The time is ripe for a comprehensive mission to explore and document Earth's species. This calls for a campaign to educate and inspire the next generation of professional and citizen species ...explorers, investments in cyber-infrastructure and collections to meet the unique needs of the producers and consumers of taxonomic information, and the formation and coordination of a multi-institutional, international, transdisciplinary community of researchers, scholars and engineers with the shared objective of creating a comprehensive inventory of species and detailed map of the biosphere. We conclude that an ambitious goal to describe 10 million species in less than 50 years is attainable based on the strength of 250 years of progress, worldwide collections, existing experts, technological innovation and collaborative teamwork. Existing digitization projects are overcoming obstacles of the past, facilitating collaboration and mobilizing literature, data, images and specimens through cyber technologies. Charting the biosphere is enormously complex, yet necessary expertise can be found through partnerships with engineers, information scientists, sociologists, ecologists, climate scientists, conservation biologists, industrial project managers and taxon specialists, from agrostologists to zoophytologists. Benefits to society of the proposed mission would be profound, immediate and enduring, from detection of early responses of flora and fauna to climate change to opening access to evolutionary designs for solutions to countless practical problems. The impacts on the biodiversity, environmental and evolutionary sciences would be transformative, from ecosystem models calibrated in detail to comprehensive understanding of the origin and evolution of life over its 3.8 billion year history. The resultant cyber-enabled taxonomy, or cybertaxonomy, would open access to biodiversity data to developing nations, assure access to reliable data about species, and change how scientists and citizens alike access, use and think about biological diversity information.
Background Estrogens stimulate proliferation of breast epithelium and may therefore increase the risk of benign proliferative breast disease, a condition that is associated with increased risk of ...breast cancer. We tested the effect of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) on risk of benign proliferative breast disease in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) randomized controlled trial. Methods In the WHI CEE trial, 10739 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to 0.625 mg/d of CEE or to placebo. Baseline and annual breast examinations and mammograms were required. We identified women in the trial who reported breast biopsies that were free of cancer, obtained the associated histological sections, and subjected them to standardized central review. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All statistical tests were two-sided. Results A total of 232 incident cases of benign proliferative breast disease were ascertained during follow-up (average duration, 6.9 years), with 155 in the CEE group and 77 in the placebo group. Use of CEE was associated with a more than two-fold increase in the risk of benign proliferative breast disease (HR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.58 to 2.81). For benign proliferative breast disease without atypia, the HR was 2.34 (95% CI = 1.71 to 3.20), whereas for atypical hyperplasia, it was 1.12 (95% CI = 0.53 to 2.40). Risk varied little by levels of baseline characteristics. Conclusion Use of 0.625 mg/d of CEE was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of benign proliferative breast disease.
Asymptomatic Atrial Fibrillation Rho, Robert W.; Page, Richard L.
Progress in cardiovascular diseases,
09/2005, Letnik:
48, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a significant cause of morbidity and health care expenditures. Patients with AF suffer a variety of symptoms including chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, and ...fatigue. Some patients have no symptoms, a condition referred to as asymptomatic or “silent” AF. Asymptomatic AF has significant clinical implications. Patients with unrecognized AF may present with devastating thromboembolic consequences or a tachycardia-mediated cardiomyopathy. The incidence of asymptomatic AF is greater than previously perceived. This manuscript provides an overview of the clinical entity of asymptomatic AF including the epidemiology, clinical significance, and the implications it has on the daily management of patients suffering from AF.
This compilation is part of a series of articles identifying important literature in cardiovascular pharmacotherapy. This bibliography focuses on pharmacotherapeutic management of acute decompensated ...and chronic heart failure and provides an update of the heart failure bibliography published in Pharmacotherapy in 2004. Most of the cited works present the results of landmark clinical studies that have shaped the management of patients with heart failure. Limited primary literature is available for some topics, thus pertinent review articles are also listed. In addition, consensus documents formed by expert panels are reviewed. This compilation may serve as a teaching tool, reference resource, or update of the literature for pharmacy clinicians, physicians, and students.
A family with asymptomatic Wenckebach atrioventricular block (Wenckebach periodicity WP) has been followed at the investigators' institution for >4 decades. In contrast to all reported cases of WP ...(except in top-ranking athletes) family members have WP at rest that promptly converts to regular sinus tachycardia with exercise. They also have mild apical noncompaction that has been quite stable. Because of apparent autosomal dominant inheritance of the structural and arrhythmia disorders, deoxyribonucleic acid was obtained from 4 affected family members in 2 generations for sequence analysis of the cardiac transcription factor gene NKX2.5. A novel frame-shift mutation (c.959delC) was identified that would result in premature truncation of the protein at residue 293, with loss of the C-terminal 31 amino acids. The responsiveness of WP to exercise, the long-term stability of the WP rhythm, and the mild asymptomatic structural features expand the phenotypic presentation of diseases related to mutations in NKX2.5. In addition, the physiology of WP is reviewed in these subjects and in highly conditioned athletes. In conclusion, the investigators report familial stable WP and ventricular noncompaction caused by a mutation in NKX2.5.
Micropapillomas/papillomas and complex sclerosing lesions of the breast have been associated with a slightly increased risk for subsequent carcinoma, although benign squamous metaplasia and reactive ...hypercellular stroma are seen within these lesions. There are few reports of these fibrosclerotic lesions associated with metaplastic tumors. Here we describe a series of metaplastic tumors arising within fibrosclerotic breast lesions. Thirty-three metaplastic tumors associated with fibrosclerotic lesions were selected from a breast pathology consultative practice. Relevant clinical and pathological features were reviewed. Representative sections were evaluated immunohistochemically for expression of cytokeratins, vimentin, and smooth muscle and muscle-specific actins. Both the metaplastic component (spindled and squamous cells) and the glandular elements were graded. The metaplastic tumors arose within papillomas (20 cases), complex sclerosing lesions (7 cases), both papilloma and complex sclerosing lesions (3 cases), and nipple adenoma (3 cases). A majority of the metaplastic tumors showed a dominant spindle cell component with various degrees of atypia, ranging from fibromatosis-like (16 cases) to low-grade (13 cases), intermediate-grade (2 cases), and high-grade (2 cases) fibrosarcoma phenotype. Squamous metaplasia was present in 25 cases, and low-grade glandular elements, in 21 cases. Eleven tumors had a low-grade adenosquamous growth pattern. Ductal carcinoma in situ was present in 7 cases, and invasive mammary carcinoma, in 5 cases. The very low-grade tumors were histologically similar to limited areas of stromal reaction and myofibroblastic proliferation, seen in partially sclerotic micropapillomas/papillomas and complex sclerosing lesions, but usually more cellular. Cytokeratin positivity (13+/13 tested) supports the metaplastic nature of the more plump spindled cells. The spindle cells were also positive for vimentin (8+/8 tested) and smooth muscle (2+/5 tested) and muscle-specific actins (6+/6 tested). Spindle cell metaplastic tumors, from fibromatosis-like to fibrosarcoma, may arise within a variety of fibrosclerotic breast lesions.
Raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis), a common gastrointestinal parasite of the raccoon (Procyon lotor), has been implicated in population declines of Allegheny woodrats (Neotoma magister). ...Medicinal baiting is a viable tool in wildlife disease management although unique challenges exist for pathogenic systems in which the host can be immediately re-infected following treatment. Our goals were to evaluate the efficacy of using monthly distribution of anthelmintic baits to reduce the prevalence of B. procyonis infection in raccoons and to quantify patterns and rates of bait acceptance among populations repeatedly exposed to medicinal baits. We distributed baits monthly at a density of 200/km² throughout 300-m buffer areas surrounding woodrat habitats in Indiana. We conducted raccoon latrine surveys annually to quantify the effect of treatment on roundworm prevalence and used remote cameras to identify the species contacting baits and determine the rate at which baits were removed. We observed declines in B. procyonis prevalence in response to treatment, but our ability to resolve statistical differences was limited by low pretreatment prevalence and high annual variability. Baits were removed rapidly from camera stations with 60% taken within 24 hours, 80% within 48 hours, and 90% within 72 hours. Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) removed 51% of baits whereas raccoons removed 44%. Identification of opossums as the predominant consumer of baits emphasizes the limitations imposed by non-target bait consumption for mitigation of B. procyonis and other wildlife diseases. The rapid removal of baits despite repeated bait exposure suggests that habituation did not result in bait aversion and fishmeal baits are a viable delivery system for mitigation of raccoon-borne diseases requiring repeated treatments. Similar treatment measures may facilitate conservation of Allegheny woodrats in habitats with high rates of B. procyonis-related mortality and could be used to reduce human exposure to this zoonotic parasite.
ABSTRACT
We present the Living Swift-XRT Point Source (LSXPS) catalogue and real-time transient detector. This system allows us for the first time to carry out low-latency searches for new transient ...X-ray events fainter than those available to the current generation of wide-field imagers, and report their detection in near real time. Previously, such events could only be found in delayed searches, e.g. of archival data; our low-latency analysis now enables rapid and ongoing follow-up of these events, enabling the probing of time-scales previously inaccessible. The LSXPS is, uniquely among X-ray catalogues, updated in near real time, making this the first up-to-date record of the point sources detected by a sensitive X-ray telescope: the SwiftX-ray Telescope. The associated upper limit calculator likewise makes use of all available data allowing contemporary upper limits to be rapidly produced on demand. These facilities, which enable the low-latency transient system, are also fully available to the community, providing a powerful resource for time-domain and multimessenger astrophysics.
ABSTRACT
Nova Her 2021 or V1674 Her was one of the fastest novae to be observed so far. We report here the results from our timing and spectral studies of the source observed at multiple epochs with ...AstroSat. We report the detection of a periodicity in the source in soft X-rays at a period of 501.4–501.5 s which was detected with high significance after the peak of the super-soft phase, but was not detected in the far ultraviolet (FUV) band of AstroSat. The shape of the phase-folded X-ray light curves has varied significantly as the nova evolved. The phase-resolved spectral studies reveal the likely presence of various absorption features in the soft X-ray band of 0.5–2 keV, and suggest that the optical depth of these absorption features may be marginally dependent on the pulse phase. Strong emission lines from Si, N, and O are detected in the FUV, and their strength declined continuously as the nova evolved and went through a bright X-ray state.
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