Day 2: Thursday, 18 August 2005: Canada Lynx Reintroduction

5 pages (includes some color illustrations and maps). Contains references

Chiasma

Newspaper reporting on events at the Boston University School of Medicine in the 1960s

The Aquatic Automated Dosing and Maintenance System (AADAMS)

The maintenance and dosing of aquatic organisms, such as corals and mollusks, are essential for ecotoxicology studies, yet it is difficult to maintain many of these sensitive organisms for an extended period. Consequently, many previous aquatic ecotoxicology experiments have been limited in their number of replicates and maintained in one or a few experimental aquaria, with only a limited number of stressors tested in each experiment. Here we describe a modular system that overcomes many of the difficulties of maintaining large numbers of sensitive aquatic organisms in separate containers, and allows testing of a large suite of stressors in each experiment. The AADAMS (aquatic automated dosing and maintenance system) allows testing of 40 independent stressors with 10 independent replicates per stressor (400 individuals total). The AADAMS provides surge and regular water changes simultaneously with accurate dosing via Venturi valves. In a series of experiments over a 1-year period, the AADAMS was used to test the effects of various factors affecting water quality on Caribbean coral reefs. Roofing tar and road asphalt were two of the most damaging pollutants tested, with LD50 values (lethal dose that killed 50% of the corals) of 0.013 g L–1 and 0.079 g L–1, respectively, thus suggesting that runoff from roads and near-shore construction could be contributing to reef decline. The AADAMS is an accurate, reliable system for highly replicated ecotoxicological studies of sensitive aquatic organisms, which are important indicators of ecosystem health

Impact of Age and Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate on the Glycemic Efficacy and Safety of Canagliflozin: A Pooled Analysis of Clinical Studies.

AbstractObjectiveReduced efficacy has been reported in the elderly; it may be a consequence of an age-dependent decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) rather than ageing per se. We sought to determine the impact of these 2 parameters, as well as sex and baseline body mass index (BMI), on the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, in people with type 2 diabetes.MethodsData were pooled from 6 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies (18 or 26 weeks; N=4053). Changes in glycated hemoglobin (A1C) and systolic blood pressure (BP) from baseline with canagliflozin 100 mg and 300 mg and placebo were evaluated in subgroups by sex, baseline BMI, baseline age and baseline eGFR. Safety was assessed by reports of adverse events.ResultsPlacebo-subtracted reductions in A1C with canagliflozin 100 mg and 300 mg were similar in men and women. A1C reductions with canagliflozin were seen across BMI subgroups and in participants aged <65 years and ≥65 years. Significantly greater placebo-subtracted reductions in A1C were seen with both canagliflozin doses in participants with higher baseline eGFR (≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2). Reductions in systolic BP were seen with canagliflozin across subgroups of sex, BMI, age and eGFR. A1C reductions with canagliflozin were similar for participants aged <65 or ≥65 years who had baseline eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and were smaller in older than in younger participants with baseline eGFR 45 to <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. The overall incidence of adverse events was similar across treatment groups regardless of sex, baseline BMI, baseline age or baseline eGFR.ConclusionsCanagliflozin improved glycemic control, reduced BP and was generally well tolerated in people with type 2 diabetes across a range of ages, BMIs and renal functions

Fossil crinoid studies

40 p., 17 fig.http://paleo.ku.edu/contributions.htm

The metal ion-dependent adhesion site motif of the Enterococcus faecalis EbpA pilin mediates pilus function in catheter-associated urinary tract infection

Though the bacterial opportunist Enterococcus faecalis causes a myriad of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), including catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), little is known about the virulence mechanisms that it employs. However, the endocarditis- and biofilm-associated pilus (Ebp), a member of the sortase-assembled pilus family, was shown to play a role in a mouse model of E. faecalis ascending UTI. The Ebp pilus comprises the major EbpC shaft subunit and the EbpA and EbpB minor subunits. We investigated the biogenesis and function of Ebp pili in an experimental model of CAUTI using a panel of chromosomal pilin deletion mutants. A nonpiliated pilus knockout mutant (EbpABC(−) strain) was severely attenuated compared to its isogenic parent OG1RF in experimental CAUTI. In contrast, a nonpiliated ebpC deletion mutant (EbpC(−) strain) behaved similarly to OG1RF in vivo because it expressed EbpA and EbpB. Deletion of the minor pilin gene ebpA or ebpB perturbed pilus biogenesis and led to defects in experimental CAUTI. We discovered that the function of Ebp pili in vivo depended on a predicted metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS) motif in EbpA’s von Willebrand factor A domain, a common protein domain among the tip subunits of sortase-assembled pili. Thus, this study identified the Ebp pilus as a virulence factor in E. faecalis CAUTI and also defined the molecular basis of this function, critical knowledge for the rational development of targeted therapeutics

Elbow Injuries Among MLB Pitchers Increased During Covid-19 Disrupted Season, But Not Other Baseball Injuries

# Background The 2020 Major League Baseball Season (MLB) demonstrated season disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in training and seasonal time frames may be associated with higher rates of injury. # Purpose To use publicly available data to compare injury rates during the 2015-2019 seasons, COVID-19 shortened season (2020), and the 2021 season stratified by body region and position (pitchers versus position players). # Study Design A retrospective cohort study utilizing publicly available data # Methods MLB players who competed in 1+ seasons between 2015-2021 were included and stratified by position (pitcher, position player). Incidence rate (IR), reported by 1000 x Athlete-Game Exposures (AGEs), was calculated for each season, and stratified by position and body region. Poisson regressions were performed for all injuries and stratified by position to determine association between season and injury incidence. Subgroup analyses were performed on the elbow, groin/hip/thigh, shoulder. # Results Four thousand, two hundred and seventy-four injuries and 796,502 AGEs across 15,152 players were documented. Overall IR was similar across seasons (2015-2019:5.39; 2020:5.85; 2021:5.04 per 1000 AGEs). IR remained high for the groin/hip/thigh for position players (2015-2019:1.7; 2020:2.0; 2021:1.7 per 1000 AGEs). There was no difference in injury rates between 2015-2019 and 2020 seasons $$1.1 (0.9-1.2), p=0.310$$. The 2020 season demonstrated a significant increase in elbow injuries 2.7 (1.8-4.0), p\<0.001; when stratified by position, this increase remained significant for pitchers pitchers: 3.5 (2.1-5.9), p\<0.001; position players: 1.8 (0.9-3.6), p=0.073. No other differences were observed. # Conclusion The groin/hip/thigh demonstrated the highest IR in 2020 among position players across all season time frames, indicating that continued injury mitigation for this region is necessary. When stratified by body region, elbow injury rates among pitchers demonstrated 3.5 times the rate of injury in 2020 compared to previous seasons, impacting injury burden for the most vulnerable body region among pitchers. # Level of Evidence Level II