e de líderes de movimentos sociais ligados a luta pela terra, parece ser uma estratégia de exclusão dos atores sociais compreendidos como potenciais “entraves” para a produção de commodities agrícolas, visto que há conflito de interesses sobre um dos principais elementos do agronegócio, a propriedade privada da terra. Além disso, é explícita a ausência de órgãos do próprio poder executivo como Ministério do Meio Ambiente e instituições relacionados com a questão ambiental (Instituto Chico Mendes – ICBIO) no comitê gestor desta agência (bem como no próprio PDA do MATOPIBA), demonstrando descaso com as implicações ambientais. Tal ausência de representantes das comunidades tradicionais (povos dos Cerrados) e de agências nacionais voltadas ao meio ambiente revela a falta de compromisso do PDA e do órgão gestor deste plano com relação as questões que são de grande relevância para um projeto que em tese visa “o desenvolvimento sustentável e equilibrado” social e ambientalmente, apontando o caráter excludente de tais políticas. Desta forma podemos inferir que esse conjunto de informações e ações estratégicas criadas pelos os agentes hegemônicos são indícios do alto grau de alienação territorial (SANTOS; SILVEIRA, 2011) do país e particularmente da região do MATOPIBA, visto que privilegiam estratégias de fortalecimento de normas hierárquicas produzidas em regiões distantes, negligenciando a diversidade e a experiência histórica e social desta região. Trata- se, portanto, de uma clara situação de uma prática invertida, não endereçada às reais necessidades da nação, em que se perde a dimensão do trabalho voltado aos interesses verdadeiramente coletivos e a distinção entre o que é público e privado, impedindo práxis sociais verdadeiramente transformadoras (PEREIRA, 2011, p. 99). Toda a construção realizada pela iniciativa privada e pelo Estado brasileiro através dos estudos realizados a partir da Embrapa/GITE e todos seus desdobramentos, confirmam o caráter extravertido e alienado de todas as expectativas propostas na delimitação geográfica da região do MATOPIBA. GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA Conforme o artigo II do Projeto de lei complementar nº 279, de 2016, a Agência MATOPIBA deverá: I – articular, apoiar e acompanhar a execução de projetos de infraestrutura e logística para o desenvolvimento sustentável do setor agropecuário; g p g p II – promover, coordenar, apoiar e elaborar estudos, levantamentos, pesquisas e projetos de desenvolvimento do Matopiba; g g p g V – gerenciar, técnica e administrativamente, projetos de cooperação técnica e financeira com instituições públicas e privadas nacionais e internacionais; e VI – cooperar com o Poder Público na implementação da política de defesa agropecuária. (BRASIL, 2016). 39 Considerações finais As relações sociais e políticas recentes no MATOPIBA propiciaram o surgimento de uma região com forte atuação do agronegócio e, diante disso, houve a possibilidade de elaborar, via articulações políticas do Estado, a região como ferramenta com intencionalidade 40 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA de dotar o espaço regional das condições materiais (tecnosfera) e imateriais (psicosfera, fluxos, ordens e informação) necessárias para a atração do investimento privado no setor, ou seja, este plano (e o conjunto de informações organizadas pelo GITE) lança as bases para uma nova forma de organização e ordenamento do território a partir da “invenção” regional voltada para o incentivo à produção de commodities agrícolas. Assim, o PDA do MATOPIBA pode ser compreendido como uma estratégia que legitimou a “invenção” de uma região como ferramenta para viabilização territorial, em que as grandes corporações do agronegócio serão ainda mais beneficiadas por esse plano. Sem dúvida, a situação geográfica em tela não seria constituída sem as articulações da Embrapa, instituição de pesquisa que, para além do desenvolvimento de tecnologias para a produção agrícola, está assumindo novas funções dentro do aparelho estatal, capaz agora de influenciar o próprio ordenamento do território a partir da produção de conhecimento para subsidiar políticas públicas endereçadas a agentes privados. A criação do GITE evidência a busca desta instituição no trabalho direto de planejamento territorial, como é o caso do Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário do MATOPIBA. Assim, a Embrapa foi e é agente fundamental para a construção de um discurso de caráter técnico e científico, conferindo maior confiabilidade e legitimidade para os investimentos do Estado e do mercado no agronegócio da região. Além disto, a Embrapa, neste início de século, também é responsável pela elaboração de uma psicosfera modernizadora que busca legitimar ações para a expansão do agronegócio globalizado no território brasileiro. Tal situação é verificada quando pesquisadores criam uma densidade informacional para induzir e justificar os investimentos do Estado e da iniciativa privada, em regiões consideradas estratégicas para o agronegócio. Portanto, essa configuração traduz-se no conhecimento técnico-científico, produzindo estratégias para maior acumulação de capital à seletos agentes do mercado. Com tais propostas e procedimentos, o GITE possui uma postura conservadora das desigualdades e das injustiças sociais no MATOPIBA, sobretudo no campo, pois as suas ações estão alinhadas com as demandas corporativas, privilegiando setores e agentes envolvidos com o agronegócio. Referências ADECOAGRO. Informações institucionais. Disponível em: < http://www.adecoagro.com>. Acesso em: 20 jan. 2017. ADECOAGRO. Informações institucionais. Disponível em: < http://www.adecoagro.com>. Acesso em: 20 jan. 2017. ALVES, Vicente Eudes Lemos. Prefácio. In: ALVES, Vicente Eudes Lemos (Org.). Modernização e regionalização nos Cerrados do Centro-Norte do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Consequência, 2015. ALVES, Vicente Eudes Lemos. Prefácio. In: ALVES, Vicente Eudes Lemos (Org.). Modernização e regionalização nos Cerrados do Centro-Norte do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Consequência, 2015. BERNARDES, Julia Adão. Fronteiras da agricultura moderna no Cerrado Norte/Nordeste: descontinuidades e permanências”. In: BERNARDES, Julia Adão; BRANDÃO FILHO, José Bertoldo (Org.). Geografias da soja II: a territorialidade do capital. Rio de Janeiro: Arquimedes/CNPq, 2009. p. 13-40. BERNARDES, Júlia Adão; MALDONADO, Gabriela. Estratégias do capital na fronteira agrícola moderna brasileira e argentina. In: BERNADES, Júlia Adão et al (Org.). Globalização do agronegócio e land grabbing: a atuação das megaempresas argentinas no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Lamparina, 2017. p.57-80. BERNARDES, Júlia Adão; MALDONADO, Gabriela. Estratégias do capital na fronteira agrícola moderna brasileira e argentina. In: BERNADES, Júlia Adão et al (Org.). Globalização do agronegócio e land grabbing: a atuação das megaempresas argentinas no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Lamparina, 2017. p.57-80. BRASIL. Decreto nº 8.447, de 6 de janeiro de 2015. Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário do Matopiba e A Criação de Seu Comitê Gestor. Brasília, 2015. BRASIL. Decreto nº 8.447, de 6 de janeiro de 2015. Plano de Desenvolvimento Agropecuário do Matopiba e A Criação de Seu Comitê Gestor. Brasília, 2015. ______. Projeto de lei complementar n.º 279, de 2016. Autoriza o Poder Executivo a instituir a Agência de Desenvolvimento do Matopiba. Brasília, 2015. ______. Projeto de lei complementar n.º 279, de 2016. Autoriza o Poder Executivo a instituir a Agência de Desenvolvimento do Matopiba. Brasília, 2015. BRASILAGRO. Informações institucionais. Disponível em: < http://www.brasil-agro.com>. Acesso em: 17 jan. 2017. BRASILAGRO. Informações institucionais. Disponível em: < http://www.brasil-agro.com>. Acesso em: 17 jan. 2017. CASTILLO, Ricardo. Agricultura globalizada e logística nos Cerrados brasileiros. In: SILVEIRA, Márcio Rogério (Org.). Circulação, transportes e logística diferentes perspectivas. São Paulo: Outras expressões, 2011. p.331-354. CASTILLO, Ricardo. Agricultura globalizada e logística nos Cerrados brasileiros. In: SILVEIRA, Márcio Rogério (Org.). Circulação, transportes e logística diferentes perspectivas. São Paulo: Outras expressões, 2011. p.331-354. ______. Região competitiva e logística: expressões geográficas da produção e da circulação no período atual. In: Seminário Internacional sobre Desenvolvimento Regional, 4., 2008, Santa Cruz do Sul. Anais.... Santa Cruz do Sul: Unisc, 2008. Considerações finais Mesmo sabendo da diversidade de agentes sociais que vivem no campo, esse grupo de pesquisa desconsiderou a necessidade de promover ações voltadas para tais agentes. Há um pensamento que considera o agronegócio como a única e a mais cabível forma de desenvolvimento agropecuário na região, negligenciando as outras formas possíveis de uso do território realizadas por comunidades tradicionais, o que demonstra o caráter seletivo e hierárquico das proposições do GITE. Reconhecemos que as informações obtidas a partir da ideia de ITE possuem potencialidade para propor outras formas de planejamento estatal, em que possa ser considerada a diversidade existente no meio rural no MATOPIBA. Ao mesmo tempo em que 41 MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA a ITE tem capacidade de formular uma região para o agronegócio, esse mesmo aparato técnico poderia, em outras condições políticas, servir de base para o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas mais inclusivas e endereçadas às necessidades da própria região. Potencialmente, as condições técnico-científicas estão postas, contudo há necessidade de uma mudança de pensamento e um alargamento da política para que haja o reconhecimento da importância de diferentes racionalidades de produção e de outras possibilidades ao futuro do campo e das gentes na região. Referências p.1-19 ______. Região competitiva e logística: expressões geográficas da produção e da circulação no período atual. In: Seminário Internacional sobre Desenvolvimento Regional, 4., 2008, Santa Cruz do Sul. Anais.... Santa Cruz do Sul: Unisc, 2008. p.1-19 DELGADO, Guilherme. Do capital financeiro na agricultura à economia do agronegócio: mudanças cíclicas em meio século (1965-2012). Porto Alegre: UFRGS, 2012. DELGADO, Guilherme. Do capital financeiro na agricultura à economia do agronegócio: mudanças cíclicas em meio século (1965-2012). Porto Alegre: UFRGS, 2012. EMBRAPA – Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária. Inteligência Territorial Estratégica é ferramenta para transferência de tecnologia. Embrapa. [s.i]. 2016. Disponível em: < https://www.embrapa.br/busca-de-noticias//noticia/13911147/inteligencia-territorial- estrategica-e-ferramenta-para-transferencia-de-tecnologia>. Acesso em: 05 out. 2016. EMBRAPA – Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária. Inteligência Territorial Estratégica é ferramenta para transferência de tecnologia. Embrapa. [s.i]. 2016. Disponível em: < https://www.embrapa.br/busca-de-noticias//noticia/13911147/inteligencia-territorial- estrategica-e-ferramenta-para-transferencia-de-tecnologia>. Acesso em: 05 out. 2016. 42 GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA FREDERICO, Samuel; GRAS, Carla. Globalização financeira e land grabiing: constituição e translatinização das megaempresas argentinas. In: BERNARDES, Júlia Adão et al (Org.). Globalização do agronegócio e land grabbing: a atuação das megaempresas argentinas no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Lamparina, 2017. p.12-33. FNP. Agrianual: Anuário da agricultura brasileira. FNP: São Paulo, 2015. FREDERICO, Samuel. Agronegócio e dinâmica territorial brasileira no início do século XXI. In: Congreso iberoamericano estudios territoriales y ambientales, 6., 2014, São Paulo. Anais... São Paulo: USP, 2014. p. 2134 - 2154. Disponível em: <http://6cieta.org/arquivos- anais/eixo2/Samuel Frederico.pdf>. Acesso em: 13 mar. 2015. GEOWEB MATOPIBA. Página na internet. Disponível em: <https://www.cnpm.embrapa.br/projetos/matopiba/index.html>. Acesso em: 03 out. 2016. na GITE – Grupo de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica. Página na internet. Disponível em: <https://www.embrapa.br/gite/quem/index.html>. Acesso em: 04 ago. 2016. ______. Um Sistema de Inteligência Territorial Estratégica para o MATOPIBA. Campinas: Embrapa, 2014. Disponível em: < https://www.embrapa.br/gite>. Acesso 19 out. 2015. ______. Caracterização Territorial Estratégica do Matopiba. Campinas: Embrapa, 2015a. 66 slides, color. Disponível em: <https://www.embrapa.br/gite/>. Acesso em: 19 out. 2015. _____. Renda e pobreza rural na região do MATOPIBA. Campinas: Embrapa, 2015b. Disponível em: <https://www.embrapa.br/gite/>. Acesso em: 25 ago. 2016. KAHIL, Samira Peduti. Psicoesfera: uso corporativo da esfera técnica do território e o novo espírito do capitalismo. Sociedade & Natureza, Uberlândia, v.22, p.475-485, 2010. Disponível em: < http://www.seer.ufu.br/index.php/sociedadenatureza/article/view/11332/pdf_12>. Acesso em: 10 out. 2016. LIMA, Débora Assumpção; NÓBREGA, Mariana Leal Conceição. Análise do preço de terras agrícolas no Tocantins: decifrando os caminhos do agronegócio. In: Simpósio internacional e Simpósios nacional de geografia agrária e jornada das águas e comunidades tradicionais, 7., 8., 2015, Goiânia. Anais..., Goiânia: UFG, 2015, p. 3379-3390. MAPA – Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento. Dilma e Kátia Abreu anunciam criação da Agência de Desenvolvimento do Matopiba. 2016. Disponível em: < http://www.agricultura.gov.br/comunicacao/noticias/2016/05/dilma-e-katiaabreu-anunciam- criacao-da-agencia-de-desenvolvimento-do-matopiba>. Acesso em: 29 nov. 2016. MIURA, Juliana. Inteligência territorial e os desafios do crescimento sustentável da agricultura brasileira. XXI Ciência para a vida. Embrapa. Jan. 2016. Disponível em: <http://evaristodemiranda.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/XXI-Ciencia-para-a- vida12_EvaristoMiranda.pdf>. Acesso em: 30 set. 2016. ONDEI, Vera. Terra de valor. Dinheiro Rural, S.I, v.19, set. 2015. Disponível em: <http://dinheirorural.com.br/secao/capa/terra-de-valor>. Acesso em: 16 nov. 2015 PEREIRA, Mirlei Fachini Vicente. Potencialidades da análise regional no estudo das tendências de modernização e fragmentação do território. Revista de Ciências Humanas, Viçosa, v. 9, Nº 1, p. 13-22, 2009. ______. Território e política: práxis invertidas e desafios da existência. Sociedade & Natureza, Uberlândia, v. 23, n.1, p.95-104, 2011. Disponível em: <http://www.seer.ufu.br/index.php/sociedadenatureza/article/view/11255>. Acesso em: 10 maio. 2018. ______. Território e política: práxis invertidas e desafios da existência. Sociedade & Natureza, Uberlândia, v. 23, n.1, p.95-104, 2011. Disponível em: <http://www.seer.ufu.br/index.php/sociedadenatureza/article/view/11255>. Acesso em: 10 maio. 2018. 43 MATOPIBA: A INTELIGÊNCIA TERRITORIAL ESTRATÉGICA (ITE) E A REGIONALIZAÇÃO COMO FERRAMENTA RIBEIRO, Ana Clara Torres. Regionalização: Fato e ferramenta. In: LIMONAD, Ester; HAESBAERT, Rogério; MOREIRA, Ruy (Org.). Brasil Século XXI - por uma nova regionalização? Agentes, processos e escalas. São Paulo: Max Limonad, 2004. p. 194-212. RIBEIRO, Ana Clara Torres. Regionalização: Fato e ferramenta. In: LIMONAD, Ester; HAESBAERT, Rogério; MOREIRA, Ruy (Org.). Brasil Século XXI - por uma nova regionalização? Agentes, processos e escalas. São Paulo: Max Limonad, 2004. p. 194-212. SANTOS, Milton. Técnica, espaço, tempo: globalização e meio técnico-científico- informacional. São Paulo: [s.i], 1994. . SANTOS, Milton. Técnica, espaço, tempo: globalização e meio técnico-científico- informacional. São Paulo: [s.i], 1994. . ______. Por uma outra globalização. Do pensamento único à consciência universal. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2001. ______. Por uma outra globalização. Do pensamento único à consciência universal. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2001. ___. A natureza do espaço. Técnica e tempo. Razão e emoção. São Paulo: Edusp, 200 ______. O retorno do território. In: OSAL: Observatório Social de América Latina. Año 6 no. 16 (jun. 2005). Buenos Aires: CLACSO, 2005. SANTOS, Milton; SILVEIRA, María Laura Silveira. O Brasil: território e sociedade no início do século XXI. Rio de Janeiro: BestBolso, 2011. SOUZA, Glaycon Vinicius Antunes de. A elaboração da viabilidade territorial para o agronegócio na região do Matopiba. Dissertação (mestrado em Geografia). PPGeo-UFU, Uberlândia, 2017. 193f. SILVEIRA, María Laura. A região e a invenção da viabilidade do território. In: SOUZA, Maria Adélia Aparecida (Org). Território brasileiro: usos e abusos. Campinas: Edições Territorial, 2003. p.408-416. SLC AGRÍCOLA. Informações institucionais. Disponível em: < https://www.slcagricola.com.br>. Acesso em: 01 fev. 2017. SPADOTTO, Bruno Rezende. Land grabbing e uso do território: capital financeiro e apropriação de terras no sul do maranhão e Piauí (MATOPIBA). In: Encontro de Geógrafos da América Latina, 16., 2017, La Paz. Anais..., La Paz: Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, 2017. SOLLUS CAPITAL. Informações institucionais. Disponível em:<http://www.solluscapital.com.br>. Acesso em: 18 jan. 2017. GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA GLAYCON VINÍCIOS ANTUNES DE SOUZA • MIRLEI FACHINI VICENTE PEREIRA SOUZA, Glaycon Vinícios Antunes de; PEREIRA, Mirlei Fachini Vicente. MATOPIBA: a Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (ITE) e a regionalização como ferramenta. Revista NERA, v. 22, n. 47, p. 22-45, dossiê MATOPIBA, 2019. Sobre os autores Glaycon Vinícios Antunes de Souza – Graduação em Geografia Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU); Mestrado em Geografia Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU); Doutorando em Geografia pela Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP); OrcID – https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2031-5371. Mirlei Fachini Vicente Pereira – Graduação em Geografia pela Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), campus de Rio Claro; Mestrado em Geografia pela Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), campus de Rio Claro; Doutorado em Geografia pela Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), campus de Rio Claro; Docente na Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU); OrcID – https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1094-8829. Como citar este artigo Como citar este artigo Como citar este artigo 44 Declaração de Contribuição Individual As contribuições científicas presentes no artigo MATOPIBA: a Inteligência Territorial Estratégica (ITE) e a regionalização como ferramenta, foram construídas em conjunto pelos autores. As tarefas de concepção e design, preparação e redação do manuscrito, bem como, revisão crítica foram desenvolvidas em conjunto. O autor Glaycon Vinícios Antunes de Souza ficou especialmente responsável por parte do desenvolvimento teórico-conceitual, aquisição de dados e sua interpretação e pela elaboração de elementos cartográficos; o segundo autor Mirlei Fachini Vicente Pereira, foi o responsável por parte de alguns elementos teóricos, inserção de argumentação conceitual e bibliografias pertinentes ao tema do artigo, revisão textual e de elementos cartográficos e figuras presentes no texto. Recebido para publicação em 15 de maio de 2018. Devolvido para a revisão em 15 de agosto de 2018. Aceito para a publicação em 26 de setembro de 2019. Recebido para publicação em 15 de maio de 2018. Devolvido para a revisão em 15 de agosto de 2018. Aceito para a publicação em 26 de setembro de 2019. 45
https://openalex.org/W2792212636
https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/53891/1/53891_Steinemann_et_al_2018.pdf
English
null
Fragranced consumer products: effects on asthmatic Australians
Air quality, atmosphere & health
2,018
cc-by
4,815
Abstract Exposure to fragranced consumer products, such as air fresheners and cleaning supplies, is associated with adverse health effects such as asthma attacks, breathing difficulties, and migraine headaches. This study investigated the prevalence and types of health problems associated with exposure to fragranced products among asthmatic Australians. Nationally representative cross- sectional data were obtained in June 2016 with an online survey of adult Australians (n = 1098), of which 28.5% were medically diagnosed with asthma or an asthma-like condition. Nationally, 55.6% of asthmatics, and 23.9% of non-asthmatics, report adverse health effects after exposure to fragranced products. Specifically, 24.0% of asthmatics report an asthma attack. Moreover, 18.2% of asthmatics lost workdays or a job in the past year due to fragranced products in the workplace. Over 20% of asthmatics are unable to access public places and restrooms that use air fresheners. Exposure to fragranced products is associated with health problems, some potentially serious, in an estimated 2.2 million asthmatic adult Australians. Asthmatics were proportionately more affected than non-asthmatics (prevalence odds ratio 3.98; 95% confidence interval 3.01–5.24). Most asthmatics would prefer workplaces, healthcare facilities, and environments that are fragrance-free, which could help reduce adverse effects. Keywords Fragranced consumer products . Indoor air quality . Exposure . Asthma . Air fresheners . Fragrance-free policy Keywords Fragranced consumer products . Indoor air quality . Exposure . Asthma . Air fresheners . Fragrance-free policy Fragranced consumer products: effects on asthmatic Australian Received: 11 January 2018 /Accepted: 26 February 2018 /Published online: 17 March 2018 # The Author(s) 2018 Introduction (Farrow et al. 2003), reductions in lung and pulmonary func- tion (Dales et al. 2013; Shim and Williams 1986), irritation of the airway mucosa (Elberling et al. 2005), and exacerbation of asthma symptoms (Kumar et al. 1995; Millqvist and Löwhagen 1996; Shim and Williams 1986; Weinberg et al. 2017). Exposure to fragranced consumer products, such as air fresh- eners, cleaning supplies, laundry detergents, perfumes, house- hold items, and personal care products, has been associated with adverse human health effects (Steinemann 2009). Effects include headaches and migraines (Andress-Rothrock et al. 2010; Silva-Néto et al. 2013), contact dermatitis (Johansen 2003; Rastogi et al. 2007), infant diarrhea and earache In a study parallel to this one, Steinemann (2016) found that 34.7% of adult Americans reported health problems when exposed to fragranced products. Specifically, among Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-018-0560-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-018-0560-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. 2 College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia 2 College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health (2018) 11:365–371 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-018-0560-x Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health (2018) 11:365–371 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-018-0560-x * Anne Steinemann anne.steinemann@unimelb.edu.au 3 Climate, Atmospheric Sciences, and Physical Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA Amanda J. Wheeler Amanda.Wheeler@utas.edu.au Alexander Larcombe Alexander.Larcombe@telethonkids.org.au Amanda J. Wheeler Amanda.Wheeler@utas.edu.au 4 Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia 5 Respiratory Environmental Health, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6008, Australia 5 Respiratory Environmental Health, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6008, Australia 1 Department of Infrastructure Engineering, Melbourne School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia Air Qual Atmos Health (2018) 11:365–371 366 Americans diagnosed with asthma or an asthma-like condition (26.8%), Steinemann (2017b) found that 64.3% report one or more types of adverse health effects, including respiratory problems (43.3%), migraine headaches (28.2%), and asthma attacks (27.9%), when exposed to fragranced consumer prod- ucts. Another recent study showed that 3.8% of all work- related asthma cases reported in California between 1993 and 2012 were associated with fragranced product exposure, with the majority attributed to perfume or scented body prod- ucts (Weinberg et al. 2017). Earlier studies found a higher prevalence of adverse health effects due to air freshener or deodorizer exposure among asthmatics (37.2%) than in the general population (20.5%), along with a higher rate of in- crease among asthmatics (7.5% compared with 3.0% over 3 years, 2002–2003 to 2005–2006) (Caress and Steinemann 2009). products, associated effects on health, effects on work and qual- ity of life, awareness of fragranced product ingredients and labeling, and preferences for fragrance-free environments. The survey contained 35 questions (outlined in the Supplementary Material), each on its own page, with multiple choice and open format response categories. Categories of fragranced products evaluated in the survey included air fresh- eners and deodorizers, personal care products, cleaning sup- plies, laundry products, household products, and fragrances. p y p p g Drawing upon a large panel of over 200,000 Australian participants held by Survey Sampling International (SSI), the survey was conducted in June 2016 with 1098 adult (ages 18 to 65) Australians, representative of age, gender, and re- gion (confidence limit = 95%, margin of error = 3%). SSI is a survey research company and online panel provider. Participant recruitment followed a randomized process, and all responses were anonymous. Survey completion time was approximately 10 min. Statistical analyses The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of health and societal effects associated with exposure to fragranced products in the Australian popu- lation, with a focus on individuals with medically diagnosed asthma or an asthma-like condition. Steinemann (2017a) re- ports results from the general population survey of Australians, including both asthmatics and non-asthmatics, finding that 33% of Australians report adverse effects. This paper extends and enriches those results by investigating the effects specifically on the sub-population of asthmatics, and comparing them with non-asthmatics. Descriptive statistics and cross tabulations, calculated using GraphPad Prism v6.07 (GraphPad Software Inc.), determined the prevalence of outcomes by different sub-populations and demographics. Chi-squared (χ2) analyses with Yates’ correc- tion, also calculated using GraphPad Prism v6.07, compared the proportion of asthmatics with the proportion of non- asthmatics who answered “yes” to survey questions to deter- mine whether a statistically significant difference exists. Prevalence odds ratios (PORs) were calculated to measure the strength of the association between reported health effects and asthmatics versus non-asthmatics to determine whether asthmatics are proportionally more affected than non-asth- matics. All χ2 and prevalence odds ratio analyses were con- ducted using a 95% confidence level or confidence intervals. Further details on methodology and survey data are provided in the Supplementary Material. * Anne Steinemann anne.steinemann@unimelb.edu.au No personal information was linked to the survey results, and data were stored on password-protected computers. Additional details on survey data and methodolo- gy, including the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES, Eysenbach 2004), are provided in the Supplementary Material. Fragranced consumer products emit numerous volatile or- ganic compounds (Steinemann 2015), and a single “fra- grance” in a product is typically a mixture of several dozen to several hundred chemicals (Bickers et al. 2003). However, ingredients in fragranced consumer products do not need to be fully disclosed to the public on either the label or safety data sheet (Lunny et al. 2017). If any ingredients are disclosed, they typically represent fewer than 10% of all ingredients detected in product analyses (e.g., Uhde and Schulz 2015; Steinemann 2017c; Steinemann et al. 2011). For instance, Steinemann (2015) found more than 156 volatile organic com- pounds emitted from 37 fragranced consumer products, the most common being terpenes (e.g., limonene, alpha-pinene, and beta-pinene). However, of over 550 volatile ingredients emitted collectively, including hazardous air pollutants (e.g., formaldehyde), fewer than 3% were disclosed on the product labels, safety data sheets, or websites. Further, even the so- called green, organic, and natural fragranced products emitted hazardous air pollutants, similar to regular fragranced prod- ucts (Steinemann 2015). Out of 1098 participants, 313 (28.5%) answered “yes” to being medically diagnosed by a doctor or healthcare profes- sional as having asthma or an asthma-like condition. For brev- ity, these participants will hereafter be referred to as “asth- matics,” and the other 785 respondents (71.5%) will be re- ferred to as “non-asthmatics.” Demographics of the survey respondents are shown in Table 1. Results are summarized below in four main sections: health problems associated with exposure, effects of exposure on work and quality of life, awareness of product emissions, and preferences for fragrance-free environments. Health problems associated with exposure Virtually all respondents are exposed to fragranced products at least once a week through their own use (99% for asthmatics, 97.6% for non-asthmatics), others’ use (92.3% for asthmatics, 86.4% for non-asthmatics), or both (99.7% for asthmatics, 98.1% for non-asthmatics). More than half (55.6%) of asthmatics reported health prob- lems from exposure to one or more types of fragranced prod- ucts, compared with approximately one quarter (23.9%) of non-asthmatics (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 97.13, p < 0.001) (Table 2 and Supplementary Material). Significantly, 24.0% of asthmatics reported that exposure to a fragranced product was associated with an asthma attack. Results Both asthmatics and non-asthmatics reported health prob- lems when exposed to air fresheners or deodorizers (33.9% for asthmatics and 9.4% for non-asthmatics), scented laundry products coming from a dryer vent (12.1% and 3.7%, respec- tively), being in a room after it has been cleaned with scented products (30.7% and 9.2%, respectively), and being near someone who is wearing a fragranced product (36.1% and 12.7%, respectively), with asthmatics proportionately more affected than non-asthmatics (POR 3.98; 95% CI 3.01–5.24) (see Table 3). Key findings of this study are that exposure to fragranced products is ubiquitous in Australian society, that it is associat- ed with a range of adverse health effects in 33% of the general population, and that these adverse health outcomes affect asth- matics (55.6%) more than non-asthmatics (23.9%) (POR 3.98; 95% CI 3.01–5.24). Further, in each category of adverse health effect investigated in this study, asthmatics are propor- tionately more affected than non-asthmatics (Table 2). Moreover, asthmatic Australians were more likely to re- port health problems for each of the 11 categories of ad- verse health effects investigated in the survey (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) > 14.82, p < 0.001 in all cases) (see Table 2). Respiratory problems (e.g., difficulty breathing, coughing, or shortness of breath) and mucosal symptoms (e.g., watery or red eyes, nasal congestion, or sneezing) were the most frequently reported health problems for both asthmatics (33.9% and 26.5%, respectively) and non-asthmatics (9.8% and 9.0%, respectively). Methods Using an online national population survey, cross-sectional data were obtained on types of exposures to fragranced consumer Air Qual Atmos Health (2018) 11:365–371 367 Asthmatic (n, %) Non-asthmatic (n, %) Total 313, 100.0% 785, 100.0% All Males 143, 45.7% 400, 51.0% All Females 170, 54.3% 385, 49.0% Male 18–24 16, 5.1% 54, 6.9% Male 25–34 34, 10.9% 75, 9.6% Male 35–44 33, 10.5% 86, 11.0% Male 45–54 34, 10.9% 92, 11.7% Male 55–65 26, 8.3% 93, 11.8% Female 18–24 26, 8.3% 60, 7.6% Female 25–34 35, 11.2% 95, 12.1% Female 35–44 42, 13.4% 95, 12.1% Female 45–54 41, 13.1% 74, 9.4% Female 55–65 26, 8.3% 61, 7.8% Australian Capital Territory 6, 1.9% 14, 1.8% New South Wales 98, 31.3% 262, 33.4% Northern Territory 2, 0.6% 5, 0.6% Queensland 66, 21.1% 151, 19.2% South Australia 25, 8.0% 60, 7.6% Tasmania 7, 2.2% 18, 2.3% Victoria 77, 24.6% 201, 25.6% Western Australia 32, 10.2% 74, 9.4% Effects of exposure on work and quality of life Fragranced products can also restrict access in society and impose costs due to their potential to adversely affect health. The survey found 21.4% of asthmatics and 7.6% of non- Air Qual Atmos Health (2018) 11:365–371 368 Table 2 Prevalence and types of health problems reported by individuals who experienced adverse health effects associated with exposure to fragranced products Asthmatic Non-asthmatic POR (95% CI) Prevalence (n) Percent Prevalence (n) Percent Respiratory problems 106 33.9 77 9.8 4.71 (3.38–6.56) Mucosal symptoms 83 26.5 71 9.0 3.63 (2.56–5.15) Skin problems 52 16.6 52 6.6 2.81 (1.86–4.23) Migraine headaches 53 16.9 57 7.3 2.60 (1.74–3.88) Asthma attacks 75 24.0 8 1.0 30.61 (14.55–64.36) Neurological problems 28 8.9 21 2.7 3.57 (1.98–6.40) Cognitive problems 27 8.6 18 2.3 4.02 (2.18–7.42) Gastrointestinal problems 21 6.7 15 1.9 3.69 (1.88–7.26) Cardiovascular problems 21 6.7 12 1.5 4.63 (2.25–9.54) Immune system problems 24 7.7 12 1.5 5.35 (2.64–10.84) Musculoskeletal problems 18 5.8 11 1.4 4.29 (2.00–9.20) Other 5 1.6 16 2.0 0.78 (0.28–2.15) Total 174 55.6 188 23.9 3.98 (3.01–5.24) asthmatics are unable or reluctant to use the restrooms in a public place, because of the presence of an air freshener, de- odorizer, or scented product (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 40.1, p < 0.0001). In addition, 20.8% of asthmatics and 6.1% of non-asthmatics are unable or reluctant to wash their hands with soap in a public place if the soap is fragranced (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 50.46, p < 0.0001). Further, 31.9% of asthmatics and 8.3% of non-asthmatics had been prevented from going to some place, because they would be exposed to a fragranced product that would make them sick (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 96.33, p < 0.0001). Upon entering a business where they could smell air fresheners or a fragranced product, 31.0% of asthmatics and 11.0% of non-asthmatics wanted to leave as quickly as possible (χ2 = (1, N = 1014) = 63.24, p < 0.0001). In the workplace, 18.2% of asthmatics and 3.6% of non-asthmatics have lost workdays or a job, in the past 12 months, due to exposure to fragranced products in their work environment (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 65.16, p < 0.001). Thus, in each of these exposure situations, asth- matics were significantly more likely to report adverse effects than non-asthmatics. Preferences for fragrance-free environments Fragrance-free environments received widespread support from both asthmatics and non-asthmatics (Table 4). More than half of asthmatics (50.5%) and nearly half of non-asthmatics (39.7%) would support a fragrance-free policy in the work- place, representing almost twice as many that would not sup- port a policy (χ2 = (1, N = 714) = 6.921, p = 0.008). Nearly half of both asthmatics (50.2%) and non-asthmatics (40.4%) would prefer that healthcare facilities and healthcare profes- sionals were fragrance-free (χ2 = (1, N = 751) = 1.779, p = 0.182). A majority of asthmatics (62.6%) and non- asthmatics (55.8%) would prefer an airplane without scented air pumped through the passenger cabin, representing over three times as many that would prefer unscented air to scented air (χ2 = (1, N = 813) = 0.082, p = 0.773). A majority of asth- matics (60.1%) and non-asthmatics (53.8%) would prefer a hotel without scented air, representing over twice as many that would prefer unscented air to scented air (χ2 = (1, N = 714) = 0.124, p = 0.724). Effects of exposure on work and quality of life the product label or material safety data sheet (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 0.3577, p = 0.550). Similarly, most asthmatics (70.3%) and non-asthmatics (75.0%) did not know that fragranced products, even those called natural, green or organ- ic, typically emit hazardous air pollutants (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 2.358, p = 0.125). Importantly, more than half of asth- matics (60.1%) and of non-asthmatics (54.8%) would not con- tinue to use a fragranced product if they knew it emitted haz- ardous air pollutants (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 2.332, p = 0.127). Thus, asthmatics and non-asthmatics were similarly unaware of fragranced product emissions of hazardous air pollutants and would similarly cease use of a fragranced product if they were aware of such emissions. asthmatics are unable or reluctant to use the restrooms in a public place, because of the presence of an air freshener, de- odorizer, or scented product (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 40.1, p < 0.0001). In addition, 20.8% of asthmatics and 6.1% of non-asthmatics are unable or reluctant to wash their hands with soap in a public place if the soap is fragranced (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 50.46, p < 0.0001). Further, 31.9% of asthmatics and 8.3% of non-asthmatics had been prevented from going to some place, because they would be exposed to a fragranced product that would make them sick (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 96.33, p < 0.0001). Upon entering a business where they could smell air fresheners or a fragranced product, 31.0% of asthmatics and 11.0% of non-asthmatics wanted to leave as quickly as possible (χ2 = (1, N = 1014) = 63.24, p < 0.0001). In the workplace, 18.2% of asthmatics and 3.6% of non-asthmatics have lost workdays or a job, in the past 12 months, due to exposure to fragranced products in their work environment (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 65.16, p < 0.001). Thus, in each of these exposure situations, asth- matics were significantly more likely to report adverse effects than non-asthmatics. Discussion would not use a fragranced product if they knew it emitted hazardous air pollutants. This indicates that many Australians may be using fragranced products without their awareness of exposures. However, products without a fragrance are widely available, and offer a practical option to reduce risks for people adversely affected by fragranced products. Results revealed that nearly all asthmatics used a fragranced product (99.0%) or were involuntarily exposed to others’ use of fragranced products (92.3%), or both (99.7%), at least once a week. Thus, the potential for exposure is widespread, espe- cially from involuntary exposure. These results are similar to a nationally representative US population study (Steinemann 2016) showing widespread exposure to fragranced products from own use (98.3%), others’ use (92.1%), or both (99.1%) (χ2 = (1, N = 618) = 0.003, p = 0.955). Our results indicate that over half of asthmatics (55.6%), and almost one quarter of non-asthmatics (23.9%), reported one or more types of adverse health effects associated with exposure to one or more types of fragranced products. Asthmatics were more likely to experience adverse health ef- fects from fragranced products (POR 3.98; 95% CI 3.01–5.24), regardless of the type of adverse effect (Table 2). Commonly, asthmatics experienced respiratory problems (POR 4.71; 95% CI 3.38–6.56) and mucosal symptoms (POR 3.63; 95% CI 2.56–5.15) after exposure to a fragranced product. Similarly, among Americans, asthmatics were more likely to experience adverse health effects from fragranced products than non- asthmatics (POR 5.76; 95% CI 4.34–7.64) (Steinemann 2017a). Also, in two nationally representative studies in the USA, Caress and Steinemann (2009) found 29.7 and 37.2% of asthmatics (in 2002–2003 and 2005–2006, respectively) An individual’s ability to avoid exposure to fragranced products can also depend on their awareness of product emis- sions. As prior work has demonstrated (Steinemann 2015; Lunny et al. 2017), ingredients in fragranced products are not fully disclosed, making it nearly impossible for the public to make informed decisions. This problem is exacerbated because even if products did list all their ingredients, we lack informa- tion on which chemicals, mixtures, or reaction products could be associated with the reported adverse effects. Awareness of product emissions Overall, the majority of asthmatics and non-asthmatics were unaware of potentially hazardous chemicals emitted from fragranced products, even ones called green or organic, and would not continue to use a fragranced product if they knew it emitted these pollutants. Nearly half of asthmatics (42.2%) and non-asthmatics (49.2%) were not aware that a “fragrance” in a product is a mixture of several dozen to several hundred chemicals (χ2 = (1, N = 1098) = 4.123, p = 0.042). Most asth- matics (67.1%) and non-asthmatics (69.2%) were not aware that fragrance chemicals do not need to be fully disclosed on Air Qual Atmos Health (2018) 11:365–371 369 Discussion would not use a fragranced product if they knew it emitted h d i ll t t Thi i di t th t A t li Table 3 Percentage of individuals who experienced adverse health effects associated with four types of exposure to fragranced products. AF = air fresheners or deodorizers, LP = scent of laundry products coming from a dryer vent, CP = being in a room after it has been cleaned with scented products, FP = being near someone wearing a fragranced product Asthmatic Non-asthmatic AF LP CP FP AF LP CP FP Respiratory problems 20.8 5.1 16.6 18.2 4.5 1.5 3.8 4.3 Mucosal symptoms 13.7 4.2 13.1 15.7 3.2 0.5 3.2 4.8 Skin problems 9.3 4.8 5.1 4.2 3.1 1.0 1.9 0.8 Migraine headaches 9.9 2.2 7.0 7.3 1.9 0.9 2.0 3.9 Asthma attacks 14.1 4.5 8.3 10.5 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.5 Neurological problems 5.8 2.6 4.2 4.8 0.8 0.0 0.5 1.4 Cognitive problems 4.5 2.6 4.2 3.5 0.9 0.4 0.9 0.8 Gastrointestinal problems 3.8 3.2 4.2 2.2 0.5 0.4 0.4 1.1 Cardiovascular problems 4.2 4.2 3.8 2.9 1.0 0.3 0.3 0.5 Immune system problems 4.2 5.1 4.2 3.8 0.9 0.5 0.6 0.3 Musculoskeletal problems 3.5 2.9 2.6 3.5 0.9 0.1 0.4 0.3 Other 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.3 0.6 0.9 Total 33.9 12.1 30.7 36.1 9.4 3.7 9.2 12.7 Discussion In this study, a majority of asthmatics and non-asthmatics were unaware of the potentially hazardous ingredients in fragranced products, and Table 4 Percentage of individuals who prefer fragrance-free environments Asthmatic Non-asthmatic Yes No Neutral/not sure Decline to answer Yes No Neutral/not sure Decline to answer Fragrance-free workplaces 50.5% 18.5% 31.0% 0.0% 39.7% 23.7% 36.2% 0.4% Fragrance-free healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals 50.2% 24.9% 24.6% 0.3% 40.4% 25.4% 33.8% 0.5% Airplanes without scented air 62.6% 18.5% 18.8% 0.0% 55.8% 15.4% 28.5% 0.3% Hotels without scented air 60.1% 23.3% 16.6% 0.0% 53.8% 22.4% 23.6% 0.3% Table 4 Percentage of individuals who prefer fragrance-free environments Air Qual Atmos Health (2018) 11:365–371 370 reported health problems from air fresheners and deodorizers, compared with 33.9% of asthmatics in our study. society, that exposure is associated with a range of potentially serious and adverse health effects, and that these effects are more common in people with asthma or an asthma-like con- dition. In addition to the adverse health consequences, expo- sure to fragranced products imposes significant adverse im- pacts on workplace productivity and quality of life, including the ability to access public places such as restrooms. A straightforward approach to reduce undesirable effects would be to reduce or avoid use of fragranced products, especially in public places that would impose involuntary risks, and to im- plement fragrance-free policies in workplaces, healthcare fa- cilities, and other environments. In addition to direct impacts on health, fragranced products can also restrict an individual’s access in society, affect their lifestyle, and have economic and workplace implications. Our findings indicate that 18.2% of asthmatics face economic im- plications through loss of workdays or a job, in the past year, due to fragranced product exposure in the workplace. Over twice as many asthmatics and non-asthmatics would support a fragrance-free policy in the workplace (50.5 and 39.7%, respectively), compared with those that would not (18.5 and 23.7%, respectively). Acknowledgements We thank Amy Davis, Taylor Williams, and Survey Sampling International for their valuable contributions to this article. The study received funding from the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub, at the University of Melbourne, through the Australia Department of the Environment and Energy, and through the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Land and Water. Dr. Wheeler’s position was supported by the NHMRC funded Centre for Research Excellence (Centre for Air Quality and Health Research and Evaluation, Australia). Discussion Study strengths and limitations Our survey population is rep- resentative of the Australian population (1098 respondents, 95% confidence level with a 3% margin of error). The 1098 respon- dents were randomly recruited from a large Web-based panel (over 200,000 potential participants). The proportion of respon- dents who stated they had doctor or healthcare professional di- agnosed asthma (16.0%) is similar to the proportion (19.0%) reported in the 2007–2008 National Health Survey (AIHW 2011). Our survey questions were based on a study previously conducted and published (Steinemann 2017b). Study limitations include its cross-sectional design, being restricted to adults (18– 65 years), and reliance on self-reported data. The cross-sectional design means that we are unable to infer temporal associations between exposures and outcomes. Restricting respondents to adults between 18 and 65 years of age excludes data on effects of fragranced products on children and the elderly. Self-reports are commonly used in survey-based research; however, respon- dent data were not externally verified. Our lists of potential health effects were not exhaustive; however, only 1.6% of asth- matics and 2.0% of non-asthmatics reported health effects “oth- er” than those included in our lists, suggesting that primary effects were likely captured. Finally, we lack data on the severity or frequency of adverse health outcomes, such as whether ex- posure to a single fragranced product was associated with a single or multiple health outcomes. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. References ABS (2016) Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2016 Census Data for Australia. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/ getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/036?opendocument AIHW (2011) Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring 2011. Asthma in Australia 2011: with a focus chapter on chronic obstructive pulmo- nary disease. Asthma series no. 4. Cat. no. ACM 22. Canberra: AIHW. http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id= 10737420159 In our survey, 28.5% of respondents answered “yes” to having either doctor or healthcare professional diagnosed asthma (16.0%), or an asthma-like condition (13.8%), or both. Thus, the 55.6% of “asthmatics” in our study who report adverse health effects due to fragranced product exposure would represent over 2.2 million adult Australians (ABS 2016). Combining this with the 23.9% of “non-asthmatics” (71.5%) who also report adverse health effects would represent over 4.5 million adult Australians affected adversely by fragranced consumer products. Andress-Rothrock D, King W, Rothrock J (2010) An analysis of migraine triggers in a clinic-based population. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain 50(8):1366–1370 Bickers DR, Calow P, Greim HA, Hanifin JM, Rogers AE, Saurat JH, Sipes IG, Smith RL, Tagami H (2003) The safety assessment of fragrance materials. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 37(2):218–273 Caress SM, Steinemann AC (2009) Prevalence of fragrance sensitivity in the American population. J Environ Health 71(7):46–50 Dales RE, Cakmak S, Leech J, Liu L (2013) The association between personal care products and lung function. Ann Epidemiol 23(2):49– 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2012.11.006 Elberling J, Linneberg A, Dirksen A, Johansen JD, Frolund L, Madsen F, Nielsen NH, Mosbech H (2005) Mucosal symptoms elicited by fragrance products in a population-based sample in relation to atopy and bronchial hyper-reactivity. Clin Exp Allergy 35(1):75–81 Conclusions Eysenbach G (2004) Improving the quality of Web surveys: the checklist for reporting results of internet E-surveys (CHERRIES). J Med Internet Res 6(3):e34. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.6.3.e34 Results from this study show that voluntary and involuntary exposure to fragranced products is widespread in Australian Air Qual Atmos Health (2018) 11:365–371 371 Steinemann AC (2009) Fragranced consumer products and undisclosed ingredients. Environ Impact Assess Rev 29(1):32–38. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.eiar.2008.05.002 Farrow A, Taylor H, Northstone K, Golding J (2003) Symptoms of mothers and infants related to Total volatile organic compounds in household products. Arch Environ Health: An Int J 58(10):633–641. https://doi.org/10.3200/AEOH.58.10.633-641 Steinemann AC, MacGregor IC, Gordon SM, Gallagher LG, Davis AL, Ribeiro DS, Wallace LA (2011) Fragranced consumer products: Chemicals emitted, ingredients unlisted. Environ Impact Assess Rev 31(3):328–333 Johansen JD (2003) Fragrance contact allergy. Am J Clin Dermatol 4(11): 789–798 Kumar P, Caradonna-Graham VM, Gupta S et al (1995) Inhalation chal- lenge effects of perfume scent strips in patients with asthma. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol: Off Publ Am Coll Allergy, Asthma Immunol 75(5):429–433 Steinemann A (2015) Volatile emissions from common consumer prod- ucts. Air Qual Atmos Health 8(3):273–281 Steinemann A (2016) Fragranced consumer products: exposures and ef- fects from emissions. Air Qual Atmos Health 9:861–866 Lunny S, Nelson R, Steinemann A (2017) Something in the air but not on the label: a call for increased regulatory ingredient disclosure for fragranced consumer products. Univ NSWLaw J 40(4):1366–1391 Steinemann A (2017a) Fragranced consumer products: effects on asth- matics. Air Qual Atmos Health 1–7 Millqvist E, Löwhagen O (1996) Placebo-controlled challenges with per- fume in patients with asthma-like symptoms. Allergy 51(6):434– 439 Steinemann A (2017b) Health and societal effects from exposure to fragranced consumer products. Prev Med Rep 5:45–47 Steinemann A (2017c) Ten questions concerning air fresheners and in- door built environments. Build Environ 111:279–284 Rastogi SC, Johansen JD, Bossi R (2007) Selected important fragrance sensitizers in perfumes–current exposures. Contact Dermatitis 56(4):201–204 Uhde E, Schulz N (2015) Impact of room fragrance products on indoor air quality. Atmos Environ 106:492–502 Shim C, Williams MH (1986) Effect of odors in asthma. Am J Med 80(1): 18–22 Weinberg JL, Flattery J, Harrison R (2017) Fragrances and work-related asthma–California surveillance data, 1993–2012. J Asthma 1–10 Silva-Néto R, Peres M, Valença M (2013) Odorant substances that trigger headaches in migraine patients. Cephalalgia:0333102413495969
https://openalex.org/W4287691559
https://zenodo.org/record/1422982/files/3416acii02.pdf
English
null
A Comparison of Four Series of CISCO Network Processors
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
2,020
cc-by
3,784
Sadaf Abaei Senejani1, Hossein Karimi2 and Javad Rahnama3 Sadaf Abaei Senejani1, Hossein Karimi2 and Javad Rahnama3 1Department of Computer Engineering, Pooyesh University, Qom, Iran 2 Sama Technical and Vocational Training College, Islamic Azad University, Yasouj Branch, Yasouj, Iran 3 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. 1Department of Computer Engineering, Pooyesh University, Qom, Iran 2 Sama Technical and Vocational Training College, Islamic Azad University, Yasouj Branch, Yasouj, Iran 3 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. KEYWORDS Network processors, Network on Chip, parallel computing ABSTRACT Network processors have created new opportunities by performing more complex calculations. Routers perform the most useful and difficult processing operations. In this paper the routers of VXR 7200, ISR 4451-X, SBC 7600, 7606 have been investigated which their main positive points include scalability, flexibility, providing integrated services, high security, supporting and updating with the lowest cost, and supporting standard protocols of network. In addition, in the current study these routers have been explored from hardware and processor capacity viewpoints separately. Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 1. INTRODUCTION The expansion of science and different application fields which require complex and time taking calculations and in consequence the demand for fastest and more powerful computers have made the need for better structures and new methods more significant. This need can be met through solutions called “paralleled massive computers” or another solution called “clusters of computers”. It should be mentioned that both solutions depend highly on intercommunication networks with high efficiency and appropriate operational capacity. Therefore, as a solution combining numerous cores on a single chip via using Network on chip technology for the simplification of communications can be done. The processors of network are analysed in different parts like Intended data rate and applications, Architecture, Interface, Programmability, Implementation, Cost, and Design wins. But a practical comparison has not been done among operational equipment of network which uses these processors. This comparison can be done between one switch from Intel Company and a similar counterpart in Cisco Company. In the present study the network processors of Cisco Company will be investigated. Cisco was established in 1984 by a group of computer scientists in Stanford University. Cisco system is a leader in network for internet. The solutions of Cisco system are based on internet protocol (IP) which is the basis of internet, developing the activities of companies, education and training departments, and governmental networks in the world. In addition, Cisco provides the most extensive solutions for data transfer, and voice and video in buildings in all universities around the world. Moreover, the solutions of Cisco provide the possibility of the most efficient performance, security, flexibility, and reliability for private and governmental networks. [5] DOI:10.5121/acii.2016.3402 11 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 Network processor has three different with the old microprocessors [11]: Network processor has three different with the old microprocessors [11]: 1- Instruction set in many network processors is based on RISC instruction set. 2- Network Processor instruction set includes special instructions for manipulating bits, calculating the CRC, and search operations. 3- In network processor functions some hardware blocks special accelerate packet processing. 1. INTRODUCTION A network processor (that is harvested from its instruction set architecture), is equally important to know which level of the network is in the network processor (the same protocol stack); the levels that can be used in network processors are, are as follows [8]: A network processor (that is harvested from its instruction set architecture), is equally important to know which level of the network is in the network processor (the same protocol stack); the levels that can be used in network processors are, are as follows [8]: • Kernel level, which contains components for high-speed production and transmission of large amounts of data. The nodes are connected upward to kernel-level implementation of basic services such as routing, switching and access control. • The edge of the network, which forms the core input and output. Core services are complex and are implemented in higher-speed interfaces, services at this point, including routing, switching, network flow, and access control features quality service. • The access network, which covers all areas of internet delivery. The end user via campus networks, broadband connections and telephone lines becomes available. At this level, there are different protocols and technology together in a relatively low speed. Network processors can be used both in speed and technique against different package management, which are called level and control level. Level data is performed simple tasks, and more rapid route packets over the network processor spend little time on network, although management procedures are complex. [6] 2- INVESTIGATION OF FOUR SERIES OF CISCO ROUTERS The engineers of Cisco work on making advanced products and critical technologies of network and internet like advanced router and switching, voice and image on IP, wireless optical networks, storing networks, security, band width, and content networks. Cisco not only is an inventor in technology and leadership of products, it is also regarded a creator regarding the way of doing businesses. Therefore, this company is a pioneer in using internet and network for supporting customer, selling products, training, recommendations, and financial issues management. In the following the four series of cisco routers will be explored in separate sections and all the characteristics of each one will be investigated. 2.1. SBC CISCO7600 SERIES [7] [2] SBC Cisco7600 series or session border controller (SBC) has been provided based on constant performance of system and scalability of multimedia and also considering the pioneer market of the routers of SBC Cisco7600 series. Through combining SBC with layers 2 and 3 in SBC 12 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 Cisco7600 series, the need for covering networks and independent tools is met and the following features will be provided: • Protocol and interaction media • Routing session • Routing session • Hosing NAT and firewall survey • Security and AAA • Connecting and optimizing inside and between specific virtual network • Transcoding media with external media server SBCs do the task of controlling and managing real time of traffic among IP network borders, signalling, data, voice, and video traffic. As part of these functions, SBC is responsible for performing required mother IP connection functions for real time communications like accessing control, Firewall traversal, band with police, accounting, interaction signalling, legal travelling, and the quality of management services. Security solutions of Cisco consist of the quality of service and secure virtualizing capacities for facilitating the support of network operations including voice on IP (VoIP), imaging services, etc. Voip works on phone system. Telephone network is concerned analog sound data (speech). Phone signal frequency range is almost from 0 to maximum 4 kHz. In many cases, for voice transmission,changing the analog signal into digital data help us to make lower cost network. To convert analog signals to digital phone, according to the Nyquist theorem, at least eight Khz frequency is required and also according to the standard of 8-bit samples per period, to transmit the digital broadband, the 64Kbps analog telephone line is needed. This broadband digital telephone transmission is ideally foundation. But the allocation of 64Kbps to transfer each audio channel requires costly, especially when it is desired network the size of Earth. With advances in technology, especially in the computer field, new solutions to reduce communication costs were raised that some of these solutions leads to lower bandwidth requirements on telephone transfer. On the VOIP also different standards for converting sound into digital data have been used that they need to 64Kbps to 8.3Kbps bandwidth. 2.1. SBC CISCO7600 SERIES [7] [2] Using connector in Cisco 7600 Integrated Switching, not only makes the designing of SBC scalable for VoIP sessions but also it is appropriate for supporting high band width of video sessions like telepresence. Moreover, it is suitable for Service provider to service provider and Service provider to application Service provider. SBC Cisco7600 has unified signalling position and distributed architecture. We draw a SBE Sisco 7600 plan in figure 1. Supporting industry standard protocol and connector for VoIP and video like session initiation protocol (SIP) and H.323 are also put in it. In addition, SBC Cisco7600 make possible transmission support, convergence services of internet for advanced connector networks (TISPAN IT) which is in H.248 protocol based on performing the distribution of SBC signalling and media current. 13 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 Figure 1. In this diagram adjacencies 1,2,3 have been associated with the respective DBE locatiopns. the first (double line) call comes in over adjancency 1 and is routed over adjacency 3. the second (single line) call comes over adjancency 2 and is routed over adjancency 3. the SBE pickes a DBE from the appropriate location to process the call media. Figure 1. In this diagram adjacencies 1,2,3 have been associated with the respective DBE locatiopns. the first (double line) call comes in over adjancency 1 and is routed over adjacency 3. the second (single line) call comes over adjancency 2 and is routed over adjancency 3. the SBE pickes a DBE from the appropriate location to process the call media. 2.2. VXR CISCO7200 SERIES [10] [1] The potentialities of using VXR Cisco7200 include: (as shown in figure 2) 14 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 • Multiprotocol routing of IPv4, IPv6, Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), DECnet, Systems Network Architecture (SNA), etc. • Multiprotocol routing of IPv4, IPv6, Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), DECnet p g , , g ( ), , Systems Network Architecture (SNA), etc. • Combining IBM SNA with IP of network • Security-firewall of stateful. Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), hardware coding for IPSec, Network Address Translation (NAT) and confirming identities, options and accounting (AAA) • Network Based Application Recognition (NBAR) • Supporting data, voice, video and integration • Quality of services (QOS) • Reflecting the route • Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)- provider of functions, virtual private networks of (MPLS V PN MPLS, layer 2 and 3), QOS in MPLS, and traffic engineering of MPLS (MPLS-TE) • Multicast • Mutilpoint dynamic VPNs (DMV PNs) Systems Network Architecture (SNA), etc. • Combining IBM SNA with IP of network • Security-firewall of stateful. Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), hardware coding for IPSec, Network Address Translation (NAT) and confirming identities, options and accounting (AAA) • Network Based Application Recognition (NBAR) • Supporting data, voice, video and integration • Quality of services (QOS) • Reflecting the route • Security-firewall of stateful. Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), hardware coding for IPSec, Network Address Translation (NAT) and confirming identities, options and accounting (AAA) g • Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)- provider of functions, virtual private networks of (MPLS V PN MPLS, layer 2 and 3), QOS in MPLS, and traffic engineering of MPLS (MPLS-TE) • Multicast Figure 2. VXR Cisco7200 series Architecture Figure 2. VXR Cisco7200 series Architecture 2.2. VXR CISCO7200 SERIES [10] [1] VXR Cisco7200 series provides significant adaptability and is suitable for operational programs which need Gigabit Ethernet, OC3/STM-1 and connecting with exceptional services of IP. The speed of processing reaches one million packets by using three connectors of Gigabit Ethernet. It also has huge gradient of adaptor port options and incomparable amount of complicated IP service capacities. Cisco provides the last generation of integrated services of router like cisco series of 1800, 2800, and 3800 for applying complex services and operational programs even in the smallest offices from distance. Final success and positioning such complex operations depend on installing and running an efficient and scalable system in aggregation points of network. VXR Cisco7200 is suitable for confronting this challenge and providing clear and ideal programs. The main positive point of VXR Cisco7200 is its scalability and flexibility. VXR Cisco7200 is normally used for WAN applications, voice on IP (VoIP), security, and different operational programs of IP and has been extended because of its noticeable routing. Scalability and cost effective supporting from the investment and maximum return of the investment are properties which enforce any organization to use VXR Cisco7200 series in the business for the enhancement and reinstall of cisco router. Processor motor of VXR Cisco7200 provides operational power of one Mega packet per second. VXR Cisco7200 can support at least 6 completely modular adaptors. In addition, as the most powerful platform processing unit, VXR Cisco7200 has price-performance ratio and provides configurations with high density of 1 mpps processing in one point and cost effective price to the customers. Through using VPN router coded security of IP (IPsec) and scalability to 280 Megabit per second for headend can be provided. Security capacities in VXR Cisco7200 include supporting a stateful firewall (any firewall that performs stateful packet inspection (SPI) or stateful inspection), prevention from intrusion, access control lists (ACL), and IPsec. Low price of each input point port in VXR Cisco7200 makes it valuable and let customers to perform enhancement and reinstall of their equipment in a network with high acceptability level. Moreover, processor based on system architecture in these series of products helps to assure that new functions can be used fast and easily through updating simple software. 2.3. CISCO ISR 4451-X SERIES [4][3][9] Cisco ISR 4451-X series has an attempt to create a converged infrastructure for a virtual server, storage and network capacity instead of allocating a series of resources to an special function of services. In comparison to traditional and old routers and substructure switching, ISR cisco platform has achieved 40% reduction in operation costs. Cisco ISR 4451-Xseries is a converged substructure of a platform for creativity which provides global coordination of network, computation and storing for unprecedented and powerful performance as ALL-IN-ONE with extraordinary low total costs of ownership (TCO). Cisco ISR 4451-X series consists of the 15 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 solution of integrated services routers (ISR), unified computational system of cisco (UCS cisco) and switch 24 module of cisco port. These components together have 2 gigabit calculation power, 6 cores processors, 16 gigabit RAM memory and 2 Tribute local storing capacity. They can also support switching more powerful than Ethernet (+PoE) to achieve advanced industry goals in cisco. Development process of ISR routers from 50 Mbps to 2 Gbps has been shown in figure 3. Figure 3. ISR routers development Figure 3. ISR routers development This platform has provided noticeable advance in router global architecture with highest commercial and security dimensions. This model of platform has included the growth and progressing needs of customers and makes scalability possible in future. In addition, in the future integrated framework of rapid virtual services is put in cisco for more creativity. The solution of converged cisco 4451-X is the biggest advance in routing, security, wireless, and calculations in all-in-one box which can gives complete services like the following: • Advanced routing • Integrated switching with +PoE • Secure VPN • View and control application (optional) • Controlling the route of WAN (optional) • Optimizing WAN (optional) • Control wireless networks (WLAN) (optional) • computing the extension of environment through supporting multi hypervisor • Advanced routing • Integrated switching with +PoE • Secure VPN • View and control application (optional) • Controlling the route of WAN (optional) • Optimizing WAN (optional) • Control wireless networks (WLAN) (optional) • computing the extension of environment through supporting multi hypervisor • Advanced routing • Controlling the route of WAN (optional) • Control wireless networks (WLAN) (optiona Cisco 4451-X provides ideal virtual integrated environment for performing network services in router without any extra hardware. 2.3. CISCO ISR 4451-X SERIES [4][3][9] When extra calculation power is needed, cisco UCS E-series adds modular servers to the system. This architecture creates the best method for providing application programs for giving services to users. 2.4. CISCO 7606 SERIES [12] Cisco 7606 is a router with high performance in an operating system of 6 memories in the edge of network. In this cisco multiprotocol switching label has been designed for considering the needs of companies and service providers. These service providers enable the Ethernet carrier to establish substructures of advanced networks through supporting extensive gradient of IP video and media player (voice, video, and data) of system programs in both local service markets and businesses. Through a powerful combination of speed and service in a compact agent, Cisco 7606 is a significant option for various application programs. In the present point of organizational edge and city network edge (POP), Cisco 7606 series are new standard sets as part of progressing industry of cisco router. Cisco 7606 with transfer rate of 240 gigabit per second distribution and total capacitance of 480 gigabit per second provides high performance and reliability for the processor and feeding resource. Cisco 7606 is flexible and ideal for dealing with application 16 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 programs with high efficiency. Cisco 7606 has high option capacity for supporting various application programs. In table 1 a comparison of mentioned series in this paper has been summarized. Table 1: a comparison of cisco series (VXR 7200, SBC7600, ISR 445-X, 7606) feature VXR7200 SBC7600 ISR 445-X 7606 Supporting services Cost effective supporting Active Yes Yes scalability Yes Yes Yes Yes flexibility Yes Yes Yes Yes business Yes Yes Yes Yes security Supporting stateful, prevention Supporting IPsec and security Recognizing identity, providing MACsec Module-IP (IPsec), analysis and identifying system of network Supporting protocol IPV4,IPV6,.. initiation session protocol and H.323 , H.248 VPN Using VPN (+VAM2) Via layer 3 of network Secure VPN Processing power Operational power of 1 Mpps Using control module 6 cores processors, 16 gigabyte memory Total power of 480 gigabit per second Processing speed One million packet in three ports of Ethernet gigabit 10 gigabit in each slot of processing capacity Switch module of 24 port, up to 2 gigabit performance Transfer rate up to 24 gigabit per second Integrated services The last generation Yes Rapid integration services Yes QOS Yes Yes Yes Routing Multiprotocol routings Routing based on the least cost advanced The capacity of routing, protection of processor Table 1: a comparison of cisco series (VXR 7200, SBC7600, ISR 445-X, 7606) Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 Advanced Computational Intelligence: An International Journal (ACII), Vol.3, No.4, October 2016 4. CONCLUSION Network processors are special types of central processing of CPU which are used for network equipment like routers. They are used for the production of different kinds of network equipment like network switching, and identifying intrusion system. In this study network processors which are used in cisco network products have been analysed and compared. Network on a chip (NOC) is a communication subsystem inside an integrated circuit which connects IP cores in a system on a chip in network processors. Technology of NOC of network theory and the ways of on a chip communication has noticeable advances in comparison to links based on gateway. These improved architectures cause an increase in the speed of computations after 2020 (the end of Moore’s law). Advanced services of cisco are comprehensive series of professional engineering. In this study, features like supporting network solutions, the highest level of access, quality of services, security for a special network and returning business and investment through network with high efficiency in different series of cisco was dealt with. 3. FUTURE WORKS In the future expansion of the Internet of Things, CPU usage also will be greater. Fast connections with the lowest latency and the highest rate of packet sending is the perfect condition for each network. Given that in 2020, Moore's Law will come to the end, so it will be very difficult to make changes to the chip later on. Although methods such as Super pipeline and super scalar and like that, partly improve the quality of processors in that time. However, due to finishing increase of processor speed, alternative is use of network processors which has more cost than a fast processor. Use of distributed network processors can lead to new ways of fast connections. Also discovering new routing network algorithms can lead to processing with high speed in the future. 17 REFERENCES [1] Conlan, P. J. (2009). Cisco Network Professional's Advanced Internetworking Guide (CCNP Series). John Wiley & Sons. y [2] IPSec, V. P. N. (2005). Catalyst 6500 Series Switches and Cisco 7600 Series Routers with IPSec VPN SPA Module-Security Policy version 1.2. [3] Headquarters, A. (2014). Cisco Collaboration Systems Release. [4] Headquarters, A. (2015). Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR) 4400 Series Security Target. Headquarters, A. (2015). Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR) 4400 Series Security Target. J f b d M R fi M Kh dk i S & Ali d h Z (2012) E i f C [4] Headquarters, A. (2015). Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR) 4400 Series Security Target. [5] Jafarabad, M., Rafie, M., Khodkari, S., & Alizadeh, Z. (2012). Encryption of Compressed MultiMedia Data. International Journal of Computer Applications, 59(19), 51-55. [6] Mikurak, M. G. (2003). U.S. Patent No. 6,606,744. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Offi [5] Jafarabad, M., Rafie, M., Khodkari, S., & Alizadeh, Z. (2012). Encryption of Compressed MultiMedia Data. International Journal of Computer Applications, 59(19), 51-55. Mikurak, M. G. (2003). U.S. Patent No. 6,606,744. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. [7] Mohácsi, J. (2005). IPv6 router configuration. Diunduh tanggal, 20. [8] Paulin, P. G., Pilkington, C., & Bensoudane, E. (2002). StepNP: A system-level exploration platform for network processors. IEEE Design & Test of Computers, 19(6), 17-26. [8] Paulin, P. G., Pilkington, C., & Bensoudane, E. (2002). StepNP: A system-level exploration platform for network processors. IEEE Design & Test of Computers, 19(6), 17-26. [9] Radan, M., & Keslassy, I. (2015, April). Tapping into the router's unutilized processing power. In Computer Communications (INFOCOM) 2015 IEEE Conference on (pp 2569 2577) IEEE [9] Radan, M., & Keslassy, I. (2015, April). Tapping into the router's unutilized processing power Computer Communications (INFOCOM), 2015 IEEE Conference on (pp. 2569-2577). IEEE. [10] Shaikh, F. A., McClellan, S., Singh, M., & Chakravarthy, S. K. (2002). End-to-end testing o QoS mechanisms. Computer, (5), 80-87. p [11] Taylor, M. B., Kim, J., Miller, J., Wentzlaff, D., Ghodrat, F., Greenwald, B., ... & Ma, A. (2002). The Raw microprocessor: A computational fabric for software circuits and general-purpose programs. IEEE micro, 22(2), 25-35. [12] Wolchok, S., Wustrow, E., Isabel, D., & Halderman, J. A. (2012). Attacking the Washington, DC Internet voting system. In Financial Cryptography and Data Security (pp. 114-128). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 18 18
W4362394850.txt
https://aacr.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Figure_S2_from_Targeting_Src_and_Tubulin_in_Mucinous_Ovarian_Carcinoma/22449806/1/files/39900869.pdf
en
Figure S2 from Targeting Src and Tubulin in Mucinous Ovarian Carcinoma
null
2,023
cc-by
0
https://openalex.org/W4361884860
https://aacr.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplementary_information_from_Balancing_Efficacy_and_Safety_of_an_Anti-DLL4_Antibody_through_Pharmacokinetic_Modulation/22459589/1/files/39910889.pdf
Latin
null
Supplementary information from Balancing Efficacy and Safety of an Anti-DLL4 Antibody through Pharmacokinetic Modulation
null
2,023
cc-by
3,046
Supplementary  Information   Supplemental  Methods   Production  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2 Supplementary  Information Production  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2 The  IgG-­‐containing   harvested  cell  culture  (HCCF)  is  purified  through  a  series  of  chromatographic  steps,  including   immobilized  pepsin  to  generate  purified  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2. The  purified  protein  was  formulated  by   ultrafiltration  and  diafiltration. Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2    was  provided  as  a  single-­‐use  liquid  formulation   containing  200  mg  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2    per  glass  vial  with  a  protein  formulation  buffered  at  pH  5.5  with stabilizers. HUVEC  fibrin  gel  bead  assay Details  of  the  assay  have  been  described  previously  (16,  28). In  the  current  study,  conditioned  medium   from  human  skin  fibroblast  (SF)  culture  was  used  instead  of  the  co-­‐cultured  SF  cells  on  top  of  the  fibrin   gels. HUVEC  sprouts  were  visualized  by  staining  with  AlexaFluor488-­‐phalloidin  (Invitrogen)  and  4',  6-­‐ diamidino-­‐2-­‐phenylindole  (DAPI,  Sigma). Mouse  neonatal  retina  assay Details  of  the  assay  have  been  described  previously  (16). In  brief,  P2  CD1  mice  were  injected  IP  with  PBS,   anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1,  or  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  at  a  dose  of  30  mg/kg  daily. Eyes  were  collected  on  P5,  and  dissected   retinas  were  subjected  to  immunostaining  procedure. Production  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2 For  all  efficacy  and  safety  studies  (with  the  exception  of  the  definitive  rat  and  monkey  F(ab’)2  studies   designed  to  enable  first-­‐in-­‐human  dosing;  Fig. 5  and  6),  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  material  was  made  as  follows,   using  good  scientific  practices. Previously  purified  anti-­‐DLL4  antibody  (YW152F,  Ridgway  et  al  2006)  was   diluted  to  5mg/mL  in  50mM  sodium  citrate  buffer,  pH  3.0,  and  porcine  gastric  mucosa  pepsin  (#P7000;   Sigma-­‐Aldrich,  St. Louis,  MO)  was  added  at  a  ratio  of  1:100  (w/w). The  antibody/enzyme  solution  was   incubated  at  37ºC  for  4  hours  without  agitation. The  expected  proteolytic  site  for  pepsin  on  the  anti-­‐ DLL4  molecule  is  between  leucine  positions  235  and  236  of  the  heavy  chain  portion  of  the  antibody. The   enzymatic  digest  was  halted  with  the  addition  of  a  5%  volume  of  1.5M  TRIS  buffer  at  pH  8.6,  resulting  in   a  final  pH  8.0. The  antibody  digestion  solution  was  then  filtered  using  a  0.22µm  filter  (#567-­‐0020;   Nalgene,  Waltham,  MA)  and  dialyzed  into  20mM  sodium  acetate  buffer,  pH  5.0. The  F(ab’)2  solution   was  then  bound  to  SP  Sepharose  high  performance  resin  (#17-­‐1087-­‐05;  GE  Healthcare,  Uppsala,   Sweden),  washed  with  4  column  volumes  of  20mM  sodium  acetate,  0.1%  Triton  X-­‐114,  and  washed  with   4  column  volumes  of  20mM  sodium  acetate. The  F(ab’)2  was  eluted  from  the  resin  using  a  20  column   volume  0%-­‐30%  gradient  of  1M  sodium  chloride  in  20mM  sodium  acetate  and  formulated  into  10mM   histidine  sulfate  buffer,  pH  5.8,    6%  sucrose  and  0.02%  Tween-­‐20  (#28320;  Thermo  Scientific,  Rockford,   IL). The  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  was  correctly  identified  by  mass  spectrometry  at  96208.07  Da  confirming  the   predicted  cleavage  site. For  the  definitive  safety  evaluations  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  in  rat  and  monkey  (Figs. 7,  8),  F(ab’)2   dosing  material  was  made  as  follows,  using  Good  Manufacturing  Practices  (GMP). Anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  was   expressed  by  CHO  cells  grown  in  a  non–serum  containing  chemically  defined  culture  medium,  secreted into  the  cell  culture  fluid,  and  isolated  from  cellular  debris  by  centrifugation. The  IgG-­‐containing   harvested  cell  culture  (HCCF)  is  purified  through  a  series  of  chromatographic  steps,  including   immobilized  pepsin  to  generate  purified  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2. The  purified  protein  was  formulated  by   ultrafiltration  and  diafiltration. Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2    was  provided  as  a  single-­‐use  liquid  formulation   containing  200  mg  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2    per  glass  vial  with  a  protein  formulation  buffered  at  pH  5.5  with   stabilizers. into  the  cell  culture  fluid,  and  isolated  from  cellular  debris  by  centrifugation. Gene  expression  analysis  of  mouse  livers  after  antibody  treatment Following  antibody  treatment,  mouse  livers  were  snap  frozen  for  RNA  analysis. RNA  was  extracted  using   RNeasy  Mini  kit  (Qiagen),  and  2  μg  total  RNA  was  used  to  make  cDNA  using  the  Taqman-­‐RT  kit. Gene   expression  was  analyzed  using  20  ng  cDNA,  Taqman  Gene  Expression  Master  Mix  (Applied  Biosystems),   and  gene  specific  Taqman  Gene  Expression  Assays  (Applied  Biosystems)  on  an  Applied  Biosystems  7500   RT-­‐PCR  system. Probe  sets  used  for  this  analysis  were  GAPDH,  CD93,  Egfl7,  and  Lgals1. Results  were   normalized  to  GAPDH. Histological  analysis  of  mouse  liver Adult  CD1  mice  were  used  to  assess  the  liver  effect  of  various  anti-­‐DLL4  antibodies. Following   completion  of  the  dosing  period,  formalin-­‐preserved  liver  tissues  were  evaluated  via  microscopic   anatomic  pathology  using  hematoxylin  and  eosin  (H&E)  staining  by  a  board-­‐certified  veterinary   pathologist. Development  of  xenograft  tumor  models 5X106  HM7  cells  were  inoculated  SC  into  8-­‐  to  10-­‐week-­‐old  beige  nude  female  mice. When  the  average   tumor  size  reached  150  mm3  animals  were  sorted  into  groups  consisting  of  8-­‐10  mice/group  and   subjected  to  affinity  variants  of  anti-­‐DLL4  (LM1  and  HM6)  administration  for  anti-­‐tumor  efficacy   evaluations. SW620  colon  carcinoma  tumors  were  maintained  by  serial  SC  transplantation  in  athymic  nude  mice   (nu/nu,  10-­‐11  week  old  female  mice,  Harlan). Each  test  mouse  received  a  tumor  fragment  (1  mm3)   implanted  SC  in  the  right  flank. For  Calu-­‐6  model,  10X106  tumor  cells  were  inoculated  SC  into  8-­‐  to  10-­‐week-­‐old  beige  nude  female   mice. PK  studies  in  mice,  rats  and  monkeys PK  studies  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  and  IgG1  in  each  species  were  conducted  in  separate  studies. The  PK   study  in  athymic  nude  mice  was  conducted  at  Genentech,  Inc,  while  the  toxicokinetic  studies  in  Sprague-­‐ Dawley  rats  and  cynomolgus  monkeys  were  conducted  at  Covance  Laboratories,  Inc. (Madison,  WI). PK  Assay  Method PK  Assay  Method For  rat  and  cyno  monkey  PK  study  samples,  recombinant  human  DLL4  extracellular  domain  (ECD)  was   diluted  to  1  µg/mL  in  carbonate  buffer  pH  9.6  and  added  to  a  96-­‐well  high  binding  polystyrene  ELISA   plate  (Nunc  439454),  100  µL  per  well,  and  incubated  overnight  at  4°C. The  plate  was  washed  with  wash   buffer  (PBS/0.05%  Tween  20),  and  then  200  µL  of  assay  buffer  (PBS,  0.5%  BSA,  0.05%  polysorbate  20,   0.05%  ProClin  300,  pH  7.4)  was  added  to  each  well. After  incubation  and  washing,  100  µL  of  diluted   serum  sample  was  added  and  incubated  for  2  hours  at  room  temperature. The  plate  was  washed,  and   captured  antibodies  were  detected  by  adding  100  µL  of  monoclonal  10C4  anti-­‐IgG  (GNE  IgG1   framework-­‐specific  (50)  HRP  conjugate. After  incubation  and  washing,  signal  was  generated  by  adding   tetramethyl  benzidine  (TMB;  KPL)  and  the  reaction  was  terminated  with  1M  phosphoric  acid. Absorbance  was  measured  at  450  nm  using  620  nm  reference  on  a  Tecan  ELISA  plate  reader. For  mouse  PK  study  samples,  recombinant  human  DLL4  ECD  was  diluted  in  coating  buffer  and  25  µL  per   well  was  added  to  a  384-­‐well  ELISA  plate  (Nunc,  Rochester,  NY;  cat  #  464718),  and  incubated  overnight   at  4°C. The  plate  was  washed  with  wash  buffer,  and  then  50  µL  of  blocking  buffer  (PBS,  0.5%  BSA,     0.05%  Proclin  300,  pH  7.4)  was  added  to  each  well. Serum  samples  were  diluted  in  sample  buffer  (PBS   pH  7.4  +  0.5%  BSA  +  10  ppm  Proclin  +  0.05%  Tween  20  +  0.25%  CHAPS  +  5  mM  EDTA  +  0.35M  NaCl). After  plate  was  washed,  25  µL  of  diluted  serum  sample  was  added  onto  the  plate  and  incubated  for  2   hours  at  room  temperature  with  gentle  agitation. The  plate  was  washed,  and  captured  analytes  were   detected  by  25  µL  of  HRP-­‐  conjugated  goat  anti-­‐human  IgG  F(ab’)2  fragment  specific  or  goat  anti-­‐human   IgG,  Fcg  fragment  specific  reagents  (Jackson  ImmunoResearch,  West  Grove,  PA;  cat  #  109-­‐036-­‐097  for   anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2,  and  cat  #  109-­‐036-­‐098  for  intact  huIgG1). PK  Assay  Method After  incubation  at  room  temperature  for  1   hour  with  gentle  agitation  followed  by  washing,  signal  was  generated  by  adding  25  µL  of  3,3’,5,5’   tetramethylbenzidine  (TMB-­‐E);  (Moss,  Inc;  Pasadena,  MD,  cat  TMBE-­‐100)    and  the  reaction  was For  mouse  PK  study  samples,  recombinant  human  DLL4  ECD  was  diluted  in  coating  buffer  and  25  µL  per   well  was  added  to  a  384-­‐well  ELISA  plate  (Nunc,  Rochester,  NY;  cat  #  464718),  and  incubated  overnight   at  4°C. The  plate  was  washed  with  wash  buffer,  and  then  50  µL  of  blocking  buffer  (PBS,  0.5%  BSA, terminated  with  25mL  of  1M  phosphoric  acid. Absorbance  was  measured  at  450  nm  using  620  nm  as   reference  on  a  MultiSkan  Ascent  (Thermo,  Waltham,  MA)  plate  reader. The  absorbance  values  were   then  analyzed  with  4-­‐p  fit  equations  to  calculate  the  concentration. terminated  with  25mL  of  1M  phosphoric  acid. Absorbance  was  measured  at  450  nm  using  620  nm  as   reference  on  a  MultiSkan  Ascent  (Thermo,  Waltham,  MA)  plate  reader. The  absorbance  values  were   then  analyzed  with  4-­‐p  fit  equations  to  calculate  the  concentration. Cmax=  maximum  concentration;  AUC0-­‐7=  area  under  the  concentration-­‐time  curve  during  the  week   following  the  first  dose  administration  (Day  0-­‐Day  7). Bridging  Anti-­‐Therapeutic  Antibody  (ATA)  Assay  Method g g  ­‐ p   y   ( )   y     Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  was  conjugated  to  biotin  (Pierce  Sulfo-­‐NHS-­‐LC-­‐biotin,  Cat  No. 21327)  or  digoxigenin   (Invitrogen  3-­‐amino-­‐3-­‐deoxydigoxigenin  hemisuccinamide,  succinimidyl  ester,  Catalog  No. A2952,  DIG). The  two  conjugates  were  incubated  at  a  concentration  of  2  µg/mL  in  a  1:1  stoichiometric  ratio,  with   serum  sample  or  control,  overnight,  at  room  temperature  on  an  orbital  mixer. 70  µL  of  combined   F(ab’)2-­‐DIG  solution  in  assay  buffer  was  added  to  96-­‐well  polypropylene  plate  (Corning  Catalog  No. 3365)  with  70  µL  of  diluted  serum  sample. The  reaction  mixture  was  then  transferred  to  a  washed   Streptavidin  High  Bind  plate  (Roche  Catalogue  No. 11989685001)  and  incubated  for  two  hours  at  RT   with  shaking. Bound  antibodies  were  detected  by  adding  100  µL  of  mouse  monoclonal  anti-­‐DIG  HRP   conjugate  (125  ng/mL,  Jackson  Catalog  No. 200-­‐032-­‐156)  to  the  streptavidin  plate. Signal  was  generated   by  adding  tetramethyl  benzidine  (TMB;  Kirkegaard  &  Perry,  Gaithersburg,  MD),  then  the  reaction  was   terminated  with  1M  phosphoric  acid. Absorbance  was  measured  at  450  nm/630  nm  on  a spectrophotometer  (Tecan  Sunrise). Assay  Buffer  was  used  as  a  negative  control  due  to  the  pre-­‐existing   anti-­‐F(ab’)2  antibodies  observed  in  cynomolgus  monkey  serum. Hyperimmunized  goat  antiserum,  which   had  been  affinity  purified  to  enrich  for  anti-­‐drug  CDR  reactivity  (Genentech,  South  San  Francisco,  CA),   was  used  as  a  positive  control. The  anti-­‐DLL4  CDR  antibodies  were  added  to  the  assay  buffer  at  750   ng/mL  (low  control)  and  at  125  µg/mL  (high  or  titer  control). Table  S1:  Pharmacokinetic  parameters  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  mouse. Parameter   Anti-­‐DLL4  IgG   Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2   Dose   20  mg/kg   10  mg/kg   50  mg/kg   Cmax  (nM)   3493   1600   9160   AUC0-­‐7  (day*nM)   13427   276   1500   CL  (mL/day/kg)   8   362   333   Cmax:  maximum  concentration;  AUC  0-­‐7:  area  under  the  concentration-­‐time  curve  during  the  week   following  first  dose  administration  (Day  0-­‐Day  7);  CL:  clearance. Table  S1:  Pharmacokinetic  parameters  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  mouse. Table  S1:  Pharmacokinetic  parameters  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  mouse. Cmax:  maximum  concentration;  AUC  0-­‐7:  area  under  the  concentration-­‐time  curve  during  the  week   following  first  dose  administration  (Day  0-­‐Day  7);  CL:  clearance. Table  S2:  Pharmacokinetic  parameters  for  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  and  IgG1  in  rat  and  monkey. Cmax=  maximum  concentration;  AUC0-­‐7=  area  under  the  concentration-­‐time  curve  during  the  week   following  the  first  dose  administration  (Day  0-­‐Day  7). le  S2:  Pharmacokinetic  parameters  for  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  and  IgG1  in  rat  and  monkey. Cmax=  maximum  concentration;  AUC0-­‐7=  area  under  the  concentration-­‐time  curve  during  the  week   following  the  first  dose  administration  (Day  0-­‐Day  7). Cmax=  maximum  concentration;  AUC0-­‐7=  area  under  the  concentration-­‐time  curve  during  the  week   following  the  first  dose  administration  (Day  0-­‐Day  7). Table  S3:  Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)  2  mitigates  the  occurrence  of  vascular  neoplasm  in  rats. AUC  0-­‐7   (day*nM)   Dose  level   (mg/kg/wk)   Incidence  of  vascular   neoplasms  in  skin  (%)   AUC  0-­‐7   (day*nM)   Dose  level   (mg/kg/wk)   Incidence  of  vascular   neoplasms  in  skin  (%)   Anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1   Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2   0   0   0   0   0   0   400   1   0   NT   NT   NT   907   3   7   891   10   0   4007   10   27   2710   30   0   10367   30   33   9290   100   0 Table  S3:  Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)  2  mitigates  the  occurrence  of  vascular  neoplasm  in  rats. Figure  S1. Generating  and  characterizing  low  affinity  anti-­‐DLL4  antibodies. (A)  Sequence  alignment  of   the  original  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  molecule  (clone  YW152F)  with  mutant  antibodies  (LM1  and  HM6,  shown  in   Fig. 1). (B)  FACS  analysis  of  antibody  binding  to  HUVECs. 2nd  only=  secondary  only  control. Figure  S1. Generating  and  characterizing  low  affinity  anti-­‐DLL4  antibodies. (A)  Sequence  alignment  of   the  original  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  molecule  (clone  YW152F)  with  mutant  antibodies  (LM1  and  HM6,  shown  in   Fig. 1). (B)  FACS  analysis  of  antibody  binding  to  HUVECs. 2nd  only=  secondary  only  control. Figure  S2. Characterization  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  (A)  Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  caused  a  marked  increase  of   angiogenic  sprouting  and  branching  of  HUVECs  in  fibrin  gels  with  a  similar  potency  relative  to  anti-­‐DLL4   IgG1,  indicating  effective  DLL4  pathway  blockade  with  the  F(ab’)2  molecule. HUVEC  sprouts  were   visualized  by  staining  with  DAPI  and  AlexaFluor488-­‐phalloidin;  Scale  bar  =  175  mm. (B)  Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2   also  caused  defective  vascular  development  of  neonatal  mouse  retina. Whole-­‐mount  retinas  from  P5   mice  were  stained  with  isolectin  B4. Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  treatment  resulted  a  marked  increase  of  retinal   vascular  density  (isolectin  B4),  similar  to  that  observed  with  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1. Scale  bar  =  500  mm. Figure  S2. Table  S1:  Pharmacokinetic  parameters  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  mouse. Characterization  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  (A)  Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  caused  a  marked  increase  of Figure  S2. Characterization  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  (A)  Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  caused  a  marked  increase  of   i i   ti   d   b hi   f   HUVEC   i   fib i   l   ith     i il   t   l ti   t   ti­‐ DLL4 Figure  S2. Characterization  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  (A)  Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  caused  a  marked angiogenic  sprouting  and  branching  of  HUVECs  in  fibrin  gels  with  a  similar  potency  relative  to  anti-­‐DLL4   IgG1,  indicating  effective  DLL4  pathway  blockade  with  the  F(ab’)2  molecule. HUVEC  sprouts  were   visualized  by  staining  with  DAPI  and  AlexaFluor488-­‐phalloidin;  Scale  bar  =  175  mm. (B)  Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2   also  caused  defective  vascular  development  of  neonatal  mouse  retina. Whole-­‐mount  retinas  from  P5   mice  were  stained  with  isolectin  B4. Anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  treatment  resulted  a  marked  increase  of  retinal   vascular  density  (isolectin  B4),  similar  to  that  observed  with  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1. Scale  bar  =  500  mm. Figure  S3. Pharmacokinetic  profile  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  rat  toxicity  studies. Serum-­‐ concentration  time  data  in  Sprague–Dawley  rats  for  (A)  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  using  a  weekly  dosing  schedule   and  (B)  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  using  a  2  on/5  off  dosing  schedule. Figure  S3. Pharmacokinetic  profile  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  rat  toxicity  studies. Serum-­‐ i   i   d   i   S D l     f   (A)   i­‐ DLL4   I G1   i     kl   d i   h d l Figure  S3. Pharmacokinetic  profile  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  rat  toxicity  studies. Serum-­‐ Figure  S3. Pharmacokinetic  profile  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  rat  toxicity  studies. Serum-­‐ concentration  time  data  in  Sprague–Dawley  rats  for  (A)  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  using  a  weekly  dosing  schedule and  (B)  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  using  a  2  on/5  off  dosing  schedule. Figure  S3. Pharmacokinetic  profile  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  rat  toxicity  studies. Serum-­‐ concentration  time  data  in  Sprague–Dawley  rats  for  (A)  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  using  a  weekly  dosing  schedule   and  (B)  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  using  a  2  on/5  off  dosing  schedule. Figure  S4. Mitigation  of  liver  toxicity  in  mice  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2. (A)  Depiction  of  the  experimental   design/dosing  regimens  used  to  compare  the  impact  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  and  IgG1  on  mouse  liver. (B)   Liver   gene   expression   changes   previously   shown   to   be   associated   with   anti-­‐DLL4   treatment   were   evaluated  as  a  direct  readout  of  DLL4  pathway  inhibition. Results  are  represented  as  fold  change  in   mRNA  levels  (mean  ±  SEM),  n=5/group. Two-­‐tailed  unpaired  t  test  was  used  to  calculate  P  values. Table  S1:  Pharmacokinetic  parameters  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  mouse. (C)   Liver  histopathology  was  evaluated  on  Day  40  to  assess  relative  toxicity  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab)’2  versus  IgG1   following  intermittent  or  continuous  exposure  at  the  same  cumulative  weekly  dose. Scale  bar=  200  uM. Left  panel,  normal  mouse  liver,  arrow  indicates  the  central  vein. Middle  panel,  minimally  dilated  hepatic   sinusoids   (arrows)   observed   following   F(ab)’2   treatment. Right   panel,   IgG1   induced   a   more   severely   dilated  central  vein  and  hepatic  sinusoids  as  well  as  a  hyperplastic  nodule  (arrow). Figure  S4. Mitigation  of  liver  toxicity  in  mice  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2. (A)  Depiction  of  the  experimental   design/dosing  regimens  used  to  compare  the  impact  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  and  IgG1  on  mouse  liver. (B)   Liver   gene   expression   changes   previously   shown   to   be   associated   with   anti-­‐DLL4   treatment   were   evaluated  as  a  direct  readout  of  DLL4  pathway  inhibition. Results  are  represented  as  fold  change  in   mRNA  levels  (mean  ±  SEM),  n=5/group. Two-­‐tailed  unpaired  t  test  was  used  to  calculate  P  values. (C)   Liver  histopathology  was  evaluated  on  Day  40  to  assess  relative  toxicity  of  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab)’2  versus  IgG1   following  intermittent  or  continuous  exposure  at  the  same  cumulative  weekly  dose. Scale  bar=  200  uM. Left  panel,  normal  mouse  liver,  arrow  indicates  the  central  vein. Middle  panel,  minimally  dilated  hepatic   sinusoids   (arrows)   observed   following   F(ab)’2   treatment. Right   panel,   IgG1   induced   a   more   severely   dilated  central  vein  and  hepatic  sinusoids  as  well  as  a  hyperplastic  nodule  (arrow). Figure  S5. Novel  toxicities  identified  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  in  rats. (A)  Normal  lung  in  a  vehicle-­‐treated   rat;  pulmonary  small  artery  (arrow). (B)  Hypercellularity  and  hypertrophy  of  muscularis  layer  of  small   pulmonary  artery  (arrow)  in  the  lung  of  a  rat  treated  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  (15  mg/kg/wk;  2  on/5  off                    ­‐        ­‐ Figure  S5. Novel  toxicities  identified  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  in  rats. (A)  Normal  lung  in  a  vehicle-­‐treated   rat;  pulmonary  small  artery  (arrow). (B)  Hypercellularity  and  hypertrophy  of  muscularis  layer  of  small   pulmonary  artery  (arrow)  in  the  lung  of  a  rat  treated  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  (15  mg/kg/wk;  2  on/5  off   schedule). (C)   Normal   lung   and   pulmonary   artery   in   a   vehicle-­‐treated   rat   after   an   8-­‐week   recovery   period,   including   the   arterial   muscularis   layer   (arrowhead)   and   arterial   adventitial   layer   (arrow). (D)   Reversibility  of  lung  and  pulmonary  artery  lesions  (arterial  muscularis  layer,  arrow)  observed  in  a  rat   treated  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  (50  mg/kg/wk;  2  on/5  off  schedule)  after  an  8-­‐week  recovery  period,  with   the  development  of  a  fibrotic  arterial  adventitial  layer  (arrowhead). All  panels  are  representative  H&E   sections  from  the  indicated  dose  group. Table  S1:  Pharmacokinetic  parameters  of  anti-­‐DLL4  IgG1  and  F(ab’)2  in  mouse. Figure  S5. Novel  toxicities  identified  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  in  rats. (A)  Normal  lung  in  a  vehicle-­‐treated   rat;  pulmonary  small  artery  (arrow). (B)  Hypercellularity  and  hypertrophy  of  muscularis  layer  of  small   pulmonary  artery  (arrow)  in  the  lung  of  a  rat  treated  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  (15  mg/kg/wk;  2  on/5  off   schedule). (C)   Normal   lung   and   pulmonary   artery   in   a   vehicle-­‐treated   rat   after   an   8-­‐week   recovery   period,   including   the   arterial   muscularis   layer   (arrowhead)   and   arterial   adventitial   layer   (arrow). (D)   Reversibility  of  lung  and  pulmonary  artery  lesions  (arterial  muscularis  layer,  arrow)  observed  in  a  rat   treated  with  anti-­‐DLL4  F(ab’)2  (50  mg/kg/wk;  2  on/5  off  schedule)  after  an  8-­‐week  recovery  period,  with   the  development  of  a  fibrotic  arterial  adventitial  layer  (arrowhead). All  panels  are  representative  H&E   sections  from  the  indicated  dose  group.
https://openalex.org/W2056413661
https://escholarship.org/content/qt46z4x4x5/qt46z4x4x5.pdf?t=qaftcc
English
null
Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Model with Four Classes of Licensed Antiretrovirals
PloS one
2,007
cc-by
10,081
UCSF UC San Francisco Previously Published Works Title Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Model with Four Classes of Licensed Antiretrovirals Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46z4x4x5 Journal PLOS ONE, 2(8) ISSN 1932-6203 Authors Stoddart, Cheryl A Bales, Cheryl A Bare, Jennifer C et al. Publication Date 2007 DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0000655 Peer reviewed UCSF UC San Francisco Previously Published Works Title Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Model with Four Classes of Licensed Antiretrovirals Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46z4x4x5 Journal PLOS ONE, 2(8) ISSN 1932-6203 Authors Stoddart, Cheryl A Bales, Cheryl A Bare, Jennifer C et al. Publication Date 2007 DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0000655 Peer reviewed UCSF UC San Francisco Previously Published Works Title Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Model with Four Classes of Licensed Antiretrovirals Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46z4x4x5 Journal PLOS ONE, 2(8) ISSN 1932-6203 Authors Stoddart, Cheryl A Bales, Cheryl A Bare, Jennifer C et al. Publication Date 2007 DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0000655 Peer reviewed UCSF UC San Francisco Previously Pub Title Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Mode Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46z4x4x5 Journal PLOS ONE, 2(8) ISSN 1932-6203 Authors Stoddart, Cheryl A Bales, Cheryl A Bare, Jennifer C et al. Publication Date 2007 DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0000655 Peer reviewed Title Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Model with Four Classes of Licensed Antiretrovirals Permalink h h l hi i Powered by the California Digital Library University of California eScholarship.org Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Model with Four Classes of Licensed Antiretrovirals doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655 itation: Stoddart CA, Bales CA, Bare JC, Chkhenkeli G, Galkina SA, et al (2007) Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse icensed Antiretrovirals. PLoS ONE 2(8): e655. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655 CA, Bare JC, Chkhenkeli G, Galkina SA, et al (2007) Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Model with Four Classes o S ONE 2(8): e655. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org INTRODUCTION Academic Editor: Linqi Zhang, AIDS Research Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China Academic Editor: Linqi Zhang, AIDS Research Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China Received April 18, 2007; Accepted June 20, 2007; Published August 1, 2007 Copyright:  2007 Stoddart et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from NIAID, NIH, under contract no. N01-AI-05418. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Academic Editor: Linqi Zhang, AIDS Research Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Model with Four Classes of Licensed Antiretrovirals Cheryl A. Stoddart1¤*, Cheryl A. Bales1¤, Jennifer C. Bare1, George Chkhenkeli1¤, Sofiya A. Galkina1¤, April N. Kinkade1, Mary E. Moreno1¤, Jose´ M Rivera1¤, Rollie E. Ronquillo1¤, Barbara Sloan1¤, Paul L. Black2 1 Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America, 2 Targeted Interventions Branch, Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America Background. The SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse model of HIV-1 infection is a useful platform for the preclinical evaluation of antiviral efficacy in vivo. We performed this study to validate the model with representatives of all four classes of licensed antiretrovirals. Methodology/Principal Findings. Endpoint analyses for quantification of Thy/Liv implant viral load included ELISA for cell-associated p24, branched DNA assay for HIV-1 RNA, and detection of infected thymocytes by intracellular staining for Gag-p24. Antiviral protection from HIV-1-mediated thymocyte depletion was assessed by multicolor flow cytometric analysis of thymocyte subpopulations based on surface expression of CD3, CD4, and CD8. These mice can be productively infected with molecular clones of HIV-1 (e.g., the X4 clone NL4-3) as well as with primary R5 and R5X4 isolates. To determine whether results in this model are concordant with those found in humans, we performed direct comparisons of two drugs in the same class, each of which has known potency and dosing levels in humans. Here we show that second-generation antiretrovirals were, as expected, more potent than their first-generation predecessors: emtricitabine was more potent than lamivudine, efavirenz was more potent than nevirapine, and atazanavir was more potent than indinavir. After interspecies pharmacodynamic scaling, the dose ranges found to inhibit viral replication in the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse were similar to those used in humans. Moreover, HIV-1 replication in these mice was genetically stable; treatment of the mice with lamivudine did not result in the M184V substitution in reverse transcriptase, and the multidrug-resistant NY index case HIV-1 retained its drug- resistance substitutions. Conclusion. Given the fidelity of such comparisons, we conclude that this highly reproducible mouse model is likely to predict clinical antiviral efficacy in humans. Citation: Stoddart CA, Bales CA, Bare JC, Chkhenkeli G, Galkina SA, et al (2007) Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mouse Model with Four Classes of Licensed Antiretrovirals. PLoS ONE 2(8): e655. INTRODUCTION occurs with both molecular clones and clinical isolates of HIV-1 in 3–5 weeks [12–16]. This depletion includes loss of CD4+CD8+ (double-positive, DP) immature cortical thymocytes and a decrease in the CD4/CD8 ratio in the thymic medulla. There is evidence for both indirect, apoptotic destruction of uninfected thymocytes and direct infection and destruction of CD32CD4+CD82 intrathymic T-progenitor cells, which severely disrupts thymocyte maturation [17,18]. Infection of human thymus with HIV-1 induces IFN-a secretion from plasmacytoid dendritic cells, which upregulates MHC class I (MHC-I) expression on DP thymocytes, where expression is normally low [19]. The SCID-hu mouse model, in which human lymphoid organs are implanted into severe-combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice, was designed by McCune et al. [1] to provide a small animal model for the study of human hematopoiesis. It has also facilitated study of the pathogenesis of HIV-1 in human hematolymphoid organs [2–7] and evaluation of anti-HIV-1 compounds in vivo [2,8,9]. In this model, SCID mice are implanted with a variety of human fetal organs, including bone, liver, thymus, lymph node, and spleen. The fetal implants become tolerant of the mouse environment, and re- ciprocally, growth of the human tissue is permitted by the immunocompromised status of the recipient SCID mouse [6]. The administration of nucleoside and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors to these mice results in dose-dependent The SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse, first reported by Namikawa et al. in 1990 [10], is generated by coimplanting human fetal thymus and liver beneath the mouse kidney capsule. In a highly reproducible manner, these organs fuse, become vascularized, and grow into a stable organ termed ‘‘Thy/Liv,’’ reaching a total mass of 100–3006106 human cells in 18 weeks. The Thy/Liv implant reproduces the differentiation, proliferation, and function of human hematopoietic progenitor cells derived from the fetal liver within the human thymus. The implants possess histologically normal cortical and medullary compartments that sustain multi- lineage human hematopoiesis for 6–12 months [10,11], generating a continuous source of CD4-expressing thymocytes that can serve as target cells for HIV-1 infection and replication. Importantly for a model of antiviral chemotherapy, 50–60 SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice can be made with tissues from a single fetal donor, and the Thy/ Liv implant is amenable to experimental manipulation and infection with HIV-1. Viruses The following reagents were obtained through the AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program, Division of AIDS, NIAID, NIH: pNL4-3 [38] from Malcolm Martin and HIV-1 Ba-L [39] from Suzanne Gartner, Mikulas Popovic, and Robert Gallo. A working stock of NL4-3 was prepared in 293T cells by calcium phosphate transfection. A T-20-sensitive NL4-3 (NL4-3 D36G) was altered by site-directed mutagenesis to match the consensus sequence at amino acid position 36 (aspartic acid replaced by glycine) [40,41]. The R5X4 AZT-resistant clinical HIV-1 isolate JD [42] was kindly provided by Mike McCune, and the multidrug-resistant (MDR) R5X4 NY index case isolate [43] by Hiroshi Morhi and Martin Markowitz. The clinical isolates were prepared and titrated by limiting dilution in phytohemagglutin-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The SCID-hu Thy/Liv model has also been employed by us and by others for in vivo studies of HIV-1 pathogenesis. The roles of HIV- 1 nef [24–26], other accessory genes [24], and the Rev–Rev responsive element [27] have been explored as well as the expression of HIV-1 coreceptors (CXCR4 and CCR5) on thymocytes [28,29] and the effects of coreceptor usage on viral tropism and pathogenesis [16,28,30–32]. The CXCR4-utilizing (X4) strain NL4-3 replicates quickly and extensively in thymocytes in the cortex and medulla, causing significant thymocyte depletion [16]. In contrast, the CCR5- utilizing (R5) strain Ba-L initially infects stromal cells, including macrophages, in the thymic medulla without any obvious pathologic consequences for 3–4 weeks, after which the infection slowly spreads through the thymocyte populations and results in slowly progressing thymocyte depletion after 6 weeks. In addition, three R5 viruses isolated from rapid AIDS progressors lacking X4 strains were much less pathogenic than NL4-3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice, suggesting that R5 virus-mediated rapid disease progression is associated with host, not viral, factors [30]. The lab-adapted LAI/IIIB isolate and its associated infectious molecular clones (e.g., HXB2) fail to replicate in Thy/Liv implants, and this impairment has been mapped to a specific amino acid change in the crown region of V3 in Env [33,34]. The model has also been used to study immune reconstitution and recovery of hematopoietic colony-forming activity in HIV-1-infected implants after treatment of mice with potent combination antiretroviral therapy [35–37]. Antiretroviral drugs and mouse dosing The antiretroviral drugs lamivudine (3TC), emtricitabine [(–)- FTC], nevirapine, efavirenz, indinavir, and atazanavir were kindly supplied by Opendra Sharma and the AIDS Reagent Program. Dosing solutions were prepared in sterile water for injection or Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline, and groups of 5–8 mice were treated by oral gavage (200 ml per dose) with an 18-gauge62- inch feeding needle twice daily at 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM for the duration of the infection period (2–6 weeks depending on the HIV-1 isolate). Enfuvirtide (T-20) was purchased from a pharmacy, prepared in sterile water, and administered by twice-daily subcutaneous injection (200 ml per dose). * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: cheryl.stoddart@ucsf. edu * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: cheryl.stoddart@ucsf. edu ¤ Current address: Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America The Thy/Liv implants support viral replication after inocula- tion of HIV-1 by direct injection [3], and thymocyte depletion PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 1 Validation of SCID-hu Model performed in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse cohorts each made with tissues from a single donor. We observed that the more recent drugs in each class were significantly more potent than their predecessors. We conclude from such comparisons with licensed antiretrovirals that this well-established model is likely to predict clinical antiviral efficacy in humans for other members of these classes and possibly other drug classes as well. inhibition of HIV-1 replication, prevention of IFN-a-mediated MHC-I upregulation, and protection of CD4+ cells within the implanted human tissue [8,9,20]. The model has been also used to evaluate new classes of HIV-1 inhibitors, such as bicyclam [21] and oligonucleotide [22] inhibitors of HIV-1 entry, the nucleoside analog 29-deoxy-39-oxa-49-thiocytidine (dOTC) [20], and an oxime-piper- idine CCR5 antagonist [23]. This is the first animal model in which the action of candidate anti-HIV-1 compounds can be tested within the setting of an intact HIV-1-infected human target organ. MATERIALS AND METHODS We use a standardized protocol described by Rabin et al. [8] for evaluation of antiviral agents against HIV-1 in the SCID-hu Thy/ Liv mouse model. Drugs can be administered by various routes (oral, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, or by mini-osmotic pump) before or after virus inoculation and continued for 2–6 weeks. Mice are challenged with titrated inocula of various HIV-1 isolates, and endpoint analyses include quantification of viral protein by p24 ELISA and viral RNA by branched DNA assay, quantification and isolation of replication-competent virus by cocultivation after limiting dilution, and assessment of the effects on human thymocyte subpopulations by flow cytometry [8]. Implantation and inoculation of SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice Human fetal thymus and liver were obtained through services provided by a nonprofit organization (Advanced Bioscience Resources, Alameda, CA) in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations. Coimplantation of thymus and liver fragments under the kidney capsule to create SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice and inoculation of the Thy/Liv implants with HIV-1 was carried out as described [8,10]. Male C.B-17 SCID (model #CB17SC-M, homozygous, C.B-Igh-1b/IcrTac-Prkdcscid) mice were obtained at 6–8 weeks of age from Taconic (Germantown, NY), and cohorts of 50–60 SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice were implanted with tissues from a single donor. Implants were inoculated 18 weeks after implantation with 50 ml of stock virus (500–2,000 TCID50) or RPMI 1640 medium (mock infection) by direct injection after surgical exposure of the implanted kidney of anesthetized mice. Animal protocols were approved by the UCSF Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Given the potential correlations between virus-host interactions in the Thy/Liv implant and in humans, we wanted to determine whether the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse model predicts antiretro- viral efficacy in humans for representatives of all four classes of currently licensed drugs. Does it, for instance, yield data that reflect the greater potency of more recently developed drugs than their first-generation predecessors in each class? In vivo models are far more stringent than cell culture-based assays for demonstrating drug activity, particularly in the case of orally delivered drugs as they must be absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract without degradation, enter the blood and circulate with sufficient half-lives, and penetrate solid target organs at concentrations high enough to be potently efficacious. The greater potency of the second- generation drugs is likely the result of a combination of greater in vitro potency and superior pharmacokinetics. In vitro virus-cell culture systems would likely predict greater potency, but only in vivo studies can demonstrate sustained plasma half-life or superior oral bioavailability. To determine such relative potency in vivo, head-to-head comparisons of two drugs in the same class were PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org Viral load and prophylactic antiviral efficacy are highly reproducible among mouse cohorts each made with tissues from a single donor g The levels of HIV-1 RNA and p24 in the Thy/Liv implants of untreated- and 3TC-treated SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice were highly reproducible among seven different mouse cohorts infected with the same stock of HIV-1 NL4-3 (Figure 1). In seven consecutive experiments, with mice in a given cohort constructed from human fetal tissue from a single donor, mean cell-associated HIV-1 RNA ranged from 5.2–6.3 log10 copies per 106 cells (Figure 1A), and mean p24 ranged from 640–1,700 pg per 106 cells (Figure 1B). There was also good correspondence between viral RNA and p24 p g p g p p Figure 1. Implant viral loads in untreated- and 3TC-treated SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice are highly reproducible, and 3TC treatment after HIV-1 inoculation is nearly as effective as prophylactic treatment. A, HIV-1 RNA in Thy/Liv implants of untreated mice and mice treated by twice-daily oral gavage with 3TC at 30 mg/kg per day beginning 1 day before inoculation with NL4-3 (means6SEM) Each experiment was performed in a mouse cohort made with tissues from a single donor. B, Implant p24 for the same groups as in panel A. C, Implant HIV-1 RNA in mice treated with 3TC beginning on day 21, day +1, day +3, and day +7 with respect to inoculation with the indicated HIV-1 strains. D, Implant p24 for the same groups as in panel C. Implants were collected 21 days after inoculation for NL4-3, 14 days for JD, and 42 days for Ba-L. *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for 5–7 mice per group. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g001 Figure 1. Implant viral loads in untreated- and 3TC-treated SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice are highly reproducible, and 3TC treatment after HIV-1 inoculation is nearly as effective as prophylactic treatment. A, HIV-1 RNA in Thy/Liv implants of untreated mice and mice treated by twice-daily oral gavage with 3TC at 30 mg/kg per day beginning 1 day before inoculation with NL4-3 (means6SEM) Each experiment was performed in a mouse cohort made with tissues from a single donor. B, Implant p24 for the same groups as in panel A. C, Implant HIV-1 RNA in mice treated with 3TC beginning on day 21, day +1, day +3, and day +7 with respect to inoculation with the indicated HIV-1 strains. D, Implant p24 for the same groups as in panel C. Implants were collected 21 days after inoculation for NL4-3, 14 days for JD, and 42 days for Ba-L. Implant collection and viral load quantification Implant collection and viral load quantification The Thy/Liv implants were collected from euthanized mice, and single-cell suspensions were prepared by dispersing the implant through nylon mesh and processed for p24 ELISA, bDNA assay, and FACS analysis as described [8,20]. Unless specified otherwise, PLoS ONE | www.plosone August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 2 Validation of SCID-hu Model implants were collected 21 days after inoculation with NL4-3, 14 days after JD inoculation, and 42 days after Ba-L inoculation. Statistical analysis Results are expressed as the mean6SEM for each mouse group. Nonparametric statistical analyses were performed by use of the Mann-Whitney U test. Data for mice in each group were compared to those for untreated infected mice, and p values #0.05 were considered statistically significant. Flow cytometry Implant cells were stained with phycoerythrin cyanine dye CY7- conjugated anti-CD4 (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA), phycoerythrin cyanine CY5.5-conjugated anti-CD8 (Caltag Laboratories, Burlin- game, CA), allophycocyanin cyanine CY7-conjugated anti-CD3 (eBiosciences, San Diego, CA), and phycoerythrin-conjugated anti- W6/32 (DakoCytomation, Glostrup, Denmark. Cells were fixed and permeabilized with 1.2% paraformaldehyde and 0.5% Tween 20, stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated anti-p24 (Beck- man Coulter, Fullerton, CA), and analyzed on an LSR II (BD Biosciences). After collecting 100,000 total cell events, percentages of marker-positive (CD4+, CD8+, and DP) thymocytes in the implant samples were determined by first gating on a live lymphoid cell population identified by forward- and side-scatter characteristics and then by CD3 expression. W6/32-positive mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of DP thymocytes was determined, and CD4/CD8 ratios were calculated by dividing the percentage of CD4+ cells by the percentage of CD8+ cells for each individual implant. Head-to-head comparisons of antiretroviral drugs at multiple dosage levels show relative potency p g p y In the course of preclinical antiviral drug development, it is often important to determine whether a newly discovered agent is more potent than an existing, perhaps licensed, drug in the same class. To that end, we produced cohorts of SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice that were large enough for head-to-head comparisons of two drugs at multiple (typically three) dosage levels against one virus isolate. When the nucleoside analogs (–)-FTC and 3TC were compared, (–)-FTC was more potent at the same dosage levels, with greater reductions in viral RNA at 30 mg/kg per day (p= 0.035) (Figure 4A) and greater reductions in p24 at 10 mg/kg per day (p= 0.025) and 30 mg/kg per day (p = 0.009) (Figure 4B). The p24 levels in mice treated with (– )-FTC at 30 mg/kg per day were 1% that of mice treated with 3TC at the same dose (1,300 pg per 106 cells in untreated mice versus 1.2 pg per 106 cells for (–)-FTC and 110 pg per 106 cells for 3TC) (Figure 4B). Good protection from thymocyte depletion was observed at all three dosage levels for both drugs (Figure 4C). Viral load and prophylactic antiviral efficacy are highly reproducible among mouse cohorts each made with tissues from a single donor In the seven experiments, 3TC treatment beginning 1 day before virus inoculation reduced HIV-1 RNA in the implants by 1.2–2.1 log10 (94%–99%) (Figure 1A) and p24 by 77%–92% (Figure 1B) compared to untreated mice in the same experiment. Importantly, HIV-1 NL4-3 replication in these mice was genetically stable over the 21-day infection period; there was no evidence of the RT M184V substitution in viral RNA amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced from 32 of 32 Thy/Liv implants collected from mice treated with 3TC in these seven experiments (data not shown). The lack of resistance development is most likely the result of the limited time before virus-mediated thymocyte depletion becomes severe enough to limit the number of target cells available for infection. We view the genetic stability of the viruses over several weeks as an asset because our results are not confounded by the rapid development of antiviral resistance, particularly against drugs for which only one amino acid substitution is sufficient for high-level resistance. Viral load and prophylactic antiviral efficacy are highly reproducible among mouse cohorts each made with tissues from a single donor *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for 5–7 mice per group. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g001 August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 3 Figure 2. 3TC treatment of HIV-1 JD-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice inhibits viral replication and protects implants from virus-mediated thymocyte depletion. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with 3TC at 300 mg/kg per day beginning on day +1 after inoculation, and Thy/ Liv implants were collected 14, 21, and 28 days after inoculation. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A), p24 (B), Gag-p24+ thymocytes (C), and MHC-I expression on DP thymocytes (D). Thymocyte protection was assessed by total implant cellularity (E), thymocyte viability Validation of SCID-hu Model Validation of SCID-hu Model Figure 2. 3TC treatment of HIV-1 JD-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice inhibits viral replication and protects implants from virus-mediated thymocyte depletion. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with 3TC at 300 mg/kg per day beginning on day +1 after inoculation, and Thy/ Liv implants were collected 14, 21, and 28 days after inoculation. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A), p24 (B), Gag-p24+ thymocytes (C), and MHC-I expression on DP thymocytes (D). Thymocyte protection was assessed by total implant cellularity (E), thymocyte viability (F), percentage of DP thymocytes (G), and CD4/CD8 ratio (H) for 3TC-treated mice versus untreated mice (means6SEM). *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for 5–7 mice per group. doi:10 1371/journal pone 0000655 g002 August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 4 Validation of SCID-hu Model thymocytes (Figure 2C), and IFN-a-induced MHC-I expression on DP thymocytes (Figure 2D), compared to untreated mice at all three times. Reductions in viral load by 3TC were accompanied by virtually complete protection of the Thy/Liv implants from thymocyte depletion, in terms of total cellularity (Figure 2E), thymocyte viability (Figure 2F), percentage of DP thymocytes (Figure 2G), and CD4/CD8 ratio (Figure 2H). Flow cytometric analysis of representative implants obtained 28 days after in- oculation with HIV-1 JD showed severe depletion of DP and CD4+ thymocytes in an untreated mouse and nearly complete protection from thymocyte depletion in one mouse treated with 3TC (Figure 3). means of implants in the same groups (i.e., lowest for untreated mice in experiment 6 and highest for those in experiments 3 and 5). Postexposure dosing also reduces viral load and prevents virus-mediated thymocyte depletion Initiation of 3TC treatment 1 or 3 days after NL4-3 inoculation was nearly as effective at reducing implant viral RNA (Figure 1C) and p24 (Figure 1D) as was prophylactic treatment with treatment beginning 1 day before inoculation. This was also true for mice inoculated with the clinical R5X4 isolate JD and treated with 3TC beginning 3 days after inoculation. Treatment of mice inoculated with the R5 isolate Ba-L, which replicates in Thy/Liv implants with slower kinetics than does X4 HIV-1 NL4-3 [16], was highly effective at reducing implant viral RNA and p24 even when initiation was delayed until 7 days after inoculation. In another experiment, the nonnucleoside RT inhibitor efavirenz was directly compared with nevirapine. Efavirenz was approximately 10 times more potent than nevirapine, as demonstrated by similar reductions in viral RNA (Figure 5A) and p24 (Figure 5B) and by thymocyte protection (Figure 5C) in groups treated with 300 mg/kg per day of nevirapine compared to 30 mg/kg per day of efavirenz. To determine whether postexposure dosing also prevents thymocyte depletion, SCID-hu mice were inoculated with HIV- 1 JD and treated twice daily with 3TC at 300 mg/kg per day in a time-course study in which implants were collected at weekly intervals up to 28 days after inoculation. By that point, the implants from untreated mice had become severely depleted of thymocytes. As expected, 3TC-treated mice had significant reductions in viral RNA (Figure 2A), p24 (Figure 2B), Gag-p24+ Finally, the second-generation protease inhibitor atazanavir was 3–10 times more potent than indinavir in NL4-3-infected SCID- Figure 3. 3TC treatment protects HIV-1 JD-infected Thy/Liv implants from thymocyte depletion. Flow cytometric analysis of representative implants stained for CD4 and CD8 obtained 28 days after inoculation with HIV-1 JD shows severe depletion of DP and CD4+ thymocytes in an untreated mouse and nearly complete protection from thymocyte depletion by 3TC treatment (300 mg/kg per day beginning on day +1 after inoculation). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g003 Figure 3. 3TC treatment protects HIV-1 JD-infected Thy/Liv implants from thymocyte depletion. Flow cytometric analysis of representative implants stained for CD4 and CD8 obtained 28 days after inoculation with HIV-1 JD shows severe depletion of DP and CD4+ thymocytes in an untreated mouse and nearly complete protection from thymocyte depletion by 3TC treatment (300 mg/kg per day beginning on day +1 after inoculation). Figure 3. 3TC treatment protects HIV-1 JD-infected Thy/Liv implants from thymocyte depletion. Postexposure dosing also reduces viral load and prevents virus-mediated thymocyte depletion Flow cytometric analysis of representative implants stained for CD4 and CD8 obtained 28 days after inoculation with HIV-1 JD shows severe depletion of DP and CD4+ thymocytes in an untreated mouse and nearly complete protection from thymocyte depletion by 3TC treatment (300 mg/kg per day beginning on day +1 after inoculation). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g003 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g003 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 5 Validation of SCID-hu Model Figure 4. (–)-FTC is more potent than 3TC against HIV-1 NL4-3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage ith 3TC ( ) FTC t 10 30 d 100 /k d b i i d Figure 5. Efavirenz is more potent than nevirapine against HIV-1 NL4-3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with nevirapine or efavirenz at the indicated dosage levels Validation of SCID hu Model Figure 4. (–)-FTC is more potent than 3TC against HIV-1 NL4-3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with 3TC or (–)-FTC at 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg per day beginning on day –1. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A) and p24 (B), and thymocyte protection was assessed by percentage of DP thymocytes (C) (means6SEM). *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for the number of mice indicated under each bar. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g004 Figure 5. Efavirenz is more potent than nevirapine against HIV-1 NL4-3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with nevirapine or efavirenz at the indicated dosage levels beginning on day 21. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A) and p24 (B), and thymocyte protection was assessed by percentage of DP thymocytes (C) (means6SEM). *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for the number of mice indicated under each bar. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g005 Figure 4. (–)-FTC is more potent than 3TC against HIV-1 NL4-3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with 3TC or (–)-FTC at 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg per day beginning on day –1. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A) and p24 (B), and thymocyte protection was assessed by percentage of DP thymocytes (C) (means6SEM). *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for the number of mice indicated under each bar. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g004 Figure 5. Efavirenz is more potent than nevirapine against HIV-1 NL4-3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Postexposure dosing also reduces viral load and prevents virus-mediated thymocyte depletion Inhibitory drug dosage levels are comparable between SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice and humans The SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse has the advantage of having human, not mouse, cells as the targets of antiretroviral uptake and action, but the pharmacokinetics of antiretrovirals in the mouse have the potential to be significantly different from those in humans Small mammals usually eliminate drugs faster than large Figure 6. Atazanavir is more potent than indinavir against HIV-1 NL4- 3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral Figure 7. T-20 causes dose-dependent reductions in viral load in HIV- 1 NL4-3 D36G-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily subcutaneous injection with T-20 at 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg per day beginning on day 21. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining cell-associated HIV-1 RNA and p24. Data are expressed as means6SEM; *p#0.05 for treated mice versus untreated mice by the Mann-Whitney U test for the number of mice indicated under each bar. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g007 Validation of SCID-hu Model Figure 6. Atazanavir is more potent than indinavir against HIV-1 NL4- 3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with indinavir or atazanavir at 100, 300, and 1000 mg/kg per day beginning on day 21. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A) and p24 (B), and thymocyte protection was assessed by percentage of DP thymocytes (C) (means6SEM). *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for the number of mice indicated under each bar. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g006 Figure 7. T-20 causes dose-dependent reductions in viral load in HIV- 1 NL4-3 D36G-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily subcutaneous injection with T-20 at 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg per day beginning on day 21. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining cell-associated HIV-1 RNA and p24. Data are expressed as means6SEM; *p#0.05 for treated mice versus untreated mice by the Mann-Whitney U test for the number of mice indicated under each bar. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g007 Figure 7. T-20 causes dose-dependent reductions in viral load in HIV- 1 NL4-3 D36G-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily subcutaneous injection with T-20 at 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg per day beginning on day 21. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining cell-associated HIV-1 RNA and p24. Data are expressed as means6SEM; *p#0.05 for treated mice versus untreated mice by the Mann-Whitney U test for the number of mice indicated under each bar. Postexposure dosing also reduces viral load and prevents virus-mediated thymocyte depletion doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g007 hu mice, with a 3.1 log10 greater reduction in viral RNA (p = 0.006) with atazanavir than with indinavir at 300 mg/kg per day (5.3 log10 copies per 106 cells in untreated mice versus ,1.5 log10 copies per 106 cells for atazanavir and 4.6 log10 copies per 106 cells for indinavir) (Figure 6A). The p24 levels in mice treated with atazanavir at 100 mg/kg per day were 5% (p = 0.029) that of mice treated with indinavir at the same dose (400 pg p24 per 106 cells in untreated mice versus 19 pg p24 per 106 cells for atazanavir and 380 pg p24 per 106 cells for indinavir) (Figure 6B). There was comparable protection from thymocyte depletion for the drugs at 100 and 300 mg/kg per day (Figure 6C). Figure 6. Atazanavir is more potent than indinavir against HIV-1 NL4- 3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with indinavir or atazanavir at 100, 300, and 1000 mg/kg per day beginning on day 21. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A) and p24 (B), and thymocyte protection was assessed by percentage of DP thymocytes (C) (means6SEM). T-20 causes dose-dependent reductions in implant viral load Although we did not perform this experiment as a direct comparison with another HIV-1 fusion inhibitor, we are including these data to complete the interspecies scaling analysis described in the next section with a fourth class of antiretroviral (T-20). Treatment of NL4-3 D36G-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice with T-20 by twice-daily subcutaneous injection resulted in dose- dependent reductions of both HIV-1 RNA and p24, reducing viral RNA by 3.3 log10 copies per 106 cells and p24 to undetectable levels at 100 and 30 mg/kg per day (Figure 7). Postexposure dosing also reduces viral load and prevents virus-mediated thymocyte depletion Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with nevirapine or efavirenz at the indicated dosage levels beginning on day 21. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A) and p24 (B), and thymocyte protection was assessed by percentage of DP thymocytes (C) (means6SEM). *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for the number of mice indicated under each bar. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g005 August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 6 Figure 7. T-20 causes dose-dependent reductions in viral load in HIV- 1 NL4-3 D36G-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily subcutaneous injection with T-20 at 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg per day beginning on day 21. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining cell-associated HIV-1 RNA and p24. Data are expressed as means6SEM; *p#0.05 for treated mice versus untreated mice by the Mann-Whitney U test for the number of mice indicated under each bar. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g007 Validation of SCID-hu Model Validation of SCID-hu Model hu mice, with a 3.1 log10 greater reduction in viral RNA (p = 0.006) with atazanavir than with indinavir at 300 mg/kg per day (5.3 log10 copies per 106 cells in untreated mice versus ,1.5 log10 copies per 106 cells for atazanavir and 4.6 log10 copies per 106 cells for indinavir) (Figure 6A). The p24 levels in mice treated with atazanavir at 100 mg/kg per day were 5% (p = 0.029) that of mice treated with indinavir at the same dose (400 pg p24 per 106 cells in untreated mice versus 19 pg p24 per 106 cells for atazanavir and 380 pg p24 per 106 cells for indinavir) (Figure 6B). There was comparable protection from thymocyte depletion for the drugs at 100 and 300 mg/kg per day (Figure 6C). T-20 causes dose-dependent reductions in implant viral load Although we did not perform this experiment as a direct comparison with another HIV-1 fusion inhibitor, we are including these data to complete the interspecies scaling analysis described in the next section with a fourth class of antiretroviral (T-20). Treatment of NL4-3 D36G-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice with T-20 by twice-daily subcutaneous injection resulted in dose- dependent reductions of both HIV-1 RNA and p24, reducing viral RNA by 3.3 log10 copies per 106 cells and p24 to undetectable levels at 100 and 30 mg/kg per day (Figure 7). DISCUSSION The SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse is an efficient model for the study of HIV-1 infection and for the preclinical evaluation of potential antiretrovirals. Here we show that this model provides a validated platform for reproducible viral infectivity and drug-mediated reductions in viral load in vivo. We also show that the model is Table 1. Antiretroviral drug dosage levels adjusted for difference in surface area-to-body weight ratio between mice and humans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drug Human dosage regimena Human dosageb (mg/kg per day) Mouse equivalent dosagec (mg/kg per day) Calculated reduction in implant HIV-1 RNAd (log10 copies) 3TC 150 mg twice daily 5.0 62 1.9 (–)-FTC 200 mg once daily 3.3 41 2.3 nevirapine 400 mg once daily 6.7 82 0.9 efavirenz 600 mg once daily 10 123 3.7 indinavir 800 mg three times daily 40 490 1.2 atazanavir 400 mg once daily 6.7 82 1.4 T-20 90 mg twice daily 3.0 37 3.2 aFrom ref. [56]. bBased on 60 kg adult human weight and 20 g mouse weight. cHuman dosage612.3 (fold difference in surface area to body weight between mice and humans; from ref. [45,46]. dCalculated by linear regression of the viral RNA data shown in Figures 3–6 at the equivalent mouse dosage level. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.t001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inhibitory drug dosage levels are comparable between SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice and humans The SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse has the advantage of having human, not mouse, cells as the targets of antiretroviral uptake and action, but the pharmacokinetics of antiretrovirals in the mouse have the potential to be significantly different from those in humans. Small mammals usually eliminate drugs faster than large mammals [44], and toxic endpoints for therapeutics administered systemically to animals scale well between species when doses are normalized to body surface area [45]. To determine whether the doses found inhibitory in the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse bear any relation to those used clinically in humans, an interspecies scaling factor of 12.3 [46] was applied to generate mouse equivalent doses. Figure 6. Atazanavir is more potent than indinavir against HIV-1 NL4- 3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice. Mice were treated by twice-daily oral gavage with indinavir or atazanavir at 100, 300, and 1000 mg/kg per day beginning on day 21. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A) and p24 (B), and thymocyte protection was assessed by percentage of DP thymocytes (C) (means6SEM). *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for the number of mice indicated under each bar. doi:10 1371/journal pone 0000655 g006 August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 7 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org Validation of SCID-hu Model This factor reflects the 12.3-fold difference in surface area-to-body weight ratio between mice (0.0066 m2/0.02 kg) and humans (1.6 m2/60 kg); consequently, 12.3 times more drug is required in the mouse to be comparable to the dose in humans. When currently approved dosage levels for humans of each antiretroviral drug are adjusted for this difference, the adjusted dosage levels were similar to those that cause 0.9–3.7 log10 reductions in viral RNA in the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse (Table 1). Thus, not only is the model predictive of relative potency within these drug classes, it might also be useful in determining approximate dosing ranges for effective use in humans. especially valuable for direct, head-to-head comparisons of the potency and effective dose ranges of existing antiretroviral drugs. In consecutive experiments performed in different SCID-hu mouse cohorts infected with the same stock of HIV-1 NL4-3, we observed a range in mean HIV-1 RNA of only 1.1 log10 copies per 106 cells. Reproducible reductions in viral load were also observed after oral administration of 3TC. Multidrug-resistant NY index case HIV-1 replicates and depletes thymocytes with kinetics comparable to HIV-1 NL4-3 A key test of any new class of antiretroviral drug is a demonstration of potent activity against HIV-1 with known drug-resistance mutations. We reported the activity of the 3TC analog dOTC against 3TC-resistant HIV-1 NL4-3/M184V in the SCID-hu Thy/Liv model [20]. Here we report that the MDR NY index case HIV-1, which was isolated from a patient with highly rapid progression to AIDS [43], replicates with kinetics similar to HIV-1 NL4-3 in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice (Figure 8A–D) resulting in severe thymocyte depletion by 28 days after inoculation (Figure 8E–H). The lower viral loads for the NY index case isolate compared to NL4-3 at day 28 are most likely the result of somewhat faster thymocyte depletion and thus greater loss of target cells for viral replication. The goal of this study was to validate the SCID-hu Thy/Liv model for use in drug discovery efforts by determining the efficacy of different classes of FDA-approved antiretroviral drugs. Antiviral efficacy in this model is demonstrated by dose-dependent reductions in viral load as well as dose-dependent protection of CD4+ T cells from virus-mediated depletion. Assessment of thymocyte percentage and viability is particularly important for proving that the observed antiviral activity is not merely the result of cytotoxicity to the Thy/Liv implant just as the selectivity index (ratio of cytotoxic to inhibitory concentration) is important for assessing antiviral activity in vitro. Additional evidence that HIV-1 replication is genetically stable within the 28-day infection period was provided by sequence analysis of implant viral RNA showing that the MDR NY index case isolate [43] retained the full complement of drug-resistance amino acid substitutions of the original inoculum (data not shown). These data show that this MDR clinical isolate can readily be used as a challenge virus in the SCID-hu Thy/Liv model for in vivo studies of new classes of antiretroviral drugs with activity against HIV-1 that is resistant to currently licensed antiretrovirals. As new antiretroviral drugs in existing drug classes are developed to improve upon antiviral potency or to limit in vivo toxicity, direct comparisons of the existing drug and the new drug in single SCID-hu mouse cohorts represent a powerful preclinical tool for the prediction of improved efficacy in human patients. To accomplish this, we produced cohorts of SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice that were large enough for comparison of two drugs at three dosage levels against one virus isolate. Inhibitory drug dosage levels are comparable between SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice and humans Although our standardized protocol calls for prophylactic treatment 1 day before virus inoculation to maximize the potential for discerning antiviral efficacy of new drugs in initial in vivo tests, we show here that postexposure drug initiation (beginning 1, 3, or 7 days after HIV-1 inoculation) also renders potent antiviral efficacy. Importantly, potent therapeutic efficacy, in terms of both inhibition of viral replication and virtually complete protection from virus-mediated cytopathicity and thymocyte depletion, was also demonstrated in 3TC-treated mice infected with the highly cytopathic R5X4 isolate, JD. In addition, we have minimized one potential experimental variable by inoculating the mice at a uniform time point 18 weeks after implantation. This factor reflects the 12.3-fold difference in surface area-to-body weight ratio between mice (0.0066 m2/0.02 kg) and humans (1.6 m2/60 kg); consequently, 12.3 times more drug is required in the mouse to be comparable to the dose in humans. When currently approved dosage levels for humans of each antiretroviral drug are adjusted for this difference, the adjusted dosage levels were similar to those that cause 0.9–3.7 log10 reductions in viral RNA in the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse (Table 1). Thus, not only is the model predictive of relative potency within these drug classes, it might also be useful in determining approximate dosing ranges for effective use in humans. Multidrug-resistant NY index case HIV-1 replicates and depletes thymocytes with kinetics comparable to HIV-1 NL4-3 For studies of viral pathogenesis and hematopoietic reconstitution, a relatively small number of animals can generate sufficient replicate points for analysis. In contrast, preclinical antiviral evaluations require groups of animals sufficiently large to demonstrate statistical proof of efficacy in vivo. Two-drug, three-dose comparisons are made possible by our unique ability to construct large (50–60-mouse) SCID-hu cohorts with tissues from a single donor, which permits DISCUSSION . . dosage levels adjusted for difference in surface area-to-body weight ratio between mice and humans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table 1. Antiretroviral drug dosage levels adjusted for difference in surface area-to-body weight ratio be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 8 Validation of SCID-hu Model Figure 8. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) NY index case HIV-1 replicates and depletes thymocytes with kinetics comparable to HIV-1 NL4-3 in SCID- hu Thy/Liv mice. Viral replication assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A), p24 (B), Gag-p24+ thymocytes (C), and MHC-I expression on DP thymocytes (D). Thymocyte protection was assessed by total implant cellularity (E), thymocyte viability (F), percentage of DP thymocytes (G), and CD4/CD8 ratio (H) for NL4-3 versus MDR NY index case HIV-1-infected mice (means6SEM). *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for 7 mice per group. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g008 Validation of SCID-hu Model Figure 8. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) NY index case HIV-1 replicates and depletes thymocytes with kinetics comparable to HIV-1 NL4-3 in SCID- hu Thy/Liv mice. DISCUSSION Viral replication assessed by determining HIV-1 RNA (A), p24 (B), Gag-p24+ thymocytes (C), and MHC-I expression on DP thymocytes (D). Thymocyte protection was assessed by total implant cellularity (E), thymocyte viability (F), percentage of DP thymocytes (G), and CD4/CD8 ratio (H) for NL4-3 versus MDR NY index case HIV-1-infected mice (means6SEM). *p#0.05, compared with untreated mice for 7 mice per group. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000655.g008 August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 9 Validation of SCID-hu Model six or seven dosing groups of 5–8 mice for optimal statistical power. Given such group sizes and appropriate controls, it is possible to assign effective antiviral dose ranges with statistical precision [8]. Among animal models for HIV-1, this ability is unique: nonhuman primate models (i.e., SIV- or SHIV-infected rhesus macaques) cannot provide dosing groups of such size and cannot achieve the same statistical power and relatively lower cost per animal. There are several recent reports on the infection of humanized Rag22/2cc2/2 (RAG-hu) [47–50] and NOD/SCID BLT mice [51] with HIV-1, but there are no reports yet published on the evaluation of antiretroviral efficacy in these models, and it has not yet been demonstrated that 50–60 mice can be generated with the CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells from a single donor. In a recent review [52], Manz states that one of the challenges these CD34+-reconstituted mouse models face is that usually less than 10 mice can be transplanted from one human graft. once-daily dosing [55]. Taken together, these comparisons of licensed antiretrovirals in each major class suggest that the SCID- hu Thy/Liv model may also predict clinical antiviral efficacy in humans. These results extend an earlier validation of the model with the nucleoside analogs zidovudine and dideoxyinosine [8]. The predictive nature of SCID-hu mouse efficacy is further supported by the dosage levels required to achieve log order reductions in implant viral load when adjusted for the difference in surface area-to-body weight ratio between mice and humans. Upon initial examination, the effective dosage level of 1,000 mg/ kg per day for indinavir in the mice seems overly high until such an adjustment is made and the very high human daily dosage of 2.4 g (800 mg three times a day) is taken into consideration. Predictiveness of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv model for the behavior of HIV-1 in humans can be extended beyond antiretroviral efficacy to simple kinetics of viral replication and virus-mediated cytopathicity. REFERENCES 1. McCune JM, Namikawa R, Kaneshima H, Shultz LD, Lieberman M, et al. (1988) The SCID-hu mouse: murine model for the analysis of human hematolymphoid differentiation and function. Science 241: 1632–1639. 14. Stanley SK, McCune JM, Kaneshima H, Justement JS, Sullivan M, et al. (1993) Human immunodeficiency virus infection of the human thymus and disruption of the thymic microenvironment in the SCID-hu mouse. J Exp Med 178: 1151–1163. 2. Kaneshima H, Shih CC, Namikawa R, Rabin L, Outzen H, et al. (1991) Human immunodeficiency virus infection of human lymph nodes in the SCID- hu mouse. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 88: 4523–4527. 15. Aldrovandi GM, Feuer G, Gao L, Jamieson B, Kristeva M, et al. (1993) The SCID-hu mouse as a model for HIV-1 infection. Nature 363: 732–736. 3. Namikawa R, Kaneshima H, Lieberman M, Weissman IL, McCune JM (1988) Infection of the SCID-hu mouse by HIV-1. Science 242: 1684–1686. 16. Berkowitz RD, Alexander S, Bare C, Linquist-Stepps V, Bogan M, et al. (1998) CCR5- and CXCR4-utilizing strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 exhibit differential tropism and pathogenesis in vivo. J Virol 72: 10108–10117. 4. Kitchen SG, Zack JA (1998) HIV type 1 infection in lymphoid tissue: natural history and model systems. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 14 Suppl 3: S235–239. 17. Su L, Kaneshima H, Bonyhadi M, Salimi S, Kraft D, et al. (1995) HIV-1- induced thymocyte depletion is associated with indirect cytopathogenicity and infection of progenitor cells in vivo. Immunity 2: 25–36. 5. McCune JM (1996) Development and applications of the SCID-hu mouse model. Semin Immunol 8: 187–196. 6. McCune JM (1997) Animal models of HIV-1 disease. Science 278: 2141–21 6. McCune JM (1997) Animal models of HIV-1 disease. Science 278: 2141–2142. 7. McCune J, Kaneshima H, Krowka J, Namikawa R, Outzen H, et al. (1991) The 18. Jamieson BD, Uittenbogaart CH, Schmid I, Zack JA (1997) High viral burden and rapid CD4+ cell depletion in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected SCID-hu mice suggest direct viral killing of thymocytes in vivo. J Virol 71: 8245–8253. 7. McCune J, Kaneshima H, Krowka J, Namikawa R, Outzen H, et al. (1991) The SCID-hu mouse: a small animal model for HIV infection and pathogenesis. Annu Rev Immunol 9: 399–429. 19. Keir ME, Stoddart CA, Linquist-Stepps V, Moreno ME, McCune JM (2002) IFN-alpha secretion by type 2 predendritic cells up-regulates MHC class I in the HIV-1-infected thymus. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Sandra Bridges for longstanding support of the SCID-hu Thy/ Liv model, Opendra Sharma for supplying multiple-gram quantities of antiretroviral drugs, Tim Schmidt for performing p24 ELISA, and Mike McCune for helpful discussions. Author Contributions Conceived and designed the experiments: CS PB. Performed the experiments: CB JB GC SG AK MM JR RR BS. Analyzed the data: CS MM RR. Wrote the paper: CS. Conceived and designed the experiments: CS PB. Performed the experiments: CB JB GC SG AK MM JR RR BS. Analyzed the data: CS MM RR. Wrote the paper: CS. DISCUSSION AZT-resistant (JD) and MDR NY index case R5X4 clinical isolates replicate and cause thymocyte depletion with kinetics comparable to HIV-1 NL4-3. The data presented here show that drug-resistant clinical isolates can readily be used as challenge viruses in the SCID-hu Thy/Liv model for in vivo studies of new classes of antiretroviral drugs with activity against HIV-1 that is resistant to currently licensed antiretrovirals. In the experiments presented here, the second-generation antiretrovirals in each drug class were more potent than their first-generation predecessors. Thus, (–)-FTC was more potent than 3TC, the nonnucleoside RT inhibitor efavirenz was more potent than nevirapine, and the protease inhibitor atazanavir was more potent than indinavir. The greater potency of the newer drugs in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice is consistent with their observed greater potency in HIV-1-infected individuals. The nonnucleoside RT inhibitor (–)-FTC has greater potency than 3TC because the (–)- FTC-triphosphate is incorporated 10 times more efficiently than 3TC-triphosphate during HIV-1 RT-catalyzed RNA-dependent DNA synthesis [53]. The 10-fold greater potency of efavirenz compared to nevirapine in SCID-hu mice is entirely predictive of the superior oral bioavailability and plasma half-life characteristics of efavirenz [54], which allow for once-daily dosing in humans as the current standard of care compared with twice-daily dosing for nevirapine. Finally, the greater potency of atazanavir over indinavir in SCID-hu mice can be explained by a combination of its greater in vitro potency and oral bioavailability, allowing REFERENCES (1986) The role of mononuclear phagocytes in HTLV-III/LAV infection. Science 233: 215–219. 24. Aldrovandi GM, Zack JA (1996) Replication and pathogenicity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 accessory gene mutants in SCID-hu mice. J Virol 70: 1505–1511. 40. Greenberg ML, Cammack N (2004) Resistance to enfuvirtide, the first HIV fusion inhibitor. J Antimicrob Chemother 54: 333–340. 25. Aldrovandi GM, Gao L, Bristol G, Zack JA (1998) Regions of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 nef required for function in vivo. J Virol 72: 7032–7039. J 41. Rimsky LT, Shugars DC, Matthews TJ (1998) Determinants of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 resistance to gp41-derived inhibitory peptides. J Virol 72: 986–993. 42. Kovalev G, Duus K, Wang L, Lee R, Bonyhadi M, et al. (1999) Induction of MHC class I expression on immature thymocytes in HIV-1-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice: evidence of indirect mechanisms. J Immunol 162: 7555–7562. 26. Stoddart CA, Geleziunas R, Ferrell S, Linquist-Stepps V, Moreno ME, et al. (2003) Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Nef-mediated downregulation of CD4 correlates with Nef enhancement of viral pathogenesis. J Virol 77: 2124–2133. Thy/Liv mice: evidence of indirect mechanisms. J Immunol 16 43. Markowitz M, Mohri H, Mehandru S, Shet A, Berry L, et al. (2005) Infection with multidrug resistant, dual-tropic HIV-1 and rapid progression to AIDS: a case report. Lancet 365: 1031–1038. 27. Valentin A, Aldrovandi G, Zolotukhin AS, Cole SW, Zack JA, et al. (1997) Reduced viral load and lack of CD4 depletion in SCID-hu mice infected with Rev-independent clones of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. J Virol 71: 9817–9822. p 44. Mordenti J (1986) Man versus beast: pharmacokinetic scaling in mammals. J Pharm Sci 75: 1028–1040. 28. Berkowitz RD, Beckerman KP, Schall TJ, McCune JM (1998) CXCR4 and CCR5 expression delineates targets for HIV-1 disruption of T cell differenti- ation. J Immunol 161: 3702–3710. 45. Freireich EJ, Gehan EA, Rall DP, Schmidt LH, Skipper HE (1966) Quantitative comparison of toxicity of anticancer agents in mouse, rat, hamster, dog, monkey, and man. Cancer Chemother Rep 50: 219–244. J 29. Kitchen SG, Zack JA (1997) CXCR4 expression during lymphopoiesis: implications for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection of the thymus. J Virol 71: 6928–6934. p 46. Bast RC, Holland JF, Frei E, American Cancer Society (2000) Cancer medicine e.5 online. 5th ed. Hamilton, Ont. AtlantaGA: B.C. Decker; American Cancer Society. y 47. Baenziger S, Tussiwand R, Schlaepfer E, Mazzucchelli L, Heikenwalder M, et al. REFERENCES (2006) Disseminated and sustained HIV infection in CD34+ cord blood cell- transplanted Rag2-/-gamma c-/- mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103: 15951–15956. J 30. Berkowitz RD, van’t Wout AB, Kootstra NA, Moreno ME, Linquist-Stepps VD, et al. (1999) R5 strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from rapid progressors lacking X4 strains do not possess X4-type pathogenicity in human thymus. J Virol 73: 7817–7822. 48. Berges BK, Wheat WH, Palmer BE, Connick E, Akkina R (2006) HIV-1 infection and CD4 T cell depletion in the humanized Rag2-/-gamma c-/- (RAG-hu) mouse model. Retrovirology 3: 76. 31. Berkowitz RD, Alexander S, McCune JM (2000) Causal relationships between HIV-1 coreceptor utilization, tropism, and pathogenesis in human thymus. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 16: 1039–1045. 32. Jamieson BD, Pang S, Aldrovandi GM, Zha J, Zack JA (1995) In vivo pathogenic properties of two clonal human immunodeficiency virus type 1 isolates. J Virol 69: 6259–6264. 49. Gorantla S, Sneller H, Walters L, Sharp JG, Pirruccello SJ, et al. (2007) Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 pathobiology studied in humanized BALB/c- Rag2-/-gammac-/- mice. J Virol 81: 2700–2712. 33. Miller ED, Duus KM, Townsend M, Yi Y, Collman R, et al. (2001) Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 IIIB selected for replication in vivo exhibits increased envelope glycoproteins in virions without alteration in coreceptor usage: separation of in vivo replication from macrophage tropism. J Virol 75: 8498–8506. 50. Zhang L, Kovalev GI, Su L (2007) HIV-1 infection and pathogenesis in a novel humanized mouse model. Blood 109: 2978–2981. 51. Sun Z, Denton PW, Estes JD, Othieno FA, Wei BL, et al. (2007) Intrarectal transmission, systemic infection, and CD4+ T cell depletion in humanized mice infected with HIV-1. J Exp Med 204: 705–714. 34. Su L, Kaneshima H, Bonyhadi ML, Lee R, Auten J, et al. (1997) Identification of HIV-1 determinants for replication in vivo. Virology 227: 45–52. 52. Manz MG (2007) Human-hemato-lymphoid-system mice: opportunities and challenges. Immunity 26: 537–541. 53. Feng JY, Shi J, Schinazi RF, Anderson KS (1999) Mechanistic studies show that (-)-FTC-TP is a better inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase than 3TC-TP. FASEB J 13: 1511–1517. 35. Amado RG, Jamieson BD, Cortado R, Cole SW, Zack JA (1999) Reconstitution of human thymic implants is limited by human immunodeficiency virus breakthrough during antiretroviral therapy. J Virol 73: 6361–6369. 36. Koka PS, Fraser JK, Bryson Y, Bristol GC, Aldrovandi GM, et al. REFERENCES J Immunol 168: 325–331. 8. Rabin L, Hincenbergs M, Moreno MB, Warren S, Linquist V, et al. (1996) Use of standardized SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse model for preclinical efficacy testing of anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 compounds. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 40: 755–762. 20. Stoddart CA, Moreno ME, Linquist-Stepps VD, Bare C, Bogan MR, et al. (2000) Antiviral activity of 29-deoxy-39-oxa-49-thiocytidine (BCH-10652) against lamivudine-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in SCID-hu Thy/ Liv mice. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 44: 783–786. 9. McCune JM, Namikawa R, Shih CC, Rabin L, Kaneshima H (1990) Suppression of HIV infection in AZT-treated SCID-hu mice. Science 247: 564–566. 10. Namikawa R, Weilbaecher KN, Kaneshima H, Yee EJ, McCune JM (1990) Long-term human hematopoiesis in the SCID-hu mouse. J Exp Med 172: 1055–1063. 21. Datema R, Rabin L, Hincenbergs M, Moreno MB, Warren S, et al. (1996) Antiviral efficacy in vivo of the anti-human immunodeficiency virus bicyclam SDZ SID 791 (JM 3100), an inhibitor of infectious cell entry. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 40: 750–754. 11. Krowka JF, Sarin S, Namikawa R, McCune JM, Kaneshima H (1991) Human T cells in the SCID-hu mouse are phenotypically normal and functionally competent. J Immunol 146: 3751–3756. 22. Stoddart CA, Rabin L, Hincenbergs M, Moreno M, Linquist-Stepps V, et al. (1998) Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice by the G-quartet-forming oligonucleotide, ISIS 5320. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 42: 2113–2115. p 12. Bonyhadi ML, Rabin L, Salimi S, Brown DA, Kosek J, et al. (1993) HIV induces thymus depletion in vivo. Nature 363: 728–732. 13. Kaneshima H, Su L, Bonyhadi ML, Connor RI, Ho DD, et al. (1994) Rapid-high, syncytium-inducing isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 induce cytopathicity in the human thymus of the SCID-hu mouse. J Virol 68: 8188–8192. 23. Strizki JM, Xu S, Wagner NE, Wojcik L, Liu J, et al. (2001) SCH-C (SCH 351125), an orally bioavailable, small molecule antagonist of the chemokine PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 10 Validation of SCID-hu Model receptor CCR5, is a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 infection in vitro and in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98: 12718–12723. receptor CCR5, is a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 infection in vitro and in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98: 12718–12723. 39. Gartner S, Markovits P, Markovitz DM, Kaplan MH, Gallo RC, et al. REFERENCES (1998) Human immunodeficiency virus inhibits multilineage hematopoiesis in vivo. J Virol 72: 5121–5127. 54. Young SD, Britcher SF, Tran LO, Payne LS, Lumma WC, et al. (1995) L-743, 726 (DMP-266): a novel, highly potent nonnucleoside inhibitor of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 39: 2602–2605. 37. Withers-Ward ES, Amado RG, Koka PS, Jamieson BD, Kaplan AH, et al. (1997) Transient renewal of thymopoiesis in HIV-infected human thymic implants following antiviral therapy. Nat Med 3: 1102–1109. 55. Robinson BS, Riccardi KA, Gong YF, Guo Q, Stock DA, et al. (2000) BMS- 232632, a highly potent human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitor that can be used in combination with other available antiretroviral agents. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 44: 2093–2099. 38. Adachi A, Gendelman HE, Koenig S, Folks T, Willey R, et al. (1986) Production of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-associated retrovirus in human and nonhuman cells transfected with an infectious molecular clone. J Virol 59: 284–291. 56. De Clercq E (2004) Antiviral drugs in current clinical use. J Clin Virol 30: 115–133. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org August 2007 | Issue 8 | e655 11
https://openalex.org/W2944840386
https://arts.units.it/bitstream/11368/2994960/2/1-s2.0-S0550321319301282-main.pdf
English
null
Pseudo-periodic natural Higgs inflation
Nuclear physics. B
2,019
cc-by
11,280
I.G. Márián a, N. Defenu b, U.D. Jentschura c,d,e, A. Trombettoni f,g,∗, I. Nándori a,d,e I.G. Márián a, N. Defenu b, U.D. Jentschura c,d,e, A. Trombettoni f, I. Nándori a,d,e a University of Debrecen, P.O. Box 105, H-4010 Debrecen, Hungary b Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Heidelberg, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany c Department of Physics, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409-0640, USA d MTA–DE Particle Physics Research Group, P.O. Box 51, H-4001 Debrecen, Hungary e MTA Atomki, P.O. Box 51, H-4001 Debrecen, Hungary f CNR–IOM DEMOCRITOS Simulation Center, Via Bonomea 265, I-34136 Trieste, Italy g SISSA and INFN, Sezione di Trieste, Via Bonomea 265, I-34136 Trieste, Italy Received 26 October 2018; received in revised form 17 March 2019; accepted 15 May 2019 Available online 17 May 2019 Editor: Clay Córdova Editor: Clay Córdova ScienceDirect Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 www.elsevier.com/locate/nuclphysb * Corresponding author. E-mail address: andreatr@sissa.it (A. Trombettoni). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2019.114642 0550-3213/© 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP3. 1. Introduction Exponential expansion of the early universe can be explained by cosmic inflation, a theory which is developed to explain major issues such as the origin of the large-scale structure, the flat- ness of the universe, the horizon problem, the absence of monopoles and in general properties of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) [1]. A very comprehensively studied work hypothesis is that a hypothetical scalar field, i.e., the inflaton particle, is responsible for inflation which is caused by the slow-roll motion starting from a metastable false vacuum towards the real vacuum [2,3]. However, it is still a matter of discussion whether a particle physics mechanism can be associated to inflation or in general whether we have or not a reliable approach to inflation [4,5]. The recent detection of the Higgs boson renewed research activity where the inflaton is iden- tified with the Higgs field. Indeed, it seems to be possible to extrapolate the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics up to very high energies, and the most “economical” choice would be to use the same scalar field in order to describe the Higgs and inflationary physics. Nevertheless, various issues related to Higgs-inflation, like stability of the Higgs potential or the exit from the inflationary phase, need to be explained. As an example, it was argued in Ref. [6] that the tradi- tional Higgs inflation can be possible within a minimalistic framework even if the SM vacuum is not completely stable. Furthermore, the importance of renormalization group (RG) running on the stability question is highlighted (see, e.g., Refs. [7–9]). One can also mention the possible relation of the stability problem to unknown new physics, as in Refs. [10,11], where the analysis is performed in a flat as well as curved spacetime background, showing that new physics can have a significant impact on the stability condition of the vacuum. There are, however, several drawbacks of Higgs-inflation and in general cosmological infla- tion, which require further studies and explanation. A serious problem related to the identification of the Higgs with the inflaton is that a reliable model should work at cosmological as well as elec- troweak energy scales. Thus, a single model should be used to explain, simultaneously, recent data on CMBR thermal fluctuations and those measured at the electroweak scale. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP3. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP3. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP3. Abstract Inflationary cosmology represents a well-studied framework to describe the expansion of space in the early universe, as it explains the origin of the large-scale structure of the cosmos and the isotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation. The recent detection of the Higgs boson renewed research activ- ities based on the assumption that the inflaton could be identified with the Higgs field. At the same time, the question whether the inflationary potential can be extended to the electroweak scale and whether it should be necessarily chosen ad hoc in order to be physically acceptable are at the center of an intense de- bate. Here, we propose and perform the slow-roll analysis of the so-called Massive Natural Inflation (MNI) model which has three adjustable parameters, the explicit mass term, a Fourier amplitude u, and a fre- quency parameter β, in addition to a constant term of the potential. This theory has the advantage to present a structure of infinite non-degenerate minima and is amenable to an easy integration of high-energy modes. We show that, using PLANCK data, one can fix, in the large β-region, the parameters of the model in a unique way. We also demonstrate that the value for the parameters chosen at the cosmological scale does not influence the results at the electroweak scale. We argue that other models can have similar properties both at cosmological and electroweak scales, but with the MNI model one can complete the theory towards low energies and easily perform the integration of modes up to the electroweak scale, producing the correct order-of-magnitude for the Higgs mass. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: andreatr@sissa.it (A. Trombettoni). 2 I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 1. Introduction Another issue is, for example, the choice for the inflationary potential which means that there is a plethora of scalar models available in the literature [12] which all work well at cosmological scales and any choice of them seems to be ad hoc. Under the assumption of a relation of Higgs and inflationary physics, the solution for the former problem can automatically represent a solution for the latter, i.e., the requirement for a scalar potential viable both for inflationary and Higgs physics drasti- cally reduces the number of admissible proposals. Indeed, a mode integration treatment can help to relate parameters of a candidate model at both energy scales and it is expected to give us a tool to reduce the number of viable scenarios for inflation. In order to gain insights on the previous point, an important qualitative issue is provided by the task of understanding the structure of the inflaton potential. A simple harmonic potential φ2 has a single minimum which is known as the quadratic large-field inflationary (LFI) potential. One can add more minima through higher-order powers of the form φ2n. A general question is whether and how much one has to deviate from the φ2-Gaussian form. In Ref. [13], the “φ2 or not-φ2” is- sue was tested on the simplest inflationary potential: constraints were obtained and the relevance I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 3 of non-Gaussianity was discussed. From the opposite point of view, a very much “not-φ2” poten- tial is the one having infinitely many minima, at the same energy. In this logic, one can explore a periodic potential of a form having infinitely many minima, VNI(φ) = u [1 −cos(βφ)] which is known as the Natural Inflation (NI) or pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson model, while in field the- ory and condensed matter, it is denoted as the sine-Gordon model [14]. It has also been proposed and studied as a viable inflationary scenario [15–25] and to construct a convenient scalar sector by incorporating the periodic scalar axion potential too [25]. It was shown that the NI potential is able to produce agreement with PLANCK results [26–28] on the thermal fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) with a better agreement than the simplest LFI potential [13] and that in d = 4, it has a single phase [25]. 1. Introduction In this paper, we propose and use a relatively simple scalar model which has the advantage of having an overall φ2 form shifted by a constant and retaining however a structure with infinitely many minima. We show that the proposed potential (i) is a viable choice for inflation in its large β limit, and (ii) serves as a possible extension of the SM Higgs potential. The construction of the potential is based on the so-called massive sine-Gordon model where a term sinusoidal in the field is added to the standard quadratic mass term; this potential has already received significant attention in statistical field theory [29–32]. We denote our proposal as the Massive Natural Inflation (MNI) model, φ) = V0 + 1 2m2φ2 + ucos(βφ), (1) VMNI(φ) = V0 + 1 2m2φ2 + ucos(βφ), (1) where m is an explicit mass term, u is the Fourier amplitude, β is the frequency, and V0 is a constant (field-independent) term which is either chosen to be equal to zero or −u or adjusted in such a way that the global minimum value of the potential is retained at Vmin = VMNI(φmin) = 0. In general, the constant term can also be considered as a free parameter, however, we will demonstrate that it does not modify the slow-roll analysis (comparison with PLANCK data) in the large β limit and plays no role in the mode integration. The MNI potential (1) has, indeed, an infinite number of minima, separated by an amount of energy depending on the ratio of the coefficients multiplying the two terms, and ranging from the limit of infinite degenerate minima to a single non-degenerate absolute minimum. Therefore, the MNI model appears to be an excellent candidate for cosmological inflation and a viable extension for the SM Higgs potential. By mode integration, in the following, we show that it is possible to relate the parameters of the model at various energy scales (cosmological and electroweak). The next question is whether this constitutes a unique feature of the MNI model. Alternatively, one might ask if one can find, in general, other scalar models (with at least two parameters) which have the same properties. 1. Introduction As a partial answer to this question, we observe that, due to the fact that the studied model has two energy scales (cosmological and electroweak ones), which are far from each other, it is expected that any suitable theory in the low-energy (IR) limit (defined here as the electroweak scale) becomes insensitive to its high-energy (UV) behavior (here understood as the inflationary scale). This is demonstrated by us using the above mentioned MNI model, and we argue that this is a property shared by a number of related models. We will come back to these points in our conclusions. This paper is organized as follows: In Section 2 we discuss the application of the MNI poten- tial at cosmological scale, considering the comparison with PLANCK data and studying in detail the limit of high-frequency (high β). In Section 3, we consider the theory at electroweak scale, presenting a discussion of the relation between the Higgs mass and the parameters of the MNI model at low energies. The connection between the cosmological and the electroweak scales us- I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 4 ing the MNI model is detailed in Section 4, where we show explicitly that at low energy, the theory exhibits UV-insensitivity. The latter is clearly demonstrated by the derivation presented there, where the UV mass cancels out. Our conclusions are finally presented in Section 5. 2. Cosmological scale Early universe and Higgs physics are examples where scalar fields find a natural role to play in standard models of cosmology and particle physics. Since scalar fields can mimic the equation of state required for exponential expansion of the early universe, various types of scalar potentials have been proposed in inflationary cosmology. The simplest of these scenarios is provided by the slow-roll single-field models with minimal kinetic terms [12]. A good candidate for an inflation- ary potential should have a small number of free parameters which serves as the first condition for a reliable model, and the primary example is the well studied quadratic, LFI potential having the form V = 1 2 m2φ2. 2 Inflationary models should be as well tested on whether (and how well) they can reproduce the observed data of various experiments such as the PLANCK mission [26–28], which mea- sures thermal fluctuations of cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR). This serves as a minimal requirement to obtain a viable scenario for the post-inflationary period. We consider, motivated by the reasons exposed in Section 1, the MNI model (1). With the aim of performing checks on our results, we also consider three variants of the MNI model (1) provided by V1(φ) = 1 2m2φ2 + ucos(βφ), V2(φ) = 1 2m2φ2 + u[cos(βφ) −1] , V3(φ) = 1 2m2φ2 + ucos(βφ) −Vmin , V1(φ) = 1 2m2φ2 + ucos(βφ), (2a) V2(φ) = 1 2m2φ2 + u[cos(βφ) −1] , (2b) V3(φ) = 1 2m2φ2 + ucos(βφ) −Vmin , (2c) V1(φ) = 1 2m2φ2 + ucos(βφ), (2a) V2(φ) = 1 2m2φ2 + u[cos(βφ) −1] , (2b) V3(φ) = 1 2m2φ2 + ucos(βφ) −Vmin , (2c) (2a) (2b) (2c) where Vmin is introduced as an adjustable parameter to keep the global minimum of the potential at zero. where Vmin is introduced as an adjustable parameter to keep the global minimum of the potential at zero. 2.1. Slow-roll analysis Comparison of the Planck data with the slow-roll result of the MNI single-field inflationary potential (1) with the specific choice for the constant term given in Eq. (2b), for N = 55. The best choice for the parameters is that located inside the green region. The red line corresponds to fitted line starting from the origin. In the inset we report the comparison for small β of the best acceptance regions (for V2 and V3). (For interpretation of the colors in the figures, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) should be in the range 50 < N < 60 where φi and φf are the initial and final values of the vacuum expectation value (VeV) of the field over inflation. In a (d = 4)-dimensional field theory, the physical dimension of V has to be equal to mass4, so one can introduce dimensionless variables accordingly. By using an arbitrary scale k which has the dimension of mass, one has ˜V = V/k4, ˜φ = φ/k, ˜u = u/k4 , ˜m = m/k, ˜β = kβ : (5) ˜V = V/k4, ˜φ = φ/k, ˜u = u/k4 , ˜m = m/k, ˜β = kβ : / / k, ˜β = kβ : (5) (5) In order to obtain, from PLANCK data, the parameters of the MNI model (1), we will work in reduced Planck units c ≡¯h ≡1 and m2 p ≡1, corresponding to choose k = mp in Eqs. (5). As routinely done in literature, see e.g. Ref. [33], we also introduce the scalar tilt ns and tensor-to- scalar ratio r. They are related to the slow-roll parameters by the two relations ns ≈2η −6ϵ + 1 and r ≈16ϵ [33]. From the conditions ϵ(φf,ϵ) = 1 and η(φf,η) = 1, the final value of the field VeV can be calculated in Eq. (4) as φf ≡max  φf,ϵ,φf,η  . Knowing φf , one can determine its initial value φi by requiring that the E-fold number should be in the range 50 < N < 60 and then compute ns(φi) and r(φi). It is clear that the results depend on the chosen form of V : for exam- ple, the quadratic LFI model gives ns −1 ≈−2/N and r ≈8/N, so, the relation ns −1 +r/4 = 0 holds, which is in turn almost excluded by recent results of the PLANCK mission [26–28]. 2.1. Slow-roll analysis Since we use three different values for the field independent constant, the MNI model (and its considered variants), in addition to the usual normalization, have two adjustable parameters, the ratio u/m2 and the frequency β. The remaining two adjustable parameters can be fixed at cosmological scales by the standard slow-roll analysis where one has to calculate the following parameters (see e.g., Ref. [33]), ϵ ≡1 2m2 p V ′ V 2 , η ≡m2 p V ′′ V , ϵ ≡1 2m2 p V ′ V 2 , η ≡m2 p V ′′ V , (3) (3) with the Planck mass m2 p = 1/(8πG). Inflation is in progress if the conditions ϵ ≪1 and η ≪1, are fulfilled. If one of these parameters assumes a value on the order of unity, then inflation stops. In order to have a prolonged inflation, the E-fold number N which is defined by with the Planck mass m2 p = 1/(8πG). Inflation is in progress if the conditions ϵ ≪1 and η ≪1, are fulfilled. If one of these parameters assumes a value on the order of unity, then inflation stops. In order to have a prolonged inflation, the E-fold number N which is defined by p /( ) p g ≪ are fulfilled. If one of these parameters assumes a value on the order of unity, then In order to have a prolonged inflation, the E-fold number N which is defined by In order to have a prolonged inflation, the E-fold number N which is defined by N ≡−1 m2p φf  φi dφ V V ′ N ≡−1 m2p φf  φi dφ V V ′ (4) (4) I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 5 Fig. 1. Comparison of the Planck data with the slow-roll result of the MNI single-field inflationary potential (1) with the specific choice for the constant term given in Eq. (2b), for N = 55. The best choice for the parameters is that located inside the green region. The red line corresponds to fitted line starting from the origin. In the inset we report the comparison for small β of the best acceptance regions (for V2 and V3). (For interpretation of the colors in the figures, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) Fig. 1. 2.1. Slow-roll analysis We performed the described procedure for the potential (1) with various values for the constant term, with an ensuing comparison to CMBR data, see Appendix A. The results are summarized in Fig. 1. The inset shows the best acceptance regions in the small ˜β limit (for V2 and V3); these may depend on the particular choice of V0. However, we have verified, by numerical calculations, that in the large ˜β limit, each form of the MNI model considered by us gives the same slow-roll result, i.e., the best acceptance region becomes a straight line which does not depend on the specific form of the MNI model chosen. This statement holds for the region ˜β ≳1.5 and does 6 I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 not change when N is varied between 50 and 60. In general, because of the automatic retention of the minimum of the potential at zero, and because of the compact functional form, we prefer the potential V2, but we stress that our results are general. Indeed, the straight line of Fig. 1 does not depend on the particular choice for V0 and a further free parameter of the model can be fixed by CMBR normalization. In addition, the most important fact that we evince from Fig. 1 is that the (dimensionless) ratio ˜u ˜β2/ ˜m2 is also fixed. We denote it by a and we observe that, of course, ˜u ˜β2/ ˜m2 = uβ2/m2. It follows that when one extracts the MNI parameters from a comparison with experimental PLANCK data, one does not actually have two free parameters, but just one. In other words, the dark green “tail” (fitted by a red straight line) of the acceptance figure is a straight line, and the ratio uβ2/m2 remains unchanged for large β. This points to a kind of universal behavior in the large-frequency limit, i.e., at large β. In the following, we stick to this large-β region, corresponding to small field inflation, leaving a detailed analysis of small-β region for a future work. We conclude this Section by observing that the slow-roll study of the MNI potential has been performed preserving its sinusoidal functional form. One could, in principle, truncate the Taylor expansion of the MNI potential keeping only the constant, quadratic and quartic terms. One may find good agreement with the Planck data, but it would require a large explicit mass. 2.1. Slow-roll analysis However, such a large explicit (dimensionful) mass cannot be scaled down to the required value for the Higgs mass at the electroweak scale. We shall come back on this point in Section 3. 2.2. Unification of scales Based on the slow-roll analysis discussed above, one can fix almost all parameters of the MNI (1) potential, and there is only a single free parameter left. In this subsection, we show how this remaining free parameter can be determined by requiring a kind of unification of all scales at the Grand Unification Theory (GUT) scale k = 2 × 1016 GeV. The relation uβ2/m2 > 1 holds. The dimensionless ratio a = uβ2/m2 is found to have the following value a = ˜u ˜β2 ˜m2 ≈ 0.70 0.26 2 ≈7.24, (6) a = ˜u ˜β2 ˜m2 ≈ 0.70 0.26 2 ≈7.24, (6) as extracted from the data of Fig. 1. We emphasize that the result (6), valid at large β, do not depend on the constant term V0, as it is highly desirable. as extracted from the data of Fig. 1. We emphasize that the result (6), valid at large β, do not depend on the constant term V0, as it is highly desirable. One can choose a particular point of that straight line where one finds the explicit mass of the MNI model, 270 → m ∼7 × 1015 GeV, (7) ˜β ≈270 → m ∼7 × 1015 GeV, → m ∼7 × 1015 GeV, (7) (7) in the range of the cosmological scale, i.e., kcosmo ∼1015 −1016 GeV and close to the GUT scale. In this case the dimensionless ratio a again has the value a ≈7.24. One cannot choose larger value for ˜β because then the explicit mass would be larger than the typical energy scale of the system, i.e., the cosmological scale. Thus, our choice is a maximum for ˜β. With this particular choice ˜β ≈270, the initial value for the VeV of the field is around 0.02 mp (see Fig. 2). Thus, we would like to emphasize that the MNI potential (1) requires no large field values in the very beginning of the cosmic inflation, and so, it is more reliably supported by GUT motivated model building rather than typical large-field inflationary models, where one has to assume very large initial value for the VeV of the field (4 −20 mp). In addition, the initial I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 Fig. 2. The MNI potential (denoted in the text as V3) at the GUT scale. 2.2. Unification of scales The black blob denotes the initial value of the VeV in the inflationary period. Fig. 2. The MNI potential (denoted in the text as V3) at the GUT scale. The black blob denotes the initial value of the VeV in the inflationary period. value for the VeV of the MNI model is again in the range of the GUT scale. Therefore, by the choice ˜β ≈270 one is somehow able to unify all scales. Finally, one should mention the following. If one would like to take into account all conse- quences of the quantum fluctuations of the inflaton field over inflation (where the rolling down of the VeV is basically considered as a classical process), one has to consider the RG running where the running scale is associated to the slowly rolling field itself [34]. This can be done in a reliable manner if the initial value for the VeV is around the momentum scale (which other- wise has been used as the scale for RG running) typical for inflation which is the GUT scale (or cosmological scale). The MNI model (1) with the dimensionless frequency ˜β ≈270 fulfills the required criteria. 3. Electroweak scale There is a strong interest to find a link between these scalar fields of the Higgs and inflationary physics [35–45]. The Standard Model (SM) Higgs field is an SU(2) complex scalar doublet with four real components, and the underlying symmetry of the electroweak sector is SU(2)L × U(1)Y , thus, the SM Higgs Lagrangian reads as L = (Dμφ)⋆(Dμφ) −V (φ) −1 2Tr(FμνF μν) (8) (8) with with V = μ2φ⋆φ + λ(φ⋆φ)2 (9) (9) and ∂μ + igT · Wμ + ig′yjBμ, (10) Dμ = ∂μ + igT · Wμ + ig′yjBμ, (10) Dμ = ∂μ + igT · Wμ + ig′yjBμ, (10) where the vacuum expectation of the Higgs field is either at zero field for μ2 > 0 or at √φ⋆φ =  −μ2/(2λ) = v/ √ 2 for μ2 < 0 with v = 246 GeV known from low-energy experiments. The I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 8 field can be parametrized around its ground state, where the unitary phase can be dropped by choosing an appropriate gauge. As a consequence of the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism [46, 47], three degrees of freedom of the Higgs scalar field (out of the four) mix with weak gauge bosons. The remaining degree of freedom becomes the Higgs boson discovered at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider [48,49]. The complete Lagrangian for the Higgs sector of the SM with the single real scalar field h reads L = 1 2∂μh∂μh −1 2M2 hh2 −M2 h 2v h3 −M2 h 8v2 h4 +  M2 WW + μ W −μ + 1 2M2 ZZμZμ  1 + 2h v + h2 v2  , (11) (11) where Mh =  −2μ2 = √ 2λv2. The measured value for the Higgs mass Mh = 125.6 GeV im- plies λ = 0.13. Incidentally, we note that the latter value is close to the predicted value based on an assumption of the absence of new physics between the Fermi and Planck scales and the asymptotic safety of gravity [50]. Extrapolating the SM of particle physics up to very high energies leads to an interpretation of the Higgs boson as the inflaton. Therefore, the most “economical” choice would be to use the same scalar field for Higgs and inflationary physics. 3. Electroweak scale The Taylor expansion of the MNI model (1) recovers the SM Higgs potential (13) up to quartic terms and the parameters can be related: VMNI ≈V0 + 1 2(m2 −uβ2)φ2 + 1 24uβ4φ4 + O(φ6), (14) so that λv2 ≡(uβ2 −m2), λ ≡1 6uβ4. (15) VMNI ≈V0 + 1 2(m2 −uβ2)φ2 + 1 24uβ4φ4 + O(φ6), (14) VMNI ≈V0 + 2(m2 −uβ2)φ2 + 24uβ4φ4 + O(φ6), (14) so that λv2 ≡(uβ2 −m2), λ ≡1 6uβ4. (15) so that so that ≡(uβ2 −m2), λ ≡1 6uβ4. (15) λv2 ≡(uβ2 −m2), λ ≡1 6uβ4. (15) Thus the MNI model (1) can be considered as an UV completion of the SM Higgs potential. Further details of the UV completion is shown in Appendix C. The measurable quantities are related to the parameters of the model according to the following relations: Thus the MNI model (1) can be considered as an UV completion of the SM Higgs potential. Further details of the UV completion is shown in Appendix C. The measurable quantities are related to the parameters of the model according to the following relations: Mh ≡m 2 uβ2 m2 −1  , v ≡1 β 6(uβ2/m2 −1) uβ2/m2 . (16) (16) Their low-energy/IR values are given at the electroweak scale by Their low-energy/IR values are given at the electroweak scale by Their low-energy/IR values are given at the electroweak scale by Mh,IR = 125 GeV, vIR = 245 GeV, (17) Mh,IR = 125 GeV, vIR = 245 GeV, (17) at the scale kIR ∼250 GeV. N i h ki i hi h d i E (14) i i l i Mh,IR = 125 GeV, vIR = 245 GeV, (17) at the scale kIR ∼250 GeV. R = 125 GeV, vIR = 245 GeV, (17) Notice that taking into account higher order terms in Eq. (14) gives rise to results consistent with (16), as discussed in Appendix D. Let us note, that the Higgs mass and VeV defined by (16) can be calculated also at the cos- mological scales. For example, in the large ˜β region the slow-roll study produces values for the Higgs mass and VeV in the same order of magnitude which serves as a high-energy/UV scale Mh,UV ∼vUV ∼1015 GeV, (18a) mUV ∼1015 GeV, βUV ∼10−15 GeV−1 , (18b) Mh,UV ∼vUV ∼1015 GeV, (18a) mUV ∼1015 GeV, βUV ∼10−15 GeV−1 , (18b) at the scale kUV ∼1015 GeV. 3. Electroweak scale These need to be scaled down (by orders of magnitude) to their measured values at the electroweak scale (17). The integration of high-energy modes is a well- known method which provides us this scaling down by the successful integration of the field fluctuations. Therefore, let us discuss the integration of the high-energy modes in the MNI model in the post-inflation period. at the scale kUV ∼1015 GeV. These need to be scaled down (by orders of magnitude) to their measured values at the electroweak scale (17). The integration of high-energy modes is a well- known method which provides us this scaling down by the successful integration of the field fluctuations. Therefore, let us discuss the integration of the high-energy modes in the MNI model in the post-inflation period. 3. Electroweak scale The action can be defined either in the Jordan frame in which some function of the scalar field multiplies the Ricci scalar R, or in the Einstein frame in which the Ricci scalar is not multiplied by a scalar field [51]. To perform the slow-roll study, the action is usually rewritten in the Einstein frame and it takes the form for the case of minimal coupling to gravity, S =  d4x√−g  m2 pR 2 −1 2gμν ∂μφ ∂νφ −V (φ) , V ≡λ 4 φ2 −v2 2 = M2 h 8v2 φ2 −v2 2 , (12) (12) where the metric tensor being denoted by gμν, √−g ≡√−detg while φ ≡h and V is the quartic-type double-well scalar potential of (11), where the metric tensor being denoted by gμν, √−g ≡√−detg while φ ≡h and V is the quartic-type double-well scalar potential of (11), V (φ) = λ 4v4 −1 2λv2φ2 + λ 4φ4 , (13) V (φ) = λ 4v4 −1 2λv2φ2 + λ 4φ4 , (13) where the field variable is shifted as h →h + v. The case of non-minimal inflation is discussed in Appendix B. Another proposal to build up the scalar sector is the Higgs inflation from false vacuum with minimal coupling to gravity where the SM Higgs potential is extended and assumed to develop a second (or more) minimum [35–38]. The difficulty is to achieve an exit from the inflationary phase: one may introduce new fields, but then the attractive minimality of the model would be lost. Another possible drawback of the Higgs-inflaton potential to its applicability is that the mea- sured Higgs mass is close to the lower limit, 126 GeV, ensuring absolute vacuum stability within the SM [52]. However, it was also shown [6] that traditional Higgs inflation can be possible within a minimalistic framework even if the SM vacuum is not completely stable. Various poly- nomial Higgs potentials have been studied by functional RG [8,9] and reported no stability problems. I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 9 All versions of the MNI model studied by us contain two adjustable parameters (the ratio u/m2 and the frequency β) and a normalization (the field-independent terms has been fixed by us). 4.1. Flow equation for the potential A field theory closely related to the MNI model (1), namely, the massive sine-Gordon scalar model, was extensively studied in d = 2 dimensions by functional RG method [29–32]. Here, we consider d = 4 dimensions. The procedure, standard in RG approaches, consists in eliminating the high-energy modes by integrating them. This gives an equation for the flow of the potential, and the general fact is that this equation is a functional one. When the high-energy modes are integrated out, the potential therefore becomes scale-dependent, V →Vk, where with the symbol Vk we denote that the modes with momenta larger than k have been integrated out. To determine the dependence on the scale k one has to solve the RG flow equation which has the following form at the level of the local potential approximation where higher-order derivatives of the field are neglected [53,54], k∂kVk(φ) = 1 2  ddp (2π)d k∂kRk Rk + p2 + ∂2 φVk , (19) (19) where Rk = Rk(p2) is a cut-off function, which in the functional RG jargon is called regulator function. Then, one can turn to dimensionless quantities, denoted by a tilde superscript as written in Eqs. (5). The RG flow equation becomes where Rk = Rk(p2) is a cut-off function, which in the functional RG jargon is called regulator function. Then, one can turn to dimensionless quantities, denoted by a tilde superscript as written in Eqs. (5). The RG flow equation becomes  d −d −2 2 ˜φ∂˜φ + k∂k  ˜Vk( ˜φ) = −αd ∞  0 dy r′ y d 2 +1 [1 + r]y + ∂2 ˜φ ˜Vk , (20) (20) with αd = d/(2(2π)d) and d = 2πd/2/ (d/2), where it is intended we have to put d = 4. Moreover r(y) is the dimensionless regulator defined by r(y) = Rk(p2)/p2, with y = p2/k2 and r′ = dr/dy. The integral in the right-hand-side of Eq. (20) can be performed analytically by the appropriate choice of the regulator function, for example by using r(y) = (1/y −1)(1 −y). The results should be independent on the particular regulator which has been chosen: this issue has been discussed in considerable detail in the functional RG literature, so we just pass to present our results. 4. Mode integration In principle, a comprehensive study of the integration of high-energy modes requires an ac- curate treatment of gauge and fermion fields and not just a single scalar potential. However, the MNI model has a very important feature, namely it contains a periodic and a quadratic self- interaction term (apart from the trivial constant term). It allows to perform explicitly, in an easy way, the integration of modes up to the electroweak scale. The explanation is the following. The integration of modes is done by solving the RG flow differential equation where not the action but its Hessian (second derivative) appears on the one side [53,54]. So, even if the scalar field couples to any gauge or fermion fields in the action (which are not higher than quadratic in the scalar field), the Hessian remains periodic in the scalar sector. Therefore, it represents a reliable approximation if one looks for the solution of the equation among scalar periodic functions and neglect the effect of other fields. 10 I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 4.1. Flow equation for the potential Two comments are anyway in order: i) the mode integration procedure above described give the same results for all variants of the MNI model (V1, V2 and V3) since the derivation with respect to the field eliminates any dependence on field-independent terms; ii) the results pre- sented in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, and the UV-insensitivity property, do not depend on the choice of the regulator. Our results can be summarized by observing that one finds two phases controlled by the dimensionless quantity ˜uk ˜β2 k/ ˜m2 k, which tends to a constant in the IR limit. In the (Z2) symmetric phase the magnitude of this constant is arbitrary (and depends on the initial conditions), but always smaller than one, i.e., limk→0 |˜uk ˜β2 k/ ˜m2 k| < 1 (see the blue lines of Fig. 3). In the spontaneously broken (SSB) phase, the IR value of the magnitude of the ratio is exactly one (independently of the initial values) which serves as an upper bound, see green lines of Fig. 3. The black line separates the two phases. In other words, trajectories in the SSB phase (green lines) merge into a master trajectory (green line parallel to the black one) of Fig. 3 which implies ¯uk ˜β2 k = 1 + ˜m2 k , (21) I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 11 Fig. 3. Flow of the MNI model showing two phases separated by a black line with a unit slope. The blue lines correspond to the symmetric phase, while the green lines correspond to the SSB phase. Fig. 3. Flow of the MNI model showing two phases separated by a black line with a unit slope. The blue lines correspond to the symmetric phase, while the green lines correspond to the SSB phase. and it results in the following scaling: ¯uk ˜β2 k ˜m2 k −1 = 1 ˜m2 k = k2 m2 UV . ¯uk ˜β2 k ˜m2 k −1 = 1 ˜m2 k = k2 m2 UV . (22) (22) This scaling relation is valid when the running is determined by the master trajectory which, apart from the very beginning of the running, is always the case in the SSB phase. We observe that Eq. 4.1. Flow equation for the potential (22) has been obtained with a non-perturbative approach for the MNI potential (1), but one may expect that it is valid for other classed of inflationary potentials, as we are going to discuss in Section 4.2 and 5. However, the MNI potential (1) is well suited to find Eq. (22) in a particularly transparent way. Eq. (22) can be used to determine the IR value of the Higgs mass and VeV from the UV initial conditions (18a) and compared to the known results of (17). Indeed by substituting (22) into (16) and assuming running parameters ˜uk ˜β2 k/ ˜m2 k = ukβ2/m2, one gets Mh(k) = mUV   2  ˜uk ˜β2 k ˜m2 k −1  . (23) Mh(k) = mUV   2  ˜uk ˜β2 k ˜m2 k −1  . (23) Now, one uses Eq. (22) and obtains Mh(k) = mUV √ 2 k2 m2 UV = √ 2  mUV k   mUV = √ 2k, (24) (24) where the cancellation of the UV mass has been made evident. We observe, for absolute clarity, that this property does not depend of the specific form of the flow (20), but is a consequence of the fact that the slope of the master trajectory is constant. I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 12 Fig. 4. Flow of the Higgs mass from the cosmological (UV) scale to the electroweak (IR) scale obtained from the study of the MNI model. The trajectories merge into a single line showing UV insensitivity. Fig. 4. Flow of the Higgs mass from the cosmological (UV) scale to the electroweak (IR) scale obtained from the study of the MNI model. The trajectories merge into a single line showing UV insensitivity. Similarly, one gets v(k) = 1 βUV   6(˜uk ˜β2 k/ ˜m2 k −1) ˜uk ˜β2 k/ ˜m2 k ≈ √ 6k mUVβUV , (25) v(k) = 1 βUV   6(˜uk ˜β2 k/ ˜m2 k −1) ˜uk ˜β2 k/ ˜m2 k ≈ √ 6k mUVβUV , (25) which has important consequences. Since kIR = 250 GeV, it provides the required IR values (17), at least the same order, in accordance with measurements. Furthermore, the IR values for the Higgs mass becomes independent of the UV initial parameter (see Fig. 4). which has important consequences. 4.1. Flow equation for the potential Since kIR = 250 GeV, it provides the required IR values (17), at least the same order, in accordance with measurements. Furthermore, the IR values for the Higgs mass becomes independent of the UV initial parameter (see Fig. 4). We conclude this Section by observing that the (dimensionful) Higgs mass has a weak RG running in the framework of perturbative RG in the SM [55]. We are in agreement with this fact, since in our model the (dimensionful) mass m has no running at all. However, with the non-perturbative approach followed in the present paper, the Higgs mass is an effective mass and it is not the explicit mass m. This is shown in Fig. 4 clearly demonstrating the linear dependence of the effective Higgs mass obtained using the MNI model (1). 4.2. Comments on universality The previous derivation show that the details at cosmological scale do not influence the quan- tities at the electroweak scale. This property manifests itself through the cancellation of the parameter m of the MNI determined at cosmological scale using PLANCK data. In practice, whatever is the value of m and β at cosmological scale, one gets the same value for the Higgs mass, which depends only on the chosen energy scale at electroweak, IR scale, which we can denote by kew. This is evident from the universality of the flow, as depicted in Fig. 4, where all trajectories flow into the same point. Our analysis also shows that the initial condition, which we may denote by kstart, chosen as starting point for the mode integration, also does not play a role. 13 I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 Now, the question that naturally emerges is the following: is this property specific to the MNI alone or not? Before answering, we pause to comment that in general, the MNI is very suited to show the property of independence of the Higgs mass from the initial conditions and from the values of the parameters at cosmological scale, since the mode integration can be performed straightforwardly using known results from field theory. Actually, the cancellation of the mass m emerge naturally and with a minimally simple calculation. However, this usefulness of the MNI does not imply that it is the only model exhibiting such features. Indeed, we expect that other two-parameter inflationary model with Z2 symmetry will give the same results. The reason for such expectation is three-fold: from one side, during the mode integration, all powers of the field are generated and the interplay of the minima depends on these powers. Such a generation is not specific of the MNI model and will be exhibited by other models: actually, we can say the opposite, namely that if the model has an Higgs mass depending on the parameters determined from cosmological data, then most probably it could be characterized as unphysical. So, this led to conclude that extending an inflationary model towards low energies should produce the same Higgs mass provided that kew is fixed, and the MNI is in our opinion just a simple model showing this result. 4.2. Comments on universality From the other side, it is well known that mode integration makes the potential tend to a convex form starting from a concave one, and this is in agreement with Mh(kew)/m ≪1. Finally, it should be noted that for scalar theories in four dimensions, the only relevant and marginal couplings are the quadratic and the quartic one respectively. When considering more complicated functional forms for the potential, the scaling arguments cannot be straightforwardly applied, and the irrelevance of higher-order field terms is not evident from the β-functions. Even in this case, the simple scaling arguments are expected to hold, and so we expect the irrelevance from the UV conditions to hold even for different UV completions. 5. Conclusions and outlook This property, by contrast, is not shared by other UV-admissible models which work at the cosmological scale. Within our assumptions, the Higgs mass is found to be independent of the parameters found at the cosmological scale. • We argue that these properties are shared by other two-parameter inflationary models, but our model provides an ideal framework to explicitly show it in a straightforward way. • We argue that these properties are shared by other two-parameter inflationary models, but our model provides an ideal framework to explicitly show it in a straightforward way. We conclude that the model is valid both at cosmological and electroweak scales. We conclude that the model is valid both at cosmological and electroweak scales. Finally, we comment on the consequences of our results related to three major issues of infla- tionary cosmology which have and are intensely discussed. The first concerns the identification of the inflaton with the Higgs field, i.e., whether the inflationary potential can be extended to electroweak scale in a reliable way. The second is whether the high-energy properties of the theory affect or not the low-energy ones: when there is not such influence, one talks about UV- insensitivity [56]. The third issue is related to the fact that many inflationary models can be and have been proposed [12], so that it may be asked whether and how the correct model should be chosen. The fact that one has to choose an ad hoc potential with a fine tuning of its parameters and of the initial conditions is certainly an argument against inflationary scenarios. Our paper brings a contribution to this on-going discussion, since our results suggest that the answer to the first question is “yes”, in the sense that the results for the Higgs mass does not depend on the values of the parameters at the cosmological scale and that one can explicitly build a model valid at the cosmological and electroweak scale. The answer to the second question, looking at the results of the MNI analysis presented in the present paper, is that there is UV-insensitivity, as the MNI clearly shows with the cancelation of the mass m at cosmological scale in deter- mining Mh(kew). For the third question we conclude “no”, in the sense that other models with non-fine tuned initial conditions share the same properties. The affirmative answer to the first question supports Higgs inflationary models. 5. Conclusions and outlook A good candidate for an inflationary potential should fulfill the following conditions, (i) have an as-simple-possible functional form (with the smallest possible number of parameters), (ii) pro- vide the best agreement with observations, (iii) be as “economical” as possible in term of the formulation of the theory. In this paper, we propose the extended version of the massive sine- Gordon theory as an inflationary potential and we refer to it as the massive Natural Inflation (MNI) model. We show that adding the mass term to the periodic potential produces a remark- ably improved agreement with the Planck results. We attribute such improvement to the fact that it has infinitely many minima, but they are non-degenerate and with tunable controllable energy difference, providing a way to be as much as possible both “φ2 and not-φ2”. The crucial point emerging from a careful analysis of different potentials is that the inflationary potential should have a concave region, and the mass term in the MNI potential add such an overall convexity in presence of the many minima. To explore the issue of the convexity, we used the known renormalization group (RG) results for the MNI model, extending them to d = 4, to perform explicitly the mode integration. We then determined the phase diagram associated to the running determined by the slow-roll conditions having in mind the post-inflation period. The obtained values for the ratio |˜uk ˜β2 k/ ˜m2 k| are found in the phase of spontaneous symmetry breaking (above the critical line). Thus, the study of the MNI model shows that slow-roll conditions represent strong constraints on the RG running i.e., it stays in its broken phase. Moreover, the mode integration produces a convex (dimensionful) potential in agreement with the theoretical requirement of the convexity of the effective poten- tial. 14 I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 In conclusion, we introduced a model for cosmological inflation, based on a UV completion of the Higgs potential, which has the following properties: • It works at cosmological level, and its parameters can be fixed from PLANCK and BICEP2 experimental data. (This property is shared with many other models which are consistent with available data at the cosmological scale, but still constitutes an important consistency check of our model.) • Our model also works at the electroweak scale which means its parameter can be fixed by comparison with experimental data. 5. Conclusions and outlook If one were to insist that a single specific model, with uniquely determined parameters, should explain the physical properties at all scales, then the model-independence and UV-insensitivity could be considered as an argument against Higgs inflation. However, if one is taking an approach like the renormalization group approach à la Wil- son, then the model-independence (and UV-insensitivity) is not only desirable, but, in a sense, required. Summing all the radiative corrections to the quartic Higgs potential (and of course having at disposal more experimental data) could shed light on this apparent contradiction and on the form of the effective action at the cosmological scale. However, we think that the top-down approach based on a guessed action at high-energies may give very useful information to clarify the prop- erties that the UV action should have in order to fulfill the requested requirements at all scales. This approach is opposite to the more standard one bottom-up, which starts from the low-energy properties and tries to obtain the action at high-energies, and it may give complementary infor- mation. This is one of the reasons for which we hope that the results presented in this paper may contribute to the discussion on the validity of specific inflationary models. I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 15 In conclusion, we found a class of MNI models which show UV insensitivity and can act as viable candidates for an inflaton mechanism, via integration of the high-energy modes. While it will be impossible, from low-energy experiments alone, to determine which is the correct one, one could confirm that only rather moderate extensions of the Standard Model (in this case, the addition of periodic terms) would be required for a consistent extrapolation to very high energy scales, the latter being of cosmological relevance. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and by the ÚNKP-17-3 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities. Useful discussions with F. Bianchini, G. Gori, J. Rubio, Z. Trocsanyi and G. Somogyi are gratefully acknowledged. Support from the National Science Foundation (Grant PHY-1710856) also is being acknowledged. Financial support by the CNR/MTA Italy–Hungary 2019–2021 Joint Project “Strongly interacting systems in confined geometries” is gratefully ac- knowledged. Appendix A. Inflationary predictions In this appendix we discuss the applicability of the Natural Inflation (NI) and the Massive Natural Inflation (MNI) potentials for cosmology. The slow-roll parameters (ϵ, η, ns, r) of the NI model reads as NI model reads as ϵ = ˜β2 2 cot2  ˜β ˜φ 2  , η = ˜β2 2 cos( ˜β ˜φ) sin2 ˜β ˜φ 2 , N = −2 ˜β2 logcos  ˜β ˜φ 2  ˜φi ˜φf ns −1 ≈˜β2  1 −2sin−2  ˜β ˜φ 2  , r ≈8 ˜β2 cot  ˜β ˜φ 2  ϵ = ˜β2 2 cot2  ˜β ˜φ 2  , η = ˜β2 2 cos( ˜β ˜φ) sin2 ˜β ˜φ 2 , N = −2 ˜β2 logcos  ˜β ˜φ 2  ˜φi ˜φf ns −1 ≈˜β2  1 −2sin−2  ˜β ˜φ 2  , r ≈8 ˜β2 cot  ˜β ˜φ 2  ϵ = ˜β2 2 cot2  ˜β ˜φ 2  , η = ˜β2 2 cos( ˜β ˜φ) sin2 ˜β ˜φ 2 , which imply the relation ns −1 + r 4 = −˜β2 which is very similar to that of obtained for the quadratic monomial potential but having a dependence on the frequency ˜β, thus, it appears as an additional parameter which can be tuned ( ˜β ∼0.15) to achieve a better agreement with the Planck data, see orange line segments of Fig. 5. Appendix A. Inflationary predictions The slow-roll parameters of the MNI model (2b), The slow-roll parameters of the MNI model (2b), ϵ = 1 2 ⎛ ⎝ −˜u ˜m2 ˜β sin( ˜β ˜φ) + ˜φ ˜u ˜m2  cos( ˜β ˜φ) −1  + 1 2 ˜φ2 ⎞ ⎠ 2 η = −˜u ˜m2 ˜β2 cos( ˜β ˜φ) + 1 ˜u ˜m2  cos( ˜β ˜φ) −1  + 1 2 ˜φ2 N = − ˜φf  ˜φi d ˜φ ˜u ˜m2  cos( ˜β ˜φ) −1  + 1 2 ˜φ2 −˜u ˜m2 ˜β sin( ˜β ˜φ) + ˜φ ϵ = 1 2 ⎛ ⎝ −˜u ˜m2 ˜β sin( ˜β ˜φ) + ˜φ ˜u ˜m2  cos( ˜β ˜φ) −1  + 1 2 ˜φ2 ⎞ ⎠ 2 (26) η = −˜u ˜m2 ˜β2 cos( ˜β ˜φ) + 1 ˜u ˜m2  cos( ˜β ˜φ) −1  + 1 2 ˜φ2 (27) N = − ˜φf  ˜φi d ˜φ ˜u ˜m2  cos( ˜β ˜φ) −1  + 1 2 ˜φ2 −˜u ˜m2 ˜β sin( ˜β ˜φ) + ˜φ (28) (26) (27) (28) I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 16 Fig. 5. CMBR parameters, i.e., scalar tilt ns and tensor-to-scalar ratio r derived (i) for the Natural Inflation model for various frequencies (orange line segments) and (ii) for the MNI model with fixed ratio ˜u/ ˜m2 ∼1/(0.2)2 and frequency ˜β ∼0.4 (purple line segment). Both are compared to results of the Planck mission [26–28] where dark color regions stand for 95% CL and light color regions correspond to 68% CL. Fig. 5. CMBR parameters, i.e., scalar tilt ns and tensor-to-scalar ratio r derived (i) for the Natural Inflation model for various frequencies (orange line segments) and (ii) for the MNI model with fixed ratio ˜u/ ˜m2 ∼1/(0.2)2 and frequency ˜β ∼0.4 (purple line segment). Both are compared to results of the Planck mission [26–28] where dark color regions stand for 95% CL and light color regions correspond to 68% CL. depend on the ratio ˜u/ ˜m2 and the frequency ˜β. The inclusion of the explicit mass term ( 1 2m2φ2) in the periodic (i.e., NI) potential improves the inflationary predictions of the model, see Fig. 5. Appendix B. Non-minimal inflation In this appendix we discuss the case of a large non-minimal coupling to gravity [39–45], where the interpretation of the Higgs boson as the inflaton results in the following action in the Jordan frame S =  d4x  −¯g m2 p 2  F(˜h) ¯R −¯gμν∂μ ˜h∂ν ˜h −2U(˜h)  , F(h) = 1 + ξ ˜h2, U(˜h) = m2 p λ 4  ˜h2 −v2 m2p 2 , (29) (29) where ˜h is the dimensionless Higgs scalar (h = mp ˜h), ξ is a new parameter and ¯gμν is the metric in the Jordan frame. Of course, by convention, √−¯g ≡√−det ¯g, while U(˜h) is the dimension- less quartic-type double-well scalar potential with a Z2 symmetry, equivalent to the SM Higgs potential of (11). In order to show this one has to (i) introduce a dimensionful field variable, (ii) replace the quartic self-coupling by the Higgs mass, i.e., λ = M2 h/(2v2) as is indicated below Eq. (11), and (iii) shift the field variable as h →h + v. To perform the slow-roll study, the action is usually rewritten in the Einstein frame and it takes the form S =  d4x√−g  m2 pR 2 −1 2gμν ∂μφ ∂νφ −V (φ) , S =  d4x√−g  m2 pR 2 −1 2gμν ∂μφ ∂νφ −V (φ) , V ≡m2 p U F 2 , dφ d ˜h = mp  1 + ξ(1 + 6ξ)˜h2 1 + ξ ˜h2 , (30) V ≡m2 p U F 2 , dφ d ˜h = mp  1 + ξ(1 + 6ξ)˜h2 1 + ξ ˜h2 , 2 p U F 2 , dφ d ˜h = mp  1 + ξ(1 + 6ξ)˜h2 1 + ξ ˜h2 , (30) V ≡m2 p U F 2 , dφ d ˜h = mp  1 + ξ(1 + 6ξ)˜h2 1 + ξ ˜h2 , (30) U 2 , dφ d ˜h = mp  1 + ξ(1 + 6ξ)h2 1 + ξ ˜h2 , (30) (30) where the metric tensor being denoted by gμν. For ξ ̸= 0, the Higgs-ξ inflaton etric tensor being denoted by gμν. For ξ ̸= 0, the Higgs-ξ inflaton potential reads metric tensor being denoted by gμν. Appendix B. Non-minimal inflation For ξ ̸= 0, the Higgs-ξ inflaton potential reads V (φ) = m4 pλ 4ξ2  1 −exp  −  2 3 φ mp  2 , V (φ) = m4 pλ 4ξ2  1 −exp  −  2 3 φ mp  2 , (31) (31) I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 17 which is considered as a zero parameter model since the overall factor of the potential is entirely determined by the amplitude of the CMBR anisotropies. In the framework of this inflationary scenario, one needs to take extra precautions in order not to violate perturbative unitarity. Appendix C. UV completion Alternatively, the MNI-type UV completion of the SM Higgs potential can be formulated as Alternatively, the MNI-type UV completion of the SM Higgs potential can be formulated as V = 1 2M2φ⋆φ + u[cos(b  φ⋆φ) −1], V = 1 2M2φ⋆φ + u[cos(b  φ⋆φ) −1], φ⋆φ + u[cos(b  φ⋆φ) −1], (32) (32) which recovers the scalar potential in (8) after its Taylor expansion with μ2 ≡1/2 (M2 −ub2) and λ ≡1 24 ub4. Performing the same parametrization of the field used in order to get from (8) to (11) one finds which recovers the scalar potential in (8) after its Taylor expansion with μ2 ≡1/2 (M2 −ub2) and λ ≡1 24 ub4. Performing the same parametrization of the field used in order to get from (8) to (11) one finds V = 1 2 M2 2 (h + v)2 + u  cos  b √ 2 (h + v)  −1  , (33) (33) which is identical (apart from constant terms) to the MNI model (1) after shifting the field by a constant h + v →φ and introducing m2 ≡M2/2 and β ≡b/ √ 2. This validates that the MNI model is a suitable extension of the SM Higgs potential. The broken symmetric case corresponds to parameters where 1 < uβ2/m2 = ub2/M2, i.e., where μ2 < 0. Appendix D. Effect of higher order terms on the vacuum expectation value The vacuum expectation value (VEV) v is defined by the value of the field (φ) at the minima of the potential: V (φ = v) = min(V ). = v) = min(V ). (34) V (φ = v) = min(V ). (34) In our case the VEV is the closest solutions to zero of the equation In our case the VEV is the closest solutions to zero of the equation dV dφ  φ=v = 0, dV dφ  φ=v = 0, (35) (35) dφ  φ=v = 0, (35) which for the MNI model writes as which for the MNI model writes as which for the MNI model writes as which for the MNI model writes as m2v −βusin(βv) = 0. m2v −βusin(βv) = 0. (36) bt i m2v −βusin(βv) = 0. (36) (36) One obtains uβ2/m2 −1 uβ2/m2 = 1 −sin(βv) βv . (37) uβ2/m2 −1 uβ2/m2 = 1 −sin(βv) βv . −1 2 = 1 −sin(βv) βv . (37) (37) The left hand side is smaller than one and we remind the reader that we are looking for the solutions for v which are the closest to zero. Thus the calculations with only the first order of the right hand side (which is equivalent to keep only the φn terms, with n ≤4, in the potential) is a reasonable approximation, see Fig. 6. We conclude that taking into account the higher terms changes the scaling of the VEV, which anyway stays very close to the first order approximation written in the paper. I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 18 Fig. 6. The first order approximation of the right hand side of (37) (black line). The red line is the maximum value of the left hand side of (37) while the blue curve is the exact result. Fig. 6. The first order approximation of the right hand side of (37) (black line). The red line is the maximum value of the left hand side of (37) while the blue curve is the exact result. References [1] A.H. Guth, Phys. Rev. D 23 (1981) 347. [1] A.H. Guth, Phys. Rev. D 23 (1981) 347. [1] A.H. Guth, Phys. Rev. D 23 (1981) 347. [2] A. Linde, Phys. Lett. B 108 (1982) 389. [3] A. Albrecht, P.J. Steinhardt, Phys. Rev. Lett. 48 (1982) 1220. [4] J. Earman, J. Mosterin, Philos. Sci. 66 (1999) 1. [5] P.J. Steinhardt, Sci. Am. 304 (2011) 18. [6] F. Bezrukov, J. Rubio, M. Shaposhnikov, Phys. Rev. D 92 (2015) 083512. 6] F. Bezrukov, J. Rubio, M. Shaposhnikov, Phys. Re [7] J. Rubio, Front. Astron. Space Sci. 5 (2019) 50. [8] J. Borchardt, H. Gies, R. Sondenheimer, Eur. Phys. J. C 76 (2016) 472. [8] J. Borchardt, H. Gies, R. Sondenheimer, Eur. Phys. J. C 76 (2016) 472. 9] A. Jakovac, I. Kaposvari, A. Patkos, Mod. Phys. Lett. A 32 (2017) 1750011. [9] A. Jakovac, I. Kaposvari, A. Patkos, Mod. Phys. Lett. A 32 (2017) 1750011. 10] V. Branchina, E. Messina, Phys. Rev. Lett. 111 (2 1] V. Branchina, E. Messina, A. Platania, J. High Energy Phys. 1409 (2014) 182; [11] V. Branchina, E. Messina, A. Platania, J. High Energy Phys. 1409 (2014) 182; ] V. Branchina, E. Messina, A. Platania, J. High Ener E. Bentivegna, V. Branchina, F. Contino, D. Zappala, J. High Energy Phys. 1712 ( E. Bentivegna, V. Branchina, F. Contino, D. Zappala, J. High Energy Phys. 1712 (2017) 100. [12] J. Martin, C. Ringeval, V. Vennin, Encyclopaedia Inflationaris, Phys. Dark Universe 5–6 (2014) 75. 13] P. Creminelli, D. Lopez Nacir, M. Simonovic, G. [13] P. Creminelli, D. Lopez Nacir, M. Simonovic, G. Trevisan, M. Zaldarriaga, Phy 3] P. Creminelli, D. Lopez Nacir, M. Simonovic, G. Trevisan, M. Zaldarriaga, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112 (2014) [14] S. Coleman, Phys. Rev. D 11 (1975) 2088. [15] K. Freese, J.A. Frieman, A.V. Olinto, Phys. Rev. Lett. 65 (1990) 3233. [15] K. Freese, J.A. Frieman, A.V. Olinto, Phys. Rev. Lett. 65 (1990) 3233. [16] K. Freese, W.H. Kinney, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 03 (2015) 044. [16] K. Freese, W.H. Kinney, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 03 (2015) 044. [17] C.P. Burgess, M. Cicoli, F. Quevedo, M. Williams, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 11 (2014) 045. .P. Burgess, M. Cicoli, F. Quevedo, M. Williams, J. C [18] K. Yonekura, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 10 (2014) 054. [19] K. Kohri, C.S. Lim, C.M. Lin, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 08 (2014) 001. [19] K. Kohri, C.S. Lim, C.M. References Lin, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 08 (2014) 001. [20] T. Chiba, K. Kohri, PTEP 2014 (2014) 093E01. [21] L. Boyle, K.M. Smith, C. Dvorkin, N. Turok, Phys. Rev. D 92 (2015) 043504. [21] L. Boyle, K.M. Smith, C. Dvorkin, N. Turok, Ph [21] L. Boyle, K.M. Smith, C. Dvorkin, N. Turok, Phys. Rev. D 92 (2015) 043504. [22] I.P. Neupane, Phys. Rev. D 90 (2014) 123502. [23] J.B. Munoz, M. Kamionkowski, Phys. Rev. D 91 (2015) 043521. [23] J.B. Munoz, M. Kamionkowski, Phys. Rev. D 91 (2015) 043521. [24] C. Burgess, D. Roest, J. Cosmol. Astropart. P [24] C. Burgess, D. Roest, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 06 (2015) 012. [24] C. Burgess, D. Roest, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 06 (2015) 012. [25] I. Nandori, arXiv :1108 .4643 [25] I. Nandori, arXiv :1108 .4643. [26] P.A.R. Ade, et al., Planck, Astron. Astrophys. 594 (2016) A20. [26] P.A.R. Ade, et al., Planck, Astron. Astrophys. 594 (2016) A20. 26] P.A.R. Ade, et al., Planck, Astron. Astrophys. 594 [27] P.A.R. Ade, et al., Planck, Astron. Astrophys. 594 (2016) A13. [27] P.A.R. Ade, et al., Planck, Astron. Astrophys. 594 (2016) A13. [28] P.A.R. Ade, et al., BICEP2 and Keck Array, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116 (2016) 031302. [28] P.A.R. Ade, et al., BICEP2 and Keck Array, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116 (2016) 031302. [28] P.A.R. Ade, et al., BICEP2 and Keck Array, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116 (2016) 031302 9] I. Nandori, S. Nagy, K. Sailer, A. Trombettoni, Phys. Rev. D 80 (2009) 025008. 29] I. Nandori, S. Nagy, K. Sailer, A. Trombettoni, Ph [29] I. Nandori, S. Nagy, K. Sailer, A. Trombettoni, Phys. Rev. D 80 (2009) 025008. [30] I. Nandori, Phys. Lett. B 662 (2008) 302. [31] S. Nagy, I. Nandori, J. Polonyi, K. Sailer, Phys. Rev. D 77 (2008) 025026. [31] S. Nagy, I. Nandori, J. Polonyi, K. Sailer, Phys. Rev. D 77 (2008) 025026. 19 I.G. Márián et al. / Nuclear Physics B 945 (2019) 114642 [55] M.E. Peskin, D.V. Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, Addison-Wesley, Reading, 1995. [56] J. Fumagalli, M. Postma, J. High Energy Phys. 1605 (2016) 049. [32] I. Nandori, Phys. Rev. D 84 (2011) 065024. [32] I. Nandori, Phys. Rev. D 84 (2011) 065024. [33] M. Postma, Inflation, NIKHEF, Reading, 2009. [33] M. Postma, Inflation, NIKHEF, Reading, 2009. [34] D.H. Lyth, A. Riotto, Phys. Rep. 314 (1999) 1–146. y y p [35] D.L. Bennett, H.B. Nielsen, I. Picek, Phys. Lett. B 208 (1988) 275. [35] D.L. Bennett, H.B. Nielsen, I. Picek, Phys. Lett. B 208 (1988) 275. [36] C.D. Froggatt, H.B. Nielsen, Phys. Lett. B 368 (1996) 96. [37] C.P. Burgess, V. Di Clemente, J.R. Espinosa, J. High Energy Phys. 0201 (2002) 041 8] G. Isidori, V.S. Rychkov, A. Strumia, N. Tetradis, P [39] F. Bezrukov, M. Shaposhnikov, Phys. Lett. B 659 (2008) 703. [40] F. Bezrukov, M. Shaposhnikov, J. High Energy Phys. 0907 (2009) 089. [41] C.P. Burgess, H.M. Lee, M. Trott, J. High Energy Phys. 0909 (2009) 103. [42] J.L.F. Barbon, J.R. Espinosa, Phys. Rev. D 79 (2009) 081302. [43] A. De Simone, M.P. Hertzberg, F. Wilczek, Phys. Lett. B 678 (2009) 1. [44] R.N. Lerner, J. McDonald, Phys. Rev. D 82 (2010) 103525. [45] G.F. Giudice, H.M. Lee, Phys. Lett. B 694 (2011) 294. [46] F. Englert, R. Brout, Phys. Rev. Lett. 13 (1964) 32 [47] P.W. Higgs, Phys. Rev. Lett. 13 (1964) 508. [48] ATLAS Collaboration, Phys. Lett. B 710 (2012) 49. [49] CMS Collaboration, Phys. Lett. B 710 (2012) 26. [50] M. Shaposhnikov, C. Wetterich, Phys. Lett. B 683 (2010) 196. [50] M. Shaposhnikov, C. Wetterich, Phys. Lett. B 683 (2010) 196. [51] M. Postma, M. Volponi, Phys. Rev. D 90 (2014) 103516. [52] G. Degrassi, S. Di Vita, J. Elias-Miró, J.R. Espinosa, G.F. Giudice, G. Isidori, A. Strumia, J. High Energy Phys. 0 (2012) 098. [53] C. Wetterich, Phys. Lett. B 301 (1993) 90. [54] T.R. Morris, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 9 (1994) 2411 [54] T.R. Morris, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 9 (1994) 2411. [55] M.E. Peskin, D.V. Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, Addison-Wesley, Reading, 19 [55] M.E. Peskin, D.V. Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Th [56] J. Fumagalli, M. Postma, J. High Energy Phys. 1605 (2016) 049. [56] J. Fumagalli, M. Postma, J. High Energy Phys. 1605 (2016) 049.
https://openalex.org/W3093096037
https://aidsrestherapy.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12981-020-00316-w
English
null
A comparison between different anti-retroviral therapy regimes on soluble inflammation markers: a pilot study
AIDS research and therapy
2,020
cc-by
5,005
© The Author(s) 2020. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://crea- tivecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdo- main/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. AIDS Research and Therapy Open Access Abstract Background:  Although HIV-related deaths have decreased dramatically following the introduction of antiretrovi- ral therapy (ART), HIV infection itself causes increased morbidity and mortality for both non-AIDS-related events or chronic inflammation and immune activation. The use of certain antiretroviral drugs can contribute to this process. Methods:  We investigated 26 potential biomarkers in serum samples from HIV-1 infected patients virologically sup- pressed under ART. The main objective of our study was to evaluate if virological suppression achieved with a triple drug regimen containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate co-formulated with emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) as backbone, could correlate with a better immunological and inflammatory profile in relation to the third class of antiretroviral drug administered. The eligible patients were then divided into 3 groups in relation to the third drug associated with TDF/FTC: nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) (Group 1, n = 16), protease inhibitors (PI) (Group 2, n = 17) and integrase inhibitors (INI) (Group 3, n = 16). Results:  Inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were more represented in Group 2 than in Group 3 (IL-1Ra, p = 0.013; IL-12p70 p = 0.039; TNF-α p = 0.041; IL-8, p = 0.027; MIP1 β, p = 0.033). Eotaxin showed lower levels in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (p = 0.010), while IP-10 was significantly lower in Group 1 compared to both Group 2 and Group 3 (p = 0.003 and p = 0.007, respectively). Conclusions:  Our results seem to discourage the administration of PI as a third drug in a virologically effective antiretroviral regimen, as its use is linked to the detection of higher levels of pro-inflammatory mediators in compari- son with INI and NNRTI. rds:  HIV, Virological suppression, Antiretroviral therapy, Immune activation, Chronic inflammation Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12981-020-00316-w Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12981-020-00316-w AIDS Research and Therapy AIDS Research and Therapy Backgroundh as the backbone plus a base agent of another class, pro- tease inhibitors (PI), integrase inhibitors (INI) or nucleo- side reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) [2], have been shown to control viral replication [3] and represent the gold standard for the treatment of HIV infection in both antiretroviral-naïve and antiretroviral experienced patients. Now, these patients live longer, although with a higher prevalence of non-infectious comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, renal dysfunc- tion and liver damage. Although these comorbidities are quite common among the general population [4], they The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has contributed to the reduction of AIDS-related mortality among HIV-positive patients [1] and to the induced chro- nicity of HIV infection. Triple drug regimens that include two nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) *Correspondence: mrtmtn@unife.it 1 Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44124 Ferrara, Italy Full list of author information is available at the end of the article *Correspondence: mrtmtn@unife.it 1 Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44124 Ferrara, Italy Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 Page 2 of 7 (HIV Section) University-Hospital of Ferrara. Strict inclusion criteria were considered: (1) virological sup- pression for at least 6 months obtained with a triple drug regimen containing TDF/FTC as a backbone; (2) Car- diovascular risk (CVR) ≥ 7.5%, calculated according to the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) algorithm of American College of Cardiology/Ameri- can Heart Association (ACC-AHA) [18], in the absence of a regimen with statin and / or aspirin. The presence of comorbidities (chronic inflammatory diseases, neo- plasms, diabetes, obesity, etc.) and co-infections repre- sented a strict exclusion criterion. are increasingly frequent in patients with ART [5] more likely due to the inflammatory process related to HIV and the adverse pharmacological effects of ART [6–11]. f In this regard, the international guidelines on the man- agement of HIV-positive patients recommend a change in lifestyle (smoking cessation, changes in diet and physi- cal activity) and, in case of high LDL and/or hypertriglyc- eridemia values, the administration of statins. In addition to these measures, it is highly recommended to move to an antiretroviral regimen that limits the impact on lipid metabolism, suggesting the adoption of a therapy “tai- lored” to the needs of the patient. Clinical studies have also shown that the transition from therapies such as PI or NNRTI (efavirenz) to inte- grase inhibitors (INI) (e.g. raltegravir, dolutegravir) leads to an improvement in the lipid profile, inflammatory pattern, and chronic immune activation. In fact, HIV infection combined with ART is directly associated with immune activation [12, 13], even in virologically sup- pressed patients. It is known, indeed, that the dysregula- tion of inflammatory processes induced by HIV occurs through multiple pathways [14], including microbial translocation [15]. Eligible patients were then divided into groups accord- ing to the third drug associated with TDF/FTC at the time of enrollment: NNRTI (efavirenz) (Group 1, n = 16), PI (atazanavir/r or darunavir/r) (Group 2, n = 17) and INI (raltegravir) (Group 3, n = 16). This study is in line with the Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) and was conducted according to the guidelines for Good Clinical Practice (European Medicines Agency). The study was approved by The Local Ethic Committee and written informed consent was obtained from each patient prior to inclusion in the study. Chemokines and cytokines analysish The main outcome measures were the quantification of cytokine concentrations and growth factors in biological samples based on magnetic bead multiplex immunoas- says (Bio-Plex, BIO-RAD Laboratories, Milano, Italy). Luminex multiplex panel technology was used for simul- taneous measurement of a panel of 26 analytes including cytokines, chemokines and growth factors (IL-1, IL-2, IL-1ra, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, TNF-α, IL-17, IL-18, IFN-γ, MIP1α, MIP1β, IL-8, IP-10, RANTES, MCP-1, GM-CSF, G-CSF, IL-7, VEGF, PDGF-bb) according to the method of Comar et al. 2014. Briefly, 50 μl of diluted serum samples (1:4) and reaction standards were added, in duplicate, to a 96 multiwells plate containing analyte beads followed by incubation for 30 min at room temperature. After washing, the anti- body-biotin reporter was added and incubated for 10 min To better understand this phenomenon and to optimize therapeutic management, some authors have recently been stimulated to seek and validate new immunological and inflammatory predictive biomarkers. Serum sample collection Serum samples were obtained from the 49 enrolled sub- jects. The whole blood of each subject was collected in a covered tube without anticoagulants and left to clot undisturbed at room temperature for 20  min. The clot was then removed by centrifuging at 1500 × g for 10 min in a refrigerated centrifuge. After centrifugation, the serum was immediately transferred to a clean polypro- pylene tube. All sera were maintained at −  80  °C until cytokines analysis. l So far, most studies examining changes in levels of inflammatory biomarkers in HIV-infected individu- als have been limited by small study populations, cross- drawings and/or a small number of biomarkers [16]. In this regard, recent technical advances, including the development of multiplexed cytokine tests, have contrib- uted to a more efficient measurement of multiple inflam- matory biomarkers [17]. In this study, we investigated 26 potential biomarkers, linked to systemic inflammation, immune activation and senescence in HIV patients under ART for at least one year and virologically suppressed (HIV-RNA < 20 cop- ies/ml) for at least 6  months. All the enrolled patients were treated with an ART triple drug regimen contain- ing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate co-formulated with emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) as backbone. The main aim of our study was to assess whether virological suppression can be related to a better immunological and inflamma- tory profile, in relation to the third antiretroviral drug administered. Study patients and design Forty-nine caucasian HIV-1 positive patients aged ≥ 40  years, who have taken ART for at least one year, were enrolled at the Infectious Diseases Department Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 Page 3 of 7 Of the 49 patients enrolled, 14 were women (28.57%) and 35 were males (71.43%). with streptavidin–phycoerythrin. Cytokines levels were determined using the Bio-Plex array reader (Luminex, Austin, TX). The Bio-Plex Manager software automati- cally optimized the standard curves and returned the reading data as Median Fluorescence Intensity (MFI) and concentration (pg/mL). An ELISA set (Quantikine ELISA-Human CCL5/Rantes immunoassay, RnD system, Minneapolis, MN) with a mean minimum detectable dose of 2.0 pg/ml was used as confirmatory test accord- ing to manufacturer’s instruction [17]. The values of triglycerides were high (> 150  mg/dL) in 33%, 35% and 31% of patients from NNRTI, PI and INI group, respectively. The frequencies were not dif- ferent between the three groups (chi-square (2) = 0.061, p = 0.970). Total cholesterol was high (> 200 mg/dL) in 60%, 53% and 69% of patients from NNRTI, PI and INI group, respec- tively. Also in this case, the frequencies of high total cho- lesterol levels were not different between the three groups (chi-square (2) = 0.863, p = 0.650).i Statistical analysish A first exploratory statistical analysis showed that one patient, belonging to Group 1, showed extreme values (absolute value of z-score > 1.6) for 8 (30.7%) of the 26 cytokines analyzed and, consequently, was excluded from the analysis. The normality of distribution of continuous variables was assessed by Kolmogorov–Smirnov test; since variables were not normally distributed, group comparisons were made by Kruskall-Wallis followed by the Mann–Whit- ney U test corrected for multiple comparisons (Bonfer- roni). To correct for possible confounding factors, such as age, sex, smoke and disease duration, group compari- sons were performed on natural logarithm-transformed variables by ANCOVA, including the variables listed as covariates. The Spearman’s Rank Test was used to ana- lyze bivariate correlations. The categorical variables were compared by Chi Square Test. Although statistical significance was achieved for only few mediators, probably because of the small sample size, our results showed that 7 of the 26 immune mediators (18.2%), analyzed between the different groups, are influ- enced by the type of third drug administered (Additional file 1. Figure S1). i As for the group of innate immunity mediators, some traditionally inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were more represented in PI-treated serum samples with higher levels than those treated with INI (IL-1Ra, p = 0.013; IL-12p70 p = 0.039; TNF-α p = 0.041; IL-8, p = 0.027; MIP1 β, p = 0.033). Eotaxin showed lower lev- els in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (p = 0.010), while IP-10 was significantly lower in Group 1 compared to both Group 2 and Group 3 (p = 0.003 and p = 0.007, respectively). Of note, almost 47% of patients in both NNRTI and PI groups had abnormal cytokine values (|z-score|> 1.6), whereas 25% in the INI group showed this behavior (Additional file 1. Table S2). However, the difference in frequencies between groups did not reach statistical significance (Chi-square (2) = 2.135, P = 0.344).i Data analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 21.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Two-tailed probability values < 0.05 were considered sta- tistically significant. Resultsh The demographic and clinical characteristics of the pop- ulation studied are summarized in Table 1. Table 1  Demographic and  clinical characteristic of the study population Continue variables are expressed as mean (95% Confidence Interval). Categorical variables are expressed as percentage Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Age (years) 49.7 (45.9– 57.0) 52.9 (47.4– 57.1) 53.7 (45.3– 61.6) CD4 +  857 (669– 1045) 727 (527–926) 701 (545– 857) Sex (female, %) 44.4 50.0 33.3 Smoking status (smokers, %) 55.6 50.0 50.0 Disease Duration (years) 16.0 (11.3– 20.7) 15.5 (11.6– 19.5) 10.4 (8.7– 12.2) Triglycerides (mg/dL) 150 (83–217) 134 (91–176) 126 (103– 149) Total cholesterol (mg/dL) 220 (193–247) 210 (185–235) 229 (210– 248) Table 1  Demographic of the study population Table 1  Demographic and  clinical characteristic of the study population i As shown in Table  2, statistically significant corre- lations between disease duration and levels of some immune mediators were found in the overall population.h The univariate analysis (ANOVA) showed that there were no statistical differences in disease duration between groups, although INI patients showed a ten- dency to have lower disease duration values. In order to correct the cytokine values for possible confounding factors (age, sex, smoking status, duration of disease), we used an ANCOVA approach on natural logarithm- transformed variables. As summarized in Additional file 1. Table S1 and Fig. 1, some of the immune mediators tested were affected by confounding factors, in particu- lar IL-1ra, IL12p70 and TNF-α which resulted no longer Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 Page 4 of 7 Page 4 of 7 Table 2  Spearman’s correlation coefficients between Interleukins levels and HIV diseases duration Interleukin r P value IL-1ra 0.434 0.002 IL-7 0.371 0.010 IL-8 0.321 0.028 IL-12 0.295 0.044 G-CSF 0.325 0.026 IFNg 0.314 0.032 MCP-1 0.330 0.023 TNFa 0.402 0.005 Table 2  Spearman’s correlation coefficients between Interleukins levels and HIV diseases duration cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-cholesterol than rec- ommended values) that accompanies the HIV affected patients may play a significant role in this [23]. However, in our study the analysis conducted on total cholesterol and triglycerides did not show statistically significant dif- ferences between the three groups. Discussion Although HIV-related deaths have declined dramatically since the introduction of ART, HIV infection is becoming increasingly chronic and people infected with HIV con- tinue to experience raised morbidity and mortality often due to events unrelated to AIDS [19]. In fact, due to the inability of antiretroviral drugs to eradicate the virus from infected reservoir cells, treatment of HIV infection requires permanent systemic therapy. However, even when success- fully treated, HIV patients still show higher incidence of age-associated co-morbidities than non-infected individu- als. Chronic Immune Activation and Senescence (CIADIS), is a process characterized by a progressive decline of immune system function, usually detected by the expres- sion of cellular or soluble markers derived from innate or adaptive immune responses. Immune activation is associ- ated with progression of HIV disease and increased mor- bidity and mortality in HIV-infected patients despite ART [20]. In this regard, the validation of a “CIADIS score” based on activation, senescence, and differentiation mark- ers, could help physicians to identify patients at high risk for non-AIDS-related comorbidities [20]. In fact, it is strik- ing evident that cardiovascular diseases are one of the lead- ing non-AIDS causes of death among HIV-positive subjects [21]. According to our findings, some inflammatory cytokines of innate immunity (Additional file  1. Fig- ure S1a, c, g) and two pro-inflammatory chemokines (Additional file 1. Figure S1b, f) are more represented in patients taking PI than those receiving INI. There are several studies comparing the effects of spe- cific antiretrovirals and antiretroviral combinations in ART-naïve individuals initiating their first ART regimen. In one recent ART initiation trial, INI appear to reduce inflammation to a greater degree than NNRTI; however, in the same study, it is not clear if there are beneficial effects on inflammation resulting from treatment with INI compared to PI or between PI and NNRTI [27].l It is plausible that INI may decrease inflammation and immune activation more than other antiretroviral classes, as INI may concentrate at higher levels in enterocytes [28], which is important because HIV infection results in massive depletion of immune cells within the gastro- intestinal tract and the resultant microbial translocation may be an important driver of immune activation in HIV. In line with this, we found that INI patients had a ten- dency to show a lower frequency of extreme cytokine lev- els when compared to the other groups. Fig. 1  Predicted values of cytokines (pg/ml) corrected for covariates (age, sex, smoking status and disease duration) by the ANCOVA approach. Comparisons between groups were performed with the Sidak post-hoc test correction for multiple comparisons. Values of covariates appearing in the model: age = 52.4 years; sex = 0.67; smoking status; 0.56; HIV duration = 13.9 years. a IL1ra; b IL-8; c IL-12; d Eotaxin; e IP10; f MIP1b; g TNF-α. Bars and error bars denote geometric mean and 95% confidence interval (See figure on next page.) different between the groups. On the contrary, the other mediators were not affected by the correction. The analysis conducted in the present study reveals that some categories of antiretroviral drugs emphasize the residual inflammation, partly linked to HIV infection itself [12, 13]. Resultsh This data contrasts with what has been reported in some papers, according to which INI are more “lipid friendly” [24, 25].i Although ART has significantly improved both the quality and lifespan of patients, the life expectancy of treated patients is even shorter than that of uninfected individuals. In particular, while ART may counteract some features of HIV-associated immunosenescence, several anti-HIV drugs may themselves help to amplify other aspects of immune ageing and chronic inflamma- tion [26].h References 1. Palella FJ, Delaney KM, Moorman AC, HIV Outpatients Study Investiga- tors, et al. Declining morbidity and mortality among patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus infection. N Engl J Med. 1998;338(13):853–60. 2. European AIDS Clinical Society Guidelines 2019. Version 10.0. 2019. https​ ://www.eacso​ciety​.org/files​/2019_guide​lines​-10.0_final​.pdf. Accessed Nov 2019. 3. Montaner JSG, Reiss P, Cooper D, For the INCAS Study Group, et al. A randomized, double-blind trial comparing combinations of Nevirapine, Didanosine, and zidovudine for HIV-infected Patients The INCAS trial. JAMA. 1998;279(12):930–7. 3. Montaner JSG, Reiss P, Cooper D, For the INCAS Study Group, et al. A randomized, double-blind trial comparing combinations of Nevirapine, Didanosine, and zidovudine for HIV-infected Patients The INCAS trial. JAMA. 1998;279(12):930–7. Further studies in larger cohorts are needed to confirm the results found, to compare it to conventional markers of inflammation, and to provide their usefulness as a sig- nificant clinical tool to help clinicians in choosing a “tai- lored” antiretroviral regimen. 4. Friis-Møller N, Sabin CA, Weber R, et al. Combination antiretroviral therapy and the risk of myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 2003;349:1993–2003. 5. Crum NF, Riffenburgh RH, Wegner S, et al. Comparisons of causes and death and mortality rates among HIV-infected persons: analysis of the pre-, early and late HAART eras. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2006;41(2):194–200. 6. Carr A, Cooper DA. Advrese effects of antiretroviral therapy. Lancet. 2000;356(9239):1423–30. Supplementary information Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https​://doi. org/10.1186/s1298​1-020-00316​-w. Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https​://doi. org/10.1186/s1298​1-020-00316​-w. Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https​://doi. org/10.1186/s1298​1-020-00316​-w. Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https​://doi. org/10.1186/s1298​1-020-00316​-w. 7. Guaraldi G, Stentarelli C, Zona S, et al. The natural history of HIV-associ- ated lipodystrophy in the changing scenario of HIV infection. HIV Med. 2014;15(10):587–94. pp y org/10.1186/s1298​1-020-00316​-w. 8. Dubé MP, Shen C, Greenwald M, Mather KJ. No impairment of endothelial function or insulin sensitivity with 4 weeks of the HIV protease inhibitors atazanavir or lopinavir-ritonavir in healthy subjects without HIV infection: a placebo-controlled trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;47(4):567–74. 8. Dubé MP, Shen C, Greenwald M, Mather KJ. No impairment of endothelial function or insulin sensitivity with 4 weeks of the HIV protease inhibitors atazanavir or lopinavir-ritonavir in healthy subjects without HIV infection: a placebo-controlled trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;47(4):567–74. Additional file 1: Figure S1. Differences in cytokine concentrations (pg/ ml) measured in patients following the therapy simplification regimen. Table S1. Crude and adjusted means of ILs values determined in study population. Table S2. Proportion of outliers found in each group. 9. Kamin D, Hadigan C, Lehrke M, Mazza S, Lazar MA, Grinspoon S. Resistin levels in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with lipoat- rophy decrease in response to rosiglitazone. J Clin Endocrin Metabol. 2005;90(6):3423–6. Consent for publication Not applicable. Consent for publication Not applicable. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. The present study is not without limitations, first of all with regard to the small sample size, followed by a cross sectional design and the lack of comparison of the immune mediators tested with other conventional inflammatory or procoagulant markers such as CRP and D-dimer respectively [30]. The lack of a complete set of biomarkers hamper an exhaustive evaluation of the car- diovascular risk and the real inflammatory profile among the three groups and represents the main limitation of the present study. Discussion Although not fully understood, the probable mecha- nism involves both chronic inflammation, CD4 cell deple- tion, endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis [22]. It is undoubted that the worst lipid profile (e.g. higher total However, in contrast with the above statement, our results show that the IFN-γ induced protein 10 (IP-10 or CXCL-10) and eotaxin (also known as C–C chemokine Fig. 1  Predicted values of cytokines (pg/ml) corrected for covariates (age, sex, smoking status and disease duration) by the ANCOVA approach. Comparisons between groups were performed with the Sidak post-hoc test correction for multiple comparisons. Values of covariates appearing in the model: age = 52.4 years; sex = 0.67; smoking status; 0.56; HIV duration = 13.9 years. a IL1ra; b IL-8; c IL-12; d Eotaxin; e IP10; f MIP1b; g TNF-α. Bars and error bars denote geometric mean and 95% confidence interval (i g p g ) Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 Page 5 of 7 Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 Page 6 of 7 ligand 11, CCL1) are significantly lower in patients treated with NNRTI compared to those belonging to the other groups (Fig. 1e, d). This finding appears relevant especially for IP-10, considering that this mediator is known to be one of the first chemokines to increase fol- lowing HIV infection [29] and it is involved in immune cell trafficking to inflammatory sites. In particular, the continued production of IFN-γ in the lymphoid organs is responsible for a prolonged increase in IP-10 dur- ing chronic HIV infection, even in patients taking ART. In fact, IP-10, by increasing the susceptibility of naive T CD4 + T lymphocytes to HIV infection, improves the production (constitution) of HIV reserves.hi Funding The authors received no specific funding for this work. Author details 1 Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Sciences, Univer- sity of Ferrara, 44124 Ferrara, Italy. 2 Department of Biomedical & Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. 3 Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy. 4 Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy. 5 Infectious Diseases Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Cona (Ferrara), Ferrara, Italy. Received: 17 June 2020 Accepted: 3 September 2020 However, although with limitations, our data seem to highlight the importance of how the choice of the third drug in an antiretroviral regimen can promote the imbalance of inflammation-related immune mediators. In particular, our results seem to discourage the admin- istration of PI as a third drug in a virologically effective antiretroviral regimen, as its use is linked to the detection of higher levels of pro-inflammatory mediators than INI and NNRTI.i Funding h h Availability of data and materials The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Ethics approval and consent to participate Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Regional Ethical Com- mittee. The research was carried out in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects before the study. Authors’ contributions Martina Maritati and Carlo Contini equally contributed to the design of the study and the writing of the manuscript; Manola Comar and Tiziana Bellini contributed to the revision of the article and its significant intellectual con- tent; Nunzia Zanotta and Alessandro Trentini contributed to the elaboration of the statistical analysis and interpretation of data; Laura Sighinolfi contributed to the collection of patient’s data and the creation of graphics. All authors reviewed, revised and provided final approval of this manuscript before submission. 10. Sabin CA, Darminio Monforte A, Friis-Moller N, et al. Changes over time in risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and use of lipid-lowering drugs in HIV infected individuals and impact on myocardial infarction. Clin Infect Dis. 2008. https​://doi.org/10.1086/52886​2. 10. Sabin CA, Darminio Monforte A, Friis-Moller N, et al. Changes over time in risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and use of lipid-lowering drugs in HIV infected individuals and impact on myocardial infarction. Clin Infect Dis. 2008. https​://doi.org/10.1086/52886​2. 11. Leite KME, Santos Júnior GG, Godoi ETAM, et al. Inflammatory biomarkers and carotid thickness in hiv infected patients under antiretroviraltherapy, undetectable hiv-1 viral load, and low cardiovascular risk. Arq Bras Car- diol. 2019. https​://doi.org/10.5935/abc.20190​230. Page 7 of 7 Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 Maritati et al. AIDS Res Ther (2020) 17:61 23. Feeney ER, Mallon PW. HIV and HAART-associated dyslipidemia. TOCMJ. 2011;5:49–63. https​://doi.org/10.2174/18741​92401​10501​0049. 12. Phillips AN, Carr A, Neuhaus J, et al. Interruption of antiretroviral therapy and risk of cardiovascular disease in persons with HIV-1 infection: explora- tory analyses from the SMART trial. Antivir Ther. 2008;13(2):177–87. 24. Lennox JL, Landovitz RJ, Ribaudo HJ, Ofotokun I, Na LH, Godfrey C, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of 3 non nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-sparing antiretroviral regimens for treatment-naive volunteers infected with HIV-1: a randomized, controlled equivalence trial. Ann InternMed. 2014;161(7):461–71. 13. Calza L, Manfredi R, Verucchi G. Myocardial infarction risk in HIV-infected patients: epidemiology, pathogenesis and clinical management. AIDS. 2010;24(6):789–802. 14. Hazenberg MD, Otto SA, van Benthem BH, et al. Persistent immune activation in HIV-1 infection is associated with progression to AIDS. AIDS. 2003;17:1881–8. 25. Martinez E, Larrousse M, Llibre JM, Gutierrez F, Saumoy M, Antela A, et al. Substitution of raltegravir for ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors in HIV- infected patients: the SPIRAL study. AIDS. 2010;24(11):1697–707.i 15. Brenchley JM, Price DA, Schacker TW, et al. Microbial translocation is a cause of systemic immune activation in chronic HIV infection. Nat Med. 2006;12:1365–71. 26. Authors’ contributions Franzese O, Barbaccia ML, Bonmassar E, Graziani G. Beneficial and detri- mental effects of antiretroviral therapy on HIV-associated immunosenes- cence. Chemotherapy. 2018;63(2):64–75. 16. Wada NI, Jacobson Lp, Margolick JB, et al. The effect of HAART-induced HIV suppression on circulating markers of inflammation and immune activation. AIDS. 2015;29(4):463–71. 27. Hileman CO, Funderburg NT. Inflammation, immune activation, and antiretroviral therapy in HIV. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2017. https​://doi. org/10.1007/s1190​4-017-0356-x. 17. Comar M, Zanotta N, Bonotti A, et al. Increased levels of C-C chemokine RANTES in asbestos exposed workers and in malignant mesothelioma patients from an hyperendemic area. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(8):e104848. 28. Patterson KB, Prince HA, Stevens T, Shaheen NJ, Dellon ES, Madanick RD, et al. Differential penetration of raltegravir throughout gastrointestinal tissue: implications for eradication and cure. AIDS. 2013;27(9):1413–9. 18. Goff DC Jr, Lloyd-Jones DM, Bennett G, et al. 2013 ACC/AHA guideline on the assessment of cardiovascular risk: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2014;129(25 Suppl 2):S49–73. 29. Jie L, Xiaowan Y, Hong S, Yongjun J. IP-10 is highly involved in HIV infec- tion. Cytokine. 2019;115:97–103. 30. Pinzone R, Di Rosa M, Cacopardo B, Giuseppe NG. HIV RNA suppres- sion and immune restoration: can we do better? Clin Dev Immunol. 2012;2012:515962. 19. Duffau P, Ozanne A, Bonnet F, et al. Multimorbidity, age-related comor- bidities and mortality: association of activation, senescence and inflam- mation markers in HIV adults. AIDS. 2018;32(12):1651–60. 20. Duffau P, Wittkop L, Lazaro E, ANRS CO3 Aquitaine Cohort Study Group, et al. Association of immune-activation and senescence markers with non-AIDS-defining comorbidities in HIV- suppressed patients. AIDS. 2015;29(16):2099–108. Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in pub- lished maps and institutional affiliations. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in pub- lished maps and institutional affiliations. 21. Islam FM, Wu J, Jansson J, et al. Relative risk of cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV: a systematic review and meta analysis. HIV Med. 2012. https​://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1293.2012.00996​.x. 22. Eyawo O, Brockman G, Goldsmith CH, et al. Risk of myocardial infarc- tion among people living with HIV: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2019;9:e025874. https​://doi.org/10.1136/bmjop​ en-2018-02587​4. • fast, convenient online submission • thorough peer review by experienced researchers in your field • rapid publication on acceptance • support for research data, including large and complex data types • gold Open Access which fosters wider collaboration and increased citations maximum visibility for your research: over 100M website views per year • At BMC, research is always in progress. Learn more biomedcentral.com/submissions Ready to submit your research ? Choose BMC and benefit from: • fast, convenient online submission • thorough peer review by experienced researchers in your field • rapid publication on acceptance • support for research data, including large and complex data types • gold Open Access which fosters wider collaboration and increased citations maximum visibility for your research: over 100M website views per year • At BMC, research is always in progress. Learn more biomedcentral.com/submissions Ready to submit your research ? Choose BMC and benefit from: • fast, convenient online submission • thorough peer review by experienced researchers in your field • rapid publication on acceptance • support for research data, including large and complex data types • gold Open Access which fosters wider collaboration and increased citations maximum visibility for your research: over 100M website views per year • At BMC, research is always in progress. Learn more biomedcentral.com/submissions Ready to submit your research ? Choose BMC and benefit from:
https://openalex.org/W2801478523
https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/293051
English
null
Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy
Transactions on maritime science
2,018
cc-by
6,512
1. INTRODUCTION The International Maritime Organization regulations on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from ships require efficient dealing with this complex techno-economic and highly political problem through joint efforts of all major stakeholders from the shipbuilding industry and ship operations. The Kyoto Protocol of 1997, paragraph 2.2, entrusted the International Maritime Organization (IMO) (3rd IMO GHG Study, 2014) with the responsibility to regulate and reduce harmful emissions from ship (IMO, 2017). Maritime transportation emits approximately 1,000 million tons of CO2 annually and accounts for about 2.5 % of the global greenhouse gas emissions (Kyoto Protocol, 2017). The emissions of harmful contents from vessels are anticipated to increase by 50 %-250 % by 2050, depending on the future developments in the fields of economy and energy. This is not in line with the international agreements to decrease global emissions by at least 50 % by 2050 to keep the global temperature increase under 2°C. The IMO regulated CO2 emissions by adopting Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention. Guidelines for improving energy efficiency were also laid down with the intention to monitor and improve ships’ performances and features with regard to various factors that may contribute to CO2 emissions (see Figure 1). A “new” ship means a ship the building contract for which was concluded on or after 1 January 2013 or in the absence of a building contract, the keel of which was laid or which was in the similar stage of construction on or after 1 July 2013 or which was delivered on or after 1 July 2015. The key problems of any research in the field of renewable energy, including power generation, storage, transformation and distribution, and the issues associated with limited power generation for specific loads, are the same issues that are experienced in the implementation of electric distribution technologies onboard ships. This paper analyses the effects of efficient shipping using the solar panel system and batteries to ensure continuous power supply, regardless of the weather conditions. The logistics chain of this control architecture is modelled by Colored Petri Nets. The economic analysis examines the annual costs of fuel consumption, the initial capital cost, total net cost and CO2 emissions. 2. POWER MANAGEMENT IN THE PROPOSED SHIP’S POWER PLANT Figure 2 shows the hybrid system consisting of PV panels, batteries, a charge regulator, AC diesel generators, converters/ inverters, and load controls. The hybrid power distributed generation system provides four operating modes, depending on the prevailing environmental conditions, battery charge status and load variation. The controller switches from one mode to another, depending on instructions determining mode selection. Mode 0: If solar energy is not available and the state of charge (SOC) of the batteries is very low, i.e. lower than the minimum recommended by the manufacturer (SOCmin), the batteries should not be used and the required energy should be provided by the AC generator. This paper is a contribution to ships’ power system energy management in general, and to PLOVPUT’s working boat in particular. This vessel, which served as the basis for our research (Tech. doc. PLOVPUT) was under construction. It is a public service workboat, fully equipped to perform a variety of marine and hydro-submarine operations related to the maintenance of waterways in the Croatian Adriatic. These activities include the maintenance of existing and the construction and equipping of new aids to navigation, e.g. marking waterways with navigation buoys; supplying and maintaining onshore and offshore lighthouses; transportation and installation of construction materials onshore and under the sea, performing hydro- submarine operations; transportation of construction machinery. Mode 1: If weather is cloudy and (SOC) is normal, the controller allows the batteries to provide sufficient power for the load. If the load exceeds the power of batteries, excess load will be handled by the AC generator. This mode is maintained while the state of charge (SOC) is above SOCmin or while power obtained from solar energy is above threshold power. Outside the above limits, the hybrid power system must switch either to Mode 0 or Mode 2. Mode 2: If there is plenty of solar energy, photovoltaic (PV) system resources are connected to the vessel’s grid and PV-generated energy must be preferentially used to power the loads. In the event of surplus energy (Pch), the controller puts the batteries into charging mode until they reach maximum charge value (SOCmax). If the power supplied by the PV system is insufficient for the load, the necessary power should be supplied by the batteries. KEY WORDS ~ ~ Renewable power ~ ~ Power management system onboard shipsfi ~ ~ Energy efficiency ~ ~ CO2 emissions Various studies and papers (Gudelj and Krčum, 2013; EEDI – IMO, 2012; RSSPS, 2017; Øverleir, 2015) indicate that environmental pollution can be significantly reduced and the low energy efficiency of traditional marine systems improved by the proper integration of renewable energy sources onboard vessels where electrical power is produced by the ship’s power plant using a diesel / turbo generator. ~ ~ Multi-objective optimization a. University of Split, Faculty of Maritime Studies, Split, Croatia e-mail: mkrcum@pfst.hr b. University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies, Rijeka, Croatia e-mail: tomas@pfri.hr This work is licensed under doi: 10.7225/toms.v07.n01.002 Trans. marit. sci. 2018; 01: 23-32 a. University of Split, Faculty of Maritime Studies, Split, Croatia e-mail: mkrcum@pfst.hr b. University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies, Rijeka, Croatia e-mail: tomas@pfri.hr This work is licensed under doi: 10.7225/toms.v07.n01.002 For instance, the installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems in the power system helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improves energy efficiency and contributes to the stability of the ship’s power system. TRANSACTIONS ON MARITIME SCIENCE 23 Trans. marit. sci. 2018; 01: 23-32 23 However, installing a PV system requires significant attention and consideration of certain aspects, such as: unlike land-based systems, onboard power systems are exposed to constant load changes (Krčum et al., 2010). The frequent presence of seawater on the deck, where photovoltaic panels are accommodated, has a significant impact on their effectiveness; at sea, a vessel is always under some load, which may not be the case with shore-based PV systems; while the angle of sunlight at a specific location on land is constantly the same, this is never the case at sea with ever changing waves, sailing routes and courses. staying in port, electricity supply is provided by one DEA due to reduced electricity consumption. In case of overload, the power management system shuts down shedable, i.e. less important consumers. The authors of this study assume that the integration of renewable energy sources in the vessel's power system (Figure 2) may contribute to CO2 emission reduction. The basis for this hypothesis were the results obtained by the simulation of a hybrid marine power system on HOGA software, developed on the basis of Colored Petri Nets (CPN) models that coordinate and manage the flow of information. Figure 1. IMO recommendations for reducing CO2 emissions 2015-2050 Maja Krčum et al.: Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy 2. POWER MANAGEMENT IN THE PROPOSED SHIP’S POWER PLANT The vessels’ energy resources include: The vessels’ energy resources include: • Three main-board voltage generators: diesel electric power generators 190 kVA, 3x400 V, 50 Hz, one diesel electric generator 80 kVA, 3x400 V, 50 Hz and an inverter/charger; and • Secondary-board voltage transformer, batteries and rectifiers. If the batteries cannot handle the entire load, the excess part of the load will be handled by the AC generator. The diesel electric aggregate (DEA) meets energy consumption needs in all modes, depending on the balance of electricity. In the operating mode and normal mode of navigation, all required power is provided by one diesel electric aggregate (1x190 kVA). In departure mode, buoy handling mode and concrete plant operation mode, the required power is supplied by two DEA (2x190 kVA) in parallel operation. When Mode 3: In this mode the load demand (Pload) is lower than the available solar energy (Ppv) and the batteries are fully charged (SOC >=SOCmax). This mode is used when there is sufficient PV power to meet the total demand and it is maintained until the load exceeds the available PV power. If the total load exceeds the available PV power, the system switches to Mode 1. Maja Krčum et al.: Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy 24 Figure 2. Hybrid ship power system configuration. Figure 2. Hybrid ship power system configuration. For modes 1, 2 and 3, if the AC generator produces more power than required, and the power envisaged to be supplied by the AC generator is lower than the critical power limit (Pcritical_ gen), surplus power can be used to charge the batteries up to SOC value, the so-called SOCstp_gen (batteries SOC set point for the AC generator). In order to present a supervising control of the hybrid energy system, the following sections discuss the use of Colored Petri Nets (CPNs). Since the hybrid renewable energy system consists of several sources and involves different states and events, the entire system is considered to be a discrete event system (DES). The discrete dynamics of power systems are particularly relevant for mode switching and selecting sources on DC and AC buses depending on the available renewable energy and load. CPNs allow us to define which actions occur in DES, which states preceded these actions and which states will be achieved after the actions have been performed. CPN = ( P,T,A,Σ,N,C,G,E,m0 ) (1) where, P is a finite set of places, T is a finite set of transitions; A is a finite set of arcs. ∑ is a finite set of types called color sets. This set contains all possible colors, operations, and functions used within a CPN. 2. POWER MANAGEMENT IN THE PROPOSED SHIP’S POWER PLANT Colored Petri Nets is an outstanding tool for testing the simulated environment and avoiding the occurrence of potential forbidden states in the real world. states. Colored Petri Net (CPN) combines the best of classical PNs and high level programming languages (Jensen et al., 2007; Jensen, 1991). Data, data types and transition conditions are described by a functional programming language. The token, with attached data value (called token color), can encode a vast amount of information that determines transition firing. Places are associated with color sets. A color set specifies the data type a place can hold. A transition can be programmed using special constructs and functions. Additional constructs can be used to enable or disable transition firing. Input and output arcs can have expressions and functions related to them. For a transition to be enabled, input arcs expressions need to bind successfully with the tokens present in the input places and the transition guard. The tokens are placed in the respective output places. A Colored Petri Net can be formally defined as a 9-tuple (Jensen, 1991). (1) CPN = ( P,T,A,Σ,N,C,G,E,m0 ) 2.1. Colored Petri Nets (CPNs) Petri net (PN) is a bipartite graph determined by four kinds of objects: places, transitions, directed arcs and tokens (Gudelj et al., 2012). In the PN model, places represent system states and transitions represent the assessment of transition of system N:A → (P×T)U(T×P) is a node function. C is a color function which maps places in P into color in Σ. G is a guard function TRANSACTIONS ON MARITIME SCIENCE Trans. marit. sci. 2018; 01: 23-32 25 25 The PN controller was designed using CPN tools (Version 4.0.1 (CPNTools, 2017). Taking into account the specific network topology and net load, the model simply focuses on switching modes of operation and estimating the batteries’ state of charge (SOC) once an hour. Battery SOC and net load are used as parameters for the ON/OFF control of PV and diesel generators. As stated above, CPN places consist of a set of markers called tokens, with their attached token color. The necessary color sets and variables are as shown in Figure 4. In the design control strategy, hourly intervals are considered, where all the involved variables are assumed to be constant throughout these intervals. Accordingly, the place Next_hour represents one hour which is allocated a single token. Initially this value is 0, and is updated on an hourly basis. defined from T into guard expressions g. The output of the guard expression should evaluate to Boolean value true or false. E:A→[expr] is an arc expression function which maps each arc αєA into expression e. m0 is the initial marking of CPN. For more details and CPN theory, refer to (Jensen et al., 2007). Maja Krčum et al.: Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy Figure 5. Function declaration of the CHARGE and DISCHARGE processes. Due to limited space, the process shown in CPN Tools is not described in the paper. Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the performance of our strategy. Figure 6 shows markings of each place Mode0, Mode1, Mode2 and Mode3. The figure illustrates the decision made by the PN controller coordinating operating modes. According to the process, Figure 7 shows the power balance during the simulation and describes the evolution of the duty cycle for PV sources and batteries. The synchrony between consumption and photovoltaic generation can be considered to allow the direct use of energy. In this simulation, the weather was very sunny. Pac is power consumed by loads in the AC bus, while Pdc denotes the power consumed by loads in the DC bus. Ppv refers to power produced by PV renewable sources in the DC bus. K_AC/DC is the efficiency of the battery charger and Kinv is the efficiency inverter. Pinv_max describes maximum active power that can be produced by the inverter. This function computes the values of surplus power (Pch) which is used to charge the batteries or the value of the load that has not been fed (Pdis) as a function of the AC load (Pac), the DC load (Pcd) and the energy produced by the PV sources Ppv (Dufo- Lopez et al. 2007). If the PV renewable sources produce more energy than required by AC/DC, surplus power Pch is calculated on the one-hour basis. If, on the contrary, the PV system is unable to cover DC energy demand (Ppv<Pcd) or the apparent power at the AC/DC inverter output (Pac/Kinv), the load that has not been fed (Pdis) is calculated. The energy deficit should be compensated either by batteries or the AC generator to cover the AC load or DC load. During the night, energy is supplied by batteries and the system is in mode 1. At 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PV panels generate approximately 401Wh of power, which is insufficient. The batteries are used to compensate for the gap. At 9 a.m., when the power generated by the PV increases very rapidly and exceeds the load, the PN switches the system to mode 2. Surplus power is stored in batteries, which are recharged. At 2 p.m., when batteries are full and surplus PV power can no longer be injected into batteries, the PN switches the system to mode 3. 2.2. CPN Control System Based on the proposed hybrid power system (see Introduction) and logistics issues related to the implementation of renewable sources facilitating efficient shipping, algorithms developed by the authors and C-PN rules, we designed a PN model of a control system managing energy flow and coordinating operations of hybrid energy systems onboard ships (see Figure 3). Figure 3. CPN control design of the ship hybrid energy system. CPN control design of the ship hybrid energy system. Figure 4. Definition of color sets and variables. The estimated state of batteries for each hour place is modelled by Ebat. Three states for the batteries are considered and they are defined by three token colors (S1, S2, S3) from the colors set batStates (see Figure 3). The first color (S1) indicates that the battery is empty (SOC<SOCmin), whereas the second color (S2) signifies that the battery is fully charged. The latter state is reached when the battery state of charge (SOC) becomes equal to or higher than the maximum value (SOCmax). The third color (S3) indicates that the battery is in an intermediate state, i.e. that its SOC is between minimum (SOCmin) and maximum value (SOCmax). The place DIS_CH checks the system energy balance and battery SOC at each time interval and shows whether the system is in Charge state or in Discharge state. Charging and discharging processes are coded by the function Discharge_ Charge (Figure 5) through a communication link with the load layer and PV resources. Maja Krčum et al.: Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy 26 in Section. These transmit information to one of four transitions (PVswitchOFF, BatswitchON, PVswitchON, PVswitchON1). Together with the surrounding arc inscriptions, these transitions define how resources are reserved and released. Table 1. Conditions for selecting the appropriate operating mode. Conditions Selected mode Charge/Discharge value Battery States Pch=0.0 and Pdis>0.0 S1 Mode 0 Pch=0.0 and Pdis>0.0 S3 or S2 Mode 1 Pch>0.0 and Pdis=0.0 S2 Mode 2 Pch>=0.0 and Pdis=0.0 S3 Mode 3 Figure 5. Function declaration of the CHARGE and DISCHARGE processes. Maja Krčum et al.: Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy Figure 5. Function declaration of the CHARGE and DISCHARGE processes. In mode 3 the battery SOC is constant. The second part selects operating modes of the power station. Each mode is represented by a single place: Mode0, Mode1, Mode2 and Mode3. Communication between operating modes is carried out by the transition SELECTED_MODE. The latter is triggered when it receives information from the first part, and the next node when the aforementioned mode is selected. Although transition SELECTED_MODE is enabled for all modes, it can drive only one mode for each hour. This situation is called a conflict (because the binding elements are enabled individually, but not synchronously), and it is said that the transition SELECTED_MODE is in conflict with itself. The switching between the modes is determined by evaluating the corresponding arc expression, associated to the output arcs from the places Mode0, Mode1, Mode2, Mode3, according to the rules described Figure 6. Mode switches in function of time. Figure 6. Mode switches in function of time. TRANSACTIONS ON MARITIME SCIENCE Trans. marit. sci. 2018; 01: 23-32 27 Figure 7. Simulation results. 3. OPTIMIZATION METHODOLOGY where R is the useful lifetime of the project, ir is the real interest rate, which is a function of the nominal interest rate irnominal and the annual inflation rate fr , defined by following equation (Yang et al., 2008): (4) ir = irnominal - fr 1 + fr (4) CF ($) are fuel consumption costs for 1 h of diesel generator operation (Belfkira et al, 2011): (5) CF = PrF ∙ ( A ∙ PD + B ∙ PRD ) (5) 3. OPTIMIZATION METHODOLOGY where PrF is fuel price ($/l), A=0.246 l/kWh and B=0.0845 l/kWh fuel curve coefficients. This research proposes a HOGA based-optimal design of PV-Diesel-Battery stand-alone hybrid energy system for a specific vessel. The system should be properly designed in terms of economic and environmental aspects that are affected by physical and operational constraints and strategies. HOGA software uses Genetic Algorithms (GA) that may produce adequate solutions when applied to highly complex problems (Dufo-Lopez, 2006; Dufo-Lopez and Bernal-Agustin, 2005; Dufo- Lopez et al. 2007; Gudelj and Krčum, 2013). They optimize system components (main genetic algorithm) and the control strategy (secondary genetic algorithm (HOGA, 2017). The program permits mono or multi objective optimization (Dufo-Lopez and Bernal-Agustin, 2005). In this research, the focus of the analysis was on the multi-objective design of the hybrid PV–diesel system with battery storage, intended to minimize both the Net Present Cost (NPC) of the system and the life cycle of CO2 emissions (LCE), taking into account only emissions from fuel consumption. The NPC represents investment costs plus the discounted present values of all future costs during the system’s lifetime. It can be defined as follows: The model of PV-Diesel-Battery stand-alone hybrid energy system for a specific vessel is a multi-objective problem where two objects are to be minimized (the sum of the net present cost and life cycle CO2 emissions) and is expressed as follows: (6) min F = min [ NPC(x), LCE(x) ] (7) x = { NPV , a, NBAT , b, NG , c } (6) min F = min [ NPC(x), LCE(x) ] (6) (7) where NPV , NBAT , and NG are respectively the total number of PV panels, batteries and AC generators. a, b and c are the type of PV panel, the type of battery, the type of AC generator, respectively. Additional constraints to be imposed are: (8) PPV (t) + PBAT (t) + PG (t) ≥ Pload (t) (8) PPV (t) + PBAT (t) + PG (t) ≥ Pload (t) (9) SOCmin ≤ SOC(t) ≤ SOCmax (10) 0 ≤ NPV ≤ NPVmax 0 ≤ NBAT ≤ NBATmax } (8) (9) SOCmin ≤ SOC(t) ≤ SOCmax SOCmin ≤ SOC(t) ≤ SOCmax SOCmin ≤ SOC(t) ≤ SOCmax (9) (2) NPC = ∑k ( Ck + CREP +CO&M ∙ + CF ) 1 CFR ( ir, R ) k k (10) 0 ≤ NPV ≤ NPVmax 0 ≤ NBAT ≤ NBATmax } (10) 0 ≤ NPV ≤ NPVmax 0 ≤ NBAT ≤ NBATmax } (10) where Ck ($) represents capital costs of each component k (PV generator, battery, inverter, battery charge controller and diesel generator). C k REP ($) indicates the cost of replacement of each component k during the system’s lifetime. C k Q&M ($) are the annual operating and maintenance costs for component k throughout the system’s lifetime. CRF is capital recovery factor (Yang et al., 2008; RSoSPS, 2017) which is defined as follows: where Ck ($) represents capital costs of each component k (PV generator, battery, inverter, battery charge controller and diesel generator). C k REP ($) indicates the cost of replacement of each component k during the system’s lifetime. C k Q&M ($) are the annual operating and maintenance costs for component k throughout the system’s lifetime. CRF is capital recovery factor (Yang et al., 2008; RSoSPS, 2017) which is defined as follows: Constraint (8) ensures that for any given period t, the total power supply from the hybrid generation system is sufficient to supply total demand. The relation (9) determines the maximum depth of battery discharging and the minimum depth of battery charging. The relation (10) is the constraint referring to the number of PV modules and batteries. 4. EXAMPLE OF APPLICATION HOGA was used as a test tool for the optimization of the hybrid system analyzed in this research. As mentioned above, the PV-Diesel-Battery energy system on the special-purpose vessel serving along the eastern Adriatic coast is used as case study. The system has the DC voltage of 48V and AC voltage of 230V. The typical daily load profiles of the ship are shown in Figure 8. Trojan’s deep-cycle flooded batteries were chosen. Trojan’s technology has proven to be suitable for use in marine applications (The Marine battery…, 2015). Three models of 12V batteries with the capacity of 97/106/225 Ah, having the acquisition cost of 150/195/211.6 $/battery, respectively, are considered. As the DC voltage of the system is 48 V, there are four batteries in series. The number of parallel groups allowed ranges between 1 and 15. The O&M cost amounts to 1.5/1.95/1.6 $/year. The number of possible AC generators in parallel can range from 1 to 3. The lifetime of an AC generator is 10000 h, and its minimum AC generator output power is 30 %. CO2 emission is 3.5 kg CO2. The effective interest rate considered is 6 %. The fuel price is 0.8 €/l. The efficiencies are 80 % for the batteries, 90 % for the inverter and 90 % for the battery charger. The lifetime of the entire system is 25 years. Trojan’s deep-cycle flooded batteries were chosen. Trojan’s technology has proven to be suitable for use in marine applications (The Marine battery…, 2015). Three models of 12V batteries with the capacity of 97/106/225 Ah, having the acquisition cost of 150/195/211.6 $/battery, respectively, are considered. As the DC voltage of the system is 48 V, there are four batteries in series. The number of parallel groups allowed ranges between 1 and 15. The O&M cost amounts to 1.5/1.95/1.6 $/year. The selection of appropriate solar panels requires data on solar radiation by month in the given area. An average monthly solar irradiation energy throughout the year for the eastern Adriatic Coast is between 1.62 (kWh/m2) in December and 8.07 (kWh/m2) in July. In this area, the value of average daily irradiation on horizontal surface is 4.76 (kWh/m2/day). Therefore, the potential for the utilization of this type of energy is clearly rather high. The number of possible AC generators in parallel can range from 1 to 3. (6) min F = min [ NPC(x), LCE(x) ] The number of batteries to be connected in a series is not subject to optimization but is a straightforward calculation, whereas the number of parallel battery strings NBAT,P , each consisting of NBAT,S batteries connected in series, is a design (3) CFR (ir, R) = ir ∙ ( 1 + ir )R ( 1 + ir )R - 1 CFR (ir, R) = ir ∙ ( 1 + ir )R ( 1 + ir )R - 1 (3) 28 variable that needs optimization (Trazouei and Trazouei, 2013). The total number of batteries is NBAT = NBAT,P * NBAT,S. PV panels are designed for use in residential applications and will not survive being installed on a vessel or seawater exposure which will cause them to delaminate, corrode or deteriorate. KYOCERA Solar panels (Kyocera, 2017) have demonstrated successful and reliable performance in the marine environment over the years. This is the reason why three commercial models of multi-crystalline silicon KCM solar panels of 140/255/320 Wp, featuring 12/12/24 V nominal voltage, having the acquisition cost of 293/317/432 $/per panel and the annual O&M cost of 2.93/3.17/4.32 $/year, respectively, are considered. As the DC voltage of the system is 48 V, the application of four or two panels in series is possible, depending on the nominal voltage (48/nominal voltage). The number of parallel groups allowed ranges between 0 and 20. The estimated lifetime of PV arrays is 25 years and emissions are 600/600/800 kgCO2, respectively, in the manufacturing. , , The number of panels to be connected in series NPV,S depends on the selected DC bus voltage (bus V) and is not subject to optimization. The number of parallel strings NPV,P is the design variable that needs optimization. The total number of PV panels is NPV = NPV,P * NPV,S. Inputs required for system optimization include capital expenses, replacement, operating and maintenance costs of all components, as well as efficiency, components and project lifetime, component specifications, hourly load demand and hourly meteorological data over a one year period. 5. OPTIMIZATION RESULTS Table 2. Multi-objective GA Parameters. Parameter Values Parameters Values Population Size 15 Selection function Elitism Population Type vector Crossover function Single-point Initial Population random Crossover rate 0.75 Max generation 20 Mutation function Uniform Mutation rate 0.01 This section is an assessment of the realistic operating scenario for PLOVPUT’s working boat. The behavior of the energy storage and production system was simulated using the simulator presented in the preceding section. Three load profiles were tested: profile #1: full AC/DC load was simulated; profile #2: 10 % of AC load and full DC load were simulated; profile #3: only DC load was simulated. The goal of optimization is to find an optimal configuration of the system by simultaneously minimizing net present cost and CO2 emissions in terms of the decision variables of the problem (Eq. 7). This task was achieved using HOGA, utilizing a multi- objective genetic algorithm. The applied genetic algorithm GA can search for the configuration of PV panels, batteries and AC generators that minimizes the two objectives expressed in Equation (6). The genetic algorithm GA simulates the survival of the fittest among individuals over consecutive generations throughout the solution of a problem (Goldberg, 1989). Each generation consists of a population analogous to a set of chromosomes. In this paper, GA uses an integer representation of chromosomes. Each chromosome is a vector in the form [NPV a NBAT b NG c] that consists of six positions which, respectively, correspond to six decision variables: number of PV panels, the type of PV panel, the number of batteries, the type of battery, the number of AC generators and the type of AC generator (Eq. 7). The individuals in the population are then exposed to the process of evolution. The elitist mechanism is applied which keeps individuals with high degree of adaptability depending on their fitness. Crossover operator is applied to the group, and individuals are selected by crossover and mutation probability to generate new individuals. Thus, genes from good individuals propagate throughout the population and each subsequent generation achieves better fitness values. The obtained optimal configuration for profile #1 is unacceptable because it includes a large number of PV modules which cover an area of 120 m2. The obtained optimal configuration for profiles #2 and #3 has the lowest system total cost and the lowest emissions. 4. EXAMPLE OF APPLICATION The lifetime of an AC generator is 10000 h, and its minimum AC generator output power is 30 %. CO2 emission is 3.5 kg CO2. The effective interest rate considered is 6 %. The fuel price is 0.8 €/l. The efficiencies are 80 % for the batteries, 90 % for the inverter and 90 % for the battery charger. The lifetime of the entire system is 25 years. In optimizations, commercially available components are considered and prices are all unfeigned. Most low budget solar Figure 8. Average hourly distribution of AC and DC loads. 37.55 37.55 80.225 80.2 69.075 80.225 80.225 37.55 37.55 1.15 1.15 1.55 1.6 1.5 1.15 1.15 0.2 0.6 1 1.4 1.8 12345678 91 01 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 92 02 12 22 32 4 30 70 110 DC_load (kW) Hours AC_load (KW) AC_load DC_load Figure 8 37.55 37.55 80.225 80.2 69.075 80.225 80.225 37.55 37.55 1.15 1.15 1.55 1.6 1.5 1.15 1.15 0.2 0.6 1 1.4 1.8 12345678 91 01 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 92 02 12 22 32 4 30 70 110 DC_load (kW) Hours AC_load (KW) AC_load DC_load g Average hourly distribution of AC and DC loads. TRANSACTIONS ON MARITIME SCIENCE Trans. marit. sci. 2018; 01: 23-32 29 5. OPTIMIZATION RESULTS Daily average energy to comply with the operational profiles and excess energy, profile #3. Figure 10. Daily average energy to comply with the operational profiles and excess energy, profile #3. Trans. marit. sci. 2018; 01: 23-32 5. OPTIMIZATION RESULTS According to the results, the lowest NPC over 25 years is obtained when PV-diesel hybrid generation is combined with battery storage. In addition, this configuration is capable of meeting the load demand without any unmet load during simulation time. Hybrid solutions for renewable and AC generation can reduce costs in the long term, although the initial investment is much higher. The use of AC generator is substantially reduced, resulting in fuel economy and emission savings (see Table 2). Figure 9 and Figure 10 show optimal configurations for load profiles #2 and #3, total energy production for each component and hourly simulation throughout the year. During the year, for load profile #2, AC generators produce about 77.7 % and renewable resources only 22.3 % of the overall energy. For profile #3, owing to lower load (DC load only), a viable solution is an AC generator operating only for a couple of hours each day. The AC generator produces only 0.01 % of the energy, The parameters for the Genetic Algorithm (GA) have been taken from Table 2. Table 3. Multi-objective GA Parameters. Load profile Only Diesel Optimal results NPC ($) AC operation (h/yr) CO2 (t/yr) AC_CO2 (t /yr) NPC ($) PV power (W) Battery capac. (Ah) AC Pgen_min (kVA) AC operation (h/yr) #1 - - 622.56 595.52 3809600.0 450x255 270x225 57 5127 #2 272261 6852.4 56.32 54.12 699016.88 45x255 72 x 225 3 4818 #3 63034 4376.3 0.774 10.00 49809.00 28 x 320 24 x 225 3 2 Maja Krčum et al.: Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy Maja Krčum et al.: Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy 30 30 while renewable resources produce the remaining 99.9 %. CO2 emissions from fuel combustion are avoided, leaving only those relating to the life cycle of the facility (manufacturing, transport and scrapping). However, the AC generator remains an important source of energy meeting the AC load demand although its O&M cost is high. Figure 9. Energy during one year, load profiles #2 and #3. Figure 10. Daily average energy to comply with the operational profiles and excess energy, profile #3. Figure 9. Energy during one year, load profiles #2 and #3. Figure 9. Energy during one year, load profiles #2 and #3. Figure 10. Daily average energy to comply with the operational profiles and excess energy, profile #3. Figure 10. 6. CONCLUSION consideration of a number of factors such as required loads and the availability of solar energy. Using a simulation model that only considered PV systems which can actually be mounted on the deck of Plovput’s vessel, the consumption loads in certain modes of vessel operation were monitored, and the information flow followed to manage the distribution of load power. The optimal design, allowing energy management, operational cost function minimization and the reduction of CO2 emission, was implemented using the HOGA software. The goal of this research was to prove that a specific vessel, a workboat built in 2016 and operated by Plovput, may generate renewable energy in compliance with the rules of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which are becoming mandatory as of 2025. The use of photovoltaic (PV) solar systems to supply various onboard users with power (e.g. instruments, lights, winches, propulsion…) reduces fossil fuel consumption and consequently the harmful exhaust gas emissions. However, the efficient application of solar energy onboard ships depends on investment costs of any given solar system and the careful This paper focuses on information management coordination and energy distribution that contribute to the study and represent a contribution to meeting IMO recommendations. TRANSACTIONS ON MARITIME SCIENCE Trans. marit. sci. 2018; 01: 23-32 31 It is a part of the authors’ ongoing study and can be used for further research that can be applied to similar vessels. The study can easily be extended to include considerations and other renewable energy sources suitable for onboard applications. Kyoto Protocol Introduction, (2017), available at: http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/ items/2830.php [accessed 14 October 2017.]. It is a part of the authors’ ongoing study and can be used for further research that can be applied to similar vessels. The study can easily be extended to include considerations and other renewable energy sources suitable for onboard applications. Energy Efficiency Design Index – IMO, (2012), http://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/ HotTopics/GHG/Pages/EEDI.aspx [accessed 14 October 2017.]. Real-time Simulation of Shipboard Power System, (2017), available at: http://www. opalrt.com/sites/default/files/technical_papers/REALTIME %20SIMULATION %20OF Maja Krčum et al.: Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy REFERENCES %20SHIPBOARD %20POWER %20SYSTEM.pdf [accessed 14 October 2017.]. 3rd IMO GHG study, (2017), available at: http://www.Imo.Org/En/Ourwork/ Environment/Pollutionprevention/Airpollution/Pages/Greenhouse-Gas- Studies-2014.aspx [accessed 14 October 2017.]. 3rd IMO GHG study, (2017), available at: http://www.Imo.Org/En/Ourwork/ Environment/Pollutionprevention/Airpollution/Pages/Greenhouse-Gas- Studies-2014.aspx [accessed 14 October 2017.]. The marine battery and LiFePO4 battery chemistry, (2015), available at: https:// batterybro.com/blogs/18650-wholesale-battery-reviews/34311235-the-marine- battery-and-the-lifepo4-battery-chemistry [accessed 14 October 2017.]. Belfkira, R., Zhang, L., and Barakat, G., (2011), Optimal Sizing study of hybrid wind/ PV/diesel power generation system. Solar Energy 85(1), pp. 100-110., available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2010.10.018 Øverleir, M.A., (2015), Hybridization of General Cargo Ships to meet the Required Energy Efficiency Design Index, available at: https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/ handle/11250/2350857 [accessed 14 October 2017.]. CPNTools, (2017), available at: http://www.daimi.au.dk/CPnets/ [accessed 14 October 2017.]. Kyocera Solar PV Panels, (2017), available at: https://www.emarineinc.com/ categories/Kyocera-Solar-PV-Panels [accessed 14 October 2017.]. Dufo-López, R., Bernal-Agustín, J.L. and Rivas-Ascaso, D. M., (2006), Design of Isolated Hybrid Systems Minimizing Costs and Pollutant Emissions, Journal of renewable energy 31(14), pp. 2227-2244., available at: Dufo-López, R., Bernal-Agustín, J.L. and Rivas-Ascaso, D. M., (2006), Design of Isolated Hybrid Systems Minimizing Costs and Pollutant Emissions, Journal of renewable energy 31(14), pp. 2227-2244., available at: International Maritime Organization, available at: https://www.imo.org [accessed 14 October 2017.]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2005.11.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2005.11.002 Jensen K, Kristensen, L.M., and Wells, L., (2007), Colored Petri Nets and CPN Tools for Modelling and Validation of Concurrent Systems, International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer (STTT), pp. 213-254., available at: Dufo-López, R. and Bernal-Agustín, J.L., (2005), Design and control strategies of PV- Diesel systems using genetic algorithms, Solar Energy 79(1), pp. 33-46., available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2004.10.004 Dufo-López, R. and Bernal-Agustín, J.L., (2005), Design and control strategies of PV- Diesel systems using genetic algorithms, Solar Energy 79(1), pp. 33-46., available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2004.10.004 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10009-007-0038-x Dufo-López, R., Bernal-Agustín, J.L. and Contreras, J., (2007), Optimization of Control Strategies for Stand-Alone Renewable Energy Systems with Hydrogen Storage, Journal of Solar Energy 32(7), pp. 1102-1126., available at: Jensen, K., (1991), Colored Petri Nets: A high-level Language for System Design and Analysis, High-level Petri Nets, pp. 44-119., available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84524-6_2 Jensen, K., (1991), Colored Petri Nets: A high-level Language for System Design and Analysis, High-level Petri Nets, pp. 44-119., available at: Strategies for Stand-Alone Renewable Energy Systems with Hydrogen Storage, Journal of Solar Energy 32(7), pp. 1102-1126., available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2006.04.013 Krčum M., Gudelj A., and Žižić, L., (2010), Marine Applications for Fuel Cell Technology, Proceedings of the International Conference of Transport System (ICTS), Portorož: Slovenia. REFERENCES Goldberg, D.E., (1989), Genetic Algorithms in Search Optimization and Machine Learning, Addison–Wesley Longman Goldberg, D.E., (1989), Genetic Algorithms in Search Optimization and Machine Learning, Addison–Wesley Longman Gudelj, A., Kezić, D., and Vidačić, S., (2012), Marine Traffic Optimization Using Petri Net and Genetic Algorithm, PROMET – Traffic & Transportation 24(6), pp. 469-478., available at: Gudelj, A., Kezić, D., and Vidačić, S., (2012), Marine Traffic Optimization Using Petri Net and Genetic Algorithm, PROMET – Traffic & Transportation 24(6), pp. 469-478., available at: Technical documentation of the PLOVPUT company’s working boat. Technical documentation of the PLOVPUT company’s working boat. Trazouei, S.L., Tarazouei, F.L., (2013), Optimal Design of a Hybrid Solar-Wind-Diesel Power System for Rural Electrification Using Imperialist Competitive Algorithm, International Journal of Renewable ENERGY Research, 3(2), pp. 403-411. https://doi.org/10.7307/ptt.v24i6.1199 Gudelj A. and Krčum M., (2013), Simulation and Optimization of Independent Renewable Energy Hybrid System, Transactions on Maritime Science 2(1), pp. 28- 35., available at: Yang, H., Zhou, W., and Fang, Z., (2008), Optimal sizing method for stand-alone hybrid solar–wind system with LPSP technology by using genetic algorithm, Sol Energy 82(4), pp. 354–367., available at: Yang, H., Zhou, W., and Fang, Z., (2008), Optimal sizing method for stand-alone hybrid solar–wind system with LPSP technology by using genetic algorithm, Sol Energy 82(4), pp. 354–367., available at: Yang, H., Zhou, W., and Fang, Z., (2008), Optimal sizing method for stand-alone hybrid solar–wind system with LPSP technology by using genetic algorithm, Sol Energy 82(4), pp. 354–367., available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2007.08.005 y y gy y g g g Energy 82(4), pp. 354–367., available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2007.08.005 https://doi.org/10.7225/toms.v02.n01.004 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2007.08.005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2007.08.005 HOGA, (2017), available at: http://www.unizar.es/rdufo.hoga-eng.htm [accessed 14 October 2017.]. 32
https://openalex.org/W4200589755
https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/bitstream/10356/163401/2/sustainability-13-14012-v3.pdf
English
null
Official Tenure, Fiscal Capacity, and PPP Withdrawal of Local Governments: Evidence from China’s PPP Project Platform
Sustainability
2,021
cc-by
12,192
Official tenure, fiscal capacity, and PPP withdrawal of local governments: evidence from China’s PPP project platform Wang, Yingying; Song, Wenjuan; Zhang, Bo; Tiong, Robert Lee Kong © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 2021 Wang, Y., Song, W., Zhang, B. & Tiong, R. L. K. (2021). Official tenure, fiscal capacity, and PPP withdrawal of local governments: evidence from China’s PPP project platform. Sustainability, 13(24), 14012‑. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su132414012 Wang, Y., Song, W., Zhang, B. & Tiong, R. L. K. (2021). Official tenure, fiscal capacity, and PPP withdrawal of local governments: evidence from China’s PPP project platform. Sustainability, 13(24), 14012‑. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su132414012 Wang, Y., Song, W., Zhang, B. & Tiong, R. L. K. (2021). Official tenure, fiscal capacity, and PPP withdrawal of local governments: evidence from China’s PPP project platform. Sustainability, 13(24), 14012‑. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su132414012 Yingying Wang 1 , Wenjuan Song 1,*, Bo Zhang 2 and Robert L. K. Tiong 3 Yingying Wang 1 1 School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; wangyy2017@tsinghua.org.cn 2 Hang Lung Center for Real Estate, Department of Construction Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; zhangb_abc@163.com 3 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; CLKTIONG@ntu.edu.sg * Correspondence: songwj18@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn 1 School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; wangyy2017@tsinghua.org.cn 1 School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; 1 School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; wangyy2017@tsinghua.org.cn 2 Hang Lung Center for Real Estate, Department of Construction Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; zhangb_abc@163.com 3 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; CLKTIONG@ntu.edu.sg * Correspondence: songwj18@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn g g p g g Beijing 100084, China; zhangb_abc@163.com 3 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; CLKTIONG@ntu.edu.sg * Correspondence: songwj18@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn Beijing 100084, China; zhangb_abc@163.com 3 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; CLKTIONG@ntu.edu.sg * C d j18@ il t i h d j g , ; g _ 3 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; CLKTIONG@ntu.edu.sg * Correspondence: songwj18@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn Abstract: PPP withdrawal policy is helpful to reduce over-investment in PPPs leading to sustainable development. However, little is known about the role of local governments on over-investment in PPPs. Using the PPP Project Platform Data, a unique dataset, this article is able to quantify over- investment in PPPs by coding PPP withdrawal for the first time. This research tests the influencing factors of PPP withdrawal at the municipal level, according to the centralized withdrawal policy in late 2017 as an exogenous treatment. Based on the theory of over-investment to rapid economic growth, this study develops a two-pillar framework under the combination of political man and economic man assumptions to explain the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The results show that both official tenure and fiscal capacity are significant factors. In addition, debt partially mediates the mayor tenure on PPP withdrawal, and the land revenue growth can hinder the negative relationship between mayor tenure and PPP withdrawal. It implies that over-investment in PPPs is strongly influenced by official leaders’ personal promotion incentive and official group members’ collective benefit. Thus, our findings indicate that the centralized withdrawal policy is an effective instrument to prevent over-investment in PPPs. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/163401 © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Downloaded on 24 Oct 2024 12:06:22 SGT sustainability sustainability sustainability Article   Citation: Wang, Y.; Song, W.; Zhang, B.; Tiong, R.L.K. Official Tenure, Fiscal Capacity, and PPP Withdrawal of Local Governments: Evidence from China’s PPP Project Platform. Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012. https:// doi.org/10.3390/su132414012 Keywords: PPP withdrawal; PPP Project Platform (PPP-PP); over-investment; official tenure; fiscal capacity Yingying Wang 1 , Wenjuan Song 1,*, Bo Zhang 2 and Robert L. K. Tiong 3 Moreover, a match should be formed between local development planning and investment plans to promote sustainable of PPP investment.   Citation: Wang, Y.; Song, W.; Zhang, B.; Tiong, R.L.K. Official Tenure, Fiscal Capacity, and PPP Withdrawal of Local Governments: Evidence from China’s PPP Project Platform. Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012. https:// doi.org/10.3390/su132414012 Academic Editor: Donato Morea Received: 26 November 2021 Accepted: 14 December 2021 Published: 19 December 2021   Citation: Wang, Y.; Song, W.; Zhang, B.; Tiong, R.L.K. Official Tenure, Fiscal Capacity, and PPP Withdrawal of Local Governments: Evidence from China’s PPP Project Platform. Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012. https:// doi.org/10.3390/su132414012 Academic Editor: Donato Morea Received: 26 November 2021 Accepted: 14 December 2021 Published: 19 December 2021 Keywords: PPP withdrawal; PPP Project Platform (PPP-PP); over-investment; official tenure; fiscal capacity Article Official Tenure, Fiscal Capacity, and PPP Withdrawal of Local Governments: Evidence from China’s PPP Project Platform Yingying Wang 1 , Wenjuan Song 1,*, Bo Zhang 2 and Robert L. K. Tiong 3 1. Introduction PPP (Public–Private Partnership) investment has boomed in China since 2014. Ac- cording to the Ministry of Finance (MOF), local governments have initiated more than 10,000 projects with an investment of RMB 15.1 trillion (about USD 2.3 trillion) by June 2021. Large investment in PPPs aroused much controversy, which may lead to unnecessary public supplement, hidden debt, and budget burden [1–3]. However, little is known about local governments’ role in the over-investment in PPPs. The centralized supervisory policy in China offers a unique opportunity to observe it. This study aims to investigate the influencing factors of over-investment in PPPs. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. g The central government established the PPP Project Platform (PPP-PP) in 2015. It reflects that the promotion of PPP investment in China via a top-down strategy [4]. The PPP-PP is characterized as dynamic management, such as approving entering PPP projects, supervising the implementation process, and withdrawing unqualified PPP projects. It is helpful to trace regional investment in PPPs. Once a PPP project behaves irregularly, it will be identified and suffered withdrawal. If a PPP project is withdrawn from the PPP-PP, it implies that the project is not in line with the regional investment plan. The summary statistics for local governments’ PPP withdrawal can reflect regional over-investment in PPPs. Its advantage is Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132414012 Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 2 of 16 to offer an exogenous treatment rather than the initiation stage of PPP investment launched, which may suffer the endogenous problem. We choose the first centralized withdrawal policy occurred in late 2017 involving 1160 projects (about RMB 1.2 trillion). to offer an exogenous treatment rather than the initiation stage of PPP investment launched, which may suffer the endogenous problem. We choose the first centralized withdrawal policy occurred in late 2017 involving 1160 projects (about RMB 1.2 trillion). Scholars argue that China’s fast economic growth includes lots of over-investment in infrastructure construction. The explanation of local governments’ role on over-investment is under two assumptions, including personal political promotion [5] and regional group benefit [6,7]. Local official leaders often use their power to pursue political goals [8]. 1. Introduction While local official groups are keen to launch speed and over-investment for collective benefits [9]. The requirements of PPP-PP highlight that “local governments are not encouraged to initiate a PPP project if it bears demand risk, provided non-core services, or reimbursed the project’s investment at a fixed rate of return”. The motivations of over-investment in PPPs are inherently consistent with local governments’ other investments in infrastructure and public service. p However, little attention has been paid to local governments’ role in over-investment in PPPs. This research codes local governments’ PPP withdrawal as a dependent variable of over-investment in PPPs for the first time, then offers a Large-N quantitative study to examine the key factors of PPP withdrawal at the municipal level. The data used in this research include 280 cities involving an over-investment of RMB 1.2 trillion initiated from 2012 to 2017. This study contributes to the existing PPP investment literature by taking the lens of PPP withdrawal as over-investment in PPPs. The findings shed additional light on local governments’ role on over-investment in PPPs. g The remainder of this study is organized as follows. Section 2 reviews the literature on PPP investment. Section 3 presents the development of PPP-PP in China. Section 4 presents the framework and hypotheses. Section 5 reports the data and method used in the study, and the empirical results. The conclusions and discussions are provided in Section 6. 2. Literature Review PPPs are characterized as long-term contractual relationships between government and enterprise, which does not indicate the government’s diminishing role in PPPs [10,11]. The government’s role is one of the most focal topics in the PPP investment [12], especially local governments’ motivations of initiating PPP investment by passing barriers of limited budgetary constraints [13,14] and efficiency gains by providing better Value for Money (VfM) [15]. The collaborations of PPPs in China are quite different. The Chinese government collaborates not only with the private sector but also with state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which play an important role in China’s market economy [16]. This phenomenon has spurred heated debates about China’s incentives for investing in PPPs. p g One stream of the literature on PPP investment plays close attention to key factors attracting market investment. Macro system quality helps to enhance PPP investment from the market [4]. Good governance, such as abiding by rules, clear enforcement mechanisms, and normalized organizations, is very important to conduct PPPs [17]. The difference of macro system in PPPs across different countries and jurisdictions has produced wildly diverse PPP market investment [18–20]. It indicates that system change is path-dependent and is a function of a variety of context-specific variables, implying no one-size-fits-all system instrument is universally applicable for PPPs [21]. Recent research examined how institutional, political, and governmental support structures effect PPP development of PPP-enabling fields [22,23]. Contract management is a typical instrument to help to ensure the supervision goals regarding PPPs in the context of competitive markets, involving rewards, persuasion, and deterrence in PPP contract management [24–26]. The other stream the literature on PPP investment focuses on local governments’ motivation. Several studies have identified the key drivers of PPP adoption, which are broadening financing channels, enhancing supply capacity, and improving infrastructure supplement efficiency [27–33]. Scholars have proved that political opportunism and trans- action costs are significant factors for investment in PPPs [2]. Others have discussed that local governments are manifesting political opportunism and administrative capacity in Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 3 of 16 3 of 16 PPPs [34]. In recent years, PPP investment has played a supplementary role in infrastruc- ture investment in China as a response to the pressures of fiscal shortfalls and government debts [16]. A large amount of the literature has discussed local governments’ motivation to PPP investment. For instance, Wang et al. 3. Development of PPP-PP in China According to the MOF’s guidebook, local governments are required to submit infor- mation about all their PPP projects to the PPP-PP. The PPP-PP is the largest one around the world, which have attracted many scholars’ attention [1–3]. The PPP-PP in China charac- terizes as a supervisory instrument for normalization of local governments’ investment in PPPs. By comparison, the World Bank’s Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI) project platform is a global recognized database, which supervises PPP projects according to four situations including concluded, active, cancelled, and distressed. Compared with the World Bank’s PPI project platform, China’s PPP-PP not only has a statistical function but also has a dynamic supervisory function. It helps the central government to control local governments’ investment in PPPs in a rational range, which operates through step-by-step declaration and dynamic supervision in a whole project life cycle. First, the PPP-PP adopts PPP withdrawal management as a supervisory instrument. According to the MOF’s guidebook, those infrastructure projects with large investment scale, long-term stable demand, flexible price adjustment mechanism, and a high degree of marketization are suitable for PPPs. Furthermore, PPP projects should meet four re- quirements: (1) the period of contract is at least 10 years; (2) the cooperation of contract includes investment, construction, and operation; (3) the enterprise has a reasonable profit not exorbitant profit; and (4) the government does not provide a commitment to burden risks within the project. These four conditions are necessary for PPP projects to be not withdrawn in the platform. If a project no longer meets at any stage, it will be noticed to rectified, otherwise, it will be removed from the platform and be noticed to terminate, which is called PPP withdrawal from the PPP-PP. Second, the PPP-PP adopts a phased dynamic management. According to the MOF’s guidebook, the whole lifecycle of a PPP project is divided into five stages: identification, preparation, procurement, implementation, and transfer (See Figure 1). In the identification stage, a PPP project is initiated by a local governmental sector as the project executor approved by the local government. The finance department of the jurisdiction then as- sesses the feasibility of the proposal through a Value of Money (VfM) test and a fiscal sustainability test (called two tests). In the preparation stage, the local government sector prepares a detailed project implementation programme involving two tests for the approval application of the PPP-PP. 2. Literature Review has provided the mechanisms of promotion pres- sure and financial burden in relation to investments in PPP infrastructure projects. They suggest that a match should be formed between local economic infrastructure planning and investment plans to avoid over- or under-investment [35]. Moreover, Zhang et al. has found that local governments tended to initiate more PPP projects if they have great finan- cial pressure, higher off-budgetary debts, or lower budgetary deficits [36]. PPP projects initiated under off-budgetary burdens were more likely to be inappropriate, which indi- cates over-investment in PPPs. However, little is known about local governments’ role in over-investment in PPPs. Similar to Keynesianism, the involvement of the Chinese government may spur economic development but may also lead to hazards if it involves too much investment. Over-investment in infrastructure construction during China’s rapid economic development has aroused great attention. Much of the literature has studied the influence factors of over-investment [37]. Several studies have investigated the factors of local governments’ over-investment, involving pursuit of political promotion through GDP assessment [38,39], and pursuit of fiscal capacity [6,7,40]. The over-investment in PPPs is also involved to enhance infrastructure in the context of rapid economic development driven by local officials, but there is no evidence to support it. This study attempts to focus on local governments’ role on over-investment in PPPs. 3. Development of PPP-PP in China The PPP project platform in Chin Figure 1. The PPP project platform in China. Figure 1. The PPP project platform in China. The PPP project platform plays an important role of supervising loca investment in PPPs. According to the PPP project platform, the number a in PPP projects initiated by local governments doubled approximately eve the end of 2016. The expansion slowed down significantly in late 2017 a government issuing the central PPP withdrawal policy. A series of policies and 2018 to mitigate the financial risks, most notably through a PPP clamp investment’ in PPPs. In early 2018, the PPP project platform withdrew 111 h f h d l d ff f h The PPP project platform plays an important role of supervising local govern investment in PPPs. According to the PPP project platform, the number and inve in PPP projects initiated by local governments doubled approximately every half y the end of 2016. The expansion slowed down significantly in late 2017 after the government issuing the central PPP withdrawal policy. A series of policies iss 2017 and 2018 to mitigate the financial risks, most notably through a PPP clamp of ‘overinvestment’ in PPPs. In early 2018, the PPP project platform withdrew 11 projects. The vast territory of China caused severe spatial difference of PPP withd i i liti (S Fi 2) The PPP project platform plays an important role of supervising local governm investment in PPPs. According to the PPP project platform, the number and inves in PPP projects initiated by local governments doubled approximately every half y the end of 2016. The expansion slowed down significantly in late 2017 after the c government issuing the central PPP withdrawal policy. A series of policies issued i and 2018 to mitigate the financial risks, most notably through a PPP clampdown of investment’ in PPPs. In early 2018, the PPP project platform withdrew 1116 PPP pr The vast territory of China caused severe spatial difference of PPP withdrawal a municipalities (See Figure 2) The PPP project platform plays an important role of supervising local governments’ investment in PPPs. According to the PPP project platform, the number and investment in PPP projects initiated by local governments doubled approximately every half year by the end of 2016. The expansion slowed down significantly in late 2017 after the central government issuing the central PPP withdrawal policy. 3. Development of PPP-PP in China It illustrates the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The total investment of PPP withdrawal is marked with different shades. The more PPP withdrawal, the darker the color. Figure 2. China’s PPP withdrawal of local governments in 2014–2017. Note: The figure is made by ArcGIS software. It illustrates the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The total investment of PPP withdrawal is marked with different shades. The more PPP withdrawal, the darker the color. 3. Development of PPP-PP in China If the process goes well, the government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. Finally, the PPP project moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage until the contract expires. At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may be withdrawn from the platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualified conditions, irregular operation, or imperfect information. procurement and selects a winner among multiple bidders. If the process goes w government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. Finally, the PPP moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage until the contract e At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may be withdrawn fr platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualified conditions, irr operation, or imperfect information. well, the government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. F project moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage un expires. At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may from the platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualif irregular operation, or imperfect information. well, the government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. Finally, th project moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage until the co expires. At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may be with from the platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualified cond irregular operation, or imperfect information. conducts procurement and selects a winner among multiple bidders. If the process goes well, the government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. Finally, the PPP project moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage until the contract expires. At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may be withdrawn from the platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualified conditions, irregular operation, or imperfect information. Figure 1. The PPP project platform in China. Figure 1. The PPP project platform in China. Figure 1. The PPP project platform in China. Figure 1. The PPP project platform in China. Figure 1. The PPP project platform in China. Figure 1. The PPP project platform in Figure 1. The PPP project platform in Chi Figure 1. 3. Development of PPP-PP in China In the procurement stage, the local government sector conducts Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 y , , 4 of 16 two te al gov ts for t nment sector procurement and selects a winner among multiple bidders. If the process goes well, the government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. Finally, the PPP project moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage until the contract expires. At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may be withdrawn from the platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualified conditions, irregular operation, or imperfect information. procurement and selects a winner among multiple bidders. If the process goes w government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. Finally, the PPP moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage until the contract e At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may be withdrawn fr platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualified conditions, irr operation, or imperfect information. well, the government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. F project moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage un expires. At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may from the platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualif irregular operation, or imperfect information. well, the government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. Finally, th project moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage until the co expires. At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may be with from the platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualified cond irregular operation, or imperfect information. conducts procurement and selects a winner among multiple bidders. If the process goes well, the government signs a contract with the winner for partnership. Finally, the PPP project moves into the implementation stage and then the transfer stage until the contract expires. At any time in the whole life cycle of a project, a PPP project may be withdrawn from the platform once it fails to meet the requirements, such as unqualified conditions, irregular operation, or imperfect information. procurement and selects a winner among multiple bidders. 3. Development of PPP-PP in China A series of policies issued in 2017 and 2018 to mitigate the financial risks, most notably through a PPP clampdown of ‘overinvestment’ in PPPs. In early 2018, the PPP project platform withdrew 1116 PPP projects. The vast territory of China caused severe spatial difference of PPP withdrawal among municipalities (See Figure 2). The PPP project platform plays an important role of supervising local governments’ investment in PPPs. According to the PPP project platform, the number and investment in PPP projects initiated by local governments doubled approximately every half year by the end of 2016. The expansion slowed down significantly in late 2017 after the central government issuing the central PPP withdrawal policy. A series of policies issued in 2017 and 2018 to mitigate the financial risks, most notably through a PPP clampdown of ‘over- investment’ in PPPs. In early 2018, the PPP project platform withdrew 1116 PPP projects. The vast territory of China caused severe spatial difference of PPP withdrawal among municipalities (See Figure 2). The vast territory of China caused severe spatial difference of PPP withd municipalities (See Figure 2). g p ( g ) Figure 2. China’s PPP withdrawal of local governments in 2014–2017. Note: The figure is made by ArcGIS software. It illustrates the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The total investment of PPP withdrawal is marked with different shades. The more PPP withdrawal, the darker the color. Figure 2. China’s PPP withdrawal of local governments in 2014–2017. Note: The figure is made by ArcGIS software. It illustrates the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The total investment of PPP withdrawal is marked with different shades. The more PPP withdrawal, the darker the color. y municipalities (See Figure 2). g p ( g ) Figure 2. China’s PPP withdrawal of local governments in 2014–2017. Note: The figure is made by ArcGIS software. It illustrates the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The total investment of PPP withdrawal is marked with different shades. The more PPP withdrawal, the darker the color. Figure 2. China’s PPP withdrawal of local governments in 2014–2017. Note: The figure is made by ArcGIS software. It illustrates the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The total investment of PPP withdrawal is marked with different shades. The more PPP withdrawal, the darker the color. Figure 2. China’s PPP withdrawal of local governments in 2014–2017. Note: The figure is made by ArcGIS software. 4.1. Local Governments’ PPP Withdrawal 4.1. Local Governments’ PPP Withdrawal Based on the tenure system of official leaders and fiscal capacity of official groups, this study develops a two-pillar framework including official tenure and fiscal capacity to explain PPP withdrawal of local governments (See Figure 3). “Promotion Championship” and “Financial Federation” are two classical theories to explain local economic development. Local official management by the central govern- ment often relies on political promotion to promote economic development [43]. They correspond to two hypotheses, including official leaders as political man and official groups as economic man, respectively. Official leaders pay more attention to personal promotion probability, while official groups pay more attention to fiscal revenue. A local official leader’s tenure in office as the most institutionalized and universal model in offi- cial management is an important factor affecting official leaders’ ruling behaviors. Mean- while, local fiscal capacity reflecting collective goals is another important factor affecting official groups’ efforts. Based on the tenure system of official leaders and fiscal capacity of official groups, this study develops a two-pillar framework including official tenure and fiscal capacity to explain PPP withdrawal of local governments (See Figure 3). Figure 3. Theoretical framework of official tenure, fiscal capacity, and PPP withdrawal Figure 3. Theoretical framework of official tenure, fiscal capacity, and PPP withdrawal. Figure 3. Theoretical framework of official tenure, fiscal capacity, and PPP withdrawa Figure 3. Theoretical framework of official tenure, fiscal capacity, and PPP withdrawal. 4.2. Official Tenure and Over-Investment in PPPs 4.2. Official Tenure and Over-Investment in PPPs Local official leaders will try their best to create the most satisfactory achievements of the higher-level government during the term to raise the promotion probability [44]. However, the relationship between tenure and economic development is still controver- sial. Some research proves official tenure affects GDP growth negatively through a de- crease in public capital productivity [45]. Others have proved the opposite influence, which means that official tenure created an incentive structure for local leaders to increase government expenditures in strategy plans to enhance promotion probability [37,46]. Local official leaders will try their best to create the most satisfactory achievements of the higher-level government during the term to raise the promotion probability [44]. However, the relationship between tenure and economic development is still controversial. Some research proves official tenure affects GDP growth negatively through a decrease in public capital productivity [45]. 4.1. Local Governments’ PPP Withdrawal 4.1. Local Governments’ PPP Withdrawal The local governments’ PPP withdrawal from the PPP-PP as discussed, offers a unique opportunity to observe whether local governments over-invested in PPPs or not. When initiating a PPP project, local officials in China do not have to favor voters but do have to impress their superiors and gain regional development. PPP projects have the characteristics of short construction period and long operation period, so that if local governments are eager to promote the construction of PPP projects, they may over-invest in PPPs through approving enterprises. It may have great risks during the operation phase but stimulate short-term economic growth, leading to over-investment in PPPs and real debt burdens for local governments. These PPP projects face the risk of withdrawal from the PPP-PP, which is called local governments’ PPP withdrawal. In a word, PPP withdrawal can be used to measure over-investment in PPPs. The local governments’ PPP withdrawal from the PPP-PP as discussed, offers a unique opportunity to observe whether local governments over-invested in PPPs or not When initiating a PPP project, local officials in China do not have to favor voters but do have to impress their superiors and gain regional development. PPP projects have the characteristics of short construction period and long operation period, so that if local gov- ernments are eager to promote the construction of PPP projects, they may over-invest in PPPs through approving enterprises. It may have great risks during the operation phase but stimulate short-term economic growth, leading to over-investment in PPPs and real debt burdens for local governments. These PPP projects face the risk of withdrawal from the PPP-PP, which is called local governments’ PPP withdrawal. In a word, PPP with- drawal can be used to measure over-investment in PPPs. “Promotion Championship” and “Financial Federation” are two classical theories to explain local economic development. Local official management by the central government often relies on political promotion to promote economic development [43]. They corre- spond to two hypotheses, including official leaders as political man and official groups as economic man, respectively. Official leaders pay more attention to personal promotion probability, while official groups pay more attention to fiscal revenue. A local official leader’s tenure in office as the most institutionalized and universal model in official man- agement is an important factor affecting official leaders’ ruling behaviors. Meanwhile, local fiscal capacity reflecting collective goals is another important factor affecting official groups’ efforts. Figure 2. China’s PPP withdrawal of local gov Figure 2. China’s PPP withdrawal of local gov A GIS ft It ill t t th PPP ithd 4. Theoretical Framework and Hypotheses g g g ArcGIS software. It illustrates the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The total investm PPP withdrawal is marked with different shades. The more PPP withdrawal, the darker the ArcGIS software. It illustrates the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The total investment withdrawal is marked with different shades. The more PPP withdrawal, the darker the color Local governments’ over-investment is an important issue in the infrastructure con- struction of various countries. As mentioned, an explanation of political promotion and Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 5 of 16 fiscal capacity are from centralization theory and decentralization theory, respectively. Increasing literature believes that the combination of economic financial decentralization and political centralization can better explain China’s economic growth [41,42]. This ar- ticle aims to examine the factors affecting over-investment in PPPs by taking the lens of over-investment to rapid economic growth theory. fiscal capacity are from centralization theory and decentralization theory, respectively. Increasing literature believes that the combination of economic financial decentralization and political centralization can better explain China’s economic growth [41,42]. This arti- cle aims to examine the factors affecting over-investment in PPPs by taking the lens of over-investment to rapid economic growth theory. 4.3. Fiscal Capacity and Over-Investment in PPPs Fiscal capacity has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 2a. Budget growth has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 2a. Budget growth has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 2b. Debt has a positive impact on PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 2b. Debt has a positive impact on PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 2c. Land revenue growth has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal. 4.1. Local Governments’ PPP Withdrawal 4.1. Local Governments’ PPP Withdrawal Others have proved the opposite influence, which means that official tenure created an incentive structure for local leaders to increase government expenditures in strategy plans to enhance promotion probability [37,46]. There are also studies which show that the relationship between official tenure and economic growth is an inverted U-shape in China [47]. When an official leader is in the earlier time in office, he/she may have a strong incentive to save government expenditure but expand adopting PPPs to attract market Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 6 of 16 investment. What is more, mayors and secretaries, as local official leaders, are both important in local development. Therefore, we expect the following: investment. What is more, mayors and secretaries, as local official leaders, are both important in local development. Therefore, we expect the following: Hypothesis 1. Official tenure has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 1a. Mayor tenure has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 1a. Mayor tenure has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 1b. Secretary tenure has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 1b. Secretary tenure has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal. 4.3. Fiscal Capacity and Over-Investment in PPPs Another motive is to make profits for regional collective interests. Local group mem- bers, who have limited promotion probability, are more concerned about their own benefits. The welfare of government members mainly comes from local fiscal capacity. The ex- penditure of budgetary income needs the approval of local people’s congresses, while off-budgetary income, as self-supporting income of local governments, is not included in budget constrain management [48]. Under financial pressure, local group members are eager to attract market investment and may excessively enter certain industries in search of high profits [9]. g p Several studies have tested the relationship between fiscal capacity and PPP invest- ment. Some scholars mentioned that fiscal capacity is negatively correlated with investment in PPPs [16,49,50]. For example, if local governments absorb more tax revenue of burden to lower debt, investment in PPPs will decrease [34,51]. In the opposite, some scholars put forward that governments with insufficient fiscal capacity are difficult to promote PPP projects [1]. Moreover, some scholars have proposed that, based on the interaction of “resistance” and “pull”, the relationship between fiscal capacity and investment in PPPs may be an inverted U-shape [52]. Local governments facing huge fiscal pressure may seek to alleviate the pressure with the help of PPPs to attract investment from enterprises and re- alize debt deferment [53]. In turn, successful investment in PPPs makes local governments fiscal illusion, which drives them to initiate PPP investment exceeding local development planning. Local governments with less budget growth will have stronger incentive to initiate large amount of PPP projects, which may lead to over-investment in PPPs. Fiscal capacity and investment in PPPs may be mutually causal through different mechanisms. There are two ways to enhance fiscal capacity including budget and off- budget. While local governments have more discretion in off-budget income, which is mainly related to the financing through debt and land exchange revenue. Local govern- ments with more debt burden will have stronger incentive to initiate large amounts of PPP projects, while local governments with less land revenue growth will also have stronger incentive to implement irregular PPP projects. Thus, debt and PPP investment have a posi- tive relationship, and land revenue and PPP investment have a substitution relationship. Based on the literature review, we can preliminarily assume that there is a clear correlation between fiscal capacity and PPP overinvestment. Thus, the second hypothesis is as follows: Hypothesis 2. 4.4. Mediate and Moderate Effects Scholars have mentioned the casual relationships between official tenure and fiscal capacity. For instance, even though local leaders are eager to initiate PPP investment, they are unable to search for partners due to insufficient fiscal capacity [54]. Although official leaders are at the top of the pyramid of official management, government intervention Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 7 of 16 in infrastructure construction needs other government group members. While official leaders pay more attention to political promotion, government group members pay more attention to regional collective benefits. As there are some officials with two attributes at the same time (such as associate official leaders), official leaders control the lower-level official groups through the personnel system. Thus, official leaders can influence official group members through fiscal benefits to modify the motivation of official groups on PPP investment. It means that the effect of official tenure on PPP withdrawal may differ depending on fiscal capacity. p g p y However, the composition of government groups is relatively complicated. Official leaders can make relevant policies through the adoption system to directly influence the investment in PPPs. Official leaders as political man can also adjust the financial pressure of official groups by transferring and intervening the off-budgetary income. Thus, we do not deny the direct influence of official leaders on the investment in PPPs, while official leaders indirectly influence the investment in PPPs by influencing fiscal capacity. Official groups actively intervene in the investment in PPPs to achieve the supplement of public goods. It makes the collective goals of official groups the same as personal goals, which may not all be through their collective benefits. Other financing vehicles will affect PPP investment. Fox example, in the situation of high debt or low revenue (mainly from land revenue), investment in PPPs may be out of expectations. This has also become an important mediate and moderate effects to restrain official leaders from over-investing in PPPs. Thus, the third and fourth hypothesis are as follows: Hypothesis 3. Debt mediates the relationship between official tenure and PPP withdrawal. Hypothesis 4. Land revenue moderates the relationship between official tenure and PPP withdrawal. 5. Data, Method, and Results This section introduces the data, methods, and results. The hypotheses are tested using the data mainly collected from the PPP-PP, China City Statistical Yearbook, Wind Database, China Land and Resources Statistical Yearbook, and Chinese Political Elite Database. We summarize the investment and number of PPP withdrawals at municipal level from the PPP-PP and merge it with the municipal data and the official data. Then, we build a panel data of 280 cities and 6 years from 2012 to 2017. At last, we test the hypotheses by using a multiple linear regression. Variables and results are discussed as follows. 5.1. Dependent Variable: Local Government’s PPP Withdrawal According to the MOF report, the PPP withdrawal are the expected investment in PPPs, which were initiated and approved into the PPP-PP at first, resulting to be withdrawal because of irregular behaviors after initiation. Any PPP project even initiated in a different time of one year is treated the same. The dependent variables wd_invest and wd_num are the investments and number of PPP withdrawals in one city, respectively. As shown in Table 1, the average investment of PPP withdrawal is RMB 170,800, and the average number of PPP withdrawals is 1.51. 5.2.2. Fiscal Capacity Fiscal capacity is divided into three variables, including budget revenue growth (bud- get_gr), debt (debt), and land revenue growth (land_gr). The budget revenue directly affects over-investment in PPPs, the data of which come from China Urban Statistical Yearbook. The off-budget revenue has interaction effect involving mediating variable of debt (debt) and moderating variable of land revenue growth (land_gr). The mediating variable of debt is composed of the debt balance of Local Financing Vehicles (LGV) [2]. Specifically, the debts of LGV are the sum of short-term liabilities, notes payable, non-current liabilities, and so on. The data are drawn from Wind Database. The moderating variable is land revenue. The phenomenon of land exchange finance is widespread in China. The data is from the China Land and Resources Statistical Yearbook. 5.2.1. Official Tenure In China, the mayor and secretary represent the de facto top power of the administra- tion, which are popular variables to measure China’s political system [2,37,46]. Due to the large scale and long period of PPP investment, officials will schedule investment according to their political tenure. We assess the official tenure hypothesis through two indicator variables, mayor tenure (mayor) and secretary tenure (secretary), which measure the time in office of the local mayor and Communist Party secretary. Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 8 of 16 Table 1. Statistics for all variables used in this study. Definition Variable Measurement Mean SD Min Max Over-investment of PPP wd_invest Investment of PPP withdrawal in a year 17.08 73.94 0 1898.19 wd_num Number of PPP withdrawal in a year 1.51 5.46 0 127 Official tenure mayor Mayor’s tenure 2.31 1.42 1 11 secretary Secretary’s tenure 2.68 1.63 1 9 Fiscal capacity budget_gr (Budget revenue t/budget revenue t−1) −1 0.127 0.375 −0.78 4.13 debt Log (bonds investment in a year) 1.23 1.64 0 5.54 land_gr (Land revenue t/Land revenue t−1) −1 0.95 5.82 −0.99 99.76 Control variables PPP_invest Log (total investment of PPP) 8.27 6.32 0 16.78 PPP_num Total number of PPP 6.28 12.99 0 172 fixinvest Log (fixed assets investment in a year) 16.21 0.82 12.79 18.24 loan Log (bank loans in a year) 16.76 0.962 14.58 20.29 indus Gross industrial output value t/GDP t 8.27 6.32 0 16.78 gdp Log (GDP in a year) 16.37 0.932 12.76 19.23 pop Log (population in a year) 6.28 12.99 0 172 Table 1. Statistics for all variables used in this study. 5.3. Control Variables In order to control the influence of total investment and quantity of PPP on the with- drawal, we add PPP_invest and PPP_num in the models. Local government characteristics are also controlled, including the GDP, population, investment, and loans. They are munic- ipal fixed assets investment (fixinvest), bank loans (loan), gross industrial output value to GDP (indus), GDP (gdp), and population (pop) in a year. All control variables are one-year lagged in all models. gg Table 1 reports the descriptive statistics for all variables in this study. 5.4. Results 5.4.1. Main Effects 5.4.1. Main Effects Table 2 shows the baseline results, which regress when official tenure and fiscal capacity affect PPP withdrawal. Model 1 reports the OLS regression between official tenure (mayor and secretary) and PPP withdrawal (wd_invest). The term of mayor has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal (β = −4.460, p < 0.01), while the effect of secretary is insignificant. It implies the mayor plays a more direct role than the secretary in the over-investment in PPPs. Thus, H1a is supported, but H1b is not supported. Therefore, H1 is partially supported. 9 of 16 Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 Table 2. Impact of official tenure and fiscal capacity on PPP withdrawal. Y = Investment in PPP withdrawal Variables (1) Official Tenure (2) Fiscal Capacity (3) Total 1a 2b 2a 2b 2c 3 mayor −4.460 ** −4.695 ** (−2.50) (−1.99) secretary 0.892 3.160 (0.47) (1.17) budget_gr −13.661 *** −14.190 *** (−3.06) (−3.12) debt 0.797 0.894 (0.40) (0.36) land_gr −0.707 ** −0.703 ** (−2.15) (−2.13) PPP_invest 1.129 *** 1.234 *** 1.911 *** 1.201 *** 2.093 *** 2.085 *** (3.35) (3.56) (2.93) (3.43) (2.93) (3.09) PPP_num 2.120 *** 2.143 *** 2.196 *** 2.135 *** 2.154 *** 2.129 *** (5.42) (5.30) (5.15) (5.36) (4.94) (5.04) fixinvest 1.820 −0.686 7.180 −0.657 4.918 5.661 (0.19) (−0.08) (0.37) (−0.07) (0.24) (0.28) loan 0.861 1.994 66.626 2.326 75.003 73.912 (0.03) (0.08) (1.26) (0.10) (1.22) (1.22) gdp 2.352 −1.932 0.497 −1.331 −0.802 0.471 (0.07) (−0.06) (0.01) (−0.04) (−0.01) (0.01) pop 10.320 8.147 −12.818 8.298 −5.232 3.348 (0.20) (0.16) (−0.21) (0.16) (−0.08) (0.05) indus −0.521 −0.479 −0.775 −0.475 −0.760 −0.924 (−0.48) (−0.45) (−0.44) (−0.44) (−0.41) (−0.51) Time fixed effect yes yes yes yes yes yes Municipal fixed effect yes yes yes yes yes yes Observations 1394 1394 1115 1394 1067 1067 R-squared 0.185 0.181 0.182 0.180 0.177 0.186 Number 280 280 280 280 279 279 Notes: T-statistics are in parenthesis below the coefficient.** and *** denotes 10%, 5% and 1% level of significance, respectively. Table 2. Impact of official tenure and fiscal capacity on PPP withdrawal. In model 2, the independent variable is fiscal capacity (budget_gr, debt, and land_gr). In model 2a, the growth of the budget has a negative impact on PPP withdrawal (β = −13.661, p < 0.01). Thus, H2a is supported. In models 2b and 2c, the independent variable is replaced by debt (debt) and land revenue growth (land_gr), respectively. 5.4.1. Main Effects Similarly, the land revenue growth has a negative effect on PPP withdrawal (β = −0.707, p < 0.05). Thus, H2b is supported. However, the coefficient of debt is insignificant. It is possibly because that debt reflects the financing capacity of the government but also implies debt repayment burden. As a result, its impact on PPP over-investment may go two ways. It implies that a local government has greater motivation to implement more irregular PPP projects when burdening overloaded debt, which reflects the over-investment in PPPs by a local government. Thus, H2c is supported, but different from H2a and H2b. Therefore, H2 is partially supported. In Model 3, when all variables are added, the results remain consistent. Our empirical analysis validates that the PPP withdrawal of local governments is influenced by both fiscal capacity and official tenure. 10 of 16 10 of 16 Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 5.4.2. Mediating Effect Table 3 reports the mediating effect of fiscal capacity for official tenure in PPP with- drawal. The mediating effect can indicate the influence mechanism of official tenure on PPP withdrawal. Models 1–3 show that debt financing (debt) has a partially intermediary effect of mayor tenure (mayor) on PPP withdrawal. In model 1, the mayor tenure can increase debt financing (β = 0.045, p < 0.1). In models 2 and 3, both mayor tenure (β = −0.388, p < 0.05; β = −0.285, p < 0.05) and debt financing (β = 0.343, p < 0.05; β = 0.216, p < 0.05) have a significant impact on PPP withdrawal. The conclusion is robust either with control variables or not. According to the three models, we can infer that debt financing plays a mediating role between mayor tenure and PPP withdrawal. Therefore, H3 is supported. Table 3. Mediating effect of fiscal capacity for official tenure in PPP withdrawal. (1) (2) (3) Variables Debt Financing Number of PPP Withdrawals Number of PPP Withdrawals mayor 0.045 * −0.388 ** −0.285 ** (1.82) (−2.12) (−2.07) debt 0.343 ** 0.216 ** (2.24) (2.13) budget_gr −0.715 ** (−2.26) PPP_num 0.294 *** (3.45) fixinvest −0.664 (−0.53) loan −2.829 (−1.07) gdp 2.784 (0.68) pop 1.320 (0.65) indus −0.034 (−0.48) Time fixed effect yes yes yes Municipal fixed effect yes yes yes Observations 1678 1398 1115 R-squared 0.032 0.121 0.464 Number 280 280 280 Notes: T-statistics are in parenthesis below the coefficient. *, ** and *** denotes 10%, 5% and 1% level of signifi- cance, respectively. Table 3. Mediating effect of fiscal capacity for official tenure in PPP withdrawal. 5.4.3. Moderating Effect Table 4 shows the moderating effect of fiscal capacity for official tenure on PPP withdrawal. The moderating effects show that land revenue (land_gr) enhances or hinders the negative relationships between mayor tenure (mayor) and PPP withdrawal. In model 1, the land revenue growth can hinder the negative relationship between mayor tenure and PPP withdrawal (β = −0.186, p < 0.05). Furthermore, model 2, including control variables, shows that the negative moderating is still significant (β = −0.214, p < 0.05), and the coefficients do not change much, which demonstrates the conclusion is robust. Therefore, H4 is supported. In Figure 4, we present graphic demonstrations of the marginal effects of mayor tenure on the withdrawal of PPP investment on the condition of land revenue growth, centered within 95% confidence intervals. The solid line indicates the average change in probability of the PPP withdrawal upon the change in land revenue growth of the local government. When the land revenue growth is lower than 0, mayor tenure has a significantly negative Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 11 of 16 (−3.12 2 932 * 11 of 16 (−3.12 2 932 effect on city-level withdrawal of PPP investment with 95% confidence. The fitting lines of the high, medium and low estimators basically coincide with the linear model, which verifies that the interaction is linear. fixinvest 7.243 (0.32 loan 65.15 Table 4. Moderating effect of fiscal capacity for official tenure on PPP withdrawal. (1) (2) Variables Investment in PPP Withdrawal Investment in PPP Withdrawal mayor −5.418 ** −4.716 * (−2.01) (−1.77) land_gr −0.895 * −0.876 (−1.71) (−1.47) mayor * land_gr −0.186 ** −0.214 ** (−2.11) (−2.26) budget_gr −14.465 *** (−3.12) PPP_invest 2.932 *** (3.79) fixinvest 7.243 (0.32) loan 65.153 (0.99) gdp −0.539 (−0.01) pop −3.772 (−0.06) indus −0.543 (−0.29) Time fixed effect yes yes Municipal fixed effect yes yes Observations 1042 1039 R-squared 0.080 0.103 Number 279 279 Notes: T-statistics are in parenthesis below the coefficient. *, ** and *** denotes 10%, 5% and 1% level of signifi- (0.99) gdp −0.539 (−0.01 pop −3.772 (−0.06 indus −0.543 (−0.29 Time fixed effect yes yes Municipal fixed effect yes yes Observations 1042 1039 R-squared 0.080 0.103 Number 279 279 Notes: T-statistics are in parenthesis below the coefficient. *, ** and *** denotes 10% level of significance, respectively. 5.4.3. Moderating Effect In Figure 4, we present graphic demonstrations of the marginal effects ure on the withdrawal of PPP investment on the condition of land revenu tered within 95% confidence intervals. The solid line indicates the average c ability of the PPP withdrawal upon the change in land revenue growth of ernment. When the land revenue growth is lower than 0, mayor tenure has negative effect on city-level withdrawal of PPP investment with 95% confi ting lines of the high, medium and low estimators basically coincide with th hi h ifi th t th i t ti i li Table 4. Moderating effect of fiscal capacity for official tenure on PPP withdrawal. (−2.11) (−2.26) budget_gr −14.465 *** (−3.12) PPP_invest 2.932 *** (3.79) fixinvest 7.243 (0.32) loan 65.153 (0.99) gdp −0.539 (−0.01) pop −3.772 (−0.06) indus −0.543 (−0.29) Time fixed effect yes yes Municipal fixed effect yes yes Observations 1042 1039 R-squared 0.080 0.103 Number 279 279 Notes: T-statistics are in parenthesis below the coefficient. *, ** and *** denotes 10%, 5% and 1% level of signifi- cance, respectively. Time fixed effect yes yes Municipal fixed effect yes yes Observations 1042 1039 R-squared 0.080 0.103 Number 279 279 Notes: T-statistics are in parenthesis below the coefficient. *, ** and *** denotes 10% level of significance, respectively. In Figure 4, we present graphic demonstrations of the marginal effects ure on the withdrawal of PPP investment on the condition of land revenu tered within 95% confidence intervals. The solid line indicates the average c ability of the PPP withdrawal upon the change in land revenue growth of ernment. When the land revenue growth is lower than 0, mayor tenure has negative effect on city-level withdrawal of PPP investment with 95% confi ting lines of the high, medium and low estimators basically coincide with the which verifies that the interaction is linear. Figure 4. Moderating effect of results of land revenue growth for official tenure. Notes: According to the land revenue growth, the sample is divided into three groups: high, middle and low. H stands for high, M stands for middle, and L stands for low. p y Figure 4. Moderating effect of results of land revenue growth for official tenure. Notes: According to the land revenue growth, the sample is divided into three groups: high, middle and low. H stands for high, M stands for middle, and L stands for low. Figure 4. 5.4.4. Robust Tests The results for the relationship of official tenure, fiscal capacity, and PPP withdrawal of local governments need to be assessed for consistency. We tested robustness in two ways. First, we replaced variables. In Table 5, the dependent variable is replaced by the number of PPP withdrawals (wd_num). In model 1, the term of mayor (mayor) still has a negative effect on the number of PPP withdrawals (β = −0.259, p < 0.05), even though we have controlled the total number of PPPs (PPP_num), and so do the interactive effects of the robust results with control variables or not. In model 2a, the growth of the budget still has a negative impact on PPP withdrawals (β = −0.726, p < 0.05). The debt has a positive effect on the number of PPP withdrawals (β = 0.170, p < 0.05). When a local government has too many debts, they will be initiated to implement more irregular PPP projects. In Model 3, when all variables are added, the results remain consistent, thus, the robustness of the conclusion is proved. Second, we change the method. We examine the heterogeneity test, whose results are not obvious in regions, fields, or payment methods. This further proves that the personal promotion interest and group fiscal benefits are the key factors driving over-investment in PPPs. Table 5. Robust test results. 5.4.3. Moderating Effect Moderating effect of results of land revenue growth for official tenure. Notes: According to the land revenue growth, the sample is divided into three groups: high, middle and low. H stands for high, M stands for middle, and L stands for low. Figure 4. Moderating effect of results of land revenue growth for official tenure. Notes: According to the land revenue growth, the sample is divided into three groups: high, middle and low. H stands for high, M stands for middle, and L stands for low. 12 of 16 12 of 16 Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 6. Conclusions and Discussion The PPP withdrawal policy is helpful to reduce over-investment in PPPs. More importantly, it is significant for sustainable development. This research pays attention to over-investment in PPPs through the centralized policy of PPP withdrawal in late 2017. We use OLS models of panel data to test key factors of local governments’ PPP withdrawals. The results reveal that both official tenure and fiscal capacity are significant factors. (1) In the early years of the mayors’ tenure, they implement more irregular PPP projects, which implies a higher probability of over-investment in PPPs, resulting in withdrawal after initiation. The result may fulfill “a new broom sweeps clean” to expand market investment for local development. (2) As fiscal capacity decreases, local governments implement more irregular PPP projects, which also imply over-investment in PPPs. (3) The intermediary effect suggests that debt partially mediates the mayor tenure on PPP withdrawal. (4) The moderate effect suggests that land revenue growth can hinder the negative relationship between mayor tenure and PPP withdrawal. (5) The robustness test shows that the effect on the number PPP withdrawals is also significant, and the heterogeneity test is not obvious. g g y The findings and implications might be beneficial to many transitional economies involving over-investment in PPPs by local governments. First, this research offers a new perspective on PPP investment. Over-investment in PPPs is very likely to waste public funding on inefficient and costly projects, even expand the long-term debt of local governments [55,56]. We take a new dependent variable to measure over-investment in PPPs. The variable summarizes the PPP withdrawal at the municipal level from the PPP-PP. In China’s vertical-control system, PPP withdrawal by the central government is a typical supervisory instrument to ensure that local investment in PPPs is controllable. The result is similar with Wang et al. [35] and Zhang et al. [36] and deepens the explanation of the over-investment in PPPs. It contributes to offering a unique opportunity to observe local governments’ role in PPP investment through the centralized withdrawal policy as an exogenous treatment. p y g Second, this research bridges the gap between over-investment and PPPs in the lit- erature. We provide evidence that China’s PPP booms are not all economically driven, but a result of political-economic means [3]. 5.4.4. Robust Tests Y = Number of PPP Withdrawals Variables (1) Official Tenure (2) Fiscal Capacity Constraints (3) Total 1 2a 2b 2c 3 mayor −0.259 ** −0.289 ** (−2.28) (−2.05) secretary −0.031 0.043 (−0.33) (0.39) budget_gr −0.726 ** −0.727 ** (−2.24) (−2.26) debt 0.170 ** 0.206 ** (2.10) (2.01) land_gr −0.019 −0.018 (−1.27) (−1.20) PPP_num 0.294 *** 0.295 *** 0.298 *** 0.294 *** 0.296 *** 0.293 *** (3.51) (3.50) (3.43) (3.50) (3.29) (3.31) fixinvest −0.512 −0.615 −0.678 −0.698 −0.718 −0.658 (−0.60) (−0.71) (−0.54) (−0.80) (−0.54) (−0.49) loan −1.921 −1.704 −2.118 −2.015 −2.112 −2.246 (−0.83) (−0.76) (−0.82) (−0.87) (−0.69) (−0.74) gdp −1.217 −1.503 2.437 −1.325 2.289 2.349 (−0.46) (−0.56) (0.60) (−0.50) (0.53) (0.54) pop 1.962 1.847 0.762 1.814 0.726 1.449 (1.09) (1.04) (0.38) (1.04) (0.36) (0.70) indus 0.024 0.028 −0.032 0.025 −0.031 −0.034 (0.43) (0.50) (−0.46) (0.45) (−0.43) (−0.46) Time fixed effect yes yes yes yes yes yes Municipal fixed effect yes yes yes yes yes yes Observations 1394 1394 1115 1394 1067 1067 R-squared 0.466 0.462 0.459 0.464 0.451 0.458 Number 280 280 280 280 279 279 Notes: T-statistics are in parenthesis below the coefficient. ** and *** denotes 10%, 5% and 1% level of signifi- cance, respectively. 13 of 16 13 of 16 Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 6. Conclusions and Discussion This is consistent with the existing research such as Xiong et al.’s [2] and Bertelli’s studies [34], who argued that PPPs are far from merely a public management issue but a complex political issue. Our results suggest that official leaders may have higher risk appetite in the earlier year in office, which leads to high probability of over-investment in PPPs. Meanwhile, group members may have higher incentive to enhance regional benefits when suffering a large fiscal burden, which also leads to high probability of over-investment in PPPs. Interestingly, secretaries’ tenures do not have significant impact on over-investment in PPPs, while mayors’ tenures do. It shows public goods provision may be the mayor’s performance. However, the coefficient is in the opposite direction to Xiong et al.’s findings [2]. This research shows that mayors in earlier years are more likely to initiate over-investing in PPPs. The initiated PPP invest- ment usually takes several years to be fully implemented, so that PPPs is different with general investment affecting economic development, which should be initiated in earlier years during mayors’ tenure cycles. Hence, PPP withdrawal provides micro evidence for over-investment. Third, our results also shed light on extent understand of government’s role on PPPs. Local governments’ incentives to expand budgets have been considered as one of the main drivers of PPP adoption [56,57]. This research adds evidence that official tenure and fiscal capacity are the main factors of over-investment in PPPs. Mayors in earlier years intend to manipulate the adoption process and initiate more investment in PPPs beyond the needs in a municipality. Our results suggest that local governments’ fiscal capacity not only effect PPP withdrawal directly but also drive mayors to increase the decision making of PPP investment. Government capacity considerations, including budget constraints and debt payment burdens, work similarly in contracting-out decisions across different countries [58]. Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 14 of 16 14 of 16 Thus, empirical research on other countries may use this theoretical framework to test the existence of irregular PPP behavior in different political systems. Thus, empirical research on other countries may use this theoretical framework to test the existence of irregular PPP behavior in different political systems. g p y The implications for China and other transitional economies are as follows. (1) Local governments’ initiation of investment in PPPs should be managed by supervisory instru- ments to prevent irregular PPP projects. 6. Conclusions and Discussion (2) To strengthen the training of PPP project implementation capacity and to improve the understanding of investment in PPPs, it will make official leaders invest in PPPs rationally. (3) Improve the information management of PPP projects. Along with the informatization process of the construction industry, it is a wise choice to advocate for the application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology in PPP projects. As a result, it will improve the visualization level of perfor- mance supervision. (4) Improve the market mechanism of PPP projects. For this purpose, we can provide applicable classification, guidance, and management of PPP investment according to different industries and regions. (5) Standardize the public finance system and rationally match the local development planning and investment plans to promote sustainable PPP investment. Our research opens the black box of local governments’ role on over-investment in PPPs. However, there are several limitations due to the measurement difficulties. (1) Official tenure is measured in China’s political system, but future research can consider official cycle and promotion in strong democratic institutions. (2) Fiscal capacity can be expanded to other government capacity, such as organization capacity and strategic capacity. (3) Many relational variables, such as project investment, contract types, and service character, can influence PPP withdrawal at different level. (4) Other provisional approaches to public goods, such as collaboration with other governments, and contracts out for nonprofit organizations, are not involved. Future research can advance the research topic of over- investment in PPPs in the abovementioned perspectives. Author Contributions: Conceptualization, Y.W., W.S. and R.L.K.T.; methodology, W.S. and Y.W.; software, W.S. and B.Z.; validation, Y.W. and W.S.; formal analysis, Y.W. and W.S.; investigation, Y.W. and W.S.; resources, Y.W. and W.S.; data curation, B.Z. and W.S.; writing—original draft preparation, Y.W., R.L.K.T. and W.S.; writing—review and editing, Y.W. and W.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding: This research received no external funding. Funding: This research received no external funding. Funding: This research received no external funding. Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable. Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. Data Availability Statement: Not applicable. Data Availability Statement: Not applicable. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. p p p 9. Shen, L.; Dai, Y. The formation of Chinese vassal economy and its disadvantage and root cause. Econ. Res. J. 1990, 3, 12–19. (In Chinese) 5. Zhou, L. Governing China s local officials: An analysis of promotion tournament model. Econ. Res. J. 2007, 7, 34–50. (In Chinese) 6. Qian, Y.Y.; Weingast, R. China’s transition to markets: Market preserving federalism, Chinese style. J. Policy Reform 1996, 1, 149–185. [CrossRef] ian, Y.Y.; Weingast, R. Federalism as a commitment to preserving market incentive. J. Econ. Perspect. 1997, 11, hleifer, A. State versus private ownership. J. Econ. Perspect. 1998, 12, 133–150. [CrossRef] ] gast, R. Federalism as a commitment to preserving market incentive. J. Econ. Perspect. 1997, 11, 82–92. [CrossR versus private ownership. J. Econ. Perspect. 1998, 12, 133–150. [CrossRef] g p g J p 8. Shleifer, A. State versus private ownership. J. Econ. Perspect. 1998, 12, 133–150. [CrossRef] References [CrossRef] 17. Kaufmann, D.; Kraay, A.; Mastruzzi, M. The worldwide governance indicators: Methodology and analytical issues. Hague J. Rule Law 2011, 3, 220–246. [CrossRef] 18. Casady, C.B.; Eriksson, K.; Levitt, R.E.; Scott, W.R. (Re)defining public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the new public governance (NPG) paradigm: An institutional maturity perspective. Public Manag. Rev. 2020, 22, 161–183. [CrossRef] 19. Van Den Hurk, M.; Brogaard, L.; Lember, V.; Petersen, O.; Witz, P. National varieties of public–private partnerships (PPPs): A comparative analysis of PPP-supporting units in 19 European countries. J. Comp. Policy Anal. Res. Pr. 2015, 18, 1–20. [CrossRef] 20 Si i ki M P bli i hi i C d R fl i f i C P bli Ad 58 343 362 19. Van Den Hurk, M.; Brogaard, L.; Lember, V.; Petersen, O.; Witz, P. National varieties of public–private partnerships (PPPs): A comparative analysis of PPP-supporting units in 19 European countries. J. Comp. Policy Anal. Res. Pr. 2015, 18, 1–20. [CrossRef] 20. Siemiatycki, M. Public-private partnerships in Canada: Reflections on twenty years of practice. Can. Public Adm. 2015, 58, 343–362. [CrossRef] comparative analysis of PPP-supporting units in 19 European countries. J. Comp. Policy Anal. Res. Pr. 2015, 18, 1–20. [CrossRef] 20. Siemiatycki, M. Public-private partnerships in Canada: Reflections on twenty years of practice. Can. Public Adm. 2015, 58, 343–362. [CrossRef] 21. Matos-Castaño, J.; Mahalingam, A.; Dewulf, G. Unpacking the path-dependent process of institutional Public Adm. 2014, 73, 47–66. [CrossRef] 22. Verhoest, K.; Petersen, O.; Scherrer, W.; Soecipto, R.M. How do governments support the development of public private partnerships? Measuring and comparing PPP governmental support in 20 European countries. Transp. Rev. 2015, 35, 118–139. [CrossRef] 23. Soecipto, R.M.; Verhoest, K. Contract stability in European road infrastructure PPPs: How does governmental PPP support contribute to preventing contract renegotiation? Public Manag. Rev. 2018, 20, 1145–1164. [CrossRef] 24. Girth, A.M. A closer look at contract accountability: Exploring the determinants of sanctions for performance. J. Public Adm. Res. Theory 2014, 24, 317–348. [CrossRef] p y 25. Brown, T.L.; Potoski, M.; Van Slyke, D.M. Managing public service contracts: Aligning values, institutions, and markets. Public Adm. Rev. 2006, 66, 323–331. [CrossRef] 26. Reynaers, A.M.; Parrado, S. Responsive regulation in public-private partnerships: Between deterrence and persuasion. Regul. Gov. 2017, 11, 269–281. [CrossRef] 27. Andrews, R.; Entwistle, T. Public–private partnerships, management capacity and public service efficiency. Policy Politics 2015, 43, 273–290. [CrossRef] 28. Boyer, E.J.; Scheller, D.S. References An examination of state-level public-private partnership adoption: Analyzing economic, political, and demand-related determinants of PPPs. Public Work. Manag. Policy 2018, 23, 5–33. [CrossRef] 29. Hellowell, M.; Vecchi, V.; Caselli, S. Return of the state? An appraisal of policies to enhance access to cred PPPs. Public Money Manag. 2015, 35, 71–78. [CrossRef] 30. Reeves, E. The not so good, the bad and the ugly: Over twelve years of PPP in Ireland. Local Gov. Stud. 2013, 39, 375–395. [CrossRef] 31. Chan, A.P.C.; Lam, P.T.I.; Chan, D.W.M.; Cheung, E.; Ke, Y.J. Drivers for adopting public private partnerships: Empirical comparison between China and Hong Kong special administrative region. J. Constr. Eng. Manag. 2009, 135, 1115–1124. [CrossRef] 32. Malatesta, D.; Carboni, J.L. The public-private distinction: Insights for public administration from the state action doctrine. Public Adm. Rev. 2015, 75, 63–74. [CrossRef] 33. Riccio, L.J. Commentary: Public-private partnerships: Pitfalls and possibilities. Public Adm. Rev. 2014, 74, 50–51. [CrossRef] 34. Bertelli, A.M. Public goods, private partnerships, and political institutions. J. Public Adm. Res. Theory 2018, 29, 67–83. [CrossRef] 35. Wang, L.; Zhou, L.; Xiong, Y.; Yan, D. Effect of promotion pressure and financial burden on investment in public–private partnership infrastructure projects in China. Asian-Pac. Econ. Lit. 2019, 33, 128–142. [CrossRef] 33. Riccio, L.J. Commentary: Public-private partnerships: Pitfalls and possibilities. Public Adm. Rev. 2014, , J y p p p p , , [ ] 34. Bertelli, A.M. Public goods, private partnerships, and political institutions. J. Public Adm. Res. Theory 2018, 29, 67–83. [CrossRef] 35 Wang L ; Zhou L ; Xiong Y; Yan D Effect of promotion pressure and financial burden on investment in public–private 34. Bertelli, A.M. Public goods, private partnerships, and political institutions. J. Public Adm. Res. Theory 2018, 29, 67–83. [CrossRef] W h X Y Y ff f d fi l b d bl 35. Wang, L.; Zhou, L.; Xiong, Y.; Yan, D. Effect of promotion pressure and financial burden on investment in public–private partnership infrastructure projects in China. Asian-Pac. Econ. Lit. 2019, 33, 128–142. [CrossRef] p p p j 36. Zhang, B.; Zhang, L.; Wu, J.; Wang, S.Q. Factors affecting local governments’ public-private partners Sustainability 2019, 11, 6831. [CrossRef] y 37. Xu, X.; Wang, X. Promotion incentive and economic growth: Evidence from Chinese provincial officials. J. World Econ. 2010, 2, 17–36. (In Chinese) 38. Li, H.; Zhou, L.-A. Political turnover and economic performance: The incentive role of personnel control in China. J. References 1. Tan, J.; Zhao, J.Z. Explaining the adoption rate of public-private partnerships in Chinese provinces: A transaction cost per-spective. Public Manag. Rev. 2021, 32, 1–20. [CrossRef] g 2. Xiong, W.; Zhong, N.; Wang, F.; Zhang, M.; Chen, B. Political opportunism and transaction costs in contractual choice of public-private partnerships. Public Adm. 2021, 32, 1–20. [CrossRef] 2. Xiong, W.; Zhong, N.; Wang, F.; Zhang, M.; Chen, B. Political opportunism and transaction costs in contractual choice of public-private partnerships. Public Adm. 2021, 32, 1–20. [CrossRef] 3. Jones, L.; Bloomfield, M.J. PPPs in China: Does the growth in chinese PPPs signal a liberalising economy? New Political Econ. 2020, 25, 1–19. [CrossRef] 3. Jones, L.; Bloomfield, M.J. PPPs in China: Does the growth in chinese PPPs signal a liberalising economy? New Political Econ. 2020, 25, 1–19. [CrossRef] 4. Wang, H.M.; Liu, Y.H.; Xiong, W.; Zhu, D.J. Government support programs and private investments in Manag. J. 2019, 22, 499–523. [CrossRef] g 5. Zhou, L. Governing China’s local officials: An analysis of promotion tournament model. Econ. Res. J. 2007, 7, 34–50. (In Chinese) 15 of 16 15 of 16 Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 10. Jamali, D. Success and failure mechanisms of public private partnerships (PPPs) in developing countries: Insights from the Lebanese context. Int. J. Public Sect. Manag. 2004, 17, 414–430. [CrossRef] g 11. Scharle, P. Public-private partnership (PPP) as a social game. Innov. Eur. J. Soc. Sci. Res. 2002, 15, 227–252. [CrossRef] 12. Torchia, M.; Calabrò, A.; Morner, M. Public–private partnerships in the health care sector: A system Public Manag. Rev. 2015, 17, 236–261. [CrossRef] g , , [ ] 13. Yescombe, E.R. Public-Private Partnerships: Principles of Policy and Finance; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2011. g 13. Yescombe, E.R. Public-Private Partnerships: Principles of Policy and Finance; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The N R. Public-Private Partnerships: Principles of Policy and Finance; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2011. 14. Cheung, E.; Chan, A.P.C.; Kajewski, S. Reasons for implementing public private partnership projects: Perspectives from Hong Kong, Australian and British practitioners. J. Prop. Investig. Financ. 2009, 27, 81–95. [CrossRef] 15. Hodge, A.; Greve, C. On public-private partnership performance: A contemporary review. Public Work. Manag. Policy 2017, 22, 55–78. [CrossRef] e rise of public-private partnerships in China: An effective financing approach for infrastructure investment? 9, 79, 514–518. [CrossRef] 16. Tan, J.; Zhao, J.Z. The rise of public-private partnerships in China: An effective financing approach for in Public Adm. Rev. 2019, 79, 514–518. References Public Econ. 2005, 89, 1743–1762. [CrossRef] 39. Chen, Y.; Li, H.; Zhou, L. Relative performance evaluation and the turnover of provincial leaders in China. Econ. Lett. 2005, 88, 421–425. [CrossRef] 40. Jin, H.; Qian, Y.; Weingast, B. Regional decentralization and fiscal incentives: Federalism, Chinese style. J. Public Econ. 2005, 89, 1719–1742. [CrossRef] Sustainability 2021, 13, 14012 16 of 16 16 of 16 41. Cai, H.; Treisman, D. Did government decentralization cause China’s economic miracle? World Politics 2006, 58, 505–535. [CrossRef] [ ] 42. Zhuravskaya, E. Incentives to provide local public goods: Fiscal federalism, Russian style. J. Public Econ. 2000, 76, 337–368. [CrossRef] [CrossRef] 43. Huang, Y. Managing Chinese bureaucrats: An institutional economics perspective. Political Stud. 2002, 50, 61–79. [CrossRef] 44. Downs, A. An economic theory of political action in a democracy. J. Political Econ. 1957, 65, 135–150. [CrossRef] ] Y. Managing Chinese bureaucrats: An institutional economics perspective. Political Stud. 2002, 50, 61–79. [Cr [ ] 43. Huang, Y. Managing Chinese bureaucrats: An institutional economics perspective. Political Stud. 2 A. An economic theory of political action in a democracy. J. Political Econ. 1957, 65, 135–150. [CrossRef] 44. Downs, A. An economic theory of political action in a democracy. J. Political Econ. 1957, 65, 135–15 45. García-Vega, M.; Herce, J.A. Does tenure in office affect regional growth? The role of public capital productivity. Public Choice 2011, 146, 75–92. [CrossRef] 46. Tsui, K.Y.; Wang, Y. Decentralization with political trump: Vertical control, local accountability and regional disparities in China. China Econ. Rev. 2008, 19, 18–31. [CrossRef] 47. Zhang, J.; Gao, Y. Term limits and rotation of Chinese governors: Do they matter to economic gr 91–103. (In Chinese) [CrossRef] erm limits and rotation of Chinese governors: Do they matter to economic growth? Econ. Res. J. 2008, 11 [CrossRef] 48. Marlow, M.L.; Joulfaian, D. The determinants of off-budget activity of state and local governments. Public Choice 1989, 63, 113–123. [CrossRef] 49. Zhang, Y.L. The formation of public-private partnerships in China: An institutional perspective. J. Public Policy 2015, 35, 329–354. [CrossRef] Motivations, obstacles, and resources. Public Perform. Manag. Rev. 2014, 37, 679–704. [CrossRef] 50. Wang, Y.; Zhao, Z.J. Motivations, obstacles, and resources. Public Perform. Manag. Rev. 2014, 37, 679–70 g, ; , J , , f g , , [ ] 51. Albalate, D.; Bel, G.; Geddes, R.R. The determinants of contractual choice for private involvement in infrastructure projects. Public Money Manag. 2015, 35, 87–94. References [CrossRef] y g 52. Shen, Y.Y.; Guo, F.; Li, Z. Local fiscal capacity, business environment and attracting PPP investment. Financ. Trade Econ. 2020, 41, 68–84. ; She, G.M. Official’s turnover and issuance of local government debt. Econ. Res. J. 2015, 50, 131–146. 53. Luo, D.L.; She, G.M. Official’s turnover and issuance of local government debt. Econ. Res. J. 2015, 5 g J 54. Yang, Y.H.; Hou, Y.L.; Wang, Y.Q. On the development of public-private partnerships in transitional economies: An explanatory framework. Public Adm. Rev. 2013, 73, 301–310. [CrossRef] 55. Flyvbjerg, B.; Holm, M.; Buhl, S.L. How (in)accurate are demand forecasts in public works projects? The case of transportation. J. Am. Plan. Assoc. 2005, 71, 131–146. [CrossRef] 56. Buso, M.; Marty, F.; Tran, P.T. Public-private partnerships from budget constraints: Looking for debt hiding? Int. J. Ind. Organ. 2017, 51, 56–84. [CrossRef] 57. Engel, E.; Fischer, R.; Galetovic, A. Soft Budgets and Renegotiations in Public-Private Partnerships: National Bureau of Economic Research. Cowles Foundation Discussion Paper No. 1723. 2009. Available online: https://www.nber.org/papers/w15300 (accessed on 24 August 2009). g 58. Kopa´nska, A.; Asinski, R. Fiscal and political determinants of local government involvement in public-private partnership (PPP). Local Gov. Stud. 2019, 45, 957–976. [CrossRef] g 58. Kopa´nska, A.; Asinski, R. Fiscal and political determinants of local government involvement in public-private partnership (PPP). Local Gov. Stud. 2019, 45, 957–976. [CrossRef]
https://openalex.org/W3141206018
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03436366/file/2021_traiffort_morisset_international_journal_of_molecular_sciences.pdf
English
null
Defective Oligodendroglial Lineage and Demyelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
International journal of molecular sciences
2,021
cc-by
21,585
Defective Oligodendroglial Lineage and Demyelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Elisabeth Traiffort, Séverine Morisset-Lopez, Mireille Moussaed, Amina Zahaf To cite this version: Elisabeth Traiffort, Séverine Morisset-Lopez, Mireille Moussaed, Amina Zahaf. Defective Oligoden- droglial Lineage and Demyelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. International Journal of Molec- ular Sciences, 2021, 22 (7), pp.3426. ￿10.3390/ijms22073426￿. ￿hal-03436366￿   Citation: Traiffort, E.; Morisset-Lopez, S.; Moussaed, M.; Zahaf, A. Defective Oligodendroglial Lineage and Demyelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073426 Citation: Traiffort, E.; Morisset-Lopez, S.; Moussaed, M.; Zahaf, A. Defective Oligodendroglial Lineage and Demyelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073426 Citation: Traiffort, E.; Morisset-Lopez, S.; Moussaed, M.; Zahaf, A. Defective Oligodendroglial Lineage and Demyelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073426 Keywords: oligodendrocyte; demyelination; axonal degeneration Academic Editor: William Camu Review Defective Oligodendroglial Lineage and Demyelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis verine Morisset-Lopez 2 , Mireille Moussaed 2 and Amina Zahaf 1 Elisabeth Traiffort 1,*, Séverine Morisset-Lopez 2 , Mireille Moussaed 2 and Amina Zahaf 1 1 Diseases and Hormones of the Nervous System U1195 INSERM, Paris Saclay University, 80 Rue du Général Leclerc, 94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France; amina.zahaf@inserm.fr 80 Rue du Général Leclerc, 94276 Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France; amina.zahaf@inserm.fr 2 Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, UPR 4301 CNRS, Orléans University, INSERM, rue Charles Sadron, CEDEX 02, 45071 Orleans, France; severine.morisset-lopez@cnrs-orleans.fr (S.M.-L.); mireille.moussaed@cnrs-orleans.fr (M.M.) , , ; 2 Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, UPR 4301 CNRS, Orléans University, INSERM, rue Charles Sadron, CEDEX 02, 45071 Orleans, France; severine.morisset-lopez@cnrs-orleans.fr (S.M.-L.); mireille.moussaed@cnrs-orleans.fr (M.M.) * Correspondence: elisabeth.traiffort@inserm.fr Abstract: Motor neurons and their axons reaching the skeletal muscle have long been considered as the best characterized targets of the degenerative process observed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the involvement of glial cells was also more recently reported. Although oligoden- drocytes have been underestimated for a longer time than other cells, they are presently considered as critically involved in axonal injury and also conversely constitute a target for the toxic effects of the degenerative neurons. In the present review, we highlight the recent advances regarding oligo- dendroglial cell involvement in the pathogenesis of ALS. First, we present the oligodendroglial cells, the process of myelination, and the tight relationship between axons and myelin. The histological abnormalities observed in ALS and animal models of the disease are described, including myelin defects and oligodendroglial accumulation of pathological protein aggregates. Then, we present data that establish the existence of dysfunctional and degenerating oligodendroglial cells, the chain of events resulting in oligodendrocyte degeneration, and the most recent molecular mechanisms supporting oligodendrocyte death and dysfunction. Finally, we review the arguments in support of the primary versus secondary involvement of oligodendrocytes in the disease and discuss the therapeutic perspectives related to oligodendrocyte implication in ALS pathogenesis.   HAL Id: hal-03436366 https://hal.science/hal-03436366v1 Submitted on 19 Nov 2021 L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- entific research documents, whether they are pub- lished or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. International Journal of Molecular Sciences International Journal of Molecular Sciences Citation: Traiffort, E.; Morisset-Lopez, S.; Moussaed, M.; Zahaf, A. Defective Oligodendroglial Lineage and Demyelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073426 1. Introduction Received: 29 January 2021 Accepted: 24 March 2021 Published: 26 March 2021 Received: 29 January 2021 Accepted: 24 March 2021 Published: 26 March 2021 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Charcot’s disease, is a progressive and late-onset neurodegenerative disease that primarily targets motor neurons leading to fatal paralysis [1]. The first steps include muscular weakness in the arms or legs, which evolves to muscular atrophy, eventually leading to respiratory muscle failure and death. A cognitive decline also progressively occurs. In 1869, the description reported by Charcot in the lateral part of the spinal cord reflected the axonal loss of upper motor neurons descending from the brain and contacting in a direct or indirect manner the lower motor neurons located in the spinal cord. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. With an incidence of about 2 per 100,000 people per year, the disease comprises 95% of sporadic cases (sALS) and only 5% of familial forms (fALS) [2,3]. Molecular genetic approaches have been widely applied to ALS research. Genome-wide association studies and “next-generation” sequencing have contributed to delineate that around 40–55% of the genetic causes of fALS can be accounted for by variants in known ALS-linked genes [4]. More than 50 potentially causative or disease-modifying genes have been identified. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). p y y g g However, pathogenic variants in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), hexanucleotide repeat expansions in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72), fused in sar- coma/translocated in liposarcoma (FUS), and transactive response DNA binding protein https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073426 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 2 of 27 2 of 27 43 (TDBP43) have been the most widely studied [5]. In sALS cases, diagnostic advance- ments have only contributed to explain a small part of cases, while the etiology remains unexplained in more than 90% of patients [6]. ALS is characterized by a sexual dimor- phism, namely a higher prevalence in males than in females [7] although the ratio of men to women has tended to decrease for the last decades [8,9]. 1. Introduction Even though alpha motor neurons and their axons in skeletal muscles are the best- characterized target of the degenerative process, other cells are also affected such as Renshaw cells [17], corticospinal neurons [18], parvalbumin-expressing neurons [19], pro- prioceptive sensory neurons [20], and also glial cells including astrocytes and microglia. The involvement of glial cells in the pathogenesis of ALS was reported about 20 years ago via the study of the transgenic mouse model overexpressing the human mutant of SOD1 [21]. Although mutant SOD1 mice recapitulate the human pathology until the fatal motor neuron degeneration, the latter was found to be non-cell autonomous. Indeed, the expression of the mutant SOD1 in non-neuronal cells contributed to neuronal death [22] and the conditional deletion of mutant SOD1 in astrocytes or microglial cells significantly reduced the progression of the disease [23,24]. In parallel, pathological alterations have been reported in the white matter at a higher level than abnormalities observed in mo- tor neurons [25]. These alterations occur at early stages of ALS before the first clinical symptoms [26] and they are also detected in various rodent models of the disease [27–30]. In the present review, we propose to highlight the recent advances regarding the involvement of oligodendroglial cells in the pathogenesis of ALS. We will present the oligodendroglial cells, the process of myelination, and the tight relationship between axons and myelin. Oligodendroglial and white matter abnormalities as well as the chain of deleterious events and molecular mechanisms associated with these abnormalities will be described. Finally, we will discuss the therapeutic perspectives provided by the current data involving the oligodendrocyte in the pathogenesis of ALS. 1. Introduction A viral etiology has also been suggested via the detection of human endogenous retrovirus-K detected in neurons of a subpopulation of ALS patients [10,11]. The dramatic and fatal evolution of the disease cannot be halted by any therapeutic approach as shown by the inability of most molecules to alleviate the symptoms, with the exception of Riluzole that slightly increases the lifespan of patients [1,12,13] and whose mechanisms of action have been mostly attributed to the inhibition of glutamatergic transmission and modulation of sodium channel function [14,15]. On the other hand, Edavarone, only approved in 2017, is a free radical scavenger that is believed to act as a neuroprotective agent by reducing oxidative stress and modulate ALS progression during the early stages [16]. y g Even though alpha motor neurons and their axons in skeletal muscles are the best- characterized target of the degenerative process, other cells are also affected such as Renshaw cells [17], corticospinal neurons [18], parvalbumin-expressing neurons [19], pro- prioceptive sensory neurons [20], and also glial cells including astrocytes and microglia. The involvement of glial cells in the pathogenesis of ALS was reported about 20 years ago via the study of the transgenic mouse model overexpressing the human mutant of SOD1 [21]. Although mutant SOD1 mice recapitulate the human pathology until the fatal motor neuron degeneration, the latter was found to be non-cell autonomous. Indeed, the expression of the mutant SOD1 in non-neuronal cells contributed to neuronal death [22] and the conditional deletion of mutant SOD1 in astrocytes or microglial cells significantly reduced the progression of the disease [23,24]. In parallel, pathological alterations have been reported in the white matter at a higher level than abnormalities observed in mo- tor neurons [25]. These alterations occur at early stages of ALS before the first clinical symptoms [26] and they are also detected in various rodent models of the disease [27–30]. In the present review, we propose to highlight the recent advances regarding the involvement of oligodendroglial cells in the pathogenesis of ALS. We will present the oligodendroglial cells, the process of myelination, and the tight relationship between axons and myelin. Oligodendroglial and white matter abnormalities as well as the chain of deleterious events and molecular mechanisms associated with these abnormalities will be described. Finally, we will discuss the therapeutic perspectives provided by the current data involving the oligodendrocyte in the pathogenesis of ALS. 2. The Oligodendroglial Cells and Myelination Process 2.1. Oligodendrocyte Generation Responsible for axon myelination in the central nervous system (CNS) and indis- pensable for its normal function, oligodendrocytes are generated in the developing mouse forebrain from oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) produced in three waves occurring from the embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5) until a last perinatal wave. The last wave arises from Emx1+ progenitors located in the dorsal subependymal area bordering the lateral ventricles and gives rise to the bulk of myelinating oligodendrocytes leading to active myelination of the forebrain during the first three postnatal weeks [31]. In the developing spinal cord, OPCs arise as two embryonic waves. The first one at E12.5 gives rise to ventral OPCs, which emerge from the same progenitor domain (called pMN) as motor neurons (for review, [32]). The second one at E15.5 is called the dorsal wave. Although only few data are available in the human brain, OPCs were reported to first appear approximately at 9 weeks of gestation, to proliferate until 18 weeks, and to start their differentiation around 27 weeks [33–35]. In the murine brain, early oligodendroglial differentiation is mediated by the down- regulation of Sox2 and the up-regulation of Sox 10, Olig1, and Olig 2. At early stages, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 3 of 27 3 of 27 human and murine cells also express platelet derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα) and NG2 (Figure 1A). The transition of OPCs to post-mitotic oligodendrocytes is character- ized by chromatin condensation with heterochromatin formation, upregulation of selected microRNAs, and silencing of genes involved in cell proliferation. Loss of PDGFRα/NG2, and increased expression of 2’,3’-Cyclic nucleotide 3’-phosphodiesterase (CNP) and ade- nomatous polyposis coli (APC), together with Olig 1 and Olig 2, are characteristic of pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes. Finally, myelination triggered by myelin regulatory factor (MYRF) expressed in post-mitotic oligodendrocytes, is accompanied by increased ex- pression of myelin basic protein (MBP), myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), proteolipid protein (PLP), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) [36,37]. The oligoden- droglial cells can establish synaptic-like structures with neurons and communicate via many receptors and ion channels specifically expressed in OPCs or at different stages of oligodendroglial differentiation and maturation [38]. Although myelinating oligodendrocytes are generated rapidly during the early post- natal period, a small proportion of NG2-expressing OPCs remain thereafter present in both gray and white matter in the adult CNS. 2. The Oligodendroglial Cells and Myelination Process 2.1. Oligodendrocyte Generation OPCs constitute an abundant and widely dis- tributed population of cells that retain the capacity to divide and mature into myelinating cells under physiological and pathological conditions throughout the whole life [39–41]. According to their region of origin and their expression profile, OPCs can respond to various insults [42,43]. In agreement with the diversity of oligodendrocytes, transcriptomic profiles using high-throughput methods and single-cell RNA sequencing revealed differ- ent subpopulations of oligodendrocytes from several brain regions of juvenile and adult mouse brain [44] and in response to spinal cord injury [45]. Gene expression studies have also identified subpopulations of oligodendroglial cells in human adult white matter and fetal brain [35,36,46]. Altogether, these studies support the existence of highly complex functional and physiological states of oligodendroglial cells. 2.2. Axonal Myelination Myelination of axons essential for rapid impulse propagation in CNS vertebrates occurs during the late embryonic and early postnatal development successively in the spinal cord and in the brain. White matter is predominantly composed of myelinated and unmyelinated neuronal axons organized into specific tracts with surrounding glial cells. Myelin is composed of lipids (70–85%) and proteins (15–30%) among which the most abundant are MBP and PLP while minor proteins include MOG, CNP, and MAG [47]. In white matter tracts that comprise around 50% of the human brain, oligodendrocytes enwrap segments of axons with their plasma membranes [48]. MBP is not translated in the cell body of the oligodendrocyte, where it would cause a fatal compaction of the organelle membranes. Instead, MBP mRNA is silenced and transported to the myelin compartment by the RNA transport granule, a complex of proteins, and RNA molecules. For transport to occur, MBP mRNA must be appropriately spliced and contain the so-called A2 response element (A2RE) in the 3’UTR. The A2RE binds hnRNPA2/B1, which triggers the assembly of the mRNA-transport granule. Translation then occurs in the myelin compartment [49]. The initial contact between oligodendrocytes and axons triggers myelin sheath synthesis from the oligodendrocyte processes in position adjacent to the axon. Each segment, called an internode (for its location between unmyelinated gaps called the nodes of Ranvier), expands longitudinally and simultaneously with axon elongation that progressively occurs during body growth. The last step comprises myelin sheath compaction that starts from the outermost layer [50,51]. The whole process that takes several decades in humans [52] leads to the distribution of myelin segments according to diversified profiles along single axons depending on the neuronal identity [53]. p g y Electrical activity derived from the axon is a major regulator of the myelination pro- cess. Indeed, activity-dependent release of ATP has been reported to bind the astrocyte purinergic P2 receptor and to induce the release of LIF cytokine, which ultimately stimu- lates myelination [54]. Moreover, despite their characterization as the myelinating cells of Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 4 of 27 the CNS, the oligodendrocytes are not the only cells implicated in the myelination process. Indeed, astrocytes provide a substantial fraction of the lipids required for myelin synthesis as suggested by the inability for oligodendrocytes to finalize myelination when a critical co-activator of the transcription factor Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein was inactivated in astrocytes [55]. 2.3. Oligodendroglial Metabolic Support to the Axon In the recent years, it has become evident that myelinating cells maintain the long- term integrity and survival of the axons independently of the presence or absence of myelin [61–63]. Indeed, besides electrical insulation of axons, the myelin sheath plays an important role in providing trophic and metabolic supports to the latter [64,65]. As compacted myelin limits supply from the extracellular space, oligodendrocyte support to the axons is essential specifically to allow mitochondrial respiration. This support is based on aerobic glycolysis, where pyruvate and lactate are transferred by diffusion into the myelinated axon [66,67]. Diffusion of metabolites through the myelin sheath occurs through a system of cytoplasmic nanochannels via a mechanism involving CNP that orga- nizes the actin cytoskeleton and prevents complete membrane compaction promoted by MBP, which acts as a zipper for compacting myelin [51]. In agreement with this observation, CNP knockout mice display axonal degeneration in myelinated fibers despite the presence of functional myelin whereas MBP knockout mice exhibit no axonal loss despite absence of myelination [61,63]. Moreover, glycolytic support of fast-spiking axons has been reported to be controlled by activity-dependent glutamate release [68] since released glutamate activates N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors expressed by oligodendrocytes, which in turn up-regulate the expression of oligodendroglial cell surface glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1). Subsequently, lactate is released towards the axon via monocarboxylate trans- porter 1 (MCT1) and captured from the peri-axonal environment by MCT2 transporter expressed by the axon. Together with reminding the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle, metabolic support provided by oligodendrocytes is critical since the depletion of MCT1 in oligodendrocytes was found to lead to motor neuron death [66–68]. As each oligodendrocyte has the capacity to produce between 20 and 60 myelinating processes and each of the latter displays an internodal length from 20 to 200 µm [69,70], the oligodendrocyte is one of the cell types with the largest surface membrane and therefore an extensive metabolic demand. Thus, though oligodendrocyte turnover is low as indicated by the replacement of 1 out of 300 cells per year in humans [71], the production of myelin is much more dynamic since one cell is able to produce three times its own weight in myelin per day [72,73]. Both the metabolic supply to axons and the metabolic demand for myelination make oligodendrocyte a major player in CNS homeostasis. 2.2. Axonal Myelination Physical interactions involving connexins present in both astrocytes and oligodendrocytes were reported to be required for myelination (Figure 1B). In addition, astrocytes contacting the nodes of Ranvier are endowed with the capacity to remodel myelin at the level of its thickness or the internodal length in order to optimize the electrical conduction [56]. Besides astrocytes, microglia or at least a specific subset of these cells uniquely found in the neonatal CNS are endowed with myelinogenic activities via the secretion of various molecules such as IGF-1 [57,58] (Figure 1B). How OPCs suc- ceed in integrating signals from the other glial cells starts to be uncovered. For instance, microglia-derived transglutaminase 2 (TG2), found to bind its OPC receptor GPR56 by using the extracellular matrix protein laminin, is required for regular developmental oligo- dendrogenesis and subsequent myelination [59]. The critical activity of the extracellular matrix in myelination is also supported by the demonstration that extracellular matrix prepared from decellularized human brain tissue promotes the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into myelinating oligodendrocytes [60]. 3.1. TDP-43 Inclusions Besides astrocytes and microglia now known to be deeply involved in the progres- sion of ALS [76,77], oligodendrocytes also contribute to motor neuron death in ALS. The aberrant localization of TDP-43 to the cytoplasm rather than the nucleus of neurons has been identified as a morphological hallmark of patients with sALS [78] while mutations in the TARDBP gene identified in fALS patients [79] strengthened the hypothesis that this protein may be involved in the development of the disease. Remarkably, among the first data reporting oligodendrocyte contribution to ALS neuropathology, numerous cyto- plasmic inclusions immunoreactive for ubiquitin, p62, and TDP-43 have been visualized in oligodendrocytes in various CNS regions of ALS patients [28,30]. Analysis of a brain bank for neurodegenerative disorders including ALS showed that all samples displaying features of a TDP-43 pathology had morphological features similar to typical sALS. All samples exhibited oligodendroglial cytoplasmic inclusions [80]. Similarly, another study revealed TDP-43+ cytoplasmic inclusions in small cells displaying the characteristics of oligodendroglia that were present in the lower motor nuclei and adjacent white matter, in 97% of sALS cases and all SOD1-negative fALS samples [81]. The severity of gray and white matter oligodendroglial TDP-43+ inclusions was reported to correlate closely with neuronal loss [82]. Moreover, a specific MRI sequence (mcDESPOT) sensitive to water pools within myelin led to showing that the reduction in global cognitive scores and executive function was linked to myelin changes with a frontal lobe predominance in ALS patients. The approach also led to distinguishing the more classical ALS forms from the primary lateral sclerosis, a rare and extreme form of ALS, in which widespread cerebral myelin water fraction is decreased independently of disease duration and clinical upper motor neuron alteration [83]. In the same line, the analysis of myelin in the spinal cord from SOD1G93A transgenic rats revealed ultrastructural disorganization of myelin occurring already in the symptom- free period (60 and 93 days of life) and subsequently worsening in paralyzed animals (120 days of life). These anomalies were associated with decrease of both lipids (phos- pholipids, cholesterol, cerebrosides) and proteins (PLP, MBP) [29]. They were consistent with SAGE analysis of the whole spinal cord and lower brainstem from pre-symptomatic SODG93A mice indicating altered expression of genes involved in different biological pro- cesses including apoptosis, oxidative stress, ATP biosynthesis, myelination, and axonal transport [84]. 2.3. Oligodendroglial Metabolic Support to the Axon In addition, the unique mutually dependent unit formed by the oligodendrocyte and the axon can be considered as a major contributor to the physiological function of axonal connectivity. Consequently, oligodendrocytes and myelin are highly vulnerable to energy metabolism deficiencies even though mature oligodendrocytes are equipped with metabolic mecha- Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 5 of 27 5 of 27 nisms that can overcome metabolic insults including axon–myelin interactions, which are mutually supportive [66,74,75]. 3. Pathological Inclusions in Oligodendrocytes from ALS Patients and Animal Models As of 2003, Clement and collaborators revealed that the expression of mutant SOD1 in motor neurons at levels that classically causes disease is not sufficient to trigger all aspects of ALS pathology. Most importantly, non-neuronal cells that do not express mutant SOD1 delay degeneration and extend survival of motor neurons [22]. The use of mice carrying a mutant SOD1 gene that can be deleted from motor neurons led to the conclusion that these cells are essential for disease onset and its early progression. On the other side, decrease of the mutant levels in microglia significantly slowed disease progression [76] while reducing mutant expression in astrocytes delayed microglia activation and consequently also slowed disease progression [24]. 3.1. TDP-43 Inclusions Proteomic profiling performed on brain-derived exosomes from SOD1G93A transgenic mice demonstrated a loss of MOG compared with exosomes derived from non- transgenic animals [85]. Demyelination as well as decreased expression of genes related to myelin including MBP, Olig1, and Olig2 were similarly observed in a canine model of ALS expressing mutated SOD1 [86]. Besides the detection of TDP-43 cytoplasmic inclusions within oligodendrocytes in the motor cortex and spinal cord of ALS patients [80,87–90], similar inclusions of this protein normally involved in various aspects of RNA processing and thus present in the Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 6 of 27 cell nucleus have been observed in different animal models of the disease including the mutant SOD1 mice. Detailed analysis of TDP-43 distribution in the spinal cord at different stages of SOD1G93A animals revealed decreasing amounts of TDP-43 cells from cervical to thoracic spinal cord segments, mostly detected in the ventral compared to the dorsal horn, exclusively in neurons and oligodendrocytes. The amount of TDP-43 positive cells significantly increased at the onset and progression stages of the disease concurrently with the increase of neuron death in the ventral part of the cervical spinal cord [91]. A high level of TDP-43 glial inclusions can also be detected in the C9orf72 mutant, which displays the classical pathology of motor neuron loss, but is nevertheless devoid of the oligodendroglial phenotype [92]. The molecular machinery responsible for cytosolic accumulation of misfolded TDP- 43 starts to be uncovered. Indeed, the von Hippel Lindau (VHL)/cullin-2 (CUL2) E3 complex is able to recognize and ubiquitinate misfolded TDP-43 and to promote clearance of the fragmented forms of the protein. However, overexpressed VHL preferentially recognizes misfolded TDP-43 and augments aggregate formation at the juxtanuclear protein quality control center (JUNQ) in agreement with the visualization of cytoplasmic inclusions comprising misfolded TDP-43 and VHL especially in oligodendrocytes in ALS spinal cords. Therefore, the imbalance of VHL/CUL2 may affect oligodendrocytes in ALS by inducing the accumulation of pathogenic proteins, including not only TDP-43, but also mutant SOD1 [93]. Furthermore, the formation of TDP-43 cytoplasmic aggregates examined by time-lapse imaging of rat neural stem cell lines specifically differentiated into neuronal or glial cells including oligodendrocytes revealed growing cytoplasmic aggregates in the transduced cells, that were non-membrane bound, composed of electron-dense fine granular materials of 20–30 nm in diameter, and intermingled with mitochondria and lysosomal vesicles. 3.1. TDP-43 Inclusions Aggregate formation was followed by collapse of the cell and the subsequent release of the aggregate as insoluble material in culture media before being incorporated into neighboring neuronal cells, suggesting cell-to-cell spreading [94]. Recently, TDP-43 was found to be required for oligodendroglial physiological func- tions. Its selective deletion in mature oligodendrocytes in mice revealed the development of progressive neurological symptoms leading to early lethality associated with reduction in myelination. This reduction was proposed to be related to both cell autonomous RIPK1- mediated necroptosis of mature oligodendrocytes and TDP-43–dependent decrease in myelin gene expression. In addition, increased proliferation of OPCs was able to replenish the loss of mature oligodendrocytes, specifically in the white matter. However, degenera- tion of spinal cord motor neurons was remarkably absent, thus excluding apparent toxicity of oligodendrocyte TDP-43 loss on motor neurons [95]. 3.2. FUS Inclusions FUS-containing oligodendroglial cytoplasmic inclusions have been also detected in the CNS of ALS patients exhibiting mutations in the FUS gene. The amount of such in- clusions was correlated with disease onset [27]. Analysis of the different forms of the mutant protein in ALS-FUS cases allowed the identification of two distinct clinical and neuropathological patterns with neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions found in early-onset cases in contrast to glial (mainly oligodendroglial) cytoplasmic inclusions detected in late-onset cases [96]. A FUS mouse model expressing cytosol-localized FUS generated by deleting its nuclear-localization signal displayed a notable reduced expression of myelin-related genes in the spinal cord [97] while a mouse model expressing wild-type human FUS mimicking its endogenous expression pattern and level within the CNS developed a progressive albeit mild motor phenotype, but no apparent FUS aggregates. Transcriptomic analysis never- theless identified expression changes in a small set of genes with preferential expression in neurons and OPCs further suggesting that dysfunctions in the oligodendrocyte lineage cells may also contribute to the observed phenotypes [98]. In the same line, the generation of a novel conditional knockout in which FUS is selectively depleted in oligodendrocytes revealed increased novelty-induced motor activity and enhanced exploratory behavior, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 7 of 27 7 of 27 both reminiscent of some manifestations of frontotemporal lobe degeneration known to be associated, like fALS, with FUS mutations in humans. Most importantly, the work discovered a novel role of FUS in controlling myelin deposition across all myelinated axons and the selective increase in myelination of small caliber axons suggesting that both myelin ensheathment and axon wrapping are increased in the absence of oligodendroglial FUS. The phenotype was not associated with changes in oligodendrocyte lineage progression, since the densities of OPCs and oligodendrocytes were not modified. From a molecular point of view, the phenotype appeared to be associated with activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway and to a greater expression of the rate-limiting enzyme for cholesterol biosynthe- sis, the 3-hydroxy-3-méthyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), via transcriptional activation mediated by Fus direct binding to HMGCR transcript [99]. 3.3. SOD1 Inclusions SOD1-containing cytoplasmic inclusions have been also observed in the periaxonal oligodendroglial cytoplasm of SOD1G93A mutant mice analyzed by immunoelectron mi- croscopy [100]. Misfolded SOD1 in the form of granular aggregates was regularly detected in the nuclei of ventral horn glial cells including oligodendrocytes in ALS patients carrying or lacking SOD1 mutations [101] as well as in oligodendrocyte cultures derived from fALS or sALS patients presenting mutations in the SOD1 or TDP-43 genes [102]. 3.4. ErBB4 Inclusions Another identified causative gene for autosomal dominant, late-onset fALS, des- ignated as ALS19 and encoding ErBB4, is also at the origin of oligodendroglial inclu- sions [103]. Like TDP-43, ErBB4 is an important regulator of oligodendrocyte development and maturation controlling myelin formation by oligodendrocytes in the CNS [104,105]. Patients with pathogenic mutations showed typical clinical features of ALS, clinically undis- tinguishable from those observed in patients with sALS. Functional analysis of mutations at the ALS19 locus revealed reduced autophosphorylation capacity of the ErBB4 protein upon stimulation with NRG-1, suggesting that the disruption of the NRG–ErBB4 pathway may cause motor neuron degeneration. The loss of ErBB4 cytoplasmic immunoreactivity in motor neurons in the anterior horns of the spinal cord was correlated with the severity of motor neuron loss, or with alteration of subcellular localization towards a nucleolar or nuclear localization. An ectopic oligodendroglial ErBB4 immunoreactivity could also be detected. Interestingly, the expression of ErBB4 and TDP-43 appeared to be mutually exclusive in oligodendrocytes [106]. 4. Degenerating and Dysfunctional Oligodendrocytes in ALS Patients and Animal Models After the first descriptions of the existence of aberrant protein aggregates in oligoden- drocytes, independent groups successively reported complementary data that accurately described oligodendrocyte dysfunction, progressive gray-matter demyelination, and reac- tive changes in OPCs observed in the motor cortex and spinal cord of both sALS and fALS patients as well as in SOD1G93A mutant mice [67,89,107] (Figure 1C,D). 8 of 27 hat oli- Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 g y [ ] Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. (A) In the healthy central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrogenesis comprises the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) into pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes, which mature into myelinating cells. Specific markers of each pheno- typic step are indicated. The blue arrow indicates the proliferation of OPCs. (B) Myelination of neuronal axons by oli- godendrocytes takes place in the presence of microglial and astroglial cells, which are known to participate namely in the differentiation of OPCs (via the secretion of IGF-1) and the supply of metabolic nutrients (via gap junctions enriched in channel forming proteins connexin, Cx) and lipids for myelin sheath production. (C) During ALS disease, oligodendro- genesis is characterized by the increase of OPC proliferation, which gives rise to a higher number of differentiated oli- godendrocytes. The latter are dysmorphic and display various protein aggregates in their cytoplasm including (TDP-43 Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. (A) In the healthy central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrogenesis comprises the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) into pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes, which mature into myelinating cells. Specific markers of each phenotypic step are indicated. The blue arrow indicates the proliferation of OPCs. (B) Myelination of neuronal axons by oligodendrocytes takes place in the presence of microglial and astroglial cells, which are known to participate namely in the differentiation of OPCs (via the secretion of IGF-1) and the supply of metabolic nutrients (via gap junctions enriched in channel forming proteins connexin, Cx) and lipids for myelin sheath production. (C) During ALS disease, oligodendrogenesis is characterized by the increase of OPC proliferation, which gives rise to a higher number of differentiated oligodendrocytes. The latter are dysmorphic and display various protein aggregates in their cytoplasm including (TDP-43 or ErBB4, SOD1, FUS) or accumulate abnormal dipeptide repeat proteins (C9orf72) in their nucleus. These abnormal oligodendrocytes are unable to mature into myelinating cells and ultimately die. 4. Degenerating and Dysfunctional Oligodendrocytes in ALS Patients and Animal Models In response to cell death, OPC proliferation is highly increased (red arrow). (D) Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in ALS pathology include axon demyelination and degeneration that may occur as the primary or secondary event compared to the death of oligodendrocytes. Both glutamate excitotoxicity (orange broken arrow) from the degenerating neurons and the dysregulation of protein folding leading to abnormal aggregates (blue and orange ellipses) lead to endoplasmic reticulum stress resulting into the increase of the ER stress apoptotic mediator CHOP and into the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) associated with the specific expression of select UPR target genes, such as PDI (protein disulfide isomerase). At the level of oligodendrocyte processes, the most abundant myelin protein MBP and the monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) required for lactate release to the axon are both decreased. The altered communication between the oligodendrocyte and the neighboring astrocytes (green) related to changes in connexin (Cx) expression as well as the pro-inflammatory microglia (blue) namely secreting the cytokine TNFα and triggering the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling pathway, both participate in oligodendrocyte dysfunction and degeneration, respectively. Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. (A) In the healthy central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrogenesis comprises the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) into pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes, which mature into myelinating cells. Specific markers of each pheno- typic step are indicated. The blue arrow indicates the proliferation of OPCs. (B) Myelination of neuronal axons by oli- d d k l h f l l d l l ll h h k l h Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. (A) In the healthy central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrogenesis comprises the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) into pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes, which mature into myelinating cells. Specific markers of each phenotypic step are indicated. The blue arrow indicates the proliferation of OPCs. (B) Myelination of neuronal axons by oligodendrocytes Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS h l h l (CNS) li d d i i h diff i i f li d Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. (A) In the healthy central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrogenesis comprises the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) into pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes, which mature into myelinating cells. 4. Degenerating and Dysfunctional Oligodendrocytes in ALS Patients and Animal Models Specific markers of each pheno- typic step are indicated. The blue arrow indicates the proliferation of OPCs. (B) Myelination of neuronal axons by oli- godendrocytes takes place in the presence of microglial and astroglial cells, which are known to participate namely in the differentiation of OPCs (via the secretion of IGF-1) and the supply of metabolic nutrients (via gap junctions enriched in channel forming proteins connexin, Cx) and lipids for myelin sheath production. (C) During ALS disease, oligodendro- genesis is characterized by the increase of OPC proliferation, which gives rise to a higher number of differentiated oli- godendrocytes. The latter are dysmorphic and display various protein aggregates in their cytoplasm including (TDP-43 Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. (A) In the healthy central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrogenesis comprises the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) into pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes, which mature into myelinating cells. Specific markers of each phenotypic step are indicated. The blue arrow indicates the proliferation of OPCs. (B) Myelination of neuronal axons by oligodendrocytes takes place in the presence of microglial and astroglial cells, which are known to participate namely in the differentiation of OPCs (via the secretion of IGF-1) and the supply of metabolic nutrients (via gap junctions enriched in channel forming proteins connexin, Cx) and lipids for myelin sheath production. (C) During ALS disease, oligodendrogenesis is characterized by the increase of OPC proliferation, which gives rise to a higher number of differentiated oligodendrocytes. The latter are dysmorphic and display various protein aggregates in their cytoplasm including (TDP-43 or ErBB4, SOD1, FUS) or accumulate abnormal dipeptide repeat proteins (C9orf72) in their nucleus. These abnormal oligodendrocytes are unable to mature into myelinating cells and ultimately die. In response to cell death, OPC proliferation is highly increased (red arrow). (D) Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in ALS pathology include axon demyelination and degeneration that may occur as the primary or secondary event compared to the death of oligodendrocytes. Both glutamate excitotoxicity (orange broken arrow) from the degenerating neurons and the dysregulation of protein folding leading to abnormal aggregates (blue and orange ellipses) lead to endoplasmic reticulum stress resulting into the increase of the ER stress apoptotic mediator CHOP and into the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) associated with the specific expression of select UPR target genes, such as PDI (protein disulfide isomerase). 4. Degenerating and Dysfunctional Oligodendrocytes in ALS Patients and Animal Models At the level of oligodendrocyte processes, the most abundant myelin protein MBP and the monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) required for lactate release to the axon are both decreased. The altered communication between the oligodendrocyte and the neighboring astrocytes (green) related to changes in connexin (Cx) expression as well as the pro-inflammatory microglia (blue) namely secreting the cytokine TNFα and triggering the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling pathway, both participate in oligodendrocyte dysfunction and degeneration, respectively. Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. (A) In the healthy central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrogenesis comprises the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) into pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes, which mature into myelinating cells. Specific markers of each pheno- typic step are indicated. The blue arrow indicates the proliferation of OPCs. (B) Myelination of neuronal axons by oli- godendrocytes takes place in the presence of microglial and astroglial cells, which are known to participate namely in the differentiation of OPCs (via the secretion of IGF-1) and the supply of metabolic nutrients (via gap junctions enriched in channel forming proteins connexin, Cx) and lipids for myelin sheath production. (C) During ALS disease, oligodendro- genesis is characterized by the increase of OPC proliferation, which gives rise to a higher number of differentiated oli- godendrocytes. The latter are dysmorphic and display various protein aggregates in their cytoplasm including (TDP-43 Figure 1. Pathological oligodendrogenesis and myelination in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. (A) In the healthy central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrogenesis comprises the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) into pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes, which mature into myelinating cells. Specific markers of each phenotypic step are indicated. The blue arrow indicates the proliferation of OPCs. (B) Myelination of neuronal axons by oligodendrocytes takes place in the presence of microglial and astroglial cells, which are known to participate namely in the differentiation of OPCs (via the secretion of IGF-1) and the supply of metabolic nutrients (via gap junctions enriched in channel forming proteins connexin, Cx) and lipids for myelin sheath production. (C) During ALS disease, oligodendrogenesis is characterized by the increase of OPC proliferation, which gives rise to a higher number of differentiated oligodendrocytes. The latter are dysmorphic and display various protein aggregates in their cytoplasm including (TDP-43 or ErBB4, SOD1, FUS) or accumulate abnormal dipeptide repeat proteins (C9orf72) in their nucleus. These abnormal oligodendrocytes are unable to mature into myelinating cells and ultimately die. 4.2. Degeneration and Accelerated Turnover of Oligodendroglial Cells In parallel, further investigations revealed that oligodendrocyte lineage cells are targets of the disease in both human patients with ALS and mutant SOD1 mice. In the transgenic SOD1G93A animals, oligodendrocytes clearly degenerate and die, even before motor neuron loss is evident as shown via immunostaining approaches and genetic fate tracing of oligodendrocytes using the inducible Cre recombination under the PLP promoter. The process that clearly intensified with disease progression was mostly observed in the ventral gray matter and at a lower extent in the central white matter. g y Oligodendrocyte degeneration was associated with abnormal morphology including enlarged cytoplasm and elongated reactive processes, cleaved caspase-3 immunoreactivity, chromatin condensation, and the existence of clusters of microglial cells surrounding them. However, the oligodendrocyte number remained unexpectedly constant during disease progression. Therefore, it was proposed the existence of a compensatory production of new cells arising from NG2-expressing OPCs scattered throughout the whole CNS and comprising the main source of new myelinating oligodendrocytes upon a demyelinating event. An increase in proliferating NG2+ cells was observed during the symptomatic phase of the disease in the SOD1G93A mice. The genetic tracing of OPCs using the PDGFRα promoter allowed the detection of a higher proportion of OPCs differentiating into oligo- dendrocytes [89] while the genetic tracing of differentiated oligodendrocytes using the PLP promoter indicated no difference in the total number of oligodendrocytes in the control or mutant SOD1 mice, but a higher production of new oligodendrocytes in the mu- tant [108,109]. The increased proliferation and differentiation of OPCs, which themselves exhibited some hypertrophy, reflected their activation selectively in brain regions where motor neurons degenerated [89,107]. 4. Degenerating and Dysfunctional Oligodendrocytes in ALS Patients and Animal Models In response to cell death, OPC proliferation is highly increased (red arrow). (D) Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in ALS pathology include axon demyelination and degeneration that may occur as the primary or secondary event compared to the death of oligodendrocytes. Both glutamate excitotoxicity (orange broken arrow) from the degenerating neurons and the dysregulation of protein folding leading to abnormal aggregates (blue and orange ellipses) lead to endoplasmic reticulum stress resulting into the increase of the ER stress apoptotic mediator CHOP and into the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) associated with the specific expression of select UPR target genes, such as PDI (protein disulfide isomerase). At the level of oligodendrocyte processes, the most abundant myelin protein MBP and the monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) required for lactate release to the axon are both decreased. The altered communication between the oligodendrocyte and the neighboring astrocytes (green) related to changes in connexin (Cx) expression as well as the pro-inflammatory microglia (blue) namely secreting the cytokine TNFα and triggering the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling pathway, both participate in oligodendrocyte dysfunction and degeneration, respectively. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 9 of 27 4.1. Reduction of MCT1 Expression 4.1. Reduction of MCT1 Expression In agreement with the hypothesis that the aggregates may disrupt the active transport and/or the free diffusion of metabolites such as lactate, from the oligodendrocyte to the axon by potentially impairing myelin channel functioning, a first work reported the selective reduction of MCT transporters in the motor cortex of ALS patients [67]. MCT1 decrease was also observed in rodent and canine models of the disease [67,86]. In mouse SOD1 mutants, MCT1 transcripts were downregulated in the ventral horn gray matter of the spinal cord derived from early symptomatic and end-stage animals. The reduced MCT1 reporter expression was not related to a lower number of oligodendroglial cells, since mature oligodendrocytes were unchanged. Moreover, Sh-RNA-mediated downregulation of MCT1 specifically in oligodendrocytes in the optic nerve and corpus callosum induced a dramatic increase in the number of degenerating axons indicating that oligodendrocyte MCT1 was critical for axon survival [67]. 4.3. Regeneration of Dysfunctional Oligodendrocytes Besides the abnormal morphology of the newly generated oligodendrocytes, myelin sheaths presented altered lipid and protein composition even before symptom onset. Moreover, the new oligodendrocytes were notably observed close to the degenerating axons suggesting that the abnormal behavior of NG2-expressing cells was a response to degeneration of oligodendrocytes following motor neuron loss [29,89,107]. The newly generated oligodendrocytes were proposed to exist in a differentiated, but non-myelinating state, possibly related to the lack of appropriate targets, perhaps promoting cell death. Such a continuous cycle of proliferation, differentiation, and death of oligodendrocytes in ALS might consequently accelerate the death of neurons already stressed and lacking metabolic support [107]. Various candidates likely to account for the impairment of OPC maturation have been evaluated in ALS models. Notch1 signaling is one of the mechanisms that regulate OPC differentiation during remyelination by promoting OPC expansion but inhibiting differentiation and myelin formation. However, the conditional deletion of Notch1 in Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 10 of 27 10 of 27 OPCs fails to alleviate oligodendrocyte dysfunction or ameliorate disease outcomes in ALS mice [109]. These data are consistent with the recent revisit of Notch signaling in ALS models indicating that the expression patterns of the activated Notch intracellular domain (NICD) and Notch ligands did not much vary in the oligodendroglial lineage in the spinal cord of symptomatic SOD1G93A mice. Thus, the Notch signaling pathway does not appear to contribute much to oligodendroglial dysfunction [110]. OPCs fails to alleviate oligodendrocyte dysfunction or ameliorate disease outcomes in ALS mice [109]. These data are consistent with the recent revisit of Notch signaling in ALS models indicating that the expression patterns of the activated Notch intracellular domain (NICD) and Notch ligands did not much vary in the oligodendroglial lineage in the spinal cord of symptomatic SOD1G93A mice. Thus, the Notch signaling pathway does not appear to contribute much to oligodendroglial dysfunction [110]. A second candidate was the extracellular matrix protein, connective tissue growth fac- tor (CTGF/CCN2), which displays an increased level in the spinal cord from ALS patients and SOD1G93A mice. An in vitro study using Schwann cells as a source of CTFG/CCN2 showed that this molecule inhibits oligodendrocyte myelination and promotes astrocyte reactivity supporting the hypothesis that CTGF/CCN2 may specifically impair oligoden- drocyte maturation and inhibit axon myelination in ALS disease [111]. 4.3. Regeneration of Dysfunctional Oligodendrocytes Another study performed in mice expressing a moderate level of the fALS-causing mutation SOD1G37R provided evidence for the possible involvement of other signaling pathways known to regulate oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination. Alterations in RNAs encoding components of these pathways including phosphatidylinositol signaling, FcγR-mediated phagocytosis, and a calcium signaling pathway nevertheless remain to be further investi- gated [112]. g Future works should delineate whether a pro-inflammatory OPC phenotype is present in ALS tissues. This phenotype has been shown to occur in response to inflammatory cues, to promote tissue damage and to block remyelination [113,114]. Thus, this might account for the apparent dysfunction of the newly generated oligodendrocytes. In the same line, the recent finding that alteration of oligodendrocyte heterogeneity in multiple sclerosis, the most common CNS demyelinating disease, may be related to the progression of the disease [113] suggests the requirement for more accurately delineating the phenotype of oligodendrocytes present in ALS tissues. 4.4. Abnormal Myelination The clear reduction of myelination in ALS corticospinal tracts and ventral horn gray matter of the spinal cord was obviously consistent with the finding that the newly gen- erated oligodendrocytes were dysfunctional and failed both in terms of myelin synthesis and trophic support as suggested by the lower expression of MBP and MCT1, respec- tively [89,107]. Electron microscopy analysis of the ventral gray matter revealed a high percentage of ultrastructurally normal axons exhibiting immature myelin, i.e., a thick layer of oligodendrocyte cytoplasm between the axon and the initial myelin wrap in end stage SOD1G93A mice, suggesting that viable and uninjured axons were remyelinated. Ultra- structural anomalies typical of Wallerian degeneration were also observed together with MBP immunoreactivity more diffuse in the end stage mutant than in the control. Axons with mature myelin displayed a thicker sheath than controls possibly reflecting axonal shrinkage. Myelin debris and immature myelin sheaths could also be detected [107]. 4.5. Motor Neuron Death Induced by ALS Gene Expression in Oligodendrocytes Importantly, the genetic deletion of mutant human SOD1G37R from OPCs and their progeny delayed disease onset and prolonged survival, confirming the direct relationship with motor neuron degeneration. SOD1 removal helped to preserve MCT1 expression in some mice at early stages of the disease indicating that expression of mutant SOD1 in NG2+ cells and their oligodendrocyte progeny has a deleterious effect on motor neuron survival. Thus, the progressive loss of gray matter oligodendrocytes as well as the failure to restore these critical cells were proposed to accelerate disease progression in ALS by depriving motor neurons of essential metabolic support [107]. In vitro models of motor neuron and oligodendrocyte cocultures led to consistent results indicating that mouse SOD1G93A oligodendrocytes or human ALS oligodendrocytes derived from multiple genetic and sporadic forms of the disease induce motor neuron death via soluble and insoluble factors that require cell-to-cell contact or very close proximity. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 11 of 27 11 of 27 Interestingly, the toxic effects can be rescued by reducing SOD1 in OPCs (but not in differentiated oligodendrocytes) except for OPCs derived from cells carrying the C9ORF72 mutations, which seem to be SOD1 independent and thus define a discrete subgroup of ALS patients [102]. In agreement with this observation, oligodendrocytes derived from human pluripotent stem cells obtained from two ALS patients harboring mutations in the C9ORF72 gene did not exhibit impairment of OPC proliferation, maturation, or viability. However, RNA foci could be detected as expected from the expanding RNA repeats present in the mutant. Thus, the presence of the C9ORF72 mutation, the most common manifestation of familial ALS, contributing to 10% of sporadic- and 37% of familial cases, did not confer detrimental effects on maturation or survival of oligodendrocytes. Although the data could not exclude possible impairment of myelination associated with such mutations, they suggested that the different genetic causes of ALS could be heterogeneous with respect to the properties of oligodendrocytes [115]. However, intriguingly, the distribution of C9ORF72 promoter activity was recently found to be enriched in cell types and brain regions that undergo degeneration in ALS suggesting that cell autonomous effects in the altered populations of neurons and oligodendrocytes may nevertheless account for their loss [116]. g 5.1. Glutamate Excitotoxicity Induced by Motor Neuron Death 5.1. Glutamate Excitotoxicity Induced by Motor Neuron Death Since motor neuron degeneration in both spinal cord and motor cortex is an essen- tial and furthermore necessary component of the disease to confirm diagnosis of ALS, glutamate excitotoxicity was among the first mechanisms implicated in oligodendrocyte pathogenesis in ALS. Indeed, when motor neurons start to degenerate, they release high levels of glutamate [118]. Oligodendrocytes express Ca2+ permeable NMDA receptors, which thus promote an abundant Ca2+ accumulation in the cells leading to their degenera- tion [119]. However, a series of other mechanisms have been progressively proposed to contribute to oligodendrocyte dysfunction (Figure 1D). 4.5. Motor Neuron Death Induced by ALS Gene Expression in Oligodendrocytes Still in regard to disease heterogeneity, a yet higher level of complexity was recently provided by transcriptome arrays performed in anterior horn of the spinal cord and frontal cortex from sALS cases that revealed striking regional differences. In the spinal cord, up- and down-regulated clusters were related to inflammation/apoptosis and axoneme structures/protein synthesis, respectively. In the frontal cortex, up-regulated gene clusters involved neurotransmission, synaptic proteins, and vesicle trafficking, whereas down- regulated genes clustered into oligodendrocyte function and myelin-related proteins even though patients were at stages with no apparent impairment [117]. 5.2. Abnormalities in Protein Homeostasis Oxidative stress induced by an imbalance of free radicals is also a major contributor to ALS neurodegeneration. It exacerbates homeostatic dysregulation of mitochondria, pro- teins, genes, and other cellular processes, which are the subject of continuous investigations. The subsequent alteration of protein folding is consistent with the formation of protein aggregates promoted by mutations in ALS-related genes including SOD1, FUS, TDP-43, and ErBB4 as described above. These aggregates cause further endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cell apoptosis as namely suggested for the SOD1 mutant [107]. In agreement with this observation, the analysis of the ER-stress apoptotic mediator CHOP (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) homologous protein) revealed a marked expression increase in the spinal cords from both sALS patients and ALS transgenic mice (Figure 1D). In the latter, CHOP expression increase could be detected at 14 (symptomatic stage) and 18 to 20 (end stage) weeks. Furthermore, localizations of CHOP were detected in motor neurons and glial cells, such as oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglia, suggesting that the up-regulation of CHOP in various cell types including oligodendrocytes may play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of ALS [120]. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 12 of 27 12 of 27 To resolve ER stress and defect in protein homeostasis, cells trigger intrinsic mecha- nisms called unfolded protein response (UPR) and heat shock response (HSR), two of the major signaling pathways implicated in the restoration of protein homeostasis. In ALS human post-mortem tissues, UPR is activated in both the motor cortex and spinal cord with specific expression of select UPR target genes, such as PDIs (protein disulfide iso- merase) observed in motor cortex of sALS cases where these genes strongly correlate with oligodendrocyte markers. In contrast, the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) and HSR genes mostly activated in spinal cord, correlate with the expression of neuronal markers evidencing cell-type-specific contributions. Interestingly, an increase in PDI expression has been reported to occur during active myelination in cortical regions of rats. In line with this observation, a strong PDI expression in oligodendrocytes was observed in SOD1 mice in agreement with abnormalities in plasma and membrane lipid signaling, especially in the early symptomatic stages of ALS [121]. Despite the increased expression of the systems involved in protein homeostasis restauration, a recent metadata analysis of oxidative stress etiology in pre-clinical ALS patients has proposed an insufficient compensatory response to oxidative stress [122]. 5.3. Oxidative Damage to mRNAs Involved in Myelination In ALS models, oxidative damage to mRNA has been reported in oligodendrocytes before the symptomatic stage when microgliosis is not yet detected. Among the most vulnerable mRNAs are those involved in mitochondrial electron transport and myelination. Thus, oxidative damage to MBP mRNA likely accounts for reduced MBP expression (Figure 1D) consistent with the myelin defects observed in ALS [123]. The hypothesis that the loss of critical functions in the aggregation-prone genes is involved in myelination defect is in agreement with the rescue of white matter degeneration upon removal of disease causal mutation SOD1 from oligodendrocytes [107] and with the requirement of the normal function of TDP-43 for oligodendrocyte survival and myelination [95]. Of note, many critical mRNAs required for normal oligodendroglial function are locally translated at the myelin sheath. This is true for MBP, MOBP, CAII as well as for several RNA-binding proteins that have been all characterized to be binding partners of proteins involved in ALS pathology and, therefore, might contribute to cellular dysfunction. In agreement with this hypothesis, hnRNP A1 and hnRNP A2/B1, involved in MBP mRNA trafficking, are both binding partners of C9ORF72 (G4C2) repeat RNA foci and TDP-43 [124]. In addition, they display intrinsically disordered domains at their C-terminal end supporting the idea that they are prone to misfolding. Moreover, TDP-43 depletion upregulates specific isoforms of hnRNP A1 specifically susceptible to aggregation [125]. Finally, post-mortem tissues from ALS patients displaying C9ORF72 RNA foci were found to sequester hnRNP H/F required for PLP/DM20 alternative splicing [126] via a mechanism involving their interaction with Quaking in Myelination (QKI) proteins [127]. 5.4. Deleterious Effects Involving Astrocytes A growing literature is currently providing evidence for the involvement of extrinsic mechanisms originating in neighboring glial cells and related to the existence of a dual activ- ity for both reactive astrocytes and microglia in inflammatory diseases of the CNS, namely demyelinating diseases (for review [128]). Reactive astrocytes secrete pro-inflammatory molecules promoting the neuroinflammatory process as well as extracellular matrix dele- terious for remyelination namely via the formation of aggregates known to prevent OPC differentiation as recently described in several reviews [128–130]. Moreover, changes in oligodendrocyte and astrocyte connexin expression have been found to affect oligodendro- cyte and neuronal metabolic support in both ALS patients and disease models. Connexins form homotypic or heterotypic gap junctions, namely between astrocytes and oligoden- drocytes, through which intercellular communication occurs as attested by exchanges of small molecules namely including lactate and glucose transferred by astrocytes to oligo- dendrocytes. In mutant SOD1 animals, astrocyte Cx43 is significantly upregulated with Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 13 of 27 13 of 27 disease progression, whereas oligodendrocyte Cx32 and Cx47 are downregulated [131,132] (Figure 1D). The decrease of Cx32 observed earlier as the disease-progressive stage was suggested to be due to enhanced degradation of the protein since Cx32 transcription only started to decrease at the end stage of the disease. Cx47 expression also started to decrease at the disease-progressive stage. However, the decrease was attributed to both decreased transcription and defective transport from the cytosol to the surface membrane and/or increased internalization from the membrane to the cytosol. y All these modifications were particularly evident in the dysmorphic oligodendrocytes accumulating at the anterior horns suggesting a causative relationship between mutant SOD1 and connexin pathology. They were also consistent with the stage-dependent progression of astrogliosis and microglial activation in the anterior horns of the same model. In normal conditions, oligodendrocytes can import glucose through GLUT1 and connexin junctions for glycolysis. The latter can yield sufficient ATP to support oligodendrocyte survival while the aerobic glycolysis product, lactate, can be transferred to axons via MCT1 and used as an energy source for axonal activity. Therefore, loss of membranous Cx47 and Cx32 in oligodendrocytes in mSOD1 ALS model mice may lead to insufficient glucose supply both contributing to oligodendrocyte damage and motor neuron death through energy failure [132]. These finding were supported by the severe demyelination, oligodendrocyte death, and axonal loss in mice lacking Cx32 and Cx47 [133]. 5.4. Deleterious Effects Involving Astrocytes The changes in glial network activity through connexin hemichannels likely contribute to the failure of remyelination and eventual death of motor neurons, although further works based on knockout or overexpression models for astrocyte/oligodendrocyte connexins should elucidate the importance of these pathways in the pathogenesis of motor neuron disease. 5.5. Deleterious Effects Involving Microglia Like astrocytes, microglia may be endowed with detrimental effects on oligodendro- cytes and myelin via the synthesis of cytokines, chemokines, cell adhesion glycoproteins, or reactive oxygen radicals able to damage axons, myelin, oligodendrocytes, and thus implicated in the initiation and propagation of the inflammatory cascade contributing to demyelination. Several recent publications have addressed the topic [128,134]. However, a specific link between microglia and oligodendrocyte degeneration has been established in ALS via data reporting that the lack of optineurin function in microglia activates an intrinsic cascade that triggers these cells to adopt a RIPK1-dependent pro-inflammatory phenotype (including TNFα secretion) assumed to kill neighboring oligodendrocytes by promoting their necroptosis [93]. Optineurin is a gene for which loss-of-function mutations have been linked to ALS, not for motor neuron death or paralysis, but for other features namely including lower number of axons, abnormally large caliber axons, and signs of thicker, less compact myelin sheaths in the spinal ventrolateral white matter and to a lesser extent in the anterior roots from the age of three weeks [135]. The silencing of optineurin was found to sensitize cultured fibroblasts to necroptosis upon exposure to the caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk, by involving RIPK1, RIPK3, and the phosphorylated form of the mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), which are all increased in the spinal cord of optineurin knockout mice. In addition, targeting RIPK1/RIPK3 in optineurin and SOD1 mutant mice mitigated the axon-myelin phenotype in both mutants and in addition, delayed onset of motor defects in the SOD1 mutant. Whether the assumed death of oligodendrocytes or a preceding dysfunction of these cells cause the axonopathy still remained unclear [93]. 6. Oligodendrocyte Degeneration as a Primary or Secondary Event in ALS Pathogenesis 6.1. Oligodendrocyte Degeneration as a Primary Event The observation that oligodendrocyte degeneration occurs earlier than motor neuron loss [89,107] has been the first strong argument for considering oligodendrocyte as the primary event in ALS pathology. In agreement with this hypothesis, alterations in the white matter were found to be more pronounced compared with those in motor neurons Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 14 of 27 14 of 27 and they were detected during the early stages of ALS, prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms [25,26]. and they were detected during the early stages of ALS, prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms [25,26]. y p A recent work also supported the idea that oligodendrocyte and myelin pathology outstrip neuronal degeneration in some regions by analyzing the extent of inclusion pathol- ogy in post-mortem tissues from human sALS and mutant C9ORF72-related ALS (C9ALS) cases [136]. Data revealed a high load of p62 and TDP43 glial inclusions in the prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, and spinal cord, which was greater in C9ALS than in sALS cases. Double staining demonstrated that the majority of these inclusions were in oligodendro- cytes and the use of immunoblotting led to showing reduced MBP protein levels relative to PLP (a myelin component that relies on protein not mRNA transport) and to neurofilament protein used as an axonal marker in the spinal cord. Such a disproportionate loss of MBP compared to the level of PLP and axonal loss, was in agreement with the likely disruption of MBP mRNA transport. The observation also fully supported that myelin alteration was not secondary to axonal loss however without completely excluding that part of myelin degra- dation might be secondary to axonal loss [136]. Similarly, although the severity of gray and white matter oligodendroglial TDP-43 inclusions has been reported to mostly correlate with neuronal loss [82], the detection of some gray matter oligodendroglial TDP-43 inclusions in areas without evident neuronal TDP-43 aggregates, neuronal loss, or white matter oligo- dendroglial TDP-43 pathology suggested that gray matter oligodendroglial involvement could be an early event in the disease process that announced subsequent involvement of neuronal cells. The location of gray matter oligodendrocytes in close proximity to axonal connections of motor neurons was also in support of this hypothesis [82]. 6. Oligodendrocyte Degeneration as a Primary or Secondary Event in ALS Pathogenesis 6.1. Oligodendrocyte Degeneration as a Primary Event Other arguments supporting the primary involvement of oligodendrocytes were pro- vided by the selective deletion of mutant SOD1 protein from the oligodendroglial cells that was found to delay disease onset and improve mouse survival, probably suggesting a key role for oligodendroglial cells in accelerating injury to vulnerable motor neurons. However, the time between symptom onset and death remained unmodified, suggesting that the longer survival time was only related to the delay in disease onset. Furthermore, the role of oligodendrocytes in supporting axonal energy metabolism is also obviously consistent with a major role of oligodendrocytes in the deterioration of motor neurons. In a consistent man- ner, SOD1 removal from oligodendrocytes led to MCT1 levels comparable to those found in the wild-type mice as well as to a lower level of reactive astrocytes and microglia that may also possibly participate in the delay in disease onset since alterations in astrocytes and microglia are critical for determining disease onset [23,24]. In addition, the generation of transgenic zebrafish selectively expressing G93A mutant SOD1 in mature oligodendrocytes revealed that mutant SOD1 directly induced oligodendrocyte degeneration by disrupting the myelin sheath and downregulating MCT1 subsequently causing spinal motor neuron degeneration. Since in vivo treatment of the mutant zebrafish using potassium channel inhibitors rescued behavioral abnormalities without rescuing MCT1 expression, myelin disruption was nevertheless proposed to induce behavioral abnormalities independently of MCT1 [137]. 6.2. Oligodendrocyte Degeneration as a Secondary Event On the contrary, a few other works question the primary involvement of oligodendro- cytes in the pathological propagation of the disease. First, the neuronal expression of mutant SOD1 was found to cause motor neuron degeneration and paralysis in transgenic mice displaying cytosolic dendritic ubiquitinated SOD1 aggregates as a dominant pathological feature. Moreover, the crossing of neuron- specific mutant SOD1 mice with ubiquitously wild-type SOD1-expressing mice led to high wild-type SOD1 aggregation in oligodendrocytes after the onset of neuronal degenera- tion. The chronologic steps were thus that mutant SOD1 in neurons triggers neuronal degeneration, which subsequently may facilitate aggregate formation in surrounding glial cells [138]. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 15 of 27 15 of 27 Second, the spread of the pathology into four stages has been initially proposed to occur through corticofugal axonal transmission consistent with the detection of oligo- dendroglial TDP-43 aggregates along with neuronal inclusions. However, while TDP-43 immunoreactive oligodendrocytes were frequently observed in the white matter under the motor and sensory cortices, no TDP-43 pathology was detected, namely in the white matter along the corticospinal tract of the same tissue samples, [139]. g p p Third, high-throughput RNA sequencing together with translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) provided evidence that pathogenesis involves a temporal cascade of cell type-selective damage starting in motor neurons, with subsequent damage within glia that might subsequently drive disease propagation. The data were obtained in mice expressing a moderate level of the fALS-causing mutation SOD1G37R. Motor neuron dam- ages included synapse and metabolic abnormalities as well as endoplasmic reticulum stress. Glia-related changes occurred early in astrocytes in genes involved in inflamma- tion/metabolism or standing as targets of the lipid-activated transcription factors PPAR and LXR. Dysregulation of myelination and lipid signaling pathways together with activa- tion of ETS transcription factors appeared in oligodendrocytes only after disease initiation. Gene expression changes were most dramatic in motor neurons (260 significant changes), compared to astrocytes (108) and oligodendrocytes (23 including 14 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated RNAs). Notably, ER chaperones PDI and FKBP9 mRNA levels were much more highly up-regulated in astrocytes and oligodendrocytes compared with motor neurons, suggesting that motor neurons could be intrinsically more vulnerable to unfolded protein accumulation. 6.2. Oligodendrocyte Degeneration as a Secondary Event Unexpectedly, MCT1 decrease previously shown in SOD1G93A mice [67] was not observed in these other SOD1 mutants suggesting that altered levels of MCT1 could not constitute an early damaging factor able to drive initiation of non–cell- autonomous toxicity from oligodendrocytes to motor neurons [112]. y g y Fourth, the transfer of fluorescent wild-type or mutant SOD1 cytosolic proteins occur- ring first in motor neurons and then in neighboring oligodendrocytes in the gray matter of the ventral spinal cord is still in support of the primary involvement of motor neurons and not oligodendrocytes [140]. The demonstration was based on a retrograde transduction experiment using injection of a recombinant AAV6 expressing wild-type SOD1-CFP into the tibialis anterior muscle in early postnatal mice. Data revealed the appearance of CFP fluorescence first in motor neurons, as early as 11 days post-injection, followed 17–31 days later in oligodendrocytes, consistent with time-dependent transfer from motor neurons to oligodendrocytes. However, since the increase of transferred fluorescent proteins in recipient motor neurons paralleled the development of fluorescence in neighboring mature oligodendrocytes and their morphological changes, it was proposed that oligodendrocytes may serve as a vehicle for subsequent transfer between motor neurons. The precise mech- anism of cell–cell transfer was proposed to involve a contact between oligodendrocyte processes and motor neuron cell bodies. However, the exact mechanism of the transfer remains to be investigated [140]. 6.3. Primary or Secondary Event: A Yet Unanswered Question It is quite clear that our current knowledge does not allow to conclude on the primary or secondary involvement of oligodendrocytes or motor neurons in ALS. However, a few arguments quite inconsistent with the hypothesis that neurons are primarily involved can be pointed out. Indeed, the increase in oligodendrogenesis reported in the ALS models does not support this hypothesis. First, the production of new oligodendrocytes without target axons to myelinate would be inadequate. Second, as motor axons comprise only a minor proportion of myelinated fibers in the spinal cord and as a single oligodendrocyte can synthesise numerous internodal segments on different axons, healthy non-motor axons should allow oligodendrocyte survival. Third, the observation of ultrastructurally normal axons with immature myelin sheaths in the ventral gray matter of symptomatic SOD1 mutant mice is in favor of the attempt of oligodendrocytes to remyelinate viable axons, rather than to degenerate due to axon loss [107]. For all these reasons, the above data Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 16 of 27 support the idea that oligodendrocyte dysfunction prevents proper axonal support, which may trigger neuron degeneration. Since demyelination is by itself insufficient to induce axon degeneration and has to be associated with oligodendrocyte dysfunction [141,142], the down-regulation of MCT1 is likely one of the associated mechanisms required for neuron degeneration. However, it appears strikingly evident that in the alternative where motor neuron degeneration does not contribute to the initiation of oligodendrocyte pathology, it likely contributes to make surrounding oligodendrocytes more vulnerable namely because of their high energy requirement and damaging oxidative reactions [143]. Further work is needed to better understand the existing discrepancies. 6.4. The Hypothesis of the Putative Aberrant Regulation of Olig2 Function In the spinal cord, an additional hypothesis might be the involvement of an aberrant regulation of Olig2 function, the transcription factor expressed by the progenitor cells that give rise successively to both the motor neurons and the oligodendrocytes in the pMN domain during the embryonic development. In support of this hypothesis, the characterization of ChIP-Seq-based Olig2 target genes in this domain was found to be relevant to the pathogenesis of ALS. Indeed, 740 Olig2 target genes overlapping between the newly generated motor neurons and OPCs have been characterized to be closely related to “alternative splicing” in agreement with increasing evidence indicating that RNA metabolism, including the regulation of transcription and alternative splicing, is profoundly disturbed in ALS. Molecular network analysis also suggested that Olig2 down-regulates a wide range of target genes involved in diverse neuronal and glial functions [144]. Further work should deal with this hypothesis in depth. yp p Still in the context of embryonic development, the increase in OPC proliferation observed in ALS was found to remind the phenotype observed upon the partial ablation of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling in the Olig2-expressing progenitors. Shh signaling pathway is well characterized for its contribution to the generation of progenitor cells, which give rise to both motor neurons and OPCs during the embryonic development of the spinal cord. In ShhOlig2−/−transgenic mice, the decrease of OPC production in the ventral spinal cord led dorsal OPCs to populate the entire spinal cord and to take on an altered morphology proposed to be similar to the one found in the vicinity of motor neurons in the SOD1G93A mice. In addition, in the ShhOlig2−/−mice, the morphologically abnormal OPCs failed to participate in the synaptic remodeling of motor neurons in response to motor neuron injury. Therefore, the common characteristic between OPCs in SOD1G93A and ShhOlig2−/−animals is that OPCs are forced to over-proliferate to compensate for either OPC degeneration or reduced ventral OPC production, respectively. Thus, a proposed hypothesis is that OPCs in the ALS models might become progressively unable to contribute to synaptic remodeling of distressed motor neurons [145]. However, the hypothesis again remains to be further investigated. 7. Therapeutic Perspectives Provided by Oligodendrocyte Implication in the Pathogenesis of ALS Oligodendrocytes as Targets for Future Treatments in ALS 7. Therapeutic Perspectives Provided by Oligodendrocyte Implication in the Pathogenesis of ALS g 7.1. Available Treatments and Antisense Oligonucleotides Over the past 20 years, clinical trials in ALS patients have reached limited success likely due to the complex nature of this disease. Various compounds with different mechanisms of action have been studied including Riluzole and Edaravone that constitute the only current treatments for ALS, nevertheless with mild benefits if one considers survival and quality of life (Table 1). Riluzole was approved in 1995 [146] and is endowed with an anti-glutamatergic effect, although the precise mechanism of its action was never fully understood. Edavarone is a novel anti-oxidative agent, believed to be a free-radical scavenger, although again the precise mechanism of its action is not fully elucidated [147]. Masitinib started in the early stages of the disease has been shown to slow down its progression and may likely be approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the near future. This highly specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor blocks the CSF1R and c-Kit pathways, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 17 of 27 17 of 27 which means the activation of immune cells including mast cells and macrophages, also involved in motor neuron degeneration in SOD1G93A. The molecule is currently in Phase III trial [148,149]. Moreover, the most recent therapeutic perspective came from antisense oligonu- cleotides, which are the first approved drugs to treat spinal muscular atrophy and are currently proposed to be potentially interesting in ALS treatment [150,151]. These short, single-stranded nucleic acids binding to RNA able to alter gene expression are chemically modified to make them able to cross the cell membrane and avoid rapid degradation by nucleases. They are delivered to target cells by using nanoparticles or through con- jugation to bioactive ligands or cell penetrating peptides via intrathecal injection, which allows achievement of effective concentrations and capturing by neurons and glia. The first antisense oligonucleotide that reached phase 1 clinical trials targets the SOD1 tran- script [152] whereas antisense oligonucleotide targeted to C9ORF72 transcripts have been used in pre-clinical studies [151,153–155] (Table 1). In addition, antisense oligonucleotides targeting ataxin-2 have been tested in TDP-43 transgenic mouse models wherein the drug is thought to reduce the propensity of TDP-43 to form pathologic inclusions [156]. Simi- larly, several pre-clinical investigations on the use of short interfering RNA (siRNA) have been conducted to target ALS genes. However, none have yet reached clinical trials (for review, [157]). 7.2. 7.2.1. Therapeutic Approaches Requiring Improvements 7.2.1. Therapeutic Approaches Requiring Improvements The dysfunction of oligodendrocytes and the cytoplasmic deposits of ALS proteins in these cells (that may be or not one of the causes of the disease) led to propose cell transplantation in order to replenish the lost and/or defective oligodendrocytes. Recently, the transplantation of human glial restricted progenitor cells (hGRPs; Q-Cells®) into the lumbar/cervical spinal cord of ALS patients has been proposed. These cells represent one of the earliest precursors within the oligodendroglial and astroglial cell lineage and their usage in ALS therapy might be a beneficial approach resulting in the enrichment of nervous system by healthy donor-derived cells [147]. However, the first trials have not yet provided as promising results as expected, which will require both the accurate optimization of the transplanted cells and the determination of the most appropriate mode of delivery [167]. Moreover, oligodendrocyte replacement should have only restricted effects if it is used alone and will need to concomitantly counteract the deleterious features of the host environment. The compensation of MCT1 expression decrease and connexin expression dysreg- ulation is currently targeted by molecules able to promote ATP synthesis [163,164]. In the same line, the increase of glucose uptake by the oligodendrocyte might be induced by using pharmacological modulators of NMDA receptors. However, such an approach requires further work in order to improve our current knowledge of the accurate molecular mechanisms involved in the oligodendrocyte metabolic support to the axon [168,169]. g y pp Finally, although neither directly linked to oligodendrocyte involvement in ALS pathogenesis nor usable as a possible therapeutic perspective, an amazing observation has reported that myelin antigen-mediated immunization of the SOD1G93A mutant allowed choroid plexus activation and the subsequent recruitment of immunoregulatory cells (including IL-10-producing macrophages and Foxp3 regulatory T cells) in the spinal cord, likely responsible for mitigating disease progression and increasing animal survival [170]. 7.2. Oligodendrocytes as Targets for Future Treatments in ALS None of the molecules mentioned above specifically targets the oligodendrocytes. However, several therapeutic avenues are currently investigated in this purpose. They can be divided into a series of approaches requiring further technical or conceptual improve- ments on one side and the use of promyelinating molecules, which likely stand as the most promising approach in not too a distant future, on the other side. The most important out of these approaches are listed in Table 1. Table 1. Potential therapies targeting oligodendrocyte defects in ALS. Abbreviation: ASO, antisense oligonucleotide; CSF, cerebro-spinal fluid; OL, oligodendrocyte; OPC, oligodendrocyte progenitor cell; Tg, transgenic. Oligodendrocyte Defect. Potential Therapy ALS Patients Animal Models TDP-43 inclusions -ASO for Ataxin-2 TDP-43 Tg: extends lifespan and reduces pathology [156] SOD1 inclusions -ASO -Phase 1–2: decreases SOD1 concentration in CSF [158] RNA foci C9orf72 -ASO C9orf72 Tg: protects against ALS [155] ErBB4 inclusions -ASO - - Myelin degeneration Promyelinating molecules -Clemastine (Anti-Histamine H1) -Montelukast (Anti-GPR17) -Bexarotene (RXR-γ agonist) -Tamoxifen -Mitigates progression [159] -Prolongs survival in SODG93A [160] -Rescues SODG93A OPC differentiation in vitro [161] -Prolongs survival in SODG93A [162] Altered trophic support to the axon Rescue of nutrient flow -Co-factor of carboxylases to produce ATP (Biotin) -Mitochondrial ATP synthesis (RNS60) -Pilot study: safe and well tolerated [163] -Pilot study: safe and well tolerated [164] -Prolongs survival in SODG93A [165] Table 1. Potential therapies targeting oligodendrocyte defects in ALS. Abbreviation: ASO, antisense oligo pies targeting oligodendrocyte defects in ALS. Abbreviation: ASO, antisense oligonucleotide; CSF, -Prolongs survival in SODG93A [165] 18 of 27 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 Table 1. Cont. Oligodendrocyte Defect. Potential Therapy ALS Patients Animal Models OL degeneration via: -Glutamate excitotoxicity -Oxidative stress -Neuroinflammation OL replacement -Anti-glutamatergic (Riluzole) -Anti-oxidative agents (Edavarone) -Modulators of reactive gliosis (Masitinib) (Clemastine) (Cannabinoid receptor 2 antagonist) -Several Phases 1: delayed disease progression -Approved -Approved -Phase 3 [148,149] -Prolongs survival in SODG93A [160] -Limits progression in TDP-43 Tg [166] -Prolongs survival in SODG93A [160] -Limits progression in TDP-43 Tg [166] (Cannabinoid receptor 2 antagonist) 7.2.2. Promyelinating Molecules Since oligodendrocyte degeneration and death stand as major features of ALS im- pairing both axonal conductance and metabolic support to neurons, molecules endowed with remyelinating properties might thus restore both defects. The development of such molecules constitutes the current challenge in the therapeutic approach of multiple scle- rosis, the most common demyelinating disease of the CNS. In this regard, several targets have been identified during the last years for promoting myelin regeneration in the brain and spinal cord. They include modulators of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor, mus- carinic M1 receptor, histamine H1 receptors, retinoid X receptor γ, or opioid κ-receptors; inhibitors of γ-secretase blocking Notch, leukotriene, or Lingo pathways; modulators of hormone signaling such as androgens, estrogens, tri-iodothyronine, and thyroxine; an- tipsychotics (quetiapine); antifungals (miconazole); and steroids (clobetasol). Only a few have reached clinical trials of myelin regeneration, which have mostly recruited patients suffering from optic neuritis, a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, often occurring Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 19 of 27 19 of 27 during the early stage of the pathology. The first results indicate some promising outcomes in these patients [171]. Whether outcomes in the optic nerve can be extrapolated to other CNS areas remains unknown. However, targets that are currently considered for multiple sclerosis may be obviously worth exploring in ALS. A few molecules are currently evaluated in the latter (Table 1). For instance, Clemastine, a first-generation histamine H1 antagonist endowed with remyelinating properties in a randomized, controlled, double-blind, cross-over trial in multiple sclerosis patients [172], was tested in SOD1G93A mice and was found to reduce microgliosis, modulate microglia-related inflammatory genes, and enhance motor neuron survival [169] further inciting to consider this molecule in pre-clinical trials as able to target both remyelination and neuroinflammation. y Moreover, the P2Y—like G protein-coupled receptor 17 (GPR17), which has been previously characterized as a good pharmacological target to implement repair and re- myelination under several neurodegenerative conditions including multiple sclerosis, was reported to be expressed at a much higher level in the spinal cord from SOD1G93A mice compared to healthy animals. This increase started at the pre-symptomatic stage and was exacerbated at the late symptomatic phase suggesting an altered timing of GPR17 expres- sion. Indeed, GPR17 expression is known to be the result of the complex integration of intrinsic determinants regulating oligodendroglial differentiation with extracellular stimuli acting on the Gpr17 gene. 7.2.2. Promyelinating Molecules 2021, 22, 3426 20 of 27 20 of 27 8. Conclusions The critical role of oligodendrocytes in ALS is presently indisputable. The degen- eration of oligodendrocytes during disease progression together with the increased pro- liferation of OPCs without full differentiation into mature oligodendrocytes obviously participate in the whole spectrum of damages contributing to neurodegeneration. The failure of metabolic support provided to axons and the high level of demyelination directly related to the defective oligodendroglial lineage should both precipitate the degeneration of axons and death of neurons. Conversely, motor neuron degeneration may also con- tribute to make surrounding oligodendrocytes more vulnerable due to the high energy requirement and damaging oxidative reactions. The key players of the signaling pathways up to now identified as being implicated in oligodendroglial cell alterations during ALS disease already provide a valuable source of molecular targets to develop new cell type selective therapeutic approaches. In addition, since our current knowledge regarding both glial heterogeneity and cellular communication is conspicuously facilitated by highly performant ’OMIC’ approaches as shown in several other neurodegenerative diseases, one may consider that specific transcriptomic changes in cells displaying toxic ALS-related protein aggregates and in closely neighboring cells should undoubtedly improve our under- standing of the oligodendrocyte communication with other glial or neuronal cells as well as their impact on disease progression. Similarly, the emergence of human iPSC models for ALS together with gene editing technology will allow investigation of the intricate crosstalk between the various cell types including oligodendrocytes in the human disease. Funding: The review received financial support from the French Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association to E.T. (RAK19097LLP). Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. References 1. Morris, J. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Related Motor Neuron Diseases: An Overview. Neurodiagn. J. 2015, 55, 180–194. [CrossRef] 2. Marin, B.; Boumediene, F.; Logroscino, G.; Couratier, P.; Babron, M.C.; Leutenegger, A.L.; Copetti, M.; Preux, P.M.; Beghi, E. Variation in worldwide incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A meta-analysis. Int. J. Epidemiol. 2017, 46, 57–74. [CrossRef] 1. Morris, J. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Related Motor Neuron Diseases: An Overview. Neurodiagn. J. 2015, 55, 180–194. [CrossRef] M B B d F L G C P B b M C L A L C M P PM B h E 2. Marin, B.; Boumediene, F.; Logroscino, G.; Couratier, P.; Babron, M.C.; Leutenegger, A.L.; Copetti, M.; Preux, P.M.; Beghi, E. Variation in worldwide incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A meta-analysis. Int. J. Epidemiol. 2017, 46, 57–74. [CrossRef] [PubMed] P.A.; Rouleau, G.A. ALS: Recent Developments from Genetics Studies. Curr. Neurol. Neurosci. Rep. 2016 3. Therrien, M.; Dion, P.A.; Rouleau, G.A. ALS: Recent Developments from Genetics Studies. Curr. Neurol. Neurosci. Rep. 2016, 16, 59. [CrossRef] 4. Zou, Z.Y.; Zhou, Z.R.; Che, C.H.; Liu, C.Y.; He, R.L.; Huang, H.P. Genetic epidemiology of amyotro systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2017, 88, 540–549. [CrossRef] y y g y y 5. Boylan, K. Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neurol. Clin. 2015, 33, 807–830. [CrossRef] [PubMed 5. Boylan, K. Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neurol. Clin. 2015, 33, 807–830. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 6. Renton, A.E.; Chio, A.; Traynor, B.J. State of play in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genetics. Nat. Neurosci. 2014, 17, 17–23. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 7. Pape, J.A.; Grose, J.H. The effects of diet and sex in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Rev. Neurol. 2020, 176, 301–315. [CrossRef] 8. Bozzoni, V.; Pansarasa, O.; Diamanti, L.; Nosari, G.; Cereda, C.; Ceroni, M. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and environmental factors. Funct. Neurol. 2016, 31, 7–19. [CrossRef] 9. Chio, A.; Mora, G.; Moglia, C.; Manera, U.; Canosa, A.; Cammarosano, S.; Ilardi, A.; Bertuzzo, D.; Bersano, E.; Cugnasco, P.; et al. Secular Trends of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: The Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta Register. JAMA Neurol. 2017, 74, 1097–1104. [CrossRef] 10. Curzio, D.D.; Gurm, M.; Turnbull, M.; Nadeau, M.J.; Meek, B.; Rempel, J.D.; Fineblit, S.; Jonasson, M.; Hebert, S.; Ferguson-Parry, J.; et al. Pro-Inflammatory Signaling Upregulates a Neurotoxic Conotoxin-Like Protein Encrypted Within Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K. Cells 2020, 9, 1584. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 11. 7.2.2. Promyelinating Molecules Thus, the maintenance of a high GPR17 expression was proposed to impede proper differentiation of OPCs. Interestingly, the defective differentiation of OPCs isolated from the spinal cord of the SOD1G93A mutant mice was rescued by treatment with the GPR17 antagonist montelukast (a leukotrien receptor antagonist authorized for the management of asthma). This already-marketed, orally available drug may represent a multi-target drug with high translational potential for repurposing strategies namely for ALS management [161]. This work also provided evidence for a discrepancy regarding abnormal differentiation of OPCs isolated from the mouse mutant spinal cord compared to the absence of altered differentiation observed in another work, which analyzed OPCs iso- lated from the cerebral cortex from the same mutant animals [103]. Again, this observation pointed out the heterogeneity of spinal cord and cortical OPCs, which seems to be strictly related to their CNS region location [173]. Obviously, this discrepancy makes indispensable the consideration of oligodendrocyte heterogeneity in the high-throughput screening of potential promyelinating candidate molecules in the context of ALS. Although remyelinating molecules seem able to reach pre-clinical and clinical de- velopment before the other approaches listed above, they will preferentially have to be endowed with multi-target activities if we consider for instance the involvement of mi- croglia and astrocytes in the inflammatory process contributing to oligodendrocyte degen- eration [128,130,174]. A few small molecules endowed with such multi-target properties have been proposed in the context of multiple sclerosis [175,176]. Moreover, even though approaches different from remyelination are still far from a putative clinical application, it seems that their combination with promyelinating molecules would be suitable for both coping with degeneration and neuroinflammation and, promoting regeneration. Most importantly, patient-derived iPSCs will be undoubtedly critical in the identification of the therapeutic approach that should be the most suitable for the ALS phenotype displayed by the patient. Indeed, the generation of oligodendrocytes and other cell types (including motor neurons, astrocytes, and microglia) from iPSCs derived from patients with ALS will be critical as a means to provide a microenvironment that closely resembles the one where the degenerative effects take place. Such a technological approach has been already carried out from fALS caused by mutations in SOD1 or C9ORF72 and was reported as suitable for high-throughput screening of promyelinating small molecules specifically aimed at putative therapeutic perspectives for these familial forms of the disease [177]. Int. J. Mol. Sci. References Li, W.; Lee, M.H.; Henderson, L.; Tyagi, R.; Bachani, M.; Steiner, J.; Campanac, E.; Hoffman, D.A.; von Geldern, G.; Johnson, K.; et al. Human endogenous retrovirus-K contributes to motor neuron disease. Sci. Transl. Med. 2015, 7, 307ra153. [CrossRef] 11. Li, W.; Lee, M.H.; Henderson, L.; Tyagi, R.; Bachani, M.; Steiner, J.; Campanac, E.; Hoffman, D.A.; von Geldern, G.; Johnson, K.; et al. Human endogenous retrovirus-K contributes to motor neuron disease. Sci. Transl. Med. 2015, 7, 307ra153. [CrossRef] 12. Fang, T.; Al Khleifat, A.; Meurgey, J.H.; Jones, A.; Leigh, P.N.; Bensimon, G.; Al-Chalabi, A. Stage at which riluzole treatment l i l i ti t ith t hi l t l l i A t ti l i f d t f d i t d 11. Li, W.; Lee, M.H.; Henderson, L.; Tyagi, R.; Bachani, M.; Steiner, J.; Campanac, E.; Hoffman, D.A.; von Geldern, G.; Johnson, K.; et al. Human endogenous retrovirus-K contributes to motor neuron disease. Sci. Transl. Med. 2015, 7, 307ra153. [CrossRef] 12. Fang, T.; Al Khleifat, A.; Meurgey, J.H.; Jones, A.; Leigh, P.N.; Bensimon, G.; Al-Chalabi, A. Stage at which riluzole treatment prolongs survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A retrospective analysis of data from a dose-ranging study. Lancet Neurol. 2018, 17, 416–422. [CrossRef] 12. Fang, T.; Al Khleifat, A.; Meurgey, J.H.; Jones, A.; Leigh, P.N.; Bensimon, G.; Al-Chalabi, A. Stage at which riluzole treatment prolongs survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A retrospective analysis of data from a dose-ranging study. Lancet Neurol. 2018, 17, 416–422. [CrossRef] 13. Mathis, S.; Couratier, P.; Julian, A.; Vallat, J.M.; Corcia, P.; Le Masson, G. Management and therapeutic perspectives in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Expert Rev. Neurother. 2017, 17, 263–276. [CrossRef] 21 of 27 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 21 of 27 14. Vucic, S.; Lin, C.S.; Cheah, B.C.; Murray, J.; Menon, P.; Krishnan, A.V.; Kiernan, M.C. Riluzole exerts central and peripheral modulating effects in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain 2013, 136, 1361–1370. [CrossRef] 15. Bissaro, M.; Moro, S. Rethinking to riluzole mechanism of action: The molecular link among protein kinase CK1delta activity, TDP-43 phosphorylation, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pharmacological treatment. Neural Regen Res. 2019, 14, 2083–2085. [CrossRef] [PubMed] [ ] [ ] 16. Yoshino, H.; Kimura, A. Investigation of the therapeutic effects of edaravone, a free radical scavenger, on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Phase II study). Amyotroph. Lateral Scler 2006, 7, 241–245. [CrossRef] 17. References Wootz, H.; Fitzsimons-Kantamneni, E.; Larhammar, M.; Rotterman, T.M.; Enjin, A.; Patra, K.; Andre, E.; Van Zundert, B.; Kullander, K.; Alvarez, F.J. Alterations in the motor neuron-renshaw cell circuit in the Sod1(G93A) mouse model. J. Comp. Neurol. 2013, 521, 1449–1469. [CrossRef] 18. Ng, A.S.; Rademakers, R.; Miller, B.L. Frontotemporal dementia: A bridge between dementia and neu Y. Acad. Sci. 2015, 1338, 71–93. [CrossRef] [PubMed] rs, R.; Miller, B.L. Frontotemporal dementia: A bridge between dementia and neuromuscular disease. Ann. N 38, 71–93. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 19. Kim, J.; Hughes, E.G.; Shetty, A.S.; Arlotta, P.; Goff, L.A.; Bergles, D.E.; Brown, S.P. Changes in the Excitability of Neocortical Neurons in a Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Are Not Specific to Corticospinal Neurons and Are Modulated by Advancing Disease. J. Neurosci. 2017, 37, 9037–9053. [CrossRef] [PubMed] g 20. Vaughan, S.K.; Sutherland, N.M.; Zhang, S.; Hatzipetros, T.; Vieira, F.; Valdez, G. The ALS-inducing fa SOD1(G93A), directly affect and sensitize sensory neurons to stress. Sci. Rep. 2018, 8, 16582. [CrossRef g han, S.K.; Sutherland, N.M.; Zhang, S.; Hatzipetros, T.; Vieira, F.; Valdez, G. The ALS-inducing factors, TDP4 aughan, S.K.; Sutherland, N.M.; Zhang, S.; Hatzipetros, T.; Vieira, F.; Valdez, G. The ALS-inducing factors, T OD1(G93A), directly affect and sensitize sensory neurons to stress. Sci. Rep. 2018, 8, 16582. [CrossRef] (G93A), directly affect and sensitize sensory neurons to stress. Sci. Rep. 2018, 8, 16582. [CrossRef] 21. Rosen, D.R.; Siddique, T.; Patterson, D.; Figlewicz, D.A.; Sapp, P.; Hentati, A.; Donaldson, D.; Goto, J.; O’Regan, J.P.; Deng, H.X.; et al. Mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene are associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature 1993, 362, 59–62. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 22. Clement, A.M.; Nguyen, M.D.; Roberts, E.A.; Garcia, M.L.; Boillee, S.; Rule, M.; McMahon, A.P.; Doucette, W.; Siwek, D.; Ferrante, R.J.; et al. Wild-type nonneuronal cells extend survival of SOD1 mutant motor neurons in ALS mice. Science 2003, 302, 113–117. [CrossRef] 23. Boillee, S.; Yamanaka, K.; Lobsiger, C.S.; Copeland, N.G.; Jenkins, N.A.; Kassiotis, G.; Kollias, G.; Cleveland, D.W. Onset and progression in inherited ALS determined by motor neurons and microglia. Science 2006, 312, 1389–1392. [CrossRef] 24. Yamanaka, K.; Chun, S.J.; Boillee, S.; Fujimori-Tonou, N.; Yamashita, H.; Gutmann, D.H.; Takahashi, R.; Misawa, H.; Cleveland, D.W. Astrocytes as determinants of disease progression in inherited amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nat. Neurosci. 2008, 11, 251–253. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 25. Rafalowska, J.; Dziewulska, D. White matter injury in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Folia Neuropathol. 1996, 34, 87–91. [PubMed] 26. References Sach, M.; Winkler, G.; Glauche, V.; Liepert, J.; Heimbach, B.; Koch, M.A.; Buchel, C.; Weiller, C. Diffusion tensor MRI of early upper motor neuron involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain 2004, 127, 340–350. [CrossRef] 27. Mackenzie, I.R.; Ansorge, O.; Strong, M.; Bilbao, J.; Zinman, L.; Ang, L.C.; Baker, M.; Stewart, H.; Eisen, A.; Rademakers, R.; et al. Pathological heterogeneity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with FUS mutations: Two distinct patterns correlating with disease severity and mutation. Acta Neuropathol. 2011, 122, 87–98. [CrossRef] y p [ ] 28. Neumann, M.; Kwong, L.K.; Truax, A.C.; Vanmassenhove, B.; Kretzschmar, H.A.; Van Deerlin, V.M.; Clark, C.M.; Grossman, M.; Miller, B.L.; Trojanowski, J.Q.; et al. TDP-43-positive white matter pathology in frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-positive inclusions. J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. 2007, 66, 177–183. [CrossRef] q p J p p [ ] 29. Niebroj-Dobosz, I.; Rafalowska, J.; Fidzianska, A.; Gadamski, R.; Grieb, P. Myelin composition of spinal cord in a model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in SOD1G93A transgenic rats. Folia Neuropathol. 2007, 45, 236–241. 30. Seilhean, D.; Cazeneuve, C.; Thuries, V.; Russaouen, O.; Millecamps, S.; Salachas, F.; Meininger, V.; Leguern, E.; Duyckaerts, C. Accumulation of TDP-43 and alpha-actin in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient with the K17I ANG mutation. Acta Neuropathol. 2009, 118, 561–573. [CrossRef] p [ ] 31. Kessaris, N.; Fogarty, M.; Iannarelli, P.; Grist, M.; Wegner, M.; Richardson, W.D. Competing waves of oligodendrocytes in the forebrain and postnatal elimination of an embryonic lineage. Nat. Neurosci. 2006, 9, 173–179. [CrossRef] 32. Traiffort, E.; Zakaria, M.; Laouarem, Y.; Ferent, J. Hedgehog: A key signaling in the development of the oligodendrocyte lineage. J. Dev. Biol. 2016, 4, 28. [CrossRef] 33. Back, S.A.; Luo, N.L.; Borenstein, N.S.; Levine, J.M.; Volpe, J.J.; Kinney, H.C. Late oligodendrocyte progenitors coincide with the developmental window of vulnerability for human perinatal white matter injury. J. Neurosci. 2001, 21, 1302–1312. [CrossRef] 34. Jakovcevski, I.; Filipovic, R.; Mo, Z.; Rakic, S.; Zecevic, N. Oligodendrocyte development and the onset of myelination in the human fetal brain. Front. Neuroanat. 2009, 3, 5. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 35. Sim, F.J.; McClain, C.R.; Schanz, S.J.; Protack, T.L.; Windrem, M.S.; Goldman, S.A. CD140a identifies a population of highly myelinogenic, migration-competent and efficiently engrafting human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Nat. Biotechnol. 2011, 29, 934–941. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 36. Ferrer, I. Oligodendrogliopathy in neurodegenerative diseases with abnormal protein aggregates: Neurobiol. 2018, 169, 24–54. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 37. Li, H.; Richardson, W.D. References Evolution of the CNS myelin gene regulatory program. Brain Res. 2016, 1641, 111–121. [CrossRef] [PubMed] Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 22 of 27 38. Marinelli, C.; Bertalot, T.; Zusso, M.; Skaper, S.D.; Giusti, P. Systematic Review of Pharmacological Properties of the Oligodendro- cyte Lineage. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 2016, 10, 27. [CrossRef] 39. Bergles, D.E.; Richardson, W.D. Oligodendrocyte Development and Plasticity. Cold Spring Harb. Perspect. Biol. 2015, 8, a020453. [CrossRef] ulation of oligodendrocyte development in the vertebrate CNS. Prog. Neurobiol. 2002, 67, 451–467. [CrossRe [ ] 40. Miller, R.H. Regulation of oligodendrocyte development in the vertebrate CNS. Prog. Neurobiol. 2002, 67, 451–467. [CrossRef] 41. Nishiyama, A.; Boshans, L.; Goncalves, C.M.; Wegrzyn, J.; Patel, K.D. Lineage, fate, and fate potential of NG2-glia. Brain Res. 2016, 1638, 116–128. [CrossRef] [PubMed] [ ] 40. Miller, R.H. Regulation of oligodendrocyte development in the vertebrate CNS. Prog. Neurobiol. 2002, , g g y p g , , [ ] 41. Nishiyama, A.; Boshans, L.; Goncalves, C.M.; Wegrzyn, J.; Patel, K.D. Lineage, fate, and fate potential of NG2-glia. Brain Res. 2016, 1638, 116–128. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 42. Crawford, A.H.; Tripathi, R.B.; Richardson, W.D.; Franklin, R.J. Developmental Origin of Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cells Determines Response to Demyelination and Susceptibility to Age-Associated Functional Decline. Cell Rep. 2016. [CrossRef] 42. Crawford, A.H.; Tripathi, R.B.; Richardson, W.D.; Franklin, R.J. Developmental Origin of Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cells Determines Response to Demyelination and Susceptibility to Age-Associated Functional Decline. Cell Rep. 2016. [CrossRef] 43. Vigano, F.; Schneider, S.; Cimino, M.; Bonfanti, E.; Gelosa, P.; Sironi, L.; Abbracchio, M.P.; Dimou, L. GPR17 expressing NG2-Glia: Oligodendrocyte progenitors serving as a reserve pool after injury. Glia 2016, 64, 287–299. [CrossRef] Determines Response to Demyelination and Susceptibility to Age-Associated Functional Decline. Cell Rep. 2016. [CrossRef] 43. Vigano, F.; Schneider, S.; Cimino, M.; Bonfanti, E.; Gelosa, P.; Sironi, L.; Abbracchio, M.P.; Dimou, L. GPR17 expressing NG2-Glia: Oligodendrocyte progenitors serving as a reserve pool after injury. Glia 2016, 64, 287–299. [CrossRef] 43. Vigano, F.; Schneider, S.; Cimino, M.; Bonfanti, E.; Gelosa, P.; Sironi, L.; Abbracchio, M.P.; Dimou, L. GPR17 expressing NG2-Glia: Oligodendrocyte progenitors serving as a reserve pool after injury. Glia 2016, 64, 287–299. [CrossRef] igodendrocyte progenitors serving as a reserve pool after injury. Glia 2016, 64, 287–299. [CrossRef] 44. Marques, S.; Zeisel, A.; Codeluppi, S.; van Bruggen, D.; Mendanha Falcao, A.; Xiao, L.; Li, H.; Haring, M.; Hochgerner, H.; Romanov, R.A.; et al. References Oligodendrocyte heterogeneity in the mouse juvenile and adult central nervous system. Science 2016, 352, 1326–1329. [CrossRef] 45. Floriddia, E.M.; Lourenco, T.; Zhang, S.; van Bruggen, D.; Hilscher, M.M.; Kukanja, P.; Goncalves Dos Santos, J.P.; Altinkok, M.; Yokota, C.; Llorens-Bobadilla, E.; et al. Distinct oligodendrocyte populations have spatial preference and different responses to spinal cord injury. Nat. Commun. 2020, 11, 5860. [CrossRef] [PubMed] p j y 46. Sim, F.J.; Lang, J.K.; Waldau, B.; Roy, N.S.; Schwartz, T.E.; Pilcher, W.H.; Chandross, K.J.; Natesan, S.; Merrill, J.E.; Goldman, S.A. Complementary patterns of gene expression by human oligodendrocyte progenitors and their environment predict determinants of progenitor maintenance and differentiation. Ann. Neurol. 2006, 59, 763–779. [CrossRef] 47. Stadelmann, C.; Timmler, S.; Barrantes-Freer, A.; Simons, M. Myelin in the Central Nervous System: Pathology. Physiol. Rev. 2019, 99, 1381–1431. [CrossRef] [PubMed] gy y 48. Aggarwal, S.; Snaidero, N.; Pahler, G.; Frey, S.; Sanchez, P.; Zweckstetter, M.; Janshoff, A.; Schneider, A.; Weil, M.T.; Schaap, I.A.; et al. Myelin membrane assembly is driven by a phase transition of myelin basic proteins into a cohesive protein meshwork. PLoS Biol. 2013, 11, e1001577. [CrossRef] 49. Muller, C.; Bauer, N.M.; Schafer, I.; White, R. Making myelin basic protein -from mRNA transport to localized translation. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 2013, 7, 169. [CrossRef] 50. Snaidero, N.; Mobius, W.; Czopka, T.; Hekking, L.H.; Mathisen, C.; Verkleij, D.; Goebbels, S.; Edgar, J.; Merkler, D.; Lyons, D.A.; et al. Myelin membrane wrapping of CNS axons by PI(3,4,5)P3-dependent polarized growth at the inner tongue. Cell 2014, 156, 277–290. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 51. Snaidero, N.; Velte, C.; Myllykoski, M.; Raasakka, A.; Ignatev, A.; Werner, H.B.; Erwig, M.S.; Mobius, W.; Kursula, P.; Nave, K.A.; et al. Antagonistic Functions of MBP and CNP Establish Cytosolic Channels in CNS Myelin. Cell Rep. 2017, 18, 314–323. [CrossRef] [ ] 52. Nave, K.A.; Werner, H.B. Myelination of the nervous system: Mechanisms and functions. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 2014, 30, 503–533. [CrossRef] 53. Tomassy, G.S.; Berger, D.R.; Chen, H.H.; Kasthuri, N.; Hayworth, K.J.; Vercelli, A.; Seung, H.S.; Lichtman, J.W.; Arlotta, P. Distinct profiles of myelin distribution along single axons of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex. Science 2014, 344, 319–324. [CrossRef] [PubMed] [ ] 54. Ishibashi, T.; Dakin, K.A.; Stevens, B.; Lee, P.R.; Kozlov, S.V.; Stewart, C.L.; Fields, R.D. Astrocytes promote myelination in response to electrical impulses. Neuron 2006, 49, 823–832. [CrossRef] 55. References The Dual Role of Microglia in ALS: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Approaches. Front. Aging Neurosci. 2017, 9, 242. [CrossRef] p y 76. Yamanaka, K.; Komine, O. The multi-dimensional roles of astrocytes in ALS. Neurosci. Res. 2018, 126, 31–38. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 77 G l M C C i V M h E S A Mi h i F D’A b i N Th D l R l f Mi li i ALS M h i 76. Yamanaka, K.; Komine, O. The multi-dimensional roles of astrocytes in ALS. Neurosci. Res. 2018, 126, 31– 76. Yamanaka, K.; Komine, O. The multi-dimensional roles of astrocytes in ALS. Neurosci. Res. 2018, 126, 31–38. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 77. Geloso, M.C.; Corvino, V.; Marchese, E.; Serrano, A.; Michetti, F.; D’Ambrosi, N. The Dual Role of Microglia in ALS: Mechanisms 77. Geloso, M.C.; Corvino, V.; Marchese, E.; Serrano, A.; Michetti, F.; D’Ambrosi, N. The Dual Role of Micro and Therapeutic Approaches. Front. Aging Neurosci. 2017, 9, 242. [CrossRef] 78. Neumann, M.; Sampathu, D.M.; Kwong, L.K.; Truax, A.C.; Micsenyi, M.C.; Chou, T.T.; Bruce, J.; Schuck, T.; Grossman, M.; Clark, C.M.; et al. Ubiquitinated TDP-43 in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Science 2006, 314, 130–133. [CrossRef] 79. Kabashi, E.; Valdmanis, P.N.; Dion, P.; Spiegelman, D.; McConkey, B.J.; Vande Velde, C.; Bouchard, J.P.; Lacomblez, L.; Pochigaeva, K.; Salachas, F.; et al. TARDBP mutations in individuals with sporadic and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nat. Genet. 2008, 40, 572–574. [CrossRef] 80. Murray, M.E.; DeJesus-Hernandez, M.; Rutherford, N.J.; Baker, M.; Duara, R.; Graff-Radford, N.R.; Wszolek, Z.K.; Ferman, T.J.; Josephs, K.A.; Boylan, K.B.; et al. Clinical and neuropathologic heterogeneity of c9FTD/ALS associated with hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9ORF72. Acta Neuropathol. 2011, 122, 673–690. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 81. Mackenzie, I.R.; Bigio, E.H.; Ince, P.G.; Geser, F.; Neumann, M.; Cairns, N.J.; Kwong, L.K.; Forman, M.S.; Ravits, J.; Stewart, H.; et al. Pathological TDP-43 distinguishes sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with SOD1 mutations. Ann. Neurol. 2007, 61, 427–434. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 82. Brettschneider, J.; Arai, K.; Del Tredici, K.; Toledo, J.B.; Robinson, J.L.; Lee, E.B.; Kuwabara, S.; Shibuya, K.; Irwin, D.J.; Fang, L.; et al. TDP-43 pathology and neuronal loss in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis spinal cord. Acta Neuropathol. 2014, 128, 423–437. [CrossRef] 83. Kolind, S.; Sharma, R.; Knight, S.; Johansen-Berg, H.; Talbot, K.; Turner, M.R. Myelin imaging in amyotr sclerosis. Amyotroph. Lateral Scler. Front. Degener. 2013, 14, 562–573. [CrossRef] 84. References Biol. 2007, 17 ] 65. Hartline, D.K.; Colman, D.R. Rapid conduction and the evolution of giant axons and myelinated fibers. Curr. Biol. 2007, 17, R29–R35. [CrossRef] 66. Funfschilling, U.; Supplie, L.M.; Mahad, D.; Boretius, S.; Saab, A.S.; Edgar, J.; Brinkmann, B.G.; Kassmann, C.M.; Tzvetanova, I.D.; Mobius, W.; et al. Glycolytic oligodendrocytes maintain myelin and long-term axonal integrity. Nature 2012, 485, 517–521. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 67. Lee, Y.; Morrison, B.M.; Li, Y.; Lengacher, S.; Farah, M.H.; Hoffman, P.N.; Liu, Y.; Tsingalia, A.; Jin, L.; Zhang, P.W.; et al. Oligodendroglia metabolically support axons and contribute to neurodegeneration. Nature 2012, 487, 443–448. [CrossRef] 68. Saab, A.S.; Tzvetavona, I.D.; Trevisiol, A.; Baltan, S.; Dibaj, P.; Kusch, K.; Mobius, W.; Goetze, B.; Jahn, H.M.; Huang, W.; et al. Oligodendroglial NMDA Receptors Regulate Glucose Import and Axonal Energy Metabolism. Neuron 2016, 91, 119–132. [CrossRef] 69. Hildebrand, C.; Remahl, S.; Persson, H.; Bjartmar, C. Myelinated nerve fibres in the CNS. Prog. Neurobiol. 1993, 40, 319–384. [CrossRef] 70. Hughes, E.G.; Orthmann-Murphy, J.L.; Langseth, A.J.; Bergles, D.E. Myelin remodeling through experience-dependent oligoden- drogenesis in the adult somatosensory cortex. Nat. Neurosci. 2018, 21, 696–706. [CrossRef] g y 71. Yeung, M.S.; Zdunek, S.; Bergmann, O.; Bernard, S.; Salehpour, M.; Alkass, K.; Perl, S.; Tisdale, J.; Possnert, G.; Brundin, L.; et al. Dynamics of oligodendrocyte generation and myelination in the human brain. Cell 2014, 159, 766–774. [CrossRef] [PubMed] y g y g y 72. McLaurin, J.A.; Yong, V.W. Oligodendrocytes and myelin. Neurol. Clin. 1995, 13, 23–49. [CrossRef] J g g y y [ ] 73. Ludwin, S.K. The pathobiology of the oligodendrocyte. J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. 1997, 56, 111–124. [CrossRef] l d b b l l d l l d li g g y y The pathobiology of the oligodendrocyte. J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. 1997, 56, 111–124. [CrossRef] 73. Ludwin, S.K. The pathobiology of the oligodendrocyte. J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. 1997, 56, 111–124. [ 74. Hirrlinger, J.; Nave, K.A. Adapting brain metabolism to myelination and long-range signal transduction [CrossRef] 75. Toyama, B.H.; Savas, J.N.; Park, S.K.; Harris, M.S.; Ingolia, N.T.; Yates, J.R., 3rd; Hetzer, M.W. Identification of long-lived proteins reveals exceptional stability of essential cellular structures. Cell 2013, 154, 971–982. [CrossRef] p y 76. Yamanaka, K.; Komine, O. The multi-dimensional roles of astrocytes in ALS. Neurosci. Res. 2018, 126, 31–38. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 77. Geloso, M.C.; Corvino, V.; Marchese, E.; Serrano, A.; Michetti, F.; D’Ambrosi, N. 85. Silverman, J.M.; Christy, D.; Shyu, C.C.; Moon, K.M.; Fernando, S.; Gidden, Z.; Cowan, C.M.; Ban, Y.; Stacey, R.G.; Grad, L.I.; et al. CNS-derived extracellular vesicles from superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1)(G93A) ALS mice originate from astrocytes and neurons and carry misfolded SOD1. J. Biol. Chem. 2019, 294, 3744–3759. [CrossRef] [PubMed] References Camargo, N.; Goudriaan, A.; van Deijk, A.F.; Otte, W.M.; Brouwers, J.F.; Lodder, H.; Gutmann, D.H.; Nave, K.A.; Dijkhuizen, R.M.; Mansvelder, H.D.; et al. Oligodendroglial myelination requires astrocyte-derived lipids. PLoS Biol. 2017, 15, e1002605. [CrossRef] [PubMed] [ ] [ ] 56. Dutta, D.J.; Woo, D.H.; Lee, P.R.; Pajevic, S.; Bukalo, O.; Huffman, W.C.; Wake, H.; Basser, P.J.; SheikhBahaei, S.; Lazarevic, V.; et al. Regulation of myelin structure and conduction velocity by perinodal astrocytes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2018, 115, 11832–11837. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 57. Hagemeyer, N.; Hanft, K.M.; Akriditou, M.A.; Unger, N.; Park, E.S.; Stanley, E.R.; Staszewski, O.; Dimou, L.; Prinz, M. Microglia contribute to normal myelinogenesis and to oligodendrocyte progenitor maintenance during adulthood. Acta Neuropathol. 2017, 134, 441–458. [CrossRef] 58. Wlodarczyk, A.; Holtman, I.R.; Krueger, M.; Yogev, N.; Bruttger, J.; Khorooshi, R.; Benmamar-Badel, A.; de Boer-Bergsma, J.J.; Martin, N.A.; Karram, K.; et al. A novel microglial subset plays a key role in myelinogenesis in developing brain. EMBO J. 2017, 36, 3292–3308. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 59. Giera, S.; Deng, Y.; Luo, R.; Ackerman, S.D.; Mogha, A.; Monk, K.R.; Ying, Y.; Jeong, S.J.; Makinodan, M.; Bialas, A.R.; et al. The adhesion G protein-coupled receptor GPR56 is a cell-autonomous regulator of oligodendrocyte development. Nat. Commun. 2015, 6, 6121. [CrossRef] 60. Cho, A.N.; Jin, Y.; Kim, S.; Kumar, S.; Shin, H.; Kang, H.C.; Cho, S.W. Aligned Brain Extracellular Matrix Promotes Differentiation and Myelination of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Oligodendrocytes. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019, 11, 15344–15353. [CrossRef] 23 of 27 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 61. Griffiths, I.; Klugmann, M.; Anderson, T.; Yool, D.; Thomson, C.; Schwab, M.H.; Schneider, A.; Zimmermann, F.; McCulloch, M.; Nadon, N.; et al. Axonal swellings and degeneration in mice lacking the major proteolipid of myelin. Science 1998, 280, 1610–1613. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 62. Kassmann, C.M.; Lappe-Siefke, C.; Baes, M.; Brugger, B.; Mildner, A.; Werner, H.B.; Natt, O.; Michaelis, T.; Prinz, M.; Frahm, J.; et al. Axonal loss and neuroinflammation caused by peroxisome-deficient oligodendrocytes. Nat. Genet. 2007, 39, 969–976. [CrossRef] [PubMed] [ ] [ ] 63. Lappe-Siefke, C.; Goebbels, S.; Gravel, M.; Nicksch, E.; Lee, J.; Braun, P.E.; Griffiths, I.R.; Nave, K.A. Disruption of Cnp1 uncouples oligodendroglial functions in axonal support and myelination. Nat. Genet. 2003, 33, 366–374. [CrossRef] g g y 64. Boullerne, A.I. The history of myelin. Exp. Neurol. 2016, 283, 431–445. [CrossRef] [PubMed] man, D.R. Rapid conduction and the evolution of giant axons and myelinated fibers. Curr. References [CrossRef] cyte Cells Causes the Progressive Motor Neuron Degeneration in the SOD1 G93A Transgenic Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Int. J. Biol. Sci. 2016, 12, 1140–1149. [CrossRef] J 92. Cooper-Knock, J.; Kirby, J.; Highley, R.; Shaw, P.J. The Spectrum of C9orf72-mediated Neurodegeneration and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neurotherapeutics 2015, 12, 326–339. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 93. Ito, Y.; Ofengeim, D.; Najafov, A.; Das, S.; Saberi, S.; Li, Y.; Hitomi, J.; Zhu, H.; Chen, H.; Mayo, L.; et al degeneration by promoting inflammation and necroptosis in ALS. Science 2016, 353, 603–608. [CrossRe 94. Ishii, T.; Kawakami, E.; Endo, K.; Misawa, H.; Watabe, K. Formation and spreading of TDP-43 aggreg and glial cells demonstrated by time-lapse imaging. PLoS ONE 2017, 12, e0179375. [CrossRef] 95. Wang, J.; Ho, W.Y.; Lim, K.; Feng, J.; Tucker-Kellogg, G.; Nave, K.A.; Ling, S.C. Cell-autonomous requirement of TDP-43, an ALS/FTD signature protein, for oligodendrocyte survival and myelination. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2018, 115, E10941–E10950. [CrossRef] [ ] 96. Mackenzie, I.R.; Munoz, D.G.; Kusaka, H.; Yokota, O.; Ishihara, K.; Roeber, S.; Kretzschmar, H.A.; Cairns, N.J.; Neumann, M. Distinct pathological subtypes of FTLD-FUS. Acta Neuropathol. 2011, 121, 207–218. [CrossRef] [PubMed] ie, I.R.; Munoz, D.G.; Kusaka, H.; Yokota, O.; Ishihara, K.; Roeber, S.; Kretzschmar, H.A.; Cairns, N.J.; Ne 96. Mackenzie, I.R.; Munoz, D.G.; Kusaka, H.; Yokota, O.; Ishihara, K.; Roeber, S.; Kretzschmar, H.A.; C Distinct pathological subtypes of FTLD-FUS. Acta Neuropathol. 2011, 121, 207–218. [CrossRef] [PubMed ct pathological subtypes of FTLD-FUS. Acta Neuropathol. 2011, 121, 207–218. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 97. Scekic-Zahirovic, J.; Oussini, H.E.; Mersmann, S.; Drenner, K.; Wagner, M.; Sun, Y.; Allmeroth, K.; Dieterle, S.; Sinniger, J.; Dirrig-Grosch, S.; et al. Motor neuron intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms contribute to the pathogenesis of FUS-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neuropathol. 2017, 133, 887–906. [CrossRef] y p p 98. Ho, W.Y.; Chang, J.C.; Tyan, S.H.; Yen, Y.C.; Lim, K.; Tan, B.S.Y.; Ong, J.; Tucker-Kellogg, G.; Wong, P.; Koo, E.; et al. FUS-mediated dysregulation of Sema5a, an autism-related gene, in FUS mice with hippocampus-dependent cognitive deficits. Hum. Mol. Genet 2019, 28, 3777–3791. [CrossRef] [PubMed] [ ] [ ] 99. Guzman, K.M.; Brink, L.E.; Rodriguez-Bey, G.; Bodnar, R.J.; Kuang, L.; Xing, B.; Sullivan, M.; Park, H.J.; Koppes, E.; Zhu, H.; et al. Conditional depletion of Fus in oligodendrocytes leads to motor hyperactivity and increased myelin deposition associated with Akt and cholesterol activation. Glia 2020, 68, 2040–2056. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 100. Stieber, A.; Gonatas, J.O.; Gonatas, N.K. References Guipponi, M.; Li, Q.X.; Hyde, L.; Beissbarth, T.; Smyth, G.K.; Masters, C.L.; Scott, H.S. SAGE analysis of genes differentially expressed in presymptomatic TgSOD1G93A transgenic mice identified cellular processes involved in early stage of ALS pathology. J. Mol. Neurosci. 2010, 41, 172–182. [CrossRef] 85. Silverman, J.M.; Christy, D.; Shyu, C.C.; Moon, K.M.; Fernando, S.; Gidden, Z.; Cowan, C.M.; Ban, Y.; Stacey, R.G.; Grad, L.I.; et al. CNS-derived extracellular vesicles from superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1)(G93A) ALS mice originate from astrocytes and neurons and carry misfolded SOD1. J. Biol. Chem. 2019, 294, 3744–3759. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 24 of 27 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 24 of 27 86. Golubczyk, D.; Malysz-Cymborska, I.; Kalkowski, L.; Janowski, M.; Coates, J.R.; Wojtkiewicz, J.; Maksymowicz, W.; Walczak, P. The Role of Glia in Canine Degenerative Myelopathy: Relevance to Human Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Mol. Neurobiol. 2019, 56, 5740–5748. [CrossRef] 87. Ditsworth, D.; Maldonado, M.; McAlonis-Downes, M.; Sun, S.; Seelman, A.; Drenner, K.; Arnold, E.; Ling, S.C.; Pizzo, D.; Ravits, J.; et al. Mutant TDP-43 within motor neurons drives disease onset but not progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neuropathol. 2017, 133, 907–922. [CrossRef] p [ ] 88. Lagier-Tourenne, C.; Polymenidou, M.; Hutt, K.R.; Vu, A.Q.; Baughn, M.; Huelga, S.C.; Clutario, K.M.; Ling, S.C.; Liang, T.Y.; Mazur, C.; et al. Divergent roles of ALS-linked proteins FUS/TLS and TDP-43 intersect in processing long pre-mRNAs. Nat. Neurosci. 2012, 15, 1488–1497. [CrossRef] 89. Philips, T.; Bento-Abreu, A.; Nonneman, A.; Haeck, W.; Staats, K.; Geelen, V.; Hersmus, N.; Kusters, B.; Van Den Bosch, L.; Van Damme, P.; et al. Oligodendrocyte dysfunction in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain 2013, 136, 471–482. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 90. Tan, C.F.; Eguchi, H.; Tagawa, A.; Onodera, O.; Iwasaki, T.; Tsujino, A.; Nishizawa, M.; Kakita, A.; Takahashi, H. TDP-43 immunoreactivity in neuronal inclusions in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with or without SOD1 gene mutation. Acta Neuropathol. 2007, 113, 535–542. [CrossRef] Neuropathol. 2007, 113, 535–542. [CrossRef] , L.; Li, J.; Liang, H.; Zhang, J.; Xu, R. The Overexpression of TDP-43 Protein in the Neuron and Oligodendro 91. Lu, Y.; Tang, C.; Zhu, L.; Li, J.; Liang, H.; Zhang, J.; Xu, R. The Overexpression of TDP-43 Protein in the Neuron and Oligodendro- cyte Cells Causes the Progressive Motor Neuron Degeneration in the SOD1 G93A Transgenic Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Int. J. Biol. Sci. 2016, 12, 1140–1149. References Aggregates of mutant protein appear progressively in dendrites, in periaxonal processes of oligodendrocytes, and in neuronal and astrocytic perikarya of mice expressing the SOD1(G93A) mutation of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J. Neurol. Sci. 2000, 177, 114–123. [CrossRef] J 101. Forsberg, K.; Andersen, P.M.; Marklund, S.L.; Brannstrom, T. Glial nuclear aggregates of superoxide dismutase-1 are regularly present in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neuropathol. 2011, 121, 623–634. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 101. Forsberg, K.; Andersen, P.M.; Marklund, S.L.; Brannstrom, T. Glial nuclear aggregates of superoxide dismutase-1 are regularly present in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Acta Neuropathol 2011 121 623 634 [CrossRef] [PubMed] 102. Ferraiuolo, L.; Meyer, K.; Sherwood, T.W.; Vick, J.; Likhite, S.; Frakes, A.; Miranda, C.J.; Braun, L.; Heath, P.R.; Pineda, R.; et al. Oligodendrocytes contribute to motor neuron death in ALS via SOD1-dependent mechanism. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2016, 113, E6496–E6505. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 103. Takahashi, Y.; Fukuda, Y.; Yoshimura, J.; Toyoda, A.; Kurppa, K.; Moritoyo, H.; Belzil, V.V.; Dion, P.A.; Higasa, K.; Doi, K.; et al. ERBB4 mutations that disrupt the neuregulin-ErbB4 pathway cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 19. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 2013, 93, 900–905. [CrossRef] C.R.; Vartanian, T.; Miller, R.H. The ErbB4 neuregulin receptor mediates suppression of oligodendrocyte ma 2005, 25, 5757–5762. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 105. Brinkmann, B.G.; Agarwal, A.; Sereda, M.W.; Garratt, A.N.; Muller, T.; Wende, H.; Stassart, R.M.; Nawaz, S.; Humml, C.; Velanac, V.; et al. Neuregulin-1/ErbB signaling serves distinct functions in myelination of the peripheral and central nervous system. Neuron 2008, 59, 581–595. [CrossRef] 106. Takahashi, Y.; Uchino, A.; Shioya, A.; Sano, T.; Matsumoto, C.; Numata-Uematsu, Y.; Nagano, S.; Araki, T.; Murayama, S.; Saito, Y. Altered immunoreactivity of ErbB4, a causative gene product for ALS19, in the spinal cord of patients with sporadic ALS. Neuropathology 2019, 39, 268–278. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 25 of 27 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 107. Kang, S.H.; Li, Y.; Fukaya, M.; Lorenzini, I.; Cleveland, D.W.; Ostrow, L.W.; Rothstein, J.D.; Bergles, D.E. Degeneration and impaired regeneration of gray matter oligodendrocytes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nat. Neurosci. 2013, 16, 571–579. [CrossRef] 108. Magnus, T.; Carmen, J.; Deleon, J.; Xue, H.; Pardo, A.C.; Lepore, A.C.; Mattson, M.P.; Rao, M.S.; precursor proliferation in mutant SOD1G93A mice. Glia 2008, 56, 200–208. [CrossRef] 109. Eykens, C.; Nonneman, A.; Jensen, C.; Iavarone, A.; Van Damme, P.; Van Den Bosch, L.; Robberecht, W. References Drug Targets 2010, 9, 297–304. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 120. Ito, Y.; Yamada, M.; Tanaka, H.; Aida, K.; Tsuruma, K.; Shimazawa, M.; Hozumi, I.; Inuzuka, T.; Takahashi, H.; Hara, H. Involvement of CHOP, an ER-stress apoptotic mediator, in both human sporadic ALS and ALS model mice. Neurobiol. Dis. 2009, 36, 470–476. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 121. Montibeller, L.; Tan, L.Y.; Kim, J.K.; Paul, P.; de Belleroche, J. Tissue-selective regulation of protein homeostasis and unfolded protein response signaling in sporadic ALS. J. Cell Mol. Med. 2020, 24, 6055–6069. [CrossRef] 122. Bond, L.; Bernhardt, K.; Madria, P.; Sorrentino, K.; Scelsi, H.; Mitchell, C.S. A Metadata Analysis of Oxidative Stress Etiology in Preclinical Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Benefits of Antioxidant Therapy. Front. Neurosci. 2018, 12, 10. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 122. Bond, L.; Bernhardt, K.; Madria, P.; Sorrentino, K.; Scelsi, H.; Mitchell, C.S. A Metadata Analysis of Oxidative Stress Etiology in Preclinical Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Benefits of Antioxidant Therapy. Front. Neurosci. 2018, 12, 10. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 123. Chang, Y.; Kong, Q.; Shan, X.; Tian, G.; Ilieva, H.; Cleveland, D.W.; Rothstein, J.D.; Borchelt, D.R.; Wong, P.C.; Lin, C.L. Messenger RNA oxidation occurs early in disease pathogenesis and promotes motor neuron degeneration in ALS. PLoS ONE 2008, 3, e2849. y p py , , [ ] [ ] 123. Chang, Y.; Kong, Q.; Shan, X.; Tian, G.; Ilieva, H.; Cleveland, D.W.; Rothstein, J.D.; Borchelt, D.R.; Wong, P.C.; Lin, C.L. Messenger RNA oxidation occurs early in disease pathogenesis and promotes motor neuron degeneration in ALS. PLoS ONE 2008, 3, e2849. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 124. Highley, J.R.; Kirby, J.; Jansweijer, J.A.; Webb, P.S.; Hewamadduma, C.A.; Heath, P.R.; Higginbottom, A.; Raman, R.; Ferraiuolo, L.; Cooper-Knock, J.; et al. Loss of nuclear TDP-43 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) causes altered expression of splicing machinery and widespread dysregulation of RNA splicing in motor neurones. Neuropathol. Appl. Neurobiol. 2014, 40, 670–685. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 125. Deshaies, J.E.; Shkreta, L.; Moszczynski, A.J.; Sidibe, H.; Semmler, S.; Fouillen, A.; Bennett, E.R.; Bekenstein, U.; Destroismaisons, L.; Toutant, J.; et al. TDP-43 regulates the alternative splicing of hnRNP A1 to yield an aggregation-prone variant in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain 2018, 141, 1320–1333. [CrossRef] 126. Cooper-Knock, J.; Walsh, M.J.; Higginbottom, A.; Robin Highley, J.; Dickman, M.J.; Edbauer, D.; Ince, P.G.; Wharton, S.B.; Wilson, S.A.; Kirby, J.; et al. Sequestration of multiple RNA recognition motif-containing proteins by C9orf72 repeat expansions. Brain 2014, 137, 2040–2051. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 127. Mandler, M.D.; Ku, L.; Feng, Y. References Conditional deletion of Id2 or Notch1 in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells does not ameliorate disease outcome in SOD1(G93A) mice. Neurobiol. Aging 2018, 68, 1–4. [CrossRef] 110. Liu, C.; Li, D.; Lv, C.; Gao, Z.; Qi, Y.; Wu, H.; Tian, Y.; Guo, Y. Activation of the Notch Signaling Pathway and Cellular Localization of Notch Signaling Molecules in the Spinal Cord of SOD1-G93A ALS Model Mice. Neuroscience 2020, 432, 84–93. [CrossRef] 111. Gonzalez, D.; Brandan, E. CTGF/CCN2 from Skeletal Muscle to Nervous System: Impact on Neur Neurobiol. 2019, 56, 5911–5916. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 112. Sun, S.; Sun, Y.; Ling, S.C.; Ferraiuolo, L.; McAlonis-Downes, M.; Zou, Y.; Drenner, K.; Wang, Y.; Ditsworth, D.; Tokunaga, S.; et al. Translational profiling identifies a cascade of damage initiated in motor neurons and spreading to glia in mutant SOD1-mediated ALS. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2015, 112, E6993–E7002. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 113. Falcao, A.M.; van Bruggen, D.; Marques, S.; Meijer, M.; Jakel, S.; Agirre, E.; Samudyata; Floriddia, E.M.; Vanichkina, D.P.; Ffrench-Constant, C.; et al. Disease-specific oligodendrocyte lineage cells arise in multiple sclerosis. Nat. Med. 2018, 24, 1837–1844. [CrossRef] 114. Kirby, L.; Jin, J.; Cardona, J.G.; Smith, M.D.; Martin, K.A.; Wang, J.; Strasburger, H.; Herbst, L.; Alexis, M.; Karnell, J.; et al. Oligodendrocyte precursor cells present antigen and are cytotoxic targets in inflammatory demyelination. Nat. Commun. 2019, 10, 3887. [CrossRef] 115. Livesey, M.R.; Magnani, D.; Cleary, E.M.; Vasistha, N.A.; James, O.T.; Selvaraj, B.T.; Burr, K.; Story, D.; Shaw, C.E.; Kind, P.C.; et al. Maturation and electrophysiological properties of human pluripotent stem cell-derived oligodendrocytes. Stem. Cells 2016, 34, 1040–1053. [CrossRef] 116. Langseth, A.J.; Kim, J.; Ugolino, J.E.; Shah, Y.; Hwang, H.Y.; Wang, J.; Bergles, D.E.; Brown, S.P. Cell-type specific differences in promoter activity of the ALS-linked C9orf72 mouse ortholog. Sci. Rep. 2017, 7, 5685. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 117. Andres-Benito, P.; Moreno, J.; Aso, E.; Povedano, M.; Ferrer, I. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, gene deregulation in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and frontal cortex area 8: Implications in frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Aging 2017, 9, 823–851. [CrossRef] [ ] 118. Wu, Y.J.; Tang, Y.F.; Xiao, Z.C.; Bao, Z.M.; He, B.P. NG2 cells response to axonal alteration in the spinal cord white matter in mice with genetic disruption of neurofilament light subunit expression. Mol. Neurodegener. 2008, 3, 18. [CrossRef] 119. Bogaert, E.; d’Ydewalle, C.; Van Den Bosch, L. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and excitotoxicity: From pathological mechanism to therapeutic target. CNS Neurol. Disord. References A cytoplasmic quaking I isoform regulates the hnRNP F/H-dependent alternative splicing pathway in myelinating glia. Nucleic Acids Res. 2014, 42, 7319–7329. [CrossRef] 128. Traiffort, E.; Kassoussi, A.; Zahaf, A.; Laouarem, Y. Astrocytes and microglia as major players of myelin production in normal and pathological conditions. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 2020, 14, 79. [CrossRef] 129. Clemente, D.; Ortega, M.C.; Melero-Jerez, C.; de Castro, F. The effect of glia-glia interactions on oligodendrocyte precursor cell biology during development and in demyelinating diseases. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 2013, 7, 268. [CrossRef] Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 26 of 27 26 of 27 130. Li, J.; Zhang, L.; Chu, Y.; Namaka, M.; Deng, B.; Kong, J.; Bi, X. Astrocytes in Oligodendrocyte Lineage Development and White Matter Pathology. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 2016, 10, 119. [CrossRef] gy 131. Almad, A.A.; Doreswamy, A.; Gross, S.K.; Richard, J.P.; Huo, Y.; Haughey, N.; Maragakis, N.J. Connexin 43 in astrocytes contributes to motor neuron toxicity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Glia 2016, 64, 1154–1169. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 132. Cui, Y.; Masaki, K.; Yamasaki, R.; Imamura, S.; Suzuki, S.O.; Hayashi, S.; Sato, S.; Nagara, Y.; Kawamura, M.F.; Kira, J. Extensive dysregulations of oligodendrocytic and astrocytic connexins are associated with disease progression in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mouse model. J. Neuroinflammation 2014, 11, 42. [CrossRef] [PubMed] J fl 133. Menichella, D.M.; Goodenough, D.A.; Sirkowski, E.; Scherer, S.S.; Paul, D.L. Connexins are critical for normal myelination in the CNS. J. Neurosci. 2003, 23, 5963–5973. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 134. Lloyd, A.F.; Davies, C.L.; Miron, V.E. Microglia: Origins, homeostasis, and roles in myelin repair. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 2017, 47, 113–120. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 135. Maruyama, H.; Morino, H.; Ito, H.; Izumi, Y.; Kato, H.; Watanabe, Y.; Kinoshita, Y.; Kamada, M.; Nodera, H.; Suzuki, H.; et al. Mutations of optineurin in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature 2010, 465, 223–226. [CrossRef] 136. Lorente Pons, A.; Higginbottom, A.; Cooper-Knock, J.; Alrafiah, A.; Alofi, E.; Kirby, J.; Shaw, P.J.; Wood, J.D.; Highley, J.R. Oligodendrocyte pathology exceeds axonal pathology in white matter in human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J. Pathol. 2020, 251, 262–271. [CrossRef] 137. Kim, S.; Chung, A.Y.; Na, J.E.; Lee, S.J.; Jeong, S.H.; Kim, E.; Sun, W.; Rhyu, I.J.; Park, H.C. Myelin degeneration induced by mutant superoxide dismutase 1 accumulation promotes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Glia 2019, 67, 1910–1921. [CrossRef] p p y p 138. Jaarsma, D.; Teuling, E.; Haasdijk, E.D.; De Zeeuw, C.I.; Hoogenraad, C.C. References Neuron-specific expression of mutant superoxide dismutase is sufficient to induce amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in transgenic mice. J. Neurosci. 2008, 28, 2075–2088. [CrossRef] 139. Fatima, M.; Tan, R.; Halliday, G.M.; Kril, J.J. Spread of pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Asses TDP-43 along axonal pathways. Acta Neuropathol. Commun. 2015, 3, 47. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 140. Thomas, E.V.; Fenton, W.A.; McGrath, J.; Horwich, A.L. Transfer of pathogenic and nonpathogenic cytosolic proteins between spinal cord motor neurons in vivo in chimeric mice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2017, 114, E3139–E3148. [CrossRef] p 141. Oluich, L.J.; Stratton, J.A.; Xing, Y.L.; Ng, S.W.; Cate, H.S.; Sah, P.; Windels, F.; Kilpatrick, T.J.; Merson, T.D. Targeted ablation of oligodendrocytes induces axonal pathology independent of overt demyelination. J. Neurosci. 2012, 32, 8317–8330. [CrossRef] [PubMed] [ ] 142. Smith, C.M.; Cooksey, E.; Duncan, I.D. Myelin loss does not lead to axonal degeneration in a long-lived model of chronic demyelination. J. Neurosci. 2013, 33, 2718–2727. [CrossRef] 143. Barros, L.F. Metabolic signaling by lactate in the brain. Trends Neurosci. 2013, 36, 396–404. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 144. Satoh, J.; Asahina, N.; Kitano, S.; Kino, Y. A Comprehensive Profile of ChIP-Seq-Based Olig2 Target Genes in Motor Neuron Progenitor Cells Suggests the Possible Involvement of Olig2 in the Pathogenesis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. J. Cent. Nerv. Syst. Dis. 2015, 7, 1–14. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 145. Starikov, L.; Kottmann, A.H. Diminished Ventral Oligodendrocyte Precursor Generation Results in the Subsequent Over- production of Dorsal Oligodendrocyte Precursors of Aberrant Morphology and Function. Neuroscience 2020, 450, 15–28. [CrossRef] 146 Bensimon G ; Lacomblez L ; Meininger V A controlled trial of riluzole in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS/Riluzole Study 145. Starikov, L.; Kottmann, A.H. Diminished Ventral Oligodendrocyte Precursor Generation Results in the Subsequent Over- production of Dorsal Oligodendrocyte Precursors of Aberrant Morphology and Function. Neuroscience 2020, 450, 15–28. [CrossRef] 146. Bensimon, G.; Lacomblez, L.; Meininger, V. A controlled trial of riluzole in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS/Riluzole Study Group. N. Engl. J. Med. 1994, 330, 585–591. [CrossRef] production of Dorsal Oligodendrocyte Precursors of Aberrant Morphology and Function. Neuroscience 2020, 450, 15–28. [CrossRef] 146. Bensimon, G.; Lacomblez, L.; Meininger, V. A controlled trial of riluzole in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS/Riluzole Study Group. N. Engl. J. Med. 1994, 330, 585–591. [CrossRef] p g 147. Filipi, T.; Hermanova, Z.; Tureckova, J.; Vanatko, O.; Anderova, A.M. Glial Cells-The Strategic Tar Sclerosis Treatment. J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9, 261. [CrossRef] va, Z.; Tureckova, J.; Vanatko, O.; Anderova, A.M. References [CrossRef] y p p y 164. Paganoni, S.; Alshikho, M.J.; Luppino, S.; Chan, J.; Pothier, L.; Schoenfeld, D.; Andres, P.L.; Babu, S.; Zurcher, N.R.; Loggia, M.L.; et al. A pilot trial of RNS60 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Muscle Nerve 2019, 59, 303–308. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 164. Paganoni, S.; Alshikho, M.J.; Luppino, S.; Chan, J.; Pothier, L.; Schoenfeld, D.; Andres, P.L.; Babu, S.; Zurcher, N.R.; Loggia, M L ; et al A pilot trial of RNS60 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Muscle Nerve 2019 59 303–308 [CrossRef] [PubMed] p y p 165. Vallarola, A.; Sironi, F.; Tortarolo, M.; Gatto, N.; De Gioia, R.; Pasetto, L.; De Paola, M.; Mariani, A.; Ghosh, S.; Watson, R.; et al. RNS60 exerts therapeutic effects in the SOD1 ALS mouse model through protective glia and peripheral nerve rescue. J. Neuroinflamm. 2018, 15, 65. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 166. Espejo-Porras, F.; Garcia-Toscano, L.; Rodriguez-Cueto, C.; Santos-Garcia, I.; de Lago, E.; Fernandez-Ruiz, J. Targeting glial cannabinoid CB2 receptors to delay the progression of the pathological phenotype in TDP-43 (A315T) transgenic mice, a model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Br. J. Pharmacol. 2019, 176, 1585–1600. [CrossRef] 167. Gugliandolo, A.; Bramanti, P.; Mazzon, E. Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis? Stem Cells Int. 2019, 2019, 3675627. [CrossRef] erraiuolo, L. New In Vitro Models to Study Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Brain Pathol. 2016, 26, 258–265 d] 168. Myszczynska, M.; Ferraiuolo, L. New In Vitro Models to Study Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Brain [CrossRef] [PubMed] y ossRef] [PubMed] 169. Philips, T.; Rothstein, J.D. Oligodendroglia: Metabolic supporters of neurons. J. Clin. Investig. 2017, 127, 3271–3280. [CrossRef] 169. Philips, T.; Rothstein, J.D. Oligodendroglia: Metabolic supporters of neurons. J. Clin. Investig. 2017, 127, 3271 3280. [CrossRef] 170. Kunis, G.; Baruch, K.; Miller, O.; Schwartz, M. Immunization with a Myelin-Derived Antigen Activates the Brain’s Choroid Plexus for Recruitment of Immunoregulatory Cells to the CNS and Attenuates Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of ALS. J. Neurosci. 2015, 35, 6381–6393. [CrossRef] 171. Lubetzki, C.; Zalc, B.; Williams, A.; Stadelmann, C.; Stankoff, B. Remyelination in multiple sclerosis: From basic science to clinical translation. Lancet Neurol. 2020, 19, 678–688. [CrossRef] 172. Green, A.J.; Gelfand, J.M.; Cree, B.A.; Bevan, C.; Boscardin, W.J.; Mei, F.; Inman, J.; Arnow, S.; Devereux, M.; Abounasr, A.; et al. Clemastine fumarate as a remyelinating therapy for multiple sclerosis (ReBUILD): A randomised, controlled, double-blind, crossover trial. Lancet 2017, 390, 2481–2489. [CrossRef] 173. Bechler, M.E.; Byrne, L.; Ffrench-Constant, C. References Glial Cells-The Strategic Targets in Amyotrophic Lateral J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9, 261. [CrossRef] 148. Trias, E.; Ibarburu, S.; Barreto-Nunez, R.; Varela, V.; Moura, I.C.; Dubreuil, P.; Hermine, O.; Beckman, J.S.; Barbeito, L. Evidence for mast cells contributing to neuromuscular pathology in an inherited model of ALS. JCI Insight 2017, 2. [CrossRef] 149. Mora, J.S.; Genge, A.; Chio, A.; Estol, C.J.; Chaverri, D.; Hernandez, M.; Marin, S.; Mascias, J.; Rodriguez, G.E.; Povedano, M.; et al. Masitinib as an add-on therapy to riluzole in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A randomized clinical trial. Amyotroph. Lateral Scler. Front. Degener. 2020, 21, 5–14. [CrossRef] 150. Cappella, M.; Ciotti, C.; Cohen-Tannoudji, M.; Biferi, M.G. Gene Therapy for ALS-A Perspective. I [CrossRef] 151. Karagiannis, P.; Inoue, H. ALS, a cellular whodunit on motor neuron degeneration. Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 2020, 107, 103524. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 152. Miller, T.M.; Pestronk, A.; David, W.; Rothstein, J.; Simpson, E.; Appel, S.H.; Andres, P.L.; Mahoney, K.; Allred, P.; Alexander, K.; et al. An antisense oligonucleotide against SOD1 delivered intrathecally for patients with SOD1 familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A phase 1, randomised, first-in-man study. Lancet Neurol. 2013, 12, 435–442. [CrossRef] 153. Donnelly, C.J.; Zhang, P.W.; Pham, J.T.; Haeusler, A.R.; Mistry, N.A.; Vidensky, S.; Daley, E.L.; Poth, E.M.; Hoover, B.; Fines, D.M.; et al. RNA toxicity from the ALS/FTD C9ORF72 expansion is mitigated by antisense intervention. Neuron 2013, 80, 415–428. [CrossRef] 154. Jiang, J.; Cleveland, D.W. Bidirectional Transcriptional Inhibition as Therapy for ALS/FTD Cau C9orf72. Neuron 2016, 92, 1160–1163. [CrossRef] [PubMed] D.W. Bidirectional Transcriptional Inhibition as Therapy for ALS/FTD Caused by Repeat Expansion in 6, 92, 1160–1163. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 155. Liu, Y.; Dodart, J.C.; Tran, H.; Berkovitch, S.; Braun, M.; Byrne, M.; Durbin, A.F.; Hu, X.S.; Iwamoto, N.; Jang, H.G.; et al. Variant-selective stereopure oligonucleotides protect against pathologies associated with C9orf72-repeat expansion in preclinical models. Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 847. [CrossRef] 27 of 27 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 3426 156. Becker, L.A.; Huang, B.; Bieri, G.; Ma, R.; Knowles, D.A.; Jafar-Nejad, P.; Messing, J.; Kim, H.J.; Soriano, A.; Auburger, G.; et al. Therapeutic reduction of ataxin-2 extends lifespan and reduces pathology in TDP-43 mice. Nature 2017, 544, 367–371. [CrossRef] 157. Mejzini, R.; Flynn, L.L.; Pitout, I.L.; Fletcher, S.; Wilton, S.D.; Akkari, P.A. ALS Genetics, Mechanisms, and Therapeutics: Where Are We Now? Front Neurosci 2019 13 1310 [CrossRef] 156. 177. Garcia-Leon, J.A.; Kumar, M.; Boon, R.; Chau, D.; One, J.; Wolfs, E.; Eggermont, K.; Berckmans, P.; Gunhanlar, N.; de Vrij, F.; et al. SOX10 Single Transcription Factor-Based Fast and Efficient Generation of Oligodendrocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem. Cell Rep. 2018, 10, 655–672. [CrossRef] [PubMed] References Becker, L.A.; Huang, B.; Bieri, G.; Ma, R.; Knowles, D.A.; Jafar-Nejad, P.; Messing, J.; Kim, H.J.; Soriano, A.; Auburger, G.; et al. Therapeutic reduction of ataxin-2 extends lifespan and reduces pathology in TDP-43 mice. Nature 2017, 544, 367–371. [CrossRef] p p p gy 157. Mejzini, R.; Flynn, L.L.; Pitout, I.L.; Fletcher, S.; Wilton, S.D.; Akkari, P.A. ALS Genetics, Mechanisms, and Therapeutics: Where Are We Now? Front. Neurosci. 2019, 13, 1310. [CrossRef] 157. Mejzini, R.; Flynn, L.L.; Pitout, I.L.; Fletcher, S.; Wilton, S.D.; Akkari, P.A. ALS Genetics, Mechanism Are We Now? Front. Neurosci. 2019, 13, 1310. [CrossRef] 158. Miller, T.; Cudkowicz, M.; Shaw, P.J.; Andersen, P.M.; Atassi, N.; Bucelli, R.C.; Genge, A.; Glass, J.; Ladha, S.; Ludolph, A.L.; et al. Phase 1-2 Trial of Antisense Oligonucleotide Tofersen for SOD1 ALS. N. Engl. J. Med. 2020, 383, 109–119. [CrossRef] 159. Chen, P.C.; Hsieh, Y.C.; Huang, C.C.; Hu, C.J. Tamoxifen for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A randomized double-blind clinical trial. Medicine 2020, 99, e20423. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 160. Apolloni, S.; Fabbrizio, P.; Amadio, S.; Volonte, C. Actions of the antihistaminergic clemastine on presymptomatic SOD1-G93A mice ameliorate ALS disease progression. J. Neuroinflamm. 2016, 13, 191. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 161. Bonfanti, E.; Bonifacino, T.; Raffaele, S.; Milanese, M.; Morgante, E.; Bonanno, G.; Abbracchio, M.P.; Fumagalli, M. Abnormal Upregulation of GPR17 Receptor Contributes to Oligodendrocyte Dysfunction in SOD1 G93A Mice. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 2395. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 162. Riancho, J.; Ruiz-Soto, M.; Berciano, M.T.; Berciano, J.; Lafarga, M. Neuroprotective Effect of Bexarotene in the SOD1(G93A) Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 2015, 9, 250. [CrossRef] 162. Riancho, J.; Ruiz Soto, M.; Berciano, M.T.; Berciano, J.; Lafarga, M. Neuroprotective Effect of Bexarotene in the SOD1(G93A) Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 2015, 9, 250. [CrossRef] y p 163. Juntas-Morales, R.; Pageot, N.; Bendarraz, A.; Alphandery, S.; Sedel, F.; Seigle, S.; Camu, W. High biotin (MD1003) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A pilot study. EClinicalMedicine 2020, 19, 100254. Juntas-Morales, R.; Pageot, N.; Bendarraz, A.; Alphandery, S.; Sedel, F.; Seigle, S.; Camu, W. High-dose p Ju tas Mo a es, ; ageot, N ; e da a , ; p a de y, S ; Sede , ; Se g e, S ; Ca u, W g dose p biotin (MD1003) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A pilot study. EClinicalMedicine 2020, 19, 100254. [CrossR 003) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A pilot study. EClinicalMedicine 2020, 19, 100254. References CNS Myelin Sheath Lengths Are an Intrinsic Property of Oligodendrocytes. Curr. Biol. 2015, 25, 2411–2416. [CrossRef] 174. Lloyd, A.F.; Miron, V.E. The pro-remyelination properties of microglia in the central nervous system. Nat. Rev. Neurol. 2019. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 175. Laouarem, Y.; Kassoussi, A.; Zahaf, A.; Hutteau-Hamel, T.; Mellouk, A.; Bobe, P.; Mattern, C.; Schumacher, M.; Traiffort, E. Functional cooperation of the hedgehog and androgen signaling pathways during developmental and repairing myelination. Glia 2021. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 176. Mei, F.; Fancy, S.P.; Shen, Y.A.; Niu, J.; Zhao, C.; Presley, B.; Miao, E.; Lee, S.; Mayoral, S.R.; Redmond, S.A.; et al. Micropillar arrays as a high-throughput screening platform for therapeutics in multiple sclerosis. Nat. Med. 2014, 20, 954–960. [CrossRef] 177. Garcia-Leon, J.A.; Kumar, M.; Boon, R.; Chau, D.; One, J.; Wolfs, E.; Eggermont, K.; Berckmans, P.; Gunhanlar, N.; de Vrij, F.; et al. SOX10 Single Transcription Factor-Based Fast and Efficient Generation of Oligodendrocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem. Cell Rep. 2018, 10, 655–672. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
https://openalex.org/W3102205150
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-56316-5_8.pdf
English
null
Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? Using Register Data to Investigate the Labour Market Outcomes of University Graduates
Springer eBooks
2,020
cc-by
7,909
Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? Using Register Data to Investigate the Labour Market Outcomes of University Graduates Daniela Cr˘aciun, Kata Orosz, and Viorel Proteasa D. Cr˘aciun (B) University of Twente, Twente, The Netherlands e-mail: d.craciun@utwente.nl D. Cr˘aciun (B) University of Twente, Twente, The Netherlands e-mail: d.craciun@utwente.nl K. Orosz Central European University, Vienna, Austria e-mail: oroszk@ceu.edu V. Proteasa West University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania e-mail: viorel.proteasa@e-uvt.ro © The Author(s) 2020 A. Curaj et al. (eds.), European Higher Education Area: Challenges for a New Decade, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56316-5_8 © The Author(s) 2020 A. Curaj et al. (eds.), European Higher Education Area: Challenges for a New Decade, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56316-5_8 1 Introduction 1 Participation in Erasmus outgoing mobilities: national trends for Romania and institutional trends for the West University of Timisoara Source: Compiled by authors from data from The National Agency for Community Programmes in the Field of Education and Vocational Training (ANPCDEFP)—Erasmus programme data, The National Council for Financing Higher Education (CNFIS)—student cohorts country level data, The West University of Timisoara—student cohorts institutional data y = 0.0012x + 0.0013 R² = 0.969 y = 0.0015x + 0.0021 R² = 0.8973 0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50% 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 % OUTGOING ERASMUS STUDENT MOBILITY Romania UVT Linear (Romania) Linear (UVT) y = 0.0012x + 0.0013 R² = 0.969 y = 0.0015x + 0.0021 R² = 0.8973 0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50% 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 % OUTGOING ERASMUS STUDENT MOBILITY Romania UVT Linear (Romania) Linear (UVT) % OUTGOING ERASMUS STUDENT MOBILITY y = 0.0012x + 0.0013 R² = 0.969 00% 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Fig. 1 Participation in Erasmus outgoing mobilities: national trends for Romania and institutional trends for the West University of Timisoara Source: Compiled by authors from data from The National Agency for Community Programmes in the Field of Education and Vocational Training (ANPCDEFP)—Erasmus programme data, The National Council for Financing Higher Education (CNFIS)—student cohorts country level data, The West University of Timisoara—student cohorts institutional data Fig. 1 Participation in Erasmus outgoing mobilities: national trends for Romania and institutional trends for the West University of Timisoara Source: Compiled by authors from data from The National Agency for Community Programmes in the Field of Education and Vocational Training (ANPCDEFP)—Erasmus programme data, The National Council for Financing Higher Education (CNFIS)—student cohorts country level data, The West University of Timisoara—student cohorts institutional data Fig. 1 Participation in Erasmus outgoing mobilities: national trends for Romania and institutional trends for the West University of Timisoara Source: Compiled by authors from data from The National Agency for Community Programmes in the Field of Education and Vocational Training (ANPCDEFP)—Erasmus programme data, The National Council for Financing Higher Education (CNFIS)—student cohorts country level data, The West University of Timisoara—student cohorts institutional data Notwithstanding the increasing popularity of and investment in international stu- dent mobility, the actual labour market benefits for individuals are still widely debated (Di Pietro 2019). 1The net effect of student mobility on top of other predictors that are associated with both propensity to be internationally mobile as a student and employable as a graduate, e.g. individual ability (Kucel and Vilalta-Bufi2016 Mallik and Shankar 2016) or family background (Akhmedjonov 2011 Kucel and Vilalta-Bufi2016 Mourifie, Henry, and Meango 2018). 1 Introduction International student mobility is not a new phenomenon (Altbach 2005; Guruz 2008). However, there has been a significant growth in scale in the last few decades. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that the number of international students across the world has increased from 0.6 million in 1975 to 2.4 million in 2004 (OECD 2006) and a staggering 4.6 million in 2015 (OECD 2017). In Europe, international student mobility is regarded as one of the most important drivers for synchronizing the continent’s disparate higher education systems to the same heartbeat. In this context, the Erasmus program is considered the “flagship of European co- operation” (Barblan 2002) in higher education. Approximately 4.4 million higher education students have participated in the Erasmus+ program in the three decades since the program was set up in 1987, and the program continues to steadily increase in popularity (European Commission 2017). This year, the European Commission has pledged “to triple the Erasmus+ budget (going beyond the Junker Commission’s proposal to almost double the envelope)” (Rubio 2019, (1) for the 2021–2027 pro- gramming period. The policy decisions at the European level are mirrored by national and institutional trends of students’ participation in Erasmus outgoing mobilities (see Fig.1): D. Cr˘aciun (B) University of Twente, Twente, The Netherlands e-mail: d.craciun@utwente.nl K. Orosz Central European University, Vienna, Austria e-mail: oroszk@ceu.edu V. Proteasa West University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania e-mail: viorel.proteasa@e-uvt.ro © The Author(s) 2020 A. Curaj et al. (eds.), European Higher Education Area: Challenges for a New Decade, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56316-5_8 105 D. Cr˘aciun (B) University of Twente, Twente, The Netherlands e-mail: d.craciun@utwente.nl V. Proteasa West University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania e-mail: viorel.proteasa@e-uvt.ro © The Author(s) 2020 A. Curaj et al. (eds.), European Higher Education Area: Challenges for a New Decade, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56316-5_8 105 D. Cr˘aciun et al. 106 y = 0.0012x + 0.0013 R² = 0.969 y = 0.0015x + 0.0021 R² = 0.8973 0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50% 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 % OUTGOING ERASMUS STUDENT MOBILITY Romania UVT Linear (Romania) Linear (UVT) Fig. 1 Introduction One of the major claims has been that individuals who study abroad enjoy better labour market outcomes than their non-mobile peers (Wiers- Jenssen and Try 2005, Wiers-Jenssen 2008, 2011). Specifically, both credit and degree mobility are said to lead to a better insertion into the labour market (and thus to decreased unemployment), above-average earnings, a more prestigious occu- pation, and a higher likelihood that graduates will work outside their country of permanent residence/citizenship. However, the actual impact of student mobility on labour market outcomes is less clear, as research is scarce, the evidence used is often “qualitative and anecdotal” or is prone to bias (Di Pietro 2019). Traditionally, the effect of mobility on employability has been measured using interview or survey data collected from (1) students who participated in mobility programs, (2) university administrators in charge of study abroad programs, and (3) employers (Di Pietro 2015, 2019). While these types of studies provide important insights about the benefits associated with international student mobility they can be affected by social desirability bias (Bowman and Hill 2011)andtheyrarelyaccountforcausality.1 Thus,linkingmobilityandemployability Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? Using Register Data … 107 Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? Using Register Data … 107 in a causal relationship is challenging due to selection and self-selection effects, i.e. “[s]tudents who study abroad may differ from students who do not in unobserved characteristics that are likely to affect labor market outcomes” (Di Pietro 2019), and omitted variable bias which can lead to over-estimating or under-estimating the impact of international mobility on employability. Various econometric techniques can be used to mitigate the selection problems inherent to observational data, including the use of fixed effects, instrumental vari- ables, various propensity score matching techniques, and regression discontinuity designs (Schneider et al. 2007). While such techniques are invaluable in reducing bias that results from omitted variables and various forms of selection, no analytic technique can provide valid estimates if the data on which the analysis is performed is of questionable quality. Obtaining high-quality data by means of surveys is highly resource-intensive. In this chapter, we take an alternative approach, that of using register data to answer questions about the benefits of international student credit mobility. 1 Introduction According to Andersson and Nilsson (2016, 4), in national (or institutional) con- texts in which “there is access to national registers that cover the entire population”, register data on income, occupation, unemployment (Nilsson 2017, 79) enable more “penetrating” (Andersson and Nilsson 2016, 4) and more cost-efficient analyses. Using register data offers the possibility to use already existing population-level data and compare the actual employment outcomes of mobile and non-mobile students. In this chapter, we present an analysis based on register data from university records and national employment and baccalaureate exam records of 8 cohorts of graduates between 2007 and 2014 from the West University of Timisoara (UVT), a leading comprehensive university in Romania. By demonstrating the utility of pre-existing data sources in answering policy-relevant research questions through the case of this single institution, we want to send a broader message to ministers of education and higher education leaders: to release existing register data to the research community. In this way, the linkages between education and labour market outcomes can be rigorously and efficiently tested, descriptions of population parameters from which samples are drawn can be more robust, and policy-makers and institutional leaders can have access to the evidence needed to make informed decisions. In order to illustrate the utility of combining data from pre-existing registers, the chapter analyses the impact of credit mobility on labour market outcomes using institutional- and national-level data. In our analyses, we sought to answer the follow- ing question: Does credit mobility have a positive impact on graduate employability? To answer this overarching question, we establish the predictors of international stu- dent mobility and test whether credit mobility is significantly positively associated with labour market insertion, income levels and occupational prestige. Specifically, we address the following research questions: (1) What are the predictors of partici- pation in Erasmus mobility among the specific population of graduates we analyse? (2) Does participation in the Erasmus student mobility program predict insertion on the labour market within that population? Among those graduates who had an active work contract, is participation in the Erasmus student mobility program predictive of (3) an above-average salary or (4) having a more prestigious occupational category? 108 D. Cr˘aciun et al. To answer these questions, the chapter proceeds as follows. First, an overview of existing studies exploring the relationship between international student mobility and employment outcomes is provided. 1 Introduction Second, the methodology employed and the analytic sample are described. Third, the results of the data analysis are presented and discussed. Finally, the concluding section highlights avenues for further research and makes an argument for the benefits of using existing register data to test theoretical claims in higher education research. 2 Literature Review There is a plethora of theoretical arguments linking international student mobility with individual benefits that are expected to translate into better employment out- comes for graduates, but relatively few empirical studies have tested these causal claims (Di Pietro 2015, 2019; Wiers-Jenssen and Try 2005). This section explores the theoretical expectations and empirical evidence brought forward by previous research on the relationship between study abroad and labour market outcomes. The theoretical expectation linking mobility and employability is that individuals who study abroad will accrue non-economic benefits (i.e., skills, mobility capital) that will ultimately transform into economic benefits (i.e., favourable labour market outcomes such as domestic or international employment, higher wages, higher occu- pational prestige) (Cr˘aciun and Orosz 2018). This is expected on the premise that the skills acquired by individuals through studying abroad are marketable (i.e., valued by employers) (Di Pietro 2015) and because mobility widens the job search area of graduates beyond the domestic labour market (i.e., more and better employment opportunities) (Di Pietro 2019). Internationalstudentmobilityisperceivedandexpectedbyparticipants,university administrators, and employers to have a positive effect on all aspects of a worker’s skill set. First, mobility has been shown to have a positive impact on individuals’ cognitiveskills,particularlyforeignlanguageproficiency(Cantoetal.2013;Llaneset al. 2016), problem-solving, and decision-making skills (Bikson et al. 2003). Second, studying abroad exposes students to foreign cultures which is expected by employers to have a positive impact on their non-cognitive skills, especially inter-personal and inter-cultural skills, confidence and self-reliance (Bikson et al. 2003; Bracht et al. 2006; King et al. 2010; Matherly 2005). Third, mobility can improve job-specific skills for jobs that have an international component or give students the skills and experience to pursue an international career (Di Pietro 2019). Cognitive, non-cognitive and job-specific skills are all valued in the workplace, so the expectation is that they will be rewarded by employers through hiring, higher wages and more prestigious jobs. Table1 provides an overview of research findings from existing studies on the relationship between mobility and these employability indicators. Several studies have shown that there is a positive relationship between mobility and various labour market outcomes (European Commission 2014, 2016; Di Pietro Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? Using Register Data … Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? 2 Literature Review Using Register Data … 109 Table 1 The relationship between international student mobility and labour market outcomes Indicator Benefits for internationally mobile students Labour market insertion (+) Less likely to face long term unemployment (European Commission 2014, 2016) (+) Lower unemployment rates 3 to 10years after graduation (European Commission 2014, 2016; Di Pietro 2019; Schnepf and Hombres 2018) (+) Mobility useful in securing (first) job (Bracht et al. 2006; King et al. 2010; Teichler and Janson 2007) (+) Mobility experience contributes to making job interviews more successful (King et al. 2010) (=) No difference in unemployment rates of mobile individuals compared to non-mobile individuals immediately after graduation (Wiers-Jenssen 2011) (=) No difference in probability of employment 1month after graduation (Koda and Yuki 2013) (=) No difference in holding a graduate level job (Koda and Yuki 2013) (-) Takes a longer time to find a job (Rodrigues 2013) Earnings (+) Higher wages (Rodrigues 2013; Varghese 2008) (=) No difference in (starting) wages compared to non-mobile individuals (Koda and Yuki 2013; Messer and Wolter 2007; Wiers-Jenssen 2011) Occupational category (+) Likely to have jobs with high professional responsibility (Bracht et al. 2006) (+) More likely to occupy managerial positions 6months after graduation (Schnepf and Hombres2018) (+) More likely to hold a management position 5 to 10years after graduation (European Commission 2016) International career (+) More likely to work abroad after graduation (Parey and Waldinger 2011; Di Pietro 2012; Rodrigues 2013; Teichler and Janson 2007; Varghese 2008) (=) No difference in likelihood to have an international job compared to non-mobile individuals (Wiers-Jenssen 2011) Source Compiled by authors 2019; Schnepf and D’Hombres 2018) “though they provide mixed results about the magnitude of this effect” (Di Pietro 2013, 6). Others find no difference between mobile and non-mobile students in terms of employment outcomes (Koda and Yuki 2013; Messer and Wolter 2007;Wiers-Jenssen 2011). 3 Data and Methodology In order to test whether there is a statistically significant relationship between inter- national credit mobility and employment outcomes, the chapter relies on an original dataset constructed from institutional and national register data. We linked three sources of register data to create the analytic data set: (1) university register data of individuals who completed a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree at UVT, and national register data on (2) baccalaureate exam scores and (3) labour market outcomes. The data comes from an institutional, ICT intensive, tracer study (Proteasa et al. 2018). 110 D. Cr˘aciun et al. The initial dataset was based on university register data of individuals who com- pleted a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree at UVT. This data set contains, among other things, information on UVT graduates’ age, gender, the start year of their bach- elor’s and/or master’s degree, the field of study, whether they received social and/or merit-based scholarships during their studies, and whether they participated in Eras- mus mobility during their time at UVT. This dataset was then matched with publicly available data on the graduates’ baccalaureate exam scores launched in 2004 (Minis- terul Educatiei Nationale 2019) and with information about UVT graduates’ labour market outcomes. Information about UVT graduates’ labour market outcomes was requested and received from ReviSal, a mandatory national register for all employees in Romania that was launched in 2011 (Guvernul României 2011). Matching ReviSal data with university records allowed us to capture informa- tion on whether UVT graduates had an active working contract with an employer operating in Romania, as well as information on the highest salary and highest occu- pational category associated with each individual’s working contract(s) during the period 2011–2018. This meant that we were able to test whether mobile students actu- ally enjoyed better insertion into the labour market, above-average earnings and/or a more prestigious occupation as compared to non-mobile students. The raw dataset included information on individuals who completed at least a bachelor’s degree at UVT (n = 20,707). From this dataset, a number of observations were excluded for various theoretical and practical reasons that are discussed next. First, UVT graduates who could not be matched with ReviSal data were excluded from the analytic dataset, as a lack of match to ReviSal records meant that no conclu- sions could be drawn about their labour market outcomes. 2According to the birth year analysis, some people in the analytic sample who started their BA in 2007 or later were born as early as 1947. 3 Data and Methodology Second, UVT graduates who started their bachelor’s degree program in or before 2007 were also excluded from analysis, as the UVT Erasmus mobility records we had access to only start from the academic year 2007/2008. Third, UVT graduates who started their bache- lor’s degree program in or after 2015 were also excluded from analysis, because they could not have completed their studies by January 2018, the date when the ReviSal export was received. Finally, UVT graduates whose baccalaureate exam score was missing were also excluded from the analysis, as we used their performance on this national exam as a proxy for academic ability. As a result of delimitating the raw dataset in this way, we ended up with an analytic dataset of n = 16,565, which includes information on the labour market outcomes of both mobile (n = 719) and non-mobile (n = 15,846) UVT graduates. Table2 provides summary statistics for the variables used in our data analysis. The majority of the individuals (88.5)2 in our analytic sample were born between 1988 and 1995. They started their bachelor’s degree program at UVT between 2007 and 2014. The average baccalaureate score among UVT graduates who participated in Erasmus credit mobility was 8.95, which is statistically significantly higher (t = −8.7507; p = 0.000) than the average baccalaureate score of UVT graduates who did not participate in Erasmus credit mobility (8.63). Moreover, the average Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? 3We calculated relative income by comparing all working contracts to the average basic gross salary of the year in which they ended. Income information associated with working contracts still active in December 2017 were compared to the 2017 average basic gross salary. The average gross salary for each year was calculated based on data from national statistics. 3 Data and Methodology b The analytic sample for the analyses on insertion and occupational category was smaller than the analytic sample for labour market insertion since all observations that did not have an active work contract had to be excluded. We also excluded all observations that had missing data on income and occupational category. Thus, the analytic sample size in these analyses is n = 11,540. The proportion of mobile UVT graduates is 3.9% (n = 451), which is higher than the 1.8% average credit mobility rate of graduates from Romanian universities (European Commission 2018a). To compare, the average EU credit mobility rate of university graduates is 8% (European Commission 2018a). c Only refers to enrollment at UVT graduates in the analytic sample who have a bachelor degree from UVT may have enrolled in master degree program at other universities in Romania, or abroad. d Some UVT graduates had no record of a working contract in ReviSal for the period 2011–2017. This could happen either because these graduates were inactive, unemployed, self-employed or working in a so-called “liberal profession” (e.g., lawyers), or employed outside of Romania in the entire period of 2011–2017. Those who participate in Erasmus credit mobility may be more likely to work abroad after graduation (see Wiers-Jenssen 2011), and those who work abroad would not show up in the ReviSal database. e Refers to having at least one working contract recorded in ReviSal for the period 2011–2017. a The receipt of social scholarship is based on financial need. b b The analytic sample for the analyses on insertion and occupational category was smaller than the analytic sample for labour market insertion since all observations that did not have an active work contract had to be excluded. We also excluded all observations that had missing data on income and occupational category. Thus, the analytic sample size in these analyses is n = 11,540. The proportion of mobile UVT graduates is 3.9% (n = 451), which is higher than the 1.8% average credit mobility rate of graduates from Romanian universities (European Commission 2018a). To compare, the average EU credit mobility rate of university graduates is 8% (European Commission 2018a). c Only refers to enrollment at UVT graduates in the analytic sample who have a bachelor degree from UVT may have enrolled in master degree program at other universities in Romania, or abroad. 3 Data and Methodology Using Register Data … 111 Table 2 Descriptive statistics of UVT graduates in the analytic sample All UVT graduates (n = 16,565), % Mobile UVT graduates (n = 719), % Non-mobile UVT graduates (n = 15,846), % Pearson χ2 (p) Gender 100 100 100 16.1 Women 71.7 78.4 71.4 (0.000) Men 28.3 21.6 28.6 Baccalaureate exam performance 100 100 100 111.1 Lowest quartile 25.2 16.0 25.7 (0.000) Low-middle quartile 24.9 17.9 25.2 High-middle quartile 25.0 25.9 25.0 Highest quartile 24.9 40.2 24.2 Field of study (BA) 100 100 100 186.6 Social sciences 61.3 44.5 62.0 (0.000) Humanities and arts 22.0 42.1 21.1 Math, natural sci., biology & biomed 13.1 12.1 13.1 Physical education and sport 3.7 1.3 3.8 Receipt of merit-based scholarshipa 100 100 100 378.5 Did not receive 59.0 24.1 60.6 (0.000) Received 41.0 75.9 39.5 Receipt of social scholarship 100 100 100 8.1 Did not receive 89.9 86.8 90.1 (0.004) Received 10.1 13.2 9.9 Master degree statusb 100 100 100 124.8 Never enrolled in a master program 40.4 21.1 41.3 (0.000) Enrolled but didn’t graduate 17.3 18.9 17.2 Completed a master program 42.4 59.9 41.6 Labour market insertion in Romania 100 100 100 4.3 Had a working contractc 76.2 73.0 76.4 (0.038) No record of a working contractd 23.8 27.0 23.6 Occupational category 100 100 100 32.8 Managers 3.9 2.5 4.0 (0.000) Professionals 34.3 39.9 34.1 Technicians & associate professionals 15.0 15.2 15.0 Clerical support, service & sales workers 20.5 13.6 20.8 Elementary occupations 2.6 1.8 2.6 Missing 23.8 27.0 23.6 Income relative to average salarye 100 100 100 49.4 Below-average salary 46.0 35.7 46.4 (0.000) (continued) Table 2 Descriptive statistics of UVT graduates in the analytic sample 112 D. Cr˘aciun et al. Table 2 (continued) Table 2 (continued) All UVT graduates (n = 16,565), % Mobile UVT graduates (n = 719), % Non-mobile UVT graduates (n = 15,846), % Pearson χ2 (p) Similar to average salary 8.4 6.7 8.5 Above-average salary 21.9 30.6 21.5 Missing 23.8 27.0 23.6 l l d b h graduates (n = 16,565), % graduates (n = 719), % UVT graduates (n = 15,846), % χ (p) Similar to average salary 8.4 6.7 8.5 Above-average salary 21.9 30.6 21.5 Missing 23.8 27.0 23.6 Source Calculated by authors a The receipt of social scholarship is based on financial need. 4“When subjects are not randomly assigned to treatment and non-treatment groups, as is the case with observational studies, other methods are needed to avoid the possibility of selection bias. Bias can arise when apparent differences in outcome between treatment and non-treatment groups can be attributed to characteristics that affected whether a subject received a given treatment rather than simply to the effect of the treatment itself. Propensity score matching adjusts for such potential bias by creating a sample group of subjects who received the treatment that is comparable on all observed characteristics to a sample of subjects that did not receive the treatment” (Di Pietro 2019). 5ThelogoddsofparticipatinginErasmusmobilitywasmodelledasafunctionoftheUVTgraduates’ gender, the field of BA study, the year in which they started their BA, their age at graduation from BA, their performance in the baccalaureate exam (in quartiles), their receipt of a merit-based scholarship or social scholarship during their BA, and whether they enrolled in or completed an MA at UVT. 3 Data and Methodology d Some UVT graduates had no record of a working contract in ReviSal for the period 2011–2017. This could happen either because these graduates were inactive, unemployed, self-employed or working in a so-called “liberal profession” (e.g., lawyers), or employed outside of Romania in the entire period of 2011–2017. Those who participate in Erasmus credit mobility may be more likely to work abroad after graduation (see Wiers-Jenssen 2011), and those who work abroad would not show up in the ReviSal database. p e Refers to having at least one working contract recorded in ReviSal for the period 2011–2017. age at which UVT graduates completed their bachelor’s degree was 22.7, which is statistically significantly lower (t = 4.4199, p = 0.000) than the average age at which UVT graduates who did not participate in Erasmus credit mobility completed their bachelor’s degree (23.4). age at which UVT graduates completed their bachelor’s degree was 22.7, which is statistically significantly lower (t = 4.4199, p = 0.000) than the average age at which UVT graduates who did not participate in Erasmus credit mobility completed their bachelor’s degree (23.4). To test what predicts labour market outcomes, the log odds of (1) having an active contract in Romania in the period 2011–2017 (insertion), (2) having an active con- tract that is associated with an above-average salary (earnings), and (3) having an active contract that is associated with a managerial or professional job (occupational category) were modelled as a function of UVT graduates’ gender, field of BA study, year in which they started their BA, their age at graduation from BA (22 or below versus above 22), their performance in the baccalaureate exam (in quartiles), their receipt of a merit-based scholarship or social scholarship during their BA, whether they enrolled in or completed an MA degree at UVT, and whether they participated in Erasmus mobility during their studies at UVT.3 Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? Using Register Data … 113 For more robust results, we also estimated the relationship between Erasmus credit mobility, labour market insertion, earnings and occupational category with the help of propensity score matching4 models, using the same set of co-variates as the logistic regression models discussed above. Detailed results from the logistic and propensity- score matched models are discussed in the next section, and the regression tables are available from the authors upon request. (1) What Are the Predictors of Participation in Erasmus Mobility Among UVT Graduates? Comparing mobile and non-mobile students,5 the profile of Erasmus participants becomes apparent. Even though 78% of the mobile students are women, all other things being equal, gender is not predictive of participation in Erasmus mobility among the UVT graduates in our analytic sample. Over the years, higher mobility rates in the Erasmus program have been observed for women, at around 60% (Brooks and Waters 2011; Souto-Otero 2008; Teichler et al. 2011). Previous research has shown that for Romania, the gender gap is even bigger, with females representing 70% of mobile students at the national level (Souto-Otero and McCoshan 2006, 4). However, “[t]he feminisation of higher education is apparent at all levels of study” in national student populations (Orr et al. 2011, 59). Therefore, the tilted balance towards higher female participation rates can be in part accounted for by the general structure of national student populations. Notwithstanding, other factors are predictive of participation in mobility. First, the year in which students began their BA studies is a positive predictor of mobility: with each year, the likelihood of participating in the Erasmus program was 12% higher. This finding is consistent with the growth in popularity, accessibility and funding of the Erasmus program over the years (European Commission 2017, 2018b), and reflected in the national and institutional trends—see Fig.1 in the introductory section. Second, age at the time of BA graduation is a significant negative predictor of credit mobility: each additional year in age is associated with a 28% lower likelihood 114 D. Cr˘aciun et al. of participating in the Erasmus program. This finding is in line with the predictions of empirical studies on migration which “overwhelmingly conclude that the relation with age is negative, i.e., that the likelihood of migration decreases with age” (Zaiceva 2014, 4). Third, academic ability is a predictor of Erasmus mobility. Students’ performance at the baccalaureate exam (our proxy for academic ability) is a significant positive predictor of mobility. A one-unit increase in the baccalaureate exam score is asso- ciated with a 47% higher likelihood of participating in the Erasmus program. The receipt of a merit-based scholarship is also significantly positively related to mobility. Those students who received a merit-based scholarship were 3.2 times more likely to participate in Erasmus than those who did not receive such a scholarship. (1) What Are the Predictors of Participation in Erasmus Mobility Among UVT Graduates? The fact that Erasmus grants are awarded on academic merit and that “Erasmus appears to be much more selective in Eastern Europe (where 20% of applicants are rejected)”6 (European Commission 2016) could explain the magnitude of the relationship. There is no evidence of a link between the receipt of a social (i.e., need-based) scholarship and credit mobility in the analytic sample. Fourth, degree level is significantly positively associated with Erasmus mobility. Compared to those who never enrolled in a master degree program at UVT, those who enrolled but did not complete were 91% more likely to participate in mobility, while those who completed a master degree were 97% more likely to participate in mobil- ity. This makes intuitive sense, as those who remain affiliated with a higher education institution longer have more opportunities to apply for an Erasmus scholarship. All in all, the typical Erasmus mobility participant at UVT is young, academically able and more likely to pursue graduate education. 7The negative association between Erasmus participation and labor market insertion is significant in the logistic regression model and in propensity score matching (PSM) model. The association is negative but not significant in the PSM model if standard errors are clustered by bachelor cohorts. The inconsistency in results may be due to measurement error on our labour market insertion variable. 6By way of comparison, the rates of Erasmus application rejection in other European regions are: 19% for Southern Europe, 9% for Western Europe and 7% for Northern Europe (European Commission 2016). 6By way of comparison, the rates of Erasmus application rejection in other European regions are: 19% for Southern Europe, 9% for Western Europe and 7% for Northern Europe (European Commission 2016). 7The negative association between Erasmus participation and labor market insertion is significant in the logistic regression model and in propensity score matching (PSM) model. The association is negative but not significant in the PSM model if standard errors are clustered by bachelor cohorts. The inconsistency in results may be due to measurement error on our labour market insertion variable. (2) Does participation in Erasmus mobility predict insertion into the labour market? Participation in Erasmus mobility is significantly negatively associated with insertion in the domestic (i.e., Romanian) labour market in our analytic sample.7 Graduates who were mobile during their studies at UVT (either during bachelor or master degree programs) were 40% less likely to have an active work contract with an employer operating in Romania, compared to non-mobile graduates. Rather than implying that mobile graduates are less likely to be employed, this finding is consistent with the body of evidence that suggests that mobile students are more likely to work abroad after graduating (Parey and Waldinger 2011; Di Pietro 2012; Rodrigues 2013; Teich- ler and Janson 2007; Varghese 2008) and, thus, less likely to appear in the national Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? Using Register Data … 115 employment database with an active contract. As migration research has shown, peo- ple with a migratory experience have an increased propensity for re-taking this step. “Once someone has migrated, therefore he or she is very likely to migrate again, and the odds of taking an additional trip rise with the number of trips already taken” (Massey et al. 1993, 453). Through the experience of mobility, students acquire ‘mobility capital’ and are likely to look for and take up jobs outside the domestic labour market (Rodrigues 2013; Wiers-Jenssen 2008). All other things being equal, gender, baccalaureate exam results, the year when the bachelor degree program started, and the receipt of social scholarship (our proxy for socio-economic status) were not predictive of labour market insertion in our ana- lytic sample of UVT graduates. As previous studies have also shown, field of study is predictive of employment status in our analytic sample. Compared to social scien- tists, humanities and arts graduates and physical education and sports graduates are significantly less likely to have an active work contract, while graduates from natu- ral sciences, mathematics, biology and biomedicine are significantly more likely to have an active work contract. Also, having a master degree is significantly positively associated with labour market insertion. Compared to those who never enrolled in a master degree program, master graduates are twice as likely to have an active work contract in our analytic sample. This finding is in line with human capital theory predictions. 8Please refer to Table2 for details on how we operationalized higher-than-average monthly salary. (3) Among those who have an active work contract, does participation in Eras- mus mobility predict an above-average salary? Erasmus mobility is significantly positively associated with earnings. All other things being equal, those who participated in Erasmus mobility during their studies at UVT were 75% more likely to have a higher-than-average monthly salary8 associated with their active work contract. Results from the propensity score matching model (with the same specification as the logistic regression model discussed above) also suggest that participation in Erasmus mobility is positively associated with an above-average monthly salary among those UVT graduates who had an active contract. y y g g Comparing mobile UVT graduates, the duration of study abroad is not predic- tive of differences in earnings. In other words, there was no statistically signifi- cant difference in the likelihood of having an above-average salary, regardless of whether the mobile student experienced a short-term mobility period (operational- ized as 5months or less), or a long-term Erasmus mobility period (operationalized as more than 5months). The year in which students participated in Erasmus credit mobility is predictive of earning differences. The year of mobility is negatively asso- ciated with earnings, that is, among mobile UVT graduates, the likelihood of having an above-average salary decreases with every academic year. This finding is consis- tent with the expectation that, over time, as Erasmus mobility became more and more common, it became less valuable in accessing higher-paid positions. Alternatively, the negative relationship could be explained by the fact that students who went on 116 D. Cr˘aciun et al. D. Cr˘aciun et al. Erasmus earlier have had more time on the labour market, and their longer work experience explains their higher likelihood of having higher-paid positions. (4) Among those who have an active working contract, does participation in Erasmus mobility predict having a managerial or professional occupation? Prior research found that “five to ten years after graduation, significantly more Eras- mus alumni (64%) than non-mobile alumni (55%) hold a management position. The difference is especially large in Eastern Europe (70% compared to 41%)” (European Commission 2016). Contrary to the expectation of higher occupational prestige, in our analytic sample, Erasmus mobility is not predictive of a more prestigious occu- pational category. All other things being equal, those who participated in Erasmus mobility during their studies at UVT were not more likely to have an active work contract with a managerial or professional occupation. (3) Among those who have an active work contract, does participation in Eras- mus mobility predict an above-average salary? The results from the propen- sity score matching model (with the same specification as the logistic regression model discussed above) also suggest that participation in Erasmus mobility is not associated with managerial or professional occupations among UVT graduates with an active work contract. Our result might be explained by the fact that higher educa- tion attainment in Romania is the lowest in the European Union and, as such, having a tertiary degree per se is highly valued by employers when they are looking to fill managerial or professional positions. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of obtaining a higher status job may be underspecified in our model. Further research should look into the micro-causalities at play on the local labour market as they might provide an explanation for these findings. Within the sub-group of mobile UVT graduates, the duration of study abroad is not predictive of occupational category either. In other words, both short- and long- term Erasmus mobility periods are associated with a similar likelihood of holding a managerial or professional job. The year of mobility is not associated with the occupational category either: the likelihood to have a managerial or professional position is the same irrespective of the academic year in which the Erasmus mobility took place. 5 Conclusion: Benefits and Limitations of Register Data In this chapter, we analysed a unique dataset from Romania to illustrate how register data can be used to answer questions about the benefits of Erasmus credit mobility. We found that the typical UVT graduate who participated in Erasmus mobility and then got employed in Romania after graduation is a woman who has a bachelor degree in social sciences or in humanities, who did not receive a social scholarship but received a merit-based scholarship, who enrolled at one point in time in a master degree program at UVT, and who has a managerial or professional occupation. In terms of labour market outcomes, our analyses indicate that, all else being equal, participation in Erasmus mobility is (1) significantly negatively associated with insertion in the domestic labour market; (2) significantly positively associated oes Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? Using Register Data … 117 with above-average income among those who do work for an employer operating in Romania, and (3) not predictive of a managerial or professional occupational category. Working with register data is resource-efficient, but it has its own limitations. Findings presented in this chapter are limited to graduates of a single university in Romania, as a spin-off from an institutional, ITC intensive, tracer study (Pro- teasa et al. 2018). The limitations of the Romanian employee register are reflected into our findings: as the national registry includes only labour contracts, the results may be less relevant for fields in which self-employment is common, such as law, psychology and even computer sciences. A further limitation of using data from a single national register is that we had no employment information about graduates who were employed outside of Romania. The tracer study used interval measures of graduates’ salaries (Proteasa et al. 2018), which makes the measurement of our earnings data less precise. And while working with data from ReviSal allowed us to observe the labour market outcomes of more UVT graduates than would have been possible with the use of an alumni survey, our analytic dataset still misses informa- tion about theoretically important characteristics of the UVT graduates, such as their marital status, number of children, and the educational background of their parents. Nevertheless, register data shows promising avenues for research and encourages the efficient use of resources by using data that is already collected for administrative purposes both at the national and institutional level. 5 Conclusion: Benefits and Limitations of Register Data The availability of register data enables researchers to test linkages between higher education and a wide range of individual institutional and societal outcomes. At the very least, register data can provide researchers with good descriptive population parameters from which sam- ples can be drawn for further research. Ministries and higher education institutions should consider these benefits when evaluating requests for data release for research purposes. Altbach, P. G. (2005). Globalization and the University: Myths and Realities in an Unequal World. The NEA 2005 Almanac of Higher Education, 63–74. Håkan, A., & Nilsson, S. (2016). Labour Market Prospects after Tertiary Education. Sweden in an International Perspective - A Comparison Based on Education at a Glance. Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ). Stockholm. Bracht, By Oliver et al. (2006). The Professional Value of ERASMUS Mobility. References Altbach, P. G. (2005). Globalization and the University: Myths and Realities in an Unequal World. The NEA 2005 Almanac of Higher Education, 63–74. Håkan, A., & Nilsson, S. (2016). Labour Market Prospects after Tertiary Education. Sweden in an International Perspective - A Comparison Based on Education at a Glance. Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ). Stockholm. Barblan, A. (2002). Academic Co-Operation and Mobility in Europe: How It Was and How It Will Be. Higher Education in Europe, 27(1–2), 31–58. Bikson, T. K., Treverton, D. G. F., Treverton, G. F., Moini, J., & Lindstrom, G. (2003). New Challenges for International Leadership: Lessons from Organizations with Global Missions. Bowman, N. A., & P. L. Hill. (2011). Measuring How College Affects Students: Social Desirability and Other Potential Biases in College Student Self-Reported Gains. In S. Herzog & N.A. Bowman (Eds.) Validity and Limitations of College Student Self-Report Data (pp. 73–85). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Bracht, By Oliver et al. (2006). The Professional Value of ERASMUS Mobility. 118 D. Cr˘aciun et al. Brooks, R., & J. Waters. (2011). Student Mobilities, Migration and the Internationalization of Higher Education. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Canto, S., Jauregi, K., & van den Bergh, H. (2013). Integrating Cross-Cultural Interaction through Video-Communication and Virtual Worlds in Foreign Language Teaching Programs: Is There an Added Value?. ReCALL, 25(1), 105–121. Cr˘aciun, D., & Orosz, K. (2018). EENEE Analytical Report No.36 Benefits and Costs of Transna- tional Collaborative Partnerships in Higher Education. Brussels. European Commission. (2014). The Erasmus Impact Study: Effects of Mobility on the Skills and Employability of Students and the Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions. European Commission. (2016). The Erasmus Impact Study Regional Analysis: A Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Erasmus on the Personality, Skills and Career of Students of European Regions and Selected Countries. g European Commission. (2017). Erasmus+: 30 Years in the Making. Factsheets. European Commission. (2018a). Education and Training Monitor 2019: Romania. European Commission. (2018b). Erasmus+: The EU Programme for Education, Training and Sport (2014–2020). Guruz, K. (2008). SUNY Press Higher Education and International Student Mobility in the Global Knowledge Economy. Albany: State University of New York Press. Guvernul României. (2011). Hot˘arâre Nr. 500 Din 18 Mai 2011 Privind Registrul General de Eviden¸t˘a a Salariat¸tilor. Monitorul Oficial (372). King, R., Allan, F., & Jill, A. (2010). International Student Mobility Literature Review. Koda, Y., & Takako, Y. (2013). References The Labor Market Outcomes of Two Forms of Cross-Border Higher Education Degree Programs between Malaysia and Japan. International Journal of Educational Development, 33(4), 367–379. Llanes, À., Arnó, E., & Mancho-Barés, G. (2016). Erasmus Students Using English as a ‘Lingua Franca’: Does Study Abroad in a Non-English-Speaking Country Improve L2 English?.Language Learning Journal, 44(3), 292-D-303. Massey, D.S. et al. (1993). Theories of International Migration: A Review and Appraisal. Population and Development Review, 19(3), 431–466. Matherly, C. (2005). Effective Marketing of International Experiences to Employers. In Tillman M (Ed.) Impact of Education Abroad on Career Development, pp. 9–10, Vol. 1. Messer, D., & Wolter, S. C. (2007). Are Student Exchange Programs Worth It? Higher Education 54(5), 647–663. Ministerul Educatiei Nationale. (2019). Bacalaureat. Nilsson, S. (2017). Employability, Employment and the Establishment of Higher Education Grad- uates in the Labour Market. In M. Tomlinson & L. Holmes (Eds.), Graduate Employability in Context. Theory, Research and Debate, pp. 65–85, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi. org/10.1057/978-1-137-57168-7_3. OECD. (2006). Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators. Paris. OECD. (2017). Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators. Paris. Orr, D., Gwosc, C., & Netz, N. (2011). Ocial and Economic Conditions of Student Life in Europe. Synopsis of Indicators. Final Report. Eurostudent IV 2008–2011. Bielefeld: W. Bertelsmann Verlag. Parey, M., & Waldinger, F. (2011). Studying Abroad and the Effect on International Labor Market Mobility: Evidence from the Introduction of ERASMUS. Economic Journal, 121(551), 194–222. Di Pietro, G. (2012). Does Studying Abroad Cause International Labor Mobility? Evidence from Italy. Economics Letters, 117(3), 632–635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2012.08.007. Di Pietro, G. (2013). Do Study Abroad Programs Enhance the Do Study Abroad Programs Enhance the Employability of Graduates’? Bonn. Di Pietro, G. (2015). Do Study Abroad Programs Enhance the Employability of Graduates? Edu cation Finance and Policy 10(2): 223–43. Di Pietro, G. (2019). University Study Abroad and Graduates’ Employability. Does Erasmus Mobility Increase Employability? Using Register Data … 119 Proteasa, V., Bleotu, C., & Fier˘ascu, S. (2018). UVT Si Piata Muncii. Studiu Privind Angajabilitatea Absolventilor Universit˘atii de Vest Din Timisoara UVT and the Labour Market. A Study on the Employability of the Graduates from West University of Timisoara. angajabilitate.uvt.ro. Rodrigues, M. (2013). Does Student Mobility During Higher Education Pay? Evidence From 16 European Countries. Rubio, E. (2019). New Beginnings: An EU Budget in Support of the Next Commission’s Agenda. Paris, Berlin. Schnepf, S. V., & D’Hombres, B. (2018). References Ternational Mobility of Students in Italy and the UK: Does It Pay off and for Whom? Souto-Otero, M. (2008). The Socio-Economic Background of Erasmus Students: A Trend toward Wider Inclusion? International Review of Education, 54(2), 135–154. Souto-Otero, M., & McCoshan, A. (2006). Survey of the Socio-Economic Background of Erasmu Students: Final Report to the European Commission. Birmingham. Teichler, U., Ferencz, I., & Wächter, B. (2011). Mapping Mobility in European Higher Education Vol.1. Brussels. Teichler, U., & Janson, K. (2007). The Professional Value of Temporary Study in Another European Country: ERASMUS Students THE IMPACT OF TEMPORARY STUDY ABROAD. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3), 486–495. Varghese, N. V. (2008). Globalization of Higher Education and Cross-Border Student Mobility. Paris. Wiers-Jenssen, J. (2008). Does Higher Education Attained Abroad Lead to International Jobs Journal of Studies in International Education, 12(2), 101–130. Wiers-Jenssen, J. (2011). Background and Employability of Mobile vs. Non-Mobile Students. Tertiary Education and Management, 17(2), 79–100. Wiers-Jenssen, J., & Try, S. (2005). Labour Market Outcomes of Higher Education Undertaken Abroad. Studies in Higher Education, 30(6), 681–705. Zaiceva, A. (2014). The Impact of Aging on the Scale of Migration: Older People Migrate Less than Young, yet with Population Aging, Mobility of Elderly and Specialized Workers May Increase. Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the chapter’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the chapter’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
https://openalex.org/W2898385279
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc7379648?pdf=render
English
null
Maternal serum uric acid concentration and pregnancy outcomes in women with pre‐eclampsia/eclampsia
International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics
2,018
cc-by
4,094
K E Y W O R D S Eclampsia; Intrauterine growth restriction; Neonatal complications; Pre-eclampsia; Preterm birth; Uric acid Tam M. Le1,* | Long H. Nguyen1 | Nam L. Phan1 | Duong D. Le2 | Huy V.Q. Nguyen1 |  Vinh Q. Truong1 | Thanh N. Cao1 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam 2Department of Public Health, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam |  Revised: 14 July 2018  |  Accepted: 22 October 2018  |  First published online: 8 November 2018 |  Revised: 14 July 2018  |  Accepted: 22 October 2018  |  First published online: 8 November 2018 Received: 9 March 2018  |  Revised: 14 July 2018  |  Accepted: 22 October 2018  |  First published online: 8 November 2018 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.12697 Abstract Objectives: To determine the relationship between maternal serum uric acid levels and fetal/neonatal complications in women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia, and to establish a predictive threshold value. 2Department of Public Health, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam Methods: A diagnostic test and historical cohort study conducted by prospective cross-­sectional data collection on pregnant women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia at Hue University Hospital, Vietnam, between March 2015 and July 2017. Pre-­eclampsia was diagnosed based on ACOG criteria. Serum uric acid levels were measured by enzymatic colorimetric testing using a Cobas c 501 analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany). Fetal complications included intrauterine growth restriction, preterm delivery, fetal death, and neonatal death. *Correspondence Tam M. Le, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam. Email: leminhtam@huemed-univ.edu.vn Results: There were 205 women enrolled. Serum uric acid at a cutoff of 393 μmol/L is a good predictor of fetal/neonatal complications (AUC 0.752), with 64.4% sensitivity and 79.5% specificity. High uric acid level (≥393 μmol/L) resulted in increased risk of preterm birth (OR 6.367, 95% CI 3.009–13.084), low Apgar scores (OR 5.514, 95% CI 1.877–16.198), intrauterine growth restriction (OR 7.188, 95% CI 3.592–14.382), and neonatal death (OR 7.818, 95% CI 1.614–37.867). There was no relationship between uric acid level and fetal death (OR 1.803, 95% CI 0.355–9.168). Conclusions: Maternal serum uric acid concentration is a good predictor of fetal/neo- natal outcomes in women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia. Int J Gynecol Obstet 2019; 144: 21–26 Maternal serum uric acid concentration and pregnancy outcomes in women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia Tam M. Le1,* | Long H. Nguyen1 | Nam L. Phan1 | Duong D. Le2 | Huy V.Q. Nguyen1 |  Vinh Q. Truong1 | Thanh N. Cao1 Tam M. Le1,* | Long H. Nguyen1 | Nam L. Phan1 | Duong D. Le2 | Huy V.Q. Nguyen1 |  Vinh Q. Truong1 | Thanh N. Cao1 wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ijgo was defined as the occurrence of seizures with stages according to diagnostic criteria.10 levels play an important role in the prognosis of pre-­eclampsia,4–6 a unified threshold value has not been determined. Threshold ­values of 6 mg/dL (530.4 μmol/L) and 5.6 mg/dL for 38 weeks of ­gestation (521.4 μmol/L) have been reported5,7; while Parrish et al.8 reported a mean uric acid level of 363.4 μmol/L in pregnancies with adverse outcomes. Fetal complications included IUGR, preterm delivery, fetal death, and neonatal death. Neonatal death was defined as death occurring during the first 4 weeks after birth, while fetal death was defined as intrauterine death before delivery (stillbirth).11 Each patient was measured for height and weight. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as body weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Serum uric acid levels were drawn intravenously at the hospital after each patient had rested for 30 minutes. The sterilization principle and compliance preserva- tion regime were ensured during testing by use of the compari- son color method (enzymatic colorimetric test) using a Coba c 501 analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) with UA2 ACN 700 (serum/plasma). The peroxide reacts in the presence of perox- idase, N-­ethyl-­N-­(2-­hydroxy-­3-­sulfopropyl)-­3-­methylaniline, and 4-­aminophenazone to form a quinonediimine dye. The intensity of the red color formed is proportional to the uric acid concentration and is determined photometrically; the methods used followed the manufacturer’s instructions. In Vietnam, although there have been many studies on pre-­ eclampsia in terms of prevention, early diagnosis, and pregnancy outcomes, there are limited studies that have investigated uric acid concentration and its role in predicting severe fetal complications in pre-­eclamptic patients. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between maternal serum uric acid levels and fetal/ neonatal complications in women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia, and to establish a predictive value for these complications. 2 | MATERIALS AND METHODS A diagnostic test and historical cohort study conducted by prospec- tive cross-­sectional data collection on singleton pregnant women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hue University Hospital, Vietnam, between March 2015 and July 2017. The study excluded chronic hypertensive women, patients with metabolic disorders, and those with diseases that adversely affect serum uric acid levels in pregnancy, such as chronic kidney disease, acute and chronic nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and kidney failure. Patients with cellular damage as a result of cancer and hemolytic diseases were also excluded. The study was approved by the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Ethics Committee. Because uric acid sampling is indicated routinely for pregnant women with pre-­eclampsia in our clinical practice, informed consent was not required to obtain samples. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 2.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were con- structed to examine the diagnostic test performance of uric acid for the prognosis of each fetal/neonatal outcome, and general compli- cations defined as at least one of five events occurring, including: preterm birth, APGAR score less than 7 in the first minute, fetal death, IUGR, or neonatal death. Groups were compared using the t test for independent samples. Values are given as mean and standard devia- tion (SD) or absolute number and percentage. Results are expressed as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) or two-­sided P value. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. To estimate the sample size required for this study, we used the equation n=Zα/2 2 × P × (1 − P)/Δ2, where α=0.05, Δ=0.05, and Zα/2=1.96. Based on the complication rate of intrauterine fetal death, neonatal death, small for gestational age or prematurity from the study by Livingston et al.9 the expected prevalence taken from small for ges- tational age, which was the most common complication, was 46/125 (P=11%). The minimum sample size required to identify the fetal/neo- natal outcomes for women with pre-­eclampsia attending our hospital was 150 patients. 1 | INTRODUCTION fetal deaths in pre-­eclamptic patients (10%–15% and 5.9%, respec- tively) is controversial and the subject of ongoing study.3 Int J Gynecol Obstet 2019; 144: 21–26 wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ijgo  |  21 1 | INTRODUCTION Uric acid is the final substance in the process of purine metabolism.1,2 Elevated levels are considered to be an early biomarker of kidney dam- age in women with pre-­eclampsia and also a factor in predicting fetal death.1,3 The role of uric acid as the possible cause of maternal and fetal deaths in pre-­eclamptic patients (10%–15% and 5.9%, respec- tively) is controversial and the subject of ongoing study.3 In addition to complications for the mother, pre-­eclampsia can also result in serious consequences for the fetus, including fetal dis- tress, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and preterm or perina- tal death. Although most studies have shown that maternal uric acid This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Authors. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published by John Wiley &Sons Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Uric acid is the final substance in the process of purine metabolism.1,2 Elevated levels are considered to be an early biomarker of kidney dam- age in women with pre-­eclampsia and also a factor in predicting fetal death.1,3 The role of uric acid as the possible cause of maternal and In addition to complications for the mother, pre-­eclampsia can also result in serious consequences for the fetus, including fetal dis- tress, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and preterm or perina- tal death. Although most studies have shown that maternal uric acid License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, |  21 |  21 Int J Gynecol Obstet 2019; 144: 21–26 22 Le ET AL. Le ET AL. |  23 |  23 Le ET AL. 23 TABLE 1 General characteristics of the study population and fetal/neonatal outcomes.a Characteristics Group 1: Pre-­eclampsia (n=112) Group 2: Severe pre-­eclampsia/ eclampsia (n=93) Total (n=205) P value Maternal age, y 30.45 ± 6.99 30.88 ± 6.27 30.6 ± 6.7 0.675 <35 78 (69.6) 63 (67.7) 141 (68.8) 0.888 ≥35 34 (30.4) 30 (32.3) 64 (31.2) Parity 0.421 Nulliparous 54 (48.2) 42 (45.2) 105 (51.2) Multiparous 58 (51.8) 51 (54.8) 100 (48.8) BMI 27.68 ± 3.95 26.41 ± 3.45 27.23 ± 3.82 0.577 Uric acid, μmol/L 328.99 ± 88.49 427.60 ± 113.54 364.11 ± 108.72 <0.001 Preterm birth 7 (6.3) 39 (41.9) 46 (22.4) <0.001 Apgar score <7 0 18 (20.7)b 18 (9.0)b <0.001 Fetal death 0 6 (6.5) 6 (2.9) 0.008 IUGR 15 (13.4) 38 (40.9) 53 (25.9) <0.001 Neonatal death 0 10 (10.8) 10 (4.9) <0.001 Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters); IUGR, intrauterine growth restriction. aValues are given as mean ± SD or number (percentage) unless otherwise indicated. bFetal deaths were not included for the purpose of calculating percentages. TABLE 1 General characteristics of the study population and fetal/neonatal outcomes.a Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters); IUGR, intrauterine growth restriction. aValues are given as mean ± SD or number (percentage) unless otherwise indicated. bFetal deaths were not included for the purpose of calculating percentages. Once adjusted for maternal age, grade of pre-­eclampsia and parity, uric acid at a threshold of 393 μmol/L was a good prognostic marker for IUGR (OR 5.510, 95% CI 2.611–11.628); preterm birth (OR 3.910, 95% CI 1.696–9.011); neonatal death (OR 3.249, 95% CI 0.475– 22.231); low Apgar score (OR 1.716, 95% CI 0.474–6.220); and for general fetal/neonatal complications (OR 4.399, 95% CI 2.137–9.052). Once adjusted for maternal age, grade of pre-­eclampsia and parity, uric acid at a threshold of 393 μmol/L was a good prognostic marker for IUGR (OR 5.510, 95% CI 2.611–11.628); preterm birth (OR 3.910, 95% CI 1.696–9.011); neonatal death (OR 3.249, 95% CI 0.475– 22.231); low Apgar score (OR 1.716, 95% CI 0.474–6.220); and for general fetal/neonatal complications (OR 4.399, 95% CI 2.137–9.052). |  23 For general fetal/neonatal complications (occurrence of at least one of the other five events), the AUC was 0.752 and the threshold uric acid level was 393 μmol/L, with 64.4% sensitivity and 79.5% specificity (Fig. 1). The relationship between fetal outcomes and uric acid threshold of 393 μmol/L is shown in Table 3. High uric acid level (≥393 μmol/L) resulted in increased risk of preterm birth (OR 6.367, 95% CI 3.009– 13.084; P<0.001); low Apgar score (OR 5.514, 95% CI 1.877–16.198; P=0.002); IUGR (OR 7.188, 95% CI 3.592–14.382; P<0.001); and neonatal death (OR 7.818, 95% CI 1.614–37.867; P=0.009). The only complication for which the difference was not significant was fetal death (P=0.773). 3 | RESULTS During the study period, 205 pregnant women with pre-­eclampsia/ eclampsia met the eligibility criteria and were recruited consecutively. The general characteristics of the study population and the fetal/neo- natal complications are shown in Table 1. The mean age of the study participants was 30.6 ± 6.7 years, and there was no significant differ- ence in age between group 1 (pre-­eclampsia) and group 2 (severe pre-­ eclampsia/eclampsia). Differences in parity and BMI were also not significant between the groups. Recruited patients were divided into two groups: pre-­eclampsia (group 1) or severe pre-­eclampsia and eclampsia (group 2), based on the criteria from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).10 Pre-­eclampsia was defined as the onset of hypertension and proteinuria from 20 weeks of pregnancy onward.10 Severe pre-­eclampsia was defined as pre-­eclampsia and at least one of the following symptoms: systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 110 mm Hg, pulmonary edema, cerebral or visual disorder, throm- bocytopenia, liver dysfunction, epigastric or right upper quadrant pain, nonresponse to treatment, serum creatinine concentration greater than 1.1 mg/dL, or double serum creatinine concentration. Eclampsia Uric acid concentration was significantly higher in group 2 com- pared with group 1 (427.60 ± 113.54 vs 328.99 ± 88.49; P<0.001). IUGR was the most common fetal/neonatal complication, accounting for 25.9% (n=53), followed by preterm birth at 22.4% (n=46). Apgar score of less than 7 was established for 199 live neonates owing to 6 cases of fetal death. For individual fetal/neonatal complications, the AUC of uric acid was highest for prognosis of neonatal death (AUC 0.759, P<0.004), followed by preterm birth (AUC 0.753, P<0.001), Apgar score <7 (AUC 0.752, P<0.001), and IUGR (AUC 0.723, P<0.001) (Table 2). 4 | DISCUSSION This cross-­sectional study of 205 pregnant women with pre-­ eclampsia/eclampsia aimed to assess the role of maternal serum uric acid levels in predicting pregnancy outcomes. The study was also designed to establish a predictive threshold value of maternal uric acid levels and occurrence of fetal complications. The association of bio- markers, including uric acid, with adverse outcomes in pre-­eclamptic pregnant women is discussed in ACOG guidelines10; however, its util- ity as a diagnostic marker is still debated. There was no association between uric acid level and maternal factors such as age, parity, or delivery method (Table 4). The only asso- ciated factor was severe pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia (OR 5.188, 95% CI 2.790–9.649; P<0.001). Table 5 shows multivariable logistic regression results for predicted fetal/neonatal outcomes based on a uric acid threshold of 393 μmol/L. TABLE 2 Criterion values, sensitivity, and specificity of serum uric acid concentration as markers for prognosis of fetal/neonatal complication. TABLE 2 Criterion values, sensitivity, and specificity of serum uric acid concentration as markers for prognosis of fetal/neonatal complication. Complications Criterion of acid uric, μmol/L Sensitivity Specificity AUC P value Preterm birth >410 65.2 78.6 0.753 <0.001 Apgar <7 (n=199) >376 83.3 61.3 0.752 <0.001 Fetal death >376 83.3 57.3 0.634 0.169 IUGR >393 69.8 75.7 0.723 <0.001 Neonatal death >378 90.0 60.5 0.759 <0.004 General fetal/neonatal complications (occurrence of at least one of other five complications) >393 64.4 79.5 0.752 <0.001 Abbreviations: AUC, area under the curve; IUGR, intrauterine growth restriction. TABLE 2 Criterion values, sensitivity, and specificity of serum uric acid concentration as markers for prognosi sitivity, and specificity of serum uric acid concentration as markers for prognosis of fetal/neonatal complication. 24  |     FIGURE 1 Receiver operating characteristic curve of serum uric acid concentration in cases of fetal/neonatal complications among women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia. Le ET AL. Le ET AL. 24 The occurrence of pregnancy outcomes in the present study were: preterm birth rate (22.4%), IUGR (25.9%), Apgar score less than 7 (9.0%), fetal death (2.9%), and neonatal death (4.9%). Other studies have reported similarly, with preterm birth ranging from 15% to 67%, IUGR ranging from 10% to 25%, and fetal mortality ranging from 1% to 2%.2 Concerning individual fetal/neonatal complications, the AUC of uric acid was highest for the prognosis of neonatal death, fol- lowed by preterm birth, Apgar score less than 7, and IUGR. REFERENCES In the present study, a threshold of 393 μmol/lL was not a predictive factor for fetal death (OR 1.803, 95% CI 0.355–9.168). However, high uric acid concentration increased the risk of neona- tal mortality by over sevenfold (OR 7.818, 95% CI 1.614–37.867). This result is controversial owing to the wide confidence interval. In another study, maternal serum uric acid levels were increased in 86.4% of cases of perinatal.6 Our results are similar to Tejal and Astha (OR 20.0, 95% CI 1.13–360.29)5 and Yassaee13 who reported that high serum uric acid concentrations increased the risk of peri- natal mortality by 30.4 times (OR 30.4, 95% CI 1.7–529) compared with normal uric acid levels. 1. Johnson RJ, Kang DH, Feig D, et  al. Is there a pathogenetic role for uric acid in hypertension and cardiovascular and renal disease? Hypertension. 2003;41:1183–1190. 2. Bainbridge AS, Roberts JM. Uric acid as a pathogenic factor in pre- eclampsia. Placenta. 2008;29(Suppl.A):S67–S72. 3. Duley L. The global impact of preeclampsia and eclampsia. Semin Perinatol. 2009;33:130–137. 4. Essiben F, Itembe O, Foumane P, Nguefack MT, Eko FE. Blood uric acid level as a marker of increased risk of eclampsia in severe pre-­ eclamptic patients: A cross-­sectional study in two tertiary hospitals of Yaoundé, Cameroon. Health Sci Dis. 2016;17:7–11.i 5. Tejal P, Astha D. Relationship of serum uric acid level to maternal and perinatal outcome in patients with hypertensive disorders of preg- nancy. Gujarat Med J. 2014;69:45–47. 5. Tejal P, Astha D. Relationship of serum uric acid level to maternal and perinatal outcome in patients with hypertensive disorders of preg- nancy. Gujarat Med J. 2014;69:45–47. The uric acid threshold in the present study was a good predictor of severity of pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia (OR 5.188, 95% CI 2.790– 9.649). These findings were much higher than those of Hawkins et al.,7 who reported that hyperuricemia indicated an increased risk of severe hypertension (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0–1.9). However, there was no association between our threshold value and cesarean or vaginal delivery. 6. Rajalaxmi K, Radhakrishna N, Manjula S. Serum uric acid level in preeclampsia and its correlation to maternal and fetal outcome. Int J Biomed Res. 2014;5:22–24. 7. Hawkins AT, Roberts JM, Mangos GJ, Davis GK, Roberts LM, Brown MA. Plasma uric acid remains a marker of poor outcome in hypertensive pregnancy: A retrospective cohort study. BJOG. 2012;119:484–492. 8. Parrish M, Griffin M, Morris R, Darby M, Owens MY, Martin JN. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Armity Simons from Health Volunteers Overseas (HVOUSA), Scottsdale, AZ, USA, for her translation skills. The authors have no conflicts of interest. The authors have no conflicts of interest. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; IUGR, intrauterine growth restriction; OR, odds ratio. aSerum uric acid was adjusted for maternal age, grade of pre-­eclampsia, and parity. LMT contributed to study design, data analysis, manuscript drafting, and critical discussion. NHL, PLN, and NVQH contributed to data ­collection, analysis, manuscript drafting, and critical discussion. LDD contributed to data analysis, manuscript drafting, and critical discus- sion. TQV and CNT contributed to data interpretation, manuscript drafting, and critical discussion. All authors were involved in drafting the work or revising it critically. than that of Bellomo et al.,12 who reported a predictive threshold for small-­for-­gestational-­age infants of 309 μmol/L (AUC 0.784, 83.7% sensitivity, 71.7%). Based on our threshold of 393 μmol/L, the risk of preterm birth was increased 6.367 times (95% CI 3.009–13.084), which was similar to Tejal’s study (OR 6.0, 95% Cl, 1.24–28.98),5 but higher than results reported by Hawkins et al. (OR 3.8, 95% CI 2.6–5.6).7 Uric acid level was also a good predictive factor for Apgar score less than 7 in the first minute (OR 5.514, 95% CI 1.877–16.198). Similarly, another study of 103 pre-­eclamptic women found that maternal serum uric acid con- centration was associated with Apgar score less than 7 (OR 11.9, 95% CI 4.4–31.8).13 In our study, the risk of IUGR was increased 7.188 times in women with high uric acid levels (95% CI 3.592–14.382). These results were higher than those of Hawkins (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2–2.7)7 and Tejal and Astha (OR 4.04, 95% CI 1.21–13.43).5 TABLE 5 Multivariable logistic regression for predicted fetal/ neonatal outcomes based on uric acid threshold of 393 μmol/L. Outcomes Crude OR (95% CI) Adjusted OR (95% CI)a Preterm birth 6.367 (3.009–13.084) 3.910 (1.696–9.011) Lower Apgar score <7 5.514 (1.877–16.198) 1.716 (0.474–6.220) Fetal death 1.803 (0.355–9.168) 0.456 (0.058–3.593) IUGR 7.188 (3.592–14.382) 5.510 (2.611–11.628) Neonatal death 7.818 (1.614–37.867) 3.249 (0.475–22.231) General ­complications (yes/no) 7.030 (3.710–13.319) 4.399 (2.137–9.052) Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; IUGR, intrauterine growth restriction; OR, odds ratio. aSerum uric acid was adjusted for maternal age, grade of pre-­eclampsia, and parity. TABLE 5 Multivariable logistic regression for predicted fetal/ neonatal outcomes based on uric acid threshold of 393 μmol/L. fetal/neonatal complications (OR 4.399, 95% CI 2.137–9.052). For each individual outcome, serum uric acid was a good prognostic marker for IUGR, preterm birth, neonatal death, and low Apgar score. The present study had some limitations, such as missing maternal data for preconception and prenatal care, which made the assessment of maternal risks more difficult. In conclusion, maternal serum uric acid concentration was a good prognostic factor for monitoring and prognosis of fetal/neonatal out- comes in women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia. There was a relation- ship between high uric acid level and the risk of preterm birth, low Apgar index, IUGR, and neonatal death, but not fetal death. 4 | DISCUSSION For each individual outcome, serum uric acid was a good prognostic marker for IUGR, preterm birth, neonatal death, and low Apgar score. 25 |  25 fetal/neonatal complications (OR 4.399, 95% CI 2.137–9.052). For each individual outcome, serum uric acid was a good prognostic marker for IUGR, preterm birth, neonatal death, and low Apgar score. 4 | DISCUSSION ROC analysis showed that a serum uric acid threshold of 393 μmol/L was a good predictor of general fetal/neonatal complications (AUC 0.752), with 64.4% sensitivity and 79.5% specificity, in women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia. The results of our study are similar to those of Livingston et al.,9 who included 1505 pre-­eclamptic pregnant women and reported that the Z-­index of uric acid was associated with adverse perinatal outcomes (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.4–1.7); their AUC was 0.72 (95% CI 0.69–0.74).9 Our threshold value of 393 μmol/L is slightly higher than normal uric acid levels in the third trimester of pregnancy (184– 375 μmol/L).9 Similarly, Tejal and Astha5 selected a uric acid level of 360 μmol/L to classify risk factors for maternal and fetal compli- cations. The cutoff threshold in the present study was also higher FIGURE 1 Receiver operating characteristic curve of serum uric acid concentration in cases of fetal/neonatal complications among women with pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia. TABLE 3 Relationship between fetal outcomes and uric acid threshold of 393 μmol/L. Outcomes Uric acid ≥393 μmol/L (n=74) Uric acid <393 (n=131) P value OR (95% CI) Preterm birth 32 (43.2) 14 (10.7) <0.001 6.367 (3.009–13.084) Apgar <7 (n=199) 13 (18.3)a 5 (3.8) 0.002 5.514 (1.877–16.198) Fetal death 3 (4.1) 3 (2.3) 0.773 1.803 (0.355–9.168) IUGR 37 (50.0) 16 (12.2) <0.001 7.188 (3.592–14.382) Neonatal death 8 (10.8) 2 (1.5) 0.009 7.818 (1.614–37.867) Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; IUGR, intrauterine growth restriction; OR, odds ratio. aFetal deaths were not included for the purpose of calculating this percentage. TABLE 3 Relationship between fetal outcomes and uric acid threshold of 393 μmol/L. TABLE 4 Relationship between uric acid levels and maternal factors. TABLE 4 Relationship between uric acid levels and maternal factors. Maternal factors Uric acid ≥393 μmol/L Acid uric <393 μmol/L P value OR (95% CI) Maternal age, y 0.615 0.811 (0.435–1.512) ≥35 (n=64) 43 (67.2) 21 (32.8) <35 (n=141) 88 (62.4) 53 (37.6) Parity 0.642 0.807 (0.473–1.482) Multiparous (n=100) 66 (66.0) 34 (34.0) Nulliparous (n=105) 65 (61.9) 40 (38.1) Pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia grade <0.001 5.188 (2.790–9.649) Severe pre-­eclampsia/eclampsia (n=93) 52 (55.9) 41 (44.1) Mild (n=112) 22 (19.6) 90 (80.4) Delivery method 0.280 1.602 (0.766–3.350) Cesarean delivery (n=162) 100 (61.7) 62 (38.3) Vaginal delivery (n=43) 31 (72.1) 12 (27.9) Total (n=205) 131 (63.9) 74 (36.1) Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio. Le ET AL. |  25 fetal/neonatal complications (OR 4.399, 95% CI 2.137–9.052). REFERENCES Hyperuricemia facilitates the prediction of maternal and perinatal adverse outcome in patients with severe/superimposed preeclamp- sia. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2010;23:1451–1455. In multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for mater- nal age, grade of pre-­eclampsia, and parity, serum uric acid was a good prognostic marker at the threshold of 393 μmol/L for general int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43444/9241563206_eng.pdf. Accessed February 22, 2018. 26  | 26 Le ET AL. int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43444/9241563206_eng.pdf. Accessed February 22, 2018. int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43444/9241563206_eng.pdf. Accessed February 22, 2018.i 9. Livingston JR, Payne B, Brown M, et al. Uric acid as a predictor of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in women hospitalized with preeclampsia. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2014;36:870–877. 12. Bellomo G, Venanzi S, Saronio P, Verdura C, Narducci PL. Prognostic significance of serum uric acid in women with gestational hyperten- sion. Hypertension. 2011;58:704–708. 10. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Task Force on Hypertension in Pregnancy. Hypertension in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol. 2013;122:1122–1131. 13. Yassaee F. Hyperuricemia and perinatal outcomes in patients with severe preeclampsia. Iran J Med Sci. 2003;28:198–199. 11. World Health Organization. Neonatal and Perinatal Mortality – Country, Regional and Global Estimates. Geneva: WHO; 2006. http://www.who.
https://openalex.org/W2137386421
https://bora.uib.no/bora-xmlui/bitstream/1956/5152/1/Ndeezi%20et%20al_Nutr%20J.pdf
English
null
Multiple micronutrient supplementation improves vitamin B12and folate concentrations of HIV infected children in Uganda: a randomized controlled trial
Nutrition journal
2,011
cc-by
7,855
* Correspondence: gracendeezi@yahoo.com 1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda Full list of author information is available at the end of the article RESEARCH Open Access © 2011 Ndeezi et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Multiple micronutrient supplementation improves vitamin B12 and folate concentrations of HIV infected children in Uganda: a randomized controlled trial Grace Ndeezi1,2*, James K Tumwine1, Christopher M Ndugwa1, Bjørn J Bolann3 and Thorkild Tylleskär2 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 * Correspondence: gracendeezi@yahoo.com 1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © 2011 Ndeezi et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background Vitamin B12 and folate deficiency are relatively common in low income countries compared to high income countries, particularly in communities where the diet is predominantly vegetarian [1-4], where major sources of vitamin B12 such as meat, fish, poultry, milk and forti- fied breakfast cereals [5] are consumed in small amounts or are not readily available. Dietary sources of folate, on the other hand, are more prevalent as they include green leafy vegetables, fruits and dried beans and peas [6]. During infancy and childhood folate and vitamin B12 deficiency have been associated with failure to thrive, reduced physical activity and cognitive function and megaloblastic anaemia [7,8]. However many of the symptoms are non-specific and may result from a vari- ety of medical conditions. The study sites have been previously described [15]. Three sites were located in the capital city of Uganda (Kampala) and these were Mulago (the national referral hospital), Mildmay Centre and Nsambya hospital. The other sites were situated in the regional hospitals in the east, south-west, central and north of the country. For logistical reasons, transport and storage, it was not pos- sible to collect samples for biochemical tests from all the sites. Therefore blood samples for biochemical tests were only collected from the three Kampala sites. The samples were subsequently shipped to the clinical chem- istry laboratory at Haukeland University Hospital, Ber- gen (Norway), where vitamin B12 and folate were analysed. A significant number of HIV-infected children in low- income countries remain at risk of increased morbidity due to immunodeficiency related to HIV infection in addition to micronutrient deficiencies. Low vitamin B12 status has been associated with poor immunological sta- tus and HIV disease progression in adults [9]. In follow up studies of HIV infected pregnant women micronutri- ent supplementation resulted in improved child growth, haematological indices and vitamin B12 levels [10]. The trial enrolled 847 children at all the seven study sites. Out of 705 children from whom blood samples could be stored for micronutrient tests, 261 had no suf- ficient samples, 230 had other micronutrient tests done or had either baseline but no result at the second sam- pling. Because of multiple analyses 214 children had both baseline and 6 months results for vitamin B12 and folate concentrations. Methods Design Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, initiation of ART, manage- ment of common illnesses and opportunistic infections was offered using the national guidelines for Paediatric HIV care. The study was a randomised controlled trial conducted between 2005 and 2008 at 7 paediatric HIV clinics in Uganda. Participants were allocated to the intervention or ‘standard of care’ supplement in a 1:1 ratio. Abstract Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 supplementation studies going on at the time so the exclusion for those who were participating in other stu- dies was done to avoid participant fatigue and interfer- ence with procedures. Multivitamin supplementation was routinely practiced at the study clinics but this was not an exclusion criteria. Eligible participants were con- secutively enrolled, assigned to the study intervention or ‘standard of care’ supplement and followed for one year. Background There were no significant differ- ences in demographic and clinical characteristics such as age, sex, anthropometric measurements and other laboratory measurements like CD4 + cell count among those who had results for vitamin B12 and folate com- pared to those who did not. Food supplementation and multiple micronutrient for- tification of foods and beverages in children with unknown HIV status living in low income countries have shown improved haemoglobin levels and concen- trations of deficient micronutrients [2,11-14]. We hypothesised that supplementation with two recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of 14 multiple micronutrients (MMS) would increase serum vitamin B12 and folate concentrations compared to a 1 RDA of 6 multivitamin (MV) ‘standard of care’ supplement. We here report the baseline vitamin B12 and folate status in Ugandan HIV infected children aged 1-5 years and the effect of multiple micronutrient supplementation on serum concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate. The study was approved by the College of Health Sciences Research and Ethics Committee, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda; the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, and the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics, Western Norway. Abstract Background: The effect of multiple micronutrient supplementation on vitamin B12 and folate has hither to not been reported in African HIV infected children. This paper describes vitamin B12 and folate status of Ugandan HIV infected children aged 1-5 years and reports the effect of multiple micronutrient supplementation on serum vitamin B12 and folate concentrations. Methods: Of 847 children who participated in a multiple micronutrient supplementation trial, 214 were assessed for vitamin B12 and folate concentrations pre and post supplementation. One hundred and four children were randomised to two times the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of a 14 multiple micronutrient supplement (MMS) and 114 to a ‘standard of care’ supplement of 6 multivitamins (MV). Serum vitamin B12 was measured by an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay and folate by a competitive protein-binding assay using Modular E (Roche) automatic analyzer. Vitamin B12 concentrations were considered low if less than 221picomoles per litre (pmol/L) and folate if < 13.4 nanomoles per litre (nmol/L). The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was used to measure the difference between pre and post supplementation concentrations. Results: Vitamin B12 was low in 60/214 (28%) and folate in 62/214 (29.0%) children. In the MMS group, the median concentration (IQR) of vitamin B12 at 6 months was 401.5 (264.3 - 518.8) pmol/L compared to the baseline of 285.5 (216.5 - 371.8) pmol/L, p < 0.001. The median (IQR) folate concentrations increased from 17.3 (13.5 - 26.6) nmol/L to 27.7 (21.1 - 33.4) nmol/L, p < 0.001. In the ‘standard of care’ MV supplemented group, the median concentration (IQR) of vitamin B12 at 6 months was 288.5 (198.8 - 391.0) pmol/L compared to the baseline of 280.0 (211.5 - 386.3) pmol/L while the median (IQR) folate concentrations at 6 months were 16.5 (11.7 - 22.1) nmol/L compared to 15.7 (11.9 - 22.1) nmol/L at baseline. There was a significant difference in the MMS group in both vitamin B12 and folate concentrations but no difference in the MV group. Conclusions: Almost a third of the HIV infected Ugandan children aged 1-5 years had low serum concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate. Multiple micronutrient supplementation compared to the ‘standard of care’ supplement of 6 multivitamins improved the vitamin B12 and folate status of HIV infected children in Uganda. Trial registration: http://ClinicalTrials.govNCT00122941) Page 2 of 9 Page 2 of 9 Page 2 of 9 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Outcomes previous studies of HIV infected adults had indicated that HIV infected persons may require multiples of RDA in order to achieve normal serum concentrations of micronutrients. Thirdly, looking at the tables of the nutritional requirements for children [6] we noted that there are 2 age bands where our participants belonged, 1-3 and 4-8 years of age. We noticed that there were minor variations in dosages of some micronutrients while others like iodine and vitamin D did not vary. We therefore decided to use the 4 year old category for our study. In addition it was easier to administer a uniform intervention. There were no similar studies in the region and there was no literature to guide us on the micronu- trient status of Ugandan HIV infected children. Also there were no food composition tables based on the local foods so we could not estimate how much micro- nutrients children get from the usual diet. The MMS comprised of 800 mcg vitamin A, 1.2 mg vitamin B1, 1.2 mg vitamin B2, 16 mg niacin, 1.2 mg vitamin B6, 2.4 mcg vitamin B12, 50 mg vitamin C, 400 IU vitamin D, 14 mg vitamin E, 40 mcg folate, 60 mcg selenium, 10 mg zinc, 800 mcg copper and 180 mcg iodine. The mul- tivitamin ‘standard of care’ supplement contained 400 mcg vitamin A, 0.6 mg vitamin B1, 0.6 mg vitamin B2, 8 mg niacin, 25 mg vitamin C and 200 IU vitamin D. The contents and formula for the MV supplement was based on the regular multivitamins supplied at the study clinics as routine care of HIV infected children. The daily dose was 4 g and this was equivalent to a levelled scoop supplied by the manufacturer. The powder was mixed with 10 to 20 ml of milk or water. The first dose of the supplement was administered at the study clinic following a demonstration and under observation by the study nurse. At the time of administering the first dose we counselled the mother on the importance of com- pleting the dose and ensuring that the daily dose was given. Whenever the child vomited during or within 30 minutes of administering the dose a repeat dose was given. Mothers were given calendar charts and instructed to tick on the appropriate date whenever a dose was given. Outcomes They would return to the clinic with the container/remaining supplement together with the calendar charts on routine follow up visits. The remain- ing amount of supplement was measured using a light weight scale and the level of compliance determined using the proportion of the supplement consumed against the expected. The supply for one month was 140 grams and the expected dose for 30 days was 120 grams. The remaining 20 grams was to cater for vom- ited doses or in case there was spillage. The mothers administered the subsequent doses from home and it was not possible to observe them. The supplements were given for a period of 6 months when the second The outcome measures were serum vitamin B12 and folate concentrations pre and post supplementation and factors associated with low concentrations at baseline. These were secondary objectives of the trial. Survival was assessed as the primary objective whose findings have been previously reported [15]. Clinical and laboratory measurements Clinical and laboratory measurements At enrolment demographic information, history of the child’s illness and findings on physical examination were recorded. Non fasting blood samples were drawn for CD4+ cell count and micronutrient analysis using procedures previously described in the same cohort [15]. Vitamin B12 was measured by electrochemilumi- nescence immunoassay, and folate by a competitive pro- tein-binding assay on Modular E (Roche) automatic analyzer. The coefficient of variation for the assays was less than 5%. To determine cut off values for low vita- min B12 and folate, we considered what other research- ers have used since there were no reference values for Ugandan children. Vitamin B12 concentrations were considered low if less than 221 picomoles per litre (pmol/L), combining both very low (<148 pmol/L) and marginal (148 - 221 pmol/L) status. Concentrations equal or > 221 pmol/L was considered to be normal. Folate concentrations were low if < 13.4 nanomoles per litre (nmol/L), similarly combining both very low (<6.8 nmol/L) and marginal (6.8 - 13.4 nmol/L) status. Con- centrations ≥13.4 nmol/L were regarded as being nor- mal [16,17]. Participants The trial supplements were manufactured in powder form and packaged by NUTRISET, France using a for- mula that was determined by the investigators based on twice the recommended dietary intake for a 4 year old category [6]. We decided to use 2 RDA based on the fact that many children were malnourished despite rou- tine supplementation with multivitamins. Secondly some HIV infected children aged 1- 5 years presenting at the study clinics for follow up visits were eligible for the trial. Children who had enrolled in other studies or were unable to adhere to a regular follow up schedule and those whose mothers or guardians declined consent were excluded. There were no other micronutrient Page 3 of 9 Page 3 of 9 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Randomisation and blinding The randomisation sequence was generated using the stata soft ware in variable blocks of 4 to 20. The supple- ments were manufactured and packaged in 140 g plastic containers which were sequentially numbered. RB gen- erated the randomisation sequence at Geneva and sent it to the manufacturers in France. The randomisation code was kept at Geneva and by the manufacturers. The treatment assignment was revealed upon completion of the study. Participants were enrolled by the principal investigator and the other study doctors. The trial nurse at the study sites dispensed the supplement in serial order. The col- our, consistency and odour of the intervention and ‘standard of care’ supplement were similar. The princi- pal investigator, study personnel including doctors and nurses and the caretakers/participants were all blinded to treatment assignment. Comparisons between baseline and 6 months’ vitamin B12 and folate concentrations Baseline median serum vitamin B12 and folate concen- trations were similar in the two groups. Following sup- plementation with multiple micronutrients (MMS) vitamin B12 concentrations increased from a median (IQR) of 285.5 (216.5 - 371.8) to 401.5 (264.3 - 518.8) pmol/L at 6 months. This difference was statistically sig- nificant (p < 0.001). Similarly folate concentrations increased from 17.3 (13.5 - 26.6) to 27.7 (21.1 - 33.4) nmol/L and this difference was also significant, p < 0.001 (Table 2). There was no significant difference in the MV ‘standard of care’ group. Statistical analysis Change in micronutrient concentrations of each partici- pant was computed in SPSS as follows: concentration at Page 4 of 9 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 very low and 47 (22.0%) marginal concentrations (148 - 221 pmol/L). Of the 62 children with low folate status, 3 (1.4%) had very low (<6.8 nmol/L) and 59 (27.6%) had marginal concentrations (6.8 - 13.4 nmol/L). 6 months minus concentration at baseline. Medians and their interquartile ranges were used for summarising the data. Because vitamin B12 and folate concentrations were not normally distributed the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was used to measure the difference between baseline and 6 months in each group. Differences in categorical variables were tested with the Pearson chi- square or Fischer’s exact test. Differences were consid- ered significant if a two-sided p-value was less than 0.05. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine factors associated with low vitamin B12 or folate concentrations at baseline assessment. Baseline characteristics of participants Table 1 Characteristics of 214 Ugandan HIV infected children analysed for vitamin B12 and folate by intervention group Number (N) MMS n (%) ’Standard of care’ MV n (%) p-value Sex: Male 100 49 (49.0) 51 (51.0) >0.99 Age less than 24 months 70 33 (47.1) 37 (52.9) 0.77 Mother as carer 146 73 (50.0) 73 (50.0) 0.56 On HAART 44 19 (43.2) 25 (56.8) 0.50 Routine CTX 193 93 (48.2) 100 (51.8) 0.82 Routine MV 144 68 (47.2) 76 (52.8) 0.66 WHZ < -2 28 14 (50.0) 14 (50.0) >0.99 HAZ < -2 113 56 (49.6) 57 (50.4) 0.89 WHO stage 3 or 4 56 26 (46.4) 30 (53.6) 0.76 CD4+ T cells < 25% 114 50 (43.9) 64 (56.1) 0.20 Elevated CRP (> 6 g/dl) 67 33 (49.3) 34 (50.7) 0.42 Low haemoglobin (< 11 g/dl) 127 61 (48.0) 66 (52.0) 0.89 Low vitamin B12 (< 221 pmol/L) 60 29 (48.3) 31 (51.7) 0.96 Low folate (< 13.4 nmol/L) 62 25 (40.3) 37 (59.7) 0.13 MMS = multiple micronutrient supplementation HAART = Highly active anti-retroviral therapy CTX = Cotrimoxazole MV = ‘standard of care’ multivitamins WHZ = Weight for height z-score HAZ = Height for age z-score WHO = World Health Organisation CD4+ = Cluster of differentiation 4 CRP = C-reactive protein Table 2 Biochemical and haematological measurements at baseline and at 6 months of supplementation by intervention group Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation group (n = 104) Comparative ‘standard of care’ multivitamins group (n = 110) Measurement Median (IQR) P-value Median (IQR) p-value Vitamin B12 (pmol/L) Baseline 285.5 (216.5 - 371.8) <0.001 280.0 (211.5 - 386.3) 0.78 6 months 401.5 (264.3 - 518.8) 288.5 (198.8 - 391.0) Change 90.5 (-0.8 - 203.5) 10.0 (-73.8 - 83.8) Folate (nmol/L) Baseline 17.3 (13.5 - 26.6) <0.001 15.7 (11.9 - 22.1) 0.44 6 months 27.7 (21.1 - 33.4) 16.5 (11.7 - 22.1) Change 8.0 (-0.3 - 17.1) -0.6 (-3.5 - 5.8) Haemoglobin (g/dl) Baseline 10.0 (8.7 - 11.2) 0.04 9.8 (8.8 - 11.2) <0.001 6 months 10.9 (9.4 - 11.7) 10.6 (9.6 - 11.7) Change 0.3 (-0.4 - 0.9) 0.6 (-0.2 - 1.4) CD4+ count (cells/μL) Baseline 1201 (822 - 1556) 0.16 1033 (728 - 1406) 0.52 6 months 1039 (725 - 1358) 1043 (704 - 1484) aracteristics of 214 Ugandan HIV infected children analysed for vitamin B12 and folate by intervention Table 1 Characteristics of 214 Ugandan HIV infected children analysed for vitamin B12 and folate by intervention group Number (N) MMS n (%) ’Standard of care’ MV n (%) p-value Sex: Male 100 49 (49.0) 51 (51.0) >0.99 Age less than 24 months 70 33 (47.1) 37 (52.9) 0.77 Mother as carer 146 73 (50.0) 73 (50.0) 0.56 On HAART 44 19 (43.2) 25 (56.8) 0.50 Routine CTX 193 93 (48.2) 100 (51.8) 0.82 Routine MV 144 68 (47.2) 76 (52.8) 0.66 WHZ < -2 28 14 (50.0) 14 (50.0) >0.99 HAZ < -2 113 56 (49.6) 57 (50.4) 0.89 WHO stage 3 or 4 56 26 (46.4) 30 (53.6) 0.76 CD4+ T cells < 25% 114 50 (43.9) 64 (56.1) 0.20 Elevated CRP (> 6 g/dl) 67 33 (49.3) 34 (50.7) 0.42 Low haemoglobin (< 11 g/dl) 127 61 (48.0) 66 (52.0) 0.89 Low vitamin B12 (< 221 pmol/L) 60 29 (48.3) 31 (51.7) 0.96 Low folate (< 13.4 nmol/L) 62 25 (40.3) 37 (59.7) 0.13 MMS = multiple micronutrient supplementation gandan HIV infected children analysed for vitamin B12 and folate by intervention out of 40 children (32.5%) who were on HAART had CD4+ cell percent < 25 compared to 100/159 (63.5%) who were HAART naïve, p = 0.001 (Fisher’s exact test). Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was used to measure the difference between baseline and 6 months. Baseline characteristics of participants Of the 214 children with both baseline and 6 months results for vitamin B12 and folate, 104 (48.6%) received MMS while the rest received the ‘standard of care’ MV supplement. The distribution of children by arm and strata is presented in figure 1. Males and females were equally represented. The median age (IQR) was 33.2 months (19.6 - 44.4) in the MMS and 30.3 (19.8 - 45.5) in the MV group. Baseline characteristics are described in table 1. There were no significant differences between the two treatment groups. Of the 44 children who were on HAART, 19 received MMS while 25 received MV. In this stratum the median (IQR) concentration of vitamin B12 in the MMS arm at baseline was 262.0 (215.0 - 342.0) compared to 453.0 (261.0 - 594.0) pmol/L at 6 months, p = 0.002. The median (IQR) folate concentrations increased from 18.6 (13.8 - 23.9) to 25.0 (21.3 - 32.9) nmol/L, p = 0.040. Although the numbers were small these were significant differences. There was no significant difference in the MV group. Median (IQR) baseline vitamin B12 concen- trations were higher in the HAART stratum [306.5 Overall, 60 children (28.0%) had low vitamin B12 con- centrations less than 221.0 pmol/L, and 62 (29.0%) had low folate concentrations less than 13.4 nmol/L. Among the children with low vitamin B12 status, 13 (6.0%) had 847 children enrolled 110 in the ‘standard of care’ arm 104 in the multiple micronutrient arm 85 HAART naïve 19 HAART stratum 214 paired samples for vitamin B12 and folate 142 at rural sites 261no/minimal samples 230 0ther micronutrient tests 25 HAART stratum 85 HAART naïve Figure 1 Study profile. 847 children enrolled 142 at rural sites 261no/minimal samples 230 0ther micronutrient tests 214 paired samples for vitamin B12 and folate Page 5 of 9 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Page 5 of 9 (209.3 - 372.8) pmol/L] compared to the non-HAART stratum [280.0 (218.0 - 386.3) pmol/L], but not signifi- cantly so. Folate concentrations were almost the same [16.1 (13.5 - 22.0) nmol/L] in the HAART and [16.0 (12.1 - 24.9) nmol/L] non-HAART stratum. Thirteen out of 40 children (32.5%) who were on HAART had CD4+ cell percent < 25 compared to 100/159 (63.5%) who were HAART naïve, p = 0.001 (Fisher’s exact test). Median (IQR) duration of anti-retroviral therapy was 9 (6.0 - 14.3) months. Vitamin B12 and folate status at 6 months of supplementation There was no significant change in the CD4 cell counts in either the MMS or MV group. HAART strata and initiation of HAART during the study Of the 44 children on HAART at enrolment, 15 (34.1%) and 10 (22.7%) had low vitamin B12 and low folate con- centrations, respectively. The prevalence of low micro- nutrient status of these two was not significantly different between the HAART and non-HAART treated children. Of the 170 HAART naïve children, 21 started HAART during the study; 13 in MMS and 8 in MV group. This difference was not significant, p = 0.35. Seven of the 21 children who initiated HAART during the study had low vitamin B12 concentrations at enrolment. Twice the recommended dietary allowance of multiple micronutrients improved vitamin B12 and folate status compared to the ‘standard of care’. This is not surpris- ing since the standard of care supplement did not con- tain vitamin B12 and folate. This implies that the standard of care multivitamin is not enough and many more micronutrients may be required to correct micro- nutrient deficiencies. A significant number of children still had low concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate at the end of 6 months, implying that the duration of sup- plementation needed to be extended. Vitamin B12 and folate status at 6 months of supplementation vitamin B12 and folate. Almost a third of the children had low vitamin B12 and low folate concentrations at baseline. Very low serum concentrations were uncom- mon. MMS containing vitamin B12 and folate improved both vitamin B12 and folate concentrations compared to the ‘standard of care’ multivitamins. Overall, 42 (19.6%) children had low concentrations of vitamin B12 at 6 months, 9 (4.2%) with very low and 33 (15.4%) with marginal concentrations. Nine children (1.4%) were in the MMS and 33 (78.6%) in the MV group. This was a statistically significant difference. The odds ratio was 4.5 (95% CI; 2.0 - 10.0). Folate concen- trations were low in 44/214 (20.6%) children at 6 months of follow up; almost all of them had marginal concentrations. Five children (11.4%) were supplemen- ted with MMS and 39 (88.6%) MV; Odds ratio 10.8 (95% CI; 4.1 - 28.9). Low vitamin B12 and folate concen- trations were more frequent in the MV supplemented group. Vitamin B12 and folate concentrations in our study are comparable or slightly lower than what has been reported in children living in other low-income coun- tries [1,2,4,17]. Our findings are also comparable to what other studies in HIV infected adults reported before the HAART era. These studies showed that low vitamin B12 concentrations were relatively common with a prevalence ranging between 10 and 35% [18-22]. There are few studies that have examined vitamin B12 and folate in HIV infected children in Africa. The preva- lence of low vitamin B12 concentrations in our study was much higher than the prevalence of 5% reported in South African HIV infected children [23]. Contrary to our find- ings a study of HIV infected children in New York showed elevated vitamin B12 and folate status [24]. Our study included younger children, the majority of whom were symptomatic and not on HAART compared to the New York study. In our study the lack of differences between the HAART and non-HAART stratum in baseline vitamin B12 or folate concentrations could be explained by the short duration of HAART compared to other studies. Other clinical and haematological findings Eight of the 214 children had signs of neurological dis- ease, 6 with delayed or loss of developmental milestones, 3 of whom had low or marginal vitamin B12 status. There was a significant increase in the haemoglobin sta- tus in both groups as shown in table 2. Baseline characteristics of participants Median (IQR) duration of anti-retroviral therapy was 9 (6.0 - 14.3) months. (209.3 - 372.8) pmol/L] compared to the non-HAART stratum [280.0 (218.0 - 386.3) pmol/L], but not signifi- cantly so. Folate concentrations were almost the same [16.1 (13.5 - 22.0) nmol/L] in the HAART and [16.0 (12.1 - 24.9) nmol/L] non-HAART stratum. Thirteen Table 2 Biochemical and haematological measurements at baseline and at 6 months of supplementation by intervention group Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation group (n = 104) Comparative ‘standard of care’ multivitamins group (n = 110) Measurement Median (IQR) P-value Median (IQR) p-value Vitamin B12 (pmol/L) Baseline 285.5 (216.5 - 371.8) <0.001 280.0 (211.5 - 386.3) 0.78 6 months 401.5 (264.3 - 518.8) 288.5 (198.8 - 391.0) Change 90.5 (-0.8 - 203.5) 10.0 (-73.8 - 83.8) Folate (nmol/L) Baseline 17.3 (13.5 - 26.6) <0.001 15.7 (11.9 - 22.1) 0.44 6 months 27.7 (21.1 - 33.4) 16.5 (11.7 - 22.1) Change 8.0 (-0.3 - 17.1) -0.6 (-3.5 - 5.8) Haemoglobin (g/dl) Baseline 10.0 (8.7 - 11.2) 0.04 9.8 (8.8 - 11.2) <0.001 6 months 10.9 (9.4 - 11.7) 10.6 (9.6 - 11.7) Change 0.3 (-0.4 - 0.9) 0.6 (-0.2 - 1.4) CD4+ count (cells/μL) Baseline 1201 (822 - 1556) 0.16 1033 (728 - 1406) 0.52 6 months 1039 (725 - 1358) 1043 (704 - 1484) Change -137 (-348 - 254) 35 (-278 - 352) Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was used to measure the difference between baseline and 6 months. Table 2 Biochemical and haematological measurements at baseline and at 6 months of supplementation by intervention group al and haematological measurements at baseline and at 6 months of supplementation by Page 6 of 9 Page 6 of 9 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Factors associated with low vitamin B12 or folate concentrations Low vitamin B12 could be related to folate deficiency or to low vitamin B12 binding proteins. Although we did not find an association between low vitamin B12 and white blood cell count this does exclude the possibility that low vitamin B12 concentrations could be related to neutropenia. Vitamin B12 status was not closely associated with most of the baseline characteristics (Table 3). However being male, age less than 24 months and a haemoglobin < 11 g/dl were associated with low folate concentrations. At multivariate analysis only age and the male sex remained significantly associated with low serum folate concentrations. We observed that there was an association between low folate concentrations and low haemoglobin which indicates that the anaemia could partly be attributed to low folate concentrations. In both treatment groups the haemoglobin improved compared to baseline levels. We could not conclusively attribute the anaemia to low folate concentrations since we did not measure red blood cell folate concentrations. Measuring both serum folate and Red cell folate would have yielded more diag- nostic information of folate deficiency. However sub- Discussion This was contrary to findings of a trial in HAART treated HIV infected adults living in the USA where multiple micronutrient supplementation was associated with improved CD4+ cell count compared to a placebo [27]. The lack of effect on CD4+ cell count in our study could be explained by the natural immunological deterioration or it may be apparent due to the small numbers in the HAART group. It is also possible that the supplementation was not long enough to show an impact on CD4+ cell count since one in five children still had low vitamin B12 and folate concentrations at 6 months of follow up. there was a slight deterioration in the CD4+ cell counts among the HAART naïve MMS group. This was contrary to findings of a trial in HAART treated HIV infected adults living in the USA where multiple micronutrient supplementation was associated with improved CD4+ cell count compared to a placebo [27]. The lack of effect on CD4+ cell count in our study could be explained by the natural immunological deterioration or it may be apparent due to the small numbers in the HAART group. It is also possible that the supplementation was not long enough to show an impact on CD4+ cell count since one in five children still had low vitamin B12 and folate concentrations at 6 months of follow up. normal serum folate is a useful indicator of folate status that warrants reporting. In a landscape of multiple defi- ciencies, such as HIV-infected children in a low-income country, there is always the potential for other deficien- cies to alter the response, for instance, iron deficiency (the supplement did not contain iron). Folate deficiency has been reported in almost one in two anaemic HIV infected patients [25]. Other authors have reported asso- ciations between anaemia, gender and folate deficiency in children whose HIV infection status was not known [26]. normal serum folate is a useful indicator of folate status that warrants reporting. In a landscape of multiple defi- ciencies, such as HIV-infected children in a low-income country, there is always the potential for other deficien- cies to alter the response, for instance, iron deficiency (the supplement did not contain iron). Folate deficiency has been reported in almost one in two anaemic HIV infected patients [25]. Discussion This paper describes the vitamin B12 and folate concen- trations of HIV-infected Ugandan children aged 1-5 years and the effect of 2RDA of 14 multiple micronutri- ents that contained vitamin B12 and folate versus the ‘standard of care’ multivitamins in 1RDA without Page 7 of 9 Page 7 of 9 Ndeezi et al. Discussion Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Table 3 Factors associated with low vitamin B12 and folate among HIV infected children in Uganda Baseline characteristics Number N Low vitamin B12 statusa n (%) Un adjusted OR (95% CI) Adjusted OR (95%CI) Vitamin B12 status Age < 24 months 70 19 (27.1) 0.9 (0.6 - 1.5) Age ≥24 months 144 41 (28.5) Male 100 33 (33.0) 1.4 (0.9 - 2.1) 1.6 (0.8 - 3.1) Female 114 27 (23.7) Weight for height z score < -2 28 7 (25.0) 0.9 (0.4 - 1.7) Weight for height z score ≥-2 182 52 (28.6) Haemoglobin < 11 g/dl 127 37 (29.1) 1.1 (0.7 - 1.7) Haemoglobin ≥11 g/dl 87 23 (26.4) CD4+ < 25% 114 33 (28.9) 1.1 (0.6 - 2.1) CD4+ ≥25% 85 23 (27.1) On HAART 44 15 (34.1) 1.3 (0.8 - 2.1) HAART naïve 170 45 (26.5) Routine CTX prophylaxis 193 56 (29.0) 1.5 (0.6 - 3.8) No routine CTX prophylaxis 21 4 (19.0) Previous routine multivitamins 144 40 (27.8) 1.0 (0.6 - 1.5) No routine multivitamins 70 20 (28.6) Folate status Low folate Age < 24 months 70 27 (38.6) 1.6 (1.1 - 2.4) 2.2 (1.1 - 4.5) Age ≥24 months 144 35 (24.3) Male 100 36 (36.0) 1.6 (1.0 - 2.4) 2.1 (1.1 - 4.0) Female 114 26 (22.8) Weight for height z score < -2 28 7 (25.0) 0.8 (0.4 - 1.7) Weight for height z score ≥-2 182 54 (29.7) Haemoglobin < 11 g/dl 127 45 (35.4) 1.8 (1.1 - 2.9) 1.9 (0.9 - 4.6) Haemoglobin ≥11 g/dl 87 17 (19.5) CD4+ < 25% 114 36 (31.6) 1.2 (0.7 - 1.9) CD4+ ≥25% 85 22 (25.9) On HAART 44 10 (22.7) 0.7 (0.4 - 1.3) HAART naïve 170 52 (30.6) Routine CTX prophylaxis 193 58 (30.1) 1.6 (0.6 - 3.9) No routine CTX prophylaxis 21 4 (19.0) Previous routine multivitamins 144 44 (30.6) 1.2 (0.7 - 1.9) No routine multivitamins 70 18 (25.7) aLow vitamin B12 < 221 pmol/L, ated with low vitamin B12 and folate among HIV infected children in Uganda Number N Low vitamin B12 statusa n (%) Un adjusted OR (95% CI) Adju there was a slight deterioration in the CD4+ cell counts among the HAART naïve MMS group. References Allen LH, Rosado JL, Casterline JE, Martinez H, Lopez P, Munoz E, Black AK: Vitamin B-12 deficiency and malabsorption are highly prevalent in rural Mexican communities. Am J Clin Nutr 1995, 62(5):1013-1019. Siekmann JH, Allen LH, Bwibo NO, Demment MW, Murphy SP, Neumann CG: Kenyan school children have multiple micronutrient deficiencies, but increased plasma vitamin B-12 is the only detectable micronutrient response to meat or milk supplementation. J Nutr 2003, 133(11 Suppl 2):3972S-3980S. We were unable to measure serum homocysteine and methyl malonic acid concentrations which are more reli- able indicators of vitamin B12 deficiency because of the limited amount of blood that we could draw from the children as we had multiple micronutrients to test for. We also did not conduct absorption studies to examine the impact of malabsorption on baseline micronutrient and post-supplementation status. This paper does not describe the dietary habits of the study children and whether they had an impact on the outcome. García-Casal MN, Osorio C, Landaeta M, Leets I, Matus P, Fazzino F, Marcos E: High prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies in infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women in Venezuela. Eur J Clin Nutr 2005, 59(9):1064-1070. Taneja S, Bhandari N, Strand TA, Sommerfelt H, Refsum H, Ueland PM, Schneede J, Bahl R, Bhan MK: Cobalamin and folate status in infants and young children in a low-to-middle income country in India. Am J Clin Nutr 2007, 86(5):1302-1309. Subar AF, Krebs-Smith SM, Cook A, Kahle LL: Dietary sources of nutrients among US children, 1989-1991. Pediatrics 1998, 102(4 Pt 1):913-923. Micronutrient Information Center. [http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/]. Monsen AL, Refsum H, Markestad T, Ueland PM: Cobalamin status and its biochemical markers methylmalonic acid and homocysteine in different age groups from 4 days to 19 years. Clin Chem 2003, 49(12):2067-2075. Zengin E, Sarper N, Caki Kiliç S: Clinical manifestations of infants with nutritional vitamin B deficiency due to maternal dietary deficiency. Acta Paediatr 2009, 98(1):98-102. Discussion Other authors have reported asso- ciations between anaemia, gender and folate deficiency in children whose HIV infection status was not known [26]. Neither MMS nor the ‘standard of care’ MV improved the immunological status of the study children. In fact Page 8 of 9 Page 8 of 9 Page 8 of 9 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 University of Bergen, and Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. University of Bergen, and Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. In our setting it is possible that low concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate may be related to consumption of marginal or low levels of vitamin B12 and folate since twice the recommended dietary intakes increased serum concentrations as opposed to the multivitamin supple- ment which did not contain vitamin B12 or folate. Some authors have shown that Vitamin B12 deficiency is rare in HIV infected persons consuming vitamin B12 well above the recommended nutrient intakes [28]. In Uganda one third of children aged between 6 and 24 months are likely to be getting diary products in their diet and very few are likely to be getting other animal source foods [29]. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Received: 19 January 2011 Accepted: 21 May 2011 Published: 21 May 2011 We are not certain whether our findings are similar to children in the general population since we had no con- trol group of HIV uninfected children. A study of both HIV-infected and exposed uninfected children in Brazil showed no differences in micronutrient status [30]. However another study indicated that HIV infected chil- dren had significantly lower folate levels than the refer- ence children while vitamin B12 was similar [31]. Authors’ contributions GN participated in the conception, design and implementation of the study, statistical analysis, interpretation and writing of the manuscript. JKT participated in the conception, design and implementation of the study, statistical analysis, interpretation and drafting of the manuscript. CMN participated in the design and implementation of the study. BJB participated in the design, supervised the laboratory work and drafting of the manuscript. TT participated in the conception, design and implementation of the study, statistical analysis, interpretation and drafting of the manuscript. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements and funding We thank the children and their mot Acknowledgements and funding We thank the children and their mothers/caretakers without whose participation the study would have been impossible to carry out. We are very grateful to all the participating hospitals and HIV care institutions, the paediatricians and other study personnel for making this study a success. The study was carried out as part of the ‘Essential Child Health and Nutrition Project in Uganda’, a collaboration between the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences and the Centre for International Health, University of Bergen. The Norwegian Council for Higher Education’s Programme for Development Research and Education (NUFU) funded the study. 13. Varma JL, Das S, Sankar R, Mannar MG, Levinson FJ, Hamer DH: Community-level micronutrient fortification of a food supplement in India: a controlled trial in preschool children aged 36-66 mo. Am J Clin Nutr 2007, 85(4):1127-1133. 14. Chatterjee A, Bosch RJ, Hunter DJ, Manji K, Msamanga GI, Fawzi WW: Vitamin A and vitamin B-12 concentrations in relation to mortality and morbidity among children born to HIV-infected women. J Trop Pediatr 2010, 56(1):27-35. Author details 1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. 2Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Norway. 3Institute of Medicine, Conclusion Low vitamin B12 and folate concentrations are common in Ugandan HIV infected children aged 1-5 years. Twice the recommended dietary allowance of 14 multiple micronutrients as opposed to the 6 multivitamin ‘stan- dard of care’ supplement improved the vitamin B12 and folate status of HIV-infected children in Uganda. 15. Ndeezi G, Tumwine JK, Bolann BJ, Ndugwa CM, Tylleskar T: Zinc status in HIV infected Ugandan children aged 1-5 years: a cross sectional baseline survey. BMC Pediatr 2010, 10(1):68. Acknowledgements and funding We thank the children and their mothers/caretakers without whose participation the study would have been impossible to carry out. We are very grateful to all the participating hospitals and HIV care institutions, the paediatricians and other study personnel for making this study a success. The study was carried out as part of the ‘Essential Child Health and Nutrition Project in Uganda’, a collaboration between the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences and the Centre for International Health, University of Bergen. The Norwegian Council for Higher Education’s Programme for Development Research and Education (NUFU) funded the study. Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 9. Baum MK, Shor-Posner G, Lu Y, Rosner B, Sauberlich HE, Fletcher MA, Szapocznik J, Eisdorfer C, Buring JE, Hennekens CH: Micronutrients and HIV-1 disease progression. AIDS 1995, 9(9):1051-1056. 10. Baylin A, Villamor E, Rifai N, Msamanga G, Fawzi WW: Effect of vitamin supplementation to HIV-infected pregnant women on the micronutrient status of their infants. Eur J Clin Nutr 2005, 59(8):960-968. 11. Ash DM, Tatala SR, Frongillo EA Jr, Ndossi GD, Latham MC: Randomized efficacy trial of a micronutrient-fortified beverage in primary school children in Tanzania. Am J Clin Nutr 2003, 77(4):891-898. 12. Osei AK, Rosenberg IH, Houser RF, Bulusu S, Mathews M, Hamer DH: Community-level micronutrient fortification of school lunch meals improved vitamin A, folate, and iron status of schoolchildren in Himalayan villages of India. J Nutr 140(6):1146-1154. 13. Varma JL, Das S, Sankar R, Mannar MG, Levinson FJ, Hamer DH: Community-level micronutrient fortification of a food supplement in India: a controlled trial in preschool children aged 36-66 mo. Am J Clin Nutr 2007, 85(4):1127-1133. 14. Chatterjee A, Bosch RJ, Hunter DJ, Manji K, Msamanga GI, Fawzi WW: Vitamin A and vitamin B-12 concentrations in relation to mortality and morbidity among children born to HIV-infected women. J Trop Pediatr 2010, 56(1):27-35. 15. Ndeezi G, Tumwine JK, Bolann BJ, Ndugwa CM, Tylleskar T: Zinc status in HIV infected Ugandan children aged 1-5 years: a cross sectional baseline survey. BMC Pediatr 2010, 10(1):68. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-10-56 Cite this article as: Ndeezi et al.: Multiple micronutrient supplementation improves vitamin B12 and folate concentrations of HIV infected children in Uganda: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition Journal 2011 10:56. Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 16. Carmel R, Green R, Rosenblatt DS, Watkins D: Update on cobalamin, folate, and homocysteine. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program 2003, 62-81. 17. Rogers LM, Boy E, Miller JW, Green R, Sabel JC, Allen LH: High prevalence of cobalamin deficiency in Guatemalan schoolchildren: associations with low plasma holotranscobalamin II and elevated serum methylmalonic acid and plasma homocysteine concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr 2003, 77(2):433-440. 18. Harriman GR, Smith PD, Horne MK, Fox CH, Koenig S, Lack EE, Lane HC, Fauci AS: Vitamin B12 malabsorption in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Arch Intern Med 1989, 149(9):2039-2041. 19. Rule SA, Hooker M, Costello C, Luck W, Hoffbrand AV: Serum vitamin B12 and transcobalamin levels in early HIV disease. Am J Hematol 1994, 47(3):167-171. 20. Remacha AF, Cadafalch J: Cobalamin deficiency in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Semin Hematol 1999, 36(1):75-87. 21. Tang AM, Graham NM, Chandra RK, Saah AJ: Low serum vitamin B-12 concentrations are associated with faster human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) disease progression. J Nutr 1997, 127(2):345-351. 21. Tang AM, Graham NM, Chandra RK, Saah AJ: Low serum vitamin B-12 concentrations are associated with faster human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) disease progression. J Nutr 1997, 127(2):345-351. 22. Hepburn MJ, Dyal K, Runser LA, Barfield RL, Hepburn LM, Fraser SL: Low serum vitamin B12 levels in an outpatient HIV-infected population. Int J STD AIDS 2004, 15(2):127-133. 22. Hepburn MJ, Dyal K, Runser LA, Barfield RL, Hepburn LM, Fraser SL: Low serum vitamin B12 levels in an outpatient HIV-infected population. Int J STD AIDS 2004, 15(2):127-133. 23. Eley BS, Sive AA, Abelse L, Kossew G, Cooper M, Hussey GD: Growth and micronutrient disturbances in stable, HIV-infected children in Cape Town. Ann Trop Paediatr 2002, 22(1):19-23. 23. Eley BS, Sive AA, Abelse L, Kossew G, Cooper M, Hussey GD: Growth and micronutrient disturbances in stable, HIV-infected children in Cape Town. Ann Trop Paediatr 2002, 22(1):19-23. 24. Malik ZA, Abadi J, Sansary J, Rosenberg M: Elevated levels of vitamin B12 and folate in vertically infected children with HIV-1. AIDS 2009, 23(3):403-407. 25. Castro L, Goldani LZ: Iron, folate and vitamin B12 parameters in HIV -infected patients with anaemia in southern Brazil. Trop Doct 2009, 39(2):83-85. 25. Castro L, Goldani LZ: Iron, folate and vitamin B12 parameters in HIV -infected patients with anaemia in southern Brazil. Trop Doct 2009, 39(2):83-85. 26. Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Pasricha SR, Black J, Muthayya S, Shet A, Bhat V, Nagaraj S, Prashanth NS, Sudarshan H, Biggs BA, Shet AS: Determinants of anemia among young children in rural India. Pediatrics 2010, 126(1):e140-149. 26. Pasricha SR, Black J, Muthayya S, Shet A, Bhat V, Nagaraj S, Prashanth NS, Sudarshan H, Biggs BA, Shet AS: Determinants of anemia among young children in rural India. Pediatrics 2010, 126(1):e140-149. 27. Kaiser JD, Campa AM, Ondercin JP, Leoung GS, Pless RF, Baum MK: Micronutrient Supplementation Increases CD4 Count in HIV-Infected Individuals on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy: A Prospective, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2006, 42(5):523-528. 28. Dowling S, Lambe J, Mulcahy F: Vitamin B12 and folate status in human immunodeficiency virus infection. Eur J Clin Nutr 1993, 47(11):803-807. 28. Dowling S, Lambe J, Mulcahy F: Vitamin B12 and folate status in human immunodeficiency virus infection. Eur J Clin Nutr 1993, 47(11):803-807. 29. Wamani H, Astrom AN, Peterson S, Tylleskar T, Tumwine JK: Infant and young child feeding in western Uganda: knowledge, practices and socio-economic correlates. J Trop Pediatr 2005, 51(6):356-361. 29. Wamani H, Astrom AN, Peterson S, Tylleskar T, Tumwine JK: Infant and young child feeding in western Uganda: knowledge, practices and socio-economic correlates. J Trop Pediatr 2005, 51(6):356-361. 30. Monteiro JP, Freimanis-Hance L, Faria LB, Mussi-Pinhata MM, Korelitz J, Vannucchi H, Queiroz W, Succi RC, Hazra R: Both human immunodeficiency virus-infected and human immunodeficiency virus- exposed, uninfected children living in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico have similar rates of low concentrations of retinol, beta-carotene, and vitamin E. Nutr Res 2009, 29(10):716-722. 31. Vilaseca MA, Sierra C, Colomé C, Artuch R, Valls C, Muñoz-Almagro C, Vilches MA, Fortuny C: Hyperhomocysteinaemia and folate deficiency in human immunodeficiency virus-infected children. Eur J Clin Invest 2001, 31(11):992-998. 31. Vilaseca MA, Sierra C, Colomé C, Artuch R, Valls C, Muñoz-Almagro C, doi:10.1186/1475-2891-10-56 Cite this article as: Ndeezi et al.: Multiple micronutrient supplementation improves vitamin B12 and folate concentrations of HIV infected children in Uganda: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition Journal 2011 10:56. Author details 1D t t f Author details 1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. 2Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Norway. 3Institute of Medicine, 15. Ndeezi G, Tumwine JK, Bolann BJ, Ndugwa CM, Tylleskar T: Zinc status in HIV infected Ugandan children aged 1-5 years: a cross sectional baseline survey. BMC Pediatr 2010, 10(1):68. Page 9 of 9 Page 9 of 9 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Ndeezi et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:56 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/56 Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color figure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit
https://openalex.org/W23265364
https://ccforum.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/cc11041
English
null
Retrospective comparison study of warfarinised trauma patients and an age-matched control group of nonwarfarinised patients
Critical care
2,012
cc-by
261,109
P1 Impaired innate and adaptive immunity of accelerated-aged Klotho mice in sepsis p Methods We tested for genetic association of IL-17A SNPs with susceptibility to infection and clinical outcome of severe sepsis using two cohorts of European ancestry (St Paul’s Hospital (SPH) derivation cohort, n = 679; Vasopressin and Septic Shock Trial (VASST) validation cohort n = 517). The primary outcome variable was susceptibility to Gram-positive bacterial infection. The secondary outcome variable was 28-day mortality. p S Inoue, K Suzuki-Utsunomiya, K Suzuki-Utsunomiya, T Sato, T Chiba, K Hozumi Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P1 (doi: 10.1186/cc10608) Introduction Sepsis is primarily a disease of the aged and 60% of sepsis occurs in patients older than 65 years, 80% of deaths due to sepsis occur in this age group. Klotho knockout mice (Klotho mice) develop a syndrome resembling human aging, and exhibit shortened life spans (8 weeks); however, details regarding the immunity of and immunological changes in Klotho mice after sepsis are still unclear. The purpose of the study is to elucidate the immunological changes that occur in Klotho mice after sepsis in order to identify therapeutic targets for sepsis that occurs in aged individuals. y y Results Of four tested tag SNPs (rs4711998, rs8193036, rs2275913, rs1974226) in the IL-17A gene, rs1974226 SNP was associated with altered susceptibility to Gram-positive bacterial infection in the derivation cohort (corrected P  =  0.014). Patients who have the GG genotype of the rs1974226 SNP were more susceptible to Gram- positive bacterial infection, compared to the AG/AA genotype in the two cohorts of severe sepsis (SPH, P = 0.0036; VASST, P = 0.011) and in the subgroup having lung infection (P = 0.017). Furthermore, the G allele of the IL-17A rs1974226 SNP was associated with increased 28- day mortality in two cohorts (SPH, adjusted OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.02, P = 0.029; VASST, adjusted OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.17 to 2.40, P = 0.0052). Conclusion IL-17A genetic variation is associated with altered suscepti- bility to Gram-positive infection and 28-day mortality of severe sepsis. References p g Methods (1) Survival study: cecum ligation puncture (CLP) was performed to Klotho and wild-type (WT) mice and 4-day survivals were compared. (2) Cell analysis study: mice were sacrifi ced at 8 hours post CLP or sham surgery. Spleens, thymus, and serum were harvested for FACS analysis using caspase 3 as a marker for apoptosis, and blood for serum cytokine assay. MEETING ABSTRACTS MEETING ABSTRACTS P1 Impaired innate and adaptive immunity of accelerated-aged Klotho mice in sepsis S Inoue, K Suzuki-Utsunomiya, K Suzuki-Utsunomiya, T Sato, T Chiba, K Hozumi Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P1 (doi: 10.1186/cc10608) P1 Impaired innate and adaptive immunity of accelerated-aged Klotho mice in sepsis S Inoue, K Suzuki-Utsunomiya, K Suzuki-Utsunomiya, T Sato, T Chiba, K Hozumi Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P1 (doi: 10.1186/cc10608) P3 Prevalence of TLR4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (ASP299GLY, THR399ILE) in healthy subjects and septic patients, and association with outcome T Mohovic1, R Salomao2, E Nogueira2 1Albert Einstein Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil; 2UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P3 (doi: 10.1186/cc10610) Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 32nd International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine Brussels, Belgium, 20-23 March 2012 Published: 20 March 2012 to the host defense. Whether genetic variation of IL-17A is associated with altered clinical outcome of severe sepsis is unknown. P1 Impaired innate and adaptive immunity of accelerated-aged Klotho mice in sepsis S Inoue, K Suzuki-Utsunomiya, K Suzuki-Utsunomiya, T Sato, T Chiba, K Hozumi Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P1 (doi: 10.1186/cc10608) bility to Gram References 1. Puel A, et al.: Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis in humans with inborn errors of interleukin-17 immunity. Science 2011, 332:65-68. Results (1) Klotho septic mice started to die from 8 to 12 hours after CLP, and fi nal survival of Klotho mice with CLP was signifi cantly lower than that of WT with CLP (0% vs. 100%, P <0.01). (2) Increased bacterial count in peritoneal cavity and decreased recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages to the peripheral cavity were observed in Klotho-CLP mice. Serum concentration of IL-6, TNF, and IL-10 were signifi cantly higher in Klotho-CLP mice than those in the WT-CLP mice. A dramatically increased caspase 3 positive proportion in Klotho-CLP mice was observed in both fl ow cytometric and immunohistological analysis (P <0.01). 2. Cho JS, et al.: IL-17 is essential for host defense against cutaneous Staphylococcus aureus infection in mice. J Clin Invest 2010, 120:1762-1773. 2. Cho JS, et al.: IL-17 is essential for host defense against cutaneous Staphylococcus aureus infection in mice. J Clin Invest 2010, 120:1762-1773. P1 Impaired innate and adaptive immunity of accelerated-aged Klotho mice in sepsis Bacterial colony count in peritoneal lavage was also analyzed. Prevalence of TLR4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (ASP299GLY, THR399ILE) in healthy subjects and septic patients, and association with outcome T Mohovic1, R Salomao2, E Nogueira2 1Albert Einstein Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil; 2UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P3 (doi: 10.1186/cc10610) T Mohovic1, R Salomao2, E Nogueira2 Conclusion Poor survival in Klotho-septic mice may be associated with impaired bacterial clearance with decreased recruitment of neutrophils/macrophages in peritoneal cavity, elevated cytokines in serum, and increased apoptosis in thymus and spleen, following to impaired innate and adaptive immunity. Introduction Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of functional SNPs (Asp299Gly, Thr399Ile) of TLR4 receptors, in healthy volunteers and septic patients in a Brazilian population and to correlate the presence of these polymorphisms in septic patients with clinical outcome.i P2 P2 IL-17A rs1974226 GG genotype is associated with increased susceptibility to Gram-positive infection and mortality of severe sepsis T Nakada, J Russell, J Boyd, K Walley University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P2 (doi: 10.1186/cc10609) Methods We verifi ed the presence of polymorphisms ASP299GLY, THR399 ILE by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism followed by digestion with enzymes NcoI for SNP 299 and HinfI for SNP399 followed by electrophoresis for identifi cation of alleles.if yi Results We observed a statistically signifi cant diff erence between the genotypes of the Thr399Ile polymorphism and respiratory dysfunction, indicating a higher frequency than wild-type genotype in subjects with respiratory dysfunction than those without this condition (P = 0.001). We also observed a statistically signifi cant diff erence between genotype groups formed by the Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms and respiratory dysfunction more often featuring group 299Selv/399Selv grupo299Het/399Het and less frequently in individuals with respiratory dysfunction than those without this condition (P = 0.003). Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P2 (doi: 10.1186/cc10609) Introduction IL-17A plays a key role in host defense against microbial infection including Gram-positive bacteria. Genetic factors contribute © 2010 BioMed Central Ltd © 2012 BioMed Central Ltd © 2010 BioMed Central Ltd © 2012 BioMed Central Ltd S2 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion Our study shows for the fi rst time an assessment of the prevalence of polymorphisms of TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile con- sidering its cosegregation in healthy individuals and septic patients. References 1. O’Dwyer et al.: The occurrence of severe sepsis and septic shock are related to distinct patterns of cytokine gene expression. Shock 2006, 26:544-550. Methods We used diff erent wild-type mice strains (BALB/c, C57BL/6,129SV), and KO mice lacking diff erent leukocytes subset rag2–/–, rag2gc–/–, cd3e–/–, μ–/–, il-15–/– and Ja18–/–. We used an ex vivo model consisting of intravenous injection of LPS 20 hours prior to an in vitro stimulation of AM, peritoneal macrophages and monocytes with LPS. We pretreated the wild-type mice with anti-cytokines antibodies, and KO mice with B cells and NK cells adoptive transfer.i 1. O’Dwyer et al.: The occurrence of severe sepsis and septic shock are related to distinct patterns of cytokine gene expression. Shock 2006, 26:544-550. 2. O’Dwyer et al.: The human response to infection is associated with distinct patterns of interleukin 23 and interleukin 27 expression. Intensive Care Med 2008, 34:683-691. 2. O’Dwyer et al.: The human response to infection is associated with distinct patterns of interleukin 23 and interleukin 27 expression. Intensive Care Med 2008, 34:683-691. Results We confi rmed the absence of AM tolerance to endotoxin in all the strain of wild-type mice. Inhibiting either GM-CSF or INFγ in vivo at homeostasis led to a decrease in TNF production by AM during the in vitro stimulation by LPS, suggesting the involvement of these cytokines in the prevention of tolerance within the lungs. The fact that AM from rag2–/–, rag2gc–/–, μ–/– could be tolerated, the fact that adoptive transfer of B lymphocytes in these defi cient mice restores the wild-type response, and the presence of INFγ mRNA in the lungs at homeostasis in wild-type mice and before and after adoptive B-lymphocyte transfer Prevalence of TLR4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (ASP299GLY, THR399ILE) in healthy subjects and septic patients, and association with outcome And that septic patients who develop respiratory dysfunction have more presence and genotypes 399Selv 299Selv/399Selv and less the presence of genotype 299Het/399Het, featuring a protective eff ect of the polymorphism Thr399Ile. changes in aged sepsis is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the immunological changes in sepsis of aged patients. Conclusion Our study shows for the fi rst time an assessment of the prevalence of polymorphisms of TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile con- sidering its cosegregation in healthy individuals and septic patients. Methods Forty-four septic patients and 48 gender-matched healthy volunteers were prospectively enrolled in the study, which included the following investigations: (1) The SOFA score and clinical outcome were compared between adult sepsis (<65 years of age) and older adult sepsis (≥65 years of age). (2) Blood samples were collected from septic and control volunteers. Separated peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stained with CD4, CD8, programmed death-1 (PD-1), CD28, and CD62L antibodies and analyzed by fl ow cytometry, and serum was used to measure cytokine concentrations by using multiplex bead assay. Values were compared among four groups: normal adult (<65 years of age), normal older adult (≥65 years of age), adult sepsis (<65 years of age), and older adult sepsis (≥65 years of age) groups. g g g y p p And that septic patients who develop respiratory dysfunction have more presence and genotypes 399Selv 299Selv/399Selv and less the presence of genotype 299Het/399Het, featuring a protective eff ect of the polymorphism Thr399Ile. p y p References 1. Lorenz E, Mira JP, Cornish KL, Arbour NC, Schwartz DA: A novel polymorphism in the toll-like receptor 2 gene and its potential association with staphylococcal infection. Infect Immun 2000, 68:6398-6401. 1. Lorenz E, Mira JP, Cornish KL, Arbour NC, Schwartz DA: A novel polymorphism in the toll-like receptor 2 gene and its potential association with staphylococcal infection. Infect Immun 2000, 68:6398-6401. p y 2. Janeway CA, Jr, Medzhitov R: Introduction: the role of innate immunity in the adaptive immune response. Semin Immunol 1998, 10:349-350. 2. Janeway CA, Jr, Medzhitov R: Introduction: the role of innate immunity in the adaptive immune response. Semin Immunol 1998, 10:349-350. g y g g Results (1) No diff erences in SOFA scores were observed between adult sepsis (n = 19, 39 years) and older adult sepsis (n = 25, 78 years), but 3-month survival in older adult sepsis was signifi cantly decreased compared with that in adult sepsis (36% vs. 4%, P <0.05). (2) Population of CD8+ T cells in normal older adults was signifi cantly less than that in normal adults (1.5×105 vs. 5.7×104/ml, P  <0.01), and percentage of PD-1+CD8+ T cells in the older adult sepsis group was signifi cantly greater than that in the normal older adult group (40% vs. 29%, P <0.01). Population of CD4+, CD62L+CD4+, and CD28+CD4+ T cells in the older adult sepsis group was signifi cantly less than that in the normal older adult group (n = 26, 80 years) (1.8×105 vs. 5.9 ×104/ml, 1.6×105 vs. 5.4×104/ml, and 1.6×105 vs. 4.4×104/ml, respectively; P <0.01); however, these values did not diff er between the adult sepsis and normal adult (n = 22, 39 years) groups. Serum IL-12 level in older adult sepsis was increased when compared with that in the other three groups (P <0.01). Conclusion Poor prognosis in older adult sepsis may be related to both preexisting decrease of CD8+ T cells with aging and loss of CD4+ T cells with sepsis. Modelling immune responses in sepsis R Grealy1, M White2, M O’Dwyer2, P Stordeur3, DG Doherty1, R McManus1, T Ryan2 R Grealy1, M White2, M O’Dwyer2, P Stordeur3, DG Doherty1, R McManus1, T Ryan2 R Grealy1, M White2, M O’Dwyer2, P Stordeur3, DG Doherty1, R McManus1, T Ryan2 y 1Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; 2St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 3Hopital d’Erasme, Bruxelles, Belgium y 1Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; 2St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 3Hopital d’Erasme, Bruxelles, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P4 (doi: 10.1186/cc10611) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P4 (doi: 10.1186/cc10611) Introduction The onset and evolution of the sepsis syndrome in humans is modulated by an underlying immune suppressive state [1,2]. Signalling between immune eff ector cells plays an important part in this response. The objective of this study was to investigate peripheral blood cytokine gene expression patterns and serum protein analysis in an attempt to model immune responses in patients with sepsis of varying severity. We hypothesised that such immunologic profi ling could be of use in modelling and prediction of outcomes in sepsis in addition to the evaluation of future novel sepsis therapies. Methods A prospective observational study in a mixed medical/ surgical ICU and general wards of a large academic teaching hospital was undertaken. Eighty ICU patients with a diagnosis of severe sepsis, 50 patients with mild sepsis (bacteraemia not requiring ICU admission) and 20 healthy controls were recruited. Gene expression analysis by qPCR for INFγ, TNFα, IL-2, IL-7, IL-10, IL-23, IL-27 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum protein analysis for IL-6 was performed. Multivariate analysis was used to construct a model of gene expression based on cytokine copy numbers alone and in combination with serum IL-6 levels. Homeostatic pulmonary microenvironment is responsible for alveolar macrophages resistance to endotoxin tolerance F Philippart1, C Fitting2, B Misset1, J Cavaillon2 1Groupe Hospitalier Paris Saint Joseph, Paris, France; 2Institut Pasteur de Paris, Paris, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P6 (doi: 10.1186/cc10613) Homeostatic pulmonary microenvironment is responsible for alveolar macrophages resistance to endotoxin tolerance F Philippart1, C Fitting2, B Misset1, J Cavaillon2 Homeostatic pulmonary microenvironment is responsible for alveolar macrophages resistance to endotoxin tolerance F Philippart1, C Fitting2, B Misset1, J Cavaillon2 pp g 1Groupe Hospitalier Paris Saint Joseph, Paris, France; 2Institut Pasteur de Paris, Paris, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P6 (doi: 10 1186/cc10613) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P6 (doi: 10.1186/cc10613 Introduction Endotoxin tolerance (ET) is a modifi cation of immune response to a second challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which results in a decreased production of proinfl ammatory cytokines, and is considered partly responsible for the susceptibility to infectious processes in hospitalized patients [1]. We previously observed an absence of ET of alveolar macrophages (AM) to LPS in an ex vivo murine model of endotoxin tolerance [2]. We hypothesized that this singularity could be mediated by granulocyte–macrophage colony- stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (known to be predominantly produced by type II pneumocytes) and interferon-gamma (INFγ), two cytokines known to prevent the occurrence of ET [3]. The objectives were to confi rm the absence of tolerance of AM to LPS and to assess the respective roles of GM-CSF and INFγ in this phenomenon and the cellular origin of INFγ.f Results Sepsis was characterised by decreased IL-2, IL-7, IL-23, INFγ and greater TNFα, IL-10 and IL-27 gene expression levels compared to controls. Severe sepsis diff ered from mild sepsis by a decreased INFγ and increased IL-10 gene expression (P  <0.0001). A composite cytokine gene expression score diff erentiated controls from mild sepsis and mild sepsis from severe sepsis (P <0.0001). A model combining these cytokine gene expression levels and serum IL-6 protein levels distinguished sepsis from severe sepsis with an ROC value of 0.89. Conclusion Accurate modelling of patient response to infection is possible using peripheral blood mononuclear cell gene expression and serum protein analysis. Molecular biological techniques provide a robust method of such profi ling. This approach may be used to evaluate novel sepsis therapies. References P7 In vivo natural killer and natural killer T-cell depletion aff ects mortality in a murine pneumococcal pneumonia sepsis model E Ch i t ki1 E Di 1 SM O l2 A Pi tiki3 DI D iti3 DP C 3 p gg M Georgitsi3, N Malisiovas1, P Nikolaidis1, EJ Giamarellos-Bourboulis3 1Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; 2Memorial Hospital of RI, Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; 3University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece Figure 2 (abstract P7). Kaplan–Meier survival curve of groups B and C. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P7 (doi: 10.1186/cc10614) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P7 (doi: 10.1186/cc10614) Conclusion Our study has shown that NK cells appear to contribute to mortality in pneumococcal pneumonia. More research is needed to explore their role in host response to bacterial infection and sepsis. Introduction Apart from macrophages and neutrophils, natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells have been found to play a role in the early stages of bacterial infection. In this study, we investigated the role of NK and NKT cells in host defense against Streptococcus pneumoniae, using a murine pneumococcal pneumonia sepsis model. Our hypothesis was that NK and NKT cells play an immune-regulatory role during sepsis and thus in vivo depletion of those cell populations may aff ect mortality. P8 Mobilization of hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic stem cell subpopulations in sepsis: a preliminary report. T Skirecki1, U Zielińska-Borkowska1, M Złotorowicz1, M Złotorowicz1, J Kawiak2, G Hoser1 1Medical Center of Postgraduate Education, Warsaw, Poland; 2Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw, Poland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P8 (doi: 10.1186/cc10615) f Methods We used four groups of C57BL/6 mice (A, B, C and D, n = 10 mice/group). Animals were infected intratracheally with 50 μl of S. pneumoniae suspension (106 cfu). Twenty-four hours prior to bacterial inoculation, Group A received 50 μl of anti-asialoGM1 rabbit polyclonal antibody (Wako Chemicals GmbH, Neuss, Germany) intravenously (i.v.) to achieve in vivo NK cell inactivation; in Group B, NKT cell depletion was performed by targeting the CD1d receptor using 2 mg/kg of the monoclonal antibody anti-CD1d, clone 1B1 (BD Pharmingen, San Diego, CA, USA) i.v.; Group C (control) received an equivalent amount of isotype antibody control (nonspecifi c Ig). Group D received sham intratracheal installation of normal saline. Animals were observed daily for 7 days and deaths were recorded. The survival analysis was plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method and diff erences in survival between groups were compared with the log-rank test. Introduction Sepsis and septic shock lead to the multiorgan damage by extensive release of infl ammatory mediators. Regenerative mechanisms include such regimens as stem cells which diff erentiate towards specifi c tissues. Ratajczak MZ, et al.: Leukemia 2010, 24:1667-1675. 5 Decreased peripheral CD4+/CD8+ lymphocytes and poor prognosis in aged sepsis g p S Inoue, K Utsunomiya-Suzuki, S Morita, T Yamagiwa, S Inokuchi Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan g S Inoue, K Utsunomiya-Suzuki, S Morita, T Yamagiwa, S Inokuchi Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan y g p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P5 (doi: 10.1186/cc10612) Introduction Aging is a signifi cant factor and is associated with a poor prognosis in sepsis; however, the mechanism of immunological Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S3 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 2 (abstract P7). Kaplan–Meier survival curve of groups B and C. in KO mice demonstrated the involvement of these cells in the wild- type phenotype.i Conclusion We confi rm the resistance of AM to endotoxin tolerance. Both GM-CSF and INFγ within the lung microenvironment at homeostasis are involved in this phenomenon. B lymphocytes play a key role in the local expression of INFγ. f g 3. Adib-Conquy M, et al.: J Biol Chem 2002, 277:27927-27934. g 3. Adib-Conquy M, et al.: J Biol Chem 2002, 277:27927-27934. g 3. Adib-Conquy M, et al.: J Biol Chem 2002, 277:27927-27934. P7 In vivo natural killer and natural killer T-cell depletion aff ects mortality in a murine pneumococcal pneumonia sepsis model E Ch i t ki1 E Di 1 SM O l2 A Pi tiki3 DI D iti3 DP C 3 Also, in the course of the systemic infl ammation the disruption of various regulatory axes occurs, including chemokines (VEGF, HGF) and complement proteins (C5a,C3a). Among other functions these axes maintain stem cell circulation and recruitment [1]. The aim of the study was to evaluate circulating stem cells in the peripheral blood of septic patients.i Results We found that in vivo NK cell depletion improved survival after pneumococcal pneumonia and sepsis in the group of mice that received the anti-asialoGM1 antibody when compared with animals that received nonspecifi c IgG antibody (P = 0.041) (Figure 1). Nevertheless, when NKT cell depletion was attempted, survival worsened compared to the control group; however, that diff erence did not reach statistical signifi cance (P = 0.08) (Figure 2). Methods Blood samples were obtained from fi ve patients with sepsis or septic shock on the second day after diagnosis. Blood from fi ve healthy volunteers served as control. Samples were stained with the panel of antibodies against: CD45, lineage markers (Lin), CD34, CD133, VEGFR2 and isotypic controls. Cells were analyzed by fl ow cytometry and the total cell count per milliliter was calculated. Results On the basis of cell surface phenotype the following stem cell subpopulations were distinguished: hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) CD34+CD133+CD45+Lin–, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) CD34+CD133+VEGFR2+; and primitive nonhematopoietic stem cells. In the blood of septic patients we found: HSCs (5/5), median level 96/ml; EPCs (5/5), median 48/ml; and nonhematopoietic stem cells (4/5), median 48/ml. Whereas in the control group the results were as follow: HSCs (5/5), median level 644/ml; EPCs (5/5), median 70/ml; and nonhematopoietic stem cells (0/5). Two of fi ve patients died of septic shock. A trend to lower number of HSCs in nonsurvivors was observed. Conclusion Stem cells can be identifi ed phenotypically in the blood of septic patients and healthy volunteers. However, the circulating primitive nonhematopoietic stem cells could not be detected under physiological conditions. Furthermore, we suggest that stem cells analysis may have serve as prognostic tool in the future. Figure 1 (abstract P7). Kaplan–Meier survival curve of groups A and C. Acknowledgements Supported by EU Structural Funds, ‘Innovative Methods of Stem Cells Applications in Medicine’, Innovative Economy Operational Programme, POIG 01.02-00-109/09. Reference Figure 1 (abstract P7). Kaplan–Meier survival curve of groups A and C. Ratajczak MZ, et al.: Leukemia 2010, 24:1667-1675. P7 In vivo natural killer and natural killer T-cell depletion aff ects mortality in a murine pneumococcal pneumonia sepsis model E Ch i t ki1 E Di 1 SM O l2 A Pi tiki3 DI D iti3 DP C 3 S4 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results Mean respective apoptosis of groups 0, A, B, C, D and E at 24 hours were 37.9%, 77.6%, 81.9%, 73.8%, 83.6% and 75.4%; and at 48 hours 78.5%, 79.4%, 77.7%, 78.2%, 81% and 84.9% (P <0.05 group 0 vs. others). Mean respective MFI of TREM-1 of groups 0, A, B, C, D and E at 24 hours were 2.4, 4.4, 3.4, 3, 3.2 and 3; and at 48 hours 2.7, 2.8, 2.8, 2.6, 2.8 and 2.7 (P <0.05 group 0 vs. others). Tissue cultures were sterile. Release of IL-17 was greater by splenocytes of group D (Figure 1). Conclusion Increased neutrophil apoptosis and TREM-1 expression and modulated IL-17 responses are found within burn injury. Figure 1 (abstract P10). Release of IL-17 by mice splenocytes in relation to the type of thermal injury. P9 Blunted IL-17 responses early after advent of multiple injuries M Paraschos1, M Patrani1, A Pistiki2, J Van der Meer3, M Netea3, E Giamarellos-Bourboulis2, K Mandragos1 1Korgialeneion Benakeion Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece; 3UMC St Radboud, Nijmegen, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P9 (doi: 10.1186/cc10616) Figure 1 (abstract P10). Release of IL-17 by mice splenocytes in relation to the type of thermal injury. Introduction To defi ne the impact of multiple injuries without the presence of sepsis in IL-17 responses. Methods A total of 32 patients and 17 healthy volunteers were enrolled. All patients were bearing: multiple injuries necessitating ICU admission with an injury severity score more than 16; and systemic infl ammatory response syndrome. Patients with infections upon ICU admission were excluded from the study. Heparinized venous blood was sampled within the fi rst 24 hours after ICU admission. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated after gradient centrifugation of whole blood over Ficoll. They were incubated for 5 days in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 2 mM glutamine and 10% FBS in the presence of 10 ng/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli O55:B5; of 5 μg/ml phytohemmaglutin (PHA); of 5×105 cfu/ml of heat- killed Candida albicans (HKCA), of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (HKPA) or of Staphylococcus aureus (HKSA). IL-17 was measured in supernatants by an enzyme immnunoassay. P7 In vivo natural killer and natural killer T-cell depletion aff ects mortality in a murine pneumococcal pneumonia sepsis model E Ch i t ki1 E Di 1 SM O l2 A Pi tiki3 DI D iti3 DP C 3 Results Mean respective apoptosis of groups 0, A, B, C, D and E at 24 hours were 37.9%, 77.6%, 81.9%, 73.8%, 83.6% and 75.4%; and at 48 hours 78.5%, 79.4%, 77.7%, 78.2%, 81% and 84.9% (P <0.05 group 0 vs. others). Mean respective MFI of TREM-1 of groups 0, A, B, C, D and E at 24 hours were 2.4, 4.4, 3.4, 3, 3.2 and 3; and at 48 hours 2.7, 2.8, 2.8, 2.6, 2.8 and 2.7 (P <0.05 group 0 vs. others). Tissue cultures were sterile. Release of IL-17 was greater by splenocytes of group D (Figure 1). Conclusion Increased neutrophil apoptosis and TREM-1 expression and modulated IL-17 responses are found within burn injury. y y Results Mean APACHE II score of patients was 14. Release of IL-17 by PBMCs of patients was signifi cantly lower compared to controls, as shown in Figure 1. P values refer to comparisons between controls and patients. p Conclusion The presented fi ndings show that early upon advent of multiple injuries IL-17 responses are blunted. This may corroborate with the susceptibility of patients for superinfections. P11 Insuffi cient autophagy relates to mitochondrial dysfunction, organ failure and adverse outcome in an animal model of critical illness J Gunst, I Derese, A Aertgeerts, EJ Ververs, A Wauters, G Van den Berghe, I Vanhorebeek Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P11 (doi: 10.1186/cc10618) Insuffi cient autophagy relates to mitochondrial dysfunction, organ failure and adverse outcome in an animal model of critical illness J Gunst, I Derese, A Aertgeerts, EJ Ververs, A Wauters, G Van den Berghe, I Vanhorebeek Figure 1 (abstract P9). Release of IL-17 by PBMCs of controls and of patients. Introduction Increasing evidence implicates mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of critical illness-induced multiple organ failure. We previously demonstrated that prevention of hyperglycemia limits mitochondrial damage in vital organs [1,2], thereby reducing morbidity and mortality [3]. We now hypothesize that inadequate activation of mitochondrial repair processes (mitochondrial clearance by autophagy, mitochondrial fusion and fi ssion, and biogenesis) may contribute to accumulation of mitochondrial damage, persistence of organ failure and adverse outcome of critical illness. Methods We addressed this hypothesis in a rabbit model of critical illness. First, we studied whether vital organ mitochondrial repair pathways are diff erentially aff ected in surviving and nonsurviving hyperglycemic animals, in relation to mitochondrial and organ function. Next, we investigated whether preventing hyperglycemia with insulin aff ects mitochondrial repair over time. We quantifi ed mRNA/protein levels of key players of these processes. Activities of respiratory chain complexes I to V were measured spectrophotometrically. Plasma transaminases and creatinine were measured as markers of liver, respectively kidney, dysfunction. P12 Modulation of mediators derived from whole blood or monocytic cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide reduces endothelial cell activation A Schildberger, T Stoifl , D Falkenhagen, V Weber Danube University Krems, Austria Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P12 (doi: 10.1186/cc10619) Introduction Modulation of infl ammatory mediators with specifi c or selective adsorbents may represent a promising supportive therapy for septic patients. The aims of this study were to modulate mediator concentrations from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated whole blood or monocytic THP-1 cells with specifi c or selective adsorbents and to compare the infl uence on endothelial cell activation. Conclusion Our small sample of intensive care patients with a confi rmed A/H1N1 infection supports the scarce published data about the early immunological profi le of these patients. All our patients had a prominent lymphopenia with a most signifi cant decrease in CD4 and CD8 cells. Due to the number of patients in the season 2010/11 and the survival of all patients we could not analyse the relation of survival and the change in time of immunological profi le in this unique and probably already extinct group of patients. pl Methods Whole blood or THP-1 cells (1×106 cells per ml medium containing 10% human plasma) [1] were stimulated with 10 ng/ml LPS from Escherichia coli for 4 hours. Mediator modulation was performed with either a specifi c adsorbent for TNFα which was based on sepharose particles functionalized with anti-TNFα antibodies, or with a selective albumin-coated polystyrene divinylbenzene copolymer (PS-DVB) [2]. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) activation was monitored for 15 hours by measuring secretion of IL-6 and IL-8, as well as surface expression of the adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and E-selectin. Results Conditioned media derived from whole blood (CMB) or THP- 1 cells (CMT) both contained approximately 1,300 pg/ml TNFα which is known to be an important stimulator for HUVEC [1,2]. However, CMB led to a signifi cantly higher HUVEC activation as compared to CMT, as indicated by increased secretion of IL-6 and IL-8 (IL-6: 52,000 vs. 2,000 pg/ml; IL-8: 295,000 vs. 43,000 pg/ml), as well as signifi cantly increased E-selectin surface expression (50 vs. 12 mean fl uorescence intensity for CMP and CMT, respectively). P12 P12 Modulation of mediators derived from whole blood or monocytic cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide reduces endothelial cell activation A Schildberger, T Stoifl , D Falkenhagen, V Weber Danube University Krems, Austria Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P12 (doi: 10.1186/cc10619) P13 P13 A/H1N1 infection: immunological parameters in ICU patients I Zykova, P Sedlák, T Zajíc, A Vitouš, F Stejskal Regional Hospital Liberec, Czech Republic Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P13 (doi: 10.1186/cc10620) P10 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S5 Time of course CD64, a leukocyte activation marker, during extracorporeal circulation S Djebara, P Biston, F Emmanuel, A Daper, M Joris, P Cauchie, M Piagnerelli CHU Charleroi, Belgium Introduction CD64 is a high-affi nity leukocyte receptor for the Fc portion of IgG [1]. As CD64 expression on neutrophil cells (PMNs) is upregulated specifi cally after bacterial stimulation, it could be used to discriminate infl ammatory states from bacterial infections [1-3]. The objective was a comparison of the time course of CD64 expression on PMN cells between patients undergoing cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation (ECC) with septic patients. f g Conclusion Infl ammatory mediator modulation with specifi c or selective adsorbents reduces endothelial cell activation and thus may support the development of new therapies for sepsis. References Methods Prospective study realized in the ICU of CHU Charleroi (Belgium). Thirty-nine patients scheduled for a cardiac surgery with ECC (coronary, valvular or mixed surgery) (ECC group) and 11 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock (septic group) were included. The CD64 expression on PMNs was quantifi ed by the hematologic Cell Dyn Sapphire method (Abotte US) before T0, at ICU admission (T1) and postoperatively on day 1 (T2) and day 5 (T3) for the ECC group and on days 0, 1 and 5 for the septic group. Values are expressed as median (25th to 75th) percentiles Results Fifty patients were included among which 39 in the ECC group (nine valvular, 20 coronary artery bypass grafting and 10 mixed surgery). As expected, the infl ammatory parameters were signifi cantly increased in septic patients compared to the ECC group except on day 1. Schildberger et al.: Innate Immun 2010, 16:278-287. 2. Schildberger et al.: Blood Purif 2011, 32:286-295. 1. Schildberger et al.: Innate Immun 2010, 16:278-287. 2. Schildberger et al.: Blood Purif 2011, 32:286-295. P10 P10 Apoptosis of neutrophils, expression of TREM-1 on neutrophils and IL-17 responses in experimental burn in injury are related to the type and time of burn exposure A Alexis1, D Carrer1, A Pistiki1, K Louis1, D Droggiti1, J Van der Meer2, M Netea2, E Giamarellos-Bourboulis1 1University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece; 2UMC St Radboud, Nijmegen, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P10 (doi: 10.1186/cc10617) P10 Apoptosis of neutrophils, expression of TREM-1 on neutrophils and IL-17 responses in experimental burn in injury are related to the type and time of burn exposure p y y y Results In the liver and kidney of nonsurviving hyperglycemic rabbits, molecular markers of insuffi cient autophagy were evident, including accumulation of p62 protein (but no increase of p62 mRNA) and decreases in the autophagosome-associated protein LC3-II (microtubule-associated protein light chain 3). These changes were less prominent in surviving animals and correlated with impaired mitochondrial and organ function. In contrast, key players in mitochondrial fusion, fi ssion or biogenesis were not aff ected by survival status. Therefore, we focused on autophagy to study the impact of preventing hyperglycemia. Both after 3 and 7 days of illness, autophagy was better preserved in normoglycemic than in hyperglycemic rabbits, which correlated strongly with improved mitochondrial and organ function. Introduction To defi ne infl ammatory responses in experimental burn injury in relation with the type and time of burn exposure. j y yp p Methods Burn injury was induced in 110 C57/B6 male mice after time exposure of their back as follows: group 0, sham; group A, 60°C for 60 seconds; group B, 60°C for 45 seconds and 4°C for 45 seconds; group C, 75°C for 60 seconds; group D, 90°C for 5 seconds; and group E, 4°C for 45 seconds and 60°C for 45 seconds. Mice were sacrifi ced at 24 and 48 hours. Tissues were cultured and splenocytes were isolated and stimulated with heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans for 5 days for release of IL-17. Neutrophil apoptosis and expression of TREM-1 were determined after staining for ANNEXIN-V, PI and anti- TREM-1-PE and fl ow cytometry analysis. Conclusion These fi ndings put forward insuffi cient autophagy as a potentially important contributor to mitochondrial and organ dysfunction in critical illness, and open perspectives for therapies that activate autophagy during critical illness. References Results In season 2010/11 only six patients with a confi rmed A/H1N1 infection required admission to intensive care (47% of all patients with a confi rmed A/H1N1 infection admitted to our hospital). All patients required ventilation. Median APACHE II score was 18.2. Median ICU stay was 18.5 days. Median number of ventilator days was 14. No patient died, both 28-day and 3-month mortality was 0%. Total leukocyte count was without substantial diff erences, but there was a prominent lymphopenia at the time of admission (0.05 to 0.22% of total leukocyte count) as has been described in similar studies. All lymphocyte populations were decreased but a most prominent decrease was in CD4 (T-helpers) and CD8 (T-suppressors), CD19 (B-lymphocytes) and NK cells were less decreased. Comparison of the admission sample and the second sample taken 21 days after admission: both CD4 and CD8 were most decreased at admission, immunoregulatory index had a shift to positive values in the admission sample. References 1. Vanhorebeek I, et al.: Lancet 2005, 365:53-59. 2. Vanhorebeek I, et al.: Kidney Int 2009, 76:512-520. 3. Van den Berghe G, et al.: N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359-1367. 1. Schildberger et al.: Innate Immun 2010, 16:278-287. 2. Schildberger et al.: Blood Purif 2011, 32:286-295. i References 1. Shapovalov KG, et al.: Immunological and bacteriological monitoring of patients with pneumonia and infl uenza A/H1N1 infection. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol 2011, 1:79-82. 2. Kim JE, et al.: CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocytes imbalance in children with severe 2009 pandemic infl uenzaA/H1N1 pneumonia. Korean J Pediatr 2011, 54:207-211. P12 Modulation of mediators derived from whole blood or monocytic cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide reduces endothelial cell activation Adsorption of infl ammatory mediators from the conditioned medium of whole blood or THP-1 cells either with the specifi c TNFα adsorbent or with the selective PS-DVB beads resulted in decreased endothelial cell activation, as shown by statistically signifi cant reduction of IL-6 and IL-8 secretion from HUVEC, as well as statistically signifi cant reduction of surface expression of the adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and E-selectin. The reduction of HUVEC activation was more pronounced when applying the selective adsorbent showing that the modulation of more than one cytokine is more eff ective than removing TNFα alone. fl fi Acknowledgements Our study was supported by a grant from Scientifi c Board of Regional Hospital Liberec. Acknowledgements Our study was supported by a grant from Scientifi c Board of Regional Hospital Liberec. References Scientifi c Board of Regional Hospital Liberec. References f Oral neutrophil quantitation in patients undergoing elective cardiopulmonary bypass Results Red blood cells preferentially metabolized pyruvate (ninefold increase) compared to heart (1.2-fold increase) or liver (–2.1-fold decrease), and were a net lactate source (2.1-fold increase). Glycolytic intermediates increased in the heart, but decreased in red blood cells, while TCA intermediates decreased in the heart and amino acids increased in the liver. Under the hypoglycemic conditions of the animal model, red blood cells were found to accumulate glycerol-3-phosphate (red cell glycerol fl ux remained normal) and 2,3BPG following C13- pyruvate injection. ATP was stable in the heart, but decreased in the liver and red blood cells. Echocardiography revealed a transient recovery of left ventricular function that correlated with shifts in red blood cell metabolism. cardiopulmonary bypass ME Wilcox1, P Perez2, C DosSantos3, M Glogauer1, E Charbonney3, A Duggal2, S Sutherland2, G Rubenfeld2 1University of Toronto, Canada; 2Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada; 3St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P15 (doi: 10.1186/cc10622) ME Wilcox1, P Perez2, C DosSantos3, M Glogauer1, E Charbonney3, A Duggal2, S Sutherland2, G Rubenfeld2 1University of Toronto, Canada; 2Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada; 3St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P15 (doi: 10.1186/cc10622) Introduction Recent research suggests that the oral cavity may provide an early opportunity to monitor the innate immune system; an oral rinse assay was found to be a reliable predictor of bone marrow engraftment and neutrophil recovery in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation [1]. Multiorgan failure may be mediated by neutrophil extravasation and aggregation [2] in highly infl ammatory states, such as cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The objective of this novel pilot study was to determine whether the kinetics of oral neutrophil recovery post- CPB surgery refl ect systemic immune activation. Conclusion Metabolic investigation of diff erent septic tissues revealed shifts in metabolism between organs, suggesting that sepsis induces complex metabolic shifts in response to changing nutrient availability and cell function; moreover, enhancing red blood cell metabolism may be benefi cial to depressed organ function during the onset of endotoxemia. yl y Methods Samples [3] from four-quadrant mucosal swabs and oral cavity rinses were obtained from 41 patients undergoing on-CPB elective cardiac surgery preoperatively (t–1) and postoperatively upon arrival to the CVICU (t0), at 12 to 18 hours (t1), and on day 3 (t2). Oral neutrophil counts (/ml) were determined by hemacytometry and validated by an electronic cell counter. P13 A/H1N1 infection: immunological parameters in ICU patients I Zykova, P Sedlák, T Zajíc, A Vitouš, F Stejskal Regional Hospital Liberec, Czech Republic Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P13 (doi: 10.1186/cc10620) Introduction The outbreak of infl uenza A/H1N1 2009 had infl uenced ICUs all over the world. In the season 2009/10 we admitted to intensive care 13 patients with A/H1N1 infection in our regional hospital. In the next season 2010/11 another outbreak of A/H1N1 infection was predicted. We decided to study the immunological profi les of these patients and its development in time. Table 1 (abstract P14) ECC Sepsis P value T0 0.8 (0.6 to 1.08) 3.24 (1.9 to 7.8) <0.001 T1 0.9 (0.6 to 1.14)† Not available T2 1.3 (0.77 to 1.8)*,** 4.4 (2.63 to 6.7)* <0.001 T3 1.1 (0.74 to 1.4)‡ 1.3 (0.74 to 1.4) 0.16 *P <0.05 T2 vs. T3, **T2 vs. T0, †T2 vs. T1, ‡T3 vs. T0. ANOVA tests. Methods We conducted a prospective study on patients admitted to our hospital with A/H1N1 infection in the season 2010/11. The diagnosis was confi rmed by RT-PCT from nasopharyngeal smear or bronchoalveolar lavage in all patients. Immunological parameters (leukocyte count, lymphocyte count, CD19, CD4, CD8, immunoregulatory index, NK cells) were analysed on admission and 3 weeks after admission. *P <0.05 T2 vs. T3, **T2 vs. T0, †T2 vs. T1, ‡T3 vs. T0. ANOVA tests. S6 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 5 (for example, CRP: 0.2 (0.1 to 0.6) vs. 12.5 (5.7 to 26.9) mg/dl; WBC 6.5 (5.2 to 8.7) vs. 19.5 (12 to 20.5) 103/mm3; for respectively ECC and septic group at T0, P <0.001). The CD64 expression increased signifi cantly in both groups but index values were lower in the ECC compared to the septic group except on T3 (Table 1). changes in metabolism and the metabolic interaction between tissues and red blood cells are not well understood. The objective of this study was to assess changes in intermediary metabolism during the onset of an animal model of sepsis by determining glycolytic, TCA and PPP metabolites, amino acids and ATP levels in heart, liver and red blood cells. p g p p Conclusion ECC modifi es the infl ammatory parameters, including the expression of the CD64 on PMNs but this one presents the best specifi city to diagnose an infection. Thus, CD64 expression could be proposed as a promising marker in the early diagnosis of the infection. References Methods C57BL/6 mice (30 to 35 g) were injected intraperitoneally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 40 mg/kg) to induce endotoxemia. Oral neutrophil quantitation in patients undergoing elective cardiopulmonary bypass Concurrent blood samples were collected for measurement of IFNα, interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10), chemokine C-C motif ligand 4 (CCL-4) and Th1 and Th2 cytokines using a 10-plex human cytokine mediator panel. Continuous variables were summarized with means (standard deviation). Preoperative and postoperative oral neutrophil counts were compared using paired t tests.i Acknowledgements Supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, Global COE Program. AMP-activated protein kinase controls liposaccharide-induced hyperpermeability P13 A/H1N1 infection: immunological parameters in ICU patients I Zykova, P Sedlák, T Zajíc, A Vitouš, F Stejskal Regional Hospital Liberec, Czech Republic Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P13 (doi: 10.1186/cc10620) Six hours post LPS, C13-pyruvate (a key intermediate metabolite) was administered subcutaneously for fl uxome analysis of intermediate metabolites. At 20, 40 and 60 minutes, heart, liver and red blood cells were collected and stored at –80°C. Labeled metabolites were measured using capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry, quantifi ed by calculating the AUC/t0–60 and expressed relative to control. Heart function was monitored by echocardiography. 1. Ioan-Fascinay A, et al.: Immunity 2002, 16:391-402. 1. Ioan-Fascinay A, et al.: Immunity 2002, 16:391-402. 1. Ioan-Fascinay A, et al.: Immunity 2002, 16:391-402. 2. Nuutila J, et al.: J Immunol Methods 2007, 328:189-200. 3. Qureshi SS, et al.: Clin Exp Immunol 2001, 125:258-265. 2. Nuutila J, et al.: J Immunol Methods 2007, 328:189-200. 3. Qureshi SS, et al.: Clin Exp Immunol 2001, 125:258-265. p References 1. Cheretakis C, et al.: Bone Marrow Transplant 2005, 36:227-232. 2. Fung YL, et al.: J Crit Care 2008, 23:542-549. 3. Wright DG, et al.: Blood 1986, 67:1023-1030. y p y Methods Sepsis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of liposaccharide, 10 mg/kg (LPS). Alpha-1 AMPK knockout mice (α1KO) were compared with wild-type. Vascular permeability was characterized by Evans blue extravasation. Infl ammatory cytokine mRNA expression was determined by qPCR analysis. Left ventricular mass was assessed by echocardiography. In addition, to emphasize the benefi cial role of AMPK on heart vascular permeability, AMPK activator (acadesine) was administered to C57Bl6 mice before LPS injection. The ANOVA test with Bonferroni’s post hoc test and the log-rank test were used. P <0.05 was considered as signifi cant. AMP-activated protein kinase controls liposaccharide-induced hyperpermeability D Castanares-Zapatero1, M Overtus2, D Communi3, M Horckmans3, L Bertrand2, C Oury4, C Lecut4, P Laterre1, S De man2, C Sommereyns2, S Horman2, C Beauloye2 Results Patients were 65 (10.6) years old; 78% male; 51% had signifi cant co-morbidities (25% diabetes); 54% took a statin; APACHE II score was 22 (4.4); and multiorgan dysfunction score (MODS) was highest on hospital day 1 (6.2; 2.2). Mean delta oral neutrophil count by oral swab (between t–1 and t0) was 1.7×106 (2.0×106). A signifi cant diff erence was seen in the absolute neutrophil counts (oral swab) between t–1 (1.7×106 (1.3×106)) and t0 (3.4×106 (2.7×106); P <0.001), but not between t–1 and t1 (2.0×106 (1.7×106); P = 0.14) or t2 (6.6×105 (1.1×106); P = 0.14). Similar results were obtained by oral cavity rinse. 1Université catholique de Louvain, Cliniques universitaires Saint Luc, Brussels, Belgium; 2Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Brussels, Belgium; 3Université libre de Bruxelles, Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Biologie humaine et moléculaire, Brussels, Belgium; 4Université de Liège, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée, Liège, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P17 (doi: 10.1186/cc10624) Introduction Organ dysfunction determines the severity of sepsis and is correlated to mortality. Endothelial increased permeability contri- butes to the development of organ failure. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been shown to modulate cytoskeleton and could mediate endothelial permeability. Our hypothesis is that AMPK controls sepsis-induced hyperpermeability in the heart and is involved in septic cardiomyopathy. y y Conclusion An oral swab assay has the potential to provide rapid, risk- free, and early data on neutrophil activation and chemotactic defects in response to CPB, obviating the need for invasive sampling. This method could provide a new perspective on the systemic infl ammatory response in surgery, traumatic injury, burns, and sepsis. References P16 Keio University, Tokyo, Japan Keio University, Tokyo, Japan y y p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P16 (doi: 10.1186/cc10623) i Results Increased cardiac vascular permeability was observed in the LPS group in comparison to untreated animals (2.5% vs. 16%; P <0.05). The α1KO mice exhibited an increase vascular permeability after LPS injection in comparison to wild-type mice (41.5% vs. 16%; P <0.05). Introduction The systemic infl ammatory response to bacterial infection, or sepsis, results in a hypermetabolic state; yet, systemic metabolic S7 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 tremendous fi nancial costs. Recently, the primary metabolite of sevofl urane, hexafl uoro-2-propanol (HFIP), has been found to exert immunomodulatory properties attenuating infl ammatory response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in vitro [1]. We investigated whether HFIP attenuates plasma and tissue infl ammatory mediator expression in a rat model of endotoxic shock. α1KO animals had a signifi cant mortality increase after LPS injection (70% vs. 10%; P  <0.05). LPS markedly induced the production of proinfl ammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6) that were signifi cantly higher in the α1KO animals. More importantly, LPS treatment leads to an increased left ventricular mass in the α1KO mice within 24 hours, suggesting the onset of edema. Finally LPS-induced vascular hyperpermeability was greatly reduced after AMPK activation by acadesine (13.2% vs. 40%; P <0.05). α1KO animals had a signifi cant mortality increase after LPS injection (70% vs. 10%; P  <0.05). LPS markedly induced the production of proinfl ammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6) that were signifi cantly higher in the α1KO animals. More importantly, LPS treatment leads to an increased left ventricular mass in the α1KO mice within 24 hours, suggesting the onset of edema. Finally LPS-induced vascular hyperpermeability was greatly reduced after AMPK activation by acadesine (13.2% vs. 40%; P <0.05). Methods Thirty-two male Wistar rats were anesthetized, tracheoto- mized, and mechanically ventilated. The animals were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: (I) LPS group (n = 8), which received intravenous Escherichia coli endotoxin (1 mg/kg); (II) LPS/ HFIP group (n = 8), which was treated identically to the LPS group with the additional administration of HFIP (67 μg/kg over 30 minutes) after LPS injection. Control groups received Ringer’s lactate instead of LPS. General anesthesia was maintained with propofol. P18 Reduced expression of PPAR-β/δ limits the potential benefi cial eff ects of GW0742 during septic shock in atherosclerotic swine H Bracht1, F Simon1, J Matallo1, M Gröger1, O McCook1, A Seifritz1, M Georgieff 1, E Calzia1, P Radermacher1, A Kapoor2, C Thiemermann2 1University Clinic Ulm, Germany; 2William Harvey Research Institute, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P18 (doi: 10.1186/cc10625) ll y Results Plasma MCP-1 protein levels assessed 6 hours after LPS injection were increased by +5,192 ng/ml compared to baseline (R2  =  0.661, P <0.001). This increase in MCP-1 protein was attenuated by –48% in the LPS/HFIP group (+2,706 ng/ml to baseline, R2 = 0.661; P = 0.004). Similar results were found in BALF, in which HFIP decreased the LPS- induced raise in MCP-1 protein concentration by –62% (diff erence of 54 ng/ml, P = 0.034). LPS-stimulated animals had a +12% higher mean arterial blood pressure after 6 hours when treated with HFIP (78 mmHg vs. 67 mmHg, R2 = 0.684, P = 0.035). No signifi cant diff erences in lactate levels were observed. HFIP attenuated base defi cit in LPS-stimulated animals by 1 mmol/l (R2 = 0.522, P = 0.034). Introduction The PPAR-β/δ agonist GW0742 was shown to attenuate cardiac dysfunction in murine septic shock [1] and renal ischemia/ reperfusion injury in diabetic rats [2]. Since these data originate from unresuscitated models, we investigated the eff ects of GW0742 during long-term, resuscitated porcine septic shock. In order to assess the role of pre-existing cardiovascular morbidity we used animals with familial hypercholesteremia (11.1 (7.4; 12.3) vs. 1.4 (1.3; 1.5) mmol/l in a healthy strain; P <0.001) and consecutive, diet-induced ubiquitous atherosclerosis resulting in coronary artery disease [3], reduced glomerular fi ltration rate (76 (60; 83) vs. 103 (79; 120) ml/minute in healthy swine; P = 0.004) and presence of chronic histological kidney injury. y Conclusion Hexafl uoro-2-propanol attenuated LPS-induced infl amma- tory mediator secretion, the decrease in mean arterial blood pressure, and base defi cit. These results suggest that hexafl uoro-2-propanol may partly inhibit infl ammatory response, hypotension and the development of metabolic acidosis during endotoxic shock. Reference Methods Anesthetized and instrumented animals randomly received vehicle (n = 9) or GW0742 (n = 10; 0.03 mg/kg) at 6, 12, 18 hours after induction of fecal peritonitis [4]. Hydroxyethyl starch and noradrenaline were infused to maintain normotensive, hyperdynamic hemodynamics. P20f Eff ects of noradrenaline and lipopolysaccharide exposure on mitochondrial respiration in alveolar macrophages M Gröger, M Widman, J Matallo, P Radermacher, M Georgieff University of Ulm, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P20 (doi: 10.1186/cc10627) y Conclusion Even early post-treatment with the PPAR-β/δ agonist GW0742 did not benefi cially infl uence acute kidney injury during long- term, resuscitated fecal peritonitis-induced septic shock in swine with pre-existing impairment of kidney function and histological damage. The lacking benefi cial eff ect of GW0742 was most likely due to the reduced expression of the PPAR-β/δ receptor. Introduction Mitochondrial respiratory capacity of immune cells seems to be impaired in septic patients [1]. On the other hand, the eff ects of catecholamines on mitochondrial function are still controversial [2] and may confound the genuine mitochondrial response to the septic event. In order to test if catecholamine therapy may infl uence the impairment of mitochondrial function in immune cells during sepsis, we measured mitochondrial respiration in cultured murine alveolar macrophages (AMJ2-C11) after 24  hours of incubation with noradrenaline and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Acknowledgements Supported by the Else-Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung. References 1. Kapoor et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2010, 182:1506-1515. 2. Collino et al.: Free Radic Biol Med 2011, 50:345-353. 3. Thim D: Med Bull 2010, 57:B4161. 4. Simon F, et al.: Crit Care 2009, 13:R113. Methods Three states of mitochondrial respiratory activity were quantifi ed in terms of O2-fl ux (JO2) in intact cells at 37°C by means of an O2K (Oroboros® Instruments Corp., Innsbruck, Austria) according to a previously published protocol [3] yielding routine respiration (R) as the standard respiratory level of the cells without any intervention, proton leak compensation (L) after blocking ATP synthesis by 2.5 μM oligomycine, and maximum capacity of the electron transport system (E) after uncoupling by 1 μM FCCP. The cells were studied after fi ve diff erent exposure conditions: control (C), 15 μmol/ml noradrenaline (high NoA), 5 nmol/ml noradrenaline (medium NoA), LPS, and LPS + high NoA. All data are presented in pmol/(s*million cells) as medians and 25 to 75% quartiles. Statistical signifi cance was tested by means of the Kruskal–Wallis one-way ANOVA followed by Dunn’s method. P16 All animals received additional 30 ml/kg Ringer’s lactate after injection of LPS over a time period of 1  hour. Arterial blood gases were measured every  hour. Animals were euthanized 6  hours after endotoxin injection. The concentrations of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, key player in the recruitment of monocytes during endotoxemia, was analyzed in bronchoalveolar lavage fl uid and in plasma. Linear regression was used to evaluate infl uence of HFIP on infl ammatory mediator expression. Conclusion AMPK importantly regulates cardiac vascular permeability and could control the sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy. AMPK could represent a new pharmacological target of sepsis. 1. Gustot T: Curr Opin Crit Care 2011, 17:153-159. 1. Gustot T: Curr Opin Crit Care 2011, 17:153-159. P18 Creatinine clearance was measured from 0 to 12 hours and from 12 to 24 hours of sepsis, respectively. Data are median (quartiles).f 1. Urner et al.: Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2011, 45:617-624. 1. Urner et al.: Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2011, 45:617-624. Results GW0742 did not aff ect the noradrenaline infusion rate required to achieve target hemodynamics (0.57 (0.30; 3.83) vs. 0.56 (0.41; 0.91) μg/kg/minute; P = 0.775) nor the fall in creatinine clearance (GW0742: from 129 (114; 140) to 78 (55; 95) ml/minute, P = 0.002; vehicle: from 130 (91; 142) to 41(31; 84) ml/minute, P = 0.004; P = 0.967 and P = 0.191 between groups). Immune histochemistry analysis of kidney biopsies in sham-operated swine showed markedly reduced tissue expression of the PPAR-β/δ receptor in atherosclerotic swine (281 (277; 404) vs. 57 (53; 77)×103 densitometric units in healthy swine; P = 0.008). P19f P19 Eff ects of hexafl uoro-2-propanol on infl ammatory and hemodynamic responses in a rat model of endotoxic shock M Urner, IK Herrmann, M Hasler, C Booy, B Beck-Schimmer University Hospital Zurich, Institute of Anesthesiology, Zurich, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P19 (doi: 10.1186/cc10626) P21f P21 Eff ects of the anti-diabetic imeglimin in hyperglycemic mice with septic shock F Wagner1, J Vogt1, U Wachter1, S Weber1, B Stahl1, M Groeger1, O McCook1, M Georgieff 1, P Fouqueray2, T Kuhn2, E Calzia1, P Radermacher1, E Fontaine3, K Wagner1 1University Medical School Ulm, Anesthesia, Ulm, Germany, 2Poxel, Lyon, France, 3Université Joseph Fourier, LBFA, Grenoble, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P21 (doi: 10.1186/cc10628) References References 1. Wu R, et al.: Mol Med 2009, 15:28-33. 2. Ertmer C, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2007, 99:830-836. 3. Guignant C, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:1859-1867. 4. Mazzocchi G, et al.: Life Sci 2000, 66:1445-1450. 5. Hyvelin JM, et al.: J Card Surg 2002, 17:328-335. 6. Wagner F, et al.: Shock 2011, 35:396-402. 7. Wagner F, et al.: J Trauma 2011. [Epub ahead of print] References 1. Wu R, et al.: Mol Med 2009, 15:28-33. 2. Ertmer C, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2007, 99:830-836. 3. Guignant C, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:1859-1867. 4. Mazzocchi G, et al.: Life Sci 2000, 66:1445-1450. 5. Hyvelin JM, et al.: J Card Surg 2002, 17:328-335. 6. Wagner F, et al.: Shock 2011, 35:396-402. 7. Wagner F, et al.: J Trauma 2011. [Epub ahead of print] 1. Wu R, et al.: Mol Med 2009, 15:28-33. q Results Imeglimin decreased blood glucose levels (165 (153; 180) vs. 192 (184; 221) mg/dl, P  =  0.007) by increasing whole body glucose oxidation (55 (52; 57) vs. 51 (49; 55)% of infused isotope, P = 0.085), which coincided with partial restoration of gluconeogenesis (0.38 (0.34; 0.41) vs. 0.31 (0.27; 0.33) mg/g/hour, P = 0.032), liver mitochondrial activity (oxidative phosphorylation (136 (134; 160) vs. 116 (97; 122) pmol O2/ second/mg tissue, P  =  0.003); maximal oxidative capacity (166 (154; 174) vs. 147 (130; 159) pmol O2/second/mg tissue, P = 0.064). Imeglimin increased liver HO-1, reduced liver Bax expression and attenuated NF- κB activation (all P <0.001). P22 Adrenomedullin blockade improves catecholamine responsiveness and kidney function in resuscitated murine septic shock K Wagner1, U Wachter1, J Vogt1, S Weber1, M Groeger1, O McCook1, M Georgieff 1, A Bergmann2, H Luettgen2, E Calzia1, P Radermacher1, F Wagner1 1University Medical School Ulm, Germany; 2AdrenoMed AG, Henningsdorf, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P22 (doi: 10.1186/cc10629) Adrenomedullin blockade improves catecholamine responsiveness and kidney function in resuscitated murine septic shock K Wagner1, U Wachter1, J Vogt1, S Weber1, M Groeger1, O McCook1, M Georgieff 1, A Bergmann2, H Luettgen2, E Calzia1, P Radermacher1, F Wagner1 1University Medical School Ulm, Germany; 2AdrenoMed AG, Henningsdorf, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P22 (doi: 10.1186/cc10629) Conclusion High but not moderate doses of noradrenaline reduced mitochondrial respiration in alveolar macrophages in vitro. Surprisingly, LPS increased routine respiration regardless of simultaneous noradrenaline exposure. Introduction The eff ects of adrenomedullin in circulatory shock states are controversially discussed: while its exogenous supplementation improved organ function and survival [1] in experimental models due to maintenance of hyperdynamic hemodynamics [2] in otherwise hypo dynamic conditions, high blood levels were associated with increased mortality in patients with septic shock [3], most likely as a result of excessive vasodilatation [4] and/or impaired systolic heart function [5]. P21 Eff ects of the anti-diabetic imeglimin in hyperglycemic mice with septic shock P21 Eff ects of the anti-diabetic imeglimin in hyperglycemic mice with septic shock F Wagner1, J Vogt1, U Wachter1, S Weber1, B Stahl1, M Groeger1, O McCook1, M Georgieff 1, P Fouqueray2, T Kuhn2, E Calzia1, P Radermacher1, E Fontaine3, K Wagner1 1University Medical School Ulm, Anesthesia, Ulm, Germany, 2Poxel, Lyon, France, 3Université Joseph Fourier, LBFA, Grenoble, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P21 (doi: 10.1186/cc10628) i Results Adrenomedullin antagonism decreased the noradrenaline requirements needed to achieve target hemodynamics (0.009 (0.009; 0.012) vs. 0.02 (0.015; 0.044) μg/g/hour, P  <0.001), increased total diuresis (2.6 (2.3; 3.9) vs. 0.6 (0.5; 2.7) ml, P = 0.028) resulting in improved fl uid balance (0.18 (0.14; 0.2) vs. 0.26 (0.19; 0.27), P = 0.011) and kidney function (creatinine levels at the end of the experiment: 1.3 (1.2; 1.5) vs. 2.0 (1.5; 2.9) μg/ml, P = 0.006; creatinine clearance: 400 (316; 509) vs. 197 (110; 301) μl/minute, P = 0.006). Introduction Shock-related hyperglycemia impairs mitochondrial function and integrity [1], ultimately leading to apoptosis and organ failure [1,2]. Imeglimin is a new anti-diabetic drug with anti- hyperglycemic and anti-apoptotic properties [3]. Therefore we investigated its eff ects in hyperglycemic mice with septic shock. Conclusion In resuscitated murine septic shock, early modulation of excess adrenomedullin activity via antibody HAM1101 improves cardiovascular catecholamine responsiveness, ultimately associated with attenuation of acute kidney injury. f Methods Immediately after cecal ligation and puncture, mice randomly received s.c. vehicle (n = 9) or imeglimin (n = 10; 100 μg/g). Fifteen hours later animals were anesthetized, mechanically ventilated and instrumented for a consecutive 6-hour observation period. After a second imeglimin bolus, colloid fl uid resuscitation and continuous i.v. noradrenaline were titrated to maintain normotensive and hyperdynamic hemodynamics. Then 2 mg/g/hour glucose was infused to induce hyperglycemia. Glucose oxidation and gluconeogenesis were derived from blood 13C6-glucose and mixed expiratory 13CO2/12CO2 isotope enrichment during continuous isotope infusion. Liver mito- chondrial activity was assessed using high-resolution respirometry [4,5], Bax, HO-1 and NF-κB expression by immunoblotting and EMSA. All data are median (quartiles). Acknowledgements Supported by an unrestricted grant from AdrenoMed AG. Eff ects of hexafl uoro-2-propanol on infl ammatory and hemodynamic responses in a rat model of endotoxic shoc l k h University Hospital Zurich, Institute of Anesthesiology, Zurich, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P19 (doi: 10.1186/cc10626) Introduction Sepsis with multiple organ failure remains a leading cause of hospital morbidity and mortality on ICUs imparting S8 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 References 1. Japiassú AM, et al.: Crit Care Med 2011, 39:1056-1063.l 1. Japiassú AM, et al.: Crit Care Med 2011, 39:1056-1063.l 2. Porta F, et al.: Infl ammation 2009, 32:315-321. l 3. Renner K, et al.: Biochim Biophys Acta 2003, 1642:115-123. 3. Renner K, et al.: Biochim Biophys Acta 2003, 1642:115-123. Methods Immediately after cecal ligation and puncture to induce peritonitis, mice randomly received vehicle (n  =  11) or the adreno- medullin antibody HAM1101 (n  =  9; 2 μg/g to achieve antibody concentrations >4 ng/ml). Fifteen hours later animals were anesthetized, mechanically ventilated and instrumented for a consecutive 6-hour observation period. Colloid fl uid resuscitation and continuous i.v. noradrenaline were titrated to maintain normotensive (mean blood pressure >60 mmHg) and hyperdynamic hemodynamics. Creatinine blood levels and clearance were assessed as surrogate for glomerular fi ltration [6,7]. All data are median (quartiles). P22 Results After exposure with high but not with medium NoA we observed a statistically signifi cant decrease in maximum mitochondrial respiratory capacity (E-state, C 133 (118; 148) vs. high NoA 111 (106; 113), and medium NoA 129 (123; 140), P <0.05 C vs. high NoA). Both LPS and LPS + high NoA did not aff ect E-state respiration (LPS: 152 (136; 179), and LPS + NoA 129 (125; 137)), but increased routine (R) respiration when compared to control (C 45 (40; 55) vs. LPS 66 (51; 72) and LPS + NoA 65 (55; 68), P <0.05; high NoA 41 (37; 47), and medium NoA 52 (51; 57), NS). P24 Soluble usokinase plasminogen activator receptor as a useful biomarker to defi ne advent of sepsis in patients with multiple injuries Role of serum biomarkers in the diagnosis of infection in patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation M Pieri1, T Greco1, AM Scandroglio1, M De Bonis1, G Maj1, L Fumagalli2, A Zangrillo1, F Pappalardo1 1Istituto Scientifi co San Raff aele, Milan, Italy; 2Istituto Scientifi co San Raff aele Turro, Milan, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P26 (doi: 10.1186/cc10633) Introduction Although rates and causal organisms of infections occur ring in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) have already been described [1], diagnosis of infection itself is challenging in clinical practice. In addition, a signifi cant heterogeneity in infection surveillance practice patterns among ELSO centers has recently been reported [2]. The aim of the study was to analyze the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in the diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infection in critically ill patients requiring ECMO, and to assess the diff erence between venovenous (VV) and venoarterial (VA) ECMO setting. Introduction Soluble usokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has been considered a useful biomarker to defi ne prognosis in patients with sepsis [1]. The present study aimed to defi ne the kinetics of suPAR during the physical course of patients with multiple injuries. Introduction Soluble usokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has been considered a useful biomarker to defi ne prognosis in patients with sepsis [1]. The present study aimed to defi ne the kinetics of suPAR during the physical course of patients with multiple injuries. Methods A total of 62 patients were enrolled. All patients were bearing: multiple injuries necessitating ICU admission with an injury severity score (ISS) more than 8; and systemic infl ammatory response syndrome. Patients with infections upon ICU admission were excluded from the study. Peripheral venous blood was sampled within the fi rst 24 hours after ICU admission. Blood sampling was repeated within the fi rst 24 hours upon advent of sepsis. suPAR was measured in serum by an enzyme immnunoassay. Methods A total of 62 patients were enrolled. All patients were bearing: multiple injuries necessitating ICU admission with an injury severity score (ISS) more than 8; and systemic infl ammatory response syndrome. Patients with infections upon ICU admission were excluded from the study. Peripheral venous blood was sampled within the fi rst 24 hours after ICU admission. Blood sampling was repeated within the fi rst 24 hours upon advent of sepsis. suPAR was measured in serum by an enzyme immnunoassay. P25 comparative statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Role of mannose-binding lectin on pneumococcal infections J Solé Violán1, I García-Laorden1, F Rodríguez de Castro1, A Payeras2, J Ferrer Agüero1, M Briones3, L Borderías4, J Aspa5, J Blanquer3, O Rajas5, M García-Bello1, J Noda1, J Rello6, C Rodríguez Gallego1 1Hospital Dr Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; 2Hospital Son Llatzer, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; 3Hospital Clínico y Universitario, Valencia, Spain; 4Hospital San Jorge, Huesca, Spain; 5Hospital de La Princesa, Madrid, Spain; 6Hospital Universitario Vall d´Hebró, Barcelona, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P25 (doi: 10.1186/cc10632) Role of mannose-binding lectin on pneumococcal infections J Solé Violán1, I García-Laorden1, F Rodríguez de Castro1, A Payeras2, J Ferrer Agüero1, M Briones3, L Borderías4, J Aspa5, J Blanquer3, O Rajas5, M García-Bello1, J Noda1, J Rello6, C Rodríguez Gallego1 1Hospital Dr Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; 2Hospital Son Llatzer, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; 3Hospital Clínico y Universitario, Valencia, Spain; 4Hospital San Jorge, Huesca, Spain; 5Hospital de La Princesa, Madrid, Spain; 6Hospital Universitario Vall d´Hebró, Barcelona, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P25 (doi: 10.1186/cc10632) Results We analyzed 150 consecutive episodes of severe sepsis (16%) or septic shock (84%) admitted to the ICU. The median age was 64 years old (interquartile range, 48.7 to 71); male: 60%. The beginning of severe sepsis took place in the emergency area in 46% of cases. The main sources of infection were respiratory tract 38% and intra- abdomen 45%; 70.7% had medical pathology. The 28-day mortality was 22.7%. The profi le of death patients were men (64.7%, n  =  22), with signifi cantly higher average age (63 vs. 57 years; P = 0.049), as well as clinical severity scores, APACHE II (29.8 vs. 24.1; P <0.001) and SOFA (12.1 vs. 8.9; P <0.001) and major dysfunction organs (4.6 vs. 3.6; P <0,001); we observed signifi cantly major consumption of PC (55.2 vs. 70.1, P = 0.011). Lower levels of PC were found in surgery septic shock patients, neurological focus or catheter-related infection and Gram- negative pathogens from blood cultures. The ROC analysis showed superior risk prediction of SOFA score for 28-day mortality, AUC 0.81 (95% CI: 0.73 to 0.88, sensitivity: 73.5%; specifi city: 76.7%, P = 0.001), that improves by combining with PC, AUC 0.83 (95% CI: 0.75 to 0.90, sensitivity: 77%; specifi city: 83%, P = 0.001). P25 Introduction The role of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) defi ciency (MBL2 XA/O + O/O genotypes) in host defences remains controversial. The surfactant proteins (SP)-A1, SP-A2 and SP-D, and other collectins whose genes are located near MBL2, are part of the fi rst-line lung defence against infection. We analyzed the role of MBL on susceptibility to pneumococcal infection and the existence of linkage disequilibrium (LD) among the four genes. g g Methods We studied 348 patients with pneumococcal community- acquired pneumonia (P-CAP) and 1,591 controls. A meta-analysis of MBL2 genotypes in susceptibility to P-CAP and to invasive pneumo- coccal disease (IPD) was also performed. The extent of LD of MBL2 with SFTPA1, SFTPA2 and SFTPD was analyzed. i Conclusion This cohort study showed an improvement in the survival in septic patients under a lower consumption of PC. Low levels of PC are associated with more severity in Sepsis, dysfunction organ and poor outcome. Results MBL2 genotypes did not associate with either P-CAP or bacteraemic P-CAP in the case–control study. The MBL-defi cient O/O genotype was signifi cantly associated with higher risk of IPD in a meta- analysis, whereas the other MBL-defi cient genotype (XA/O) showed a trend towards a protective role. We evidenced the existence of LD between MBL2 and SPs genes. References 1. Brunkhorst F, et al.: Protein C concentrations correlate with organ dysfunction and predict outcome independent of the presence of sepsis. Anesthesiology 2007, 107:15-23. g dysfunction and predict outcome independent of the presence of sepsis. Anesthesiology 2007, 107:15-23. 2. Yan SB, et al.: Low levels of protein C are associated with poor outcome in severe sepsis. Chest 2001, 120:915-922. 2. Yan SB, et al.: Low levels of protein C are associated with poor outcome in severe sepsis. Chest 2001, 120:915-922. g Conclusion The data do not support a role of MBL defi ciency on susceptibility to P-CAP or to IPD. LD among MBL2 and SP genes must be considered in studies on the role of MBL in infectious diseases. 1. Savva A, et al.: J Infect 2011, 63:344-350. P24 P24 P24 Soluble usokinase plasminogen activator receptor as a useful biomarker to defi ne advent of sepsis in patients with multiple injuries M Patrani1, M Paraschos1, M Georgitsi2, E Giamarellos-Bourboulis2, K Mandragos1 1Korgialeneion Benakeion Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P24 (doi: 10.1186/cc10631) P24 Soluble usokinase plasminogen activator receptor as a useful biomarker to defi ne advent of sepsis in patients with multiple injuries M Patrani1, M Paraschos1, M Georgitsi2, E Giamarellos-Bourboulis2, K Mandragos1 1Korgialeneion Benakeion Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P24 (doi: 10.1186/cc10631) P24 Soluble usokinase plasminogen activator receptor as a useful biomarker to defi ne advent of sepsis in patients with multiple injuries M Patrani1, M Paraschos1, M Georgitsi2, E Giamarellos-Bourboulis2, K Mandragos1 1Korgialeneion Benakeion Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P24 (doi: 10.1186/cc10631) P24 Soluble usokinase plasminogen activator receptor as a useful biomarker to defi ne advent of sepsis in patients with multiple injuries Methods A case–control study on 27 patients. We analyzed serum values of PCT and CRP according to the presence of infection. Results Forty-eight percent of patients had infection. Gram-negative bacteria were the predominant pathogens (54%), and Candida was the most frequent isolated microorganism overall (15%). PCT had an AUC of 0.681 (P = 0.0062), for the diagnosis of infection in patients on VA ECMO, but failed to discriminate infection in the VV ECMO group (P = 0.14). The AUC of CRP was 0.707 (P ≤0.001) in all ECMO patients. In patients receiving VA ECMO, PCT had good accuracy with 1.89 ng/ml as the cut-off (SE = 87.8%, SP = 50%) and CRP as well with 97.70 mg/l as the cut-off (SE = 85.3%, SP = 41.6%). PCT and CRP tests in parallel had SE  =  87.2%, and SP  =  25.9%. Four variables were identifi ed as statistically signifi cant predictors of infection: PCT and CRP tests in parallel (OR = 1.184; P = 0.0008), age (OR = 0.980; P ≤0.001), presence of infection before ECMO implantation (OR = 1.782; P ≤0.001), and the duration of ECMO support (OR = 1.056; P ≤0.001).l y y Results Mean ISS of patients was 14.6. Median suPAR upon ICU admission was 3.74 ng/ml (range: 1.57 to 16.77 ng/ml). No correlation was found between ISS and suPAR. Sepsis was presented in 27 patients. Median suPAR upon sepsis diagnosis was 7.05 ng/ml (range: 2.18 to 32.51 ng/ml) (P <0.0001 compared with ICU admission). This change corresponded to median increase of 57.81%.i p Conclusion The presented fi ndings show that measurement of serum suPAR may help diagnosis of sepsis presenting in patients with multiple injuries. P23 Activated protein C, severe sepsis and 28-day mortality M De La Torre-Prados, A García-de la Torre, M Nieto-González, I Lucena-González, R Escobar-Conesa, A García-Alcántara, A Enguix-Armada Hospital Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P23 (doi: 10.1186/cc10630) Activated protein C, severe sepsis and 28-day mortality M De La Torre-Prados, A García-de la Torre, M Nieto-González, I Lucena-González, R Escobar-Conesa, A García-Alcántara, A Enguix-Armada Hospital Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P23 (doi: 10.1186/cc10630) Conclusion Imeglimin improved whole body glucose utilization and gluconeogenesis, a well-established marker of liver metabolic capacity [4,5], and attenuated organ injury, at least in part due to inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Introduction Protein C (PC) defi ciency is prevalent in severe sepsis, studies showing that more than 80% of patients with severe sepsis have a baseline PC level below the lower limit of normal [1,2]. The aim of the study was to relate the anticoagulation activity evaluated by PC, with clinical parameters and 28-day mortality. Acknowledgements In memoriam of Xavier Leverve who initiated this project; supported by an unrestricted grant from Poxel. References Acknowledgements In memoriam of Xavier Leverve who initiated this project; supported by an unrestricted grant from Poxel. References 1. Vanhorebeek I, et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:1355-1364. Methods A cohort study of 150 patients >18 years with severe sepsis according to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, in an ICU of a university hospital. Demographic, clinical parameters and coagulation markers during the fi rst 24 hours were studied. PC activity was analysed using a haemostasis laboratory analyser (BCS® XP; Siemens). Descriptive and 2. Devos P, et al.: Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 2006, 9:131-139. 3. Fouqueray, et al.: J Diabetes Metab 2011, 2:4. 4. Albuszies G, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2007, 33:1094-1101. 5. Baumgart K, et al.: Crit Care Med 2010, 38:588-595. S9 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P27 Correlation of VAP diagnosis with parameters of critically ill patients in a general ICU Introduction We aimed to describe various parameters of critically ill patients who developed VAP and correlate them with its outcome. Introduction We aimed to describe various parameters of critically ill patients who developed VAP and correlate them with its outcome. Introduction We aimed to describe various parameters of critically ill patients who developed VAP and correlate them with its outcome. Methods Twenty-three VAP cases out of 338 ICU patients were studied retrospectively. Data regarding age, sex, etiology, scores (APACHE II, SOFA, CPIS), CRP, miniBAL cultures, comorbidities, antibiotic exposure, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of ICU and total stay, VAP and patient outcome were recorded. Chi-square and Mann–Whitney U tests were used for statistical analyses. y Results VAP incidence was 23/338 (6.8%). Fourteen of 23(60.9%) were males, and 9/23(39.1%) were surgical patients. Their age was 63.5 ± 16.6 years. APACHE II was 20.5 ± 6.7, initial SOFA was 8.8 ± 3.7, SOFA at VAP was 9.4 ± 3.1, CPIS 2 days before VAP was 4.6 ± 2, CPIS the day before VAP was 6 ± 1.2, and CPIS at VAP was 7.6 ± 1.3. Length of stay was 25.5 ± 13.1 days, ICU stay was 24.8 ± 13.4 days, and duration of mechanical ventilation was 22.5  ±  12.1 days. Previous antibiotic exposure included: linezolid 10/23 (43.5%), vancomycin 2/23 (8.7%), antipseudomonadic penicillins 14/23 (60.9%), β-lactams ± β-lactamase inhibitor 7/23 (30.4%), quinolones 14/23 (60.9%), aminoglycosides 6/23 (26.1%), antifungals 4/23 (17.4%), carbapenems 1/23 (4.3%), tigecycline 3/23 (13%), and colistin 8/23 (34.8%). Antibiotic therapy after the positive miniBAL was modifi ed according to antibiograms. The isolated microorganisms in miniBAL were A. baumannii 10/23 (43.5%), P. aeruginosa 5/23 (21.7%), K. pneumoniae 4/23 (17.4%), Candida spp. 2/23 (8.7%), and other 4/23 (17.4%); one infection was polymicrobial. In 20/23 cases (87%) VAP was of late onset (>4 days) (9.7 ± 6.8 days). VAP was improved in 17/23 cases (73.9%), but 15/23 patients (65.2%) died. High overall mortality may be attributed to grave condition. Most patients were admitted to the ICU  hours after they were admitted to the hospital. Increased SOFA scores during admission (12  ±  2 vs. 7.7 ± 3.4, P = 0.009) and on the day of VAP diagnosis (11.5 ± 2.1 vs. 8.6 ± 3, P = 0.016) were associated with VAP deterioration. Increased CPIS on the last 2 days before VAP was also associated with worse VAP outcomes (6.2 ± 1.7 vs. j Reference Reference Conclusion Both traditional and emerging infl ammatory biomarkers can help in the diagnosis of infection in patients receiving ECMO. Indeed, we demonstrated for the fi rst time that PCT is a reliable infection marker in patients undergoing VA ECMO. We suggest routine S10 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 concomitant PCT and CRP assay with defi nite cut-off values as a new test to identify infection in patients undergoing VA ECMO. References 12th day. C-reactive protein (CRP) and PCT were measured daily. We compared infected and noninfected patients. concomitant PCT and CRP assay with defi nite cut-off values as a new test to identify infection in patients undergoing VA ECMO. References 12th day. C-reactive protein (CRP) and PCT were measured daily. We compared infected and noninfected patients. p p Results A total of 50 patients were included during a 12-month period (age 70.5  ±  9.4 years, 50% male). The 21 patients (42%) that subsequently developed infection (16 surgical wound infections) had age, Charlson comorbidity score, primary diagnosis, surgical procedure, intestinal preparation and antibiotic prophylaxis similar to those who had an uneventful recovery. Infection was less frequent in men (28% vs. 72%, P = 0.042). Moreover PCT and CRP before surgery were equally low in patients with or without postoperative infection (0.10 ± 0.06 vs. 0.07 ± 0.04 ng/ml; 1.81 ± 2.83 vs. 0.72 ± 1.12 mg/dl, respectively). After surgery, both PCT and CRP increased markedly: PCT increased around 10× the basal level and peaked at 24 to 48 hours; CRP increased more than 15× and peaked at 48 hours. Infection was diagnosed a median of 7 days after surgery. The CRP time-course from the day of surgery onwards was signifi cantly diff erent in infected and noninfected patients (P = 0.001). In opposition, the PCT time-course was almost parallel in both groups (P = 0.866). To assess the diagnostic performance of each biomarker, we performed multiple comparisons between infected and noninfected patients between day 5 and day 9. The CRP concentration was signifi cantly diff erent (P < 0.01, Bonferroni correction) on days 6, 7 and 8. The area under the ROC curve of CRP of days 6, 7 and 8 were 0.74, 0.73 and 0.75, respectively. Procalcitonin as a predictive marker for PCR test and blood culture results in suspected invasive candidemia A Cortegiani, SM Raineri, F Montalto, MT Strano, A Giarratano University Hospital Policlinico P. Giaccone, Palermo, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P29 (doi: 10.1186/cc10636) A Cortegiani, SM Raineri, F Montalto, MT Strano, A Giarratano University Hospital Policlinico P. Giaccone, Palermo, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P29 (doi: 10.1186/cc10636) Introduction Procalcitonin (PTC) seems to have potential to predict the result of blood culture (BC) supporting the diagnosis of invasive candidemia. Although blood culture is still the gold standard, PCR assays are able to quickly and reliably detect fungi in blood in suspected invasive candidemia. Our aim is to verify the potential of PTC values to predict the result of PCR assay in suspected invasive candidemia. y Methods We retrospectively analyzed 78 patients with suspected invasive candidemia from whom we obtained PCT value, BC and PCR assay. All tests have been obtained on the day in which patients reached a Candida score ≥4. We calculated PTC mean values according to BC and PCR results and compared data using the Mann–Whitney U test. We performed the ROC analysis to test the diagnostic performance of PTC with regards to BC and PCR result. Conclusion Our fi ndings support the prognostic value of SOFA score. CPIS values of 6, although not diagnostic, may need increased alertness on behalf of the clinician. R f Results PCR tests and BC were both negative in 48 patients and the PTC mean value in this group was 21.5 ng/ml while 19 patients were PCR-positive and BC-positive with a PTC mean value of 2.07 ng/ml. The diff erence between these PCT mean values was signifi cant (P = 0.0001). In eight cases BC were negative whereas PCR tests were positive with the PCT mean level in this group being 1.82 ng/ml. No patient resulted PCR-negative and BC-positive. According to PCR results only, there was a signifi cant diff erence between PTC mean values in positives and negatives (P = 0.0001). The ROC analysis showed that the best PTC cut- off value for prediction of BC result was 4.57 with AUC of 0.91 (CI 0.83 to 0.96, sensitivity 99%, specifi city 80.39%). Concerning the PCR result, the calculated cut-off was 4.31 with AUC of 0.96 (CI 0.948 to 1, sensitivity 96.6%, specifi city 97.9%; positive predictive value 94.51%; negative predictive value 97.83%). References 1. Vincent JL, et al.: Intensive Care Med 1996, 22:707-710. 2. P27 Correlation of VAP diagnosis with parameters of critically ill patients in a general ICU 4.1 ± 1.8 and 6.8 ± 1.2 vs. 5.7 ± 1.1, P = 0.03 and P = 0.03, respectively).i Conclusion After a major elective surgical insult both CRP and PCT serum levels increased independently of the presence of infection. The CRP time-course showed to be useful in the early detection of an infectious complication whereas PCT was unhelpful. Procalcitonin as a predictive marker for PCR test and blood culture results in suspected invasive candidemia A Cortegiani, SM Raineri, F Montalto, MT Strano, A Giarratano University Hospital Policlinico P. Giaccone, Palermo, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P29 (doi: 10.1186/cc10636) Procalcitonin as a predictive marker for PCR test and blood culture results in suspected invasive candidemia Papazian L, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1995, 152:1982-1991. 1. Vincent JL, et al.: Intensive Care Med 1996, 22:707-710. 2. Papazian L, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1995, 152:1982-1991. P27 P27 Correlation of VAP diagnosis with parameters of critically ill patients in a general ICU DK Matthaiou, A Ioannidis, G Gounti, D Lathyris, A Vathis, S Vasiliagkou, K Kontopoulou, K Mandraveli, E Antoniadou ‘G. Gennimatas’ General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P27 (doi: 10.1186/cc10634) j Reference A CRP concentration >5.0 mg/dl at day 6 was predictive of infection with a sensitivity of 85% and a specifi city of 62% (positive likelihood ratio 2.2, negative likelihood ratio 0.2). 1. Bizzarro MJ, et al.: Pediatr Crit Care Med 2011, 12:277-281. 2. Kao LS, et al.: ASAIO J 2011, 57:231-238. P30 P30 Would procalcitonin measurement aid antimicrobial stewardship in a UK district general hospital mixed adult critical care population? J Clayton, J White, L Wilson, M Leonard, J Cuniff e Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Wirral, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P30 (doi: 10.1186/cc10637) Introduction We sought to establish what impact knowledge of procalcitonin (PCT) levels could have on antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship within our 18-bed mixed critical care unit. Assicot and colleagues demonstrated that PCT levels are raised during sepsis and can correlate with the severity [1]. The PCT level peaks after 6 to 12 hours and has a half-life of approximately 25 to 36 hours in critically ill patients [2], declining with adequate treatment. A recent multicentre trial demonstrated reduced duration of antibiotic therapy by using PCT-guided treatment strategy; however, only 10% of the cohort was surgical patients and therefore this fi nding cannot be extrapolated to a general critical care population [3]. Conclusion The late-onset candidemia are more likely to be associated with death than earlier episodes. Unresolved organ failure as assessed through SOFA score despite eff ective antifungal treatment was associated with death, while PCT failed to predict the outcome. References Methods The question was posed: would knowledge of PCT levels have altered real-time clinical management of patients on established antimicrobial therapy? Over a 2-month period patients were treated in a conventional manner based on clinical fi ndings and standard investigations. Plasma samples from days 0 (respective to antimicrobial therapy) 1, 3, 5 and 7 were analysed for PCT. Nonparametric statistical analysis of PCT levels was available for a retrospective multidisciplinary team review of case notes. This was performed within the context of a local service review and the chair of the local ethics committee gave approval for analysis of plasma samples and case-note reviewi 1. Charles PE, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2006, 32:1577-1583. 2. Charles PE, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:2146-2150. 3. Martini A, et al.: J Infect 2010, 60:425-430. Usefulness of daily monitoring of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in the early diagnosis of infection after elective colonic surgery g y J Rebanda, P Povoa p , , , g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P28 (doi: 10.1186/cc10635) Introduction The diagnosis of infectious complications after elective colonic surgery is frequently misleading, delaying its resolution. Recently several biomarkers, namely procalcitonin (PCT), have been described as more specifi c in infection diagnosis. Conclusion According to our data, PTC seems to be characterized by a remarkable diagnostic performance and predictive value for both BC and PCR assay in suspected invasive candidemia. PCT could be considered as the fi rst step of the diagnostic process for suspected invasive candidemia in order to spare as much time as possible before starting a pre-emptive antifungal therapy. This may lead to less useless therapies in negative patients and quicker and more reliable start of i Methods We conducted a prospective observational study segregating patients submitted to elective colonic surgery. Patients were assessed before surgery, and then from the day of surgery until discharge or the Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S11 follow-up data including PCT measurement were collected. The SOFA score was calculated daily during the fi rst week of antifungal treatment. Survivors at discharge from the ICU were compared to nonsurvivors by univariate followed by a Cox regression analysis. follow-up data including PCT measurement were collected. The SOFA score was calculated daily during the fi rst week of antifungal treatment. Survivors at discharge from the ICU were compared to nonsurvivors by univariate followed by a Cox regression analysis. treatment in positive patients while waiting for the BC and antibiogram results. R f Assessment of the usefulness of presepsin (soluble CD14 subtype) in septic patients Assessment of the usefulness of presepsin (soluble CD14 subtype) in septic patients T Nishida1, H Ishikura1, A Murai1, Y Irie1, R Yuge1, T Kamitani1, S Endo2 1Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka City, Japan; 2Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P32 (doi: 10.1186/cc10639) Results Twenty-seven patients were identifi ed. Antimicrobial cessation was deemed possible in seven of these cases at day 5. Nonescalation of treatment was supported in six further cases. In one case treatment had been escalated and PCT supported this decision. This would have resulted in 19 fewer days of antibiotic therapy. T Nishida1, H Ishikura1, A Murai1, Y Irie1, R Yuge1, T Kamitani1, S Endo2 1Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka City, Japan; 2Iwate Medical University Iwate, Japan T Nishida1, H Ishikura1, A Murai1, Y Irie1, R Yuge1, T Kamitani1, S Endo2 1Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka City, Japan; 2Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P32 (doi: 10.1186/cc10639) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P32 (doi: 10.1186/cc10639) Introduction Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that is characterized by a whole-body infl ammatory state. The early diagnosis and treatments of sepsis will improve the outcome of the patients. The aims of this study were to investigate the most useful biomarkers which are serum levels of soluble CD14 subtype (sCD14-ST) named presepsin, procalcitonin (PCT), IL-6, and C-reactive protein (CRP) as markers for early diagnosis of sepsis. Conclusion Our experience suggests the availability of the PCT response between days 0 and 5 would have been a useful adjunct in monitoring treatment of sepsis on our unit and would have facilitated timely de-escalation and hence exposure to antimicrobial therapy. We hypothesise such a reduction could help to prevent antimicrobial resistance, lead to decreased pharmacy and consumable costs and reduce the incidence of adverse antimicrobial-related events. Reference 1. Charles PE, Castro C, Ruiz-Santana S, et al.: Serum procalcitonin levels in critically ill patients colonized with Candida spp: new clues for the early recognition of invasive candidiasis? Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:2146-2150. y g y Results Fifty patients were included among whom 28 (56%) died in the ICU. Candida albicans was the most common isolated yeast (58%), regardless of the outcome. Nonsurvivors were elder and had a greater SAPS II score value on admission than survivors (55.8 ± 21.7 vs. 42.5  ±  14.9 points, P  =  0.01). The time elapsed between the ICU admission and the onset of invasive candidiasis was signifi cantly longer in the nonsurvivors than in the survivors (8.3 ± 12.8 vs. 1.2 ± 2.8 days, P  =  0.01). At the onset of candidemia, the nonsurvivors were more severely ill as assessed through SOFA score calculation (10.4 ± 4.4 vs. 7.8 ± 3.9 points, P = 0.04). Antifungal treatment was given within the fi rst 24 hours following the onset of candidemia in 60% of the whole patients and was always appropriate, regardless of the survival. During therapy, the SOFA score remained greater in the nonsurvivors than in the survivors. In contrast, PCT failed to diff erentiate the survivors from the nonsurvivors the day antifungals were started (8.7  ±  13.1 vs. 4.5 ± 4.1 ng/ml, P = 0.21), as well as the following days. The SAPS II, the SOFA score and the time elapsed between ICU admission and candidemia onset were the sole independent predictors of death in our study population. References Methods A single-center, prospective, observational study. Patients who had one or more systemic infl ammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria were included in this study. The blood samples for measuring the markers were collected and the severity of sepsis was evaluated at the time of admission and every other day for a week. Eighty-four patients were enrolled for this prospective study from June 2010 to June 2011. 1. Assicot M, et al.: Lancet 1993, 341:515-518. 2. Meisner M, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2000, 26:1193-1200. 3. Bouadma L, et al.: Lancet. 2010, 375:463-474. P33 Circulating cell-free DNA levels measured by a novel simple fl uorescent assay are predictive for outcome of severe sepsis A Douvdevani, A Avriel, M Paryente Wiessman, V Novack, Y Almog Soroka University Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P33 (doi: 10.1186/cc10640) Results We enrolled 49 subjects. There was no signifi cant correlation between EA levels and endotoxin concentration measured by LAL assay. There were no signifi cant diff erence in the EA levels of the Gram- negative infection patients and the others. The diagnostic value of EA levels was investigated using ROC curve analysis. For the diagnosis of sepsis, area under the curve of EA levels, PCT, presepsin, IL-6 and CRP were calculated as 0.76, 0.83, 0.89, 0.88 and 0.72, respectively. Both the EA levels and ICU mortalities of the patients who met the criteria for severe sepsis were signifi cantly higher than those of the patients who did not have sepsis (0.44 ± 0.21 vs. 0.22 ± 0.17, P = 0.0004; EA levels, 33% vs. 5%, P = 0.022; ICU mortalities). There was a positive relationship between EA levels and thrombomodulin (r  =  0.30, P  =  0.049), EA levels and lactate (r = 0.31, P = 0.028), and EA levels and SOFA score (r = 0.34, P = 0.02). There was a negative relationship between EA levels and platelet counts (r = –0.34, P = 0.018), EA levels and antithrombin (r = – 0.41, P = 0.004), and EA levels and protein C (r = –0.38, P = 0.010). Conclusion EA levels in the patients on ICU admission correlated with disease severity. Moreover, we strongly suggested that EAA may have the potential to assess organ dysfunction with sepsis, especially coagulopathy. Introduction Circulating cell-free DNA (CFD) was found to be a predic- tor of outcome in severe sepsis and septic shock [1]. The standard CFD assays are work-intensive and not practical for routine clinical laboratory use. We have recently developed a new simple, fast and reliable assay for CFD measurement. The aim was to evaluate the association between admission levels of CFD and severe sepsis outcome in patients hospitalized in intensive care utilizing the new assay. y Methods Seventy-six patients diagnosed with severe sepsis hospitalized in the ICU were enrolled in the study. Prognostic value of serum galactomannan in mixed ICU patients: a retrospective observational study Prognostic value of serum galactomannan in mixed ICU patients: a retrospective observational study S Teering, A Verreth, W Verlinden, J Jacobs, S Pilate, M Peetermans, A Verrijcken, N Van Regenmortel, I De laet, K Schoonheydt, H Dits, M Van De Vyvere, M Malbrain ZNA Stuivenberg, Antwerp, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P35 (doi: 10.1186/cc10642) Conclusion By using a simple fl uorometric assay, we were able to measure CFD levels in severe septic patients. CFD levels were found to be an independent predictors for 28-day mortality. We believe that CFD is an objective, reliable and integrative prognostic marker that will allow fast evaluation of intensive care patients and predicting mortality. References Introduction Little is known about galactomannan (GM) testing in mixed ICU patients that are often not neutropenic. The aim of this study was to look for the incidence and outcome of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in critically ill patients, to validate previous reported GM thresholds and to evaluate the prognostic value of GM. g Methods A retrospective study of 474 GM samples in 160 patients from 1 January 2003 to 1 February 2004. GM tests were ordered because of clinical suspicion of IA or on a regular basis in immune compromised patients. The number of samples per patient was 3 ± 2.6. Similarly to the EORTC criteria we defi ned ‘proven IA’ as those patients with positive tissue specimen, ‘probable IA’ as those with positive cultures, and ‘possible IA’ as those treated with antifungals (high clinical index of suspicion). The number of positive samples (GM >0.5 ng/ml) was 230 (48.5%). Patient characteristics: M/F ratio 1/1, age 64.5  ±  15.9, SAPS 45.5 ± 16.8, APACHE II 19.3 ± 8, SOFA 5.8 ± 3.5, mean days on ventilation 12.9 ± 8.7, mean CRP 10.4 ± 11.2 mg/dl. 1. Saukkonen K, et al.: Clin Chem 2008, 54:1000-1007. 2. Goldshtein H, et al.: Ann Clin Biochem 2009, 46:488-494. 1. Saukkonen K, et al.: Clin Chem 2008, 54:1000-1007. 1. Saukkonen K, et al.: Clin Chem 2008, 54:1000-1007. 2. Goldshtein H, et al.: Ann Clin Biochem 2009, 46:488-494. , , 2. Goldshtein H, et al.: Ann Clin Biochem 2009, 46:488-494. Procalcitonin has a poor prognosis value in critically ill patients with candidemia Procalcitonin has a poor prognosis value in critically ill patients with candidemia PE Charles, R Bruyère, H Roche, JP Quenot, S Prin, A Pavon, F Dalle University Hospital, Dijon, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P31 (doi: 10.1186/cc10638) Results Eighteen were SIRS and 42 were sepsis at the time of registration. In the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) to distinguish sepsis was the highest for presepsin (0.92) followed by IL-6 (0.89), PCT (0.88), and CRP (0.83). The ROC analysis showed that at a cut-off value 647 pg/ml, presepsin may be able to discriminate between patients with and without sepsis with a sensitivity and a specifi city of 92.9% and 83.3% respectively with 95% confi dence intervals of 0.929 (0.805 to 0.985). And the presepsin values were signifi cantly higher in the patients with the more severe septic condition (for example, sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock). In addition, a signifi cant correlation was found between the SOFA scores and the presepsin values (r2  =  0.258; P  <0.01). But there was only weak correlation between APACHE II scores and the presepsin values (r2 = 0.053). PE Charles, R Bruyère, H Roche, JP Quenot, S Prin, A Pavon, F Dalle University Hospital, Dijon, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P31 (doi: 10.1186/cc10638) Introduction Candidemia is an infrequent but serious infection in the critically ill patients. Although eff ective antifungal drugs are available, mortality rates remain high so far. Procalcitonin (PCT) repeated measurements have proven useful for assessing the prognosis and the antimicrobial treatment responsiveness in the patients with systemic bacterial infection. Little is known about it in the setting of candidemia. The PCT predictive value regarding the outcome of such patients was therefore addressed. Conclusion In this study, presepsin is the most valuable predictor about sepsis compared with PCT, IL-6, and CRP. Moreover, these results suggest that presepsin values can serve as a parameter that closely Methods A retrospective single-centre observational study. All patients with ICU-acquired pure candidemia between 2005 and 2011 were included. Baseline characteristics and both clinical and biological S12 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 who had suspected infection in the emergency room and ICU, but the clinical usefulness of measuring EAA in the diagnosis of sepsis in critically ill patients is not yet clear. P33 Serum CFD levels were measured upon admission and after 72 hours using the SYBR-Gold rapid direct fl uorescent assay [2]. Primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Logistic regression analysis of CFD quintiles adjusted for baseline comorbidities and severity of the disease was utilized. y Results Out of those diagnosed with severe sepsis, 28 (36.8%) have died either during hospitalization or within 28 days of admission to the ICU. Decedents had higher APACHE II score on admission (median 24.5 vs. 17.5, P = 0.140). Similarly their admission CFD levels were higher than in survivors (median 3,712 vs. 1,974, P = 0.001). Spearman’s correlation analysis showed signifi cant correlation between APACHE II score and CFD level on admission (ρ = 0.315, P = 0.007). ROC curve for APACHE II score and CFD level on admission for prediction of 28-day mortality showed area under the curve of 0.59, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.74 (P = 0.208), for APACHE II score; and area under the curve of 0.73, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.86 (P = 0.001), for CFD level on admission. The study group was divided into quintiles by CFD levels of admission. The 28-day mortality rate was 12.5% in the CFD lowest quintile and 60.9% in the highest quintile. Logistic regression analysis showed that adjusted for age, sex and APACHE II score CFD divided into quintiles was signifi cantly associated with death at 28 days, OR = 1.83 per quintile (95% CI 1.12 to 2.98, P = 0.015). g Reference Reference Methods We performed an observational cohort study in critically ill patients in the ICU of a tertiary care hospital. We investigated the correlation between EA levels and blood concentration of endotoxin measured by the chromogenic limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay, causative microorganism identifi ed in laboratory culture, procalcitonin (PCT), soluble CD14 subtype (named presepsin), IL-6, antithrombin, protein C, thrombomodulin, lactate, disseminated intravascular coagulation scores in both the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, and severity of illness at ICU admission.i 1. Endo S, Yaegashi Y, Sato N, et al.: Comparative study of soluble CD14 and soluble CD14-subtype in sepsis. Med Postgrad 2006, 44:381-385. Reference 1. Marshall JC, et al.: J Infect Dis 2004, 190:527-534. Procalcitonin has a poor prognosis value in critically ill patients with candidemia refl ects the pathology. So we strongly suggest that presepsin will be not only a very useful new biomarker for a diagnosis of the sepsis, but also useful for monitoring the severity of the disease in the near future. Reference P34 Clinical usefulness of measuring endotoxin activity on ICU admission A Murai, H Ishikura, T Nishida, Y Irie, T Kamitani, R Yuge, T Kitamura, T Umemura Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka City, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P34 (doi: 10.1186/cc10641) g Results In our study population 5% had proven IA, 5% probable IA, 17.5% possible IA and 72.5% had no IA. We could not identify a GM threshold for IA. The best threshold was GM >1.1 for identifying patients with IA (proven + probable + possible) with a specifi city of 70.7% and negative predictive value of 76.6%. The ICU mortality was 41.9% and the hospital mortality was 58.1%. Patients who died in the ICU had higher APACHE, SAPS and SOFA scores (P <0.0001), and had a signifi cant increase in GM during their stay (0.27 ± 1.26 vs.–0.43 ± 1.7, P = 0.004). We observed higher mean GM values in nonsurvivors but Introduction According to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, diagnosis of sepsis and infection is urgent, therefore rapid diagnostic tools play a major role in the management of septic patients. The endotoxin activity (EA) assay (EAA) is one of those tools based on the ability of antigen–antibody complexes to prime neutrophils for an augmented respiratory burst response [1]. EAA has been used widely in patients Introduction According to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, diagnosis of sepsis and infection is urgent, therefore rapid diagnostic tools play a major role in the management of septic patients. The endotoxin activity (EA) assay (EAA) is one of those tools based on the ability of antigen–antibody complexes to prime neutrophils for an augmented respiratory burst response [1]. EAA has been used widely in patients S13 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 this was not statistically signifi cant. Patients who died in the hospital also showed a signifi cant increase in GM during their stay (0.11 ± 1.55 vs. –0.48 ± 1.51, P = 0.017). There was a trend towards higher GM values in patients treated with piperacillin/tazobactam (n = 34) but this was not statistically signifi cant. Neutropenic patients (n = 31) showed an increase in GM during their stay (0.32 ± 1.3 vs. –0.43 ± 1.7, P = 0.07). Patients on total parenteral nutrition (n  =  125) had higher maximal GM levels (1.55 ± 1.94 vs. P34 0.88 ± 1.25, P = 0.058). Patients that were mechanically ventilated had signifi cantly higher mean (P = 0.038) and maximal (P = 0.007) GM levels. The presence of IA was associated with 100% hospital mortality. admission. Heart rate variability (HRV) is decreased in severe sepsis. The objective was to determine the ability of a panel of HRV indices to identify physiologically stable ED sepsis patients who will develop worsening organ failure. We hypothesized that patients meeting the outcome of progressive organ failure will have decreased HRV on initial presentation. Methods We performed a prospective observational study of adult ED patients admitted to the hospital for infection and treated with i.v. antibiotics. Patients in overt shock (vasopressor requirement or mechanical ventilation) at enrollment or with the inability to provide written informed consent were excluded. A panel of HRV indices was assessed over a 2-hour ED period using CIMVA (continuous individualized multiorgan variability analysis) software including standard deviation (SD), LF/HF ratio, Poincare SD, sample entropy, wavelet AUC, detrended fl uctuation analysis (DFA), correlation dimension, and the Lyapunov exponent. Patients were followed to assess the occurrence of the primary outcome of increased organ failure (SOFA score increase greater than 1 point at 24  hours), mechanical ventilation, vasopressor use, or in-hospital mortality. p y Conclusion The current GM threshold of 0.5 ng/ml does not allow one to discriminate between patients with and without IA. A threshold of 1.1 ng/ml had the best specifi city and negative predictive value for IA. There seems to be a correlation between GM levels and total parenteral nutrition due to interference with the ELISA test. p p y Results We enrolled 105 ED sepsis patients. Twenty patients were removed due to nonsinus cardiac rhythm or poor data quality of the telemetry signal. Complete HRV assessment was performed on 81 subjects with 17 patients removed who developed shock in the ED. The primary outcome was met in 44% (28/64) of the cohort. On HRV assessment, outcome patients had a lower LF/HF ratio (1.47 vs. 3.11, P  =  0.009) and DFA (0.65 vs. 0.94, P  =  0.04) compared with stable patients with no diff erences in other HRV indices. The overall mortality rate was 15%. Compared to stable patients, outcome patients had no diff erence in age, initial heart rate, systolic blood pressure, or serum lactate with similar initial SOFA scores that were higher at 24 hours (1.0 vs. P38 P38 Severe community-acquired pneumonia: risk factors for in-hospital mortality JM Pereira1, JA Paiva1, JP Baptista2, F Froes3, J Gonçalves-Pereira4 1Centro Hospitalar S. João, Porto, Portugal; 2Hospitais Universidade Coimbra, Portugal; 3Hospital Pulido Valente – CHLN, Lisbon, Portugal; 4Hospital S. Francisco Xavier, Lisbon, Portugal Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P38 (doi: 10.1186/cc10645) Severe community-acquired pneumonia: risk factors for in-hospital mortality JM Pereira1, JA Paiva1, JP Baptista2, F Froes3, J Gonçalves-Pereira4 1Centro Hospitalar S. João, Porto, Portugal; 2Hospitais Universidade Coimbra, Portugal; 3Hospital Pulido Valente – CHLN, Lisbon, Portugal; 4Hospital S. Francisco Xavier, Lisbon, Portugal Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P38 (doi: 10.1186/cc10645) f Conclusion The BDG profi le in ICU patients is similar to that of other inpatients. It can be useful in clinical practice if implemented in the proper setting and interpreted after consideration of the patient’s clinical status. Introduction Severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) is an important cause of hospital mortality. The goal of this study was to identify variables associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality at ICU admission. Introduction Severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) is an important cause of hospital mortality. The goal of this study was to identify variables associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality at ICU admission. P34 3.0), a higher ICU transfer rate (62 vs. 20%, P <0.001) and increased ICU length of stay. P36 Analysis of (13)β-D-glucan as a diagnostic adjunct for invasive fungal infections in the ICU setting N Yamada, K Shirai, T Doi, K Kumada, M Nakano, S Yoshida, I Toyoda, S Ogura Gifu University Hospital, Gifu, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P36 (doi: 10.1186/cc10643) References 1. Committee for Guideline for Management of Deep-seated Mycoses 2007: 1. Committee for Guideline for Management of Deep-seated Mycoses 2007: Guideline for Management of Deep-seated Mycoses 2007. Tokyo: Kyowa kikaku; 2007. 1. Committee for Guideline for Management of Deep-seated Mycoses 2007: Guideline for Management of Deep-seated Mycoses 2007. Tokyo: Kyowa kikaku; 1. Committee for Guideline for Management of Deep-seated Mycoses 2007: G id li f M f D d M 2007 T k K kik k g p y Guideline for Management of Deep-seated Mycoses 2007. Tokyo: Kyowa kikaku; 2007. Guideline for Management of Deep-seated Mycoses 2007. Tokyo: Kyowa kikaku; 2007. Methods A prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study of all patients with SCAP consecutively admitted to 15 Portuguese ICUs during a 12-month period. Demographic characteristics, co-morbidities, general severity scores (SAPS II, SAPS3, total SOFA), microbiological data and initial empirical antibiotherapy were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality. Results A total of 505 (14%) of the 3,572 enrolled patients had SCAP, mostly male (66%) with a median age 58 (29 to 82). Median general severity scores were: SAPS II 44 (21 to 80), SAPS3 65 (41 to 98) and total SOFA 8 (3 to 17). Comorbidities were present in 74% of the patients and the most frequent were: diabetes mellitus (22%), chronic respiratory failure (18%) and alcoholism (15%). Median Charlson’s comorbidity index was 4 (0 to 13). At ICU admission, 44% of SCAP patients had septic shock. Thirty-seven per cent of the cases were microbiologically documented (St. pneumoniae – 24%; infl uenza A 2. Drosos EK, et al.: β-D-glucan assay for the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections: a meta analysis. Clin Infect Dis 2011, 52:750–770. 2. Drosos EK, et al.: β-D-glucan assay for the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections: a meta analysis. Clin Infect Dis 2011, 52:750–770. Analysis of (13)β-D-glucan as a diagnostic adjunct for invasive fungal infections in the ICU setting Introduction Since invasive fungal infections are associated with high morbidity and increased mortality in the ICU, early diagnosis and treatment are essential. This study assesses the performance of an assay of serum (13)-D-glucan (BDG) concentration in patients admitted to the ICU. Conclusion While standard physiologic parameters in the ED were unable to diff erentiate sepsis patients who developed increased organ failure, a decreased LF/HF ratio and DFA, measurements of variability representing physiologic reserve, was associated with impending deterioration. The ability of decreased HRV to predict clinical outcomes in a high-risk yet physiologically identical population at presentation supports the need for continued studies into the predictive role of HRV assessment in the ED to supplement clinical decision-making in sepsis patients. Methods Patients admitted to our advanced critical care center from April 2007 to March 2011 with measurements of BDG were enrolled in this retrospective study. BDG was measured when invasive fungal infection was suspected based on the Japanese guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of invasive fungal infections. BDG levels were measured using the WAKO method. A BDG level greater than 11 pg/ml was considered to be positive. No gray zone was considered. Results Of the 872 patients enrolled in this study, there were 580 males and 292 females. The mean age was 60.7 years (range: 48 to 87). The mortality rate was 16.3%. We make a clinical diagnosis of invasive fungal infections according to Japanese guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of invasive fungal infections. The sensitivity of the BDG assay was 71.9% and the specifi city was 91.0%. There were signifi cant diff erences in sensitivity, specifi city, and optimal cut-off points among patients with diff erent clinical conditions (that is, trauma, burn, postoperative, and medical conditions).The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.82, but there were also diff erences across clinical categories. Characteristics of leptospirosis patients admitted to a tropical university hospital during the 2000 to 2010 period H Mehdaoui, E Caffi ot, R Theodose, R Valentino, D Resiere, C Chabartier, M Jonas Fort de France University Hospital, Fort De France, Martinique Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P40 (doi: 10.1186/cc10647) Characteristics of leptospirosis patients admitted to a tropical university hospital during the 2000 to 2010 period H Mehdaoui, E Caffi ot, R Theodose, R Valentino, D Resiere, C Chabartier, M Jonas Fort de France University Hospital, Fort De France, Martinique Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P40 (doi: 10.1186/cc10647) Introduction Leptospirosis is an endemic disease in the intertropical area. Most of the patients present with mild to moderate clinical forms, but leptospirosis may lead to multiple organ failure and death. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of 113 patients with leptospirosis admitted to our emergency department. Results PCR and/or immunological investigations confirmed the Introduction Leptospirosis is an endemic disease in the intertropical area. Most of the patients present with mild to moderate clinical forms, but leptospirosis may lead to multiple organ failure and death. Introduction Leptospirosis is an endemic disease in the intertropical area. Most of the patients present with mild to moderate clinical forms, but leptospirosis may lead to multiple organ failure and death. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of 113 patients with leptospirosis admitted to our emergency department. Results PCR and/or immunological investigations confi rmed the diagnosis for 88 patients. We compared the periods before and after PCR diagnosis implementation (2006), and determined the pattern of the most severe forms. Thirty-two patients were admitted to our ICU. Eight of the ICU patients died including four with confi rmed diagnosis. Nineteen patients were diagnosed before 2006, and 69 during the period to 2010. Patients were less frequently admitted to the ICU during the second period (29% vs 63% P = 0 013) ICU patients had a higher p p y p g Methods We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of 113 patients with leptospirosis admitted to our emergency department.i Conclusion Disease severity evaluated by SAPS II and sepsis staging score and inappropriate initial antibiotherapy were independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality. The use of a macrolide was independently associated with a reduced risk of death. Results PCR and/or immunological investigations confi rmed the diagnosis for 88 patients. We compared the periods before and after PCR diagnosis implementation (2006), and determined the pattern of the most severe forms. Thirty-two patients were admitted to our ICU. Eight of the ICU patients died including four with confi rmed diagnosis. Nineteen patients were diagnosed before 2006, and 69 during the period to 2010. P40 (H1N1) virus – 20%; Enterobacteriaceae – 18%) and 12% had secondary bacteremia. Antibiotics were administered in the fi rst 3  hours after hospital admission in 71% of the patients and 76% of them received combination therapy. Antibiotherapy was appropriate in 80% with a median duration of 8 days. Median ICU and hospital lengths of stay were 10 and 19 days respectively. Median ICU and hospital mortalities were 25% and 34% respectively. Variables independently associated with hospital mortality were: SAPS II score (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.037 to 1.086), severe sepsis (OR 3.61; 95% CI 1.334 to 9.791), septic shock (OR 4.25; 95% CI 1.61 to 11.194), inappropriate antibiotherapy (OR 5.06; 95% CI 1.766 to 14.516) and the use of a macrolide (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.203 to 0.809). Systemic corticosteroids for community-acquired pneumonia in adults RJ Pugh, N Roy Glan Clwyd Hospital, Rhyl, UK Introduction We aimed to evaluate evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the eff ect of systemic corticosteroids in adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Observational data suggest that corticosteroids may decrease mortality in severe CAP [1], and several large RCTs have been published since the recent Cochrane review [2]. Conclusion The use of PCR dramatically improved the diagnosis of mild to moderate forms of leptospirosis and led to an apparent increase its incidence. Severe forms were less easy to assess as they occur later and we should have a more aggressive policy to improve the immunological diagnosis which was sometimes neglected since the implementation of PCR diagnosis. Severe forms have a more pronounced infl ammatory syndrome and diff use organ failure. Aggressive fl uid loading as recommended in septic states may have worsened hemodynamic and respiratory conditions in the ICU group. This is suggested by the hemodilution pattern found in this group. The association of renal, myocardial and respiratory failures in leptospirosis should lead to a careful monitoring of fl uid loading and myocardial status. Methods A systematic review of the literature: Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Clinical Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE and SCOPUS, and reference lists of original studies and reviews. Data were collated and analysed using Review Manager v5.1. y g g Results A total of 254 RCTs were identifi ed. Seven met inclusion criteria, totalling 806 patients. Studies varied in methodology, participants, interventions, and outcome measures. Where meta- analysis was possible, data are presented in Table 1 (outcomes: hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, hospital length of stay, superinfection, hyperglycaemia). Excepting hyperglycaemia, eff ect estimates were not statistically signifi cant. Two small studies (n  =  46 and n  =  30) concentrated on severe CAP (using ATS and BTS criteria); one study found a statistically signifi cant reduction in mortality, lengths of stay and duration of mechanical ventilation in the steroid group, but similar improvements in the other study, and in a large subgroup of patients with severe CAP in another study (n = 93) were not found. Signifi cant reductions in infl ammatory markers in the week following initiation of steroid treatment were found in six studies. Characteristics of leptospirosis patients admitted to a tropical university hospital during the 2000 to 2010 period H Mehdaoui, E Caffi ot, R Theodose, R Valentino, D Resiere, C Chabartier, M Jonas Fort de France University Hospital, Fort De France, Martinique Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P40 (doi: 10.1186/cc10647) Patients were less frequently admitted to the ICU during the second period (29% vs. 63%, P = 0.013). ICU patients had a higher heart rate (111 ± 28 vs. 93 ± 21, P = 0.001), and had more frequently jaundice (94% vs. 64%, P = 0.002) and oliguria (81% vs. 23%, P <0.001). Glycemia (8.7  ±  3.3 vs. 7.1  ±  3.4, P  =  0.04), creatinin (530  ±  299 vs. 142 ± 113, P <0.0001), bilirubin (423 ± 251 vs. 69 ± 103, P <0.0001), CRP (325 ± 135 vs. 210 ± 127, P <0.0001), and WBCC (21.7 ± 9.5 vs. 9.7 ± 5.3, P <0.0001) were higher and protidemia (58 ± 15 vs. 68 ± 13, P = 0.002), hematocrit (24  ±  6 vs. 34  ±  6, P <0.0001), and P/F ratio (271  ±  127 vs. 352 ± 84, P = 0.036) were lower in the ICU group. Troponin was increased more frequently in the ICU group (44% vs. 9%, P = 0.0003) and ECG anomalies (78% vs. 52%, P = 0.02) were more frequent. Among the 22 early cardiac echographies performed in the ICU, 11 patients had LVEF <50%. P37 Impaired heart rate variability predicts clinical deterioration and progressive organ failure in emergency department sepsis patients R Arnold, G Green, A Bravi, S Hollenberg, A Seely P37 Impaired heart rate variability predicts clinical deterioration and progressive organ failure in emergency department sepsis patients R Arnold, G Green, A Bravi, S Hollenberg, A Seely Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P37 (doi: 10.1186/cc10644) g Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ, USA g Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ, USA p y p , , , Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P37 (doi: 10.1186/cc10644) p y p , , , Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P37 (doi: 10.1186/cc10644) Introduction Emergency department (ED) sepsis patients without overt shock have a high incidence of clinical deterioration after S14 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P41 Prognostic impact of imported and newly-isolated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the ICU S Ohshimo, K Ota, T Tamura, Y Kida, J Itai, K Suzuki, K Kanao, Y Torikoshi, K Koyama, T Otani, T Sadamori, K Une, R Tsumura, Y Iwasaki, N Hirohashi, K Tanigawa Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P41 (doi: 10.1186/cc10648) Prognostic impact of imported and newly-isolated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the ICU S Ohshimo, K Ota, T Tamura, Y Kida, J Itai, K Suzuki, K Kanao, Y Torikoshi, K Koyama, T Otani, T Sadamori, K Une, R Tsumura, Y Iwasaki, N Hirohashi, K Tanigawa Table 1 (abstract P39). Meta-analysis of clinical outcomes Outcome Number of studies Population Eff ect Hospital mortality 5 537 OR 0.65 30-day mortality 3 562 OR 0.90 Hospital LOS 2 244 MD –1.52 Superinfection 3 563 OR 1.24 Hyperglycaemia 2 517 OR 2.69* LOS, length of stay. *P <0.0001. Table 1 (abstract P39). Meta-analysis of clinical outcomes Table 1 (abstract P39). Meta-analysis of clinical outcomes Introduction Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading pathogen of hospital-acquired pneumonia. The diff erence in outcome between patients with imported and newly-isolated MRSA in the ICU has not been well investigated. The aim of our study was to explore the incidence, risk factors and outcome in patients with imported and newly-isolated MRSA. Methods Patients admitted to the ICU in our university between April 2009 and May 2010 were prospectively studied. Nasal swabs were collected from all patients on admission and subsequently collected weekly during the ICU stay. When patients were intubated, intratracheal aspirates were concurrently collected. The correlations of positive culture of MRSA with clinical variables were analysed. Conclusion Systemic corticosteroid administration as adjunctive treatment for CAP does not appear to improve relevant clinical outcomes, regardless of severity, and is associated with signifi cantly increased incidence of hyperglycaemia. R f P43 467 females. Median age was 63 (1 to 97). Of these, imported MRSA was found in 124 (10%) patients, and newly-isolated MRSA in 57 (4%) patients. The incidence of imported MRSA was associated with the comorbidity of cardiovascular disease or malignancy and long hospital stay before admission to the ICU, whereas the incidence of newly- isolated MRSA was associated with the positive culture in intratracheal aspirates or blood/intravenous catheter, the comorbidity of shock, pneumonia or trauma, increased number of isolated sites, higher APACHE II score, prolonged ICU stay and higher mortality during the ICU stay. Although no statistical signifi cance was found in total patients, the subset analysis of the male patients demonstrated that the outcome of newly-isolated patients was signifi cantly poor compared with those of imported MRSA (P = 0.005). Multivariate analysis revealed that new isolation of MRSA in the ICU (P = 0.03; hazard ratio (HR), 2.62), negative culture of MRSA in nasal swab (P = 0.02; HR, 4.18), ≥2 isolated sites (P = 0.01; HR, 4.59) and comorbidity of ARDS (P = 0.002; HR, 4.63) were the independent poor prognostic factors. Predicting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in critically ill patients with pneumonia presenting to the hospital AF Shorr1, DE Myers2, DB Huang3, BH Nathanson4, MF Emmons5 1Washington Hospital Centre, Washington, DC, USA; 2Pfi zer, Inc., Collegeville, PA, USA; 3VA NJ Healthcare System, East Orange, NJ, USA; 4OptiStatim, LLC, Longmeadow, MA, USA; 5Cerner LifeSciences, Beverly Hills, CA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P43 (doi: 10.1186/cc10650) Introduction Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represents an important pathogen in those presenting to the hospital with pneumonia and requiring ICU admission. However, empiric treatment against MRSA in those admitted to the ICU with severe non- nosocomial pneumonia could lead to overuse of anti-MRSA therapy. To address this concern, we sought to develop a simple clinical score for identifying ICU patients presenting to the hospital with pneumonia unlikely to be caused by MRSA. y y Methods We retrospectively identifi ed patients admitted to the ICU with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) or healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) between April 2007 and March 2009 at 62 hospitals in the USA. The diagnosis of pneumonia was based on ICD-9 codes. We only included patients with laboratory evidence of bacterial infection (for example, positive sputum, blood, pleural cultures or urinary antigen testing). P42 P42 Necrotizing pneumonia due to methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus secreting Panton-Valentine leukocidin: a review of case reports L Kreienbuehl1, E Charbonney2, P Eggimann3 1HUG, Geneva, Switzerland; 2Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada; 3CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P42 (doi: 10.1186/cc10649) Necrotizing pneumonia due to methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus secreting Panton-Valentine leukocidin: a review of case reports p L Kreienbuehl1, E Charbonney2, P Eggimann3 1HUG, Geneva, Switzerland; 2Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada; 3CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P42 (doi: 10.1186/cc10649) Introduction Community-acquired necrotizing pneumonia caused by Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-secreting Staphylococcus aureus is a highly lethal infection, which mainly aff ects healthy children and young adults [1,2]. This study focuses on necrotizing pneumonia due to methicillin-sensitive S. aureus strains, with the purpose to determine factors associated with outcome. pi y Conclusion The prevalence of MRSA in patients with CAP or HCAP requiring ICU care was high. A score to assess the risk for MRSA in these patients performed poorly but requires external validation. Given the high risk of MRSA in this setting along with the limited discriminatory power of our risk score, empiric therapy for MRSA in these patients seems appropriate. Methods We performed a systematic review of case reports on PVL-secreting MSSA necrotizing pneumonia and analyzed factors associated with outcome. Results A total of 32 patient descriptions were retained for analysis. Septic shock, infl uenza-like prodrome and the absence of a previous skin and soft tissue infection were associated with fatal outcome. In multivariate analysis, infl uenza-like prodrome (OR 7.44; 95% CI: 1.24 to 44.76; P = 0.028) and absence of previous skin and soft tissue infection (OR 0.09; 95% CI: 0.010 to 0.86; P = 0.036) remained signifi cant predictors of death. See Table 1. P44 P44 Predictors of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections: a retrospective analysis in surgical ICU patients A Camkiran, A Kundakci, C Araz, A Pirat, P Zeyneloglu, H Arslan, G Arslan Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P44 (doi: 10.1186/cc10651) Table 1 (abstract P42). Univariate analysis of mortality risk factors Univariate Died Survived analysis (n = 13) (n = 19) OR (95% CI) P value Flu-like prodrome 9/12 (75%) 4/16 (25%) 9.00 (1.60 to 50.7) 0.020 SSTI 1/13 (8%) 9/19 (47%) 0.09 (0.01 to 0.86) 0.024 Septic shock 11/11 7/15 (47%) 26.0 (1.30 to 522) 0.007 Leukocytopenia 9/11 (82%) 8/17 (47%) 5.06 (0.83 to 30.8) 0.115 Conclusion Infl uenza-like prodrome may be predictive of adverse outcome and previous skin and soft tissue infection may be associated with improved prognosis. References 1. Gillet Y, et al.: Lancet 2002, 359:753-759. 2. Gillet Y, et al.: Clin Infect Dis 2007, 45:315-321. Table 1 (abstract P42). Univariate analysis of mortality risk factors Univariate Died Survived analysis (n = 13) (n = 19) OR (95% CI) P value Flu-like prodrome 9/12 (75%) 4/16 (25%) 9.00 (1.60 to 50.7) 0.020 SSTI 1/13 (8%) 9/19 (47%) 0.09 (0.01 to 0.86) 0.024 Septic shock 11/11 7/15 (47%) 26.0 (1.30 to 522) 0.007 Leukocytopenia 9/11 (82%) 8/17 (47%) 5.06 (0.83 to 30.8) 0.115 Table 1 (abstract P42). Univariate analysis of mortality risk factors Introduction Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MRAB) is an important cause of hospital-acquired infection and leads to an increasing morbidity and mortality in ICUs. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of MRAB infection in surgical ICU patients. Methods The charts of the patients who were admitted to the ICU between January 2008 and August 2010 were reviewed to identify patients with MRAB infection. Recorded data were as follows: age, sex, medical history, underlying surgical pathology, APACHE II score on ICU admission, days in hospital before ICU, presence of invasive procedures (intubation, tracheostomy, arterial, central venous lines, urinary and nasogastric catheters, enteral or parenteral nutrition and renal replacement therapy), days in the ICU and white blood cell (WBC) count on infection day, infection site, complications (such as organ/ system failure), length of stay (LOS) in the ICU and hospital, and fi nal outcome. P43 We determined, via logistic regression, variables independently associated with the presence of MRSA (two-thirds of cohort) and developed a risk score based on this. We then internally validated (one-third of cohort) the score. p p p g Conclusion The new isolation of MRSA during the ICU stay was associated with poor outcome compared with the imported MRSA. Clinicians should be aware of the high-risk group of MRSA infection. Strict hand hygiene plus a careful assessment of the patient, applying aggressive procedures such as patient isolation, staff cohorting, and active surveillance cultures should be indicated. Results The cohort included 957 patients (mean age 65.8  ±  16.4 years, 50.2% male, 43.7% HCAP). MRSA was identifi ed in 20.1%. The risk score assigned points as follows: 1 point – age <30 or >79 years, recent immunosuppression other than corticosteroids, shock; 2 points – admission from a skilled nursing facility, history of diabetes without coronary artery disease (CAD) or heart failure without CAD. The prevalence of MRSA increased with escalating score (P <0.001). We collapsed the score into three strata based on risk for MRSA (score of 0 to 1 (low), 2 to 4 (moderate), ≥5 (high)). The respective MRSA rates by strata equaled 15.2%, 24.7%, and 31.9%, (P <0.001). A score ≤1 as a screening test to exclude MRSA performed poorly (sensitivity 58.3%, specifi city of 53.3%). 1. Gillet Y, et al.: Lancet 2002, 359:753-759. References positive culture of MRSA with clinical variables were analysed. Results A total of 1,270 consecutive patients were enrolled. Median follow-up period was 404 (187 to 609) days. There were 803 males and 1. Garcia-Vidal et al.: Eur Respir J 2007, 30:951-956. 2. Chen et al.: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, 3. S15 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 2. Gillet Y, et al.: Clin Infect Dis 2007, 45:315-321. P45 P45 Risk factors for bronchial acquisition of resistant Gram-negative bacteria in critically ill patients and outcome I Papakonstantinou1, E Perivolioti1, C Vrettou2, I Baraboutis1, E Magira2, E Balioti1, D Panopoulou1, T Pitsolis1, C Routsi2, S Nanas2 1Evaggelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P45 (doi: 10.1186/cc10652) Figure 1 (abstract P46). Introduction It has been advocated that resistant Gram-negative bacteria (RGNB) colonization of ICU patients is to some extent a result of increased use of antibiotics. The aim of our study was to investigate, in adjustment with patients’ characteristics, the impact of colonization status and antibiotic use during ICU stay on the impending acquisition of RGNB in the bronchial tree of newly intubated patients and to estimate the outcome. Methods Bronchial and pharyngeal surveillance cultures were obtained up to day 7 (d7) of ICU admission. RGNB considered for analysis on d7 were A. baumannii (RAB) and K. pneumoniae (RKP). Polymicrobial colonization with ≥2 RGNB (PMC) was also evaluated. To assess dependence between diff erent explanatory variables, multivariable logistic regression was used. Variables included in the model were: SOFA score, department prior to ICU admission, medical cause of admission, emergency surgery, CRF, prior aminoglycosides and tigecycline use during ICU stay and concurrent RAB or RKP pharyngeal colonization, respectively. To estimate outcome (death), variables included in multivariate model were: APACHE, SOFA score, department prior to ICU admission, medical cause of admission, emergency surgery, CRF and d7 RAB, RKP.i Figure 1 (abstract P46). Conclusion The need for a complex strategy to manage and eradicate an MRA outbreak in the ICU led to a clinically signifi cant decrease in antibiotic use and prescribing cost saving following eradication of MRA. Improved antibiotic stewardship is achievable through better infection control strategies. g y g y Results Ninety-fi ve eligible patients with bronchial colonization data on d7 were included for further analysis. In the case of RAB in multivariate model (R2 = 0.538), pharyngeal d7 RAB was the only predictor of d7 RAB bronchial colonization (OR 0.042, 95% CI 0.012 to 0.148, P <0.001). In the case of RKP in multivariate model (R2 =0.648), pharyngeal d7 RKP (OR 0.037, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.031, P = 0.004), aminoglycoside use (OR 0.094, 95% CI 0.015 to 0.573, P = 0.01) and SOFA score (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.58, P = 0.023) characterized bronchial d7 RKP colonization. P45 Multivariate model for PMC (R2 = 0.49) revealed only d7 pharyngeal PMC as predictor of bronchial PMC (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.026 to 0.50, P = 0.004). Department prior to ICU, medical cause of admission, CRF, and emergency surgery were not found to infl uence RGNB bronchial colonization. Outcome death increased with APACHE score (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.94, P = 0.002) and bronchial d7 RKP colonization (OR 9.14, 95% CI 1.3 to 64.4, P = 0.026). Acknowledgements Thanks to Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare Charity, and ICU and microbiology staff . References Results During the study period 25 patients with MRAB infection were identifi ed. When compared with their matched control group (n = 25), 1. Gillet Y, et al.: Lancet 2002, 359:753-759. 2. Gillet Y, et al.: Clin Infect Dis 2007, 45:315-321. S16 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 patients with MRAB infection had a signifi cantly higher mean APACHE II score (P <0.001) and more frequently had an open wound (P = 0.002) or required mechanical ventilation (P = 0.005), arterial catheterization (P = 0.006), and central venous catheterization (P = 0.004). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that APACHE II score (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.005 to 1.315; P = 0.043) and open wound (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.003 to 0.587; P = 0.18) were predictors of MRAB infection in these patients. Compared to their controls, patients with MRAB infection had a longer LOS in the ICU (36.44 ± 30.44 days vs. 7.80 ± 8.13 days, P <0.001) and hospital (55.12 ± 40.81 days vs. 19.04 ± 13.44 days, P <0.001). In-hospital mortality rates for patients with MRAB infection and their controls were 56% and 32%, respectively (P = 0.154). Reference 1. Kollef M, et al.: Ann Internal Med 2001, 134:298-314. Improved antibiotic stewardship resulting from a multifaceted strategy implemented after an outbreak of multiresistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a university ICU M Beach, M Cohen, V Grover, J Ho, N Soni, B Azadian, S Singh Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P46 (doi: 10.1186/cc10653) Improved antibiotic stewardship resulting from a multifaceted strategy implemented after an outbreak of multiresistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a university ICU M Beach, M Cohen, V Grover, J Ho, N Soni, B Azadian, S Singh Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P46 (doi: 10.1186/cc10653) Introduction A 12-bed ICU experienced an outbreak of multiresistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MRA) from October 2009 to May 2010. A multifaceted strategy involving segregation, enhanced infection control procedures, and microbiological surveillance was implemented. We evaluated its impact on antibiotic stewardship. p y Conclusion Our results indicate that higher APACHE II scores and presence of an open wound are predictors of MRAB in ICU surgical patients. Patients with MRAB infection tended to have a higher mortality and had a longer LOS in the ICU and hospital than their controls. Methods A retrospective review of patient notes and results using AcuBase® was conducted: 90 consecutive patients before the outbreak (January to June 2008) and 91 thereafter (October 2010 to May 2011). Data included patient profi les, admission criteria, ICU survival, antimicrobials used, antibiotic days, number of patients on antibiotics, prescribing cost and the demographic of microbes isolated. Results Following the outbreak, enhanced infection control measures were implemented alongside the Matching Michigan protocols. Daily operational critical care and elective planning meetings and a staff education programme were undertaken. ICU mortality (31 (14%) vs. 43 (16%)) was unchanged. Microbiological isolates were overall similar, with a reduction in coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Klebsiella and an increase in Enterobacter. The use of cefuroxime (3.2 vs. 2.3 antibiotic days/ patient) and quinolones (6 vs. 2) decreased. There was a reduction in average antibiotic days per patient episode (5.1 vs. 4.2) (P = 0.0291) and the prescribing cost savings were £13,558 (47%). See Figure 1. Predictive and prognostic factors of septic shock of nosocomial origin JP Quenot1, A Pavon1, C Binquet1, F Kara2, O Martinet3, F Ganster3, JC Navellou4, V Castelain5, D Barraud6, J Cousson4, JF Poussel7, P Perez8, K Kuteifan9, A Noirot2 y g y Results Fifty-one patients were included (30 with suspected IC and 21 with proven IC). At the onset of antifungal therapy, the Candida score was greater in the patients with suspected IC than in those with proven infection (3.7  ±  0.7 vs. 3.0  ±  0.8, P  =  0.001) since multifocal colonization was more frequent in the former. In addition, the patients with suspected but unproven IC looked more seriously ill according to the SOFA score (8.3 ± 3.0 vs. 6.6 ± 3.5, P = 0.07). This mainly resulted from a greater level of hypotension as assessed through the SOFA score (2.8 ± 1.5 vs. 1.2 ± 1.5 points, P = 0.0006). Obviously, the clinical response to antifungal therapy was signifi cantly more consistent in the patients with unproven IC than in those with proven infection (P = 0.032). In addition, there was a trend toward an improved survival in the former patients (53 vs. 47%, P = 0.42). The only independent protective factor was echinocandin therapy duration (HR = 0.84 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.94), P = 0.0034).i 1University Hospital Bocage, Dijon, France; 2Centre Hospitalier, Haguenau, France; 3Nouvel Hopital Civil, Strasbourg, France; 4University Hospital, Besancon, France; 5Hopital Hautepierre, Strasbourg, France; 6Hopital Central, Nancy, France; 7Regional Hospital, Metz-Thionville, France; 8Hopital Brabois, Nancy, France; 9CHG, Mulhouse, France C iti l C 2012 16(S l 1) P49 (d i 10 1186/ 10656) Introduction The incidence of septic shock in intensive care in France is around 8 to 10%, with in-hospital mortality ranging from 55 to 60% [1]. Mortality increases by 10% when the infection causing septic shock is acquired in-hospital or in the ICU [1]. We aimed to determine predictive and prognostic factors for septic shock caused by a nosocomial infection (NI). Methods Subgroup analysis of a prospective, multicentre, observa- tional study performed between November 2009 and March 2011 in 14 ICUs from 10 university and community (nonacademic) hospitals in the northeast of France. This study was supported by the Collège Interrégional des Réanimateurs du Nord-Est. Patients were included if they were aged >18 years and had septic shock plus at least one criterion of hypoperfusion. Infection was classed as nosocomial if acquired in-hospital more than 48 hours after admission. References Methods A retrospective single-centre observational study including every patient with highly suspected but unproven IC (that is, Candida score >3, multifocal Candida sp. colonization, unresolved sepsis despite >2-day broad-spectrum antibiotics, negative blood culture) who received at least two doses of one echinocandin between 2008 and 2011. Patients with proven IC (that is, candidemia) over the same period were used as controls. These two groups of patients were compared regarding baseline characteristics and both clinical and biological follow-up data while receiving antifungal therapy. The clinical response to antifungal therapy was assessed through the SOFA score daily decrease from day 0 to day 3 in both groups and compared by repeated-measures ANOVA. Then, independent predictors of death in the ICU were determined by Cox regression analysis. 1. Gonçalves e Silva CR, Melo KE, Leão MV, Ruis R, Jorge AO: Relationship between Candida in vaginal and oral mucosae and salivary IgA. Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet 2008, 30:300-305. 2. Bai XD, Liu XH, Tong QY: Intestinal colonization with Candida albicans and mucosal immunity. World J Gastroenterol 2004, 10:2124-2126. 2. Bai XD, Liu XH, Tong QY: Intestinal colonization with Candida albicans and mucosal immunity. World J Gastroenterol 2004, 10:2124-2126. Empirical antifungal treatment in the critically ill patients: how does it impact on the outcome? R Bruyère, C Vigneron, J Quenot, M Hamet, F Dalle, S Prin, PE Charles University Hospital, Dijon, France R Bruyère, C Vigneron, J Quenot, M Hamet, F Dalle, S Prin, PE Charles University Hospital, Dijon, France Conclusion Of the parameters included in our model, concurrent d7 pharyngeal RAB and RKP, respectively, resulted eventually in bronchial colonization with the same pathogens. Of the overall antibiotics used only aminoglycosides had signifi cant correlation only for RKP colonization. y p j ical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P47 (doi: 10.1186/cc10654) Introduction Given the high mortality attributable to invasive candidiasis (IC) and the lack of reliable diagnosis tool, antifungals S17 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion The above data show a slight reduction of Candida spp. colonization in septic shock patients treated with IgGAM therapy. Further studies are needed to confi rm this fi nding. are often started in high-risk patients with severe sepsis despite the absence of proven disease. According to current guidelines, echinocandins are the drugs of choice in this setting. However, the level of evidence supporting this statement is low. Conclusion The above data show a slight reduction of Candida spp. colonization in septic shock patients treated with IgGAM therapy. Further studies are needed to confi rm this fi nding. References Predictive and prognostic factors of septic shock of nosocomial origin Data control and statistical analysis were performed by the CIC-EC of Dijon University Hospital (INSERM Unit CIE1). Conclusion A signifi cant clinical improvement is achieved in patients with suspected but not proven IC receiving empirical antifungal therapy with an echinocandin. In contrast, the patients with proven IC are less responsive to therapy and are more likely to die in the ICU. Our data support the use of an echinocandin as empirical therapy in very high-risk patients. Reference Reference 1. Annane D: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003, 168:165. g References References 1. Pappas PG, et al.: Clin Infect Dis 2009, 48:503-535. 2. Leon C, et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:1624-1633. 1. Pappas PG, et al.: Clin Infect Dis 2009, 48:503-535. 2 Leon C et al : Crit Care Med 2009 37:1624-1633 Results In total, 1,147 patients were included in the cohort, of whom 409 (35.6%) presented a NI (345/409 (84%) acquired in-hospital and 64/409 (16%) acquired in the ICU). The factors signifi cantly associated with NI (in-hospital or in-ICU) were: immunodepression, a Knaus score C to D, SAPS II score, and SOFA score. Other variables such as age, sex, type of admission and type of infection were not signifi cantly related to the nosocomial origin of infection. In-hospital mortality for community- acquired versus NIs was 40.8% vs. 53.5% respectively (P <0.01), and 46.9% vs. 62% respectively at 28 days (P <0.01). Relationship between polyclonal immunoglobulin therapy and colonization by Candida spp.i G Serafi ni, I Cavazzuti, C Venturelli, M Girardis University Hospital, Modena, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P48 (doi: 10.1186/cc10655 Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P48 (doi: 10.1186/cc10655) Conclusion Mortality of patients with septic shock of nosocomial origin is particularly high. Scores evaluating gravity of disease are also higher in patients with NI versus those with community-acquired infection. This could be explained by delayed presentation or diffi culties with management, but also by immunodepression and a poor state of prior health. It is likely that appropriate measures, particularly aimed at prevention, could help to reduce mortality in patients with septic shock caused by NI. Introduction Low IgA levels in blood serum and in saliva have been associated with an increased risk for Candida colonization and infec- tion [1,2]. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to evaluate the eff ects of an intravenous immunoglobulin preparation containing polyclonal IgG, IgM and IgA (IgGAM) on the prevention of Candida spp. colonization in patients with septic shock. p p Methods In this study we analyzed 69 patients with septic shock and without Candida spp. colonization before shock appearance admitted to the ICU of a university hospital from January 2008 to November 2011. All of the patients were treated in according to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines. In addition to standard therapy, 44 (64%) patients received IgGAM therapy (Pentaglobin® 38 g/l IgG, 6 g/l IgM, and 6 g/l IgA) within 24 hours from the diagnosis of septic shock at the dose of 250 mg/kg/day for 3 days. The colonization by Candida spp. was evaluated by analyzing the results of the microbiological surveillance cultures (two times per week) of pharyngeal swab, tracheal aspirate, urine and surgical drains between 48  hours and 21 days after the diagnosis of septic shock. P50 P50 Catheter-related bloodstream infection: factors aff ecting incidence K Boner1, M McGovern2, J Bourke1, C Walshe3, D Phelan1 1Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 2Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; 3Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P50 (doi: 10.1186/cc10657) Introduction Catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI), its associated morbidity, mortality and expense are the most important adverse eff ect of central venous catheters (CVCs) [1]. The objective of this study of a population in whom the rate of CRBSI fell signifi cantly g p Results In the IgGAM group, 11 patients (25%) developed Candida spp. colonization compared to nine patients (36%) of the control group. The Candida colonization index was similar in the two groups: 0.42 ± 0.16 in the IgGAM group and 0.45 in the control group. S18 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P <0.01); Knaus score C–D (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.64 to 2.84, P <0.01); SOFA score (OR for an increase of 1 point 1.32, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.38, P <0.01); and infection acquired in the ICU (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.03 to 3.37, P = 0.03). Protective factors were surgical admission (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.89, P = 0.01) and urinary tract infection (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.82, P <0.01). over 12 years [2] was to evaluate the infl uence of both patient and CVC factors on CRBSI rates in patients receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in this time. Methods Set in a 525-bed university hospital providing acute and tertiary services. A prospective database was established in 1997, recording data on all patients with CVCs inserted for TPN administration. This database was examined up to 2009 to ascertain the eff ects of patient and CVC factors on CRBSI. Conclusion Our fi ndings are coherent with the literature. Multivariate analysis found nonmodifi able risk factors such as age, but also modifi able risk factors that warrant further investigation, such as infections acquired in-hospital or in the ICU. Future clinical studies in septic shock should take these fi ndings into account when selecting patients. p Results During the 12-year study period, 2,573 CVCs were inserted into 1,343 patients and 15,385 CVC days were accumulated. Overall, 13.8% of patients developed CRBSI throughout the study. Severe sepsis in the United Sates: a 5-year analysis J Knittel, S Quraishi Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P52 (doi: 10.1186/cc10659) Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P52 (doi: 10.1186/cc10659) Introduction We describe patient-level healthcare data related to severe sepsis over a 5-year period (2004 to 2008) in the United States. Methods We queried the largest all-payer inpatient care database in the United States to identify cases of hospital admissions between 2004 and 2008 with a primary diagnosis of severe sepsis (ICD 9: 995.92). This retrospective analysis was performed with data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample (NIS) repository. Data related to length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and hospital charge was extracted. The 2004 and 2008 data for these variables were compared and further analyzed by age and sex in SPSS v.19 (IBM Corporation, Amonk, NY, USA). Results are reported with ± standard error where applicable, and P <0.05 represented statistical signifi cance. Results Our query of the NIS data revealed a similar number of hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of severe sepsis in 2004 versus 2008. Sex (male vs. female) and age group composition (18 to 44 vs. 45 to 64 vs. 65 to 85 vs. 85+) within these cohorts were similar. No signifi cant change in overall length of stay or in-hospital mortality rate was appreciated. However, a signifi cant increase in overall cost was appreciated ($67,670 ± 5,742 vs. $100,973 ± 10,525; P = 0.006), which outpaced healthcare-specifi c and general infl ation during this period. Sex did not infl uence length of stay or in-hospital mortality rate. Cost of care was higher for males versus females (2004: $78,361  ±  8,982 vs. $57,040  ±  5,959; P  =  0.048 and 2008: $111,298  ±  13,835 vs. $90,730  ±  11,380; P  <0.001). Age had a signifi cant infl uence on in- hospital mortality in 2004 and in 2008, with the highest percentage of in-hospital deaths in the 85+ category. Age also had a signifi cant infl uence on cost/day. Whereas in 2004 patients in the 85+ category represented the age subset with the lowest cost/day, in 2008 this age group witnessed a threefold increase in daily costs (P  <0.001) and represented the highest cost/day subset. Conclusion CRBSI occurs commonly in TPN populations, but there are very limited published data as regards incidence or factors aff ecting incidence in this population. References 1. O’Grady NP, Alexander M, Dellinger EP, et al.; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee: Guidelines for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002, 23:759-769. 2. Walshe CM, Boner K, Bourke J, et al.: Catheter related blood stream infection (CRBSI) in TPN patients. Benefi t of an educational programme using multimodal CRBSI expression. Clin Govern Int J 2010, 15:292-301. 2. Walshe CM, Boner K, Bourke J, et al.: Catheter related blood stream infection (CRBSI) in TPN patients. Benefi t of an educational programme using multimodal CRBSI expression. Clin Govern Int J 2010, 15:292-301. Severe sepsis in the United Sates: a 5-year analysis J Knittel, S Quraishi This large study of TPN patients provides prospective analysis of both patient and CVC factors infl uencing the development of CRBSI for the fi rst time. P50 In terms of patient factors aff ecting CRBSI rates, CRBSI was increased in patients with longer duration of TPN administration (where each additional day was associated with a relative risk ratio of 1.02, P <0.01), increased numbers of CVCs inserted (where each additional line was associated with a relative risk ratio of 1.21, P <0.01), and use of lipid formulation of TPN (58.9 vs. 49% use was associated with a relative risk ratio of 1.56, P <0.01). Overall 8.6% of CVCs inserted became infected. Hospital location of CVC insertion was an important risk factor for CRBSI. The most common site for insertion was the ICU (almost 40% of CVCs); however, compared to ICU insertion, insertion in the HDU was associated with an increased risk of CRBSI (a relative risk ratio of 1.75, P <0.01), as was insertion in the operating theatre for ward patients (a relative risk ratio of 2.08, P <0.01). CVC maintenance at ward level was associated with increased CRBSI rates, with a relative risk ratio of 2.06 (P <0.01). Reference Reference 1. Annane D: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003, 168:165. Prognostic factors of septic shock 1 1 2 JP Quenot1, A Pavon1, C Binquet2, F Kara3, O Martinet4, F Ganste JC Navellou5, V Castelain6, D Barraud7, J Cousson3, JF Poussel8, P Perez9, K Kuteifan3 JC Navellou5, V Castelain6, D Barraud7, J Cousson3, JF Poussel8, P Perez9, K Kuteifan3 1University Hospital Bocage, Dijon, France; 2CIC EC, Dijon, France; 3Centre Hospitalier, Haguenau, France; 4Nouvel Hopital Civil, Strasbourg, France; 5University Hospital, Besancon, France; 6Hopital Hautepierre, Strasbourg, France; 7Hopital Central, Nancy, France; 8Regional Hospitalier, Metz-Thionville, France; 9Hopital Brabois, Nancy, France p y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P51 (doi: 10.1186/cc10658) Conclusion Our data suggest that despite signifi cant increases in healthcare costs attributable to severe sepsis, survival and length of stay has not improved signifi cantly between 2004 and 2008. Dramatic increases in cost are particularly notable in males versus females and in patients who are 85 years old and over. Policies to control healthcare costs in the United States should focus on the root causes that lead to such signifi cant increases in cost without appreciable societal returns on investment. Introduction The incidence of septic shock in intensive care (ICU) in France is around 8 to 10%, with in-hospital mortality ranging from 55 to 60% [1]. The identifi cation of prognostic factors is essential to guarantee optimal management. Methods A prospective, multicentre, observational study was per- formed between November 2009 and March 2011 in 14 ICUs from 10 university and community (nonacademic) hospitals in the northeast of France. This study was supported by the Collège Interrégional des Réanimateurs du Nord-Est. Patients were included if they were aged >18 years and had septic shock plus at least one criterion of hypoperfusion. Data control and statistical analysis was performed by the CIC-EC of Dijon University Hospital (INSERM Unit CIE1). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of mortality at 28 days. P54 p Results Over a 24-month period we have a database with 1,571 patients. The results demonstrate that the median time to antibiotic administration is consistently near our target of 1 hour for all septic patients included in this pathway. Through continued refi nement and staged introduction the proforma and the process has demonstrated consistency from medical to surgical wards; introduction in new areas has rapidly improved results. See Figure 1 overleaf. Compliance with the sepsis resuscitation bundle in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock admitted to Scottish ICUs JA Davidson1, K Dunne2i Compliance with the sepsis resuscitation bundle in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock admitted to Scottish ICUs JA Davidson1, K Dunne2 1Victoria Infi rmary, Glasgow, UK; 2Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P54 (doi: 10.1186/cc10661) 1Victoria Infi rmary, Glasgow, UK; 2Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P54 (doi: 10.1186/cc10661) Introduction Severe sepsis is the second leading cause for admission to critical care and in spite of advanced care remains associated with a high mortality. When implemented the sepsis resuscitation bundle has been associated with a 20% reduction in mortality and is therefore recommended as standard care for all patients with severe sepsis [1]. Conclusion Our pathway has undergone a successful and dynamic development process guided by a multidisciplinary team. Compared with the usual audit process this has allowed rapid changes and improvements to take place and be tested. Further analysis of our database is ongoing, determining our impact on length of stay, mortality and intensive care admissions with a matched cohort. p p Methods All new admissions to seven west of Scotland ICUs were screened during a 12-week period for evidence of severe sepsis or septic shock. Those meeting the criteria were then assessed for sepsis bundle compliance. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement sepsis resuscitation bundle was taken as standard of care. This has a 6-hour time frame and includes measurement of serum lactate, blood cultures taken prior to antibiotics, antibiotics administered within 3 hours, fl uids of 20 ml/kg if hypotensive or hyperlatataemia and use of early goal-directed therapy in the event of persistent hypotension/ hyperlatataemia in spite of fl uid resuscitation.i P56 P56 Source-directed antimicrobials: a shot in the dark? Improving early administration of antibiotics: a ‘Plan Do Study Act’ approach Improving early administration of antibiotics: a ‘Plan Do Study Act’ approach A Revill1, N Wennicke2, J Tipping2, R Matull2 1Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK; 2Taunton Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P55 (doi: 10.1186/cc10662) Introduction Delayed administration of antibiotics is associated with an increased mortality in severe sepsis. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign advocates administering antibiotics to severely septic patients within 1  hour. Predicting the patients that will become severely septic is diffi cult, and therefore we have introduced a pathway via a unique care bundle to identify and treat all patients with suspected sepsis, prior to signifi cant organ dysfunction, and maintain a 1-hour target. Conclusion H1N1 pneumonia was associated with signifi cant morbidity and mortality requiring advanced multiorgan support in the majority of patients. Although the incidence of organ dysfunction in our cohort mirrored that found in the Swift study [1], in keeping with advances in management of H1N1-associated critical illness the mortality was lower in the current study. i y Methods In September 2009, we introduced an audit proforma and management tool into the medical admissions unit of our hospital. This was accompanied by an extensive education programme of all medical and nursing staff . The proforma consists of two parts, a recognition and intervention section. The process is triggered when the patient satisfi es two of the SIRS criteria and has symptoms consistent with an infection. All six management processes, including antibiotic administration, must then be completed within 1 hour of the trigger time. By using the ‘Plan Do Study Act’ cycle, we refi ned the proforma and streamlined the process and introduced it into emergency department and the surgical admissions unit. A dedicated multidisciplinary team was assigned to review and improve performance every 2 weeks by amending the form and processes. Methods In September 2009, we introduced an audit proforma and management tool into the medical admissions unit of our hospital. This was accompanied by an extensive education programme of all medical and nursing staff . The proforma consists of two parts, a recognition and intervention section. The process is triggered when the patient satisfi es two of the SIRS criteria and has symptoms consistent with an infection. Reference 1. Rowan KM, et al.: The Swine Flu Triage (SwiFT) study: development and ongoing refi nement of a triage tool to provide regular information to guide immediate policy and practice for the use of critical care services during the H1N1 swine infl uenza pandemic. Health Technol Assess 2010, 14:335-492. District hospital experience of organ support requirements for H1N1-associated pneumonia Results In total, out of 7,833 patients admitted to intensive care during the study period, 1,147 (14.6%) had septic shock. Factors signifi cantly associated with mortality at 28 days by logistic regression were: age >70 (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.5 to 2.6, P <0.01); transfer (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.95, P = 0.02); immunodepression (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.41 to 2.57, Introduction The objective of our study was to describe the disease pattern, outcomes and organ support required in treating H1N1- associated pneumonia in a single-centre, district hospital ICU. S19 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods All of the patients with confi rmed H1N1 infection admitted to our ICU during the months of December 2010 and January 2011 were studied. The outcome measures were incidence, severity and support for organ dysfunction, length of stay in ICU and mortality. still a large proportion of patients not receiving aspects of the bundle in spite of being in a critical care environment. Reference still a large proportion of patients not receiving aspects of the bundle in spite of being in a critical care environment. Reference 1. Dellinger RP, Levy MM, et al.: Surviving Sepsis Campaign: international guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock. Intensive Care Med 2007, 34:17-60. Results During the study period 27 patients were admitted. The mean age was 46.6 years (SD 13.6) with 20 (74%) patients being female, of whom two were pregnant. The mean APACHE scores were similar between survivors and nonsurvivors, 14.1 and 13.7 respectively. Twenty patients (74%) required invasive mechanical ventilation with median duration of 9 days (range 2 to 54 days). Advanced techniques like prone position ventilation and high-frequency oscillatory ventilation were required in 20% and 10% of these patients respectively. Two patients were referred for ECMO. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) ensued in 25% of invasively ventilated patients resulting in an increase in ventilator days (median) from 9 to 19 and ICU stay (median) from 15 to 23 days. Four (15%) required advanced cardiovascular support, 14 (52%) developed acute kidney injury (AKI) of which nine (33%) patients required renal replacement therapy. The ICU mortality was 11.1% and hospital mortality was 14.8%. The cohort who developed AKI had 21% mortality. The median ICU stay (range) was 15 days (2 to 68 days). P54 L Richardson1, GB McNeill2, S Gupta1 1University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK; 2Sheffi eld Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffi eld, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P56 (doi: 10.1186/cc10663) l Results Of the 652 patients screened, 115 met the defi nition of severe sepsis or septic shock (17.6%). We collected full data from 108 patients, of which 69 patients (63.8%) had severe sepsis and 39 patients (36.1%) had septic shock. Full bundle compliance was 5.6%. Early ICU admission (within 6 hours) was associated with improved compliance with measured lactate (87.3% vs. 60.4%, P <0.01), and where indicated, vasopressor use (94.4% vs. 61.3%, P <0.01), CVP measurement (77.5% vs. 44.4%, P <0.01), and ScvO2 measurement (25.6% vs. 2.8%, P <0.01). ICU mortality was 12/64 patients (18.8%) with severe sepsis and 18/38 patients (47.4%) for those with septic shock. Full bundle compliance and mortality was not diff erent for those reaching ICU early compared with those who were admitted after 6 hours. Introduction The Surviving Sepsis Campaign advocates giving early empirical antibiotics directed against all likely pathogens [1]. The failure to instigate antimicrobials against a later confi rmed pathogen impacts negatively on mortality [2]. Many hospitals advise source- directed therapy from the beginning. Our project aims to elicit the proportion where the source of sepsis is initially predicted incorrectly thereby putting patients at risk. Methods A prospective cohort study was performed in two UK teaching hospitals of patients presenting with sepsis to critical care between May 2010 and March 2011. Hospital computer systems and patient notes were used to extract the initial suspected source of sepsis, and later verifi ed with true microbiology data. Overall mortality was measured and compared between correctly and incorrectly suspected source of sepsis patients. Conclusion At present the sepsis resuscitation bundle is not uniformly implemented. Although compliance with early goal-directed therapy and lactate measurement is better in those reaching ICU early, there is S20 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 , pp http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P55). Median time to antibiotics. Figure 1 (abstract P55). Median time to antibiotics. We advise that in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock fi rst-line antibiotics should remain broad spectrum with rigorous follow up to de-escalate as early as possible. P54 References Results Of the 128 patients, the source of sepsis was wrongly identifi ed in 30% (38/128) (Southampton 28% 15/53, Sheffi eld 31% 23/75 respect- ively) (Figure 1). The most common source was the bowel, which was initially suspected as a respiratory source in most cases. Interestingly, the mortality was higher in the correctly identifi ed group (13%, 16/128 vs. 5%, 7/128). This probably refl ects the severity of illness where the diagnosis is sometimes more obvious. 1. Dellinger RP, et al.: Surviving Sepsis Campaign: international guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock. Crit Care Med 2008, 36:296-327. 2. Kumar A, et al.: Initiation of inappropriate antimicrobial therapy results in fi vefold reduction of survival in human septic shock. Chest 2009, 136:1237-1248. 2. Kumar A, et al.: Initiation of inappropriate antimicrobial therapy results in fi vefold reduction of survival in human septic shock. Chest 2009, 136:1237-1248. 2. Kumar A, et al.: Initiation of inappropriate antimicrobial therapy results in fi vefold reduction of survival in human septic shock. Chest 2009, 136:1237-1248. Conclusion Good antimicrobial governance requires early adminis- tration of narrow-spectrum antibiotics as best guess source-directed therapy from the outset, because de-escalation is often not practical. Our data reveal that in 30% of cases we incorrectly guess the source. Figure 1 (abstract P56). Proportion of correctly and incorrectly identifi ed sources. P57 Relation between temperature in the initial 24 hours in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock with mortality and length of stay in the ICU Relation between temperature in the initial 24 hours in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock with mortality and length of stay in the ICU R Sanga, S Zanotti, C Schorr, B Milcareck, K Hunter, P Dellinger, J Parrilo Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P57 (doi: 10.1186/cc10664) Relation between temperature in the initial 24 hours in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock with mortality and length of stay in the ICU P59 P59 Impact of antifungal treatment in ICU patients with Candida colonization: analysis of the EPIC II study population D Kett1, G Dimopoulus2, E Azoulay3, P Echeverria1, C De La Cuesta1, JL Vincent4 1University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA; 2University Hospital ATTIKO Medical School, University of Athens, Greece; 3St-Louis Hospital and Paris VII University, Paris, France; 4Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P59 (doi: 10.1186/cc10666) in the ICU R Sanga, S Zanotti, C Schorr, B Milcareck, K Hunter, P Dellinger, J Parrilo Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P57 (doi: 10.1186/cc10664) p y p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P57 (doi: 10.1186/cc10664) Introduction Fever is a common event (ranges from 25 to 70%) in patients admitted to the ICU. The usual clinical approach in most units is to treat the fever either with medications (acetaminophen, nonsteroid anti-infl ammatory drugs) or external measures, like cooling blankets. No studies assessed clinical evidence for these interventions. There is otherwise evidence that fever may be benefi cial, inducing heat shock proteins and decreasing NK-κB activation. Also treating fever can mask an important clinical sign and avoid early treatment in patients with severe sepsis. p Methods We did a case–control study using two available databases and collected 750 patients with the diagnosis of severe sepsis and septic shock. We collected age, sex, days on mechanical ventilation, APACHE II score, vasopressor use and correlated with the presence of hyperthermia (>101.3°F), hypothermia (<96.8°F) and normothermia Figure 1 (abstract P56). Proportion of correctly and incorrectly identifi ed sources. S21 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 in the initial 24 hours. We used a mean of the available temperature data. Then we used logistic regression (univariate and multivariate) to compare these temperatures with mortality and length of stay in the ICU. in the initial 24 hours. We used a mean of the available temperature data. Then we used logistic regression (univariate and multivariate) to compare these temperatures with mortality and length of stay in the ICU. Figure 2 (abstract P58). Indication for paracetamol administration (n = 152). Results Compared to patients with normal temperature the hyperthermic patients had a lower mortality (22.58% vs. 39.1%) in the univariate analysis (P <0.01). The patients with hypothermia had a mortality of 32.67% (NS). Length of stay was not signifi cantly diff erent between the groups. In the multivariate logistic regression the factors that were associated independently with mortality were age, APACHE II score, use of vasopressors, mechanical ventilation and temperature. Patients with T >101.3°F were 59% less likely to die when compared with patients with normal temperature. Conclusion The results of this study highlight the importance of investigating the real eff ects of fever in severe sepsis or septic shock. Is it necessary to treat when they are not causing harm to the patients? Are we delaying diagnosis of severe sepsis because of the lack of this important clinical sign? The next step should be a prospective trial of treatment versus no treatment of fever in the ICU. Figure 2 (abstract P58). Indication for paracetamol administration (n = 152). P58 y p Conclusion Pharmacological antipyretics are used regularly for pain management rather than fever management, with paracetamol the most common antipyretic therapy. The use of NSAIDS and physical cooling was rare. Noncore temperature measurements were common. g y y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P58 (doi: 10.1186/cc10665) Introduction Our primary aim was to determine the frequency of use of pharmacological and physical cooling strategies in ICU patients in current Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) practice. These patients had sepsis and infl ammation but did not have neurological injury or recent surgery. We also aimed to establish current indications for use of antipyretics in these patients, as well as information on the prevalence of fever and the methods to measure temperature. References 38°C. Paracetamol was used in 152/311 (48.8%), nonsteroidal anti- infl ammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in 2/311 (0.6%) and physical cooling in 3/311 (1.0%) (Figure 1). Paracetamol was administered for pain in 92/152 (60.5%) for both pain and fever in 26/152 (17.1%); and for fever alone in 14/152 (10%) (Figure 2). For the 40 patients who received paracetamol for an indication of fever, the peak recorded temperature was 38.3°C (SD 0.8°C). The peak temperature for patients receiving physical cooling was 39.2°C (SD 0.9°C). Temperature measurement were mainly noncore (n = 251/311) with axillary (37%; n = 116/311) and tympanic (35%; n = 110/311) the most common sites. 1. Marik P: Fever in the ICU. Chest 2000, 117:885-869. 1. Marik P: Fever in the ICU. Chest 2000, 117:885-869. 2. Levy M: Clinical review of fever in intensive care unit patients. Crit Care 2003, 7:221-225. 3. Dellinger P: Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines. Crit Care Med 2008, 36:296-327. Cases of tetanus after the Japan crisis 2011 Cases of tetanus after the Japan crisis 2011 K Morino1, M Kobayashi2, Y Yamada3, S Yamanouchi4, Y Tsujimoto1, K Takeda1, S Sato1, S Kimura1, N Mita1, M Sato1, S Kushimoto4, S Endo3 1Yamagata Prefectural Medical Center for Emergency, Yamagata, Japan; 2Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital, Ishinomaki, Japan; 3Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan; 4Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P62 (doi: 10.1186/cc10669) Cases of tetanus after the Japan crisis 2011 K Morino1, M Kobayashi2, Y Yamada3, S Yamanouchi4, Y Tsujimoto1, K Takeda1, S Sato1, S Kimura1, N Mita1, M Sato1, S Kushimoto4, S Endo3 1Yamagata Prefectural Medical Center for Emergency, Yamagata, Japan; 2Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital, Ishinomaki, Japan; 3Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan; 4Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P62 (doi: 10.1186/cc10669) Methods Eight severe burn patients within 14 days after injuries (M:F = 5:3, 19 to 85 years old, 35 to 85% total body surface area) were treated with MCFG (200 to 300 mg, 3.45 to 4.49 mg/kg) once daily by intravenous infusion over 1 hour. The MCFG concentrations in the plasma at the end of the initial administration of MCFG (P1), just before the second dosing (T1), at the end of the fourth dosing (P4), and just before the fi fth dosing (T4) were determined, and were compared with the reported values in health volunteers [2]. MCFG concentrations in the burn eschar at T1 and T4 were also measured. Introduction Tetanus is an infectious disease caused by tetanus neurotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani [1]. This bacterium resides in the soil extensively and about 100 people contract this disease annually in Japan. Tetanus is prevented by vaccines. A 1968 law required universal DPT vaccination against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus in Japan. The survival rate with intensive care has reached more than 90% in recent years. Tetanus is said to have been found to increase in natural disasters [2]. So we will describe cases in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Results The plasma concentrations of MCFG per dose normalized with body weight (C/D) at P1, T1, P4, and T4 were 1.37 to 6.28, 0.51 to 1.38, 3.20 to 6.46, and 0.65 to 2.18 (μg/ml)/(mg/kg), respectively, indicating marked interindividual diff erences. These values were comparable with or slightly lower than the reported values in healthy volunteers (P1: 5.7, T1: 1.3, T4: 2.1). Pharmacokinetics of micafungin in patients with severe burn injuries j J Sasaki1, S Kishino2, N Aikawa1, S Hori1 1Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 2Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P60 (doi: 10.1186/cc10667) Conclusion The presence of bacteremia relates to the severity and the mortality of septic patients with high serum PCT in the ICU. Introduction Micafungin (MCFG), an echinocandin antifungal agent, exhibits more potent antifungal activity against a broad spectrum of clinically important Candida and Aspergillus species [1]. Few studies have reported the pharmacokinetics (PK) of antifungal agents in patients with burn injuries. A purpose of this study is to characterize the PK of MCFG in severe burn patients. References 1. Aikawa N, et al.: J Infect Chemother 2009, 15:219-227. 1. Aikawa N, et al.: J Infect Chemother 2009, 15:219-227. 2. Azuma J, et al.: Jpn J Chemother 2002, 50(Suppl 1):155-184. 2. Azuma J, et al.: Jpn J Chemother 2002, 50(Suppl 1):155-184. 2. Azuma J, et al.: Jpn J Chemother 2002, 50(Suppl 1):155-184. Cases of tetanus after the Japan crisis 2011 The MCFG concentrations in the burn eschar of three patients at T1 and T4 were <0.1 to 3.98 and 1.10 to 14.81 μg/ ml, respectively. Most of MCFG concentrations in the plasma and burn eschar were higher than the reported MIC90 of MCFG against clinically important Candida and Aspergillus species. There was no correlation between the laboratory parameters of liver/kidney function and the plasma C/D of MCFG. Methods We researched the case reports in a national database and a hospital database which could access patients’ exact data. We made and analysed these case profi les. Results We had nine tetanus cases in this crisis. This number was high compared with previous data. All patients lived in the Pacifi c coast of Tohoku districts and suff ered from the tsunami. Geographically, seven patients were in Miyagi prefecture, and Iwate Prefecture had two cases. Of the nine cases, we could examine seven cases in detail. Mean age was 67 years, two were male cases and fi ve women were injured on the day. Time to onset of symptoms such as trismus was an average of 12 days. The average was 3 days from symptom onset to medical consultation. All seven cases had some wounds, including minimal. Three had obvious wound infection. All patients had tetanus vaccine and tetanus immunoglobulin during their therapy but the time of injection was inconsistent because of the chaotic state. Four people were supported by mechanical ventilation with sedation and three out of four had tracheostomy. Three out of four with mechanical ventilation were treated with intravenous magnesium therapy to reduce spasticity. The average mechanical ventilation period was 23 days. We have no intravenous metronidazole preparation in Japan. No one had a reliable history of tetanus vaccine. No deaths were reported. Conclusion The plasma concentrations of MCFG in patients with severe burn injuries were comparable with or slightly lower than the reported values in healthy volunteers. In addition, MCFG seems to be capable of penetrating burn eschar. Bacteremia aff ects the mortality of septic patients with high serum procalcitonin level in the ICU M Kamochi, K Nagata, Y Isa, S Nihei, N Harayama, K Aibara, T Sata University Hospital of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyush Japan M Kamochi, K Nagata, Y Isa, S Nihei, N Harayama, K Aibara, T Sata University Hospital of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan Conclusion We reported nine tetanus patients and investigated seven cases in detail. Older people had developed an unknown vaccination history. So we should have more opportunity to give vaccinations to older people and be careful with tetanus in disasters. References p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P61 (doi: 10.1186/cc10668) p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P61 (doi: 10.1186/cc10668) Impact of antifungal treatment in ICU patients with Candida colonization: analysis of the EPIC II study population p Methods This point prevalence study was conducted on 17 November and 15 December 2010 in 38 ICUs in ANZ. We identifi ed a cohort of patients with sepsis and infl ammation without neurological injury or recent surgery. g y Results Of 506 patients surveyed on the point prevalence days, 311 were identifi ed to have sepsis in the absence of neurological injury or recent surgery. These patients had peak temperature of 37.3°C (SD 0.8°C). In 32.2% (n = 100/311) the peak temperature was above Introduction We wished to evaluate the impact of receiving antifungal therapy in ICU patients with Candida colonization. py p Methods EPIC II recruited 1,265 ICUs in 76 countries. Patient charac- teristics were collected on the study day. Outcome data were assessed at ICU and hospital discharge. Patients colonized with Candida spp. were classifi ed as having received antifungal treatment or not (*P <0.05 compared between groups). Numerical values are reported as mean ± SD and length of stay (LOS) data as median (IQR). Figure 1 (abstract P58). Type of antipyretic and physical cooling used on the study day (n = 311). g y Results A total of 13,796 adult patients were in participating ICUs on the study day. Of these, 371 were classifi ed as colonized. Diff erences Table 1 (abstract P59). Patients with Candida colonization: characteristics and outcomes Therapy (n = 184) No therapy (n = 175) SAPS II 39 ± 15 41 ± 18 SOFA 7.6 ± 4.1 7.4 ± 4.4 MV 76% 63% Pressor 36% 32% ICU mortality 35% 22% Hospital mortality 41% 28% Table 1 (abstract P59). Patients with Candida colonization: characteristics and outcomes Figure 1 (abstract P58). Type of antipyretic and physical cooling used on the study day (n = 311). S22 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 in patient characteristics and outcomes are reported (Table 1). Baseline characteristics were similar in colonized patients treated with antifungal therapy compared to those that were untreated. Only a modest diff erence in the length of stay in the ICU prior to study day (25 (14, 40) vs. 21 (8, 43)) and utilization of mechanical ventilatory support (76% vs. 63%) was noted in the treated compared to the untreated patients with Candida colonization (P  <0.05). Impact of antifungal treatment in ICU patients with Candida colonization: analysis of the EPIC II study population Despite the relatively similar baseline characteristics and equivalent severity of illness scores, treated patients had an increased ICU (35.3 vs. 22.3%) and hospital (41.0 vs. 27.7%) mortality (P <0.05). in patient characteristics and outcomes are reported (Table 1). Baseline characteristics were similar in colonized patients treated with antifungal therapy compared to those that were untreated. Only a modest diff erence in the length of stay in the ICU prior to study day (25 (14, 40) vs. 21 (8, 43)) and utilization of mechanical ventilatory support (76% vs. 63%) was noted in the treated compared to the untreated patients with Candida colonization (P  <0.05). Despite the relatively similar baseline characteristics and equivalent severity of illness scores, treated patients had an increased ICU (35.3 vs. 22.3%) and hospital (41.0 vs. 27.7%) mortality (P <0.05). rapid diagnosis and immediate treatment are necessary to improve the survival of septic patients. However, the presence of bacteremia seems to relate to the severity and mortality of septic shock patients in the ICU. Methods The patients clinically suspected with sepsis were tested for serum procalcitonin level using a procalcitonin kit (BRAHMUS PCT Kit). The PCT test was performed 334 times from March 2008 to August 2010. Sixty-three adult patients showed high PCT level (>10 ng/ml). Thirty of 62 (48%) patients showed bacteremia. Sixteen of these bacteremic patients were Gram-negative bacteremia and 14 patients were Gram- positive bacteremia. The hemodynamic parameter, APACHE II score, SOFA score, serum lactate, some other laboratory data and mortality rate were compared between the patients with bacteremia and those without bacteremia. Statistical analyses were performed by chi-square test and Mann–Whitney U test. Conclusion As colonized patients receiving antifungal treatment had signifi cantly higher mortality, our data do not support the routine use of antifungal therapy in ICU patients based solely on colonization. Reference 1. Vincent JL, et al.: JAMA 2009, 302:2323-2329. 1. Vincent JL, et al.: JAMA 2009, 302:2323-2329. y Results The bacteremic patients with high serum PCT level showed signifi cant higher APACHE II score, SOFA score and serum lactate concentration than nonbacteremic patients. The mortality rate of bacteremic patients was signifi cantly higher than that of nonbacteremic patients (66% vs. 28.1%, P  <0.01). There were no diff erences in the severity and the mortality between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteremia. P60 Pharmacokinetics of micafungin in patients with severe burn injuries J Sasaki1, S Kishino2, N Aikawa1, S Hori1 1Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 2Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P60 (doi: 10.1186/cc10667) p p References Introduction It is still controversial whether bacteremia aff ects the severity and the mortality of septic shock. Recent diagnostic criteria of septic shock do not include the presence of bacteremia, because Farrar JJ, et al.: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2000, 69:292-301 Aceh Epidemiology Group: Glob Public Health 2006, 1:173-177. Farrar JJ, et al.: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2000, 69:292-301 Aceh Epidemiology Group: Glob Public Health 2006, 1:173-177. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S23 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P63 Does the day of the week predict the presence of microbiologically confi rmed ventilator-associated pneumonia? C Linssen, H Van Dessel, W Van Mook Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P63 (doi: 10.1186/cc10670) Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of patients confi rmed as appendicitis pathologically from November 2009 to September 2010 at two hospitals. The delta neutrophil index was automatically calculated as a subset of routine complete blood count test. The diagnostic performance of the delta neutrophil index for perforated appendicitis was evaluated. Results During the study period, 308 patients were enrolled. Among them, 32 patients (10.4%) were confi rmed as perforated appendicitis. The delta neutrophil index was signifi cantly higher in the perforated group than the nonperforated group (4.8  ±  7.1% vs. 2.0  ±  2.0%, P <0.05). The sensitivity and specifi city of the delta neutrophil index for predicting perforated appendicitis was 25.0% and 96.7% respectively at a cutoff level of 5% with an area under the curve of 0.78 on the ROC curve. Introduction At our hospital, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is diagnosed by microbiological and cytological analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fl uid (BALF). Opening  hours of the in-house microbiological laboratory are between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. During off -hours a laboratory technician is on call for urgent samples including BALF. The total laboratory work-up of the BALF takes 2 hours. The aim of the present study was to detect patterns in the submission time of BALF samples. Conclusion This study suggested that the delta neutrophil index is associated with perforated appendicitis. However, the sensitivity was not high enough to use as a clinical guidance. p Methods During a 60-month period (January 2006 to December 2010), the day and hour of submission of all consecutive BALF samples obtained from patients suspected of VAP were recorded. References 1. Nahm CH, Choi JW, Lee J: Delta neutrophil index in automated immature granulocyte counts for assessing disease severity of patients with sepsis. Ann Clin Lab Sci 2008, 38:241-246. Results A total of 376 BALF samples were included. On weekdays, on average a total of 59.8 ± 11.4 were submitted, compared to 34 and 43 samples on Saturdays and Sundays. For more than one-half (203, 54%) of the samples, the on-duty laboratory technician was required: 86 (23%) samples arrived within 1 hour before closing time, and an additional 117 (31%) were submitted thereafter. VAP was diagnosed in 149 (39.6%) samples, of which 79 (53%) after closing hours. BALF samples were obtained more frequently on Thursdays and Fridays (51 and 47 samples respectively) compared to Mondays and Tuesdays (64 and 76 samples). Interestingly, VAP was confi rmed proportionally more frequently on Mondays and Tuesdays (26/51 (51%) and 23/47 (49%)) compared to Thursdays and Fridays (20/64 (31%) and 26/76 (34%)). 2. Andersson RE: Meta-analysis of the clinical and laboratory diagnosis of appendicitis. Br J Surg 2004, 91:28-37. 3. Oliak D, Yamini D, Udani VM, et al.: Can perforated appendicitis be diagnosed preoperatively based on admission factors? J Gastrointest Surg 2000, 4:470-474. 4. Ansari-Lari MA, Kickler TS, Borowitz MJ: Immature granulocyte measurement using the Sysmex XE-2100. Relationship to infection and sepsis. Am J Clin Pathol 2003, 120:795-799. Conclusion The high number of BALFs processed after laboratory opening hours is of concern because of the suboptimal working conditions (fatigue, lack of supervision and experience). Technicians’ time spent on these samples puts a strain on the laboratory in terms of costs and absence of the technicians because of legal recuperation. A higher number of confi rmed episodes of VAP early in the week compared to just before the beginning of the weekend, combined with a larger number of BALF samples obtained on Thursdays and Fridays, may suggest that clinicians want to exclude VAP before the weekend resulting in a lower threshold for requesting a BALF. p p References VAP was microbiologically confi rmed if quantitative cultures were ≥104 cfu/ml and/or presence of ≥2% infected cells. P64 Assessing perforation of acute appendicitis using the delta neutrophil index refl ecting the peripheral immature granulocyte count Introduction The delta neutrophil index corresponds to the calculated immature granulocyte counts and the severity of sepsis. This study investigated the diagnostic value of the delta neutrophil index as a preoperative laboratory marker for appendiceal perforation in patients with acute appendicitis. Table 1 (abstract P65) Month Outcome June July August September Odds ratio (95% CI) P value ICU death, n (%) 100 (36.0%) 122 (38.5%) 137 (34.9%) 82 (24.9%) 0.83 (0.75; 0.93) 0.001 In-hospital death, n (%) 108 (38.6%) 125 (43.0%) 151 (38.5%) 96 (29.2%) 0.85 (0.76; 0.94) 0.002 Mean diff erence (95% CI) SMR, mean (SD) 1.25 (0.37) 1.63 (0.95) 1.31 (0.62) 0.89 (0.51) –0.15 (–0.28; –0.01) 0.04 CRBSI, mean (SD) 11.8 (19.7) 4.3 (11.9) 4.4 (5.4) 3.3 (6.0) –2.11 (–4.68; 0.45) 0.10 Eff ects of a multifaceted quality improvement intervention in reducing mortality and bloodstream infection in ICUs: insights from the QUALITI initiative AB Cavalcanti, JC Othero, JC Mouro, KN Silva, ES Victor, AA Kodama, O Berwanger, B Weber, LH Mota Research Institute – Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P65 (doi: 10.1186/cc10672) Introduction Our objective was to evaluate if the implementation of a multifaceted intervention program for quality improvement in ICUs of nonacademic hospitals would decrease mortality and the catheter- related bloodstream infection rate (CRBSI). Methods A clinical practice improvement program involving 17 Brazilian ICUs of nonacademic public hospitals located far from major economic centers under coordination of a not-for-profi t private hospital with the support of Brazilian Ministry of Health. We implemented the following interventions: (1) hospital visits to assess the facilities, human resources and processes; (2) workshop with hospital directors and ICU coordinators to elaborate improvement proposals based on the initial visit fi ndings; (3) multidisciplinary videoconference lectures every 3 weeks about critical care medicine assistance and quality issues; (4) website containing project educational material, videoconference recordings, and an evidence-based practice course; (5) subscription of an electronic clinical information resource for all participating hospitals (UpToDate®); (6) 3-day workshop to share the coordinating institution quality improvement practices with directors and ICU coordinators Ceftazidime dosage regimen recommendations in burn patients based on a Monolix population pharmacokinetic study Introduction The aim of our present work was to predict in burn patients the best adapted ceftazidime dosage regimen to obtain a serum target of 40 to 100 mg/l taking into account the infl uence of patients’ characteristics on ceftazidime pharmacokinetics (PK). Methods In a retrospective study we compared three groups of patients: patients with intermittent vancomycin (Intermittent group, n = 27) with target trough level of 5 to 10 mg/l, patients with continuous vancomycin (CV1 group, n = 24) with target trough level of 20 to 25 mg/l and patients with continuous vancomycin (CV2 group, n = 20) with target trough level of 15 to 20 mg/l. The demographic data, total and average vancomycin doses, target level achievement and side eff ects were analyzed. Methods A Monolix population PK model was developed and validated in 70 burn patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Monte Carlo simulations (n  =  1,000) were performed to explore the appropriateness of diff erent dosage regimens in burn patients. Target concentrations to achieve were defi ned as a 40 to 100 mg/l steady– state concentration interval. The recommended dosage was chosen as the minimum dose providing the maximum of patients in this interval. Results A two-compartment model described ceftazidime disposition. Serum creatinine and age were identifi ed as covariates of ceftazidime clearance. Age also infl uences the volume of distribution. The simulations showed that the common dosage regimens of 6 g/day did not allow achieving the desired target interval. This was achieved with continuous administration dosage regimens varying between 8 and 16 g/day in the youngest patients. Whatever the dosage regimen, the age and the serum creatinine, the mean highest percentage of patients reaching the 40 to 100 mg/l target interval was 76.43 ± 2.13% (range: 65.1 to 80.1%) (Table 1). f Results There was no diff erence in age, weight, surgical complexity and mortality between the groups. The average vancomycin daily dose (mg/kg) was the same in the Intermittent and CV2 groups, the dose was twofold higher in CV1 group (P <0.001) (Table 1). The CV2 group has less trough samples per day of treatment than the CV1 and intermittent groups (P = 0.015). Target levels were reached in 42.4%, 30.9%, and 42.9% samples in Intermittent, CV1 and CV2 groups, respectively (P  <0.001). Below target were 9.8%, 38.5% and 16.7% samples in Intermittent, CV1 and CV2 groups, respectively. Ceftazidime dosage regimen recommendations in burn patients based on a Monolix population pharmacokinetic study There was no deep sternal infection in any patient. There was similar incidence of peritoneal dialysis in all three groups. No case of renal insuffi ciency was directly related to increased trough vancomycin level. Table 1 (abstract P67) Intermittent group CV1 group CV2 group TLC (n) 272 250 233 TLC per day (n) 1 (0.6 to 2.3) 0.92 (0.5 to 1.5) 0.81 (0.62 to 1.8) Daily dose 15 (7.6 to 45) 26.2 (7.6 to 54.3) 15.7 (5.9 to 37.3) CV, continuous vancomycin; TLC, trough level count. Table 1 (abstract P66). Recommended ceftazidime dosage regimen Target = 40 mg/l Creatinine 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 (μmol/l) years years years years years years years years 30 16 g 16 g 16 g 16 g 14 g 12 g 12 g 10 g 40 16 g 16 g 16 g 14 g 12 g 12 g 10 g 10 g 50 16 g 16 g 16 g 12 g 12 g 10 g 10 g 8 g 60 16 g 16 g 14 g 12 g 12 g 10 g 8 g 8 g 70 16 g 14 g 12 g 12 g 10 g 10 g 8 g 8 g 80 14 g 14 g 12 g 10 g 10 g 8 g 8 g 8 g 90 14 g 14 g 12 g 10 g 10 g 8 g 8 g 6 g 100 14 g 12 g 10 g 10 g 8 g 8 g 8 g 6 g 120 12 g 10 g 10 g 8 g 8 g 6 g 6 g 6 g 140 10 g 10 g 8 g 8 g 6 g 6 g 6 g 4 g 160 10 g 8 g 8 g 6 g 6 g 6 g 4 g 4 g Recommended ceftazidime dosage regimen after a 2 g loading dose required to reach a steady-state concentration between 40 and 100 mg/l in the highest percentage of typical burn patients in function of serum creatinine and age. Conclusion This study highlights the peculiarities of ceftazidime Table 1 (abstract P66). Recommended ceftazidime dosage regimen CV, continuous vancomycin; TLC, trough level count. Continuous versus intermittent vancomycin in children after cardiac surgery with delayed sternal closure Continuous versus intermittent vancomycin in children after cardiac surgery with delayed sternal closure P Skrak, L Hlinkova, L Kovacikova National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Bratislava, Slovakia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P67 (doi: 10.1186/cc10674) Conclusion A multifaceted intervention program applied to a network of ICUs in nonacademic public hospitals reduced mortality. P Skrak, L Hlinkova, L Kovacikova National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Bratislava, Slovakia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P67 (doi: 10.1186/cc10674) P66 Introduction Delayed sternal closure (DSC) is a technique used in patients with hemodynamic instability, lung dysfunction, edema or prolonged bleeding after cardiac surgery. This group of patients has signifi cant morbidity and mortality with fl uid overload and changes in renal function. Adequate antibiotic coverage is of great importance and vancomycin is used as a part of antibiotic prophylaxis in our department. The objective of our study was to compare the effi cacy and effi ciency of intermittent and continuous vancomycin in pediatric cardiac patients with DSC. P66 Ceftazidime dosage regimen recommendations in burn patients based on a Monolix population pharmacokinetic study S Ruiz1, JM Conil1, B Georges1, F Ravat2, T Seguin1, P Letocart1, O Fourcade1, S Saivin3 1Hôpital Rangueil CHU Toulouse, France; 2Centre hospitalier St Joseph et St Luc, Lyon, France; 3Institut Fédératif de Biologie CHU Toulouse, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P66 (doi: 10.1186/cc10673) Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Age and serum creatinine signifi cantly infl uence the ceftazidime disposition. These covariates must be used to propose the fi rst doses of ceftazidime. The required dosage regimens are higher than in other ICU patients and doses between 4 and 16 g/day are proposed. Age and serum creatinine signifi cantly infl uence the ceftazidime disposition. These covariates must be used to propose the fi rst doses of ceftazidime. The required dosage regimens are higher than in other ICU patients and doses between 4 and 16 g/day are proposed. from the 17 participant institutions; (7) 3-day nursing visits from the coordinating hospital to perform advice on care practice; (8) basic life support courses, 56 vacancies per hospital, and fundamentals of critical care support, 30 vacancies; and (9) implementation of a web-based system to collect ICU and hospital mortality, SAPS3, standardized- mortality ratio (SMR) and CRBSI after June 2011. We assessed variation of SMR and CRBSI on time using weighted linear regression, and variation of mortality on time using generalized-estimating equations. Results The results are presented in Table 1. Ceftazidime dosage regimen recommendations in burn patients based on a Monolix population pharmacokinetic study Conclusion In children after cardiac surgery with DSC both intermittent vancomycin with trough level of 5 to 10 mg/l and continuous vanco- mycin with trough level of 15 to 20 mg/l were comparable with regard to administered dose and target values achievement. There was signifi cantly higher daily dose and trough sample count below target values in patients with continuous vancomycin and target of 20 to 25 mg/l. Table 1 (abstract P65) S24 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 A post-authorisation survey to analyse the perioperative teicoplanin plasma concentrations in adult patients with chronic bone sepsis, who received loading doses of 12 mg/kg 12-hourly for 48 hours followed by 12 mg/kg once daily AJ Brink1, G Richards2, C Lautenbach1, N Rapeport1, V Schillack3, J Roberts4, J Lipman4 AJ Brink1, G Richards2, C Lautenbach1, N Rapeport1, V Schillack3, J Roberts4, J Lipman4 Results Our study population included fi ve patients (three female) with mean age 60.6 years. Median (range) colistin concentrations in ELF were 6.9 (6.2 to 13.9), 3.7 (2.7 to 11.6) and 2.1 (1.2 to 8.7) g/ml at 1, 4, and 8 hours, respectively, after nebulization. Colistin concentrations in serum were substantially lower than those observed in ELF with peak median (range) values 1.56 (1.19 to 2) g/ml. The estimated colistin mean half-life was 3.4 hours. p 1Milpark Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 3Ampath National Referral Laboratory, Pretoria, South Africa; 4University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P69 (doi: 10.1186/cc10676) Introduction To rapidly achieve teicoplanin trough (Cmin) concentrations ≥20 mg/l suggested for sternal sepsis, loading doses higher than 6 mg/ kg 12-hourly might be warranted [1]. Conclusion Administration of 1 million units of inhaled CMS resulted in high colistin concentrations in the ELF; moreover, concentrations were maintained for up to 8 hours in the majority of patients. This fi nding might support the use of inhaled CMS for the treatment of patients with VAP due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the low serum concentrations and the short half-life suggest that administration of inhaled colistin may be associated with less systemic toxicity. Methods Patients (n = 10) with deep-seated Gram-positive infections were enrolled perioperatively. During the fi rst 4 days of therapy teicoplanin loading doses of 12 mg/kg 12-hourly were administered for 48 hours and 12 mg/kg once daily thereafter. Surgical debridement was performed on D3. Samples were collected 15 minutes before and 30 minutes and 120 minutes after each teicoplanin administration. Total and unbound teicoplanin levels were determined using HPLC. P70 P70 Pharmacokinetics of inhaled colistin in critically ill patients with ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis Z Athanassa1, M Fousteri2, S Markantonis2, P Myrianthefs3, E Boutzouka3, E Tsigou3, A Tsakris4, G Baltopoulos3 1Hygeia Hospital, Marousi, Greece; 2Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Athens, Greece; 3Faculty of Nursing, University of Athens, Greece; 4Faculty of Medicine, University of Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P70 (doi: 10.1186/cc10677) 0 Pharmacokinetics of inhaled colistin in critically ill patients with ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis Introduction Although inhaled colistin is frequently used in ventilator- associated pneumonia (VAP), data regarding its pharmacokinetic properties are scarce [1-3]. The aim of this study was to describe colistin pharmacokinetics in critically ill patients after administration of a single dose of 1 million units of colistimethate sodium (CMS) via nebulization. Methods Patients with ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis dye to polymyxin-only susceptible Gram-negative bacteria were included in the study; patients receiving intravenous and/or nebulized colistin were excluded. CMS was administered at a dose of 1 million units every 8 hours for 7 days, via a vibrating-mesh nebulizer. Mini bronchoalveolar lavage was collected before and at 1, 4 and 8 hours post nebulization, while blood samples were collected before and at 0.16, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 hours post nebulization. Colistin concentrations in epithelial lining fl uid (ELF) and plasma were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.i Conclusion Clearance of LZD in patients undergoing CVVHDF was signifi cantly lower than in patients with normal renal function. Pharmacokinetic data from CVVHDF patients demonstrated that fl ow rates signifi cantly infl uenced the effi ciency of LZD removal. The maintenance dose of LZD may need to be reduced in patients undergoing CVVHDF under reduced fl ow conditions. Reference 1. Meyer B, et al.: J Antimicrob Chemother 2005, 56:172-179. References 1. Ratjen F, et al.: J Antimicrob Chemother 2006, 57:306-311. 2. Marchand S, et al.: Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2010, 54:3702-3707. 3. Lu Q, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2010, 36:1147-1155. Results All patients had hypoalbuminemia (mean 20.2 g/l). The SS PK parameters of teicoplanin are described in Table 1. On D3 the median total and free Cmin were 14.66 (8.93 to 19.66) and 3.09 (0.0 to 6.4) mg/l, respectively. In a multivariate logistic regression model, total teicoplanin concentrations (P  =  0.174) and serum creatinine concentration (P  =  0.034) did not impact signifi cantly on free teicoplanin levels whereas, in contrast, albumin concentration did (OR 0.120, 95% CI 0.078 to 0.161, P <0.001). References i yp yil Results Fourteen CVVHDF patients and nine NRF patients were included into the study. CVVHDF was performed using polysulfone and triacetate membranes. Mean blood, dialysate and fi ltration fl ow rates were 79.3  ±  2.7 ml/minute, 8.7  ±  5.1 ml/minute and 5.5  ±  2.5 ml/minute, respectively. Sc was 0.86 ± 0.03. T–1/2 data (8.78 ± 3.74 vs. 5.54 ± 3.27 hours, P = 0.05) were signifi cantly longer in the CVVHDF compared with the NRF group, AUC data (247.9 ± 107.8 vs. 136.0 ± 84.9 g hour/ml, P = 0.02) were signifi cantly higher and CL (2.94 ± 1.38 vs. 5.92 ± 2.97 l/hour, P = 0.004) and Vd (31.0 ± 3.8 vs. 35.8 ± 3.3 l, P = 0.01) data were signifi cantly lower. LZD clearance was not correlated with the type of membrane used (polysulfone vs. triacetate: 2.8  ±  1.5 vs. 3.6 ± 1.2 l/hour, P = 0.39). P70 P68 Elimination of linezolid in patients undergoing low-fl ow continuous venovenous haemodiafi ltration teicoplanin Total Free Cmax 20.1 2.6 Cmin 6.7 2.3 AUC 137.9 28.6 CL 7.0 33.5 Vz 174.1 196.6 Methods LZD (600 mg) was administered intravenously every 12 hours in ICU patients on CVVHDF and NRF patients (creatinine clearance 50 ml/minute). Blood and fi ltrate samples were collected at 0, 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 5 hours after infusion from both groups. The elimination half- life (T–1/2), maximum concentration, concentration time curve (AUC), volume distribution (Vd), clearance (CL) and sieving coeffi cient (Sc) were evaluated. Patient characteristics and CVVHDF parameters including the fi lter type, dialysate and fi ltration fl ow rates were recorded. P68 Elimination of linezolid in patients undergoing low-fl ow continuous venovenous haemodiafi ltration Recommended ceftazidime dosage regimen after a 2 g loading dose required to reach a steady-state concentration between 40 and 100 mg/l in the highest percentage of typical burn patients in function of serum creatinine and age. Introduction It has been reported that linezolid (LZD) is highly removed in patients undergoing high-fl ow continuous venovenous haemofi ltration (CVVH: blood fl ow and fi ltration rates were 186 ± 15 and 40  ±  8 ml/minute) compared with patients with normal renal Conclusion This study highlights the peculiarities of ceftazidime pharmacokinetics in burn patients with high interindividual variability. S25 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 References 1. Brink et al.: Int J Antimicrob Agents 2008, 32:455-458. 2. Mimoz et al.: Intensive Care Med 2006, 32:775-779. P70 Pharmacokinetics of inhaled colistin in critically ill patients with ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis Z Athanassa1, M Fousteri2, S Markantonis2, P Myrianthefs3, E Boutzouka3, E Tsigou3, A Tsakris4, G Baltopoulos3 1Hygeia Hospital, Marousi, Greece; 2Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Athens, Greece; 3Faculty of Nursing, University of Athens, Greece; 4Faculty of Medicine, University of Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P70 (doi: 10.1186/cc10677) d i l h h h l d l f l d l Table 1 (abstract P69). Steady-state pharmacokinetic parameters of teicoplanin Total Free Cmax 20.1 2.6 Cmin 6.7 2.3 AUC 137.9 28.6 CL 7.0 33.5 Vz 174.1 196.6 Table 1 (abstract P69). Steady-state pharmacokinetic parameters of teicoplanin function (NRF). It is generally considered that no adjustment of LZD dosage is needed in subjects undergoing CVVH. In Japan, continuous venovenous haemodiafi ltration (CVVHDF) has preferentially been administered under low fl ow rate. Investigating the eff ects of fl ow rate on LZD removal during continuous renal replacement therapy is essential to regulate therapeutic dosages. We aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of LZD in CVVHDF patients in this setting. function (NRF). It is generally considered that no adjustment of LZD dosage is needed in subjects undergoing CVVH. In Japan, continuous venovenous haemodiafi ltration (CVVHDF) has preferentially been administered under low fl ow rate. Investigating the eff ects of fl ow rate on LZD removal during continuous renal replacement therapy is essential to regulate therapeutic dosages. We aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of LZD in CVVHDF patients in this setting. Effi cacy of inhaled tobramycin in severe nosocomial pneumonia Both sampling methods demonstrated a gradation of cytokine level, with burns and ALI/ARDS having signifi cantly higher levels than patients with stable chronic lung disease or healthy controls. to estimate the effi cacy of inhaled tobramycin (IT) as an adjunct to systemic antibiotics in the treatment of severe NP. y Methods Twenty ICU patients with NP were enrolled in the study (all male, 49 ± 7.3 years old); primary reason for ICU stay – intraabdominal infections (60%), mediastinitis (10%), others (30%). Diagnosis of NP was made according to standard clinical and CPIS criteria. Associa- tions of multiresistant Gram-negative bacteria were detected in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of all patients. Eighty percent of bacteria were sensitive to tobramycin. Patients were randomized into two groups – ‘IT’ (group 1, n  =  10) + systemic antibiotics (carbapenems, amino glycosides, protected penicillins); ‘no IT’ (group 2, n = 10), only systemic antibiotics, same as in group 1. Groups were comparable in APACHE II and CPIS scores. IT (Bramitob) was administered 300 mg BID via nebulizer. y Conclusion The BMS probe was well tolerated and provided cytokine data comparable to that obtained by BAL in acute and chronic respiratory diseases. The BMS probe may have utility as a biomarker sampling modality in patients where clinicians have concerns over conventional BAL. Acknowledgements The BMS probes were provided by Olympus (Tokyo, Japan). Results Duration of IT use in group1 was 7.5 ± 2.5 days. There were no statistically reliable diff erences between groups detected due to the small number of patients enrolled. But it was clinically detected that treatment with IT in group1 was associated with a decrease of SIRS signs and CPIS scores and an increase of oxygenation index in 70% of patients. Positive dynamics in chest X-ray and computed tomography was detected in two patients of group 1 (20%; no dynamics in group 2). The titre of microbes in BAL decreased (100%) and their sensitivity to other groups of antibiotics, which they were previously resistant to, increased (40%) in group 1 patients after IT administration. Effi cacy of IT in patients with a registered resistance of microbes to tobramycin can be explained by a high local concentrations of tobramycin in lungs. The mortality in groups was similar (40% and 40%) and not related to a progression of NP. P72 Comparison of a bronchoscopic microsample probe with bronchoalveolar lavage to measure cytokine levels in critically ill patients V Grover, LE Christie, P Charles, P Kelleher, P Shah, S Singh Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P72 (doi: 10.1186/cc10679) Introduction The use of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) to investigate infl ammatory lung disease in the critically ill may not be tolerated in hypoxic patients. Furthermore, soluble protein analysis of BAL fl uid suff ers from inaccuracies related to saline dilution. The bronchoscopic microsample (BMS) probe allows absolute cytokine levels in epithelial lining fl uid (ELF) to be measured directly without lavage [1]. We compared cytokine levels from ELF obtained by the BMS probe with those from BAL, to verify its utility in critical illness. Table 1 (abstract P73) P value OR (95% CI) NIV success 0.005 0.1(0.01 to 0.4) SOFA score* 0.01 1.2(1 to 1.3) Male gender <0.001 14(5 to 39.4) Immunosuppressive status 0.001 4(1.7 to 9.6) *Mean value. y y Methods We recruited 45 patients into fi ve groups in whom BMS and BAL were conducted sequentially: two ventilated with ALI/ARDS, six with burns inhalational injury (fi ve ventilated), 15 with COPD, 18 with interstitial lung disease and four healthy patients. The BMS probe was bronchoscopically inserted to the subsegmental level in order to contact the mucosa for 5 to 7 seconds, collecting approximately 20 μl ELF [1]. BAL was performed with 150 ml of 0.9% saline, discarding the fi rst 20 ml (bronchiolar fraction). We assayed IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNFα and G-CSF. Comparisons between paired cytokine ELF concentrations in BMS and BAL were analysed using the nonparametric Wilcoxon’s test and Spearman’s correlation coeffi cient. Conclusion VAP occurrence seems to be associated with increased morbidity and ICU mortality. NIV use, avoiding endotracheal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation, has appeared to be eff ective in reducing the rate of VAP episodes, particularly in high-risk patients (severe immunosuppressed). The application of behavioural intervention bundles might represent the suitable preventive measure in settings where high rates of MDR pathogens limit the extensive use of pharmacological ones. fi Results The critically ill patients were aged 18 to 84 years (APACHE II 12 to 21). One patient had ARDS due to urinary tract infection and another related to pneumonia. No adverse incidents noted were noted. Overall, cytokine levels were all higher in the BMS group than Effi cacy of inhaled tobramycin in severe nosocomial pneumonia A Kuzovlev1, S Polovnikov2, V Stec2, V Varvarin2 1V.A. Negovsky Scientifi c Research Institute of General Reanimatology RAMS, Moscow, Russia; 2N.N. Burdenko Main Clinical Military Hospital, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P71 (doi: 10.1186/cc10678) A Kuzovlev1, S Polovnikov2, V Stec2, V Varvarin2 1V.A. Negovsky Scientifi c Research Institute of General Reanimatology RAMS, Moscow, Russia; 2N.N. Burdenko Main Clinical Military Hospital, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P71 (doi: 10.1186/cc10678) Conclusion The levels achieved on D3 in this study are similar to those achieved by Mimoz and colleagues using the same dosing schedule in ICU patients with VAP [2]. Only hypoalbuminemia impacted on the free levels of teicoplanin in this setting. High teicoplanin loading doses of 12 mg/kg 12-hourly should probably be extended beyond 48 hours, before major elective surgery for chronic bone sepsis. Introduction Nosocomial pneumonia (NP) is one of the most prevalent complications in ICUs. The effi cacy of inhaled antibiotics in treatment of NP was shown in several research works. The aim of this study was Introduction Nosocomial pneumonia (NP) is one of the most prevalent complications in ICUs. The effi cacy of inhaled antibiotics in treatment of NP was shown in several research works. The aim of this study was S26 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 BAL (P  <0.0001), consistent with ELF dilution by saline lavage. The ratio of BMS-derived cytokine to BAL for each patient group did not diff er signifi cantly. Spearman coeffi cients (r) for IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNFα and G-CSF were 0.38, 0.52, 0.25, 0.38 and 0.40. All correlations were signifi cant (P <0.01) except for IL-8 (P = 0.05). Both sampling methods demonstrated a gradation of cytokine level, with burns and ALI/ARDS having signifi cantly higher levels than patients with stable chronic lung disease or healthy controls. to estimate the effi cacy of inhaled tobramycin (IT) as an adjunct to systemic antibiotics in the treatment of severe NP. BAL (P  <0.0001), consistent with ELF dilution by saline lavage. The ratio of BMS-derived cytokine to BAL for each patient group did not diff er signifi cantly. Spearman coeffi cients (r) for IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNFα and G-CSF were 0.38, 0.52, 0.25, 0.38 and 0.40. All correlations were signifi cant (P <0.01) except for IL-8 (P = 0.05). Reference 1. Polovnikov SG, Kuzovlev AN, Iliychev AN: Case report of a successful treatment of severe nosocomial pneumonia with inhaled tobramycin. Pulmonologia 2011, 2:109-112. 1. Polovnikov SG, Kuzovlev AN, Iliychev AN: Case report of a successful treatment of severe nosocomial pneumonia with inhaled tobramycin. Pulmonologia 2011, 2:109-112. 1. Polovnikov SG, Kuzovlev AN, Iliychev AN: Case report of a successful treatment of severe nosocomial pneumonia with inhaled tobramycin. Pulmonologia 2011, 2:109-112. . Vincent JL, et al.: Drugs 2010, 70:1927-1944. Clinical and epidemiological risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia in a cohort of critically ill patients G D P l MA P i i V R i E Pi i i V B i i A O hi G De Pascale, MA Pennisi, V Raggi, E Piervincenzi, V Bernini, A Occhionero, P De Santis, A Moccaldo, S Cicconi, R Maviglia, M Tumbarello, M Antonelli Sacro Cuore Catholic University, Rome, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P73 (doi: 10.1186/cc10680) Introduction Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) represents a major infectious complication in the ICU. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors for VAP acquisition. y Methods All patients admitted to the 18-bed ICU of our university hospital between 1 October 2009 and 31 December 2010 were enrolled on the day of VAP diagnosis. Controls were selected by our computerized database. Statistical analyses were performed using the StataICl l program. fi y Conclusion Administration of IT as an adjunct to systemic antibiotics is effi cient and safe in treatment of severe nosocomial pneumonias caused by multiresistant Gram-negative bacteria. Profound randomized clinical trials on IT are required. p g Results Over the study period, among 902 admissions, 100 VAP occurred. The rate of multidrug resistance (MDR) was 23%. Development of VAP was associated with a signifi cantly longer duration of ICU stay (24 days (17 to 30) vs. 7 days (5 to 9); P <0.001) and mechanical ventilation (19 days (13 to 20) vs. 4 days (3 to 6); P <0.001). Overall ICU mortality was higher in the VAP population (41% vs. 29%; P = 0.09). Comparing patients aff ected by VAP with controls (100 matched patients), the former group was signifi cantly more likely to be male (P <0.001) and to be immunosuppressed (P = 0.004). In addition, VAP development was associated with higher rate of central venous catheter placements (P  <0.001), higher mean SOFA score value (P  <0.001) and previous exposure to antimicrobials (P = 0.004). Successful use of noninvasive ventilation, and trauma admission appeared as protective factors (P <0.001). Table 1 shows independent risk factors associated with VAP acquisition in multivariate analysis. Reference Effi cacy of inhaled tobramycin in severe nosocomial pneumonia Two patients of group 1 (20%) presented with hearing loss and tinnitus which revealed 3 months after the last IT administration. There were no cases of bronchospasm or renal insuffi ciency in group 1. y p Reference y p Reference 1. Ishizaka A, et al.: Crit Care Med 2001, 29:896-898. 1. Ishizaka A, et al.: Crit Care Med 2001, 29:896-898. 1. Ishizaka A, et al.: Crit Care Med 2001, 29:896-898. P73 Use of a ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) bundle to decrease the VAP rate in Syria Use of a ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) bundle to decrease the VAP rate in Syria R Alsadat1, M Mazloum2, A Alshamaa3, A Dakkak4, H Al-Bardan1, M Eltayeb2, A Marie2, F Esber1, O Naes3, M Shama5, I Betelmal5, M Kherallah6 1Al-Mouassat Hospital, Damascus, Syria; 2General Assembly of Damascus Hospital, Damascus, Syria; 3Al-Bassel Heart Institute, Damascus, Syria; 4Ibn Alnafees Hospital, Damascus, Syria; 5World Health Organization, Damascus, Syria; 6King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P74 (doi: 10.1186/cc10681) R Alsadat1, M Mazloum2, A Alshamaa3, A Dakkak4, H Al-Bardan1, M Eltayeb2, A Marie2, F Esber1, O Naes3, M Shama5, I Betelmal5, M Kherallah6 1Al-Mouassat Hospital, Damascus, Syria; 2General Assembly of Damascus Hospital, Damascus, Syria; 3Al-Bassel Heart Institute, Damascus, Syria; 4Ibn Alnafees Hospital, Damascus, Syria; 5World Health Organization, Damascus, Syria; 6King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia p Results A total of 619 patients were enrolled in the study. During the baseline period (Phase 1), 238 patients with 2,456 catheter days were assessed, 30 patients developed a CRBSI. The CRBSI rate during this period was 12.2 per 1,000 catheter days. All nurses and principle doctors in the seven ICUs received training on the standard of care for catheter maintenance along with the introduction of Q-Syte™ and Posifl ush™. In Phase 2, following introduction of the interventions, 12 of 381 patients developed a CRBSI. Total catheter days during this period were 3,562. The CRBSI rate decreased to 3.4 per 1,000 catheter days. This was signifi cantly lower than during the baseline period (Wilcoxon nonparametric test, u = 4.36, P = 0.0003). Additional analyses demonstrated that patients were at higher risk for developing a CRBSI if associated with: a prolonged catheter dwell time, a higher number of insertion attempts, a blood infusion or an increased frequency of catheter connector changes. We also found that the patients who developed a CRBSI had prolonged hospital stay and signifi cantly added to the cost of treatment. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P74 (doi: 10.1186/cc10681) Introduction Implementation of a ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) bundle as a performance improvement project in the critical care units for all mechanically ventilated patients aiming to decrease the VAP rates over the study period at four major teaching hospitals in Damascus. Methods CDC criteria were used to defi ne VAP. Reference Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S27 maintenance standards in the baseline period (Phase 1). The bundle was introduced in Phase 2. CRBSI was determined according to US CDC diagnostic criteria. The rates of CRBSI before and after the introduction of the bundle of interventions were compared. Use of a ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) bundle to decrease the VAP rate in Syria VAP rates were calculated based on occurrences per 1,000 ventilator days, VAP rates were monitored on a monthly basis throughout the project period. VAP bundle elements included elevation of the head of the bed to between 30 and 45°, daily sedation vacation, daily assessment of readiness to wean, peptic ulcer disease prophylaxis and deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis if not contraindicated. Each hospital formed a task force with a team leader, one or two physicians and one or two nurses. Education took place at an initial conference and a follow-up meeting for the implementation process and frequent staff education session in individual units. Compliance with the VAP bundle was considered based on the implementation of all elements of the bundle. Statistical Control Chart (SPC) was used to monitor the compliance with the individual bundle elements as well the bundle as a whole. Conclusion Introduction of Q-Syte™ and Posifl ush™ and improved stan- d ards of practice for catheter maintenance can signifi cantly decrease CRBSI in the ICU. Reference Reference 1. O’Grady NP, Alexander M, Burns LA, et al.: Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections 2011 [www.cdc.gov/hicpac/bsi/ bsi-guidelines-2011.html] 1. O’Grady NP, Alexander M, Burns LA, et al.: Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections 2011 [www.cdc.gov/hicpac/bsi/ bsi-guidelines-2011.html] 1. O’Grady NP, Alexander M, Burns LA, et al.: Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections 2011 [www.cdc.gov/hicpac/bsi/ bsi-guidelines-2011.html] Results VAP bundle compliance rates were steadily increasing from 33 to 80% in Hospital 1, from 33 to 86% in Hospital 2 and from 83 to 100% in Hospital 3 during the study period. The VAP bundle was not applied in Hospital 4 and therefore no data were available. This correlated with a decrease in VAP rates from 30 to 6.4 per 1,000 ventilator days in Hospital 1, from 12 to 4.9 per 1,000 ventilator days in Hospital 3, whereas the VAP rate failed to decrease in Hospital 2 (despite better compliance) and it remained high around 33 per 1,000 ventilator days in Hospital 4 where the VAP bundle was not implemented or monitored.f P76 Wash your hands: simple measures save lives S Macedo, GV Bispo, LA Ferreira, TO Cavalcanti, PF Rosa, C Paiva, DR De Melo, LG Rezende São Jose do Avai Hospital, Itaperuna, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P76 (doi: 10.1186/cc10683) Introduction Sepsis is a challenge for the intensive therapy unit, being the principal cause of death during hospitalization. p Conclusion The VAP bundle is known to be an eff ective way to decrease VAP but has performed diff erently in diff erent hospitals in our study. Prevention of VAP requires concerted eff orts on the part of hospital administration, physicians, and ICU personnel. The program must be evidence-based, maintained, and accepted by ICU personnel. Monitoring and collection of data should be strict and objective. Continued education and feedback are crucial to maintain a low VAP rate. Other factors of healthcare infection prevention should also be taken into consideration. p p g p Methods We realized a longitudinal and individuated intervention authorized by the HSJA ethics committee applying the campaign ‘Simple Measures Save Lives’ in which 105 educational adhesives served as a guide for washing hands and fl ags for high-contaminated locations. A decontamination routine of monitors, control panels, fans and infusion bombs was established at each 12 hours; and continued education for the health team was intensifi ed during the intervention. Was separated two groups, patient enrollments in periods of 45 days before and after the intervention, with more than 24  hours of hospitalization: group A with 18 patients and group B with 15 patients. Results The hospital infection incidence decreased by 40% and VAP by 39.6%. Urine culture was positive in 33.3% of those patients (n = 5) in group A and in 16.7% (n = 1) in group B (a 50.1% decrease). The cultures of catheter tip were positive in 68.8% (n = 22) of catheters in group A, which used 32 catheters in total, and none in group B, which used 13 catheters. The sepsis incidence decreased by 39.6%. Septic shock was detected in 16.6% (n = 3) of patients in group A. There was a drop of the costs between groups (R4,479.28, 10.5%). The cost of campaign material was R$50.00. P76 Results Total number of patient consultations during morning ward round n = 99; total number of occasions a keyboard used n = 40; total number of times a keyboard used and keyboard required cleaning n = 37; keyboard used and cleaned when required prior to use n = 5. In total, a rate of compliance at 14% for cleaning keyboards when appropriate. Further observations over the same time period showed that keyboards were indicating they required cleaning on 96% of occasions observed. Introduction In a previous study we showed that cross-contamination with resistant bacteria occurred less frequently in a single-room (SR) ICU when compared to an open-plan (OP) ICU. We attempted to identify whether this was mediated by a change in human behavior; that is, whether hand hygiene (HH) practices were similar in the OP versus SR ICU. Methods The SR ICU comprises eight single-patient rooms. The OP ICU includes four beds in a common area. Covert HH observations were made of physicians and nurses in both ICU areas. Defi ned HH opportunities occurred before and after contact with the patient or their environment. Each observation session lasted 20 minutes. Compliance was defi ned as use of alcohol hand rub or chlorhexidine wash. Qualitative records were made of tasks preceding missed HH opportunities (patient contact, computer use, obtaining additional supplies or other). Conclusion The rate of compliance for cleaning bedside keyboards was 14%, below the standard set of 100%. This may be due to several factors, including lack of education and resistance to changes in behaviour which have previously been described in various models of human behaviour such as the theory for planned behaviour. This may refl ect compliance with other areas of infection control and have a detrimental eff ect on patient safety and health. This may also become a signifi cant issue in the future if compliance rates remain low as more IT and touchscreen equipment is employed in ICUs. The ICU has adjusted the induction programme for new medical staff to include education on infection control measures with bedside IT equipment. pp Results Observations sessions were completed on 34 and 35 occasions in the SR and OP ICUs respectively including 277 and 418 HH opportunities. The number of staff observed per session was 2.6 ± 0.7 in the SR ICU versus 2.1 ± 0.5 in the OP ICU (P = 0.01). P76 g Methods We realized a longitudinal and individuated intervention authorized by the HSJA ethics committee applying the campaign ‘Simple Measures Save Lives’ in which 105 educational adhesives served as a guide for washing hands and fl ags for high-contaminated locations. A decontamination routine of monitors, control panels, fans and infusion bombs was established at each 12 hours; and continued education for the health team was intensifi ed during the intervention. P75 A strategy for prevention and control of catheter-related bloodstream infection of ICU patients in China (Prevent CRBSI): a prospective, multicenter, controlled study G Cai, J Yan Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, China Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P75 (doi: 10.1186/cc10682) Introduction Catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) continues to be a key issue in ICUs despite recent improvements in the clinical technique, standardization of the CVC insertion protocol and hand hygiene. The impact of catheter maintenance on CRBSI rates in China needs to be further investigated. The objective of study is to evaluate a bundle of interventions for reducing CRBSI in ICUs. The bundle includes new technology (BD Q-Syte™ and BD Posifl ush™) in addition to updated standards of practice for catheter maintenance. Conclusion This intervention was a simple form to decrease the related number of infections in the neurovascular ICU, having spent irrelevant values when compared with treatment of these clinical tables. R f 1. Zanon F, Caovilla JJ, Michel RS, et al.: Sepsis in the intensive care unit: etiologies, prognostic factors and mortality. Rev Bras Terapia Intensiva 2008 20:128-134. 2. Silva E, Pedro MA, Sogaya ACB, et al.: Brazilian Sepsis Epidemiological Study. Crit Care 2004, 8:R251-R260. Methods This is a prospective, multicenter, controlled study. Patients receiving CVCs in the ICUs were eligible for inclusion. The study was performed in seven general and teaching hospitals from June 2010 to June 2011 in China. The clinicians conducted their original catheter 3. Chesley R: Getting to zero: an emerging policy framework for the elimination of hospital-associated infections. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2008, 30:71-73. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S28 P77 Comparison of hand hygiene in single-room versus open-plan ICUs I Gork, S Benenson, M Brezis, CL Sprung, PD Levin Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P77 (doi: 10.1186/cc10684) equipment. A standard of 100% compliance for cleaning the keyboard appropriately when required was set for audit purposes. P76 There were fewer HH opportunities per session in the SR ICU (8.4 ± 3.3 vs. OP ICU 11.9 ± 5.2, P <0.001). HH compliance before patient contact was higher in the SR ICU than the OP ICU (1.8 ± 1.4 vs. 0.8 ± 1.1 episodes/session, P = 0.001), but similar after patient contact (2.6  ±  1.4 vs. 2.2  ±  1.5 episodes/ session, P = 0.29). Causes of missed HH opportunities were recorded on 98 and 140 occasions in the SR and OP ICUs. Comparing the SR to OP ICU: patient contact accounted for 21/98 (21%) versus 50/140 (36%, P  =  0.02) missed HH opportunities respectively; use of the bedside computer 1/98 (1%) versus 14/140 (10%, P = 0.005); additional supplies (drugs, cleaning, dressing, and so forth) 9/98 (9%) versus 20/140 (14%, P = 0.24); and other 4/98 (6%) versus 15/140 (10%, P = 0.06). P80 Eff ectiveness of an innovative system for the bio-decontamination of the ICU A De Nicola, MJ Sucre San Leonardo Hospital, Castellammare di Stabia, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P80 (doi: 10.1186/cc10687) P80 Eff ectiveness of an innovative system for the bio-decontamination of the ICU A De Nicola, MJ Sucre San Leonardo Hospital, Castellammare di Stabia, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P80 (doi: 10.1186/cc10687) P80 Eff ectiveness of an innovative system for the bio-decontamination of the ICU A De Nicola, MJ Sucre San Leonardo Hospital, Castellammare di Stabia, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P80 (doi: 10.1186/cc10687) Reduced air contamination in an ICU environment with a portable air purifi cation system air purifi cation system J Papaparaskevas1, V Papas2, M Pratikaki2, A Tsakris1, C Routsi2 1Medical School, University of Athens, Greece; 2Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P79 (doi: 10.1186/cc10686) J Papaparaskevas1, V Papas2, M Pratikaki2, A Tsakris1, C Routsi2 1Medical School, University of Athens, Greece; 2Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece Introduction Indoor air contamination has been implicated in hospital- acquiring infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. This implies that, along with other preventing measures, maintenance of good air quality in critical areas in hospitals is helpful to reduce the incidence of these infections. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the quality of an ICU air environment regarding total and fungal fl ora and the ability of a mobile air purifi cation system (Hegoa; ANEMO, Oullins, France). This device uses UVc technology (photocatalysis) to destroy a wide range of microorganisms, including fungi. Conclusion There were more HH opportunities in the OP ICU and HH compliance there was lower. The main diff erence in compliance occurred before patient care, with compliance after patient care being similar. This may refl ect ease of access from patient to patient in the OP ICU where turning around brings you easily from one patient to the next. In the SR ICU movement from patient to patient requires exiting one room and entering another with a clear end to patient care in one room and a beginning in the next. Patient contact and use of the bedside computer accounted for the majority of missed HH opportunities and present possibilities for interventions to improve HH compliance. Methods Air samples were obtained before and after the Hegoa air purifi cation system was started in seven ICU rooms, including a total of 10 beds, during a 24-hour period and at 3-hour intervals. From each room and time point, 200 l air samples were collected using a calibrated biocollector (Air Ideal; bioMerieux, Marcy L’Etoile, France). Cultures were performed on Triptycase Soy Agar and Sabouraud chloramphenicol agar plates, for the total and the fungal fl ora, respectively. Plates were incubated at 36°C and room temperature for a period of 7 days. P78 Compliance for decontamination of bedside computer keyboards on an ICU Results A total of 112 air samples from sampling sites in the ICU rooms were collected during the 24-hour study period. Before starting the air purifi cation unit, total fl ora ranged from 175 to 70 cfu/m3 and fungal fl ora from 30 to 35 cfu/m3. Total fl ora values were continuously decreasing and at 24 hours after air purifi cation onset were signifi cantly reduced to 30 to 50 cfu/m3 (72% reduction). Similarly, environment fungal levels were continuously decreased and at 24 hours after the start were undetectable. Introduction An audit to assess the compliance of decontamination of bedside computer keyboards by medical staff on an ICU. The topic was used for audit as previously identifi ed by the hospital infection control department as the worst-performing area on ‘clean trace’ scoring, and had been a regular topic of discussion between members of the medical team. Bedside keyboards automatically emit an alarm sound and small fl ashing LED light if cleaning is required prior to use. Discussion and hypothesis on reasons for rates of compliance follow this, including social/human factors that are barriers to compliance with infection control measures.f Conclusion The Hegoa mobile air purifi cation system shown a rapid lowering of contaminates with eventual elimination of fungal fl ora. Therefore, that equipment may provide an effi cient method of reducing air contamination into the ICU. Whether equipping ICU rooms with such devices could protect immunocompromised patients admitted to the ICU against fungal and microbial risk has to be examined. P80 Eff ectiveness of an innovative system for the bio-decontamination of the ICU CFU of sample sites before and after sanitation Sample sites Before UFC/cm2 After UFC/cm2 Mattress 104 <0.5 Vital parameters monitor 5,000 <0.5 Wall 2,000 <0.5 Bed rail <0.5 <0.5 Bed remote control <0.5 <0.5 Ventilator screen 5,000 <0.5 Ventilator chassis 104 <0.5 Infusion pump <0.5 <0.5 Table 1 (abstract P80). CFU of sample sites before and after sanitation Conclusion All-cause mortality in massive hemoptysis at our center was 18.8%. Lung cancer, necrotizing pneumonia and bronchiectasis carried signifi cantly higher mortality. BAE showed low mortality but required multiple interventions in nearly two-thirds of cases. Hence, surgery remains the intervention of choice in massive hemoptysis at our setup with acceptable mortality and outcome. p g p y C Wallace, S Cole, B McGuire Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P82 (doi: 10.1186/cc10689) Conclusion The destruction of the bacteria has practically taken place in all the points tested. The system has resulted to be compatible with the electronic equipment and a few minutes after the end of the procedure it is possible to use the area. The catalytic action of the silver atoms produces the tyndallisation of the surfaces, increasing the eff ectiveness of the sanitizer. Eight minutes after the end of the treatment, 98% of the OH – radicals have been destroyed and 95% of the dry cloud has been deposited, inhibiting the possibility of regeneration of any resistant microorganism. Introduction Almost 20% of adverse airway events reported to the Royal College of Anaesthetists 4th National Audit Project (NAP4) occurred in the ICU [1]. NAP4 commented that the failure to use capnography probably contributed to 77% of the ICU airway mortality. NAP4 subsequently made a number of recommendations pertaining to capnography use. We designed a survey to describe practice with regards to these. Methods A survey was sent to an intensivist at each of the 23 adult ICUs in Scotland. Results There was a 100% response rate. Nineteen (83%) units used capnography for all tracheal intubations on the unit, two (9%) in over three-quarters, one (4%) in under one-half and one (4%) unit reported never using it. For tracheal intubations prior to unit admission, the corresponding usage was three (13%) always, seven (30%) in over three-quarters, seven (34%) in over one-half and six (26%) in less than one-half of all intubations. Continuous capnography monitoring was in use on 54% of the intubated patients and 63% of the ventilator- dependent patients. P81 P81 Massive hemoptysis in a respiratory ICU: causes, interventions and outcomes – Indian study D Talwar, J Chudiwal, R Jain, S Kumar Metro Center for Respiratory Diseases, Noida, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P81 (doi: 10.1186/cc10688) Introduction Massive hemoptysis carries high mortality and morbidity, requiring multidisciplinary management. In India, tuberculosis is a very common cause of severe hemoptysis and is being treated in tuberculosis hospitals where such an approach is not available. We evaluated the profi le of patients admitted with massive hemoptysis in a well-equipped Indian tertiary-care respiratory center. Conclusion UK Intensive Care Society (ICS) guidelines make strong recommendations for the use of capnography in all critically ill patients during intubation [2]. We show a reassuring compliance with those guidelines during tracheal intubations performed on ICUs. Compliance was much poorer with the guidelines for those intubations performed outside units. An AAGBI safety statement recommended that continuous capnography should be used in all patients with intubated tracheas, regardless of location [3]. This was not echoed in the 2009 ICS guidelines (although in the light of NAP4, these have been updated to support this). Despite the majority of units in Scotland having facilities to monitor patients using capnography, just over one-half were doing so routinely. Capnography monitoring will surely increase in the advent of NAP4 and because of the change to the ICS guidelines. References q pp y p y Methods Retrospective analysis of 376 patients admitted with hemoptysis to the respiratory ICU of the Metro Center for Respiratory Diseases, India was done. We identifi ed 90 patients with massive hemoptysis (>600 ml in 24  hours) between 2005 and 2011 and the results were analyzed. As per our protocol all patients had active medical management and those suitable for surgery underwent elective or emergent surgery. Unsuitable candidates underwent bronchial artery embolisation (BAE) or bronchoscopic interventions (BI) and if suitable were taken for surgery later. Results The mean age of patients was 49.5 ± 16.53 years with 73.33% (n = 66) being male. Mortality in male patients was signifi cantly higher than females (64.7 vs. 35.3%, P  =  0.02). The mean length of stay in hospital was 10.44 ± 6.9 days and signifi cantly less (7.06 ± 4.8, P = 0.01) in the mortality group. Massive hemoptysis was due to tuberculosis (active and old) in 61%, pneumonia in 25.5%, bronchiectasis in 21.1%, aspergillus-releated disease in 11.1%. P80 Eff ectiveness of an innovative system for the bio-decontamination of the ICU Methods Observations and recording of medical staff and their compliance of cleaning bedside keyboards when required during a morning consultant-led ward round over a 10-day period. Further observations were taken at two other points in time during each day over the same time period. Observations were conducted by the author. Medical staff were informed at the beginning of the audit that this behaviour was being observed and staff were reminded of the principles of infection control, specifi cally maintaining clean IT f of the ICU of the ICU A De Nicola, MJ Sucre San Leonardo Hospital, Castellammare di Stabia, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P80 (doi: 10.1186/cc1068 A De Nicola, MJ Sucre Introduction The ICU contains a large quantity of sensitive electrical equipment which must not be aff ected by any bio-decontamination S29 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Table 1 (abstract P81). Types of management versus mortality in massive hemoptysis Table 1 (abstract P81). Types of management versus mortality in massive hemoptysis process. To disinfect the ICU environment we have used the original device, Medisize 99.99®, which releases a synergistic formulation of hydrogen peroxide with silver ions. The machine launches a dry cloud of 0.5 to 2 m particles which penetrates everywhere, without humidity or corrosive activity. process. To disinfect the ICU environment we have used the original device, Medisize 99.99®, which releases a synergistic formulation of hydrogen peroxide with silver ions. The machine launches a dry cloud of 0.5 to 2 m particles which penetrates everywhere, without humidity or corrosive activity. hemoptysis Management Total Mortality Percentage Medical 6 5 83.3 BI 35 7 20 BAE 19 1 5.2 Surgery 30 4 13.3 Multiple 21 2 9.5 y Methods The study has been conducted in the ICU area, just after the patients have been discharged, before and after the use of the Medisize 99.99® device. The overall number of samples taken has been 54 on three diff erent days. The sampling has been taken with Petri contact plates and incubated at 35°C for 48  hours, counting afterwards the CFU/plate. p Results We found the annulment of the contamination at all sites tested after sanitation (Table 1). CT chest in 65.5% and in 64.4% by fi ber optic bronchoscopy (FOB). However, combined FOB and CT scan could localize bleeding in 87.8%. See Table 1. Table 1 (abstract P80). 1. Cook TM, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2011, 106:617-631 and 632-642. 2. Thomas AN, et al.: Standards for Capnography in Critical Care. London: Intensive Care Society Standards and Guidelines; 2009. 3. The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland: Safety Statement on Capnography Outside The Operating Theatre. London: AAGBI; 2009 [http:// www.aagbi.org/sites/default/fi les/AAGBI%20SAFETY%20STATEMENT_0] P80 Eff ectiveness of an innovative system for the bio-decontamination of the ICU Twelve (52%) units reported using capnography in all the intubated and ventilated patients. Of the units not using continuous capnography routinely, two (18%) had no equipment for continuous monitoring. P81 Lung cancer in 6.6% cases but this carried highest mortality. The bleeding site was identifi ed on 1. Cook TM, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2011, 106:617-631 and 632-642. 2. Thomas AN, et al.: Standards for Capnography in Critical Care. London: Intensive Care Society Standards and Guidelines; 2009. 3. The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland: Safety Statement on Capnography Outside The Operating Theatre. London: AAGBI; 2009 [http:// www.aagbi.org/sites/default/fi les/AAGBI%20SAFETY%20STATEMENT_0] 1. Cook TM, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2011, 106:617-631 and 632-642. 2. Thomas AN, et al.: Standards for Capnography in Critical Care. London: Intensive Care Society Standards and Guidelines; 2009. 3. The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland: Safety Statement on Capnography Outside The Operating Theatre. London: AAGBI; 2009 [http:// www.aagbi.org/sites/default/fi les/AAGBI%20SAFETY%20STATEMENT_0] 3. The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland: Safety Statement on Capnography Outside The Operating Theatre. London: AAGBI; 2009 [http:// www.aagbi.org/sites/default/fi les/AAGBI%20SAFETY%20STATEMENT_0] S30 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 pressure support ventilation (PSV). This can be reduced with the application of an external positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEPe) [1]. However, an accurate measurement of PEEPi during PSV is challenging [2]. The aim of the present study is to investigate if the use of the electrical activity of diaphragm (EAdi) may yield the detection of PEEPi in patients undergoing PSV. We reasoned that if PEEPi was present the inspiratory airfl ow would start after EAdi had reached a given value (EAdi-threshold) necessary to generate the muscle pressure overcoming PEEPi. P83 Digitalized acoustic monitoring of lung congestion S Lev1, L Wolloch2, I Kagan1, M Grienv1, P Singer1 1Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel; 2Deep Breeze Ltd, Or-Akiva, Israel Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P83 (doi: 10.1186/cc10690) Introduction Changes in lung water are known to change breath sound acoustics [1]. Using two pig models, we observed that continuous elevation of lung sound amplitude may indicate an increase in total lung water content [2]. Here we report three cases of ventilated patients in whom continuous acoustic monitoring was done during extravascular lung water (EVLW) measurements. Methods Ten patients with a clinical suspicion of PEEPi undergoing PSV were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were: age  <18 years, hemodynamic instability, fever and PaO2/FiO2 <100 mmHg. All patients were tested during PSV for seven steps of 3 minutes each with increasing PEEPe (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 cmH2O). P81 At the end of each step, PEEPi was estimated with an end-expiratory occlusion maneuver. During the study, we continuously recorded airway pressure, fl ow, volume and EAdi wave- forms for off -line analysis. Data were analysed by linear regression and t test. P <0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant. Methods We retrospectively analyzed cases in which EVLWi (PiCCO) and other clinical parameters were measured, during continuous acoustic monitoring (VRI), using eight small sensors adhered to the anterior chest. A transmission factor (TF) was calculated, using the sound transfer function between diff erent sensors. The TF changes in correspondence to changes in tissue density [1]. The diff erence in TF was calculated between recordings when pulmonary edema was observed (>7 ml/kg threshold accompanied with an increase of 2 ml/kg in the EVLWi) and when absent. Statistical analysis was made using a t test. yi Results If PEEPi is present, EAdi-threshold is supposed to gradually decrease together with the raise of PEEPe; thus we divided patients into fi ve responders for whom EAdi-threshold was signifi cantly correlated with PEEPe, as opposed to fi ve nonresponders. In the group of responders we observed signifi cant correlations between the reduction of PEEPi and the increase of PEEPe (r2 = 0.86, P <0.01), and between EAdi-threshold and PEEPi at diff erent PEEPe levels (r2 =0.96, P <0.001). In the same group, respiratory rate (RR) decreased (r2 = 0.76, P = 0.01), tidal volume increased (r2 = 0.71, P = 0.02) and the peak of EAdi decreased (r2 = 0.94, P <0.001) at increasing levels of PEEPe. On the contrary, in the nonresponder group the increase of PEEPe was associated only with an increase of RR (r2 = 0.75, P = 0.01). Results A total of 336 continuous acoustic recordings in three patients (acoustic monitoring was applied together with EVLWi measurements) were analyzed (146 recordings when lung edema was present; 190 with no edema). In all patients, the acoustic profi le corresponded to changes in the clinical picture. In two of the cases, changes in acoustic profi le were similar to the ones in the EVLWi and other clinical parameters (Figure 1). In one case, where there was stability in lung sound acoustics, EVLWi and other clinical parameters were also stable. Signifi cant diff erences existed between recordings with edema (–3.61 ± 0.39) and without edema (–5.71 ± 0.15) (P <0.001). References 1. Donnerberg: Br J Dis Chest 1980, 74:23. 2. Lev: Crit Care 2011, 15:P174. P85 Adequate lung sliding identifi cation is not infl uenced by the level of academic or ultrasound training P85 Adequate lung sliding identifi cation is not infl uenced by the level of academic or ultrasound training E Piette1, R Daoust1, J Lambert2, A Denault3 1Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Canada; 2Université de Montréal, Canada; 3Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P85 (doi: 10.1186/cc10692) Introduction Rapid confi rmation of the adequacy of endotracheal intubation is critical in the fi eld of emergency medicine (EM). Methods confi rming endotracheal tube (ET) position should have accuracy near 100%. Studies confi rming ET position using lung sliding (LS) identifi cation were done by physicians with extensive ultrasound (US) training using sometimes lengthy examination. These conditions are not easily reproduced in the emergency department. Our primary objective was to compare the accuracy of EM physicians with diff erent levels of academic and US training to correctly identify presence or absence of LS on random short sequences of lung US. Our secondary objective was to determine if results were better when participants had the choice to abstain themselves in uncertain cases. Conclusion Changes in lung water tend to result in changes in the sound TF, due to changes in the tissue’s density. These preliminary results indicate that monitoring lung sounds has the potential to monitor changes in lung water. Conclusion Changes in lung water tend to result in changes in the sound TF, due to changes in the tissue’s density. These preliminary results indicate that monitoring lung sounds has the potential to monitor changes in lung water. Methods We recorded in the operating room 280 short lung US sequences (one respiratory cycle), of present and absent LS of intubated patients and randomly presented them to two groups of EM physicians. Accuracy was calculated for diff erent academic and US training: none, basic Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST), FAST and advanced cardiac US, fellowship in EM US. We compared them using an ANOVA test. Only participants in the second group where instructed to abstain from answering in uncertain cases and accuracy was compared to the fi rst group using a Student’s t test. The project was approved by the research and ethics committees. References e e e ces 1. Mancebo J, et al.: Anesthesiology 2000, 93:81-90. 2. Marini JJ: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2011, 184:756-762. 1. Mancebo J, et al.: Anesthesiology 2000, 93:81-90. 2. Marini JJ: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2011, 184:756-762. P81 Conclusion In fi ve of 10 patients with clinical suspicion of PEEPi, when the PEEPe was increased we observed a decrease of EAdi-threshold, associated with improved respiratory mechanics, suggesting that EAdi- threshold could be a useful indicator for the presence of PEEPi. References Figure 1 (abstract P83). VRI (average ± SE) versus PiCCO and CXR. Figure 1 (abstract P83). VRI (average ± SE) versus PiCCO and CXR. P84 Usefulness of electrical activity of the diaphragm to detect intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure during pressure support ventilation S Arrigoni, T Mauri, G Bellani, A Pradella, M Turella, V Sala, E Rezoagli, A Pesenti University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy 1. Donnerberg: Br J Dis Chest 1980, 74:23. Usefulness of electrical activity of the diaphragm to detect intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure during pressure support ventilation positive end-expiratory pressure during pressure support ventilation S Arrigoni, T Mauri, G Bellani, A Pradella, M Turella, V Sala, E Rezoagli, A Pesenti University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy y , , y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P84 (doi: 10.1186/cc10691) Results Two medical students, 42 EM residents and 31 EM attendings participated. No diff erence in accuracy was shown between the subgroups of academic training with mean accuracies of 66.3% (medical Introduction Intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEPi) may add a substantial workload on respiratory muscles of patients undergoing S31 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 students), 70.9% (residents) and 69.0% (attendings) (P  =  0.361). No diff erence was shown between the subgroups of US training with means of 63.9% (no formation), 70.2% (FAST), 70.9% (FAST + advanced cardiac US), and 74.2% (fellowship) (P = 0.119). Accuracy was signifi cantly better when participants could abstain from answering in uncertain cases with means of 67.5% (95% CI: 65.7 to 69.4) in the fi rst group and 73.1% (95% CI: 70.7 to 75.5) in the second (P <0.001). students), 70.9% (residents) and 69.0% (attendings) (P  =  0.361). No diff erence was shown between the subgroups of US training with means of 63.9% (no formation), 70.2% (FAST), 70.9% (FAST + advanced cardiac US), and 74.2% (fellowship) (P = 0.119). Accuracy was signifi cantly better when participants could abstain from answering in uncertain cases with means of 67.5% (95% CI: 65.7 to 69.4) in the fi rst group and 73.1% (95% CI: 70.7 to 75.5) in the second (P <0.001). medicine (EM) to diagnose pneumothorax as well as to evaluate the adequacy of endotracheal intubation. Presence of the Lung Pulse artefact (back and forth pleural motion induced by the heartbeat) as well as the underlying heart may aff ect correct identifi cation of LS in the left hemithorax, but this has never been studied. Our main objective was to evaluate the rate of correct identifi cation (accuracy) of the presence or absence of LS in the right and left hemithorax. p g Methods A total of 280 short lung US sequences (one respiratory cycle), recorded in the operating room, of presence and absence of LS in intubated patients were randomly presented to two groups of physicians (in total: two medical students, 42 EM residents and 31 EM attendings). Trans-thoracic echo evaluation before and during noninvasive ventilation y p g p g Results We included 21 patients (age (median) 38 years; male 71%). Most (80%) patients were admitted because of acute respiratory insuffi ciency by pneumonia. Seventeen (81%) had CD4 cell counts lower than 200/mm3. The SAPS 2 score was 47 points and the SOFA score on day 1 of admission was 6 points. Hospital mortality was 43%. All radiographic pneumonia images were viewed on lung US examinations. Possible and probable pneumonia by P. jiroveci was diagnosed in six patients; all of these patients presented diff use thin and/or gross B lines on both lungs. Bacterial (n  =  7), mycobacterial (tuberculosis (n = 6) and Mycobacterium kansasii (n = 1)), and fungal (Aspergillus sp. (n = 1)) were diagnosed in other patients. Peripheral microabscesses were viewed on one patient with PCP and four patients with other etiologies (P = NS); pleural eff usions were present on US of seven patients with diverse etiologies (no PCP patient had pleural eff usions; P  =  0.06); no pneumothorax was diagnosed in the study. Consolidation was present in one patient with PCP and 11 patients with bacterial, mycobacterial and fungal pneumonia (P = 0.05). There was a high degree of symmetry on lung US examinations of PCP patients, while there was always diff erences between the right and left hemithorax among other etiologic pneumonia (P <0.001).f ventilation L Vetrugno, M Costa, C Centonze, N Langiano, M Rojatti, G Della Rocca University Hospital of Udine, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P88 (doi: 10.1186/cc10695) Introduction Over the last decade noninvasive ventilation (NIV) gained the dignity of fi rst-line intervention for acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the ICU. Its great interest is based on a lower complications rate compared with traditional invasive ventilation. However, the NIV application, although less invasive, cannot ignore its hemodynamic eff ect over the patient. This study evaluates the NIV eff ects on the left ventricle in terms of systolic and diastolic function through trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE). We also try to obtain a preload value index equivalent of fl ow time corrected (FTc). p ql Methods Thirteen patients admitted to our ICU with ALI/ARDS underwent TTE before and during NIV. NIV was set as a 1 hour cycle with 5 to 7 cmH2O of PEEP and 5 to 7 cmH2O of pressure support ventilation. During NIV for a better patient compliance a continuous i.v. Usefulness of electrical activity of the diaphragm to detect intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure during pressure support ventilation Sequences were divided equally between the right and left hemithorax. Each participant’s knowledge of the Lung Pulse artefact was noted. Only the second group was instructed not to answer in case of uncertainty. A Kolmogorov–Smirnov test showed the rate of correct LS identifi cation did not follow a normal distribution. Median rates are reported with interquartile range (IQR) and compared using a Mann– Whitney test. Conclusion Correct LS identifi cation on short lung US sequences is not infl uenced by the level of academic or US training. Accuracy is better when the possibility to abstain oneself from answering is given. LS identifi cation using one respiratory US sequences should be used with caution to confi rm adequacy of endotracheal intubation. P86 Lung ultrasound can diff erentiate Pneumocystis jiroveci versus other etiologies among critically ill AIDS patients with pneumonia A Japiassu, F Bozza IPEC-FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P86 (doi: 10.1186/cc10693) Trans-thoracic echo evaluation before and during noninvasive ventilation infusion of remifentanil was used (range 0.03 to 0.05 μg/kg/minute). At baseline (T0 = before NIV) and after 30 minutes of NIV (T1), the following data were recorded: respiratory – RR, SaO2%, PaO2, PaCO2, pH, BE, and HCO3 –; and cardiac – heart rate (HR), arterial blood pressure (systolic, diastolic and media), diastolic and systolic volume (EDV, ESV), ejection fraction (EF), stroke volume (SV), velocity time integral (VTI), FTc, E wave, deceleration time (Dt), A wave, ventricular fl ow propagation velocity (Vp). Conclusion We suggest that high-degree symmetric and diff use B lines, without pleural eff usions, are compatible with P. jiroveci as the etiology of recent diagnosed pneumonia in critically ill AIDS patients. P87 Diff erence in accuracy of lung sliding identifi cation between the right and left hemithorax R Daoust1, E Piette1, J Lambert2, A Denault3 1Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Canada; 2Université de Montréal, Canada; 3Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P87 (doi: 10.1186/cc10694) Lung ultrasound can diff erentiate Pneumocystis jiroveci versus other etiologies among critically ill AIDS patients with pneumonia A Japiassu, F Bozza Results Knowledge of Lung Pulse was higher in the second group (55% vs. 21%, P <0.05). Globally, median accuracy of identifi cation of LS presence or absence was 74.0% (IQR: 48.0 to 90.0) in the fi rst group and 83.7% (IQR: 53.3 to 96.2) in the second (P = 0.006). For the fi rst group, median accuracy was 80.0% (IQR: 57.0 to 95.0) in the right hemithorax and 67.0% (IQR: 43.0 to 83.0) in the left (P <0.001). For the second group, median accuracy was 88.7% (IQR: 63.1 to 96.9) in the right hemithorax and 76.3% (IQR: 42.9 to 90.9) in the left (P <0.001). Introduction Lung ultrasound (US) can be applied as a point-of-care approach for diagnosis of pneumonia in AIDS patients. We compare US examinations of Pneumocystis jiroveci versus other etiologies of pneumonia in critically ill patients. p y p Methods Every HIV/AIDS patients admitted to the ICU with pneumonia was included. The fi rst US examination was performed until 72 hours after admission. Pneumonia was defi ned by clinical examination, laboratorial parameters and chest X-rays. Etiologic agents were defi ned according to appropriate cultures and serology. US was applied to four fi elds (apex, lateral middle third, anterior basal and posterior basal regions) for each hemithorax, with 2.5 MHz curved transducer. Three pneumonia patterns were defi ned: interstitial pneumonia, bronchopneumonia and pneumonia with consolidation. The presence of B lines, peripheral microabscesses (bronchopneumonia), consolidations and pleural eff usions were compared between the Pneumocystis pneumonia group (PCP) versus other etiologies. Conclusion Accuracy of identifi cation of LS presence or absence is higher in the right hemithorax. Our study is the fi rst to report this fi nding. Presence of the Lung Pulse artefact, as well as the underlying heart, probably explains the worse accuracy found in the left hemithorax. Caution should be taken in using LS identifi cation as a diagnostic tool in the left hemithorax and knowledge of the Lung Pulse artefact should be emphasized in chest US curriculum. P88 P89 P89 Listen to PaO2/FiO2 ratios: they tell us about length of stay V Inal, B Comert, L Yamanel GATA, Ankara, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P89 (doi: 10.1186/cc10696) P89 Listen to PaO2/FiO2 ratios: they tell us about length of stay V Inal, B Comert, L Yamanel GATA, Ankara, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P89 (doi: 10.1186/cc10696) Introduction Classifi cation of respiratory distress has been dependent on PaO2/FiO2; that is, <300 acute lung injury (ALI) and <200 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In this study, PaO2/FiO2 was analyzed for predicting ICU patients’ length of stay (LOS). References References 1. Antonelli M, Pennisi MA, Montini L: Clinical review: Noninvasive ventilation in the clinical setting – experience from the past 10 years. Crit Care 2005, 9:98-103. References 1. Antonelli M, Pennisi MA, Montini L: Clinical review: Noninvasive ventilation in the clinical setting – experience from the past 10 years. Crit Care 2005, 9:98-103. 2. Shekerdemian L, Bohn D: Cardiovascular eff ects of mechanical ventilation. Arch Dis Child 1999, 80:475-480. 2. Shekerdemian L, Bohn D: Cardiovascular eff ects of mechanical ventilation. Arch Dis Child 1999, 80:475-480. Conclusion We concluded that the PaO2/FiO2 ratio was a powerful indicator for predicting ICU LOS in patients with RI. In addition there was no need to classify patients according to PaO2/FiO2 to predict LOS; any decreased ratio meant a longer LOS. However, this study was weak in power; it had a small sample, did not include comorbid conditions, did not account for accepted scoring systems, and did not include daily ABGA for prediction. On the other hand, these results are promising for future observations that ABGA taken in the ED would be a supplemental tool for the physician’s approach in the ICU. Diff erence in accuracy of lung sliding identifi cation between the right and left hemithorax On the other hand, these results are promising for future observations that ABGA taken in the ED would be a supplemental tool for the physician’s approach in the ICU. Age >300 (n) ALI (n) ARDS (n) (n) (years) LOS (days) LOS (days) LOS (days) Male 165 65 ± 8.2 47 8 ± 2.1 65 12 ± 3.4 53 16 ± 4.2 Female 108 69 ± 7.6 33 7 ± 2.9 43 11 ± 3.7 32 17 ± 3.8 Diff erence in accuracy of lung sliding identifi cation between the right and left hemithorax Results From T0 to T1 the following changes with Wilcoxon matched pairs test were statistically signifi cant (P <0.05*). PaO2 (94 to 123 mmHg*), SaO2 (87 to 97%*) and PaO2/FiO2, RR (37 to 28/minute*). At T0, EF was >55% in seven patients and <55% in six patients. In the group with EF <55% (T0) the EF increased at T1 (42 to 52%*). Dt signifi cantly increased from T0 to T1 (182 to 198 cm/second*). No signifi cant changes were observed in VTI, E/A ratio, Vp, and E/Vp ratio, from T0 to T1. g R Daoust1, E Piette1, J Lambert2, A Denault3 1Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Canada; 2Université de Montréal, Canada; 3Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P87 (doi: 10.1186/cc10694) Introduction The fi eld of lung ultrasound (US) in critical care is in rapid expansion. Lung sliding (LS) identifi cation has been used in emergency Introduction The fi eld of lung ultrasound (US) in critical care is in rapid expansion. Lung sliding (LS) identifi cation has been used in emergency Conclusion Our study suggests that NIV improves cardiac function in patients with reduced EF, positioning the patients to a more favorable S32 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Table 1 (abstract P89). Patient data Table 1 (abstract P89). Patient data point of the Frank Starling curve. In these patients we also showed an increase in FTc that seems to be aff ected by either preload or afterload reduction. ( ) Age >300 (n) ALI (n) ARDS (n) (n) (years) LOS (days) LOS (days) LOS (days) Male 165 65 ± 8.2 47 8 ± 2.1 65 12 ± 3.4 53 16 ± 4.2 Female 108 69 ± 7.6 33 7 ± 2.9 43 11 ± 3.7 32 17 ± 3.8 Conclusion We concluded that the PaO2/FiO2 ratio was a powerful indicator for predicting ICU LOS in patients with RI. In addition there was no need to classify patients according to PaO2/FiO2 to predict LOS; any decreased ratio meant a longer LOS. However, this study was weak in power; it had a small sample, did not include comorbid conditions, did not account for accepted scoring systems, and did not include daily ABGA for prediction. Reference 1. Ventilation with lower tidal volumes as compared with traditional tidal volumes for acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome. The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network. N Engl J Med 2000, 342:1301-1308. 1. Ventilation with lower tidal volumes as compared with traditional tidal volumes for acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome. The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network. N Engl J Med 2000, 342:1301-1308. 1. Pediatr Crit Care Med 2010, 11:12-17. Figure 1 (abstract P91). Oxygenation Index versus P/F ratio. The Oxygenation Index compared with the P/F ratio in ALI/ARDS M Van Haperen1, PH Van der Voort2, RJ Bosman2 1AMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 2Olvg, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P91 (doi: 10.1186/cc10698) 1AMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 2Olvg, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P91 (doi: 10.1186/cc10698) Introduction The usual way to describe the severity of pulmonary dysfunction in ventilated ICU patients is by using the PaO2/FiO2 ratio (PF). The PF may be adjusted by the ventilator pressure settings in order to reduce inspiratory oxygen fraction but the PF does not take the mean airway pressure (MAP) into account. In contrast, the Oxygenation Index (OI) is defi ned as the reciprocal of PF times MAP: OI = (FiO2×mean airway pressure) / PaO2. As such, the OI is a better representative of oxygenation dysfunction. The objective was to study the correlation between and the impact of the MAP on the PF and OI. p Results Seventeen patients with mean age of 70.2 years (SD 14.1) and median APACHE IV expected mortality of 31% (IQR 14 to 70), 10 admitted for medical reasons and seven for surgical reasons, and ventilated for 4 days median (IQR 3 to 6) fulfi lled inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Results of tidal volume measurements are shown in Table 1. Table 1 (abstract P92). Tidal volume measurements Table 1 (abstract P92). Tidal volume measurements Table 1 (abstract P92). Tidal volume measurements Table 1 (abstract P92). Tidal volume measurements Total number of aVt measurements 286 Number of aVt measurements per patient (IQR) 12 (4 to 20) aVt <6 ml/kg PBW 25 (9%) aVt 6 to 8 ml/kg PBW 156 (58%) aVt 8 to 10 ml/kg PBW 82 (29%) aVt >10 ml/kg PBW 23 (8%) Mean aVt per kg PBW (SD) 7.85 (1.23) aVt, actual tidal volume; PBW, predicted body weight. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 27 consecutive mechanically ventilated patients admitted to our ICU with bilateral interstitial/alveolar lung disease, defi ned as ALI or ARDS. The data of these patients were collected during a time period of maximum 30 consecutive days. Demographic data were recorded and the PF, OI and MAP were assessed daily at 6:00 am during the fi rst 30 days of admission. OI >8.1 is usually regarded as ARDS and >5.3 as ALI [1]. y g [ ] Results We included 27 patients, 25 were male, the mean APACHE II score was 22, the median length of stay on the ICU 11 days and the ICU mortality was 11/16 (69%). The mean PF was 165 (SD 83), the mean OI was 8.2 (SD 5) and the mean MAP was 16 cmH2O (SD 5). The 27 patients resulted in 364 measurements. Of these measurements 158 had OI >8.1, of which 157 had PF <200 and a mean MAP of 19.3 cmH2O. In one patient PF was >200 while OI was >8.1 with MAP 18 cmH2O. Of the 100 measurements with OI 5.3 to 8.1, 14 had PF 200 to 300 and 85 had PF <200. The MAP in these measurements was 17, 64 and 24 cmH2O respectively. Figure 1 shows the nonlinear relation between OI and PF. Conclusion In patients with ARDS, OI >8.1 is usually in agreement with PF <200. However, patients with ALI based on OI 5.3 to 8.1 frequently had PF <200. More studies are needed to determine the optimal level of OI for the diagnosis of ALI/ARDS. Reference Conclusion In this small single-centre study, the mean aVt is between 6 and 8 ml/kg PBW as prescribed, but only 58% of measured tidal volumes are indeed between 6 and 8 ml/kg PBW. P92 P92 Results Data were available for 815 patients (see Figure 1). Increasing OI was associated with increasing mortality (P <0.0001 chi-squared test for trend). Each step increase in OI was associated with approximately a 6% absolute increase in mortality. The OI was also associated with increasing Standardised Mortality Ratio (ICNARC model).i Do actual tidal volumes diff er from prescribed tidal volumes? R Kleijn, B Kalkman, N Verburg, H Oudijk, B Van Vondelen, M Luttmer, I Slagers, M Ruijters, I Meynaar Reinier de Graaf Groep, Delft, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P92 (doi: 10.1186/cc10699) g y Conclusion The highest OI occurring in the fi rst 24 hours of ventilation is an independent predictor of mortality. Collection of OI data may allow better prediction of outcome than P/F ratio data alone. References Introduction Studies have shown that the selection of incorrect tidal volume can cause ventilator-induced lung injury and increased mortality [1]. This study was done to determine if the actual tidal volume (aVt) diff ers from the prescribed tidal volume (pVt) based on predicted body weight (PBW). 1. Winter B, et al.: Management of Severe Refractory Hypoxia in Critical Care in the UK in 2010 Report from UK Expert Group [http://www.ics.ac.uk/ latest_news/management_of_severe_respiratory_failure_in_critical_care_] 2. Britos M, Smoot E, Liu KD, et al.: The value of positive end-expiratory pressure and FiO2 criteria in the defi nition of the acute respiratory distress syndrome. Crit Care Med 2011, 39:2025-2030. y Methods The ICU is a 10-bed intensivist-led unit in a 500-bed teaching hospital. All consecutive patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation in June 2011 were included. Patients with noninvasive ventilation or with continuous positive airway pressure only were excluded. The ICU has a mechanical ventilation protocol that prescribes tidal volume to be between 6 and 8 ml/kg PBW. A table with prescribed tidal volumes based on PBW is available at the bedside throughout the ICU. All patients were ventilated with Drager Evita XL ventilators on pressure support (ASB) or pressure control mode (BIPAP). During the study period we compared the aVt with the pVt each day at 0, 6, 10, 14, 18 and 22 hours for all patients. P90 Worst Oxygenation Index during the fi rst 24 hours of ventilation predicts mortality y y Methods Data of 273 patients admitted to the ICU with RI were retrospectively analyzed for LOS in the ICU. Patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) with RI, documented arterial blood gas analysis (ABGA), and hospitalized in the ICU were eligible for this study within 4 years. The fi rst ABGA in ED PaO2/FiO2 were taken for predicting ICU LOS. Patients’ comorbid diseases, APACHE II/Glasgow scores, non/ invasive mechanical ventilation supports were not included in the analysis. Patients were classifi ed into three groups as: (1) >300 not having RI, (2) <300 ALI, (3) <200 ARDS; they were then compared for predicting ICU LOS, and also receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis and area under curve (AUC) were calculated.i RJ Jackson, TH Gould, MJ Thomas Bristol Royal Infi rmary, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P90 (doi: 10.1186/cc10697) Introduction The ratio of PaO2 to FiO2 (P/F ratio) is often used to classify patients with hypoxic respiratory failure, and is recommended in guidelines from a UK expert group [1] but does not take airway pressures into account. A study found that adjusting for PEEP did not aff ect the predictive ability of the P/F ratio [2]; however, the mean airway pressure (MAP) may be a better indicator of lung recruitment. The Oxygenation Index (OI = (FiO2×MAP) / PaO2)) includes an adjustment for MAP. Results Analysis showed statistical signifi cance of P <0.01 for all groups pointing out that ED ABGA PaO2/FiO2 levels negatively aff ected patients’ LOS in the ICU. ROC analysis of PaO2/FiO2 for LOS showed signifi cant AUC: 0.917 levels, which was predicted as a powerful indicator. Patients’ data are presented in Table 1. 2 2 Methods We retrospectively assessed a computerised record (from 2008 to 2010) of ventilator parameters and identifi ed the highest OI for all ventilated patients from a general adult university teaching hospital ICU, during the fi rst 24  hours of ventilation. Patients were grouped according to highest OI, and mortality was calculated for subgroups. Figure 1 (abstract P90). Mortality and number of patients by Oxygenation Index. Figure 1 (abstract P90). Mortality and number of patients by Oxygenation Index. Figure 1 (abstract P90). Mortality and number of patients by Oxygenation Index. S33 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P93 P93 Intratracheal administration of siRNA targeting FAS reduces ischemia–reperfusion-induced lung injury L Del Sorbo, G Muraca, A Costamagna, G Rotondo, L Laudari, F Civiletti, E Tonoli, E Martin, V Fanelli, V Ranieri University of Turin, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P93 (doi: 10.1186/cc10700) , , , University of Turin, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P93 (doi: 10.1186/cc10700) Introduction Ischemia–reperfusion injury is one of the main causes of primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation. Fas-mediated apoptosis plays a major role in the pathogenesis of ischemia– reperfusion injury. Exogenous administration of small interfering RNA (siRNA) is an eff ective strategy to specifi cally silence the expression of proteins through blocking the translation of mRNA. The aim of this study was to investigate in an ex vivo mouse model of lung ventilation and perfusion whether a specifi c siRNA targeting Fas is able to reduce ischemia–reperfusion injury. Figure 1 (abstract P91). Oxygenation Index versus P/F ratio. S34 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods C57BL/6 male mice were randomized to intratracheally receive a specifi c sequence of siRNA targeting FAS (siRNA-FAS) or a scrambled siRNA 48  hours before undergoing 6  hours of cold ischemic time (4°C) followed by 2  hours of ex vivo ventilation (peak inspiratory pressure = 7 cmH2O, PEEP = 2 cmH2O, respiratory rate = 100 breaths/minute, FiO2  =  100%) and reperfusion (4% bovine serum albumin RPMI medium with 10% fresh blood at 1 ml/minute fl ow rate) in a predisposed humidifi ed chamber at 37°C. At the end of the experiment, lung elastance, assessed through tidal volume, and total protein concentration in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fl uid were measured. A separate set of lungs were analysed by western blot before undergoing cold ischemia to assess the expression of FAS protein. Conclusion Acute lung injury induced by intratracheal hydrochloric acid instillation requires the function of TNFα receptor I and associates with activation of downstream proinfl ammatory signaling pathways p44/42 and c-Jun N-Terminal kinase. P96 g Methods Subjects were male and female C57Bl/6 mice, wild-type, TNFα knockout, TNFα receptor I knockout (n = 135). Hydrochloric acid was instilled intratracheally to mice, followed by respiratory system elastance measurement, bronchoalveolar lavage and lung tissue harvesting 24 hours post injection. The TNFα inhibitor etanercept was administered as pretreatment to a subset of mice prior to hydrochloric acid exposure.l A new miniaturized extracorporeal membrane oxygenator with integrated rotary blood pump (Ilias): fi rst results in a porcine mode of lung injury K Pilarczyk1, J Heckmann1, K Lyskawa1, A Strauß2, U Aschenbrenner2, H Jakob1, M Kamler1, N Pizanis1 1West German Heart Centre Essen, University Hospital, Essen, Germany; 2iliasmedical GmbH, Bochum, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P96 (doi: 10.1186/cc10703) P93 P95 Retrieval of patients with severe respiratory failure on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: an intensivist-led model A Burrell1, V Pellegrino1, D Pilcher1, S Bernard1, M Kennedy2 1The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; 2Adult Retrieval Victoria, Melbourne, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P95 (doi: 10.1186/cc10702) g g p p Results The intratracheal administration of siRNA-FAS reduced the expression of FAS in the lung by 44% (siRNA-FAS 0.90 ± 0.11 vs. scrambled siRNA 1.61 ± 0.18 AU). Lung elastance and BAL total protein concentration were signifi cantly reduced in the siRNA-FAS group as compared to control in lungs exposed to 6  hours of cold ischemia followed by 2 hours of reperfusion. See Table 1. Introduction Patients with severe respiratory failure may require veno- venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vv-ECMO). However, this treatment is only available in specialized centres. Previous reports of vv-ECMO cannula insertion and retrieval have included large teams of surgeons, perfusionists, physicians, retrieval doctors, paramedics and nurses. We hypothesized that an intensivist-led model for rapid response to a referring hospital, the insertion of vv-ECMO cannulae and subsequent retrieval would be safe and feasible. Table 1 (abstract P93) siRNA-FAS siRNA scrambled Elastance (cmH2O/ml) 11.34 ± 0.24* 13.75 ± 0.99 BAL proteins (μg/ml) 529.1 ± 64.8* 928.5 ± 138.2 Data are mean ± SE. Comparison between groups was performed with the Student’s t test. *P <0.05. Methods The Alfred Hospital ICU is the specialist centre for ECMO services for the states of Victoria and Tasmania in Australia. The intensivists in our ICU are trained to insert ECMO cannulae using a percutaneous femoral approach and manage the ECMO circuit during transport. A new ECMO retrieval service was set up in 2008 to allow the cannulation and retrieval of patients from other referring hospitals. The retrieval team comprises two intensivists to insert femoral cannulae and manage the ECMO circuit, a third physician to manage the ventilator and infusion pumps and a paramedic to manage the logistics of the patient transfer. We reviewed all consecutive patients from 2008 to 2011 with severe respiratory failure who received vv-ECMO and were retrieved to our specialist center. Conclusion The intratracheal administration of siRNA targeting FAS prevents the increase of the alveolar membrane permeability during ischemia–reperfusion injury. p j y cknowledgements Funded by PRIN and Regione Piemonte. P94 Acute lung injury in mice associates with p44/42 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation and requires the function of TNFα receptor I Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P94 (doi: 10.1186/cc10701) Introduction Aspiration of hydrochloric acid-containing gastric juice leads to acute lung injury and hypoxemic respiratory failure due to an exuberant infl ammatory response associated with pulmonary edema from increased endothelial and epithelial permeability. The aim of this study was to determine the role and signaling mechanisms of TNFα in experimental acute lung injury from hydrochloric acid aspiration using a combination of genetic animal models and pharmacologic inhibition strategies. g Conclusion An intensivist-led model of vv-ECMO cannulation and retrieval appears to be a safe and eff ective model for vv-ECMO retrieval. This model may lead to a more rapid and cost-eff ective response and is the subject of further study. P94 p Results There were 23 patients from 2008 to 2011. All cannulations were successfully performed percutaneously at the referring hospital by the intensivists. The underlying condition was H1N1 in 11 patients, bacterial pneumonia in six, acute lung injury in four, metastatic seminoma in one and multiple lung abscesses in one. The average age was 36 years (range 17 to 60 years). Males were 61%. Transport was by fi xed-wing aircraft in 35% and road ambulance in 65%. The retrieval distance averaged 76 km (range 7 to 1,770 km). During transport, there were two transient pump failures requiring hand cranking and one monitor failure. These resulted in no adverse clinical eff ects. The average ICU length of stay was 14 days. Overall survival to hospital discharge was 17/23 (74%). P94 Acute lung injury in mice associates with p44/42 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation and requires the function of TNFα receptor I N Maniatis1, A Sfi ka1, I Nikitopoulou1, A Vassiliou1, C Magkou1, M Kardara1, A Armaganidis1, C Roussos1, G Kollias2, S Orfanos1, A Kotanidou1 1University of Athens, Greece; 2‘Al. Fleming’ Biomedical Sciences Research Center, Vari, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P94 (doi: 10.1186/cc10701) ECMO in nonintubated patients as a bridge to lung transplant: our experience M Chierichetti, A Santini, F Pagan, S Crotti, A Lissoni, L Gattinoni Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Milano, Milan, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P97 (doi: 10.1186/cc10704) Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has now been used by an expanding number of centres for bridging to lung transplant (LTx) in patients with advanced cardiac and respiratory failure [1]. ECMO has been used for bridging to LTx almost exclusively in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. In order to avoid the drawbacks and complications associated with intubation and prolonged mechanical ventilation we hypothesized that the use of venovenous ECMO (VV-ECMO) in awake and spontaneously breathing patients might be an option for respiratory support in those patients who are severely deteriorating while waiting for lung transplant. Results A total of 19 trauma patients, 15 males and four females, underwent the ECLS technique. All of the following data are expressed as median and 25th and 75th percentiles are enclosed in parenthesis. Median age was 48 (31.8 to 63.8) years. Injury severity score was 59 (41.3 to 73.8). Thirteen patients had polytrauma with brain injury. Fourteen patients received va ECLS and fi ve patients vv ECLS. Indications to ECLS placement were: cardiac arrest in nine patients, severe bleeding shock in fi ve patients and acute respiratory failure in fi ve patients. In four patients, ECLS was placed in the shock room, two patients received ECLS in the operating room during damage control surgery and 13 patients in the ICU. Timing to ECLS from the trauma event was within 6 hours for six patients, between 6 and 24 hours for fi ve patients and over 24 hours for eight patients. Sixteen patients were admitted to the ICU. Five patients were discharged from the ICU. Brain death diagnosis as a consequence of traumatic injury was performed in six patients. In four of these patients organ donation was possible. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of seven patients (three female, mean age 31.7 ± 12.1 years) who underwent lung transplant while on ECMO support between May 2009 and October 2011 and who had not been ventilated for more than 24 hours before the LTx. All patients were fully awake and they kept on receiving noninvasive ventilation for a variable amount of time per day after ECMO support was started, according to clinical evaluation. A new miniaturized extracorporeal membrane oxygenator with integrated rotary blood pump (Ilias): fi rst results in a porcine model of lung injury K Pilarczyk1, J Heckmann1, K Lyskawa1, A Strauß2, U Aschenbrenner2, H Jakob1, M Kamler1, N Pizanis1 1West German Heart Centre Essen, University Hospital, Essen, Germany; 2iliasmedical GmbH, Bochum, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P96 (doi: 10.1186/cc10703) Results Hydrochloric acid instillation induced an infl ammatory response in the lungs of wild-type mice, evidenced as increased bronchoalveolar lavage total cells, neutrophils and total protein, histologic lung injury score and respiratory system elastance, while TNFα receptor I mRNA levels were maintained. These alterations could be prevented by pretreatment with etanercept or genetic deletion of the 55 kDa TNFα receptor I, but not by deletion of the TNFα gene. Hydrochloric acid induced a sixfold increase in apoptotic, caspase- 3-positive cells in lung sections from wild-type mice, which was abrogated in mice lacking TNFα receptor I. In immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry studies, hydrochloric acid stimulated signaling via p44/42 and c-Jun N-Terminal kinase, which was blocked in TNFα receptor I knockout mice. Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used for most severe acute respiratory distress syndrome cases in specialized centres. However, critically ill patients fulfi lling ECMO criteria are often not suitable for transportation and currently available ECMO systems are not designed for emergency use or interhospital transfer. Therefore, a new miniaturized ECMO (Ilias; Figure 1) with only 5 kg weight was developed to reduce fi lling volume and simplify management. Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used for most severe acute respiratory distress syndrome cases in specialized centres. However, critically ill patients fulfi lling ECMO criteria are often not suitable for transportation and currently available ECMO systems are not designed for emergency use or interhospital transfer. Therefore, a new miniaturized ECMO (Ilias; Figure 1) with only 5 kg weight was developed to reduce fi lling volume and simplify management. Methods Acute lung injury was induced with repeated pulmonary saline infusion in 13 pigs until the Horowitz Index was <100 mmHg. Pigs were assigned to the following three groups: group 1 (n  =  3), Methods Acute lung injury was induced with repeated pulmonary saline infusion in 13 pigs until the Horowitz Index was <100 mmHg. Pigs were assigned to the following three groups: group 1 (n  =  3), Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum com/supplements/16/S1 S35 , pp http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results All patients survived successfully until the transplant. Extracorporeal life support in major trauma: case series from a tertiary referral trauma 9 ECMO in nonintubated patients as a bridge to lung transplant: our experience M Chierichetti, A Santini, F Pagan, S Crotti, A Lissoni, L Gattinoni Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Milano, Milan, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P97 (doi: 10.1186/cc10704) Reference Reference 1. Bermudez CA, et al.: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to lung transplant: midterm outcomes. Ann Thorac Surg 2011, 92:1226-1232. Figure 1 (abstract P96). The Ilias prototype. Extracorporeal life support in major trauma: case series from a tertiary referral trauma Extracorporeal life support in major trauma: case series from a tertiary referral trauma R Spina, S Biondi, A Circelli, G Cianchi, S Degl’Innocenti, M Bonacchi, A Peris Careggi Teaching Hospital, Florence, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P98 (doi: 10.1186/cc10705) Results No device failed during the observation period. Oxygenation increased signifi cantly in both ECMO groups compared to baseline and to control (paO2 from 79 ± 8 before Ilias to 340 ± 108 mmHg and from 61 ± 12 mmHg to 309 ± 59 mmHg in the standard ECMO group). The CO2 elimination by the Ilias reduced arterial paCO2 from 134 ± 25 mmHg at baseline to 53  ±  7 mmHg. Hemodynamic instability, signifi cant activation of the plasmatic coagulation or platelet consumption was not observed. However, hemolyses were signifi cantly higher in the Ilias group compared to the Maquet group. Introduction Major trauma (MT) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Immediate fatal complications are bleeding shock followed in the post-emergency phase by severe head and spine injury and post-traumatic respiratory failure. Venoarterial (va) or venovenous (vv) extracorporeal life support (ECLS) could represent a valid option to face these life-threatening trauma complications. Moreover, ECLS can potentially be employed to expand the pool of donors in patients with brain death diagnosis after trauma event. Conclusion The Ilias prototype provided excellent gas exchange with hemodynamic stability comparable to a standard ECMO system. Further development and design modifi cations (optimized rotation speed and surface coating of rotor) are already done and another experiment is projected to reduce hemolysis for clinical application. Methods Patient data were collected from January 2009 to November 2011. A multidisciplinary algorithm-based protocol was written by our ECLS Team. The va-ECLS indications were bleeding shock, with potential controllable bleeding sites, not responding to massive fl uid and blood resuscitation and to vasopressor support and cardiac arrest not responding after 10 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). vv-ECLS criteria establishment were severe hypoxia and/or hypercarbia due to acute lung failure not responding to conventional ventilatory strategies. The ECLS device is composed of a centrifugal pump and a hollow fi ber membrane oxygenator (Quadrox-D; Maquet, Germany). Coagulation status was controlled by the activated partial thromboplastin time every 4 hours and thromboelastography. P98 control group, conventional ventilation; group 2 (n  =  5), standard venovenous ECMO (Maquet); group 3 (n = 5), Ilias group. Gas exchange, hemodynamics, hemolysis, and coagulation activation were examined over a period of 8 hours. A new miniaturized extracorporeal membrane oxygenator with integrated rotary blood pump (Ilias): fi rst results in a porcine model of lung injury All patients underwent BLTx on VV-ECMO support, three were converted to VA during transplant and then back to VV at the end of the procedure. One patient died after BLTx due to hemorrhagic complications. Mean ECMO support was BloodFlow 3.1 ± 0.8 l/minute, GasFlow 4.7 ± 2.5 l/ minute, no one needed mechanical ventilation before BLTx. After lung transplant fi ve patients remained intubated and they were ventilated for 13.9  ±  16.4 days. Mean duration of ECMO support after LTx was 4.7 ± 5.4 days. Mean ICU LOS after LTx was 18 ± 17.9 days. Among this population three patients developed hemorrhagic complication, two primary graft dysfunction, two neuromuscular dysfunction, while only one chronic renal failure. Results All patients survived successfully until the transplant. All patients underwent BLTx on VV-ECMO support, three were converted to VA during transplant and then back to VV at the end of the procedure. Figure 1 (abstract P96). The Ilias prototype. Conclusion Our experience shows that bridge to lung transplant with VV-ECMO in awake and spontaneously breathing patients is not only feasible but also successful. Survival to BLTx in our center was 100%, while survival after BLTx is comparable to that of patients who were not on ECMO support. ECMO in nonintubated patients as a bridge to lung transplant: our experience Mean blood gas values before ECMO support was started were: pH 7.26  ±  0.13, PaCO2 81.7 ± 31.6, PaO2 151.4 ± 164.2, PEEP 9 ± 4, FiO2 83 ± 20, mean time on ECMO before LTx 11.7 ± 17.7 days. p g p Conclusion ECLS in a multimodal approach in MT represents a challenging opportunity to face potential fatal complications. Moreover ECLS applied to selected trauma patients could expand the potential donor pool. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S36 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P99 Two years’ experience with bicaval dual lumen cannula for venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adult refractory acute respiratory distress syndrome J Reeb, PE Falcoz, J Pottecher, X Delabranche, N Santelmo, A Steib, M Hasselmann, G Massard Hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P99 (doi: 10.1186/cc10706) trauma in 10 patients, sepsis in three patients, pulmonary hemorrhage in two patients and others in two patients. The overall hospital mortality rate was 39% (15/38). Compared with the nonsurvivors group, the survivors group was younger (33.3 ± 15.1 vs. 52.2 ± 18.1 years old, P = 0.001) and had lower APACHE II scores (18.7 ± 6.3 vs. 26.7 ± 6.6, P = 0.001) and SOFA scores (10.4 ± 2.7 vs. 12.7 ± 2.4, P = 0.014). Furthermore, the survivors group had early signifi cant resolution in the sequential SOFA scores compared with the nonsurvivors group. trauma in 10 patients, sepsis in three patients, pulmonary hemorrhage in two patients and others in two patients. The overall hospital mortality rate was 39% (15/38). Compared with the nonsurvivors group, the survivors group was younger (33.3 ± 15.1 vs. 52.2 ± 18.1 years old, P = 0.001) and had lower APACHE II scores (18.7 ± 6.3 vs. 26.7 ± 6.6, P = 0.001) and SOFA scores (10.4 ± 2.7 vs. 12.7 ± 2.4, P = 0.014). Furthermore, the survivors group had early signifi cant resolution in the sequential SOFA scores compared with the nonsurvivors group. g Conclusion Survivors had early improvements in SOFA scores after ECMO for severe ARDS patients. SOFA score evolution may be used for evaluating the eff ect of ECMO. Introduction Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a respiratory support increasingly used in adult refractory acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Corticosteroids for critically ill patients: an international survey of intensivists F Lamontagne1, N Adhikari2, D Cook3, KK Koo4, F Lauzier5, KE Burns2, I Douglas6, AF Turgeon5, H Quiroz1, Y Poulin1, K Choong3, N Ferguson2, ME Kho7, M Duff ett3, C Chant2, O Lesur1, MO Meade3 1Université de Sherbrooke, Canada; 2University of Toronto, Canada; 3McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; 4University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; 5Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 6Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA; 7Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P101 (doi: 10.1186/cc10708) y Methods A prospective single-center study between November 2009 and November 2011 including all medical and surgical adult patients receiving ECMO for refractory ARDS. All ECMOs were performed with DLC implanted percutaneously in the right internal jugular vein. Variables under study were: arterial blood gases, duration of ECMO support, activated cephalin time (TCA) values, number of blood products transfused, and patient’s outcome. Statistical test: Student’s t test.i p Results Twenty-fi ve ECMOs were performed in 24 patients (16 men and eight women). Mean age of patients was 52.2 years  ±  17.5. All these patients had severe ARDS despite optimal medical therapy. At DLC implantation, mean pH, PaCO2, PaO2, and PaO2/FiO2 ratio were 7.25 ± 0.11, 60.5 ± 17.5 mmHg, 58.9 ± 13.6 mmHg, and 61 ± 14 respectively. Mean duration of respiratory support with ECMO was 9.5 ± 4.8 days and mean blood fl ow was 3.3 ± 0.6 l/minute. During ECMO, arterial blood gases were signifi cantly improved (P  <0.05): mean PaCO2, and PaO2 were 39.9 ± 4.8 mmHg, and 92.7 ± 21.1 mmHg respectively. Concerning haemostasis and provision of blood products, mean TCA and mean pellets of red blood cells transfused were 53.6 ± 1.2 seconds and 10.7 ± 7 respectively. Eleven patients (46%) died under ECMO. Causes of death with ECMO support were: fi ve multiorgan failures, two septic shocks, two withdrawal of care, one hemodynamic shock, and one refractory hypoxemia. ECMO withdrawal was possible in 13 patients (twice in one patient) with PaO2/FiO2 ratio 258 ± 24 at withdrawal. Removal of the endotracheal tube was performed for eight patients (33%), 18.3 ± 6.2 days after DLC implantation. Eight patients (33%) were discharged alive from the ICU, 18.3 ± 6.3 days after DLC implantation. These eight patients were discharged alive from hospital. No adverse event related to the DLC was observed. Introduction We surveyed intensivists to evaluate their stated use of systemic steroids in the ICU. Resolution of organ functional scores to predict outcomes in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation L Chiu, Y Chen, H Hu, C Huang, F Tsai, K Kao Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P100 (doi: 10.1186/cc10707) y Conclusion Certain clinical conditions may prompt intensivists to almost always prescribe systemic steroids and reduce equipoise for future placebo-controlled trials. Moreover, this survey shows that in selected academic centres a majority of intensivists do not prescribe corticosteroids for pneumonia, ALI and ARDS. Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be used as an alternative therapy for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients who have failed conventional mechanical ventilation. We undertook a study to investigate the determinants of mortality and the sequential evolution of organ failures in ECMO-treated ARDS patients. Methods This was a prospective observational study of severe ARDS patients who received venovenous ECMO in the ICU of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between March 2006 and December 2010. We included data on all 38 consecutive patients who receive venovenous ECMO. Retrospective data included the following: demographics, primary diagnosis for ARDS, ventilator setting before ECMO, oxygenation, durations of ECMO, SOFA scores and outcome. l l f l bl Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be used as an alternative therapy for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients who have failed conventional mechanical ventilation. We undertook a study to investigate the determinants of mortality and the sequential evolution of organ failures in ECMO-treated ARDS patients. P102f P102 Eff ects of salbutamol on airway characteristics in mechanically ventilated adults without COPD J Van Rosmalen, QL Habes, I Havinga, F Van Beers, A Van Hees, D Ramnarain, JA Van Oers St Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P102 (doi: 10.1186/cc10709) ECMO in nonintubated patients as a bridge to lung transplant: our experience Technological advances such as bicaval dual lumen cannula (DLC) allow one to decrease drawbacks associated with this cardiopulmonary bypass technique and to implement it in the ICU setting. We report our 2 years’ experience of using DLC for ECMO in adult refractory ARDS. Corticosteroids for critically ill patients: an international survey of intensivists The effi cacy of steroids in septic shock and ARDS remains uncertain and clinicians’ perceptions of competing indications and contraindications may jeopardize future randomized controlled trials (RCT). Knowledge of current practice will inform the design of future RCTs addressing the effi cacy of systemic steroids in septic shock and ARDS. Introduction We surveyed intensivists to evaluate their stated use of systemic steroids in the ICU. The effi cacy of steroids in septic shock and ARDS remains uncertain and clinicians’ perceptions of competing indications and contraindications may jeopardize future randomized controlled trials (RCT). Knowledge of current practice will inform the design of future RCTs addressing the effi cacy of systemic steroids in septic shock and ARDS. Methods We designed and conducted a self-administered survey of intensivists practicing in academic settings with expertise in ARDS clinical research. We generated questionnaire items in focus group sessions with content experts and refi ned them through a standardized process of clinical sensibility, pilot and intra-rater reliability testing. Respondents used a four-point scale to grade how frequently they would administer systemic steroids in a 14 diff erent clinical situations and reported their opinions of 16 near absolute indications or contraindications for systemic steroids. Local research staff distributed the survey to all intensivists practicing in the 11 centres (Canada and USA) with most patients enrolled in the OSCILLATE trial. Results In total, 103 of 125 potential respondents returned completed surveys (response rate 82%). A majority of respondents ‘almost always’ prescribe systemic steroids in the setting of recent systemic steroid use and low blood pressure (93%), signifi cant bronchospasm in a mechanically ventilated patient (93%) and vasopressor refractory septic shock (52%). A majority of respondents would ‘almost never’ prescribe steroids in severe community-acquired pneumonia (81%), ALI (76%) and ARDS (65%). One-half (50%) would ‘almost never’ prescribe steroids for severe ARDS (50%). The near absolute indications selected by a majority of respondents were ‘known adrenal insuffi ciency’ (99%) and ‘suspicion of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia’ (89%). The only near absolute contraindication selected by a majority of respondents was ‘systemic fungal infection’ (52%). Conclusion ECMO with a bicaval DLC is feasible in the ICU. It improves signifi cantly haemostasis parameters in patients suff ering from refractory ARDS. DLC also decreases drawbacks associated with the ECMO respiratory support. P100 Resolution of organ functional scores to predict outcomes in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation L Chiu, Y Chen, H Hu, C Huang, F Tsai, K Kao Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P100 (doi: 10.1186/cc10707) P103 Respiratory system elastance monitoring during PEEP titration h 1 h 1 h 2 3 p p Methods In this prospective study, we enrolled 11 critically ill MV patients without COPD. These intubated patients were on volume- controlled ventilation (6 ml/kg/PBW). Exclusion criteria were the use of β-blockers, propofol or neuromuscular blockers. They received fi ve puff s of salbutamol (100 μg/puff ) delivered by metered dose inhaler via the adapter on the Y-piece. Ventilator settings and body position were unchanged during the study. Before and after salbutamol administration vital signs were recorded and lung mechanics were measured using the ventilator (Servo-i® or Hamilton-G5®) at –1, +1, +15, +30, +60, +90 and +240 minutes. Values after administration of salbutamol (T0) were compared to those before administration. Results are presented as mean ± SD. Data were evaluated by paired t test and P <0.05 was taken as statistically signifi cant. Introduction PEEP selection during mechanical ventilation (MV) for patients with acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a challenge for clinicians. Clinicians often rely on experience and intuition in setting MV, resulting in a more variable treatment and outcome. We hypothesise that monitoring patient-specifi c respiratory system elastance (Ers) during PEEP change may provide an insight into the patient’s condition. y p g p Methods Thirteen patients with ALI/ARDS underwent a step-wise PEEP increase (5 cmH2O) recruitment manoeuvre (RM) until peak airway pressure reaches 45 cmH2O. Airway pressure and fl ow profi le were recorded using a pneumotachometer. The change of patient’s respiratory system elastance (Ers  =  1 / compliance) and the end of expiratory lung volume (EELV) during RM were estimated and studied. The trials were approved by New Zealand South Island Regional Ethics Committee. y gi Results The study group consisted of seven men and four women, mean age 53 years. Underlying causes for ventilation were diverse. The median time spent on the ventilator before inclusion was 36 hours (6 to 151). After salbutamol administration inspiratory resistance and dynamic compliance decreased, but not signifi cantly. Expiratory resistance, dynamic compliance, elastance, SpO2 and EtCO2 did not change (Table 1).if g Conclusion There was no signifi cant eff ect of salbutamol inhalation on airway characteristics and vital signs in non-COPD patients on MV. Therefore standard salbutamol inhalation in MV patients without COPD can be aborted. Results The median (IQR) Ers over all patients was 34.0 cmH2O/l (26.1 to 51.0), refl ecting the heterogeneity of the patients and their response to PEEP. P103 Respiratory system elastance monitoring during PEEP titration h 1 h 1 h 2 3 This outcome supports the idea that MV/ PEEP should be individualised. During RM, patients’ Ers decreased with PEEP increase until a specifi c minimum and increase at higher PEEP. The decreased of Ers suggest alveolar recruitment whereas an increase of Ers at higher PEEP shows potential overinfl ation. An example is shown in Figure 1a. A clear infl ection/minimum Ers can be found in Figure 1a, indicating a Eff ects of salbutamol on airway characteristics in mechanically ventilated adults without COPD q g p Methods This was a prospective observational study of severe ARDS patients who received venovenous ECMO in the ICU of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between March 2006 and December 2010. We included data on all 38 consecutive patients who receive venovenous ECMO. Retrospective data included the following: demographics, primary diagnosis for ARDS, ventilator setting before ECMO, oxygenation, durations of ECMO, SOFA scores and outcome. J Van Rosmalen, QL Habes, I Havinga, F Van Beers, A Van Hees, D Ramnarain, JA Van Oers St Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P102 (doi: 10.1186/cc10709) Introduction In our ICU, salbutamol inhalation to prevent broncho- spasm is standard care in mechanically ventilated (MV) patients. In MV patients without COPD the eff ect of salbutamol remains unclear. Introduction In our ICU, salbutamol inhalation to prevent broncho- spasm is standard care in mechanically ventilated (MV) patients. In MV patients without COPD the eff ect of salbutamol remains unclear. Results A total of 38 severe ARDS patients receiving ECMO were eligible. The causes of ARDS in these 38 patients were pneumonia in 21 patients, S37 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Therefore we examined the eff ect of inhaled salbutamol on resistance and compliance in MV patients without COPD. Methods In this prospective study, we enrolled 11 critically ill MV patients without COPD. These intubated patients were on volume- controlled ventilation (6 ml/kg/PBW). Exclusion criteria were the use of β-blockers, propofol or neuromuscular blockers. They received fi ve puff s of salbutamol (100 μg/puff ) delivered by metered dose inhaler via the adapter on the Y-piece. Ventilator settings and body position were unchanged during the study. Before and after salbutamol administration vital signs were recorded and lung mechanics were measured using the ventilator (Servo-i® or Hamilton-G5®) at –1, +1, +15, +30, +60, +90 and +240 minutes. Values after administration of salbutamol (T0) were compared to those before administration. Results are presented as mean ± SD. Data were evaluated by paired t test and P <0.05 was taken as statistically signifi cant. Results The study group consisted of seven men and four women, mean age 53 years. Underlying causes for ventilation were diverse. The median time spent on the ventilator before inclusion was 36 hours (6 to 151). After salbutamol administration inspiratory resistance and dynamic compliance decreased, but not signifi cantly. Eff ects of salbutamol on airway characteristics in mechanically ventilated adults without COPD Expiratory resistance, dynamic compliance, elastance, SpO2 and EtCO2 did not change (Table 1). Conclusion There was no signifi cant eff ect of salbutamol inhalation on airway characteristics and vital signs in non-COPD patients on MV. Therefore standard salbutamol inhalation in MV patients without COPD can be aborted. Reference 1. Malliotakis P, et al.: Infl uence of respiratory eff orts on β2-agonist induced bronchodilation in mechanically ventilated COPD patients: a prospective clinical study. Respir Med 2007, 101:300-307. P103 Respiratory system elastance monitoring during PEEP titration YS Chiew1, JG Chase1, GM Shaw2, T Desaive3 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand; 3University of Liege, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P103 (doi: 10.1186/cc10710) Introduction PEEP selection during mechanical ventilation (MV) for patients with acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a challenge for clinicians. Clinicians often rely on experience and intuition in setting MV, resulting in a more variable treatment and outcome. We hypothesise that monitoring patient-specifi c respiratory system elastance (Ers) during PEEP change may provide an insight into the patient’s condition. Methods Thirteen patients with ALI/ARDS underwent a step-wise PEEP increase (5 cmH2O) recruitment manoeuvre (RM) until peak airway pressure reaches 45 cmH2O. Airway pressure and fl ow profi le were recorded using a pneumotachometer. The change of patient’s respiratory system elastance (Ers  =  1 / compliance) and the end of expiratory lung volume (EELV) during RM were estimated and studied. The trials were approved by New Zealand South Island Regional Ethics Committee. Results The median (IQR) Ers over all patients was 34.0 cmH2O/l (26.1 to 51.0), refl ecting the heterogeneity of the patients and their response to PEEP. This outcome supports the idea that MV/ PEEP should be individualised. During RM, patients’ Ers decreased with PEEP increase until a specifi c minimum and increase at higher PEEP. The decreased of Ers suggest alveolar recruitment whereas an increase of Ers at higher PEEP shows potential overinfl ation. An example is shown in Figure 1a. Eff ects of salbutamol on airway characteristics in mechanically ventilated adults without COPD A clear infl ection/minimum Ers can be found in Figure 1a, indicating a Table 1 (abstract P102) T–1 T0 T+1 T+15 T+30 T+60 T+90 T+240 Rins (cm H2O/l/second) 14 (6) Salbutamol 14 (4) 13 (5) 13 (5) 12 (4) 12 (5) 12 (4) NS administration Rexp (cm H2O/l/second) 17 (7) 17 (6) 16 (6) 17 (8) 18 (10) 18 (8) 17 (7) NS Cdyn (ml/cm H2O) 44 (12) 42 (11) 42 (11) 37 (10) 36 (9) 38 (9) 38 (8) NS Cstat (ml/cm H2O) 49 (13) 49 (12) 47 (13) 43 (11) 44 (12) 45 (12) 43 (12) NS Elastance (cm H2O/l) 19 (3) 20 (4) 21 (4) 22 (4) 23 (4) 21 (4) 18 (8) NS Heart rate (beats/minute) 81 (22) 84 (24) 85 (23) 87 (22) 85 (22) 82 (18) 84 (20) NS SpO2 (%) 98 (1) 98 (2) 98 (2) 98 (1) 98 (2) 98 (2) 97 (2) NS EtCO2 (kPa) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.8) 4.7 (0.7) NS Figure 1 (abstract P103). Ers and EELV change with PEEP increase. Table 1 (abstract P102) T–1 T0 T+1 T+15 T+30 T+60 T+90 T+240 Rins (cm H2O/l/second) 14 (6) Salbutamol 14 (4) 13 (5) 13 (5) 12 (4) 12 (5) 12 (4) NS administration Rexp (cm H2O/l/second) 17 (7) 17 (6) 16 (6) 17 (8) 18 (10) 18 (8) 17 (7) NS Cdyn (ml/cm H2O) 44 (12) 42 (11) 42 (11) 37 (10) 36 (9) 38 (9) 38 (8) NS Cstat (ml/cm H2O) 49 (13) 49 (12) 47 (13) 43 (11) 44 (12) 45 (12) 43 (12) NS Elastance (cm H2O/l) 19 (3) 20 (4) 21 (4) 22 (4) 23 (4) 21 (4) 18 (8) NS Heart rate (beats/minute) 81 (22) 84 (24) 85 (23) 87 (22) 85 (22) 82 (18) 84 (20) NS SpO2 (%) 98 (1) 98 (2) 98 (2) 98 (1) 98 (2) 98 (2) 97 (2) NS EtCO2 (kPa) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.7) 4.7 (0.8) 4.7 (0.7) NS Therefore we examined the eff ect of inhaled salbutamol on resistance and compliance in MV patients without COPD. P103 Respiratory system elastance monitoring during PEEP titration YS Ch 1 JG Ch 1 GM Sh 2 T D 3 05 Flow-controlled expiration discloses PEEP-dependent dynamic hysteresis of the pressure–volume loop S Schumann1, L Vimlati2, M Lichtwarck-Aschoff 2, J Guttmann1 1University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany; 2Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P105 (doi: 10.1186/cc10712) The relative hysteresis area was calculated as the quotient of hysteresis area divided by the rectangular area which is limited by the minima and maxima of pressure and volume of the respective pressure–volume loop [2].i P104 P104 Accuracy of the pressure–volume curve method compared to quantitative lung CT scan to assess the recruitable lung in patients with acute respiratory failure D Chiumello1, A Marino2, I Cigada2, F Menga2, M Brioni2, IR Piva2 1Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; 2Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P104 (doi: 10.1186/cc10711) Introduction In patients with acute lung injury the knowledge of recruitable lung is useful for a physiological PEEP setting. The quantitative lung CT scan analysis remains the reference method [1]. However, it is time consuming and often it is not applicable in clinical management. The PV curve at two PEEP levels has been proposed as an alternative method [2]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of these two methods in predicting the lung recruitability. Methods In fi ve Swedish Landrace Hybrid pigs weighing 26 ± 2 kg the lungs were ventilated in the volume-controlled mode. PEEP was set to 0, 6, 12 and 15 cmH2O. The fl ow-controlled expiration was realized by a computer-controlled expiratory resistance which was adjusted in a fashion that expiratory fl ow was strongly limited in the beginning and continuously facilitated towards the end of expiration. Using the gliding-SLICE method [1], intratidal inspiratory and expiratory compliance profi les were calculated from inspiration data only and from expiration data only, respectively. The dynamic hysteresis area was calculated as the area within the dynamic tracheal pressure– volume loop. The relative hysteresis area was calculated as the quotient of hysteresis area divided by the rectangular area which is limited by the minima and maxima of pressure and volume of the respective pressure–volume loop [2].i Methods Sedated and paralyzed patients underwent a PV curve using the low-fl ow method and whole-lung CT scan at 5 and 15 cmH2O of PEEP. The lung recruitability was defi ned as the decrease in the not aerated tissue by the quantitative lung CT analysis and as the diff erence between the lung volume computed on the two PV curves for an airway pressure of 20 cmH2O. 05 Flow-controlled expiration discloses PEEP-dependent dynamic hysteresis of the pressure–volume loop S Schumann1, L Vimlati2, M Lichtwarck-Aschoff 2, J Guttmann1 1University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany; 2Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P105 (doi: 10.1186/cc10712) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P105 (doi: 10.1186/cc10712) Introduction Hysteresis of the pressure–volume loop is a measure for the additional energy that is required during inspiration to recruit and infl ate additional alveoli. The hysteresis area is usually constructed using data from a low-fl ow infl ation/defl ation maneuver; that is, from a quasi-static situation that the lung never sees during ongoing ventilation. However, during the dynamic conditions of mechanical ventilation the hysteresis area is biased by resistive pressure portions. Therefore we uncoupled fl ow and volume by linearizing expiratory fl ow (fl ow-controlled expiration). This enabled calculation of compliance separately for inspiration and expiration. We hypothesized that the volume-dependent intratidal compliance profi les diff er between inspiration and expiration, describing a dynamic hysteresis behavior.i Introduction Hysteresis of the pressure–volume loop is a measure for the additional energy that is required during inspiration to recruit and infl ate additional alveoli. The hysteresis area is usually constructed using data from a low-fl ow infl ation/defl ation maneuver; that is, from a quasi-static situation that the lung never sees during ongoing ventilation. However, during the dynamic conditions of mechanical ventilation the hysteresis area is biased by resistive pressure portions. Therefore we uncoupled fl ow and volume by linearizing expiratory fl ow (fl ow-controlled expiration). This enabled calculation of compliance separately for inspiration and expiration. We hypothesized that the volume-dependent intratidal compliance profi les diff er between inspiration and expiration, describing a dynamic hysteresis behavior. Methods In fi ve Swedish Landrace Hybrid pigs weighing 26 ± 2 kg the lungs were ventilated in the volume-controlled mode. PEEP was set to 0, 6, 12 and 15 cmH2O. The fl ow-controlled expiration was realized by a computer-controlled expiratory resistance which was adjusted in a fashion that expiratory fl ow was strongly limited in the beginning and continuously facilitated towards the end of expiration. Using the gliding-SLICE method [1], intratidal inspiratory and expiratory compliance profi les were calculated from inspiration data only and from expiration data only, respectively. The dynamic hysteresis area was calculated as the area within the dynamic tracheal pressure– volume loop. References 1. Gattinoni L, et al.: Lung recruitment in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med 2006, 354:1775-1786. 1. Gattinoni L, et al.: Lung recruitment in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med 2006, 354:1775-1786. i g p References 2. Ranieri VM, et al.: Volume–pressure curve of the respiratory system predicts eff ects of PEEP in ARDS: ‘occlusion’ versus ‘constant fl ow’ technique. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1994, 149:19-27. 2. Ranieri VM, et al.: Volume–pressure curve of the respiratory system predicts eff ects of PEEP in ARDS: ‘occlusion’ versus ‘constant fl ow’ technique. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1994, 149:19-27. 1. Schumann et al.: Anesthesiology 2011, 114:1111-1117. 2. Bachofen H, Hildebrandt J: J Appl Physiol 1971, 30:493-497. 1. Schumann et al.: Anesthesiology 2011, 114:1111-1117. 2. Bachofen H, Hildebrandt J: J Appl Physiol 1971, 30:493-497. 1. Schumann et al.: Anesthesiology 2011, 114:1111-1117. 2. Bachofen H, Hildebrandt J: J Appl Physiol 1971, 30:493-497. Figure 1 (abstract P104). Linear regression between quantitative CT scan analysis and PV curve method. 05 Flow-controlled expiration discloses PEEP-dependent dynamic hysteresis of the pressure–volume loop S Schumann1, L Vimlati2, M Lichtwarck-Aschoff 2, J Guttmann1 1University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany; 2Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P105 (doi: 10.1186/cc10712) 2 Results Ten patients (mean age 65.4  ±  10.4 years, body mass index 24.0  ±  6.8 kg/m2, PaO2/FiO2 181  ±  37) were enrolled. The mean recruitable lung was 3.9 ± 6.3% of the total lung weight and 218 ± 266 ml for the quantitative lung CT scan and PV curve. The linear regression between the two methods (Figure 1) was not signifi cant (P = 0.338 and R2 = 0.115). Results Intratidal compliance profi les of inspiration and expiration diff ered strongly in mean value and slope at low PEEP. With increasing PEEP the inspiratory compliance profi le approximated closer to the expiratory compliance profi le. This was accompanied by a decreased relative hysteresis area by 26%. Conclusion The recruitable lung computed as the diff erence in not aerated tissue was not related to the diff erence in volume estimated by the PV curve. The role of the PV curve to estimate the lung recruitability remains to be elucidated. R f y y Conclusion Flow-controlled expiration allows for calculation of respira- tory system compliance separately for inspiration and expiration. This compliance displays the hysteresis behavior of the respiratory system during uninterrupted ventilation. Such analysis, which is similar to the time-honored quasi-static hysteresis area analysis, could be helpful for fi nding an optimal PEEP. References P105 potential method to optimise PEEP selection for a particular patient. Figure 1b shows the change of patient’s EELV with PEEP increase. As PEEP increases, the potentially recruitable collapsed lung decreases. Conclusion The change of patient-specifi c Ers and EELV during minimally invasive PEEP titration provides an insight into the patient’s lung condition, and thus could potentially be used as a method to individualise MV treatment and, in particular, PEEP selection. P105 Flow-controlled expiration discloses PEEP-dependent dynamic hysteresis of the pressure–volume loop S Schumann1, L Vimlati2, M Lichtwarck-Aschoff 2, J Guttmann1 1University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany; 2Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P105 (doi: 10.1186/cc10712) Reference 1. Malliotakis P, et al.: Infl uence of respiratory eff orts on β2-agonist induced bronchodilation in mechanically ventilated COPD patients: a prospective clinical study. Respir Med 2007, 101:300-307. Figure 1 (abstract P103). Ers and EELV change with PEEP increase. Figure 1 (abstract P103). Ers and EELV change with PEEP increase. S38 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 potential method to optimise PEEP selection for a particular patient. Figure 1b shows the change of patient’s EELV with PEEP increase. As PEEP increases, the potentially recruitable collapsed lung decreases. Conclusion The change of patient-specifi c Ers and EELV during minimally invasive PEEP titration provides an insight into the patient’s lung condition, and thus could potentially be used as a method to individualise MV treatment and, in particular, PEEP selection. P108 Hemodynamics eff ects of recruitment maneuver k d k h Hemodynamics eff ects of recruitment maneuver D Protsenko, R Magomedov, O Ignatenko, AI Yaroshetskiy, B Gelfand Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P108 (doi: 10.1186/cc10715) Introduction Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a frequent complication in critically ill patients. Recruitment maneuver (RM) is a rescue procedure which improves oxygenation [1-3]. However, it is not clear whether improving oxygen delivery (DO2) exists after RM. The aim of this study was to evaluate the eff ects of RM on hemodynamics and DO2. Conclusion APRV settings and the protocol for sedation used in this trial allowed to reach suffi cient spontaneous breathing for the majority of the patients without any major complication and with a tidal volume below 8 ml/kg PBW. For a few patients, spontaneous breathing seems to be hard to obtain, especially within the fi rst 2 days. R f 2 Methods A prospective, randomized trial in ARDS patients (AECC criteria). The protocol was approved by the local ethics committee. Fifty-seven patients with extrapulmonary ARDS were randomized into three groups: group A (n = 17) – 40×40 RM (CPAP 40 cmH2O for 40 seconds), group B (n = 17) – PCV RM (PIP 40 to 50 cmH2O, PEEP 18 to 20 cmH2O for 120 seconds), and group C (n = 17) – stepwise PCV RM. Gas exchange and systemic hemodynamics by aortal blood fl ow (transesophageal Doppler; ARROW, USA) were measured before, after, 30 and 120 minutes after RM. 1. Mercat A, Richard JC, Vielle B, et al.; Expiratory Pressure (Express) Study Group: Positive end-expiratory pressure setting in adults with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2008, 299:646-655. 1. Mercat A, Richard JC, Vielle B, et al.; Expiratory Pressure (Express) Study Group: Positive end-expiratory pressure setting in adults with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2008, 299:646-655. Results In all groups we observed rapid increasing of paO2 (mmHg) from 65.9 ± 24.9; 77.2 ± 14.0; 87.0 ± 16.7 to 110.3 ± 38.7; 124.5 ± 45.5; 115.2  ±  32.6 (P  <0.0001) after RM. We also observed signifi cant improvement of oxygenation 120 minutes after RM (95.6  ±  25.6; 99.3  ±  25.3; 108.1  ±  26.8). There was no statistical diff erence between groups. A device for ventilation-analogue mechanostimulation in vitro K Gamerdinger, M Schneider, E Smudde, J Guttmann, S Schumann University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P107 (doi: 10.1186/cc10714) y g, y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P107 (doi: 10.1186/cc10714) Introduction The mechanical stress–strain characteristics of most living tissues is nonlinear and frequency dependent. During spontaneous breathing the mechanical strain on the pulmonary tissue is akin to a sinusoidal profi le. In contrast, during mechanical ventilation the stimulation profi le of the lung tissue diff ers considerably from a sinusoidal pattern. While all in vitro experiments aiming at dynamic stimulation typically use sinusoidal patterns, we here describe the establishment of a new device aff ording a ventilation-analogue stimulation pattern, allowing a better imitation of the situation in vivo. The new device includes a linear motor connected to four piston pumps and it allows the identical stimulation of four probes at the same time. Here we show how we stressed four test samples with sinusoidal, rectangular and ventilation-analogue mechanostimulation and how we analyzed them for frequency contents by means of a fast- Fourier transform. g g Conclusion Three diff erent RMs increase oxygenation and decrease CO equally. But RM does not improve oxygen delivery due to decreasing CO. Reference 1. Schumann S, et al.: J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2008, 86:483-492. Results At inclusion, baseline characteristics of the patients were the following: fi ve men and fi ve women, 59 years old on average (25 to 85), SAPS II score of 42 (20 to 71), PO2/FiO2 ratio of 107 (74 to 175) and respiratory system compliance (Cst,rs) of 25 ml/cmH2O (18 to 36). We did not observe any pneumothorax. Eight of patients had RASS ≥–4 during the 5 days of enrollment. From day 2, the level of spontaneous breathing ranged between 10 and 50% of total minute ventilation in eight patients. The tidal volume (spontaneous and mechanical) measured for 5 days for each patient was mainly distributed around 6  ml/kg PBW (Figure 1). The mean PO2/FiO2 ratio increased from 107 ± 29 at enrollment to 173 ± 91 at day 5 (P <0.05). Feasibility of early spontaneous breathing in acute respirator distress syndrome S Mortaza, A Mercat CHU Angers, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P106 (doi: 10.1186/cc10713) Tidal volume distribution (ml/kg PBW) for 5 days for each patient. i Conclusion With our new mechanostimulation system we are able to confi gure the frequency content of the applied strain profi le and furthermore to identify the frequency content of the resulting stress on the tissue. of 6 ml/kg of predicted body weight (PBW), T high between 0.8 and 1 second, T low set to reach the same respiratory rate as in VAC. Patients were initially paralyzed. Then sedation was adapted to keep RASS ≥–4 and a level of spontaneous breathing between 10 and 50% of total minute ventilation. A computer was continuously connected to the ventilator for 5 days in order to record respiratory variables. 1. Marini JJ, Amato MB: Lung recruitment during ARDS. In Acute Lung Injury. Edited by Marini JJ, Evans TW. Berlin: Springer; 1998:236-257. 2. Odenstedt H, Lindgren S, et al.: Slow moderate pressure recruitment maneuver minimizes negative circulatory and lung mechanic side eff ects: evaluation of recruitment maneuvers using electric impedance tomography. Intensive Care Med 2005, 31:1706-1714. 3. Medoff BD, Harris RS, Kesselman H, et al.: Use of recruitment maneuvers and high-positive end-expiratory pressure in a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Crit Care Med 2000, 28:1210-1216. P108 Contrarily, DO2 (ml/minute/m2) after RM statistically signifi cantly decreased from 709.5 ± 297.5; 804.9 ± 217.3; 811.7 ± 638.3 to 569.8 ± 211.9; 675.5 ± 244.7; 661.7 ± 421.3 (P = 0.053) and lasted more than 2 hours. The reason for this alteration was decreasing of cardiac output (CO) from 5.3 ± 2.5 l/minute to 3.6 ± 1.7 l/minute (P <0.0001) after RM. We hypothesized that the main reason for decreasing CO is rapid increasing of intrathoracic pressure during RM. Feasibility of early spontaneous breathing in acute respirator distress syndrome S Mortaza, A Mercat CHU Angers, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P106 (doi: 10.1186/cc10713) S Mortaza, A Mercat Introduction Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) is as a pressure preset mode that allows unrestricted spontaneous breathing throughout the entire ventilator cycle. In ARDS, this mode may decrease the need for sedation, increase alveolar recruitment and improve hemodynamic tolerance. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of a protocol combining APRV settings and sedation adaptation in order to obtain levels of spontaneous breathing between 10 and 50% of total minute ventilation. Methods We designed a monocentric study including 10 patients with early ARDS. We used a Dräger Evita XL ventilator. We initially used the volume-assist control (VAC) mode to set the PEEP, tidal volume and respiratory rate according to the increased recruitment strategy of the ExPress trial [1]. These settings were used to adjust the ventilator’s parameters in APRV mode: low pressure at the same level as the PEEP applied in VAC, high pressure (<32 cmH2O) set to reach a tidal volume Figure 1 (abstract P104). Linear regression between quantitative CT scan analysis and PV curve method. Figure 1 (abstract P104). Linear regression between quantitative CT scan analysis and PV curve method. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum com/supplements/16/S1 S39 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 repetition rates ranging from 15/minute to 2,000/minute at amplitude volumes of 0.5 up to 2.8 ml, corresponding to a surface increase of 5% up to 100%, were used. The system was driven with sinusoidal, rectangular and ventilation-analogue profi les simulating the ventilatory pattern which is associated with the volume-controlled ventilation. Figure 1 (abstract P106). Tidal volume distribution (ml/kg PBW) for 5 days for each patient. Results The drive system allowed us to vary the amplitude from 0 up to 100% surface increase. At amplitudes of 0.5 and 1.0 ml we were able to apply a frequency range from 0 up to 2,000/minute, and at an amplitude of 2.0 ml a frequency range from 0 up to 800 sinusoidal defl ections per minute. We were able to apply the rectangular and the ventilation- analogue volume patterns to the probes. Close inspection of the pressure curves revealed that rapid volume increases were followed by peaks with subsequent relaxation decays when rectangular or ventilation-analogue stimulation patterns were applied. The frequency spectra of the pressure variation revealed side frequencies of up to 10 Hz for the rectangular mechanostimulation profi le. Figure 1 (abstract P106). P107 A device for ventilation-analogue mechanostimulation in vitro K Gamerdinger, M Schneider, E Smudde, J Guttmann, S Schumann University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P107 (doi: 10.1186/cc10714) References 1. Marini JJ, Amato MB: Lung recruitment during ARDS. In Acute Lung Injury. Edited by Marini JJ, Evans TW. Berlin: Springer; 1998:236-257. 2. Odenstedt H, Lindgren S, et al.: Slow moderate pressure recruitment maneuver minimizes negative circulatory and lung mechanic side eff ects: evaluation of recruitment maneuvers using electric impedance tomography. Intensive Care Med 2005, 31:1706-1714. g p y 3. Medoff BD, Harris RS, Kesselman H, et al.: Use of recruitment maneuvers and high-positive end-expiratory pressure in a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Crit Care Med 2000, 28:1210-1216. Methods Silicone membranes serving as substitutes for biological tissue samples were placed inside a bioreactor [1] either in single-membrane or in double-membrane confi guration. Cyclic mechanostimulation at S40 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P109f Results The study comprised 20 patients with mean age of 58.9 ± 20.69 years, 11 men versus nine women (P >0.05). NT-proBNP was negatively correlated with PH on day 2 (P  =  0.008, r  =  –0.53) and day 7 with (P = 0.02, r  =  –0.50). NT-proBNP was positively correlated with PEEP on day 2 (P = 0.05, r = 0.46) and day 7 (P = 0.035, r = 0.48). NT-proBNP was negatively correlated with the PaO2/FiO2 ratio on day 7 (P = 0.0035, r = 0.60). However, there was no signifi cant correlation between NT- proBNP and other respiratory indices including PaCO2, HCO3, PaO2, SaO2, FiO2, PAO2, P(A-a)O2 and a/A ratio (P >0.05). Neither troponin I nor troponin T showed any signifi cant correlation with any respiratory indices PH, PEEP, PaO2/FiO2, PaCO2, HCO3, PaO2, SaO2, FiO2, PAO2, P(A-a) O2 and a/A ratio on any day (P >0.05). None of the cardiac markers NT- proBNP, troponin I or troponin T showed any signifi cant correlation with the lung mechanics parameters Cdyn, Raw, Ceff , PIP, Pplat, and Pmean (P >0.05). Conclusion High NT-proBNP level was correlated with high PEEP, low PH and low PaO2/FiO2 ratio while troponin T and troponin I did not show signifi cant correlations with respiratory parameters in ARDS patients with structurally normal hearts. Early application of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in H1N1 infl uenza-related severe ARDS is associated with better outcome S Jog, M Patel, D Patel Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P111 (doi: 10.1186/cc10718) Results The groups were equal before and at the end of laparotomy. During the endotoxin infusion, PaO2/FiO2 was higher in groups I and II than in group III, whereas in pulmonary compliance or functional residual capacity no diff erences were found. In contrast, group I showed greater negative changes than group III in the circulatory variables; that is, arterial blood pressure, cardiac index, oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption. In all measured variables, group II showed an intermediate response to groups I and III, but no signifi cant diff erences were found between groups I and II. Groups I and II had slightly higher mean airway pressure at the end of the experiment than group III. However, this does not explain the circulatory diff erences since they occurred early in the course, temporally diff erent from the continuous slow increase of the airway pressures (P ≤0.01 ANOVA group by time interaction). Introduction High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is a promising rescue modality for refractory hypoxia and was used extensively in H1N1 infl uenza-related ARDS in 2009 and 2010. The aim of this study was to fi nd predictors of successful outcome of HFOV in H1N1 infl uenza-related severe ARDS [1].l l Methods Patients with H1N1 infl uenza-related severe ARDS by the new Berlin defi nition (applied retrospectively) receiving volume- controlled ventilation (VCV) as per the ARDSnet protocol with PO2/FiO2 ≤100 at PEEP ≥12 cmH2O and FiO2 ≥0.7 were connected to HFOV as a rescue therapy for refractory hypoxia. All patients were followed until discharge from the hospital (survivors) or death (nonsurvivors). Conclusion Low VT ventilation combined with higher PEEP in healthy animals exposed to laparotomy and subsequent experimental post- operative sepsis leads to a less prominent pulmonary dysfunction but to a more hypodynamic circulatory state compared to animals ventilated with a medium–high VT and lower PEEP. Reference Results About 80 parameters were evaluated as outcome predictors of HFOV like demographics, comorbidities, clinical features, laboratory parameters, X-rays, ventilatory and blood gas parameters and therapy- related complications. Previously collected data of 19 patients were analysed applying the new Berlin defi nition. Demographic, clinical, comorbidity, laboratory and radiological parameters were comparable in survivors and nonsurvivors. Table 1 shows comparison of survivors and nonsurvivors with respect mainly to ventilatory and gas exchange parameters before application of HFOV. References f P109 Diff erential pulmonary and circulatory eff ects of preventive lung protective ventilation in an experimental postoperative sepsis model J Sperber1, M Lipcsey2, A Larsson2, A Larsson2, J Sjölin2, M Castegren1 1Centre for Clinical Research Sörmland, Eskilstuna, Sweden; 2Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P109 (doi: 10.1186/cc10716) Introduction It has been proposed that low tidal volume (VT) ventilation combined with higher PEEP should be used in patients with risk of developing postoperative lung injury instead of the commonly used VT of 10 ml/kg with lower PEEP [1]. Such a ventilatory mode would in theory reduce postoperative lung and organ dysfunction. However, this hypothesis has neither been tested clinically nor experimentally. Therefore we developed an experimental endotoxemic postoperative sepsis model to evaluate the eff ect of diff erent modes of ventilation. Methods Twenty-fi ve healthy pigs were randomized to three ventilation groups: I: PEEP 10 cmH2O, VT 6 ml/kg; II: PEEP 5 cmH2O, VT 10 ml/kg, changed to PEEP 10 cmH2O, VT 6 ml/kg at the end of laparotomy; III: PEEP 5 cmH2O, VT 10 ml/kg. For all groups the plateau pressure was kept below 28 cmH2O, normocapnia was reached by respiratory rate and FiO2 was adjusted to reach PaO2 >12 kPa. Laparotomy for 2 hours was performed to simulate a surgical procedure and then a continuous endotoxin infusion was started at 0.25 μg/kg/hour for 5  hours. Diff erences between groups were analyzed with ANOVA for repeated measures. Introduction It has been proposed that low tidal volume (VT) ventilation combined with higher PEEP should be used in patients with risk of developing postoperative lung injury instead of the commonly used VT of 10 ml/kg with lower PEEP [1]. Such a ventilatory mode would in theory reduce postoperative lung and organ dysfunction. However, this hypothesis has neither been tested clinically nor experimentally. Therefore we developed an experimental endotoxemic postoperative sepsis model to evaluate the eff ect of diff erent modes of ventilation.i Methods Twenty-fi ve healthy pigs were randomized to three ventilation groups: I: PEEP 10 cmH2O, VT 6 ml/kg; II: PEEP 5 cmH2O, VT 10 ml/kg, changed to PEEP 10 cmH2O, VT 6 ml/kg at the end of laparotomy; III: PEEP 5 cmH2O, VT 10 ml/kg. For all groups the plateau pressure was kept below 28 cmH2O, normocapnia was reached by respiratory rate and FiO2 was adjusted to reach PaO2 >12 kPa. Reference 1. Mitaka C, et al.: Increased plasma concentrations of BNP in patients with ALI. J Crit Care 1997, 12:66-71. P111 Early application of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in H1N1 infl uenza-related severe ARDS is associated with better outcome S Jog, M Patel, D Patel Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P111 (doi: 10.1186/cc10718) References Laparotomy for 2 hours was performed to simulate a surgical procedure and then a continuous endotoxin infusion was started at 0.25 μg/kg/hour for 5  hours. Diff erences between groups were analyzed with ANOVA for repeated measures. Reference 1. Mitaka C, et al.: Increased plasma concentrations of BNP in patients with ALI. J Crit Care 1997, 12:66-71. Early application of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in H1N1 infl uenza-related severe ARDS is associated with better outcome S Jog, M Patel, D Patel Duration of conventional mechanical ventilation before HFOV, 1.4 ± 0.69 versus 3.66 ± 3.53 days (P = 0.03), was the only discriminating parameter between survivors and nonsurvivors. 1. Schultz et al.: Anesthesiology 2007, 106:1226-1231. 1. Schultz et al.: Anesthesiology 2007, 106:1226-1231. 1. Schultz et al.: Anesthesiology 2007, 106:1226-1231. P110 P110 High NT-proBNP level is correlated with high PEEP, low PH and low PaO2/FiO2 in ARDS Y Nassar, D Monsef, S Abdelshafy, G Hamed Cairo University, Giza, Egypt Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P110 (doi: 10.1186/cc10717) Mechanical ventilation in intensive and critical care units of Russia: RuVent national epidemiologic study Results The gestational age more than 25 weeks was in 21 patients and between 20 and 25 weeks was in two patients. The mean age of these patients were 31 ± 5.7. The leading causes of ICU admission were obstetric emergency (26%), cardiovascular disease (26%) and infectious disease (26%) in these 23 patients. A total of 19 patients were respiratory failure and ARDS was diagnosed in nine of 19 patients. Of these nine ARDS patients, tidal volume (mean: 385 ± 31 ml), PaO2/FiO2 ratio (mean: 116 ± 47), positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) (mean: 13 ± 1.4 mmHg), peak airway pressure (mean: 34 ± 9.1 mmHg) and FiO2 (mean: 93 ± 7%). The intra-uterine fetal death ratio was 33% (3/9) and the Apgar score of the other six living births (6/9) was 7.8 ± 0.7. The hospital mortality rate of these ARDS patients was only 11% (1/9). p g y DN Protsenko1, AI Yaroshetskiy1, SG Suvorov2, AU Lekmanov2, BR Gelfand1 1Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia; 2Moscow Research Institute of Pediatrics and Child Surgery, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P114 (doi: 10.1186/cc10721) DN Protsenko1, AI Yaroshetskiy1, SG Suvorov2, AU Lekmanov2, BR Gelfand1 1Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia; 2Moscow Research Institute of Pediatrics and Child Surgery, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P114 (doi: 10.1186/cc10721) Introduction Experimental data have shown that mechanical ventilation can amplify or possibly trigger lung injury [1,2]. The biggest up-to-date clinical trial by the ARDS Network demonstrates reduction of mortality in ARDS patients with a protective lung strategy [3]. But we can see some gaps between international recommendations and real clinical practice [4,5]. y y Conclusion For pregnant ARDS patients, intensivists had a challenge for fetal and maternal life-threatening distress. In our study, early delivery combined with a lung-protective ventilation strategy may provide signifi cantly better fetal and maternal outcomes. References p Methods The multicenter clinical trial included 470 patients from 101 centers (ICUs) in Russia. Inclusion criteria were all patients without age restrictions ventilated for more than 12 hours for any reason from 14 to 18 February 2011. Recruitment of centers and data collection were made online. 1. Oram MP, et al.: Severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in pregnancy. Caesarean section in the second trimester to improve maternal 1. Oram MP, et al.: Severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in pregnancy. Caesarean section in the second trimester to improve maternal ventilation. P110 P112 Outcomes of early delivery in pregnant patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome CY Hung, HC Hu, CH Chang, CC Huang, KC Kao Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P112 (doi: 10.1186/cc10719) episodes increased by 8% and >15 day episodes decreased by 7% from 1999 to 2009. The overall reintubation rate was 13.8%. Less than 48-hour reintubation dropped from 14.4% in 1999 to 6.7 in 2009 while more than 48-hour reintubation remained similar (5.6% in 1999 and 6.2% in 2009). NIV use signifi cantly increased over this time – almost quadrupled (from 78 in 1999 to 315 in 2009). The most prominent increase was noted in the surgical and burn ICUs where, in 1999, NIV use was minimal (burn: 0, SICU: 6 and 16 and 131 in 2009). Medical and neuro ICUs doubled their use. A total 52.7% of NIV applications were associated with IV within 48 hours of NIV therapy. The sequence of IV–NIV revealed similar patterns through the years, overall, 58.4% of NIV application followed extubation, 24.2% preceded intubation and 17% was in between. References 1. Dreyfuss D, Saumon G: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998, 157:294-323. 2. Ignatenko O, Protsenko D, Yaroshetskiy A, Gelfand B: Crit Care 2010, 14(Suppl 1):P200. Methods Data were retrospectively collected using the Respiratory Care Services’ Database. The number of invasive and noninvasive MV services, their sequence if both were used for a given patient, the duration of the services, and reintubation episodes for years 1999 to 2009 were extracted. Four ICUs were included; surgical, medical, neuro and burn ICUs. If a patient was reintubated within 48  hours of extubation, the case was regarded as a single episode of MV and the duration was calculated accordingly. For NIV, if restarted within 48 hours, it was counted as a single episode as well.i 3. ARDS Network: N Engl J Med 2000, 342:1301- 3. ARDS Network: N Engl J Med 2000, 342:1301-1308. 4 Esteban A et al : JAMA 2002 287:345 355 5. Esteban A, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008, 177:170-177. Mechanical ventilation demographics between 1999 and 2009 DS Sulemanji, E Burns, R Kacmarek Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P113 (doi: 10.1186/cc10720) Mechanical ventilation demographi DS Sulemanji, E Burns, R Kacmarek DS Sulemanji, E Burns, R Kacmarek Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Conclusion Results of the RuVent study are comparable with international epidemiologic multicenter studies. Further investigations are needed for evaluation of the situation in ICUs which are a long distance from big medical centers. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P113 (doi: 10.1186/cc10720) Introduction Eff orts at many levels are being directed at decreasing the economic burden of mechanical ventilation (MV), its related complications and their consequences. Our aim was to determine the length of MV, reintubation rates and use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV), over a 10-year period. P112 Outcomes of early delivery in pregnant patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome p y y CY Hung, HC Hu, CH Chang, CC Huang, KC Kao Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P112 (doi: 10.1186/cc10719) Introduction Critical illnesses in pregnancy account for 0.11 to 0.89% of deliveries resulting in ICU admissions. The high rate of perinatal asphyxia in infants and high mortality rate in gravid patients supported a strategy of early delivery during the third trimester. The mortality rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is high and varied from 15 to 72% among the studies. The present study reports the outcomes of early delivery within 48  hours after ICU admission in pregnant patients with ARDS. p Conclusion We found that the duration of MV decreased, reintubations within 48 hours decreased and the use of NIV increased over this 10- year period. The analysis of outcomes from our data has yet to be completed, but it would not be premature to speculate these results are related to the incorporation of SBT protocols and awaking trials, lesser use of neuromuscular blocking agents as well as extensive application of lung-protective ventilation strategies. p Methods A total of 23 pregnant patients with gestational age more than 20 weeks admitted to the ICU was recorded from January 2009 to November 2012. Emergent delivery was performed within 48 hours after ICU admission. The collected data included etiologies of ICU admission, patients’ characteristics and ventilator setting, infant and maternal clinical outcomes. P114 Mechanical ventilation in intensive and critical care units of Russia: RuVent national epidemiologic study Anaesth Intensive Care 2007, 35:975-978. Oram MP, et al.: Severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in pregn Results Total mortality was 35.1%, mortality in ARDS was 44.9%. Preva- lence of ARDS was 18.7%. Leading causes for initiation of respiratory support were pathology of the central nervous system (severe TBI 13.3%, stroke 15.7%, craniocephal tumors 5%), sepsis (8.3%), community- acquired pneumonia (8.8%) and ARDS (10.5%). Controlled modes of mechanical ventilation were predominant in our study (A/C 20.2%, SIMV 45.1%, BIPAP 12.6%), other modes includes pressure support ventilation, ASB and PAV. Prevalence of noninvasive respiratory support was only 1.1%. Mean tidal volume calculated by ideal body weight was 8.13 (6.84 to 9.35) for boys and men and 9.1 (7.6 to 10.9) for girls and women. Mean PEEP was 5 (4 to 8) in the whole study and 6 (5 to 9) for ARDS patients. ventilation. Anaesth Intensive Care 2007, 35:975-978. 2. Cole DE, et al.: Acute respiratory distress syndrome in pregnancy. Crit Care Med 2005, 33:S269-S278. 3. Bandi VD, et al.: Acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome in pregnancy. Crit Care Clin 2004, 20:577-607. P114 P114 Mechanical ventilation in intensive and critical care units of Russia: RuVent national epidemiologic study DN Protsenko1, AI Yaroshetskiy1, SG Suvorov2, AU Lekmanov2, BR Gelfand1 1Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia; 2Moscow Research Institute of Pediatrics and Child Surgery, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P114 (doi: 10.1186/cc10721) P110 Table 1 (abstract P111). Comparison of survivors and nonsurvivors Variable Survivors Nonsurvivors P value APACHE 13.3 ± 1.7 13.2 ± 2.2 0.14 Time VCV 1.4 ± 0.69 3.66 ± 3.5 0.03 PIP 35.6 ± 7.1 35.2 ± 5.1 0.44 PEEP 13.4 ± 2.0 13.4 ± 2.8 0.48 P/F 82.6 ± 31 68.8 ± 34 0.37 OI 36.08 ± 24 25.32 ± 7 0.1 Table 1 (abstract P111). Comparison of survivors and nonsurvivors Introduction Cardiac injury may occur in ARDS patients with structurally normal hearts and may be correlated with respiratory parameters [1]. We aimed at observing NT-proBNP, troponin I and troponin T relations with diff erent respiratory parameters in ARDS. f Methods Inclusion criteria were any adult patient diagnosed to have ARDS according to the criteria of the American–European Consensus Conference in 1994. Exclusion criteria were any structural heart disease by echo, pulmonary embolism, atrial fi brillation, renal insuffi ciency, and age <18. All patients benefi ted from a lung protective ventilation strategy. Plasma NT-proBNP, troponin I and troponin T were measured on day 0 and on day 2 and day 7 of ARDS diagnosis. PH, PaCO2, PaO2, P(A-a)O2 (alveolar–arterial gradient), PaO2/FiO2 ratio, a/A ratio, PEEP, PIP (peak airway pressure), Pmean, Pplat (plateau pressure) and Ceff (eff ective compliance), and Raw (airway resistance) were monitored daily. S41 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P112 episodes increased by 8% and >15 day episodes decreased by 7% from 1999 to 2009. The overall reintubation rate was 13.8%. Less than 48-hour reintubation dropped from 14.4% in 1999 to 6.7 in 2009 while more than 48-hour reintubation remained similar (5.6% in 1999 and 6.2% in 2009). NIV use signifi cantly increased over this time – almost quadrupled (from 78 in 1999 to 315 in 2009). The most prominent increase was noted in the surgical and burn ICUs where, in 1999, NIV use was minimal (burn: 0, SICU: 6 and 16 and 131 in 2009). Medical and neuro ICUs doubled their use. A total 52.7% of NIV applications were associated with IV within 48 hours of NIV therapy. The sequence of IV–NIV revealed similar patterns through the years, overall, 58.4% of NIV application followed extubation, 24.2% preceded intubation and 17% was in between. Eff ects of low and high tidal volume and pentoxifylline on intestinal blood fl ow and leukocyte–endothelial interactions in mechanically ventilated rats Eff ects of low and high tidal volume and pentoxifylline on intestinal blood fl ow and leukocyte–endothelial interactions in mechanically ventilated rats N Nakagawa1, P Aikawa1, HZ Zhang2, C Correia1, R Pazzeti1, C Valente Barbas1, T Mauad1, E Silva1, P Sannomiya1 1Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; 2University of Toronto and Saint Michael Hospital, Toronto, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P116 (doi: 10.1186/cc10723) N Nakagawa1, P Aikawa1, HZ Zhang2, C Correia1, R Pazzeti1, C Valente Barbas1, T Mauad1, E Silva1, P Sannomiya1 1Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; 2University of Toronto and Saint Michael Hospital, Toronto, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P116 (doi: 10.1186/cc10723) Table 1 (abstract P117) Male 1 Male 2 R estimated 3.7 ± 0.7 3.2 ± 0.7 R measured 5.2 ± 1.9 2.9 ± 1.2 C estimated 97.7 ± 20.6 85.4 ± 18.7 C measured 100.5 ± 21.9 76.5 ± 18.7 Mean ± SD of R in cmH2O/l/second and C in ml/mbar (measured = MLR, estimated = O+D). Introduction The combination of high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and low tidal volume (VT) decreases some risks of mechanical ventilation, including pulmonary overdistention, damage due to cyclic opening and closing of the alveoli, and infl ammatory responses that can lead to multiple-organ dysfunction. We hypothesized that high VT and high PEEP induce mesenteric microcirculatory disturbances and that those disturbances would be attenuated by pentoxifylline, which is anti-infl ammatory.l Mean ± SD of R in cmH2O/l/second and C in ml/mbar (measured = MLR, estimated = O+D). l y Methods We anesthetized (isofl urane 1.5%), tracheostomized, and mechanically ventilated 57 male Wistar rats with PEEP of 10 cmH2O and FIO2 of 0.21 for 2 hours. One group received low VT (7 ml/kg), another group received high VT (10 ml/kg), and a third group received high VT (25 mg/kg) plus pentoxifylline. We measured mean arterial pressure, respiratory mechanics, mesenteric blood fl ow, and leukocyte– endothelial interactions. Figure 1 (abstract P117). PTPinsp from measured Pdi (APdi) versus PTPinsp from reconstruction (ArPdi). Results The mean arterial pressure was similar among the groups at baseline (108 mmHg (IQR 94 to 118 mmHg)) and after 2 hours of mechanical ventilation (104 mmHg (IQR 90 to 114 mmHg)). P116f Results After validation with simulations, we used data from two healthy adults breathing at several levels of WOB. The occlusions caused the expected signals reproducing Pdi as desired with R and C values typical for healthy men (Table 1). Measured and assessed PTPinsp correlated well (R2 = 0.93 and 0.89) and had small mean diff erences (mean ± 2SD = 1.78 ± 3.81 and 0.27 ± 4.80 cmH2O.second) (Figure 1). P115 There were fewer adherent leukocytes (P = 0.005) and fewer migrated leukocytes (P = 0.002) in the low-VT group (5 cells/100 μm length (IQR 4 to 7 cells/100 μm length) and 1 cell/5,000 μm2 (IQR 1 to 2 cells/5,000 μm2), respectively) and the high-VT/pentoxifylline group (5 cells/100 μm length (IQR 3 to 10 cells/100 μm length) and 1 cell/5,000 μm2 (IQR 1 to 3 cells/5,000 μm2), respectively) than in the high-VT group (14 cells/100 μm length (IQR 11 to 16 cells/100 μm length) and 9 cells/5,000 μm2 (IQR 8 to 12 cells/5,000 μm2), respectively). and active breathing patients. The minute volume is adjusted according to end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) information in passive breathing patients (and respiratory rate in active breathing patients), and oxygenation is adjusted according to SpO2 information. This study reports the ventilation and oxygenation delivered by IntelliVent-ASV® in long-term ventilated ICU patients. p Methods This prospective, observational study included 100 patients invasively ventilated using IntelliVent-ASV® from admission to weaning or death. The rate and reason for stopping automation were recorded. Settings automatically selected, delivered ventilation, respiratory mechanics and arterial blood gas results were collected once a day. Patients were categorized in diff erent lung conditions: normal lung, ALI/ARDS, COPD. Analysis of variance compared the ventilation-days for each type of lung condition for active and passive breathing patients. Results Patients (age 73 (64 to 79) years; SAPS II 56 (48 to 69)) were ventilated using IntelliVent-ASV® to weaning or death (31%) for a median duration of 3.0 (2.0 to 7.0) days without any safety issue. The ventilation controller was deactivated in two patients because of high PaCO2–ETCO2 gradient. Oxygenation controller was deactivated in seven patients for 1 day because of a poor SpO2 signal. In passive and active ventilation-days, minute volume, VT/PBW, respiratory rate, FiO2, and PEEP were statistically diff erent based on lung condition. In passive ALI/ARDS ventilation-days, VT/PBW was signifi cantly lower (7.5 (6.9 to 7.9) ml/kg) than passive normal lung (8.1 (7.3 to 8.9) ml/kg; P <0.05) and passive COPD patients (9.9 (8.3 to 11.1) ml/kg; P <0.05). In passive ALI/ARDS ventilation-days, FiO2 and PEEP were statistically higher than passive normal lung (35 (33 to 47)% vs. 30 (30 to 31)% and 11 (8 to 13) cmH2O vs. 5 (5 to 6) cmH2O, respectively; P <0.05). P115 In active normal lung ventilation-days, VT/PBW was not diff erent (8.4 (7.8 to 9.1) ml/kg) than in active ALI/ARDS (8.1 (7.5 to 9.3) ml/kg), and in active COPD (9.3 (8.6 to 11.6) ml/kg). In active ALI/ARDS and COPD ventilation-days, PEEP was signifi cantly higher than active normal lung (8 (5 to 10) cmH2O, 7 (5 to 10) cmH2O, and 5 (5 to 5) cm H2O, respectively; P <0.05). Methods This prospective, observational study included 100 patients invasively ventilated using IntelliVent-ASV® from admission to weaning or death. The rate and reason for stopping automation were recorded. Settings automatically selected, delivered ventilation, respiratory mechanics and arterial blood gas results were collected once a day. Patients were categorized in diff erent lung conditions: normal lung, ALI/ARDS, COPD. Analysis of variance compared the ventilation-days for each type of lung condition for active and passive breathing patients. Conclusion Low VT with high PEEP was lung-protective, and early pentoxifylline reduced the infl ammatory response to high VT with high PEEP (and presumed lung overdistention) during mechanical ventilation. yp g p g p Results Patients (age 73 (64 to 79) years; SAPS II 56 (48 to 69)) were ventilated using IntelliVent-ASV® to weaning or death (31%) for a median duration of 3.0 (2.0 to 7.0) days without any safety issue. The ventilation controller was deactivated in two patients because of high PaCO2–ETCO2 gradient. Oxygenation controller was deactivated in seven patients for 1 day because of a poor SpO2 signal. In passive and active ventilation-days, minute volume, VT/PBW, respiratory rate, FiO2, and PEEP were statistically diff erent based on lung condition. In passive ALI/ARDS ventilation-days, VT/PBW was signifi cantly lower (7.5 (6.9 to 7.9) ml/kg) than passive normal lung (8.1 (7.3 to 8.9) ml/kg; P <0.05) and passive COPD patients (9.9 (8.3 to 11.1) ml/kg; P <0.05). In passive ALI/ARDS ventilation-days, FiO2 and PEEP were statistically higher than passive normal lung (35 (33 to 47)% vs. 30 (30 to 31)% and 11 (8 to 13) cmH2O vs. 5 (5 to 6) cmH2O, respectively; P <0.05). In active normal lung ventilation-days, VT/PBW was not diff erent (8.4 (7.8 to 9.1) ml/kg) than in active ALI/ARDS (8.1 (7.5 to 9.3) ml/kg), and in active COPD (9.3 (8.6 to 11.6) ml/kg). P115 In active ALI/ARDS and COPD ventilation-days, PEEP was signifi cantly higher than active normal lung (8 (5 to 10) cmH2O, 7 (5 to 10) cmH2O, and 5 (5 to 5) cm H2O, respectively; P <0.05). P115 P115 Use of a fully closed-loop ventilation mode in long-term ventilated ICU patients: a prospective study J Arnal1, A Garnero1, M Wysocki2, D Demory1, G Corno1, A Berric1, S Donati1, L Ducros1, J Durand-Gasselin1 1Hôpital Ste Musse, Toulon, France; 2Hamilton Medical, Bonaduz, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P115 (doi: 10.1186/cc10722) Use of a fully closed-loop ventilation mode in long-term ventilated ICU patients: a prospective study J Arnal1, A Garnero1, M Wysocki2, D Demory1, G Corno1, A Berric1, S Donati1, L Ducros1, J Durand-Gasselin1 1Hôpital Ste Musse, Toulon, France; 2Hamilton Medical, Bonaduz, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P115 (doi: 10.1186/cc10722) Results A total of 19,734 IV and 2,472 NIV episodes were identifi ed during this period. The number of MV episodes increased from 1,660 in 1999 to 2,182 in 2009 with an increasing NIV/IV ratio (from 0.05 to 0.17). In the medical and surgical ICUs, median IV days decreased from 4 to 3 and 3 to 2 days respectively. Overall, 76% of IV episodes lasted <7 days, 14% between 8 and 14 days and 10% >15 days. The number of <7 day IV Introduction IntelliVent-ASV® is a closed-loop ventilation mode that automatically adjusts ventilation and oxygenation settings in passive S42 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 group (12.7 cmH2O (10.7 to 16.0 cmH2O)). There were fewer adherent leukocytes (P = 0.005) and fewer migrated leukocytes (P = 0.002) in the low-VT group (5 cells/100 μm length (IQR 4 to 7 cells/100 μm length) and 1 cell/5,000 μm2 (IQR 1 to 2 cells/5,000 μm2), respectively) and the high-VT/pentoxifylline group (5 cells/100 μm length (IQR 3 to 10 cells/100 μm length) and 1 cell/5,000 μm2 (IQR 1 to 3 cells/5,000 μm2), respectively) than in the high-VT group (14 cells/100 μm length (IQR 11 to 16 cells/100 μm length) and 9 cells/5,000 μm2 (IQR 8 to 12 cells/5,000 μm2), respectively). group (12.7 cmH2O (10.7 to 16.0 cmH2O)). A method for continuous noninvasive assessment of respiratory mechanics during spontaneous breathing K Lopez-Navas1, S Brandt2, H Gehring2, M Strutz1, U Wenkebach1 1Fachhochschule Lübeck, Germany; 2Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P117 (doi: 10.1186/cc10724) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P117 (doi: 10.1186/cc10724) Introduction The proper assessment of patient’s work of breathing (WOB) is the key to a better or even automatic setting of ventilation parameters. We introduce the Occlusion+Delta method (O+D) to continuously determine resistance (R) and compliance (C), allowing one to assess noninvasively the inspiratory force. y p y Methods The O+D method uses a short expiratory occlusion producing immediate changes in airway pressure (Paw), fl ow (V’) and volume (V) but not in transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi). The diff erences between an occluded and an undisturbed cycle are related by V’R + V/C = Paw + Pdi. If both cycles are similar Pdi can be neglected, making its measurement unnecessary. Then R and C are derived from linear regression (MLR) and used to make a reconstruction of Pdi (rPdi). As control, R and C were calculated by MLR using the objectively measured (with balloon catheters) Pdi. The inspiratory pressure time product (PTPinsp) of measured Pdi (APdi) and reconstructed Pdi (ArPdi) were compared as expression of WOB. 2 2 y Conclusion IntelliVent-ASV® can be used safely in long-term ventilated ICU patients and selects automatically diff erent ventilation and oxygenation settings according to the lung condition, especially for passive breathing patients. P118l Introduction Severe cutaneous adverse reactions, such as Stevens– Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) are uncommon but potentially critical ills. Pulmonary involvements in these severe cutaneous reactions patients are rare but are life-threatening complications. Therefore, we conducted a study to investigate the outcomes and risk factors of patients with severe cutaneous reactions with pulmonary complications. P118 Infl uence of catheter diameter, endotracheal tube diameter, suction pressure, and PEEP on the tracheal pressure and lung volume during endotracheal suctioning using a lung model KJ Snijders1, PE Spronk1, TW Fiks1, H Boon1, T Ten Kleij1, AA Becht1, FH De Jongh2 1Gelre Ziekenhuizen, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands; 2Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P118 (doi: 10.1186/cc10725) y Methods This is a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital in Taiwan. Between September 2002 and June 2011, 23 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital under the diagnosis of severe cutaneous adverse reactions with pulmonary involvements were enrolled. The collected demographic data included gender, age and comorbidity. Laboratory data and possible off ending etiology also were collected by reviewing the medical records. Introduction Endotracheal suctioning (ETS) is frequently performed in the ICU for clearing bronchial secretions in intubated and ventilated patients. However, research shows that subatmospheric pressures in the trachea and decreases in lung volume are measured during ETS when unfavourable parameters are chosen, causing complications (for example, atelectasis) [1,2]. The aim of this study was to investigate the infl uence of the parameters: area ratio ‘catheter/endotracheal tube’, suction pressure, type of ventilation, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on tracheal pressure and lung volume during ETS. Results A total of 21 severe cutaneous adverse reactions patients were eligible. In these 21 patients, 16 (76.2%) patients were SJS/TEN and fi ve (23.8%) patients were DRESS. Allopurinol was the most common culprit medicine (n = 9). There were 11 (52.4%) patients progressing to respiratory failure with mechanical ventilation. Among these 11 patients, one was upper airway obstruction, two patients were pneumonia, three patients were acute respiratory distress syndrome and the other fi ve patients were acute pulmonary edema. The overall hospital mortality rate was 47.6% (11/21). The survivors group was younger (51.5 ± 25.4 years vs. 70 ± 10.7 years, P = 0.046) and had less chronic kidney disease (9% vs. 60%, P = 0.021) compared with the nonsurvivors group. P119 Conclusion Our fi rst results demonstrate a great potential in the proposed method. A study with 30 volunteers is being carried out and results will be presented in 2012. P120 During spontaneous breathing cardiac output lacks major eff ect on pulmonary shunting in porcine lungs with partial collapse L Vimlati, A Larsson, G Hedenstierna, M Lichtwarck-Aschoff Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P120 (doi: 10.1186/cc10727) Introduction Spontaneous breathing (SB) improves oxygenation com- pared to mechanical ventilation (MV), and does so even without recruit- ing atelectasis [1,2]. Since it cannot be excluded that cardiac output (CO) impacts on pulmonary shunt, we investigated whether pulmonary shunt correlates with CO in a porcine model of lung collapse. 2 Conclusion During endotracheal suctioning the area ratio (between the catheter and the endotracheal tube) and the applied suction pressure should be minimal to avoid high pressure and lung volume losses. g Methods In 12 anaesthetized and relaxed supine piglets, lung collapse was induced by negative pressure application to the endotracheal tube during MV. Six animals resumed SB after 15 minutes; the other six P118l p ( ) p g g Methods A lung model (two intersurgical balloons of 2 litres each and an artifi cial trachea with a 25 mm internal diameter) for spontaneous breathing and pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) was designed. Spontaneous breathing was simulated by varying the pressure inside the chamber in which the balloons were mounted by an electronically controlled syringe. During PCV, a Servo 300 ventilator was added. An open suction system (VBM, 5 mm suction gap) was used. After insertion of the catheter, suction (pressures ranged from 20 to 65 kPa) was applied for 15 seconds during withdrawal, as used in clinical practice. During spontaneous breathing the parameters pressure and area ratio (79%, 58%, 34%, 25%, 13%) were varied, while during PCV the PEEP was varied too. Each setting was repeated three times and the mean results were used for analysis. Conclusion Severe cutaneous adverse reaction with lung involvement may contribute a high mortality rate. Older age and comorbidity of chronic kidney disease were the risk factors of mortality in severe cutaneous adverse reactions patients. y Results For spontaneous breathing (n = 45) the mean tracheal pressure and lung volume decreased strongly when the area ratio and/or suction pressure increased (for example, mean tracheal pressure –13 ± 1.3 cmH2O compared to atmospheric pressure, and lung volume –524 ± 37 ml using 20 kPa suction pressure and area ratio 0.58), the fi rst having the greater infl uence. Similar results (n = 84) were found for PCV (for example, 22 ± 0.35 cmH2O and –536 ± 137 ml, using 20 kPa suction pressure, area ratio 0.58 and PEEP 20 cmH2O). P120 P120 During spontaneous breathing cardiac output lacks major eff ect on pulmonary shunting in porcine lungs with partial collapse L Vimlati, A Larsson, G Hedenstierna, M Lichtwarck-Aschoff Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P120 (doi: 10.1186/cc10727) Eff ects of low and high tidal volume and pentoxifylline on intestinal blood fl ow and leukocyte–endothelial interactions in mechanically ventilated rats Mesenteric blood fl ow was also similar between the groups: low VT 15.1 ml/ minute (IQR 12.4 to 17.7 ml/minute), high VT 11.3 ml/minute (IQR 8.6 to 13.8 ml/minute), high-VT/pentoxifylline 12.4 ml/minute (10.8 to 13.7 ml/minute). Peak airway pressure was lower (P = 0.03) in the low- VT group (10.4 cmH2O (IQR 10.2 to 10.4 cmH2O)) than in the high-VT group (12.6 cmH2O (10.2 to 14.9 cmH2O)) or the high-VT/pentoxifylline Figure 1 (abstract P117). PTPinsp from measured Pdi (APdi) versus PTPinsp from reconstruction (ArPdi). S43 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion Our fi rst results demonstrate a great potential in the proposed method. A study with 30 volunteers is being carried out and results will be presented in 2012. Risk factors of mortality in severe cutaneous adverse reactions patients with pulmonary involvement Risk factors of mortality in severe cutaneous adverse reactions patients with pulmonary involvement P122 were kept on MV at a respiratory rate and tidal volume corresponding to SB. All animals were followed over 120 minutes, and repeated measurements were converted to the area under curve and analysed by Mann–Whitney test and linear regression. were kept on MV at a respiratory rate and tidal volume corresponding to SB. All animals were followed over 120 minutes, and repeated measurements were converted to the area under curve and analysed by Mann–Whitney test and linear regression. Oxygenation correlates with lung aeration during unsupported spontaneous breathing in porcine lung collapse model L Vimlati, A Larsson, G Hedenstierna, M Lichtwarck-Aschoff Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P121 (doi: 10.1186/cc10728) pp y pp Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P121 (doi: 10.1186/cc10728) y gi Results Neither heart rate, mean arterial pressure nor respiratory rate showed any signifi cant change after IPV. Oxygen saturation improved immediately after IPV and was also present after 15 minutes. See Table 1. Introduction We investigated whether oxygenation correlates with lung aeration during unsupported spontaneous breathing (SB) and mechanical ventilation (MV) in a porcine lung collapse model. Table 1 (abstract P122). Values before, after and 15 minutes after therapy Table 1 (abstract P122). Values before, after and 15 minutes after therapy Heart Mean Respiratory Oxygen rate arterial pressure rate saturation Before 84.5 ± 18.2 86.6 ± 19.0 24.7 ± 5.6 93.9 ± 3.0 After 86.0 ± 17.6 87.4 ± 21.0 24.1 ± 6.7 95.8 ± 2.8* After 15 minutes 83.1 ± 16.7 85.4 ± 18.9 23.4 ± 6.0 95.5 ± 2.8* *P <0.01. g Methods In 14 anesthetized supine piglets, lung collapse was induced by negative pressure application (NPA) to the endotracheal tube. Eight animals resumed SB 5 minutes after NPA, six animals were kept on MV at a respiratory rate and tidal volume corresponding to SB. Thoracic CTs and arterial blood gases were taken 2.5 and 30 minutes after NPA. Spearman rank correlation was used for testing; values are given as mean (95% CI). Results Thirty minutes after NPA the amount of lung tissue in collapsed regions was similar in both groups (MV: 40% (36 to 44), SB: 35% (26 to 43); P = 0.22). Resuming SB, PaO2/FiO2 improved signifi cantly more with less amount of collapsed lung tissue 2.5 minutes after NPA (r = –0.87, P = 0.033). During SB a signifi cant negative correlation between PaO2/ FiO2 and the amount of collapsed lung tissue (r  =  –0.76, P  =  0.038) was observed; no such correlation could be seen during MV (r = –0.3, P = 0.2) (Figure 1). Conclusion We demonstrated that IPV is a safe therapy, and oxygen saturation improved after therapy with IPV. P123 Impact of an open lung approach on hemodynamic parameters after cardiac surgery A Leme, F Galas, M Volpe, J Fukushima, J Almeida, R Ianotti, L Hajjar, M Amato Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P123 (doi: 10.1186/cc10730) Safety and eff ect of intermittent intrapulmonary percussive ventilation on oxygen saturation and hemodynamic functions I Blum, R Janssen-Dean, A Van Overdijk, B Speelberg St Anna Hospital Geldrop, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P122 (doi: 10.1186/cc10729) Safety and eff ect of intermittent intrapulmonary percussive ventilation on oxygen saturation and hemodynamic functions I Blum, R Janssen-Dean, A Van Overdijk, B Speelberg St Anna Hospital Geldrop, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P122 (doi: 10.1186/cc10729) Results PaO2/FiO2 was higher and venous admixture (Qva/Qt) was lower in the SB group. Hemodynamics was stable and CO was similar in both groups. Qva/Qt correlated with CO (r = 0.83, P = 0.04) in the MV group, but not in the SB group (r = 0.08, P = 0.88) (Figure 1). Introduction Intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV) is a ventilatory technique which is used to clear endobronchial secretions in patients. IPV uses a Phasitron, which delivers rapid, high-fl ow, mini- bursts of air mixed with oxygen to the patients. We investigated the safety of IPV on hemodynamic values and the eff ect of IPV on oxygen saturation and respiratory rate. g g g Conclusion SB achieves higher PaO2/FiO2 and lower Qva/Qt compared to MV. During SB, Qva/Qt seems to be unaff ected by CO. This lung collapse model has stable hemodynamics and gas exchange for at least 2 hours irrespective of the mode of ventilation. References Methods From April until August 2011 we investigated 42 consecutive patients admitted to our eight-bed adult general ICU with respiratory failure. Variables such as heart rate, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation were measured and compared at three diff erent time points: before starting IPV therapy, directly after and 15 minutes later. All patients received IPV using a Bird Intrapulmonary Percussionator Ventilator Model IPV-2C for a period of 20 minutes consisting of two cycles of 10 minutes. After the fi rst 10 minutes of IPV therapy in combination with chest compressions the frequency rate was reduced in order to suction the mobilized secretions. This cycle was then repeated. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS version 17. Student’s t test was used to compare values before therapy with directly after and after 15 minutes of therapy. P <0.05 was considered signifi cant. 1. Carvalho AR, Spieth PM, Pelosi P, et al.: Pressure support ventilation and biphasic positive airway pressure improve oxygenation by redistribution of pulmonary blood fl ow. Anesth Analg 2009, 109:856-865.f 2. Vimlati L, Kawati R, Hedenstierna G, Larsson A, Lichtwarck-Aschoff M: Spontaneous breathing improves shunt fraction and oxygenation in comparison with controlled ventilation at a similar amount of lung collapse. Anesth Analg 2011, 113:1089-1095. References 1. Wood CJ, et al.: Intensive Crit Care Nurs 1998, 14:124-136. 2 P d CM l I i C i C N 2009 25 21 30 1. Wood CJ, et al.: Intensive Crit Care Nurs 1998, 14:124-136. Figure 1 (abstract P120). Venous admixture (Qva/Qt) plotted against CO (pooled data for each group). Solid circles, mechanical ventilation (MV); open circles, spontaneous breathing (SB). Figure 1 (abstract P120). Venous admixture (Qva/Qt) plotted against CO (pooled data for each group). Solid circles, mechanical ventilation (MV); open circles, spontaneous breathing (SB). S44 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P125 respiratory parameters. Nevertheless, adverse hemodynamic eff ects can occur due to the RM technique. The aim of this study is to evaluate the eff ect of the RM on hemodynamic parameters in the immediate postoperative period after cardiac surgery. A rule for predicting the new equilibrated carbon dioxide partial pressure after changes in the ventilation frequency S Buehler, M Jensen, S Lozano, S Schumann, J Guttmann Uniklinik Freiburg, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P125 (doi: 10.1186/cc10732) p p p g y Methods A total of 120 patients with PaO2/FiO2 ratio  <250 was randomized to a conventional strategy of mechanical ventilation or open lung strategy. The open lung strategy was performed using RM with an inspiratory pressure amplitude of 15 cmH2O and PEEP of 30 cmH2O three times during 1 minute and setting PEEP after RM at 13 cmH2O. The conventional strategy was done using PEEP  =  8 cmH2O and RM with CPAP  =  20 cmH2O three times during 30 seconds and setting PEEP after RM at 8 cmH2O. The heart rate, systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures were recorded before, immediately and 5 minutes after RM. Respiratory mechanics and blood gas analysis were recorded before and after RM. Introduction In mechanical ventilation the arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure (PCO2) is one of the key parameters to control the ventilation frequency. Qualitatively, the eff ect of changes in the ventilation frequency on the arterial PCO2 level is well known. However, little is known about the time it takes for the PCO2 value to reach a new equilibrium after a change in the ventilation frequency (the period of latency), nor in what way the transition between two states of equilibrium takes place. Results The open lung group presented a higher variability on blood pressure immediately after RM compared to the conventional group. There were no diff erences in baseline blood pressure or 5 minutes after RM and heart rate between groups. The open lung group presented higher lung compliance (60 ± 17 vs. 48 ± 13 ml/cmH2O) and PaO2/FiO2 (431 ± 124 vs. 229 ± 68) ratio compared to the conventional group. Methods We carried out a clinical study on patients without any history of lung disease or intracranial surgery in order to determine these relations. Patient–ventilator asynchrony during conventional or automated pressure support ventilation in diffi cult-to-wean patients Introduction Cardiac surgical procedures are associated with a high incidence of postoperative complications, increasing costs and mortality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the eff ect of a strategy of protective ventilation on pulmonary complications after cardiac surgery. g y Methods We prospectively evaluated 120 patients immediately after cardiac surgery, presenting hypoxemia and PaO2/FiO2  <250. Patients were randomized to protective or conventional ventilation strategy. Protective strategy: PEEP = 13 cmH2O, recruitment maneuver (RM) with inspiratory pressure amplitude of 15 cmH2O and PEEP of 30 cmH2O. Conventional strategy: PEEP = 8 cmH2O and RM with CPAP = 20 cmH2O. Both patients were ventilated in pressure controlled at 6 ml/kg. Pulmonary mechanic and oxygenation parameters were collected at baseline, 15, 240 and 255 minutes after the start of treatment. Occurrence of respiratory complications was assessed in the fi rst 5 days according to the severity score 1 to 4. Introduction Patient–ventilator asynchrony, defi ned as a mismatch between patient’s inspiratory time and the ventilator insuffl ation time, occurs in nearly 25% of intubated patients. High asynchrony rates are associated with higher incidence of weaning failure and tracheostomy, and prolonged mechanical ventilation. The aim of this study was to compare the asynchrony rate during conventional pressure support ventilation (PSV) and automated PSV (SmartCare; Draeger) in diffi cult- to-wean patients. Methods A prospective, crossover study in diffi cult-to-wean patients (patients who required up to three spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) or as long as 7 days to achieve successful weaning). Patients were ventilated with an Evita XL ventilator for two consecutive 3-hour periods applied in random order: with conventional PSV managed by the attending physicians; and with PSV managed by SmartCare. The periods were administered in the afternoon (3:00 to 9:00 pm) and in the night (12:00 pm to 6:00 am). In both periods, the starting PS level with either conventional or automated PSV was the basal level before enrolment. During every period, airway pressure, fl ow and volume signals were continuously recorded on a PC connected to the ventilator using dedicated software (VentView). These signals were analyzed offl ine by two clinicians. The asynchrony index was defi ned as Results The protective group compared to the conventional group had better lung compliance (60 ± 17 vs. 48 ± 13 ml/cmH2O, P <0.001) and higher PaO2/FiO2 (431 ± 124 vs. 229 ± 68, P <0.001) at 15 minutes after the start. 1. Amato MB, Barbas CS, Medeiros DM, et al.: Eff ect of a protective-ventilation strategy on mortality in the acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med 1998, 338:347-354. 1. Amato MB, Barbas CS, Medeiros DM, et al.: Eff ect of a protective-ventilation strategy on mortality in the acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med 1998, 338:347-354. P125 We collected data for the arterial PCO2 from blood gas analyses at discrete points in time as well as continuous end-tidal CO2 (etPCO2) and transcutaneous CO2 (PtcCO2) data and checked for the accuracy of the latter two. Least-squares fi tting and a statistical analysis were carried out. Conclusion An open lung approach after cardiac surgery improves lung compliance and the PaO2/FiO2 ratio with minimum hemodynamic detrimental eff ect. Results We determined a general rule to estimate the period of latency after a change in the ventilation frequency. Furthermore, we specifi ed the relation between a change in the ventilation frequency and the change in the PCO2 level. Last, the transition between two PCO2 levels was found to follow an exponential law and the fi tting resulted in a formula for the prediction of the new PCO2 level. The new equilibrium can be predicted with high confi dence in all cases after only 3 to 4 minutes using four data points while the period of latency lasts much longer, usually between 10 and 20 minutes. Reference 1. Amato MB, Barbas CS, Medeiros DM, et al.: Eff ect of a protective-ventilation strategy on mortality in the acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med 1998, 338:347-354. g y Conclusion The general rule for the period of latency allows an estimation of the amount of time it takes for the PCO2 value to stabilise again after a disturbance. A quantitative knowledge of the transition between two PCO2 equilibria allows for the prediction of the new PCO2 level long before the period of latency is over. Thus, with our relation between the change in ventilation frequency and the change in PCO2 at hand, an optimal PCO2 level can be aimed for at bedside in the shortest time span possible. A protective-ventilation strategy reduces pulmonary complications after cardiac surgery A protective-ventilation strategy reduces pulmonary complications after cardiac surgery g y F Galas1, A Leme1, J Almeida1, M Volpe2, R Ianotti1, J Fukushima1, L Hajjar1, M Amato3 1Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro Minas Gerais, Uberaba, Brazil; 3Hospital das Clinicas, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P124 (doi: 10.1186/cc10731) P126 P123 Impact of an open lung approach on hemodynamic parameters after cardiac surgery g Conclusion In porcine lung collapse PaO2/FiO2 correlates with lung aeration during unsupported SB, but not during MV at a similar breathing pattern. The less lung collapse the animals have, the more PaO2/FiO2 improves resuming SB. 2 2 p g Reference 1. Cressoni M, Caironi P, Polli F, et al.: Anatomical and functional intrapulmonary shunt in acute respiratory distress syndrome. Crit Care Med 2008, 36:669-675. 1. Cressoni M, Caironi P, Polli F, et al.: Anatomical and functional intrapulmonary shunt in acute respiratory distress syndrome. Crit Care Med 2008, 36:669-675. Introduction Lung recruitment maneuver (RM) has been associated with an increase of arterial oxygen saturation and improvement of Figure 1 (abstract P121). PaO2/FiO2 plotted against the proportion of atelectatic lung tissue. Open circles, SB; solid circles, MV. Figure 1 (abstract P121). PaO2/FiO2 plotted against the proportion of atelectatic lung tissue. Open circles, SB; solid circles, MV. Figure 1 (abstract P121). PaO2/FiO2 plotted against the proportion of atelectatic lung tissue. Open circles, SB; solid circles, MV. S45 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P124 P124 A protective-ventilation strategy reduces pulmonary complications after cardiac surgery F Galas1, A Leme1, J Almeida1, M Volpe2, R Ianotti1, J Fukushima1, L Hajjar1, M Amato3 1Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro Minas Gerais, Uberaba, Brazil; 3Hospital das Clinicas, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P124 (doi: 10.1186/cc10731) P126 Patient–ventilator asynchrony during conventional or automated pressure support ventilation in diffi cult-to-wean patients MM Bitondo1, HM Aguirre-Bermeo2, A Moccaldo1, P De Santis1, V Bernini1, A Tersali1, S Italiano2, DL Grieco1, FA Idone1, J Grandjean2, F Roche-Campo2, M Antonelli1, J Mancebo Cortes2, SM Maggiore1 1Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy; 2San Pau University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P126 (doi: 10.1186/cc10733) Patient–ventilator asynchrony during conventional or automated pressure support ventilation in diffi cult-to-wean patients Also, the protective group had a lower incidence of complications after 5 days of follow-up (grade 2 = 47% vs. 55%, grade 3 = 9% vs. 13%, grade 4 = 0% vs. 3%, P = 0.045). Conclusion A protective-ventilation strategy after cardiac surgery reduces hypoxemia, increases lung compliances and results in less respiratory complications without adverse eff ects. Reference P127 Methods We performed a retrospective study of prospectively collected data involving 2,012 consecutive patients undergoing mechanical ventilation (MV) in a 16-bed university-affi liated hospital between 1 October 2005 and 31 August 2011. Eighty-fi ve patients with FE were matched 1:3 with successfully extubated patients (SE) using diagnostic category, age, Acute Physiology Score (APS) and duration of ventilation (DOV) before PE as matching criteria. P127 High levels of B-type natriuretic peptide predict weaning failure from mechanical ventilation in adult patients after cardiac surgery L Hajjar1, T Lara1, J Almeida1, J Fukushima1, C Barbas1, A Rodrigues1, E Nozawa1, JL Vincent2, F Jatene1, J Auler Jr1, F Galas1 1Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Erasme Hospital, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P127 (doi: 10.1186/cc10734) g Results Patients undergoing MV included 1,209 (60.1%) with SE; 224 (11.1%) died during ventilation (without prior FE); 206 (10.2%) were extubated to withdraw support; 180 (8.9%) were transferred from the ICU while ventilated; 81 (4.0%) were liberated from MV after tracheostomy; 85 (6.6%) failed PE. APS scores were higher (53 (42 to 69) vs. 43 (32 to 60), P <0.0001) and DOV before PE longer (1.8 (0.8 to 4.4) vs. 0.9 (0.4 to 2.6), P = 0.0001) in FE than in SE. There was 100% concordance of diagnostic category and no statistically signifi cant diff erences between the groups in regards to age, APS and DOV before PE. Table 1 illustrates the results of the case–control analysis. In addition, FE had more days in the hospital after ICU discharge than did SE: 11 (4 to 24) versus 5 (2 to 9), P <0.0001. Introduction Failure to wean from mechanical ventilation is related to worse outcomes after cardiac surgery. The aim of the study was to evaluate B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) as a predictor factor of failure to wean from mechanical ventilation after cardiac surgery. Methods We conducted a prospective and observational cohort study of 101 patients that underwent on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. BNP was measured postoperatively after ICU admission and at the end of a spontaneous breathing test (SBT). Demographic data, hemodynamic and respiratory parameters, fl uid balance, need for vasopressor or inotropic support, lengths of ICU and hospital stay were recorded. Weaning failure was considered as either the inability to sustain spontaneous breathing after 60 minutes or the need for reintubation within 48 hours.i Table 1 (abstract P128). Case–control study of failed extubation Introduction Failed extubation (FE), defi ned as reintubation within 48 hours of planned extubation (PE), is common. The literature suggests that FE complicates 10 to 20% of PE. The consequences of FE have not been well described, nor have its risk factors. Conclusion As compared with conventional PSV, Smartcare may reduce asynchronies in diffi cult-to-wean patients, possibly because of greater variability of the PS level. This needs to be further confi rmed. P128 Case–control study of failed extubation J Krinsley, P Reddy, A Iqbal Stamford Hospital, Stamford, CT, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P128 (doi: 10.1186/cc10735) Case–control study of failed extubation J Krinsley, P Reddy, A Iqbal Stamford Hospital, Stamford, CT, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P128 (doi: 10.1186/cc10735) P127 Case–control analysis of failed extubation: key outcomes Results BNP levels were signifi cantly higher both at ICU admission and in the end of breathing test in patients with weaning failure than in the other patients. A BNP concentration of 299 ng/l at the end of the SBT identifi ed weaning failure with 92% sensitivity and 87% specifi city, resulting in an area under the curve value of 0.91 (95% CI (0.86 to 0.97), FE SE P value ICU LOS 11.8 (7.7 to 17.5) 3.8 (2.1 to 7.5) <0.0001 VAP (%) 7.1 0.8 0.0043 Mortality (%) 23.5 10.2 0.0052 Figure 1 (abstract P127). Area under receiving operating characteristic curve for BNP-2 (at the end of spontaneous breathing test) to predict weaning failure. Conclusion FE is associated with increased ICU and hospital LOS, increased risk of VAP and increased mortality. Eff orts to prospectively identify patients at risk for FE may reduce its incidence and improve outcomes. Reference 1. Amato MB, Barbas CS, Medeiros DM, et al.: Eff ect of a protective-ventilation strategy on mortality in the acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med 1998, 338:347-354. S46 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P <0.001) (Figure 1). In a multivariate model, BNP level at the end of SBT was the only predictor of weaning failure from mechanical ventilation. Conclusion BNP was an independent predictor factor of failure to wean from mechanical ventilation after cardiac surgery, which suggests that optimization of the ventricular function must be a goal prior to liberation from mechanical ventilation. the number of asynchronies (wasted eff orts, double cycles, premature cycling off ) divided by the total respiratory rate (ventilator cycles + asynchrony events), multiplied by 100. the number of asynchronies (wasted eff orts, double cycles, premature cycling off ) divided by the total respiratory rate (ventilator cycles + asynchrony events), multiplied by 100. y y y Results Sixteen patients were enrolled (age 64  ±  11 years; SAPS II 66 ± 14; COPD 25%; days of mechanical ventilation before enrollment 9 ± 4, number of SBTs 3 ± 1). The asynchrony index was lower with Smartcare (10% vs. 14%, P = 0.01), but not diff erent between afternoon and night. Mean PS level (11 vs. 12 cmH2O) was not diff erent between conventional and automated PSV, although the coeffi cient of variability of PS level was greater with Smartcare (20% vs. 0%, P  <0.01). No diff erences were observed in PaCO2 (36 vs. 36 mmHg), PaO2 (106 vs. 102 mmHg), total respiratory rate (22 vs. 23), and P0.1 (1.4 vs. 1.6 cmH2O) between conventional PSV and Smartcare. P128 Out-of-bed extubation: changing paradigms Out-of-bed extubation: changing paradigms Out o bed e tubat o : c a g g pa ad g s F Dexheimer Neto, R Cremonese, J Maccari, F Carlin, C Rodrigues, A Raupp, P Vesz, C Leaes, J De Andrade Hospital Ernesto Dornelles, Porto Alegre, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P129 (doi: 10.1186/cc10736) g g p g Dexheimer Neto, R Cremonese, J Maccari, F Carlin, C Rodrigues, p g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P129 (doi: 10.1186/cc10736) Introduction The position of the patient at the time of extubation is an important topic as several studies have shown that early mobilization is benefi cial for the critically ill patient and, generally, it occurs simultaneously with the weaning from mechanical ventilation (MV). Extubations are currently performed with the patient in a supine position (SP) with the head elevated, and there are no data available concerning the safety of removing the endotracheal tube of a patient seated in an armchair (SA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of proceeding extubations in SA patients compared with those in a SP. Introduction The position of the patient at the time of extubation is an important topic as several studies have shown that early mobilization is benefi cial for the critically ill patient and, generally, it occurs simultaneously with the weaning from mechanical ventilation (MV). Extubations are currently performed with the patient in a supine position (SP) with the head elevated, and there are no data available concerning the safety of removing the endotracheal tube of a patient seated in an armchair (SA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of proceeding extubations in SA patients compared with those in a SP. Methods A retrospective cohort study of a clinical and surgical 23-bed ICU, in a private hospital in Brazil – Hospital Ernesto Dornelles (Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil). Extubation success was the primary outcome  – defi ned as tolerating removal of the endotracheal tube for at least g Methods A retrospective cohort study of a clinical and surgical 23-bed ICU, in a private hospital in Brazil – Hospital Ernesto Dornelles (Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil). Extubation success was the primary outcome  – defi ned as tolerating removal of the endotracheal tube for at least Figure 1 (abstract P127). Area under receiving operating characteristic curve for BNP-2 (at the end of spontaneous breathing test) to predict weaning failure. Figure 1 (abstract P127). P130 Prediction of post-extubation failure by portable ICU ultrasound Y Sutherasan, P Theerawit, T Hongpanat, C Kiatboonsri, S Kiatboonsri Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P130 (doi: 10.1186/cc10737) Effi cacy of IAPS in each of these patient groups was studied. Methods We conducted a prospective, observational study from December 2010 to September 2011 using portable critical care ultrasound to examine air-column width diff erences of vocal cords before and after defl ation of a endotracheal cuff balloon. All patients also underwent cuff leak volume tests and vocal cord examination by direct video laryngoscopy. Results The average age was 64.3  ±  17.8 years, APACHE II score 21.0  ±  7.7, and SOFA score 8.4  ±  3.1. Six patients were diagnosed with A, three with B, two with C, and others had multiple diagnoses. Combinations with NPPV or cricothyroidotomy were also successful. Of the patients who required re-intubation, four were re-intubated for reasons other than aspiration. Two had possibly aspirated. Among patients receiving IAPS, the rate of re-intubation due to oropharyngeal aspiration was 8.3%. No major complication was observed. Results We enrolled 101 patients with planned extubation. The overall prevalence of post-extubation stridor and/or vocal cord oedema was 17%. Age, gender, duration of intubation and BMI were not diff erent between patients with and without post-extubation complications. The average sizes of endotracheal tubes were similar in both groups (No. 7.5). The mean diff erence of increasing of air-column width in patients without complications was considerably higher than those with complications (1.9 mm vs. 1.1 mm; P  <0.001). The sensitivity and specifi city at air-column width diff erences ≥1.6 mm were 0.706 and 0.702 respectively. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 0.324 and 0.922. The area under the ROC curve of tracheal ultrasound was 0.823 (95% CI: 0.698 to 0.947) and that of the cuff leak volume test was 0.840 (95% CI: 0.715 to 0.964). Conclusion IAPS is a potential method for supraglottic airway management after extubation that may reduce the re-intubation risk. IAPS is a simple method requiring common instruments. Combined eff ects of IAPS with NPPV or cricothyroidotomy can modify airway management. IAPS is a temporary method in which the exact timing for re-intubation should not be missed. To successfully apply IAPS and reduce aspiration, the suctioning method, duration of application and position of the suctioning tube should be further optimized. Conclusion Portable ICU ultrasound visualising air-column width diff erences between pre and post defl ation cuff balloon is a promising objective tool which aids in prediction of successful extubation. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 48 hours. All statistical analysis were done using SPSS version 16 and the diff erences between the groups were assessed using Student’s t test and the chi-square test. Figure 1 (abstract P131). Intermittent aspiration of pharyngeal secretion. Results Ninety-one patients were included in the analysis – from December 2010 to June 2011. Mean (± SD) age of the population was 71 ± 12 years, mean APACHE II score was 21 ± 7.6, mean duration of MV was 2.6  ±  2 days and mean number of spontaneous breathing trials was 1.3 ± 0.6. Extubation was performed in 33 SA patients (36%) and 58 SP patients (64%), with a similar success rate of 82% and 85%, respectively (P >0.05). Furthermore, no signifi cant diff erences between these groups were found in terms of APACHE II score, time of MV and postextubation distress or complications. Conclusion The outcomes of proceeding extubation in patients seated in armchairs are similar to those extubated in supine position with the head elevated. This new practice can be considered safe and allow extubations to be performed simultaneously with early mobilization. P130 Prediction of post-extubation failure by portable ICU ultrasound Y Sutherasan, P Theerawit, T Hongpanat, C Kiatboonsri, S Kiatboonsri Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P130 (doi: 10.1186/cc10737) 30 Prediction of post-extubation failure by portable ICU ultrasound Y Sutherasan, P Theerawit, T Hongpanat, C Kiatboonsri, S Kiatboonsri Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P130 (doi: 10.1186/cc10737) Prediction of post-extubation failure by portable ICU ultrasound Y Sutherasan, P Theerawit, T Hongpanat, C Kiatboonsri, S Kiatboonsri Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P130 (doi: 10.1186/cc10737) Figure 1 (abstract P131). Intermittent aspiration of pharyngeal secretion. oropharyngeal secretion, we devised a suctioning method: intermittent aspiration of pharyngeal secretion (IAPS). IAPS is a simple, low-cost technique utilizing an intermittent suction unit and a common suction tube (Figure 1), which may reduce the risk of re-intubation on extubated patients requiring supraglottic airway management. oropharyngeal secretion, we devised a suctioning method: intermittent aspiration of pharyngeal secretion (IAPS). IAPS is a simple, low-cost technique utilizing an intermittent suction unit and a common suction tube (Figure 1), which may reduce the risk of re-intubation on extubated patients requiring supraglottic airway management. Methods A retrospective study was performed on 24 patients who received IAPS after extubation from June 2009 to May 2011. A suction tube was placed in the pharynx after extubation. The same suction unit used in intermittent subglottic secretion drainage was applied. IAPS is eff ective for patients with large amounts of oropharyngeal secretion (A), patients with poor laryngopharyngeal function (B), and patients unable to expel viscous sputum (C). Effi cacy of IAPS in each of these patient groups was studied. Introduction Stridor and vocal cord oedema are common in ICU patients. Currently, the cuff leak volume test is a standard technique to assess these complications [1,2]; however, wide variations in terms of its sensitivity and specifi city have been demonstrated in many studies. Recently, ultrasound is a promising noninvasive method widely used in ICU patients and allows visualization of the vocal cords and larynx [3]. Thus, we would like to determine the diagnostic accuracy of portable ultrasound for detection of these post-extubation complications. Methods A retrospective study was performed on 24 patients who received IAPS after extubation from June 2009 to May 2011. A suction tube was placed in the pharynx after extubation. The same suction unit used in intermittent subglottic secretion drainage was applied. IAPS is eff ective for patients with large amounts of oropharyngeal secretion (A), patients with poor laryngopharyngeal function (B), and patients unable to expel viscous sputum (C). Effi cacy of biphasic cuirass ventilation in the critical care department 1. De Bast Y, De Backer D, Moraine JJ, et al.: The cuff leak test to predict failure of tracheal extubation for laryngeal edema. Intensive Care Med 2002, 28:1267-1272. T Yamashita1, Y Taniwaki2, H Takayama2, Y Sakamoto1 1Saga University, Saga, Japan; 2National Hospital Organization Nagasaki Medical Center, Omura, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P132 (doi: 10.1186/cc10739) 2. Chung YH, Chao TY, Chiu CT, et al.: The cuff -leak test is a simple tool to verify severe laryngeal edema in patients undergoing long-term mechanical ventilation. Crit Care Med 2006, 34:409. Introduction Biphasic cuirass ventilation (BCV) assists ventilation by applying intermittent or continuous negative pressure to the thorax. BCV has been reported to improve lung function in various respiratory failures. However, to determine the therapeutic eff ect of BCV is diffi cult, because it is too diffi cult to include animal experiments. Therefore it is important to compile amounts of clinical cases for discussion. We have tried to fi nd a way of developing BCV in critical care. 3. Ding LW, Wang HC, Wu HD, et al.: Laryngeal ultrasound: a useful method in predicting post-extubation stridor. A pilot study. Eur Respir J 2006, 27:384. Introduction Biphasic cuirass ventilation (BCV) assists ventilation by applying intermittent or continuous negative pressure to the thorax. BCV has been reported to improve lung function in various respiratory failures. However, to determine the therapeutic eff ect of BCV is diffi cult, because it is too diffi cult to include animal experiments. Therefore it is important to compile amounts of clinical cases for discussion. We have tried to fi nd a way of developing BCV in critical care. Methods This is a retrospective, nonrandomized study. Before and after BCV, we compared pO2, pCO2, tidal volume, P/F ratio, respiratory index, A-aDO2, shunt ratio, dead space ventilation rate, and chest X-ray. We also performed a questionnaire study about BCV which focused on physicians and nurses working in the ICU. P130 Prediction of post-extubation failure by portable ICU ultrasound Y Sutherasan, P Theerawit, T Hongpanat, C Kiatboonsri, S Kiatboonsri Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P130 (doi: 10.1186/cc10737) Conclusion Portable ICU ultrasound visualising air-column width diff erences between pre and post defl ation cuff balloon is a promising objective tool which aids in prediction of successful extubation. References Conclusion Portable ICU ultrasound visualising air-column width diff erences between pre and post defl ation cuff balloon is a promising objective tool which aids in prediction of successful extubation. Referencesf P132fi Out-of-bed extubation: changing paradigms Area under receiving operating characteristic curve for BNP-2 (at the end of spontaneous breathing test) to predict weaning failure. S47 Intermittent aspiration of pharyngeal secretion for re-intubation prevention T Nakamura, O Nishida, J Shibata, N Kuriyama, Y Hara, M Yumoto Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P131 (doi: 10.1186/cc10738) Methods This is a retrospective, nonrandomized study. Before and after BCV, we compared pO2, pCO2, tidal volume, P/F ratio, respiratory index, A-aDO2, shunt ratio, dead space ventilation rate, and chest X-ray. We also performed a questionnaire study about BCV which focused on physicians and nurses working in the ICU. Introduction The inability of extubated patients to clear oropharyngeal secretion increases the risk of re-intubation. To eliminate excessive S48 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results From April 2008 to May 2010, BCV was performed by applying RTX (Medivent Ltd, London, UK) for 18 patients admitted to the ICU, National Hospital Organization Nagasaki Medical Center. All of them had acute respiratory failure, and 15 of them were intubated and mechanically ventilated. Thirteen were men, and the mean age was 68 years (1 to 82 years). One case could not continue the treatment due to discomfort of wearing the cuirass. We used the control mode (negative pressure –21 cmH2O, positive pressure +7 cmH2O, I:E ratio 1:1). It improved the tidal volume, P/F ratio, shunt ratio in all cases during BCV (P <0.05). Skin damage caused by the cuirass was observed in one case. According to the questionnaire survey, they had some problems about the durability of the urethane of the cuirass, too close to a thin body or deformation. Some of them had no confi dence because of unfamiliarity with the machine. Methods We used the Sensewear Armband (Bodymedia Inc., USA) to measure the Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) in 11 healthy volunteers (36 to 53 years). The 60-second averages of each test condition were made after 20 minutes of stabilization. Test conditions were pre and post baseline (no intervention), 10 cmH2O CPAP (Resmed, Sydney, Australia) and 15 LPM HFT (TNI, Würzburg, Germany) both in room air. Repeated ANOVA with P <0.05.if Results There were no statistically signifi cant diff erences in GSR between pre and post baselines. CPAP produced an increase in GSR compared to both baselines (45%; P <0.05) and to HFT (41%; P <0.05). HFT produced no signifi cant change in GSR compared to baseline. See Figure 1. P133f Introduction In emergency medicine, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has grown up for COPD and acute pulmonary edema through the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Recently, several studies have reported the use of NIV coupled with nebulized bronchodilators to optimize the management of acute asthma patients in emergency departments and ICUs. This has indicated an improvement in gas exchanges, decreased lung resistances and decreased work of breathing. The purpose of this study is to assess prehospital practices in CPAP for these patients, to target patients for its use, and to compare clinical data before and after achievement of CPAP with nebulization. Introduction In emergency medicine, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has grown up for COPD and acute pulmonary edema through the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Recently, several studies have reported the use of NIV coupled with nebulized bronchodilators to optimize the management of acute asthma patients in emergency departments and ICUs. This has indicated an improvement in gas exchanges, decreased lung resistances and decreased work of breathing. The purpose of this study is to assess prehospital practices in CPAP for these patients, to target patients for its use, and to compare clinical data before and after achievement of CPAP with nebulization. Methods We have conducted a retrospective, descriptive and observational study, by collecting all fi les (EMA, Dispatching Center) for each patient receiving CPAP associated with nebulization, for pulmonary bronchospasm (excluding acute pulmonary edema), and supported by the emergency medical service. Several data were analyzed: age, sex, history, severity signs, cardiac and respiratory rate, blood pressure, pulse oxymetry, need for intubation, nebulization of β2-agonists, anticholinergics, intravenous corticosteroids, and arterial blood gases. Intermittent aspiration of pharyngeal secretion for re-intubation prevention Conclusion GSR is a measurement of the sympathetic component of the autonomic nervous system. It is commonly referred to as the ‘Fight or Flight’ response, and when elevated indicates a state of psychological or physiological stress. Our data suggest that CPAP produces an increase in the GSR compared to rest, whilst TNI therapy produces no change in GSR compared to rest. This increased stress may lead to lower patient compliance when using CPAP therapy compared to TNI therapy, which has very high patient compliance rates. y Conclusion We conclude that BCV is also useful for respiratory care in the ICU. Further confi rmation is needed regarding problems such as the criteria to start and terminate BCV. References 1. Chari S, King J, Rajesh PB, Stuart-Smith K: Resolution of left lower lobe collapse postesophagectomy using the Medivent RTX respirator, a novel noninvasive respiratory support system. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2004, 18:482-485. 2. Dolmage TE, De Rosie JA, Avendano MA, Goldstein RS: Eff ect of external 2. Dolmage TE, De Rosie JA, Avendano MA, Goldstein RS: Eff ect of external chest wall oscillation on gas exchange in healthy subjects. Chest 1995, 2. Dolmage TE, De Rosie JA, Avendano MA, Goldstein RS: Eff ect of external chest wall oscillation on gas exchange in healthy subjects. Chest 1995, 107:433-439. 3. Ciesla ND: Chest physical therapy for patients in the intensive care unit. Phys Ther 1996, 76:609-625. Management of acute bronchospasm respiratory distress with CPAP ventilation associated with nebulization in the prehospital emergency setting y 4. Rocker GM, Mckenzie MG, Williams B, Logan PM: Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation:successful outcome in patients with acute lung injury/ARDS. Chest 1999, 115:173-177. Management of acute bronchospasm respiratory distress with CPAP ventilation associated with nebulization in the prehospital emergency setting J Cuny, C Berteloot, P Goldstein, E Wiel CHRU de Lille, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P134 (doi: 10.1186/cc10741) g y g J Cuny, C Berteloot, P Goldstein, E Wiel CHRU de Lille, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P134 (doi: 10.1186/cc10741) 5. Hill NS: Clinical applications of body ventilators. Chest 1986, 90:897. 5. Hill NS: Clinical applications of body ventilators. Chest 1986, 90:897. P135 Diff erence between continuous positive airway pressure via mask therapy plus chest physiotherapy (CPT) and incentive spirometry therapy plus CPT to treat or prevent acute atelectasis after cardiac surgery F ALMutairi1, S Fallows1, W Abukhudair2, B Islam2 1University of Chester, Manchester, UK; 2King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P135 (doi: 10.1186/cc10742) P135 Diff erence between continuous positive airway pressure via mask therapy plus chest physiotherapy (CPT) and incentive spirometry therapy plus CPT to treat or prevent acute atelectasis after cardiac surgery F ALMutairi1, S Fallows1, W Abukhudair2, B Islam2 1University of Chester, Manchester, UK; 2King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P135 (doi: 10.1186/cc10742) g y F ALMutairi1, S Fallows1, W Abukhudair2, B Islam2 1University of Chester, Manchester, UK; 2King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P135 (doi: 10.1186/cc10742) Introduction All types of therapy such as an incentive spirometry (IS) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) have a valuable role to play in the prevention or the treatment of acute atelectasis. However, the type of therapy that should be used is not yet completely clear. This study aims to clarify the diff erence in eff ectiveness between CPAP therapy plus chest physiotherapy (CPT) and IS therapy plus CPT to treat or prevent acute atelectasis. Results The paO2 was highest under NIV with 129 ± 38 mmHg, followed by NHFO2 (101 ± 34 mmHg, P <0.01 vs. NIV) and VM (85 ± 21 mmHg, P <0.001 vs. NIV, P <0.01 vs. NHFO2, ANOVA). All other vital and blood gas parameters did not show signifi cant diff erences. Dyspnea rating on a 10-point Borg scale was signifi cantly better under NHFO2 (2.9 ± 2.1) and VM (3.3  ±  2.3) compared to NIV (5.0  ±  3.3) (P <0.05, vs. NHFO2 or VM). Comfort rating showed similar results: NHFO2 2.7  ±  1.8; VM 3.1 ± 2.8; NIV 5.4 ± 3.1 (P <0.05, NIV vs. NHFO2 or VM). In the fi nal global rating using German school grades from 1 to 6 NHFO2 also received the best rating (2.3 ± 1.4), followed by VM (3.2 ± 1.7, P = NS vs. NHFO2) and NIV (4.5 ± 1.7, P <0.01 vs. NHFO2 and P <0.05 vs. VM). For further treatment 10 patients chose NHFO2, three VM and one NIV. Methods Seventy-two patients who fi t the inclusive criteria (smoker, hemodynamically stable, normal lung and above 50 years old) participated in this study. The participants were divided randomly into two groups: the control group used IS 15 times per hour plus CPT 4 hours for 3 days, and the trial group used CPAP via mask therapy for half an hour every 2 hours plus CPT 4 hours. Short-term eff ect of humidifi ed high nasal fl ow oxygen in critically ill patients p F Van Beers, A Van Hees, J Van Rosmalen, D Ramnarain St Elisabeth Hospital Tilburg, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P137 (doi: 10.1186/cc10744) if Conclusion Adding chest physiotherapy to CPAP via mask therapy had better outcomes to treat or prevent acute postoperative atelectasis. P136 Nasal high-fl ow oxygen in patients with hypoxic respiratory failure: eff ect on functional and subjective respiratory parameters compared to conventional oxygen therapy and noninvasive ventilation R Riessen, N Schwabbauer, B Berg, G Blumenstock, M Haap, J Hetzel University Hospital Tübingen, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P136 (doi: 10.1186/cc10743) Introduction This study compared a nasal high flow oxygen therapy Figure 1 (abstract P135). Eff ect of adding CPT to CPAP via mask therapy to treat acute atelectasis. Figure 1 (abstract P135). Eff ect of adding CPT to CPAP via mask therapy to treat acute atelectasis. Figure 1 (abstract P135). Eff ect of adding CPT to CPAP via mask therapy to treat acute atelectasis. Introduction Recently, humidifi ed high-fl ow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNC) has gained popularity in treating patients with acute respiratory insuffi ciency. Studies have shown that HFNC generates a low level of positive airway pressure, reduction of airway resistance and fl ushes nasopharyngeal dead space leading to less work of breathing. However, in which type of patient HFNC could be of benefi t, the short-term as well as long-term eff ects, tolerance and outcome are unknown. We used HFNC in a variety of patients. We evaluated the short-term eff ect of HFNC. Methods We retrospectively studied respiratory, oxygen-derived and hemodynamic parameters before and 1 hour after start of HFNC in 50 patients during the past 12 months. All patients were treated in a mixed medical, surgical, neurological ICU of a teaching hospital. The HFNC used consisted of an air–oxygen blender with adjustable FiO2 (0.21 to 1.0), delivering a modifi able gas fl ow up to 60 l/minute (Optifl ow; Fisher & Paykel, Auckland, New Zealand). y Results Fifty patients were included, 29 men and 21 women, mean age 65 ± 14, mean APACHE II score on admission 19 ± 5.9. The mean duration of HFNC was 22 ± 21 hours. Diff erences in neurophysiologic eff ects between CPAP and a novel high-fl ow therapy systemfi fi Special Care Technologies, Banbury, UK y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P133 (doi: 10.1186/cc10740) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P133 (doi: 10.1186/cc10740) Introduction CPAP therapy for respiratory insuffi ciency is an established and accepted mode of therapy; however, patient compliance remains an issue. Recent studies have shown that high-fl ow therapy (HFT), which uses high fl ows of warmed and humidifi ed air/O2 mixtures through a nasal cannula, can also be eff ective in treating respiratory insuffi ciency. Although a nasal cannula is commonly preferred over a CPAP mask, patient comfort with HFT and CPAP has not been measured empirically. We sought to examine the autonomic neurophysiologic responses as a measure of comfort between these therapies. Methods We have conducted a retrospective, descriptive and observational study, by collecting all fi les (EMA, Dispatching Center) for each patient receiving CPAP associated with nebulization, for pulmonary bronchospasm (excluding acute pulmonary edema), and supported by the emergency medical service. Several data were analyzed: age, sex, history, severity signs, cardiac and respiratory rate, blood pressure, pulse oxymetry, need for intubation, nebulization of β2-agonists, anticholinergics, intravenous corticosteroids, and arterial blood gases. Figure 1 (abstract P133). g Results Over an 18-month period, 21 patients were enrolled: 38% for severe asthma, and 62% for COPD exacerbation. Regarding the history: 67% were under long-term corticosteroid, 48% smokers, 29% received antibiotics, and all of them presented a clinical bronchospasm, and severity criteria for respiratory distress. Sixty percent of patients were hypoxic (SpO2  <92%). All patients received salbutamol inhalation, associated with inhaled anticholinergic agent in 71.4%. Intravenous glucocorticoid drug was dispensed in 71.4% and intravenous salbutamol in 23.8%. None of the asthma patients was intubated, fi ve COPD patients (24.8%) were intubated. Twelve patients were admitted to the ICU (one with asthma and 11 with COPD). Comparison of clinical parameters between prehospital care and the emergency room shows a signifi cant diff erence (P <0.05) for respiratory rate (35.9  ±  7.48 vs. 24.95 ± 8.25) and pulse oxymetry (81.8 ± 15.8 vs. 96.4 ± 3.54). Conclusion NIV through CPAP associated with nebulizations appears to provide benefi t by reducing respiratory work (decreased respiratory rate) and improving alveolar ventilation (increased SpO2) in patients with asthma. However, in COPD patients, no improvement of symptoms has been observed. P135 Diff erence between continuous positive airway pressure via mask therapy plus chest physiotherapy (CPT) and incentive spirometry therapy plus CPT to treat or prevent acute atelectasis after cardiac surgery F ALMutairi1, S Fallows1, W Abukhudair2, B Islam2 1University of Chester, Manchester, UK; 2King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P135 (doi: 10.1186/cc10742) The inspiratory capacity (IC) in liters was used to compare the two groups of therapy and it was measured by incentive spirometer after the operation as baseline test, after 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours and post therapy. At the same time, RR, HR and SpO2 were measured for both groups. Failure was defi ned as a need for advanced therapy. 2 Conclusion NHFO2 is a promising new device for oxygen supply in respiratory failure, off ering better oxygenation than the VM and better patient comfort and tolerance than NIV. Results Thirty-six patients participated in each group (57 male and 15 female). IC was increased signifi cantly in the CPAP group (P = 0.005) and SpO2 was decreased signifi cantly in the control group (P = 0.037). There were no signifi cant diff erences in RR and HR. See Figure 1. Diff erences in neurophysiologic eff ects between CPAP and a novel high-fl ow therapy systemfi Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S49 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P135f Methods We included 14 patients with hypoxic respiratory failure (paO2 <55 mmHg under room air). Exclusion criteria were ventilatory failure, hemodynamic instability, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, NIV contraindications and inability to cooperate. Patients were treated in a randomized order for 30 minutes each with NHFO2 (Optifl ow®; Fisher-Paykel), VM or NIV, using a FiO2 of 0.6. Every treatment phase was preceded by a 15-minute baseline phase in which the patients received oxygen via a standard nasal prong (SaO2 goal >88%). At the end of each treatment phase vital signs and blood gases were measured and patients rated their dyspnea and their general comfort on a 10-point scale. Finally, patients were ask for a global rating of all three devices ranging from 1 (very good) to 6 (failed) and could choose one device for further treatment. Short-term eff ect of humidifi ed high nasal fl ow oxygen in critically ill patients Indications for HFNC could be divided into fi ve categories: (1) no acceptance of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) (n = 8), (2) weaning from NPPV, (3) hypoxia (n = 14), (4) respiratory distress/discomfort (n = 9), and (5) other (n = 5). Despite the use of HFNC, in 15 patients intubation was unavoidable; group 1, n  =  8, group 3, n  =  6, group 4, n  =  1. Oxygen saturation increased from 91 ± 7.2 to 97.5 ± 1.7 (P ≤0.05). PaO2/FiO2 ratio increased from 140 ± 79.1 to 169.8 ± 68 (P ≤0.05). PCO2 decreased from 6.5 ± 3.0 to 6.2 ± 2.9 mmHg (P ≤0.05). No signifi cant diff erences were seen in heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate. Ten patients died, in eight patients of which the policy was not to reanimate and not to be intubated due to extensive comorbidity. Two patients died during treatment in the ICU due to underlying disease. P139 The group that was in need of endotracheal intubation showed a less prominent response to 1-hour HNF therapy, expressed in PaO2 (13.2 ± 2.6 kPa vs. 16.1 ± 3.4 kPa, P = 0.548), saturation (94.4 ± 1.6% vs. 96.5 ± 0.8%, P = 0.228) and breathing frequency (25 ± 2.4/minute vs. 22  ±  2/minute, P  =  0.357). The duration of HNF therapy was 26.1 ± 6.3 hours in the nonintubated group and 15.1 ± 9.8 hours for those who were intubated (P = 0.345). fi Methods A prospective observational study during a 6-month period in patients ≥18 years with acute hypoxic respiratory failure when conservative oxygen therapy (15 l/minute) failed. Arterial blood gas analysis was done before HNF therapy and after 1 hour on fl ow 50 l/ minute with FiO2 1.0. Breaths per minute and saturation were noted. When patients remained respiratory insuffi cient they were intubated. Methods All intubated patients who were admitted to the Ipswich Hospital ICU between April and December 2010 were identifi ed and data relating to basic demographics, airway management and the use of capnography were collected. An airway was classed as diffi cult if there were two or more attempts at intubation, a bougie was used, or it was Cormack–Lehane grade III/IV. Complications arising from airway intubation were also noted. Results A total of 139 intubations on 118 patients were identifi ed. Fifty-eight (42%) intubations occurred on the ICU, 41 (29%) in the emergency department (ED) and fi ve (4%) on the ward; 29 (21%) intubations occurred in theatre for surgery and six (4%) out of hospital. Of the 104 intubations on the ICU, ED or ward, nine (9%) were classed as diffi cult and there were 21 (20%) documented complications (hypoxia, hypotension, oesophageal intubation, cardiac arrest and aspiration). Complication rates were similar across junior trainees, senior trainees and consultants. Only 27% of all intubated patients received continuous capnography. g y Conclusion Our fi ndings are consistent with the NAP4 view that airway management outside the controlled confi nes of a theatre setting has the potential to be more diffi cult. Steps should be taken to minimise the risk associated with this procedure, including a thorough airway assessment, use of continuous capnography and the presence of suitably trained operators and assistants. P139 P139 An audit of airway complications in a district general hospital ICU JW Chan, KJ Turner, R Lloyd, R Howard-Griffi n Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Ipswich, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P139 (doi: 10.1186/cc10746) Good response on high nasal oxygen fl ow reduces the need for intubation in adult respiratory failure L Van Wagenberg, IM Hoekstra, GC Admiraal, M Slabbekoorn Medisch Centrum Haaglanden, Den Haag, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P138 (doi: 10.1186/cc10745) Good response on high nasal oxygen fl ow reduces the need for intubation in adult respiratory failure Introduction The 4th National Audit Project of The Royal College of Anaesthetists and The Diffi cult Airway Society (NAP4) highlighted the increased incidence of airway-related complications in an ICU setting [1]. The aim of this audit was to establish our local ICU airway intubation complication rate as well as our compliance with the NAP4 recommendation that continuous capnography should be used on all intubated patients. Introduction High nasal fl ow (HNF) therapy has proven its effi ciency in acute respiratory failure when compared to conservative oxygen therapy [1]. This study was performed to fi nd a responding and nonresponding group on HNF therapy in adults with hypoxic respiratory insuffi ciency measured by oxygenation and work of breathing. fi y y yg g Methods A prospective observational study during a 6-month period in patients ≥18 years with acute hypoxic respiratory failure when conservative oxygen therapy (15 l/minute) failed. Arterial blood gas analysis was done before HNF therapy and after 1 hour on fl ow 50 l/ minute with FiO2 1.0. Breaths per minute and saturation were noted. When patients remained respiratory insuffi cient they were intubated. Results A total of 20 patients was included. Mean age 63.95 ± 3 years and APACHE II score 23 ± 7. Mean PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) ratio on admission was 77.7 ± 4.2. A total of seven out of 20 patients (35%) needed endotracheal intubation. After 1 hour of HNF therapy PaO2 and saturation measured in arterial blood gas signifi cantly increased from respectively 8.9 ± 0.3 kPa to 16.1 ± 2.4 kPa (P = 0.023) and from 91.8 ± 1.2% to 96.5 ± 0.8% (P = 0.001). Work of breathing, measured by the frequency of breathing, signifi cantly decreased from 35 ± 3 times a minute to 22 ± 2 times a minute. Multidisciplinary care for patients with tracheostomy shortened time to decannulation A Van Hees, F Van Beers, J Van Rosmalen, D Ramnarain, W Van den Wildenberg St Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P140 (doi: 10.1186/cc10747) A Van Hees, F Van Beers, J Van Rosmalen, D Ramnarain, W Van den Wildenberg St Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P140 (doi: 10.1186/cc10747) Introduction Care for cannulated patients in our hospital is not uniform and clear, leading to an unnecessarily long period of cannulation and even unsafe situations. Therefore our hospital formed a specialized multidisciplinary cannula team (SMCT) consisting of an intensivist, three ventilation practitioners and a registered nurse. The aim of this team was to shorten the period of cannulation and to guarantee uniform care and safety around cannulated patients in our ICU and on the ward. Methods The study was conducted in the mixed medical and neurosurgical ICU of a teaching hospital with a duration of 22 months. Two groups of patients were studied. Group one received PDT before introduction of a SMCT (n = 49) and group two received PDT (n = 27) after introduction of a SMCT. During treatment in the ICU and after discharge, all patients were followed by the cannula team. This team eventually made the decision to decannulate the patients. We evaluated the results of a multidisciplinary cannula team (SMCT) during a follow-up period of 22 months. Results For patient data see Table 1. Seventy-six patients were included in this study. The study showed a reduction in time to decannulation after a mechanical ventilation period of 8.4 days. However clinically relevant, this was not statistically signifi cant. Methods The study was conducted in the mixed medical and neurosurgical ICU of a teaching hospital with a duration of 22 months. Two groups of patients were studied. Group one received PDT before introduction of a SMCT (n = 49) and group two received PDT (n = 27) after introduction of a SMCT. During treatment in the ICU and after discharge, all patients were followed by the cannula team. This team eventually made the decision to decannulate the patients. We evaluated the results of a multidisciplinary cannula team (SMCT) during a follow-up period of 22 months. Figure 1 (abstract P138). PaO2 after 1-hour HNF therapy. Figure 1 (abstract P138). PaO2 after 1-hour HNF therapy. Results For patient data see Table 1. Seventy-six patients were included in this study. P140 Multidisciplinary care for patients with tracheostomy shortened time to decannulation A Van Hees, F Van Beers, J Van Rosmalen, D Ramnarain, W Van den Wildenberg St Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P140 (doi: 10.1186/cc10747) P139 The fi nding that complications occurred at a similar rate regardless of the seniority could be explained by more senior staff intubating the most unwell patients. Reference Conclusion All included patients did have a reduced P/F ratio and are therefore to be considered severely respiratory compromised. PaO2 and saturation increased with the use of HNF therapy, while work of breathing decreased. These changes were less prominent in the nonresponding group (Figure 1). The nonresponders, except one, were intubated within 15 hours after the start of HNF therapy. Reference 1. Cook TM, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2011, 106:632-642. 1. Cook TM, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2011, 106:632-642. 1. Roca et al.: Respir Care 2010, 55:408-413. 1. Roca et al.: Respir Care 2010, 55:408-413. Figure 1 (abstract P138). PaO2 after 1-hour HNF therapy. P136 P136 Nasal high-fl ow oxygen in patients with hypoxic respiratory failure: eff ect on functional and subjective respiratory parameters compared to conventional oxygen therapy and noninvasive ventilation R Riessen, N Schwabbauer, B Berg, G Blumenstock, M Haap, J Hetzel University Hospital Tübingen, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P136 (doi: 10.1186/cc10743) P136 Nasal high-fl ow oxygen in patients with hypoxic respiratory failure: eff ect on functional and subjective respiratory parameters compared to conventional oxygen therapy and noninvasive ventilation R Riessen, N Schwabbauer, B Berg, G Blumenstock, M Haap, J Hetzel University Hospital Tübingen, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P136 (doi: 10.1186/cc10743) Conclusion We used HFNC therapy for a variety of indications. In 70% of our study population HFNC was successful. Oxygen-derived parameters signifi cantly increased after 1 hour of HFNC. HFNC was successful and well tolerated in patients weaning from NPPV. After noncompliance of NPPV in 42% of patients in our population, intubation could be avoided with the use of HFNC. Introduction This study compared a nasal high-fl ow oxygen therapy (NHFO2) with conventional oxygen therapy via a Venturi mask (VM) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in patients with hypoxic respiratory failure. Study endpoints were functional respiratory parameters, dyspnea, patient comfort and a global rating by the patients. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S50 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P138 Infl uence of percutaneous tracheostomy on gas exchange in mechanically ventilated patients Introduction The infl uence of percutaneous tracheostomy on patients’ ventilator-dependency and clinical outcomes has been deeply investigated [1]. However, except for immediate intraprocedural variations [2], tracheostomy’s impact on gas exchange has scarcely been explored. The aim of the present study is to investigate the persisting eff ects of percutaneous tracheostomy on pulmonary function in a group of ICU-admitted patients. Conclusion PDT is an extremely safe procedure when performed by an experienced intensivist under bronchoscopic guidance. Our low complication rate is due to careful screening and selection of patients and being performed or supervised by an experienced intensivist under direct vision. Methods Clinical records of 107 patients from San Gerardo Hospital General and neurosurgical ICUs that underwent a percutaneous tracheostomy were retrospectively revised to compare ventilator settings, gas exchange and hemodynamic parameters on the day before and on the day after the procedure. For each parameter we averaged the values of three diff erent recordings during the day. A pre-established subgroup analysis on the hypoxemic (PaO2/FiO2 <300 mmHg) patients (n = 38) was performed. Analyses were performed by paired t test and linear regression; a level of P <0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant. P143 1. Terragni PP, et al.: JAMA 2010, 303:1483-1489. Risk factors for poor outcome in patients with osmotic demyelination syndrome y y MA Peters1, JG Van der Hoeven2, C Hoedemaekers2 1Canisius Wilhemina Hospital, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; 2Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P143 (doi: 10.1186/cc10750) y y MA Peters1, JG Van der Hoeven2, C Hoedemaekers2 1Canisius Wilhemina Hospital, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; 2Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P143 (doi: 10.1186/cc10750) MA Peters1, JG Van der Hoeven2, C Hoedemaekers2 1Canisius Wilhemina Hospital, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; 2Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P143 (doi: 10.1186/cc10750) y gi Results Among all analyzed patients, we found, after tracheostomy, a marginal decrease in PaCO2 (43 ± 9 vs. 42 ± 8 mmHg, before vs. after P <0.01) and increase in pH (7.43 ± 0.04 vs. 7.44 ± 0.03 mmHg, before vs. after P <0.01), with no variation in PaO2/FiO2. Considering the subgroup of hypoxemic patients, despite unchanged ventilator parameters, after the tracheostomy a higher PaO2/FiO2 (222 ± 60 mmHg vs. 256 ± 84 mmHg, before vs. after P <0.01) and a lower PaCO2 (46 ± 11 vs. 43 ± 9 mmHg, before vs. after P <0.01) were found. For hypoxemic patients, a positive correlation was found between PaCO2 on the day before tracheostomy and the decrease of PaCO2 (r2 = 0.29; P <0.01). Moreover, taking in account the subgroup of hypoxemic patients under pressure support ventilation (n  =  28), the PaCO2 decrease was loosely but signifi cantly correlated with the pressure support level on the day before the procedure (r2 = 0.25; P <0.01). Introduction The osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) is a devastating complication of rapid correction of hyponatremia. The objective of this study was to identify prognostic factors that determine outcome in patients with ODS. outcome in patients with ODS. Methods We performed a literature search using MEDLINE and Embase. Case reports or case series were eligible for this study in cases of: (1) hyponatremia defi ned as a serum sodium ≤130 mEq/l on hospital admission or thereafter, but preceding the clinical signs of ODS; (2) a clear diagnosis of ODS, confi rmed by MRI scanning or pathology; and (3) a description of patient outcome. We defi ned a favourable outcome as a Glasgow Outcome Score >3 or a Modifi ed Rankin Scale <4. Results A total of 120 manuscripts were identifi ed describing 125 cases: 86/125 (69%) had a favourable outcome. 2. Benini A, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2002, 28:726-730. P142 Bronchoscope-guided percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy performed by an experienced intensivist: a 26-month experience at a tertiary care center in United Arab Emirates y M Rahman, R Ammar, D Abdullah, F Chedid, S Abuhasna Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P142 (doi: 10.1186/cc10749) Introduction Bedside percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is a safe procedure with an acute complication rate of 10 to 15%. Our hypothesis was that having an experienced person performing or supervising the procedure results in extremely low complications with PDT. We formed a tracheostomy team which always included at least a consultant or specialist experienced (at least 25 procedures) in performing the procedure. Methods A retrospective chart review of all patients who had PDT in a multidisciplinary adult medical surgical ICU during November 2008 to December 2010. The patients’ demographics, indications for intubation and PDT, early and late complications, date weaned off the ventilator, date of decannulation, discharge from ICU and hospital, and outcome of these patients in the hospital were noted. Conclusion With the introduction of a SMCT a clinically relevant reduction of cannulation period could be achieved. The group was small and probably underpowered to show a statistically signifi cant reduction in the cannulation period. p p Results Out of a total of 2,364 admission 57 patients underwent PDT, all with bronchoscopic guidance by an intensivist experienced in PDT (>25 procedures); there were 45 (78.9%) males and 12 (21%) females with the median age of 42 (range 18 to 90) years. The most common admission diagnosis was cardiac arrest n = 14 (24%) followed by severe head injury n = 13(23%) and cerebrovascular accident n = 8 (14%). The commonest indication for tracheostomy was airway protection n = 40 (73%) followed by prolonged mechanical ventilation n = 25 (45%). The median duration of intubation before PDT was 11 days (IQ 8 to 18). The median time elapsed between tracheostomy and weaning of ventilator was 1 day (IQ 1 to 3). However, the median time to decannulation was 37 day (IQ 10 to 136). Acute complication of paratracheal insertion occurred in n  =  1 (1.8%) patient. No deaths were reported related to the procedure. However, n = 13 (22.8%) patients died during the hospital stay. No procedure was converted to surgical tracheostomy. The median duration between tracheostomy and discharge from ICU was 12 days (IQ 5 to 21). Chronic complication of subglottic stenosis occurred in n = 1 (1.8%) patient. Multidisciplinary care for patients with tracheostomy shortened time to decannulation The study showed a reduction in time to decannulation after a mechanical ventilation period of 8.4 days. However clinically relevant, this was not statistically signifi cant. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S51 Conclusion With the introduction of a SMCT a clinically relevant reduction of cannulation period could be achieved. The group was small and probably underpowered to show a statistically signifi cant reduction in the cannulation period. Table 1 (abstract P140). Results of comparative analysis between patients before and after the cannula team Pre-cannula Post-cannula team (n = 49) team (n = 27) Age (years) 52.2 ± 16.3 56.4 ± 16.8 APACHE II score 20.9 ± 5.2 21.4 ± 5.7 Intubated days before tracheostomy 12.8 ± 7.9 9.9 ± 7.3 Length of stay in ICU 34.1 ± 4.7 36.6 ± 28.9 Cannulation days 22 ± 15.4 20 ± 0.7 Mechanical ventilation after tracheostomy 9.3 ± 7.4 9.1 ± 9 Tracheostomy after mechanical ventilation 18.2 ± 27.7 9.8 ± 9.5 Table 1 (abstract P140). Results of comparative analysis between patients before and after the cannula team P142 Bronchoscope-guided percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy performed by an experienced intensivist: a 26-month experience at a tertiary care center in United Arab Emirates M Rahman, R Ammar, D Abdullah, F Chedid, S Abuhasna Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P142 (doi: 10.1186/cc10749) P142 Bronchoscope-guided percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy performed by an experienced intensivist: a 26-month experience at a tertiary care center in United Arab Emirates P142 Bronchoscope-guided percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy performed by an experienced intensivist: a 26-month experience at a tertiary care center in United Arab Emirates P141 Infl uence of percutaneous tracheostomy on gas exchange in mechanically ventilated patients A Pradella1, G Bellani1, S Abd El Aziz El Sayed Deab1, T Mauri1, E Rezoagli1, S Arrigoni1, F Leone1, G Citerio2, A Pesenti1 1University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy; 2San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P141 (doi: 10.1186/cc10748) Risk factors for poor outcome in patients with osmotic demyelination syndrome The highest sodium concentration after correction was signifi cantly higher in the patients with a poor outcome (139.0 ± 9.3 vs. 134.0  ±  7.3, P  =  0.003). Serum osmolality, and concentrations of potassium, chloride, creatinin and glucose were comparable between the outcome groups. The development of tetraparesis (55/125 (44%), P = 0.02) or a decreased level of consciousness (58/125 (46%), P <0.001) were associated with a poor outcome. In contrast, mutism or dysarthria (82/125 (66%), P = 0.002), tremors (29/125 (23%), P = 0.001) or ataxia (58/125 (46%), P <0.001) were associated with a favourable outcome. Conclusion The highest serum sodium concentration during sodium correction rather than the speed of sodium correction or severity of the hyponatremia is a determinant of outcome in patients with ODS. The development of tetraparesis and decreased consciousness are associated with a poor outcome in these patients. patients. We investigated the epidemiology of dysnatremia in a large cohort of surgical ICU patients and evaluated the possible infl uence of the time of acquisition of dysnatremia and fl uctuations in serum sodium concentrations on hospital mortality in these patients. out of 125 (34%) of cases were associated with alcohol abuse, 14/125 (11%) with malnutrition, 26/125 (21%) with use of diuretics and 9/125 (7%) with use of psychoactive medication; none of these characteristics were signifi cantly related to outcome. The sodium concentration on admission was 107.3 ± 9.6 in the patients with a favourable outcome versus 108.4 ± 9.4 in the patients with a poor outcome (P = 0.54). The speed of sodium correction was 1.12 ± 1.6 mmol/hour versus 1.16 ± 0.9 mmol/hour respectively in the favourable and poor outcome cases (P  =  0.19). The highest sodium concentration after correction was signifi cantly higher in the patients with a poor outcome (139.0 ± 9.3 vs. 134.0  ±  7.3, P  =  0.003). Serum osmolality, and concentrations of potassium, chloride, creatinin and glucose were comparable between the outcome groups. The development of tetraparesis (55/125 (44%), P = 0.02) or a decreased level of consciousness (58/125 (46%), P <0.001) were associated with a poor outcome. In contrast, mutism or dysarthria (82/125 (66%), P = 0.002), tremors (29/125 (23%), P = 0.001) or ataxia (58/125 (46%), P <0.001) were associated with a favourable outcome. sod u co ce t at o s o osp ta o ta ty t ese pat e ts. Impact of ketogenesis and strong ion diff erence on acid–base in our CICU The administration of large volumes of chloride-rich fl uids (as may occur during cardiac surgery to prime the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit or resuscitate the patient) is known to induce hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis [1]. Using simplifi cations of the original Fencl–Stewart’s equations, it is possible to partition the base defi cit into its constituent parts, subsequently determining the relative contribution of chloride, albumin and unmeasured anions to acidosis [2,3]. Ketone production may contribute signifi cantly to the unmeasured anion component. Methods A prospective cohort analysis. Fifty postoperative cardiac patients were recruited. For each we measured urinary ketones three times per day for the fi rst 48 hours of their CICU admission. Arterial blood gas (ABG) data were recorded in conjunction each time. For each blood gas we partitioned the base defi cit into its constituent components using previously published equations [1-3]. Results A total of 231 ABGs were analysed Urinary ketones were Conclusion We found no evidence that increased ADH secretion would explain low sodium levels in Legionella patients, or other pneumonia patients, challenging the common believe of Legionella causing SIADH. Rather, ADH precursors were upregulated as a response to severe disease. Future studies continuing to explore the cause of sodium disturbance in Legionella are warranted. yi y Methods A prospective cohort analysis. Fifty postoperative cardiac patients were recruited. For each we measured urinary ketones three times per day for the fi rst 48 hours of their CICU admission. Arterial blood gas (ABG) data were recorded in conjunction each time. For each blood gas we partitioned the base defi cit into its constituent components using previously published equations [1-3]. Risk factors for poor outcome in patients with osmotic demyelination syndrome Mean age in the favourable outcome group was 44.7 ± 14.4 years versus 52.3 ± 13.6 years in the poor outcome group (P = 0.006). The ODS was exclusively pontine in 44/125 (35%), extrapontine in 34/125 (37%) and combined pontine and extrapontine in 47/125 (37%) of cases. The anatomical localisation of the lesion was not associated with outcome (P = 0.64). Forty-two Methods We performed a literature search using MEDLINE and Embase. Case reports or case series were eligible for this study in cases of: (1) hyponatremia defi ned as a serum sodium ≤130 mEq/l on hospital admission or thereafter, but preceding the clinical signs of ODS; (2) a clear diagnosis of ODS, confi rmed by MRI scanning or pathology; and (3) a description of patient outcome. We defi ned a favourable outcome as a Glasgow Outcome Score >3 or a Modifi ed Rankin Scale <4.i gi Results A total of 120 manuscripts were identifi ed describing 125 cases: 86/125 (69%) had a favourable outcome. Mean age in the favourable outcome group was 44.7 ± 14.4 years versus 52.3 ± 13.6 years in the poor outcome group (P = 0.006). The ODS was exclusively pontine in 44/125 (35%), extrapontine in 34/125 (37%) and combined pontine and extrapontine in 47/125 (37%) of cases. The anatomical localisation of the lesion was not associated with outcome (P = 0.64). Forty-two p Conclusion In a relatively large cohort of mechanically ventilated patients, percutaneous tracheostomy seems to increase the carbon dioxide elimination. This eff ect was even more pronounced in the subgroup of hypoxic patients, in whom also oxygenation improved. References S52 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 out of 125 (34%) of cases were associated with alcohol abuse, 14/125 (11%) with malnutrition, 26/125 (21%) with use of diuretics and 9/125 (7%) with use of psychoactive medication; none of these characteristics were signifi cantly related to outcome. The sodium concentration on admission was 107.3 ± 9.6 in the patients with a favourable outcome versus 108.4 ± 9.4 in the patients with a poor outcome (P = 0.54). The speed of sodium correction was 1.12 ± 1.6 mmol/hour versus 1.16 ± 0.9 mmol/hour respectively in the favourable and poor outcome cases (P  =  0.19). Impact of ketogenesis and strong ion diff erence on acid–base in our CICU Impact of ketogenesis and strong ion diff erence on acid–base in our CICU T Clark, B McGrath, P Murphy, M Jayarajah Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P146 (doi: 10.1186/cc10753) yp g p Methods We measured CT-ProVasopressin and sodium levels in a prospective cohort of 925 pneumonia patients from a previous multicenter study with 31 patients having positive antigen tests for Legionella pneumophilia. We calculated Spearman rank correlations and multivariate regression models. T Clark, B McGrath, P Murphy, M Jayarajah Derriford Hospital Plymouth UK Results Legionella patients had higher rates of hyponatremia (sodium <130 mmol/l) (43% vs. 8%, P <0.01), but similar median CT- ProVasopressin levels (pmol/l) (20 (12 to 26) vs. 26 (13 to 53), P = 0.89) compared to pneumonia of other etiology. In Legionella patients, high CT-ProVasopressin was not associated with low sodium levels, but showed a positive correlation with sodium levels (r = 0.42, P <0.05). Independent of pneumonia etiology, CT-ProVasopressin were signifi cantly correlated with the pneumonia severity index (r = 0.56, P <0.05) and showed an association with risk for ICU admission (odds ratio per decile, 95% CI) (1.4, 1.2 to 1.6) and 30-day mortality (1.3, 1.2 1.4). Introduction Persistence of a mild metabolic acidosis or base defi cit was occasionally observed in our otherwise well patients post cardiac surgery, sometimes delaying discharge. We hypothesised that this metabolic abnormality may be due to either ketogenesis caused by a combination of starvation and the surgical stress response, or strong ion imbalances following fl uid administration. The administration of large volumes of chloride-rich fl uids (as may occur during cardiac surgery to prime the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit or resuscitate the patient) is known to induce hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis [1]. Using simplifi cations of the original Fencl–Stewart’s equations, it is possible to partition the base defi cit into its constituent parts, subsequently determining the relative contribution of chloride, albumin and unmeasured anions to acidosis [2,3]. Ketone production may contribute signifi cantly to the unmeasured anion component. Introduction Persistence of a mild metabolic acidosis or base defi cit was occasionally observed in our otherwise well patients post cardiac surgery, sometimes delaying discharge. We hypothesised that this metabolic abnormality may be due to either ketogenesis caused by a combination of starvation and the surgical stress response, or strong ion imbalances following fl uid administration. Is inappropriate secretion of anti-diuretic hormone (SIADH) the cause of hyponatremia in Legionella pneumonia? P Schuetz, S Haubitz, B Mueller, for the ProHOSP Study Group Medical University Clinic, Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P144 (doi: 10.1186/cc10751) Is inappropriate secretion of anti-diuretic hormone (SIADH) the cause of hyponatremia in Legionella pneumonia? P Schuetz, S Haubitz, B Mueller, for the ProHOSP Study Group Medical University Clinic, Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P144 (doi: 10.1186/cc10751) Conclusion Dysnatremia was common in surgical ICU patients and was independently associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death in these patients. Dysnatremia at ICU admission was associated with a higher risk of death compared to ICU-acquired dysnatremia. Fluctuations in serum sodium concentrations were independently associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death, even in patients who remained normonatremic during the ICU stay. Introduction Medical textbooks list Legionella as a diff erential diagnosis for the syndrome of inadequate anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) secretion (SIADH), but empirical evidence supporting this association is largely lacking. Partly this is explained by the analytical challenges of ADH measurement. With the recent availability of an immunoassay that measures the more stable ADH precursor peptide (CT-ProVasopressin), we sought to investigate whether increased ADH levels would explain hyponatremia found in Legionella patients. P146 Risk factors for poor outcome in patients with osmotic demyelination syndrome Methods All patients admitted to the ICU between January 2004 and January 2009 were included retrospectively in this study. Hyponatremia was defi ned as a serum sodium concentration (sNa) <135 mmol/l and hypernatremia as a sNa >145 mmol/l. Hyponatremia was defi ned as a sNa less than 135 mmol/l and hypernatremia as a sNa greater than 145 mmol/l. Patients were classifi ed according to the onset of dysnatremia into those who had abnormal sodium concentrations in the initial blood sample, analyzed within 2 hours of admission to the ICU, or those acquiring dysnatremia thereafter. We performed a logistic regression multivariate analysis with hospital outcome as the dependent factor to investigate the possible infl uence of dysnatremia on hospital outcome. Results Of the 10,923 surgical ICU patients included in the study, 1,215 (11.2%) had hyponatremia and 277 (2.5%) hypernatremia at admission to the ICU. Among patients with normonatremia at admission to the ICU (n = 9,431), the incidence of ICU-acquired dysnatremia was 31.3%. Dysnatremia present at ICU admission (OR  =  2.53; 95% CI: 2.06 to 3.12, P <0.001) and ICU-acquired dysnatremia (OR = 2.06; 95% CI: 1.71 to 2.48, P <0.001) were independently associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death. Dysnatremia at ICU admission (OR  =  1.23; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.50) was associated with a higher risk of in-hospital death, compared to ICU-acquired dysnatremia. Fluctuation in serum sodium concentration was also independently associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality; both in patients who remained normonatremic (>6 mmol/l/ICU stay) and those with dysnatremia (>12 mmol/l/24 hours or >12 mmol/l/ICU stay). Conclusion The highest serum sodium concentration during sodium correction rather than the speed of sodium correction or severity of the hyponatremia is a determinant of outcome in patients with ODS. The development of tetraparesis and decreased consciousness are associated with a poor outcome in these patients. Metabolic acid–base disturbances in patients in the emergency department EM Antonogiannaki, E Lilitsis, D Georgopoulos University Hospital of Heraklion, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P149 (doi: 10.1186/cc10756) Metabolic acid–base disturbances in patients in the emergency department EM Antonogiannaki, E Lilitsis, D Georgopoulos University Hospital of Heraklion, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P149 (doi: 10.1186/cc10756) p gy Methods The observational study included 50 children aged 12 months to 16 years (among them 27 boys) with metabolic acidosis after surgery- associated hemorrhage: 40% patients lost 58  ±  8.5% of total blood volume, 26% lost 150 ± 9.5% of total blood volume. Patients received 3.66% THAM infusion. The dose of THAM infusion was calculated as the dose administered (ml):negative standard BE (mmol/l)×kg body weight, and did not increase 1.5 ml/kg body weight every 24 hours. The following were analyzed: Na+, K+, ionized calcium, lactate, pH, pCO2, HCO3 and BE of arterial blood, before therapy, and after receiving a one- half dose and a full dose of THAM. The signifi cance of diff erences was assessed by Student’s t test, Mann–Whitney coeffi cient and chi-square test; P <0.05 was considered statistically valid.f y p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P149 (doi: 10.1186/cc1 Introduction The aim of the present study is to determine in unselected patients that visit the emergency department whether the physicochemical approach improves the ability to diagnose acid– base disorders compared with the two commonly used diagnostic approaches; one relying on the plasma bicarbonate concentration (HCO3 –) and anion gap (AG), and the other on the base excess (BE). 3 Methods A prospective observational study took place in the emergency department at a university hospital during the period of March to September 2011. Three hundred and sixty-fi ve patients were included. Arterial and venous samples were drawn for blood gases and a serum biochemical panel, respectively. The decision to collect arterial samples was made by the attending physician in the emergency department who was not involved in the study. Results There were no diff erences in the concentrations of electrolytes and lactate. At the stages of the research the following signifi cant dynamics have been noted: pH (7.27 ± 0.01; 7.31 ± 0.01; 7.35 ± 0.01; P <0,01), HCO3 (18.59 ± 0.26; 19.5 ± 0.3; 21.2 ± 0.41 mmol/l; P <0.01) and BE (–8.34 ± 0.3; –6.58 ± 0.37; –4.47 ± 0.45 mmol/l; P <0.01). PaCO2 tension did not change signifi cantly (38.9 ± 0.83; 37.3 ± 0.94; 37.5 ± 0.95 mmHg; P >0.05). Metabolic acid–base disturbances in patients in the emergency department EM Antonogiannaki, E Lilitsis, D Georgopoulos University Hospital of Heraklion, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P149 (doi: 10.1186/cc10756) p y Results All patients were admitted to the hospital, while 103 of them (28%) were transferred directly to the ICU. Hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin ≤35 g/l) was observed in 191 patients (52%). The BE and HCO3 – were normal in 35% and 38% of the total patients, respectively. The corresponding values in patients admitted to the ICU were 41% and 28%. In a signifi cant proportion of patients in whom BE and/or HCO3 – were normal the physicochemical approach detected the presence of acidifying and/or alkalinizing disturbances. Hypoalbuminemia (metabolic alkalosis) was identifi ed in 45% of patients with normal HCO3 – and 48% of patients with normal BE. Strong ion diff erence (SID) acidosis (SID ≤36 mEq/l) was observed in 49% and 44% of patients with normal HCO3 – and BE, respectively. A high unmeasured strong ion concentration ([XA–] ≥8 mEq/l, metabolic acidosis) was observed in 48% of patients with normal HCO3 – and in 52% of patients with normal BE. Patients in whom hidden acidosis of high unmeasured strong anion type was observed were identifi ed by the common diagnostic approach only using the AG adjusted for hypoalbuminemia (AGadj ≥13 mEq/l). Patients who were admitted to clinical wards with acidosis, other than hyperchloremic, remained signifi cantly more days in the hospital than those without the disturbance.i Conclusion THAM infusion resulted in metabolic acidosis correction without the development of hypernatremia and increase of CO2 tension. However, the small number of observations does not allow one to assess accurately the clinical eff ect of THAM for these patients. References References 1. Taylor et al.: Intensive Care Med 2006, 32:295-301. 2. Story et al.: Br J Anaesth 2004, 92:54-60. 3. O’Dell et al.: Crit Care 2005, 9:R464-R470. References 1. Taylor et al.: Intensive Care Med 2006, 32:295-301. 2. Story et al.: Br J Anaesth 2004, 92:54-60. 3. O’Dell et al.: Crit Care 2005, 9:R464-R470. Conclusion Pyroglutamic acidosis is an uncommon condition, but should be considered in a high anion gap metabolic acidosis of unknown cause. The incidence in critical care may be more prevalent due to lack of screening currently. It is associated with sepsis, hepatic and renal dysfunction [3], and in patients who are receiving drugs such as paracetamol and fl ucloxacillin. If known precipitants are stopped, the condition can be rapidly reversed with full patient recovery. R f Buff er therapy in metabolic acidosis after surgery-associated hemorrhage in pediatric oncology N Matinyan, A Saltanov, I Letyagin, O Obukhova N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P147 (doi: 10.1186/cc10754) Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods During a 12-month period, three patients on our ICU with unexplained high anion gap metabolic acidosis had their urine screened for organic acids. Methods During a 12-month period, three patients on our ICU with unexplained high anion gap metabolic acidosis had their urine screened for organic acids. contributed to greater than 75% of the BETOTAL, whilst in 74 (32%) of these the BECl was greater than the BETOTAL. In 18 ABGs a BECl of less than –2 caused a metabolic acidosis. contributed to greater than 75% of the BETOTAL, whilst in 74 (32%) of these the BECl was greater than the BETOTAL. In 18 ABGs a BECl of less than –2 caused a metabolic acidosis. Conclusion Our observation of persistent metabolic abnormalities in otherwise well postoperative cardiac patients may be due to iatrogenic strong ion imbalances caused by hyperchloraemic solutions. Ketogenesis was not a signifi cant contributing factor. The impact of relative hyperchloraemia on pH was buff ered by other counteracting metabolic factors (for example, hypoalbuminaemia), as in 74 ABGs the BECl was greater than the BETOTAL. Results All had chronic methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus infections treated with long-term paracetamol and fl ucloxacillin. All cases presented to intensive care with reduced level of consciousness after several weeks of treatment. In each case, common causes of high anion gap metabolic acidosis were excluded and urine specimens contained grossly elevated levels of pyroglutamic acid. Flucloxacillin and paracetamol were stopped and N-acetylcysteine commenced, which led to resolution of the metabolic acidosis within 48 hours. All three patients made full recoveries. The fi rst case has been previously described [2]. References References 1. Croal BL, et al.: Clin Chem 1998, 44:336-340. 2. Myall K, et al.: Lancet 2011, 377:526. 3. Peter J, et al.: Med J Aust 2006, 185:223-225. References 1. Croal BL, et al.: Clin Chem 1998, 44:336-340. 2. Myall K, et al.: Lancet 2011, 377:526. 3. Peter J, et al.: Med J Aust 2006, 185:223-225. Introduction Surgery in pediatric oncology is usually massive and traumatic and often leads to acute blood loss, which can result in metabolic acidosis. To treat acidosis, sodium bicarbonate is often used; however, its application has some side eff ects. In this situation tris- hydroxymethyl aminomethane (THAM) seems to be more eff ective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the eff ect of THAM for treating metabolic acidosis after surgery-associated hemorrhage in pediatric oncology. P145 P145 Fluctuations in serum sodium level are associated with an increased risk of death in surgical ICU patients Y Sakr, S Rother, AM Ferreira, C Ewald, P Dünich, K Reinhart Friedrich Schiller University Hospital, Jena, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P145 (doi: 10.1186/cc10752) P145 Fluctuations in serum sodium level are associated with an increased risk of death in surgical ICU patients Y Sakr, S Rother, AM Ferreira, C Ewald, P Dünich, K Reinhart Friedrich Schiller University Hospital, Jena, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P145 (doi: 10.1186/cc10752) p g p y p q Results A total of 231 ABGs were analysed. Urinary ketones were checked along with 181 of the ABGs. A total of 14 ketonuria checks were positive (8%) in 11 patients (22%). In nine ABGs ketonuria was associated with a signifi cant base defi cit, whilst in three it was also associated with a metabolic acidosis. The average starvation time was 39 hours (SD 11 hours). In 121 (52%) ABGs the chloride component of the base defi cit (BECl) was below –2. In 104 (45%) ABGs the BECl Introduction Dysnatremia may have an impact on outcomes in critically ill patients, but this has not been widely investigated in surgical ICU S53 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 An unusual cause of high anion gap metabolic acidosis: pyroglutamic acidosis RJ Wardell, LA Burrows, K Myall, A Marsh Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P148 (doi: 10.1186/cc10755) An unusual cause of high anion gap metabolic acidosis: pyroglutamic acidosis RJ Wardell, LA Burrows, K Myall, A Marsh Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P148 (doi: 10.1186/cc10755) Introduction Metabolic acidosis is a common acid–base disturbance in intensive care. A high anion gap indicates the presence of endogenous acids, which in critically ill patients are most commonly ketones, lactate and those accumulated in renal failure. However, excluding these causes means more rare forms of acid must be considered, including pyroglutamic acidosis. Pyroglutamic acidosis is caused by the accumulation of 5-oxoproline [1] due to the depletion of glutathione. This leads to loss of negative feedback and therefore the build-up of Y-glutamyl cysteine, which is converted to 5-oxoproline. Conclusion Hypoalbuminemia is a common fi nding in patients in the emergency department and complicates the interpretation of acid–base data using the common diagnostic approaches. A physico- chemical approach may better identify metabolic disturbances in this population. S54 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P150 Pre-admission baseline creatinine was available on all subjects. Logistic regression examined the RIFLE criteria outcome. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by multivariable logistic regression models. Estimates were adjusted for age, gender, race (white, nonwhite), Deyo– Charlson index, sepsis and patient type (surgical vs. medical).i P150 Aberrant bone metabolism in critical illness I Vanhees, L Solie, SJ Roberts, A Wauters, J Gunst, F Luyten, S Van Cromphaut, G Van den Berghe, HC Owen Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P150 (doi: 10.1186/cc10757) y g Results Pre-admission 25(OH)D defi ciency is predictive for acute kidney injury. Patients with 25(OH)D defi ciency have an OR for acute kidney injury of 1.73 (95% CI, 1.30 to 2.30; P <0.0001) relative to patients with 25(OH)D suffi ciency. The 25(OH)D defi ciency remains a signifi cant predictor of acute kidney injury following multivariable adjustment (adjusted OR 1.50; 95% CI, 1.42 to 2.24; P <0.0001). Patients with 25(OH) D insuffi ciency have an OR for acute kidney injury of 1.49 (95% CI, 1.15 to 1.94; P = 0.003) and an adjusted OR of 1.23 (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.72; P = 0.003) relative to patients with 25(OH)D suffi ciency. The vitamin D–acute kidney injury association is independent of the time between 25(OH)D draw and hospital admission.i Introduction Critically ill patients present with distinct alterations in bone metabolism. Concentration of major vitamins in critically ill patients Concentration of major vitamins in critically ill patients H Hayami, K Mizutani, M Shiota, N Nakayasu, T Masubuchi, M Idei, T Gotoh Yokohama City University Hospital, Yokohama, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P152 (doi: 10.1186/cc10759) Introduction Commercially available vitamin solutions have been improved during the last decade, but there have been a few recent reports on defi ciency occurring in the ICU setting. In general, daily delivery of a comprehensive modern vitamin regimen will suffi ce and TPN solution which contains vitamins and trace elements is now widely used because of the view of convenience and infection control. But the dose of vitamins is determined by the American Medical Association (AMA) recommendation which is based on requirement by healthy subjects and it is not clear whether the dose is applicable for critically ill patients. We measured the concentration of major vitamins in 19 critically ill patients who stayed in the ICU and analyzed those treated for more than 3 weeks. f Results Circulating mononuclear precursors were increased in patients compared to healthy controls (99.1% vs. 83.9%; P  <0.05). Patient PBMCs diff erentiated into mature actively resorbing osteoclasts in the presence or absence of osteoclastogenic factors (3.2-fold increase vs. healthy cells; P <0.01) and when cultured in PS this spontaneous osteoclast formation was increased further (2.3-fold; P  <0.05). There were no diff erences in the osteogenic diff erentiation of hPDCs treated with PS, but there was a twofold (P <0.01) decrease in vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 expression. Scaff olds with patient serum-treated hPDCs displayed decreased vascularization and increased osteoclast activity leading to a 28.9% (P <0.001) decrease in bone formation. Methods Of 19 patients, 10 were treated for more than 3 weeks under artifi cial ventilation; seven of which received renal replacement therapy (RRT). Early enteral nutrition was established in six patients who were assessed to have normal intestinal function. For those patients who were diagnosed to have malfunction in intestine, nutrition was supplied via peripheral route for 1 week, and led to total parenteral nutrition after 1 week. Multivitamin product (Vit B1 3 mg, Vit B6 4 mg, Vit C 100 mg, Folate 400 mg, and so on) was administered from day 0. We measured the concentration of those vitamins every 7 days. Conclusion Circulating mononuclear precursors from critically ill patients seem prone to form osteoclasts both in the presence of osteoclastogenic factors and spontaneously. An unusual cause of high anion gap metabolic acidosis: pyroglutamic acidosis RJ Wardell, LA Burrows, K Myall, A Marsh Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P148 (doi: 10.1186/cc10755) We have previously reported a decrease in bone formation markers and a dramatic increase in bone resorption markers. In a rabbit model of critical illness, we observed signifi cantly lower bone mineral content in the trabeculae of critically ill rabbits compared to healthy controls. This suggested uncoupling between bone formation and degradation during critical illness, and could increase risk of fracture during rehabilitation or impaired healing of bone fractures. In this study, we investigated the eff ect of critical illness on bone metabolism at the tissue and cellular level. Conclusion Defi ciency of 25(OH)D prior to hospital admission is a signi- fi cant predictor of acute kidney injury in a critically ill patient population. Methods Circulating CD14/CD11b osteoclast precursors in peripheral blood samples of critically ill patients and healthy controls were measured by fl ow cytometry. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and diff erentiated towards osteoclasts in vitro in 10% healthy (HS) or patient serum (PS) for 14 days. When analyzing bone formation, human periosteal-derived cells (hPDCs) were cultured in vitro in 10% HS or PS, and analyzed for osteoblast diff erentiation after 14 days. Bone formation was studied using serum-treated hPDCs implanted onto NuOss™ calcium phosphate scaff olds in a murine in vivo model. Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and acute kidney injury in the critically ill Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and acute kidney injury in the critically ill AB Braun1, AA Litonjua1, T Moromizato1, FK Gibbons2, E Giovannucci3, KB Christopher1 1Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 2Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 3Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P151 (doi: 10.1186/cc10758) Introduction Given the importance of infl ammation in acute kidney injury and the relationship between vitamin D and infl ammation, we sought to elucidate the eff ect of vitamin D status on acute kidney injury. We hypothesized that defi ciency in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) prior to hospital admission would be associated with acute kidney injury in the critically ill. g p g y p Conclusion In critically ill patients, especially those who received RRT, the concentration of water-soluble vitamins such as Vit C remained low even when they received the AMA recommended dose. Measurement of vitamins and additional administration will be needed as necessary depending on the disease condition. y j y y Methods We performed an observational study of patients treated in medical and surgical ICUs in two teaching hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts between 1998 and 2009. We studied 2,075 patients, age ≥18 years, in whom serum 25(OH)D was measured prior to hospitalization. The exposure of interest was pre-admission serum 25(OH)D and categorized a priori as defi ciency (25(OH)D ≤15 ng/ ml), insuffi ciency (25(OH)D 15 to 30 ng/ml) or suffi ciency (25(OH)D ≥30 ng/ml). The primary outcome was acute kidney injury defi ned as meeting RIFLE Injury or Failure criteria in the 7 days prior to critical care initiation and the 7 days following critical care initiation. We applied the serum creatinine criteria to determine the maximum RIFLE class. P151 y y Results Concentrations of Vit B1, Vit 12, and Folate were 37 ± 16 pg/ ml, 1,068 ± 1,702 pg/ml, and 9.9 ± 14.4 ng/ml on day 7, and there was tendency of increasing to normal range subsequently. On the other hand, the concentration of Vit C was low (2.5 ± 2.4 g/ml: median 1.75) on day 7, and it remained low through 3 weeks (median 2.0 g/ml on day 21). Especially, the concentration of Vit C was extremely low in seven patients who received RRT (median 1.0 g/ml) on day 7 compared with those without RRT (median 2.6 g/ml, P = 0.05). We administered a high dose of Vit C (ascorbic acid 1,000 mg/day) for three patients in this group but restoration to normal range was seen in only two patients. y y Results Concentrations of Vit B1, Vit 12, and Folate were 37 ± 16 pg/ ml, 1,068 ± 1,702 pg/ml, and 9.9 ± 14.4 ng/ml on day 7, and there was tendency of increasing to normal range subsequently. On the other hand, the concentration of Vit C was low (2.5 ± 2.4 g/ml: median 1.75) on day 7, and it remained low through 3 weeks (median 2.0 g/ml on day 21). Especially, the concentration of Vit C was extremely low in seven patients who received RRT (median 1.0 g/ml) on day 7 compared with those without RRT (median 2.6 g/ml, P = 0.05). We administered a high dose of Vit C (ascorbic acid 1,000 mg/day) for three patients in this group but restoration to normal range was seen in only two patients. Conclusion In critically ill patients, especially those who received RRT, the concentration of water-soluble vitamins such as Vit C remained low even when they received the AMA recommended dose. Measurement of vitamins and additional administration will be needed as necessary depending on the disease condition. Concentration of major vitamins in critically ill patients The murine in vivo model confi rmed an increase in osteoclastic resorption and a decreased vascularization, leading to decreased bone formation in patient scaff olds. These fi ndings will help to unravel the mechanisms behind bone loss during critical illness. Reduced cortisol metabolism drives hypercortisolism in critical illness E Boonen1, H Vervenne1, P Meersseman2, L Mortier3, YM Vanwijngaerden1, I Spriet2, L Langouche1, I Vanhorebeek1, G Van den Berghe1 1KU Leuven, Belgium; 2University Hospitals, Leuven, Belgium; 3Virga Jesse Hospital, Hasselt, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P155 (doi: 10.1186/cc10762) Results Vitamin D defi ciency was defi ned as a serum 25-OH vitamin D concentration <20 ng/ml. The study was conducted between February and August 2011. A total of 105 patients were included. Dosages were performed on day 3 (2, 4) (median, interquartiles). The number of patients with 25-OH vitamin D <10 ng/ml, between 10 and 20 ng/ml, between 20 and 30 ng/ml and >30 ng/ml was respectively 56, 26, 14 and 9. No diff erences were seen between defi cient and nondefi cient patients if we compare SAPS III (58 ± 13 vs. 60 ± 15), predicted mortality (34 ± 21% vs. 40 ± 25%), intra-ICU mortality (8.5 vs. 8.7%), intrahospital mortality (19.5 vs. 21.7%), mean length of stay in the ICU (10 days ± 8), and median SOFA score during the fi rst 5 days (5, 4, 4, 3, 3 vs. 4, 4, 3, 3, 4). A higher (but nonsignifi cant) prevalence of sepsis was found at admission in defi cient patients (42/82 patients vs. 8/23 patients). Eleven defi cient patients were treated with oral vitamin D (25,000 units/day) for 5 days. After treatment, 25-OH vitamin D was above 20 ng/ml in seven patients (31 ± 14 ng/ml). If we adjust groups for vitamin D post treatment, no diff erences were found if we compare defi cient versus nondefi cient patients for intra-ICU mortality (9.3% vs. 6.6%) and intra- hospital mortality (14.6% vs. 23.3%). Introduction Critical illness is hallmarked by elevated cortisol levels, refl ecting the severity of illness. Paradoxically, previous studies reported suppressed ACTH, implicating another mechanism driving elevated cortisol during critical illness. We hypothesized that cortisol metabolism is reduced in critical illness, in part via elevated bile acids, which may explain the paradoxical ACTH–cortisol dissociation by negative feedback inhibition. Methods In a fi rst clinical study (n  =  59), we determined the time course of ACTH and cortisol levels during the fi rst week in the ICU. In a second study (n = 28), we calculated the plasma half-life of exogenous cortisol in critically ill patients. P155 The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between 25-OH vitamin D defi ciency at admission and the outcome in a medical ICU. Methods A prospective observational study in a 10-bed medical ICU at an inner-city hospital in Brussels. Patients with an expected stay in ICU >48 hours were included. P154 Plasma levels of Coenzyme Q10 are reduced in critically ill patients as compared to healthy volunteers and correlate with age A Coppadoro1, L Berra2, A Kumar2, M Yamada2, R Pinciroli2, E Bittner2, U Schmidt2, M Kaneki2 1University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy; 2Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P154 (doi: 10.1186/cc10761) y Conclusion Reduced expression and activity of cortisol metabolizing enzymes, possibly driven by elevated bile acids, contributes to the hypercortisolism in the critically ill, which explains the increased cortisol plasma half-life and feedback-inhibited ACTH release. Reduced cortisol metabolism could inferentially suppress the cortisol response to an ACTH stimulation test, thereby reducing its diagnostic value for adrenal failure. Introduction The purpose of this study is to investigate Coenzyme Q10 (Q10) levels in critically ill patients as compared to healthy volunteers. Q10 is an essential cofactor for the electron transport chain reactions necessary for the aerobic cellular respiration. Q10 insuffi ciency, therefore, leads to mitochondrial dysfunction. It also acts as an antioxidant. Oxidative state is prominent in critically ill patients, favoring the production of oxygen-free radicals. A recent study showed reduced Q10 levels in septic shock patients [1]. Eff ect of low-dose hydrocortisone on the expression of glucocorticoid receptor alpha of the septic kidney in rats and its protective eff ect on kidney injury Eff ect of low-dose hydrocortisone on the expression of glucocorticoid receptor alpha of the septic kidney in rats and its protective eff ect on kidney injury DW Wu, HP Guo Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P156 (doi: 10.1186/cc10763) No association between vitamin D defi ciency at admission and outcome in a medical ICU No association between vitamin D defi ciency at admission and outcome in a medical ICU M Claus, L Schmitz, A Roman, E Stevens, P Dechamps Hôpital Saint Pierre, Brussels, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P153 (doi: 10.1186/cc10760) M Claus, L Schmitz, A Roman, E Stevens, P Dechamps Hôpital Saint Pierre, Brussels, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P153 (doi: 10.1186/cc10760) Introduction Vitamin D defi ciency is associated with chronic illness and an excess in morbidity and mortality in the general population. Studies have found an even higher prevalence in ICU patients. Introduction Vitamin D defi ciency is associated with chronic illness and an excess in morbidity and mortality in the general population. Studies have found an even higher prevalence in ICU patients. S55 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 1. Donnino MW, et al.: Coenzyme Q10 levels are low and may be associated with the infl ammatory cascade in septic shock. Crit Care 2011, 15:R189. Reduced cortisol metabolism drives hypercortisolism in critical illness In a third clinical study (n = 51), urinary cortisol metabolites were quantifi ed to estimate the activity of cortisol metabolizing enzymes. In a fourth study (n = 64), we quantifi ed the major cortisol metabolizing enzymes in the liver and adipose tissue in relation to circulating cortisol and bile acids. We performed every study in a similar, heterogeneous ICU population, in comparison with a healthy control group matched for age, gender and BMI. Conclusion Our study confi rmed the high prevalence of vitamin D defi ciency in ICU patients but not the association with an excess of mortality. Reference y g p g g Results In the presence of elevated total cortisol, ACTH remained much lower in patients than in healthy controls (P <0.001), confi rming the ACTH–cortisol dissociation during critical illness. Cortisol half-life was substantially prolonged in patients compared to controls. Based on urinary metabolites, the activity of 5α-reductase and 5β-reductase was signifi cantly lower in patients than controls (P <0.0001). Furthermore, the calculated activity of 11-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 was reduced (P <0.0001). In the liver, gene and protein expression of 5α-reductase and 5β-reductase was reduced (P  <0.0001) and corre lated inversely with circulating cortisol. Moreover, the enzyme expression correlated inversely with circulating levels of conjugated bile acids, which were markedly elevated in patients [1] and which have been shown capable of suppressing expression and activity of cortisol metabolizing enzymes [2]. 1. Lee P, et al.: N Engl J Med 2009, 360:1912-1914. P154 References 1. Vanwijngaerden et al.: Hepatology 2011, 54:1741-1752. 2. McNeilly et al.: J Hepatol 2010, 52:705-711. Methods We recruited 18 healthy volunteers and 36 critically ill patients in the surgical ICU of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Ethical committee approval and written informed consent were obtained. At the moment of blood sampling, height, weight, and age as well as clinical data were collected. Plasma total Q10 concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The Assessment of Daily Living (ADL) score was obtained after discharge. Results Patients’ age and gender did not diff er as compared to healthy volunteers (P = NS). Plasma Q10 levels were lower in critically ill patients as compared to healthy volunteers (0.81 ± 0.22 vs. 0.50 ± 0.36 μg/ml, P <0.001). In critically ill patients, plasma Q10 levels inversely correlated with age (R = 0.40, P = 0.015). Lower levels of plasma Q10 (<0.4 μg/ ml, median) were associated with lower ADL score after discharge (P  =  0.005). In our patient population, plasma Q10 levels were not related to PaO2/FiO2, septic shock, SAPS 2 at ICU admission, SOFA score or mortality (all P = NS). Methods We recruited 18 healthy volunteers and 36 critically ill patients in the surgical ICU of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Ethical committee approval and written informed consent were obtained. At the moment of blood sampling, height, weight, and age as well as clinical data were collected. Plasma total Q10 concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The Assessment of Daily Living (ADL) score was obtained after discharge.f Eff ect of low-dose hydrocortisone on the expression of glucocorticoid receptor alpha of the septic kidney in rats and its protective eff ect on kidney injury DW Wu, HP Guo Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P156 (doi: 10.1186/cc10763) y Results Patients’ age and gender did not diff er as compared to healthy volunteers (P = NS). Plasma Q10 levels were lower in critically ill patients as compared to healthy volunteers (0.81 ± 0.22 vs. 0.50 ± 0.36 μg/ml, P <0.001). In critically ill patients, plasma Q10 levels inversely correlated with age (R = 0.40, P = 0.015). Lower levels of plasma Q10 (<0.4 μg/ ml, median) were associated with lower ADL score after discharge (P  =  0.005). In our patient population, plasma Q10 levels were not related to PaO2/FiO2, septic shock, SAPS 2 at ICU admission, SOFA score or mortality (all P = NS). Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P156 (doi: 10.1186/cc10763) Introduction Infl ammation out of control caused by sepsis can eventually lead to multiple organ dysfunction, of which the kidney is one of the most common injured organs. Sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (SI-AKI) can obviously increase the mortality of sepsis. At present, there are controversial views about the impact of exogenous glucocorticoid to SI-AKI on kidney pathological changes and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression. So, we want to investigate whether low-dose glucocorticoid has a protective eff ect on SI-AKI and what is the mechanism. y Conclusion Plasma Q10 levels are reduced in critically ill patients, suggesting reduced antioxidant capacity. Older patients seem to be more prone to exhibit low Q10 levels. Oral supplementation might be considered for those patients. 1. Vanwijngaerden et al.: Hepatology 2011, 54:1741-1752. 2. McNeilly et al.: J Hepatol 2010, 52:705-711. P159 Investigating diarrhoea on the ICU: a retrospective study N Tirlapur, M Kelsey, H Montgomery Whittington Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P159 (doi: 10.1186/cc10766) Results Hydrocortisone infusion was independently associated with mild hypoglycemia (APACHE II score <15, OR 2.40, 95% CI 2.01 to 2.85; APACHE II score 15 to 24, OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.44 to 1.62; APACHE II score >24, OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.15) and severe hyperglycemia in all APACHE II groups (APACHE II score <15, OR 3.26, 95% CI 2.59 to 4.10; APACHE II score 15 to 24 OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.33 to 1.68; and APACHE II score >24 OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.17). Hydrocortisone infusion was independently associated with mild hypoglycemia in patients with APACHE II score 15 to 24 (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.42 to 2.13) and >24 (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.90), but not in patients with APACHE II score <15 (OR 1.83, 95% CI 0.94 to 3.55). Introduction Diarrhoea is common in ICU patients, with a reported prevalence of 15 to 38% [1]. Many factors may cause diarrhoea, including Clostridium diffi cile, drugs (for example, laxatives, antibiotics), faecal impaction with overfl ow and enteral feeds. Diarrhoea increases nursing workload, impacts on patient dignity, increases costs and exacerbates morbidity through dermal injury, impaired enteral uptake and subsequent fl uid imbalance. We aimed to identify prevalence, yield of stool investigations and clinical impact of diarrhoea on our ICU. Introduction Diarrhoea is common in ICU patients, with a reported prevalence of 15 to 38% [1]. Many factors may cause diarrhoea, including Clostridium diffi cile, drugs (for example, laxatives, antibiotics), faecal impaction with overfl ow and enteral feeds. Diarrhoea increases nursing workload, impacts on patient dignity, increases costs and exacerbates morbidity through dermal injury, impaired enteral uptake and subsequent fl uid imbalance. We aimed to identify prevalence, yield of stool investigations and clinical impact of diarrhoea on our ICU. Methods A retrospective observational study of all ICU patients treated in a 15-bed district general hospital from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010 was performed. ICU patients from whom stool samples had been sent for microbiological analysis (including microscopy and C. diffi cile toxin (CDT)) were assumed to have suff ered diarrhoea. Stool sample results were compiled with patient demographics, ICU length of stay (LOS) and mortality data. Conclusion Hydrocortisone increases the risk of dysglycemia in critically ill patients. P158 SI-AKI model was reproduced using the cecum ligation and puncture method. Pathological changes of the kidney were detected by H & E staining. The expression of GRα and NF-κB in the kidney was detected by immunohistochemistry. The levels of IL-1, IL-6, TNFα and IL-10 in the plasma were detected by ELISA. Reference Referencei 1. Heymsfi eld SB, Baumgartner RN, Pan FS: Nutritional assessment of malnutrition by anthropometric methods. Treaty of Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. Edited by Shils M, Olson JA, Shike M, Ross C. New York: Manole; 2003. 1. Heymsfi eld SB, Baumgartner RN, Pan FS: Nutritional assessment of malnutrition by anthropometric methods. Treaty of Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. Edited by Shils M, Olson JA, Shike M, Ross C. New York: Manole; 2003. yp g y yp g y y p Methods Blood glucose measurements (n  =  73,400) of patients admitted to the ICU from January 2007 to December 2009 (n = 2,167) were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to analyze the eff ect of hydrocortisone infusion on mild (blood glucose level ≥150 mg/dl) and severe hyperglycemia (≥180 mg/dl) and mild hypoglycemia (≤70 mg/ dl) separately. To adjust for severity of disease, patients were stratifi ed in APACHE II score groups (<15; 15 to 24; >24). P157 Hydrocortisone increases the risk of dysglycemia in critically ill patients RT Van Hooijdonk, JM Binnekade, RE Harmsen, MJ Schultz Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P157 (doi: 10.1186/cc10764) y y Conclusion The age, length of stay and diagnosis associated with the level of organ dysfunction are key factors to progress to the state of malnutrition. The multidisciplinary team has an ongoing role in controlling the supply of proteins and calories with essential nutrients in order to improve the provision, preventing complications and adverse outcomes. Introduction Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia are independently associated with mortality and morbidity of critically ill patients [1,2]. Critically ill patients frequently receive hydrocortisone for refractory shock. While hydrocortisone infusion is associated with hyperglycemia [3], the eff ect of hydrocortisone on the incidence of hypoglycemia is uncertain. We hypothesized hydrocortisone infusion to increase the risk of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in critically ill patients. P159 Whether these dysglycemic eff ects diminish the benefi cial eff ects of hydrocortisone treatment should be investigated in future studies. References 1. Robter W, et al.: N Engl J Med 2004, 351:159-169. 2. Rittirsch D, et al.: Nat Protoc 2009, 4:31-36. 3. Leelahavanichkul A, et al.: Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2008, 295:1825-1895. 3. Leelahavanichkul A, et al.: Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2008, 295:1825-1895. Results The study included 247 patients hospitalized in ICUs, mean age 63 years and 60% (148 patients) were male. Sepsis was the most frequent cause of hospitalization at 57% and the average hospital stay was 16 days. The rate of albumin and mean hemoglobin level were respectively 2.1 and 9.5 g/dl. For those patients hospitalized over 10 days were observed average levels of 1.5 and 8.9 g/dl. For mechanical ventilation in patients with septic shock the results were 1.4 and 7.9 g/dl with a mean hospital stay of 14 days. The postoperative group was the highest level observed at 2.6 and 10.4 g/dl and mean total time of hospitalization of 5 days. The worst results based on diagnosis were respectively pulmonary septic shock, ischemic hemispheric brain stroke and cardiogenic shock. All patients with length of stay over 11 days resulted in a clinically malnourished state. Reference Reference Methods Healthy Wistar male rats were randomly divided into a sham group, SI-AKI group and SI-AKI hydrocortisone group (HC group). The 1. Donnino MW, et al.: Coenzyme Q10 levels are low and may be associated with the infl ammatory cascade in septic shock. Crit Care 2011, 15:R189. S56 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 2. Bagshaw SM, et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:463-470. 3. Annane D, et al.: JAMA 2009, 301:2362-2375. Nutritional status of patients occupying ICUs in the state of Rio de Janeiro SO Oliveira1, R Goldwasses2, U Melo3, M Bandeira4, F Dessa5, R Almeida1, I Kouh6 1Albert Schweitzer State Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 2Healh Provider State Government, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 3Alberto Torres State Hospital, São Gonçalo, Brazil; 4Real Cordis Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 5Bangu Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 6UFRJ University Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P158 (doi: 10.1186/cc10765) p y Results The survival rate of the AKI group and HC group showed no statistical diff erence (P >0.05). H & E stain showed renal tubular epithelial cells swelling and falling off , and the tubular brush border disappeared and vacuolated in the AKI group. Pathological changes of the renal tubular could be alleviated after hydrocortisone treatment. Compared with the AKI group, immunohistochemistry showed that GRα expression was increased and NF-κB expression was decreased in the HC group (P <0.01). The level of TNFα, IL-6, and IL-1 were reduced and the level of IL-10 was increased in the HC group compared with the AKI group (P <0.01). Introduction Nutritional status and anemia infl uence the clinical course of hospitalized patients. Anemia appears in the fi rst days of hospitalization and can sustain itself and grow worse over time and is caused by a number of factors such as dilution secondary to fl uid replacement, hemolysis, abnormalities in iron metabolism, blood loss in the gastrointestinal tract and also due to decreased production of erythropoietin, a consequence of decreased erythropoiesis caused by the presence of infl ammatory cytokines. Conclusion Low-dose hydrocortisone can inhibit the NF-κB activity, possibly in part by increasing the expression of GRα in renal sepsis rats. Accordingly, it could reduce the production of infl ammatory factors participating in sepsis, eff ectively inhibit the infl ammation and extenuate the sepsis-induced renal pathological changes. l y y Methods A cross-sectional study on 30 November, patients >18 years. Evaluated characteristics of all patients admitted with age, sex, APACHE II score, mean length of stay, cause of hospitalization in mechanical ventilation, organ failure, sedation and analgesia, coma and underuse of vasoactive drugs. e e e ces 1. Krinsley JS, et al.: Crit Care Med 2007, 35:2262-2267. 2. Bagshaw SM, et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:463-470. 3. Annane D, et al.: JAMA 2009, 301:2362-2375. 1. Krinsley JS, et al.: Crit Care Med 2007, 35:2262-2267. P160 P160 Preliminary report of surface electrogastrography in critically ill septic patients after resuscitation C Mancilla, R Galvez, G Landskron, E Tobar, A Madrid Hospital Clinico Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P160 (doi: 10.1186/cc10767) Table 1 (abstract P161). Nutritional adequacy and clinical endpoints in tolerant and intolerant EN patients % % Ventilator- Time to Calorifi c Protein free 60-day ICU stay discharge adequacy adequacy days mortality (days) alive Tolerant 64.3 63.7 11.2 26.2 11.3 25.2 Intolerant 55.5 55.6 2.5 30.8 14.4 31.1 Conclusion Intolerance is common amongst the EN ICU population and is associated with poor nutritional and clinical outcomes. Table 1 (abstract P161). Nutritional adequacy and clinical endpoints in tolerant and intolerant EN patients Introduction Impaired gastrointestinal motility is common in critically ill patients. Multiple conditions such as shock with diminished splanchnic perfusion, surgery, fl uid overload, intra-abdominal hypertension, and drugs are responsible for this phenomena. Assessing gastric motility in this setting is complex. Surface electrogastrography (sEGG) is a recent noninvasive technique that determines basal and postprandial gastric motility [1]. Our aim is to study basal gastric motility in critically ill septic patients in the post-resuscitative phase, by sEGG. y Methods Eligible patients were those admitted to the ICU with diagnosis of septic shock as stated by the Sepsis Conference 2001 [2]. At the moment of the study the patients were in the post-resuscitative phase, defi ned as normal clinical and laboratory perfusion parameters. sEGG is a noninvasive technique that uses skin abdominal electrodes to record myoelectrical stomach activity. The basal slow wave originates in the proximal stomach and propagates to the antrum with a frequency of approximately 3 cycles per minute (cpm). Basal activity below 2.4 cpm is defi ned as bradygastria and above 3.7 cpm as tachygastria [1]. Data were correlated with severity scores, lactate levels, and doses of sedatives. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile. P162 Gastric emptying assessment in critically ill patients with feed intolerance; comparison of 13C octanoic acid, paracetamol and 3-O-methylglucose absorption tests M Chapman1, R Fraser1, N Nguyen1, A Deane1, LS Vasist2, K Hacquoil2, M Barton2, GE Dukes2 1University of Adelaide, Australia; 2GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P162 (doi: 10.1186/cc10769) 1University of Adelaide, Australia; 2GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA Results We recruited 16 patients (10 females). 1. Chang F-Y: J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2005, 20:502-516. Frequency, determinants and impact of feed intolerance amongst the critically ill Frequency, determinants and impact of feed intolerance amongst the critically ill y U Gungabissoon1, K Hacquoil1, C Bains1, G Dukes2, M Irizarry3, D Heyland3 1GlaxoSmithKline, Stockley Park, UK; 2GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA; 3CERU, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P161 (doi: 10.1186/cc10768) y U Gungabissoon1, K Hacquoil1, C Bains1, G Dukes2, M Irizarry3, D Heyland3 1GlaxoSmithKline, Stockley Park, UK; 2GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA; 3CERU, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P161 (doi: 10.1186/cc10768) Introduction Provision of early and adequate enteral nutrition (EN) to critically ill patients is associated with improved clinical outcomes; however, 50 to 60% of prescribed EN is received. We aimed to characterise the incidence and determinants of intolerance and assess its infl uence on nutritional and clinical outcomes using the 2009 Critical Care Nutrition Survey (CCNS). y Methods The CCNS survey is a prospective observational cohort study of nutrition practices from over 150 ICUs around the world. Included patients were those that remained in ICU for ≥72  hours and were mechanically ventilated ≤48 hours of admission to ICU. We collected pertinent baseline and outcome data that included nutritional adequacy, ventilator-free days, 60-day mortality and ICU stay. Intolerance was defi ned as interruption of EN due to gastrointestinal (GI) reasons (high gastric residuals, increased abdominal girth/ abdominal distension, vomiting/emesis, diarrhoea or subjective discomfort). In the analysis of intolerance we included each potential eff ect into a logistic regression analysis to determine its signifi cance. g y Conclusion Diarrhoea was common on our ICU, its prevalence (17%) being consistent with established literature. It was associated with statistically increased ICU LOS and mortality, although any direction of causality remains to be established. A low stool investigation yield and low prevalence of C. diffi cile suggests that other noninfective causes of diarrhoea need excluding. Further research is required to establish the prevalence and pathogenesis of diarrhoea on UK ICUs, in order to develop evidence-based management plans for reducing its incidence, and its clinical and fi nancial impact. y Methods The CCNS survey is a prospective observational cohort study of nutrition practices from over 150 ICUs around the world. Included patients were those that remained in ICU for ≥72  hours and were mechanically ventilated ≤48 hours of admission to ICU. We collected pertinent baseline and outcome data that included nutritional adequacy, ventilator-free days, 60-day mortality and ICU stay. 1. Chang F-Y: J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2005, 20:502-516. 2 Levy MM et al : Crit Care Med 2003 31:1250-1256 References S57 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results Of 782 patients (mean age ± 2SD 62.1 ± 37.1, 52.3% female) treated on our ICU, 334 stool samples were sent from 133 (17.0%) patients. Two samples (0.6%) yielded abnormal results: one out of 131 (0.8%) patients with CDT samples sent and one out of 108 (0.9%) patients with stool microscopy samples sent had a positive sample. The prevalence of C. diffi cile (1/782) and other organisms (1/782) was 0.1% and 0.1% respectively. In terms of diagnostic yields, positive fi ndings were found in one out of 191 (0.5%) CDT samples and one out of 141 (0.7%) stool microscopy samples (for Candida). When compared to patients without diarrhoea, suff erers were older (64.1  ±  33.2 vs. 61.7 ± 37.8 years, P = 0.16) with greater female preponderance (55.6% vs. 51.6%, P = 0.40). Suff erers experienced longer ICU LOS (16.3 ± 45.6 vs. 4.6  ±  19.4 days, P <0.0001) and greater ICU mortality (19.5% vs. 12.6%, P = 0.035) during the study period. Reference 1. Wiesen P, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2006, 12:149-154. f g g y gi Results Data from 1,888 ICU patients receiving EN were analysed. The incidence of intolerance was 30.5%, and occurred after a median 3 days from EN initiation. Factors associated with intolerance were: diagnosis category (P  =  0.0009) (GI, cardiovascular and sepsis categories with the highest risk), pre-emptive motility agent use (P  =  0.0125), non- GI interruptions to feed (P = 0.0086) and global region (P = 0.0006). Intolerance was associated with poor nutritional adequacy, increased mortality, longer ventilator dependence and increased length of ICU stay (P <0.05) (Table 1). Poorer clinical outcomes were seen with increasing number of days of intolerance. 2. Levy MM, et al.: Crit Care Med 2003, 31:1250-1256. Frequency, determinants and impact of feed intolerance amongst the critically ill Intolerance was defi ned as interruption of EN due to gastrointestinal (GI) reasons (high gastric residuals, increased abdominal girth/ abdominal distension, vomiting/emesis, diarrhoea or subjective discomfort). In the analysis of intolerance we included each potential eff ect into a logistic regression analysis to determine its signifi cance. Results Data from 1,888 ICU patients receiving EN were analysed. The incidence of intolerance was 30.5%, and occurred after a median 3 days from EN initiation. Factors associated with intolerance were: diagnosis category (P  =  0.0009) (GI, cardiovascular and sepsis categories with the highest risk), pre-emptive motility agent use (P  =  0.0125), non- GI interruptions to feed (P = 0.0086) and global region (P = 0.0006). Intolerance was associated with poor nutritional adequacy, increased mortality, longer ventilator dependence and increased length of ICU stay (P <0.05) (Table 1). Poorer clinical outcomes were seen with increasing number of days of intolerance. Reference 1. Wiesen P, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2006, 12:149-154. P160 Mean age 62 years (50 to 76) (P = 0.8). APACHE II score 25 (19 to 28) (P = 0.4) and SOFA score 9 (7 to 11) (P = 0.29). Lactate at admission 3.8 mmol/l (1.2 to 6.5) (P = 0.72). Fentanyl total dose 172.7 μg/kg (59 to 256.6) (P = 0.91) and midazolan total dose 3.4 mg/kg (0.1 to 3.1) (P  =  0.07). We obtained a reliable register in all the patients and found six patients with bradigastria, three with tachygastria and nine with normal motility. In this small sample size study there was a trend to bradygastria in relation to high total doses of midazolam. P164 Preliminary experience with ketone-targeted treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis F Riccio, T Drake, S Mathieu, J Cranshaw Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P164 (doi: 10.1186/cc10771) Introduction In May 2011 the Joint British Diabetes Societies (JBDS) published new guidance for managing adult diabetic ketoacidosis. We developed a JBDS-based protocol that measured and treated capillary ketonaemia (not blood glucose) hourly with i.v. 0.1 IU insulin/kg/hour increased by 1 IU/hour if the ketone reduction was <0.5 mM/hour. The fi nal target was capillary ketonaemia  <0.3 mM. To allow this insulin rate and avoid hypoglycaemia, 125 ml/hour of 10 or 20% dextrose was started when blood glucose was <14 mM (250 mg/dl). As the eff ects of this new protocol were unknown, all patients were managed in our high-dependency unit (HDU). We report our experience of the new protocol compared to our old ‘sliding scale’ insulin titration to blood glucose protocol. Table 1 (abstract P162). Correlations between GE parameters 13C GEC OMG AUC60 0.675* 13C GEC OMG C60 0.758* 13C GEC PA AUC60 0.678* 13C GEC PA C60 0.590* PA AUC60 OMG AUC60 0.534* PA C60 OMG C60 0.553* *P <0.0001. Table 1 (abstract P162). Correlations between GE parameters Table 1 (abstract P162). Correlations between GE parameters Methods We prospectively gathered results of the new protocol over 3  months and performed a chart review of the same results from patients admitted in the previous year managed on wards and the HDU. Results are expressed as median (range). Results Patients on the new protocol (n = 7) cleared ketones to <0.3 mM in 8 (7 to 20) hours. The insulin rate needed was 10 (6 to 17) IU/hour. Potassium during treatment was 4 (3.2 to 5.2) mM and required 35 (12 to 60) mM/hour to maintain the target 3.5 to 5 mM. No episodes of blood glucose <4 mM were recorded. Time to reach glucose <14 mM was 7 (1 to 15) hours with a fall rate of 3.7 (2.9 to 6.8) mM/hour. Patients on the old protocol (n = 39) were treated for 15 (5 to 20) hours with 3 (0.5 to 6) IU/hour. Potassium during treatment was 3.5 (2.8 to 5.5) mM and required 9 (6 to 16) mM/hour to maintain the target 3.5 to 5 mM. Time to reach glucose <14 mM was 3.5 (1 to 13) hours with a fall rate of 4.2 (0.3 to 13) mM/hour. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P162 (doi: 10.1186/cc10769) Introduction Delayed gastric emptying (GE) occurs frequently in critically ill patients and may result in impaired small intestinal delivery of drugs and nutrients. Use of direct methods of GE assessment (scintigraphy) in the ICU for clinical monitoring or research is challeng- ing. Indirect methods that utilize substances which rely on eff ective GE and rapid absorption from the small intestine off er a feasible estimate of GE. Three substances with these characteristics are 13C-octanoic acid (13C), paracetamol (PA) and 3-O-methylglucose (OMG). We have previously shown signifi cant correlation to scintigraphy for 13C (r = 0.63) and OMG absorption (r = –0.77 to –0.87). The current study examined the relationship between three indirect methods of GE assessment: 13C, PA, OMG. Conclusion sEGG is a feasible technique in critically ill septic patients. In the post-resuscitative phase 43.8% of patients present normal gastric motility, and 37% showed bradygastria. Future research is warranted in order to fi nd risk factors of gastrointestinal dismotility. References 1. Chang F-Y: J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2005, 20:502-516. 2. Levy MM, et al.: Crit Care Med 2003, 31:1250-1256. S58 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods GE was concurrently assessed in mechanically ventilated patients (n  =  33) with enteral feeding intolerance (gastric residual volume >200 ml) on two occasions 24 hours apart. A test meal of 100 ml Ensure with 100 μl 13C, 1,000 mg PA, 3 g OMG was infused into the stomach over 5 minutes. Breath samples for 13C and plasma samples for PA, OMG determination were collected over the subsequent 4-hour period. Bivariate Pearson correlations were calculated between the following parameters; 13C (gastric emptying coeffi cient (GEC)), PA (concentration at 60 minutes (C60), AUC0–60 min), OMG ((C60), AUC0–60 min). See Table 1. Impact of blood glucose on blood lactate levels in a medical ICU: a retrospective cohort study G Adelsmayr, R Brunner, U Holzinger Medical University Vienna, Austria Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P165 (doi: 10.1186/cc10772) Results In the 556 study patients, early enteral feeding was started in 379 patients (68.16%). Out of 379 patients, 100% calorie requirements were met only in 43 patients (7.73%). For the remaining study patients, more than 40%, 50% and 60% calorie goals were achieved in 115 (30.34%), 128 (33.77) and 93 (24.53%) patients respectively.f Introduction Although blood lactate and glucose both represent important markers in the intensive care setting, they have been considered quite independently. Especially, the ideal glucose target range has been the topic of recent studies with confl icting results [1,2]. Blood lactate is an acknowledged predictor of outcome in critically ill patients [3]. The aim of this study was to establish a possible correlation between elevated blood glucose and lactate levels in intensive care patients. p p y Conclusion The initiation of early enteral feeding is still far off for a signifi cant proportion of the ICU population despite evidence-based defi nite recommendations to improve ICU outcome. The calorie goal achievements were also very suboptimal. This important but still neglected nutritional therapy must be carefully looked at and implemented in all ICUs. P164 Preliminary experience with ketone-targeted treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis A total 0.02 results per hour <4 mM were recorded in the old protocol. Results Observed GE rates for all parameters were across the spectrum from fast to delayed (for example, with r range  =  0.534 to 0.758, P <0.0001). ) Conclusion These three practical indirect methods of GE assessment may provide similar estimates of GE in critically ill patients. P163 Early enteral nutrition in the critically ill: a single-centre study A Gupta, E Rupert, R Sharma, D Mishra Rabindranath Tagore Hospital, Kolkata, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P163 (doi: 10.1186/cc10770) P163 Early enteral nutrition in the critically ill: a single-centre study A Gupta, E Rupert, R Sharma, D Mishra Rabindranath Tagore Hospital, Kolkata, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P163 (doi: 10.1186/cc10770) Conclusion The median insulin infusion rate in an individual patient and the range required to suppress capillary ketonaemia in all patients with diabetic ketoacidosis using this protocol was more than three times that in the old protocol and the amount of i.v. potassium required to maintain near-normal blood potassium during treatment was four times more. There was a slower correction of initial blood glucose. Blood glucose and potassium maintenance during treatment with this protocol would appear to require high-intensity nursing care to maintain patient safety. Introduction Early enteral nutrition in critically ill patients has been established as a valuable addition to improve overall outcome and mortality. The recommendation is to initiate feeding within 24 to 48 hours of admission and to meet the calorie goal within the next 48 to 72 hours. The purpose of this study was to fi nd out whether these guidelines are followed in the ICU as per the new protocol. 2. Kreyman KG, Berger MM, Deutz NE, et al.: ESPEN guidelines on enteral nutrition: intensive care. Clin Nutr 2006, 25:210-223. Reference Methods This is a prospective observational study done in a 32-bed mixed medical and surgical ICU over the period from March 2011 to August 2011. Consecutively, 575 patients admitted to this ICU were followed up. Nineteen patients were excluded from the study where enteral nutrition could not be commenced within 48  hours due to various reasons. The remaining 556 patients’ data were analyzed. Data were collected by interviewing the doctors and nurses as well as reviewing medical notes and all ICU charts. 1. Joint British Societies Guideline for the management of diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabet Med 2011, 28:508-515. Variability of insulin sensitivity during the fi rst 4 days of critical illness C Pretty1, A Le Compte1, JG Chase1, G Shaw2, JC Preiser3, S Penning4, T Desaive4 Methods We performed a retrospective study in 2,943 adult patients admitted to our ICU from 2004 until 2010. Glucose variability was calculated for all subjects as the LI [3] during the hospital stay on capillary, arterial and venous blood. The ROC curve was performed to verify discrimination of the LI towards mortality and ICU infections. 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand; 3Hospital Erasme, Free University of Brussels, Belgium; 4University of Liege, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P167 (doi: 10.1186/cc10774) 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand; 3Hospital Erasme, Free University of Brussels, Belgium; 4University of Liege, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P167 (doi: 10.1186/cc10774) y y Results There were 709 infections and 447 deaths. There was a signifi cant interaction between the LI and infections in patients. The LI had a great ability to predict hospital mortality (area under the curve  =  0.62, 95% CI  =  0.59 to 0.65, P <0.5; Figure 1) but moreover infections (area under the curve = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.78 to 0.82, P <0.5; Figure 2). Introduction Safe, eff ective tight glycaemic control (TGC) can improve outcomes in critical care patients, but is diffi cult to achieve consistently. Insulin sensitivity defi nes the metabolic balance between insulin concentration and insulin-mediated glucose disposal. Hence, variability of insulin sensitivity can cause variable glycaemia. This study investigates the evolution of insulin sensitivity level and variability in patients receiving TGC during the fi rst 4 days of their ICU stay. g Conclusion Glucose variability has ability to predict outcome but moreover infections in patients in the ICU, because it is a predictor of clinical outcomes in patients with hyperglycemia and diabetes. i y y Methods A retrospective analysis of patient data (n  =  164 patients) from the SPRINT TGC study in the Christchurch Hospital ICU [1]. All patients commenced TGC within 12  hours of ICU admission and spent at least 24 hours on the SPRINT protocol. Model-based insulin sensitivity (SI) was identifi ed using a validated glucose–insulin system model developed for critical care patients. SI was identifi ed every hour for each patient using clinical data and the model. Level and hour-to- hour percentage changes in SI were assessed on cohort and per-patient bases. p References p Methods Blood gas data of 1,170 patients, admitted to the medical ICU of the Department of Medicine III, Medical University Vienna, between the years 2001 and 2009, were analysed retrospectively. The association of circulating blood glucose levels with corresponding lactate levels was investigated using a linear regression model. The impact of diff erent blood glucose intervals (<80, 80 to 120, 120 to 160, 160 to 200, >200 mg/dl) on blood lactate levels was analysed using ANOVA. The infl uence of blood glucose variability, expressed as the 1. McClave SA, Martindale RG, Vanek VW, et al.: Guidelines for the provision and assessment of nutrition support therapy in the adult critically ill patient: Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and Americal Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.). JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 2009, 33:277-316. 1. McClave SA, Martindale RG, Vanek VW, et al.: Guidelines for the provision and assessment of nutrition support therapy in the adult critically ill patient: Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and Americal Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.). JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 2009, 33:277-316. 2. Kreyman KG, Berger MM, Deutz NE, et al.: ESPEN guidelines on enteral nutrition: intensive care. Clin Nutr 2006, 25:210-223. 2. Kreyman KG, Berger MM, Deutz NE, et al.: ESPEN guidelines on enteral nutrition: intensive care. Clin Nutr 2006, 25:210-223. S59 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Strategies to reduce glucose variability should be studied to improve the outcomes in ICU patients. References 1. N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359. 2. Crit Care Med 2008, 36:2316. 3. Diabetes 2004, 53:955. Figure 2 (abstract P166). blood glucose standard deviation, on mean lactate concentrations for the period of ICU stay was analysed using a linear regression model. To adjust for the severity of illness, a multivariate regression analysis was conducted including SAPS II and APACHE II scores. Figure 2 (abstract P166). g Results Blood glucose and lactate presented a U-shaped curve with a minimum blood lactate (1.5 mmol/l) between 80 and 120 mg/dl blood glucose. ANOVA and linear regression demonstrated a signifi cant infl uence of blood glucose and blood glucose variability on blood lactate (P = 0.0001). The identifi cation of this relation was supported by the result of a multivariate regression analysis, adjusting for severity of illness (P = 0.0001). P167 Introduction Hyperglycemia and glucose variability are important factors associated with morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients [1,2]. Our objective was to determine the association between the glucose Lability Index (LI), infections and outcome in critical illness. Methods We performed a retrospective study in 2,943 adult patients admitted to our ICU from 2004 until 2010. Glucose variability was calculated for all subjects as the LI [3] during the hospital stay on capillary, arterial and venous blood. The ROC curve was performed to verify discrimination of the LI towards mortality and ICU infections. Results There were 709 infections and 447 deaths. There was a signifi cant interaction between the LI and infections in patients. The LI had a great ability to predict hospital mortality (area under the curve  =  0.62, 95% CI  =  0.59 to 0.65, P <0.5; Figure 1) but moreover infections (area under the curve = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.78 to 0.82, P <0.5; Figure 2). Relationship between glycemic Lability Index, infections and outcome in critically ill patients Relationship between glycemic Lability Index, infections and outcome in critically ill patients A Donati, L Botticelli, R Castagnani, V Gabbanelli, E Damiani, R Domizi, P Pelaia Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P166 (doi: 10.1186/cc10773) References 1. N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359. 2. Crit Care Med 2008, 36:2316. 3. Diabetes 2004, 53:955. Introduction Hyperglycemia and glucose variability are important factors associated with morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients [1,2]. Our objective was to determine the association between the glucose Lability Index (LI), infections and outcome in critical illness. , References 1. van den Berghe G, et al.: Intensive insulin therapy in the critically ill patients. N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359-1367. 2. Finfer S, et al.: Intensive versus conventional glucose control in critically ill patients. N Engl J Med 2009, 360:1283-1297. 3. Khosravani H, et al.: Occurrence and adverse eff ect on outcome of hyperlactatemia in the critically ill. Crit Care 2009, 13:R90. Strategies to reduce glucose variability should be studied to improve the outcomes in ICU patients. Strategies to reduce glucose variability should be studied to improve the outcomes in ICU patients. References 1. N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359. 2. Crit Care Med 2008, 36:2316. 3. Diabetes 2004, 53:955. p References Conclusion The results demonstrate an infl uence of blood glucose and blood glucose variability on blood lactate, independent of severity of illness, in a medical ICU patient population. Variability of insulin sensitivity during the fi rst 4 days of critical illness Level and variability of SI were compared over time on 24-hour and 6-hour timescales for the fi rst 4 days of the ICU stay. Figure 1 (abstract P166). i y y Results Cohort and per-patient median SI levels increased by 34% and 33% (P <0.001) between days 1 and 2 of the ICU stay. Concomitantly, cohort and per-patient SI variability reduced by 32% and 36% (P <0.001). For 72% of the cohort, median SI on day 2 was higher than day 1. The day 1 and 2 results were the only clear, statistically signifi cant trends across both analyses. Analysis of the fi rst 24 hours using 6-hour blocks of SI data showed that most of the improvement in insulin sensitivity level and variability seen between days 1 and 2 occurred during the fi rst 12 to 18 hours of day 1. This rapid improvement was probably due to the decline of counterregulatory hormones as the acute phase of critical illness progressed.i Conclusion ICU patients have signifi cantly lower and more variable insulin sensitivity on day 1 than later in their ICU stay and particularly during the fi rst 12 hours. Clinically, these results suggest that while using Figure 1 (abstract P166). S60 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 TGC protocols with patients during their fi rst few days of ICU stay, extra care should be aff orded. Increased measurement frequency, higher target glycaemic bands, conservative insulin dosing and modulation of carbohydrate nutrition should be considered to safely minimize outcome glycaemic variability and reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia. Reference Methods We used the Eirus™ system (DipylonMedical, Solna, Sweden) based on microdialysis for CGM in three mechanically ventilated patients necessitating continuous intravenous insulin. The CGM system consists of a dedicated triple-lumen central venous catheter, a disposable sensor on a reusable sensor holder outside the patient, and a monitor producing a new measurement each minute. Calibrations were performed every 8 hours using arterial blood samples and a blood gas analyzer (Radiometer SAS, Neuilly-Plaisance, France). The attending nurses also performed intermittent blood glucose measurements with a point-of-care glucometer in order to set the insulin rate according to our glucose control method. Evaluation of a continuous blood glucose monitoring system using a central venous catheter with an integrated microdialysis function F Möller, J Liska, A Öwall, A Franco-Cereceda Evaluation of a continuous blood glucose monitoring system using a central venous catheter with an integrated microdialysis function F Möller, J Liska, A Öwall, A Franco-Cereceda Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P170 (doi: 10.1186/cc10777) Introduction Glycemic control in critically ill patients has been debated over the last decade. An accurate glucose monitoring system is essential to understand and study this concern. We have evaluated the accuracy and technical feasibility of a continuous glucose monitoring system using intravascular microdialysis. p Results The best model for insulin secretion was based on blood glucose concentration alone. There was clear separation of secretion levels between normal glucose tolerant (NGT) and impaired glucose tolerant (IGT) patients. Hence, ISR was modeled as a constrained linear function of BG (in mmol/l) for NGT and IGT patients separately with R2 = 0.61 and 0.69 respectively. NGT: ISR = 893×BG – 2,996 (mU/hour). IGT: ISR = 296×BG – 1,644 (mU/hour). The glucose coeffi cients of 893 and 296 mU.l/mmol.hour were comparable to data published in a number of other studies for healthy and diabetic subjects. Methods Thirty patients undergoing cardiac surgery were monitored using a triple-lumen central venous catheter (Eirus TLC®; Dipylon Medical AB, Sweden) with an integrated microdialysis membrane. The catheter was placed with the tip in the superior vena cava, and functions both as a central venous catheter, enabling blood sampling and administration of medication, while simultaneously measuring Figure 1 (abstract P170). Clarke error grid analysis. Conclusion This work presents a simple model for pancreatic insulin secretion in critically ill patients based on clinical data. The model is a function of blood glucose level and glucose tolerance status and compares well with published data for healthy and diabetic subjects. This model can be incorporated into glucose–insulin system models and could potentially improve model-based glycaemic control. References 1. Chase JG, et al.: Crit Care 2008, 12:R49. 2. Van Cauter E, et al.: Diabetes 1992, 41:368-377. 3. Kjems L, et al.: Diabetes 2003, 52:380-386. Variability of insulin sensitivity during the fi rst 4 days of critical illness GV was assessed by the variability index defi ned as the mean of the absolute value of the fi rst derivative of the glucose signal during CGM. In order to simulate sCGM, we extracted CGM values every 15 minutes for calculating the corresponding variability index as the mean of the absolute value of the variation rate between two consecutive measurements. 1. Chase JG, et al.: Crit Care 2008, 12:R49. Endogenous insulin secretion in critically ill patients Endogenous insulin secretion in critically ill patients C Pretty1, A Le Compte1, J Lin1, G Shaw2, JG Chase1 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital Christchurch, New Zealand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P168 (doi: 10.1186/cc10775) y p 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand y p 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand Introduction Glucose–insulin system models can be used for improved glycemic control of critically ill patients. A key component of glucose– insulin models is pancreatic insulin secretion. There are limited data in the literature quantifying insulin secretion in critically ill patients at physiologic levels. This study presents a model of pancreatic insulin secretion in critically ill patients based on data from a critically ill population. Results The variability indexes were respectively 1.97, 1.65, 1.55 mmol/l/ hour for CGMS, and 1.07, 0.65, 0.83 mmol/l/hour for sCGMS. Conclusion sCGM in comparison with CGM may considerably under- estimate a marker of GV during glucose control in critical care patients. Reference 1. Mackenzie et al.: The metrics of glycaemic control in critical care. Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:435-443. p p Methods Samples were collected from 19 patients enrolled in a prospective clinical trial studying sepsis at the Christchurch Hospital ICU. Fifteen of the patients had confi rmed sepsis and three were diagnosed type 2 diabetics. All patients were on the SPRINT glycaemic control protocol [1]. Each patient had arterial blood samples assayed for insulin and C-peptide. Two sets of four samples were taken from each patient, with each set collected over 60 minutes. Blood glucose (BG) data were collected with a bedside glucometer. C-peptide data were deconvolved using the model and population parameter values of van Cauter and colleagues [2] to determine pancreatic insulin secretion rates (ISRs). Data from Kjems and colleagues investigating the potentiating eff ects of glucagon-like peptide-1 on insulin secretion [3] suggested a maximum secretion rate of 16 U/hour. A minimum rate of 1 U/hour was also adopted. Pilot trial of STAR in the medical ICU LM Fi k1 AJ L C 1 GM Sh 2 S P LM Fisk1, AJ Le Compte1, GM Shaw2, S Penning3, T Desaive3, JG Chase1 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand; 3Université de Liege, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P172 (doi: 10.1186/cc10779) Introduction Medical ICU patients often develop stress-induced hyperglycemia. Regulating blood glucose (BG) levels in these patients using insulin can be diffi cult due to varying patient conditions and therapy, leading to increased risk of hypoglycaemia. This abstract describes a pilot trial of STAR, a computerised risk-management accurate glycemic control (AGC) protocol. g y p Methods Thirteen hyperglycaemic patients (BG >145 mg/dl) were consented from Christchurch Hospital ICU. The BG target range was 80 to 145 mg/dl or 108 to 162 mg/dl (chosen clinically). Model-based insulin sensitivity was calculated for every measurement and its variability for the next 1 to 3 hours forecast using stochastic models. These data and model were used to calculate new insulin/nutrition interventions for the next 1 to 3 hours, limiting risk of BG <80 mg/dl to a maximum of 5%. Nursing staff selected the BG measurement interval to manage workload. Insulin was delivered as boluses (max 6 U/hour; max increase +2U/intervention), with infusions up to 3 U/hour for highly resistant patients. Nutrition was 30 to 100% of clinical goal feed (max change ±30% per intervention) and constant rates were used when desired clinically. Limiting insulin/nutrition changes prevents over-response to erroneous BG measurements and results were resampled hourly for consistency. Approval was granted by the Upper South A Regional Ethics Committee (Christchurch, New Zealand). Figure 2 (abstract P170). Bland–Altman analysis. glucose. The patients were monitored for up to 48 hours postoperatively in the ICU. As reference, arterial blood samples were taken every hour. Results Data were available from all 30 patients. A total of 725 paired (arterial blood gas–microdialysis) samples were obtained. Glucose correlation coeffi cient was 0.87. Using Clarke error grid analysis, 100% of the paired samples were in region AB and 97.4% in region A (Figure 1). Mean glucose level was 8.6 mmol/l, bias –1.3% and mean absolute relative diff erence was 4.8%. A total 97.5% of the paired samples were correct according to ISO criteria. Bland–Altman analysis showed bias ± limits of agreement –0.11 ± 1.3 mmol/l (Figure 2). g Results Median BG was 109 mg/dl for 80 to 145 mg/dl target patients and 145 mg/dl for 108 to 162 mg/dl target patients. Impact of the type of glucose monitoring on the assessment of glycemic variability in critical care patients P Kalfon, M Chilles CH Chartres, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P169 (doi: 10.1186/cc10776) P Kalfon, M Chilles CH Chartres, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P169 (doi: 10.1186/cc10776) Introduction While minimizing glycemic variability (GV) during glucose control in critical care patients could become a new therapeutic goal, it is important to have a reliable assessment of GV. The aim of the study is to compare a real continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system in comparison with a semi-continuous glucose monitoring (sCGM) system, with respect to the reliability of a marker of GV. Figure 1 (abstract P170). Clarke error grid analysis. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S61 variable and maximum BG levels was considered to link to better outcome. (3) On the other hand, part of the severe patients seemed to have the lowest of those variable and maximum BG levels, judging from two-dimensional or parabolic correlations between those BG parameters and SOFA scores. Figure 2 (abstract P170). Bland–Altman analysis. P172 P172 Pilot trial of STAR in the medical ICU LM Fisk1, AJ Le Compte1, GM Shaw2, S Penning3, T Desaive3, JG Chase1 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand; 3Université de Liege, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P172 (doi: 10.1186/cc10779) Pilot trial of STAR in the medical ICU LM Fi k1 AJ L C 1 GM Sh 2 S P In total, 85.6% of time was in the specifi ed target band, with 1.18% of BG <72 mg/dl and 2.41% BG <80 mg/dl. BG measurement frequency was 13.3 measures/ day. Per-patient median carbohydrate intake was 10.7 g/hour (IQR: 4.0 to 11.9 g/hour) and median insulin usage was 2.5 U/hour (IQR: 1.75 to 3.5 U/hour). Requirements varied considerably by patient. Observed response to insulin varied by a factor of 14× between patients. Accurate control was maintained over a range of metabolic conditions, and STAR adapted safely to therapies including high-dose steroids, long-acting insulin (Glargine) and changing insulin response. Conclusion Central venous microdialysis is an accurate and reliable method for continuous blood glucose monitoring in critically patients. P171 P171 Variable and maximum blood glucose levels during the fi rst week after ICU admission are related to the severity of the patients M Hoshino1, Y Haraguchi2, K Oda1, S Kajiwara1 1Shisei Hospital, Saitama, Japan; 2Geriatric Health Services Facility, Kokubunnji-shi, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P171 (doi: 10.1186/cc10778) Conclusion STAR provided AGC in a clinical setting. Tight and accurate control was able to be extended to patients with a range of metabolic requirements, and the risk-management approach proved capable of balancing clinical workload and risks presented by patient variability. Introduction Signifi cance of blood glucose (BG) control in ICU patients, especially in terms of mortality reduction, has been recognized in recent years. However, the relationship between BG profi le and the severity, as well as BG target, is not clearly elucidated. A preliminary study was performed in order to clarify the relationship between BG profi le and the severity of ICU patients. Glucometer accuracy and implications for clinical studies AJ Le Compte1, CG Pretty1, GM Shaw2, JG Chase1 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P173 (doi: 10.1186/cc10780) P174 Initial experience with continuous intra-arterial fl uorescent glucose monitoring in patients in the ICU following cardiac surgery S Bird1, L Macken1, O Flower1, E Yarad1, F Bass1, N Hammond1, D LaCour2, P Strasma2, S Finfer1 1Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia; 2GluMetrics, Inc., Irvine, CA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P174 (doi: 10.1186/cc10781) Introduction A need for continuous blood glucose monitoring has always been expressed by critical care practitioners. The results from several iterations of a novel optical fl uorescence-based intravascular blood glucose sensor were examined for correlation with an accepted laboratory assay. Ever since Van Den Berghe’s group demonstrated reductions in hospital mortality and morbidity from the application of tight glycaemic control [1], many groups have attempted to replicate those results with limited success. Practitioners have speculated upon the reasons behind this observation, and have cited manpower implications and incidence of hypoglycaemic episodes as contributing factors [2]. Investigators have speculated that a continuous blood glucose sensor might contribute towards safe eff ective glycaemic control [3]. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P174 (doi: 10.1186/cc10781) Introduction Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in ICUs has the potential to improve patient safety and outcomes. The GluCath Intravascular CGM System uses a novel quenched chemical fl uorescence sensing mechanism to measure glucose concentration (BG) in venous or arterial blood. This is the fi rst report of its use in cardiac surgery patients. p Methods This ongoing clinical study is evaluating the system deployed via a standard 20G radial artery catheter inserted for routine care in 20 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Data are presented from fi ve run-in patients. Outcome measures are qualitative (ease-of-use, workfl ow fi t) and quantitative (accuracy vs. reference analyzer). Sensors were inserted shortly after ICU admission with placement confi rmed by ultrasound and in vivo calibration 30 minutes later. Clinical staff managed blood glucose according to usual protocols. Glucose values were recorded each minute for 24  hours;  hourly reference samples from the same arterial catheter were analyzed on a Radiometer ABL Blood Gas Analyzer.i Methods A series of postoperative and direct admission ICU patients had an optical fl uorescence-based intravascular glucose sensor (GlySure Ltd, Abingdon, UK) placed into the left internal jugular vein on admission to the ICU. The sensor remained in situ throughout the ICU stay. Periodic blood samples and simultaneous real-time values of blood glucose measured by the sensor were recorded. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 patient. The defi ned cut-off for ‘good’ control for a patient was ≥70% of BG in 72 to 126 mg/dl (cTIB ≥0.7), and ‘poor’ as <70% (cTIB <0.7), based on original observed clinical BG. The number of true BG profi les that resulted in misclassifi cation between ‘good’ and ‘poor’ control for a patient was recorded over all Monte-Carlo runs. The maximum change in true and observed BG mean and standard deviation were used to evaluate potential worst-case scenarios. Figure 1 (abstract P174). ISO-modifi ed Bland–Altman plot. Results Good control was clinically measured in 76% of patients (24% with cTIB <0.7). Of these, 83% of ‘good’ and 64% of ‘poor’ control would never be misclassifi ed over all 100 runs due to sensor error. A total of 91% (good) and 87.5% (poor) could be misclassifi ed 10% of the time. Patients with cTIB near 0.7 were more likely to be misclassifi ed when accounting for glucometer error. Hence, a deadband around the cut-off would reduce this misclassifi cation. If ‘good’ cut-off was cTIB ≥0.5 (95% of clinical patients) then 100% correct classifi cation was 97% for good control patients, but fell to 40% of poor control patients. The median largest diff erence in observed and true mean BG across patients was –54 mg/dl (90th percentile: –21 mg/dl) and the standard deviation was 3.2 mg/dl (90th percentile: 1.8 mg/dl). g pi Patients with cTIB near 0.7 were more likely to be misclassifi ed when accounting for glucometer error. Hence, a deadband around the cut-off would reduce this misclassifi cation. If ‘good’ cut-off was cTIB ≥0.5 (95% of clinical patients) then 100% correct classifi cation was 97% for good control patients, but fell to 40% of poor control patients. The median largest diff erence in observed and true mean BG across patients was –54 mg/dl (90th percentile: –21 mg/dl) and the standard deviation was 3.2 mg/dl (90th percentile: 1.8 mg/dl). Figure 1 (abstract P174). ISO-modifi ed Bland–Altman plot. g g Conclusion Glucometers can distinguish between patients that received good and poor BG control but risk of misclassifi cation rises for patients nearer cut-off s. P174 The results were correlated with the results of blood sample analysed by a Yellow Springs Instrument glucose analyser. The sensor, which has a heparin coating on its surface, required no further heparinisation; a ‘keep vein open’ rate of normal saline infusion was maintained throughout the period of operation.i Results Sixteen patients received the current confi guration blood glucose sensor; during their combined length of stay, 296 paired values were obtained for correlation purposes. A total 99.6% of these values fall within the A+B areas of the Clarke error grid. All sensors continued to function throughout the length of stay, maximum 92  hours, and were withdrawn immediately prior to discharge from the ICU. Results The sensor was successfully deployed in all fi ve patients and did not interfere with clinical care, blood pressure monitoring or sampling. One patient suff ered a cardiopulmonary arrest; the sensor functioned successfully during resuscitation and urgent return to the operating room. One hundred and twenty reference samples ranging from 5.9 to 13.4 mmol/l were collected; 107/120 (89.2%) of GluCath measurements met ISO 15197 criteria (within ±20% of reference when BG >4.2 mmol/l; Figure 1). In Subject 1 the sensor was inadvertently retracted into the arterial catheter during the study, leading to measurement error from arterial fl ush solution contamination. In a sensitivity analysis excluding this patient, 89/95 (93.7%) of measurements met ISO 15197 with a mean absolute relative diff erence of 9.4%. Conclusion The pre-production intravascular blood glucose sensors successfully track blood glucose values, with improved insight into blood glucose variability in ICU patients. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Reliable classifi cation to associate with outcomes relies on the control protocol and cut-off choice to achieve suffi cient separation between groups so that device errors do not result in signifi cant misclassifi cation confounding the results. A deadband around cut-off values to eliminate patients at high risk of misclassifi cation may be required. 5 Preliminary ICU experience of a novel intravascular blood glucose sensor Preliminary ICU experience of a novel intravascular blood glucose sensor KP Mulavisala1, PB Gopal2, B Crane3, A Mackenzie3 1Axon Anaesthesia Associates Care Hospital Nampally, Hyderabad, India; 2Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, India; 3Glysure, Abingdon, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P175 (doi: 10.1186/cc10782) KP Mulavisala1, PB Gopal2, B Crane3, A Mackenzie3 1Axon Anaesthesia Associates Care Hospital Nampally, Hyderabad, India; 2Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, India; 3Glysure, Abingdon, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P175 (doi: 10.1186/cc10782) 1. Van den Berghe G, et al.: Intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients. N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359-1367. 2. Aragon D, et al.: Evaluation of nurse work eff ort and perception about blood glucose testing in TGC. Am J Crit Care 2006, 15:370-377. 3. Krinsley J, Preiser JC: Moving beyond TGC to safe eff ective glycemic control (SEGC). Crit Care 2008, 12:149. Glucometer accuracy and implications for clinical studies AJ Le Compte1, CG Pretty1, GM Shaw2, JG Chase1 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P173 (doi: 10.1186/cc10780) pi y p Methods Forty-seven patients were studied. The following parameters were calculated during fi rst week after ICU admission. (1) Mean and maximum value of SOFA scores (SOFAm and SOFAmax, respectively). (2) Mean, standard deviation, maximum, minimum, and diff erence of BG levels (BGm, BGsd, BGmax, BGmin, BGd(BGmax – BGmin), respectively). BG levels were measured basically every 6 hours with capillary blood. (3) Correlation coeffi cients (r) between the abovementioned SOFA scores and BG parameters were calculated using two-dimensional and linear regression analysis (rt, rl, respectively). AJ Le Compte1, CG Pretty1, GM Shaw2, JG Chase1 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand Critical Care 2012 16(Suppl 1):P173 (doi: 10 1186/cc10780) Introduction Elucidating links between glycemic control and clinical outcome requires reliable discrimination between groups with diff erent target blood glucose (BG) cut-off s. Point-of-care glucometers are commonly used, but lower accuracy means BG errors will impact classifi cation and thus outcome analyses. This study reanalyses a BG control trial with an error model of a typical glucometer to assess the impact of sensor errors on interpretation of trial results.i Introduction Elucidating links between glycemic control and clinical outcome requires reliable discrimination between groups with diff erent target blood glucose (BG) cut-off s. Point-of-care glucometers are commonly used, but lower accuracy means BG errors will impact classifi cation and thus outcome analyses. This study reanalyses a BG control trial with an error model of a typical glucometer to assess the impact of sensor errors on interpretation of trial results. t l Results (1) rt and rl (rt/rl) between SOFAmax and BG parameters: BGsd (0.48/0.36), BGmax (0.47/0.33), BGd (0.47/0.35), BGm (0.30/0.22), BGmin (0.21/0.36). (2) (rt/rl) between SOFAm and BG parameters: BGsd (0.45/0.33), BGmax (0.45/0.28), BGd (0.45/0.30), BGm (0.28/0.17), BGmin (0.17/0.29).i Methods BG profi les from 301 patients (stay >24  hours) from the SPRINT trial with BG measurements (n  =  25,000) using the Arkray SuperGlucocard II GT-1630. A model of sensor bias and variance (CV 2.7 to 3.5%, regression: y = 3.92 + 0.97x) was used to estimate possible ‘true’ BG profi les from measured BG and repeated 100 times for each Conclusion (1) Variable and maximum BG levels during the fi rst week (BGsd, BGd, BGmax), rather than mean and minimum BG levels (BGm, BGmin), were related to the severity. (2) Suppression of the higher S62 g References 1. Van den Berghe G, et al.: Intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients. N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359-1367. 2. Aragon D, et al.: Evaluation of nurse work eff ort and perception about blood glucose testing in TGC. Am J Crit Care 2006, 15:370-377. 3. Krinsley J, Preiser JC: Moving beyond TGC to safe eff ective glycemic control (SEGC). Crit Care 2008, 12:149. f Conclusion The GluCath System measured glucose concentration continuously in a cardiac surgery ICU without compromising arterial line function or patient care. In all patients the sensor operated without interruption for 24 hours following a single in vivo calibration. 2. Aragon D, et al.: Evaluation of nurse work eff ort and perception about blood glucose testing in TGC. Am J Crit Care 2006, 15:370-377. 3. Krinsley J, Preiser JC: Moving beyond TGC to safe eff ective glycemic control (SEGC). Crit Care 2008, 12:149. S63 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 in ‘tight’ glycaemic control [2]; however, recent negative studies have dampened this interest [3]. In view of more recent analyses, which off er possible explanations for equivocal results [4], it is possible there will be renewed interest in glycaemic control. The purpose of this survey is to assess the utilisation of tight glycaemic control protocols in a sample of ICUs in England, as a refl ection of current UK intensive care practice. Methods We identifi ed 171 large acute hospital trusts, of which 87 were randomly selected. Of these, 85 had ICUs, which were contacted by telephone. The senior nurse in charge at the time was asked whether their ICU used a protocol for the management of blood glucose, and what were the upper and lower target limits. P176 Does tight glycemic control positively impact on patient mortality? S Penning1, AJ Le Compte2, M Signal2, P Massion3, JC Preiser4, GM Shaw5, T Desaive1, JG Chase2 1Université de Liege, Belgium; 2University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 3CHU de Liège, Belgium; 4Erasme University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium; 5Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P176 (doi: 10.1186/cc10783) Introduction High and variable blood glucose (BG) levels have been associated with increased mortality. Tight glycemic control (TGC) aims at reducing BG levels to improve patient outcome and mortality. This research evaluates the impact of TGC on mortality. pp g Results A blood glucose protocol was used in 87.1% of ICUs surveyed. References y Conclusion Results show that, irrespective of TGC protocols, high cTIB and thus normoglycemia are associated with higher odds of living. This suggests that TGC positively infl uences patient outcome. 1. Van den Berghe G, et al.: N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359-1367. 2. Mackenzie et al.: Intensive Care Med 2005, 31:1136. 2. Mackenzie et al.: Intensive Care Med 2005, 31:1136. 3. NICE-SUGAR Study Investigators: N Engl J Med 2009, 360:1283. 4. Mackenzie et al.: Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:435-443. 3. NICE-SUGAR Study Investigators: N Engl J Med 2009, 360:1283. 4. Mackenzie et al.: Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:435-443. g References Of these, the median lower limit of allowed blood glucose concentration was 4.0 mmol/l (range 3.0 to 7.0), with an upper limit of 8.0 mmol/l (range 6.0 to 12.0). Only 22 ICUs (25.9%) had a target range similar to the Leuven study. A further 34 ICUs used a lower limit similar to the Leuven study, of 4.0 to 4.5 mmol/l, but had a higher upper limit. This is refl ective of the general opinion from the nurses contacted, that a tight protocol is diffi cult to achieve, can result in hypoglycaemia, and has been recently relaxed in many departments. y Methods This study used glycemic data from 1,488 patients of two cohorts: Glucontrol (n  =  704) and SPRINT (n  =  784). TGC glycemic outcome is measured by cumulative time in the 4 to 7 mmol/l band (cTIB), defi ned daily for each patient. Each day, patients were divided into two groups: cTIB <70% and cTIB ≥70%. For each group, odds of living (OL = #lived / #died) was calculated. g Results OL for cTIB ≥70% patients tends to increase over time while OL for cTIB <70% patients decreases (Figure 1). On Day 1, OL for cTIB <70% patients and cTIB ≥70% patients are similar (OL  =  5.1 and OL  =  5.5 respectively). The diff erence between the two groups increases over the ICU stay. On Day 10, OL = 2.8 and OL = 10.5 for cTIB <70% and cTIB ≥70% patients respectively. These results suggest that survival rate is higher when cTIB ≥70% and thus when BG levels are tightly controlled around normoglycemia. The longer patients’ ICU stay, the lower survival rate they have when cTIB <70%. Conclusion Our data suggest that glycaemic control has, to a very large extent, been accepted as a standard of care in the UK, although in most ICUs this does not constitute tight glycaemic control. The full benefi t of tight glycaemic control, achieved by minimisation of mean glucose, glucose variability and episodes of hypoglycaemia, will not be achieved until robust techniques for continuous, or semi-continuous, blood glucose measurement are available. References P179 P179 Perioperative glycemic control with a computerized algorithm versus conventional glycemic control M Punke1, S Bruhn1, M Goepfert1, S Kluge1, H Reichenspurner2, A Goetz1, D Reuter1 1University Medical Center Hamburg–Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; 2University Heart Center, Hamburg, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P179 (doi: 10.1186/cc10786) P179 Perioperative glycemic control with a computerized algorithm versus conventional glycemic control M Punke1, S Bruhn1, M Goepfert1, S Kluge1, H Reichenspurner2, A Goetz1, D Reuter1 1University Medical Center Hamburg–Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; 2University Heart Center, Hamburg, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P179 (doi: 10.1186/cc10786) P179 Perioperative glycemic control with a computerized algorithm versus conventional glycemic control Introduction In critically ill patients, both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia seem to infl uence outcome. Since hypoglycemia can lead to organ dysfunction, hyperglycemia seems to boost surgical site infections (SSI) [1]. It was shown that intensive insulin therapy (IIT) reduced mortality in critically ill patients [2]. Unfortunately several studies could not reproduce the eff ects [3,4]. In particular, IIT bears the risk of accidental hypoglycemia which could even have a negative eff ect on patient outcome [3,4]. In cardiac surgery, the use of blood cardioplegia for cardiopulmonary bypass frequently leads to high blood glucose levels during surgery. In particular, a computer- based algorithm that guides the insulin therapy might be benefi cial. We hypothesized that in patients undergoing major cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and blood cardioplegia, the use of a computer-based algorithm for the application of insulin will lead to a tighter adherence of normoglycemia. Our primary study end-point was the duration, in which the patients fulfi lled the predefi ned target range of 80 to 150 mg/dl blood glucose. Patients with conventional blood glucose therapy served as controls.i Results The response of the MPC controller to measured deviations in glucose is shown in Figure 1. For glucose measurements below target, glucose is administered, while insulin administration is used to lower blood glucose from an elevated state to a desired target. The model parameter pG2, representing patient insulin sensitivity (insulin action on glucose uptake), was used by the MHE algorithm to tailor the model response to simulated patient dynamics. In response to pG2 changes in the simulated patient, MHE provided a 93% improvement in glucose reference tracking performance. g Conclusion The algorithm achieves tight glucose control in response to multiple measured and unmeasured disturbances. Furthermore, the MHE scheme updates patient parameters in real time in response to changing patient dynamics. 1. Roy et al.: Diab Tech Ther 2006, 8:617-626. P177 P178 Model-based regulation of glucose in critical care SP Gawel1, G Clermont2, RS Parker1 1University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 2University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P178 (doi: 10.1186/cc10785) Introduction Following van den Berghe’s landmark paper in 2001 (Leuven study) [1], the critical care community became very interested Introduction Glucose control in critical care has been shown to improve patient outcome, yet tight glucose control has led to increased Figure 1 (abstract P176). Whole-cohort odds of living over ICU stay. Figure 1 (abstract P176). Whole-cohort odds of living over ICU stay. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S64 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 htt // f / l t /16/S1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P178). Figure 1 (abstract P178). Figure 1 (abstract P178). P179 hypoglycemia in the clinic. We employed a systems engineering approach to assist clinicians in maintaining blood glucose within a desired target range while avoiding hypoglycemia in the critically ill. The long-term vision is a decision support system that provides recommended insulin and glucose administrations leading to patient- specifi c achievement of tight glucose control without hypoglycemia. Methods To achieve these goals, we employ a model predictive control (MPC) algorithmic platform using two control inputs: insulin for glucose control and glucose for hypoglycemia. The MPC controller is designed based on a nonlinear dynamic model of glucose–insulin–fatty acid interactions [1]. A moving horizon estimation (MHE) technique is used to alter the tissue sensitivity to insulin based on deviations between measurements and model predictions of glucose concentration as a mechanism for tailoring the controller model to individual patient dynamics. hypoglycemia in the clinic. We employed a systems engineering approach to assist clinicians in maintaining blood glucose within a desired target range while avoiding hypoglycemia in the critically ill. The long-term vision is a decision support system that provides recommended insulin and glucose administrations leading to patient- specifi c achievement of tight glucose control without hypoglycemia. hypoglycemia in the clinic. We employed a systems engineering approach to assist clinicians in maintaining blood glucose within a desired target range while avoiding hypoglycemia in the critically ill. The long-term vision is a decision support system that provides recommended insulin and glucose administrations leading to patient- specifi c achievement of tight glucose control without hypoglycemia. Methods To achieve these goals, we employ a model predictive control (MPC) algorithmic platform using two control inputs: insulin for glucose control and glucose for hypoglycemia. The MPC controller is designed based on a nonlinear dynamic model of glucose–insulin–fatty acid interactions [1]. A moving horizon estimation (MHE) technique is used to alter the tissue sensitivity to insulin based on deviations between measurements and model predictions of glucose concentration as a mechanism for tailoring the controller model to individual patient dynamics. References References 1. Ann Intern Med 2007, 146:233-243. 2. N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359-1367. 3. N Engl J Med 2006, 354:449-461. 4. N Engl J Med 2009, 360:1283-1297. g p Methods All ICU patients from HUPR diagnosed with SCASTE within the fi rst 24 hours from January 2005 to December 2010 were included in this study and registered in the ARIAM-Andalucia Project. This database gathers the whole PAI from preadmission (PH), ER, ICU, hemodynamics laboratory and cardiology ward to discharge. Within these 6 years three main interventions were carried out: fi brinolysis protocol PH with ER and critical care unit EMS involving the ICU, continuous update of protocols based on AHA clinical guidelines, and 24-hour availability of the hemodynamic laboratory for primary coronary intervention (P-ICP available since 1 February 2007). Revascularization indexes are analyzed and grouped in 2-year periods (A, B, C), the time justifi ed as necessary for modifi cation after the intervention, attention times and PH action. The latter was measured by a score (aspirin, nitroglycerine, ECG, vein access, intravenous treatment and monitoring during transport) up to 6 points. A correct intervention must obtain at least 4 points. Statistical processing was by the R-UCA pack from R-Commander. 1. Ann Intern Med 2007, 146:233-243. 2. N Engl J Med 2001, 345:1359-1367. 3. N Engl J Med 2006, 354:449-461. 4. N Engl J Med 2009, 360:1283-1297. P180 Effi cacy of the novel heart attack centre extension pathway: a pilot study D Perera1, B Hoonjan1, K Krishnathasan1, M Selvanyagam1, H Neugebauer2 1Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK; 2Queens Hospital, Barking Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P180 (doi: 10.1186/cc10787) Results A total of 590 patients were included in this study: 188 (A), 227 (B) and 175 (C). All groups were similar in mean age, gender, IAM location and origin. A statistically signifi cant increase was found in the revascularization and PHA attention between periods A versus C and B versus C with P <0.0001 and CI (0.15 to 0.42)/(0.17 to 0.45) and (0.2 to 0.6)/(0.11 to 0.39). No statistically signifi cant diff erence was found among groups A versus B. No signifi cant diff erence was observed in attention times. Prognostic value of Killip classifi cation in terms of health-related quality of life y A Ioannidis1, D Tsounis1, A Pechlevanis2, M Paraskelidou2 1HOU, Kalamaria, Greece; 2GHT ‘Agios Pavlos’, Kalamaria, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P182 (doi: 10.1186/cc10789) A Ioannidis1, D Tsounis1, A Pechlevanis2, M Paraskelidou2 1HOU, Kalamaria, Greece; 2GHT ‘Agios Pavlos’, Kalamaria, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P182 (doi: 10.1186/cc10789) Results The average time for patients to have an angiography via the IHT pathway was 5.5 days. Of the 33 patients (mean age 61 ± 15.2 SD) transferred via HACX, 30 patients (91%) were appropriately identifi ed for an angiogram. Seventeen patients (52%) required PCI, fi ve patients (15%) required CABG, four patients (12%) required nonsurgical intervention, and four patients (12%) required no treatment. Controls included 37 patients (mean age 71 ± 12.6 SD) of whom 17 patients (46%) required PCI, six patients (16%) required CABG, eight patients (22%) required nonsurgical intervention and six patients (16%) required no treatment. At 3-month follow-up, 32 patients (97%) in the HACX cohort and 36 patients (97%) in the IHT cohort were alive.fi Introduction The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic value of Killip classifi cation in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods The sample consisted of 112 patients treated for myocardial infarction (MI), as onset manifestation of coronary artery disease (CAD), during 2008/09 in a prefectural hospital in northern Greece. At 1-year follow-up visit, HRQoL was measured using a generic and a disease- specifi c instrument. The 15D consists of a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a total score. The scoring algorithm of the MacNew generates a global score, and three separate domains scores: emotional, physical and social. Introduction The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic value of Killip classifi cation in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Results Patients were grouped into the four Killip classes according to the degree of pulmonary congestion at admission (Table 1). Mean HRQoL for each group diff ered in the expected manner: the higher the class, the lower the HRQoL. Statistical signifi cant diff erences were observed in VAS of the 15D and the emotional and social domain scores of the MacNew. Accordingly, the majority of patients with no signs of pulmonary congestion at admission were classifi ed in NYHA functional class I at 1-year follow-up visit. Integral assistance process implantation for ST-elevated acute coronary syndrome Results There were no statistical diff erences between the groups regarding age, height, weight, premedical history or intraoperative amount of glucose administration during cardioplegia (33  ±  15 g). Blood glucose levels in groups 1 and 2 stayed signifi cantly longer in the target interval compared with group 3 (75 ± 19% vs. 72 ± 19%; vs. 50 ± 34%, P <0.01, n = 25, respectively). There was no signifi cant diff erence between the groups regarding ICU or hospital stay and SSI rates. JC Rodriguez-Yañez, M Celaya-Lopez, MJ Huertos-Ranchal, I Diaz-Torres, C Navarro-Ramirez, J Gomez-Ramos Hospital Universitario Puerto Real, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P181 (doi: 10.1186/cc10788) JC Rodriguez-Yañez, M Celaya-Lopez, MJ Huertos-Ranchal, I Diaz-Torres, C Navarro-Ramirez, J Gomez-Ramos Hospital Universitario Puerto Real, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P181 (doi: 10.1186/cc10788) Introduction The objective was to evaluate the implantation of assistance process implantation (PAI) for ST-elevated acute coronary syndrome (SCASTE) in our sanitary district. When we refer to PAI, we mean protocolysed assistance guidelines developed and published by Andalucia sanitary authorities that include recommendations to direct the assistance from the beginning of the process until patient discharge from the hospital. Conclusion Early computer-based insulin therapy allows one to better warrant normoglycemia in patients undergoing major cardiac surgery with the use of blood cardioplegia. References Introduction The Barts and the London Heart Attack Centre Extension (HACX) programme was introduced to provide a direct pathway for high-risk non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients from the A&E of a district general hospital to a tertiary intervention centre. As a result, patients have earlier access to angiography and subsequent treatment, including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or nonsurgical inter ven- tions. There is no research on the eff ectiveness of this novel HACX programme. Conclusion Coordination of the SCASTE attention, constant analysis by continuous registry of diff erent action levels (ARIAM-Andalucia registry), clinical guideline updates and adjustment to resources and environment, in this case a rural setting, meaning quality and a continuous improvement circle, reduce variability and lead undoubtedly to better assistance for our patients. Methods Over 3 months, 33 patients transferred via the HACX pathway and 37 patients transferred via the conventional interhospital transfer pathway (IHT) were followed up. All patients with acute coronary syndrome symptoms, relevant ECG changes (ST segment depression in two or more contiguous leads >1 mm, pathological T-wave inversion in V1 to V4, a GRACE score >88 and troponin I levels >0.1 ng/ml) were discussed with the cardiology team at the interventional centre prior to immediate transfer. We assessed patient suitability for angiography, post-angiography procedures, and 3-month mortality outcomes. Data were obtained from the hospital’s PAS computer system. P182 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Statistical analysis was performed with using ANOVA and the LPS post hoc test. Data shown are mean ± standard deviation, n = number of patients. P179 The adaptive MPC algorithm is currently being validated using a retrospective cohort of critically ill patients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Methods Seventy-fi ve patients were enrolled and randomized into three groups. Start of therapy was determined as the beginning of cardiopulmonary bypass. Group 1: therapy with computer-based blood glucose control (TGC System; Braun, Melsungen, Germany) and measurement of blood glucose every 30 minutes. Group 2: same therapy as group 1 and measurement of blood glucose every 15  minutes. Group 3: conventional therapy using a fi xed insulin dosing scheme. End of therapy was defi ned as discharge from the ICU. Acknowledgements Funded by NIH-R21-DK092813. Reference S65 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Prognostic value of Killip classifi cation in terms of health-related quality of life No diff erence was observed in the type Conclusion HACX is an eff ective pathway that accurately identifi es and rapidly transfers appropriate NSTEMI patients requiring early coronary revascularisation. However, there was no additional mortality benefi t at 3-month follow-up compared to the conventional IHT pathway. Further studies with larger patient cohorts and longer follow-up periods are required to substantiate the benefi ts of the HACX programme in order to consider whether this service could be implemented nationwide, or whether this is a service that does not need to exist at all. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S66 of MI, although patients in higher Killip classes had more aff ected arteries and were treated more often with CABG than PCI. Additionally, Killip class I patients were favored in a number of parameters including age, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, BMI, NT-proBNP level and LVEF. Conclusion Patients with MI as an onset manifestation of CAD present ith i d d f l ti Th ti l Table 1 (abstract P182). Prognostic value of Killip classifi cation in terms of health-related quality of life Methods In this retrospective study, the medical records of 619 patients with an admitting diagnosis of STEMI from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Emergency Department between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2009 were reviewed. We extracted data from the electronic records of the emergency case notes and inpatient discharge summaries. Results Among 619 patients, 363 (58.6%) arrived by emergency medical services (EMS) and 256 (41.4%) by self-transport. Three hundred and thirty (53.3%) patients underwent emergency angiography, of which 313 (94.9%) were treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), eight (2.4%) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and nine (2.7%) were conservatively managed. The D2B time was signifi cantly shorter in patients who arrived by EMS (60 vs. 82 minutes; P <0.001). There was no diff erence in D2B time between patients who arrived in the day (06:00 to 17:59 hours) or at night (18:00 to 05:59 hours). Chest pain, shortness of breath and diaphoresis were the three commonest presenting symptoms in patients with STEMI regardless of their mode of arrival. Previous myocardial infarction, PCI or CABG did not infl uence the mode of transport. Patients who arrived by EMS had a higher incidence of cardiogenic shock (20.7% vs. 11.7%; P = 0.020) and were signifi cantly older (63 vs. 59 years; P = 0.004) than patients who arrived by self-transport. Patients who arrived by EMS had a higher in-hospital mortality rate (12.1% vs. 5.1%; P = 0.003) and a longer mean length of stay compared to those who arrived by self-transport (6 vs. 4 days; P = 0.004). C l i I t d l ti ti t ith STEMI h d EMS Table 1 (abstract P182). Patient characteristics according to Killip classifi cation P183 Modes of arrival, door to balloon time and its impact on morbidity and mortality for ST elevation myocardial infarct YC Chia Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P183 (doi: 10.1186/cc10790) P183 Modes of arrival, door to balloon time and its impact on morbidit and mortality for ST elevation myocardial infarct YC Chia Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P183 (doi: 10.1186/cc10790) Introduction Timely reperfusion of the occluded coronary artery is crucial in reducing the amount of myocardial damage in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarct (STEMI). Prognostic value of Killip classifi cation in terms of health-related quality of life Patient characteristics according to Killip classifi cation Class I Class II Class III Class IV P value n (%) 52 (46.4) 40 (35.7) 14 (12.5) 6 (5.4) NA HRQoL (mean) 15D VAS 78.9 76.9 72.9 70.8 0.025 Total 0.844 0.842 0.823 0.803 0.478 MacNew Emotional 5.60 5.61 5.38 5.05 0.030 Physical 5.49 5.26 5.25 5.05 0.144 Social 5.72 5.47 5.30 5.14 0.014 Global 5.52 5.44 5.27 4.98 0.056 Age (years) 61.8 66.0 70.2 61.2 0.013 Gender (n, %) Male (85) 40 (47.1) 31 (36.5) 12 (14.1) 2 (2.4) 0.080 Female (27) 12 (44.4) 9 (33.3) 2 (7.4) 4 (14.8) ΒΜΙ 28.7 29.1 30.0 34.8 0.001 Systolic BP 127.5 122.5 115.7 140.0 0.000 Diastolic BP 75.8 73.6 70.7 76.7 0.173 Heart rate 64.9 68.7 72.3 71.7 0.030 CRP 3.6 4.9 6.0 3.8 0.087 NT-proBNP 741 1645 2193 1674 0.000 LVEF 61.9 55.2 49.0 45.0 0.000 MI type (n, %) STEMI (48) 24 (50.0) 18 (37.5) 4 (8.3) 2 (4.2) 0.638 NSTEMI (64) 28 (43.8) 22 (55.0) 10 (15.6) 4 (6.3) Aff ected arteries (n, %) 1 (38) 19 (50.0) 15 (39.5) 4 (10.5) 0 (0.0) 0.005 2 (30) 17 (56.7) 9 (30.0) 4 (13.3) 0 (0.0) 3 (44) 16 (36.4) 16 (36.4) 6 (13.6) 6 (13.6) Revascularization technique (n, %) None (14) 7 (50.0) 3 (21.4) 4 (28.6) 0 (0.0) 0.002 PCI (63) 35 (55.6) 22 (34.9) 6 (9.5) 0 (0.0) CABG (35) 10 (28.6) 15 (42.9) 4 (11.4) 6 (17.1) ΝΥΗΑ Ι (73) 42 (57.5) 21 (28.8) 8 (11.0) 2 (2.7) 0.013 ΙΙ (37) 8 (21.6) 19 (51.4) 6 (16.2) 4 (10.8) ΙΙΙ (2) 2 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) Rho 0.28 0.001 P183 Modes of arrival, door to balloon time and its impact on morbidity and mortality for ST elevation myocardial infarct YC Chia Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P183 (doi: 10.1186/cc10790) Introduction Timely reperfusion of the occluded coronary artery is crucial in reducing the amount of myocardial damage in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarct (STEMI). This study aims to examine the common presenting symptoms of patients with STEMI, their modes of arrival at the emergency department (ED) and its impact on door-to- balloon (D2B) time and in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Prognostic value of Killip classifi cation in terms of health-related quality of life This study aims to examine the common presenting symptoms of patients with STEMI, their modes of arrival at the emergency department (ED) and its impact on door-to- balloon (D2B) time and in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Methods In this retrospective study, the medical records of 619 patients with an admitting diagnosis of STEMI from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Emergency Department between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2009 were reviewed. We extracted data from the electronic records of the emergency case notes and inpatient discharge summaries. g y p g Results Among 619 patients, 363 (58.6%) arrived by emergency medical services (EMS) and 256 (41.4%) by self-transport. Three hundred and thirty (53.3%) patients underwent emergency angiography, of which 313 (94.9%) were treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), eight (2.4%) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and nine (2.7%) were conservatively managed. The D2B time was signifi cantly shorter in patients who arrived by EMS (60 vs. 82 minutes; P <0.001). There was no diff erence in D2B time between patients who arrived in the day (06:00 to 17:59 hours) or at night (18:00 to 05:59 hours). Chest pain, shortness of breath and diaphoresis were the three commonest presenting symptoms in patients with STEMI regardless of their mode of arrival. Previous myocardial infarction, PCI or CABG did not infl uence the mode of transport. Patients who arrived by EMS had a higher incidence of cardiogenic shock (20.7% vs. 11.7%; P = 0.020) and were signifi cantly older (63 vs. 59 years; P = 0.004) than patients who arrived by self-transport. Patients who arrived by EMS had a higher in-hospital mortality rate (12.1% vs. 5.1%; P = 0.003) and a longer mean length of stay compared to those who arrived by self-transport (6 vs. 4 days; P = 0.004). Conclusion In our study population, patients with STEMI who used EMS tend to be older and arrived in cardiogenic shock. They therefore had a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality and morbidity although their D2B time was shorter compared to those who arrived by self-transport. Next-generation, fast and accurate point-of-care test for NT-proBNP based on Magnotech technology B Inçaurgarat1, J Nieuwenhuis2 1bioMérieux, Marcy L’Etoile, France; 2Philips, Eindhoven, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P184 (doi: 10.1186/cc10791) Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results Assay precision was characterised by CV levels of less than 10%. NT-proBNP results correlated well with VIDAS (r = 0.89), with a corresponding slope of the regression line of 1.12 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.22) and an intercept of 64.04 (95% CI –73.50 to 109.83). In the current format under development, the NT-proBNP assay time with plasma samples is only 5 minutes. We are in the process of adding a fi lter that will allow measurements from whole blood directly. Flow experiments show that the fi lling time of the cartridge with whole blood is less than 30 seconds, resulting in a total assay time of less than 6 minutes, and a time-to-result of less than 8 minutes. involve psychic or physical stressors such as a devastating disaster, but those clinical features have been not fully investigated. As Ibaraki prefecture suff ered from the Great East Japan Earthquake, we tried to clarify the characteristics of TC and investigate whether the Great East Japan Earthquake increased the occurrence of TC or not. involve psychic or physical stressors such as a devastating disaster, but those clinical features have been not fully investigated. As Ibaraki prefecture suff ered from the Great East Japan Earthquake, we tried to clarify the characteristics of TC and investigate whether the Great East Japan Earthquake increased the occurrence of TC or not. Methods Eleven consecutive patients with TC (fi ve men, six women) were enrolled between October 2009 and October 2011 in this study. Patients were diagnosed by echocardiography, left ventriculography, or nuclear scintigraphy. Absence of signifi cant coronary stenosis was confi rmed by coronary angiography or coronary computed- tomography angiography. Clinical characteristics (age, season, coronary risk factors, the condition that preceded onset as possible triggering factors and so on), laboratory data (troponin T, creatinine kinase, and so on) and data of electrocardiography (ECG) were obtained from reviewing medical records. p q Methods Eleven consecutive patients with TC (fi ve men, six women) were enrolled between October 2009 and October 2011 in this study. Patients were diagnosed by echocardiography, left ventriculography, or nuclear scintigraphy. Absence of signifi cant coronary stenosis was confi rmed by coronary angiography or coronary computed- tomography angiography. Right ventricular apical versus septal pacing: impact on left ventricular synchrony and function I Atteia, A Alazab, K Hussein, N Abeed, H Nagi Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P185 (doi: 10.1186/cc10792) Right ventricular apical versus septal pacing: impact on left ventricular synchrony and function I Atteia, A Alazab, K Hussein, N Abeed, H Nagi Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P185 (doi: 10.1186/cc10792) Introduction Right ventricular apical pacing alters the LV activation resulting in an adverse eff ect on LV function and synchrony. On the contrary, RV septal pacing results in narrower QRS and may be more physiological with less deleterious long-term eff ect on LV echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters. y Methods Forty patients indicated for permanent DDD pacing were studied. All patients were subjected to transthoracic echocardiography calculating LVESD, LVEDD, EF% and CO together with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) to detect LV dyssynchrony. Patients were randomly classifi ed into two groups, group I having RV apical pacing and group II having RV septal pacing. The acute threshold, R-wave sensing and fl uoroscopic time were measured in all patients and compared in both groups. Both groups were followed-up over a period of 6 months.i p Conclusion Although TC seems to mimic anterior STEMI, limb leads did not tend to show ST change in ECG in our cases. The Great East Japan Earthquake could increase patients with TC until the tremendous damage caused by the disaster will be over. Results QRS durations were signifi cantly narrower in group II patients (148 ± 6.9 vs. 162 ± 6 ms, P = 0.001). Electrical parameters at the time of implantation were satisfactory for all patients (acute stimulation threshold was 0.5  ±  0.18 V; R wave sensing was 11  ±  1.6 mV and ventricular impedance was 630 ± 90 Ohm). No single patient needed ventricular lead repositioning. The acute pacing threshold, R-wave sensing, ventricular impedance and fl uoroscopic time did not change signifi cantly in both groups. During follow-up, it was found that in group II patients with RV septal pacing there was signifi cantly lower LVESD (3.0 ± 0.6 vs. 3.4 ± 0.6 cm, P = 0.004), signifi cantly higher LVEF% (69  ±  13 vs. 61  ±  8, P  =  0.01), signifi cantly higher CO (4.9  ±  0.3 vs. 4.5 ± 0.6 l), and signifi cantly lower septal to lateral wall delay in LV using TDI (72 ± 5 vs. 83 ± 6 ms, P = 0.001) if compared to group I patients with RV apical pacing. P187 p p References 1. Kutarski A, Ruciniski P, Sodolski T, Trojnar M: Factors infl uencing diff erences of RVA and RVOT pacing hemodynamic eff ects. Europace 2005, 7:288. doi:10.1016/j.eupc.2005.02.104. 2. Hafez M, Small GR, Hannah A, et al.: Impact of temporary right ventricular pacing from diff erent sites on echocardiographic indices of cardiac function. Europace 2011. doi: 10.1093/europace/eur 207. Results Out of 250 patients fi ve patients had preoperative CAD and were excluded. Seven patients (incidence 2.8%) were diagnosed to have SC. Five out of seven (71.4%) patients were ethanolic and vasopressor requirement was high in all these patients (Figure 1). Echocardiography revealed global hypokinesia with left ventricular ejection fraction between 10 and 25%. They were managed with inotropic support and four patients required an intraaortic balloon pump (IABP). Two patients succumbed to cardiogenic shock on the second day (mortality 28.5%). IABP was weaned between 7 and 9 days. Patients had normal cardiac status at the time of discharge around the fourth week post liver transplant. Stress cardiomyopathy after live donor liver transplantation: incidence, risk factors and mortality Introduction The incidence of cardiac complications in the post live donor liver transplantation (LDLT) period has been reported to be nearly 70% [1]. Stress cardiomyopathy (SC) is a severe complication which has varied presentation and has grave prognosis if not diagnosed and managed aggressively. g gg y Methods Data for 250 LDLTs (June 2010 to July 2011) were collected to assess incidence, risk factors and mortality due to SC. Diagnostic criteria [2] for SC were taken as: global hypokinesia or new ST segment elevation or T-wave inversion in absence of coronary artery disease (CAD) or pheochromocytoma. Etiologies of chronic liver disease and preoperative cardiac status along with intraoperative vasopressor use and dosages were noted. Conclusion Long-term RV septal pacing is feasible, and reliable with less adverse eff ects on LV synchrony and function when compared to RV apical pacing. R f P187 Stress cardiomyopathy after live donor liver transplantation: incidence, risk factors and mortality S Gupta, D Govil, S Bhatnagar, S Patel, S Srinivasan, P Pandey, M Sodhi, J KN, P Singh, S Saigal, A Soin, V Vohra, Y Mehta Medanta – The Medicity, Gurgaon, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P187 (doi: 10.1186/cc10794) Next-generation, fast and accurate point-of-care test for NT-proBNP based on Magnotech technology B Inçaurgarat1, J Nieuwenhuis2 1bioMérieux, Marcy L’Etoile, France; 2Philips, Eindhoven, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P184 (doi: 10.1186/cc10791) Introduction In the emergency care setting, where time is of the essence, there is a need for fast and reliable information on NT-proBNP levels for diagnosis and management of acute dyspnea. Rapid NT- proBNP testing near the patient has the potential to streamline the process of care, but only if it is robust, fast and accurate enough to operate safely at the point of care (POC). Here we report on a novel NT-proBNP POC test which can be entirely carried out in a handheld device. This test has the potential to be rapid (<8 minutes), easy to use (fi ngerprick sampling), and with good accuracy compared to state-of- the-art automated laboratory assays. y y Methods This new NT-proBNP POC test is based on Magnotech technology. A one-step sandwich immunoassay is performed in a compact plastic disposable cartridge with on-board dry reagents and magnetic nanoparticles. After a short incubation step the amount of bound nanoparticles, proportional to the concentration of NT-proBNP in the sample, is detected optically [1]. The precision of the assay was determined for plasma samples with NT-proBNP levels at clinically relevant values of 125 ng/l and 411 ng/l (10 replicates). Assay accuracy was determined by measuring 104 patient samples (lithium heparin plasma, NT-proBNP levels from 20 to 5,000 ng/l) on both the handheld device and the bioMérieux VIDAS laboratory system, and comparing results by Passing and Bablok regression analysis. S67 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Clinical characteristics (age, season, coronary risk factors, the condition that preceded onset as possible triggering factors and so on), laboratory data (troponin T, creatinine kinase, and so on) and data of electrocardiography (ECG) were obtained from reviewing medical records.i Conclusion In its current implementation the Magnotech-based NT- proBNP assay shows promising performance for rapid, reliable NT- proBNP testing at the POC in emergency settings. Development work is presently focused on the integration of a blood fi lter into the cartridge, to allow fi ngerprick tests. Results The number of cases of TC after the earthquake was fi ve for 7 months and that of before is six for 17 months. The occurrence rate of TC seemed to increase after the earthquake. Reviewing all of our cases, 45.5% (n = 5/11) of patients have TC in the autumn, 72.7% (n = 8/11) of patients suff ered from a physical stressor, and 27.3% (n = 3/11) of patients a psychic stressor. No obvious stressor was found in only one patient. The patients complained of chest pain or dyspnea (54.5% each). The rate of coronary risk factors were; family history, 10% (n = 1/10); smoking, 60% (n = 6/11); diabetes, 57.1% (n = 4/7); hypertension, 63.6% (n = 7/11); dyslipidemia, 44.4% (n = 4/9); and obesity, 22.2% (n = 2/9). Laboratory data showed that elevated troponin T was observed in 60% (n = 6/10), high CK and CK-MB were 45.5% (n = 5/11) and 100% (n = 9/9), respectively. ECG fi ndings of all of the patients; ST elevation was observed in precordial leads of V2 to V4 (27.3%, 54.5% and 27.3%, respectively) and ST depression was in V5 (36.4%). Reversed r progression was observed in 18.2%, poor r progression was 27.3%, abnormal Q was 18.2%, long QT interval was 72.7% and negative T was 63.6% of TC patients. Reference 1. Bruls DM, et al.: Lab Chip 2009, 9:3504-3510. 1. Bruls DM, et al.: Lab Chip 2009, 9:3504-3510. P188 Sh Short-term hemodynamic eff ects of nebivolol in acute decompensated heart failure: a randomized clinical trial R Puig, M Ochiai, J Cardoso, K Vieira, E Brancalhao, M Lima, A Pereira Barretto Hospital Auxiliar de Cotoxo – InCor – HCFMUSP, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P188 (doi: 10.1186/cc10795) Introduction The objective was to analyze clinical characteristics of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) requiring surgery when the disease is diagnosed. Introduction Acute decompensation heart failure in patients in use of β-blocker has become frequent and maintenance of this drug remains controversial, mainly in low cardiac output. Nitric-oxide-dependent vasodilation of nebivolol could be useful in this situation. Methods A retrospective study of all patients, during 5 years in a tertiary hospital in Spain, which required admission to the ICU with the diagnosis of IE (Duke criteria modifi ed) and required surgery at the same time. We compiled demographics, clinical characteristics and complications. Data were analyzed with SPSS 17.i Methods We evaluated hospitalized patients with acute decompen- sated heart failure, NYHA IV, EF  <0.45, in use of dobutamine and carvedilol. Intervention: patients were randomly assigned to carvedilol maintenance or exchange to nebivolol according to Table 1. Hemodynamic parameters were compared using a noninvasive model fl ow technique (Nexfi n®; BMEYE), 24 hours before, 6 and 24 hours after the randomization. P <0.05 was signifi cant. p y Results We had 73 patients, 79% male, mean age 65. Forty-fi ve percent had previous heart disease. Eighty-four percent presented with fever, 56.5% general syndrome, 56.2% heart failure, 19.2% pain, and 7% coma. The duration of the clinic before diagnosis was mainly between 7 and 30 days (32%), followed by more than 30 days (27%). Less than 3 days duration represented 13%. Blood cultures were positive in 82%. The most common agent was Streptococcus (39%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus MS (16%), SCN (12%), Enterococcus (12.3%), S. aureus MR (1.4%), Escherichia coli (1.4%), Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (1.4%), Aspergillus (1.4%), and polymicrobial (1.4%). Twelve percent were negative cultures. The valve more frequently aff ected was aortic. In all cases TTE was carried out for diagnosis. In 69 cases TEE was performed. The principal echo fi ndings were: vegetation (42%), new insuffi ciencies (26%), and also stenosis, perivalvular abscess and normal echo. Fifty-eight percent of patients had no distal emboli. Other localizations: splenic (11%), hepatic (2.7%), bones (2.7%), brain (4%), lung (5%) and more than one (11%). Consecutive case series of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: a disease potentially triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake Mito Kyodo General Hospital, University of Tsukuba, Mito City, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P186 (doi: 10.1186/cc10793) Mito Kyodo General Hospital, University of Tsukuba, Mito City, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P186 (doi: 10.1186/cc10793) Introduction Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is a rare disease that mimics ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). TC is known to p Conclusion Our incidence was 3%. SC generally presents on the second to third postoperative day and usually recovers by the second Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S68 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http //ccfor m com/s pplements/16/S1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P187). Figure 1 (abstract P187). Figure 1 (abstract P188). Systemic vascular resistance change: nebivolol high×nebivolol low or carvedilol. Figure 1 (abstract P188). Systemic vascular resistance change: nebivolol high×nebivolol low or carvedilol. week. Ethanolics and patients who require high vasopressor support intraoperatively are more prone to develop SC. References 1. Therapondos G, et al.: Cardiac morbidity and mortality related to orthotopic liver transplantation. Liver Transpl 2004, 10:1441-1453. 1. Therapondos G, et al.: Cardiac morbidity and mortality related to orthotopic liver transplantation. Liver Transpl 2004, 10:1441-1453. 2. Bybee KA, et al.: Systematic review: Transient left ventricular apical ballooning: a syndrome that mimics ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Ann Intern Med 2004, 141:858-865. Figure 1 (abstract P188). Systemic vascular resistance change: nebivolol high×nebivolol low or carvedilol. 2. Bybee KA, et al.: Systematic review: Transient left ventricular apical ballooning: a syndrome that mimics ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Ann Intern Med 2004, 141:858-865. 2. Bybee KA, et al.: Systematic review: Transient left ventricular apical ballooning: a syndrome that mimics ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Ann Intern Med 2004, 141:858-865. P189 P189 Patients with infective endocarditis patients in the ICU: how are they? P Fernandez Ugidos1, R Gomez Lopez1, P Vidal Cortes1, AV Aller Fernandez2, JM Lopez Perez2 1Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Ourense, Spain; 2Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P189 (doi: 10.1186/cc10796) Malperfusion and branch compromise in acute type A aortic syndrome syndrome R Gomez Lopez1, P Fernandez Ugidos1, P Vidal Cortes1, J Lopez Perez2, J Priego Sanz1, M Bouza Vieiro2, A Aller Fernandez2, L Seoane Quiroga2, S Fojon Polanco2 1Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Ourense, Spain; 2Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P190 (doi: 10.1186/cc10797) i y Conclusion ECI ≥7 determines a poor CAD prognosis of coronary ischemic events. Furthermore, ECI ≥7 may serve as a marker of the content of wall calcium, obstruction level and composition of the plaques. ECI seems to provide prognostic information as well as providing information about the characteristics of the plaque of atheroma. Introduction Malperfusion is a factor associated with higher risk of death and complications in patients with acute type A aortic syndrome (AAAS). Our objective is to determine the incidence and characteristics of this disease in our population and to verify the relevance in morbidity and in-hospital mortality. Methods A historical cohort study that includes all patients with AAAS admitted to the ICU after surgical management in a single institution from January 2000 to July 2010. Anatomical, clinical, biochemical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic signs of ischemia were considered. The events of interest were death or major complication (neurological damage, multiorgan failure (MOF), acute lung injury (ALI), postoperative hemorrhage) during hospitalization. P192 Echocardiography in the ICU: an audit of 3 years practice A Hall, J Walker, I Welters Royal Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P192 (doi: 10.1186/cc10799) p p g g p Results A total of 65 patients were identifi ed (24.6% women, 61.86 ± 12 years old, APACHE II score 12.9 ± 7.2, EuroSCORE 7.4 ± 2.6). Thirty-three (50.8%) presented branch compromise, aff ecting coronary arteries in 12 patients (18.4%) (symptomatic (S) seven (10.5%), asymptomatic (A) fi ve (7.7%)), nine (13.8%) carotid (S fi ve (7.7%), A four (6.1%)), 28 (43%) brachiocephalic or subclavian (S 17 (26.1%), A 11 (16.9%)), 15 (22.8%) mesenteric (S seven (10.5%), A eight (12.3%)), 13 (20%) renal (S nine (13.8%), A four (6.1%)), and 31 (47.7%) iliac (S 16 (24.6%), A 15 (23%)). Twenty-eight (43.1%) showed clinical ischemia of at least one system and 54 (83%) clinical signs of global hypoperfusion. Comparing patients with and without data of hypoperfusion, diff erences in incidence of death (45.5% vs. 18.8%, P = 0.03), neurological complication (35.7% vs. 10.8%, P = 0.03), MOF (16.6% vs. 25%. P = 0.07) and ALI (21.3% vs. Prognostic value of the echocardiographic-derived calcium index in coronary artery disease y y J Jimenez, J Iribarren, J Lacalzada, A De La Rosa, R Juárez, A Barragán, J Bonilla, G Blanco, R Pérez, M Brouard, I Laynez Hospital Universitario de Canarias, La Laguna, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P191 (doi: 10.1186/cc10798) Conclusion Echocardiography in the ICU patient relies on numerous factors including skill and equipment availability and patient windows [1]. Our results confi rm that there is a role for echo in these patients, important in a population where assessment of cardiac output and fi lling status is notoriously diffi cult. Our results also show that TTE performed by ICU physicians with basic training provides very useful information for the management of patients. This makes the focused courses on echocardiography very important [2,3]. Limitations of the study: an unknown amount of missing data and a likelihood of patient and operator bias as to which patients had echocardiography. In conclusion, echocardiography is a useful tool in the management of the haemodynamically unstable patients. R f Introduction Calcifi cation of diff erent cardiac structures is associated with atherosclerotic risk factors. The aim of this study is to determine whether the echocardiography-derived calcium index (ECI) assessed by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) predicts cardiovascular events, besides determining the coronary artery calcium score (CACS), the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) and the composition of plaques, all of which determined by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). Methods We carried out a prospective study of 82 consecutive patients, with an intermediate likelihood for CAD, who were evaluated by noninvasive coronariography by MDCT. ECI was blindly assessed by TTE. A 36-month follow-up was conducted to detect cardiovascular events. Methods We carried out a prospective study of 82 consecutive patients, with an intermediate likelihood for CAD, who were evaluated by noninvasive coronariography by MDCT. ECI was blindly assessed by TTE. A 36-month follow-up was conducted to detect cardiovascular events. Results The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the Agatston score scale as a predictor of signifi cant obstruction identifi ed by MDCT was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.68 to 0.91); P <0.001. The optimal cut-off was 239. P191 Prognostic value of the echocardiographic-derived calcium index in coronary artery disease J Jimenez, J Iribarren, J Lacalzada, A De La Rosa, R Juárez, A Barragán, J Bonilla, G Blanco, R Pérez, M Brouard, I Laynez Hospital Universitario de Canarias, La Laguna, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P191 (doi: 10.1186/cc10798) P188 Sh This corresponds with our patients: one-third of cases need urgent surgery, 56% have shock, about 60% ARF, and mortality reaches 30%. atrioventricular block, stroke, perioperative MI, and liver failure. The ICU stay was 33 days (median 6). The hospital mortality was 31.5%. Conclusion IE has high morbi-mortality. The subgroup of patients requiring early surgery presents the most severe disease. This corresponds with our patients: one-third of cases need urgent surgery, 56% have shock, about 60% ARF, and mortality reaches 30%. Agatston score ≥239 has a sensitivity (Se) of 60.6% (95% CI: 0.42 to 0.77), specifi city (Sp) of 97.8% (95% CI: 0.88 to 0.99), positive predictive value (PPV) of 95.2% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 77.2%. The AUC of ECI to predict an optimal cut-off value for Agatston score was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.83 to 0.96); P <0.001. ECI ≥7 had a Se of 59.1% (95% CI: 0.36 to 0.79), a Sp of 93.3% (95% CI: 0.83 to 0.98), PPV of 76.5% and NPV of 86.2%. There was a signifi cant linear trend of ECI, and ECI ≥7 has in MDCT a greater presence of both severe calcifi ed wall and obstructive CAD, number of aff ected vessels, and mixed/calcifi ed plaques (all P <0.001). There were 23 coronary ischemic events. The AUC of ECI as a predictor of adverse cardiac events post MDCT was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.852 to 0.987); P <0.001. ECI ≥7 had a Se of 77.3% (95% CI: 54.6 to 92.2), a Sp of 90% (95% CI: 79.5 to 96.2), PPV of 73.9% and NPV of 91.5%. The Kaplan–Meier survival analyses show a statistically signifi cant diff erence between patients with VCSI ≥7 or not regarding an ischemic event (χ2: 52, P <0.001). This accumulation of risk occurs mainly in the fi rst 2 years after the determination of ECI. atrioventricular block, stroke, perioperative MI, and liver failure. The ICU stay was 33 days (median 6). The hospital mortality was 31.5%. atrioventricular block, stroke, perioperative MI, and liver failure. The ICU stay was 33 days (median 6). The hospital mortality was 31.5%. Conclusion IE has high morbi-mortality. The subgroup of patients requiring early surgery presents the most severe disease. This corresponds with our patients: one-third of cases need urgent surgery, 56% have shock, about 60% ARF, and mortality reaches 30%. P188 Sh Forty-one percent of patients required ICU admission before surgery with an average stay of 5.6 days. A total of 31.5% suff ered multiorgan failure. Antibiotics were given 17 days before surgery. In 6.8% it was not possible to give them preoperatively. Eighty-two percent of patients took combination therapy (19% four). Cephalosporins, aminoglucosids and vancomycin were the most used. Two patients died before surgery. Thirty-fi ve percent of the interventions were urgent. In 16.4%, reoperation was necessary, mainly for bleeding, followed by prosthetic dysfunction, recurrent IE, mediastinitis and pseudoaneurysm repair. A total 56% of patients presented postoperative shock. MV was needed during 5 days (range 0 to 53). Acute renal failure post surgery was present in 58%. Other complications were secondary infection, ventricular dysfunction, Table 1 (abstract P188) Carvedilol Nebivolol 6.25 mg/bid 2.5 mg/qd 12.5 mg/bid 5.0 mg/qd 25.0 mg/bid 10.0 mg/qd Results We selected 30 patients, 75% men, age 56.0 (SD = 13.0) years, ejection fraction 23.4 (SD = 7.2)%, ischemic myocardiopathy present in 16.7%, Chagas disease in 40% and 43.3% of patients were nonischemic/ non-Chagas. Baseline indexed systemic vascular resistance was 2,255.9 (SD = 792.4) dynes.second/cm5/m2, and cardiac index was 2.7 (SD = 0.6) l/minute/m. In the nebivolol group (n  =  15) the indexed systemic vascular resistance reduced 0.6% and in the carvedilol group (n = 15) it reduced 5.0% in 24 hours (mean diff erence 4.4%; 95% CI: –12.6 to 21.4%; P = 0.513). The cardiac index maintained unchanged (P = 0.274). Comparing patients that received a high dose of nebivolol (5 to 10 mg/ day) to those with a low dose (<5 mg/day) or carvedilol, we observed a tendency to superiority of high dose in reduction of systemic vascular resistance, although not statistically signifi cant (Figure 1). Conclusion Short-term nebivolol use in decompensated heart failure was hemodynamically safe. Further studies should be done to clarify this matter. Table 1 (abstract P188) Carvedilol Nebivolol 6.25 mg/bid 2.5 mg/qd 12.5 mg/bid 5.0 mg/qd 25.0 mg/bid 10.0 mg/qd S69 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 atrioventricular block, stroke, perioperative MI, and liver failure. The ICU stay was 33 days (median 6). The hospital mortality was 31.5%. Conclusion IE has high morbi-mortality. The subgroup of patients requiring early surgery presents the most severe disease. 1. Orme R, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2009, 102:340-344. 2. Vieillard-Baron et al.: Intensive Care Med 2008, 34:243-249. 3. Jensen et al.: Eur J Anaesth 2004, 21:700-707. Malperfusion and branch compromise in acute type A aortic syndrome 29.6%, P = 0.09) were found.f Introduction Assessment of the haemodynamically unstable patient is a core part of ICU management and relies predominantly on a combination of clinical skill and measurement of physiological variables. Echocardiography in the ICU has become increasingly popular as a tool for assessment of cardiac output, fl uid status and ventricular function. Traditionally transoesophageal echo (TOE) has been favoured due to the belief that it gave superior images [1]. Transthoracic echo (TTE) is not often performed as it relies on 24-hour availability of trained personnel, availability of equipment and good patient windows [1]. There was also a perceived lack of benefi t; however, recent studies have shown good or adequate images in over 85 to 90% of patients resulting in a change of management in 48% [1]. g g Methods Data were collected prospectively in all patients undergoing echocardiography in a teaching hospital ICU from January 2008 to January 2011. The main focus of our investigation was to ascertain the clinical questions to be answered and the outcome of echo on management. Conclusion More than 80% of the patients with AAAS suff ered mal per- fusion in our series. They had a higher risk of death and neurological complication during hospitalization. Results A total of 238 echoes were performed on 216 patients with an average age of 59.75 years (TTE: 198, TOE: 19, and both: 14). The most commonly asked questions were on fi lling status and contractility (40%) and left ventricular function (33%). Ninety percent of clinical questions asked were answered fully (74%) or partially (16%) by echo. Sixty-one percent of echoes resulted in a change of management (5% of which were to continue with increased confi dence). TTE performed by operators with basic training resulted in a 54% change in management. Changes included more fi lling (39%) and changes in inotropes or diuretics. References 1. Orme R, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2009, 102:340-344. 2. Vieillard-Baron et al.: Intensive Care Med 2008, 34:243-249. 3. Jensen et al.: Eur J Anaesth 2004, 21:700-707. Results The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the Agatston score scale as a predictor of signifi cant obstruction identifi ed by MDCT was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.68 to 0.91); P <0.001. The optimal cut-off was 239. 1. Orme R, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2009, 102:340-344. 2. Vieillard-Baron et al.: Intensive Care Med 2008, 34:243-249. 3. Jensen et al.: Eur J Anaesth 2004, 21:700-707. S70 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P193 Figure 1 (abstract P194). Characteristics of the data diff erences between (a) free and (b) hold breathing. Figure 1 (abstract P194). Characteristics of the data diff erences between (a) free and (b) hold breathing. P193 Left ventriculum diastolic dysfunction in pediatric septic shock M Georgiyants, V Korsunov Kharkov Medical Academy Post-Graduate Education, Kharkov, Ukraine Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P193 (doi: 10.1186/cc10800) Kharkov Medical Academy Post-Graduate Education, Kharkov, Ukraine Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P193 (doi: 10.1186/cc10800) Introduction One of the causes of septic mortality is a low cardiac output secondary to preload failure. Same patients demonstrate preload failure after aggressive volume replacement [1]. Methods Ultrasound impulse-wave Doppler evaluation of transmitral fl ow: VmaxE, VmaxA, ejection time E,A; DT E wave, IVRT of LV. Ultrasound evaluation of end-diastolic and end-systolic LV volume, stroke volume (LVEDV, LVESV, SV) on Teichholz L. EDLVP = 1.06 + 15.15×VTI peakA/ VTI peakE. Coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) = EDLVP – diastolic BP. We evaluate these parameters in 34 patients (age 28.1 ± 8.0 months) with septic shock (SS) diagnosed according to Consensus 2002. Control (C) – 44 healthy children (age 40.7 ± 8.5 months). Statistical analyses with t criteria. Figure 1 (abstract P194). Characteristics of the data diff erences between (a) free and (b) hold breathing. improve the accuracy and reliability of diagnosis on early stages [2]. If the device can be designed as portable, then it can be used by heart disease patients for daily monitoring to avoid or minimize heart attack accidents. To improve the accuracy of heart auscultation analysis, usually the lung sound must be minimized, or vice versa. It is very diffi cult. This study tried to use heart and lung interference sounds as physiological parameters. P194 Existence of interference between the heart and respiratory sounds: preliminary report 4. Mrowka R, Cimponeriu L, Patzak A, Rosenblum MG: Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2003, 285:R1395-R1401. Brawijaya University, Malang East Java, Indonesia j y y g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P194 (doi: 10.1186/cc10801) 6. Toledo E, et al.: Med Eng Phys 2002, 24:45-52. 7. Darowski M: Front Med Biol Eng 2000, 10:157-165. Introduction Heart diseases still persist as one of the fi rst-ranked causes of mortality in the world and Indonesia. Currently, mortality from coronary heart diseases is estimated to reach 53.5 per 100,000 population [1]. Auscultation is a fundamental diagnostic method for heart disease, noninvasive and inexpensive [2], but highly dependent on the expertise and experience of the listener. Improved accuracy of diagnosis is usually then performed through further examination using the electrocardiogram, magnetic resonance imaging and the computed tomography scan. Unfortunately, these tools require very expensive investment costs that are only available in large hospitals [3]. This is the main reason for supporting the development of computer- based auscultation technique tools that are cheaper and are able to References So this preliminary research aims to prove that interference does occur between heart and respiratory sounds. This interference sound will be used as an analysis technique to improve the accuracy of a new auscultation device. Results The increase of VmaxA and decrease of VmaxE in patients of SS are demonstrated. IVRT and DT are less than in control group. We evaluated a decrease in E/A proportion. EDLVP in patients was more, and CPP lower, than in controls. See Table 1. Table 1 (abstract P193). Diastolic function in pediatric septic shock Table 1 (abstract P193). Diastolic function in pediatric septic shock Value SS C P v Table 1 (abstract P193). Diastolic function in pediatric septic shock Value SS C P value VmaxA 81 65 <0.05 VmaxE 99 108 >0.05 ETA 80 102 0.01 ETE 102 149 0.001 DTE 51 93 0.001 IVRT 48 87 0.01 E/A 1.3 1.7 0.01 EDLVP 23 9.8 <0.001 CPP 22 50 0.001 EDLVV 46 65 <0.001 SV 14 26 0.001 Methods This research was conducted on nine randomly chosen volunteers whose heart sounds were recorded in two conditions: 30 seconds free and hold breathing. The heart sound recording process is done electronically using a modifi ed standard stethoscope to generate digital data. Modifi cations were performed using a mic condenser combined with a voice processing system based on Windows XP. Accuracy of the equipment is ensured by the noise–signal ratio test. Methods This research was conducted on nine randomly chosen volunteers whose heart sounds were recorded in two conditions: 30 seconds free and hold breathing. The heart sound recording process is done electronically using a modifi ed standard stethoscope to generate digital data. Modifi cations were performed using a mic condenser combined with a voice processing system based on Windows XP. Accuracy of the equipment is ensured by the noise–signal ratio test. Results Generally, it can be seen (Figure 1) that there are pronounced diff erences in heart sound data recorded in the conditions of free and hold breathing. This means that the respiration process is likely to aff ect the heart sounds heard on the chest surface. The diff erences that appear are in the form of nodes and amplitude. Diff erences in the form of a node indicate a diff erence in frequency of sounds and color (timbre), while the amplitude diff erences may indicate diff erences in strength and speed of sound propagation. References In general, the number of diff erences in the recording position is close to the number of respiratory cycles so that it is possible these diff erences are caused by respiratory processes. Conclusion The diff erences that can be noticed from the graphical visualization of recorded sounds are in the form of nodes and amplitude. These diff erences that indicate the frequency, sound color, strength and speed of sounds improve the existence of an interference wave between the heart and respiratory sounds. These characteristics will be used to design the new portable auscultation device. References Conclusion Pediatric SS accompanied with LV diastolic dysfunction, which decreases the eff ectiveness of volume restoration therapy, reduces preload and cardiac output. f 1. Jardin F, et al.: Persistent preload defect in severe sepsis despite fl uid loading. A longitudinal echocardiographic study in patients with septic shock. Chest 1999, 116:1354-1359. 1. Jardin F, et al.: Persistent preload defect in severe sepsis despite fl uid loading. A longitudinal echocardiographic study in patients with septic shock. Chest 1999, 116:1354-1359. 1. Persatuan Perawat Nasional Indonesia [http://inna-ppni.or.id/html] 2. Javed F, Venkatachalam PA, Fadzil A: J Phys Conf Ser 2006, 34:1098-1105. 3. Stasis A, et al.: A Multiple Decision Tree Architecture for Medical Diagnosis: The Diff erentiation of Opening Snap, Second Heart Sound Split and Third Heart Sound. CMS Springer-Verlag; 2004:254-274. 4. Mrowka R, Cimponeriu L, Patzak A, Rosenblum MG: Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2003, 285:R1395-R1401. 5. Schikowski T, et al.: Respir Res 2007, 8:1-11. 6. Toledo E, et al.: Med Eng Phys 2002, 24:45-52. 7. Darowski M: Front Med Biol Eng 2000, 10:157-165. 1. Persatuan Perawat Nasional Indonesia [http://inna-ppni.or.id/html] 2. Javed F, Venkatachalam PA, Fadzil A: J Phys Conf Ser 2006, 34:1098-1105. 3. Stasis A, et al.: A Multiple Decision Tree Architecture for Medical Diagnosis: The Diff erentiation of Opening Snap, Second Heart Sound Split and Third Heart Sound. CMS Springer-Verlag; 2004:254-274. 2. Javed F, Venkatachalam PA, Fadzil A: J Phys Conf Ser 2006, 34:1098 1105. 3. Stasis A, et al.: A Multiple Decision Tree Architecture for Medical Diagnosis: The Diff erentiation of Opening Snap, Second Heart Sound Split and Third Heart Sound. CMS Springer-Verlag; 2004:254-274. P195 Eff ects of the intravenous administration of purine nucleosides guanosine or inosine against hemorrhagic shock in pigs Eff ects of the intravenous administration of purine nucleosides guanosine or inosine against hemorrhagic shock in pigs g  Schmidt, D Otsuki, DO Souza, J Auler Jr Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P195 (doi: 10.1186/cc10802) aculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil , ritical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P195 (doi: 10.1186/cc10802) Introduction Hemorrhagic shock leads to the appearance of substances in plasma that depress Na/K ATPase activity, an eff ect that could be related to signifi cant morbidity and mortality. Recently, some fi ndings S71 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 function, under similar hemodynamic conditions. Hepatic, renal and myocardial respiration of the measured mitochondrial complexes did not signifi cantly diff er between the two treatment groups, except for renal Complex I, State 4 respiration. indicated that purine nucleosides such as guanosine, inosine or adenosine might prolong survival in shocked rats, an eff ect potentially related to the stimulation of Na/K ATPase activity. This study aimed to evaluate the eff ects of intravenous administration of guanosine or inosine combined with lactate Ringer solution (LR) on hemodynamic and oxygenation parameters and survival in an experimental model of hemorrhagic shock (HS). P197 P197 Goal-directed hemodynamic resuscitation in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial – preliminary data (GRICCS STUDY) E Osawa1, A Rhodes2, J Fukushima1, J Almeida1, F Jatene1, R Nakamura1, M Sundin1, J Auler Jr1, R Kalil Filho1, F Galas1, L Hajjar1 1Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College NHS Trust, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P197 (doi: 10.1186/cc10804) g Methods HS was induced in 24 pigs (25 to 30 kg) by blood removal for 20 minutes to target a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mmHg, which was maintained for 60 minutes with additional blood removal or retransfusion. Animals were treated with LR alone (three times the volume of blood withdrawn) or associated to 1 mmol/l guanosine or 1 mmol/l inosine. Hemodynamic and oxygenation parameters were evaluated at baseline, after HS, immediately after fl uid resuscitation, and 30, 60, 120, 240 and 360 minutes after fl uid resuscitation. Primary outcome was post-shock survival. Statistical analysis of parametric data was performed with one-way ANOVA for repeated measures followed by Student–Newman–Keuls. Goal-directed hemodynamic resuscitation in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial – preliminary data (GRICCS STUDY) p y E Osawa1, A Rhodes2, J Fukushima1, J Almeida1, F Jatene1, R Nakamura1, M Sundin1, J Auler Jr1, R Kalil Filho1, F Galas1, L Hajjar1 1Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College NHS Trust, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P197 (doi: 10.1186/cc10804) Introduction Low cardiac output is a frequent clinical circumstance after cardiac surgery and results in higher morbidity and mortality rates. Goal-directed therapy (GDT) is a validated design that has been proved to reduce the number of perioperative outcomes. We investigated the results of a cardiac index optimization protocol through the use of the LiDCO rapid device. y Results The hemodynamic and oxygenation parameters were not signifi cantly diff erent among pigs treated with RL alone or in combi- nation with guanosine or inosine. No eff ects on post-shock survival were observed in any group. Methods A prospective study that randomized 34 high-risk patients (EuroSCORE higher than 6 or LVEF lower than 45%) to a GDT protocol or a conventional hemodynamic therapy. Patients from the GDT group were resuscitated to a cardiac index higher than 3 l/minute/m2 through the implementation of a three-step approach: (1) fl uid challenge of 250 ml aliquots, (2) dobutamine infusion up to a dose of 20 μg/kg/minute, and (3) blood transfusion to reach a hematocrit higher than 28%. The control group was managed according to institutional protocol. Categorical variables were compared using Fisher’s exact test and categorical variables were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test. Conclusion The actual preliminary results did not demonstrate any additional improvement induced by guanosine or inosine on the hemodynamic and oxygenation parameters or on the post- shock survival during HS. These fi ndings need to be confi rmed in a larger group of animals and further investigation with cellular and biochemical analysis may help to elucidate the eff ects of guanosine and inosine during HS. g Acknowledgments Supported by FAPESP and CNPq. References Acknowledgments Supported by FAPESP and CNPq. g y Results Sixteen patients from the GDT group were compared with 18 patients from the control group. There was a tendency towards reduction in ICU stay in patients from GDT group in relation to the control group (7 days vs. 6 days, P = 0.18). Economic evaluation of early-goal directed therapy for high-risk surgical patients g Methods In 16 anesthetized pigs, evolving septic shock after 12 hours of fecal peritonitis was randomly treated with either norepinephrine (0.8 ± 0.6 μg/kg/minute; mean ± SD) or angiotensin II (0.31 ± 0.37 μg/ kg/minute; n = 8, each) and fl uids for 48 hours. Organs were harvested at the end of the experiment, and mitochondria isolated by tissue homogenization and diff erential centrifugation. Mitochondrial oxygen consumption (VO2) was measured by high-resolution respirometry (Oroboros Instruments, Innsbruck, Austria). Groups were compared using Mann–Whitney U test. In addition, mitochondrial respiration was also compared to a similarly instrumented control group without fecal peritonitis (n = 8; Kruskal–Wallis test). g p C Ebm, M Cecconi, H Aya, M Geisen, A Rhodes, M Grounds St George’s Healthcare Trust, London, UK C Ebm, M Cecconi, H Aya, M Geisen, A Rhodes, M Grounds St George’s Healthcare Trust, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P198 (doi: 10.1186/cc10805) Introduction Early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) has been shown to reduce postoperative morbidity and length of hospital stay. Our objective was to analyse the cost-eff ectiveness of early goal-directed proactive therapy versus standard reactive care in patients at high risk of developing postoperative complications. p g p p p Methods Patient-level outcome data used were based on a previous randomised, controlled trial. A Markov decision model was constructed to analyse costs and outcomes associated with the use of EGDT. Outcomes assessed were postoperative complications, mortality, quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALY) and incremental costs/QALY. Results The main analysis, based on 28-day survival data of 122 patients, revealed an incremental cost-eff ectiveness ratio of EGDT of £280.15 per patient. Additional costs of £525.43 per patient associated with EGDT were mainly due to costs related to monitor acquisition and staffi ng (two additional nurses). These costs were balanced by savings due to the signifi cant reduction in length of stay in the hospital and in the ICU and lower complication rates in the GDT arm (mean expenditures/patient £4,511.25 vs. £5,218.75). This outcome was Methods Patient-level outcome data used were based on a previous randomised, controlled trial. A Markov decision model was constructed to analyse costs and outcomes associated with the use of EGDT. Outcomes assessed were postoperative complications, mortality, quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALY) and incremental costs/QALY. Norepinephrine versus angiotensin II in septic shock: eff ects on isolated kidney, heart and liver mitochondrial respiration V Jeger, M Vuda, T Correa, J Takala, S Djafarzadeh, SM Jakob Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P196 (doi: 10.1186/cc10803) Norepinephrine versus angiotensin II in septic shock: eff ects on isolated kidney, heart and liver mitochondrial respiration V Jeger, M Vuda, T Correa, J Takala, S Djafarzadeh, SM Jakob Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P196 (doi: 10.1186/cc10803) Conclusion Goal-directed hemodynamic resuscitation with the use of a minimally invasive device seems to be a promising perioperative strategy aimed at reducing the rates of worse outcomes and the ICU stay after cardiac surgery. p y p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P196 (doi: 10.1186/cc10803) Introduction Mitochondrial dysfunction has been proposed to infl uence organ function and outcome in sepsis. Both vasopressor agents norepinephrine and angiotensin II can interfere with mitochondrial function. The aim of this study was to compare mitochondrial respiration after exposure of septic animals to either of these two drugs. Goal-directed hemodynamic resuscitation in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial – preliminary data (GRICCS STUDY) Comparison of the primary endpoint variable (composite of death or major postoperative complications within 30 days after surgery or before discharge) between groups showed a reduced complication rate in the GDT group (52.2% vs. 45.6%, P  =  0.12), mainly attributed to worse acute renal failure RIFLE criteria in the control group. 1. Darlington DN, Gann DS:. J Trauma 2005, 58:1055-1060. 2. Schmidt AP, et al.: Pharmacol Ther 2007, 116:401-416. 1. Darlington DN, Gann DS:. J Trauma 2005, 58:1055-1060. 2. Schmidt AP, et al.: Pharmacol Ther 2007, 116:401-416. P195 Eff ects of the intravenous administration of purine nucleosides guanosine or inosine against hemorrhagic shock in pigs Kruskal–Wallis followed by the Dunn test was used for analysis of nonparametric data. The post-shock survival was evaluated by the Kaplan–Meier curve. 1. Darlington DN, Gann DS:. J Trauma 2005, 58:1055-1060. 2. Schmidt AP, et al.: Pharmacol Ther 2007, 116:401-416. What matters during a hypotensive episode: fl uids, vasopressors, or both? What matters during a hypotensive episode: fl uids, vasopressors, or both? J Lee1, R Kothari2, JA Ladapo3, DJ Scott1, LA Celi1 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; 2Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA; 3New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P199 (doi: 10.1186/cc10806) J Lee1, R Kothari2, JA Ladapo3, DJ Scott1, LA Celi1 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; 2Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA; 3New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA g Conclusion In septic patients with CVP >12 mmHg after resuscitation, micro circulatory fl ow was signifi cantly lower as compared to patients with CVP ≤12 mmHg, whereas capillary density did not diff er between groups. y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P199 (doi: 10.1186/cc10806) Introduction The objective of this retrospective study was to investigate the relationships between fl uid and vasopressor interventions and patient outcomes. In intensive care, it is imperative to resolve hypotensive episodes (HEs) in a timely manner in order to minimize end-organ damage. The current clinical practice is fi rst to attempt fl uid resuscitation and then to follow with vasopressor therapy if fl uid resuscitation is unsuccessful. However, the eff ects of fl uid and vasopressor interventions on patient outcomes have not been clearly established.i Figure 1 (abstract P200). Boxplots of microvascular fl ow index (MFI) in patients with a central venous pressure (CVP) ≤12 mmHg or >12 mmHg. p y Methods Hypotension was defi ned as MAP below 60 mmHg. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included ICU LOS, HE duration, Hypotension Severity Index (HSI) (MAP curve area below 60 mmHg during the HE), and rise in serum creatinine. The patient cohort included patients in the MIMIC-II database [1] who experienced a single HE. Multivariate logistic regression and propensity score analysis were employed. Sensitivity analyses were conducted in subpopulations stratifi ed by treatment type and diagnosis. p pi y yp g Results A total of 3,163 patients in MIMIC-II met the inclusion criteria. The multivariate regression results showed that fl uid resuscitation was signifi cantly associated with shorter ICU LOS (OR = 0.71, P = 0.007) and greater HSI (OR = 1.26, P = 0.04). What matters during a hypotensive episode: fl uids, vasopressors, or both? Vasopressor administration signifi cantly decreased HE duration (OR  =  0.29, P  <0.001) and HSI (OR  =  0.72, P = 0.002) but was correlated with increased in-hospital mortality risk (OR  =  2.86, P <0.001) (even after propensity adjustment; OR  =  2.44, P <0.001), prolonged ICU LOS (OR = 1.29, P = 0.04), and rise in serum creatinine (OR  =  1.44, P  =  0.002). Sensitivity analyses in treatment- specifi c and diagnosis-specifi c subpopulations corroborated the relationship between vasopressors and increased in-hospital mortality. Conclusion Regarding the relationship between vasopressor therapy and in-hospital mortality, similar fi ndings have been reported in previous studies analyzing sepsis [2], cardiac surgery [3], and heart failure [4]. We speculate that benefi ts of vasopressor use may be restricted to subsets of patients with specifi c conditions. This study illustrates the utility of electronic medical records in research when randomized controlled trials are diffi cult to conduct. f Figure 1 (abstract P200). Boxplots of microvascular fl ow index (MFI) in patients with a central venous pressure (CVP) ≤12 mmHg or >12 mmHg. P199 g y y Results A total of 345 measurements in 70 patients (APACHE II 21 (6.5) (mean (SD))) were included. MFI in patients with CVP >12 mmHg was signifi cantly lower than in CVP ≤12 mmHg (1.83 (0.92 to 2.75) vs. 2.25 (1.35 to 2.90) (median (IQR)), P = 0.032), whereas TVD in both groups did not diff er signifi cantly (14 (12.84 to 15.75) vs. 14.3 (13 to 15.8) mm/ mm2, P = 0.38). See also Figure 1. P201 Human protein C concentrate to restore physiological values in adult septic shock patients: eff ects on microcirculationf Human protein C concentrate to restore physiological values in adult septic shock patients: eff ects on microcirculationf Economic evaluation of early-goal directed therapy for high-risk surgical patients Results Achieved blood pressure levels and cardiac output were not diff erent between the two septic groups, and both groups received the same amount of fl uids (norepinephrine: 1.6  ±  0.5 ml/kg/hour, angiotensin II: 1.3  ±  0.8 ml/kg/hour; P  =  NS). Compared to controls, mitochondrial VO2 was not diff erent in septic animals. The only diff erence between the two septic groups was higher renal Complex I, State 4 respiration in norepinephrine-treated (median (range): 309 (164 to 415) pmol/(second*mg)) versus angiotensin-II-treated animals (210 (89 to 273) pmol/(second*mg); P = 0.05).if Results The main analysis, based on 28-day survival data of 122 patients, revealed an incremental cost-eff ectiveness ratio of EGDT of £280.15 per patient. Additional costs of £525.43 per patient associated with EGDT were mainly due to costs related to monitor acquisition and staffi ng (two additional nurses). These costs were balanced by savings due to the signifi cant reduction in length of stay in the hospital and in the ICU and lower complication rates in the GDT arm (mean expenditures/patient £4,511.25 vs. £5,218.75). This outcome was Conclusion We found no signifi cant eff ects of septic shock treated with either angiotensin II or norepinephrine and fl uids on mitochondrial Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S72 Table 1 (abstract P198) Outcome Unit GDT Standard Ward stay (days) 11 (7 to 15) 14 (11 to 27) Incr. costs (£) 525.43 – Inc. eff ect (QALY) 1.88 – ICER (£/QALY) 280.15 – ICER, incremental cost-eff ectiveness ratio. P200 Elevated central venous pressure in septic patients is associated with impairment of microcirculatory blood fl ow N Vellinga1, C Ince2, EC Boerma1 1Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden, the Netherlands; 2Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P200 (doi: 10.1186/cc10807) P200 Elevated central venous pressure in septic patients is associated with impairment of microcirculatory blood fl ow N Vellinga1, C Ince2, EC Boerma1 1Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden, the Netherlands; 2Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P200 (doi: 10.1186/cc10807) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P200 (doi: 10.1186/cc10807) Introduction The microcirculation plays a pivotal role in oxygen delivery to the tissue. Microcirculatory alterations have been observed to occur independently of the major infl ow variable for microcirculation: mean arterial pressure. According to physiological theory, the microcirculation is considered to be a low-pressure compartment. Maximum optimal central venous pressure (CVP) according to Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines is 12 to 15 mmHg in mechanically ventilated patients. We hypothesized that a CVP >12 mmHg would hamper microcirculatory perfusion but not diff usion, by acting as outfl ow obstruction. robust to variations in treatment eff ect (probability of morbidity and mortality) and sensitive to implementation costs of EGDT. See Table 1. Conclusion The implementation of EGDT appears clinical and cost- eff ective. Additional implementation costs will be off set by savings due to a marked decrease in complication rates and hospital length of stay. We conclude that GDT provides signifi cant benefi ts with respect to both clinical and fi nancial outcomes. Reference Methods We retrospectively analyzed combined measurements of CVP and sidestream dark-fi eld derived sublingual microcirculatory variables in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Measurements were made 0, 0.5, 2, 12 and 24  hours after resuscitation in accordance with SSC guidelines. Diff erences in small vessel microvascular fl ow index (MFI) and total vessel density (TVD) between two groups (CVP ≤12 mmHg and CVP >12 mmHg) were analyzed with a Mann–Whitney U test. 1. Pearse R, Dawson D, Fawcett J, Rhodes A: Early goal directed therapy after major surgery reduces complications and duration of hospital stay. A randomized, controlled trial. Crit Care 2005, 9:R687-R693. P201 Human protein C concentrate to restore physiological values in adult septic shock patients: eff ects on microcirculation A Morelli 1, A Donati2, A Di Russo1, F D’Ippolito1, C Raff one1, A D’Egidio1, MR Lombrano2, S Tondi2, E Damiani2, V Cecchini1, A Orecchioni1, P Pietropaoli1 1University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy; 2Marche Polytechnique University, Ancona, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P201 (doi: 10.1186/cc10808) References 1. Saeed M, et al.: Crit Care Med 2011, 39:952-960. 2. Dunser M, et al.: Crit Care 2009, 13:R181. 3. Shahin J, et al.: Crit Care 2011, 15:R162. 4 Thackraya S et al : Eur J Heart Fail 2002 4:515-529 1. Saeed M, et al.: Crit Care Med 2011, 39:952-960 P202 Heart rate reduction with esmolol in septic shock: eff ects on microcirculation A Morelli1, A Donati2, A Di Russo1, F D’Ippolito1, A Carsetti2, R Domizi2, A D’Egidio1, C Raff one1, C Scarcella2, C Ertmer3, S Rehberg3, P Pietropaoli1, M Westphal3 1University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy; 2Marche Polytechnique University, Ancona, Italy; 3University Hospital of Muenster, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P202 (doi: 10.1186/cc10809) Heart rate reduction with esmolol in septic shock: eff ects on microcirculation A Morelli1, A Donati2, A Di Russo1, F D’Ippolito1, A Carsetti2, R Domizi2, A D’Egidio1, C Raff one1, C Scarcella2, C Ertmer3, S Rehberg3, P Pietropaoli1, M Westphal3 p 1University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy; 2Marche Polytechnique University, Ancona, Italy; 3University Hospital of Muenster, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P202 (doi: 10.1186/cc10809) Results Infusion of E. coli resulted in a hypodynamic state of sepsis despite fl uid administration. Signifi cant decreases in MFI and PPV of small vessels were in sublingual, conjunctival, jejunal and rectal lodges 3 and 5 hours after the start of E. coli infusion in comparison to baseline variables. Correlation between sublingual and conjunctival (r = 0.80, P = 0.036), sublingual and jejunal (r = 0.94, P = 0.005), sublingual and rectal (r = 0.79, P = 0.03) MFI was observed 3 hours after onset of sepsis. There was no correlation in change of MFI and PPV between sublingual mucosa and other evaluated regions. However, the sublingual mucosa exhibited the most pronounced alterations of microcirculatory fl ow in comparison to conjunctival, jejunal and rectal mucosa microvasculature (P <0.05). Introduction Preclinical and clinical studies report that β-blockers may be an interesting option to attenuate the deleterious eff ects of prolonged catecholamine exposure during septic shock. Nevertheless, there are concerns that β-blockers may have negative chronotropic and inotropic eff ects leading to inappropriately low cardiac output. The objective of the present study was therefore to elucidate whether a reduction in heart rate (HR) with esmolol may negatively aff ect microcirculation in patients with septic shock who remained tachycardic after hemodynamic optimization. Conclusion Microcirculatory alterations were observed in all investi- gated lodges, including sublingual, jejunal and rectal mucosa, and conjunctiva of the eye at the same time point during experimental sepsis. There is a clear association between sublingual microcirculation and conjunctival, jejunal or rectal microcirculation in the very early course of an extreme hypodynamic state of sepsis. Methods After 36 hours of initial hemodynamic stabilization, 11 septic shock patients with HR >95 bpm and requiring norepinephrine (NE) to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) between 65 and 75 mmHg, despite adequate volume resuscitation, received a continuous esmolol infusion to maintain HR between 94 and 80 bpm. NE was titrated to achieve a MAP between 65 and 75 mmHg. Data from right heart catheterization and sidestream dark-fi eld imaging were obtained at baseline and after 24 hours. Early course of microcirculatory perfusion in the eye and digestive tract during experimental sepsis A Pranskunas1, R Rasimaviciute1, E Milieskaite1, A Vitkauskiene1, P Dobozinskas1, V Veikutis2, Z Dambrauskas1, D Vaitkaitis1, V Pilvinis1 1Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; 2Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P203 (doi: 10.1186/cc10810) Table 1 (abstract P201). Microcirculatory variables Baseline 24 hours 48 hours 72 hours MFIs Treated 2.8(2.6; 3) 3 (2.7; 3) 2.9 (2.8; 3) 3 (2.9; 3) Controls 2.8 (2.1; 2.9) 2.8 (2.1; 2.8) 2.8 (2.2; 3) 3 (2.6; 3) PVD Treated 17.8 (16.5; 22.2) 19.7 (17.4; 22.5) 19.7 (18.1; 23) 19.9 (17; 22.2) Controls 20.2 (17.4; 23.5) 18.8 (17.6; 20.2) 19.4 (17.5; 20.7) 18.7 (17.5; 21.2) Conclusion The administration of human PC concentrate did not i fl i i l bl d fl i i h k i Table 1 (abstract P201). Microcirculatory variables Introduction Studies show that sublingual mucosa is a reproducible part for small intestine mucosal microcirculatory perfusion in sepsis, when they are not exposed by local factors. However, it is of great interest how sublingual microcirculation can refl ect other beds of microcirculation. The aim of the study is to evaluate and compare the microcirculatory perfusion of potentially available parts of the body, such as sublingual mucosa, conjunctiva of the eye, mucosa of jejunum and rectum, at the same time points during experimental sepsis. p g p p Methods Pigs were randomly assigned to sepsis (n  =  9) and sham (n = 4) groups. The sepsis group received a fi xed dose of live Escherichia coli infusion over 1 hour. Animals were observed 5 hours after the start of E. coli infusion. In addition to systemic hemodynamic assessment, we performed conjunctival, sublingual, jejunal and rectal evaluation of microcirculation using sidestream dark-fi eld videomicroscopy at the same time points: at baseline, 3 and 5 hours after the start of live E. coli infusion. Assessment of microcirculatory parameters of convective oxygen transport (microvascular fl ow index (MFI), proportion of perfused vessels (PPV)) and diff usion distance (perfused vessel density, total vessel density) was done using a semiquantitative method. References y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P201 (doi: 10.1186/cc10808) References 1. Saeed M, et al.: Crit Care Med 2011, 39:952-960. 2. Dunser M, et al.: Crit Care 2009, 13:R181. 3. Shahin J, et al.: Crit Care 2011, 15:R162. 4. Thackraya S, et al.: Eur J Heart Fail 2002, 4:515-529. Introduction We investigated whether human protein C (PC) concen- trate to restore physiological values in adult septic shock patients can infl uence microcirculatory blood fl ow. S73 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods We enrolled 36 septic shock patients with plasma protein C activity <60%. Patients were randomly allocated to be treated with either a continuous infusion of PC concentrate at 3 UI/kg/hour for 72 hours to reach plasma protein C activity between 70 and 120% or a standard treatment (control; each n = 18). In both groups, NE was titrated to achieve a MAP between 65 and 75 mmHg. Data from right heart catheterization and sidestream dark-fi eld imaging were obtained at baseline and after 24, 48 and 72 hours.if the small vessels (MFIs) and norepinephrine requirements did not vary during the 24-hour observational period. Results are summarized in Table 1. Conclusion In patients with established septic shock who remained tachycardic after hemodynamic optimization in accordance with the current guidelines, titration of esmolol to reduce the HR to a predefi ned threshold did not aff ect microcirculatory blood fl ow. Results For the same MAP and cardiac output, no signifi cant diff erences were found between groups in terms of microvascular fl ow index of the small vessels (MFIs) and perfused vessel density (PVD). Results are summarized in Table 1. P203 P203 Early course of microcirculatory perfusion in the eye and digestive tract during experimental sepsis A Pranskunas1, R Rasimaviciute1, E Milieskaite1, A Vitkauskiene1, P Dobozinskas1, V Veikutis2, Z Dambrauskas1, D Vaitkaitis1, V Pilvinis1 1Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; 2Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P203 (doi: 10.1186/cc10810) P204 Results Apart from a statistically signifi cant decrease in HR and cardiac index (CI) (P <0.05), stroke volume (SV), microvascular fl ow index of P204 Microcirculation and blood transfusion: eff ects of three diff erent types of concentrated red blood cells – preliminary results A Donati, E Damiani, R Domizi, C Scorcella, A Carsetti, MR Lombrano, V Fiori, P Pelaia Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P204 (doi: 10.1186/cc10811) Table 1 (abstract P202) Baseline 24 hours HR 119 ± 12 85 ± 9* CI 4.4 ± 1 3.1 ± 1* SV 81 ± 35 80 ± 23 MFIs 2.6 ± 0.6 2.8 ± 0.3 NE 0.7 ± 0.7 0.5 ± 0.4 *P <0.05. Introduction Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are used to increase oxygen delivery; however, a restrictive transfusion strategy (predefi ned hemoglobin threshold of 7 g/dl) was demonstrated to be associated with lower mortality and incidence of nosocomial infections than a liberal one [1,2]. This may be related to the storage process, which could aff ect the ability of RBCs to transport and delivery oxygen, or to immunomodulating eff ects of cytokines from residual leukocytes [2]. Introduction Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are used to increase oxygen delivery; however, a restrictive transfusion strategy (predefi ned hemoglobin threshold of 7 g/dl) was demonstrated to be associated with lower mortality and incidence of nosocomial infections than a liberal one [1,2]. This may be related to the storage process, which could aff ect the ability of RBCs to transport and delivery oxygen, or to immunomodulating eff ects of cytokines from residual leukocytes [2]. S74 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 explores the relationship between peripheral perfusion parameters and macrohemodynamic, metabolic, hepatosplanchnic, and micro- circulatory-related parameters during hyperdynamic septic shock. Figure 1 (abstract P204). De Backer score pre and post transfusion in group 2. Methods Thirty-nine sets of parallel assessments of hemodynamic or perfusion-related parameters were performed in 13 hyperdynamic (cardiac index >2.5 l/minute/m2) septic shock patients (age 68  ±  18 years, APACHE II score 26 ± 6, SOFA score 11 ± 4, ICU mortality 2/13) during the fi rst 24  hours of resuscitation. P204 Assessment included: echocardiographic and pulmonary artery catheter-derived parameters; indocyanine green plasma disappearance rate (ICG-PDR, Limon) and gastric tonometry; metabolic parameters (lactate, SvO2 and p(v-a) CO2); sublingual microcirculatory assessment (SDF); thenar StO2 and vascular occlusion test (VOT) derived parameters (NIRS); peripheral perfusion parameters including capillary refi ll time and central to toe temperature diff erence. Results Peripheral perfusion was normal in 22 sets (56%) and abnormal in 17 (44%). A normal peripheral perfusion was associated with lower APACHE II scores (23.2 ± 3 vs. 28.4 ± 7, P = 0.009), better metabolic parameters (lactate: 2.3 ± 0.6 mmol/l vs. 3.5 ± 1.1 mmol/l, P = 0.002 and SvO2: 78.1 ± 6% vs. 73.9 ± 5%, P = 0.049), and better StO2 recovery slope after VOT (3.54 ± 1.4 vs. 0.94 ± 0.5%/second, P <0.001) as compared with an abnormal one. No correlation could be demonstrated with macrohemodynamic parameters, hepatosplanchnic perfusion para meters (gastric tonometry and ICG-PDR), or with sublingual microcirculatory parameters. p Conclusion A normal peripheral perfusion is associated with normal metabolic perfusion parameters and less impaired micro- vascular reactivity. No relation between peripheral perfusion and hepatosplanchnic or sublingual microcirculatory fl ow could be established in this study.i Figure 1 (abstract P204). De Backer score pre and post transfusion in group 2. The aim of the study is to evaluate the eff ects, on microcirculation of septic patient, of three types of RBCs. y ClinicalTrials.gov Identifi er: NCT01271153 y ClinicalTrials.gov Identifi er: NCT01271153 i owledgements Supported by grant FONDECYT 1100610 (Ch i Acknowledgements Supported by grant FO Methods A controlled randomized prospective study on 45 patients with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock requiring RBC transfusion. Patients are randomized into three groups receiving: (1) fresh standard RBCs (storage <10 days); (2) leukodepleted RBCs; and (3) old standard RBCs (storage >20 days) respectively. Before and 1  hour after the transfusion, microcirculation is evaluated using sidestream dark-fi eld imaging [3] and near-infrared spectroscopy with a vascular occlusion test. We also monitor temperature, heart rate, mean blood pressure, hemochrome, blood gases, blood lactates and SOFA score. P206 P206 Hyperoxia aff ects peripheral tissue microcirculation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension S Dimopoulos, G Tzanis, C Manetos, A Tasoulis, A Mpouchla, E Tseliou, I Vasileiadis, N Diakos, J Terrovitis, S Nanas University of Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P206 (doi: 10.1186/cc10813) g Results Preliminary data on 18 patients, six for each group: before and after transfusion, in group 2, but not in groups 1 and 3, there is a trend to an increase in MFIs (P = 0.09), DeBacker score (Figure 1, P <0.05), PPV (P = 0.07) and PVD (P = 0.07). No relevant diff erences for other parameters. Introduction Pulmonary microcirculation abnormalities play a central role in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) pathophysiology. We hypothesized that PAH patients also have systemic muscle microcirculation alterations compared to healthy subjects. The aim of this study was to investigate peripheral muscle microcirculation by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in PAH patients and to test the eff ects of hyperoxia into their tissue microcirculation. p Conclusion After transfusion, microcirculation seems to be improved in the leukodepleted RBC group with a signifi cant improvement of De Backer score and a trend to improve the other microcirculatory parameters, while in the other three groups there was not this trend. References f yp Methods Eight PAH patients and eight healthy subjects matched for age, gender and body mass index underwent NIRS evaluation. Tissue O2 saturation (StO2, %), defi ned as the percentage of hemoglobin saturation in the microvasculature compartments, was measured on the thenar muscle. Subsequently, the 3-minute brachial artery occlusion technique was applied before, during, and after 15 minutes of 100% of O2-breathing. Main measurements included the oxygen consumption rate (OCR, %/minute), the reactive hyperemia time (RHT, minutes), and the time needed for StO2 to reach its baseline values after the release of the occlusion. 1. Hebert PC: N Engl J Med 1999, 340:409-417. 1. Hebert PC: N Engl J Med 1999, 340:409-417. 2. Rosemary L: Blood Transfusion 2010, 8(Suppl 3):S26. 2. De Backer D: Crit Care 2007, 11:R101. P207 Supraclavicular ultrasound-guided subclavian vein cannulation in infants under 5 kg P Kenderessy Faculty Children Hospital, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P207 (doi: 10.1186/cc10814) 16%). All right-sided catheters lay at an angle  <30°. However, 38% (14/37) of left-sided catheters had not crossed the midline, and 59% (22/37) lay at an angle >30° to the vertical. Only 11% (4/37) of left-sided catheters had crossed the midline and lay at an angle of <30°, and all of these lay below the level of the carina. No immediate complications of insertion were identifi ed. See Table 1. Table 1 (abstract P208). Site of CVC insertion (n = 137) Internal jugular Subclavian Right 95 5 Left 32 5 Introduction Central venous cannulation is at some point diffi cult in small children and is associated with many complications especially in multiple-attempt cases. Various techniques exist to achieve successful cannulation. Ultrasound (US)-guided techniques are reported to be safe and reduce the rate of complications for internal jugular vein (IJV) cannulation. We describe an US-guided supraclavicular approach to another central vein – the subclavian vein (SCV). The supraclavicular approach to the SCV with anatomical landmarks was described by Yoff a, but physicians are hesitant to use this technique because of the short distance to pleura.i Conclusion There was a wide variation of catheter tip placements accepted without re-positioning. Left-sided catheter tips are more at risk of less precise (and thus potentially nonoptimal) placement. Our results indicate that a clearer placement strategy is required. References p Methods The principle of the US-navigated technique is to fi nd the SCV at the supraclavicular level and to obtain a longitudinal view of the SCV and to allow access to the vein in-plane view (absolute control of the needle). The ultrasound probe (2.5 cm, 6 to 13 MHz) was placed above the clavicle to visualize the IJV and tilted showing the subclavian artery and SCV in longitudinal view. This view permitted an in-plane puncture of the vein avoiding arterial or plural hit. 1. Stonelake PA, et al.: The carina as a radiological landmark for central venous catheter tip position. Br J Anaesth 2006, 96:335-340. p p 2. Bodenham A: Reducing major procedural complications from central venous catheterization. Anaesthesia 2011, 66:1-9. Results Seventy-eight infant and newborns under 5 kg (1.2 to 5 kg) and 83 SCV cannulations were enrolled in this observational study during a period of 11 months (January 2011 to November 2011). Central venous catheter placement: where is the end of the line? K Tizard, I Welters Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P208 (doi: 10.1186/cc10815) Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P208 (doi: 10.1186/cc10815) Conclusion Power-injectable PICCs have many advantages in the ICU: they can be used as multipurpose central lines for any type of infusion including high-fl ow infusion, for hemodynamic monitoring, and for high-pressure injection of contrast media during radiological procedures. Their insertion is successful in 100% of cases and is not associated with signifi cant risks, even in patients with coagulation disorders. Their maintenance is associated with an extremely low rate of infective and noninfective complications. Introduction There is still controversy regarding safe placement of central venous catheters (CVCs) as to where the tip should lie to avoid mechanical complications whilst maintaining eff ective use [1,2]. The carina has previously been suggested as a useful landmark to avoid intracardiac placement and its associated risks, and also that the catheter tip should lie within the superior vena cava parallel to its walls [1,2]. However, this has been disputed and there remains no consensus as to optimal tip placement. To gauge our current practice we performed a retrospective review of CVCs placed via the internal jugular or subclavian route in intensive care patients to assess where CVC tips were placed. P209 Power-injectable peripherally inserted central catheters in intensive care patients MG Annetta, C Marano, A Brutti, D Celentano, M Pittiruti Catholic University, Rome, Italy Introduction In ICUs, peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) may be an alternative option to standard central venous catheters, particularly in patients with coagulation disorders or at high risk for infection. Some limits of PICCs (such as low fl ow rates) may be overcome by the use of power-injectable catheters. Methods We have retrospectively reviewed all of the power-injectable PICCs inserted in adult and pediatric patients in the ICU during a 12-month period, focusing on the rate of complications at insertion and during maintenance. All PICCs were inserted by specifi cally trained nurses, using ultrasound guidance and the microintroducer technique, according to a specifi c insertion protocol. p p Conclusion A supraclavicular US-guided approach to SCV cannulation is safe and eff ective possibility for central vein cannulation in small infants. More studies are needed to establish a learning curve for pure paediatric intensivists without experience with US navigation. Results We have collected 89 power-injectable PICCs (65 in adults and 24 in children), 4 to 6 Fr, both multiple and single lumen. All insertions were successful. There were no major complications at insertion and no episodes of local infection or catheter-related bloodstream infection. Noninfective complications during management were not clinically relevant. There was one episode of symptomatic thrombosis during the stay in the ICU and one episode after transfer of the patient on a nonintensive ward. P205 P205 Peripheral perfusion is correlated to metabolic perfusion parameters and microvascular reactivity but not with hepatosplanchnic or microcirculatory fl ow parameters in hyperdynamic septic shock G Hernandez1, T Regueira1, A Bruhn1, P Mcnab1, E Veas1, C Pedreros1, A Fuentealba1, E Kattan1, G Bugedo1, M Rovegno1, R Castro1, C Ince2 1Pontifi cia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; 2University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P205 (doi: 10.1186/cc10812) Results PAH patients had a signifi cantly lower resting StO2 (65.8 ± 14.9 vs. 82.1 ± 4.0, P = 0.01), a lower OCR (35.3 ± 9.1 vs. 43.4 ± 19.7) and a higher RHT (3.0 ± 0.6 vs. 2.0 ± 0.3, P <0.001) compared to controls. Hyperoxic breathing increased StO2 (65.8 ± 14.9 to 71.4 ± 14.5, P <0.05) in PAH patients, while OCR was reduced (35.3  ±  9.1 to 25.1  ±  6.6, P <0.05) and RHT was further increased (3.0 ± 0.6 to 4.2 ± 0.7, P <0.01). Conclusion PAH patients present a signifi cant impairment of peripheral tissue microcirculation as assessed by the NIRS occlusion technique. Acute hyperoxic breathing aff ects peripheral microcirculatory function in PAH patients, possibly due to oxidative stress and evoked vasoconstriction. Introduction Peripheral perfusion assessment is increasingly being recognized as a potential surrogate of global perfusion parameters during septic shock resuscitation. Nevertheless, its correlation with other perfusion parameters is not well established. This study S75 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P207 Supraclavicular ultrasound-guided subclavian vein cannulation in infants under 5 kg P Kenderessy Faculty Children Hospital, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P207 (doi: 10.1186/cc10814) P207 Supraclavicular ultrasound-guided subclavian vein cannulation infants under 5 kg P Kenderessy Faculty Children Hospital, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P207 (doi: 10.1186/cc10814) P207 Supraclavicular ultrasound-guided subclavian vein cannulation in infants under 5 kg P Kenderessy Faculty Children Hospital, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P207 (doi: 10.1186/cc10814) All cannulations were performed by a single anesthesiologist trained for ultrasound in central line cannulation with established eye–hand coordination (5 years experience with peripheral blocks under US). For all cases the SCV was easily and quickly visualized, one case had an extremely narrow SCV. The US window for cannulation was always established for free in-plane placement of the needle. The overall success rate for puncture was 100% and for cannulation was 98%. In the case with an extremely narrow vein (because of oedema and stricture) the SCV was punctured but it was impossible to pass the catheter in. The success rate of puncture at fi rst attempt was 97%, at second attempt was 100%. A second attempt was necessary in two cases because needle visualization and angle of the needle movement were not considered correct. No complication was reported. P212 in pediatric cardiac surgery in terms of success rate and mechanical and infectious complications. Errors in the arterial blood pressure measurement F Franchi1, V De Palo1, A Faltoni1, S Cecchini1, L Cubattoli2, P Giomarelli1 1University of Siena, Italy; 2Hospital of Siena, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P212 (doi: 10.1186/cc10819) Methods After Ethics Committee approval and written informed consent from the parents of the children were obtained, 200 children who were scheduled for cardiac surgery were randomly allocated to IJV (n = 100) and SV (n = 100) groups. Introduction The artefacts aff ecting arterial wave morphology may compromise recorded values of arterial blood pressure (ABP) and can lead to therapeutic errors. The aim of this study is to evaluate the errors between invasive and noninvasive arterial pressure values, the incidence of artefacts due to an inadequate dynamic response of the transducer-tubing system, and their detection by the ICU staff . g p Results The mean age was 37 months (95% CI, 29 to 45 months) in group IJV and 35 months (95% CI, 29 to 42 months) in group SV (P = 0.619). The 95% CI for weight in groups IJV and SV were 10.4 to 14.2 kg and 10.2 to 13.0 kg, respectively (P = 0.595). The CVC success rates at fi rst attempt for groups IJV and SV were 67% and 70%, respectively (P  =  0.761). An alternative location was required to perform CVC in 90 patients in group IJV and in 92 patients in group SV (P  =  0.806). The overall frequency of mechanical complications during the catheter insertion and its use was 26% in group IJV and 28% in group SV (log-rank test: P = 0.753). Signifi cantly more arterial punctures occurred in group IJV than in group SV (14% vs. 4%, P = 0.024). Catheter tip misplacement was observed more frequently in group SV than group IJV (12% vs. 1%, P = 0.003). Catheter colonization rates were signifi cantly higher in group IJV than group SV (15% vs. 5%, log-rank test: P = 0.020). There was no diff erence in bloodstream infection per 1,000 catheter days between group IJV and group SV (3.4 vs. 1.4, respectively: P = 0.319). Methods Seventy-fi ve consecutive patients (50 male, mean age 55 ± 18) admitted to the ICU for heterogeneous pathologies were enrolled. The T-Line TL-200 system for continuous noninvasive blood pressure measurement in medical ICU patients The T-Line TL-200 system for continuous noninvasive blood pressure measurement in medical ICU patients The T-Line TL-200 system for continuous noninvasive blood pressure measurement in medical ICU patients B Saugel, F Fassio, A Hapfelmeier, AS Meidert, RM Schmid, W Huber Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P213 (doi: 10.1186/cc10820) B Saugel, F Fassio, A Hapfelmeier, AS Meidert, RM Schmid, W Huber Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P213 (doi: 10.1186/cc10820) Introduction The T-Line TL-200 (Tensys Medical Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) is a noninvasive arterial blood pressure (BP) monitoring system allowing continuous beat-to-beat monitoring of systolic arterial pressure (SAP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP). It provides a real-time BP waveform like that obtained using an arterial catheter for BP monitoring. The aim of this study was to compare BP measurements obtained using the T-Line TL-200 system with simultaneous invasive BP measurements using a femoral arterial catheter in unselected critically ill medical patients. Results A total of 856 lines performed in 602 patients were evaluated. In 607 US-guided cannulating internal jugular veins with only four cases of malposition, there were no cases of pneumothorax recorded. A total of 161 subclavian veins were cannulated with no US, of which six cases of pneumothorax were reported; two cases needed intercostal tube insertion. Eighty-eight femoral vein cannulations with no US were performed and no complications were recorded. Conclusion Chest X-ray is not necessary after US-guided CVL place- ment. Cutting out the chest X-ray procedure post insertion proved to be cost-eff ective. y Methods In 28 patients treated in a medical ICU of a German university hospital, BP values were simultaneously obtained using a femoral arterial catheter and the T-Line TL-200 device. All recorded data were included in the fi nal analysis. For comparison of BP measurements, Bland–Altman analysis accounting for repeated measurements was performed. P213 Methods A retrospective study of 856 lines placed in 602 patients being evaluated over a period of 11 months. All cases were performed in a controlled ICU environment. Chest X-rays were performed 30 minutes post-insertion in the D0 adult ICU unit in a tertiary medical center in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The D0 ICU has a capacity of 24 beds with an average admission rate of 55 to 60 patients per month. Records were assessed and evaluated, and data collected and statistically studied. Ultrasound-guided central venous line placement in critically ill patients: is chest X-ray needed to assess post-insertion pneumothorax? Ultrasound-guided central venous line placement in critically ill patients: is chest X-ray needed to assess post-insertion pneumothorax? O Samir Abdel Gelil Kotb, A Ali Abel Aziz, Y Awad Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P211 (doi: 10.1186/cc10818) Ultrasound-guided central venous line placement in critically ill patients: is chest X-ray needed to assess post-insertion pneumothorax? p O Samir Abdel Gelil Kotb, A Ali Abel Aziz, Y Awad Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P211 (doi: 10.1186/cc10818) Introduction Critically ill patients, mostly on positive pressure ventilation, are at higher risk of pneumothorax as well as their need for a central venous line (CVL) to optimize fl uid status, CVP measurement, and so forth, and where the CVL is not being placed in the best circumstances with the patients being critically ill, unstable and with higher chances of error predisposed by pre-existing lung disease, obesity or whatever the admitting diagnosis. Before CVL placement was a blind technique relying on the anatomical positions identifying the position of major blood vessels and thus post-insertion X-ray was needed to confi rm correct placement and to assess for pneumothorax. But with ultrasound (US) being more widely available, and most CVLs placed as US guided, the ultimate question develops: is post-insertion chest X-ray still needed? Conclusion The bias between invasive and noninvasive ABP measure can be relevant and mislead in the therapeutic management. These errors can be avoided by identifying the artefacts that aff ect arterial signal and so the ICU staff must pay attention to the recognition of arterial dumping in critically ill patients. P212 Inclusion criteria were: the presence of an intra-arterial catheter (IAC) for invasive blood pressure monitoring, and age >18 years. Pregnancy was excluded. At admission and every time the IAC was replaced we acquired invasive systolic, diastolic, and medium arterial pressure values (I-SP, I-DP, I-MP) during hemodynamic stability (variations of mean arterial pressure <10%); at the same time, noninvasive systolic and diastolic arterial pressure values (Ni-SP, Ni-DP) were measured with a sphygmomanometer at the same arm of the IAC. Noninvasive medium arterial pressure (Ni-MP) was calculated as follows: (SP + 2DP) / 3. At every time of the study, before ABP value acquisition, medical and nursing staff answered a questionnaire on the reliability of the arterial waveform. The staff could perform the fast fl ush test if considered appropriate. However, the fast fl ush test was executed by the main investigator at the end of questionnaire in all patients. Bland–Altman analysis was performed. Conclusion In pediatric cardiac surgery patients, IJV and SV catheters had similar success rates as well as overall mechanical complication rates. Although the catheter colonization rate was signifi cantly higher with IJV than SV, both access routes had similar rates of bloodstream infection. y p Results We compared 130 pairs of Ni-SP, Ni-DP and Ni-MP and I-SP, I-DP and I-MP. The mean bias between Ni-SP and I-SP was –11 mmHg (limit of agreement (LoA) –43.6 to 21.4 mmHg). The mean bias between Ni-DP and I-DP and between Ni-MP and I-MP was 6.1 mmHg (LoA –15.5 to 27.7 mmHg) and 0.37 mmHg (LoA –21.0 to 21.7 mmHg), respectively. We performed the fast fl ush test 130 times; an inadequate dynamic response of the transducer-tubing system was observed 55 times: in 45 cases the arterial signal was underdumped and in 10 cases was overdumped. The arterial dumping was correctly detected by the medical staff in 95% of cases, by nursing staff and postgraduates in 35% of cases. Reference . Pickering TG: Principles and techniques of blood pressure measurement. Cardiol Clin 2002, 20:207-223. Comparison of internal jugular and subclavian access for central venous catheterization in pediatric cardiac surgery A Pirat1, A Camkiran1, P Zeyneloglu1, M Ozkan1, E Akpek2, G Arslan1 1Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey; 2Acibadem University, Istanbul, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P210 (doi: 10.1186/cc10817) Comparison of internal jugular and subclavian access for central venous catheterization in pediatric cardiac surgery A Pirat1, A Camkiran1, P Zeyneloglu1, M Ozkan1, E Akpek2, G Arslan1 1Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey; 2Acibadem University, Istanbul, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P210 (doi: 10.1186/cc10817) Methods We retrospectively reviewed the chest radiographs of 197 consecutive intensive care patients admitted on and before 30 June 2011. A total of 101 patients had evidence of 137 new CVCs. For each new catheter the Picture Archiving & Communication System was used to record the tip position (after any repositioning) in relation to the carina and the degree of angulation from the vertical.i Introduction Central venous catheterization (CVC) is an essential com- po nent of perioperative care in pediatric cardiac surgery. Traditionally the internal jugular vein (IJV) is used for CVC in cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to compare IJV and subclavian vein (SV) routes for CVC Introduction Central venous catheterization (CVC) is an essential com- po nent of perioperative care in pediatric cardiac surgery. Traditionally the internal jugular vein (IJV) is used for CVC in cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to compare IJV and subclavian vein (SV) routes for CVC Results Twenty-fi ve per cent (34/137) of all catheter tips lay >10 mm below the carina, therefore potentially increasing the likelihood of intracardiac placement. This was reduced for left-sided catheters (6/37; S76 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P216 i Results Mean age was 69 ± 13 years, 14 patients received noradrenaline, eight patients dobutamine, and nine patients volume expansion. During the whole record, the number of episodes of Ov or At ranged from 0 to 15 with a duration of 0 to 6 hours: 17 patients had at least one episode of Ov and/or At tracing, 10 patients had at least two episodes, eight patients had at least fi ve episodes. Seven episodes lasted more than 20 minutes and three more than 1 hour. During the fi rst hour, sAP was overestimated by 5.0 ± 1.4 mmHg (P <0.0001) (range: 0.3 to 5.9) or by 4.3 ± 0.9% (range: 0.4 to 15.9%), raw PPV was 9.5 ± 7.3 versus 10.0 ± 7.8 for the corrected PPV (range from –2.6 to 4.3); raw dP/dt was overestimated by 134 ± 47 mmHg/second (P <0.0001) (range: –13 to 353) or by 24 ± 6%. 1. Wax DB, et al.: Anesthesiology 2011, 115:973-978. P215 Results A total of 76,826 pairs of BP measurements (each consisting of SAP, MAP, and DAP) were analyzed. For MAP, Bland–Altman analysis revealed a mean diff erence of +0.47 mmHg (95% limits of agreement: –16.53 to +17.46 mmHg). For SAP and DAP, the bias and 95% limits of agreement were –9.01 mmHg (–37.47 to +19.45 mmHg) and +5.22 mmHg (–13.50 to +23.94 mmHg), respectively. Right/left ventricular area ratio does not correlate with right ventricular impedance F Paalvast1, D Reis Miranda1, M Knook2, A Rossi1, J Van Bommel1, D Gommers1 1Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 2Reinier de Graaf Ziekenhuis, Delft, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P215 (doi: 10.1186/cc10822) Reliability of radial arterial pressure monitoring after cardiac surgery C Lavault1, MC Fevre2, A Hebrard2, M Durand2, F Grimbert1, Y Lavault1, P Albaladejo2 1UJF – Grenoble1/CNRS/TIMC-IMAG UMR 5525 (Equipe PRETA), Grenoble, France; 2CHU Grenoble, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P214 (doi: 10.1186/cc10821) Introduction Invasive monitoring in critically ill patients allows a continuous measurement of arterial pressure, cardiac output, and the derivation of dynamic predictors of fl uid responsiveness. However, the pressure signal may be altered by the dynamic characteristics of the fl uid-fi lled tubing. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability of radial artery blood pressure measurement and derived indexes during the early period after cardiac surgery. Methods After IRB approval, 30 patients admitted to the ICU after elective cardiac surgery (CABG: 16, valve surgery: 11; combined: 3) with a radial artery catheter were included. In the ICU, an independent continuous recording of arterial pressure during at least 18  hours was started via a double-head pressure transducer (Flotrac; Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) for a retrospective analysis and three fast fl ushes were performed. First, the whole record was examined for episodes of overdamping (Ov) or attenuation (At). Ov was defi ned as a decrease in systolic (sAP), an increase diastolic (dAP), and an unchanged mean pressure (mAP). At was defi ned as a decrease in sAP, dAP and mAP. Second, three periods of 10 minutes during the fi rst hour were analysed assuming that the dynamic characteristics remained constant. This allowed the correction of the distorted raw signals and the study of the consequences of an underdamped signal on sAP, pulse pressure variation (PPV) and dP/dt as an estimate of left ventricular contractility. A paired t test was used for statistical comparison, P <0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant. Results Cardiac output dropped from 4.4 ± 0.8 to 1.7 ± 0.9 l/minute. The relations between occluder resistance and RV/LV area ratio during diastole and during systole were not signifi cant (r = 0.48 resp. r = 0.54). Conclusion The RV/LV area ratio does not correlate with right ventricular impedance in this closed pericardium model. References 1. Bouferrache K: Acute respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical ventilation, and right ventricular function. Curr Opin Crit Care 2011, 17:30-35. 2. Mansencal N: Comparison of diff erent echocardiographic indexes secondary to right ventricular obstruction in acute pulmonary embolism. Am J Cardiol 2003, 92:116-119. Right/left ventricular area ratio does not correlate with right ventricular impedance F Paalvast1, D Reis Miranda1, M Knook2, A Rossi1, J Van Bommel1, D Gommers1 1Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 2Reinier de Graaf Ziekenhuis, Delft, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P215 (doi: 10.1186/cc10822) D Gommers1 1Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 2Reinier de Graaf Ziekenhuis, Delft, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P215 (doi: 10.1186/cc10822) g g p y Conclusion The T-Line TL-200 system allows determination of MAP with a satisfactory agreement when compared to invasive assessment of MAP using a femoral arterial catheter in unselected critically ill medical patients. Higher mean diff erences and 95% limits of agreement for SAP and DAP measurements might be explainable by limited comparability of central (femoral) and peripheral (radial) SAP and DAP measurements. Introduction The right ventricular/left ventricular (RV/LV) area ratio is often used to titrate airway pressure during mechanical ventilation [1]. This ratio has only been validated for detecting pulmonary embolism [2]. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between RV/LV area ratio and RV impedance in a pig model with a closed pericardium. P214 Reliability of radial arterial pressure monitoring after cardiac surgery C Lavault1, MC Fevre2, A Hebrard2, M Durand2, F Grimbert1, Y Lavault1, P Albaladejo2 1UJF – Grenoble1/CNRS/TIMC-IMAG UMR 5525 (Equipe PRETA), Grenoble, France; 2CHU Grenoble, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P214 (doi: 10.1186/cc10821) Methods Eight anesthetized pigs were instrumented with closed pericardium for the measurement of arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure, RV and pulmonary pressure. On the main pulmonary artery, an ultrasonic fl owprobe (MA14PAX; Transonic) was positioned to obtain pulmonary fl ow. Distally, a balloon occluder was positioned facilitating gradual constriction of the pulmonary artery. To obtain a stepwise pressure diff erence increment over the banding we gradually infl ated the balloon occluder. Occluder resistance is computed as the systolic right ventricle pressure minus systolic pulmonary pressure divided by cardiac output times 79.9. An ECG-gated CT scan of the heart was performed, 10 minutes after each banding. The RV/LV area ratio was computed by reconstructing the CT images to a typical echocardiographic four-chamber view and dividing the RV area by the LV area. All measurements were performed in triplicate and averaged. As repeated measurements in eight independent animals were used, a signifi cant relation was sought between RV/LV area ratio and occluder resistance with ANOVA. Correlation was obtained by a Spearson’s correlation. f References 1. Ultrasound detects central line placement and postprocedure 1. Ultrasound detects central line placement and postprocedure pneumothorax. Emerg Med 2009. pneumothorax. Emerg Med 2009. 2. Ultrasound-guided central line placement: no X-ray needed. Emerg Med 2011. S77 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Eff ects of cardiac output levels on the measurement of transpulmonary thermodilution cardiac output in patients with acute lung injury Figure 1 (abstract P218). K Kao, H Hu, C Hung, C Chang, C Huang probe (CardioQ™; Deltex Medical, UK) was inserted, connected to the CardioQ-ODM™ monitoring system and correct positioning verifi ed. Simultaneous determination of cardiac output by ODM and ECOM™ was performed before and after cross-clamping of the aorta. Results Cardiac output ranged from 1.4 to 13.1 l/minute. Linear regression is represented by the equation y  =  0.30x + 2.2 and the correlation coeffi cient r2 = 0.15. The bias was +1.5 l/minute with 95% limits of agreement between –2.1 and 5.1 l/minute (Figure 1). Conclusion Using the CardioQ™ as a reference, the ECOM™ system cannot be recommended as a clinical cardiac output measurement technique in abdominal aortic surgery, due to its poor correlation and wide limits of agreement. probe (CardioQ™; Deltex Medical, UK) was inserted, connected to the CardioQ-ODM™ monitoring system and correct positioning verifi ed. Simultaneous determination of cardiac output by ODM and ECOM™ was performed before and after cross-clamping of the aorta. Introduction Transpulmonary thermodilution cardiac output (CO) correlates closely with pulmonary artery (PA) thermodilution CO. Levels of CO may contribute varying amounts of thermal indicator loss and recirculation during thermodilution CO measurement. This study aimed to investigate the eff ects of CO levels on the agreement between transpulmonary and PA thermodilution CO in acute lung injury (ALI) patients. p p g Results Cardiac output ranged from 1.4 to 13.1 l/minute. Linear regression is represented by the equation y  =  0.30x + 2.2 and the correlation coeffi cient r2 = 0.15. The bias was +1.5 l/minute with 95% limits of agreement between –2.1 and 5.1 l/minute (Figure 1). p p g Results Cardiac output ranged from 1.4 to 13.1 l/minute. Linear regression is represented by the equation y  =  0.30x + 2.2 and the correlation coeffi cient r2 = 0.15. The bias was +1.5 l/minute with 95% limits of agreement between –2.1 and 5.1 l/minute (Figure 1). Conclusion Using the CardioQ™ as a reference, the ECOM™ system cannot be recommended as a clinical cardiac output measurement technique in abdominal aortic surgery, due to its poor correlation and wide limits of agreement. y Methods Twenty-two ALI patients were prospectively enrolled. Techniques to measure cardiac output: minimally invasive method versus thermodilution MostCare is resulted to be reliable and accurate even in hemodynamically unstable patients. It would be interesting to study the new device before and after having modifi ed the therapy, such as fl uid challenge or inotropic therapy or the use of vasopressors. References 1. Zangrillo A, et al.: J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2010, 24:265-269. 2. Scolletta S, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2005, 95:159-165. 3. Romano SM, et al.: Crit Care Med 2002, 30:1834-1841. 1. Zangrillo A, et al.: J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2010, 24:265-269. 2. Scolletta S, et al.: Br J Anaesth 2005, 95:159-165. 3. Romano SM, et al.: Crit Care Med 2002, 30:1834-1841. Techniques to measure cardiac output: minimally invasive method versus thermodilution versus thermodilution A Donati, S Tondi, A Carsetti, R Domizi, C Melia, D Kolgjini, C Munch, C Scorcella, P Pelaia Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P216 (doi: 10.1186/cc10823) Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P216 (doi: 10.1186/cc10823) Introduction Hemodynamic monitoring is important to manage critically ill patients. The thermodilution pulmonary catheter is considered the gold standard; however, it is invasive and associated with the onset of complications. Our study compared cardiac output (CO) obtained with the MostCare (COMC), which uses the pressure recording analytical method, to CO obtained with a Swan–Ganz (COSG) catheter in hemodynamically unstable patients. Introduction Hemodynamic monitoring is important to manage critically ill patients. The thermodilution pulmonary catheter is considered the gold standard; however, it is invasive and associated with the onset of complications. Our study compared cardiac output (CO) obtained with the MostCare (COMC), which uses the pressure recording analytical method, to CO obtained with a Swan–Ganz (COSG) catheter in hemodynamically unstable patients. Conclusion These results showed that frequent artefacts and distortions induced by the fl uid-fi lled tubing could modify the arterial waveform and could lead to inaccurate therapy [1]. More attention should be paid to the quality of the pressure signal. Reference Methods We conducted a prospective clinical study in our cardiosurgical ICU. Sixteen post-cardiosurgical adult patients were enrolled. They had a Swan–Ganz catheter and were mechanically ventilated. The Swan– Ganz catheter was connected to the monitor Vigilance Edwards®, while the MostCare was connected to the patient’s artery. For each patient three measurements of CO have been carried out and the mean was considered for statistical analysis. The correlation coeffi cient, Bland– Altman test and percentage of error were measured. Results The correlation coeffi cient between COSG and COMC was 0.824 (0.567 to 0.935, 95% CI; P <0.001) The Bland–Altman analysis showed S78 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P218). a mean diff erence between the two methods (bias) of 0.22 ± 0.55 l/ minute/m2 with lower and upper 95% limits of confi dence of –0.87 and 1.30 l/minute/m2 respectively. The percentage of error was of 25%. Figure 1 (abstract P218). p y p g Conclusion This study demonstrated a good correlation between the two methods. P217f Eff ects of cardiac output levels on the measurement of transpulmonary thermodilution cardiac output in patients with acute lung injury K Kao, H Hu, C Hung, C Chang, C Huang Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kwei-Shan,Taoyuan, Taiwan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P217 (doi: 10.1186/cc10824) p References References 1. Harvey S, et al.: Lancet 2005, 366:472-477. 2. Koo KKY, et al.: Crit Care Med 2011, 39:1613-1618. 1. Harvey S, et al.: Lancet 2005, 366:472-477. 2. Koo KKY, et al.: Crit Care Med 2011, 39:1613-1618. Methods Seven consecutive patients (seven male, zero female), mean age 56.5 (± 12) years, were enrolled into the study. ICO data were Eff ects of cardiac output levels on the measurement of transpulmonary thermodilution cardiac output in patients with acute lung injury Paired bolus transpulmonary thermodilution cardiac index (BCItp) and continuous PA thermodilution cardiac index (CCIpa) data were recorded at baseline and repeated immediately and at 2, 4, and 6 hours after volume expansion with a 500 ml infusion of 10% pentastarch (HES 200/0.5). Cardiac output monitoring in cirrhotic patients: EV1000 versus pulmonary artery catheter – preliminary data G Costa, T Cecconet, D Baron, G Serena, P Chiarandini, L Pompei, L Vetrugno, G Della Rocca University of Udine, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P219 (doi: 10.1186/cc10826) Results One hundred and ten paired CI measurements were recorded and divided into four quartiles from the lowest to the highest CCIpa. The mean BCItp was higher than CCIpa, and the Bland–Altman analysis revealed a bias of 0.57 ± 0.75 l/minute/m2. The limits of agreement (2SD) were +2.07 to –0.93 l/minute/m2. BCItp correlated closely with CCIpa (R = 0.887). CCIpa negatively correlated with the diff erence between BCItp and CCIpa (R = –0.26). The bias of quartile 1 with the least CCIpa was signifi cantly greater than those of the three other quartiles. Introduction The EV1000 platform, a new calibrated device for intermittent and continuous cardiac output monitoring, has recently been introduced into clinical practice [1]. This study aims to assess the level of agreement between intermittent and continuous cardiac output obtained from VolumeView (ICOvv and CCOvv) connected to the EV1000 platform (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) and intermittent (ICOvig) and continuous cardiac output (CCOvig) obtained using an advanced pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) connected to the Vigilance System (Edwards Lifesciences) in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplantation. i Conclusion In ALI patients, transpulmonary thermodilution is a clinically acceptable and interchangeable alternative to PA thermodilution for CO measurement. Levels of CO weakly and negatively correlate with the diff erence between BCItp and CCIpa. There is greater overestimation of BCItp over CCIpa in low than in high CO states. Comparison of bioimpedance and oesophageal Doppler cardiac output monitoring during abdominal aortic surgery Agreement and precision between CO values were evaluated with Bland–Altman analysis. The percentage error (PE) was calculated as 2SD / mean CO [2]. Results Twenty-one ICO data pairs were compared. Two patients were excluded from CCO data analysis for technical reasons. A total 240 CCO data pairs from fi ve patients were analysed. Data yielded were analysed as total and for CO values lower and higher than 8 l/minute (Table 1). Conclusion These data, even if very preliminary, showed low agreement and high PE either for intermittent and continuous CO obtained from the VolumeView. However, for CO data lower than 8 l/minute the PE was improved. percentage error (PE) was calculated as 2SD / mean CO [2]. Results Twenty-one ICO data pairs were compared. Two patients were excluded from CCO data analysis for technical reasons. A total 240 CCO data pairs from fi ve patients were analysed. Data yielded were analysed as total and for CO values lower and higher than 8 l/minute (Table 1). Conclusion These data, even if very preliminary, showed low agreement and high PE either for intermittent and continuous CO obtained from the VolumeView. However, for CO data lower than 8 l/minute the PE was improved. Results Twenty-one ICO data pairs were compared. Two patients were excluded from CCO data analysis for technical reasons. A total 240 CCO data pairs from fi ve patients were analysed. Data yielded were analysed as total and for CO values lower and higher than 8 l/minute (Table 1). TPTD Conclusion The PCCO method cannot replace the transpulmonary thermodilution method in critically ill children. Conclusion These data, even if very preliminary, showed low agreement and high PE either for intermittent and continuous CO obtained from the VolumeView. However, for CO data lower than 8 l/minute the PE was improved. P221 References 1. Bendjelid et al.: Crit Care 2010, 14:R209. 2. Cecconi et al.: Crit Care 2009, 13:201. 1. Bendjelid et al.: Crit Care 2010, 14:R209. Introduction With respect to a radial arterial pressure measurement, a more central achievement of this pressure should improve the reliability of endotracheal bioimpedance cardiac output (CO) monitoring. We therefore compared prospectively the impact on accuracy of this device, in comparison with thermodilution (TD) CO. P221 Impact of arterial catheter location on the accuracy of cardiac output provided by an endotracheal bioimpedance device F Gennart, S Beckers, C Verborgh, A De baerdemaeker, J Poelaert UZ Brussels, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P221 (doi: 10.1186/cc10828) Comparison of bioimpedance and oesophageal Doppler cardiac output monitoring during abdominal aortic surgery Table 1 (abstract P219). Bias, 2SD and PE for all data pairs and for CO higher and lower than 8 l/minute Table 1 (abstract P219). Bias, 2SD and PE for all data pairs and for CO higher and lower than 8 l/minute Bias 2SD PE (%) ICO Total –0.89 3.6 49 <8 –1.37 2.4 40 >8 –0.05 4.8 52 CCO Total –0.83 4.88 63 <8 –1.8 2.4 37 >8 2.07 5.64 47 g g Littlebaelt Hospital Kolding, Denmark Introduction Abdominal aortic surgery is a high-risk procedure. Cardiac output monitoring allowing haemodynamic optimisation may reduce the complication rate. Minimally invasive, continuous techniques are preferable. Cardiac output using oesophageal Doppler has been validated in several studies, showing good agreement with the gold standard. The aim of this study was to assess the degree of correlation and agreement between cardiac output measured by oesophageal Doppler and bioimpedance obtained from an endotracheal tube. Methods Twelve patients scheduled for elective abdominal aortic surgery were included. Patients were intubated with an ECOM™ endotracheal tube (ConMed Corporation, NY, USA) which was connected to the ECOM™ monitoring system. An oesophageal Doppler S79 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 5 hours and 33 minutes (range 14 minutes to 15 hours). The correlation coeffi cient between the COTPTD and PCCO was 0.85 (P  <0.0001). The Bland–Altman analysis showed a mean bias of 0.06 l/minute (limits of agreement (LoA) ± 2.22 l/minute) (Figure 1). The percentage error was 43%. The correlation coeffi cient between the recalibration interval and the bias between COTPTD and PCCO was –0.26 (P = 0.05). There was no correlation between COTPTD and PCCO (r = 0.09 (P = 0.57)). Conclusion The PCCO method cannot replace the transpulmonary thermodilution method in critically ill children. obtained from the two devices after ICU admission (T0) and after 12 (T12) and 24 hours (T24). CCOvig and CCOvv were recorded every hour from T0 up to 48 hours after ICU admission. Agreement and precision between CO values were evaluated with Bland–Altman analysis. The percentage error (PE) was calculated as 2SD / mean CO [2]. obtained from the two devices after ICU admission (T0) and after 12 (T12) and 24 hours (T24). CCOvig and CCOvv were recorded every hour from T0 up to 48 hours after ICU admission. Haemodynamic changes during the peri-extubation period using bioreactance fl ow monitoringi l g J Thirsk, D Magimairaj, A Douiri, D Hadfi eld, P Hopkins Ki ’ H lth P t L d UK King’s Health Partners, London, UK Results The sample was 19 males, nine females, age 60.2 ± 11.8 years; APACHE II score 23.3± 5.4. The 280 pairs of CIpc and CItd showed a signifi cant correlation (P <0.001; r  =  0.907). There was no diff erence between CIpc versus CItd (4.15 ± 1.46 vs. 4.09 ± 1.41 l/minute*sqm; P  =  0.265). Bland–Altman analysis demonstrated a mean bias of –0.061  ±  0.603 l/minute*sqm (lower and upper levels of agreement –1.24 and 1.12l/minute*sqm; percentage error of 28.7%). In univariate analyses, the bias CItd2–CIpc was not correlated to the interval to the last calibration (P  =  0.705; r  =  –0.023), but it was correlated to CIpc immediately before recalibration (r = –0.275; P <0.001) and to changes from CIpc versus the previous CItd1 (Delta-CIpc–CItd1; r  =  –0.504; P <0.001). These fi ndings were confi rmed in the validation collective (P  <0.001). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated independent association of the bias to Delta-CIpc–CItd1. This association was best described by bias CItd2–CIpc  =  –0.014 – 0.372x + 0.145x2 – 1.260x3 with x = Delta-CIpc–CItd1. This formula as a potential calibration index provided ROC AUCs of 0.882 and 0. 751 (P  <0.001) to predict a bias CItd2–CIpc >20% or <–20% in the evaluation collective. This formula was confi rmed with ROC AUCs of 0.809 and 0.714 (P <0,001) to predict a bias CItd2–CIpc >20% or <–20% in the independent validation collective. Conclusion The diff erence CIpc–CItd1 is an independent predictor of the bias CItd2–CIpc. A calibration index was developed and validated. It could be a useful decision support to initiate the next TD. King’s Health Partners, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P224 (doi: 10.1186/cc10831) g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P224 (doi: 10.1186/cc10831 Introduction Here we present a prospective, observational study examining the eff ect of extubation on cardiac index, measured by bioreactance (Nicom Cheetah), in critically ill patients with or without a history of left ventricular impairment [1]. A number of simple interventions are known to improve the process of weaning patients from mechanical ventilation. Despite this progress, the pathophysiology underlying failure to wean remains incompletely understood. In particular, the role of cardiac ventricular dysfunction may be underestimated [2]. P223 Methods Fourteen patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiac output monitoring by TD have been enrolled. A specially designed endotracheal tube (ECOM; ConMed) was placed in conjunction with a catheter located either in the brachial (18 G) or in the radial (20 G) artery in each group of seven patients. Six individual measurements have been carried out in each patient at fi xed period, resulting in a total of 42 measurements for each subset. The mean CO by TD was compared with CO by ECOM for each operative period and assessed for agreement by linear regression, Bland–Altmann analysis and percentage error methods. The measurement error should not exceed 30% to be considered as valid, according to Critchley and colleagues. P224 Haemodynamic changes during the peri-extubation period using bioreactance fl ow monitoring J Thirsk, D Magimairaj, A Douiri, D Hadfi eld, P Hopkins King’s Health Partners, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P224 (doi: 10.1186/cc10831) P224 Haemodynamic changes during the peri-extubation period using bioreactance fl ow monitoring J Thirsk, D Magimairaj, A Douiri, D Hadfi eld, P Hopkins King’s Health Partners, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P224 (doi: 10.1186/cc10831) g References 1. Critchley et al.: J Clin Monit 1999, 15:85-91. 2. Bland et al.: Lancet 1986, i:307-310. p y p p g Methods A prospective study in 51 patients undergoing open elective abdominal aortic surgery – 30 patients with AAD and 21 with AOD. CF values were obtained at baseline, before induction of anaesthesia (T1) and 30 minutes after reperfusion (T2). Cardiac output monitoring using the LiDCOplus™ monitor in abdominal aortic surgery: changes in calibration factor in aortic aneurysm disease versus aortic occlusive disease y HK Jørgensen, J Bisgaard, T Gilsaa Lillebaelt Hospital, Kolding, Denmark Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P223 (doi: 10.1186/cc10830) y HK Jørgensen, J Bisgaard, T Gilsaa Lillebaelt Hospital, Kolding, Denmark Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P223 (doi: 10.1186/cc10830) y HK Jørgensen, J Bisgaard, T Gilsaa Lillebaelt Hospital, Kolding, Denmark Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P223 (doi: 10.1186/cc10830) Introduction Monitoring of cardiac output (with subsequent haemodynamic optimisation) may improve outcome after high-risk surgery. The pulmonary artery catheter is still considered the gold standard, but has potential serious complications. Much eff ort has been put into developing equally good, but less invasive techniques. One of these, the LiDCOplus™ system, uses pulse power analysis to calculate cardiac output and is calibrated by a lithium indicator dilution technique. Since cardiac output is aff ected by the compliance of the aorta, the LiDCO calculates a calibration factor (CF) each time it is calibrated. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether insertion of aortic prosthetic material would aff ect aortic compliance and thereby the CF. It was hypothesised that the change in CF would be larger in patients with aortic occlusive disease (AOD) than in patients with aortic aneurysm disease (AAD), since previous studies have shown that these two groups diff er considerably on both haemodynamic capacity and their response to aortic cross-clamping [1]. g y g Results Mean patient age was 71 years (56 to 89) (13 male, one female). R2 values of 0.47 (P <0.01) and 0.63 (P <0.01) in the linear regressions and errors of 41% and 50% were found for the radial and brachial catheter data, respectively. See Figures 1 and 2. y Conclusion Accuracy was considerably improved using a brachial artery catheter. Nevertheless, measurement errors between TD and ECOM using either a radial or brachial catheter both exceed 30%. Based on these results and under the current technical conditions, ECOM should not replace TD in CO monitoring for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Pulse contour cardiac output monitoring is less reliable in critically ill children Pulse contour cardiac output monitoring is less reliable in critically ill children JC Verheul, A Nusmeier, J Lemson Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P220 (doi: 10.1186/cc10827) JC Verheul, A Nusmeier, J Lemson Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P220 (doi: 10.1186/cc10827) JC Verheul, A Nusmeier, J Lemson JC Verheul, A Nusmeier, J Lemson Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P220 (doi: 10.1186/cc10827) Figure 2 (abstract P221). Figure 1 (abstract P221). Figure 1 (abstract P221). Introduction Intermittent cardiac output measurement using the transpulmonary thermodilution (TPTD) method is considered to be the gold standard in young children but a validated continuous cardiac output technique is not available in these patients. We compared the continuous pulse contour cardiac output (PCCO) measurements with the TPTD method in critically ill children. y Methods We compared PCCO, measured with the PiCCO device (Pulsion, Munich, Germany), with TPTD measurements (COTPTD) using the same device in a general pediatric intensive care (PICU) population. Because PCCO is calibrated with each TPTD measurement (COTPTD) we compared the mean PCCO value just before a new TPTD measurement was done. We approved only COTPTD measurement consisting of three consecutive TPTD measurements and we checked the thermodilution curve for a temperature diff erence of at least 0.2°C and a normal appearance. Only the intervals between two approved series of TPTD measurements were analysed. We calculated the correlation coeffi cient and used the Bland–Altman method for analysis. y Results Sixty-one measurements in 10 children were included. Mean age was 24.5 (range 5 to 123) months; mean weight was 11.2 (range 3.8 to 18) kg, mean heart rate was 131/minute (range 87 to 193) and the mean blood pressure was 73 (range 49 to 96) mmHg. The mean COTPTD was 2.60 (range 0.66 to 5.64) l/minute, mean cardiac index was 5.16 (range 2.76 to 10.83) l/minute/m2 and mean duration of the interval was Figure 1 (abstract P221). Figure 1 (abstract P221). Figure 1 (abstract P220). Bland–Altman analysis of COTPTD and PCCO. Figure 2 (abstract P221). Figure 1 (abstract P220). Bland–Altman analysis of COTPTD and PCCO. Figure 2 (abstract P221). Figure 2 (abstract P221). S80 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Reference 1. Shteinberg D, et al.: Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2000, 20:462-465. Methods In 28 consecutive patients 56 datasets each including six TDs were recorded. In each triplicate TD measurement, CIpc was recorded immediately before recalibration by TD and compared to CItd. Results derived from this evaluation collective were validated in an independent second collective of 48 patients with 67 datasets. SPSS 19 software was used. 1. Shteinberg D, et al.: Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2000, 20:462-465. Accuracy of the PiCCO2-derived pulse contour cardiac index (CIpc): development and validation of a calibration index in two independent collectives Results AAD patients were older (70 vs. 65 years, P <0.05), predominantly males (80% vs. 47%), weighed more (80 kg vs. 73 kg, P  <0.1) and preoperative cardiac co-morbidity was more prevalent (43% vs. 14%). No diff erence was found in the use of epidural analgesia, vasopressors, or inotropes between the groups. At T1, CF was signifi cantly higher for AAD = 0.83 versus AOD = 0.68 (P = 0.01). After reperfusion, T2, there was no signifi cant diff erence in CF, AAD = 0.86 versus AOD = 0.81 (P = 0.53). The percentage change in CF from T1 to T2 was signifi cantly larger in AOD than in AAD (20% vs. 1.3%) (P <0.05). p W Huber, J Koenig, B Saugel, T Schuster, R Schmid, S Mair Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P222 (doi: 10.1186/cc10829) Introduction After calibration by thermodilution (TD), the PiCCO device is able to assess CO using pulse contour (PC) analysis. Despite an overall good correlation of CItd and CIpc in several studies, the manufacturer suggests recalibration by TD after 8 hours. A calibration index derived from PC parameters indicating a certain probability of a relevant bias and triggering the next calibration would be of great practical use. Therefore, it was the aim of our study to prospectively evaluate predictors of the bias CItd–CIpc exactly 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours and 8 hours after the last calibration. Conclusion Operative insertion of an abdominal aortic prosthesis signifi cantly aff ects the calibration factor in patients with AOD, indicating an increase in aortic compliance and the need for recalibration of the LiDCOplus™. No signifi cant change was seen in patients with aortic aneurysm disease. Reference P222 Accuracy of the PiCCO2-derived pulse contour cardiac index (CIpc): development and validation of a calibration index in two independent collectives W Huber, J Koenig, B Saugel, T Schuster, R Schmid, S Mair Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P222 (doi: 10.1186/cc10829) Accuracy of the PiCCO2-derived pulse contour cardiac index (CIpc): development and validation of a calibration index in two independent collectives Left ventricular stroke volume measurement by impedance cardiography correlates with echocardiography in neonates l h 1 h1 Ob h 1 ll 2 l2 S 1 , , , , , g 1University Medical Center Hamburg – Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; 2University Center for Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hamburg, Germany Introduction Thermodilution (TD) is a gold standard for cardiac index (CI) measurement. The aim of this study is to compare intermittent bolus TDCI with intermittent automatic calibration CI (AutoCI) and continuous CI (CCI) obtained by pulse contour analysis with PiCCO2 (PiCCI) and Pulsiofl ex (PuCCI). Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P225 (doi: 10.1186/cc10832) Introduction The aim of this study was to validate impedance cardiography (electrical velocimetry (EV)) as a continuous noninvasive cardiac output monitoring in neonates and infants. As the reference method, discontinuous transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was used. l Methods A prospective study in 20 patients (all mechanically ventilated, 14 male). Age 54.4 ± 16.7, BMI 28.1 ± 7.3, SAPS II 52.9 ± 13.4, APACHE II score 26.7 ± 7.8 and SOFA score 10 ± 3. All patients underwent PiCCO monitoring via a femoral line whilst the radial line was kept in place during four 8-hour time periods (in the fi rst two periods the Pulsiofl ex was connected to the radial line, in the last two it was connected to the femoral line). In the fi rst and third 8-hour periods the Pulsiofl ex was calibrated with the TDCI obtained at baseline, for the second and fourth 8-hour periods the Pulsiofl ex was calibrated with the AutoCI value. Simultaneous PiCCI and PuCCI measurements were obtained every 2  hours while simultaneous TDCI and AutoCI were obtained every 8  hours. The PiCCI and PuCCI values were recorded within 5 minutes before TDCI was determined. We also looked at the eff ects of 22 interventions: passive leg raise (n = 6), fl uid bolus (n = 5), change in vasopressor (n = 9) or dobutamine (n = 1), increase in sedation (n = 1). Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson correlation and Bland–Altman analysis. Methods In a prospective single-center observational study, simultaneous left ventricular stroke volume (LVSV) measurements by EV (using an Aesculon® Monitor) and by TTE were compared. LVSV measurement by TTE was based on the aortic valve velocity time integral multiplied by the area of the aortic valve outfl ow tract. Haemodynamic changes during the peri-extubation period using bioreactance fl ow monitoringi Methods Cardiac index was measured by bioreactance monitoring at 30-second to 60-second intervals for 1 hour pre and 1 hour post extubation. Individual data were presented by box plot, showing median and interquartile ranges (Figure 1). Combined results from multiple patients in each test group were analysed by covariance (Stata version 11.2). Results Group A (n = 5) had impaired left ventricular systolic function, documented on formal transthoracic echo, of which three had ejection fractions  <25%. One patient in this group failed extubation due to cardiogenic pulmonary oedema. Group B (n = 6) had normal systolic function. Figure 1 shows representative absolute data obtained from Conclusion The diff erence CIpc–CItd1 is an independent predictor of the bias CItd2–CIpc. A calibration index was developed and validated. It could be a useful decision support to initiate the next TD. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 S81 Figure 1 (abstract P224). a patient in each group. There was a statistical diff erence between the two groups (P = 0.02). In the impaired LV group, the cardiac index fell from 3.2 l/minute/m2 (± 0.5) to 2.9 l/minute/m2 (± 2.5). higher LVSVs resulting in higher EV than TTE measurements. The bias defi ned by the diff erence of the means of the two methods was 9.65%, with a mean percentage error of the individual measurements of 55%. Based on the Bland–Altman analysis, a deduced approximated correction factor between TTE-LVSV and EV-LVSV was TTE-LVSV = EV- LVSV0.539×100.335  (EV-LVSV)×2.2. Conclusion In this small observational study we demonstrated a consistent fall in cardiac index post extubation in patients with known cardiac ventricular dysfunction when compared with patients with normal hearts. These data suggest that bioreactance monitoring may be valuable during spontaneous breathing trials and extubation. References Conclusion Correlation between EV and TTE in LVSV measurement was signifi cant. Bland–Altman analysis showed that – despite a large mean error of the individual measurements of 55% – the bias between the means of the two methods was only 9.65%. A correction factor between TTE and EV could be deduced. 1. Benomar B, Ouattara A, Estagnasie P, Brusset A, Squara P: Fluid responsiveness predicted by non-invasive bioreactance-based passive leg raise test. Intensive care Med 2010, 36:1875-1881. 2. Papanikolaou J, Makris D, Saranteas T, et al.: New insights into weaning from mechanical ventilation: left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is a key player. Validation of less-invasive hemodynamic monitoring with Pulsiofl ex in critically ill patients Validation of less-invasive hemodynamic monitoring with Pulsiofl e in critically ill patients M Peetermans, W Verlinden, J Jacobs, A Verrijcken, S Pilate, N Van Regenmortel, I De laet, K Schoonheydt, H Dits, ML Malbrain ZNA Stuivenberg, Antwerp, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P226 (doi: 10.1186/cc10833) M Peetermans, W Verlinden, J Jacobs, A Verrijcken, S Pilate, N Van Regenmortel, I De laet, K Schoonheydt, H Dits, ML Malbrain ZNA Stuivenberg, Antwerp, Belgium C iti l C 2012 16(S ppl 1) P226 (d i 10 1186/ 10833) Haemodynamic changes during the peri-extubation period using bioreactance fl ow monitoringi Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:1976-1985. P225 Left ventricular stroke volume measurement by impedance cardiography correlates with echocardiography in neonates ME Blohm1, J Hartwich1, D Obrecht1, G Müller2, J Weil2, D Singer1 1University Medical Center Hamburg – Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; 2University Center for Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hamburg, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P225 (doi: 10.1186/cc10832) P227 P227 A preliminary study on the use of noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring with the Nexfi n monitor in critically ill patients M Peetermans, W Verlinden, J Jacobs, A Verrijcken, S Pilate, N Van Regenmortel, I De laet, K Schoonheydt, H Dits, ML Malbrain ZNA Stuivenberg, Antwerp, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P227 (doi: 10.1186/cc10834) Results The models accurately predicted maximum ventricular pressures and volumes, not used in the identifi cation process, to mean percentage errors of 7.1% and 6.7% (less than measurement error ~10%). Mean modelled pulmonary vascular resistances (PVR) compared well (R2 = 0.81 for APE and R2 = 0.95 for SS) to experimentally derived values. Importantly, in the APE study a 91% rise from baseline in the mean PVR was identifi ed with an 89% increase seen in the SS pigs. Contrasting behaviour between the two studies was observed for systemic vascular resistance (SVR) with a maximum drop of 40% from baseline recorded at T120 for SS, indicating a loss of vascular tone as expected, where at the same time in the APE study the average SVR had increased by 13%. An increase in the ratio of right to left ventricle end volume was identifi ed in all nine pigs, indicating right ventricular distension and a leftward shift in the intraventricular septum.i Introduction Noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring may become a new tool in the ICU armamentarium. The Nexfi n monitor (BMEYE, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) enables continuous noninvasive analysis of the fi nger blood pressure waveform using an infl atable fi nger cuff , a technology based on the volume-clamp principle of Penaz in combination with the physical criteria of Wesseling. The aim of the present study was to validate the Nexfi n in a mixed population of medical ICU patients and to look for a pattern recognition that may be linked with outcome. g y Methods A prospective study in 40 patients admitted to the medical ICU (17 patients mechanically ventilated, M/F ratio 1/1). Age 63.5 ± 16.7, BMI 26.4 ± 5.4, APACHE II score 20.8 ± 9.5, SAPS II 45.9 ± 18.9, SOFA score 7.2 ± 4.2. For all patients, simultaneous recording of arterial pressure by radial line (n = 46), by PiCCO monitor (n = 15) or by NIBP measurement with arm cuff (n = 17) was compared with noninvasive hemodynamic parameters obtained with the Nexfi n monitor. P227 Statistical analysis was performed with Student’s t test, Pearson correlation and Bland–Altman analysis. Conclusion These results indicate that subject-specifi c cardiovascular models are capable of tracking well-known global hemodynamic trends of two common forms of shock in the ICU. The method shows potential and could provide a means for continuous cardiovascular monitoring at little extra cost as no extra measurements or expensive devices are required. P229 y Results A total of 69 measurements in 40 patients were performed. In three patients measurement with the Nexfi n was not possible. For CO (26 paired measurements), values were 6.4 ± 2.1 l/minute (range 3.3 to 12). The Pearson correlation coeffi cient comparing Nexfi n-CO with reference CO showed a good correlation (R2 = 0.5). Bland–Altman analysis comparing both CO techniques revealed a mean bias ±2SD (LA) of 0.7 ± 3.9 l/minute (58.3% error). The MAP was 84.6 ± 17.7 mmHg (57.5 to 131.5) and values obtained with the Nexfi n correlated well with the reference method (PiCCO in eight; radial line in 43) with an R2 of 0.75. Bland–Altman analysis comparing both MAP techniques revealed a mean bias ±2SD (LA) of 0.2 ± 19.7 mmHg (23.3% error). However, Nexfi n-MAP did not correlate well with NIBP (R2 = 0.1). The nine patients that died in the ICU had higher APACHE II (P = 0.07), SAPS II (P = 0.07) and SOFA (P = 0.01) scores and signifi cantly lower MAP (P = 0.028) and lower dp/dtmax (P = 0.029), a marker for contractility. There were no outcome diff erences with regard to subgroup analysis in patients with either low or high CO or SVR. A Ercole, SM Bishop, SI Yarham, VU Navapurkar, DK Menon University of Cambridge, UK y g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P229 (doi: 10.1186/cc10836) y g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P229 (doi: 10.1186/cc10836) Introduction Physiological instability is a common clinical problem in the critically ill. Physiological adaptation can be regarded as a dynamic process, with stability being conferred by a number of apparently complex, fl uctuating homeokinetic processes [1]. Many natural systems are nonlinear, and seemingly random fl uctuations may result as a consequence of their underlying dynamics. Fractal geometry off ers a method to characterize the underlying nonlinear state, providing a technique for monitoring complex physiology in real time, which may be of clinical importance. Methods We employ the wavelet modulus maxima technique to characterize the multifractal properties of physiological time series such as heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) under conditions of clinical physiological instability. We calculated point estimates for the dominant Hölder exponent (hm) and multifractal spectrum width-at- half-height (WHH). We investigated how these parameters changed with pharmacological interventions such as vasoconstriction. Conclusion The preliminary results of this ongoing prospective trial indicate that in unstable critically ill patients CO and MAP can be monitored noninvasively with the Nexfi n. The exact patient population for this technology has yet to be defi ned and more patients are probably needed for pattern recognition, although the results indicate that low MAP and dp/dtmax are associated with poor outcome. g Results Hypotensive patients showed lower values of hm for MAP, consistent with a more highly fl uctuating, antipersistent and complex behavior. Blood pressure support with pharmacological vasoconstriction led to a transient increase in hm for MAP (Figure 1) revealing the appearance of longer-range correlations, but did not aff ect hm as estimated for HR. On the other hand, supporting the heart rate with atropine had no eff ect on hm for MAP, but did tend to increase hm for HR. Left ventricular stroke volume measurement by impedance cardiography correlates with echocardiography in neonates l h 1 h1 Ob h 1 ll 2 l2 S 1 A total of 102 healthy neonates with normal biventricular cardiac morphology (including PDA or patent foramen ovale) were included – further patient details: 43 female, 59 male, median weight 3.32 kg, median length 51 cm, median age 49.24  hours, mean heart rate 133  ±  22/ minute. In total 328 simultaneous LVSV measurements in triplicate irrespective of respiratory cycle were analyzed. Results Signifi cant correlations (P <0.05) were noted between EV-LVSV and body weight, TTE-LVSV and body weight, EV-LVSV and age, TTE-LVSV and age. A signifi cant inverse correlation was seen between EV-LVSV and heart rate, and TTE-LVSV and heart rate. No signifi cant correlation was found for EV-LVSV and age (if age ≤120  hours). No signifi cant eff ect was seen for a small persistent foramen ovale (n = 66) and a small PDA (n = 26) on EV-LVSV and TTE-LVSV in the observed cohort. Bland–Altman analysis of logarithmic data showed a bias of the EV-LVSV measurements in comparison to the TTE-LVSV measurements with smaller LVSVs resulting in lower EV than TTE measurements and y Results In total, 305 paired PiCCI–PuCCI and 128 paired AutoCI–TDCI values were obtained. TDCI values ranged from 1.5 to 6.7 l/minute/m2 (mean 3.9 ± 1), AutoCI from 2.4 to 6.5 (3.8 ± 0.8), PiCCI from 1.5 to 7.1 (3.8 ± 1.2) and PuCCI from 2 to 7.6 (3.8 ± 1). The Pearson correlation coeffi cient comparing all and mean PuCCI and PiCCI values had an R2 of 0.77 and 0.86 respectively; for AutoCI and TDCI, R2 was 0.76. The above R2 values were 0.73, 0.84 and 0.71 respectively when the Pulsiofl ex was connected to a radial line. Changes in AutoCI correlated well with changes in TDCI (R2 = 0.68), as did changes in PuCCI versus changes S82 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 immunocompromised and immobile state of ICU patients. This research retrospectively tests the ability of a computer-based method to monitor acute hemodynamic changes in pigs. If proven, this method could assist ICU staff by providing a clear physiological, patient-specifi c picture of cardiovascular status for decision support. in PiCCI (R2 = 0.53). PPV obtained from Pulsiofl ex and PiCCO correlated better than SVV (R2 = 0.86 vs. 0.62). Left ventricular stroke volume measurement by impedance cardiography correlates with echocardiography in neonates l h 1 h1 Ob h 1 ll 2 l2 S 1 Changes in PiCCI and PuCCI induced by an intervention correlated well with each other (R2 = 0.94). Bland– Altman analysis comparing AutoCI with TDCI revealed a mean bias ±2SD (LA) of 0.05 ± 0.94 l/minute/m2 (with 27.3% error) while analysis of PuCCI versus PiCCI showed a bias ±LA of 0.01 ± 1.12 (29.1% error). Conclusion Although TDCI remains a gold standard, the preliminary results of an ongoing prospective study indicate that in unstable critically ill patients CI can be reliably monitored with Pulsiofl ex technology. Moreover, the Pulsiofl ex was also able to keep track of changes in CI. in PiCCI (R2 = 0.53). PPV obtained from Pulsiofl ex and PiCCO correlated better than SVV (R2 = 0.86 vs. 0.62). Changes in PiCCI and PuCCI induced by an intervention correlated well with each other (R2 = 0.94). Bland– Altman analysis comparing AutoCI with TDCI revealed a mean bias ±2SD (LA) of 0.05 ± 0.94 l/minute/m2 (with 27.3% error) while analysis of PuCCI versus PiCCI showed a bias ±LA of 0.01 ± 1.12 (29.1% error). in PiCCI (R2 = 0.53). PPV obtained from Pulsiofl ex and PiCCO correlated better than SVV (R2 = 0.86 vs. 0.62). Changes in PiCCI and PuCCI induced by an intervention correlated well with each other (R2 = 0.94). Bland– Altman analysis comparing AutoCI with TDCI revealed a mean bias ±2SD (LA) of 0.05 ± 0.94 l/minute/m2 (with 27.3% error) while analysis of PuCCI versus PiCCI showed a bias ±LA of 0.01 ± 1.12 (29.1% error). p pp Methods In two porcine studies, APE (n = 5) and SS (n = 4) were induced using autologous blood clots and endotoxin infusions. Hemodynamic measurements were recorded every 30 minutes for 4 hours (n = 80). Subject-specifi c cardiovascular models were identifi ed from typical ICU measurements obtained from each of these datasets, including aortic and pulmonary artery pressure, stroke volume, heart rate, global end- diastolic volume, and mitral and tricuspid valve closure times. Model outputs and identifi ed parameters were compared to experimentally derived indices, measurements not used in the identifi cation process, and known trends to validate the accuracy of the models. Conclusion Although TDCI remains a gold standard, the preliminary results of an ongoing prospective study indicate that in unstable critically ill patients CI can be reliably monitored with Pulsiofl ex technology. Moreover, the Pulsiofl ex was also able to keep track of changes in CI. Homeodynamic complexity: multifractal analysis of physiological instability Homeodynamic complexity: multifractal analysis of physiological instability A Ercole, SM Bishop, SI Yarham, VU Navapurkar, DK Menon University of Cambridge, UK P228 P228 Computer-based monitoring of global cardiovascular dynamics during acute pulmonary embolism and septic shock in swine JA Revie1, DJ Stevenson1, JG Chase1, BC Lambermont2, A Ghuysen2, P Kolh2, GM Shaw3, T Desaive2 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2University of Liege, Belgium; 3Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P228 (doi: 10.1186/cc10835) P228 Computer-based monitoring of global cardiovascular dynamics during acute pulmonary embolism and septic shock in swine JA Revie1, DJ Stevenson1, JG Chase1, BC Lambermont2, A Ghuysen2, P Kolh2, GM Shaw3, T Desaive2 1University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2University of Liege, Belgium; 3Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P228 (doi: 10.1186/cc10835) P230 Accuracy of conventional urinary output monitoring in the ICU E Bouwhuijsen, A Oude Lansink, MW Nijsten, W Dieperink University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P230 (doi: 10.1186/cc10837) Introduction In patients who are treated in the ICU an accurate fl uid balance is an important tool to assess their hydration status. In most ICUs, intake of fl uid is monitored precisely by sophisticated volumetric infusion and feeding pumps. In contrast to fl uid intake, fl uid output – especially urine as its most important component – is usually monitored visually by  hourly assessment of the amount of fl uid lost and urine production. Thus measurement of urinary output is a repetitive procedure 24 times a day which requires handling of the urinary collection system, visual assessment and manual data recording, actions that are easily aff ected by human errors. l g Results One patient was excluded due to missing data. There were signifi cant increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP), left ventricular dimensions at the end of diastole and systole, stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO) and BNP after the fl uid challenge, while the heart rate decreased. Impaired cardiac contractility was defi ned as an ejection fraction (EF) <50%. The left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVESd) before (4 cm vs. 2.9 cm) and after the fl uid challenge (4.2 cm vs. 3.29 cm) was signifi cantly greater (statistically and beyond reference intervals) in the EF <50% group compared to the EF >50% group. In the group with EF <50, the median LVEDd2 and LVESd2 post fl uid challenge increased to values of 5.72 cm and 4.28 cm respectively (above the reference thresholds). For the group with EF >50, the median post-challenge LVEDd2 and LVESd2 increased signifi cantly (P = 0.01) to 5.38 cm and 3.39 cm but within the reference thresholds. The BNP increased by 53.6% in the EF <50 group in contrast to a decrease by 12.7% in the EF >50 group. The median EF in the EF <50 and EF >50 groups were signifi cantly diff erent (0.44 vs. 0.66 respectively). . Pirracchio R, et al.: Impaired plasma BNP clearance in human septic shock. Cri Care Med 2008, 36:2542-2546. Computer-based monitoring of global cardiovascular dynamics during acute pulmonary embolism and septic shock in swine m Conclusion We demonstrate increasing signal complexity under physiological challenge consistent with the activation of homeokinetic processes. Diff erential fractal behavior for HR and MAP suggests that the homeokinetic systems are recruited in a targeted way depending Introduction Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) and septic shock (SS) are highly prevalent dysfunctions in the ICU due to the Introduction Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) and septic shock (SS) are highly prevalent dysfunctions in the ICU due to the S83 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 pp http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P229). Figure 1 (abstract P229). on the physiological challenge. Pharmacological restoration of homeo- stasis leads to system decomplexifi cation suggesting that homeokinetic mechanisms are derecruited as physiology is restored. We suggest fractal geometry provides a method for characterizing physiological instability and measuring the homeokinetic stress response during physiological challenges. Reference 1. Goldberger AL, Amaral LAN, Hausdorff JM, Ivanov PC, Peng C-K, Stanley HE: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002, 99:2466-2472. Introduction The aim of the study is to describe the hemodynamic changes and relate them to the changes in B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) following fl uid challenge in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Methods This prospective observational study enrolled 30 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock who required a fl uid challenge within 48  hours of admission to the ICU. All patients had a basic cardiac echocardiogram (echo) performed, blood for BNP collected and baseline hemodynamic measurements recorded. A 500 ml colloid challenge was administered within 30 minutes. The echo and hemodynamic measurements were repeated at this point. One hour after the fl uid challenge the BNP test was repeated. Changes in B-type natriuretic peptide and related hemodynamic parameters following a fl uid challenge in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock Changes in B-type natriuretic peptide and related hemodynamic parameters following a fl uid challenge in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock S Omar, LR Mathivha, A Ali Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P231 (doi: 10.1186/cc10838) Reference Assessment fl uid responsiveness in septic shock patients: a comparison of automated pulse pressure variation and manually calculated pulse pressure variation Results At baseline, PP and EKG were both <12%. PP were signifi cantly correlated with EKG (r2  =  0.89, P  <0.001). Volume loss induced by haemorrhage increased signifi cantly PP and EKG. Moreover, during this state, PP were signifi cantly correlated with EKG (r2 = 0.86, P <0.001). Retransfusion signifi cantly decreased both PP and EKG, and PP were signifi cantly correlated with EKG (r2 = 0.90, P <0.001). S Panyawatanaporn, B Khwannimit S Panyawatanaporn, B Khwannimit y p Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P234 (doi: 10.1186/cc10841) g y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P234 (doi: 10.1186/cc10841) Introduction Pulse pressure variation (PPV) is an accurate predictor of fl uid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients. The aim of this study was the assessment and comparison of the ability of automated PPV, when measured by an IntelliVue MP 70 monitor, and manually calculated PPV to predict fl uid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated septic shock patients. gi y Conclusion Available correlations between PP and EKG at each time of the study were observed, meaning that EKG is a reliable parameter to estimate the changes in intravascular volume status and provide experimental confi rmation of the Brody eff ect [2]. References i yf References p p Methods We conducted a prospective study on 36 septic shock patients. Automated and manually calculated PPV and other hemodynamic data were recorded before and after fl uid administration of 500 ml of 6% hydroxyethyl starch (130/0.4) over 30 minutes. Responders were defi ned as patients with an increase in their cardiac index >15% after fl uid loading. 1. Cannesson M, Keller G, Desebbe O, Lehot JJ: Relations between respiratory changes in R-wave amplitude and arterial pulse pressure in mechanically ventilated patients. J Clin Monit Comput 2010, 24:203-207. p p 2. Brody DA: A theoretical analysis of intracavitary blood mass infl uence on the heart–lead relationship. Circ Res 1956, 4:731-738. 2. Brody DA: A theoretical analysis of intracavitary blood mass infl uence on the heart–lead relationship. Circ Res 1956, 4:731-738. Results The agreement (mean bias  ±  SD) between automated and manually calculated PPV was 4.03 ± 7.37%. The baseline automated PPV correlated with the baseline manually calculated PPV (r = 0.79, P <0.01). Twenty-three (63.9%) patients were classifi ed as fl uid responders. References 1. Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:233-240. 2. Crit Care Med 2088, 36:2810-2816. P232 The Brody eff ect to detect hypovolemia in clinical practice R Giraud, N Siegenthaler, DR Morel, K Bendjelid Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P232 (doi: 10.1186/cc10839) P232 The Brody eff ect to detect hypovolemia in clinical practice R Giraud, N Siegenthaler, DR Morel, K Bendjelid Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P232 (doi: 10.1186/cc10839) Table 1 (abstract P233). Hemodynamic variables at 0 and 24 hours Variable 0 hours 24 hours P value CVP 15.51 16.2 >0.1 MAP 73.6 76.4 >0.1 SVV% 13.61 10.8 >0.1 Arterial lactate 3.9 ± 2.6 2.3 ± 1.5 <0.001 PO2/FiO2 120.6 ± 42 193.4 ± 76 <0.001 Introduction The electrocardiogram (EKG) is a common monitoring method in intensive care medicine. Several studies suggest that changes in EKG morphology may refl ect changes in volume status. The Brody eff ect, a theoretical analysis of left ventricular chamber size infl uence on QRS-wave amplitude, is the key element of this phenomenon. It is characterized by an increase in QRS-wave amplitude induced by an increase in ventricular preload [1]. This study investigated the infl uence of changes in intravascular volume status on respiratory variations of QRS-wave amplitude (EKG) compared with respiratory pulse pressure variations (PP). study period were 5.1  ±  2.6 l. Arterial lactates reduced signifi cantly without worsening of hypoxia. The PO2/FiO2 ratio increased signifi cantly at 24  hours. Twenty-two out of 37 survived (59.45%) until hospital discharge. See Table 1.l g Conclusion SVV guided fl uid therapy in septic shock with ARDS may improve shock by optimizing preload in a targeted way without worsening oxygenation. Methods In 17 pigs, EKG and arterial pressure were recorded. QRS- wave amplitude was measured from the Biopac recording ensuring that in all animals EKG electrodes were always at the same location. Maximal QRS amplitude (EKGmax) and minimal QRS amplitude (EKGmin) were determined over one respiratory cycle. EKG was calculated as 100×((EKGmax – EKGmin) / (EKGmax + EKGmin) / 2). EKG and PP were simultaneously recorded. Measurements were performed during normovolaemic conditions, after haemorrhage and following retransfusion with constant tidal volume (10 ml/kg) and respiration rate (15/minute).i Stroke volume variation guided fl uid therapy in septic shock with ARDS S Jog, D Patel, M Patel, S Sable S Jog, D Patel, M Patel, S Sable Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P233 (doi: 10.1186/cc10840) g, , , eenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P233 (doi: 10.1186/cc10840) Introduction Optimal fl uid resuscitation guided by central venous pressure (CVP) in patients having septic shock with ARDS is a perplexed issue having risk of underfi lling and worsening of shock versus fl uid overload leading to pulmonary edema. Whether stroke volume variation (SVV) (Flotrac-Vigileo system) guided fl uid resuscitation has an impact on improvement of shock, oxygenation and mortality were tested in this single-center prospective study [1,2]. i Conclusion Our results indicate that the automated PPV, obtained by the IntelliVue MP 70 monitor, and manually calculated PPV, showed comparable performance for predicting fl uid responsiveness in passively ventilated septic shock patients. Methods Inclusion criteria were: (1) septic shock patients with dose of norepinephrine ≥0.1 μg/kg/minute or dopamine ≥10 μg/kg/ minute; (2) CVP ≥12 mmHg; (3) PO2/FiO2 ratio ≤200 with ARDSnet protocol ventilation under deep sedation. Exclusion criteria were atrial/ventricular arrhythmias, spontaneous triggering of inspiration, established renal failure needing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). During the 24-hour study period, SVV was continuously monitored with the third-generation Flotrac-Vigileo system (version 3.02). Intravenous fl uids were given in the boluses of 250 to 500 cm3 to keep SVV <12% throughout the study period. Vasopressor infusion was titrated to keep MAP >70 mmHg. Assessment fl uid responsiveness in septic shock patients: a comparison of automated pulse pressure variation and manually calculated pulse pressure variation Automated PPV and manually calculated PPV were signifi cantly higher in responders than in nonresponders (16.0 ± 4.5% vs. 7.2 ± 2.0% and 11.1  ±  5.6 vs. 4.6  ±  2.8%, respectively; P  <0.001 for both). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of automated PPV was signifi cantly greater than the manually calculated PPV (0.982 vs. 0.87, respectively; P = 0.04). The optimal threshold values for predicting fl uid responsiveness were 11% for automated PPV (sensitivity 91.3%, specifi city 92.3%) and 13% for manually calculated PPV (sensitivity 73.9%, specifi city 84.6%). P230 Multiple regression analysis found LV dimension at end diastole at baseline was one of four independent predictors of an increase in %BNP.il g yf y Methods In a bench test we investigated the accuracy and precision of conventional urinary output monitoring, by visual hourly readings and manual data recording, as performed by experienced intensive care nurses with the purpose to provide insight into potential errors in urinary output measurement as well as identifying systematic sources of error. Two diff erent types of ordinary 24-hour urine meters were used. The meters were fi lled with a predetermined amount (gold standard) of yellow lemonade. Both urine meters were fi lled with variable but identical volumes for a range of 8 to 325 ml, to a total amount of 3,600 ml. Hereafter the nursing staff manually recorded the reading of 48 prefi lled urine meters. p p Conclusion A signifi cant increase in %BNP after a fl uid challenge (irrespective of initial value) may indicate that cardiac contractility is impaired and the LV dilated, indicating a strategy away from fl uid resuscitation and towards inotrope use. i Results Forty-eight nurses performed 2,285 urine volume measure- ments in two diff erent types of ordinary urine meters (Bard Urine meter drainage bag; Bard Medical, Covington, Georgia, USA and Rüsh U-bag; Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China). The mean measured output for the Bard urine meter was 3,688 ml, SD ±45 and for the Rüsh urine meter 3,692 ml, SD ±55. The limits of agreement between both types of urine meters were 2.4% to 2.6% respectively. Compared with the gold standard, analysis demonstrated deviations of 2.6% for both types of urine meters. Reference Conclusion Conventional urinary output measurement with ordinary urine meters constitutes a simple and accurate method for measuring urine volume in the ICU. S84 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Table 1 (abstract P233). Hemodynamic variables at 0 and 24 hours P237 Microcirculatory blood fl ow is related to clinical signs of impaired organ perfusion, and its dynamics to the macrohemodynamic concept of fl uid responsiveness A Pranskunas1, M Koopmans2, V Pilvinis3, P Koetsier2, EC Boerma2 1Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; 2Medical Centre Leeuwarden, the Netherlands; 3Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P237 (doi: 10.1186/cc10844) Microcirculatory blood fl ow is related to clinical signs of impaired organ perfusion, and its dynamics to the macrohemodynamic concept of fl uid responsiveness A Pranskunas1, M Koopmans2, V Pilvinis3, P Koetsier2, EC Boerma2 1Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; 2Medical Centre Leeuwarden, the Netherlands; 3Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P237 (doi: 10.1186/cc10844) Microcirculatory blood fl ow is related to clinical signs of impaired organ perfusion, and its dynamics to the macrohemodynamic concept of fl uid responsiveness Results Ninety volume expansions in 68 patients were performed during the study period. Central venous catheter was present 58.9% of the time. In 41.1% of the cases patients were in spontaneous ventilation. No patients used a pulmonary artery catheter. An echocardiography machine with an attending physician trained for critical care echocardiography was available in 8.9%. An arterial catheter was available in 21% of the volume expansions and mechanical ventilation was present in 31.1% of the cases (67.3% of ventilated patients were using controlled mode of ventilation). The association of mechanical ventilation in controlled mode with an arterial catheter in place and no restrictions for performing analysis of dynamic parameters was present in only 7.7% of patients. Considering all dynamic parameters described here, the use of any method for predicting fl uid responsiveness was possible in 15.6% of the volume expansions performed in our ICU.l Introduction Fluid responsiveness is not equal to a clinical need for fl uid therapy. The aim of our study was to assess the incidence of microcirculatory fl ow alterations, according to a predefi ned arbitrary cut-off value, in patients with clinical signs of impaired organ perfusion. The secondary endpoint was to establish the correlation between the microcirculatory and macrocirculatory response to a fl uid challenge. Methods We performed a prospective, single-centre, observational study. Included were ICU patients ≥18 years with invasive hemo- dynamic monitoring and clinical signs of impaired organ perfusion, as the principal reason for fl uid administration. P237 Fluid challenge was performed by the infusion of 500 ml crystalloid or a balanced colloid (Volulyt®) solution in 30 minutes. Before and after fl uid challenge, systemic hemodynamics and direct in vivo observation of the micro- circulation were obtained with sidestream dark-fi eld imaging. Assess- ment of microcirculatory parameters of convective oxygen transport (microvascular fl ow index (MFI) and proportion of perfused vessels), and diff usion distance (perfused vessel density and total vessel density) was done using a semiquantitative method. p p p Conclusion The use of dynamic parameters for predicting fl uid responsiveness in the ICU may have restricted applicability since the necessary conditions are often not present. P236 Fluid responsiveness during weaning from mechanical ventilation M Geisen, UM Schmid, O Dzemali, A Zollinger, CK Hofer Triemli City Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P236 (doi: 10.1186/cc10843) g Results We enrolled 50 patients. MFI <2.6 was present in 66% of the patients. After fl uid challenge, signs of impaired organ perfusion reduced from 100% to 68% of the patients, P <0.001. The incidence of MFI <2.6 decreased to 46%, and was higher in patients with persistent signs of impaired organ perfusion: 56% versus 25%, P = 0.04. Median MFI increased from 2.5 (2.3 to 2.8) at baseline to 2.7 (2.4 to 2.8) after fl uid challenge, P = 0.003, but its change was only signifi cant in fl uid- responsive patients. Introduction To overcome the limited accuracy of functional hemodynamic parameters such as stroke volume and pulse pressure variation (SVV and PPV) during spontaneous breathing, a passive leg raising (PLR) maneuver has been suggested as a reliable predictor of fl uid responsiveness [1,2]. The aim of this study was to evaluate fl uid responsiveness using SVV, PPV and PLR during the transition from controlled to spontaneous breathing. Conclusion These data demonstrate a relationship between clinical signs of impaired organ perfusion and MFI <2.6. Fluid responsiveness did not discriminate between patients with and without clinical signs of impaired organ perfusion or MFI  <2.6. However, signifi cant improvement of microvascular alterations and attenuation of clinical signs of impaired organ perfusion was restricted to patients who were fl uid responsive. Noninvasive assessment of microvascular perfusion may help to defi ne patients with potential need for fl uid therapy, and to evaluate its eff ect. Methods Thirty-four patients after off -pump CABG were enrolled. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion Prediction of a fl uid response with SVV/PPV was less reliable in spontaneous breathing. PLR predicted fl uid responsiveness, but was less accurate than previously reported. Conclusion Prediction of a fl uid response with SVV/PPV was less reliable in spontaneous breathing. PLR predicted fl uid responsiveness, but was less accurate than previously reported. To ensure appropriate indication of fl uid administration, evaluation of fl uid responsiveness by dynamic parameters is suggested, although it requires specifi c conditions not always present in ICU patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the applicability of parameters for evaluation of fl uid responsiveness in the ICU. y References 1. Marik et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:2642-2647. 2. Monnet et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:1402-1407. References 1. Marik et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:2642-2647. 2. Monnet et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:1402-1407. l Methods We conducted a prospective observational study in two ICUs. Volume expansions performed in ICU patients at the discretion of the physician in charge were analyzed for the presence of conditions that allowed adequate fl uid responsiveness evaluation. The presence of central venous, pulmonary arterial or peripheral arterial catheters, invasive mechanical ventilation and ventilator settings, echocardiography availability, presence of arrhythmias, use of sedation and vasoactive drugs were registered. Percentages of patients who fulfi lled conditions for dynamic parameters (such as pulse pressure variation, stroke volume variation and echocardiographic analysis) were recorded. P237 Measurements were performed in the ICU using a PiCCO2 system. Fluid (500 ml) was given: (A) during controlled mechanical ventilation, (B) during pressure support ventilation with spontaneous breathing and (C) after extubation. The stroke volume (SV), SVV and PPV as well as the mean arterial pressure and heart rate were assessed. A PLR was performed before fl uid administration at all three time points. Fluid response was defi ned as an increase in SV >15%. Prediction of fl uid responsiveness was tested using ROC analysis.i P238 P238 Frank–Starling and Guyton together at bedside during a fl uid challenge H Aya, M Cecconi, M Geisen, C Ebm, M Grounds, N Fletcher, A Rhodes St George’s Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P238 (doi: 10.1186/cc10845) P235 P235 Applicability of methods for fl uid responsiveness prediction in the ICU P Mendes1, L Miranda1, M Park1, L Azevedo1, B Rodrigues2, E Queiroz2, G Schettino2, L Taniguchi1 1Hospital das Clinicas, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Hospital Sirio Libanes, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P235 (doi: 10.1186/cc10842) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P235 (doi: 10.1186/cc10842 Results Thirty-seven patients with severe sepsis-induced multiorgan dysfunction syndrome with average APACHE II score of 24.6 and PEEP of 8.2 cm were enrolled. SVV guided fl uids received during the 24-hour Introduction Volume expansion is a frequent and widely used therapy in hemodynamically unstable patients but may lead to complications. Introduction Volume expansion is a frequent and widely used therapy in hemodynamically unstable patients but may lead to complications. S85 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Prediction of fl uid responsiveness in intensive care (PREFERENCE study): fl uid challenge versus passive leg raising in high-risk surgical patients Prediction of fl uid responsiveness in intensive care (PREFERENCE study): fl uid challenge versus passive leg raising in high-risk surgical patients Introduction Massive fl uid resuscitation followed by hypoperfusion abnormalities in the ICU is a risk factor for development of intra- abdominal hypertension (IAH). The aim of our study was to determine what infl uence would have the control of daily fl uid balance on the incidence of IAH in patients after extensive abdominal surgery or after abdominal trauma. g p M Cecconi, F Caliandro, J Mellinghoff , D Dawson, S Ranjan, M Hamilton, M Grounds, A Rhodes St Georges Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012 16(Suppl 1):P239 (doi: 10 1186/cc10846) Introduction The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the passive leg raising (PLR) maneuver could be used to predict fl uid responsiveness in awake postoperative patients admitted to the ICU. PLR has been demonstrated to be a good indicator of fl uid responsiveness even in spontaneously breathing patients, but few data are available in the immediate postoperative period. Nexfi n is a new cardiac output monitor that measures and tracks stroke volume (SV) by analyzing the arterial pressure pulse contour noninvasively from a fi nger probe. Methods A prospective observational study included a total of 82 adult patients (age: 59 ± 10 years, APACHE II score at admission: 18 ± 11, predicted mortality according to APACHE II score at admission: 34%, observed in-hospital mortality: 20%), number of patients with intra- abdominal pressure (IAP) above 12 at admission: 23 (28%), admitted to a single ICU with the diagnosis of abdominal trauma (n  =  22) or after abdominal surgery (n = 60). During fi rst 7 days the fl uid intake and balance was monitored and corrected at 6-hour intervals not to exceed 1,500 ml positivity over 24  hours (oncodiuretic therapy was administered – repeated boluses of starch solutions and/or albumin followed by furosemide). IAP was measured from admission twice daily (standardized measurement by instillation of 25 ml normal saline into the bladder). A sustained elevation of the IAP above 12 mmHg in two consecutive measurements was considered as IAH.l p p yi g p Methods We enrolled self-ventilating patients admitted to the ICU postoperatively. A PLR maneuver (45° bed tilt from the 30 to 45° head up) was performed and followed by a fl uid challenge (FC, 250  ml fl uid bolus over 5 minutes). Frank–Starling and Guyton together at bedside during a fl uid challenge Results In 34 patients signifi cant hemodynamic changes were observed, with 19 (55.9%), 22 (64.7%), and 13 (40.6%) responders at time points A, B and C, respectively. Prediction of fl uid responsiveness is depicted in Table 1. H Aya, M Cecconi, M Geisen, C Ebm, M Grounds, N Fletcher, A Rhodes St George’s Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P238 (doi: 10.1186/cc10845) Table 1 (abstract P236). Prediction of fl uid responsiveness A B C AUC P value TS% AUC P value TS% AUC P value TS% SVV 0.88 0.0001 15.5 0.70 0.056 12.5 0.56 0.604 13.5 PPV 0.83 0.001 14.5 0.69 0.063 11.0 0.48 0.863 11.5 PLR SV% 0.72 0.028 8.0 0.74 0.021 10.0 0.70 0.058 8.0 TS, threshold. Table 1 (abstract P236). Prediction of fl uid responsiveness Introduction According to Guyton, the diff erence between mean systemic fi lling pressure (Pms) and right atrial pressure (RAP) is the venous pressure gradient (VP). This is proportional to venous return and cardiac output (CO). According to the Frank–Starling law a fl uid challenge successfully increases the stroke volume if the preload increases in the ascending part of the curve. The aim of this study was to assess the signifi cance of the analogue of the Pms (Pmsa) measured with the Navigator™ (Applied Physiology, St Leonards, Australia), the central venous pressure (CVP) (as a surrogate of RAP) and the VP during a fl uid challenge. Introduction According to Guyton, the diff erence between mean systemic fi lling pressure (Pms) and right atrial pressure (RAP) is the venous pressure gradient (VP). This is proportional to venous return and cardiac output (CO). According to the Frank–Starling law a fl uid challenge successfully increases the stroke volume if the preload increases in the ascending part of the curve. The aim of this study was to assess the signifi cance of the analogue of the Pms (Pmsa) measured with the Navigator™ (Applied Physiology, St Leonards, Australia), the central venous pressure (CVP) (as a surrogate of RAP) and the VP during a fl uid challenge. S86 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods A prospective observational study was performed in postsurgical patients. Patients were monitored with a central venous catheter, an arterial line, a calibrated LiDCO™plus (LiDCO, Cambridge, UK) and the Navigator™. P240 P240 Tight control of fl uid balance may reduce incidence of intra- abdominal hypertension in patients after major abdominal surgery and trauma: a pilot study P Szturz1, J Maca1, J Neiser1, J Jahoda1, R Kula1, JT Tichy2 1Faculty Hospital Ostrava, Czech Republic; 2Yeovil District Hospital, Yeovil, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P240 (doi: 10.1186/cc10847) P240 Tight control of fl uid balance may reduce incidence of intra- abdominal hypertension in patients after major abdominal surgery and trauma: a pilot study Conclusion Our study demonstrates that the Navigator™ may be used to monitor the eff ect of fl uid challenges by assessing the change in VP to the challenge. Frank–Starling and Guyton together at bedside during a fl uid challenge A 250 ml fl uid challenge was used to maximise the stroke volume (SV). Data were recorded before and after the fl uid challenge which was given over 5 minutes. A positive response to the fl uid challenge was defi ned as either a stroke volume or CO increase of 10% or more. P240 Tight control of fl uid balance may reduce incidence of intra- abdominal hypertension in patients after major abdominal surgery and trauma: a pilot study P Szturz1, J Maca1, J Neiser1, J Jahoda1, R Kula1, JT Tichy2 1Faculty Hospital Ostrava, Czech Republic; 2Yeovil District Hospital, Yeovil, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P240 (doi: 10.1186/cc10847) Figure 1 (abstract P239). Figure 1 (abstract P239). UK) and the Navigator™. A 250 ml fl uid challenge was used to maximise the stroke volume (SV). Data were recorded before and after the fl uid challenge which was given over 5 minutes. A positive response to the fl uid challenge was defi ned as either a stroke volume or CO increase of 10% or more. Results Twenty-fi ve fl uid challenges in 14 patients were observed. In seven cases (28%), the fl uid challenge increased SV (and CO) by ≥10% (Table 1). At baseline there were no diff erences between HR, Pmsa, CVP or ΔVP for responders or nonresponders. The responders had greater changes in ΔVP in response to the challenge. Table 1 (abstract P238). Haemodynamic parameters in responders and nonresponders Nonresponders Responders P value MAP 78.4 71.4 0.07 Pmsa 17 15 0.3 CVP 9.7 9 0.7 HR 89 91 0.7 ΔVP 7.2 6 0.09 ΔPmsa 19.3 22.1 0.6 ΔCVP 2.9 1.6 0.1 Δ(ΔVP) 1.1 24.8 <0.01 Conclusion Our study demonstrates that the Navigator™ may be used to monitor the eff ect of fl uid challenges by assessing the change in VP to the challenge Table 1 (abstract P238). Haemodynamic parameters in responders and nonresponders P239 P239 Prediction of fl uid responsiveness in intensive care (PREFERENCE study): fl uid challenge versus passive leg raising in high-risk surgical patients M Cecconi, F Caliandro, J Mellinghoff , D Dawson, S Ranjan, M Hamilton, M Grounds, A Rhodes St Georges Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P239 (doi: 10.1186/cc10846) P241 P241 Negative fl uid balance 48 hours after admission improves survival at 28 days in critically ill patients M Cuartero, AJ Betbese, K Nuñez, J Baldira, L Zapata Hospital De Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P241 (doi: 10.1186/cc10848) yf Results Data of 58 patients were collected. The mean length of hospital stay was 9  ±  3 days. Postoperative complications included suture leak (3.4%), surgical site infection (6.9%), and heart failure (3.4%) with no other medical or surgical complications. Total fl uids during surgery were 2,775 ± 934 ml (1,259 ± 498 ml crystalloids, 1,302 ± 622 ml colloids, 214 ± 330 ml RBC). Fluid infusion and urine output were 10.6 ± 3.2 and 1.8 ± 1.2 ml/kg hour respectively. Hemodynamic data are shown in Table 1. Introduction Fluid infusion may be lifesaving in critically ill patients, but following initial resuscitation a positive fl uid balance is associated with increased mortality. This study aimed to determine whether a negative fl uid balance (≤–500 ml) within the fi rst 48 hours of admission in the ICU is associated with improved survival at 28 days in a heterogeneous cohort of critically ill patients. Table 1 (abstract P242). Hemodynamic variables Start SG End SG P value CI 2.85 ± 0.9 3.16 ± 0.4 0.020 SVI 40 ± 10 41 ± 8 0.59 HR 70 ± 12 77 ± 12 <0.001 PPV 7 ± 5 4 ± 2 0.001 MAP 76 ± 14 83 ± 14 0.002 SVRI 2051 ± 588 2026 ± 551 0.74 Conclusion GDT with MostCare® resulted in a low incidence of postoperative complications and provided an optimal hemodynamic management during major colon surgery. References 1. Gan TJ, et al.: Anesthesiology 2002, 97:820-826. 2. Vincent JL, et al.: Crit Care 2011, 15:229. Table 1 (abstract P242). Hemodynamic variables Table 1 (abstract P242). Hemodynamic variables y p Methods We conducted a retrospective study in a 20-bed ICU at a university-affi liated teaching hospital. Patients admitted for acute heart failure, those who required dialysis before admission and those who died within 24 hours after admission were excluded. Demographic data, SAPS II and APACHE II scores were recorded at admission and SOFA, fl uid balance, hemodynamic, respiratory and renal variables once per day. Variables were compared between survivors and nonsurvivors and between patients who did and those who did not achieve negative fl uid balance by day 2 of admission. Prediction of fl uid responsiveness in intensive care (PREFERENCE study): fl uid challenge versus passive leg raising in high-risk surgical patients Changes in SV during PLR and after administration of FC were monitored with the Nexfi n monitor. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed.i y Results Forty-fi ve patients were enrolled. Twenty-three patients responded to the FC with an increase of SV >5%. Twenty-eight patients (62%) were excluded from the PLR analysis as a result of haemodynamic instability (diff erence in heart rate, mean arterial pressure or SV baselines pre PLR and pre FC >5%). Seventeen patients were analyzed. The area under the curve for the ROC analysis was 0.93 (SE  =  0.06; P = 0.003) (Figure 1). A SV increase >1% during a PLR test predicts a SV increase >5% after FC with a sensitivity of 75% and a specifi city of 78%. Conclusion In 62% of patients a PLR test could not be performed due to haemodynamic instability. In these patients, FC is the best way to assess fl uid responsiveness. During haemodynamic stability PLR shows great sensitivity and specifi city to predict fl uid responsiveness. The Nexfi n monitor can be used to track SV changes both during FC and during a PLR test. Results The incidence of IAH in relation to daily fl uid intake and daily fl uid balance is shown in Figure 1. Conclusion The incidence of IAH in patients after abdominal surgery or abdominal trauma may exceed the value of 40%, especially in situations associated with massive fl uid resuscitation [1]. We have identifi ed a close relationship of the daily dynamics of changes in IAP and fl uid balance. When we maintained the daily fl uid balance not to exceed the positivity of 1,500 ml/24 hours, the incidence of IAH in our study dropped from 28% to less than 20%, despite high daily fl uid intake (about 5,000 to 8,000 ml/day). Tight control of the fl uid balance seems an eff ective method to prevent the development of IAH. Reference Ball ChG, et al.: The secondary abdominal compartment syndrome: not just another post-traumatic complication. Can J Surg 2008, 51:399-405. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S87 Figure 1 (abstract P240). Fluid intake, fl uid balance and incidence of IAH. 1. Boyd JH, Forbes J, Nakada T, Walley KR, Russell JA: Fluid resuscitation in septic shock: a positive fl uid balance and elevated central venous pressure are associated with increased mortality. Crit Care Med 2011, 39:259-265. P241 Multiple logistic regression was used to identify variables signifi cantly associated with ICU mortality in the univariate analysis. Survival was assessed using Kaplan–Meier analysis. y Results We studied 87 patients: 53 males, mean age 58 ± 18 years, SAPS II 39.3 ± 15.8, APACHE II score 15.9 ± 7.5, SOFA score 5.0 ± 3.4, and ICU stay 10.3 ± 9.8 days. The main syndrome diagnosis at admission was septic shock (n = 26), acute respiratory failure (n = 19), trauma (n = 13), neurocritical illness (n = 14) and others (n = 15). Overall mortality in the ICU reached 20.7% and survival at 28 days was 73.6%. When patients were classifi ed according to 28-day outcome, we observed statistically signifi cant diff erences in negative fl uid balance at 48 hours (P <0.001), SAPS II (P <0.001), APACHE II score (P  =  0.007), age (P  =  0.046) and incidence of acute kidney injury at admission (P  =  0.02; defi ned as at least Risk in RIFLE criteria), but urinary output, hemodynamic and respiratory parameters did not diff er. Multivariate analysis showed that negative fl uid balance at 48 hours was independently associated with improved survival: odds ratio = 7.9 (P = 0.013). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that survival was signifi cantly lower in patients without negative fl uid balance at 48 hours (P = 0.015).il P243 P243 Implementation of an optimal fl uid management protocol using the PiCCO system delays development of ARDS secondary to severe sepsis N Saito, T Yagi, Y Hara, H Matsumoto, K Mashiko Chiba-Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School, Chiba, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P243 (doi: 10.1186/cc10850) P243 Implementation of an optimal fl uid management protocol using the PiCCO system delays development of ARDS secondary to severe sepsis Introduction Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is often associated with sepsis, and one recommended approach in the fl uid management of ARDS is to keep sepses dry. On the other hand, optimal fl uid management after the early phase of septic shock remains unknown. An excessive positive fl uid balance in patients with septic shock is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. We implemented an optimal fl uid management (OFM) protocol using the PiCCO system from April 2009. The purpose of this study was to Introduction Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is often associated with sepsis, and one recommended approach in the fl uid management of ARDS is to keep sepses dry. On the other hand, optimal fl uid management after the early phase of septic shock remains unknown. An excessive positive fl uid balance in patients with septic shock is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. We implemented an optimal fl uid management (OFM) protocol using the PiCCO system from April 2009. The purpose of this study was to Conclusion Our fi ndings show that negative fl uid balance 48  hours after admission may correlate with better outcome in a heterogeneous population of critically ill patients. Goal-directed fl uid and hemodynamic therapy in major colon surgery with the pressure recording analytical method cardiac output monitor (MostCare®-PRAM®): prospective analysis of 58 patients Goal-directed fl uid and hemodynamic therapy in major colon surgery with the pressure recording analytical method cardiac output monitor (MostCare®-PRAM®): prospective analysis of 58 patients JM Alonso-Iñigo, MJ Fas, V Osca, A Nacher, JE Llopis Hospital Universitario de la Ribera, Alzira, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P242 (doi: 10.1186/cc10849) Introduction Optimal fl uid therapy in colon surgery is controversial. The aim of this study is to assess the impact on postoperatory complications, fl uid administration, and length of hospital stay, of GD fl uid and hemodynamic therapy protocol based on PRAM®-MostCare® hemodynamic variables. y Methods Patients scheduled for elective colorectal operations were included. The MostCare® was connected to a radial artery catheter for hemodynamic monitoring. Hemodynamic variables including the stroke volume index (SVI), cardiac index (CI), and pulse pressure variation (PPV) were measured. Fluids and hemodynamic drugs were administered to achieve the primary endpoints: CI 2.5 to 4.5, PPV <13%, SVRI >1,500, MAP similar to basal values. Hemodynamic data were noted at induction and at the end of surgery. Data of fl uids, urine output, postoperative complications and length of stay were assessed. Descriptive statistics were used. A paired-simple t test was used for the analysis of the diff erences between variables. Indexation of extravascular lung water in unselected adult patients with and without mechanical ventilation: a prospective study in 50 patients with 843 transpulmonary thermodilutions W Huber, B Saugel, D Paradellis, J Hoellthaler, V Phillip, C Schultheiss, P Thies, U Mayr, A Herrmann, RM Schmid Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P245 (doi: 10.1186/cc10852) Indexation of extravascular lung water in unselected adult patients with and without mechanical ventilation: a prospective study in 50 patients with 843 transpulmonary thermodilutions W Huber, B Saugel, D Paradellis, J Hoellthaler, V Phillip, C Schultheiss, P Thies, U Mayr, A Herrmann, RM Schmid Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P245 (doi: 10.1186/cc10852) Indexation of extravascular lung water in unselected adult patients with and without mechanical ventilation: a prospective study in 50 patients with 843 transpulmonary thermodilutions W Huber, B Saugel, D Paradellis, J Hoellthaler, V Phillip, C Schultheiss, P Thies, U Mayr, A Herrmann, RM Schmid Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P245 (doi: 10.1186/cc10852) Methods A retrospective study was conducted in a Japanese mixed ICU of a tertiary-care teaching hospital from July 2007 to March 2011. Our protocol includes daily volume assessment using the PiCCO system after ICU admission and a change of fl uid therapy after evaluation; for example, additional diuretic use or fl uid restriction. We retrospectively analyzed 96 consecutive patients with severe sepsis or septic shock who required mechanical ventilation between July 2007 and December 2010. We divided patients into the OFM protocol group (P; n = 49; April 2009 to December 2010) and the control group (C; n = 47; July 2007 to March 2009) and compared their clinical and laboratory data. Introduction Extravascular lung water (EVLW) has been indexed to actual BW (BW-act), termed the EVLW index (ELWI). Since in obese patients indexation to BW-act might inappropriately diminish the indexed ELWI-act, ELWI indexed to predicted BW (ELWI-pred) has been introduced. Indexation of EVLW to height might be superior to ELWI- pred/-act. Recent data in a selected collective of ARDS patients suggest that indexation to height might improve the predictive capabilities of ELWI regarding pO2/FiO2. We aimed to investigate which indexation of EVLW provides the best association of ELWI and pO2/FiO2 in patients without pulmonary impairment or without ventilation. Results Median (IQR) age was 69.5 (55.5 to 78.5) years, and the median APACHE II score and SOFA score were 23.0 (19.0 to 27.0) and 10.0 (7.0 to 12.0), respectively. The proportion of patients with septic shock was 75%. There was no diff erence in patient characteristics between the two groups. At 28 days, the mortality rate was similar in both groups (P: 14.3%; C: 17.0%; P = 0.78). P246 Methods We studied 20 septic poytraumatized patients (mean ISS score 35) with ARDS syndrome and ELWI >10, with good renal function and on medical treatment with levophed. We administered furosemide 10 mg/hour, for 24 hours, while at the same time we confronted the septic source. During all these we noted PO2/FiO2, MAP, CVP and ELWI every 8 hours. Moreover, we noted the changes in the levophed dose and the total balance of fl uid at the end of the 24-hour interval. How to perform indexing of extravascular lung water data S Wolf 1, A Riess2, J Landscheidt2, C Lumenta2, L Schuerer2, P Friederich2 1Charite Berlin, Germany; 2Klinikum Bogenhausen, Munich, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P246 (doi: 10.1186/cc10853) Introduction Extravascular lung water (EVLW) is a marker for the severity of acute lung injury. To allow assessment of normal and pathologic states, traditionally EVLW data are either indexed to real or predicted body weight. Surprisingly and despite widespread use, this has so far not been validated in a larger cohort of subjects without cardiopulmonary compromise. The aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate a diff erent ways of indexing EVLW data. l Results The ELWI rate was up 12 to 16 before the administration of furosemide. We marked that after the administration of furosemide and at the end of the fi rst 8-hour interval, the ELWI rate decreased about 2 to 3 units but we had to increase the dose of vasoconstriction, until the end of the 24-hour interval the ELWI rate restored to the initial high level and could not manage to decrease the dose of vasoconstriction to have a negative balance of fl uids. The improvement of PO2/FiO2 was insignifi cant statistically and we confronted operatively the septic source for fi ve to 20 patients at the end of the 24-hour interval. yf y g Methods EVLW was measured using single indicator transpulmonary thermodilution at predefi ned time points in 101 patients requiring elective brain tumor surgery. This database was used to investigate the properties of indexing EVLW data to real and predicted body weight, body surface area and body height. Conclusion We managed to decrease very little the ELWI rate, only temporarily after the administration of furosamide about a 24-hour interval. P245 examine the eff ect of the OFM protocol in comparison with historical controls. Reference 1. Boyd JH, Forbes J, Nakada T, Walley KR, Russell JA: Fluid resuscitation in septic shock: a positive fl uid balance and elevated central venous pressure are associated with increased mortality. Crit Care Med 2011, 39:259-265. S88 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Indexation of extravascular lung water in unselected adult patients with and without mechanical ventilation: a prospective study in 50 patients with 843 transpulmonary thermodilutions W Huber, B Saugel, D Paradellis, J Hoellthaler, V Phillip, C Schultheiss, P Thies, U Mayr, A Herrmann, RM Schmid Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P245 (doi: 10.1186/cc10852) The incidence of ARDS after ICU admission in the P group was signifi cantly lower than that in the C group (P: 20.4%; C: 57.4%; P = 0.02). In addition, the onset of ARDS in the P group occurred later than that in the C group (P <0.01). Achievement of a negative water balance in the P group occurred earlier than in the C group. The incidence of AKI (RIFLE criteria: failure) and another organ failure was similar in both groups. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the OFM protocol independently suppressed the onset of ARDS (OR 0.17 (P = 0.001; 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.51)). p y p Methods In 50 consecutive ICU patients with PiCCO monitoring, 843 triplicate measurements of EVLW and simultaneous blood gas analysis were performed. The endpoint was prediction of pO2/FiO2 <200 mmHg and other critical thresholds provided by unindexed EVLW as well as ELWI indexed to ideal BW, adjusted BW, BMI, body surface area, height and total lung capacity. Results Measurements in patients without pulmonary impairment 463/843 (54.9%); acute 188/843 (22.3%), chronic 106/843 (12.6%), and both acute and chronic pulmonary disease 86/843 (10.2%). Mechanical ventilation in 458/843 (54.3%) measurements. The largest ROC AUCs regarding pO2/FiO2  <200 mmHg were found for ELWI-height (AUC 0.658; 95% CI 0.554 to 0.735) and EVLW (0.655; 95% CI 0.544 to 0.732), the lowest AUC for ELWI-act (0.629; 95% CI 0.514 to 0.742). Similarly ELWI-height and unindexed EVLW provided the largest ROC AUCs regarding pO2/FiO2 >300 mmHg (0.659 and 0.657), normal pO2/FiO2 (>381 mmHg; 0.665 and 0.657) and acute and/or chronic pulmonary impairment (0.622 and 0.625). All these associations were signifi cant with P <0.001. Among patients with pulmonary impairment, fi rst values of ELWI-height and EVLW provided the largest ROC AUCs regarding mortality (0.815 and 0.815; P  =  0.016) compared to ELWI-act (0.694; P = 0.136) and APACHE II score (0.792; P = 0.025). Conclusion Implementation of an OFM protocol using the PiCCO system signifi cantly decreased the development of ARDS secondary to severe sepsis with no other complications. P244 Confrontation of the increase in ELWI rate regarding the septic polytraumatised patient administering furosemide: is it eff ective? P Sarafi dou, E Pappa, D Dimitriadou, D Litis, I Pavlou KAT General Hospital Kifi sia, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P244 (doi: 10.1186/cc10851) Conclusion Indexation to BW-act results in reduced predictive capabilities compared to no indexation at all. ELWI-pred performs slightly better than ELWI-act, but our data do not support that ELWI-pred is superior to no indexation at all in adult ICU patients. In this unselected and prospectively evaluated collective, the highest predictive capabilities regarding several predefi ned thresholds were found for ELWI-height. Introduction The ELWI rate (measurable with the PICCO catheter) conveys the extravascular lung water. The increase of the ELWI rate is a frequent fi nding in heavily septic patients and it is connected with very high mortality. The purpose of this study is to fi nd out if the administration of furosemide is possible to reduce eff ectively the ELWI rate and if this decrease can be maintained regardless of the confrontation of the sepsis. P247 P247 Near-normal values of extravascular lung water in children J Lemson1, C Cecchetti2, A Nusmeier1 1Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; 2IRCS Bambino Gesù Roma, Rome, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P247 (doi: 10.1186/cc10854) Introduction Extravascular lung water (EVLW) refl ects the amount of pulmonary edema and can be measured at the bedside using the transpulmonary thermodilution method (TPTD) incorporated in the PiCCO device (Pulsion, Germany). Currently, normal values of EVLW for the use in children are unavailable. This study was designed to collect near-normal values of EVLW in children after recovery from critical illness. g Results Twenty patients were enrolled in this study. All patients had septic shock. Six of all had lung involvement. Twelve patients received mechanical ventilation. The mean of net fl uid balance was +2,228 ± 1,982 ml and the mean of duration between two ultrasound measurements was 31 ± 13 hours. The means of TBS at pre and post fl uid therapy were 37 ± 26 and 64 ± 29 respectively (P <0.0001, 95% CI 13.47 to 33.67). This increase was found in all areas of measurement. In particular, the number of B-lines measured at the anterior axillary line area very well correlated to the TBS (r = 0.90, P <0.01) and its increment had reverse correlation to the PaO2/FiO2 ratio (r  =  0.704, P  <0.05). The volume of fl uid per one B-line increasing was 119 ± 134 ml. The interobserver reliability between two ultrasound readers was very high (r = 0.92, P <0.01). The changing of TBS did not correlated to that of the chest radiologic score for EVLW assessment (r = 0.002, P >0.05). There was no linear correlation observed between net fl uid balance and total number of increasing B-lines.il Methods In this prospective observational multicenter study (fi ve sites), pediatric TPTD measurements were collected from children admitted to a pediatric ICU without or after resolution of pulmonary abnormalities. Inclusion criteria were minimal or no respiratory support and stable hemodynamics. We searched typically for the last lung water measurement prior to removal of the PiCCO system. EVLW was indexed using predicted body weight (EVLWI) calculated using height, based upon WHO data. p Results Fifty-fi ve children aged from 0 to 16 years were included. P247 Mean values (range) were: age 6.5 (0.04 to 16) years, weight 25.8 (3.7 to 80) kg, mean arterial blood pressure 79 (48 to 131) mmHg, PaO2/FiO2 ratio 388 (171 to 662) mmHg, cardiac index (CI) 4.5 (2.2 to 6.7) l/minute/m2, global end-diastolic volume (GEDVI) 490 (211 to 718) ml/m2, EVLWI 12.7 (4.7 to 34.6) ml/kg. Figure 1 shows the logarithmic relation between EVLWI and age with an r2 of 0.7. There was no signifi cant correlation between GEDVI or CI and age. g Conclusion The number of B-lines defi nitely increased after fl uid resuscitation in shock and correlated to the deterioration of pulmonary gas exchange. These data support the benefi t of transthoracic portable ultrasound for assessment of the increment of EVLW in shock patients receiving fl uid resuscitation. P248 indexing to body height presents an alternative method without dependence on physical properties or gender of a patient, yielding a uniform 95% confi dence interval of normal values from 0.22 to 0.43 l/m. Conclusion Traditional ways of indexing EVLW data do not resolve value dependence on physical properties or gender. Therefore, the currently used defi nition of a normal range from 3 to 8 ml/kg seems to be invalid. Our data suggest indexing EVLW to plain body height instead of weight-based methods. As we are not aware of any abnormal hemodynamic profi le for brain tumor patients, we propose our fi ndings as a close approximation to normal values. This will require further validation in critically ill patients. indexing to body height presents an alternative method without dependence on physical properties or gender of a patient, yielding a uniform 95% confi dence interval of normal values from 0.22 to 0.43 l/m. Conclusion Traditional ways of indexing EVLW data do not resolve value dependence on physical properties or gender. Therefore, the currently used defi nition of a normal range from 3 to 8 ml/kg seems to be invalid. Our data suggest indexing EVLW to plain body height instead of weight-based methods. As we are not aware of any abnormal hemodynamic profi le for brain tumor patients, we propose our fi ndings as a close approximation to normal values. This will require further validation in critically ill patients. P246 The small improvement of the PO2/FiO2 fi nally leads to a decrease of the ELWI rate but it is not important statistically and on the other side leads to an increase of vasoconstriction. Therefore, this method is not eff ective. We gain only a short time for the safer surgical treatment if it is needed Results EVLW indexed to predicted body weight was inversely correlated with a patient’s body height (P  <0.001), while values indexed to real body weight remained inversely dependent on weight (P <0.001). Indexing to estimated body surface area, again based on real or predicted body weight, provided no advantage. In contrast, S89 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 gl References l References 1. Bouhemad B, Zhang M, Lu Q, et al.: Clinical review: Bedside lung ultrasound in critical care practice. Crit Care 2007, 11:205. 1. Bouhemad B, Zhang M, Lu Q, et al.: Clinical review: Bedside lung ultrasound in critical care practice. Crit Care 2007, 11:205. Conclusion Near-normal values of EVLW in children are strongly correlated with age. Based upon these data, normal values can be constructed for future clinical use. 2. Soldati G, Copetti R, Sher S: Sonographic interstitial syndrome: the sound of lung water. J Ultrasound Med 2009, 28:163-174. 2. Soldati G, Copetti R, Sher S: Sonographic interstitial syndrome: the sound of lung water. J Ultrasound Med 2009, 28:163-174. Figure 1 (abstract P247). Transthoracic ultrasound assessment of B-lines for identifying the increment of extravascular lung water in shock patients requiring fl uid resuscitation Transthoracic ultrasound assessment of B-lines for identifying the increment of extravascular lung water in shock patients requiring fl uid resuscitation l P Theerawit, N Tomuan, Y Sutherasan, S Kiatboonsri Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P248 (doi: 10.1186/cc10855) l P Theerawit, N Tomuan, Y Sutherasan, S Kiatboonsri Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P248 (doi: 10.1186/cc10855) Introduction Sonographic B-lines are commonly observed in cases of increasing extravascular lung water (EVLW). These fi ndings became prominent when interstitial and alveolar tissues were fi lled with fl uid [1,2]. Thus, we hypothesized that the increment of sonographic B-lines would be observed when the EVLW increased after fl uid resuscitation in shock patients and be associated with the impaired gas exchange. Introduction Sonographic B-lines are commonly observed in cases of increasing extravascular lung water (EVLW). These fi ndings became prominent when interstitial and alveolar tissues were fi lled with fl uid [1,2]. Thus, we hypothesized that the increment of sonographic B-lines would be observed when the EVLW increased after fl uid resuscitation in shock patients and be associated with the impaired gas exchange. Methods Transthoracic portable ultrasound before and after fl uid resuscitation was performed. Patients with pleural disease were excluded. The B-lines were measured in 23 lung zones. The total numbers of B-lines seen in each patient were counted as the total B-line score (TBS). The primary outcome was to demonstrate the increase of TBS after fl uid resuscitation. The secondary outcome was to examine the magnitude of the incremental number of TBS. p p g g Methods Transthoracic portable ultrasound before and after fl uid resuscitation was performed. Patients with pleural disease were excluded. The B-lines were measured in 23 lung zones. The total numbers of B-lines seen in each patient were counted as the total B-line score (TBS). The primary outcome was to demonstrate the increase of TBS after fl uid resuscitation. The secondary outcome was to examine the magnitude of the incremental number of TBS. P252 Evaluation of eff ectiveness and safety of hydroxyethyl starch (HES 130 kDa/0.4) in burn resuscitation A Mokline, I Rahmani, L Gharsallah, H Oueslati, B Gasri, I Harzallah, A Ksontini, A Messadi Burn and Trauma Center, Tunis, Tunisia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P252 (doi: 10.1186/cc10859) Methods This study was a prospective, randomized, active-controlled study comparing the hemodynamics, effi cacy, and safety of HES 130/0.4 to that of albumin in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy. Eligible adult patients of both sexes were assigned following the surgery into either the HES group or the albumin group at a ratio of 1:1. Crystalloids for hydration and colloid therapy for volume support were administered. The primary endpoint of this study was the hemodynamic evaluation. Secondary endpoints were measurement of the input– output, ICU stay, ventilation time, length of hospital stay, time to liquid mealtime and the use of blood products. Safety assessment was carried out by performing physical examination, laboratory examination, and assessment of any adverse events during the study period. Introduction Excessive fl uid resuscitation of large burn injuries has been associated with adverse outcomes including worsening of burn oedema, conversion of superfi cial into deep burns, and compartment syndromes. So, there have been eff orts recently to address these concerns, particularly with the use of physiologically balanced fl uids. Starches, as eff ective plasma expanders, may limit resuscitation requirements and burn oedema. This study aims to evaluate clinical results of HES in early burn resuscitation of major burn-injured patients. Methods A case–control study conducted in a burn care center in Tunis. Adult burned patients admitted within the fi rst 24 hours post burn, with a burn injury exceeding 30% of total body surface area, from 1 January to 31 December 2010 were included. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, history or biochemical evidence of renal impairment on admission (serum creatinine >130 μmol/l), history or hematological evidence of disorders of hemostasis. Fluid volume resuscitation was evaluated according to the Parkland formula. HES supplementation was limited to 33 ml/kg/24 hours. The HES supplementation group was compared with a group of patients from the same center matched in age, sex and severity of burns at baseline. y g y p Results A total of 50 patients were randomized to study groups (25 each). Eff ect of balanced versus unbalanced HES solution on cytokine response in a rat model of peritonitis Eff ect of balanced versus unbalanced HES solution on cytokine response in a rat model of peritonitis M Schläpfer1, M Urner1, S Voigtsberger1, R Schimmer2, B Beck-Schimmer1 1University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; 2University of Zurich, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P251 (doi: 10.1186/cc10858) M Schläpfer1, M Urner1, S Voigtsberger1, R Schimmer2, B Beck-Schimmer1 1University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; 2University of Zurich, Switzerland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P251 (doi: 10.1186/cc10858) Introduction Sepsis with multiple organ failure remains a leading cause of death in ICUs. Acute renal failure is a common complication of severe sepsis and septic shock. The eff ect of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) on the kidney as well as on liver tissue remains controversial and has never been tested in detail. We investigated in a model of fecal peritonitis the infl uence of fl uid resuscitation with HES 6% in unbalanced versus balanced solutions on infl ammatory mediator expression in renal and hepatic tissue. y Results The EG patients with degree I shock had higher hemodynamics parameters (BPsys, BPdias, MAP) and less expressed tachycardia as compared to the CG patients with degree I shock (P <0.05). The EG patients with degree II shock had higher hemodynamics parameters (BPsys, MAP, ESV, CI, SVR) as compared to the CG patients with degree II shock (P <0.05). The change of the fl uid therapy tactics in the EG resulted in the normalization of the HR, SVR and in the increase of the BPsys, MAP, ESV and CI in patients of both degrees of shock during transportation. The values of the EG were higher than in the CG during all periods of the transportation (P <0.05).l Methods Cecal ligation and puncture was performed in anesthetized Wistar rats (CLP group). Sham group animals were treated in the same manner but without CLP. One hour after this procedure, Ringer lactate (RL) was intravenously infused to all animals at a volume of 30 ml/kg. Two hours after initiation of injury rats received RL (control, 75 ml/kg), unbalanced HES 130/0.42 (HES, 25 ml/kg) or balanced HES 130/0.42 (Tetraspan, 25 ml/kg). Animals were euthanized 4 hours after induction of peritonitis. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and TNFα mRNA expression were assessed in the kidneys and liver. Linear regression was used to evaluate infl uence of the diff erent fl uid resuscitation procedures on infl ammatory mediator expression. Eff ect of balanced versus unbalanced HES solution on cytokine response in a rat model of peritonitis p p Conclusion Inclusion of the HES 130/04 starch in the fl uid therapy complex of the patients with traumatic shock in polytrauma allows one to normalize hemodynamics values at short notice and to support them adequately during all periods of transportation. A prospective, randomized, clinical trial comparing the hemodynamics, effi cacy, and safety of 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 compared to albumin in postoperative patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy Results CLP had a signifi cant eff ect on production of infl ammatory mediators in the kidneys (P ≤0.03) and liver (P ≤0.02). While HES did not alter expression of infl ammatory mediators compared to RL, fl uid resuscitation with Tetraspan provoked a burst in infl ammatory mediator expression, which was at least threefold higher in the kidneys (P <0.001) and eightfold in the liver (P = 0.001) compared to the RL group.l p y SK Hong1, K Kyoung2, Y Kim1, S Kim1 1Ulsan University College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea; 2Inje University College of Medicine, Harundae Paik Hospital, Busan, South Korea Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P250 (doi: 10.1186/cc10857) Conclusion While unbalanced HES did not show a proinfl ammatory eff ect on renal and hepatic tissue in early sepsis, the balanced HES solution upregulated infl ammatory mediators. Further studies have to be performed to elucidate this phenomenon in detail and to assess the functional implication of these results. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P250 (doi: 10.1186/cc10857) Introduction Hypovolemia is often present in patients undergoing extensive abdominal surgery. As the fi rst colloid used in the clinical setting, albumin is still widely employed during perioperative periods. We hypothesized that 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4 is equally effi cacious and has the added advantages of its low cost and convenience of use. This study’s objective is to compare the hemodynamics, effi cacy, and safety of HES 130/0.4 compared with that of albumin. P252 P250 P250 A prospective, randomized, clinical trial comparing the hemodynamics, effi cacy, and safety of 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 compared to albumin in postoperative patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy SK Hong1, K Kyoung2, Y Kim1, S Kim1 1Ulsan University College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea; 2Inje University College of Medicine, Harundae Paik Hospital, Busan, South Korea Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P250 (doi: 10.1186/cc10857) P251 24 hours after trauma. The distance was 177 ± 9 km. The components of the fl uid therapy in the CG were crystalloids and dextrans. The latter were not used in degree I shock. Crystalloid infusion was carried out on the basis of 3 ml crystalloids per 1 ml blood loss. The crystalloids and HES 130/04 starch were used in the EG. The dose of HES 130/04 starch comprised 10 to 25 ml/kg of the body mass and depended on the shock severity state. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 6.1. We used the Mann–Whitney criterion. Fluid therapy tactics in patients with polytrauma during interhospital transportation D Skopintsev, S Kravtsov, A Shatalin, V Agadzhanyan Federal State Budgetary Medical Prophylactic Institution, Scientifi c Clinical Center of Miners’ Health Protection, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P249 (doi: 10.1186/cc10856) Introduction The study’s aim was to carry out a comparative evaluation of fl uid therapy’s infl uence using 130/04 hydroxyethyl (HES) starch and dextrans on hemodynamics values in patients with traumatic shock in polytrauma during interhospital transportation. Introduction The study’s aim was to carry out a comparative evaluation of fl uid therapy’s infl uence using 130/04 hydroxyethyl (HES) starch and dextrans on hemodynamics values in patients with traumatic shock in polytrauma during interhospital transportation. Figure 1 (abstract P247). p y g p p Methods Eighty patients with polytrauma were included in the study. Mean age was 35 ± 1 years. All patients were divided into two similar groups: experimental (EG) and control (CG). Each group was apportioned by two subgroups depending on the shock severity. Subgroup 1 consisted of patients with degree I shock, subgroup 2 comprised patients with degree II shock. The Algover–Burry index was used to evaluate the shock severity. ISS was applied to determine the injuries’ severity. The injuries’ severity values of the EG were the following: in subgroup 1, 25 ± 1 points; in subgroup 2, 46 ± 2 points. The values of the CG were 26 ± 1 in the fi rst subgroup and 44 ± 2 points in the second subgroup. All patients were transported during the fi rst S90 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P252 The volume of the crystalloid was the same in both groups; however, signifi cantly more colloids were infused after 24 hours post surgery in the HES group than in the albumin group, the voluven patient group had lower heart rates, and the diff erence in the lowest MAP value was –1.64 mmHg (lower limit of confi dence interval, –8.228 mmHg) than in the albumin group. Routine hematology and biochemical profi les, including blood coagulation test and renal function assessment, were comparable in the two groups. The mean duration of the ICU stay, ventilation, hospital stay, and tolerance of a liquid meal were similar. The mean cost of the colloid was signifi cantly lower in the HES 130/0.4 group than in the albumin group (P <0.001). Conclusion This study demonstrated that 6% HES 130/0.4 may be used as a valuable alternative to 5% albumin in patients undergoing extensive abdominal surgery, as its low cost is also of value. g y Results Patients were assigned to two groups: G1 (n  =  15): HES supplemented, and G2 (n = 15): crystalloids only. The mean age was 44 ± 18 years old for G1 and 43 ± 17 years old for G2. The average TBSA was 51.8% ± 19 for G1 versus 43.6 ± 7 for G2. The addition of S91 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 biomarkers in a pilot study of early septic shock patients resuscitated with either 5% albumin or normal saline. HES 130  kDa/0.4 reduces signifi cantly body weight gain within the fi rst 72 hours after injury: 8 kg for G1 versus 13.6 kg for G2 (P = 0.002), occurrence of ALI (35% for G1 versus 65% for G2) (P = 0.01), and length of ICU stay (19 days ± 13 for G1 vs. 30 days ± 15 for G2). There was no evidence of renal dysfunction with the use of HES in burns patients comparative to the crystalloids group. Methods Patients presenting in early septic shock received albumin or saline in a randomized, double-blind pilot study. Blood and urine was collected at enrolment and 6, 12, 24, 72 hours and 7 days later and processed using standard operating procedures. A panel of 27 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors was measured by multiplex technology. f References 1. Maitland K, et al.: N Engl J Med 2011, 364:2483-2495. 2. Prange HD, et al.: J Appl Physiol 2001, 91:33-38. Methods This was an observational study performed during 4 July 2007 to 31 March 2009 in the 10-bed ICU of Pramongkutklao Hospital in severe sepsis or septic shock patients who already had a central venous catheter inserted. Two blood samples were collected and sent to the laboratories for blood gas analysis. We then calculated for the correlation using correlation and linear regression analysis. Study of the correlation between central venous oxygen saturation and venous saturation from the antecubital vein in severe sepsis/ septic shock patients K Piyavechviratana, W Tangpradubkiet Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P255 (doi: 10.1186/cc10862) Study of the correlation between central venous oxygen saturation and venous saturation from the antecubital vein in severe sepsis/ septic shock patients K Piyavechviratana, W Tangpradubkiet Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P255 (doi: 10.1186/cc10862) Introduction Early goal-directed therapy has been used for severe sepsis and septic shock in the ICU to achieve a balance between systemic oxygen delivery and oxygen demand before global tissue hypoxia develops and proceeds to multiorgan failure. One of the resuscitation end points includes normalized values for central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) that needs insertion of a central venous catheterization, which is still impractical in small-to-medium-sized hospitals in Thailand. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the venous oxygen saturation from the antecubital vein has correlation with the central venous oxygen saturation or can be applied instead of the central venous oxygen saturation. f Conclusion Saline infusion worsens lactic acidosis, despite similar blood pressure, when compared to plasmalyte. The mechanisms responsible for this eff ect are unclear. However, deoxygenated hemoglobin readily binds hydrogen ions, forming HbH+, which is stabilized in the presence of chloride [2]. Consequently, the oxygen affi nity for hemoglobin is reduced, which could impair oxygen delivery, perpetuating the lactic acidosis. Further study is needed to better understand the mechanisms of this eff ect and their clinical relevance. Normal saline resuscitation worsens lactic acidosis in experimental sepsis h h b l ll p F Zhou, ME Cove, ZY Peng, J Bishop, K Singbartl, JA Kellum University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P253 (doi: 10.1186/cc10860) Introduction Infusing large volumes of 0.9% sodium chloride (saline) causes hyperchloremic acidosis. The clinical relevance of this eff ect remains contentious and saline is still the most commonly used resuscitation fl uid in the US. However, a recent trial showed that saline or albumin in saline increased mortality in children with malarial sepsis, compared to no fl uid [1]. Infusion of these fl uids may have perpetuated the underlying metabolic acidosis sepsis, causing cardiovascular collapse and death. In this study, we investigated the eff ect of saline versus a balanced crystalloid (plasmalyte) in a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model of sepsis. We hypothesized that saline resuscitation would increase acidosis and worsen hemodynamics, compared to resuscitation using a balanced crystalloid. Conclusion In this cohort of patients treated with albumin or saline in early septic shock, there appeared to be a marked increase in the clustering of early T-cell-mediated immune responses. Also striking was the blunted rise in urine NGAL over time for patients in the albumin fl uid group. These results should be considered hypothesis generating and prompt further studies to explore possible biological mechanisms for albumin resuscitation in sepsis. y Methods Fifty adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to CLP (25% cecum length, two punctures with a 25-gauge needle). Eighteen hours later, they were randomly assigned to receive either 30 ml/kg saline (n = 25) or plasmalyte (n = 25) over 4 hours. Arterial blood gases, serum creatinine, urea, and lactate were measured at baseline, 18 hours after CLP (before resuscitation), after resuscitation, and 24 hours after resuscitation. Blood pressure and pulse rate were measured during fl uid infusion.i P255 l Results Saline-treated animals developed signifi cantly higher levels of serum chloride (111 mmol/l vs. 102 mmol/l, P <0.0001) and lower pH (7.35 v. 7.44, P <0.01) compared to plasmalyte. In addition, lactate was signifi cantly higher after fl uid infusion in the saline group (4.8 mmol/l vs. 2.5 mmol/l, P <0.001) compared to plasmalyte, despite being similar before infusion (2.61 vs. 2.39, P >0.05). However, neither mean arterial blood pressure (83 mmHg vs. 91 mmHg, P >0.10) nor heart rate (310 vs. 299, P >0.10) diff ered between the two groups. P252 Mean values were separated by treatment and analyzed using R to generate heat maps, by principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchal clustering. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) was measured by ELISA.i Conclusion HES supplementation in early burn resuscitation allows, for smaller fl uid volume requirement, less tissue oedema. This along with a signifi cantly lower in ALI occurrence and length of ICU stay. P253 p y Results Twenty-fi ve patients (median age 66 years, median APACHE II score 26) received albumin (median amount 3 l) and 21 (median age 62 years, median APACHE II score 22) received normal saline (median amount 3.5 l) as study fl uid over 7 days. PCA revealed that 60% of the variance in the chemokines was accounted for with the fi rst two components. Analyzing the fi rst component using a threshold of greater than 0.5 or –0.5 we saw a clustering of IL-17, IL-12p70, IL-9 and IL-5. Heat map analysis suggests that by 72 hours albumin-resuscitated patients are distinguished by the cluster of IL-17, IL-9 and Il-12p70 and VEGF when compared to saline. Hierarchal clustering also separates IL-17, IL-19, IL-12p70 and IL-2 in the albumin-treated patients but not the saline-treated patients at 72  hours. At enrolment, mean urine NGAL levels were greater than 1,000 ng/ml (albumin 1,121  ±  2,172 (n = 21), saline 1,375 ± 3,197 (n = 17)). Over the next 24 hours there was a marked increase in urine NGAL in the saline-resuscitated patients, peaking at 5,793 ± 15,948 ng/ml, whereas levels remain blunted over the fi rst 12 hours, peaking at 2,216 ± 3,177 ng/ml at 24 hours in the albumin group. Normal saline resuscitation worsens lactic acidosis in experimental sepsis F Zhou, ME Cove, ZY Peng, J Bishop, K Singbartl, JA Kellum University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P253 (doi: 10.1186/cc10860) Curve analysis of tissue oxygen desaturation after a venous occlusion test does not identify the central venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation Curve analysis of tissue oxygen desaturation after a venous occlusion test does not identify the central venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation yg G Friedman1, C Alan2, A Meregalli2, A Lima3, J Bakker3 1UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil; 2Complexo Hospitalar Santa Casa, Porto Alegre, Brazil; 3University Medical Center Erasmus, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P257 (doi: 10.1186/cc10864) y G Friedman1, C Alan2, A Meregalli2, A Lima3, J Bakker3 1UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil; 2Complexo Hospitalar Santa Casa, Porto Alegre, Brazil; 3University Medical Center Erasmus, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P257 (doi: 10.1186/cc10864) Introduction We aim to compare the time for the equivalence of tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) with central venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation (ScvO2) measured at depths of 15 and 25 mm. Methods Twenty-one critically ill patients were included. The ScvO2 was measured by blood gas analysis. Thenar StO2 was continuously monitored (Model 650 InSpectra Tissue Spectrometer; Hutchinson Technology Inc., MN, USA) in 15 mm (StO2_15) and 25 mm (StO2_25) depths. The venous occlusion was performed using an automatic pneumatic device maintaining infl ation pressure 10 mmHg above the diastolic pressure. A StO2 desaturation curve was plotted to identify the time for equivalence to ScvO2. Introduction We aim to compare the time for the equivalence of tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) with central venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation (ScvO2) measured at depths of 15 and 25 mm. Introduction We aim to compare the time for the equivalence of tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) with central venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation (ScvO2) measured at depths of 15 and 25 mm. 2 Methods Twenty-one critically ill patients were included. The ScvO2 was measured by blood gas analysis. Thenar StO2 was continuously monitored (Model 650 InSpectra Tissue Spectrometer; Hutchinson Technology Inc., MN, USA) in 15 mm (StO2_15) and 25 mm (StO2_25) depths. The venous occlusion was performed using an automatic pneumatic device maintaining infl ation pressure 10 mmHg above the diastolic pressure. A StO2 desaturation curve was plotted to identify the time for equivalence to ScvO2. the predicting equation were 69.23%, 77.41%, 85.71% and 56.25% respectively. The accuracy was 75%. See Figure 1. q 2 Results Age: 59 ± 17 years, APACHE II score: 21 ± 7, SOFA score: 7 ± 4, ScvO2: 75 ± 6%, blood lactate: 1.6 ± 1.2 mmol/l, capillary refi ll time: 9.1 ± 8.1 seconds, body temperature: 36.7 ± 1.1°C. Measurements were performed for up to three consecutive days (total measurements: 43). Albumin in early septic shock resuscitation: examination of plasma and urine infl ammatory markers Albumin in early septic shock resuscitation: examination of plasma and urine infl ammatory markers A Fox-Robichaud1, C Leger2, KD Burns3, E Sabri3, B Lo1, P Kubes2, LA McIntyre3 1McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; 2University of Calgary, Canada; 3Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P254 (doi: 10.1186/cc10861) A Fox-Robichaud1, C Leger2, KD Burns3, E Sabri3, B Lo1, P Kubes2, LA McIntyre3 1M M U i i H il C d 2U i i f C l C Results Of the 44 enrolled patients, 24 were males (54.54%). Mean age was around 69.86 ± 16.819 years. A total of 84.1% was in septic shock. The most common source of infection was pneumonia (38.6%). The central ScvO2 and peripheral venous oxygen saturation ranges and means were 46.0 to 93.2%, 31.5 to 99.0% and 71.66  ±  10.39%, 71.18  ±  19.79% respectively. The correlation between ScvO2 and antecubital venous oxygen saturation signifi cant P value was 0.000: calculated ScvO2 = 52.386 + 0.271(peripheral), R2 = 0.266. The specifi city, sensitivity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of y 1McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; 2University of Calgary, Canada; 3Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P254 (doi: 10.1186/cc10861) Introduction A recent meta-analysis has suggested that albumin may be benefi cial in sepsis; however, there is no clear biological rationale for the pharmacological use of this negative acute-phase protein. Our objective was to describe the temporal production of plasma and urine Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 S92 Figure 1 (abstract P255). Central and peripheral oxygen saturation range. P257 5 Curve analysis of tissue oxygen desaturation after a venous occlusion test does not identify the central venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation G Friedman1, C Alan2, A Meregalli2, A Lima3, J Bakker3 1UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil; 2Complexo Hospitalar Santa Casa, Porto Alegre, Brazil; 3University Medical Center Erasmus, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P257 (doi: 10.1186/cc10864) Curve analysis of tissue oxygen desaturation after a venous occlusion test does not identify the central venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation Curve analysis of tissue oxygen desaturation after a venous occlusion test does not identify the central venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation In four patients the equivalence was not identifi ed. The curve analysis showed that StO2 desaturation time equivalency for ScvO2 was greater for StO2_15 than for StO2_25 (88 ± 54 seconds vs. 79 ± 56 seconds, P  <0.01). The Pearson correlation index for equivalence times for StO2_15 and StO2_25 was 0.92 (P <0.001), but Bland–Altman analysis showed a signifi cant diff erence between the times (mean diff erence: StO2_25 – StO2_25: –7.9 ± 37.8 seconds). An arbitrary time of 80 seconds identifi es the ScvO2 in 58% of cases. Conclusion Venous oxygen saturation from the antecubital vein was not the exact value of central venous oxygen saturation but there were signifi cant correlations. Central venous hyperoxia is related to changes in tissue perfusion and morbi-mortality of patients in shock G Friedman1, A Do Canto2, D Araujo2 1UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil; 2Complexo Hospitalar Santa Casa, Porto Alegre, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P256 (doi: 10.1186/cc10863) Central venous hyperoxia is related to changes in tissue perfusion and morbi-mortality of patients in shock G Friedman1, A Do Canto2, D Araujo2 1UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil; 2Complexo Hospitalar Santa Casa, Porto Alegre, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P256 (doi: 10.1186/cc10863) i 2 Conclusion The analysis of the StO2 desaturation curve does not adequately identify the hemoglobin central venous oxygen saturation. References Introduction Mixed or central venous hyperoxia is associated with organ dysfunction and worse mortality. Venous hyperoxia may refl ect altered tissue oxygen extraction. We aim to assess the relationship between central venous hyperoxia (ScvO2) and markers of tissue perfusion; and to evaluate the relationship between central venous hyperoxia and morbidity. 1. Lima A, et al.: The relation of near-infrared spectroscopy with changes in peripheral circulation in critically ill patients. Crit Care Med 2011, 39:1649. 2. Bezemer R, et al.: Assessment of tissue oxygen saturation during a vascular occlusion test using near-infrared spectroscopy: the role of probe spacing and measurement site studied in healthy volunteers. Crit Care 2009, 13(Suppl 5):S4. y y Methods The setting was a university general ICU with 18 beds. The population was adult patients (age >18 years) in circulatory shock. Blood lactate, arterial and central venous blood gases were collected on admission to the study and after 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours of shock. Venous hyperoxia was defi ned as a ScvO2 ≥85%. The severity of the patients was assessed using the APACHE II score on admission to the study. Mortality was evaluated in the ICU and after 28 days. 3. Lima A, et al.: Low tissue oxygen saturation at the end of early goal- directed therapy is associated with worse outcome in critically ill patients. Crit Care 2009, 13(Suppl 5):S13. 3. Lima A, et al.: Low tissue oxygen saturation at the end of early goal- directed therapy is associated with worse outcome in critically ill patients. Crit Care 2009, 13(Suppl 5):S13. 1. Pope JV, et al.: Multicenter study of central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) as a predictor of mortality in patients with sepsis. Ann Emerg Med 2010, 55:40-46. Lactate in burn patients: biomarker of sepsis and mortality y y y Results Preliminary data from 40 patients (205 measurements) are presented. Mean blood lactate levels were higher (3.2 vs. 2.3 mmol/l), the mean venoarterial CO2 diff erence was lower (4.7 vs. 5.8 mmHg), and the mean base defi cit was greater (11 vs. 8 mEq/l) for patients with venous hyperoxia at any time. Mean APACHE II score was higher (28 vs. 24) for patients with venous hyperoxia. The ICU mortality was higher (4/5 (80%) vs. 17/35 (46%)) among patients who already had venous hyperoxia at time 0. The proportion of death remained the same in the next day among patients that persisted or developed venous hyperoxia in the following 18 hours. A Mokline, L Gharsallah, A Abdenneji, H Oueslati, I Rahmani, B Gasri, I Jami, A Ghanem, A Messadi A Mokline, L Gharsallah, A Abdenneji, H Oueslati, I Rahmani, B Gasri, I Jami, A Ghanem, A Messadi Can we predict arterial lactate from venous lactate in the emergency department? A Mikami1, S Ohde2, G Deshpande2, T Mochizuki1, N Otani1, S Ishimatsu1 1St Luke’s International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 2St Luke’s Life Science Institute, Tokyo, Japan Results BL and TL were higher in septic shock patients compared to nonseptic shock patients (AUCs of 276 vs. 176 and 355 vs. 273 mmol/ l*hours, respectively; Welch’s t test: P <0.0001). X-ApEn for MDL/BL was lower in septic shock patients compared to those without septic shock (mean ± SD: 0.79 ± 0.12 vs. 1.14 ± 0.13, respectively; t test: P <0.0001). Cross-correlation of TL versus BL was stronger in septic shock patients, with TL leading BL by 4 hours compared to TL versus BL with no lag time (r = +0.85, P <0.0001 and r = +0.66, P <0.0001, respectively) than in nonseptic shock patients (r = +0.58, P = 0.0003 with TL leading BL by 4 hours and r = +0.66, P <0.0001 with no lag time; z statistic = 2.41 and P = 0.016 for leading BL compared to z statistic=0.036, P = 0.971 for no lag time). Introduction Analysis of arterial blood has an important role in the clinical assessment of critically ill patients. Particularly, measured arterial lactate (a-Lac) provides valuable information on peripheral circulatory failure, although it is invasive and frequent measurement is often impractical. The aim of this study is to clarify the relationship between a-Lac and the more easily accessed venous lactate (v-Lac) and to generate a formula to predict a-Lac using v-Lac and other laboratory data. Conclusion In septic shock patients, tissue lactate levels – measured by MD – are higher compared to nonseptic shock patients. Furthermore, TL is better correlated with and precedes – within 4 hours – BL in septic shock patients compared to nonseptic shock patients. Further studies are warranted to assess the clinical value of serial TL monitoring. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted from June to November 2011 in the emergency department at a tertiary-level community hospital in Tokyo, Japan. Patients were eligible for entry into the study if an arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis was required for appropriate diagnostic care by the treating physician. Arterial and venous samples were taken within 5 minutes of each other from the ipsilateral radial artery and cephalic vein. Samples were analyzed as soon as possible after collection on the same blood gas analyzer. P261 d Admission lactate and outcome after high-risk surgery M Geisen, HD Aya, C Ebm, N Arulkumaran, MA Hamilton, M Grounds, A Rhodes, M Cecconi St George’s Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P261 (doi: 10.1186/cc10868) Introduction The aim of this study was to assess the ability of serum lactate level in patients admitted to the ICU after surgery to predict outcome. Introduction The aim of this study was to assess the ability of serum lactate level in patients admitted to the ICU after surgery to predict outcome. Methods A retrospective, clinical observational study in patients undergoing high-risk surgery admitted to a 17-bed ICU of a large teaching hospital. Data were obtained during haemodynamic optimization using an established GDT protocol in the fi rst 8 hours after admission and included demographic data as well as haemodynamic and laboratory parameters. Outcome data included morbidity (defi ned as >1 complications on the postoperative morbidity survey) and clinical outcome (hospital mortality, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay, readmission to the ICU). i Results Seventy-two arterial samples from 72 patients (61% male; mean age, 58.2 years) were included in the study. Indications for ABG included respiratory failure (16%), assessment of shock (21%), altered mental status (26%), and others (36%). An initial regression equation was derived from univariate linear regression analysis: (a-Lac) = –0.259 + (v-Lac)×0.996. Subsequent multivariate forward stepwise logistic regression analysis, incorporating venous lactate and venous pO2 (v-pO2), generated the following equation: (a-Lac)  =  –0.469 + (v- pO2)×0.005 + (v-Lac)×0.997. Calculated R-squared values by single and multiple regression were 0.94 and 0.96, respectively. Results Sixty-seven patients were included. Lactate clearance (decrease of lactate >10% in 2 hours) occurred in 64 patients (96%). Sixty patients developed at least one surgical complication. There were no signifi cant correlation between lactate levels on admission and development of Conclusion Venous lactate estimates showed a high correlation with arterial values and our data provide two clinically useful equations to calculate a-Lac from v-Lac data. Considering clinical fl exibility, Lac  =  –0.259 + VLac×0.996 might be more useful, while avoiding a time-consuming and invasive procedure. Table 1 (abstract P261). A Mokline, L Gharsallah, A Abdenneji, H Oueslati, I Rahmani, B Gasri, I Jami, A Ghanem, A Messadi Burn and Trauma Center, Tunis, Tunisia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P258 (doi: 10.1186/cc10865) Introduction In this study, we attempted to assess whether the early plasma lactate (PL) level is a useful biomarker to predict septic complications and outcome in burn patients. Methods A retrospective study was conducted in the burn care center in Tunis. Patients admitted within 24  hours from the thermal injury, from 1 January 2009 to 30 June 2010, were included. PL was measured early in the fi rst 24 hours and controlled more than twice. For each measurement, 5 ml venous blood was drawn into a heparin-coated syringe. The normal lactate value was defi ned as 1 ± 0.5 mmol/l. Conclusion These preliminary data suggest that the presence of central venous hyperoxia is associated with persistent changes in perfusion. The presence of venous hyperoxia at both the onset of shock and in the following hours is associated with a worse clinical outcome. Reference i Results Over an 18-month period of study, 80 patients were enrolled. There were 60 males and 20 females. The mean age was 40.7 ± 19.5 and the average TBSA was 32 ± 21%. Upon admission, patients with an initial lactate value of more than 2 mmol/l were 86.7%. Fifty-eight percent of them have a lactate initial value of more than 4 mmol/l. In order to evaluate the potential impact of using early lactate measurements (H24 post burn injury) as predictor biomarker of sepsis in burn patients, a linear discrimination function was performed, by measuring the area under the ROC curve, and found that initial lactate value of more than 4 mmol/l provides the best sensitivity and specifi city: 88% and 79% 1. Pope JV, et al.: Multicenter study of central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) as a predictor of mortality in patients with sepsis. Ann Emerg Med 2010, 55:40-46. S93 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 is a good prognostic fi nding, whereas persistent BL elevation portends poor outcome. Microdialysis (MD) enables direct monitoring of tissue metabolic changes. This study aimed to describe the dynamics of MD-assessed tissue lactate (TL) vis-à-vis BL in septic patients with and without shock. respectively. Also, the PL cut-off value for prediction of mortality was 4 mmol/l with a good sensitivity (86%) and specifi city (92%). P261 d Lactate on admission, complications and clinical outcome Lactate Lactate <1.7 mmol >1.7 mmol (n = 46) (n = 21) P value Complications 41 (89%) 19 (90.5%) NS Complications >1 36 (78.3%) 16 (76.2%) NS Total complications per patient 3 (2 to 7) 4 (2 to 7) NS Hospital stay 14 (8 to 39) 13 (8 to 24) NS ICU stay 1 (1 to 2) 2 (1 to 10) 0.045 Readmission to ICU 3 (6.5%) 6 (28.6%) 0.022 Mortality 2 (4.3%) 3 (14.3%) NS Table 1 (abstract P261). Lactate on admission, complications and clinical outcome P259 Can we predict arterial lactate from venous lactate in the emergency department? A Mikami1, S Ohde2, G Deshpande2, T Mochizuki1, N Otani1, S Ishimatsu1 1St Luke’s International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 2St Luke’s Life Science Institute, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P259 (doi: 10.1186/cc10866) A Mokline, L Gharsallah, A Abdenneji, H Oueslati, I Rahmani, B Gasri, I Jami, A Ghanem, A Messadi The area under the ROC curve was 0.96. Conclusion Lactate appears to be a powerful predictor biomarker of sepsis and mortality in burn patients. A serum lactate of 4 mmol/l provides the best sensitivity and specifi city. Methods We measured BL and thigh adipose tissue TL serially every 4  hours for 6 days in 88 patients with septic shock and 45 patients at various sepsis stages hospitalized in a tertiary-care hospital ICU. Analysis was done with measurement of the area under the curve (AUC) of lactate*hours, cross-approximate entropy (X-ApEn) and cross-correlation. Comparisons of septic shock versus nonseptic shock patients’ results were done with t tests and z statistics. Can we predict arterial lactate from venous lactate in the emergency department? Univariate linear regression analysis was conducted to generate an equation to calculate a-Lac incorporating only v-Lac. Then, a multivariate forward stepwise logistic regression model (P value of 0.05 for entry, 0.1 for removal) was used to generate an equation including v-Lac and other potentially relevant variables including age, sex, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and venous blood parameters (pH, pO2, pCO2, hemoglobin, creatine kinase, potassium). A Bland–Altman plot was drawn and the two equations were compared for model fi tting using R-squared. P260 Cross-correlation analysis of blood and microdialysis-assessed tissue lactate monitoring: a study in critically ill septic patients I Ilias1, P Kopterides2, N Nikitas2, D Vassiliadi2, M Theodorakopoulou2, E Papadomichelakis2, M Lygnos2, A Flevari2, M Rizos2, F Frantzeskaki2, C Diakaki2, E Paramythiotou2, E Dimitriadou2, S Orfanos2, A Armaganidis2, I Dimopoulou2 1‘Elena’ Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2‘Attiko’ University Hospital, Haidari, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P260 (doi: 10.1186/cc10867) Cross-correlation analysis of blood and microdialysis-assessed tissue lactate monitoring: a study in critically ill septic patients I Ilias1, P Kopterides2, N Nikitas2, D Vassiliadi2, M Theodorakopoulou2, E Papadomichelakis2, M Lygnos2, A Flevari2, M Rizos2, F Frantzeskaki2, C Diakaki2, E Paramythiotou2, E Dimitriadou2, S Orfanos2, A Armaganidis2, I Dimopoulou2 1‘Elena’ Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2‘Attiko’ University Hospital, Haidari, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P260 (doi: 10.1186/cc10867) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P260 (doi: 10.1186/cc10867) Introduction In the critical care setting, blood lactate (BL) concentration is measured to assess – albeit indirectly – tissue oxygenation. In addition, serial BL measurements are clinically useful since a drop in BL S94 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P262). Figure 1 (abstract P261). Prediction of ICU readmission according to initial lactate concentration. Figure 1 (abstract P262). Figure 1 (abstract P262). consecutive  hours on the fi rst, third, and fi fth days postoperatively. The second group (G2; n  =  26) in addition to oxygen received NAC 200 mg/day for 5 days. The third group (G3; n = 26) was the control group which did not receive any oxygen variation. On postoperative day 6, hemoglobin, hematocrit and reticulocytes were measured and compared to the baseline values. A total of fi ve patients (three in G1 and two in G2) were excluded for discontinuing oxygen and/or early discharge from hospital. Figure 1 (abstract P261). Prediction of ICU readmission according to initial lactate concentration. g Results The reticulocyte count in G1 showed statistically diff erent values compared to G2 and G3. These fi ndings correlate with other clinical trials [2]. The fact that no statistical diff erence of hemoglobin level was recorded could be attributed to the lack of follow-up after patient discharge (postoperative day 6). See Figure 1.f complications and length of hospital stay. Nine patients (13%) were readmitted to the ICU. P260 A receiving operator characteristic analysis for readmission to the ICU showed an area under the curve of 0.79. A lactate higher than 1.7 mmol/l on admission had a sensitivity of 75% and a specifi city of 74% to predict ICU readmission (Figure 1). Patients with a lactate on admission >1.7 mmol/l also had a longer length of ICU stay (Table 1). Conclusion Induced relative hypoxia seems to be an eff ective stimulus for reticulocyte synthesis. However, further investigations are needed to confi rm these fi ndings and their impact on hemoglobin. References Conclusion Lactate on admission correlates with length of ICU stay and readmission to the ICU. 1. Balestra C, et al.: J Appl Physiol 2006, 100:512-518. 2. Theunissen et al.: Crit Care 2011, 15(Suppl 1):P422. References 2. Jansen TC, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2010, 182:752-761. 1. Balestra C, et al.: J Appl Physiol 2006, 100:512-518. 2. Theunissen et al.: Crit Care 2011, 15(Suppl 1):P422. P263 P262 Eff ects of induced relative hypoxia during the postoperative period of abdominal oncologic surgery, on hemoglobin and reticulocyte levels: a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial M Khalife1, K Wiams1, M Ben Aziz1, M Paesmans1, C Balestra2, M Sosnowski1 1Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium; 2Divert Alert Network Europe Research Division, Brussels, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P262 (doi: 10.1186/cc10869) P263 Pre-emptive hypothermia during resuscitated porcine hemorrhagic shock J Matallo1, W Stahl1, M Gröger1, A Seifritz1, O Mccook1, M Georgieff 1, P Asfar2, M Matejovic3, E Calzia1, P Radermacher1, F Simon1 1University Medical School, UIm, Germany; 2University Hospital, Angers, France; 3Charles University, Plzeñ, Czech Republic Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P263 (doi: 10.1186/cc10870) Carbon monoxide therapy protects against hepatic microvascular injury in a mouse model of murine hemorrhagic shock and resuscitationi Carbon monoxide therapy protects against hepatic microvascular injury in a mouse model of murine hemorrhagic shock and resuscitationi H Gomez, I Nassour, P Loughran, J Brumfi eld, L Otterbein, B Zuckerbraun University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA g p g Results All models presented good fi t (P >0.05) and discrimination. An AUC of 0.83 and 0.86 was obtained for the pneumonia and pancreatitis subgroups, respectively, compared to an AUC of 0.81 obtained for the general population of patients. A set of common predictive variables was found for the general population of patients: arterial base excess, noninvasive blood pressure and lactic acid. Additionally, group- specifi c predictive variables were found for each of the two subgroups of patients: white blood cell count for pneumonia patients, and temperature for pancreatitis patients. y g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P264 (doi: 10.1186/cc10871) Introduction The purpose of this study is to evaluate the eff ects of inhaled carbon monoxide (CO) as an adjunct to resuscitation on hepatic microvascular and endothelial integrity in a murine model of hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (HSR). Others and ourselves have previously demonstrated that CO can protect against organ injury in experimental models of HSR [1]. Additionally, CO can prevent tissue hypoxia during hemorrhage. Based upon this we hypothesized that CO prevents hepatic injury and prevents hepatic hypoxia by maintaining endothelial integrity and the hepatic microvascular circulation. Conclusion Generally, accurate and well-calibrated predictive risk models were obtained for the impending use of vasopressors in an ICU. However, signifi cantly more accurate and well-calibrated models were developed for the two subpopulations – pneumonia and pancreatitis – than for the general population of ICU patients. This fi nding challenges one-model-fi ts-all approaches to overall predictive risk modeling and instead supports tailored modeling that is at least stratifi ed at a disease level. Methods Male C57BL/6 mice underwent sham operation or hemorrhage to a target MAP of 25 mmHg. Mice were maintained at this pressure for 120 minutes and then resuscitated with Ringer’s lactate at two times the volume of total shed blood. Mice were sacrifi ced 4 hours after resuscitation. Mice were randomized to receive room air or inhaled CO (250 ppm) for 30 minutes starting 90 minutes into the shock period (n = 6 to 8 per group). Relative hepatic hypoxia was determined using EF5 immunofl uorescence. Pre-emptive hypothermia during resuscitated porcine hemorrhagic shockf J Matallo1, W Stahl1, M Gröger1, A Seifritz1, O Mccook1, M Georgieff 1, P Asfar2, M Matejovic3, E Calzia1, P Radermacher1, F Simon1 1University Medical School, UIm, Germany; 2University Hospital, Angers, France; 3Charles University, Plzeñ, Czech Republic Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P263 (doi: 10.1186/cc10870) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P262 (doi: 10.1186/cc10869) Introduction Anemia is a frequent complication in oncologic patients. Erythropoietin (EPO) stimulating agents are known as alternatives to transfusion. However, they expose patients to thrombosis and are expensive. Recently, a new phenomenon, the normobaric oxygen paradox (NOP), has been described. In brief, transient hyperoxia followed by a prolonged return to normoxia acts as an eff ective trigger for EPO production. The mechanism depends on free oxygen radicals and on reduced glutathione (GSH) availabilities. Also, N-acetylcystein (NAC) is known to regenerate the stock of GSH. Very few clinical trials have investigated this phenomenon [1]. The goal of this study was to test the NOP theory on the evolution of hemoglobin and reticulocytes in patients receiving intermittent oxygen with or without NAC compared to a control group. Introduction The role of hypothermia in hemorrhagic shock is still a matter of debate [1]. Therefore, we studied the eff ects of deliberate, pre-emptive hypothermia on hemodynamics and organ function during long-term porcine hemorrhage and resuscitation. Methods Anesthetized and instrumented pigs were randomly assigned to 32°C (n = 7), 35°C (n = 7), and 38°C (n = 6) of core temperature and subjected to 4 hours of hemorrhage (removal of 40% of the calculated blood volume, additional removal/retransfusion of blood to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) = 30 mmHg). After 12 hours of reperfusion comprising retransfusion of shed blood, colloid fl uid resuscitation and noradrenaline to keep MAP at pre-shock levels, animals were rewarmed to 38°C. Data (median, quartiles) were obtained before and at the end of the shock phase as well as at 12 and 22 hours of resuscitation, intergroup diff erences were analyzed using a Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA on ranks. Methods This prospective, randomized study included 78 patients (three groups). The fi rst group (G1; n  =  26) received 60% FiO2 for 2 S95 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results Fluid balance and noradrenaline requirements did diff er between groups. 1. Kim HS, Loughran PA, Rao J, Billiar TR, Zuckerbraun BS: Am J Physiol 2008, 295:G146-G152. P265 Two modeling approaches were used – fuzzy modeling (FM) and logistic regression (LR) – combined with a sequential forward feature selection process. For each group of patients, the selected dataset was divided into two parts: one for feature selection and the other for 10-fold cross-validation. The models’ calibration was assessed using the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fi t test, and discrimination using the area under the receiver-operating curve (AUC).i P264 Carbon monoxide therapy protects against hepatic microvascular injury in a mouse model of murine hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation H Gomez, I Nassour, P Loughran, J Brumfi eld, L Otterbein, B Zuckerbraun University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P264 (doi: 10.1186/cc10871) P265 Customized modeling to predict the use of vasopressors in ICUs A Fialho1, F Cismondi1, S Vieira2, S Reti3, L Celi3, M Howell3, J Sousa3, S Finkelstein1 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; 2Technical University of Lisbon, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal; 3Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Boston, MA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P265 (doi: 10.1186/cc10872) Customized modeling to predict the use of vasopressors in ICUs A Fialho1, F Cismondi1, S Vieira2, S Reti3, L Celi3, M Howell3, J Sousa3, S Finkelstein1 Introduction Vasopressors belong to a powerful class of drugs extremely useful for managing hypotension in patients with systemic shock. Being able to predict a patient’s impending use of vasopressors could be benefi cial as the central line insertion protocol could be initiated in a safe and timely fashion and, a central line would only be inserted if the patient has a likely future vasopressor need. Our goal in this work was to develop predictive risk models for the impending use of vasopressors in an ICU, and to make model comparisons between the general population and patients with pneumonia and pancreatitis. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from four diff erent adult ICUs at a tertiary-care hospital. Data contained 1,484 adult ICU patients, including a subgroup of 475 patients with an ICD9 diagnosis of pneumonia and 104 with an ICD9 diagnosis of pancreatitis. Two modeling approaches were used – fuzzy modeling (FM) and logistic regression (LR) – combined with a sequential forward feature selection process. For each group of patients, the selected dataset was divided into two parts: one for feature selection and the other for 10-fold cross-validation. The models’ calibration was assessed using the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fi t test, and discrimination using the area under the receiver-operating curve (AUC).i Conclusion Deliberate, pre-emptive moderate hypothermia slowed but did not protect against hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation- induced organ dysfunction, possibly due to a delayed but not attenuated infl ammatory response. Acknowledgements Supported by the Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (M/SABX/8A004). Reference 1. Tisherman S: J Intensive Care Med 2010, 25:240-242. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from four diff erent adult ICUs at a tertiary-care hospital. Data contained 1,484 adult ICU patients, including a subgroup of 475 patients with an ICD9 diagnosis of pneumonia and 104 with an ICD9 diagnosis of pancreatitis. Carbon monoxide therapy protects against hepatic microvascular injury in a mouse model of murine hemorrhagic shock and resuscitationi Sinusoidal integrity was determined by scanning electron microscopy of the hepatic sinusoidal endothelium and Evan’s blue tissue levels. Leukocyte stasis, rolling, and adhesion were determined using intravital microscopy of post-sinusoidal hepatic venules. Statistical analysis was determined by ANOVA. Pre-emptive hypothermia during resuscitated porcine hemorrhagic shockf At 12  hours of reperfusion – that is, immediately before rewarming – the 32°C group showed the lowest blood levels of creatinine (P = 0.026), troponin I (P = 0.053), the thrombin–antithrombin complexes (P = 0.012), and von Willebrand factor (P = 0.012). At the end of the experiment – that is, after rewarming – all these intergroup diff erences had disappeared, but the 32°C group presented with arterial hypotension (P = 0.039), the most severe visceral organ acidosis (portal and hepatic venous base excess: P = 0.044, P = 0.022, respectively), and the highest TNFα blood levels (P = 0.030). P267 Examination of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with the Utstein style in Saga prefecture, Japan T Iwamura, Y Sakamoto, N Kutsukata, T Hitomi, K Seki, M Koga, T Yamashita, A Nakashima, Y Nishimura, M Yahata, K Yamada Saga University, Saga, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P267 (doi: 10.1186/cc10874) Results Cardiac massage was not performed adequately in 48% of laypersons. This was statistically signifi cantly more than among lifeguards (16%) and instructors (23%). The median response times of laypersons and lifeguards were 15 seconds and 16 seconds, respectively; this was statistically (P <0.05) longer than instructors (12 seconds). The median percentage of the time of massaging in group of laypersons was 51% (56 to 58%, 25th to 75th percentiles), which was statistically signifi cantly smaller than in the group of lifeguards (64%, 62 to 66%) and in the control group (67%, 62 to 69%). Introduction Saga Prefecture is a small prefecture with an area of 2,439 km2 (place-of-residence 1,339 km2), a population of 849,709, and is located in northwestern Kyushu in the western part of Japan. Saga University has the only medical department in Saga Prefecture, Japan, and it is in charge of both the online and offl ine medical control of Saga. This report examined the present status of OHCA in Saga, which should be improved, and it aimed at exploring policies that can contribute to the improvement in a ROSC rate. g p Conclusion The majority of all laypersons approach CPR in about 15  seconds from identifi cation of unconsciousness. However, only about one-half of laypersons after the mandatory CPR course perform qualitative cardiac massage, which is signifi cantly less than among motivated laypersons. The latter perform qualitative massage and achieve the same percentage of the massaging time as instructors. Results suggest that widespread promotion of the CPR protocol with an AED among laypersons has limitations. Therefore, education of laypersons should particularly focus on groups that have intrinsic motivation. p Methods The study examined 785 OHCA cases using the emergency conveyance record (the Utstein style) submitted for the purpose of MC verifi cation by the fi re-fi ghting organization in Saga from 1 July 2010 to 31 June 2011. The fi re-fi ghting organization was classifi ed into fi ve areas (A to E) for every near medical classifi cation. Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during nights and weekends Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during nights and weekends Results Age, gender, cardiac arrest cause, initial waveform, witness, shock and drug use pre-hospital did not diff er signifi cantly between the fi ve regions. The ROSC rate was signifi cantly higher in A and C areas than in D and E areas (A: 40.1% to D: 24.4% P <0.01, A: 40.1% to E: 26.8% P <0.05, C: 39.9% to D: 24.4% P <0.05), and the ROSC rate of a hospital waveform of asystole was signifi cantly higher in A and C areas than in the other areas (A: 32.0% to B: 15.3%, D: 13.2%, E: 12.2% P <0.01, C: 27.8% to B: 15.3%, E: 12.2% P <0.05). There were signifi cantly fewer examples of oral instruction enforcement in the E area in comparison to the other areas (E: 39.7% to A: 62.5%, B: 65.7%, C: 65.9%, D: 62.0% P <0.01), and there were fewer examples of CPR enforcement in the D and E areas in comparison to the B and C areas (D: 50.8% to B: 63.9% P <0.05, E: 42.3% to B: 63.9% P <0.01, E: 42.3% to C: 59.7% P <0.05). CPR was not always delivered without oral instruction because the bystander CPR-less rate of the oral-instruction-less example to citizens was not less than 80% in all the areas. K Maekawa, K Tanno, M Hase, K Mori, Y Asai Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P269 (doi: 10.1186/cc10876) Introduction Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) still has a low survival rate, despite considerable eff orts including early applications of basic life support and defi brillation in the pre-hospital setting. Post- resuscitation care after hospitalization, infl uencing the fi nal outcome, may be less available during nights and weekends because of hospital, staffi ng, and response factors. We sought to determine whether outcomes after OOHCA diff er during nights and weekends (off -hours) compared with daytimes of weekdays (on-hours). Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 4-year data collected prospectively in a single institute. Adults with witnessed OOHCA of cardiac origin were recruited. The therapeutic strategy after hospitalization, including extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), therapeutic hypothermia (TH) and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), was dependent on the critical care physicians in charge. We used a propensity-score matching Conclusion An improvement of the quality of oral instruction could improve the ROSC rate. P268f all post-cardiac arrest syndrome patients were concentrated in a hospital having facilities for post-resuscitation management and provided intensive care, including appropriate hemodynamic and pulmonary management, therapeutic hypothermia, and percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary outcome measure was patient survival at 1 month with a favorable neurological outcome.i P267 Comparative examinations were conducted between the background (age, gender, cardiac arrest cause, initial waveform, and hospital waveform, witness, bystander CPR, oral instruction, and pre-hospital medical examination (shock, advanced airway management, and drug use)) and the ROSC rate between the fi ve areas. Statistical analyses included the chi-square test and Fisher’s test. Implementation of the fi fth link of the Chain of Survival concept for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest Implementation of the fi fth link of the Chain of Survival concept for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest Implementation of the fi fth link of the Chain of Survival concept for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest T Tagami1, R Tosa2, M Omura2, H Yokota1, H Hirama1 1Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan; 2Aizu Chuo Hospital, Fukushima, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P266 (doi: 10.1186/cc10873) y y Results EF5 staining demonstrated that hemorrhagic shock induced liver hypoxia, which was prevented by CO treatment. Scanning EM imaging of hepatic sinusoids demonstrated that HSR results in loss of normal endothelium, with loss of fenestrations, rounding of cells, and adherent circulating cells. CO therapy prevented these changes. Relative hepatic levels of Evans blue, suggesting endothelial leak, were increased 1.7  ±  0.23-fold in HSR compared to sham-operated mice (P <0.05). CO treatment minimized endothelial leak, resulting in a 1.23 ± 0.21-fold increase compared to sham (P <0.05 compared to air-treated HSR). In addition, leukocyte rolling and adhesion were signifi cantly diminished by CO as compared to the air-treated group in HSR. T Tagami1, R Tosa2, M Omura2, H Yokota1, H Hirama1 1Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan; 2Aizu Chuo Hospital, Fukushima, Japan p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P266 (doi: 10.1186/cc10873) Introduction The 2010 resuscitation guidelines of the American Heart Association–International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation recommend an additional fi fth link (post-resuscitation care in a regional center) in the Chain of Survival concept for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in addition to early access to emergency medical care (fi rst link), early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (second link), early defi brillation (third link), and early advanced cardiac life support (fourth link). However, no direct evidence supports its implementation. Our study aimed to determine the eff ectiveness of this fi fth link. Conclusion CO protected the hepatic sinusoidal endothelium from HSR-induced injury. Further investigations into the mechanisms of action are necessary. CO therapy may prove to be a useful resuscitative adjunct in the treatment of HSR. Methods This multicenter, region-wide, prospective clinical study involved all eligible OHCA patients in the Aizu region (n  =  1,482, suburban/rural, Fukushima, Japan). Primary outcomes before (January 2006 to April 2008) and after (January 2009 to December 2010) the implementation of the fi fth link were evaluated. After implementation, S96 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Eff ectiveness and limitations of learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation with an automated external defi brillator in the curriculum of First Aid courses among lay people U Kovačič1, L Kosec2 1Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2General Hospital in Novo Mesto, Slovenia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P268 (doi: 10.1186/cc10875) g Results The primary outcome improved signifi cantly from 0.5% (before, 4/770) to 3.0% (after, 21/712) (P  <0.0001). The multivariate odds ratio for the primary outcome was 8.3 (95% CI, 2.6 to 26.6) after the implementation of the fi fth link, 7.1 (CI, 2.0 to 25.1) for a bystander- witnessed arrest, and 5.0 (CI, 2.6 to 26.6) for early defi brillation. Introduction The eff ectiveness and limitations of widespread promotion of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with an automated external defi brillator (AED) among the laity was investigated. Early, qualitative and continuous cardiac massage has been stressed in the 2010 ERC guidelines. Since 2009 about 45,000 laypersons attended the mandatory First Aid courses for drivers (organised by Slovenian Red Cross), which include learning CPR with an AED. i Conclusion The proportion of OHCA patients with a favorable neurological outcome improved signifi cantly after the implementation of the fi fth link of the Chain of Survival. This fi nding may require confi rmation in an urban setting and/or with randomized trials. Trial registration University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry: UMIN000001607 [http://apps.who.int/ trialsearch/trial.aspx?trialid=JPRN-UMIN000001607] Methods One hundred laypersons who attended 4-hour classes in CPR before the driving lessons were compared to 60 motivated laypersons who attended 6-hour classes in CPR before starting to work as lifeguards in pools. Sixty instructors served as the control group. All participants (randomly assigned in pairs) got the same 6-minute case-based scenario on a manikin. Rescuers were changing every 2 minutes. Basic skills in CPR were determined by the two instructors and by a sensored manikin. Massage was assessed as qualitative if at least 90% of massages were provided with proper hand placement, adequate compression depth and adequate frequency. We measured the response time from the call for help to the start of heart massaging and the percentage of the time of massaging regarding the total time from start of massaging to the end of the scenario. P270 CPR initiated after telephone-assisted instruction produces a better outcome of bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests than no bystander CPR but is less eff ective than CPR on the bystander’s own initiative H Inaba1, T Kamikura1, K Takase1, W Omi2, S Sakagami2, Y Myojo3, J Taniguchi3 1Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan; 2Kanazawa Medical Center, Kanazawa, Japan; 3Ishikawa Prefectural Central Hospital, Kanazawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P270 (doi: 10.1186/cc10877) CPR initiated after telephone-assisted instruction produces a better outcome of bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests than no bystander CPR but is less eff ective than CPR on the bystander’s own initiative Methods From the Japanese nationwide database for 431,968 OHCAs that occurred from January 2005 to December 2008, we extracted and analyzed 112,144 bystander-witnessed OHCAs without any involvement of physicians, using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results The analysis for all bystander-witnessed OHCAs revealed that both CC-only and conventional CPR following telephone CPR produce better outcomes than no bystander CPR (Table 1). The analysis for bystander-witnessed OHCAs with bystander CPR disclosed that CPR on the bystander’s own initiative produces a better outcome than CPR following telephone CPR (Table 2). Methods From the Japanese nationwide database for 431,968 OHCAs that occurred from January 2005 to December 2008, we extracted and analyzed 112,144 bystander-witnessed OHCAs without any involvement of physicians, using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results The analysis for all bystander-witnessed OHCAs revealed that both CC-only and conventional CPR following telephone CPR produce better outcomes than no bystander CPR (Table 1). The analysis for bystander-witnessed OHCAs with bystander CPR disclosed that CPR on the bystander’s own initiative produces a better outcome than CPR following telephone CPR (Table 2). g 1Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan; 2Kanazawa Medical Center, Kanazawa, Japan; 3Ishikawa Prefectural Central Hospital, Kanazawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P270 (doi: 10.1186/cc10877) g 1Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan; 2Kanazawa Medical Center, Kanazawa, Japan; 3Ishikawa Prefectural Central Hospital, Kanazawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P270 (doi: 10.1186/cc10877) Introduction Telephone CPR has been shown to increase the incidence of bystander CPR and is expected to improve the outcomes of out-of- hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). Critical times in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest J Tij 1 C Zh 2 C P h 1 L M i 2 J H hi 1 Table 1 (abstract P270). Comparison of survival between OHCAs without bystander CPR and bystander CPR in bystander-witnessed OHCAs Factor Adjusted odds ratio 95% CI Type of CPR No bystander CPR Reference CC-only CPR following telephone-CPR 1.66 1.49 to 1.84 Conventional CPR following telephone-CPR 1.67 1.48 to 1.89 CC-only CPR on bystander’s own initiative 2.22 1.99 to 2.49 Conventional CPR on bystander’s own initiative 2.36 2.10 to 2.66 Aetiology Presumed cardiac 2.44 2.27 to 2.63 Noncardiac Reference Time intervals Witness-call 0.98 0.97 to 0.98 Witness-fi rst CPR performed either by 0.97 0.96 to 0.98 citizens or by EMTs Call-arrival at patients 0.93 0.92 to 0.94 Comparisons of 1-month survival with favourable neurological outcomes between OHCAs without bystander CPR and with four types of bystander CPR in bystander-witnessed OHCAs (multiple logistic regression analysis). Table 1 (abstract P270). Comparison of survival between OHCAs without bystander CPR and bystander CPR in bystander-witnessed OHCAs Introduction Pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has a less than 10% survival. Studies of the scene time and level of emergency medical services (EMS) training in pediatric OHCA are lacking. The objectives of this study are to describe the scene time, level of training and the order and timing of arrival of fi rst responders to pediatric OHCA in a large, densely populated area, the Toronto region. Methods The Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) Epistry- Cardiac Arrest database was queried for all patients <19 years old from December 2005 to November 2011 in the Toronto region for age, sex, event characteristics, underlying conditions, cause of the cardiac arrest, level of EMS care, time to EMS arrival, scene time, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to hospital discharge. Patients were excluded if they were declared dead at the scene. y Results Four hundred and fi fty-two patients with OHCA were included. Thirty-one percent were infants, 29.4% age 1 to 11 years (child), and 37.4% age 1 to 18 (adolescent) years with 62.8% of cases male. Thirty percent had a signifi cant past medical history. The causes of the cardiac arrest were trauma (14.4%), drowning (6.2%), sudden infant death syndrome (4.0%), and unknown in 63%. The fi rst EMS responders were fi re in 52.2%, advanced care paramedics in 25%, and primary care paramedics in 22.3%. Survival was increased the earlier the EMS arrived (P = 0.015). Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during nights and weekends BLS education to the area, a re-examination of the oral instruction manual in the applicable areas, and the suitable evaluation of various examples of agonal respiration are together expected to improve the ROSC rate. S97 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Table 2 (abstract P270). Eff ects of type and origin by bystander CPR on survival of bystander-witnessed OHCAs having bystander CPR Table 2 (abstract P270). Eff ects of type and origin by bystander CPR on survival of bystander-witnessed OHCAs having bystander CPR Factor Adjusted odds ratio 95% CI Type of CPR CC-only CPR 0.96 0.88 to 1.04 Conventional CPR Reference Origin of CPR Following telephone-CPR 0.73 0.67 to 0.80 On bystander’s own initiative Reference Aetiology Presumed cardiac 2.27 2.05 to 2.51 Noncardiac Reference Time intervals Witness-call 0.99 0.98 to 0.99 Witness-fi rst CPR performed either by 0.98 0.97 to 0.99 citizens or by EMTs Call-arrival at patients 0.88 0.87 to 0.90 Eff ects of type and origin by bystander CPR on 1-month survival with favourable neurological outcomes of bystander-witnessed OHCAs having bystander CPR (multiple logistic regression analysis). to reduce the diff erences of pre-hospital variables between patients arriving during off -hours and on-hours. Primary endpoint was 90-day survival after cardiac arrest. We evaluated the survival diff erence using the log-rank test and identifi ed the signifi cant interventions aff ecting outcome using the Cox regression model. Adjusted odds ratio 95% CI g g Results Of 185 patients, 131 arrived during off -hours (the off -hours group) and 54 arrived during on-hours (the on-hours group). The matching process selected 37 patients each from both groups. The matched off -hours group had a lower survival rate than the matched on-hours group (10.8% vs. 37.8%; log-rank P = 0.025). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that TH was associated with 90-day survival after cardiac arrest (adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.43; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.79), but there were no signifi cant associations of ECPR (adjusted HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.50 to 1.37) and primary PCI (adjusted HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.42 to 1.38). Conclusion Lower survival rates after OOHCA during nights and weekends were seen at our institute. TH was more likely to be induced in patients arrived during daytimes of weekdays, and independently associated with survival benefi t. P270 The aim of present study was to clarify if the outcomes of bystander-witnessed OHCAs having CC-only and conventional CPR following telephone CPR may be better than those having no bystander CPR and if the type (CC-only and conventional) and origin (following telephone CPR and on bystander’s own initiative) may aff ect the outcomes of bystander-witnessed OHCAs with bystander CPR. g p Conclusion Telephone CPR improves the outcomes of bystander- witnessed OHCAS. However, eff orts to increase the incidence of early CPR on the bystander’s own initiative would be necessary to obtain a higher incidence of survival in bystander-witnessed OHCAs. Reference 1. Peberdy MA, Ornato JP, Larkin GL, et al.: Survival from in-hospital cardiac arrest during nights and weekends. JAMA 2008, 299:785-792. Eff ects of type and origin by bystander CPR on 1-month survival with favourable neurological outcomes of bystander-witnessed OHCAs having bystander CPR (multiple logistic regression analysis). P271 P271 Critical times in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest J Tijssen1, C Zhan2, C Parshuram1, L Morrison2, J Hutchison1 1Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; 2University of Toronto, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P271 (doi: 10.1186/cc10878) P272 Don’t stop your heart in front of your family: family as a bystander is associated with poor outcome of bystander-witnessed, bystander- CPR-performed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest Conclusion Despite educational eff orts, most family members do not appear to be good CPR performers. The fi rst responder system that enables a good CPR performer to reach the scene quickly may be needed for OHCAs witnessed by the family. H Inaba1, K Takase1, T Nishi1, T Kamikura1, Y Wato2, H Hamada3 1Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan; 2Kanazawa Medical University, Uchinada, Japan; 3Suzu General Hospital, Suzu, Japan H Inaba1, K Takase1, T Nishi1, T Kamikura1, Y Wato2, H Hamada3 1Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan; 2Kanazawa Medical University, Uchinada, Japan; 3Suzu General Hospital, Suzu, Japan p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P272 (doi: 10.1186/cc10879) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P272 (doi: 10.1186/cc10879) Introduction Early CPR with a considerable quality is essential for survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study was Table 1 (abstract P272). Backgrounds, characteristics and outcomes of OHCAs with reference to relation of bystander to victim Relation of bystander to victim Family Friends, colleagues and Others Background, characteristics and outcome (n = 25,119) passers-by (n = 5,191) (n = 14,938) P value Patient’s age, median (25 to 75%) 77 (66 to 84) 61 (50 to 73) 84 (75 to 90) <0.001 Sex – male (%) 61.6 76.8 44.7 <0.001 CPR following telephone CPR (%) 75.1 42.7 36.1 <0.001 Initial rhythm shockable (%) 16.3 33.4 9.8 <0.001 Tune intervals, minutes, median (25 to 75%) Collapse-call 2 (0 to 5) 2 (0 to 4) 2 (0 to 5) <0.001 Collapse-bystander CPR 3 (1 to 6) 1 (0 to 4) 0 (0 to 2) <0.001 Call arrival at patient 8 (6 to 11) 8 (6 to 11) 8 (6 to 10) <0.001 Outcomes 1-month survival (%) 8.1 17.2 9.2 <0.001 1-month survival with favorable 4.0 11.9 4.8 <0.001 neurological outcomes (%) Table 1 (abstract P272). Backgrounds, characteristics and outcomes of OHCAs with reference to relation of b Table 1 (abstract P272). Backgrounds, characteristics and outcomes of OHCAs with reference to relation of bystander to victim Relation of bystander to victim tract P272). Backgrounds, characteristics and outcomes of OHCAs with reference to relation of bystander to victim Table 2 (abstract P272). Critical times in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest J Tij 1 C Zh 2 C P h 1 L M i 2 J H hi 1 The timing of arrival of advanced paramedics at the scene appeared to be associated with survival although this was not statistically signifi cant (P = 0.22). Infants had a shorter scene time (P <0.001) and an earlier arrival of advanced care paramedics at the scene p g between OHCAs without bystander CPR and with four types of bystander CPR in bystander-witnessed OHCAs (multiple logistic regression analysis). between OHCAs without bystander CPR and with four types of bystander CPR in b t d it d OHCA ( lti l l i ti i l i ) S98 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 conducted to test our hypothesis that the relation of the bystander to the victim may aff ect the outcomes of OHCAs. (P = 0.04). A shorter scene time was associated with ROSC on arrival at the emergency department (P <0.001) and a nonsignifi cant trend for improved survival (P = 0.13). Adolescents were more likely to have ROSC on arrival at the emergency department (P <0.001) and more likely to survive (P <0.05) compared to children or infants. the victim may aff ect the outcomes of OHCAs. Methods From a Japanese nationwide database for 431,968 OHCAs that occurred from January 2005 to December 2008, we extracted and then analyzed 45,248 bystander-witnessed, bystander-CPR-performed OHCAs without any involvement of physicians. Backgrounds, characteristics and outcomes were compared among the three groups of OHCAs categorized by the bystander’s relation to victims. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to clarify if the relation may aff ect the 1-month survival with favourable neurological outcomes. Results When the bystander was family, CPR was more frequently initiated following telephone-assisted instruction and the interval between collapse and bystander CPR was signifi cantly prolonged. Univariate analysis followed by multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that family as a CPR performer signifi cantly decreases the 1-month survival with favourable neurological outcomes. See Tables 1 and 2.f yf Methods From a Japanese nationwide database for 431,968 OHCAs that occurred from January 2005 to December 2008, we extracted and then analyzed 45,248 bystander-witnessed, bystander-CPR-performed OHCAs without any involvement of physicians. Backgrounds, characteristics and outcomes were compared among the three groups of OHCAs categorized by the bystander’s relation to victims. Critical times in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest J Tij 1 C Zh 2 C P h 1 L M i 2 J H hi 1 Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to clarify if the relation may aff ect the 1-month survival with favourable neurological outcomes. Conclusion The timing of arrival of advanced paramedics at the scene may have been associated with survival and a larger study is needed to confi rm this trend. A shorter scene time was associated with ROSC and a trend for increased survival. However, infants have shorter scene times but worse outcomes. To provide increased power and scope for this study we will expand it to include all 10 Regional Clinical ROC Centers and future analyses will include the remaining Utstein data fi elds and compare the eff ects of advanced versus basic life support interventions during resuscitation. f g Results When the bystander was family, CPR was more frequently initiated following telephone-assisted instruction and the interval between collapse and bystander CPR was signifi cantly prolonged. Univariate analysis followed by multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that family as a CPR performer signifi cantly decreases the 1-month survival with favourable neurological outcomes. See Tables 1 and 2.f P272 End-tidal carbon dioxide levels should be monitored during CPR and considered a useful prognostic value for determining the outcome of resuscitative eff orts and when to cease CPR in the fi eld. y y y Methods A total of 11 female pigs, body weights 50.3 ± 3.4 kg, were enrolled into a protocol of prolonged cardiac arrest treated by FF or FS ECMO ± IABP in a randomized fashion. Animals under general anesthesia had undergone 15 minutes of ventricle fi brillation (VF) with basal ECMO fl ow of 5 to 10 ml/kg/minute simulating low-fl ow CA followed by continued VF with ECMO fl ow of 100 ml/kg/minute. CPP, myocardial lactate metabolism and myocardial oxygen extraction were determined. P275i P275 Modifi ed clinical decision rule for termination-of-resuscitation in cases of refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest Y Goto1, T Maeda1, Y Goto2, H Inaba3 1Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa, Japan; 2Yawata Medical Center, Komatsu, Japan; 3Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P275 (doi: 10.1186/cc10882) Results CPP decreased from baseline of 85 mmHg (72, 94.5) to 15 mmHg (10, 20.5) during CA. The fi rst CPP value on ECMO increased to 34 mmHg (26.5, 44) and during the further protocol gradually rose to signifi cantly higher CPP of 68 mmHg (45.5, 82) before CPR (P = 0.003). This phenomenon of gradual rise was even more pronounced in FF ECMO, animals started on FF ECMO completed the protocol with identical CPP values as at baseline (85 mmHg (80, 99) vs. 86 mmHg (78, 86), P  =  0.55). Following CA, signifi cantly higher lactate levels were detected in animals started on FS ECMO in all post-arrest periods (P = 0.016 and P = 0.035 for diff erence in arterial and coronary sinus lactate levels, respectively). Oxygen extractions after a steep increase during CA declined immediately after ECMO initiation and remained further with no statistically signifi cant diff erences between respective ECMO arms (P for diff erence = 0.547). Resuscitability was high, we gained 5 minutes return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in eight animals (73%) and 60 minutes ROSC was present still in eight animals (73%).i Introduction Two international termination-of-resuscitation (TOR) rules for the emergency medical services (EMS) personnel have been proposed to identify nonsurvivors after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). P272 P273 Coronary perfusion pressure in a pig model of prolonged cardiac arrest treated by diff erent modes of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and intraaortic balloon counterpulsation J Bělohlávek1, M Mlcek2, M Huptych3, S Havranek1, P Ostadal4, A Linhart1, O Kittnar2 1General Teaching Hospital Prague, Czech Republic; 21st Medical School, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; 3Technical Institute Prague, Czech Republic; 4Homolka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P273 (doi: 10.1186/cc10880) Coronary perfusion pressure in a pig model of prolonged cardiac arrest treated by diff erent modes of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and intraaortic balloon counterpulsation J Bělohlávek1, M Mlcek2, M Huptych3, S Havranek1, P Ostadal4, A Linhart1, O Kittnar2 1General Teaching Hospital Prague, Czech Republic; 21st Medical School, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; 3Technical Institute Prague, Czech Republic; 4Homolka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P273 (doi: 10.1186/cc10880) p Results PetCO2 after 20 minutes of advanced life support averaged 0.97 ± 0.33 kPa in patients who did not have ROSC and 4.85 ± 1.74 kPa in those who did (P <0.001). PetCO2 after 15 minutes of advanced life support averaged 1.11 ± 0.39 kPa in patients who did not have ROSC and 3.65 ± 0.98 kPa in those who did (P <0.001). End-tidal carbon dioxide values of 1.9 kPa (14.3 mmHg) or less discriminated between the 578 patients with ROSC and 502 patients without. When a 20-minute end- tidal carbon dioxide value of 1.9 kPa (14.3 mmHg) or less was used as a screening test to predict ROSC, the sensitivity, specifi city, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were all 100%. The 15-minute petCO2 value of 1.8 kPa had a sensitivity and NPV of 100% with high specifi city PPV value (98%). Introduction An extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)- based approach is increasingly used in cardiac arrest (CA). However, little is known about coronary perfusion pressure progress over time in CA managed by ECMO. The aim of this study was to assess femoro- femoral (FF) compared to femoro-subclavian (FS) venoarterial ECMO in a pig model of prolonged CA on coronary perfusion pressure (CPP), myocardial metabolic recovery and resuscitability. g pi y Conclusion End-tidal carbon dioxide levels of more than 1.9 kPa (14.3 mmHg) after 20 minutes may be used to predict ROSC with accuracy. P274 p g y Methods We analysed 289,769 OHCA adult patients with presumed cardiac causes, using a prospectively recorded nationwide Utstein-style database in Japan over 5 years (2005 to 2009). The primary endpoint was 1-month survival with unfavourable neurological outcome, or Glasgow–Pittsburgh cerebral performance category (CPC) scale = 3 to 5. Results The overall rates of 1-month survival with CPC = 1 or 2 and collective 1-month survival were 2.55% and 5.22%, respectively. The incidences of misclassifi cation in the BLS, ALS and modifi ed BLS TOR rules for 1-month survival with CPC = 3 to 5 were 0.20%, 0.15% and 0.13%, respectively. The specifi city (95% CI) in the BLS, ALS and modifi ed BLS TOR rules for 1-month survival with CPC = 3 to 5 were 0.941 (0.935 to 0.946), 0.981 (0.978 to 0.984) and 0.972 (0.968 to 0.975), respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in the BLS, ALS and modifi ed BLS TOR rules for 1-month survival with CPC = 3 to 5 were 0.865, 0.654 and 0.765, respectively.i P274 Capnometry successfully predicts outcome and determination of the cessation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation eff orts EH Hajdinjak1, ŠG Grmec2, MK Križmarić3, ET Torkar2, MS Skufca2, DB Buić-Rerečić2, MK Kovač2, MZ Zelinka2 1Center for Emergency Medicine Maribor, University of Maribor, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Maribor, Slovenia; 2Community Health Centre Ljubljana, University of Ljubljana, University of Maribor, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Slovenia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P274 (doi: 10.1186/cc10881) P272 The fi rst is for use by responders providing basic life support (BLS) which includes three criteria: not witnessed by EMS personnel, no shocks are administered and no return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The other is for use by responders providing advanced life support (ALS) which adds two criteria: unwitnessed by a bystander and no bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Simpler criteria as a universal TOR rule may be desirable for any level of EMS personnel. We performed this study to validate two TOR rules and a modifi ed BLS TOR rule which includes three criteria: unwitnessed arrest, no shocks administered and no ROSC achieved before arrival at hospital for predicting refractory OHCAs. Conclusion Our experimental study confi rmed that, in a pig model of prolonged cardiac arrest, VA ECMO, mainly the FF approach, increases signifi cantly the CPP over time, assures good metabolic recovery and off ers sustained reasonable resuscitability. Morrison LJ, et al.: N Engl J Med 2006, 355:478-487. P272 Relation of bystander to victim as a factor associated with 1-month survival of bystander-witnessed OHCAs having bystander CPRi Table 2 (abstract P272). Relation of bystander to victim as a factor associated with 1-month survival of bystander-witnessed OHCAs having bystander CPR Adjusted odds ratio (95% confi dence interval) Bystander-witnessed OHCAs Of presumed Of presumed cardiac etiology Factor with bystander CPR cardiac etiology with shockable initial rhythm Etiology of arrest Presumed cardiac 1.39 (1.24 to 1.55) Undefi ned Undefi ned Noncardiac Reference Initial rhythm Shockable 4.38 (3.95 to 4.85) 4.82 (4.29 to 5.42) Undefi ned Nonshockable Reference Reference Reference Patient’s age 0.97 (0.97 to 0.98) 0.97 (0.97 to 0.97) 0.98 (0.97 to 0.98) Sex Male 1.14 (1.02 to 1.26) 1.16 (1.02 to 1.32) 1.07 (0.90 to 1.26) Female Reference Reference Reference Relation of bystander to victim Family Reference Reference Reference Friend, colleague and passers-by 1.70 (1.49 to 1.95) 1.40 (1.19 to 1.64) 1.61 (1.42 to 1.81) Others 1.59 (1.42 to 1.78) 1.46 (1.27 to 1.68) 1.32 (1.10 to 1.59) elation of bystander to victim as a factor associated with 1-month survival of bystander-witnessed OHCAs having bystander CPR Table 2 (abstract P272). Relation of bystander to victim as a factor associated with 1-month survival of bystander-witnessed O y y Adjusted odds ratio (95% confi dence interval) Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S99 P273 and partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PetCO2) values were collected for each patient in cardiac arrest by the emergency physician. We hypothesized that an end-tidal carbon dioxide level of 1.9 kPa (14.3 mmHg) or more after 20 minutes and 1.8 kPa or more after 15 minutes of standard advanced cardiac life support would predict restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). P276 Survival benefi t for patients receiving antibiotics following out-of- hospital cardiac arrest KJ Davies, ID Kerslake, J Walters, MJ Thomas Bristol Royal Infi rmary, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P276 (doi: 10.1186/cc10883) Introduction Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has become standard management following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Recent evidence suggests TH increases the risk of pneumonia. We retrospectively assessed infective indicators after OHCA and evaluated the eff ect of antibiotics on survival. Results One-hundred and four patients survived more than 24 hours out of all 1,026 patients analyzed. Mean IL-6, S-100B and NSE levels in nonsurvivors (n = 51) were signifi cantly higher than those in survivors (n = 53) at all timepoints (P <0.01). Those in poor neurological outcome (n = 74) were signifi cantly higher than those in favorable neurological outcome (n = 29) at all timepoints (P <0.01). From the results of ROC analysis and multivariate analysis, IL-6 >240 pg/ml at 6 hours and S-100B >0.37 ng/ml on admission were chosen as an independent predictors of nonsurvival, and S-100B >0.07 ng/ml at 24 hours was chosen as that of poor neurological outcome. Subgroup analysis of 56 patients showed that mean levels of IL-6 at 6 hours, S-100B at 6 hours and S-100B at 24 hours in the maintained (n = 29) group were signifi cantly lower than those in the not-maintained group (n  =  27) (P <0.05). f Methods We identifi ed all patients admitted to the ICU of a regional primary angioplasty hospital following OHCA from May 2007 to December 2010. We recorded ICNARC predicted mortality scores, blood and respiratory (protected catheter aspiration) culture results, white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP), hospital outcome and ICU length of stay. All chest radiographs (CXRs) were reviewed by a respiratory consultant (JW). Any antibacterial therapy was recorded. Results A total of 144 patients were admitted to the ICU following OHCA. Mean age was 61.7 years (95% CI 59.0 to 64.4). The mortality rate was 66.67% (58.62 to 73.84) with mean ICNARC predicted mortality of 77.11% (73.84 to 80.39). Of 144 patients, 138 (95.8%; 91.1 to 98.1) had at least one positive marker of infection within 72 hours. Sixty-four had microbiology samples analysed, 34 of which were positive (53.1%; 41.1 to 64.8%). Of 88 patients who had a CXR, 26 (29.6%; 21.0 to 39.8) had consolidation. P277 P277 Correlation between IL-6 and S-100B blood levels and outcome of post-cardiac arrest syndrome and infl uence of therapeutic hypothermia on these mediator blood levels K Shinozaki 1, S Oda2, T Sadahiro2, M Nakamura2, E Watanabe2, R Abe2, T Nakada2, Y Morita2, K Nakanishi3, N Kitamura4, H Hirasawa2 1Chiba Aoba Municipal Hospital, Chiba City, Japan; 2Chiba University, Chiba City, Japan; 3Narita Red Cross Hospital, Narita City, Japan; 4Kimitsu Chuo Hospital, Kisarazu City, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P277 (doi: 10.1186/cc10884) Correlation between IL-6 and S-100B blood levels and outcome of post-cardiac arrest syndrome and infl uence of therapeutic hypothermia on these mediator blood levels K Shinozaki 1, S Oda2, T Sadahiro2, M Nakamura2, E Watanabe2, R Abe2, T Nakada2, Y Morita2, K Nakanishi3, N Kitamura4, H Hirasawa2 1Chiba Aoba Municipal Hospital, Chiba City, Japan; 2Chiba University, Chiba City, Japan; 3Narita Red Cross Hospital, Narita City, Japan; 4Kimitsu Chuo Hospital, Kisarazu City, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P277 (doi: 10.1186/cc10884) Results Overall rates of 1-month survival and that with favorable neurological outcome were 56.7% (n = 5,604) and 40.6% (n = 4,013), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds ratio for age, shockable initial rhythm and collapse–ROSC time interval were 0.964 (95% CI 0.961 to 0.967), 3.564 (95% CI 3.232 to 3.934) and 0.967 (95% CI 0.963 to 0.970), respectively, and that these variables were identifi ed as the best variables for developing a prediction model. A statistical outcome prediction model using these three variables was as follows: Pf = exp(B) / [1 + exp(B)], where Pf is the probability of a favorable outcome and exp(B) is the exponential function of B: B = –0.037×age (years) + 0.635×(shockable rhythm (1 or 0)) – 0.034×(collapse–ROSC time interval (minutes)) + 2.540. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of this model for predicting 1-month favourable neurological outcome was 0.764. Introduction To elucidate the signifi cance of IL-6, S-100B and NSE in pathophysiology of post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS), blood levels of those mediators sampled within the fi rst 24 hours after cardiac arrest (CA) were compared between groups classifi ed according to survival and neurological outcomes. Furthermore, infl uence of stability of core temperature with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) on these mediator blood levels was also investigated. Methods Nontraumatic out-of-hospital CA patients were included. Blood was sampled on admission, at 6 hours and 24 hours after CA, respectively. Capnometry successfully predicts outcome and determination of the cessation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation eff orts Capnometry successfully predicts outcome and determination of the cessation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation eff orts Š j j DB Buić-Rerečić2, MK Kovač2, MZ Zelinka2 1Center for Emergency Medicine Maribor, University of Maribor, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Maribor, Slovenia; 2Community Health Centre Ljubljana, University of Ljubljana, University of Maribor, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Slovenia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P274 (doi: 10.1186/cc10881) Introduction Prognosis in patients suff ering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is poor. Higher survival rates have been observed only in patients with ventricular fi brillation who were fortunate enough to have basic and advanced life support initiated soon after cardiac arrest. An ability to predict cardiac arrest outcomes would be useful for resuscitation. Changes in expired end-tidal carbon dioxide levels during cardio- pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may be a useful, noninvasive predictor of successful resuscitation and survival from cardiac arrest, and could help in determining when to cease CPR eff orts. Conclusion We found that each TOR rule had high specifi city (ability to predict survivors with favourable neurological outcome) and low misclassifi cation rate as a universal TOR rule. The modifi ed BLS TOR rule is simpler and as reliable as the other two rules. In Japan, as EMS providers are legally prohibited from terminating resuscitation in the fi eld, the amendment of related laws and the establishment of national consensus would be necessary to apply these rules in the Japanese EMS system. Reference f Methods This is a prospective, observational study of 1,080 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The patients were intubated and measurements of end-tidal carbon dioxide taken. Data according to the Utstein criteria, demographic information, medical data, Morrison LJ, et al.: N Engl J Med 2006, 355:478-487. S100 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P276 poor neurological outcome (CPC 3 to 5) and favorable neurological outcome (CPC 1 to 2), respectively. Factors signifi cantly correlated with survival and neurological outcomes were investigated by comparing baseline characteristics and mediator blood levels. Patients receiving TH were also included into subgroup analysis. If the core temperature was maintained at 33  ±  1°C for more than 18 hours within the fi rst 24 hours, the patient was classifi ed into maintained, and if not into not- maintained, and mediator blood levels were compared between the subgroups. P276 Survival benefi t for patients receiving antibiotics following out-of- hospital cardiac arrest Ninety-six of 115 patients (83.5%; 75.6 to 89.1) had a CRP >100 mg/l (normal value <10 mg/l) within 72 hours and 82 of 115 (71.3%; 62.5 to 78.8) had an abnormal WBC (<4.0 or >11.0×109/l). Fifty- six of 144 patients (38.9%; 31.3 to 47.0) received antibiotics during the fi rst 7 days of their ICU stay (mean time to fi rst dose 2.17 days; 1.69 to 2.66). The hospital mortality rate for these patients 53.6% (40.7 to 66.0) was signifi cantly less than those not receiving antibiotics 75.0% (65.0 to 82.9) (χ2 6.14, P = 0.01) with absolute risk reduction of 0.214 (0.055 to 0.365) and NNT of 5 (3 to 18). There was no diff erence in age (59.9 ± 4.2 vs. 62.9 ± 3.5) or ICNARC predicted mortality (75.1 ± 5.2 vs. 78.4 ± 4.2) between the groups. Conclusion IL-6 and S-100B levels within 24 hours after CA, but not NSE, are related to survival and neurological outcome. IL-6 and S-100B are considered to be important mediators for the pathophysiology of PCAS and TH may infl uence blood levels of these mediators. Early neurological outcome prediction model after bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide population-based study Early neurological outcome prediction model after bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide population-based study Y Goto1, T Maeda1, Y Goto2, H Inaba3 1Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa, Japan; 2Yawata Medical Center, Komatsu, Japan; 3Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P278 (doi: 10.1186/cc10885) Y Goto1, T Maeda1, Y Goto2, H Inaba3 1Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa, Japan; 2Yawata Medical Center, Komatsu, Japan; 3Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P278 (doi: 10.1186/cc10885) g Conclusion The post-arrest management of OHCA is commonly complicated by infections, the diagnosis of which is delayed by a universal increase in infl ammatory markers, body temperature control, delay in the processing of samples and poor quality radiography. We have shown a signifi cant reduction in mortality in patients receiving antibiotics compared with patients who do not, despite there being no diff erence in age or predicted mortality between the groups. This could be due to treatment of an aspiration pneumonia, an anti-infl ammatory eff ect or that some patients did not survive long enough to receive antibiotics. It suggests that a formal clinical trial is warranted. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P278 (doi: 10.1186/cc10885 Introduction Identifi cation of prehospital prognostic factors in out-of- hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) with prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and establishment of a prediction model for survival with favorable neurological outcome may minimize the costs and save the medical resources. In this study, we developed a best model for predicting 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcome (defi ned as Glasgow–Pittsburgh cerebral performance category (CPC) scale = 1 or 2), using a logistic regression analysis. g g g y Methods Of 522,801 resuscitation-attempted adult patients after OHCAs, 9,876 bystander-witnessed arrests of presumed cardiac origin with prehospital ROSC were analyzed in a prospectively recorded nationwide Utstein-style database in Japan over 5 years (2005 to 2009). The endpoint was 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcome. We performed multivariate logistic regression analysis to develop a prediction model using the prehospital factors. P277 Population cooled post cardiac arrest D/C (n = 12) Died (n = 26) VF arrest 10 (83%) 18 (75%) P = 0.69 DT >30 minutes 1 (8%) 14 (58%) P = 0.005 First CPR <5 minutes 11 (92%) 17 (71%) P = 0.22 Cardiac aetiology 10 (83%) 16 (67%) P = 0.44 Conclusion Survival is improved in patients cooled post-out-of- hospital cardiac arrest [1,2]. Downtime is statistically signifi cant in the survival of cooled patients. Achieving optimal timing of cooling was no better in surviving versus dying populations. Cooling post-out-of- hospital cardiac arrest is expensive and time-consuming; selection criteria need to be evaluated to concentrate this resource on patients where there is a higher prospect of a positive outcome [2] Table 1 (abstract P280). Population cooled post cardiac arrest Table 1 (abstract P280). Population cooled post cardiac arrest Introduction Most patients admitted to the ICU after cardiac arrest die or have an unfavourable neurological outcome due to brain damage. Currently, the only treatment to reduce brain injury after cardiac arrest is mild hypothermia. Helium inhalation has shown promising results as a neuroprotective agent in animal models of cerebral infarction. If helium inhalation ameliorates neurological damage by reducing reperfusion injury in humans as well, this could be of great benefi t to patients. As no studies exist that investigate the use of helium ventilation in patients after cardiac arrest we investigated whether this treatment is safe and feasible. Conclusion Survival is improved in patients cooled post-out-of- hospital cardiac arrest [1,2]. Downtime is statistically signifi cant in the survival of cooled patients. Achieving optimal timing of cooling was no better in surviving versus dying populations. Cooling post-out-of- hospital cardiac arrest is expensive and time-consuming; selection criteria need to be evaluated to concentrate this resource on patients where there is a higher prospect of a positive outcome [2]. Methods A single-centre open-label intervention study was performed in a mixed 30-bed academic ICU, approved by the local medical ethics committee. Inclusion criteria: admission after a witnessed cardiac arrest, presenting with ventricular fi brillation or tachycardia, return of spontaneous circulation within 30 minutes, treatment with hypothermia. Exclusion criteria: pre-existing neurological disorders or the need for a FiO2 >50% or >10 mmHg PEEP on ICU admission. Helium was administered during 3 hours as a 1:1 mixture with oxygen, using a Servo-i ventilator. P281 P281 Therapeutic hypothermia for nonventricular fi brillation/ventricular tachycardia cardiac arrest S Jog1, D Patel1, M Patel1, R Kulkarni1, N Chouthai2 1Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India; 2Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P281 (doi: 10.1186/cc10888) Therapeutic hypothermia for nonventricular fi brillation/ventricular tachycardia cardiac arrest p p p Results In total 25 patients were included, 20 (80%) male, age 64.8 ± 12.1 years, APACHE II score 20.0 ± 8.6, SAPS II 53.6 ± 18.6. Helium treatment was started 4:57 ± 0:54 hours after arrest. In one patient the treatment was stopped due to inadequate ventilation using the preset limits. This was not due to the helium ventilation and no adverse events due to helium ventilation were noted. Overall, nine (36%) patients had a poor outcome. S Jog1, D Patel1, M Patel1, R Kulkarni1, N Chouthai2 1Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India; 2Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P281 (doi: 10.1186/cc10888) Introduction Although effi cacy of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) for cardiac arrest following ventricular tachycardia (VT)/ventricular fi brillation (VF) is a recommended therapy, the effi cacy of TH for non- VF/VT cardiac arrest is still not well studied. We conducted a study to evaluate effi cacy and outcomes of TH in non-VF/VT cardiac arrest patients in terms of survival and neurological outcome. Conclusion In this small study, we encountered no problems associated with helium treatment in patients admitted to the ICU after cardiac arrest. This opens the way for studies investigating the hypothesis that helium treatment reduces neurological injury in these patients. Methods TH was initiated with intravenous ice-cold saline and maintained with an external servo controlled cooling system (ESCCS); by Blanketrol II Hypo-Hyperthermia system (Cincinnati Sub-Zero Inc.) between 34 and 32°C for 24 hours. Gradual rewarming was also done with ESCCS. Non-VF/VT cardiac arrest patients with GCS ≤7 at 60 minutes of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) were enrolled. Standard hemodynamic monitoring and management was continued in all patients. P277 Then, patients that died within 24 hours after CA were excluded. Patients were classifi ed into nonsurvivors (died within 28 days) and survivors (survived for 28 days or longer), and classifi ed into Conclusion Three prehospital prognostic factors (age, shockable initial rhythm and collapse–ROSC time interval) were identifi ed as the best variables in predicting favorable neurological outcomes in OHCAs with prehospital ROSC. A model using these prehospital prognostic factors S101 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results Seventy patients had a hospital admission of post-cardiac arrest. Five failed the inclusion criteria and six fulfi lled exclusion criteria. A total of 36 (51%) were cooled (Table 1). Twelve (33%) of the cooled population survived to hospital discharge (D/C), one (8%) cooled within 4 hours, three (25%) cooled for over 12 hours. Ten (28%) patients were cooled despite not having a cardiac cause. One (4%) of the 23 noncooled patients survived to hospital discharge, four (17%) had a cardiac cause. The median age of cooled population was 66 years (quartile range 53.5 to 74 years) and 44 years (quartile range 41 to 52 years) of the noncooled. Results Seventy patients had a hospital admission of post-cardiac arrest. Five failed the inclusion criteria and six fulfi lled exclusion criteria. A total of 36 (51%) were cooled (Table 1). Twelve (33%) of the cooled population survived to hospital discharge (D/C), one (8%) cooled within 4 hours, three (25%) cooled for over 12 hours. Ten (28%) patients were cooled despite not having a cardiac cause. One (4%) of the 23 noncooled patients survived to hospital discharge, four (17%) had a cardiac cause. The median age of cooled population was 66 years (quartile range 53.5 to 74 years) and 44 years (quartile range 41 to 52 years) of the noncooled. has shown a good predictive value for estimating 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcome in OHCA patients. Although this novel model needs to be validated using another external dataset, this model may help to minimize the cost and save medical resources. P279 P279 Helium ventilation is safe and feasible in ICU patients admitted after cardiac arrest D Brevoord, C Beurskens, N Juff ermans, W Van den Bergh, W Lagrand, B Preckel, J Horn Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P279 (doi: 10.1186/cc10886) Table 1 (abstract P280). P277 An independent data safety monitoring board reviewed all problems arising from the helium ventilation itself and all fatalities. Poor outcome was assessed with the Glasgow Outcome Score at 30 days: death and vegetative state were defi ned as poor outcome. Data are presented as mean ± SD or numbers and proportions. References 1. Holzer M, et al.: Crit Care Med 2005, 33:414-418. 2. Hay A, et al.: Anaesthesia 2008, 63:15-19. References 1. Holzer M, et al.: Crit Care Med 2005, 33:414-418. 2. Hay A, et al.: Anaesthesia 2008, 63:15-19. Therapeutic hypothermia in an out-of-hospital arrest population: are we selecting appropriately? The decrease in cerebral oxygenation during induction of TH was not associated with a major change in hemodynamic parameters (MAP before induction of TH: 79 mmHg ± 19; at 33°C: 82 mmHg ± 9), nor with a major change in systemic oxygenation (SpO2 before TH: 99% ± 1; at 33°C: 97% ± 3). In patients who survived until hospital discharge, SctO2 returned to baseline values, 3.5 hours after induction of TH, before the target temperature of 33°C was reached. In patients who did not survive the hospital stay, SctO2 remained lower than baseline values until the target temperature was reached. In these nonsurvivors, SctO2 values did only return to baseline values during maintenance of TH (10 hours after induction of TH). During maintenance of TH and rewarming (0.3°C), no further signifi cant changes in SctO2 values were observed. P282 Comparison of cold crystalloid and colloid infusions for induction of therapeutic hypothermia RS Skulec, AT Truhlar, ZT Turek, RP Parizkova, VC Cerny Charles University in Prague, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P282 (doi: 10.1186/cc10889) p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P282 (doi: 10.1186/cc10889) Introduction While cold crystalloids have been used for induction of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest [1,2], the eff ectiveness of cold colloids has not so far been evaluated. Therefore, we investigated the cooling eff ect of rapid intravenous infusion of cold crystalloid compared to colloid in a porcine model of ventricular fi brillation (VF). Methods VF was electrically induced in 22 anesthetized domestic pigs (33  ±  2 kg). Defi brillation was attempted after 15 minutes CPR using the AutoPulse (Zoll Medical, USA) and artifi cial ventilation. After spontaneous circulation was restored, the animals were randomized to receive either 1,500 ml of 1°C cold normal saline (group A; n = 9) within 20 minutes using a Zoll Power Infuser, or 1,500 ml of 1°C cold Voluven (6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 in 0.9% NaCl) (group B; n = 9), or no infusion (group C; n = 4). The animals were observed for 90 minutes following infusion. Cerebral, rectal, intramuscular, pulmonary artery, and subcutaneous fat body temperatures (BT) were continuously recorded using GES 130 temperature probes and GMH 3250 digital thermometers (Greisinger Electronic, Germany). Data were analyzed with JMP 3.2 software (SAS Institute, USA) and are expressed as a mean ± SD. P <0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant. Survey on the management of patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia post cardiac arrest in London hospitals A Walecka, SC Robert, A Prasad The Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P284 (doi: 10.1186/cc10891) y gi Results In total, 46.6  ±  3.2 ml/kg cold normal saline was infused in group A, and 45.7  ±  2.7 ml/kg cold colloid in group B. The animals treated with cold fl uids achieved a signifi cant decrease of BT in all measurement sites while there was a spontaneous increase in group C (P <0.05). At the time of fi nishing infusion there was a greater decrease in cerebral and pulmonary artery BT in group A compared to group B (–1.7 ± 0.4 vs. –1.1 ± 0.3 °C, P = 0.002; and –2.1 ± 0.3 vs. –1.6 ± 0.2 °C, P <0.001 respectively). Area under the curve analysis of the decrease in intracerebral BT revealed a more vigorous cooling eff ect in group A compared to B (–91 ± 30 vs. –62 ± 27 °C/minute, P = 0.047). There was also a higher calculated enthalpy for crystalloid solution compared to colloid in the time-point of maximal BT decrease (33.9  ±  5.7 vs. 26.6 ± 3.4 kJ/kg, P <0.05). A Walecka, SC Robert, A Prasad The Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Introduction The second UK national survey on therapeutic hypothermia (TH) post cardiac arrest demonstrated an impressive increase in its implementation across the UK (from 28% to 85.6%) [1]. Therapeutic hypothermia, however, induces numerous physiological and pathophysiological changes and therefore should be performed in a standardised and controlled manner in order to be safe and eff ective. We carried out a telephone survey to determine the current TH practice in London hospitals. p Methods Thirty-two London intensive care units (ITUs) were contacted by telephone. The data were analysed using Excel spreadsheets. Conclusion Cold crystalloid infusions resulted in a more intense cooling eff ect than colloid infusions of the same temperature and infusion rate in this porcine model of cardiac arrest. by telephone. The data were analysed using Excel spreadsheets. Results Of the 32 ITUs contacted, 30 (93.7%) had been using therapeutic hypothermia following cardiac arrest. Fifteen (50%) of them were teaching hospitals and the remaining 15 (50%) were district general hospitals. Twenty-two (73.3%) hospitals had a protocol in place. External cooling was the preferred method used by 28 (93.3%) hospitals. Therapeutic hypothermia in an out-of-hospital arrest population: are we selecting appropriately? A Short, M Brett, L Donaldsoni Glasgow Royal Infi rmary, Glasgow, UK p Results A total of 13 patients with average GCS of 3.4 at 1 hour after ROSC were enrolled in the study. Average time for ROSC was 16.5 minutes. Demographic and baseline variables were comparable amongst survivors and nonsurvivors except age (survivors 43 years and nonsurvivors 65 years). Average duration to achieve target temperature was 4.9 hours. Five out of 13 (38.46%) patients survived without any neurological defi cit or cognitive dysfunction (Cerebral Performance Category – 1). Out of eight nonsurvivors, six died due to cardiogenic shock, one died due to refractory hypoxia and in one case relatives opted for withhold of aggressive care. Cardiac arrest was out of hospital in eight patients (three survivors and fi ve nonsurvivors) and intra-hospital in fi ve (two survivors and three nonsurvivors). Introduction We question how appropriately we select patients to undergo therapeutic hypothermia following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods The population was identifi ed through searching Wardwatcher between August 2006 and February 2011. Inclusion criteria were all patients with an ICU admission of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Exclusion criteria were: no CPR within the preceding 24 hours; admission from theatre; insuffi cient data. Data were gathered from Wardwatcher, Careview and patients’ case notes for age, arrest rhythm, downtime (DT) – time from arrest to return of spontaneous circulation, time to initiation of CPR, temperatures at various time points, cause of arrest and outcome. Statistical analysis was performed with Fisher’s exact test, signifi cance level of P <0.05. Permission for use of patient notes was granted from the consultant group of the ICU audited. i Conclusion TH may have benefi cial eff ects in the neurological outcome of patients having non-VT/VF cardiac arrest. Additional controlled studies are warranted to establish effi cacy of TH as a treatment for non- VT/VF cardiac arrest. S102 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P282 impairment. Temperature at admission was 34.6°C (±0.5°C). Patients reached the target temperature of 33°C, 4 hours after induction of TH. Two patients died during maintenance of TH due to refractory hemodynamic shock. In all patients, SctO2 values started above 65%. Two and a half hours after induction of TH, SctO2 values decreased with 9% (±3%). P284 S Survey on the management of patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia post cardiac arrest in London hospitals A Walecka, SC Robert, A Prasad The Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P284 (doi: 10.1186/cc10891) Survey on the management of patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia post cardiac arrest in London hospitals A Walecka, SC Robert, A Prasad The Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P284 (doi: 10.1186/cc10891) The target temperature varied from 32 to 35ºC with two (6.7%) ITUs targeting a temperature of 32ºC, 11 (36.7%) of 33ºC, six (20%) of 34ºC, one (10%) of 32 to 33ºC, seven (23.4%) of 32 to 34ºC and one (10%) of 34 to 35ºC. The time of cooling varied between 12 and 48 hours. The cooling period was measured from initiation of cooling by 22 (73.3%) ITUs and from achievement of target temperature by six (20%) ITUs. Two responders were not sure how it was measured. Twenty-fi ve (83.3%) units measured core temperature during the cooling. Passive rewarming was used by 20 (66.6%) responders. Twenty-four (80%) units maintain normothermia post therapeutic hypothermia. From additional aspects of the management of the induced hypothermia, 20 (66.6%) ITUs adjusted drug doses while starting TH, 15 (50%) monitored the depth of sedation, and 17 (56.6%) regularly checked train of four in paralyzed patients. Shivering was treated with sedation and paralysis by 25 (83.3%) of responders. Pregnancy status of all women younger than 50 years old was checked by 10 (33.3%) units. Fifteen (50%) units do not audit the practice regularly.i Results Of the 32 ITUs contacted, 30 (93.7%) had been using therapeutic hypothermia following cardiac arrest. Fifteen (50%) of them were teaching hospitals and the remaining 15 (50%) were district general hospitals. Twenty-two (73.3%) hospitals had a protocol in place. External cooling was the preferred method used by 28 (93.3%) hospitals. Acknowledgements The study was supported by grant MZO 00179906. References 1. Kim F, et al.: Circulation 2007, 115:3064-3070. 1. Kim F, et al.: Circulation 2007, 115:3064-3070. 2. Skulec R, et al.: Crit Care 2010, 14:R231. 2. Skulec R, et al.: Crit Care 2010, 14:R231. Cerebral oxygenation during induction of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest I Meex, J Dens, F Jans, C De Deyne I Meex, J Dens, F Jans, C De Deyne y Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium y Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium g g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P283 (doi: 10.1186/cc10890) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P283 (doi: 10.1186/cc10890) Introduction Induced mild hypothermia (32 to 34°C) improves survival and neurological outcome after CA. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measures cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2). As of today, no data are available on SctO2 monitoring during therapeutic hypothermia (TH). Therefore, SctO2 was measured in this study during the fi rst 36 hours after CA. Methods After IRB approval, data were collected from 23 patients. Cold saline (30 ml/kg) was administered as soon as possible after hospital admission. TH (33°C) was induced by endovascular or surface cooling and maintained for 24 hours. All patients were sedated (propofol/ remifentanil) for the duration of TH. NIRS sensors were bilaterally applied to the frontotemporal area before start of TH. Patients were monitored during induction, maintenance and recovery of TH. Results Of 23 patients, 11 patients did not survive until hospital discharge due to post-ischemic brain damage. Twelve patients survived until hospital discharge, of whom eight without any neurological Methods After IRB approval, data were collected from 23 patients. Cold saline (30 ml/kg) was administered as soon as possible after hospital admission. TH (33°C) was induced by endovascular or surface cooling and maintained for 24 hours. All patients were sedated (propofol/ remifentanil) for the duration of TH. NIRS sensors were bilaterally applied to the frontotemporal area before start of TH. Patients were monitored during induction, maintenance and recovery of TH. Conclusion There are signifi cant variations in practice between London hospitals which probably refl ect the ongoing debate on the optimal management of patients treated with TH. Of note is that 50% of surveyed hospitals do not audit the current practice regularly which may have an impact on the quality and eff ectiveness of therapeutic cooling. g Reference y Results Of 23 patients, 11 patients did not survive until hospital discharge due to post-ischemic brain damage. Twelve patients survived until hospital discharge, of whom eight without any neurological Therapeutic hypothermia in an out-of-hospital arrest population: are we selecting appropriately? Conclusion Noninvasive monitoring revealed a decrease in cerebral oxygenation during induction of mild hypothermia in patients after cardiac arrest. We observed a diff erence in oxygenation between hospital survivors and nonsurvivors. Binks AC, et al.: Therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest – implementation in UK intensive care units. Anaesthesia 2010, 65:260-265. Reference . Binks AC, et al.: Therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest – implementation in UK intensive care units. Anaesthesia 2010, 65:260-265. S103 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P285 Simplifi ed EEG/aEEG to monitor the injured brain after cardiac arrest H Friberg1, M Rundgren1, E Westhall1, N Nielsen2, T Cronberg1 1Lund University, Lund, Sweden; 2Helsingborg Hospital, Helsingborg, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P285 (doi: 10.1186/cc10892) maintained for 48 hours and rewarmed to 36°C over another 48 hours. As induction of patients’ sedation, we injected 5 mg midazolam and 0.2 μg fentanyl intravenously just as we recognized patients’ movement or immediately before induction of TH. For maintenance of sedation, midazolam at dose 0.1 mg/kg/hour, dexmedetomidine at dose 0.4 μg/ kg/hour and fentanyl at doses 0.8 μg/kg/hour were administrated continuously. The midazolam and the dexmedetomidine infusion were adjusted to a target BIS value of 40 or less. BIS monitoring was ceased after completion of both rewarming and discontinuation of sedative drugs. maintained for 48 hours and rewarmed to 36°C over another 48 hours. As induction of patients’ sedation, we injected 5 mg midazolam and 0.2 μg fentanyl intravenously just as we recognized patients’ movement or immediately before induction of TH. For maintenance of sedation, midazolam at dose 0.1 mg/kg/hour, dexmedetomidine at dose 0.4 μg/ kg/hour and fentanyl at doses 0.8 μg/kg/hour were administrated continuously. The midazolam and the dexmedetomidine infusion were adjusted to a target BIS value of 40 or less. BIS monitoring was ceased after completion of both rewarming and discontinuation of sedative drugs. Introduction Once hemodynamics is stabilized, the main concern in the comatose cardiac arrest patient is the status of the brain and the potential recovery of brain functions. Approximately 30% of comatose cardiac arrest patients develop electrographic seizures, many of whom have associated clinical seizures that may be concealed by sedation and paralyzers. As part of the Lund coma project, we have continuously monitored and evaluated simplifi ed EEG/aEEG in consecutive hypothermia-treated cardiac arrest patients. g Results In all six patients, TH was completed without severe complication, especially shivering movement and serious hypostatic pneumonia. Three patients presenting unstable BIS values lower than 10 during TH showed poor neurological outcome, while the other three patients presenting stable BIS values about 40 showed favorable neurological outcome. Usefulness of a Bispectral index oriented sedative method without neuromuscular blocker for therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest Usefulness of a Bispectral index oriented sedative method withou neuromuscular blocker for therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest S Shiraishi, Y Ohta, T Tagami, Y Ono, T Masuno, H Yokota Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P286 (doi: 10.1186/cc10893) g p Results There were 33 PROSC patients: 27 (81%) survived and 14 (42%) achieved a favorable neurological outcome. The cause of the CPA was cardiac attack in 17, noncardiac attack in 10, and unknown in six patients. Average age in the favorable recovery group was signifi cantly younger than in the poor recovery group (62.5 vs. 70.3, P <0.05). The favorable group was all the proportion of patients with ventricular fi brillation (VF) at the scene. Of the 14 that achieved a favorable neurological outcome, the cause of the CPA was cardiac attack in 12 and unknown in two patients. On the other hand, electrocardiograms of poor neurological outcome showed VF, pulseless electrical activity, and asystole. The cause of the CPA was cardiac attack in fi ve, noncardiac attack in 10, and unknown in four. Average pH of artery blood gas (ABG) in the favorable recovery group was signifi cantly higher than in the poor recovery group (7.31 vs. 7.17, P <0.004). The receiver-operator characteristic curve for pH of ABG on arrival was analyzed. The area under the curve was 0.76. S Shiraishi, Y Ohta, T Tagami, Y Ono, T Masuno, H Yokota Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P286 (doi: 10.1186/cc10893) Introduction During therapeutic hypothermia (TH) after cardiac arrest (CA), neuromuscular blockers are often used to prevent or treat thermogenic shivering [1]. But the following risks due to neuromuscular paralysis are encountered: prolonged muscle weakness, hypostatic pneumonia and venous thromboembolism. So we evaluated the usefulness of Bispectral index (BIS) oriented sedation without neuromuscular blocker in six cases of post CA patients receiving TH. Methods Six consecutive patients admitted after CA and treated with TH by the same attending physicians’ group were included. BIS monitoring was applied immediately after the admission to ER. After initial resuscitation and radiological examination, including coronary angiography and angioplasty, patients were admitted to the ICU and cooled down to a target body temperature of 34°C using a surface cooling system with an external pad. Target body temperature was Introduction During therapeutic hypothermia (TH) after cardiac arrest (CA), neuromuscular blockers are often used to prevent or treat thermogenic shivering [1]. Reference Myoclonic movement or convulsion, regarded as signs of bad outcome, was observed in two poor neurological outcome patients. Cough refl ex was observed in two favorable neurological outcome patients throughout their TH. yp p Methods Needle electrodes corresponding to the F3 to P3 and F4 to P4 leads were applied at admission to the ICU. The Nervus NicoletOne® monitor (CareFusion Inc.) was used to display the continuous raw EEG curves as well as the amplitude integrated EEG (aEEG). The EEG data were available to the treating intensivist and were linked to the Department of Neurophysiology, where the accumulated data were interpreted once daily, 5 days a week. Conclusion BIS oriented sedation without neuromuscular blocker is feasible in maintaining TH for survivors from CA. By keeping muscular function, both noxious and benefi cial movements are preserved and these help us to predict neurological outcome and prevent patients from hypostatic disorders. R f Results Monitoring of aEEG was successfully applied in all patients. Four dominating patterns were defi ned; fl at, continuous, suppression- burst (SB) and electrographic status epilepticus (ESE) [1]. We identifi ed three groups of patients: one group with mild brain injury and a good outcome, characterized by a return of a continuous EEG pattern during the fi rst 24 hours. A second group with severe brain injury and a poor outcome had a fl at EEG or a SB pattern during the fi rst 24 hours, which evolved into alfa-coma or a treatment refractory ESE. In this group, early myoclonus was common. The third group with a presumed intermediate brain injury often developed a late ESE during rewarming, from a continuous and sometimes reactive background EEG. In this third group, which presented with low brain damage biomarkers and unremarkable MR brain imaging, there were survivors, some of whom received prolonged care in the ICU [2]. y Reference 1. Chamorro et al.: Anesth Analg 2010, 110:1328-1335. 1. Chamorro et al.: Anesth Analg 2010, 110:1328-1335. p References 1. Rundgren M, et al.: Crit Care Med 2010, 38:1838. 2. Cronberg T, et al.: Neurology 2011, 77:623. 1. Rundgren M, et al.: Crit Care Med 2010, 38:1838. Predictive factors of neurologic outcome in therapeutic hypothermia after prehospital return of spontaneous circulation Y Ohta, S Shiraishi, Y Ono, G Matsumoto, T Tagami, T Masuno, H Yokota Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012 16(Suppl 1):P287 (doi: 10 1186/cc10894) Predictive factors of neurologic outcome in therapeutic hypothermia after prehospital return of spontaneous circulation Y Ohta, S Shiraishi, Y Ono, G Matsumoto, T Tagami, T Masuno, H Yokota Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan C iti l C 2012 16(S l 1) P287 (d i 10 1186/ 10894) pp y p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P287 (doi: 10.1186/cc10894) Introduction Induction of hypothermia is generally accepted to improve neurologic recovery of out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA). Early prognostication of post-CPA patients is challenging. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive factors for neurologic outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients who returned their spontaneous circulation in a prehospital setting (PROSC) and underwent therapeutic hypothermia (TH). p g Conclusion Simplifi ed EEG/aEEG is easily applied and well adapted to the ICU environment. In combination with the raw EEG, the aEEG serves as a trend monitor of the injured brain in the comatose patient after cardiac arrest. The simplifi ed EEG/aEEG helps detect ESE and is of importance for guiding anticonvulsive treatment. The evolution of the EEG pattern mirrors the natural recovery of cortical function after cardiac arrest and gives useful positive as well as negative prognostic information. Simplifi ed EEG/aEEG serves the needs of the intensivist and has the potential to become part of a standard monitoring regimen. References y Methods PROSC patients transported to our institution between January 2007 and May 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. TH was performed for all comatose PROSC patients admitted to the hospital for post-resuscitation care, regardless of the etiology of cardiac arrest or patient’s age, except for those whose hemodynamic and pulmonary status could not be maintained. Neurological outcome at 1 month was compared as a primary end-point using the Pittsburgh cerebral performance category (CPC) scale and patients were classifi ed into a favorable outcome group (CPC 1 and 2) or poor outcome group (CPC 3 to 5). Clinical parameters were compared between patients whose neurologic outcomes were favorable and poor. P290 P290 Noninvasive cerebral oxygenation monitoring during rapid ventricular pacing in transcutaneous aortic valve implant J Dens, I Meex, F Jans, H Gutherman, C De Deyne Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P290 (doi: 10.1186/cc10897) y Methods From 30 June 2004 to 30 June 2009, OHCA patients between 18 and 65 years of age treated with TIMH were identifi ed by the Danish National Patient Registry and intensive unit registrations. Data were collected from ambulance and hospital records. Employment status was registered prior to and 1 year after OHCA from the Danish Ministry of Employment and Welfare database, using fi ve work categories (WC): WC 1, working full-time and independent of any social welfare; WC 2, unemployed but able to work; WC 3, on sick leave and receiving social welfare; WC 4, substantially reduced ability to work: and WC 5, on early retirement.i Introduction Most recent attention in interventional cardiology is now directed towards treatment of valvular heart disease. In patients with high-risk cardiac surgery, transcutaneous aortic valve implantation (TAVI) could off er a therapeutic solution. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been introduced as a useful noninvasive cerebral monitoring technique assessing cerebral oxygenation. As of today, no reports have been published on the use of any NIRS technology during TAVI procedures. During valve prosthesis implantation, a cardiac standstill by rapid ventricular pacing (RVP) is induced to minimize cardiac motion. While RVP is advantageous for valve positioning, a combination of rapid heart rate and ventricular hypertrophy can induce a complete loss of cardiac output. In most cases, this hemodynamic defi cit is well tolerated, due to the brief duration of RVP. But as of today no data are available on cerebral oxygenation during these critical periods of RVP. Methods We report on 10 consecutive patients (>75 years, major comorbidities) suff ering from severe aortic stenosis. Bilateral ForeSight sensors were applied after induction of anesthesia. We were especially interested if any change in cerebral oxygenation (SctO2 monitoring) occurred during these RVP periods. Results One hundred and thirty-three patients were identifi ed. Forty eight patients were excluded from the fi nal analysis, of which 29 patients were not able to work at baseline (WC 3 to 5), 14 patients in WC 1 to 2 at baseline died in hospital, three patients died after hospital discharge and two patients had turned 65 years of age at follow-up and went on regular retirement. Usefulness of a Bispectral index oriented sedative method without neuromuscular blocker for therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest But the following risks due to neuromuscular paralysis are encountered: prolonged muscle weakness, hypostatic pneumonia and venous thromboembolism. So we evaluated the usefulness of Bispectral index (BIS) oriented sedation without neuromuscular blocker in six cases of post CA patients receiving TH. p p g Methods Six consecutive patients admitted after CA and treated with TH by the same attending physicians’ group were included. BIS monitoring was applied immediately after the admission to ER. After initial resuscitation and radiological examination, including coronary angiography and angioplasty, patients were admitted to the ICU and cooled down to a target body temperature of 34°C using a surface cooling system with an external pad. Target body temperature was Conclusion A suitable pH at the time of hospital arrival was associated with a favorable neurologic outcome among post-cardiac arrest patients without presumed noncardiac etiology. S104 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P288 times the serum levels, and remained high after the peak of 23,500 pg/ ml at the time of admission. CSF and serum IL-10 levels were high, but not abnormally high as for IL-6 and IL-8, and decreased with time. The diff erence in CSF and serum levels, as seen for IL-6 and IL-8, was not seen for IL-10. P288 Employment status 1 year after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in comatose patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia K Kragholm1, M Skovmoeller1, AL Christensen1, K Fonager2, HH Tilsted2, H Kirkegaard3, I De Haas1, BS Rasmussen1 1Cardiovascular Research Center, Aalborg, Denmark; 2Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; 3Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Aarhus, Denmark Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P288 (doi: 10.1186/cc10895) Conclusion We elucidated the following points concerning the acute infl ammatory response following severe traumatic brain injury. High levels of IL-6 and IL-8 are maintained in both CSF and serum. CSF levels of IL-6 and IL-8 are one or two orders of magnitude greater than serum levels. Upregulation of IL-10 is minimal in comparison with IL-6 and IL-8, suggesting that in neuroinfl ammation IL-10 functions poorly as an anti- infl ammatory cytokine. Introduction Therapeutic-induced mild hypothermia (TIMH) with a core temperature of 32 to 34°C for 12 to 24 hours for comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with ventricular fi brillation or tachycardia has improved survival and neurologic outcome [1,2]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of patients returning to work 1 year after survival of OHCA treated with TIMH. References Results In all patients, the procedure was technically successfully performed. Mean SctO2 before RVP was 67% (59 to 71%) and immediately decreased during RVP to mean 54% (37 to 70%). In seven patients, RVP resulted in SctO2 decreases below 55% (mean 44%; range 37 to 52%). These decreases lasted for mean 20 minutes (14 seconds to 87 minutes). Systolic blood pressure before RVP was mean 135 mmHg (95 to 165 mmHg) and decreased to mean 74 mmHg (112 to 42 mmHg) during RVP. In six patients, RVP resulted in a decrease in systolic blood pressure below 90 mmHg, which was immediately countered by vasoactive drugs (adrenaline). In two patients, extensive hypotension persisted despite vasoactive support and CPR had to be initiated. In one patient, SctO2 values remained below 55% for 87 minutes and the patient was declared brain dead 48 hours later. 1. Bernard SA, Gray TW, Buist MD, Jones BM, Silvester W, Gutteridge G, Smith K: Treatment of comatose survivors of out of hospital cardiac arrest with induced hypothermia. N Engl J Med 2002, 346:557-563. 2. Hypothemia After Cardiac Arrest Study Group: Mild therapeutic hypothermia to improve the outcome after cardiac arrest. N Engl J Med 2002, 346:549-556. P291 P291 Changes in cerebrospinal fl uid and serum cytokine levels in severe traumatic brain injury patients Changes in cerebrospinal fl uid and serum cytokine levels in severe traumatic brain injury patients T Saito1, H Kushi2, J Sato1, A Yoshino1, K Tanjo1 1Nihon University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 2Nihon University, College of Humanities and Sciences, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P289 (doi: 10.1186/cc10896) Conclusion Transcutaneous cardiac interventions, especially those with transient cardiac standstill, can induce longlasting intraprocedural inadequacy of cerebral perfusion, despite immediate restoration of normal blood pressure. Future strategies should therefore be focused on optimalizing cerebral oxygenation before RVP. T Saito1, H Kushi2, J Sato1, A Yoshino1, K Tanjo1 1Nihon University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 2Nihon University, College of Humanities and Sciences, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P289 (doi: 10.1186/cc10896) Introduction Infl ammatory response following brain injury begins with brain tissue injury triggered neuroinfl ammation, which induces a systemic infl ammatory response syndrome. We investigated the characteristics of the acute infl ammatory response following severe traumatic brain injury through changes in cerebrospinal fl uid (CSF) and serum cytokine levels. P290 A total of 85 patients in WC 1 to 2 at baseline were included in the fi nal analysis, of which 55 (64.7%) of these initially comatose patients with OHCA treated with TIMH had returned to work 1 year after OHCA. Conclusion Approximately two-thirds of the survivors belonging to WC 1 to 2 at baseline have returned to work at 1 year follow-up after OHCA treated with TIMH. A larger study is needed to confi rm these results and to determine predictors of returning to work in comatose patients after OHCA treated with TIMH. References Table 1 (abstract P291). Model performance Elevated ICP GOS 1 to 2 static GOS 1 to 2 dynamic AUROC 0.87 0.72 0.90 HL P value 0.12 0.51 0.95 Brier scaled 39.4% 7.7% 46% Figure 1 (abstract P292). Receiver operating characteristic curve. Figure 1 (abstract P292). Receiver operating characteristic curve. Conclusion Dynamic data in continuous MAP and ICP monitoring allows prediction of elevated ICP. Adding information of the fi rst 24  hours of ICP and MAP to known risk factors allows accurate prediction of neurological outcome at 6 months. R f References 1. Piper I, et al.: Acta Neurochir 2003, 145:615-628. 2. Murray GD, et al.: J Neurotrauma 2007, 24:329-337. 3. CRASH Trial Collaborators: BMJ 2008, 336:425-429. 1. Piper I, et al.: Acta Neurochir 2003, 145:615-628. 2. Murray GD, et al.: J Neurotrauma 2007, 24:329-337. Novel models to predict elevated intracranial pressure during intensive care and long-term neurological outcome after TBI F Guiza1, B Depreitere1, I Piper2, G Van den Berghe1, G Meyfroidt1 1UZ Leuven, Belgium; 2Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P291 (doi: 10.1186/cc10898) Novel models to predict elevated intracranial pressure during intensive care and long-term neurological outcome after TBI F Guiza1, B Depreitere1, I Piper2, G Van den Berghe1, G Meyfroidt1 1UZ Leuven, Belgium; 2Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P291 (doi: 10.1186/cc10898) Methods The subjects were 24 patients with severe traumatic brain injury. We measured levels of the proinfl ammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, and the anti-infl ammatory cytokine IL-10 in peripheral blood and CSF on four occasions, at the time of admission and after 24 hours, 72 hours and 1 week. Introduction Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) episodes are associated with poor outcome and should be prevented. We developed models to predict these episodes 30 minutes in advance, and to predict long-term neurological outcome by using dynamic characteristics of continuous ICP and mean arterial pressure (MAP) monitoring. Introduction Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) episodes are associated with poor outcome and should be prevented. We developed models to predict these episodes 30 minutes in advance, and to predict long-term neurological outcome by using dynamic characteristics of continuous ICP and mean arterial pressure (MAP) monitoring. Results CSF and serum IL-6 levels continued to rise until 72 hours after admission. CSF IL-6 levels were 50 to 400 times serum levels. Serum IL-8 levels remained at 20 to 30 pg/ml. CSF IL-8 levels were 100 to 800 S105 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 h // f / l /16/S1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P291). Elevated ICP episode. achieve favourable outcome. In the literature the value of noninvasive measurement of transcranial Doppler (TCD)-derived pulsatility index (PI) in predicting increased intracranial pressure remains questionable. The aim of this study was to examine the value of PI in predicting hydrocephalus in patients with aSAH. Methods The Brain-IT [1] dataset has records for 264 patients from 22 neuro-ICUs in 11 European countries. Logistic regression and Gaussian processes (machine learning method) were used. CRASH [2] and IMPACT [3] predictors were used together with dynamic data. Results Predictions of elevated ICP episodes (Figure 1) were externally validated with good calibration and discrimination (AUROC 0.87). Prediction of poor neurological outcome at 6 months (GOS 1 to 2) with static data had 0.72 AUROC; adding dynamic information increased performance to 0.9 (Table 1). Novel models to predict elevated intracranial pressure during intensive care and long-term neurological outcome after TBI F Guiza1, B Depreitere1, I Piper2, G Van den Berghe1, G Meyfroidt1 1UZ Leuven, Belgium; 2Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P291 (doi: 10.1186/cc10898) Methods In a retrospective cohort study from January 2010 to June 2011, 61 patients with aSAH were diagnosed with hydrocephalus on CT scan during treatment in our ICU. On 93 occasions of TCD recordings of the middle cerebral artery, PI was calculated on the same day. y, y Results See Table 1 and Figure 1. Ninety-three CT scans could be correlated with PI on the same day of the scan. Using a cut-off value Transcranial cerebral oximetry in newborn infants on mechanical ventilation as a method for prevention of hyperoxia and oxidative stress P295 Deoxyhaemoglobin as a biomarker of cerebral autoregulation D Highton1, A Ghosh1, I Tachtsidis2, C Kolyva2, J Panovska2, C Elwell2, M Smith1 1National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK; 2UCL, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P295 (doi: 10.1186/cc10902) Deoxyhaemoglobin as a biomarker of cerebral autoregulation D Highton1, A Ghosh1, I Tachtsidis2, C Kolyva2, J Panovska2, C Elwell2, M Smith1 1National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK; 2UCL, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P295 (doi: 10.1186/cc10902) Introduction Cerebral autoregulation (CA) maintains cerebral blood fl ow over a range of perfusion pressure. Continuous CA monitoring might defi ne pressure targets minimising secondary brain injury, but application is limited by available monitoring modalities. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a noninvasive optical technique characterising aspects of CA. The NIRS-derived tissue oxygenation index (TOI) is correlated with blood pressure (BP) to produce an index of vascular reactivity (TOx) [1]. The contribution from extracerebral tissues, optical complexity of injured brain and complex physiology represented by NIRS are likely to limit agreement with other techniques. NIRS- measured deoxyhaemoglobin (HHb) may have advantages as its physiological confounds are less complicated and are predominantly in the cerebral venous circulation. This study compares HHb with established indices of reactivity – the mean velocity index (Mx) and oxygen reactivity index (ORx). Results Determined by the age norm, TCO indicators for healthy infants amounted in the left hemisphere of the brain to 79.2 ± 4.06% (P <0.01), and in the right hemisphere to 84.89 ± 5.1% (P <0.01). We established in the group of infants where the mode selection ventilation and FiO2 were carried out on the basis of TCO indicators, an average FiO2 in the inspired mixture of 21% with an average pO2 in blood capillaries 61.95 ± 20.16%, in contrast to FiO2 55% with pO2 –78.01 ± 18.93% in patients of group 2. Patients of group 1 showed signifi cantly (in all cases P <0.01) decreased length of stay on mechanical ventilation (from 9.4 to 5.6 bed-days), compared with the control group. Investigation of the activity markers of oxidative stress showed three times reduction of the oxidation products of proteins (AOPP) and twofold reduction of peroxides in patients in the study group, compared with the control group, to 10 days of observation (P <0.05). Methods Thirteen brain-injured patients were studied. Transcranial cerebral oximetry in newborn infants on mechanical ventilation as a method for prevention of hyperoxia and oxidative stress V Estrin, A Simonova Scientifi c Research Institute of Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Rostov on Don, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P293 (doi: 10.1186/cc10900) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P293 (doi: 10.1186/cc10900) Introduction The aim of this research was the eff ectiveness of respiratory therapy in infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) who are ventilated by correcting the oxygen status and parameter optimization of ventilation by determining the oxygen saturation in the brain by transcranial cerebral oximetry (TCO). y Conclusion In this small cohort of patients, the onset of brain death was accompanied in all cases by a sharp and large decrease in SctO2 from 67% to 55% (mean, n = 5) and remained stable. SctO2 values only reached minimal values (25%, n = 3) at complete circulatory arrest. Our data suggest that SctO2 measurement may be helpful in the timing of the diagnosis of brain death, especially in those patients without ICP or continuous EEG monitoring. y y Methods A total of 24 infants born in the physiological department of a maternity hospital in RNIIAP was studied. All of the children were measured for the saturation of brain tissue oxygen (SctL, SctR) with a cerebral oximeter (ForeSight; USA) at 1, 3 and 5 days after birth. Later in the study, two groups of newborn infants on mechanical ventilation were included. Patients of group 1 (n  =  38), modes of mechanical ventilation and FiO2 were determined under control TCO to bring rates of cerebral oxygenation to the age norm. Patients of group 2 (n = 37), mode selection and ventilator FiO2 were carried out under the control of pulse oximetry and partial oxygen tension (pO2) in acid–base balance, without regard for performance of TCO. In all patients were determined serum peroxides (Oxystat test; BIOMEDICA GRUPPE, Germany), as well as the oxidation products of proteins (AOPP) in the serum of a set of AOPP (Immunodiagnostik, USA) for 1, 5 and 10 days. We measured blood gas parameters with an automatic analyzer (ABL; Denmark). Transcranial Doppler pulsatility index is a poor predictor of hydrocephalus in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage Negative and positive predictive values were 71.6% resp. 58.3%. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed an area under the curve of 0.67. The likelihood ratio for a negative (LR–) resp. positive (LR+) test was 0.83 resp. 2.94. Pretest probability of 32% increased to 57% post- test probability with PI >1.4 and decreased to 28% with PI ≤1.4. Conclusion PI with a cut-off value of 1.4 has a poor sensitivity and a high specifi city. PI has limited value in ruling in and out hydrocephalus in aSAH patients due to a low LR+ and LR–. yi Methods We retrospectively analyzed the cerebral oximetry data of seven patients with severe TBI or diff use cerebral edema who evolved to brain death while being treated in the ICU. Absolute SctO2 values were continuously measured with ForeSight technology (Casmed) with sensors applied bilaterally to the forehead. pp y Results Three patients (one TBI and two SAH) with continuous ICP and SctO2 monitoring suff ered, despite maximal medical treatment, a sudden (over 1 to 3 hours) increase in mean ICP from 32 mmHg to 91 mmHg (equalization of ICP and MAP). Over the same time period, a parallel decrease in mean SctO2 from 71% to 54% ICP was observed. One patient (cerebral edema after asphyxia) had continuous EEG and SctO2 monitoring: a sharp decrease in SctO2 from 67% to 56% over 30 minutes was accompanied by an increase in suppression ratio from 70% to 100%. The absence of cerebral blood fl ow was confi rmed by CT angiography. One patient (cerebral edema after prolonged CPR) had only SctO2 measurement for cerebral monitoring: during his stay in the ICU, there was a sudden decrease in SctO2 from 64% to 54% over a 90-minute period. Shortly after this, the pupils became dilated and fi xed. Brain death was confi rmed by full EEG. Three brain-dead patients with documented absence of cerebral blood fl ow were monitored for SctO2 during subsequent organ donation procedure: SctO2 remained at a mean value of 59% during the procedure, and fell sharply only at the onset of circulatory arrest to reach a stable value of 25%. P293 Transcranial cerebral oximetry in newborn infants on mechanical ventilation as a method for prevention of hyperoxia and oxidative stress V Estrin, A Simonova Scientifi c Research Institute of Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Rostov on Don, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P293 (doi: 10.1186/cc10900) Transcranial Doppler pulsatility index is a poor predictor of hydrocephalus in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage g MH Kiel, AW Oldenbeuving, M Sluzewski, JA Van Oers, D Ramnarain St Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P292 (doi: 10.1186/cc10899) MH Kiel, AW Oldenbeuving, M Sluzewski, JA Van Oers, D Ramnarain St Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P292 (doi: 10.1186/cc10899) Introduction Hydrocephalus is a common complication of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH). The increase in intracranial pressure is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Early recognition and intervention in these patients is essential in order to Figure 1 (abstract P292). Receiver operating characteristic curve. S106 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Table 1 (abstract P292). The 2×2 table for PI 1.4 Index test Hydrocephalus + Hydrocephalus – Total PI >1.4 7 5 12 PI ≤1.4 23 58 81 Total 30 63 93 of PI >1.4, sensitivity was low (23.3%) and specifi city was high (92.1%). Negative and positive predictive values were 71.6% resp. 58.3%. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed an area under the curve of 0.67. The likelihood ratio for a negative (LR–) resp. positive (LR+) test was 0.83 resp. 2.94. Pretest probability of 32% increased to 57% post- test probability with PI >1.4 and decreased to 28% with PI ≤1.4. Conclusion PI with a cut-off value of 1.4 has a poor sensitivity and a high specifi city. PI has limited value in ruling in and out hydrocephalus in aSAH patients due to a low LR+ and LR–. Table 1 (abstract P292). The 2×2 table for PI 1.4 Index test Hydrocephalus + Hydrocephalus – Total PI >1.4 7 5 12 PI ≤1.4 23 58 81 Total 30 63 93 P294 Cerebral oximetry and brain death in the ICU: data from seven cases N Billet1, I Meex2, M Vanderlaenen1, R Heylen1, W Boer1, C De Deyne1, FV Jans 1 1Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium; 2University of Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P294 (doi: 10.1186/cc10901) g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P294 (doi: 10.1186/cc10901) Introduction Cerebral oximetry, using near-infrared spectroscopy to measure cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2), is being increasingly used in the ICU. We hypothesized that if a patient becomes brain dead in the ICU, this must be refl ected in SctO2 values. This might help in the timing of invasive procedures such as angiography, sometimes necessary in the confi rmation of brain death. of PI >1.4, sensitivity was low (23.3%) and specifi city was high (92.1%). Study of the acoustic stem evoked potentials in blood circulation disorder in the vertebral basilar basin I Vlasova, T Vizilo, V Tsiuriupai p Scientifi c Clinical Center of Miners’ Health Protection, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia Methods ICU patients mechanically ventilated for at least 3 days were included. Exclusion criteria: polynomic or autonomic neuropathy, admission after stroke or cardiac arrest. HRV was investigated using power spectral analysis of continuous 5-minute ECG recordings [1]. The simulated SWT was used and wrinkling was assessed on a fi ve-point scale [2]. Under continuous ECG recording a cold pack was applied to measure the CFT [3]. Changes in SWT and CFT results over time were compared to the changes in the SOFA score. Studies procedures were also performed in 17 healthy controls. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P296 (doi: 10.1186/cc10903) Introduction Acoustic brainstem evoked potentials (ABEP) off er a possibility to objectivise disorder of the brain stem structure function.l Introduction Acoustic brainstem evoked potentials (ABEP) off er a possibility to objectivise disorder of the brain stem structure function. Methods There were fl icks of 9.5 Hz with intensity 70 dB higher than the hearing threshold. The latency time of the I to V peaks, the interpeak intervals (IPI), the peak amplitudes (PA) and the amplitude correlations were measured. The clinical neurophysiological assessment of 30 patients (16 men and 14 women, age from 40 to 70 years) with clinical presentation of ischemic stroke in the vertebral basilar basin (VBB) allowed us to determine the following forms of acute ischemic disorders of the brain circulation: transitory ischemic attacks (TIA) (n = 16), lacunar infarction (LI) (n = 10), and nonlacunar infarction (NLI) in VBB (n = 4). p y Results Twelve patients were included (mean age: 54 (SD: 15)). HRV analysis showed decreased heart rate variability in all patients (median total power: 32 ms2 (IQR: 11 to 320)). The SWT could be performed in 10 patients. SWT results were abnormal (score ≤2) in 60% of cases (6% in healthy controls; P <0.01). The CFT was done in nine patients. Critically ill patients showed a blunted response on the CFT (2.5% increase in RR length (95% CI: –0.2% to 5.2%) vs. 7.1% in healthy controls (95% CI: 3.7% to 10.5%; P = 0.03)). Figure 1 displays the CFT results over time. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Photonics). ORx and Mx were derived from continuous correlation between BP and neuromonitoring [1]. HHb was compared identically deriving HHBx. Comparisons used Pearson correlation, subsequent analysis characterised time lags between BP and monitored variables (0.05 to 0.003Hz) with wavelet lag coherence. of the brainstem were observed. There was a tendency to increase of the I to III and III to V intervals in 46 to 61% in TIA. The I to III and III to V IPI were signifi cantly increased in LI and NLI, in 35% and 47% cases respectively. The patients with NLI demonstrated an increase of the I to V IPI. There was such neurophysiological dynamics. The reconstruction of the amplitude and peak latency in TIA was observed in 100% of cases in the treatment process. This was not registered in LI and NLI. g Results There was correlation between HHBx (r  =  –0.62, P <0.01), ORx (r = 0.52, P <0.05) and Mx. TOx showed no signifi cant correlation (r  =  0.18) as individual recordings demonstrated TOI fl uctuations paradoxical to other monitoring. The mean lag between BP and HHb (24 seconds) was shorter than PbrO2 (68 seconds). p g Conclusion All strokes in the VBB are characterized by functional changes on the part of the brain stem structures predominantly at the pontomedullary and pontomesencephalic levels. There is a dependence between stroke severity, brainstem structure damage and neurophysiological dynamics. ABEP allow one to objectivise the brain stem structure dysfunction in the VBB’s disturbed circulation. 2 Conclusion HHb may provide a surrogate to inform cerebrovascular reactivity assessment. Complexity in the oxyhaemoglobin component of TOI may be introduced by vasopressor-related skin artefact or arterial volume changes [2] explaining poor agreement of TOx. HHb is theoretically free of this eff ect but will vary with cerebral metabolism, venous dynamics and oxygenation and demonstrates lag behind BP changes. Future analyses might compensate using model-based analysis [3], potentially describing measures of vascular reactivity from multiple NIRS and neuromonitoring variables, incorporating widely diff erent aspects of cerebral physiology. P297 Examination of the autonomic nervous system in the ICU: a pilot study y L Wieske, E Kiszer, C Verhamme, IN Van Schaik, MJ Schultz, J Horn Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P297 (doi: 10.1186/cc10904) L Wieske, E Kiszer, C Verhamme, IN Van Schaik, MJ Schultz, J Horn Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P297 (doi: 10.1186/cc10904) f References References 1. Zweifel C, et al.: Stroke 2010, 41:1963-1968. 2. Ogoh S, et al.: Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2011, 31:445-451. 3. Banaji M, et al.: PLoS Comput Biol 2008, 11:e1000212. Introduction The most widely used test for autonomic dysfunction in the ICU is the heart rate variability (HRV) test [1]. HRV is thought to be a very sensitive but less specifi c test [1]. Several other tests are available. For this pilot study we have investigated the ability of two tests, the skin wrinkle test (SWT), a test for postganglionic sympathetic function, and the cold face test (CFT), a refl ex slowing heart rate after cold application to the forehead, to detect autonomic dysfunction in critically ill patients alongside the HRV. Transcranial cerebral oximetry in newborn infants on mechanical ventilation as a method for prevention of hyperoxia and oxidative stress Ipsilateral 60-minute recordings included intracranial pressure, brain tissue oxygen (PbrO2), transcranial Doppler and NIRS (NIRO 100; Hamamatsu Conclusion Monitoring of oxygen saturation in the brain tissue by TCO in infants with RDS reduces the mortality rate and the term of mechanical ventilation and hyperoxia. S107 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Prevalence of pituitary disorders associated with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review Among those, one was found to be a duplicate publication. Seven studies were thus included (n = 404). Four studies presented data on mortality (3 or 6 months) and four studies used the GOS (6 or 12 months) as an outcome measure. We found signifi cant associations between serum GFAP levels and mortality in pooled analysis of three studies (GMR 14.73 (95% CI 5.93 to 34.12); I2 = 79%), and between GFAP and GOS ≤3 in three studies (GMR 8.80 (95% CI 3.94 to 19.66); I2 = 77%). Two studies could not be used in pooled analyses: one presented means of GFAP levels from multiple samplings over time (GMR 1.98 (95% CI 1.06 to 3.70)) while the other presented the highest peak levels of GFAP during the acute phase of care (GMR 3.20 (95% CI 1.82 to 5.65)). i y Results Among 12,514 citations, we included 55 studies (4,648 patients). Patients suff ered from mild (11.9%, n = 555), moderate (7.9%, n = 367) and severe (30.4%, n = 1,415) TBI, others being of unknown severity. Prevalences of pituitary axis dysfunction are reported in Table 1. Few studies considering mainly moderate/severe TBI patients were at low risk of bias. Prevalence of pituitary disorders associated with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review j y y F Lauzier1, O Lachance1, B Senay2, I Côté2, P Archambault2, F Lamontagne3, A Boutin1, L Moore1, F Bernard4, C Gagnon2, D Cook5, AF Turgeon1 1CHA-Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 2Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 3Université de Sherbrooke, Canada; 4Université de Montréal, Canada; 5McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P299 (doi: 10.1186/cc10906) Introduction Biomarkers have been proposed as potential prognostic indicators following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Among those, glial fi brillary acidic protein (GFAP) has been one of the most studied. The objective of this study was to assess the prognostic value of GFAP levels in patients with moderate to severe TBI. Introduction Pituitary disorders are an often-neglected consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI). We systematically reviewed their prevalence in studies with low risk of bias including moderate/severe TBI patients. Methods We systematically searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central, Scopus, BIOSIS, TRIP, conference abstracts, bibliography of selected studies and narrative reviews. Cohort studies including ≥4 patients with moderate or severe TBI and reporting GFAP levels (sampled within the fi rst 24 hours of care) from any biological tissue or fl uid, and mortality or Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS), were eligible. Two independent reviewers screened all citations, selected eligible studies and extracted data using a standardized data extraction form. Pooled results from random eff ect models are presented using geometric mean ratios (GMRs). I2 tests were used to measure statistical heterogeneity. Methods We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register, BIOSIS, Trip Database, references of included studies and narrative reviews. We included cohort studies, cross-sectional studies and RCTs that tested the integrity of ≥1 pituitary axis in adult victims of TBI. Two investigators independently reviewed selected citations, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. Studies including <10% of mild TBI victims were considered as involving mainly moderate/severe TBI patients. Prevalence is reported as weighted mean (lowest and highest prevalence) in three time-frames: acute (<1 month post TBI), mid (3 to 12 months) and long-term setting (>12 months). Studies were considered at low risk of bias if the authors defi ned inclusion/exclusion criteria, avoided voluntary sampling, and tested >90% of included patients with proper detailed diagnostic criteria. Studies testing all pituitary axes were considered as evaluating hypopituitarism, which was defi ned as the dysfunction of at least one axis. Results We retrieved 4,709 citations and eight studies were deemed potentially eligible. Study of the acoustic stem evoked potentials in blood circulation disorder in the vertebral basilar basin P298 Predictive value of glial fi brillary acidic protein for prognosis in patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis E Laroche1, AF Turgeon1, A Boutin1, E Mercier1, F Lauzier1, R Zarychanski2, L Moore1, J Granton3, P Archambault1, F Lamontagne4, F Rousseau1, F Légaré1, E Randell5, J Lapointe1, J Lacroix6, D Fergusson7 1Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 2University of Manitoba, Canada; 3University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 4Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada; 5Memorial University, NewFoundland, Canada; 6Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; 7Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ontario, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P298 (doi: 10.1186/cc10905) Study of the acoustic stem evoked potentials in blood circulation disorder in the vertebral basilar basin Results According to the ABEP the common feature in all groups of patients was the decrease of the correlation of the V PA to I PA that was signifi cant in 56% cases in NLI, in 47% cases in LI and in 15% cases in TIA; the decrease of all PA (to 0.12 to 0.15 mkV) was signifi cant in 49% cases in NLI and in 39% cases in LI. A distinct tendency to the laterality of the peak latency increase in TIA and LI in 49% of cases, and a signifi cant laterality of the peak latency increase in 35% that refl ected the dissymmetric disorder of the neuronal acoustic activity y Conclusion CFT detected autonomic dysfunction in critically ill patients better than the SWT and was easier to perform. Diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value need to be investigated. References 1. Buchman TG, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2002, 8:311-315. 2. Wilder-Smith EP, et al.: Clin Neurophysiol 2009, 120:953-958. 3. Reyners AK, et al.: Eur J Appl Physiol 2000, 82:487-492. 1. Buchman TG, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2002, 8:311-315. 2. Wilder-Smith EP, et al.: Clin Neurophysiol 2009, 120:953-958. 3. Reyners AK, et al.: Eur J Appl Physiol 2000, 82:487-492. 1. Buchman TG, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2002, 8:311-315. Figure 1 (abstract P297). Changes in cold face test (CFT) results over time. Figure 1 (abstract P297). Changes in cold face test (CFT) results over time. S108 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion Serum GFAP levels following TBI were signifi cantly higher in patients showing an unfavourable prognosis (death or GOS ≤3). The small number of studies included precluded further exploration of statistical heterogeneity. More investigations of the association between serum GFAP levels and prognosis following TBI are needed before recommending for routine use for neuroprognostication. Prevalence of pituitary disorders associated with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review Factors other than methodological quality and TBI severity are likely to explain the observed wide prevalence ranges. The clinical signifi cance of TBI- associated pituitary disorders also requires further rigorous evaluation. anticoagulants for 4 weeks along with the induction therapy. They were assessed for; their clinical presentation, disease severity (progressive or nonprogressive), hospital course, adverse eff ects of the used treatment and outcome. Reports of their neuroimaging studies were also collected. Results Studied patients were 42 (62.76%) boys and 26 (38.23%) girls. Their mean age was 8.5 ± 3.5 years. The commonest presenting symptoms were motor defi cit (70%), headache (64%) and fever (20%), while the commonest presenting neurological signs were hemiparesis (60%), seizure 55% (focal 35%, generalized 20%), and decreased level of consciousness (30%). Neuroradiological studies of the brain revealed: ischemic strokes in 50 children (73.5%), hemorrhagic strokes in 10 (14.7%) and ischemic–hemorrhagic lesions in eight (11.8%). Conventional angiography (CA) and/or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) at the time of admission revealed that 51 (75%) patients had nonprogressive and 17 (25%) had evidence of progressive arteriopathy. Out of the studied patients, 56 (81.5%) survived and 12 (18.5%) died. Male sex, deep coma and intracerebral bleeding causing severe raised intracranial pressure were poor prognostic signs. Survivors were discharged on oral aspirin and 15 of them commenced also on azathioprine. On follow-up it was found that out of the 56 survivors, 11 were normal (19.65%), 14 (25%) had minor disabilities, another 11 (19.65%) had moderate disabilities and 20 (35.7%) had severe disabilities. P300 Mannose binding lectin defi ciency attenuates neurobehavioral defi cits following experimental traumatic brain injury L Longhi1, F Orsini2, N Fedele2, N Stocchetti1, MG De Simoni2 1University of Milano, Milan, Italy; 2Mario Negri Institute, Milan, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P300 (doi: 10.1186/cc10907) Introduction Mannose binding lectin (MBL) is the activator of the lectin complement pathway. After cerebral ischemia it has been shown that MBL could be a mediator of secondary brain damage, in contrast after traumatic brain injury (TBI) there are data suggesting that it could be linked to neuroprotection. We tested the hypothesis that MBL is involved in the pathophysiology of TBI. We characterized (1) the temporal activation of MBL and (2) the eff ects of its inhibition in a model of experimental TBI. Prevalence of pituitary disorders associated with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review Table 1 (abstract P299) Hypopituitarism GH ACTH TSH Gonadal ADH Acute phase All studies, 58.3% (32.3 to 76.1), 28.7% (8.8 to 77.2), 14.3% (0.7 to 45.7), 9.4% (0 to 40.6), 44.3% (7.7 to 91.7), 12.6% (0 to 27.2), n (patients) 6 (513) 9 (784) 11 (958) 12 (837) 10 (827) 13 (1821) Low risk of bias, 71.3% (52.9 to 76.1), 36.8% (8.8 to 77.2), 14.5% (0.7 to 23.6), 10.1% (1.6 to 32.6), 54.3% (23.5 to 80.0), 18.8% (0 to 27.2), n (patients) 3 (216) 5 (389) 4 (385) 6 (523) 5 (337) 5 (739) + moderate/severe, 70.0% (52.9 to 74.3), 36.1% (8.8 to 77.2), 14.5% (0.7 to 23.6), 5.2% (1.6 to 14.7), 61.4% (23.5 to 80.0), 23.8% (0 to 27.2), n (patients) 2 (170) 4 (321) 4 (385) 4 (406) 3 (220) 4 (303) Mid-term All studies, 32.1% (8.9 to 56.4), 14.8% (6.3 to 25.0), 9.7% (0 to 50.0), 4.3% (0 to 22.2), 18.8% (0 to 66.7), 3.8% (0 to 14.0), n (patients) 9 (608) 11 (643) 12 (669) 11 (629) 15 (792) 11 (691) Low risk of bias, – 12.1% (6.3 to 22.2), 16.7% (4.2 to 50.0), 6.1% (0 to 22.2), 25.2% (0 to 56.3), 11.2% (8.3 to 14.0), n (patients) 5 (231) 4 (215) 5 (231) 5 (218) 2 (98) + moderate/severe, – 12.1% (6.32 to 22.2), 16.7% (4.2 to 50.0), 6.1% (0 to 22.2), 25.2% (0 to 56.3), 8.3% (–), n (patients) 5 (231) 4 (215) 5 (231) 5 (218) 1 (48) Long-term All studies, 29.1% (0.9 to 73.3), 15.0% (0 to 51.8), 10.2% (0 to 64.4), 6.3% (0 to 31.8), 12.2% (0 to 50.0), 2.7% (0 to 18.2), n (patients) 19 (1418) 27 (1966) 26 (1782) 25 (1698) 25 (1798) 17 (1108) Low risk of bias, 31.1% (–), 16.6% (7.2 to 28.0), 6.8% (0 to 18.8), 8.2% (1.0 to 20.0), 12.9% (1.5 to 29.3), 5.0% (0 to 6.9), n (patients) 1 (45) 8 (499) 6 (369) 10 (734) 9 (707) 3 (200) + moderate/severe, 31.1% (–), 15.7% (7.2 to 21.7), 7.3% (1.4 to 18.8), 8.6% (1.0 to 20.0), 12.7% (1.5 to 29.3), 6.7% (6.3 to 6.9), n (patients) 1 (45) 5 (381) 4 (301) 7 (616) 6 (589) 2 (150) S109 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion Pituitary disorders frequently arise after TBI, but prevalence remains uncertain due to low overall quality of available data. Prevalence of pituitary disorders associated with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review Methods (1) Male C57/Bl6 mice were subjected to intraperitoneal anesthesia (pentobarbital, 65 mg/kg) followed by the controlled cortical impact brain injury model of experimental TBI (injury parameters: velocity of 5 m/second and 1 mm depth of deformation). MBL immunostaining was evaluated at various time points after TBI: 30 minutes, 1, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 hours and 1 week using anti MBL-A and MBL-C antibodies (n = 3). (2) The eff ects of MBL inhibition were evaluated by comparing functional and histologic outcomes in C57/ Bl6 mice (WT) and in MBL knockout (–/–) mice. Functional outcome was tested using the Composite Neuroscore and Beam Walk test weekly up to 4 weeks postinjury (n = 11). Histologic outcome was evaluated by calculating the contusion volume at 4 weeks postinjury (n = 6). Sham- operated mice received identical anesthesia without brain injury. Conclusion The spectrum of cPACNS includes progressive and non- progressive forms. Characteristic features on presentation may predict later progression and outcome; identify a distinct high-risk cPACNS cohort; and guide the selection of patients for immunosuppressive therapy. Further studies are required to substantiate our fi ndings. Changes of ribosomal protein S3 immunoreactivity and its new expression in microglia in the mice hippocampus afte lipopolysaccharide treatment JH Cho, CW Park, HY Lee, MH Won Kangwon National University, Chuncheonsi, South Korea Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P302 (doi: 10.1186/cc10909) p j y Results We observed a robust MBL-positive immunostaining in the injured cerebral cortex starting at 30 minutes postinjury and up to 1  week, suggestive of an activation of this pathway following TBI. MBL was observed both at endothelial and tissue levels. Consistently, injured WT and MBL (–/–) mice showed neurological motor defi cits up to 4 weeks postinjury when compared to their sham controls. Notably, MBL (–/–) mice showed attenuated behavioral defi cits when compared to their WT counterpart at 2 to 4 weeks postinjury (P <0.01 for both Neuroscore and Beam Walk test). In contrast we observed similar contusion volumes at 4 weeks postinjury (WT = 15.6 ± 3.2 cm3 and MBL KO = 13.9 ± 3.2 cm3, P = 0.3). Introduction Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been commonly used as a reagent for a model of systemic infl ammatory response. Ribosomal protein S3 (rpS3) is a multifunctional protein that is involved in transcription, metastasis, DNA repair and apoptosis. Prevalence of pituitary disorders associated with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review In the present study, we examined the changes of rpS3 immunoreactivity in the mouse hippocampus after systemic administration of 1 mg/kg LPS. Conclusion We observed that: (1) MBL deposition and/or synthesis is increased following TBI; and (2) MBL defi ciency is associated with functional neuroprotection, suggesting that MBL modulation might be a potential therapeutic target after TBI. Methods Six-week-old male ICR mice were purchased from the Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME, USA). LPS (Sigma, St Louis, MO, USA) was dissolved in saline, and administered intraperitoneally with 1.0 mg/ kg/10 ml dose. The control animals were injected with the same volume of saline. Mice (n = 7 at each time point) were sacrifi ced at designated times (3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 96 hours after LPS treatment). The brain tissues were cryoprotected by infi ltration with 30% sucrose overnight. Thereafter, frozen tissues were serially sectioned on a cryostat (Leica, Wetzlar, Germany) into 30-μm coronal sections, and they were then collected into six-well plates containing 0.1 M PBS. 30 Azathioprine and aspirin in treatment of childhood primary arterial stroke: therapeutic benefi ts and side eff ects A Alhaboob, G Ahmed P303 Neuronal damage using Fluoro-Jade B histofl uorescence and gliosis in the striatum after various durations of transient cerebral ischemia in gerbils JH Cho, CW Park, HY Lee, MH Won Kangwon National University, Chuncheonsi, South Korea Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P303 (doi: 10.1186/cc10910) P303 Neuronal damage using Fluoro-Jade B histofl uorescence and gliosis in the striatum after various durations of transient cerebral ischemia in gerbils P303 Neuronal damage using Fluoro-Jade B histofl uorescence and gliosis in the striatum after various durations of transient cerebral ischemia in gerbils g JH Cho, CW Park, HY Lee, MH Won Kangwon National University, Chuncheonsi, South Korea Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P303 (doi: 10.1186/cc10910) Introduction Ischemic damage occurs well in vulnerable regions of the brain, including the hippocampus and striatum. In the present study, we examined neuronal damage/death and glial changes in the striatum 4 days after 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes of transient cerebral ischemia using the gerbil. Spontaneous motor activity was shown to be increased with the duration time of ischemia–reperfusion (I-R). y yp Conclusion The experimental model of bilateral carotid artery occlusion and systemic hypotension-induced cerebral ischemia in pigs is a useful tool to investigate the mechanism of cerebral ischemia and/ or neuroprotection (medications, hypothermia, and so forth). Methods To examine neuronal damage, we used Fluoro-Jade B (F-JB, a marker for neuronal degeneration) histofl uorescence staining. F-JB- positive cells were detected only in the 20-minute ischemia group, not in the other groups. In addition, we examined gliosis of astrocytes and microglia using antiglial fi brillary acidic protein (GFAP) and anti-ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba-1), respectively. P305 Molecular, histological and microcirculatory modeling of cerebral ischemia in pigs Results Both N2O and xenon administration reduced the number of ischaemic neurons in the cortex. In xenon-treated rats, fewer ischaemic neurons were also observed in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. The xenon group demonstrated a signifi cant reduction of c-fos expression compared to control and N2O groups. See Figure 1. Molecular, histological and microcirculatory modeling of cerebral ischemia in pigs O Suchadolskiene1, A Pranckunas1, B Kumpaitiene1, P Dobozinskas1, Z Dambrauskas1, V Veikutis2, K Stasaitis1, G Baliutyte3, D Vaitkaitis1, V Borutaite3 1Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; 2Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; 3Institute of Neurosciences, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P304 (doi: 10.1186/cc10911) O Suchadolskiene1, A Pranckunas1, B Kumpaitiene1, P Dobozinskas1, Z Dambrauskas1, V Veikutis2, K Stasaitis1, G Baliutyte3, D Vaitkaitis1, V Borutaite3 O Suchadolskiene1, A Pranckunas1, B Kumpaitiene1, P Dobozinskas1, Z Dambrauskas1, V Veikutis2, K Stasaitis1, G Baliutyte3, D Vaitkaitis1, V Borutaite3 1Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; 2Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; 3Institute of Neurosciences, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania Figure 1 (abstract P305). Regulation of c-fos expression after administration of N2O or xenon. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P304 (doi: 10.1186/cc10911) Introduction Ischemic brain injury due to stroke and/or cardiac arrest is a major health issue in modern society requiring urgent development of new eff ective therapies. The use of appropriate animal models is essential to study the mechanisms of ischemia-induced injury and neuroprotection. The goal of our study was to establish a reliable and reproducible model of brain ischemia in pigs (with the ischemia- induced microcirculatory, mitochondrial and structural alterations) for further research. Methods Eighteen pigs (18 to 22 kg) were anesthetized and randomly assigned to the one of the following groups: 1 – control, 2 – unilateral carotid occlusion, 3 – bilateral carotid occlusion, 4 – bilateral carotid occlusion + hypotension (MAP 40 to 50 mmHg). In order to investigate the eff ects and mechanisms of cerebral ischemia, we assessed the mitochondrial respiration (high-resolution respirometry), microcirculation (in vivo SDF videomicroscopy) and histological structure (light microscopy) of brain tissue in healthy control animals and after 3 hours of brain ischemia (three diff erent models). Results LEAK respiration (measured in the presence of pyruvate + malate but without ADP) was not aff ected by ischemia in any model. P305 Delayed post-ischaemic administration of xenon reduces brain damage in a rat model of global ischaemia V Metaxa1, R Lagoudaki2, S Meditskou2, O Thomareis2, A Sakadamis2 1St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, UK; 2Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece Critical Care 2012 16(Suppl 1):P305 (doi: 10 1186/cc10912) Results In the 5-minute ischemia group, GFAP-immunoreactive astro cytes were distinctively increased in number, and the immuno- reactivity was stronger than that in the sham group. In the 10-minute, 15-minute and 20-minute ischemia groups, GFAP immunoreactivity was more increased with the duration of I-R. On the other hand, the immunoreactivity and number of Iba-1-immunoreactive microglia were distinctively increased in the 5-minute and 10-minute ischemia groups. In the 15-minute ischemia group, microglia were largest in size, and the immunoreactivity was highest; however, in the 20-minute ischemia group, the immunoreactivity was low compared to the 15-minute ischemia group. The results of western blotting for GFAP and Iba-1 were similar to the immunohistochemical data.i Introduction Cerebral ischaemia is among the leading causes of death, disability and economic expense in the world. Xenon has been shown to be neuroprotective both in vivo and in vitro, predominantly when administered as a preconditioning agent. We have used a rat model of global ischaemia to investigate whether xenon-induced neuroprotection is observed following an ischaemic insult. Methods Adult male Wistar rats underwent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion and were ventilated for 1 hour with 21% O2/78% N2. The animals were randomized to receive 21% O2/78% N2, 50% O2/50% N2O or 50% O2/50% xenon (n = 10). After a further 45 minutes, they were killed and their brains were removed for histological, immunochemical and molecular analysis. The numbers of ischaemic neurons in the cortex and the hippocampus as well as the expression of c-fos were evaluated on adjacent brain sections. Conclusion These fi ndings indicate that neuronal death was detected only in the 20-minute ischemia group 4 days after I-R; in addition, the change pattern of astrocytes and microglia were apparently diff erent according to the duration time of I-R. 30 Azathioprine and aspirin in treatment of childhood primary arterial stroke: therapeutic benefi ts and side eff ects A Alhaboob, G Ahmed p g Results From 6 hours after LPS treatment, rpS3 immunoreactivity was decreased in pyramidale cells of the hippocampus proper and granule cells of the dentate gyrus. At this point in time, rpS3 immunoreactivity began to increase in nonpyramidal cells and nongranule cells in the hippocampus. From 1 day after LPS treatment, rpS3 immunoreactivity in pyramidal and granule cells was hardly detected, and nonpyramidal and nongranule cells showed strong rpS3 immunoreactivity. Based on double immunofl uorescence staining, microglia, not astrocytes, expressed strong rpS3 immunoreactivity at 1 and 2 days after LPS treatment. King Khalid University Hospital and College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P301 (doi: 10.1186/cc10908) Introduction The objectives were to describe a cohort of children presenting with medium/large vessel childhood primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS); to report their short-term neurological outcome; and to evaluate effi cacy and safety of implemented management. g Methods The study included 68 patients, aged less than 16 years. They had their symptoms within 14 days of admission. They received induction therapy with pulses of intravenous steroids and/ or intravenous immunoglobulin followed by maintenance therapy with azathioprine and low-dose aspirin. They were also treated with Conclusion These results indicate that changes in rpS3 immunoreactivity in pyramidal and granule cells and rpS3 expression in activated microglia after LPS treatment may be associated with the neuroinfl ammatory responses in the brain. S110 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P303 respectively, resulting in the decrease of RCI (ADP/PM) by 14% and 73%. The OXPHOS capacity with succinate as substrate remained constant after unilateral carotid artery occlusion but decreased by 53% after bilateral carotid artery occlusion and hypotension compared to the control level (P <0.05, n = 3 to 6). Mitochondrial respiration rates after addition of atractyloside and cytochrome c were the same in all experimental groups, suggesting that intactness of mitochondrial outer membrane was not aff ected by cerebral ischemia. Microcirculatory and histological alterations also demonstrated increasing derangement and reversible structural changes after bilateral carotid occlusion and vascular occlusion combined with systemic hypotension. Seizures in the respiratory ICU: single-center study of patients with new-onset seizures D Talwar, V Nair, J Chudiwal Metro Center for Respiratory Diseases, Noida, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P306 (doi: 10.1186/cc10913) Seizures in the respiratory ICU: single-center study of patients with new-onset seizures D Talwar, V Nair, J Chudiwal Metro Center for Respiratory Diseases, Noida, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P306 (doi: 10.1186/cc10913) Methods In this prospective, randomized, double-blind and placebo- controlled trial critically ill patients with clinical evidence for incipient CIP, a diagnosis of SIRS/sepsis and failure of at least two organ systems were randomized to be treated either with IgM-enriched IVIG or with human albumin 1% as placebo over a period of 3 days. The primary objective was to demonstrate that administration of IVIG prevents and/or mitigates CIP in critically ill patients, measured by electrophysiological stimulation of the median, ulnar and tibial nerves on days 0, 4, 7 and 14. Electrophysiological measures were graded according to compound muscle action amplitude size (CIP score) of the respective nerve. Secondary objectives were mortality from any cause within a 28-day period and lengths of ICU stay. D Talwar, V Nair, J Chudiwal Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P306 (doi: 10.1186/cc10913) Introduction New-onset seizures in the ICU are a diagnostic and management challenge as patients have multiple comorbidities and receive various antibiotics. In the respiratory ICU with diff erent patient profi les, etiopathogenesis of seizures is unreported.i i g Methods We retrospectively analyzed the profi le of 3,342 patients admitted to the RICU from 2006 to 2011. A computerized search revealed 79 patients (2.4%) with new-onset seizures. Complete clinical, laboratory, radiological and treatment profi les were recorded and statistically analyzed using the chi-square test, odds ratio and relative risk of individual variable. Results Thirty-eight critically ill patients were included and randomized to either receiving IgM-enriched IVIG (n  =  19) or placebo (n  =  19). Baseline characteristics including CIP score on day 0 were similar between the two groups. CIP could not be improved signifi cantly by IVIG treatment for three consecutive days, represented by similar CIP scores of all three measured nerves on days 4, 7 and 14 in the IVIG and the placebo group. Mean CIP score levels of all three nerves signifi cantly increased from baseline to day 4 in both groups. Results Of 79 patients, 44 patients (55.7%) were males and the mean age was 61.28 ± 19.57 years. Severe sepsis was diagnosed in 32 (40.5%) and multiorgan failure in 19 (24.1%). Head CT done in 65 (82.3%) patients was reported abnormal in 34 (52.3%; P  =  0.072) patients. Intracranial pressure monitoring in acute liver failure: a retrospective cohort study Intracranial pressure monitoring in acute liver failure: a retrospective cohort study C Karvellas1, O Fix2, H Battenhouse3, V Durkalski3, C Sanders4, W Lee4 1University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; 2UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA; 3Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; 4University of Texas-Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P308 (doi: 10.1186/cc10915) Table 1 (abstract P306). Attributable causes of seizures in RICU cases (n = 79) Table 1 (abstract P306). Attributable causes of seizures in RICU cases (n = 79) Anoxia 8 10.1% Metabolic 15 19.0% Drugs only 16 20.3% CNS infection 5 6.3% Trauma 2 2.5% Alcohol 5 6.3% Multiple 22 27.8% Miscellaneous 6 7.6% , , , Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P308 (doi: 10.1186/cc10915 Introduction Intracranial hypertension (ICH) complicates roughly 25% of acute liver failure (ALF) patients with grade III/IV encephalopathy. Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring is controversial due to complications in 5 to 20% and absence of documented mortality benefi t. i Methods Using prospectively collected data from the US Acute Liver Study Group registry, we reviewed 630 ALF patients with severe encephalopathy (grade III/IV) and INR >1.5 enrolled between 1 March 2004 through 31 August 2011. ICP monitoring was used in 143 patients (23%); 487 control patients with grade III/IV hepatic coma (n = 487) were not monitored. Conclusion New-onset seizure in RICU cases is multifactorial in origin. Use of levofl oxacin in combination had the highest relative risk of developing seizure although when given alone the risk is rare (2.1%). Severe sepsis with multiorgan failure being seen in nearly one-half of RICU cases may decrease seizure threshold in these patients. Results The most common etiology of ALF was acetaminophen (51%, P  =  0.13 between groups). Of ICP monitored (ICPM) patients, 85% (n = 121) received devices within 24 hours of admission to study. ICPM patients were signifi cantly younger (36  ±  6 years vs. 43  ±  15 years, P <0.001) than controls, more likely to be on renal replacement therapy (48% vs. 31%, P <0.001) but less likely to be on vasopressors (20% vs. 32%, P = 0.008). ICPM patients were given more ICH directed therapies (mannitol 43% vs. 13%, hypertonic saline 21% vs. 6%, hypothermia 29% vs. 11%, P <0.001 for each comparison). For ICPM patients, the median INR on the day of monitor insertion was 2.2 (1.6 to 2.9) and platelet count 116 (84 to 171); 74% were given FFP (vs. Molecular, histological and microcirculatory modeling of cerebral ischemia in pigs The OXPHOS capacity with pyruvate + malate as substrates decreased by 20% and 79% compared to the control level after bilateral carotid artery occlusion and bilateral carotid occlusion + hypotension, Methods Eighteen pigs (18 to 22 kg) were anesthetized and randomly assigned to the one of the following groups: 1 – control, 2 – unilateral carotid occlusion, 3 – bilateral carotid occlusion, 4 – bilateral carotid occlusion + hypotension (MAP 40 to 50 mmHg). In order to investigate the eff ects and mechanisms of cerebral ischemia, we assessed the mitochondrial respiration (high-resolution respirometry), microcirculation (in vivo SDF videomicroscopy) and histological structure (light microscopy) of brain tissue in healthy control animals and after 3 hours of brain ischemia (three diff erent models). Results LEAK respiration (measured in the presence of pyruvate + malate but without ADP) was not aff ected by ischemia in any model. The OXPHOS capacity with pyruvate + malate as substrates decreased by 20% and 79% compared to the control level after bilateral carotid artery occlusion and bilateral carotid occlusion + hypotension, Figure 1 (abstract P305). Regulation of c-fos expression after administration of N2O or xenon. S111 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 of the mobilization phase. Although the exact etiopathogenesis has not yet been fully elucidated, sepsis, systemic infl ammatory response syndrome, and multiple organ failure seem to play an important role. CIP is diagnosed by signs of denervation in electromyography. Although there is no causal treatment for CIP, retrospective data suggest that early IgM-enriched intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) application may prevent or mitigate CIP. Therefore we aimed to investigate the use of IVIG in the early treatment of CIP in critically ill patients in a prospective, randomized, double-blind and placebo- controlled setting. of the mobilization phase. Although the exact etiopathogenesis has not yet been fully elucidated, sepsis, systemic infl ammatory response syndrome, and multiple organ failure seem to play an important role. CIP is diagnosed by signs of denervation in electromyography. Although there is no causal treatment for CIP, retrospective data suggest that early IgM-enriched intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) application may prevent or mitigate CIP. Therefore we aimed to investigate the use of IVIG in the early treatment of CIP in critically ill patients in a prospective, randomized, double-blind and placebo- controlled setting. Molecular, histological and microcirculatory modeling of cerebral ischemia in pigs Conclusion In our model of global cerebral ischaemia, the administration of xenon reduced the number of ischaemic neurons compared to control, both in the cerebral cortex and in the hippocampus. 1. Wilhelm S, et al.: Eff ects of xenon on in vitro and in vivo models of neuronal injury. Anesthesiology 2002, 96:1485-1489. Seizures in the respiratory ICU: single-center study of patients with new-onset seizures D Talwar, V Nair, J Chudiwal Metro Center for Respiratory Diseases, Noida, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P306 (doi: 10.1186/cc10913) Lumbar puncture was done in 40 (50.6%) with fi ve (12.5%) patients having meningitis. Thirteen of 37 (35.1%) patients showed focal activity on EEG (P = 0.27; OR = 1.73). Electrolyte abnormalities were: hypermagnesemia in 20 patients (25.3%), hypocalcemia in 17 patients (21.5%), and hypernatremia in 13 patients (16.5%), hyponatremia in three patients (3.8%) and hypomagnesia in four (5.17%) cases. The antibiotics received revealed 27 (34.2%; RR  =  1.27) patients on levofl oxacin alone or in combination. Twenty-eight of 79 (35.4%) patients were on carbapenems with meropenem in 23/79 (29.1%; RR = 1.21) and imipenem in 5/79 (6.32%; RR = 0.41). See Table 1. y g p Conclusion Results suggest that early treatment with IVIG neither signifi cantly improves CIP nor infl uences the length of stay or mortality in critically ill patients. Consistent with the literature, CIP deteriorated during the course of disease in critically ill patients with a diagnosis of SIRS/sepsis and failure of two organ systems. P308 Intracranial pressure monitoring in acute liver failure: a retrospective cohort study 46% controls, P <0.001) and 19% (vs. 14% controls, P = 0.14) received platelets. ICP monitoring was also strongly associated with listing (78% vs. 27%, P <0.001) and receipt of liver transplant (42% vs. 18%, P <0.001). Twenty-one-day mortality was similar between ICPM patients (33%) and controls (37%, Retrospective observation of 6-month survival following decompressive craniectomy in a London major trauma and stroke centre We will now prospectively collect these data including quality-of-life measures. References 1. Cooper DJ, et al.: N Engl J Med 2011, 364:1493-1502. 2. Hofmeijer J, et al.: Lancet Neurol 2009, 8:326-333. P310 Feasibility of a multicenter prospective cohort study on the evaluation of prognosis in severe traumatic brain injury AF Turgeon1, F Lauzier1, M Thibodeau1, A Rigamonti2, M Meade3, F Bernard4, K Burns2, K Reddy3, D Scales2, L McIntyre5, R Green6, D Griesdale7, L Moore1, M Savard1, D Jichici3, J Paquet1, D Zygun8, D Fergusson5, for the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group5 1Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 2University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 3McMaster University, Ontario, Canada; 4Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; 5University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; 6University Dalhousie, Nova Scotia, Canada; 7University of British Columbia, Canada; 8University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P310 (doi: 10.1186/cc10917) Introduction Conducting prospective research in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients is challenging To prepare for a large-scale Table 1 (abstract P309) P311 Table 1 (abstract P309) Neurosurgical/ Total Hospital 6-month MCA Year total DC survival survival TBI stroke Other 2006 292/1,839 2 2 2 1 0 1 2007 298/1,652 2 2 2 0 2 0 2008 286/1,563 11 10 8 (1N/A) 7 4 0 2009 493/1,840 18 11 10 7 8 3 2010 505/1,835 21 16 15 (1N/A) 11 9 1 2011 274/918 17 7 5 (2N/A) 7 10 0 5.5-year 2,148/9,647 71 48 42 (4N/A) 33 33 5 data Predictive value of neuron-specifi c enolase following moderate and severe traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis E Mercier1, AF Turgeon1, A Boutin1, F Lauzier1, R Zarychanski2, P Archambault1, J Granton3, F Lamontagne4, L Moore1, F Rousseau1, F Légaré1, E Randell5, J Lacroix6, J Lapointe1, D Fergusson7 1Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 2University of Manitoba, Canada; 3Université of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 4Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada; 5Memorial University, NewFoundland, Canada; 6Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; 7Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ontario, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P311 (doi: 10.1186/cc10918) Introduction Biomarkers such as the neuron-specifi c enolase (NSE) have been proposed as potential prognostic markers following traumatic brain injury (TBI) [1,2]. However, the use of NSE is not currently recommended for prognostic evaluation. Our objective was to systematically review the prognostic value of NSE levels following moderate or severe TBI. Conclusion Survival following DC in this institution compares favourably with published data. Reduced survival in 2011 may be a case-mix eff ect related to increased tertiary referrals. We will now prospectively collect these data including quality-of-life measures. References Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, Biosis, Scopus, Trip, references of eligible studies, reviews and conference proceedings. Eligible studies were cohort studies including ≥4 patients with moderate or severe TBI having measured the association between NSE levels (fi rst 24 hours) and mortality or the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Independently, two reviewers selected studies and extracted data using a standardized form. Pooled results using random-eff ect models were used using weighted mean diff erences (WMD); heterogeneity was assessed using I2 tests. Sensitivity analyses were planned to explain statistical heterogeneity (for example, extracerebral injuries). P307 P307 Early treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins in patients with critical illness polyneuropathy: a randomized controlled, double- blinded study R Brunner, W Rinner, R Kitzberger, T Sycha, J Warszawska, U Holzinger, C Madl Medical University of Vienna, Austria Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P307 (doi: 10.1186/cc10914) Introduction Critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) is a severe complication of critical illness. The clinical features of CIP are muscle weakness and atrophy causing delayed weaning and prolongation S112 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P  =  0.33) when all or only nontransplanted patients (46% vs. 45%, 0.8) were considered. Of 66 ICPM patients with detailed information, 18 (29%) had evidence of ICH (ICP >25 mmHg) at the time of ICPM insertion (maximum ICP on day 1 ~18 (12 to 26) mmHg). Of 49 patients with a known ICPM device, 14 patients received epidural catheters, six subdural, 11 intraparenchymal, seven intraventricular and 11 lumbar monitors. In only one of 49 ICPM patients was intracranial hemorrhage reported, and this patient survived. multicenter study to evaluate long-term prognosis in severe TBI, we conducted a prospective pilot study evaluating the patterns of enrollment, the compliance to the schedule of prognostic tests and the completeness of follow-up for 6-month functional outcome measures. Methods We conducted a pilot study in nine level I trauma centers in Canada. Adult patients with severe TBI expected to require mechanical ventilation for ≥48 hours were enrolled on their fi rst day in the ICU. Prognostic tests were performed on arrival (CT scan), day 1 (serum biomarker), day 3 (serum biomarker, CT scan) and day 7 (serum biomarker, CT scan, MRI, SSEP, EEG) with time windows of 24 or 48 hours depending on the test. Prognostic measures were collected during the fi rst week in the ICU to examine the association with the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale score. We considered as appropriate a compliance to the schedule of prognostic tests ≥90% and a proportion of lost to follow-up <10%. We obtained REB approval from participating centers and written informed consent from SDMs. multicenter study to evaluate long-term prognosis in severe TBI, we conducted a prospective pilot study evaluating the patterns of enrollment, the compliance to the schedule of prognostic tests and the completeness of follow-up for 6-month functional outcome measures. P310 Feasibility of a multicenter prospective cohort study on the evaluation of prognosis in severe traumatic brain injury AF Turgeon1, F Lauzier1, M Thibodeau1, A Rigamonti2, M Meade3, F Bernard4, K Burns2, K Reddy3, D Scales2, L McIntyre5, R Green6, D Griesdale7, L Moore1, M Savard1, D Jichici3, J Paquet1, D Zygun8, D Fergusson5, for the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group5 1Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 2University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 3McMaster University, Ontario, Canada; 4Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; 5University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; 6University Dalhousie, Nova Scotia, Canada; 7University of British Columbia, Canada; 8University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada C iti l C 2012 16(S l 1) P310 (d i 10 1186/ 10917) P307 Methods We conducted a pilot study in nine level I trauma centers in Canada. Adult patients with severe TBI expected to require mechanical ventilation for ≥48 hours were enrolled on their fi rst day in the ICU. Prognostic tests were performed on arrival (CT scan), day 1 (serum biomarker), day 3 (serum biomarker, CT scan) and day 7 (serum biomarker, CT scan, MRI, SSEP, EEG) with time windows of 24 or 48 hours depending on the test. Prognostic measures were collected during the fi rst week in the ICU to examine the association with the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale score. We considered as appropriate a compliance to the schedule of prognostic tests ≥90% and a proportion of lost to follow-up <10%. We obtained REB approval from participating centers and written informed consent from SDMs. p p Conclusion In ALF patients, ICP monitor placement is strongly associated with liver transplantation but not with overall or transplant free mortality. In the absence of ICP monitoring, ALF patients may be less aggressively treated for intracranial hypertension. The value of ICP monitoring in ALF remains to be determined but ICPM placement clearly aff ects the frequency of interventions for elevated ICP. Retrospective observation of 6-month survival following decompressive craniectomy in a London major trauma and stroke centre Results Among 116 consecutive eligible patients, 50 were enrolled over a total of 204 weeks of screening between May 2010 and May 2011. Two centers used a deferred consent approach. Patients were primarily male with a median age of 45 years and a GCS of 5 (25th to 75th: 3 to 7). The two main reasons for nonenrollment were the time window for inclusion being after regular working hours (35%, n  =  23) and oversight (24%, n = 16). The compliance to the diff erent tests ranged from 93 (three missing tests) to 100%. All blood samples but one (day 7) were performed. The main reason for missing a test was the patient’s instability (hemodynamic or increased ICP) (n = 5). In six patients, the MRI had to be delayed due to the presence of material not compatible with the procedure. No patient was lost to follow-up at 6 months. J Dawson, P Hopkins, J Ling, D Walsh, C Tolias King’s Health Partners, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P309 (doi: 10.1186/cc10916) Introduction This study describes 5.5 years of retrospective data examining hospital and 6-month outcome of patients following decompressive craniectomy (DC). The eff ectiveness of DC remains uncertain with confl icting results in patients with TBI and stroke [1,2]. Methods Data were drawn (1 January 2006 to 30 June 2011) from three hospital databases following approval by the institutional board. Results There were 2,148 neurosurgical admissions with 71 undergoing DC. Forty-eight of 71 (67.6%) survived to hospital discharge and 21/33 in both TBI and stroke groups survived to 6 months. See Table 1. Conclusion These results demonstrate the feasibility of enrollment and complying to a structured protocol of prognostic tests in a prospective multicenter study in severe TBI patients. Table 1 (abstract P309) Neurosurgical/ Total Hospital 6-month MCA Year total DC survival survival TBI stroke Other 2006 292/1,839 2 2 2 1 0 1 2007 298/1,652 2 2 2 0 2 0 2008 286/1,563 11 10 8 (1N/A) 7 4 0 2009 493/1,840 18 11 10 7 8 3 2010 505/1,835 21 16 15 (1N/A) 11 9 1 2011 274/918 17 7 5 (2N/A) 7 10 0 5.5-year 2,148/9,647 71 48 42 (4N/A) 33 33 5 data Conclusion Survival following DC in this institution compares favourably with published data. Reduced survival in 2011 may be a case-mix eff ect related to increased tertiary referrals. P312 Blood–brain barrier permeability following traumatic brain injury M Jungner, P Bentzer Lund University, Lund, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P312 (doi: 10.1186/cc10919) Blood–brain barrier permeability following traumatic brain injury M Jungner, P Bentzer Lund University, Lund, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P312 (doi: 10.1186/cc10919) Introduction There is substantial evidence to suggest that oxidative stress is associated with cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Urinary 8-OHdG is the most common biomarker of DNA damage by oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to determine whether 8-OHdG is a good indicator of vasospasm occurrence following SAH. y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P312 (doi: 10.1186/cc10919) Introduction Brain edema and intracranial hypertension is deleterious after traumatic brain injury (TBI), but the underlying pathophysiology is complex and poorly understood. One major subject of controversy is the time course and extent of blood–brain barrier dysfunction following trauma, and previous studies in humans have only provided semi-quantitative data. The objective of the present study was therefore to quantify changes in blood–brain barrier permeability in the early course of TBI. Methods The subjects were 23 patients who received surgical clipping or endovascular coiling within 24 hours after the onset of SAH. We classifi ed the patients according to the occurrence of angiographic vasospasm. We examined the urinary 8-OHdG levels with high- performance liquid chromatography for 10 days following SAH. The urinary 8-OHdG levels were adjusted according to serum creatinine levels. Methods Seventeen nonconsecutive brain trauma patients and two controls were included in this prospective observational study. Following i.v. injection of iohexol and CT perfusion scans, patients were scanned eight times from 4 to 25 minutes. The blood-to-brain transfer constant (Ki) for iohexol, refl ecting permeability and area available for diff usion, was calculated by Patlak plot analysis of the enhancement curves of intracerebral large venous vessels and pericontusional brain parenchyma. Results The urinary 8-OHdG levels were elevated on day 2 compared with those on day 1 only in the vasospasm (+) group. The urinary 8-OHdG levels in the vasospasm (+) group were signifi cantly higher than those in the nonvasospasm (–) group on days 1, 2, 8 and 9. Furthermore, we examined the correlations between the urinary 8-OHdG levels on admission to the ICU and the grades of the World Federation of Neurologic Surgeons and Fisher, but none were observed. Discussion An elevated urinary 8-OHdG level on day 2 was observed only in the vasospasm group. Therefore, we speculated that free radicals may have a role in inducing vasospasm in the early phase following SAH. Feasibility of a multicenter prospective cohort study on the evaluation of prognosis in severe traumatic brain injury Results We retrieved 4,711 citations and included 22 studies (n = 757). Seventeen studies used the GOS as an outcome measure while 10 studies reported mortality. Most studies evaluated outcomes at 6 months or beyond (range: 1 to 12 months). Ten studies could not be included in the pooled analyses: three reported mean levels of serial samplings, two presented peak levels, two reported medians, one did not report any measure of dispersion and data could not be extracted from two studies. We observed a signifi cant association between serum NSE levels and mortality (fi ve studies: WMD 25.90 (95% Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P310 (doi: 10.1186/cc10917) Introduction Conducting prospective research in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients is challenging. To prepare for a large-scale S113 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 CI 15.97 to 35.83), I2 = 60%) and GOS ≤3 (10 studies: WMD 17.69 (95% CI 12.14 to 23.24), I2 = 64%). Similar results were found with or without extracerebral injuries. The number of studies included in pooled analyses precluded performing relevant sensitivity analyses.i References References 1. Patlak et al.: Graphical evaluation of blood-to-brain transfer constants from multiple-time uptake data. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1983, 3:1-3. 2. Maeda et al.: Ultra-early study of edema formation in cerebral contusion using diff usion MRI and ADC mapping. Acta Neurochir Suppl 2003, 86:329-331. Conclusion We observed a signifi cant association between serum NSE levels and unfavorable outcomes (mortality or GOS ≤3) not infl uenced by extracerebral injuries. Further studies need to evaluate the usefulness of serum NSE levels for prognosis assessment in TBI and its potential impact on clinical decision-making. R f 1. Papa L, et al.: Use of biomarkers for diagnosis and management of traumatic brain injury patients. Exp Opin Med Diagn 2008, 2:937-945. P313 P313 Can urinary 8-OHdG be a good indicator of vasospasm occurrence following subarachnoid hemorrhage? K Ikeda, T Ikeda, H Taniuchi, S Suda, Y Ikeda, H Jimbo Tokyo Medical University, Hachioji Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P313 (doi: 10.1186/cc10920) 2. Zitnay GA, et al.: Traumatic brain injury research priorities: the Conemaugh International Brain Injury Symposium. J Neurotrauma 2008, 25:1135-1152. 2. Zitnay GA, et al.: Traumatic brain injury research priorities: the Conemaugh International Brain Injury Symposium. J Neurotrauma 2008, 25:1135-1152. P312 Blood–brain barrier permeability following traumatic brain injury M Jungner, P Bentzer Lund University, Lund, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P312 (doi: 10.1186/cc10919) The urinary 8-OHdG levels were higher in the vasospasm group than in the nonvasospasm group, but we did not fi nd any correlation with severity of SAH. We suspect that the higher urinary 8-OHdG levels on days 8 and 9 in the vasospasm group indicated ischemic brain injury after vasospasm. Results Fourteen patients were included within 1 day and three were included within 5 days of the injury. In nonischemic tissue surrounding contusions and hematomas, Ki was focally increased in 11 of all included trauma patients and in six of seven patients with raised intracranial pressure. In noninjured areas and in controls, Ki was about 0.06 ml/ minute/100 g and increased by 100 to 2,000% in pericontusional tissue. See Figure 1. g Conclusion TBI is associated with early focal increases in blood–brain barrier permeability. The results suggest that in the injured brain, capillary hydrostatic and oncotic pressures are likely to infl uence edema formation. Conclusion We believe that oxidative stress has a role in the development of cerebral vasospasm and that urinary 8-OHdG may be a good indicator of vasospasm occurrence following SAH. Figure 1 (abstract P312). CBF (left) and permeability (right) maps, and contrast-enhanced CT scan (middle). igure 1 (abstract P312). CBF (left) and permeability (right) maps, and contrast-enhanced CT scan (middle). S114 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P314 Cortical capillary recruitment by rosuvastatin in experimental brain trauma is associated with increased NO production P Bentzer, M Jungner Lund University, Lund, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P314 (doi: 10.1186/cc10921) P314 P314 Cortical capillary recruitment by rosuvastatin in experimental brain trauma is associated with increased NO production P Bentzer, M Jungner Lund University, Lund, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P314 (doi: 10.1186/cc10921) Results We excluded two patients with bleeding for more than 72 hours. There was no signifi cant change in the levels of CK total, renal or liver function. We included 21 patients, 11 in the SVT group and nine in the control group. The mortality was eight patients (38%), six patients in the control group and two of the SVT group. Vasospasm was confi rmed by cerebral arteriography examination in four patients in the control group and one patient in the SVT group. All patients that had a bad outcome (death) had Fisher IV scale. P312 Blood–brain barrier permeability following traumatic brain injury M Jungner, P Bentzer Lund University, Lund, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P312 (doi: 10.1186/cc10919) Introduction Microvascular dysfunction, characterized by edema formation secondary to increased blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability and decreased blood fl ow, contributes to poor outcome following brain trauma. Recent studies have indicated that statins may counteract edema formation following brain trauma but little is known about other circulatory eff ects of statins in this setting. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether statin treatment improves brain microcirculation early after traumatic brain injury, and whether microvascular eff ects are associated with altered production of nitric oxide and prostacyclin.l Conclusion SVT at a dose of 80 mg was eff ective in reducing the mortality (18.1% against 66%) compared to the group that did not use SVT, and also decreased the incidence of cerebral vasospasm despite the APACHE II score being higher in the group that used SVT (14.3 vs. 10.7). There was less morbidity in the SVT group with an average Glasgow Outcome Scale of 3.25 vs. 2.1. Eff ects of sinvastatin in prevention of vasospasm in nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage: preliminary data Introduction Some trials have shown that statins in the acute phase of aSAH reduce the incidence, morbidity and mortality of cerebral vasospasm. Independent of their cholesterol-lowering eff ect, statins have multiple biological properties, including downregulating infl ammation and upregulating endothelial NO synthase. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential of sinvastatin (SVT) as prevention against vasospasm. Conclusion In women with preeclampsia signifi cant changes in ophthalmic hemodynamics take place – mFV in arterial and venous ophthalmics increases while PI values go down. This might be evidence of orbital hyperperfusion in preeclamptic pregnant women. Low PI values may be used as the markers of severe preeclampsia. Reference 1. Gosling RG, King DH: Arterial assessment by Doppler shift ultrasound. Proc R Soc Med 1974, 67:447-449. 1. Gosling RG, King DH: Arterial assessment by Doppler shift ultrasound. Proc R Soc Med 1974, 67:447-449. g Methods We realized a prospective study, randomized, nonblind, with the use of 80 mg SVT (night) in the fi rst 72 hours of the beginning of bleeding, and a control group that did not use SVT, for 21 days, between January and December 2008. Informed consent was obtained for all patients. CT scans were performed as control and another CT scan in patients with altered neurological signals. In the presence of changes suggestive of vasospasm or correlation in clinical and CT scans, the patients were taken for cerebral arteriography examination followed by an angioplasty procedure if necessary. Liver and renal function and LDL cholesterol were evaluated every 3 days. Exclusion criteria: liver and renal disease, pregnancy, elevation of serum transaminases (three times the value of normality), creatinine ≥2.5, rhabdomyolysis or CK total ≥1,000 U/l. P315f P315 Eff ects of sinvastatin in prevention of vasospasm in nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage: preliminary data S Macedo, V Aguiar, PF Rosa, IT Ladeia, YK Castro, LA Ferreira, DR De Melo, LG Rezende São Jose do Avai Hospital, Itaperuna, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P315 (doi: 10.1186/cc10922) Evaluation of arterial and venous ophthalmic hemodynamics in preeclamptic pregnant women p p g M Shifman, NV Khramchenko, SV Sokologorskiy EM Shifman, NV Khramchenko, SV So EM Shifman, NV Khramchenko, SV Sokologorskiy Federal Centre for Obstetrics, Gynecology & Neonatology, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P316 (doi: 10.1186/cc10923) y Results Trauma resulted in brain edema, BBB dysfunction, and reduced cortical blood fl ow, and no eff ect of treatment on these parameters could be detected. Trauma also induced a reduction in the number of perfused capillaries, which was improved by statin treatment. Statin treatment led to increased plasma NOx levels and reduced mean arterial blood pressure. The 6-keto-PGF-1α levels tended to increase after trauma, and were signifi cantly reduced by rosuvastatin. , y gy gy, Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P316 (doi: 10.1186/cc10923) Introduction The aim of the study was to evaluate arterial and venous ophthalmic blood fl ow parameters in mild and severe preeclampsia pregnancies and in normotensive pregnancies. Introduction The aim of the study was to evaluate arterial and venous ophthalmic blood fl ow parameters in mild and severe preeclampsia pregnancies and in normotensive pregnancies. Methods A total of 117 women 25 to 30 years old with singleton pregnancies 30 to 40 weeks of gestation were recruited. Among them 40 pregnant women developed severe preeclampsia, 42 mild preeclampsia, and 35 were normotensive. Using color fl ow mapping (CFM) and pulse-wave Doppler imaging (PWD), maximum blood fl ow velocity (mFV) in the right/left arterial and venous ophthalmics along with Gosling’s Doppler pulsatility index (PI) [1] in both arterial ophthalmics were evaluated. Mean blood pressure in all patients was also registered. gi y y Conclusion Rosuvastatin treatment improves microcirculation after traumatic brain injury by increasing the number of perfused capillaries. This eff ect is associated with increased NO and reduced prostacyclin production. R f p References 1. Béziaud et al.: Crit Care Med 2011, 39:2300-2307. 2. Cherian, Robertson: J Neurotrauma 2003, 20:77-85. 3. Prinz, Endres: Anesth Analg 2009, 109:572-584. Results The highest mFV values (59.2 ± 4.61 and 23.6 ± 4.03 cm/second) were in the severe preeclampsia group while in the mild preeclampsia group mFV increased slightly or remained normal (35.6  ±  2.97 and 13.6 ± 0.81 cm/second). There was no mFV increase in the normotensive pregnancy group (31.5 ± 2.21 cm/second). No signifi cant correlation was found between gestation age and mentioned hemodynamic parameters in the normotensive pregnancy group. PI values in the arterial ophthalmic in normotensive pregnant women were 2.92 ± 0.59 and the highest in all groups. In group with mild preeclampsia this parameter was 1.47 ± 0.30 and the lowest one was in patients with severe preeclampsia – 1.17 ± 0.08. g References 1. Lynch JR, Wang H, et al.: Simvastatin reduces vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: results of a pilot randomized clinical trial. Stroke 2005, 36:2024-2026. 1. Lynch JR, Wang H, et al.: Simvastatin reduces vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: results of a pilot randomized clinical trial. Stroke 2005, 36:2024-2026. p y Methods After fl uid percussion injury, rats were randomized to intravenous treatment with 10 mg/kg rosuvastatin or vehicle. Brain edema (wet/dry weight), BBB integrity (51Cr-EDTA blood to brain transfer), cerebral blood fl ow (14C-iodoantipyrine autoradiography), and the number of perfused cortical capillaries (FITC-albumin fl uorescence microscopy) were measured at 4 and 24 hours. Production of NO and prostacyclin was estimated by measuring the stable degradation products nitrite and nitrate (NOx), and 6-keto-PGF-1α in plasma. Sham injured animals were treated with vehicle and analyzed at 4 hours. 2. McGirt MJ, Lynch JR: Simvastatin increases endothelial nitric oxide synthase and ameliorates cerebral vasospasm resulting from subarachnoid hemorrhage. Stroke 2002, 33:2950-2956. Clinical outcomes in neonates following maternal magnesium sulfate therapy in preeclampsia/eclampsia G Tikhova, E Shifman Kulakov Scientifi c Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P319 (doi: 10.1186/cc10926) Combined injury in occipital– frontal lobes (29.3%) and occipital–temporal (27.6%) lobes were observed in almost one-third of patients. Synchronous injury in the temporal and frontal lobes was the least common (6.9%). Simultaneous damage of three and more lobes was observed quite rarely (14.6%). Most abnormalities were bilateral with frequency not less than 78.0%. Unsymmetrical injury observed in some patients was located in the right lobe in most cases. All analyzed cases include only 7.1% of single left injury and all of them were located in the occipital lobe. Vasogenic edema occurred in 83.5% of cases, while ischemic damage was observed in 10.4%. The incidence of hemorrhage was 6.1%. Methods Trials were searched for in the PubMed database among English-language articles published in 1990 to 2010. Analysis includes randomized controlled prospective clinical trials comparing MST with no treatment, placebo or other anticonvulsant. The following neonatal outcomes were chosen as the main endpoints of the study: neonatal death, neonatal hypotonia, Apgar score <7 at 1 and 5 minutes, intuba- tion at place of delivery, admission to the NICU, treatment in NICU >7 days. The total eff ect of MST was measured as the relative risk of adverse outcome in the MST group compared with control and its 95% CI. Meta-analysis of neonatal outcomes was performed under a random-eff ect model for seven endpoints and a fi xed-eff ect model for three endpoints. p Results Neonatal mortality in the MST group was compared with diff erent control groups. Each of these studies showed no signifi cant diff erence between two groups: MST/mixed (0.89, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.99), MTS/no treatment-placebo (0.99, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.05), MTS/diazepam (1.09, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.29), MTS/fenitoin (0.75, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.02). The neonatal hypotonia rate is signifi cantly higher in the MST group (3.57, 95% CI 2.89 to 4.42), although signifi cant heterogeneity of the control group may be a valuable confounding factor. There was no evidence for changing incidence of Apgar <7 at 1 and 5 minutes in the MTS group compared with control (0.79, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.89 and 0.80, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.99 correspondingly). The same results were observed for intubation at place of delivery (1.04, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.29) and admission to NICU (0.96, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.08). Clinical outcomes in neonates following maternal magnesium sulfate therapy in preeclampsia/eclampsia G Tikhova, E Shifman Kulakov Scientifi c Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P319 (doi: 10.1186/cc10926) Clinical outcomes in neonates following maternal magnesium sulfate therapy in preeclampsia/eclampsia G Tikhova, E Shifman Kulakov Scientifi c Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P319 (doi: 10.1186/cc10926) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P319 (doi: 10.1186/cc10926) ji Methods We collected cases of neurological complications of eclampsia reported in English-language medical journals from 1980 to 2008. The study methods include structural and frequency analysis of brain MRT/ CT image protocols. Introduction Magnesium sulfate therapy (MST) is the method of choice in prophylaxis and treatment of eclamptic seizures in many countries. A lot of high-quality clinical trials and meta-analyses proved its effi cacy and safety for mothers. But the eff ect of maternal MST on the fetus and neonate is still controversial. The goal of the study was to analyze available trials concerning this problem in order to prove statistically that maternal MST given as prophylaxis or treatment of eclamptic seizures has no adverse eff ects on the mature fetus and term neonate. Methods Trials were searched for in the PubMed database among English-language articles published in 1990 to 2010. Analysis includes randomized controlled prospective clinical trials comparing MST with no treatment, placebo or other anticonvulsant. The following neonatal outcomes were chosen as the main endpoints of the study: neonatal death, neonatal hypotonia, Apgar score <7 at 1 and 5 minutes, intuba- tion at place of delivery, admission to the NICU, treatment in NICU >7 days. The total eff ect of MST was measured as the relative risk of adverse outcome in the MST group compared with control and its 95% CI. Meta-analysis of neonatal outcomes was performed under a random-eff ect model for seven endpoints and a fi xed-eff ect model for three endpoints. g p Results The analyzed sample included 77 cases of neurological complications of eclampsia. We extracted the following positions from the plain texts of MRT/CT descriptions: brain injury areas (occipital, temporal, parietal and frontal lobes); injury depth (cortical and/or subcortical matter); brain structures undergoing injury (classifi cation was too complicated); injury nature (vasogenic/ischemic edema, hemorrhage). Abnormalities in occipital (84.6%) and parietal (70.7%) lobes were the most frequent, injuries in temporal lobes were quite rare (26.9%), but damage in frontal lobes was the most uncommon (24.4%). Combined injury in occipital and parietal lobes was recorded in more than two-thirds of cases (72.4%). P318 3 8 Eleven years of critical obstetric pathology: epidemiologic study L Calejman, V Nunes Velloso, E Canedo, M Deheza Hospital Rivadavia, Capital Federal, Argentina Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P318 (doi: 10.1186/cc10925) Introduction The objective was to describe the characteristics of pregnant and puerperal women admitted to the ICU from February 2000 to February 2011. Conclusion Maternal MST given as prophylaxis or treatment of eclamptic seizures does not aff ect neonatal mortality and incidence of neonatal hypotonia, Apgar <7 at 1 and 5 minutes, intubation at place of delivery and admission to the NICU in a population of term newborns. Maternal MST signifi cantly reduces the risk of neonate treatment in NICU >7 days in this population. Methods Patients admitted between the mentioned periods were grouped by age, sex, nationality, APACHE II score, days in the ICU, cause of admission: hypertensive syndromes in pregnancy (HSP), preeclampsia (P), eclampsia (E), HELLP syndrome (H), gestational diabetes, sepsis and placentary disorders; need for mechanical ventilation (MV) and dialysis, maternal mortality, and if they had proper prenatal care. P320 Results A total of 3,568 patients were admitted, from which 471 patients (13.2%) were of obstetric cause; average age was 24 years, APACHE II score of 6. There were 39 cases of arterial hypertension and 26 of diabetes mellitus before pregnancy. Sixty-eight percent were fi rst pregnancy. The most frequent causes of admission were hypertension secondary to pregnancy (HSP) in 353 patients (75%): P 44% (n = 156), E 8% (n = 28), H 33% (n = 116), H/E combined 15% (n = 53). Other causes of admission: sepsis 16% (n = 75), placental disorders 7% (n = 33), and neurological deterioration (CVA/S SHEEHAN) 2% (n = 10). They required an average of two drugs to control blood pressure for the patients who needed it in 68% (n = 320). The average stay in the ICU was 6.5 days. From a total of 471 patients, 73 patients required mechanical ventilation (15%) and 118 (25%) patients presented high levels of urea and creatinine, 11 patients (2%) required dialysis. With respect to nationality 301 patients (64%) were Argentinean, the others reported were from Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru. Prenatal checks occurred in only 35% (n = 165) of the patients. The mortality rate was 6% (n = 28). Sleep monitoring by actigraphy in short-stay ICU patients AW Van der Kooi1, JH Tulen2, AW De Weerd3, MM Van Eijk1, MJ Van Uitert4, SE De Rooij4, BC Van Munster4, AJ Slooter1 1University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands; 2Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 3Sein, Zwolle, the Netherlands; 4Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P320 (doi: 10.1186/cc10927) Introduction Sleep deprivation is common in ICU patients, but diffi cult to investigate [1]. The gold standard for sleep monitoring, polysomnography (PSG), is impractical for use in ICU patients [2]. Actigraphy proved to be a good alternative in non-ICU patients [3]. However, in prolonged mechanically ventilated patients, actigraphy was inaccurate, probably due to ICU-acquired weakness and resulting inactivity [2]. Short-stay ICU patients do not suff er from ICU-acquired weakness, and the accuracy of actigraphy in these patients has not yet been studied [4]. The aim of this study was to investigate actigraphy for sleep assessment in short-stay ICU patients. Introduction Sleep deprivation is common in ICU patients, but diffi cult to investigate [1]. The gold standard for sleep monitoring, polysomnography (PSG), is impractical for use in ICU patients [2]. P319 computer tomography (CT) examinations of the brain in patients with neurological complications of eclampsia; to defi ne the MRT/ CT examination data structure; and to perform frequency analysis of main MRT/CT characteristics and estimate their frequency distributions defi ned by studied pathology. The data included in the study were reported in medical journals and met defi nite criteria for inclusion. Methods We collected cases of neurological complications of eclampsia reported in English-language medical journals from 1980 to 2008. The study methods include structural and frequency analysis of brain MRT/ CT image protocols. computer tomography (CT) examinations of the brain in patients with neurological complications of eclampsia; to defi ne the MRT/ CT examination data structure; and to perform frequency analysis of main MRT/CT characteristics and estimate their frequency distributions defi ned by studied pathology. The data included in the study were reported in medical journals and met defi nite criteria for inclusion. computer tomography (CT) examinations of the brain in patients with neurological complications of eclampsia; to defi ne the MRT/ CT examination data structure; and to perform frequency analysis of main MRT/CT characteristics and estimate their frequency distributions defi ned by studied pathology. The data included in the study were reported in medical journals and met defi nite criteria for inclusion. Data classifi cation of magnetic resonance tomography and computer tomography images of brain in parturients with neurological complications of eclampsia kh h f Kulakov Scientifi c Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Moscow, Russia Kulakov Scientifi c Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P317 (doi: 10.1186/cc10924) Introduction The goal of the study was to classify protocol data recorded during magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) and S115 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Clinical outcomes in neonates following maternal magnesium sulfate therapy in preeclampsia/eclampsia G Tikhova, E Shifman Kulakov Scientifi c Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P319 (doi: 10.1186/cc10926) The incidence of treatment in the NICU >7 day was signifi cantly lower in MST group than in control (0.54, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.78). Conclusion The analysis reveals a general picture of the most distinctive features of brain damage following neurological complications of eclampsia. Quality and quantity of sleep in multipatient versus single-room ICUs M Van Eijk, A Slooter University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P321 (doi: 10.1186/cc10928) Quality and quantity of sleep in multipatient versus single-room ICUs M Van Eijk, A Slooter University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P321 (doi: 10.1186/cc10928) Methods Double-blind RCT between placebo and melatonin (3 mg bid, 8:00 and 12:00 p.m., from third ICU day until discharge). Inclusion: age >18, SAPS II >32, expected mechanical ventilation (MV) >4 days, practicability of the gastroenteric tract. Patients were treated according to local guidelines [2], titrating sedatives to a conscious target (Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) = 0) as early as possible. Each day, the physician in charge stated the RASS target; nurses assessed the actual RASS. Introduction Sleep fragmentation and deprivation is common in ICU patients [1]. It is assumed that the ICU environment (overexposure to sound and light during night-time) leads to disturbed sleep [2]. In our hospital, a new ICU was built with quiet, single-patient rooms with much daylight. This created an opportunity to study the eff ects of nursing environment on sleep quality and quantity in ICU patients. Introduction Sleep fragmentation and deprivation is common in ICU patients [1]. It is assumed that the ICU environment (overexposure to sound and light during night-time) leads to disturbed sleep [2]. In our hospital, a new ICU was built with quiet, single-patient rooms with much daylight. This created an opportunity to study the eff ects of nursing environment on sleep quality and quantity in ICU patients. Methods We included 21 postcardiothoracic surgery patients: 11 subjects were admitted to the old, ward-like ICU, and 10 patients to the new, single-room ICU (see Figure 1). Hypnograms were derived from a polysomnography from 07:00 p.m. to 07:00 a.m. Results Eighty-two patients enrolled: age 72 (60 to 77), SAPS II 41 (34 to 54), MV length 11 (6 to 22) days. Fifteen pancreatitis, 33 acute lung diseases, 13 acute heart diseases, 21 other. The analgesic/sedative therapy during the fi rst 3 days was not diff erent between groups. Melatonin administration determined early weaning from sedatives and analgesics. The prevalence of conscious sedation (RASS = 0) was higher in the melatonin group (67.9 vs. 60.1%, P <0.01), while deeper levels of sedation (RASS = –3/–4) were lower in the melatonin group (RASS –3: 2.4 vs. 7.7%, P <0.01; RASS –4: 1.9 vs. 4.3%, P <0.01). Melatonin administration caused no oversedation (26.3 vs. 24.2%, P = 0.94), while decreased undersedation (18.6% vs. 26.2%, P = 0.05). References 1. Iapichino et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:1039. 1. Iapichino et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:1039. 2. Cigada et al.: J Crit Care 2008, 23:349. 1. Iapichino et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:1039. 2. Cigada et al.: J Crit Care 2008, 23:349. Figure 1 (abstract P321). New, single-room ICU. 2. Cigada et al.: J Crit Care 2008, 23:349. Quality and quantity of sleep in multipatient versus single-room ICUs M Van Eijk, A Slooter University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P321 (doi: 10.1186/cc10928) RASS targets were joined more frequently in the melatonin group, even if not signifi cantly (55.1 vs. 49.6%, P = 0.12). of nursing environment on sleep quality and quantity in ICU patients. Methods We included 21 postcardiothoracic surgery patients: 11 subjects were admitted to the old, ward-like ICU, and 10 patients to the new, single-room ICU (see Figure 1). Hypnograms were derived from a polysomnography from 07:00 p.m. to 07:00 a.m.f y g y Results Both groups did not diff er with respect to age, duration of surgery or use of psychoactive medication. Polysomnography recordings showed no diff erences in total sleep time and awakenings (63  ±  26 in the old ICU and 56  ±  30 in the new ICU). The mean percentage of sleep stages in the old versus new situation did not essentially diff erent either: N1: 12.9% versus 8.0%, P = 0.21, ANOVA; N2: 80.3% versus 87.2%, P = 0.07, ANOVA; N3: 5.2% versus 2.5%, P = 0.18, ANOVA. Only REM sleep latency was longer in the old ICU: 314.7 versus 633.5 minutes, P = 0.02, ANOVA. Conclusion Oral melatonin increased the prevalence of conscious sedation in high-risk critically ill patients; it allowed a better achievement of RASS target, particularly decreasing undersedation episodes. Conclusion Except for REM onset latency, sleep improvement was not achieved by changing a ward-like into a single-patient-room ICU environment. When striving for more natural sleep, attitudes towards Oral melatonin in high-risk critically ill patients: quality of sedative eff ect f G Sabbatini, G Mistraletti, B Cerri, S Miori, I Galluccio, M Tozzi, C Villa, M Umbrello, F Fraschini, G Iapichino Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P322 (doi: 10.1186/cc10929) Conclusion Actigraphy is not reliable for one-night sleep–wake detection in short-stay postoperative ICU patients. References Conclusion Actigraphy is not reliable for one-night sleep–wake detection in short-stay postoperative ICU patients. 1. Figueroa-Ramos M, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:781-795. 2. Beecroft J, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2008, 34:2076-2083. 3. de Souza L, et al.: Sleep 2003, 26:81-85. 4. Schweickert WD, et al.: Chest 2007, 131:1541-1549. Introduction Analgesic/sedative therapy is necessary in ICU patients; however, it presents important side eff ects. Critically ill patients have altered circadian rhythm, delirium and agitation often requiring additional sedation. The dramatically reduced endogenous blood melatonin level (basal and night peaks) could play a role in this context. We evaluated the eff ects of oral melatonin administration on the adaptation to critical illness and invasive procedures in high-risk critically ill patients [1] consciously sedated [2]. 1. Figueroa-Ramos M, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:781-795. 2. Beecroft J, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2008, 34:2076-2083. 3. de Souza L, et al.: Sleep 2003, 26:81-85. 4. Schweickert WD, et al.: Chest 2007, 131:1541-1549. References References References 1. Cooper AB, et al.: Chest 2000, 117:809-818. 2. Gabor JY, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003, 167:708-715. g p y Results The only parameter that showed a signifi cant correlation between PSG and actigraphy was the number of awakenings (r = 0.76, P  =  0.049, high threshold setting). Actigraphy underestimated wake time after sleep onset and overestimated total sleep time and sleep effi ciency. The median specifi city for actigraphy was below 19% and the median sensitivity above 94% for all threshold settings. Conclusion Actigraphy is not reliable for one-night sleep–wake detection in short-stay postoperative ICU patients. References Results The only parameter that showed a signifi cant correlation between PSG and actigraphy was the number of awakenings (r = 0.76, P  =  0.049, high threshold setting). Actigraphy underestimated wake time after sleep onset and overestimated total sleep time and sleep effi ciency. The median specifi city for actigraphy was below 19% and the median sensitivity above 94% for all threshold settings. P320 Actigraphy proved to be a good alternative in non-ICU patients [3]. However, in prolonged mechanically ventilated patients, actigraphy was inaccurate, probably due to ICU-acquired weakness and resulting inactivity [2]. Short-stay ICU patients do not suff er from ICU-acquired weakness, and the accuracy of actigraphy in these patients has not yet been studied [4]. The aim of this study was to investigate actigraphy for sleep assessment in short-stay ICU patients. p y Conclusion Critical obstetrical pathology is common in the ICU, HSP as the main cause. A high number of fi rst pregnancy patients with little prenatal care was observed. This type of patient requires low levels of life support. y Conclusion Critical obstetrical pathology is common in the ICU, HSP as the main cause. A high number of fi rst pregnancy patients with little prenatal care was observed. This type of patient requires low levels of life support. Methods PSG and actigraphy measurements were conducted in seven postcardiothoracic surgery patients. Total sleep time, sleep S116 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 nursing and medication may play a more important role than ICU design. nursing and medication may play a more important role than ICU design. effi ciency, number of awakenings and wake time after sleep onset were determined with actigraphy and compared to PSG. The accuracy, sensitivity (percentage correctly scored as sleep) and specifi city (percentage correctly scored as awake) were calculated for actigraphy using high, medium, low and automatic threshold sensitivity settings of the actigraphy software. n in the ICU: nurses’ perceptions of practices and infl uenci Sedation in the ICU: nurses’ perceptions of practices and infl uencing factors B Sneyers1, PF Laterre2, MM Perreault3, A Spinewine1 1Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Brussels, Belgium; 2Université catholique de Louvain, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Brussels, Belgium; 3Université de Montreal, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P324 (doi: 10.1186/cc10931) Introduction Our goals are to describe adherence to sedation recommendations [1] in Belgian ICUs and to identify major factors infl uencing practices. l Methods A national survey including all nurses working in Belgian ICUs was conducted with seven nurses sampled per hospital. A validated self-administered paper survey was designed based on a literature review and data from a previous qualitative study. Topics addressed were current practices and reasons for (non)compliance to sedation recommendations such as use of sedation scales and daily sedation interruption (DSI). Four postal reminders were sent. Conclusion In mechanically ventilated patients of a medical ICU including also patients with neurologic diseases, a sedation goal of RASS 0 to –2, as recommended by a current guideline, could only be achieved in a minority of patients despite intensive instructions and a motivated team. In most cases the nurses were able to provide reasonable medical explanations for a deeper sedation or an otherwise impaired consciousness. Results The response rate was 70% (n = 587/840 nurses from 99/120 hospitals). Sedation scales are available to 89% of nurses and frequency of use is variable (≤1×/day: 13%, 3 to 4×/day: 31%, ≥6×/day: 56%). When sedation scales are available, perceived indications are monitoring of sedation and analgesia (96% and 31% of nurses respectively) and dosing adjustment for sedatives and analgesics (14% and 28% of nurses respectively). DSI is infrequently used (never used: 38% of respondents, used for <25% of patients: 47% of respondents, used for 25 to 75% of patients: 12% of respondents, used for >75% of patients: 3% of respondents). Numerous barriers for wide implementation are identifi ed, mainly lack of outcome expectancy, as DSI is perceived to impair patient outcomes. It is perceived that DSI increases the risk of complications such as unplanned extubation and pulling of lines and tubes (79% of nurses agree), impairs patients’ comfort (59% of nurses agree), and creates traumatic memories in the intubated patients (36% of nurses agree). Moreover, 63% of nurses agree that they would prefer no DSI if they were an intubated patient. P323 Sedation depth and mortality in mechanically ventilated critically ill adults 1. Jacobi et al.: Crit Care Med 2002, 30:119-141. p y p y Results We studied 259 patients with mean (SD) age 53.1 (15.9) years and APACHE II score 21.3 (8.2), ventilated for median (IQR) 5 (3 to 8.8) days. Hospital mortality was 82 (31.7%). Midazolam and morphine were the commonest agents used, given to 241 (93.1%) and 201 (77.6%) patients respectively. Over 2,657 study days, 13,836 assessments were conducted. Deep sedation was recorded in 187 (72%) patients within 4 hours of commencing ventilation and in 159 (61%) patients at 48 hours. Daily interruption was used on 20% of study days. Delirium occurred in 114 (43%) of assessed patients with a mean (SD) duration of 1.3 (2.2) days. Early deep sedation independently predicted time to hospital death (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.18, P <0.001) and time to extubation (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.96, P = 0.001) but not time to delirium occurring after 48 hours (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.03, P = 0.46). Midazolam cumulative dose in the fi rst 48 hours was signifi cantly associated with the number of RASS assessments ≤–3 (P <0.001).i P324 Results The independent observer documented only in 13% (47/364) of all measurements a RASS of 0 to –2. We analyzed 295 questionnaires, in which 368 reasons for a deviation from a RASS of 0 to –2 were stated (multiple answers were possible). In 113 questionnaires (38%) the nurses mentioned that a short-term increase in sedation depth was required for nursing procedures or medical interventions. In 89 questionnaires (30%) a RASS of 0 to –2 was considered reasonable but could not be achieved at the time of measurement with the current medication (n = 32) or the consciousness was impaired by CNS diseases (n = 52). In 100 questionnaires (34%) a RASS of 0 to –2 was not considered reasonable. The following reasons were stated: disease with coma (n = 25), controlled ventilation (n = 32), distressed patient (n  =  12), increased intracranial pressure (n  =  7), status epilepticus (n  =  7), hypothermia (n  =  4), dying patient (n  =  4), delirium/(auto) aggression (n = 4). Other reasons were mentioned in 66 questionnaires (22%), most commonly a physician order for a deeper sedation (n = 19) or a missing sedation goal (n = 14). Reference 1. Devlin JW: The pharmacology of over sedation in mechanically ventilated adults. Curr Opin Crit Care 2008, 14:403-407. P325 3 5 Implementation of a national guideline for analgesia and sedation: how often can a RASS of 0 to –2 be achieved? R Riessen, P Tränkle, R Pech, G Blumenstock, M Haap University Hospital Tübingen, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P325 (doi: 10.1186/cc10932) Introduction Based on a new national guideline we implemented in our medical ICU an interdisciplinary algorithm for the management of analgosedation, in which nurses had to adjust the dose of the analgesics and sedatives based on sedation goals given by the physicians. Within this project we investigated in what portion of mechanically ventilated patients a sedation level of Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) of 0 to –2, which is generally recommended by the guideline, can be achieved. We also asked the nurses for an explanation when this goal was not reached. Conclusion Early ICU sedation depth is a modifi able risk factor for delayed extubation and increased risk of death and should be considered in future sedation trials. g Methods After an educational program the level of sedation was measured 364 times in 37 mechanically ventilated patients at diff erent time points by an independent observer. In all cases in which the RASS was outside the desired level of 0 to –2, the nurse in charge was asked to fi ll out a structured as well as open questionnaire, in which the reasons for this deviation could be stated. Reference P323 Sedation depth and mortality in mechanically ventilated critically ill adults Y Shehabi1, S Kadiman2, L Chan3, W Ismail4, M Saman5, A Alias6 1University New South Wales, Randwick, Australia; 2National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 3University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 4Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital, Kota Bharu, Malaysia; 5Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching, Malaysia; 6Malacca General Hospital, Malacca, Malaysia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P323 (doi: 10.1186/cc10930) Introduction Deep sedation is common in ventilated patients, particularly in the fi rst 48 hours in the ICU, which may adversely aff ect outcomes such as mortality. This period is usually unobserved in clinical trials due to late randomisation. We investigated the relationship between early sedation depth, sum of Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) –3 to –5 and clinical outcomes, including mortality. Figure 1 (abstract P321). New, single-room ICU. Methods A waiver of consent was granted. In collaboration with the Australian New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, we conducted S117 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion Sedation scales are widely used in Belgium, while use of DSI is low. Barriers impairing adherence to recommendations were identifi ed. Perception that sedation scales are not used for sedative dosing adjustments is present, as well as inadequate use for analgesia. Fear of worsening patient outcomes using DSI is present, contrasting with current literature. A similar survey addressing physicians’ perceptions is ongoing. Reference Conclusion Sedation scales are widely used in Belgium, while use of DSI is low. Barriers impairing adherence to recommendations were identifi ed. Perception that sedation scales are not used for sedative dosing adjustments is present, as well as inadequate use for analgesia. Fear of worsening patient outcomes using DSI is present, contrasting with current literature. A similar survey addressing physicians’ perceptions is ongoing. Reference a multicentre prospective longitudinal cohort study in 11 centers in Malaysia. Critically ill patients ventilated and sedated ≥24 hours were followed from ICU admission to hospital discharge. The administration of all sedatives was measured daily. Four-hourly RASS assessments were conducted and delirium assessed daily (CAM-ICU during light sedation RASS –2 to +1). Multivariable Cox regression proportional hazard was used to quantify relationships between early deep sedation and time to extubation and delirium occurring after 48 hours and hospital mortality adjusting for diagnosis, age, gender, APACHE II score, operative, elective, early use of vasopressors and dialysis. 1. Jacobi et al.: Crit Care Med 2002, 30:119-141. Cerebral ischemia–reperfusion model in rabbits: relationship between dexmedetomidine and biochemical parameters in lowering intraparenchymal pressure g y Results In the baseline phase (36 patients/422 measurements) using the RAMSAY score, sedation depth documented by the nurses and the observer matched in only 39% of the measurements. The nurses documented in 246 (58%) measurements a lighter sedation and in 12 measurements (3%) a deeper sedation than the observer. In the post- implementation phase (37 patients/346 measurements) using the RASS, we found a signifi cantly higher matching rate of 76% between nurses and observer compared to RAMSAY (P <0.001). Nurses documented in 47 measurements a lighter (14%) and in 37 measurements (11%) a deeper sedation than the observer. The nurses evaluated the RASS in terms of the ability to describe the actual depths of sedation with a mean of 1.7 on the six-point Likert scale signifi cantly better than the RAMSAY score with 3.2 (P <0.001). Similar results were found regarding the discrimination between diff erent levels of sedation (RASS 1.7, RAMSAY 3.1, P <0.001). g y A Tavlan1, ME Ustun1, A Yosunkaya1, A Ak1, A Kiyici1, HK Bardakcı2, F Gok1 1Selcuk University, Meram Medical Faculty, Konya, Turkey; 2Farabi Hospital, Konya, Turkey Critical Care 2012 16(Suppl 1) P328 (doi 10 1186/cc10935) y y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P328 (doi: 10.1186/cc10935) Introduction The eff ect of dexmedetomidine in two diff erent doses on the levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and prostoglandin I2 (PGI2) in blood and cerebrospinal fl uid (CSF) of rabbits via the transient global cerebral ischemia model was studied to determine its intraparenchymal pressure (IPP) reduction mechanism. Methods Twenty-four New Zealand type rabbits were employed and randomly distributed into four groups. Group I (sham group, n = 6): craniotomy was performed only. Group II (control group, n  =  6): bilateral carotid arteries were clamped for 60 minutes after craniotomy, then reperfusion was performed for 60 minutes. In Group III (n = 6) and Group IV (n = 6), 80 μkg–1 and 320 μkg–1 dexmedetomidine was administered within the fi rst 10 minutes of the reperfusion procedure respectively. Blood and CSF samples were collected 120 minutes after craniotomy. Mean arterial pressures (MAP), heart rates (HR), IPP and temperature values were recorded. Conclusion In routine use the RAMSAY score showed a poor performance regarding the measurement of sedation depth. After implementation of the RASS, measurement of sedation depth appeared signifi cantly improved. Results There was no signifi cant diff erence in MAP values between groups (P ≥0.05). n in the ICU: nurses’ perceptions of practices and infl uenci Other barriers are related to knowledge, as 26% of nurses do not know the practice, and to behaviour, as 53% of respondents feel DSI is diffi cult to implement because of organizational constraints. P326 Comparison of the RAMSAY score and the Richmond Agitation Sedation Score for the measurement of sedation depth R Riessen, R Pech, P Tränkle, G Blumenstock, M Haap University Hospital Tübingen, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P326 (doi: 10.1186/cc10933) Introduction We implemented an interdisciplinary algorithm for the management of analgosedation in mechanically ventilated patients based on a new national guideline. As part of this project we investigated whether the newly introduced Richmond Agitation Sedation Score (RASS) allowed a better monitoring of sedation depth than the formerly used RAMSAY score. Introduction We implemented an interdisciplinary algorithm for the management of analgosedation in mechanically ventilated patients based on a new national guideline. As part of this project we investigated whether the newly introduced Richmond Agitation Sedation Score (RASS) allowed a better monitoring of sedation depth than the formerly used RAMSAY score. S118 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods During the baseline phase of the study we investigated the RAMSAY score, which had been routinely used for several years in our unit. Following an educational program the RAMSAY was replaced by the RASS. During both study phases the actual sedation score was determined within a short period of time by the nurse in charge and an independent observer. In addition, the nurses were asked to evaluate on a six-point Likert scale whether the score appeared to be suitable to describe the actual state of sedation or to discriminate between diff erent levels of sedation (1 = very good). The measurements took place at three defi ned time points (7, 9 and 12 o’clock) during the morning shift on weekdays. P328 P328 3 8 Cerebral ischemia–reperfusion model in rabbits: relationship between dexmedetomidine and biochemical parameters in lowering intraparenchymal pressure A Tavlan1, ME Ustun1, A Yosunkaya1, A Ak1, A Kiyici1, HK Bardakcı2, F Gok1 1Selcuk University, Meram Medical Faculty, Konya, Turkey; 2Farabi Hospital, Konya, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P328 (doi: 10.1186/cc10935) Dexmedetomidine is associated with better outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery PG Brandão1, S Lobo1, M Nassau Machado1, J Duarte1, F Lobo1, Y Sakr2 1Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto, Brazil; 2Friedrich Schiller University Hospital, Jena, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P327 (doi: 10.1186/cc10934) Introduction Cardiac anesthesia has changed over the years from high- dose opioids to fast-track surgery. The use of high doses of opioids was justifi ed based on the hemodynamic stability [1] at a cost of prolonged mechanical ventilation support. Our study aims to analyze the use of dexmedetomidine as an anesthesia adjuvant during the induction and maintenance of anesthesia for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and valvular heart surgeries. Conclusion Dexmedetomidine could decrease intraparenchymal pressure in the transient global cerebral ischemia model when administered at low doses [1,2]. It probably contributed to this reduction by preventing an increase of endothelin levels in blood and CSF as well as decreasing PGI2 levels in CSF. g 2 Referencesf References yp g g Methods This study is a retrospective analysis from a prospective database collected from January 2003 to April 2011. The patients were divided into two groups, based on the use of dexmedetomidine (DEX group) intraoperatively or conventional opioid-based technique (Control group). Isofl urane was used for anesthesia maintenance in both groups. 1. Zornow MH, Scheller MS, Sheehan PB: Intracranial pressure eff ects of dexmedetomidine in rabbits. Anesth Analg 1992, 75:232-237. 2. Jolkkonen J, Puurunen K, Koistinaho J, et al.: Neuroprotection by the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, dexmedetomidine in rat focal cerebral ischemia. Eur J Pharmacol 1999, 7:31-36. g p Results We included 1,302 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery during the study period (63% male; median age = 57 years), 796 patients in the DEX group and 506 patients in the control group. CABG was the most commonly performed surgery (63%) followed by valve surgeries (37%). The overall 30-day hospital mortality rate was 5.8%. Length of stay was signifi cantly lower for patients in the Dex group (3.7 ± 4.4 days) than for patients in the control group (4.5 ± 6.3 days) (P = 0.02). Thirty-day mortality rates were 3.4% in the Dex group and 9.7% in the control group (P <0.001). In the multivariable Cox regression analysis with in-hospital death as the dependent variable, dexmedetomidine (OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.64, P ≤0.001), a high L-EuroSCORE (OR= 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.10, P = 0.004) and older age (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.05, P = 0.003) were independently related to in-hospital death. Need for reoperation (2.0% vs. 2.8%, P = 0.001), neurologic lesion type 1 (2.0% vs. 4.7%, P  =  0.005) and prolonged hospitalization (3.1% vs. 7.3%, P = 0.001) were signifi cantly less frequent in the DEX group than in the control group. P327 Dexmedetomidine is associated with better outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery PG Brandão1, S Lobo1, M Nassau Machado1, J Duarte1, F Lobo1, Y Sakr2 1Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto, Brazil; 2Friedrich Schiller University Hospital, Jena, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P327 (doi: 10.1186/cc10934) Cerebral ischemia–reperfusion model in rabbits: relationship between dexmedetomidine and biochemical parameters in lowering intraparenchymal pressure A decrease of HR in Group IV was signifi cantly lower after reperfusion (P <0.05). IPP values after the reperfusion in Groups II and IV were signifi cantly higher than Group I (P <0.05), but no signifi cant increase in Group III (P ≥0.05). ET-1 levels of both blood and CSF were increased in the group with performed ischemia and reperfusion and no treatment (Group II) and the group administered high-dose dexmedetomidine (Group IV) (P <0.05), while the group administered low-dose dexmedetomidine (Group III) was similar to the sham group (P ≥0.05). However, PGI2 levels of CSF were signifi cantly decreased in the group administered low-dose dexmedetomidine (P <0.05). References 1. Lowenstein E, et al.: Cardiovascular response to large doses of intravenous morphine in man. N Engl J Med 1969, 281:1389-1393. 2. Jalonen J, et al.: Dexmedetomidine as an anesthetic adjuvant in coronary artery bypass grafting. Anesthesiology 1997, 86:331-345. 1. Lowenstein E, et al.: Cardiovascular response to large doses of intravenous morphine in man. N Engl J Med 1969, 281:1389-1393. 2. Jalonen J, et al.: Dexmedetomidine as an anesthetic adjuvant in coronary artery bypass grafting. Anesthesiology 1997, 86:331-345. 1. Lowenstein E, et al.: Cardiovascular response to large doses of intravenous morphine in man. N Engl J Med 1969, 281:1389-1393. 2. Jalonen J, et al.: Dexmedetomidine as an anesthetic adjuvant in coronary artery bypass grafting. Anesthesiology 1997, 86:331-345. 2. Jalonen J, et al.: Dexmedetomidine as an anesthetic adjuvant in coronary artery bypass grafting. Anesthesiology 1997, 86:331-345. P329 Evaluation of sedation using pupilometry in ICUs: a pilot study O Rouche, A Wolak-Thierry, Q Destoop, L Milloncourt, T Floch, P Raclot, J Cousson Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Reims, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P329 (doi: 10.1186/cc10936) Evaluation of sedation using pupilometry in ICUs: a pilot study O Rouche, A Wolak-Thierry, Q Destoop, L Milloncourt, T Floch, P Raclot, J Cousson Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Reims, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P329 (doi: 10.1186/cc10936) Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Reims, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P329 (doi: 10.1186/cc10936) Introduction The depth of hypnosis is correlated with the decrease in photomotor refl ex (PMR) [1]. It would be benefi cial to develop an automated, noninvasive, simple and reproducible technique allowing one to effi ciently evaluate the depth of sedation in ICUs. The objective of this observational study is to evaluate the eff ectiveness of pupilometric video in comparison to the Bispectral index (BIS). Introduction The depth of hypnosis is correlated with the decrease in photomotor refl ex (PMR) [1]. It would be benefi cial to develop an automated, noninvasive, simple and reproducible technique allowing one to effi ciently evaluate the depth of sedation in ICUs. The objective of this observational study is to evaluate the eff ectiveness of pupilometric video in comparison to the Bispectral index (BIS). Methods Sedation level was based on the Richmond Score (RASS between –4 and –5). Exclusion criteria were neurological pathologies interfering with the PMR. Following a 320 lux fl ash of light, the PMR was measured by the Neurolight (IDmed). Three measurements a day Conclusion Use of dexmedetomidine as anesthesia adjuvant was asso- ciated with better outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. S119 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 correlated with EEG frequency, with maximal slowing in the delta (≤4 Hz) range. were taken during 48 hours along with the collection of the BIS value (Bis Vista Anandic Medical Systems). The data collected included the variation of pupillary diameter (PD), latency time (LT) and maximal speed of pupillary constriction (Vmax). These parameters were analyzed after having classifi ed BIS values into three groups. Conclusion Midazolam concentrations while on continuous infusion were associated with EEG tracings suggestive of deep sedation. Although clearance was relatively preserved, it varied over a wider range than found in healthy populations. Eff ect of critical illness on the pharmacokinetics and dose–response relationship of midazolam p g p y Results We included 15 patients; APACHE II score was (median) 17.5 points and SOFA score 9 points. The Bispectral index was lower in the midazolan group (43 vs. 48.5 points, P  =  0.005), although RASS was the same for both groups. Large-vessel perfusion was similar for both groups. The small perfusion vessel proportion was signifi cantly reduced with propofol (92 vs. 96.3%, P  =  0.003). The microvascular fl ow index was also lower during propofol infusion (MFI – 2.4 vs. 2.7, P = 0.002). We observed a higher heterogeneity index when patients were sedated with propofol (0.4 vs. 0.19, P = 0.01). Introduction Critically ill patients require sedation to tolerate the interventions necessary to facilitate their care. There is growing evidence, however, that use of sedatives, such as the benzodiazepine midazolam, is associated with delirium and other complications that can lead to prolonged ICU stay and increased mortality. The pharmacokinetics of midazolam in healthy populations has been well characterized, and pharmacodynamic studies demonstrate a predictable dose–response relationship. However, in critical illness, where midazolam is often administered as a continuous infusion, the pharmacokinetic properties are often altered. We sought to investigate whether analysis of midazolam plasma concentrations in combination with electroencephalography (EEG) will better defi ne the eff ect of critical illness on the pharmacokinetics and clinical response to midazolam, while providing a method to assess the adequacy of sedation thereby minimizing the risks associated with prolonged or over-sedation. Conclusion Propofol reduces small-vessel perfusion and increases the heterogeneity of circulation in the sublingual mucosa, when compared with the use of midazolan in septic shock patients. P329 The apparent lower threshold for onset of coma may be a refl ection of illness severity, concomitant medication use, and variable clearance during the course of illness. These preliminary results suggest that the combination of continuous bedside EEG and therapeutic drug monitoring may be useful for titrating midazolam infusions and to guide tapering to avoid prolonged coma in patients with variable clearance of midazolam. i Results A total of 186 analyses of PMR and BIS were conducted on 31 patients. The averages and standard deviations for each class of BIS were as shown in Table 1. We conducted an analysis of variance in order to compare these three groups of BIS. For the values Vmax and the PD, the ANOVA was signifi cant. Therefore, we proceeded to compare the groups two by two using Bonferroni tests. They revealed signifi cant diff erence between the BIS <40 and 40 ≤ BIS ≤ 60 group (P <0.0001 for both variables) and between BIS <40 and BIS >60 (Vmax P <0.0001 and PD P <0.05). There was no correlation between any of the BIS groups and the LT variable. P331 Eff ect of propofol and midazolan on microcirculation of septic shock patients G Penna1, F Fialho2, A Japiassu3, D Salgado4, P Kurtz1, G Nobre1, M Kalichsztein1, N Villela5, E Bouskela5 1Casa de Saúde São José, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 2IFF-FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 3IPEC-FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 4UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 5UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P331 (doi: 10.1186/cc10938) 33 Eff ect of propofol and midazolan on microcirculation of septic shock patients G P 1 F Fi lh 2 A J i 3 D S l d 4 P K t 1 G N b 1 Table 1 (abstract P329). Values of Vmax, PD and TL BIS <40 (n = 68) 40 ≤ BIS ≤ 60 (n = 62) BIS >60 (n = 37) Vmax (mm/second) 0.98 ± 0.44 1.45 ± 0.73 1.66 ± 0.95 TL (ms) 253.8 ± 68.6 241.6 ± 41.8 240.6 ± 52.2 PD% 12.95 ± 5.58 18.3 ± 6.12 17.7 ± 6.72 Conclusion The Vmax and the PD seem to be relevant criteria when compared to the BIS. This noninvasive technique of monitoring the depth of sedation could be benefi cial especially with patients under myorelaxant drugs. A larger study is necessary in order to confi rm these results and enable one to set cut-off values for the Vmax and PD. Reference 1 Leslie K et al : Anesthesiology 1996 84:52 63 Table 1 (abstract P329). Values of Vmax, PD and TL BIS <40 (n = 68) 40 ≤ BIS ≤ 60 (n = 62) BIS >60 (n = 37) Vmax (mm/second) 0.98 ± 0.44 1.45 ± 0.73 1.66 ± 0.95 TL (ms) 253.8 ± 68.6 241.6 ± 41.8 240.6 ± 52.2 PD% 12.95 ± 5.58 18.3 ± 6.12 17.7 ± 6.72 Introduction Septic shock patients are submitted to many therapeutic strategies, including sedation. It is unknown if diff erent sedative drugs infl uence microcirculation. Methods We performed a prospective observational study, using sidestream dark-fi eld imaging (SDF), to evaluate sublingual mucosa of septic shock patients admitted to our ICU. SDF was applied in two settings: continuous sedation with propofol and with midazolan. We repeated each examination after an interval of 30 minutes. Eight fi elds (videos) were analyzed during propofol and midazolan infusion. Two videos were obtained from each side of the tongue. The Bispectral index was monitored along with the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale: the dose of both sedatives was titered to maintain light sedation. All demographic and severity of illness data were collected. Vasopressor agents were maintained to a mean arterial pressure of 70 mmHg and the cardiac index was kept stable through the protocol study. 1. Leslie K, et al.: Anesthesiology 1996, 84:52-63. P330f P330 Eff ect of critical illness on the pharmacokinetics and dose–response relationship of midazolam D Ovakim, KJ Bosma, GB Young, M Sen, LE Norton, F Priestap, RG Tirona, R Kim, GK Dresser University of Western Ontario, London, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P330 (doi: 10.1186/cc10937) P335 Methods Ninety patients admitted to the RRCEM urgently with chest traumatic injuries have been examined. They were divided into two groups against the applied method of anesthesia. First (control) group (47 patients, 38.5 ± 2.4 years): IPA was done before the induction of anesthesia into the second intercostal space from the damaged side with bupivakain at a dose of 75 to 100 mg. Analgesic component maintained by the abovementioned IPA and phentanyl bolus dosing. The second group (43 patients, 36.8  ±  5.4 years): one-sided TPVB maintained before the induction at ThIV, ThVII levels 0.5% – 5 ml (25 mg) bupivakain dosing (at the average total 75 to 100 mg) with posterior paravertebral area catheterization. Analgesic component maintained by paravertebral analgesia and phentanyl bolus dosing.f Long-term adverse neuropsychological functioning in children who survived meningococcal septic shock: is there a relationship with sedation and analgesia during paediatric ICU admission? HL Van Zellem1, E Utens1, SN De Wildt1, WC Hop2, NJ Vet1, KF Joosten1, C Buysse1 1Erasmus MC – Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 2Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P335 (doi: 10.1186/cc10942) Long-term adverse neuropsychological functioning in children who survived meningococcal septic shock: is there a relationship with sedation and analgesia during paediatric ICU admission? HL Van Zellem1, E Utens1, SN De Wildt1, WC Hop2, NJ Vet1, KF Joosten1, C Buysse1 y 1Erasmus MC – Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 2Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P335 (doi: 10.1186/cc10942) Introduction Our objective was to evaluate the association between the use of sedative and analgesic agents during paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) treatment and long-term neuropsychological outcome in children who survived meningococcal septic shock (MSS). Results The diff erences in hemodynamics indexes appeared at the traumatic moment of operation. In the group using IPA, medium hypertension with ABP rise in 25.5%, higher rate of HR in 26.1% and GPVR in 22% were observed and were followed by the decrease of SV on 24.6% and EF on 13% compared with the second group. Conducting anesthesia in the fi rst group, hyperdynamic reactions of the systemic hemodynamics at the separate traumatic levels of operation were followed by unbalance of hemodynamic rhythms indicating insuffi cient prevention from surgical aggression. In the second group, as the result of development of segmental sympathetic block the indexes of ABP, HR and GPVR were not higher than normal. P334 and nonteaching hospitals (85%) in comparison to academic hospitals (15%). Most ICUs (94%) use a standardized pain score in the group of patients who are capable of verbal communication: the Visual Analogue Scale (57%), Numerical Rating Scale (48%) and Faces Pain Scale (5%) being the most frequently used scores. In the group of patients who are unable to communicate, ICUs less frequently use pain scores (19%), with the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (6%) and Behaviour Pain Scale (5%) being used most frequently. Measurement of pain was considered most important for patients with burn wounds (67%), trauma patients (64%), postoperative patients (57%) and those who receive end-of-life care (64%). Barriers to use pain measurements included the patient’s inability to communicate (82%), interference with pain assessment due to sedation (79%), hemodynamic instability (64%), insuffi cient dosages of analgesics (60%) and the unavailability of a standard pain scoring system (51%). In addition, guidelines for management of sedation and analgesics from the Netherlands Association for Intensive Care (NVIC) had been read by only 20% of the respondents. Factors that were mentioned to be useful in contributing to an improvement in pain assessment and eff ective pain control included adequate analgesic dosage (87%), utilization of protocols and directives (86%), enthusiastic and motivated personnel (81%) and the utilization of standardized pain measurement tools. Effi ciency estimation of intrapleural and thoracic paravertebral block in combination with general anesthesia at thoracoscopic interventions g g Conclusion Preoperatively diclofenac reduces postcraniotomy head- ache compared to placebo, and reduces postoperative analgesic requirements. Introduction Chest injuries and traumas have become one of the most common reasons for admitting patients to emergency surgical hospitals in recent years. P333fi Effi ciency estimation of intrapleural and thoracic paravertebral block in combination with general anesthesia at thoracoscopic interventions J Sabirov, A Khadjibaev, V Sharipova Republican Reseach Centre of Emegency Medicine, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P333 (doi: 10.1186/cc10940) Preoperative diclofenc reduces postcraniotomy headache: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial Preoperative diclofenc reduces postcraniotomy headache: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial p C Molnár, É Simon, J Gál, P Siró, Á Kazup, B Fülesdi University of Debrecen, Hungary Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P334 (doi: 10.1186/cc10941) p C Molnár, É Simon, J Gál, P Siró, Á Kazup, B Fülesdi University of Debrecen, Hungary Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P334 (doi: 10.1186/cc10941) Introduction We tested the hypothesis that 100 mg oral preoperative diclofenac reduces postcraniotomy headache. Methods A total of 145 patients having elective craniotonomies were randomly assigned to diclofenac or placebo. Severity of pain was assessed by an independent observer using a visual analogue scale on the day of surgery, on the fi rst postoperative day, and on the fi fth postoperative day. The total amount of analgesics administered during the fi rst fi ve postoperative days was converted to intramuscular morphine equivalents. Results were compared using unpaired, two- tailed t tests; P <0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant. Results In total, 104 patients had supratentorial and 41 had infratentorial interventions. Sixty-two patients were assigned to placebo and 83 were assigned to diclofenac. The results of VAS scores are shown in Table 1. Table 1 (abstract P334). Results of VAS scores Placebo DICLO P value Day of surgery 4.9 ± 3.5 2.2 ± 3.5 <0.001 First postoperative day 5.5 ± 3.4 3.7 ± 3.5 <0.01 Fifth postoperative day 4.3 ± 3.8 2.6 ± 2.9 <0.01 Table 1 (abstract P334). Results of VAS scores Table 1 (abstract P334). Results of VAS scores p Conclusion Most Dutch ICUs measure pain frequently (94%) in patients who are able to communicate. However, in the group of patients who cannot communicate only 19% of the Dutch ICUs use a standardized pain score. This fi nding applied to both academic and nonacademic ICUs, which suggests that eff orts should be put into implementing pain measures in Dutch ICUs. The relative effi cacy of diclofenac was similar in patients having supratentorial and infratentorial surgery. Diclofenac also appeared to be comparably eff ective in both men and women. Systemic analgesic requirements were reduced during the initial fi ve postoperative days in patients assigned to diclofenac (intramuscular morphine equivalents: placebo = 5.3 ± 4.3 mg vs. diclofenac = 3.6 ± 3.3 mg). P332 Current use of pain scores in Dutch ICUs: a postal survey in the Netherlands M Van der Woude1, L Bormans1, J Hofhuis2, P Spronk2 1Atrium Medical Center, Heerlen, the Netherlands; 2Gelre Hospitals, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P332 (doi: 10.1186/cc10939) Methods For this observational study, patients admitted to the ICU with a diagnosis of sepsis and receiving a continuous infusion of midazolam were screened for inclusion. Upon enrollment, a continuous subhairline EEG was applied and blood samples were collected daily for plasma midazolam quantifi cation. Clinical data and laboratory parameters were followed. Plasma midazolam levels were quantifi ed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectroscopy. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P332 (doi: 10.1186/cc10939 Introduction Pain is a common problem for patients admitted to the ICU, causing patient discomfort, agitation and accidental self- extubation. For this reason the recognition of pain and its severity is extremely important. Several pain scores and protocols are in use. We aimed to elucidate current practice of pain measurements and treatment in Dutch ICUs. Results Data were available for nine patients. Midazolam clearance demonstrated wide intersubject variability (range 31 ml/minute to 1,157  ml/minute) although average clearance among all patients (418 ml/minute) was comparable to that of healthy controls. Mean midazolam concentrations for patients with coma were signifi cantly higher than for patients without coma (218  ±  185  ng/ml vs. 106  ±  107  ng/ml). The plasma midazolam concentration inversely Methods In March 2011, a questionnaire was sent to all Dutch adult ICUs irrespective of the number of ICU beds with active follow-up by telephone calls to optimize the participation rate. Results A total of 84 ICUs (84/107) returned the survey, representing a response rate of 87%. Most ICUs are community teaching hospitals S120 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P336 Delirium could be an indicator of sepsis in patients under 65 years old with urinary tract infections U Yamada, K Yokota, D Ohta, K Furukawa St Luke’s International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P336 (doi: 10.1186/cc10943) Introduction Delirium, known as sepsis-associated encephalopathy, is a frequent complication of sepsis and may be an independent predictor of mortality of septic patients [1]. A recent study reported delirium could be a predictor or an early marker of sepsis in CABG patients [2]. Urinary tract infection (UTI) often complicates sepsis and delirium; however, relations between delirium and sepsis in UTI patients have not been well investigated. We assessed the relationship between delirium and sepsis in patients with UTI. Figure 1 (abstract P337). ROC curve: CAM-ICU (solid line and circles) and ICDSC (dashed line and squares). Methods This study was conducted at St Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo, Japan between January 2009 and October 2011. UTI and sepsis were diagnosed based on positive bacterial cultures and clinical symptoms. Delirium was screened with the Delirium Screening Tool (the 11-item questionnaire, sensitivity 98% and specifi city 76%) by trained physicians and nurses. Medical records of patients were reviewed to collect information including age, sex and complications. The association between possible risk factors and delirium was analyzed by chi-squared tests and t tests. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 15.0J. had to be diagnosed based on appropriate criteria by a delirium expert. The outcomes assessed were: sensitivity, specifi city, likelihood ratios and summary receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves.i had to be diagnosed based on appropriate criteria by a delirium expert. The outcomes assessed were: sensitivity, specifi city, likelihood ratios and summary receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Fifteen studies covering 1,404 participants and fi ve screening tools were included in the systematic review. The pooled sensitivities and specifi cities for CAM-ICU for detection of delirium in critically ill patients were 76.0% and 95.7% and for ICDSC were 74.4% and 75.2%, respectively. All but one study was performed in a research setting, and that one study suggested that, with routine use of CAM-ICU, one-half of the patients with delirium were not detected. See Figure 1. Conclusion The CAM-ICU was the most specifi c bedside tool for assessment of delirium in critically ill patients. However, there was signifi cant heterogeneity of the results. p References 1. Ebersoldt M, Sharshar T, Annane D: Sepsis-associated delirium. Intensive Care Med 2007, 33:941-950. 1. Ebersoldt M, Sharshar T, Annane D: Sepsis-associated delirium. Intensive Care Med 2007, 33:941-950. 2. Martin BJ, Buth KJ, Arora RC, Baskett RJ: Delirium as a predictor of sepsis in post-coronary artery bypass grafting patients: a retrospective cohort study. Crit Care 2010, 14:R171. 2. Martin BJ, Buth KJ, Arora RC, Baskett RJ: Delirium as a predictor of sepsis in post-coronary artery bypass grafting patients: a retrospective cohort study. Crit Care 2010, 14:R171. Introduction Up to 80% of patients experience delirium during their ICU stay [1,2]. The most sensitive screenings tool for delirium in a research setting is the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM- ICU), but the low sensitivity of the CAM-ICU in daily practice (47%) hampers early detection of delirium and thereby delays treatment [3,4]. Therefore, there is a need for an objective tool for continuous delirium monitoring. Diagnosis of delirium can also be conducted using electroencephalography (EEG) [5]. EEG with a limited number of electrodes and automatic processing may be a more sensitive approach for delirium monitoring. The aim of this systematic review is to explore opportunities for automatic detection of delirium by summarizing EEG characteristics of delirium. P335 and adverse outcome on multiple domains of neuropsychological functioning (full-scale IQ (P  =  0.02; Z  =  –2.28), verbal IQ (P  =  0.02; Z = –2.32), verbal reasoning (P = 0.02; Z = –2.34), social comprehension (P = 0.01; Z = –2.56), visual–motor integration (P = 0.03; Z = –2.17)). After univariate analysis, correcting for socioeconomic status, age at follow- up and severity of illness, these correlations remained signifi cant.i and adverse outcome on multiple domains of neuropsychological functioning (full-scale IQ (P  =  0.02; Z  =  –2.28), verbal IQ (P  =  0.02; Z = –2.32), verbal reasoning (P = 0.02; Z = –2.34), social comprehension (P = 0.01; Z = –2.56), visual–motor integration (P = 0.03; Z = –2.17)). After univariate analysis, correcting for socioeconomic status, age at follow- up and severity of illness, these correlations remained signifi cant.i Conclusion The use of opioids during PICU admission was signifi cantly associated with long-term adverse neuropsychological outcome in MSS survivors. P335 g Methods This study is part of a medical and psychological follow- up study of all consecutive MSS survivors requiring PICU treatment between 1988 and 2001 at the Erasmus MC – Sophia Children’s Hospital, a tertiary-care university hospital. This follow-up study revealed that MSS survivors showed long-term (at least 4 years after PICU admission) impairments on several domains of neuropsychological functioning. Severity of illness was no signifi cant predictor of adverse neuropsychological outcome. The use (type, number and dose) of sedatives and analgesics was retrospectively evaluated. Conclusion Both methods of regional anesthesia cut short pain syndrome suffi ciently and safely in patients with chest injuries before an operative intervention. Introduction of the TPVB component into the anesthesia scheme of thoracoscopic operative interventions allows one to provide additional antinociceptive protection in the intraoperative period with minimal stress of central and peripheral parameters and promotes the reduction of narcotic analgesic use due to signifi cant analgesic effi ciency and neurovegetative protection. Results The study population consisted of 77 patients (52% male (n = 40), median age 25 months at time of PICU admission). In 45 patients (58%) one or more analgesic and/or sedative drugs were administered during PICU admission. Benzodiazepines were the most commonly used drugs (n = 39; 51%), followed by opioids (n = 23; 30%). In total 15 diff erent kinds of analgesic or sedative drugs were given. There was a statistically signifi cant correlation between the use of opioids (both as continuous (cumulative dose) and dichotomous variable) S121 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 and adverse outcome on multiple domains of neuropsychological functioning (full-scale IQ (P  =  0.02; Z  =  –2.28), verbal IQ (P  =  0.02; Z = –2.32), verbal reasoning (P = 0.02; Z = –2.34), social comprehension (P = 0.01; Z = –2.56), visual–motor integration (P = 0.03; Z = –2.17)). After univariate analysis, correcting for socioeconomic status, age at follow- up and severity of illness, these correlations remained signifi cant. Conclusion The use of opioids during PICU admission was signifi cantly associated with long-term adverse neuropsychological outcome in MSS survivors. Figure 1 (abstract P337). ROC curve: CAM-ICU (solid line and circles) and ICDSC (dashed line and squares). P338 Electroencephalography-based monitoring of delirium in the ICU: what are the opportunities? AW Van der Kooi, FS Leijten, RJ Van der Wekken, AJ Slooter University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P338 (doi: 10.1186/cc10945) P338 Electroencephalography-based monitoring of delirium in the ICU: what are the opportunities? AW Van der Kooi, FS Leijten, RJ Van der Wekken, AJ Slooter University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P338 (doi: 10.1186/cc10945) P336 These fi ndings were largely obtained in research settings, and the low sensitivity of the CAM-ICU in routine, daily practice may limit its use as a screening test. y p g Results Fifteen studies covering 1,404 participants and fi ve screening tools were included in the systematic review. The pooled sensitivities and specifi cities for CAM-ICU for detection of delirium in critically ill patients were 76.0% and 95.7% and for ICDSC were 74.4% and 75.2%, respectively. All but one study was performed in a research setting, and that one study suggested that, with routine use of CAM-ICU, one-half of the patients with delirium were not detected. See Figure 1.i Results Of all 1,727 UTI patients, 905 were men and the mean age was 73.65 ± 14.1. In total, 425 patients (24.6%) became delirious, and 247 patients (14.3%) had sepsis. There was no signifi cant association between sepsis and delirium (P  =  0.051). However, in the younger population (age <65) delirium occurred signifi cantly more frequently in septic patients than in nonseptic patients (22.9% vs. 10%, P <0.001). Conclusion Among UTI patients, sepsis may increase the complication of delirium. Especially in patients under 65 years old with UTI, delirium symptoms can be a marker for complication of sepsis. In contrast, delirium of patients aged 65 or over could be associated with not only sepsis but also other factors such as dementia, aging and UTI itself. p g Conclusion The CAM-ICU was the most specifi c bedside tool for assessment of delirium in critically ill patients. However, there was signifi cant heterogeneity of the results. These fi ndings were largely obtained in research settings, and the low sensitivity of the CAM-ICU in routine, daily practice may limit its use as a screening test. P338 Delirium screening in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis A Serpa Neto1, AP Nassar Júnior2, SO Cardoso1, JA Manetta1, VG Pereira1, DC Esposito1, MC Damasceno1, AJ Slooter3 1ABC Medican School, Santo André, Brazil; 2São Camilo Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil; 3University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P337 (doi: 10.1186/cc10944) Introduction Despite its frequency and impact, delirium in critically ill patients is poorly recognized. Our aim was to systematically review the accuracy of delirium screening instruments in critically ill patients. Introduction Despite its frequency and impact, delirium in critically ill patients is poorly recognized. Our aim was to systematically review the accuracy of delirium screening instruments in critically ill patients. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis of publications between 1966 and 2011. The Medline and Embase databases were searched for studies on delirium in critically ill patients in ICUs, surgical wards or emergency rooms. The delirium screening tool had to be feasible in a clinical setting for use by a nonexpert. As the gold standard, delirium Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in Embase and Medline. Articles concerning quantitative EEG and delirium were included. Per article, the diff erences between delirious and nondelirious subjects in EEG characteristics were noted. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis of publications between 1966 and 2011. The Medline and Embase databases were searched for studies on delirium in critically ill patients in ICUs, surgical wards or emergency rooms. The delirium screening tool had to be feasible in a clinical setting for use by a nonexpert. As the gold standard, delirium Results Fourteen studies were included, which were predominantly conducted in older patients. The relative power of the theta frequency band was most often and without exception signifi cantly diff erent (7/14 studies) in delirious subjects. Other frequently measured parameters S122 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods A prospective observational study in a university hospital including patients over 18 years old, in the fi rst 48 hours of ICU admission, with an expected ICU stay of at least 72 hours and signed informed consent. Pregnancy, cognitive impairment prior to admission, hepatic encephalopathy, Glasgow Coma Scale ≤9, active psychiatric illness, need for sedation or neuromuscular blockade, aphasia, foreign language, deafness and brain death were exclusion criteria. CAM-ICU was applied and doctors and nurses asked about the presence of delirium. Demographic data, SOFA score, mechanical ventilation and drugs used were determined. g p Reference y Results A total of 225 patients were included. The incidence of delirium was 24%. Patients who develop delirium during the ICU stay were older (OR 1.04, 1.02 to 1.07) and more likely to have a previous diagnosis of hypertension (OR 2.36, 1.24 to 4.52). The SAPS 3 (OR 1.09, 1.06 to 1.13) score, SOFA (OR 1.23, 1.09 to 1.39) score, and mechanical ventilation requirement (OR 3.6; 1.35 to 9.60) were higher among patients with delirium. These patients had longer ICU and hospital length of stay, and a higher crude mortality rate (24.07 vs. 7.02%). In a multivariate analysis, age (OR 1.03, 1.00 to 1.05), use of mechanical ventilation (OR 3.91, 1.22 to 12.96) and SAPS 3 score (OR 1.08, 1.04 to 1.12) were independently associated with delirium. SAPS 3 performed well in predicting delirium with an AUR ROC of 0.785 (0.714 to 0.856, best cut-off value ≥54 points) and a GoF of 0.175. 1. Ely EW, et al.: Crit Care Med 2001, 29:1370-1379. P341 Performance of SAPS 3 in predicting delirium among critically ill patients p T Cosentino, J Biatto, I Souza, M Dutra, L Ilnicki, P Martins, G Schettino, F Machado Hospital Sírio-Libanês, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P339 (doi: 10.1186/cc10946) Introduction Delirium is a common complication in critically ill patients, occurring in up to 80% of patients on mechanical ventilation [1]. Recent studies showed that sicker patients at ICU admission, assessed by severity scores, are more susceptible to developing delirium [2]. To further evaluate this hypothesis, we undertook this study to assess the performance of SAPS 3 in predicting delirium, among adult patients admitted to a general ICU. Table 1 (abstract P340). κ values Health provider Delirium Hypoactive Attending physicians 0.530 0.019 Medical residents 0.615 0.018 Nurses 0.588 0.025 g Methods This was a prospective observational cohort study performed between June 2010 and June 2011, in a 26-bed ICU at Hospital Sírio- Libanês, São Paulo, Brazil. All consecutive adult patients admitted to the ICU were included. Patients with a previous diagnosis of advanced dementia and those with acute neurological disease (Glasgow <13) were excluded. The evaluation of delirium was performed using the CAM-ICU during routine bedside rounds in the morning. Discrimination and calibration of SAPS 3 in predicting delirium were assessed by the area under the receiver operating curve (AUR ROC) and the goodness of fi t (GoF) test, respectively. Secondary outcomes were hospital mortality and lengths of stay among patients with delirium. Conclusion Delirium had a higher incidence in intensive care patients and was related to longer hospital stay and higher mortality. Specifi c tests should be used for diagnosis, since the clinical suspicion has low sensitivity, especially in cases of hypoactive delirium and among attending physicians. References 1. Ely EW, et al.: JAMA 2001, 286:2703-2710. 1. Ely EW, et al.: JAMA 2001, 286:2703-2710. 1. Ely EW, et al.: JAMA 2001, 286:2703-2710. 2. Van Rompaey B, et al.: Crit Care 2009, 13:R77. 1. Ely EW, et al.: JAMA 2001, 286:2703 2710. 2. Van Rompaey B, et al.: Crit Care 2009, 13:R77. 2. Van Rompaey B, et al.: Crit Care 2009, 13:R77. y Methods A prospective cohort study over 8 weeks in a 25-bed ICU setting. Daily CAM-ICU assessments were done by three trained doctors. It was noted whether the ICU team had assessed the individual patient for delirium. If the patient was delirious, the team was informed and their management was noted. Eligible patients had to have a RASS score above –4 and be able to comply with the assessment. The Fisher’s exact test was used to calculate statistical signifi cance of detection and treatment. Delirium screening in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis Patients were followed for 14 days or until discharge from the ICU. The agreement between CAM-ICU and clinical diagnosis was assessed using Cohen’s kappa statistic (κ). Risk factors were assessed by a multivariate regression model. were the relative power of the delta and alpha frequency band and the peak frequency. None of these studies addressed the optimal electrode deviation or the question of how to distinguish sleep from delirium. Conclusion Given the feasibility for continuous EEG monitoring in ICU, EEG delirium monitoring in ICU patients seems to be promising. References 1. Ely EW, et al.: JAMA 2004, 291:1753-1762. 2. Girard TD, et al.: Lancet 2008, 371:126-134. 3. van Eijk MM, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2011, 184:340-344. 4. van Eijk MMJ, et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:1881-1885. 5. Romano J, et al.: Arch Neurol Psychiatry 1944, 51:356-377. Investigation into detection and treatment rates of hyperactive and hypoactive delirium in the ICU setting S Kudsk-Iversen, J Wong, H Kingston, L Poole S Kudsk-Iversen, J Wong, H Kingston, L Poole g g The Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK y p y p , p , Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P341 (doi: 10.1186/cc10948) Introduction We aimed to investigate the link between the type of delirium (that is, hyperactive or hypoactive), its detection by the day staff and the subsequent treatment. The morbidity related to delirium is well known to critical care medical staff ; however, some fi ndings suggest insuffi cient and inconsistent recognition and management of delirium [1]. Hypoactive delirium, despite being more common in the ICU setting, often goes undetected and undertreated due to its withdrawn and drowsy presentation [2]. Conclusion We found that SAPS 3 was a good parameter for predicting delirium during the ICU stay. Future studies are needed to confi rm our results in a larger and diff erent patient sampling. References P339 y g Results In the 119 patients included, the incidence of delirium was 24.4% (29 patients) and time to development of delirium was 68.3 ± 63.6 hours. The agreement between clinical diagnoses and CAM- ICU was better for medical residents (Table 1). Patients with delirium had a longer ICU (10.83 ± 15.08 and 4.98 ± 9.57, P = 0.015) and hospital (36.93 ± 31.33 and 19.10 ± 19.48, P = 0.0004) length of stay, higher ICU mortality (13.79% and 2.22%, OR  =  7.04 (1.22 to 40.7)) and hospital mortality (27.6% and 6.66%, OR = 5.33 (1.67 to 17.04)) than patients without delirium. Risk factors were: mechanical ventilation (P = 0.018, OR = 3.09 (1.21 to 7.86)) and APACHE II score greater than 8.5 (P = 0.011, OR = 5.35 (1.48 to 19.43)). Incidence of delirium and inadequacy of the clinical diagnosis in patients in intensive carei Hyperactive and hypoactive cases and their treatment rate P343 Using tramadol to monitor hepatic drug metabolism in the critically ill K Lane1, JJ Dixon1, D McKeown2, A Johnston2, I MacPhee1, BJ Philips1 1Acute Kidney Injury Research Group, St George’s, University of London, UK; 2Analytical Services International Ltd, St George’s, University of London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P343 (doi: 10.1186/cc10950) the delirium was recognised, 76% of the hyperactive and 20% of the hypoactive cases were started on targeted treatment (P = 0.0038). See Tables 1 and 2. Conclusion Although the study had a higher rate of hyperactive delirium compared to otherwise available research, the fi ndings confi rmed that a signifi cant proportion of hypoactive delirium goes undetected and remains largely undertreated. Introduction Previously, we have demonstrated signifi cant inhibition of hepatic drug metabolism by the enzymes cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 and 3A5 in acute kidney injury (AKI) using midazolam as a probe drug [1,2]. We are now developing the use of tramadol as a probe drug to test the hypothesis that CYP2D6 function is also inhibited by AKI in critical illness. In this study we sought to determine whether a single timepoint tramadol concentration could be identifi ed as a reliable surrogate for measurement of a full area under the concentration time curve after intravenous administration in adults. Introduction Previously, we have demonstrated signifi cant inhibition of hepatic drug metabolism by the enzymes cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 and 3A5 in acute kidney injury (AKI) using midazolam as a probe drug [1,2]. We are now developing the use of tramadol as a probe drug to test the hypothesis that CYP2D6 function is also inhibited by AKI in critical illness. In this study we sought to determine whether a single timepoint tramadol concentration could be identifi ed as a reliable surrogate for measurement of a full area under the concentration time curve after intravenous administration in adults. Methods We conducted a study of 10 critically ill patients in our hospital’s general critical care unit. Tramadol 10 mg was given intravenously, and serum was taken at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 hours for determination of concentrations of tramadol ([tramadol]) and its two main metabolites. Inclusion criteria: age >18 years, predicted ICU stay >48 hours. Exclusion criteria: recent receipt of tramadol or major CYP2D6 inhibitors, hepatic failure, pregnancy/breastfeeding. P342 Memories and post-traumatic stress-related symptoms in older, post-cardiac surgery patients: substudy of an RCT N Hammond, F Bass, Y Shehabi Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P342 (doi: 10.1186/cc10949) N Hammond, F Bass, Y Shehabi g y g Results There was a strong correlation between the area under the curve (AUC) of the [tramadol]–time graph and t = 4 hours [tramadol], P <0.0001, r = 0.983. See Figure 1. The [tramadol] at other timepoints correlated less strongly with the AUC. The mean [tramadol] at 4 hours was 29.7 ng/ml (24.3 to 35.1) and the mean AUC was 257 ng/hour/ml (211 to 303). Analysis of tramadol metabolites confi rmed that CYP2D6 was predominantly responsible for tramadol metabolism. Introduction The majority of ICU survivors display little evidence of severe psychological sequelae. However, there is evidence of post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related symptoms such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, distressing memories and fl ashbacks within the fi rst 3 months post ICU discharge [1,2]. This substudy of the DEXCOM trial 3 (randomised controlled trial of neurobehavioural eff ects of dexmedetomidine or morphine for sedation and analgesia in patients 60 years or older, undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valve replacement) aims to explore any negative memories of the ICU and development of PTSD-related symptoms between treatment groups of patients at high risk of developing delirium. Conclusion A single blood sample, taken 4 hours post-intravenous tramadol injection, reliably predicts integral tramadol exposure in critically ill adults and may be useful for assessing CYP2D6 function.l A larger study of the infl uences of AKI and CYP genotype on hepatic drug metabolism in the critically ill is underway. Incidence of delirium and inadequacy of the clinical diagnosis in patients in intensive carei Results A total of 139 patients were included, providing a total of 507 patient-days. On 32 occasions (6%) the patient assessed was found to be delirious. Twelve patients in ITU (19%) and nine in HDU (9%) were delirious at least once. Of the 32 cases of delirium, 53% were hyperactive. Seventy-six percent of the hyperactive and 27% of the hypoactive cases had been detected by the day team (P = 0.0118). Once Introduction This study aims to assess the incidence, risk factors and impact of delirium on outcome and to analyze the concordance between the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care (CAM-ICU) and clinical diagnosis. S123 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 a convenience sample so was not powered to detect a signifi cant diff erence. No diff erences in factual or delusional memories or PTSD- related symptoms between the treatment groups were found. These data could be the basis of a sample size calculation for a larger study. References 1. Schelling G, et al.: Crit Care Med 1998, 26:651-659. 2. Stoll C, et al.: J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2000, 120:505-512. 3. Shehabi Y, et al.: Anesthesiology 2009, 111:1074-1083. Table 1 (abstract P341). Hyperactive and hypoactive cases and their detection rate Number of Number of hyperactive (%) hypoactive (%) Detected 13 (76) 4 (27) Not detected 4 (24) 11 (73) T bl 2 ( b P3 ) H i d h i d h i Table 1 (abstract P341). Hyperactive and hypoactive cases and their detection rate a convenience sample so was not powered to detect a signifi cant diff erence. No diff erences in factual or delusional memories or PTSD- related symptoms between the treatment groups were found. These data could be the basis of a sample size calculation for a larger study. References Schelling G, et al.: Crit Care Med 1998, 26:651-659. Stoll C, et al.: J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2000, 120:505-512. Shehabi Y, et al.: Anesthesiology 2009, 111:1074-1083. Table 2 (abstract P341). 1. Kirwan CJ, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:1271-1275. 2. Kirwan CJ, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2012, 38:76-84. P344 Data mining techniques for predicting acute kidney injury after elective cardiac surgery J Van Eyck, J Ramon, F Guiza, G Meyfroidt, M Bruynooghe, G Van den Berghe K.U. Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P344 (doi: 10.1186/cc10951) P344 change in creatinine). Nine patients (33% of all patients, 64% of AKI patients) received RRT. ICU mortality was three out of 14 (21%) patients with AKI and one out of 13 (8%) patients without AKI. This diff erence was not statistically signifi cant. Thirteen out of 20 (65%) ventilated patients developed AKI, compared with one out of seven (14%) nonventilated patients. This diff erence was statistically signifi cant (P  =  0.0329). Excluding fatalities, the duration of IPPV was longer in patients with AKI (median 11 days, range 0 to 54 days) than in patients without AKI (median 1 day, range 0 to 20 days). This diff erence was statistically signifi cant (P <0.05). Excluding fatalities, the length of stay was longer in patients with AKI (median 19 days, range 10 to 68 days) than in patients without AKI (median 5 days, range 2 to 29 days). This diff erence was statistically signifi cant (P <0.02). P344 Data mining techniques for predicting acute kidney injury after elective cardiac surgery J Van Eyck, J Ramon, F Guiza, G Meyfroidt, M Bruynooghe, G Van den Berghe K.U. Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P344 (doi: 10.1186/cc10951) Introduction Development of acute kidney injury (AKI) during the postoperative period is associated with increases in both morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to develop a statistical model capable of predicting the occurrence of AKI in patients after elective cardiac surgery. f y gi Conclusion We noted a higher incidence of AKI in critical illness associated with A/H1N1 (52%) compared to that of a larger study [1]. AKI was associated with the incidence as well as duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay in the ICU. The use of RRT in the current study (60%) was much higher than in the modeling study (16%). We found a trend towards greater mortality with AKI, although (unlike Petillä and colleagues [1]) this failed to reach signifi cance. Methods A total of 810 adult (>18 years) elective cardiac surgery patients, admitted to the surgical ICU of the University Hospital of Leuven between 18 January 2007 and 8 January 2009, were retrospectively selected for this study. Patients with an ICU stay of less than 24 hours, as well as patients suff ering from chronic kidney disease, were excluded. Relevant patient records were extracted from an electronic database system and analyzed using data mining techniques [1]. Reference 1. Pettilä V, et al.: Acute kidney injury in patients with infl uenza A (H1N1) 2009. Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:763-767 . Results In this study, two separate models were developed for predicting the occurrence of AKI (defi ned as RIFLE stage three or need for renal replacement therapy) within a week after the patient’s admission. An initial model was built using only readily available admission data (including demographic information, previous treatments and pre- admission values for physiological variables). This resulted in an AUC of 0.6056 (95% CI, 0.4874 to 0.7239) on the validation cohort. The initial model was then extended by adding information on administered medication, measurements of physiological parameters and laboratory results available during the fi rst four hours of the patient’s ICU stay. This new model resulted in an AUC of 0.8339 (95% CI, 0.7364 to 0.9315) on the validation cohort. A RIFLE score-based trigger for renal replacement therapy and survival after cardiac surgery A Schneider, G Eastwood, S Seevanayagam, G Matalanis, R Bellomo Austin Health, Heidelberg, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P346 (doi: 10.1186/cc10953) Acute kidney injury in critically ill patients with A/H1N1 pneumonitis in 2010/11 Acute kidney injury in critically ill patients with A/H1N1 pneumonitis in 2010/11 M Atkinson, A Krige, S Chukkambotla East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Blackburn, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P345 (doi: 10.1186/cc10952) Acute kidney injury in critically ill patients with A/H1N1 pneumonitis in 2010/11 Acute kidney injury in critically ill patients with A/H1N1 pneumonitis in 2010/11 M Atkinson, A Krige, S Chukkambotla East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Blackburn, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P345 (doi: 10.1186/cc10952) p M Atkinson, A Krige, S Chukkambotla g East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Blackburn, UK y Conclusion After cardiac surgery, RRT is typically applied to patients with the most severe clinical presentation irrespective of creatinine levels. A RIFLE score-based trigger for RRT is unlikely to improve patient survival. p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P345 (doi: 10.1186/cc10952) Introduction A/H1N1 infection is a major seasonal cause of illness requiring critical care admission. A high proportion of these patients develop acute kidney injury (AKI) [1]. P344 Data mining techniques for predicting acute kidney injury after elective cardiac surgery J Van Eyck, J Ramon, F Guiza, G Meyfroidt, M Bruynooghe, G Van den Berghe K.U. Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P344 (doi: 10.1186/cc10951) The main advantage of these techniques is that they are capable of automatically selecting the variables that are relevant to a particular problem. Using such a data mining algorithm, predictive models were built on a development cohort of 385 patients and validated on a separate cohort of 425 patients. A RIFLE score-based trigger for renal replacement therapy and survival after cardiac surgery A Schneider, G Eastwood, S Seevanayagam, G Matalanis, R Bellomo Austin Health, Heidelberg, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P346 (doi: 10.1186/cc10953) Introduction It is controversial whether all critically ill patients with RIFLE-F class acute kidney injury (AKI) should receive renal replacement therapy (RRT). We reviewed the outcome of open-heart surgery patients with severe AKI who did not receive RRT.i Methods We identifi ed all patients who developed AKI after cardiac surgery during a 4-year period, and obtained baseline characteristics, intraoperative details and in-hospital outcomes. We analyzed physiological and biochemical features at the time of RRT initiation or at peak creatinine if no RRT was provided. Conclusion In this study, we have shown that data mining techniques are a viable option for developing predictive models in a clinical setting. Furthermore, we have shown that by adding information gathered during the patient’s stay, a model’s performance can drastically improve compared to a model using only admission data. Thus, it might be possible to further improve existing scoring systems such as the Thakar score [2] and the simplifi ed renal index [3]. References p p Results We reviewed 1,504 patients. Of these, 137 (9.1%) developed postoperative AKI with 71 meeting RIFLE-F criteria and 23 (32.4% of RIFLE-F cases) not receiving RRT. Compared with RRT-treated RIFLE-F patients, no-RRT patients had lower APACHE III scores, less intra- aortic balloon pump requirements, shorter intensive care stay and a trend toward lower mortality. At peak creatinine, their urinary output, arterial pH and PaO2/FIO2 ratio were all signifi cantly higher. Their serum creatinine was also higher (304 vs. 262 μmol/l, P = 0.02). Only three died in-hospital. Detailed review of cause and mode of death was consistent with non-RRT-preventable deaths. In contrast, 27 patients with RIFLE-R or RIFLE-I class received RRT. Compared with RRT-treated RIFLE-F patients, they had a trend towards a more severe presentation and a higher mortality (51.8% vs. 29.2%, P = 0.02). See Figure 1. 1. Meyfroidt G, et al.: Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol 2009, 23:127-143. 2. Thakar C, et al.: J Am Soc Nephrol 2005, 16:162-168. 3. Duminda N, et al.: JAMA 2007, 297:1801-1809. P347f Methods We studied all A/H1N1-positive admissions to a district general hospital (DGH) ICU during the months of December 2010 and January 2011. The study aimed to describe the incidence of AKI using the creatinine score from the RIFLE criteria and its associations with mortality, incidence and duration of intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV), length of stay in the ICU and provision of renal replacement therapy (RRT). Eff ect of off -pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with chronic kidney disease ME Schroeder1, L Chawla1, Y Zhao2, F Lough1, F Najam1, M Seneff 1, JM Brennan3 1George Washington University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA; 2Duke Clinical Research Institute, Raleigh, NC, USA; 3Duke University Medical Center, Raleigh, NC, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P347 (doi: 10.1186/cc10954) References 1. Kirwan CJ, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:1271-1275. 2. Kirwan CJ, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2012, 38:76-84. g p p g p g Methods At 8 weeks post ICU discharge, patients completed three assessment tools, by mail or telephone. Tools used were Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, ICU memory assessment tool and impact of events scale. Figure 1 (abstract P343). Correlation of [tramadol] at t = 4 hours and AUC [tramadol]–time graph. iv, intravenous. Results A total of 153 patients completed the substudy; 72 patients in the [M]orphine group and 81 in the [D]exmedetomidine group. The mean age (years) in the M group was 72 (SD 5) and in the D group 69 (SD 6), with 71% (n = 51) males in the M group and 84% (n = 68) in the D group. The mean ICU hours for M and D were 58 (SD 40) and 48 (SD 32) respectively. No signifi cant diff erences of memories or PTSD- related symptoms between the two treatment groups, for each of the three assessment tools, were found. From the ICU memory tool, 21% (n = 15/70) of M group patients and 15% (n = 12/81) of the D patients remember being in the ICU. Just over one-half of the patients in both groups did not remember all of their ICU stay with clarity (M group: 54%, n = 39/72; D group: 51%, n = 40/78). Furthermore, 23% (n = 15/64) of M patients and 14% (n = 10/73) of D patients had intrusive memories whilst in the ICU. Figure 1 (abstract P343). Correlation of [tramadol] at t = 4 hours and AUC [tramadol]–time graph. iv, intravenous. Conclusion Patients undergoing cardiac surgery with ICU stay do not have clear memories of this episode. A small number had intrusive memories, which are more common in M patients. The study used S124 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Eff ect of off -pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with chronic kidney diseasef Results Twenty-seven patients were admitted to the ICU who tested positive for A/H1N1. Fourteen (52%) met the RIFLE criteria for AKI. Of these, three (11%) met the RIFLE criterion for Risk (>150% change in creatinine), three (11%) met the criterion for Injury (>200% change in creatinine), and eight (30%) met the criterion for Failure (>300% Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P347 (doi: 10.1186/cc10954) Introduction Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been largely excluded from clinical trials of off -pump coronary artery bypass S125 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P346). Flow chart. ASCTS, Australian Society of Cardio Thoracic Sugery. Figure 1 (abstract P346). Flow chart. ASCTS, Australian Society of Cardio Thoracic Sugery. dopamine to protect the kidneys against hypoperfusion injury following cardiac surgery remains controversial. Cystatin C has been described as a sensitive biomarker of early renal tubular injury. We aimed to evaluate the eff ect of renal-dose dopamine on renal tubular functions in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Methods Thirty-six patients undergoing CABG surgery were prospec- tively randomized to receive either 2 μg/kg/minute dopamine infusion (Group D, n = 19) or saline as placebo (Group P, n = 17) starting from induction of anesthesia for 48 hours. Serial blood and urine samples after induction of anesthesia and 2, 12, 24, 48 hours post CPB were collected to measure serum cystatin C, creatinine levels and urinary β2-microglobulin. Intraoperative and daily measurements of hemodynamic parameters and urine output were recorded. grafting (OPCAB). We sought to determine if the pump status aff ected outcomes in patients with CKD. Methods Using a nonrandomized cohort of 742,909 nonemergent, isolated CABG cases (including 158,561 OPCAB cases) in the Society of Thoracic Surgery Database from 2004 through 2009, we evaluated the association between pump status (off -pump vs. on-pump) and in-hospital death or incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT) across strata of preoperative renal function. We used both propensity methods and an instrumental variable (IV) approach to account for imbalances in baseline patient risk.f Results Compared with on-pump cases, off -pump cases were of similar age (65.6 vs. 64.9 years) with a similar distribution of preoperative estimated glomerular fi ltration rate (eGFR). Eff ects of renal-dose dopamine on renal tubular functions following coronary artery bypass grafting surgery Eff ects of renal-dose dopamine on renal tubular functions following coronary artery bypass grafting surgery P Zeyneloglu, H Ozdemir, O Komurcu, N Bayraktar, A Sezgin, A Pirat, G Arslan Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P348 (doi: 10.1186/cc10955) Eff ects of renal-dose dopamine on renal tubular functions following coronary artery bypass grafting surgery P Zeyneloglu, H Ozdemir, O Komurcu, N Bayraktar, A Sezgin, A Pirat, G Arslan Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P348 (doi: 10.1186/cc10955) y y yp g g g y P Zeyneloglu, H Ozdemir, O Komurcu, N Bayraktar, A Sezgin, A Pirat, G Arslan Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P348 (doi: 10.1186/cc10955) Conclusion The results suggest that renal-dose dopamine does not exacerbate the severity of renal tubular injury when compared with the untreated controls during the early postoperative period of patients undergoing CABG surgery. Reference y y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P348 (doi: 10.1186/cc10955) Introduction Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is regarded as an important contributor to acute kidney injury and use of renal-dose Eff ect of off -pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with chronic kidney diseasef In a propensity weighted analysis, OPCAB was associated with a reduction in composite in- hospital death or RRT, with a progressively increased benefi t among those with lower preoperative renal function (eGFR ≥90 ml/minute: risk diff erence = 0.05 per 100 patients (on-pump minus off -pump), 95% confi dence interval = –0.06 to 0.16; 60 to 89 ml/minute: 0.14, 0.05 to 0.23; 30 to 59 ml/minute: 0.66, 0.45 to 0.87; and 15 to 29 ml/minute: 3.66, 2.14 to 5.18). A similar trend was observed for both component endpoints. However, while the IV analysis confi rmed the protective eff ect of OPCAB on composite in-hospital death or RRT among patients with a reduced eGFR, this result was driven by an eff ect on RRT and not mortality. y p p Results The groups were similar in terms of physical characteristics, perioperative hemodynamic measurements, urine outputs and surgical times. Serum cystatin C levels demonstrated similar increases during 12, 24 and 48 hours post CPB in the dopamine and placebo groups (P >0.05 for all). See Table 1. No diff erences were detected with respect to serum creatinine and urine β2-microglobulin levels between the groups (P >0.05 for both). GFR was preserved equally in both groups on postoperative day 2 (104.1 ± 23.1 vs. 101.4 ± 35.8 ml/minute, P >0.05). Table 1 (abstract P348). Serum cystatin C levels (ng/ml) of the patients Group D (n = 19) Group P (n = 17) P value Induction 803 ± 173 789 ± 285 0.987 2 hours CPB 857 ± 236 861 ± 347 0.664 12 hours CPB 807 ± 239 1,132 ± 396 0.052 24 hours CPB 906 ± 211 1,158 ± 432 0.149 48 hours CPB 1,296 ± 341 1,129 ± 350 0.296 Table 1 (abstract P348). Serum cystatin C levels (ng/ml) of the patients yf y Conclusion Patients with CKD experience less death or incidence of RRT when treated with off -pump versus on-pump CABG; however, this composite eff ect is driven by a reduction in incidence of RRT (not death) among low eGFR patients. Prospective trials comparing these procedures in patients with impaired preoperative renal function are warranted. P351 P351 Plasma and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as markers of acute kidney injury in critically ill adults R Matsa1, E Ashley2, J Osypiw2, V Sharma1, A Walden2, L Keating2 1Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK; 2Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Reading, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P351 (doi: 10.1186/cc10958) Methods This was a multicenter, prospective, longitudinal study. The study population included 216 nurses who work in the ICU, inpatient care unit, and emergency unit at six public and private hospitals. Data collection was performed from October 2010 to February 2011 using a 10-question questionnaire related to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AKI. Introduction Acute kidney injury (AKI) has signifi cant impact both on the morbidity and mortality in patients on the ICU. The current defi nition and classifi cation of AKI [1] uses changes in both the serum creatinine and urine output. This occurs late in the evolution of AKI and so the diagnosis can be delayed. Early detection of AKI could allow earlier recognition and treatment of the condition. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a 25-kDa protein produced in response to infl ammation, infection and kidney injury [2] and is found in blood and urine samples obtained from patients soon after the onset of AKI [3]. Earlier studies have shown that NGAL can be detected as early as 2 hours following AKI [2]. The predictive value of NGAL in the ICU may help the earlier recognition of AKI. The aim of the study is to determine whether plasma and/or urine NGAL levels can predict the earlier incidence of AKI (as defi ned by RIFLE criteria) in critically ill patients. Results Data showed that 81.7% of the nurses gave correct answers regarding the association of urine volume rate in the identifi cation of AKI; 57.2% did not know how to identify the clinical manifestations of AKI; 67.1% made a mistake by answering that the subtle increase of creatinine has no great impact on a mortality rate; 66.8% answered the question incorrectly on measures to prevent AKI; 60.4% were correct when they answered that the use of loop diuretics in the prevention of AKI is not recommended; and 92.5% said they had no knowledge of the Acute Kidney Injury Network classifi cation. Conclusion The results showed that most nurses do not have enough knowledge for the early identifi cation of AKI. References References 1. Bellomo R, et al.: Crit Care 2004, 8:R204-R212. 2. Mishra J, et al.: Lancet 2005, 365:1231-1238. 3. Mishra J, et al.: Pediatr Nephrol 2006, 21:856-863. References 1. Bellomo R, et al.: Crit Care 2004, 8:R204-R212. 2. Mishra J, et al.: Lancet 2005, 365:1231-1238. h l d h l 3. Mishra J, et al.: Pediatr Nephrol 2006, 21:856-863. Results Postoperative fl uid overload was present in 15% of patients with a mean positive fl uid balance of 12 ± 9 kg. Patients who survived the hospital stay had a lower positive fl uid balance of 2.8 l (25th to 75th percentiles: 1.5 to 5.5) compared to patients who died (23.0 l (25th to 75th percentiles: 14.5 to 24.0)); P  =  0.010. A positive fl uid balance predicted in-hospital mortality with AUC 0.94 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.99), sensitivity 100% and specifi city 80% at a cut-off >6 l. Urine NGAL predicted fl uid overload (AUC-ROC 0.80 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.93)) and mortality (AUC-ROC 0.88 (95% CI 0.78 to 0.97)). Serum creatinine did not predict fl uid overload (AUC-ROC 0.51 (95% CI 0.24 to 0.78)) or mortality (AUC-ROC 0.61 (95% CI 0.16 to 0.99)).i P352 P352 Plasma and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in septic and nonseptic ICU patients CS Vrettou1, S Kokkoris2, K Apostolou2, M Parisi2, E Haritatos2, S Dimopoulos2, S Nanas1 1National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; 2Evaggelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P352 (doi: 10.1186/cc10959) g g Reference Sumeray M, et al.: J Nephrol 2001, 14:397-402. Sumeray M, et al.: J Nephrol 2001, 14:397-402. S126 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P349 Nurses’ knowledge regarding the early identifi cation of acute kidney injury S Agege Lobo, RM Matheus Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto – FAMERP, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P349 (doi: 10.1186/cc10956) P351 This highlights the importance of training programs for nurses who work at hospital units, with the purpose of developing professional competences and aptitudes regarding both prevention and detection of AKI. Methods This single-centre prospective observational study is currently recruiting 200 consecutive adult patients with no AKI on presentation to the ICU. Serial samples of plasma and urine are collected on all patients included in the study at 0 hours and then every 24 hours in the ICU stay up to 72 hours and assayed for NGAL using a turbidimetric assay on the standardised automated analyser.i P349 Nurses’ knowledge regarding the early identifi cation of acute kidney injury Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P349 (doi: 10.1186/cc10956) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P349 (doi: 10.1186/cc10956) Introduction The objective was to evaluate nurses’ knowledge on the early identifi cation of acute kidney injury (AKI) in an ICU, inpatient care unit, and emergency unit. P351 P350 Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin predicts postoperative fl uid overload, a potentially modifi able risk factor for mortality after cardiac surgery M Haase1, P Mertens1, M Plaß2, R Bellomo3, A Haase-Fielitz1 1Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany; 2German Heart Center, Berlin, Germany; 3Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P350 (doi: 10.1186/cc10957) Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin predicts postoperative fl uid overload, a potentially modifi able risk factor for mortality after cardiac surgery Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin predicts postoperative fl uid overload, a potentially modifi able risk factor for mortality after cardiac surgery y y Results Results on the fi rst 27 patients are currently available. The predictive performance of pNGAL at admission for AKI (24 hours prior to creatinine-based (RIFLE) diagnosis) was good (AUC-ROC 0.8 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.03)). The predictive performance of uNGAL at admission for the occurrence of AKI (24 hours prior to creatinine-based (RIFLE) diagnosis) (AUC-ROC 0.77 (95% CI 0.47 to 1.07)) was fair. See Table 1. M Haase1, P Mertens1, M Plaß2, R Bellomo3, A Haase-Fielitz1 1Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany; 2German Heart Center, Berlin, Germany; 3Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P350 (doi: 10.1186/cc10957) Introduction In most previous studies, neutrophil gelatinase- associated lipocalin (NGAL), measured immediately following cardiac surgery, has been demonstrated to predict postoperative increases in serum creatinine and decline in urine output. In patients undergoing cardiac surgery, postoperative fl uid overload is a typical complication. In this study, we investigated the early postoperative value of NGAL to predict subsequent fl uid overload, a potentially modifi able risk factor in these patients. Table 1 (abstract P351). Sensitivity and specifi city of pNGAL (time ‘0) to diagnose AKI occurrence at 24 hours Cut-off (ng/ml) Sensitivity (95% CI) Specifi city (95% CI) <270.0 82.6 (61.2 to 95) 100 (37.6 to 100) <316.5 86.9 (66.4 to 97.2) 100 (37.6 to 100) <381.0 91.3 (71.9 to 98.9) 100 (37.6 to 100) Table 1 (abstract P351). Sensitivity and specifi city of pNGAL (time ‘0) to diagnose AKI occurrence at 24 hours p Methods We studied 100 adult cardiac surgery patients assigned to the control arm of a randomized controlled trial. Urine and serum were sampled immediately after admission to the ICU. Urine NGAL was measured on the ARCHITECT laboratory platform (Abbott Diagnostics) and serum creatinine using an enzymatic assay. Postoperative fl uid overload was defi ned as positive fl uid balance with >10% excess of preoperative body weight within 48 hours. An area under the curve of the receiver-operating characteristics (AUC-ROC) of 0.5 indicates the predictive ability equaling the toss of a coin and >0.7 of a useful biomarker.l Conclusion Early results on pNGAL suggest that it could be an independent predictor of AKI in an unselected population of critically ill adults. Further results are awaited. P349 Nurses’ knowledge regarding the early identifi cation of acute kidney injury S Agege Lobo, RM Matheus Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto – FAMERP, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P349 (doi: 10.1186/cc10956) P349 mortality. Early postoperatively measured urine NGAL is a good predictor of fl uid overload and mortality whereas measurement of serum creatinine at the same time equals the toss of a coin. Early NGAL- guided adjustments of fl uid management might reduce organ edema and potentially improve patient outcomes after cardiac surgery. Our fi ndings should be validated in larger patient cohorts. Additive value to clinical judgement of blood neutrophil gelatinase- associated lipocalin in diagnosis of acute kidney injury and prediction of mortality in patients hospitalized from the emergency department p L Magrini1, B De Berardinis1, R Marino1, G Gagliano1, E Ferri1, P Moscatelli2, P Ballarino2, B Gliozzo3, G Carpinteri3, S Di Somma1 1S. Andrea Hospital ‘Sapienza’ University, Rome, Italy; 2S. Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy; 3S. Elia Hospital, Catania, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P354 (doi: 10.1186/cc10961) p L Magrini1, B De Berardinis1, R Marino1, G Gagliano1, E Ferri1, P Moscatelli2, P Ballarino2, B Gliozzo3, G Carpinteri3, S Di Somma1 1S. Andrea Hospital ‘Sapienza’ University, Rome, Italy; 2S. Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy; 3S. Elia Hospital, Catania, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P354 (doi: 10.1186/cc10961) i y Methods Ninety-six patients consecutively admitted to the ICU were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were chronic renal failure, AKI prior to ICU admission, brain death, pregnancy, age <18 years and predicted ICU stay less than 48 hours. Patients’ demographic characteristics, APACHE II and SOFA score, existing comorbidities, primary reason for admission to intensive care, pNGAL, uNGAL, white cell count and C-reactive protein levels were recorded on admission, while the RIFLE score and sepsis status were recorded until day 7 post admission. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare pNGAL and uNGAL levels in septic and nonseptic patients. Introduction Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and diffi cult to diagnose complication among hospitalized patients with increasing incidence. Introduction Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and diffi cult to diagnose complication among hospitalized patients with increasing incidence. Methods A total of 665 (357 M:308 F; mean age 74  ±  14 years) emergency department (ED) patients designated for hospitalization were included in a multicenter prospective study to evaluate the utility of blood neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) assessments as an aid in the early risk evaluation for AKI. NGAL and serum creatinine (sCr) were determined at ED presentation (T0), 6, 12, 24 and 72 hours after hospitalization. The clinical certainty of AKI was determined by ED physician (Ph) while blinded to NGAL results. p p p Results Out of 96 patients included, 56 were male, 12 had AKI and 30 had sepsis on admission. The mean age was 55.5 ± 19.6 years, the mean APACHE II score was 14.8 ± 5.6 and the mean admission SOFA score was 6.6 ± 2.9. There were 43 medical admissions, 17 elective surgical, and 36 emergency surgical including trauma. Both pNGAL and uNGAL were higher in patients with AKI on admission (P <0.001). Additive value to clinical judgement of blood neutrophil gelatinase- associated lipocalin in diagnosis of acute kidney injury and prediction of mortality in patients hospitalized from the emergency department Their levels were also found to be higher in septic compared with nonseptic patients (septic pNGAL = 153.13 ± 144.86 vs. nonseptic pNGAL = 102.45 ± 95.65, P = 0.076; septic uNGAL = 306.66 ± 532.88 vs. nonseptic uNGAL = 123.41 ± 354.07, P = 0.002). When patients with AKI as well as patients who developed AKI within the fi rst 7 days post admission were excluded from the analysis, higher uNGAL and pNGAL values in the group of septic patients were not signifi cant at the level of 5%. The estimated sample size for signifi cance 5% and power 80% is 74 for uNGAL (2,200 for pNGAL). Moreover pNGAL and uNGAL had a similar area under the ROC curve (0.773 and 0.779 respectively) for predicting AKI in septic patients. y Results Preliminary diagnosis of AKI by the ED Ph occurred in 218/665 patients (33%). Final adjudicated AKI clinical diagnosis was confi rmed in 49/665 patients (7%). The AUC for NGAL alone in the fi nal diagnosis of AKI was 0.80 (± 0.07). When NGAL was added to the ED Ph’s clinical judgement in a logistic model, the AUC was increased to 0.89 (± 0.06). The AUCs for the additional endpoints are shown in Table 1. When the same model combining NGAL with the ED Ph’s clinical judgement was compared to a clinical model combining T0 sCr results with the ED Ph’s clinical judgement, the net reclassifi cation index was 32.4%, meaning that the correction classifi cation of AKI improved 32.4 percentage points. Conclusion Both biomarkers are increased in the case of sepsis in our population. Septic AKI aff ecting uNGAL more than pNGAL could explain the smaller P value for uNGAL in the group of patients with sepsis. Table 1 (abstract P354) Event No event AUC (95% CI) Diagnosis of AKI 49 616 0.80 (0.07) RIFLE 25 640 0.72 (0.12) sCr bump 10 655 0.85 (0.10) Oliguria 14 651 0.81 (0.14) Mortality 27 638 0.76 (0.11) P354 (pNGAL and uNGAL) levels are aff ected by the presence of sepsis in a general ICU population. These novel biomarkers are currently being evaluated for acute kidney injury (AKI) prediction. However, they are also increased in sepsis, which can be a confounding factor regarding their specifi city for AKI [1,2]. References 1. Int Care Med 2010, 36:1333-1340. 2. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2011, 183:907-914. 2. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2011, 183:907-914. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as an early marker of acute kidney injury complicating circulatory shock H Sherif, M Foda, M Shehata, A Ibrahim Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as an early marker of acute kidney injury complicating circulatory shock H Sherif, M Foda, M Shehata, A Ibrahim Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as an early marker of acute kidney injury complicating circulatory shock H Sherif, M Foda, M Shehata, A Ibrahim Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P353 (doi: 10.1186/cc10960) Conclusion Our study demonstrated that blood NGAL measurements in patients hospitalized from the ED for critical conditions may improve the clinical diagnosis of AKI development. The routine use of NGAL in the ED may provide utility in deciding the appropriate treatment and management strategies for patients at risk for AKI development. Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt y y gyp Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P353 (doi: 10.1186/cc10960) Introduction We evaluated the novel urinary neutrophil gelatinase- associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an early biomarker that rapidly releases in acute kidney injury (AKI) complicating circulatory shock. y j y p g y Methods We measured the urinary NGAL level from collected urine in 45 patients with circulatory shock, during the fi rst 6 hours and after 24 hours. Eleven patients responded to fl uid infusion ± vasopressors and were considered as a separate control group. P352 Plasma and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in septic and nonseptic ICU patients p p p CS Vrettou1, S Kokkoris2, K Apostolou2, M Parisi2, E Haritatos2, S Dimopoulos2, S Nanas1 1National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; 2Evaggelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P352 (doi: 10.1186/cc10959) Introduction In this prospective cohort study we investigate how admission plasma and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin Conclusion Fluid overload frequently occurs during the fi rst 48 hours after cardiac surgery and is strongly correlated with postoperative S127 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P355 P355 Is cystatin C reliable in the anesthetized pig? An experimental study with special reference to septic shock M Eriksson1, E Söderberg1, M Lipcsey1, J Sjölin2, M Castegren3, M Sjöquist4, A Larsson5 1Surgical Sciences, Anesthesia & Intensive Care, Uppsala, Sweden; 2Medical Sciences, Infectious Disease, Uppsala, Sweden; 3Centre for Clinical Research, Eskilstuna, Sweden; 4SLU, Uppsala, Sweden; 5Medical Sciences, Clinical Chemistry, Uppsala, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P355 (doi: 10.1186/cc10962) Is cystatin C reliable in the anesthetized pig? An experimental study with special reference to septic shock p g p Results The estimated urinary NGAL at day 1 and day 2 post circulatory shock could predict AKI presented at days 2 and 3 and days 3 and 4 (P <0.05, P <0.001 and P <0.001, P <0.001) respectively. Apart from all conventional kidney parameters and biomarkers, signifi cant inverse correlations could be detected only between urinary NGAL at days 1 and 2 with the corresponding urine output in the patient group (r = –0.51 and –0.64, P <0.05 and P <0.001, respectively). The best cut- off value of urinary NGAL at day 1 was 26 ng/ml, for which sensitivity was 62% and 69% and specifi city was 75% and 80% for prediction of AKI presented at days 2 and 3, respectively. While the best cut-off at day 2 was 29 ng/ml, for which sensitivity was 70% and 74% and specifi city was 90% and 80% for prediction of AKI presented at days 3 and 4, respectively. Urinary NGAL at day 2 could signifi cantly predict mortality complicating AKI rather than at day 1 (P <0.05). Introduction Our aim was to investigate renal function during 24 hours of endotoxemic shock with special focus on the reliability of analysis options in kidney damage. Methods Twenty anesthetized pigs received randomly a continuous 24-hour endotoxin infusion at 0.063 μg/kg/hour (n = 8) or 0.25 μg/kg/ hour (n = 9) or NaCl (controls n = 3). Boluses (10 ml/kg) of succinylated gelatin were given when the arterial blood pressure was 50 mmHg or below. Samples for analysis of cystatin C as well as clearances of inulin, PAH and creatinine were noted and urine was collected. Conclusion Urinary NGAL seems to be a potential early and sensitive biomarker for AKI and a persistently increased level at day 2 can predict mortality following circulatory shock. S128 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results Cystatin C was, already at baseline, not normally distributed. This was in contrast to the other renal variables. Five pigs had baseline values of cystatin C in plasma >0.6 mg/l (one control; four endotoxemic pigs), whereas 15 pigs had plasma levels <0.3. Validation of a continuous low-dose iohexol infusion to measure the glomerular fi ltration rate Validation of a continuous low-dose iohexol infusion to measure the glomerular fi ltration rate J Dixon1, K Lane1, N Dalton2, I MacPhee1, B Philips1 1St George’s Hospital, London, UK; 2King’s College, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P358 (doi: 10.1186/cc10965) Validation of a continuous low-dose iohexol infusion to measure the glomerular fi ltration rate Introduction The aim of our study was to evaluate the utility of two cystatin-C-based equations, as a surrogate of the renal function (glomerular fi ltration rate (GFR)) in a group of critically ill patients. i y Methods This was a monocentric, prospective and observational study including 146 samples respecting 22 ICU patients. Daily evaluation of seric creatinine, seric cystatin C (CC) and 24-hour creatinine clearance (24CrCL) was performed during the ICU stay. Comparisons were done between two CC-based equations (Hoek (H) and Larsson (L) formulas) and: 24CrCL; Cockroft–Gault (CG); modifi ed Cockroft–Gault (mCG); and six-variable Modifi cation of Renal Disease (MDRD6) formulas. Patients with chronic renal failure were excluded. Correlation, precision, bias and discrimination power were assessed using Spearman coeffi cient, Bland–Altman plots and receiver operating characteristic curves. Introduction We have designed a method of continuous measurement of the glomerular fi ltration rate (GFR) with the intention of applying the method in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). The aim of the study was to prove the method in healthy volunteers (HV) and patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods HV and patients with CKD were randomly allocated to measurement of GFR using iohexol, either by the established method of single injection and measurement of its rate of elimination (gold standard), or by the continuous infusion of a very low dose of iohexol (0.5 ml/hour for 12 hours). The GFR was measured again, using the other method, after a washout period of 4 to 28 days. Plasma iohexol concentration was measured at 10 time points and plotted on a two- phase exponential decay graph. The GFR was calculated by dividing the infusion concentration by the plateau concentration. The t test compared results with 4-hour creatinine clearance (4-CrCl), and the CKD-EPI equation. Results The average age of the patients was 63.4 years and male gender was predominant (68%). The APACHE II score was 16.8 ± 5.7. Is cystatin C reliable in the anesthetized pig? An experimental study with special reference to septic shock When individual values were noted over time, it became obvious that, with the exception of the four endotoxemic animals, which shifted considerably over time, there appears to be two subgroups of pigs regarding their cystatin C values. There were only minor diff erences in cystatin C over time for each individual pig compared with the baseline value, except for the four pigs that shifted considerably over time. There were no major diff erences in urinary output between untreated controls and any of the two endotoxemic groups of pigs during the 24-hour experimental period. There was no obvious relation between the administration of bolus doses of gelatin and subsequent diuretic response. Cystatin C did not correlate to creatinine clearance (r2 = 0.06), PAH clearance (r2 = 0.05), inulin×urine (r2 = 0.04) or diuresis (r2 = 0.004). No similar subgroupings were noted for any of the other renal variables, although it should be noted that correlations between all variables were weak. Are serum cystatin-C-based estimates better than those derived from serum creatinine in critically ill patients? JP Baptista, SC Teixeira, J Pimentel Coimbra Universitary Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P356 (doi: 10.1186/cc10963) JP Baptista, SC Teixeira, J Pimentel p Coimbra Universitary Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal P358 Assessment of glomerular fi ltration rate in trauma patients in early resuscitation phase Lipcsey, et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:2782-2790. 2. Benes J, et al.: Crit Care 2011, 15:R256. Conclusion Incidence of glomerular hyperfi ltration is relatively common in critically ill multitrauma patients in the fi rst 24 hours. This should be taken into account while deciding drug dosing in this group of patients. 2. Benes J, et al.: Crit Care 2011, 15:R256. 2. Benes J, et al.: Crit Care 2011, 15:R256. Assessment of glomerular fi ltration rate in trauma patients in early resuscitation phase M Bhattacharyya1, R Kumar2, S Todi1 1AMRI Hospitals, Kolkata, India; 2Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P357 (doi: 10.1186/cc10964) M Bhattacharyya1, R Kumar2, S Todi1 1AMRI Hospitals, Kolkata, India; 2Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P357 (doi: 10.1186/cc10964) Introduction An estimate of the glomerular fi ltration rate (GFR) is important to individualize drug dosages. Trauma leads to systemic infl ammatory response syndrome, which has an eff ect on GFR. The main objective of this study was to assess the GFR in trauma patients during the fi rst 24 hours of admission. gi Methods A prospective observational study of 50 trauma patients aged between 18 and 90 years admitted to the ICU. Exclusion: patients with chronic kidney disease and structural kidney damage. The study population was assessed for GFR by the measurement of creatinine clearance from 24-hour urine creatinine and from serum creatinine. Demographic parameters were documented. g p p Results Total patients admitted to the ITU during July 2010 to April 2011 with trauma were 67, of which 50 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the study group was 39 years, male 86%, mean APACHE IV score 32 and mean Injury Severity Score 10. Out of 50 trauma patients, 13 (26%) patients developed glomerular hyperfi ltration (GHF) within 24 hours of admission. Mean creatinine clearance in the GHF group was 177.92 ± 29 and minimum/maximum values were 151.4 and 254.3 ml/minute/1.73 m2 respectively. Compared to the GHF group, mean creatinine clearance levels were considerably lower in non- GHF patients (86.03 ± 29) with a range of values from 41 to 138.5 ml/ minute/1.73 m2.i Conclusion In this experiment, we noted that there appears to be two populations of pigs regarding their cystatin C values. This result is in contrast to a previous study from our group [1]. Our fi ndings may be explained by the alterations that occur in renal vascular resistance [2], although these fi ndings may also indicate a genetic variation infl uencing either the levels of cystatin C or the antigen determinants of cystatin C. Until our data have been confi rmed or disproved, we strongly suggest that porcine Cystatin C values should be interpreted with great care as a marker for glomerular fi ltration rate in pigs. R f 1. Lipcsey, et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:2782-2790. 1. Lipcsey, et al.: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:2782-2790 1. P358 y p g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P356 (doi: 10.1186/cc10963) Validation of a continuous low-dose iohexol infusion to measure the glomerular fi ltration rate S129 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods The Critical Care Minimum Dataset records of patients admitted to our mixed general ICU were investigated. Those patients who received renal organ support were investigated further. The change in serum creatinine levels in the 48 hours prior to institution of RRT was used to determine the AKIN score. Patients in whom there was not a signifi cant rise in creatinine, but who received RRT, were staged zero. Unfortunately, urine output data were not available to improve accuracy. to reach steady state. However, given the simplicity of the method we hypothesise that changes in iohexol concentration may provide valuable real-time information about the GFR in AKI. Changes are likely to occur before serum creatinine rises. In conclusion, the continuous iohexol infusion method of measuring GFR appears to be accurate and precise. In stable subjects, a steady plasma concentration is achieved before it is observed with creatinine changes. y Results There were a total of 276 patients whose records were adequate for this audit. Several records were incomplete and not used. Demography and APACHE II scores were similar across all groups. Length of stay and days of RRT were similar across the groups. ICU survival was as follows: AKIN stage: (0) 42.2%, (1) 50.6%, (2) 51.7%, (3) 70.4%. Pearson chi-square P <0.001. P359 Investigation into the eff ects of commencing haemodialysis in the critically ill R Docking1, L Moss1, M Sim1, D Sleeman2, J Kinsella1 1University of Glasgow, UK; 2University of Aberdeen, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P359 (doi: 10.1186/cc10966) q Conclusion We were not able to demonstrate improved survival when RRT was initiated at an earlier AKIN stage. A small nonsignifi cant trend was observed with increasing stage and the diff erences between groups were signifi cant. Very early initiation of RRT was associated with increased mortality. Stage (3) included patients with chronic kidney disease, which probably skewed the results in this group. We cannot recommend the use of the AKIN score as a pointer to when to initiate RRT, based on these data. Introduction We aimed to describe haemodynamic changes when haemodialysis is instituted in the critically ill. Validation of a continuous low-dose iohexol infusion to measure the glomerular fi ltration rate The medians of H and L estimates were 50.5 (28 to 77.6) and 47.7 (24.5 to 79.2) respectively, as compared to 69.8 (29.8 to 115.7), 60.7 (42.6 to 101.4), 58.9 (42.6 to 65.1) and 59.2 (40.6 to 106.8) ml/minute/1.73 m2, respectively to 24CrCL (reference method), CG, mCG and MDRD6. Correlation (r) between H, F, CG, mCG, MDRD6 and 24CrCL was 0.83/0.83/0.73/0.70/0.74, respectively. H and L formulas showed the smallest bias and limits of agreement, when compared with formulas based on serum creatinine, respectively –17.5/±52 ml/minute/1.73 m2 and –21/±52.8 ml/minute/1.73 m2. The sensibility for the identifi cation of acute renal dysfunction (24CrCL under 60 ml/minute/1.73 m2) was high for H and L formulas (area under the curve of 0.94 for both). In the subgroup of 29 samples with 24CrCL above 130 ml/minute/1.73 m2 (patients with hyperfi ltration) these two formulas had low sensibility (between 8 and 22%) for identifi cation of this condition. q Results Six HV and seven CKD patients volunteered, with fi ve in each group completing the study. There was no diff erence between the two groups (P = 0.79). In HV, the mean GFR measured by single injection was 105 ± 7.3 and 109.4 ± 9.9 ml/minute/1.73 m2 by infusion (Pearson r = 0.95, P = 0.0002). In CKD patients, the mean GFR measured by single injection was 40 ± 5.4 and 44.8 ± 6.2 ml/minute/1.73 m2 by infusion (Pearson r = 0.99, P <0.0001). The infusion method depends on reaching a steady plasma concentration, which took 165 ± 84 minutes in HV and 483 ± 127 minutes in CKD patients to be within 10% of the steady state. The GFR is overestimated by 4-CrCl (by 13.9 ± 12.9 ml/minute/1.73 m2, P <0.0001) and by CKD-EPI (by 8.4 ± 9.6 ml/minute/1.73 m2, P <0.0001). Conclusion In future work, we aim to validate this method in critically ill patients with AKI. We predict the steady state achieved will be increased. Anticipated problems include increased time or failure Conclusion In this population of critically ill patients, cystatin-C-derived Hoek and Larsson equations underestimated 24CrCL; however, they have a better performance than the classic estimates (CG and MDRD6). Nevertheless, they are inaccurate when applied to ICU patients with hyperfi ltration (GFR >130 ml/m/1.73 m2). Validation of a continuous low-dose iohexol infusion to measure the glomerular fi ltration rate Three hypotheses are tested: (1) the initial session is associated with cardiovascular instability; (2) the initial session is associated with more cardiovascular instability compared to subsequent sessions; and (3) looking at unstable sessions alone, there will be a greater proportion of potentially harmful changes in the initial sessions compared to subsequent ones. References References 1. Uchino S, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2007, 33:1563-1570. 2. Bagshaw SM, et al.: J Crit Care 2009, 24:129-140. 3. Mehta RL, et al.: Crit Care 2007, 11:R31. 1. Uchino S, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2007, 33:1563-1570. 2. Bagshaw SM, et al.: J Crit Care 2009, 24:129-140. 3. Mehta RL, et al.: Crit Care 2007, 11:R31. Methods Data were collected for 209 patients, identifying 1,605 dialysis sessions. Analysis was performed on hourly records, classifying sessions as stable/unstable by a cut-off >±20% change in baseline physiology (HR/MAP). Data from 3 hours prior to and 4 hours after dialysis were included, and average and minimum values derived. Three time comparisons were made (pre-HD:during, during HD:post, pre- HD:post). Initial sessions were analysed separately from subsequent sessions to derive two groups. If a session was identifi ed as being unstable, then the nature of instability was examined by recording whether changes crossed defi ned physiological ranges. The changes seen in unstable sessions could be described as to their eff ects: being harmful/potentially harmful, or benefi cial/potentially benefi cial. Timing for initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy in patients with septic shock and acute kidney injury Conclusion Our results reject the claims that using haemodialysis is an inherently unstable choice of therapy. Although proportionally more of the initial sessions are classed as unstable, the majority of MAP and HR changes are benefi cial in nature. Table 1 (abstract P361). Baseline characteristics and parameters on initiation of CRRT Early Late P value Age 70.7 ± 15.1 69.3 ± 13.1 0.614 APACHE IV 119 ± 31 131 ± 37 0.110 Starting GFR 36.2 ± 20.9 18.1 ± 8.2 <0.001 Start SOFA 11.6 ± 3.3 13.3 ± 2.7 0.006 Table 2 (abstract P361). Outcome parameters Early Late P value NR SOFA 0 to 48 –0.52 ± 3.91 –0.71 ± 3.57 0.827 Hospital death 17 (54.8%) 48 (53.9%) 0.931 28-day survival 16 (51.6%) 46 (51.7%) 0.994 Table 1 (abstract P361). Baseline characteristics and parameters on initiation of CRRT P361 P361 Timing for initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy in patients with septic shock and acute kidney injury HP Shum, KC Chan, MC Kwan, WT Yeung, WS Cheung, WW Yan Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P361 (doi: 10.1186/cc10968) Timing for initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy in patients with septic shock and acute kidney injury Introduction The optimal timing for initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in septic acute kidney injury (AKI) remains controversial. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of early versus late initiation of continuous RRT (CRRT), as defi ned using the simplifi ed RIFLE classifi cation, on organ dysfunction among patients with septic shock and AKI. Results Discarding incomplete data, 181 initial and 1,382 subsequent sessions were analysed. A session was deemed to be stable if there was no signifi cant change (>±20%) in the time-averaged or minimum MAP/ HR across time comparisons. By this defi nition 85/181 initial sessions were unstable (47%, 95% CI SEM 39.8 to 54.2). Therefore Hypothesis 1 is accepted. This compares to 44% of subsequent sessions (95% CI 41.1 to 46.3). Comparing these proportions and their respective CI gives a 95% CI for the standard error of the diff erence of –4% to 10%. Therefore Hypothesis 2 is rejected. In initial sessions there were 92/1,020 harmful changes. This gives a proportion of 9.0% (95% CI SEM 7.4 to 10.9). In the subsequent sessions there were 712/7,248 harmful changes. This gives a proportion of 9.8% (95% CI SEM 9.1 to 10.5). Comparing the two unpaired proportions gives a diff erence of –0.08% with a 95% CI of the SE of the diff erence of –2.5 to +1.2. Hypothesis 3 is rejected. Fisher’s exact test gives a result of P = 0.68, reinforcing the lack of signifi cant variance. Methods Patients were divided into early (sRIFLE Risk) or late (sRIFLE Injury or Failure) initiation of RRT. Patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5 or on dialysis were excluded. Results One hundred and twenty patients admitted within a 3.5-year period fulfi lled inclusion criteria. Thirty-one (26%) underwent early, 89 (74%) had late CRRT. No signifi cant diff erence was noted between the two groups with respect to change in total SOFA score/non-renal SOFA score in the fi rst 24/48 hours after initiation of CRRT, vasopressor use, dialysis requirement and mortality (at 28 days, 3 months and 6 months). The change of nonrenal SOFA score 48 hours after CRRT correlated with the SOFA score at the start of CRRT (P = 0.034) and the APACHE IV risk of death (P = 0.000), but not the glomerular fi ltration rate (GFR) at the start of CRRT (P = 0.348). See Tables 1 and 2. Amino acid concentrations in serum, urine and dialysate/ultrafi ltrate solutions of continuous venovenous hemodiafi ltration patients JM Lee, YJ Lee, J Hong Amino acid concentrations in serum, urine and dialysate/ultrafi ltrate solutions of continuous venovenous hemodiafi ltration patients JM Lee, YJ Lee, J Hong Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Kyeonggi-do, South Korea Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P364 (doi: 10.1186/cc10971) Amino acid concentrations in serum, urine and dialysate/ultrafi ltrate solutions of continuous venovenous hemodiafi ltration patients JM Lee, YJ Lee, J Hong Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Kyeonggi-do, South Korea Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P364 (doi: 10.1186/cc10971) Table 1 (abstract P362) Variable First group Second group Third group Age 42 ± 15 39 ± 13 47 ± 16 BMI 31 ± 5 29 ± 4 29 ± 5 APACHE II score 17 (5) 17 (9) 15 (7) SOFA score 5 (4) 5 (3) 5 (3) Ranson score 8 (6) 8 (7) 10 (9) Early mortality (%) 27 10* 42 Infection (%) 47 35 29 Overall mortality (%) 49 25* 51 Data presented as median (IQR). *P <0.05, second group versus third group. Introduction A prospective study was performed for evaluating the amino acid losses during continuous venovenous hemodiafi ltration (CVVHDF). Introduction A prospective study was performed for evaluating the amino acid losses during continuous venovenous hemodiafi ltration (CVVHDF). Methods Serum, 24-hour urine and dialysate/ultrafi ltrate solutions of CVVHDF were obtained on days 1, 3, and 5 from 11 critically ill patients (fi ve males, six females, mean age 63.0 ± 18.1 (24 to 90)) in the surgical ICU. We analyzed 40 kinds of amino acid concentrations in serum (34 samples), urine (15 samples) and dialysate/ultrafi ltrate solutions (30 samples) by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The mean dialysate amount was 918.2 ml (600 to 1,500 ml), mean replacement fl uid amount 1,136.4 ml (1,000 to 2,000 ml) and mean blood fl ow rate 175 ml (100 to 200 ml), respectively. Nutritional support for CVVHDF patients was guided as protein intake at 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg/ day, caloric intake at 30 kcal/kg/day.i Results Among the analyzed 40 amino acids, the fi ve highest mean concentration levels of 24-hour dialysate/ultrafi ltrate solutions were glutamine (65,178.3 μmol/l (hereafter, all units for amino acids are μmol/l)), alanine (48,633.3), glycine (33,959.5), proline (27,701.5), lysine (26,519.4); of serum were glutamine (694.4), alanine (438.1), glycine (349.7), lysine (275.7), proline (262.4); and of 24-hour urine were glycine (1,523.0), histidine (957.5), alanine (920.7), glutamine (904.6), lysine (699.1), respectively. Early application of CVVH In the complex treatment of patients with early severe acute pancreatitis y p I Aleksandrova, M Ilynsky, S Rei, G Berdnikov, L Marchenkova, V Kiselev Hospital Research Institute for Emergency Medicine N.V. Sklifosovsky, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012 16(Suppl 1):P362 (doi: 10 1186/cc10969) Introduction A large population-based study of 1,024 deaths from acute pancreatitis (AP) has revealed that the median time lapse between the onset of AP and death was 6 days [1]. A number of authors considered the patients with persistent or progressive early multiple organ failure (MOF) as patients with early severe acute pancreatitis (ESAP) [2].fi g g Conclusion Timing of RRT, stratifi ed into early and late by RIFLE and BUN, showed no signifi cant diff erence in 28-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Methods The aim of current study was to evaluate the effi ciency of early CVVH in a complex treatment of ESAP. The retrospective analysis involved 106 patients. The patients were divided into three groups: the fi rst group (n = 45) received CVVH dose <30 ml/kg/hour, the second group (n  =  20) received the dose >30 ml/kg/hour, and in the third group (n = 41) CVVH was not used during the early phase of disease (Table  1). In the fi rst and second groups the median time interval between admission and start of CVVH was 2 (2; 3) days. P364 y References y Conclusion The highest concentration level of 24-hour dialysate/ ultrafi ltrate solution was glutamine. The amount of amino acid loss after CVVHDF was correlated with the serum amino acid amount and increased according to CVVHDF progression. 1. Mole DJ, et al.: HPB 2009, 11:166-170. 2. Isenmann R, et al.: Pancreas 2001, 22:274-278. Amino acid concentrations in serum, urine and dialysate/ultrafi ltrate solutions of continuous venovenous hemodiafi ltration patients JM Lee, YJ Lee, J Hong Amino acid concentrations of 24-hour dialysate/ ultrafi ltrate solutions showed signifi cant correlation with amino acid concentrations of serum (P = 0.000). The mean amount of total amino acid loss on day 5 of CVVHDF was 2.8 times that of day 1 and 1.7 times that of day 3. The increase of amino acid loss according to CVVHDF progression was most prominent in glutamic acid (8.9 times from day 1 to day 5). Results As compared to reference group 3, signifi cant (P  =  0.022) reduction of early mortality (14 days) was observed in the second group, and decreasing tendency (P = 0.093) of mortality rate was detected in the fi rst group. The median time interval between admission and death was 14 days (in the fi rst and second groups) and 5 days in the third group. g p Conclusion The early application of the CVVH increases time interval for care delivery and allows reducing early mortality. The best results were obtained in the group of patients who were treated with the higher dose of CVVH (earlier restoration of homeostasis and decreased severity of early MOF). P360 The timing of RRT was categorized into early (Risk, and Injury) and late (Failure) by RIFLE criteria and also categorized into early (BUN <75 mg/dl) and late (BUN ≥75 mg/dl). Comparing the relationship between RIFLE criteria (Risk and Injury vs. Failure) and 28-day mortality showed no signifi cant diff erence (70.8% vs. 73.3%, P = 0.81). The timing of RRT by serum BUN also showed no signifi cant diff erence in 28-day mortality before start of RRT by BUN ≥75 mg/dl versus BUN <75 mg/dl (77.3% vs. 69.6%, P = 0.50).i Methods All patients diagnosed with severe sepsis and septic shock and treated at the medical ICU in a university-affi liated, tertiary-referral center, from January 2005 to December 2006 were reviewed. Timing of RRT was stratifi ed into early and late by RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, and End-stage) criteria and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) at the time RRT was started. The primary outcome was 28-day death from any cause. P362 Results Of the 326 patients diagnosed with severe sepsis and septic shock and admitted to the medical ICU during the study period, 78 patients received RRT. The mean age of the patients was 61.5 ± 14.7 years and 54 patients were male (69.2%). The timing of RRT was categorized into early (Risk, and Injury) and late (Failure) by RIFLE criteria and also categorized into early (BUN <75 mg/dl) and late (BUN ≥75 mg/dl). Comparing the relationship between RIFLE criteria (Risk and Injury vs. Failure) and 28-day mortality showed no signifi cant diff erence (70.8% vs. 73.3%, P = 0.81). The timing of RRT by serum BUN also showed no signifi cant diff erence in 28-day mortality before start of RRT by BUN ≥75 mg/dl versus BUN <75 mg/dl (77.3% vs. 69.6%, P = 0.50). P360 P360 Is the AKIN score useful as an indicator of the optimum time for intervention with renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients? S Mousdale, J Bannard-Smith Royal Blackburn Hospital, Blackburn, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P360 (doi: 10.1186/cc10967) Introduction Acute kidney injury represents a signifi cant workload and economic burden for critical care units. In the critical care setting AKI is usually associated with a variety of aetiologies such as septic shock, major surgery and heart failure [1]. Controversy exists as to the optimal time for the institution of renal replacement therapy (RRT) [2]. Scoring systems such as AKIN have used the rise in serum creatinine combined with reduced urine output over a period of 48 hours as indicative of the degree of injury [3]. We used this scoring system to see if ITU mortality correlated with increasing AKIN score. S130 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 is to evaluate the relationship between timing of RRT and 28-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Conclusion For septic shock with AKI, no signifi cant diff erence in organ function and outcome was noted when the timing of initiation of CRRT was classifi ed using sRIFLE criteria. Subsequent improvement of organ function correlated with initial SOFA and APACHE scores instead of the GFR (which determine sRIFLE class) on starting of CRRT. The use of more global assessment tools, such as the SOFA score, for stratifi cation purposes on appropriate timing of CRRT warrants further investigation. is to evaluate the relationship between timing of RRT and 28 day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Methods All patients diagnosed with severe sepsis and septic shock and treated at the medical ICU in a university-affi liated, tertiary-referral center, from January 2005 to December 2006 were reviewed. Timing of RRT was stratifi ed into early and late by RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, and End-stage) criteria and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) at the time RRT was started. The primary outcome was 28-day death from any cause. Results Of the 326 patients diagnosed with severe sepsis and septic shock and admitted to the medical ICU during the study period, 78 patients received RRT. The mean age of the patients was 61.5 ± 14.7 years and 54 patients were male (69.2%). P365 Conclusion Although needing confi rmation in an adequate number of patients, protocol B was able to provide a buff er balance more positive than protocol A and allowed one to adequately control the A–B status without additional NaHCO3 infusion and in the absence of alkalosis, despite the use of a standard HCO3 – concentration HF solution. Furthermore, the combination of a phosphate-containing replacement fl uid appeared eff ective to prevent hypophosphatemia. Finally, the use of a mathematical model allowed predicting the eff ects of diff erent replacement solutions and/or RCA-CVVH settings on the mass balance of the main solutes. (P = NS), BE –2.8 ± 2.1 versus –1.6 ± 1.2 (P <0.01), serum phosphate 0.85 ± 0.2 versus 1.3 ± 0.5 mmol/l (P = 0.027), serum K+ 4 ± 0.2 versus 4.2 ± 0.3 mmol/l (P = NS) with KCl infusion 4 ± 0.2 versus 1.4 ± 1.5 mmol/ hour (P <0.0001). Protocol A required NaHCO3 and Na-phosphate infusion (8.9 ± 2.8 mmol/hour and 5g/day, respectively) while protocol B allowed one to stop both supplementations. Systemic and circuit Ca2+ were easily maintained in the target range with both protocols.i py Methods Fourteen mongrel dogs were anesthetized, instrumented, and received CVVH with the test (n = 6) or negative control article (n = 8) for 6 hours. The test article was Accusol 35 with induced precipitate formation prior to CVVH. The test article contained visible particles and subvisible particles 36× higher than the maximum concentration specifi ed in the European Pharmacopoeia (EP). The negative control article was Accusol 35 containing no visible particles and subvisible particles within EP specifi cation. One-half of the dogs in the negative control article group received a central venous injection of Sephadex G-50 beads (10 mg/kg) following CVVH as a positive control. Select cardiovascular (CV) parameters were monitored continuously or were calculated at predetermined times. Arterial samples were obtained at predetermined times for analysis of blood gases and electrolytes. Samples of the test and negative control articles were obtained hourly during CVVH for determination of pH and subvisible particles. Dogs were euthanized and lung tissue samples were examined histologically. Results All CV parameters remained stable and no diff erences were observed between the test and negative control articles. Sephadex beads caused an increase (P <0.01) in mean pulmonary arterial pressure due solely to a similar increase (P <0.01) in pulmonary vascular resistance. P366 P366 Regional citrate anticoagulation in CVVH: a new protocol combining citrate solution with a phosphate-containing replacement fl uid S Morabito1, V Pistolesi1, L Tritapepe1, E Vitaliano2, E Strampelli1, F Polistena1, L Zeppilli1, A Pierucci1 1Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy; 2Pertini H, Rome, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P366 (doi: 10.1186/cc10973) Results In 30 patients at high bleeding risk (age 70.5  ±  9.3, SOFA score 13.7 ± 2.5) the AC modality was switched to RCA-CVVH from no AC or Hep. CVVH initial settings: dialysis dose 33.6 ± 3.4 ml/kg/hour; Qb 135 ± 14 ml/minute; Q Citr 1,703 ± 250 ml/hour; Q postdilution 761 ± 181 ml/hour; Citr load 11.6 ± 2.1 mmol/hour; CaCl2 3.7 ± 1.5 ml/ hour. Target circuit Ca2+ and s-Ca2+ were maintained (0.37 ± 0.09 and 1.18 ± 0.13 mmol/l) with few modifi cations of Citr and CaCl2 infusion rates. We used 146 RCA-CVVH circuits with fi lter life 50.5 ± 35.8 hours (median 41; total 7,372). RCA-stopping causes: 34% CVC malfunction, 24% alarm handling/technical issues, 20% scheduled, 14% medical procedures, 8% others. Before starting RCA, we used 69 Hep circuits (2,015 hours) and 74 no-AC circuits (1,827 hours) with a fi lter life of 29.2 ± 20.7 hours (median 22) and 24.7 ± 20.6 hours (median 20), shorter than RCA (P <0.0001). Circuits running at 24, 48 and 72 hours (%): RCA 73, 42 and 28; Hep 43, 23 and 10; and no-AC 38, 12 and 5 (log-rank test P <0.0001). During RCA-CVVH no patients had bleeding complications and the transfusion rate was lower if compared to other AC modalities (0.29 vs. 0.69 blood units/day, P = 0.001). PLT count (P = 0.018) and AT-III activity (P = 0.009) increased throughout days of RCA, reducing supplementation needs. RCA has been stopped for Citr accumulation in one patient (calcemia/s-Ca2+ >2.5). Introduction Regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) is a highly eff ective anticoagulation (AC) method in CRRT and diff erent combinations of citrate (Citr) and CRRT solutions can aff ect the acid–base (A–B) balance. Regardless of the AC protocol, hypophosphatemia occurs frequently in CRRT (80%). The aim was to evaluate safety and eff ects on A–B balance of a new RCA-CVVH protocol using 18 mmol/l Citr solution combined with a phosphate-containing hemofi ltration (HF) solution. P367 Regional citrate anticoagulation with a low-concentration solution in predilution–postdilution CVVH V Pistolesi, S Morabito, L Tritapepe, L Cibelli, M Ambrosino, F Polistena, L Zeppilli, E Strampelli, MI Sacco, A Pierucci Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P367 (doi: 10.1186/cc10974) Introduction Systemic anticoagulation (AC) can increase the bleeding risk in CRRT. However, regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) is a valid alternative to heparin (Hep) in patients at high risk of bleeding. The aim was to evaluate effi cacy and safety of RCA-CVVH using a low- concentration citrate (Citr) solution. g Conclusion CVVH performed on anesthetized dogs for 6 hours using Accusol 35 containing visible and subvisible particles 36× higher than the maximum concentration specifi ed in the EP resulted in no adverse eff ects on CV parameters, blood gases and electrolytes, and lung histology as compared with Accusol 35 containing no visible particles and subvisible particles that were within EP specifi cation. Methods In cardiac surgery patients with AKI we adopted RCA-CVVH as an alternative to Hep or no-AC CRRT. Criteria for switching to RCA: early circuit clotting (24 hours) or Hep-related complications. RCA- CVVH was performed with a predilution Citr solution (12 mmol/l) and a postdilution hemofi ltration solution (HCO3 – 32 mEq/l). In relation to blood fl ow rate (Qb), the Citr solution rate was set to meet a circuit Citr concentration of 3 mmol/l and modifi ed to obtain circuit Ca2+ <0.4 mmol/l. CaCl2 (10%) was infused to maintain systemic Ca2+ (s-Ca2+) of 1.1 to 1.25 mmol/l. To facilitate CVVH settings, we developed a mathematical model to estimate the metabolic Citr load, buff er balance and Ca2+ loss. P366 P365 P365 Evaluation of the potential adverse eff ects associated with calcium carbonate precipitate during continuous venovenous hemofi ltration J McKee, B Brooks, J Daller, J Gass, D Pantaleone, P Zieske Baxter, Round Lake, IL, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P365 (doi: 10.1186/cc10972) P365 Evaluation of the potential adverse eff ects associated with calcium carbonate precipitate during continuous venovenous hemofi ltration J McKee, B Brooks, J Daller, J Gass, D Pantaleone, P Zieske Baxter, Round Lake, IL, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P365 (doi: 10.1186/cc10972) Evaluation of the potential adverse eff ects associated with calcium carbonate precipitate during continuous venovenous hemofi ltration J McKee, B Brooks, J Daller, J Gass, D Pantaleone, P Zieske Baxter, Round Lake, IL, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P365 (doi: 10.1186/cc10972) Seoul Asan Hospital, Seoul, South Korea Seoul Asan Hospital, Seoul, South Korea p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P363 (doi: 10.1186/cc10970) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P363 (doi: 10.1186/cc10970) , , , Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P365 (doi: 10.1186/cc10972) Introduction Timing of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill severe sepsis and septic shock patients with acute kidney injury is highly subjective and may infl uence outcome. The aim of this study Introduction This study evaluated the potential adverse eff ects associated with exposure to calcium carbonate precipitate during S131 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 continuous venovenous hemofi ltration (CVVH). The clinical use of Accusol 35 Solution (Accusol 35) has been associated with occasional formation of calcium carbonate precipitate in the tubing set during therapy. (P = NS), BE –2.8 ± 2.1 versus –1.6 ± 1.2 (P <0.01), serum phosphate 0.85 ± 0.2 versus 1.3 ± 0.5 mmol/l (P = 0.027), serum K+ 4 ± 0.2 versus 4.2 ± 0.3 mmol/l (P = NS) with KCl infusion 4 ± 0.2 versus 1.4 ± 1.5 mmol/ hour (P <0.0001). Protocol A required NaHCO3 and Na-phosphate infusion (8.9 ± 2.8 mmol/hour and 5g/day, respectively) while protocol B allowed one to stop both supplementations. Systemic and circuit Ca2+ were easily maintained in the target range with both protocols. P365 No diff erences in blood gases or electrolytes were observed between the test and negative control articles. Sephadex beads caused a decrease (P >0.05) in arterial blood PO2 and an increase (P >0.05) in arterial blood PCO2. No diff erences in lung histology were observed between the test and negative control articles. The lungs from all dogs given Sephadex beads contained multiple intravascular particles in large-caliber blood vessels. y g g p Conclusion Although needing confi rmation in an adequate number of patients, protocol B was able to provide a buff er balance more positive than protocol A and allowed one to adequately control the A–B status without additional NaHCO3 infusion and in the absence of alkalosis, despite the use of a standard HCO3 – concentration HF solution. Furthermore, the combination of a phosphate-containing replacement fl uid appeared eff ective to prevent hypophosphatemia. Finally, the use of a mathematical model allowed predicting the eff ects of diff erent replacement solutions and/or RCA-CVVH settings on the mass balance of the main solutes. Exposure to intermittent hemodialysis and renal recovery after acute kidney injury: a systematic review A Schneider1, M Bagshaw2, NJ Glassford1, R Bellomo1 1Austin Health, Heidelberg, Australia; 2University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P368 (doi: 10.1186/cc10975) Introduction Sustained low-effi ciency dialysis (SLED) as primary renal replacement therapy in acute renal failure is still not widely used compared to continuous venovenous hemodiafi ltration (CVVHDF), despite possible economical advantages. Based on one key paper [1] we use SLED as primary renal replacement therapy. However, since medical and economical data with SLED are scarce, we evaluated costs and outcome in a 5-year retrospective study on our ICU. Introduction Renal replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill patients can be applied in a continuous (CRRT) or intermittent (IRRT) fashion. To date, there is no systematic comparison on the impact of these two modalities on renal recovery after an episode of acute kidney injury (AKI). We sought to compare the rates of renal recovery with RRT independence between CRRT and IRRT as an initial modality for RRT in AKI. y p y Methods During 2006 to 2010 we performed a search on our KIS selecting all patients with the diagnoses N17 and N18 who were treated with SLED or CVVHDF on our ICU. We excluded all patients with a stay <2 days or with an extrarenal indication for dialysis or with pre- existing chronic dialysis. The following variables were extracted from the chart: number of SLED, stay in ICU and hospital, mortality in ICU and hospital, SAPS II, TISS 28, blood urea and creatinine, C-reactive protein, mechanical ventilation, and diagnoses. We evaluated the long-term outcome by sending all discharged patients a questionnaire. y Methods We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE. We retrieved all studies published between 2000 and 2010 that report original data on renal recovery to RRT dependence after AKI in adults. Authors of studies with incomplete data were contacted. Search date: January 2011. Two authors independently assessed the trial quality and extracted data. Pooled analyses were performed and a chi-square test performed. Sensitivity analyses were performed after stratifi cation by premorbid chronic kidney disease, number of centers, type of study and illness severity index. In a subsequent analysis we pooled the studies according to the percentage of patients exposed to IHD into low-exposure (<50% of patients exposed) or high-exposure (>50% patients exposed).i y Results During the period from 2006 to 2010, 3,247 SLED treatments in 421 patients (mean SAPS II was 52 patients) were performed. P368 P369 Sustained low-effi ciency dialysis for renal replacement therapy in the ICU: a cost–benefi t analysis of the years 2006 to 2010 T Neuenfeldt, HB Hopf Asklepios Klinik, Langen, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P369 (doi: 10.1186/cc10976) p Reference p Reference 1. Vinsonneau C, et al.: Lancet 2006, 368:379-385. 1. Vinsonneau C, et al.: Lancet 2006, 368:379-385. Exposure to intermittent hemodialysis and renal recovery after acute kidney injury: a systematic review ICU mortality was 36% and hospital mortality was 46%. A persistent need for dialysis (end-stage kidney disease) was registered in 9%. Total costs for SLED were €518.431 and total reimbursements amount to €734.996 (Figure 1). Assuming for cost comparisons also 3,247 CVVHDF-days, we estimated costs of €722.734 with reimbursements of €690.876 for CVVHDF. Results We identifi ed 50 studies (14,796 patients). Overall, as compared with those that received IRRT as an initial modality (IRRT group), those that received CRRT (CRRT group) had higher average illness severity scores (mean APACHE III equivalent 88 vs. 72, P <0.01) and higher in- hospital mortality (57.7% vs. 37.9%, P <0.0001). When reported at 28 days after initiation of RRT (outcome reported in 25 studies), 19.4% of survivors were RRT dependent in the CRRT group versus 26.9% in the IRRT group (P = 0.004). At hospital discharge (reported in 26 studies), RRT dependence was present in 10.9% of the CRRT group versus 20.8% in the IRRT group (P <0.0001). At day 90 (reported in 22 studies), RRT dependence was 7.8% in the CRRT group versus 36.1% in the IRRT group (P <0.0001). The sensitivity analyses confi rmed these fi ndings in all subgroups. The rates of RRT dependency in the low-exposure group and the high-exposure group at days 28, 90 and hospital discharge were 19.6%, 8.8% and 12.4% versus 43.2%, 26.8% and 14.0% respectively (all P <0.0001, except for hospital discharge P = NS). Conclusion Thus, since short-term and long-term outcome of our patients was comparable to published outcome data with CVVHDF, SLED is at least comparable to CVVHDF even in a busy ICU environment. Moreover, in view of costs, SLED is the preferable dialysis form for renal replacement therapy also in the ICU. P366 p p gi Methods In our center, RCA-CVVH is routinely performed with a 12  mmol/l predilution Citr solution (Prismocitrate 10/2) and a postdilution HF solution (HCO3 – 32, Ca2+ 1.75, Mg2+ 0.5, K+ 2 mmol/l) (protocol A). In the case of persistent acidosis, not related to Citr accumulation, NaHCO3 infusion is started. In order to optimize the buff er balance, a new protocol has been designed throughout a mathematical model developed to estimate Citr and HCO3 – mass transfer. Recently introduced solutions have been adopted: 18 mmol/l predilution Citr solution (Prismocitrate 18), postdilution HF solution (Phoxilium, HCO3 – 30, phosphate 1.2, Ca2+ 1.25, Mg2+ 0.6, K+ 4 mmol/l) (protocol B). In relation to Qb, the Citr solution rate was set to meet the target circuit Citr concentration (3 mmol/l). To maintain systemic Ca2+ (1.1 to 1.25 mmol/l), CaCl2 10% was started according to estimated Ca2+ loss. Conclusion In this experience, RCA allowed one to safely prolong the fi lter life, decreasing the transfusion rate and supplementation needs for AT-III and PLT. The use of a mathematical model allowed one to simplify the CVVH settings. Therefore, RCA should be worthy of more consideration as the fi rst-choice CRRT AC modality in patients at high risk of bleeding. Results In a cardiac surgery patient with AKI, A–B status and electrolytes have been evaluated comparing protocol A (fi ve circuits, 301 hours) versus protocol B (two circuits, 97 hours): pH 7.39  ±  0.03 versus 7.44 ± 0.03 (P <0.0001), blood HCO3 – 22.3 ± 1.8 versus 22.6 ± 1.4 mmol/l S132 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P369). Cost–benefi t ratio for SLED compared to CVVHDF. Figure 1 (abstract P369). Cost–benefi t ratio for SLED compared to CVVHDF. P372 P372 Evaluation of microcirculation before and during continuous renal replacement therapy and the impact of dose prescription C Pipili1, CS Vrettou2, S Poulaki3, A Papastylianou3, M Parisi3, ES Tripodaki3, S Ioannidou3, S Kokkoris3, E Douka3, S Nanas2 1Aretaieion University Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; 3Evaggelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P372 (doi: 10.1186/cc10979) Table 1 (abstract P370). Dialysis methods and clinical parameter CRRT PD Low Qb HD Mini-SLED (n = 25) (n = 3) (n = 21) (n = 12) NIHSS (score) 30.8 ± 17.2 34.6 ± 16.4 31.7 ± 20.8 32 ± 19.8 Rebleed (n, %) 6, 24% 1, 33% 4, 19.0% 0, 0% Mortality (n, %) 5, 20% 1, 33% 5, 23.8% 2, 16% Kt/V (daily) 0.68 ± 0.32 0.25 ± 0.16 0.86 ± 0.23 0.72 ± 0.23 Cost ($/1 treat) 498 ± 30.2 92.4 ± 22.6 82.5 ± 12.5 86.7 ± 14.3 Conclusion Our Mini-SLED methods are eff ective and safe for dialyzing acute brain stroke patients. Table 1 (abstract P370). Dialysis methods and clinical parameter Introduction Microcirculation (MC) might provide evidence for the solute exchange taking place during the dialysis process. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with combination of vascular occlusion technique (VOT) allows evaluation of peripheral tissue oxygen utilization and restoration mainly depending on integrity and functionality of vascular endothelium. Our purpose was to evaluate the acute eff ect of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) on the MC as assessed by NIRS and VOT and to explore the impact of delivered CRRT dose on MC alterations. Methods A total of 43 critically patients who underwent CRRT were eligible to participate in the study. The mean age of our population was 66 ± 17 years and 40% were females. The APACHE II score was 20 ± 6, the mean serum creatinine before the CRRT initiation was 2.6  ±  1.6 mg/dl and the mean CRRT delivered dose was 23 ± 6 ml/kg/hour. The median value of dose was used to form groups of high (>22.5 ml/kg/ hour) and low (≤22.5ml/kg/hour) delivered dose. NIRS parameters were evaluated before CRRT initiation (H0), at 6 hours (H6) and at 24 hours (H24) during the CRRT process. Tissue oxygen saturation (StO2, %), defi ned as the percentage of hemoglobin saturation in the microvasculature compartments, was measured with a probe placed on the thenar muscle. Investigation into haemodynamic stability during intermittent haemodialysis in the critically ill Introduction Studies that have reported cardiovascular (CVS) instability with haemodialysis (HD) are outdated and small. By analysing sessions in detail it will be possible to identify the frequency and nature of CVS instability. Hypothesis 1: haemodialysis is associated with CVS instability in the majority of sessions. Hypothesis 2: the majority of CVS changes in unstable sessions will be harmful/potentially harmful. 2 Results Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA were performed for StO2, OCR, RS and hyperemia recovery area at H0, H6 and H24. StO2 correlated with RIFLE on admission and at the time of CRRT initiation (r = 0.283, P = 0.03 and r = 0.45, P <0.0001 respectively). There was a signifi cant decrease in OCR with time (hours on CRRT process) (within- subjects ANOVA F = 4.83, P = 0.014) and especially between H0 and H24 (–10.5 ± 9.4 vs. –12 ± 8.3, P = 0.008). Furthermore, a signifi cant increase in RS was found in patients who received a high CRRT dose (between- subjects ANOVA F = 4.5, P <0.05), especially at H6 post CRRT initiation (76 ± 117 vs. 86 ± 128, P = 0.05). g y Methods Data were collected for 209 patients, identifying 1,605 dialysis sessions. Analysis was performed on hourly records, classifying sessions as stable/unstable by a cut-off >±20% change in baseline physiology (HR/MAP). Data from 3 hours prior to and 4 hours after dialysis were included, and average and minimum values derived. Three time comparisons were made: pre-HD:during, during HD:post, pre-HD:post-HD. If a session was identifi ed as being unstable, then the nature of instability was examined by recording whether changes crossed defi ned physiological ranges. The changes seen in unstable sessions could be described as to their eff ects: being harmful/ potentially harmful, or benefi cial/potentially benefi cial. Conclusion Critically ill patients, receiving a dialysis dose higher than 22.5 ml/kg/hour, showed improved MC. Further studies are needed to investigate the role of NIRS technology as a tool to assess the need for CRRT initiation in acute renal failure. ii Results Discarding incomplete data, 1,563 sessions were analysed. A session was deemed to be stable if there was no change >±20% in time-averaged or minimum MAP/HR across three time comparisons. In 1,563 sessions there was stability in 874 sessions (55.8%, 95% CI for SEM 53.2 to 58.4). Hypothesis 1 is rejected. The new dialysis method Mini-SLED is useful for dialyzing acute brain stroke patients F Taki, Y Komatsu St Luke’s International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P370 (doi: 10.1186/cc10977) Conclusion The preponderance of the available evidence suggests that CRRT is associated with a higher rate of renal recovery in AKI survivors compared with IRRT. p F Taki, Y Komatsu Introduction Hemodialysis (HD) patients are known to be a high-risk population for brain stroke. On acute phase of stroke, standard HD treatment may increase cerebral damage by changing serum and S133 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 of 7,464/8,268 (90.3%, 95% CI SEM 89.6 to 90.9). Therefore Hypothesis 2 is rejected. tissue osmolarity. For low clearance dialysis, CRRT, PD or low Qb HD were used but there are some complications. To dialyze these patients more safely and simply, we modifi ed a new dialysis method, Mini-SLED (sustained low-effi ciency dialysis). Conclusion The results above are encouraging, especially given the stringent defi nitions of instability used. By making multiple time-period comparisons the validity of the claims of haemodynamic stability are enforced, compared to previous papers. The number of sessions and measurement points combine to add weight to our fi ndings, supported by robust confi dence interval data. fi Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study from June 2006 to October 2011. Maintenance HD patients who onset acute brain stroke, including hemorrhage and ischemic infarction, were observed. We divided patients into four groups by dialysis modality and compared the clinical parameters. Determination of Mini-SLED was Qb 200 ml/minute, QD 100 to 200 ml/minute, duration for 2 to 3 hours. Results Sixty-one patients were observed in this study. Mean age 72.5 years, 39 patients were male, 45 patients had diabetes. Major clinical parameters and outcomes are presented in Table 1. Patients treated with Mini-SLED have lower risk of rebleeding compared to low Qb HD or CRRT, and were more cost-eff ective than PD. Delivered Kt/V of Mini- SLED was 0.72 ± 0.23. Modality diff erence did not aff ect mortality. P372 A 3-minute brachial VOT was applied to evaluate the oxygen consumption rate (OCR, %/minute), the recovery slope (RS, %/minute), and the hyperemia recovery area as the area (units/minute) under the StO2% curve above baseline values. Conclusion Our Mini-SLED methods are eff ective and safe for dialyzing acute brain stroke patients. Investigation into haemodynamic stability during intermittent haemodialysis in the critically ill Each session had 12 potential comparisons of MAP, HR and time, therefore in the 689 unstable sessions there were 8,268 potential changes ±20% (689×12). There were 804/8,268 harmful/potentially harmful changes, 922/8,268 benefi cial/potentially benefi cial changes and 6,542/8,268 opportunities for change where none occurred. Therefore, looking at harmful/potentially harmful changes there were 804/8,268 (9.7%, 95% CI for SEM 9.1 to 10.4). Looking at potentially benefi cial changes this occurred in 922/8,268 (11.2%, 95% CI for SEM 10.5 to 11.9), and if these were combined with the nonsignifi cant changes this gave a proportion P373i P373 Ultrafi ltration during continuous hemofi ltration in stabilized ICU patients is not associated with microcirculatory perfusion derangements B Scheenstra, G Veenstra, M Koopmans, WP Kingma, H Buter, HM Hemmelder, EC Boerma Medical Centre Leeuwrden, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P373 (doi: 10.1186/cc10980) Degree of impaired kidney function at hospital discharge has a major impact on long-term survival of critically ill patients recovered from renal failure S Stads, G Fortrie, J Van Bommel, R Zietse, M Betjes Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P375 (doi: 10.1186/cc10982) Table 1 (abstract P373). (Micro)circulatory variables during ultrafi ltration T1 T2 P value RR mean 71 (65 to 94) 66 (63 to 95) 0.87 Heart rate 97 (78 to 126) 94 (75 to 123) 0.03 MFI 2.9 (2.7 to 3) 3 (3 to 3] 0.34 TVD 20 (18 to 22) 21 (17 to 23) 0.5 Conclusion A negative net fl uid balance of 50 ml/hour during ultra- fi ltration in CVVH is not associated with microcirculatory perfusion alterations. References 1. Bemelmans et al.: Nephrol Dial Transplant 2009, 24:3487-3492. 2. Pottecher et al.: Intensive Care Med 2010, 36:1867-1874. P374 Plasmapheresis without apparatus in complex care of victims with crush syndrome during the fi rst hours after extrication in a fi eld hospital of EMERCOM of Russia in emergency areas A Popov1, I Yakirevich1, A Skorobulatov1, V Shabanov2 1EMERCOM of Russia, Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, Russia; 2All-Russian Centre of Disaster Medicine, Moscow, Russia Table 1 (abstract P373). (Micro)circulatory variables during ultrafi ltration T1 T2 P value RR mean 71 (65 to 94) 66 (63 to 95) 0.87 Heart rate 97 (78 to 126) 94 (75 to 123) 0.03 MFI 2.9 (2.7 to 3) 3 (3 to 3] 0.34 TVD 20 (18 to 22) 21 (17 to 23) 0.5 Conclusion A negative net fl uid balance of 50 ml/hour during ultra- fi ltration in CVVH is not associated with microcirculatory perfusion alterations. References 1. Bemelmans et al.: Nephrol Dial Transplant 2009, 24:3487-3492. 2. Pottecher et al.: Intensive Care Med 2010, 36:1867-1874. Table 1 (abstract P373). (Micro)circulatory variables during ultrafi ltration Table 1 (abstract P373). (Micro)circulatory variables during ultrafi ltration T1 T2 P value RR mean 71 (65 to 94) 66 (63 to 95) 0.87 Heart rate 97 (78 to 126) 94 (75 to 123) 0.03 MFI 2.9 (2.7 to 3) 3 (3 to 3] 0.34 TVD 20 (18 to 22) 21 (17 to 23) 0.5 Introduction Renal replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with high mortality. However, little is known about the prognosis of renal function after ICU discharge and the eff ect of persisting impaired kidney function on long- term survival. Ultrafi ltration during continuous hemofi ltration in stabilized ICU patients is not associated with microcirculatory perfusion derangements g B Scheenstra, G Veenstra, M Koopmans, WP Kingma, H Buter, HM Hemmelder, EC Boerma Medical Centre Leeuwrden, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P373 (doi: 10.1186/cc10980) Introduction Ultrafi ltration during intermittent haemodialysis has been associated with reduction in microcirculatory perfusion, as observed with sidestream dark-fi eld (SDF) imaging [1]. This technique has also been useful in the evaluation of volume status in critically Introduction Ultrafi ltration during intermittent haemodialysis has been associated with reduction in microcirculatory perfusion, as observed with sidestream dark-fi eld (SDF) imaging [1]. This technique has also been useful in the evaluation of volume status in critically S134 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 ill patients [2]. To date no data are available on the infl uence of ultrafi ltration during continuous venovenous hemofi ltration (CVVH) on microcirculatory perfusion. ill patients [2]. To date no data are available on the infl uence of ultrafi ltration during continuous venovenous hemofi ltration (CVVH) on microcirculatory perfusion. with 25 to 30% hematocrit; correction of the blood coagulation system; detoxication with the application of active methods of homeostasis correction; prevention and elimination of purulent and septic complications; primary surgical debridement and excision of necrotic mass areas carried out with general anesthesia, no excision conducted; and transport immobilization before evacuation. y p Methods In this single-centre, prospective, observational study patients with acute renal failure on CVVH were included after hemodynamic stabilization and written informed consent A fi xed dose of net ultrafi ltration was calculated for each patient, aiming at a negative total fl uid balance of 50 ml/hour. Microcirculatory perfusion was observed with sublingual SDF imaging after 1 hour of zero balance CVVH (T1) and additionally after 1 hour of negative fl uid balance ultrafi ltration (T2). The primary outcome was a change in microvascular fl ow index (MFI) between T1 and T2. Data are presented as median (IQR). Diff erences are calculated with a nonparametric test for paired data. Results Among all victims, hemodynamics stabilization was noted in 28 ± 6 hours, and dieresis increased up to 1,200 ± 100 ml/day in 18 ± 8 hours. Acute renal failure cases were not noted. All victims in stable condition were evacuated to specialized hospitals by helicopter. No mortality rate during medical aid rendering was noted. References References 1. Bemelmans et al.: Nephrol Dial Transplant 2009, 24:3487-3492. 2 Pottecher et al : Intensive Care Med 2010 36:1867 1874 1. Bemelmans et al.: Nephrol Dial Transplant 2009, 24:3487-3492. 1. Bemelmans et al.: Nephrol Dial Transplant 2009, 24:3487 3492. 2. Pottecher et al.: Intensive Care Med 2010, 36:1867-1874. Results In-hospital mortality was 54.9%. After hospital discharge, the overall mortality was 75.3% after a median follow-up of 8.5 years (range 1 to 17 years). Univariate analysis showed that age, surgical or nonsurgical reason for ICU admission and kidney function at discharge were associated with overall survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis of the association of kidney function at hospital discharge with patient survival was performed, adjusting for age, sex and surgical or nonsurgical admission type. The eGFR at hospital discharge remained independently associated with long-term survival (P <0.001). Only 87 (15.8%) patients were discharged with an eGFR >90 ml/minute (using the MDRD formula). In this group 5-year and 10-year survival were respectively 77.6% and 66.7%. The mortality risk increased for every increase in stage of chronic kidney disease (hazard ratio 1.25, P <0.001). Patients discharged with an eGFR <30 ml/minute (CKD 4 to 5, 37.3% of patients at hospital discharge) had a 5-year and 10-year survival of only 42.5% and 28.5%. P374 Plasmapheresis without apparatus in complex care of victims with crush syndrome during the fi rst hours after extrication in a fi eld hospital of EMERCOM of Russia in emergency areas y A Popov1, I Yakirevich1, A Skorobulatov1, V Shabanov2 A Popov1, I Yakirevich1, A Skorobulatov1, V Shabanov2 1EMERCOM of Russia, Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, Russia; 2All-Russian Centre of Disaster Medicine, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P374 (doi: 10.1186/cc10981) Introduction This is the generalization of the experience of membranous plasmapheresis without apparatus (MPPA) application in the complex care of victims with crush syndrome (CS) in the fi eld hospital (FH) of EMERCOM of Russia during elimination of medical consequences of earthquakes (Pakistan, 2005; China, 2008; Haiti, 2010). Methods Thirty-eight victims with CS (19 males, 19 females, age 34.5 ± 4) were in the resuscitation department of the FH. Compound fractures of tubular bones and crushed tissues necrosis were observed. Joint movement was severely restricted and artery pulsation was uncertain. Condition severity: according to the Glasgow Coma Scale 12  ±  1, according to APACHE II score 29 ± 4. The tendency to hypotension and tachycardia, increase of body temperature and dyspnea intensifi cation were observed, diurnal diuresis decreased. Plasmapheresis treatment was carried out by the MPPA method. A total of 2  ±  1 procedures were conducted to each patient with the removal of 70 ± 10% of the plasma circulation volume per session. Removed plasma volume was calculated for each victim individually on the basis of average volume before plasma exchange. The procedure frequency was once per day. Substitution means: crystalloids, hydroxyethylized starch, proteins. The MPPA procedure time was from 60 to 120 minutes. MPPA was carried out in all victims during complex care for CS: elimination of painful impact and stressful situation; restoration of acid–alkaline conditions and water–electrolytic balance of blood, maintenance of hemodilution Conclusion ICU patients with AKI who received CRRT have a high mortality risk. This is more outspoken for patients who experience incomplete recovery of renal function at hospital discharge. Impaired kidney function at discharge has a major negative impact on their long- term survival. These results stress the importance of preserving kidney function in ICU patients and the need for long-term nephrological follow-up. Future research will have to identify possible determinants in the period following hospital discharge that can be used to prolong survival in these patients. Degree of impaired kidney function at hospital discharge has a major impact on long-term survival of critically ill patients recovered from renal failure The objective of this study was to evaluate the overall long-term mortality in a cohort of ICU patients with AKI necessitating RRT. We hypothesized that both patient characteristics and the degree of renal insuffi ciency at hospital discharge will infl uence long-term mortality. y Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed including all patients older than 18 years admitted to the ICU of a tertiary-care center between 1994 and 2010, who underwent continuous RRT during their ICU stay (n = 1,220). Ultrafi ltration during continuous hemofi ltration in stabilized ICU patients is not associated with microcirculatory perfusion derangements y g g Conclusion MPPA application allows one to reduce the rate of compli- cations and mortality. MPPA application is the method of extra- corporeal homeostasis correction option for victims with CS in a FH in emergencies. Results Eleven patients were eligible for the study; one denied informed consent. One patient could not be evaluated due to the unavailability of the research team and in two patients we were unable to obtain images of proper quality. The median APACHE II score was 26 (21 to 29); at baseline LOS ICU was 5 (3 to 6) days and fl uid balance +7.9 (5.1 to 14.2) l. Hemodynamic and microcirculatory variables are depicted in Table 1. P375 P376 Long-term survival for ICU patients with acute kidney injury D Scott1, F Cismondi2, J Lee1, T Mandelbaum3, LA Celi1, RG Mark1, D Talmor2 1MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA; 2Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; 3Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P376 (doi: 10.1186/cc10983) Introduction A recently published study [1] validated the criteria used in the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) defi nitions [2] of the S135 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 immunoglobulins (κ-FLC) (23 kDa) and albumin (68 kDa) clearances were measured at 15 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours. β2-M and κ-FLC were chosen as a middle molecular weight marker. A linear mixed-eff ects model compared clearances between groups. three stages of acute kidney injury (AKI) using in-hospital mortality. In the present study, we validate the clinical applicability of the AKIN classifi cations through long-term survival analysis of AKI patients. three stages of acute kidney injury (AKI) using in-hospital mortality. In the present study, we validate the clinical applicability of the AKIN classifi cations through long-term survival analysis of AKI patients. i y Methods From over 17,000 adult ICU patients in the MIMIC II database [3,4] (V2.5), we excluded patients having end-stage renal disease and those with insuffi cient data and determined AKI stages for each patient. Multivariate Cox regression was used to determine hazard ratios (HRs) for 2-year survival, controlling for: age, sex, nonrenal Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and selected co-morbidities. g p Results Twenty-four patients were included, 12 in the SHF-HD group (32 sessions) and 12 in CVVH (30 sessions). κ-FLC and albumin clearances were higher in the SHF-HD group over time. No diff erence was observed for creatinine (P = 0.18) and β2-M (P = 0.98) clearances. Plasma albumin levels and the amount of albumin infused did not diff er between groups. See Figure 1. Results Among the fi nal cohort of 14,525 patients, 43% had no AKI and 39%, 14% and 4% developed AKI 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The results of the regression analysis show that AKI 1 (HR 1.12, P <0.05), AKI 2 (HR 1.10, P = 0.05) and AKI 3 (HR 1.64, P <0.001) were signifi cantly associated with increased 2-year mortality. Super high-fl ux continuous hemodialysis: an effi cient compromise for blood purifi cation in sepsis p p Methods Thirty-fi ve patients diagnosed with sepsis (ARDS (n  =  10), pyelonephritis (n = 5), cholangitis (n = 5), tsutsugami in Scrub typhus disease (n  =  1), mamushi snake bite (n  =  1), haemophagocytic syn- drome (n  =  1), antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody lung disease (n = 1), beriberi heart disease (n = 1) and unknown causes (n = 8)) were enrolled in this study between August 2010 and November 2011.The common cause for ARDS in older patients was aspiration pneumonia. Our study group comprised 15 men and 20 women, aged 35 to 85 years (median age 68 years). i T Rimmelé, M Page, C Ber, F Christin, J Baillon, J Crozon, C Chapuis-Cellier, R Ecochard, B Allaouchiche Edouard Herriot Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P377 (doi: 10.1186/cc10984) i T Rimmelé, M Page, C Ber, F Christin, J Baillon, J Crozon, C Chapuis-Cellier, R Ecochard, B Allaouchiche Edouard Herriot Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P377 (doi: 10.1186/cc10984) Introduction High cut-off membranes are proposed for blood purifi - cation therapy in septic shock. However, albumin loss related to these membranes is a major drawback limiting their clinical acceptance. Super High-Flux membranes with an optimized cut-off may combine enhanced middle molecule clearances (infl ammatory mediators) with limited albumin loss. The aim of our study was to compare small, middle molecule clearances and albumin loss between continuous hemodialysis using a Super High-Flux membrane (SHF-HD) and conventional continuous hemofi ltration (CVVH). ( g y ) Results Before initiating treatment with the PMMA-CHDF, the average APACHE score of these patients was 17.5  ±  3.6, whereas the average Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment score was 6.5 ± 1.3. The duration of PMMA-CHDF treatment was 5.2 ± 2.3 days. Following initiation of PMMA-CHDF treatment, early improvement of haemodynamics was observed, along with an increase in the urine output. The average survival rates of patients were 75.6%. The lowest survival rate among diseases (35%) belonged to the unknown group. The highest survival rate for patients with ARDS was 95%. Moreover, the urine output signifi cantly increased in the survival group. i Methods After approval by the ethics committee, patients were enrolled in a single-blind RCT. Effi cacy of continuous haemodiafi ltration using a polymethylmethacrylate membrane haemofi lter in the treatment of sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome y p Conclusion AKI stages 1, 2 and 3 are signifi cant indicators of 2-year mortality. The diff erence between AKI 1 and 2 is smaller than that between AKI 2 and 3 and it may be prudent to re-examine the criteria used to defi ne AKI to provide better separation among the three classes. Shintakeo Hospital, Takeo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P378 (doi: 10.1186/cc10985) Shintakeo Hospital, Takeo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P378 (doi: 10.1186/cc10985) Super high-fl ux continuous hemodialysis: an effi cient compromise for blood purifi cation in sepsis Patients with septic shock and acute kidney injury received either SHF-HD (EMiC2® fi lter; Fresenius Medical Care) (cut- off   =  40 kDa, dialysate fl ow rate of 40 ml/kg/hour) or conventional CVVH (cut-off  = 30 kDa, UF fl ow rate of 40 ml/kg/hour). Each patient received a maximum of three sessions of 48 hours each. Creatinine (113 Da), β2-microglobulin (β2-M) (11.8 kDa), kappa free light chain of i Conclusion The present study suggests that cytokine-oriented critical care using PMMA-CHDF might be eff ective in the treatment of sepsis and ARDS, particularly in the treatment of ARDS associated with aspiration pneumonia in older patients. Figure 1 (abstract P377). Figure 1 (abstract P377). References Introduction CHDF using a polymethylmethacrylate membrane is currently widely applied for nonrenal indications in Japan; this tech- nique is used in the treatment not only of patients with sepsis but also of those with cytokine-induced critical illness such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pancreatitis. This study aimed to investigate the clinical effi cacy of continuous haemodiafi ltration using a polymethylmethacrylate membrane haemofi lter (PMMA-CHDF) in the treatment of patients with sepsis and ARDS. 3. Saeed M, et al.: Crit Care Med 2011, 39:952-960. 4. MIMIC II databases [http://physionet.org/mimic2] P376 In addition, age (HR 1.04, P <0.001), gender (M) (HR 0.93, P <0.05), nonrenal SOFA score (HR 1.05, P <0.001) and all co-morbidities were signifi cant predictors. Adjusted and unadjusted Kaplan–Meier curves for patients with AKI 3 are remarkably diff erent from each other, suggesting that in these most severely ill patients AKI is only one aspect of their illness.i f g p g Conclusion The removal of middle molecular weight molecules is higher with SHF-HD. Albumin loss was limited in both groups, even with SHF-HD. Therefore, SHF membranes seem to represent an alternative to high cut-off membranes for blood purifi cation therapies. P378fi P379 However, we have shown that greater than 2 hours duration of PMX treatment signifi cantly improved hemodynamics and signifi cantly decreased administration of norepinephrine than 2 hours duration of PMX treatment. Our hypothesis was that PMX treatment had the ability of endotoxin removal during 24 hours. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the endotoxin adsorption ability of 24 hours duration of PMX treatment. Introduction Endotoxin plays an important role in the pathogenesis of septic shock. Endotoxin adsorption therapy by Polymyxin B-immobilized fi ber column (PMX) hemoperfusion has been used for the treatment of septic shock patients in Japan. According to the company’s recommendation, the standard duration of PMX treatment for patients with septic shock is 2 hours. However, we have shown that greater than 2 hours duration of PMX treatment signifi cantly improved hemodynamics and signifi cantly decreased administration of norepinephrine than 2 hours duration of PMX treatment. Our hypothesis was that PMX treatment had the ability of endotoxin removal during 24 hours. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the endotoxin adsorption ability of 24 hours duration of PMX treatment. Figure 2 (abstract P379). Immunoelectron microscopy using anti- HMGB1 polyclonal antibodies. contributes to HMGB1, with a heparin-binding protein, adsorption on AN69ST. Methods The test solution contained 100 g HMGB1 and 35 g albumin in 1,000 ml substitution fl uid. We executed three diff erent experimental hemofi ltrations with solution fl ow of 100 ml/minute and: ultrafi ltrate fl ow 1,000 ml/hour using AN69ST primed with a heparinized saline, F(+) and H(+); ultrafi ltrate fl ow 1,000 ml/hour using AN69ST with no heparinized saline, F(–) and H(+); and ultrafi ltrate fl ow of 0 ml/hour using AN69ST with no heparinized saline, F(–) and H(–). In addition, AN69ST membrane was immunostained using an antibody that confi rmed dying on human kidney tissue. Methods In this study, we measured plasma endotoxin concentrations of blood drawn from the radial artery and the outlet circuit of the PMX column after 24 hours duration of PMX treatment in septic shock patients. The assay for endotoxin was performed with separated plasma from heparinized whole blood samples centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 40 seconds. The high-sensitivity assay was performed by kinetic turbidimetric Limulus assay using a MT-358 Toxinometer (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd, Japan). This Limulus assay test is specifi c to endotoxin and has no cross-reaction to β-glucan. High mobility group box 1 levels in septic disseminated intravascular coagulation patients undergoing Polymixin-B immobilized fi ber-direct hemoperfusion High mobility group box 1 levels in septic disseminated intravascular coagulation patients undergoing Polymixin-B immobilized fi ber-direct hemoperfusion Y Ishibe, Y Suzuki, H Sato, G Takahashi, M Kojika, N Matsumoto, Y Inoue, S Endo Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P380 (doi: 10.1186/cc10987) i p Y Ishibe, Y Suzuki, H Sato, G Takahashi, M Kojika, N Matsumoto, Y Inoue, S Endo Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P380 (doi: 10.1186/cc10987) Conclusion These fi ndings suggest that 24 hours duration of PMX treatment is eff ective to remove endotoxin. Further studies are needed to confi rm this ability. y, , p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P380 (doi: 10.1186/cc10987) P379 3 9 Possible adsorption mechanism of high mobility group box 1 protein on a polyacrylonitrile (AN69ST) membrane fi lter O Nishida1, M Yumoto1, K Moriyama1, Y Shimomura1, T Miyasho2, S Yamada3 1Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan; 2Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Japan; 3Shino-Test Corporation, Sagamihara, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P379 (doi: 10.1186/cc10986) Introduction At ISICEM 2011, we reported that AN69ST showed the highest capacity to adsorb high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) when compared with polymethylmethacrylate, polysulfone and high cut-off membrane [1]. Here we focus on whether fi ltration or surface heparin on AN69ST by a priming circuit with a heparinized saline Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 S136 Figure 1 (abstract P379). Time course of HMGB1 levels in the test solution. Figure 2 (abstract P379). Immunoelectron microscopy using anti- HMGB1 polyclonal antibodies. Figure 1 (abstract P379). Time course of HMGB1 levels in the test solution. coagulation (DIC) undergoing Polymixin-B immobilized fi ber-direct hemoperfusion (PMX-DHP). Methods The subjects were 16 patients with serum endotoxin levels of 1.1 pg/ml or over. The average APACHE II score was 32.2, the average SOFA score 12.4, and the average DIC score 5.5. Results Following PMX-DHP, the serum endotoxin level decreased to below the limit of detection in all patients. The serum HMGB1 level decreased signifi cantly to 31.2, 16.6 and 7.9 ng/ml on days 0, 1, and 2, respectively. The average of the DIC score improved from 5.6 to 3.9 to 2.9. Overall, the 30-day, 60-day, 90-day and 180-day mortality rates were 0, 6.3%, 12.5% and 12.5%, respectively. y Conclusion Following initiation of PMX-DHP, the serum HMGB1 level decreased and the DIC score also decreased accordingly. Figure 1 (abstract P379). Time course of HMGB1 levels in the test solution. Figure 2 (abstract P379). Immunoelectron microscopy using anti- HMGB1 polyclonal antibodies. P381 Polymyxin B-immobilized fi ber column hemoperfusion has the ability of endotoxin removal during 24 hours C Mitaka, Y Ueda, Y Miyawaki, M Yamauchi, T Toyofuku, G Haraguchi, T Kudo Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P381 (doi: 10.1186/cc10988) Introduction Endotoxin plays an important role in the pathogenesis of septic shock. Endotoxin adsorption therapy by Polymyxin B-immobilized fi ber column (PMX) hemoperfusion has been used for the treatment of septic shock patients in Japan. According to the company’s recommendation, the standard duration of PMX treatment for patients with septic shock is 2 hours. P379 The endotoxin removal rate was defi ned by the equation: ((radial artery endotoxin concentration – outlet circuit of PMX column endotoxin concentration) / radial artery endotoxin concentration)×100%. The endotoxin removal rate represents endotoxin adsorption ability. Five patients with septic shock were studied. i Results The concentration decreases of HMGB1 at 0, 60 and 360 minutes indicated no signifi cant diff erences among the three diff erent hemofi ltration experiments (Figure 1). At 60 minutes, reduction rates of HMGB1 were: F(+) and H(+), 97.3%; F(+) and H(–), 94.8%; and F(–) and H(–), 96.4% respectively. HMGB1 was not detected in bulk layers by immunostaining (Figure 2). g g Conclusion Surface heparin or fi ltration might not contribute to HMGB1 adsorption on the AN69ST membrane. Remarkable adsorption on AN69ST is likely to be infl uenced by material characteristics, hydrogel structure with moisture content, or negative electric charge and may occur not in bulk layers but on large surfaces of membranes. Reference Results The APACHE II scores of these patients were 26.2  ±  5.9 (mean ± SD, range 18 to 34) at admission to the ICU. Three patients survived and two patients died. Before the start of PMX treatment, heart rates were 119 ± 19 bpm, mean arterial pressures were 60 ± 19 mmHg, and plasma endotoxin concentrations of radial arterial blood were 91.4 ± 7.4 pg/ml (mean ± SD). After 24 hours duration of PMX treatment, plasma endotoxin concentrations decreased from 55.0 ± 58.9 pg/ml (radial arterial blood) to 19.4 ± 29.5 pg/ml (outlet circuit of PMX column). The endotoxin removal rate was 62.8 ± 22.1%, suggesting that endotoxin adsorption ability is still retained during 24 hours PMX treatment.i 1. Yumoto M, et al.: Ther Apher Dial 2011, 15:385-393. 1. Yumoto M, et al.: Ther Apher Dial 2011, 15:385-393. coagulation (DIC) undergoing Polymixin-B immobilized fi ber-direct hemoperfusion (PMX-DHP). coagulation (DIC) undergoing Polymixin-B immobilized fi ber-direct hemoperfusion (PMX-DHP). Methods The subjects were 16 patients with serum endotoxin levels of 1.1 pg/ml or over. The average APACHE II score was 32.2, the average SOFA score 12.4, and the average DIC score 5.5. Results Following PMX-DHP, the serum endotoxin level decreased to below the limit of detection in all patients. The serum HMGB1 level decreased signifi cantly to 31.2, 16.6 and 7.9 ng/ml on days 0, 1, and 2, respectively. The average of the DIC score improved from 5.6 to 3.9 to 2.9. Overall, the 30-day, 60-day, 90-day and 180-day mortality rates were 0, 6.3%, 12.5% and 12.5%, respectively. C l i F ll i i iti ti f PMX DHP th HMGB1 l l 1. Yumoto M, et al.: Ther Apher Dial 2011, 15:385-393. coagulation (DIC) undergoing Polymixin-B immobilized fi ber-direct hemoperfusion (PMX-DHP). Methods The subjects were 16 patients with serum endotoxin levels of 1.1 pg/ml or over. The average APACHE II score was 32.2, the average SOFA score 12.4, and the average DIC score 5.5. Results Following PMX-DHP, the serum endotoxin level decreased to below the limit of detection in all patients. The serum HMGB1 level decreased signifi cantly to 31.2, 16.6 and 7.9 ng/ml on days 0, 1, and 2, respectively. The average of the DIC score improved from 5.6 to 3.9 to 2.9. Overall, the 30-day, 60-day, 90-day and 180-day mortality rates were 0, 6.3%, 12.5% and 12.5%, respectively. Conclusion Following initiation of PMX DHP the serum HMGB1 level Methods The subjects were 16 patients with serum endotoxin levels of 1.1 pg/ml or over. The average APACHE II score was 32.2, the average SOFA score 12.4, and the average DIC score 5.5. P383 Methods Ten critically ill patients were studied who were on SHEDD- fA, at QB  =  150 ml/minute, QF  =  1,500 ml/hour (post dilution) and QD  =  300 to 500 ml/minute as a nonrenal indication. In order to maximize cytokine adsorption effi ciency, we used a large-size (2.1 m2) PMMA dialyzer. Blood samples were taken to measure the CL of plasma cytokines (HMGB-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, G-CSF, MCP-1 and MIP-1) at 1 hour and 3 hours after initiation (in one cytokine by 62 to 107 samples). Results The median values of CL with interquartile ranges of each cytokine (molecular weight: kDa) were: HMGB1 (30 kDa), 53.1 ml/ minute (2.1 to 12.5); IL-6 (21 kDa), 39.9 ml/minute (12.4 to 70.6); IL-8 (8 kDa), 64.1 ml/minute (–0.5 to 82.0); IL-10 ml/minute (35 to 40 kDa), 45.6 ml/minute (0.5 to 88.3); G-CSF (19 kDa), 33.2 ml/minute (9.3 to 60.8); MCP-1 (8.7 kDa), 68.5 ml/minute (–14.4 to 125.4); and MIP-1 (7.8 kDa), 66.5 ml/minute (18.6 to 100.0). In particular, CL of HMGB1 was positively correlated with pre-SHEDD-fA blood levels, indicating the mechanism of HMGB1 removal was through adsorption. As a result of enhancing the intensity of the dosage, CL (53 ml/minute) of HMGB1 was higher than that (25 ml/minute) of an in vitro experiment that we reported at the 31st ISICEM 2011. See Figure 1. Results One hundred and sixty-six patients (98 men, 68 women; age range 24 to 92 years (mean 64.7 ± 13.3)) were studied. The mortality rate was 34.9% at 28 days after PMX-DHP. There were 129 (77.7%) emergency surgical patients and 37 (22.3%) medical patients. The APACHE II score on the day of PMX-DHP was not signifi cantly diff erent between surgical and medical patients (20.3 ± 7.0 vs. 19.2 ± 8.1, P = 0.417). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) signifi cantly improved in emergency surgical patients before and after PMX-DHP therapy (73.7 ± 24.8 vs. 79.7 ± 26.0 mmHg, P = 0.017), while MAP was not statistically diff erent in medical patients (69.7 ± 24.2 vs. 76.7 ± 27.1 mmHg, P = 0.178). The inotropic score had no statistical diff erence between before and after PMX-DHP in both surgical and medical patients (13.2  ±  19.8 vs. 12.6  ±  19.2, P  =  0.61; 16.8 ± 27.3 vs. 13.8 ± 23.6, P = 0.65, respectively). P383 P382 P382 Polymyxin B-direct hemoperfusion therapy could contribute to hemodynamics and outcomes in emergency surgical patients M Yokota, T Goto, T Harada, M Takeda, R Moroi, M Namiki, A Yaguchi Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P382 (doi: 10.1186/cc10989) P383 Clinical impact of enhanced cytokine clearance with sustained high- effi ciency daily diafi ltration using a mediator-adsorbing membrane (SHEDD-fA) in patients with severe sepsis O Nishida1, T Nakamura1, N Kuriyama1, K Moriyama1, T Miyasho2, S Yamada3 1Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan; 2Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Japan; 3Shino-Test Corporation, Sagamihara, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P383 (doi: 10.1186/cc10990) Clinical impact of enhanced cytokine clearance with sustained high- effi ciency daily diafi ltration using a mediator-adsorbing membrane (SHEDD-fA) in patients with severe sepsis O Nishida1, T Nakamura1, N Kuriyama1, K Moriyama1, T Miyasho2, S Yamada3 1Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan; 2Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Japan; 3Shino-Test Corporation, Sagamihara, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P383 (doi: 10.1186/cc10990) 1Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan; 2Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Japan; 3Shino-Test Corporation, Sagamihara, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P383 (doi: 10.1186/cc10990) Introduction Polymyxin B-direct hemoperfusion (PMX-DHP) (Toraymyxin®; Toray Medical Co., Tokyo, Japan) has been approved to treat patients with endotoxemia and/or severe sepsis due to Gram- negative infection since 1994 in Japan. However, its effi cacy and indication are still controversial. Recently, randomized controlled studies were performed in other countries. Our hypothesis is that PMX-DHP may be useful for emergency-operated patients to eliminate endotoxins from the systemic circulation after removal of the source of infection. Introduction SHEDD-fA is an eff ective modality that makes the best use of three principles in the treatment of severe sepsis: diff usion, convection and adsorption. We reported the effi cacy of SHEDD-fA for the treatment of severe sepsis at the 31st ISICEM 2011 [1]. Here we present the blood clearance (CL) of seven important cytokines with SHEDD-fA. Methods From July 1994 to May 2011, all adult patients treated with PMX-DHP in our ICU were included in this retrospective observational study. Patients’ clinical and microbiological data were collected from medical archives. The emergency postoperation patients and the medical patients were compared for severity, mortality, and hemodynamic status. Values are expressed as mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by Mann–Whitney U test, chi-square test and Fisher’s exact probability test. P <0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant. 1. Nishida O, et al.: Contrib Nephrol 2011, 173:172-181. i References Introduction The serum levels of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were examined in patients with septic disseminated intravascular Introduction The serum levels of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were examined in patients with septic disseminated intravascular . Mitaka C, et al.: Shock 2009, 32:478-483. Kambayashi J, et al.: J Biochem Biophys Methods 1991, 22:93-100. Kambayashi J, et al.: J Biochem Biophys Methods 1991, 22:93-100. 2. Kambayashi J, et al.: J Biochem Biophys Methods 199 S137 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P383 This study was performed over 10 years (from January 2000 to July 2010) and included 231 consecutive patients hospitalized for major trauma, requiring intubation at the roadside and in whom prehospital petCO2 has been recorded. Patients younger than 16 years and those with severe hypothermia were excluded from the study. There were 156 males and 75 females, age range 16 to 84, mean 43.6 ± 17.8 years. In hospital we calculated the APACHE II scoring system for each patient. For every scoring system, the sensitivity, specifi city, correct outcome prediction and area under the ROC curve were determined.f Introduction In El Salvador there are a limited number of ICU beds. The ICU bed per inhabitant ratio is only 0.7 per 100,000 in a country with a population of 6,071,774 [1]. The aim of this study was to show the impact that the ICU bed defi cit has on the mortality of the patients admitted to the internal medicine fl oor. l Methods We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study. A nonprobabilistic sample was estimated using EPIDAT 4.0 (mortality rate 16%, 95% CI, P <0.05). We enrolled 513 patients admitted to the Internal Medicine ward, from June to November 2011. All patients were evaluated using the ICU admission priority criteria of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). We divide the patients into high priority (SCCM priority levels 1 and 2) and low priority (SCCM priority levels 3 and 4) for ICU admission. The probability of death using APACHE II score and mortality rate was calculated for each group, in order to obtain the Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR). A t test and a Mantel–Haenszel test were used for statistical analysis between groups. Results For prediction of mortality, the best cut-off points were 19 for MEES and 22 for MEESc. The area under the ROC curve was 0.63 for MEES, 0.81 for MEESc (P = 0.02 vs. MEES) and 0.84 for APACHE II (P <0.01 vs. MEES).if y Results A total of 513 patients were included in the study; 101 patients in the high priority group and 412 patients in the low priority group. There was a signifi cantly higher mortality (P = 0.048) in the high priority level group especially with an APACHE score less than 9.0 (Figure 1). Conclusion There were signifi cant diff erences between MEES and MEESc. P383 The mortality rates at 28 days, 90 days, 0.5 year and 1 year after PMX-DHP were signifi cantly diff erent between surgical and medical patients (28.7 vs. 56.8, 43.8 vs. 83.3, 52.2 vs. 85.7, 54.5 vs. 91.2%, P <0.0001, respectively). Conclusion Taking into account the fact that the creatinine CL of native kidney function is 100 ml/minute, our fi ndings suggest that SHEDD-fA is a feasible adjusted modality for the treatment of patients with severe sepsis, with or without acute kidney injury. Considering our other laboratory fi ndings, deep fi ltration may enhance blood clearance. Reference Conclusion MAP increased in surgical patients but did not change in medical patients after PMX-DHP, and the inotropic score was not signifi cantly diff erent in both sets of patients. The mortality was signifi cantly lower in surgical patients than in medical patients. Figure 1 (abstract P383). Correlation between clearance and blood level of cytokines. Figure 1 (abstract P383). Correlation between clearance and blood level of cytokines. S138 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P384 systems in trauma patients. We present an improved Mainz Emergency Evaluation Scoring (MEES) in combination with capnometry (MEESc). MEESc is a new scoring system. We compared the prognostic role of outcome of these two prehospital descriptive scoring systems with the prognostic scoring system APACHE II. systems in trauma patients. We present an improved Mainz Emergency Evaluation Scoring (MEES) in combination with capnometry (MEESc). MEESc is a new scoring system. We compared the prognostic role of outcome of these two prehospital descriptive scoring systems with the prognostic scoring system APACHE II. P384 Mortality and priority level for ICU admission in the setting of limited critical care beds in El Salvador V Segura, NR Reyes, ME Tejada, EM Zolano Hospital San Rafael, Santa Tecla, El Salvador Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P384 (doi: 10.1186/cc10991) p g g y Methods In a prehospital setting, the values of MEES and capnometry (initial and fi nal) were collected from each patient. We added fi nal values of petCO2 to the MEES scoring system and ranked from 0 to 2 so that the fi nal maximum sum of the scoring system would be 30 without any change in the minimal score being 10. P385 Introduction The aim of this study was to investigate and compare Ranson criteria (RC) and RC + serum CRP levels as a feasible, practical and precise method in acute pancreatitis (AP) cases admitted to the ICU in respect of length of stay (LOS) predicting severity of disease. Predicting outcome in the ICU: comparison of Ranson criteria and Ranson + CRP levels in acute pancreatitis V Inal L Yamanel B Comert Predicting outcome in the ICU: comparison of Ranson criteria and Ranson + CRP levels in acute pancreatitis V Inal, L Yamanel, B Comert GATA, Ankara, Turkey Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P386 (doi: 10.1186/cc10993) Reference 1. Boletin de indicadores del Sistema Nacional de_Salud 2009 [http://www. salud.gob.sv/archivos/pdf/Boletin_de_indicadores_del_Sistema_Nacional_ de_Salud_2009.pdf] P383 MEESc improved the results of MEES in predicting outcome for severe trauma patients. The prehospital use of the improved MEESc could be an effi cient communication protocol between the prehospital and hospital settings (MEESc is comparable with APACHE II). y Conclusion The study shows that there is an increased mortality rate in patients with high priority level for admission to the ICU with an APACHE II score less than 9 points. This represents 90 patients/year whose survival and prognosis could be improved by increasing the number of ICU beds available. Mainz Emergency Evaluation Scoring in combination with capnometry predicts outcome in trauma patients The most frequent comorbidity was hypertension (41.8%), followed by dyslipemia (24.6%), cardiac disease (17.2%), DM and pulmonary pathology (13.1%). Solid or hematologic malignancy (10.6%), chronic renal failure (9%) and hepatic pathology (5.7%) were other comorbidities. Biliary etiology was the most frequent (48.5%), followed by alcoholic AP (20.5%) and unknown etiology (17.2%); 3.3% were post- biliary manipulation (surgery or ERCP) AP. The mean APACHE II score at admission was 16.42 ± 7.64. In total, 56.6% patients needed mechanical ventilation, 50.8% vasopressors and 40.2% renal support during their ICU stay. The ICU length of stay (LOS) was 16.55 ± 21.6, hospital LOS 45.39  ±  45.42 days. A total of 28.7% patients died in the ICU, and 38.5% during their hospital stay. We did not fi nd any relation between comorbidities or AP etiology and outcome. Mortality predictors in AP patients were: PaFi relation (–0.007, P = 0.006), mean and systolic arterial pressure (–0.39, P = 0.019 and –0.038, P = 0.001 respectively), pH (–5.641, P  =  0.001), HCO3 (–0.081, P  =  0.050), creatinine (0.347, P <0.001), urea (0.008, P = 0.002), 24-hour diuresis (–0.001, P = 0.002) and Glasgow Coma Scale (–0.312, P = 0.050). results. In addition, necrotizing cases were assumed to increase CRP levels more than predicted and were also excluded. After the exclusion of cases, 89 patients’ data were collected and compared for LOS in the ICU between 2005 and 2009. Results Statistical analysis of patients’ data for signifi cance and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis to predict LOS, therefore pointing to disease severity, was executed. All of the statistical comparisons were found signifi cant for predicting LOS; RC (P <0.05), RC + CRP together (P <0.01) and CRP alone (P <0.04). Severity of the disease and therefore LOS were increased for RC score >3 and CRP levels >50 mg/l. ROC analysis resulted in RC (AUC 0.895), RC + CRP (AUC 0.901) and CRP (AUC 0.823) for LOS. Conclusion AP cases usually require ICU care and treatment. There are some consented scoring systems such as RC, APACHE II and Glasgow in predicting disease severity and guiding the physician’s approach. Although the most sensitive and specifi c method seemed to be APACHE II scoring, it is time consuming and complex. On the other hand, RC and Glasgow scorings need to be evaluated in 48 hours. System biology prediction model based on clinical data: highly accurate outcome prediction in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure System biology prediction model based on clinical data: highly accurate outcome prediction in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure MJ McPhail, DL Shawcross, RD Abeles, T Chang, GL Lee, MA Abdulla, C Willars, E Sizer, G Auzinger, W Bernal, JA Wendon King’s College Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P389 (doi: 10.1186/cc10996) Introduction The aim of the study was to establish if the number of organs failing at admission to the ICU and the response to support had a bearing on outcome in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Methods Only SAP patients requiring organ support were included in the analysis. Gallstones (55%) and alcohol were the commonest aetiologies. The proportion of patients with one, two or three system failures at baseline, 24, 48, and 72 hours were calculated and related to outcome. Introduction Present outcome prediction tools for patients with acute- on-chronic liver failure during critical illness are only of moderate accuracy. Regression methods on latent variables (usually applied to top-down system biology applications with spectroscopic data) may off er signifi cant advantages over logistic regression techniques as multiple cross-correlations are acceptable in this form of modelling. Results A total of 123 patients (85 male and 38 female) with a mean age of 58 years met the study criteria. The numbers of patients presenting with one, two and three organ failures were 29, 70 and 24 respectively, of which the mortality was six (21%), 29 (41%) and 14 (48%). Subsequent fi gures were 24, 57 and 39 with mortalities of four (17%), 19 (33%), and 24 (62%) at 24 hours; 21, 53 and 43 with mortalities of two (10%), 18 (34%), and 26 (60%) at 48 hours; and 17, 49 and 45 with mortalities of zero (0%), 16 (33%), and 28 (62%) at 72 hours. Methods Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010 all patients admitted to the Liver Intensive Therapy Unit (LITU) at King’s College Hospital had daily prospective collection of demographic, biochemistry and bedside physiology. Logistic regression modelling (LRM) and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA), Model for End- stage Liver Disease (MELD) and APACHE II scores were compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Conclusion These data allow prognostication of patients with SAP requiring organ support. At 72 hours, the prognosis of patients with single organ failure is excellent and that of patients with three-organ failure remains poor. Mainz Emergency Evaluation Scoring in combination with capnometry predicts outcome in trauma patients Mainz Emergency Evaluation Scoring in combination with capnometry predicts outcome in trauma patients EH Hajdinjak1, ŠG Grmec2, MK Križmarić3, ET Torkar2, DB Buić-Rerečić2, MZ Zelinka2, MŠ Škufca2 1Center for Emergency Medicine, University of Ljubljana, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia; 2Community Health Centre Ljubljana, University of Ljubljana, University of Maribor, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Slovenia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P385 (doi: 10.1186/cc10992) p y p p EH Hajdinjak1, ŠG Grmec2, MK Križmarić3, ET Torkar2, DB Buić-Rerečić2, MZ Zelinka2, MŠ Škufca2 g y g y Methods This study was based on determination of RC scores in AP cases in a retrospective manner. On the other hand, this study included only the patients’ zero-time RC scores, not the 48-hour scores, for the sake of more practical precision. Serum CRP levels were found to have prognostic importance in AP, signifi cantly more than 150 mg/l in necrotizing AP, at 50 mg/l in this study. Therefore, patients’ were evaluated for RC and RC + CRP scores for comparison. However, RC had been etiologically modifi ed for presence of gall bladder stones (GBS); only the cases without GBS were included in order to prevent bias of 1Center for Emergency Medicine, University of Ljubljana, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia; 2Community Health Centre Ljubljana, University of Ljubljana, University of Maribor, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Slovenia y , Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P385 (doi: 10.1186/cc10992) y , Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P385 (doi: 10.1186/cc10992) Introduction This prospective study assessed the effi cacy of the predicting power for mortality of two diff erent prehospital scoring Figure 1 (abstract P384). SMR according to APACHE II and SCCM criteria. Figure 1 (abstract P384). SMR according to APACHE II and SCCM criteria. S139 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 and readmissions were excluded. Demographic characteristics, co- morbidities and parameters included in severity scores (APACHE II, SAPS II, SOFA) were studied. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to assess the eff ect of each variable on patient survival. Results A total of 122 patients diagnosed with AP were admitted to our ICU between January 2000 and December 2009 (68.9% men, mean age: 60.5 ± 14 years); 43.4% were smokers and 41.8% alcohol consumers. System biology prediction model based on clinical data: highly accurate outcome prediction in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure y Results A total of 986 patients (median age 52 (range 16 to 90) years; 603 (62%) male) with cirrhosis and emergency LITU admission were identifi ed. The median APACHE II score was 21 (5 to 50) and the median MELD score 23 (3 to 50). Overall LITU survival was 63% and survival to hospital discharge 51%. Predictive accuracy at day 3 was improved in all models over admission values. The AUROC for LITU survival for MELD and APACHE scores on day 3 was 0.78 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.82, sensitivity 72%, specifi city 75%) and 0.83 (0.78 to 0.83, sensitivity 83%, specifi city 63%) respectively. A LRM utilising nine variables had an AUROC of 0.85 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.87, sensitivity 72%, specifi city 83%). Two-component PLSDA identifi ed 30 variables with independent prognostic signifi cance. Performance in outcome prediction was improved over logistic regression at day 3 – sensitivity 86%, specifi city 81%, AUROC 0.91 (0.89 to 0.93, P <0.001 for all comparisons) in a model incorporating 30 variables. Cross-validation and permutation analysis confi rmed the internal validity of this method. Mainz Emergency Evaluation Scoring in combination with capnometry predicts outcome in trauma patients In the end, in the hardworking hours on the ICU, we need a more practical method of provision. In this study, we have found no priority of RC, RC + CRP and CRP alone in predicting AP outcome, excluding GBS disease and necrotizing cases. We conclude that, practically, ICU physicians could substantially depend on CRP levels alone in the evaluation and approach in these specifi c cases of AP. Conclusion Comorbidities and AP etiology are not predictors of ICU mortality. Of the variables included in severity scores, only those related to organ dysfunction (hemodynamic – SAP, MAP, pH, HCO3 –; respiratory –PaFi relation; and renal – Cr, urea and 24-hour diuresis) are ICU mortality predictors in AP patients. Number of failed organs and response to therapy determine outcome in patients with acute pancreatitis requiring level 1 organ supportf Number of failed organs and response to therapy determine outcome in patients with acute pancreatitis requiring level 1 organ support G Morris-Stiff , A Baker, A Breen, A Smith Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Leeds, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P387 (doi: 10.1186/cc10994) P389 Liver failure secondary to alcoholic liver disease carries a worse prognosis than other aetiologies of liver failure: retrospective analysis of routine biochemical markers in critically ill patients with liver failure Liver failure secondary to alcoholic liver disease carries a worse prognosis than other aetiologies of liver failure: retrospective analysis of routine biochemical markers in critically ill patients with liver failure Results A total of 1,150 patients were admitted, 129 cases (11.2%) were identifi ed as having excess alcohol consumption. Of these cases 34% were women, whilst 48% of the controls were female. The median age of the cases was 54 years versus 68 years for the controls (P <0.001). The cases had a lower APACHE II score, 14.3 vs. 15.8 (P = 0.002). Twenty- four (18.6%) of the cases with excess alcohol consumption died on the ICU compared to 141 controls (13.8%) (P >0.1). The hospital mortality was similar between the two groups, 28 (21.7%) against 215 (21.1%) controls (P >0.5). The cases spent longer on the ICU, median 3.95 days versus 2.9 in the controls (P <0.001). On admission the cases required a median of 2.0 organ supportive therapies compared to 1.8 in the control group (P  <0.001). The cases were ventilated for a mean of 4.1 days compared to 2.4 days in the controls (P <0.001). There was no diff erence in the rate of sepsis between either group, 10% in the cases and 9.8% in the controls. Twenty-six patients were admitted with known alcoholic cirrhosis (0.23%), 10 with oesophageal varices and three with acute pancreatitis related to alcohol. liver failure E McCarron, I Welters Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P391 (doi: 10.1186/cc10998) E McCarron, I Welters Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P391 (doi: 10.1186/cc10998) Introduction Patients with liver failure in the critical care unit frequently provide physicians with problems about management and prognosis. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in particular is showing an increase in admission and mortality in the UK [1]. Current biochemical tests make it diffi cult to diff erentiate between types and severity of liver damage and fail to give a true idea about prognosis and outcome, often only showing low-grade derangements before hyperacute decompensation of liver function. The aim of this study was to look at various liver function tests (LFTs) routinely recorded in patients admitted to critical care with liver failure, to see whether they diff ered between ALD and nonalcoholic aetiologies (NALD); that is, drug overdose and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and so forth. References 1. Thomson SJ, et al.: Alcohol Alcohol 2008, 43:416-422. 1. Thomson SJ, et al.: Alcohol Alcohol 2008, 43:416-422. 2. Antoine DJ, et al.: Keratin-18 and HMGB1 as predictive biomarkers for mode of cell death and clinical prognosis during acetaminophen hepatotoxicity in man. J Hepatol 2012. [Epub ahead of print] Methods One-hundred and ninety-seven critically ill patients were studied at the Medical University Vienna: 72 patients with HH, 22 with ALF, 58 with AoCLF and 45 critically patients without evidence for liver disease. Arterial ammonia concentrations were assessed on a daily basis in all patients and compared among the four study groups as well as between 28-day survivors and nonsurvivors. p y p p 3. Zhou RR, et al.: BMC Gastroenterol 2011, 11:21. P388 Mortality predictors in acute pancreatitis admitted to the ICU P Vidal-Cortés1, P Lameiro-Flores1, A Aller-Fernández2, M Mourelo-Fariña2, R Gómez-López1, P Fernández-Ugidos1, M Alves-Pérez1, E Rodríguez-García1 1CHU Ourense, Spain; 2CHU A Coruña, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P388 (doi: 10.1186/cc10995) p p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P388 (doi: 10.1186/cc10995) Introduction Patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis (AP) are usually admitted to our units. Despite using a lot of scores, none has proved an acceptable yield to identify patients with higher mortality risk. Our purpose is to identify mortality predictors of patients admitted to our ICU diagnosed with AP. Methods We performed a retrospective study in which we analyzed patients diagnosed with AP admitted to a 24-bed ICU between January 2000 and December 2009. Postcardiopulmonary bypass pancreatitis i Conclusion This application of latent variable regression modelling techniques to intensive care datasets demonstrates high accuracy of S140 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 deranged LFTs (P <0.001) and clotting studies (P <0.001). ALD patients also had longer ITU stays (P <0.001) and higher mortality rates (45.45% ALD vs. 13.2% NALD). Receiver-operated curve analysis revealed that current biochemical markers (ALT, PT, GGT, albumin) are not sensitive and specifi c enough in detecting ALD. The prothrombin time yielded the best area under the curve with 80.4% in ALD versus 71.7% in NALD. None of the markers was discriminatory for determining the type of liver damage. prediction. Liver-specifi c outcome schema based on logistic regression may not fully describe the complex cross-correlating interactions that PLS techniques are designed to incorporate. Further validation in other centres and disease groups is warranted. prediction. Liver-specifi c outcome schema based on logistic regression may not fully describe the complex cross-correlating interactions that PLS techniques are designed to incorporate. Further validation in other centres and disease groups is warranted. P390 P392 y Results The 28-day mortality rates in HH, ALF, AoCLF and in the control group were 54% (n = 39), 27% (n = 6), 53% (n = 31) and 27% (n = 12), respectively. Peak arterial ammonia levels in patients with HH were signifi cantly higher in 28-day nonsurvivors compared to survivors (P <0.01). Cox regression identifi ed peak arterial ammonia concentrations as an independent predictor for 28-day mortality (P <0.01). Peak arterial ammonia levels in 28-day transplant-free ALF survivors were signifi cantly lower compared to ALF patients who died or underwent liver transplantation (P <0.05). There was no association between outcome and arterial ammonia in AoCLF patients and in the control group. Incidence, morbidity and mortality of admissions related to alcohol consumption on critical care: a single-centre experience A Retter, F Tait, M Stockwell St Helier Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P392 (doi: 10.1186/cc10999) Introduction Excessive alcohol consumption is a major challenge to public health. In 2000 it accounted for 4% of the global disease burden. However, the relationship between alcohol and health is complex and the burden it places on admissions to critical care is uncertain. p g p Conclusion Elevated arterial ammonia levels are frequently observed in critically ill patients with liver injury but not in patients of comparable severity of illness without hepatic impairment. They indicate poor prognosis in HH and ALF, but not AoCLF. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on the infl uence of excess alcohol consumption on the outcome of patients admitted from July 2009 to July 2011. The admitting physician determined the relationship between alcohol use and admission. No patients were excluded. All continuous data are expressed as medians and were compared using the Wilcoxon Mann– Whitney U test. Categorical data were compared using the chi-squared test. P391 Liver failure secondary to alcoholic liver disease carries a worse prognosis than other aetiologies of liver failure: retrospective analysis of routine biochemical markers in critically ill patients with liver failure Liver failure secondary to alcoholic liver disease carries a worse prognosis than other aetiologies of liver failure: retrospective analysis of routine biochemical markers in critically ill patients with liver failure E McCarron, I Welters Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P391 (doi: 10.1186/cc10998) Prognostic relevance of arterial ammonia levels in diff erent acute and acute-on-chronic liver diseases Prognostic relevance of arterial ammonia levels in diff erent acute and acute-on-chronic liver diseases V Fuhrmann, A Drolz, B Jaeger, M Wewalka, R Saxa, T Horvatits, T Perkmann, C Zauner, P Ferenci Medical University Vienna, Austria Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P390 (doi: 10.1186/cc10997) g Conclusion Our results suggest that currently used markers of liver disease are neither sensitive nor specifi c enough in patients with failure secondary to ALD. Research is needed to develop novel biomarkers to better prognosticate outcome. Aetiology of acute-on-chronic liver failure plays a major role in determining outcome, and subgroups of liver patients should be analysed individually. Studies [2,3] have shown that various markers are released depending on the type of damage and diff er in acute liver damage of diff erent origin. Better understanding of their role could prove useful in these patients. References V Fuhrmann, A Drolz, B Jaeger, M Wewalka, R Saxa, T Horvatits, T Perkmann, C Zauner, P Ferenci Medical University Vienna, Austria Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P390 (doi: 10.1186/cc10997) Introduction Increased levels of arterial ammonia in patients with acute liver failure (ALF) are associated with increased mortality. There is a lack of data for prognostic impact of arterial ammonia in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (AoCLF) and hypoxic hepatitis (HH). We evaluated arterial ammonia levels and their prognostic relevance in patients with HH, ALF, AoCLF and without evidence for any liver disease. Liver failure secondary to alcoholic liver disease carries a worse prognosis than other aetiologies of liver failure: retrospective analysis of routine biochemical markers in critically ill patients with liver failure We also aimed to assess their prognostication value and relation to severity of disease scores. Methods A total of 119 patients admitted to the ITU with liver failure (66 ALD and 53 NALD) between 2008 and 20011 were included. Each patient had admitting electrolytes, haematology, LFTs and clotting studies along with APACHE II score, length of stay and ventilation and vital organ support requirement. Conclusion To our knowledge this is the largest single-centre assessment of the burden of excess alcohol consumption on patients admitted to critical care. Eleven per cent of all admissions to the ICU were complicated by excess alcohol consumption. The ITU mortality of these patients was increased when compared to the controls, despite the patients having an equivalent APACHE score on admission and tending to be younger. The cases spent less time in hospital than the controls. This was due to a bimodal distribution of their survival curve. Our study is limited by its retrospective design and the risk of selection bias. g y Methods A total of 119 patients admitted to the ITU with liver failure (66 ALD and 53 NALD) between 2008 and 20011 were included. Each patient had admitting electrolytes, haematology, LFTs and clotting studies along with APACHE II score, length of stay and ventilation and vital organ support requirement. Results ALD patients were found to have lower sodium (mean 135.56; P = 0.004) and be hypocalcaemic (P = 0.015), as well as having more S141 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P393 P393 Changing outcomes in patients with chronic liver disease in intensive care: a decade of experience MJ McPhail, DL Shawcross, RD Abeles, G Huei-Lee, M Abdulla, T Chang, C Willars, E Sizer, G Auzinger, W Bernal, J Wendon King’s College Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P393 (doi: 10.1186/cc11000) haemofi ltration), lactate and APACHE II score on ICU admission and at the time of transplantation were also analysed. The primary outcome measure was patient survival at 3 months. Statistical analysis was by Mann–Whitney test, logistic regression and area under the receiver- operator curve analysis. p y Results Eighty-one patients were transplanted from the ICU with cirrhosis complications. Liver failure secondary to alcoholic liver disease carries a worse prognosis than other aetiologies of liver failure: retrospective analysis of routine biochemical markers in critically ill patients with liver failure Statistical signifi cance was demonstrated for admission lactate (P = 0.032), transplant lactate (P <0.000), transplant APACHE II score (P = 0.001), admission inotropic support (P = 0.019), transplant inotropic support (P <0.000) and transplant renal support (P <0.000) when comparing 3-month survival with death on univariate analysis. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, high lactate (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.51, P  =  0.003) and use of renal replacement therapy (OR 3.52, 95% CI 1.42 to 8.74, P = 0.006) at the time of trans- plantation were independently associated with poor outcome. A combination of these two measures had an AUROC of 0.883 (0.791 to 0.945, P <0.001, sensitivity 86%, specifi city 86%) for prediction of death within 3 months. Introduction Patients with chronic liver disease requiring intensive care are thought to carry a poor prognosis in comparison with noncirrhotic patients with similar severity of illness. During the last decade improvements in multiple areas of management in patients in the ICU have occurred but improvement in outcomes in patients with cirrhosis has not been shown. Methods Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010 all patients admitted to the Liver Intensive Therapy Unit (LITU) at King’s College Hospital had daily prospective collection of demographic, biochemistry and bedside physiology. These data were used to quantify the severity of illness (APACHE II and Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD)) and outcomes in these patients. Conclusion Patients with chronic liver disease transplanted from the ICU have a worse outcome if they require renal support or demonstrate hyperlactataemia on the day of transplantation. f p Results A total of 958 patients (median age 52 (range 16 to 90) years; 603 (62%) male) with cirrhosis and emergency LITU admission were identifi ed. Aetiology of cirrhosis was alcohol in 43%, viral in 10%, autoimmune disease in 10% and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/ metabolic in the remainder. The pattern of aetiology of cirrhosis did not change over time and a viral aetiology was associated with improved outcome (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.81, P  =  0.003); alcohol was not associated with poorer outcome (P  =  0.09). The primary reasons for admission were bleeding (33%), sepsis (27%), hepatic encephalopathy (17%), metabolic (7%) and other (16%). The median APACHE II score was 21 (5 to 50) and the median MELD score 23 (3 to 50). Overall LITU survival was 63% and survival to hospital discharge 51%. P394 Multivariate regression analysis of outcomes following orthotopic liver transplantation in decompensated cirrhotics transplanted from the ICU T Hughes, M McPhail, M Al-Freah, D Abeles, W Bernal, G Auzinger, J Wendon, C Willars Institute of Liver Studies, King’s College Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P394 (doi: 10.1186/cc11001) Results A total of 198 cirrhotics (mean age 53 years, 66% male) were reviewed. The most common etiologies were hepatitis C (31%) and alcohol (15%). LT occurred a median time of 29 (5 to 101) days from listing and 5 (3 to 10) days from ICU admission. In total, 88% of patients required vasopressors, 56% received RRT prior and 87% were ventilated prior to LT. The median MELD score was 34 (26 to 39) on ICU admission and 34 (27 to 40) on the day of LT respectively. SOFA scores were 12 (10 to 15) and 13 (10 to 17) on ICU admission and on the day of LT respectively. Comparing patients who were alive (n = 166, 84%) versus dead (n = 32, 16%) at 90 days, there were no statistically signifi cant diff erences in MELD score on admission or day of LT (P >0.6 for both). There were also no statistically signifi cant diff erences between SOFA score on admission or day of LT (P >0.17 for both). Patients alive at 90 days were signifi cantly younger (52 vs. 56 years, P = 0.007). Patients over 60 had signifi cantly higher 90-day mortality (27% vs. 13%, P = 0.04) and a trend towards increased 1-year mortality (37% vs. 23%, P = 0.09). There were no signifi cant diff erences in donor characteristics (donor age >60, cold ischemia time >8 hours, split graft, donor cerebrovascular event) comparing patients alive at 90 days to nonsurvivors. Introduction Patients listed for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) frequently develop complications resulting in transfer to the ICUs of tertiary centres. The ICU mortality for cirrhotics has been variously reported from 38% to in excess of 90% [1]. The APACHE II score, MELD score and bacteraemia are independent predictors of mortality [2]. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors relating to early mortality after OLT in cirrhotics transplanted from the ICU. Methods A retrospective analysis of 1,284 patients transplanted between the dates of 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2008 in a major UK liver transplant centre was performed. References 1. Austin MJ, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2008, 14:202-207. 2. Karvellas CJ, et al.: Crit Care Med 2010, 38:121-126. 1. Austin MJ, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2008, 14:202-207. 1. Austin MJ, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2008, 14:202-207. 2. Karvellas CJ, et al.: Crit Care Med 2010, 38:121-126. 2. Karvellas CJ, et al.: Crit Care Med 2010, 38:121-126. Liver failure secondary to alcoholic liver disease carries a worse prognosis than other aetiologies of liver failure: retrospective analysis of routine biochemical markers in critically ill patients with liver failure LITU survival increased from 47% to 73% over the study period (2000 to 2010) with hospital outcome improving from 40% to 63%. The median admission APACHE II score fell from 23.4 to 21.9 over the study period (P <0.001) with the MELD score falling from 23.4 to 18.3 (P <0.001). Length of LITU stay did not change signifi cantly over the study period (P  =  0.092). The reduction in illness severity was predominantly due to a smaller percentage of patients with renal failure and those with three or more organs in failure (32% up to 2005 and 24% post 2005, P = 0.004). The reduction in MELD score related to decreased renal dysfunction; creatinine over the study period (1.9 mg/dl to 1.6 mg/dl, P <0.001) with no change in bilirubin, and by contrast a small rise in international normalised ratio (INR 1.8 to 2.2, P = 0.07). P395 Liver transplantation in the critically ill: a Canadian collaboration C Karvellas1, T Lescot2, H Vahidy1, P Goldberg3, P Chaudhury3, P Metrakos3, N Kneteman1, G Meeberg1, M Sharpe4, J Ronco5, E Renner6, E Cook7, S Bagshaw1 1University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; 2Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Paris, France; 3McGill University, Montreal, Canada; 4University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; 5University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; 6University of Toronto, Canada; 7Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P395 (doi: 10.1186/cc11002) Introduction Critically ill cirrhotic patients awaiting liver transplan- ta tion (LT) often receive prioritization for organ allocation. Outcomes in these patients are multifactorial, and identifi cation of patients most likely to benefi t is essential. Despite the need for evidence-based allocation criteria based on patient factors and physiology scores, few data currently exist on outcomes. Scoring systems such as MELD and SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) are in use, but have not been evaluated in predicting outcome with LT. Conclusion Survival of patients with cirrhosis admitted to the specialist LITU is improving over time. The factors relating to this may be resultant upon earlier admission to critical care and a lower incidence of renal dysfunction. Alcohol aetiology is not relevant to outcome. Methods In a fi ve-center Canadian study (Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, London and Vancouver), all cirrhotics admitted to the ICU requiring organ support (mechanical ventilation, vasopressors or renal replacement therapy (RRT)) prior to undergoing LT between January 2000 and December 2009 were examined. MELD and SOFA scores were evaluated at ICU admission and the day of LT along with other donor factors. Acute respiratory distress syndrome: analysis of incidence and mortality in a university hospital critical care unit Introduction The aim was to determine the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients admitted to a university hospital ICU, analyse the ICU and the in-hospital mortality, and evaluate the associated factors. Methods A prospective study in an ICU from October 2008 to January 2011. The ICU comprises 20 beds in a medical–surgical area, 10 in a critical burns area. All patients who underwent mechanical ventilation (MV) during 48 hours or more and who fulfi lled ARDS criteria as defi ned by the 1994 American–European Consensus Conference on ARDS were included. All patients were ventilated following the protective MV strategy recommended. Conclusion In this large multicenter cohort, severe sepsis and septic shock were independently associated with an increased risk of death. Our data underscore the regional variability in the epidemiology and outcome of sepsis syndromes and may be useful for resource allocation. gy Results During this period 1,900 patients were admitted, 697 needed MV for at least 48 hours and 108 fulfi lled the ARDS criteria (5.6% of those admitted, 17% of the group on MV); 63% were male. The patients’ age was 52 ± 12. The APACHE II score on admission was 23 ± 7, in survivors (S) 20  ±  7 and 24  ±  6 in nonsurvivors (NS) (P  =  0.002). ARDS was primary in 70% and secondary in 30%. The most common aetiology was pneumonia (53%) followed by sepsis of intra-abdominal origin (15%). Duration of MV was 32.7 ± 30.2 days in S, 20.79 ± 20.73 in NS (P  =  0.019). Survivors’ mean length of stay was 35  ±  24 days, 23  ±  20 for NS (P  =  0.007). ICU mortality was 49% and in-hospital mortality was 55%. Primary ARDS had an ICU mortality of 47%, an in- hospital mortality of 52%. Secondary ARDS had a 55% ICU mortality, an in-hospital mortality of 64%. Duration of primary ARDS was longer, 15.3  ±  12.2 versus 8.7  ±  79. Globally the main cause of death was multiple organ dysfunction, predominantly respiratory failure (55%). In primary ARDS the main cause of death was chiefl y pulmonary (69%), while in secondary ARDS it was mainly multiple organ dysfunction associated with septic shock (71%). Factors associated with increased mortality were APACHE II score >23 and the presence of multiple organ dysfunction. P398 Outcome of faecal peritonitis in the ICU J S G Si L M I W lt J Sayer, G Simpson, L Mccrossan, I Welters Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P398 (doi: 10.1186/cc11005) Introduction Faecal peritonitis often leads to intensive care admission. Anecdotally, patients with co-existing malignancy had an improved outcome. A retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to intensive care over 7 years was conducted to investigate this observation and identify factors that are associated with outcome from faecal peritonitis in intensive care. Methods A retrospective analysis of all cases of faecal peritonitis admitted to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital ICU over 7 years. Clinical records, laboratory results, histology reports and radiological data were accessed. Statistical analysis was performed using chi- squared and Student’s t tests. Results A total of 133 patients were admitted to intensive care in 7 years. Thirty-six patients had underlying malignancy. Predicted mortality, indicated by APACHE II score, was similar in both groups (malignancy: 17.1, nonmalignancy: 16.2). Inpatient mortality was lower in patients with malignancy than those without (malignancy: 21.6%, nonmalignancy: 38.1%, P <0.1) and shorter ITU stay (malignancy: 6.8 days, nonmalignancy: 12.7 days, P ≤0.0005). Cancer patients required a shorter period of TPN or NG feeding (malignancy: 4.29 days, nonmalignancy: 7.7 days, P <0.05), and a shorter duration of inotropic support (malignancy: 2.54 days, nonmalignancy: 4.44 days, P <0.05). Peak infl ammatory markers are lower in patients with malignancy, notably neutrophil count (malignancy: 21.15, nonmalignancy: 24.9, P <0.05). y Conclusion Certain controversy remains regarding a decrease in ARDS- related mortality. Despite the fact that its incidence is not very high, it is still a clinical entity with a high mortality, and with a prognosis infl uenced not only by the degree of pulmonary involvement but by the association with multiple organ dysfunction. References 1. Roca O, et al.: Estudio de cohortes sobre incidencia de SDRA en pacientes ingresados en UCIy factores pronósticos de mortalidad. Med Intensiva 2006, 30:6-12 . 1. Roca O, et al.: Estudio de cohortes sobre incidencia de SDRA en pacientes ingresados en UCIy factores pronósticos de mortalidad. Med Intensiva 2006, 30:6-12 . 2. Zambon M, Vincent JL: Mortality for patients with ALI/ARDS have decreased over time. Chest 2008, 133:151-161 . 2. Zambon M, Vincent JL: Mortality for patients with ALI/ARDS have decreased over time Chest 2008 133:151-161 3. Frutos-Vivar et al.: Epidemiology of ALI and ARDS. Curr Opin Crit Care 2004, 10:1-6. The mean APACHE II score was signifi cantly lower in cases who survived, compared to those who did not (nondeaths: 15.3, deaths: 19.3, P <0.005). Mean albumin at admission was similar for patients who survived compared to those who did not (deaths: 18.2, nondeaths: 18.6); however, minimum albumin during admission is signifi cantly lower in patients who died than those who survived (deaths: 10.33, nondeaths: 13.24, P <0.005). Duration of feeding support (TPN or NG feeding) and time to commencement of feeding showed no diff erence between patients who survived and those who did not. P397 E id Epidemiology and outcome of sepsis syndromes in Italian ICUs: a regional multicenter observational cohort L Laudari1, Y Sakr2, C Elia1, L Mascia1, B Barberis3, S Cardellino4, S Livigni5, G Fiore6, C Filippini1, VM Ranieri1 1San Giovanni Battista-Molinette Hospital, University of Torino, Turin, Italy; 2Friedrich Schiller University Hospital, Jena, Germany; 3Ospedale degli Infermi, Revoli, Italy; 4Ospedale Cardinal Massaia, Asti, Italy; 5Ospedale Giovanni Bosco, Turin, Italy; 6Ospedale Santa Croce, Moncalieri, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P397 (doi: 10.1186/cc11004) P394 Patient characteristics were recorded at transplant assessment and on the day of transplant: age, MELD score, UKELD score, serum sodium, creatinine, bilirubin, albumin, INR. Organ support (including ventilation, inotropic support and S142 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion Older critically ill cirrhotics (over 60 years) undergoing liver transplantation have signifi cantly worse post-LT outcomes. MELD and SOFA scores do not appear to predict outcome post LT in this cohort. Methods In this prospective, multicenter, observational study, all 3,902 patients (mean age ± SD: 64.3 ± 15.7 years, 63.5% male) admitted to one of 24 medical or surgical ICUs between 3 April and 29 September 2006 were included. Results Four hundred and forty-six of the patients had sepsis, including 160 patients with severe sepsis (4.1%) and 145 patients (3.7%) with septic shock. ICU mortality was 20% (n = 780) and median ICU length of stay was 3 (1 to 9) days. ICU mortality was higher (41.3 vs. 17.2%, P <0.001) and the median ICU LOS longer (15 (7 to 26) vs. 2 (1 to 7), P <0.001) in patients with sepsis than in those without sepsis. The mortality rate increased with the severity of sepsis (sepsis without organ failure, severe sepsis, and septic shock: 19.9, 44.4, and 58.6%, respectively). ICU-acquired sepsis was associated with higher ICU mortality rates than sepsis occurring within 48 hours of ICU admission (49.8 vs. 33.0%, P <0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the occurrence of severe sepsis (OR, 1.70 (1.06 to 2.72); P = 0.026) and septic shock (OR, 2.25 (1.49 to 3.49); P <0.001) were independently associated with an increased risk of ICU death. Epidemiology and outcome of sepsis syndromes in Italian ICUs: a regional multicenter observational cohort P399 HIV patients in the ICU: our experience V Nunes Velloso, L Calejman, E Canedo, M Deheza Hospital Rivadavia, Capital Federal, Argentina Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P399 (doi: 10.1186/cc11006) P399 HIV patients in the ICU: our experience V Nunes Velloso, L Calejman, E Canedo, M Deheza Hospital Rivadavia, Capital Federal, Argentina Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P399 (doi: 10.1186/cc11006) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P399 (doi: 10.1186/cc11006) Introduction The objective was to describe characteristics of HIV- positive patients admitted to the ICU. Methods HIV-positive patients admitted between February 2000 and February 2011, and demographic data, APACHE II score, cause of admission, days of internment, need for mechanical ventilation (MV), previous antiretroviral therapy of high effi cacy before admission (HAART), viral load and CD4 count. Conclusion About three-quarters of survivors of severe sepsis/septic shock with congestive heart failure died after 1 year of hospital discharge. Many of them (70%) died within 3 months of hospital discharge. The majority had poor performance status and only 14% were able to carry on normal activity at 1 year after hospital discharge. These data highlight the need for diff erent strategies to care for sepsis survivors with congestive heart failure. ( ), Results A total of 3,568 patients were admitted; 715 patients (20.03%) were HIV-positive, 413 patients (57.76%) were masculine and 302 patients (42.23%) feminine, and average age was 33 for men and 35 for women. The APACHE II average score was 13 versus 15.28 for the general population. The most frequent cause of admission was respiratory failure in 329 patients (46%), 57% due to Pneumocystis jivoreci and bacterial pneumonias in 35%, the most frequent bacteria isolated were Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus infl uenzae. There were two cases of respiratory Kaposi sarcoma and 26 cases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Other causes were decrease in mental state in 157 patients (22%), with the most frequent causes reported being toxoplasmosis, cryptococcus neoformans and brain lymphoma, immediately post surgery in 79 patients (11%), COPD reagudization and asthma (9%), digestive bleeding in 36 patients (5%) and renal insuffi ciency in 50 patients (7%). From the 715 HIV-positive patients admitted, 479 required MV (67%). Regarding nationality, 276 (38.6%) patients were Argentinean, and the other nationalities were Bolivian, Paraguayan, Peruvian and Korean. The average length of stay was 10.5 days and the mortality was 43%. Predictive value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide among critically ill patients critically ill patients M Cubrilo-Turek, N Maric, I Mikacic, N Tolj Karaula, N Budinski, M Mackovic Clinical Hospital Sveti Duh, Zagreb, Croatia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P401 (doi: 10.1186/cc11008) M Cubrilo-Turek, N Maric, I Mikacic, N Tolj Karaula, N Budinski, M Mackovic Clinical Hospital Sveti Duh, Zagreb, Croatia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P401 (doi: 10.1186/cc11008) Introduction N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) represents a useful cardiac marker in evaluating heart failure. However, its role in the assessment of critically ill patients is not clear. The aim of this study was to evaluate survival of infected and noninfected patients according to the measurements of NT-proBNP. g Methods Serum NT-proBNP measurements were done in 89 (46 males/43 females, 68.20 ± 13.80 years) consecutive critically ill patients within 6 hours after admission to the ICU. NT-proBNP was determined with a sandwich immunoassay on an Elecsys 2010 (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany). Logarithmic transformation of data was required because of the skewed distribution of NT-proBNP. Conclusion HIV-positive patients have a high frequency of admission to the ICU, and they have a lower risk score in comparison with non-HIV patients. The two main causes of admission where respiratory disease and infectious CNS disease. Signifi cant results were the prevalence of patients from limited countries, high mortality and prolonged stay in the ICU, and poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy. p Results The median NT-proBNP (pg/ml) was 2,485.1 pg/ml (range 31.5 to 12,041 pg/ml) (log NT-proBNP mean 3.34 ± 0.71 pg/ml). Mean log NT- proBNP levels were higher at admission to the hospital in nonsurvivors (3.73 ± 0.67 pg/ml) compared with survivors (3.12 ± 0.65 pg/ml), which was statistically signifi cant (P <0.0001). Higher concentrations were found in proven infection (X ± SD) (3.43 ± 0.68) than in bacteriological negative patients (3.30  ±  0.72), but it was statistically insignifi cant (P  <0.42). From 57 survivors seven were mechanically ventilated (12.28%) while 14 (43.75%) from 32 nonsurvivors were ventilated, which was statistically signifi cant (P <0.001). More nonsurvivors were taking vasoactive medications (n = 12 or 37.5%) than survivors (n = 3 or 5.26%), which was statistically signifi cant (P <0.001). NT-proBNP showed no correlation for any analyzed parameters (age, erythrocytes, leucocytes, body temperature, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, C-reactive protein, fi brinogen, lactates or procalcitonin). Epidemiology and outcome of sepsis syndromes in Italian ICUs: a regional multicenter observational cohort The viral load average was inferior to 104 RNA/ml in just 44 known patients and the CD4 count was determined in 75 patients, from which the average was 400/mm3. The proportion of patients receiving HAART was just 26%. P400 Impact of congestive heart failure on severe sepsis and septic shock survivors: outcomes and performance status after 1-year hospital discharge M Alkhalaf1, N Abd-Aziz2, Y Arabi3, B Tangiisuran1 1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Penang, Malaysia; 2University Technology MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia; 3National Guard Hospithal, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P400 (doi: 10.1186/cc11007) Epidemiology and outcome of sepsis syndromes in Italian ICUs: a regional multicenter observational cohort L Laudari1, Y Sakr2, C Elia1, L Mascia1, B Barberis3, S Cardellino4, S Livigni5, G Fiore6, C Filippini1, VM Ranieri1 Conclusion Underlying malignancy is associated with an increased survival, shorter ITU stay, less requirement for inotropic support and decreased infl ammatory markers potentially due to a less aggressive infl ammatory response as a consequence of the presence of malig- nancy. In this series, delay to introduction of nutrition and length of nutritional support are not associated with outcome; however, low albumin is associated with a poor outcome, although it is not clear if this is secondary to nutrition or infl ammation. Introduction We assessed the epidemiology of sepsis syndromes in patients admitted to ICUs of the Piedmont region in northern Italy and investigated the impact of sepsis on ICU mortality in these patients. S143 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 congestive heart failure cases died, 70% of them dead within 3 months. Patients with CHF as compared to patients without CHF had a higher percentage of comorbidity disease (P <0.01) and poor performance status (P <0.05). The majority of these patients (85.7%) who were older (P <0.001), and required a higher dose of dobutamine (P <0.0001), had higher urine output (P <0.001) and prolonged INR (P <0.01) were unable to care for self at 1 year of hospital discharge. Survivors with CHF who died (OR 4.7, CI 1.52 to 14.33) had higher dose of dopamine (P <0.045) and poor performance status pre sepsis (P <0.028). congestive heart failure cases died, 70% of them dead within 3 months. Patients with CHF as compared to patients without CHF had a higher percentage of comorbidity disease (P <0.01) and poor performance status (P <0.05). The majority of these patients (85.7%) who were older (P <0.001), and required a higher dose of dobutamine (P <0.0001), had higher urine output (P <0.001) and prolonged INR (P <0.01) were unable to care for self at 1 year of hospital discharge. Survivors with CHF who died (OR 4.7, CI 1.52 to 14.33) had higher dose of dopamine (P <0.045) and poor performance status pre sepsis (P <0.028). Impact of congestive heart failure on severe sepsis and septic shock survivors: outcomes and performance status after 1-year hospital discharge M Alkhalaf1, N Abd-Aziz2, Y Arabi3, B Tangiisuran1 1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Penang, Malaysia; 2University Technology MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia; 3National Guard Hospithal, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P400 (doi: 10.1186/cc11007) Introduction The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of CHF on severe sepsis and septic shock survivor outcomes after 1 year of hospital discharge. Conclusion Our results showed that cardiac NT-proBNP levels can be elevated in critically ill patients and may also serve as markers of severity and prognosis for survival. Mean baseline levels of log NT-proBNP were diff erent in critically ill patients with proved bacteriological infection than in patients without proven infection. p g Methods A retrospective cohort and cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary-care hospital in Saudi Arabia. All patients (≥18  years) with severe sepsis/septic shock admitted for more than 1 day to the medical–surgical and trauma ICU between April 2007 and March 2010 and alive at hospital discharge were included in the study. Patients who died during admission, could not be contacted and with multiple ICU admission within the same hospitalization were excluded. Data were collected using the electronic ICU database, hospital information system and systematic review of medical records to determine hospital outcomes and performance status pre sepsis. Assessment of the vital status and performance at 1-year hospital discharge were performed via structured telephone interviews using the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale. Predictive value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide among critically ill patients The use of ROC curve analysis reveals for serum NT-proBNP high sensitivity (75%), low specifi city (57.9%) and low accuracy (64%) for discriminating survivors from nonsurvivors. Correlation between APACHE II score and quality of life among patients discharged from the ICU p g L Zubek1, L Szabó1, L Horváth1, A Mesterházi2, J Gál1, G Élő1 1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; 2Markusovszky Hospital, Szombathely, Hungary p g L Zubek1, L Szabó1, L Horváth1, A Mesterházi2, J Gál1, G Élő1 1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; 2Markusovszky Hospital, Szombathely, Hungary y g y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P404 (doi: 10.1186/cc11011) Introduction The goal of intensive therapy is not only saving the patient’s life, but also to restore their quality of life. Based on expected quality of life improvement, a fair allocation of limited available resources can be provided. The assessment scores for the physical state of ICU patients, which correlate with survival, are widely known. However, it would be useful to know if these score systems also correlate with the long-term quality of life. The aim of our study was to investigate the correlation between the APACHE II score and the long- term quality of life after ICU treatment. q y Methods We have collected data retrospectively from patients treated in our department during the fi rst quarter of 2008. The APACHE II score was calculated for all patients, after which we examined the correlation between this value and the survival of the patients. One year after ICU therapy, the Hungarian version of the EQ-5D questionnaire (measurement consist of fi ve dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression and a visual analog scale about health state) developed by EuroQol Group was sent out by post. The correlation between the APACHE score and quality of life was calculated, the Spearmann rank-order correlation was used. g Conclusion Our fi ndings suggest that low preoperative hepcidin concentration indicates mortality but not renal endpoints in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Thereby, hepcidin may contribute to early risk stratifi cation. Findings should be validated in independent patient cohorts with a larger number of events. Results During this period, 190 patients were treated in our department. The average of the APACHE II score was 13.23 (±6.99). In total, 25.3% of patients died during treatment; 22.1% died during the fi rst post- treatment year; 27.9% surely survived and 24.7% of patients were unattainable. In our cohort, every patient below 11 points survived and none above 24. The average APACHE score of patients completing the questionnaire was 9.30 (±3.85). They assessed their health as 66% at VAS, although correlation between this value and the APACHE score could not be shown. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 a mean of 3.6 days, and 41% needed ARS for a mean of 3.8 days. See Table 1. biomarker that early postoperatively predicts protection from acute kidney injury (AKI). biomarker that early postoperatively predicts protection from acute kidney injury (AKI). Conclusion CC and hospital mortality was 17% and 33% respectively. This study concurs with another which demonstrated that age is not a good predictor of outcome post surgery [1]. These patients did not have a signifi cant impact on RRT or ARS resources or CC LOS. Reference Methods We studied 100 adult patients at increased risk of AKI (RIFLE) after cardiac surgery. Plasma and urine were sampled before induction of anesthesia and hepcidin 25-isoforms were quantifi ed by competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay. Our objective was to assess the predictive indices of preoperatively measured urine and plasma hepcidin for the development of postoperative AKI and other patient- related outcomes, including the need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) and in-hospital mortality. 1. Ford P, et al.: Determinants of outcome in critically ill octogenarians after surgery. Br J Anaesth 2007, 99:824-829. P404 Results Preoperatively, patients not developing AKI presented with nonsignifi cantly higher urine and plasma hepcidin concentrations compared to patients that developed AKI which did not translate into a good predictive value for postoperative AKI (AUC-ROC <0.70 for both biomarkers). Also, the preoperative urine and plasma hepcidin concentrations as well as serum creatinine concentration did not distinguish patients requiring postoperative RRT from those who did not require RRT (urine: AUC-ROC 0.62 (95% CI 0.38 to 0.86), plasma: AUC- ROC 0.63 (95% CI 0.34 to 0.91), serum creatinine: AUC-ROC 0.61 (95% CI 0.22 to 0.99)). However, a low preoperative hepcidin concentration in urine (median 5 ng/ml, 25th to 75th percentiles 4 to 15 ng/ml) and in plasma (median 50 ng/ml, 25th to 75th percentiles 30 to 55 ng/ml) was a good predictor for postoperative mortality with an AUC-ROC for urine hepcidin of 0.89 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.99) (cut-off : 130 ng/ml, sensitivity 73% and specifi city 100%) and an AUC-ROC for plasma hepcidin of 0.90 (95% CI 0.80 to 0.99) (cut-off : 55 ng/ml, sensitivity 83% and specifi city 100%). Preoperative serum creatinine did not predict mortality (AUC- ROC 0.50 (95% CI 0.10 to 0.94). Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Patients who survived the hospital stay had a median preoperative hepcidin concentration in urine of 330 ng/ ml (25th to 75th percentiles 140 to 760 ng/ml), and plasma of 115 ng/ ml (25th to 75th percentiles 80 to 200 ng/ml).i 0 Correlation between APACHE II score and quality of life among patients discharged from the ICU L Zubek1, L Szabó1, L Horváth1, A Mesterházi2, J Gál1, G Élő1 1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; 2Markusovszky Hospital, Szombathely, Hungary Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P404 (doi: 10.1186/cc11011) Correlation between APACHE II score and quality of life among patients discharged from the ICU However, we found statistically signifi cant correlation between the APACHE score and the current mobility of the patients (P = 0.021). Based on our data, 34% of the patients had problems with mobility, 36% with usual activity, 62% of patients complained about pain or discomfort, 50% felt anxiety or depression and 18% had problems with self-care. P402 P402 Low preoperative hepcidin concentration is a risk factor for mortality but not for acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery A Haase-Fieiltz1, P Mertens1, M Plaß2, M Westerman3, R Bellomo4, M Haase1 1Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; 2German Heart Center, Berlin, Germany; 3IntrinsicLifeSciences, La Jolla, CA, USA; 4Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P402 (doi: 10.1186/cc11009) Low preoperative hepcidin concentration is a risk factor for mortality but not for acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery A Haase-Fieiltz1, P Mertens1, M Plaß2, M Westerman3, R Bellomo4, M Haase1 1Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; 2German Heart Center, Berlin, Germany; 3IntrinsicLifeSciences, La Jolla, CA, USA; 4Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P402 (doi: 10.1186/cc11009) Introduction Hepcidin – expressed in renal proximal tubular cells – is a key regulator of iron homeostasis and was recently described as a renal Results A total of 195 hospital survivors from 364 patients were included in the fi nal analysis. More than 70% of severe sepsis/septic shock with S144 Predicting hospital mortality: comparing accuracy of SAPS II and clinical staff prognosis Predicting hospital mortality: comparing accuracy of SAPS II and clinical staff prognosis I Patrício1, M Marques1, A Costa-Pereira2, O Ribeiro2, I Aragão1, T Cardoso1 1Hospital Geral de Santo António, University of Porto, Portugal; 2Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P407 (doi: 10.1186/cc11014) f p g I Patrício1, M Marques1, A Costa-Pereira2, O Ribeiro2, I Aragão1, T Cardoso1 1Hospital Geral de Santo António, University of Porto, Portugal; 2Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P407 (doi: 10.1186/cc11014) Results The mortality rate of surgical patients was 12.29%. We detected no statistical diff erence between the two groups according to age (P = 0.27), heart rate (P = 0.13), temperature (P = 0.57), Na (P = 0.44), K (P = 0.18), WBC (P = 0.56), Ht (P = 0.7), PaO2 (P = 0.28), PaCO2 (P = 0.7), albumin (P = 0.21), glucose (P = 0.68) and GCS (P = 0.26). We detected statistically signifi cant higher group B values according to BUN (P  =  0.015), creatinine (P  =  0.005), bilirubin (P  =  0.0032), APACHE II score (P = 0.0018), LOS (P <0.0001) and VD (P <0.0001). We detected statistically signifi cant higher group A values according to mean arterial pressure (P = 0.0052) and PH (P = 0.0027). Introduction The purpose of this study is to compare the accuracy of Simplifi ed Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II with the subjective opinion of clinical staff in predicting hospital mortality, in critically ill adult patients. Introduction The purpose of this study is to compare the accuracy of Simplifi ed Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II with the subjective opinion of clinical staff in predicting hospital mortality, in critically ill adult patients. Methods A prospective study in a mixed ICU, at a university hospital, using SAPS II to assess the risk of death. Patient outcome was also predicted subjectively by the clinical staff (consultants, residents and nurses), including the possibility of return to prior physical activity. The subjective predictions were compared with SAPS II predictions using logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) measurement, as well as sensitivity and specifi city analysis for each group of participants. Conclusion According to our data, surgical patients who died (group B) had higher severity score on admission. Relationship between illness severity scores in the ICU Relationship between illness severity scores in the ICU A Schneider1, M Lipcsey1, M Bailey2, D Pilcher3, R Bellomo1 1Austin Health, Heidelberg, Australia; 2Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; 3ANZICS, Melbourne, Australia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P406 (doi: 10.1186/cc11013) Outcomes and resource use for over 80 year olds admitted to a UK critical care unit after an emergency laparotomy over a 3-year period V Banks, C Scott Northern General Hospital, Sheffi eld, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P403 (doi: 10.1186/cc11010) Outcomes and resource use for over 80 year olds admitted to a UK critical care unit after an emergency laparotomy over a 3-year period V Banks, C Scott Northern General Hospital, Sheffi eld, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P403 (doi: 10.1186/cc11010) V Banks, C Scott V Banks, C Scott pfi Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P403 (doi: 10.1186/cc11010) Introduction There are few data on older people emergency surgical critical care (CC) admissions and the potential implications for future resource demands and service planning. Methods Retrospective data were collected from a cohort of patients >80 years old admitted after emergency surgery between 2009 and 2011. CC and hospital information databases were used. Data included mortality, length of stay (LOS) and duration of renal replacement therapy (RRT) and advanced respiratory support (ARS). Conclusion ICU admission is associated with a high mortality, a poor physical quality of life and low quality-adjusted life-years for 1 year after discharge. We found that the APACHE II score did not show signifi cant correlation with patient’s long-term quality of life, but we detected signifi cant correlation between the APACHE II score and the current mobility of the patients. py p y pp Results A total of 118 patients were admitted; 52% female: mean age 85 years, male mean age: 84 years. In total, 69% were general surgical, 22% vascular, and 9% hepatobiliary. Outcomes and resource use for over 80 year olds admitted to a UK critical care unit after an emergency laparotomy over a 3-year period V Banks, C Scott Northern General Hospital, Sheffi eld, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P403 (doi: 10.1186/cc11010) Eleven per cent required RRT for Table 1 (abstract P403) Patient group CC mortality, n (%) Hospital mortality, n (%) LOS CC (days) LOS hospital (days) All patients, n = 118 20 (17%) 39 (33%) 1 to 34, 4.5 mean 1 to 247, 29 mean Age 80 to 84, n = 70 15 (21%) 29 (41%) 1 to 34, 4.9 mean 1 to 247, 28 mean Age >85, n = 48 5 (10%) 10 (21%) 1 to 32, 4.1 mean 1 to 171, 31 mean ARS, n = 49 15 (30%) 22 (45%) 1 to 34, 7.5 mean 1 to 79, 20 mean No ARS, n = 69 5 (7%) 17 (25%) 1 to 24, 3.8 mean 1 to 247, 35 mean RRT, n = 13 7 (54%) 9 (69%) 1 to 34, 8 mean 1 to 247, 35 mean No RRT, n = 105 13 (12%) 30 (29%) 1 to 32, 4 mean 1 to 247, 30 mean S145 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 coeffi cient (SE) was 1.47 (0.001) for the whole cohort, 1.49 (0.001) after exclusion of cardiac surgery patients and 1.55 (0.006) after exclusion of patients with an absolute diff erence in ROD >1% between the two scores. Finally, the correlation between the APII and SAPS II scores was moderate (r2 = 0.63). The overall model was APII = 0.36×SAPS II + 4.4. The APII/SAPS II coeffi cient (SE) was 0.36 (0.0003) for the whole cohort, 0.37 (0.0004) after exclusion of cardiac surgery patients and 0.39 (0.002) after exclusion of patients with an absolute diff erence in ROD >1%. coeffi cient (SE) was 1.47 (0.001) for the whole cohort, 1.49 (0.001) after exclusion of cardiac surgery patients and 1.55 (0.006) after exclusion of patients with an absolute diff erence in ROD >1% between the two scores. Finally, the correlation between the APII and SAPS II scores was moderate (r2 = 0.63). The overall model was APII = 0.36×SAPS II + 4.4. The APII/SAPS II coeffi cient (SE) was 0.36 (0.0003) for the whole cohort, 0.37 (0.0004) after exclusion of cardiac surgery patients and 0.39 (0.002) after exclusion of patients with an absolute diff erence in ROD >1%. Conclusion Simple and robust translational formulas can be developed to allow clinicians to compare illness severity in intensive care studies of similar patients when such illness severity is expressed with diff erent scoring systems. Predicting hospital mortality: comparing accuracy of SAPS II and clinical staff prognosis Nevertheless, the main diff erence between surgical patients who died and who survived the ICU was hemodynamic instability, which was severe enough to cause hypoperfusion, metabolic acidosis, early acute kidney injury and early multiple organ dysfunction. As a result, the length of stay and the ventilation days were higher in group B patients, assuming that early and eff ective surgical management is important in order to avoid early multiple organ dysfunction on ICU admission. g p p p Results Over the study period 72 patients were included, with a mean age of 56.5 ± 16.8 years; 55% were male. The mean SAPS II was 47.3 ± 15.4. Eighteen patients died in hospital (25%). Discriminations analysis showed the following areas under ROC: SAPS II 0.84 (95% CI: 0.741 to 0.945); consultants 0.77 (95% CI: 0.632 to 0.908); residents 0.67 (95% CI: 0.513 to 0.828); nurses 0.62 (95% CI: 0.453 to 0.777). See Figure 1. Conclusion In our study, contrary to previous descriptions of similar studies, SAPS II was more accurate in predicting hospital mortality than clinical staff opinion. Diff erences were also found between diff erent groups of clinical staff , partially related to previous ICU clinical experience. Outcomes and resource use for over 80 year olds admitted to a UK critical care unit after an emergency laparotomy over a 3-year period V Banks, C Scott Northern General Hospital, Sheffi eld, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P403 (doi: 10.1186/cc11010) coeffi cient (SE) was 1.47 (0.001) for the whole cohort, 1.49 (0.001) after exclusion of cardiac surgery patients and 1.55 (0.006) after exclusion of patients with an absolute diff erence in ROD >1% between the two scores. Finally, the correlation between the APII and SAPS II scores was moderate (r2 = 0.63). The overall model was APII = 0.36×SAPS II + 4.4. The APII/SAPS II coeffi cient (SE) was 0.36 (0.0003) for the whole cohort, 0.37 (0.0004) after exclusion of cardiac surgery patients and 0.39 (0.002) after exclusion of patients with an absolute diff erence in ROD >1%. Parameters that aff ect outcome in surgical ICU patients A Vakalos, M Petkopoulou, D Jannussis Xanthi General Hospital, Xanthi, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P405 (doi: 10.1186/cc11012) Introduction Surgical ICU patients have a lower severity illness score on ICU admission day. The aim of our study was to compare the length of stay (LOS), ventilation days (VD) and parameters that aff ect the APACHE II–III scoring system between surgical patients who died in the ICU and surgical patients who survived and discharged from the ICU. pf Conclusion Simple and robust translational formulas can be developed to allow clinicians to compare illness severity in intensive care studies of similar patients when such illness severity is expressed with diff erent scoring systems. g p g Methods During November 2005 and May 2011, 310 patients were admitted to our medical and surgical ICU. From these, 122 were surgical patients (39.35%) and were included retrospectively in our study. Mean age was 64 years, mean APACHE II score 14.5, actual mortality rate 12.29%. The patients were separated into two groups. Group A involved 107 surgical patients who survived the ICU and group B 15 surgical patients who died in the ICU. We looked for statistical signifi cant diff erence (two-tailed P value) between the mean APACHE values at admission of group A and group B, using the unpaired Mann– Whitney test (nonparametric) or the unpaired t test Welch corrected (parametric), according to the normality test. p References S146 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P408 Predictors of mortality in patients from a hematological ICU in Brazil OB Silva, L Correa, P Loureiro, E Araujo, D Teles, LA Vasconcelos, T Salvattori, P Schwambach, GT Henriques-Filho HEMOPE, Recife, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P408 (doi: 10.1186/cc11015) Results The last 50 patients were admitted between January 2004 and August 2011. Overall the number of admissions increased throughout this period, with only one admission in 2004, peaking at 10 in 2009. In 2011, patients with a hematological malignancy represented 0.5% of all the ICU admissions. The commonest malignancies were acute myeloid leukemia (43%) and lymphoma (31%). The primary reason for admission was sepsis (61%), with pneumonia the commonest source (27%) and 42% admitted with neutropenic sepsis. Compared to the 2010/11 cohort the patients admitted with a hematological malignancy had signifi cantly higher mean APACHE II scores (24 (SD 8) vs. 15 (SD 6) P <0.0001), a longer mean ICU stay (10 days (SD 17) vs. 6 days (SD 10) P <0.0001) and greater ICU (50% vs. 27% P <0.0001) and hospital mortality (61% vs. 29% P <0.0001). However, the overall trend was a considerable fall in mortality from 91% (2004 to 2007) to 36% (2008 to 2011). The mean SOFA score on admission for the hematological patients was 9 (SD 3). Twenty patients required two levels of organ support with only three patients receiving renal replacement therapy. No independent risk factors for outcome were identifi ed. Introduction The study was designed to analyze the factors responsible for increased mortality in an ICU specialized in hematological patients. There are few ICUs specialized in hematological diseases, with reports of high mortality rates (45 to 85%) [1], mostly related to severity of patients with blood cancer [2], mechanical ventilation (MV) and multiple organ failure [2-4]. The most prevalent disease diff ers among studies [1-4] and acute leukemia seems to have the worst prognosis [2]. Methods A retrospective cohort was conducted at HEMOPE’s ICU. Data were collected from the medical records of patients admitted from January 2006 to December 2009. y Results Of the 576 admissions, 396 (68.75%) could be analyzed. The average age was 48.3 ± 19.4 years (11 to 88 years), 54% were female and there was no association between mortality and age or gender. p References 1. Scholz N, et al.: Eur J Anaesthesiol 2004, 21:606-611. 2. Sinuff T, et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:878-885. 1. Scholz N, et al.: Eur J Anaesthesiol 2004, 21:606-611.f 1. Scholz N, et al.: Eur J Anaesthesiol 2004, 21:606-611. 2. Sinuff T, et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:878-885. 2. Sinuff T, et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:878-885. Figure 1 (abstract P407). ROC curve for SAPS II, consultants, nurses and residents, for hospital mortality. Introduction Many diff erent illness severity scores are used to report the estimated risk of death (ROD) of patients in clinical research. Such variability makes mortality comparison between studies diffi cult. Accordingly, it would be desirable to establish a methodology to translate the value obtained from one scoring system into an estimated equivalent value for another scoring system. Methods We used the adult patient database of the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) Intensive Care Society to obtain simultaneous APACHE II (APII), APACHE III (APIII) and SAPS II scores. We used linear regression analyses to create models enabling translation of one score into another. These analyses were performed for the whole cohort, after exclusion of cardiac surgery patients and after matching for similar risk of death. Results We obtained complete data for three illness severity scores (SAPS II, APII, and APIII) in 636,431 admissions. There was a good correlation between the APIII and APII scores (r2 = 0.76). The overall model was APIII = 3.09×APII + 5.8. The APIII/APII coeffi cient (SE) was 3.09 (0.002) for the whole cohort, 3.1 (0.002) after exclusion of cardiac surgery patients and 2.98 (0.01) after exclusion of patients with an absolute diff erence in ROD >1% between the two scores. There was a similar correlation between the APIII and the SAPS II scores (r2 = 0.76). The overall model was APIII  =  1.47×SAPS II + 8.6. The APIII/SAPS II Figure 1 (abstract P407). ROC curve for SAPS II, consultants, nurses and residents, for hospital mortality. p References Acute leukemia occurred in 43% (65.3% acute myeloid leukemia). Sepsis was the major cause of admission (55.3%). The overall mortality rate was 57.5% and the specifi c one was 42.7%. The mean APACHE II score for this population was 13.4 ± 1.0 (7 to 43) and was statistically higher in the group that died (14.6 ± 0.7 vs. 11.8 ± 0.8; P = 0.013). Mean SOFA at day 1 (D1) and day 3 (D3) was 2.8 ± 0.2 and 2.1 ± 0.2 respectively, also signifi cantly higher in those that died (D1 3.9 ± 0.3 and D3 2.9 ± 0.3; P <0.0001). Almost 60% used vasoactive drugs (VAD) on admission and had a higher mortality rate (P <0.0001). MV was used in 86% and 69% died (P <0.001). Of those with renal substitutive therapy (RST), 81.9% died (OR = 3.12; 99% CI = 1.5 to 6.91). Mortality was also associated with the completion of chemotherapy before ICU admission (P = 0.003) and severe neutropenia (P <0.0001). In multivariate analysis, MV (RR = 13.1; 99% CI = 5.14 to 33.45) and a one-unit increase in SOFA D1 (RR = 1.26; 99% CI = 1.15 to 1.37) were associated with an increase in mortality. i Conclusion The outcomes of patients with hematological malignancies admitted to the ICU are improving with rates approaching that of our general ICU population. Patients with hematological malignancy requiring ICU admission continue to increase and admission should be based on their physiological derangement and overall prognosis. Further prospective studies are required to investigate potential predictors of outcomes in these patients. R f 1. Hampshire P, et al.: Admission factors associated with hospital mortality in patients with haematological malignancy admitted to UK adult, general critical care units: a secondary analysis of the ICNARC Case Mix Programme Database. Crit Care 2009, 13:R137. References References 1. Shelton BK: Crit Care Clin 2010, 26:1-20. 2. Kress JP, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1999, 160:1957-1961. 3. Taccone FS, et al.: Crit Care 2009, 13:R15. 4. Thiéry G, et al.: J Clin Oncol 2005, 23:4406-4413. Methods All patients with nonresectable lung cancer admitted to our ICU between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2010 were included in a retrospective study. Postoperative patients were not included. 4. Thiéry G, et al.: J Clin Oncol 2005, 23:4406-4413. Results Twenty-two patients were included. Seventeen had nonsmall- cell lung cancer (NSCLC). One had small cell lung cancer. Fifteen patients (65%) had metastatic disease. Twelve patients were in palliative therapy. The reason for ICU admission was acute respiratory failure in 12 patients (55%), hemorrhage in fi ve patients (23%). Nine patients (41%) had an infection. Fourteen patients (64%) needed invasive mechanical ventilation. One-month survival was 45% (10/22). Six-month survival was 13% (3/22). One-year survival was 0%. One- month survivors showed a nonsignifi cant trend to lower performance status and severity of disease. All 6-month survivors had metastatic disease. Six-month survivors had nonsignifi cantly lower performance status (1.7 ± 0.6 vs. 2.7 ± 1.2; P = NS). IGS II, SOFA score and duration of mechanical ventilation were signifi cantly shorter in survivors (see Table 1). Six-month survival of patients with lung cancer admitted to a medical ICU: a retrospective study O Keller, GL Laplatte, H Lessire y Conclusion For this population, in univariate analysis mortality was related to SOFA, RST, MV, use of VAD on admission, chemotherapy before ICU admission, and severe neutropenia. Although there was a relation between APACHE II score and mortality, this score underestimates it. In multivariate analysis, needing MV and a high SOFA D1 were independent predictors of death. CH Pasteur, Colmar, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P410 (doi: 10.1186/cc11017) Introduction ICU admission of patients with lung cancer remains debated because of the poor short-term prognosis. We evaluated the duration of survival of patients admitted to our ICU and looked for factors associated with better survival. P409 Retrospective study of the outcomes of patients admitted to the ICU with a hematological malignancy Retrospective study of the outcomes of patients admitted to the ICU with a hematological malignancy H Lewis, J Patel, N Lonsdale Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P409 (doi: 10.1186/cc11016) Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK g g Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P409 (doi: 10.1186/cc11016) Introduction The UK prevalence of haematological malignancy is increasing. Seven percent of these patients become critically ill, necessi- tating ITU care [1]. The past decade has seen signifi cant advances in the treatment and outcomes of patients with hemato logical malignancies. This has challenged the preconception that these patients are poor candidates for ICU admission. This study evaluated the trends in admission and outcomes of patients admitted to a general ICU with a diagnosis of hematological malignancy. g [ ] p gi treatment and outcomes of patients with hemato logical malignancies. This has challenged the preconception that these patients are poor candidates for ICU admission. This study evaluated the trends in admission and outcomes of patients admitted to a general ICU with a diagnosis of hematological malignancy. Conclusion Prognosis of patients with nonresectable lung cancer admitted to the ICU was poor. Metastatic disease did not infl uence Table 1 (abstract P410) Number of IGS SOFA ventilation days Nonsurvivors 53.2 ± 6.5 5.6 ± 3.8 6.1 ± 6.4 6-month survivors 36.3 ± 9.8 1.3 ± 2.3 0.7 ± 1.2 P <0.05 P <0.05 P <0.01 Table 1 (abstract P410) Methods A retrospective study of the last 50 consecutive admissions of patients with a hematological malignancy admitted to the ICU. Patients were identifi ed from the ICNARC database. Demographic data, APACHE II, SOFA scores on admission, baseline neutrophil count and organ support data were collected. The primary outcome was ICU and hospital mortality. Data were compared against the cohort of patients admitted between April 2010 and April 2011. S147 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 total admissions). Sixty-eight percent were male, with a mean age of 60.21 ± 14.31 years and with an APACHE score of 22.21 ± 9.13. Solid cancer was more frequent, 76.6% (urogenital 20%, lung 15.4% and low intestinal 15.4% were the most common). In the hematologic cancers (23.5%), the most frequent were non-Hodgkin lymphoma and acute leukemia (both 7%). Active cancer (new diagnosis, recurrence or progression) was presented in 75.3%. References 1. Toff art AC, et al.: Use of intensive care in patients with nonresectable lung cancer. Chest 2011, 139:101-108. 2. Roques S, et al.: Six month prognosis of patients with lung cancer admitted to the intensive care unit. Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:2044-2050. 2. Roques S, et al.: Six month prognosis of patients with lung cancer admitted to the intensive care unit. Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:2044-2050. Health-related quality of life and survival of cancer patients admitted to ICUs: results of the QALY study AB Cavalcanti1, UV Silva2, KN Normílio-Silva1, AN Silva1, R Zancani1, MJ Giorgi1, AD Dias1, AT Simone1, PL Safra1, AC Figueiredo1, G Tunes-da-Silva3, AC Lima3, LA Hajjar1, JO Auler1, J Eluf-Neto4, FR Galas1 1São Paulo State Cancer Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, Brazil; 3Instituto de Matemática e Estatística – Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; 4Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P411 (doi: 10.1186/cc11018) Introduction Very limited data are available regarding postdischarge health-related quality of life (HRQL) of cancer patients needing intensive care. Our objective is to describe HRQL and survival in an unselected population of cancer patients who were admitted to ICUs. y Conclusion The mortality was associated with organ failure and greater need for resources. Hematologic cancer develops more organ failure without aff ecting resource consumption or their outcome in our series. Septic patients have higher ICU and hospital mortality, and neurological patients lower. Methods In this prospective cohort study conducted at two cancer hospitals in Brazil, we enrolled a random sample of adult patients with cancer admitted to the ICUs. We collected data at ICU admission, including HRQL before the acute process that led to ICU admission, and followed patients up on 15, 90 and 180 days after ICU admission to assess HRQL and vital status. We determined HRQL with the EQ-5D questionnaire, and the results were presented as summary measures with values between –1 and 1, with 0 meaning HRQL similar to death and 1 perfect HRQL. Summary measures were calculated using time- trade-off value sets obtained from the UK population. Survival was calculated with the Kaplan–Meier estimator. P409 Retrospective study of the outcomes of patients admitted to the ICU with a hematological malignancy The main reason for admission was respiratory failure (52.9%), shock (18.8%) or neurological impair- ment (16.5%). The most common diagnoses were pulmonary sepsis (23.5%), other sepsis (21.2%) and heart failure (8.2%). The ICU stay was 7.20 ± 12.32 days; with a mortality of 41.2% (hospital mortality 50.6%). The mortality was higher in the active disease (91% vs. 64%), P <0.01. Patients who died developed more respiratory (88.6% vs. 48%), hemodynamic (91.4% vs. 44%), renal (68.6% vs. 16%) or hematologic failure (45.7% vs. 16%), P <0.03. Septic patients were those with higher ICU mortality (55.3% vs. 29.8%) and hospital mortality (63.2% vs. 40.4%), P <0.05. By contrast, the patients with the longest survival were the neurological (90% vs. 54.7%) and cardiology patients (88.9% vs. 55.3%), P <0.05. Patients who died needed more MV (88.6% vs. 52%), vasopressors (91.4% vs. 46%) or dialysis (34.3% vs. 4%), P <0.01. The hematologic cancer had more cardiovascular (85% vs. 56.9%) or hematologic failure (65% vs. 16.9%) and neutropenia (45% vs. 9.2%) with P <0.03, but this is not refl ected in more consumption of resources or mortality. survival in our survey. Patients admitted for a critical illness requiring more than a few days of mechanical ventilation were very unlikely to survive over 6 months. Managing critically ill oncological patients in hospital: a survey across all ICUs in the UK p Results We enrolled 805 patients. Mean age was 61.4 ± 14.3 and 42.5% were female. Elective surgeries represented 52.2% of admissions, urgent surgeries represented 5.0% and 42.8% were admitted due to clinical reasons. Survival at 180 days was 51.2% (95% CI 47.4 to 54.9). The HRQL summary measure (median (interquartile range)) before ICU admission was 0.64 (0.12 to 0.81), on the 15-day follow-up 0.73 (0.19 to 0.92), on the 90-day follow-up 0.73 (0.20 to 0.85) and on the 180-day follow-up 0.70 (0.35 to 0.89). Introduction The survival rates for oncology patients admitted to the ICU have improved signifi cantly. The prognostic infl uence of the pre- admission oncological and treatment history is being questioned, the most signifi cant impact being related to acute physiological status. In Figure 1 (abstract P413). (a) Hematological cancer. (b) Solid tumor. Checked bars, not proven in the literature. p Conclusion HRQL is, on average, moderately impaired before ICU admission and through the 180-day follow-up in cancer patients needing intensive care. Only about one-half of the patients were alive after 180 days. However, there is large variability on both HRQL and length of survival; thus, methods to estimate quality-adjusted life-years on an individual basis are necessary. Characteristics, resource consumption and outcome of cancer patients admitted to ICUs New severity score of acute respiratory failure S Allal, A Khedher, I Ben Saida, A Azouzi, A Farjallah, I Chouchen, S Bouchoucha, M Boussarsar CHU Farhat Hached Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P415 (doi: 10.1186/cc11022) Methods We surveyed intensive care lead clinicians in December 2011 in order to establish: a profi le of the hospital and ICU they work in; their estimate of overall ICU mortality for critically ill cancer patients; the value of six outcome indicators in predicting mortality in two subgroups of oncological candidates for ICU admission; and the local management of acutely deteriorating cancer patients potentially requiring ICU care. Introduction Acute respiratory failure (ARF), a common syndrome, is still poorly clinically appreciated. Literature review reports only a few attempts in neonatology (Silverman score) and in adults (Patrick score [1]) constructed by authors in 1996 for scientifi c research purposes. Both scores have never been validated. Instead, clinicians developed specifi c scores. We constructed a new respiratory failure score, organized in a trimodal manner (Table 1). Items were selected on the basis of pathophysiological and clinical expertise. Particular attention was paid to formulation and scaling to make the score both simple, noninvasive, inexpensive, didactic, and with interesting clinimetric properties. The objective of this study is to validate this score already in use for several years in our ICU. q g Results The ICU mortality rates estimated by survey respondents diff ered from those reported in the literature: for solid tumor 21% (SEM 3) versus 10 to 23%, for metastatic solid tumor 38% (SEM 4) versus 23%, hematological malignancy 45% (SEM 3) versus 33 to 43% with allograft transplant 54.8% (SEM 5) versus 39 to 50% and autograft transplant 56% (SEM 5) versus 44%. Regarding the management of cancer patients, there were confl icts reported between teams (rarely 44%, occasionally 56%, commonly 0.2%). Few units had established triage policies for the acutely ill cancer patient (5%) and it was also not common that plans were made prior to the patient’s deterioration (never 11%, rarely 38%, occasionally 41%, commonly 9%). Figure 1 shows those outcome indicators thought to be important by responders in forecasting ICU prognosis. Table 1 (abstract P415). Characteristics, resource consumption and outcome of cancer patients admitted to ICUs Characteristics, resource consumption and outcome of cancer patients admitted to ICUs R Garcia, L Terceros, I Saez, J Flordelis, L Colino, C Mudarra, S Temprano, J Montejo 12 de Octubre Hospital, Madrid, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P412 (doi: 10.1186/cc11019) p R Garcia, L Terceros, I Saez, J Flordelis, L Colino, C Mudarra, S Temprano, J Montejo 12 de Octubre Hospital, Madrid, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P412 (doi: 10.1186/cc11019) Introduction The development of cancer treatment has improved the prognosis for cancer patients and they need more support measures in the ICU. Our objective is to evaluate the characteristics and evolution of cancer patients admitted to a general ICU of a university hospital. Introduction The development of cancer treatment has improved the prognosis for cancer patients and they need more support measures in the ICU. Our objective is to evaluate the characteristics and evolution of cancer patients admitted to a general ICU of a university hospital. Methods A retrospective study of cancer patients admitted to an ICU from January 2008 to December 2010. We collected demographic and cancer characteristics, reason for admission, complications, resource consumption and mortality. We compared quantitative variables with the Student t test and the qualitative variables with the chi-square test, statistical signifi cance accepted as P <0.05. Methods A retrospective study of cancer patients admitted to an ICU from January 2008 to December 2010. We collected demographic and cancer characteristics, reason for admission, complications, resource consumption and mortality. We compared quantitative variables with the Student t test and the qualitative variables with the chi-square test, statistical signifi cance accepted as P <0.05. Figure 1 (abstract P413). (a) Hematological cancer. (b) Solid tumor. Checked bars, not proven in the literature. Figure 1 (abstract P413). (a) Hematological cancer. (b) Solid tumor. Checked bars, not proven in the literature. i Results A total of 108 patients were admitted with cancer, 23 with cured cancer were excluded, so we selected 85 patients (4.38% of S148 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 this survey, we sought to evaluate the awareness of overall mortality rates in critically ill cancer patients among intensivists in the UK. this survey, we sought to evaluate the awareness of overall mortality rates in critically ill cancer patients among intensivists in the UK. References Results A total of 200 patients (age 70 ± 17 years, 65% males) were admitted to the CCU during the study period; diagnoses included acute coronary syndrome (65%), pulmonary edema (11.5%), congestive heart failure (5.5%) and other (18%). The median length of CCU stay was 5  ±  3 days and the median length of hospital stay 9  ±  7 days. The CCU mortality rate was 20% and in-hospital mortality 24.2%. Both APACHE II and SOFA scores were independently associated with mortality (OR = 1.30; CI: 1.21 to 1.40, P <0.001 and OR = 1.82; CI: 1.53 to 2.16, P <0.001 respectively). The receiver operating characteristic curves confi rmed both scores as equally eff ective predictors of clinical outcome with areas under the curve of 0.92, P <0.001 and 0.91, P <0.001 for APACHE II and SOFA score respectively. 1. Patrick W, Webster K, Ludwig L, Roberts D, Wiebe P, Younes M: Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in acute respiratory distress without prior chronic respiratory failure. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1996, 153:1005-1011. p y p 2. Landis JR, Koch GG: The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics 1977, 33:159-174. 2. Minerva Anestesiol 2011, 77:305. P414 Methods A prospective study among 70 patients with ARF on previously healthy lungs. ARF was rated in a randomized blinded manner respect- ively by residents and seniors. An inter-rater reliability analysis using the kappa statistic was performed to determine consistency among raters. P414 Role of illness severity scores in predicting mortality in the coronary care unit G Argyriou, J Terrovitis, G Sainis, V Papas, C Marvaki, S Nanas, C Routsi Medical School, University of Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P414 (doi: 10.1186/cc11021) Introduction Several illness severity scores have been developed in order to predict outcome in multidisciplinary ICUs. However, the role of these scores has not been thoroughly investigated in coronary care units (CCUs) and the results are confl icting [1,2]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of two of the most widely used scores – that is, APACHE II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) – for the prediction of mortality in patients admitted to CCUs. 2 y Results The inter-rater reliability for the raters was found to be κ = 0.82 (P <0.001), indicating an almost perfect agreement [2]. The area under the ROC curve was revealed very interesting (AUC = 0.88) indicating an excellent prognostic predictive power. Conclusion This new and validated score could drive some advantages in daily practice, allowing accurate assessment of ARF severity, more objective monitoring of patients and easier communication between care providers. It may accurately guide oxygen supplementation and ventilatory support and aff ord accurate monitoring of patho- physiological and etiological treatment of ARF. It could be a valuable tool in randomized clinical trials or physiological studies evaluating treatments in ARF. Finally it could be used as an educational tool. References p y p Methods All patients consecutively admitted to an eight-bed CCU from April 2010 to May 2011 were prospectively studied. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were recorded. Illness severity on admission was measured using the APACHE II and SOFA scores. For the calculation of the scores, the worst values for each variable on admission day were used. 1. Clin Cardiol 1999, 22:366. Validity of six prognostic scoring systems for septic shock patients admitted to a medical ICU B Khwannimit, R Bhurayanontachai B Khwannimit, R Bhurayanontachai y Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P416 (doi: 10.1186/cc11023) Conclusion The APACHE II and SOFA scores on admission are independent predictors of mortality in patients hospitalized in a CCU. Both scores demonstrate excellent performance in discriminating high-risk patients and thus are useful tools to predict clinical outcome in CCUs. Introduction This study aimed to assess the validity of the APACHE II, SAPS II, and SAPS 3, along with each of their customized scores, in predicting hospital mortality in patients with septic shock admitted to our ICU. 1. Azoulay E, et al.: Ann Intensive Care 2011, 1:5. Characteristics, resource consumption and outcome of cancer patients admitted to ICUs Score of respiratory failure Grade Respiratory rate Accessory muscle use Hypoxemia I <30 Intercostal Normal II 30 to 40 Supraclavicular and/or Cyanosis suprasternal III >40 Thoraco-abdominal Circulatory and/or swing/nasal fl aring consciousness disorders IV Gasp Exhaustion/ventilatory Cardio-circulatory arrest arrest Table 1 (abstract P415). Score of respiratory failure Table 1 (abstract P415). Score of respiratory failure G d R i A l H i Table 1 (abstract P415). Score of respiratory failure Grade Respiratory rate Accessory muscle use Conclusion The awareness of improved outcome in critically ill cancer patients diff ers among physicians, and in general estimated mortalities were far higher than those reported in the literature. Conclusion The awareness of improved outcome in critically ill cancer patients diff ers among physicians, and in general estimated mortalities were far higher than those reported in the literature. Reference 1. Azoulay E, et al.: Ann Intensive Care 2011, 1:5. References References Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted over a 6-year period in a medical ICU of a tertiary referral university teaching hospital in Thailand. S149 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Figure 1 (abstract P416). Calibration curves for customized APACHE II, SAPS II and SAPS 3. Figure 1 (abstract P416). Calibration curves for customized APACHE II, SAPS II and SAPS 3. Results A total of 880 patients were enrolled and a hospital mortality rate of 57.4% was found. Community-acquired infections accounted for 57.2% and 32.8% of patients had positive blood culture. The respiratory tract was the most common site of infection (48.7%). The predicted mortality of all the scores was close to the observed mortality, with a standardized mortality ratio (95% confi dence interval) of 0.94 (0.86 to 1.02) for APACHE II, 1.01 (0.92 to 1.1) for customized APACHE II, 0.93 (0.85 to 1.01) for SAPS II, 1.07 (0.98 to 1.17) for customized SAPS II, 0.97 (0.89 to 1.06) for SAPS 3 and 1.02 (0.93 to 1.11) for customized SAPS 3. All six scores were well discriminated, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.82, 0.813, 0.819, 0.815, 0.817 and 0.813, respectively. The Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fi t showed good calibration in only the customized APACHE II (H-statistic 12.4, P = 0.26). See Figure 1. patients underwent study of endothelial vasodilating function using the method proposed by Celermajer and colleagues [1]. Results A total of 880 patients were enrolled and a hospital mortality rate of 57.4% was found. Community-acquired infections accounted for 57.2% and 32.8% of patients had positive blood culture. The respiratory tract was the most common site of infection (48.7%). The predicted mortality of all the scores was close to the observed mortality, with a standardized mortality ratio (95% confi dence interval) of 0.94 (0.86 to 1.02) for APACHE II, 1.01 (0.92 to 1.1) for customized APACHE II, 0.93 (0.85 to 1.01) for SAPS II, 1.07 (0.98 to 1.17) for customized SAPS II, 0.97 (0.89 to 1.06) for SAPS 3 and 1.02 (0.93 to 1.11) for customized SAPS 3. All six scores were well discriminated, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.82, 0.813, 0.819, 0.815, 0.817 and 0.813, respectively. The Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fi t showed good calibration in only the customized APACHE II (H-statistic 12.4, P = 0.26). See Figure 1. Reference Scientifi c Clinical Center of Miner’s Health Protection, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P417 (doi: 10.1186/cc11024) Scientifi c Clinical Center of Miner’s Health Protection, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P417 (doi: 10.1186/cc11024) 1. Celermajer DS, et al.: Non-invasive detection of endothelial dysfunction in children and adults at risk of atherosclerosis. Lancet 1992, 340:1111-1115. Introduction The high risk of thromboembolic complications after knee joint prosthetics is conditioned by the series of surgical intervention particularities. The infl uence of intraoperative tourniquet usage on the leg deep venous thrombosis frequency was studied. References Results On 4 to 5 days after surgery, leg deep venous thrombosis was found in 11 patients (8.8% of all patients after prosthetics). For decrease of intraoperative blood loss the tourniquet was applied onto the middle third of the leg in 77 patients (60.6%). In this group DVT was found in 10.4% of cases. In the nontourniquet group (48 patients) DVT was found in 6.25%. The diff erences in the complication frequency were not statistically valid. The data from duplex scanning showed that 43 patients (34.4%) before surgery had changes in the lower leg veins in view of varicose subcutaneous veins and post-thrombophlebitic syndrome combined with disorders of endothelial vasodilating func tion and low venous tone. Tourniquet use in patients with venous pathology resulted in DVT in 30% (fi ve of 15 patients). When a tourniquet was not used in patients with venous disease, DVT was found only in one of 28 patients (3.5%). The test showed a signifi cant diff erence in the frequency of thromboembolic complications in these groups (P <0.001). Conclusion In this study, the customized APACHE II was found to be accurate in predicting hospital mortality in septic shock patients requiring ICU admission. Conclusion Therefore, using a tourniquet in patients with evident base venous pathology in terms of varicose subcutaneous veins or post- thrombophlebitic syndrome in total knee joint endoprosthetics is a risk factor for venous thrombosis development. Reference Risk factors of venous thrombosis in knee joint endoprosthesis SV Vlasov, IV Vlasovai Risk factors of venous thrombosis in knee joint endoprosthesis SV Vlasov, IV Vlasova Scientifi c Clinical Center of Miner’s Health Protection, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P417 (doi: 10.1186/cc11024) P418 P418 Proximal and distal deep venous thrombosis in critically ill patients: incidence and prevalence S Yus Teruel, J Camacho Oviedo, L Cachafeiro Fuciños, M Hernandez Bernal, A Agrifoglio Rotaeche, M Irazábal Jaimes, L Fernandez Rodriguez, B Civantos Martín, J Díez Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P418 (doi: 10.1186/cc11025) P418 Proximal and distal deep venous thrombosis in critically ill patients: incidence and prevalence S Yus Teruel, J Camacho Oviedo, L Cachafeiro Fuciños, M Hernandez Bernal, A Agrifoglio Rotaeche, M Irazábal Jaimes, L Fernandez Rodriguez, B Civantos Martín, J Díez Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P418 (doi: 10.1186/cc11025) Effi cacy and safety of enoxaparin as deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis in critically ill patients R Al-Hubail, N Hassan King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P420 (doi: 10.1186/cc11027) Effi cacy and safety of enoxaparin as deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis in critically ill patients R Al-Hubail, N Hassan King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P420 (doi: 10.1186/cc11027) Methods This was a prospective observational study conducted in our medical–surgical and trauma ICU from October 2009 to September 2010. The inclusion criterion was ≥72 hours of ICU stay. Exclusion criteria were admitting diagnosis of pulmonary embolism or DVT, readmission, and patients with support withdrawal orders. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Board of La Paz Hospital. Bilateral lower extremity compression ultrasound was performed within 48 hours of admission to evaluate the prevalence, and twice weekly until discharge to assess the incidence. We collected demographic data, body mass index (BMI), APACHE II score, SOFA score, diagnostic categories, classic risk factors for DVT, femoral catheter and the use of mechanical ventilation and muscle relaxants. For the statistical analysis chi-square and Fisher tests were used, as well as Mann–Whitney and Student tests for data comparison. For the probability of DVT and its relation with the associated factors, the odds ratio and confi dence interval were used. Statistical signifi cance was P <0.05. Introduction Critically ill patients are at high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVT cannot be detected in most cases, leading to fatal embolic manifestations [1]. The goal of this study was to review the occurrence of DVT in patients receiving enoxaparin during their length of stay in the ICU (ICU LOS). In addition we review the occurrence f j bl di d th b t i d t i of major bleeding and thrombocytopenia secondary to enoxaparin. Methods This was a retrospective database analysis including medical and surgical patients admitted to a tertiary hospital (King Fahad Specialist Hospital Dammam) critical care department from 1 January to 31 December 2010, aged 17 to 70 years, excluding patients with: platelets <50,000/l; evidence of active bleeding; new ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke; spinal or epidural catheter who were already on anticoagulant when admitted to the ICU and who were previously diagnosed with DVT or with pulmonary embolism (PE); DNR (do not resuscitate). The APACHE II score, predicted mortality and ICU LOS were calculated for included patients in the study. Saddle embolism is associated with the major adverse events in patients with nonhigh-risk pulmonary embolism H Kim, W Kim Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P419 (doi: 10.1186/cc11026) Saddle embolism is associated with the major adverse events in patients with nonhigh-risk pulmonary embolism H Kim, W Kim Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P419 (doi: 10.1186/cc11026) Introduction In some patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE), thrombi may lodge at the levels of bifurcation of the pulmonary trunk and extend into both main pulmonary arteries, forming so-called saddle embolism (SE). The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of SE and whether it is associated with an increased risk of complicated clinical course in patients with nonhigh-risk PE. p g Methods Between January 2006 and June 2010, 297 consecutive patients with nonhigh-risk PE that was confi rmed with contrast- enhanced spiral computed tomography (CT) in the emergency department were studied. One experienced radiologist evaluated the presence of SE. The clinical information, echocardiographic and CT parameters were reviewed. Patients were divided into SE and non- SE. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to determine factors associated with occurrence of major adverse events (MAE). 1. Greets et al.: Chest 2003, 124:357s-363s. Proximal and distal deep venous thrombosis in critically ill patients: incidence and prevalence Methods The study included 125 patients with gonarthrosis of degree III who received total knee joint endoprosthesis. There were 26 men and 99 women at the age of 36 to 77 (60.7 ± 8.03). For all patients, spinal anesthesia in combination with long-term epidural blockade for postsurgical pain relief was performed. The antithrombotic measures included Klexan 40 mg, 12 to 15 hours before surgery and 8 hours after it. Color mapping of the lower leg vessels with an Acuson 128XP/10c scanner was performed before surgery, on 4 to 5 days after prosthetics and before discharge from the in-patient department. In addition, all p S Yus Teruel, J Camacho Oviedo, L Cachafeiro Fuciños, M Hernandez Bernal, A Agrifoglio Rotaeche, M Irazábal Jaimes, L Fernandez Rodriguez, B Civantos Martín, J Díez Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P418 (doi: 10.1186/cc11025) Introduction The aim of this study was to detect deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients admitted to a critical care unit (ICU) by S150 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P420fi compression ultrasonography, and to determine the incidence and prevalence of proximal and distal DVT in this setting. Table 1 (abstract P420) Table 1 (abstract P420) Predicted Type of case ICU LOS (days) APACHE II mortality (%) Total cases on enoxaparine 5.29 ± 7.3 16.7 ± 10.5 28.4 ± 23.7 Low platelets cases 11.75 ± 9.7 23 ± 2.3 48.75 ± 11.18 Major bleeding cases 13.5 ± 13.1 22.4 ± 17.4 30 ± 17.5 Effi cacy and safety of enoxaparin as deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis in critically ill patients R Al-Hubail, N Hassan King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P420 (doi: 10.1186/cc11027) The hospital electronic system and critical care database were reviewed with the physician order sheet according to the ICU protocol for DVT prophylaxis (enoxaparin 40 mg subcutaneously once daily). i Results We enrolled 182 patients, with male predominance (57.3%), 135 were mechanically ventilated (74.2%) and the mean APACHE II score was 19.3 ( ± 7.8). The mortality in the ICU was 15.4% (28), and 20.9 (38) in hospital. The prevalence of proximal DVT was 29.1% (53/182), and the incidence 24.0% (31/129). Seventy-nine percent of patients received DVT prophylaxis. The localization of incidentally diagnosed DVT was proximal in 29% and distal in 35%; 19 (64%) of these were identifi ed on day 5 of admission. In four patients DVT was clinically suspected and only in one of them was DVT confi rmed. The most frequently involved were soleal veins (67%). Independent risk factors for incidental DVT were: older age (62  ±  15.4 years vs. 54.5  ±  17.1; P = 0.032); BMI (27.7 ± 5.5 kg/m2 vs. 24.9 ± 5.2 kg/m2; P = 0.014); and mechanical ventilation: (OR: 3.3, 95% CI = 1.0 to 10.26). Patients with incidental DVT had a higher hospital mortality (P = 0.03). g y y Results Five hundred and ninety-seven patients were investigated, from which 22 (3.5%) fulfi lled exclusion criteria, 220 (36%) were on a sequential decompression device (SD), and 26 (4%) were not on DVT prophylaxis (protocol violation). This gave a study population of 329 (55%) cases that were on enoxaparin thromboprophylaxis. In this population there were no recorded cases of DVT and two cases (0.6%) of PE. Major bleeding was recorded in seven cases (2.1%), platelets <50,000/l in eight cases (2.4%), and Hb level <1.5 g/dl from baseline without bleeding in 47 cases (14.2%). See Table 1. Conclusion In our study DVT was an early, asymptomatic and frequent event (46% of the ICU patients). In the presence of risk factors, a diagnostic ultrasound test might have a role. Effi cacy and safety of enoxaparin as deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis in critically ill patients R Al-Hubail, N Hassan King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P420 (doi: 10.1186/cc11027) Table 1 (abstract P420) Predicted Type of case ICU LOS (days) APACHE II mortality (%) Total cases on enoxaparine 5.29 ± 7.3 16.7 ± 10.5 28.4 ± 23.7 Low platelets cases 11.75 ± 9.7 23 ± 2.3 48.75 ± 11.18 Major bleeding cases 13.5 ± 13.1 22.4 ± 17.4 30 ± 17.5 Conclusion Using the hospital and critical care databases, we observed that the critically ill patients receiving enoxaparin as thromboprophylaxis did not experience DVT, and two (0.6%) had PE during their ICU stay. However, thrombocytopenia and major bleeding were recorded at very low frequencies (2.5%). Reference 1. Greets et al.: Chest 2003, 124:357s-363s. Table 1 (abstract P420) P423 Consequences of suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in the ICU y y Results All patients included in the study before surgery had detected hypercoagulation and inhibition of fi brinolysis: increasing of MA (maximum density of the clot, fi brin-platelet constant of the blood) to 20.7% (P <0.001) and ICD (intensity of coagulation drive (the intensity of clot formation)) to 15.6%; reduction of IRCL (intensity of the retraction and clot lysis) to 13.6% (P <0.05) in both groups compared to normal rates. At the fi rst day after surgery in patients treated with bemiparin (group 1) MA and ICD decline to 12.7 (P <0.05) and 9.6% (P <0.001) respectively, and IRCL increased by 4.6% (P <0.05) compared with preoperatively. In group 2 there was a similar picture: the reduction of MA and ICD to 10.3 (P <0.001) and 6.6% (P <0.05) respectively, and IRCL increased by 4.4% (P <0.001). At the fi fth day the condition of hemostasis in both groups came almost to the same value – a moderate hypocoagulation, normal activity of fi brinolysis. At 7 days of the postoperative period, thrombotic complications developed in one patient of the fi rst group (2.70%). In the second group, complications developed in four (9.52%) patients: in three cases deep venous thrombosis, and in one case coagulopathic bleeding. Conclusion Using a combination of bemiparin and epidural anesthesia reduces the level of postoperative thrombotic complications, such as deep venous thrombosis, and massive bleedings in the patients after total hysterectomy. Using hemoviscoelastography enables quick identifi cation of disorders of hemostasis in patients after hysterectomy before, during and after the surgery. P423 Consequences of suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in the ICU M Ostermann1, L McIntyre2, F Lauzier3, J Alhashemi4, I Qushmaq5, S Langevin3, P Dodek6, M Albert7, K Khwaja8, J Kutsiogiannis9, L Burry10, J Granton10, J Friedrich10, N Ferguson10, J Marshall10, S Finfer11, D Heels-Ansdell12, N Zytaruk12, D Cook12, J Sheppard12, T Warkentin12, M Crowther12 M Ostermann1, L McIntyre2, F Lauzier3, J Alhashemi4, I Qushmaq5, S Langevin3, P Dodek6, M Albert7, K Khwaja8, J Kutsiogiannis9, L Burry10, J Granton10, J Friedrich10, N Ferguson10, J Marshall10, S Finfer11, D Heels-Ansdell12, N Zytaruk12, D Cook12, J Sheppard12, T Warkentin12, M Crowther12 1King’s College London, UK; 2University of Ottawa, Canada; 3CHA-Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 4King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 5King Faisal Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 6University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; 7Université de Montréal, Canada; 8Université McGill, Montréal, Canada; 9University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; 10University of Toronto, Canada; 11The George Institute, Sidney, Australia; 12McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P423 (doi: 10.1186/cc11030) Introduction Clinical suspicion of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) may prompt changes in drug management and alert clinicians to an increased risk of thrombosis. However, thrombocytopenia in the ICU occurs in about 50% of patients, is multifactorial and is due to HIT in <1%. We aimed to describe the consequences of suspected HIT among medical–surgical critically ill patients in terms of drug and device management, and thrombotic outcomes. g Methods We enrolled 3,746 patients in the PROTECT trial comparing prophylactic dalteparin to unfractionated heparin. We defi ned HIT as occurring in patients with a clinical or laboratory-driven suspicion of HIT and a positive serotonin release assay (SRA). We defi ned suspected HIT as patients whose clinicians were suffi ciently concerned about HIT to withhold heparin. We defi ned consequences of HIT as occurring from 1 day before it was suspected to 30 days thereafter. P422 Cost-eff ectiveness analysis of two thromboprophylactic strategies following major surgery C Ebm, M Cecconi, A Rhodes, M Grounds St George´s Healthcare Trust, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P422 (doi: 10.1186/cc11029) y p y Results One hundred and thirty patients (3.5%) had heparin held due to clinical suspicion of HIT. Of these, 10 (7.7%) had a positive SRA test. The drugs and devices used for thromboprophylaxis, as well as thrombotic events, are outlined in Table 1. At least one new thrombotic event developed in 23.8% of patients with suspected HIT and 40.0% of patients with HIT. Reference Reference instrumental method – hemoviscoelastography preoperatively, intra- operatively and every day during 10 days after surgery. Prevention of thrombotic complications in group 1 (37 patients), conducted by bemiparin 3,500 units: the fi rst injection 12 hours before surgery, then at 6 hours after the operation in the future once a day for 10 days; group 2 (42 patients) received heparin 5,000 units: the fi rst injection 6 hours before surgery, then 6 hours after the operation, then four times per day for 10 days. 1. Roderick P, Ferris G, Wilson K, Halls H: Towards evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of venous thromboembolism: systematic reviews of mechanical methods, oral anticoagulants, dextran and regional anaesthesia for thromboprophylaxis. Health Technol Assess 2005, 9(49):iii-iv, 1-78. 1. Roderick P, Ferris G, Wilson K, Halls H: Towards evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of venous thromboembolism: systematic reviews of mechanical methods, oral anticoagulants, dextran and regional anaesthesia for thromboprophylaxis. Health Technol Assess 2005, 9(49):iii-iv, 1-78. Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P423 Consequences of suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in the ICU Introduction Patients recovering from major surgery are at high risk of developing life-threatening deep venous thrombosis, which is a key source of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Our objective was to assess the cost-eff ectiveness of two diff erent thromboprophylactic agents for patients admitted to the ICU after high-risk surgery: inter mittent pneumatic compression (IPC) and anti-embolism stockings (AES). P421 P421 Reducing the level of postoperative thrombotic complications by the combination of low molecular weight heparin and epidural anesthesia at the patients after total hysterectomy O Tarabrin, V Dubinina, A Turenko, S Tarasenko, S Shcherbakov, D Gavrychenko, G Mazurenko Odessa National Medical University, Odessa, Ukraine Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P421 (doi: 10.1186/cc11028) Results Twenty-seven out of 297 patients (9.1%) were found to have a SE. Overall mortality at 1 month was 12.5% with no diff erence between the groups (11.9% vs. 18.5%, P = 0.32), although SE patients were more likely to receive thrombolytic therapy (8.1% vs. 29.6%, P <0.01). SE patients had s signifi cantly higher rate of MAE (59.3% vs. 25.6%, P <0.01). Presence of SE and the ratio of right ventricular to left ventricular diameter were associated with an odds ratio of MAE within 1 month of 2.48 (95% CI: 1.10 to 6.04, P = 0.03) and 3.34 (95% CI: 1.46 to 7.46, P <0.01). Introduction Each year in the world, cancer of the reproductive system is diagnosed in more than 600,000 women. In 8 to 35% of patients with cancer of the reproductive system, pulmonary embolism was the cause of death – and in 43% the background for other fatal complications. Methods The results of surgical treatment of 79 patients after hysterectomy under prolonged epidural anesthesia during the period from 2008 to 2010 entered the study. The condition of hemostasis was monitored by 12 standard biochemical tests, as well as the new Introduction Each year in the world, cancer of the reproductive system is diagnosed in more than 600,000 women. In 8 to 35% of patients with cancer of the reproductive system, pulmonary embolism was the cause of death – and in 43% the background for other fatal complications. Methods The results of surgical treatment of 79 patients after hysterectomy under prolonged epidural anesthesia during the period from 2008 to 2010 entered the study. The condition of hemostasis was monitored by 12 standard biochemical tests, as well as the new Conclusion SE by CT angiography was associated with PE-related shock, intubation, mortality, thrombolysis, and thrombectomy within 1 month in patients with nonhigh-risk PE and may be a useful method for simple risk stratifi cation. S151 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 R Riessen, M Behmenburg, G Blumenstock, D Guenon, S Enkel, M Haap University Hospital Tübingen, Germany l l (d ) Results Thirty patients were included, with a mean age of 59.6 ± 19.3, APACHE II score 19.1 ± 7.2, SOFA at baseline 8.5 ± 4.0, and most patients had septic shock (63.3%). Baseline iron and transferrin levels were low in 83.3% (14.0 (5.0 to 25.5)) and in 96.7% (94.1 ± 31.6) of the patients, while ferritin was high in 63.3% (954.0 (508.4 to 5,394.0)). In the 19 patients where a day 7 sample was available, variation between baseline and day 7 was statistically signifi cant for transferrin (97.9 ± 37.5 to 132.7 ± 48.3, P = 0.013) and ferritin (478.0 (224.5 to 1,741.0) to 376.0 (187.0 to 886.7), P = 0.018), while iron levels showed a trend towards increasing levels at day 7 (17.0 (6.5 to 44.3) to 29.0 (21.0 to 54.0), P = 0.061). Baseline SOFA score trends to be lower in hypoferrinemic patients (7.7 ± 3.8 vs. 12.4 ± 1.9, P = 0.098). The Spearman test showed a weak correlation only between SOFA and iron levels (P = 0.008; r2 = 0.48). Introduction By introducing a blood-saving-bundle (BSB) consisting of a closed-loop arterial blood sampling system, smaller tubes and an attempt to reduce the number of blood samples, we aimed to reduce blood loss caused by diagnostic blood sampling and to minimize the development of anemia in a high-risk group of mechanically ventilated intensive care patients. p Methods Included were all patients from our medical ICU who were ventilated for more than 72 hours. Exclusion criteria were acute or chronic anemia on admission, a bleeding episode during the ICU stay or end-of-life therapy. The BSB was introduced in 2009 with training and educational support. Patients treated in the year 2008 before the introduction of the BSB served as a control group and were compared to patients treated in 2010 after introduction of the BSB (BSB group). Daily blood loss was calculated on the basis of the documentation of blood samples and laboratory values in the patient data management system and by using data from two representative study periods in which the sample volumes of all diagnostic blood tests were measured. Results The control group comprised of 41 patients (614 observation days), the BSB group of 50 patients (559 observation days). Evaluation of iron, transferrin and ferritin serum levels in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock Evaluation of iron, transferrin and ferritin serum levels in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock M Missano Florido, M Assunção, B Mazza, M Jackiu, F Freitas, A Bafi , F Machado UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P424 (doi: 10.1186/cc11031) M Missano Florido, M Assunção, B Mazza, M Jackiu, F Freitas, A Bafi , F Machado UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P424 (doi: 10.1186/cc11031) Introduction Iron metabolism is altered in critically ill patients leading to hypoferremia. Several studies related it to infl ammatory response [1,2]. The present study aims to evaluate iron, transferrin and ferritin serum levels in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock and its association with severity of organ dysfunction. y g y Methods A prospective observational cohort study, unicentric, in a tertiary teaching hospital. From November 2010 to October 2011 patients over 18 years old with severe sepsis or septic shock with up to 72 hours of organ dysfunction were included. Exclusion criteria were blood transfusion or iron supplementation in the last 90 days, previous inclusion and pregnancy. After obtaining informed consent, blood samples were taken at baseline and on day 7. Demographic and APACHE II and SOFA data were also collected. Patients who were transfused with red blood cells between the two periods were excluded from the day 7 sample. Patients were followed until hospital discharge or death. Conclusion Angiogenic factors and their soluble receptors, particularly sVEGFR1, play pivotal roles in the development of organ dysfunction in DIC associated with severe trauma. The DIC-induced tissue hypoxia and platelet consumption plays crucial roles in inducing sVEGFR1 and Ang2, and in determining the prognosis of the severity of organ dysfunction. P426 P424 g y Results DIC patients showed higher Sequential Organ Failure Assess- ment (SOFA) scores, soluble fi brin and lactate levels. The serum levels of VEGF, Ang1, and the sTie2 levels were lower in the DIC patients than the non-DIC patients. The serum levels of sVEGFR1, Ang2 and the Ang2/Ang1 ratio in the DIC patients were higher than in those without DIC. The sVEGFR2 levels showed no statistically signifi cant diff erence between the patients with and without DIC. The levels of sVEGFR1, Ang2 and the Ang2/Ang1 ratio correlated with the SOFA score. In particular, sVEGFR1 and Ang2 were independent predictors of an increase in the SOFA score. The lactate levels independently predicted increases in the levels of sVEGFR1 and Ang2 and platelet consumption also independently predicted the increase in Ang2 levels in severe trauma patients with DIC. R Riessen, M Behmenburg, G Blumenstock, D Guenon, S Enkel, M Haap University Hospital Tübingen, Germany l l (d ) Mean blood loss per ICU day decreased from 43.3 ml (95% CI 41.2 to 45.3 ml) in the controls to 15.0 ml (14.3 to 15.7 ml) in the BSB group (P <0.001). The introduction of a closed-loop arterial blood sampling system contributed most to this eff ect. Mean hemoglobin values showed a similar decrease in both groups during the ICU stay. However, hemoglobin values <9 g/dl were measured in 21.2% of observation days in the controls versus 15.4% in the BSB group (P = 0.01). In the control group 31.7% (18.1 to 48.1%) of the patients received red blood cell transfusions in contrast to only 8.0% (2.2 to 19.2%) in the BSB group (P = 0.006), while the hemoglobin concentration triggering transfusion was not signifi cantly diff erent (8.2 vs. 7.8 g/dl). The mean number of intubation days was 7.1 days (6.1 to 8.3 days) in the controls and 7.5 days (6.6 to 8.5) in the BSB group (P = NS). However, patients in the BSB group stayed with a mean of 9.8 days (8.6 to 11.3 days) signifi cantly shorter in the ICU than controls with 13.2 days (10.9 to 15.4 days) (P = 0.014). Conclusion Septic patients have low iron and transferrin levels, associated with high ferritin levels, and those levels improved during the course of disease. Low iron levels might be associated with low SOFA scores. References 1 Lagan AL 1. Lagan AL, et al.: Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2008, 294:L161-L174. 2. Quinlan GJ, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1997, 155:479-484. Table 1 (abstract P423) Table 1 (abstract P423) 1 day before to 30 days after heparin held for suspect HIT Intervention Danaparoid 34 (26.2) Lepirudin 8 (6.2) Fondaparinux 11 (8.5) Argatroban 19 (14.6) Any of the above drugs 67 (51.5) Anti-embolic stockings 25 (19.2) Pneumatic compression device 37 (28.5) Anti-embolic stockings or pneumatic 49 (37.7) compression device Any of the above interventions 96 (73.8) Incident thromboses Venous thrombosis (including PE) 30 (23.1) Arterial thrombosis 1 (0.8) Progression of a previous thrombus 2 (1.5) Any of the above 31 (23.8) g Methods A decision model (TreeAge Software 2010) was constructed simulating the impact of AES and IPS on patient outcomes and costs following high-risk surgery in the UK. Probabilities were assessed from published data [1]. ICU and item costs were derived from NHS reference costs tablets. Assessed outcomes were cost per deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) prevented, net monetary benefi t and y yi incremental costs per quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALY) gained. Results Total costs for in-patients receiving AES were £923 and £1,010 for patients treated with IPC. Equipment costs and cost of initial care were higher in patients who received IPC, but this was partly off set by a reduction in costs related to treatment of early (DVT and PE) and late complications (post-thrombotic syndrome and pulmonary hypertension). IPC treatment increased QALY by approximately 0.01 years. The incremental cost-eff ectiveness of the IPC device was £12,650 per QALY gained. One-way sensitivity analysis revealed that the most sensitive variables were probability of developing a DVT resulting from the insignifi cant diff erence in treatment effi cacy.f iffi Conclusion Based on UK cost-eff ectiveness guidelines, our results indicate that IPC stockings should be used for patients at high risk of developing DVT. IPCs decrease the incidence of developing DVT and therefore result in cost savings related to preventive and therapeutic actions. For patients at low risk of developing DVT, AES are favoured due to higher utility and lower maintenance costs associated with AES. Due to the lack of reliable data on the incidence of PE as well as the absence of reliable head-to-head studies between IPC and AES, no generalisable conclusion to favour either strategy can be made. Conclusion Over 90% of patients with suspected HIT did not have HIT. A simple blood-saving bundle reduces diagnostic blood loss in mechanically ventilated patients R Riessen, M Behmenburg, G Blumenstock, D Guenon, S Enkel, M Haap University Hospital Tübingen, Germany Table 1 (abstract P423) One-half of patients with suspected HIT were prescribed another S152 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods Fifty-seven patients with severe trauma were divided into two subgroups: 30 DIC patients and 27 non-DIC patients. The serum levels of angiogenic factors were measured on admission (day 1), day 3, and day 5. We compared serum levels of these angiogenic factors between with and without DIC groups and evaluated their predictive value for organ dysfunction and outcome. anticoagulant and one-third received mechanical prophylaxis. Thrombotic rates are higher in patients with HIT and suspected HIT than other patients. The frequent suspicion of HIT in critically ill patients and initiation of other interventions may create a greater clinical and economic burden than HIT itself. Templating eff ect of clot structure can predict clot development and outcome in diluted blood: a comparison with thromboelastography g p y M Lawrence1, J Kaczynski2, S Stanford1, R Morris3, P Evans2 1Swansea University, Swansea, UK; 2ABMU LHB, Swansea, UK; 3UWIC, Cardiff , UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P429 (doi: 10.1186/cc11036) g p y M Lawrence1, J Kaczynski2, S Stanford1, R Morris3, P Evans2 1Swansea University, Swansea, UK; 2ABMU LHB, Swansea, UK; 3UWIC, Cardiff , UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P429 (doi: 10.1186/cc11036) Introduction Safety of patients is possible to increase applying early detection of intraoperative and postoperative hemorrhage using the widening array of monitoring opportunities; not only the hemodynamic parameters, but the detection of total hemoglobin. Continuous noninvasive monitoring of total hemoglobin content is possible due to the Masimo Rainbow SET technology, using multiwave spectrophotometry. Introduction Treatment of major hemorrhage with colloids is known to have an eff ect on clot outcome. However, determining both the rate and extent of these changes is diffi cult. Development of a new biomarker has shown that it can detect structural development earlier and quantifi es these changes to clot outcome accurately when compared to other methods. This study compares the fractal dimension, Df [1], found when the clot fi rst forms to measures of mature clot fi rmness obtained from thromboelastography. p p y Methods Seventy-eight patients aged 15 to 59 (35.9  ±  1.62) with laparoscopic gynecological operations were included in the research after permission of the ethics committee and signing the informing agreement. Total hemoglobin was detected by laboratory method invasively, discretely and delayed. Total hemoglobin was detected by another method oximetrically (SpHb) during the monitoring process on the platform Rainbow SET technology noninvasive, continuous, and promptly. SpHb was compared with total hemoglobin on the following stages of the research: before the operation, during the operation and in the early postoperative period. Statistical analysis was fulfi lled by comparing real and tabular (critical) criteria of reliability – Student test. Results During the detection of total hemoglobin by the laboratory method, the mean value was 121.5 ± 17.28 g/l, while oximetrically it occurred 118.6 ± 17.41 g/l. The real criterion of reliability (tr) was 0.85, the critical criterion of reliability (tcr) was 2.63.if y Methods Forty healthy blood samples were obtained; each sample was allocated a random dilution ratio (10%, 20%, 40%, 60%) and diluted with gelofusine. These were matched with 40 healthy samples that were undiluted. Reference 1. Evans P, et al.: Blood 2010, 116:3341-3346. 8 Use of coagulation screening in the critical care unit A Rice, R Paterson, C Cairns Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P428 (doi: 10.1186/cc11035) Introduction The aim of this audit is to compare the eff ectiveness of indiscriminate coagulation testing versus selective testing based on clinical indications within the HDU setting. Coagulation tests (PT and APTT) are often taken as a matter of routine alongside patient’s daily blood tests in the critical care setting. Abnormal coagulation results rarely alter patient management while repeated testing has signifi cant detrimental fi nancial implications. Reference Templating eff ect of clot structure can predict clot development and outcome in diluted blood: a comparison with thromboelastography An oscillatory shear technique was applied to the blood using an AR-G2 measuring Df (clot structure). Additionally the clot development in terms of fi rmness was measured using a ROTEM analyser measuring at 5, 10, 15 minutes and its maximum (A5, A10, A15, MCF).i Results Df signifi cantly decreases with increasing dilution. The decrease in structural complexity indicates that gelofusine even at 40% dilution is producing poor quality clots. See Table 1. Table 1 (abstract P429). Change in Df with dilution Dilution % Df 0 1.74 (0.05) 10 1.72 (0.04) 20 1.70 (0.06) 40* 1.63 (0.05) 60* 1.59 (0.06) *Signifi cant decrease from 0%. Table 1 (abstract P429). Change in Df with dilution Conclusion We did not discover statistically signifi cant diff erences of total hemoglobin determined by two diff erent methods. Thereby, noninvasive monitoring of total hemoglobin contention using multiwave spectrophotometry by Masimo Rainbow SET technology can serve as an appropriate replacement for the laboratory screening of hemoglobin. Conclusion Df that is measured at the incipient clot is found much sooner than the mature clot parameters, between 5 and 30 minutes earlier. Df is signifi cantly correlated (P <0.05) with the mature clot parameters of clot fi rmness (A5, A10, A15 and MCF) and elasticity (G’max). This suggests that in dilution Df can determine the eventual clot outcome very early. Measurement of Df could guide fl uid replacement and component therapy more accurately and earlier than conventional markers. P428 P428 Use of coagulation screening in the critical care unit A Rice, R Paterson, C Cairns Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P428 (doi: 10.1186/cc11035) Using angiogenic factors and their soluble receptors to predict organ dysfunction in patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with severe trauma T Wada1, S Jesmin2, S Gando3, S Zaedi2, H Yokota1 , , , , 1Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan; 2National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 3Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P425 (doi: 10.1186/cc11032) , , , , 1Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan; 2National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 3Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P425 (doi: 10.1186/cc11032) Introduction Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is observed after not only sepsis but also trauma. DIC is associated with concomitant activation of coagulofi brinolytic disorder and systemic infl ammation with endothelial dysfunction and microvascular permeability. The angiogenic factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin (Ang), and their receptors, play crucial roles in angiogenesis and microvascular permeability. The aim of the study was to assess: the relationship between angiogenic factors, their soluble receptors and organ dysfunction associated with DIC precipitated by severe trauma; and the eff ects of DIC-induced platelet consumption, thrombin generation and tissue hypoxia on the expression of these factors and receptors. Conclusion Our BSB could easily be implemented and was able to reduce diagnostic blood loss by 65%. After introduction of the BSB we observed less transfusions and a shorter ICU stay in mechanically ventilated patients; this, however, has to be interpreted with caution due to the longitudinal study design. S153 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P427 Comparative assessment of invasive and noninvasive methods for detection of total hemoglobin in gynecological patients’ blood AV Pyregov, SV Petrov Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Moscow, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P427 (doi: 10.1186/cc11034) P427 P429 Templating eff ect of clot structure can predict clot development and outcome in diluted blood: a comparison with thromboelastography Templating eff ect of clot structure can predict clot development and outcome in diluted blood: a comparison with thromboelastography M Lawrence1, J Kaczynski2, S Stanford1, R Morris3, P Evans2 1Swansea University, Swansea, UK; 2ABMU LHB, Swansea, UK; 3UWIC, Cardiff , UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P429 (doi: 10.1186/cc11036) P432 3 Thromboelastography (platelet contribution to clot strength) for the assessment of platelet residual function D Haxhiademi1, S Parri1, A Cerillo1, P Del Sarto1, R Paniccia2, D Prisco2 1Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio, Massa, Italy; 2Thrombosis Centre, University of Florence, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P432 (doi: 10.1186/cc11039) Thromboelastography (platelet contribution to clot strength) for the assessment of platelet residual function D Haxhiademi1, S Parri1, A Cerillo1, P Del Sarto1, R Paniccia2, D Prisco2 1Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio, Massa, Italy; 2Thrombosis Centre, University of Florence, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P432 (doi: 10.1186/cc11039) P430 Methods Rheometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were used to monitor and image the formation of fi brin clots. Clotting was initiated by the addition of diff erent levels of thrombin to solutions of a fi xed concentration of fi brinogen. Each sample was divided into two aliquots; one added to the measuring geometry of an AR-G2 rheometer and one to the microscope slide for the spinning disk CLSM (Olympus IX71). Results The micrographs of formed clots (Figure 1) show marked qualitative diff erences in clot architecture. Upon increasing the available thrombin, the clot network (visually) appears more dense. Table 1 shows the value of the structural biomarker, the fractal dimen- sion, that corresponds to the clots formed in Figure 1. Conclusion We demonstrate, for the fi rst time, that the fractal dimen- sion obtained by rheometry is a sensitive measure of visually observed structural diff erences within the fi brin network. Rheometrical detection of incipient clots formed in whole blood provides the clinician with a powerful tool for the diagnosis of thromboembolic disease. Reference 1. Scott et al.: Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2004, 2:1558-1566. P432 Thromboelastography (platelet contribution to clot strength) for the assessment of platelet residual function D Haxhiademi1, S Parri1, A Cerillo1, P Del Sarto1, R Paniccia2, D Prisco2 1Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio, Massa, Italy; 2Thrombosis Centre, University of Florence, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P432 (doi: 10.1186/cc11039) Introduction In the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery, platelet dysfunction is one of the main causes of excessive bleeding; there is still controversy regarding the timing of antiplatelet therapy Table 1 (abstract P431). Results of the fractal dimension obtained by rheometry of fi brin clots Thrombin (NIH) Fractal dimension 0.02 1.85 0.1 1.95 0.3 2.13 Table 1 (abstract P430) Mean Df Mean MCF (mm) Pre enoxaparin 1.79 ± 0.08 68.0 ± 8.0 Post enoxaparin 1.64 ± 0.10 64.3 ± 4.2 Figure 1 (abstract P430). Table 1 (abstract P430) Mean Df Mean MCF (mm) Pre enoxaparin 1.79 ± 0.08 68.0 ± 8.0 Post enoxaparin 1.64 ± 0.10 64.3 ± 4.2 Figure 1 (abstract P430). Table 1 (abstract P431). Results of the fractal dimension obtained by rheometry of fi brin clots Thrombin (NIH) Fractal dimension 0.02 1.85 0.1 1.95 0.3 2.13 Table 1 (abstract P431). Results of the fractal dimension obtained by rheometry of fi brin clots Figure 1 (abstract P430). y References 1. Evans PA, et al.: Blood 2010, 116:3341-3346. 2. Levi M, Opal SM: Crit Care 2006, 10:222. P430 architecture with several diseases including sepsis, bleeding or acute thromboembolic disease [1]. We investigate our biomarker by examining the relationship between thrombin generation and clot architecture in an in vitro model. Methods Rheometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were used to monitor and image the formation of fi brin clots. Clotting was initiated by the addition of diff erent levels of thrombin to solutions of a fi xed concentration of fi brinogen. Each sample was divided into two aliquots; one added to the measuring geometry of an AR-G2 rheometer and one to the microscope slide for the spinning disk CLSM (Olympus IX71). y p Results The micrographs of formed clots (Figure 1) show marked qualitative diff erences in clot architecture. Upon increasing the available thrombin, the clot network (visually) appears more dense. Table 1 shows the value of the structural biomarker, the fractal dimen- sion, that corresponds to the clots formed in Figure 1.i Figure 1 (abstract P430). admission, at 6 hours and 24 hours to assess pathophysiological state and progression. Twelve patients were recruited: nine severe sepsis and three severe DKA with metabolic disorder. Twelve healthy volunteers were recruited as a matched control. Conclusion We demonstrate, for the fi rst time, that the fractal dimen- sion obtained by rheometry is a sensitive measure of visually observed structural diff erences within the fi brin network. Rheometrical detection of incipient clots formed in whole blood provides the clinician with a powerful tool for the diagnosis of thromboembolic disease. Reference Results Mean Df in the control group was 1.73 ± 0.03 whereas mean Df in DKA and sepsis was found to be 1.77  ±  0.07 and 1.65  ±  0.05 respectively. Marked diff erences were observed in Df and maximum clot fi rmness (MCF) in response to treatment intervention (Figure 1). Furthermore, patients saw a dramatic decrease in Df post enoxaparin, but no signifi cant change in MCF was observed (Table 1). 1. Scott et al.: Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2004, 2:1558-1566. gi g Conclusion Df shows specifi city between severe DKA and sepsis. Df shows sensitivity to treatment intervention and illness progression in the critically ill. P432 P430 i p Methods Over a 14-day period, the blood results of HDU patients were prospectively analysed in order to assess whether or not a coagulation screen was conducted and whether or not this was appropriate based on clinical indications. Following targeted education towards medical and nursing staff , including publicising a list of clinical indications within the unit, the audit cycle was repeated. y p Results Prior to education, only 37% of coagulation screens were clinically indicated. Following implementation of the indications this rose to 50%. Using the guidelines in the second round there was 100% identifi cation of abnormal results compared to only 81% prior to education. On review of all these data we were able to extrapolate that prior to targeted education there was a 2:1 ratio of appropriate to inappropriate coagulation testing, post intervention this rose to 5:1. Conclusion With local targeted education of staff we signifi cantly reduced the number of inappropriate coagulation tests undertaken within our unit from 65% to 27%. Along with this we had a 100% detection rate for abnormal results using our list of clinical indications for testing. In our high turnover critical care unit this would indicate potential savings of around £10,000 per annum; a signifi cant amount in an organisation with longstanding fi nancial constraints. Introduction Recent research [1] has highlighted a novel new biomarker of haemostasis: the fractal dimension (Df). This new biomarker relates the kinetics of clot formation to clot outcome in whole blood and allows us to quantify the complexity of the fi brin network microstructure which is believed to be the template for development of the mature clot. It is well established that abnormalities in haemostasis contribute to the pathogenicity of critical illness [2]. This prospective study aims to assess the eff ect of critical illness on clot structure and monitor the sensitivity of Df to therapeutic intervention. Methods Patients with critical illness inducing SIRS were recruited on admission to the intensive therapy unit in a large teaching hospital in Wales. Blood was taken for routine coagulation testing, ROTEM thromboelastometry and rheological analysis (Df and Tgel) on S154 architecture with several diseases including sepsis, bleeding or acute thromboembolic disease [1]. We investigate our biomarker by examining the relationship between thrombin generation and clot architecture in an in vitro model. References 1. Kauvar DS: Impact of haemorrhage on trauma outcome: an overview of epidemiology clinical presentation and therapeutic considerations. J Trauma 2006, 60:S3-S11. 2. WHO: Injuries and Violence: Facts. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2010. f f 3. Dawn M, Mark D, Pasquale M, Thomas W: Impact of pre-injury warfarin use in elderly trauma patients. J Trauma 2000, 48:3. 3. Dawn M, Mark D, Pasquale M, Thomas W: Impact of pre-injury warfarin use in elderly trauma patients. J Trauma 2000, 48:3. 3. Dawn M, Mark D, Pasquale M, Thomas W: Impact of pre-injury warfarin use in elderly trauma patients. J Trauma 2000, 48:3. P434 Retrospective comparison study of warfarinised trauma patients and an age-matched control group of nonwarfarinised patients M Omar, P Stevens, T Jenkins, K Morris, H Hussain, A Evans Morriston Hospital, Swansea, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P434 (doi: 10.1186/cc11041) Introduction There are several studies stating the association of mortality between trauma and anticoagulation; however, it is diffi cult to ascertain a credible conclusion due to the small number of data and inconclusive results. Some studies have showed a signifi cant increased risk of morbidity and mortality. We analysed retrospective data of 45,798 trauma patients, out of which 254 were on warfarin. The incidence of death continues to rise and there are no specifi c strategies to reduce haemodilution and coagulopathy which maybe the underlying cause of mortality. Results There was no signifi cant association between bleeding at 4, 6 and 12 hours and any of the preoperative tests. There was no signifi cant association between bleeding at 4, 6 and 12 hours and any of the standard laboratory tests. Platelet contribution to clot strength (%pltMA) detected by TEG showed a signifi cant association with postoperative blood loss (at 4, 6 and 12 hours, respectively P = 0.02, P = 0.02, P = 0.01). Methods A retrospective analysis of a national database collected in 2009 and 2010, from the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) UK. The data also contain vital information including age, Glasgow Coma Scale (GSC), Injury Severity Score (ISS), INR, blood products given, number of days in hospital and clinical outcome. We evaluated trauma patients who were on warfarin therapy and compared their clinical outcome and mortality to age-matched patients with similar injuries not on warfarin. Conclusion Our data confi rm the utility of perioperative evaluation of platelet contribution to clot strength evaluated by TEG. It helps to understand the mechanism behind the surgical bleeding and reduce empirical transfusions. References 1 Hartmann References 1. Hartmann M, et al.: Transfus Med Rev 2006, 20:230-241. 2. Ferraris V, et al.: Ann Thorac Surg 2011, 91:944-982. 3. Mousa SA, et al.: Thromb Res 2001, 104:49-56. 2. Ferraris V, et al.: Ann Thorac Surg 2011, 91:944-982. Results A total of 45,780 adult patients were analysed. These were subdivided into 32,225 young patients under 65 years with median age 60.5, of which 59 were on warfarin; and 13,555 older patients aged over 65 with median age 80.4, of which 195 were on warfarin. The mortality rate in warfarinised patients was signifi cantly higher than in the nonwarfarinised age-matched group aged <65 (5/59, 8.5% vs. 1,223/32,163, 3.8%; P <0.001; 95% CI). The group age >65 included 13,555, of which 195 were warfarinised (4.7/195, 24.1% vs. 1,501/13,360, 11.3%; P <0.001; 95% CI). 3. Mousa SA, et al.: Thromb Res 2001, 104:49-56. Fractal dimension: a biomarker for detecting acute thromboembolic disease Introduction In the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery, platelet dysfunction is one of the main causes of excessive bleeding; there is still controversy regarding the timing of antiplatelet therapy discontinuation [1]. The Clinical Practice Guidelines of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons recommend that point-of-care (POC) testing may help identify patients who can safely undergo urgent operations [2]. This study was designed to test the relationship between platelet function as revealed by POC tests and postoperative bleeding in patients that undergo cardiac surgery without suspending thienopyridines at least 5 days prior to surgery. K Hawkins1, N Badiei1, J Weisel2, I Chernysh2, PR Williams1, MJ Lawrence1, PA Evans1 1Swansea University, Swansea, UK; 2University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P431 (doi: 10.1186/cc11038) Introduction This study investigates the potential use of rheometry to provide a structural biomarker for acute critical illness. Previous studies have reported an association of altered fi brin clot network Figure 1 (abstract P431). CLSM micrographs of formed fi brin clots at thrombin levels of 0.02, 0.1 and 0.3 NIH. Figure 1 (abstract P431). CLSM micrographs of formed fi brin clots at thrombin levels of 0.02, 0.1 and 0.3 NIH. S155 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods Adult patients scheduled for cardiac operations in which thienopyridines were not discontinued at least 5 days before surgery were included. From November 2010 to February 2011, 20 patients were enrolled in this pilot study. Samples were taken before induction of anesthesia (T0) and 2 hours after arrival in the ICU (T1). Standard laboratory tests and the following POCs were performed: multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA), PFA 100 and thromboelastography (TEG). Functional fi brinogen level (FFL) is a recent modifi cation of TEG used to investigate the function of fi brinogen [3]. We used the combination of TEG and FFL to detect platelet contribution to the clot strength.i Measurement of hemoglobin in the operating room: what methods can we trust? B Giraud, D Frasca, O Mimoz CHU La Milétrie Poitiers, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P433 (doi: 10.1186/cc11040) Conclusion This data analysis proves that mortality is signifi cantly higher in warfarinised patients compared to the nonwarfarinised age- matched group. Future research needs to focus on both developing a practical procedure reducing risks of morbidity and mortality by exploring coagulopathy and early correction of coagulations. Anticoagulated patients are more likely to receive aggressive i.v. fl uid resuscitations as the result of haemorrhage which leads to haemodilution and further exacerbates coagulopathy. This cascade of events is the underlying mechanism causative to mortality. References Introduction A noninvasive and continuous monitoring of total hemoglobin (Hb) by spectrophotometry was recently marketed (SpHb; Masimo, Irvine, CA, USA). The main objective of this study was to determine the absolute and trend accuracy of SpHb compared to Hb assessment at the laboratory (HbLab) used as the reference method. Methods After obtaining ethics committee approval and informed consent, 51 adult patients (29 men, 22 women, age 18 to 90 years) undergoing major surgery with expected large blood loss were enrolled in the study. Patients wore Rainbow adult resposable sensors (R2–25, Revision E) connected to a Radical-7 Pulse CO-Oximeter, software version 7.6.0.1. HbLab values were obtained by analyzing arterial blood samples at the laboratory using a Sysmex XT-2100i automated hematology analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Paris, France). The same samples were also analyzed with a satellite laboratory CO- Oximeter (Siemens RapidPoint 405 CO-Oximeter; Siemens, Munich, Germany), HbSat, and a point-of-care hemoglobinometer (HemoCue, Hb201; Ångelholm, Sweden), HcueArt. At the same time, a fourth drop of blood after skin puncture on the ear or fi nger was taken for capillary blood sampling tested also with the HemoCue: HcueCap. Invasive Hb values were compared to Sphb obtained at the time of the blood draw. An initial set was collected before surgery. Then blood samples were taken on approximately an hourly basis or more often if clinically indicated. Bland–Altman method plots were used to compare absolute accuracy of test devices to laboratory values. The ability of the test devices to follow the trend of the changes in Hb values reported by the reference device was assessed by plotting the diff erence between subsequent measurements reported by each device to the diff erence in subsequent measurements reported by the reference device, and a coeffi cient of determination (R2) was calculated. P436 Reducing ICU blood draws with artifi cial intelligence FC Cismondi1, AS Fialho1, SM Vieira2, LA Celi1, SR Reti3, JM Sousa2, SN Finkelstein1 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; 2IST, Lisbon, Portugal; 3BIDMC, Brookline, MA, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P436 (doi: 10.1186/cc11043) Results The analysis of fi ndings showed both sepsis and pneumonia development in an acute period of burn disease to be accompanied by disorders of anticoagulant, fi brinolytic and procoagulant parts of the hemostasis system typical for DIC syndrome. The changes of hemostasis system indices were not only the characteristic of infection in burned patients but they preceded the diagnosis of sepsis and pneumonia in the clinic on average by 2 to 4 days. In patients with pneumonia, relevant and statistically signifi cant were the activity changes of XIIa- dependent fi brinolysis, from the second to sixth days. And on the third to seventh days there was reliable pneumonia development with decreased activity of antithrombin III. In patients with sepsis were revealed changes of XIIa-dependent fi brinolysis activity – from the third to seventh days – and antithrombin III activity – from the third to the sixth days. Introduction Recent studies have demonstrated that frequent laboratory testing does not necessarily relate to better outcomes. Our aim is to reduce unnecessary blood draws for ICU laboratory tests by predicting which tests are likely to return as normal or abnormal and therefore infl uence clinical management around gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Methods An artifi cial intelligence tool, namely fuzzy systems, was applied to 1,092 GI bleed patients extracted from a large ICU database with over 32,000 patients. A classifi cation approach for laboratory test outcome was utilized for a total of seven outcome variables shown in Table 1. The outcome for each test was binarized as normal or abnormal. Input variables included 10 physiological variables such as heart rate, temperature and urine output, as well as further data on transfusions for platelets, red blood cells and plasma.i y Conclusion The development of both local and generalized infection in an acute period of burn disease occurs against the background of DIC syndrome induced by a serious heat injury. The indices of hemostasis system can be included into a complex of clinic and laboratory studies aimed at detecting infection and early intensive etiopathological therapy. In medical–surgical ICU patients, major bleeding is common but independent of heparin prophylaxis If one could predict in advance whether a laboratory test would be normal or abnormal then that particular laboratory test may not be ordered, and thereby reducing potential complications and costs. In this work we present an artifi cial intelligence method for the classifying the likelihood of a blood test being normal or abnormal. Our results show acceptable classifi cation accuracy both in terms of sensitivity and specifi city. Conclusion Reducing frequent laboratory testing, and potential phlebotomy complications, is a major concern in critical care medicine. If one could predict in advance whether a laboratory test would be normal or abnormal then that particular laboratory test may not be ordered, and thereby reducing potential complications and costs. In this work we present an artifi cial intelligence method for the classifying the likelihood of a blood test being normal or abnormal. Our results show acceptable classifi cation accuracy both in terms of sensitivity and specifi city. site and severity of each bleeding event, which was reevaluated by two independent blinded adjudicators. Patients with trauma, orthopedic surgery or neurosurgery were excluded. Major bleeding was defi ned as life threatening, occurring in critical sites, requiring ≥2 units of red blood cells or an invasive intervention, or associated with an unexplained decrease in systolic blood pressure (≥20 mmHg) or increase in heart rate (≥20 beats/minute). We used Cox proportional hazard models adjusting for age, APACHE II, reason for ICU admission, end-stage renal disease, drugs aff ecting coagulation, coagulation parameters and life- support interventions to identify predictors of bleeding. P437 y Results Among 3,746 patients, 208 had major bleeding (5.6%, 95% CI 4.9 to 6.3%). The commonest bleeding sites were: gastrointestinal tract (51.9%), surgical site (30.3%), respiratory tract (15.9%), retroperitoneal (8.2%) and intracranial (3.4%). Independent predictors of major bleeding (expressed as hazard ratio with 95% CI) were: prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) (1.10, 1.05 to 1.14 per 10-second increase), thrombocytopenia (1.16, 1.09 to 1.24 per 50×109/l decrease in platelet count), therapeutic heparin (3.26, 1.72 to 6.17), anti- platelet agents (that is, acetylsalicylic acid and/or clopidogrel) (1.38, 1.02 to 1.88), renal replacement therapy (1.75, 1.20 to 2.56) and surgery in the preceding 3 days (1.64, 1.01 to 2.65). Prophylactic dalteparin in the preceding 3 days was not associated with bleeding. In medical–surgical ICU patients, major bleeding is common but independent of heparin prophylaxis F Lauzier1, D Arnold2, C Rabbat2, D Heels-Ansdell2, P Dodek3, B Ashley3, M Albert4, K Khwaja5, M Ostermann6, Y Skrobik4, R Fowler7, L McIntyre8, J Nates9, T Karachi2, R Lopes10, N Zytaruk2, M Crowther2, D Cook2 1CHA-Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 2McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; 3University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; 4Université de Montréal, Canada; 5Université McGill, Montréal, Canada; 6King’s College London, UK; 7University of Toronto, Canada; 8Université d’Ottawa, Canada; 9MD Anderson Hospital, Houston, TX, USA; 10Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA fi ( ) Results The study included 210 measurements. HbLab ranged between 6.8 and 16.3 g/dl. Compared to the reference method, the average bias was 0.96 ± 2.78 g/dl for SpHb, 0.16 ± 0.45 g/dl for HcueArt, 0.5 ± 1.71 g/dl for HcueCap and 0.81 ± 1.04 g/dl for HbSat. R2 values were 0.39 for SpHb, 0.93 for HcueArt, 0.53 for HcueCap and 0.47 for HbSat. Conclusion This study shows that HcueArt seem the most reliable method of Hb assessment. The SpHb has a lower accuracy, but its ability to monitor Hb continuously and noninvasively remains attractive and development of this method should be encouraged. Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P435 (doi: 10.1186/cc11042) Results The study included 210 measurements. HbLab ranged between 6.8 and 16.3 g/dl. Compared to the reference method, the average bias was 0.96 ± 2.78 g/dl for SpHb, 0.16 ± 0.45 g/dl for HcueArt, 0.5 ± 1.71 g/dl for HcueCap and 0.81 ± 1.04 g/dl for HbSat. R2 values were 0.39 for SpHb, 0.93 for HcueArt, 0.53 for HcueCap and 0.47 for HbSat. Introduction Bleeding frequently complicates critical illness. Our objec tives were to describe the incidence, locations and predictors of major bleeding in patients with low risk of bleeding receiving thromboprophylaxis. Conclusion This study shows that HcueArt seem the most reliable method of Hb assessment. The SpHb has a lower accuracy, but its ability to monitor Hb continuously and noninvasively remains attractive and development of this method should be encouraged. p p y Methods In the PROTECT trial comparing dalteparin to unfractionated heparin for thromboprophylaxis in medical–surgical ICU patients, research coordinators used a validated ICU-specifi c tool to describe the S156 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion Reducing frequent laboratory testing, and potential phlebotomy complications, is a major concern in critical care medicine. Hemostasis system condition in infectious complication development in severe burned patients Infectious septic complications were diagnosed in the clinic on the basis of clinical and laboratory fi ndings, as well as confi rmed by morphological studies in casualties (44 from 102 patients). Diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) syndrome was made based on standard criteria. P436 Results Classifi cation accuracy of greater than 80% was achieved for all of the seven outcome variables (Table 1). Sensitivity and specifi city were satisfactory for all the outcomes. Input variables frequently selected as most predictive of normal or abnormal results include urine output and red blood cell transfusion. Table 1 (abstract P436). Classifi cation results Outcome ACC (%) Sensitivity Specifi city Calcium 85 ± 2.3 0.88 ± 0.3 0.81 ± 0.1 PTT 86 ± 1.2 0.89 ± 0.1 0.82 ± 0.2 Hematocrit 82 ± 1.6 0.84 ± 0.2 0.78 ± 0.1 Fibrinogen 84 ± 2.8 0.87 ± 0.3 0.80 ± 0.4 Lactate 80 ± 2.2 0.82 ± 0.2 0.77 ± 0.4 Platelets 88 ± 1.3 0.90 ± 0.1 0.85 ± 0.2 Hemoglobin 84 ± 3.1 0.85 ± 0.3 0.81 ± 0.2 ACC, accuracy of classifi cation. Table 1 (abstract P436). Classifi cation results Table 1 (abstract P436). Classifi cation results Outcome ACC (%) Sensitivity Specifi city Calcium 85 ± 2.3 0.88 ± 0.3 0.81 ± 0.1 PTT 86 ± 1.2 0.89 ± 0.1 0.82 ± 0.2 Hematocrit 82 ± 1.6 0.84 ± 0.2 0.78 ± 0.1 Fibrinogen 84 ± 2.8 0.87 ± 0.3 0.80 ± 0.4 Lactate 80 ± 2.2 0.82 ± 0.2 0.77 ± 0.4 Platelets 88 ± 1.3 0.90 ± 0.1 0.85 ± 0.2 Hemoglobin 84 ± 3.1 0.85 ± 0.3 0.81 ± 0.2 ACC, accuracy of classifi cation. P438 Randomized comparison of fi brinogen concentrate versus cryoprecipitate for bleeding control in pediatric cardiac surgery (FICCS study) F Galas1, L Hajjar1, B Sorensen2, J Almeida1, M Sundin1, V Guimaraes1, S Zeff erino1, L Camara1, F Maua1, M Moreira1, C Puttini1, M Carmona1, J Auler Jr1, R Nakamura1 1Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust & King’s College London School of Medicine, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P438 (doi: 10.1186/cc11045) Introduction We compared hemostatic outcomes after treatment with fi brinogen concentrate or cryoprecipitate in pediatric cardiac surgery patients with intraoperative bleeding. Hemostasis system condition in infectious complication development in severe burned patients Introduction Over the period of the history of combustiology one of the main problems for treatment of patients with burns is infection, both local – bacterial pneumonia – and generalized – sepsis – characterized by extremely severe course, complex diagnostics and high lethality rate. However, the role of hemostasis disorders in infectious complication development in severe burned patients is taken into consideration insuffi ciently. The aim of the study is to reveal the most relevant hemostasis system changes in sepsis and pneumonia in patients with serious heat injury in an acute period of burn disease. Methods Hemostasis and biochemical blood parameters were studied in 169 patients with over 20% of the body burned, from the fi rst to 12th days after burn. Sepsis developed in 33 patients, 69 patients had pneumonia, and in 67 patients there were no complications of sepsis and pneumonia. Infectious septic complications were diagnosed in the clinic on the basis of clinical and laboratory fi ndings, as well as confi rmed by morphological studies in casualties (44 from 102 patients). Diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) syndrome was made based on standard criteria.i Introduction Over the period of the history of combustiology one of the main problems for treatment of patients with burns is infection, both local – bacterial pneumonia – and generalized – sepsis – characterized by extremely severe course, complex diagnostics and high lethality rate. However, the role of hemostasis disorders in infectious complication development in severe burned patients is taken into consideration insuffi ciently. The aim of the study is to reveal the most relevant hemostasis system changes in sepsis and pneumonia in patients with serious heat injury in an acute period of burn disease. Conclusion Major bleeding occurred in 5.6% of medical–surgical ICU patients. Prolonged aPTT, thrombocytopenia, therapeutic (but not prophylactic) heparin, anti-platelet agents and recent surgery are potentially modifi able and independent predictors of bleeding. in patients with serious heat injury in an acute period of burn disease. Methods Hemostasis and biochemical blood parameters were studied in 169 patients with over 20% of the body burned, from the fi rst to 12th days after burn. Sepsis developed in 33 patients, 69 patients had pneumonia, and in 67 patients there were no complications of sepsis and pneumonia. P440 Reduced EPO receptor expression may contribute to limited pleiotropic eff ects of EPO during critical illness O McCook, S Matějková, J Matallo, A Scheuerle, P Moeller, M Georgieff , E Calzia, P Radermacher, H Schelzig University Medical School Ulm, Germany Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P440 (doi: 10.1186/cc11047) Introduction We showed neuroprotective and renoprotective eff ects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) after kidney and spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury [1,2], but clinical studies using rhEPO to prevent acute kidney injury yielded equivocal results [3,4]. Increased cytokine release and/or oxidative stress can cause EPO resistance due to receptor modifi cation and/or downregulation [5]. Since we recently failed to confi rm rhEPO-related kidney protection in atherosclerotic swine [6], we compared kidney EPO receptor expression in swine strains with and without pre-existing vascular disease and kidney dysfunction. g Results Sixty-three patients (fi brinogen concentrate: 30; cryoprecipitate: 33) completed the study. The median age was 3 years 5 months and the median weight was 6.7 kg. Median fi brinogen doses were 504 mg (fi brinogen concentrate) and 402 mg (cryoprecipitate). Plasma fi brinogen concentrations increased after study medication and were similar in the two groups. No signifi cant between-group diff erences were observed in PT, aPTT or platelet count. In both groups, all ROTEM parameters showed signifi cant improvement after study medication, with no clinically relevant between-group diff erences in any of the EXTEM, INTEM or FIBTEM clotting parameters. Total avoidance of allogeneic blood product transfusion was achieved in 70% of patients in the fi brinogen concentrate group versus 18.2% in the cryoprecipitate group (P <0.001). The mean bleeding mass was signifi cantly lower in the fi brinogen concentrate group than in the cryoprecipitate group after 30 minutes. The thorax was opened after study medication in zero patients (0%) in the fi brinogen concentrate group and in six patients (18.2%) in the cryoprecipitate group (P = 0.025). y y Methods EPO receptor expression was quantifi ed with immunohisto- chemistry (densitometric image analysis) of formalin-fi xed paraffi n sections from pre-injury kidney biopsies taken in young and healthy pigs (German Landrace, up to now n = 4) as well as swine (FBM strain, up to now n = 6) with familial hypercholesteremia (11.1 (7.4; 12.3) vs. 1.4 (1.3; 1.5) mmol/l, P <0.001, n = 20 and 15, respectively, P <0.001) and consecutive, diet-induced atherosclerosis [7]. P441 Recognition and management of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis on the ICU: a case series R Baumber, B Agarwal, M Carrington Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P441 (doi: 10.1186/cc11048) Recognition and management of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis on the ICU: a case series R Baumber, B Agarwal, M Carrington Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P441 (doi: 10.1186/cc11048) y p y R Baumber, B Agarwal, M Carrington Methods We performed a randomized, double-blind study in 37 patients who underwent cesarean section. Patients were divided into two groups: the fi rst group (n = 19) received preoperative (30 minutes before operation) tranexamic acid 10 mg/kg; the second group (n = 18) received preoperative placebo. The condition of hemostasis was monitored by haemoviscoelastography. Introduction Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare haematological condition, with a reported incidence of the familial variety of the disease being 1.2 cases per 10,000 children per year. The acquired form of HLH predominantly aff ects adults and is almost always precipitated by infection, with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) being the commonest trigger. This results in abnormal activation and proliferation of histiocytes and macrophages. Widespread phagocytosis of blood cell components leads cytopenias, a strong proinfl ammatory response and cytokine release leading to tissue necrosis and multiple organ failure. A large majority of these patients will present to the ICU for organ support and the aim of this report is to provide an update on HLH and raise awareness of this rare condition amongst the critical care community. Results All patients included in the study before the surgery had moderate hypercoagulation and normal fi brinolysis: increasing of the intensity of clot formation (ICF) to 11.4% compared to normal rates; the intensity of the retraction and clot lysis (IRCL) was 16.45 ± 1.40 in both groups. At the start of the operation in patients (group 1) – ICF decreased 9.7% (P <0.05), and IRCL decreased 27.6% (P <0.05) compared with preoperatively. In group 2, ICF decreased 8.8% (P <0.05), and IRCL increased 11.4% (P <0.05) compared with preoperatively. At the end of the operation, the condition of hemostasis in both groups came almost to the same value – moderate hypocoagulation, depressed fi brinolysis. In both groups there were no thrombotic complications. P440 Results Atherosclerotic swine presented with reduced glomerular fi ltration rate (creatinine clearance 76 (60; 83) vs. 103 (79; 120) ml/ minute, n = 19 each, P = 0.004) and chronic histological kidney injury (dilatation of Bowman’s space, swelling of Bowman’s capsule, tubular dilatation and necrosis). EPO receptor expression was reduced by nearly two orders of magnitude in this strain (94.6 (8.3; 112.5)×107 vs. 1.7 (0.0; 4.7) ×107 densitometric units, P = 0.010). Conclusion Fibrinogen concentrate raised fi brinogen levels and improved coagulation measures to a similar degree as cryoprecipitate. Bleeding and transfusion of allogeneic blood products were lower in the fi brinogen concentrate group. Fibrinogen concentrate may be a valuable option for controlling bleeding and avoiding transfusion in cardiac surgery. Conclusion Even pretreatment with rhEPO did not infl uence I/R- induced acute kidney in swine with pre-existing impairment of kidney function and histological damage. The lacking benefi cial eff ect of rhEPO was most likely due to the reduced expression of the EPO receptor, which may also explain contradictory results in clinical trials due to the frequent underlying kidney disease in the patients recruited. References 1. Simon F, et al.: Crit Care Med 2008, 36:2143-2150. 2. Simon F, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:1525-1533. 3. Song YS, et al.: Am J Nephrol 2009, 30:253-260. 4. Endre ZH, et al.: Kidney Int 2010, 77:1020-1030. 5. van der Putten K, et al.: Nat Clin Pract Nephrol 2008, 4:47-57. 6. Simon F, et al.: Shock 2011, 36(Suppl 1):S24. 7. Thim T: Dan Med Bull 2010, 57:B4161. 1. Simon F, et al.: Crit Care Med 2008, 36:2143-2150. 2. Simon F, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:1525-1533. P439 Effi cacy of tranexamic acid in decreasing blood loss during cesarean section O Tarabrin, V Kaminskiy, S Galich, R Tkachenko, A Gulyaev, S Shcherbakov, D Gavrychenko Odessa National Medical University, Odessa, Ukraine Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P439 (doi: 10.1186/cc11046) 7. Thim T: Dan Med Bull 2010, 57:B4161. Introduction Despite signifi cant progress in obstetric care, the problem of bleeding during labor remains unfi nished. Annually in the world 125,000 women die from obstetric hemorrhage. Introduction Despite signifi cant progress in obstetric care, the problem of bleeding during labor remains unfi nished. Annually in the world 125,000 women die from obstetric hemorrhage. P438 S157 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods This was a single-center, randomized, open-label study. Key inclusion criteria were age <15 years, cardiac surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass, intraoperative bleeding after neutralization of heparin, and hypofi brinogenemia. Patients received fi brinogen concentrate (60 mg/kg body weight; Haemocomplettan® P) or cryo- precipitate (10 ml/kg body weight). After study medication, allogeneic blood products were administered as required. Blood samples taken immediately before randomization and 1, 24 and 48 hours after study medication were subjected to laboratory and thromboelastometry (ROTEM) coagulation tests.i No impact of a massive transfusion protocol on coagulopathy and mortality at a level 1 trauma center: why? C Bourassa-Fulop, J Chauny, J Paquet, R Daoust, E Notebaert Hôpital Sacré-Coeur, Montreal, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P444 (doi: 10.1186/cc11051) Introduction Blood transfusion is associated with worse outcome in critically ill patients. A restrictive strategy of blood transfusion has been advocated in patients undergoing cardiac surgery in order to avoid clinical complications related to exposure to blood components. Nevertheless, the blood transfusion rate remains elevated in clinical practice. Introduction In 2010 we studied the mortality and coagulopathy of all massively transfused patients at our hospital since 2004. We compared those who were transfused before the implementation of our massive transfusion protocol (MTP) (from 2004 to 2006) to those transfused with MTP. We found that our MTP did not lower mortality (35.7%) and our incidence of coagulopathy was high (72.6%). The aim of the present study is to explain those results, while concentrating uniquely on trauma patients. Methods We performed a retrospective study with 750 patients undergoing elective coronary arterial graft bypass (CABG) surgery, valvar surgery or combined procedure under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) between October 2010 and October 2011 at a university hospital cardiac surgery referral center in Brazil. We collected baseline characteristics and preoperative laboratory data, EuroSCORE, type of surgical procedure, intraoperative characteristics, blood transfusion exposure, postoperative severe complication as bleeding, low output cardiac syndrome, vasoplegia syndrome, myocardial ischemia, stroke, ventricular or supraventricular tachyarrhythmia, respiratory failure, acute renal failure, infection, ICU length of stay, hospital length of stay and mortality in 30 days. Methods We conducted a retrospective nested case–control study from our trauma registry. We included trauma patients who received 10 packed red blood cells (pRBC) or more in 24 hours and excluded those who died within the very fi rst hours of massive trauma. We extracted supplementary demographic and clinical data from the laboratory database and the hospital fi les. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression were used to compare the eff ect of the two approaches (MTP vs. non-MTP) on mortality and coagulopathy, defi ned as an INR ≥1.8, a PTT ≥54, a fi brinogen <1 g/l or a platelet count <50,000, while controlling for acidosis (defi ned as a pH ≤7.1), hypothermia (defi ned as ≤35°C) and Injury Severity Score (ISS) (critically injured if ISS ≥30). y y Results A total of 512 patients (68.4%) was exposed to blood transfusion components. Red blood transfusion is a predictor of poor outcome in pediatric cardiac surgery Results Twenty-four patients were identifi ed with a diagnosis of HLH, 18 males and six females, with mean age 42.6 years. A history of prior haematological malignancy, HIV infection and immunosuppressive therapy was present in six, fi ve and four patients respectively; no underlying medical condition was found in 5/24 patients. Infective causes were identifi ed in 15/24 patients, EBV in eight out of 15. Other infective causes were Cytomegalovirus, Toxoplasma gonadii, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Schistosomiasis. All patients were pancytopenic at ICU admission and had signifi cantly elevated serum ferritin (15,771  ±  17,718) and triglyceride (3.8  ±  2.05) levels. Eleven out of 24 patients displayed features of acute liver involvement. Mean APACHE II score was 20.5 ± 5.1 and mean SAPS II was 51.3 ± 12.1. Ten out of 24 survived to ICU discharge, and 6/24 (25%) were alive at the time of hospital discharge. The survivors had lower APACHE and SAPS scores, and were associated with a non-EBV infection and a lower incidence of liver involvement. C Colognesi, R Maia, L Hajjar, F Galas Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P443 (doi: 10.1186/cc11050) Introduction Red blood cell transfusion is associated with morbidity and mortality among adults undergoing cardiac surgery. We aimed to evaluate the association of transfusion with morbidity in pediatric cardiac surgical patients. The purpose of this study was to assess whether red blood cell transfusions result in worse outcomes after cardiac surgery in pediatric patients. g y Methods We studied an observational and prospective cohort of 200 patients undergoing cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease. We recorded baseline characteristics, RACHS-1 score, intraoperative data, cardiopulmonary bypass length, type of surgery, transfusion requirement and postoperative complications as need for reoperation, time of mechanical ventilation, cardiovascular complications, acute renal failure, infection, readmission at ICU and death during 28 days. Results One hundred and twenty-four patients were exposed to blood components. Seventy-seven percent of patients presented at least one major complication. There was no diff erence between transfused and nontransfused patients regarding baseline or intraoperative characteristics. Transfused patients presented a higher incidence of major complications than nontransfused patients (93.5% vs. 54.5%, P = 0.002). In a multivariate analysis, red blood cell transfusion was an independent risk factor for clinical complications including death in 28 days (OR = 2.2 (95% CI 1.4 to 23.4)). P443 variables, HLH disease characteristics, acute physiological derangement (APACHE II and SAPS II), and outcome. 1. Hajjar LA, Vincent JL, Galas FR, Nakamura RE, Silva CM, Santos MH, et al.: Transfusion requirements after cardiac surgery: the TRACS randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2010, 304:1559-1567. Red blood transfusion is a predictor of poor outcome in pediatric cardiac surgery Conclusion HLH is a rare but fatal haematological syndrome that in its acquired form may present to ICU clinicians for organ support. Diagnosis of HLH in the intensive care setting may be diffi cult because sepsis may cause similar clinical and laboratory abnormalities. Presence of more severe acute physiological derangement, EBV aetiology and features of liver failure portend a poor prognosis in HLH. g y Results One hundred and twenty-four patients were exposed to blood components. Seventy-seven percent of patients presented at least one major complication. There was no diff erence between transfused and nontransfused patients regarding baseline or intraoperative characteristics. Transfused patients presented a higher incidence of major complications than nontransfused patients (93.5% vs. 54.5%, P = 0.002). In a multivariate analysis, red blood cell transfusion was an independent risk factor for clinical complications including death in 28 days (OR = 2.2 (95% CI 1.4 to 23.4)). 1. Henter JI, et al.: HLH 2004: diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007, 48:124-131. Conclusion Blood transfusion after pediatric cardiac surgery is a risk factor for worse outcome. Avoiding blood transfusion may reduce mortality in this population. Blood transfusion is an independent predicting factor for poor outcome after cardiac surgery J Almeida, S Zeferino, F Galas, J Fukushima, L Camara, M Lima, T Santos, M Ferreira, J Auler Jr, R Kalil Filho, L Hajjar Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P442 (doi: 10.1186/cc11049) g y J Almeida, S Zeferino, F Galas, J Fukushima, L Camara, M Lima, T Santos, M Ferreira, J Auler Jr, R Kalil Filho, L Hajjar Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P442 (doi: 10.1186/cc11049) P441 Intraoperative blood loss in the fi rst group was 300 ± 40.5 and in the second was 500 ± 60.6.i Methods A single-centre retrospective review of case records of all patients admitted to our ICU, in a tertiary haematology referral centre, in the last 5 years with a confi rmed or suspected diagnosis of HLH, based on HLH-2004 guidelines. Data were collected on demographic Conclusion Using tranexamic acid before surgery signifi cantly reduces intraoperative blood loss by 40%, without thrombotic complications. S158 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P442 Blood transfusion is an independent predicting factor for poor outcome after cardiac surgery J Almeida, S Zeferino, F Galas, J Fukushima, L Camara, M Lima, T Santos, M Ferreira, J Auler Jr, R Kalil Filho, L Hajjar Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P442 (doi: 10.1186/cc11049) P444 No impact of a massive transfusion protocol on coagulopathy and mortality at a level 1 trauma center: why? C Bourassa-Fulop, J Chauny, J Paquet, R Daoust, E Notebaert Hôpital Sacré-Coeur, Montreal, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P444 (doi: 10.1186/cc11051) Massive transfusion practice M C b ll G Y k d l S L y Results We enrolled 37 patients with severe sepsis/septic shock requiring RBC transfusion. After transfusion, the mean arterial pressure increased from 79  ±  9 to 82  ±  10 (T1a vs. T0: P <0.05) and 83  ±  10 mmHg (T1b vs. T0: P <0.001). Besides a nonstatistically signifi cant drop in arterial partial oxygen pressure, we observed no change in arterial blood gases and vital signs. Overall, RBC transfusion did not alter any of the MD-assessed parameters (that is, lactate, pyruvate, glycerol and glucose) or blood lactate, but it decreased the tissue LP ratio from (T0) 18.80 (interquartile range (IQR), 14.85 to 27.45) to (T1a) 17.80 (IQR, 14.35 to 25.20) (P <0.05) and (T1b) 17.90 (IQR, 14.45 to 22.75) (P <0.001). The post-transfusion changes in LP ratio at T1a (r = –0.42; 95% CI, –0.66 to –0.098; P = 0.01) and T1b (r = –0.68; 95% CI, –0.82 to –0.44; P <0.001) were signifi cantly correlated with the pre-transfusion LP ratio but not with baseline demographic characteristics, vital signs, severity scores, hemoglobin level and blood lactate. Finally, 39.0% of the transfused RBC units were leukoreduced and their median storage time was 16 days (IQR, 11 to 24). RBC storage time and leukocyte reduction had no infl uence on the tissue metabolic response to transfusion. Introduction Management of massive blood loss requires a multi- disciplinary team approach. Current guidelines are varied and generic with a lack of adherence when it comes to management of massive haemorrhage. The aim of our survey was to assess the transfusion practice in the management of massive haemorrhage in a busy district general hospital with a tertiary neurosurgical centre and the busiest obstetric unit in London. Methods A retrospective analysis of cases requiring transfusion of more than 6 units of red blood cells (RBC), between January 2009 and January 2010. Sixty-eight cases of massive transfusion were identifi ed, and data collected included causes of the haemorrhage, patient’s demographics and past medical background, investigations (FBC, clotting), use of blood products and patient outcome. Results There were 21 gastrointestinal, 17 vascular, 12 general surgical, seven trauma, six obstetric, and fi ve haematology–oncology patients. Thirty-one per cent of patients were 61 to 80 years old. Overall mortality was 35%, highest mortality among vascular patients. Average blood products per patient: RBC 9 units, fresh frozen plasma (FFP) 4 units, platelets (PLT) 1.2 units, cryoprecipitate 0.67 units. No impact of a massive transfusion protocol on coagulopathy and mortality at a level 1 trauma center: why? Transfused patients presented a higher number of severe clinical complications in the postoperative period compared to non- trans fused patients (74 (34.1%) vs. 312 (61.9%), P <0.0001). Also, the mor tality rate was higher in transfused patients than nontransfused patients (1 (0.5%) vs. 18 (3.6%), P <0.016). In a multivariate analysis, age, obesity, perioperative myocardial ischemia, valve disease, heart failure, blood transfusion and CPB duration are independently associated with mortality. y y y Results Of the 84 trauma patients, 23 were transfused with the MTP and 61 without. The average ISS score was very high (29.2), most were male (73.8%) and the average age was 41 years. The MTP versus non-MTP groups were similar in regards to age, sex, pH, temperature, ISS and Revised Trauma Score, but the MTP group received more transfusions (40% vs. 22% when dichotomized in two groups: above 20 pRBC and between 10 and 20 pRBC). The mortality and coagulopathy were similar in both the MTP and non-MTP group (39% vs. 34% and 65% vs. 75% respectively). PTM did not aff ect mortality or coagulopathy, even when controlling for all other variables. Individually, both hypothermia (OR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.1 to 6.8) and acidosis (OR = 4.3, 95% CI:1.6 to 13.0) signifi cantly aff ected mortality, while the number of pRBC (OR = 3.8, 95% CI: 1.1 to 14.1) was the main determinate for coagulopathy. Conclusion Blood component exposure is associated with poor outcome and mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Despite the evidence that blood transfusion is associated with worse outcome, the blood transfusion rates remain unacceptably high in clinical practice. Reference S159 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 data regarding its impact on tissue metabolism. The aim of this study was to explore the eff ect of RBC transfusion on microdialysis-assessed interstitial fl uid metabolic parameters in septic patients. Conclusion In our population of severely injured patients, the MTP was not found to be benefi cial in regards to mortality nor coagulopathy. Hypothermia and acidosis seem to be the main determinants for mortality and should be among the priorities in caring for trauma patients. l Methods We conducted an observational, clinical study in a 25- bed, medical–surgical ICU of a university hospital. Blood transfusion after cardiac surgery increases the hospital length of stay in adult patients Blood transfusion after cardiac surgery increases the hospital length of stay in adult patients L Hajjar1, JL Vincent2, J Almeida1, F Jatene1, A Rodrigues1, J Fukushima1, R Nakamura1, C Silva1, E Osawa1, R Kalil1, F Galas1, J Auler Jr1 1Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Erasme Hospital, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P447 (doi: 10.1186/cc11054) L Hajjar1, JL Vincent2, J Almeida1, F Jatene1, A Rodrigues1, J Fukushima1, R Nakamura1, C Silva1, E Osawa1, R Kalil1, F Galas1, J Auler Jr1 1Heart Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Erasme Hospital, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium C l C (S l ) P (d / ) Conclusion Blood product use varied widely irrespective of speciality, the dependent factor being individual doctors involved in patient management. Due to diffi culty of accessing and their complexity in emergency situations, it was noted that hospital guidelines were disregarded. FFP was the commonly used blood product while cryoprecipitate and tranexamic acid were underused. Only 56% of patients had FBC and clotting screen to guide transfusion management. In these patients the ratio of cryoprecipitate and PLTs to RBCs was higher. This survey showed the need for revised, easily accessible and user-friendly guidelines for the management of massive haemorrhages. The results of this survey helped to establish point- of-care testing (thromboelastography) to provide a target controlled therapy and make the use of blood and blood products cost-eff ective. References Introduction Transfusion of allogeneic red blood cells (RBC) is a recognized risk factor for adverse outcomes following cardiac surgery. A potential endpoint to assess clinical complications and incremental use of resources is the measurement of hospital length of stay (LOS). The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between blood transfusion and increased hospital LOS after cardiac surgery. y Methods A prospective observational substudy that analyzed data from the overall 502 patients enrolled in the Transfusion Requirements After Cardiac Surgery (TRACS) study [1]. Patients who received blood transfusion during surgery or ICU stay were further categorized according to the number of prescribed RBC units: nontransfusion group, low transfusion requirement group (3 units or less), and high transfusion requirement group (more than 4 units). 1. CRASH-2 Trial Collaborators et al.: Lancet 2010, 376:23-32. 2. Johansson PI, Stensballe J: Transfusion 2010, 50:701-710. 3. Zink KA, Sambasivan CN, Holcomb JB, Chisholm G, Schreiber MA: Am J Surg 2009, 197:565-570. 4. Blood transfusion after cardiac surgery increases the hospital length of stay in adult patients Enriquez LJ, Shore-Lesserson L: Br J Anaesth 2009, 103(Suppl 1):i14–i22. q g p Results Patients who received any RBC unit had longer median LOS than patients in the nontransfusion group: 15 days (95% CI, 12.66 to 17.34) in high transfusion requirement group versus 10 days (95% CI, 9.1 to 10.9) in low transfusion group versus 8 days (95% CI, 7.4 to 8.6) in nontransfusion group (P <0.001). In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model the following factors were considered predictive: age older than 65 years (hazard ratio (HR), 1.38 (95% CI, 1.11 to 1.73); P = 0.004), EuroSCORE 3 to 5 (HR, 1.44 (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.86); P = 0.005), EuroSCORE higher than 5 (HR, 1.7 (95% CI, 1.26 to 2.28); P <0.001), valvular surgery (HR, 1.57 (95% CI, 1.26 to 1.95); P <0.001), combined procedure (HR, 1.6 (95% CI, 1.03 to 2.46); P = 0.034), bypass duration higher than 100 minutes (HR, 1.23 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.51); P = 0.046), LVEF lower than 40% (HR, 1.69 (95% CI, 1.24 to 2.32); P = 0.001), LVEF 40 to 59% (HR, 1.36 (95% CI, 1.1 to 1.69); P = 0.004), RBC transfusion Massive transfusion practice M C b ll G Y k d l S L Tranexamic acid was used in eight cases and factor VII in one case. At the time of haemorrhage, FBC, clotting screen and fi brinogen levels were requested in 56% of patients. In this group, FFP, PLTs and cryoprecipitate were used more frequently with mean use of blood products: RBC 9 units, FFP 5 units, PLT 1.5 units, and cryoprecipitate 1 unit. l p Conclusion Tissue oxygenation is improved by red blood cell transfusion in critically ill septic patients. Monitoring of the tissue LP ratio by microdialysis may represent a useful method for individual clinical management. P447 Reference 1. Cotton BA, et al.: J Trauma 2009, 66:41-49. No impact of a massive transfusion protocol on coagulopathy and mortality at a level 1 trauma center: why? We analyzed the eff ect of transfusion of either 1 or 2 RBC units on interstitial fl uid metabolic activity by means of a microdialysis (MD) catheter inserted in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of the upper thigh. Samples were collected before (T0) and after (T1a and T1b; spaced out by 4 hours) transfusion. Lactate, pyruvate, glycerol and glucose concentrations were measured with a bedside analyzer and the lactate/pyruvate (LP) ratio was calculated automatically. Reference P446 Red blood cell transfusion improves microdialysis-assessed interstitial lactate/pyruvate ratio in critically ill septic patients P Kopterides, N Nikitas, M Theodorakopoulou, A Diamantakis, D Vassiliadi, A Kaziani, S Assoti, F Drakopanagiotakis, A Antonopoulou, P Papadopoulos, E Mavrou, C Georgiadou, A Tsantes, A Armaganidis, I Dimopoulou ‘Attiko’ University Hospital, Haidari – Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P446 (doi: 10.1186/cc11053) Red blood cell transfusion improves microdialysis-assessed interstitial lactate/pyruvate ratio in critically ill septic patients P Kopterides, N Nikitas, M Theodorakopoulou, A Diamantakis, D Vassiliadi, A Kaziani, S Assoti, F Drakopanagiotakis, A Antonopoulou, P Papadopoulos, E Mavrou, C Georgiadou, A Tsantes, A Armaganidis, I Dimopoulou ‘Attiko’ University Hospital, Haidari – Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P446 (doi: 10.1186/cc11053) Red blood cell transfusion improves microdialysis-assessed interstitial lactate/pyruvate ratio in critically ill septic patients P Kopterides, N Nikitas, M Theodorakopoulou, A Diamantakis, D Vassiliadi, A Kaziani, S Assoti, F Drakopanagiotakis, A Antonopoulou, P Papadopoulos, E Mavrou, C Georgiadou, A Tsantes, A Armaganidis, I Dimopoulou ‘Attiko’ University Hospital, Haidari – Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P446 (doi: 10.1186/cc11053) Impact on early trauma mortality of the adoption of the Updated European Guidelines on the management of bleeding C l 1 G d 2 G R ld 2 C S dd 2 S R 2 C l 2 Impact on early trauma mortality of the adoption of the Updated European Guidelines on the management of bleeding E Cingolani1, G Nardi2, G Ranaldi2, C Siddi2, S Rogante2, A Ciarlone2 1Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Roma, Italy; 2S.Camillo Hospital, Roma, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P450 (doi: 10.1186/cc11057) Methods We conducted a cross-over randomized interventional study, enrolling 10 healthy adults. Nine volunteers completed the study; one volunteer could not complete the protocol because of anemia. Each volunteer received 1 unit of 40-day and 1 unit of 3-day stored autologous leukoreduced PRBC, on diff erent study days according to a randomization scheme. Blood withdrawal and reactive hyperemia index (RHI) measurements were performed before and 10 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours after transfusion. E Cingolani1, G Nardi2, G Ranaldi2, C Siddi2, S Rogante2, A Ciarlone2 1Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Roma, Italy; 2S.Camillo Hospital, Roma, Italy E Cingolani1, G Nardi2, G Ranaldi2, C Siddi2, S Rogante2, A Ciarlone2 1Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Roma, Italy; 2S.Camillo Hospital, Roma, Italy Introduction Post-traumatic bleeding is the leading cause of potentially preventable death among trauma patients. The Updated European Guidelines (UEG), published at the beginning of 2010, were aimed to provide an evidence-based multidisciplinary approach to improve the management of the critically injured bleeding trauma patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the implementation of UEG recommendations on early hospital mortality for severe trauma in a high-fl ow trauma center. Introduction Post-traumatic bleeding is the leading cause of potentially preventable death among trauma patients. The Updated European Guidelines (UEG), published at the beginning of 2010, were aimed to provide an evidence-based multidisciplinary approach to improve the management of the critically injured bleeding trauma patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the implementation of UEG recommendations on early hospital mortality for severe trauma in a high-fl ow trauma center. Results The change of RHI after transfusion of 40-day stored PRBC did not diff er as compared to 3-day stored PRBC (P  =  0.67). Plasma hemoglobin and bilirubin levels were higher after transfusion of 40-day than after 3-day stored PRBC (P = 0.02 and 0.001, respectively). Plasma levels of potassium, LDH, haptoglobin, cytokines, as well as blood pressure, did not diff er between the two transfusions and remained within the normal range. Red blood cell transfusion improves microdialysis-assessed interstitial lactate/pyruvate ratio in critically ill septic patients Red blood cell transfusion improves microdialysis-assessed interstitial lactate/pyruvate ratio in critically ill septic patients y y P Kopterides, N Nikitas, M Theodorakopoulou, A Diamantakis, p , , p , , D Vassiliadi, A Kaziani, S Assoti, F Drakopanagiotakis, A Antonopoulou, P Papadopoulos, E Mavrou, C Georgiadou, A Tsantes, A Armaganidis, I Dimopoulou Introduction Even though red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is a common intervention in the critical care setting, there is a paucity of S160 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 of 1 to 3  units (HR, 1.24 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.53); P <0.001), and RBC transfusion >3 units (HR, 1.96 (95% CI, 1.45 to 2.66); P <0.001). In an adjusted model for age, EuroSCORE, type of surgical procedure, LVEF and cardiopulmonary bypass time, the exposure to RBC transfusion was associated with an elevated LOS. controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies comparing the eff ect of two or more diff erent PLT:RBC ratios in trauma resuscitation. We excluded studies using whole blood or systematically addressing the use of hemostatic products. Two independent reviewers selected the studies, extracted data using a standardized form, and assessed the risk of bias using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale and a checklist of key methodological elements (for example, use of massive transfusion protocol, survival bias). Disagreements were solved by consensus or a third party. The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were multiple organ failure (MOF), lung injury and sepsis. A meta- analysis using random eff ects models was planned. controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies comparing the eff ect of two or more diff erent PLT:RBC ratios in trauma resuscitation. We excluded studies using whole blood or systematically addressing the use of hemostatic products. Two independent reviewers selected the studies, extracted data using a standardized form, and assessed the risk of bias using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale and a checklist of key methodological elements (for example, use of massive transfusion protocol, survival bias). Disagreements were solved by consensus or a third party. The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were multiple organ failure (MOF), lung injury and sepsis. A meta- analysis using random eff ects models was planned. Conclusion Blood transfusion is an independent risk factor for prolonged hospital LOS after cardiac surgery. P449 Liberal use of platelet transfusions in the acute phase of trauma resuscitation: a systematic review J Hallet1, F Lauzier1, O Mailloux2, V Trottier1, P Archambault2, R Zarychanski3, AF Turgeon1 1CHA-Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 2Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 3University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P449 (doi: 10.1186/cc11056) Rossaint et al.: Crit Care 2010, 14:R52. Red blood cell transfusion improves microdialysis-assessed interstitial lactate/pyruvate ratio in critically ill septic patients This fi nding can support the development of blood conservation strategies in order to avoid deleterious outcomes of blood exposure. Reference 1. Hajjar LA, Vincent JL, Galas FR, et al.: Transfusion requirements after cardiac surgery: the TRACS randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2010, 304:1559-1567. y gf p Results From 6,123 citations, seven observational studies were included (n = 4,230 patients). No RCT was identifi ed. All studies were considered to be at low risk of bias and addressed confoundings through multivariate regression or propensity scores. Four studies (n = 1,978) reported a decrease in mortality with higher PLT:RBC ratios in patients requiring massive transfusion and one study observed no mortality diff erence (n = 1,181) in nonmassively transfused patients. Two studies reported on the implementation of a massive transfusion protocol with higher PLT:RBC ratios; only one revealed a survival benefi t (n = 211). Of the three studies accounting for survival bias, two demonstrated a survival benefi t (n  =  1,300). Among two studies reporting on the secondary outcomes (n = 854), one observed an increase in MOF with higher PLT:RBC ratios. Clinical heterogeneity between studies and methodological limitations precluded the use of a meta-analysis.fi P448 P448 Transfusion of blood stored for longer periods of time does not alter the reactive hyperemia index in healthy volunteers A Coppadoro1, L Berra2, B Yu2, C Lei2, E Spagnolli2, AU Steinbicker2, KD Bloch2, T Lin2, HS Warren2, FY Sammy2, BO Fernandez3, M Feelisch3, WH Dzik2, CP Stowell2, WM Zapol2 1University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy; 2Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 3University of Warwick, Coventry, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P448 (doi: 10.1186/cc11055) Introduction The purpose of this study is to investigate the eff ects of transfusing human packed red blood cells (PRBC) after prolonged storage, as compared to short storage. Retrospective data suggest that transfusion of PRBC stored for over 2 weeks is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. During storage, PRBC progressively release hemoglobin, which avidly binds nitric oxide (NO). We hypothesized that the NO-mediated hyperemic response following ischemia would be reduced after transfusion of PRBC stored for 40 days. Conclusion There is insuffi cient evidence to strongly support the use of a specifi c PLT:RBC ratio for acute trauma resuscitation, especially considering survival bias and nonmassively transfused patients. RCTs examining both safety and effi cacy of liberal PLT transfusions are warranted. Impact on early trauma mortality of the adoption of the Updated European Guidelines on the management of bleeding C l 1 G d 2 G R ld 2 C S dd 2 S R 2 C l 2 Plasma nitrite concentrations increased after transfusion of 40-day stored PRBC, but not after transfusion of 3-day stored PRBC (P = 0.01). gl Methods S. Camillo Hospital is a level 1 trauma center based in downtown Rome, with a catchment population of 2.5 million people. UEG recommendations were formally adopted and implemented since 1 April 2010. The pre-existing hospital guidelines were modifi ed as follows: immediate pelvic ring closure for all unstable patients with a suspected pelvic fracture; early administration of plasma with a higher rate of plasma/blood units; early use of thromboelastometry to monitor bleeding patients; and early use of antifi brinolitics for all bleeding patients. Data on trauma admissions and early hospital (6 hours) mortality before (2009) and after the adoption of the UEG were collected using the hospital registry, and were subsequently analysed. Results A total of 1,617 patients met the criteria for full trauma team activation (551 in 2009, 528 in 2010 and 538 during the fi rst 11 months of 2011). There were no diff erences for gender, age, mechanism of injury and average ISS. In 2009 21 patients died within the fi rst 6 hours versus 17 in 2010 and 12 in 2011; P = 0.3, P for trend = 0.1 Hemorrhage was the most important cause of death within this time-span. All early trauma deaths occurred in the operating room or in the emergency room during the initial stabilization. Conclusion Transfusion of 1 unit of autologous PRBC stored for longer periods of time is associated with increased hemolysis, an unchanged RHI and increased levels of plasma nitrite in healthy volunteers. P451 Hemodynamics in the severely injured patient with signifi cant hemorrhage G Nardi, D Piredda, A Cossu, E Cingolani, M Cristofani, I Ghezzi S. Camillo Hospital, Roma, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P451 (doi: 10.1186/cc11058) outcome measures were in-hospital mortality and time to death. The secondary endpoint was to identify the eff ect of chronic medication on mortality. Categorical variables were compared by chi-squared test and continuous variables by Student’s t/Mann–Whitney tests. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to predict mortality. P <0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant. i Results The inclusion criteria were met by 261 patients. Age average was 75.57 years (SD 5.7). Male gender was more prevalent (58.5%) for all age groups. The median ISS was 17. The most frequent trauma mechanism was low-energy type (58.2%). Patients with chronic ACT numbered 41 (15.7%). The mean ICU stay was 12.8 days (SD 2.8). Global mortality was 34.1%. Age >78 years and ISS >18 were predictive of mortality (P <0.05) with a HR of 6.0 (CI 2.5 to 14.6) and 1.01 (CI 1.01 to 1.05) respectively. Furthermore, the time to death was found to be earlier in both of the latter groups (P <0.05). GCS <4 or bilateral mydriasis was associated with 100% mortality. About 15% of patients with low-energy trauma (LET) underwent ENS compared to 7.8% with high-energy trauma. For the same ISS category, ACT increases the risk with HR 2.7 (CI 1.2 to 6.3) of ENS compared with nonanticoagulated patients. Introduction Very little is known about the hemodynamic impairments induced by trauma and severe hemorrhage. The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of this topic. A recent paper has shown that about 50% of the hemorrhagic patients receive vasopressors [1] together with fl uids, blood and plasma. Fluids and vasopressors are aimed to restore patients’ hemodynamics; however, they might be detrimental. y g Methods The setting was a 10-bed trauma ICU in a level 1 trauma center with a catchment population of over 2.5 million people. This is a retrospective cohort study based on the data of the ICU electronic shift. During a 24-month period (2009 and 2010), 780 patients with major trauma (ISS >15) were admitted to the hospital; 410 of them were subsequently admitted to the shock and trauma ICU. All patients with ISS >15, who had received ≥5 blood units before ICU admission, and who were submitted to semi-invasive hemodynamic monitoring (PICCO), were entered into the study. p g p Conclusion LET accounted for most of the older trauma patients admitted to our ICU and had increased risk of death, especially with ACT. P451 Hemodynamics in the severely injured patient with signifi cant hemorrhage G Nardi, D Piredda, A Cossu, E Cingolani, M Cristofani, I Ghezzi S. Camillo Hospital, Roma, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P451 (doi: 10.1186/cc11058) Although this is not necessarily secondary to alarming mechanisms. Referencei y Results Thirty patients (mean age 42.7 ± 17, mean 37.5 ± 12) met the study criteria. At the time of insertion of the PICCO catheter (T0) the 30 patients had already received an average of 8,760 ml fl uids (3,239 ml blood, plasma and platelets, 4,870 ml crystalloids and 685 ml colloids). Systemic blood pressure, central venous pressure and heart rate at T0 were, as an average, in the normal range. Nevertheless, six patients (20%) had a Cardiac Index lower than 2.5 l/minute, and 76% had a DO2 signifi cantly lower than the normal range. In the subsequent 24 hours following the information of the PICCO, these patients received, as an average, an additional 6,070 ml fl uids, blood and plasma. All vasopressors were discontinued, but 40% of the patients received dobutamine. Within 24 hours (T24), oxygen transport (DO2) and lactate were back to the normal values in all patients but one. ICU mortality and hospital mortality were respectively 13.3% and 16%. 1. Spaniolas et al.: Ground level falls are associated with signifi cant mortality in elderly patient. J Trauma 2010, 69:821-825. Outcomes in older blunt chest wall trauma patients: a retrospective study y C Battle, H Hutchings, PA Evans C Battle, H Hutchings, PA Evans Swansea University, Swansea, UK y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P453 (doi: 10.1186/cc11060) Introduction Blunt chest wall trauma accounts for over 15% of all trauma admissions to emergency departments in the UK and has high morbidity and mortality rates [1]. Reported risk factors for morbidity and mortality in blunt chest trauma patients include patient age, pre-existing disease and three or more rib fractures [2]. No guidelines exist for management of this patient group unless the patient has severe immediate life-threatening injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate whether blunt chest wall trauma patients aged 65 years or more have higher rates of mortality, morbidity (respiratory complications), ICU admissions and hospital length of stay (HLOS) than patients aged less than 65 years. Conclusion A high percentage of the severely injured patients who received ≥5 units of PRC have a low oxygen transport at the time of ICU admission. A high percentage of them is treated with vasopressors. However, as 20% of the patients in our study had a low cardiac index in spite of a normal blood pressure and a highly positive fl uid balance, vasopressors might be harmful. In our experience, hemodynamic monitoring with PICCO allowed the early recognition of inappropriate oxygen transport and a goal-directed treatment. Our data do not support the use of vasopressors to increase blood pressure in trauma patients. Methods A retrospective study was completed in which the notes of 1,056 blunt chest wall trauma patients who presented in 2010 to the emergency department of a large regional trauma centre in Wales were examined. A total of 94 out of the 1,056 (9%) patients were admitted to hospital in 2010 with blunt chest wall trauma. Data were recorded for each of the admitted patients including patient age, severity of injury, morbidity, mortality, ICU admission and HLOS. Patients were grouped according to age; group one included all blunt chest wall trauma patients aged 65 years or more and group two included all patients aged less than 65 years. Pearson’s chi-square analyses were performed to determine whether any diff erences existed between the two groups and signifi cance set at P <0.05. Reference 1. J Trauma 2011, 71:17-19. Liberal use of platelet transfusions in the acute phase of trauma resuscitation: a systematic review y J Hallet1, F Lauzier1, O Mailloux2, V Trottier1, P Archambault2, R Zarychanski3, AF Turgeon1 1CHA-Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 2Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 3University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P449 (doi: 10.1186/cc11056) J Hallet1, F Lauzier1, O Mailloux2, V Trottier1, P Archambault2, R Zarychanski3, AF Turgeon1 1CHA-Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 2Université Laval, Québec, Canada; 3University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P449 (doi: 10.1186/cc11056) Introduction With the recognition of early trauma coagulopathy, trauma resuscitation has recently shifted towards early and aggressive transfusion of platelets (PLTs). However, the clinical benefi ts of this strategy remain controversial. This systematic review examined the impact of an aggressive approach (higher PLT:RBC ratios) compared to restrictive PLT transfusions (lower PLT:RBC ratios) in the acute phase of trauma resuscitation. Conclusion This is a retrospective cohort study based on the data of the S. Camillo Hospital registry and the emergency department electronic shift. With the limitations of all retrospective studies, our data suggest that the implementation of the European Guidelines recommendations might contribute to a relevant reduction in early trauma mortality. Reference Methods We systematically searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Biosis, Cochrane Central and Scopus to identify relevant randomized Rossaint et al.: Crit Care 2010, 14:R52. S161 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P451 Hemodynamics in the severely injured patient with signifi cant hemorrhage G Nardi, D Piredda, A Cossu, E Cingolani, M Cristofani, I Ghezzi S. Camillo Hospital, Roma, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P451 (doi: 10.1186/cc11058) P451 1. Trauma Audit and Research Network: Blunt Chest Trauma Admissions in the UK in 2010. TARN; 2011. (Kindly provided by Tom Jenks.) 2. Blecher GE, Mitra B, Cameron PA, et al.: Failed emergency department disposition to the ward of patients with thoracic injury. Injury 2008, 39:586-591. P455 Trauma patients and cervical spine protection in critical care: the impact of a spinal checklist on clinical care and documentation A Chick, C Scott, H Ellis, A Tipton Sheffi eld Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffi eld, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P455 (doi: 10.1186/cc11062) Introduction In October 2010 a specifi c online proforma for cervical spine (C-spine) assessment in the context of trauma was introduced in critical care in a large UK teaching hospital. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the Metavision Spinal Checklist (MSC) on clinical care and documentation. Prior to October 2010, the documentation of C-spine status on admission to critical care was incomplete or unclear in over 40% of these patients. Conclusion Surgical stabilization of spinal fractures avoids restrictive spinal braces and permits mobilization. Surgical fi xation of spinal fractures appears to decrease mortality and ITU stay and has a benefi cial eff ect on respiratory function, with regards to degree of ventilatory support and development of respiratory failure. Methods Patients were identifi ed from a comprehensive critical care database. Inclusion criteria: age >16; polytrauma or traumatic brain injury; other trauma where mechanism of injury suspicious for C-spine injury; admission date after 1 October 2010, before 30 November 2011. Exclusion criteria: pre-existing spinal injury; mechanism of trauma not consistent with C-spine injury. Clinical and MSC details were recorded, including sequential forms for individual patients where the C-spine status changed (for example, C-spine cleared and hard collar removed). Results A total of 62 patients met the inclusion criteria; 47% of these had been transferred from a district hospital. In patients with an MSC completed, there was 100% documentation of time, date and name of the completing critical care consultant. Seventy-fi ve per cent of initial MSCs indicated the name of the responsible consultant spinal surgeon. Seventy-nine per cent of patients with a completed MSC required their C-spines to be cleared after critical care admission. When completed, the initial MSC allowed clearance of C-spine and immediate removal of hard collar in 67% of those patients. There were clearly documented instructions for C-spine care from a spinal consultant in 92% of patients with a completed MSC. Overall, an MSC was completed for only 39% of patients, despite 53% of patients having sustained a spinal fracture at some level (for example, lumbar, thoracic or cervical). Eff ect of instrumented spinal fi xation on outcome in polytrauma patients in the ICU y j y g Results A total 951 patients were included (427 (30 months) before RRTT and 524 (39 months) after RRTT). Of these, 83 patients (8.8%) were dead after admission and analyzed for characters of mortality. The average age of mortality patients was 38.7 ± 16.3 years. Male was the predominant gender. The most common mechanism of injury was a motorcycle accident. Although there were no diff erences of character and mechanism of injuries between the two periods, patients associated with maxillofacial injury had signifi cant lower mortality after RRTT (28.5% vs. 10.5%; P = 0.04). However, the after RRTT group had signifi cantly higher occurrence of urinary complication and acute renal failure. The average adjusted monthly mortality rate was lower after RRTT (9.0 ± 6.1 vs. 6.9 ± 4.0%). Time series analysis between two periods demonstrated a decrease trend in monthly mortality after RRTT (coeffi cient (95% CI) = –0.61 (–1.13 to –0.23); P <0.01)). Introduction Spinal injuries in polytrauma patients carry high morbidity and mortality often necessitating intensive care admission. A review of polytrauma patients admitted to the ICU at The Royal Liverpool University Hospital was undertaken to investigate the eff ect of spinal instrumentation on outcome in the ITU. Methods A retrospective review of all polytraumatized patients admitted to the RLUH ICU over 3 years with a thoraco-lumbar spinal fracture. Clinical records, laboratory results and radiological records were accessed. Patients were grouped according to the use of instrumented spinal fi xation versus conservative management and outcomes compared. Results Fourteen polytrauma patients with spinal fractures were admitted to the ICU over 3 years, fi ve managed conservatively with a TLSO brace and nine managed operatively with instrumented spinal fi xation. The degree of injury as graded by the Injury Severity Scale (ISS) was lower in the nonoperative group (mean: 27, range: 14 to 59) compared to the operative group (mean: 36.1, range: 14 to 57). Mortality was signifi cantly higher in patients conservatively managed (nonoperative: 60%, operative: 0%) (P <0.01). The intubation time was lower in patients who underwent spinal instrumentation (mean: 12.3 days, range: 1 to 27 days), when compared to conservative management (mean: 16 days, range: 11 to 27 days), and similarly the ITU length of stay was reduced in the operative group (operative: mean 20.6 days, nonoperative: 32.25 days). Reference Reference Introduction The Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University established a rapid response trauma team (RRTT) in July 2006. The aims of this study were to verify mortality rate alteration after setting up the RRTT. 1. Morris CG, et al.: BMJ 2004, 329:495-499. P457 P457 P456f Methods We retrospectively collected data between January 2004 and September 2009. The month before July 2006 was defi ned as before RRTT and after July 2006 as after RRTT. The monthly mortality rate, severity injury score (ISS) and demographic data were collected. Mortality trend alteration of thoracic injury after rapid response trauma team establishment K Chittawatanarat, C Ditsatham, K Chandacham, T Jirapongchareonlap, N Chotirosniramit P454 Mortality trend alteration of thoracic injury after rapid response trauma team establishment K Chittawatanarat, C Ditsatham, K Chandacham, T Jirapongchareonlap, N Chotirosniramit Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P454 (doi: 10.1186/cc11061) Conclusion The uptake of this checklist has not been optimal, but the MSC provides an excellent tool for clear documentation of C-spine status. During this initial trial phase, October 2010 to December 2011, the MSC has been consultant-only. Further action will involve rolling- out the checklist to critical care trainee doctors to improve the rate of documentation of C-spine status and improve patient safety in this area of signifi cant clinical risk [1]. P455 The median time from critical care admission to MSC completion was 36 hours (range 3 hours to 12 days, mean 48 hours). Eff ect of instrumented spinal fi xation on outcome in polytrauma patients in the ICU Development of respiratory failure was decreased in patients treated with instrumented fi xation (operative 33.3%, nonoperative: 71%). Conclusion Rapid response trauma team establishment could decrease the mortality trend. A protective eff ect was predominant in patients associated with maxillofacial injury. Critical older trauma patients M Irazábal, S Yus, L Fernández M Irazábal, S Yus, L Fernández Introduction The aim of this study was characterize the older injured patient in our setting and identify risk factors that might predict mortality. Trauma is the fi fth leading cause of death over the age of 65. In Spain, it has become a major public health problem as a result of the increase of this population. It represents 30% of the trauma admissions to our ICU. Geriatric patients may have comorbidities, limited physiologic reserve, may be taking chronic medication and the injury pattern is diff erent [1]. i Results There was no signifi cant diff erence in severity of injury between the groups. The mortality rate and HLOS in the patients aged 65 years or more were signifi cantly higher (P <0.05) than in the younger patient group. There were no signifi cant diff erences between the morbidity rates and number of ICU admissions. Conclusion Blunt chest wall trauma patients have a signifi cantly higher rate of mortality and hospital length of stay if aged 65 years or more when compared to those patients aged less than 65 years. Older blunt chest wall trauma patients should be considered for a higher level of care on admission to hospital from the emergency department. References f Methods We retrospectively analyzed trauma patients aged 65 years and older admitted to our ICU from January 2000 through December 2010. Three groups were formed on the basis of age: 65 to 70, 71 to 78 and older than 78 years. The Injury Severity Score (ISS) was categorized into three ranges: >12, 12 to 18 and >18. Variables studied include: age, gender, mechanism of injury, anticoagulant therapy (ACT), ISS, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) or presence of pupillary abnormalities and need for emergent neurosurgery (ENS) at admission. Primary 1. Trauma Audit and Research Network: Blunt Chest Trauma Admissions in the UK in 2010. TARN; 2011. (Kindly provided by Tom Jenks.) y y 2. Blecher GE, Mitra B, Cameron PA, et al.: Failed emergency department disposition to the ward of patients with thoracic injury. Injury 2008, 39:586-591. S162 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P454 Mortality trend alteration of thoracic injury after rapid response trauma team establishment K Chittawatanarat, C Ditsatham, K Chandacham, T Jirapongchareonlap, N Chotirosniramit Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P454 (doi: 10.1186/cc11061) Whole body computed tomography scanning for severe blunt polytrauma: analysis of Trauma Audit and Research Network database 2005 to 2010 PA Hunt1, F Lecky2, O Bouamra2 1James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK; 2Hope Hospital, Salford, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P457 (doi: 10.1186/cc11064) Introduction There is growing evidence to recommend the use of whole body computed tomography (WBCT) scanning in the early management of severe blunt polytrauma patients. One recent study reported a survival advantage when using WBCT compared to a conventional imaging approach [1]. A number of UK NHS institutions already utilise WBCT protocols based upon either injury mechanism- related or physiological factors, or a combination of these. However, the UK Royal College of Radiologists is yet to provide recommendations on the use of WBCT in polytrauma. We present the results of our analysis of a large retrospective case series from 2005 to 2010 taken from the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) database. We believe this is the fi rst analysis of its kind involving UK trauma cases and provides S163 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 of maximal CPK levels (15,780 to 52,600 U/l), but more severe acidosis (lowest pH 7.0 to 7.2, maximum lactate: 7.5 to 28 mmol/l, acidosis duration: 72 to 84 hours). This acidosis turned out to be due to intra- abdominal complications: post-traumatic pancreatitis and mesenteric ischemia. The vital prognosis of post-traumatic crush injury was good but the sequelae of the compartment syndrome were major. The need for RRT was not linked to CPK levels but rather to acidosis due to intra- abdominal complications. of maximal CPK levels (15,780 to 52,600 U/l), but more severe acidosis (lowest pH 7.0 to 7.2, maximum lactate: 7.5 to 28 mmol/l, acidosis duration: 72 to 84 hours). This acidosis turned out to be due to intra- abdominal complications: post-traumatic pancreatitis and mesenteric ischemia. The vital prognosis of post-traumatic crush injury was good but the sequelae of the compartment syndrome were major. The need for RRT was not linked to CPK levels but rather to acidosis due to intra- abdominal complications. important evidence to support the use of WBCT and guide best clinical practice. Controlled mechanical ventilation tactics in patients with polytrauma during interhospital transportation to the specialized center A Shatalin1, S Kravtsov2, V Agadzhanyan2, D Skopintsev2 1Federal State Budgetary Medical Prohylactic Institution, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia; 2Federal State Budgetary Medical Prohylactic Institution ‘Scientifi c Clinical Center of the Miners Health Protection’, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P460 (doi: 10.1186/cc11067) A Shatalin1, S Kravtsov2, V Agadzhanyan2, D Skopintsev2 1Federal State Budgetary Medical Prohylactic Institution, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia; 2Federal State Budgetary Medical Prohylactic Institution ‘Scientifi c Clinical Center of the Miners Health Protection’, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P460 (doi: 10.1186/cc11067) Methods During 24 months, seven patients admitted to our surgical intensive care after polytrauma (ISS >15) suff ered severe rhabdomyolysis (CPK >5,000 U/l) treated by intensive fl uid resuscitation, bicarbonate and furosemide. Results The following data are reported in Table 1: renal function (initial creatinine, renal replacement therapy (RRT), rhabdomyolysis (maximal CPK and myoglobin), acidosis (lowest pH, highest lactate (HL), time lactate >5 mmol/l) and complications (mortality, neurological sequelae). Introduction This study is an analysis of the infl uence of con- trolled mechanical ventilation (CMV) with PEEP in conditions of pneumocompression of the Chestnut antishock suit on the hemodynamics and blood oxygenation in patients with polytrauma during interhospital transportation. q Conclusion Survival was 100% but neurological impairment in the limbs is a major complication. The two RRT patients had a wide range Methods Seventy-two patients with polytrauma complicated by II and III stage ARDS were included in the study. The mean age was 33 ± 2 years. All patients were divided into two equal groups. The control group (CG) CMV was carried out with no PEEP. The experimental group (EG) CMV was carried out with PEEP 8 to 10 mbar. Both groups received the CMV regimen with Vt 7 ml/kg, Pmax 30 mbar. The injury severity according to the ISS was 37.6 ± 1 points in the EG and 39.1 ± 1 in the CG. The transportation time was 135 ± 7 minutes, the distance was 136 ± 10 km. Immobilization in the lower extremity fractures and pelvis fractures was carried out using the Chestnut suit with pneumocompression over the damaged parts of the body of 40 mmHg and over the remaining parts of the body of 20 mmHg. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 6.1. We used Student’s criterion. Table 1 (abstract P458). P460 P460 Controlled mechanical ventilation tactics in patients with polytrauma during interhospital transportation to the specialized center A Shatalin1, S Kravtsov2, V Agadzhanyan2, D Skopintsev2 1Federal State Budgetary Medical Prohylactic Institution, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia; 2Federal State Budgetary Medical Prohylactic Institution ‘Scientifi c Clinical Center of the Miners Health Protection’, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P460 (doi: 10.1186/cc11067) Whole body computed tomography scanning for severe blunt polytrauma: analysis of Trauma Audit and Research Network database 2005 to 2010 Methods We utilised retrospective, multicentre data of severe blunt polytrauma (ISS >15) direct ED admissions aged >15 years recorded in the UK TARN database to compare survival at 30 days between two groups of patients: those who underwent WBCT scans, and those who received a focused CT scan approach as part of their initial management in the emergency department. A total of 12,792 cases were included in the fi nal dataset. Post-traumatic rhabdomyolysis: an observational study in seven patients l Conclusion Exertional rhabdomyolysis is not rare, but rarely do such patients present to the emergency department with acute abdominal pain. Whilst triathlon training is popular among amateur sports people, awareness must be raised to train appropriately under proper conditions. M Alezrah, A Berger, P Bentzinger, C Sassot, L Profumo, B Saumande, O Collange, A Meyer, B Calon réanimation chirurgicale, Strasbourg, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P458 (doi: 10.1186/cc11065) Introduction In the ICU, post-traumatic rhabdomyolysis is a relatively rare (1/5) cause of crush syndrome [1]. Early aggressive treatment is quintessential to avoid complications such as renal failure and death [2]. This observational study intends to assess the incidence of complications after traumatic crush injury in a tertiary trauma center ICU. Reference 1. Huber-Wagner S, et al.: Lancet 2009, 373:1455-1461. g y Results All three patients presented with abdominal pain after triathlon training. On admission, creatinine kinase levels were over 30,000 in all three cases and all required acute hospital admission for pain relief and intravenous fl uids to prevent renal failure. Exertional rhabdomyolysis in female amateur triathletes V Meighan Conclusion Despite the crude mortality rates appearing to demonstrate a poorer outcome in the WBCT group, correcting for confounding factors revealed an around 30% improvement in survival for the WBCT group. However, when also correcting for the potential eff ect of clustering, the benefi t of WBCT is less clear, with an around 20% improvement in survival and a lower level of signifi cance (P = 0.084). This eff ect may, in part, be due to diff ering trauma systems and logistical organisation between institutions. Overall, the results of our investigation appear to suggest a potential survival benefi t from the use of WBCT in severe blunt polytrauma. Exertional rhabdomyolysis in female amateur triathletes V Meighan Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P459 (doi: 10.1186/cc11066) y y p , y, Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P459 (doi: 10.1186/cc11066 Introduction Multisport endurance events are becoming increasingly popular in Ireland. Overexertion, especially in the heat, of overweight or poorly conditioned athletes increases the risk of rhabdomyolysis. This study presents a case series of three female amateur triathletes presenting with acute abdominal pain caused by rhabdomyolysis. Methods The medical case notes of three female athletes presenting to the emergency department were reviewed. References 1. Bagley WH, Yang H, Shah KH: Rhabdomyolysis. Intern Emerg Med 2007, 2:210-218. 1. Bagley WH, Yang H, Shah KH: Rhabdomyolysis. Intern Emerg Med 2007, 2:210-218. i Results A total 2,822 (22%) of 12,792 cases underwent WBCT from the ED. The median ISS for the WBCT group was 22 (IQR 14 to 33) compared to 16 (IQR 9 to 25) for the focused CT group. The calculated crude mortality rate for the WBCT group was 10.1% compared to 8.7% in the focused CT group (P = 0.0124). Multivariate analysis with adjustments for potential confounding factors demonstrated an OR of 1.313 (95% CI = 1.083 to 1.592, P = 0.006) in favour of survival in the WBCT group. 1. Bagley WH, Yang H, Shah KH: Rhabdomyolysis. Intern Emerg Med 2007, 2:210-218. 2. Bosch X, Poch E, Grau JM: Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury. N Engl J Med 2009, 361:62-72 2. Bosch X, Poch E, Grau JM: Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury. N Engl J Med 2009, 361:62-72 Impact of fl uid resuscitation volume on the severity of organ failures in severely burned patients Impact of fl uid resuscitation volume on the severity of organ failures in severely burned patients N Depaye, G Minguet, A Magnette, D Jacquemin, D Ledoux, P Damas University Hospital of Liege, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P461 (doi: 10.1186/cc11068) N Depaye, G Minguet, A Magnette, D Jacquemin, D Ledoux, P Damas University Hospital of Liege, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P461 (doi: 10.1186/cc11068) Introduction Adequacy of fl uid resuscitation remains a cornerstone of early burn management. The Parkland formula – that is, administration of 4 ml/kg/% total of the body surface area (TBSA) burned with Ringer’s lactate for the fi rst 24 hours post injury – has been used for decades. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the eff ect of adherence with the Parkland protocol and its impact on the severity of organ failure during the fi rst week post injury using the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Table 1 (abstract P462). SOFA during the resuscitation phase Day 0 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 SOFA 3.40 ± 2.48 4.26 ± 2.99 4.95 ± 3.04 5.25 ± 3.25 Respiratory 1.38 ± 1.12 1.32 ± 1.09 1.81 ± 1.09 1.76 ± 1.07 Cardiovascular 1.19 ± 1.76 2.06 ± 1.94 2.10 ± 1.85 2.22 ± 1.89 Conclusion In the resuscitation phase of our critical burn patients the initial dysfunction was respiratory and cardiovascular, progressing later to cardiovascular dysfunction and haematological dysfunction appearing at the third day of admission. Knowing the possible evolution of organ dysfunction may help early detection and treatment. Reference 1 Latenser B: Crit Care Med 2009 37:2819 2826 Table 1 (abstract P462). SOFA during the resuscitation phase Table 1 (abstract P462). SOFA during the resuscitation phase Day 0 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 SOFA 3.40 ± 2.48 4.26 ± 2.99 4.95 ± 3.04 5.25 ± 3.25 Respiratory 1.38 ± 1.12 1.32 ± 1.09 1.81 ± 1.09 1.76 ± 1.07 Cardiovascular 1.19 ± 1.76 2.06 ± 1.94 2.10 ± 1.85 2.22 ± 1.89 Methods We conducted a retrospective review of burns’ resuscitation data, from 2000 to 2007, on 101 adult patients (aged ≥16 years) admitted within the fi rst 24 hours following injury, with a %TBSA burned of 20 or more. A classifi cation of patients into four groups, according to fl uids administered, was done for comparison between these groups. The SOFA score was calculated daily for the fi rst week after admission. 1. Jeff rey RS: The phenomenon of ‘fl uid creep’ in acute burn resuscitation. J Burn Care Res 2007, 28:382-395. P463 i Results A total of 62 patients with complete data on fl uid administration were included in the analysis. Median age was 41 (28 to 54) years, median TBSA burned was 35.5 (25 to 50); median ICU stay was 38 (12 to 62) days and 13 (21%) patients died. Ten patients suff ering from inhalation injury were excluded from further analysis. Median fl uids administered was 4.9 (4.1 to 6.2) ml/kg/%TBSA at 24 hours. Five patients received <3. 5ml/kg/%TBSA, 15 between 3.5 and 4.5 ml/kg/%TBSA, 17 between 4.5 and 6 ml/kg/%TBSA and 15 patients >6 ml/kg/%TBSA. No diff erences existed between groups concerning the cause and surface of injury, age, sex, and comorbidities. Compared to others, patients who received >6 ml/kg/%TBSA had a signifi cant increase in respiratory failure (P = 0.03). The amount of fl uids administered had no impact on the incidence of cardiovascular (P = 0.89), renal (P = 0.11), liver (P = 0.52) and coagulation (P = 0.86) failure. Organ dysfunction in the resuscitation phase of critical burn patients A Agrifoglio, M Sánchez, M Hernández, J Camacho, L Cachafeiro, M Asensio, E Herrero, A García de Lorenzo, M Jiménez Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P462 (doi: 10.1186/cc11069) Introduction Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) is useful to assess organ dysfunction in burn patients [1]. The aim of this study was to determine the change in organ dysfunction from admission to day 3. Methods We performed a prospective observational cohort study with critical burn patients (total body surface area (TBSA) >20% and/ or inhalation injury) admitted to our burn ICU from September 2008 to December 2010. Epidemiological data and SOFA score at admission (day 0) and days 1, 2 and 3 were collected. Conclusion Use of CMV with PEEP in patients with polytrauma- complicated ARDS provided more expressed improvement of the blood oxygenation. Improvement of the blood gas exchange was accompanied by lactate decrease in both groups: by 24% in the EG, and by 13% in the CG. Application of the Chestnut allowed one to level the hemodynamic disorders using CMV with PEEP by means of preload maintenance and of the systolic output as a consequence. y y Results Sixty-four patients were enrolled (70% men) with mean age of 48.2  ±  19.0 years; Abbreviated Burn Severity Index (ABSI): 8.78 ± 2.59; APACHE II score: 13.5 ± 6.5. Twenty-three patients (35.9%) had inhalation injury and 19 patients (29.7%) died. The SOFA score was increased from day 0 to day 3. At admission the most frequent dysfunctions were cardiovascular and respiratory. The respiratory was similar in the next days and the cardiovascular dysfunction worsened (Table 1). Haematological dysfunction appeared at day 3 (1.05 ± 1.0) and neurological, renal and hepatic dysfunction were uncommon in the resuscitation phase. P461 Impact of fl uid resuscitation volume on the severity of organ failures in severely burned patients The neurological component of SOFA was left out because of the diffi culty to assess the actual Glasgow Coma Scale in sedated patients. Organ failures were defi ned by partial SOFA ≥3. Data are expressed as median (Q1 to Q3) and are analyzed using the chi- square test (P <0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant).l Conclusion In the resuscitation phase of our critical burn patients the initial dysfunction was respiratory and cardiovascular, progressing later to cardiovascular dysfunction and haematological dysfunction appearing at the third day of admission. Knowing the possible evolution of organ dysfunction may help early detection and treatment. Reference 1. Latenser B: Crit Care Med 2009, 37:2819-2826. Controlled mechanical ventilation tactics in patients with polytrauma during interhospital transportation to the specialized center Results Initial creatinine (μmol/l) 69 to 198 RRT 2/7 Maximal CPK (103 U/l) 11 to 144 Maximal myoglobin (103 U/l) 4 to 159 pH 7 to 7.3 Highest lactate (mmol/l) 2 to 28 Time lactate >5 mmol/l (hours) 0 to 84 Mortality 0 Neurological sequelae 6/7 Table 1 (abstract P458). Results Results In the EG there were the high values of SpO2 during all observation periods and PaO2/FiO2 after completion of the trans- portation in 1 and 12 hours (P <0.05). PaCO2 in the EG was lower after completion of the transportation in 1 and 12 hours compared to the CG (P <0.05). In the EG the value of FiO2 decreased from 0.5 ± 0.01 in S164 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P462 the early examination to 0.4 ± 0.01 in 12 hours after transportation. In the CG, FiO2 did not change. Hemodynamics diff erences between the groups were not documented, except for HR (P >0.05). Tachycardia was less expressed in the EG. The diff erence from the CG according to this index occurred 12 hours after completion of the transportation, 83 ± 1 and 87 ± 0.7 beats/minute respectively (P <0.05). The lactate rate was lower in the EG during all periods of observation (P <0.05). After completion of the transportation, the lactate rate in the EG was 2.2 ± 0.1 mol/l and in the CG was 2.7 ± 0.1 mol/l. Organ dysfunction in the resuscitation phase of critical burn patients A Agrifoglio, M Sánchez, M Hernández, J Camacho, L Cachafeiro, M Asensio, E Herrero, A García de Lorenzo, M Jiménez Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P462 (doi: 10.1186/cc11069) Early administration of parenteral estrogen suppresses the deleterious local and systemic infl ammatory response in severe burns Groups 2 and 3 had 40% TBSA third-degree dorsal burns, early fl uid resuscitation and 0.5 mg/kg i.p. estrogen (or placebo) 15 minutes post burn. From each group of 80, eight animals were sequentially sacrifi ced (and burn tissue and blood sampled for IL-6, TNFα, IL-1β) at one of 10 time points as follows: 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 18 and 24 hours and 7 days (7 days only for the eight shams). Introduction The purpose of this study was to examine the fl uid resuscitation of severely burned patients admitted to our regional centre and to review whether our practice had changed over the last 5 years in light of concerns of fl uid creep. Fluid creep is the term coined by Pruitt used to describe fl uid resuscitation in excess of that predicted by the Parkland formula and which is associated with abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) [1]. l Methods Male rats (n = 168) were assigned randomly to one of three groups: (1) sham (no) burn (n = 8); (2) burn given placebo (n = 80); and (3) burn given E2 (estrogen). Groups 2 and 3 had 40% TBSA third-degree dorsal burns, early fl uid resuscitation and 0.5 mg/kg i.p. estrogen (or placebo) 15 minutes post burn. From each group of 80, eight animals were sequentially sacrifi ced (and burn tissue and blood sampled for IL-6, TNFα, IL-1β) at one of 10 time points as follows: 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 18 and 24 hours and 7 days (7 days only for the eight shams). Methods We completed a retrospective review in accordance with clinical governance guidance of patient notes evaluating all admissions in two groups (Group A: 1 May 2005 to 30 April 2006 and Group B: 1 May 2010 to 30 April 2011). The review examined the fi rst 72 hours of fl uid resuscitation in patients with ≥15%TBSA burns who were admitted less than 24 hours post burn injury. p j y Results There were 12 patients in each group. Both groups were comparable in both admission (Table 1) and resuscitation data. The total fl uid (mean ± SD) given in the fi rst 24 hours post burn-centre admission was 5.36 ± 2.22 ml/kg/%TBSA in Group A and 5.72 ± 3.00 ml/kg/%TBSA in Group B (P  =  0.817) with three patients in each group receiving in excess of 250 ml/kg. 63 Epidemiological study of critical burn patients in an ICU L Cachafeiro, M Sanchez, E Herrero, J Camacho, M Hernandez, A Agrifoglio, A García de Lorenzo, M Jimenez Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P463 (doi: 10.1186/cc11070) Introduction Burn injuries remain a signifi cant problem with high associated morbidity and mortality, long average stays and high costs. The aim of our study is to analyze the epidemiology and mortality of critical burn patients admitted to the ICU at a university hospital in Madrid, Spain. Methods We performed a prospective, observational and descriptive study in patients admitted with burns over 20% of the total body surface area (TBSA), from October 2008 to December 2009. Demographic data were collected, TBSA, location and mechanism of burns, severity scores (ABSI, APACHE II, SOFA at admission, and next 3 days) length of stay, complications and mortality. Data are presented as number and percentage or as median and interquartile range, and they were analyzed with the Fisher exact test and Mann–Whitney test. Conclusion This single-centre retrospective study indicates that fl uid resuscitation volumes frequently overcome those previously established by the Parkland protocol. This fl uid over-resuscitation may have deleterious eff ects on patient outcome by increasing the incidence of respiratory failure. Results During this period, 64 patients were admitted to our unit, 45 (70.3%) were men and 19 (29.7%) were women. The mean age was 48 ± 19. SOFA score at admission was 3 ± 2, APACHE II score 15 ± 6 (range 4 to 38) and ABSI 8 (range 5 to 16). The TBSA average was 40 ± 20% and the mechanism of burn was by fl ame in 60 patients (93.8%), scald in four (6.3%), electrical in two (3.1%) and chemical in one (1.6%). The most frequent location was in the upper limbs in 60 patients (93.8%), followed by thorax in 50 (78.19%), head and neck in 43 (67.2%), lower S165 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Table 1 (abstract P464) Patient data Group A Group B P value Number (n) 12 12 Age (years) 49 (18 to 69) 38.5 (21 to 77) 0.260 Weight (kg) 72 (55 to 109) 75 (60 to 99) 0.794 % TBSA 37.5 (16 to 70) 31 (18 to 60) 0.602 Inhalation injury (n) 6/12 3/12 0.206 Trauma (n) 1/12 0/12 0.307 Admission base defi cit –5.95 (–15 to +1) –6.55 (–11.7 to +2.5) 0.931 Admission lactate (mmol/l) 3.03 (0.98 to 5.4) 2.05 (0.5 to 4.1) 0.081 Survival (n) 6/12 9/12 0.206 Data presented as median (range). Figure 1 (abstract P463). Figure 1 (abstract P463). limbs in 43 (67.2%), and back in 29 (45.3%). Reference Reference Early administration of parenteral estrogen suppresses the deleterious local and systemic infl ammatory response in severe burns Conclusion In our study the most common burns were caused by fl ame in the upper limbs, chest, neck and face. Eighty-nine percent of our patients had complications, and they increased signifi cantly the length of stay and mortality. Based on the SOFA score, patients had higher scores for respiratory and cardiovascular systems. However, mortality was lower than expected in severity scores. JG Wigginton1, PE Pepe1, JW Simpkins2, JW Gatson1, KG Wigginton1, KR Kareem1, JP Minei1, D Maass1 1University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; 2University of North Texas, Fort Worth, TX, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P465 (doi: 10.1186/cc11072) JG Wigginton1, PE Pepe1, JW Simpkins2, JW Gatson1, KG Wigginton1, KR Kareem1, JP Minei1, D Maass1 1University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; 2University of North Texas, Fort Worth, TX, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P465 (doi: 10.1186/cc11072) P464 Fluid creep in burn resuscitation: the tide has not yet turned E James, M Hayes, P McCabe, G Williams, M Takata, MP Vizcaychipi Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Imperial College, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P464 (doi: 10.1186/cc11071) Introduction Soon after severe burns, deleterious cytokines are produced and found in the burned skin, including dead tissue in third- degree injuries. This is followed by a systemic surge in these markers and correlated with subsequent multiorgan failure (MOF). In animal models, this response can be somewhat blunted by early debridement, but such early intervention is not usually feasible in most clinical settings. As estrogen is a powerful anti-infl ammatory/anti-apoptotic agent, we tested parenteral 17β-estradiol (E2) as a feasible early alternative intervention to dampen the proinfl ammatory response. Introduction Soon after severe burns, deleterious cytokines are produced and found in the burned skin, including dead tissue in third- degree injuries. This is followed by a systemic surge in these markers and correlated with subsequent multiorgan failure (MOF). In animal models, this response can be somewhat blunted by early debridement, but such early intervention is not usually feasible in most clinical settings. As estrogen is a powerful anti-infl ammatory/anti-apoptotic agent, we tested parenteral 17β-estradiol (E2) as a feasible early alternative intervention to dampen the proinfl ammatory response. Methods Male rats (n = 168) were assigned randomly to one of three groups: (1) sham (no) burn (n = 8); (2) burn given placebo (n = 80); and (3) burn given E2 (estrogen). 63 Epidemiological study of critical burn patients in an ICU L Cachafeiro, M Sanchez, E Herrero, J Camacho, M Hernandez, A Agrifoglio, A García de Lorenzo, M Jimenez Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P463 (doi: 10.1186/cc11070) Six patients had trauma associated and 23 had inhalation injury. Thirty-two patients (50.0%) required escharotomy at admission and 16 (25.0%) had compartment syndrome. Forty-four patients (68.8%) needed mechanical ventilation, and 20 (31.3%) tracheostomy. Fifty-six patients had complications. The most frequent were: shock (70.3%), ARDS (31.3%), sepsis (35.9%) and renal failure (26.6%). All complications increased signifi cantly the mortality (P <0.001). The length of stay was 30 days and global mortality was 29.7% (19 patients). See Figure 1.l titration of fl uid administration to urine output and the specifi c role of colloids in early resuscitation. Reference 1. Pruitt BA Jr: J Trauma 2000, 49:567-568. titration of fl uid administration to urine output and the specifi c role of colloids in early resuscitation. Reducing the indication of ventilatory support in the severely burnt patient and improving outcomes: results of a new protocol approach within a regional burns centref Affi liation to group A correlated with a shorter time of ventilation after admission (P <0.01); 61.1% of these patients were extubated within 6 hours after admission (vs. 14.3% in group B). Group A showed lower mortality rates (1 (1.4%) vs. 8 (14%), P = 0.01), shorter total hospital stay (34.2 ± 23.9 vs. 50 ± 38.4, P = 0.014) and lower incidence of sepsis (24 (39.3%) vs. 39 (68.4%), P  <0.01). Methods A clinical observation study, approved by the local ethical committee, was designed and executed. Criteria for early spontaneous breathing were defi ned. These were formulated into a protocol for the management of severely burnt patients and trialled over 2 years in clinical practice on all admitted patients (group A). The ventilation period, complications and fi nal outcomes were recorded and compared with a retrospective control group of patients (group B) collated prior to implementation of the protocol. Initial study analysis revealed high inclusion rates of superfi cial burns in the intervention group. To achieve comparability these were excluded and further analysis was conducted only for patients with an abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI) ≥7. y y Results CPET was performed in 259 patients who subsequently underwent an elective open AAA repair. Outcome data were available for 185 patients from a potential 222 in whom 1-year follow-up was available (83%). Baseline demographics included AT ≤10.9 ml/kg/ minute in 39% and >10.9 ml/kg/minute in 61% of patients with respective median ages in these groups being 73 and 72. Regression analysis demonstrated that AT was the only predictor of survival at 30  days, 90 days and 1 year. Age and AT remained independent predictors of survival at 90 days and 1 year following multivariate analysis. Of note, 87 patients underwent elective endovascular aneurysm repair and CPET, median age 76, during the period analysed. In particular, 26.4% were older than 80 years old, versus 14.7% in the AAA group. See Figure 1. only for patients with an abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI) ≥7. Results In total 118 patients were included. The demographics and injury characteristics of both groups were similar. Patients of group A (n = 61) had fewer ventilator days in the time course of treatment (3.9 ± 11.7 vs. 17.1 ± 19.6 days, P <0.01). Reducing the indication of ventilatory support in the severely burnt patient and improving outcomes: results of a new protocol approach within a regional burns centref AH Raithatha, S Smith, K Chakrabarti, A Tridente, K Kerr Sheffi eld Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Northern General Hospital, Sheffi eld, UK Introduction A reduced oxygen uptake at anaerobic threshold (AT) and an elevated ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide (VE/VCO2) have been shown to be predictors of outcome after major surgery [1]. We report the demographic and outcome data of patients undergoing elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) testing within our unit and examine the relationship between age, AT and VE/VCO2 on survival outcomes. Introduction Initial management of the severely burnt patient often includes sedation and mechanical ventilatory support as routine. Conversely it is documented in the literature that nonjudiciously applied mechanical ventilatory support can itself lead to poorer patient outcomes [1]. Exploring means to reduce this iatrogenic risk, a standardised in-house fi ve-point protocol off ering clinical guidance on the use and duration of ventilation was introduced, analysed and the impact on outcome assessed. Methods A retrospective observational analysis of our unit’s CPET Excel database was conducted to identify patients who underwent CPET testing for elective open AAA repair over a 6-year period. Demographic data and survival at 30 days, 90 days and 1 year were extracted. Logistic regression analysis was undertaken using STATA statistical software to determine if age, AT or VE/VCO2 were predictors of survival at 30 days, 90 days or 1 year. p Methods A clinical observation study, approved by the local ethical committee, was designed and executed. Criteria for early spontaneous breathing were defi ned. These were formulated into a protocol for the management of severely burnt patients and trialled over 2 years in clinical practice on all admitted patients (group A). The ventilation period, complications and fi nal outcomes were recorded and compared with a retrospective control group of patients (group B) collated prior to implementation of the protocol. Initial study analysis revealed high inclusion rates of superfi cial burns in the intervention group. To achieve comparability these were excluded and further analysis was conducted only for patients with an abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI) ≥7. Results In total 118 patients were included. The demographics and injury characteristics of both groups were similar. Patients of group A (n = 61) had fewer ventilator days in the time course of treatment (3.9 ± 11.7 vs. 17.1 ± 19.6 days, P <0.01). P467 P467 Cardiopulmonary exercise testing and elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery over a 6-year period in a UK teaching hospital AH Raithatha, S Smith, K Chakrabarti, A Tridente, K Kerr Sheffi eld Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Northern General Hospital, Sheffi eld, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P467 (doi: 10.1186/cc11074) Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results In placebos, very high levels of cytokines appeared almost immediately in the echars and circulation, persisting 7 days post burn. In the estrogen group, cytokines, including tissue and circulating IL-6, the greatest predictor of MOF, remained suppressed at all time points, even day 7 (Figure 1). No patients fulfi lling the inclusion criteria required re-intubation or emergency intubation. Conclusion Extended periods of mechanical ventilatory support are known to be associated with poorer outcomes in the severely burnt patient. Guidance on minimising ventilator dependency through introduction of a protocol has led to improved outcomes of such patients within a regional burns centre. This study suggests that many burns patients are overtreated through routine ventilation. Reference y g Conclusion Early single-dose parenteral estrogen can dramatically suppress both the local and systemic massive proinfl ammatory responses in severe burns. Based on these data, estrogen may not only be an inexpensive, simple, adjunctive therapy in burn management, it may obviate the need for many subsequent interventions altogether. References 1. Mackie D, Spoelder E, Paauw R, et al.: Mechanical ventilation and fl uid retention in burn patients. J Trauma 2009, 67:1233-1238. 1. Mackie D, Spoelder E, Paauw R, et al.: Mechanical ventilation and fl uid retention in burn patients. J Trauma 2009, 67:1233-1238. 1. Crit Care Med 2010, 38:S620-S629. 1. Crit Care Med 2010, 38:S620-S629. 2. J Neuroinfl amm 2009, 6:30-36. Early administration of parenteral estrogen suppresses the deleterious local and systemic infl ammatory response in severe burns Almost one-third of the fl uid administered was colloid in each group. The hourly urine output (mean ± SD) was 1.34 ± 0.72 ml/kg/hour in Group A and 1.53 ± 1.47 ml/kg/hour in Group B (P = 0.817). Inhalational injury was present in six patients in Group A and three in Group B. The inhalational injury group (mean  ±  SD) received 6.64  ±  2.51 ml/kg/%TBSA whilst the noninhalational injury group received 4.88  ±  2.50 ml/kg/%TBSA (P  =  0.101). There was no reported incidence of ACS.l Figure 1 (abstract P465). Burned skin IL-6 levels at day 7. Conclusion Despite our awareness of fl uid creep, our practice has not changed signifi cantly over the last 5 years. Fluid was administered in excess of that predicted by the Parkland formula despite almost one-third being given as colloid and no cases of ACS being reported. A multicentre randomised control trial is required to examine stricter S166 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Perioperative evaluation of elective surgical patients: is it possible to plan ICU admission? p LM Mozzoni, FR Ruggeri, MN Nastasi Ospedale Ceccarini Riccione, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P468 (doi: 10.1186/cc11075) p LM Mozzoni, FR Ruggeri, MN Nastasi Ospedale Ceccarini Riccione, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P468 (doi: 10.1186/cc11075) Results There was no signifi cant diff erence between both groups intraoperatively concerning arrhythmias, blood transfusion, and hemodynamic support. Off -pump patients had a signifi cantly higher mean number of constructed grafts than in the ONCAB group (mean, 3.30 ± 0.88 vs. 2.84 ± 0.80, P = 0.02). There were no signifi cant diff erences between off -pump and on-pump regarding postoperative blood loss, blood transfusion, length of the ICU and the hospital stay, the ventilation time, the use of intraaortic balloon pump, renal complications, respiratory complications, and reopening. However, graft occlusion, MI, raised cardiac enzymes, ventricular tachycardia, cardiogenic shock, and disturbed conscious level were signifi cantly higher in the OPCAB group. The postoperative mortality rate was signifi cantly higher in the OPCAB group than in the ONCAB group (15% vs. 0%, P = 0.046). Follow-up angiograms in 40 patients out of 65 (61.5%) who underwent 124 grafts revealed that no signifi cant diff erence between off -pump and on-pump groups regarding the overall rate of graft patency (83.5% vs. 84.4%, P = 0.84). No mortality was reported in both groups at 6-month follow-up. Introduction The aim of the study is to evaluate the possibility to predict ICU admission in elective surgical patients, studying the perioperative period variables. Introduction The aim of the study is to evaluate the possibility to predict ICU admission in elective surgical patients, studying the perioperative period variables. Methods This is a prospective, nonintervention study concerning 207 patients, who have been operated on under elective conditions from January to October 2011. The group we studied was aff ected by thoracic (n = 78) or abdominal (n = 129) cancer. Mean age was 67.8 (SD 11.3; limits 24 to 91). ASA score III concerned 107 patients (51.7%) and score II 98 patients (47.3%). A senior anesthetist screened all patients before operation, assigning them to one of these three possible groups: G0 (patient who does not need ICU admission), G1 (patients who could need ICU admission), G2 (patients who defi nitely need ICU admission). Scheduling of patients into groups was made considering medical history, laboratory data, physical evaluation and type of surgery. Patients were studied from surgical intervention to discharge. Aortic aneurysm disease versus aortic occlusive disease: diff erences in postoperative ICU requirements after open elective abdominal aortic surgery Aortic aneurysm disease versus aortic occlusive disease: diff erences in postoperative ICU requirements after open elective abdominal aortic surgery Aortic aneurysm disease versus aortic occlusive disease: diff erences in postoperative ICU requirements after open elective abdominal aortic surgery J Bisgaard1, HK Jørgensen1, T Gilsaa1, E Ronholm1, P Toft2 1Littlebaelt Hospital Kolding, Denmark; 2Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark Critical Care 2012 16(Suppl 1):P470 (doi: 10 1186/cc11077) J Bisgaard1, HK Jørgensen1, T Gilsaa1, E Ronholm1, P Toft2 1Littlebaelt Hospital Kolding, Denmark; 2Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark J Bisgaard1, HK Jørgensen1, T Gilsaa1, E Ronholm1, P Toft2 1Littlebaelt Hospital Kolding, Denmark; 2Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P470 (doi: 10.1186/cc11077) Conclusion Preoperative evaluation does not appear to be a signifi cant predictor for ICU admission, which is determined by intraoperative or organizational factors. The ICU admission reduces the incidence of postoperative complications; mortality is mainly due to the immediate perioperative period. Introduction Open elective abdominal aortic surgery is a high- risk procedure involving clamping of the aorta. Indications include abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) or aortic occlusive disease (AOD) causing lower limb ischaemia. These patients are often regarded as one entity in postoperative study settings. However, previous studies indicate that risk profi les, infl ammatory activity, and haemodynamic capacity may diff er between these groups [1,2]. The aim of this study was to evaluate postoperative ICU requirements after open elective abdominal aortic surgery, hypothesising that AAA patients had longer ICU stays and needed more mechanical ventilation or acute dialysis than did patients with AOD. Reference Reference 1. Rhodes A, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:1466-1472. 1. Rhodes A, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:1466-1472. Perioperative evaluation of elective surgical patients: is it possible to plan ICU admission? All data were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics v19 (SPSS Inc.), using adequate test and accepting P <0.05. Conclusion There was a higher incidence in postoperative complications and mortality in the off -pump procedure than the on- pump. At 6-month follow-up, no signifi cant diff erences between both techniques were found in graft patency and mortality. Hence, longer- term mortality from randomized trials of off -pump versus on-pump CABG is needed. q p g Results Sixty-six patients (31.9% of all patients) were in G0, 70 (33.8%) in G1 and 71 (34.3%) in G2. The ASA score can distinguish patients in G0 and G2, but not in G1 (P <0.05). The decision to schedule patients in a group arises mainly from the coexistence of both cardiovascular and respiratory diseases [1]. Ninety patients (43.5%) entered the ICU; 30 (42.8%) of these were in G1 and 34 (47.9%) in G2; 26 (39.4%) were in G0. Distribution in the three groups of ICU-admitted patients was similar (P = NS) and there was no signifi cant relationship between the ASA score (and its distribution in the three groups) and ICU admission (P = NS). Patients admitted had undergone surgery of longer duration or had problems in the theater (low output syndrome, diffi cult weaning at the end of procedure, bleeding) or organizational problems (P <0.05). ICU-admitted patients show a lower number of postoperative complications as arrythmias and wound infections (P <0.05). Four patients died, all had been hospitalized in the ICU. The mortality rate was 1.9% (75% were in G2). Patients with complications requiring further surgery were 15 (7.2%), seven of which had been hospitalized in the ICU.i Reference Reducing the indication of ventilatory support in the severely burnt patient and improving outcomes: results of a new protocol approach within a regional burns centref Affi liation to group A correlated with a shorter time of ventilation after admission (P <0.01); 61.1% of these patients were extubated within 6 hours after admission (vs. 14.3% in group B). Group A showed lower mortality rates (1 (1.4%) vs. 8 (14%), P = 0.01), shorter total hospital stay (34.2 ± 23.9 vs. 50 ± 38.4, P = 0.014) and lower incidence of sepsis (24 (39.3%) vs. 39 (68.4%), P  <0.01). Conclusion Our data support existing evidence that AT can be used as a predictor of survival in open elective AAA surgery. In addition, age at Figure 1 (abstract P467). Elective AAA mortality rates by group. Figure 1 (abstract P467). Elective AAA mortality rates by group. S167 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods This nonrandomized single-centre control trial was prospectively conducted on 65 patients who were subjected to coronary artery bypass surgery followed by stay in the Open Heart Intensive Care Center of the Police Authority Hospital, in the period from July 2009 to January 2010. Patients were divided into two groups; group A, 25 patients underwent surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass pump (on coronary artery bypass pump (ONCAB)); and group B, 40 patients underwent surgery without using cardiopulmonary bypass pump (off -pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB)). All of the demographic, operative and postoperative data were prospectively collected and analyzed statistically. Six months later, the patients underwent coronary angiography. CPET also predicted 90-day and 1-year survival; however, VE/VCO2 was not a predictor of survival in this cohort. Reference CPET also predicted 90-day and 1-year survival; however, VE/VCO2 was not a predictor of survival in this cohort. Reference 1. Carlisle J, et al.: Mid-term survival after abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery predicted by cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Br J Surg 2007, 94:966-969. P469 Cardiac-specifi c biomarkers and life-threatening complications of off -pump versus on-pump coronary bypass surgery in Egyptian patients H Elabd1, A Alsherif2, T El Gohary2, M Hagras2, S Salah Eldin2 1Student Hospital, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt; 2Kasr Alaini Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P469 (doi: 10.1186/cc11076) Reference 1. Shroyer AL, Grover FL, Hattler B, et al.: On-pump versus off -pump coronary- artery bypass surgery. N Engl J Med 2009, 361:1827-1837. P471 P471 High postoperative blood levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor are associated with less organ dysfunction in patients after cardiac surgery C Stoppe1, G Grieb1, D Simons1, R Rossaint1, J Bernhagen1, S Rex2 1University Hospital of the RWTH, Aachen, Germany; 2University Hospital Gasthuisberg, KU Leuven, Belgium Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P471 (doi: 10.1186/cc11078) Introduction Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a structurally unique infl ammatory cytokine [1] that exerts protective eff ects during ischemia and reperfusion [2]. We hypothesized that elevated MIF levels in the early postoperative time course might be inversely associated with postoperative organ dysfunction as assessed by SAPS II and SOFA score in patients after cardiac surgery. y p g y Methods Fifty-two cardiac surgical patients (mean age (± SD) 67 ± 10 years; EuroSCORE: 7 (2 to 11)) were enrolled in this monocenter, prospective, observational study. Serum levels of MIF and clinical data were obtained after induction of anesthesia, at admission to the ICU, 4 hours thereafter and at the fi rst and second postoperative day (POD). Patient outcome was assessed using the SAPS II at POD1 and SOFA score for the fi rst 3 days of the eventual ICU stay. Conclusion Prolonged mechanical ventilation occurred in 40% of our patients after heart transplantation. A higher creatinine level during the fi rst 24 hours after the surgery was associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation in this study. P472 and malignant disease (2.7 vs. 0.6%, P = 0.02). In contrast, AOD patients had a higher prevalence of smoking (95 vs. 86%, P <0.001), and diabetes (16 vs. 9%, P <0.001). AAA patients had larger intraoperative blood losses (1,610 (1,000 to 2,500) vs. 1,200 (750 to 1,800) ml, P <0.001), but duration of surgery was shorter (161 (130 to 205) vs. 194 (160 to 240) minutes, P <0.001). Postoperatively, more AAA patients had ICU stays >24 hours (62 vs. 45%, P <0.001), tended to need mechanical ventilation more often (16 vs. 12%, P = 0.08), and more needed acute dialysis (3.8 vs. 0.9%, P <0.03). and malignant disease (2.7 vs. 0.6%, P = 0.02). In contrast, AOD patients had a higher prevalence of smoking (95 vs. 86%, P <0.001), and diabetes (16 vs. 9%, P <0.001). AAA patients had larger intraoperative blood losses (1,610 (1,000 to 2,500) vs. 1,200 (750 to 1,800) ml, P <0.001), but duration of surgery was shorter (161 (130 to 205) vs. 194 (160 to 240) minutes, P <0.001). Postoperatively, more AAA patients had ICU stays >24 hours (62 vs. 45%, P <0.001), tended to need mechanical ventilation more often (16 vs. 12%, P = 0.08), and more needed acute dialysis (3.8 vs. 0.9%, P <0.03). 1. Shteinberg D, et al.: Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2000, 20:462-465. 2. Johnston WE, et al.: Anesthesiology 1987, 66:386-389. f References 1. Shteinberg D, et al.: Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2000, 20:462-465. 2. Johnston WE, et al.: Anesthesiology 1987, 66:386-389. Results The mean age of the patients (71% male) was 31.5  ±  16.8 years and the incidence of prolonged mechanical ventilation was 40%. Compared with patients who did not require prolonged mechanical ventilation, those who did had signifi cantly lower preoperative hemoglobin levels (12.0 ± 1.5 vs. 13.7 ± 2.4 mg/dl, P = 0.03), higher intraoperative lactate levels (7.14  ±  4.13 vs. 3.5  ±  1.82 mmol/l, P = 0.006), higher postoperative day 1 serum creatinine levels (2.2 ± 0.9 vs. 1.2  ±  0.7 mg/dl, P  =  0.002), and longer cardiopulmonary bypass times (143.0 ± 24.2 vs. 122.8 ± 29.1 minutes, P = 0.005). Binary logistic regression revealed that the postoperative day 1 serum creatinine level was an independent risk factor for prolonged mechanical ventilation after heart transplantation (OR: 5.109; 95% CI: 1.362 to 19.159, P = 0.016). Length of hospital stay was signifi cantly longer in patients with PMV than those who did not require prolonged mechanical ventilation (36.4 ± 30.4 vs. 21.8 ± 12.7, P = 0.049). The respective mortality rates for patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation and those without prolonged mechanical ventilation were 60% versus 40%, P = 0.15. Predictors of prolonged mechanical ventilation after heart transplantation Introduction Several studies have reported that prolonged mechanical ventilation is associated with high mortality and morbidity rates, length of hospital stay, and costs after coronary artery and valvular surgeries. However, no study has focused on the incidence and risk factors of prolonged mechanical ventilation after heart transplantation. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and predictors of prolonged mechanical ventilation after heart transplantation. y Conclusion Compared to the AOD group, more AAA patients had ICU stays >24 hours and more often needed acute dialysis. Distinguishing between these two diseases may be useful in planning and distribution of ICU resources. Furthermore, considering these two patient groups as diff erent pathological entities may be advised in future studies. References Methods We retrospectively analyzed the records of 38 out of 45 patients who underwent heart transplantation from February 2003 to November 2010 at our center. Patients under 12 years of age and those who died before extubation were excluded. We defi ned prolonged mechanical ventilation as mechanical ventilation longer than 36 hours. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables were collected. Reference 1. Cislaghi F, et al.: Minerva Anestesiol 2007, 73:615-621. 1. Cislaghi F, et al.: Minerva Anestesiol 2007, 73:615-621. i Results MIF_AUC, the computed area under the curve of MIF serum levels from admission until POD1, was inversely correlated with SAPS II and SOFA score on POD1 (Table 1). MIF at admission (r  =  0.296; P = 0.041) and MIF at 4 hours (r = 0.367; P = 0.012) correlated inversely with the paO2/FiO2 ratios at POD1. Moreover, postoperative MIF values were inversely correlated with SAPS II (r = 0.528; P = 0.044) and SOFA scores during the early postoperative stay (Table 1). In addition, MIF values on POD1 were related to the calculated Cardiac Power Index (r = 0.420; P = 0.009). Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Cardiac-specifi c biomarkers and life-threatening complications of off -pump versus on-pump coronary bypass surgery in Egyptian patients Cardiac-specifi c biomarkers and life-threatening complications of off -pump versus on-pump coronary bypass surgery in Egyptian patients p Methods This cohort study was based on prospectively registered data from the Danish National Vascular Registry and the Danish ICU Database between 1 January 2007 and 1 May 2010. The study population comprised all patients (n = 1293) undergoing open elective, primary aorto-iliac bypass, or aorto-femoral bypass procedures (n  =  363) or abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (n  =  930) in the eight hospitals performing these procedures in Denmark. The primary endpoints were: ICU stay >24 hours, mechanical ventilation, and acute dialysis. Results Patients in the AAA group were older (70 ± 7 vs. 62 ± 9 years, P <0.001), predominantly males (80 vs. 49%, P <0.001), with a higher prevalence of preoperative cardiac co-morbidity (34 vs. 24%, P = 0.001), p H Elabd1, A Alsherif2, T El Gohary2, M Hagras2, S Salah Eldin2 1Student Hospital, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt; 2Kasr Alaini Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P469 (doi: 10.1186/cc11076) gyp Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P469 (doi: 10.1186/cc11076) Introduction Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has traditionally been performed with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (ONCAB). This study aims to compare between on-pump and off -pump surgery concerning postoperative morbidity and mortality, and also to evaluate 6-month graft patency in Egyptian patients. Results Patients in the AAA group were older (70 ± 7 vs. 62 ± 9 years, P <0.001), predominantly males (80 vs. 49%, P <0.001), with a higher prevalence of preoperative cardiac co-morbidity (34 vs. 24%, P = 0.001), S168 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Oxygen delivery index during goal-directed therapy predicts complications and hospital length of stay in patients undergoing high-risk surgery y M Cecconi, N Arulkumaran, R Suleman, D Shearn, M Geisen, J Mellinghoff , D Dawson, J Ball, M Hamilton, M Grounds, A Rhodes St George’s Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P474 (doi: 10.1186/cc11081) Introduction National guidance for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a traumatic head injury advises that head computed tomography (CT) should be performed and reported within 1 hour [1]. The operative intervention or injury to knife time should be within 4 hours [2]. With more than 50% of patients requiring neurosurgical intervention in the UK taken to hospitals without onsite neurosurgical services [3], secondary transfer is necessary prior to defi nitive intervention. Are we achieving timely transfers in rural England? Introduction National guidance for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a traumatic head injury advises that head computed tomography (CT) should be performed and reported within 1 hour [1]. The operative intervention or injury to knife time should be within 4 hours [2]. With more than 50% of patients requiring neurosurgical intervention in the UK taken to hospitals without onsite neurosurgical services [3], secondary transfer is necessary prior to defi nitive intervention. Are we achieving timely transfers in rural England? Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the effi cacy of a goal-directed therapy (GDT) protocol designed to augment the oxygen delivery index (DO2I) and to assess the relationship between DO2I measurements and postoperative complications and length of stay. Methods A single-centre retrospective cohort study assessing the data obtained during an 8-hour post-operative GDT protocol in consecutive major surgical patients admitted to the ICU. Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the effi cacy of a goal-directed therapy (GDT) protocol designed to augment the oxygen delivery index (DO2I) and to assess the relationship between DO2I measurements and postoperative complications and length of stay. Methods A single-centre retrospective cohort study assessing the data obtained during an 8-hour post-operative GDT protocol in consecutive major surgical patients admitted to the ICU. y Methods The Royal Cornwall Hospital is a district general hospital serving a population of 300,000. The regional neurosurgical unit is 100 km away. All patients undergoing transfer to the neurosurgical unit during 2009 were identifi ed. A notes review was undertaken of all these patients transferred to the care of neurosurgeons. The operative logs were also reviewed. Oxygen delivery index during goal-directed therapy predicts complications and hospital length of stay in patients undergoing high-risk surgery Time lines were created of their care from ambulance call to neurosurgical intervention. j g p Results Thirty-seven patients were included. The median DO2I increased over the 8-hour protocol from a baseline level of 407 ml/minute/m2 to a maximum of 537 ml/minute/m2 (P <0.0001) (Figure 1). Twenty-one (57%) patients developed a postoperative complication. Patients who developed zero or one complication had a higher maximum oxygen delivery index DO2I than patients who had more than one complication (602 vs. 477 ml/minute/m2, P  =  0.018) (Table 1). The proportion of patients with a length of stay greater than 2 weeks was less in patients who achieved a DO2I of at least 600 ml/minute/m2 (P = 0.035). Results Ten patients in total were transferred for neurosurgical intervention. Two of these patients required two transfers as they were initially seen in satellite minor injury units. No patient had CT within 1 hour of arriving in the ED. The median time was 2 hours 56 minutes. The CT report was available at a median of 3 hours 17 minutes. None of these patients arrived in the tertiary referral centre within 4 hours of their injury. The fastest time to intervention was 8 hours 29 minutes, median 22 hours 59 minutes after injury. 2 Conclusion Postoperative GDT was able to increase DO2I in the postoperative period. Patients who achieved a DO2I of 600 ml/minute/ m2 were less likely to suff er postoperative complications and have a signifi cantly reduced length of hospital stay. y Conclusion We are not meeting targets for CT head acquisition and transfer for neurosurgical intervention. Prompt transfer of a trauma patient from a rural district general hospital in the UK to a tertiary referral centre for neurosurgical intervention is a multifactorial problem. The introduction of trauma centres and of protocols for direct admission to tertiary centres by paramedics may reduce the delays that our audit has highlighted. Figure 1 (abstract P474). Increase in DO2I from baseline to maximum over the 8-hour protocol. Atrial fi brillation following major noncardiac thoracic surgery: signifi cance and impact on morbidity P475 P475 Transfer delays in patients referred for neurosurgical intervention with traumatic brain injury L Smith1, B Jordan2, J Paddle1 1Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust, Truro, UK; 2Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P475 (doi: 10.1186/cc11082) P475 Transfer delays in patients referred for neurosurgical intervention with traumatic brain injury L Smith1, B Jordan2, J Paddle1 1Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust, Truro, UK; 2Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P475 (doi: 10.1186/cc11082) P475 Transfer delays in patients referred for neurosurgical intervention with traumatic brain injury References 1. Head Injury Triage: Assessment, Investigation and Early Management of Head Injury in Infants, Children and Adults, Methods Evidence and Guidance. Commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. [http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG56/NICEGuidance/pdf/English] p g g p g 2. Better Care for the Severely Injured. Joint Report. Royal College of Surgeons of England and British Orthopaedic Association. [http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/ publications/docs/severely_injured.html]i p y j 3. Trauma: Who Cares? Report. National Confi dential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death. [http://www.ncepod.org.uk/2007report2/Downloads/ SIP_report.pdf] P474 Oxygen delivery index during goal-directed therapy predicts complications and hospital length of stay in patients undergoing high-risk surgery M Cecconi, N Arulkumaran, R Suleman, D Shearn, M Geisen, J Mellinghoff , D Dawson, J Ball, M Hamilton, M Grounds, A Rhodes St George’s Hospital, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P474 (doi: 10.1186/cc11081) Atrial fi brillation following major noncardiac thoracic surgery: signifi cance and impact on morbidity Metaxa Hospital, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P473 (doi: 10.1186/cc11080) Table 1 (abstract P471) MIF level SOFA 1. POD SOFA 2. POD SOFA 3. POD ICU admission r = –0.2; P = 0.18 r = –0.4; P = 0.11 r = –0.6; P = 0.05 4 hours later r = –0.4; P = 0.40 r = –0.5; P = 0.05 r = –0.8; P = 0.01 MIF_AUC r = –0.4; P = 0.01 r = –0.2; P = 0.55 r = –0.4; P = 0.19 1. POD r = –0.3; P = 0.08 r = –0.6; P = 0.03 r = –0.7; P = 0.02 Conclusion Elevated postoperative MIF levels are inversely correlated with organ dysfunction in patients after cardiac surgery. References 1. Calandra T, et al.: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: a regulator of innate immunity. Nat Rev Immunol 2003, 3:791-800. 2. Koga K, et al.: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor provides cardioprotection during ischemia/reperfusion by reducing oxidative stress. Antioxid Redox Signal 2011, 14:1191-1202. Introduction Atrial fi brillation (AF) is a common complication after noncardiac thoracic surgery. Its impact on overall mortality has not yet been fully assessed and few data are available on the eff ects of the noncardiac post-thoracotomy AF on clinical outcomes. Methods From July 2006 to July 2011, 226 consecutive patients undergoing lung resection for lung cancer were studied retrospectively. Preoperative data and serial electrocardiograms were evaluated. Hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking and advanced age (>75 years) were considered as risk factors. Patients (n = 97) who had structural heart disease or ≥2 risk factors were considered a high- risk group whereas those with <2 risk factors constituted the low-risk group. g p Results Thirty-two patients (14.16%) experienced new-onset post- operative AF. The high-risk group had a 58% incidence of AF compared with 23% in the low-risk group (P <0.001). Moreover, following β-blocker administration, more of the high-risk group required antiarrhythmic treatment with amiodarone than did the low-risk group (67% vs. 35% respectively, P = 0.02). Patients who developed AF had 2. Koga K, et al.: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor provides cardioprotection during ischemia/reperfusion by reducing oxidative stress. Antioxid Redox Signal 2011, 14:1191-1202. Atrial fi brillation following major noncardiac thoracic surgery: signifi cance and impact on morbidity S169 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 P475 Transfer delays in patients referred for neurosurgical intervention with traumatic brain injury L Smith1, B Jordan2, J Paddle1 1Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust, Truro, UK; 2Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P475 (doi: 10.1186/cc11082) Table 1 (abstract P474). Postoperative complications by achievement of an oxygen delivery index of 600 DO2I >600 DO2I <600 P value Number of patients 16 (43%) 21 (57%) – Complications 13 (29%) 32 (71%) P = 0.003 Mortality 0 (0%) 4 (100%) P = 0.12 Table 1 (abstract P474). Postoperative complications by achievement of an oxygen delivery index of 600 Table 1 (abstract P474). Postoperative complications by achievement of an oxygen delivery index of 600 a signifi cantly longer hospital stay (P <0.01). The 30-day mortality rate was signifi cantly higher in the high-risk group (11% vs. 2%; P = 0.03) but AF was not an independent risk factor for death. In the multivariate analysis, major resection (pneumonectomy) and advanced age were identifi ed as independent risk factors for the development of postoperative AF (P = 0.004 and P = 0.008 respectively).i a signifi cantly longer hospital stay (P <0.01). The 30-day mortality rate was signifi cantly higher in the high-risk group (11% vs. 2%; P = 0.03) but AF was not an independent risk factor for death. In the multivariate analysis, major resection (pneumonectomy) and advanced age were identifi ed as independent risk factors for the development of postoperative AF (P = 0.004 and P = 0.008 respectively).i DO2I >600 DO2I <600 P value Number of patients 16 (43%) 21 (57%) – Complications 13 (29%) 32 (71%) P = 0.003 Mortality 0 (0%) 4 (100%) P = 0.12 Conclusion Atrial fi brillation occurrence after lung resection does not independently aff ect the short-term mortality but is associated with a prolonged length of hospital stay. Performances of ventilator at simulated altitude 1 k1 l 1 l h1 Performances of ventilator at simulated altitude E Forsans1, L Franck1, T Leclerc1, M Bensalah1, J Tourtier1, Y Auroy1, C Bourrilhon2 1HIA Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France; 2Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Brétigny sur Orges, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P476 (doi: 10.1186/cc11083) E Forsans1, L Franck1, T Leclerc1, M Bensalah1, J Tourtier1, Y Auroy1, C Bourrilhon2 1HIA Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France; 2Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Brétigny sur Orges, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P476 (doi: 10.1186/cc11083) E Forsans1, L Franck1, T Leclerc1, M Bensalah1, J Tourtier1, Y Auroy1, C Bourrilhon2 C Bourrilhon 1HIA Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France; 2Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Brétigny sur Orges, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P476 (doi: 10.1186/cc11083) Introduction We have assessed the ability of three ventilators to deliver to a normal lung model a set tidal volume (Vt) at diff erent simulated cabin altitudes. We studied the performance of the LTV-1200 (Viasys Healthcare, USA), the Elisée 350 (Resmed, Australia) and the Medumat transport (Weinmann, Germany). Figure 1 (abstract P474). Increase in DO2I from baseline to maximum over the 8-hour protocol. Figure 1 (abstract P474). Increase in DO2I from baseline to maximum over the 8-hour protocol. S170 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 critical care capacity and as a consequence the surge in admissions had a signifi cant impact on both critical care and critical care dependent hospital services. Figure 1 (abstract P476). p Methods Data were collected prospectively through the Critical Care Minimum Data Set: the number of critical care admissions with confi rmed or highly suspected infl uenza, co-morbidities, mortality rate, level 3 bed day occupancy, number and mode of advanced respiratory support days, numbers of nonclinical and clinical transfers, and numbers of cancelled operations requiring critical care. p q g Results In a 10-week period 128 patients in Wales required critical care with infl uenza. A total of 1,692 level 3 bed days were required. There are 95 potential level 3 beds across Wales per day. Therefore >25% of level 3 beds over 10 weeks were occupied by infl uenza patients. Fifty percent of patients had signifi cant comorbidities; pregnancy, COPD, morbid obesity, immunocompromise (Figure 1). The overall mortality rate for all aff ected critical care patients was 23.4%. Mortality was 25% in those with comorbidities and 22% in those without. Performances of ventilator at simulated altitude 1 k1 l 1 l h1 The overall mortality rate for all aff ected patients treated in Wales during the 2009/10 infl uenza pandemic was 9.6%. The UK has fewer critical care beds per head of population than comparable nations, and Wales fewer still so critical care in Wales is more vulnerable to surges in admissions. This was apparent in the peak in nonclinical critical care transfers seen during this period, performed due to units exceeding their capacity, and in an increase in cancellations of elective surgery requiring critical care. Methods We used a decompression chamber to mimic the hypobaric environment at a range of simulated cabin altitudes of 2,438 and 3,657 m (8,000 and 12,000 feet). Ventilators were tested with a set fraction of inspired oxygen of 50% and Vt set at 450. Respiratory rate was 12  breaths/minute. Comparisons of preset to actual measured values were accomplished using a t test for each altitude. The protocol included 36 measurements for each Vt set at each simulated altitude. A signifi cant diff erence was defi ned by P <0.05. Methods We used a decompression chamber to mimic the hypobaric environment at a range of simulated cabin altitudes of 2,438 and 3,657 m (8,000 and 12,000 feet). Ventilators were tested with a set fraction of inspired oxygen of 50% and Vt set at 450. Respiratory rate was 12  breaths/minute. Comparisons of preset to actual measured values were accomplished using a t test for each altitude. The protocol included 36 measurements for each Vt set at each simulated altitude. A signifi cant diff erence was defi ned by P <0.05. Conclusion The shortage of critical care capacity in Wales is made more apparent during times of increased critical care requirement such as the infl uenza in the winter 2010/2011. Hospital services are increasingly dependent on critical care, and government and health boards need to provide targeted increases in critical care bed provision to match those levels in other similar nations to mitigate the eff ect on critical care and dependent services due to surges in demand. Results Figure 1 summarizes the data. Comparisons of actual delivered Vt in altitude and set Vt demonstrated a signifi cant diff erence for the three ventilators. P478f 8 Eff ects of levels of clinical supervision during simulated ICU scenarios on resident learning and patient care: a qualitative study D Piquette1, M Mylopoulos2, VR LeBlanc3 1Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada; 2SickKids Hospital, Toronto, Canada; 3Wilson Centre, Toronto, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P478 (doi: 10.1186/cc11085) Performances of ventilator at simulated altitude 1 k1 l 1 l h1 Conclusion The LTV-1200 showed a very signifi cant increase in Vt delivered with increasing altitude (suggesting a lack of effi cacy of altimetric correction in hypobaric conditions), whereas the Elisée 350 and Medumat transport delivered respectively a stable and a rather stable Vt. P479 P479 Virtual reality and live scenario simulation: options for training medical students in mass casualty incident triage PL Ingrassia, L Ragazzoni, L Carenzo, FL Barra, D Colombo, G Gugliotta, F Della Corte CRIMEDIM Research Center in Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Novara, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P479 (doi: 10.1186/cc11086) Introduction Multicasualty triage is the process of establishing the priority of care among casualties in disaster management. Recent mass casualty incidents (MCI) revealed that health personnel are unfamiliar with the triage protocols. The objective of this study is to compare the relative impact of two simulation-based methods for training medical students in mass casualty triage using the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) algorithm. Results The transportation time by ambulance was shorter for the fi rst time since statistics were fi rst kept in 1999, the mean time was 33.7 minutes in 2009 and 33.2 minutes in April 2011. Furthermore, the new system is expected to reduce the operational costs by 40,000,000 yen a year. The data on the transportation time by ambulance are continually stored in the system and analyses are continuing. Conclusion The introduction of iPad to the new 99 Saga Net has three benefi cial points. First, the utilization of information and communication technology is useful for a realistic emergency medical setting. Second, the situation of a realistic emergency medical setting is visualized in real time. Finally, both the emergency personnel and the medical staff in the hospital share the information in an emergency medical setting by eliminating vertically divided administrative functions. Medical personnel will work with local governments in the future to analyze the data from this new system. Methods A prospective randomized controlled longitudinal study. Medical students enrolled in the emergency medicine course were randomized into two groups (A and B). On day 1, group A students were exposed to a virtual reality (VR) scenario and group B students were exposed to a live scenario (LS), both exercises aiming at triaging 10 victims in a limited period of time (30 seconds/victim). On day 2 all students attended a 2-hour lecture about medical disaster management and START. On day 3 group A and B students were exposed to a LS and to a VR scenario respectively. The vital signs and clinical condition of the 10 victims were identical in the two scenarios. Impact of H1N1 infl uenza on critical care and dependent services in Wales during winter 2010/2011 Introduction Closer clinical supervision of residents is often perceived as a double-edged sword, improving patient safety but limiting resident participation in patient care. There has been little empirical research on the educational eff ects of closer supervision. We examined the impact of levels of clinical supervision on clinical learning and patient care during acute simulated resuscitation. Introduction Infl uenza H1N1 admissions to critical care from December 2010 to January 2011 had a signifi cant impact on intensive care bed occupancy across Wales. Wales is relatively underprovided in Methods Fifty-four ICU residents (PGY1 to 4) were randomly assigned to complete a simulated ICU scenario in one of three levels of Figure 1 (abstract P477). Infl uenza admissions into critical care in winter 2010/2011. Figure 1 (abstract P477). Infl uenza admissions into critical care in winter 2010/2011. S171 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 supervision (physical proximity of supervising ICU fellow: distant, immediately available, direct). In-person and telephone interactions between participants were recorded and transcribed. We conducted an inductive thematic analysis of anonymized transcripts using constant comparison within and between scenarios. Distributed cognition theory was used as a framework to guide analysis. supervision (physical proximity of supervising ICU fellow: distant, immediately available, direct). In-person and telephone interactions between participants were recorded and transcribed. We conducted an inductive thematic analysis of anonymized transcripts using constant comparison within and between scenarios. Distributed cognition theory was used as a framework to guide analysis. prompting critical decisions in mass casualty drills. In the beginning the average time to complete the VR scenario was higher than the LS. This could be due to the fact that on day 1 very detailed VR victims created a higher challenge for untaught students. However, the higher triage accuracy recorded at the end of day 3 in VR could be explained by a lower stress level compared to the LS, which could be creating a more stressful environment in taught students. y g y Results Both distant and direct levels of supervision resulted in variable involvement of residents in patient care. A shift of control over patient care from residents to fellows often occurred regardless of the physical distance of the fellow. Direct supervision did not always result in decreased resident contributions. Impact of H1N1 infl uenza on critical care and dependent services in Wales during winter 2010/2011 Fellows were found to facilitate more elaborated cognitive contributions from the residents during direct supervision. In addition, practicing in the presence of a supervisor was more likely to lead to timely feedback. However, a presence at the bedside allowed fellows to infl uence the nature of resident involvement by delegating specifi c tasks such as technical procedures. During distant supervision, fellows had to use residents as proxies to obtain information about patients and to deliver care, with potentially serious consequences: when residents’ interpretations of the clinical information were problematic, the quality of fellows’ clinical decisions was negatively aff ected. Higher cognitive work required of fellows during distant supervision appeared to limit their ability to invest cognitive resources in teaching. P480 P479 Ability of the groups to manage a simulated triage scenario was then compared (times and triage accuracy). Reference 1. Fire and Disaster Management Agency: White Paper on Fire and Disaster (2010) [in Japanese]. [http://www.fdma.go.jp/html/hakusho/h22/h22/html/2-4-5_4.html] p g y Results Groups A and B were composed of 25 and 28 students respectively. During day 1 group A LS triage accuracy was 58%, while the average time to assess all patients was 4 minutes 28 seconds. The group B VR scenario triage accuracy was 52%, while the average time to complete the assessment was 5 minutes 18 seconds. During day 3 the triage accuracy for group A VR simulation was 92%, while the average time was 3 minutes 53 seconds. Group B triage accuracy during the LS was 84%, with an average time of 3 minutes 25 seconds. Triage scores improved signifi cantly during day 3 (P <0.001) in the two groups. The time to complete each scenario decreased signifi cantly from day 1 to day 3. Utilization of iPad in the system of emergency demand and acceptance Utilization of iPad in the system of emergency demand and acceptance K Yamada1, Y Sakamoto1, Y Enjiyouji2 1Saga University, Saga, Japan; 2Saga Prefectural Government, Saga, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P480 (doi: 10.1186/cc11087) Introduction This study reports that the transportation time by ambulance was shorter following the introduction of iPad (Apple, Inc.) to the current system of emergency demand and acceptance in Saga Prefecture, Japan. There were about over 5,000,000 ambulance dispatches in Japan, and the time for transportation is increasing (the national average: 36.1 minutes) [1]. The administration has made various eff orts nationwide that did not achieve any positive results. Although the information system of medical institutions and the emergency medical service (99 Saga Net) was established in 2003 in Saga, it has been underutilized. The Saga prefectural government renewed the previous system as the real-time system of emergency demand and acceptance for the fi rst time in Japan in April 2011. Conclusion Level of clinical supervision was not the main determinant of resident engagement in patient care. Both distantly and directly supervised scenarios presented learning opportunities for residents. Given the observed negative eff ects of distant supervision on patient care, strategies to optimize unique learning opportunities off ered by direct supervision should be investigated. i Methods Cloud computing has provided new system to facilitate Internet access from ambulances. In addition, iPads were put into all ambulances (about 55) and emergency medical technicians can get the picture of acceptable hospitals in real time. Emergency personnel who arrive on the scene select the patient’s symptoms with an iPad, and this new system displays an up-to-date list of acceptable hospitals. The data that the emergency personnel entered into the system from the iPad are uploaded to 99 Saga Net immediately. Therefore, both the emergency personnel and medical staff in the hospital share the information of where the emergency occurred, the transportation and the medical institutes to which patients were transferred in real time. Mass evacuation of victims from emergency areas by medica modules aboard the aircraft of EMERCOM of Russia I Yakirevich, A Popov EMERCOM of Russia, Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P481 (doi: 10.1186/cc11088) I Yakirevich, A Popov p EMERCOM of Russia, Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P481 (doi: 10.1186/cc11088) Introduction During elimination of medical consequences of various emergencies the issues concerning victims’ mass evacuation to a specialized hospital base are constantly brought up. The physicians of the Central Airmobile Rescue Service of EMERCOM of Russia and the specialists of Kazan Helicopter Plant ‘Zarechye’ developed two types of modules. The Medical Airplane Module (MMS) is used for medical Introduction During elimination of medical consequences of various emergencies the issues concerning victims’ mass evacuation to a specialized hospital base are constantly brought up. The physicians of the Central Airmobile Rescue Service of EMERCOM of Russia and the specialists of Kazan Helicopter Plant ‘Zarechye’ developed two types of modules. The Medical Airplane Module (MMS) is used for medical Conclusion The study demonstrates that the training course generates signifi cant improvement in triage accuracy and speed. It also reveals that VR simulation compared to live exercises has equivalent results in S172 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion Our triage system shows a good interrater reliability and validity in predicting resource consumption. To our knowledge, this is the fi rst prospective Italian study that tests the relationships between the triage category assigned by the nurses (using a four-level triage method) and resource consumption. Conclusion Our triage system shows a good interrater reliability and validity in predicting resource consumption. To our knowledge, this is the fi rst prospective Italian study that tests the relationships between the triage category assigned by the nurses (using a four-level triage method) and resource consumption. evacuation of four victims aboard Ilyushin 76 aircraft. The Medical Helicopter Module (MMV) is used for medical evacuation of two victims aboard an MI 8 helicopter. MMS and MMV advantages are: mobility – the possibility of installation in various aircraft cabins types; and versatility – the possibility of any required equipment installation for the treatment of victims with various trauma severity, safe fi xation of medical equipment straight on the module, equipment operation off - line as well as using the aircraft power supply network. g p pp y Methods From December 2008 until now 28 medical evacuations were carried out using MMS aboard Iluyshin 76 aircraft: traffi c accident victims, terrorism act victims and manmade catastrophes. P483 Coordination of emergency resources after Lorca’s earthquakes L Escobar1, A Ferrández2, J Jimenez1, A Peláez1, A Corbatón3, R Alvaro4 1Hospital Rafael Méndez, Lorca, Spain; 2Gerencia 061, Murcia, Spain; 3Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain; 4Área II Servicio Cantabro de Salud, Santander, Spain Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P483 (doi: 10.1186/cc11090) Introduction This work’s purpose is to describe the coordination of diff erent medical resources after Lorca’s 2011 earthquakes. They caused 11 deaths, including two pregnant women and their babies, many injured, moderate or severe damage to 80% of the buildings, and more than 30,000 people without shelter.i p p Methods A descriptive study of the fi les of Murcia’s Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) on the activation of resources after the earthquakes. Results MMS and MMV application in case of mass evacuation in fl ight ensures spare victims’ transportation, total monitoring and treatment continuity. It enables one to carry out anesthetic and resuscitation treatment, intensive care, monitoring and treatment of all the victims. Conclusion The quality of mass medical evacuation of extremely injured victims has considerably improved and the time of transportation from emergency area to specialized hospitals to render them effi cient medical aid has reduced. Results MMS and MMV application in case of mass evacuation in fl ight ensures spare victims’ transportation, total monitoring and treatment continuity. It enables one to carry out anesthetic and resuscitation treatment, intensive care, monitoring and treatment of all the victims. Results Time 17:06 hours: fi rst call. Local resources and city emergency plan are activated. Four medical teams (UME) are pre-activated. 18:49 hours: incoming calls alert of buildings crumbling, dead among the rubble, and hundreds of injured. 18:55 hours: seven UME from fi ve cities are sent to Lorca. 19:00 hours: telephone communications collapse. The ECC uses its internal network. An Advanced Command Point (ACP) is established with a fi eld hospital. 19:10 hours: Rafael Mendez Hospital (225 patients) has to be evacuated. Medical personnel of the hospital, private ambulances and UMEs begin the evacuation. The emergency service of the hospital continues to be operative in the building until evacuation is completed and in a fi eld hospital later. 19:20 hours: the Military Emergencies Unit is required for activation. 19:30 hours: the military and emergency services fi eld hospitals are sent to Lorca. 19:50 hours: Virgen del Alcázar Hospital has to be evacuated (145 patients). P482 Reliability and validity of an Italian four-level emergency triage system N Parenti1, G Rastelli2, C Ferri2, V Serventi1, R Lazzari3, L Sarli1 1University of Parma, Bologna, Italy; 2Ospedale Fidenza, Italy; 3University of Modena, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P482 (doi: 10.1186/cc11089) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P482 (doi: 10.1186/cc11089) Introduction The goal of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of a four-level emergency triage system (Urgency Category (UC) 1 = immediate response; UC 2, 3 and 4 assessment within 20, 60 and 120 minutes respectively) used in an Italian large urban hospital with 60,000 emergency department (ED) visits annually. Methods Three triage nurses, using our triage system, independently assigned, at the same time, triage scores to each patient admitted to the ED from June to August 2011. We collected demographic and clinical characteristics, nurse triage category, resources used for each triage code (for example, laboratory tests, EKG, radiographs, procedures), admission status and site, nurse triage forms that included presenting complaint, vital signs, and pain score. For each scenario, the most frequent UC (the mode) has been considered as true triage. Weighted kappa (K) was used to calculate inter-rater reliability. Validity was evaluated by studying the relationships between the triage category assigned by the nurses and resource consumption. Conclusion Coordination of the diff erent medical and emergency services by the ECC made possible correct use of resources and fast attention to the population that minimized the eff ects of the catastrophe. Figure 1 (abstract P483). Thirty thousand people need shelter after the earthquakes. g y p Results A total of 315 patients admitted to the ED were included in the study randomly (35 were excluded for incomplete data). Mean age was 47 years. Five patients were admitted to the ICU, 48 to nonintensive units. Trauma was the most frequent symptom at triage (44%). The mean time of rating was 2 minutes. The UCs assigned were: 14% with UC 4, 60% UC 3, 25.7% UC 2, 0.3% UC 1. We found 2/315 (0.6%) cases with a marked discordance (2 or more points), 69/315 (21.9%) cases with partial agreement (2/3) and 244/315 (77.5%) cases with a complete agreement (5/5) among nurses who used the triage method. Interrater reliability among the three nurses was K = 0.71 (CI: 0.58 to 0.84). Hospital admission by our triage system was as follows: 1 (100%), 2 (30%), 3 (12%), 4 (2%). Mass evacuation of victims from emergency areas by medica modules aboard the aircraft of EMERCOM of Russia I Yakirevich, A Popov EMERCOM of Russia, Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, Russia Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P481 (doi: 10.1186/cc11088) In total, 198 patients were evacuated (including 12 children), 55 victims with artifi cial lung ventilation (ALV). Medical evacuation of severely injured children and adults from regional hospitals to Moscow specialized hospitals in order to provide effi cient and modern medical aid was carried out using MMV. In total, 27 patients were evacuated (including fi ve children), fi ve patients with ALV. The majority of victims were in severe and extremely severe conditions with associated multisystem trauma. Closed craniocerebral injury was observed in 75% of victims with mass aff ection of locomotor apparatus, mine and explosion trauma, gunshot wounds, burn shock and burn disease. Constant monitoring, oxygen therapy, ALV, analgesia and sedation, intensive and anti-shock care as well as wound dressing were carried out in fl ight. The victims’ general condition was evaluated according to the Glasgow Coma Scale, APACHE II and SOFA scales.l P483 20:25 hours: at the ACP fi eld hospital of the Red Cross, Civil Protection and Emergency Services are being set. 20:30 hours: 11 hospitals in six provinces are contacted to relocate evacuated patients. 20:40 hours: all buildings in Lorca are have been evacuated. Thirty thousand people need shelter. Ten camps with tents are set throughout Lorca by the Red Cross, Emergency Services and Civil Protection to give shelter to 16,000 people. See Figure 1.f g Conclusion The quality of mass medical evacuation of extremely injured victims has considerably improved and the time of transportation from emergency area to specialized hospitals to render them effi cient medical aid has reduced. P484 Lightning injuries in a lightning city: a district hospital experience in Singapore factor analysis to analyze responses with regard to factors such as face wash, toilets, sleep, clothes, and food. p Results The overall response rate was 59.5% (n = 47/79); the response rate was 38.3% (n = 18/47) for medical doctors, 36.2% (n = 17/47) for nurses, and 25.5% (n  =  12/47) for logisticians. The mean length of career was 16.5 years (standard deviation, 9.75). Descriptive statistics revealed that the participants reported high satisfaction with regard to the command system and consistent satisfaction with regard to membership. However, some were unsatisfi ed with the deployment length. Almost all participants wanted to be part of a relief team if given an opportunity again. Factor analysis derived one factor (eigenvalue shows 3.48 (one factor), 0.33 (two factors), 0.17 (three factors), and 0.13 (four factors)) as comfort. Face wash (–0.95) contributed the most satisfaction compared to other factors such as toilets (–0.86), sleep (–0.81), clothes (–0.74), and food (–0.69).i Y Mok, P Tan, R Jagadesan Changi General Hospital, Singapore Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P484 (doi: 10.1186/cc11091) Introduction Tropical Singapore’s meterological profi le makes it one of the world’s lightning capitals. This study aims to assess the profi le of the at-risk patient, and possibly identify factors predicting the length of hospital stay in patients with lightning injuries over a period of 11 years. Methods This is an 11-year retrospective study of patients who were admitted to Changi General Hospital, the only hospital located in eastern Singapore, from 2000 to 2011 with the diagnosis of lightning injuries. j Results There were a total of 27 subjects, with 25 (95.6%) males and two (7.4%) females in the sample. Their age ranged from 17 to 62 years; 63% of the subjects were between 20 and 40 years old. All except three subjects had no comorbidities, with the latter having only hypertension or hyperlipidemia. Most of the events occurred during two periods, March to April and October to December, which is consistent with previously observed seasonal peaks. The length of hospital stay ranged from 1 to 10 days for all patients, except one who stayed for 78 days and one who was transferred to another hospital. Six patients (22.2%) required admission to the ICU or high dependency. There were three mortalities, all found in asystole at the incident site and also suff ered hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). P482 The mean of resources used for each triage code was: 4.5 (SD 2.2) for UC 2; 3.2 (SD = 1.67) for UC 3; 1.89 (SD 0.84) for UC 4. Figure 1 (abstract P483). Thirty thousand people need shelter after the earthquakes. S173 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 References 1. Chao TC, et al.: A study of lightning deaths in Singapore. Singapore Med J 1981, 22:150-157. 1. Chao TC, et al.: A study of lightning deaths in Singapore. Singapore Med J 1981, 22:150-157. 2. Feng Z, et al.: Lightning city. The Straits Times, 22 November 2011, B1. Nuclear disaster and the medical problems during the earthquake in Japan, 2011 Y Haraguchi, Y Tomyasu, H Nishi, M Sakai, E Hoshino, M Hoshino, T Takeda-Nozawa Japanese Compendium Team for Disaster Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P486 (doi: 10.1186/cc11093) Introduction The roles of medicine including intensivists against natural mega-disaster followed by artifi cial disaster are discussed. Methods The Higashinihon earthquake caused more than 2,000 deaths or missing, which was followed by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant explosion. This study was mainly studied based upon on the actual experience in and around the nuclear station.fi Results Many medical teams, rescue teams and public offi cials worked hard. However, many serious problems are revealed, even if they are limited to the medical fi elds, which are as follows: inappropriate basic preparedness against the largest degree of mega-disaster; lack of offi cial education for medical teams against special disaster, such as nuclear disaster (that is, most members of the Japan DMAT or disaster medical assistance team seemed to be laypersons); incorrect standard/ rules of Japan DMAT, which were thought to be excessively focused upon the cure of the injured patients and a planned short period or nearly 48 hours; and insuffi cient consideration for the weak people or CWAP: children, (pregnant) women, aged people, and the poor people/ sick patients. Many CWAP seemed not to have survived. Conclusion The results of this study add to the small but increasing literature on lightning injuries and may serve to increase physician awareness in this medical niche. References 1. Singh G, et al.: Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2003, 57:333-336. 2. Kondo Y, et al.: Jpn J Reanimatol 2011, 30:77-81. Satisfaction survey among medical staff involved in relief operations following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Satisfaction survey among medical staff involved in relief operations following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Y Kondo1, T Abe2, S Deguchi3, Y Kuba4, H Mitsunaga5, H Sekiguchi1, K Kohshi1, I Kukita1 , 1University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan; 2Mito Kyodo General Hospital, University of Tsukuba, Mito, Japan; 3Graduate School of Health Sciences, Meio University, Nago, Japan; 4Medical Corporation Kariyushi Heart-Life Hospital, Nishihara, Japan; 5Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P485 (doi: 10.1186/cc11092) 1University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan; 2Mito Kyodo General Hospital, University of Tsukuba, Mito, Japan; 3Graduate School of Health Sciences, Meio University, Nago, Japan; 4Medical Corporation Kariyushi Heart-Life Hospital, Nishihara, Japan; 5Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P485 (doi: 10.1186/cc11092) P487 P485 p y Conclusion In order to cope with the mega-disaster, it became evident that it is insuffi cient to take makeshift measures or use cheap tricks. Working out the systematization of disaster medicine, based upon the academic viewpoints and philosophy/reliability, is essential to protect the people and the nation too. P485 Satisfaction survey among medical staff involved in relief operations following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Y Kondo1, T Abe2, S Deguchi3, Y Kuba4, H Mitsunaga5, H Sekiguchi1, K Kohshi1, I Kukita1 1University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan; 2Mito Kyodo General Hospital, University of Tsukuba, Mito, Japan; 3Graduate School of Health Sciences, Meio University, Nago, Japan; 4Medical Corporation Kariyushi Heart-Life Hospital, Nishihara, Japan; 5Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P485 (doi: 10.1186/cc11092) P484 Lightning injuries in a lightning city: a district hospital experience in Singapore Seventeen (63%) events were occupation related with all occurring either at the airbase or open construction sites. Although there were reportedly six mechanisms of lightning injuries (direct strike, contact injury, side fl ash, ground current, upward streamer and blast injury) this study only established two types of mechanisms – direct strike and contact injury – amongst our patients. Clinical and biochemical parameters that were studied included cardiovascular morbidity, rhabdomyolysis, otologic injuries, burns, acute kidney injury and neurological complications. The small numbers limited a statistical analysis for any correlations between clinical factors and prognosis as well as hospital length of stay. Nevertheless, it is notable that all three deaths had asystole arrest at presentation, developed HIE, and a trend towards a higher serum creatinine on admission. Conclusion Almost all participants were satisfi ed with their level of comfort, and the infl uence of factors responsible for this comfort in descending order were face wash, toilets, sleep, clothes, and food. References Family meetings and end-of-life decision-making in Thai critically ill patients P Chatrkaw1, R Champunot2, W Riyakul3 1Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; 2Buddhachinaraj Hospital, Phitsanulok, Thailand; 3Chulalongkorn Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P489 (doi: 10.1186/cc11096) P Chatrkaw1, R Champunot2, W Riyakul3 1Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; 2Buddhachinaraj Hospital, Phitsanulok, Thailand; 3Chulalongkorn Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P489 (doi: 10.1186/cc11096) p Results All stressor categories were diff erently reported by the three groups analysed: environmental (S = 17 (15 to 19), R = 15 (13 to 18), P = 10 (8 to 11), P <0.01), relationships (S = 23 (21 to 25), R = 20.5 (17 to 24.5), P = 14 (11 to 17), P <0.01), emotional (S = 25.5 (23 to 28), R = 24 (20 to 26), P = 18 (15 to 22), P <0.01), and physical (S = 35 (31 to 38), R = 33 (26.5 to 37), P = 27 (21 to 30), P <0.01). Among the staff members, nurses overestimated more than attending physicians, while trainees are closer to relatives’ perception (P  =  0.03). Staff members used to conscious sedation overestimate less the impact of environmental stressors (P = 0.03). Years of experience (r = 0.24, P = 0.03) and age (r = 0.27, P = 0.01) are related to stressor overestimation among staff members.f Introduction Limitation of life-sustaining therapy after critical illnesses in Thailand is uncommon. The barriers may be uncertain prognosis, wrong sense of doctor duty, guilty feeling, confl icts on the goals of care and fear of liability. Therefore we set a formal healthcare team meeting followed by a family meeting to fi nd the balance between curative and palliative intention. The objective was to determine the nature and eff ects of family meetings in the Thai social context. f y g Methods A descriptive, retrospective analysis of charts and preference forms after family meetings in the surgical ICU during 2003 to 2005. Close family members were invited and encouraged to express their ideas and feelings. Conclusion Members of the staff should reconsider their beliefs on patients’ perception of stressors. We argue that such an overestimation may bring inappropriate administration of analgesic and sedative drugs, particularly for nurses and older members of staff . Relatives might be useful intermediaries to have a better insight of patients’ perception. Results Thirty-one family meetings were analysed. P489 categories; higher scores refer to a higher stressfulness. The median (IQR) was calculated for each category. Twenty-eight high-risk critically ill at discharge, 55 relatives 48 hours after admission of their next of kin, and a total of 125 staff members (55 attending physicians, 40 nurses and 30 medical students/specialist trainees) were interviewed. Fifty-six of the staff members were used to keep patients consciously sedated as for local guidelines; the remaining used deeper levels of sedation. Nonparametric tests were used as needed. Reference Figure 1 (abstract P489). Preferences for care at the end of life after family meetings. 1. Novaes: Intensive Care Med 1997, 23:1282. Infl uence of burnout on attitudes of ICU doctors and nurses towards liberalization of visiting polices Results From the fi rst measurement it occurred that 66.7% of the relatives faced severe symptoms of PTSD (scores >33) and from the second measurement it occurred that 70% of family members were identifi ed as cases of severe stress symptoms too. No correlation was found between these symptoms and APACHE II score (P >0.05), indicating that such symptoms exist in family members during the whole patient’s stay in the ICU, regardless of the seriousness of the patient’s condition.f A Giannini1, G Miccinesi2, E Prandi1, M Audisio3, A Bencivinni4, E Biagioni5, E Castenetto6, I Laganà7, R Oggioni4, V Porta8, R Salcuni9, A Sarti10, MG Visconti11, C Borreani12 A Giannini1, G Miccinesi2, E Prandi1, M Audisio3, A Bencivinni4, E Biagioni5, E Castenetto6, I Laganà7, R Oggioni4, V Porta8, R Salcuni9, A Sarti10, MG Visconti11, C Borreani12 1Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; 2Istituto per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica, Florence, Italy; 3Ospedale di Ciriè, Italy; 4Ospedale Nuovo del Mugello, Borgo San Lorenzo, Italy; 5Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Modena, Italy; 6Ospedale Civico, Chivasso, Italy; 7Azienda Ospedaliera ‘G. Salesi’, Ancona, Italy; 8Ospedale Civile, Legnano, Italy; 9Ospedale di Ivrea, Italy; 10Ospedale S. Maria Nuova, Florence, Italy; 11Ospedale ‘A. Uboldo’, Cernusco sul Naviglio, Italy; 12Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy Conclusion Relatives of ICU patients seem to suff er from symptoms of PTSD. Nurses who work in the ICU, and have direct and longer contact with patients and relatives too, need to recognize, evaluate and minimize these symptoms in order that further disorders and damage to the relatives’ mental health be prevented. y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P490 (doi: 10.1186/cc11097) Introduction The staff working in the ICU have a complex and stressful job and are at risk of burnout [1]. We conjectured that the presence of a burnout profi le may also infl uence the views of ICU doctors and nurses regarding the liberalization of visiting policies. We investigated P488 Role of ICU nurses in the confrontation of post-traumatic stress disorder in relatives of ICU patients in a general hospital of Athens, Greece M Kourti1, T Katostaras2, G Kallergis2, E Christofi lou1, I Floros1, G Fildisis2 1Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2University of Athens, Faculty of Nursing, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P488 (doi: 10.1186/cc11095) Figure 1 (abstract P489). Preferences for care at the end of life after family meetings. Introduction This study was planned to assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in relatives of ICU patients and to evaluate the role of ICU nurses in the confrontation of these symptoms. Introduction This study was planned to assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in relatives of ICU patients and to evaluate the role of ICU nurses in the confrontation of these symptoms. Conclusion Withholding intubation and withdrawal therapy are uncommon in Thai people. However, most Thai families prefer not to escalate therapy including CPR. All of them died peacefully and the families were satisfi ed with the care at the end of life. Reference Methods The Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) was translated and distributed to the family members of patients that were hospitalized in the ICU from August 2008 to September 2010. Two measurements took place: the fi rst one 7 to 10 days from the admission of the patient to the ICU and the second one (to the same relative) after 15 to 20 days from the admission. The maximum IES-R score is 88 (0 to 4 for each one of the 22 questions that constitute the scale). Scores over 33 were interpreted as severe cases of PTSD. Patients’ health condition was evaluated with the APACHE II score before each measurement.i 1. Truog RD, et al.: Crit Care Med 2001, 29:2332-2348. Family meetings and end-of-life decision-making in Thai critically ill patients The mean age of the patients was 65.5 (± 12.9) with mean SAPS II of 55.6 (± 14.9). Three patients were post CPR. Metastatic cancer was the most common underlying condition (45.2%). Most families requested to have full support, except CPR. Around 20% were not ready to make a decision, but fi nally agreed not to escalate therapy. See Figure 1. P488 P488 Role of ICU nurses in the confrontation of post-traumatic stress disorder in relatives of ICU patients in a general hospital of Athens, Greece M Kourti1, T Katostaras2, G Kallergis2, E Christofi lou1, I Floros1, G Fildisis2 1Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece; 2University of Athens, Faculty of Nursing, Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P488 (doi: 10.1186/cc11095) Stressors in the ICU: diff erent perceptions of patients, relatives and staff members Stressors in the ICU: diff erent perceptions of patients, relatives and staff members M Umbrello1, G Mistraletti1, B Cerri1, E Carloni1, V Mariani2, A Di Carlo1, F Martinetti1, L D’Amato1, S Miori1, G Iapichino1 1Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; 2AO San Paolo – Polo Universitario, Milan, Italy Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P487 (doi: 10.1186/cc11094) Introduction We conducted an attitude survey regarding satisfaction among medical staff involved in relief operations following the Great East Japan Earthquake (magnitude 9.0) and Tsunami, which struck Japan on 11 March 2011. The damage was enormous and a number of medical relief teams visited the aff ected area to rescue victims. Our Okinawa medical relief team visited Otuchi, Iwate, on 15 March and provided medical support to the victims for 2.5 months. Introduction The high-risk critically ill are exposed to signifi cant stressors, along with diffi culties in communicating them to relatives and members of the staff . The aim of this study was to compare the perception of stressors as reported by patients (P), relatives (R) and ICU staff members (S). Methods We conducted an anonymous paper survey using self- developed questionnaires. The 79 participants included medical doctors, nurses, and logisticians from medical relief teams involved in rescuing victims of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. We also performed f Methods A validated questionnaire [1] was used to quantitatively assess discomforts related to the ICU stay. Items were clustered into S174 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 References 1. Azoulay E, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2005, 171:987-994. 2. Azoulay E, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2001, 163:135-139. 3 Horowitz MJ et al : Psych Med 1979 41:209 218 y , p , 2. Azoulay E, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2001, 163:135-139. 1. Azoulay E, et al.: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2005, 171:987-994. A family-based satisfaction survey on the ICU D Moult, R Breeze, A Molokhia A family based satisfaction survey on D Moult, R Breeze, A Molokhia gi Results A total of 364 questionnaires were evaluated, including 282 nurses and 82 ICU physicians. The prevalence of severe BOS was 51% among ICU physicians and 42% in nursing staff . For ICU nurses, factors independently associated with lower MBI scores were the following: work on fi xed days (OR 0.6; 95% CI 0.3 to 0.9; P  =  0.01), integrated in-ICU working groups (OR 0.6; 95% CI 0.3 to 0.9; P  =  0.02), good relationships with physicians (OR 0.8; 95% CI 0.7 to 0.9; P = 0.008) and good relationships with supervisors (OR 0.8; 95% CI 0.7 to 1; P = 0.05). In contrast, at least one death over the last week was associated with higher MBI score (OR 2; 95% CI 1.2 to 3.2; P = 0.008). For ICU physicians, not being partnered was independently associated with higher MBI scores. Conversely, good relationships with colleagues was associated with lower MBI scores (OR 0,5; 95% CI 0.3 to 0.8; P = 0.004). Interestingly, this study confi rms that clinicians with severe BOS had increased burden such as sleep disorders, libido troubles, lack of memory, inadequate money management as well as the wish to leave the ICU. Conclusion The prevalence of severe BOS is very high among ICU workers in Uruguay. We have identifi ed diff erent risk factors associated D Moult, R Breeze, A Molokhia D Moult, R Breeze, A Molokhia University Hospital Lewisham, London, UK University Hospital Lewisham, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P493 (doi: 10.1186/cc11100) y p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P493 (doi: 10.1186/cc11100) Introduction We conducted a prospective survey to determine satisfaction amongst relatives of patients on our ICU. Patient-reported outcome measures have become widely used and accepted in the pursuit of improved quality of care [1]. However, assessing patient satisfaction is diffi cult on the ICU, an environment where we more commonly communicate with the family of patients regarding the care of their relative. Therefore, a more family-centred approach is indicated, for which family satisfaction questionnaires have already been validated [2]. Methods We utilised a 35-point questionnaire-based survey of relatives of patients in our ICU over 10 weeks. Questionnaires were distributed to family members when the decision to discharge from the ICU was made. References S175 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 with the development of severe BOS. These results confi rm previous fi ndings and highlight that strategies to decrease BOS in ICU clinicians are urgently warranted. this issue in the course of a survey about the impact on ICU staff of liberalization of visiting policies. this issue in the course of a survey about the impact on ICU staff of liberalization of visiting policies. Methods We administered an anonymous closed-question question- naire to nurses and doctors at eight ICUs that were about to increase the daily visiting time to at least 8 hours, soliciting their views on policy changes in their unit. The ICU staff were asked to fi ll in the same questionnaire a year after implementation. On both occasions we also administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory (a 22-item self-completed questionnaire) to survey the incidence of burnout.i P492 Opening the ICU: views of ICU doctors and nurses before and after liberalization of visiting policies Opening the ICU: views of ICU doctors and nurses before and after liberalization of visiting policies A Giannini1, G Miccinesi2, E Prandi1, M Audisio3, A Bencivinni4, E Biagioni5, E Castenetto6, I Laganà7, R Oggioni4, V Porta8, R Salcuni9, A Sarti10, MG Visconti11, C Borreani12 A Giannini1, G Miccinesi2, E Prandi1, M Audisio3, A Bencivinni4, E Biagioni5, E Castenetto6, I Laganà7, R Oggioni4, V Porta8, R Salcuni9, A Sarti10, MG Visconti11, C Borreani12 q y Results The fi rst response rate was 91% (234/258), the second 76% (197/258). Most doctors and nurses gave a favourable opinion regarding changes to visiting policy in both the fi rst (72%) and the second survey (71%). In both phases of the study, the percentage of respondents presenting a profi le compatible with burnout was 36% and 41% respectively. In subjects without burnout there was a marked predominance of a favourable opinion (80% vs. 61%), and this favourable attitude was also maintained a year after the implementation of policy change (79% vs. 59%).l 1Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; 2Istituto per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica, Florence, Italy; 3Ospedale di Ciriè, Italy; 4Ospedale Nuovo del Mugello, Borgo San Lorenzo, Italy; 5Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Modena, Italy; 6Ospedale Civico, Chivasso, Italy; 7Azienda Ospedaliera ‘G. Salesi’, Ancona, Italy; 8Ospedale Civile, Legnano, Italy; 9Ospedale di Ivrea, Italy; 10Ospedale S. Maria Nuova, Florence, Italy; 11Ospedale ‘A. Uboldo’, Cernusco sul Naviglio, Italy; 12Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P492 (doi: 10.1186/cc11099) y g Conclusion The presence of burnout has a strong infl uence on the opinion of doctors and nurses regarding liberalization of visiting policies in the ICU. A favourable opinion predominates among ICU staff members without burnout symptoms. In preparing for and assisting the opening of ICUs it is important also to be aware of this aspect and to off er nurses and physicians appropriate support. Introduction Italian ICUs still impose restrictive visiting policies (with a median visiting time of about 2 hours/day); however, a revision of current policies is underway [1-3]. No data are available on the views of Italian ICU teams following an at least partial liberalization of visiting policies. We investigated this issue in the course of a survey about the impact on ICU teams of the liberalization of visiting policies. Reference Methods We administered an anonymous closed-question question- naire to nurses and doctors at eight ICUs that were about to increase daily visiting time to at least 8 hours, soliciting their views on policy changes in their unit. The ICU staff were asked to fi ll in the same questionnaire a year after implementation.i 1. Embriaco N, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2007, 13:482-488. References Methods A survey was conducted in 12 Uruguayan adult ICUs. The level of BOS was evaluated on the basis of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI score). ICU, patient, and clinician characteristics were assessed for their association with the prevalence of severe BOS (that is, highest MBI scores). All variables with P <0.2 in univariate analysis were included in a model of ordinal regression. P <0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant. 1. Giannini et al.: Intensive Care Med 2008, 34:1256-1262. 2. Giannini et al.: Intensive Care Med 2011, 37:1890. 3 Giannini et al : Pediatr Crit Care Med 2011 12:e46 e50 3. Giannini et al.: Pediatr Crit Care Med 2011, 12:e46–e50. Prevalence, risk factors and impact of severe burnout syndrome in 12 Uruguayan ICUs q y p Results The fi rst response rate was 91% (234/258), the second 76% (197/258). In the fi rst instance, 83% of doctors and 67% of nurses expressed a favourable opinion regarding the change in visiting policy. After 1 year a positive opinion was expressed by 84% of doctors and 63% of nurses. Both phases of the study show a signifi cant predominance of positive opinions among doctors (P = 0.032 and 0.005).f y G Burghi1, J LAmbert2, M Chaize2, C Quiroga3, G Pittini4, M Cancela5, H Bagnulo1, S Chevret2, E Azoulay2 1Hospital Maciel, Montevideo, Uruguay; 2Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France; 3Hospital Español, Montevideo, Uruguay; 4CAAMEPA, Pando, Uruguay; 5Hospital de Clínicas, Montevideo, Uruguay Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P491 (doi: 10.1186/cc11098) Conclusion Most ICU staff members view the opening of the unit positively, and on the whole maintain this opinion 1 year after the policy change. Overall, the attitude of doctors is more favourable than that of nurses. It is essential to build up a picture of the diffi culties that liberalizing visiting could create for ICU staff (and particularly for nurses), and to explore the causes and extent of such diffi culties, in order to identify possible solutions and off er nurses and doctors appropriate support. Introduction Burnout syndrome (BOS) is defi ned as a state of emotional fatigue that leads to a loss of motivation, usually progressing towards feelings of inadequacy and failure. Severe BOS is relevant as it leads to loss of psychological well-being, increased absenteeism and turnover, and deterioration in the quality of care provided to patients. The objective was to determine the prevalence of BOS among Uruguayan ICU clinicians. To evaluate personal or organization characteristics associated with the development of severe BOS. Acknowledgments The study was supported by Associazione per il Bambino Nefropatico (Milan, Italy). Opening the ICU: views of ICU doctors and nurses before and after liberalization of visiting policies Introduction Italian ICUs still impose restrictive visiting policies (with a median visiting time of about 2 hours/day); however, a revision of current policies is underway [1-3]. No data are available on the views of Italian ICU teams following an at least partial liberalization of visiting policies. We investigated this issue in the course of a survey about the impact on ICU teams of the liberalization of visiting policies. Acknowledgments The study was supported by Associazione per il Bambino Nefropatico (Milan, Italy). A family-based satisfaction survey on the ICU D Moult, R Breeze, A Molokhia We limited this to two family members per patient who were in the ICU for more than 48 hours. S176 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results We received 29 completed questionnaires. Relatives of 24 of the respondents had survived to ICU discharge. Responses were linearly transformed to give percentage scores. Higher values represented a greater degree of satisfaction. Overall care in the ICU, 88.8%. Courtesy, respect and compassion to the patient (93.8%), to relatives (92.2%); assessment and treatment of pain (94.4%), breathlessness (92.9%), agitation (88.9%); emotional support (89.4%); care from nurses (92.0%), doctors (95.5%); frequency of communication nurses (92.9%), doctors (89.7%). Overall decision-making, 91.3%. Willingness of staff to answer questions (90.5%); honesty (90.5%), completeness (91.4%), consistency of information (90.5%); inclusion in decision-making, 78.7%; support during decision-making, 78.7%; time to think about information given, 96.2%. to provide some history as a surrogate to patient interview. We think the care we provide should encompass both the patient and their family. This is already accepted practice in the paediatric ICU setting [2]. Communication between family and clinical staff , ideally on a daily basis, is clearly imperative and a systematic approach to improve this is good practice. Increasing insight into relatives’ perceptions and expectations will aid the delivery of high-quality care. We believe that involving relatives in the ward round will be of benefi t for us in our professional relationships with them and improve their understanding during an extremely diffi cult time. to provide some history as a surrogate to patient interview. We think the care we provide should encompass both the patient and their family. This is already accepted practice in the paediatric ICU setting [2]. Communication between family and clinical staff , ideally on a daily basis, is clearly imperative and a systematic approach to improve this is good practice. Increasing insight into relatives’ perceptions and expectations will aid the delivery of high-quality care. We believe that involving relatives in the ward round will be of benefi t for us in our professional relationships with them and improve their understanding during an extremely diffi cult time. fi Methods This was a prospective study over 2 months formally inviting up to four families per day to be present for that part of the ward round involving their relative. Family satisfaction in an interdisciplinary ICU: a quality audit UM S h id R Al i T Ri CK H f Introduction Meeting the needs of family members of patients in the ICU is an important criterion in assessment of quality of care in the ICU. Therefore this study was conducted to determine the immediate needs and level of anxiety of families with traumatic brain injury patients admitted to ICUs in Shiraz, Iran in 2008. Introduction The quality of intensive care medicine depends on multiple indicators [1,2]. Meeting relatives’ needs in the challenging situation of ICU visits is crucial. The aim of this audit was to assess next of kin’s satisfaction and infl uencing factors. Methods In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 60 family members was recruited over a period of 4 months. On the second day of ICU admission, one family member for each patient who met the study criteria were asked to complete three questionnaires, consisting of the Critical Care Family Need Inventory (CCFNI), the State- trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and a demographic data sheet. Methods With institutional approval, questionnaires were distributed to family members of ICU patients. The survey included two visual analogue scale ratings (VAS 1: patient care, VAS 2: decision-making) and 24 questions with four dimensions D1 to D4 (general impression, treatment and patient care quality, professional quality) on a fi ve-point Likert scale, transformed into values 1 to 100. Patient-specifi c and relatives’ sociodemographic data were recorded. Data are presented as the mean ± SD, median (Q.5), interquartile range (IQR) and range (minimum/maximum). Subgroup analysis (relative’s and patient’s age, sex, education, marital status, length of stay, visit frequency and mortality) was performed using the Mann–Whitney U test. y y g Results The mean ages of the subjects were 32.2 years. A total of 10 needs statements in the CCFNI were rated to be important or very important needs by 50 of the 60 families (83.3%); seven were needs for assurance, two were needs for information, and one of them was needs for proximity. The mean of CCFNI satisfaction scores were low (16.5 ± 1.5) for needs to comfort, and high for needs to support (38.1 ± 4.7). Also the mean score of state anxiety (56.75 ± 5.7) and trait anxiety score (52 ± 6.2) was higher than previous studies. i References 1. Dodek et al.: Crit Care Med 2004, 32:1922-1927. 1. Dodek et al.: Crit Care Med 2004, 32:1922-1927. Conclusion In this single-centre survey we have demonstrated that inviting families to ICU ward rounds is feasible and we believe that this intervention could improve family satisfaction on the ICU. We are investigating the impact of this intervention with a detailed comparative survey, which we will present in the future. References 1. Dodek et al.: Crit Care Med 2004, 32:1922-1927. 2. Wall et al.: Crit Care Med 2007, 35:271-279. 1. Dodek et al.: Crit Care Med 2004, 32:1922-1927. 2. Wall et al.: Crit Care Med 2007, 35:271-279. 1. Dodek et al.: Crit Care Med 2004, 32:1922 1927. 2. Wall et al.: Crit Care Med 2007, 35:271-279. 2. Wall et al.: Crit Care Med 2007, 35:271-279. Family satisfaction in an interdisciplinary ICU: a quality audit UM S h id R Al i T Ri CK H f y p g y Results Questionnaires of 159 patients were analyzed (patients: age = 66.1 ± 13.0 years, 64% female, SAPS = 38.8 ± 17.5, LOS = 13.5 ± 11.8 Conclusion A needs-based education program can decrease the level of family anxiety and increase the level of satisfaction. Table 1 (abstract P496) Mean ± SD Q.5/IQR Minimum/maximum VAS1 9.1 ± 0.9 9.3/0.9 5.5/10 VAS2 8.6 ± 1.5 9.0/1.5 3.1/10 ∑Satisf 87 ± 15.1 80/20 20/100 D1 91.1 ± 15 100/20 20/100 D2 89.2 ± 13 100/20 40/100 D3 86 ± 15.4 80/20 20/100 D4 85.5 ± 15 80/40 20/100 Immediate needs and level of anxiety of families with traumatic brain injury patients admitted to ICUsf 1. Patient Satisfaction [www.patientsatisfaction.co.uk] j y S Gholamzadeh, R Abdoli, F Shariff , R Gholamzadeh, 1. Patient Satisfaction [www.patientsatisfaction.co.uk] 2. Aronson et al.: Paediatrics 2009, 124:1120-1125. 1. Patient Satisfaction [www.patientsatisfaction.co.uk] 2. Aronson et al.: Paediatrics 2009, 124:1120-1125. 1. Patient Satisfaction [www.patientsatisfaction.co.uk] 2. Aronson et al.: Paediatrics 2009, 124:1120-1125. S Gholamzadeh, R Abdoli, F Shariff , R Gholamzadeh, A Maraghian Mohammadi Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P494 (doi: 10.1186/cc11101) 2. Aronson et al.: Paediatrics 2009, 124:1120-1125. A family-based satisfaction survey on the ICU D Moult, R Breeze, A Molokhia Subsequently they were asked to complete a questionnaire anonymously on the experience.l Conclusion Family satisfaction with our ICU is high, with satisfaction high in both care and decision-making domains. Appropriate inclusion with and support during the decision-making process were areas with lower satisfaction scores. The structuring of options for answering these questions may have been a confounding factor in this fi nding. However, this may represent genuine lower levels of satisfaction and steps should be taken to improve this. In response to these fi ndings we have invited families to join their relatives’ part of the consultant ward round to improve inclusion and support in decision-making. We are currently repeating the survey with these changes in place and will present our fi ndings in the future. R f Results The results that refl ected 31 ward round attendances were unanimous: every family agreed that their attendance had a positive impact, alleviating misconceptions about the intensive care environment and clarifying the processes involved in the care of their relative. The survey also revealed that attendance at the ward round provided an excellent opportunity to have their questions answered by consultants. All those invited wished to attend and all respondents said the experience was valuable and they would like to attend again. Comments included: ‘Explanations very helpful to deal with the stress of the situation’ and ‘Reassuring to have information delivered professionally and compassionately’. Incidence of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression symptoms in patients and relatives during the ICU stay and after discharge Lovell Federal Healthcare Center, North Chicago, IL, USA; 2Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P499 (doi: 10.1186/cc11106) Introduction The eff ect of the full moon (the lunar eff ect) on human behaviour has occupied researchers for centuries. We aim to determine such a lunar eff ect on mortality among patients admitted to the ICU. Methods We analyze the electronic medical records of patients admitted to the ICU. The subjects were divided into two groups: patients who died on full moon days (14th,15th, and 16th days of the lunar month) and the patients who died on other days of the lunar month. The mortality rates were calculated for patients in both groups. Parameters including age, gender, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) III scores, predicted mortality, type of ICU, and actual mortality were compared between the two groups. Student’s t test was performed to determine whether there were any diff erences between the groups. Introduction The eff ect of the full moon (the lunar eff ect) on human behaviour has occupied researchers for centuries. We aim to determine such a lunar eff ect on mortality among patients admitted to the ICU. Introduction The eff ect of the full moon (the lunar eff ect) on human behaviour has occupied researchers for centuries. We aim to determine such a lunar eff ect on mortality among patients admitted to the ICU. Methods We analyze the electronic medical records of patients admitted to the ICU. The subjects were divided into two groups: patients who died on full moon days (14th,15th, and 16th days of the lunar month) and the patients who died on other days of the lunar month. The mortality rates were calculated for patients in both groups. Parameters including age, gender, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) III scores, predicted mortality, type of ICU, and actual mortality were compared between the two groups. Student’s t test was performed to determine whether there were any diff erences between the groups. y Conclusion At least one-third of family members visiting patients in the ICU suff er from symptoms of anxiety, depression or both. The level of post-traumatic stress symptoms in family members was high after ICU discharge. Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms were higher among family members compared to patients. Female gender and oncologic diagnosis were strongly associated with depression and post-traumatic stress. P495 Families: the newest members of the ICU multidisciplinary team R Santhirapala, J Lipton, T Hall, R Breeze, A Molokhia University Hospital Lewisham, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P495 (doi: 10.1186/cc11102) Families: the newest members of the ICU multidisciplinary team R Santhirapala, J Lipton, T Hall, R Breeze, A Molokhia University Hospital Lewisham, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P495 (doi: 10.1186/cc11102) Introduction We have started inviting the relatives of our patients to remain present during our multidisciplinary team ICU ward round. The aim is to improve their understanding of the complex activity on an ICU and reduce inconsistencies in communication. In the UK it is becoming expected practice that patient satisfaction is an endpoint we should be measuring and improving [1]. Assessing this on the ICU is often very diffi cult due to the confounding factors inherent to critical illness. We often seek assent from families for procedures and S177 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Methods A retrospective analysis of all patients that were treated in the medical ICU of a large German university hospital in 2009 and 2010 and died during their hospital stay. Methods A retrospective analysis of all patients that were treated in the medical ICU of a large German university hospital in 2009 and 2010 and died during their hospital stay. days, mortality = 16.5%; relatives: age = 44.5 ± 26.9 years, 63.7% female, 13% medical/25.5% higher education). High satisfaction (VAS 1/2, D1 to D4) was observed (Table 1). Signifi cant diff erences within subgroups were found: relatives with healthcare education showed higher D1 to D4 satisfaction than the ones with a graduate degree only. Higher VAS scorings were observed from next of kin with high visit frequency (≥5×/ week). g p y Results During the observation period 3,401 patients were treated in our ICU. The ICU mortality was 15% (n = 501), hospital mortality was 19% (n = 658). The mean predictive mortality derived from the SAPS 2 score was 29% for all patients (standardized mortality ratio 0.67), deceased patients had a predictive mortality of 56%. Of all deceased, 232 (35%) had received CPR, 170 of those (73%) outside the ICU. Of all patients who died in the hospital, 126 (19%) had received unlimited therapy. p References 1. Myhren H, et al.: Crit Care 2010, 14:R14. 2. Pochard F, et al.: Crit Care Med 2001, 29:1893-1897. 3. Fumis R, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:899-902. References 1. Intensive Care Med 2007, 33:1913-1920. 2. Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:2051-2059. 1. Intensive Care Med 2007, 33:1913-1920. 2. Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:2051-2059. 1. Intensive Care Med 2007, 33:1913-1920. 2. Intensive Care Med 2009, 35:2051-2059. P498 Conclusion The full moon does not seem to aff ect the mortality of patients admitted to the ICU. P495 Life support was withdrawn in 245 patients (37%) and life support was withheld in 241 patients (36%). In 46 patients (7%) palliative care was instituted right from the beginning of the ICU stay. In 104 cases (16%) the patients themselves made the EOL decision, in 78 cases (12%) an advance directive was present. A legally designated healthcare proxy was involved in 8%. In 541 cases (82%) the relatives were integrated in EOL decisions with the objective of fi nding a broad consensus; however, in these cases the assessment of the medical indication and the prognosis by the medical team was of particular importance. Cases in which relatives were not involved in EOL decisions were in 76% cases with short unsuccessful maximal therapy, for example CPR (median ICU stay 5 hours). The rate of life support withdrawal was highest (60%) in patients with CNS diseases. We did not experience any serious or unsolvable confl icts with relatives. Involvement of a law court was necessary in none of the cases. Conclusion Relatives of ICU patients were in general highly satisfi ed. The educational status and ICU visit frequency of the next of kin were revealed to be infl uencing factors. Incidence of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression symptoms in patients and relatives during the ICU stay and after discharge Further actions might be adopted to diminish the incidence of these disorders. Results Data from 4,387 patients who were followed for 23 months were analyzed. Overall, 297 patients died during this period, including 31 patients on full moon days and 266 patients on the other days of the month. Both groups were similar in terms of age (73 vs. 71 years, P = 0.39), APACHE III scores (82.06 vs. 76.52, P = 0.28), and predicted mortality (0.405 vs. 0.370, P  =  0.48). There was no diff erence in the frequency of death between the full moon days and the other days (10.33 vs. 9.85, P = 0.81). See Table 1.f Incidence of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression symptoms in patients and relatives during the ICU stay and after discharge R Fumis, P Martins, G Schettino R Fumis, P Martins, G Schettino Hospital Sirio-Libanes, São Paulo, Brazil Hospital Sirio-Libanes, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P497 (doi: 10.1186/cc11104) Introduction To study the incidence and predictors of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression symptoms in medical and surgical patients and relatives during the ICU stay and at 30 and 90 days post ICU discharge. Methods A prospective study of 72 patients and 99 family members that completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale during the ICU stay and at 30 and 90 days after discharge. The Impact of Event Scale at 30 and 90 days after ICU discharge was used to evaluate post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Conclusion EOL policies were applied in 81% of our intensive care patients who died during their hospital stay. The new German law regulations served as a practical and realizable basis for EOL policies in our medical ICU. Results The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety, depression or both in patients during the ICU stay was 10%, 2.8% and 6.9% respectively. Among family members prevalence was 17.3%, 6.5% and 14.4% respectively, and was signifi cantly higher compared to patients (P  =  0.034). PTSD symptoms were present in 39.8% and 32.7% of family members respectively at 30 and 90 days after discharge. Among patients symptoms were signifi cantly lower (P <0.001). Factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression during the ICU stay in a multivariate model included patient-related factors as SAPS 3 (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.24) and length of family member stay in the ICU (OR 1.39, 95% CI 0.89 to 2.16) and family-related factors as female gender (OR 5.43, 95% CI 0.67 to 43.8) and oncologic diagnosis (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.05 to 1.31). The multivariate model also identifi ed patient age (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.93 to 1) and oncologic diagnosis (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.79) associated with symptoms of post-traumatic stress after discharge among family members. P499 Eff ect of a full moon on mortality of patients admitted to the ICU R Nadeem1, A Nadeem1, E Madbouly1, J Molnar2, J Morrison2 1Captain James A. Growing a positive culture in an ICU antimicrobial stewardship program p p y yi g Results Among 720 patients, 165 were women (22.9%), 506 (70.3%) aged <55 years old and 214 (29.7%) ≥55 years old. Overall mortality was 31.7% and 70.2% of deaths occurring following the WLST [2]. Unadjusted mortality was 41.2% in women versus 28.8% in men (P = 0.003). We observed similar fi ndings in patients <55 years old (30.5 vs. 21.4%, P = 0.06), but not among men and women aged ≥55 years old (55.7 vs. 55.0%, P = 0.43). Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) showed a nonsignifi cantly increased risk of death in women aged <55 years old as compared to men (1.51 (0.92 to 2.47)), and in women aged ≥55 years old (1.53 (0.94 to 2.50)). We observed no diff erence both in the overall unadjusted incidence of WLST between women and men (73.5 vs. 68.8%, P = 0.47) and in women and men aged <55 years old, while there was a nonsignifi cantly increased rate of WLST in women ≥55 years old (HR 1.53 (0.94 to 2.50)). K Walker, J Litynsky, J Powis K Walker, J Litynsky, J Powis y y Toronto East General Hospital, Toronto, Canada Toronto East General Hospital, Toronto, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P502 (doi: 10.1186/cc11109) Toronto East General Hospital, Toronto, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P502 (doi: 10.1186/cc11109) p Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P502 (doi: 10.1186/cc11109) Introduction A 3-month pilot antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) was initiated in a 490-bed urban community hospital medical/surgical ICU. The ASP continued post pilot. ASP goals are to optimize/reduce antimicrobial (AM) usage, improve clinical outcomes and reduce nosocomial Clostridium diffi cile rates [1,2]. Methods The pilot had one pharmacist (Ph) providing ICU clinical service and one AMPh, both working as ICUPhs. The AMPh collected standardized data on patients and were reviewed with the ID physician; then the AMPh and ID physician discussed with the ICU care team for optimal AM use. Post pilot, the ICUPh assumed the AM stewardship role. The ASP reduced from 5 to 3 days/week. Data collection included the ASP time required and interventions. The same metrics were collected pre/post pilot. Conclusion There may be gender-based diff erences in outcome among patients with severe TBI. Overall, mortality for women tended to be higher, as were decisions for WLST. These diff erences may be due to unmeasured confounders, biologic responses to TBI, or diff erences in level of care decision-making. P500 P500 Potential association of gender with mortality and withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies in patients with severe TBI: a Canadian multicentre cohort study AF Turgeon1, F Lauzier1, A Boutin1, N Côte1, R Zarychanski2, R Fowler3, D Scales3, M Meade4, K Burns3, F Bernard5, D Zygun6, L Moore1, D Fergusson7 1Laval University, Quebec, Canada; 2University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; 3University of Toronto, Canada; 4McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; 5Université de Montréal, Canada; 6University of Calgary, Canada; 7Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P500 (doi: 10.1186/cc11107) References was to introduce advanced computerised infusion pumps with in-built drug safety software, so-called smart pumps, in the ICU to facilitate safer drug administration. 1. Wolbank S, Praus G, Smolle-Juettner F, et al.: The infl uence of lunar phenomena on the incidence of emergency cases. Resuscitation 2003, 58:97-102.f Methods The working group consisted of an ICU pharmacist, clinical nurse specialist and consultant intensivist. A drug library was constructed by the ICU pharmacist and consultant intensivist and loaded onto the infusion pumps. The selection of drugs and dose limits were carefully considered to ensure that they were within the boundaries of normal usage so as not to impede patient management whilst maximising patient safety. Super users then provided individualised training to 85 ICU nurses. In the UK there have been 50 system implementations to date. The national average for compliance with the use of the software is 50%. 2. Alves DW, Allegra JR, Cochrane DG, Cable G: Eff ect of lunar cycle on temporal association in cardiopulmonary arrest in seven emergency departments during eleven years. Eur J Emerg Med 2003, 10:225-228. 2. Alves DW, Allegra JR, Cochrane DG, Cable G: Eff ect of lunar cycle on temporal association in cardiopulmonary arrest in seven emergency departments during eleven years. Eur J Emerg Med 2003, 10:225-228. Application of a new German law as a basis for end-of life decisions in a medical ICU Table 1 (abstract P499). Characteristics of patients who died on full moon days versus other days Full moon Other days P value Age 73.6 ± 14.59 71.07 ± 16.1 0.39 Male/female 15/16 133/133 0.86 APACHE III 82.06 ± 24.1 76.52 ± 27.4 0.28 Mortality 0.405 ± 0.249 0.370 ± 0.268 0.48 Table 1 (abstract P499). Characteristics of patients who died on full moon days versus other days R Riessen, C Bantlin, M Haap University Hospital Tübingen, Germany University Hospital Tübingen, Germany y y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P498 (doi: 10.1186/cc11105) Introduction In 2009 a new German law came into eff ect that clarifi ed issues regarding end-of-life decisions, especially the role of patient autonomy and the importance of a medical indication in the course of treating patients with terminal illness. In this study we analyzed the end-of-life (EOL) policies in our medical ICU with a focus on the practicability of this law. S178 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 References 1. Fowler RA, Sabur N, Li P, et al.: CMAJ 2007, 177:1513-1519. 2. Turgeon AF, Lauzier F, Simard JF, et al.; Canadian Critical Care Trials Group: CMAJ 2011, 183:1581-1588. References 1. Upton D: 2011 Why are so few infusions smart? Hosp Pharm Eur 57:39-42. 2 Camire E, et al.: Medication errors in critical care: risk factors, prevention and disclosure. CMAJ 2009, 180:936-943. Potential association of gender with mortality and withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies in patients with severe TBI: a Canadian multicentre cohort study Results Feedback following training with the new system was very positive. In our ICU, utilisation of the drug safety software during drug administration was 94% within the fi rst 6 months. Of 18,000 drug infusions, only 1,000 were used outside the drug safety software. There were seven over-rides from the high limit. Of these, two were for furosemide where there was a genuine clinical need for a higher dose. On two other occasions the software prevented insulin being administered at 30 units/hour and potassium at 100 mmol/hour. The number of drug errors reduced from three to zero during the study period. This demonstrated that the design of our package was sensitive enough to ensure safe drug administration and suffi ciently practical to enable consistent use of the system. 1Laval University, Quebec, Canada; 2University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; 3University of Toronto, Canada; 4McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; 5Université de Montréal, Canada; 6University of Calgary, Canada; 7Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P500 (doi: 10.1186/cc11107) Introduction Diff erences in admission patterns, delivery of care and outcomes between women and men admitted to the ICU have been previously identifi ed [1]. However, these observations have not been well described in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Our objective was to identify diff erences in outcomes between women and men with severe TBI. y Conclusion We have demonstrated that the introduction of an advanced computerised infusion pump system in the ICU can provide a safer drug administration environment if the appropriate health professionals are selected to implement the system, the drug library is constructed carefully and a comprehensive training package is applied. References Methods We used data from a large retrospectively cohort study in which adults with severe TBI (GCS ≤8) admitted to six Canadian level I trauma centres (2005 to 2006) were identifi ed through health records using ICD-10 codes [2]. Demographic, severity of illness, and outcome data were collected by trained abstractors. The primary outcome was the diff erence in mortality and withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies (WLST) between women and men; secondary outcome was the impact of age (<55 vs. ≥55 years old) among genders. Analyses included chi- square tests and Cox regression analyses adjusted for GCS motor and pupillary reactivity, with stratifi cation for age. Growing a positive culture in an ICU antimicrobial stewardship program Results The ASP total patient recommendations/100 patient-days were 5-day mean 9.3, 3-day mean 13.5 (P = 0.030) with an increased ICU physician acceptance (5 days = 95.9%, 3 days = 99.7%). Statistically signifi cant was an increase in recommendations to broaden therapy (Table 1) and nonstatistically signifi cant was a reduction in recommendations to de-escalate therapy (5-day mean 1.4 recommendations/100 patient-days, 3-day mean 1.2 recom mendations/100 patient-days; P = 0.601). Also, there was an increase in recommendations for duration optimization (5-day mean 4.0 recommendations/100 patient-days, 3-day mean 6.0 recommendations/100 patient-days; P  =  0.055) and discontinue AMs (5-day mean 2.7 recommendations/100 patient-days; 3-day mean 3.7 recommendations/100 patient-days; P = 0.181). The ASP mean time required (minutes/month) was reduced (5 days 864, 3 days 771; P = 0.267). 1. Fowler RA, Sabur N, Li P, et al.: CMAJ 2007, 177:1513-1519. 2 T AF L i F Si d JF l C di C i i l C T i l G 2. Alves DW, Allegra JR, Cochrane DG, Cable G: Eff ect of lunar cycle on temporal association in cardiopulmonary arrest in seven emergency departments during eleven years. Eur J Emerg Med 2003, 10:225-228. P503 Injectional anthrax: the infl ammatory response M Booth, A Hart, L Donaldson Royal Infi rmary, Glasgow, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P503 (doi: 10.1186/cc11110) Methods This study employed a Delphi selection process involving 38 intensivist participants using a web-based survey tool. In Round 1, participants were presented with 15 interventions proposed by investigators. Using a fi ve-item Likert scale, they responded to the question: ‘In your opinion as an expert, how suffi cient is the evidence that this intervention reduces the risk of ALI in eligible patients?’ Participants were also prompted to comment and submit additional items for consideration. In Round 2, participants followed the same approach to rate and comment on items submitted by the group. Finally, in Round 3, participants reviewed aggregated ratings and comments for all items, and voted for or against inclusion in the draft checklist. Inclusion was limited a priori to items with at least 70% agreement among participants. Introduction From December 2009 to July 2010 there were 47 cases of anthrax amongst injecting drug users in Scotland with 13 fatalities. The majority presented as severe soft tissue infection following i.v. injection or muscle popping as described by Ringertz and colleagues [1]. At fi rst they were diagnosed as necrotising fasciitis (NF) until the diagnosis of anthrax was made. With experience they appeared to have a milder infl ammatory response to their infection compared to other soft tissue infections such as NF. To investigate this the anthrax group was compared to a cohort of confi rmed NF cases. pi Methods Patients admitted to the ICU with NF or injectional anthrax from 1 January 2008 to 30 June 2011 were identifi ed. The white blood count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) at presentation were recorded. Demographic data (sex, age, ICU and hospital LOS, APACHE II score, predicted and actual hospital mortality and drug-injecting history) were retrieved. All data were collected prospectively for routine ICU management. g g p p Results Following Round 1, items submitted by participants were aggregated with minimal change into six additional items for Round 2. In Round 3, of the 21 total items, nine were endorsed by 70% of participants for inclusion in a draft checklist. These items were grouped conceptually into two domains: respiratory support and resuscitation. Conclusion The Delphi process of expert consensus can be employed to develop a checklist of time-sensitive interventions, in a manner that combines available evidence with the perspective of expert clinicians. Results There were six patients with injectional anthrax and 16 with NF. References 1. Dellit TH, et al.: Clin Infect Dis 2007, 44:159-177. 2. Polk RE, et al.: Clin Infect Dis 2007, 44:664-670. Multicenter consensus development of a checklist for lung injury prevention p JM Litell1, O Gajic1, J Sevransky2, M Gong3, DJ Murphy2 1Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; 2Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; 3Montefi ore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P504 (doi: 10.1186/cc11111) JM Litell1, O Gajic1, J Sevransky2, M Gong3, DJ Murphy2 1Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; 2Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; 3Montefi ore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P504 (doi: 10.1186/cc11111) Introduction Acute lung injury (ALI) is linked to almost 75,000 US deaths annually. The syndrome is defi ned clinically by criteria that identify only patients with established ALI, at which point treatment options are limited and largely supportive. After 40 years and more than 25 NIH- funded trials of ALI interventions, only supportive therapy with lung protective ventilation has been associated with a mortality benefi t. The US Critical Illness and Injuries Trials Group lung injury prevention subgroup seeks to standardize best practices for patients at risk of ALI. The recently validated lung injury prediction score (LIPS) identifi es patients at risk of ALI, and can prompt the early use of preventative interventions. This may attenuate the progression to ALI. This study seeks expert consensus about best practices in patients at risk of ALI, as determined by their LIPS. These practices will be incorporated into a checklist for lung injury prevention. Standardization of care may protect patients against ALI development and provide a uniform background for enrollment in other ALI trials. P501 P501 Making drug delivery in the ICU safer: the implementation of advanced computerised intravenous infusion pumps A Dimech, A Le Page, P Gruber, T Wigmore The Royal Marsden, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P501 (doi: 10.1186/cc11108) Introduction Drug administration errors account for approximately 78% of all medical errors occurring in ICUs [1,2]. The aim of this project Conclusion ASP reduction from 5 to 3 days/week was successful. Necessary skills were developed by the ICUPh. ASP reduction increased S179 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 recommendations for discontinuation and prospective duration optimization goals of AMs. A reduction in recommendations to de- escalate therapy and an increase in broadening therapy may refl ect an increased acceptance goals. The 3-day ASP also demonstrated an increase in total recommendations/100 patient-days and a reduction in the total time required which enhanced use of resources, both fi nancial and human. References Table 1 (abstract P502) ASP days Recommendations/ 100 patient-days 5-day mean 3-day mean P value Broaden 0.4 1.6 0.003 P504 Multicenter consensus development of a checklist for lung injury prevention JM Litell1, O Gajic1, J Sevransky2, M Gong3, DJ Murphy2 1Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; 2Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; 3Montefi ore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P504 (doi: 10.1186/cc11111) P503 Injectional anthrax: the infl ammatory response M Booth, A Hart, L Donaldson Royal Infi rmary, Glasgow, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P503 (doi: 10.1186/cc11110) The results are presented in Table 1. There was a marked diff erence in the infl ammatory response between the two groups with the CRP being highly statistically signifi cant. The anthrax group was also younger (35.5 vs. 43.2) with a lower severity of illness, lower predicted mortality (18.6% vs. 31.7%) but much higher actual mortality. P506 Introduction The purpose of the medical emergency team (MET) is to fi nd and treat deteriorating ward patients. Suboptimal care and delays on general wards before admission to intensive care have an eff ect on mortality [1] and patients admitted from general wards have a worse outcome than from the operating room (OR) or emergency department (ED) [2]. MET patients have a high rate of ICU admissions but whether their outcome diff ers from other patients admitted from the wards has not been studied before. We evaluated characteristics and outcome of ICU patients based on mode of admittance, via the MET versus the conventional way. Introduction The implementation of an in-hospital rapid response system (RRS) could improve the outcome of a deteriorating patient but could increase the medical emergency team (MET) and ICU staff workload [1,2]. y Methods An observational prospective study of patients admitted from general wards to the central ICU at Karolinska University hospital, Stockholm, Sweden in 2007 to 2009. Two groups were identifi ed: admissions directly following a MET call or the conventional way, usually on request from the ward physician. Patients were analyzed for age, gender, co-morbidities, length of stay, severity scoring system (APACHE II) and mortality. Methods A retrospective analysis of the years pre, during and post implementation of a RRS in a 480-bed hospital with a mean of 17,500 admissions/year. Figure 2 (abstract P506). Hospital mortality predicted and observed before, during and after the RRS implementation. Figure 1 (abstract P506). MET calls and ICU admission before, during and after the RRS implementation. Figure 1 (abstract P506). MET calls and ICU admission before, during and after the RRS implementation. Results Of 2,571 ICU admissions, 694 admissions in 643 patients came from the wards. In total, 355 were admitted by the MET and 339 were conventional admissions. Median age was 65 years in the MET group versus 58 years in the conventional group, hospital LOS prior to ICU admission was median 3 days versus 1 day and APACHE II score was a mean of 26 versus 21. They did not diff er as to proportion of invasive ventilator treatment or dialysis but MET patients more often received noninvasive ventilation, 57.2% versus 29.2% (P <0.01). ICU mortality was 14.5% versus 8.9% (P = 0.04) and 30-day mortality 27.0% versus 19.1% (P  =  0.02). P505 The number of ICU admissions did not increase (Figure 1). During the period of study there was a reduction of observed mortality compared to that predicted from SAPS II score, especially in surgical patients (Figure 2). Finally, there was an increase of ICU length of stay (LOS) from 11.5 to 13.7 days and a reduction of hospital LOS from 24 to 23.1 days. Results A total of 3,629 admissions during a 4-year period pre ICON (August 2004 to August 2008) and 1,446 admissions during 18 months post ICON (August 2009 to February 2011) were audited. Following the introduction of ICON the percentage of unplanned admissions fell from 36.68% to 22.9%. These patients also had a lower mortality rate (14.57% vs. 9.36%) and the SMR decreased from 1.55 to 1.35. Results The number of MET calls initially increased from 34 to 56 and then decreased to 39 calls/1,000 admissions/year. Most of the calls were from the emergency department and less from medical and surgical wards. The number of ICU admissions did not increase (Figure 1). During the period of study there was a reduction of observed mortality compared to that predicted from SAPS II score, especially in surgical patients (Figure 2). Finally, there was an increase of ICU length of stay (LOS) from 11.5 to 13.7 days and a reduction of hospital LOS from 24 to 23.1 days. the emergency department and less from medical and surgical wards. The number of ICU admissions did not increase (Figure 1). During the period of study there was a reduction of observed mortality compared to that predicted from SAPS II score, especially in surgical patients (Figure 2). Finally, there was an increase of ICU length of stay (LOS) from 11.5 to 13.7 days and a reduction of hospital LOS from 24 to 23.1 days. Conclusion Our data show that the mortality rate has decreased since the introduction of ICON although a confounding factor could be a concurrent decreased crude mortality rate (5.5% in 2003 to 2004 vs. 4.2% 2008 to 2010) in all paediatric intensive care patients in the UK [2]. Despite this we believe that ICON is a signifi cant contributing factor in identifying and rescuing patients on the wards before further signifi cant deterioration requiring intensive care. Further ongoing audit is required. References 1. Acutely Ill Patients in Hospital: Full Guideline [http://guidance.nice.org.uk/ CG50/Guidance] 1. Acutely Ill Patients in Hospital: Full Guideline [http://guidance.nice.org.uk/ CG50/Guidance] P505 P505 Impact of the Paediatric Intensive Care Outreach Network service on mortality within intensive care K Sadasivam, S Skellett Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P505 (doi: 10.1186/cc11112) Conclusion Anthrax releases three factors: lethal factor (LF), edema factor (EF) and protective antigen (PA). PA and LF form lethal toxin which kills macrophages and inhibits B-cell and T-cell function so minimising the immune response to anthrax. This is refl ected in the inappropriately low CRP levels at presentation. Severe soft tissue infection in an injecting drug user associated with subjectively poor infl ammatory response should raise the possibility of anthrax infection. Reference Introduction We audited the mortality rate by admission source in our paediatric ICU, a paediatric tertiary referral centre, from 2004 to 2008 and found that the group of emergency unplanned internal admissions had a higher Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR) of 1.55 compared to a SMR of 1.00 overall for patients admitted to the paediatric ICU. This was in keeping with data from other large paediatric centres [1]. The reasons for the increased mortality for this internal group were not clear and possibly multifactorial. To help address this, a Paediatric Intensive Care Outreach Network (ICON) team was developed and introduced in September 2009. 1. Ringertz SH, et al.: Injectional anthrax in a heroin skin popper. Lancet 2000, 356:1574-1575. 1. Ringertz SH, et al.: Injectional anthrax in a heroin skin popper. Lancet 2000, 356:1574-1575. Table 1 (abstract P503) Anthrax NF Number 6 16 APACHE II score 12.2 19.4 P <0.05 Died (%) 66.6 18.8 P <0.05 WBC 11.6 16.0 NS CRP 71.2 287.3 P <0.001 p Methods A before-and-after study design was used to determine diff erences in percentage of admissions, mortality rate and SMR. Data were collected using the PICANet database for emergency unplanned internal admissions before (August 2004 to August 2008) and after implementation of the ICON team (August 2009 to February 2011). PICANet is a national database that audits all paediatric intensive care admissions in the UK [2]. S180 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Results The number of MET calls initially increased from 34 to 56 and then decreased to 39 calls/1,000 admissions/year. Most of the calls were from the emergency department and less from medical and surgical wards. References 1. McQuillan et al.: BMJ 1998, 316:1853-1858. 2. Goldhill et al.: Crit Care Med 1998, 26:1337-1345. 1. McQuillan et al.: BMJ 1998, 316:1853-1858. 2. Goldhill et al.: Crit Care Med 1998, 26:1337-1345. 1. McQuillan et al.: BMJ 1998, 316:1853-1858. 2. Goldhill et al.: Crit Care Med 1998, 26:1337-1345. P507 Medical emergency team admittance to intensive care versus conventional admittance: characteristics and outcome G Jäderling, M Bell, CR Martling, A Ekbom, M Bottai, D Konrad Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P507 (doi: 10.1186/cc11114) 2. Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network [http://www.picanet.org.uk/] Medical emergency team admittance to intensive care versus conventional admittance: characteristics and outcome q References 2. DeVita MA, et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:2463-2478. 2. DeVita MA, et al.: Crit Care Med 2006, 34:2463-2478. 1. FO Odetola, et al.: Do outcomes vary according to the source of admission to the PICU? Pediatr Crit Care Med 2008, 9:20-25. P505 y p y Conclusion The implementation of RRS could result in a temporary increase of MET calls but not of ICU admissions; moreover, it could lead to a reduction of mortality and hospital LOS, but not of ICU LOS. References P506 MET patients also had a higher proportion of co- morbidities, with a prevalence of heart failure in 17.3% versus 11.7% (P = 0.0.4) and malignancy in 45.3% versus 35.1% (P <0.01) as well as a higher proportion of limitation of medical treatment (LOMT), 23.0% versus 15.7% (P = 0.02). When LOMT patients were excluded, mortality rates were no longer signifi cantly diff erent, ICU mortality then being 5.7% versus 3.3% (P = 0.2). Figure 1 (abstract P506). MET calls and ICU admission before, during and after the RRS implementation. Figure 2 (abstract P506). Hospital mortality predicted and observed before, during and after the RRS implementation. Conclusion Two distinct groups of patients with intensive care needs are found in general wards. Those admitted by the MET are older, have more severe co-morbidities and have been in hospital longer. We fi nd the MET to be an important tool to identify patients with multiple problems and at high risk of an adverse outcome. R f Intensive care services in Hungary 2000 to 2010: an analysis of bed numbers, occupancy rates, case mix and economics gold standard value. The frequency of these diff erences was analysed. Results Both computer and manual systems returned all the required data, giving a total of 700 data variables. Diff erent values were returned for 183 (26%) variables. The systems had good concordance in the demographic variables, with only 4/300 (1.3%) discrepancies between the computer and manual systems. In the organ support variables, there were 179/400 (45%) discrepancies. Days of renal support had most concordance, with discrepancies in 3/50 patients (6%). Days of level 2 support had least concordance, with discrepancies in 37/50 patients (76%). Overall, the computer method returned the correct variable for 544 (78%) variables, where the manual system returned the correct variable on 591 (84%) variables. p y A Csomos1, B Fulesdi2, M Gresz3 , , 1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; 2University of Debrecen, Hungary; 3National Institute for Quality and Organisational Development in Healthcare, Budapest, Hungary , , 1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; 2University of Debrecen, Hungary; 3National Institute for Quality and Organisational Development in Healthcare, Budapest, Hungary Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P509 (doi: 10.1186/cc11116) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P509 (doi: 10.1186/cc11116) Introduction The purpose of this study is to describe the changes in pattern of intensive care (ICU) use over a 10-year period in Hungary. We attempt to analyze national data in order to improve resource use. Methods A retrospective analysis of national data provided by the hospitals for reimbursement of care to the National Healthcare Fund of Hungary between 2000 and 2010. Conclusion This study shows that both computer and manual data collection methods could be improved, but at present both have similar accuracy. This may be because the criteria for some organ support can be subjective (for example, risk of deterioration), which can be interpreted in diff erent ways between manual data collectors but not by a computer. We plan to rewrite the computer program, aiming for >95% concordance with the gold standard. g y Results The total number of active hospital beds decreased by 33.4% (from 65,532 to 44,300); however, the number of ICU beds increased by 9.8% (from 1,189 to 1,306) between 2000 and 2010. As a result, the percentage of ICU beds to hospital beds increased from 1.89% in 2000 to 2.95% in 2010. The ICU bed occupancy rate ranged between 58.43% and 63.78%; it showed no correlation with the case mix index (r2 = 0.2799). P510 P510 Data acquisition for the UK Critical Care Minimum Data Set: validation of a computer model for automatic calculation from an electronic patient record A Clarke, M Thomas, T Gould, C Bourdeaux Bristol Royal Infi rmary, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P510 (doi: 10.1186/cc11117) P510 Data acquisition for the UK Critical Care Minimum Data Set: validation of a computer model for automatic calculation from an electronic patient record A Clarke, M Thomas, T Gould, C Bourdeaux Bristol Royal Infi rmary, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P510 (doi: 10.1186/cc11117) P510 Data acquisition for the UK Critical Care Minimum Data Set: validation of a computer model for automatic calculation from an electronic patient record validation of a computer model for automatic calculation from an electronic patient record A Clarke, M Thomas, T Gould, C Bourdeaux Bristol Royal Infi rmary, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P510 (doi: 10.1186/cc11117) Introduction This study reports the accuracy of a computer and a manual system at collecting data for the UK Critical Care Minimum Data Set (CCMDS). This is required by the Department of Health to compare performance, to facilitate funding and to plan future resource provision. There are 14 data fi elds in the mandatory dataset, and the full compliment extends to 34 fi elds. At present this is collected manually, which is laborious and subjective. We use an electronic patient record (Innovian, Draeger, Germany) to store all the measured patient observations and laboratory results. We have written a program to interrogate Innovian for the CCMDS data, thereby reducing the administrative time. Conclusion Our data suggest that critical care admission decisions are made based mainly on the assessment of patients’ pre-morbid state and functional capacity, rather than on the extent of acute physiological derangement. This behaviour is more consistent with the application of a prioritization model, defi ning those patients who will benefi t most from critical care admission (Priority 1) to those who will not benefi t at all (Priority 4) and consistent with pressured resources, rather than an objective parameters model or a diagnostic model [1]. References Methods A stratifi ed sample of 50 patients’ data (elective and emergency surgical and medical patients) was analysed. Both manual and computer systems collected the mandatory 14 items of the CCMDS. P508 Factors aff ecting critical care admission to a UK university hospital A Tridente1, A Chick1, S Keep1, S Furmanova2, S Webber1, DC Bryden1 1Sheffi eld Teaching Hospitals, Sheffi eld, UK; 2University Hospital Wales, Cardiff , UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P508 (doi: 10.1186/cc11115) Factors aff ecting critical care admission to a UK university hospital A Tridente1, A Chick1, S Keep1, S Furmanova2, S Webber1, DC Bryden1 1Sheffi eld Teaching Hospitals, Sheffi eld, UK; 2University Hospital Wales, Cardiff , UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P508 (doi: 10.1186/cc11115) Factors aff ecting critical care admission to a UK university hospital A Tridente1, A Chick1, S Keep1, S Furmanova2, S Webber1, DC Bryden1 1Sheffi eld Teaching Hospitals, Sheffi eld, UK; 2University Hospital Wales, Cardiff , UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P508 (doi: 10.1186/cc11115) Figure 2 (abstract P506). Hospital mortality predicted and observed before, during and after the RRS implementation. Introduction Access to critical care is limited, with disparity existing between availability and demand. Guidance to inform triage decisions S181 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Table 1 (abstract P509). Distribution of intensive care services in 2010 Total Total Case mix National data, number number index 2010 of units of beds (mean ± SD) P value University hospitals (level III) 10 412 7.67 (± 4.06) 0.204 County hospitals (level II) 30 584 8.08 (± 2.89) 0.376 City hospitals (level I) 39 280 6.05 (± 1.97) 0.093 Table 1 (abstract P509). Distribution of intensive care services in 2010 has been published but may no longer refl ect current pressures [1,2]. We aimed to identify a set of criteria able to reliably predict likelihood of admission to a critical care unit in a large UK tertiary care centre. We aimed to identify a set of criteria able to reliably predict likelihood of admission to a critical care unit in a large UK tertiary care centre. Methods Consecutive patient referrals were prospectively enrolled in a review cohort. Data were collected using a predefi ned case report form (CRF). The CRF included information on the referral, acute physiological parameters, hospital length of stay (LOS), demographic and functional status, dependency and comorbidities. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors predicting admission, employing STATA [3]. Intensive care services in Hungary 2000 to 2010: an analysis of bed numbers, occupancy rates, case mix and economics A Csomos1, B Fulesdi2, M Gresz3 1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; 2University of Debrecen, Hungary; 3National Institute for Quality and Organisational Development in Healthcare, Budapest, Hungary Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P509 (doi: 10.1186/cc11116) Intensive care services in Hungary 2000 to 2010: an analysis of bed numbers, occupancy rates, case mix and economics A Csomos1, B Fulesdi2, M Gresz3 1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; 2University of Debrecen, Hungary; 3National Institute for Quality and Organisational Development in Healthcare, Budapest, Hungary Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P509 (doi: 10.1186/cc11116) P508 Results Between 17 July and 27 November 2011, 201 patients were referred to critical care, of whom 85 (42.7%) were declined. Median age (interquartile range) was 67 (54 to 79) years, 121 (60.8%) were male, median LOS (interquartile range) was 1 (1 to 3) day. Age, gender, ethnic origin, LOS, referral reason, and markers of acute physiological derangement did not impact on likelihood of admission to critical care. Odds ratios (95% CIs) for admission were 3.1 (1.72 to 5.56) for exercise tolerance >100 yards (P <0.001), 3.03 (1.56 to 5.89) for self-caring status (P = 0.001), 0.38 (0.2 to 0.71) for house-bound status (P = 0.003), 0.28 (0.1 to 0.76) for wheelchair-bound status (P  =  0.013), 0.41 (0.23 to 0.74) for cardiovascular (P = 0.003), 0.36 (0.18 to 0.72) for renal system (P = 0.004), 0.34 (0.14 to 0.85) for malignant (P = 0.021), and 0.49 (0.25 to 0.94) for neurological (P = 0.033) comorbidities, respectively. P510 This consists of six demographic variables (for example, admission date, discharge date, date of birth) and eight organ support variables (for example, duration of either advanced or basic cardiovascular, respiratory, renal or neurological support or duration of level 2 or 3 support). Where the computer and manual systems returned diff erent values, a blinded physician analysed the patient records and created a gold standard value. The frequency of these diff erences was analysed. Results Both computer and manual systems returned all the required data, giving a total of 700 data variables. Diff erent values were returned for 183 (26%) variables. The systems had good concordance in the demographic variables, with only 4/300 (1.3%) discrepancies between the computer and manual systems. In the organ support variables, there were 179/400 (45%) discrepancies. Days of renal support had most concordance, with discrepancies in 3/50 patients (6%). Days of level 2 support had least concordance, with discrepancies in 37/50 patients (76%). Overall, the computer method returned the correct variable for 544 (78%) variables, where the manual system returned the correct variable on 591 (84%) variables. 1. Guidelines for intensive care unit admission, discharge, and triage. ACCCM, SCCM. Crit Care Med 1999, 27:633-638. 2. Fair allocation of intensive care unit resources. ATS. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1997, 156:1282-1301. 2. Fair allocation of intensive care unit resources. ATS. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1997, 156:1282-1301. 3. STATA 10.1. College Station, TX: StataCorp. 3. STATA 10.1. College Station, TX: StataCorp. P511 P511 To admit or not to admit? The suitability of critical care admission criteria D Marriott, Z Turner, N Robin, S Singh Countess of Chester Hospital, Chester, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P511 (doi: 10.1186/cc11118) P509 Intensive care services in Hungary 2000 to 2010: an analysis of bed numbers, occupancy rates, case mix and economics A Csomos1, B Fulesdi2, M Gresz3 1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; 2University of Debrecen, Hungary; 3National Institute for Quality and Organisational Development in Healthcare, Budapest, Hungary Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P509 (doi: 10.1186/cc11116) Intensive care services in Hungary 2000 to 2010: an analysis of bed numbers, occupancy rates, case mix and economics The number of ventilator days increased from 28.9% to 66.1%; it showed good correlation with the case mix index (r2 = 0.9125). Analysing 2010 data, we found signifi cantly lower mortality in level III units (30 ± 18%) compared to level II (51 ± 20%) and level I (56 ± 19%) care (P = 0.001 and 0.003), without signifi cant diff erences in case mix index (Table 1). The mean ICU bed occupancy rate was 59.5% (SD ±12%), and length of hospital stay was 12.3 (SD ±3.0) in 2010. Geographic distribution of ICU beds per 100,000 population ranged between 7.3 and 27.4 (nationwide 12.9/100,000); it showed no correlation with regional gross domestic product values (r2 = 0.4593). P511 Assessing demand for intensive care services: the role of readmission rates Introduction Out-of-hours discharge from the ICU is associated with increased mortality. In Scotland, approximately 15% of discharges occur out of hours [1]. The aim of this study was to determine the reasons behind out-of-hours discharges in our hospital and the eff ect this has on mortality. RA O’Leary, B O’Brien Methods We carried out a retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to our ICU over a 3-year period. Patients who died during their ICU stay, patients <16 years, patients transferred to another ICU, and those with missing data were excluded. Data collected: patient demographics, APACHE II score, time of discharge from the ICU, reason for out-of-hours discharge, and hospital mortality. The out-of-hours period was defi ned as per the Scottish Intensive Care Society (SICS) as 20:00 to 07:59 hours, then later re-defi ned as 17:00 to 07:59 hours. Introduction Irish ICUs typically have bed occupancy rates approaching 100%, with 75 to 80% being the recommended level [1]. Detection of excessive demand from simple databases can thus be diffi cult: expedited turnover and cancellations of elective surgery often ensue, leaving occupancy rates unchanged. We hypothesised that excessive demand would produce higher readmission rates, thus illustrating the strain imposed on ICU resources during the H1N1 infl uenza pandemic. Methods The GICU database was examined from 1 March 2010 to 1 March 2011. The H1N1 pandemic was recognised as a period of strain on the ICU and this period was estimated as 24 December 2010 to 21 January 2011. All ICU readmissions during the same hospital stay were noted. Transfers between GICU, cardiac ICU and theatre recovery were excluded as patients were still being treated by the intensive care team. Patients readmitted after transfer for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) were also excluded. i Results A total of 766 patients were included: 607 discharged between 08:00 and 19:59 hours, 159 discharged between 20:00 and 07:59 hours. Data are expressed as mean values (SD) or percentages, ‘in hours’ versus ‘out of hours’. Both groups were similar: age 51.9 (18.1) versus 54.0 (17.7) years, males 48.9% versus 50.9%, APACHE II score 15.8 (8.7) versus 17.4 (8.0). Hospital mortality following ICU discharge was 9.9% (55/607 deaths) versus 10.0% (16/159 deaths), RR 1.11 (95% CI 0.66 to 1.88). Discharge was delayed due to a shortage of ward beds in 28.5% versus 43.4% of cases. No early discharges were recorded. P511 To admit or not to admit? The suitability of critical care admission criteria Introduction During the 2010/2011 winter the H1N1 infl uenza pandemic placed increased demand on critical care services, prompting our department to devise a modifi ed triage tool for the ICU to be implemented at a time of exceptional bed crisis [1]. Scoring systems such as APACHE or Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Introduction During the 2010/2011 winter the H1N1 infl uenza pandemic placed increased demand on critical care services, prompting our department to devise a modifi ed triage tool for the ICU to be implemented at a time of exceptional bed crisis [1]. Scoring systems such as APACHE or Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Conclusion Our data suggest that intensive care beds are not utilized; a progressive level of care does not function and also there are unnecessary regional diff erences in intensive care provision in Hungary. S182 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 (SOFA) have been used to predict mortality and optimize critical care service utilization [2]. This audit aimed to validate our triage tool for patients admitted to the ICU. when medical staffi ng levels on the wards are highest. The SICS defi ne the out-of-hours period based on the time of handover to nightshift. For discharges at this time, there was no increase in mortality. In our hospital, evening ward cover is the same as overnight. For an out- of-hours period of 17:00 to 07:59, there was a signifi cant increase in mortality following out-of-hours discharge. Methods We retrospectively examined patient notes for all admissions to our adult ICU during December 2010 and January 2011. Patient admission criteria (SpO2 <90% on FiO2 >85%, respiratory acidosis pH ≤7.2, respiratory failure or airway compromise, systolic pressure <90 mmHg, SOFA score ≥7) or refusal criteria (SOFA score ≥12, severe trauma, unwitnessed or non-VF arrest, severe life-limiting condition) were recorded with outcome data. y Conclusion Our data show increased mortality following ICU step- down in the evening as well as at night. Discharge was most often delayed due to a lack of ward beds. To reduce mortality, eff orts must therefore be made to improve bed management and ensure discharge from the ICU before 17:00. Results We analysed 27 sets of notes. Twenty-two patients (81%) fulfi lled at least one admission and no refusal criteria. Two patients (7%) had documented refusal criteria. Delayed discharges revisited: impact of a liaison post on patients’ transition from ICU to ward caref J Mellinghoff , P O’Shea, D Dawson, J Ball, A Rhodes, M Grounds St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P513 (doi: 10.1186/cc11120) Conclusion The proposed admission criteria concurred with clinical decision-making in 81% of admissions. The patients that met refusal criteria required either prolonged hospital stay or had short survival times and may not represent optimal utilization of critical care facilities during a time of increased demand. Those patients not meeting the admission criteria had short critical care stays illustrating that rigid admission requirements may exclude patients who could benefi t from critical care. A standardized set of admission criteria may supplement decision-making during times of increased critical care demand and strengthen documentation of those decisions. However, no set of criteria can replace clinical judgement in critical care admission. References Introduction This audit reviewed the discharge process of patients from an adult general ICU to the general wards before and after the introduction of a liaison nurse post over a 3-year, 3-month time period. Methods The audit utilised routinely collected retrospective data from a 17-bed ICU. We examined the impact of a liaison post on the length of delays on discharge of patients from the ICU to the general wards. Introduction This audit reviewed the discharge process of patients from an adult general ICU to the general wards before and after the introduction of a liaison nurse post over a 3-year, 3-month time period. Methods The audit utilised routinely collected retrospective data from a 17-bed ICU. We examined the impact of a liaison post on the length of delays on discharge of patients from the ICU to the general wards. Results The study period was from April 2008 until June 2011 with the start date of the liaison nurse post in January 2010. Overall, there were 4,327 patient discharges to hospital wards (before group = 2,063, after group = 2,264). The odds of experiencing a delay in discharge >4 hours were 3.2-fold higher in the before group compared to the after group (95% CI = 2.808 to 3.717, P <0.0001). Accumulated discharge delays decreased by 23% from 1,116 (before group) to 864 days (after group) despite an increase in patient turnover of 10% (n = 201). The median delay time was 7.2 hours (IQR 5.0 hours, 10.4 hours) in the before group and 5.3 hours in the after group (IQR 2.7 hours, 9.0 hours). Reference 1. Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group: Audit of Critical Care in Scotland 2011, Reporting on 2010; 2011. Edinburgh: ISD Scotland. Out-of-hours discharge from the ICU: defi ning the out-of-hours period and its eff ect on mortality YL Bramma, R Allan, R Sundaram Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P512 (doi: 10.1186/cc11119) YL Bramma, R Allan, R Sundaram Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley, UK Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley, UK y y Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P512 (doi: 10.1186/cc11119) Delayed discharges revisited: impact of a liaison post on patients’ transition from ICU to ward caref See Figure 1. Conclusion Our analysis suggests that the introduction of a liaison nurse post within intensive care signifi cantly reduced the length of delays in the discharge process despite an increase in patient turnover. y g p g Results The study period was from April 2008 until June 2011 with the start date of the liaison nurse post in January 2010. Overall, there were 4,327 patient discharges to hospital wards (before group = 2,063, after group = 2,264). The odds of experiencing a delay in discharge >4 hours were 3.2-fold higher in the before group compared to the after group (95% CI = 2.808 to 3.717, P <0.0001). Accumulated discharge delays decreased by 23% from 1,116 (before group) to 864 days (after group) despite an increase in patient turnover of 10% (n = 201). The median delay time was 7.2 hours (IQR 5.0 hours, 10.4 hours) in the before group and 5.3 hours in the after group (IQR 2.7 hours, 9.0 hours). See Figure 1. Conclusion Our analysis suggests that the introduction of a liaison nurse post within intensive care signifi cantly reduced the length of delays in the discharge process despite an increase in patient turnover. 1. Christian MD, et al.: Development of a triage protocol for critical care during an infl uenza pandemic. CMAJ 2006, 175:1377-1381. 1. Christian MD, et al.: Development of a triage protocol for critical care during an infl uenza pandemic. CMAJ 2006, 175:1377-1381. 2. Ling CY, et al.: Outcome scoring systems for acute respiratory distress syndrome. Shock 2010, 34:352-357. P511 To admit or not to admit? The suitability of critical care admission criteria The fi rst of these had a severe life-limiting condition, staying 29 days in the ICU and a further 65 days in hospital. The second was admitted post non-VF arrest, dying after 2 days in the ICU. Three patients (11%) met no admission criteria. These patients stayed between 4 and 6 days in critical care with total hospital stays of 18 to 98 days, one requiring 30 days of rehabilitation. Assessing demand for intensive care services: the role of readmission rates With the out-of- hours period re-defi ned: 393 patients were discharged between 08:00 and 16:59 hours, 373 between 17:00 and 07:59 hours. Both groups were similar: age 51.0 (18.4) versus 53.8 (17.5) years, males 49.9% versus 48.8%, APACHE II 14.9 (8.7) versus 17.4 (8.2). Hospital mortality was 7.7% (28/393 deaths) versus 11.5% (43/373 deaths), RR 1.62 (95% CI 1.03 to 2.55). Discharge was delayed due to a shortage of ward beds in 22.7% versus 41.0% of cases. ICU step-down is most safely performed y Results The number of GICU admissions during the period was 422. There were 19 readmissions (readmission rate of 4.6%). However, this rate increased to 8.6% during the period of high activity encompassing the H1N1 pandemic (Figure 1). Hospital mortality was 36.8% in the readmission group, higher than the average, 24.6%, for the whole GICU population. This is in keeping with previous research showing up to an 11-fold increase in relative risk of mortality in patients readmitted to the ICU [2]. S183 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Conclusion The annual readmission rate for our unit was acceptable [3]. A clear spike was noted during the period of the H1N1 pandemic. Whilst this is a pattern we hope to address, it is a useful indicator of increased demand. Our study suggests that readmission trends in a single institution may be helpful when analysing the severity of epidemics, planning staffi ng needs, and comparing periods of P515 Management of cardiac drugs in a critical care setting M Mallick1, J Walkington1, A Gratrix1, R Pretorius2 1Hull Royal Infi rmary, Hull, UK; 2York Teaching Hospital, York, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P515 (doi: 10.1186/cc11122) Figure 1 (abstract P513). Number of ward discharges and accumulated delay. Figure 1 (abstract P514). Readmissions over time. Figure 1 (abstract P513). Number of ward discharges and accumulated delay. Figure 1 (abstract P513). Number of ward discharges and accumulated delay. Figure 1 (abstract P513). Number of ward discharges and accumulated delay. Figure 1 (abstract P514). Readmissions over time. Figure 1 (abstract P514). Readmissions over time. Conclusion The annual readmission rate for our unit was acceptable [3]. A clear spike was noted during the period of the H1N1 pandemic. Whilst this is a pattern we hope to address, it is a useful indicator of increased demand. 2. Rosenberg AL, et al.: Crit Care Med 2001, 2 1. Intensive Care Society: Standards for Intensive Care Units. London: ICS; 1997. 3. Rosenberg AL, et al.: Chest 2000, 118:492-502. 2. Rosenberg AL, et al.: Crit Care Med 2001, 29:511-551. 1. Intensive Care Society: Standards for Intensive Care Units. London: ICS; 1997. 2. Rosenberg AL, et al.: Crit Care Med 2001, 29:511-551. Assessing demand for intensive care services: the role of readmission rates Our study suggests that readmission trends in a single institution may be helpful when analysing the severity of epidemics, planning staffi ng needs, and comparing periods of heightened demand. References P515 Management of cardiac drugs in a critical care setting M Mallick1, J Walkington1, A Gratrix1, R Pretorius2 1Hull Royal Infi rmary, Hull, UK; 2York Teaching Hospital, York, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P515 (doi: 10.1186/cc11122) Introduction ICU admissions may lead to discontinuation of longstanding evidence-based therapies. A recent study demonstrated how such medications have been discontinued for patients even after their ICU stay [1]. Evidence has shown the benefi cial role of β-blockers in the perioperative period [2], and roles for other drugs such as Pharmacists and fastidiousness improve compliance with guidelines for stress ulcer prophylaxis S Sanders, KC Shelley, AJ Marsh Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P516 (doi: 10.1186/cc11123) Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK Conclusion Although most of the ICU staff believe that the CPOE and bar-code has the potential to improve medication safety and the quality of care for critically ill patients, our survey showed a low level of satisfaction 6 months after implementing the system, particularly for physicians who consider the system unfriendly. Reference Introduction This audit assessed compliance with guidelines for the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) in our mixed general/neurosurgical ICU. These patients are at increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding with clinically important bleeding occurring in about 3.5% of patients ventilated for 48 hours or more [1]. SUP guidelines: all patients at risk of stress ulceration (coagulopathy/IPPV >48 hours/nasogastric (n.g.) feed not absorbed) or already on ant acids should receive ranitidine, enterally where possible. Exceptions are patients on a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prior to ICU admission. PPIs should continue enterally if possible as lanzoprazole, or as omeprazole i.v. Reference 1. Poon EG, et al.: N Engl J Med 2010, 362:1698-1707. 1. Poon EG, et al.: N Engl J Med 2010, 362:1698-1707. P518 Safer ICU trainee handover: a service improvement project E Godfrey1, I Hassan1, A Carson-Stevens2, AG Saayman1 1University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff , UK; 2Cardiff University, Cardiff , UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P518 (doi: 10.1186/cc11125) Methods Data were collected from May to August 2010 (Period 1). Results from this were discussed and the following interventions adopted prior to further data collection (Period 2: August to November 2011): prescription of SUP in all ventilated patients on admission to the ICU; discontinuation of SUP after 48 hours if n.g. feeding tolerated; documented daily review of SUP including consideration of discontinuation, drug, route and dose used; and the presence of the ICU pharmacist on ward rounds, briefed specifi cally to prompt correct SUP use. Introduction Quality handover between team members within the ICU is vital for patient safety. Critically ill patients are at high risk of medical errors; these complex patients are exposed to high-risk interventions, medical and procedural [1]. Distractions are known to be particularly prevalent within critical care [2]. This can compromise handover effi ciency, interrupt information-giving and may ultimately lead to poorer patient outcomes [3]. We sought to demonstrate the capability of junior physicians to lead change to their practices that benefi t the quality of patient care in a large critical care unit. P517 P517 Healthcare workers’ experience when using an electronic medical order entry and bar-code technology in an ICU R Fumis, I Souza, V Pizzo, G Schettino Hospital Sírio-Libanês, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P517 (doi: 10.1186/cc11124) P516 Pharmacists and fastidiousness improve compliance with guidelines for stress ulcer prophylaxis S Sanders, KC Shelley, AJ Marsh Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P516 (doi: 10.1186/cc11123) P517 Healthcare workers’ experience when using an electronic medical order entry and bar-code technology in an ICU R Fumis, I Souza, V Pizzo, G Schettino Hospital Sírio-Libanês, São Paulo, Brazil Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P517 (doi: 10.1186/cc11124) Introduction Medication errors are frequent in the ICU and may occur during medical ordering, transcription or administration of drugs. A system consisting of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) with bar-code verifi cation of medications (TASY; Web Sistemas, Brazil) has been described as a tool to improve medication safety [1], but few data are available about the satisfaction of healthcare workers with the use of this new technology in the ICU. Methods We conducted a survey to evaluate the satisfaction of healthcare workers when using a CPOE with bar-code verifi cation of medications in a tertiary 40-bed adult ICU in Sao Paolo, Brazil 6 months after implementing the system. A satisfaction questionnaire which consisted of items in a numeric scale type from 1 (low satisfaction) to 10 (high satisfaction) was fi lled out by physicians (n = 42), nurses (n = 58), nurses technicians (n = 84) and other professionals (n = 66). gi y g y Conclusion The study does highlight a trend associated with patients who are on medications who do not receive them to either develop higher complication rates or higher mortality rates or both. Further research involving larger numbers is required to produce validated opinions. f p Results Most subjects were female (66%), below 36 years of age (69%) and used the computer daily at home (81%). On average, respondents were satisfi ed with the CPOE system (score 5.74 ± 2.14) and believed it improved safety (score 7.64 ± 2.42). Satisfaction was lower among physicians (score 4.62 ± 1.79) when compared to other professionals (score 5.97 ± 2.14; P <0.0001). The ease to place the fi rst medical order and to copy the order form the previous day scored 5.41 ± 2.05 and 6.39 ± 1.93. The visualization of the medical order with the bar-code verifi cation of drugs administration scored 5.95 ± 2.51 by the nurses. On average, physicians found the system less user-friendly (score 3.88 ± 1.85) than other professionals (6.40 ± 2.29; P <0.0001). p References References 1. Bell CM: JAMA 2011, 306:840-847. 1. Bell CM: JAMA 2011, 306:840-847. 2. 2009 ACCF/AHA focused update on preoperative beta blockade: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association task force on practice guidelines. Circulation 2009, 120:2123-2151. References S184 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) and statins have been demonstrated. The aim of the current study was to examine 30- day mortality and complication rates in the critical care population who were on cardiac medications and did not receive these medications during their ICU stay. angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) and statins have been demonstrated. The aim of the current study was to examine 30- day mortality and complication rates in the critical care population who were on cardiac medications and did not receive these medications during their ICU stay. unindicated SUP use; and reduction in inappropriate i.v. administration (23.1% vs. 0%, P = 0.0024). Conclusion Emphasis on the guidelines for SUP to all members of the team, especially the pharmacist, improves compliance. Inclusion in SUP prescriptions of the intended discontinuation date may further reduce excessive duration of treatment. Re-audit will occur after implementation of new guidelines which acknowledge the diminishing benefi t from SUP and the not-insignifi cant risks associated with its use. Reference g y Methods We looked retrospectively at the last 80 patients admitted to the ICU or HDU in York, 2011. The patients’ case notes were examined to assess if they were on cardiac medications and if those drugs were omitted during their admission. The cardiac medications assessed were β-blockers, ACE-I and statins. We also reviewed any cardiac complications incurred during their stay, alongside 30-day mortality. Results A total of 29.6% of patients on β-blockers received them, whilst 67.8% did not. Complication and mortality rates for medications given versus not given were 12.5% versus 68.4% and 0% versus 42.1% (P = 0.003 and P = 0.007) respectively. A total of 17.6% of patients on ACE-I received them, whilst 82.3% did not. Complication and mortality rates for medications given versus not given were 0% versus 9.0% and 0% versus 35.7% (P = 0.004 and P = 0.055) respectively. A total of 31.6% of patients on statins received them, whilst 68.4% did not. Complication and mortality rates for medications given versus not given were 25.0% versus 42.3% and 8.3% versus 38.5% (P = 0.256 and P = 0.02 respectively). References The global complication and mortality rates for medications given versus not given were 28% versus 55.2% and 11.5% versus 51.7% (P  =  0.0648 and P  =  0.0039) respectively. Omission of β-blockers resulted in signifi cantly higher complication and mortality rates. Omission of ACE-I resulted in higher complication rates and of statins in higher mortality rates. Omission of cardiac medications g y Methods We looked retrospectively at the last 80 patients admitted to the ICU or HDU in York, 2011. The patients’ case notes were examined to assess if they were on cardiac medications and if those drugs were omitted during their admission. The cardiac medications assessed were β-blockers, ACE-I and statins. We also reviewed any cardiac complications incurred during their stay, alongside 30-day mortality. 1. Cook DJ, et al.: Crit Care 2001, 5:368-375. Results A total of 29.6% of patients on β-blockers received them, whilst 67.8% did not. Complication and mortality rates for medications given versus not given were 12.5% versus 68.4% and 0% versus 42.1% (P = 0.003 and P = 0.007) respectively. A total of 17.6% of patients on ACE-I received them, whilst 82.3% did not. Complication and mortality rates for medications given versus not given were 0% versus 9.0% and 0% versus 35.7% (P = 0.004 and P = 0.055) respectively. A total of 31.6% of patients on statins received them, whilst 68.4% did not. Complication and mortality rates for medications given versus not given were 25.0% versus 42.3% and 8.3% versus 38.5% (P = 0.256 and P = 0.02 respectively). The global complication and mortality rates for medications given versus not given were 28% versus 55.2% and 11.5% versus 51.7% (P  =  0.0648 and P  =  0.0039) respectively. Omission of β-blockers resulted in signifi cantly higher complication and mortality rates. Omission of ACE-I resulted in higher complication rates and of statins in higher mortality rates. Omission of cardiac medications resulted in a signifi cantly higher mortality rate. Pharmacists and fastidiousness improve compliance with guidelines for stress ulcer prophylaxis S Sanders, KC Shelley, AJ Marsh Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P516 (doi: 10.1186/cc11123) We present an improvement project that has transformed handover quality in our ICU. Methods Participant observation of handover practices took place within a high-occupancy 33-bed adult ICU. Quantitative assessment of handover criteria as per Royal College of Anaesthetists guidelines Results Period 1 (n  =  86) revealed excess use of SUP, excess use of PPIs when ranitidine was indicated, unnecessary i.v. administration and failure to discontinue prophylaxis appropriately. Period 2 (n = 71) demonstrated: no fall in SUP use in those with indications (93% vs. 97%, P = 0.65); increased prescription accuracy in terms of drug, dose and administration route (40% vs. 84%, P  =  0.0001); no increased S185 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 [4] was performed at baseline (handovers: n  =  6, patients: n  =  119) and 3 months post-intervention (handovers: n = 4, patients: n = 108). Interventions included presentation of data at multiprofessional departmental meetings, education of team members regarding frequency of handover interruptions and development and utilisation of an electronic handover tool. P519 ICU handover: are we forgetting something? A preliminary study T Aslanidis, IL Chytas, A Kontos, I Soultati, A Efthmiou, E Geka, V Ourailoglou, E Anastasiou, M Giannakou-Peftoulidou G.H. AHEPA, Thessaloniki, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P519 (doi: 10.1186/cc11126) ICU handover: are we forgetting something? A preliminary study T Aslanidis, IL Chytas, A Kontos, I Soultati, A Efthmiou, E Geka, V Ourailoglou, E Anastasiou, M Giannakou-Peftoulidou G.H. AHEPA, Thessaloniki, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P519 (doi: 10.1186/cc11126) Introduction The aim of this ongoing study is to review the process of handover in a university teaching hospital ICU, highlight areas of special interest and defi ciency during the process, and improve current practice. Clinical handover, defi ned as a process of transferring authority and responsibility for providing care of patients from departing caregiver to named recipient, is a basic part of clinical practice. Failure to exchange essential information and focus on the important may have disastrous consequences for the patient. y Conclusion Although only 28% of discharge summaries achieved an acceptable or higher rating from the ICU team, GPs valued the majority of discharge summaries issued by our ICU. Further research is needed to explain the diff erence between ICU doctors’ perception of discharge summary quality and the value provided by them to GPs. Reference Methods A prospective observational study was undertaken over a 22-day period to examine the quality and content of clinical handover by nightshift doctor to the medical team. Key aspects expected to be handed over included patient details, diagnosis, system – treatment domains and communication with relatives. Additional data collected also included duration of handover and frequency of interruptions. 1. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence: Clinical Guideline 83: Rehabilitation after Critical Illness. London: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; 2009 [www.nice.org.uk/CG83]. P521 Results A total of 207 sets of patients were collected during the study period. All handovers were supervised by a consultant intensivist. Clinical information handed over verbally covered reason for admission in 12% of cases, working diagnosis in 13% and current management plan in 29% (100% in these three in new admissions). Medical comorbidities where also poorly covered (8%). The handover was rather focused on special aspects of clinical information like the respiratory system (86%), fl uid balance and laboratory fi ndings (68%), infections status (67%), CNS (56%) and hemodynamics (54%), while nutrition and GI was poorly covered (20%). Only 26% of handovers covered signifi cant changes in the last shift, 21% commented on the interventions made and 32% had a proposed plan for the forthcoming day discussed. Of the allocated 30 minutes, the duration of the handover varied from 20 to 50 minutes (average 28 minutes). There was a total of 34 interruptions over 22 days of the audited period. Reasons for interruption included telephone calls and requests from visiting teams and nurses.i Volume–outcome relationship in critical care: a systematic review DJ Wallace1, YL Nguyen2, L Trinquart2, DC Angus1, P Ravaud2, JM Kahn1 1CRISMA Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 2Centre d’épidémiologie clinique, CHU Hôtel Dieu, Paris, France Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P521 (doi: 10.1186/cc11128) Introduction The relationship between provider volume and patient outcome has been demonstrated for many medical and surgical services, including critical care. This relationship is used as one rationale for regionalization of adult intensive care. However, the volume– outcome relationship is not always consistent across studies, and it has not been explicitly evaluated in a heterogeneous population. We performed a systematic review of studies that assessed the association between volume and outcome among critically ill adult patients. Introduction The relationship between provider volume and patient outcome has been demonstrated for many medical and surgical services, including critical care. This relationship is used as one rationale for regionalization of adult intensive care. However, the volume– outcome relationship is not always consistent across studies, and it has not been explicitly evaluated in a heterogeneous population. We performed a systematic review of studies that assessed the association between volume and outcome among critically ill adult patients. P520 Quality and value of intensive care discharge summaries for general practitioners Results Provision of patient details during handover was substandard. Utilisation of a structured handover sheet signifi cantly improved the number of patient details provided; in particular, patient age (18% vs. 100%), duration of stay (29% vs. 79%) and medical management plan (53% vs. 93%). Frequent handover interruptions seen on initial observation signifi cantly improved (100% vs. 25% of handover periods interrupted) following our collaboration with the senior nurse, physiotherapist and other team leads regarding the number and nonurgent nature of interruptions; at re-audit, interruptions occurred for clinically urgent requests only. p F Daruwalla, FJ Lamb, CA Mearns Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Redhill, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P520 (doi: 10.1186/cc11127) Introduction Good communication between healthcare professionals is required to provide continuity of care for patients being discharged from the ICU [1]. It is our unit’s practice to send a copy of a patient’s computerized ICU discharge summary to both the hospital team with ongoing responsibility and to their general practitioner (GP). The aim of this study was to establish and compare the quality and value of the summaries as judged by ICU doctors and GPs. Conclusion Simple measures instituted by junior doctors, such as team education and use of a structured handover tool, can aid high-quality handover within critical care. Evidence suggests that high-quality handover within critical care will translate into improved clinical care for patients. j g y Methods Discharge summaries for patients admitted in July 2011 were obtained from the ICU WardWatcher® database. These were scored independently by two ICU consultants and a trainee doctor using a predefi ned rating scale. The GPs were sent postal questionnaires regarding their perceptions of the quality and value of the summaries. A comparison was made between the ratings made by the ICU team and the responses to the GP questionnaires. References 1. Reader TW, et al.: Curr Opin Crit Care 2007, 13:732-736. 2. Horn J, et al.: Anaesthesia 2004, 59:658-663. 3. Nimmo G, et al.: JICS 2008, 9:240-242. 4. McQuillan P, et al.: In The Royal College of Anaesthetists. Raising the Standard: A Compendium of Audit Recipes. 2nd edition; 2006:218-219 [http://www.rcoa. ac.uk/docs/ARB-section10.pdf]. 4. McQuillan P, et al.: In The Royal College of Anaesthetists. Raising the Standard: A Compendium of Audit Recipes. 2nd edition; 2006:218-219 [http://www.rcoa. ac.uk/docs/ARB-section10.pdf]. Results Sixty patients were admitted during the study period. All 60 summaries were independently rated by three ICU doctors and good inter-rater reliability was demonstrated (Cronbach’s α  =  0.89). There was a strong correlation between the ratings given by the ICU consultants and the trainee doctor (Spearman’s = 0.91). Twenty-eight per cent achieved an acceptable score of 6 out of 10 or greater (median score 5, interquartile range 3 to 6). Fifty-four postal questionnaires were sent to GPs and 36 were returned (response rate 67%). Seventy-six per cent achieved an acceptable score of 16 out of 25 or greater (median score 18, interquartile range 16 to 25). Sixty-nine per cent of GPs found the discharge summary helpful and 86% wanted to be sent this type of summary in future. Correlation between the ICU team rating and the GP score for the summaries was weakly positive (Spearman’s = 0.15). References References 1. Patterson ES, et al.: Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2010, 36:52-61. 2. Brenier G, et al.: Crit Care 2011, 15:491. P523 Accuracy of height and weight estimation by critical care staff K Dunne, S Hickey Accuracy of height and weight estimation by critical care sta K Dunne, S Hickey Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P523 (doi: 10.1186/cc11130) y Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P523 (doi: 10.1186/cc11130) y y Results We reviewed 80 studies, of which 27 (34%) met all inclusion criteria. Studies were excluded most commonly when the majority of the patients did not require critical care (n  =  46), the study was presented only in abstract form (n = 4), data were duplicative (n = 2) or an outcome measure was not assessed (n  =  1). One publication included three diff erent patient populations; these were counted as separate studies. The fi nal 29 studies represented seven clinical categories: respiratory (n  =  9), postoperative (n  =  7), cardiovascular (n = 4), general admissions (n = 3), sepsis (n = 2), neurological (n = 2) and gastrointestinal (n = 2). Eighteen studies (62%) demonstrated a statistically signifi cant association between higher patient volume and better health outcomes, although the magnitude of the relationship varied across diagnoses. No study showed a statistically signifi cant association between higher volume and poorer outcomes. Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P523 (doi: 10.1186/cc11130) Introduction Patient’s height and weight measurements are used regularly within the critical care setting whether for calculation of drug doses, nutritional intake, ventilator settings or calibration of cardiac output monitoring [1]. In sedated patients these parameters are often obtained via estimation by critical care staff . Errors in these estimations have the potential to cause harm either from errors in drug calculations [2], inappropriate ventilatory settings or underfeeding or overfeeding. Methods We asked members of the critical care team (medical, nursing staff , physiotherapists and dieticians) to anonymously estimate the heights and weights of patients within the unit at that time. Following this we obtained accurate measurements by measuring height with a measuring tape and patients’ weight with the Scotweigh weighing machine. The results were then collated and the percentage inaccuracy of estimate compared to actual measurement was calculated. Conclusion The majority of studies evaluating the volume–outcome relationship in critically ill patients demonstrated better outcomes with higher clinical volumes. P521 Methods We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for articles published between January 2001 and December 2011 using medical subject heading terms and text words for conditions related to critical illness in adults. Trauma studies were excluded. Two study investigators independently reviewed titles, abstracts and articles identifi ed from the search algorithm and abstracted study-specifi c data using a standardized abstraction form. Variables of interest included study g y p Methods We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for articles published between January 2001 and December 2011 using medical subject heading terms and text words for conditions related to critical illness in adults. Trauma studies were excluded. Two study investigators independently reviewed titles, abstracts and articles identifi ed from the search algorithm and abstracted study-specifi c data using a standardized abstraction form. Variables of interest included study Conclusion Our study identifi ed that the structure of the handover was rather focused on a system-based approach. Diffi culty in concentration due to fatigue or frequent interruptions prolongs its duration and disturbs the right fl ow of information. The senior clinician must ensure that handover should be a focused but educational experience for the trainee with appropriate feedback. S186 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 characteristics, patient characteristics, study period, volume defi nition, primary and secondary outcomes, risk-adjustment methodology, statistical analyses, results, risk of bias and funding body. P522 Radiation doses in young ICU patients: a cause for concern? RA O’Leary, C Houlihane, P McLaughlin, M Maher, D Breen Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P522 (doi: 10.1186/cc11129) Conclusion Although height estimation was measured to within 10% accuracy in the majority of cases, staff were considerably less reliable at estimating an accurate patient weight and on more than one-half of all estimates underestimated the weight by greater than 10%. We therefore strongly discourage the practice of weight estimation in situations where clinical decisions are being based on an often unreliable value, and alternative means of obtaining an accurate weight measurement should be sought. Introduction The aim of this study was to quantify the radiation dose in young ICU patients to determine if it approached a clinically signifi cant level. Ionising radiation is a well-recognised risk factor for development of cancer. The risk is dose-related and there is no lower threshold at which the dose can be considered clinically irrelevant. The availability of computed tomography (CT) scanning has led to a signifi cant increase in exposure to ionising radiation of patients over the last decade. Children and young adults are particularly at risk. This is partly because there is a longer lifetime in which radiation eff ects may be manifest but also because children are up to 10 times more sensitive to radiation than adults. In view of these issues it is important to quantify the risk to young ICU patients. g References 1. Wigfull J, et al.: Critical assessment of haemodynamic data. Contin Educ Anaesth Crit Care Pain 2005, 5:84-88. 2. Mahajan RP: Medication errors: can we prevent them? Br J Anaesth 2011, 107:3-5. Figure 1 (abstract P523). Accuracy of weight estimation by critical care staff . q y y g p Methods The general ICU database was examined from 1 March 2010 to 1 March 2011. The overall radiation exposure was quantifi ed using the cumulative eff ective radiation dosage (CED) in millisieverts (mSv). The CED was calculated for all of the procedures performed during the stay in the ICU using average procedure-specifi c eff ective doses published by the UK National Radiation Protection Board. A cohort of patients <30 years of age were selected for subanalysis. y g y Results There were 403 patients admitted to the general ICU during the period of interest. The number of patients <30 years of age was 75 with a mean age of 19 (range 0.5 to 30 years). The mean CED was 10.84 mSv (SD = 15.08) with 10 patients receiving >30 mSv. The mean CED for patients who did not undergo CT examination was 0.063 mSv (n = 31, SD = 0.062). Trauma patients received a far higher dose (21.86 mSv) than either medical (3.1 mSv) or postoperative surgical (3.96 mSv) admissions. Conclusion CT is a useful and necessary tool in our diagnostic and therapeutic armoury. However, our results show that young patients can potentially be exposed to signifi cant doses of ionising radiation in an ICU setting mainly due to CT. In view of the lifetime risk of cancer to these patients we should try to minimise radiation exposure by more judicious utilisation of CT and by use of other imaging modalities. References Figure 1 (abstract P523). Accuracy of weight estimation by critical care staff . P523 Accuracy of height and weight estimation by critical care staff K Dunne, S Hickey There was variability in the association across diagnostic categories, indicating that quality improvement eff orts based on the volume–outcome relationship such as regionalization of care may be more successful in specifi c patient subsets. p Results There were 330 estimations made by 30 members of staff . Height estimation was accurate ±10% for 291 patients (88.4%). Inaccuracy in height estimation ranged from –9.5% to +25% with a mean inaccuracy of 4.75%. Weight estimation was accurate ±10% for 123 patients (38.4%). Inaccuracy of weight estimation ranged from –48.9% to +40.3% with a mean inaccuracy of 16.4%. There was a tendency to underestimate weight with only 33 estimates (10%) greater than 10% of actual weight and 174 estimates (52.7%) less than 10% of actual weight. See Figure 1. 1. Hart D, Wall B: Radiation Exposure of the UK Population from Medical and Dental X-ray Examinations. Chilton: National Radiological Protection Board; 2002. 2. Kinsella SM, et al.: Kidney Int 2010, 78:789-793. 3. Dawson P: Br J Radiol 2004, 77(Spec No 1):S10-S13. 4. Slovis T: Radiology 2002, 223:5-6. 5. Cardis E, et al.: Radiat Res 2007, 167:396-416. 6. Cascade PN, et al.: AJR Am J Roentgenol 1998, 1770:561-564. P526 A new patient mobilization scoring system in the ICU: what is the degree of similarity in scores between assessors in daily use? M Vogel, CW Casteleijn, P Bruins, AJ Meinders St Antonius Ziekenhuis, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P526 (doi: 10.1186/cc11133) P526 A new patient mobilization scoring system in the ICU: what is the degree of similarity in scores between assessors in daily use? M Vogel, CW Casteleijn, P Bruins, AJ Meinders St Antonius Ziekenhuis, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P526 (doi: 10.1186/cc11133) Introduction Inactivity and immobility in ICU patients have signifi cant deleterious physiologic eff ects, including atelectasis, pressure ulcers, and increased susceptibility to aspiration and pneumonia. A new trend on the ICU is early mobilization of critically ill adult patients. However, evidence of when to start mobilization is missing. Casteleijn developed a new scoring system, the Patient Mobilization Frame (PMF), to improve early mobilization in the ICU. The framework is based on a multidisciplinary agreement. The aim of this study was to evaluate interobserver agreement using the PMF. Conclusion It is very challenging to implement care bundles despite evidence showing that they improve outcome. A recent study suggests that doing a daily quality rounds checklist (QRC) will improve long-term compliance, thereby reducing potential complications for intensive care patients [1]. We have implemented QRC in our practice and will be re-auditing in 6 months to ensure continued adherence. 1. DuBose et al.: Measurable outcomes of quality improvement in the trauma intensive care unit: the impact of a daily quality rounding checklist. J Trauma 2008, 64:22-29. Methods A prospective observational study in 47 critically ill patients in the ICU was performed. The PMF categorizes patients into one of three stages of possible training using a scoring system based on 14 items. Various factors infl uencing individual stage are used including circulation, respiration, infection, kidney function, wounds and neurology. Stage A (critically ill) permits only passive physical examination. Whereas stage B (stable) and stage C (nearly recovered) permit (guided) active mobilization and functional training, respectively. Two staff members and one resident obtained 47 independent observation series of the PMF. All observations were at the same date and time and were compared. P524 P524 Implementation of evidence-based care bundles in the ICU G Juknevicius, E Balakumar, A Gratrix Hull Royal Infi rmary, Hull, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P524 (doi: 10.1186/cc11131) P524 Implementation of evidence-based care bundles in the ICU G Juknevicius, E Balakumar, A Gratrix Hull Royal Infi rmary, Hull, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P524 (doi: 10.1186/cc11131) 1. Hart D, Wall B: Radiation Exposure of the UK Population from Medical and Dental X-ray Examinations. Chilton: National Radiological Protection Board; 2002. 2. Kinsella SM, et al.: Kidney Int 2010, 78:789-793. 3. Dawson P: Br J Radiol 2004, 77(Spec No 1):S10-S13. 4. Slovis T: Radiology 2002, 223:5-6. 5. Cardis E, et al.: Radiat Res 2007, 167:396-416. 6. Cascade PN, et al.: AJR Am J Roentgenol 1998, 1770:561-564. 1. Hart D, Wall B: Radiation Exposure of the UK Population from Medical and Dental X-ray Examinations. Chilton: National Radiological Protection Board; 2002. 2. Kinsella SM, et al.: Kidney Int 2010, 78:789-793. 3. Dawson P: Br J Radiol 2004, 77(Spec No 1):S10-S13. 4. Slovis T: Radiology 2002, 223:5-6. 5. Cardis E, et al.: Radiat Res 2007, 167:396-416. 6. Cascade PN, et al.: AJR Am J Roentgenol 1998, 1770:561-564. 1. Hart D, Wall B: Radiation Exposure of the UK Population from Medical and Dental X-ray Examinations. Chilton: National Radiological Protection Board; 2002. 2. Kinsella SM, et al.: Kidney Int 2010, 78:789-793. 3. Dawson P: Br J Radiol 2004, 77(Spec No 1):S10-S13. Introduction Implementation of an evidence-based care bundle in critically ill patients has been shown to improve outcome. Use of care bundles to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia and other ICU complications has been increasing in critical care practice. gy 5. Cardis E, et al.: Radiat Res 2007, 167:396-416. 6. Cascade PN, et al.: AJR Am J Roentgenol 1998, 1770:561-564. S187 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 confi dence in its use, a similar proportion to the original audit. Eighty per cent would have an ODP for unplanned intubations. One hundred per cent were airway trained. Outcomes A designated consultant was assigned to teach diffi cult airway management at quarterly departmental induction sessions which included equipment location and algorithms. Trainees and consultants underwent simulation and mannequin training, including tracheostomy and surgical airway management. Regular updates and case-based teaching sessions were implemented. Airway profi ciency assessments were conducted at induction. Awareness of diffi cult airway equipment on the ICU A W i k A I Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P525 (doi: 10.1186/cc11132) Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P525 (doi: 10.1186/cc11132) Introduction It is widely recognised that critically ill patients can be diffi cult to intubate, requiring the use of advanced airway skills and equipment. The range of airway equipment necessary for patients on the ICU has recently been recommended [1]. Our ICU has a comprehensive diffi cult airway trolley (DAT) which is regularly maintained. With a high turnover of trainees, we were keen to determine if there was a training need to be met regarding airway management in ICU patients. The objectives were to determine awareness of the DAT, assess knowledge of its contents and ascertain confi dence in its use. Results Interobserver reliability of observers 1, 2 and 3 proved to be adequate. Kappa for observers 1 and 2 was 0.9. Kappa for observers 1 and 3 was 0.6. Kappa for observers 2 and 3 was 0.6. The value of kappa can range from 0 (disagreement) to 1 (perfect agreement). Kappa larger than 0.6 was regarded as substantial agreement. Conclusion Casteleijn’s PMF proved to be a reliable scoring system as both resident and staff members had comparable results for staging the physical abilities of the critically ill patient in the ICU. i Methods We audited against previously described standards [1] using a short questionnaire, disseminated to trainees and consultants working on the ICU in November 2010: 100% of clinicians should be aware of the location and contents of the DAT; 100% of anaesthetists should have had diffi cult airway equipment training. P524 confi dence in its use, a similar proportion to the original audit. Eighty per cent would have an ODP for unplanned intubations. One hundred per cent were airway trained. Outcomes A designated consultant was assigned to teach diffi cult airway management at quarterly departmental induction sessions which included equipment location and algorithms. Trainees and consultants underwent simulation and mannequin training, including tracheostomy and surgical airway management. Regular updates and case-based teaching sessions were implemented. Airway profi ciency assessments were conducted at induction. Methods We conducted a prospective audit on implementation of a care bundle after audit approval. We collected data for 101 patient days from all patients admitted to Hull Royal Infi rmary ICU during the month of November 2011. We collected information regarding stress ulcer prophylaxis, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis, ventilator care bundle, blood glucose control, daily assessment of need for a central line, sedation score assessment and delirium score assessment at least twice a day. y Results All patients received stress ulcer prophylaxis. At least 95% of patients received DVT prophylaxis, adequate blood glucose control and appropriate sedation need assessment. There was further scope for improvement in areas of sedation hold practice and assessing daily need for a central line. Poor clinical practice was identifi ed in delirium score assessment and head elevation to reduce VAP. See Table 1. Conclusion This audit highlights our variable workforce. The presence of junior, nonairway-trained staff on the ICU calls for regular, compulsory airway teaching sessions for all, regardless of grade. Airway competency must be formally assessed at the start of an ICU attachment. Airway instructions for challenging patients should be clearly documented with advice on access to senior assistance for emergencies. Reference Table 1 (abstract P524) Intervention in eligible patients Adherence, n (%) Stress ulcer prophylaxis 101/101 (100) DVT/PE prophylaxis 94/97 (97) Head elevation 30% in ventilated patients 62/75 (83) Daily sedation hold 28/32 (88) Blood glucose control 96/101 (95) Need for central line assessed 73/85 (86) Sedation score assessment 98/101 (97) CAM-ICU score at least twice a day 29/101 (28) Reference 1. Jeanrenaud P, et al.: Diffi cult airway trolleys for the critical care unit. JICS 2010, 11:98-103. P529 Methods A cross-sectional retrospective descriptive and observational study of rehabilitation of bedridden patients in hospital from January 2010 to June 2011. The programme is implemented in Section 30 (21, 9, and 20 rooms). The inclusion criteria for the rehabilitation programme were patients of both sexes, without age limit, inpatient of Hospital F.J. Muñiz coming from the ICU, in bedridden condition (limitation or motor disability in which the patient cannot move or perform activities of daily living and must depend on the care of others), with Barthel scale value 0 to 35 with total or severe dependence and stability hemodynamics. P529 Muscle strength assessment of critically ill patients is associated with functional ability and quality of life at hospital discharge G Sidiras, I Patsaki, M Dakoutrou, E Karatzanos, V Gerovasili, A Kouvarakos, A Kardara, K Apostolou, S Dimopoulos, V Markaki, S Nanas University of Athens, Greece Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P529 (doi: 10.1186/cc11136) Introduction Patients with critical illness after hospital discharge often exhibit poor functional ability and quality of life as a consequence of acquired muscle weakness. The Medical Research Council (MRC) strength score and hand-grip dynamometry (HGD) are reliable and valid methods to detect clinically signifi cant muscle weakness. The objective of this study is to examine the correlation of these instruments to functional ability and quality-of-life questionnaires at hospital discharge. Introduction Patients with critical illness after hospital discharge often exhibit poor functional ability and quality of life as a consequence of acquired muscle weakness. The Medical Research Council (MRC) strength score and hand-grip dynamometry (HGD) are reliable and valid methods to detect clinically signifi cant muscle weakness. The objective of this study is to examine the correlation of these instruments to functional ability and quality-of-life questionnaires at hospital discharge. Results We included patients who met the inclusion criteria. The program presented an intensive character in terms of the frequency of weekly sessions as the number of exercises implemented in the form was specifi ed according to the pathology of the patient. Ninety percent of patients were male. The median age was 41 years. The predominant infectious pathology was pulmonary tuberculosis (90%), cerebral toxoplasmosis (50%), spastic paraplegia (6%), bilateral pneumonia (6%), and fumigares aspergillosis (6%). 1. Tennilä A, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2000, 26:1360-1363. 2. Khan J, et al.: Neurology 2006, 67:1421-1425. 3. Latronico N, et al.: Crit Care 2007, 11:R11. P528 Severity of electrophysiological alterations correlates with severity of illness in the early phase of critical illness polyneuropathy R Nemes, Z Fülep, B Fülesdi University of Debrecen, Hungary Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P528 (doi: 10.1186/cc11135) Conclusion The signifi cantly reduced muscle strength of critically ill survivors could have detrimental eff ects on their mobility and quality of life. By this study it was shown that muscle strength assessment was well associated with functional ability. We assume that this might be a possible signifi cant prognostic role. Introduction We aimed to investigate the early characteristics of critical illness polyneuropathy in surgical patients in a 5-day follow-up setting. Methods Twenty critically ill patients were enrolled showing signs of systemic infl ammatory response, sepsis or multiorgan failure featuring APACHE II score ≥12 on admittance aged 26 to 86 years. Routine noninvasive nerve conduction study of bilateral median and ulnar nerves was performed on a two-channel portable Keypoint Medtronic apparatus. Nerve conduction studies were performed on fi ve consecutive days starting within at most 2 days after admittance, then weekly follow-up was carried out. Electrophysiological fi ndings were compared to age-matched control group parameters.i Motor and respiratory intensive rehabilitation in bedridden patients Motor and respiratory intensive rehabilitation in bedridde patients E Canedo, V Nunes Velloso, L Calejman, N  Leidi Hospital de Infecciosas F.J. Muñiz, Buenos Aires, Argentina Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P527 (doi: 10.1186/cc11134) E Canedo, V Nunes Velloso, L Calejman, N  Leidi Hospital de Infecciosas F.J. Muñiz, Buenos Aires, Argentina Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P527 (doi: 10.1186/cc11134) fi A re-audit was conducted in June 2011 to complete the audit cycle. Results One hundred per cent of clinicians were aware of the DAT. Only 35% had read the folder detailing its contents with instructions. Ninety per cent could confi dently name the equipment which should be readily available for diffi cult intubations but only 70% were confi dent to use it unaided. Fifty per cent would request the presence of an operating department practitioner (ODP) for an unplanned intubation on the ICU. Twenty-eight per cent were not airway trained. Re-audit showed 100% of respondents were aware of the equipment. Sixty per cent had Introduction Inability to play signifi cant social roles due to a pattern of motor disability aff ects the quality of a person’s life, and is where the motor and respiratory rehabilitation process takes fundamental importance. This disability prevents one to function independently in basic tasks such as dressing and feeding and in more complex tasks such as handling in public and/or work. It can also be a constraint for the Introduction Inability to play signifi cant social roles due to a pattern of motor disability aff ects the quality of a person’s life, and is where the motor and respiratory rehabilitation process takes fundamental importance. This disability prevents one to function independently in basic tasks such as dressing and feeding and in more complex tasks such as handling in public and/or work. It can also be a constraint for the S188 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 4. Mohammadi B, et al.: J Neurol 2008, 255:265-272. 5. Latronico N, et al.: Lancet Neurol 2011, 10:931-941. 6. Bolton CF, et al.: Crit Care Med 1996, 24:1408-1416. dependent patient in personal care activities. P530 Functional dependency in the direct post-ICU phase in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation S Vossenberg1, I Drogt2, N Bruins2, C De Jager2, EC Boerma2, M Tijkotte1 1Zorggroep Noorderbreedte, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands; 2Medical Centre Leeuwarden, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P530 (doi: 10.1186/cc11137) Functional dependency in the direct post-ICU phase in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation S Vossenberg1, I Drogt2, N Bruins2, C De Jager2, EC Boerma2, M Tijkotte1 1Zorggroep Noorderbreedte, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands; 2Medical Centre Leeuwarden, the Netherlands Critical Care 2012, 16(Suppl 1):P530 (doi: 10.1186/cc11137) P529 The profi t was 100% of kinesic treatment adherence, 94% of cases won full independence valued on the Barthel scale with a value of 100, and a single case achieved independence moderated by the presence of spastic paraplegia. Methods Two hundred and sixty-six consecutive patients who had been discharged from the ICU were evaluated and 37 of them were eligible (inclusion criteria: in mechanical ventilation >72 hours, a cognitive status that allows assessment) for the study (mean ± SD: age 55 ± 15; APACHE 14 ± 5; SOFA 8 ± 3; length of ICU stay 22 ± 22 days; duration of mechanical ventilation 17 ± 19 days). Muscle strength was evaluated with the MRC score and HGD every 7 days until discharge from the hospital. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) was used to evaluate the functional ability while health-related quality of life was assessed by the Nottingham Health Profi le (NHP).i Conclusion The intensive rehabilitation programme presented a great benefi t for hospitalized patients; taking them from being bedridden to total independence in the AVD, the outpatient had better social and labor conditions. y gi Results At hospital discharge the MRC scale and HGD were signifi cantly correlated with FIM (r  =  0.69, P <0.001 and r  =  0.58, P <0.001, respectively). There seems to be a good correlation of the MRC scale (r = –0.57, P <0.001) with the section of mobility of the NHP. There is also certain association among the domain of mobility and energy of the NHP with the FIM (r = –0.88, P <0.001 and r = –0.61, P <0.05, respectively). Motor and respiratory intensive rehabilitation in bedridden patients The objective of a motor rehabilitation plan is to reduce the impact caused by this alteration of motor ability, facilitating the restoration of functional patient capacity so they can eff ectively engage in occupations, reaching the highest level of functional independence possible. dependent patient in personal care activities. The objective of a motor rehabilitation plan is to reduce the impact caused by this alteration of motor ability, facilitating the restoration of functional patient capacity so they can eff ectively engage in occupations, reaching the highest level of functional independence possible. 3. Latronico N, et al.: Crit Care 2007, 11:R11. . Mahoney FI, Barthel DW: Functional evaluation: the Barthel Index. Md Med J 1965, 2:61-65. Functional dependency in the direct post-ICU phase in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation p g g p p Results On fi rst examination, within 2 days following admission 17 of 20 (85%) patients showed signs of axonal type sensory-motor polyneuropathy. Medians of compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitudes of all nerves showed a signifi cant decrease compared to control values (P <0.001). During the 5-day study period four patients showed improvement. Sensory nerve fi bres were less severely aff ected than motor fi bers. The consecutive measurements revealed negative correlation with the severity of peripheral interstitial oedema determined by circumference of the elbow. Changes in CMAP and SNAP amplitudes also showed a negative correlation with daily rated APACHE II and SAPS II severity scores, and thus with patients’ general condition. Introduction Prolonged mechanical ventilation and length of stay (LOS) in the ICU is associated with long-term impaired functional capacity. However, little is known about functional dependency in the direct post-ICU phase. Therefore the timing and location for optimal post-ICU rehabilitation programs remain to be established. Methods In this single-centre observational study we aimed to quantify functional dependency at three diff erent time points: discharge from ICU (DI), discharge from hospital (DH) and discharge from nursing home rehabilitation unit (DR). To this end we retrospectively assed Barthel scores (BS) for individual patients [1], with a duration of mechanical ventilation >48 hours. Data are presented as median (IQR). Comparison between time points was performed with nonparametric tests for paired data and repeated measurements. P <0.05 was considered signifi cant. p g Conclusion Electrophysiological alterations appear early after the development of critical illness [1-4]. Early electrophysiological investigations are advisory although results should be evaluated cautiously, as it is hard to diff erentiate between defi nitive lesions and temporary disorder caused by bioenergetic failure [3,5-6] of the nerve which tend to improve with normalisation of patients’ condition. References i Results Thirty-four patients were included. Baseline characteristics: APACHE II score 20 (17 to 25), age 68 (55 to 73) years, LOS ICU 22 (8 to 36) days, mechanical ventilation 8 (2 to 17) days, LOS hospital 21 (14 to 30) days, LOS rehabilitation unit 53 (31 to 85) days. Median BS at DI was 2 (1 to 3), indicating total functional dependency. In comparison 1. Tennilä A, et al.: Intensive Care Med 2000, 26:1360-1363. 2. Khan J, et al.: Neurology 2006, 67:1421-1425. 3. Latronico N, et al.: Crit Care 2007, 11:R11. Functional dependency in the direct post-ICU phase in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation S189 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 Critical Care 2012, Volume 16 Suppl 1 http://ccforum.com/supplements/16/S1 to baseline, BS increased to 8 (2 to 12) at DH (P <0.001), indicating severe dependency, and fi nally to 16 (11 to 18) at DR, indicating independency with some disabilities (P <0.001). The absolute increase in BS was signifi cantly greater during the stay in the rehabilitation unit, as compared to the general hospital ward (P <0.001). p g p Conclusion ICU patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation remain severely functionally dependent after ICU discharge, but dependency reduces signifi cantly during rehabilitation in hospital and in a nursing home rehabilitation unit. . Mahoney FI, Barthel DW: Functional evaluation: the Barthel Index. Md Med J 1965, 2:61-65.
https://openalex.org/W3083888421
https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/23004/1/Dufourq_2021_RSEC_automated_detection_CC.pdf
English
null
Automated detection of Hainan gibbon calls for passive acoustic monitoring
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
2,020
cc-by
10,941
ª 2021 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. Automated detection of Hainan gibbon calls for passive acoustic monitoring Emmanuel Dufourq1,2 , Ian Durbach3,4,1 , James P. Hansford5,6 , Amanda Hoepfner7, Heidi Ma5 , Jessica V. Bryant8 , Christina S. Stender9, Wenyong Li10, Zhiwei Liu10, Qing Chen10, Zhaoli Zhou10 & Samuel T. Turvey5 1African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Muizenberg, South Africa 2 1African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Muizenberg, South Africa 2Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa 3Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK 4Centre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment, and Conservation, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa 5Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK 6Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois, 60115, 7School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City Utah, 84112, 8Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK 9Living Collections, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK 10Bawangling National Nature Reserve, Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Hainan, China 3Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK 3Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK 4Centre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment, and Conservation, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa 5Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK 6Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois, 60115, 7School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City Utah, 84112, ntre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment, and Conservation, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa titute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK 6Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois, 60115, Living Collections, Zoological Society of London, Regent s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK 10Bawangling National Nature Reserve, Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Hainan, China Keywords Tel: +27 21 787 9320; Fax: +27 21 7879321; E-mail: edufourq@gmail.com Editor: Nathalie Pettorelli Associate Editor: Christos Astaras Received: 29 October 2020; Revised: 22 January 2021; Accepted: 4 March 2021 Keywords Bioacoustics, convolutional neural networks, deep learning, Hainan gibbons, passive acoustic monitoring, species identification Extracting species calls from passive acoustic recordings is a common preliminary step to ecological analysis. For many species, particularly those occupying noisy, acoustically variable habitats, the call extraction process continues to be largely manual, a time-consuming and increasingly unsustainable process. Deep neural networks have been shown to offer excellent performance across a range of acous- tic classification applications, but are relatively underused in ecology. We describe the steps involved in developing an automated classifier for a passive acoustic monitoring project, using the identification of calls of the Hainan gibbon Nomas- cus hainanus, one of the world’s rarest mammal species, as a case study. This includes preprocessing—selecting a temporal resolution, windowing and annota- tion; data augmentation; processing—choosing and fitting appropriate neural net- work models; and post-processing—linking model predictions to replace, or more likely facilitate, manual labelling. Our best model converted acoustic recordings into spectrogram images on the mel frequency scale, using these to train a convo- lutional neural network. Model predictions were highly accurate, with per-second false positive and false negative rates of 1.5% and 22.3%. Nearly all false negatives were at the fringes of calls, adjacent to segments where the call was correctly iden- tified, so that very few calls were missed altogether. A post-processing step identi- fying intervals of repeated calling reduced an 8-h recording to, on average, 22 min for manual processing, and did not miss any calling bouts over 72 h of test record- ings. Gibbon calling bouts were detected regularly in multi-month recordings from all selected survey points within Bawangling National Nature Reserve, Hai- nan. We demonstrate that passive acoustic monitoring incorporating an auto- mated classifier represents an effective tool for remote detection of one of the world’s rarest and most threatened species. Our study highlights the viability of using neural networks to automate or greatly assist the manual labelling of data collected by passive acoustic monitoring projects. We emphasize that model development and implementation be informed and guided by ecological objec- tives, and increase accessibility of these tools with a series of notebooks that allow users to build and deploy their own acoustic classifiers. Correspondence Emmanuel Dufourq, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Muizenberg, South Africa. doi: 10.1002/rse2.201 Introduction Deep learning holds enormous promise for automating the labelling of bioacoustic data. The number of appli- cations is growing (Christin et al., 2019), but the majority of datasets are still labelled manually (Fairbrass et al., 2019; Kiskin et al., 2020; Pamula et al., 2019), even as the rate of data collection makes this approach increasingly unsustainable. The mismatch between the potential of deep learning approaches and their actual uptake among practitioners occurs because getting mod- els to perform as well as an experienced human is dif- ficult. Human-like performance usually requires substantial amounts of training data or relatively stable background environments, conditions that are often absent in ecological applications. Model tuning and data manipulation is often required, and while guideli- nes are emerging (Patterson & Gibson, 2017; Stowell et al., 2019b), these can, with some justification, appear subjective and case specific. A lack of computing resources and user-friendly software can also be a bar- rier to entry. Case studies reporting successful applica- tions play an important role in developing and disseminating best practices, and in discriminating between those tasks that current deep learning methods are able to automate and those they cannot. Previous applications have used convolutional neural networks (CNNs; LeCun et al. (2015)) to identify various bird (Grill & Schl¨uter, 2017; Kahl et al., 2017; Stowell et al., 2019b) and whale species (Bergler et al., 2019; Bermant et al., 2019; Jiang et al., 2019; Shiu et al., 2020), bees (Kulyukin et al., 2018; Nolasco et al., 2019), as well as anomalous acoustic events in soundscapes (Sethi et al., 2020). These have shown, for example, that a generally good approach is to represent data as spectrograms and treat the problem as an image classification one, as well as providing specialized approaches for data augmenta- tion on spectrogram inputs, such as pitch and time shifting and introducing background noise (Bergler et al., 2019; Sprengel et al., 2016). The Hainan gibbon is the world’s rarest primate and one of the world’s rarest mammals, with only a single population of about 30 individuals surviving in Bawan- gling National Nature Reserve (BNNR), Hainan, China (Chan et al., 2005; Liu et al., 2020; Turvey et al., 2015). Introduction Improved monitoring of this population using novel methods, to understand factors affecting successful disper- sal, breeding group formation and colonization of new habitat, has been identified as an urgent short-term con- servation goal for the species (Turvey et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2020). Gibbons call regularly to advertise territory and maintain group cohesiveness against rivals, using a complex structure consisting of short individual vocal syl- lables or ‘notes’ of ca. 0.2–2.75 s assembled together into longer ‘phrases’ consisting of one to six notes, which are themselves organized into ‘songs’ of several minutes (Deng et al., 2014). Gibbon population surveys are usu- ally conducted by detecting this daily song using a fixed- point count survey method, whereby researchers listen opportunistically for calls at elevated listening posts (Brockelman & Srikosamatara, 1993; Kidney et al., 2016). However, this traditional monitoring approach is labour intensive and is only conducted for discrete survey peri- ods. Gibbons are therefore prime candidates for passive acoustic monitoring and recent studies have used data collected in this way to model occupancy (Vu & Tran, 2019) and to discriminate between individuals using spec- tral features (Clink et al., 2019; Zhou et al., 2019). All of these studies, however, have relied on an initial manual extraction of calls. In order to develop a continuous monitoring protocol for Hainan gibbons we conducted long-term passive acoustic monitoring and developed an automated classi- fier able to identify whether gibbons were calling in the vicinity of a particular recorder, with the aim of establish- ing whether the area proximal to the recorder was occu- pied that day. It was therefore important to be able to detect individual gibbon calling bouts, but not necessarily to be able to discriminate every phrase made during the bout. We address issues that are important to the overall usefulness of a classifier, including deciding how much data to manually label, data augmentation, operationally meaningful definitions of classifier success and the devel- opment of user-friendly software. Our study provides an effective new monitoring method for the world’s rarest primate, and also has wider applicability for applying deep learning to develop passive acoustic monitoring frameworks for other conservation-priority loud-call Despite this, no studies report the process of applying deep learning within the scope of a typical acoustic moni- toring project designed to answer a well-defined research question. Correspondence Correspondence Emmanuel Dufourq, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Muizenberg, South Africa. Tel: +27 21 787 9320; Fax: +27 21 7879321; E-mail: edufourq@gmail.com p Emmanuel Dufourq, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Muizenberg, South Africa. Tel: +27 21 787 9320; Fax: +27 21 7879321; E-mail: edufourq@gmail.com Editor: Nathalie Pettorelli Associate Editor: Christos Astaras Received: 29 October 2020; Revised: 22 January 2021; Accepted: 4 March 2021 doi: 10.1002/rse2.201 doi: 10.1002/rse2.201 1 1 Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. E. Dufourq et al. E. Dufourq et al. passive acoustic recordings collected as part of a long- term monitoring project, with the aim of providing prac- titioners with a realistic and relatable idea of the process, and modelling choices, involved, as well as guidelines for these choices. Data collection Eight Song Meter SM3 recorders (Wildlife Acoustics, Maynard, Massachusetts) were used to collect acoustic data from 1 March to 20 August 2016 within BNNR. Recorders were attached to trees at a height of approxi- mately 1.5 m in tropical evergreen forest. Four recorders were situated within the known home ranges of the four Hainan gibbon social groups existing during the study period (Groups A–D; see Bryant et al. (2017)), three were situated at locations intermediate between known home ranges, and a further recorder was placed in an area where a solitary male gibbon was thought to occur (Bry- ant et al., 2016). They were placed at locations that were used as regular listening posts for monitoring gibbons by reserve staff (Fig. 1). The peak Hainan gibbon calling per- iod is 06:00–07:00, with calling continuing at decreasing regularity for several hours (Chan et al., 2005). Recorders were therefore set to record for 8 h each day from the time of sunrise, which varied between approximately 05:00 and 06:00 during the study period. Memory cards and batteries were changed every 40 days. Devices did not record continuously throughout the entire survey period due to logistical and technical issues; in total, survey days per recorder varied between 79 and 129 days, and roughly 6000 h of recordings were collected. The majority of recordings were made with a sampling rate of 9600 Hz and bit depth of 16, with isolated recordings at 28 800 Hz. Each recording was downsampled to 4800 Hz, so that the Nyquist rate was higher than the maximum fre- quency of Hainan gibbon calls (2000 Hz). No anti-alias- ing was performed although, because we downsampled entire recordings, we would expect any artefacts to be unrelated to the presence of gibbon calls. This was con- firmed by a post hoc comparison of aliased and non- aliased versions of a 5% sample of segments. The down- sampled inputs – each segment a time series of 48 000 sample points – used as inputs to the 1-D CNNs described in the next section. Introduction Most applications are either smaller – using data collected for the purpose of testing a deep learning approach, and often written for a machine learning rather than ecological audience (e.g. Kiskin et al., 2020; Kulyu- kin et al., 2018); or larger – aggregating datasets across several independent studies to investigate if models gener- alize (Bergler et al., 2019; Shiu et al., 2020; Stowell et al., 2019b) – than most monitoring projects. In this paper we address this gap, describing the development of a classifier for identifying Hainan gibbon Nomascus hainanus calls in 21 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London 2 Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. species such as cetaceans, elephants or other primates (Crunchant et al., 2020). positive segments after windowing. All audio was con- verted into mono, as done in various applications (e.g. Bergler et al., 2019; Qazi et al., 2018; Stowell et al., 2019a). By cross-referencing the time intervals of each segment with the logged start and end times of known gibbon phrases, each segment was labelled as (a) a ‘pres- ence’, if its time interval completely contained the interval of at least one labelled phrase, (b) an ‘absence’, if its time interval contained no part of any phrase or (c) a ‘partial presence’, if its time interval intersected but did not com- pletely contain the interval of at least one labelled phrase (Fig. 2). Partial presences were excluded from further analysis. Data collection In addition, we converted each audio segment into a mel-scale spectrogram (Ber- gler et al., 2019; Huang et al., 2001), to be used as an input image to a 2-D CNN, using a Hann analysis win- dow size of 1024 samples (213 ms), a hop size of 256 samples (53.3 ms, 75% overlap) and 128 mel frequency bins with centres uniformly spaced between 1 and 2k Hz, a conservative interval following Deng et al. (2014) and our own exploratory analyses. This results in 188 time steps by 128 frequency bands. These were computed using the Librosa library. These values were chosen on the basis of preliminary investigations, although the results were not particularly sensitive to these choices. The spectrogram images had a size of 128 × 188 pixels; larger image sizes can capture greater detail but typically require more network parameters and computation time to do so. Data analysis We manually labelled 32 8-h recordings by inspecting spectrograms and listening to audio using Sonic Visu- aliser (Cannam et al., 2010), and end times, and the number of notes, of each observed gibbon phrase. Four files containing no gibbon calls were discarded, as peri- ods without gibbon calls are readily available from the remaining 28 files. This process yielded 1246 gibbon phrases. After processing, our dataset consisted of 5285 seg- ments containing at least one complete phrase. While the vast majority of segments do not contain any gibbon calls, we restricted the number of absence segments to the same number as presences, to avoid a large class imbal- ance. Absence segments were initially collected by ran- domly sampling, but we found that better results were obtained by specifically including absence segments that contained typical ambient noise, such as bird calls, rain events and other background noises that could potentially confuse the classifier (Stowell et al., 2019a). Extracting these required additional manual processing of the audio data. To construct the fixed-length inputs required by CNNs, we divided each 8-h recording into segments with win- dow length 10 s and hop length 1 s (starting times of consecutive 10 s segments differ by 1 s, Fig. 2). This win- dow length was chosen so that even the longest phrase (8 s, Supplementary Material A) fits within a single seg- ment; using a slightly longer segment length allows for potentially longer unseen phrases, and results in more 3 Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. Figure 1. Locations of eight Song Meter SM3 recorders (labelled 1–8) used to detect gibbons in 2016 within Bawangling National Nature Reserve, Hainan, China, in relation to approximate distributions of four Hainan gibbon social groups (A–D). Mapped distributions of groups A–C are based on field data collected in 2010–2011 (see Bryant et al., (2017)); the groups all changed their location slightly between 2011 and 2016, but data on exact group locations in 2016 are unavailable. Approximate location of Group D indicated with hatching based on Bryant et al., (2016). Figure 1. Locations of eight Song Meter SM3 recorders (labelled 1–8) used to detect gibbons in 2016 within Bawangling National Nature Reserve, Hainan, China, in relation to approximate distributions of four Hainan gibbon social groups (A–D). Neural networks We considered two kinds of CNN architectures: a 1-D CNN using preprocessed amplitudes of 10 s segments as inputs, and a 2-D CNN that had inputs consisting of spectrogram images constructed from the preprocessed amplitudes. A CNN with a large number of network parameters (e.g. MobileNetV2 (Sandler et al., 2018) which has over 3 million parameters) can result in overfitting – due to degree of freedom given the large number of parameters – if the network is trained on a relatively small number of examples. This observation is often reported in the literature and has also been reported in applications of CNNs in ecology (Chilson et al., 2019). As we had relatively little training data by deep learning stan- dards, we chose these networks as they use simple archi- tectures requiring relatively few parameters. Both 1-D and 2-D CNNs use up to three convolutional layers, each fol- lowed by a max pooling layer that reduces the size of the intermediate input passed to the next layer of the net- work. We used 16 × 1 and 16 × 16 convolutional kernels for 1-D and 2-D CNNs respectively. The stack of convo- lutional layers was followed by one or two dense layers (Fig. 4). The resulting model outputs a detection proba- bility that the input segment (1-D or 2-D) contains at least one complete gibbon phrase. After augmenting the original segments, we obtained 18 992 segments (9496 presence, 9496 absence) from 19 recordings to train the neural networks. We randomly selected 60% of the data for training (5697 presence, 5697 absence) and used the remaining 40% for valida- tion (3799 presence, 3799 absence). Non-augmented seg- ments from nine separate recordings (2231 presence, 23 689 absence) were kept aside for testing. The files which were used for training and testing were randomly We chose model hyperparameters using a grid search over the number of convolutional (1, 2, 3) and dense (1, 2, 3) layers, nodes in each of the dense layers (8, 16, 32), filters in each convolutional layer (8, 16, 32), kernel size in each convolutional and max pooling layer (4, 8, 16), and dropout rate (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6). Each model was trained for 50 epochs using the Adam optimizer (Kingma Figure 3. Data analysis Mapped distributions of groups A–C are based on field data collected in 2010–2011 (see Bryant et al., (2017)); the groups all changed their location slightly between 2011 and 2016, but data on exact group locations in 2016 are unavailable. Approximate location of Group D indicated with hatching based on Bryant et al., (2016). Figure 2. Hainan gibbon calls consist of a sequence of ‘phrases’, each phrase consisting of variable (typically, 1–6) ‘notes’ and often with relatively large intervals between phrases. Left: a two-note phrase followed by a three-note phrase. A single calling bout may last anywhere from a few to dozens of minutes. Our model divides the recording interval into sliding 10 s windows or ‘segments’ (blue boxes), with 80% overlap between adjacent segments. Segments are classified as contained at least one full gibbon phrase (Present; solid line), a partial phrase (Partial; dotted line), or no part of a phrase (Absent; dashed line). Partial presences were excluded from further analysis, creating a two-class audio classification problem. Right: a gibbon phrase partially obscured by noisy background conditions, in this case other species calling (red boxes). Figure 2. Hainan gibbon calls consist of a sequence of ‘phrases’, each phrase consisting of variable (typically, 1–6) ‘notes’ and often with relatively large intervals between phrases. Left: a two-note phrase followed by a three-note phrase. A single calling bout may last anywhere from a few to dozens of minutes. Our model divides the recording interval into sliding 10 s windows or ‘segments’ (blue boxes), with 80% overlap between adjacent segments. Segments are classified as contained at least one full gibbon phrase (Present; solid line), a partial phrase (Partial; dotted line), or no part of a phrase (Absent; dashed line). Partial presences were excluded from further analysis, creating a two-class audio classification problem. Right: a gibbon phrase partially obscured by noisy background conditions, in this case other species calling (red boxes). ª 2021 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of Lon 4 E. Dufourq et al. Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls selected and each file contained at least one presence of a gibbon call. Data augmentation Data augmentation – boosting sample sizes by adding new samples artificially created by manipulating existing ones, for example using geometric operations like transla- tions and rotation – is commonly used to improve classi- fier performance, particularly when the training dataset is relatively small (Hestness et al., 2017; Sun et al., 2017). We used data augmentation to create either one or two copies of each 10 s segment in both presence and absence classes. For each presence segment x(pre), we randomly selected two absence segments, x i (abs), i = 1,2. We ran- domly shifted the starting time of each absence segment forward by 0 < ti<9 s, with the absence segment wrap- ping back on itself so that it remained 10 s long (Fig. 3 C), to obtain the shifted segment x i (shift). Presence seg- ments were not shifted, as this already occurred during the windowing process used to create the original seg- ments. Segments contain amplitude values and thus allow for arithmetic operations to be performed on them. We blended the presence segment with each shifted segment to create augmented presence segments x aug ð Þ i ¼ αx pre ð Þ þ 1α ð Þx shift ð Þ i , where α is a mixing param- eter, here chosen to be 0.9 (Fig. 3D). We created aug- mented absence segments using the same approach, that is, combining pairs of absence segments to create a mix- ture of background scenes. Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls 2D CNN with augmentation 2D CNN without augmentation with Conv2D, 8 filters of size 16x16, ReLU activation MaxPool2D, size of 4x4 MaxPool2D, size of 4x4 MaxPool2D, size of 4x4 MaxPool2D, size of 4x4 Dense, 32 units, ReLU activation Dense, 2 units, softmax activation Dense, 2 units, softmax activation Conv2D, 8 filters of size 16x16, ReLU activation Conv2D, 8 filters of size 16x16, ReLU activation Conv2D, 8 filters of size 16x16, ReLU activation Dense, 32 units, ReLU activation Dense, 32 units, ReLU activation Con s Max Con s Max Con s Max De Re Input spectrogram with size (128x188x1) (13,28,8) (28,43,8) (113,173,8) (3,7,8) (32) Input spectrogram with size (128x188x1) Inpu (2) (113,173,8) (28,43,8) (13,28,8) (3,7,8) (32) (2) (32) (4798 (299 (298 (18 (17 (1 2D CNN with augmentation 1D CNN with augmentation Input spectrogram with size (128x188x1) Conv2D, 8 filters of size 16x16, ReLU activation (2) (2) Dense, 16 units, ReLU activation Dense, 2 units, softmax acitvation (2) (16) (16) (2) Figure 4. Best architectures for 1-D and 2-D CNNs, for both augmented and non-augmented training datasets. Selected architectures were those with intermediate numbers of free parameters, particularly for 2-D CNNs. The dimensions of the data after each operation is provided in parentheses. (McFee et al., 2020). Model training and testing was done on a machine running Ubuntu 16.04 LTS with an Intel i7-6700K CPU, 16GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GTX 1070 8GB Graphics Processing Unit. Code and analysis scripts are available online at https://github.com/emmanuelduf ourq/GibbonClassifier. & Ba, 2014) a batch size of eight segments, and a learning rate of 0.001. Models were evaluated based on test set accuracy (proportion of all predictions that were correct), sensitivity (recall) (proportion of true positives divided by positive examples), specificity (proportion of true nega- tives divided by negative examples), precision (portion of true positives divided by true positives and false positives) and F1-score (harmonic mean between precision and F1- score). Optimal thresholds for converting detection prob- abilities into binary classifications were those that mini- mized the ratio of sensitivity and false discovery rate in the validation dataset. Neural networks Data augmentation steps involve (a) selecting a presence segment containing a Hainan gibbon phrase, (b) randomly selecting a segment containing only background noise, (c) shifting the starting time of the absence segment forward by a random amount, here 2 s and (d) blending together the presence and shifted absence segments. Figure 3. Data augmentation steps involve (a) selecting a presence segment containing a Hainan gibbon phrase, (b) randomly selecting a segment containing only background noise, (c) shifting the starting time of the absence segment forward by a random amount, here 2 s and (d) blending together the presence and shifted absence segments. The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London 5 Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. 2D CNN with augmentation 2D CNN without augmentation 1D CNN with augmentation 1D CNN without augmentation Conv2D, 8 filters of size 16x16, ReLU activation MaxPool2D, size of 4x4 MaxPool2D, size of 4x4 MaxPool2D, size of 4x4 MaxPool2D, size of 4x4 Dense, 32 units, ReLU activation Dense, 2 units, softmax activation Dense, 2 units, softmax activation Conv2D, 8 filters of size 16x16, ReLU activation Conv2D, 8 filters of size 16x16, ReLU activation Conv2D, 8 filters of size 16x16, ReLU activation Dense, 32 units, ReLU activation Dense, 32 units, ReLU activation Conv1D, 8 filters of size 16, ReLU activation MaxPool1D, size of 16 Conv1D, 8 filters of size 16, ReLU activation MaxPool1D, size of 16 Conv1D, 8 filters of size 16, ReLU activation MaxPool1D, size of 16 Dense, 16 units, ReLU activation Dense, 16 units, ReLU activation Dense, 2 units, softmax acitvation Conv1D, 8 filters of size 16, ReLU activation MaxPool1D, size of 16 Conv1D, 8 filters of size 16, ReLU activation MaxPool1D, size of 16 Conv1D, 8 filters of size 16, ReLU activation MaxPool1D, size of 16 Dense, 16 units, ReLU activation Dense, 2 units, softmax acitvation Input spectrogram with size (128x188x1) (13,28,8) (28,43,8) (113,173,8) (3,7,8) (32) Input spectrogram with size (128x188x1) Input amplitudes with size (48000) (2) (113,173,8) (28,43,8) (13,28,8) (3,7,8) (32) (2) (32) (2) (2) (47985,8) (2999,8) (2984,8) (186,8) (171,8) (10,8) (16) (16) Input amplitudes with size (48000) (47985,8) (2999,8) (2984,8) (186,8) (171,8) (10,8) (16) Figure 4. Best architectures for 1-D and 2-D CNNs, for both augmented and non-augmented training datasets. Selected architectures were those with intermediate numbers of free parameters, particularly for 2-D CNNs. The dimensions of the data after each operation is provided in parentheses. Results Hainan gibbon calls could be detected with a high degree of accuracy. Without post-processing, nearly 80% of seg- ments containing gibbon calls were correctly identified, with very few false positives (Table 1). Even with false negative rates of 20% very few gibbon phrases were missed altogether, because phrases occur across multiple overlapping segments and nearly all segments incorrectly identified as absences occurred at the beginning and end of a phrase, abutted by several segments where the phrase was correctly detected (Fig. 5). After post-processing, fewer than 2% of all presence segments occurred outside of detected call bouts (Table 1), and all 20 call bouts across nine test set recordings were detected, with two predicted call bouts being false positives (Supplementary Material B). In the training set, 34 of 35 call bouts were correctly recognised with two false positive call bouts. To do this, we formed connected components of pres- ence segments that occur close together in time and in sufficient numbers that, given known gibbon call charac- teristics (i.e. song duration, inter-phrase duration), they are likely to be part of a single calling bout (Supplemen- tary Material A). With presence segments arranged in temporal order, presence segment i is included in the same component as segment i-1 if they are separated by less than 200 s; otherwise segment i begins a new compo- nent. This process allocates each presence segment to exactly one component. Any component consisting of fewer than 20 segments (equivalent to roughly four phrases of length 5 s) are automatically removed. This was done given our analysis of the characteristics of the calls which revealed that the calls are typically repetitive over a period of time and the total duration was never less than 20 s. Additionally, any component where the average time between consecutive presence segments in the component was greater than 10 s, was removed (sug- gesting a ‘chain’ of isolated presence predictions, since calls usually persist over multiple consecutive segments). The best performing approach was a 2-D CNN with both data augmentation and post-processing. Data aug- mentation improved specificity by 5.6%, a relative reduc- tion in false positives of 79% but without associated relative reduction in sensitivity; post-processing further improved both sensitivity (20.6%) and specificity (0.9%, Table 1). Post-processing For an audio recording of arbitrary duration, our approach was to break that recording into overlapping 10 s segments, and to use a trained CNN to output, for each segment starting at second s = 0, 1, 2, . . ., a detec- tion probability indicating the likelihood that at least one complete gibbon phrase is contained in the next 10 s. These probabilities are based only on the acoustic content Models were implemented in Python 3 using the Ten- sorFlow (Abadi et al., 2015) library with Keras (Chollet, 2015) for the neural network component, and the Librosa library for audio processing and spectrogram construction 6 21 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London E. Dufourq et al. Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls accuracy measures are conditional on the use of addi- tional, error-free manual verification. of their associated segments, and can give rise to biologi- cally unrealistic call patterns. We used a post-processing step to remove isolated detected presence segments which are highly likely to be false positives rather than actual calls, and to obtain start and end times for each detected calling bout, to facilitate manual verification and support the main research objective of detecting and monitoring gibbon activity. The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London Table 1. Average performance and parameter settings for the best 2-D and 1-D CNN models across 72 h of test recordings (2231 segments con- taining gibbon phrases, 23 689 without). Gibbon calls can be identified with very high accuracy, and performance is improved by data augmenta- tion and a post-processing heuristic. Results Segments with detected probabilities above an optimized threshold of 0.76 (red line) are classified as containing a gibbon phrase, with misclassifications denoted by crosses. Observed and detected classes are plotted above the probabilities, using the same notation. Colour is used to denote the observed class. Most incorrect false negative classifications are at the beginning and end of phrases, separated by segments that correctly identify the call. In this way, nearly all phrases are clearly identified, and a practitioner can be pointed to those regions that contain calls. Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. Figure 5. Per-second detected probabilities that a gibbon phrase is contained within the next 10 s of audio, over (A) an 8-h file, (B) a 5-min window. Segments with detected probabilities above an optimized threshold of 0.76 (red line) are classified as containing a gibbon phrase, with misclassifications denoted by crosses. Observed and detected classes are plotted above the probabilities, using the same notation. Colour is used to denote the observed class. Most incorrect false negative classifications are at the beginning and end of phrases, separated by segments that Figure 5. Per-second detected probabilities that a gibbon phrase is contained within the next 10 s of audio, over (A) an 8-h file, (B) a 5-min window. Segments with detected probabilities above an optimized threshold of 0.76 (red line) are classified as containing a gibbon phrase, with misclassifications denoted by crosses. Observed and detected classes are plotted above the probabilities, using the same notation. Colour is used to denote the observed class. Most incorrect false negative classifications are at the beginning and end of phrases, separated by segments that correctly identify the call. In this way, nearly all phrases are clearly identified, and a practitioner can be pointed to those regions that contain calls. gibbon calls were detected on 71% of recording days across all locations. Gibbons were detected regularly at all locations, with recorders situated within known group or solitary home ranges detecting calls on 33–86% of record- ing days, and those situated between home ranges detect- ing calls on 46–89% of recording days. Mean durations of calling bouts per recorder varied between 24.2 and 40.8 min (overall mean = 29.7 min), with mean starting times of 06:16–07:56 AM and mean finishing times of 09:12–10:15 AM (Fig. 6; Table 2). Results Accuracy was substantially higher when treating the task as an image (spectrogram) classification problem than if the preprocessed acoustic data were directly used as input to a 1-D CNN. Using the 2-D CNN with both data augmentation and post-processing, an 8 h test file took on average 6 min to process of which 3 min 10 s were used for reading in the audio file and 2 min 42 s to convert to spectrograms; the remaining time was used to compute the CNN predictions. The first and last presence segment in each remaining component give the start and end times of each predicted gibbon calling bout. To evaluate the potential usefulness of the post-processing step, we recalculated accuracy mea- sures under the assumption that all detected bouts were subsequently passed to an observer for manual processing, and that this observer correctly identified all presence seg- ments within the bout. This mimics the intended applica- tion of our approach, but means that post-processing We applied the 2-D CNN with both data augmentation and post-processing on the entire monitoring project and nd parameter settings for the best 2-D and 1-D CNN models across 72 h of test recordings (2231 segments con- without). Gibbon calls can be identified with very high accuracy, and performance is improved by data augmenta- tic. Table 1. Average performance and parameter settings for the best 2-D and 1-D CNN models across 72 h of test recordings (2231 segments con- taining gibbon phrases, 23 689 without). Gibbon calls can be identified with very high accuracy, and performance is improved by data augmenta- tion and a post-processing heuristic. CNN 2-D 2-D 2-D 1-D 1-D 1-D + Augmentation Yes Yes No Yes Yes No + Post-processing Yes No No Yes No No Accuracy 99.37% 97.60% 92.32% 94.30% 94.76% 94.76% Sensitivity 98.30% 77.68% 79.65% 54.21% 40.98% 25.56% Specificity 99.42% 98.51% 92.92% 95.96% 96.91% 97.60% Precision 85.30% 70.28% 45.78% 49.14% 41.35% 44.58% F1-score 90.55% 72.18% 53.14% 46.36% 38.42% 27.09% Model Parameters 23 922 23 922 24 978 2650 2650 2378 Train Duration (sec) 644 643 265 628 627 117 ª 2021 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London 7 Figure 5. Per-second detected probabilities that a gibbon phrase is contained within the next 10 s of audio, over (A) an 8-h file, (B) a 5-min window. Results Calls were detected less frequently during the wet season (March–April) than the dry season (May–August), with inter-season differences varying substantially between locations (Supplementary Table C). saving time, funds and manpower. Our approach, applied to Hainan gibbons, is general and easily extended to other calling species. Our models allow new recordings to be classified on a per-second basis, to a high degree of accuracy. Although perhaps false negative rates of 1.7% may not be suffi- ciently low for full automation of Hainan gibbon call monitoring, they greatly facilitate the process of manually annotating these datasets by ruling out large portions of recordings that have a relatively low probability of con- taining gibbon song. In our test datasets, this reduced the amount of audio to be manually processed by 95%. Our model clearly detected all calling bouts in the test data, at the cost of two false positives. Where false negatives are particularly costly, this is easily incorporated by lowering the threshold required for manual verification. We expect that with more, and more diverse, training data, error rates would decline further. 21 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London Discussion The red line denotes, per 10 min, the proportion of recordings across all locations in which a call was detected (e.g. 05:00–05:10, 05:10–05:20,...). The black line smooths the observed proportions using a GAM (see Supplementary Material D for details). The bottom plot shows the number of recordings per 10-min segment, showing the survey effort from 05:00 to 14:00. Peak activity occurs shortly after dawn, dropping rapidly but with some calling activity recorded throughout the morning. Plot inset shows the duration of independent call bouts detected by the classifier. Call bouts are intervals of regular calling, with no detected call 200 s either side of the bout. Daily calling typically consists of a number of calling bouts. q Figure 6. Daily patterns in gibbon calling activity. The red line denotes, per 10 min, the proportion of recordings across all locations in which a call was detected (e.g. 05:00–05:10, 05:10–05:20,...). The black line smooths the observed proportions using a GAM (see Supplementary Material D for details). The bottom plot shows the number of recordings per 10-min segment, showing the survey effort from 05:00 to 14:00. Peak activity occurs shortly after dawn, dropping rapidly but with some calling activity recorded throughout the morning. Plot inset shows the duration of independent call bouts detected by the classifier. Call bouts are intervals of regular calling, with no detected call 200 s either side of the bout. Daily calling typically consists of a number of calling bouts. Figure 6. Daily patterns in gibbon calling activity. The red line denotes, per 10 min, the proportion of recordings across all locations in which a call was detected (e.g. 05:00–05:10, 05:10–05:20,...). The black line smooths the observed proportions using a GAM (see Supplementary Material D for details). The bottom plot shows the number of recordings per 10-min segment, showing the survey effort from 05:00 to 14:00. Peak activity occurs shortly after dawn, dropping rapidly but with some calling activity recorded throughout the morning. Plot inset shows the duration of independent call bouts detected by the classifier. Call bouts are intervals of regular calling, with no detected call 200 s either side of the bout. Daily calling typically consists of a number of calling bouts. Table 2. Calling behaviour across eight survey locations for the 161 day survey period March–August 2016. Discussion Location Survey days % days calls detected Mean calling time per day (min) Mean start time of first bout Mean end time of last bout 1 87 70 24.2 07:34 09:41 2 90 46 29.9 06:58 09:12 3 103 82 31.3 07:30 10:15 4 105 86 26.5 07:44 09:52 5 79 33 29.9 07:31 09:23 6 103 79 24.4 07:56 10:15 7 129 89 30.9 06:53 09:54 8 105 65 40.8 06:16 10:01 Recorders were situated within the known home ranges of the four Hainan gibbon social groups existing during the study period, at locations intermediate between known home ranges, and in an area where a solitary male gibbon was thought to occur. Locations of home ranges are indicated by numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. 6 = solitary. Table 2. Calling behaviour across eight survey locations for the 161 day survey period March–August 2016. Recorders were situated within the known home ranges of the four Hainan gibbon social groups existing during the study period, at locations intermediate between known home ranges, and in an area where a solitary male gibbon was thought to occur. Locations of home ranges are indicated by numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. 6 = solitary. models; and selecting a preferred model and using it to process the unlabelled portion of the data. Our study illustrates how model development and implementation are informed and guided by ecological objectives, here primarily detecting gibbon vocalizations over time scales of minutes or hours, and domain knowledge of Hainan gibbon call behaviour. warrant confidence in the associated predictions, but these results suggest that, as more training data covering a range of environmental conditions are added, model applications may go beyond gibbon detection, by auto- matically extracting inputs for more detailed behavioural analyses, for example of gibbon call syntax (Clarke et al., 2006). Practically, developing an acoustic classifier such as ours requires a number of steps: deciding on an appropri- ate unit of analysis; manually labelling data; augmenting data and allocating it between training, validation and test sets; choosing and fitting appropriate neural network We based our classifier on phrases, rather than shorter notes or longer calling bouts, to balance ease of identifica- tion with data availability and computational require- ments. Individual notes are easily confused with other sources (see Fig. 2B). Discussion Long-term monitoring will generate thousands of hours of recordings across multiple survey sites, and manually labelling these recordings is typically infeasible given logistical constraints. Our results demonstrate that passive acoustic monitoring incorporating an automated classifier can be an effective tool for remote detection of calling species, potentially enabling systematic monitoring while Where environmental conditions were similar to those used to train the model, predictions were almost perfect and could be used to identify start and end times of call phrases and bouts, returning almost identical values to a human observer. It is impossible to know in advance whether environmental conditions are similar enough to 8 ª 2021 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of Lon Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. warrant confidence in the associated predictions, but these results suggest that, as more training data covering a range of environmental conditions are added, model applications may go beyond gibbon detection, by auto- matically extracting inputs for more detailed behavioural analyses, for example of gibbon call syntax (Clarke et al., models; and selecting a preferred model and using it to process the unlabelled portion of the data. Our study illustrates how model development and implementation are informed and guided by ecological objectives, here primarily detecting gibbon vocalizations over time scales of minutes or hours, and domain knowledge of Hainan Table 2. Calling behaviour across eight survey locations for the 161 day survey period March–August 2016. Location Survey days % days calls detected Mean calling time per day (min) Mean start time of first bout Mean end time of last bout 1 87 70 24.2 07:34 09:41 2 90 46 29.9 06:58 09:12 3 103 82 31.3 07:30 10:15 4 105 86 26.5 07:44 09:52 5 79 33 29.9 07:31 09:23 6 103 79 24.4 07:56 10:15 7 129 89 30.9 06:53 09:54 8 105 65 40.8 06:16 10:01 Recorders were situated within the known home ranges of the four Hainan gibbon social groups existing during the study period, at locations intermediate between known home ranges, and in an area where a solitary male gibbon was thought to occur. Locations of home ranges are indicated by numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. 6 = solitary. Figure 6. Daily patterns in gibbon calling activity. Discussion While calling bouts are highly 9 Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. to them, but where intermediate features (here, spectral densities) can be provided, these speed up the learning process and provide measurable benefits. Beyond the 2-D/ 1-D distinction, we found that there was little impact on the model performance when different configurations (i.e. changing the number of filers or units) to small networks were explored. Large networks with a much larger num- ber of layers did not improve the performance and we achieved good performance using relatively small, simple network architectures. We used few dense layers, each with only a small number of nodes, as these are particu- larly parameter hungry. Our basic approach was to start with simple architectures, evaluate them, and then add complexity in an iterative manner. distinctive, there are relatively few of them and, being longer in duration, they require more parameters to cap- ture the same degree of detail. Phrases are far more numerous, less variable and require fewer parameters. Given this choice, segment duration was chosen to be longer than the longest phrase across all training data (8 s). The slightly longer segment length provides more presence segments – for example, an 8 s phrase results in three 10 s presence segments, but would only result in a single segment if the segment length was restricted to 8 s. Preliminary runs based on shorter segments of 0.5–2 s and partial phrases did not yield good performance, with many false positives, probably because a small segment is not enough to distinguish gibbons from other species calling within the same frequency range. Traditional performance metrics such as precision and sensitivity (recall), while important, are not the only rele- vant measures of classifier success. Practically, classifiers such as ours can be used to point to audio segments that possibly contain gibbon calls, and that require manual ver- ification. Where classification accuracy lags behind that of human experts, or where errors are costly – that is, in many ecological applications – attention shifts from replacing manual annotation to facilitating it. Discussion We found that 2-D CNNs based on spectrograms per- formed substantially better than 1-D CNNs that use amplitude time series following some initial preprocess- ing, mirroring Stowell et al. (2019b). Deep neural net- works are often motivated by an argument that they learn salient features, rather than having to have these provided Even using phrases, we have relatively few positive examples and these occur within a highly variable back- ground environment, which is likely to be a common sit- uation for ecological applications. The amount of data available to train neural networks is important, and CNNs tend to require relatively large amounts of data to generalize well. While preempting the exact amount of data required to train CNNs is challenging, one approach is simply to attempt to train a network and evaluate its performance on a test set and iteratively add data if need be. It may often be possible, as in our case, to collect or label additional data, but data augmentation is a valuable low-cost strategy for increasing sample sizes in conjunc- tion with these other more effort-intensive approaches (Bergler et al., 2019; Hestness et al., 2017; Kahl et al., 2017; Sun et al., 2017). In practice the process can be an iterative one guided by subjective judgement. We initially annotated only 40 h across five recordings, but models based on these were poor, even with augmentation. Model performance (on the same test set) improved as we add more training data; we were also able to create more complex neural networks. Gains in accuracy decreased with additional annotations, and we stopped when these became marginal, but presumably further increases are possible as novel environments are included. T i i lid ti d t t d t t h ld b Analysis of our multi-month dataset demonstrated that gibbons could be detected regularly across all selected sur- vey points, with call detection consistent with known pat- terns of gibbon behaviour and ecology. Calls were detected at expected times (Chan et al., 2005), and our dataset provides a more precise baseline on Hainan gib- bon call timing and duration. Hainan gibbon calling bouts were also generally detected less frequently during the wet season, a period when other gibbon species are also known to sing less frequently (Cheyne, 2008; Clink et al., 2020). Discussion Probability cutoffs can be calibrated to balance the costs of false posi- tives and negatives, and, even if the model is wrong by a few seconds, the amount of time spent in manual verifica- tion, compared to that required to processing the entire file manually, is minimal. Our classifier reduces an 8-h recording to on average 22 min with false positive and negative rates under 2%. This time can be further reduced by playing back only those 10 s segments that are pre- dicted to contain phrases, although in our case the reduc- tion in overall time was offset by the difficulty of manually verifying segments that are often not contiguous in time. g q y g Even using phrases, we have relatively few positive examples and these occur within a highly variable back- ground environment, which is likely to be a common sit- uation for ecological applications. The amount of data available to train neural networks is important, and CNNs tend to require relatively large amounts of data to generalize well. While preempting the exact amount of data required to train CNNs is challenging, one approach is simply to attempt to train a network and evaluate its performance on a test set and iteratively add data if need be. It may often be possible, as in our case, to collect or label additional data, but data augmentation is a valuable low-cost strategy for increasing sample sizes in conjunc- tion with these other more effort-intensive approaches (Bergler et al., 2019; Hestness et al., 2017; Kahl et al., 2017; Sun et al., 2017). In practice the process can be an iterative one guided by subjective judgement. We initially annotated only 40 h across five recordings, but models based on these were poor, even with augmentation. Model performance (on the same test set) improved as we add more training data; we were also able to create more complex neural networks. Gains in accuracy decreased with additional annotations, and we stopped when these became marginal, but presumably further increases are possible as novel environments are included. Training, validation and test datasets should be con- structed by allocating longer contiguous sequences of audio to each of these, and then preprocessing each of these, rather than randomly allocating the segments them- selves, which are highly autocorrelated and will thus over- state test accuracy. Wherever possible, we recommend using entirely independent recordings in the test dataset. References Abadi, M., Agarwal, A., Barham, P., Brevdo, E., Chen, Z., Citro, C.. et al. (2015) Large-scale machine learning on heterogeneous Abadi, M., Agarwal, A., Barham, P., Brevdo, E., Chen, Z., Citro, C.. et al. (2015) Large-scale machine learning on heterogeneous systems. Retrieved from https://www.tensorflow.org systems. Retrieved from https://www.tensorflow.org Augustine, B.C., Royle, J.A., Linden, D.W. & Fuller, A.K. (2020) Spatial proximity moderates genotype uncertainty in genetic tagging studies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(30), 17903–17912. Discussion Interestingly, call bouts recorded within the area occupied by a solitary male gibbon were among the shortest recorded bouts, and started and finished later than bouts from known social groups. While we cannot exclude the possibility of detecting group calls at this location, this finding suggests important new information on the behavioural ecology of solitary Hainan gibbons that may assist future monitoring and conservation planning. Training, validation and test datasets should be con- structed by allocating longer contiguous sequences of audio to each of these, and then preprocessing each of these, rather than randomly allocating the segments them- selves, which are highly autocorrelated and will thus over- state test accuracy. Wherever possible, we recommend using entirely independent recordings in the test dataset. We found that 2-D CNNs based on spectrograms per- formed substantially better than 1-D CNNs that use amplitude time series following some initial preprocess- ing, mirroring Stowell et al. (2019b). Deep neural net- works are often motivated by an argument that they learn salient features, rather than having to have these provided 10 ª 2021 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of Lon Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada (www.idrc.ca), and with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC; www.international.gc.ca). We also thank the following rangers who contributed to data col- lection: Guang Wei, Zhong Zhao, Qing Lin, Jinbing Zhang, Zhicheng Zhang, Quanjin Li, Xiaoliang Fu, Zhengchong Zhou, Lubiao Huang, Zhengkun Ye, Zheng- hai Zou, Jinqiang Wang, Wentao Han and Zengnan Xie. It is uncertain whether within-recorder and between- recorder variation in calling bout detections represents variation in calling frequency between groups, and/or variation in detection effectiveness by recorders, with the latter possibility likely associated with specific recorder placement, local terrain, specific gibbon movement pat- terns across landscapes, and group home range size (cf. Bryant et al., (2017)). Future work could investigate detection likelihood in relation to specific environmental parameters and local weather conditions (e.g. rainfall, wind, temperature), data on which were not available for our survey period but are known to affect calling beha- viour in other gibbons (Coudrat et al., 2015; Yin et al., 2016). Data Availability Statement All code for training and testing the neural networks and conducting additional analyses is available at https:// github.com/emmanueldufourq/GibbonClassifier (Supple- mentary Material E). A subset of acoustic recordings, including training and testing labels, has been stored on Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3991714. The authors declare no competing interests. Where calls can be detected across multiple recording locations, acoustic spatial capture–recapture methods pro- vide a means of estimating animal abundance (Stevenson et al., 2015). While our locations are too far apart for this to be feasible, this represents an important next step in monitoring a critically endangered population. Classifiers capable of discriminating between groups or individuals can be valuable inputs to this process (Augustine et al., 2020), as well as providing insight into the behavioural ecology of groups or individuals. We also recommend that call detection ranges should be determined for the specific field conditions at BNNR (e.g. slope, vegetation density), to calibrate monitoring effectiveness of specific recorders, and determine effective recorder placement (grid area/den- sity) to ensure saturation of monitoring coverage. How- ever, passive acoustic monitoring can now be introduced as an important component of the Hainan gibbon conser- vation toolkit, both for future use at BNNR and also to potentially detect unknown remnant gibbon populations elsewhere across Hainan (Turvey et al., 2017). Our classi- fier permits rapid and potentially real-time monitoring of Hainan gibbons, and we hope that the approach we describe in developing this classifier can serve as a road- map for practitioners to implement their own classifier for other passive acoustic monitoring projects, and contribute to the effective conservation of calling species. Authors’ Contributions ST, JB and HM conceived the passive monitoring project and developed the study designs and protocols. ED, ID and JH conceived the development of an automated clas- sifier and designed the methodology. WL, ZL, QC, ZZ, HM and JB were responsible for fieldwork and data col- lection. ED, AH and JB annotated the data. ED con- structed the classifier and performed the analysis. ED, ID and ST wrote the paper. All authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication. Acknowledgments & Hon, H.-W. (2001) Spoken language processing: a guide to theory, algorithm, and system development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR. Jiang, J.-J., Bu, L.-R., Duan, F.-J., Wang, X.-Q., Liu, W., Sun, Z.-B. et al. (2019) Whistle detection and classification for whales based on convolutional neural networks. Applied Acoustics, 150, 169–178. Chan, B.P.L., Fellowes, J., Geissmann, T. & Zhang, J. (2005) Hainan gibbon status survey and conservation action plan. technical report 3 Cheyne, S.M. (2008) Effects of meteorology, astronomical variables, location and human disturbance on the singing apes: Hylobates albibarbis. American Journal of Primatology, 70(4), 386–392. Kahl, S., Wilhelm-Stein, T., Hussein, H., Klinck, H., Kowerko, D., Ritter, M. et al. (2017) Large-scale bird sound classification using convolutional neural networks. In Working notes of CLEF. Chilson, C., Avery, K., McGovern, A., Bridge, E., Sheldon, D. & Kelly, J. (2019) Automated detection of bird roosts using Nexrad Radar data and convolutional neural networks. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 5(1), 20–32. Kidney, D., Rawson, B.M., Borchers, D.L., Stevenson, B.C., Marques, T.A. & Thomas, L. (2016) An efficient acoustic density estimation method with human detectors applied to gibbons in Cambodia. PLoS One, 11(5), 1–16. https://doi. org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155066 Chollet, F. (2015) Keras. https://keras.io Chollet, F. (2015) Keras. https://keras.io Kingma, D.P. & Ba, J. (2014) Adam: a method for stochastic optimization. Preprint https://arxiv.org/abs/1412.6980 Christin, S., Hervet, E. & Lecomte, N. (2019) Applications for deep learning in ecology. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(10), 1632–1644. Kiskin, I., Zilli, D., Li, Y., Sinka, M., Willis, K. & Roberts, S. (2020) Bioacoustic detection with wavelet-conditioned convolutional neural networks. Neural Computing and Applications, 32(4), 915–927. Clarke, E., Reichard, U.H. & Zuberb¨uhler, K. (2006) The syntax and meaning of wild gibbon songs. PLoS One, 1(1), e73. Kulyukin, V., Mukherjee, S. & Amlathe, P. (2018) Toward audio beehive monitoring: deep learning vs. standard machine learning in classifying beehive audio samples. Applied Sciences, 8(9), 1573. Clink, D.J., Ahmad, A.H. & Klinck, H. (2020) Gibbons aren’t singing in the rain: presence and amount of rainfall influences ape calling behavior in Sabah, Malaysia. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 1–13. LeCun, Y., Bengio, Y. & Hinton, G. (2015) Deep learning. Nature, 521(7553), 436–444. Clink, D.J., Crofoot, M.C. & Marshall, A.J. (2019) Application of a semi-automated vocal fingerprinting approach to monitor Bornean gibbon females in an experimentally fragmented landscape in Sabah, Malaysia. Bioacoustics, 28 (3), 193–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2018.1426042 Liu, H., Ma, H., Cheyne, S.M. & Turvey, S.T. Acknowledgments We thank the Management Office of Bawangling National Nature Reserve for logistical assistance in the field. Field- work was funded by an Arcus Foundation grant to STT and a Wildlife Acoustics grant to JVB. ID is supported in part by funding from the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant ID 90782, 105782). ED is sup- ported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences South Africa, Stellen- bosch University and the Next Einstein Initiative. This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the Bergler, C., Schr¨oter, H., Cheng, R.X., Barth, V., Weber, M., N¨oth, E. et al. (2019) Orca-spot: an automatic killer whale sound detection toolkit using deep learning. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1–17. Bermant, P.C., Bronstein, M.M., Wood, R.J., Gero, S. & Gruber, D.F. (2019) Deep machine learning techniques for the detection and classification of sperm whale bioacoustics. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1–10. Brockelman, W.Y. & Srikosamatara, S. (1993) Estimation of density of gibbon groups by use of loud songs. American 11 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. Journal of Primatology, 29(2), 93–108. https://doi.org/10. 1002/ajp.1350290203 Hainanus). International Journal of Primatology, 35(2), 547–556. Fairbrass, A.J., Firman, M., Williams, C., Brostow, G.J., Titheridge, H. & Jones, K.E. (2019) CityNet-deep learning tools for urban ecoacoustic assessment. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(2), 186–197. Bryant, J.V., Brul´e, A., Wong, M.H., Hong, X., Zhou, Z., Han, W. et al. (2016) Detection of a new Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) group using acoustic call playback. International Journal of Primatology, 37(4–5), 534–547. Grill, T. & Schl¨uter, J. (2017) Two convolutional neural networks for bird detection in audio signals. 1764–1768. Bryant, J.V., Zeng, X., Hong, X., Chatterjee, H.J. & Turvey, S.T. (2017) Spatiotemporal requirements of the Hainan gibbon: does home range constrain recovery of the world’s rarest ape? American Journal of Primatology, 79(3), e22617. Hestness, J., Narang, S., Ardalani, N., Diamos, G., Jun, H., Kianinejad, H. et al. (2017) Deep learning scaling is predictable, empirically. Preprint https://arxiv.org/abs/1712. 00409 Cannam, C., Landone, C. & Sandler, M. (2010) Sonic visualiser: an open source application for viewing, analysing, and annotating music audio files. In Proceedings of the ACM Multimedia 2010 International Conference, Firenze, Italy. New York, NY: Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 1467–1468. Huang, X., Acero, A. Acknowledgments (2020) Recovery hopes for the world’s rarest primate. Science, 368(6495), 1074. McFee, B., Lostanlen, V., McVicar, M., Metsai, A., Balke, S., Thome, C. et al. (2020) Librosa. https://doi.org/10.5281/ze nodo.3606573 Coudrat, C., Nanthavong, C., Ngoprasert, D., Suwanwaree, P. & Savini, T. (2015) Singing patterns of white-cheeked gibbons (Nomascus sp.) in the annamite mountains of laos. International Journal of Primatology, 36(4), 691–706. Nolasco, I., Terenzi, A., Cecchi, S., Orcioni, S., Bear, H.L. & Benetos, E. (2019) Audio-based identification of beehive states. In 2019 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP), Brighton, UK, pp. 8256–8260. Crunchant, A.-S., Borchers, D., Kuhl, H. & Piel, A. (2020) Listening and watching: do camera traps or acoustic sensors more efficiently detect wild chimpanzees in an open habitat? Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 11(4), 542–552. https:// doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13362 Pamula, H., Pocha, A. & Klaczynski, M. (2019) Towards the acoustic monitoring of birds migrating at night. Biodiversity Information Science and Standards, 3, e36589. Deng, H., Zhou, J. & Yang, Y. (2014) Sound spectrum characteristics of songs of Hainan Gibbon (Nomascus 12 21 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London Automated Detection of Hainan Gibbon Calls E. Dufourq et al. Patterson, J. & Gibson, A. (2017) Deep learning: a practitioner’s approach (M. Loukides & T. McGovern (Eds.)). Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media Inc. Turvey, S.T., Bryant, J.V., Duncan, C., Wong, M.H., Guan, Z., Fei, H. et al. (2017) How many remnant gibbon populations are left on Hainan? Testing the use of local ecological knowledge to detect cryptic threatened primates. American Journal of Primatology, 79(2), e22593. Qazi, K.A., Tabassam Nawaz, Z.M., Rashid, M. & Habib, H.A. (2018) A hybrid technique for speech segregation and classification using a sophisticated deep neural network. PLoS One, 13(3), e0194151. Turvey, S., Traylor-Holzer, K., Wong, M., Bryant, J., Zeng, X., Hong, X. & et al. (2015) International conservation planning workshop for the hainan gibbon: final report. Zoological Society of London, London, UK IUCN SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley, MN, USA Sandler, M., Howard, A., Zhu, M., Zhmoginov, A. & Chen, L. (2018) Mobilenetv 2: inverted residuals and linear bottlenecks. In IEEE conference on computer vision and pattern recognition (CVPR), pp. 4510–4520. Vu, T.T. & Tran, L.M. (2019) An application of autonomous recorders for gibbon monitoring. International Journal of Primatology, 40(2), 169–186. Acknowledgments https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764- 018-0073-3 Sethi, S.S., Jones, N.S., Fulcher, B.D., Picinali, L., Clink, D.J., Klinck, H. et al. (2020) Characterizing soundscapes across diverse ecosystems using a universal acoustic feature set. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(29), 17049–17055. Yin, L.-Y., Fei, H.-L., Chen, G.-S., Li, J.-H., Cui, L.-W. & Fan, P.-F. (2016) Effects of group density, hunting, and temperature on the singing patterns of eastern Hoolock gibbons (Hoolock leuconedys) in gaoligongshan, southwest china. American Journal of Primatology, 78(8), 861–871. Shiu, Y., Palmer, K., Roch, M.A., Fleishman, E., Liu, X., Nosal, E.-M. et al. (2020) Deep neural networks for automated detection of marine mammal species. Scientific Reports, 10 (1), 1–12. Zhang, H., Wang, C., Turvey, S.T., Sun, Z., Tan, Z., Yang, Q. et al. (2020) Thermal infrared imaging from drones can detect individuals and nocturnal behavior of the world’s rarest primate. Global Ecology and Conservation, 23, e01101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01101 Sprengel, E., Jaggi, M., Kilcher, Y. & Hofmann, T. (2016) Audio based bird species identification using deep learning techniques. 2016 Conference and Labs of the Evaluation Forum. Stevenson, B.C., Borchers, D.L., Altwegg, R., Swift, R.J., Gillespie, D.M. & Measey, G.J. (2015) A general framework for animal density estimation from acoustic detections across a fixed microphone array. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 6(1), 38–48. Zhou, X., Guan, Z., Zhong, E., Dong, Y., Li, H. & Hu, K. (2019) Automated monitoring of western black crested gibbon population based on voice characteristics. 5th International Conference on Computer and Communications, pp. 1383–1387. Stowell, D., Petruskov´a, T., ˇS´alek, M. & Linhart, P. (2019) Automatic acoustic identification of individuals in multiple species: improving identification across recording conditions. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 16(153), 20180940. Supporting Information Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article. Stowell, D., Wood, M.D., Pamuła, H., Stylianou, Y. & Glotin, H. (2019) Automatic acoustic detection of birds through deep learning: the first bird audio detection challenge. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(3), 368–380. Data S1. Supplementary information and results which provides details of the characteristics of the call bouts in the training data. Specific model predictions for the test- ing data is provided. An analysis on the seasonal differ- ences in the detections is presented. Details regarding the software pipeline is provided. Sun, C., Shrivastava, A., Singh, S. & Gupta, A. (2017) Revisiting unreasonable effectiveness of data in deep learning era. In: 2017 IEEE international conference on computer vision (ICCV), pp. 843–852. https://doi.org/10. 1109/ICCV.2017.97 13
https://openalex.org/W4283327814
https://digibug.ugr.es/bitstream/10481/76359/1/10545-Anonymous%20manuscript.pdf
English
null
History of MeToo University movement in Spain
Historia social y de la educación
2,022
cc-by
6,355
To link this article: http://doi.org/10.17583/hse.10545 To link this article: http://doi.org/10.17583/hse.10545 Instructions for authors, subscriptions and further details: http://mcs.hipatiapress.com ‘History of MeToo University Movement in Spain p g 1) Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain) 2) Universidad de Granada (Spain) 3) Universitat de Barcelona (Spain) 4) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) Date of publication: June 2022 Edition period: February 2022 - June 2022 To cite this article: Joanpere, M., Burgues-Freitas, A., Soler, M., & Aiello, E. (2022). ‘History of MeeToo University Movement in Spain. Social and Education History, 11(2), 181-200. http://doi.org/10.17583/hse.10545 Instructions for authors, subscriptions and further details: http://mcs.hipatiapress.com ‘History of MeToo University Movement in Spain Mar Joanpere1, Ana Burgues-Freitas2, Marta Soler3, & Emilia Aiello4 1) Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain) 2) Universidad de Granada (Spain) 3) Universitat de Barcelona (Spain) 4) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) Date of publication: June 2022 Edition period: February 2022 - June 2022 To cite this article: Joanpere, M., Burgues-Freitas, A., Soler, M., & Aiello, E. (2022). ‘History of MeeToo University Movement in Spain. Social and Education History, 11(2), 181-200. http://doi.org/10.17583/hse.10545 To link this article http //doi org/10 17583/hse 10545 Instructions for authors, subscriptions and further details: http://mcs.hipatiapress.com ‘History of MeToo University Movement in Spain Mar Joanpere1, Ana Burgues-Freitas2, Marta Soler3, & Emilia Aiello4 1) Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain) 2) Universidad de Granada (Spain) 3) Universitat de Barcelona (Spain) 4) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) Date of publication: June 2022 Edition period: February 2022 - June 2022 To cite this article: Joanpere, M., Burgues-Freitas, A., Soler, M., & Aiello, E. (2022). ‘History of MeeToo University Movement in Spain. Social and Education History, 11(2), 181-200. http://doi.org/10.17583/hse.10545 To link this article http //doi org/10 17583/hse 10545 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE The terms and conditions of use are related to the Open Journal System and to Creative Commons Attribution License(CC-BY). HSE – Social and Education History Vol. 11 No.2 June 2022 pp. 181- 200 HSE – Social and Education History Vol. 11 No.2 June 2022 pp. 181- History of MeToo University movement in Spain Mar Joanpere Universitat Rovira i Virgili Ana Burgues-Freitas Universidad de Granada Marta Soler Universitat de Barcelona Emilia Aiello Universitat Autònoma Barcelona Keywords: MeToo University, Isolating Gender Violence, Victims, Survivors Abstract The precedents of the MeToo University movement, both in USA and Spain, has been led since the 1990s both by people who have taken a stand against sexual harassment in universities. The present study reflects the history of the MeToo University in Spain with an emphasis in the start of organized movement in 2013, also simultaneously with the one organized in the USA. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with people who led this transformation since its beginnings, as well as with others who have joined recently, in order to learn about the historical scope of this movement from a qualitative approach. Those people have suffered from isolating gender violence for daring to break the silence, being a loudspeaker and putting a name to a problem still silenced in Spanish universities and in the world. The movement has achieved great advances in academic settings, such as the obligation of all universities to have protocols for action in case of sexual harassment or gender violence, the legislation of isolating gender violence, and an unstoppable number of people who come out to tell their cases. Keywords: MeToo University, Isolating Gender Violence, Victims, Keywords: MeToo University, Isolating Gender Violence, Victims, Survivors 2021HipatiaPress ISSN: 2014-3567 DOI: 10.17583/hse.10545 HSE – Social and Education History Vol. 11 No.2 June 2022 pp. 181- 200 HSE – Social and Education History Vol. 11 No.2 June 2022 pp. 181- Historia del movimiento MeToo Universidad en España Mar Joanpere Universitat Rovira i Virgili Ana Burgues-Freitas Universidad de Granada Marta Soler Universitat de Barcelona Emilia Aiello Universitat Autònoma Barcelona Resumen Los precedentes del movimiento MeToo Universidad, tanto en EE.UU. como en España, han sido liderados desde la década de los 90 por personas que se han posicionado contra el acoso sexual en las universidades. El presente estudio refleja la historia del MeToo Universidad en España con énfasis en el inicio del movimiento organizado en 2013, también simultáneamente con el organizado en EE.UU. Para ello, se realizaron entrevistas en profundidad a personas que lideraron esta transformación desde sus inicios, así como a otras que se han incorporado recientemente, con el fin de conocer el alcance histórico de este movimiento desde un enfoque cualitativo. Esas personas han sufrido violencia de género aisladora por atreverse a romper el silencio, ser altavoz y poner nombre a un problema aún silenciado en las universidades españolas y en el mundo. El movimiento ha conseguido grandes avances en el ámbito académico, como la obligación de todas las universidades de disponer de protocolos de actuación en caso de acoso sexual o violencia de género, la legislación de la violencia de género aisladora, y un número imparable de personas que están empezando a contar sus casos. Palabras clave: MeToo Universidad, violencia de género aisladora, víctimas, supervivientes. 2021HipatiaPress ISSN: 2014-3567 DOI: 10.17583/hse.10545 HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 185 HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 185 n September 1991, the Community of Researchers on Excellence for All [CREA] was founded. The analysis made by their creators in the previous years concluded that only transforming the dominant feudalism in Spanish academia could the Spanish Universitites both improve their scientific contributions and overcome their racism and sexism, including their omertà about sexual harassment. As Ángela clarifies: “even most female professors publishing about gender issues looked the other way when their students were harassed by the male professors who were in a higher hierarchy to them and arbitrarily decided their professional future”. Julia adds: “since the first moment, we developed Roma studies, Gender Studies, Arab and Muslim Studies and others oriented to scientific, policy and social impact. In several years, those studies crystallized in several Study Groups, the one on Gender finally decided the name of Sappho Women’s Group”. h i h f d l f i h i i i f l I I At that time, the feudal structure of Spanish universities “freely” left in the hands of hierarchically superior professors the decision and the criteria over which precarious professors obtained a stable position and which already stable professors were promoted. The slightest support to a victim or the simple recognition that there was gender violence in the university led to massively extending slander about those who did as a previous step to expel them from the university. Given that the criteria for selection and promotion were arbitrary, such expulsion was disguised in one of the assessments of their quality that led to attributing zero points to an article published in a top-ranked international scientific journal if the author had supported a victim and attributing ten points to an article published in the journal of the harasser catedrático (Full Professor) if the author was subdued to his harassments. Those practices maintained a fierce omertà on sexual harassments and also impeded the improvement of the scientific quality of the research and publications. In 1991 university professors’ research had to be conducted in their own departments, they could not constitute interdisciplinary research centers among members from different departments. HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 185 Those who held the power in each department had the 186 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo subjugation of its members guaranteed, because they were in the academic committees that decided their promotion, but they could not secure the subjugation of professors from other departments whose promotion depended on other committees. CREA started an interdisciplinary research center with important support from the Research Programmes of the European Commission. Other professors followed this example and in 1995 the University of Barcelona approved a regulation that made the formation of interdisciplinary research centers possible (Soler, 2017). This new situation allowed professor Ramón Flecha (founder and at that time director of CREA) to put the first official complaint against one professor that was harassing several students and to propose to the Rector's team the approval of measures to overcome sexual harassment in the university. Flecha did not receive any written answer, only an oral response warning him that his proposal would absolutely not be considered, affirming that there was no gender violence at the universities and clarifying that he would not let CREA’s ethical code include a point saying that their members supported victims of sexual harassment in the university. Many more years had to go by to be able to break the silence for good. Tens of organizations in Catalonia (one of them CREA’s Sappho Women’s Group) created the “Platform against Gender Violence” which in 2003 organized the conference: 'Against harassment, zero tolerance'. Being the only university group of the Platform, CREA had to break the silence inside Spanish universities and led a scientific research project with diagnosis and solutions to gender violence in the academia. Simultaneously, CREA approved one new point in its ethical guidelines (Diario Feminista, 2021) accepted by the University of Barcelona several years before: "In the face of gender violence, all members of CREA want to contribute, to the greatest extent possible, to its eradication. That is why we are committed -as requested by the different organizations- to zero tolerance to mistreatment. HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 185 We consider it essential (1) to always position ourselves in favor of the victim and never in favor of the abuser and (2) to collaborate with the victim to explain and denounce all those cases of which we are aware, whether close and/or distant, in HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 187 order to improve the quality of life of all people and especially of women victims of abuse" (Diario Feminista, 2021, see Omerta 14, Omerta 15, Omerta 53). The Scientific Investigations on Gender Violence Transformed Spanish Universities That attempt unleashed a very cruel Isolating Gender Violence (Vidu et al., 2021) against CREA and against its members. The University of Barcelona decided to eliminate CREA’s ethical guidelines (Diario Feminista, 2021, see Omerta 15). CREA obtained a very important international support from universities like Harvard and organizations like the European Women’s Lobby besides the Platform against Gender Violence. Their research proposal was approved and funded by the Spanish National RTD Program. The preliminary results were commented on in the dialogues between members of CREA and members of the Spanish Parliament from diverse political parties. In 2007, the Spanish Parliament approved the legislation oblying the Spanish universities to recognize that they had an important sexual harassment issue inside and also oblying them to take the measures clarified by the results of this research. In doing so, the Parliament made the correction of a grave mistake it made three years before when in 2004 it approved the gender violence legislation without including that point. The CRUE (Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities) positioned itself against this recognition and against the researchers, but they had to follow this legislation. The results of the research and their scientific, policy and social impact appeared in some of the main newspapers and TV channels, generating a profound awareness on the vision that society and politics had of the university feudalism and of the need to transform it. That was one of the main strengths that would later lead to carry out a meritocratic transformation of academia to overcome its feudalism and hence improve its scientific productivity and its non- 188 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo 188 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo sexist and non-racist values (Ley Orgánica 6/2001; LOMLOU 4/2007). sexist and non-racist values (Ley Orgánica 6/2001; LOMLOU 4/2007). The previous arbitrarily in the selection and promotion of professors was substituted by scales where an article published in a top scientific journal at the international level had the maximum points, and an article published in a harasser’s journal that was not in any scientific ranking was assigned with zero points. Since that moment, in order to obtain their selection and promotion, professors did not have to subdue to harassers. On the contrary, they had to create knowledge that would be published in the top scientific journals. This new situation facilitated the possibility of presenting a complaint. On November 25 2009, Professor and member of CREA Lidia Puigvert sent to the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Barcelona an official letter demonstrating that the structure of the Master’s and Doctoral Programs promoted practices that would encourage sexual harassments. This letter also announced that one professor was harassing several students a year. Sarah Rankin (Director of Harvard's Office of Sexual Harassment Prevention) wrote these words about CREA: "Future generations of students and faculty will undoubtedly have a very different experience because of your work." All victims and survivors interviewed highlight that both their support and the attacks they received came from all types of ideologies, genders and positions. In both sides, in favor of harassers and in favor of victims, there were people from all genders, sexual options, ideologies and professions. As Diana explains: “every person who has supported a victim at some point knows that there are always men and women on both sides, women and men in favor of the victim, and men and women in favor of the harasser. To affirm that all men are potential aggressors, that new masculinities are “whitewash” is not only a lie, but it means positioning oneself in favor of the harasser and against the supports of victims, provoking their isolation and their possibility to become survivors”. HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 189 On September 26 2011, student of sociology Ana Vidu asked Professor Ramón Flecha for support after receiving a new email from Professor JdM, who was the most known professor in Spain by those types of harassing conducts. 188 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo Flecha presented a complaint to the recently created Equality Committee of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Barcelona. He also sent this denounce to Harvard’s Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, because this professor said in his email that he was linked to this institution. On October 5 the Economics and Business Faculty’s Equality Committee at the University of Barcelona decided that there was no case. On October 19, Harvard's Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response sent an email to the Dean. On October 25 the Economics and Business Faculty’s Equality Committee rectified its initial position and decided to initiate a case. Asking interviewees about this position that might seem strange in principle of the recently named Equality Committee, we obtain the following clarification (Julia): “The Rectors were obliged from the legislation to create Equality Commissions, but they maintained in their power the arbitrary designation of their components and they delegated in the Deans the designation of the members of each Faculty’s Equality Commission. Most of them made designations that allowed the university to maintain the omertà and therefore silence the complicities that they had had with that situation. In fact, all female professors who had researched the issue and had supported the victims were either not named for those Commissions or, the few of those who have done it and who were named, were excluded when they showed the first support to a victim. Their objective is well expressed by the Count of Lampedusa in The Leopard “If we want everything to stay as it is, everything has to change”. On November 3 2011, Ana Vidu initiated the contacts with other victims and 13 of them decided to provide their witness and emails that they have received with harassing content. On October 5 2012, the University of Barcelona decided it could not do anything and sent the report to the Prosecutor's Office. The only member of the Equality 190 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo Commission that continued supporting Ana Vidu and who had elaboratd the first protocol against sexual harassment in a Faculty of a Spanish university, precisely for that commission, was excluded from it. The Creation of the Firsts Networks of Victims and Survivors The Creation of the Firsts Networks of Victims and Survivors In 2013 the Solidarity Network of Victims of Gender Violence in Universities was created in Spain, simultaneously with EROC (End Rape On Campus) in the United States. On November 15, after receiving the file report from the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Network contacted the Rector, the Dean and the Equality Commission of the University of Barcelona to request meetings. Because they did not receive any answer, on November 28 2012 the Network decided to go public and directly meet with the press. On December 15, one of the five most important newspapers in Spain published a news with the following header: "Ten UB students demand measures against a professor for alleged sexual harassment". In her interview, Naiara clarified: “the CRUE (the Rectors) threatened us and they justified themselves with the argument that speaking and writing about the supposed gender violence in academia gravely discredited the university. We always said that in the middle and long term the discrediting came from the omertà which maintained the silence about the very serious situation many females had in their universities. Unfortunately, they did not believe us until they read and saw in the newspapers and TV not only that gender violence was a reality in universities but also that they did not even want to talk to the victims and survivors”. In 2014, the first victory in Spanish universities was already obtained when the University of Barcelona had to finally take an official position with clear measures against one denounced person. He was a male student reported by harassment to three female students of the Master's Program in Sociology. The victims asked and obtained support from Professor Ramón Flecha and Professor Marta Soler. At the end, their complaint process ended up winning, HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 191 becoming the first case in which a Spanish university explicitly sanctioned someone due to sexual harassment misconduct at the university. This was considered by MeToo University a great victory that immediately diminished impunity in the face of harassment. Laura, one of those victims clarified important elements of this process: “the Director of the Master’s Program, chosen and nominated by the Dean, told Flecha off in an intimidating way saying that by supporting the victims he was being disloyal to the university and that such action would bring him consequences. The Creation of the Firsts Networks of Victims and Survivors The members of the Equality Commission said the victims were overreacting due to reporting that the cited student would put on the classroom table a knife of illegal dimensions while he painted female students naked staring at all parts of their bodies. This student was also found with a knife inside the women’s bathroom at the school. Members of the Equality Commission said that victims were overreacting. However, when the Equality Commission had to interview the student, the one responsible for the Commission asked and achieved to have security guards at her door. The vice president of the professionals for Gender Equality (also a student of the Master’s) wrote a public letter against the victims and in favor of the harasser”. The Network was very active breaking the omertà and the citizens, policymakers and media were increasingly knowing what was happening inside the universities. More victims were becoming survivors and they were obtaining more victories and transforming the universities into spaces free of violence. What they were not conscious enough about is that important powers felt increasingly threatened by this transparency and were organizing themselves in a lobby with members of the universities and members of the media, planning a powerful campaign of slander in order to destroy the Network and their members, including the very few professors that supported them. This victory and this breaking of silence led the harassers, and those who for years and decades had been accomplices, to push forward a campaign, with significant institutional support in 192 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo 192 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo universities, of Isolating Gender Violence [IGV] against those who supported the victims. On February 5 2014, the most read Spanish newspaper, El País, published the words of the Secretary of Universities of the Catalan government when he found out that the Dean was aware of the compulsive sexual harassment of professor JdM since she was a student: "The head of Universities has also referred to the case of alleged sexual harassment at the University of Barcelona starring the professor of Sociology... saying that it is a regrettable fact that will set a precedent... and it is also regrettable that there are people who say that they already knew, that the fact lasted for years and did not denounce it and I do not say it for the victims but for those responsible for the university. If they knew about it, why didn't they act? The Secretary referred to the statement made by the dean of the Faculty of Economics... before the Mossos (Catalan police body) in which she recognized that in 1987, when she was a student, the existence of harassment was already rumored by the faculty". On February 20 2014, students made a protest meeting in the office of the Rectorate to register the 1000 signatures collected demanding that the most denounced professor would no longer have teaching or research responsibilities with students. On March 1 2014, the Student Assembly of the Faculty of Economics organized the first assembly against sexual harassment in the Faculty of Economics and Business. On March 3 2014, the Observatory of Gender Violence of the Women's Foundation and funded by the Spanish Ministry of Equality recognized the Solidarity Network of Victims of Gender Violence in Universities as a Good Practice and included it on its website in the "Database of Good Practices for the Prevention of Gender Violence". This was a very important position statement rejecting the slander against the victims and their supporters that were spread through the university hallways. That recognition was not only towards their effort but to the quality of their reflections and their actions, qualifying them as a good practice and including them in its official website. HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 193 On May 9 2014 the Solidarity Network, together with the Unitary Platform against Gender Violence, launched the campaign "Our daughters have the right". 192 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo On July 23 2014, the scientific jornal Qualitative Inquiry published the article "What Students Say About Gender Violence Within Universities: Rising Voices From the Communicative Methodology of Research" (Vidu, A., Schubert, T., Muñoz, B., & Duque, E., 2014) about the voices of the victims in this movement. The Network allowed victims to become survivors. They maintained at the same time the continuous dialogue and collaboration with the organizations fighting against gender violence in the whole society and the publication of scientific articles in the top scientific journals of this matter and from different disciplines. This dialogic approach made them promote the criteria of social impact and co- creation, which is now a guideline and even a requirement of the current scientific programmes of research in all sciences in the European Commission (European Commission, 2018). Citizens’ Reaction Against the Isolating Gender Violence Campaign When it was known that the Rector (who recognized to the newspaper El País that JdM was his friend) decided to let JdM teach again, the students’ movement and the Network strengthened their actions… but the lobby had been preparing their campaign against them for several months. From June 3 to 5 2016 the Network was invited to give a talk in the Feminist Conference of Barcelona. On June 8 2016 students, in collaboration with the Network, published a letter against the reinstatement of Professor JdM to teaching. On 13 June 2016, a very cruel campaign of Isolating Gender Violence (hereinafter, IGV) was launched against the victims and the few professors who supported them (including attacks on their daughters and sons) in which several journalists collaborated, as some confessed, looking for an audience through morbidity. In the short term, this IGV obtained its objective and the mobilization stopped. 194 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo 194 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo 194 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo In the middle and long term, this IGV acted as a boomerang against the ones that launched it. The cruelty of the slander ended up discrediting especially those who launched them, whereas those who received them, in spite of suffering a lot in the beginning, have seen their scientific prestige greatly increase, first internationally and then in Spain. There is almost a unanimous consideration that not only have they been infinitely anti-sexist, solidary and brave, but that they have also been infinitely more intelligent than the members of the lobby of harassers. On December 19 and 20 2016, the first conference on Isolating Gender Violence was held at the University of Barcelona, organized by CREA. Members of the Parliament and of all political parties, women’s movements, representatives of governments and media were speakers in the conference. They were astonished by the cruelty of the Isolating Gender Violence campaign during the second half of that year against victims and supporters. They were also shocked by the process of evaluation of that dissertation. At the beginning of 2017, Ana Vidu, who was doing a research stay in Stanford University, defended her doctoral thesis on gender violence in universities in the Sociology Doctorate program of the Faculty of Economics and Business from the University of Barcelona. The doctoral committee of the Department of Sociology in charge of evaluating the dissertation approved it by unanimity. However, the Dean and the Equality Commission pressed for the Faculty of Economics and Business to reject it. Even the Dean herself wrote the many words that Vidu should include in her own dissertation. All that was a scandal because it skipped all the university norms and did it with a student who had received the Award Best Student at the Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and the Award to the Best Student in the Master’s Degree in Sociology. Ana Vidu had to come back, ending her research stay at Stanford earlier than planned. She and her family and friends were extremely sad and disheartened. The director of her dissertation, Ramón Flecha, was working in Brussels as evaluator of the European Framework HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 195 Programme of Research. 194 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo When he came back to Barcelona, everything was transformed, as was explained in the webpage of the women journalist of the main Spanish TV reproducing the following writing by Ana Vidu with the title “The croissant and the winning victim”: “When my director and I received the first rejection of the dissertation, I was on a stay at Stanford; I decided to return to do what they asked and to be able to submit the dissertation again. At the University of Barcelona, I was waiting for an interview with the director of the equality commission and the dean at the time. The commission ended up presenting itself almost completely and, as on previous occasions, the criticism came towards me and towards the people who had always supported me. Both my family and I were devastated and very discouraged. That day my thesis director Ramón Flecha came back from a trip to wait for me after the meeting and surprise me. We went to the bakery that won the award for the best croissant in Spain. Ramón told me that we were going to celebrate everything, every rejection, because the reason for our struggle was so clear that those rejections were the result of injustice but also of the lack of intelligence of the harassers and their allies, and the more they attacked us, the more they would be exposed. We took this photo and I sent it to my family. They were stunned to see that we were celebrating, and they changed from sadness to celebration. I told them that there would come a day when everything was going to work out, and that we were going to be okay, that we were going to succeed in the fight against gender violence at the university and in my life. Thanks to excellent people like Curro Aguilera, Enrique Pérez, Gema Tomás, I am now very well at the University of Deusto. My family is now very happy and the victims no longer feel so alone, we are here to help them as they have helped me.” The dissertation was presented again including all words imposed by the Dean, but as quotations by her, instead of assumed as the candidate’s words. The dissertation was approved and obtained the highest qualification by the committee. 194 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo Almost all newspapers and TV 196 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo channels published about the very brave and honest action of Ana Vidu, the Network and CREA and about the cruelty that they received from the harassers and their accomplices. On May 31 2017 the documentary "Voices against silence" was released by TVE, the most important Spanish public TV channel, which included a long explanation of Ana Vidu’s case. On May 16 2018, “Voices against silence” won the Golden Globe of the World Media Festival of Hamburg. It was a great success for quality journalism and MeToo University. The MeToo University and the Legislations Against Isolating Gender Violence When the MeToo Movement was founded worldwide in 2017, many movements and persons in different parts of the world felt supported; some of them have adopted the same name and one of these was the MeToo University as the new name of the Solidarity Network of Victims of Gender Violence in Universities. It is obtaining incredible victories in Spain and now also in other countries. Their members are altruist that they proclaim to be working in favor of a violence-free and safe university for all, including the daughters and granddaughters of the current harassers. On January 23, 2022, the front page of one of the most read journals in Spain, was dedicated to a “U” occupaging the whole page and inside the pictures of 25 women that were victims and survivors from sexual harassment in univeristies (El Periódico, 2022). Inside, a long and excellent report elaborated by three female journalists during six month. Their difficulties to find 25 women willing to be there expressed that the fear is present in an institution where the harassers and their isolating gender violence are very powerful. This report moved to talk about this issue in almost all newspapers and TV. Those victories are the result of the outstanding scientific, policy and social impact of both their studies and their actions. Their policy impact includes the approval of the legislation for the first time in the HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 197 world against Isolating Gender Violence. On December 22 2020, the Parliament of Catalonia was a world pioneer in incorporating Isolating Gender Violence in its legislation by unanimously approving it in law 17/2020. On March 17 2022 the Basque Parliament incorporated Isolating Gender Violence in its legislation, in the Law for the Equality of Women and Men, Article 50, point 4. In this case the approval was not by unanimity, but by the majority of votes in the Parliament. This was not because some members of the Parliament were against this proposal, but because there was only one voting of the whole law and those not voting in favor did not do so because of this point, but because they disagreed in other points of the same law. This kind of disagreement was also seen in the Catalan parliament, but the approval of this point was by unanimity because it was voted separately from the other points of the same law. The MeToo University and the Legislations Against Isolating Gender Violence Other Parliaments from Spain but also from other countries are in the process of approving legislation against Isolating Gender Violence as well. Besides Parliaments, many diverse organizations and even enterprises are initiating similar processes responding to the proposal made by MeToo University. Its proposal has been also approved by organizations like the European Sociological Association and Ana Vidu has been nominated member of the ESA’s Research Network on Women’s and Gender Studies. Members of Metoo University and their supporters are teaching professionals from very different fields about how to face Isolating Gender Violence, the only way to overcome all kinds of gender violence; even they have been asked by Ministers of Justice to train judges and prosecutors on this subject. This political impact is changing society in this matter, it is generating an increasing social impact in terms of the decrease of cases in diverse settings and institutions and breaking the silence about the existing cases. In all, this policy and social impact is possible also because of the scientific impact of the studies made by the members of MeToo University and their supporters. Several articles have been published in top-ranked scientific journals of different disciplines analyzing: the 198 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo quantitative and qualitative dimensions of gender violence in Spanish universities (Valls, Puigvert, Melgar & Garcia-Yeste, 2016), the concept and the name of Isolating Gender Violence (Vidu, Puigvert, Flecha & López de Aguileta, 2021), the IGV as the first reason to do not support victims (Melgar, Geis-Carreras, Flecha & Soler, 2021), the consequences of IGV for the health of supporters (Aubert & Flecha, 2021), the typology of the victims of IGV (Flecha, 2021), the pioneer legislation on IGV (Vidu, Tomás & Flecha, 2021), the media that take position in support of harassers (Madrid, Joanpere, De Botton, Campdepadrós, 2020), the media working with the professional criteria of journalism (Pulido, Villarejo, Vidu, Ramis, & Flecha,2021), the first international conference of IGV (Vidu, Valls, Puigvert, Melgar & Joanpere, 2017), how new alternative masculinities respond to the demands of support of victims (Nazareno, Vidu, Merodio & Valls, 2022), and also concrete cases that happened during the hard lockdown imposed in Spain due to COVID-19 (Puigvert, Vidu, Melgar & Salceda, 2021). References Aubert, A. & Flecha, R. (2021). Health and Well-Being Consequences for Gender Violence Survivors from Isolating Gender Violence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8626. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168626 Diario Feminista (2021). Omerta in Academia. The most rigorous and detailed analysis of hypothetical situations of second order of sexual harassment. Retrieved from https://eldiariofeminista.info/wpcontent/uploads/2021/03/Omerta.p df El Periódico (January, 23th 2022). #MeToo at the University. Retrieved from https://www.elperiodico.com/es/cuaderno/metoo- university-spain-sh/index.html European Commission (2018). Monitoring the Impact of the EU Framework Programmes. Publication Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. Retrieved from HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 199 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/cbb7ce39- d66d-11e8-9424-01aa75ed71a1 Flecha, R. (2021). Second-Order Sexual Harassment: Violence Against the Silence Breakers Who Support the Victims. Violence against women, 27(11). 1980- 1999. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801220975495 Ley Orgánica 4/2007, de 12 de abril, por la que se modifica la Ley Orgánica 6/2001, de 21 de diciembre, de Universidades. Madrid, A., Joanpere, M., de Botton, L., & Campdepadrós, R. (2020). Media Manipulation Against Social Justice Researchers: Second- Order Sexual Harassment. Qualitative Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800420938853 Melgar, P., Geis-Carreras, G., Flecha, R., & Soler, M. (2021). Fear to Retaliation: The Most Frequent Reason for Not Helping Victims of Gender Violence. International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences, 10(2), 31- 50. https://doi.org/10.17583/rimcis.2021.8305 50. https://doi.org/10.17583/rimcis.2021.8305 Nazareno, E., Vidu, A., Merodio, G., & Valls, R. (2022). Men Tackling Isolating Gender Violence to Fight against Sexual Harassment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(4),1924. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19041924 Puigvert, L.; Vidu, A.; Melgar, P.; Salceda, M. (2021). BraveNet Upstander Social Network against Second Order of Sexual Harassment. Sustainability,13, 4135. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084135 Pulido, C.M., Villarejo-Carballido, B., Vidu, A., Ramis, M., & Flecha, R. (2021) “Voices against Silence”: a case study of the social impact of journalism. Feminist Media Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2021.1992643 Soler, M. (2017). Achieving social impact: sociology in the public sphere. Springer. ISBN: 9783319602691. Valls R, Puigvert L, Melgar P, Garcia-Yeste, C. (2016). Breaking the silence at the Spanish universities: the first research about violence 200 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo 200 Joanpere, Burgues-Freitas, Soler & Aiello– History of MeToo against women. Violence Against Women, 22, 1519- 1539.https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801215627511 against women. Violence Against Women, 22, 1519- 1539.https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801215627511 p g Vidu, A. (2017). Doctoral dissertation, Networks of Solidarity. Student mobilizations against sexual violence in universities. Doctoral program in Sociology. University of Barcelona. Retrieved from https://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/402514#page=1 Vidu, A., Tomás, G. & Flecha, R. (2021). Pioneer Legislation on Second Order of Sexual Harassment: Sociolegal Innovation in Addressing Sexual Harassment. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-021-00571-0 Vidu, A., Puigvert, L., Flecha, R. & López de Aguileta, G. (2021). The Concept and the Name of Isolating Gender Violence. Multidisciplinary Journal of Gender Studies, 10(2), 176- 200. https://doi.org/10.17583/generos.2021.8622 Vidu, A., Schubert, T., Muñoz, B., & Duque, E. (2014). What Students Say About Gender Violence Within Universities: Rising Voices From the Communicative Methodology of Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 20(7), 883–888. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800414537211 Vidu, A., Valls, R., Puigvert, L., Melgar, P., & Joanpere, M. (2017). Second Order of Sexual Harassment – SOSH. Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research, 7(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.17583/remie.2017.2505 HSE – Social and Education History, 11(1) 201 Mar Joanpere. Departmento de Gestión de Empresas. Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6006-0190 Ana Burgues-Freitas. Departamento de Sociología. Universidad de Granada, Spain. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0167-6489 Marta Soler. Departamento de Sociología. Universitat de Barcelona, Spain. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4494-4508 Emilia Aiello: Departamento de Sociología. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0005-6501 Contact adress: mar.joanpere@urv.cat Mar Joanpere. Departmento de Gestión de Empresas. Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6006-0190 Mar Joanpere. Departmento de Gestión de Empresas. Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6006-0190 Ana Burgues-Freitas. Departamento de Sociología. Universidad de Granada, Spain. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0167-6489 Marta Soler. Departamento de Sociología. Universitat de Barcelona, Spain. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4494-4508 Emilia Aiello: Departamento de Sociología. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0005-6501 Contact adress: mar.joanpere@urv.cat
https://openalex.org/W4396673989
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296930&type=printable
English
null
Social media trends in obstetrics and gynecology residency programs on Instagram and X (Twitter)
PloS one
2,024
cc-by
6,877
PLOS ONE RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS Citation: Gnade CM, Avery CC, Yang Z, Pickett CM, Oshinowo AE (2024) Social media trends in obstetrics and gynecology residency programs on Instagram and X (Twitter). PLoS ONE 19(5): e0296930. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0296930 Colette M. GnadeID1¤*, Chace C. Avery2, Ziyi Yang3, Charlotte M. Pickett4, Adeoti E. Oshinowo5 Colette M. GnadeID1¤*, Chace C. Avery2, Ziyi Yang3, Charlotte M. Pickett4, Adeoti E. Oshinowo5 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America, 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America, 3 Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America, 4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America, 5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 ¤ Current address: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America * cgnade@kumc.edu Background During the COVID pandemic, residency program’s social media presence increased to aid in residency recruitment by attempting to increase engagement and readily available infor- mation for applicants across specialties. However, little information exists on what charac- teristics and content on obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) residency program accounts attract more followers or engagement. Editor: Kento Sonoda, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, UNITED STATES Received: August 23, 2023 Accepted: December 26, 2023 Published: May 6, 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Gnade et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Editor: Kento Sonoda, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, UNITED STATES Received: August 23, 2023 Accepted: December 26, 2023 Published: May 6, 2024 Objectives To identify social media trends in OBGYN residencies and determine which aspects of pro- grams influence the number of followers and interaction with content posted. Copyright: © 2024 Gnade et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: Data are available at: https://github.com/cgnade2001/ SocialMediaOBGYN. Data Availability Statement: Data are available at: https://github.com/cgnade2001/ SocialMediaOBGYN. Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. Methods We performed a retrospective review of ACGME accredited OBGYN programs and deter- mined their presence on Instagram and X in the fall of 2021. Content from the thirty pro- grams with the most followers was analyzed independently by two authors. Multivariate analysis and a linear mixed model were used to characterize and evaluate content on Insta- gram and X. PLOS ONE PLOS ONE Results Most programs utilized Instagram (88.5%, N = 262/296) and were managed solely by resi- dents (84.4%, N = 108/128). Number of followers on Instagram positively correlated with features such as program size, Instagram profile duration, and Doximity rankings (p < 0.0x01). Programs on X had more followers if their profile had a longer duration, followed Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Abbreviations: DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion; DITL, day in the life; Q&A, question & answer. 1 / 13 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies more individuals, or were ranked higher on Doximity. The most posted Instagram content was biographical and social in nature. Instagram posts with the highest engagement were awards and/or the Match. more individuals, or were ranked higher on Doximity. The most posted Instagram content was biographical and social in nature. Instagram posts with the highest engagement were awards and/or the Match. Conclusions Understanding what social media content attracts more followers and increases engage- ment is crucial as it likely impacts OBGYN resident recruitment. Professional groups should establish guidelines for social media use in recruitment for the protection of both residents and applicants. Introduction Currently there are 4.62 billion social media users making up 58.4% of the world population. This number grew by more than 10% from 2021 to 2022 [1]. This trend in social media use is paralleled in healthcare with up to 90% of workers having a social media account [2]. Increased professional content on social media has been driven by the desire to stay connected to peers in the medical community, share accurate knowledge with patients, and develop a brand [3– 5]. An increase in social media influence has transformed the experience of residency trainees by impacting education, professional development, and academic scholarship [6]. The COVID pandemic has further increased residency program presence on social media as it brought sig- nificant challenges to residency recruitment, interviewing, and away rotations [5, 7–9]. The number of programs on social media is rapidly expanding but remains variable on both Insta- gram (40.9% neurology to 96.6% plastic surgery residency programs) and X, formerly known as Twitter, (14% of dermatology programs to 44.1% otolaryngology residency programs) [7, 10–12]. Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) residency programs have increased their pres- ence on Instagram, specifically during the pandemic [13]. Residency applicants report that a program’s social media presence influences their applica- tion, interview, and rank process. In studies with recruitment prior to 2020, around 12–29% of applicants note that social media presence influenced their recruitment [8, 14, 15]. However, after 2020, around 60%-71% of applicants reported social media impacted their perceptions of residency programs [16–18]. These studies, which are from a wide range of specialties includ- ing general surgery, anesthesia, and family medicine, have concluded that programs should consider investing resources into their social media [16–18]. Social media platforms have become, and likely will remain, an integral part of professional life and residency recruitment. However, factors to help engage applicants and create an interactive social media residency account are relatively unknown. Our study was performed to examine social media trends in OBGYN residencies, analyze program and social media characteristics associated with pro- gram followers, and analyze social media content and post engagement. Materials and methods We performed a retrospective study to identify the extent of social media presence of OBGYN programs on both Instagram and X platforms as these were those most studied prior [13, 19]. Facebook was initially inquired, however, given low numbers, difficulty searching the pro- grams, and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) only utilizing Instagram and X for virtual residency showcase recruitment since 2020, this was deferred [20]. Institu- tional IRB exemption (#13531) was obtained for this study from Indiana University Human 2 / 13 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies Research Protection Program. We complied with both Instagram and X terms of use. An online search was performed in the fall of 2021 for all Accreditation Council of Graduate Med- ical Education (ACGME) approved OBGYN residency programs after initial residency recruit- ment to capture maximal engagement. Two individual observers (AC, CG) found programs online by searching for full and abbreviated program names in addition to the search terms “OBGYN”, “obstetrics”, and “gynecology” as previously described in the literature [5, 8, 21]. For every social media account, the number of followers, following, and posts were obtained (October 27, 2021 for Instagram and December 3, 2021 for X) shortly after the submission deadline for residency applications. X posts, or formerly tweets, were not analyzed given total number are not easily available and content differs from Instagram. Instagram stories were not evaluated as this is temporary content for 24 hours and difficult to extract given the number of programs. Duration of social media account existence was abstracted from the date of the pro- gram’s first post on Instagram while X publicly posts this data. Program rank was determined using the Doximity residency navigator tool by reputation in 2022 [22]. The FREIDA database was queried to determine the type of residency program: academic, community, or combined. Both FREIDA and Doximity were used to obtain the number of residents in the program. If these were not in congruence, the residency home page was visited, and number of residents counted manually. Doximity was used to determine the location of the program, and city size was extrapolated from the location using the U.S. Census Bureau’s statistical area [23]. Popula- tions were defined as large metropolitan (1.5 million or more people), metropolitan (500,000 to 1.5 million people), medium-size urban (200,000–500,000 people), and small urban (50,000–200,000 people). PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 Results Of the ACGME accredited OBGYN residency programs, 88.5% (N = 262/296) programs were identified to have an Instagram account. Of the 34 that did not have an Instagram, 11 pro- grams had just received their initial accreditation in 2021 and 7 were military programs. Fewer programs, 33.7% (N = 97/296), were found to have an X account. Notably, 28.8% (N = 28/97) X accounts and 1.5% (N = 4/262) of Instagram accounts were departmental and not specific to the OBGYN residency program. Most programs created an Instagram (60.3%, N = 158/262) or X (53.6%, N = 52/97) account in 2020. On Instagram, baseline characteristics were collected showing most programs had an aver- age of 821.2 posts (Standard Deviation/SD = 370.5), were in large metropolitan areas (59.9%), classified themselves as academic programs (46.6%), and had a highlight reel (88.2%). Approx- imately 60% of programs had at least one post about diversity in any of their posts on Insta- gram. Most programs were run by residents (84.4%, N = 108/128). Of the 37% (N = 97) programs that responded, thirty-one percent of respondents identified their program as a dif- ferent type from that listed in the FREIDA database (Table 1). On Instagram, many factors were associated with increased number of followers (Table 2). The number of followers increased with more residents, specifically 5.38 more followers per resident (Standard Error/SE = 1.64, p = 0.001). With one more month on Instagram, programs had 4.88 (SE = 1.34, p<0.001) more followers. Programs that followed more individuals had more followers (β estimate = 0.53, SE = 0.06, p<0.001). More posts were associated with more followers (β = 1.00, SE = 0.17, p<0.001). The frequency of posts, or number of posts per month, was not associated with increased followers (p = 0.721). More followers were observed in academic than community (β = 109.2, SE = 39.22, p = 0.006) or combined programs (β = 125.87, SE = 33.63, p = 0.001). The programs in the top quartile (or top 25%) on Doximity had more followers than those in the lower rankings (p = 0.001). The programs with a highlight reel (β = 146.46, SE = 36.56, p<0.001) or diversity post (β = 87.30, SE = 27.85, p = 0.002) had more followers. On X, the average number of followers was 467.0 (+/- 549.3) and duration on the platform was 34.1 months (+/- 33.6). Materials and methods Inquiries were also sent to each program on Instagram by direct message by author CG to ask what type of program they identify as and who posts the content on their Instagram account. Informed consent to participate was obtained with a written response. If their program type direct message was incongruent with FREIDA, FREIDA was utilized for program type given this is a nationwide database. Reply time from direct messen- ger was recorded. The home institution of this study was excluded from this part of the analy- sis. Instagram program pages were also searched to identify if they had a highlight reel and if their biography indicated who posted content. Programs were recorded as having a diversity post if there was at least one post primarily regarding any of the following: gender, social and ethnic background, or sexual orientation. The thirty OBGYN programs with the most Instagram followers were identified. Their last thirty Instagram posts on and prior to October 27, 2021 were analyzed independently by two reviewers (AC, CG). The classification of these posts was adapted from Azoury et al and Abbas et al and changed to reflect specialty differences in content [5, 24]. Posts were categorized into educational, informational, awards/Match, social, wellness, surgical, class, research, advocacy, diversity, and other (S1 Fig). Additionally, the top thirty program’s Instagram highlight reels were categorized by the same two reviewers. Separate classifications were given to these posts as they include video content: educational, research, informational, social, wellness, advocacy/ diversity, rotations, location, biography, question & answer (Q&A), day in the life (DITL), and other (S2 Fig). Disagreements between the reviewers were resolved by consensus. Summary statistics were provided for the characteristics of programs with an Instagram and/or X presence. Mean and standard deviation were presented for continuous variables and frequency and percentage for categorical variables. A multivariate linear regression model was used to evaluate the association of factors with the number of followers on both Instagram and X. A linear mixed model was used to evaluate the association of post content with the number of likes on Instagram with random intercept for the correlation of the repeated measures within the program. The linear mixed model also adjusted for the program size, city size, and type of program. Materials and methods False discovery rate was used for the adjustment of multiple comparisons and PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 3 / 13 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies control for a possible false positive rate in the linear mixed model. All tests were two-sided and assessed for significance at the 5% level using SAS v9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). control for a possible false positive rate in the linear mixed model. All tests were two-sided and assessed for significance at the 5% level using SAS v9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Results Most programs were in large metropolitan areas (65.0%) and clas- sified themselves as academic programs (67.0%) (Table 1). The number of followers was signif- icantly associated with duration in months on X since the first post, number following, and Doximity ranking (Table 2). On average, programs had 5.31 more followers per month on X (SE = 0.99, p<0.001). As programs followed other social media users on X, they gained more followers (β = 1.55, SE = 0.18, p<0.001). The program in the top quartile on Doximity ranking had more followers than those in the lowest 50% of rankings (p = 0.029). An analysis of 900 posts from the top thirty most followed programs on Instagram demon- strated most of the content was biographical (18%) or social in nature (18%) (Figs 1 and 2). The least posted content overall was surgical (3%), research (3%), and advocacy (3%). In the top thirty programs, social content (97%) followed by information (90%) and class (90%) were posted at least once in their last thirty posts while surgical was the least common with only 37% of programs having a post related to surgery. Highlight reels for the top thirty programs were evaluated (Figs 3 and 4). One program had no highlight reels. Most of the content was information (17%) or related to DITL (15%). The least posted content overall was research (3%), Q&A (5%), and location (5%). Of the top thirty programs, informational content (70%) followed by DITL (60%) and social (53%) were the most common content posted by programs 4 / 13 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies Table 1. Baseline program characteristics. Results Category Instagram (N = 262) X (Twitter) (N = 97) % of all ACGME Programs 88.5% 33.7% Followers (Mean, SD) 821.2 +/- 370.5 467.0 +/- 549.3 Following (Mean, SD) 251.9 +/- 195.1 155.4 +/- 195.6 Doximity Ranking (Mean, SD) 138.9 +/- 83.0 111.0 +/- 81.4 Duration (Mean months, SD) 21.7 +/- 12.9 34.1 +/- 33.6 Program Size (Mean, SD) 21.9 +/- 9.2 24.9 +/- 9.0 Posts (Mean, SD) 114.8 +/- 108.0 NA Posts per Month (Mean, SD) 5.8 +/- 5.5 NA City Size (%, N) Large Metropolitan 59.9% (157) 65.0% (63) Metropolitan 23.7% (62) 24.7% (24) Medium-size Urban 11.5% (30) 7.2% (7) Small Urban 4.9% (13) 3.1% (3) Program Type (%, N) Community 16.0% (42) 9.3% (9) Academic 46.6% (122) 67.0% (65) Combined 37.4% (98) 23.7% (23) Highlight Reel (% Yes, N) 88.2% (231) NA Diversity Post (% Yes, N) 59.5% (156) NA Who runs Instagram (%, N = 128) Residents Alone 84.4% (108) NA Program Director/Staff 3.9% (5) NA Resident + Other Staff 7.8% (10) NA Other Admin Staff 3.9% (5) NA Direct Message Response Total Programs (%, N) 37% (97) NA Time (Mean days, SD) 12.0 (11.1) NA Incongruent program type (%, N) 30.9% (30) NA For Instagram and X, programs were evaluated for followers, city size, program type, etc. Instagram also was evaluated for unique characteristics including highlight reels. *NA, not applicable https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.t001 by having at least one highlight regarding this content while research, and rotations were least common with only 23% of programs having a highlight reel dedicated to these. Type of Instagram post content was significantly associated with the number of likes after controlling for other characteristics such as program size, program type, and city size (p<0.001) (S1 Table). Next, content was compared to one another to identify superiority after the false dis- covery rate adjustment for multiple comparisons between content. Advocacy posts had more likes than informational posts (p = 0.007). More likes were observed for awards/Match posts than advocacy, biography, class, diversity, informational, surgical, others, research, social, well- ness, and educational (p<0.001). Biography posts had more likes than informational but less than class, and social posts (p0.007). More likes were detected for class posts than diversity, informational, research, and educational (p0.008). Social posts had more likes than diversity or educational posts (p<0.005). Less likes were seen for informational post than surgical, others, social, and wellness (p0.004) (S2 Table). PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies Table 2. Factors associated with followers on Instagram and X. Instagram X (Twitter) Factor Difference in Followers (SE) P value Difference in Followers (SE) P value Program Size 5.38 (1.64) 0.001 2.52 (4.86) 0.606 Duration in months 4.88 (1.34) <0.001 5.31 (0.99) <0.001 # Following 0.53 (0.06) <0.001 1.55 (0.18) <0.001 # Posts 1.00 (0.17) <0.001 NA NA # Posts per Month -0.92 (2.58) 0.721 NA NA City Size - 0.587 - 0.587 Small Urban a - - - - Large Metropolitan 30.73 (54.74) 0.575 -109.80 (115.31) 0.344 Metropolitan 16.81 (56.45) 0.766 -118.71 (120.04) 0.326 Medium-size Urban -22.34 (60.38) 0.712 - - Program Type - <0.001 - 0.394 Community a - - - - Academic 109.20 (39.22) 0.006 19.50 (136.29) 0.887 Combined -16.72 (35.14) 0.635 -90.14 (132.16) 0.497 Doximity Ranking - 0.002 - 0.012 Top Quartile ( 25%) a - - - - Second Quartile (25%-50%) -109.87 (33.63) 0.001 -174.29 (92.69) 0.063 Third Quartile (50%-75%) -120.21 (36.71) 0.001 -329.43 (97.12) 0.001 Low Quartile ( 75%) -140.49 (40.93) 0.001 -275.06 (123.55) 0.029 Highlight Reel - - No a - - Yes 146.46 (36.56) <0.001 Diversity Post - - No a - - Yes 87.30 (27.85) 0.002 Factors including program size, city size, program type, and Doximity ranking were evaluated to identify any association with followers on Instagram and X. A multilinear regression model was used to calculate the beta estimate, or difference in followers per factor. Significant p values are bolded. a R f Table 2. Factors associated with followers on Instagram and X. Factors including program size, city size, program type, and Doximity ranking were evaluated to identify any association with followers on Instagram and X. A multilinear regression model was used to calculate the beta estimate, or difference in followers per factor. Significant p values are bolded. a Reference Factors including program size, city size, program type, and Doximity ranking were evaluated to identify any association with followers on Instagram and X. A multilinear regression model was used to calculate the beta estimate, or difference in followers per factor. Significant p values are bolded. a Reference Results Overall, posts about awards and/or Match received the most likes while informational received the least (Fig 5). 5 / 13 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.t002 Discussion Our study shows that most OBGYN residency programs (88.5%) have adopted Instagram while only 33.7% of programs adopted X. Most of these programs adopted social media during the COVID pandemic in 2020 as previously demonstrated [13]. Instagram as a social platform may also be more popular amongst many residency specialties given increased usage of Insta- gram by applicants as seen in other specialties and the ability to more easily engage with photo and video content [8, 25]. This is the first study to establish that the number of followers, or popularity, on Instagram is positively correlated with larger residency program size and academic program type. Yadav et al is the only other published OBGYN study to evaluate popularity on Instagram and calcu- lated Doximity ranking in relation to number of posts, followers, and likes on a program’s last three posts [13]. Similar to our study, Doximity ranking of OBGYN programs was associated with a higher number of followers. However, Yadav et al did not evaluate content or followers in relation to other program traits [13]. 6 / 13 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies Fig 1. Instagram post content, all. Distribution of content for the last thirty posts for the top thirty OBGYN programs. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g001 Fig 1. Instagram post content, all. Distribution of content for the last thirty posts for the top thirty OBGYN programs. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g001 Fig 1. Instagram post content, all. Distribution of content for the last thirty posts for the top thirty OBGYN programs. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g001 Fig 2. Instagram post content, top 30. Distribution on the % of the top thirty OBGYN programs that posted that specific type of content in the last thirty posts. Fig 2. Instagram post content, top 30. Distribution on the % of the top thirty OBGYN programs that posted that specific type of content in the last thirty posts. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g002 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 7 / 13 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies Fig 3. Instagram highlight reel content, all. Distribution of content for all posted highlight reels for the top thirty OBGYN programs. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g003 Fig 3. Instagram highlight reel content, all. Distribution of content for all posted highlight reels for the top thirty OBGYN programs. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g003 Fig 4. Instagram highlight reel content, top 30. Discussion Distribution of the % of the top thirty OBGYN programs that posted that specific type of content in their highlight reels. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g004 Fig 4. Instagram highlight reel content, top 30. Distribution of the % of the top thirty OBGYN programs that posted that specific type of content in their highlight reels. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 8 / 13 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies Fig 5. Instagram post content popularity. Based off the linear mixed model of content likes in A.4, content tiers were created based on significant and insignificant p values between content types showing the most to least popular Instagram post content. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g005 Fig 5. Instagram post content popularity. Based off the linear mixed model of content likes in A.4, content tiers were created based on significant and insignificant p values between content types showing the most to least popular Instagram post content. Fig 5. Instagram post content popularity. Based off the linear mixed model of content likes in A.4, content tiers were created based on significant and insignificant p values between content types showing the most to least popular Instagram post content. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g005 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930.g005 Our study sought to further explore modifiable social media factors that can be implemented by programs to attempt to increase followers as previously mentioned factors are likely related to reputation and accessibility to a greater population of users. Modifiable factors that are positively correlated with followers include number of posts for Instagram, following more accounts, and time on each platform, which is consistent with orthopedic and plastic surgery literature [5, 24]. Surprisingly, increased frequency of Instagram posts was not associated with more follow- ers as expected given suspected mutual engagement. This is similar to plastic surgery literature showing only a weak correlation between number of posts and engagement [11]. Likely, there is an optimal post frequency as seen in prior social media data [26]. Further studies are needed to see if this changes over time. Lastly, biographical and social were the two most posted content types, also consistent with plastic surgery and orthopedic literature [24, 25, 27]. Additionally, awards and/or the Match followed by social, class, and surgical were the most engaged content. Although not all catego- ries were the same, our results are consistent with plastic surgery literature with social posts and accolades (like awards/match) being of high importance [11, 28]. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 Discussion The emphasis on social content may be a consequence of prohibited in-person interaction because of the COVID pan- demic and may allow applicants to determine program ‘fit’. It is important to also highlight the least popular or engaged content includes advocacy, research, diversity, and wellness (Figs 1, 2 and 5). These items typically showcase unique pro- gram aspects that may distinguish programs from one another for applicants, but, unfortu- nately, are the least emphasized. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become integral in promoting and celebrating an environment of diversity for residents, faculty, staff, and patients which is promoted by ACOG DEI Excellence Workgroup [29]. Despite this, 40% of all OBGYN programs did not have one Instagram post about diversity. This finding may reflect resident run accounts emphasizing a social atmosphere rather than the structured content one may expect from a content manager or faculty. In plastic surgery literature, it was shown that posts with a greater average Fitzpatrick skin type had a greater number of likes, the opposite of our study [11]. However, as the authors point out, this is a subjective measure and did not eval- uate diversity in its entirety. Our study sought to identify posts including many forms of diver- sity. Additionally, plastic surgery literature is congruent in our results showing wellness is in the minority posted, despite the recent emphasis on combating burnout in medicine [30]. 9 / 13 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies Ultimately, programs should consider including content that represents their program’s unique aspects and core values. Post accuracy also should be of great importance to programs. A negative impact on appli- cant’s perception of a residency program in both orthopedic and plastic surgery literature has been secondary to a program’s social media [8, 25]. Specifically, 11% of plastic surgery appli- cants never trusted a program’s social media information or posts [8]. In our study, 31% of social media accounts reported a different program type than that listed on FREIDA. This either reflects an inaccuracy in the FREIDA database or those who post the content, 90% of which were resident run, among programs who responded. While this may reflect a poorly updated FREIDA database, it is important to ensure that there is accuracy in what is being posted online, especially if programs are placing this burden on residents. Discussion Unfortunately, social media training is variable and professional guidelines are lacking [31]. The American College of Surgeons released a social media statement including a review of 7 national and international organizations, most notably American Medical Association (AMA) and ACOG, which highlights professional web page content and appropriate communication between physicians, patients, and colleagues on social media but not in regards to residency recruitment [32–34]. Neither AMA nor National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) have defined appropriate social media interactions between applicants and programs. Despite this, social media has been used to vet residency applicants. In one study on focused on general sur- gery, 18% of program directors reported screening applicants through social media. Further- more, 11% of program directors lowered or removed an applicant from their rank list due to unprofessional content [35]. In another study, at least 15% of plastic surgery applicant respon- dents were concerned that engaging with a program’s social media would attract attention to their own [8]. Overt bias and judgement related to social media content posted by trainees per- sonal accounts can even be found in recent academic literature [36]. A council of residency directors in Emergency Medicine was the first and only specialty to create social media guidelines in 2014 [37]. These guidelines recommend content should be des- ignated to a content manager, not a trainee, to ensure professional communications and accurate content as violations can interfere with privacy, patient confidentiality, and impartial recruit- ment, and to employ a uniform policy to screen applicants, if performed, to decrease bias [37]. Program directors should heavily consider whether screening applicants’ social media is benefi- cial to recruitment and if residents should bear the responsibility of posting social media content [37]. The authors believe all specialties should consider adopting social media guidelines. Our study is the first OBGYN study to evaluate residency posted content in relation to likes to assess what content is the most engaged instead of content to solely followers. It also uniquely examines highlight reels and diversity posts, both of which were associated with more followers. Our study has limitations. First, there was no way to distinguish a follower’s background or which users were liking content. Thus, our findings, while reflective of general popularity and engagement, do not necessarily reflect residency applicants’ interactions with social media. Discussion Further, some applicants may be afraid of having their own accounts discovered and change their social media profiles during recruitment season [8]. Second, we were only able to ascer- tain who runs half of the total social media accounts identified either by direct message or as identified in their profile (N = 128/262). Therefore, although a majority were identified as resi- dent run, this may not reflect all OBGYN accounts. S2 Fig. Definitions of highlight reel content. (DOCX) S1 Table. Factors associated with likes on Instagram. Factors including program size, city size, program type, and content were evaluated to identify any association of likes for posts on Instagram. A multilinear regression model was used to calculate the beta estimate, or differ- ence in likes per factor. (DOCX) S1 Table. Factors associated with likes on Instagram. Factors including program size, city size, program type, and content were evaluated to identify any association of likes for posts on Instagram. A multilinear regression model was used to calculate the beta estimate, or differ- ence in likes per factor. (DOCX) S2 Table. Content linear mixed model. False discovery rate (FDR) model showing multivari- ate comparisons between content with only significant associations included in the following table. (DOCX) S1 Data. (XLSX) S2 Table. Content linear mixed model. False discovery rate (FDR) model showing multivari- ate comparisons between content with only significant associations included in the following table. (DOCX) S1 Data. (XLSX) Acknowledgments A special thanks Emily Jacobs, MD (University of Iowa, Department of Obstetrics and Gyne- cology) for aid in conceptualization. A special thanks Emily Jacobs, MD (University of Iowa, Department of Obstetrics and Gyne- cology) for aid in conceptualization. Supporting information Supporting information S1 Fig. Definitions of post content. (DOCX) S2 Fig. Definitions of highlight reel content. (DOCX) S1 Table. Factors associated with likes on Instagram. Factors including program size, city size, program type, and content were evaluated to identify any association of likes for posts on Instagram. A multilinear regression model was used to calculate the beta estimate, or differ- ence in likes per factor. (DOCX) S2 Table. Content linear mixed model. False discovery rate (FDR) model showing multivari- ate comparisons between content with only significant associations included in the following table. (DOCX) S1 Data. (XLSX) Conclusions Understanding what social media content attracts more followers and increases engagement is crucial as resident recruitment may be impacted by content posted by OBGYN programs. 10 / 13 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies Programs should consider following more profiles and posting social and awards and/or the Match content as this may increase followers and engagement. Our findings highlight the need for social media content that accurately reflects residency and departmental mission statements, is pertinent to what applicants are seeking from a program and maintains profes- sionalism. Ultimately, national bodies and residency programs should consider establishing professional social media guidelines for the protection of both residents and applicants. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 References 1. Kemp S. Digital 2020: Global Overview. DataReportal. 2022 Jan 26. [Cited 2022 March 12]. https:// datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-global-overview-report. 2. Surani Z, Hirani R, Elias A, Quisenberry L, Varon J, Surani S, et al. Social media usage among health care providers. BMC Res Notes. 2017; 10: 654. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-017-2993-y PMID: 29187244 3. Panahi S, Watson J, Partridge H. Social media and physicians: Exploring the benefits and challenges. Health Informatics J. 2016; 22: 99–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/1460458214540907 PMID: 25038200 4. McGowan BS, Wasko M, Vartabedian BS, Miller RS, Freiherr DD, Abdolrasulnia M. Understanding the factors that influence the adoption and meaningful use of social media by physicians to share medical information. J Med Internet Res. 2012; 14: e117. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.2138 PMID: 23006336 5. Abbas MJ, Jildeh TR, Khalil LS, Buckley P, Mumani SP, Washington J, et al. Social Media Use Contin- ues to Increase Among Orthopaedic Residency Programs in the United States. Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2021; 3: e1761–e1767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asmr.2021.08.004 PMID: 34977631 6. Economides JM, Choi YK, Fan KL, Kanuri AP, Song DH. Are We Witnessing a Paradigm Shift?: A Sys- tematic Review of Social Media in Residency. Plast Reconstr Surg Global Open. 2019; 7(8): e2288. https://doi.org/10.1097/GOX.0000000000002288 PMID: 31592016 7. DeAtkine AB, Grayson JW, Singh NP, Nocera AP, Rais-Bahrami S, Greene BJ. #ENT: Otolaryngology Residency Programs Create Social Media Platforms to Connect With Applicants During COVID-19 Pandemic. Ear Nose Throat J. 2020: 145561320983205. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145561320983205 PMID: 33355006 8. Irwin TJ, Riesel JN, Ortiz R, Helliwell LA, Lin SJ, Eberlin KR. The Impact of Social Media on Plastic Sur- gery Residency Applicants. Ann Plast Surg. 2021; 86: 335–339. https://doi.org/10.1097/SAP. 0000000000002375 PMID: 32349083 9. Clay Pruett J, Deneen K, Turner H, Kozar N, Singh P, King TW, et al. Social Media Changes in Pediatric Residency Programs During COVID-19 Pandemic. Acad Pediatr. 2021; 21: 1104–1107. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.acap.2021.06.004 PMID: 34126258 10. Gaini RR, Patel KM, Khan SA, Singh NP, Love MN. A rise in social media utilization by U.S. neurology residency programs in the era of COVID-19. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2021; 207: 106717. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.clineuro.2021.106717 PMID: 34091422 11. Huynh C, Wagner RD, Contractor F, DeGeorge BR Jr. The Relationship between Plastic Surgery Resi- dency Instagram Characteristics and Doximity Rank. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2023; 11(6): e5078. https://doi.org/10.1097/GOX.0000000000005078 PMID: 37351119 12. Kim YH, Ali NS, Vidal NY. Social media use in residency recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dermatol Online J. 2021; 27(6). https://doi.org/10.5070/D327654053 PMID: 34387054 13. Author Contributions Conceptualization: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery, Charlotte M. Pickett. Data curation: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery. Formal analysis: Ziyi Yang. Investigation: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery. Methodology: Colette M. Gnade, Ziyi Yang, Charlotte M. Pickett. Project administration: Colette M. Gnade, Adeoti E. Oshinowo. Resources: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery. Software: Ziyi Yang. Supervision: Colette M. Gnade, Adeoti E. Oshinowo. Validation: Colette M. Gnade. Visualization: Colette M. Gnade. Writing – original draft: Colette M. Gnade. Conceptualization: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery, Charlotte M. Pickett. Conceptualization: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery, Charlotte M. Pickett. Investigation: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery. Investigation: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery. Methodology: Colette M. Gnade, Ziyi Yang, Charlotte M. Pickett. Project administration: Colette M. Gnade, Adeoti E. Oshinowo. Resources: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery. Resources: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery. Writing – original draft: Colette M. Gnade. 11 / 13 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies Writing – review & editing: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery, Ziyi Yang, Charlotte M. Pick- ett, Adeoti E. Oshinowo. Writing – review & editing: Colette M. Gnade, Chace C. Avery, Ziyi Yang, Charlotte M. Pick- ett, Adeoti E. Oshinowo. References Yadav GS, Upadhyay A, Welch J, Kilpatrick CC, Turrentine MA. COVID-19 and its effect on Instagram adoption by #OBGYN residency programs. J Perinat Med. 2022. 50(5): 549–552. https://doi.org/10. 1515/jpm-2021-0429 PMID: 35150125 14. Dempsey TM, Pennington K, Dulohery-Scrodin M, Ramar K. Pulmonary and critical care fellowship applicants utilization of social media to evaluate programs. Med Educ Online. 2019; 24: 1599277. https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2019.1599277 PMID: 30982419 15. McHugh SM, Shaffer EG, Cormican DS, Beaman ST, Forte PJ, Metro DG. Use of social media resources by applicants during the residency selection process. J Educ Perioper Med. 2014; 16: e071. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27175402. PMID: 27175402 16. Fuller CC, Deckey DG, Brinkman JC, Tummala SV, Lu PG, Mishra N, et al. General Surgery Residency Applicants’ Perspective on Social Media as a Recruiting Tool. J Surg Educ 2022; 79(6): 1334–1341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.06.003 PMID: 35739022 17. Oliver MG, Kelly K. Student Perceptions and Use of Social Media as Residency Program Information. Fam Med. 2022; 54(5): 380–383. https://doi.org/10.22454/FamMed.2022.968351 PMID: 35536623 18. Dunn T, Patel S, Milam AJ, Brinkman J, Gorlin A, Harbell MW. Influence of Social Media on Applicant Perceptions of Anesthesiology Residency Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quantitative Sur- vey. JMIR Med Educ. 2023; 9: e39831. https://doi.org/10.2196/39831 PMID: 37205642 19. Southworth E, Santiago S, Fitzgerald JT, Graziano S, Hammoud MM, Morgan HK. The state of obstet- rics and gynecology residency programs’ social media presence. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021; 224(4): 407–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2020.12.1209 PMID: 33385346 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 12 / 13 PLOS ONE Social media trends OBGYN residencies 20. Nentin F CK, Chen KT. Apps for applying to ObGyn residency programs in the era of virtual interviews. OBG Management. 2020; 32(11): 47–49. https://doi.org/10.12788/obgm.0051 21. Chandawarkar AA, Gould DJ, Stevens WG. Insta-grated Plastic Surgery Residencies: The Rise of Social Media Use by Trainees and Responsible Guidelines for Use. Aesthet Surg J. 2018; 38:1 145– 1152. https://doi.org/10.1093/asj/sjy055 PMID: 29474525 22. Doximity. Doximity Residency Navigator: Our Residency Research Methodology. 2022. [Cited March 20, 2022]. https://www.doximity.com/residency/ 23. United States Census Bureau. Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2021. [Cited March 15, 2022]. https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/ time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html. 24. Azoury SC, Mazzaferro DM, Piwnica-Worms W, Messa CA, Othman S, Stranix JT, et al. An Update on Social Media in Academic Plastic Surgery Training Programs: The Rising Trend of Likes, Shares, and Retweets. Ann Plast Surg. 2020; 85: 100–104. https://doi.org/10.1097/SAP.0000000000002289 PMID: 32079812 25. References Checketts JX, Hunt T, Checketts BR, Scott JT, Johnson M, Boose M, et al. Analysis of Social Media Perceptions Among Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Applicants and Social Media Use by Residency Programs During the 2020 to 2021 Cycle. JB JS Open Access. 2021; 6: e21.00083. https://doi.org/10. 2106/JBJS.OA.21.00083 PMID: 34957367 26. Salazar J. Inverted u-shaped impact of social media posting frequency on engagement and sentiment ratio. Empirical Quests for Management Essences. 2017; 1:1–15. https://researchberg.com/index.php/ eqme/article/view/31. 27. Pflibsen LR, Deckey DG, Brinkman JC, Tummala SV, Casey WJ, Teven C. The Effects of Website and Social Media Presence of Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Programs on Prospective Applicants. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 2022. 88(6): 599–605. https://doi.org/10.1097/SAP.0000000000003064 28. Irwin TJ, Amador RO, Leto Barone AA, Veeravagu LB, Sherif RD, Fox PM, et al. Are All Posts Created Equal? A Review of Academic Plastic Surgery Residency Programs’ Social Media Engagement Statis- tics. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2021; 148(4): 700e–702e. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000008379 PMID: 34495905 29. The American Collge of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. Diversity, Equity & Inclusive Excellence at ACOG. [Cited April 10, 2022]. https://www.acog.org/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusive-excellence. 30. Maisner RS, Kapadia K, Keenan E, Ravikumar V, Ayyala HS, Lee ES. A Social Media Analysis of Well- ness Culture in Plastic Surgery Residency. Ann Plast Surg. 2022; 88(3): S250–S256. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/SAP.0000000000003191 PMID: 35513328 31. Kesselheim JC, Batra M, Belmonte F, Boland KA, McGregor RS. New professionalism challenges in medical training: an exploration of social networking. J Grad Med Educ. 2014; 6(1): 100–5. https://doi. org/10.4300/JGME-D-13-00132.1 PMID: 24701318 32. Professional Use of Digital and Social Media. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 791. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol. 2019; 134: e117–e121. https://doi.org/10.1097/ AOG.0000000000003451 PMID: 31568367 33. American Medical Association. Professionalism in the Use of Social Media. [Cited March 10, 2022]. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/ethics/professionalism-use-social-media. 34. Logghe HJ, Boeck MA, Gusani NJ, et al. Best Practices for Surgeons’ Social Media Use: Statement of the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons. J Am Coll Surg. 2018; 226 (3):317–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2017.11.022 PMID: 29224795 35. Langenfeld SJ, Vargo DJ, Schenarts PJ. Balancing Privacy and Professionalism: A Survey of General Surgery Program Directors on Social Media and Surgical Education. J Surg Educ. 2016; 73: e28–e32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2016.07.010 PMID: 27524278 36. Hardouin S, Cheng TW, Mitchell EL, Raulli SJ, Jones DW, Siracuse JJ, et al. RETRACTED: Prevalence of unprofessional social media content among young vascular surgeons. J Vasc Surg. 2020; 72: 667– 671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2019.10.069 PMID: 31882313 37. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024 References Pillow MT, Hopson L, Bond M, Cabrera D, Patterson L, Pearson D, et al. Social media guidelines and best practices: recommendations from the Council of Residency Directors Social Media Task Force. West J Emerg Med. 2014; 15:2 6–30. https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2013.7.14945 PMID: 24578765 13 / 13 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296930 May 6, 2024
https://openalex.org/W1990949373
https://eurapa.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1007/s11556-013-0130-z
English
null
Physical activity is inversely related to drug consumption in elderly patients with cardiovascular events
European review of aging and physical activity/European review on aging and physical activity
2,013
cc-by
4,816
Physical activity is inversely related to drug consumption in elderly patients with cardiovascular events Francesco Cacciatore & Francesca Mazzella & Luisa Viati & Giancarlo Longobardi & Antonio Magliocca & Claudia Basile & Livia Guadagno & Nicola Ferrara & Franco Rengo & Pasquale Abete Received: 3 July 2012 /Accepted: 20 April 2013 /Published online: 8 May 2013 # European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity (EGREPA) 2013 Abstract Elderly patients with cardiovascular events are char- acterized by high drug consumptions. Whether high drug consumptions are related to physical activity is not known. In order to examine whether physical activity is related to drug consumption in the elderly, patients older than 65 years (n= 250) with a recent cardiovascular event were studied. Physical activity was analyzed according to the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) score and related to drug consumption. PASE score was 72.4±45.0 and drug consumption was 8.3± 2.2. Elderly patients with greater comorbidity took more drugs (8.7±2.1) and are less active (PASE=64.4±50.6) than patients with Cumulative Illness Rating Scale severity score higher than 1.8 than those with a score lower than 1.8 (76.3±41.4, p <0.05, and 8.0±2.0, p=0.006, respectively). Multivariate anal- ysis correlation confirmed that PASE score is negatively asso- ciated with drug consumption (β=−0.149, p=0.031), independently of several variables including comorbidity. Thus, physical activity is inversely related to drug consump- tion in elderly patients with cardiovascular events. This inverse relationship may be attributable to the high degree of comor- bidity observed in elderly patients in whom poor level of physical activity and high drug consumption are predominant. Keywords Physical activity . Drug consumption . Elderly . Cardiovascular event Keywords Physical activity . Drug consumption . Elderly . Cardiovascular event Eur Rev Aging Phys Act (2013) 10:151–156 DOI 10.1007/s11556-013-0130-z Eur Rev Aging Phys Act (2013) 10:151–156 DOI 10.1007/s11556-013-0130-z ORIGINAL RESEARCH F. Cacciatore: F. Mazzella: L. Viati: G. Longobardi: N. Ferrara: F. Rengo Istituto Scientifico di Campoli/Telese, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, IRCCS, Benevento, Italy F. Cacciatore, F. Mazzella, L. Viati, G. Longobardi, A. Magliocca, C. Basile, L. Guadagno: Collecting data and prepare statistical data. N. Ferrara, F. Rengo: Data interpretation. P. Abete: Perform the manuscript. F. Cacciatore: A. Magliocca: C. Basile: L. Guadagno: N. Ferrara: F. Rengo: P. Abete (*) Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Traslazionali, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Naples 80131, Italy e-mail: p.abete@unina.it F. Cacciatore: F. Mazzella: L. Viati: G. Longobardi: N. Ferrara: F. Rengo Istituto Scientifico di Campoli/Telese, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, IRCCS, Benevento, Italy F. Cacciatore: A. Magliocca: C. Basile: L. Guadagno: N. Ferrara: F. Rengo: P. Abete (*) Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Traslazionali, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Naples 80131, Italy e-mail: p.abete@unina.it Introduction Epidemiologic studies clearly demonstrate that cardiovascu- lar diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in most countries [25]. Moreover, a rise in cardiovascular disease mortality rates is expected in developing countries over the next 25 years due to the increase of the aging population [25]. Indeed, the vast majority of people aged ≥65 years is characterized by a condition of comorbidity and disability [6, 32]. Both conditions lead to a frailty state and, therefore, to high drug consumption [5, 29]. F. Cacciatore, F. Mazzella, L. Viati, G. Longobardi, A. Magliocca, C. Basile, L. Guadagno: Collecting data and prepare statistical data. N. Ferrara, F. Rengo: Data interpretation. P. Abete: Perform the manuscript. F. Cacciatore, F. Mazzella, L. Viati, G. Longobardi, A. Magliocca, C. Basile, L. Guadagno: Collecting data and prepare statistical data. N. Ferrara, F. Rengo: Data interpretation. P. Abete: Perform the manuscript. Elderly subjects represent 13 % of the US population, but receive 34 % of all drug prescriptions [31]. One recent large survey of community-dwelling subjects showed that more than 90 % of individuals aged ≥65 years took at least one drug weekly, more than 40 % used five or more drugs weekly, and 12 % used ten or more drugs weekly [18]. In the UK, elderly patients take on average two to five pre- scription medications on a regular basis (4±1), and polypharmacy occurs in 20–50 % of patients [19]. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11556-013-0130-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. To reduce drug use in the elderly population, several types of interventions and strategies have been tested, including educational interventions (i.e., continuing medical education) Eur Rev Aging Phys Act (2013) 10:151–156 152 depending on his or her need for help, such as in feeding, bathing, dressing, and walking. Total scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater degree of indepen- dence [9]. The 6-min walking test (6MWT) was performed on the second day after hospital admission in all patients and, in any case, within the first week after hospitalization. Patients were instructed to walk as far as possible along a 40-m straight, flat hospital corridor in 6 min [22]. The test was symptom- limited, so patients who became symptomatic (e.g., angina, severe dyspnea, dizziness, and musculoskeletal pain) were told to stop walking and restart when possible. Introduction However, among other interventions aiming at the re- duction of drug consumption, physical activity can be consid- ered a good candidate. In fact, cardiorespiratory fitness (at least 30 min or more of moderate-intensity physical activity daily) appears as the strongest prognostic marker in persons with and without cardiovascular diseases [16]. In addition, a growing body of literature suggests that physical activity improves depressive symptoms, dementia, disability, and frailty and reduces mortality in elderly patients [17, 20]. To our knowledge, no data are available on the relation- ship between physical activity and drug consumption in the elderly. Thus, the aim of our study was to assess whether the degree of physical activity was associated with the number of drugs assumed in the elderly population undergoing a cardiac rehabilitation program after a cardiovascular event. Introduction Of the 250 enrolled patients, 24 (9.6 %) were not able to perform the 6-min walking test. These patients were not excluded, but their score was considered equal to 0. The test was supervised by a physical therapist who encouraged the patients in a standardized fashion at regular intervals. The total distance walked was measured to the nearest meter and recorded. The results of the 6MWT are given as absolute values in meters. Severity of comorbid con- ditions was evaluated by means of the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) [10]. The CIRS is accepted to be a valid and reliable measure of multiple morbidities. The index quan- tifies the burden of chronic illness in a patient by taking into account the number and severity of different illnesses across 14 anatomical and physiological systems. Each condition identi- fied was rated on a scale from 0 to 4, where 0 indicates that there is no problem affecting that system, 1 indicates a mild current problem or a past significant problem, 2 indicates a moderate problem requiring first-line therapy, 3 indicates a severe problem that may be associated with significant disabil- ity or is hard to control, and 4 indicates an extremely severe problem, organ failure, or severe functional impairment. Equi- librium and risk of fall were measured with the Tinetti Scale [33]. Social support evaluation with Social Support Assessment was scored from 4 (subjects with the highest support) to 1 (subjects with the lowest support) [23]. Neuro-sensitive evalu- ation with hearing impairment was scored from 1 (no hearing problem) to 4 (total deafness) [4]. Visual impairment was scored from 1 (no visual impairment) to 4 (blindness) [7]. Urinary and fecal incontinence was also assessed. Usual phys- ical activity performed before cardiac surgery was assessed by means of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) [35] on the second day after hospital admission in all patients and, in any case, within the first week. The PASE is a brief (5 min) and easily scored survey designed specifically to assess physical activity in epidemiologic studies of persons aged 65 years and older. The PASE assesses physical activity over a 1-week time frame. Participation in leisure activities, includ- ing walking outside the home; light, moderate, and strenuous sport and recreation; and muscle strengthening were recorded as never, seldom (1–2 days/week), sometimes (3–4 days/week), [28]. Study population The study enrolled 250 elderly (≥65 years) consecutive pa- tients admitted after cardiac surgery between January 2008 and July 2009 to the Division of Cardiac Rehabilitation. The study received full ethical approval from the “Research Ethics Committee.” All participants signed an informed consent form, and the institutional review boards of all participating institutions approved the study. The demographic and clinical variables of these patients were obtained at entry in the Divi- sion of Cardiac Rehabilitation Center. The following data were collected: age, sex, type of cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting—CABG or valve surgery), off-pump CABG, presence of coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic heart failure (CHF), previous stroke, chronic obstructive pul- monary disease (COPD), diabetes, and renal failure (creati- nine level≥2.0 mg/dl). The total number of drug and the type of drug used were assessed at entry. All procedures followed were in accordance with the eth- ical standards of the responsible committee on human exper- imentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for inclusion in the study. Comprehensive geriatric multidimensional evaluation Comprehensive geriatric multidimensional evaluation Patients underwent a comprehensive geriatric multidimensional evaluation within the third day after admission, which included cognitive function evaluation with the Mini Mental State Ex- amination [24] and evaluation of depressive symptoms with the Geriatric Depression Scale [36]. Disability was assessed by means of the Barthel Index, which evaluates a patient’s self- care abilities in ten areas, including bowel and bladder control. The patient is scored from 0 to 15 points in various categories Eur Rev Aging Phys Act (2013) 10:151–156 153 Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the 250 patients enrolled in the study Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the 250 patients enrolled in the study recorded in total hours per week. Housework (light and heavy), lawn work/yard care, home repair, outdoor gardening, and caring for others are recorded as yes/no. Frequency and dura- tion of household activities were not requested. The total PASE score was computed by multiplying the amount of time spent in each activity (hours/week) or participation (yes/no) in an activ- ity by the empirically derived item weights and summing over all activities. Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the 250 patients enrolled in the study Age (years±SD) 73.3±4.8 Female sex, n (%) 120 (48.0) BMI (kg/m2) 27.5±5.7 Waist circumference (cm) 103.7±11.5 CABG, n (%) 194 (77.6) Valve surgery, n (%) 80 (32.0) Off-pump CABG, n (%) 152 (60.8) Geriatric multidimensional evaluation MMSE (score) 23.3±4.9 GDS (score) 3.9 ±2.5 Tinetti score 9.3±4.3 Visual impairment, n (%) 103 (41.2) Hearing impairment, n (%) 44 (17.6) Social support score 5.6±2.6 PASE 72.4±45.0 Barthel Index 74.0±21.5 6-min walking test 190.9±95.5 Comorbidities CIRS severity score 1.8±0.4 CHF, n (%) 10 (4.0) CAD, n (%) 202 (80.8) Stroke, n (%) 30 (12.0) COPD, n (%) 106 (42.4) Diabetes, n (%) 142 (56.8) Renal failure, n (%) 34 (13.6) Drug consumption Total drugs used 8.3±2.2 Diuretic, n (%) 223 (89.2) ASA, n (%) 178 (71.2) ACE inhibitors, n (%) 144 (57.6) Statins, n (%) 136 (54.4) Bisoprolol, n (%) 110 (44.0) Amiodaron, n (%) 73 (29.2) Carvedilol, n (%) 66 (26.4) Steroids, n (%) 66 (26.4) Metformin, n (%) 65 (26.0) Warfarin, n (%) 52 (20.8) Insulin, n (%) 51 (20.4) Nitrates, n (%) 51 (20.4) CABG coronary artery bypass grafting, PASE Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, CIRS Cumulative Index Rating Scale, CAD coronary artery disease COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Statistical analysis Continuous variables are expressed as the mean±SD. Cate- gorical data are expressed as frequencies and percentages. Univariate analysis (ANOVA) examined the differences in drug use in patients with and without CABG, off-pump CABG, valve surgery, heart failure, CAD, stroke, COPD, diabetes, and renal failure. Univariate regression analysis was used to find a correlation among the number of drugs used and other variables such as age, female sex, MMSE and GDS scores, CIRS score, Barthel Index, 6MWT, PASE, CABG, Op-CABG, valve surgery, CAD, CHF, stroke, COPD, diabetes, and renal failure. Multiple linear regressions among the number of drugs used and variables were found significant at univariate analysis. CIRS was also included into the multi- variate regression model as a potential confounder. All statistical analyses were performed with SPSS soft- ware (version 15.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). A value of p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. CABG coronary artery bypass grafting, PASE Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, CIRS Cumulative Index Rating Scale, CAD coronary artery disease, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Measure of outcomes Each active ingredient was considered as a drug; the total number of drugs was evaluated at entry to the Division of Cardiac Rehabilitation. We measured specifically the use of β-blockers (bisoprolol, atenolol, sotalol), digoxin, diuretic, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor inhibitors, nitrates, alpha-blockers, amiodaron, dihidropiridines, diltiazem, ve- rapamil, metformin, glibenclamide, repanglide, insulin, ASA, warfarin, steroids, theophylline, and statins. Drugs consumed over 20 % were reported in Table 1. Other drugs were counted and assessed as total number of drugs. Polypharmacy in the elderly Polypharmacy in the elderly Surveys of community-based elderly patients indicate that two to nine prescription medications on average are taken per day [15]. It has been found that 57 % of US women aged ≥65 years took five or more prescription medications, while 12 % took ten or more medications [18]. Similarly, a large study in Europe found that 51 % of patients took six or more medications per day [13]. Accordingly, in our study, the number of drugs used was 8.3±2.2. It should also underline the types of medications that are being consumed. A large national survey found that the most common drugs used in non-institutionalized patients were estrogen products, levothyroxine, hydrochlorothiazide, atorva- statin, and lisinopril [18], while cardiovascular agents, antibi- otics, diuretics, opioids, and antihyperlipidemics were the most frequently used drugs in Medicare patients [14]. Similarly, in our sample, diuretics, followed by salicylate and angiotensin- converting enzyme inhibitors, were the drugs more commonly used. Table 2 Univariate and multivariate linear regression on drug consumption Variable Univariate Multivariate β p β p Age 0.176 0.005 0.163 0.031 Sex (female) −0.021 0.739 – – GDS 0.301 0.000 0.254 0.000 PASE −0.219 0.000 −0.150 0.031 Barthel Index −0.143 0.024 0.053 0.536 6MWT −0.153 0.016 0.041 0.636 CIRS 0.099 0.118 0.095 0.159 MMSE −0.104 0.111 – – CABG 0.164 0.009 0.089 0.370 OPCABG 0.076 0.232 – – Valve surgery −0.116 0.066 – – CHF −0.044 0.487 – – CAD 0.173 0.006 0.092 0.336 Stroke 0.023 0.713 – – COPD 0.151 0.017 0.051 0.457 Diabetes 0.205 0.001 0.090 0.165 Renal failure 0.212 0.001 0.160 0.016 GDS Geriatric Depression Scale, PASE Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, 6MWT 6-min walking test, CABG coronary artery bypass grafting, CAD coronary artery disease, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Table 2 Univariate and multivariate linear regression on drug consumption Many consequences may be associated with polypharmacy. Patients are at an increased risk of having an adverse drug reaction (ADR), geriatric syndromes, and morbidity/mortality. The risk of ADRs may increase with increased number of drugs taken and with age-related pharmacodynamic alterations [12]. ADRs, defined as noxious and unintended reactions which occur at dosages normally used in humans for prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy, have been reported to occur in 5–35 % of outpatients and account for 12 % of hospital admissions in older patients [14, 15, 26]. Results The sample consisted of 250 elderly patients (mean age=73.3 ±4.8 years, range=65–89 years); 120 (48.0 %) were women. One hundred seventy (68 %) underwent cardiac surgery for CABG, 24 patients (9.6 %) had CABG and valve replacement (n=20 aorta valve, n=4 mitral valve), while 56 (22.4 %) had valve replacement (n=38 aorta, n=16 mitral valve replace- ment). In two patients, both valves were replaced. Off-pump CABG was used in 152 (89.4 %) patients. Baseline measurements, geriatric multidimensional eval- uation, comorbidities, and drug consumption are presented in Table 1. Prevalence of comorbidity was high in this population considering the 80.8 % prevalence of CAD, 12.0 % of stroke, 42.4 % of COPD, 56.8 % of diabetes, 4 % of CHF, and 13.6 % of renal failure. CIRS severity Eur Rev Aging Phys Act (2013) 10:151–156 154 Fig. 1 Linear correlation between physical activity (PASE score) and number of drug consumption in elderly patients with cardiovascular events score was 1.8±0.4, but 33.6 % had a CIRS severity score >1.8. PASE score was 72.4±45.0 (range=0–192), Barthel Index was 74.0±21.5 (range=0–100), while 6MWT was 190.9±95.5 m (range=0–401). Mean drug consumption was 8.3±2.2 (range=4–14). The highest drug consumption was diuretic (89.2 %), followed by salicylate (71.2 %) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (57.6 %; Table 1). Moreover, in elderly patients with CIRS severity score higher than 1.8, the PASE score was lower (64.4±50.6) and drug consumption higher (8.7±2.1) than those with CIRS severity score lower than 1.8 (76.3±41.4, p<0.05; 8.0±2.0, p=0.006, respectively). Fig. 1 Linear correlation between physical activity (PASE score) and number of drug consumption in elderly patients with cardiovascular events Linear regression analysis demonstrates that age and GDS score were positively while PASE, Barthel Index, and 6MWT were negatively correlated with drug con- sumption (Table 2). When the PASE score is plotted with drug consumption, a significant inverse linear re- lation was observed (y=−8.4+146.7x, r=0.38, p<0.001; Fig. 1). Accordingly, multivariate linear regression con- firmed that age, GDS score, and renal failure are posi- tively associated while, more importantly, the PASE score is negatively, and more importantly, independently associated with drug consumption, independently of CIRS severity (Table 2). Discussion Our study demonstrates that physical activity is inversely related to drug consumption in elderly subjects with cardio- vascular events undergoing cardiac surgery. These results demonstrate that physical activity is inversely associated in- dependently with several variables, including comorbidity. Interventions to reduce polypharmacy in the elderly Risk factors of polypharmacy have been identified and clas- sified into three groups: demographic (increased age, white race, and education); health status (depression, hypertension, anemia, asthma, angina, diverticulosis, osteoarthritis, gout, and diabetes mellitus); and access to health care (number of health care visits, supplemental insurance, and multiple pro- viders) [15]. In particular, pharmacodynamic and pharmaco- kinetic alterations with advancing age have been observed [12]. In our sample, drug consumption was inversely related to physical activity in univariate analysis. More importantly, an inverse relationship was confirmed at multivariate analysis independently by several variables, including diseases highly prevalent in the elderly (i.e., COPD and diabetes). We conclude that physical activity is inversely related to drug consumption in elderly patients with cardiovascular events undergoing cardiac surgery. This inverse relationship may be attributable to the high degree of comorbidity ob- served in elderly subjects with poor level of physical activity. Conflict of interest F. Cacciatore, F. Mazzella, L. Viati, G. Longo- bardi, A. Magliocca, C. Basile, L. Guadagno, N. Ferrara, F. Rengo, P. Abete declare that they have no conflict of interest. In addition, the greater comorbidity severity observed in our cohort was associated with elevated drug consumption and low physical activity. The presence of a high degree of comorbidity may surely influence poor physical activity and the large number of drugs consumed. This scenario is wors- ened by a superimposed aging process which is associated with physiologic changes that naturally predispose older adults to progressive weakening, functional decline, mor- bidity, disability, poor quality of life, and increased mortality [30]. In contrast, regular exercise provides many physiolog- ic benefits, reduces risk of disease outcomes, and triggers important psychological gains [1, 11]. There is strong evi- dence that regular physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and, therefore, the increased related drug consumption [3]. Because of the preventive effects on cardiovascular disease, physical activity has beneficial ef- fects on functional limitations and health-related quality of life in older adults, such as drug consumption. Informed consent All subjects were fully informed of the proce- dures involved and provided written consent. Ethical statement The study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the World Medical Association’s Dec- laration of Helsinki on medical research involving human subjects. References 1. Abete P, Ferrara N, Cacciatore F, Sagnelli E, Manzi M, Carnovale V, Calabrese C, de Santis D, Testa G, Longobardi G, Napoli C, Rengo F (2001) High level of physical activity preserves the cardioprotective effect of preinfarction angina in elderly patients. J Am Coll Cardiol 38(5):1357–1365 2. Agostini JV, Han L, Tinetti ME (2004) The relationship between number of medications and weight loss or impaired balance in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 52(10):1719–1723 Polypharmacy in the elderly More importantly, the risk of ADRs is strongly associated with multiple comorbidities [15], as 155 Eur Rev Aging Phys Act (2013) 10:151–156 cognitive impairment [34]. In addition, regularly active per- sons were hospitalized less often than inactive persons, made fewer physician visits, and, more importantly, con- sumed a lower number of drugs [27]. Although the inter- pretation of our data would require an experimental design instead of a purely descriptive one, the critical point of our results is the relationship between physical activity and health conditions that might limit participation in physical activity (i.e., the presented findings do not necessarily imply that increasing physical activity reduces drug consumption). Physical inactivity may be both the cause and the effect of disabling disease; therefore, it may be responsible for the high drug consumption. Moreover, the effect of physical activity on drug consumption is independent of comorbidity (i.e., CIRS) in our multivariate model. confirmed by our results. Polypharmacy in the elderly has also been associated with geriatric syndrome as a cognitive impair- ment [21] and falls [2]. In our cohort, elderly patients, together with high drug consumption, were characterized by cognitive impairment (MMSE<24). Finally, polypharmacy has been as- sociated with a decline of physical and instrumental activities of daily living [8]. Accordingly, our elderly patients presented a Barthel Index<75. ( ) 3. Buchner DM (2009) Physical activity and prevention of cardio- vascular disease in older adults. Clin Geriatr Med 25(4):661–675 Considerations and conclusions Collin C, Wade DT, Davies S, Horne V (1988) The Barthel ADL Index: a reliability study. Intern Disabil Study 10(2):61–63 24. Measso G, Cavarzeran F, Zappalà G (1993) The Mini-Mental State Examination: normative study of an Italian random sample. Develop Neuropsychol 9:77–85 10. Conwell Y, Forbes NT, Cox C, Caine ED (1993) Validation of a measure of physical illness burden at autopsy: the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. J Am Geriatr Soc 41(1):38–41 25. Napoli C, Cacciatore F (2009) Novel pathogenic insights in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Progr Cardiovasc Dis 51(6):503–523 11. Della Morte D, Abete P, Gallucci F, Scaglione A, D’Ambrosio D, Gargiulo G, De Rosa G, Dave KR, Lin HW, Cacciatore F, Mazzella F, Uomo G, Rundek T, Perez-Pinzon MA, Rengo F (2008) Transient ischemic attack before nonlacunar ischemic stroke in the elderly. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 17(5):257–262 26. Onder G, Pedone C, Landi F, Cesari M, Della Vedova C, Bernabei R, Gambassi G (2002) Adverse drug reactions as cause of hospital a d m i s s i o n s : r e s u l t s f r o m t h e I t a l i a n G r o u p o f Pharmacoepidemiology in the Elderly (GIFA). J Am Geriatr Soc 50(12):1962–1968 12. Ferrara N, Davis K, Abete P, Rengo F, Harding SE (1997) Alterations in beta-adrenoceptor mechanisms in the aging heart. Relationship with heart failure. Aging Clin Exp Res 9(6):391–403 27. Pratt M, Macera CA, Wang G (2000) Higher direct medical costs associated with physical inactivity. Phys Sports Med 28(10):63–70 13. Fialová D, Topinková E, Gambassi G, Finne-Soveri H, Jónsson PV, Carpenter I, Schroll M, Onder G, Sǿrbye LW, Wagner C, Reissigovà J, Bernabei R, AdHOC Project Research Group (2005) Potentially inappropriate medication use among elderly home care patients in Europe. JAMA 293(11):1348–1358 28. Rahme E, Choquette D, Beaulieu M, Bessette L, Joseph L, Toubouti Y, Leloriel J (2005) Impact of a general practitioner educational intervention on osteoarthritis treatment in an elderly population. Am J Med 118(11):1262–1270 29. Rockwood K, Mitnitski A (2011) Frailty defined by deficit accu- mulation and geriatric medicine defined by frailty. Clin Geriatr Med 27(1):17–26 14. Gurwitz JH, Field TS, Harrold LR, Rothschild J, Debellis K, Seger AC, Cadoret C, Fish LS, Garber L, Kelleher M, Bates DW (2003) Incidence and preventability of adverse drug events among older persons in the ambulatory setting. Considerations and conclusions 3. Buchner DM (2009) Physical activity and prevention of cardio- vascular disease in older adults. Clin Geriatr Med 25(4):661–675 3. Buchner DM (2009) Physical activity and prevention of cardio- vascular disease in older adults. Clin Geriatr Med 25(4):661–675 Exercise may exert protective effects on (a) cardiovascular disease by several mechanisms, including lowering choles- terol and decreasing blood pressure and heart rate; (b) im- munological system by decreasing the rates of cancer; (c) glucose metabolism by preventing or controlling hypergly- cemia and diabetes and, therefore, insulin sensitivity; (d) obesity by increasing basal metabolism and muscle-to-fat ratio; and (e) mental health by decreasing depression and 4. Cacciatore F, Abete P, Maggi S, Luchetti G, Calabrese C, Viati L, Leosco D, Ferrara N, Vitale DF, Rengo F (2004) Disability and 6- year mortality in elderly population. Role of visual impairment. Aging Clin Exp Res 16(5):382–388 5. Cacciatore F, Abete P, Mazzella F, Viati L, Della Morte D, D’Ambrosio D, Gargiulo G, Testa G, De Santis D, Galizia G, Ferrara N, Rengo F (2005) Frailty predicts long-term mortality in elderly subjects with chronic heart failure. Eur J Clin Invest 35(12):723–730 156 Eur Rev Aging Phys Act (2013) 10:151–156 21. Larson EB, Kukull WA, Buchner D, Reifler BV (1987) Adverse drug reactions associated with global cognitive impairment in elderly persons. Ann Intern Med 107(2):169–173 6. Cacciatore F, Gallo C, Ferrara N, Abete P, Paolisso G, Canonico S, Signoriello G, Terracciano C, Napoli C, Varricchio M, Rengo F (1998) Morbidity patterns in aged population in southern Italy. A survey sampling. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 26(3):201–213 survey sampling. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 26(3):201–213 22. Lipkin DP, Scriven AJ, Crake T, Poole-Wilson PA (1986) Six minute walking test for assessing exercise capacity in chronic heart failure. BMJ 292(6521):653–655 7. Cacciatore F, Napoli C, Abete P, Marciano E, Triassi M, Rengo F (1999) Quality of life determinants and hearing function in an elderly population: Osservatorio Geriatrico Campano Study Group. Gerontology 45(6):323–328 23. Mazzella F, Cacciatore F, Galizia G, Della Morte D, Rossetti M, Abbruzzese R, Langellotto A, Avolio D, Gargiulo G, Ferrara N, Rengo F, Abete P (2010) Social support and long-term mortality in the elderly: role of comorbidity. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 51(3):323– 328 8. Cadigan DA, Magaziner J, Fedder DO (1989) Polymedicine use among community resident older women: how much a problem? Am J Public Health 79(11):1537–1540 9. Considerations and conclusions JAMA 289(9):1107–1116 30. Sattelmair JR, Pertman JH, Forman DE (2009) Effects of physical activity on cardiovascular and noncardiovascular outcomes in older adults. Clin Geriatr Med 25(4):677–702 15. Hajjar ER, Cafiero AC, Hanlon JT (2007) Polypharmacy in elderly patients. Am J Geriatr Pharmacother 5(4):345–351 31. Shi S, Mörike K, Klotz U (2008) The clinical implications of ageing for rational drug therapy. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 64(2):183–199 16. Ignarro LJ, Balestrieri ML, Napoli C (2007) Nutrition, physical activity, and cardiovascular disease: an update. Cardiovasc Res 73(2):326–340 17. Katzmarzyk PT, Leon AS, Rankinen T, Gagnon J, Skinner JS, Wilmore JH, Rao DC, Bouchard C (2001) Changes in blood lipids consequent to aerobic exercise training related to changes in body fatness and aerobic fitness. Metabolism 50(7):841–848 32. Testa G, Cacciatore F, Galizia G, Della Morte D, Mazzella F, Russo S, Ferrara N, Rengo F, Abete P (2009) Charlson Comorbidity Index does not predict long-term mortality in elderly subjects with chronic heart failure. Age Ageing 38(6):734–740 18. Kaufman DW, Kelly JP, Rosenberg L, Anderson TE, Mitchell AA (2002) Recent patterns of medication use in the ambulatory adult popu- lation of the United States: the Slone survey. JAMA 287(3):337–344 33. Tinetti ME, Richman D, Powell L (1990) Falls efficacy as a measure of fear of falling. J Gerontol 45(6):239–243 34. Warburton DE, Nicol CW, Bredin SS (2006) Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ 174(6):801–809 19. Kennerfalk A, Ruigómez A, Wallander MA, Wilhelmsen L, Johansson S (2002) Geriatric drug therapy and healthcare utiliza- tion in the United Kingdom. Ann Pharmacother 36(5):797–803 35. Washburn RA, McAuley E, Katula J, Mihalko SL, Boileau RA (1999) The Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE): evi- dence for validity. J Clin Epidemiol 52(7):643–651 20. Landi F, Abbatecola AM, Provinciali M, Corsonello A, Bustacchini S, Manigrasso L, Cherubini A, Bernabei R, Lattanzio F (2010) Moving against frailty: does physical activity matter? Biogerontology 11(5):537–545 36. Yesavage JA, Brink TL, Rose TL, Lum O, Huang V, Adey M, Leirer VO (1983) Development and validation for geriatric depression screening scale: a preliminary report. J Psych Res 17(1):37–49