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Plant leaves display tremendous variation in shape. Here, we discuss how information obtained from genetics, live imaging and computational modeling has helped conceptualize the ways in which gene activity is translated into different leaf shapes. In this framework, the action of genes on leaf form can be captured as the sum of their effects on the amount, duration, and direction of cellular growth, which together produce leaf geometry. We use three different examples to illustrate this point. First, the emergence of complex versus simple leaves in eudicots, which arises from differences in organ-wide growth duration as well as local growth repression at the leaf margin. Second, the development of strap-shaped grass leaves with a broad sheathing base versus the typical eudicot leaves with a narrow petiole, where these features of grass leaves emerged through lateral expansion of the zone of leaf progenitor cells, coupled with later remodeling of growth of early domains of the leaf blade. Third, the formation of insect traps on carnivorous plants that arose through constrained directional growth that produced a 3D deformation. In all the above examples, changes in gene expression of different classes of homeobox genes have contributed to the altered growth patterns underlying these different aspects of leaf shape diversity.

We report the first record of the snake Geophis lorancai for the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The species was previously known only from the type localities in the Sierra de Zongolica in Veracruz and the Sierra de Quimixtlán in Puebla, as well as from some additional recently-discovered localities in central Veracruz. The discovery of G. lorancai in Oaxaca brings the state herpetofaunal list up to 481 species as of 2022.

Decreased spinal extensor muscle strength in adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients is well-known but poorly understood; thus, this study aimed to investigate the biomechanical and histopathological properties of paraspinal muscles from ASD patients and predict the effect of altered biomechanical properties on spine loading.68 muscle biopsies were collected from nine ASD patients at L4-L5 (bilateral multifidus and longissimus sampled). The biopsies were tested for muscle fiber and fiber bundle biomechanical properties and histopathology. The small sample size (due to COVID-19) precluded formal statistical analysis, but the properties were compared to literature data. Changes in spinal loading due to the measured properties were predicted by a lumbar spine musculoskeletal model.Single fiber passive elastic moduli were similar to literature values, but in contrast, the fiber bundle moduli exhibited a wide range beyond literature values, with 22% of 171 fiber bundles exhibiting very high elastic moduli, up to 20 times greater. Active contractile specific force was consistently less than literature, with notably 24% of samples exhibiting no contractile ability. Histological analysis of 28 biopsies revealed frequent fibro-fatty replacement with a range of muscle fiber abnormalities. Biomechanical modelling predicted that high muscle stiffness could increase the compressive loads in the spine by over 500%, particularly in flexed postures.The histopathological observations suggest diverse mechanisms of potential functional impairment. The large variations observed in muscle biomechanical properties can have a dramatic influence on spinal forces. These early findings highlight the potential key role of the paraspinal muscle in ASD.

Background: Treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) using plant based drugs is advancing and getting much attention in recent years. Cassia auriculata L. is widely used in Indian folk medicine for the treatment of DM. Site-specific targeted plant drug delivery by metallic nanoparticles carriers is a new emerging procedure under research due to its enhanced bioavailability and reduced toxicity. This study was therefore aimed at biosynthesizing a new silver nanoparticle of Cassia auriculata L. flower extract and study its anti-diabetic efficiency in rats. Methods: The silver nanoparticles were biosynthesized using AgNO3 solution and characterized by spectroscopy, SEM and EDAX analyses. The acute toxicity of this nano-preparation (up to 2000 mg/kg b. wt) was analyzed in rats and the anti-diabetic efficiency (for 50 mg/kg.b.wt and 200 mg/kg.b.wt) was studied in Streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. The diabetic parameters such as; blood glucose, serum protein, liver glycogen, serum lipid profile, serum levels of creatinine, urea, ALT, AST and ALP were analyzed. The histology of the liver, kidney and pancreas was evaluated after staining with Haematoxylin and Eosin. Results: The increased blood glucose in Streptozotocin induced diabetic rats was found to be significantly reduced (p Conclusion: The results of this study, proving an efficient anti-diabetic activity of the biosynthesized silver nanoparticles of Cassia auriculata L. flower extract, implies that this nano-preparation may be exploited as an alternative biopharmaceutical agent for treating DM.

Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is typically used to provide mechanical perfusion and gas exchange to critically ill patients with cardiopulmonary failure. We present a case of a traumatic high transradial amputation in which the amputated limb was placed on ECMO to allow for limb perfusion during bony fixation and preparations and coordination of orthopedic and vascular soft tissue reconstructions. Materials and Methods This is a descriptive single case report which underwent managment at a level 1 trauma center. Instutional review board (IRB) approval was obtained. Results This case highlights many important factors of limb salvage. First, complex limb salvage requires a well-organized, pre-planned multi-disciplinary approach to optimize patient outcomes. Second, advancements in trauma resuscitation and reconstructive techniques over the past 20 years have drastically expanded the ability of treating surgeons to preserve limbs that would have otherwise been indicated for amputation. Lastly, which will be the focus of further discussion, ECMO and EP have a role in the limb salvage algorithm to extend current timing limitations for ischemia, allow for multidisciplinary planning, and prevent reperfusion injury with increasing literature to support its use. Conclusions ECMO is an emerging technology that may have clinical utility for traumatic amputations, limb salvage, and free flap cases. In particular, it may extend current limitations of ischemia time and reduce the incidence of ischemia reperfusion injury in proximal amputation, thus expanding the current indications for proximal limb replantation. It is clear that developing a multi-disciplinary limb salvage team with standardized treatment protocols is paramount to optimize patient outcomes and allows limb salvage to be pursued in increasingly complex cases.

The chemical weathering of continental silicate rocks removes CO2 from the atmosphere and exerts a fundamental control on the Earth’s climate over geological timescales. Characterizing silicate weathering in the past is therefore crucial for understanding the climate system. The lithium isotopic composition (δ7Li) of carbonates is considered to be a reliable archive of past seawater δ7Li values, which are useful as a tracer of silicate weathering. However, the Li isotopic fractionation during biogenic carbonate formation is complex, and local conditions such as carbonate system parameters could impact δ7Li values in marine calcifiers. For example, δ7Li values have been shown to be dependent on either pH or DIC in two studies using large benthic foraminifera. Those results are enigmatic, since both studies used similar species of the genus Amphistegina but reported differing controls on δ7Li values.The aim of this study was to address the earlier contradictory results on the Li isotope behaviour in the hyaline species Amphistegina lessonii. We performed culture experiments under decoupled pH/DIC conditions, and analysed the δ7Li values and Li/Ca ratios in the foraminifera tests. Two different light treatments (light/dark and dark) were also implemented to investigate the potential role of the symbionts.Contrary to the two previous studies, no links between either pH or DIC and δ7Li or Li/Ca values were observed for any of the treatments in our experiments. Additionally, growth rates also did not seem to influence the Li incorporation or isotopic fractionation. However, an effect of different light treatments was observed, probably due to different physiological processes of the symbionts occurring in dark conditions. Overall, these findings appear to support the use of Li isotopes in large benthic foraminifera to reconstruct past seawater chemistry and to infer changes in chemical weathering during carbon cycle perturbations over the last several hundred million years of Earth history.

Introdução:O Enfermeiro Obstetra além de ser responsável pelas atividades previstas para o Enfermeiro, tem ênfase na promoção da saúde da mulher e no auxílio durante a gravidez, o parto e o pós-parto. A sobrecarga desse profissional pode atingir diferentes áreas: pessoal, psicológica e física, afetando diretamente na sua atuação. É fundamental conhecer os fatores que conduzem ao esgotamento, identificando suas implicações no cuidado torna-se possível também otimizar a sua saúde.Objetivo:Analisar o impacto da sobrecarga profissional do Enfermeiro Obstetra na assistência durante o parto.Método:O estudo foi realizado por meio de uma revisão integrativa e selecionados trabalhos publicados em bases de dados, entre os anos de 2016 a 2021, e selecionados 14 artigos para a revisão.Resultados:Foram identificados como principais desencadeadores da sobrecarga: longas jornadas de trabalho, mais de um vínculo empregatício, exploração, desvalorização, resistência médica e déficits nas condições de trabalho. Consequentemente, pode acarretar sentimentos de intolerância, stress, cobranças pessoais, esgotamento físico e frustrações nos membros da equipe interferindo negativamente na saúde do profissional, bem como na assistência prestada a mulher.Conclusão:O enfermeiro é de suma importância no suporte a parturiente, porém o excesso de atividades compromete a produtividade e qualidade do atendimento, podendo também interferir na saúde do mesmo.

European hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus (Linnaeus, 1758), are small mammals found in western Europe and also in parts of northern Europe. They can be seen in rural, suburban and urban areas, but are usually found in grassland with edge habitats. These animals are omnivorous and serve as definitive or paratenic hosts for several parasites, including acanthocephalans (phylum Acanthocephala). During necropsy of a European hedgehog, a single adult parasite was collected from the intestinal lumen and preserved in 70% ethanol. After morphological evaluation of the specimen, it was identified as Moniliformis cestodiformis (von Linstow, 1904) (Acanthocephala: Moniliformidae). This is the first report of M. cestodiformis in a European hedgehog, as well as in Europe. More epidemiological studies need to be carried out to map the location and prevalence of this parasite in Portugal and the European continent. Resumo Os ouriços, Erinaceus europaeus (Linnaeus, 1758), são pequenos mamíferos que se localizam na Europa ocidental e também em regiões do Norte da Europa. Eles podem ser avistados em áreas rurais, suburbanas e urbanas, mas são geralmente encontrados no campo no limite daqueles hábitats. São animais omnívoros e servem de hospedeiros definitivos ou paratênicos de muitos parasitas, incluindo acantocéfalos (filo Acanthocephala). Durante a necropsia de um ouriço, um exemplar adulto acantocéfalo foi recolhido do lúmen intestinal e preservado em etanol a 70%. Depois de uma avaliação morfológica desse exemplar, este foi identificado como Moniliformis cestodiformis (von Linstow, 1904) (Acanthocephala: Moniliformidae). Esta é a primeira referência de M. cestodiformis num ouriço, assim como na Europa. Mais estudos epidemiológicos necessitam ser realizados, para localizar este parasita e calcular a sua prevalência em Portugal e no continente europeu.

Studies of religious and other cultural groups tend to be particularistic or focus on one or more axes of variation. In this article we develop a more comprehensive approach to studying cultural diversity that emulates the study of biological diversity. We compare our cultural ecosystem approach with the axis approach, using the distinction between “tight” and “loose” cultures as an example. We show that while the axis approach is useful, the cultural ecosystem approach adds considerable value to the axis approach. We end by advocating the establishment of field sites for the study of religious and cultural diversity, comparable to biological field sites.

BackgroundLong lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) are a key vector control tool used for the prevention of malaria. Active ingredient (AI) measurements in LLIN are essential for evaluating their quality and effectiveness. The main aim of the present study was to determine the utility of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy as a suitable in-field tool for total AI quantification in LLINs.MethodsNew and unused LLIN samples containing deltamethrin (PermaNet® 2.0, n = 35) and alpha-cypermethrin (SafeNet®, n = 43) were obtained from batches delivered to PNG for mass distribution. Insecticides were extracted from the LLINs using a simple extraction technique and quantified using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The LC-MS results were correlated with in-field XRF spectroscopy measurements on the same nets. Operators were blinded towards the identity of the nets. Bioefficacy of the LLIN samples was tested using WHO cone bioassays and test results were correlated with total AI content.ResultsThe results indicate a close agreement between the quantitative XRF and LC-MS. Interestingly, the total AI content was negatively correlated with bioefficacy in PermaNet® 2.0 (especially, in recently manufactured nets). In contrast, AI content was positively correlated with bioefficacy in SafeNet®. These results indicate that the chemical content analysis in predelivery inspections does not always predict bioefficacy well.ConclusionXRF is a promising in-field method for quantification of both deltamethrin and alpha-cypermethrin coated LLINs. Since total AI content is not always a predictor of the efficacy of LLINs to kill mosquitoes, bioefficacy measurements should be included in predelivery inspections.

It is helpful to divide the global HIV response into three phases: The first, from about 1980 to 2000, represents “Calamity”. The second, from roughly 2000 to 2015 represents “Hope.” The third, from 2015, is unfolding and may be termed “Choices” – and these choices may be severely constrained by COVID, so “Constrained Choices in an era of COVID” may prove more apt. As we take stock of HIV at 40, there are positive lessons for the wider health response — and challenging reflections for the wider impact of the global HIV response. The positive lessons include: (1) the importance of activism; (2) the role of scientific progress and innovation; (3) the impact of evidence in concentrating resources on proven approaches; (4) the importance of surveillance to understanding transmission dynamics; (5) the use of epidemic intelligence to guide precision implementation; (6) the focus on implementation cascades (diagnosis, linkage, adherence, disease suppression); and finally (7) an overarching execution and results focus. Given this remarkable legacy, it seems churlish to ask whether the HIV response could have achieved more. Yet, consider these approximate figures. Development assistance for HIV totals about 100 billion dollars, 70 billion from the USA matched by roughly 100 billion in domestic resources. For 200 billion dollars, should we not have achieved more than 23 million people initiating treatment (very crudely, 10 000 dollars per person on treatment)? Much of the hundred billion dollars of development assistance (roughly half) focused on about a dozen priority countries in eastern and southern African. The larger PEPFAR recipients, with populations of roughly 50 million, each received 5 billion dollars or more cumulatively. And there are further Global Fund contributions of an additional billion dollars in many of these countries. For 6 billion dollars per country, should we have expected more? The World Bank Human Capital Project posits that to maximize human capital formation, countries must ensure that their children survive, are well nourished and stimulated, learn skills and live long, productive lives. Using the Human Capital Index (a composite index based on these factors), South Africa — the largest HIV financing recipient — ranks 126th of 157 countries, below Haiti, Ghana, the Congo Republic, Senegal and Benin. Consider how many recipients of major HIV development finance fall into the bottom fifth: Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Cote D’Ivoire and Nigeria. Of course, causality is unresolved and there are several possible explanations: (1) low human capital formation may increase HIV transmission; (2) the HIV epidemic may have intergenerational impacts; (3) the all-consuming focus on HIV may have displaced other health, education and development priorities. Yet, it remains hard to see these data and to argue that successful HIV responses among the largest HIV financing recipients strengthened their wider health sector and human development outcomes. A plausible principle emerges. Narrowly targeted disease-specific emergency responses may lead to disease-specific gains but do not improve governance or national systems capacity or wider disease or development outcomes. This is not to undermine the emergency origins of the HIV response; 2021 is not 2000 and it is unlikely that we would have 23 million people initiating treatment without an emergency response. Yet, there are reasons (intensified by COVID), to suggest that we must pivot towards long-term, integrated, developmental, nationally owned and financed, systems-orientated responses — particularly when both development assistance and national budgets are likely to be constrained in an era of COVID.

Chronic inflammation is a well-established risk factor for several diseases, including cancer. It influences tumor cell biology and the type and density of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), promoting cancer development. While proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines modulate cancer development, emerging evidence has shown that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a known mediator connecting chronic inflammation to cancerization. This review highlights recent advances in our understanding of how the elevation of PGE2 production promotes gastrointestinal cancer initiation, progression, invasion, metastasis, and recurrence, including modulation of immune checkpoint signaling and the type and density of immune cells in the tumor/tissue microenvironment.

Introduction: the judicialization of health is an alternative to the health services in Brazil, despite criticism of judicial decisions and control of public health policy. The large number of actions that demand health services is a health problem that characterizes the political, social, ethical, legal, and health systems of the Public Health Policy. Objective: to analyze the judicialization of health care in the Acre State, Brazil, from 2010 to 2016. Methods: it is a documentary and cross-sectional study of collegiate decisions, with final judgments, in the period from 2010 to 2016, issued by the Court of Justice of the State of Acre, Results: all proposed actions were Writ of Mandamus. The use of preliminary injunction was the most common strategy (n = 34; 94.44%). One third of the respondents were not questioned by the State of Acre (n = 9; 25%) as decisions of the Court of Justice on health concern medicines, examinations, and procedures, in these cases, it only manages interests, with no litigation per se. (n = 25, 69.44%). Men and women demanded in the same proportion, all of them characterized by living in poverty (n = 28; 77.78%). Conclusion: the collective health decisions handed down by the State Court of Justice Acre, Brazil, guarantee access to health goods and services to the claimants, with emphasis on preliminary injunctions and grounds based on the principle of human dignity, physical integrity and life, and on medical prescriptions in each specific case and, in a third of the cases, serving as a mere administration of interests.

We report a series of BN- and BNP-borafluorenate heterocycles, bis(borafluorene-phosphinimine) (11-15), formed via intramolecular Staudinger-type reactions. The reactions were promoted by light or heat using monodentate phosphine-stabilized 9-azido-9-borafluorenes (R3P-BF-N3) (6-10) and involve the release of dinitrogen (N2), phosphine migration from boron to nitrogen, and oxidation of the phosphorus center (PIII to PV). Compounds 11-15 are blue emissive in the solution and solid states with solution phase absolute quantum yields ranging from 13-67%. Our studies were extended by comparing the reactivity of borafluorene azides supported by monodentate phosphorus ligands with those of bidentate phosphorus ligands, diphenyl-2-pyridylphosphine, trans-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene, and bis(diphenylphosphino)methane. A number of five-membered BNP-doped heterocycles were obtained which served as molecular precursors to access a new class of 4-membered BN-borafluorenate heterocycles via ring contraction and dimerization. All compounds discussed in this study have been fully characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 11B, and 31P).

Oxytocin is used increasingly in mares to prolong corpus luteum (CL) function to suppress estrus. When mares develop prolonged CL function in response to oxytocin treatment, the CL generally remains functional for 60–90 days. However, a longer duration of CL function can make this method of estrus suppression even more clinically useful. We hypothesized that human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) treatment during the period of oxytocin-induced prolonged CL function would extend the duration of CL function (i.e. beyond 90 days). Prolonged CL function was induced in mares (n = 14) by treating them with 60 units of intramuscular oxytocin once daily on days 7–14 after ovulation. Mares were then randomly assigned equally to a control group that received no additional treatment and an hCG-treated group that received 2,500 units of intramuscular hCG on days 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 after ovulation. Jugular blood samples were collected for progesterone concentration determination on the day of ovulation and then 3 times (M, W, and F) weekly for 120 days. Duration of CL function was not different (p > 0.05) and it was 78.0 ± 7.5 and 91.4 ± 20.4 days (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) in control and hCG-treated mares, respectively. Therefore, hCG treatment (during the period of oxytocin-induced prolonged CL function) did not extend CL function, hence alternative methods should be explored.

The risk of pathogen transmission continues to increase significantly in the presence of tick vectors due to the trade of livestock across countries. In Ghana, there is a lack of data on the incidence of tick-borne pathogens that are of zoonotic and veterinary importance. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the prevalence of such pathogens in livestock using molecular approaches. A total of 276 dry blood spots were collected from cattle (100), sheep (95) and goats (81) in the Kassena-Nankana Districts. The samples were analyzed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and conventional assays and Sanger sequencing that targeted pathogens including Rickettsia, Coxiella, Babesia, Theileria, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma. An overall prevalence of 36.96% was recorded from the livestock DBS, with mixed infections seen in 7.97% samples. Furthermore, the prevalence of infections in livestock was recorded to be 19.21% in sheep, 14.13% in cattle, and 3.62% in goats. The pathogens identified were Rickettsia spp. (3.26%), Babesia sp. Lintan (8.70%), Theileria orientalis (2.17%), Theileria parva (0.36%), Anaplasma capra (18.48%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (1.81%), Anaplasma marginale (3.26%) and Anaplasma ovis (7.25%). This study reports the first molecular identification of the above-mentioned pathogens in livestock in Ghana and highlights the use of dry blood spots in resource-limited settings. In addition, this research provides an update on tick-borne pathogens in Ghana, suggesting risks to livestock production and human health. Further studies will be essential to establish the distribution and epidemiology of these pathogens in Ghana.

New analogs of the antiprotozoal agent Furamidine were prepared utilizing Stille coupling reactions and amidation of the bisnitrile intermediate using lithium bis-trimethylsilylamide. Both the phenyl groups and the furan moiety of furamidine were replaced by heterocycles including thiophene, selenophene, indole or benzimidazole. Based upon the DeltaTm and the CD results, the new compounds showed strong binding to the DNA minor groove. The new analogues are also more active both in vitro and in vivo than furamidine. Compounds 7a, 7b, and 7f showed the highest activity in vivo by curing 75% of animals, and this merits further evaluation.

Bird song is crucial for attracting mates and defending territories, but different types of song or different singing behaviours may be involved in acquiring or maintaining each resource. Furthermore, male songbirds may adjust when and where they sing throughout the breeding season, depending on their breeding stage. However, such relationships remain untested in several avian taxa. Here, we studied male Bermuda White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus bermudianus), a passerine with two distinct song types (discrete and rambling), to test the mate attraction, territory defence, and nesting stage hypotheses. We compare song rate and song perch height among different stages of the breeding season and during the non-breeding season. We show that male vireos produce both song types during the breeding and non-breeding seasons, suggesting dual roles in mate choice and territorial defence. Singing rate did not differ between the two seasons, but, within the breeding season, males without nesting duties had significantly higher song rates than males with nesting duties. Song rate was lowest during the nestling stage, which coincided with the highest rate of nest predation. Song perch height was higher during the breeding season versus non-breeding season, among males without nesting duties compared to males with nesting duties, and when males produced discrete versus rambling songs. Our findings suggest that male vireos increase their conspicuousness to prospecting females by increasing singing rate and song perch height, and that they sing during the breeding and non-breeding seasons to defend year-round territories. Collectively, our study supports the mate attraction and territory defence hypotheses of bird song and suggests that Bermuda White-eyed Vireos adjust their singing rate in response to nest predation risk.