The Brazilian Caatinga is one of the most diverse dry forests on the planet. Half of its original coverage is degraded, and it is currently identified as one of the main areas undergoing desertification. Natural regeneration depends on climatic and edaphic conditions, as well as the adult stratum present in an area. Despite its importance, this process is little known in the Caatinga. Thus, we aimed to analyze how the anthropic disturbance, vegetation cover, and soil properties influence regenerating stratum under different Caatinga vegetation cover levels. Our study was executed in the driest region of Brazil. We classified our studied areas as Area I (less vegetation cover) and Area II (greater coverage). Six plots of 50 x 20 m were delimited for sampling the adult and regenerating stratum, and the soil in each area. Our results show interactions between soil characteristics and adult and regenerating stratum. Area II showed greater diversity and a greater number of exclusive species; in contrast, a dominance of species more resistant to limiting conditions was observed in Area I, such as Aspidosperma pyrifolium Mart. & Zucc. The C and N contents in the soil indicated a positive and significant correlation with the diversity of the regenerating stratum. The data revealed that the area with less vegetation cover, richness, and diversity presented indications of desertification.

The targets of hostile actions towards specific society may be: knowledge, national identity, social and political structure, critical infrastructure and defense and security sector, etc. and it is expected that the range of targets will expand in the future and that the number of possible targets is open and infinite, that is, it is incomprehensibly broad. In this sense, the analysis will be limited to only a few targets whose mutual relations will be simulated in the context of content and scope. Their relation to the politicization of the intelligence system will also be examined as well as politicization itself through the available literature review Emphasis is given to the potential scenarios resulting from the hostile action, as well as to the possible moments when they could be prevented with the minimal damage to the protected society. For the purpose of this paper, in order to research potential models, decision-making system has been analysed and distinction is made between regular and irregular politicization of the process.

Objective: To understand the profile of genetic counseling (GC) and genetic testing (GT) in gynecologic oncology, identify deficiencies in GC competencies and barriers to incorporating GC into routine practice in China. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: A national sample of Chinese gynecologic oncology physicians. Population or Sample: Chinese gynecologic oncology physicians who were involved in managing patients with gynecologic oncology GC. Methods: Physicians were contacted via the membership of China Network of Ob and Gyn Institutions and Gynecologic Oncology Genetic Counseling Working Group, and required to fill in questionnaires via email and Wechat group notifications. Main Outcome Measures: Most respondents did not indicate a good knowledge of hereditary gynecological oncology, GC practice, as well as a good performance in clinical practice. Results: Regression analysis highlighted significant predictors of greater clinical practice of gynecologic oncology GC among physicians with medical degrees, a better understanding of gynecologic oncology and a better understanding of GC. Furthermore, nearly all gynecological oncologists exhibited a positive attitude towards GC, and generally agreed that the domestic GC education and training system needed to be strengthened. Conclusions: We believe the findings can offer key lessons for the development of medical genetics in China and also further LMICs where medical genetics is poorly incorporated into daily practice. Actions to ensure quality of care, equity, and universal coverage of GC for people in need should be taken.

1. INTRODUCTIONA giant cell tumor (GCT) is a benign neoplasm characterized by progressive and destructive features. Typically manifesting in individuals during their third or fourth decade of life, GCT exhibits a higher prevalence in women than in men. Although categorized as a benign bone tumor, GCT displays local aggressiveness and a propensity for recurrence (1). Accounting for approximately 6% of all bone tumors, 4% of primary bone tumors, and 20% of benign bone tumors, GCTs are relatively uncommon. The distal femur, proximal tibia, and distal radius are the most frequently affected long bones, with a particular predilection for the distal end of the radius, making it the third most common location for GCT after the distal femur and proximal tibia. Despite their benign classification, GCT can exhibit local aggressiveness, causing bone erosion, pain, and potentially leading to fractures (2).GCT or osteoclastoma, is a rare yet locally aggressive primary bone tumor characterized by multinucleated giant cells dispersed throughout the tumor, along with mononuclear stromal cells producing osteoid matrix. Histologically, GCT exhibits areas of hemorrhage and necrosis indicative of its aggressive nature, and in some cases, increased mitotic activity (3). The stromal cells often generate fibrous bands and septae, contributing to tumor compartmentalization. Histological grading based on features like mitotic activity guides prognosis, with higher grades associated with increased recurrence rates. Immunohistochemistry, utilizing markers such as CD68, CD163, and RANKL, aids in distinguishing GCT from other bone tumors. Understanding these histopathological features is crucial for accurate diagnosis and management decisions, which often involve a multidisciplinary approach tailored to the tumor’s behavior and grade (4).GCTs pose a challenge in terms of management, especially when located in the distal radius. En bloc resection, a surgical technique involving the removal of the tumor along with a margin of surrounding normal tissue, is often employed in cases of large, aggressive, or challenging-to-reach tumors. This method aims to reduce the risk of local recurrence (5). However, the optimal approach for treating GCTs of the distal radius remains controversial, with en-bloc excision showing decreased recurrence but posing challenges for wrist reconstruction due to the complex functional requirements of the wrist (6). The multidisciplinary management of GCTs involves various treatment options such as curettage, cryotherapy, radiation therapy, monoclonal antibody therapy (Denosumab), and surgery. Recurrence rates after surgical treatment may vary based on factors like tumor location, extent of surgical resection, and patient age. Distal ulna and radius have been reported as especially susceptible to GCT recurrence after resection (7).This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of different reconstruction techniques employed after en-bloc resection of GCTs in the distal radius, acknowledging the controversies and varied opinions among orthopedic oncologists on the most effective strategies for managing long bone defects.

Permafrost degradation on the Tibetan Plateau is well-documented and expected to continue throughout this century. However, the impact of thawing permafrost on the distribution, composition, and resilience of vegetation communities in this region is not well understood. In this study, we combined a transient numerical permafrost model with machine learning algorithms to project the near-future thermal state of permafrost and vegetation (represented by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index [NDVI]) changes under two contrasting climate pathways (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 1–2.6 [SSP1–2.6] and SSP5–8.5). The contribution of climatic and terrestrial variables to vegetation evolution was quantified using ridge regression. By 2100, permafrost areas were expected to decrease by 21±4%, and 55±2% under the SSP1–2.6 and SSP5–8.5 scenarios, respectively, relative to the baseline period (2000–2018). Under the SSP1–2.6 scenarios, the mean annual ground temperature and active layer thickness were projected to fluctuate stably, while under the SSP5–8.5 scenarios, a significant increasing trend was anticipated. Satellite-based observations indicated an increasing trend of NDVI within the permafrost areas from 2000 to 2018 (0.01 per decade), mainly attributed to climatic factors. In the future, vegetation greenness was expected to possibly remain stable under SSP1–2.6 scenarios, whereas a rising trend was likely noted under SSP5–8.5 scenarios during 2019–2050, mainly controlled by the surface air temperature and liquid water content at the root zone during the growing season. Our modeling work provides a potential approach for investigating future vegetation changes and offers more possibilities to improve understanding of the interaction between soil-vegetation-atmosphere in cold regions.

Hyper-resolution land surface modeling provides an unprecedented opportunity to simulate locally relevant water and energy cycles. However, the available meteorological forcing data is often insufficient to fulfill the requirement of hyper-resolution modeling. Here, we developed a comprehensive downscaling framework based on topography-adjusted methods and automated machine learning (AutoML). With this framework, a 90 m atmospheric forcing dataset is developed from ERA5 data at a 0.25° resolution, and the Common Land Model (CoLM) is then forced with the developed forcing data over two complex terrain regions (Heihe and Upper Colorado River basins). We systematically evaluated the downscaled forcing and the CoLM outputs against both in-situ observations and gridded data. The ground-based validation results suggested consistent improvements for all downscaled forcing variables. The downscaled forcings, which incorporated detailed topographic features, offered improved magnitude estimates, achieving a comparable level of performance to that of regional reanalysis forcing data. The downscaled forcing driving the CoLM model show comparable or better skills in simulating water and energy fluxes, as verified by in-situ validations. The hyper-resolution simulations offered a detailed and more reasonable description of land surface processes and attained similar spatial patterns and magnitudes with high-resolution land surface data, especially over highly elevated areas. Additionally, this study highlighted the benefits of using mountain radiation theory-based shortwave radiation downscaling models and AutoML-assisted precipitation downscaling models. These findings emphasized the significance of integrating topography-based downscaling methods for hillslope-scale simulations.

Multi-parameter live detection and fusion diagnosis of medium and lower voltage switch-gear cabinet (M-LVSC) is an important technology for identification the operating status of power equipment. Under the operating conditions, a single sensor(UHF,thermal infrared,ultrasonic partial discharge detection) in the distribution equipment cannot judge the complex faults.The objective of this research is to develop fusion diagnosis and techniques for detect the state of 10kV and 400V distribution equipment in the switch-gear and its bus, identifying any abnormal conditions, by the infrared camera method and UHF partial discharge detection. The condition data of the equipment from these sensors is collected and analyzed to from the operating conditions by intelligent monitoring data technology for power distribution equipment.Under the background of big data cloud platform, overheat defects and discharge defects were captured and deeply analysis by UHF and infrared camera method. Fusion diagnosis provides an intelligent decision scheme for power distribution equipment fault diagnosis under operating conditions. The fusion recognition by comprehensive detect for a M-LVSC contactors power line and terminal board were verified in power distribution site.

Title PageTitle : Bivalirudin in a patient with acute nephrotic syndrome relapse with heparin resistance and massive pulmonary embolismAuthor: Jennifer H. Han, Indiana Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center (IHTC), Indianapolis, Indiana, United StatesCorrespondence: Jennifer H. Han, Indiana Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center (IHTC), 8326 Naab Road, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States; phone: (317) 871-0000; fax: (317) 871-0010; email: jhan@ihtc.orgWord count: 497Number of Tables, Figures, and Supporting Information Files: 0Running title: Bivalirudin in PE with antithrombin deficiencyThree to six keywords to index the content: nephrotic syndrome, bivalirudin, antithrombin deficiency, heparin resistance, pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis

Urgent haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation may be considered in cases of severe aplastic anemia (SAA) without human leukocyte antigen-matched donor and suffering from severe infection. However, deciding on allogeneic transplantation in the setting of active systemic infection is challenging due to poor outcomes. This report presents a case of disseminated Magnusiomyces capitatus infection in a 5-year-old male who underwent immunosuppressive therapy for hepatitis-associated SAA. To address the critical situation, granulocyte transfusion was promptly administered from the patient’s mother, followed by unmanipulated haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation from the patient’s father with posttransplant cyclophosphamide, ultimately resulting in successful rescue.

The integration of Gamified Learning Tools (GLTs) in education has shown numerous benefits in improving learning outcomes. However, the adoption of such tools in secondary schools remains low. This study aims to fill the gap in the literature by examining the factors influencing teachers’ intention to adopt such tools in secondary schools. We used the UTAUT2 model as a theoretical foundation and expanded it by including two new variables: student motivation and engagement and self-efficacy. Data was collected from 218 teachers in Jordan through an online survey. The study’s results revealed that performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, effort expectancy, self-efficacy, student motivation and engagement, and facilitating conditions were significant factors influencing teachers’ intention to adopt gamified learning tools. However, habit and social influence did not have a significant impact. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the factors influencing teachers’ intention to adopt GLTs and provide practical recommendations for stakeholders.

A call for a randomized trial of prophylactic bisphosphonate for decreasing incidence of osteonecrosis in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Bruce C. Bostrom, MDPediatric Oncology, Children’s Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USACorrespondence to:Bruce C. Bostrom, MD, 1162 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55106, USATel. 1-651-245-6244Email: Bruce.Bostrom@yahoo.comText word count: 485Abstract word count: 0Brief running title: Prevention of osteonecrosis with bisphosphonatesKey words: Osteonecrosis, Bisphosphonates, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia,Tables: 0Figures: 0Mattano et al. have demonstrated osteonecrosis is associated with a significant increase in survival due to a decrease in relapse (1). Must we accept this horrible life changing side effect in these patients? Is there something that may reduce the risk of osteonecrosis without impacting cure?Bisphosphonates, usually pamidronate, have been used for treatment of chemotherapy bone toxicities in ALL since 2002 (2). A recent review of published studies in ALL patients revealed no concerns about the safety of bisphosphonates but concluded there is insufficient evidence to recommend them for prevention of osteopenia or fractures (3). Bisphosphonates have proven useful to treat bone pain from osteonecrosis and also may prevent osteonecrosis progression in hips with mild disease (4). There are no published studies where therapeutic bisphosphonates prevented progression of severe joint osteonecrosis and the subsequent need for joint replacement (5).The only intervention that has resulted in a decrease incidence of osteonecrosis without compromising cure is intermittent dexamethasone during delayed intensification (6). I previously published as a letter to the editor in Pediatric Blood and Cancer results from a concurrent control study that showed prophylactic pamidronate significantly reduced the incidence of osteonecrosis in young adults (7). The publication has never been cited and therefore likely unknown to those who are in a position to perform a randomized trial of prophylactic bisphosphonates in ALL patients at high risk for osteonecrosis. In my study the incidence of symptomatic osteonecrosis was 16% with pamidronate versus 39% in concurrent controls (p=0.04). In addition, the only patients who developed osteonecrosis requiring a joint replacement were in the concurrent controls that did not receive pamidronate. Additional evidence in support of bisphosphonates can be found in a study of therapeutic alendronate for osteopenia in ALL, that showed a lower relapse rate in patients given 87 weeks of alendronate (7/69; 10%) vs. concurrent controls (19/89; 21%) (8).A very comprehensive in vivo study of murine and human leukemia cell lines demonstrated reduced osteonecrosis with prophylactic but not therapeutic zolendronate (9). Of concern, mice with murine leukemia treated with zolendronate and chemotherapy died from leukemia sooner than mice treated with chemotherapy alone (p=0.046). However patient derived leukemia cells only had a non-significant decrease in survival with zolendronate and chemotherapy (p=0.17). A corroborative in vitro study using multiple leukemia cell lines did demonstrate some antagonism of dexamethasone by zolendronate and pamidronate at five-fold peak plasma concentrations (10). No antagonism was seen with daunorubicin, 6-mercaptopurine, and pegylated asparaginase. There was no direct cytotoxic effect of zolendronate or pamidronate on leukemia cell lines.There have now been three calls for a randomized clinical trial to answer the question: “Does prophylactic bisphosphonate therapy reduce osteonecrosis without decreasing cure” (9,10,11). Given the much quicker administration time of zolendronate (5 minutes) vs. pamidronate (2 hours), zolendronate likely would be the bisphosphonate of choice. I sincerely hope this publication will lead to a randomized trial of bisphosphonate for osteonecrosis prevention.

Efficient methane conversion to methanol remains a significant challenge in chemical industry. This study investigates the direct oxidation of methane to methanol under mild conditions, employing a synergy of non-thermal plasma and Cu-MOR (Copper-Mordenite) catalysts. Catalytic tests demonstrate that the Cu-MOR IE-3 catalyst (i.e., prepared by three cycles of ion exchange) exhibits superior catalytic performance (with 51% methanol selectivity and 7.9% methane conversion). Conversely, the Cu-MOR catalysts prepared via wetness impregnation tend to over-oxidize CH 4 to CO and CO 2. Through systematic catalyst characterizations (XRD, TPR, UV-Vis, HRTEM, XPS), we elucidate that ion exchange mainly leads to the formation of zeolite-confined Cu 2+ species, while wetness impregnation predominantly results in CuO particles. Based on the catalytic performance, catalyst characterizations and in-situ FTIR spectra, we conclude that zeolite-confined Cu 2+ species serve as the active sites for plasma-catalytic direct oxidation of methane to methanol.

Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is an inevitable consequence of all progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) and contributes to a substantial health burden worldwide. Icariin, an active flavonoid glycoside obtained from Epimedium species, exerts potential antifibrotic effect. The study aimed to explore the protective effects of icariin against tubulointerstitial fibrosis in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced CKD mice and TGF-β1-treated HK-2 cells, and furthermore, to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. The results demonstrated that icariin significantly improved renal function, alleviated tubular injuries, and reduced fibrotic lesions in UUO mice. Furthermore, icariin suppressed renal inflammation, reduced oxidative stress as evidenced by elevated SOD activity and decreased MDA level. Additionally, TOMM20 immunofluorescence staining and transmission electron microscope revealed that mitochondrial mass and morphology of tubular epithelial cells in UUO mice was improved by icariin. In HK-2 cells treated with TGF-β1, icariin markedly decreased profibrotic proteins expression, inhibited inflammatory factors, and protected mitochondria along with improving mitochondrial morphology, reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) overproduction, and preserving membrane potential. Further investigations demonstrated that icariin could activate Nrf2/HO-1 pathway both in vivo and in vitro, whereas inhibition of Nrf2 by ML385 counteracted the protective effects of icariin on TGF-β1-induced HK-2 cells. In conclusion, icariin protects against renal inflammation and tubulointerstitial fibrosis at least partly through Nrf2-mediated attenuation of mitochondrial dysfunction, which suggests that icariin could be developed as a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of CKD.

Invasions are commonly found to benefit from disturbance events. However, the importance of the relative timing and order of the invasion and disturbance for invader success remains uncertain. Here, we experimentally test this by invading a five-species bacterial community on eight separate occasions -- four before a disturbance and four after. Invader success and impact on community composition was greatest when the invasion immediately followed the disturbance. However, the subsequent invasions had negligible success or impact. Pre-disturbance, invader success and impact was greatest when the invader was added just before the disturbance. Importantly however, the first three pre-disturbance invasion events had significantly greater success than the last three post-disturbance invasions. Moreover, these findings were consistent across a range of propagule pressures. Overall, we demonstrate that timing is highly important for both the success and impact on community composition of an invader, with both being on average greater pre-disturbance.

The seismic cycle in subduction zones comprehends a phenomena of build-up and release of strain, which is punctuated by the occurrence of earthquakes. Nonetheless, the occurrence of earthquakes themselves depends on the relative plate velocity and on lateral heterogeneities that ponderate the energy release. This characteristic is exploited in order to obtain a seismic cycle representation in Northern Chile, using data from the IPOC catalog in the years 2007–2014. We propose and evaluate a scaling relationship for the energy released by earthquakes in a determined scale, depending on the elastic modulus, earthquake displacement and mean stress drop. Displacement, on the other hand, is obtained assuming that the seismicity rate is locally homogeneous and that the averaged regional balance process, which counters tectonic displacement in time due to plates relative velocity with the cumulative sum of earthquake displacements, washes out on the long term. This framework allowed us to obtain a seismic cycle representation between megathrust earthquakes from 2007 and 2014, accounting for a variety of phenomena observed.

The human brain encodes gender differences. This fact has been gradually expanded from the realm of the hypothalamus and sexual behavior to the whole brain with its different lobes, structures, and functions, by the influence of the constantly advancing neuroscientific and imag-ing research. However, less is known about sex differences in the brains of neonates and infants, despite their relevance to various sex-linked diseases that develop early in life. In this review, we provide a synopsis of the literature evidence on sex differences in the brains of neonates and infants at the morphological, structural, and network levels. We also briefly overview the pre-sent evidence on the sex bias in some brain disorders affecting infants and neonates.

In recent decades, the neuroscientific community has moved from describing the neural underpinnings of mental phenomena – as characterized by experimental psychology and philosophy of mind – to attempting to redefine those mental phenomena based on neural findings. Nowadays, many are intrigued by the idea that neuroscience might provide the ‘missing piece’ that would allow philosophers (and, to an extent, psychologists, too) to make important advances, generating new means that these disciplines lack to close knowledge gaps and answer questions like ‘Do we have Free Will?’, ‘Why are we conscious?’, ‘How do reason and emotion interact in decision making?’, and more. In this paper, we argue that instead of striving for neuroscience to replace philosophy in the ongoing quest to understanding human thought and behavior, more synergetic relations should be established, where neuroscience does not only inspire philosophy but also draws from it. We claim that such a collaborative co-evolution, with the two disciplines nourishing and influencing each other, is key to resolving long-lasting questions that have thus far proved impenetrable for either discipline on its own.

Diseases contain different amounts of information under different omics perspectives, and multiple omics are complementary. In order to accurately understand the disease mechanism, multimodal signals should be considered. Spectroomics is widely used in medical research as a fast, simple and non-invasive optical analysis technology. It is a new “omics” emerging after genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics. Effectively fusing the information carried by different omics can better predict diseases. In this paper, we design a novel Cross-modal Cross-fusion network (CMACF) based on Transformer self-attention mechanism. Importantly, we observe that the interaction between any two pairwise modalities is different and does not contribute equally to the final disease prediction. Through multiple interaction stages, the features of Raman-infrared spectroscopy, Raman-metabolomics and infrared spectrum-metabolomics were reasonably focused, and the cross-fusion strategy and long sequence decision model were used to obtain the overall correlation of multi-omics features. We conduct extensive experiments on the systemic lupus erythematosus disease multi-omics dataset, and the accuracy and AUC values are 99.44% and 99.98%, respectively, which have the best classification effect. The results show that CMACF has outstanding and stable prediction performance, which is of great reference value for the diagnosis of SLE patients and can explain the contribution of multimodal fusion of multi-omics data.

MECP2 duplication syndrome (MDS) is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the gain of dose of at least the genes MECP2 and IRAK1 and is characterised by intellectual disability (ID), developmental delay, hypotonia, epilepsy and recurrent infections. It mainly affects males, and females can be affected or asymptomatic carriers. Rett syndrome (RTT) is mainly triggered by loss of function mutations in MECP2 and is a well described syndrome that presents ID, epilepsy, lack of purposeful hand use and impaired speech, among others. As a result of implementing omics technology, altered biological pathways in human RTT samples have been reported, but such molecular characterisation has not been performed in MDS patients. We gathered human skin fibroblasts from 17 patients with MDS, 10 MECP2 duplication carrier mothers and 21 RTT patients, and performed multi-omics (RNAseq and proteomics) analysis. Here, we provide a thorough description and compare the shared and specific dysregulated biological processes between the cohorts. We also highlight the genes TMOD2, SRGAP1, COPS2, CNPY2, IGF2BP1, MOB2, VASP, FZD7, ECSIT and KIF3B as biomarker and therapeutic target candidates due to their implication in neuronal functions. Defining the RNA and protein profiles has shown that our four cohorts are less alike than expected by their shared phenotypes.

MnS which has good plasticity is a non-metallic inclusion commonly found in steel. For most steel types, the size, shape, and distribution of MnS have a significant influence on the properties of steel. The large-sized MnS inclusions disrupt the continuity of the steel and cause the anisotropy in steel. The result is a decline of steel's overall performance. In contrast, the small-sized MnS inclusions which in the shape of spherical or spindle in steel can diminish the incidence of thermal embrittlement and improve the machinability of steel. The morphology of MnS in steel is mainly affected by the ingredients of steel and heat treatment manner. MnS inclusions in steel are present in spherical, polyhedral, dendritic, and irregular shapes. The precipitation behavior is mainly affected by the steel ingredients, heat treatment system and other factors. This paper summarizes the latest research results about the factors affecting MnS inclusions and controlling measures in high-quality steel in recent years.

Aim: The Amazon rainforest has approximately 23% of its sampled area dedicated to bats, making it one of the least sampled and most diverse regions for bats in Brazil. The lack of sampling results in a lack of knowledge regarding the accurate geographical distribution of bat species. This lack is referred to as the Wallacean shortfall, which should be addressed with primary data obtained from in situ collections. However, the use of Species Distribution Models (SDMs) can help alleviate this gap. Location: The states of Pará and Acre are located in the Brazilian Amazon. Methods: So, our objective is to decrease the Wallacean shortfall concerning Amazonian bat species. To achieve this, we provide (i) a list of bat species sampled in the states of Pará and Acre in the last five years (2017 to 2022); (ii) the potential distribution of species considered as new occurrences for the region; and (iii) the potential distribution of species classified as Data Deficient (DD) and Near Threatened (NT) according to the IUCN classification. Results: With 96 nights of collection and 129,600 m 2h of mist netting, we obtained 75 bat species, with an estimated total of 94.78 species. Additionally, 21 species were considered as range extensions. Main conclusions: The Brazilian Amazon region has a vast geographic expanse and few established research centers, resulting in a limited sampling of bats and other biological groups. Furthermore, we draw attention to the significant number of bat species with expanded geographical distributions, with 21 out of the 75 sampled species. This should be a reminder that primary biogeographic data is still necessary for the neotropical region.

Objective To identify a diagnostic microbial signature for endometriosis. Design Prospective cohort study Setting Nepean Hospital and UNSW Microbiome Research Centre, St George Hospital, Australia Population 64 age- and sex-matched subjects ( n=19 HC; n=24 N-ENDO and n=21 ENDO). All study participants, besides healthy controls, underwent laparoscopic surgical assessment for endometriosis, and histology was performed on excised lesions. Methods Oral, stool, and vaginal samples were self-collected at a single time point for healthy controls, and pre-operatively for patients undergoing laparoscopy. Samples underwent 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, followed by bioinformatics analysis. Main Outcome Measures Compositional differences between cohorts as identified by diversity analyses, and differentially abundant microbial taxa, as identified by LEfSE analysis. Results The composition of the oral, stool, and vaginal microbiota is different between healthy controls and patients with and without endometriosis. Differentially abundant taxa are present within each cohort. Particularly , Fusobacterium was enriched in the oral samples from patients with moderate/severe endometriosis. Conclusions Distinct taxonomic and compositional differences were found between the microbiota in the mouth, gut and vagina of patients with and without endometriosis and healthy controls. Fusobacterium is noted as a key pathogen in periodontal disease, a common comorbidity in endometriosis. These findings support a role for the oral, vaginal, and stool microbiome in endometriosis, and present potential for microbial-based treatments and the design of a diagnostic swab.

Background: The survival of horses diagnosed with critical colic relies on rapid and effective decision-making by owner and veterinary practitioner. Objectives: To explore horse owners’ and veterinary practitioners’ experiences of decision-making for critical cases of equine colic. Methods: A phenomenological approach was taken. Individual, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 14 horse owners and 13 veterinary practitioners (vets) who had experienced a critical decision (referral or euthanasia) for a horse with colic. A purposive, convenience sample of participants was recruited. Sessions explored participant’s experience of colic, including recognition, help-seeking behaviour, and challenges. Thematic analysis was performed on collected data. Results: Four over-arching themes were identified; ‘head’, ‘heart’, ‘practicalities’ and ‘impact’. Owners acknowledged responsibility for their horse’s welfare but had different perspectives to vets on the importance of finance (‘head’). Both vets and owners described how the horse-human relationship (‘heart’) often led to conflict during decision-making. The vet-client relationship was influential on decision-making for both owners and vets; involving other people in decision-making was described both positively and negatively by participants (‘heart’). ‘Practicalities’, such as lack of preparedness, transport issues and adverse weather conditions, were identified by both owners and vets as barriers. Owners described a ‘rollercoaster’ of emotions after a critical decision, with profound impacts on their mental wellbeing, feelings of guilt, and long term changes in behaviour (‘impact’), and a lack of support to manage these feelings. Main Limitations: Small sample size. Conclusions: This study describes stakeholder decision-making during critical cases of equine colic. Factors that commonly influenced decisions included an owner’s previous knowledge and beliefs, social pressures, logistics, and the relationship between owner and vet. The study highlighted long term impacts on the owner, including their management and decisions for subsequent horses. These factors should be considered and included in shared decision-making for critical cases of colic.

A document by Rashid Ating . Click on the document to view its contents.