One of the most important physiological challenges animals had to overcome during terrestrialization (i.e., the transition from sea to land) was water loss, which alters their osmotic and hydric ...homeostasis. Aquaporins are a superfamily of membrane water transporters heavily involved in osmoregulatory processes. Their diversity and evolutionary dynamics in most animal lineages remain unknown, hampering our understanding of their role in marine–terrestrial transitions. Here, we interrogated aquaporin gene repertoire evolution across the main terrestrial animal lineages. We annotated aquaporin‐coding genes in genomic data from 458 species from seven animal phyla where terrestrialization episodes occurred. We then explored aquaporin gene evolutionary dynamics to assess differences between terrestrial and aquatic species through phylogenomics and phylogenetic comparative methods. Our results revealed parallel aquaporin‐coding gene duplications during the ecological transition from marine to nonmarine environments (e.g., brackish, freshwater and terrestrial), rather than from aquatic to terrestrial ones, with some notable duplications in ancient lineages. In contrast, we also recovered a significantly lower number of superaquaporin genes in terrestrial arthropods, suggesting that more efficient oxygen homeostasis in land arthropods might be linked to a reduction in this type of aquaporin. Our results thus indicate that aquaporin‐coding gene duplication and loss might have been one of the key steps towards the evolution of osmoregulation across animals, facilitating the “out of the sea” transition and ultimately the colonization of land.
Fibroblast growth factor 21 is an endocrine factor, secreted mainly by the liver, that exerts metabolic actions that favour glucose metabolism. Its role in the heart is unknown. Here we show that ...Fgf21(-/-) mice exhibit an increased relative heart weight and develop enhanced signs of dilatation and cardiac dysfunction in response to isoproterenol infusion, indicating eccentric hypertrophy development. In addition, Fgf21(-/-) mice exhibit enhanced induction of cardiac hypertrophy markers and pro-inflammatory pathways and show greater repression of fatty acid oxidation. Most of these alterations are already present in Fgf21(-/-) neonates, and treatment with fibroblast growth factor 21 reverses them in vivo and in cultured cardiomyocytes. Moreover, fibroblast growth factor 21 is expressed in the heart and is released by cardiomyocytes. Fibroblast growth factor 21 released by cardiomyocytes protects cardiac cells against hypertrophic insults. Therefore, the heart appears to be a target of systemic, and possibly locally generated, fibroblast growth factor 21, which exerts a protective action against cardiac hypertrophy.
The specific role of different strength measures on mortality risk needs to be clarified to gain a better understanding of the clinical importance of different muscle groups, as well as to inform ...intervention protocols in relation to reducing early mortality. The aim of the systematic review and meta‐analysis was to determine the relationship between muscular strength and risk of cancer mortality. Eligible cohort studies were those that examined the association between muscular strength, as assessed using validated tests, and cancer mortality in healthy youth and adults. The hazard ratio (HR) estimates obtained were pooled using random effects meta‐analysis models. The outcome was cancer mortality assessed using the HR (Cox proportional hazards model). Eleven prospective studies with 1 309 413 participants were included, and 9787 cancer‐specific deaths were reported. Overall, greater handgrip (HR = 0.97, 95% CI, 0.92‐1.02; P = .055; I2 = 18.9%) and knee extension strength (HR = 0.98, 95% CI, 0.95‐1.00; P = .051; I2 = 60.6%) were barely significant associated with reduced risk of cancer mortality. Our study suggests that higher level of muscular strength is not statistically associated with lower risk of cancer mortality.
Abstract Background Atherosclerosis, a leading cause of mortality, necessitates effective management of hypercholesterolemia, specifically elevated low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C). The ...emergence of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) has revolutionised lipid‐lowering. PCSK9i demonstrates substantial LDL‐C reduction and cardiovascular benefits, particularly in statin‐intolerant or nonresponsive individuals. However, the potential pleiotropic effects of PCSK9i, especially on arterial stiffness, remain a subject of investigation. This systematic review and meta‐analysis seek to provide a nuanced understanding of the potential pleiotropic effects of PCSK9i, specifically on arterial health. The primary objective was to analyse the influence of PCSK9i on arterial stiffness, extending beyond traditional lipid‐lowering metrics and contributing to a more comprehensive approach to cardiovascular risk reduction. Methods A systematic search was conducted across major databases, clinical trial registries and grey literature. Inclusion criteria comprised adults in prospective cohort studies undergoing PCSK9i augmentation in lipid‐lowering therapy, with a focus on arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWv). Random‐effects meta‐analyses, sensitivity analyses and meta‐regression models were employed to assess the pooled effect of adding PCSK9i to lipid‐lowering interventions on arterial stiffness. Results Five studies (158 participants) met the inclusion criteria, demonstrating a significant reduction in PWv (mean difference: −2.61 m/s 95% CI: −3.70, −1.52; ES: −1.62 95% CI: −2.53, −.71) upon adding PCSK9i to lipid‐lowering interventions. Subgroup analysis and meta‐regression models suggested potential sex‐based and baseline PWv‐dependent variations, emphasising patient‐specific characteristics. Conclusion The meta‐analysis provides robust evidence that adding PCSK9i to lipid‐lowering interventions significantly improves arterial stiffness, indicating broader vascular benefits beyond LDL‐C reduction.
In recent years, interest in the relation between maternal physical activity during pregnancy and children's neurocognitive development has been growing. Several observational studies and clinical ...trials have analysed this relation and they differ in the findings, especially for children's language‐related skills and IQ. Physical activity assessment, amount of physical activity and the test used for measuring children's cognition could affect this relation, as well as other factors that should be considered. This article will review the evidence on the effects of physical activity during pregnancy on children's different cognitive domains.
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Leisure physical during pregnancy positively affects offspring's general intelligence and language skills.
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Leisure physical during pregnancy positively affects offspring's general intelligence and language skills.
Optimization of an RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) pipeline is critical to maximize power and accuracy to identify genetic variants, including SNPs, which may serve as genetic markers to select for feed ...efficiency, leading to economic benefits for beef production. This study used RNA-Seq data (GEO Accession ID: PRJEB7696 and PRJEB15314) from muscle and liver tissue, respectively, from 12 Nellore beef steers selected from 585 steers with residual feed intake measures (RFI; n = 6 low-RFI, n = 6 high-RFI). Three RNA-Seq pipelines were compared including multi-sample calling from i) non-merged samples; ii) merged samples by RFI group, iii) merged samples by RFI and tissue group. The RNA-Seq reads were aligned against the UMD3.1 bovine reference genome (release 94) assembly using STAR aligner. Variants were called using BCFtools and variant effect prediction (VeP) and functional annotation (ToppGene) analyses were performed.
On average, total reads detected for Approach i) non-merged samples for liver and muscle, were 18,362,086.3 and 35,645,898.7, respectively. For Approach ii), merging samples by RFI group, total reads detected for each merged group was 162,030,705, and for Approach iii), merging samples by RFI group and tissues, was 324,061,410, revealing the highest read depth for Approach iii). Additionally, Approach iii) merging samples by RFI group and tissues, revealed the highest read depth per variant coverage (572.59 ± 3993.11) and encompassed the majority of localized positional genes detected by each approach. This suggests Approach iii) had optimized detection power, read depth, and accuracy of SNP calling, therefore increasing confidence of variant detection and reducing false positive detection. Approach iii) was then used to detect unique SNPs fixed within low- (12,145) and high-RFI (14,663) groups. Functional annotation of SNPs revealed positional candidate genes, for each RFI group (2886 for low-RFI, 3075 for high-RFI), which were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with immune and metabolic pathways.
The most optimized RNA-Seq pipeline allowed for more accurate identification of SNPs, associated positional candidate genes, and significantly associated metabolic pathways in muscle and liver tissues, providing insight on the underlying genetic architecture of feed efficiency in beef cattle.
Background
Ensuring patient safety during small animal anaesthesia is crucial. This study aimed to assess anaesthetic‐related deaths in dogs globally, identify risks and protective factors and inform ...clinical practice.
Methods
This prospective cohort multicentric study involved 55,022 dogs from 405 veterinary centres across various countries. Data on anaesthesia‐related deaths from premedication to 48 hours post‐extubation were collected. Logistic regression was used to analyse patient demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, procedure type and anaesthetic drugs used.
Results
Anaesthetic‐related mortality was 0.69%. Most deaths occurred postoperatively (81%). Age, obesity and a higher ASA classification score were associated with increased mortality. Urgent procedures, non‐urgent but unscheduled anaesthesias and short procedures also had higher mortality. Some sedatives, systemic analgesics, hypnotics and the use of locoregional anaesthesia were linked to a decrease in mortality.
Limitations
The limitations of the study include the non‐randomised sample, potential selection bias, lack of response rate quantification, variable data quality control, subjectivity in classifying causes of death and limited analysis of variables.
Conclusion
Careful patient evaluation, drug selection and monitoring can be associated with reduced mortality. These findings can be used to develop guidelines and strategies to improve patient safety and outcomes. Further research is needed to refine protocols, enhance data quality systems and explore additional risk mitigation measures.
Pimobendan is an inotropic and vasodilator drug with no sympathomimetic effects. This study aimed to evaluate the haemodynamic effects of pimobendan during anaesthesia in healthy senior dogs. A ...prospective, randomised, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study was conducted. Thirty-three dogs (median range: 9 7, 12 years) were anaesthetised for surgical procedures. The dogs were randomly allocated into two groups: eighteen dogs received intravenous pimobendan at a dose of 0.15 mg/kg (PIMOBENDAN), and fifteen dogs received intravenous saline solutions at a dose of 0.2 mL/kg (PLACEBO). Data were recorded before, 1 min, 10 min, and 20 min after injection. Velocity-time integral (VTI), peak-velocity (PV), and mean-acceleration (MA) were measured using an oesophageal Doppler monitor (ODM). Heart rate and mean arterial pressure were also registered. The data were analysed using a two-way ANOVA for trimmed means. Statistical differences were considered if p < 0.05. Twenty minutes after injection, the VTI (13.0 cm 10.4, 22.3), PV (95.0 83.0, 160 m/s), and MA (12.6 9.40, 17.0 m/s
) were significantly higher in the PIMOBENDAN group compared to the PLACEBO group (VTI: 10.5 6.50, 17.4 cm, PV: 80.0 62.0, 103 m/s and MA: 10.2 7.00, 16.0 ms
). No significant differences were observed in the rest of the variables. Using pimobendan during anaesthesia increases VTI, PV, and MA, as measured by an ODM.
It is almost 20 years since the largest observational, multicentre study evaluating the risks of mortality associated with general anaesthesia in horses. We proposed an internet-based method to ...collect data (cleaned and analysed with R) in a multicentre, cohort, observational, analytical, longitudinal and prospective study to evaluate peri-operative equine mortality. The objective was to report the usefulness of the method, illustrated with the preliminary data, including outcomes for horses seven days after undergoing general anaesthesia and certain procedures using standing sedation. Within six months, data from 6701 procedures under general anaesthesia and 1955 standing sedations from 69 centres were collected. The results showed (i) the utility of the method; also, that (ii) the overall mortality rate for general anaesthesia within the seven-day outcome period was 1.0%. In horses undergoing procedures other than exploratory laparotomy for colic (“noncolics”), the rate was lower, 0.6%, and in “colics” it was higher, at 3.4%. For standing sedations, the overall mortality rate was 0.2%. Finally, (iii) we present some descriptive data that demonstrate new developments since the previous CEPEF2. In conclusion, horses clearly still die unexpectedly when undergoing procedures under general anaesthesia or standing sedation. Our method is suitable for case collection for future studies.
Background
Patient safety is essential in small animal anaesthesia. This study aimed to assess anaesthesia‐related deaths in cats worldwide, identify risk and protective factors and provide insights ...for clinical practice.
Methods
A prospective multicentre cohort study of 14,962 cats from 198 veterinary centres across different countries was conducted. Data on anaesthesia‐related deaths, from premedication up to 48 hours postextubation, were collected. Logistic regression was used to analyse patient demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, procedure type and anaesthetic drugs.
Results
The anaesthesia‐related mortality was 0.63%, with 74.5% of deaths occurring postoperatively. Cats with cachexia, a higher ASA status or who underwent abdominal, orthopaedic/neurosurgical or thoracic procedures exhibited elevated mortality. Mechanical ventilation use was associated with increased mortality. Mortality odds were reduced by the use of alpha2‐agonist sedatives, pure opioids in premedication and locoregional techniques.
Limitations
Limitations include non‐randomised sampling, potential biases, unquantified response rates, subjective death cause classification and limited variable analysis.
Conclusions
Anaesthetic mortality in cats is significant, predominantly postoperative. Risk factors include cachexia, higher ASA status, specific procedures and mechanical ventilation. Protective factors include alpha2‐agonist sedatives, pure opioids and locoregional techniques. These findings can help improve anaesthesia safety and outcomes. However, further research is required to improve protocols, enhance data quality and minimise risks.
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