HOST TRACKING OR RESOURCE TRACKING? THE CASE OF PERIGLISCHRUS WING MITES (ACARINA: SPINTURNICIDAE) OF LEAF-NOSED BATS (CHIROPTERA: PHYLLOSTOMIDAE) FROM MICHOACAN, MEXICO

We examined the issue of host tracking versus resource tracking in spinturnicid wing mites of the genus Periglischrus, which are associated with bats of the family Phyllostomidae. Several lines of evidence suggest that these mites are host tracking, that is they do not respond to environmental factors beyond the body of their host. With one exception only, each host species was infested by only one mite species. In some cases, a mite species infested more than one bat species, but these hosts were always closely related, composing a monophyletic group within our sample. Finally, GIS analyses were used to evaluate the effects of annual precipitation, vegetation, climate, and soils on mite distributions within their host distributions in Michoacán. Those associations having an adequate sample size resulted in non-significance, indicating that the mite distributions did not vary with respect to environmental factors. Additional data and analyses are needed to test each of these findings, as well as to evaluate other environmental factors not tested in this study which may be of importance to mite distribution.Las hipótesis de seguimiento del huesped (host tracking) versus seguimiento de recursos (resource tracking) fueron analizadas en ácaros spinturnícidos del genero Periglischrus, parásitos asociados a los murciélagos de la familia Phyllostomidae. Diferentes líneas de evidencia sugieren que estos ácaros siguen a los huespedes, es decir, que no responden a factores ambientales más alla del cuerpo de los mismos. Con una sola excepción, cada especie huesped fue infectada por una sola especie de ácaro. En algunos casos, una especie de ácaro infectó más de una especie de murciélago, pero siempre estos huespedes fueron especies estrechamente relacionadas, componiendo un grupo monofilético dentro de nuestra muestra. Por último, se usaron análisis por sistema de información geográfica (GIS) para evaluar los efectos de precipitación anual, vegetación, clima y suelos en la distribución de los ácaros dentro de la distribución de sus huespedes en Michoacán. Aquellas asociaciones con un tamaño de muestra adecuado resultaron no significativas, indicando que las distribuciones de los ácaros no varían con respecto a factores ambientales. Datos y análisis adicionales son necesarios para poner a prueba estos resultados, así como para evaluar otros factores ambientales no analizados en este estudio y que pudieran ser de importancia en la determinación de la distribución de los ácaros

JNDS, Volume 23, Number 4

Article discussing the inclusion of near-death experiences in medical school curriculum

Self-Reported Rationing Behavior Among US Physicians: A National Survey

Rationing is a controversial topic among US physicians. Understanding their attitudes and behaviors around rationing may be essential to a more open and sensible professional discourse on this important but controversial topic

Data from: Shared decision-making as a cost-containment strategy: US physician reactions from a cross-sectional survey

Objective: To assess US physicians’ attitudes towards using shared decision-making (SDM) to achieve cost containment. Design: Cross-sectional mailed survey. Setting: US medical practice. Participants: 3897 physicians were randomly selected from the AMA Physician Masterfile. Of these, 2556 completed the survey. Main outcome measures: Level of enthusiasm for “Promoting better conversations with patients as a means of lowering healthcare costs”; degree of agreement with “Decision support tools that show costs would be helpful in my practice” and agreement with “should promoting SDM be legislated to control overall healthcare costs”. Results: Of 2556 respondents (response rate (RR) 65%), two-thirds (67%) were ‘very enthusiastic’ about promoting SDM as a means of reducing healthcare costs. Most (70%) agreed decision support tools that show costs would be helpful in their practice, but only 24% agreed with legislating SDM to control costs. Compared with physicians with billing-only compensation, respondents with salary compensation were more likely to strongly agree that decision support tools showing costs would be helpful (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.7). Primary care physicians (vs surgeons, OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0 to 1.6) expressed more enthusiasm for SDM being legislated as a means to address healthcare costs. Conclusions: Most US physicians express enthusiasm about using SDM to help contain costs. They believe decision support tools that show costs would be useful. Few agree that SDM should be legislated as a means to control healthcare costs

Views of US physicians about controlling health care costs

Physicians' views about health care costs are germane to pending policy reforms