Reintroduction of resistant frogs facilitates landscape-scale recovery in the presence of a lethal fungal disease.

Vast alteration of the biosphere by humans is causing a sixth mass extinction, driven in part by an increase in infectious diseases. The emergence of the lethal fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has devastated global amphibian biodiversity. Given the lack of any broadly applicable methods to reverse these impacts, the future of many amphibians appears grim.

Combined Diabetes Education/Skills Training and Social Needs Resolution Intervention for Older African Americans with Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes (DM Social Needs): Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Approximately 11.3% of the US population has diabetes. The burden of diabetes is higher in older adults and African Americans (AAs), such that 40% of adults aged 50 years and older have diabetes; African Americans are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes compared to non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs).

Management of Vulvovaginal Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) is an autoimmune process resulting in painful epidermal sloughing that can involve the vulva and vagina. Current guideline recommendations are based on expert opinion and may not reflect modern management of SJS/TEN in burn centers. We performed a retrospective chart review of 34 female patients treated for SJS/TEN at our burn center from 2015 to 2023.

Do fungi look like macroparasites? Quantifying the patterns and mechanisms of aggregation for host-fungal parasite relationships.

Most hosts contain few parasites, whereas few hosts contain many. This pattern, known as aggregation, is well-documented in macroparasites where parasite intensity distribution among hosts affects host-parasite dynamics. Infection intensity also drives fungal disease dynamics, but we lack a basic understanding of host-fungal aggregation patterns, how they compare to macroparasites, and if they reflect biological processes.

Electroconvulsive therapy for the acute management of severe agitation in dementia (ECT-AD): A modified study protocol.

Objective: This study began as a single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for severe treatment-refractory agitation in advanced dementia. The aims are to assess agitation reduction using the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), evaluate tolerability and safety outcomes, and explore the long-term stability of agitation reduction and global functioning. Due to challenges encountered during implementation, including recruitment obstacles and operational difficulties, the study design was modified to an open-label format and other protocol amendments were implemented.

Acute toxicity effects of pesticides on predatory snout mites (Trombidiformes: Bdellidae).

Predatory mites biologically control a range of arthropod crop pests and are often central to agricultural IPM strategies globally. Conflict between chemical and biological pest control has prompted increasing interest in selective pesticides with fewer off-target impacts on beneficial invertebrates, including predatory mites. However, the range of predatory mite species included in standardized pesticide toxicity assessments does not match the diversity of naturally occurring species contributing to biocontrol, with most testing carried out on species from the family Phytoseiidae (Mesostigmata).

Characteristics of Users and New Initiators of Single- and Multiple-Inhaler Triple Therapy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Germany.

Purpose: To assess patient characteristics of users and new initiators of triple therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Germany.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients with COPD and ≥1 prescription for single-inhaler triple therapy (SITT; fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol [FF/UMEC/VI] or beclomethasone dipropionate/glycopyrronium bromide/formoterol [BDP/GLY/FOR]) or multiple-inhaler triple therapy (MITT), using data from the AOK PLUS German sickness fund (1 January 2015-31 December 2019). The index date was the first date of prescription for FF/UMEC/VI or BDP/GLY/FOR (SITT users), or the first date of overlap of inhaled corticosteroid, long-acting β-agonist, and long-acting muscarinic antagonist (MITT users).

Acute toxicity effects of pesticides on beneficial organisms - Dispelling myths for a more sustainable use of chemicals in agricultural environments.

Agricultural practitioners, researchers and policymakers are increasingly advocating for integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce pesticide use while preserving crop productivity and profitability. Using selective pesticides, putatively designed to act on pests while minimising impacts on off-target organisms, is one such option - yet evidence of whether these chemicals control pests without adversely affecting natural enemies and other beneficial species (henceforth beneficials) remains scarce. At present, the selection of pesticides compatible with IPM often considers a single (or a limited number of) widely distributed beneficial species, without considering undesired effects on co-occurring beneficials.

Hybridization and reticulate evolution in Diphasiastrum (flat-branched clubmosses, Lycopodiaceae) - New data from the island of Taiwan and Vietnam.

In the species groups related to Diphasiastrum multispicatum and D. veitchii, hybridization was investigated in samples from northern and southern Vietnam and the island of Taiwan, including available herbarium specimens from southeast Asia. The accessions were analyzed using flow cytometry (living material only), Sanger sequencing and multiplexed inter-simple sequence repeat genotyping by sequencing.

Parental care behaviour in response to perceived paternity is not mediated by 11-ketotestosterone in bluegill sunfish.

Parental care is critical for the survival of many young animals, but parental care can be costly to the individual providing care. To balance this cost, parents can allocate their care to offspring based on their value, which can be dependent on the offspring's relatedness to the parent. Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a fish characterized by uniparental male care and high levels of cuckoldry.

Development of an Electrical Impedance Tomography Coupled Surgical Stapler for Tissue Characterization.

Objective: This study explores the feasibility of coupling Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) to a standard-of-care laparoscopic surgical stapler, stapler+EIT, with the long-term goal of enabling intraoperative tissue differentiation for tumor margin detection.

Methods: Two custom printed-circuit-board-based electrode arrays with 60 and 8 electrodes, respectively, matching the stapler geometry, served as the jaws of an electrode-integrated surrogate stapler+EIT device. The device was evaluated through a series of simulations and bench-top imaging experiments of agar-gel phantoms and bovine tissue samples to evaluate the technique and determine optimal imaging parameters.

Identifying Populations at Risk for Difficulty Managing Emotions and Social Interactions After Burn Injury.

There has been conflicting data on the relationship between burn severity and psychological outcomes. The present study aims to characterize the baseline psychosocial disposition of adults attending outpatient burn clinic at a large urban safety net hospital, as well as the impact of clinical course on self-reported psychosocial well-being. Adult patients attending outpatient burn clinic completed survey questions from the National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Managing Chronic Conditions: Self-Efficacy for Managing Social Interactions (SEMSI-4) and Managing Emotions (SEME).

Associations between lower extremity muscle fat fraction and motor performance in myotonic dystrophy type 2: A pilot study.

Introduction/aims: Although muscle structure measures from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been used to assess disease severity in muscular dystrophies, little is known about how these measures are affected in myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2). We aim to characterize lower extremity muscle fat fraction (MFF) as a potential biomarker of disease severity, and evaluate its relationship with motor performance in DM2.

Methods: 3-Tesla MRIs were obtained from nine patients with DM2 and six controls using a T1W-Dixon protocol.

Comparing the risk of serious infections in patients with and without MS: A German claims data analysis.

Background: Research suggests that serious infections (SIs), comorbidities, and advanced disability represent key drivers of early death in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS). Nevertheless, further research is warranted to better characterize and quantify the risk of SI among pwMS compared to the general population.

Methods: Our study consisted of a retrospective analysis of claims data provided by a German statutory health insurance fund, AOK PLUS, covering 3.

Policies and Practices in a Cohort of Mississippi Birthing Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Guidance around maternity care practices and infant feeding during the COVID-19 pandemic changed over time and was sometimes conflicting. Hospital maternity practices influence breastfeeding, an important preventive strategy against viral illness. Most birthing hospitals in Mississippi are enrolled in CHAMPS, a quality improvement initiative to support breastfeeding and continuously collect maternity care data.

Androgen and prolactin manipulation do not induce changes in immunocompetence measures in a fish with male parental care.

Prolactin and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) are important reproductive hormones in fishes, which may also influence immunocompetence. The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis states that higher androgen concentrations that support secondary sex traits are traded off against a decrease in immune system function. To test the relationships between these hormones and immunocompetence, we experimentally manipulated 11-ketotestosterone and prolactin in the freshwater fish, bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) during parental care using implants that contained either 11-KT, prolactin, or an inert control.

Serious infections in patients with relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis: A German claims data study.

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) have a higher risk of serious infection (i.e., infection-related hospitalizations) than people without MS.

Host density has limited effects on pathogen invasion, disease-induced declines and within-host infection dynamics across a landscape of disease.

1. Host density is hypothesized to be a major driver of variability in the responses and outcomes of wildlife populations following pathogen invasion. While the effects of host density on pathogen transmission have been extensively studied, these studies are dominated by theoretical analyses and small-scale experiments.

Environmentally responsive reproduction: neuroendocrine signalling and the evolution of eusociality.

Eusociality is a rare but successful life-history strategy that is defined by the reproductive division of labour. In eusocial species, most females forgo their own reproduction to support that of a dominant female or queen. In many eusocial insects, worker reproduction is inhibited via dominance hierarchies or by pheromones produced by the queen and her brood.

Clinical, individual and environmental factors related to children's health-related quality of life following treatment under general anaesthetic for dental caries: a path analysis.

Objective: To examine the impact of clinical, individual, and environmental factors on children's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following dental caries management under general anaesthetic (GA).

Methods: Participants comprised 5- to 16-year-old children who were referred to a British Dental Hospital, for the management of their dental caries under GA. The Caries Impacts and Experiences Questionnaire for Children (CARIES-QC) and the Child Health Utility 9D (CHU9D) were used to assess child-reported OHRQoL and HRQoL, respectively, at baseline and 3-months follow up.

Mississippi CHAMPS: Decreasing Racial Inequities in Breastfeeding.

Mississippi CHAMPS addressed racial inequities in breastfeeding by implementing community and hospital-based practice changes in accordance with the BFHI and by parallel community work.

Effectiveness of antifungal treatments during chytridiomycosis epizootics in populations of an endangered frog.

The recently-emerged amphibian chytrid fungus (Bd) has had an unprecedented impact on global amphibian populations, and highlights the urgent need to develop effective mitigation strategies. We conducted antifungal treatment experiments in wild populations of the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog during or immediately after Bd-caused mass die-off events. The objective of treatments was to reduce Bd infection intensity ("load") and in doing so alter frog-Bd dynamics and increase the probability of frog population persistence despite ongoing Bd infection.

Evaluating the Economic Burden of Relapses in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder: A Real-World Analysis Using German Claims Data.

Introduction: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare autoimmune disease of the central nervous system which causes recurrent relapses, resulting in blindness, paralysis, and spinal cord damage. This study sought to explore the real-world burden, treatment, and cost of NMOSD in Germany using claims data.

Methods: Our study consisted of a retrospective analysis of two anonymized health insurance datasets covering around 9 million patients in Germany from 01/01/2013 to 31/12/2019.