The Effect of Plant Inbreeding and Stoichiometry on Interactions with Herbivores in Nature: Echinacea angustifolia and Its Specialist Aphid

Fragmentation of once widespread communities may alter interspecific interactions by changing genetic composition of interacting populations as well as their abundances and spatial distributions. In a long-term study of a fragmented population of Echinacea angustifolia, a perennial plant native to the North American prairie, we investigated influences on its interaction with a specialist aphid and tending ants. We grew plant progeny of sib-matings (I), and of random pairings within (W) and between (B) seven remnants in a common field within 8 km of the source remnants. During the fifth growing season, we determined each plant's burden of aphids and ants, as well as its size and foliar elemental composition (C, N, P). We also assayed composition (C, N) of aphids and ants. Early in the season, progeny from genotypic classes B and I were twice as likely to harbor aphids, and in greater abundance, than genotypic class W; aphid loads were inversely related to foliar concentration of P and positively related to leaf N and plant size. At the end of the season, aphid loads were indistinguishable among genotypic classes. Ant abundance tracked aphid abundance throughout the season but showed no direct relationship with plant traits. Through its potential to alter the genotypic composition of remnant populations of Echinacea, fragmentation can increase Echinacea's susceptibility to herbivory by its specialist aphid and, in turn, perturb the abundance and distribution of aphids

Up to seven-fold inter-hospital differences in obstetric anal sphincter injury rates- A birth register-based study in Finland

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The occurrence of obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) - which may have serious, long-term effects on affected women, including faecal incontinence, despite primary repair - varies widely between countries and have been chosen one of the indicators for patient safety in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and in Nordic countries.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The aim of the study was to assess risks of OASIS among five university teaching hospitals and 14 non-university central hospitals with more than 1,000 deliveries annually during 1997-2007 in Finland. Women with singleton vaginal deliveries divided into two populations consisting of all 168,637 women from five university hospitals and all 255,660 women from non-university hospitals, respectively, derived from population-based register. Primiparous and multiparous women with OASIS (n = 2,448) were compared in terms of possible risk factors to primiparous and multiparous women without OASIS, respectively, using stepwise logistic regression analysis. The occurrences of OASIS varied from 0.7% to 2.1% in primiparous and from 0.1% to 0.3% in multiparous women among the university hospitals. Three-fold inter-hospital differences in OASIS rates did not significantly change after adjustment for patient mix or the use of interventions. In non-university hospitals OASIS rates varied from 0.2% to 1.4% in primiparous and from 0.02% to 0.4% in multiparous women, and the results remained virtually unchanged after adjustment for known risks.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Up to 3.2-fold inter-hospital differences in OASIS risk demonstrates significant differences in the quality of Finnish obstetric care.</p

CHEK2 1100delC in patients with metachronous cancers of the breast and the colorectum

BACKGROUND: Development of multiple primary tumors is a hallmark of hereditary cancer. At least 1/10 of breast cancers and colorectal cancers occur because of heredity and recently the cell cycle kinase 2, CHEK2 1100delC allele has been identified at a particularly high frequency in families with hereditary breast and colorectal cancer. METHODS: We utilized the Southern Sweden population-based cancer registry to identify women with double primary breast and colorectal cancer and sequenced tumor material in order to assess the contribution of the CHEK2 1100delC to the development of such metachronous tumors. RESULTS: Among the 75 patients successfully analyzed, 2 (2.5%) carried the CHEK2 1100delC allele. which was not significantly different (p = 0.26) from the 1% (3/300) carriers identified in the control group. CONCLUSION: In summary, our data suggest that the CHEK2 1100delC is not a major cause of double primary breast and colorectal cancer in Sweden, which suggests that this patient group should not routinely be screened for the CHEK2 1100delC variant

CHEK2 1100delC is prevalent in Swedish early onset familial breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A truncating variant, 1100delC, in check point-kinase CHEK2, has been identified as a risk factor for familial and sporadic breast cancer. The prevalence in healthy non-breast cancer cases is low and varies between populations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed the prevalence of <it>CHEK2 </it>1100delC in 763 breast cancer patients with a defined family history and 760 controls from the Stockholm region. The breast cancer patients originated from; a population-based cohort (n = 452) and from a familial cancer clinic (n = 311), the detailed family history was known in both groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The variant was found in 2.9% of the familial cases from the population-based cohort and in 1.9% from the familial cancer clinic. In total 2.2% of the patients with a family history of breast cancer carried the variant compared to 0.7% of the controls (p = 0.03). There was no increased prevalence in sporadic patients (0.3%). The variant was most frequent in young familial patients (5.1% of cases ≤45 years, p = 0.003). The mean age at diagnosis of variant carriers was 12 years lower than in non-carriers (p = 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, <it>CHEK2 </it>1100delC exists in the Swedish population. The prevalence is increased in familial breast cancer and the variant seems to influence age at onset.</p

Effective Long-Distance Pollen Dispersal in Centaurea jacea

BACKGROUND: Agri-environment schemes play an increasingly important role for the conservation of rare plants in intensively managed agricultural landscapes. However, little is known about their effects on gene flow via pollen dispersal between populations of these species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a 2-year experiment, we observed effective pollen dispersal from source populations of Centaurea jacea in restored meadows, the most widespread Swiss agri-environment scheme, to potted plants in adjacent intensively managed meadows without other individuals of this species. Potted plants were put in replicated source populations at 25, 50, 100 m and where possible 200 m distance from these source populations. Pollen transfer among isolated plants was prevented by temporary bagging, such that only one isolated plant was accessible for flower visitors at any one time. Because C. jacea is self-incompatible, seed set in single-plant isolates indicated insect mediated effective pollen dispersal from the source population. Seed set was higher in source populations (35.7+/-4.4) than in isolates (4.8+/-1.0). Seed set declined from 18.9% of that in source populations at a distance of 25 m to 7.4% at 200 m. At a distance of 200 m seed set was still significantly higher in selfed plants, indicating long-distance effective pollen dispersal up to 200 m. Analyses of covariance suggested that bees contributed more than flies to this long-distance pollen dispersal. We found evidence that pollen dispersal to single-plant isolates was positively affected by the diversity and flower abundance of neighboring plant species in the intensively managed meadow. Furthermore, the decline of the dispersal was less steep when the source population of C. jacea was large. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that insect pollinators can effectively transfer pollen from source populations of C. jacea over at least 200 m, even when "recipient populations" consisted of single-plant isolates, suggesting that gene flow by pollen over this distance is very likely. Source population size and flowering environment surrounding recipient plants appear to be important factors affecting pollen dispersal in C. jacea. It is conceivable that most insect-pollinated plants in a network of restored sites within intensively managed grassland can form metapopulations, if distances between sites are of similar magnitude as tested here

A systematic review of non-invasive modalities used to identify women with anal incontinence symptoms after childbirth

© 2018, The International Urogynecological Association. Introduction and hypothesis: Anal incontinence following childbirth is prevalent and has a significant impact upon quality of life (QoL). Currently, there is no standard assessment for women after childbirth to identify these symptoms. This systematic review aimed to identify non-invasive modalities used to identify women with anal incontinence following childbirth and assess response and reporting rates of anal incontinence for these modalities. Methods: Ovid Medline, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Collaboration, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were searched for studies using non-invasive modalities published from January 1966 to May 2018 to identify women with anal incontinence following childbirth. Study data including type of modality, response rates and reported prevalence of anal incontinence were extracted and critically appraised. Results: One hundred and nine studies were included from 1602 screened articles. Three types of non-invasive modalities were identified: validated questionnaires/symptom scales (n = 36 studies using 15 different instruments), non-validated questionnaires (n = 50 studies) and patient interviews (n = 23 studies). Mean response rates were 92% up to 6 weeks after childbirth. Non-personalised assessment modalities (validated and non-validated questionnaires) were associated with reporting of higher rates of anal incontinence compared with patient interview at all periods of follow-up after childbirth, which was statistically significant between 6 weeks and 1 year after childbirth (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This systematic review confirms that questionnaires can be used effectively after childbirth to identify women with anal incontinence. Given the methodological limitations associated with non-validated questionnaires, assessing all women following childbirth for pelvic-floor symptomatology, including anal incontinence, using validated questionnaires should be considered

Data from: Seed source impacts germination and early establishment of dominant grasses in prairie restorations

Land managers choose seed from a variety of provenances for restoration projects. By selecting seed of the local ecotype, managers can increase establishment in the short term and prevent the disruption of local adaptations and genetic swamping in the long term. However, local seed may be disadvantageous if populations are inbred or maladapted to managed restoration environments. Seed selection may be further confounded by propagation methods. Three dominant C4 grasses, Andropogon gerardii, Bouteloua curtipendula and Sorghastrum nutans, from three types of seed provenances (remnant, restoration and nursery) were planted as seeds and plugs into experimental plots at three established tallgrass prairie restorations in western Minnesota, USA. Using a common garden design, we tested whether (i) provenance and (ii) site of planting influence germination and first-season survival and growth both (iii) for seeds directly planted in the field and for transplants (plugs). Seed provenance impacted germination and seedling survival in all cases, except S. nutans seeded directly in the field. Andropogon gerardii and B. curtipendula nursery seedlings were consistently taller than those of the other provenance types. When directly seeded, germination, survival and vigour differed among restoration sites; however, the results were species specific. Sorghastrum nutans germination varied among sites depending on provenance, indicating that this species may be particularly sensitive to environmental conditions. Germination was 3–12 times greater for plugs than for seeds directly planted in the field in summer, but mortality after planting in the field was low for both groups. Synthesis and applications. Provenance and restoration site had varying effects among species, indicating that the dominant C4 grasses used in this study ought not to be considered ecological equivalents. While we found little evidence of local adaptation, use of local remnant seeds diminishes the risk of spreading maladapted genotypes. Germination limited establishment when sowing seeds directly in summer. Supplemental use of plugs may increase species diversity in restorations

gallagherWagenius2015_plug_vigor

Data used to analyze first-season vigor of Andropogon gerardii, Bouteloua curtipendula and Sorghastrum nutans plugs that were germinated in growth chambers and then transplanted into three experimental plots located in three prairie restorations in western Minnesota. Seeds were sourced from four remnants, three restorations and three MN prairie seed nurseries. Only surviving plugs, with final vigor measurements, are included in this data set

gallagherWagenius2015_fieldSeedling_vigor

Data used to analyze first-season vigor of Andropogon gerardii, Bouteloua curtipendula and Sorghastrum nutans seedlings that were directly sown into three experimental plots located in three prairie restorations in western Minnesota. Seeds were sourced from four remnants, three restorations and three MN prairie seed nurseries. Only surviving seedlings are included in this data set