Trinkerszenen im öffentlichen Raum: ein Städtevergleich.

Ein ethnographischer Vergleich von Trinkerszenen in fünf Schweizer Städten zeigt eine zunehmende Reglementierung und konsumorientierte Ökonomisierung des öffentlichen Raums und entsprechende Ausgrenzungsmechanismen gegenüber den sich dort aufhaltenden Gruppen. Die Politik der Städte weist jedoch auch erhebliche Unterschiede auf.

Critical evaluation of outcome scales assessment of lateral ankle ligament reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Outcome following foot and ankle surgery can be assessed by disease- and region-specific scores. Many scoring systems exist, making comparison among studies difficult. The present study focused on outcome measures for a common foot and ankle abnormality and compared the results obtained by 2 disease-specific and 2 body region-specific scores. METHODS: We reviewed 41 patients who underwent lateral ankle ligament reconstruction. Four outcome scales were administered simultaneously: the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) and the Chronic Ankle Instability Scale (CAIS), which are disease specific, and the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) hindfoot scale and the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM), which are both body region-specific. The degree of correlation between scores was assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient. Nonparametric tests, the Kruskal-Wallis and the Mann-Whitney test for pairwise comparison of the scores, were performed. RESULTS: A significant difference (P < .005) was observed between the CAIS and the AOFAS score (P = .0002), between the CAIS and the FAAM 1 (P = .0001), and between the CAIT and the AOFAS score (P = .0003). CONCLUSIONS: This study compared the performances of 4 disease- and body region-specific scoring systems. We demonstrated a correlation between the 4 administered scoring systems and notable differences between the results given by each of them. Disease-specific scores appeared more accurate than body region-specific scores. A strong correlation between the AOFAS score and the other scales was observed. The FAAM seemed a good compromise because it offered the possibility to evaluate the patient according to his or her own functional demand. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The present study contributes to the development of more critical and accurate outcome assesment methods in foot and ankle surgery.

Martensitic transitions and the nature of ferromagnetism in the austenitic and martensitic states of Ni-Mn-Sn alloys

Structural and magnetic transformations in the Heusler-based system Ni0.50Mn0.50¿xSnx are studied by x-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and magnetization. The structural transformations are of austenitic-martensitic character. The austenite state has an L21 structure, whereas the structures of the martensite can be 10M , 14M , or L10 depending on the Sn composition. For samples that undergo martensitic transformations below and around room temperature, it is observed that the magnetic exchange in both parent and product phases is ferromagnetic, but the ferromagnetic exchange, characteristic of each phase, is found to be of different strength. This gives rise to different Curie temperatures for the austenitic and martensitic states.

Magnetic superelasticity and inverse magnetocaloric effect in Ni-Mn-In

Applying a magnetic field to a ferromagnetic Ni50Mn34In16 alloy in the martensitic state induces a structural phase transition to the austenitic state. This is accompanied by a strain which recovers on removing the magnetic field, giving the system a magnetically superelastic character. A further property of this alloy is that it also shows the inverse magnetocaloric effect. The magnetic superelasticity and the inverse magnetocaloric effect in Ni-Mn-In and their association with the first-order structural transition are studied by magnetization, strain, and neutron-diffraction studies under magnetic field.

Cooling and heating by adiabatic magnetization in Ni50Mn34In16 magnetic shape-memory alloy

We report on measurements of the adiabatic temperature change in the inverse magnetocaloric Ni50Mn34In16 alloy. It is shown that this alloy heats up with the application of a magnetic field around the Curie point due to the conventional magnetocaloric effect. In contrast, the inverse magnetocaloric effect associated with the martensitic transition results in the unusual decrease of temperature by adiabatic magnetization. We also provide magnetization and specific heat data which enable to compare the measured temperature changes to the values indirectly computed from thermodynamic relationships. Good agreement is obtained for the conventional effect at the second-order paramagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition. However, at the first-order structural transition the measured values at high fields are lower than the computed ones. Irreversible thermodynamics arguments are given to show that such a discrepancy is due to the irreversibility of the first-order martensitic transition.

Sex-stratified genome-wide association studies including 270,000 individuals show sexual dimorphism in genetic loci for anthropometric traits.

Given the anthropometric differences between men and women and previous evidence of sex-difference in genetic effects, we conducted a genome-wide search for sexually dimorphic associations with height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-to-hip-ratio (133,723 individuals) and took forward 348 SNPs into follow-up (additional 137,052 individuals) in a total of 94 studies. Seven loci displayed significant sex-difference (FDR<5%), including four previously established (near GRB14/COBLL1, LYPLAL1/SLC30A10, VEGFA, ADAMTS9) and three novel anthropometric trait loci (near MAP3K1, HSD17B4, PPARG), all of which were genome-wide significant in women (P<5×10(-8)), but not in men. Sex-differences were apparent only for waist phenotypes, not for height, weight, BMI, or hip circumference. Moreover, we found no evidence for genetic effects with opposite directions in men versus women. The PPARG locus is of specific interest due to its role in diabetes genetics and therapy. Our results demonstrate the value of sex-specific GWAS to unravel the sexually dimorphic genetic underpinning of complex traits.

Coexisting ferro- and antiferromagnetism in Ni2MnAl Heusler alloys

The structural and magnetic properties of stoichiometric Ni2MnAl are studied to clarify the conditions for ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic ordering claimed to occur in this compound. X-ray and magnetization measurements show that although a single phase B2 structure can be stabilized at room temperature, a single L21 phase is not readily stabilized, but rather a mixed L21+B2 state occurs. The mixed state incorporates ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic parts for which close-lying Curie and a Néel temperatures can be identified from magnetization measurements.

Magnetic properties and martensitic transition in annealed Ni50Mn30Al20

We have studied the effect of heat treatment on the magnetic properties and on the martensitic transition of the Ni50Mn30Al20 alloy. A mixed L21+B2 state is obtained in the as-prepared sample, while no L21 order is retained in the sample quenched from high temperature. For the two heat treatments, the samples order antiferromagnetically, but there is evidence of coexisting ferromagnetic interactions. A martensitic transition occurs below the magnetic one for quenched samples. However, the martensitic transition is inhibited in the as-prepared sample.

Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height.

Most common human traits and diseases have a polygenic pattern of inheritance: DNA sequence variants at many genetic loci influence the phenotype. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified more than 600 variants associated with human traits, but these typically explain small fractions of phenotypic variation, raising questions about the use of further studies. Here, using 183,727 individuals, we show that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci, influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait. The large number of loci reveals patterns with important implications for genetic studies of common human diseases and traits. First, the 180 loci are not random, but instead are enriched for genes that are connected in biological pathways (P = 0.016) and that underlie skeletal growth defects (P < 0.001). Second, the likely causal gene is often located near the most strongly associated variant: in 13 of 21 loci containing a known skeletal growth gene, that gene was closest to the associated variant. Third, at least 19 loci have multiple independently associated variants, suggesting that allelic heterogeneity is a frequent feature of polygenic traits, that comprehensive explorations of already-discovered loci should discover additional variants and that an appreciable fraction of associated loci may have been identified. Fourth, associated variants are enriched for likely functional effects on genes, being over-represented among variants that alter amino-acid structure of proteins and expression levels of nearby genes. Our data explain approximately 10% of the phenotypic variation in height, and we estimate that unidentified common variants of similar effect sizes would increase this figure to approximately 16% of phenotypic variation (approximately 20% of heritable variation). Although additional approaches are needed to dissect the genetic architecture of polygenic human traits fully, our findings indicate that GWA studies can identify large numbers of loci that implicate biologically relevant genes and pathways.

Introducing a nationwide registry: the Swiss study on aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (Swiss SOS).

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) is a haemorrhagic form of stroke and occurs in a younger population compared with ischaemic stroke or intracerebral haemorrhage. It accounts for a large proportion of productive life-years lost to stroke. Its surgical and medical treatment represents a multidisciplinary effort. Due to the complexity of the disease, the management remains difficult to standardise and quality of care is accordingly difficult to assess. OBJECTIVE: To create a registry to assess management parameters of patients treated for aSAH in Switzerland. METHODS: A cohort study was initiated with the aim to record characteristics of patients admitted with aSAH, starting January 1st 2009. Ethical committee approval was obtained or is pending from the institutional review boards of all centres. In the study period, seven Swiss hospitals (five university [U], two non-university medical centres) harbouring a neurosurgery department, an intensive care unit and an interventional neuroradiology team so far agreed to participate in the registry (Aarau, Basel [U], Bern [U], Geneva [U], Lausanne [U], St. Gallen, Zürich [U]). Demographic and clinical parameters are entered into a common database. DISCUSSION: This database will soon provide (1) a nationwide assessment of the current standard of care and (2) the outcomes for patients suffering from aSAH in Switzerland. Based on data from this registry, we can conduct cohort comparisons or design diagnostic or therapeutic studies on a national level. Moreover, a standardised registration system will allow healthcare providers to assess the quality of care.

Novel Approach Identifies SNPs in SLC2A10 and KCNK9 with Evidence for Parent-of-Origin Effect on Body Mass Index.

The phenotypic effect of some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) depends on their parental origin. We present a novel approach to detect parent-of-origin effects (POEs) in genome-wide genotype data of unrelated individuals. The method exploits increased phenotypic variance in the heterozygous genotype group relative to the homozygous groups. We applied the method to >56,000 unrelated individuals to search for POEs influencing body mass index (BMI). Six lead SNPs were carried forward for replication in five family-based studies (of ∼4,000 trios). Two SNPs replicated: the paternal rs2471083-C allele (located near the imprinted KCNK9 gene) and the paternal rs3091869-T allele (located near the SLC2A10 gene) increased BMI equally (beta = 0.11 (SD), P<0.0027) compared to the respective maternal alleles. Real-time PCR experiments of lymphoblastoid cell lines from the CEPH families showed that expression of both genes was dependent on parental origin of the SNPs alleles (P<0.01). Our scheme opens new opportunities to exploit GWAS data of unrelated individuals to identify POEs and demonstrates that they play an important role in adult obesity.

Increased prevalence of bladder and intestinal dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is predominantly characterized by a progressive loss of motor function. While autonomic dysfunction has been described in ALS, little is known about the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and intestinal dysfunction. We investigated disease severity, LUTS and intestinal dysfunction in 43 patients with ALS attending our outpatient department applying the ALS functional rating scale, the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire, the Urinary Distress Inventory and the Cleveland Clinic Incontinence Score. Results were compared to the German population of a cross-sectional study assessing LUTS in the healthy population, the EPIC study. Results showed that urinary incontinence was increased in patients with ALS aged ≥ 60 years compared to the EPIC cohort (female: 50%/19% (ALS/EPIC), p = 0.026; male: 36%/11% (ALS/EPIC), p = 0.002). No difference was seen at 40-59 years of age. Urge incontinence was the predominant presentation (73% of symptoms). A high symptom burden was stated (ICIQ-SF quality of life subscore 5.5/10). Intake of muscle relaxants and anticholinergics was associated with both urinary incontinence and severity of symptoms. Furthermore, a high prevalence of constipation (46%), but not stool incontinence (9%), was noted. In conclusion, the increased prevalence of urge incontinence and high symptom burden imply that in patients with ALS, LUTS should be increasingly investigated for.

Clear detection of ADIPOQ locus as the major gene for plasma adiponectin: results of genome-wide association analyses including 4659 European individuals.

OBJECTIVE: Plasma adiponectin is strongly associated with various components of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular outcomes. Concentrations are highly heritable and differ between men and women. We therefore aimed to investigate the genetics of plasma adiponectin in men and women. METHODS: We combined genome-wide association scans of three population-based studies including 4659 persons. For the replication stage in 13795 subjects, we selected the 20 top signals of the combined analysis, as well as the 10 top signals with p-values less than 1.0 x 10(-4) for each the men- and the women-specific analyses. We further selected 73 SNPs that were consistently associated with metabolic syndrome parameters in previous genome-wide association studies to check for their association with plasma adiponectin. RESULTS: The ADIPOQ locus showed genome-wide significant p-values in the combined (p=4.3 x 10(-24)) as well as in both women- and men-specific analyses (p=8.7 x 10(-17) and p=2.5 x 10(-11), respectively). None of the other 39 top signal SNPs showed evidence for association in the replication analysis. None of 73 SNPs from metabolic syndrome loci exhibited association with plasma adiponectin (p>0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the ADIPOQ gene as the only major gene for plasma adiponectin, which explains 6.7% of the phenotypic variance. We further found that neither this gene nor any of the metabolic syndrome loci explained the sex differences observed for plasma adiponectin. Larger studies are needed to identify more moderate genetic determinants of plasma adiponectin.