By Eli Yudin Published: November 13th, 2024

New research published with the support of the FP7 large-scale bioinformatics project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network (EU BON) and the Alien Challenge COST action reveals the importance of open data in the study and control of invasive alien species. The study was published online in open access in the journal Management of Biological Invasions.

Invasive alien species cause a wide variety of problems, including issues related to conservation; to human and animal health; to agriculture and to fisheries management. But how can science be useful to manage such potential issues?

"To advise policy makers and inform land managers on the dangers posed by and how to fight alien species we need to understand the invasion process. Ideally, we would like to be able to predict the causes, routes and progression of invasions." explains Dr. Quentin Groom, Botanic Garden Meise, Belgium.

Recently, several research groups have pioneered the process of "Horizon Scanning" for new alien species, also there have been parallel developments in the creation of dynamic ecological models to predict invasions. However, the greatest limitation to these advances is the lack of suitable data.

"The problem of invasive species is international and rapidly changing. Data are required from an extensive area, for many species and for a long period but what is currently available is patchy and often inaccessible. We argue for the importance of open data to tackle the problem of invasive alien species." explains Dr. Groom.

This new research reviews why access to data are so important to invasive alien species research and gives an overview of the reasons why data are unavailable to researchers. Currently access to data is patchy and is restricted in many ways:

• Legally, the use of restrictive data licensing blocks its use.
• Technically, many software systems don't adequately support sharing, particularly in their provision of unique identifiers.
• Culturally, data secrecy is the default position for most organizations.

Currently invasive species data is patchy and often restricted legally, through the use of restrictive data licensing. Credit: Peter Desmet

Gradually, data are becoming more accessible and attitudes towards data access are changing. The advent of data publications allows researchers to attract citations from their data, while simultaneously making their data accessible and discoverable.

The community of biodiversity observers is highly fragmented and the creation of a European biodiversity network will improve communication so that grassroots biodiversity surveyors will understand issues of data sharing, citation and licensing that are so critical for a rapid response to invasive species.

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Original Source:

Groom QJ, Desmet P, Vanderhoeven S & Adriaens T (2015) The importance of open data for invasive alien species research, policy and management. Management of Biological Invasions 6: in press. doi: 10.3391/mbi.2015.6.2.02

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Location: Electronic Resource- 

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Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is highly prevalent in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Widely available noninvasive screening tools are warranted to identify patients at risk for PH, especially severe PH, that could be managed at expert centres. This review summarises current evidence on noninvasive diagnostic modalities and prediction models for the timely detection of PH in patients with ILD. It critically evaluates these approaches and discusses future perspectives in the field. A comprehensive literature search was carried out in PubMed and Scopus, identifying 39 articles that fulfilled inclusion criteria. There is currently no single noninvasive test capable of accurately detecting and diagnosing PH in ILD patients. Estimated right ventricular pressure (RVSP) on Doppler echocardiography remains the single most predictive factor of PH, with other indirect echocardiographic markers increasing its diagnostic accuracy. However, RVSP can be difficult to estimate in patients due to suboptimal views from extensive lung disease. The majority of existing composite scores, including variables obtained from chest computed tomography, pulmonary function tests and cardiopulmonary exercise tests, were derived from retrospective studies, whilst lacking validation in external cohorts. Only two available scores, one based on a stepwise echocardiographic approach and the other on functional parameters, predicted the presence of PH with sufficient accuracy and used a validation cohort. Although several methodological limitations prohibit their generalisability, their use may help physicians to detect PH earlier. Further research on the potential of artificial intelligence may guide a more tailored approach, for timely PH diagnosis.

The rising obesity epidemic is a phenomenon that has gained increasing attention from health providers and health policy makers. This led to recognition of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (MASLD). The standard for its assessment has been histologic, which is neither practical nor acceptable by patients. Subsequently, a number of noninvasive assessment methods have been developed. However, despite ease of implementation, their confounding variables do hinder their accuracy. Nonetheless, the development of the liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and incorporation of other biological parameters has minimized but not eliminated the need for liver biopsy. Imaging methods are useful in evaluation, estimation, and following the progression of steatosis and fibrosis with particular attention to controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and MRI–Proton Density Fat Fraction (MRI-PDFF). The choices for the family physician are broad and rely on tests’ availability, cost, and patient acceptance. Great efforts have been undertaken to produce more robust and novel noninvasive markers that indicate fibrinogenesis directly in an implementable and cost-effective way.

BACKGROUND:This study sought to estimate the overall cumulative incidence and odds of Hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (VTE) among critically ill children with and without exposure to invasive ventilation. In doing so, we also aimed to describe the temporal relationship between invasive ventilation and hospital-acquired VTE development.METHODS:We performed a retrospective cohort study using Virtual Pediatric Systems (VPS) data from 142 North American pediatric ICUs among children < 18 y of age from January 1, 2016–December 31, 2022. After exclusion criteria were applied, cohorts were identified by presence of invasive ventilation exposure. The primary outcome was cumulative incidence of hospital-acquired VTE, defined as limb/neck deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine whether invasive ventilation was an independent risk factor for hospital-acquired VTE development.RESULTS:Of 691,118 children studied, 86,922 (12.4%) underwent invasive ventilation. The cumulative incidence of hospital-acquired VTE for those who received invasive ventilation was 1.9% and 0.12% for those who did not (P < .001). The median time to hospital-acquired VTE after endotracheal intubation was 6 (interquartile range 3–14) d. In multivariate models, invasive ventilation exposure and duration were each independently associated with development of hospital-acquired VTE (adjusted odds ratio 1.64 [95% CI 1.42–1.86], P < .001; and adjusted odds ratio 1.03 [95% CI 1.02–1.03], P < .001, respectively).CONCLUSIONS:In this multi-center retrospective review from the VPS registry, invasive ventilation exposure and duration were independent risk factors for hospital-acquired VTE among critically ill children. Children undergoing invasive ventilation represent an important target population for risk-stratified thromboprophylaxis trials.

Introduction

Exacerbation of COPD complicated by respiratory acidaemia is the commonest indication for noninvasive ventilation (NIV). The NIV outcomes (NIVO) score offers the best estimate of survival for those ventilated. Unfortunately, two-thirds of cases of COPD are unrecognised, and patients may present without COPD having been confirmed by spirometry.

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“You think, ‘I am where I am; nothing’s going to change,’ ” she said, but many years after her accident, she participated in a medical trial of a new, noninvasive rehabilitative device that can deliver more electrical stimulation than similar devices without harming the user. For Reid, use of the device has led to small improvements in her ability to use her hands, and meaningful changes to her daily life.

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Researchers have been investigating electrical stimulation as a treatment for spinal cord injury for roughly 40 years, but “one of the innovations in this system is using a very high-frequency waveform,” said coauthor Chet Moritz, a neurotechnologist at the University of Washington. The ARC-EX uses a 10-kilohertz carrier frequency overlay, which researchers think may numb the skin beneath the electrode, allowing patients to tolerate five times as much amperage as from similar exploratory devices. For Reid, this manifested as a noticeable “buzz,” which felt strange, but not painful.

The study included 60 participants across 14 sites around the world. Each participant undertook two months of standard physical therapy, followed by two months of therapy combined with the ARC-EX. Although aspects of treatment such as electrode placement were fairly standardized, the current amplitude was personalized to each patient, and sometimes individual exercises, said Moritz.

The ARC-EX uses a 10-kilohertz current to provider stronger stimulation for people with spinal cord injuries.

Over 70 percent of patients showed an increase in at least one measurement of both strength and function between standard therapy and ARC-EX therapy. These changes also meant that 87 percent of study participants noted some improvement in quality of life in a followup questionnaire. No major safety concerns tied to the device or rehabilitation process were reported.

Onward will seek approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the device by the end of 2024, said study coauthor Grégoire Courtine, a neuroscientist and cofounder of Onward Medical. Onward is also working on an implantable spinal stimulator called ARC-IM; other prosthetic approaches, such as robotic exoskeletons, are being investigated elsewhere. ARC-EX was presented as a potentially important cost-accessible, noninvasive treatment option, especially in the critical window for recovery a year or so after a spinal cord injury. However, the price to insurers or patients of a commercial version is still subject to negotiation.

The World Health Organization says there are over 15 million people with spinal cord injuries. Moritz estimates that around 90 percent of patients, even many with no movement in their hands, could benefit from the new therapy.

Dimitry Sayenko, who studies spinal cord injury recovery at Houston Methodist and was not involved in the study, praised the relatively large sample size and clear concern for patient safety. But he stresses that the mechanisms underlying spinal stimulation are not well understood. “So far it’s literally plug and play,” said Sayenko. “We don’t understand what’s happening under the electrodes for sure—we can only indirectly assume or speculate.”

The new study supports the idea that noninvasive spinal cord stimulation can provide some benefit to some people but was not designed to help predict who will benefit, precisely how people will benefit, or how to optimize care. The study authors acknowledged the limited scope and need for further research, which might help turn currently “tiny gains” into what Sayenko calls “larger, more dramatic, robust effects.”

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