Maladaptive Habitat Selection of a Migratory Passerine Bird in a Human-Modified Landscape

In human-altered environments, organisms may preferentially settle in poor-quality habitats where fitness returns are lower relative to available higher-quality habitats. Such ecological trapping is due to a mismatch between the cues used during habitat selection and the habitat quality. Maladaptive settlement decisions may occur when organisms are time-constrained and have to rapidly evaluate habitat quality based on incomplete knowledge of the resources and conditions that will be available later in the season. During a three-year study, we examined settlement decision-making in the long-distance migratory, open-habitat bird, the Red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio), as a response to recent land-use changes. In Northwest Europe, the shrikes typically breed in open areas under a management regime of extensive farming. In recent decades, Spruce forests have been increasingly managed with large-size cutblocks in even-aged plantations, thereby producing early-successional vegetation areas that are also colonised by the species. Farmland and open areas in forests create mosaics of two different types of habitats that are now occupied by the shrikes. We examined redundant measures of habitat preference (order of settlement after migration and distribution of dominant individuals) and several reproductive performance parameters in both habitat types to investigate whether habitat preference is in line with habitat quality. Territorial males exhibited a clear preference for the recently created open areas in forests with higher-quality males settling in this habitat type earlier. Reproductive performance was, however, higher in farmland, with higher nest success, offspring quantity, and quality compared to open areas in forests. The results showed strong among-year consistency and we can therefore exclude a transient situation. This study demonstrates a case of maladaptive habitat selection in a farmland bird expanding its breeding range to human-created open habitats in plantations. We discuss the reasons that could explain this decision-making and the possible consequences for the population dynamics and persistence

Novel frameshift variants expand the map of the genetic defects in IRF2BP2

BackgroundAt present, the knowledge about disease-causing mutations in IRF2BP2 is very limited because only a few patients affected by this condition have been reported. As previous studies have described, the haploinsufficiency of this interferon transcriptional corepressors leads to the development of CVID. Very recently, a more accurate phenotype produced by truncating variants in this gene has been defined, manifesting CVID with gastrointestinal inflammatory symptoms and autoimmune manifestations.MethodsWe analyzed 5 index cases with suspected primary immunodeficiency by high throughput sequencing. They were submitted for a genetic test with a panel of genes associated with immune system diseases, including IRF2BP2. The screening of SNVs, indels and CNVs fulfilling the criteria with very low allelic frequency and high protein impact, revealed five novel variants in IRF2BP2. In addition, we isolated both wild-type and mutated allele of the cDNA from one of the families.ResultsIn this study, we report five novel loss-of-function (LoF) mutations in IRF2BP2 that likely cause primary immunodeficiency, with CVID as more frequent phenotype, variable expression of inflammatory gastrointestinal features, and one patient with predisposition of viral infection. All identified variants were frameshift changes, and one of them was a large deletion located on chromosome 1q42, which includes the whole sequence of IRF2BP2, among other genes. Both de novo and dominant modes of inheritance were observed in the families here presented, as well as incomplete penetrance.ConclusionsWe describe novel variants in a delimited low-complex region, which may be considered a hotspot in IRF2BP2. Moreover, this is the first time that a large CNV in IRF2BP2 has been reported to cause CVID. The distinct mechanisms than LoF in IRF2BP2 could cause different phenotype compared with the mainly described. Further investigations are necessary to comprehend the regulatory mechanisms of IRF2BP2, which could be under variable expression of the disease

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Evaluación del desarrollo del sotobosque en plantaciones forestales mediante LiDAR

Forestry plantations are expected to be managed in ways to conserve biodiversity while producing goods and services. This goal implies a signifi cant challenge as plantations tend to reduce species richness. The presence of well developed understory enhances the value of plantations as habitat for native fauna. Here, we develop a straightforward method to assess the availability of understory in forestry stands using laser imaging detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and aerial RGB high resolution images. Based on fi eld and airborne acquired data for Pinus radiata stands in central Chile, the digital crown model (DCM), derived from the subtraction of the digital terrain model (DTM) from the digital surface model (DSM) is a more reliable predictor of understory height that variables like terrain slope, aspect, plantation age and canopy height in forests and plantations which have not complete closed canopy. The correlation between DCM and understory though decreases while the actual height of the plantation canopy increases, rendering DCM a conservative estimate of understory development. The use of DCM will allow a fast and cost/effective estimate of habitat suitability in forestry plantations.Las plantaciones forestales deberían ser manejadas de forma que conserven biodiversidad al tiempo que provean bienes y servicios. Este es un desafío signifi cativo pues las plantaciones tienden a reducir la riqueza de especies nativas. La presencia de un sotobosque desarrollado incrementa el valor de las plantaciones como hábitat para la fauna nativa. En este trabajo desarrollamos un método sencillo para evaluar la disponibilidad de sotobosque en plantaciones forestales empleando imágenes LiDAR y RGB de alta resolución. En base a datos de campo, LiDAR e imágenes aéreas para rodales de Pinus radiata en Chile central, el modelo digital de copa (DCM), obtenido de sustraer el modelo digital de terreno (DTM) del modelo digital de superfi cie (DSM) es un predictor más confi able del desarrollo del sotobosque que variables como la pendiente del terreno, la exposición, la edad de la plantación y la altura del dosel de la plantación en situaciones en las cuales en dosel superior no está completamente cerrado. La correlación entre DCM y el sotobosque sin embargo decrece con la altura del dosel de la plantación, lo que hace de DCM un estimador conservador del desarrollo del sotobosque. El uso de DCM permitirá una evaluación rápida y costo/efectiva de la disponibilidad de hábitat para fauna nativa en plantaciones forestales

Effect of complete heart block on in-hospital mortality in a Hispanic population presenting with acute myocardial infarction

Introduction/Objective: Complete heart block (CHB) is an important clinical complication in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Yet, limited information is available on the relationship between the two in the Hispanic population. We want to determine whether a difference exists between in-hospital mortality of patients with and without CHB presenting with AMI in Puerto Rico. Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted from the Puerto Rican Cardiovascular Surveillance Study in 2007, 2009, and 2011, a non-concurrent prospective study. Our main independent variable was patients with and without CHB and our dependent variable was in- hospital mortality. SPSS V. 20 software was used for data analysis. The in-hospital mortality was examined by using chi-square or Fisher's Exact test for discrete variables and independent t-tests for continuous variables. Age, gender, and diabetes were included as potential confounders in a multivariate analyses using logistic regression. Results: The overall incidence of CHB was low (n=23). Our unadjusted model showed that patients with CHB were 4 times more likely to die compared to those without (OR: 4.1, 95%CI: 1.5-11.1; p=0.014). For every 1- year increase in age, there was a 10% increase on in-hospital mortality risk (OR: 1.1, 95%CI: 1.05-1.07; p&lt;0.001). Women were 50% more likely to die than males (OR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.2-2.0; p=0.003). In the adjusted model, CHB and age were the only variables significantly associated with mortality. The association between CHB and mortality remained strong (OR: 4.7, 95%CI: 1.7-13.5; p=0.003). No collinearity was detected among any of the explanatory variables. Conclusions: CHB increases the risk of in-hospital mortality after AMI by roughly five times after adjusting for age, gender, and diabetes. As age of the patient increased, so did the mortality. As a result of our study, clinicians may become more aware of the mortality risks associated with a minority population and could tailor their surveillance and treatment plan accordingly

Conocimiento y perfil de uso de la biblioteca Cochrane en médicos asistentes a un congreso de Medicina Interna

Introducción: las Revisiones Sistemáticas (RS) son herramientas para practicar Medicina Basada en la Evidencia. La Colaboración Cochrane genera RS, pero el conocimiento y uso de la Biblioteca Cochrane (BC) es heterogéneo. Nuestro objetivo fue describir el nivel de conocimiento y el perfil de uso de la BC entre asistentes a una Conferencia Mundial de Medicina Interna (WCIM). Método: estudio transversal vía encuesta electrónica entre asistentes al XXXI WCIM, recabando información demográfica de los participantes; su conocimiento, acceso y usos de la BC. Resultados: 413 asistentes aceptaron participar y 198 (47,9%) de 24 países respondieron. 91,4% eran Latinoamericanos, 50,5% eran internistas. El conocimiento de la BC fue del 96,5%. El 76% de quienes respondieron usaban la BC al menos una vez al mes. No encontramos diferencias en la frecuencia de uso según edad o ámbito académico. Las principales razones para utilizar RS-BC fueron: toma de decisiones clínicas (67,6%), actualización (64,2%) y docencia (31,8%); 46% consideraron la BC muy útil para sus propósitos. Los 35 años (70% vs 53%, p: 0,017). Quienes consideraron muy útil la BC la utilizaron significativamente más para propósitos docentes (41% vs. 24%, p: 0,019) y toma de decisiones clínicas (79% vs. 58%, p: 0,003) que quienes la declararon como a veces útil o no útil. Hubo también diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la distribución del acceso a la BC según región geográfica (p: 0,001). Conclusiones: encontramos un alto nivel de conocimiento dela BC entre los asistentes a WCIM. Los usuarios describen un uso frecuente para diversos propósitos, considerándola útil para estos