Effects of storage conditions on the stability of qPCR reagents: implications for environmental DNA detection.

Objective: Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection is a transformative tool for ecological surveys which in many cases offers greater accuracy and cost-effectiveness for tracking low-density, cryptic species compared to conventional methods. For the use of targeted quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based eDNA detection, protocols typically require freshly prepared reagents for each sample, necessitating systematic evaluation of reagent stability within the functional context of eDNA standard curve preparation and environmental sample evaluation. Herein, we assessed the effects of long-term storage and freeze-thaw cycles on qPCR reagents for eDNA analysis across six assays.

The effect of silica desiccation under different storage conditions on filter-immobilized environmental DNA.

Objective: Silica gel beads have promise as a non-toxic, cost-effective, portable method for storing environmental DNA (eDNA) immobilized on filter membranes. Consequently, many ecological surveys are turning to silica bead filter desiccation rather than ethanol preservation. However, no systematic evaluation of silica bead storage conditions or duration past 1 week has been published.

Expansion of the known distribution of the coastal tailed frog, Ascaphus truei, in British Columbia, Canada, using robust eDNA detection methods.

The coastal tailed frog (Ascaphus truei) is endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America and is listed as a species of Special Concern under the Canadian Species at Risk Act. Its range is limited to British Columbia where it occurs widely west of the Coast Mountain Ranges extending north almost to the Alaskan Panhandle. The present study focused on surveying within the Cayoosh, Bridge (Shulaps), Seton, Anderson, Carpenter, and Downton Lake drainages.

Insomnia is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the clinical setting.

Objective: To determine the possible association between insomnia and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the naturalistic clinical setting.

Research Design And Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine the risk of developing T2DM among patients with pre-diabetes with and without insomnia. Participants with pre-diabetes (identified by a physician or via two laboratory tests) between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2015 and without sleep apnea were followed until December 31, 2016.

Accelerated regularized estimation of MR coil sensitivities using augmented Lagrangian methods.

Several magnetic resonance parallel imaging techniques require explicit estimates of the receive coil sensitivity profiles. These estimates must be accurate over both the object and its surrounding regions to avoid generating artifacts in the reconstructed images. Regularized estimation methods that involve minimizing a cost function containing both a data-fit term and a regularization term provide robust sensitivity estimates.

Using targeted spirometry to reduce non-diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing worldwide and thus its associated morbidity and mortality. However, COPD often goes undiagnosed.

Objectives: We evaluated the rate of non-diagnosed irreversible airway obstruction (AO) and characterized this patient group.

COPD prevalence in Salzburg, Austria: results from the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) Study.

Background: COPD is projected to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020. The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease initiative was started to measure the prevalence of COPD in a standardized way and to provide estimates of the social and economic burden of disease.

Methods: We surveyed a gender-stratified, population-based sample of 2,200 adults >or= 40 years of age.

Comparison of documented and recalled histories of exposure to diagnostic x-rays in case-control studies of thyroid cancer.

Most information concerning possible cancer risks attributable to lifetime exposure to diagnostic x-rays comes from studies in which x-ray history was ascertained by interview or questionnaire, but little is known about the accuracy of such information. The authors assessed agreement between medical x-ray histories obtained through interview and by review of medical records from thyroid cancer case-control studies conducted in Sweden (1985-1992; 123 cases and 123 controls) and from members of a prepaid health plan in the United States (1986-1991; 50 cases and 50 controls). In both studies, substantial disagreement was found between the numbers of x-ray examinations reported in the interview and in the medical records.