A Dutch guideline for the treatment of scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders

Background

Children with neuromuscular disorders with a progressive muscle weakness such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Spinal Muscular Atrophy frequently develop a progressive scoliosis. A severe scoliosis compromises respiratory function and makes sitting more difficult. Spinal surgery is considered the primary treatment option for correcting severe scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders. Surgery in this population requires a multidisciplinary approach, careful planning, dedicated surgical procedures, and specialized after care.

Methods

The guideline is based on scientific evidence and expert opinions. A multidisciplinary working group representing experts from all relevant specialties performed the research. A literature search was conducted to collect scientific evidence in answer to specific questions posed by the working group. Literature was classified according to the level of evidence.

Results

For most aspects of the treatment scientific evidence is scarce and only low level cohort studies were found. Nevertheless, a high degree of consensus was reached about the management of patients with scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders. This was translated into a set of recommendations, which are now officially accepted as a general guideline in the Netherlands.

Conclusion

In order to optimize the treatment for scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders a Dutch guideline has been composed. This evidence-based, multidisciplinary guideline addresses conservative treatment, the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative care of scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders.     

Origins of asexuality in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bryobia</Emphasis>mites (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Background  

Obligate asexual reproduction is rare in the animal kingdom. Generally, asexuals are considered evolutionary dead ends that are unable to radiate. The phytophagous mite genus Bryobia contains a large number of asexual species. In this study, we investigate the origin and evolution of asexuality using samples from 111 populations in Europe, South Africa and the United States, belonging to eleven Bryobia species. We also examine intraspecific clonal diversity for one species, B. kissophila, by genotyping individuals from 61 different populations. Knowledge on the origin of asexuality and on clonal diversity can contribute to our understanding of the paradox of sex.     

The morality of problem selection in proteomics

The emerging power of new technologies in proteomics and the biological sciences to alter the human condition demands that scientists hold a new perspective on the social responsibilities of their research. Ethical theory can help scientists recognize not only those research projects that are harmful, but also those research paths that can create the greatest improvements in human health on a global scale. Whereas individual choices are important for the direction of scientific research, these choices may have limited social effects if they are not coordinated with larger institutional and inter-institutional structures. The perspective presented here calls for the Human Proteome Organization to recognize the ten most ethically significant proteomes to be characterized, with the hopes of rallying support and directing the research efforts of scientists in the proteomics community toward these goals.     

Homology-based functional proteomics by mass spectrometry: application to the Xenopus microtubule-associated proteome

The application of functional proteomics to important model organisms with unsequenced genomes is restricted because of the limited ability to identify proteins by conventional mass spectrometry (MS) methods. Here we applied MS and sequence-similarity database searching strategies to characterize the Xenopus laevis microtubule-associated proteome. We identified over 40 unique, and many novel, microtubule-bound proteins, as well as two macromolecular protein complexes involved in protein translation. This finding was corroborated by electron microscopy showing the presence of ribosomes on spindles assembled from frog egg extracts. Taken together, these results suggest that protein translation occurs on the spindle during meiosis in the Xenopus oocyte. These findings were made possible due to the application of sequence-similarity methods, which extended mass spectrometric protein identification capabilities by 2-fold compared to conventional methods.     

Interethnic differences in muscle, liver and abdominal fat partitioning in obese adolescents

The prevalence of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in obese youth is rapidly increasing, especially in Hispanics and African Americans compared to Caucasians. Insulin resistance is known to be associated with increases in intramyocellular (IMCL) and hepatic fat content. We determined if there are ethnic differences in IMCL and hepatic fat content in a multiethnic cohort of 55 obese adolescents. We used (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to quantify IMCL levels in the soleus muscle, oral glucose tolerance testing to estimate insulin sensitivity, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure abdominal fat distribution. Liver fat content was measured by fast-MRI. Despite similar age and % total body fat among the groups, IMCL was significantly higher in the Hispanics (1.71% [1.43%, 2.0%]) than in the African-Americans (1.04% [0.75%, 1.34%], p = 0.013) and the Caucasians (1.2% [0.94%, 1.5%], p = 0.04). Liver fat content was undetectable in the African Americans whereas it was two fold higher than normal in both Caucasians and Hispanics. Visceral fat was significantly lower in African Americans (41.5 cm(2) [34.6, 49.6]) and was similar in Caucasians (65.2 cm(2) [55.9, 76.0]) and Hispanics (70.5 cm(2) [59.9, 83.1]). In a multiple regression analysis, we found that ethnicity independent of age, gender and % body fat accounts for 10% of the difference in IMCL. Our study indicates that obese Hispanic adolescents have a greater IMCL lipid content than both Caucasians and African Americans, of comparable weight, age and gender. Excessive accumulation of fat in the liver was found in both Caucasian and Hispanic groups as opposed to virtually undetectable levels in the African Americans. Thus, irrespective of obesity, there seem to be some clear ethnic differences in the amount of lipid accumulated in skeletal muscle, liver and abdominal cavity.     

Human neutralizing monoclonal antibodies of the IgG1 subtype protect against mucosal simian-human immunodeficiency virus infection

Although maternal human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission occurs during gestation, intrapartum and postpartum (by breast-feeding), 50-70% of all infected children seem to acquire HIV-1 shortly before or during delivery. Epidemiological evidence indicates that mucosal exposure is an important aspect of intrapartum HIV transmission. A simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) macaque model has been developed that mimics the mucosal exposure that can occur during intrapartum HIV-1 transmission. To develop immunoprophylaxis against intrapartum HIV-1 transmission, we used SHIV-vpu+ (refs. 5,6), a chimeric simian-human virus that encodes the env gene of HIV-IIIB. Several combinations of human monoclonal antibodies against HIV-1 have been identified that neutralize SHIV-vpu+ completely in vitro through synergistic interaction. Here, we treated four pregnant macaques with a triple combination of the human IgG1 monoclonal antibodies F105, 2G12 and 2F5. All four macaques were protected against intravenous SHIV-vpu+ challenge after delivery. The infants received monoclonal antibodies after birth and were challenged orally with SHIV-vpu+ shortly thereafter. We found no evidence of infection in any infant during 6 months of follow-up. This demonstrates that IgG1 monoclonal antibodies protect against mucosal lentivirus challenge in neonates. We conclude that epitopes recognized by the three monoclonal antibodies are important determinants for achieving substantial protection, thus providing a rational basis for AIDS vaccine development.     

Termite cohabitation: the relative effect of biotic and abiotic factors on mound biodiversity

1. Termites are important ecosystem engineers that improve primary productivity in trees and animal diversity outside their mounds. However, their ecological relationship with the species nesting inside their mounds is poorly understood. 2. The presence of termite cohabitant colonies inside 145 Cornitermes cumulans mounds of known size and location was recorded. Using network‐theoretical methods in conjunction with a suite of statistical analyses, the relative influence of biotic and abiotic drivers of termite within‐mound diversity on the composition and species richness of the termite community was investigated, specifically builder presence and physical aspects of the mound. 3. We found that richness inside the mound increases with mound size, and the species similarity between mounds decreases with distance. The physical attributes (abiotic drivers) of termite mounds (size and relative distance to other mounds) are the strongest predictors of termite species richness and composition. The biotic driver (presence of a builder colony) has an important, though smaller, negative effect on within‐mound termite species richness. 4. The findings suggest that the termites' physical manipulation of their environment is an important driver of within‐mound community diversity. More generally, the approach taken here, using a combination of statistical and network‐theoretical methods, can be used to determine the relative importance of abiotic and biotic drivers of diversity in a wide range of communities of interacting species.     

The Changing Face of Natural Resources Students,Education, and the Profession

ABSTRACT There are many challenges facing natural resources programs in North American higher education today. Pressures exerted by a new generation of students, changing workplace requirements (including undergraduate core-knowledge requirements), and an increasingly specialized professoriate are great but not insurmountable. We discuss each of these issues and pose potential solutions to address each including adopting new pedagogical techniques for content delivery (e.g., adapting courses to be inclusive of new technologies), revising curriculum to meet the needs of a new suite of learners (e.g., developing curricula that allow structured flexibility of choices, designing a core curriculum that is a mix of single-discipline courses and courses that integrate across disciplines), and new strategies for faculty engagement in discipline-specific survey courses. By remaining deliberate and effective in our pursuit of quality higher education we have the opportunity to ensure we are delivering the best possible education to the future professionals of our disciplines.     

University of British Columbia Food System Project: Towards Sustainable and Secure Campus Food Systems

In this profile article, we report what we consider to be a rich learning experience which intertwines pedagogy and research: a process of community-based action research which has initiated a transition towards the sustainability of the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) food system. We call this initiative the UBC Food System Project (UBCFSP). The UBCFSP is a jointly initiated project between the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and the UBC Sustainability Office, and includes nine UBC organizational partners and one collaborator. The project emerged out of the recognition that our global, national, regional, and local food systems are increasingly characterized as socially, ecologically, and economically insecure and unsustainable. As a result, these food systems are experiencing an array of vulnerabilities, particularly those that are demonstrated by profound disruptions in our ecosystem and in a worldwide epidemic of malnutrition. The overall objective of the project is to conduct a campus-wide UBC food system sustainability assessment, where barriers that hinder and opportunities to make transitions towards food system sustainability are being collaboratively identified and implemented. This article is part of a series intending to share the experiences gathered so far through the project. The purpose of this profile is to provide a brief overview of the UBC Food System Project, including the context and significance, both the pedagogical approach and research methods, and some accomplishments to date.