In situ studies of algal biomass in relation to physicochemical characteristics of the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma, USA

This is the first in a series of experiments designed to characterize the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge (SPNWR) ecosystem in northwestern Oklahoma and to catalogue its microbial inhabitants. The SPNWR is the remnant of an ancient ocean, encompassing ~65 km(2 )of variably hypersaline flat land, fed by tributaries of the Arkansas River. Relative algal biomass (i.e., chlorophyll concentrations attributed to Chlorophyll-a-containing oxygenic phototrophs) and physical and chemical parameters were monitored at three permanent stations for a one-year period (July 2000 to July 2001) using a nested block design. Salient features of the flats include annual air temperatures that ranged from -10 to 40°C, and similar to other arid/semi-arid environments, 15–20-degree daily swings were common. Shade is absent from the flats system; intense irradiance and high temperatures (air and sediment surface) resulted in low water availability across the SPNWR, with levels of only ca. 15 % at the sediment surface. Moreover, moderate daily winds were constant (ca. 8–12 km h(-1)), sometimes achieving maximum speeds of up to 137 km h(-1). Typical of freshwater systems, orthophosphate (PO(4)(3-)) concentrations were low, ranging from 0.04 to <1 μM; dissolved inorganic nitrogen levels were high, but spatially variable, ranging from ca. 250–600 μM (NO(3)(- )+ NO(2)(-)) and 4–166 μM (NH(4)(+)). Phototroph abundance was likely tied to nutrient availability, with high-nutrient sites exhibiting high Chl-a levels (ca. 1.46 mg m(-2)). Despite these harsh conditions, the phototrophic microbial community was unexpectedly diverse. Preliminary attempts to isolate and identify oxygenic phototrophs from SPNWR water and soil samples yielded 47 species from 20 taxa and 3 divisions. Our data indicate that highly variable, extreme environments might support phototrophic microbial communities characterized by higher species diversity than previously assumed

Exercise therapy in adults with serious mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Individuals with serious mental illness are at a higher risk of physical ill health. Mortality rates are at least twice those of the general population with higher levels of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, diabetes, and respiratory illness. Although genetics may have a role in the physical health problems of these patients, lifestyle and environmental factors such as levels of smoking, obesity, poor diet, and low levels of physical activity also play a prominent part.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing the effect of exercise interventions on individuals with serious mental illness.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Methods: Searches were made in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Biological Abstracts on Ovid, and The Cochrane Library (January 2009, repeated January 2013) through to February 2013.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Results: Eight RCTs were identified in the systematic search. Six compared exercise versus usual care. One study assessed the effect of a cycling programme versus muscle strengthening and toning exercises. The final study compared the effect of adding specific exercise advice and motivational skills to a simple walking programme. Exercise programmes were noted by their heterogeneity in terms of the type of exercise intervention, setting, and outcome measures. The review found that exercise improved levels of exercise activity (n=13, standard mean difference [SMD] 1.81, CI 0.44 to 3.18, p = 0.01). No beneficial effect was found on negative (n = 84, SMD = -0.54, CI -1.79 to 0.71, p = 0.40) or positive symptoms of schizophrenia (n = 84, SMD = -1.66, CI -3.78 to 0.45, p = 0.12). No change was found on body mass index compared with usual care (n= 151, SMD = -0.24, CI -0.56 to 0.08, p = 0.14), or body weight (n = 77, SMD = 0.13, CI -0.32 to 0.58, p = 0.57). No beneficial effect was found on anxiety and depressive symptoms (n = 94, SMD = -0.26, CI -0.91 to 0.39, p = 0.43), or quality of life in respect of physical and mental domains. One RCT measured the effect of exercise on exercise intensity, attendance, and persistence at a programme. No significant effect was found on these measures.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusions: This systematic review showed that exercise therapies can lead to a modest increase in levels of exercise activity but overall there was no noticeable change for symptoms of mental health, body mass index, and body weight.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt

STEPWISE - STructured lifestyle Education for People WIth SchizophrEnia : a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: People with schizophrenia are two to three times more likely to be overweight than the general population. The UK National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends an annual physical health review with signposting to, or provision of, a lifestyle programme to address weight concerns and obesity. The purpose of this randomised controlled trial is to assess whether a group-based structured education programme can help people with schizophrenia to lose weight. METHODS: Design: a randomised controlled trial of a group-based structured education programme. SETTING: 10 UK community mental health trusts. PARTICIPANTS: 396 adults with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or first-episode psychosis who are prescribed antipsychotic medication will be recruited. Participants will be overweight, obese or be concerned about their weight. INTERVENTION: participants will be randomised to either the intervention or treatment as usual (TAU). The intervention arm will receive TAU plus four 2.5-h weekly sessions of theory-based lifestyle structured group education, with maintenance contact every 2 weeks and 'booster' sessions every 3 months. All participants will receive standardised written information about healthy eating, physical activity, alcohol and smoking. OUTCOMES: the primary outcome is weight (kg) change at 1 year post randomisation. Secondary outcomes, which will be assessed at 3 and 12 months, include: the proportion of participants who maintained or reduced their weight; waist circumference; body mass index; objectively measured physical activity (wrist accelerometer); self-reported diet; blood pressure; fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile and HbA1c (baseline and 1 year only); health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L and RAND SF-36); (adapted) brief illness perception questionnaire; the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; the Client Service Receipt Inventory; medication use; smoking status; adverse events; depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9); use of weight-loss programmes; and session feedback (intervention only). Outcome assessors will be blind to trial group allocation. Qualitative interviews with a subsample of facilitators and invention-arm participants will provide data on intervention feasibility and acceptability. Assessment of intervention fidelity will also be performed. DISCUSSION: The STEPWISE trial will provide evidence for the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a tailored intervention, which, if successful, could be implemented rapidly in the NHS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN19447796 , registered on 20 March 2014

Bdelloid rotifers (Rotifera: Bdelloidea) inhabiting larval black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) and their effect on trichomycete (Zygomycota) fungal abundance

Volume: 105Start Page: 794End Page: 79

Chapitre 13. Les Simulies (Diptera : Simuliidae)

Les simulies (black flies en anglais) forment parmi les diptères la famille des Simuliidae. Elles représentent seulement 0,2 % des espèces d’insectes connues, mais, malgré un nombre relativement modeste d’espèces, elles sont des insectes d’une grande importance médicale et vétérinaire. Ces arthropodes hématophages sont les vecteurs des agents responsables de deux maladies humaines, l’onchocercose et la mansonellose, et de plusieurs maladies animales très répandues, comme la leucocytozoonose a..

Field Tests of the Varroa Treatment Device Using Formic Acid to Control Varroa destructor and Acarapis woodi

ABSTRACT The Varroa Treatment Device (VTD) filled with 85% formic acid (FA) was field tested for honey bee parasitic mite control in the Piedmont region of South Carolina from February-October, 1996. Three apiaries with 28 honey bee colonies were used in this test. Each colony was housed and managed in one, 10-frame Langstroth hive body and one 10-frame Illinois super. Two VTD/FA treatments, one Apistan treatment and one control were replicated seven times for comparison of varroa and tracheal mite levels. Treatments were: (1) two 60-day treatments with the VTD/FA; (2) continuous VTD/ FA treatment except during the 2-month nectar flow period; (3) two 42-day treatments with Apistan; and (4) VTD with sawdust but no FA as a control. Initial treatments were placed in colonies on 19 February, and the second treatments of VTD/FA and Apistan were administered on 6 August. The VTD/FA treated colonies were serviced at approximately two week intervals during the treatment periods. Samples of approximately 300 adult bees were collected for mite diagnosis (alcohol wash method) on 23 January, 11 April, 10 June, 6 August, and 15 October. One hundred pupae from each colony were extracted and checked for varroa on the same dates beginning 11 April. Thirtythree adult bees from each sample were also diagnosed for tracheal mites by the thoracic disc method. Varroa mite counts on adult bees collected from all treatments were significantly less than the control for the August and October samples. Although varroa mite counts on extracted bee pupae from most treatments were significantly less than the control for the August sample, the Apistan treatment was the only treatment that maintained significant varroa control in the brood for the October sample. Although the results of this test indicate that the VTD/FA is less effective than Apistan in controlling varroa mites, the VTD/FA provides a viable alternative varroa mite control in combination with other mite control measures, especially as an early season treatment