The joint evolution of separate sexes and sexual dimorphism.

Dioecious plants are frequently sexually dimorphic. Such dimorphism, which reflects responses to selection acting in opposite directions for male and female components of fitness, is commonly thought to emerge after separate sexes evolved from hermaphroditism. But associations between allocation to male and female function and traits under sexual conflict may well also develop in hermaphroditic ancestors.

An explanation for the prevalence of XY over ZW sex determination in species derived from hermaphroditism.

The many independent transitions from hermaphroditism to separate sexes (dioecy) in flowering plants and some animal clades must often have involved the emergence of a heterogametic sex-determining locus, the basis of XY and ZW sex determination (i.e., male and female heterogamety).

The evolution of environmentally mediated social interactions and posthumous spite under isolation by distance.

Many social interactions happen indirectly via modifications of the environment, e.g. through the secretion of functional compounds or the depletion of renewable resources.

Fixation times of de novo and standing beneficial variants in subdivided populations.

The rate at which beneficial alleles fix in a population depends on the probability of and time to fixation of such alleles. Both of these quantities can be significantly impacted by population subdivision and limited gene flow. Here, we investigate how limited dispersal influences the rate of fixation of beneficial de novo mutations, as well as fixation time from standing genetic variation.

Trends in Automated Peritoneal Dialysis Prescriptions in a Large Dialysis Organization in the United States.

Key Points: This is the largest analysis of incident automated peritoneal dialysis (PD) prescriptions conducted in the United States to date. There was limited variability of automated PD prescriptions across the first 4 months of therapy. PD prescriptions tailored to meet the dialysis needs and lifestyle of patients may make PD a more attractive choice and increase longevity on PD.

Resource Variation Within and Between Patches: Where Exploitation Competition, Local Adaptation, and Kin Selection Meet.

AbstractIn patch- or habitat-structured populations, different processes can favor adaptive polymorphism at different scales. While spatial heterogeneity can generate spatially disruptive selection favoring variation between patches, local competition can lead to locally disruptive selection promoting variation within patches. So far, almost all theory has studied these two processes in isolation.

The molding of intraspecific trait variation by selection under ecological inheritance.

Organisms continuously modify their environment, often impacting the fitness of future conspecifics due to ecological inheritance. When this inheritance is biased toward kin, selection favors modifications that increase the fitness of downstream individuals. How such selection shapes trait variation within populations remains poorly understood.

Evolutionary game theory and the adaptive dynamics approach: adaptation where individuals interact.

Evolutionary game theory and the adaptive dynamics approach have made invaluable contributions to understanding how gradual evolution leads to adaptation when individuals interact. Here, we review some of the basic tools that have come out of these contributions to model the evolution of quantitative traits in complex populations. We collect together mathematical expressions that describe directional and disruptive selection in class- and group-structured populations in terms of individual fitness, with the aims of bridging different models and interpreting selection.

Male harm offsets the demographic benefits of good genes.

Sexual conflict can arise when males evolve traits that improve their mating success but in doing so harm females. By reducing female fitness, male harm can diminish offspring production in a population and even drive extinction. Current theory on harm is based on the assumption that an individual's phenotype is solely determined by its genotype.

A real-world analysis of the influence of age on maintenance hemodialysis patients: managing serum phosphorus with sucroferric oxyhydroxide as part of routine clinical care.

Objective: Despite the growing number of elderly hemodialysis patients, the influence of age on nutritional parameters, serum phosphorus (sP), and use of phosphate-binder (PB) medications has not been well characterized. We aimed to describe age-related differences in patient characteristics in a large, real-world cohort of maintenance hemodialysis patients, and to examine the impact of age on sP management with sucroferric oxyhydroxide (SO).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed de-identified data from 2017 adult, in-center hemodialysis patients who switched from another PB to SO monotherapy as part of routine clinical care.

Serum Phosphorus and Pill Burden Among Hemodialysis Patients Prescribed Sucroferric Oxyhydroxide: One-Year Follow-Up on a Contemporary Cohort.

Purpose: In prior analyses of real-world cohorts of hemodialysis patients switched from one phosphate binder (PB) to sucroferric oxyhydroxide (SO), SO therapy has been associated with improvements in serum phosphorus (sP) and reductions in daily PB pill burden. To characterize how SO initiation patterns have changed over time, we examined the long-term effectiveness of SO in a contemporary (2018-2019) cohort.

Patients And Methods: Adult Fresenius Kidney Care hemodialysis patients first prescribed SO monotherapy as part of routine care between May 2018 and May 2019 (N = 1792) were followed for 1 year.

Evolution of warfare by resource raiding favours polymorphism in belligerence and bravery.

From protists to primates, intergroup aggression and warfare over resources have been observed in several taxa whose populations typically consist of groups connected by limited genetic mixing. Here, we model the coevolution between four traits relevant to this setting: (i) investment into common-pool resource production within groups (helping); (ii) proclivity to raid other groups to appropriate their resources (belligerence); and investments into (iii) defense and (iv) offense of group contests (defensive and offensive bravery). We show that when traits coevolve, the population often experiences disruptive selection favouring two morphs: 'Hawks', who express high levels of both belligerence and offensive bravery; and 'Doves', who express neither.

Effect of Citrate-Acidified Dialysate on Intact Parathyroid Hormone in Prevalent Hemodialysis Patients: A Matched Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: It has been proposed that substituting citrate-acidified dialysate (CAD) solutions for acetate-acidified dialysate (AAD) could improve hemodynamics and dialysis tolerance and reduce the requirement for systemic anticoagulation. Citrate chelates ionized calcium, but long-term effects of CAD use during maintenance hemodialysis have not been well studied. While many studies of the effects of CAD on serum calcium and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) have been short-term or have been limited by sample size, we aimed to determine if there are any long-term (i.

Hybridization enables the fixation of selfish queen genotypes in eusocial colonies.

A eusocial colony typically consists of two main castes: queens that reproduce and sterile workers that help them. This division of labor, however, is vulnerable to genetic elements that favor the development of their carriers into queens. Several factors, such as intracolonial relatedness, can modulate the spread of such caste-biasing genotypes.

Real-World Performance of High-Flux Dialyzers in Patients With Hypoalbuminemia.

There is little research on factors that influence the choice of dialyzer in patients undergoing hemodialysis. In patients at risk for poorer outcomes, including those with hypoalbuminemia, understanding how this choice impacts clinical parameters could inform patient management. The objective of this real-world analysis was to evaluate the use and performance of four single-use (i.

Coevolutionary dynamics of genetic traits and their long-term extended effects under non-random interactions.

Organisms continuously modify their living conditions via extended genetic effects on their environment, microbiome, and in some species culture. These effects can impact the fitness of current but also future conspecifics due to non-genetic transmission via ecological or cultural inheritance. In this case, selection on a gene with extended effects depends on the degree to which current and future genetic relatives are exposed to modified conditions.

Dispersal Alters the Nature and Scope of Sexually Antagonistic Variation.

AbstractIntralocus sexual conflict, or sexual antagonism, occurs when alleles have opposing fitness effects in the two sexes. Previous theory suggests that sexual antagonism is a driver of genetic variation by generating balancing selection. However, most of these studies assume that populations are well mixed, neglecting the effects of spatial subdivision.

Safety of a Novel Dialyzer Containing a Fluorinated Polyurethane Surface-Modifying Macromolecule in Patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease.

Background: By inhibiting the adsorption of protein and platelets, surface-modifying macromolecules (SMMs) may improve the hemocompatibility of hemodialyzers. This trial aims to assess the performance and safety of a novel dialyzer with a fluorinated polyurethane SMM, Endexo™.

Methods: This prospective, sequential, multicenter, open-label study (NCT03536663) was designed to meet regulatory requirements for clinical testing of new hemodialyzers, including assessment of the in vivo ultrafiltration coefficient (Kuf).

Slipping Through the Pores: Hypoalbuminemia and Albumin Loss During Hemodialysis.

Hypoalbuminemia results when compensatory mechanisms are unable to keep pace with derangements in catabolism/loss and/or decreased synthesis of albumin. Across many disease states, including chronic kidney disease (CKD), hypoalbuminemia is a well-established, independent risk factor for adverse outcomes, including mortality. In the setting of CKD, reduced serum albumin concentrations are often a manifestation of protein-energy wasting, a state of metabolic and nutritional alterations resulting in reduced protein and energy stores.

Sucroferric Oxyhydroxide in Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Retrospective, Comparative Cohort Study.

Rationale & Objective: High pill burden associates with reduced phosphate-binder adherence among dialysis patients, contributing to elevated serum phosphorus levels. We compared the real-world effectiveness of sucroferric oxyhydroxide (SO) versus other phosphate binders in hemodialysis patients over 2 years.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.