People with multiple sclerosis reduced physical activity following periods of high fatigue and depressed mood. In contrast, higher than usual physical activity was followed by improved fatigue and ...mood.
Abstract
Background
Symptom severity is negatively associated with physical activity in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, it is unclear how physical activity and symptoms correlate on a day-to-day basis in persons with MS.
Purpose
To determine the temporal within-person associations of pain, fatigue, depressed mood, and perceived cognitive function with physical activity in MS.
Methods
Ambulatory adults with MS (N = 107) completed 7 days of home monitoring. Continuous physical activity data (assessed via wrist-worn accelerometer) and concurrent ecological momentary assessment (5X/day) of pain, fatigue, depressed mood, and perceived cognitive function were collected. Data were analyzed using multilevel mixed modeling.
Results
Fatigue and depressed mood demonstrated bidirectional associations with physical activity, whereas pain and cognitive function did not. Higher than usual fatigue (B = −5.83, p = .001) and depressed mood (B = −4.12, p = .03) were followed by decreased physical activity. In contrast, higher than usual physical activity was associated with subsequent decline in fatigue (B = −0.001, p = .02) and depressed mood (B = −0.0007, p = .02); however, the association between physical activity and fatigue varied across the day.
Conclusions
Physical activity is dynamically related to fatigue and mood on a moment-to-moment basis in MS. Efforts to increase physical activity in MS must incorporate a focus on how symptoms affect and are affected by activity.
Insect herbivores have dramatic effects on the chemical composition of plants. Many of these induced metabolites contribute to the quality (e.g., flavor, human health benefits) of specialty crops ...such as the tea plant (
Camellia sinensis
). Induced chemical changes are often studied by comparing plants damaged and undamaged by herbivores. However, when herbivory is quantitative, the relationship between herbivore pressure and induction can be linearly or non-linearly density dependent or density independent, and induction may only occur after some threshold of herbivory. The shape of this relationship can vary among metabolites within plants. The tea green leafhopper (
Empoasca onukii
) can be a widespread pest on tea, but some tea farmers take advantage of leafhopper-induced metabolites in order to produce high-quality “bug-bitten” teas such as Eastern Beauty oolong. To understand the effects of increasing leafhopper density on tea metabolites important for quality, we conducted a manipulative experiment exposing tea plants to feeding by a range of
E. onukii
densities. After
E. onukii
feeding, we measured volatile and non-volatile metabolites, and quantified percent damaged leaf area from scanned leaf images.
E. onukii
density had a highly significant effect on volatile production, while the effect of leaf damage was only marginally significant. The volatiles most responsive to leafhopper density were mainly terpenes that increased in concentration monotonically with density, while the volatiles most responsive to leaf damage were primarily fatty acid derivatives and volatile phenylpropanoids/benzenoids. In contrast, damage (percent leaf area damaged), but not leafhopper density, significantly reduced total polyphenols, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and theobromine concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. The shape of induced responses varied among metabolites with some changing linearly with herbivore pressure and some responding only after a threshold in herbivore pressure with a threshold around 0.6 insects/leaf being common. This study illustrates the importance of measuring a diversity of metabolites over a range of herbivory to fully understand the effects of herbivores on induced metabolites. Our study also shows that any increases in leafhopper density associated with climate warming, could have dramatic effects on secondary metabolites and tea quality.
Grizzly bear (
Ursus arctos L.) populations in Alberta are threatened by habitat loss and high rates of human-caused mortality. Spatial depictions of fitness would greatly improve management and ...conservation action. We are currently challenged, however, in our ability to parameterize demographic rates necessary for describing fitness, especially across gradients of human disturbance and for land cover types. Alternative approaches are therefore needed. We describe here a method of estimating relative habitat states and conditions as surrogates of fitness using models of occupancy and mortality risk. By combining occurrence and risk models into a two-dimensional habitat framework, we identified indices of attractive sinks and safe harbour habitats, as well as five habitat states: non-critical habitats, secondary habitats (low-quality and secure), primary habitats (high-quality and secure), secondary sinks (low-quality, but high risk), and primary sinks (high-quality and high risk). Primary sink or high attractive sink situations were evident in the foothills where bears were using forest edges associated with forestry and oil and gas activities on Crown lands, while primary habitats or safe harbour sites were most common to protected alpine/sub-alpine sites. We suggest that habitat states and indices be used for setting baseline conditions for management and comparison of habitat conditions over time and identification of grizzly bear conservation reserves. A no net loss policy of critical habitats could be used to maintain existing habitat conditions for landscapes threatened by human development. Under such a policy, conversions of primary habitat would require restoration of equivalent amounts of primary sinks through decommissioning of roads.
Neuronal migration defects, including pachygyria, are among the most severe developmental brain defects in humans. Here, we identify biallelic truncating mutations in CTNNA2, encoding αN-catenin, in ...patients with a distinct recessive form of pachygyria. CTNNA2 was expressed in human cerebral cortex, and its loss in neurons led to defects in neurite stability and migration. The αN-catenin paralog, αE-catenin, acts as a switch regulating the balance between β-catenin and Arp2/3 actin filament activities
. Loss of αN-catenin did not affect β-catenin signaling, but recombinant αN-catenin interacted with purified actin and repressed ARP2/3 actin-branching activity. The actin-binding domain of αN-catenin or ARP2/3 inhibitors rescued the neuronal phenotype associated with CTNNA2 loss, suggesting ARP2/3 de-repression as a potential disease mechanism. Our findings identify CTNNA2 as the first catenin family member with biallelic mutations in humans, causing a new pachygyria syndrome linked to actin regulation, and uncover a key factor involved in ARP2/3 repression in neurons.
Researchers in ecology and evolutionary biology are increasingly dependent on computational code to conduct research. Hence, the use of efficient methods to share, reproduce, and collaborate on code ...as well as document research is fundamental. GitHub is an online, cloud‐based service that can help researchers track, organize, discuss, share, and collaborate on software and other materials related to research production, including data, code for analyses, and protocols. Despite these benefits, the use of GitHub in ecology and evolution is not widespread.
To help researchers in ecology and evolution adopt useful features from GitHub to improve their research workflows, we review 12 practical ways to use the platform.
We outline features ranging from low to high technical difficulty, including storing code, managing projects, coding collaboratively, conducting peer review, writing a manuscript, and using automated and continuous integration to streamline analyses. Given that members of a research team may have different technical skills and responsibilities, we describe how the optimal use of GitHub features may vary among members of a research collaboration.
As more ecologists and evolutionary biologists establish their workflows using GitHub, the field can continue to push the boundaries of collaborative, transparent, and open research.
Résumé
Les recherches en écologie et en biologie évolutive dépendent de plus en plus de codes informatiques pour mener à bien leurs travaux. Il est donc fondamental d'utiliser des méthodes efficaces pour partager, reproduire et collaborer sur le code ainsi que pour documenter la recherche. GitHub est un service en ligne, basé sur le nuage, qui peut aider les scientifiques à suivre, organiser, discuter, partager et collaborer sur des logiciels et d'autres matériaux liés à la production scientifique, y compris les données, le code pour les analyses et les protocoles. Malgré ces avantages, l'utilisation de GitHub en écologie et en évolution n'est pas très répandue.
Afin d'aider les scientifiques en écologie et en évolution à adopter des fonctionnalités utiles de GitHub pour améliorer leurs processus de recherche, nous passons en revue douze façons pratiques d'utiliser la plateforme.
Nous décrivons des fonctionnalités allant d'une difficulté technique faible à élevée, y compris le stockage de code, la gestion de projets, le codage collaboratif, l'évaluation par les pairs, la rédaction d'un manuscrit et l'utilisation de l'intégration automatisée et continue pour rationaliser les analyses. Étant donné que les membres d'une équipe de recherche peuvent avoir des compétences techniques et des responsabilités différentes, nous décrivons comment l'utilisation optimale des fonctionnalités de GitHub peut varier entre les membres d'une collaboration de recherche.
Comme de plus en plus d'écologistes et de biologistes évolutionnistes établissent leurs flux de travail à l'aide de GitHub, le domaine peut continuer à repousser les limites de la recherche collaborative, transparente et ouverte.
Resumo
O desenvolvimento da ciência em ecologia e biologia evolutiva está cada vez mais dependente do código computacional. Assim, a utilização de métodos eficientes para partilhar, reproduzir, e colaborar em códigos e em documentos é fundamental. GitHub é um serviço online, baseado na nuvem, que pode ajudar no acompanhamento, organização, discussão, distribuição, e colaboração em software e outros materiais relacionados à produção científica, incluindo dados, código para análises, e protocolos. Apesar destes benefícios, o uso da plataforma GitHub na pesquisa em ecologia e evolução não é amplamente difundido.
Para ajudar cientistas em ecologia e evolução a adotarem recursos úteis do GitHub para melhorar os seus fluxos de trabalho de pesquisa, revemos doze maneiras práticas de utilizar esta plataforma.
Nós revisamos funcionalidades que variam de menor a maior dificuldade técnica, incluindo armazenamento de código, gestão de projetos, codificação colaborativa, revisão por pares, elaboração de manuscritos, e utilização de integração automatizada e contínua para aperfeiçoar análises. Dado que os membros de uma equipe de pesquisa podem ter diferentes competências técnicas e responsabilidades, descrevemos como a utilização eficaz das funcionalidades da plataforma GitHub pode variar entre os membros de uma equipe colaborando em uma pesquisa.
A incoporação de métodos mais eficientes de produção de pesquisa, como os que estão disponível na plataforma GitHub, pode permitir com que a ciência em ecologia e evolução se torne cada vez mais colaborativa, transparente e aberta.
Nonepileptic Seizures in Children Patel, Hema; Scott, Eric; Dunn, David ...
Epilepsia,
November 2007, Letnik:
48, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Summary
Purpose: To determine if the clinical characteristics of nonepileptic seizures (NES) are different in children younger than 13 years age as compared to adolescents.
Methods: Retrospective ...review of medical records and video‐EEGs (VEEG) of all patients with NES confirmed on VEEG monitoring was performed.
Results: Sixty‐eight (3.5%) of 1,967 patients monitored with VEEG had a clinical diagnosis of NES. Fifty‐nine of 68 patients had their habitual event recorded. Mean age at the time of the VEEG diagnosis was 13 years 4 months. Twenty‐two patients were less than 13 years (group A) and 37 were 13 years and older (group B). The male to female ratio was equal in group A, with female predominance seen in group B. NES commonly manifested as subtle motor activity in group A (p < 0.01) and prominent motor activity in group B (p < 0.001). Difficulties at school, family discord, and interpersonal conflicts, were frequent stressors in both groups. Sexual abuse was the least frequent. Depression was more common in group B; cognitive dysfunction (p < 0.001) and epilepsy (p < 0.01) were more common in group A.
Conclusions: Differences in clinical semiology and predisposing factors may help identify young children and adolescents who might be at risk for the development of NES.
Elicitation of VRC01-class broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) is an appealing approach for a preventative HIV-1 vaccine. Despite extensive investigations, strategies to induce VRC01-class bnAbs ...and overcome the barrier posed by the envelope N276 glycan have not been successful. Here, we inferred a high-probability unmutated common ancestor (UCA) of the VRC01 lineage and reconstructed the stages of lineage maturation. Env immunogens designed on reverted VRC01-class bnAbs bound to VRC01 UCA with affinity sufficient to activate naive B cells. Early mutations defined maturation pathways toward limited or broad neutralization, suggesting that focusing the immune response is likely required to steer B cell maturation toward the development of neutralization breadth. Finally, VRC01 lineage bnAbs with long CDR H3s overcame the HIV-1 N276 glycan barrier without shortening their CDR L1, revealing a solution for broad neutralization in which the heavy chain, not CDR L1, is the determinant to accommodate the N276 glycan.
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•A high-probability VRC01 lineage UCA was inferred and CDRH3 evolution defined•Env immunogens bind to VRC01 UCA with affinity sufficient to activate naive B cells•Early mutations defined maturation pathways toward limited or broad neutralization•Antibodies with long CDRH3s achieved neutralization breadth without shortening CDRL1s
Understanding how HIV-1 VRC01-class broadly neutralizing antibodies overcome maturation barriers is key for vaccine development. Bonsignori et al. inferred the unmutated common ancestor of the VRC01 lineage, reconstructed the stages of lineage maturation, and identified multiple solutions adopted by evolving B cells to overcome the N276 glycan barrier and achieve broad neutralization.
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