A Host–parasite Model Explains Variation in Liana Infestation Among Co‐occurring Tree Species

Lianas are structural parasites of trees that reduce the growth, survival and reproduction of their hosts. Given that co‐occurring tree species differ strongly in the proportion of individuals that are infested by lianas (liana prevalence), lianas could differentially impact tree species and thereby influence tree community composition. Surprisingly, little is known about what governs variation in liana prevalence. Here, we apply an approach inspired by disease ecology to investigate the dynamics of liana prevalence over 11 years on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We followed the fate of 1,938 individual trees from 21 tree species, recording deaths and change in liana infestation status. With these data, we fit species‐specific Markov chain models to estimate four rates: colonization by lianas (analogous to disease transmission), shedding or loss of lianas (analogous to host recovery), baseline mortality of uninfested trees (baseline mortality) and additional mortality of infested trees (parasite lethality). Models explained 58% of variation in liana prevalence among tree species, and revealed that host shedding of lianas and parasite lethality were the most important contributors to interspecific variation in liana prevalence at our site. These rates were also strongly related to shade tolerance, with light‐demanding species having greater rates of shedding and lethality, and lower rates of liana prevalence. An indirect path analysis with a structural equation model revealed that both greater rates of liana shedding and liana‐induced lethality contribute to the observed lower rates of liana prevalence for light‐demanding tree species. Synthesis. Our approach revealed that the prevalence of liana infestation among tree species is driven via indirect pathways operating on the rates of shedding and lethality, which relate to the ability (or inability) of trees to shed and/or tolerate lianas. Shade‐tolerant trees have greater proportions of trees infested by lianas because they are both less able to shed lianas and more able to tolerate infestation

Vaginal cuff dehiscence in laparoscopic hysterectomy: influence of various suturing methods of the vaginal vault

Vaginal cuff dehiscence (VCD) is a severe adverse event and occurs more frequently after total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) compared with abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy. The aim of this study is to compare the incidence of VCD after various suturing methods to close the vaginal vault. We conducted a retrospective cohort study. Patients who underwent TLH between January 2004 and May 2011 were enrolled. We compared the incidence of VCD after closure with transvaginal interrupted sutures versus laparoscopic interrupted sutures versus a laparoscopic single-layer running suture. The latter was either bidirectional barbed or a running vicryl suture with clips placed at each end commonly used in transanal endoscopic microsurgery. Three hundred thirty-one TLHs were included. In 75 (22.7 %), the vaginal vault was closed by transvaginal approach; in 90 (27.2 %), by laparoscopic interrupted sutures; and in 166 (50.2 %), by a laparoscopic running suture. Eight VCDs occurred: one (1.3 %) after transvaginal interrupted closure, three (3.3 %) after laparoscopic interrupted suturing and four (2.4 %) after a laparoscopic running suture was used (p = .707). With regard to the incidence of VCD, based on our data, neither a superiority of single-layer laparoscopic closure of the vaginal cuff with an unknotted running suture nor of the transvaginal and the laparoscopic interrupted suturing techniques could be demonstrated. We hypothesise that besides the suturing technique, other causes, such as the type and amount of coagulation used for colpotomy, may play a role in the increased risk of VCD after TLH

Diagnostic hysteroscopy and saline infusion sonography in the diagnosis of intrauterine abnormalities: an assessment of patient preference

This study was conducted to assess whether women would prefer to undergo saline infusion sonography (SIS) or office hysteroscopy for the investigation of the uterine cavity. In a randomised controlled trial, 100 patients underwent SIS or office hysteroscopy for assessing patients' pain scores. After the investigation, 92 of them were asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaire addressing their preference regarding the method of evaluation and treatment of the uterine cavity. A control group, consisting of 50 women who never underwent SIS or office hysteroscopy, was also asked to complete an identical questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed by 113 women (83.7%). Twenty-four (21.2%) women would opt for SIS, whereas 52 (46.0%) would opt for office hysteroscopy, and 37 (32.7%) had no preference. If therapy would be necessary, 48.7% of the women would opt for an outpatient treatment, whereas 33.0% of the women would prefer treatment under general anaesthesia. Despite the fact that SIS is less painful, the majority of the women prefer office hysteroscopy. Additionally, therapy in an outpatient setting is preferred to a day case setting

Intermittency in aging

The fluctuation-dissipation relation (FDR) is measured on the dielectric properties of a gel (Laponite) and of a polymer glass (polycarbonate). For the gel it is found that during the transition from a fluid-like to a solid-like state the fluctuation dissipation theorem is strongly violated. The amplitude and the persistence time of this violation are decreasing functions of frequency. Around $1Hz$ it may persist for several hours. A very similar behavior is observed in polycarbonate after a quench below the glass transition temperature. In both cases the origin of this violation is a highly intermittent dynamics characterized by large fluctuations. The relevance of these results for recent models of aging are discussed.Comment: Proceedings of "III workshop on non equilibrium phenomena" (Pisa 2002

Irreversible Aging Dynamics and Generic Phase Behavior of Aqueous Suspensions of Laponite

In this work we study the aging behavior of aqueous suspension of Laponite having 2.8 weight % concentration using rheological tools. At various salt concentration all the samples demonstrate orientational order when observed using crossed polarizers. In rheological experiments we observe inherent irreversibility in the aging dynamics which forces the system not to rejuvenate to the same state in the shear melting experiment carried out at a later date since preparation. The extensive rheological experiments carried out as a function of time elapsed since preparation demonstrate the self similar trend in the aging behavior irrespective of the concentration of salt. We observe that the exploration of the low energy states as a function of aging time is only kinetically affected by the presence of salt. We estimate that the energy barrier to attain the low energy states decreases linearly with increase in the concentration of salt. The observed superposition of all the elapsed time and the salt concentration dependent data suggests that the aging that occurs in low salt concentration systems over a very long period is qualitatively similar to the aging behavior observed in systems with high salt concentration over a shorter period.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures. Langmuir, in pres

Low preoperative skeletal muscle density is predictive for negative postoperative outcomes in older women with ovarian cancer

Objective. To determine the predictive value of lumbar skeletal muscle mass and density for postoperative outcomes in older women with advanced stage ovarian cancer.Methods. A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was performed in women >= 70 years old receiving surgery for primary, advanced stage ovarian cancer. Skeletal muscle mass and density were assessed in axial CT slices on level L3. Low skeletal muscle mass was defined as skeletal muscle index = 2).Conclusion. Low skeletal muscle density, as a proxy of muscle quality, is associated with poor postoperative outcomes in older patients with advanced stage ovarian cancer. These findings can contribute to postoperative risk assessment and clinical decision making. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.Cervix cance

Patients' and clinicians' preferences in adjuvant treatment for high-risk endometrial cancer:Implications for shared decision making

Background. Decision making regarding adjuvant therapy for high-risk endometrial cancer is complex. The aim of this study was to determine patients' and clinicians' minimally desired survival benefit to choose chemoradiotherapy over radiotherapy alone. Moreover, influencing factors and importance of positive and negative treatment effects (i.e. attribute) were investigated. Methods. Patients with high-risk endometrial cancer treated with adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and multidisciplinary gynaecologic oncology clinicians completed a trade-off questionnaire based on PORTEC-3 trial data. Results. In total, 171 patients and 63 clinicians completed the questionnaire. Median minimally desired benefit to make chemoradiotherapy worthwhile was significantly higher for patients versus clinicians (10% vs 5%, p = 0.02). Both patients and clinicians rated survival benefit most important during decision making, followed by long-term symptoms. Older patients (OR 0.92 [95%CI 0.87 & ndash;0.97]; p = 0.003) with comorbidity (OR 0.34 [95% CI 0.12 & ndash;0.89]; p = 0.035) had lower preference for chemoradiotherapy, while patients with better numeracy skills (OR 1.2 [95%CI 1.05 & ndash;1.36], p = 0.011) and chemoradiotherapy history (OR 25.0 [95%CI 8.8 & ndash;91.7]; p < 0.001) had higher preference for chemoradiotherapy. & nbsp;Conclusions. There is a considerable difference in minimally desired survival benefit of chemoradiotherapy in high-risk endometrial cancer among and between patients and clinicians. Overall, endometrial cancer patients needed higher benefits than clinicians before preferring chemoradiotherapy. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Glassy systems under time-dependent driving forces: application to slow granular rheology

We study the dynamics of a glassy model with infinite range interactions externally driven by an oscillatory force. We find a well-defined transition in the (Temperature-Amplitude-Frequency) phase diagram between (i) a `glassy' state characterized by the slow relaxation of one-time quantities, aging in two-time quantities and a modification of the equilibrium fluctuation-dissipation relation; and (ii) a `liquid' state with a finite relaxation time. In the glassy phase, the degrees of freedom governing the slow relaxation are thermalized to an effective temperature. Using Monte-Carlo simulations, we investigate the effect of trapping regions in phase space on the driven dynamics. We find that it alternates between periods of rapid motion and periods of trapping. These results confirm the strong analogies between the slow granular rheology and the dynamics of glasses. They also provide a theoretical underpinning to earlier attempts to present a thermodynamic description of moderately driven granular materials.Comment: Version accepted for publication - Physical Review

Prediabetes Is Associated With Structural Brain Abnormalities:The Maastricht Study

OBJECTIVE Structural brain abnormalities are key risk factors for brain diseases, such as dementia, stroke, and depression, in type 2 diabetes. It is unknown whether structural brain abnormalities already occur in prediabetes. Therefore, we investigated whether both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are associated with lacunar infarcts (LIs), white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), and brain atrophy. RESEARCH DESIGN and METHODS We used data from 2,228 participants (1,373 with normal glucose metabolism [NGM], 347 with prediabetes, and 508 with type 2 diabetes (oversampled); mean age 59.2 6 8.2 years; 48.3% women) of the Maastricht Study, a population-based cohort study. Diabetes status was determined with an oral glucose tolerance test. Brain imaging was performed with 3 Tesla MRI. Results were analyzed with multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses. RESULTS Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes were associated with the presence of LIs (odds ratio 1.61 [95% CI 0.98-2.63] and 1.67 [1.04-2.68], respectively; P trend = 0.027), larger WMH (b 0.07 log10-transformed mL [log-mL] [95% CI 0.00-0.15] and 0.21 log-mL [0.14-0.28], respectively; P trend <0.001), and smaller white matter volumes (b 24.0 mL [27.3 to 20.6] and 27.2 mL [210.4 to 24.0], respectively; P trend <0.001) compared with NGM. Prediabetes was not associated with gray matter volumes or the presence of CMBs. CONCLUSIONS Prediabetes is associated with structural brain abnormalities, with further deterioration in type 2 diabetes. These results indicate that, in middle-aged populations, structural brain abnormalities already occur in prediabetes, which may suggest that the treatment of early dysglycemia may contribute to the prevention of brain diseases