Veni, vidi, vici? Future spread and ecological impacts of a rapidly expanding invasive predator population.

Economic and ecological consequences of invasive species make biological invasions an influential driver of global change. Monitoring the spread and impacts of non-native species is essential, but often difficult, especially during the initial stages of invasion. The Jorō spider, (L.

Risk Assessment and the Effects of Refuge Availability on the Defensive Behaviors of the Southern Unstriped Scorpion ().

Selection should favor individuals that acquire, process, and act on relevant environmental signals to avoid predation. Studies have found that scorpions control their use of venom: both when it is released and the total volume expelled. However, this research has not included how a scorpion's awareness of environmental features influences these decisions.

Venom Collection from Spiders and Snakes: Voluntary and Involuntary Extractions ("Milking") and Venom Gland Extractions.

Venom collection (often called "milking") provides the toxic secretions essential for studying animal venoms and/or generating venom products. Methods of venom collection vary widely, falling into three broad categories: voluntary venom extraction (inducing the animal to willingly release its venom), involuntary venom extraction (glandular massage, electrical stimulation, or administration of induction chemicals to promote venom expulsion), and venom gland extraction (surgical aspiration or trituration of homogenized gland tissue). Choice of method requires consideration of animal species, animal welfare, human safety (avoiding envenomation), venom yield and composition desired, and level of toxin purity required.

Active recombinant Tol2 transposase for gene transfer and gene discovery applications.

Background: The revolutionary concept of "jumping genes" was conceived by McClintock in the late 1940s while studying the Activator/Dissociation (Ac/Ds) system in maize. Transposable elements (TEs) represent the most abundant component of many eukaryotic genomes. Mobile elements are a driving force of eukaryotic genome evolution.

Hepatitis C, disease and its management: a cost-effectiveness analysis of the new generation oral protease inhibitors.

Background: Hepatitis C, caused by a single-stranded RNA virus, has become a global health problem. Infecting millions of individuals in the United States alone, chronic HCV infection can lead to devastating medical problems including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. These problems create millions of dollars in health-care costs for treatment and management.

Net Clinical Benefits of Guidelines and Decision Tool Recommendations for Oral Anticoagulant Use among Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: The 2012 American College of Chest Physicians' Evidence-Based Clinical Practice (CHEST), the 2012 European Society of Cardiology, and the 2014 American Heart Association guidelines and published decision tools by LaHaye and Casciano offer oral anticoagulant (OAC) recommendations for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of our study was to compare the net clinical benefit (NCB) of OAC prescribing that was concordant with these decision aids.

Methods: A cohort study of the 2001-2013 LifeLink claims data was used.

Perianal North American blastomycosis.

Cutaneous North American blastomycosis most often results from the hematogenous spread of Blastomyces dermatitidis following pulmonary infection. Cutaneous lesions, which may be either verrucous or ulcerative plaques, commonly occur on or around orifices contiguous to the respiratory tract. We report the case of a 57-year-old man with cutaneous North American blastomycosis who presented with a well-demarcated, firm, moist, verrucous perianal plaque 4 months following the onset of a prolonged upper respiratory tract infection.

Variation in Anticoagulant Recommendations by the Guidelines and Decision Tools among Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Published atrial fibrillation (AF) guidelines and decision tools offer oral anticoagulant (OAC) recommendations; however, they consider stroke and bleeding risk differently. The aims of our study are: (i) to compare the variation in OAC recommendations by the 2012 American College of Chest Physicians guidelines, the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines, the 2014 American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines and two published decision tools by Casciano and LaHaye; (ii) to compare the concordance with actual OAC use in the overall study population and the population stratified by stroke/bleed risk. A cross-sectional study using the 2001-2013 Lifelink claims data was used to contrast the treatment recommendations by these decision aids.

Multimodal sensory reliance in the nocturnal homing of the amblypygid Phrynus pseudoparvulus (Class Arachnida, Order Amblypygi)?

Like many other nocturnal arthropods, the amblypygid Phrynus pseudoparvulus is capable of homing. The environment through which these predators navigate is a dense and heterogeneous tropical forest understory and the mechanism(s) underlying their putatively complex navigational abilities are presently unknown. This study explores the sensory inputs that might facilitate nocturnal navigation in the amblypygid P.

Poisons, toxungens, and venoms: redefining and classifying toxic biological secretions and the organisms that employ them.

Despite extensive study of poisonous and venomous organisms and the toxins they produce, a review of the literature reveals inconsistency and ambiguity in the definitions of 'poison' and 'venom'. These two terms are frequently conflated with one another, and with the more general term, 'toxin.' We therefore clarify distinctions among three major classes of toxins (biological, environmental, and anthropogenic or man-made), evaluate prior definitions of venom which differentiate it from poison, and propose more rigorous definitions for poison and venom based on differences in mechanism of delivery.

Recurrence rates of aggressive histologic types of basal cell carcinoma after treatment with electrodesiccation and curettage alone.

Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cancer in Caucasians. Treatment options include electrodesiccation and curettage (EDC), surgical excision, and Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). EDC is standard for smaller BCCs in low-risk locations with nonaggressive histologic subtypes.

Positivity ratio and reaction index: patch-test quality-control metrics applied to the north american contact dermatitis group database.

Background: The positivity ratio (PR) and reaction index (RI) characterize the ability of patch-test preparations to produce strong (++ or +++) reactions as opposed to weak (+), questionable, or irritant reactions.

Objective: This study evaluates these measures for North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG) patch-test preparations.

Methods: The PR and RI were calculated for 79 NACDG standard allergens tested from 1994 to 2006 (n = 26,479 patients).

Positive patch test reactions to lanolin: cross-sectional data from the north american contact dermatitis group, 1994 to 2006.

Background: The prevalence of lanolin sensitivity in referred patients is less than 4%.

Objectives: To (1) describe patients with positive patch-test reactions to lanolin, (2) determine clinical and occupational relevance associated with reactions to lanolin and common sources, and (3) examine the frequency of co-reacting allergens.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 26,479 patients patch-tested by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG), 1994 to 2006.

Gluten-sensitive enteropathy (celiac disease): more common than you think.

Gluten-sensitive enteropathy or, as it is more commonly called, celiac disease, is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the small intestine that is precipitated by the ingestion of gluten, a component of wheat protein, in genetically susceptible persons. Exclusion of dietary gluten results in healing of the mucosa, resolution of the malabsorptive state, and reversal of most, if not all, effects of celiac disease. Recent studies in the United States suggest that the prevalence of celiac disease is approximately one case per 250 persons.