New analyses suggest that all horses (Perissodactyla: Equidae) belong to a single holobaramin

The horse family (Perissodactyla: Equidae) is composed of approximately 35 genera, primarily extinct forms from Cenozoic sediments, that include the modern genus Equus. The equids, along with some other extinct perissodactyls (e.g., palaeotheriids) form the superfamily (or clade) Equoidea. Our previous research confirmed the conclusions of several other baraminological analyses that all members of the horse family belong to the same monobaramin. No baraminological studies, however, have detected consistent discontinuity between the horses and any outgroup taxa. The goal of this study is to investigate potential discontinuity and holobaraminic status of horses and other similar taxa using new datasets and baraminological techniques. Two equid datasets (complete and various subsets), with several outgroup taxa, were analyzed using the following baraminological methods: Distance Correlation Analysis (DCA) with both Pearson and Spearman correlations; Classic Multidimensional Scaling (MDS); Medoid Partitioning (PAM) and Fuzzy Analysis (FANNY). Both Baraminic/Simple and Jaccard distances as well as character relevances of 0.0 and 0.75 were utilized for all analyses. Results indicated that equids shared continuity with one another and occasionally with other perissodactyls (especially some non-equid equoids). This was evident from several analyses (some DCA, MDS, PAM, and FANNY) of both datasets. It is worth noting that, in some of these, members of the Paleotheriidae (Equoidea) were not continuous with the equids. In addition, several analyses suggested that equids displayed discontinuity with many non-perissodactyl (some DCA, MDS, PAM, and FANNY) and several perissodactyl outgroups. Horses were discontinuous with paleotheriids, in several analyses of one of the datasets (some DCA, MDS, PAM, and FANNY), and some of the tapiromorphs (non-equoids) in DCA analyses of both datasets. These patterns of continuity and discontinuity were strongest when various subsets of the data were analyzed alone (equids vs. non-perissodactyls; equids vs. all other perissodactyls; equids vs. tapiromorphs; and equids vs. non-equid equoids). Based on these results, we conclude that the equids, or perhaps some larger equoid group (excluding paleotheriids), form a single holobaramin. Assuming an end-Cretaceous Flood terminus, a single horse baramin serves as an example of rapid, post-Flood intrabaraminic diversification in the Young-Earth Creation model

Hybridization and genetic distances suggest one large monobaramin in the gourd family (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae)

The gourds form a primarily tropical and subtropical family (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae) of herbaceous climbers and woody lianas composed of approximately 960 species in 95 genera and 15 tribes. Many of these are globally important food crops and ornamentals including cucumbers, gourds, squashes, melons, pumpkins, and luffas. Utilizing published literature, there is evidence of interspecific hybridization (natural, experimental cross-pollination, and embryo/ovule culture) in five of the 15 tribes. These consist of successful crosses between 131 unique species pairs, including two intergeneric and one intertribal cross, forming eight monobaramins. In addition, species that do not hybridize directly, but hybridize with the same third species are added to the various monobaramins. This results in an additional 227 species pairs, including two intergeneric and two intertribal. A hybridogram, constructed from these direct and indirect hybridization results, reveals the following monobaramins: 1) 23 species from genus Cucumis; 2) 18 species from genus Cucurbita; 3) nine species from genus Luffa; 4) four species from genera Trichosanthes and Momordica (includes intertribal crosses); 5) three species from genus Citrullus; 6) two species from genus Lagenaria; 7) two species from genus Bryonia; and 8) two species from genera Coccinia and Diplocyclos. Next, using genetic distances (ITS regions of nuclear ribosomal RNA genes) from 26 cucurbit species, several monobaramins are enlarged and some are even connected by adding an additional 113 species pairs, including 82 intergeneric and 58 intertribal. A revised hybridogram, utilizing all of the above methods, reveals the following: 1) the original [Trichosanthes + Momordica] monobaramin connects to the original Luffa and Bryonia monobaramins as well as a new monobaramin, composed of the genera [Echinopepon + Cyclanthera + Sicyos + Ecballium], to form one large monobaramin consisting of 20 species from eight genera and three tribes (Sicyoeae, Bryonieae, and Momordiceae); 2) the original Citrullus monobaramin connects to a member of the genus Lagenaria and the resulting monobaramin is slightly larger with six species; 3) the original Cucumis monobaramin has additional internal continuity and may connect to the contribal [Coccinia + Diplocyclos] and [Citrullus + Lagenaria] monobaramins to form one large monobaramin consisting of 31 species from five genera in Tribe Benincaseae; 4) the original Cucurbita monobaramin connects to one additional species and has 19 species overall, all from genus Cucurbita and Tribe Cucurbiteae. Finally, the [Sicyoeae + Bryonieae + Momordiceae] monobaramin connects directly to both the Cucurbiteae and Benincaseae monobaramins. Connections between these last two tribes are also suggested by grafting and somatic hybridization experiments which are generally most successful between closely related species. In conclusion, these data suggest that members of all five tribes (70 species and 14 genera) may form one large monobaramin in the Family Cucurbitaceae. Additional research is required (hybridization, molecular, morphological) to determine the baraminological status of the family as a whole

Helianthus maximiliani and Species Fine-Scale Spatial Pattern Affect Diversity Interactions in Reconstructed Tallgrass Prairies

1. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function analyses aim to explain how individual spe‐ cies and their interactions affect ecosystem function. With this study, we asked in what ways do species interact, are these interactions affected by species planting pattern, and are initial (planted) proportions or previous year (realized) propor‐ tions a better reference point for characterizing grassland diversity effects? 2. We addressed these questions with experimental communities compiled from a pool of 16 tallgrass prairie species. We planted all species in monocultures and mixtures that varied in their species richness, evenness, and spatial pattern. We recorded species‐specific biomass production over three growing seasons and fit‐ ted Diversity‐Interactions (DI) models to annual plot biomass yields. 3. In the establishment season, all species interacted equally to form the diversity effect. In years 2 and 3, each species contributed a unique additive coefficient to its interaction with every other species to form the diversity effect. These inter‐ actions were affected by Helianthus maximiliani and the species planting pattern. Models based on species planted proportions better‐fit annual plot yield than models based on species previous contributions to plot biomass. 4. Outcomes suggest that efforts to plant tallgrass prairies to maximize diversity ef‐ fects should focus on the specific species present and in what arrangement they are planted. Furthermore, for particularly diverse grasslands, the effort of collect‐ ing annual species biomass data may not be necessary when quantifying diversity effects with DI models

A Mixed Model for Assessing the Effect of Numerous Plant Species Interactions on Grassland Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function Relationships

In grassland ecosystems, it is well known that increasing plant species diversity can improve ecosystem functions (i.e., ecosystem responses), for example, by increasing productivity and reducing weed invasion. Diversity-Interactions models use species proportions and their interactions as predictors in a regression framework to assess biodiversity and ecosystem function relationships. However, it can be difficult to model numerous interactions if there are many species, and interactions may be temporally variable or dependent on spatial planting patterns. We developed a new Diversity-Interactions mixed model for jointly assessing many species interactions and within-plot species planting pattern over multiple years. We model pairwise interactions using a small number of fixed parameters that incorporate spatial effects and supplement this by including all pairwise interaction variables as random effects, each constrained to have the same variance within each year. The random effects are indexed by pairs of species within plots rather than a plot-level factor as is typical in mixed models, and capture remaining variation due to pairwise species interactions parsimoniously. We apply our novel methodology to three years of weed invasion data from a 16-species grassland experiment that manipulated plant species diversity and spatial planting pattern and test its statistical properties in a simulation study. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with concomitant meniscal repair: Is graft choice predictive of meniscal repair success?

Background: When meniscal repair is performed during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR), the effect of ACL graft type on meniscal repair outcomes is unclear. Hypothesis: The authors hypothesized that meniscal repairs would fail at the lowest rate when concomitant ACLR was performed with bone--patellar tendon--bone (BTB) autograft. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Patients who underwent meniscal repair at primary ACLR were identified from a longitudinal, prospective cohort. Meniscal repair failures, defined as any subsequent surgical procedure addressing the meniscus, were identified. A logistic regression model was built to assess the association of graft type, patient-specific factors, baseline Marx activity rating score, and meniscal repair location (medial or lateral) with repair failure at 6-year follow-up. Results: A total of 646 patients were included. Grafts used included BTB autograft (55.7%), soft tissue autograft (33.9%), and various allografts (10.4%). We identified 101 patients (15.6%) with a documented meniscal repair failure. Failure occurred in 74 of 420 (17.6%) isolated medial meniscal repairs, 15 of 187 (8%) isolated lateral meniscal repairs, and 12 of 39 (30.7%) of combined medial and lateral meniscal repairs. Meniscal repair failure occurred in 13.9% of patients with BTB autografts, 17.4% of patients with soft tissue autografts, and 19.4% of patients with allografts. The odds of failure within 6 years of index surgery were increased more than 2-fold with allograft versus BTB autograft (odds ratio = 2.34 [95% confidence interval, 1.12-4.92]; Conclusion: Meniscal repair location (medial vs lateral) and baseline activity level were the main drivers of meniscal repair outcomes. Graft type was ranked third, demonstrating that meniscal repairs performed with allograft were 2.3 times more likely to fail compared with BTB autograft. There was no significant difference in failure rates between BTB versus soft tissue autografts. Registration: NCT00463099 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier)

Subsequent Surgery After Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Rates and Risk Factors From a Multicenter Cohort

BACKGROUND: While revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) can be performed to restore knee stability and improve patient activity levels, outcomes after this surgery are reported to be inferior to those after primary ACLR. Further reoperations after revision ACLR can have an even more profound effect on patient satisfaction and outcomes. However, there is a current lack of information regarding the rate and risk factors for subsequent surgery after revision ACLR. PURPOSE: To report the rate of reoperations, procedures performed, and risk factors for a reoperation 2 years after revision ACLR. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A total of 1205 patients who underwent revision ACLR were enrolled in the Multicenter ACL Revision Study (MARS) between 2006 and 2011, composing the prospective cohort. Two-year questionnaire follow-up was obtained for 989 patients (82%), while telephone follow-up was obtained for 1112 patients (92%). If a patient reported having undergone subsequent surgery, operative reports detailing the subsequent procedure(s) were obtained and categorized. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine independent risk factors for a reoperation. RESULTS: Of the 1112 patients included in the analysis, 122 patients (11%) underwent a total of 172 subsequent procedures on the ipsilateral knee at 2-year follow-up. Of the reoperations, 27% were meniscal procedures (69% meniscectomy, 26% repair), 19% were subsequent revision ACLR, 17% were cartilage procedures (61% chondroplasty, 17% microfracture, 13% mosaicplasty), 11% were hardware removal, and 9% were procedures for arthrofibrosis. Multivariate analysis revealed that patients aged <20 years had twice the odds of patients aged 20 to 29 years to undergo a reoperation. The use of an allograft at the time of revision ACLR (odds ratio [OR], 1.79; P = .007) was a significant predictor for reoperations at 2 years, while staged revision (bone grafting of tunnels before revision ACLR) (OR, 1.93; P = .052) did not reach significance. Patients with grade 4 cartilage damage seen during revision ACLR were 78% less likely to undergo subsequent operations within 2 years. Sex, body mass index, smoking history, Marx activity score, technique for femoral tunnel placement, and meniscal tearing or meniscal treatment at the time of revision ACLR showed no significant effect on the reoperation rate. CONCLUSION: There was a significant reoperation rate after revision ACLR at 2 years (11%), with meniscal procedures most commonly involved. Independent risk factors for subsequent surgery on the ipsilateral knee included age <20 years and the use of allograft tissue at the time of revision ACLR

BHPR research: qualitative1. Complex reasoning determines patients' perception of outcome following foot surgery in rheumatoid arhtritis

Background: Foot surgery is common in patients with RA but research into surgical outcomes is limited and conceptually flawed as current outcome measures lack face validity: to date no one has asked patients what is important to them. This study aimed to determine which factors are important to patients when evaluating the success of foot surgery in RA Methods: Semi structured interviews of RA patients who had undergone foot surgery were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted to explore issues that were important to patients. Results: 11 RA patients (9 ♂, mean age 59, dis dur = 22yrs, mean of 3 yrs post op) with mixed experiences of foot surgery were interviewed. Patients interpreted outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, frequently positive change in one aspect contrasted with negative opinions about another. Overall, four major themes emerged. Function: Functional ability & participation in valued activities were very important to patients. Walking ability was a key concern but patients interpreted levels of activity in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on change in functional ability more than overall level. Positive feelings of improved mobility were often moderated by negative self perception ("I mean, I still walk like a waddling duck”). Appearance: Appearance was important to almost all patients but perhaps the most complex theme of all. Physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet patients saw these as distinct separate concepts. Patients need to legitimize these feelings was clear and they frequently entered into a defensive repertoire ("it's not cosmetic surgery; it's something that's more important than that, you know?”). Clinician opinion: Surgeons' post operative evaluation of the procedure was very influential. The impact of this appraisal continued to affect patients' lasting impression irrespective of how the outcome compared to their initial goals ("when he'd done it ... he said that hasn't worked as good as he'd wanted to ... but the pain has gone”). Pain: Whilst pain was important to almost all patients, it appeared to be less important than the other themes. Pain was predominately raised when it influenced other themes, such as function; many still felt the need to legitimize their foot pain in order for health professionals to take it seriously ("in the end I went to my GP because it had happened a few times and I went to an orthopaedic surgeon who was quite dismissive of it, it was like what are you complaining about”). Conclusions: Patients interpret the outcome of foot surgery using a multitude of interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than other factors in the overall outcome of the surgery. Future research into foot surgery should incorporate the complexity of how patients determine their outcome Disclosure statement: All authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Effect of Graft Choice on the Outcome of Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in the Multicenter ACL Revision Study (MARS) Cohort

Most surgeons believe that graft choice for ACL reconstruction is an important factor related to outcome. Although graft choice may be limited in the revision setting based on previously used grafts, it is still felt to be important

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe