Dietary fatty acids modulate oxidative stress response to air pollution but not to infection.

Anthropogenic changes to the environment expose wildlife to many pollutants. Among these, tropospheric ozone is of global concern and a highly potent pro-oxidant. In addition, human activities include several other implications for wildlife, e.

Quantifying the influence of urban biotic and abiotic environmental factors on great tit nestling physiology.

There is a long history of avian studies investigating the impacts of urbanization. While differences in several life-history traits have been documented, either between urban and rural populations or across generalized urbanization gradients, a detailed understanding of which specific environmental variables cause these phenotypic differences is still lacking. Here, we quantified several local environmental variables coupled to urbanization (air pollution, tree composition, ambient temperature, and artificial light at night [ALAN]) within territories of breeding great tits (Parus major).

Exposure to artificial light at night alters innate immune response in wild great tit nestlings.

The large-scale impact of urbanization on wildlife is rather well documented; however, the mechanisms underlying the effects of urban environments on animal physiology and behaviour are still poorly understood. Here, we focused on one major urban pollutant - artificial light at night (ALAN) - and its effects on the capacity to mount an innate immune response in wild great tit (Parus major) nestlings. Exposure to ALAN alters circadian rhythms of physiological processes, by disrupting the nocturnal production of the hormone melatonin.

yolk carotenoid and testosterone levels interactively influence female transfer of yolk antioxidants to her eggs.

Mothers can influence prenatal conditions by varying the amount of nutrients, hormones or antioxidants they provide to their developing young. Some of these substances even affect the transfer of these compounds in the next generation, but it is less clear how different maternally transmitted compounds interact with each other to shape reproductive resource allocation in their offspring. Here, we found that female Japanese quails () that were exposed to high carotenoid levels during embryonic development transferred lower concentrations of yolk antioxidants to their own eggs later in life.

Matrilineal inheritance of a key mediator of prenatal maternal effects.

Sex-linkage is predicted to evolve in response to sex-specific or sexually antagonistic selection. In line with this prediction, most sex-linked genes are associated with reproduction in the respective sex. In addition to traits directly involved in fertility and fecundity, mediators of maternal effects may be predisposed to evolve sex-linkage, because they indirectly affect female fitness through their effect on offspring phenotype.

High Yolk Testosterone Transfer Is Associated with an Increased Female Metabolic Rate.

Yolk androgens of maternal origin are important mediators of prenatal maternal effects. Although in many species short-term benefits of exposure to high yolk androgen concentrations for the offspring have been observed, females differ substantially in the amount of androgens they transfer to their eggs. It suggests that costs for the offspring or the mother constrain the evolution of maternal hormone transfer.

Artificial selection reveals the energetic expense of producing larger eggs.

Background: The amount of resources provided by the mother before birth has important and long-lasting effects on offspring fitness. Despite this, there is a large amount of variation in maternal investment seen in natural populations. Life-history theory predicts that this variation is maintained through a trade-off between the benefits of high maternal investment for the offspring and the costs of high investment for the mother.

Long-term effect of yolk carotenoid levels on testis size in a precocial bird.

Conditions experienced during prenatal development can have long-lasting organizational effects on offspring. Maternal carotenoids deposited in the eggs of birds and other oviparous species play an important role during fast embryonic growth and chick development through their antioxidant properties. However, the long-term consequences of variation in maternal carotenoid transfer for the offspring have seldom been considered.

Predictors of blood pressure response: Obesity is associated with a less pronounced treatment response after renal denervation.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of BP response.

Background: Catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) causes significant blood pressure (BP) reductions in a large number of patients with resistant hypertension.

Methods: One hundred one consecutive patients with resistant hypertension who underwent RDN with the Symplicity™ catheter were included in this retrospective study.

Efficacy and safety of renal denervation in elderly patients with resistant hypertension.

Background: Catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation (RD) causes significant blood pressure (BP) reductions in patients with resistant hypertension (rHTN). However, hypertensive elderly patients reportedly have a lower sympathetic tone than younger patients and a BP lowering effect of RD in this population has not yet been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of RD in elderly patients.

Renal denervation in a patient with prior renal artery stenting.

This is a case report of a 69-year-old female with treatment-resistant severe arterial hypertension despite prior successful percutaneous intervention to both renal arteries for significant renal artery stenoses (stenting of the right and balloon angioplasty of the left renal artery). The office blood pressure was 221/108 mm Hg at baseline. Secondary hypertension was ruled out and catheter-based renal denervation performed (distal to the stent in the right renal artery and in the usual fashion in the left renal artery) without complications.