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Background: GOIZ ZAINDU ("caring early" in Basque) is a pilot study to adapt the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) methodology to the Basque population and evaluate the feasibility and adherence to a FINGER-like multidomain intervention program. Additional aims included the assessment of efficacy on cognition and data collection to design a large efficacy trial. Method: GOIZ ZAINDU is a 1-year, randomized, controlled trial of a multidomain intervention in persons aged 60+ years, with Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) risk score ≥ 6, no diagnosis of dementia, and below-than-expected performance in at least one of three cognitive screening tests. Randomization to a multidomain intervention (MD-Int) or regular health advice (RHA) was stratified by sex, age (>/≤ 75), and cognitive status (mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/normal cognition). MD-Int included cardiovascular risk factor control, nutritional counseling, physical activity, and cognitive training. The primary outcomes were retention rate and adherence to the intervention program. Exploratory cognitive outcomes included changes in the Neuropsychological Test Battery z-scores. Analyses were performed according to the intention to treat. Results: One hundred twenty-five participants were recruited (mean age: 75.64 (± 6.46); 58% women). The MD-Int (n = 61) and RHA (n = 64) groups were balanced in terms of their demographics and cognition. Fifty-two (85%) participants from the RHA group and 56 (88%) from the MD-Int group completed the study. More than 70% of the participants had high overall adherence to the intervention activities. The risk of cognitive decline was higher in the RHA group than in the MD-Int group in terms of executive function (p =.019) and processing speed scores (p =.026). Conclusions: The GOIZ-ZAINDU study proved that the FINGER methodology is adaptable and feasible in a different socio-cultural environment. The exploratory efficacy results showed a lower risk of decline in executive function and processing speed in the intervention group. These results support the design of a large-scale efficacy trial. Trial registration: GOIZ ZAINDU feasibility trial was approved and registered by the Euskadi Drug Research Ethics Committee (ID: PI2017134) on 23 January 2018. Retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06163716) on 8 December 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop wild relatives are species related to cultivated plants, whose populations have evolved in natural conditions and confer them valuable adaptive genetic diversity, that can be used in introgression breeding programs. Targeting four wild lentil taxa in Europe, we applied the predictive characterization approach through the filtering method to identify populations potentially tolerant to drought, salinity, and waterlogging. In parallel, the calibration method was applied to select wild populations potentially resistant to lentil rust and broomrape, using, respectively, 351 and 204 accessions evaluated for these diseases. An ecogeographic land characterization map was used to incorporate potential genetic diversity of adaptive value. We identified 13, 1, 21, and 30 populations potentially tolerant to drought, soil salinity, waterlogging, or resistance to rust, respectively. The models targeting broomrape resistance did not adjust well and thus, we were not able to select any population regarding this trait. The systematic use of predictive characterization techniques may boost the efficiency of introgression breeding programs by increasing the chances of collecting the most appropriate populations for the desired traits. However, these populations must still be experimentally tested to confirm the predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper analyzes the effect of educational mismatch on wages, using a rich panel dataset of workers in the major euro area countries from 2006 to 2009, drawn from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (Eurostat). We use a consistent estimator to address the two econometric problems faced by the empirical literature: the omitted variable bias and measurement error. In principle, our fixed effect estimates confirm that overeducated workers suffer a wage penalty of similar magnitude to the return on each year of schooling attained. Interestingly, when we split the sample by age, we find that the wages of people aged under 35 basically depend on the level of education attained, while those of workers aged over 35 depend on job educational requirements. These results are interpreted taking into account the impact of the depreciation of skills on human capital. The main policy implication of the paper is that overeducation constitutes a waste of resources. Therefore public authorities should seek to reduce the negative impact of overeducation on the labor market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mahévas, S., Vermard, Y., Hutton, T., Iriondo, A., Jadaud, A., Maravelias, C. D., Punzón, A., Sacchi, J., Tidd, A., Tsitsika, E., Marchal, P., Goascoz, N., Mortreux, S., and Roos, D. 2011. An investigation of human vs. technology-induced variation in catchability for a selection of European fishing fleets. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 2252–2263.The impact of the fishing effort exerted by a vessel on a population depends on catchability, which depends on population accessibility and fishing power. The work investigated whether the variation in fishing power could be the result of the technical characteristics of a vessel and/or its gear or whether it is a reflection of inter-vessel differences not accounted for by the technical attributes. These inter-vessel differences could be indicative of a skipper/crew experience effect. To improve understanding of the relationships, landings per unit effort (lpue) from logbooks and technical information on vessels and gears (collected during interviews) were used to identify variables that explained variations in fishing power. The analysis was undertaken by applying a combination of generalized additive models and generalized linear models to data from several European fleets. The study highlights the fact that taking into account information that is not routinely collected, e.g. length of headline, weight of otter boards, or type of groundrope, will significantly improve the modelled relationships between lpue and the variables that measure relative fishing power. The magnitude of the skipper/crew experience effect was weaker than the technical effect of the vessel and/or its gear. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A recent study reported that Basques do not constitute a genetically distinct population, and that Basques from Spanish and French provinces do not show significant genetic similarity. These conclusions disagree with numerous previous studies, and are not consistent with the historical and linguistic evidence that supports the distinctiveness of Basques. In order to further investigate this controversy, we have genotyped 83 Spanish Basque individuals and used these data to infer population structure based on more than 60,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms of several European populations. Here, we present the first high-throughput analysis including Basques from Spanish and French provinces, and show that all Basques constitute a homogeneous group that can be clearly differentiated from other European populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed a survey of the European Cooperative Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation to analyze the outcome of 625 acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients transplanted with auto- or allogeneic-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (autoHSCT, alloHSCT) after 1993, in first (CR1) or in second complete remission (CR2). Leukemia-free survival (LFS) at 5 years in CR1 was 69% for 149 patients autografted and 68% for 144 patients allografted, whereas in CR2, LFS was 51% in 195 autoHSCT and 59% in 137 alloHSCT recipients, respectively. In the group of autoHSCT for CR1 (n=149), higher relapse incidence (RI) was associated with shorter time from diagnosis to transplant (<7.6 months); transplant-related mortality (TRM) was increased in older patients (>47 years), whereas for CR2, longer time from diagnosis to transplant (>18 months) was associated with increased LFS and decreased RI. In the alloHSCT group for CR1 (n=144), age (<33 years) was associated with increased LFS and decreased TRM and for CR2 (n=137), the use of mobilized peripheral blood stem cells was associated with decreased TRM. Female recipient, a female donor to male recipient and transplants performed before 1997 were associated with decreased RI. In conclusion, HSCT still appears to have a role in APL, especially for patients in CR2.Bone Marrow Transplantation (2007) 39, 461–469. doi:10.1038/sj.bmt.1705620; published online 26 February 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) have a poor prognosis with conventional chemotherapy. In the present study, we retrospectively analyzed the outcome of patients with BPDCN who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) or autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT). A total of 39 patients (allo-SCT, n = 34; auto-SCT, n = 5) were identified in the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry. The 34 allo-SCT patients had a median age of 41 years (range, 10-70) and received transplantations from sibling (n = 11) or unrelated donors (n = 23) between 2003 and 2009. MAC was used in 74% of patients. Nineteen allo-SCT patients (56%) received transplantations in first complete remission. The 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse, disease-free survival, and overall survival was 32%, 33%, and 41%, respectively. By univariate comparison, being in first remission at allo-SCT favorably influenced survival, whereas age, donor source, and chronic GVHD had no significant impact. We conclude that high-dose therapy followed by allo-SCT from related or unrelated donors can provide durable remission even in elderly patients with BPDCN. However, it remains to be shown if graft-versus-malignancy effects can contribute significantly to BPDCN control after allo-SCT.

Purpose: Many attempts have been made to improve the results of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (alloBMT) for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR1). Bone marrow cell dose has been reported to be an important factor in alloBMT; however, its true impact on relapse incidence (RI), leukemia-free survival (LFS), and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) in a large cohort of patients is unknown., Patients and Methods: From January 1992 to December 1999, 572 bone marrow transplantation recipients reported to the European Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) registry underwent allografting from an HLA-identical sibling donor with an unmanipulated bone marrow for AML in CR1., Results: The median number of nucleated cells (NCs) infused was 2.6 x 10(8)/kg. Estimated 5-year NRM, LFS, and RI for patients receiving more or less than 2.6 x 10(8) NCs/kg were, respectively, 18% +/- 5% v 30% +/- 5% (P =.001), 68% +/- 3% v 46% +/- 3% (P <.00001), and 14% +/- 4% v 24% +/- 5% (P =.004). The association of cell dose with the above outcomes was confirmed in multivariate analyses for NRM (relative risk [RR], 0.53; P =.0007), for LFS (RR, 0.53; P =.00008), and for RI (RR, 0.57; P =.02). The cell dose was also an important factor for neutrophil (RR, 0.76; P =.009) and platelet (RR, 0.77; P =.03) recoveries; however, it did not statistically influence the incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease., Conclusion: This study shows that marrow cell dose is one of the most important factors influencing relapse, NRM, and LFS after alloBMT for patients with AML in CR1. Therefore, increasing the marrow cell dose should substantially improve the survival of these patients.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of alpha-IFN maintenance treatment after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for multiple myeloma in a retrospective registry analysis. 473 patients with multiple myeloma who received IFN maintenance treatment ASCT were compared with 419 patients who did not receive IFN-treatment. Patients who were evaluable for response and in complete or partial remission at 6 months after ASCT were eligible, after excluding patients with graft failure. Cox proportional hazards assumptions were checked and handled by stratification. The prognostic variables unevenly distributed between the two groups were statistically corrected for in the Cox analysis. 391 patients reached complete remission (CR) after ASCT (203 in the IFN group and 188 in the no-IFN group) and 501 were in partial remission (PR, IFN 270, no-IFN 231). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were significantly better in the IFN-group (OS, 78 vs 47 months, P = 0.007, and PFS, 29 vs 20 months, P = 0.006, respectively). The difference in OS and PFS was most strongly pronounced in the PR patients. 209 patients have died (IFN, 84; no-IFN, 125). Progressive myeloma was the cause of death in 94% of the IFN-treated patients and in 83% of the no-IFN group (P = NS). Thus, IFN maintenance treatment after ASCT was associated with better OS and PFS. Treatment seemed to be most beneficial in patients who did not achieve CR. The difference in median survival was as long as 2.5 years, and although part of this difference is attributable to differences in other prognostic factors, it might justify possible differences in quality-of-life due to adverse effects of interferon treatment.

To determine the incidence and outcome of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) after blood or marrow transplantation (BMT), we prospectively evaluated all consecutive patients receiving a BMT during a 6-month period in participating EBMT centers. All of them were evaluated for occurrence of VOD according to previously defined clinical criteria. The clinical course, outcome, value of prophylactic and therapeutic interventions, and the influence of previously described risk factors were analyzed. During the study period, 1,652 BMT were performed in 73 centers. VOD was diagnosed in 87 patients (5.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.2% to 6.4%). Fifty-six of 631 allogeneic BMT (8.9%) and 31 of 1,010 autologous BMT (3.1%) developed this complication (P <.0001). VOD was classified as mild in 7 (8%), moderate in 56 (64.4%), and severe in 24 (27.6%) cases. Sixteen patients died of VOD (corresponding to 1% of the whole series, 18.4% of VOD patients, and 66.7% of severe VOD). The use of unfractionated heparin did not significantly decrease the incidence of VOD. Independent variables associated with an increased risk of VOD were allogeneic BMT (relative risk [RR], 2.8; P <.001), pre-BMT elevation of serum aspartate aminotransferase (RR, 2.4; P =.001), high-dose cytoreductive therapy (RR, 2.3; P =.003), Karnofsky performance score less than 90% (RR, 2.7; P =.006), and prior abdominal radiation (RR, 2.9; P =.03). In conclusion, this prospective study shows that (1) the incidence of VOD is lower than that reported in smaller studies from single centers, (2) about one fourth of cases of VOD progress to severe disease, (3) main risk factors have a major impact on incidence of VOD, and (4) the use of prophylactic unfractionated heparin does not seem to reduce the incidence of VOD.

We analyzed retrospectively data from 1696 patients with AML transplanted in Europe from January 1987 to December 1992 and reported to the acute leukemia EBMT registry. Groups of patients were analyzed according to age (adults and children) and status at transplant (first remission = CR1; second remission = CR2). (1) 1114 adult patients were transplanted in CR1; 516 received an allograft; 598 received an autograft. Following alloBMT, the transplant-related mortality (TRM) was significantly higher (27 vs 13%, P < 10(-4)), the relapse incidence (RI) lower (25 vs 52%, P < 10(-4)) and the leukemia-free survival (LFS) better (55 vs 42%, P = 0.006). Favorable prognostic factors for alloBMT were a FAB type other than M4-M5, a donor-recipient combination excluding a female donor to a male recipient, and a younger age. Favorable prognostic factors for ABMT were a younger age of the patients at time of transplant, the AML3 FAB type, and a longer interval from CR1 to ABMT. (2) 288 adult patients were transplanted in CR2: 98 received an allograft; 190 received an autograft. The TRM was higher following allogeneic BMT (32 vs 20%, P = 0.02) and the RI lower (42 vs 63%, P = 0.001). The LFS was not significantly different (alloBMT: 39%; ABMT: 30%, P = 0.22). (3) 242 children were transplanted in CR1; 129 received an allograft; 113 received an autograft. Following alloBMT, the RI was lower (25 + 5 vs 48 + 6%, P < 10(-4)), and the LFS better (68 vs 47%, P = 0.002). The use of TBI was a favorable prognostic factor in allografted patients with a lower RI and a better LFS. (4) The number of children transplanted in CR2 was too small for a comparative analysis. These results confirm that both allogeneic and autologous BMT are suitable curative approaches for AML. They favor the use of an HLA identical related allogeneic transplant when available, especially in younger patients, over ABMT with unpurged marrow. The role of purging in ABMT could not be addressed in this study.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (M3) is a distinct subtype of AML considered to have better response to chemotherapy and a higher cure rate than other subtypes. We analyzed the outcome for 362 M3 patients transplanted in Europe from November 1979 to December 1992 and reported to the acute leukemia registry of the European Cooperative Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation (EMBT). Of these 362 patients, 187 received an autograft, 129 in first remission (CR1) and 58 in second remission (CR2), and 175 an allograft, 142 in CR1 and 33 in CR2. Patients autografted in CR1 had at 7 years a leukemia-free survival (LFS) of 48 +/- 5%, a relapse rate (RR) of 41 +/- 5% and a probability of transplant-related mortality (TRM) of 18 +/- 6%. Patients allografted in CR1 had a LFS of 42 +/- 6%, a RR of 28 +/- 5% and a TRM probability of 42 +/- 8%. For patients transplanted in CR2, the respective figures after auto and allotransplantation were: LFS: 31 +/- 7% and 22 +/- 8%, RR: 54 +/- 8% and 64 +/- 11%, TRM: 23 +/- 9% and 40 +/- 9%. These data, which do not permit comparison between autologous and allogeneic BMT, indicate that roughly 45% of M3 patients achieving CR1 may be cured by a marrow transplant. Since the recent use of transretinoic acid-containing induction regimens has increased early control for patients with AML M3, it will be important to find out how these results affect outcome following allogeneic or autologous BMT.