The tragedy of the common? A comparative population genomic study of two bumblebee species

Within the theoretical framework of the small population paradigm, we investigated the population genomics and parasite load of two bumblebee species across the UK and Ireland. Bombus pratorum is widespread and common throughout its range while Bombus monticola is restricted to higher altitudes and shows a more fragmented distribution. Bombus monticola showed stronger population structuring, isolation-by-distance, and a deficit of heterozygotes in the most isolated population in the south of its range (Dartmoor). Heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficients (FIS) were comparable between both species, but the proportion of polymorphic sites was much greater in B. pratorum. Notably, both species have suffered significant declines in Ne over the last 100 generations and estimates and declines for both species were of similar orders of magnitude. No pattern of increased parasite prevalence in populations of lower heterozygosity was observed. Instead, ecological and demographic factors (age, latitude, date, habitat suitability) were the main drivers of parasite prevalence. Distinct patterns of selection were observed in both species in regions involved in regulation of transcription and neurotransmission and in particular pathways targeted by neonicotinoid insecticides. Our results highlight the pressing need for monitoring to include common as well as rare species. This should not focus solely on census population counts, but include estimates of Ne. We also highlight the need for further work to establish adaptive shifts in globally important pollinator communities

The tragedy of the common? A comparative population genomic study of two bumblebee species

Within the theoretical framework of the small population paradigm, we investigated the population genomics and parasite load of two bumblebee species across the UK and Ireland. Bombus pratorum is widespread and common throughout its range while Bombus monticola is restricted to higher altitudes and shows a more fragmented distribution. Bombus monticola showed stronger population structuring, isolation-by-distance, and a deficit of heterozygotes in the most isolated population in the south of its range (Dartmoor). Heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficients (FIS) were comparable between both species, but the proportion of polymorphic sites was much greater in B. pratorum. Notably, both species have suffered significant declines in Ne over the last 100 generations and estimates and declines for both species were of similar orders of magnitude. No pattern of increased parasite prevalence in populations of lower heterozygosity was observed. Instead, ecological and demographic factors (age, latitude, date, habitat suitability) were the main drivers of parasite prevalence. Distinct patterns of selection were observed in both species in regions involved in regulation of transcription and neurotransmission and in particular pathways targeted by neonicotinoid insecticides. Our results highlight the pressing need for monitoring to include common as well as rare species. This should not focus solely on census population counts, but include estimates of Ne. We also highlight the need for further work to establish adaptive shifts in globally important pollinator communities

Did tool-use evolve with enhanced physical cognitive abilities?

The use and manufacture of tools have been considered to be cognitively demanding and thus a possible driving factor in the evolution of intelligence. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that enhanced physical cognitive abilities evolved in conjunction with the use of tools, by comparing the performance of naturally tool-using and non-tool-using species in a suite of physical and general learning tasks. We predicted that the habitually tool-using species, New Caledonian crows and Galápagos woodpecker finches, should outperform their non-tool-using relatives, the small tree finches and the carrion crows in a physical problem but not in general learning tasks. We only found a divergence in the predicted direction for corvids. That only one of our comparisons supports the predictions under this hypothesis might be attributable to different complexities of tool-use in the two tool-using species. A critical evaluation is offered of the conceptual and methodological problems inherent in comparative studies on tool-related cognitive abilities

Some aspects of health impairment in workers from an epoxy resin (araldit) plant with regard to hygienic conditions

U ovom radu data je analiza higijenskih uslova, posebno zaprašenost vazduha i hemijskih profesionalnih štetnosti u Odjeljenju araldita. Zaprašenost vazduha (kvarcnom prašinom i prašinom staklenog vlakna) prelazila je MDK, a među hemijskim štetnostima posebno se ističe anhidrid ftalne kiseline koji takođe premašuje MDK. Predloženo je da MDK za prašinu staklenog vlakna iznosi 3 mg/m3. Ispitivanjem zdravstvenog stanja 72 radnika Odjeljenja araldita nađene su hronične upalne promjene na gornjim disajnim putevima. Pored toga ustanovljena su 2 slučaja punktiformne pneumokonioze, 1 slučaj punktiformne pneumokonioze udružene sa inaktivnom tuberkulozom pluća, 5 slučajeva inaktivne tuberkuloze pluća i visok procenat lakih opstruktivnih smetnji (27,1%). Predložene su neke zaštitne mjere koje se odnose na tehničku i medicinsku prevenciju.Hygienic conditions in an araldit plant were analyzed with particular regard to the concentration of dust and noxious chemical substances in the air. Dust level in the air (quartz dust and fiber glass dust) and among chemical noxious agents that of phthalic anhydride exceeded maximum permissible concentrations. It is proposed that maximum permissible concentration for the fiber glass dust be 3 mg/m3. A medical examination of 72 workers employed in the plant revealed chronic inflammatory changes in the upper respiratory airways. Besides, two cases of punctiform pneumoconiosis were found, one of them connected with inactive tuberculosis of lungs, then five cases of inactive tuberculosis of lungs and a high percentage of mild obstructive disturbances (27.1%). Several protective measures concerning technical and medical prevention are recommended

Early inhaled budesonide for the prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

BACKGROUND Systemic glucocorticoids reduce the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia among extremely preterm infants, but they may compromise brain development. The effects of inhaled glucocorticoids on outcomes in these infants are unclear. METHODS We randomly assigned 863 infants (gestational age, 23 weeks 0 days to 27 weeks 6 days) to early (within 24 hours after birth) inhaled budesonide or placebo until they no longer required oxygen and positive-pressure support or until they reached a postmenstrual age of 32 weeks 0 days. The primary outcome was death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia, confirmed by means of standardized oxygen-saturation monitoring, at a postmenstrual age of 36 weeks. RESULTS A total of 175 of 437 infants assigned to budesonide for whom adequate data were available (40.0%), as compared with 194 of 419 infants assigned to placebo for whom adequate data were available (46.3%), died or had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (relative risk, stratified according to gestational age, 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75 to 1.00; P = 0.05). The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was 27.8% in the budesonide group versus 38.0% in the placebo group (relative risk, stratified according to gestational age, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.91; P = 0.004); death occurred in 16.9% and 13.6% of the patients, respectively (relative risk, stratified according to gestational age, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.69; P = 0.17). The proportion of infants who required surgical closure of a patent ductus arteriosus was lower in the budesonide group than in the placebo group (relative risk, stratified according to gestational age, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.83; P = 0.004), as was the proportion of infants who required reintubation (relative risk, stratified according to gestational age, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.96; P = 0.03). Rates of other neonatal illnesses and adverse events were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Among extremely preterm infants, the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was lower among those who received early inhaled budesonide than among those who received placebo, but the advantage may have been gained at the expense of increased mortality

A causal roadmap for generating high-quality real-world evidence

Increasing emphasis on the use of real-world evidence (RWE) to support clinical policy and regulatory decision-making has led to a proliferation of guidance, advice, and frameworks from regulatory agencies, academia, professional societies, and industry. A broad spectrum of studies use real-world data (RWD) to produce RWE, ranging from randomized trials with outcomes assessed using RWD to fully observational studies. Yet, many proposals for generating RWE lack sufficient detail, and many analyses of RWD suffer from implausible assumptions, other methodological flaws, or inappropriate interpretations. The Causal Roadmap is an explicit, itemized, iterative process that guides investigators to prespecify study design and analysis plans; it addresses a wide range of guidance within a single framework. By supporting the transparent evaluation of causal assumptions and facilitating objective comparisons of design and analysis choices based on prespecified criteria, the Roadmap can help investigators to evaluate the quality of evidence that a given study is likely to produce, specify a study to generate high-quality RWE, and communicate effectively with regulatory agencies and other stakeholders. This paper aims to disseminate and extend the Causal Roadmap framework for use by clinical and translational researchers; three companion papers demonstrate applications of the Causal Roadmap for specific use cases

Data from: Neutral variation does not predict immunogenetic variation in the European grayling (Thymallus thymallus) - implications for management

Preservation of genetic diversity is critical to successful conservation and there is increasing demand for the inclusion of ecologically meaningful genetic information in management decisions. Supportive breeding programmes are increasingly implemented to combat declines in many species, yet their effect on adaptive genetic variation is understudied. This is despite the fact that supportive breeding may interfere with natural evolutionary processes. Here, we assessed the performance of neutral and adaptive markers (Major Histocompatibility Complex; MHC) to inform management of European grayling (Thymallus thymallus), which routinely involves supplementation of natural populations with hatchery-reared fish (stocking). This study is the first to characterize MH II DAA and DAB loci in grayling and to investigate immune genetic variation in relation to management practice in this species. High-throughput Illumina sequencing of ‘introduced’, ‘stocked native’ and ‘non-stocked native’ populations revealed significantly higher levels of allelic richness and heterozygosity for MH markers than microsatellites exclusively in non-stocked native populations. Likewise, significantly lower differentiation at the MH II than for microsatellites was apparent when considering non-stocked native populations, but not stocked populations. We developed a simulation model to test the effects of relaxation of selection during the early life stage within captivity. Dependent on the census population size and stocking intensity, there may be long-term effects of stocking on MH II, but not neutral genetic diversity. This is consistent with our empirical results. This study highlights the necessity for considering adaptive genetic variation in conservation decisions and raises concerns about the efficiency of stocking as a management practice