Catalog of the type specimens of Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera) in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

The collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., is second only to that of The Natural History Museum (formerly British Museum of Natural History), London, in the number of type specimens of the superfamily Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera). The Smithsonian houses 1,375 gelechioid types: 1,249 holotypes, 48 lectotypes, 1 neotype, 69 species represented by one or more syntypes, and 8 species represented by one or more pseudotypes (Le., specimens identified as type by an accompanying label that are unlikely to be the type). Three former curators are responsible for the vast majority of the type specimens: August Busck, ]. F. Gates Clarke, and Ronald W. Hodges. We present a list of the species for which a type is deposited in the USNM, organized alphabetically. For each species we provide an abbreviated reference to the original description and label data. This list represents the second contribution to a larger effort to make available information on the Lepidoptera type holdings of the USNM

The radioprotectant nano-genistein enhances radiotherapy efficacy of lung tumors in mice

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be dose-limiting due to treatment-related toxicities. Genistein has been shown to be a robust radioprotective agent in preclinical models. A novel genistein oral nanosuspension formulation (nano-genistein) has demonstrated efficacy in mitigating radiation-induced lung damage in preclinical animal models. However, while those studies have confirmed that nano-genistein can protect normal lung tissue from radiation-induced toxicities, no studies have assessed the effect of nano-genistein on lung tumors. Here, we evaluated the impact of nano-genistein on the efficacy of radiation treatment of lung tumors in a mouse xenograft model. METHODS: Two separate studies were conducted utilizing human A549 cells implanted either dorsally within the upper torso or in the flank. Daily oral administration of nano-genistein (200 or 400 mg/kg/day) occurred prior to and after exposure to a single dose of thoracic or abdominal 12.5 Gy radiation. Tumor growth was monitored twice weekly, nano-genistein treatment continued for up to 20 weeks and histopathology of tissues was completed post euthanasia. RESULTS: Continuous nano-genistein dosing was safe across all study groups in both studies. Animals receiving nano-genistein better maintained body weight following irradiation compared to corresponding vehicle treated animals. Animals that received nano-genistein also had reduced tumor growth and improved normal lung histopathology compared to those receiving vehicle suggesting that nano-genistein does not protect tumors from radiotherapy but is radioprotective of the lungs. There were no treatment-related histopathological findings noted in the skin adjacent to the tumor, esophagus, or uterus. CONCLUSIONS: These results, including the safety following extended dosing, support the continued evaluation of nano-genistein as an adjunctive treatment for patients with NSCLC undergoing radiotherapy and serve as the basis of a phase 1b/2a multicenter clinical trial

Characterizing sources of high surface ozone events in the southwestern US with intensive field measurements and two global models

The detection and attribution of high background ozone (O3) events in the southwestern US is challenging but relevant to the effective implementation of the lowered National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS; 70&thinsp;ppbv). Here we leverage intensive field measurements from the Fires, Asian, and Stratospheric Transport&minus;Las Vegas Ozone Study (FAST-LVOS) in May&ndash;June&nbsp;2017, alongside high-resolution simulations with two global models (GFDL-AM4 and GEOS-Chem), to study the sources of O3 during high-O3 events. We show possible stratospheric influence on 4 out of the 10 events with daily maximum 8&thinsp;h average (MDA8) surface O3 above 65&thinsp;ppbv in the greater Las Vegas region. While O3 produced from regional anthropogenic emissions dominates pollution events in the Las Vegas Valley, stratospheric intrusions can mix with regional pollution to push surface O3 above 70&thinsp;ppbv. GFDL-AM4 captures the key characteristics of deep stratospheric intrusions consistent with ozonesondes, lidar profiles, and co-located measurements of O3, CO, and water vapor at Angel Peak, whereas GEOS-Chem has difficulty simulating the observed features and underestimates observed O3 by &sim;20&thinsp;ppbv at the surface. On days when observed MDA8 O3 exceeds 65&thinsp;ppbv and the AM4 stratospheric ozone tracer shows 20&ndash;40&thinsp;ppbv enhancements, GEOS-Chem simulates &sim;15&thinsp;ppbv lower US background O3 than GFDL-AM4. The two models also differ substantially during a wildfire event, with GEOS-Chem estimating &sim;15&thinsp;ppbv greater O3, in better agreement with lidar observations. At the surface, the two models bracket the observed MDA8 O3 values during the wildfire event. Both models capture the large-scale transport of Asian pollution, but neither resolves some fine-scale pollution plumes, as evidenced by aerosol backscatter, aircraft, and satellite measurements. US background O3 estimates from the two models differ by 5&thinsp;ppbv on average (greater in GFDL-AM4) and up to 15&thinsp;ppbv episodically. Uncertainties remain in the quantitative attribution of each event. Nevertheless, our multi-model approach tied closely to observational analysis yields some process insights, suggesting that elevated background O3 may pose challenges to achieving a potentially lower NAAQS level (e.g., 65&thinsp;ppbv) in the southwestern US. </div

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Environmentalism, pre-environmentalism, and public policy

In the last decade, thousands of new grassroots groups have formed to oppose environmental pollution on the basis that it endangers their health. These groups have revitalized the environmental movement and enlarged its membership well beyond the middle class. Scientists, however, have been unable to corroborate these groups' claims that exposure to pollutants has caused their diseases. For policy analysts this situation appears to pose a choice between democracy and science. It needn't. Instead of evaluating the grassroots groups from the perspective of science, it is possible to evaluate science from the perspective of environmentalism. This paper argues that environmental epidemiology reflects ‘pre-environmentalist’ assumptions about nature and that new ideas about nature advanced by the environmental movement could change the way scientists collect and interpret data.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45449/1/11077_2005_Article_BF01006494.pd