Intraspecific Adoption and Double Nest Switching in Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus)

We describe an observation of post-fledging double nest switching and alloparenting in the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus tundrius). During the summer of 2010, a 36-day-old male Peregrine Falcon that had been marked with leg bands was seen flying from its natal site and was subsequently observed at a neighboring nest site that contained two nestlings. Motion-sensitive camera images indicated that the adopted nestling remained at the neighboring site for several days, during which time it shared the nest ledge with the two resident nestlings and was fed by the adults that occupied the site. The juvenile falcon subsequently returned to its natal site, where it shared the nest ledge with its natural sibling and received care from its natural parents. This note is the first documentation of nest switching in wild Peregrine Falcons.Nous décrivons l’observation d’un double échange de nids après l’envol et d’alloparents chez le faucon pèlerin (Falco peregrinus tundrius). À l’été 2010, nous avons aperçu un faucon pèlerin bagué âgé de 36 jours en train de s’envoler de son site natal, après quoi nous l’avons observé à un site de nidification avoisinant qui comprenait deux oisillons. Les images de caméras détectrices de mouvement ont indiqué que l’oisillon adopté est resté au site avoisinant pendant plusieurs jours. Pendant ce temps-là, il a partagé la corniche avec les deux oisillons résidents et s’est fait nourrir par les adultes qui occupaient le site. Plus tard, le faucon juvénile a regagné son site natal, où il a partagé la corniche avec l’autre membre de sa fratrie et reçu des soins de ses parents naturels. Il s’agit de la première fois qu’un échange de nids a été documenté chez le faucon pèlerin sauvage

Brood Reduction by Infanticide in Peregrine Falcons

This note describes an observation of infanticide in the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus tundrius). During the summer of 2011, a marked adult female and an unmarked adult male produced and hatched two eggs at a known and regularly monitored nest site. Motion-sensitive camera images indicated that the adults attended to the two nestlings and fed them in a manner that resulted in growth and development typical for the nestlings produced in the study population. During a period of intense rainfall, the two nestlings were left unattended for several hours; both nestlings were clearly distressed, and one was close to death. When the visibly wet marked adult female returned to the nest ledge, she killed and partially consumed the smaller and weaker of the two nestlings. The female flew from the nest ledge without feeding the remaining nestling and returned shortly afterward to kill and partially consume the second nestling. This is the first documentation of infanticide in wild Peregrine Falcons.Cet article décrit une observation d’infanticide chez le faucon pèlerin (Falco peregrinus tundrius). À l’été 2011, une femelle adulte baguée et un mâle adulte non bagué ont produit et couvé deux oeufs à un site de nidification connu qui fait l’objet d’une surveillance régulière. Les images de caméras à détection de mouvement ont permis de constater que les deux adultes se sont occupés des deux oisillons et les ont nourris au point où ils ont pu grossir et se développer de manière typique aux autres oisillons visés par la population à l’étude. Pendant une période de pluie intense, les deux oisillons ont été laissés à eux-mêmes pendant plusieurs heures. De toute évidence, les deux oisillons étaient en détresse, et l’un d’entre eux se mourait. Lorsque la femelle adulte baguée visiblement trempée a regagné la corniche, elle a tué et consommé partiellement l’oisillon le plus petit et le plus faible. Ensuite, la femelle s’est envolée de la corniche sans nourrir l’autre oisillon, puis elle est revenue peu après pour tuer et consommer partiellement le deuxième oisillon. Il s’agit de la première fois qu’un cas d’infanticide est répertorié chez le faucon pèlerin en liberté

Rapid Nestling Mortality in Arctic Peregrine Falcons due to the Biting Effects of Black Flies

This note describes nestling mortality in Arctic Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus tundrius) due to the biting effects of blood-feeding black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae). At a nest site near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada (62˚49′ N, 92˚05′ W), a brood of four nestlings died on 20 July 2013 from the direct effects of severe bites attributed to black flies. Within three hours of the onset of blood-feeding, black flies had caused widespread, uniformly distributed hemorrhagic coalescent lesions over the head and body of all nestlings. Approximately seven hours after the first flies appeared, the female falcon removed the carcasses of the dead nestlings from the nest. Nestlings at eight additional sites also suffered the effects of biting black flies in 2013, resulting in the deaths of 13 of 35 nestlings. A less pronounced outbreak also occurred in 2012 and resulted in the deaths of seven nestlings at four sites. No nestling mortality due to black flies has been documented in any other year from 1982 through 2015. To our knowledge, these observations document the northernmost lethal attack by ornithophilic black flies in North America.Cet article décrit des événements de mortalité d’oisillons chez le faucon pèlerin (Falco peregrinus tundrius) causés par des morsures de mouches noires hématophages (Diptera : Simuliidae). À un site de nidification près de Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada (62˚49′ N, 92˚05′ O), les quatre oisillons d’une couvée sont morts le 20 juillet 2013 des effets directs de morsures sévères attribuables aux mouches noires. Dans les trois heures suivant le début de l’activité des hématophages, les mouches noires avaient causé des lésions hémorragiques et coalescentes uniformément distribuées sur la tête et le corps des oisillons. Environ sept heures après l’apparition des premières mouches, la femelle a retiré les carcasses des oisillons morts du nid. Des oisillons à huit autres sites de nidification ont également subi les effets des mouches noires hématophages en 2013, entraînant la mortalité de 13 oisillons sur un total de 35. Une émergence moins prononcée s’est aussi produite en 2012 et a causé la mort de sept oisillons à quatre sites de nidification. Aucune mortalité d’oisillons causée par les mouches noires n’a été documentée de 1982 à 2015. À notre connaissance, ces observations documentent les attaques létales par les mouches noires ornithophiles les plus nordiques en Amérique du Nord

Long-term Trends of Persistent Organochlorine Pollutants, Occupancy and Reproductive Success in Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus tundrius) Breeding near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada

The historical decline of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) in North America was attributed mainly to reproductive failure associated with persistent organochlorine pollutants, in particular DD T (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane). It is generally assumed that declining trends in pesticide loads will be accompanied by a corresponding increase in reproduction. In this study, we concurrently measured occupancy, reproductive performance, and pesticide loads of breeding-aged adults on territory near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, from 1982 to 2009. Our findings indicate that reproductive success of peregrine falcons in our study population declined despite concomitant reductions in pesticide loads, and that on average, approximately three fewer territories were occupied annually from 2002 to 2009 than were occupied from 1982 to 1989. In addition, the average number of young to reach banding age annually from 2002 to 2009 was approximately half the number banded annually from 1982 to 1989. These results indicate that in recent years fewer pairs have attempted to breed; in addition, those that did breed successfully raised fewer young to banding age. In general, the pesticides examined in this study cannot mechanistically explain either the reduction in occupancy or the decline in reproductive performance. We suggest that the proximate effects of local weather patterns—ultimately associated, either directly or indirectly, with overall climate change—have the greatest potential to explain the altered demographic features of the Rankin Inlet population.Le déclin historique du faucon pèlerin (Falco peregrinus) en Amérique du Nord a été principalement attribué à un échec de reproduction surtout attribuable aux polluants organochlorés persistants, en particulier le D.D.T. (dichlorodiphenyltrichloréthane). L’on présume généralement que la tendance à la baisse caractérisant l’utilisation des pesticides sera accompagnée d’une augmentation correspondante de reproduction. Dane le cadre de cette étude, nous avons mesuré, simultanément, l’occupation, le rendement reproducteur et les charges de pesticides des adultes en âge de reproduction sur un territoire situé près de Rankin Inlet, au Nunavut, de 1982 à 2009. Nos constatations indiquent que le succès de reproduction des faucons pèlerins faisant l’objet de la population à l’étude a décliné malgré les réductions concomitantes de charges de pesticides et que, en moyenne, environ trois territoires de moins étaient occupés annuellement de 2002 à 2009 que ce n’était le cas de 1982 à 1989. De plus, le nombre moyen de jeunes qui réussissait à atteindre l’âge du baguage annuellement de 2002 à 2009 était d’environ la moitié du nombre d’oiseaux bagués annuellement de 1982 à 1989. Ces résultats indiquent qu’au cours des dernières années, moins de paires ont tenté de se reproduire. Par ailleurs, parmi les oiseaux qui réussissaient à se reproduire, ils parvenaient à élever un moins grand nombre de jeunes atteignant l’âge du baguage. De manière générale, les pesticides examinés dans le cadre de cette étude ne peuvent pas expliquer, de manière mécaniste, la réduction de l’occupation de même que le déclin du rendement reproducteur. Nous suggérons donc que les effets immédiats de la situation météorologique — liés, au bout du compte, directement ou indirectement, au changement climatique général — présentent la meilleure manière d’expliquer les caractéristiques démographiques altérées de la population de Rankin Inlet

Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a common disease of the central nervous system in which the interplay between inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes typically results in intermittent neurological disturbance followed by progressive accumulation of disability. Epidemiological studies have shown that genetic factors are primarily responsible for the substantially increased frequency of the disease seen in the relatives of affected individuals, and systematic attempts to identify linkage in multiplex families have confirmed that variation within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) exerts the greatest individual effect on risk. Modestly powered genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have enabled more than 20 additional risk loci to be identified and have shown that multiple variants exerting modest individual effects have a key role in disease susceptibility. Most of the genetic architecture underlying susceptibility to the disease remains to be defined and is anticipated to require the analysis of sample sizes that are beyond the numbers currently available to individual research groups. In a collaborative GWAS involving 9,772 cases of European descent collected by 23 research groups working in 15 different countries, we have replicated almost all of the previously suggested associations and identified at least a further 29 novel susceptibility loci. Within the MHC we have refined the identity of the HLA-DRB1 risk alleles and confirmed that variation in the HLA-A gene underlies the independent protective effect attributable to the class I region. Immunologically relevant genes are significantly overrepresented among those mapping close to the identified loci and particularly implicate T-helper-cell differentiation in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis

Addition of docetaxel, zoledronic acid, or both to first-line long-term hormone therapy in prostate cancer (STAMPEDE): Survival results from an adaptive, multiarm, multistage, platform randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND Long-term hormone therapy has been the standard of care for advanced prostate cancer since the 1940s. STAMPEDE is a randomised controlled trial using a multiarm, multistage platform design. It recruits men with high-risk, locally advanced, metastatic or recurrent prostate cancer who are starting first-line long-term hormone therapy. We report primary survival results for three research comparisons testing the addition of zoledronic acid, docetaxel, or their combination to standard of care versus standard of care alone. METHODS Standard of care was hormone therapy for at least 2 years; radiotherapy was encouraged for men with N0M0 disease to November, 2011, then mandated; radiotherapy was optional for men with node-positive non-metastatic (N+M0) disease. Stratified randomisation (via minimisation) allocated men 2:1:1:1 to standard of care only (SOC-only; control), standard of care plus zoledronic acid (SOC + ZA), standard of care plus docetaxel (SOC + Doc), or standard of care with both zoledronic acid and docetaxel (SOC + ZA + Doc). Zoledronic acid (4 mg) was given for six 3-weekly cycles, then 4-weekly until 2 years, and docetaxel (75 mg/m(2)) for six 3-weekly cycles with prednisolone 10 mg daily. There was no blinding to treatment allocation. The primary outcome measure was overall survival. Pairwise comparisons of research versus control had 90% power at 2·5% one-sided α for hazard ratio (HR) 0·75, requiring roughly 400 control arm deaths. Statistical analyses were undertaken with standard log-rank-type methods for time-to-event data, with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs derived from adjusted Cox models. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00268476) and ControlledTrials.com (ISRCTN78818544). FINDINGS 2962 men were randomly assigned to four groups between Oct 5, 2005, and March 31, 2013. Median age was 65 years (IQR 60-71). 1817 (61%) men had M+ disease, 448 (15%) had N+/X M0, and 697 (24%) had N0M0. 165 (6%) men were previously treated with local therapy, and median prostate-specific antigen was 65 ng/mL (IQR 23-184). Median follow-up was 43 months (IQR 30-60). There were 415 deaths in the control group (347 [84%] prostate cancer). Median overall survival was 71 months (IQR 32 to not reached) for SOC-only, not reached (32 to not reached) for SOC + ZA (HR 0·94, 95% CI 0·79-1·11; p=0·450), 81 months (41 to not reached) for SOC + Doc (0·78, 0·66-0·93; p=0·006), and 76 months (39 to not reached) for SOC + ZA + Doc (0·82, 0·69-0·97; p=0·022). There was no evidence of heterogeneity in treatment effect (for any of the treatments) across prespecified subsets. Grade 3-5 adverse events were reported for 399 (32%) patients receiving SOC, 197 (32%) receiving SOC + ZA, 288 (52%) receiving SOC + Doc, and 269 (52%) receiving SOC + ZA + Doc. INTERPRETATION Zoledronic acid showed no evidence of survival improvement and should not be part of standard of care for this population. Docetaxel chemotherapy, given at the time of long-term hormone therapy initiation, showed evidence of improved survival accompanied by an increase in adverse events. Docetaxel treatment should become part of standard of care for adequately fit men commencing long-term hormone therapy. FUNDING Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer, Janssen, Astellas, NIHR Clinical Research Network, Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research

Analysis of shared common genetic risk between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy

Because hyper-excitability has been shown to be a shared pathophysiological mechanism, we used the latest and largest genome-wide studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (n = 36,052) and epilepsy (n = 38,349) to determine genetic overlap between these conditions. First, we showed no significant genetic correlation, also when binned on minor allele frequency. Second, we confirmed the absence of polygenic overlap using genomic risk score analysis. Finally, we did not identify pleiotropic variants in meta-analyses of the 2 diseases. Our findings indicate that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy do not share common genetic risk, showing that hyper-excitability in both disorders has distinct origins

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder