Biodiversity impacts of the 2019-2020 Australian megafires.

With large wildfires becoming more frequent, we must rapidly learn how megafires impact biodiversity to prioritize mitigation and improve policy. A key challenge is to discover how interactions among fire-regime components, drought and land tenure shape wildfire impacts. The globally unprecedented 2019-2020 Australian megafires burnt more than 10 million hectares, prompting major investment in biodiversity monitoring.

A global assessment of large terrestrial carnivore kill rates.

Through killing and instilling fear in their prey, large terrestrial carnivores shape the structure and function of ecosystems globally. Most large carnivore species have experienced severe range and population declines due to human activities, and many are now threatened with extinction. Consequently, the impacts of these predators on food webs have been diminished or lost completely from many ecosystems.

Transplant Outcomes in Myelofibrosis: Impact of Donor Type (Cord Blood Grafts Supported by CD34+ selected Cells [Haplo-Cord] Versus Matched Donors).

Despite the established potentially curative role of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) in managing myelofibrosis (MF), the choice of alternative donors for patients lacking matched donors remains a challenge, and the optimal graft source in this disease entity continues to be an ongoing debate. We aimed to evaluate the impact of donor type: umbilical cord blood transplant supported with CD34+ selected haploidentical donor (haplo-cord) versus adult matched related donor (MRD) and matched unrelated donor (MUD) in 40 adult patients with primary or secondary MF, including those progressing to accelerated phase (AP) or blast phase (BP), who underwent their first allo-HCT. The primary objective of this study was to analyze the impact of stem cell source on primary endpoints of overall survival (OS), graft-versus-host disease, and non-relapse mortality (NRM).

Preventing Surgical Site Infections in Geriatric Ankle Fracture Surgery with Closed-Incision Vacuum Therapy: A Pilot Study.

Background: Ankle fractures are among the most common fractures in older adult patients that need surgical treatment. The risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) after ankle fracture surgery ranges between 0.5% and 30%; SSI incidence is higher among older adults.

Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape.

Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely.

Tropical cyclone-specific mortality risks and the periods of concern: A multicountry time-series study.

Background: More intense tropical cyclones (TCs) are expected in the future under a warming climate scenario, but little is known about their mortality effect pattern across countries and over decades. We aim to evaluate the TC-specific mortality risks, periods of concern (POC) and characterize the spatiotemporal pattern and exposure-response (ER) relationships on a multicountry scale.

Methods And Findings: Daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality among the general population were collected from 494 locations in 18 countries or territories during 1980 to 2019.

Testing the automaticity features of the affect misattribution procedure: The roles of awareness and intentionality.

The affect misattribution procedure (AMP) is a measure of implicit evaluations, designed to index the automatic retrieval of evaluative knowledge. The AMP effect consists in participants evaluating neutral target stimuli positively when preceded by positive primes and negatively when preceded by negative primes. After multiple prior tests of intentionality, Hughes et al.

Health Effects of Cyclones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Epidemiological Studies.

Background: More intense cyclones are expected in the future as a result of climate change. A comprehensive review is urgently needed to summarize and update the evidence on the health effects of cyclones.

Objectives: We aimed to provide a systematic review with meta-analysis of current evidence on the risks of all reported health outcomes related to cyclones and to identify research gaps and make recommendations for further research.

Global short-term mortality risk and burden associated with tropical cyclones from 1980 to 2019: a multi-country time-series study.

Background: The global spatiotemporal pattern of mortality risk and burden attributable to tropical cyclones is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the global short-term mortality risk and burden associated with tropical cyclones from 1980 to 2019.

Methods: The wind speed associated with cyclones from 1980 to 2019 was estimated globally through a parametric wind field model at a grid resolution of 0·5° × 0·5°.

Integrating sensory ecology and predator-prey theory to understand animal responses to fire.

Fire regimes are changing dramatically worldwide due to climate change, habitat conversion, and the suppression of Indigenous landscape management. Although there has been extensive work on plant responses to fire, including their adaptations to withstand fire and long-term effects of fire on plant communities, less is known about animal responses to fire. Ecologists lack a conceptual framework for understanding behavioural responses to fire, which can hinder wildlife conservation and management.

An Examination of the Joint Effect of the Social Environment and Air Pollution on Dementia Among US Older Adults.

Unlabelled: Evidence suggests exposure to air pollution increases the risk of dementia. Cognitively stimulating activities and social interactions, made available through the social environment, may slow cognitive decline. We examined whether the social environment buffers the adverse effect of air pollution on dementia in a cohort of older adults.

Safety and efficacy of zinpentraxin alfa as monotherapy or in combination with ruxolitinib in myelofibrosis: stage I of a phase II trial.

Pentraxin 2 (PTX-2; serum amyloid P component), a circulating endogenous regulator of the inflammatory response to tissue injury and fibrosis, is reduced in patients with myelofibrosis (MF). Zinpentraxin alfa (RO7490677, PRM-151) is a recombinant form of PTX-2 that has shown preclinical antifibrotic activity and no dose-limiting toxicities in phase I trials. We report results from stage 1 of a phase II trial of zinpentraxin alfa in patients with intermediate-1/2 or high-risk MF.

Patient-reported outcomes from the phase 3 ADMIRAL trial in patients with -mutated relapsed/refractory AML.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) can inform treatment selection and assess treatment value in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We evaluated PROs from the ADMIRAL trial (NCT02421939) in patients with -mutated relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML. PRO instruments consisted of Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Leukemia (FACT-Leu), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Dyspnea Short Form (FACIT-Dys SF), EuroQoL 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L), and leukemia treatment-specific symptom questionnaires.

Identifying historical and future global change drivers that place species recovery at risk.

Ecosystem management in the face of global change requires understanding how co-occurring threats affect species and communities. Such an understanding allows for effective management strategies to be identified and implemented. An important component of this is differentiating between factors that are within (e.

Manipulation of plant metabolism by pathogen effectors: more than just food.

To successfully infect plants, pathogens secrete effector proteins to the plant apoplast or inside plant cells, where they suppress plant immunity or interfere with other cellular processes to facilitate infection. Plant metabolism is crucial for most cellular processes and plays a key role in defense against pathogens, making it a major target for pathogen effectors. Effector proteins manipulate host metabolism to provide the pathogen with nutrients or to indirectly suppress plant chemical defense responses.

Xiphodynia as an Unusual Cause of Chest Pain: A Case Series.

 Treatment options for xiphodynia are injections with local corticosteroid injections or surgical resection of the xiphoid process. Currently, there is no consensus as to which treatment is the most optimal.  The aim of this case series was to compare the safety and efficacy of conservative and surgical treatment for patients with xiphodynia.

Water splitting with silicon p-i-n superlattices suspended in solution.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting to produce hydrogen fuel was first reported 50 years ago, yet artificial photosynthesis has not become a widespread technology. Although planar Si solar cells have become a ubiquitous electrical energy source economically competitive with fossil fuels, analogous PEC devices have not been realized, and standard Si p-type/n-type (p-n) junctions cannot be used for water splitting because the bandgap precludes the generation of the needed photovoltage. An alternative paradigm, the particle suspension reactor (PSR), forgoes the rigid design in favour of individual PEC particles suspended in solution, a potentially low-cost option compared with planar systems.

Immunogenicity of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Immunocompromised patients are susceptible to complications from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The mRNA vaccines BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 are effective in immunocompetent adults, but have diminished activity in immunocompromised patients. We measured anti-spike SARS-CoV-2 antibody (anti-S) response, avidity, and surrogate neutralizing antibody activity in COVID-19 vaccinated patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

Rupture of the brachioradialis muscle following blunt trauma. A case report.

A 50-year old healthy male lost control over the pull string of a milling machine, which strangulated his right elbow and forearm with high velocity. Magnetic resonance imaging of the right upper extremity revealed a substantial tear in the muscle belly of the musculus brachioradialis with multiple small defects in the surrounding musculature of the forearm. The affected arm was immobilized for 1 week with an above the elbow cast.