Genomic phylogeography plays an important role in describing evolutionary processes and their geographic, ecological, or cultural drivers. These drivers are often poorly understood in marine ...environments, which have fewer obvious barriers to mixing than terrestrial environments. Taxonomic uncertainty of some taxa (e.g., cetaceans), due to the difficulty in obtaining morphological data, can hamper our understanding of these processes. One such taxon, the short‐finned pilot whale, is recognized as a single global species but includes at least two distinct morphological forms described from stranding and drive hunting in Japan, the “Naisa” and “Shiho” forms. Using samples (n = 735) collected throughout their global range, we examine phylogeographic patterns of divergence by comparing mitogenomes and nuclear SNP loci. Our results suggest three types within the species: an Atlantic Ocean type, a western/central Pacific and Indian Ocean (Naisa) type, and an eastern Pacific Ocean and northern Japan (Shiho) type. mtDNA control region differentiation indicates these three types form two subspecies, separated by the East Pacific Barrier: Shiho short‐finned pilot whale, in the eastern Pacific Ocean and northern Japan, and Naisa short‐finned pilot whale, throughout the remainder of the species' distribution. Our data further indicate two diverging populations within the Naisa subspecies, in the Atlantic Ocean and western/central Pacific and Indian Oceans, separated by the Benguela Barrier off South Africa. This study reveals a process of divergence and speciation within a globally‐distributed, mobile marine predator, and indicates the importance of the East Pacific Barrier to this evolutionary process.
Rough‐toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) have a global tropical and subtropical distribution with oceanic, neritic, and island‐associated populations. To inform conservation and management for this ...species, we used sequences from the mtDNA control region (n = 360), mitogenomes (n = 19), and six nuclear introns (n = 35) to provide multiple lines of evidence to critically evaluate the potential taxonomic status of rough‐toothed dolphins. Using samples from the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, we examined the null hypothesis that rough‐toothed dolphins are one panmictic species and the alternate hypothesis of oceanic subspecies. Phylogenetic analyses of mitogenomes revealed a private Atlantic clade sister to a larger cosmopolitan clade including individuals from all tropical and subtropical oceans. We dated the split between the Atlantic clade and the cosmopolitan clade to 890,000 years ago. We determined that Atlantic rough‐toothed dolphins could be correctly diagnosed with 98% accuracy with the mtDNA control region and calculated the net nucleotide divergence as 0.02. Population level analyses revealed significant genetic differentiation using mtDNA among most regions, while significant differentiation using nuclear markers occurred only between the Atlantic and the Indian/Pacific regions. Therefore, the oceanic divergence and diagnosability of rough‐toothed dolphins in the Atlantic and the Indian/Pacific Oceans meet proposed criteria for recognition as two subspecies.
BACKGROUNDSelf-collection for high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) messenger RNA (mRNA) testing may improve cervical cancer screening. High-risk HPV mRNA with self-collected specimens stored dry ...could enhance feasibility and acceptance of specimen collection and storage; however, its performance is unknown. We compared the performance of hr-HPV mRNA testing with dry- as compared with wet-stored self-collected specimens for detecting high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or more severe (≥HSIL).
METHODSA total of 400 female sex workers in Kenya participated (2013–2018), of which 50% were HIV positive based on enrollment procedures. Participants provided 2 self-collected specimensone stored dry (sc-DRY) using a Viba brush (Rovers) and one stored wet (sc-WET) with Aptima media (Hologic) using an Evalyn brush (Rovers). Physician-collected specimens were collected for HPV mRNA testing (Aptima) and conventional cytology. We estimated test characteristics for each hr-HPV screening method using conventional cytology as the reference standard (≥HSIL detection). We also examined participant preference for sc-DRY and sc-WET collection.
RESULTSHigh-risk HPV mRNA positivity was higher in sc-WET (36.8%) than sc-DRY samples (31.8%). Prevalence of ≥HSIL was 6.9% (10.3% HIV positive, 4.0% HIV negative). Sensitivity of hr-HPV mRNA for detecting ≥HSIL was similar in sc-WET (85%; 95% confidence interval CI, 66%–96%), sc-DRY specimens (78%; 95% CI, 58%–91%), and physician-collected specimens (93%; 95% CI, 76%–99%). Overall, the specificity of hr-HPV mRNA for ≥HSIL detection was similar when comparing sc-WET with physician collection. However, specificity was lower for sc-WET (66% 61%–71%) than sc-DRY (71% 66%–76%). Women preferred sc-DRY specimen collection (46.1%) compared with sc-WET (31.1%). However, more women preferred physician collection (63.9%) compared with self-collection (36.1%).
CONCLUSIONSSelf-collected stored-dry specimens seemed to perform similarly to sc-WET for the detection of ≥HSIL.
This communication summarizes the presentations given at the 1st international conference of the World Society for Virology (WSV) held virtually during 16–18 June 2021, under the theme of tackling ...global viral epidemics. The purpose of this biennial meeting is to foster international collaborations and address important viral epidemics in different hosts. The first day included two sessions exclusively on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. The other two days included one plenary and three parallel sessions each. Last not least, 16 sessions covered 140 on-demand submitted talks. In total, 270 scientists from 49 countries attended the meeting, including 40 invited keynote speakers.
•The World Society for Virology is a non-profit organization established in 2017.•WSV had its 1st public conference in June 16–18, 2021, which was held virtually.•It covered developments in a large variety of areas in virology.•It had 270 participants from 49 countries.•It included 40 invited keynote speakers and 140 additional presenters.
We examined 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously reported to be associated with response to iloperidone therapy for association with response to risperidone therapy.
Patients with ...schizophrenia (DSM-IV) were assessed during 2006 and 2007 for response/nonresponse (defined as ≥ 20%/<20% improvement in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale PANSS total score) after 2 weeks of risperidone treatment (2 to 6 mg/d). Responders continued risperidone treatment; nonresponders were randomly assigned to either risperidone or olanzapine treatment (10 to 20 mg/d) for an additional 10 weeks. Associations between change in PANSS total (primary outcome measure), positive, and negative scores and the 6 SNPs were examined in risperidone-treated patients (N = 145). Genotype frequencies and improvement in PANSS total scores were analyzed for those SNPs significantly associated with change in PANSS total score.
The SNPs XKR4 rs9643483 and GRIA4 rs2513265 were significantly associated with change in PANSS total response (adjusted P < .05 for both), with the same direction of effect as reported for iloperidone. For patients with nonresponsive genotypes for these SNPs, mean improvement in PANSS total score for African Americans was two-thirds that seen for whites (XKR4: -13.9 versus -21.4; GRIA4: -12.5 versus -20.9).
In this retrospective pharmacogenomic analysis, we found that 2 SNPs previously linked to iloperidone response were also associated with response to risperidone.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00337662.
Objectives To assess the relation of anemia in noncyanotic adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) to functional capacity and mortality. Background Anemia is common in acquired heart failure and ...affects prognosis. The presence of anemia and its relation to outcome in ACHD remain unknown. Methods Data were collected on consecutive noncyanotic ACHD patients attending our tertiary center between 2001 and 2006 in whom hemoglobin concentration was measured. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin concentration <13 g/dl in males and <12 g/dl in females. Cyanotic patients were excluded to avoid confounding from secondary erythrocytosis. Results Overall, 830 noncyanotic ACHD patients (age 36.5 ± 15.0 years, 49.6% male) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The prevalence of anemia was 13.1% and was highest in patients with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries and Ebstein anomaly of the tricuspid valve. Anemic patients were more likely to be receiving diuretics (p < 0.0001) and have a lower mean corpuscular volume (p = 0.0001), with a trend toward a higher New York Heart Association functional class (p = 0.06). During a median follow-up of 47 months, 55 patients died. Anemic patients had a 3-fold higher mortality risk compared with nonanemic patients, even after propensity score adjustment for clinical variables such as systemic ventricular function, renal impairment, and diuretic therapy (adjusted hazard ratio: 3.00; 95% confidence interval: 1.46 to 6.13). Conclusions Anemia is not uncommon in ACHD patients attending tertiary services and is associated with a 3-fold increased risk of death. Screening for anemia should be part of the routine assessment of ACHD patients for risk stratification and treatment when correctable causes are identified.
Southall et al. (2006) concluded that a near mass stranding (MS) of melon‐headed whales (MHWs), Peponocephala electra, in Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii, on 3–4 July 2004, was likely related to the ...operation of mid‐frequency sonars (MFS). However, subsequent authors argued that the nearly simultaneous entry of MHWs into Sasanhaya Bay, Rota (∼5,740 km away) made this conclusion untenable. They suggested that both sightings, and other MSs of MHWs, could be related to lunar cycles. To resolve this question, we reviewed information on the biology and behavior of MHWs and compared the two sightings to observations of MHWs around Palmyra Atoll and Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia. We also tested for a relationship between observations and MSs of MHWs with lunar cycles. MHWs near many oceanic islands rest nearshore during the day and feed offshore in deeper water at night. The MHWs at Rota exhibited normal diurnal resting behavior as seen at Palmyra and Nuku Hiva, while those at Kauai showed milling behavior typically seen prior to MS events. Thus, these events were not similar. Neither observations nor MSs of MHWs were related to lunar cycles. Our review of MHW behavior strengthens the case that MFS use played a major role in the near MS in Hanalei Bay.
The description of genetic population structure over a speciesí geographic range can provide insights into its evolutionary history and also support effective management efforts. Assessments for ...globally distributed species are rare, however, requiring significant international coordination and collaboration. The global distribution of demographically discrete populations for the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae is not fully known, hampering the definition of appropriate management units. Here, we present the first circumglobal assessment of mitochondrial genetic population structure across the speciesí range in the Southern Hemisphere and Arabian Sea. We combine new and existing data from the mitochondrial (mt)DNA control region that resulted in a 311 bp consensus sequence of the mtDNA control region for 3009 individuals sampled across 14 breeding stocks and subpopulations currently recognized by the International Whaling Commission. We assess genetic diversity and test for genetic differentiation and also estimate the magnitude and directionality of historic matrilineal gene flow between putative populations. Our results indicate that maternally directed site fidelity drives significant genetic population structure between breeding stocks within ocean basins. However, patterns of connectivity differ across the circumpolar range, possibly as a result of differences in the extent of longitudinal movements on feeding areas. The number of population comparisons observed to be significantly differentiated were found to diminish at the subpopulation scale when nucleotide differences were examined, indicating that more complex processes underlie genetic structure at this scale. It is crucial that these complexities and uncertainties are afforded greater consideration in management and regulatory efforts.
Gray’s spinner dolphinsStenella longirostris longirostrisare found in apparently relatively small and discrete communities around many islands throughout the Pacific. However, the boundaries of these ...communities, on the scale of a dolphin’s lifespan or across generations, are unknown. Here we report a combined demographic and genetic approach to describing the isolation and interchange of insular spinner dolphins among island communities of the Society Archipelago, French Polynesia. Dorsal fin photographs for individual identification and biospy samples for genetic analyses (n = 154) were collected from 6 island communities during 189 small-boat surveys over 3 yr. Capture–recapture analyses at Moorea (our primary study site), based on long-term observations of distinctively marked individuals and microsatellite genotypes (12 loci), indicated a local community of about 150 dolphins. This community appeared relatively closed on an intra-generational scale, as confirmed by resightings of individuals across 15 yr. Surveys around neighbouring islands indicated the presence of similar distinct communities, likely to follow demographic patterns similar to Moorea, with relatively low levels of interchange between communities. Overall, significant differentiation at both mitochondrial and nuclear levels indicated restricted gene flow among neighbouring communities, although some individual movement was documented. High levels of insular mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) genetic diversity (female long-term effective population size N
ef ~ 100 000) contrasted with demographic characteristics. No evidence of bottlenecks was found in microsatellite allele frequencies or mtDNA haplotypes, discounting the possibility of a recent founder effect. Instead, we suggest that this genetic pattern is the result of metapopulation structure, based on numerous insular communities evolutionarily connected through male and female gene flow.
Pelagic species of dolphins are generally assumed to be nomadic, while coastal/insular species often show strong site fidelity. Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) are characteristically ...described as pelagic, but studies based on individual identification have shown some level of site fidelity near oceanic islands. Here, we collected photographs for individual identification (n=108 unique individuals) and biopsy samples (n=64) to assess genetic diversity, population structure and abundance of rough-toothed dolphins around Moorea and Raiatea (170km apart) in the Society Islands, French Polynesia. Genotype (14 microsatellite loci) and photo-identification recaptures over two to 12years indicated long-term site fidelity around Moorea and a high probability of demographic partitioning between Moorea and Raiatea. There was also a marked genetic differentiation between the two islands for both control region mitochondrial haplotypes (450 base pairs, FST=0.58, p<0.001) and microsatellite allele frequencies (FST=0.07, p<0.001), a pattern confirmed by Bayesian clustering analysis. Around Moorea, estimates of census and current effective population size support a population size in the low hundreds. These results suggest a pattern of small, resident community structure, raising important implications for the management of this species known for depredation issues with local fisheries. Such pattern may be found in other species of pelagic dolphins around oceanic islands, extending the need to conduct similar studies in order to highlight potential conservation issues.
► We investigated population dynamics of a pelagic dolphin in the Society Islands. ► Photographic and genetic recaptures of Steno bredanensis suggest island site fidelity. ► Strong genetic structure was found between two neighbour islands. ► This species forms small insular communities pointing out conservation issues. ► Other pelagic species of dolphins may follow this pattern near oceanic islands.
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