bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of the Modified Incremental Step Test for Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Authors: Burge Angela T , Rodrigues Jr Jose C , Abramson Michael J , Cox Narelle S , Bondarenko Janet , Webb Elizabeth , Marceau Tunya , Handley Emma , Macdonald Heather , Askin Annabel , Calasans Georgia A Santos Araújo , do Amaral Daniel Pereira , Dreger Julianna , Dal Corso Simone , Holland Anne E
Published: January 2021

Objective

A Modified Incremental Step Test (MIST) performed in the home may facilitate entirely home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programs. The aims of this study were to investigate the reliability and responsiveness, and the utility of the MIST for exercise prescription in people with stable chronic lung disease.

Methods

The MIST was undertaken at the center and home in random order, before and after pulmonary rehabilitation, with 2 tests at each time point. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient. Responsiveness was evaluated as effect size. The minimal important difference was appraised using distribution and anchor-based methods. In a substudy, physiological responses to MIST were measured by a portable metabolic system, followed by a constant step rate test at 60% of peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), to evaluate utility for exercise prescription.

Results

Forty-six participants were recruited (29% of eligible candidates). There was excellent reliability for number of steps recorded in home- and center-based settings (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.954, 95% CI = 0.915–0.976). A small-moderate effect size was demonstrated following pulmonary rehabilitation (0.34), and the minimal detectable change was 7 steps. All participants in the substudy achieved 60% of VO2peak and achieved steady state by the fourth minute, with 60% of VO2peak corresponding to a mean 37% (95% CI = 29–44) of the MIST final level.

Conclusions

The MIST is reliable and responsive to pulmonary rehabilitation in people with stable chronic respiratory disease. It provides new opportunities to assess exercise capacity, prescribe exercise training, and reassess exercise program outcomes in environments where established field walking tests are not feasible.

Impact

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a highly effective treatment that is underutilized worldwide. Home-based pulmonary rehabilitation may improve access for patients and deliver equivalent clinical outcomes but is limited by the availability of a robust exercise test that can be used at home to assess exercise capacity and prescribe training intensity. This study tested the clinimetric properties of the MIST and demonstrated a new way to assess exercise capacity, prescribe exercise training of an appropriate intensity, and reassess exercise capacity in environments where established field walking tests are not feasible.
Behçet’s syndrome in children and young people in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland: a prospective epidemiological study
Authors: Pain Clare E , Beresford Michael W , Fortune Farida , Lai Eric T C , Murphy Ruth , Taylor-Robinson David , Brogan Paul A , Moots Robert J
Published: January 2021

Objectives

To define the incidence and prevalence of Behçet’s syndrome (BS) in children and young people (CYP) up to the age of 16 years in the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland (ROI).

Methods

A prospective epidemiological study was undertaken with the support of the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) and the British Society of Paediatric Dermatologists (BSPD). Consultants reported anonymised cases of BS seen. A follow-up study at one year examined progression of disease and treatment.

Results

Over a two-year period, 56 cases met the International Criteria for Behçet’s Disease. For children under 16 years of age, the two-year period prevalence estimate was 4.2 per million (95% CI: 3.2, 5.4) and the incidence was 0.96 per million person years (95% CI: 0.66, 1.41). Mucocutaneous disease was the most common phenotype (56/100%), with ocular (10/56; 17.9%), neurological (2/56; 3.6%) and vascular involvement (3/56; 5.4%) being less common. Median age at onset was 6.34 years and at diagnosis was 11.72 years. There were slightly more female than male children reported (32/56; 55.6%). The majority of cases (85.7%) were white Caucasian. Apart from genital ulcers, which were more common in females, there were no significant differences in frequency of manifestations between male or females, nor between ethnicities. Over 83% of cases had three or more non-primary care healthcare professionals involved in their care.

Conclusion

BS is extremely rare in CYP in the UK and ROI and most have mucocutaneous disease. Healthcare needs are complex, and coordinated care is key.
Data-driven definitions for active and structural MRI lesions in the sacroiliac joint in spondyloarthritis and their predictive utility
Authors: Maksymowych Walter P , Lambert Robert G , Baraliakos Xenofon , Weber Ulrich , Machado Pedro M , Pedersen Susanne J , Hooge Manouk de , Sieper Joachim , Wichuk Stephanie , Poddubnyy Denis , Rudwaleit Martin , van der Heijde Désirée , Landewe Robert , Eshed Iris , Ostergaard Mikkel
Published: January 2021

Objectives

To determine quantitative SI joint MRI lesion cut-offs that optimally define a positive MRI for inflammatory and structural lesions typical of axial SpA (axSpA) and that predict clinical diagnosis.

Methods

The Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) MRI group assessed MRIs from the ASAS Classification Cohort in two reading exercises where (A) 169 cases and 7 central readers; (B) 107 cases and 8 central readers. We calculated sensitivity/specificity for the number of SI joint quadrants or slices with bone marrow oedema (BME), erosion, fat lesion, where a majority of central readers had high confidence there was a definite active or structural lesion. Cut-offs with ≥95% specificity were analysed for their predictive utility for follow-up rheumatologist diagnosis of axSpA by calculating positive/negative predictive values (PPVs/NPVs) and selecting cut-offs with PPV ≥ 95%.

Results

Active or structural lesions typical of axSpA on MRI had PPVs ≥ 95% for clinical diagnosis of axSpA. Cut-offs that best reflected a definite active lesion typical of axSpA were either ≥4 SI joint quadrants with BME at any location or at the same location in ≥3 consecutive slices. For definite structural lesion, the optimal cut-offs were any one of ≥3 SI joint quadrants with erosion or ≥5 with fat lesions, erosion at the same location for ≥2 consecutive slices, fat lesions at the same location for ≥3 consecutive slices, or presence of a deep (i.e. >1 cm depth) fat lesion.

Conclusion

We propose cut-offs for definite active and structural lesions typical of axSpA that have high PPVs for a long-term clinical diagnosis of axSpA for application in disease classification and clinical research.
ANNUAL EXPOSURE OF THE SWISS POPULATION FROM MEDICAL IMAGING IN 2018
Authors: Viry Anaïs , Bize Julie , Trueb Philipp R , Ott Barbara , Racine Damien , Verdun Francis R , LeCoultre Régis
Published: January 2021

Nationwide surveys on radiation dose to the population from medical imaging are recommended in order to follow trends in population exposure. The goal of the 2018 survey was to investigate the current exposure. The invoice coding information was collected in five university hospitals and large clinics. To improve the estimation of the effective dose delivered in computed tomography (CT), we collected dose data from different Dose Archiving Communication Systems. On average, we found that 1.2 radiological examinations per year and per inhabitant were performed. Dental radiography was the most frequent examination (48% of all the X-ray examinations), followed by conventional radiography (36%) and CT (11%). The average annual effective dose was estimated to be 1.48 mSv per inhabitant, with CT representing 64% of that dose. Our results show that the exposure of the Swiss population from medical imaging has remained stable since 2013, despite a 15% increase in the number of CT examinations.
Bedside Allogeneic Erythrocyte Washing with a Cell Saver to Remove Cytokines, Chemokines, and Cell-derived Microvesicles
Authors: Welsby Ian J. , Norris Philip J. , Mauermann William J. , Podgoreanu Mihai V. , Conn Chelsea M. , Meade Laurie , Cannon Tamara , Keating Sheila M. , Silliman Christopher C. , Kehler Marguerite , Schulte Phillip J. , Kor Daryl J.
Published: January 2021

Background

Removal of cytokines, chemokines, and microvesicles from the supernatant of allogeneic erythrocytes may help mitigate adverse transfusion reactions. Blood bank–based washing procedures present logistical difficulties; therefore, we tested the hypothesis that on-demand bedside washing of allogeneic erythrocyte units is capable of removing soluble factors and is feasible in a clinical setting.

Methods

There were in vitro and prospective, observation cohort components to this a priori planned substudy evaluating bedside allogeneic erythrocyte washing, with a cell saver, during cardiac surgery. Laboratory data were collected from the first 75 washed units given to a subset of patients nested in the intervention arm of a parent clinical trial. Paired pre- and postwash samples from the blood unit bags were centrifuged. The supernatant was aspirated and frozen at –70°C, then batch-tested for cell-derived microvesicles, soluble CD40 ligand, chemokine ligand 5, and neutral lipids (all previously associated with transfusion reactions) and cell-free hemoglobin (possibly increased by washing). From the entire cohort randomized to the intervention arm of the trial, bedside washing was defined as feasible if at least 75% of prescribed units were washed per protocol.

Results

Paired data were available for 74 units. Washing reduced soluble CD40 ligand (median [interquartile range]; from 143 [1 to 338] ng/ml to zero), chemokine ligand 5 (from 1,314 [715 to 2,551] to 305 [179 to 488] ng/ml), and microvesicle numbers (from 6.90 [4.10 to 20.0] to 0.83 [0.33 to 2.80] × 106), while cell-free hemoglobin concentration increased from 72.6 (53.6 to 171.6) mg/dl to 210.5 (126.6 to 479.6) mg/dl (P < 0.0001 for each). There was no effect on neutral lipids. Bedside washing was determined as feasible for 80 of 81 patients (99%); overall, 293 of 314 (93%) units were washed per protocol.

Conclusions

Bedside erythrocyte washing was clinically feasible and greatly reduced concentrations of soluble factors thought to be associated with transfusion-related adverse reactions, increasing concentrations of cell-free hemoglobin while maintaining acceptable (less than 0.8%) hemolysis.

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What We Already Know about This Topic

What This Article Tells Us That Is New
The controversial role of glucose in the diabetic kidney
Authors: Fernandes Rui
Published: January 2021

The kidneys play an important role in maintaining glucose homeostasis being the main mechanisms, the gluconeogenesis, renal glucose consumption and glucose reabsorption in the proximal tubules. In this review, we present the main research into the role of glycogen—the stored form of glucose, and how it accumulates in the cells, providing new information on the link between diabetes and diabetic kidney disease. In the last 10 years, research under the scope of renal insulin handling, glucose transport in the proximal tubules, renal gluconeogenesis and renal insulin resistance, made possible to relate the roles of glucose and glycogen in the kidney with other several organs, like the liver. On the one hand, insulin positively regulates kidney uptake and degradation, and there is probably a specific action and resistance to insulin at the renal site. Moreover, insulin regulates the bioavailability of the sodium-glucose co-transporters—SGLT2 inhibitor, and inhibits renal gluconeogenesis. Only the liver and kidneys can supply glucose to the circulation through the process of gluconeogenesis, which involves the synthesis of glucose again from non-glycemic substrates; and the decomposition of stored glycogen. In the mind of nephrologists, diabetologists and scientists, glucose metabolism in the kidney is the focus, with the relevant success of inhibitors in reducing kidney and cardiovascular diseases in individuals with diabetes. However, these new data led to the intriguing paradigm that many of the beneficial effects on the renal and cardiovascular system appear to be independent of the systemic glucose-lowering actions of these agents. The goal of this work puts in context a highly relevant research area for renal glucose metabolism, of glycogen accumulation and metabolism in the diabetic kidney.
Correlation between physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women from Colombia Caribbean
Authors: Rebolledo-Cobos Roberto C. , Becerra Jimmy E. , Sánchez Lucia P. , Mendinueta-Martínez Martha , Polo-Gallardo Raúl , Sarmiento-Rubiano María C. , Sarmiento-Rubiano Luz A.
Published: January 2021

Postmenopausal period disturbances are more frequently observed in women with unhealthy lifestyles, insufficient physical activity is related to increased cardiovascular risk (CVR). There is a lack of evidence-based information on physical activity in postmenopausal women and its relationship with CVR factors, including D vitamin serum levels.

Objective:

To determine the physical activity level in postmenopausal women from the Colombia Caribbean and establish relationships between the physical activity and biochemical and anthropometric CVR factors.

Methods:

A correlational descriptive study in which 183 postmenopausal women were linked for convenience sampling. Level of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) and their relationships with anthropometric variables, blood pressure, lipid profile, glycemic and serum vitamin D were evaluated.

Results:

According to the physical activity, 82.5% of women were classified as inactive, 9.3% as insufficiently active and only 8.2% as physically active. Physical inactivity was significantly related to higher glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol serum levels (P < .05). The prevalence of the women with vitamin D levels less than 30 ng/mL were of 69.9%. The women physically active and with eutrophic nutritional condition had more high levels of vitamin D.

Conclusions:

82.5% of the postmenopausal women evaluated were physically inactive and this condition was associated with higher serum levels of glycemic, total cholesterol and triglycerides. Serum vitamin D concentrations were higher in traffic and physically active women.
Impact of 18F-FDG PET, PET/CT, and PET/MRI on Staging and Management as an Initial Staging Modality in Breast Cancer
Authors: Han Sangwon , Choi Joon Young
Published: January 2021

Objectives

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of18F-FDG PET, PET/CT, and PET/MRI on staging and management during the initial staging of breast cancer.

Methods

We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed databases until March 2020 to identify studies that reported the proportion of breast cancer patients whose clinical stage or management were changed after PET scans. The proportion of changes was pooled using a random-effects model. Subgroup and metaregression analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity.

Results

We included 29 studies (4276 patients). The pooled proportions of changes in stage and management were 25% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21%–30%) and 18% (95% CI, 14%–23%), respectively. When stage changes were stratified according to initial stage, the pooled proportions were 11% (95% CI, 3%–22%) in stage I, 20% (95% CI, 16%–24%) in stage II, and 34% (95% CI, 27%–42%) in stage III. The relative proportions of intermodality and intention-to-treat changes were 74% and 70%, respectively. Using metaregression analyses, the mean age and the proportion of initial stage III to IV and histologic grade II to III were significant factors affecting the heterogeneity in changes in stage or management.

Conclusions

Currently available literature suggests that the use of18F-FDG PET, PET/CT, or PET/MRI leads to significant modification of staging and treatment in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Therefore, there may be a role for routine clinical use of PET imaging for the initial staging of breast cancer.
A New Rash Differential
Authors: Gooch Michael D.
Published: January 2021

The CoVID-19 pandemic has impacted all areas of health care, especially emergency medicine. Most commonly, CoVID-19 is associated with respiratory and typical viral presentations. However, nonrespiratory presentations are becoming more common. Reported CoVID-19 dermatological changes include maculopapular and urticarial rashes, chilblain-like and livedo reticularis discolorations, and less commonly vesicular and petechial rashes. As frontline clinicians, emergency nurse practitioners should be aware of these skin findings to recognize potentially infected and otherwise asymptomatic patients. Early recognition could potentially lead to an earlier diagnosis and limit the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
What you see is where you go: visibility influences movement decisions of a forest bird navigating a three-dimensional-structured matrix
Authors: Aben Job , Signer Johannes , Heiskanen Janne , Pellikka Petri , Travis Justin M. J.
Published: January 2021

Animal spatial behaviour is often presumed to reflect responses to visual cues. However, inference of behaviour in relation to the environment is challenged by the lack of objective methods to identify the information that effectively is available to an animal from a given location. In general, animals are assumed to have unconstrained information on the environment within a detection circle of a certain radius (the perceptual range; PR). However, visual cues are only available up to the first physical obstruction within an animal's PR, making information availability a function of an animal's location within the physical environment (the effective visual perceptual range; EVPR). By using LiDAR data and viewshed analysis, we modelled forest birds' EVPRs at each step along a movement path. We found that the EVPR was on average 0.063% that of an unconstrained PR and, by applying a step-selection analysis, that individuals are 1.55 times more likely to move to a tree within their EVPR than to an equivalent tree outside it. This demonstrates that behavioural choices can be substantially impacted by the characteristics of an individual's EVPR and highlights that inferences made from movement data may be improved by accounting for the EVPR.
Diffusion segregation and the disproportionate incidence of COVID-19 in African American communities
Authors: Bassolas Aleix , Sousa Sandro , Nicosia Vincenzo
Published: January 2021

One of the most concerning aspects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is that it disproportionately affects people from some specific ethnic and socio-economic minorities. In particular, since from the beginning of the pandemic it has been clear that people from Black and African American backgrounds seem to be hit especially hard by the virus, creating a substantial infection gap. The observed abnormal impact on these ethnic groups could probably be due to the co-occurrence of other known risk factors, including co-morbidity, poverty, level of education, access to healthcare, residential segregation and response to cures, although those factors do not seem able to explain fully and in depth the excess incidence of infections and deaths among African Americans. Here, we introduce the concept of diffusion segregation, that is the extent to which a given group of people is internally clustered or exposed to other groups, as a result of mobility and commuting habits. By analysing census and mobility data on major US cities, we found that the weekly excess COVID-19 incidence and mortality in African American communities at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic is significantly associated with their level of diffusion segregation. The results confirm that knowing where people commute to, rather than where they live, is potentially much more important to contain and curb the spreading of infectious diseases.
Influenza spread on context-specific networks lifted from interaction-based diary data
Authors: Mallory Kristina , Rubin Abrams Joshua , Schwartz Anne , Ciocanel Maria-Veronica , Volkening Alexandria , Sandstede Björn
Published: January 2021

Studying the spread of infections is an important tool in limiting or preventing future outbreaks. A first step in understanding disease dynamics is constructing networks that reproduce features of real-world interactions. In this paper, we generate networks that maintain some features of the partial interaction networks that were recorded in an existing diary-based survey at the University of Warwick. To preserve realistic structure in our artificial networks, we use a context-specific approach. In particular, we propose different algorithms for producing larger home, work and social networks. Our networks are able to maintain much of the interaction structure in the original diary-based survey and provide a means of accounting for the interactions of survey participants with non-participants. Simulating a discrete susceptible–infected–recovered model on the full network produces epidemic behaviour which shares characteristics with previous influenza seasons. Our approach allows us to explore how disease transmission and dynamic responses to infection differ depending on interaction context. We find that, while social interactions may be the first to be reduced after influenza infection, limiting work and school encounters may be significantly more effective in controlling the overall severity of the epidemic.
Topological mode switching in modulated structures with dynamic encircling of an exceptional point
Authors: Geng Linlin , Zhang Weixuan , Zhang Xiangdong , Zhou Xiaoming
Published: January 2021

Exceptional points are special degeneracies occurring in non-Hermitian systems at which both eigenfrequencies and eigenmodes coalesce simultaneously. Fascinating phenomena, including topological, non-reciprocal and chiral energy transfer between normal modes, have been envisioned in optical and photonic systems with the exceptional point dynamically encircled in the parameter space. However, it has remained an open question of whether and how topological mode switching relying on exceptional points could be achieved in mechanical systems. The present paper studies a two-mode mechanical system with an exceptional point and implements the dynamic encircling of such a point using dynamic modulation mechanisms with time-driven elasticity and viscosity. Topological mode switching with robustness against the input state and loop trajectories has been demonstrated numerically. It is found that the dynamical encircling of an exceptional point with the starting point near the symmetric phase leads to chiral mode transfer controlled mainly by the encircling direction, while non-chiral dynamics is observed for the starting point near the broken phase. Analyses also show that minor energy input is required in the process of encircling the exceptional point, demonstrating the intrinsically motivated behaviour of topological mode switching.
Biomechanical analyses of Cambrian euarthropod limbs reveal their effectiveness in mastication and durophagy
Authors: Bicknell Russell D. C. , Holmes James D. , Edgecombe Gregory D. , Losso Sarah R. , Ortega-Hernández Javier , Wroe Stephen , Paterson John R.
Published: January 2021

Durophagy arose in the Cambrian and greatly influenced the diversification of biomineralized defensive structures throughout the Phanerozoic. Spinose gnathobases on protopodites of Cambrian euarthropod limbs are considered key innovations for shell-crushing, yet few studies have demonstrated their effectiveness with biomechanical models. Here we present finite-element analysis models of two Cambrian trilobites with prominent gnathobases—Redlichia rexandOlenoides serratus—and compare these to the protopodites of the Cambrian euarthropodSidneyia inexpectansand the modern American horseshoe crab,Limulus polyphemus. Results show thatL. polyphemus,S. inexpectansandR. rexhave broadly similar microstrain patterns, reflecting effective durophagous abilities. Conversely, low microstrain values across theO. serratusprotopodite suggest that the elongate gnathobasic spines transferred minimal strain, implying that this species was less well-adapted to masticate hard prey. These results confirm that Cambrian euarthropods with transversely elongate protopodites bearing short, robust gnathobasic spines were likely durophages. Comparatively, taxa with shorter protopodites armed with long spines, such asO. serratus, were more likely restricted to a soft food diet. The prevalence of Cambrian gnathobase-bearing euarthropods and their various feeding specializations may have accelerated the development of complex trophic relationships within early animal ecosystems, especially the ‘arms race' between predators and biomineralized prey.
A discordance of seasonally covarying cues uncovers misregulated phenotypes in the heterophyllous pitcher plantCephalotus follicularis
Authors: Fukushima Kenji , Narukawa Hideki , Palfalvi Gergo , Hasebe Mitsuyasu
Published: January 2021

Organisms withstand normal ranges of environmental fluctuations by producing a set of phenotypes genetically programmed as a reaction norm; however, extreme conditions can expose a misregulation of phenotypes called a hidden reaction norm. Although an environment consists of multiple factors, how combinations of these factors influence a reaction norm is not well understood. To elucidate the combinatorial effects of environmental factors, we studied the leaf shape plasticity of the carnivorous pitcher plantCephalotus follicularis. Clonally propagated plants were subjected to 12-week-long growth experiments in different conditions controlled by growth chambers. Here, we show that the dimorphic response of forming a photosynthetic flat leaf or an insect-trapping pitcher leaf is regulated by two covarying environmental cues: temperature and photoperiod. Even within the normal ranges of temperature and photoperiod, unusual combinations of the two induced the production of malformed leaves that were rarely observed under the environmentally typical combinations. We identified such cases in combinations of a summer temperature with a short-to-neutral day length, whose average frequency in the naturalCephalotushabitats corresponded to a once-in-a-lifetime event for this perennial species. Our results suggest that even if individual cues are within the range of natural fluctuations, a hidden reaction norm can be exposed under their discordant combinations. We anticipate that climate change may challenge organismal responses through not only extreme cues but also through uncommon combinations of benign cues.
Enthalpy efficiency of the soleus muscle contributes to improvements in running economy
Authors: Bohm Sebastian , Mersmann Falk , Santuz Alessandro , Arampatzis Adamantios
Published: January 2021

During human running, the soleus, as the main plantar flexor muscle, generates the majority of the mechanical work through active shortening. The fraction of chemical energy that is converted into muscular work (enthalpy efficiency) depends on the muscle shortening velocity. Here, we investigated the soleus muscle fascicle behaviour during running with respect to the enthalpy efficiency as a mechanism that could contribute to improvements in running economy after exercise-induced increases of plantar flexor strength and Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness. Using a controlled longitudinal study design (n= 23) featuring a specific 14-week muscle–tendon training, increases in muscle strength (10%) and tendon stiffness (31%) and reduced metabolic cost of running (4%) were found only in the intervention group (n= 13,p< 0.05). Following training, the soleus fascicles operated at higher enthalpy efficiency during the phase of muscle–tendon unit (MTU) lengthening (15%) and in average over stance (7%,p< 0.05). Thus, improvements in energetic cost following increases in plantar flexor strength and AT stiffness seem attributed to increased enthalpy efficiency of the operating soleus muscle. The results further imply that the soleus energy production in the first part of stance, when the MTU is lengthening, may be crucial for the overall metabolic energy cost of running.
Weapon performance drives weapon evolution
Authors: Emberts Zachary , Hwang Wei Song , Wiens John J.
Published: January 2021

Many sexually selected traits function as weapons, and these weapons can be incredibly diverse. However, the factors underlying weapon diversity among species remain poorly understood, and a fundamental hypothesis to explain this diversity remains untested. Although weapons can serve multiple functions, an undeniably important function is their role in fights. Thus, a crucial hypothesis is that weapon diversification is driven by the evolution of weapon modifications that provide an advantage in combat (e.g. causing more damage). Here, we test this fighting-advantage hypothesis using data from 17 species of coreid bugs. We utilize the fact that male–male combat in coreids often results in detectable damage, allowing us to link different weapon morphologies to different levels of damage among species. We find that certain weapon morphologies inflict much more damage than others, strongly supporting the fighting-advantage hypothesis. Moreover, very different weapon morphologies can inflict similarly severe amounts of damage, leading to a weapon performance landscape with multiple performance peaks. This multi-peak pattern could potentially drive different lineages towards divergent weapon forms, further increasing weapon diversity among species. Overall, our results may help explain how sexually selected weapons have evolved into the diversity of forms seen today.
Plasticity matches phenotype to local conditions despite genetic homogeneity across 13 snake populations
Authors: Bonnet Xavier , Brischoux François , Briand Marine , Shine Richard
Published: January 2021

In a widespread species, a matching of phenotypic traits to local environmental optima is generally attributed to site-specific adaptation. However, the same matching can occur via adaptive plasticity, without requiring genetic differences among populations. Adult sea kraits (Laticauda saintgironsi) are highly philopatric to small islands, but the entire population within the Neo-Caledonian Lagoon is genetically homogeneous because females migrate to the mainland to lay their eggs at communal sites; recruits disperse before settling, mixing up alleles. Consequently, any matching between local environments (e.g. prey sizes) and snake phenotypes (e.g. body sizes and relative jaw sizes (RJSs)) must be achieved via phenotypic plasticity rather than spatial heterogeneity in gene frequencies. We sampled 13 snake colonies spread along an approximately 200 km northwest–southeast gradient (n> 4500 individuals) to measure two morphological features that affect maximum ingestible prey size in gape-limited predators: body size and RJS. As proxies of habitat quality (HQ), we used protection status, fishing pressure and lagoon characteristics (lagoon width and distance of islands to the barrier reef). In both sexes, spatial variation in body sizes and RJSs was linked to HQ; albeit in different ways, consistent with sex-based divergences in foraging ecology. Strong spatial divergence in morphology among snake colonies, despite genetic homogeneity, supports the idea that phenotypic plasticity can facilitate speciation by creating multiple phenotypically distinct subpopulations shaped by their environment.
Social groups with diverse personalities mitigate physiological stress in a songbird
Authors: Vágási Csongor I. , Fülöp Attila , Osváth Gergely , Pap Péter L. , Pénzes Janka , Benkő Zoltán , Lendvai Ádám Z. , Barta Zoltán
Published: January 2021

Social groups often consist of diverse phenotypes, including personality types, and this diversity is known to affect the functioning of the group as a whole. Social selection theory proposes that group composition (i.e. social environment) also influences the performance of individual group members. However, the effect of group behavioural composition on group members remains largely unexplored, and it is still contentious whether individuals benefit more in a social environment with homogeneous or diverse behavioural composition. We experimentally formed groups of house sparrows
Passer domesticus
with high and low diversity of personality (exploratory behaviour), and found that their physiological state (body condition, physiological stress and oxidative damage) improved with increasing group-level diversity of personality. These findings demonstrate that group personality composition affects the condition of group members and individuals benefit from social heterosis (i.e. associating with a diverse set of behavioural types). This aspect of the social life can play a key role in affiliation rules of social animals and might explain the evolutionary coexistence of different personalities in nature.
Parasulfuritortus cantonensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a microaerophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacterium isolated from freshwater sediment
Authors: Xie Zhangzhang , Li Surong , Lin Weitie , Luo Jianfei
Published: January 2021

A novel sulfur-oxidizing bacterium, designated strain LSR1T, was enriched and isolated from a freshwater sediment sample collected from the Pearl River in Guangzhou, PR China. The strain was an obligate chemolithoautotroph, using thiosulfate or sulfide as an electron donor and energy source. Growth of strain LSR1T was observed at 15–40 °C, pH 6.0–7.5 and NaCl concentrations of 0–1.5 %. Strain LSR1T was microaerophilic, with growth only at oxygen content less than 10 %. Anaerobic growth was also observed when using nitrate as the sole electron acceptor. The major cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0 and summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c). The DNA G+C content of the draft genome sequence was 67.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain LSR1T formed a lineage within the family

Thiobacillaceae

, showing sequence identities of 92.87, 92.33 and 90.80 % with its closest relative genera

Sulfuritortus

,

Annwoodia

and

Thiobacillus

, respectively. The genome of strain LSR1T contained multiple genes encoding sulfur-oxidizing enzymes that catalyse thiosulfate and sulfide oxidation, and the gene encoding cbb
3-type cytochrome c oxidase and bd-type quinol oxidase, which enables strain LSR1T to perform sulphur oxidation under microaerophilic conditions. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic results, strain LSR1T is considered to represent a novel species of a new genus Parasulfuritortus within the family

Thiobacillaceae

, for which the name Parasulfuritortus cantonensis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LSR1T (=GDMCC 1.1549=JCM 33645).
Sulfitobacter maritimus sp. nov., isolated from coastal sediment
Authors: Lian Feng-Bai , Li Yong-Qin , Zhang Jing , Jiang Shan , Du Zong-Jun
Published: January 2021

A facultatively anaerobic bacterium, strain S0837T, was isolated from the marine sediment of Jingzi Wharf, Weihai, China. Cells of the novel strain were Gram-stain-negative, non-flagellated, non-gliding, non-pigmented and rod-shaped. Cells were around 0.3–0.5×1.0–1.4 µm in size and often appeared singly. Optimum growth occurred at 33 °C, with 2 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 7.0–7.5. On the basis of the results of 16S rRNA gene sequences, stain S0837T had the closest relative with

Sulfitobacter delicatus

KCTC 32183T (98.0 %). Genome sequencing revealed a genome size of 3 785 026 bp, a G+C content of 59.8 mol% and several genes related with sulphur oxidation. The strain shared 98.0 % 16S rRNA sequence similarities with closely related type species and shared ANI value below 95–96 %, dDDH value of showed relatedness of 27.4, 25.2 and 25.2 % respectively with the closely related type species. Strain S0837T had ubiquinone-10 as the sole respiratory quinone, and possessed summed feature 8 (C18 : 1
 ω7c/C18 : 1
 ω6c) as the major fatty acid. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. According to the results of the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic characterization, phylogenetic properties and genome analysis, strain S0837T should represent a novel species of the genus Sulfitobacter, for which the name Sulfitobacter maritimus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S0837T (=MCCC 1K04635T=KCTC 72860T).
Microbacterium caowuchunii sp. nov. and Microbacterium lushaniae sp. nov., isolated from plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau of PR China
Authors: Tian Zhi , Yang Jing , Lai Xin-He , Pu Ji , Jin Dong , Luo Xuelian , Huang Ying , Li Junqin , Zhang Gui , Wang Suping , Xu Jianguo
Published: January 2021

Four novel bacterial strains (ST-M6T, L-033, L-031T and Z-333) were isolated from the intestinal contents of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) collected on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, PR China. Cells were aerobic, non-motile, Gram-stain-positive, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, capsuled and short-rod-shaped. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences and 387 core genes indicated that the four isolates belong in the genus

Microbacterium

and clearly separate from recognized species. The two type strains (ST-M6T and L-031T) shared low 16S rRNA similarity, average nucleotide identity values and digital DNA–DNA hybridization relatedness with their phylogenetic neighbours (

Microbacterium ginsengisoli

DSM 18659T,

Microbacterium hatanonis

DSM 19179T,

Microbacterium rhizomatis

JCM 30598T,

Microbacterium radiodurans

CCTCC M208212T,

Microbacterium oleivorans

DSM 16091T and

Microbacterium arborescens

DSM 20754T). The genomic DNA G+C contents of strains ST-M6T and L-031T were 70.4 and 70.7 mol%, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids of strain ST-M6T were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0, in contrast to anteiso-C17 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 1
 ω9c of strain L-031T. Both type strains (ST-M6T and L-031T) were glycolate test positive and shared the following common features: MK-11 and MK-12 as major menaquinones; rhamnose, ribose, mannose and galactose as major cell-wall sugars; diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and two glycolipids as polar lipids; and ornithine, alanine, glycine and glutamic acid as cell-wall amino acids. Comparing the phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic features of the four strains and their related taxa, strains ST-M6T and L-031T represent two novel species of the genus

Microbacterium

, for which the names Microbacterium caowuchunii sp. nov. (type strain ST-M6T=CGMCC 1.16364T=DSM 104058T) and Microbacterium lushaniae sp. nov. (type strain L-031T =CGMCC 1.16363T=DSM 106170T) are proposed.
Arenibacter amylolyticus sp. nov., an amylase-producing bacterium of the family Flavobacteriaceae isolated from marine water in India
Authors: Sidhu Chandni , Saini Mohit Kumar , Srinivas Tanuku Naga Radha , Pinnaka Anil Kumar
Published: January 2021

A novel Gram-stain-negative, curved rod-shaped, 0.5–0.7 µm wide and 3.0–10.0 µm long, non-motile bacterium, designated strain AK53T, was isolated from a 5 m depth water sample collected from the Bay of Bengal, Visakhapatnam, India. Colonies on marine agar were circular, small, dark orange, shiny, smooth, translucent, flat, with an entire margin. The major fatty acids included iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 3OH, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G, iso-C17 : 0 3OH and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1
 ω7c and/or C16 : 1
 ω6c and/or iso-C15 : 0-2OH). Polar lipids included phosphatidylethanolamine and five unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content of the strain AK53T was found to be 40.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain AK53T was closely related to

Arenibacter latericius

KMM 426T and

Arenibacter certesii

KMM3941T (pair-wise sequence similarity of 99.17 and 98.89 %, respectively), forming a distinct branch within the genus

Arenibacter

and clustering with

A. latericius

. Strain AK53T shared average nucleotide identity (ANIb, based on blast) of 78.07 and 77.44 % with

A. latericius

JCM 13508T and

A. certesii

JCM 13507T, respectively. Based on the observed phenotypic, chemotaxonomic characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, strain AK53T is described in this study as representing a novel species in the genus

Arenibacter

, for which the name Arenibacter amylolyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Arenibacter amylolyticus is AK53T (=MTCC 12004T= JCM 19206T=KCTC 62553T).
Ferrimonas lipolytica sp. nov., a facultatively anaerobic bacterium isolated from seawater
Authors: Bae Seung Seob , Jung Yoon-Hee , Kwon Yong Min , Chung Dawoon , Baek Kyunghwa
Published: January 2021

A Gram-stain-negative, motile, facultatively anaerobic rod-shaped bacterium with a polar flagellum, designated strain S7T was isolated from seawater sample collected at Uljin marina, in the East Sea of the Republic of Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain S7T was affiliated with members of genus Ferrimonas, showing the highest sequence similarities to the type strains

Ferrimonas senticii

P2S11T (95.7 %),

Ferrimonas balearica

PATT (95.7 %) and

Ferrimonas pelagia

CBA4601T (95.1 %). The genome was 4.13 Mbp with a DNA G+C content of 49.4 %. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) between S7T and

F. senticii

P2S11T and

F. balearica

PATT yielded ANI values of 71.9 and 70.7 %, and dDDH values of 15.1 and 13.9 %, respectively. The genome of S7T was predicted to encode triacylglycerol lipase, phospholipase A1/A2 and lysophospholipase as well as esterase involved in lipolytic processes. Growth was observed at 8–31 °C (optimum 27 °C), at pH 7–9 (optimum pH 7), and with 1–6 % NaCl (optimum 2 %). The respiratory quinones were MK-7 and Q-7 and the major fatty acids (>10 %) were C16 : 0, C16 : 1ω9c, C17 : 1ω8c, and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c). The major polar lipids were identified as phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified phospholipids, and three unidentified lipids. On the basis of the results of this polyphasic analysis, it was determined that the strain represents a novel species of the genus

Ferrimonas

, for which the name Ferrimonas lipolytica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S7T (=KCTC 72490T=JCM 33793T).
Perceived disrespect and abuse among women delivering at a tertiary care center in Nepal
Authors: Munikar Sabika , Chalise Mala , Dhungana Ranjan , Shrestha Durga Laxmi , KC Naresh Pratap , Dhungana Animesh , Clark Robert B. , Visick Michael K. , Thapa Kanchan
Published: January 2021

Background

Of the children born every year in Nepal, 57.4% are delivered in health facilities. Disrespect and abuse of women during maternity care are problems that can significantly impact women’s willingness to seek out life-saving maternity care. However, evidence suggests ongoing disrespectful maternity care worldwide. This study aims to identify perceived disrespect and abuse during labor and delivery among postnatal women delivering at Bheri Hospital, Nepal.

Methods

A cross sectional study was conducted among 445 purposively selected women admitted in postnatal ward of Bheri Hospital, Nepal from February to March 2020. Ethical approval was obtained from Nepal Health Research Council. Informed written consent was obtained from each participant and a face-to-face interview was conducted for data collection. A semi-structured questionnaire consisting of demographic information and a pre-validated Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) tool was used. The information was then checked, coded, and entered in SPSS for descriptive and inferential analysis.

Results

In this study, the participants perceived very high friendly care, abuse-free care and discrimination-free care but moderate timely care only. Timely care was found to be significantly associated with age, ethnicity, occupation, monthly income, gravida, type of delivery, and complications. On multinomial regression, monthly income and type of delivery were the only factors found to be significant. Those mothers who had spontaneous vaginal delivery were 2.07 times more likely to have neutral RMC, and those who earn less than twenty thousand Nepalese rupees per month were likely to perceive high timely RMC.

Conclusion

This study concludes that disrespectful or abusive maternal care is not perceived among women delivering at Bheri Hospital in terms of friendly care, abuse-free care and non- discriminatory care. However, timely care is less reported. Appropriate interventions to provide timely care to delivering women must be instituted.
SCLERODERMA AND MALIGNANCY
Authors: Vondenberg Jaime A. , Cisneros David R. , Kiani Adnan N. , Muruganandam Maheswari , Nunez Sharon E. , Emil N. Suzanne , Sibbitt Wilmer L.
Published: January 2021

Background/Objectives

Describe clinical characteristics of malignancy-associated scleroderma in a regional population.

Methods

Scleroderma patients with current or past malignancy were prospectively identified from a cohort of 125 scleroderma subjects of a largely Hispanic population. Demographic information included scleroderma subtype, serologies, cancer diagnosis, age at diagnosis, co-morbid conditions, therapies, and survival outcomes.

Results

16.0% (20/125) of scleroderma patients were identified as having a malignancy. The mean age of malignancy onset and scleroderma onset were 55.6±10.3 and 52.7±12.9 years respectively (95% CI of difference: -4.6 <2.9< 10.4, p=0.44). Antinuclear antibody was positive in 70%, anticentromere antibody in 35.0%, and anti-topoisomerase antibodies in 25%. Tumor proportions were adenocarcinomas 55.0% (11/20) (1 gastric, 2 pancreatic, 1 lung, 2 thyroid, 5 breast), 15% (3/20) squamous cell carcinoma (1 skin, 1 uterine cervical, and 1 rectal), and 20% (4/20) benign tumors (2 meningiomas, 1 renal adenoma, 1 plasma cell). Age of onset of scleroderma greater than 42 years respectively accounted for 85% of all cancer cases. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was 2.0 (CI at 95%: 1.2<2<3.1), indicating 100% increase in cancer risk. Treatment of the malignancy did not resolve the scleroderma in any of the cases. Five-year survival after cancer diagnosis was 70.0%, although 2 of the survivors had tumor recurrence.

Conclusions

Malignancy, especially adenocarcinoma, occurs frequently in scleroderma in minority populations with up to 16% of patients affected. High-risk patients are those with scleroderma-onset greater than 42 years in whom routine screening for common cancers should be undertaken.