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The mechanical and perfusion basis of exercise limitation in apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Publication . Hughes, Rebecca K.; Malcolmson, James; Prista Monteiro, Ricardo; Torlasco, Camilla; Davies, Rhodri; Lopes, Luis R.; Mohiddin, Saidi; Captur, Gabriella; Moon, James C.; Lloyd, Guy
Patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM) commonly suffer symptoms of chest pain and dyspnea. Apical hypertrophy causes cavity obliteration early in systole, persisting into diastole; generating high pressures and creating basal to apical heterogeny in myocardial deformation across the cardiac cycle.1 Conventional measures of systolic function (eg, ejection fraction [EF]) may be supranormal, but other parameters may be abnormal either globally (global longitudinal strain [GLS]),2 or apically (longitudinal, radial and circumferential strain, including twist).3 Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) demonstrated that apical perfusion defects are a universal feature across the phenotypic spectrum.4 Reduced exercise capacity in HCM is widely reported; however, in ApHCM, functional limitation has been little explored, and the underpinning roles for abnormal myocardial mechanics and perfusion abnormalities are unknown. We hypothesized that patients with ApHCM would have functional limitation associated with abnormalities of global/regional myocardial mechanics (strain, twist) and myocardial blood flow (MBF).
Self-directed and prosocial wound care, snare removal, and hygiene behaviors amongst the Budongo chimpanzees
Publication . Freymann, Elodie; Hobaiter, Catherine; Huffman, Michael Alan; Klein, Harmonie; Muhumuza, Geresomu; Reynolds, Vernon; Slania, Nora E.; Soldati, Adrian; Yikii, Eguma Robert; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Carvalho, Susana
Understanding the cognitive and social foundations of healthcare behaviors in humans requires examining their evolutionary precursors in our closest living relatives. Investigating self-directed and other-directed healthcare in chimpanzees provides crucial insights into the origins of medicinal knowledge, identification of specific medicinal resources used for health maintenance, and the emergence of prosocial healthcare capacities. Here we document and analyze both previously reported and newly observed instances of selfdirected and other-directed wound care, snare removal, and putatively medicinal hygiene behaviors in the Sonso and Waibira chimpanzee communities of the Budongo Forest in Uganda. Reports of these behaviors come from archival records collected from over thirty years of observation at the Budongo Conservation Field Station (BCFS), videos recorded by researchers at the site, and all-occurrence behavioral data collected over two 4-month periods of direct observation. We describe self-directed wound care behaviors such as wound licking, leaf-dabbing, pressing fingers to wounds, and the application of chewed plant material to wounds, as well as a successful self-directed snare removal. We also document self-directed hygiene behaviors including postcoital genital leaf wiping and post-defecation leaf wiping.
Skeletal age assessed by Greulich-Pyle: intra-observer and inter-observer agreement among male pubertal tennis players
Publication . Celis-Moreno, Jorge M.; Martinho, Diogo V.; Coelho-e-Silva, Manuel J.; Fragoso, Isabel; Ribeiro, Luís Pedro; Gouveia, Élvio R.; Oliveira, Tomas; Gonçalves-Santos, João; Tavares, Oscar M.; Cayolla, Ricardo R.; Duarte-Mendes, Pedro; Konarski, Jan M.; Malina, Robert M.; Myburgh, Gillian K.; Cumming, Sean P.; Sherar, Lauren B.; Roberto Scendoni
The assessment of biological maturation is a central topic in pediatric exercise sciences. Skeletal age (SA) reflects changes in each bone of the hand and wrist from initial ossification to the adult state. This study examined intra-observer and inter-examiner agreement is Greulich-Pyle (GP) assessments of SA in 97 male tennis players 8.6–16.8 years of age. Two observers independently examined all films on two occasions using the GP method. The SA of each bone was evaluated. The mean and median of SAs assigned for each bone was the individual SA for each participant. The calculation was exclusively based on the bones that were not skeletally mature. Intra-observer mean differences were significant for several bones with better results by the experienced examiner (observer B). Comparisons between SA values of the two independent observers indicated significant differences for the ulna, metacarpals II and III, and distal phalanx V. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the bone-specific differences was small, perhaps trivial. Differences in individual SA values of the tennis players based on the non-mature bones of the hand-wrist were negligible based on the mean (0.04±0.39, t = 0.321, p = 0.749) or the median (0.05±0.58, t = 0.007, p = 0.994). Nevertheless, the current study confirmed examiners as a source of error in the estimation of SA using the Greulich-Pyle method and highlighted the importance of calculating SAs based on non-mature bones among adolescent players.
The perspective of youth: envisioning transformative pathways and desirable futures for people and nature
Publication . Schmitt, Thomas M.; Aminian Biquet, Juliette; Blinova, Polina; Jimenez, Yohana G.; Sinav, Lider; Vašková, Hana; Dumont, Ana Sofia Lorda; Kien, Pham Trung; Mathur, Vinamra; Mwale, Brenda; Soriano, Deign Frolley; Anantaprayoon, Nopparat; Arimiyaw, Abdul Wahid; Koech, Sheila; Choque, Kantuta Conde; Kim, Hye Jin; Kuiper, Jan J.; Pereira, Laura M.; Miller, Brian W.
This paper examines the pathways to desirable nature futures as envisioned by 22 young people from all United Nations regions and diverse cultural backgrounds who participated in the second edition of the IPBES Youth workshop (2022). The workshop employed the Three Horizons framework and the Nature Futures Framework (NFF) to describe the plurality of youth visions for desirable nature futures and transformative pathways to achieve these visions. Based on the outcomes of the workshop, we conducted a qualitative content analysis categorizing the ideas and quantitatively assessed commonalities and differences among workshop groups, which were based on the NFF perspectives (nature for nature, nature for society, nature as culture, and a group in between perspectives). There were important differences in the visions and pathways articulated by the groups, but also commonalities, such as the importance of governance, community-based approaches, and education for achieving desirable nature futures. We also discuss the importance of flexibility in the NFF to accommodate diverse perspectives and involvement of youth in shaping global sustainability agendas. While many ideas raised by young people during this workshop align with existing conservation narratives, the study reveals the need to foster new and innovative ideas to drive transformative change that is sensitive to diverse contexts, histories, and experiences.
Correlation between trace element concentrations in the blood of female hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and egg quality in nesting populations of São Tomé Island
Publication . Morão, Inês F. C.; Simões, Tiago; Casado, Roger B.; Vieira, Sara; Ferreira-Airaud, Betânia; Caliani, Ilaria; Noi, Agata Di; Casini, Silvia; Fossi, Maria C.; Lemos, Marco F. L.; Novais, Sara C.
Metals and metalloids can pose a significant threat to sea turtles, as these contaminants tend to accumulate in their bodies over time, due to their long lifespans and varied feeding habits. S˜ ao Tom´e and Príncipe’s archipelago hosts the last remaining rookery for hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the region. The study aimed to determine the levels of metals and metalloids accumulated by this population and to investigate their possible genotoxicity in nesting females’ blood as well as potential effects on their eggs in terms of morphometric characteristics and the quality of their lipidic reserves, essential for embryo development. Higher levels of Hg were found to be correlated with increased “lobed-shaped nuclei” in erythrocytic count, suggesting genotoxicity effects in this population. Higher levels of Se were correlated with thicker and heavier eggshells, while Pb levels were associated with the reduction of the egg’s diameter. Metal contamination in females’ blood significantly affected yolk polar fatty acids. Significant negative correlations were found between general metal contamination (PLI) and saturated fatty acids (SFA), while positive correlations were observed for essential omega-6 fatty acids (n6), mostly influenced by Cu, Fe, and Hg concentrations. This suggests that these omega-6 fatty acids are being synthesized from SFA, potentially indicating stress response by metal exposure. The present results point to some potential alterations in the normal embryonic development of these turtle eggs, influenced by metal contamination, which should raise some concerns about the future of this critically endangered species and call for additional conservation efforts in the region.