DNA Barcoding the Geometrid Fauna of Bavaria (Lepidoptera): Successes, Surprises, and Questions

BACKGROUND: The State of Bavaria is involved in a research program that will lead to the construction of a DNA barcode library for all animal species within its territorial boundaries. The present study provides a comprehensive DNA barcode library for the Geometridae, one of the most diverse of insect families. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study reports DNA barcodes for 400 Bavarian geometrid species, 98 per cent of the known fauna, and approximately one per cent of all Bavarian animal species. Although 98.5% of these species possess diagnostic barcode sequences in Bavaria, records from neighbouring countries suggest that species-level resolution may be compromised in up to 3.5% of cases. All taxa which apparently share barcodes are discussed in detail. One case of modest divergence (1.4%) revealed a species overlooked by the current taxonomic system: Eupithecia goossensiata Mabille, 1869 stat.n. is raised from synonymy with Eupithecia absinthiata (Clerck, 1759) to species rank. Deep intraspecific sequence divergences (>2%) were detected in 20 traditionally recognized species. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The study emphasizes the effectiveness of DNA barcoding as a tool for monitoring biodiversity. Open access is provided to a data set that includes records for 1,395 geometrid specimens (331 species) from Bavaria, with 69 additional species from neighbouring regions. Taxa with deep intraspecific sequence divergences are undergoing more detailed analysis to ascertain if they represent cases of cryptic diversity

What is damaging the kidney in lupus nephritis?

Despite marked improvements in the survival of patients with severe lupus nephritis over the past 50 years, the rate of complete clinical remission after immune suppression therapy i

Real-time ultrasound-guided pigtail catheter chest drain for complicated parapneumonic effusion and empyema in children - 16-year, single-centre experience of radiologically placed drains

Background: Chest tube drainage with fibrinolytics is a cost-effective treatment option for parapneumonic effusion and empyema in children. Although the additional use of ultrasound (US) guidance is recommended, this is rarely performed in real time to direct drain insertion. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of real-time US-guided, radiologically placed chest drains at a tertiary university hospital. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective review over a 16-year period of all children with parapneumonic effusion or empyema undergoing percutaneous US-guided drainage at our centre. Results: Three hundred and three drains were placed in 285 patients. Treatment was successful in 93% of patients after a single drain (98.2% success with 2 or 3 drains). Five children had peri-insertion complications, but none was significant. The success rate improved with experience. Although five patients required surgical intervention, all children treated since 2012 were successfully treated with single-tube drainage only and none has required surgery. Conclusion Our technique for inserting small-bore (≤8.5 F) catheter drains under US guidance is effective and appears to be a safe procedure for first-line management of complicated parapneumonic effusion and empyema

Effects of less-invasive surfactant administration on oxygenation, pulmonary surfactant distribution, and lung compliance in spontaneously breathing preterm lambs

BACKGROUND: A new technique was proposed to administer surfactant to spontaneous breathing preterm infants by placing a thin catheter through the vocal cords. This technique was not studied with respect to oxygenation, gas exchange, surfactant distribution, and lung mechanics. We tested the technique of less-invasive surfactant administration (LISA) in a spontaneous breathing preterm lamb model. METHODS: Preterm lambs (n = 12) of 133-134 d gestational age were randomized to the following three groups: (i) continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) only, (ii) CPAP + LISA, and (iii) intubation and mechanical ventilation with surfactant administration. Surfactant was labeled with samarium oxide. During the next 180 min, blood gas analyses were performed. Postmortem, lungs were removed and surfactant distribution was assessed, and pressure-volume curves were performed. RESULTS: Pao(2) in the LISA-treated. lambs was significantly higher than in the lambs that exclusively received CPAP. Moreover, Pao(2) values were similar between the LISA-treated and the intubated lambs. Overall, surfactant deposition was less in the LISA lambs, with significantly less surfactant distributed to the right upper lobe. Lung compliance was better in the intubated lambs compared with the LISA-treated lambs, although this did not reach significance. CONCLUSION: LISA improved oxygenation, similar to conventional surfactant application techniques, despite lower surfactant deposition and lung compliance