Reptilian Innate Immunology and Ecoimmunology: What Do We Know and Where Are We Going?

Reptiles, the only ectothermic amniotes, employ a wide variety of physiological adaptations to adjust to their environments but remain vastly understudied in the field of immunology and ecoimmunology in comparison to other vertebrate taxa. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed the current state of research on reptilian innate immunology by conducting an extensive literature search of peer-reviewed articles published across the four orders of Reptilia (Crocodilia, Testudines, Squamata, and Rhynchocephalia). Using our compiled dataset, we investigated common techniques, characterization of immune components, differences in findings and type of research among the four orders, and immune responses to ecological and life-history variables.

Rural cardiac rehabilitation: a 20-year success story.

Introduction: Data are lacking on long-term participation in a clinically supervised cardiac rehabilitation program in a rural setting. We sought to determine whether there were sustained improvements in physiologic measures and discover what restorative and deteriorative processes took place over time.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of patients who were enrolled for a least 1 year in the Healthy Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.