9 research outputs found
A pre-adaptive approach for tropical forest restoration during climate change using naturally occurring genetic variation in response to water limitation
Effective reforestation of degraded tropical forests depends on selecting planting material suited to the stressful environments typical at restoration sites that can be exacerbated by increased duration and intensity of dry spells expected with climate change. While reforestation efforts in nontropical systems are incorporating drought-adapted genotypes into restoration programs to cope with drier conditions, such approaches have not been tested or implemented in tropical forests. As the first effort to examine genetic variation in plant response to drought in a tropical wet forest, we established a watering experiment using five replicated maternal lines (i.e. seedlings from different maternal trees) of five dipterocarp species native to Borneo. Apart from the expected species level variation in growth and herbivory (3-fold variation in both cases), we also found intraspecific variation so that growth in some cases varied 2-fold, and herbivory 3-fold, among genetically different maternal lines. In two species we found that among-maternal line variation in growth rate was negatively correlated with tolerance to water limitation, that is, the maternal lines that performed the best in the high water treatment lost proportionally more of their growth during water limitation. We argue that selection for tolerance to future drier conditions is not only likely to impact population genetics of entire forests, but likely extends from forest trees to the communities of canopy arthropods associated with these trees. In tropical reforestation efforts where increased drought is predicted from climate change, including plant material resilient to drier conditions may improve restoration effectiveness
Captive breeding of a near threatened fish, pengba Osteobrama belangeri (Valenciennes, 1844) using three different inducing agents
Farm reared pengba, Osteobrama belangeri were induced to spawn in captivity during August, 2012 by injecting three
different synthetic hormones, Ovaprim, Ovatide and Gonopro-FH. Single dose (1 ml kg-1 body weight) of each hormone was
administered and results were recorded. Spawning was observed within 8 h after injection. Hatching of eggs were observed
after 22±2 h of incubation at 27±1OC. The mean fertilization rate was 84.05±0.36% for Ovaprim, 79.17±3.95% for Ovatide
and 84.85±0.89% for Gonopro-FH treated fish. The mean hatching rate was 84.69±1.73% with Ovaprim, 75.01±1.92% with
Ovatide and 86.52±0.88% with Gonopro-FH. Gonopro-FH and Ovaprim gave 5.67 and 4.88% higher fertilization rate as
well as 11.5 and 9.69% more hatching rate of eggs respectively as compared to Ovatide. Ovaprim and Gonopro-FH were
found to be more effective in induced breeding of O. belangeri
Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.
Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs
Not Available
Not AvailableFarm reared pengba, Osteobrama belangeri were induced to spawn in captivity during August, 2012 by injecting three
different synthetic hormones, Ovaprim, Ovatide and Gonopro-FH. Single dose (1 ml kg-1 body weight) of each hormone was
administered and results were recorded. Spawning was observed within 8 h after injection. Hatching of eggs were observed
after 22±2 h of incubation at 27±1OC. The mean fertilization rate was 84.05±0.36% for Ovaprim, 79.17±3.95% for Ovatide
and 84.85±0.89% for Gonopro-FH treated fish. The mean hatching rate was 84.69±1.73% with Ovaprim, 75.01±1.92% with
Ovatide and 86.52±0.88% with Gonopro-FH. Gonopro-FH and Ovaprim gave 5.67 and 4.88% higher fertilization rate as
well as 11.5 and 9.69% more hatching rate of eggs respectively as compared to Ovatide. Ovaprim and Gonopro-FH were
found to be more effective in induced breeding of O. belangeri.Not Availabl
Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level
This cross-sectional analysis reports the retinoblastoma stage at
diagnosis across the world during a single year, investigates
associations between clinical variables and national income level, and
investigates risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis.
Key PointsQuestionIs the income level of a country of residence
associated with the clinical stage of presentation of patients with
retinoblastoma? FindingsIn this cross-sectional analysis that included
4351 patients with newly diagnosed retinoblastoma, approximately half of
all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017, 49.1\% of patients from
low-income countries had extraocular tumor at time of diagnosis compared
with 1.5\% of patients from high-income countries. MeaningThe clinical
stage of presentation of retinoblastoma, which has a major influence on
survival, significantly differs among patients from low-income and
high-income countries, which may warrant intervention on national and
international levels.
ImportanceEarly diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular
cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal
evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed
late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has
never been assessed on a global scale. ObjectivesTo report the
retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a
single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and
national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced
disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsA total of 278
retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through
December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of
treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017.
Main Outcomes and MeasuresAge at presentation, proportion of familial
history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. ResultsThe
cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at
diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976
patients (45.4\%) were female. Most patients (n=3685 {[}84.7\%]) were
from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common
indication for referral was leukocoria (n=2638 {[}62.8\%]), followed by
strabismus (n=429 {[}10.2\%]) and proptosis (n=309 {[}7.4\%]). Patients
from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1
months, with 656 of 666 (98.5\%) patients having intraocular
retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3\%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income
countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521
(49.1\%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9\%) having
metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older
presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and
distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of
retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs
even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs
upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 {[}95\% CI, 12.94-24.80],
and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries
and HICs, 5.74 {[}95\% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and RelevanceThis
study is estimated to have included more than half of all new
retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the
main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with
more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial
history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a
childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are
concerning and mandate intervention at national and international
levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than
age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in
LMICs