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Treatment Year (treatment + year)
Selected AbstractsLagged effects of experimental warming and doubled precipitation on annual and seasonal aboveground biomass production in a tallgrass prairieGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2008REBECCA A. SHERRY Abstract Global climate change is expected to result in a greater frequency of extreme weather, which can cause lag effects on aboveground net primary production (ANPP). However, our understanding of lag effects is limited. To explore lag effects following extreme weather, we applied four treatments (control, doubled precipitation, 4 °C warming, and warming plus doubled precipitation) for 1 year in a randomized block design and monitored changes in ecosystem processes for 3 years in an old-field tallgrass prairie in central Oklahoma. Biomass was estimated twice in the pretreatment year, and three times during the treatment and posttreatment years. Total plant biomass was increased by warming in spring of the treatment year and by doubled precipitation in summer. However, double precipitation suppressed fall production. During the following spring, biomass production was significantly suppressed in the formerly warmed plots 2 months after treatments ceased. Nine months after the end of treatments, fall production remained suppressed in double precipitation and warming plus double precipitation treatments. Also, the formerly warmed plots still had a significantly greater proportion of C4 plants, while the warmed plus double precipitation plots retained a high proportion of C3 plants. The lag effects of warming on biomass did not match the temporal patterns of soil nitrogen availability determined by plant root simulator probes, but coincided with warming-induced decreases in available soil moisture in the deepest layers of soil which recovered to the pretreatment pattern approximately 10 months after the treatments ceased. Analyzing the data with an ecosystem model showed that the lagged temporal patterns of effects of warming and precipitation on biomass can be fully explained by warming-induced differences in soil moisture. Thus, both the experimental results and modeling analysis indicate that water availability regulates lag effects of warming on biomass production. [source] Clinical efficacy of sublingual and subcutaneous birch pollen allergen-specific immunotherapy: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, double-dummy studyALLERGY, Issue 1 2004M. S. Khinchi Background:, Both sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy (SLIT) and subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) have a documented clinical efficacy, but only few comparative studies have been performed. Objective:, To investigate the clinical efficacy of SLIT vs SCIT and secondary to compare SLIT and SCIT with placebo and to evaluate the relative clinical efficacy in relation to systemic side-effects. Methods:, A 3-year randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, double-dummy study including 71 adult birch pollen hay fever patients treated for two consecutive years after a baseline year. Allocation to treatment groups was based on disease severity in the baseline season, gender and age. Results:, Clinical efficacy was estimated in 58 patients completing the first treatment year by subtracting baseline data and by calculating the ratio first treatment season vs baseline. SLIT diminished the median disease severity to one-half and SCIT to one-third of placebo treatment. No statistical significant difference between the two groups was observed. Both for symptoms and medication scores actively treated patients showed statistically significant and clinical relevant efficacy compared with placebo. SLIT treatment only resulted in local mild side-effects, while SCIT resulted in few serious systemic side-effects. Conclusion:, Based on the limited number of patients the clinical efficacy of SLIT was not statistically different from SCIT, and both treatments are clinically effective compared with placebo in the treatment of birch pollen rhinoconjunctivitis. The lack of significant difference between the two treatments does not indicate equivalent efficacy, but to detect minor differences necessitates investigation of larger groups. Due to the advantageous safety profile SLIT may be favored. [source] Bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy in stage Ta/T1 bladder cancer: prognostic factors for time to recurrence and progressionBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 7 2004P. Andius OBJECTIVE To report prognostic factors for time to recurrence and progression after bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) prophylaxis in patients with stage Ta/T1 papillary bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS The clinical records were assessed retrospectively for 236 patients with papillary stage Ta/T1 bladder cancer treated with BCG between 1986 and 2000. Patients with known carcinoma in situ were excluded. The median (range) follow-up was 44 (4,155) months. The effect of 13 variables on the time to recurrence and progression was evaluated using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses. RESULTS The recurrence rate was markedly reduced for all grades and stages. Patients with a negative first cystoscopy and maintenance BCG had a significantly longer time to recurrence than those treated with an induction course alone (P < 0.001). Thirty-seven patients (16%) progressed in stage. The result of the first cystoscopy (P < 0.001), tumour grade (P = 0.003) and six or fewer initial instillations (P = 0.002) had prognostic importance for the time to progression. Twenty-eight patients (12%) had a history of an upper tract tumour, which was 3,10 times the expected rate. Age, number of tumours, number of positive cystoscopies, length of tumour history before BCG, BCG strain and treatment year had no influence on time to recurrence and progression. CONCLUSIONS Maintenance treatment does not seem to be necessary among patients with TaG1-G2 disease after a negative first cystoscopy, as the progression rate was very low. One new finding was that BCG seemed to be equally effective among patients with or with no history of an upper tract tumour. Another new and surprising finding was that patients treated with fewer than six induction instillations, because of very bothersome side-effects, had an increased risk of tumour progression and of local failure. [source] Prognosis of small thyroid cancer in patients with Graves' diseaseBRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 4 2006S. Kikuchi Background: To find the best ways to follow up patients with small thyroid cancer (STC; 1 cm or less in diameter) and concomitant Graves' disease, this study examined whether such patients had the same excellent prognosis as those with STC without Graves' disease. Methods: Between 1970 and 1996, 2199 patients were diagnosed as having STC by pathology after thyroidectomy. Of those, 509 patients (33 males and 476 females, mean age 43·5 years) underwent thyroidectomy for Graves' disease. Control patients with STC without Graves' disease were matched for age, sex, treatment year and tumour size (33 males and 476 females, mean age 44·0 years). Results: Patients with STC and Graves' disease had a longer disease-free survival than those with STC alone (99 and 93 per cent at 20 years' follow-up, respectively; P < 0·001). The Cox's proportional hazard analysis showed that concomitant Graves' disease and age at surgery are more significant factors for predicting disease-free survival than surgical procedures. Conclusion: Patients who undergo thyroidectomy for Graves' disease and are found to have STC have an excellent prognosis and longer disease-free survival than patients with STC alone. Copyright © 2006 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Trends in renal tumor surgery delivery within the United States,CANCER, Issue 10 2010Lori M. Dulabon DO Abstract BACKGROUND: Most small renal tumors are amenable to partial nephrectomy (PN). Studies have documented the association of radical nephrectomy (RN) with an increased risk of comorbid conditions, such as chronic kidney disease. Despite evidence of equivalent oncologic outcomes, PN remains under used within the United States. In this study, the authors identified the most recent trends in kidney surgery for small renal tumors and determined which factors were associated with the use of PN versus RN within the United States. METHODS: A population-based patient cohort was analyzed using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results cancer registry (SEER 1999-2006). The authors identified 18,330 patients ages 40 to 90 years who underwent surgery for kidney tumors ,4 cm in the United States between 1999 and 2006. RESULTS: In total, 11,870 patients (65%) underwent RN, and 6460 patients (35%) underwent PN. The ratio of PN to RN increased yearly (P < .001), representing 45% of kidney surgeries in 2006 for small tumors. There were significant differences in the cohort of patients who underwent PN versus RN, including age, sex, tumor location, marital status, year of treatment, and tumor size. When adjusting for these variables, being a man, age ,70 years, urban residence, smaller tumor size, and more recent treatment year were predictors of PN. CONCLUSIONS: Although the total numbers of PN procedures increased in the United States between 1999 and 2006, there remains a significant under use of PN, particularly among women, the elderly, and those living in rural locations. Further investigation will be required to determine the reasons for these disparities, and strategies to optimize access to PN need to be developed. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society. [source] Fifteen years of climate change manipulations alter soil microbial communities in a subarctic heath ecosystemGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007RIIKKA RINNAN Abstract Soil microbial biomass in arctic heaths has been shown to be largely unaffected by treatments simulating climate change with temperature, nutrient and light manipulations. Here, we demonstrate that more than 10 years is needed for development of significant responses, and that changes in microbial biomass are accompanied with strong alterations in microbial community composition. In contrast to slight or nonsignificant responses after 5, 6 and 10 treatment years, 15 years of inorganic NPK fertilizer addition to a subarctic heath had strong effects on the microbial community and, as observed for the first time, warming and shading also led to significant responses, often in opposite direction to the fertilization responses. The effects were clearer in the top 5 cm soil than at the 5,10 cm depth. Fertilization increased microbial biomass C and more than doubled microbial biomass P compared to the non-fertilized plots. However, it only increased microbial biomass N at the 5,10 cm depth. Fertilization increased fungal biomass and the relative abundance of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) markers of gram-positive bacteria. Warming and shading decreased the relative abundance of fungal PLFAs, and shading also altered the composition of the bacterial community. The long time lag in responses may be associated with indirect effects of the gradual changes in the plant biomass and community composition. The contrasting responses to warming and fertilization treatments show that results from fertilizer addition may not be similar to the effects of increased nutrient mineralization and availability following climatic warming. [source] Sustained effect of SQ-standardized grass allergy immunotherapy tablet on rhinoconjunctivitis quality of lifeALLERGY, Issue 6 2010L. Frølund To cite this article: Frølund L, Durham SR, Calderon M, Emminger W, Andersen JS, Rask P, Dahl R. Sustained effect of SQ-standardized grass allergy immunotherapy tablet on rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life. Allergy 2010; 65: 753,757. Abstract Background:, The prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis has increased significantly over the past decades with grass pollen being a common trigger. The impact of allergy on patient's quality of life is substantial. Aim:, To investigate the sustained effect on quality of life during the grass pollen season 1 year after 3 years of treatment with the SQ-standardized grass allergy immunotherapy tablet (AIT), Grazax® (Phleum pratense 75,000 SQ-T/2800 BAU; ALK, Denmark). Methods:, The trial was a randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adult subjects with a history of moderate-severe grass pollen induced rhinoconjunctivitis inadequately controlled by symptomatic medications. Subjects received 3 years of grass AIT (n = 157) or placebo (n = 126), followed by 1 year of follow-up. Quality of life assessments were based on the standardized rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ(S)); completed weekly during the entire grass pollen season. Results:, During follow-up, the overall RQLQ(S) score for the entire grass pollen season was significantly improved in the active group (relative difference to placebo: 23%, P = 0.004). The improvement was higher during the peak pollen season (28%, P = 0.001). The treatment effect of grass AIT during the follow-up year and the previous three treatment years was similar. Improvements were found in all seven RQLQ(S) domains. The RQLQ(S) as a function of the weekly average pollen counts showed a clear separation between the treatment groups (P < 0.001). Conclusion:, In subjects inadequately controlled by symptomatic medications, grass AIT provided sustained and clinically relevant improvements in rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life compared to placebo. The effect increased with increasing grass pollen exposure. 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