The interaction between plants and frugivores plays a critical role in sustaining ecosystem function and community diversity, but little is known about the structure of interaction networks between fruit plants and frugivore birds in urban green spaces. We observed the interactions between plants and birds throughout the year in the Guilin Botanical Garden and assessed the characteristics of the total plant-frugivore and seasonal networks. We also analyzed the relationship between the network roles of species and ecological traits to explore the structure and characteristics of the plant-frugivore network. The interactions between a total of 14 frugivore birds and 13 fruit plant species were analyzed in the study area, the autumn and winter interaction connections contributed 38.79% and 33.15% to the total network, respectively. The specialization (H2´), and interaction evenness (E2) of the network were higher in spring and summer than that in autumn and winter. However, connectance (C), nestedness, and interaction diversity (H2) were contrary to the specialization and interaction evenness of the network. Compared to the networks (N=1000) generated by the null model, the observed network exhibited lower connectance (C), interaction diversity(H2), interaction evenness (E2), and higher nestedness and specialization (H2´). A correlation analysis combining ecological traits and network roles showed that plants with black fruit had higher species strength, whereas the other traits of plants and birds were not significantly correlated with their network parameters.

Authors: G.M. Afungchwi1, E. Kiteni2, M. Ndagire3, B. Maliti4, R. Kunkel5, J. Challinor6, R. Hollis71 = Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, Bamenda, Cameroon2 = Muhimbili National Hospital, Pediatric Oncology Unit, Tanzania3 = Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala, Uganda4 = Zambia Cancer Diseases Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia5 = Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Arkansas, USA6 = University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA7 = Leeds Children’s Hospital, Leeds, UKAddress correspondences to Dr Glenn Mbah Afungchwi, Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Bamenda, Cameroon. Email: mbahlos@gmail.com Tel: (+237)675959629

Previous studies showed a sequence encoding an auxiliary protein (PlaS) downstream of the phospholipase A1 (PlaA1) gene of Serratia marcescens. There is an interaction between PlaA1 and PlaS, which may be closely related to the high enzymatic activity property of phospholipase A1. In order to further investigate the interaction mechanism, it is necessary to explore binding sites of the interaction between PlaA1 and PlaS and the regulatory mechanism for enzymatic properties by molecular docking and site-directed mutagenesis. The results showed that the active center site of PlaA1 was encapsulated internally, and a “catalytic pocket” was formed externally by Leu197-Ser249. The docking process of PlaA1 and PlaS involved 29 and 30 amino acids, respectively, of which Phe186 and Lys238 of PlaA1 are involved in forming π-bonds and multiple hydrogen bonds. Therefore, Phe186 and Lys238 were site-directed mutated to Ala to obtain the mutant enzymes PlaA1 F186A and PlaA1 K238A, respectively. The results showed that the mutant enzymes showed no significant changes in optimum temperature and pH but poor stability. The kinetic parameters indicated that the affinity between PlaA1 and substrates was weakened, and the catalytic efficiency was reduced after mutation. Therefore, it demonstrated that Phe186 and Lys238 of PlaA1 provided non-covalent bonds conducive to the enzymatic activity and stability in the interaction between PlaA1 and PlaS, which would provide some theoretical basis for further rational design and modification of phospholipase A1 subsequently.

Transcending pairwise interactions in ecological networks remains a challenge. Higher-order interactions, the modulation of a pairwise interaction by a third species, have so far only been demonstrated in models or small isolated systems. Their ubiquity at a community level remains unknown. Using field experiments, we tested how multiple interactions within a network changed with species composition by reducing the densities of distinct species in a diverse arthropod community. We revealed an extensive hidden network of higher-order interactions modifying each other and the “visible” direct interactions. Most pairwise interactions were affected by the manipulation of a non-interacting taxonomic group. The pervasiveness of these interaction modifications challenges pairwise approaches to understanding interaction outcomes and could shift our thinking about the structure and resilience of ecological communities.

Aim: The aim was to determine the pattern and predictors of medication use among adults in the communities of Southwestern Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults selected by multi-stage sampling from Oyo State communities. The questionnaires, adapted from the WHO Students’ Drug Use Questionnaire and previous studies, were pretested and interviewer-administered. The respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, the pattern of medication use, prescribers and sources of drug acquisition were obtained. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the predictor of medications used. Results: Of the 999 respondents, 501 resided in rural communities while 498 dwelled in urban areas. The mean (±SD) age of the respondents was 38±15years. The median (range)% prevalence of medication use were: lifetime use, 58.2(17.7-81.0), current use, 31.2(8.9-65.9) and past use, 20.3(9.2-28.9). Medications were mainly obtained from patent medicine stores, median (range%), 71(65-80). The commonly used drugs were paracetamol,626(67.6), Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, 174(18.8), artemether/lumefantrine, 422(68.2), Ampicillin/cloxacillin, 220(48.6), and chlorpheniramine, 59(40.4). Factors predictive of current medication use, AOR (95% CI) were: antimalarial [male, 0.7(0.5, 0.9)]; antibacterial [male, 0.6(0.4-0.9)]; analgesics [married, 1.5(1.1-2.2), presence of health facilities, 0.5(0.3-0.7), and shorter distance to health facility, 1.5(1.1-2.1)]. Conclusion: Antimalarials, antibacterial and analgesics were commonly used and inappropriately obtained by adults in Southwestern Nigeria. Factors predictive of current medication use were gender, marital status, the presence of health facilities and distance to health facilities. There is a need for more extensive countrywide medication use studies and enlightenment programs to ensure the appropriate use of medications.

The ithomiine butterflies (Nymphalidae: Danainae) represent the largest known radiation of Mullerian mimetic butterflies. They dominate by number the mimetic butterfly communities, which include species such as the iconic neotropical Heliconius genus. Despite recent studies carried out on ithomiine ecology and genetic structure, no reference genome was available for the tribe. Here, we generated high-quality, chromosome-scale genome assemblies of two Melinaea species, Melinaea marsaeus and Melinaea menophilus, and a draft genome of Ithomia salapia. We obtained genomes with a size ranging from 396 Mb to 503 Mb across the three species and scaffold N50 of 40.5 Mb and 23.2 Mb for the two chromosome-scale assemblies. Using collinearity analyses we identified massive rearrangements between the two closely related Melinaea species. A detailed annotation of transposable elements and genes was performed, resulting in the identification of 24,341, 31,081 and 31,976 genes in I. salapia, M. marsaeus and M. menophilus, respectively. We used a specialist annotation to target chemosensory genes, which is crucial for host plant detection and mate recognition in mimetic species. A comparative genomic approach revealed independent gene expansions in ithomiines and particularly in gustatory receptor genes. These first three genomes of ithomiine mimetic butterflies constitute a valuable addition and a welcome comparison to existing biological models of mimicry, such as Heliconius, and will enable further understanding of the mechanisms of adaptation and the genetic bases underpinning mimicry.

A 37-year-old patient was admitted secondary to ventricular fibrillation induced out of hospital cardiac arrest. Coronary angiogram revealed left main, left anterior descending, and right coronary arteries aneurysms. The patient underwent bypass surgery with 4 grafts. Ejection fraction improved from 30% upon admission to 45% at 3-months’ follow up.

Hypersensitivity reaction (HSR) to cisplatin can result in discontinuation of chemoradiotherapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We present a nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient with cisplatin hypersensitivity successfully treated with cisplatin-desensitization. Desensitization therapy may be safe and beneficial in patients with HNSCC who develop HSR to cisplatin.

Background and Purpose Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury is the main clinical problem of coronary heart disease. Higenamine (HG), a cardiotonic active component isolated from aconiti tuber, exhibits cardioprotective effects. However, its exact mechanism in MI/R is limited. Experimental Approach The oxidative stress induced by H2O2 in H9c2 and MI/R rat model was established. Metprolol, evidenced to ameliorate MI/R injury, was used as the positive control. Cardiac impairment indexes, were detected in vitro and in vivo. Changes of peroxiredoxins (Prxs), important anti-oxidative stress proteins in MI/R were also evaluated. Adenovirus induced Prx2 down-regulation and specific inhibitor of Prx2 was employed to determine the exact mechanism of HG in vitro and in vivo. Metabolomic analysis of MI/R rats with or without HG administration based on UPLC-MS/MS was further performed. Key Results HG significantly reduced the oxidative stress, improve cardiac dysfunction and decrease cardiac infarct size against MI/R via Prx2 activation, which was stronger than those in positive control treated rats. Additionally, HG altered metabolism of arginine and proline and biosynthesis of arginine during MI/R. Mechanically, HG increased the levels of Prx2, accompanied with decreased apoptotic protein, in vitro and in vivo expressions. However, down-regulation of Prx2 markedly blocked all the cardioprotective effect of HG. Conclusion and Implications Our work systematicly demonstrated that HG possessed a strong cardioprotective effect against MI/R by up-regulating cardiac expression of Prx2 and modulating disordered metabolism of arginine and glutamine in heart. We provided HG as the potential to further explore therapeutic strategy for MI/R.

Background: Dexmedetomidine could be an ideal adjuvant to propofol during gastrointestinal endoscopy because it provides both analgesia and sedation without respiratory depression. This study investigates the effect of different doses of dexmedetomidine on the median effective concentration of propofol during gastrointestinal endoscopy. Methods: 90 adult patients were randomly assigned to Group Control , Group DEX0.5 (0.5 μg/kg dexmedetomidine), or Group DEX1.0 (1.0 μg/kg dexmedetomidine) . Anaesthesia during endoscopy was implemented by plasma target-controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol with different doses of dexmedetomidine. TCI concentration of the first patient for each group was 2.5 μg/ml and the consecutive adjacent concentration gradient was 0.5 μg/mL. EC50 of TCI propofol for gastrointestinal endoscopy was determined by using the modified Dixon’s up-and-down method. Cardiovascular variables were also measured. Results: EC50 of TCI propofol and 95% confidence interval (CI) for gastrointestinal endoscopy were, 3.77 (3.48-4.09), 2.51 (2.27-2.78) and 2.10 (1.90-2.33) μg/mL in Group Control, Group DEX0.5 and Group DEX1.0. The average percent change from baseline in HR was 2.8 (8.9), -7.4 (7.7) and -10.5 (8.8) (P＜0.001), and the average percent change from baseline in MAP was -10.6 [-24.7; 3.5], -9.5 [-29.2; 11.4] and -4.0 [-27.3; 15.5] (P = 0.034) in Group Control, Group DEX0.5 and Group DEX1.0, respectively. Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine reduced the EC50 of TCI propofol. A 0.5-1 μg/kg dexmedetomidine caused a decrease in HR without bradycardia. The decrease in dosage of propofol with increasing doses of dexmedetomidine caused more stable MAP. Dexmedetomidine is an ideal adjuvant drug to propofol during gastrointestinal endoscopy.

A document by Seema Biswas, written on Authorea.

Sigmoid volvulus is one of the rare causes of intestinal obstruction in pregnancy and can result in significantly increased maternal and fetal mortality rates, especially in case of delayed diagnosis. In this report, we present a 34 week-pregnant lady presenting with intestinal obstruction due to sigmoid volvulus and her management.

Several hundred cases of placental hemangiomas have been reported in the literature. However, the umbilical cord is extremely uncommon as a site of occurence.We report the first case of hemangioma of the umbilical cord synchronous to maternal infection with covid-19.We aim to study the clinicopathological characteristics of this singular entity.

Tailgut cyst, a type of retro-rectal cyst, is a rare condition requiring evaluation for malignant transformation. We report a case of squamous cell carcinoma arising in the retro-rectal cyst, in a 51-year-old female who underwent incomplete resection of the cyst and chemo-radiotherapy, subsequently became locally recurred and metastatic.

Haloxylon ammodendron and Haloxylon persicum are important drought-tolerant plants in northwest China. The whole-genome sequencing of H. ammodendron and H. persicum grown in their natural environment is incomplete, and their transcriptional regulatory network in response to drought environment remains unclear. To reveal the transcriptional responses of H. ammodendron and H. persicum to an arid environment, we performed single-molecule real-time (SMRT) and Illumina RNA sequencing. In total, 20,246,576 and 908,053 subreads and 435,938 and 210,334 circular consensus sequencing reads were identified by SMRT sequencing of H. ammodendron and H. persicum, and 15238 and 10135 unigenes, respectively, were successfully collected. In addition, 9794 and 7330 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 838 and 71 long noncoding RNAs were identified. In an arid environment, the growth of H. ammodendron was restricted; plant height decreased significantly; and the base and branch diameters became thinner. Hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2) content and peroxidase activity were increased. Under dry and wet conditions, 11,803 and 15,217 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in H. ammodendron and H. persicum, respectively. There were 319 and 415 DEGs in the signal transduction pathways related to drought stress signal perception and transmission, including the Ca 2+ signal pathway, the ABA signal pathway, and the MAPK signal cascade. In addition, 217 transcription factors (TFs) and 398 TFs of H. ammodendron and H. persicum were differentially expressed, including FAR1, MYB, and AP2/ERF. Bioinformatic analysis showed that under drought stress, the expression patterns of genes related to active oxygen (reactive oxygen species) scavenging, functional proteins, lignin biosynthesis, and glucose metabolism pathways were altered. This is the first full-length transcriptome report concerning the responses of H. ammodendron and H. persicum to drought stress. The results provide a foundation for further study of the adaptation to drought stress. The full-length transcriptome can be used in genetic engineering research.

It is comprehended that the systems without any limitation on their Zeno action are enthralled in a vast class of hybrid systems. This article is influenced by a new category of non-autonomous second order measure differential problems with state-dependent delay (SDD) and non-instantaneous impulse (NII). Some new sufficient postulates are created that guarantee solvability and approximate controllability. We employ the fixed point strategy and theory of Lebesgue–Stieltjes integral in the space of piecewise regulated functions. The measure of non-compactness is applied to establish the existence of a solution. Moreover, the measured differential equations generalize the ordinary impulsive differential equations. Thus, our findings are more prevalent than that encountered in the literature. At last, an example is comprised that exhibits the significance of the developed theory.

In laparoscopic intersphincteric resection, identifying the dissection layer near the anus is often difficult. We safely proceeded with it, using indocyanine green-containing gauze on the anal side to remove the internal anal sphincter with indocyanine green fluorography.

Title Page Title: Letter to the Editor: ”Urinary TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 protein levels as early predictors of acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery”.Article type: Letter to the editor.

In this case, we reported a 24-day-old infant with a rare combination of the anomalous origin of coronary artery and the type A interrupted aortic arch, who presented with significant shortness of breath. Besides these anomalies, further cardiac examination including transthoracic echocardiography and CT angiogram revealed ventricular septum defect, patent foramen ovale and patent ductus arteriosus at the same time. Surgical procedures including repair of ventricular septum defect, ligation of patent ductus arteriosus, unroofing of right coronary artery and end-to-side aortic anastomosis were performed to cure the infant. This patient stayed in ICU for few days without any major complications and discharged from hospital at the tenth day after surgery.

This paper is devoted to the extraction of the temporal component of the source term for the fractional diffusion-wave equation. The main features of the inverse problem are the presence of non-local damping term involving two parameter Mittag -Leffler type function and family of Samarski-Ionkin type boundary conditions. Estimates of infinite series of three parameter Mittag-Leffler type function and their convolution are established to prove the existence of the solution.

Even though circumcision is low-risk, complications may occur, necessitating careful management. Here, we describe a 5-month-and-28-day-old infant who developed necrotizing fasciitis following Plastibell circumcision. This report emphasizes that clinicians should use standard equipment and appropriate-sized rings to prevent these unusual complications following circumcision

Aim: To evaluate clinical practice, neonatologists’ attitudes, the extent of training and accreditation regarding targeted neonatal echocardiography (TnEcho) among Chinese neonatologists. Methods: A web-based questionnaire was emailed to 124 randomly chosen neonatologists at 55 tertiary neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) from all regions of China. The survey covered various aspects of TnEcho, including the characteristics of clinical practice, attitudes towards its usefulness, perceived barriers of implementation and training methods. Results: Survey response rate was 67.7% (84/124). Thirty-six (42.9%) respondents stated that TnEcho was utilized in their NICUs. Most respondents reported use of echocardiography to evaluate hemodynamic significance of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA, 97.2%), myocardial performance in neonates with sudden cardiorespiratory deterioration (97.2%). The most frequently used parameters to identify hemodynamic significant PDA were ductal size (88.9%) and doppler pattern (91.7%) of transductal flow respectively. Most (83.3%) respondents measured tricuspid regurgitation to assess pulmonary hemodynamics. All respondents positively valued the role of TnEcho in providing timely and longitudinal hemodynamic information to guide cardiovascular support. Lack of experienced practitioners with echocardiography expertise and accredited training programs were perceived to be the major barriers to implementation (82.1% and 81%, respectively). Of concern, most practitioners with TnEcho skills received training in an informal manner through self-directed learning (66.7%) or workshops (66.7%). Conclusions: The use of TnEcho for longitudinal evaluation of infants with hemodynamic stability is growing within Chinese NICUs. There is an urgent need to develop standardized training programs and accreditation for TnEcho which are adapted to the Chinese context.

Rice bran contains an abundance of phytosterols. We have developed “Riceterol EsterTM” (RSE), which consists of a phytosterol ester and fatty acids made from the by-product of extracting oil from rice bran. RSE has been registered as a cosmetic ingredient in rice bran-derived products, and its physical functions, such as its high water retention and emollient effects, are evident, although its biological functions remain poorly understood. In this study, we clarified the biological effectiveness of RSE. Treatment of 0.01% RSE to normal human fibroblasts cell (Hs68) resulted in increased amounts of hyaluronic acid and type III collagen. On the other hand, in the face application test with human volunteers, a significantly reduced amount of trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) was found in the 8th and 12th weeks. By image analysis, improvements in facial redness and pore troubles were also observed using a visual analog scale (VAS) questionnaire. It is suggested that RSE improves barrier function and maintains the repair of the dermis structure.

Elevated CO2 negatively affects marine fish. In a recirculating aquaculture systems, we exposed juvenile Scophthalmus maximus, a CO2¬-sensitive, high-value species , to CO2 at 0 mg/L (control), or at 8, 16, 24, or 32 mg/L, for 7, 14, 30, or 60 d. Cumulative survival decreased significantly with increasing CO2 , to 68% at 32 mg/L. Weight gain, specific growth rate, and feed conversion rate differed significantly between the control and maximum concentration. CO2 caused histopathological damage. Plasma glutamate pyruvate transaminase and glutamate oxalate transaminase were significantly and substantially elevated at 24 and 32 mg/L CO¬2, relative to the control. At 32 mg/L, hemoglobin was significantly reduced, and methemoglobin significantly elevated , indicating reduced oxygen-carrying capacity. GHR, IGF-1, IGF-1R, and THR expression were substantially lower at 32 mg/L than in the control. For Scophthalmus maximus , these findings indicate that elevated CO2 retards growth, impairs health, and causes metabolic disorders, possibly by impairing liver function.