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If a good and almighty God exists, why do we register genuine evil? Whiteheadian process theology wants to assist Christian theology with philosophical theism that interprets God’s sovereignty and God’s creative and providential activity as being more in accord with both our everyday experience and God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ than in the case of either traditional theism or “free will” theism.

Despite the progress of anti-cancer treatment, the prognosis of many patients with solid tumors is still dismal. Reliable noninvasive biomarkers are needed to predict patient survival and therapy response. Here, we propose a Humoral Complementomics approach: a work-up of assays to comprehensively evaluate complement proteins, activation fragments, and autoantibodies targeting complement proteins in plasma, which we correlated with the intratumoral complement activation, and/or local production, focusing on localized and metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). In two prospective ccRCC cohorts, plasma C2, C5, Factor D and properdin were elevated compared to healthy controls, reflecting an inflammatory phenotype that correlated with plasma calprotectin levels but did not associate with CRP or with patient prognosis. Conversely, autoantibodies against the complement C3 and the reduced form of FH (a tumor neo-epitope reported in lung cancer) correlated with a favorable outcome. Our findings pointed to a specific group of patients with elevated plasma C4d and C1s-C1INH complexes, indicating the initiation of the classical pathway, along with elevated Ba and Bb, indicating alternative pathway activation. Boostrapped Lasso regularized Cox regression revealed that the most predictive complement biomarkers were elevated plasma C4d and Bb levels at the time of surgery, which correlated with poor prognosis. In conclusion, we propose Humoral Complementomics as an unbiased approach to study the global state of the complement system in any pathological plasma sample and disease context. Its implementation for ccRCC revealed that elevated C4d and Bb in plasma are promising prognostic biomarkers, correlating with shorter progression-free survival.

Abstract Tardigrades are omnipresent microfauna with scarce record on their ecology in soils. Here, we investigated soil inhabiting tardigrade communities in five contrasting polar habitats, evaluating their abundance, diversity, species richness, and species composition. Moreover, we measured selected soil physico‐chemical properties to find the drivers of tardigrade distribution among these habitats. In spite of reported tardigrade viability in extreme conditions, glacier forelands represented a habitat almost devoid of tardigrades. Even dry and wet tundra with soil developing for over more than 10 000 years held low abundances compared to usual numbers of tardigrades in temperate habitats. Polar habitats also differ in species composition, with Diaforobiotus islandicus being typical species for dry and Hypsibius exemplaris for wet tundra. Overall, tardigrade abundance was affected by the content of nutrients as well as physical properties of soil, i.e. content of total nitrogen (TN), total organic carbon (TOC), stoniness, soil texture and the water holding capacity (WHC). While diversity and species composition were significantly related to soil physical properties such as the bulk density (BD), soil texture, stoniness, and WHC. Physical structure of environment was, therefore, an important predictor of tardigrade distribution in polar habitats. Since many studies failed to identify significant determinants of tardigrade distribution, we encourage scientists to include physical properties of tardigrade habitats as explanatory variables in their studies.

Abstract Little is currently known about how climate modulates the relationship between plant diversity and soil organic carbon and the mechanisms involved. Yet, this knowledge is of crucial importance in times of climate change and biodiversity loss. Here, we show that plant diversity is positively correlated with soil carbon content and soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio across 84 grasslands on six continents that span wide climate gradients. The relationships between plant diversity and soil carbon as well as plant diversity and soil organic matter quality (carbon-to-nitrogen ratio) are particularly strong in warm and arid climates. While plant biomass is positively correlated with soil carbon, plant biomass is not significantly correlated with plant diversity. Our results indicate that plant diversity influences soil carbon storage not via the quantity of organic matter (plant biomass) inputs to soil, but through the quality of organic matter. The study implies that ecosystem management that restores plant diversity likely enhances soil carbon sequestration, particularly in warm and arid climates.

Open top chambers (OTCs) were adopted as the recommended warming mechanism by the International Tundra Experiment network in the early 1990s. Since then, OTCs have been deployed across the globe. Hundreds of papers have reported the impacts of OTCs on the abiotic environment and the biota. Here, we review the impacts of the OTC on the physical environment, with comments on the appropriateness of using OTCs to characterize the response of biota to warming. The purpose of this review is to guide readers to previously published work and to provide recommendations for continued use of OTCs to understand the implications of warming on low stature ecosystems. In short, the OTC is a useful tool to experimentally manipulate temperature; however, the characteristics and magnitude of warming varies greatly in different environments; therefore, it is important to document chamber performance to maximize the interpretation of biotic response. When coupled with long-term monitoring, warming experiments are a valuable means to understand the impacts of climate change on natural ecosystems.

Abstract Climate change is leading to species redistributions. In the tundra biome, shrubs are generally expanding, but not all tundra shrub species will benefit from warming. Winner and loser species, and the characteristics that may determine success or failure, have not yet been fully identified. Here, we investigate whether past abundance changes, current range sizes and projected range shifts derived from species distribution models are related to plant trait values and intraspecific trait variation. We combined 17,921 trait records with observed past and modelled future distributions from 62 tundra shrub species across three continents. We found that species with greater variation in seed mass and specific leaf area had larger projected range shifts, and projected winner species had greater seed mass values. However, trait values and variation were not consistently related to current and projected ranges, nor to past abundance change. Overall, our findings indicate that abundance change and range shifts will not lead to directional modifications in shrub trait composition, since winner and loser species share relatively similar trait spaces.

Herbivores play a crucial role in shaping tundra ecosystems through their effects on vegetation, nutrient cycling, and soil abiotic factors. Understanding their habitat use, co-occurrence, and overlap is therefore essential for informing ecosystem-based management and conservation. In the High Arctic, only a marginal proportion of the land area is vegetated, and climate change is impacting herbivore population sizes and their habitats. In this study, we assessed the spatial habitat overlap of a vertebrate herbivore community based on: 1) regional predictive summer habitat suitability models for the resident Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus), resident Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea), and the migratory pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus), and 2) presence of fecal pellets, reflecting the annual habitat use of reindeer, ptarmigan, and geese, including the pink-footed goose and barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis). Our findings revealed that only small proportions of the available land cover (∼ 12,516 km2; all land area excluding glaciers and freshwater) are suitable for each of the species (habitat suitability [HS] > 0.5): reindeer (22 %), ptarmigan (11 %), and pink-footed goose (4 %). Overlapping suitable habitat [HS > 0.5] for reindeer and goose accounted for only 3 % of the total vegetated area (∼ 8848 km2) and was primarily found in heath and moist habitats dominated by mosses, graminoids, and herbaceous plants. The overlapping suitable habitat for reindeer and ptarmigan covered 8 % of the vegetated area, in higher elevation ridges with vegetation on drier substrates. The shared habitat for ptarmigan and goose, and all three species of herbivores, was less than 1 % of the vegetated area. Additionally, an assessment of fecal pellets suggested that the highest overlap in habitat use among reindeer and goose occurred in bird cliff moss tundra, followed by moss tundra and heath habitats. The small proportion of the vegetated area suitable for all three herbivores indicates a high degree of habitat differentiation. Therefore, different habitats need to be considered for the management and conservation of resident and migratory herbivore species in this High Arctic Archipelago. Moreover, our results underscore the importance of the small but productive parts of the landscape that were used by all herbivores.

ObjectiveTo review current literature regarding the efficacy of adjuvant radiation therapy (ART) and salvage radiation therapy (SRT) following radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with undetectable postoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and high-risk features of prostate cancer (PCa) recurrence. MethodsSeven randomized controlled trials focused on the use of ART compared with either observation or SRT after RP that had been published in PubMed up to May 2022 were reviewed. ResultsThe use of ART following RP has been the treatment of choice over the past decade. Three RCTs comparing ART with early SRT show that SRT given as soon as biochemical recurrence (BCR) is detected is not inferior to ART while it offers the opportunity to avoid overtreatment and potential RT-related side effects. A meta-analysis summarizing the results from these trials supports these findings. ConclusionsEarly SRT may be suggested as the standard of care for patients with PCa and high-risk features for disease recurrence following RP. Nevertheless, further investigations are needed to identify those patients who will benefit from ART, particularly, in case of lymph node involvement. Moreover, some patients might avoid SRT despite reaching detectable postoperative serum PSA levels

Snow is an important driver of ecosystem processes in cold biomes. Snow accumulation determines ground temperature, light conditions, and moisture availability during winter. It also affects the growing season’s start and end, and plant access to moisture and nutrients. Here, we review the current knowledge of the snow cover’s role for vegetation, plant-animal interactions, permafrost conditions, microbial processes, and biogeochemical cycling. We also compare studies of natural snow gradients with snow experimental manipulation studies to assess time scale difference of these approaches. The number of tundra snow studies has increased considerably in recent years, yet we still lack a comprehensive overview of how altered snow conditions will affect these ecosystems. Specifically, we found a mismatch in the timing of snowmelt when comparing studies of natural snow gradients with snow manipulations. We found that snowmelt timing achieved by snow addition and snow removal manipulations (average 7.9 days advance and 5.5 days delay, respectively) were substantially lower than the temporal variation over natural spatial gradients within a given year (mean range 56 days) or among years (mean range 32 days). Differences between snow study approaches need to be accounted for when projecting snow dynamics and their impact on ecosystems in future climates.

Summary: Background: Accurate prediction of side-specific extraprostatic extension (ssEPE) is essential for performing nerve-sparing surgery to mitigate treatment-related side-effects such as impotence and incontinence in patients with localised prostate cancer. Artificial intelligence (AI) might provide robust and personalised ssEPE predictions to better inform nerve-sparing strategy during radical prostatectomy. We aimed to develop, externally validate, and perform an algorithmic audit of an AI-based Side-specific Extra-Prostatic Extension Risk Assessment tool (SEPERA). Methods: Each prostatic lobe was treated as an individual case such that each patient contributed two cases to the overall cohort. SEPERA was trained on 1022 cases from a community hospital network (Trillium Health Partners; Mississauga, ON, Canada) between 2010 and 2020. Subsequently, SEPERA was externally validated on 3914 cases across three academic centres: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto, ON, Canada) from 2008 to 2020; L'Institut Mutualiste Montsouris (Paris, France) from 2010 to 2020; and Jules Bordet Institute (Brussels, Belgium) from 2015 to 2020. Model performance was characterised by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), area under the precision recall curve (AUPRC), calibration, and net benefit. SEPERA was compared against contemporary nomograms (ie, Sayyid nomogram, Soeterik nomogram [non-MRI and MRI]), as well as a separate logistic regression model using the same variables included in SEPERA. An algorithmic audit was performed to assess model bias and identify common patient characteristics among predictive errors. Findings: Overall, 2468 patients comprising 4936 cases (ie, prostatic lobes) were included in this study. SEPERA was well calibrated and had the best performance across all validation cohorts (pooled AUROC of 0·77 [95% CI 0·75–0·78] and pooled AUPRC of 0·61 [0·58–0·63]). In patients with pathological ssEPE despite benign ipsilateral biopsies, SEPERA correctly predicted ssEPE in 72 (68%) of 106 cases compared with the other models (47 [44%] in the logistic regression model, none in the Sayyid model, 13 [12%] in the Soeterik non-MRI model, and five [5%] in the Soeterik MRI model). SEPERA had higher net benefit than the other models to predict ssEPE, enabling more patients to safely undergo nerve-sparing. In the algorithmic audit, no evidence of model bias was observed, with no significant difference in AUROC when stratified by race, biopsy year, age, biopsy type (systematic only vs systematic and MRI-targeted biopsy), biopsy location (academic vs community), and D'Amico risk group. According to the audit, the most common errors were false positives, particularly for older patients with high-risk disease. No aggressive tumours (ie, grade >2 or high-risk disease) were found among false negatives. Interpretation: We demonstrated the accuracy, safety, and generalisability of using SEPERA to personalise nerve-sparing approaches during radical prostatectomy. Funding: None.

The article presents the founding elements of the social and political thought of American philosopher and theologian David C. Schindler. The main aim of the article is to examine possible relations between Schindler’s work and the philosophical concept of ‘Trinitarian ontology’. It focuses on Schindler’s approach towards liberalism and analyses his critique of the modern conception of freedom. It suggests that the main pillars of his idea of the social order might be found in the notion of reality as the symbolical order, the conception of human beings as fundamentally relational, and the renewal of the traditional notion of freedom as rootedness in goodness. It concludes with the suggestion that the proper understanding of social reality requires certain ‘social ontology’, the metaphysical interpretation of social life as a part of a broad cosmological order which symbolically manifest the beauty of the source of being. And it is the social ontology based on the notion of freedom and relationality which analogically reflects the main principles of Trinitarian ontology.

BackgroundCurrently, no markers accurately differentiate benign from malignant renal masses. CD34 and FSHR are transmembrane proteins involved in neo-angiogenetic pathways and are differently expressed in several normal and cancerous tissues. However, little evidence exists on their distribution in different renal tumors. We aimed to evaluate their expressions in various renal tumors and adjacent normal tissue.MethodsWe retrieved 810 histological samples from 26 patients who underwent surgery for suspected RCa. In each case a core of 10 × 1 mm was selected perpendicular to the tumor capsule between normal kidney and tumor. Within this core 30 regions of interest (ROI), each measuring 669 μm × 500 μm, were acquired at 20× magnification (n = 2 adjacent normal tissue; n = 2 tumor capsule; n = 26 tumor). The surface area of FSHR and CD34 immunostaining was quantified in each ROI using number of stained pixels. The results were compared between RCa and normal kidney.ResultsImmunostaining was significantly different in normal, tumor capsular, and tumor tissues (both CD34 and FSHR P < 0.0001), with overall highest expression in normal and lowest in tumor tissues, where CD34 and FSHR were differently expressed amongst different tumor subtypes (both P < 0.0001). CD34 and FSHR were more expressed in benign versus malignant (both P < 0.0001) and in chromophobe carcinoma versus oncocytoma tumor tissues (CD34 P = 0.0003; FSHR P < 0.0001). The discriminating ability of FSHR alone for benign versus malignant (AUC 0.805; 95% CI 0.771 to 0.837) and chromophobe carcinoma versus oncocytoma (AUC 0.973; 95% CI 0.939 to 0.991) was high. In both cases FSHR AUC was significantly higher than CD34 (both P < 0.0001) and equivalent to the combination of CD34 and FSHR (both P > 0.9). The correlation amongst levels of staining in tumor tissues and distance from the capsule were overall weak (Spearman coefficient CD34 to 0.0644; FSHR-0.16322).ConclusionCD34 and FSHR are differentially expressed across renal tumor subtypes and between tumor and surrounding tissues. FSHR expression alone may be a useful tool to differentiate benign from malignant tumors and chromophobe carcinoma from oncocytoma.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common oncologic disease among men. Radical treatment with curative intent provides good oncological results for PCa survivors, although definitive therapy is associated with significant number of serious side-effects. In modern-era of medicine tissue-sparing techniques, such as focal HIFU, have been proposed for PCa patients in order to provide cancer control equivalent to the standard-of-care procedures while reducing morbidities and complications. The aim of this systematic review was to summarise the available evidence about focal HIFU therapy as a primary treatment for localized PCa. Material and methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature review of focal HIFU therapy in the MEDLINE database (PROSPERO: CRD42021235581). Articles published in the English language between 2010 and 2020 with more than 50 patients were included. Results: Clinically significant in-field recurrence and out-of-field progression were detected to 22% and 29% PCa patients, respectively. Higher ISUP grade group, more positive cores at biopsy and bilateral disease were identified as the main risk factors for disease recurrence. The most common strategy for recurrence management was definitive therapy. Six months after focal HIFU therapy 98% of patients were totally continent and 80% of patients retained sufficient erections for sexual intercourse. The majority of complications presented in the early postoperative period and were classified as low-grade. Conclusions: This review highlights that focal HIFU therapy appears to be a safe procedure, while short-term cancer control rate is encouraging. Though, second-line treatment or active surveillance seems to be necessary in a significant number of patients.

BackgroundThe occurrence of postoperative urinary incontinence (UI) remains a problem for patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Non-surgical interventions (NSI) in addition to intraoperative techniques and patient behavioral changes have been proposed to improve urinary continence (UC) recovery after RARP. However, to date, the real clinical impact of postoperative NSI remains not well characterized.Materials and MethodsWe performed a Systematic Review in April 2021, using Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), Embase, and MEDLINE according to the PRISMA recommendations and using the Population, Intervention, Comparator and Outcome (PICO) criteria. Primary outcome of interest was the impact of NSI on UC recovery rate and time to achieve UC after RARP. Secondary outcomes of interest were the assessment of patient adherence to NSI, risk factors associated with UI, and correlation between postoperative NSI and sexual activity recover y. ResultsA total of 2758 articles were screened, and 8 full texts including 1146 patients were identified (3 randomized controlled trials, 3 prospective single-arm trials, and 2 retrospective series). Postoperative NSI of interest included pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) (n = 6 studies) and administration of oral medications (solifenacin) (n = 2 studies). PFMT appeared to increase UC rates and to accelerate time to achieve UC in the early postoperative period. Similarly, solifenacin provided higher rates of UC recovery and contributed to a certain degree of symptomatic relief. There was a great variability regarding NSI features and data reporting among studies. Major limitations were the small sample sizes and the short follow-up. ConclusionPostoperative NSI to manage UI after RARP include PFMT and solifenacin administration. Both seem to modestly improve early UC recovery. Nonetheless, evidence supporting their routinely use is still weak and lacks appropriate follow-up to evaluate possible benefits on long-term UC recovery.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The therapeutic role of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) in prostate cancer (PCa) is unknown due to absence of randomized trials. Objective: to present a critical review on the therapeutic benefits of PLND in high risk localized PCa patients. Materials and Methods: A search of the literature on PLND was performed using PubMed, Cochrane, and Medline database. Articles obtained regarding diagnostic imaging and sentinel lymph node dissection, PLND extension, impact of PLND on survival, PLND in node positive “only” disease and PLND surgical risks were critically reviewed. Results: High-risk PCa commonly develops metastases. In these patients, the possibility of presenting lymph node disease is high. Thus, extended PLND during radical prostatectomy may be recommended in selected patients with localized high-risk PCa for both accurate staging and therapeutic intent. Although recent advances in detecting patients with lymph node involvement (LNI) with novel imaging and sentinel node dissection, extended PLND continues to be the most accurate method to stage lymph node disease, which may be related to the number of nodes removed. However, extended PLND increases surgical time, with potential impact on perioperative complications, hospital length of stay, rehospitalization and healthcare costs. Controversy persists on its therapeutic benefit, particularly in patients with high node burden. Conclusion: The impact of PLND on biochemical recurrence and PCa survival is unclear yet. Selection of patients may benefit from extended PLND but the challenge remains to identify them accurately. Only prospective randomized study would answer the precise role of PLND in high-risk pelvis confined PCa patients.

Objectives: Focal therapies (FTs) are promising techniques for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. We assessed the medium-term oncological outcomes of intermediate-risk prostate cancer (PCa) treated with HIFU or cryotherapy. Materials and methods: One-hundred and fifty consecutive patients with intermediate-risk PCa, treated between 2009 and 2018 at a single center were included. Primary study outcome was failure-free survival (FFS), defined as absence of additional treatment, systemic progression or prostate cancer related death. Results: Thirty-seven (25%) patients underwent cryotherapy and 113 (75%) HIFU. Median age was 69 (IQR 62-72) years, with 36 (24%) presenting palpable disease on rectal examination, and median total PSA of 7.85 (IQR 5.75-10.62) ng/mL. Patients were followed for a median of 61 (IQR 48-82) months. FFS at 2 and 4 years was of 75.6% and 53.6%, respectively. Survival from whole gland or systematic treatment at 2 and 4 years was of 78.9% and 53.9%, respectively. Patients with FFS presented lower total PSA nadir (1.89 vs 3.25 ng/mL, p < 0.001), higher % PSA reduction at 3 months (66.1% vs 49.3%, p < 0.001), and at nadir (75.5% vs 55.8%, p < 0.001). Other characteristics such has the treatment modality, age, prostate size, initial total PSA, cT stage, International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP), tumor location and biopsy results by region did not differ between patients failing and not failing FT. Complications were uncommon (13%), with only onr (1%) patient having Clavien-Dindo grade > II. No deaths due to treatment were registered. Conclusions: At medium-term, FTs for intermediate-risk PCa presented good oncological results, with an excellent safety profile.

Objectives: Localized very high-risk prostate cancer (VHR PCa) has long suffered from the inex-istence of good lymph node staging methods other than invasive surgery, as computed tomogra-phy has low sensitivity for nodal disease. With the rising use of positron emission tomography (PET), it is clinically meaningful to know its value for these patients. Our goal was to evaluate the real-life diagnostic accuracy of PET Choline in nodal staging, comparing it with the gold standard of extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND). Materials and methods: We reviewed data from a high-volume center, including patients with VHR PCa according to current NCCN guidelines who underwent community 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT; followed by ro-botic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) and ePLND between 2010 and 2021. Results: We included 44 patients and 88 lymph node regions. Among those, 14/44 (31.8%) patients and 20/88 (22.7%) regions had nodal disease present on definitive pathology. In comparison with ePLND, we found a sensitivity of 64.3% (95% CI, 39.2-89.4%), specificity of 83.3% (95% CI, 70.0- 96.7%), PPV of 64.3% (95% CI, 39.2-89.4%), and NPV of 83.3% (95% CI, 70.0-96.7%) for nodal disease on a patient-based analysis; and sensitivity of 35.0% (95% CI, 14.1-60.0%), specificity of 88.2% (95% CI, 80.6-95.9%), PPV of 46.7% (95% CI, 21.4-71.9%), and NPV of 82.2% (95% CI, 73.4-91.0%) on a region-based analysis. Conclusions: In our view 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT doesn’t meet the criteria to be a standard exam for pre-operative staging for patients with VHR PCa, mostly due to its low sensitivity. However, other radiotracers should continue to be investigated in this setting.

Abstract Background Herbivores modify the structure and function of tundra ecosystems. Understanding their impacts is necessary to assess the responses of these ecosystems to ongoing environmental changes. However, the effects of herbivores on plants and ecosystem structure and function vary across the Arctic. Strong spatial variation in herbivore effects implies that the results of individual studies on herbivory depend on local conditions, i.e., their ecological context. An important first step in assessing whether generalizable conclusions can be produced is to identify the existing studies and assess how well they cover the underlying environmental conditions across the Arctic. This systematic map aims to identify the ecological contexts in which herbivore impacts on vegetation have been studied in the Arctic. Specifically, the primary question of the systematic map was: “What evidence exists on the effects of herbivores on Arctic vegetation?”. Methods We used a published systematic map protocol to identify studies addressing the effects of herbivores on Arctic vegetation. We conducted searches for relevant literature in online databases, search engines and specialist websites. Literature was screened to identify eligible studies, defined as reporting primary data on herbivore impacts on Arctic plants and plant communities. We extracted information on variables that describe the ecological context of the studies, from the studies themselves and from geospatial data. We synthesized the findings narratively and created a Shiny App where the coded data are searchable and variables can be visually explored. Review findings We identified 309 relevant articles with 662 studies (representing different ecological contexts or datasets within the same article). These studies addressed vertebrate herbivory seven times more often than invertebrate herbivory. Geographically, the largest cluster of studies was in Northern Fennoscandia. Warmer and wetter parts of the Arctic had the largest representation, as did coastal areas and areas where the increase in temperature has been moderate. In contrast, studies spanned the full range of ecological context variables describing Arctic vertebrate herbivore diversity and human population density and impact. Conclusions The current evidence base might not be sufficient to understand the effects of herbivores on Arctic vegetation throughout the region, as we identified clear biases in the distribution of herbivore studies in the Arctic and a limited evidence base on invertebrate herbivory. In particular, the overrepresentation of studies in areas with moderate increases in temperature prevents robust generalizations about the effects of herbivores under different climatic scenarios.

ObjectsHealth Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC) is an international survey programme aiming to investigate adolescents’ health behaviours, subjective perception of health status, wellbeing, and the related contextual information. Our scoping review aimed to synthesise the evidence from HBSC about the relationship between family environmental contributors and adolescents’ health-related outcomes.MethodsWe searched previous studies from six electronic databases. Two researchers identified the qualified publications independently by abstract and full-text screening with the assistance of an NLP-based AI instrument, ASReview. Publications were included if they were based on HBSC data and investigated the effects of family environment on adolescents’ health outcomes. Researches addressed family-related factors as mediators or moderators were also included.ResultsA total of 241 articles were included. Family environmental contributors could be mapped into six categories: (1) Demographic backgrounds (N = 177); (2) General family’s psycho-socio functions (N = 44); (3) Parenting behaviours (N = 100); (4) Parental health behaviours (N = 7); (5) Family activities (N = 24); and (6) Siblings (N = 7). Except for 75 papers that assessed family variables as moderators (N = 70) and mediators (N = 7), the others suggested family environment was an independent variable. Only five studies employed the data-driven approach.ConclusionOur results suggest most research studies focussed on the influences of family demographic backgrounds on adolescents’ health. The researches related to parental health behaviours and siblings are most inadequate. Besides, we recommend further research studies to focus on the mediator/moderator roles of the family, for exploring the deep mechanism of the family’s impacts. Also, it would be valuable to consider data-driven analysis more in the future, as HBSC has mass variables and data.

While the assumption that the sociopolitical and economic situation affects adolescents’ well-being, encompassing life satisfaction and a positive sense of self, is plausible, few studies have confirmed such macrosocial influences. The case of the Czech Republic offers an example of a society transitioning from totalitarian government (from 1989) to western democracy. Our study provides statistical description of Czech adolescents’ well-being over the past 30 years in association with the subjective perception of everyday problems. These daily hassles represent experiences and conditions of daily living that have been appraised as salient and harmful or threatening to adolescents’ well-being. We analyzed four samples of adolescents aged 14–17 years surveyed at four time points over the last three decades—1992, 2001, 2011, and 2019, total N = 4,005 (1992: 255, 2001: 306, 2011: 363, 2019: 3081; 54.6% females). The results show that life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-reported daily hassles changed only marginally from 1992 to 2019 with small differences related to the post-revolution 1992 cohort. Adolescents reported increasing problems in school, relationships with parents, sports, and leisure time over the study period. A model linking daily hassles and self-esteem to life satisfaction across four cohorts showed that daily hassles strongly predicted life satisfaction except in the post-revolution cohort of 1992 when life satisfaction was also the lowest. The effect was slightly higher in females. Across the cohorts, gender differences in life satisfaction changed from males being more satisfied in 1992 to females being more satisfaction in 2019. Limitations stemming from sampling differences across cohorts are discussed.

This cross-sectional study aims to 1) investigate the factor structure and measurement invariance of subjective health complaints inventory in terms of gender, 2) examine the role of selfesteem, interparental conflict and gender in Czech adolescents’ subjective health complaints, and 3) examine a possible moderating effect of gender in these relationships. Czech adolescents (N = 1602, 51% girls) from an epidemiological part of the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC) completed questionnaires at home and a psychological sub-sample of ELSPAC (n = 343, 46% girls) completed questionnaires during individual psychological examinations in the years 2006 and 2007. The subjective health complaints inventory used in this study is a unidimensional and scalar invariant for sex. Girls reported more subjective health symptoms than boys. Self-esteem may play a protective role for the adolescents’ subjective health symptoms, especially in boys, whereas self-blame and threat in an interparental conflict may serve as a risk factor similarly for both sexes.

The study recapitulates the results of activities of the Centre for Music Lexicography under the patronage of Institute of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, and especially its key project, the Czech Music Dictionary of Persons and Institutions. Initial works started in 2000 and next year is the 20th anniversary.

Paper follows public activities of Metoděj Habaň, a Czech Dominican priest and philosopher in 1960s. After a short introduction into Habaň’s life the paper focuses on two most distinctive contributions to the life of the Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia in that period of time: Habaň’s articles in the magazine Duchovni pastyř (A pastor) and his involvement in the ecumenical seminar in Jirchaře, first systematic interconfessional meetings in Czechoslovakia. In both activities Habaň represented rather conservative wing in the Church and it marks the first signs of polarity in the Czechoslovakian Church in the time of Second Vatican Council.

The study summarizes the activity in the field of music lexicography of Jiří Fukač (1936–2002), professor of musicology at the Brno-based Masaryk University, who successfully resumed the activities of the Brno School of Music Lexicography, constituted chiefly by efforts of Gracian Černušák, Vladimír Helfert and Bohumír Štědroň. Already as a student Fukač collaborated as both author and organizer on the two-volume Československý hudební slovník osob a institucí (Czechoslovak Music Dictionary of Persons and Institutions, 1963, 1965). In 1966 he and Jiří Vysloužil initiated foundation of Kabinet hudební lexikografie (Office of Music Lexicography) and preparations for the new subject-focused dictionary project, later called Slovník české hudební kultury (Dictionary of Czech Music Culture) started. Fukač’s contribution was crucial and it was his tireless effort including writing texts of individual entries, editing texts by others and effecting his organizational skills, that finally lead to the successful completion of the project in 1997. The result undoubtedly presents a fundament in Czech music lexicography in both conception and extent. Then Jiří Fukač started to work on further projects of music lexicography: he actively participated in preparations and realization of the big lexicographical project of the Sudeten German Music Institute in Regensburg titled Lexikon zur deutschen Musikkultur (Böhmen, Mähren, Sudetenschlesien) published in Munich in 2000, where he was member of the scholarly board of the project and contributed to the conceptual and methodological preparations. In 2000 Fukač together with Petr Macek and Mikuláš Bek started preparations for the new web-based project of the Czech Music Dictionary of Persons and Institutions. A fatal illness didn't allow him to proceed further.

The study summarizes the activities of the founder of university musicology in Brno Vladimír Helfert (1886–1945) at the Masaryk University where he lectured and made research between 1921 and 1939, in 1935–1936 also as dean of the Faculty of Arts. He raised a whole generation of musicologists and his pupils became involved significantly in the Brno and Moravian music scene and cultural life as early as the end of the 1920s. By the 1930s Helfert's Brno Musicological School acquired prestige as a progressive social, cultural and scholarly phenomenon. His legacy has been recognized by several further generations of musicologists until present.

The paper examines the situation and scholarly activities of Brno musicology in the last 25 years, follows musicological institutions at universities, especially the Institute od Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, but also the Faculty of Music at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts and the Faculty of Education at the Masaryk University and summarizes the activities of other significant scholarly, research and documentary institutions (the Brno branch of the The Institute of Ethnology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Department of the History of Music of the Moravian Museum). Based on the presented facts, the paper attempts to incorporate the Brno musicology into wider context of present musicology and specifies the possible prospects for future development.

This study recapitulates the work of Czech musicologist and folklorist Karel Vetterl (1889–1979) in the Brno Radio. Vetterl worked for the Brno Radio from 1927 to 1946, his career progressed from programme assistant through the manager of music programmes to the director of the whole Brno Radio. After the war he was discharged for political reasons. Vetterl, one of the first pupils of Vladimír Helfert at the Brno University and his close collaborator, became one the main names among those responsible for programme production in the Brno Radio, which he made a modern radio institution of nationwide importance.

This treatise tries to analyse the changes of perception of the sphere of popular music and jazz. These changes took place in relation to the development of Czech society and politics after 1948. The analyse uses selected published exemples from the music press in the specified period of time. The remarkable phenomenon to observe is the development of frequently used terms that are characteristic of the period, especially the gradual evolutionary fluctuation of views, attitudes and opinions expressed by these terms. After the changes in society in 1948 when the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia took power, the problematics of popular music and jazz became a special matter of interest from the side of music media. First of all, there was the opinion, a right one by the way, that the given sphere touches huge masses of population and people can easily be influenced by it, thus the importance of popular music and jazz for the power and ideology in the light of their possible propaganda use. Further on, there was a negative feeling towards the "Western" or even "American" provenance of most of the production of successful modern popular music, so this production was soon heavily criticised and became one of the typical features in depiction of the vivid portrayal of the enemy. Last but not least, it was considered a topical task in this musical sphere to apply the ideologized aesthetic normative standards of "universal socialist" validity.

Czech Music Dictionary of Persons and Institutions in its conception links to the two-volume Czechoslovak Music Dictionary of Persons and Institutions (1963 and 1965). The editorial team of the Cabinet for Music Lexicography, part of the Institutte of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno (Jiří Fukač, Petr Macek and Mikuláš Bek), started the implementation of the project in 2001. Regarding the extent of the task, the Czech Music Dictionary of Persons and Institutions is primarily conceived as an electronic on-line database accesible via internet. The chosen presentation requires minimum maintenance costs, allows unlimited volume of addenda to individual entries to be attached, offers significant user-friendly comfort in the form of full-text search, and facilitates the feedback between the editorial board and the users etc. A special editorial software was developped for the Czech Music Dictionary of Persons nad Institutions which allows all the mentioned aspects to be applied. The dictionary can be reached at www.ceskyhudebnislovnik.cz. The text summarizes the updated version of rules of writing the entries and includes also a list af abbreviations.