Cumulative Effects of Natural and Anthropogenic Stress on Immune Function and Disease Resistance in Juvenile Chinook Salmon

Previous studies have shown that juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha exposed in the field or the laboratory to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), an anthropogenic stressor, are immunosuppressed. It is not known whether simultaneous exposure to natural stressors can increase this immunosuppression. To examine the effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors on immune function, we infected juvenile chinook salmon with metacercariae of the trematode Nanophyetus salmincola by exposing the fish to infected freshwater snails Juga plicifera. Infected (>300 metacercariae per fish) and noninfected salmon were then injected with either the commercial PCB mixture Aroclor 1254 or an acetone-emulphor carrier. B cell function was examined by in vitro hemolytic plaque-forming cell (PFC) assay. Nanophyetus salmincola infection resulted in significantly lower anterior kidney primary PFCs and lower splenic secondary PFCs. The combination of N. salmincola infection and Aroclor 1254 exposure caused a lower anterior kidney primary PFC response than did either stressor alone. The immune function of juvenile chinook salmon was also measured by challenging them with the marine bacterium Listonella anguillarum (formerly known as Vibrio anguillarum). Fish infected with N. salmincola had higher mortalities than noninfected fish when challenged with L. anguillarum. These experiments demonstrated that N. salmincola infection in juvenile chinook salmon can impair immune function and disease resistance. The findings also show that in combination these natural and anthropogenic stressors can have a greater negative effect on salmon health than either stressor alone.Keywords: stress, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, polychlorinated biphenyls, immunosuppressio

Survey of Pathogens in Juvenile Salmon Oncorhynchus Spp. Migrating through Pacific Northwest Estuaries

Although the adverse impact of pathogens on salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest is often discussed and recognized, little is currently known regarding the incidence and corresponding significance of delayed disease-induced mortalities. In the study reported herein, we surveyed the presence and prevalence of selected micro- and macroparasites in out-migrant juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch and Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha from 12 coastal estuaries in the Pacific Northwest over a 6-year period (1996-2001). The major finding of this study was the widespread occurrence of pathogens in wild salmon from Pacific Northwest estuaries. The six most prevalent pathogens infecting both juvenile Chinook and coho salmon were Renibacterium salmoninarum, Nanophyetus salmincola, an erythrocytic cytoplasmic virus (erythrocytic inclusion body syndrome or erythrocytic necrosis virus), and three gram-negative bacteria (Listonella anguillarum, Yersinia ruckeri, and Aeromonas salmonicida). The most prevalent pathogen in both Chinook and coho salmon was N. salmincola, followed by the pathogens R. salmoninarum and the erythrocytic cytoplasmic virus. Statistically significant differences in the prevalence of R.. salmoninarum and N. salmincola were observed between Chinook and coho salmon. Based on the prevalence of pathogens observed in this study, disease appears to be a potentially significant factor governing the population numbers of salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Development of a detailed understanding of the principal components influencing the ecology of infectious disease will aid in the development of management and control strategies to mitigate disease in and hence further the recovery of salmon stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act

How confident are young adult cancer survivors in managing their survivorship care? A report from the LIVESTRONG™ Survivorship Center of Excellence Network

This study examined the association between sociodemographic, cancer treatment, and care delivery factors on young adult cancer survivors’ confidence in managing their survivorship care

Outcomes and Satisfaction After Delivery of a Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Plan: Results of a Multicenter Trial

Survivorship care plans (SCPs) have been suggested to reduce fragmentation of care experienced by cancer survivors. Acceptance of SCPs is high, but trials in the United States are few. This pilot study used a quasiexperimental design to examine the outcomes achieved by breast cancer survivors receiving a standardized SCP visit at one of seven comprehensive cancer centers

March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach.

March Mammal Madness is a science outreach project that, over the course of several weeks in March, reaches hundreds of thousands of people in the United States every year. We combine four approaches to science outreach - gamification, social media platforms, community event(s), and creative products - to run a simulated tournament in which 64 animals compete to become the tournament champion. While the encounters between the animals are hypothetical, the outcomes rely on empirical evidence from the scientific literature. Players select their favored combatants beforehand, and during the tournament scientists translate the academic literature into gripping "play-by-play" narration on social media. To date ~1100 scholarly works, covering almost 400 taxa, have been transformed into science stories. March Mammal Madness is most typically used by high-school educators teaching life sciences, and we estimate that our materials reached ~1% of high-school students in the United States in 2019. Here we document the intentional design, public engagement, and magnitude of reach of the project. We further explain how human psychological and cognitive adaptations for shared experiences, social learning, narrative, and imagery contribute to the widespread use of March Mammal Madness

The Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel

A major challenge of biology is understanding the relationship between molecular genetic variation and variation in quantitative traits, including fitness. This relationship determines our ability to predict phenotypes from genotypes and to understand how evolutionary forces shape variation within and between species. Previous efforts to dissect the genotype–phenotype map were based on incomplete genotypic information. Here, we describe the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP), a community resource for analysis of population genomics and quantitative traits. The DGRP consists of fully sequenced inbred lines derived from a natural population. Population genomic analyses reveal reduced polymorphism in centromeric autosomal regions and the X chromosome, evidence for positive and negative selection, and rapid evolution of the X chromosome. Many variants in novel genes, most at low frequency, are associated with quantitative traits and explain a large fraction of the phenotypic variance. The DGRP facilitates genotype–phenotype mapping using the power of Drosophila genetics

Multidimensional signals and analytic flexibility: Estimating degrees of freedom in human speech analyses

Recent empirical studies have highlighted the large degree of analytic flexibility in data analysis which can lead to substantially different conclusions based on the same data set. Thus, researchers have expressed their concerns that these researcher degrees of freedom might facilitate bias and can lead to claims that do not stand the test of time. Even greater flexibility is to be expected in fields in which the primary data lend themselves to a variety of possible operationalizations. The multidimensional, temporally extended nature of speech constitutes an ideal testing ground for assessing the variability in analytic approaches, which derives not only from aspects of statistical modeling, but also from decisions regarding the quantification of the measured behavior. In the present study, we gave the same speech production data set to 46 teams of researchers and asked them to answer the same research question, resulting insubstantial variability in reported effect sizes and their interpretation. Using Bayesian meta-analytic tools, we further find little to no evidence that the observed variability can be explained by analysts’ prior beliefs, expertise or the perceived quality of their analyses. In light of this idiosyncratic variability, we recommend that researchers more transparently share details of their analysis, strengthen the link between theoretical construct and quantitative system and calibrate their (un)certainty in their conclusions

Lasting effects of cancer and its treatment on employment and finances in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors

BACKGROUND:The impact of cancer and its treatment on employment and financial burden in adolescents/young adults (AYAs) is not fully known. METHODS:Eligibility for this cross-sectional study of AYA cancer survivors included the diagnosis of a malignancy between ages 18 and 39 years and survey completion within 1 to 5 years from diagnosis and ≥1 year after therapy completion. Participants were selected randomly from the tumor registries of 7 participating sites and completed an online patient-reported outcomes survey to assess employment and financial concerns. Treatment data were abstracted from medical records. Data were analyzed across diagnoses and by tumor site using logistic regression and Wald-based 95% confidence intervals adjusting for age (categorized), sex, insurance status, education (categorized), and treatment exposures. RESULTS:Participants included 872 survivors (breast cancer, n = 241; thyroid cancer, n = 126; leukemia/lymphoma, n = 163; other malignancies, n = 342). Exposure to chemotherapy in breast cancer survivors was associated with an increase in self-reported mental impairment in work tasks (odds ratio [OR], 2.66) and taking unpaid time off (OR, 2.62); survivors of "other" malignancies reported an increase in mental impairment of work tasks (OR, 3.67) and borrowing >$10,000 (OR, 3.43). Radiation exposure was associated with an increase of mental impairment in work tasks (OR, 2.05) in breast cancer survivors, taking extended paid time off work in thyroid cancer survivors (OR, 5.05), and physical impairment in work tasks in survivors of "other" malignancies (OR, 3.11). Finally, in survivors of "other" malignancies, having undergone surgery was associated with an increase in physical (OR, 3.11) and mental impairment (OR, 2.31) of work tasks. CONCLUSIONS:Cancer treatment has a significant impact on AYA survivors' physical and mental work capacity and time off from work