“Liaisons dangereuses”: The invasive red-vented bulbul ( Pycnonotus cafer ), a disperser of exotic plant species in New Caledonia

International audienceThe biodiversity hotspot of New Caledonia hosts high levels of endemism (74% of flora) that is threatened increasingly by climate change, habitat reduction, and inva-sive species. The fruit-eating red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) is currently invading the main island of the archipelago, and its recent dispersal out of urbanized habitats raises questions about its potential to disperse noxious plant seeds along urban corridors and beyond. Indeed, the red-vented bulbul is considered a vector of several introduced plant species in its alien range including Miconia calvescens, Lantana camara, and Schinus terebinthifolius. We conducted a quantitative assessment of the bulbul's fruits consumption by analyzing the gut contents of shot birds. We estimated gut passage times for four species of fruit found in gut contents (S. terebin-thifolius, Myrtastrum rufopunctatum, Passiflora suberosa, and Ficus prolixa) and tested the effects of bird digestion on seed germination rates for two species. Finally, we monitored the movements of individual VHF radio-tagged red-vented bulbuls. All of the consumed fruit species we identified here have red fleshy diaspore, including fruit of the shrub M. rufopunctatum that occurred frequently (9.6%) in bulbul gut samples. Median gut passage times were short (15-41 min), corresponding to short-distance seed transportation (77-92 m). The effect of gut passage was positive for the germination of the invasive S. terebinthifolius and negative for the endemic M. ru-fopunctatum, suggesting a potential bias in the contribution to the dispersal toward alien species. This study provides the first integrated assessment of mechanisms involved in the seed dispersal effectiveness of this high-concern invasive bird species that is expected to face similar plant communities in most of its alien range in tropical islands. More generally, our results enhance knowledge of synergies between non-native frugivores and plant species dispersal

Serum kidney injury molecule 1 and β2-microglobulin perform as well as larger biomarker panels for prediction of rapid decline in renal function in type 2 diabetes

Aims/hypothesis: As part of the Surrogate Markers for Micro- and Macrovascular Hard Endpoints for Innovative Diabetes Tools (SUMMIT) programme we previously reported that large panels of biomarkers derived from three analytical platforms maximised prediction of progression of renal decline in type 2 diabetes. Here, we hypothesised that smaller (n ≤ 5), platform-specific combinations of biomarkers selected from these larger panels might achieve similar prediction performance when tested in three additional type 2 diabetes cohorts. Methods: We used 657 serum samples, held under differing storage conditions, from the Scania Diabetes Registry (SDR) and Genetics of Diabetes Audit and Research Tayside (GoDARTS), and a further 183 nested case–control sample set from the Collaborative Atorvastatin in Diabetes Study (CARDS). We analysed 42 biomarkers measured on the SDR and GoDARTS samples by a variety of methods including standard ELISA, multiplexed ELISA (Luminex) and mass spectrometry. The subset of 21 Luminex biomarkers was also measured on the CARDS samples. We used the event definition of loss of >20% of baseline eGFR during follow-up from a baseline eGFR of 30–75 ml min−1 [1.73 m]−2. A total of 403 individuals experienced an event during a median follow-up of 7 years. We used discrete-time logistic regression models with tenfold cross-validation to assess association of biomarker panels with loss of kidney function. Results: Twelve biomarkers showed significant association with eGFR decline adjusted for covariates in one or more of the sample sets when evaluated singly. Kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) and β2-microglobulin (B2M) showed the most consistent effects, with standardised odds ratios for progression of at least 1.4 (p < 0.0003) in all cohorts. A combination of B2M and KIM-1 added to clinical covariates, including baseline eGFR and albuminuria, modestly improved prediction, increasing the area under the curve in the SDR, Go-DARTS and CARDS by 0.079, 0.073 and 0.239, respectively. Neither the inclusion of additional Luminex biomarkers on top of B2M and KIM-1 nor a sparse mass spectrometry panel, nor the larger multiplatform panels previously identified, consistently improved prediction further across all validation sets. Conclusions/interpretation: Serum KIM-1 and B2M independently improve prediction of renal decline from an eGFR of 30–75 ml min−1 [1.73 m]−2 in type 2 diabetes beyond clinical factors and prior eGFR and are robust to varying sample storage conditions. Larger panels of biomarkers did not improve prediction beyond these two biomarkers

Associations of Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Parathyroid Hormone and Calcium with Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Analysis of 3 NHANES Cycles (2001–2006)

Increasing evidence suggests a role for mineral metabolism in cardiovascular disease risk. 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and calcium may be directly associated with cardiovascular risk factors or mediated by each other.We combined data for adult participants in three cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2, 2003-4, 2005-6), a representative sample of the civilian, non-institutionalized US population (N = 3,958). Using this data we examined joint associations of 25(OH)D, PTH and calcium with a range of cardiovascular risk factors. 25(OH)D was inversely associated with fasting insulin (mean difference in insulin per 1 standard deviation 25(OH)D: -0.053 (95%CI: -0.091, -0.015)), glucose (-0.046 95%CI: -0.081, -0.012) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (-0.032 95%CI: -0.062, -0.001), and positively associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol HDL-c (0.088 95%CI: 0.044, 0.148), after adjustment for ethnicity, smoking, socio-economic status and waist circumference. PTH was positively associated with diastolic blood pressure (0.110, 95%CI: 0.055, 0.164) in confounder adjusted models, but was not associated with other cardiovascular risk factors. Albumin adjusted calcium was associated with triglycerides (0.102 95%CI: 0.063, 0.141), postload glucose (0.078, 95%CI: 0.025, 0.130), fasting insulin (0.074, 95%CI: 0.044, 0.104), HbA1c (0.070, 95%CI: 0.036, 0.105), SBP (0.064, 95%CI: 0.028, 0.100), fasting glucose (0.055, 95%CI: 0.018, 0.092) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (0.052, 95%CI: 0.014, 0.091). With mutual adjustment for each other, these associations remained essentially unchanged.Lower levels of 25(OH)D and higher levels of calcium and PTH appear to be associated with different cardiovascular risk factors and may therefore affect cardiovascular disease risk through different mechanisms

Quality of life and mortality from a nephrologist's view: a prospective observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a potential independent predictor of mortality, nephrologists have shown little interest in HRQOL with respect to mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this article is to evaluate the impact of HRQOL on mortality in the elderly, who are likely to develop or already have CKD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Among 1,000 randomly sampled participants aged more than 65 years (sourced from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Ageing), 944 subjects were evaluated for HRQOL. HRQOL was assessed using a 36-item Short-Form health survey (SF36). A cumulative survival rate was calculated according to tertiles of SF36 scores and classified by the presence of CKD (estimated GFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m²).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 944 subjects, 46.6% had CKD. CKD patients had lower total and physical component scores compared with subjects without CKD. The 3-year cumulative survival rate was 90.0% (non-CKD vs. CKD: 92.6% vs. 87.4%, <it>P </it>= 0.005 by log rank test). After adjusting for multiple variables, a reduced SF36 score (physical and mental components) was a strong predictor of all-cause mortality. Physical components were consistently able to predict mortality after CKD classification, but mental components were statistically significant only in the CKD group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In addition to traditional risk factors of mortality, nephrologists should be aware of HRQOL as a predictor of mortality and should make efforts to improve HRQOL in CKD patients.</p