The Role of Local and Upstream Colonisation in Determining Stream Periphyton Metacommunity Assemblages.

Stream periphyton is an ideal study system for explaining how dispersal shapes community patterns. Few studies have tried to investigate periphyton metacommunities at the reach scale, and studies comparing local versus upstream periphyton propagule sources are lacking. We aimed to address these knowledge gaps by disentangling environmental constraints and dispersal sources, including dispersal hypotheses related to periphyton functional guilds.

Do It Well or Not at All: Alternative Flight Solutions for Alpine Insects.

Exposed and isolated alpine ecosystems present evolutionary challenges for flying species worldwide. Many insects have undergone dramatic wing reduction in response to these harsh conditions, losing the ability to fly. By contrast, some taxa have countered alpine conditions by evolving larger wings to improve flight ability.

The impact of microplastics on lake communities: A mesocosm study.

Plastics are pervasive pollutants that are being produced at an increasing rate to meet consumer demands. After entering the environment, plastics can break down, creating smaller fragments, including secondary microplastics. Microplastic contamination in lakes has been recorded worldwide, and the ingestion of microplastics has been documented in zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, and fish.

A Case of Pneumomediastinum and Pneumorrhachis in a Patient With Multiple Risk Factors.

Pneumomediastinum is the presence of gas (usually air) in the mediastinum, which is rare and typically benign. Pneumomediastinum is classified into primary and secondary based on etiology. Its pathophysiology is due to high intra-alveolar pressures causing alveolar rupture, which releases air that travels along bronchoalveolar sheaths into the mediastinum.

Testing for heterogeneous rates of discrete character evolution on phylogenies.

Many hypotheses in the field of phylogenetic comparative biology involve specific changes in the rate or process of trait evolution. This is particularly true of approaches designed to connect macroevolutionary pattern to microevolutionary process. We present a method to test whether the rate of evolution of a discrete character has changed in one or more clades, lineages, or time periods.

COVID-19 vaccine uptake inequality among older adults: A multidimensional demographic analysis.

Background: Age, race, ethnicity, and sex are important determinants of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. Older adults (65 years and older) are at the highest risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Analyzing their vaccine uptake by subclassifying demographics is rare and can assist vaccination policies.

Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis in an Elderly Male With Heart Failure Intolerant to Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy.

Cardiac amyloidosis arises when there is a deposition of abnormal proteins, called amyloids, in the myocardium. It can manifest as overt heart failure, conduction abnormalities, atrial and ventricular arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, and aortic stenosis. Two main types of proteins identified in cardiac amyloidosis are light-chain amyloid and transthyretin amyloid.

A kinematically complex multi-articular motor skill for investigating implicit motor learning.

Here we present a task developed to probe implicit learning of a complex motor skill. This task addresses limitations related to task complexity noted in the literature for methods investigating implicit motor learning, namely the serial reaction time task and continuous tracking task. Specifically, the serial reaction time task is limited by the kinematic simplicity of the required movement and the continuous tracing task faces time-on-task confounds and limitations in the control of task difficulty.

A Case of Overlapping Autoimmune Syndrome.

Overlapping autoimmune disorders are used to describe the coexistence of more than one autoimmune disease in the same patient. Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) and anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS) are autoimmune diseases that manifest with pulmonary involvement, presenting as persistent dyspnea. The coexistence of both conditions in the same patient is extremely rare.

A Case Report of Sepsis-Induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy Secondary to Human Metapneumovirus Infection.

Sepsis is a medical emergency that describes the body's systemic immunological response to an infectious process that can lead to end-stage organ dysfunction and death. Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SICM) is an increasingly recognized form of transient cardiac dysfunction characterized by left ventricular dilation, depressed ejection fraction, and recovery in 10 days without cardiac-related medical intervention. Injury to the myocardium by inflammatory cytokines has been proposed as one of the main causative mechanisms.

Rehabilitation interventions delivered via telehealth to support self-management of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: A scoping review protocol.

Background: Telerehabilitation is a term to describe rehabilitation services delivered via information and communication technology. Such services are an increasingly important component for the management of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Telerehabilitation has the potential to expand the long-term self-management options for individuals with RMDs, improve symptoms, and relieve pressures on health care services.

Non-tamponade Indications for Pericardial Drainage: A Case Report of Acute Streptococcus pneumoniae Purulent Pericarditis.

Pericardial drainage is a procedure completed to evacuate fluid from the pericardial space. This can be completed by pericardiocentesis or pericardial window. These procedures are most often done in the setting of cardiac tamponade, typically to correct low blood pressure due to low stroke volume from extrinsic compression of the heart chambers by the pericardial fluid.

Genomics reveals repeated landlocking of diadromous fish on an isolated island.

Landlocking of diadromous fish in freshwater systems can have significant genomic consequences. For instance, the loss of the migratory life stage can dramatically reduce gene flow across populations, leading to increased genetic structuring and stronger effects of local adaptation. These genomic consequences have been well-studied in some mainland systems, but the evolutionary impacts of landlocking in island ecosystems are largely unknown.

Effects of a Transoceanic Rowing Challenge on Cardiorespiratory Function and Muscle Fitness.

Ultra-endurance sports and exercise events are becoming increasingly popular for older age groups. We aimed to evaluate changes in cardiac function and physical fitness in males aged 50-60 years who completed a 50-day transoceanic rowing challenge. This case account of four self-selected males included electro- and echo-cardiography (ECG, echo), cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness measures recorded nine months prior to and three weeks after a transatlantic team-rowing challenge.

Host specificity shapes fish viromes across lakes on an isolated remote island.

Fish viromes often provide insights into the origin and evolution of viruses affecting tetrapods, including those associated with imporant human diseases. However, despite fish being the most diverse vertebrate group, their viruses are still understudied. We investigated the viromes of fish on Chatham Island (Rēkohu), a geographically isolated island housing 9% of New Zealand's threatened endemic fish species.

Evaluation of a large-scale health department naloxone distribution program: Per capita naloxone distribution and overdose morality.

Objectives: To report per-capita distribution of take-home naloxone to lay bystanders and evaluate changes in opioid overdose mortality in the county over time.

Methods: Hamilton County Public Health in southwestern Ohio led the program from Oct 2017-Dec 2019. Analyses included all cartons distributed within Hamilton County or in surrounding counties to people who reported a home address within Hamilton County.

Tissues and mechanisms associated with Verticillium wilt resistance in tomato using bi-grafted near-isogenic lines.

Host resistance is the primary means to control Verticillium dahliae, a soil-borne pathogen causing major losses on a broad range of plants, including tomato. The tissues and mechanisms responsible for resistance remain obscure. In the field, resistant tomato used as rootstocks does not confer resistance.

A theoretical perspective on action consequences in action imagery: internal prediction as an essential mechanism to detect errors.

Acting in the environment results in both intended and unintended consequences. Action consequences provide feedback about the adequacy of actions while they are in progress and when they are completed and therefore contribute to monitoring actions, facilitate error detection, and are crucial for motor learning. In action imagery, no actual action takes place, and consequently, no actual action consequences are produced.