Architectural and biochemical adaptations in skeletal muscle and bone following rotator cuff injury in a rat model

BACKGROUND: Injury to the rotator cuff can cause irreversible changes to the structure and function of the associated muscles and bones. The temporal progression and pathomechanisms associated with these adaptations are unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the time course of structural muscle and osseous changes in a rat model of a massive rotator cuff tear. METHODS: Supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscle architecture and biochemistry and humeral and scapular morphological parameters were measured three days, eight weeks, and sixteen weeks after dual tenotomy with and without chemical paralysis via botulinum toxin A (BTX). RESULTS: Muscle mass and physiological cross-sectional area increased over time in the age-matched control animals, decreased over time in the tenotomy+BTX group, and remained nearly the same in the tenotomy-alone group. Tenotomy+BTX led to increased extracellular collagen in the muscle. Changes in scapular bone morphology were observed in both experimental groups, consistent with reductions in load transmission across the joint. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that tenotomy alone interferes with normal age-related muscle growth. The addition of chemical paralysis yielded profound structural changes to the muscle and bone, potentially leading to impaired muscle function, increased muscle stiffness, and decreased bone strength. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Structural musculoskeletal changes occur after tendon injury, and these changes are severely exacerbated with the addition of neuromuscular compromise

Response to comment on 'Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity'

Lambert et al. question our retrospective and holistic epidemiological assessment of the role of chytridiomycosis in amphibian declines. Their alternative assessment is narrow and provides an incomplete evaluation of evidence. Adopting this approach limits understanding of infectious disease impacts and hampers conservation efforts. We reaffirm that our study provides unambiguous evidence that chytridiomycosis has affected at least 501 amphibian species

Introducción a los análisis espaciales con énfasis en modelos de nicho ecológico

En 2016 implementamos un sistema de seminarios de enseñanza, en formato de videos libres y accesibles desde internet, con la finalidad de dar a conocer de forma sencilla y en castellano, las bases conceptuales y aplicaciones de los modelos de nicho ecológico en estudios de ecología, conservación biológica, epidemiología y agrobiodviersidad, así como su implementación para el diseño de políticas públicas de los recursos naturales. Cada seminario fue desarrollado por uno o varios expertos discutiendo conceptos, métodos y diferentes herramientas disponibles para elaborar modelos de distribución de especies. Este manuscrito reúne los resúmenes de cada uno de los seminarios en línea, dando referencias clave para cada tema y el enlace al video correspondiente. Los videos están disponibles de forma libre en YouTube o en formato .mp4 bajo solicitud

High-Throughput Analysis of Synthetic Peptides for the Immunodiagnosis of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis

Globally, the number of new human cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is estimated to be approximately 500,000 per year. This is the most severe of all forms of leishmaniasis, and the zoonotic form of VL, caused by Leishmania infantum (also known as Leishmania chagasi), represents 20% of human visceral leishmaniasis worldwide; additionally, its prevalence is increasing in urban and peri-urban areas of the tropics. In Brazil, the identification and elimination of infected dogs, which act as a reservoir for Leishmania parasites, is a control measure employed in addition to the use of insecticides against the vectors and the identification and treatment of infected humans. Currently, the diagnostic methods employed to identify infected animals are not able to detect all of these dogs, which compromises the effectiveness of control measures. Moreover, one of the most important issues in controlling VL is the difficulty of diagnosing asymptomatic dogs, which act as parasite reservoirs. Therefore, to contribute to the improvement of the diagnostic methods for CVL, we aimed to identify and characterize new antigens that were more sensitive and specific and could be applied in epidemiologic surveys

An Eccentric Massive Jupiter Orbiting a Subgiant on a 9.5-day Period Discovered in the <i>Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite</i> Full Frame Images

We report the discovery of TOI-172 b from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, a massive hot Jupiter transiting a slightly evolved G star with a 9.48-day orbital period. This is the first planet to be confirmed from analysis of only the TESS full frame images, because the host star was not chosen as a two-minute cadence target. From a global analysis of the TESS photometry and follow-up observations carried out by the TESS Follow-up Observing Program Working Group, TOI-172 (TIC 29857954) is a slightly evolved star with an effective temperature of T eff = 5645 ± 50 K, a mass of M ⋆ = {1.128}-0.061+0.065 M ⊙, radius of R ⋆ = {1.777}-0.044+0.047 R ⊙, a surface gravity of log g ⋆ = {3.993}-0.028+0.027, and an age of {7.4}-1.5+1.6 {Gyr}. Its planetary companion (TOI-172 b) has a radius of R P = {0.965}-0.029+0.032 R J, a mass of M P = {5.42}-0.20+0.22 M J, and is on an eccentric orbit (e={0.3806}-0.0090+0.0093). TOI-172 b is one of the few known massive giant planets on a highly eccentric short-period orbit. Future study of the atmosphere of this planet and its system architecture offer opportunities to understand the formation and evolution of similar systems

Is diet partly responsible for differences in COVID-19 death rates between and within countries?

Correction: Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Article Number: 44 DOI: 10.1186/s13601-020-00351-w Published: OCT 26 2020Reported COVID-19 deaths in Germany are relatively low as compared to many European countries. Among the several explanations proposed, an early and large testing of the population was put forward. Most current debates on COVID-19 focus on the differences among countries, but little attention has been given to regional differences and diet. The low-death rate European countries (e.g. Austria, Baltic States, Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia) have used different quarantine and/or confinement times and methods and none have performed as many early tests as Germany. Among other factors that may be significant are the dietary habits. It seems that some foods largely used in these countries may reduce angiotensin-converting enzyme activity or are anti-oxidants. Among the many possible areas of research, it might be important to understand diet and angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) levels in populations with different COVID-19 death rates since dietary interventions may be of great benefit.Peer reviewe

Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate