Neuroimaging research requires purpose-built analysis software, which is challenging to install and may produce different results across computing environments. The community-oriented, open-source ...Neurodesk platform ( https://www.neurodesk.org/ ) harnesses a comprehensive and growing suite of neuroimaging software containers. Neurodesk includes a browser-accessible virtual desktop, command-line interface and computational notebook compatibility, allowing for accessible, flexible, portable and fully reproducible neuroimaging analysis on personal workstations, high-performance computers and the cloud.
PAD4 has been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune, cardiovascular and oncological diseases through clinical genetics and gene disruption in mice. New selective PAD4 inhibitors ...binding a calcium-deficient form of the PAD4 enzyme have validated the critical enzymatic role of human and mouse PAD4 in both histone citrullination and neutrophil extracellular trap formation for, to our knowledge, the first time. The therapeutic potential of PAD4 inhibitors can now be explored.
Functional trait ecology has the potential to provide generalizable and mechanistic predictions of ecosystem function from data of species distributions and traits. The traits that are selected ...should both respond to environmental factors and influence ecosystem functioning. Invertebrate mouthpart traits fulfill these criteria, but are seldom collected, lack standardized measurement protocols, and have infrequently been investigated in response to environmental factors. We surveyed isopod species that consume plant detritus, and tree communities in 58 plots across primary and secondary forests in Singapore. We measured body dimensions (body size traits), pereopod and antennae lengths (locomotory traits), dimensions of mandible structures (morphological mouthpart traits), and mechanical advantages generated by mandible shape (mechanical mouthpart traits) for six isopod species found in these plots and investigated if these traits respond to changes in tree community composition, tree diversity, and forest structure. Morphological mouthpart traits responded to a tree compositional gradient reflecting forest recovery degree. Mouthpart features associated with greater consumption of litter (broader but less serrated/rugose lacinia mobilis an important cutting and chewing structure on the mandible) were most prevalent in abandoned plantation and young secondary forests containing disturbance-associated tree species. Feeding strategies associated with fungi grazing (narrower and more serrated/rugose lacinia mobilis) were most prevalent in late secondary forests containing later successional tree species. Since morphological mouthpart traits likely also predict consumption and excretion rates of isopods, these traits advance our understanding of environment–trait–ecosystem functioning relationships across contrasting tropical forest plots that vary in composition, disturbance history, and post-disturbance recovery.
Aim
There is a requirement for an expansive and up to date review of the management of emergency colorectal conditions seen in adults. The primary objective is to provide detailed evidence‐based ...guidelines for the target audience of general and colorectal surgeons who are responsible for an adult population and who practise in Great Britain and Ireland.
Methods
Surgeons who are elected members of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland Emergency Surgery Subcommittee were invited to contribute various sections to the guidelines. They were directed to produce a pathology‐based document using literature searches that were systematic, comprehensible, transparent and reproducible. Levels of evidence were graded. Each author was asked to provide a set of recommendations which were evidence‐based and unambiguous. These recommendations were submitted to the whole guideline group and scored. They were then refined and submitted to a second vote. Only those that achieved >80% consensus at level 5 (strongly agree) or level 4 (agree) after two votes were included in the guidelines.
Results
All aspects of care (excluding abdominal trauma) for emergency colorectal conditions have been included along with 122 recommendations for management.
Conclusion
These guidelines provide an up to date and evidence‐based summary of the current surgical knowledge in the management of emergency colorectal conditions and should serve as practical text for clinicians managing colorectal conditions in the emergency setting.
Habitat loss is the primary driver of biodiversity decline worldwide, but the effects of fragmentation (the spatial arrangement of remaining habitat) are debated. We tested the hypothesis that forest ...fragmentation sensitivity-affected by avoidance of habitat edges-should be driven by historical exposure to, and therefore species' evolutionary responses to disturbance. Using a database containing 73 datasets collected worldwide (encompassing 4489 animal species), we found that the proportion of fragmentation-sensitive species was nearly three times as high in regions with low rates of historical disturbance compared with regions with high rates of disturbance (i.e., fires, glaciation, hurricanes, and deforestation). These disturbances coincide with a latitudinal gradient in which sensitivity increases sixfold at low versus high latitudes. We conclude that conservation efforts to limit edges created by fragmentation will be most important in the world's tropical forests.
Electronic cigarettes (ECs) have emerged as a potential harm-reducing alternative for tobacco smokers. However, the role ECs might play in treatment settings is unclear. We conducted an exploratory ...study of treatment-seeking smokers enrolling in a standard tobacco treatment program who were provided with either a nicotine or non-nicotine EC to use as needed to cease tobacco smoking.
Treatment-seeking smokers received standard tobacco treatment for 8weeks and were given nicotine transdermal patch therapy, behavioral counseling, and either a nicotine or non-nicotine EC to use as needed. Smoking and EC use patterns were tracked longitudinally to week 24.
40 subjects were enrolled into the study. At week 24, 6 subjects (15%) were abstinent, and the mean reduction in reported cigarettes smoked per day was 6.8±12. There were no significant differences in smoking outcomes between those who received a nicotine or non-nicotine EC (proportion abstinent at 24weeks: nicotine EC=4/20 (20%); non-nicotine EC=2/20 (10%); p=0.66). Among subjects assessed at follow-up, 62.5% were EC non-users.
The addition of a 2nd generation EC to outpatient tobacco treatment among tobacco smokers is feasible. Among those who quit smoking, half were still using the EC at 6-month follow-up. Appeal of the EC among smokers was variable, and those who had quit smoking tended to switch to lower strength nicotine solutions. Further research is needed to determine whether ECs can reduce harm and be an effective adjunct to existing tobacco treatment interventions.
•Electronic cigarettes can be incorporated into a tobacco treatment program.•Half of the smokers who quit cigarettes were using e-cigarettes at follow up.•Low or zero strength nicotine e-liquids were preferred by some smokers.•Behavioral cues of e-cigarettes were important for modifying smoking behavior.
Data on the epidemiology of aortic stenosis (AS) are primarily derived from single center experiences and administrative claims data that do not delineate by degree of disease severity.
An ...observational cohort study of adults with echocardiographic AS was conducted January 1st, 2013-December 31st, 2019 at an integrated health system. The presence/grade of AS was based on physician interpretation of echocardiograms.
A total of 66,992 echocardiogram reports for 37,228 individuals were identified. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age was 77.5 ± 10.5, 50.5% (N = 18,816) were women, and 67.2% (N = 25,016) were non-Hispanic whites. The age-standardized AS prevalence increased from 589 (95% Confidence Interval CI 580–598) to 754 (95% CI 744–764) cases per 100,000 during the study period. The age-standardized AS prevalences were similar in magnitude among non-Hispanic whites (820, 95% CI 806–834), non-Hispanic blacks (728, 95% CI 687–769), and Hispanics (789, 95% CI 759–819) and substantially lower for Asian/Pacific Islanders (511, 95% CI 489–533). Finally, the distribution of AS by degree of severity remained relatively unchanged over time.
The population prevalence of AS has grown considerably over a short timeframe although the distribution of AS severity has remained stable.
•The prevalence of aortic stenosis has grown substantially.•The prevalence of aortic stenosis is lower for Asian/Pacific Islanders.•The distribution of aortic stenosis severity has not changed over time.
Objectives An ‘information gap’ has been identified regarding the effects of chronic disease on occupational injury risk. We investigated the association of ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, ...diabetes, depression and asthma with acute occupational injury in a cohort of manufacturing workers from 1 January 1997 through 31 December 2007. Methods We used administrative data on real-time injury, medical claims, workplace characteristics and demographics to examine this association. We employed a piecewise exponential model within an Andersen–Gill framework with a frailty term at the employee level to account for inclusion of multiple injuries for each employee, random effects at the employee level due to correlation among jobs held by an employee, and experience on the job as a covariate. Results One-third of employees had at least one of the diseases during the study period. After adjusting for potential confounders, presence of these diseases was associated with increased hazard of injury: heart disease (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.36), diabetes (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.27), depression (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.38) and asthma (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.287). Hypertension was not significantly associated with hazard of injury. Associations of chronic disease with injury risk were less evident for more serious reportable injuries; only depression and a summary health metric derived from claims remained significantly positive in this subset. Conclusions Our results suggest that chronic heart disease, diabetes and depression confer an increased risk for acute occupational injury.
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