Ecological determinants of extrapair fertilizations and egg dumping in Alpine water pipits (Anthus spinoletta)

Behavioral ecology has successfully explained the diversity in social mating systems through differences in environmental conditions, but diversity in genetic mating systems is poorly understood. The difference is important in situations where parents care for extrapair young (EPY) originating from extrapair paternity (EPP), extrapair maternity (EPM), and intraspecific brood parasitism (IBP). In birds, IBP and EPM are rare, but EPP is widespread and highly variable among species and populations. Explanations for this variability are controversial, mainly because detailed ecological information is usually lacking in paternity studies. Here we present results of the first study to identify the ecological determinants of extrapair activities for both sexes of the same species, the water pipit (Anthus spinoletta). DNA fingerprints of 1052 young from 258 nests revealed EPP in 5.2% of the young from 12.4% of the nests. EPM and IBP, both involving egg dumping (EDP), each occurred in 0.5% of the young from 1.9% of the nests. Nests with and without EPY could not be distinguished by traits of the breeders and by reproductive succcess, but they differed with respect to ecology: nests with EPP young were characterized by asynchronous clutch initiation, nests with EPM and IBP young were characterized by higher overlap with neighboring territories and closer proximity to communal feeding sites. We suggest that chance events, resulting from the temporal and spatial distribution of broods, offer a better explanation for the occurence of extrapair activities than female search for genetic or phenotypic benefits. This possibility of "accidental” extrapair reproduction as an "ecological epiphenomenon” with low potential for selection should also be considered for species other than the water pipi

Correction to: Comparative effectiveness and safety of non-vitamin K antagonists for atrial fibrillation in clinical practice: GLORIA-AF Registry

International audienceIn this article, the name of the GLORIA-AF investigator Anastasios Kollias was given incorrectly as Athanasios Kollias in the Acknowledgements. The original article has been corrected

Patterns of oral anticoagulant use and outcomes in Asian patients with atrial fibrillation: a post-hoc analysis from the GLORIA-AF Registry

Background: Previous studies suggested potential ethnic differences in the management and outcomes of atrial fibrillation (AF). We aim to analyse oral anticoagulant (OAC) prescription, discontinuation, and risk of adverse outcomes in Asian patients with AF, using data from a global prospective cohort study. Methods: From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase II-III (November 2011-December 2014 for Phase II, and January 2014-December 2016 for Phase III), we analysed patients according to their self-reported ethnicity (Asian vs. non-Asian), as well as according to Asian subgroups (Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other Asian). Logistic regression was used to analyse OAC prescription, while the risk of OAC discontinuation and adverse outcomes were analysed through Cox-regression model. Our primary outcome was the composite of all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). The original studies were registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01468701, NCT01671007, and NCT01937377. Findings: 34,421 patients were included (70.0 ± 10.5 years, 45.1% females, 6900 (20.0%) Asian: 3829 (55.5%) Chinese, 814 (11.8%) Japanese, 1964 (28.5%) Korean and 293 (4.2%) other Asian). Most of the Asian patients were recruited in Asia (n = 6701, 97.1%), while non-Asian patients were mainly recruited in Europe (n = 15,449, 56.1%) and North America (n = 8378, 30.4%). Compared to non-Asian individuals, prescription of OAC and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) was lower in Asian patients (Odds Ratio [OR] and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI): 0.23 [0.22-0.25] and 0.66 [0.61-0.71], respectively), but higher in the Japanese subgroup. Asian ethnicity was also associated with higher risk of OAC discontinuation (Hazard Ratio [HR] and [95% CI]: 1.79 [1.67-1.92]), and lower risk of the primary composite outcome (HR [95% CI]: 0.86 [0.76-0.96]). Among the exploratory secondary outcomes, Asian ethnicity was associated with higher risks of thromboembolism and intracranial haemorrhage, and lower risk of major bleeding. Interpretation: Our results showed that Asian patients with AF showed suboptimal thromboembolic risk management and a specific risk profile of adverse outcomes; these differences may also reflect differences in country-specific factors. Ensuring integrated and appropriate treatment of these patients is crucial to improve their prognosis. Funding: The GLORIA-AF Registry was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH