Potential effects of warmer worms and vectors on onchocerciasis transmission in West Africa

Development times of eggs, larvae and pupae of vectors of onchocerciasis (Simulium spp.) and of Onchocerca volvulus larvae within the adult females of the vectors decrease with increasing temperature. At and above 25C,the parasite could reach its infective stage in less than 7 days when vectors could transmit after only two gonotrophic cycles. After incorporating exponential functions for vector development into a novel blackfly population model, it was predicted that fly numbers in Liberia and Ghana would peak at air temperatures of 29C and 34C, about 3C and 7C above current monthly averages, respectively; parous rates of forest flies (Liberia) would peak at 298C and of savannah flies (Ghana) at 308C. Small temperature increases (less than 28C) might lead to changes in geographical distributions of different vector taxa. When the new model was linked to an existing framework for the population dynamics of onchocerciasis in humans and vectors, transmission rates and worm loads were projected to increase with temperature to at least 338C. By contrast, analyses of field data on forest flies in Liberia and savannah flies in Ghana, in relation to regional climate change predictions, suggested, on the basis of simple regressions, that 13–41% decreases in fly numbers would be expected between the present and before 2040. Further research is needed to reconcile these conflicting conclusions

Extant diversity of bryophytes emerged from successive post-Mesozoic diversification bursts

Unraveling the macroevolutionary history of bryophytes, which arose soon after the origin of land plants but exhibit substantially lower species richness than the more recently derived angiosperms, has been challenged by the scarce fossil record. Here we demonstrate that overall estimates of net species diversification are approximately half those reported in ferns and similar to 30% those described for angiosperms. Nevertheless, statistical rate analyses on time-calibrated large-scale phylogenies reveal that mosses and liverworts underwent bursts of diversification since the mid-Mesozoic. The diversification rates further increase in specific lineages towards the Cenozoic to reach, in the most recently derived lineages, values that are comparable to those reported in angiosperms. This suggests that low diversification rates do not fully account for current patterns of bryophyte species richness, and we hypothesize that, as in gymnosperms, the low extant bryophyte species richness also results from massive extinctions.Assembling the Tree of Life programme at NSF; NSF [EF-0531730-002, EF-0531680, EF-0531750]; Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division; BeiPD-cofund Marie Curie fellowshipinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of oil and global environmental drivers on two keystone marine invertebrates

Ocean warming (OW) and acidification (OA) are key features of global change and are predicted to have negative consequences for marine species and ecosystems. At a smaller scale increasing oil and gas activities at northern high latitudes could lead to greater risk of petroleum pollution, potentially exacerbating the effects of such global stressors. However, knowledge of combined effects is limited. This study employed a scenario-based, collapsed design to investigate the impact of one local acute stressor (North Sea crude oil) and two chronic global drivers (pH for OA and temperature for OW), alone or in combination on aspects of the biology of larval stages of two key invertebrates: the northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) and the green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis). Both local and global drivers had negative effects on survival, development and growth of the larval stages. These effects were species- and stage-dependent. No statistical interactions were observed between local and global drivers and the combined effects of the two drivers were approximately equal to the sum of their separate effects. This study highlights the importance of adjusting regulation associated with oil spill prevention to maximize the resilience of marine organisms to predicted future global conditions

Genome-wide association study identifies six new loci influencing pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure.

Numerous genetic loci have been associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in Europeans. We now report genome-wide association studies of pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). In discovery (N = 74,064) and follow-up studies (N = 48,607), we identified at genome-wide significance (P = 2.7 × 10(-8) to P = 2.3 × 10(-13)) four new PP loci (at 4q12 near CHIC2, 7q22.3 near PIK3CG, 8q24.12 in NOV and 11q24.3 near ADAMTS8), two new MAP loci (3p21.31 in MAP4 and 10q25.3 near ADRB1) and one locus associated with both of these traits (2q24.3 near FIGN) that has also recently been associated with SBP in east Asians. For three of the new PP loci, the estimated effect for SBP was opposite of that for DBP, in contrast to the majority of common SBP- and DBP-associated variants, which show concordant effects on both traits. These findings suggest new genetic pathways underlying blood pressure variation, some of which may differentially influence SBP and DBP

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Avaliação clínica da eficácia da combinação paracetamol e cafeína no tratamento da cefaléia tipo tensão Clinical evaluation of the efficacy of the acetaminophen and caffeine combination in the treatment of tension headache

A cefaléia tipo tensão em suas duas modalidades, episódica e crônica, é a forma mais comum de dor de cabeça na população. O tratamento é feito com medidas não farmacológicas e farmacológicas, tanto para o ataque como profilaxia das crises. Este estudo foi realizado com 5490 pacientes, que procuraram ambulatórios e consultórios médicos em várias regiões do Brasil. Cerca de 95% apresentavam cefaléia tipo tensão episódica e 5% cefaléia tipo tensão crônica. A maioria dos pacientes apresentou crises de intensidade moderada (62,19%). Em 5419 pacientes uma crise de cefaléia tipo tensão foi tratada com 1000 mg de paracetamol e 130 mg de cafeína. Em 93,98% início de melhora foi observado em até 2 horas após a ingestão da medicação. Em 77,61% houve reversão completa da crise em até 2 horas. Avaliação da eficácia boa/excelente foi observada em 51,93%/37,80% dos casos quando feita pelos médicos e em 48,51%/40,29 quando pelos pacientes. Efeitos adversos, em geral manifestações gastrointestinais, foram observados em 5,57%. Este estudo representa uma experiência brasileira no tratamento de ataque da cefaléia tipo tensão, demonstrando eficácia e segurança no uso da combinação paracetamol-cafeína.<br>Tension type headache in both its forms, episodic and chronic, is the most common type of headache experienced by the population. The headache attack or the prevention of new crises may be treated with pharmacological as well as non-pharmacological measures. This study included 5,490 patients from out-patient clinics and medical offices covering various regions of Brazil. Approximately 95% of the subjects had episodic tension type headache, while 5% had chronic tension type headache. The majority of the patients presented with crisis of moderate intensity (62.19%). In 5,419 patients a tension type headache crisis was treated with acetaminophen 1000 mg and caffeine 130 mg. In 93.98%, onset of relief occurred within 2 hours of taking the medication. In 77.61%, complete reversion of the crisis occurred within 2 hours. Good/excellent efficacy ratings were achieved in 61.93%/37.80% of the cases according to the physician's assessment and in 48.51%/40.29% according to the patients' assessment. Adverse events, commonly gastrointestinal manifestations, were reported by 5.57% of the patients. This is a Brazilian study of the efficacy and safety of the combined use of acetaminophen - caffeine for the treatment of tension type headache