Publications by authors named "Peter B Mcintyre"

Background: In many countries, infant vaccination with acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines has replaced use of more reactogenic whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccines. Based on immunological and epidemiological evidence, we hypothesised that substituting the first aP dose in the routine vaccination schedule with wP vaccine might protect against IgE-mediated food allergy. We aimed to compare reactogenicity, immunogenicity, and IgE-mediated responses of a mixed wP/aP primary schedule versus the standard aP-only schedule.

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  • This study examined how preserved fish specimens can be used to analyze historical mercury exposure patterns, discovering that preservation methods affect mercury concentrations.
  • It was found that low-mercury fish are at risk of contamination from outside sources, which can skew measurements but can be corrected for with careful methods.
  • The researchers recommend best practices for selecting and processing fish specimens to improve the reliability of their use in monitoring mercury levels for global environmental efforts like the Minamata Convention.
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  • * A study in New York's Adirondack region showed that surface temperatures are rising much faster and bottom dissolved oxygen is depleting significantly faster than average, negatively impacting the habitat for brook trout.
  • * Most lakes studied have experienced either a seasonal loss or severe restriction of suitable habitats for trout, indicating that the combination of warming and browning could endanger cold-water fisheries and highlight the need for effective management strategies.
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Species, through their traits, influence how ecosystems simultaneously sustain multiple functions. However, it is unclear how trait diversity sustains the multiple contributions biodiversity makes to people. Freshwater fisheries nourish hundreds of millions of people globally, but overharvesting and river fragmentation are increasingly affecting catches.

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  • Food production of fed animals, like broiler chickens and salmon, significantly contributes to global environmental degradation, necessitating effective food policies for sustainability.* -
  • The study highlights that farming broiler chickens impacts nine times more land area than salmon, though chickens produce 55 times the output, with a large concentration of environmental pressures in specific locations.* -
  • Shared feed ingredients are a major contributor to environmental pressures in both sectors, indicating a crucial area for improvement in reducing ecological footprints and promoting sustainability through integrated food policies.*
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Wetlands have long been drained for human use, thereby strongly affecting greenhouse gas fluxes, flood control, nutrient cycling and biodiversity. Nevertheless, the global extent of natural wetland loss remains remarkably uncertain. Here, we reconstruct the spatial distribution and timing of wetland loss through conversion to seven human land uses between 1700 and 2020, by combining national and subnational records of drainage and conversion with land-use maps and simulated wetland extents.

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  • * Critical natural assets cover 30% of global land and 24% of national waters, fulfilling vital local NCP needs while also supporting global services like carbon storage and moisture recycling, often coinciding with areas of high cultural and biodiversity.
  • * While a significant portion of the world's population lives near these assets, many NCP are neglected in global conservation efforts; prioritizing these resources can help meet development, climate, and conservation objectives together.
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  • A study in Australia found that a significant portion of infants had delays in receiving their diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccines, with up to 42% affected, leading to increased cases of pertussis.
  • Researchers estimated that timely vaccination could have potentially prevented 85 cases of pertussis per 100,000 infants based on the data collected from 2000-2012.
  • The findings highlight the importance of administering the first DTP dose on schedule, suggesting that improved vaccination timing could significantly reduce the incidence of pertussis in infants.
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Ecological Stoichiometry (ES) and the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) are the main theories used to explain consumers' nutrient recycling. ES posits that imbalances between an animal's body and its diet stoichiometry determine its nutrient excretion rates, whereas the MTE predicts that excretion reflects metabolic activity arising from body size and temperature. We measured nitrogen, phosphorus and N:P excretion, body N:P stoichiometry, body size, and temperature for 12 fish species from a Brazilian stream.

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Partial migration strategies, in which some individuals migrate but others do not, are widely observed in populations of migratory animals. Such patterns could arise via variation in migratory behaviors made by individual animals, via genetic variation in migratory predisposition, or simply by variation in migration opportunities mediated by environmental conditions. Here we use spatiotemporal variation in partial migration across populations of an amphidromous Hawaiian goby to test whether stream or ocean conditions favor completing its life cycle entirely within freshwater streams rather than undergoing an oceanic larval migration.

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  • - The study assessed the accuracy of data in the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), showing that 14% of records classified as overdue for vaccines in 2017 were misclassified, with significant variations in error rates across different states.
  • - Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales had notably higher misclassification rates compared to Victoria, indicating regional disparities in record accuracy.
  • - The research highlighted that the method of data transmission impacted error rates, with paper-based methods showing much higher inaccuracies compared to using practice management software, emphasizing the need for improved data reporting practices.
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  • - Proposed hydropower dams in the Amazon Basin need careful consideration of environmental trade-offs, as the ecosystem services provided by this diverse area can be affected differently depending on dam placements.
  • - Multiobjective optimization is utilized to find a balance that minimizes negative impacts on essential aspects like river flow, fish diversity, and greenhouse gas emissions while still achieving energy production targets.
  • - Uncoordinated dam construction has led to lost ecosystem benefits, highlighting the need for collaborative approaches among Amazonian countries to better manage hydropower development across the entire region.
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  • In Australia, new pertussis immunization policies were introduced, including funded vaccinations for pregnant women and the return of an 18-month booster dose, significantly impacting notification and hospitalization rates from 2013 to 2018.
  • The study analyzed data from various health databases, comparing pertussis incidence among different age groups, particularly focusing on Indigenous populations, and examined trends from 1995 onward.
  • Results showed a notable decline in overall pertussis notifications (40% decrease) and particularly lower notification rates in infants under 2 months following maternal vaccination, with a shift in higher rates observed in pre-adolescents.
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  • - Small populations, like those of cisco in inland lakes, face conservation challenges due to limited genetic diversity and unpredictable responses to environmental changes, particularly at the edges of their ranges where conditions are harsher.
  • - Recent extirpations of cisco are linked to habitat degradation and warming lakes, but local environmental factors and potential adaptations also play critical roles in determining population resilience.
  • - Using genomic tools, researchers found significant genetic differentiation among cisco populations, with correlations between genetic diversity metrics and environmental factors like lake size and oxythermal habitat, highlighting the complex interactions affecting these small fish populations.
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  • A study analyzed hospitalized pertussis cases in Australia from 2012 to 2019, focusing on the effects of antenatal vaccination on severe pertussis cases in children aged 0 to 15 years.
  • Results showed a significant decrease in cases under 2 months of age after the introduction of maternal vaccination, with vaccine effectiveness estimated at 84.3%.
  • Despite high immunization rates, older children (12+ months) still accounted for a notable percentage of hospitalizations, highlighting the need for new vaccine strategies to further protect this age group.
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  • - Vaccination is the safest way to control COVID-19, with 289 vaccines in development and 20 already available globally, leading to over 3.3 billion doses administered.
  • - Despite progress, it could take years to vaccinate everyone, as wealthier nations prioritize their own needs, leaving poorer countries waiting for doses.
  • - The commentary explores how vaccines were developed rapidly, discusses emergency use authorizations, and highlights ongoing challenges, unanswered questions, and future directions in vaccine development.
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  • The study investigates how the coverage of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) affects indirect protection against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and pneumonia hospitalizations in undervaccinated Australian children under 5 years old.
  • Data was collected from birth and vaccination records, along with IPD notifications and hospitalizations in two Australian states, analyzing a population of 1.37 million children from 2001 to 2012.
  • Findings indicated that higher PCV coverage significantly reduces the incidence of PCV7-type IPD and pneumonia hospitalizations, with approximately 50% coverage potentially preventing up to 72.5% of IPD cases and 90% coverage leading to a 95.2%
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  • This study investigates how natural selection influences the evolution of invasive guppies in Hawaii, highlighting the role of population structure and limited gene flow after their introduction.
  • Researchers found that guppies developed significant population differentiation and minimal gene flow among various populations, suggesting that they adapted using the genetic variation from their initial introduction.
  • The findings support the idea that local adaptation is key to the success of invasive species, indicating that controlling their spread might be effective through targeted removal efforts.
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Lake Tanganyika (LT) is the largest tropical freshwater lake, and the largest body of anoxic freshwater on Earth's surface. LT's mixed oxygenated surface waters float atop a permanently anoxic layer and host rich animal biodiversity. However, little is known about microorganisms inhabiting LT's 1470 meter deep water column and their contributions to nutrient cycling, which affect ecosystem-level function and productivity.

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Intensive fisheries have reduced fish biodiversity and abundance in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. 'No-take' marine reserves have become a cornerstone of marine ecosystem-based fisheries management, and their benefits for adjacent fisheries are maximized when reserve design fosters synergies among nearby reserves. The applicability of this marine reserve network paradigm to riverine biodiversity and inland fisheries remains largely untested.

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  • Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus loading poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide, leading to eutrophication in various water bodies.
  • Research on tributaries feeding Lake Michigan shows that while few large tributaries deliver the majority of nutrients, smaller streams significantly contribute to nutrient loads and are more likely to support harmful algal blooms.
  • Recognizing the role of small tributaries in coastal eutrophication highlights the importance of expanding nutrient management efforts to these areas for protecting valuable nearshore ecosystems.
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