The relative contributions of adaptation and drift to morphological diversification of the crania of echolocating mammals was investigated using two horseshoe bat species, Rhinolophus simulator and R. cf. simulator as test cases. We used 3D geometric morphometrics to compare the shapes of skulls of the two lineages collected at various localities in southern Africa. Shape variation was predominantly attributed to selective forces; the between population variance (B) was not proportional to the within population variance (W). Modularity was evident in the crania of R. simulator but absent in the crania of R. cf. simulator and the mandibles of both species. The skulls of the two lineages thus appeared to be under different selection pressures, despite the overlap in their distributions. Selection acted mainly on the nasal dome region of R. cf. simulator whereas selection acted more on the cranium and mandibles than on the nasal domes of R. simulator. Probably the relatively higher echolocation frequencies used by R. cf. simulator, the shape of the nasal dome, which acts as a frequency dependent acoustic horn, is more crucial than in R. simulator, allowing maximization of the intensity of the emitted calls and resulting in comparable detection distances. In contrast, selection pressure is probably more pronounced on the mandibles and cranium of R. simulator to compensate for the loss in bite force because of its elongated rostrum. The predominance of selection probably reflects the stringent association between environment and the optimal functioning of phenotypic characters associated with echolocation and feeding in bats.

During the acute phase of the African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) epidemic in China, complete feed, and feed ingredients from three mills were tested for ASFV DNA by PCR. Across mills, the percentage of positive sample pools detected in complete feed ranged from 0.5% to 1.2%, and from 0.2% to 1.8% in feed ingredients, including positive pools of wheat, rice, corn, and soy samples. This is the first report of ASFV contamination in feed under commercial conditions in China.

Quarry operations cause serious environmental impact on invertebrate communities and contribute negatively to habitat destruction and the species they promote but very little is still known about the response of butterflies to such disturbances in western Africa. The current study provides data from a baseline survey of butterflies at Mowire quarry site in the agroecological zone of Ghana and investigates the effects of ongoing quarry operations on butterfly diversity. Specifically quarry operations were assessed on species abundance and richness. A total of 417 individual butterflies belonging to 67 species from 5 families was recorded in three zones. High relative abundance in the Eastern Zone (EZ) (N = 329) and high species richness (S = 55) may be due to increased flowering plants diversity which contain sweet nectar which attracts and support rich butterfly abundance. Low species richness (S = 22) and relative abundance (N= 41) in the Western Zone (WZ), and Northern Zone (NZ) (S = 21) and low relative abundance (N= 47), was corroborated with low plant diversity. Our results shows that, the EZ received less negative impact from the quarry operations but the operations negatively affected WZ and NZ. More generally our study indicates that state institutions should ensure mandatory environmental impact assessment reports from the quarry companies.

High-dose methotrexate-induced acral erythema in two pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a 17 pediatric case series of methotrexate induced acral erythemaKazuhiro Noguchi,1 Ryosei Nishimura,1* Yasuhiro Ikawa,1Shintaro Mase,1 Toshihiro Fujiki,1Rie Kuroda,1 Raita Araki,1 Hideaki Maeba,1 Akihiro Yachie1 and Taizo Wada1

This paper reported a case of devastating iatrogenic ICA rupture in endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) rescued by a covered stent. We also discussed the therapeutic strategies of iatrogenic ICA rupture in EES, which is of help in the management of this devastating complication.

Aim of this investigation is to show in sites with less than 4mm of bone height of the sinus floor, synthetic putty bone graft and simultaneous short implant placement in crestal sinus lifting procedures result in sufficient bone gain, and is a valuable option to the more invasive lateral-window approach.

In zoonotic disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a major threat to human and poultry health worldwide. In January 2014, HPAI virus subtype H5N8 first infected poultry farms in South Korea, and a total of 393 outbreaks were reported with enormous economic damage in the poultry industry. We analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of HPAI H5N8 outbreaks in poultry farms using the global and local spatiotemporal interactions in the first outbreak wave from January 2014 to June 2015 and the second wave from September 2014 to June 2015. The space-time K-function analyses revealed significant interactions within three days and over 40 km in two study periods in global spatiotemporal interaction. The excess risk attributable value (D0) was maintained despite the distance in the case of HPAI H5N8 in Korea. Eleven spatiotemporal clusters were identified, and the results show the HPAI introduction from the southwestern region and the spread to the middle region in Korea. Six clusters were distributed in 0.46-9.86 km space and 3-19 days in time, while five clusters were distributed in 19.74-72.59 km space and 27-36 days in time. This global and local spatiotemporal interaction indicates that the HPAI epidemic in Korea was mostly characterized by short period transmission within a small area and dispersed by long-range jumps. This finding supports strict control strategies such as preemptive depopulation, the standstill, and poultry movement tracking. More studies are needed to understand HPAI disease transmission patterns of HPAI in Korea.

Surgery in patients with factor VII (FVII) deficiency may be complicated by severe bleeding, requiring regular bolus doses of replacement therapy. Eptacog alfa (activated) is a recombinant activated FVII (rFVIIa) used for the treatment of bleeds and perioperative management in patients with approved bleeding disorders, including FVII deficiency. We report that using the B-Braun Perfusor® Space syringe pump to automatically deliver regular bolus rFVIIa doses provided effective hemostasis and no safety concerns in a patient with mild FVII deficiency undergoing emergency laparoscopic appendectomy. Additional benefits included saving nursing/hospital resources, reducing treatment burden and reassurance for the patient/family, and healthcare providers.

An uncommon complication after a fibula graft for a mandibular reconstruction is a fracture of the tibia. This report describes a case and the treatment of a fracture of the tibia after a partial mandibulectomy and neck dissection, followed by a mandibular reconstruction with a vascularized left fibula graft.

Objective: It was aimed to compare the breastfeeding status and healthy life style changes, eating behaviors, attitudes, and orthorectic tendencies of mothers. Materials and Methods: All volunteered mothers who have a child between the ages of 0 and 2 were included in this cross-sectional study. 514 individuals were included. Five parted questionnaire and “ORTO-11” test and “Eating Attitude Test” was used. Results: A statistically significant relationship was found between breastfeeding status and working status and professions of mothers. Mothers who did not breastfeed, skipped main meal more frequently, and smoking and occasional alcohol consumption was higher. The mean score of the participants on the ORTO-11 scale was 25.09 ± 4.80, EAT-40 scale mean score was 18.80 ± 10.42. High risk in eating attitudes was found in 12.0% of all participants. It was observed that mothers who did not breastfeed were mostly in high risk group in terms of eating attitude. Conclusion: Mothers who did not breastfeed were mostly in high risk group in terms of eating attitude compared to breastfeeding mothers. It is of great importance that healthcare professionals organize trainings for increasing the general level of knowledge of mothers and provide healthy living and breastfeeding counseling.

Background: The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to support critically ill patients with cardiorespiratory dysfunction is increasing over the last decades. However, hemorrhagic complications remain occurring frequently during ECMO support, which have a significant impact on morbidity and mortality. Methods: A retrospective study was performed on the 60 patients, who were admitted to the Taihe hospital in Shiyan City, Hubei Province from February 2017 to October 2020. All those were rescued with ECMO. Including 18 patients developed hemorrhage complications and 42 patients did not. Demographic, laboratory tests, clinical manifestations prior to ECMO were collected to analysis the clinical features. Univariable and multivariable logistic analysis methods were used in our study to explore the risk factors for hemorrhage in adults on ECMO. Results: There were significant differences between the hemorrhage group and no-hemorrhage group in duration of ECMO support, mode of ECMO, red blood cell count, hemoglobin, platelet count, serum creatinine. Particularly, multivariate logistic analysis showed that the longer duration of ECMO support and the higher activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) prior to ECMO were independent factors for hemorrhage in adults on ECMO. In addition, we found that the mortality of hemorrhagic patients was higher than no-hemorrhagic patients. Cannula site was the most common bleeding site. Most bleeding events occurred within the first three days of ECMO therapy. Conclusions: Clinicians should evaluate the risk of hemorrhage based on patients’ coagulation function, underlying disease as well as the duration of ECMO support. Especially in the first three days during ECMO support. Attempting to wean from ECMO early whenever feasible is also effective to reduce the occurrence of hemorrhage. Special attention should be given on cannula site, mucosal, dermal and digestive tract to alert hemorrhage.

Background and Purpose Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common cancer worldwide, demonstrating aggressiveness and mortality more frequently in men than in women. Despite reports regarding the inhibitory ability of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα, ESR1) in certain cancer progression, targets and the basis of underlying gender disparity in HCC worsening remain elusive. Experimental Approach Human HCC samples were used for immunoblottings and immunohistochemistry. Estradiol (E2) was treated to HCC cell lines and were evaluated by immunoblottings, polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, and live imaging. Key Results Here, we report the ability of ERα to transcriptionally inhibit G protein subunit alpha 12 (Gα12). First, using human samples and public database, the expression of ERα and Gα12 in HCC was examined. Then, quantitative real-time PCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation-assay, luciferase assay, and immunoblottings confirmed the inhibitory ability of ERα on Gα12 and EMT. Additionally, we found microRNA-141 and -200a as downstream targets of the Gα12 signaling axis for cancer malignancy regulation under the control of ERα. As for in-depth mechanism, PTP4A1 was found to be directly inhibited by microRNA-141 and -200a. Gα12 and PTP4A1 promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition, as well as mesenchymal to amoeboidal transition, antagonized by ERα modulations. Conclusion and Implications The identified targets and ESR1 levels inversely correlated in human specimens, as well as with sex-biased survival rates of HCC patients. Collectively, ERα-dependent repression of Gα12 and consequent changes in the Gα12 signaling may explain the gender disparity in HCC, providing pharmacological clues for the control of metastatic HCC.

Objectives: This study evaluated the characteristics of reflux in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) refractory to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy using the 24-h multichannel intraluminal impedance (MII)-pH monitoring. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: A tertiary care otolaryngology clinic. Participants: Patients with suspected LPR underwent 24-hour MII-pH monitoring and were prescribed high-dose PPI twice daily. One-hundred and eight patients followed up for at least 2 months were enrolled. Main outcome measures: Patients with suspected LPR showing more than one proximal reflux episode were considered to have LPR. Patients with LPR showing ≥50% decrease in the follow-up reflux symptom index (RSI) score compared to the pre-treatment RSI score during treatment periods were defined as responders; others were defined as non-responders. Various parameters in the 24-h MII-pH monitoring between non-responders and responders with LPR were compared using Student’s t-test. Results: Of 108 patients with suspected LPR, 80 were diagnosed with LPR. Patients with LPR were categorized as non-responders (n = 19) and responders (n = 61). Proximal all reflux time and proximal longest reflux time in MII parameters were significantly higher in responders than in non-responders (p = 0.0040 and 0.0216, respectively). The proximal all reflux time >0.000517% was a better cut-off value to predict responders with LPR compared to the proximal longest reflux time >0.61 min (sensitivity + specificity: 1.317 vs. 1.291). Conclusions: The proximal all reflux time can be helpful to predict the response to PPI therapy and establish a personalized therapeutic scheme in patients with LPR.

Background and purpose. Cardiovascular anomalies are predisposing factors for diabetes-induced morbidity and mortality. Recently, we showed that high glucose induces changes in the biophysical properties of Nav1.5 that could be strongly correlated to diabetes-induced arrhythmia. However, the mechanisms underlying hyperglycemia-induced inflammation, and how inflammation provokes cardiac arrhythmia, are not well understood. We hypothesized that inflammation could mediate the high glucose-induced biophyscial changes on Nav1.5 through protein phosphorylation by protein kinases A and C. We also hypothesized that this signaling pathway is, at least partly, involved in the cardiprotective effects of CBD and E2. Experimental approach. To test these ideas, we used Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells transiently co-transfected with cDNA encoding human Nav1.5 α-subunit under control, a cocktail of inflammatory mediators or 100 mM glucose conditions (for 24 hours). We used electrophysiological experiments and action potential modelling. Key Results. Inflammatory mediators, similar to 100 mM glucose, right shifted the voltage dependence of conductance and steady state fast inactivation and increased persistent current leading to computational prolongation of action potential (hyperexcitability) which could result in long QT3 arrhythmia. In addition, activators of PK-A or PK-C replicated the inflammation-induced gating changes of Nav1.5. Inhibitors of PK-A or PK-C, CBD or E2 mitigated all the potentially deleterious effects provoked by high glucose/inflammation. Conclusions and implications. These findings suggest that PK-A and PK-C may mediate the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD and E2 against high glucose-induced arrhythmia. CBD, via Nav1.5, may be a cardioprotective therapeutic approach in diabetic postmenopausal population.

Ever since biologists began studying the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases (EEID), laboratory-based 'model systems' have been important for developing and testing theory. Yet what EEID researchers mean by 'model systems' and what they want from them remains to be clearly delineated. This uncertainty holds back our ability to maximally exploit these systems, identify knowledge gaps, and establish effective new model systems. Here, we borrow a definition of model systems from the biomolecular sciences to assess how EEID researchers are (and are not) using ten key model systems. According to this definition, model systems in EEID are not being used to their fullest and, in fact, cannot even be considered to be model systems. Research using these systems consistently addresses only two of the three fundamental processes that underlie disease dynamics-transmission and disease, but not recovery. Further, studies tend to focus on only a few of the scales of biological organization that matter for disease ecology and evolution. Moreover, the field lacks an infrastructure to perform comparative analyses. We aim to begin a discussion of what we want from model systems, which would further progress toward a thorough, holistic understanding of EEID.

Capture-mark-recapture (CMR) studies have been used extensively in ecology and evolution. While it is feasible to apply CMR in some animals, it is considerably more challenging in small fast-moving species such as insects. In these groups, low recapture rates can bias estimates of demographic parameters, thereby, handicapping effective management of wild populations. Here we use high-speed videos (HSV) of the adults of two large dragonfly species that rarely land and, thus, are particularly challenging for CMR studies. We specifically test whether HSV, compared to conventional eye observations, increases the “resighting” rates and improves the certainty of the estimates of survival rate, and the effects of demographic covariates on survival rates. We show that the use of HSV increases the number of resights substantially. HSV improved our estimates of resighting and survival probability which were either under- or overestimated with the conventional observations. HSV increased the accuracy of the estimates of effect sizes of important covariates (age and body size). Integrating HSV in CMR of highly mobile animals is valuable because it is easy, non-invasive, and has the potential to improve demographic estimates. Hence, it opens the door for a wide range of research possibilities on species that are traditionally difficult to monitor, including within insects, birds, and mammals.

Flag leaf angle (FLA) is an important outcrossing trait affecting the hybrid seed production in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Natural variation of FLA has been reported in rice, but the molecular basis for this variation is largely unknown. Here we investigated the phenotypic values of FLA in 353 rice natural accessions in six environments, which indicated rich phenotypic variation. We performed a genome-wide association study on FLA using 1.3 million single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs). A total of 37 SNPs were identified significantly associated with FLA, of which 27 were located in previously reported QTLs/Genes and 10 were novel. We identified two causal gene loci for FLA, OsFLA6 and OsFLA2; OsFLA6 was co-localized with the gene OsLIC. In addition, the accessions with large and small FLA values have corresponding high and low OsFLA6 expression. We also confirmed that the allele OsFLA2TT increased the FLA compared with that of the isogenic line carrying allele OsSYL2CC by transgenic complementation experiment. The allele frequencies of OsFLA6GG and OsFLA2TT decreased gradually with an increase in latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. Our results should facilitate the improvement of FLA of parents of hybrid rice.

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous environmental carcinogen that enters the human food chain mainly through rice grains. In the present study, we evaluated the potential of thiourea (TU; non-physiological reactive oxygen species scavenger) in mitigating the negative effects of arsenic (As) stress in indica rice variety IR64, with the overall aim to reduce grain As accumulation. At seedling stage, As+TU treatment induced the formation of more numerous and longer crown roots compared with As alone. The significant reduction in As accumulation was observed in As+TU treated seedling, which coincided with light-dependent suppression in the expression levels of aquaporins and photosynthesis-related genes in roots. The foliar-supplemented TU under As-stress maintained reducing redox conditions which decreased the rate of As accumulation to flag leaves and, eventually grain As by 0.53-fold compared with those of As treatment. The agronomic feasibility of TU was validated under naturally As contaminated sites of Nadia (West Bangal, India). The tiller numbers and crop productivity (kg seed/ha) of TU-sprayed plants were increased by 1.5- and 1.18-fold, respectively; while, grain As accumulation was reduced by 0.36-fold compared with those of water-sprayed control. Thus, this study established TU application as a sustainable solution for cultivating rice in As-contaminated field conditions.

Calcium signaling regulates salicylic acid (SA)-mediated immune response through calmodulin-meditated transcriptional activators, AtSRs/CAMTAs, but its mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we report an AtSR1/CAMTA3-mediated regulatory mechanism involving the expression of the SA receptor, NPR1. Transcriptional expression of NPR1 increased in knockout mutant, atsr1, independently of SA biosynthesis. AtSR1 directly bound to a CGCG box in the NPR1 promotor. The atsr1 mutant exhibited resistance to the virulent strain of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst), however it was susceptible to an avirulent Pst strain carrying avrRpt2, due to the failure of the induction of hypersensitive responses. These resistant/susceptible phenotypes in the atsr1 mutant were reversed in the npr1 mutant background, suggesting that AtSR1 regulates NPR1 as a downstream target during plant immune response. The virulent Pst strain triggered a transient elevation in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, whereas the avirulent Pst strain triggered a prolonged change. The distinct Ca2+ signatures were decoded into the regulation of NPR1 expression through AtSR1’s IQ motif binding to calcium-free-CaM2, while AtSR1’s calmodulin-binding domain binding to calcium-bound-CaM2. These observations reveal a role for AtSR1 as a Ca2+-mediated transcription regulator for controlling the NPR1-mediated plant immune response.

To determine potential drivers of the global distribution of ploidy in aquatic macrophyte species we allocated ploidy state to 1572 species occurring in 238 10 × 10° gridcells worldwide. Analysis of the relationship of 16 global-scale spatial, landscape, environmental, and biotic variables with ploidy state using Boosted Regression Trees revealed temperature variables and evapotranspiration as the strongest predictors. There were contrasting latitudinal patterns between haploid/diploid and polyploid species, while species richness measures also influenced ploidy state. Polyploid species occupied larger geographical ranges than haploid/diploid species. Mixed ploidy species showed the highest latitudinal range size and maximum latitude of species occurrence. Our findings suggest that increased chromosome number is associated with tolerance of a wider range of environmental conditions in macrophyte species. Mixed ploidy could reflect adaptability to expand geographical occurrence via chromosome number change, with such species predominantly occupying a latitude range intermediate between haploid/diploid and polyploid macrophyte dominance.

Background: We have previously demonstrated that benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) co-exposure with dermatophagoides group 1 allergen (Der f 1) can potentiate Der f 1-induced airway inflammation. We sought to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the potentiation of BaP exposure on Der f 1-induced airway inflammation. Methods: BaP co-exposure with Der f 1-induced activation of TGFβ1 signaling was analyzed in airway epithelial cells (HBECs) and in asthma mouse model. The role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and RhoA in BaP co-exposure-induced TGFβ1 signaling was investigated. AhR binding sites in RhoA were predicted and experimentally confirmed by luciferase reporter assays. The role of RhoA in BaP co-exposure-induced airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) and allergic inflammation was examined. Results: BaP co-exposure potentiates Der f 1-induced TGFβ1 signaling activation in HBECs and in the airways of asthma mouse model. The BaP co-exposure-induced the activation of TGFβ1 signaling was attenuated by either AhR antagonist CH223191 or AhR knockdown in HBECs. Furthermore, AhR knockdown led to the reduction of BaP co-exposure-induced active RhoA. Inhibition of RhoA signaling with fasudil, a RhoA/ROCK inhibitor, suppressed BaP co-exposure-induced TGFβ1 signaling activation. This was further confirmed in HBECs expressing constitutively active RhoA (RhoA-L63) or dominant negative RhoA (RhoA-N19). Luciferase reporter assays showed prominently increased promoter activities for the AhR binding sites in the promoter region of RhoA. Inhibition of RhoA suppressed co-exposure-induced AHR, Th2-associated airway inflammation and TGFβ1 signaling activation in asthma. Conclusions: Our studies identified a functional axis of AhR-RhoA that regulates TGFβ1 signaling activation, leading to allergic airway inflammation and asthma.

Background: Despite remarkable developments in medical science, viral infections still remain serious threats to the global health system. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we retrospectively compared the clinical, serological, and radiological findings in subjects with confirmed A-H1N1, B- H1N1, or A-H3N2 virus infection. The investigation included data on influenza patients who were admitted to the Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, from September 2017 to February 2018. Results and Conclusions: Based on statistical analysis, fever was present as the most common clinical manifestation in patients with the three subtypes of influenza. Notably, the fever temperature was much higher among A-H3N2 subjects than A-H1N1 and B-H1N1 subjects (P<0.05). The A-H3N2 patients also had significantly higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels than the other two groups of influenza patients (P<0.05). In the chest computed tomography scans, patchy infiltration and middle lobe involvement were found more commonly among A-H3N2 patients (P=0.012 and P=0.021, respectively) than patients of the other two influenza subtypes. Our clinical observations, serological examinations, and radiological findings are likely to be beneficial in managing patients with influenza and determining the need for further interventions.

Pulmonary embolism and concomitant floating aortic thrombus are a rare and potentially life-threatening association. Several therapeutic options are available and best management can be controversial when these conditions coexist. We describe a case of a 79-year-old woman presented with massive pulmonary embolism and simultaneous floating thrombus in the ascending aorta. She underwent concomitant ascending aortic replacement and surgical pulmonary embolectomy with an uneventful postoperative recovery. Open surgical repair is a one stage repair approach that may offer the most efficient treatment to allow survival.

Primary cardiac hemangioendothelioma is a very rare low-grade malignancy. We present a case of a 41-year-old female patient with a huge primary cardiac hemangioendothelioma that arose from the right ventricle was recurred after being removed, and the diagnostic images given by echocardiography.