Evidence for cooler European summers during periods of changing meltwater flux to the North Atlantic

We analyzed fossil chironomids (nonbiting midges) and pollen in two lake-sediment records to reconstruct and quantify Holocene summer-temperature fluctuations in the European Alps. Chironomid and pollen records indicate five centennial-scale cooling episodes during the early- and mid-Holocene. The strongest temperature declines of ≈1°C are inferred at ≈10,700–10,500 and 8,200–7,600 calibrated 14C years B.P., whereas other temperature fluctuations are of smaller amplitude. Two forcing mechanisms have been presented recently to explain centennial-scale climate variability in Europe during the early- and mid-Holocene, both involving changes in Atlantic thermohaline circulation. In the first mechanism, changes in meltwater flux from the North American continent to the North Atlantic are responsible for changes in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation, thereby affecting circum-Atlantic climate. In the second mechanism, solar variability is the cause of Holocene climatic fluctuations, possibly triggering changes in Atlantic thermohaline overturning. Within their dating uncertainty, the two major cooling periods in the European Alps are coeval with substantial changes in the routing of North American freshwater runoff to the North Atlantic, whereas quantitatively, our climatic reconstructions show a poor agreement with available records of past solar activity. Thus, our results suggest that, during the early- and mid-Holocene, freshwater-induced Atlantic circulation changes had stronger influence on Alpine summer temperatures than solar variability and that Holocene thermohaline circulation reductions have led to summer-temperature declines of up to 1°C in central Europe.

Synchronous Holocene climatic oscillations recorded on the Swiss Plateau and at timberline in the Alps

Eight synchronous pre-Roman cold phases were found at 9600–9200, 8600–8150, 7550–6900, 6600– 6200, 5350–4900, 4600–4400, 3500–3200 and 2600–2350 radiocarbon years BP by reconstructing past climate at two sites on the Swiss Plateau and at timberline in the Alps. The cooling events during the early-and mid-Holocene represent temperature values similar to today, and apparently the onset of cooling events represents a deviation from today's mean annual temperature of about 1°C and is triggered at a 1000-year periodicity. At Wallisellen-Langachermoos (440 m), a former oligotrophic lake near Zürich, the correlation between sum mertime lake levels and the seed production of the amphi-Atlantic aquatic plantNajas flexilis was used to reconstruct lake levels over a 3000-year period during the first part of the Holocene. At Lake Seedorf on the western Swiss Plateau (609 m) the sedimentological, palynological and macrofossil record revealed fluctuations of lake levels for the complete Holocene. From Lago Basso in the southern Alps (2250 m, Val San Giacomo near Splügen Pass, Northern Italy) the terrestrial plant macrofossils – especiallyPinus cembra andLarix – allowed the reconstruction of timberline fluctuations controlled by climate. A similar climatic pattern was found at Gouillé Rion pond in the central Swiss Alps (2343 m, Val d'Hérémence) with plant macrofossils and pollen concentrations and percentages. We postulate that these climatic events are detectable throughout central Europe by independent methods in combination with precise AMS-radiocarbon datings on terrestrial plant remains. Our data fit other proxy records of regional climatic change, such as cool intervals from Greenland ice cores, glacier movements in the Swiss and Austrian Alps, and dendro-densitometry on subfossil wood, as well as the palaeoclimatic data from the Jura Mountains of France obtained by sedimentological analyses. Thus our data indicate that the Northern Hemisphere climate was less stable during the Holocene than previously believed.

Discrepancies in Outcome Reporting Exist Between Protocols and Published Oral Health Cochrane Systematic Reviews

OBJECTIVES To assess discrepancies in the analyzed outcomes between protocols and published reviews within Cochrane oral health systematic reviews (COHG) on the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING All COHG systematic reviews on the CDSR and the corresponding protocols were retrieved in November 2014 and information on the reported outcomes was recorded. Data was collected at the systematic review level by two reviewers independently. RESULTS One hundred and fifty two reviews were included. In relation to primary outcomes, 11.2% were downgraded to secondary outcomes, 9.9% were omitted altogether in the final publication and new primary outcomes were identified in 18.4% of publications. For secondary outcomes, 2% were upgraded to primary, 12.5% were omitted and 30.9% were newly introduced in the publication. Overall, 45.4% of reviews had at least one discrepancy when compared to the protocol; these were reported in 14.5% reviews. The number of review updates appears to be associated with discrepancies between final review and protocol (OR: 3.18, 95% CI: 1.77, 5.74, p<0.001). The risk of reporting significant results was lower for both downgraded outcomes [RR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.17, 1.58, p = 0.24] and upgraded or newly introduced outcomes [RR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.36, 1.64, p = 0.50] compared to outcomes with no discrepancies. The risk of reporting significant results was higher for upgraded or newly introduced outcomes compared to downgraded outcomes (RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.65, 2.16, p = 0.57). None of the comparisons reached statistical significance. CONCLUSION While no evidence of selective outcome reporting was found in this study, based on the present analysis of SRs published within COHG systematic reviews, discrepancies between outcomes in pre-published protocols and final reviews continue to be common. Solutions such as the use of standardized outcomes to reduce the prevalence of this issue may need to be explored.

Use of quality assessment tools in systematic reviews was varied and inconsistent

OBJECTIVES To assess the use of quality assessment tools among a cross-section of systematic reviews (SRs) and to further evaluate whether quality was used as a parameter in the decision to include primary studies within subsequent meta-analysis. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING We searched PubMed for SRs (interventional, observational, and diagnostic) published in Core Clinical Journals between January 1 and March 31, 2014. RESULTS Three hundred nine SRs were identified. Quality assessment was undertaken in 222 (71.8%) with isolated use of the Cochrane risk of bias tool (26.1%, n = 58) and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (15.3%, n = 34) most common. A threshold level of primary study quality for subsequent meta-analysis was used in 12.9% (40 of 309) of reviews. Overall, fifty-four combinations of quality assessment tools were identified with a similar preponderance of tools used among observational and interventional reviews. Multiple tools were used in 11.7% (n = 36) of SRs overall. CONCLUSION We found that quality assessment tools were used in a majority of SRs; however, a threshold level of quality for meta-analysis was stipulated in just 12.9% (n = 40). This cross-sectional analysis provides further evidence of the need for more active or intuitive editorial processes to enhance the reporting of SRs.

The evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in orthodontic literature. Where do we stand?

AIM To analyse meta-analyses included in systematic reviews (SRs) published in leading orthodontic journals and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) focusing on orthodontic literature and to assess the quality of the existing evidence. MATERIALS AND METHODS Electronic searching was undertaken to identify SRs published in five major orthodontic journals and the CDSR between January 2000 and June 2014. Quality assessment of the overall body of evidence from meta-analyses was conducted using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation working group (GRADE) tool. RESULTS One hundred and fifty-seven SRs were identified; meta-analysis was present in 43 of these (27.4 per cent). The highest proportion of SRs that included a meta-analysis was found in Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research (6/13; 46.1 per cent), followed by the CDSR (12/33; 36.4 per cent) and the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics (15/44; 34.1 per cent). Class II treatment was the most commonly addressed topic within SRs in orthodontics (n = 18/157; 11.5 per cent). The number of trials combined to produce a summary estimate was small for most meta-analyses with a median of 4 (range: 2-52). Only 21 per cent (n = 9) of included meta-analyses were considered to have a high/moderate quality of evidence according to GRADE, while the majority were of low or very low quality (n = 34; 79.0 per cent). CONCLUSIONS Overall, approximately one quarter of orthodontic SRs included quantitative synthesis, with a median of four trials per meta-analysis. The overall quality of evidence from the selected orthodontic SRs was predominantly low to very low indicating the relative lack of high quality of evidence from SRs to inform clinical practice guidelines.

Physiologic and psychosocial stage-based differences for dietary fat consumption in women with type 2 diabetes

Purpose. This cross-sectional, observational study explored differences among groups staged for intent to decrease dietary fat intake in women with type 2 diabetes in relation to demographic, weight concern, physiological, and psychosocial variables. ^ Methods. A sample of 100 community-dwelling, English-speaking women, who were over age 30 and had type 2 diabetes for at least a year, was accessed through a culturally diverse endocrinology clinic. Subjects completed 7 self-report instruments: demographic sheet, with 11-point weight satisfaction scale; staging algorithm; fat intake (MEDFICTS); depression (CES-D); diabetes-specific dietary knowledge (ADKnowl), social support and self-efficacy scales (SE-Type 2). Physiological variables were abstracted from the medical record (HbA 1c, blood pressure, serum cholesterol and triglycerides). ^ Results. The women's average age was 57.69 years ( SD = 3.07); 50% were married. Subjects were well-educated ( M = 14 years; SD = 3.33), with average diabetes duration of 10.57 years (SD = 9.11), high body mass index (M = 35.72; SD = 8.36), low diabetes-specific dietary knowledge, low weight satisfaction, but in good diabetes control. Racial/ethnic composition was 44% non-Hispanic-White-American, 18% Hispanic-White-American, 15% non-Hispanic-African-American, 16% Hispanic-African-American and 5% other. Fat intake was low and differed by racial/ethnic demographics. The highest fat intake scores were for non-Hispanic-African-Americans (M = 53), followed by Hispanic-White-Americans (M = 51), non-Hispanic-White-Americans (M = 45), and Hispanic-African-Americans (M = 32), who had the lowest fat intake scores. ^ MANOVA analyses revealed no significant differences between stages of behavior change in relation to psychosocial or weight concern variables, age, education, HbA1c, or cholesterol levels. Single women were more likely to be in the three preaction stages (precontemplation, contemplation, and preparation); married women were equally distributed across stages (the preaction stages plus action and maintenance). African-American women (Hispanic and non-Hispanic) were more likely in contemplation and preparation. Triglycerides were higher in women in the action stage than contemplation or preparation. Systolic blood pressure was higher in action than preparation; diastolic blood pressure was higher in action than preaction. ^ Conclusions. Healthcare professionals should consider race, ethnicity, and marital status in client interactions. Dietary intake can vary according to both race and ethnicity; collapsing racial/ethnic groups can alter means and distributions, generating faulty conclusions. Further research is warranted to explore relationships between dietary self-care and marital status, race, ethnicity, and physiological variables. ^

Na 1 Nachlass Max Horkheimer, 656 - Dokumente zur Geschichte des Instituts für Sozialforschung (p. IX 49a-IX 55.1-5)

Max Horkheimer: Über Wissenschaft und Technologie in Israel. Begrüßungsrede für Mr. Ben Sira, gehalten am 8.1.1949; 1. Notizen zur Rede, 10 Blatt; 2. David Ben Gurion, "Science and Technology in Israel", Sonderdruck, 2 Blatt; Über die Antisemitismus-Forschungen des Instituts für Sozialforschung. Protokoll einer Sitzung der Frankfurter Gesellschaft für Christlich-Jüdische Zusammenarbeit, 16.Mai 1949. Typoskript (Kopie), 2 Blatt; Max Horkheimer: Über Arbeit und Pläne des Instituts für Sozialforschung in Frankfurt. Vortrag, gehalten 1949 in Frankfurt (Clubabend). Manuskript, 3 Blatt; Zur Begründung eines Instituts für Sozialforschung, 1922; 1. Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft, Frankfurt: 1 Brief mit Unterschrift (Kopie) an die Universität Frankfurt, Kuratorium, Frankfurt, 22.8.1922; 2. Felix Weil und Kurt Albert Gerlach: "Denkschrift über die Begründung eines Instituts für Sozialforschung" (1922). Typoskript (Kopie), 5 Blatt; Carl Grünberg: Festrede, gehalten zur Einweihung des Instituts für Sozialforschung an der Universität Frankfurt am Main, am 22.6.1924. a) Kopie (Auszug) aus dem Abdruck der Rede in Frankfurter Universitätsreden 1924, 3 Blatt b) Sonderdruck Frankfurter Universitätsreden 1924, 16 Seiten; Darstellungen des Instituts für Sozialforschung (1925-51); 1. Gesellschaft für Sozialforschung, Frankfurt: "Institut für Sozialforschung an der Universität Frankfurt am Main". Sonderdruck (Kopie), Frankfurt, 1925, 29 Seiten; 1a. Hermann Weil: "Bericht über das Heimatfest in Waibstadt am 3. und 4. September und die feierliche Übergabge meines Mausoleums in den Schutz der Stadt Waibstadt". Sonderdruck, 1927, 7 Seiten; 1b. Felix Weil, 1 Brief mit Unterschrift (Kopie) an den Minister für Wissenschaft, Kunst und Volksbildung Berlin. Frankfurt, 1.11.1929, Typoskript, 31 Blatt; 1c. Columbia University: "Report of the President of Columbia University for 1934" (darin S.7: Erwähnung des Instituts für Sozialforschung und der Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung), Sonderdruck, New York, 1934, 80 Seiten; 2. "International Institute of Social Research: A short Description of Its History and Aims", New York 1935, Sonderdruck, 15 Seiten; 3. Briefbogen des Instituts für Sozialforschung mit den Namen des Research Staff und des Advisory Committee, 1 Blatt; 4. "International Institute of Social Research. A Report On Its History, Aims and Activities 1933-1938". Sonderdruck, New York 1939, 36 Seiten; 5. "Research Bureau For Post-War Economics and Its Cooperating Institutions. Annual Repost", Sonderdruck, New York, Mai 1939, 17 Seiten; 5a. Los Angeles University of Applied Education: "General Catalogue 1947-48" (mit Erwähnungen des Instituts für Sozialforschung bzw. von Mitarbeitern), Druck, 56 Seiten; 6. Einladung zur Eröffnung des Instituts für Sozialforschung am 14. November 1951. Sonderdruck, Frankfurt 1951, 2 Blatt; Über das Institut für Sozialforschung 1924-31. Tabellarische Zusammenstellung, 1931, Typoskript mit eigenhändigen und handschriftlichen Ergänzungen, 5 Blatt; Max Horkheimer: "Die gegenwärtige Lage der Sozialphilosophie und die Aufgaben eines Instituts für Sozialforschung". Öffentliche Antrittsvorlesung bei Übernahme des Lehrstuhls für Sozialphilosophie und der Leitung des Instituts für Sozialforschung, 24.1.1931, Kopie (Auszug) aus dem Abdruck der Rede in Frankfurter Universitätsreden 1931, 4 Blatt; "History and Program of the Institute of Social Research". Veröffentlicht unter dem Titel "International Institute of Social Research. A Short Description of Its History and Aims", New York (1934 od. 1935), Typoskript, 6 Blatt.; "A Digest of the History, Program and Needs of the International Institute of Social Research". 1934, als Typoskript vervielfältigt, 4 Blatt; Julian Gumperz: "Notes for a talk", Über Ziele und Methoden der Arbeit des Instituts für Sozialforschung, 1934. Typoskript mit handschriftlicher Korrektur, 10 Blatt; "Report of the President of Columbia University for the year ending June 30, 1934".Auszug daraus, 1934, Typoskript, 1 Blatt; Über Geschichte und Tätigkeiten des Instituts für Sozialforschung. Verschiedene Berichte, ca. 1934-1937: 1. Über Geschichte, Tätigkeiten und Ziele des Instituts, nicht vor 1934, Typoskript, 5 Blatt; 2. Bericht an den Präsidenten der Columbia University, 14.3.1936, Typoskript, 2 Blatt; 3. "Dr. Horkheimer's Paper Delivered on the Occasion of an Institute Luncheon Given to the Faculty of Social Sciences of Columbia University on January 12th, 1937". Typoskript, 13 Blatt; 4. Bericht an den Präsidenten der Columbia University. 18.3.1937, Typoskript, 3 Blatt; 5. Über Programm, Mitglieder und Tätigkeiten des Instituts, 1937, a) Typoskript, 2 Blatt, b) Entwurf, Typoskript, 4 Blatt; 6. Publikationsliste 1937, Typoskript, 1 Blatt; Über "Autorität und Familie" und die "Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung". 1937, Typoskript, französisch, mit eigenhändigen Korrekturen, 4 Blatt; Max Horkheimer: Über das Institut für Sozialforschung 1938: 1. Typoskript, englische Fassung, mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 38 Blatt; 2. Typoskript, deutsche Fassung mit eigenhändigen Korrekturen, 37 Blatt (G.S. 12, S. 132-164); 3. Julian Gumperz: 1 Brief an Herbert Marcuse, New York, 30.8.1938; 4. Teilstück aus früherer Fassung (?), Typoskript, 1 Blatt, 5. Entwurf zu 2., a) Typoskript, 1 Blatt, b) Typoskript mit eigenhändigen Korrekturen und Ergänzungen, 2 Blatt;

Obesity during pregnancy on vagal tone, hemoglobin A1c, oxygenation, and perinatal outcomes

Purpose: To examine the effect of obesity and gestational weight gain on heart rate variability (HRV), oxygenation (HbO 2 and SpO2), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and the frequency of pregnancy complications in obese (O) and non-obese (NO) women.^ Design: The study was an observational comparison study with a repeated measures design. ^ Setting: The setting was a low risk prenatal, university clinic located in a large southeastern metropolitan city. ^ Sample: The sample consisted of a volunteer group of 41 pregnant women who were observed at the three time points of 20, 28, and 36 weeks gestation. ^ Analysis: Analysis included general linear modeling with repeated measures to test for group differences with changes over time on vagal response, HbA1c, and oxygenation. Odds ratios were computed to compare the frequency of birth outcomes. ^ Findings: The interaction effect of time between O and NO women on HbO2 was significant. The mean HP, RSA, and HbO2 changed significantly over time within the NO women. The mean HbA 1c increased significantly over time within the O women. Women with excess gestational weight gain had significantly lower heart period than women with weight gain within the IOM recommendations. Obese women were more likely to have Group B streptococcal infections, gestational hypertension, give birth by cesarean or instrument assistance, and have at least one postnatal event. ^ Conclusions: Monitoring HRV, oxygenation, and HbA1c using minimally invasive measures may permit early identification of alterations in autonomic response. Implementation of interventions to promote vagal tone may help to reduce risks for adverse perinatal outcomes related to obesity. Future studies should examine the effect of obesity on the vagal response and perinatal outcomes. ^