A DNA profiling system for conservation management of Kamchatka brown bear (Ursus arctos piscator); population data and system performance from 16 autosomal STRs

Aim Primary and secondary genetic clines in post‐glacial colonized regions have different implications for biogeographic distributions and the origin of species. Primary clines arisein situafter colonization as adaptive responses to environmental gradients, while secondary clines are caused by contact between vicariant lineages. Here we analyse primary versus secondary origin of a genetic cline in the tephritid flyUrophora carduiin Jutland, Denmark, in a post‐glacial landscape.Location Western Palaearctic.Methods Phylogeographic and demographic analyses ofU. carduibased on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genealogies, hierarchical genetic variance tests based on allozymes and distribution analysis of a rare allele from the Jutland cline.Results There was no phylogeographic divergence between the Jutland population ofU. carduinorth of the cline and neighbouring western European regional populations, which all shared the common western European mtDNA haplotype H1. At nuclear loci, by contrast, the North Jutland population was diverged above the mean level of divergence among regional populations and had no loss of genetic variation. A rare allozyme allele that was frequent in the cline area (up to 45%) and was missing north of the cline also occurred at low frequency (0–14%) elsewhere in the sampling range. Shallow phylogeographic divergence was observed between Russian and western European populations and between English and continental populations.Main conclusions The genetic variation patterns support primary cline evolution and parapatric divergence in Jutland following a demographic expansion of a western European ancestral source population ofU. cardui, and suggest cryptic refugia and/or selection in other European population assemblages. The patterns of intra‐specific regional divergence are discussed with respect to the interpretation of cryptic refugia in Europe after the most recent ice age.

BackgroundGastric atrophy (GA) is a pre-neoplastic condition leading to gastric cancer (GC). Early GA detection is critical for guiding surveillance and preventing advanced GC. Histology is the current gold standard for GA diagnosis, but is considered not cost-effective for routine screening in Western populations. Serological methods offer a potentially affordable alternative. Understanding GA prevalence, symptom impact, and optimal detection strategies in low-risk Western populations is essential before integrating GA screening into GC prevention programs.MethodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis assessed GA prevalence in Northern and Western European populations. Key outcomes included GA prevalence (any topographical distribution in the stomach and corpus-specific), effects of symptomatology on prevalence, and differences between serological and histological prevalence.ResultsTwenty-two cross-sectional studies (n = 62,520) were included; 13 used histology and 9 used serology. Overall GA prevalence of any topographical distribution was 13% (95% confidence interval (CI) 7–18%). Histology-based studies reported 21% (95% CI 11–30%) versus 5% (95% CI 3–7%) by serology.Corpus-involving GA had a pooled prevalence of 6% (95% CI 4–9%), with histology detecting higher rates (10–15%) than serology (4–5%).In symptomatic populations, GA prevalence rose to 47%, compared to 6–10% in asymptomatic groups. Corpus GA reached 20% in symptomatic patients versus 6–8% in asymptomatic ones.ConclusionGA, especially corpus-involving GA, is more prevalent in Western and Northern European populations than previously thought. These findings suggest that screening for GA in these populations may be a viable route to increasing early GC detection rates and improving outcomes.

BackgroundThe European mink (Mustela lutreola, L. 1761) is a critically endangered mustelid, which inhabits several main river drainages in Europe. Here, we assess the genetic variation of existing populations of this species, including new sampling sites and additional molecular markers (newly developed microsatellite loci specific to European mink) as compared to previous studies. Probabilistic analyses were used to examine genetic structure within and between existing populations, and to infer phylogeographic processes and past demography.ResultsAccording to both mitochondrial and nuclear microsatellite markers, Northeastern (Russia, Estonia and Belarus) and Southeastern (Romania) European populations showed the highest intraspecific diversity. In contrast, Western European (France and Spain) populations were the least polymorphic, featuring a unique mitochondrial DNA haplotype. The high differentiation values detected between Eastern and Western European populations could be the result of genetic drift in the latter due to population isolation and reduction. Genetic differences among populations were further supported by Bayesian clustering and two main groups were confirmed (Eastern vs. Western Europe) along with two contained subgroups at a more local scale (Northeastern vs. Southeastern Europe; France vs. Spain).ConclusionsGenetic data and performed analyses support a historical scenario of stable European mink populations, not affected by Quaternary climate oscillations in the Late Pleistocene, and posterior expansion events following river connections in both North- and Southeastern European populations. This suggests an eastern refuge during glacial maxima (as already proposed for boreal and continental species). In contrast, Western Europe was colonised more recently following either natural expansions or putative human introductions. Low levels of genetic diversity observed within each studied population suggest recent bottleneck events and stress the urgent need for conservation measures to counteract the demographic decline experienced by the European mink.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0427-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A forensic DNA profiling system for Northern European brown bears (Ursus arctos)

IntroductionWe previously reported that our practice of screening for and prevention of opportunistic infections (OI's) in at risk IBD patients was not in line with ECCO recommendations.1 2 In this...

Cost Analysis of Screening According to ECCO Guidelines for Prevention of Opportunistic Infections in Infliximab-Treated IBD Patients

Western European populations of red-crested pochard (Netta rufina) are characterized by low size and high fragmentation, which accentuate their sensitivity to hunting. Uncertainties regarding the demographic trends of these populations highlight the need for pertinent hunting regulations. This requires identification of the limits of the populations under exploitation, i.e. delimiting a management unit. We used the left domain of the mitochondrial control region and seven nuclear loci (four microsatellites and three introns) to assess the level of genetic structure and demographic independence between the fragmented Western European and the large Central Asian populations. The second objective was to investigate the colonization history of the Western European populations. This study demonstrated that the Western European populations of red-crested pochard constitute a separate demographic conservation unit relative to the Asian population as a result of very low female dispersal (mitochondrial DNA: PhiST = 0.152). A morphometric analysis further suggested that Central Asian and Western European specimens of both sexes originate from different pools of individuals. Male dispersal seems higher than female dispersal, as suggested by the lack of clear genetic structure for the nuclear markers at this continental scale. Genetic data, in conjunction with historical demographic data, indicate that the current Western European populations probably originate from a recent colonization from Central Asia. As numbers of red-crested pochards in Western Europe cannot be efficiently supplemented by immigration from the larger Asian populations, a management plan regulating the harvest in Western Europe is required.

BackgroundDifference in fruit and vegetable consumption has been suggested as a possible reason for the large gap in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates between Eastern and Western European populations. However, individual-level dietary data which allow direct comparison across the two regions are rare. In this systematic review we aimed to answer the question whether cross-national studies with comparable individual-level dietary data reveal any systematic differences in fruit and vegetable consumption between populations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Former Soviet Union (FSU) compared to Western Europe (WE).MethodsStudies were identified by electronic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases from inception to September 2014, and hand search. Studies which reported data on fruit, vegetable consumption or carotene and vitamin C intake or tissue concentrations of adult participants from both CEE/FSU and WE countries were considered for inclusion. Quality of the included studies was assessed by a modified STROBE statement. Power calculation was performed to determine the statistical significance of the comparison results.ResultsTwenty-two studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Fruit consumption was found to be consistently lower in CEE/FSU participants compared to Western Europeans. Results on vegetable intake were less unambiguous. Antioxidant studies indicated lower concentration of beta-carotene in CEE/FSU subjects, but the results for vitamin C were not consistent.ConclusionThis systematic review suggests that populations in CEE and FSU consume less fruit than Western Europeans. The difference in the consumption of fruit may contribute to the CVD gap between the two regions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13690-015-0078-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Should anthropometric differences between the commonly used pedestrian computational biomechanics models and Chinese population be taken into account when predicting pedestrian head kinematics and injury in vehicle collisions in China?

The Common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) is one of the most endangered mammals in Western and Central Europe. Its genetic diversity in Russia and Kazakhstan was investigated for the first time. The analysis of sequences of an mtDNA control region and cytochrome b gene revealed at least three phylogenetic lineages. Most of the species range (approximately 3 million km2), including central Russia, Crimea, the Ural region, and northern Kazakhstan), is inhabited by a single, well-supported phylogroup, E0. Phylogroup E1, previously reported from southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, was first described from Russia (Bryansk Province). E0 and E1 are sister lineages but both are monophyletic and separated by considerable genetic distance. Hamsters inhabiting Ciscaucasia represent a separate, distant phylogenetic lineage, named “Caucasus”. It is sister to the North phylogroup from Western Europe and the contemporary phylogeography for this species is discussed considering new data. These data enabled us to develop a new hypothesis to propose that in the Late Pleistocene, the continuous range of the Common hamster in the northern Mediterranean extended from the central and southern parts of modern France to the Caucasus; however, its distribution was subsequently interrupted, likely because of climate change.

Microsatellite-based genetic diversity of Dermacentor reticulatus in Europe

Background: Cigarette smoking, high intake of alcohol, and lack of physical activity are associated with increased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but little research has been conducted to investigate the association between these modifiable lifestyle factors and survival after CRC diagnosis. Methods: Therefore, we prospectively assessed the association between smoking status and intensity, baseline alcohol intake, lifetime pattern of alcohol intake, physical activity and all-cause and CRC-specific death among 3,916 participants diagnosed with colorectal cancer (colon = 2,454, rectum = 1,462) between 1992 and 2008 in the EPIC cohort. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: There were 1,303 deaths, 1,039 (80%) due to CRC. Mean follow-up after CRC diagnosis was 4 years. In multivariable analysis, current vs. never smokers had an increased risk of all-cause death (HR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.04-1.44). Greater intensity of smoking (26+ cigarettes per day) was associated with almost a doubling in the risk of all-cause death when compared with never smokers (HR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.12-2.73). Alcohol consumption was not statistically significantly associated with survival (HR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.98-1.02 per 6 g per day), however former heavy drinkers had an increased risk of all-cause death (HR = 2.68, 95% CI: 1.13-6.39). Total physical activity was not statistically significantly associated with CRC survival. Additional subgroup analyses were conducted by sex, age at diagnosis, cancer stage and grade, location of tumor, time between blood collection and cancer diagnosis, year of diagnosis, follow-up period, and body mass index. Results for CRC-specific death were similar to those reported for all-cause death. Conclusions: Our preliminary results suggest that cigarette smoking and being a former heavy drinker before cancer diagnosis are associated with worse survival among Western European patients with CRC, but further research is needed to confirm these results. Citation Format: Veronika Fedirko, Elio Riboli, Teresa Norat, Anne Tjønneland, Mazda Jenab, on behalf of the EPIC CRC Working Group. Prediagnostic smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity and survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis in Western European populations. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2922. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2922

Introduction Health disparities between Eastern and Western part of Europe have been the subject of many studies. Eastern Europe experienced delay in health improvement compared to Western Europe. Life expectancy differences between East and West average 7 years in men and 5 years in women, in favor of the West. Cancer contributes to 12% and 9% of this difference in men and women, respectively. For those 20-64 years, contribution of cancer to this difference is higher at 16% and 24%, respectively. Methods Cancer mortality data and population data (1959-2010) for each country separately were derived from the WHO Mortality Database. Standardized mortality rates were calculated using the world standard population. Results In young men (20-44 years) cancer mortality was equal in Eastern and Western Europe in late 1960s. Since then, a decline in cancer mortality occurred in Western countries while Eastern countries experienced a cancer mortality increase trend. This increase began to decline in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, decreasing the cancer mortality gap between the two European regions for this sex and age group. Similar trend disparities were observed in middle-aged men (45-64 years). However, the decline since 1990 was much slower in Eastern Europe than Western Europe, resulting in a residual gap between the two regions. The oldest men (65+ years) in Western Europe had a higher cancer mortality rate than Eastern Europe for many decades. In early 1990s cancer mortality in Western Europe declined whilst rising in the East. The trends intersected a decade later and despite the plateau observed in recent years in Eastern Europe, the gap remains persistent. In young women (20-44 years), cancer mortality diverted in the early 1970s as cancer mortality declined steadily in Western Europe while rising in the east, similarly in trend to cancer mortality among young men. By the 1990s, rates declined and the gap between the two regions trended towards closure. In middle-aged women (45-64 years) cancer mortality rates in Eastern Europe plateaued for the whole observation period, while western rates fell steadily since the 1970s, resulting in a residual gap between the two regions. For several decades, cancer mortality rates in the oldest women (65+ years) in Western Europe were higher than in the east and both regions experienced plateaus. By the 1990s western cancer mortality rates declined with little change in eastern trends. A small gap persists between the two regions. Conclusions Despite health improvement, a cancer mortality rate gap between Eastern and Western Europe persists across all sex and age strata. In particular, men at age of 45 years and more, and women at age of 45-64 years, experience the greatest disparities between the two regions. Deficiency of primary prevention and poor health awareness remain biggest challenge in Eastern part of Europe. Citation Format: Marta Manczuk, Urszula Sulkowska, Dana Hashim, Paolo Boffetta. The gap in cancer mortality between Western and Eastern Europe. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3710. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3710

The gut barrier is a multi-later system consisting of two main components: 1) a physical barrier comprised of a thick mucus layer and the epithelium providing defense against microbes and foreign antigens, and 2) a mucosal immune system differentiating between pathogenic and commensal microorganisms, and responsible for the immune response to pathogens and pathogen-associated molecular patterns such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Gut barrier dysfunction and related inflammation are known to be associated with and contribute to the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Whether this association is modified by genetic variation in the genes related to intestinal mucosal and immune function has not been well studied in humans. Therefore, we investigated 292 functional and tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 27 genes encoding proteins in the pathways related to endotoxins/LPS sensing and tolerance, inflammation, Crohn’s disease, and colon mucus synthesis in 1,420 incident CRC cases matched 1:1 to control participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Previously measured serum flagellin- and LPS-specific IgA and IgG levels, considered as biomarkers of exposure to bacterial products and intestinal permeability, were available for a subset of matched case-control pairs. Multivariable odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using unconditional logistic regression, with Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) adjustment for multiple comparison testing. The adaptive rank-truncated product (ARTP) method implemented in R-package PIGE was used for gene- and pathway-level analyses. Thirty one SNPs in 16 genes related to LPS response and tolerance (TLR4, TNFRSF1B, LBP, CD38, CD14), colon mucosal function (ABCB1, MUC6/MUC2, CAMP/ZNF589), inflammation (ALOX5, IL10, IL12B, IL2/IL21, IL6, NFKB1), and Crohn’s disease (rs3197999, rs762421) were statistically significantly associated with CRC risk (raw P-values < 0.05), but lost significance after correction for multiple testing. Among controls (n = 692), 10 SNPs in 4 genes (ABCB1, MUC6/MUC2, NFKB1, IL1A/IL1B) were statistically significantly associated with biomarkers of intestinal permeability (raw P-values < 0.05; all non-significant after multiple testing correction). Pathway analyses showed no statistically significant effects on CRC risk for either individual genes or genes grouped into distinct pathways. However, the data suggested possible associations between CRC risk and the genes in the LPS pathway (P = 0.18) and genetic variants previously associated with Crohn’s disease (P = 0.08). This large and comprehensive study has identified gut barrier function-related genes and pathways possibly contributing to CRC risk in European populations. Additional studies in large populations and consortia are needed to confirm our findings. Citation Format: Hannah Mandle, Mazda Jenab, David Hughes, Marc Gunter, Elio Riboli, Veronika Fedirko. Gut barrier function-related genes and colorectal cancer risk in Western European populations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1581.

To assess the direct medical costs and cost effectiveness of routine eptifibatide use amongst patients with unstable angina and myocardial infarction without persistent ST-segment elevation in the Western European subgroup of the PURSUIT trial. Health care resources were collected for the Western European PURSUIT trial patients (n=3697). Unit costs for major resources were developed within six countries using a consistent bottom-up methodology. Resource consumption from the Western European population was used to calculate the average direct medical costs per patient in the eptifibatide and placebo arms of the trial. Eptifibatide was estimated to cost 524 Euros per treatment. Long-term survival estimated from the 6-month trial survival data and combined with the cost data was used to calculate cost-effectiveness ratios. Additionally, cost per death and non-fatal myocardial infarction at 30 days was calculated. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on the discount rate and resource consumption. Cost-effectiveness ratios ranged from 9603 Euros to 18 115 Euros per year of life saved with 3% discount. Using resource consumption based on countries with low coronary arteriography rates, the cost per year of life saved was between 3329 Euros and 10 079 Euros. Using resource consumption based on high coronary arteriography rate countries, the cost per year of life saved was between 17 089 Euros and 24 099 Euros. Assuming no difference in treatment costs except for the addition of eptifibatide, the incremental cost per year of life saved was 23 818 Euros. Routine eptifibatide use was associated with a reduction in the combined end-point of death and myocardial infarction at 30 days, which was sustained at 6 months. Long-term projections indicate a modest increase in survival in eptifibatide patients. These data translate into cost-effectiveness ratios that compare favourably with other new technologies that are currently in use.