Coevolutionary networks: a novel approach to understanding the relationships of humans with the infectious agents

Human organism is interpenetrated by the world of microorganisms, from the conception until the death. This interpenetration involves different levels of interactions between the partners including trophic exchanges, bi-directional cell signaling and gene activation, besides genetic and epigenetic phenomena, and tends towards mutual adaptation and coevolution. Since these processes are critical for the survival of individuals and species, they rely on the existence of a complex organization of adaptive systems aiming at two apparently conflicting purposes: the maintenance of the internal coherence of each partner, and a mutually advantageous coexistence and progressive adaptation between them. Humans possess three adaptive systems: the nervous, the endocrine and the immune system, each internally organized into subsystems functionally connected by intraconnections, to maintain the internal coherence of the system. The three adaptive systems aim at the maintenance of the internal coherence of the organism and are functionally linked by interconnections, in such way that what happens to one is immediately sensed by the others. The different communities of infectious agents that live within the organism are also organized into functional networks. The members of each community are linked by intraconnections, represented by the mutual trophic, metabolic and other influences, while the different infectious communities affect each other through interconnections. Furthermore, by means of its adaptive systems, the organism influences and is influenced by the microbial communities through the existence of transconnections. It is proposed that these highly complex and dynamic networks, involving gene exchange and epigenetic phenomena, represent major coevolutionary forces for humans and microorganisms.

Sex-related and non-sex-related comorbidity subtypes of tic disorders: a latent class approach.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent evidence suggests that there may be more than one Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS)/tic disorder phenotype. However, little is known about the common patterns of these GTS/tic disorder-related comorbidities. In addition, sex-specific phenomenological data of GTS/tic disorder-affected adults are rare. Therefore, this community-based study used latent class analyses (LCA) to investigate sex-related and non-sex-related subtypes of GTS/tic disorders and their most common comorbidities. METHODS: The data were drawn from the PsyCoLaus study (n = 3691), a population-based survey conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland. LCA were performed on the data of 80 subjects manifesting motor/vocal tics during their childhood/adolescence. Comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, depressive, phobia and panic symptoms/syndromes comprised the selected indicators. The resultant classes were characterized by psychosocial correlates. RESULTS: In LCA, four latent classes provided the best fit to the data. We identified two male-related classes. The first class exhibited both ADHD and depression. The second class comprised males with only depression. Class three was a female-related class depicting obsessive thoughts/compulsive acts, phobias and panic attacks. This class manifested high psychosocial impairment. Class four had a balanced sex proportion and comorbid symptoms/syndromes such as phobias and panic attacks. The complementary occurrence of comorbid obsessive thoughts/compulsive acts and ADHD impulsivity was remarkable. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study applying LCA to community data of GTS symptoms/tic disorder-affected persons. Our findings support the utility of differentiating GTS/tic disorder subphenotypes on the basis of comorbid syndromes.

Traitement du décollement de rétine du pseudophaque: étude rétrospective comparant la vitrectomie sans indentation au traitement ab-externo [Vitrectomy without scleral buckle versus ab-externo approach for pseudophakic retinal detachment: comparative retrospective study].

PURPOSE: Retinal detachment (RD) is a major complication of cataract surgery, which can be treated by either primary vitrectomy without indentation or the scleral buckling procedure. The aim of this study is to compare the results of these two techniques for the treatment of pseudophakic RD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The charts of 40 patients (40 eyes) treated with scleral buckling for a primary pseudophakic RD were retrospectively studied and compared to the charts of 32 patients (32 eyes) treated with primary vitrectomy without scleral buckle during the same period by the same surgeons. To obtain comparable samples, patients with giant retinal tears, vitreous hemorrhage, and severe preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) were not included. Minimal follow-up was 6 months. RESULTS: The primary success rate was 84% in the vitrectomy group and 82.5% in the ab-externo group. Final anatomical success was observed in 100% of cases in the vitrectomy group and in 95% of cases in the ab-externo group. Final visual acuity was 0.5 or better in 44% of cases in the vitrectomy group and 37.5% in the ab-externo group. The duration of the surgery was significantly lower in the ab-externo group, whereas the hospital stay tended to be lower in the vitrectomy group. In the vitrectomy group, postoperative PVR developed in 3 eyes and new or undetected breaks were responsible for failure of the initial procedure in 2 eyes. CONCLUSION: Primary vitrectomy appears to be as effective as scleral buckling procedures for the treatment of pseudophakic RD.

Neither dashboard nor 'mashup' indices: an empirical wealth approach as a pathway to a comprehensive measure of development

The article is composed of two sections. The first one is a critical review of the three main alternative indices to GDP which were proposed in the last decades – the Human Development Index (HDI), the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), and the Happy Planet Index (HPI) – which is made on the basis of conceptual foundations, rather than looking at issues of statistical consistency or mathematical refinement as most of the literature does. The pars construens aims to propose an alternative measure, the composite wealth index, consistent with an approach to development based on the notion of composite wealth, which is in turn derived from an empirical common sense criterion. Arguably, this approach is suitable to be conveyed into an easily understandable and coherent indicator, and thus appropriate to track development in its various dimensions: simple in its formulation, the wealth approach can incorporate social and ecological goals without significant alterations in conceptual foundations, while reducing to a minimum arbitrary weighting.

Iterative reconstruction methods in two different MDCT scanners: Physical metrics and 4-alternative forced-choice detectability experiments - A phantom approach.

This paper characterizes and evaluates the potential of three commercial CT iterative reconstruction methods (ASIR?, VEO? and iDose(4 ()?())) for dose reduction and image quality improvement. We measured CT number accuracy, standard deviation (SD), noise power spectrum (NPS) and modulation transfer function (MTF) metrics on Catphan phantom images while five human observers performed four-alternative forced-choice (4AFC) experiments to assess the detectability of low- and high-contrast objects embedded in two pediatric phantoms. Results show that 40% and 100% ASIR as well as iDose(4) levels 3 and 6 do not affect CT number and strongly decrease image noise with relative SD constant in a large range of dose. However, while ASIR produces a shift of the NPS curve apex, less change is observed with iDose(4) with respect to FBP methods. With second-generation iterative reconstruction VEO, physical metrics are even further improved: SD decreased to 70.4% at 0.5 mGy and spatial resolution improved to 37% (MTF(50%)). 4AFC experiments show that few improvements in detection task performance are obtained with ASIR and iDose(4), whereas VEO makes excellent detections possible even at an ultra-low-dose (0.3 mGy), leading to a potential dose reduction of a factor 3 to 7 (67%-86%). In spite of its longer reconstruction time and the fact that clinical studies are still required to complete these results, VEO clearly confirms the tremendous potential of iterative reconstructions for dose reduction in CT and appears to be an important tool for patient follow-up, especially for pediatric patients where cumulative lifetime dose still remains high.

Merging the hypothetical extraction method and the classical multiplier approach: a hybrid possibility for identifying key distributive sectors

The two main alternative methods used to identify key sectors within the input-output approach, the Classical Multiplier method (CMM) and the Hypothetical Extraction method (HEM), are formally and empirically compared in this paper. Our findings indicate that the main distinction between the two approaches stems from the role of the internal effects. These internal effects are quantified under the CMM while under the HEM only external impacts are considered. In our comparison, we find, however that CMM backward measures are more influenced by within-block effects than the proposed forward indices under this approach. The conclusions of this comparison allow us to develop a hybrid proposal that combines these two existing approaches. This hybrid model has the advantage of making it possible to distinguish and disaggregate external effects from those that a purely internal. This proposal has also an additional interest in terms of policy implications. Indeed, the hybrid approach may provide useful information for the design of ''second best'' stimulus policies that aim at a more balanced perspective between overall economy-wide impacts and their sectoral distribution.

Women's Mental Health: Promoting a Gendered Approach to Policy and Service Provision

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Where will conflicts between alien and rare species occur after climate and land-use change? A test with a novel combined modelling approach

Protecting native biodiversity against alien invasive species requires powerful methods to anticipate these invasions and to protect native species assumed to be at risk. Here, we describe how species distribution models (SDMs) can be used to identify areas predicted as suitable for rare native species and also predicted as highly susceptible to invasion by alien species, at present and under future climate and land-use scenarios. To assess the condition and dynamics of such conflicts, we developed a combined predictive modelling (CPM) approach, which predicts species distributions by combining two SDMs fitted using subsets of predictors classified as acting at either regional or local scales. We illustrate the CPM approach for an alien invader and a rare species associated to similar habitats in northwest Portugal. Combined models predict a wider variety of potential species responses, providing more informative projections of species distributions and future dynamics than traditional, non-combined models. They also provide more informative insight regarding current and future rare-invasive conflict areas. For our studied species, conflict areas of highest conservation relevance are predicted to decrease over the next decade, supporting previous reports that some invasive species may contract their geographic range and impact due to climate change. More generally, our results highlight the more informative character of the combined approach to address practical issues in conservation and management programs, especially those aimed at mitigating the impact of invasive plants, land-use and climate changes in sensitive regions