The terms asymptomatic and subclinical are the same in the veterinary lexicon: a critical analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The term asymptomatic and its antonyms symptomatic and symptom apply exclusively to humans. However, veterinarians commonly use these terms instead of subclinical and clinical. We examined the use of these terms to determine how, by whom, and in what context they are used. SAMPLE: Veterinary articles on PubMed. PROCEDURES: We searched PubMed for the terms asymptomatic, subclinical, and symptomatic within the title and abstract or as MeSH terms, restricting the search to veterinary (nonhuman) species, and downloaded and categorized each article based on species, topic, field of study, and presumed primary language of the authors. We noted whether the term appeared in the title or abstract or as a MeSH term and described the frequencies of use of these terms within each category. RESULTS: The term asymptomatic appeared in 2,248 entries, mostly in the title or abstract. The term symptomatic appeared in 956 entries, also mostly in the title or abstract. Non-English-speaking authors used asymptomatic but not symptomatic relatively more frequently in the past decade. Certain fields of study, or disease specialties, used the terms more frequently; conversely, other fields of study, or specific journals, avoided the terms. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Authors of articles about animals use the term asymptomatic interchangeably with subclinical and symptomatic interchangeably with clinical. Distinct language cultures appear to exist within different veterinary fields. However, no ambiguity appears to exist with the use of these terms. Therefore, asymptomatic is the same as subclinical and symptomatic is the same as clinical in the veterinary lexicon. Both terms should be equally acceptable.

Improved accuracy and reduced uncertainty in greenhouse gas inventories by refining the IPCC emission factor for direct N2 O emissions from nitrogen inputs to managed soils.

Most national GHG inventories estimating direct N2 O emissions from managed soils rely on a default Tier 1 emission factor (EF1 ) amounting to 1% of nitrogen inputs. Recent research has, however, demonstrated the potential for refining the EF1 considering variables that are readily available at national scales. Building on existing reviews, we produced a large dataset (n = 848) enriched in dry and low latitude tropical climate observations as compared to former global efforts and disaggregated the EF1 according to most meaningful controlling factors. Using spatially explicit N fertilizer and manure inputs, we also investigated the implications of using the EF1 developed as part of this research and adopted by the 2019 IPCC refinement report. Our results demonstrated that climate is a major driver of emission, with an EF1 three times higher in wet climates (0.014, 95% CI 0.011-0.017) than in dry climates (0.005, 95% CI 0.000-0.011). Likewise, the form of the fertilizer markedly modulated the EF1 in wet climates, where the EF1 for synthetic and mixed forms (0.016, 95% CI 0.013-0.019) was also almost three times larger than the EF1 for organic forms (0.006; 95% CI 0.001-0.011). Other factors such as land cover and soil texture, C content, and pH were also important regulators of the EF1 . The uncertainty associated with the disaggregated EF1 was considerably reduced as compared to the range in the 2006 IPCC guidelines. Compared to estimates from the 2006 IPCC EF1 , emissions based on the 2019 IPCC EF1 range from 15% to 46% lower in countries dominated by dry climates to 7%-37% higher in countries with wet climates and high synthetic N fertilizer consumption. The adoption of the 2019 IPCC EF1 will allow parties to improve the accuracy of emissions' inventories and to better target areas for implementing mitigation strategies.

Winter Wheat Grain Yield Response to Fungicide Application is Influenced by Cultivar and Rainfall.

Winter wheat is susceptible to several fungal pathogens throughout the growing season and foliar fungicide application is one of the strategies used in the management of fungal diseases in winter wheat. However, for fungicides to be profitable, weather conditions conducive to fungal disease development should be present. To determine if winter wheat yield response to fungicide application at the flowering growth stage (Feekes 10.5.1) was related to the growing season precipitation, grain yield from fungicide treated plots was compared to non-treated plots for 19 to 30 hard red winter wheat cultivars planted at 8 site years from 2011 through 2015. At all locations, Prothioconazole + Tebuconazole or Tebuconazole alone was applied at flowering timing for the fungicide treated plots. Grain yield response (difference between treated and non-treated) ranged from 66-696 kg/ha across years and locations. Grain yield response had a positive and significant linear relationship with cumulative rainfall in May through June for the mid and top grain yield ranked cultivars (R2=54%, 78%, respectively) indicating that a higher amount of accumulated rainfall in this period increased chances of getting a higher yield response from fungicide application. Cultivars treated with a fungicide had slightly higher protein content (up to 0.5%) compared to non-treated. These results indicate that application of fungicides when there is sufficient moisture in May and June may increase chances of profitability from fungicide application.

Demonstration of the Use of Remote Temperature Monitoring Devices in Vaccine Refrigerators in Haiti.

After the 2010 earthquake, Haiti committed to introducing 4 new antigens into its routine immunization schedule, which required improving its cold chain (ie, temperature-controlled supply chain) and increasing vaccine storage capacity by installing new refrigerators. We tested the feasibility of using remote temperature monitoring devices (RTMDs) in Haiti in a sample of vaccine refrigerators fueled by solar panels, propane gas, or electricity. We analyzed data from 16 RTMDs monitoring 24 refrigerators in 15 sites from March through August 2014. Although 5 of the 16 RTMDs exhibited intermittent data gaps, we identified typical temperature patterns consistent with refrigerator door opening and closing, propane depletion, thermostat insufficiency, and overstocking. Actual start-up, annual maintenance, and annual electricity costs for using RTMDs were $686, $179, and $9 per refrigerator, respectively. In Haiti, RTMD use was feasible. RTMDs could be prioritized for use with existing refrigerators with high volumes of vaccines and new refrigerators to certify their functionality before use. Vaccine vial monitors could provide additional useful information about cumulative heat exposure and possible vaccine denaturation.

The Role of Extracellular Histones in Influenza Virus Pathogenesis.

Although exaggerated host immune responses have been implicated in influenza-induced lung pathogenesis, the etiologic factors that contribute to these events are not completely understood. We previously demonstrated that neutrophil extracellular traps exacerbate pulmonary injury during influenza pneumonia. Histones are the major protein components of neutrophil extracellular traps and are known to have cytotoxic effects. Here, we examined the role of extracellular histones in lung pathogenesis during influenza. Mice infected with influenza virus displayed high accumulation of extracellular histones, with widespread pulmonary microvascular thrombosis. Occluded pulmonary blood vessels with vascular thrombi often exhibited endothelial necrosis surrounded by hemorrhagic effusions and pulmonary edema. Histones released during influenza induced cytotoxicity and showed strong binding to platelets within thrombi in infected mouse lungs. Nasal wash samples from influenza-infected patients also showed increased accumulation of extracellular histones, suggesting a possible clinical relevance of elevated histones in pulmonary injury. Although histones inhibited influenza growth in vitro, in vivo treatment with histones did not yield antiviral effects and instead exacerbated lung pathology. Blocking with antihistone antibodies caused a marked decrease in lung pathology in lethal influenza-challenged mice and improved protection when administered in combination with the antiviral agent oseltamivir. These findings support the pathogenic effects of extracellular histones in that pulmonary injury during influenza was exacerbated. Targeting histones provides a novel therapeutic approach to influenza pneumonia.

A study of temporal effects of the model anti-androgen flutamide on components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in adult fathead minnows.

The aim of this study was to investigate temporal changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) treated with the model androgen receptor (AR) antagonist flutamide. Reproductively-mature fish were exposed in a flow-through test to analytically-confirmed concentrations of either 50 or 500µg flutamide/L for 8 d, followed by an 8-d recovery period in clean water. Fish were sampled at 1, 2, 4 and 8days during each phase of the experiment. Flutamide (500µg/L) caused significant reductions in relative gonad size of the females on day 8 of the exposure and day 1 of the recovery, and reduced expression of secondary sex characteristics in males during the exposure phase of the experiment. Ex vivo gonadal synthesis of testosterone in both sexes (and 17ß-estradiol in females) was reduced in the 500µg/L treatment within 2 d of exposure; however, steroid synthesis returned to levels comparable to controls by the end of the exposure portion of the test. Ex vivo testosterone synthesis in males exposed to 50µg flutamide/L was greater than in controls on days 4 and 8 of the exposure. Both the enhanced steroid production in the low treatment males, and return to control levels in the high treatment males and females during chemical exposure are indicative of a compensatory HPG response. One contributor to this response could be increased expression of genes responsible for enzymes involved in steroid synthesis; for example, transcripts for both cytochrome P450 side- chain cleavage and 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase were significantly elevated in flutamide-exposed males. Overall, responses of the HPG axis in adult male and female fathead minnows exposed to flutamide were both dynamic and comparatively rapid during exposure and recovery. These observations have ramifications both for the development of short-term fish assays to detect endocrine-active chemicals, and the derivation of robust adverse outcome pathways for AR antagonists in fish.

Climate-induced reduction in US-wide soybean yields underpinned by region- and in-season-specific responses.

The United States is one of the largest soybean exporters in the world. Production is concentrated in the upper Midwest(1). Much of this region is not irrigated, rendering soybean production systems in the area highly sensitive to in-season variations in weather. Although the influence of in-season weather trends on the yields of crops such as soybean, wheat and maize has been explored in several countries(2-6), the potentially confounding influence of genetic improvements on yields has been overlooked. Here we assess the effect of in-season weather trends on soybean yields in the United States between 1994 and 2013, using field trial data, meteorological data and information on crop management practices, including the adoption of new cultivars. We show that in-season temperature trends had a greater impact on soybean yields than in-season precipitation trends over the measurement period. Averaging across the United States, we show that soybean yields fell by around 2.4% for every 1 °C rise in growing season temperature. However, the response varied significantly among individual states, ranging from -22% to +9%, and also with the month of the year in which the warming occurred. We estimate that year-to-year changes in precipitation and temperature combined suppressed the US average yield gain by around 30% over the measurement period, leading to a loss of US$11 billion. Our data highlight the importance of developing location-specific adaptation strategies for climate change based on early-, mid- and late-growing season climate trends.

A global strategy for road building.

The number and extent of roads will expand dramatically this century. Globally, at least 25 million kilometres of new roads are anticipated by 2050; a 60% increase in the total length of roads over that in 2010. Nine-tenths of all road construction is expected to occur in developing nations, including many regions that sustain exceptional biodiversity and vital ecosystem services. Roads penetrating into wilderness or frontier areas are a major proximate driver of habitat loss and fragmentation, wildfires, overhunting and other environmental degradation, often with irreversible impacts on ecosystems. Unfortunately, much road proliferation is chaotic or poorly planned, and the rate of expansion is so great that it often overwhelms the capacity of environmental planners and managers. Here we present a global scheme for prioritizing road building. This large-scale zoning plan seeks to limit the environmental costs of road expansion while maximizing its benefits for human development, by helping to increase agricultural production, which is an urgent priority given that global food demand could double by mid-century. Our analysis identifies areas with high environmental values where future road building should be avoided if possible, areas where strategic road improvements could promote agricultural development with relatively modest environmental costs, and 'conflict areas' where road building could have sizeable benefits for agriculture but with serious environmental damage. Our plan provides a template for proactively zoning and prioritizing roads during the most explosive era of road expansion in human history.