Association Does Not Mean Causation, When Observational Data Were Misinterpreted as Causal: The Observational Interpretation Fallacy.

Background: The differentiation between association and causation is a significant challenge in medical research, often further complicated by cognitive biases that erroneously interpret coincidental observational data as indicative of causality. Such misinterpretations can lead to misguided clinical guidelines and healthcare practice, potentially endangering patient safety and leading to inefficient use of resources.

Methods: We conducted an extensive search of PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases up to March 2024, identifying circumstances where associations from observational studies were incorrectly deemed causal.

In-situ-forming zwitterionic hydrogel does not ameliorate osteoarthritis in vivo, despite protective effects ex vivo.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common degenerative joint diseases, with no effective therapeutic options available. In this study, we aimed to develop an interpenetrating, in-situ-forming hydrogel based on biocompatible and anti-fouling zwitterionic (ZI) polymers for early-stage OA treatment. We hypothesized that the anti-fouling properties of zwitterions could provide tissue protection, and the high charge density of these polymers would enhance tissue penetration and lubrication.

Partial asynchrony of coniferous forest carbon sources and sinks at the intra-annual time scale.

As major terrestrial carbon sinks, forests play an important role in mitigating climate change. The relationship between the seasonal uptake of carbon and its allocation to woody biomass remains poorly understood, leaving a significant gap in our capacity to predict carbon sequestration by forests. Here, we compare the intra-annual dynamics of carbon fluxes and wood formation across the Northern hemisphere, from carbon assimilation and the formation of non-structural carbon compounds to their incorporation in woody tissues.

Fennoscandian tree-ring anatomy shows a warmer modern than medieval climate.

Earth system models and various climate proxy sources indicate global warming is unprecedented during at least the Common Era. However, tree-ring proxies often estimate temperatures during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (950-1250 CE) that are similar to, or exceed, those recorded for the past century, in contrast to simulation experiments at regional scales. This not only calls into question the reliability of models and proxies but also contributes to uncertainty in future climate projections.

Distribution, causal agents, and infection dynamic of emerging ink disease of sweet chestnut in Southern Switzerland.

Emerging diseases caused by both native and exotic pathogens represent a main threat to forest ecosystems worldwide. The two invasive soilborne pathogens Phytophthora cinnamomi and Phytophthora × cambivora are the causal agents of ink disease, which has been threatening Castanea sativa in Europe for several centuries and seems to be re-emerging in recent years. Here, we investigated the distribution, causal agents, and infection dynamics of ink disease in southern Switzerland.

Daytime stomatal regulation in mature temperate trees prioritizes stem rehydration at night.

Trees remain sufficiently hydrated during drought by closing stomata and reducing canopy conductance (G ) in response to variations in atmospheric water demand and soil water availability. Thresholds that control the reduction of G are proposed to optimize hydraulic safety against carbon assimilation efficiency. However, the link between G and the ability of stem tissues to rehydrate at night remains unclear.

Climate impacts on tree-ring stable isotopes across the Northern Hemispheric boreal zone.

Boreal regions are changing rapidly with anthropogenic global warming. In order to assess risks and impacts of this process, it is crucial to put these observed changes into a long-term perspective. Summer air temperature variability can be well reconstructed from conifer tree rings.

Insights into source/sink controls on wood formation and photosynthesis from a stem chilling experiment in mature red maple.

Whether sources or sinks control wood growth remains debated with a paucity of evidence from mature trees in natural settings. Here, we altered carbon supply rate in stems of mature red maples (Acer rubrum) within the growing season by restricting phloem transport using stem chilling; thereby increasing carbon supply above and decreasing carbon supply below the restrictions, respectively. Chilling successfully altered nonstructural carbon (NSC) concentrations in the phloem without detectable repercussions on bulk NSC in stems and roots.

Plant-Soil-Climate Interaction in Observed and Simulated Tree-Radial Growth Dynamics of Downy Birch in Permafrost.

Climate change projections forecast most significant impacts on high-latitude forest ecosystems. Particularly, climate warming in boreal regions should increase fire severity and shorten its return interval. These processes can change the dynamics of boreal forests as younger stands become more dominating with a shift from gymnosperm to angiosperm.

Modern aridity in the Altai-Sayan mountain range derived from multiple millennial proxies.

Temperature and precipitation changes are crucial for larch trees growing at high-elevation sites covered by permafrost in the Altai-Sayan mountain range (ASMR). To contextualize the amplitude of recent climate fluctuations, we have to look into the past by analyzing millennial paleoclimatic archives recording both temperature and precipitation. We developed annually resolved 1500-year tree-ring cellulose chronologies (δC, δO), and used these new records to reconstruct the variability in local summer precipitation and air temperature.

Inter-annual and inter-species tree growth explained by phenology of xylogenesis.

Wood formation determines major long-term carbon (C) accumulation in trees and therefore provides a crucial ecosystem service in mitigating climate change. Nevertheless, we lack understanding of how species with contrasting wood anatomical types differ with respect to phenology and environmental controls on wood formation. In this study, we investigated the seasonality and rates of radial growth and their relationships with climatic factors, and the seasonal variations of stem nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) in three species with contrasting wood anatomical types (red oak: ring-porous; red maple: diffuse-porous; white pine: coniferous) in a temperate mixed forest during 2017-2019.

Spring arctic oscillation as a trigger of summer drought in Siberian subarctic over the past 1494 years.

Rapid changes in the hydrological and temperature regimes over the past decades at the northern latitudes enhance significantly permafrost degradation accelerating carbon release, increase the frequency of drought events and extensive wildfires. However, the mechanisms and dynamics driving drought events and their influence on Siberian forests are currently the subject of numerous research activities. Newly developed and annually resolved stable carbon and oxygen isotope chronologies of larch tree-ring cellulose (δC and δO) for the period 516-2009 CE allowed the reconstruction of July precipitation and Arctic Oscillation (AO) in May, respectively.

Manipulating phloem transport affects wood formation but not local nonstructural carbon reserves in an evergreen conifer.

How variations in carbon supply affect wood formation remains poorly understood in particular in mature forest trees. To elucidate how carbon supply affects carbon allocation and wood formation, we attempted to manipulate carbon supply to the cambial region by phloem girdling and compression during the mid- and late-growing season and measured effects on structural development, CO efflux and nonstructural carbon reserves in stems of mature white pines. Wood formation and stem CO efflux varied with a location relative to treatment (i.

Isometric scaling to model water transport in conifer tree rings across time and environments.

The hydraulic properties of xylem determine the ability of plants to efficiently and safely provide water to their leaves. These properties are key to understanding plant responses to environmental conditions and evaluating their fate under a rapidly changing climate. However, their assessment is hindered by the challenges of quantifying basic hydraulic components such as bordered pits and tracheids.

Recent atmospheric drying in Siberia is not unprecedented over the last 1,500 years.

Newly developed millennial δC larch tree-ring chronology from Siberia allows reconstruction of summer (July) vapor pressure deficit (VPD) changes in a temperature-limited environment. VPD increased recently, but does not yet exceed the maximum values reconstructed during the Medieval Warm Anomaly. The most humid conditions in the Siberian North were recorded in the Early Medieval Period and during the Little Ice Age.

Tree physiological monitoring of the 2018 larch budmoth outbreak: preference for leaf recovery and carbon storage over stem wood formation in Larix decidua.

Insect defoliation impacts forest productivity worldwide, highlighting the relevance of plant-insect interactions. The larch budmoth (Zeiraphera griseana Hübner) is one of the most extensively studied defoliators, where numerous tree ring-based analyses on its host (Larix decidua Mill.) have aided in identifying outbreak dynamics over the past millennia.

Compound-specific carbon isotope patterns in needles of conifer tree species from the Swiss National Park under recent climate change.

Elevated CO along with rising temperature and water deficits can lead to changes in tree physiology and leaf biochemistry. These changes can increase heat- and drought-induced tree mortality. We aim to reveal the impacts of climatic drivers on individual compounds at the leaf level among European larch (Larix decidua) and mountain pine (Pinus mugo) trees, which are widely distributed at high elevations.

Modeled Tracheidograms Disclose Drought Influence on Tree-Rings Structure From Siberian Forest-Steppe.

Wood formation allows trees to adjust in a changing climate. Understanding what determine its adjustment is crucial to evaluate impacts of climatic changes on trees and forests growth. Despite efforts to characterize wood formation, little is known on its impact on the xylem cellular structure.

[Evaluation of the treatment with disodium cromoglycate in the ulcerative rectocolitis. Our experience].

Background And Aims: This study highlights the possibility of treating recidivating ulcerative rectocolitis with oral disodium cromoglycate based on the assay of plasma IgE.

Methods: The study was performed from January 1995 to December 1997 in 28 patients suffering from recidivating ulcerative rectocolitis whose main symptom was hematic diarrhoea. Total plasma IgE were assayed in all patients and oral disodium cromoglycate treatment was commenced at a dose of 1.

[Idiopathic ischaemic infarction of the stomach. Case report].

Idiopathic ischaemic infarction of the stomach is an extremely rare condition since only 2 other cases have been published in the Literature so far. The Authors report a case of such entity on a 75 year old male patient, admitted from the accident and emergency department because of a upper digestive tract haemorrhage with clinical signs of hypovolemic shock. The patient subsequently underwent an upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy that suspected an ulcerated gastric neoplasm.

[Acute bleeding in gastrointestinal stromal tumor: case report].

A.A. refer a case report on a patient observed in emergency condition for acute bleeding from digiunal bowel by a GIST.

[Inguinal hernioplasty: Shouldice vs. tension-free techniques. A personal experience].

The Authors report their experience with the use of Shouldice technique and tension-free procedures (Lichtenstein, Trabucco). They evaluate long time results with both procedures making a comparasion of Shouldice versus tension-free. The results evaluation underlines the best performance of tension-free procedures with elimination of recurrence.

[Strangulated pelvic internal hernia: early postoperative complication of sacral colpopexy with prosthesis].

The Authors report a case of internal strangulated hernia in a patient operated of colposacropexy for vaginal prolapse following total hysterectomy. The diagnosis was formularized by abdominal TC consenting the surgical treatment by bowel loop resection completed by pelvic floor reconstruction.