The impact of gene loss on the diversification of taxa and the emergence of evolutionary innovations remains poorly understood. Here, our investigation on the evolution of the Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs) in appendicularian tunicates as a case study reveals a scenario of "less, but more" characterized by massive losses of all Fgf gene subfamilies, except for the Fgf9/16/20 and Fgf11/12/13/14, which in turn underwent two bursts of duplications. Through phylogenetic analysis, synteny conservation, and gene and protein structure, we reconstruct the history of appendicularian Fgf genes, highlighting their paracrine and intracellular functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeople with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are more likely to experience binge eating than the general population, which may interfere with their diabetes management. Guided self-help (GSH) is one of the recommended treatment options for binge eating disorder, but there is currently a lack of evidenced treatment for binge eating in individuals living with T2D. The aims of this pilot study were to test the feasibility and acceptability of recruiting and delivering the adapted, online Working to Overcome Eating Difficulties GSH intervention to adults with T2D and binge eating.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Scapholunate instability is one of the most frequent types of wrist instability, but optimal management is not established. This research aims to identify current conservative management strategies for stage-one scapholunate instability and how these interventions are evaluated in the UK.
Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of UK physiotherapists and occupational therapists with self-reported experience in the rehabilitation of stage-one scapholunate instability (ReSOS), was developed using the CROSS guideline and a clinical vignette.
Background: Familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. This study aimed to study the genotype distribution of FCS-causing genes in the United Kingdom, genotype-phenotype correlation, and clinical differences between FCS and multifactorial chylomicronemia syndrome (MCS).
Methods: The study included 154 patients (FCS, 74; MCS, 80) from the UK FCS national registry and the UK arm of the FCS International Quality Improvement and Service Evaluation Project.
Oikopleura dioica is a planktonic tunicate (Appendicularia class) found extensively across the marine waters of the globe. The genome of a single male individual collected from Okinawa, Japan was sequenced using the single-molecule PacBio Hi-Fi method and assembled with NOVOLoci. The mitogenome is 39,268 bp long, featuring a large control region of around 22,000 bp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study demonstrates how formative process evaluation was used to assess implementation and improve dose and fidelity in the Together Everyone Achieves More Physical Activity (TEAM-PA) randomized controlled trial. TEAM-PA uses a randomized group cohort design to evaluate the efficacy of a group-based intervention for increasing physical activity among African American women.
Methods: Intervention groups met for 10 weeks and were co-led by female African American facilitators, with intervention sessions consisting of group feedback, a health curriculum, group-based physical activity games, and group-based goal-setting.
Hot Jupiters are among the best-studied exoplanets, but it is still poorly understood how their chemical composition and cloud properties vary with longitude. Theoretical models predict that clouds may condense on the nightside and that molecular abundances can be driven out of equilibrium by zonal winds. Here we report a phase-resolved emission spectrum of the hot Jupiter WASP-43b measured from 5 μm to 12 μm with the JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: Since targeted treatment for gastrointestinal pain is elusive, identifying the mechanistic underpinning of this pain type is important. Facilitation of spinal neuronal responses underpins certain pain types, and the psychophysical temporal summation of pain (TSP) paradigm provides a proxy measure of spinal facilitatory processes. Our aim was to systematically review whether facilitated TSP is a feature of gastrointestinal pain in patients with, or pain-free people experiencing experimentally induced, gastrointestinal pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon-specific low back pain (NSLBP) may account for 90-95% of cases of low back pain presenting to primary care. Clinicians should remain vigilant however to non-spinal musculoskeletal conditions that may mimic NSLBP and musculoskeletal complaints. We present a case of a 38-year-old female with low back pain, lower limb tightness, groin pain, and leg cramps.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: With expanded and sustained availability of HIV treatment resulting in substantial improvements in life expectancy, the need to address modifiable risk factors associated with leading causes of death among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH), such as tobacco smoking, has increased. Tobacco use is highly prevalent among PLWH, especially in southern Africa, where HIV is heavily concentrated, and many people who smoke would like to quit but are unable to do so without assistance. SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) is a well-established evidence-based approach successful at supporting smoking cessation in a variety of settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenome structural variations within species are rare. How selective constraints preserve gene order and chromosome structure is a central question in evolutionary biology that remains unsolved. Our sequencing of several genomes of the appendicularian tunicate around the globe reveals extreme genome scrambling caused by thousands of chromosomal rearrangements, although showing no obvious morphological differences between these animals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Prognosis and management differ between familial chylomicronaemia syndrome (FCS), a rare autosomal recessive disorder, and multifactorial chylomicronaemia syndrome (MCS) or severe mixed hyperlipidaemia. A clinical scoring tool to differentiate these conditions has been devised but not been validated in other populations. The objective of this study was to validate this score in the UK population and identify any additional factors that might improve it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Air Waste Manag Assoc
March 2024
The Northern Wasatch Front area is one of ~ 50 metropolitan regions in the U.S. that do not meet the 2015 O standard.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe analysis of microbial genomes from human archaeological samples offers a historic snapshot of ancient pathogens and provides insights into the origins of modern infectious diseases. Here, we analyze metagenomic datasets from 38 human archaeological samples and identify bacterial genomic sequences related to modern-day Clostridium tetani, which produces the tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) and causes the disease tetanus. These genomic assemblies had varying levels of completeness, and a subset of them displayed hallmarks of ancient DNA damage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Opin Support Palliat Care
September 2023
Purpose Of Review: Cervical spine radiculopathy (CSR) presents a complex socioeconomic problem for patients, clinicians, families, employers and healthcare systems. Due to the heterogeneity of clinical presentation and underlying mechanisms, clinical assessment can be challenging. This review will examine the literature on the underlying pathophysiology and studies investigating the holistic assessment strategies for this disabling condition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClose-in giant exoplanets with temperatures greater than 2,000 K ('ultra-hot Jupiters') have been the subject of extensive efforts to determine their atmospheric properties using thermal emission measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Spitzer Space Telescope. However, previous studies have yielded inconsistent results because the small sizes of the spectral features and the limited information content of the data resulted in high sensitivity to the varying assumptions made in the treatment of instrument systematics and the atmospheric retrieval analysis. Here we present a dayside thermal emission spectrum of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-18b obtained with the NIRISS instrument on the JWST.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have reviewed the genetic basis of chylomicronaemia, the difference between monogenic and polygenic hypertriglyceridaemia, its effects on pancreatic, cardiovascular, and microvascular complications, and current and potential future pharmacotherapies. Severe hypertriglyceridaemia (TG > 10 mmol/L or 1000 mg/dL) is rare with a prevalence of <1%. It has a complex genetic basis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere are no planets intermediate in size between Earth and Neptune in our Solar System, yet these objects are found around a substantial fraction of other stars. Population statistics show that close-in planets in this size range bifurcate into two classes on the basis of their radii. It is proposed that the group with larger radii (referred to as 'sub-Neptunes') is distinguished by having hydrogen-dominated atmospheres that are a few percent of the total mass of the planets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic pain is a disabling condition. Many people with chronic pain seek informal support for everyday activities of daily living (ADL). However, there remains uncertainty on the type of people with chronic pain who access this support, what types of support they need and who provides such support.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAstrophys Space Sci
March 2023
Spectroscopy of transiting exoplanets has revealed a wealth of information about their atmospheric compositions and thermal structures. In particular, studies of highly irradiated exoplanets at temperatures much higher than those found in our solar system have provided detailed information on planetary chemistry and physics because of the high level of precision which can be obtained from such observations. Here we use a variety of techniques to study the atmospheres of highly irradiated transiting exoplanets and address three large, open questions in exoplanet atmosphere spectroscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Neck pain, with or without radiculopathy, can have significant negative effects on physical and mental wellbeing. Mental health symptoms are known to worsen prognosis across a range of musculoskeletal conditions. Understanding the association between mental health symptoms and health outcomes in this population has not been established.
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