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We present a spatially-resolved HII region study of the gas-phase metallicity, ionization parameter, and ISM pressure maps of 6 local star-forming and face-on spiral galaxies from the TYPHOON program. Self-consistent metallicity, ionization parameter, and pressure maps are calculated simultaneously through an iterative process to provide useful measures of the local chemical abundance and its relation to localized ISM properties. We constrain the presence of azimuthal variations in metallicity by measuring the residual metallicity offset $\Delta$(O/H) after subtracting the linear fits to the radial metallicity profiles. We however find weak evidence of azimuthal variations in most of the galaxies, with small (mean 0.03 dex) scatter. The galaxies instead reveal that HII regions with enhanced and reduced abundances are found distributed throughout the disk. While the spiral pattern plays a role in organizing the ISM, it alone does not establish the relatively uniform azimuthal variations we observe. Differences in the metal abundances are more likely driven by the strong correlations with the local physical conditions. We find a strong and positive correlation between the ionization parameter and the local abundances as measured by the relative metallicity offset $\Delta$(O/H), indicating a tight relationship between local physical conditions and their localized enrichment of the ISM. Additionally, we demonstrate the impact of unresolved observations on the measured ISM properties by rebinning the datacubes to simulate low-resolution (1 kpc) observations, typical of large IFU surveys. We find that the ionization parameter and ISM pressure diagnostics are impacted by the loss of resolution such that their measured values are larger relative to the measured values on sub-HII region scales., Comment: 31 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

The shift from sexual reproduction to parthenogenesis has occurred repeatedly in animals, but how the loss of sex affects genome evolution remains poorly understood. We generated de novo reference genomes for five independently evolved parthenogenetic species in the stick insect genus Timema and their closest sexual relatives. Using these references in combination with population genomic data, we show that parthenogenesis results in an extreme reduction of heterozygosity, and often leads to genetically uniform populations. We also find evidence for less effective positive selection in parthenogenetic species, supporting the view that sex is ubiquitous in natural populations because it facilitates fast rates of adaptation. Contrary to studies of non-recombining genome portions in sexual species, genomes of parthenogenetic species do not accumulate transposable elements (TEs), likely because successful parthenogens derive from sexual ancestors with inactive TEs. Because we are able to conduct replicated comparisons across five species pairs, our study reveals, for the first time, how animal genomes evolve in the absence of sex in natural populations, providing empirical support for the negative consequences of parthenogenetic reproduction as predicted by theory.

Background: Acquired complement deficiency can occur in the setting of autoimmune syndromes, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with very low or, occasionally, undetectable C3 levels. Based on data from patients with inherited complement defects, a perceived risk for serious bacterial infection exists amongst patients with transiently low complement, but the degree of risk related to C3 level is unknown. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of all pediatric patients with an undetectable total complement activity or absent individual complement components measured at our institution from 2002 to 2018. We assessed annual rate of serious bacterial infection (SBI) defined as requiring hospitalization and/or parenteral antibiotics. Among included SLE patients, we assessed the 30-day probability of SBI for given C3 measurements using a logistic regression model to determine risk. Results: Acquired complement deficiency secondary to SLE-related disease [n=44] was the most common underlying diagnosis associated with depressed complement levels. While controlling for immunosuppression level and lupus nephritis diagnosis, our logistic regression analysis of pediatric patients with SLE showed low C3 level was temporally associated with having an SBI event. Even in patients with equivalent immunosuppression, patients with an SBI were found to have lower C3 levels preceding the infection relative to patients without SBI. Conclusion: Pediatric patients with the diagnosis of SLE can develop very low C3 levels that are independently associated with risk of serious bacterial infection. Patients prone to complement consumption may particularly be at risk.

Comprehensive knowledge of the genomic aberrations involved in NSCLC may deliver improved therapies, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Recurrent copy number alterations (CNA) found in the same locus across a set of tumour samples are assumed to be the site of “driver” cancer genes. We hypothesize that whole genome array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) will identify recurrent regions of gains and loss in NSCLC containing candidate “driver” genes. Methods: DNA from fresh-frozen tumor tissue of 133 NSCLCs were obtained from The Prince Charles Hospital lung tumour bank. aCGH was performed using Agilent CGH 44B microarrays (Agilent Technologies). Recurrent CNAs were identified using the Genomic Identification of Significant Targets in Cancer (GISTIC) algorithm, controlling for false discovery rates (q≤0.005). Focal ( Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2211.

We have measured the percent change in 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) concentration in cord blood erythrocytes and adult erythrocytes during incubation at 37 degrees C using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. DPG concentrations remained unchanged during the first 4.0 +/- 0.9 h (mean + SD) for cord blood erythrocytes and 6.0 +/- 1.0 h for adult blood erythrocytes. After this plateau phase, cord blood and adult erythrocyte DPG concentrations decreased at a rate of 11.6 +/- 0.4 and 11.4 +/- 0.5% of the baseline DPG concentration per hour, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the percent rate of DPG degradation when comparing cord blood erythrocytes to adult erythrocytes during either the plateau phase or the decay phase. Starting at the onset of the decay phase, the neonate 3-P DPG resonance shifted downfield at a rate of 0.03 +/- 0.006 ppm per hour; the adult 3-P DPG resonance shifted downfield at a rate of 0.02 +/- 0.003 ppm per hour.