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The present study reports the results of an electrophysiological analysis of sleep in the East African root rat, Tachyoryctes splendens, belonging to the rodent subfamily Spalacinae. Telemetric electroencephalographic (EEG) and electromyographic recordings, with associated video recording, on three root rats over a continuous 72 h period (12 h light/12 h dark cycle) were analyzed. The analysis revealed that the East African root rat has a total sleep time (TST) of 8.9 h per day. Despite this relatively short total sleep time in comparison to fossorial rodents, nonrapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep states showed similar physiological signatures to that observed in other rodents and no unusual sleep states were observed. REM occupied 19.7% of TST, which is within the range observed in other rodents. The root rats were extremely active during the dark period, and appeared to spend much of the light period in quiet wake while maintaining vigilance (as determined from both EEG recordings and behavioral observation). These recordings were made under normocapnic environmental conditions, which contrasts with the hypercapnic environment of their natural burrows., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Elective endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) can be performed via local anesthetics and/or regional (epidural or spinal) anesthesia (locoregional [LR]), versus general anesthesia (GA), conferring reduced intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stays. Current analyses fail to account for temporal changes in vascular practice. Therefore, this study aimed to confirm reductions in ICU and hospital stays among LR patients while accounting for changes in practice patterns., Materials and Methods: Using the Society for Vascular Surgery's Vascular Quality Initiative, elective EVARs from August 2003 to June 2021 were grouped into LR or GA. Outcomes included ICU admission and prolonged hospital stay (>2 d). Procedures were stratified into groups of 2 y periods, and outcomes were analyzed within each time period. Univariable and multivariate analyses were used to assess outcomes., Results: LR was associated with reduced ICU admissions (22.3% versus 32.1%, P < 0.001) and prolonged hospital stays (14.3% versus 7.9%, P < 0.001) overall. When stratified by year, LR maintained its association with reduced ICU admissions in 2014-2015 (21.8% versus 34.0%, P < 0.001), 2016-2017 (23.6% versus 31.6%, P < 0.001), 2018-2019 (18.5% versus 30.2%, P < 0.001), and 2020-2021 (15.8% versus 28.8%, P < 0.001), although this was highly facility dependent. LR was associated with fewer prolonged hospital stays in 2014-2015 (15.6% versus 20.4%, P = 0.001) and 2016-2017 (13.3% versus 16.6%, P = 0.006) but not after 2017., Conclusions: GA and LR have similar rates of prolonged hospital stays after 2017, while LR anesthesia was associated with reduced rates of ICU admissions, although this is facility-dependent, providing a potential avenue for resource preservation in patients suitable for LR., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

People increasingly read text displayed on digital devices, including computers, handheld e-readers, and smartphones. Given this, there is rapidly growing interest in understanding how the cognitive processes that support the reading of static text (e.g., books, magazines, or newspapers) might be adapted to reading digital texts. Evidence from recent experiments suggests a complex interplay of visual and cognitive influences on how people engage with digital reading. Although readers can strategically adjust their reading behaviors in response to their immediate reading context, the efficacy of these strategies depends on cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational factors. A better understanding of the factors that influence reading offers the promise of leveraging digital technologies to enhance the reading experience., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests No interests are declared., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: It has been shown local or regional anesthetic techniques are a feasible alternative to general anesthesia for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). However, studies to date have shown controversial findings with respect to the benefit of locoregional anesthesia (LR) in the elective setting. The objective of this study is to compare postoperative outcomes between LR and general anesthesia (GA) in the setting of elective EVAR, using a large, multicenter database., Methods: Using the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative database, we retrospectively analyzed all patients who underwent elective EVAR from August 2003 to June 2021. Patients were grouped by anesthetic type based on the level of consciousness afforded by the anesthetic: local or regional anesthesia (LR) vs GA. Primary outcomes were total postoperative hospital length-of-stay (LOS) and intensive care unit (ICU) LOS. Propensity score matching was used for risk adjustment and to analyze the primary outcomes with confirmatory analysis using logistic or linear regression, as appropriate, in single and multilevel models. Secondary outcomes were 30-day mortality, 1-year mortality, postoperative outcomes, operative time, fluoroscopy time, and reoperation rate. These were analyzed following propensity score matching as well as using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard regression in single and multilevel models, as appropriate., Results: A total of 50,809 patients underwent elective EVAR from 2003 to 2021. Of these, 4302 repairs used LR (8.5%) and 46,507 (91.5%) were performed under GA. After employing propensity score matching, two groups of 3027 patients were produced. These showed no significant difference in 30-day mortality (odds ratio, 1.22; P = .53), 1-year mortality (hazard ratio, 1.06; P = .62), or any postoperative outcomes. LR was found to be significantly associated with shorter hospital stays (≤2 days) (12.5% vs 14.8%; P = .01), decreased ICU utilization (19.3% vs 30.6%; P < .001), decreased operative time (110.8 vs 117.3 minutes; P < .001), decreased fluoroscopy time (21.0 vs 22.7 minutes; P < .001), and a slight reduction in reoperation rate (1.2% vs 1.9%; P = .02), which all remained significant following single-level and multilevel multivariate analyses accounting for hospital and physician random effects., Conclusions: These data suggest that LR anesthesia is safe and may offer advantages in reducing resource utilization for patients undergoing elective EVAR, primarily based on associations with reduced ICU care and reduced hospital stay. Given these findings, LR may prove an advantageous technique in appropriately selected patient populations., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Endovascular repair of the thoracic aorta (TEVAR) outcomes have been studied with an interest in complications related to left subclavian artery (LSA) coverage in patients with atherosclerotic pathologies; however, specific data on the management of the LSA in a trauma population are lacking. The objective of this study is to evaluate outcomes following TEVAR for traumatic aortic injury based on LSA coverage., Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative thoracic endovascular aortic repair module (2010-2017) was analyzed. Patients were included if they had a traumatic aortic injury requiring TEVAR. Patients were placed in 2 groups based on coverage of the LSA. Patients were propensity score matched and the primary outcomes were cerebrovascular symptoms and spinal cord ischemia. Additional clinical and resource utilization outcomes were analyzed., Results: Four hundred and fifty one patients were included in the analysis. There were 268 patients in the LSA not-covered group and 183 patients in the LSA covered group. The mean aortic injury grade was 2.88 ± 0.056 vs. 2.88 ± 0.049 in the covered versus not-covered group (P = 0.957). Glasgow coma scale and injury severity score were not different between the groups. There was no difference between groups for cerebrovascular symptoms or spinal cord ischemia, 1.4% vs. 2.8%, P = 0.684 and 0% vs. 2.1%, P = 0.247, after propensity score matching. Significant differences in access site complications and resource utilization were identified between groups., Conclusions: This is the largest series to evaluate complications based on LSA coverage following TEVAR in trauma patients. Our data demonstrate that coverage of the LSA during TEVAR following blunt trauma is associated with no difference in central nervous system outcomes. As such, LSA revascularization strategies, while possible, are not directly supported by these data and should be individualized based on each patient's specific clinical scenario., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Here, the full genome sequences of 22 T1-like bacteriophages isolated from wastewater are reported. Eight (BlueShadow, Brooksby, Devorator, ElisaCorrea, Reinasaurus, SorkZaugg, Supreme284, ZeroToHero) were isolated on Citrobacter , six on Klebsiella (Chell, FairDinkum, HazelMika, Opt-817, P528, PeteCarol), and eight on Escherichia (Fulano1, Mishu, Opt-719, PhleaSolo, Punny, Poky, Phunderstruck, Sadiya).

We announce the complete genome sequences of 14 Serratia bacteriophages isolated from wastewater treatment plants. These phages define two previously undescribed types which we call the Carrot-like phage cluster (phages Carrot, BigDog, LittleDog, Niamh, Opt-148, Opt-169, PhooPhighters, Rovert, Serratianator, Stoker, Swain, and Ulliraptor) and Tlacuache-like phage cluster (Tlacuache and Opt-155).

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a pathogen responsible for significant proportions of nosocomial and health care-associated infections and is known to acquire multiple antibiotic resistance genes. Here, we announce the full genome sequences of 12 K. pneumoniae bacteriophages from samples collected in wastewater treatment facilities across the western United States., (Copyright © 2020 Thurgood et al.)

Erwinia amylovora is a plant pathogen belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, a family containing many plant and animal pathogens. Herein, we announce nine genome sequences of E. amylovora bacteriophages isolated from infected apple trees along the Wasatch Front in Utah.

Erwinia amylovora is the causal agent of fire blight, a devastating disease affecting some plants of the Rosaceae family. We isolated bacteriophages from samples collected from infected apple and pear trees along the Wasatch Front in Utah. We announce 19 high-quality complete genome sequences of E. amylovora bacteriophages., (Copyright © 2017 Esplin et al.)

The Cape mole rat Georychus capensis is a solitary subterranean rodent found in the western and southern Cape of South Africa. This approximately 200-gram bathyergid rodent shows a nocturnal circadian rhythm, but sleep in this species is yet to be investigated. Using telemetric recordings of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) in conjunction with video recordings, we were able to show that the Cape mole rat, like all other rodents, has sleep periods composed of both rapid eye movement (REM) and slow-wave (non-REM) sleep. These mole rats spent on average 15.4 h awake, 7.1 h in non-REM sleep and 1.5 h in REM sleep each day. Cape mole rats sleep substantially less than other similarly sized terrestrial rodents but have a similar percentage of total sleep time occupied by REM sleep. In addition, the duration of both non-REM and REM sleep episodes was markedly shorter in the Cape mole rat than has been observed in terrestrial rodents. Interestingly, these features (total sleep time and episode duration) are similar to those observed in another subterranean bathyergid mole rat, i.e. Fukomys mechowii. Thus, there appears to be a bathyergid type of sleep amongst the rodents that may be related to their environment and the effect of this on their circadian rhythm. Investigating further species of bathyergid mole rats may fully define the emerging picture of sleep in these subterranean African rodents., (© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

The present study describes the distribution of orexin-A immunoreactive neurons and their terminal networks in the brains of two species of megachiropterans. In general the organization of the orexinergic system in the mammalian brain is conserved across species, but as one of two groups of mammals that fly and have a high metabolic rate, it was of interest to determine whether there were any specific differences in the organization of this system in the megachiropterans. Orexinergic neurons were limited in distribution to the hypothalamus, and formed three distinct clusters, or nuclei, a main cluster with a perifornical location, a zona incerta cluster in the dorsolateral hypothalamus and an optic tract cluster in the ventrolateral hypothalamus. The nuclear parcellation of the orexinergic system in the megachiropterans is similar to that seen in many mammals, but differs from the microchiropterans where the optic tract cluster is absent. The terminal networks of the orexinergic neurons in the megachiropterans was similar to that seen in a range of mammalian species, with significant terminal networks being found in the hypothalamus, cholinergic pedunculopontine and laterodorsal tegemental nuclei, the noradrenergic locus coeruleus complex, all serotonergic nuclei, the paraventricular nuclei of the epithalamus and adjacent to the habenular nuclei. While the megachiropteran orexinergic system is typically mammalian in form, it does differ from that reported for microchiropterans, and thus provides an additional neural character arguing for independent evolution of these two chiropteran suborders., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

It is a central assumption that larger bodies require larger brains, across species but also possibly within species with continuous growth throughout the lifetime, such as the crocodile. The current study investigates the relationships between body growth (length and mass) and the rates of growth of various subdivisions of the central nervous system (CNS) (brain, spinal cord, eyes) in Nile crocodiles weighing between 90 g and 90 kg. Although the brain appears to grow in two phases in relation to body mass, initially very rapidly then very slowly, it turns out that brain mass increases continuously as a power function of body mass with a small exponent of 0.256, such that a 10-fold increase in body mass is accompanied by a 1.8-fold in brain mass. Eye volume increases slowly with increasing body mass, as a power function of the latter with an exponent of 0.37. The spinal cord, however, grows more rapidly in mass, accompanying body mass raised to an exponent of 0.54, and increasing in length as predicted, with body mass raised to an exponent of 0.32 (close to the predicted 1/3). While supporting the expectation formulated by Jerison that larger bodies require larger brains to operate them, our findings show that: (1) the rate of increase in brain size is very small compared to body growth; and (2) different parts of the CNS grow at different rates accompanying continuous body growth, with a faster increase in spinal cord mass and eye volume, than in brain mass., (Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

This study investigated the nuclear organization of four immunohistochemically identifiable neural systems (cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic and orexinergic) within the brain of the African pygmy mouse (Mus minutoides). The African pygmy mice studied had a brain mass of around 275 mg, making these the smallest rodent brains to date in which these neural systems have been investigated. In contrast to the assumption that in this small brain there would be fewer subdivisions of these neural systems, we found that all nuclei generally observed for these systems in other rodent brains were also present in the brain of the African pygmy mouse. As with other rodents previously studied in the subfamily Murinae, we observed the presence of cortical cholinergic neurons and a compactly organized locus coeruleus. These two features of these systems have not been observed in the non-Murinae rodents studied to date. Thus, the African pygmy mouse displays what might be considered a typical Murinae brain organization, and despite its small size, the brain does not appear to be any less complexly organized than other rodent brains, even those that are over 100 times larger such as the Cape porcupine brain. The results are consistent with the notion that changes in brain size do not affect the evolution of nuclear organization of complex neural systems. Thus, species belonging to the same order generally have the same number and complement of the subdivisions, or nuclei, of specific neural systems despite differences in brain size, phenotype or time since evolutionary divergence., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The current study describes, using immunohistochemical methods, the nuclear organization of the cholinergic, catecholaminergic and serotonergic systems within the brains of five microchiropteran species. For the vast majority of nuclei observed, direct homologies are evident in other mammalian species; however, there were several distinctions in the presence or absence of specific nuclei that provide important clues regarding the use of the brain in the analysis of chiropteran phylogenetic affinities. Within the five species studied, three specific differences (presence of a parabigeminal nucleus, dorsal caudal nucleus of the ventral tegmental area and the absence of the substantia nigra ventral) found in two species from two different families (Cardioderma cor; Megadermatidae, and Coleura afra; Emballonuridae), illustrates the diversity of microchiropteran phylogeny and the usefulness of brain characters in phylogenetic reconstruction. A number of distinct differences separate the microchiropterans from the megachiropterans, supporting the diphyletic hypothesis of chiropteran phylogenetic origins. These differences phylogenetically align the microchiropterans with the heterogenous grouping of insectivores, in contrast to the alignment of megachiropterans with primates. The consistency of the changes and stasis of neural characters with mammalian phylogeny indicate that the investigation of the microchiropterans as a sister group to one of the five orders of insectivores to be a potentially fruitful area of future research., (2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present study describes the distribution of Orexin-A immunoreactive cell bodies and terminal networks in the brains of five microchiropteran species. Given the specialized flight and echolocation abilities of the microchiropterans it was of interest to examine if any specific differences in a generally phylogenetically homogenous neural system could be found. The orexinergic neurons have been found within the hypothalamus of all species studied, and were represented by a large cluster that spanned the anterior, dorsomedial, perifornical and lateral hypothalamic regions, with a smaller cluster extending into the region of the medial zona incerta. Evidence for orexinergic neurons in the ventrolateral hypothalamus adjacent to the optic tract was not observed in any microchiropteran species. The terminal networks of the orexinergic neurons conformed to that previously reported in a range of mammalian species, with dense terminal networks being found in the hypothalamus, cholinergic pedunculopontine and laterodorsal tegemental nuclei, the noradrenergic locus coeruleus complex, all serotonergic nuclei, the paraventricular nuclei of the epithalamus and adjacent to the habenular nuclei. Thus, apart from the lack of neurons in the ventrolateral hypothalamus, the orexinergic system of the microchiropterans appears typically mammalian., (2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The nuclear organization of the cholinergic, putative catecholaminergic and serotonergic systems within the brains of the megachiropteran straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) and Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi) were identified following immunohistochemistry for cholineacetyltransferase, tyrosine hydroxylase and serotonin. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible differences in the nuclear complement of the neuromodulatory systems of these species in comparison to previous studies on megachiropterans, microchiropterans and other mammals. The nuclear organization of these systems is identical to that described previously for megachiropterans and shows many similarities to other mammalian species, especially primates; for example, the putative catecholaminergic system in both species presented a very compact nucleus within the locus coeruleus (A6c) which is found only in megachiropterans and primates. A cladistic analysis of 38 mammalian species and 82 characters from these systems show that megachiropterans form a sister group with primates to the exclusion of other mammals, including microchiropterans. Moreover, the results indicate that megachiropterans and microchiropterans have no clear phylogenetic relationship to each other, as the microchiropteran systems are most closely associated with insectivores. Thus a diphyletic origin of Chiroptera is supported by the present neural findings., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)