Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

From the upper to the lower continental crust exposed in Calabria

In Calabria sono esposte sezioni del basamento pre-Mesozoico che rappresentano un profilo completo della crosta continentale strutturata durante il ciclo orogenico ercinico. Questa circostanza particolare \ue8 stata causata dalla tettonica terziaria che ha determinato l\u2019esumazione dei diversi livelli di crosta. L\u2019escursione mira a fornire un quadro generale della crosta continentale che si spera possa essere utile per tarare modelli geochimici, reologici e geofisici. L\u2019itinerario si snoda nella parte centro-meridionale della Calabria e principalmente attraverso il Massiccio delle Serre ed i promontori di Capo Vaticano e di Monte Sant\u2019Elia. Durante i tre giorni di escursione \ue8 possibile esaminare le caratteristiche compositive e strutturali dei diversi livelli di crosta, a partire da quella superiore verso quella inferiore. Si possono osservare rocce metamorfiche dal basso grado sino alla facies granulitica ed apprezzare le caratteristiche distintive dei granitoidi intrusi a diversa profondit\ue0. Gli effetti dell\u2019intensa perturbazione termica causata dalla messa in posto dei granitoidi sono osservabili sia nella crosta superiore che in quella inferiore, ovvero nella netta aureola di contatto e nella zona migmatitica di bordo, rispettivamente. L\u2019itinerario prevede anche la visita di zone ove risultano ben visibili gli effetti della deformazione localizzata, prodotta dalla tettonica terziaria sulle rocce paleozoiche sia in condizioni fragili che duttili

What can high-pressure sheared orthogneisses tell us? An example from the Curinga–Girifalco Line

High-P(HP) mineral parageneses are usually poorly developed within metagranitoids, as these rocks are commonly affected by fluid-deficient conditions when experiencing a metamorphic cycle. However, since ductile shear zones can act as preferential pathways for fluids in the Earth's crust, if metagranitoids are involved in ductile shear under HP conditions, the presence of fluids during deformation can induce recrystallization and equilibration in these rocks. With this in mind, we investigate the formation and evolution of mineral assemblages in the orthogneisses of the Castagna Unit from the northern Serre Massif (Calabria, southern Italy). During Alpine tectonics, the thrusting along the Curinga–Girifalco Line juxtaposed these rocks, representative of the Hercynian intermediate crust, below the lithologies of the Hercynian lower crust. A detailed microstructural study of the orthogneisses, sampled along a progressively increasing ductile deformation gradient, revealed a variation in the mineral assemblage between the weakly deformed orthogneisses and those in the shear zone. Phase diagram calculations in the MnNCKFMASHTO system indicate that the progressive replacement of relict minerals by new, Alpine minerals in the shear zone, was related to the presence of fluids during deformation. This allowed equilibration of the sheared orthogneisses up to metamorphic peak conditions of ~0.9–1.0 GPa and ~560–590°C. Our integrated study highlights that both weakly deformed and mylonitic orthogneiss share the same peak metamorphic conditions, and that the new equilibrium mineral assemblage was stabilized in the mylonitic orthogneisses along a fluid-conservative prograde path, where no fluid was added or lost. After metamorphic peak, the fluid was channelled towards the inner part of the shear zone, with fluid-present conditions that were restricted to the mylonitic orthogneisses close to the tectonic contact. These mylonitic orthogneisses record cooling and exhumation to 0.6–0.7 GPa and 360–400°C, showing an overall anticlockwise P–T path. By comparing our findings with existing structural studies, we highlight that the Castagna Unit was under-thrusted to lower-crustal depths during the Alpine orogeny, before the re-activation of the Curinga–Girifalco Line during the Oligocene to Miocene extensional tectonic phase, that enabled the exhumation of this unit

Reworking of felsic rocks in ductile shar zones: an example from the Curinga-Girifalco line

In the northern Serre Massif, Alpine tectonics juxtaposed the Castagna unit orthogneisses (below), representative of the Hercynian intermediate crust, to mafic and felsic granulites and granulite facies migmatitic paragneisses of the Hercynian lower crust (above), along the Curinga-Girifalco ductile shear zone. The detailed microstructural study of progressively sampled ductilely sheared orthogneisses from their host, highlighted mineral assemblage variations from i) Kfs + Pl + Qz + Bt + Mu + Ep + Tnt ± Ilm in weakly deformed orthogneisses to ii) Kfs + Ab + Qz + Phe + Ep/Czo + Tnt + (Grs-rich) Grt ± Ep ± Chl ± Bt and iii) Kfs + Ab + Qz + Phe + Ep/Czo + Tnt ± (Grs-rich) Grt in mylonitic orthogneisses. Phase diagram calculations in the MnNCKFMASHTO model system highlight that the progressive replacement of pre-Alpine mineral phases (e.g., plagioclase, biotite and ilmenite) by new Alpine ones (i.e., garnet, albite, titanite, epidote and clinozoisite) is related to different amount of external fluid infiltration, promoting partial to total renovation of the pre-Alpine mineral assemblage. On the basis of the garnet XGrs(0.47 – 0.54) and XSps(0.08 – 0.22) isopleth intersections, the reworked Castagna orthogneisses record a prograde, stepwise, Alpine P – T evolution in the amphibolite facies, with peak metamorphic conditions at ca. 0.9 GPa. Further, the subsequent exhumation stage, characterized by decompression and cooling, occurred in the stability field of sin-kinematic clinozoisite, accounting for an overall anticlockwise P – T path. The results of this work clearly show that continental crustal rocks from the intermediate nappe underwent hydration when underthrusted during the Alpine subduction in Calabria, recording the highest P – T conditions with respect to the juxtaposed other lithologies due to complete mineral assemblage reworking. Therefore, the Curinga-Girifalco shear zone developed during Eocene nappe stacking, and prolonged its activity during Oligocene extensional tectonics

Reciprocal peer management: Improving staff instruction in a vocational training program

To test the feasibility and utility of involving peers as sources of feedback, 6 subjects, instructors in a vocational program for adults with mental retardation, participated in a staff training and management program. Subjects' teaching interactions were assessed during baseline, in-service training (on effective teaching), return-to-baseline, peer management, and follow-up phases. Peer management was introduced in multiple baseline fashion across pairs of subjects. Members of each pair were trained to monitor peer teaching, to record and graph data, to provide feedback, and to set goals with the peer. Each pair then performed these procedures on the job for several weeks, during which time 4 of the 6 subjects increased their use of effective teaching methods (over baseline). However, inconsistencies in the magnitude and durability of these increases require that the study be viewed as inconclusive, although it has heuristic value as a promising model for involving co-workers in staff management programs

Biologic Determinants of Tumor Recurrence in Stage II Colon Cancer: Validation Study of the 12-Gene Recurrence Score in Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 9581

PurposeA greater understanding of the biology of tumor recurrence should improve adjuvant treatment decision making. We conducted a validation study of the 12-gene recurrence score (RS), a quantitative assay integrating stromal response and cell cycle gene expression, in tumor specimens from patients enrolled onto Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 9581.Patients and methodsCALGB 9581 randomly assigned 1,713 patients with stage II colon cancer to treatment with edrecolomab or observation and found no survival difference. The analysis reported here included all patients with available tissue and recurrence (n = 162) and a random (approximately 1:3) selection of nonrecurring patients. RS was assessed in 690 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples with quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction by using prespecified genes and a previously validated algorithm. Association of RS and recurrence was analyzed by weighted Cox proportional hazards regression.ResultsContinuous RS was significantly associated with risk of recurrence (P = .013) as was mismatch repair (MMR) gene deficiency (P = .044). In multivariate analyses, RS was the strongest predictor of recurrence (P = .004), independent of T stage, MMR, number of nodes examined, grade, and lymphovascular invasion. In T3 MMR-intact (MMR-I) patients, prespecified low and high RS groups had average 5-year recurrence risks of 13% (95% CI, 10% to 16%) and 21% (95% CI, 16% to 26%), respectively.ConclusionThe 12-gene RS predicts recurrence in stage II colon cancer in CALGB 9581. This is consistent with the importance of stromal response and cell cycle gene expression in colon tumor recurrence. RS appears to be most discerning for patients with T3 MMR-I tumors, although markers such as grade and lymphovascular invasion did not add value in this subset of patients

Renal association clinical practice guideline in post-operative care in the kidney transplant recipient

These guidelines cover the care of patients from the period following kidney transplantation until the transplant is no longer working or the patient dies. During the early phase prevention of acute rejection and infection are the priority. After around 3-6 months, the priorities change to preservation of transplant function and avoiding the long-term complications of immunosuppressive medication (the medication used to suppress the immune system to prevent rejection). The topics discussed include organization of outpatient follow up, immunosuppressive medication, treatment of acute and chronic rejection, and prevention of complications. The potential complications discussed include heart disease, infection, cancer, bone disease and blood disorders. There is also a section on contraception and reproductive issues.Immediately after the introduction there is a statement of all the recommendations. These recommendations are written in a language that we think should be understandable by many patients, relatives, carers and other interested people. Consequently we have not reworded or restated them in this lay summary. They are graded 1 or 2 depending on the strength of the recommendation by the authors, and AD depending on the quality of the evidence that the recommendation is based on