The origins and fill histories of buried palaeo valley systems and overdeepened bedrock troughs in the Midland Valley of Scotland

‘Buried’ palaeo valley systems have been identified widely beneath lowland parts of the UK and the North Sea. Their concealed occurrence can have significant implications for groundwater, hydrocarbon and geothermal resources. Equally the links between geometry and the sediments that infill them are poorly understood but provide important clues to their genesis and applied properties. In the Midland Valley of Scotland ‘buried valleys’ of over 100 m depth have been recorded yet have typically only been studied in isolation. Utilising a digital dataset of over 100,000 boreholes which penetrates the full thickness of Quaternary deposits in the Midland Valley of Scotland, 18 buried palaeo valleys where identified, ranging from 5-36 km in length and 24-162 m in depth. Geometric analysis has revealed four distinct valley morphologies, some of which appear to cross cut each other with the deepest features aligning east-west. These east-west features align with the ice flow during the Late Devensian glaciation (c. 30-17 ka). The shallower features, appear more aligned to ice flow direction during ice sheet retreat, and were therefore probably incised under more restricted ice-sheet configurations. Analysis of the fills shows they also vary greatly. The shallower restricted ice sheet features are filled with between 52-82% diamicton. However, the large, east-west features have more heterogeneous fills, which are either dominated by clay (29-44%) or sand (6-22%). The presence of localised sand and gravels that pre-date the advance of the Main Late Devensian ice sheet confirms that the east-west features have been active over several glaciations, and that the fill may not be linked to the processes that cut the valley. All the features that sit below the Holocene marine incursion limits have more heterolithic fills than those above it suggesting that they existed as valleys after ice retreat with remaining accommodation space infilled during a final stage of marine inundation

MRI-derived g-ratio and lesion severity in newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis

Myelin loss is associated with axonal damage in established multiple sclerosis. This relationship is challenging to study in vivo in early disease. Here, we ask whether myelin loss is associated with axonal damage at diagnosis, by combining non-invasive neuroimaging and blood biomarkers. We performed quantitative microstructural MRI and single molecule ELISA plasma neurofilament measurement in 73 patients with newly diagnosed, immunotherapy naïve relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Myelin integrity was evaluated using aggregate g-ratios, derived from magnetization transfer saturation (MTsat) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) diffusion data. We found significantly higher g-ratios within cerebral white matter lesions (suggesting myelin loss) compared with normal-appearing white matter (0.61 vs 0.57, difference 0.036, 95% CI 0.029 to 0.043, p < 0.001). Lesion volume (Spearman’s rho rs= 0.38, p < 0.001) and g-ratio (rs= 0.24 p < 0.05) correlated independently with plasma neurofilament. In patients with substantial lesion load (n = 38), those with higher g-ratio (defined as greater than median) were more likely to have abnormally elevated plasma neurofilament than those with normal g-ratio (defined as less than median) (11/23 [48%] versus 2/15 [13%] p < 0.05). These data suggest that, even at multiple sclerosis diagnosis, reduced myelin integrity is associated with axonal damage. MRI-derived g-ratio may provide useful additional information regarding lesion severity, and help to identify individuals with a high degree of axonal damage at disease onset. York, Martin et al. simultaneously measured g-ratio and plasma neurofilament in 73 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients at diagnosis using advanced MRI and single molecule ELISA. They demonstrate that g-ratio of cerebral white matter lesions varies at diagnosis, and show that high g-ratio of lesions is associated with elevated plasma neurofilament

Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children

Big bees do a better job : intraspecific size variation influences pollination effectiveness

Funding: School of Biology, University of St AndrewsBumblebees (Bombus spp.) are efficient pollinators of many flowering plants, yet the pollen deposition performance of individual bees has not been investigated. Worker bumblebees exhibit large intraspecific and intra-nest size variation, in contrast with other eusocial bees; and their size influences collection and deposition of pollen grains. Laboratory studies with B. terrestris workers and Vinca minor flowers showed that pollen grains deposited on stigmas in single visits (SVD) were significantly positively related to bee size; larger bees deposited more grains, while the smallest individuals, with proportionally shorter tongues, were unable to collect or deposit pollen in these flowers. Individuals did not increase their pollen deposition over time, so handling experience does not influence SVD in Vinca minor. Field studies using Geranium sanguineum and Echium vulgare, and multiple visiting species, confirmed that individual size affects SVD. All bumblebee species showed size effects, though even the smallest individuals did deposit pollen, whereas there was no detectable effect with Apis with its limited size variation. Two abundant hoverfly species also showed size effects, particularly when feeding for nectar. Mean size of foragers also varied diurnally, with larger individuals active earlier and later, so that pollination effectiveness varies through a day; flowers routinely pollinated by bees may best be served by early morning dehiscence and visits from larger individuals. Thus, while there are well-documented species-level variations in pollination effectiveness, the fine-scale individual differences between foragers should also be taken into account when assessing the reproductive outputs of biotically-pollinated plants.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A Key Comprehensive System for Biobehavioral Surveillance of Populations Disproportionately Affected by HIV (National HIV Behavioral Surveillance): Cross-sectional Survey Study

BackgroundThe National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) is a comprehensive system for biobehavioral surveillance conducted since 2003 in 3 populations disproportionately affected by HIV: gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM); people who inject drugs; and heterosexually active persons at increased risk for HIV infection (HET). This ongoing and systematic collection and analysis of data is needed to identify baseline prevalence of behavioral risk factors and prevention service use, as well as to measure progress toward meeting HIV prevention goals among key populations disproportionately affected by HIV. ObjectiveThis manuscript provides an overview of NHBS from 2003 to 2019. MethodsNHBS is conducted in rotating, annual cycles; these 3 annual cycles are considered a round. Venue-based, time-space sampling is used for the MSM population. Respondent-driven sampling is used for people who inject drugs and HET populations. A standardized, anonymous questionnaire collects information on HIV-related behavioral risk factors, HIV testing, and use of prevention services. In each cycle, approximately 500 eligible persons from each participating area are interviewed and offered anonymous HIV testing. ResultsFrom 2003 to 2019, 168,600 persons were interviewed and 143,570 agreed to HIV testing across 17 to 25 cities in the United States. In the fifth round (2017 to 2019), over 10,000 (10,760-12,284) persons were interviewed each of the 3 population cycles in 23 cities. Of those, most (92%-99%) agreed to HIV testing. Several cities also conducted sexually transmitted infection or hepatitis C testing. ConclusionsNHBS is critical for monitoring the impact of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States initiative. Data collected from NHBS are key to describe trends in key populations and tailor new prevention activities to ensure high prevention impact. NHBS data provide valuable information for monitoring and evaluating national HIV prevention goals and guiding national and local HIV prevention efforts. Furthermore, NHBS data can be used by public health officials and researchers to identify HIV prevention needs, allocate prevention resources, and develop and improve prevention programs directed to the populations of interest and their communities

Facial Indicators of Positive Emotions in Rats.

Until recently, research in animal welfare science has mainly focused on negative experi- ences like pain and suffering, often neglecting the importance of assessing and promoting positive experiences. In rodents, specific facial expressions have been found to occur in sit- uations thought to induce negatively valenced emotional states (e.g., pain, aggression and fear), but none have yet been identified for positive states. Thus, this study aimed to investi- gate if facial expressions indicative of positive emotional state are exhibited in rats. Adoles- cent male Lister Hooded rats (Rattus norvegicus, N = 15) were individually subjected to a Positive and a mildly aversive Contrast Treatment over two consecutive days in order to induce contrasting emotional states and to detect differences in facial expression. The Posi- tive Treatment consisted of playful manual tickling administered by the experimenter, while the Contrast Treatment consisted of exposure to a novel test room with intermittent bursts of white noise. The number of positive ultrasonic vocalisations was greater in the Positive Treatment compared to the Contrast Treatment, indicating the experience of differentially valenced states in the two treatments. The main findings were that Ear Colour became sig- nificantly pinker and Ear Angle was wider (ears more relaxed) in the Positive Treatment compared to the Contrast Treatment. All other quantitative and qualitative measures of facial expression, which included Eyeball height to width Ratio, Eyebrow height to width Ratio, Eyebrow Angle, visibility of the Nictitating Membrane, and the established Rat Gri- mace Scale, did not show differences between treatments. This study contributes to the exploration of positive emotional states, and thus good welfare, in rats as it identified the first facial indicators of positive emotions following a positive heterospecific play treatment. Fur- thermore, it provides improvements to the photography technique and image analysis for the detection of fine differences in facial expression, and also adds to the refinement of the tickling procedure. Introductio

The Timed Up and Go Test as a Measure of Frailty in Urologic Practice

ObjectiveTo evaluate the prevalence of frailty, a known predictor of poor outcomes, among patients presenting to an academic nononcologic urology practice and to examine whether frailty differs among patients who did and did not undergo urologic surgery.MethodsThe Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), a parsimonious measure of frailty, was administered to patients ages ≥65. The TUGT, demographic data, urologic diagnoses, and procedural history were abstracted from the medical record into a prospective database. TUGT times were categorized as nonfrail (≤10 seconds), prefrail (11-14 seconds), and frail (≥15 seconds). These times were evaluated across age and urologic diagnoses and compared between patients who did and did not undergo urologic surgery using chi-square and t tests.ResultsThe TUGT was recorded for 78.9% of patient visits from December 2015 to May 2016. For 1089 patients, average age was 73.3 ± 6.3 years; average TUGT time was 11.6 ± 6.0 seconds; 30.0% were categorized as prefrail and 15.2% as frail. TUGT times increased with age, with 56.9% of patients age 86 and over categorized as frail. Times varied across diagnoses (highest average TUGT was 14.3 ± 11.9 seconds for patients with urinary tract infections); however, no difference existed between patients who did and did not undergo surgery (P = .94).ConclusionAmong our population, prefrailty and frailty were common, TUGT times increased with age and varied by urologic diagnosis, but did not differ between patients who did and did not undergo urologic surgery, presenting an opportunity to consider frailty in preoperative surgical decision making