Degenerative cervical myelopathy is a spinal disorder resulting in progressive cord compression and neurological deficits that are assessed using the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) ...questionnaire. It is difficult to predict which patients will recover neurological function after surgery, making it challenging for clinicians to set postoperative patient expectations. In this study, we used mJOA subscores to identify patterns of recovery and recovery timelines in patients with moderate and severe myelopathy.
Fifty-three myelopathy patients were enrolled and completed the mJOA questionnaire both pre-surgery, and six weeks and six months post-surgery. Pearson chi-square tests were performed to assess relationships of both recovery patterns and recovery timelines with severity of disease.
Moderate myelopathy patients were significantly more likely than severe myelopathy patients to experience full recovery of upper extremity, lower extremity, and sensory domains. Disease severity did not significantly impact the timeline during which recovery occurs. Overall, >90% of patients experienced at least partial recovery by six months post surgery, 80% of which demonstrated it within the first six weeks.
This study shows the more severe the disease experienced by myelopathy patients, the more likely they will be left with permanent disabilities despite surgery. Early identification and treatment are therefore necessary to prevent worsening quality of life and increased costs of functional dependence. The recovery timelines for each subscore are similar and provide new values to guide patient expectations in their potential post-operative recovery. The overall recovery timeline is more generalizable though potentially lacking the specificity patients seek.
Biological invasions by nonindigenous species (NIS) can have adverse effects on economically important goods and services, and sometimes result in an 'invisible tax' on natural resources (e.g. ...reduced yield). The combined economic costs of NIS may be significant, with implications for environmental policy and resource management; yet economic impact assessments are rare at a national scale. Impacts of nuisance NIS may be direct (e.g. loss of hardwood trees) or indirect (e.g. alteration of ecosystem services provided by growing hardwoods). Moreover, costs associated with these effects may be accrued to resources and services with clear 'market' values (e.g. crop production) and to those with more ambiguous, 'non-market' values (e.g. aesthetic value of intact forest). We characterised and projected economic costs associated with nuisance NIS in Canada, through a combination of case-studies and an empirical model derived from 21 identified effects of 16 NIS. Despite a severe dearth of available data, characterised costs associated with ten NIS in Canadian fisheries, agriculture and forestry totalled $187 million Canadian (CDN) per year. These costs were dwarfed by the 'invisible tax' projected for sixteen nuisance NIS found in Canada, which was estimated at between $13.3 and $34.5 billion CDN per year. Canada remains highly vulnerable to new nuisance NIS, but available manpower and financial resources appear insufficient to deal with this problem.
Mixed-species assemblages are often unintentionally introduced into new ecosystems. Analysing how assemblage structure varies during transport may provide insights into how introduction risk changes ...before propagules are released. Characterization of introduction risk is typically based on assessments of colonization pressure (CP, the number of species transported) and total propagule pressure (total PP, the total abundance of propagules released) associated with an invasion vector. Generally, invasion potential following introduction increases with greater CP or total PP. Here, we extend these assessments using rank-abundance distributions to examine how CP : total PP relationships change temporally in ballast water of ocean-going ships. Rank-abundance distributions and CP : total PP patterns varied widely between trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific voyages, with the latter appearing to pose a much lower risk than the former. Responses also differed by taxonomic group, with invertebrates experiencing losses mainly in total PP, while diatoms and dinoflagellates sustained losses mainly in CP. In certain cases, open-ocean ballast water exchange appeared to increase introduction risk by uptake of new species or supplementation of existing ones. Our study demonstrates that rank-abundance distributions provide new insights into the utility of CP and PP in characterizing introduction risk.
•Perinatal effects of citalopram, fluoxetine and bupropion were compared.•The SSRIs impaired learning, increased startle and marble burying.•The SSRIs reduced activity and were under-responsive to ...MK-801.•Bupropion offspring showed greater activity to amphetamine challenge.•The SSRIs induced several autism-like behavioral effects.
Most antidepressants inhibit monoamine reuptake. Selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) act on the 5-HT transporter (SERT) whereas norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs) act on the norepinephrine and dopamine transporters. Epidemiological reports link SSRI use during pregnancy to an increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We previously showed that perinatal exposure to the SSRI citalopram (CIT) results in rodent offspring that exhibit a number of behaviors consistent with an ASD-like phenotype. The present study examined the effect of perinatal exposure to CIT (at a lower dose), another SSRI, fluoxetine (FLX), and an NDRI, bupropion (BUP). Gravid Sprague-Dawley rats were subcutaneously injected twice per day (6h apart) with 5mg/kg CIT, 5mg/kg FLX, 15mg/kg BUP, or saline (SAL) from embryonic day (E) 6–21, and directly to the pups from postnatal day (P) 1–20. As adults, one male/female from each litter was given one of a series of tests. Both SSRI-exposed groups showed spatial learning deficits in Morris and radial water mazes, increased marble burying, increased acoustic startle, hypoactivity, and attenuated activity to the stimulating effect of the NMDA-R antagonist MK-801. The BUP-exposed group showed a reduction in elevated zero-maze quadrant entries and increased stimulated open-field activity following (+)-amphetamine challenge. These results reinforce concern about the use of antidepressants during pregnancy and highlight how the two classes of drugs produce different constellations of effects with more effects associated with the SSRIs. Further investigation into how antidepressants alter brain development leading to enduring adverse neurobehavioral effects is warranted.
Molecular methods to understand host feeding patterns of arthropod vectors are critical to assess exposure risk to vector‐borne disease and unveil complex ecological interactions. We build on our ...prior work discovering the utility of PCR‐Sanger sequencing blood meal analysis that work well for soft ticks (Acari: Argasidae), unlike for hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), thanks to their unique physiology that retains prior blood meals for years. Here, we apply blood meal metabarcoding using amplicon deep sequencing to identify multiple host species in individual Ornithodoros turicata soft ticks collected from two natural areas in Texas, United States. Of 788 collected O. turicata, 394 were evaluated for blood meal source via metabarcoding, revealing 27 different vertebrate hosts (17 mammals, five birds, one reptile, and four amphibians) fed upon by 274 soft ticks. Information on multiple hosts was derived from 167 individual O. turicata (61%). Metabarcoding revealed mixed vertebrate blood meals in O. turicata while same specimens yielded only one vertebrate species using Sanger sequencing. These data reveal wide host range of O. turicata and demonstrate the value of blood meal metabarcoding for understanding the ecology for known and potential tick‐borne pathogens circulating among humans, domestic animals, and wildlife such as relapsing fever caused by Borrelia turicatae. Our results also document evidence of prior feeding on wild pig from an off‐host soft tick for the first time in North America; a critical observation in the context of enzootic transmission of African swine fever virus if it were introduced to the US. This research enhances our understanding of vector‐host associations and offers a promising perspective for biodiversity monitoring and disease control strategies.
This study has examined vertebrate blood meals in Ornithodoros turicata soft ticks (Acari: Argasidae) from two locations in Texas, USA. Vertebrates from 274 individual O. turicata revealed 27 different vertebrate hosts and were compared to camera trap observations in both locations showing over‐ or under‐utilization of different hosts. O. turicata vector relapsing fever causing Borrelia turicatae and are competent vectors of African swine fever virus and this work establishes O. turicata feeding on hosts relevant to both diseases.
The UK government reclassified gabapentin and pregabalin as ‘controlled drugs’ from April 2019. This study aimed to describe the trends in gabapentinoid prescribing before and immediately after ...reclassification, in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, an electronic primary care health record broadly representative of the UK.
Separately for gabapentin and pregabalin, we calculated annual incident and prevalent prescribing rates from year of UK approval (April 1997 and 2004 respectively) to September 2019, and monthly incident and prevalent prescribing rates (October 2017–September 2019). Significant changes in temporal trends were determined using joinpoint regression. We also described potential prescribing indications, prior pain-related prescribing, and co-prescribing with potentially interacting medicines.
Incident gabapentin prescribing increased annually, peaking in 2016–17, at 625/100,000 patient years before falling steadily to 2019. Incident pregabalin prescribing peaked at 329/100,000 patient years in 2017–18 and did not fall significantly until 2019. Prevalent gabapentin and pregabalin prescribing increased annually to 2017–18 and 2018–19 respectively, before plateauing. Gabapentinoids were commonly co-prescribed with opioids (60%), antidepressants (52%), benzodiazepines (19%), and Z-drugs (10%).
Following a dramatic rise, incident gabapentinoid prescribing has started to fall but the specific impact of reclassification on prescribing rates remains unclear. Limited change in prevalent gabapentinoid prescribing during the 6 months following their reclassification as controlled drugs suggests little immediate impact on continued gabapentinoid prescribing for existing users.
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit Programme. NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West Midlands. NIHR School for Primary Care Research.
Aim After J. L. Lockwood, P. Cassey and T. Blackburn (2009, Diversity and Distributions, 15, 904–910) first described a theoretical relationship between propagule pressure and colonization pressure, ...two empirical studies demonstrated that the transport stage of the invasion process can profoundly influence the strength of the relationship among multiple events, as well as predictions of introduction risk. However, studies exploring dynamics of transported communities are rare, as repeated-measures sampling during transportation by any vector is logistically difficult. We constructed a conceptual model of community dynamics during transportation and supported it by empirical data for propagule pressure and colonization pressure of plankton. Location Global. Methods A conceptual model of community dynamics was developed based on lognormal species abundance distribution and the simulation model of J. L. Lockwood, P. Cassey and T. Blackburn (2009, Diversity and Distributions, 15, 904–910). We considered four cases: case 'A' – no reduction in propagule nor colonization pressure; case 'B' – strong reduction in propagule and mild reduction in colonization pressure; case 'C' – mild reduction in propagule and strong reduction in colonization pressure; and case 'D' – strong reduction in both propagule and colonization pressures. Results The cases 'B', 'C' and 'D' were supported by empirical data for invertebrates, dinoflagellates and diatoms from ships' ballast tanks, respectively. Propagule pressure of invertebrates, dinoflagellates and diatoms decreased 99.95%, 80% and 94% in 25 days, respectively, while colonization pressure decreased 34%, 57% and 64%. Main conclusions Transport affects both propagule pressure and colonization pressure of taxa, with the magnitude of change dependent on length of transport and taxon-specific survival and reproduction. Our model demonstrates that introduction risk varies substantially across and within taxa depending on the occurrence and severity of selection pressures during transportation which serve to change species abundance distributions.
Objective
Previous research has shown that empathy for pain is disrupted at the neural level in people with schizophrenia. However, many of these studies have failed to assess key background ...contextual variables that have previously been linked to neurophysiological responding. Moreover, no study to date has examined the potential influence of schizotypal characteristics on neurophysiological responding in non‐clinical individuals.
Methods
People with schizophrenia (N = 17) were compared to demographically matched controls (N = 19) on an event‐related potential (ERP) empathy for pain paradigm. The control group also completed a measure of schizotypal personality traits.
Results
People with schizophrenia exhibited atypical neural responding at early, emotion‐sharing (frontal N110), and late, cognitive (central late positive potential LPP) processing stages of pain empathy, relative to controls. In the control group, positive schizotypy traits were significantly negatively related to reduced ERP amplitude in the late, cognitive (central LPP) processing stage of empathy.
Conclusions
These data cross‐validate previous studies that have shown that schizophrenia is associated with atypicalities in bottom‐up automatic resonance processes that likely contribute to empathic and socio‐emotional processing deficits, and indicate that these findings cannot be easily attributed to background contextual differences between the two groups. The results also point to a potential relationship between positive schizotypal characteristics and neurophysiological responding. Implications for simulation theories of empathy and social functioning in schizophrenia are discussed.
Practitioner points
Empathic processing has been consistently linked to well‐being and mental health in many groups, including people with schizophrenia.
Previous research has shown that, relative to controls, people with schizophrenia exhibit abnormalities in their neurophysiological empathic response, but in these prior studies, the two groups also differed in a number of potentially important background contextual variables.
The current study shows that, when closely matched on background contextual variables, abnormal neural responding is still evident.
These data suggest that empathy for pain is disrupted at the neurophysiological level in schizophrenia.
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