A systematic review of optical coherence tomography findings in adults with mild traumatic brain injury

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common with many patients suffering disabling long-term sequelae, with visual symptoms frequently reported. There are no objective biomarkers of mTBI that are routinely used in clinical practice. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been used in mTBI research, as it enables visualisation of the neuroretina, allowing measurement of the retinal nerve fibre layer and ganglion cell layer. This systematic review aims to appraise the available literature and assess whether there are significant changes within the retinal nerve fibre layer and ganglion cell layer in subjects after mTBI. A systematic review was carried out in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (Number: CRD42022360498). Four databases were searched for relevant literature published from inception until 1 September 2022. Abstracts and full texts were screened by three independent reviewers. Initial screening of databases yielded 341 publications, of these, three fulfilled all the criteria for inclusion. All three studies showed thinning of the retinal nerve fibre layer, whereas there were no significant changes in the ganglion cell layer. This systematic review demonstrated that thinning of the retinal nerve fibre layer (but not of the ganglion cell layer) is associated with mTBI. It provides preliminary evidence for the use of the retinal nerve fibre layer as a potential biomarker of damage to the visual system in mTBI. Further prospective longitudinal studies ensuring uniform diagnosis and accurate phenotyping of mTBI are needed to understand the effects on the visual system and potential of OCT as a prognostic biomarker

An enhanced functional ability questionnaire (faVIQ) to measure the impact of rehabilitation services on the visually impaired

AIM To develop a short, enhanced functional ability Quality of Vision (faVIQ) instrument based on previous questionnaires employing comprehensive modern statistical techniques to ensure the use of an appropriate response scale, items and scoring of the visual related difficulties experienced by patients with visual impairment. METHODS Items in current quality-of-life questionnaires for the visually impaired were refined by a multi-professional group and visually impaired focus groups. The resulting 76 items were completed by 293 visually impaired patients with stable vision on two occasions separated by a month. The faVIQ scores of 75 patients with no ocular pathology were compared to 75 age and gender matched patients with visual im pairm ent. RESULTS Rasch analysis reduced the faVIQ items to 27. Correlation to standard visual metrics was moderate (r=0.32-0.46) and to the NEI-VFQ was 0.48. The faVIQ was able to clearly discriminate between age and gender matched populations with no ocular pathology and visual impairment with an index of 0.983 and 95% sensitivity and 95% specificity using a cut off of 29. CONCLUSION The faVIQ allows sensitive assessm ent of quality-of-life in the visually im paired and should support studies which evaluate the effectiveness of low vision rehabilitation services. © Copyright International Journal of Ophthalmology Press

Effect of alterations in whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) exposure on post-match recovery markers in elite Premier League soccer players

Objectives The use of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) as a recovery intervention is prevalent amongst elite soccer players. However, there is a distinct lack of data available around chronic WBC use and postmatch recovery markers in elite soccer. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of different levels of WBC exposure on subjective and objective measures of post-match recovery in elite soccer players during a chronic exposure period. Material and methods Sixteen male senior professional outfield soccer players participated in this study over two seasons. K means cluster analysis was used to classify low (-114 ± 2°C for 133 ± 2 s), medium (-121 ± 1 °C for 173 ± 2 s) and high (-133 ± 1°C for 181 ± 2 s) cryotherapy exposure indexes (CEI). Salivary markers (immunoglobulin A (IgA) and alpha amylase (AA)) and subjective wellness scores (perceived fatigue, sleep quality, general muscle soreness and stress) were collected post-match across both seasons. Training load (session-RPE) was collected and used as a covariate to control for the load amongst groups. Results No differences were seen in perceived measures of wellness and salivary AA. Significantly lower IgA concentrations were observed in the medium CEI group (255 ± 32 μg∙ml-1) compared to the low (328 ± 38 μg∙ml-1) and high (306 ± 32 μg∙ml-1) groups. Conclusions Therefore, increasing the level of chronic WBC exposure appears to have no additional benefit on subjective recovery and alpha amylase response post-match. However, there appears to be an optimal chronic WBC dose with regards to IgA response

Amino acid availability acts as a metabolic rheostat to determine the magnitude of ILC2 responses

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) are functionally poised, tissue-resident lymphocytes that respond rapidly to damage and infection at mucosal barrier sites. ILC2 reside within complex microenvironments where they are subject to cues from both the diet and invading pathogens—including helminths. Emerging evidence suggests ILC2 are acutely sensitive not only to canonical activating signals but also perturbations in nutrient availability. In the context of helminth infection, we identify amino acid availability as a nutritional cue in regulating ILC2 responses. ILC2 are found to be uniquely preprimed to import amino acids via the large neutral amino acid transporters Slc7a5 and Slc7a8. Cell-intrinsic deletion of these transporters individually impaired ILC2 expansion, while concurrent loss of both transporters markedly impaired the proliferative and cytokine-producing capacity of ILC2. Mechanistically, amino acid uptake determined the magnitude of ILC2 responses in part via tuning of mTOR. These findings implicate essential amino acids as a metabolic requisite for optimal ILC2 responses within mucosal barrier tissues

Network structure and taxonomic composition of tritrophic communities of Fagaceae, cynipid gallwasps and parasitoids in Sichuan, China

A key question in insect community ecology is whether parasitoid assemblages are structured by the food plants of their herbivore hosts. Tritrophic communities centred on oak-feeding cynipid gallwasps are one of the best-studied tritrophic insect communities. Previous work suggests that host plant identity is a much stronger predictor of oak–cynipid interactions than of cynipid–parasitoid interactions. However, these relationships have not been formally quantified. We reason that the potential for ‘bottom-up’ effects should increase with host plant phylogenetic diversity. We, therefore, generated quantified interaction network data for previously unstudied tritrophic cynipid communities in Sichuan, China, where, in addition to Quercus, cynipid host plants include Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus. We characterise these communities taxonomically and compare the extent to which host plant taxonomy predicts plant–herbivore and plant–parasitoid associations. We sampled 42,620 cynipid galls of 176 morphotypes from 23 host plant species, yielding over 4500 specimens of 64 parasitoid morphospecies. Many parasitoids were identifiable to chalcidoid taxa present in other Holarctic oak cynipid communities, with the addition of Cynipencyrtus (Cynipencyrtidae). As elsewhere, Sichuan parasitoid assemblages were dominated by generalists. Gallwasp–plant interaction networks were significantly more modular than parasitoid–plant association networks. Gallwasps were significantly more specialised to host plants (i.e. had higher mean d' values) than parasitoids. Parasitoid assemblages nevertheless showed significant plant-associated beta diversity, with a dominant turnover component. We summarise parallels between our study and other Fagaceae-associated cynipid communities and discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on endophytic insect herbivores

Network structure and taxonomic composition of tritrophic communities of Fagaceae, cynipid gallwasps and parasitoids in Sichuan, China

A key question in insect community ecology is whether parasitoid assemblages are structured by the food plants of their herbivore hosts. Tritrophic communities centred on oak‐feeding cynipid gallwasps are one of the best‐studied tritrophic insect communities. Previous work suggests that host plant identity is a much stronger predictor of oak–cynipid interactions than of cynipid–parasitoid interactions. However, these relationships have not been formally quantified. We reason that the potential for ‘bottom‐up’ effects should increase with host plant phylogenetic diversity. We, therefore, generated quantified interaction network data for previously unstudied tritrophic cynipid communities in Sichuan, China, where, in addition to Quercus, cynipid host plants include Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus. We characterise these communities taxonomically and compare the extent to which host plant taxonomy predicts plant–herbivore and plant–parasitoid associations. We sampled 42,620 cynipid galls of 176 morphotypes from 23 host plant species, yielding over 4500 specimens of 64 parasitoid morphospecies. Many parasitoids were identifiable to chalcidoid taxa present in other Holarctic oak cynipid communities, with the addition of Cynipencyrtus (Cynipencyrtidae). As elsewhere, Sichuan parasitoid assemblages were dominated by generalists. Gallwasp–plant interaction networks were significantly more modular than parasitoid–plant association networks. Gallwasps were significantly more specialised to host plants (i.e. had higher mean d' values) than parasitoids. Parasitoid assemblages nevertheless showed significant plant‐associated beta diversity, with a dominant turnover component. We summarise parallels between our study and other Fagaceae‐associated cynipid communities and discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on endophytic insect herbivores

Network structure and taxonomic composition of tritrophic communities of Fagaceae, cynipid gallwasps and parasitoids in Sichuan, China

A key question in insect community ecology is whether parasitoid assemblages are structured by the food plants of their herbivore hosts. Tritrophic communities centred on oak‐feeding cynipid gallwasps are one of the best‐studied tritrophic insect communities. Previous work suggests that host plant identity is a much stronger predictor of oak–cynipid interactions than of cynipid–parasitoid interactions. However, these relationships have not been formally quantified. We reason that the potential for ‘bottom‐up’ effects should increase with host plant phylogenetic diversity. We, therefore, generated quantified interaction network data for previously unstudied tritrophic cynipid communities in Sichuan, China, where, in addition to Quercus, cynipid host plants include Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus. We characterise these communities taxonomically and compare the extent to which host plant taxonomy predicts plant–herbivore and plant–parasitoid associations. We sampled 42,620 cynipid galls of 176 morphotypes from 23 host plant species, yielding over 4500 specimens of 64 parasitoid morphospecies. Many parasitoids were identifiable to chalcidoid taxa present in other Holarctic oak cynipid communities, with the addition of Cynipencyrtus (Cynipencyrtidae). As elsewhere, Sichuan parasitoid assemblages were dominated by generalists. Gallwasp–plant interaction networks were significantly more modular than parasitoid–plant association networks. Gallwasps were significantly more specialised to host plants (i.e. had higher mean d' values) than parasitoids. Parasitoid assemblages nevertheless showed significant plant‐associated beta diversity, with a dominant turnover component. We summarise parallels between our study and other Fagaceae‐associated cynipid communities and discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on endophytic insect herbivores

Solar system Deep Time-Surveys of atmospheres, surfaces, and rings

Imaging and resolved spectroscopy reveal varying environmental conditions in our dynamic solar system. Many key advances have focused on how these conditions change over time. Observatory-level commitments to conduct annual observations of solar system bodies would establish a long-term legacy chronicling the evolution of dynamic planetary atmospheres, surfaces, and rings. Science investigations will use these temporal datasets to address potential biosignatures, circulation and evolution of atmospheres from the edge of the habitable zone to the ice giants, orbital dynamics and planetary seismology with ring systems, exchange between components in the planetary system, and the migration and processing of volatiles on icy bodies, including Ocean Worlds. The common factor among these diverse investigations is the need for a very long campaign duration, and temporal sampling at an annual cadence.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures: submitted for Astro2020 White Pape