Genetic data of museum specimens allow for inferring evolutionary history of the cosmopolitan genus Sirthenea (Heteroptera: Reduviidae)

Among the 30 known genera within subfamily Peiratinae, only the genus Sirthenea has a cosmopolitan distribution. The results of our studies are the first comprehensive analysis concerning one of the representatives of mentioned subfamily based on joint phylogenetic analyses ofmolecular andmorphological data as well asmolecular dating. A total of 32 species were included into the dataset with all known species of the genus Sirthenea. Material of over 400 dry specimens was examined for the morphological part of this study. The cosmopolitan distribution of Sirthenea and the inaccessibility of specimens preserved in alcohol required the extraction of DNA from the dried skeletal muscles of specimens deposited in 24 entomological collections. The oldest specimens used for the successful extraction and sequencing were collected more than 120 years ago in India. We performed Bayesian Inference analyses of molecular and morphological data separately, as well as combined analysis. The molecular and morphological data obtained during our research verify the correlation of the divergence dates of all known Sirthenea species. Results of the relaxed molecular clock analysis of the molecular data show that, the genus Sirthenea started diverging in the Late Cretaceous into two clades, which subsequently began to branch off in the Paleocene. Our results of phylogenetic analyses suggest that the fossula spongiosa and its development could be one of the most important morphological characters in the evolution of the genus, most likely associated with the ecological niche inhabited by Sirthenea representatives. Confirmation of the results obtained in our studies is the reconciliation of the evolutionary history of Sirthenea with the biogeographical processes that have shaped current global distribution of the genus

Paramecium tredecaurelia: A Unique Non-Polymorphic Species of the P. aurelia spp. Complex (Oligohymenophorea, Ciliophora)

New stands of Paramecium tredecaurelia, a rare species of the P. aurelia spp. complex, were identified in Thailand and Madagascar on the basis of mating reactions and molecular markers (rDNA and mtDNA). Analysis of DNA fragments showed that all P. tredecaurelia strains, the recently recorded ones and the ones known previously from France, Mexico, and Israel, form a monophyletic and well-defined clade in the P. aurelia species trees. All of these strains, collected from different localities around the world, represent identical or nearly identical haplotypes in terms of all the studied DNA fragments. Given the huge distances between particular collection sites, such a low level of variability of the studied sequences may result from a slow rate of evolution in P. tredecaurelia

Home-based treatment with subcutaneous trastuzumab: safe and acceptable not only during a pandemic — final analysis of the RWD project ‘FlexCare’

Introduction. Trastuzumab shows similar efficacy and safety profile regardless of IV or SC administration. Subcutaneous administration enables reduction of treatment costs and time as well as equipment savings and is more convenient for both patients and healthcare providers. In Poland, home-based programs of treatment with biological drugs are already implemented; however, to date they do not include trastuzumab in BC patients. The project aimed to evaluate the organizational and therapeutic procedures related to home-based treatment with subcutaneous trastuzumab and satisfaction of patients and healthcare providers based on RWE. Material and methods. Early HER2(+) BC patients treated with trastuzumab were enrolled in the study. Monitoring and duration of treatment were consistent with the summary of product characteristics (SmPC) and reimbursement rules. The first 3–6 doses of trastuzumab were administered at the cancer center, followed by home doses. Medical visits took place every 3 months. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A positive opinion of the Bioethics Committee was obtained. Results. Twenty patients participated in the project. The median age was 59 years (36–72 years). The average distance from the place of residence to the hospital was 24 km (2–65 km). We administered 232 doses, with an average of 11.6 doses per patient (range 6–14). The tolerance of trastuzumab was good and consistent with the SmPC. The average duration of a nurse’s stay at home was 60 minutes. Almost all patients (19/20) appreciated the possibility of saving time and continuing their professional work as well as avoiding crowds and the risk of infection in the hospital. Two patients felt that nurse visits violated their privacy. No logistical or technical problems were observed. Conclusions. Home-based treatment with subcutaneously administered trastuzumab is safe and easy to organize, positively perceived by both patients and nurses. It can be particularly important for disabled patients who have difficulty reaching the hospital, as well as for professionally active patients

First Descriptions of Larva and Pupa of Bagous claudicans Boheman, 1845 (Curculionidae, Bagoinae) and Systematic Position of the Species Based on Molecular and Morphological Data

In this paper, the mature larva and pupa of Bagous claudicans are described and illustrated for the first time. Measurements of younger larval instars are also given. The biology of the species is discussed in association with larval morphology and feeding habits. Overall larval and pupal morphological characters of the genus Bagous are presented. Confirmation of the larva identification as Bagous claudicans species was conducted by cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequencing. DNA barcoding was useful for specimen identification of larval stages. The systematic position of the species within the Bagous collignensis-group, based on morphological and molecular results, is also discussed

Paramecium tredecaurelia: A Unique Non-Polymorphic Species of the P. aurelia spp. Complex (Oligohymenophorea, Ciliophora)

New stands of Paramecium tredecaurelia, a rare species of the P. aurelia spp. complex, were identified in Thailand and Madagascar on the basis of mating reactions and molecular markers (rDNA and mtDNA). Analysis of DNA fragments showed that all P. tredecaurelia strains, the recently recorded ones and the ones known previously from France, Mexico, and Israel, form a monophyletic and well-defined clade in the P. aurelia species trees. All of these strains, collected from different localities around the world, represent identical or nearly identical haplotypes in terms of all the studied DNA fragments. Given the huge distances between particular collection sites, such a low level of variability of the studied sequences may result from a slow rate of evolution in P. tredecaurelia

Podskórne podawanie trastuzumabu w domu bezpieczne i akceptowalne nie tylko w czasie pandemii — końcowa analiza projektu RWD „FlexCare”

Wprowadzenie: Trastuzumab w postaci dożylnej i podskórnej ma podobną skuteczność oraz profil bezpieczeństwa. Podanie podskórne umożliwia redukcję kosztów leczenia, oszczędność czasu, zasobów sprzętowych i jest bardziej przyjazne dla chorych i personelu. W Polsce nie stosowano dotąd trastuzumabu w warunkach domowych, ale istnieją programy domowego leczenia lekami biologicznymi. Celem projektu było zgromadzenie informacji oraz ocena procedur organizacyjnych leczenia trastuzumabem w postaci podskórnej w warunkach domowych i ocena satysfakcji chorych i personelu. Materiał i metody: Grupę badaną stanowiły chore na raka piersi HER2+ leczone radykalnie. Monitorowanie i czas trwania leczenia były zgodne z Charakterystyką Produktu Leczniczego (ChPL) i zasadami refundacyjnymi. Pierwsze 3-6 dawek trastuzumabu podawano w ośrodku onkologicznym, a kolejne stosowano w domu. Wizyty lekarskie odbywały się co 3 miesiące. Dane analizowano za pomocą statystyki opisowej. Uzyskano pozytywną opinię Komisji Bioetycznej. Wyniki: W projekcie uczestniczyło 20 chorych. Mediana wieku 59 lat (36 - 72 lat). Średnia odległość od miejsca zamieszkania do szpitala wynosiła 24 km (2 - 65 km). Podano 232 dawki leku, średnio 11,6 dawki na chorą (zakres 6-14). Tolerancja trastuzumabu była dobra i zgodna z ChPL. Czas pobytu w domu wynosił średnio 60 minut. Niemal wszystkie chore (19/20) oceniały pozytywnie oszczędność czasu, możliwość kontynuowania pracy zawodowej oraz unikanie tłumów i ryzyka zakażenia. Dwie chore uznały, że wizyta pielęgniarki zakłóca ich prywatność. Nie obserwowano problemów logistycznych ani technicznych. Wnioski: Podskórne stosowanie trastuzumabu w domu jest bezpieczne i proste w organizacji oraz dobrze odbierane przez chorych i pielęgniarki. Oceniana forma organizacji leczenia może być wartościowa dla chorych niepełnosprawnych, którzy nie mogą dotrzeć do szpitala, jak również dla aktywnych zawodowo.Wprowadzenie. Trastuzumab w postaci dożylnej i podskórnej ma podobną skuteczność oraz profil bezpieczeństwa. Podanie podskórne umożliwia redukcję kosztów leczenia, oszczędność czasu, zasobów sprzętowych i jest bardziej przyjazne dla chorych i personelu. W Polsce nie stosowano dotąd trastuzumabu w warunkach domowych, ale istnieją programy domowego leczenia lekami biologicznymi. Celem projektu było zgromadzenie informacji oraz ocena procedur organizacyjnych leczenia trastuzumabem w postaci podskórnej w warunkach domowych i ocena satysfakcji chorych i personelu.  Materiał i metody. Grupę badaną stanowiły chore na raka piersi HER2+ leczone radykalnie. Monitorowanie i czas trwania leczenia były zgodne z charakterystyką produktu leczniczego (ChPL) i zasadami refundacyjnymi. Pierwsze 3–6 dawek trastuzumabu podawano w ośrodku onkologicznym, a kolejne stosowano w domu. Wizyty lekarskie odbywały się co 3 miesiące. Dane analizowano za pomocą statystyki opisowej. Uzyskano pozytywną opinię Komisji Bioetycznej.  Wyniki. W projekcie uczestniczyło 20 chorych. Mediana wieku to 59 lat (36–72 lat). Średnia odległość od miejsca zamieszkania do szpitala wynosiła 24 km (2–65 km). Podano 232 dawki leku, średnio 11,6 dawki na chorą (zakres 6–14). Tolerancja trastuzumabu była dobra i zgodna z ChPL. Czas pobytu w domu wynosił średnio 60 minut. Niemal wszystkie chore (19/20) oceniały pozytywnie oszczędność czasu, możliwość kontynuowania pracy zawodowej oraz unikanie tłumów i ryzyka zakażenia. Dwie chore uznały, że wizyta pielęgniarki zakłóca ich prywatność. Nie obserwowano problemów logistycznych ani technicznych.  Wnioski. Podskórne stosowanie trastuzumabu w domu jest bezpieczne i proste w organizacji oraz dobrze odbierane przez chorych i pielęgniarki. Oceniana forma organizacji leczenia może być wartościowa dla chorych niepełnosprawnych, którzy nie mogą dotrzeć do szpitala, oraz dla aktywnych zawodowo

Evolutionary plasticity of mating-type determination mechanisms in Paramecium aurelia sibling species

International audienceThe Paramecium aurelia complex, a group of morphologically similar but sexually incompatible sibling species, is a unique example of the evolutionary plasticity of mating-type systems. Each species has two mating types, O (Odd) and E (Even). Although O and E types are homologous in all species, three different modes of determination and inheritance have been described: genetic determination by Mendelian alleles, stochastic developmental determination, and maternally inherited developmental determination. Previous work in three species of the latter kind have revealed the key roles of the E-specific transmembrane protein mtA and its highly specific transcription factor mtB: type O clones are produced by maternally inherited genome rearrangements that inactivate either mtA or mtB during development. Here we show, through transcriptome analyses in 5 additional species representing the three determination systems, that mtA expression specifies type E in all cases. We further show that the Mendelian system depends on functional and non-functional mtA alleles, and identify novel developmental rearrangements in mtA and mtB which now explain all cases of maternally inherited mating-type determination. Epistasis between these genes likely evolved from less specific interactions between paralogs in the P. aurelia common ancestor, after a whole-genome duplication, but the mtB gene was subsequently lost in three P. aurelia species which appear to have returned to an ancestral regulation mechanism. These results suggest a model accounting for evolutionary transitions between determination systems, and highlight the diversity of molecular solutions explored among sibling species to maintain an essential mating-type polymorphism in cell populations

Dynamics of Gene Loss following Ancient Whole-Genome Duplication in the Cryptic Paramecium Complex

Abstract Whole-genome duplications (WGDs) have shaped the gene repertoire of many eukaryotic lineages. The redundancy created by WGDs typically results in a phase of massive gene loss. However, some WGD–derived paralogs are maintained over long evolutionary periods, and the relative contributions of different selective pressures to their maintenance are still debated. Previous studies have revealed a history of three successive WGDs in the lineage of the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia and two of its sister species from the Paramecium aurelia complex. Here, we report the genome sequence and analysis of 10 additional P. aurelia species and 1 additional out group, revealing aspects of post-WGD evolution in 13 species sharing a common ancestral WGD. Contrary to the morphological radiation of vertebrates that putatively followed two WGD events, members of the cryptic P. aurelia complex have remained morphologically indistinguishable after hundreds of millions of years. Biases in gene retention compatible with dosage constraints appear to play a major role opposing post-WGD gene loss across all 13 species. In addition, post-WGD gene loss has been slower in Paramecium than in other species having experienced genome duplication, suggesting that the selective pressures against post-WGD gene loss are especially strong in Paramecium. A near complete lack of recent single-gene duplications in Paramecium provides additional evidence for strong selective pressures against gene dosage changes. This exceptional data set of 13 species sharing an ancestral WGD and 2 closely related out group species will be a useful resource for future studies on Paramecium as a major model organism in the evolutionary cell biology