"Ashkui" Vernal Ice-cover Phenomena and Their Ecological Role in Southern Labrador

This is the first documented incident of River Otter (Lutra canadensis) feeding on Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) in a little studied region, southern Labrador. Our observations were made during spring staging when waterfowl aggregate at open water sites in frozen lakes and rivers, locally known as ashkui. We suggest that otters and raptors opportunistically forage on staging waterfowl at ashkui

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK.

BACKGROUND: A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. METHODS: This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. FINDINGS: Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0-75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4-97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8-80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3-4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. INTERPRETATION: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials. FUNDING: UK Research and Innovation, National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lemann Foundation, Rede D'Or, Brava and Telles Foundation, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Thames Valley and South Midland's NIHR Clinical Research Network, and AstraZeneca

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK

Background A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. Methods This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. Findings Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0–75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4–97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8–80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3–4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. Interpretation ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Atlantic puffin response to changes in capelin abundance in Newfoundland and Labrador : an inter-colony and inter-decade comparison

I compared Atlantic Puffin chick diet and reproductive performance at the Gannet Islands, Labrador during 1996-98 to that recorded 1) in a similar study undertaken during 1981 -1983 at the Gannet Islands prior to a decline in capelin abundance, and 2) at Gull Island, Witless Bay, Newfoundland where capelin were abundant. I hypothesized that chick diet quality and breeding parameters would be dramatically lower at the Gannet Islands in the 1990s. During 1996-1998 at the Gannet Islands, puffin chick diet biomass comprised 3 to 25 % capelin and only in 1996 was breeding success dramatically lower (by 40 %) than any other study colony or year. Chick mass growth rate, and peak and fledging mass were lower in the 1990s than 1980s yet similar to that at Gull Island. Sandlance was the main alternate prey and was significantly higher in lipid, protein and energy density than capelin at both colonies. Atlantic Puffins exhibited behavioural plasticity with respect to foraging and reproduction in a temporally and spatially highly variable environment

"Ashkui" Vernal Ice-cover Phenomena and Their Ecological Role in Southern Labrador

This is the first documented incident of River Otter (Lutra canadensis) feeding on Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) in a little studied region, southern Labrador. Our observations were made during spring staging when waterfowl aggregate at open water sites in frozen lakes and rivers, locally known as ashkui. We suggest that otters and raptors opportunistically forage on staging waterfowl at ashkui

Data from: Small-scale intraspecific patterns of adaptive immunogenetic polymorphisms and neutral variation in Lake Superior lake trout

Many fishes express high levels of intraspecific variability, often linked to resource partitioning. Several studies show that a species’ evolutionary trajectory of adaptive divergence can undergo reversals caused by changes in its environment. Such a reversal in neutral genetic and morphological variation among lake trout Salvelinus namaycush ecomorphs appears to be underway in Lake Superior. However, a water depth gradient in neutral genetic divergence was found to be associated with intraspecific diversity in the lake. To investigate patterns of adaptive immunogenetic variation among lake trout ecomorphs, we used Illumina high-throughput sequencing. The population’s genetic structure of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC Class IIβ exon 2) and 18 microsatellite loci were compared to disentangle neutral and selective processes at a small geographic scale. Both MHC and microsatellite variation were partitioned more by water depth stratum than by ecomorph. Several metrics showed strong clustering by water depth in MHC alleles, but not microsatellites. We report a 75% increase in the number of MHC alleles shared between the predominant shallow and deep water ecomorphs since a previous lake trout MHC study at the same locale (c. 1990s data). This result is consistent with the reverse speciation hypothesis, although adaptive MHC polymorphisms persist along an ecological gradient. Finally, results suggested that the lake trout have multiple copies of the MHC II locus consistent with a historic genomic duplication event. Our findings indicated that conservation approaches for this species could focus on managing various ecological habitats by depth, in addition to regulating the fisheries specific to ecomorphs

Deciphering Hatchery Stock Influences on Wild Populations of Vermont Lake Trout

<div><p></p><p>To better understand the influence of hatchery practices on wild populations of Lake Trout <i>Salvelinus namaycush</i>, we used a landscape genetic approach to tease apart the population genetic patterns expected due to natural processes versus hatchery stocking, i.e., human-mediated gene flow. In several lakes across our study area in Vermont, the presence of exogenous mitochondrial DNA haplotypes supported our human-mediated gene flow hypothesis. Microsatellite DNA analyses showed introgression of hatchery genotypes into the wild populations. Nonetheless, clustering patterns within river drainages and signatures of isolation by distance were consistent with natural postglacial colonization. We conclude that though the genetic makeup of Vermont Lake Trout populations has been influenced by stocking, a lack of genetic bottlenecks and concordance with landscape processes suggests that much of the indigenous genetic diversity remains intact. We were able to attribute departures from expectations based on natural genetic patterns to hatchery introgression in specific lakes. To preserve the adaptive potential of local populations that have persisted since the last ice age, we suggest areas for which hatchery supplementation could be minimized.</p><p>Received June 16, 2014; accepted September 12, 2014</p></div