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The number of Vibrio -related infections in humans, e.g., by Vibrio vulnificus , has increased along the coasts of the Baltic Sea. Due to climate change, vibriosis risk is expected to increase. It is, therefore, pertinent to design a strategy for mitigation of the vibriosis threat in the Baltic Sea area, but a prerequisite is to identify the environmental conditions promoting the occurrence of pathogenic Vibrio spp., like V. vulnificus . To address this, we sampled three coastal Baltic sites in Finland, Germany, and Denmark with salinities between 6 and 21 from May to October 2022. The absolute and relative abundances of Vibrio spp. and V. vulnificus in water were compared to environmental conditions, including the presence of the eelgrass Zostera marina , which has been suggested to reduce pathogenic Vibrio species abundance. In the water column, V. vulnificus only occurred at the German station between July and August at salinity 8.1-11.2. Temperature and phosphate (PO 4 3- ) were identified as the most influencing factors for Vibrio spp. and V. vulnificus . The accumulation of Vibrio spp. in the sediment and the co-occurrence with sediment bacteria in the water column indicate that sediment resuspension contributed to V. vulnificus abundance. Interestingly, V. vulnificus co-occurred with specific cyanobacteria taxa, as well as specific bacteria associated with cyanobacteria. Although we found no reduction in Vibrio spp. or V. vulnificus associated with eelgrass beds, our study underscores the importance of extended heatwaves and sediment resuspension, which may elevate the availability of PO 4 3- , for Vibrio species levels at intermediate salinities in the Baltic Sea., Importance: Elevated sea surface temperatures are increasing the prevalence of pathogenic Vibrio at higher latitudes. The recent increase in Vibrio -related wound infections and deaths along the Baltic coasts is, therefore, of serious health concern. We used culture-independent data generated from three Baltic coastal sites in Denmark, Germany, and Finland from May to October (2022), with a special focus on Vibrio vulnificus , and combined it with environmental data. Our temporal model shows that temperature, combined with sediment resuspension, drives the prevalence of V. vulnificus at intermediate salinities in the coastal Baltic Sea., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Objective: Clinical observations over time of adults with growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD) have indicated a shift in patient characteristics at diagnosis. The objective of this study was to compare baseline characteristics of patients diagnosed with adult-onset GHD naive to GH replacement during three study periods (1994-1999 (P1), 2000-2004 (P2), and 2005-2012 (P3)) using the KIMS (Pfizer's International Metabolic) database., Methods: Data were retrieved for a total of 6069 patients with adult-onset GHD from six countries (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and UK): P1 (n = 1705), P2 (n = 2397), and P3 (n = 1967)., Results: The proportions of patients with pituitary/hypothalamic tumors and patients with multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies decreased per entry year period, while the proportions with hypertension and diabetes increased. The lag time from diagnosis of pituitary disease to start of GH treatment decreased by 2.9 years over the entry year periods. IGF-1 increased by 0.1 standard deviation score per entry year period. Maximum GH following various stimulation tests, BMI, and waist circumference increased. The use of radiotherapy, glucocorticoid replacement doses, and the proportion of women >50 years on estrogen replacement therapy decreased. The effects of 1 year of GH replacement were similar over the entry year periods despite changes in the patients' baseline characteristics. An expected increase in fasting blood glucose was seen after 1 year of GH treatment., Conclusions: The degree of confirmed GHD became less pronounced and more patients with co-morbidities and diabetes were considered for GH replacement therapy, possibly reflecting increased knowledge and confidence in GH therapy gained with time.

Modern cancerology is based on the oncogene concept. This is rather new. The idea of the oncogene, however, is old, and can be traced back to two sources, namely to "cancer families," reported in 1866 by P. Broka, and to "virus induced" neoplasia, detected by P. Rous in 1911. A gene which is--to my knowledge--the first reported oncogene by definition was detected in the little ornamental Mexican fish Xiphophorus by Myron Gordon, Curt Kosswig, and Georg Häussler in 1928 when they observed the terrible hereditary melanomas that we are now coming to understand and to compare with other kinds of neoplasms in Xiphophorus and in mammals, including humans. Although the Xiphophorus model was always modest in its claims, it has--sometimes too early in its history--contributed many facts to the present concept of neoplasia.