On the best method of relaxing the dried skins of birds and other animals

Observing in the Museum of the Royal Society of Tasmania a valuable and not an inconsiderable collection of bird skins from different countries, which will require, eventually, to be mounted or set up in their natural attitudes, I think it very desirable to lay before the Society the method of relaxing such skins, as pursued by the best animal preservers in Europe, and the efficiency of which I have repeatedly proved

On the characters of Astele, a new division in the family of Trochinae, or Trochiform shells; together with the description of another species of the same family

In no department of nature is the adaptation of our systems to the advanced state of knowledge become more imperative than in the elucidation of the Testaceous Molluscae. The number of species discovered since the days of Linnaeus are probably as 1 to 60, and every day fresh novelties are coming to light, requiring new divisions, new names, and new alterations in our system to make these novelties intelligible

On the Australian Haliotidae or Ear-shells, with remarks on other species

Having accidentally met with Mr. Reeve's monograph of the genus Haliotis, and observing several points which require either correction or elucidation, I have thrown together the following notes, which, as they chiefly refer to such species as I have met with in this hemisphere, will probably be considered worthy a place in the Transactions of the Society

On the characters of the several amphibious Volutes allied to the genus Melampus

Between the Phytophagous Molluscae, which live either upon land or in fresh water, and the marine division, which subsists upon seaweeds, there seems to intervene a remarkable group of animals of this class, which, although organized to enjoy life in both elements, can do so only by alternately changing one for the other. They are, in short, amphibious molluscae, and have been placed in our arrangement next to the Linnean genus Turbo, because several of these latter have the same peculiarity of habit and mode of general structure. This curious group is probably represented by the old Valuta Auris Midae of Linnaeus, now forming the modern genus Geovula, or Melampus of Montford. In these as well as the subordinate forms of Pedipes, by Adamson ; Scarabus, Montf ; and Rhodostoma, Sw.; the pillar, and often the outer lip, is marked by distinct plaits or folds, perfectly analogous to the Volutidae. Hence they have been termed amphibious Volutes

Mechanisms of Cisplatin Nephrotoxicity

Cisplatin is a widely used and highly effective cancer chemotherapeutic agent. One of the limiting side effects of cisplatin use is nephrotoxicity. Research over the past 10 years has uncovered many of the cellular mechanisms which underlie cisplatin-induced renal cell death. It has also become apparent that inflammation provoked by injury to renal epithelial cells serves to amplify kidney injury and dysfunction in vivo. This review summarizes recent advances in our understanding of cisplatin nephrotoxicity and discusses how these advances might lead to more effective prevention

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

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

William Swainson, Palermo, [Sicily], to Sir James Edward Smith, Linnean Society rooms, Gerard Street, Soho, London

Sending 30 roots each of new or little known Sicilian 'Orchideae', described in [Antonius] Bivona [Bernardi's] "Sicularum plantarum": 'Orchis longibracteata', 'Orchis purpurea', 'Orchis longicornu', 'Orchis acuminata', 'Ophrys tenthredinifera', and 'Ophrys lutea', also added roots of 'Arum tenuifolium'; a proportion being sent to Kew, hopes they will become permanently introduced. Botanists of Sicily "anxiously looking" for second volume of "Prodromus florae graecae"; believes his herbarium may contain species which escaped [John] Sibthorp