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Rapid Arctic warming is causing permafrost to thaw and exposing large quantities of soil organic carbon (C) to potential decomposition. In dry upland tundra systems, subsidence from thawing permafrost can increase surface soil moisture resulting in higher methane (CH4) emissions from newly waterlogged soils. The proportion of C released as carbon dioxide (CO2) and CH4 remains uncertain as previously dry landscapes transition to a thawed state, resulting in both wetter and drier microsites. To address how thaw and moisture interact to affect total C emissions, we measured CH4 and CO2 emissions from paired chambers across thaw and moisture gradients created by nine years of experimental soil warming in interior Alaska. Cumulative growing season (May–September) CH4 emissions were elevated at both wetter (216.1–1,099.4 mg CH4-C m−2) and drier (129.7–392.3 mg CH4-C m−2) deeply thawed microsites relative to shallow thaw (55.6–215.7 mg CH4-C m−2) and increased with higher deep soil temperatures and permafrost thaw depth. Interannual variability in CH4 emissions was driven by wet conditions in graminoid-dominated plots that generated >70% of emissions in a wet year. Shoulder season emissions were equivalent to growing season CH4 emissions rates in the deeply thawed, warmed soils, highlighting the importance of non-growing season CH4 emissions. Net C sink potential was reduced in deeply thawed wet plots by 4%–42%, and by 3.5%–8% in deeply thawed drier plots due to anaerobic respiration, suggesting that some dry upland tundra landscapes may transition into stronger CH4 sources in a warming Arctic.

Higher temperatures in northern latitudes will increase permafrost thaw and stimulate above- and belowground plant biomass growth in tundra ecosystems. Higher plant productivity increases the input of easily decomposable carbon (C) to soil, which can stimulate microbial activity and increase soil organic matter decomposition rates. This phenomenon, known as the priming effect, is particularly interesting in permafrost because an increase in C supply to deep, previously frozen soil may accelerate decomposition of C stored for hundreds to thousands of years. The sensitivity of old permafrost C to priming is not well known; most incubation studies last less than one year, and so focus on fast-cycling C pools. Furthermore, the age of respired soil C is rarely measured, even though old C may be vulnerable to labile C inputs. We incubated soil from a moist acidic tundra site in Eight Mile Lake, Alaska for 409 days at 15 °C. Soil from surface (0–25 cm), transition (45–55 cm), and permafrost (65–85 cm) layers were amended with three pulses of uniformly 13 C-labeled glucose or cellulose every 152 days. Glucose addition resulted in positive priming in the permafrost layer 7 days after each substrate addition, eliciting a two-fold increase in cumulative soil C loss relative to unamended soils with consistent effects across all three pulses. In the transition and permafrost layers, glucose addition significantly decreased the age of soil-respired CO 2 -C with Δ 14 C values that were 115‰ higher. Previous field studies that measured the age of respired C in permafrost regions have attributed younger Δ 14 C ecosystem respiration values to higher plant contributions. However, the results from this study suggest that positive priming, due to an increase in fresh C supply to deeply thawed soil layers, can also explain the respiration of younger C observed at the ecosystem scale. We must consider priming effects to fully understand permafrost C dynamics, or we risk underestimating the contribution of soil C to ecosystem respiration.

In the last few decades, temperatures in the Arctic have increased twice as much as the rest of the globe. As permafrost thaws in response to this warming, large amounts of soil organic matter may become vulnerable to decomposition. Microbial decomposition will release carbon (C) from permafrost soils, however, warmer conditions could also lead to enhanced plant growth and C uptake. Field and modeling studies show high uncertainty in soil and plant responses to climate change but there have been few studies that reconcile field and model data to understand differences and reduce uncertainty. Here, we evaluate gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Reco), and net ecosystem C exchange (NEE) from eight years of experimental soil warming in moist acidic tundra against equivalent fluxes from the Community Land Model during simulations parameterized to reflect the field conditions associated with this manipulative field experiment. Over the eight-year experimental period, soil temperatures and thaw depths increased with warming in field observations and model simulations. However, the field and model results do not agree on warming effects on water table depth; warming created wetter soils in the field and drier soils in the models. In the field, initial increases in growing season GPP, Reco, and NEE to experimentally-induced permafrost thaw created a higher C sink capacity in the first years followed by a stronger C source in years six through eight. In contrast, both models predicted linear increases in GPP, Reco, and NEE with warming. The divergence of model results from field experiments reveals the role subsidence, hydrology, and nutrient cycling play in influencing the C flux responses to permafrost thaw, a complexity that the models are not structurally able to predict, and highlight challenges associated with projecting C cycle dynamics across the Arctic.

Chitosan (CTS) and collagen (Coll) are natural biomaterials that have been extensively used in tissue engineering or wound healing applications, either separately or as composite materials. Most methods to fabricate CTS/Coll matrices employ chemical crosslinking to obtain solid and stable scaffolds with the necessary porosity and mechanical properties to facilitate regeneration. In this study, we comparatively assessed the physicochemical properties of 3D scaffolds loaded with a cross-linker, glyoxal. Using a scanning electron microscope, we evaluated the microstructure of resultant matrices and their mechanistic testing by the determination of the compressive modulus (Emod), the maximum force (Fmax), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy–Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR), and proliferation rate in vitro using human epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts cultured in presence of melatonin solution (10−5 M). We observed that enhanced content of collagen (50CTS/50Coll or 20CTS/80Coll compared to 80CTS/20Coll) significantly elevated the physicochemical capacities of resultant materials. Besides, presence of 5% glyoxal increased porosity, Emod and Fmax, compared to scaffolds without glyoxal. Finally, keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts cultured on subjected matrices in presence of melatonin revealed a prominently enhanced growth rate. This indicates that the combination of glyoxal and melatonin make it imperative to consider these materials as a promising approach for targeting skin tissue engineering or regenerative dermatology.

Many invasions, like the wide-spread establishment of annual grasses and forbs in semi-arid shrublands, are associated with climate change. In order to predict ecosystem carbon (C) storage it is critical that we understand how invasion affects soil respiration (Rt). Because plants and microbes have different seasonal dynamics, determining the relative contribution of autotrophic (Ra) and heterotrophic (Rh) respiration provides critical insight into soil C processes. Using automated soil respiration measurements and root exclusion cores we evaluated the moisture and temperature sensitivity of Rt and Rh and calculated the contribution of Ra in native shrub and invaded areas. Invasion increased cumulative Rt by 40% from 695 (±51) gCm-2 under shrubs to 1050 gCm-2 (±44) in invaded areas. Cumulative Rh did not change but invasion altered the seasonal pattern of Rh. Throughout the season Rt and Rh responded positively to temperature increases when soils were wet and negatively when soils were dry. Invasion increased temperature sensitivity of Rt and Rh in wet soils and decreased temperature sensitivity in dry soils. The altered temperature sensitivity of invasives was attributed largely to differences in phenology. Early phenology of invasive grasses caused rapid Ra increases early in the season; late phenology of invasive forbs resulted in the surprising maintenance of diurnal Ra and Rh signals despite high temperatures and low soil moisture. Invasion extended the respiration season of the system. Ability of the invasive community to withstand high temperatures and drought could confer greater resilience if temperature and precipitation patterns in the region change. The high contribution of Ra by invasive annuals means ecosystem C storage will depend heavily on seasonal rainfall dynamics and productivity of invasive annuals. In semi-arid ecosystems even small scale changes in plant community composition alter Rt, Ra and Rh and should be considered when attempting to predict Rt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH) during implantation of stereo-EEG electrodes are rare. The impact of tobacco-free nicotine consumption on periprocedural bleeding is uncertain. We present a 20+ year-old man with drug-resistant epilepsy who underwent stereo-EEG with 17 depth electrodes. Within a few days after insertion, the patient developed multiple ICHs in the electrode trajectories and an intradural hemorrhage after a diagnostic spinal tap. We performed the investigation of the clotting system and whole-exome sequencing (WES). WES identified a heterozygous mutation c.4698G>T, p.(Trp1566Cys) in COL4A2 (NM_001846.4) encoding a collagen type-IV alpha-2 chain inherited from his seemingly healthy mother. As COL4A2 mutations had been identified in four adult patients with ICH we postulated that the identified variant presents a potential risk factor. Notably, mutations encoding other collagens have been linked to cerebral hemorrhages (COL4A1) and increased propensity to trigger ICH upon smoking (COL1A2). Our patient consumed at least 24 oral nicotine pouches (containing 11 mg nicotine each) per day. We consider the patient's COL4A2 mutation in combination with his substantial nicotine consumption as likely predisposition to multiple ICHs precipitated by stereo-EEG. Patients with nicotine consumption and any collagen mutation may have a substantially higher risk for hemorrhagic complications in SEEG and other neurosurgical procedures. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: A young man with drug-resistant epilepsy experienced multiple intracerebral hemorrhages after implantation of SEEG electrodes for presurgical evaluation and concomitantly a intradural hemorrhage after a lumbar spinal tap. A collagen IV mutation of unclear significance and heavy use of oral nicotine pouches were the only potential risk factors identified. As collagen mutations were previously described risk factors and smoking in particular worsens the bleeding risk in collagen mutations, further research is warranted to prevent hemorrhages in neurosurgical procedures. Nicotine consumption in any form is a preventable risk factor., (© 2024 The Author(s). Epilepsia Open published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International League Against Epilepsy.)

Objectives: To review the evidence on the clinical value of magnetic source imaging (MSI) in patients with refractory focal epilepsy without evidence for an epileptogenic lesion on magnetic resonance imaging ("MRI-negative" or "non-lesional MRI")., Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search on PUBMED, which was extended by researchrabbit.ai using predefined criteria to identify studies that applied MSI in MRI-negative patients with epilepsy. We extracted data on patient characteristics, MSI methods, localization results, surgical outcomes, and correlation with other modalities., Results: We included 23 studies with a total of 512 non-lesional epilepsy patients who underwent MSI. Most studies used equivalent current dipole (ECD) models to estimate the sources of interictal epileptic discharges (IEDs). MEG detected IEDs in 32-100% of patients. MSI results were concordant with other modalities, such as EEG, PET, and SPECT, in 3892% of cases. If MSI concordant surgery was performed, 52-89% of patients achieved seizure freedom. MSI contributed to the decision-making process in 28-75% of cases and altered the surgical plan in 5-33% of cases., Conclusions: MSI is a valuable diagnostic tool for MRI-negative patients with epilepsy, as it can detect and localize IEDs with high accuracy and sensitivity, and provides useful information for surgical planning and predicts outcomes. MSI can also complement and refine the results of other modalities, such as EEG and PET, and optimize the use of invasive recordings. MSI should be considered as part of the presurgical evaluation, especially in patients with non-lesional refractory epilepsy.

Plant phenology, the timing of recurrent biological events, shows key and complex response to climate warming, with consequences for ecosystem functions and services. A key challenge for predicting plant phenology under future climates is to determine whether the phenological changes will persist with more intensive and long-term warming. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 103 experimental warming studies around the globe to investigate the responses of four phenophases - leaf-out, first flowering, last flowering, and leaf coloring. We showed that warming advanced leaf-out and flowering but delayed leaf coloring across herbaceous and woody plants. As the magnitude of warming increased, the response of most plant phenophases gradually leveled off for herbaceous plants, while phenology responded in proportion to warming in woody plants. We also found that the experimental effects of warming on plant phenology diminished over time across all phenophases. Specifically, the rate of changes in first flowering for herbaceous species, as well as leaf-out and leaf coloring for woody species, decreased as the experimental duration extended. Together, these results suggest that the real-world impact of global warming on plant phenology will diminish over time as temperatures continue to increase., (© 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

The brain's structural network follows a hierarchy that is described as rich club (RC) organization, with RC hubs forming the well-interconnected top of this hierarchy. In this study, we tested whether RC hubs are involved in the processing of hierarchically higher structures in stimulus sequences. Moreover, we explored the role of previously suggested cortical gradients along anterior-posterior and medial-lateral axes throughout the frontal cortex. To this end, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment and presented participants with blocks of digit sequences that were structured on different hierarchically nested levels. We additionally collected diffusion weighted imaging data of the same subjects to identify RC hubs. This classification then served as the basis for a region of interest analysis of the fMRI data. Moreover, we determined structural network centrality measures in areas that were found as activation clusters in the whole-brain fMRI analysis. Our findings support the previously found anterior and medial shift for processing hierarchically higher structures of stimuli. Additionally, we found that the processing of hierarchically higher structures of the stimulus structure engages RC hubs more than for lower levels. Areas involved in the functional processing of hierarchically higher structures were also more likely to be part of the structural RC and were furthermore more central to the structural network. In summary, our results highlight the potential role of the structural RC organization in shaping the cortical processing hierarchy., (© 2023 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Controllability is a measure of the brain's ability to orchestrate neural activity which can be quantified in terms of properties of the brain's network connectivity. Evidence from the literature suggests that aging can exert a general effect on whole-brain controllability. Mounting evidence, on the other hand, suggests that parenthood and motherhood in particular lead to long-lasting changes in brain architecture that effectively slow down brain aging. We hypothesize that parenthood might preserve brain controllability properties from aging., Methods: In a sample of 814 healthy individuals (aged 33.9 ± 12.7 years, 522 females), we estimate whole-brain controllability and compare the aging effects in subjects with vs. those without children. We use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to estimate the brain structural connectome. The level of brain control is then calculated from the connectomic properties of the brain structure. Specifically, we measure the network control over many low-energy state transitions (average controllability) and the network control over difficult-to-reach states (modal controllability)., Results and Conclusion: In nulliparous females, whole-brain average controllability increases, and modal controllability decreases with age, a trend that we do not observe in parous females. Statistical comparison of the controllability metrics shows that modal controllability is higher and average controllability is lower in parous females compared to nulliparous females. In men, we observed the same trend, but the difference between nulliparous and parous males do not reach statistical significance. Our results provide strong evidence that parenthood contradicts aging effects on brain controllability and the effect is stronger in mothers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jamalabadi, Hahn, Winter, Nozari, Ernsting, Meinert, Leehr, Dohm, Bauer, Pfarr, Stein, Thomas-Odenthal, Brosch, Mauritz, Gruber, Repple, Kaufmann, Krug, Nenadić, Kircher, Dannlowski and Derntl.)

B cells are multifaceted immune cells responding robustly during immune surveillance against tumor antigens by presentation to T cells and switched immunoglobulin production. However, B cells are unstudied in prostate cancer (PCa). We used flow cytometry to analyze B-cell subpopulations in peripheral blood and lymph nodes from intermediate-high risk PCa patients. B-cell subpopulations were related to clinicopathological factors. B-cell-receptor single-cell sequencing and VDJ analysis identified clonal B-cell expansion in blood and lymph nodes. Pathological staging was pT2 in 16%, pT3a in 48%, and pT3b in 36%. Lymph node metastases occurred in 5/25 patients (20%). Compared to healthy donors, the peripheral blood CD19 + B-cell compartment was significantly decreased in PCa patients and dominated by naïve B cells. The nodal B-cell compartment had significantly increased fractions of CD19 + B cells and switched memory B cells. Plasmablasts were observed in tumor-draining sentinel lymph nodes (SNs). VDJ analysis revealed clonal expansion in lymph nodes. Thus, activated B cells are increased in SNs from PCa patients. The increased fraction of switched memory cells and plasmablasts together with the presence of clonally expanded B cells indicate tumor-specific T-cell-dependent responses from B cells, supporting an important role for B cells in the protection against tumors.

The technology driven post-scarcity society is upon us. Ubiquitous technologies are eradicating scarcity in many industries. These macroscopic system trends are causing our economy to transition from relative scarcity to relative abundance. For many people in the world however, in both developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries, the notion of an Age of Abundance will sound utterly bizarre. There is a tension between abundance and equality. Good governance considers in what manner the state conducts public policy, manages public resources and promotes overall prosperity. This chapter connects good governance to the end of scarcity and integrates equality into abundance. The chapter critically examines the normative justifications of our scarcity based legal institutions, such as property and intellectual property (IP) systems, in light of 10 exponential, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, and the post-scarcity economy. Starting point is that absolute and relative abundance are not utopian. Technology will erase scarcity in more and more economic areas in the foreseeable future, but not everywhere or for everybody. The chapter views relative scarcity and relative abundance as temporal socio-economic categories at two opposite sides of a continuum. The chapter unifies good governance with equality and abundance, by introducing a post-Rawlsian Equal Relative Abundance (ERA) principle of distributive justice. This includes defining a set of material and immaterial primary goods, warranting adequate, sufficient levels of relative abundance (which depend on technological evolution), and equitable results per region or group. Crucially, ERA integrates desert-based principles to the degree that some may deserve a higher level of material goods because of inequality in contributions, i.e., their hard work, talent, luck or entrepreneurial spirit, only to the extent that their unequal rewards do also function to improve the position of the least advantaged. A society governed by the ERA principle should in theory be able to solve the poverty trap on a global level. As lifting people from poverty in Europe is a different thing than achieving ERA in the US, applying equal relative abundance techniques in Asia and Africa each have their own specific challenges and dimensions., Competing Interests: Author MK was employed by AIRecht. The handling editor ML declared a shared affiliation with the author at the time of review., (Copyright © 2022 Kop.)

Machine Learning has become more important for materials engineering in the last decade. Globally, automated machine learning (AutoML) is growing in popularity with the increasing demand for data analysis solutions. Yet, it is not frequently used for small tabular data. Comparisons and benchmarks already exist to assess the qualities of AutoML tools in general, but none of them elaborates on the surrounding conditions of materials engineers working with experimental data: small datasets with less than 1000 samples. This benchmark addresses these conditions and draws special attention to the overall competitiveness with manual data analysis. Four representative AutoML frameworks are used to evaluate twelve domain-specific datasets to provide orientation on the promises of AutoML in the field of materials engineering. Performance, robustness and usability are discussed in particular. The results lead to two main conclusions: First, AutoML is highly competitive with manual model optimization, even with little training time. Second, the data sampling for train and test data is of crucial importance for reliable results., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Several recent studies have argued that large, long-lived and molten magma chambers may not occur in the shallow Earth's crust. Here we present, however, field-based observations from the Bushveld Complex that provide evidence to the contrary. In the eastern part of the complex, the magmatic layering continuously drapes across a ~ 4-km-high sloping step in the chamber floor. Such deposition of magmatic layering implies that the resident melt column was thicker than the stepped relief of the chamber floor. Prolonged internal differentiation within this thick magma column is further supported by evolutionary trends in crystallization sequence and mineral compositions through the sequence. The resident melt column in the Bushveld chamber during this period is estimated at > 5-km in thickness and > 380,000 km 3 in volume. This volume of magma is three orders of magnitude larger than any known super-eruption in the Earth's history and is only comparable to the extrusive volumes of some of Earth's large igneous provinces. This suggests that super-large, entirely molten, and long-lived magma chambers occur, at least occasionally, in the geological history of our planet. Therefore, the classical view of magma chambers as 'big magma tanks' remains a viable research concept for some of Earth's magmatic provinces., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Anhedonia is a key symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD). Anhedonia is associated with aberrant reward processing, but whether it might interfere similarly with the neural processing of aversive stimuli, such as monetary loss, remains unknown. We aimed to investigate potential associations between anhedonia and neural response during reward and loss processing in patients with MDD., Methods: We investigated blood-oxygen-level-dependent response in the orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, insula and basal ganglia during monetary reward and loss processing in 182 patients with MDD, using a card-guessing paradigm. We measured anhedonia with the Social and Physical Anhedonia Scale (SASPAS), and we tested for the main and interaction effects of SASPAS scores and the experimental condition (reward or loss) in a full factorial model., Results: We detected a negative main effect of anhedonia, as well as a significant interaction effect of anhedonia and the experimental condition, on orbitofrontal and insular neural response. Post hoc analyses revealed that the interaction was driven by a significant association between higher anhedonia scores and hypoactivation during loss processing. We observed no significant association between anhedonia and neural response during reward processing., Limitations: This study had a cross-sectional design., Conclusion: Our findings confirmed that altered neural processing in the orbitofrontal cortex and insula is a neurobiological feature of anhedonic symptomatology in people with MDD. The pronounced association between anhedonia and blunted neural response during loss processing supports a broader concept for the neurobiological basis of anhedonia. Hence, MDD with anhedonic features might be characterized by reduced neural response to external stimuli, potentially because of amotivation., Competing Interests: Competing interests: J. Goltermann received a Society of Biological Psychiatry 2022 travel Award. No other competing interests declared., (© 2022 CMA Impact Inc. or its licensors.)

Background: Strategies for early detection of prostate cancer aim to detect clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) and avoid detection of insignificant cancers and unnecessary biopsies. Swedish national guidelines (SNGs), years 2019 and 2020, involve prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, clinical variables, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The Stockholm3 test and MRI have been suggested to improve selection of men for prostate biopsy. Performance of SNGs compared with the Stockholm3 test or MRI in a screening setting is unclear., Objective: To compare strategies based on previous and current national guidelines, Stockholm3, and MRI to select patients for biopsy in a screening-by-invitation setting., Design Setting and Participants: All participants underwent PSA test, and men with PSA ≥3 ng/ml underwent Stockholm3 testing and MRI. Men with Stockholm3 ≥11%, Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System score ≥3 on MRI, or indication according to SNG-2019 or SNG-2020 were referred to biopsy., Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: The primary outcome was the detection of csPCa at prostate biopsy, defined as an International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade of ≥2., Results and Limitations: We invited 8764 men from the general population, 272 of whom had PSA ≥3 ng/ml. The median PSA was 4.1 (interquartile range: 3.4-5.8), and 136 of 270 (50%) who underwent MRI lacked any pathological lesions. In total, 37 csPCa cases were diagnosed. Using SNG-2019, 36 csPCa cases with a high biopsy rate (179 of 272) were detected and 49 were diagnosed with ISUP 1 cancers. The Stockholm3 strategy diagnosed 32 csPCa cases, with 89 biopsied and 27 ISUP 1 cancers. SNG-2020 detected 32 csPCa and 33 ISUP 1 cancer patients, with 99 men biopsied, and the MRI strategy detected 30 csPCa and 35 ISUP 1 cancer cases by biopsying 123 men. The latter two strategies generated more MRI scans than the Stockholm3 strategy ( n = 270 vs 33)., Conclusions: Previous guidelines provide high detection of significant cancer but at high biopsy rates and detection of insignificant cancer. The Stockholm3 test may improve diagnostic precision compared with the current guidelines or using only MRI., Patient Summary: The Stockholm3 test facilitates detection of significant cancer, and reduces the number of biopsies and detection of insignificant cancer., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Rapid climate warming is altering Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystem structure and function, including shifts in plant phenology. While the advancement of green up and flowering are well-documented, it remains unclear whether all phenophases, particularly those later in the season, will shift in unison or respond divergently to warming. Here, we present the largest synthesis to our knowledge of experimental warming effects on tundra plant phenology from the International Tundra Experiment. We examine the effect of warming on a suite of season-wide plant phenophases. Results challenge the expectation that all phenophases will advance in unison to warming. Instead, we find that experimental warming caused: (1) larger phenological shifts in reproductive versus vegetative phenophases and (2) advanced reproductive phenophases and green up but delayed leaf senescence which translated to a lengthening of the growing season by approximately 3%. Patterns were consistent across sites, plant species and over time. The advancement of reproductive seasons and lengthening of growing seasons may have significant consequences for trophic interactions and ecosystem function across the tundra.

Several emergencies were admitted less frequently to the hospital during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To investigate whether this also occurred with status epilepticus (SE) we compared admissions due to first SE from March to April 2020 ("Time of COVID," TOC) with January to February 2020 ("pre-COVID," preCOV). We also compared admission numbers in TOC and preCOV with the respective 2-month periods in 2018 and 2019 in a retrospective cohort analysis. Two investigators independently searched the hospital patient database for various forms of SE. There was no significant change in the 2-month incidences of first SE in the city of Salzburg from preCOV of 6.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9-12.3) to TOC of 6.9/100 000 adults (95% CI 3.4-13.3). Admission numbers did not differ significantly from previous years. Estimated adjusted incidence was in line with a recent 5-year epidemiological study in Salzburg. However, a trend toward less-frequent nonconvulsive SE (NCSE) and loss of female predominance were indirect hints of underdiagnosing SE. In contrast to other medical conditions, SE most often presents clinically with impaired consciousness, which may promote admission to emergency departments even in times of lock-down. Further research of medical support of women and patients with NCSE during pandemic-related restrictions is warranted., (© 2020 The Authors. Epilepsia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International League Against Epilepsy.)

Background: A rapid digestibility and high leucine content are considered important for maximal stimulation of muscle protein synthesis. Consequently, with these properties, native whey may hold greater anabolic potential than milk, when supplemented in combination with strength training. Our aim was to compare the effects of supplementation with milk or native whey, during a 12-wk strength training period, on gains in muscle mass and strength in young adults., Methods: In this double-blinded, randomized, controlled study a total of 40 untrained young men and women received two daily servings of either milk or native whey containing 20 g of protein, during a 12-wk strength training intervention. Muscle strength, lean mass, thigh muscle cross-sectional area, m. vastus lateralis thickness and muscle fiber cross-sectional area were assessed before and after the training period. In addition, the acute phosphorylation of the anabolic kinases p70S6K, 4E-BP1 and eEF-2 in response to a standardized workout and supplementation was investigated before and after the 12-wk training period., Results: Muscle mass and strength increased, by all measures applied (5%-16%, P < 0.001), with no differences between groups (P > 0.25). p70S6K phosphorylation increased (~1000%, P < 0.02) 2 h after exercise in the untrained and trained state, but no differences in anabolic signaling were observed between supplements (P > 0.40). No correlation between these acute measures and changes in muscle mass or strength were observed., Conclusion: Supplementation with milk or native whey during a 12-wk strength training period did not differentially affect muscle mass and strength in young untrained individuals.

Background: The aim of the study was to examine the value of quantitative and qualitative MRI and 11 C acetate PET/CT parameters in predicting regional lymph node (LN) metastasis of newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa)., Patients and Methods: Patients with intermediate (n = 6) and high risk (n = 47) PCa underwent 3T MRI (40 patients) and 11 C acetate PET/CT (53 patients) before extended pelvic LN dissection. For each patient the visually most suspicious LN was assessed for mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCmean), maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax), size and shape and the primary tumour for T stage on MRI and ADCmean and SUVmax in the index lesion. The variables were analysed in simple and multiple logistic regression analysis., Results: All variables, except ADCmean and SUVmax of the primary tumor, were independent predictors of LN metastasis. In multiple logistic regression analysis the best model was ADCmean in combintion with MRI T-stage where both were independent predictors of LN metastasis, this combination had an AUC of 0.81 which was higher than the AUC of 0.65 for LN ADCmean alone and the AUC of 0.69 for MRI T-stage alone., Conclusions: Several quantitative and qualitative imaging parameters are predictive of regional LN metastasis in PCa. The combination of ADCmean in lymph nodes and T-stage on MRI was the best model in multiple logistic regression with increased predictive value compared to lymph node ADCmean and T-stage on MRI alone., Competing Interests: Disclosure: Joel Kullberg and Håkan Ahlström are two of the founders of and employed by Antaros Medical AB. This company has not been involved in the presented study

Two distinct Phytophthora taxa were found to be associated with brown rot of pomelo (Citrus grandis), a new disease of this ancestral Citrus species, in the Vinh Long province, Mekong River Delta area, southern Vietnam. On the basis of morphological characters and using the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of the rDNA and the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) as barcode genes, one of the two taxa was provisionally named as Phytophthora sp. prodigiosa, being closely related to but distinct from P. insolita, a species in Phytophthora Clade 9, while the other one, was closely related to but distinct from the Clade 2 species P. meadii and was informally designated as Phytophthora sp. mekongensis. Isolates of P. sp. prodigiosa and P. sp. mekongensis were also obtained from necrotic fibrous roots of Volkamer lemon (C. volkameriana) rootstocks grafted with 'King' mandarin (Citrus nobilis) and from trees of pomelo, respectively, in other provinces of the Mekong River Delta, indicating a widespread occurrence of both Phytophthora species in this citrus-growing area. Koch's postulates were fulfilled via pathogenicity tests on fruits of various Citrus species, including pomelo, grapefruit (Citrus x paradisi), sweet orange (Citrus x sinensis) and bergamot (Citrus x bergamia) as well as on the rootstock of 2-year-old trees of pomelo and sweet orange on 'Carrizo' citrange (C. sinensis 'Washington Navel' x Poncirus trifoliata). This is the first report of a Phytophthora species from Clade 2 other than P. citricola and P. citrophthora as causal agent of fruit brown rot of Citrus worldwide and the first report of P. insolita complex in Vietnam. Results indicate that likely Vietnam is still an unexplored reservoir of Phytophthora diversity.

Estrogens, via induction of their specific receptors (e.g., ER-α), regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and morphogenesis in mammary epithelium. Cell-cycle progression is driven by activation of complexes consisting of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and cyclins, which also modulate the activity of ER-α. Loss of control over the cell-cycle results in accelerated cell division and malignant transformation. Thus, a reciprocal relation exists between estrogen signaling and cell proliferation. Based on these findings, a new concept was developed to reduce ER-α activity and bring the cell cycle in transformed cells to heel. Prevention of ER-α activation and control over the deregulated cell cycle was achieved by supplementation with pharmacological CDK inhibitors alone or in combination with selective antiestrogens.

Parapharyngodon grenadaensis n. sp. (Nematoda: Pharyngodonidae) from the large intestine of the cane toad, Rhinella marina, is described and illustrated. Parapharyngodon grenadaensis n. sp. is the 48th species assigned to the genus and the 16th species from the Neotropical region. It differs from other species in the genus by possessing 4 pairs of caudal papillae, an echinate anterior cloacal lip, and a blunt spicule of 67-104 μm. This is only the second report of R. marina harboring a species of Parapharyngodon.

As part of the endangered humpback chub (HBC; Gila cypha ) Adaptive Management Program, a parasite survey was conducted from 28 June to 17 July 2006 in 8 tributaries and 7 adjacent sections of the main stem of the Colorado River, U.S.A. In total, 717 fish were caught, including 24 HBC. Field necropsies yielded 19 parasite species, 5 of which (Achtheres sp., Kathlaniidae gen. sp., Caryophyllaidae gen. sp., Myxidium sp., and Octomacrum sp.) are new records for Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S.A. Spearman's correlation coefficient analyses showed no correlations between parasite burden and fork length for various combinations of fish and parasite species. Regression analyses suggest that no parasite species had a strong effect on fish length. The most diverse parasite community (n = 14) was at river kilometer (Rkm) 230, near the confluence of Kanab Creek. The most diverse parasite infracommunity (n = 12) was found in the non-native channel catfish (CCF; Ictaluris punctatus). Overall parasite prevalence was highest in CCF (85%) followed by that in HBC (58%). The parasite fauna of humpback chub was mainly composed of Bothriocephalus acheilognathi and Ornithodiplostomum sp. metacercariae.

Imaging ultracold atomic gases close to surfaces is an important tool for the detailed analysis of experiments carried out using atom chips. We describe the critical factors that need be considered, especially when the imaging beam is purposely reflected from the surface. In particular we present methods to measure the atom-surface distance, which is a prerequisite for magnetic field imaging and studies of atom surface-interactions.