Citizen science data of cetaceans in the Arabian/Persian Gulf: Occurrence and habitat preferences of the three most reported species

Citizen science data are becoming increasingly relevant in wildlife studies, especially when obtaining data requires costly logistics. In the Arabian/Persian Gulf, baseline information about cetaceans is scarce despite their regular presence. From 2012 to 2019, a citizen science campaign conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) obtained information on 1,292 cetacean sightings. These were methodically validated by experts, resulting in 1,103 records where species was confidently assigned. From the 12 species reported, we analyzed the spatial patterns of occurrence and drivers of habitat preference for the three most reported species: Tursiops aduncus (Ta 53%), Sousa plumbea (Sp 45%), and Neophocaena phocaenoides (Np 2%). Ecological niche modelling, considering seven environmental variables (physicochemical: temperature, silicate, calcite, pH; physiographic: distance from coast, bathymetry; biological: chlorophyll) showed subtle niche partitioning among the three species. Our results suggest different diets and energy requirements for Np, with Ta and Sp, segregating mostly by different patterns of space use. Specifically, Sp prefers close proximity to shore, particularly areas with complex networks of inland canals. This information provides an estimate of habitat preferences, that can be used in formulating effective conservation measures. Sp shows the narrowest area of suitable habitat and is at particular risk from habitat degradation

Should the General Practitioner Consider Mesotherapy (Intradermal Therapy) to Manage Localized Pain?

Wide variations in the types of pain and response to analgesic pharmacotherapy mean that a variety of treatment strategies are needed. One approach is mesotherapy (intradermal therapy). This consists of microinjections into the skin and is ideally suited to the management of localized pain. Advantages include increasing the duration of drug activity, reduced risk of adverse events and interactions, and possible synergy with other therapies. Mesotherapy provides general practitioners with another tool for the treatment of local pain. However, it is important to provide patients with full details of the pros and cons of this approach and obtain informed patient consent

BOOMERanG constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity from analytical Minkowski functionals

We use Minkowski functionals (MFs) to constrain a primordial non-Gaussian contribution to the cosmic microwave background intensity field as observed in the 150- and 145-GHz BOOMERanG maps from the 1998 and 2003 flights, respectively, performing for the first time a joint analysis of the two data sets. A perturbative expansion of the MF formulae in the limit of a weakly non-Gaussian field yields analytical formulae, derived by Hikage et al., which can be used to constrain the coupling parameter f_(NL) without the need for non-Gaussian simulations. We find −770 < f_(NL) < 500 at 95 per cent CL, significantly improving the previous constraints by De Troia et al. on the BOOMERanG 2003 data set. These are the best f_(NL) limits to date for suborbital probes

Correlated Component Analysis for diffuse component separation with error estimation on simulated Planck polarization data

We present a data analysis pipeline for CMB polarization experiments, running from multi-frequency maps to the power spectra. We focus mainly on component separation and, for the first time, we work out the covariance matrix accounting for errors associated to the separation itself. This allows us to propagate such errors and evaluate their contributions to the uncertainties on the final products.The pipeline is optimized for intermediate and small scales, but could be easily extended to lower multipoles. We exploit realistic simulations of the sky, tailored for the Planck mission. The component separation is achieved by exploiting the Correlated Component Analysis in the harmonic domain, that we demonstrate to be superior to the real-space application (Bonaldi et al. 2006). We present two techniques to estimate the uncertainties on the spectral parameters of the separated components. The component separation errors are then propagated by means of Monte Carlo simulations to obtain the corresponding contributions to uncertainties on the component maps and on the CMB power spectra. For the Planck polarization case they are found to be subdominant compared to noise.Comment: 17 pages, accepted in MNRA

Elevated aggression is associated with uncertainty in a network of dog dominance interactions

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from The Royal Society via the DOI in this record.Dominance hierarchies are widespread in animal societies and reduce the costs of within group conflict over resources and reproduction. Variation in stability across a social hierarchy may result in asymmetries in the benefits obtained from hierarchy formation. However, variation in the stability and behavioural costs of dominance interactions with rank remain poorly understood. Previous theoretical models have predicted that the intensity of dominance interactions and aggression should increase with rank, but these models typically assume high reproductive skew, and so their generality remains untested. Here we show in a pack of free-living dogs with a sex-age graded hierarchy that the central region of the hierarchy was dominated by more unstable social relationships and associated with elevated aggression. Our results reveal unavoidable costs of ascending a dominance hierarchy, run contrary to theoretical predictions for the relationship between aggression and social rank in high skew societies, and widen our understanding of how heterogeneous benefits of hierarchy formation arise in animal societies.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC

Should we be concerned when COVID-19-positive patients take opioids to control their pain? Insights from a pharmacological point of view

Objective: The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the available information regarding the currently utilized COVID-19 therapies (and the evidence level supporting them) and opioids for chronic pain with a focus on warnings of potential interactions between these two therapeutic approaches. Materials and methods: Papers were retrieved from a PubMed search, using different combinations of keywords [e.g., pain treatment AND COVID-19 AND drug-drug interaction (DDI)], without limitations in terms of publication date and language. Results: Remdesivir is an inhibitor of CYP3A4 and may increase the plasma concentration of CYP3A4 substrates (e.g., fentanyl). Dexamethasone is an inducer of CYP3A4 and glycoprotein P, thus coadministration with drugs metabolized by this isoform will lead to their increased clearance. Dexamethasone may cause hypokalemia, thus potentiating the risk of ventricular arrhythmias if it is given with opioids able to prolong the QT interval, such as oxycodone and methadone. Finally, the existing differences among opioids with regard to their impact on immune responses should also be taken into account with only tapentadol and hydromorphone appearing neutral on both cytokine production and immune parameters. Conclusions: Clinicians should keep in mind the frequent DDIs with drugs extensively metabolized by the CYP450 system and prefer opioids undergoing a limited hepatic metabolism. Identification and management of DDIs and dissemination of the related knowledge should be a major goal in the delivery of chronic care to ensure optimized patient outcomes and facilitate updating recommendations for COVID-19 therapy in frail populations, namely comorbid, poly-medicated patients or individuals suffering from substance use disorder

Identification of subgroups of early breast cancer patients at high risk of nonadherence to adjuvant hormone therapy: results of an italian survey.

The aim of this study was the identification of subgroups of patients at higher risk of nonadherence to adjuvant hormone therapy for breast cancer. Using recursive partitioning and amalgamation (RECPAM) analysis, the highest risk was observed in the group of unmarried, employed women, or housewives. This result might be functional in designing tailored intervention studies aimed at improvement of adherence. Background: Adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy (HT) is suboptimal among breast cancer patients. A high rate of nonadherence might explain differences in survival between clinical trial and clinical practice. Tailored interventions aimed at improving adherence can only be implemented if subgroups of patients at higher risk of poor adherence are identified. Because no data are available for Italy, we undertook a large survey on adherence among women taking adjuvant HT for breast cancer. Patients and Methods: Patients were recruited from 10 cancer clinics in central Italy. All patients taking HT for at least 1 year were invited, during one of their follow-up visit, to fill a confidential questionnaire. The association of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of participants with adherence was assessed using logistic regression. The RECPAM method was used to evaluate interactions among variables and to identify subgroups of patients at different risk of nonadherence. Results: A total of 939 patients joined the study and 18.6% of them were classified as nonadherers. Among possible predictors, only age, working status, and switching from tamoxifen to an aromatase inhibitor were predictive of nonadherence in multivariate analysis. RECPAM analysis led to the identification of 4 classes of patients with a different likelihood of nonadherence to therapy, the lowest being observed in retired women with a low level of education, the highest in the group of unmarried, employed women, or housewives. Conclusion: The identification of these subgroups of “real life” patients with a high prevalence of nonadherers might be functional in designing intervention studies aimed at improving adherenc

MicroRNA-194 modulates glucose metabolism and its skeletal muscle expression is reduced in diabetes

BACKGROUND: The regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) at different stages of the progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and their role in glucose homeostasis was investigated. METHODS: Microarrays were used to assess miRNA expression in skeletal muscle biopsies taken from healthy individuals and patients with pre-diabetes or T2DM, and insulin resistant offspring of rat dams fed a high fat diet during pregnancy. RESULTS: Twenty-three miRNAs were differentially expressed in patients with T2DM, and 7 in the insulin resistant rat offspring compared to their controls. Among these, only one miRNA was similarly regulated: miR-194 expression was significantly reduced by 25 to 50% in both the rat model and in human with pre-diabetes and established diabetes. Knockdown of miR-194 in L6 skeletal muscle cells induced an increase in basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis. This occurred in conjunction with an increased glycolysis, indicated by elevated lactate production. Moreover, oxidative capacity was also increased as we found an enhanced glucose oxidation in presence of the mitochondrial uncoupler FCCP. When miR-194 was down-regulated in vitro, western blot analysis showed an increased phosphorylation of AKT and GSK3&beta; in response to insulin, and an increase in expression of proteins controlling mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with regulation of several miRNAs in skeletal muscle. Interestingly, miR-194 was a unique miRNA that appeared regulated across different stages of the disease progression, from the early stages of insulin resistance to the development of T2DM. We have shown miR-194 is involved in multiple aspects of skeletal muscle glucose metabolism from uptake, through to glycolysis, glycogenesis and glucose oxidation, potentially via mechanisms involving AKT, GSK3 and oxidative phosphorylation. MiR-194 could be down-regulated in patients with early features of diabetes as an adaptive response to facilitate tissue glucose uptake and metabolism in the face of insulin resistance

Interaction of preimplantation factor with the global bovine endometrial transcriptome

Preimplantation factor (PIF) is an embryo derived peptide which exerts an immune modulatory effect on human endometrium, promoting immune tolerance to the embryo whilst maintaining the immune response to invading pathogens. While bovine embryos secrete PIF, the effect on the bovine endometrium is unknown. Maternal recognition of pregnancy is driven by an embryo-maternal cross talk, however the process differs between humans and cattle. As many embryos are lost during the early part of pregnancy in cattle, a greater knowledge of factors affecting the embryo-maternal crosstalk, such as PIF, is needed to improve fertility. Therefore, for the first time, we demonstrate the effect of synthetic PIF (sPIF) on the bovine transcriptome in an ex vivo bovine endometrial tissue culture model. Explants were cultured for 30h with sPIF (100nM) or in control media. Total RNA was analysed via RNA-sequencing. As a result of sPIF treatment, 102 genes were differentially expressed compared to the control (Padj<0.1), although none by more than 2-fold. The majority of genes (78) were downregulated. Pathway analysis revealed targeting of several immune based pathways. Genes for the TNF, NF-κB, IL-17, MAPK and TLR signalling pathways were down-regulated by sPIF. However, some immune genes were demonstrated to be upregulated following sPIF treatment, including C3. Steroid biosynthesis was the only over-represented pathway with all genes upregulated. We demonstrate that sPIF can modulate the bovine endometrial transcriptome in an immune modulatory manner, like that in the human endometrium, however, the regulation of genes was much weaker than in previous human work