Spatial scale-dependent dilution effects of biodiversity on plant diseases in grasslands.

The rapid biodiversity losses of the Anthropocene have motivated ecologists to understand how biodiversity affects infectious diseases. Spatial scale is thought to moderate negative biodiversity-disease relationships (i.e., dilution effects) in zoonotic diseases, whereas evidence from plant communities for an effect of scale remains limited, especially at local scales where the mechanisms (e.g., encounter reduction) underlying dilution effects actually work. Here, we tested how spatial scale affects the direction and magnitude of biodiversity-disease relationships. We utilized a 10-year-old nitrogen addition experiment in a Tibetan alpine meadow, with 0, 5, 10, and 15 g/m2 nitrogen addition treatments. Within the treatment plots, we arranged a total of 216 quadrats (of either 0.125 × 0.125 m, 0.25 × 0.25 m or 0.5 × 0.5 m size) to test how the sample area affects the relationship between plant species richness and foliar fungal disease severity. We found that the dilution effects were stronger in the 0.125 × 0.125 m and 0.25 × 0.25 m quadrats, compared with 0.5 × 0.5 m quadrats. There was a significant interaction between species richness and nitrogen addition in the 0.125 × 0.125 m and 0.25 × 0.25 m quadrats, indicating that a dilution effect was more easily observed under higher levels of nitrogen addition. Based on multigroup structural equation models, we found that even accounting for the direct impact of nitrogen addition (i.e., "nitrogen-disease hypothesis"), the dilution effect still worked at the 0.125 × 0.125 m scale. Overall, these findings suggest that spatial scale directly determines the occurrence of dilution effects, and can partly explain the observed variation in biodiversity-disease relationships in grasslands. Next-generation frameworks for predicting infectious diseases under rapid biodiversity loss scenarios need to incorporate spatial information.

Treatment of Recurrent Axillary Osmidrosis: Trimming and Electrocoagulation of Apocrine Glands Under Direct Vision Through Double Incisions.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the clinical effect of treatment for recurrent axillary osmidrosis (AO) after small-incision minimally invasive surgery by trimming and electrocoagulation of apocrine glands under direct vision through double incisions parallel to axillary creases. METHODS: This was a retrospective study. From September 2012 to January 2019, 75 axillae in 48 cases of recurrent AO after small-incision minimally invasive surgery were treated using trimming and electrocoagulation of apocrine glands under direct vision through double incisions parallel to axillary creases. Patient data, such as sex, age, original surgery method, the severity of underarm malodor before and after the operation, and occurrence of complications, were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: For the follow-up of at least 12 months after the surgery, all patients' underarm malodor disappeared or was significantly reduced. Patients with preoperative severity of grade I did not show a recurring AO, whereas the recurrence rate of grade II and grade III AO was 7.9% and 14.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the AO recurrence rate was 9.1% for those younger than 18 years and 6.2% in those 18 years or older. Subcutaneous hematomas appeared on 3 axillae (4.0%), and the contraction of subdermal fibrotic bands appeared on 5 axillae (6.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with recurring AO after small-incision minimally invasive surgery achieved good treatment results by trimming and electrocoagulation of apocrine glands under direct vision through double incisions parallel to axillary creases.

Rhinoplasty With Hyaluronic Acid: A Standard 5-step Injection Procedure Using Sharp Needle.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect of rhinoplasty with a standard 5-step injection procedure of hyaluronic acid using sharp needle in correction of deficient features of the Chinese nose. METHODS: Between January 2016 and December 2018, hyaluronic acid was injected with the sharp needle by a standard procedure in the anterior nasal spine, nasal columella, nasal tip, nasal root, and dorsum, as well as the junction region of nasal root and brow in 198 Chinese patients. The postoperative curative effect was analyzed, and the adverse reactions were observed. RESULTS: The nasal shape in all patients was significantly improved, obtaining the stereoscopic appearance, and satisfactory results. During a 6-month follow-up, 4 patients developed local subcutaneous congestion and bruising in the nasal dorsum after treatment, which disappeared within 2 weeks. No patients suffered from complications such as infection, embolism, necrosis, transparent nasal dorsum, and widened nasal roots. CONCLUSIONS: Injection of hyaluronic acid with the sharp needle by a standard 5-step procedure is a safe technique that can effectively correct the deficient features of the Chinese nose.