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71, 95% CI 1.06, 2.76) and 20years (aOR=1.71, 95% CI 1.14, 2.56), compared to those without low vitamin D status. There were no associations between 25(OH)D at younger ages and myopia. Individuals who were myopic at 20years had a 25(OH)D concentration trajectory that declined, relative to non-myopic peers, with increasing age. Differences in 25(OH)D trajectory between individuals with and without myopia were greater among non-Caucasians compared to Caucasians.

Myopia in young adulthood was most strongly associated with recent 25(OH)D concentrations, a marker of time spent outdoors.

Myopia in young adulthood was most strongly associated with recent 25(OH)D concentrations, a marker of time spent outdoors.

Contemporary models of eating disorders (EDs) suggest that EDs are maintained by social-emotional difficulties. However, supporting evidence is derived largely from female, clinic-based samples. This study, which refrained from gender specific inclusion criteria, aimed to improve understanding of social-emotional functioning in a large community-based analogue sample of young adults aged 16-26.

Five hundred and forty-four participants (85.1% female; mean age 21, SD=4.3) completed the Eating Attitudes Test, Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Social Phobia Inventory, Revised Social Anhedonia Scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task.

One hundred and sixty-four participants scored over the EAT-26 clinical cutoff, and a two-way multivariate analysis of covariance found a medium-sized, statistically significant main effect of group on social-emotional functioning (F(5, 530)=6.204, p≤.001, Wilks’ Λ=0.945, d=0.48.), suggesting thre work could aim to recruit an even more gender-diverse community sample to further elucidate social-emotional functioning in individuals in the community with significant disordered eating.

To evaluate the outcome of referrals for suspected glaucoma based on elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) made by optometric practitioners in Sweden.

This prospective study included 95 individuals referred to the Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Sweden, during 2019, by optometric practitioners, based on elevated IOP. Positive outcome was defined as a diagnosis of glaucoma, or a diagnosis of suspected glaucoma. Referral accuracy was analysed. Positive predictive values (PPV) of different hypothetical IOP and age thresholds were calculated.

In 34% (95% CI 24-43%) of the referrals, no eye disease was found. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was the only referral criterion in 77% (73/95). The PPV was 35% (95% CI 25-45%) for all referrals, 27% (95% CI 16-38%) for IOP-only referrals and 59% (95% CI 36-82%) for referrals including additional findings. In IOP-only referrals, no definite diagnosis of glaucoma was made in any patients <45years of age. Applying a theoretical age limit of ≥45years with a hypothetical IOP limit of ≥25mmHg in patients 45-69years and of ≥22mmHg in patients ≥70years increased the PPV to 42% (95% CI 27-57%). IOP-only referrals would have been reduced by 27% without missing any glaucoma cases.

The overall predictive value of the referrals was poor. Glaucoma resources would have been used more effectively by increasing the required age for IOP-only referrals to ≥45years in combination with different IOP thresholds for certain age groups.

The overall predictive value of the referrals was poor. Glaucoma resources would have been used more effectively by increasing the required age for IOP-only referrals to ≥45 years in combination with different IOP thresholds for certain age groups.The use of high-throughput DNA sequencing (HTS) has revolutionized the assessment of biodiversity in plant and animal communities. There are two main approaches to estimate the identity and the relative species abundance (RSA) in complex mixtures using HTS amplicon metabarcoding and shotgun metagenomics. While amplicon metabarcoding targets one or a few genomic regions, shotgun metagenomics randomly explores the genome of the species. In this issue of Molecular Ecology Resources, Wagemaker et al. (2021) present a new method, multi-species Genotyping by Sequencing (msGBS), as an alternative middle ground between metabarcoding and metagenomics. They apply the technique to mixtures of plant roots and report the remarkable capacity of msGBS to estimate the RSA. If validated in other laboratories and biological communities, msGBS might become a third method to explore the biodiversity of biological communities, especially of plants, where current techniques are struggling to get sufficient taxonomic resolution.The field of synthetic biology seeks to program living cells to perform novel functions with applications ranging from environmental biosensing to smart cell-based therapeutics. Bacteria are an especially attractive chassis organism due to their rapid growth, ease of genetic manipulation, and ability to persist across many environmental niches. Despite significant progress in bacterial synthetic biology, programming bacteria to perform novel functions outside the well-controlled laboratory context remains challenging. In contrast to planktonic laboratory growth, bacteria in nature predominately reside in the context of densely packed communities known as biofilms. NVS-STG2 mouse While biofilms have historically been considered environmental and biomedical hazards, their physiology and emergent behaviors could be leveraged for synthetic biology to engineer more capable and robust bacteria. Specifically, bacteria within biofilms participate in complex emergent behaviors such as collective organization, cell-to-cell signaling, and division of labor. Understanding and utilizing these properties can enable the effective deployment of engineered bacteria into natural target environments. Toward this goal, this review summarizes the current state of synthetic biology in biofilms by highlighting new molecular tools and remaining biological challenges. Looking to future opportunities, advancing synthetic biology in biofilms will enable the next generation of smart cell-based technologies for use in medicine, biomanufacturing, and environmental remediation.