Vestigial structures in the appendicular skeletons of eight African skink species (Squamata, Scincidae)

Limb reduction and loss, with reduction of limb and girdle skeletons to a vestigial state, has occurred several times independently within the skink family (Scincidae). The vestigial appendicular skeletons of most limbless skinks have not been described before now. Here we describe those of eight African skink species, all with a burrowing lifestyle: Acontias percivali, Acontias meleagris, Typhlosaurus cregoi, Typhlosaurus lineatus, Typhlacontias gracilis, Sepsina bayonii, Scelotes anguina and Scelotes arenicola. For all but two (A. meleagris and Sc. arenicola) the appendicular skeletons were previously undescribed. Limbs are absent in all specimens except for vestigial hindlimbs in Se. bayonii and vestigial femurs in one specimen of Sc. arenicola. In our sample, the pectoral girdle is reduced to a pair of tiny slivers in A. percivali, Ty. gracilis, Se. bayonii and Sc. anguina. It is absent in the other specimens. The pelvic girdle is absent in Ty. cregoi. In all the rest but Se. bayonii it is vestigial, retaining only the ilium in A. meleagris, Ty. lineatus and one specimen of Sc. arenicola. This study adds to the number of skink species with vestigial appendicular skeletons that have been described. It also adds to the rangeof documented intraspecific variation in the vestigial appendicular skeletons of A. meleagris, Sc. arenicola and the Australian skinks Lerista stylis and Lerista carpentariae. We observed asymmetry between the left and right sides in the vestigial appendicular skeletons of four of the African skink species: A. meleagris, Sc. anguina, Sc. arenicola and Se. bayoni

Considerations for Occupational Therapists in Developing Community-Level Interventions for Youth with High Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Drug misuse likely contributes to the over 30,000 children in foster care and to the 24.2% of children who have experienced two or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Twenty-five percent of children are living in poverty, with nearly half of those living in single-parent households. Among the national guidelines to preventing ACEs are connecting youth with positive activities and providing family relationship enhancement opportunities. We believe the profession of occupational therapy can help contribute to the mental and behavioral health care workforce in a greater capacity than is currently used. Many children are not afforded the opportunity to engage in novel leisure pursuits that are essential for positive mental health function and well-being. Occupational therapists can assist in creating a culture of health and equity for youth by harnessing the power of play and leisure to promote self-healing communities

Considerations for Occupational Therapists in Developing Community-Level Interventions for Youth with High Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Drug misuse likely contributes to the over 30,000 children in foster care and to the 24.2% of children who have experienced two or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Twenty-five percent of children are living in poverty, with nearly half of those living in single-parent households. Among the national guidelines to preventing ACEs are connecting youth with positive activities and providing family relationship enhancement opportunities. We believe the profession of occupational therapy can help contribute to the mental and behavioral health care workforce in a greater capacity than is currently used. Many children are not afforded the opportunity to engage in novel leisure pursuits that are essential for positive mental health function and well-being. Occupational therapists can assist in creating a culture of health and equity for youth by harnessing the power of play and leisure to promote self-healing communities

A New Troodontid Theropod Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Utah

BACKGROUND: The theropod dinosaur family Troodontidae is known from the Upper Jurassic, Lower Cretaceous, and Upper Cretaceous of Asia and from the Upper Jurassic and Upper Cretaceous of North America. Before now no undisputed troodontids from North America have been reported from the Early Cretaceous. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Herein we describe a theropod maxilla from the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah and perform a phylogenetic analysis to determine its phylogenetic position. The specimen is distinctive enough to assign to a new genus and species, Geminiraptor suarezarum. Phylogenetic analysis places G. suarezarum within Troodontidae in an unresolved polytomy with Mei, Byronosaurus, Sinornithoides, Sinusonasus, and Troodon+(Saurornithoides+Zanabazar). Geminiraptor suarezarum uniquely exhibits extreme pneumatic inflation of the maxilla internal to the antorbital fossa such that the anterior maxilla has a triangular cross-section. Unlike troodontids more closely related to Troodon, G. suarezarum exhibits bony septa between the dental alveoli and a promaxillary foramen that is visible in lateral view. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first report of a North American troodontid from the Lower Cretaceous. It therefore contributes to a fuller understanding of troodontid biogeography through time. It also adds to the known dinosaurian fauna of the Cedar Mountain Formation

Antigenic Characterization of H3 Subtypes of Avian Influenza A Viruses from North America

Besides humans, H3 subtypes of influenza A viruses (IAVs) can infect various animal hosts, including avian, swine, equine, canine, and sea mammal species. These H3 viruses are both antigenically and genetically diverse. Here, we characterized the antigenic diversity of contemporary H3 avian IAVs recovered from migratory birds in North America. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays were performed on 37 H3 isolates of avian IAVs recovered from 2007 to 2011 using generated reference chicken sera. These isolates were recovered from samples taken in the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific waterfowl migration flyways. Antisera to all the tested H3 isolates cross-reacted with each other and, to a lesser extent, with those to H3 canine and H3 equine IAVs. Antigenic cartography showed that the largest antigenic distance among the 37 avian IAVs is about four units, and each unit corresponds to a 2 log 2 difference in the HI titer. However, none of the tested H3 IAVs cross-reacted with ferret sera derived from contemporary swine and human IAVs. Our results showed that the H3 avian IAVs we tested lacked significant antigenic diversity, and these viruses were antigenically different from those circulating in swine and human populations. This suggests that H3 avian IAVs in North American waterfowl are antigenically relatively stable. Además de infectar a los seres humanos, los subtipos H3 del virus de la influenza A (IAVs) pueden infectar a varios huéspedes animales, incluyendo aves, porcinos, equinos, caninos, y especies de mamíferos marinos. Estos virus H3 son tanto antigénica y genéticamente diversos. En este estudio, se caracterizó la diversidad antigénica de virus H3 contemporáneos recuperados de aves migratorias en América del Norte. Se realizaron pruebas de inhibición de la hemaglutinación (HI) en 37 H3 aislamientos de origen aviar recuperados de 2007 a 2011 usando sueros de pollo de referencia. Estos aislamientos fueron recuperados de las muestras tomadas de las rutas migratorias de aves acuáticas del Atlántico, Mississippi, Centro y del Pacífico. Los antisueros de todos los aislamientos H3 analizados mostraron reacciones cruzadas entre sí y en menor medida, con aquellos virus H3 de origen canino y equino. La cartografía antigénica demostró que la mayor distancia antigénica entre los 37 virus de este tipo de aves es de aproximadamente cuatro unidades, y cada unidad corresponde a una diferencia de dos logaritmos en el título de inhibición de la hemaglutinación. Sin embargo, ninguno de los virus H3 de este tipo mostró reacción cruzada con sueros de hurón específicos para virus de cerdos y humanos contemporáneos. Estos resultados mostraron que los virus H3 de origen aviar que se analizaron carecían de diversidad antigénica significativa y estos virus fueron antigénicamente diferentes de las que circulan en poblaciones de cerdos y de humanos. Esto sugiere que los virus H3 de aves acuáticas de América del Norte son relativamente estables antigénicamente

Emotional processes and stress in children affected by hereditary angioedema with C1-inhibitor deficiency : a multicenter, prospective study

Background: Hereditary angioedema with C1-inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) is characterized by recurrent edema of unpredictable frequency and severity. Stress, anxiety, and low mood are among the triggering factors most frequently reported. Impaired regulation and processing of emotions, also known as alexithymia, may influence outcomes. The aim of this study was to confirm the presence of alexithymia and stress in children with C1-INH-HAE, to determine whether they are also present in children affected by other chronic diseases, and to investigate their relationship with C1-INH-HAE severity. Data from children with C1-INH-HAE (n = 28) from four reference centers in Italy were compared with data from children with type 1 diabetes (T1D; n = 23) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n = 25). Alexithymia was assessed using the Alexithymia Questionnaire for Children scale; perceived stress was assessed using the Coddington Life Event Scale for Children (CLES-C). Results: Mean age (standard deviation [SD]) in the C1-INH-HAE, T1D, and RA groups was 11.8 (3.3), 11.7 (2.9), and 11.1 (2.6) years, respectively. Mean C1-INH-HAE severity score was 5.9 (2.1), indicating moderate disease. Alexithymia scores were similar among disease groups and suggestive of difficulties in identifying and describing emotions; CLES-C scores tended to be worse in C1-INH-HAE children. C1-INH-HAE severity was found to correlate significantly and positively with alexithymia (p = 0.046), but not with perceived stress. Alexithymia correlated positively with perceived stress. Conclusions: Alexithymia is common in children with chronic diseases. In C1-INH-HAE, it may result in increased perceived stress and act as a trigger of edema attacks. Comprehensive management of C1-INH-HAE children should consider psychological factors

Dopamine agonists and ischemic complications in Parkinson’s disease: a nested case–control study

Personalised Therapeutic

ITGB5 and AGFG1 variants are associated with severity of airway responsiveness

Background: Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a primary characteristic of asthma, involves increased airway smooth muscle contractility in response to certain exposures. We sought to determine whether common genetic variants were associated with AHR severity. Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of AHR, quantified as the natural log of the dosage of methacholine causing a 20% drop in FEV1, was performed with 994 non-Hispanic white asthmatic subjects from three drug clinical trials: CAMP, CARE, and ACRN. Genotyping was performed on Affymetrix 6.0 arrays, and imputed data based on HapMap Phase 2, was used to measure the association of SNPs with AHR using a linear regression model. Replication of primary findings was attempted in 650 white subjects from DAG, and 3,354 white subjects from LHS. Evidence that the top SNPs were eQTL of their respective genes was sought using expression data available for 419 white CAMP subjects. Results: The top primary GWAS associations were in rs848788 (P-value 7.2E-07) and rs6731443 (P-value 2.5E-06), located within the ITGB5 and AGFG1 genes, respectively. The AGFG1 result replicated at a nominally significant level in one independent population (LHS P-value 0.012), and the SNP had a nominally significant unadjusted P-value (0.0067) for being an eQTL of AGFG1. Conclusions: Based on current knowledge of ITGB5 and AGFG1, our results suggest that variants within these genes may be involved in modulating AHR. Future functional studies are required to confirm that our associations represent true biologically significant findings