What Can Genome Sequence Data Reveal About Population Viability?

Biologists have long sought to understand the impacts of deleterious genetic variation on fitness and population viability. However, our understanding of these effects in the wild is incomplete, in part due to the rarity of sufficient genetic and demographic data needed to measure their impact. The genomics revolution is promising a potential solution by predicting the effects of deleterious genetic variants (genetic load) bioinformatically from genome sequences alone bypassing the need for costly demographic data.

Freezing of short-range ordered antiferromagnetic clusters in the CrFeTiOsystem.

We report on the CrFeTiO(CFTO) system using a combination of x-ray diffraction, dc magnetization, ac susceptibility, specific heat and neutron diffraction measurements. CFTO is seen to crystallize in a monoclinic2symmetry. It shows a glassy freezing at∼22 K, characterized by the observation of bifurcation between ZFC and FC(T) curves, frequency dispersion acrossin ac susceptibility, and follows Vogel-Fulcher and power law type critical dynamics, very slow relaxation of iso-thermal remanent magnetization with time and a linear temperature dependence of magnetic contribution to specific heatbelow.

Magnetic structures in RPtIn (R = Tb-Tm) investigated by neutron powder diffraction.

Results of the neutron powder diffraction measurements carried out for RPtIn (R = Tb-Tm) are reported. The compounds crystallize in an orthorhombic crystal structure of the LuNiIn-type with the rare earth atoms occupying three different sublattices. Neutron diffraction data reveal that at low temperatures the rare earth magnetic moments order below the critical temperature equal to 105, 93, 28, 12 and 3.

Multi-generation genetic contributions of immigrants reveal cryptic elevated and sex-biased effective gene flow within a natural meta-population.

Impacts of immigration on micro-evolution and population dynamics fundamentally depend on net rates and forms of resulting gene flow into recipient populations. Yet, the degrees to which observed rates and sex ratios of physical immigration translate into multi-generational genetic legacies have not been explicitly quantified in natural meta-populations, precluding inference on how movements translate into effective gene flow and eco-evolutionary outcomes. Our analyses of three decades of complete song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) pedigree data show that multi-generational genetic contributions from regular natural immigrants substantially exceeded those from contemporary natives, consistent with heterosis-enhanced introgression.

Multigenerational Fitness Effects of Natural Immigration Indicate Strong Heterosis and Epistatic Breakdown in a Wild Bird Population.

AbstractThe fitness of immigrants and their descendants produced within recipient populations fundamentally underpins the genetic and population dynamic consequences of immigration. Immigrants can in principle induce contrasting genetic effects on fitness across generations, reflecting multifaceted additive, dominance, and epistatic effects. Yet full multigenerational and sex-specific fitness effects of regular immigration have not been quantified within naturally structured systems, precluding inference on underlying genetic architectures and population outcomes.

Angina in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Introduction And Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients with angina undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic stenosis.

Methods: A total of 1687 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR at our center were included and classified according to patient-reported angina symptoms prior to the TAVR procedure. Baseline, procedural and follow-up data were collected in a dedicated database.

High-Speed On-Site Deep Learning-Based FFR-CT Algorithm: Evaluation Using Invasive Angiography as the Reference Standard.

Estimation of fractional flow reserve from coronary CTA (FFR-CT) is an established method of assessing the hemodynamic significance of coronary lesions. However, clinical implementation has progressed slowly, partly because of off-site data transfer with long turnaround times for results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of FFR-CT computed on-site with a high-speed deep learning-based algorithm with invasive hemodynamic indexes as the reference standard.

Syncope in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: No data exist on the clinical and prognostic significance of syncope in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic stenosis.

Methods: A total of 1705 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR in a tertiary university centre between 2007 and 2021 were included and classified according to the presence of syncope before the TAVR procedure. Baseline, procedural, and follow-up data were collected prospectively in a dedicated database.

Large-scale oxygen order phase transitions and fast ordering kinetics at moderate temperatures in NdNiO electrodes.

Non-stoichiometric 214-nickelates with Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) type frameworks emerged as potential candidates for mixed electronic/ionic conductors in the intermediate temperature range. In this work we investigated structural aspects of the oxygen ion mobility diffusion mechanisms in non-stoichiometric NdNiO nickelates by X-ray (laboratory and synchrotron) as well by neutron diffraction. Temperature dependent synchrotron powder diffraction revealed a phase diagram of unprecedented complexity, involving a series of highly organized, 3D modulated phases related to oxygen ordering below 800 K.

Continued non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants versus vitamin K antagonists during transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Background: One-third of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) have an indication for long-term oral anticoagulation (OAC).

Aims: We aimed to investigate whether continued non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) therapy compared with continued vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy during TAVI is equally safe and effective.  Methods: Consecutive patients on OAC with either NOAC or VKA undergoing transfemoral TAVI at five European centres were enrolled.

Association of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide with mortality in elderly (≥80 years) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the role of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in the prognostication of patients ≥80 years of age undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Elderly patients with coronary artery disease in need of PCI represent a growing patient population. Advanced risk prediction in this frail and comorbid patient population is important.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Pre-TAVR: Current State of the Evidence.

Purpose Of Review: This review intends to give an up-to-date overview of the current state of evidence in the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), focusing on percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) pre-TAVR.

Recent Findings: The recently published ACTIVATION trial is the 1st randomized trial comparing coronary revascularization (PCI) versus medical treatment in patients with significant CAD undergoing TAVR. With the caveat of several major limitations of the trial, the results of this study raised the question about the appropriateness of the common practice to routinely revascularize coronary stenosis before TAVR.

Genetic variance in fitness indicates rapid contemporary adaptive evolution in wild animals.

The rate of adaptive evolution, the contribution of selection to genetic changes that increase mean fitness, is determined by the additive genetic variance in individual relative fitness. To date, there are few robust estimates of this parameter for natural populations, and it is therefore unclear whether adaptive evolution can play a meaningful role in short-term population dynamics. We developed and applied quantitative genetic methods to long-term datasets from 19 wild bird and mammal populations and found that, while estimates vary between populations, additive genetic variance in relative fitness is often substantial and, on average, twice that of previous estimates.

Depressive symptoms in patients after primary and secondary prophylactic ICD implantation.

Objective: Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) are successfully used to treat life-threatening arrhythmias and prevent sudden cardiac death. However, they are also known to have a major psychological impact leading to higher prevalence of depression and anxiety in a substantial proportion of patients. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a large cohort of ICD carriers with a different clinical background and to compare prevalence and risk factors between patients with primary and secondary prophylactic indication for ICD implantation.

Are immigrants outbred and unrelated? Testing standard assumptions in a wild metapopulation.

Immigration into small recipient populations is expected to alleviate inbreeding and increase genetic variation, and hence facilitate population persistence through genetic and/or evolutionary rescue. Such expectations depend on three standard assumptions: that immigrants are outbred, unrelated to existing natives at arrival, and unrelated to each other. These assumptions are rarely explicitly verified, including in key field systems in evolutionary ecology.

Immigration counter-acts local micro-evolution of a major fitness component: Migration-selection balance in free-living song sparrows.

Ongoing adaptive evolution, and resulting "evolutionary rescue" of declining populations, requires additive genetic variation in fitness. Such variation can be increased by gene flow resulting from immigration, potentially facilitating evolution. But, gene flow could in fact constrain rather than facilitate local adaptive evolution if immigrants have low additive genetic values for local fitness.

Safety and Efficacy of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With Continuation of Vitamin K Antagonists or Direct Oral Anticoagulants.

Objectives: This study investigated whether transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with peri-procedural continuation of oral anticoagulation is equally safe and efficacious as TAVR with peri-procedural interruption of anticoagulation.

Background: A significant proportion of patients undergoing TAVR have an indication for long-term oral anticoagulation. The optimal peri-procedural management of such patients is unknown.

Mechanisms governing avian phylosymbiosis: Genetic dissimilarity based on neutral and MHC regions exhibits little relationship with gut microbiome distributions of Galápagos mockingbirds.

The gut microbiome of animals, which serves important functions but can also contain potential pathogens, is to varying degrees under host genetic control. This can generate signals of phylosymbiosis, whereby gut microbiome composition matches host phylogenetic structure. However, the genetic mechanisms that generate phylosymbiosis and the scale at which they act remain unclear.

A quantum liquid of magnetic octupoles on the pyrochlore lattice.

Spin liquids are highly correlated yet disordered states formed by the entanglement of magnetic dipoles. Theories define such states using gauge fields and deconfined quasiparticle excitations that emerge from a local constraint governing the ground state of a frustrated magnet. For example, the '2-in-2-out' ice rule for dipole moments on a tetrahedron can lead to a quantum spin ice in rare-earth pyrochlores.

Diagnostic performance of angiography-based quantitative flow ratio for the identification of myocardial ischemia as assessed by N-ammonia myocardial perfusion imaging positron emission tomography.

Background: Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) is a novel, adenosine-free method for functional lesion interrogation based on 3-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography and computational algorithms. We sought to investigate the diagnostic performance of QFR versus myocardial perfusion imaging positron emission tomography (MPI-PET), which yields the highest accuracy for detection of myocardial ischemia.

Methods: Diagnostic performance of QFR versus MPI-PET was assessed in consecutive patients undergoing both clinically indicated coronary angiography and N-ammonia MPI-PET within a six-month period.