Urbanization is characterized by high levels of sealed land-cover, and small, geometrically complex, fragmented land-use patches. The extent and density of urbanized land-use is increasing, with ...implications for habitat quality, connectivity and city ecology. Little is known about densification thresholds for urban ecosystem function, and the response of mammals, nocturnal and cryptic taxa are poorly studied in this respect. Bats (Chiroptera) are sensitive to changing urban form at a species, guild and community level, so are ideal model organisms for analyses of this nature.
We surveyed bats around urban ponds in the West Midlands conurbation, United Kingdom (UK). Sites were stratified between five urban land classes, representing a gradient of built land-cover at the 1 km(2) scale. Models for bat presence and activity were developed using land-cover and land-use data from multiple radii around each pond. Structural connectivity of tree networks was used as an indicator of the functional connectivity between habitats. All species were sensitive to measures of urban density. Some were also sensitive to landscape composition and structural connectivity at different spatial scales. These results represent new findings for an urban area. The activity of Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber 1774) exhibited a non-linear relationship with the area of built land-cover, being much reduced beyond the threshold of ∼60% built surface. The presence of tree networks appears to mitigate the negative effects of urbanization for this species.
Our results suggest that increasing urban density negatively impacts the study species. This has implications for infill development policy, built density targets and the compact city debate. Bats were also sensitive to the composition and structure of the urban form at a range of spatial scales, with implications for land-use planning and management. Protecting and establishing tree networks may improve the resilience of some bat populations to urban densification.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
AE37 is the Ii-Key hybrid of the MHC class II peptide, AE36 (HER2 aa:776–790). Phase I studies showed AE37 administered with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to be safe and ...highly immunogenic. A prospective, randomized, multicenter phase II adjuvant trial was conducted to evaluate the vaccine's efficacy.
Clinically disease-free node-positive and high-risk node-negative breast cancer patients with tumors expressing any degree of HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) 1–3+ were enrolled. Patients were randomized to AE37 + GM-CSF versus GM-CSF alone. Toxicity was monitored. Clinical recurrences were documented and disease-free survival (DFS) analyzed.
The trial enrolled 298 patients; 153 received AE37 + GM-CSF and 145 received GM-CSF alone. The groups were well matched for clinicopathologic characteristics. Toxicities have been minimal. At the time of the primary analysis, the recurrence rate in the vaccinated group was 12.4% versus 13.8% in the control group relative risk reduction 12%, HR 0.885, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.472–1.659, P = 0.70. The Kaplan–Meier estimated 5-year DFS rate was 80.8% in vaccinated versus 79.5% in control patients. In planned subset analyses of patients with IHC 1+/2+ HER2-expressing tumors, 5-year DFS was 77.2% in vaccinated patients (n = 76) versus 65.7% in control patients (n = 78) (P = 0.21). In patients with triple-negative breast cancer (HER2 IHC 1+/2+ and hormone receptor negative) DFS was 77.7% in vaccinated patients (n = 25) versus 49.0% in control patients (n = 25) (P = 0.12).
The overall intention-to-treat analysis demonstrates no benefit to vaccination. However, the results confirm that the vaccine is safe and suggest that vaccination may have clinical benefit in patients with low HER2-expressing tumors, specifically TNBC. Further evaluation in a randomized trial enrolling TNBC patients is warranted.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Background
Oral cancer is a largely preventable malignancy with many modifiable risk factors, such as tobacco use and proper oral hygiene. Early detection of oral cancer is an important goal for oral ...healthcare providers, as survival rates for oral cancers diagnosed at an advanced stage are less than half the rates for cancers diagnosed in early stages. As many patients are asymptomatic in early stages, it is crucial for oral healthcare providers to have a high index of suspicion while treating patients at risk for late diagnosis.
Objectives
To identify characteristics associated with early vs. late stage diagnosis of oral cancer.
Methods
We performed a retrospective chart review using the TriNetX database. We identified two cohorts of interest: patients with an initial diagnosis of stage 1 oral cancer, and patients with an initial diagnosis of stage 3 or 4 oral cancer. Statistical comparison of cohort characteristics was completed through the TriNetX statistical software platform.
Results
We identified 386 patients diagnosed at stage 1 and 869 patients diagnosed at stage 3 or 4. We identified several characteristics not previously reported in the literature. Race, BMI between 20 and 29, malnurition, anemia were all associated with late stage diagnosis. Certain medications were also associated with late stage diagnosis, such as heparin derivatives and diclofenac. Our findings also reinforced prior research for characteristics such as nicotine use and ethnicity.
Conclusion
Our findings offer new characteristics that may aid oral healthcare providers in detecting oral cancer at an early stage. Increasing provider awareness of factors that they may not have considered previously could increase the rates of early stage cancer detection, improving overall patient mortality and curative outcomes.
Background
Retrograde peri-implantitis is an infection at the apex of an implant, leading to progressive bone loss. We present a surgical technique that is an alternative to implant removal or ...“implantoplasty.”
Case
A 47-year-old patient developed retrograde peri-implantitis 18 months after implant placement. As the infection was localized to the apex of the implant, an apicoectomy was performed on the implant. Post-operative serial periapical radiographs showed reparative tissue within 4 months, and a follow up radiograph showed complete bone restoration 2 years later.
Practical Implications
The findings of this case suggest a viable alternative to condemnation and removal of an implant with a periapical infection. It may be viable to resect the contaminated portion of the implant, graft the defect, and gain long term retention and service of the implant.
The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA)-2016 used in-plant cooler assessments to benchmark the current status of the fed steer and heifer beef industry in the United States. In-plant cooler ...assessments ( = 9,106 carcasses) were conducted at 30 facilities, where approximately 10% of a single day's production were evaluated for USDA quality grade (QG) and yield grade (YG) factors. Frequencies of evaluated traits were 66.5% steer and 33.4% heifer sex classes and 82.9% native, 15.9% dairy-type, and 1.2% estimated breed types. Mean USDA YG factors were 1.42 cm for adjusted fat thickness, 89.5 cm for LM area, 390.3 kg for HCW, and 1.9% for KPH. Mean USDA YG was 3.1, with a frequency distribution of 9.6% YG 1, 36.7% YG 2, 39.2% YG 3, 12.0% YG 4, and 2.5% YG 5. Mean USDA QG traits were Small for marbling score, A for overall maturity, A55 for lean maturity, and A for skeletal maturity. Mean USDA QG was Select with a frequency distribution of QG of 3.8% Prime, 67.3% Choice, 23.2% Select, and 5.6% lower score. Lower score included dark cutter (1.9%), blood splash (0.1%), and hard bone, which are USDA overall maturity scores of C or older (1.8%). Marbling score distributions were 0.85% Slightly Abundant or greater, 7.63% Moderate, 23.54% Modest, 39.63% Small, 23.62% Slight, and 0.83% Traces or less. Carcasses that were Choice or Select and USDA YG 2 or 3 accounted for 70.7% of the carcasses evaluated. Compared with the previous NBQA, we found a numerical increase in mean USDA YG, USDA QG, adjusted fat thickness, HCW, LM area, and marbling score with an increase in dairy-type carcasses and percentage of carcasses grading USDA Prime and Choice as well as frequency of USDA YG 4 and 5. The findings from this study will be used by all segments of the industry to understand and improve the quality of fed steer and heifer beef that is being produced.
Sex differences in gene expression tend to increase with age across a variety of species, often coincident with the development of sexual dimorphism and maturational changes in hormone levels. ...However, because most transcriptome-wide characterizations of sexual divergence are framed as comparisons of sex-biased gene expression across ages, it can be difficult to determine the extent to which age-biased gene expression within each sex contributes to the emergence of sex-biased gene expression. Using RNAseq in the liver of the sexually dimorphic brown anole lizard (
Anolis sagrei
), we found that a pronounced increase in sex-biased gene expression with age was associated with a much greater degree of age-biased gene expression in males than in females. This pattern suggests that developmental changes in males, such as maturational increases in circulating testosterone, contribute disproportionately to the ontogenetic emergence of sex-biased gene expression. To test this hypothesis, we used four different experimental contrasts to independently characterize sets of genes whose expression differed as a function of castration and/or treatment with exogenous testosterone. We found that genes that were significantly male-biased in expression or upregulated as males matured tended to be upregulated by testosterone, whereas genes that were female-biased or downregulated as males matured tended to be downregulated by testosterone. Moreover, the first two principal components describing multivariate gene expression indicated that exogenous testosterone reversed many of the feminizing effects of castration on the liver transcriptome of maturing males. Collectively, our results suggest that developmental changes that occur in males contribute disproportionately to the emergence of sex-biased gene expression in the
Anolis
liver, and that many of these changes are orchestrated by androgens such as testosterone.
Considerable human illness can be linked to the development of oral microbiota disequilibria. The predominant oral cavity commensal, Streptococcus salivarius has emerged as an important source of ...safe and efficacious probiotics, capable of fostering more balanced, health-associated oral microbiota. Strain K12, the prototype S. salivarius probiotic, originally introduced to counter Streptococcus pyogenes infections, now has an expanded repertoire of health-promoting applications. K12 and several more recently proposed S. salivarius probiotics are now being applied to control diverse bacterial consortia infections including otitis media, halitosis and dental caries. Other potential applications include upregulation of immunological defenses against respiratory viral infections and treatment of oral candidosis. An overview of the key steps required for probiotic development is also presented.
Type-IIn supernovae (SNe IIn), which are characterized by strong interaction of their ejecta with the surrounding circumstellar matter (CSM), provide a unique opportunity to study the mass-loss ...history of massive stars shortly before their explosive death. We present the discovery and follow-up observations of an SN IIn, PTF 09uj, detected by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). Serendipitous observations by Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths detected the rise of the SN light curve prior to the PTF discovery. The UV light curve of the SN rose fast, with a timescale of a few days, to a UV absolute AB magnitude of about --19.5. Modeling our observations, we suggest that the fast rise of the UV light curve is due to the breakout of the SN shock through the dense CSM (n 1010 cm--3). Furthermore, we find that prior to the explosion the progenitor went through a phase of high mass-loss rate (~0.1 M yr--1) that lasted for a few years. The decay rate of this SN was fast relative to that of other SNe IIn.
The 2011 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA-2011) assessed the current status of quality and consistency of fed steers and heifers. Beef carcasses (n = 9,802), representing approximately 10% of each ...production lot in 28 beef processing facilities, were selected randomly for the survey. Carcass evaluation for the cooler assessment of this study revealed the following traits and frequencies: sex classes of steer (63.5%), heifer (36.4%), cow (0.1%), and bullock (0.03%); dark cutters (3.2%); blood splash (0.3%); yellow fat (0.1%); calloused rib eye (0.05%); overall maturities of A (92.8%), B (6.0%), and C or greater (1.2%); estimated breed types of native (88.3%), dairy type (9.9%), and Bos indicus (1.8%); and country of origin of United States (97.7%), Mexico (1.8%), and Canada (0.5%). Certifi ed or marketing program frequencies were age and source verifi ed (10.7%), ≤A40 (10.0%), Certifi ed Angus Beef (9.3%), Top Choice (4.1%), natural (0.6%), and Non-Hormone-Treated Cattle (0.5%); no organic programs were observed. Mean USDA yield grade (YG) traits were USDA YG (2.9),HCW (374.0 kg), adjusted fat thickness (1.3 cm), LM area (88.8 cm2), and KPH (2.3%). Frequencies of USDA YG distributions were YG 1, 12.4%; YG 2, 41.0%; YG 3, 36.3%; YG 4, 8.6%; and YG 5, 1.6%. Mean USDA quality grade (QG) traits were USDA quality grade (Select93), marbling score (Small40), overall maturity (A59), lean maturity (A54), and skeletal maturity (A62). Frequencies of USDA QG distributions were Prime, 2.1%; Choice, 58.9%; Select, 32.6%; and Standard or less, 6.3%. Marbling score distribution was Slightly Abundant or greater, 2.3%; Moderate, 5.0%; Modest, 17.3%; Small, 39.7%; Slight, 34.6%; and Traces or less, 1.1%. Carcasses with QG of Select or greater and YG 3 or less represented 85.1% of the sample. This is the fifth benchmark study measuring targeted carcass characteristics, and information from this survey will continue to help drive progress in the beef industry. Results will be used in extension and educational programs as teaching tools to inform beef producers and industry professionals of the current state of the U.S. beef industry.
We present an analysis of the orbital motion of the four substellar objects orbiting HR 8799. Our study relies on the published astrometric history of this system augmented with an epoch obtained ...with the Project 1640 coronagraph with an integral field spectrograph (IFS) installed at the Palomar Hale telescope. We first focus on the intricacies associated with astrometric estimation using the combination of an extreme adaptive optics system (PALM-3000), a coronagraph, and an IFS. We introduce two new algorithms. The first one retrieves the stellar focal plane position when the star is occulted by a coronagraphic stop. The second one yields precise astrometric and spectrophotometric estimates of faint point sources even when they are initially buried in the speckle noise. The second part of our paper is devoted to studying orbital motion in this system. In order to complement the orbital architectures discussed in the literature, we determine an ensemble of likely Keplerian orbits for HR 8799bcde, using a Bayesian analysis with maximally vague priors regarding the overall configuration of the system. Although the astrometric history is currently too scarce to formally rule out coplanarity, HR 8799d appears to be misaligned with respect to the most likely planes of HR 8799bce orbits. This misalignment is sufficient to question the strictly coplanar assumption made by various authors when identifying a Laplace resonance as a potential architecture. Finally, we establish a high likelihood that HR 8799de have dynamical masses below 13 M sub(jup), using a loose dynamical survival argument based on geometric close encounters. We illustrate how future dynamical analyses will further constrain dynamical masses in the entire system.
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