The phylogeography of Indoplanorbis exustus (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in Asia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The freshwater snail <it>Indoplanorbis exustus </it>is found across India, Southeast Asia, central Asia (Afghanistan), Arabia and Africa. <it>Indoplanorbis </it>is of economic importance in that it is responsible for the transmission of several species of the genus <it>Schistosoma </it>which infect cattle and cause reduced livestock productivity. The snail is also of medical importance as a source of cercarial dermatitis among rural workers, particularly in India. In spite of its long history and wide geographical range, it is thought that <it>Indoplanorbis </it>includes only a single species. The aims of the present study were to date the radiation of <it>Indoplanorbis </it>across Asia so that the factors involved in its dispersal in the region could be tested, to reveal potential historical biogeographical events shaping the phylogeny of the snail, and to look for signs that <it>I. exustus </it>might be polyphyletic.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results indicated a radiation beginning in the late Miocene with a divergence of an ancestral bulinine lineage into Assam and peninsular India clades. A Southeast Asian clade diverged from the peninsular India clade late-Pliocene; this clade then radiated at a much more rapid pace to colonize all of the sampled range of <it>Indoplanorbis </it>in the mid-Pleistocene.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The phylogenetic depth of divergences between the Indian clades and Southeast Asian clades, together with habitat and parasitological differences suggest that <it>I. exustus </it>may comprise more than one species. The timescale estimated for the radiation suggests that the dispersal to Arabia and to Southeast Asia was facilitated by palaeogeographical events and climate change, and did not require human involvement. Further samples from Afghanistan, Africa and western India are required to refine the phylogeographical hypothesis and to include the African Recent dispersal.</p

Donor insulin use predicts beta‐cell function after islet transplantation

Insulin is routinely used to manage hyperglycaemia in organ donors and during the peri-transplant period in islet transplant recipients. However, it is unknown whether donor insulin use (DIU) predicts beta-cell dysfunction after islet transplantation. We reviewed data from the UK Transplant Registry and the UK Islet Transplant Consortium; all first-time transplants during 2008-2016 were included. Linear regression models determined associations between DIU, median and coefficient of variation (CV) peri-transplant glucose levels and 3-month islet graft function. In 91 islet cell transplant recipients, DIU was associated with lower islet function assessed by BETA-2 scores (β [SE] -3.5 [1.5], P = .02), higher 3-month post-transplant HbA1c levels (5.4 [2.6] mmol/mol, P = .04) and lower fasting C-peptide levels (−107.9 [46.1] pmol/l, P = .02). Glucose at 10 512 time points was recorded during the first 5 days peri-transplant: the median (IQR) daily glucose level was 7.9 (7.0-8.9) mmol/L and glucose CV was 28% (21%-35%). Neither median glucose levels nor glucose CV predicted outcomes post-transplantation. Data on DIU predicts beta-cell dysfunction 3 months after islet transplantation and could help improve donor selection and transplant outcomes

Hitting the Jackpot – development of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and other rapid screening methods for the analysis of 18 fentanyl-derived synthetic opioids

© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. In recent years, the occurrence of synthetic opioid fentanyl and its derivatives has grown significantly in forensic casework. This study presents the synthesis and analysis of 18 fentalogs, selected based on information received from local law enforcement. This study provides colorimetric tests, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) which can potentially be utilized for presumptive screening of the target compounds, as bulk powders or as trace-level adulterants. The fully validated confirmatory GC–MS method (employing SIM mode) allows the identification of the 18 derivatives, five commonly encountered controlled substances and four adulterants, within 20 minutes. The cross-validated method described herein provides a sensitive screening and quantitation method for the illicit (and potentially harmful) components at trace levels (LOD = 0.007–0.822 μg/mL and LOQ = 0.023–2.742 μg/mL respectively). Spectral data [1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 19F-NMR, FT-IR, and HRMS] and assignments for the synthesized reference materials are also provided in the Supplementary Information for laboratories engaged in the routine analysis of fentanyl and its derivatives

Acceptance and Perception of Artificial Intelligence Usability in Eye Care (APPRAISE) for Ophthalmologists: A Multinational Perspective

Background: Many artificial intelligence (AI) studies have focused on development of AI models, novel techniques, and reporting guidelines. However, little is understood about clinicians' perspectives of AI applications in medical fields including ophthalmology, particularly in light of recent regulatory guidelines. The aim for this study was to evaluate the perspectives of ophthalmologists regarding AI in 4 major eye conditions: diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataract. Methods: This was a multi-national survey of ophthalmologists between March 1st, 2020 to February 29th, 2021 disseminated via the major global ophthalmology societies. The survey was designed based on microsystem, mesosystem and macrosystem questions, and the software as a medical device (SaMD) regulatory framework chaired by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Factors associated with AI adoption for ophthalmology analyzed with multivariable logistic regression random forest machine learning. Results: One thousand one hundred seventy-six ophthalmologists from 70 countries participated with a response rate ranging from 78.8 to 85.8% per question. Ophthalmologists were more willing to use AI as clinical assistive tools (88.1%, n = 890/1,010) especially those with over 20 years' experience (OR 3.70, 95% CI: 1.10–12.5, p = 0.035), as compared to clinical decision support tools (78.8%, n = 796/1,010) or diagnostic tools (64.5%, n = 651). A majority of Ophthalmologists felt that AI is most relevant to DR (78.2%), followed by glaucoma (70.7%), AMD (66.8%), and cataract (51.4%) detection. Many participants were confident their roles will not be replaced (68.2%, n = 632/927), and felt COVID-19 catalyzed willingness to adopt AI (80.9%, n = 750/927). Common barriers to implementation include medical liability from errors (72.5%, n = 672/927) whereas enablers include improving access (94.5%, n = 876/927). Machine learning modeling predicted acceptance from participant demographics with moderate to high accuracy, and area under the receiver operating curves of 0.63–0.83. Conclusion: Ophthalmologists are receptive to adopting AI as assistive tools for DR, glaucoma, and AMD. Furthermore, ML is a useful method that can be applied to evaluate predictive factors on clinical qualitative questionnaires. This study outlines actionable insights for future research and facilitation interventions to drive adoption and operationalization of AI tools for Ophthalmology

Human pancreatic islet transplantation: an update and description of the establishment of a pancreatic islet isolation laboratory

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is associated with chronic complications that lead to high morbidity and mortality rates in young adults of productive age. Intensive insulin therapy has been able to reduce the likelihood of the development of chronic diabetes complications. However, this treatment is still associated with an increased incidence of hypoglycemia. In patients with "brittle T1DM", who have severe hypoglycemia without adrenergic symptoms (hypoglycemia unawareness), islet transplantation may be a therapeutic option to restore both insulin secretion and hypoglycemic perception. The Edmonton group demonstrated that most patients who received islet infusions from more than one donor and were treated with steroid-free immunosuppressive drugs displayed a considerable decline in the initial insulin independence rates at eight years following the transplantation, but showed permanent C-peptide secretion, which facilitated glycemic control and protected patients against hypoglycemic episodes. Recently, data published by the Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry (CITR) has revealed that approximately 50% of the patients who undergo islet transplantation are insulin independent after a 3-year follow-up. Therefore, islet transplantation is able to successfully decrease plasma glucose and HbA1c levels, the occurrence of severe hypoglycemia, and improve patient quality of life. The goal of this paper was to review the human islet isolation and transplantation processes, and to describe the establishment of a human islet isolation laboratory at the Endocrine Division of the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

New Strategies in Modeling Electronic Structures and Properties with Applications to Actinides

This chapter discusses contemporary quantum chemical methods and provides general insights into modern electronic structure theory with a focus on heavy-element-containing compounds. We first give a short overview of relativistic Hamiltonians that are frequently applied to account for relativistic effects. Then, we scrutinize various quantum chemistry methods that approximate the $N$-electron wave function. In this respect, we will review the most popular single- and multi-reference approaches that have been developed to model the multi-reference nature of heavy element compounds and their ground- and excited-state electronic structures. Specifically, we introduce various flavors of post-Hartree--Fock methods and optimization schemes like the complete active space self-consistent field method, the configuration interaction approach, the Fock-space coupled cluster model, the pair-coupled cluster doubles ansatz, also known as the antisymmetric product of 1 reference orbital geminal, and the density matrix renormalization group algorithm. Furthermore, we will illustrate how concepts of quantum information theory provide us with a qualitative understanding of complex electronic structures using the picture of interacting orbitals. While modern quantum chemistry facilitates a quantitative description of atoms and molecules as well as their properties, concepts of quantum information theory offer new strategies for a qualitative interpretation that can shed new light onto the chemistry of complex molecular compounds.Comment: 43 pages, 3 figures, Version of Recor