Publications by authors named "Julie Allen"

Islands are well known for their unique biodiversity and significance in evolutionary and ecological studies. Nevertheless, the extinction of island species accounts for most human-caused extinctions in recent time scales, which have accelerated in recent centuries. Pigeons and doves (Columbidae) are noteworthy for the high number of island endemics, as well as for the risks those species have faced since human arrival.

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  • The New World warblers (Parulidae) are explored using ultraconserved elements (UCEs) to create a detailed species-level phylogeny.
  • Despite challenges in obtaining high-quality tissue samples, researchers utilized historical toe pad samples to enhance their datasets, successfully analyzing 108 species.
  • The study produced a largely congruent phylogeny with all recognized genera being monophyletic aside from one, and highlights the importance of integrating diverse genomic data for better understanding of evolutionary relationships in this bird family.
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  • Aerobic fitness and exercise positively influence bile acid (BA) metabolism and help manage diet-induced fatty liver disease (hepatic steatosis).
  • Research showed that rats with high aerobic capacity produced more cholesterol and specific BAs when on a high-fat diet compared to those with low capacity.
  • In mice with a gene deletion affecting BA synthesis, exercise did not reduce liver fat, indicating that increased BA metabolism from exercise is crucial for combating fatty liver conditions.
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Background: Nonuse and inconsistent use of contraception in young adults can result in undesired pregnancies. Prior research on contraceptive use has primarily focused on individual influences such as attitudes, beliefs, and skills related to contraceptive use, with little consideration of the social and economic determinants.

Objective: This study explored domains from the Healthy People 2030 Social Determinants of Health (SDH) framework and examined their cross-sectional associations with young adults' self-reported contraceptive use (ie, any use in the past year and consistent use of contraception).

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Background: Evidence for the effect of favipiravir treatment of acute COVID-19 on recovery, hospital admissions and longer-term outcomes in community settings is limited.

Methods: In this multicentre. open-label, multi-arm, adaptive platform randomised controlled trial participants aged ≥18 years in the community with a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 and symptoms lasting ≤14 days were randomised to: usual care; usual care plus favipiravir tablets (loading dose of 3600 mg in divided doses on day one, then 800 mg twice a day for four days); or, usual care plus other interventions.

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  • Low aerobic capacity is linked to higher risks of all-cause mortality and Alzheimer's disease, with early dementia individuals showing lower aerobic capacity than age-matched peers.
  • Research using rats bred for different aerobic capacities revealed that low-capacity runners had increased markers of Alzheimer’s associated with aging, particularly in females.
  • Differences in mitochondrial function were observed between high and low-capacity rats, highlighting the impact of sex on mitochondrial health and Alzheimer's pathology as they age.
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Nucleotide base composition plays an influential role in the molecular mechanisms involved in gene function, phenotype, and amino acid composition. GC content (proportion of guanine and cytosine in DNA sequences) shows a high level of variation within and among species. Many studies measure GC content in a small number of genes, which may not be representative of genome-wide GC variation.

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  • Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a prevalent acquired disorder affecting the blood clotting process primarily in dogs and less frequently in cats, leading to significant health risks in both species.
  • ITP can be classified into primary (autoimmune) and secondary (triggered by other diseases), but there is a lack of systematic evaluation regarding which underlying conditions trigger secondary ITP.
  • A comprehensive study developed guidelines through a structured review of literature, expert input, and consensus-building processes to create diagnostic algorithms and screening recommendations for ITP in dogs and cats.
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Importance: Recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common debilitating condition in women, with limited prophylactic options. d-Mannose has shown promise in trials based in secondary care, but effectiveness in placebo-controlled studies and community settings has not been established.

Objective: To determine whether d-mannose taken for 6 months reduces the proportion of women with recurrent UTI experiencing a medically attended UTI.

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  • - The study investigates how parasitic feather lice have evolved similar physical traits (ecomorphs) due to similar ecological pressures on different bird hosts, allowing for analysis of specific morphological changes.
  • - Researchers measured traits like muscle volume, limb length, and head shape using advanced imaging techniques to identify the characteristics associated with each ecomorph and differences between them.
  • - Results show that while lice evolve similar traits to avoid detection by their hosts, those living alongside other lice species tend to become more morphologically distinct, suggesting competition influences their evolution.
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Shifts in flowering time among plant communities as a result of climate change, including extreme weather events, are a growing concern. These plant phenological changes may affect the quantity and quality of food sources for specialized insect pollinators. Plant-pollinator interactions are threatened by habitat alterations and biodiversity loss, and changes in these interactions may lead to declines in flower visitors and pollination services.

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Background: The evidence for whether ivermectin impacts recovery, hospital admissions, and longer-term outcomes in COVID-19 is contested. The WHO recommends its use only in the context of clinical trials.

Methods: In this multicentre, open-label, multi-arm, adaptive platform randomised controlled trial, we included participants aged ≥18 years in the community, with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, and symptoms lasting ≤14 days.

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Appearance is an indicator of age and life stage, which are linked to socially salient stereotypes and prejudices. Older adults' appearance-related perceptions and behaviors may affect their experiences of aging within broader society, which may in turn influence health. This study examined associations between two measures related to aging appearance-assessment of one's aging appearance relative to same-age peers and investing time or effort to look younger-positive and negative experiences of aging, and health using multivariable regression.

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Premise: Among the slowest steps in the digitization of natural history collections is converting imaged labels into digital text. We present here a working solution to overcome this long-recognized efficiency bottleneck that leverages synergies between community science efforts and machine learning approaches.

Methods: We present two new semi-automated services.

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Background: The purpose of this 6-month intervention pilot feasibility randomised trial was to test sending brief messages using mobile phones to promote self-management through taking medication as prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes. This was to inform the design and conduct of a future large-scale United Kingdom-based clinical trial and establish the feasibility of recruitment, the technology used, follow-up, and data collection.

Methods: A multicentre individually randomised, controlled parallel group trial in primary care, recruiting adults (≥ 35 years) with type 2 diabetes in England.

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This narrative review assessed the current state of research on aging stigma and health relevant to US adults ages 65 and older. We adopted a stigma framework to highlight aging stigma as a meaningful social construct and the complex ways in which it may be harmful for health. We identified 29 studies of various types (experimental, intervention, cross-sectional quantitative, longitudinal quantitative, and qualitative) published between 2010 and 2023 that investigated relationships between concepts related to aging stigma and health.

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Humans did not arrive on most of the world's islands until relatively recently, making islands favorable places for disentangling the timing and magnitude of natural and anthropogenic impacts on species diversity and distributions. Here, we focus on parrots in the Caribbean, which have close relationships with humans (e.g.

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Introduction: There is an urgent need to determine the safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of novel antiviral treatments for COVID-19 in vaccinated patients in the community at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19.

Methods And Analysis: PANORAMIC is a UK-wide, open-label, prospective, adaptive, multiarm platform, randomised clinical trial that evaluates antiviral treatments for COVID-19 in the community. A master protocol governs the addition of new antiviral treatments as they become available, and the introduction and cessation of existing interventions via interim analyses.

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Purpose Of Review: This review summarizes findings from quantitative research studies published between 2010 and 2022 providing insight on sociodemographic differences and disparities in ageism among US adults ages 50 and older.

Findings: Across 21 studies, disparities in ageism were more consistently found such that those who were older (57% of studies), with less education (64%), and of lower socioeconomic status (100%) reported more ageism than their counterparts. Amount of ageism did not differ by sex in the majority (71%) of studies.

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Compared with males, premenopausal women and female rodents are protected against hepatic steatosis and present with higher functioning mitochondria (greater hepatic mitochondrial respiration and reduced HO emission). Despite evidence that estrogen action mediates female protection against steatosis, mechanisms remain unknown. Here we validated a mouse model with inducible reduction of liver estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) (LERKO) via adeno-associated virus (AAV) Cre.

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The dynamic climate history that drove sea level fluctuation during past glacial periods mediated the movement of organisms between Asia and North America via the Bering Land Bridge. Investigations of the biogeographic histories of small mammals and their parasites demonstrate facets of a complex history of episodic geographic colonization and refugial isolation that structured diversity across the Holarctic. We use a large multi-locus nuclear DNA sequence dataset to robustly resolve relationships within the cestode genus Arostrilepis (Cyclophyllidea: Hymenolepididae), a widespread parasite of predominantly arvicoline rodents (voles, lemmings).

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Rationale: Discrimination is a risk factor and potential pathway through which social determinants such as race and sex contribute to chronic inflammation in Black Americans in middle and later adulthood. Questions remain regarding which forms of discrimination are most salient for inflammatory dysregulation, and whether there are sex-based differences in these pathways.

Objective: This exploratory study investigates sex differences in the relationships between four forms of discrimination and inflammatory dysregulation among middle aged and older Black Americans.

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Mosquito vectors of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) in the USA reside within broad multi-species assemblages that vary in spatial and temporal composition, relative abundances and vector competence. These variations impact the risk of pathogen transmission and the operational management of these species by local public health vector control districts. However, most models of mosquito vector dynamics focus on single species and do not account for co-occurrence probabilities between mosquito species pairs across environmental gradients.

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Background: The safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of molnupiravir, an oral antiviral medication for SARS-CoV-2, has not been established in vaccinated patients in the community at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19. We aimed to establish whether the addition of molnupiravir to usual care reduced hospital admissions and deaths associated with COVID-19 in this population.

Methods: PANORAMIC was a UK-based, national, multicentre, open-label, multigroup, prospective, platform adaptive randomised controlled trial.

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Background: Early hospital ( < 48 hours) discharge following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an increasingly adopted practice; however, data on the safety of such an approach among patients residing in North Ontario, including remote and medically underserved areas, are lacking.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients who underwent TAVI in Sudbury, Ontario. The safety of early discharge after implementation of the Vancouver 3M (multidisciplinary, multimodality, but minimalist) clinical pathway was assessed.

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