Phylogeny, phylogenetic inference, and cranial evolution in pitheciids and Aotus

Pitheciids, one of the major radiations of New World monkeys endemic to South and Central America, are distributed in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and include Callicebus, Cacajao, Chiropotes, and Pithecia. Molecular phylogenetics strongly support pitheciid monophyly, whereas morphological analyses infer a range of phylogenies including a sister relationship between Aotus and Callicebus. We collected geometric morphometric cranial data from pitheciids and Aotus, and used cranial data for distance-based phylogenetic analysis and tests of phylogenetic signal. Phylogenetic analyses of pitheciids were repeated with Lagothrix, Callimico, and Saimiri outgroups for Procrustes shape with and without Aotus based on the whole cranium and six anatomical regions. All phylogenetic signal tests were significant, and tree lengths were shortest and had the least morphological change over the phylogeny for Procrustes residuals from the cranial base and palate. The majority of phylogenetic analyses of Procrustes shape for pitheciids without Aotus supported the molecular phylogeny, and with Aotus included the majority inferred an Aotus–Callicebus clade, although three analyses with Callimico as outgroup supported the molecular phylogeny. The morphological similarity of Aotus and Callicebus is likely a mix of plesiomorphy, allometry, and homoplasy, and future phylogenetic inference of living and extinct platyrrhine taxa should consider the impact of these factors alongside outgroup selection and cranial region

Hirschprung' disease in Iceland 1969-1998

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenIntroduction: Hirschprung s disease (HD) is a congenital disease characterized by the absence of myenteric and submucosal ganglion cells in the distal alimentary tract and results in decreased motility in the affected bowel segment. The purpose of this study was to review the incidence, presentation, treatment and operative results in children with Hirschprung's disease in Iceland. Material and methods: Thirteen infants with Hirschprung s disease (11 boys and two girls) were treated in Landspítalinn University Hospital between January 1969 and December 1998. The records of these patients were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The incidence of Hirschprung's disease in Iceland is 1/10,000 and 85% of those are boys. All the infants were born full term. No family history and no associated abnormalities were noted. The mean age at first admission was 20 (1-136) days and mean age at diagnosis was 166 (5-623) days. Swenson's pull-through (two- or three-stage procedure) was carried out in all patients at the mean age of 18.6 months. The extent of aganglionosis was rectosigmoid colon in 10 patients (77%) and one patient had total colonic aganglionosis. Postoperative complications occurred in seven patients (53%), adhesion ileus being the most common complication. Long term bowel function was satisfactory in 85% of the patients. Conclusions: The incidence of Hirschprung's disease in Iceland is low. Mean age at diagnosis is six months. Sixty percent of the children are discharged with a wrong diagnosis after first admission to hospital and this could be improved by diagnosing the disease at an earlier stage. Postoperative complications are common but no deaths occurred. Bowel function following definitive correction is good compared to other studies.Inngangur: Hirschprungs sjúkdómur er meðfæddur garnasjúkdómur þar sem taugahnoðafrumur (ganglion cells) vantar í vöðvahjúps- (Auerbach) og slímhúðarbeðs- (Meissner) taugaflækjur garnaveggsins. Sjúkdómurinn einkennist af garnastíflu og afleiðingum hennar. Tilgangur þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna tíðni sjúkdómsins á Íslandi, einkenni og aldur sjúklinga við greiningu, tegund og árangur aðgerða og fylgikvilla. Efniviður og aðferðir: Um afturskyggna rannsókn er að ræða. Allar sjúkraskrár barna (n=13; 11 drengir, tvær stúlkur) sem lögðust inn á Landspítalann (síðar Landspítala Hringbraut) með greininguna Hirschprungs sjúkdómur frá 1. janúar 1969 til 31. desember 1998 voru yfirfarnar. Niðurstöður: Tíðni Hirschprungs sjúkdóms á Íslandi er eitt af 10.000 fæddum börnum, af þeim eru 85% drengir. Öll börnin fæddust fullburða eftir eðlilega meðgöngu. Ekki kom fram fjölskyldusaga um Hirschprungs sjúkdóm. Meðalaldur við fyrstu innlögn á sjúkrahús var 20 (1-136) dagar og meðalaldur við greiningu 166 (5-623) dagar. Í öllum tilfellum var meðferð hafin með ristilraufun og endanleg skurðaðgerð að hætti Swensons var gerð við 18,6 mánaða meðalaldur. Útbreiðsla Hirschprungs sjúkdóms í görn var hjá 10 sjúklingum (77%) bundin við endaþarm og bugaristil og hjá einum sjúklingi náði sjúkdómurinn til alls ristilsins. Fylgikvillar eftir aðgerð urðu hjá 53% sjúklinganna og var samvaxtagarnastífla algengust. Hægðavenjur eftir aðgerð voru eðlilegar hjá 85% barnanna. Ályktanir: Tíðni Hirschprungs sjúkdóms á Íslandi er lægri en annars staðar. Meðalaldur við greiningu er sex mánuðir, en henni mætti flýta með því að fá grun um sjúkdóminn fyrr, en rúmlega 60% barna með Hirschprungs sjúkdóm útskrifast með ranga greiningu eftir fyrstu innlögn á sjúkrahús. Fylgikvillar eftir aðgerð eru algengir, en sumum þeirra gæti fækkað í framtíðinni með tilkomu kviðsjáraðgerða. Árangur aðgerðanna með tilliti til hægðavenja er góður samanborið við önnur uppgjör

Walking on eggshells

This article takes up some of the ethical issues at stake when qualitative inquiry involves people in vulnerable situations, such as the young, the very old, the sick or disabled or minority groups – people, in short, who are often labelled as “the other”. Ethical issues and dilemmas appear at every juncture of the research process and also when the researcher decides what to publish and why. The article starts with some of the issues and experiences the author brings to the table after working in the field of inclusive education and disability research for over three decades. Next it offers some notes on qualitative inquiry and then it moves on to explore the ethics, ethical issues and dilemmas inevitably part and parcel of all such inquiry. Then it applies examples from the author’s fieldwork to the discussion of ethical issues and dilemmas in qualitative encountered in qualitative research with people in vulnerable situations. Examples are in particular drawn from the authors recent study that involved interviews with Icelandic parents of disabled children. The ethical issues and dilemmas touched upon include those related to gaining access, the interview situation itself, including the building of rapport and the fine line between gathering the data, data analysis, ethical issues related to what to select from privileged knowledge, and other things that concern the writing up of sensitive data. Finally, some thought is given to publications, their interpretations by the reader and their use or abuse

The effect of local wind on seismic noise near 1 Hz at the MELT site and in Iceland

The mantle electromagnetic and tomography (MELT) experiment on the east Pacific rise near 17°S was the first large teleseismic experiment on a midocean ridge. During the six-month deployment, no compressional arrivals were well recorded above 0.5 Hz. In comparison, the ICEMELT experiment in Iceland recorded compressional arrivals at 1-2 Hz from about 2 earthquakes per month. We compare noise spectra from the two experiments and show that this difference in detection is at least in part a result of noise. Near 1 Hz, seismic noise in the oceans is produced locally by wind-generated waves. At both experiment sites, 1-Hz noise levels are well correlated with local sea-surface-wind speeds derived from satellite observations. For a given wind speed, 1-Hz noise levels are about 10-20 dB lower in Iceland. At the MELT site, cross-correlations of wind speed with the logarithm of noise in a narrow-frequency band yield correlation coefficients exceeding 0.7 at frequencies between 0.4 Hz and 2 Hz. Noise levels at 1 Hz increase with wind by 1.3-1.4 dB per m/sec for wind speeds less than 10 m/sec. For the ICEMELT experiment, high correlation coefficients extend to markedly higher frequencies for coastal stations, and there is a 10-dB drop in 1-Hz noise levels 100-km inland. Noise levels increase by about 0.8 dB per m/sec. The strong correlation between wind speed and l-Hz seismic noise provides justification for using satellite wind speed data to search for locations on the global spreading system where there is a better probability of recording high-frequency arrivals. The calmest sites are found on the northern east Pacific rise, near the equator in all oceans, and near 34 ° N and 22 ° S on the mid- Atlantic ridge.This study was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant OCE-9414299.Peer Reviewe

Effects of oral adenosine 5'-triphosphate and adenosine in enteric-coated capsules on indomethacin-induced permeability changes in the human small intestine: a randomized cross-over study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is well-known that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause damage to the small bowel associated with disruption of mucosal barrier function. In healthy human volunteers, we showed previously that topical administration of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) by naso-intestinal tube attenuated a rise in small intestinal permeability induced by short-term challenge with the NSAID indomethacin. This finding suggested that ATP may be involved in the preservation of intestinal barrier function. Our current objective was to corroborate the favourable effect of ATP on indomethacin-induced permeability changes in healthy human volunteers when ATP is administered via enteric-coated capsules, which is a more practically feasible mode of administration. Since ATP effects may have been partly mediated through its breakdown to adenosine, effects of encapsulated adenosine were tested also.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>By ingesting a test drink containing 5 g lactulose and 0.5 g L-rhamnose followed by five-hour collection of total urine, small intestinal permeability was assessed in 33 healthy human volunteers by measuring the urinary lactulose/rhamnose excretion ratio. Urinary excretion of lactulose and L-rhamnose was determined by fluorescent detection high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Basal permeability of the small intestine was assessed as a control condition (no indomethacin, no ATP/adenosine). As a model of increased small intestinal permeability, two dosages of indomethacin were ingested at 10 h (75 mg) and 1 h (50 mg) before ingesting the lactulose/rhamnose test drink. At 1.5 h before indomethacin ingestion, two dosages of placebo, ATP (2 g per dosage) or adenosine (1 g per dosage) were administered via enteric-coated hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) capsules with Eudragit^©L30D-55.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Median urinary lactulose/rhamnose excretion ratio (g/g) in the control condition was 0.032 (interquartile range: 0.022–0.044). Compared to the control condition, lactulose/rhamnose ratio after ingestion of indomethacin plus placebo was significantly increased to 0.039 (0.035–0.068); P < 0.01). The indomethacin-induced increase was neither affected by administration of encapsulated ATP (0.047 (0.033–0.065)) nor adenosine (0.050 (0.030–0.067)). Differences in L/R ratios between the conditions with indomethacin plus placebo, ATP or adenosine were not significant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study, either ATP or adenosine administered via enteric-coated capsules had no effect on indomethacin-induced small intestinal permeability changes in healthy human volunteers. The observed lack of effect of encapsulated ATP/adenosine may have been caused by opening of the enteric-coated supplement at a site distal from the indomethacin-inflicted site. Further studies on site-specific effectiveness of ATP/adenosine on intestinal permeability changes are warranted.</p

Body Composition and Physical Fitness of Students in High School vs. Students Enrolled in High School Sports Academia Programs

In recent years more and more high schools in Iceland are offering sports academia programs. These programs are intended for teenage athletes in various sports who have the potential of becoming elite athletes. The sports academia programs make it easier for these student athletes to focus on training for their sport while attending high school, and thereby, enable them to get a good education and enhance their athletic potential. These programs also have the potential to reduce drop-out in sports because it is easier for the students to balance athletics and academics. Nevertheless, sports performance is not necessarily linked to better health. The purpose of this study was to compare students enrolled in regular high school tracks to students enrolled in sports academia programs on body composition and physical fitness

Accelerated Metastasis after Short-Term Treatment with a Potent Inhibitor of Tumor Angiogenesis

SummaryHerein we report that the VEGFR/PDGFR kinase inhibitor sunitinib/SU11248 can accelerate metastatic tumor growth and decrease overall survival in mice receiving short-term therapy in various metastasis assays, including after intravenous injection of tumor cells or after removal of primary orthotopically grown tumors. Acceleration of metastasis was also observed in mice receiving sunitinib prior to intravenous implantation of tumor cells, suggesting possible “metastatic conditioning” in multiple organs. Similar findings with additional VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors implicate a class-specific effect for such agents. Importantly, these observations of metastatic acceleration were in contrast to the demonstrable antitumor benefits obtained when the same human breast cancer cells, as well as mouse or human melanoma cells, were grown orthotopically as primary tumors and subjected to identical sunitinib treatments

Odds of fussy eating are greater among children with obesity and anxiety

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadBackground: Fussy eating has been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and depression. Despite these disorders being prevalent in obesity treatment, no studies have been published on the association of fussy eating in children with obesity and these disorders. Understanding fussy eating in children with obesity and comorbid disorders is important as acceptance of healthy foods tends to be low, especially in children with sensory sensitivities. Objectives: Investigate the prevalence of fussy eating in a cross-sectional sample of children with obesity and ASD, ADHD, anxiety, and depression; and whether they were more likely to be fussy eaters, comparing those with and without these disorders. Methods: One hundred and four children referred to family-based obesity treatment in Iceland 2011-2016, mean age 12.0 (SD = 3.0), mean body mass index standard deviation score 3.5 (SD = 0.9). Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between fussy eating and disorders, adjusting for medication use. Results: A large minority (41.6%) were fussy eaters and 48.9% had at least one comorbid disorder. Over a third of children rejected bitter and sour tastes, and 1.9% and 7.9% rejected sweet and salty tastes, respectively. Compared with those without disorders, the odds of being a fussy eater were increased by a factor of 4.11 when having anxiety (95% confidence intervals) (1.02-16.58, p = 00.046), adjusting for medication use. The odds of being a fussy eater were not increased for other disorders; ASD, ADHD, or depression. Conclusions: In children attending obesity treatment, fussy eating was common. Clinical care models in pediatric obesity treatment should address fussy eating, especially in children with anxiety.Thorvaldsen Societ