scholarly journals Human- and climate-induced changes of mollusc assemblages of millpond deposits in the valley of Jarosławianka Stream (Poland)

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-325
Author(s):  
Joanna Pietruczuk ◽  
Adam Wojciechowski

Deposits from a millpond in the Jarosławianka Stream valley (Sławno Plain, NW. Poland) were subject to malacological analysis in order to reconstruct the history of environmental transformations of the pond from its establishment in 1351 to the end of its functioning in 1960. Thirty five mollusc taxa occurred in the pond during its functioning: 21 taxa of water snails, 11 bivalves, and 3 terrestrial snails. Six phases of development of the pond were distinguished, based on the mollusc assemblages: phase I (1351–1450 CE) – very favourable habitat conditions, high species richness and diversity; phase II (1450–1490 CE) – deterioration of habitat conditions – decrease in the number of species and individuals; phase III (1490–1590 CE) – improving conditions and reappearance of species which had occurred in the pond in phase I; phase IV (1590–1750 CE) – the least favourable conditions and poor malacofauna in terms of species number and abundance; phase V (1750–1790 CE) – renewed development of the malacofauna; phase VI (after 1790 CE) – end of functioning of the pond. The phases of pond development were associated with hydrological transformations, resulting from climatic factors and human economic activity.

2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce E. Broster ◽  
Pamela J. Dickinson

<p align="LEFT">A 67 m near-continuous stratigraphic core was recovered from drilling at Grand Lake Meadows, located near the junction of Grand Lake and the Saint John River, approximately 40 km south of Fredericton, New Brunswick. From analyses of recovered samples and finite radiocarbon dating, four phases of development of the study site and surrounding environs were identified to have occurred following the Late Wisconsinan glacial maximum. Phase I, related to the formation of the DeGeer Sea, commenced more than 15 000 calyBP from deglaciation accompanied by marine transgression. Phase II began ~14 000 calyBP and continued until approximately ~8000 calyBP during which time there was major isostatic readjustment in the region and formation of a stratified, mostly brackish, ancestral Grand Lake and transformation into a mostly freshwater, Lake Acadia. Phase III began shortly after 8000 calyBP and continued until after 3000 calyBP accompanied by return of the Saint John River to a fluvialdominated system after down-cutting an outlet at the Reversing Falls gorge, and draining much of Lake Acadia. During phase IV, ~3000 calyBP to present, estuarine conditions were initiated as marine water advanced upstream over the Reversing Falls, leading to the development of the modern river system and Grand Lake Meadows.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indrė Stacevičienė ◽  
Sigita Burokienė ◽  
Aušra Steponavičienė ◽  
Daiva Vaičiūnienė ◽  
Roma Puronaitė ◽  
...  

The wide spectrum of COVID-19 symptoms complicates the selection of target groups for screening. We aimed to compare data of children screened for COVID-19 at the pediatric emergency department in Vilnius between different phases throughout 1 year (Phase I: March–May, 2020; Phase II: June–September, 2020; and Phase III: October, 2020–February, 2021) and to evaluate the possible predictors of the disease. SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests were positive for 2.7% of tested children (248/9,238), significantly higher during the Phase III (5.5%) compared with the Phase I (0.6%, p = 0.000) and Phase II (0.3%, p = 0.000). Infants and teenagers (12–17 years) accounted for a larger proportion of COVID-19 patients (24.6 and 26.2%, respectively) compared to other age groups: 1–2 years (18.9%), 3–6 years (14.9%), and 7–11 years (15.3%). There were more COVID-19 cases among children with a known SARS-CoV-2 exposure compared to those who did not declare any contact (18.2 vs. 1.1%, p = 0000). When symptoms were adjusted for age, gender and known exposure to SARS-CoV-2, we found that fever (OR 2.66; 95% CI 1.89–3.81), pharyngitis (OR 1.35; 95% CI 1.01–1.80), headache (OR 1.81; 95% CI 1.09–2.90), and anosmia/ageusia (OR 6.47; 95% CI 1.61–22.47) were the most significant predictors.Conclusion: Although high numbers of testing were maintained throughout the year, the positive test results were significantly higher during the Phase III. Age (&lt;1 year, 12–17 years), a history of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and some symptoms, such as fever, pharyngitis, headache and anosmia/ageusia could aid in targeting groups for screening for COVID-19 in children.


Author(s):  
Marc Buyse

Overview: Adaptive designs are aimed at introducing flexibility in clinical research by allowing important characteristics of a trial to be adapted during the course of the trial based on data coming from the trial itself. Adaptive designs can be used in all phases of clinical research, from phase I to phase III. They tend to be especially useful in early development, when the paucity of prior data makes their flexibility a key benefit. The need for adaptive designs lessened as new treatments progress to later phases of development, when emphasis shifts to confirmation of hypotheses using fully prespecified, well-controlled designs.


1975 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Prytula ◽  
Jenny C. Colbert

Rats, in a four-phase within- Ss study, were given a double-alternation schedule of reward and nonreward (RRNNRRNN). During Phase I, the odor-exhaust system was blocked, and Ss developed the characteristic response pattern, i.e., they ran fast on the rewarded trials and slow on the nonrewarded trials. During Phase II, the exhaust-system was unblocked for the first four trials and blocked for the last four trials; and during Phase III, the conditions were reversed; the results showed that behavior was controlled more by the contemporary fan conditions than by the previous conditioning and reinforcement history of the Ss. Following Phase III, half of the Ss were extinguished under the fan-open condition, while the other half were extinguished under the fan-closed condition; Ss extinguished under the fan-open condition were more resistant to extinction than were Ss that were extinguished under the blocked condition. The over-all results showed that double-alternation responding was controlled more by odor processes than by memory processes.


Praxis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 107 (17-18) ◽  
pp. 951-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Wilhelm

Zusammenfassung. Herzinsuffizienz ist ein klinisches Syndrom mit unterschiedlichen Ätiologien und Phänotypen. Die überwachte Bewegungstherapie und individuelle körperliche Aktivität ist bei allen Formen eine Klasse-IA-Empfehlung in aktuellen Leitlinien. Eine Bewegungstherapie kann unmittelbar nach Stabilisierung einer akuten Herzinsuffizienz im Spital begonnen werden (Phase I). Sie kann nach Entlassung in einem stationären oder ambulanten Präventions- und Rehabilitationsprogramm fortgesetzt werden (Phase II). Typische Elemente sind Ausdauer-, Kraft- und Atemtraining. Die Kosten werden von der Krankenversicherung für drei bis sechs Monate übernommen. In erfahrenen Zentren können auch Patienten mit implantierten Defibrillatoren oder linksventrikulären Unterstützungssystemen trainieren. Wichtiges Ziel der Phase II ist neben muskulärer Rekonditionierung auch die Steigerung der Gesundheitskompetenz, um die Langzeit-Adhärenz bezüglich körperlicher Aktivität zu verbessern. In Phase III bieten Herzgruppen Unterstützung.


1996 ◽  
Vol 35 (02) ◽  
pp. 108-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Puerner ◽  
H. Soltanian ◽  
J. H. Hohnloser

AbstractData are presented on the use of a browsing and encoding utility to improve coded data entry for an electronic patient record system. Traditional and computerized discharge summaries were compared: during three phases of coding ICD-9 diagnoses phase I, no coding; phase II, manual coding, and phase III, computerized semiautomatic coding. Our data indicate that (1) only 50% of all diagnoses in a discharge summary are encoded manually; (2) using a computerized browsing and encoding utility this percentage may increase by 64%; (3) when forced to encode manually, users may “shift” as much as 84% of relevant diagnoses from the appropriate coding section to other sections thereby “bypassing” the need to encode, this was reduced by up to 41 % with the computerized approach, and (4) computerized encoding can improve completeness of data encoding, from 46 to 100%. We conclude that the use of a computerized browsing and encoding tool can increase data quality and the percentage of documented data. Mechanisms bypassing the need to code can be avoided.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 443-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. H. Hyun ◽  
J. C. Young ◽  
I. S. Kim

To study propionate inhibition kinetics, seed cultures for the experiment were obtained from a propionate-enriched steady-state anaerobic Master Culture Reactor (MCR) operated under a semi-continuous mode for over six months. The MCR received a loading of 1.0 g propionate COD/l-day and was maintained at a temperature of 35±1°C. Tests using serum bottle reactors consisted of four phases. Phase I tests were conducted for measurement of anaerobic gas production as a screening step for a wide range of propionate concentrations. Phase II was a repeat of phase I but with more frequent sampling and detailed analysis of components in the liquid sample using gas chromatography. In phase III, different concentrations of acetate were added along with 1.0 g propionate COD/l to observe acetate inhibition of propionate degradation. Finally in phase IV, different concentrations of propionate were added along with 100 and 200 mg acetate/l to confirm the effect of mutual inhibition. Biokinetic and inhibition coefficients were obtained using models of Monod, Haldane, and Han and Levenspiel through the use of non-linear curve fitting technique. Results showed that the values of kp, maximum propionate utilization rate, and Ksp, half-velocity coefficient for propionate conversion, were 0.257 mg HPr/mg VSS-hr and 200 mg HPr/l, respectively. The values of kA, maximum acetate utilization rate, and KsA, half-velocity coefficient for acetate conversion, were 0.216 mg HAc/mg VSS-hr and 58 mg HAc/l, respectively. The results of phase III and IV tests indicated there was non-competitive inhibition when the acetate concentration in the reactor exceeded 200 mg/l.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1464.1-1465
Author(s):  
J. Blaess ◽  
J. Walther ◽  
J. E. Gottenberg ◽  
J. Sibilia ◽  
L. Arnaud ◽  
...  

Background:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most frequent chronic inflammatory diseases with an incidence of 0.5% to 1%. Therapeutic arsenal of RA has continuously expanded in recent years with the recent therapeutic progress with the arrival of conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs), biological (bDMARDs) and targeted synthetic (tsDMARDs), JAK inhibitors. However, there are still some unmet needs for patients who do not achieve remission and who continue to worsen despite treatments. Of note, only approximately 40% of patients are ACR70 responders, in most randomized controlled trials. For these patients, finding new therapeutic avenues is challenging.Objectives:The objective of our study was to analyze the whole pipeline of immunosuppressive and immunomodulating drugs evaluated in RA and describe their mechanisms of action and stage of clinical development.Methods:We conducted a systematic review of all drug therapies in clinical development in RA in 17 databases of international clinical trials. Inclusion criterion: study from one of the databases using the keywords “Rheumatoid arthritis” (search date: June 1, 2019). Exclusion criteria: non-drug trials, trials not related to RA or duplicates. We also excluded dietary regimen or supplementations, cellular therapies, NSAIDs, glucorticoids or their derivatives and non-immunosuppressive or non-immunomodulating drugs. For each csDMARD, bDMARD and tsDMARD, we considered the study at the most advanced stage. For bDMARDs, we did not take into account biosimilars.Results:The research identified 4652 trials, of which 242 for 243 molecules met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The developed molecules belong to csDMARDs (n=21), bDMARDs (n=117), tsDMARDs (n=105).Among the 21 csDMARDs molecules: 8 (38%) has been withdrawn, 4 (19%) are already labelled in RA (hydroxychloroquine, leflunomide, methotrexate and sulfasalazine) and 9 (43%) are in development: 1 (11%) is in phase I/II, 5 (56%) in phase II, 3 (33%) in phase IV.Among the 117 bDMARDs molecules: 69 (59%) has been withdrawn, 9 (8%) are labeled in RA (abatacept, adalimumab, anakinra, certolizumab, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab, rituximab, sarilumab, tocilizumab) and 39 (33%) are in development: 9 (23%) in phase I, 3 (8%) in phase I/II, 21 (54%) in phase II, 5 (12%) are in phase III, 1 (3%) in phase IV. bDMARDs currently under development target B cells (n=4), T cells (n=2), T/B cells costimulation (n=2),TNF alpha (n=2), Interleukine 1 or his receptor (n=3), Interleukine 6 or his receptor (n=7), Interleukine 17 (n=4), Interleukine 23 (n=1), GM-CSF (n=1), other cytokines or chemokines (n=5), integrins or adhesion proteins (n=3), interferon receptor (n=1) and various other targets (n=4).Among the 105 tsDMARDs molecules: 64 (61%) has been withdrawn, 6 (6%) JAK inhibitors, have just been or will probably soon be labelled (baricitinib, filgotinib, peficitinib, tofacitinib and upadacitinib), 35 (33%) are in development: 8 (24%) in phase I, 26 (74%) in phase II, 1 (3%) in phase III and. tsDMARDs currently under development target tyrosine kinase (n=12), janus kinase (JAK) (n=3), sphingosine phostate (n=3), PI3K pathway (n=1), phosphodiesterase-4 (n=3) B cells signaling pathways (n=3) and various other targets (n=10).Conclusion:A total of 242 therapeutic trials involving 243 molecules have been or are being evaluated in RA. This development does not always lead to new treatments since 141 (58%) have already been withdrawn. Hopefully, some of the currently evaluated drugs will contribute to improve the therapeutic management of RA patients, requiring a greater personalization of therapeutic strategies, both in the choice of molecules and their place in therapeutic sequences.Disclosure of Interests:Julien Blaess: None declared, Julia Walther: None declared, Jacques-Eric Gottenberg Grant/research support from: BMS, Pfizer, Consultant of: BMS, Sanofi-Genzyme, UCB, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Eli Lilly and Co., Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, UCB, Jean Sibilia: None declared, Laurent Arnaud: None declared, Renaud FELTEN: None declared


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 175628642110019
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Murai ◽  
Shigeaki Suzuki ◽  
Miki Hasebe ◽  
Yuji Fukamizu ◽  
Ema Rodrigues ◽  
...  

Background: Eculizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeted to terminal complement protein C5, is approved in Japan for treatment of patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+) generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) whose symptoms are difficult to control with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy or plasmapheresis. Methods: This interim analysis of mandatory post-marketing surveillance in Japan assessed the safety and effectiveness of eculizumab at 26 weeks after treatment initiation in patients with AChR+ gMG. Results: Data were available for 40 adult patients in Japan [62.5% (25/40) female; mean age at eculizumab initiation, 51.0 years]. Fifteen patients had a history of thymoma. Six patients were excluded from the effectiveness analysis set due to participation in the open-label extension part of the phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled REGAIN study [ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02301624]. After 26 weeks’ follow up, 32 patients (80%) were continuing eculizumab treatment. Adverse drug reactions were reported by seven patients [most frequently headache ( n = 3)]. One death was reported during eculizumab treatment (relationship unclear as determined by the treating physician) and there was one death 45 days after the last dose (considered unrelated). No meningococcal infections were reported. Mean (standard deviation) changes from baseline in Myasthenia Gravis-Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) and Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis (QMG) scores were −3.7 (2.61) ( n = 27) and −5.6 (3.50) ( n = 26), respectively, at 12 weeks, and −4.3 (2.72) ( n = 26) and −5.6 (4.02) ( n = 24), respectively, at 26 weeks. Improvements in MG-ADL and QMG scores were generally similar in patients with/without a history of thymoma. Frequency of IVIg use decreased following eculizumab initiation. Conclusion: In a real-world setting, eculizumab was effective and well tolerated for the treatment of AChR+ gMG in adult Japanese patients whose disease was refractory to IVIg or plasmapheresis. These findings are consistent with the efficacy and safety results from the global phase III REGAIN study of eculizumab.


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