Management Schemes, Not Philopatry Or Breeding Experience, Affect Nest Success Of Two Songbirds In Vermont Hayfields

Songbirds can benefit from natal philopatry through prior knowledge about site‐specific resources and local adaptation to environmental conditions. Likewise, breeding experience may also play a role in reproductive success. However, for birds that breed in managed habitats, management activities may overwhelm any potential benefits of philopatry or breeding experience. We examined the effect of site fidelity on reproductive success in 1,823 bobolink and Savannah sparrow nests in agricultural grasslands in Vermont, USA. From 2003–2019 we monitored the nests of 51 female Savannah sparrows and 72 female bobolinks that returned to breed on or near fields in which they hatched between 2002 and 2018). Using program MARK, we found that daily nest survival (DNS) differed between species and grassland treatment types and was not affected by philopatry. Bobolinks had greater DNS than Savannah sparrows, and DNS was generally greater on late‐hayed fields than either early‐hayed fields or rotationally‐grazed pastures. Our results show that despite the potential for increased fitness through site fidelity or breeding experience, agricultural management has an equal or greater influence on female reproductive success

Appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in the Emergency Department

Background Antibiotics are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the Emergency Department (ED) and yet data describing the overall appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in the ED is scarce. Objectives To describe the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in the ED. Methods A retrospective, observational study of current practice. All patients who presented to the ED during the study period and were prescribed at least one antibiotic were included. Specialists from Infectious Disease, Microbiology and Emergency Medicine and a Senior Pharmacist assessed antibiotic appropriateness against evidence-based guidelines. Results A total of 1019 (13.6%) of patient presentations involved the prescription of at least one antibiotic. Of these, 640 (62.8%) antibiotic prescriptions were assessed as appropriate, 333 (32.7%) were assessed as inappropriate and 46 (4.5%) were deemed to be not assessable. Adults were more likely to receive an inappropriate antibiotic prescription than children (36.9% versus 22.9%; difference 14.1%, 95% CI 7.2%–21.0%). Patients who met quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) criteria were more likely to be prescribed inappropriate antibiotics (56.7% versus 36.1%; difference 20.5%, 95% CI, 2.4%–38.7%). There was no difference in the incidence of appropriate antibiotic prescribing based on patient gender, disposition (admitted/discharged), reason for antibiotic administration (treatment/prophylaxis) or time of shift (day/night). Conclusions Inappropriate administration of antibiotics can lead to unnecessary adverse events, treatment failure and antimicrobial resistance. With over one in three antibiotic prescriptions in the ED being assessed as inappropriate, there is a pressing need to develop initiatives to improve antibiotic prescribing to prevent antibiotic-associated patient and community harms.No Full Tex

Backpack satellite transmitters reduce survival but not nesting propensity or success of greater sage‐grouse

Abstract Telemetry technology is ubiquitous for studying the behavior and demography of wildlife, including the use of traditional very high frequency (VHF) radio telemetry and more recent methods that record animal locations using global positioning systems (GPS). Satellite‐based GPS telemetry allows researchers to collect high spatial–temporal resolution data remotely but may also come with additional costs. For example, recent studies from the southern Great Basin suggested GPS transmitters attached via backpacks may reduce the survival of greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) relative to VHF transmitters attached via collars that have been in use for decades. While some evidence suggests GPS backpacks reduce survival, no studies have examined the effects of GPS backpacks on breeding behavior and success. Therefore, we compared survival, breeding behavior, and nest success of sage‐grouse hens marked with both VHF collars and GPS backpack transmitter over a 7‐year period in central Idaho, USA. GPS backpacks reduced spring–summer survival of sage‐grouse hens relative to hens with VHF collars, where daily mortality probability was 68%–82% higher from March 1 to August 1. Yet satellite GPS backpacks did not consistently affect nest success or the likelihood or timing of nest initiation relative to VHF collars. Daily nest survival varied annually and with timing of nest initiation and nest age, but marginal effects of transmitter type were statistically insignificant and interactions between transmitter type and study year produced no meaningful patterns. Our results corroborate recent studies for the effect of satellite GPS backpacks on sage‐grouse survival, but also suggest that these transmitters do not appear to affect components of fecundity. Our results therefore add important context to recent debate surrounding the effects of GPS backpacks on sage‐grouse, and the relative strengths and weaknesses of different transmitter types for understanding behavior and population dynamics

Inhibition of the cellular function of perforin by 1-amino-2, 4-dicyanopyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles

A high throughput screen showed the ability of a 1-amino-2,4-dicyanopyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole analogue to directly inhibit the lytic activity of the pore-forming protein perforin. A series of analogues were prepared to study structure-activity relationships (SAR) for the this activity, either directly added to cells or released in situ by KHYG-1 NK cells, at non-toxic concentrations. These studies showed that the pyridobenzimidazole moiety was required for effective activity, with strongly basic centres disfavoured. This class of compounds was relatively unaffected by the addition of serum, which was not the case for a previous class of direct inhibitors

Exploration of a series of 5-arylidene-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones as inhibitors of the cytolytic protein perforin

A series of novel 5-arylidene-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones were investigated as inhibitors of the lymphocyte-expressed pore-forming protein perform. Structure activity relationships were explored through variation of an isoindolinone or 3,4-dihydroisoquinolinone subunit on a fixed 2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one/thiophene core. The ability of the resulting compounds to inhibit the lytic activity of both isolated perform protein and perforin delivered in situ by natural killer cells was determined. A number of compounds showed excellent activity at concentrations that were nontoxic to the killer cells, and several were a significant improvement on previous classes of inhibitors, being substantially more potent and soluble. Representative examples showed rapid and reversible binding to immobilized mouse perforin at low concentrations

Exploration of a series of 5-arylidene-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones as inhibitors of the cytolytic protein perforin

A series of novel 5-arylidene-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones were investigated as inhibitors of the lymphocyte-expressed pore-forming protein perform. Structure activity relationships were explored through variation of an isoindolinone or 3,4-dihydroisoquinolinone subunit on a fixed 2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one/thiophene core. The ability of the resulting compounds to inhibit the lytic activity of both isolated perform protein and perforin delivered in situ by natural killer cells was determined. A number of compounds showed excellent activity at concentrations that were nontoxic to the killer cells, and several were a significant improvement on previous classes of inhibitors, being substantially more potent and soluble. Representative examples showed rapid and reversible binding to immobilized mouse perforin at low concentrations