Aerosp Med Hum Perform
November 2024
Introduction: The aviation occupational environment may expose a developing fetus to intermittent hypoxia, high gravitational force, toxic materials, loud noise, high frequency vibrations, and galactic cosmic radiation. These exposures in animal models are associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. We sought to investigate whether a maternal military aviation career was associated with adverse neonatal health outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe rise of angiosperms to ecological dominance and the breakup of Gondwana during the Mesozoic marked major transitions in the evolutionary history of insect-plant interactions. To elucidate how contemporary trophic interactions were influenced by host plant shifts and palaeogeographical events, we integrated molecular data with information from the fossil record to construct a time tree for ancient phytophagous weevils of the beetle family Belidae. Our analyses indicate that crown-group Belidae originated approximately 138 Ma ago in Gondwana, associated with Pinopsida (conifer) host plants, with larvae likely developing in dead/decaying branches.
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September 2024
Purpose: World Trade Center (WTC) exposure is associated with obstructive airway diseases and sarcoidosis. There is limited research regarding the incidence and progression of non-sarcoidosis interstitial lung diseases (ILD) after WTC-exposure. ILD encompasses parenchymal diseases which may lead to progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIngestion of the cycad toxins β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and azoxyglycosides is harmful to diverse organisms. However, some insects are specialized to feed on toxin-rich cycads with apparent immunity. Some cycad-feeding insects possess a common set of gut bacteria, which might play a role in detoxifying cycad toxins.
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