Abstract
The Eukaryotic Pathogen, Vector and Host Informatics Resource (VEuPathDB, https://veupathdb.org) is a Bioinformatics Resource Center funded by the National Institutes of Health with ...additional funding from the Wellcome Trust. VEuPathDB supports >600 organisms that comprise invertebrate vectors, eukaryotic pathogens (protists and fungi) and relevant free-living or non-pathogenic species or hosts. Since 2004, VEuPathDB has analyzed omics data from the public domain using contemporary bioinformatic workflows, including orthology predictions via OrthoMCL, and integrated the analysis results with analysis tools, visualizations, and advanced search capabilities. The unique data mining platform coupled with >3000 pre-analyzed data sets facilitates the exploration of pertinent omics data in support of hypothesis driven research. Comparisons are easily made across data sets, data types and organisms. A Galaxy workspace offers the opportunity for the analysis of private large-scale datasets and for porting to VEuPathDB for comparisons with integrated data. The MapVEu tool provides a platform for exploration of spatially resolved data such as vector surveillance and insecticide resistance monitoring. To address the growing body of omics data and advances in laboratory techniques, VEuPathDB has added several new data types, searches and features, improved the Galaxy workspace environment, redesigned the MapVEu interface and updated the infrastructure to accommodate these changes.
Graphical Abstract
Graphical Abstract
•Prenatal light duration and presentation pattern are important for growth and motor performance.•Light regimens mimicking natural conditions facilitates growth and postnatal motor performance.
...Maternal nesting behavior, which includes periods of patterned inattention, provides key elements essential for avian embryonic development, including regulation of temperature and light. For example, avian research consistently shows the importance of prenatal light exposure for several developmental processes; however, this research has primarily focused on artificial light regimens (i.e. 24 hr, 0 hr light). Comparatively less is known about how exposure to naturally occurring light patterns during incubation influence motor performance, body composition (i.e. body mass, bone length), and developmental age (incubation length). Here we conducted two experiments which investigated the effects of prenatal light exposure on developmental age, body composition, and gait performance in 1-day-old bobwhite quail. Experiment 1 investigated crepuscular light exposure during the last two days of incubation under two light duration treatments (2 hr & 6 hr) compared to a 12 hr continuous light schedule. Results indicated crepuscular prenatal light experience extended the incubation period for 2 hr exposed embryos, but not for 6 hr exposed embryos and negatively influenced postnatal body composition and postnatal gait performance when compared to 12 hr continuous light embryos. Experiment 2 examined the influence of prenatal light duration (2 hr vs 6 hr) and light presentation (crepuscular vs sporadic). Results demonstrated sporadic light presentation improved gait performance in 2 hr exposed hatchlings, but not 6 hr exposed hatchlings, improved body composition in 6 hr exposed hatchlings, but not 2 hr exposed hatchlings, and did not alter incubation length when compared to crepuscular light counterparts. This study provides further evidence for the importance of maternally regulated sensory stimulation during the prenatal period on early postnatal motor development.
Temperature during the prenatal period is an important factor for developing embryos. Extensive human and animal research indicate embryos are sensitive to small fluctuations in temperature which has ...profound effects on phenotype development. Much of this research has focused on survivability, morphology, and incubation duration, but comparatively less in known about how prenatal temperature influences the development of motor coordination. In this study, we experimentally tested whether exposure to naturally occurring cool (36.9 °C) or warm (38.1 °C) thermal conditions for a brief period (4 days) during early incubation can influence postnatal motor performance in neonatal bobwhite quail hatchlings. We compared gait spatiotemporal parameters, body kinematics, and locomotive behaviors of control chicks incubated in an optimal thermal environment (37.5 °C) with thermally manipulated chicks. Experimental temperature treatment began on embryonic day five (E5) and ended on E8. Chicks were tested 24-h after hatching. Cool thermal exposure during incubation delayed hatching, reduced body mass, and increased fall frequency, intertarsal joint angle and stride length variability during the gait task compared to optimally incubated chicks. Warm thermal exposure during incubation delayed bone growth and increased fall frequency relative to controls. We discuss the relationship between motor development and thermal regulatory processes and provide insight into how spatiotemporal parameters aid in elucidating subtle differences in coordinated movement which may contribute to atypical motor development and be associated with neural developmental disorders. We provide the first spatiotemporal evidence for the importance of optimal thermal microclimates for typical prenatal motor development.
•Subtle variation in prenatal temperature influences motor development in quail.•Early warm or cool incubation temperature differentially affect body composition.•Modified incubation temperature decreases motor coordination and increases fall risk.•Gait kinematics identifies key factors that contribute to locomotor performance.
•Postnatal motor coordination trajectories are influenced by prenatal light experience in bobwhite quail hatchlings.•Declined motor performance was evident in groups receiving discontinuous prenatal ...light experience.•Motor performance remained similar in groups receiving no light and natural prenatal light experience.•We propose falls, a measurement of instability, is a better indicator of compromised motor system.
Sensory-motor development begins early during embryogenesis and is influenced by sensory experience. Little is known about the prenatal factors that influence the development of motor coordination. Here we investigated whether and to what extent prenatal light experience can influence the development of motor coordination in bobwhite quail hatchlings. Quail embryos were incubated under four light conditions: no light (dark), 2h of total light (2HR), 6h of total light (6HR), and diffused sunlight (controls). Hatchlings were video recording walking down a runway at three developmental ages (12, 24, and 48h). Videos were assessed for forward locomotion, a measurement of motor coordination, falls, a measurement of motor instability, and motivation to complete the task. We anticipated a linear decline of coordination with a reduction in prenatal light experience and improved coordination with age. Furthermore, as motor coordination becomes more laborious we anticipated motivation to complete the task would decline. However, our findings revealed hatchlings did not uniformly improve with age as expected, nor did the reduction of light result in a linear reduction in motor coordination. Instead, we found a more complex relationship with 6HR and 2HR hatchlings showing distinct patterns of stability and instability. Similarly, we found a reduction in motivation within the 6HR light condition. It appears that prenatal light exposure influences the development of postnatal motor coordination and we discuss these finding in light of neurodevelopmental processes influenced by light experience.
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a safe and effective procedure that can be performed as an outpatient procedure.
The aim of the study was to determine whether same-day discharge LSG is safe ...when performed in an outpatient surgery center.
Outpatient surgery centers.
The medical records of 3162 patients who underwent primary LSG procedure by 21 surgeons at 9 outpatient surgery centers from January 2010 through February 2018 were retrospectively reviewed.
Three thousand one hundred sixty-two patients were managed with enhanced recovery after surgery protocol and were included in this analysis. The mean age and preoperative body mass index were 43.1 ± 10.8 years and 42.1 ± 7.1 kg/m
, respectively. Sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were seen in 14.4%, 13.5%, 24.7%, 30.4%, and 17.6% patients, respectively. The mean total operative time was 56.4 ± 16.9 minutes (skin to skin). One intraoperative complication (.03%) occurred. The hospital transfer rate was .2%. The 30-day follow-up rate was 85%. The postoperative outcomes were analyzed based on the available data. The 30-day readmission, reoperation, reintervention, and emergency room visit rates were .6%, .6%, .2%, and .1%, respectively. The 30-day mortality rate was 0%. The total short-term complication rate was 2.5%.
Same-day discharge seems to be safe when performed in an outpatient surgery center in selected patients. It would appear that outpatient surgery centers are a viable option for patients with minimal surgical risks.
Dryland ecosystems are increasing in geographic extent and contribute greatly to interannual variability in global carbon dynamics. Disentangling interactions among dominant primary producers, ...including plants and autotrophic microbes, can help partition their contributions to dryland C dynamics. We measured the δ
13
C signatures of biological soil crust cyanobacteria and dominant plant species (C
3
and C
4
) across a regional scale in the southwestern USA to determine if biocrust cyanobacteria were coupled to plant productivity (using plant-derived C mixotrophically), or independent of plant activity (and therefore purely autotrophic). Cyanobacterial assemblages located next to all C
3
plants and one C
4
species had consistently more negative δ
13
C (by 2‰) than the cyanobacteria collected from plant interspaces or adjacent to two C
4
Bouteloua
grass species. The differences among cyanobacterial assemblages in δ
13
C could not be explained by cyanobacterial community composition, photosynthetic capacity, or any measured leaf or root characteristics (all slopes not different from zero). Thus, microsite differences in abiotic conditions near plants, rather than biotic interactions, remain a likely mechanism underlying the observed δ
13
C patterns to be tested experimentally.
Depression affects 20-30% of individuals with heart failure (HF), and it is associated with worse health outcomes independent of disease severity. One potential explanation is the adverse impact of ...depression on HF patients' adherence to the health behaviors needed to self-manage their condition. The aim of this study is to identify characteristics associated with lower adherence in this population, which could help to recognize individuals at higher risk and eventually tailor health behavior interventions to their needs. Using data from a randomized, controlled, collaborative care treatment trial in 629 patients with HF and comorbid depression, we performed mixed effects logistic regression analyses to examine the cross-sectional and prospective relationships between medical and psychosocial variables and health behavior adherence, including adherence to medications, a low-sodium diet, and physician appointments. In cross-sectional analyses, married marital status and higher physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were associated with greater overall adherence (compared to married, single Odds Ratio OR = 0.46, 95% Confidence Interval CI = 0.26-0.80; other OR = 0.60, CI = 0.38-0.94; p = .012. Physical HRQoL OR = 1.02, CI = 1.00-1.04, p = .047). Prospectively, greater levels of social support were associated with improved overall adherence one year later (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.00-1.08, p = .037). Social support, HF symptom severity, race and ethnicity, and age were predictors of specific types of adherence. Neither depression nor optimism was significantly associated with adherence outcomes. These results provide important preliminary information about risk factors for poor adherence in patients with both HF and depression, which could, in turn, contribute to the development of interventions to promote adherence in this high-risk population.
Hazardous alcohol consumption among women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with several adverse health and behavioral outcomes, but the proportion of HIV-positive women ...who engage in hazardous drinking over time is unclear. The authors sought to determine rates of hazardous alcohol consumption among these women over time and to identify factors associated with this behavior. Subjects were 2,770 HIV-positive women recruited from 6 US cities who participated in semiannual follow-up visits in the Women's Interagency HIV Study from 1995 to 2006. Hazardous alcohol consumption was defined as exceeding daily (≥4 drinks) or weekly (>7 drinks) consumption recommendations. Over the 11-year follow-up period, 14%–24% of the women reported past-year hazardous drinking, with a slight decrease in hazardous drinking over time. Women were significantly more likely to report hazardous drinking if they were unemployed, were not high school graduates, had been enrolled in the original cohort (1994–1995), had a CD4 cell count of 200–500 cells/mL, were hepatitis C-seropositive, or had symptoms of depression. Approximately 1 in 5 of the women met criteria for hazardous drinking. Interventions to identify and address hazardous drinking among HIV-positive women are urgently needed.
Microbial community metabolism relies on external digestion, mediated by extracellular enzymes that break down complex organic matter into molecules small enough for cells to assimilate. We analyzed ...the kinetics of 40 extracellular enzymes that mediate the degradation and assimilation of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus by diverse aquatic and terrestrial microbial communities (1160 cases). Regression analyses were conducted by habitat (aquatic and terrestrial), enzyme class (hydrolases and oxidoreductases) and assay methodology (low affinity and high affinity substrates) to relate potential reaction rates to substrate availability. Across enzyme classes and habitats, the scaling relationships between apparent Vmax and apparent Km followed similar power laws with exponents of 0.44 to 0.67. These exponents, called elasticities, were not statistically distinct from a central value of 0.50, which occurs when the Km of an enzyme equals substrate concentration, a condition optimal for maintenance of steady state. We also conducted an ecosystem scale analysis of ten extracellular hydrolase activities in relation to soil and sediment organic carbon (2,000–5,000 cases/enzyme) that yielded elasticities near 1.0 (0.9 ± 0.2, n = 36). At the metabolomic scale, the elasticity of extracellular enzymatic reactions is the proportionality constant that connects the C:N:P stoichiometries of organic matter and ecoenzymatic activities. At the ecosystem scale, the elasticity of extracellular enzymatic reactions shows that organic matter ultimately limits effective enzyme binding sites. Our findings suggest that one mechanism by which microbial communities maintain homeostasis is regulating extracellular enzyme expression to optimize the short-term responsiveness of substrate acquisition. The analyses also show that, like elemental stoichiometry, the fundamental attributes of enzymatic reactions can be extrapolated from biochemical to community and ecosystem scales.
A previously reported study examined the treatment of primary care patients with at least moderate severity depressive or anxiety symptoms via an evidence-based computerized cognitive behavioral ...therapy (CCBT) program (Beating the Blues) and an online health community (OHC) that included a moderated internet support group. The 2 treatment arms proved to be equally successful at 6-month follow-up.
Although highly promising, e-mental health treatment programs have encountered high rates of noninitiation, poor adherence, and discontinuation. Identifying ways to counter these tendencies is critical for their success. To further explore these issues, this study identified the primary care patient characteristics that increased the chances patients would not initiate the use of an intervention, (ie, not try it even once), initiate use, and go on to discontinue or continue to use an intervention.
The study had 3 arms: one received access to CCBT (n=301); another received CCBT plus OHC (n=302), which included a moderated internet support group; and the third received usual care (n=101). Participants in the 2 active intervention arms of the study were grouped together for analyses of CCBT use (n=603) because both arms had access to CCBT, and there were no differences in outcomes between the 2 arms. Analyses of OHC use were based on 302 participants who were randomized to that arm.
Several baseline patient characteristics were associated with failure to initiate the use of CCBT, including having worse physical health (measured by the Short Form Health Survey Physical Components Score, P=.01), more interference from pain (by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Pain Interference score, P=.048), less formal education (P=.02), and being African American or another US minority group (P=.006). Characteristics associated with failure to initiate use of the OHC were better mental health (by the Short Form Health Survey Mental Components Score, P=.04), lower use of the internet (P=.005), and less formal education (P=.001). Those who initiated the use of the CCBT program but went on to complete less of the program had less formal education (P=.01) and lower severity of anxiety symptoms (P=.03).
This study found that several patient characteristics predicted whether a patient was likely to not initiate use or discontinue the use of CCBT or OHC. These findings have clear implications for actionable areas that can be targeted during initial and ongoing engagement activities designed to increase patient buy-in, as well as increase subsequent use and the resulting success of eHealth programs.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01482806; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01482806.
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