Anatomical description of Amazona gender parrot's skeletons through the use of radiography

O esqueleto de papagaios da espécie Amazona aestiva foi descrito e comparado com representantes de outras espécies do gênero Amazona. Para tanto, foram utilizados 22 exemplares da espécie Amazona aestiva; dois das espécies Amazona vinacea; Amazona rhodocorythae, Amazona farinosa, além de um exemplar das espécies Amazona brasiliensis e Amazona pretrei, doados após morte natural pelo Criadouro Poços de Caldas. Foram realizadas radiografias de corpo inteiro, variando de decúbito lateral direito ou esquerdo, no caso das projeções latero-laterais, e em decúbito dorsal, no caso da projeção ventro-dorsal. Independentemente da espécie, os crânios dos papagaios estudados puderam ser classificados como pró-cinéticos, por apresentarem liberdade de movimentos em sua porção rostral. Na maioria dos casos, a coluna vertebral esteve formada por 12 vértebras cervicais, seis vértebras torácicas livres, sinsacro (formado pela fusão da última vértebra torácica, 7 lombosacrais e uma caudal), cinco vértebras caudais livres e pelo pigóstilo (formado por três vértebras caudais fusionadas) e, apesar de diferenças pontuais, o esqueleto apendicular torácico e pélvico se mostrou muito semelhante ao observado para outros gêneros de aves e, inclusive, não foi possível observar dimorfismo sexual através das características anatômicas dos esqueletos dos papagaios trabalhados.This study describes the skeleton of Amazona aestiva parrots and compared it with representatives of other Amazona species. To this end, we used 22 specimens of Amazona aestiva, two specimens each of Amazona vinacea; Amazona rhodocorythae, Amazona farinosa and one specimen each of Amazona brasiliensis and Amazona pretrei donated after natural death by Poços de Caldas Breeding Park. Full body radiographs were taken, in either the right or left lateral decubitus position, in the case of laterolateral projections, and in supine position, in the case of ventrodorsal projection. Regardless of the species, skulls of the parrots were classified as prokinetic, because of free movements in their rostral portion. In most cases, the spine consisted of: 12 cervical vertebrae, six free thoracic vertebrae, synsacrum (formed by the fusion of the last thoracic vertebrae, 7 lumbosacral vertebrae and one caudal vertebrae), five free caudal vertebrae and the pygostyle (formed by three fused caudal vertebrae). Despite punctual differences, thoracic and pelvic appendicular skeleton proved to be very similar to that observed for other genera of birds. In addition, there was no sexual dimorphism considering the anatomical characteristics of the skeletons of parrots analyzed

Search for diboson resonances in hadronic final states in 139 fb −1 of pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Abstract: Narrow resonances decaying into W W, W Z or ZZ boson pairs are searched for in 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider from 2015 to 2018. The diboson system is reconstructed using pairs of high transverse momentum, large-radius jets. These jets are built from a combination of calorimeter- and tracker-inputs compatible with the hadronic decay of a boosted W or Z boson, using jet mass and substructure properties. The search is performed for diboson resonances with masses greater than 1.3 TeV. No significant deviations from the background expectations are observed. Exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio into dibosons for resonances in a range of theories beyond the Standard Model, with the highest excluded mass of a new gauge boson at 3.8 TeV in the context of mass-degenerate resonances that couple predominantly to gauge bosons

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Variation in Structure and Process of Care in Traumatic Brain Injury: Provider Profiles of European Neurotrauma Centers Participating in the CENTER-TBI Study.

INTRODUCTION: The strength of evidence underpinning care and treatment recommendations in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is low. Comparative effectiveness research (CER) has been proposed as a framework to provide evidence for optimal care for TBI patients. The first step in CER is to map the existing variation. The aim of current study is to quantify variation in general structural and process characteristics among centers participating in the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury (CENTER-TBI) study. METHODS: We designed a set of 11 provider profiling questionnaires with 321 questions about various aspects of TBI care, chosen based on literature and expert opinion. After pilot testing, questionnaires were disseminated to 71 centers from 20 countries participating in the CENTER-TBI study. Reliability of questionnaires was estimated by calculating a concordance rate among 5% duplicate questions. RESULTS: All 71 centers completed the questionnaires. Median concordance rate among duplicate questions was 0.85. The majority of centers were academic hospitals (n = 65, 92%), designated as a level I trauma center (n = 48, 68%) and situated in an urban location (n = 70, 99%). The availability of facilities for neuro-trauma care varied across centers; e.g. 40 (57%) had a dedicated neuro-intensive care unit (ICU), 36 (51%) had an in-hospital rehabilitation unit and the organization of the ICU was closed in 64% (n = 45) of the centers. In addition, we found wide variation in processes of care, such as the ICU admission policy and intracranial pressure monitoring policy among centers. CONCLUSION: Even among high-volume, specialized neurotrauma centers there is substantial variation in structures and processes of TBI care. This variation provides an opportunity to study effectiveness of specific aspects of TBI care and to identify best practices with CER approaches

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Recovery of dialysis patients with COVID-19 : health outcomes 3 months after diagnosis in ERACODA

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related short-term mortality is high in dialysis patients, but longer-term outcomes are largely unknown. We therefore assessed patient recovery in a large cohort of dialysis patients 3 months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. We analyzed data on dialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 1 February 2020 to 31 March 2021 from the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA). The outcomes studied were patient survival, residence and functional and mental health status (estimated by their treating physician) 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. Complete follow-up data were available for 854 surviving patients. Patient characteristics associated with recovery were analyzed using logistic regression. Results. In 2449 hemodialysis patients (mean ± SD age 67.5 ± 14.4 years, 62% male), survival probabilities at 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis were 90% for nonhospitalized patients (n = 1087), 73% for patients admitted to the hospital but not to an intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 1165) and 40% for those admitted to an ICU (n = 197). Patient survival hardly decreased between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. At 3 months, 87% functioned at their pre-existent functional and 94% at their pre-existent mental level. Only few of the surviving patients were still admitted to the hospital (0.8-6.3%) or a nursing home (∼5%). A higher age and frailty score at presentation and ICU admission were associated with worse functional outcome. Conclusions. Mortality between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis was low and the majority of patients who survived COVID-19 recovered to their pre-existent functional and mental health level at 3 months after diagnosis

IRF4 Newly Identified as a Common Susceptibility Locus for Systemic Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Cross-Disease Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies

Autoría conjunta: Spanish Scleroderma GrpObjective. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are autoimmune diseases that have similar clinical and immunologic characteristics. To date, several shared SSc-RA genetic loci have been identified independently. The aim of the current study was to systematically search for new common SSc-RA loci through an interdisease meta-genome-wide association (meta-GWAS) strategy. Methods. The study was designed as a meta-analysis combining GWAS data sets of patients with SSc and patients with RA, using a strategy that allowed identification of loci with both same-direction and opposite-direction allelic effects. The top single-nucleotide polymorphisms were followed up in independent SSc and RA case-control cohorts. This allowed an increase in the sample size to a total of 8,830 patients with SSc, 16,870 patients with RA, and 43,393 healthy controls. Results. This cross-disease meta-analysis of the GWAS data sets identified several loci with nominal association signals (P<5 x 10(-6)) that also showed evidence of association in the disease-specific GWAS scans. These loci included several genomic regions not previously reported as shared loci, as well as several risk factors that were previously found to be associated with both diseases. Follow-up analyses of the putatively new SSc-RA loci identified IRF4 as a shared risk factor for these 2 diseases (P-combined=3.29 x 10(-12)). Analysis of the biologic relevance of the known SSc-RA shared loci identified the type I interferon and interleukin-12 signaling pathways as the main common etiologic factors. Conclusion. This study identified a novel shared locus, IRF4, for the risk of SSc and RA, and highlighted the usefulness of a cross-disease GWAS meta-analysis strategy in the identification of common risk loci.Supported by a grant from the Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte through the program FPU (to Dr. Lopez-Isac), grant 115565 from the EU/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking PRECISESADS (ref. no. 115565) and BIO-1395 from the Junta de Andalucia, grant PI-0590-2010 from the Consejeria de Salud y Bienestar Social, Junta de Andalucia, Spain (to Dr. Ortego-Centeno), a VIDI laureate from the Dutch Association of Research and Dutch Arthritis Foundation (to Dr. Radstake), and grant SAF2012-34435 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (to Dr. J. Martin). Dr. Assassi's work was supported by grants KL2-RR-024149-04 and K23-AR-061436 from the NIH, grant 3-UL1-RR-024148 from the NIH National Center for Research Resources, and grant U01-1U01AI09090 from the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Mayes' work was supported by grant P50-AR-054144 from the NIH National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Centers of Research Translation, grant N01-AR-0-2251 from the NIAMS SSc Family Registry and DNA Repository, grant PR-1206877 from the Department of Defense, and grant R01-AR-055258 from the NIAMS.Peer reviewe

Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species

Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict thatmost of the world’s >40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century

Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates

Aim: To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser-availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource-availability hypothesis). Time period: Tree-inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied: Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location: Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods: We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree-inventory plots across terra-firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance-weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results: Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra-firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions: The disperser-availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types