Plate fixation of clavicle fractures:comparison between early and delayed surgery

Background: The optimal treatment strategy for clavicle fractures remains a topic of debate. We evaluated our step-wise treatment protocol for patients with clavicle fractures to determine our success rate of conservative treatment. In addition, we evaluated the incidence of complications after clavicle plate fixation in patients undergoing acute surgery vs. delayed surgery. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis in which we registered all patients aged 14 years or older with a clavicle fracture between January 2010 and May 2018 and at least 6 weeks' follow-up. Patients who underwent surgery were included from a prospectively maintained database. Functional outcomes were measured by Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand and Constant-Murley scores 6 weeks after surgery. Results: Conservative treatment was successful in 1627 of 1748 patients (93%). Primary fixation was performed in 73 patients (61%) and delayed fixation in 48 (39%). In 8 patients (6.6%), radiologic widening of the acromioclavicular (AC) joint was present after surgery, suggestive of AC injury. The incidence of complications was significantly higher among patients who underwent delayed fixation vs. those who underwent primary fixation: 15 of 48 patients (31.3%) vs. 9 of 73 patients (12.3%). Conclusion: Most patients with clavicle fractures have an excellent outcome using conservative management. Acute surgery can be performed in high-demand patients, resulting in high performance scores. Delayed surgery is associated with a higher risk of complications, although the outcome is generally good. Associated AC joint dislocation found on postoperative radiographs does not influence outcomes. Shared decision making is key, and patients should be well aware of the potential risks and benefits of surgery

Use of Fatty Acid Analysis to Determine Dispersal of Caspian Terns in the Columbia River Basin, U.S.A.

Lethal control, which has been used to reduce local abundances of animals in conflict with humans or with endangered species, may not achieve management goals if animal movement is not considered. In populations with emigration and immigration, lethal control may induce compensatory immigration, if the source of attraction remains unchanged. Within the Columbia River Basin (Washington, U.S.A.), avian predators forage at dams because dams tend to reduce rates of emigration of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.), artificially concentrating these prey. We used differences in fatty acid profiles between Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) at coastal and inland breeding colonies and terns culled by a lethal control program at a mid-Columbia River dam to infer dispersal patterns. We modeled the rate of loss of fatty acid biomarkers, which are fatty acids that can be traced to a single prey species or groups of species, to infer whether and when terns foraging at dams had emigrated from the coast. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling showed that coastal terns had high levels of C20 and C22 monounsaturated fatty acids, whereas fatty acids of inland breeders were high in C18:3n3, C20:4n6, and C22:5n3. Models of the rate of loss of fatty acid showed that approximately 60% of the terns collected at Rock Island Dam were unlikely to have bred successfully at local (inland) sites, suggesting that terns foraging at dams come from an extensive area. Fatty acid biomarkers may provide accurate information about patterns of dispersal in animal populations and may be extremely valuable in cases where populations differ demonstrably in prey base

The effect of spatial configuration of habitat capacity on β diversity

Patterns of β diversity are commonly used to infer underlying ecological processes. In this study, we examined the effect of spatial configuration of habitat capacity on different metrics of β diversity, i.e., β diversity measured as turnover and as variation. For β diversity as turnover, a monotonic species spatial turnover pattern is typically considered as a benchmark for species distributions driven only by dispersal process. Deviations from a monotonic curve are attributed to local environmental filtering (i.e., the same environmental factors affecting different species differently). However, we found non-monotonicity in species spatial turnover in models without environmental filtering effect. This non-monotonicity was caused by variation in α diversity, introduced by spatial configuration of habitat capacity. After applying a recent null-model approach—designed to tease out the effect of variation in α diversity—species spatial turnover remained non-monotonic. This non-monotonicity makes it problematic to use species spatial turnover to infer the underlying processes for species distribution, i.e., whether it is driven by environmental filtering or dispersal processes. Spatial configuration of habitat capacity also influences landscape connectivity. Small-habitat capacity sites may constrain movements of organisms (i.e., dispersal) between sites supporting high capacity habitats. We showed that in a landscape where small-habitat capacity sites were located in positions important for dispersal (e.g., in the center as opposed to on the edge of a landscape) has a higher spatial variation of species composition, hence, higher β diversity. Ecologists who use different measures of β diversity should be aware of these effects introduced by spatial configuration of habitat capacity

Words matter: a systematic review of communication in non-native aquatic species literature

How scientists communicate can influence public viewpoints on invasive species. In the scientific litera-ture, some invasion biologists adopt neutral language, while others use more loaded language, for example by emphasizing the devastating impacts of invasive species and outlining consequences for policy and practice. An evaluation of the use of language in the invasion biology literature does not exist, preventing us from understanding which frames are used and whether there are correlations between message framing in scientific papers and local environmental impacts associated with invasive species. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review of 278 peer-reviewed articles published from 2008-2018 to understand communication styles adopted by social and natural scientists while reporting on aquatic non-native spe-cies research. Species-centered frames (45%) and human-centered frames (55%) were adopted to nearly equal degrees. Negative valence was dominant in that 81.3% of articles highlighted the negative risks and impacts of invasive species. Additionally, the use of terminology was found to broadly align with the stage of invasion, in that "invasive" was most commonly used except when the research was conducted at early stages of invasion, when "non-native" was most commonly used. Terminology use therefore enables readers of scientific papers to infer the status and severity of ongoing invasions. Given that science communication within the peer-reviewed literature affects public understanding of research outcomes, these findings provide an important point of reflection for researchers

Will extreme climatic events facilitate biological invasions?

Copyright © 2012 Ecological Society of AmericaExtreme climatic events (ECEs) – such as unusual heat waves, hurricanes, floods, and droughts – can dramatically affect ecological and evolutionary processes, and these events are projected to become more frequent and more intense with ongoing climate change. However, the implications of ECEs for biological invasions remain poorly understood. Using concepts and empirical evidence from invasion ecology, we identify mechanisms by which ECEs may influence the invasion process, from initial introduction through establishment and spread. We summarize how ECEs can enhance invasions by promoting the transport of propagules into new regions, by decreasing the resistance of native communities to establishment, and also sometimes by putting existing non-native species at a competitive disadvantage. Finally, we outline priority research areas and management approaches for anticipating future risks of unwanted invasions following ECEs. Given predicted increases in both ECE occurrence and rates of species introductions around the globe during the coming decades, there is an urgent need to understand how these two processes interact to affect ecosystem composition and functioning.National Science Foundatio

Effects of nonnative species on the stability of riverine fish communities

ResearchDespite the increasing ubiquity of biological invasions worldwide, little is known about the scale-dependent effects of nonnative species on real-world ecological dynamics. Here, using an extensive time series dataset of riverine fish communities across different biogeographic regions of the world, we assessed the effects of nonnative species on the temporal variability and synchrony in abundance at different organizational levels (population, metapopulation, community and metacommunity) and spatial scales (stream reach and river basin). At the reach scale, we found that populations of nonnative species were more variable over time than native species, and that this effect scaled up to the community level – significantly destabilizing the dynamics of riverine fish communities. Nonnative species not only contributed to reduced community stability, but also increased variability of native populations. By contrast, we found no effect of nonnative species dominance on local interspecific synchrony among native species. At the basin scale, nonnative metapopulations were again more variable than the native ones. However, neither native metapopulations nor metacommunities showed differences in temporal variability or synchrony as nonnative species dominance increased basin-wide. This suggests a ‘dilution effect’ where the contribution to regional stability of local native populations from sites displaying low levels of invasion reduced the destabilizing effects of nonnative species. Overall, our results indicate that accounting for the destabilizing effect of nonnative species is critical to understanding native species persistence and community stabilityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Will Extreme Climatic Events Facilitate Biological Invasions?

Extreme climatic events (ECEs) – such as unusual heat waves, hurricanes, floods, and droughts – can dramatically affect ecological and evolutionary processes, and these events are projected to become more frequent and more intense with ongoing climate change. However, the implications of ECEs for biological invasions remain poorly understood. Using concepts and empirical evidence from invasion ecology, we identify mechanisms by which ECEs may influence the invasion process, from initial introduction through establishment and spread. We summarize how ECEs can enhance invasions by promoting the transport of propagules into new regions, by decreasing the resistance of native communities to establishment, and also sometimes by putting existing non-native species at a competitive disadvantage. Finally, we outline priority research areas and management approaches for anticipating future risks of unwanted invasions following ECEs. Given predicted increases in both ECE occurrence and rates of species introductions around the globe during the coming decades, there is an urgent need to understand how these two processes interact to affect ecosystem composition and functioning

Esociformes: Esocidae, Pikes, and Umbridae (Mudminnows)

The order Esociformes (Pikes and Mudminnows) comprises two families, Esocidae (Pikes) and Umbridae (Mudminnows). The Pikes are a small Holarctic (Northern Hemisphere) family, that includes large, elongate predators with duckbill-like snouts full of sharp teeth. Popular with sport fishers, the largest Pikes fight fiercely on hook and line. As piscivorous, voracious, ambush predators, the Pikes play an important functional role in the trophic ecology and fish assemblage structure of many aquatic systems, especially in northern lakes. Other esocids, such as the Olympic Mudminnow, Novumbra hubbsi, and Blackfishes, genus Dallia, are interesting because of their tolerance of low dissolved oxygen and pH. The Alaska Blackfish, Dallia pectoralis, and the Northern Pike, Esox lucius, can also withstand the extremely cold conditions of the Arctic and subarctic waters of Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. The name Esocidae is derived from Linnaeus’s (1758) generic name for Pike, Esox, from the Latin word esox meaning Pike, which came originally from the Greek isox or possibly the Gaelic eog, ehawe (salmon) (Boschung & Mayden 2004)