Long-term Consequences on Soil Fungal Community Structure: Monoculture Planting and Natural Regeneration.

Understanding the regeneration and succession of belowground communities, particularly in forests, is vital for maintaining ecosystem health. Despite its importance, there is limited knowledge regarding how fungal communities change over time during ecosystem development, especially under different forest restoration strategies. In this study, we focused on two restoration methods used in northern Japan: monoculture planting and natural regeneration. We examined the responses of the fungal community to monoculture plantations (active tree planting) and naturally regenerated (passive regeneration) forests over a 50-year chronosequence, using natural forests as a reference. Based on DNA metabarcoding, we assessed the richness of fungal Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) and their dissimilarity. Our findings revealed that soil fungal richness remained stable after natural regeneration but declined in monoculture plantations, from 354 to 247 OTUs. While the compositional dissimilarity of fungal assemblages between monoculture plantations and natural forests remained consistent regardless of the time since tree planting, it significantly decreased after natural regeneration, suggesting recovery to a state close to the reference level. Notably, the composition of key functional fungal groups-saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal- has increasingly mirrored that of natural forests over time following passive natural regeneration. In summary, our study suggests that monoculture plantations may not be effective for long-term ecosystem function and service recovery because of their limited support for soil fungal diversity. These results underscore the importance of natural regeneration in forest restoration and management strategies.

Partitioning the biodiversity effects on productivity into density and size components.

Plant density and size - two factors that represent plant survival and growth - are key determinants of yield but have rarely been analysed explicitly in the context of biodiversity-productivity relationships. Here, we derive equations to partition the net, complementarity and selection effects of biodiversity into additive components that reflect diversity-induced changes in plant density and size. Applications of the new method to empirical datasets reveal contrasting ways in which plant density and size regulate yield in species mixtures. In an annual plant diversity experiment, overyielding is largely explained by selection effects associated with increased size of highly productive plant species. In a tree diversity experiment, the cause of overyielding shifts from enhanced growth in tree size to reduced mortality by complementary use of canopy space during stand development. These results highlight the capability of the new method to resolve crucial, yet understudied, demographic links between biodiversity and productivity.

Temporal changes in spatial variation: partitioning the extinction and colonisation components of beta diversity.

The last two decades have witnessed unprecedented changes in beta diversity, the spatial variation in species composition, from local to global scales. However, analytical challenges have hampered empirical ecologists from quantifying the extinction and colonisation processes behind these changing beta diversity patterns. Here, we develop a novel numerical method to additively partition the temporal changes in beta diversity into components that reflect local extinctions and colonisations. By applying this method to empirical datasets, we revealed spatiotemporal community dynamics that were otherwise undetectable. In mature forests, we found that local extinctions resulted in tree communities becoming more spatially heterogeneous, while colonisations simultaneously caused them to homogenise. In coral communities, we detected non-random community disassembly and reassembly following an environmental perturbation, with a temporally varying balance between extinctions and colonisations. Partitioning the dynamic processes that underlie beta diversity can provide more mechanistic insights into the spatiotemporal organisation of biodiversity.

Partitioning the colonization and extinction components of beta diversity across disturbance gradients.

Changes in species diversity often result from species losses and gains. The dynamic nature of beta diversity (spatial variation in species composition) that derives from such temporal species turnover, however, has received relatively little attention. Here, we disentangled extinction and colonization components of beta diversity by using the sets of species that went locally extinct and that newly colonized the study sites. We applied this concept of extinction and colonization beta diversity to ground vegetation communities that have been repeatedly surveyed in forests where fire and harvesting were experimentally applied. We first found that fire and harvesting caused no effect on beta diversity 2 yr after the treatments. From this result, we might conclude that they did not alter the ways in which species assemble across space. However, when we analyzed the extinction and colonization beta diversity between pre-treatment and 2 yr after the treatments, both measures were found to be significantly lower in burned sites compared to unburned sites (i.e., the groups of excluded and newly colonized species both showed low beta diversity in the burned sites). These results indicate that the fire excluded similar subsets of species across space, making communities become more heterogeneous, but at the same time induced spatially uniform colonization of new species, causing communities to homogenize. Consequently, the effects of these two processes canceled each other out. The relative importance of extinction and colonization components per se also changed temporally after the treatments. Fire and harvesting showed synergetic negative impacts on extinction beta diversity between pre-treatment and 10 yr after the treatments. Overall, analyses using extinction and colonization beta diversity allowed us to detect nonrandom disassembly and reassembly dynamics in ground vegetation communities. Our results suggest that common practices of analyzing beta diversity at one point in time can mask significant variation driven by disturbance. Acknowledging the extinction-colonization dynamics behind beta diversity is essential for understanding the spatiotemporal organization of biodiversity.

Urbanization and plant invasion alter the structure of litter microarthropod communities.

Anthropogenic activity underpins the creation of urban ecosystems, often with introduced or invasive species playing a large role in structuring ecological communities. While the effects of urbanization on charismatic taxa such as birds, bees or butterflies have received much attention, the impacts on small and inconspicuous organisms remain poorly understood. Here, we assess how the community structure of leaf litter-inhabiting microarthropods in city parks varies along an urbanization gradient in Toronto, Canada. At each park, we established paired forest understorey plots which were either dominated by native vegetation or dog-strangling vine Vincetoxicum rossicum, an invasive species that is spreading throughout northeastern North America and abundant in urban areas. We compared microarthropod richness, abundance and diversity in ecological traits between invaded and non-invaded plots as well as compositional dissimilarities among plots across the urbanization gradient. We recorded 123 genera and found (a) there was a negative effect of urbanization on microarthropod richness and abundance but only in invaded plots; (b) richness and abundance increased continuously with urbanization in non-invaded plots, but peaked at intermediate urbanization levels in invaded plots and (c) there was significant turnover with increasing urbanization, with distinct communities represented in highly urbanized areas compared to less urbanized areas, regardless of whether invaded. We also found litter microarthropod richness and abundance increased with soil ammonium and decreased with nitrate. These trends were especially strong for fungivorous microarthropods; however, there was no relationship between soil nutrients and urbanization or invasion. Urbanization and biological invasion drive biodiversity change, and there is a need to disentangle these effects on ecological communities and related ecosystem processes. We show microarthropod communities change with urbanization, with the effects of invasion most prominent in non-urban areas. Here, there is high richness and abundance but low ecological trait diversity, possibly because certain feeding traits are excluded and others overrepresented. Understanding of urban ecological systems must include knowledge of the microarthropods that interact widely across food webs, form distinct communities in highly urban areas and drive many of the important ecological functions upon which people in cities depend.

Academic inequality through the lens of community ecology: a meta-analysis.

Ecological assemblages are generally characterized by a few dominant species and numerous others. Such unequal distributions of dominance also emerge in human society, including in scientific communities. Here, based on formal community ecological analyses, we show the temporal trends in the number of scientific publication in the discipline of "ecology." Based on this, we infer possible factors causing the imbalance of reputation and dominance among countries. We relied on 454 ecological meta-analysis papers published from 1998 to 2014, which sourced over 29,000 original publications. Formal meta-analyses are essential for synthesizing findings from individual studies and are critical for assessing issues and informing policy. We found that, despite the rapid expansion of outlets for ecology papers (analogous to an increase in carrying capacity, in ecological systems), country diversity as determined from first author affiliations (analogous to species diversity) did not increase. Furthermore, a country identity was more powerful than the popularity of the scientific topic and affected the chance of publication in high-profile journals, independent of the potential novelty of findings and arguments of the papers, suggesting possible academic injustice. Consequently, a rank order and hierarchy has been gradually formed among countries. Notably, this country-dominance rank is not only specific to this scientific domain but also universal across different societal situations including sports and economics, further emphasizing that inequality and hierarchical structure exist even in modern human society. Our study demonstrates a need for having robust frameworks to facilitate equality and diversity in the scientific domain in order to better inform society and policy.

[A Case of Severe Bradycardia Associated with Bladder Perforation during Spinal Anesthesia].

Here we report a case of severe bradycardia associated with bladder perforation during transurethral resection of the bladder. The patient was diagnosed with bladder cancer eight months ago and underwent transurethral resection of the bladder tumor. After balloon-occluded arterial infusion chemotherapy, she was scheduled for a bladder biopsy under spinal anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia was induced with 2.5 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine hydrochloride at L3-4, and sensory loss (T9) was confirmed. The operation started uneventfully 20 minutes after bupivacaine administration. However, ten minutes into the operation, bladder perforation occurred and was followed by severe bradycardia (20-30 beats x min(-1)). While preparing for transcutaneous pacing, bradycardia improved with intravenous atropine and ephedrine. The level of spinal anesthesia remained unchanged. General anesthesia was induced with propofol, rocuronium and fentanyl. The patient was extubated uneventfully after the operation and was discharged 14 days later.

[Laryngeal Tube Position Shift after Chest Compression: Comparison of Fixation Methods Using Durapore Tape, Multipore Tape, or a Neck Tape].

BACKGROUND: The laryngeal tube (LT ; Smiths Medical, Minnesota, U. S. A) is an inflatable supraglottic device for emergency airway management such as during chest compression, the instability after insertion remains a problem. METHODS: We investigated the effectiveness of three fixation methods of LT using a manikin and automated chest compressor. RESULTS: After 10-minute chest compression, LT without fixation was shifted by 0.4 ± 0.1 cm, which was greater than with Durapore tape (0.2 ± 0.1 cm), Multipore tape (0.2 ± 0.1 cm), or a neck tape (0.1 ± 0.1 cm). The shift of the position was smaller with neck tape fixation compared to Durapore or Multipore tape fixation. CONCLUSIONS: A fixation neck tape may be useful in stabilizing the inserted position of LT during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

[Successful Tracheal Intubation Using Videolaryngoscope in an Infant with Massive Tongue Swelling].

We report use of videolaryngoscope for difficult airway management in an infant with severe tongue swelling after laceration repair. A 3-month-old male infant was transferred to our hospital for respiratory difficulty. He could not open his mouth sufficiently, and the examination revealed massive swelling of the left side of the tongue. Emergent surgical repair of the tongue was scheduled, anticipating a difficult airway. The venous line was kept patent preoperatively, and 8% sevoflurane was administered maintaining spontaneous ventilation. We then inserted the Pentax Airway Scope with an infant-sized Intlock (AWS-I) from the right side of the mouth and obtained a good view at laryngoscopy. A 3.5-mm tracheal tube was passed uneventfully under the view of AWS-I. The AWS-I is useful for difficult airway management in infants, preserving spontaneous ventilation.

[Nitrous Oxide Exposure-mediated Increases in Cuff Pressure: A Comparison of Disposable Type and Re-use Type air-Q Devices].

UNLABELLED: BaCKGROUND: The present study aimed to compare nitrous oxide-mediated increases in cuff pressure between the disposable type air-Q (air-Q-DT) and re-use type air-Q (air-Q-RU) in a simulated adult airway model. METHODS: Automated cuff pressure was adjusted to 10, 20, and 30 cmH2O. The air-Q-DT and air-Q-RU were exposed to 80% nitrous oxide and cuff pressure was measured 15 and 30 minutes later. RESULTS: Cuff pressure of the air-Q-DT was significantly lower than that of the air-Q-RU after 15 and 30 minutes, regardless of the initial pressure. CONCLUSIONS: The polyvinyl chloride-based air-Q-DT may be more effective than the silicon-based air-Q-RU in preventing hyperinflation of the tracheal tube cuff in response to nitrous oxide exposure.

Muscle relaxant effects on insertion efficacy of the laryngeal mask ProSeal(®) in anesthetized patients: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Anesthesiologists often encounter LMA-ProSeal(®) (ProSeal) insertion difficulty due to its large cuff size. We performed a randomized clinical trial to examine how insertion efficacy and sealing pressure of ProSeal are affected by muscle relaxant administration in anesthetized patients. METHODS: Our adult patients were either administered rocuronium (0.9 mg kg(-1)) as a muscle relaxant (R group; 40 patients) or not (C group; 40 patients). Anesthesia was induced with propofol and fentanyl. We compared the two groups with regard to the number of attempts required for successful insertion, sealing pressure, and subjective difficulty for insertion. RESULTS: Total insertion attempts required for successful ventilation in the two groups were one (R group, 38 patients; C group, 28 patients), two (R group, one patient; C group, seven patients), and three (R group, one patient; C group, five patients), revealing a significant difference between groups (p < 0.001). Sealing pressure was significantly higher in the R group than in the C group (R group, 27.4 ± 5.4 cmH2O; C group, 21.2 ± 5.2 cmH2O; p < 0.001). Leakage volume by mechanical ventilation was significantly smaller in the R group than in the C group (R group, 17.4 ± 29.1 ml; C group, 46.8 ± 45.5 ml; p < 0.001). Subjective difficulty of insertion was significantly lower in the R group than in the C group (R group, 12.3 ± 23.1 mm; C group, 39.4 ± 31.9 mm; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Muscle relaxation appears to facilitate ProSeal insertion efficacy by enabling higher successful insertion rates, higher sealing pressure, lower leakage volume, and lower subjective difficulty of insertion in anesthetized patients.

Does prewarming the i-gel supraglottic airway device fit the larynx better compared to keeping it at room temperature for non-paralysed, sedated patients: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the i-gel supraglottic airway device would fit the larynx and provide better sealing pressure if prewarmed to 42°C relative to the device kept at room temperature in non-paralysed, sedated patients. METHODS: A total of 74 adult patients were assigned to the warm (i-gel prewarmed to 42°C; W group; 37 patients) or the control (i-gel kept at room temperature; C group; 37 patients) groups. Anaesthesia was induced with propofol and fentanyl. The i-gel was prewarmed to 42°C for 30 min before insertion in the W group, but kept at room temperature (approximately 23°C) for the C group. The number of attempts made until successful insertion and sealing pressure were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Insertion was successful with one attempt in 35 cases each for the W and C groups. Two attempts were needed in two cases for the W group and one case for the C group. There was one failed attempt in the C group, but none in the W group. None of the differences between the two groups were significant (p=0.51). Sealing pressure was slightly, but not significantly, higher in the W group than in the C group (W group 22.6±6.1 cm H2O; C group 20.7±6.1 cm H2O; p=0.15). CONCLUSIONS: Prewarming of the i-gel to 42°C did not increase the success rate of insertion, nor did it significantly increase sealing pressure in anaesthetised, non-paralysed patients. Our data suggest that we can keep the i-gel at room temperature for emergency airway management for non-paralysed, sedated patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: University Medical Information Network, Japan 000012287.

Prewarming of the i-gel facilitates successful insertion and ventilation efficacy with muscle relaxation: a randomized study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine if prewarming of the i-gel (Intersurgical, Wokingham, United Kingdom) improves insertion and ventilation efficacy with muscle relaxation in patients undergoing elective surgery. DESIGN: Clinical randomized study. SETTING: Operating room. PATIENTS: Sixty-eight adult patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1-3. INTERVENTIONS: The i-gel was warmed to 42°C for 30 minutes before insertion (W group; 34 patients) or kept at room temperature (approximately 23°C) (C group; 34 patients). MEASUREMENTS: The number of attempts for a successful insertion and the sealing pressure and leak volume 30 seconds and 30 minutes after initiating mechanical ventilation. MAIN RESULTS: The total insertion attempts were 1 (W group, 31 cases; C group, 24 cases) and 2 (W group, 3 cases; C group, 10 cases), which was significant (P = .001). Sealing pressure was significantly higher in the W group than the C group (W group, 21.8 ± 3.7 cm H2O; C group, 18.5 ± 3.4 cm H2O; P = .001). Leak volume was significantly smaller after 30 seconds in the W group than the C group (P = .002), but not after 30 minutes (P = .69). CONCLUSIONS: Prewarming the i-gel to 42°C demonstrated a higher successful ventilation initiation.

A novel evaluation method of survival motor neuron protein as a biomarker of spinal muscular atrophy by imaging flow cytometry.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by mutations within the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. These mutations result in the reduction of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein expression and SMN complex in spinal motor neurons and other tissues. SMN protein has been used as a therapeutic biomarker in recent SMA clinical studies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Here, we investigated whether imaging flow cytometry can be a viable source of quantitative information on the SMN protein. Using a FlowSight imaging flow cytometer (Merck-Millipore, Germany), we demonstrated that imaging flow cytometry could successfully identify different expression patterns and subcellular localization of SMN protein in healthy human fibroblasts and SMA patient-derived fibroblasts. In addition, we could also evaluate the therapeutic effects of SMN protein expression by valproic acid treatment of SMA patient-derived cells in vitro. Therefore, we suggest that imaging flow cytometry technology has the potential for identifying SMN protein expression level and pattern as an evaluation tool of clinical studies.

[Pentax-AWS Airwayscope for awake tracheal intubation in the face-to-face sitting position in an emergency patient with acute exacerbation of aortic stenosis].

We report a successful awake tracheal intubation in an emergency patient with acute exacerbation of aortic stenosis using the Pentax-AWS Airwayscope (AWS). An 83-year-old woman was admitted to our emergency department for severe dyspnea due to exacerbation of aortic stenosis. Her Sp(O2) was 92-93% even after administration of 10 l x min(-1) oxygen through a reservoir-attached face mask. As she could not remain in the supine position, emergency tracheal intubation in the sitting position was required. After topical anesthesia with 8% lidocaine and careful administration of midazolam, the AWS was inserted into her mouth in the sitting, face-to-face position. The AWS allowed for visualization of the glottis and safe placement of the tracheal tube. Sufficient spontaneous ventilation was maintained during interventions with minimum vital sign changes. Awake intubation in the sitting position with the AWS may be helpful in resolving cardiovascular crisis in patients unable to maintain the supine position.

[Simulation-based sedation training in the operating room].

We report on the development of a simulation-based sedation training course (SEDTC). Participants were doctors and medical staff, such as operating room nurses. During the course, we identified issues that medical staff confront in the operating room (OR). Sedatives and analgesics used in the course were the same as those used during operations in the OR. The simulated scenario was that of an operation conducted under regional anesthesia. At the end of the course, participants discussed problems associated with sedation and provided input regarding sedation safety. Participants commented not only on changes in their views regarding sedation, but also on general medical safety in the OR. Our findings suggest that the SEDTC may serve as a vehicle to promote safety with respect to sedation and analgesia.

[Successful one-lobe ventilation in a patient combined with multiple bulla and interstitial pneumonia].

Respiratory management of interstitial pneumonia during general anesthesia is challenging, especially for one-lung ventilation. We report the successful left-side one-lung ventilation after left lower lobectomy. A 79-year-old man with interstitial pneumonia was scheduled for right side bulla resection. After epidural anesthesia at T8-9, under dexmedetomidine and propofol sedation and regional anesthesia with lidocaine, a double-lumen tube was inserted with a Macintosh laryngoscope preserving spontaneous breathing. Next, we continuously administered propofol at 1.5-2.0 microg x ml(-1) in target-controlled infusion manner, 0.8 microg x kg(-1) x hr(-1) dexmedetomidine and 50 mg x hr(-1) aminophylline for minimizing hypoxic vasocontriction. The bispectral index was maintained within 40-60 by titrating the dose of propofol. Analgesia was performed with epidural 100 microg fentalyl and 6 ml of 0.375% ropivacaine administration. The lowest Spo2 during one-lobe ventilation was 88% which recovered to 97% by oxygen administration to right lung with no pressure. We could keep about 3-4 l of minute volume and accumulation of Paco2 was acceptable. The patient was under one-lobe (left upper lobe) ventilation with spontaneous breathing during the operation. Open bulla resection was performed uneventfully. There were no complications from one-lobe ventilation and the patient was extubated in the operating room. One-lung ventilation, which preserves spontaneous breathing is considered effective for preventing barotrauma in patients with interstitial pneumonia. Dexmedetomidine as well as propofol or aminophylline may be effective avoiding hypoxic vasoconstriction. Furthermore, we could perform one-lobe ventilation with left-upper lobe with maintaining sufficient oxygenation and ventilation.

[Successful double-lumen endotracheal tube exchange with a soft-tipped extra firm exchange catheter in a patient with severe subcutaneous emphysema].

We report a case of successful double-lumen endotracheal tube exchange with a soft-tipped extra firm exchange catheter in a patient with severe subcutaneous emphysema. A 70-year-old man underwent right lower lobectomy for primary lung cancer under general anesthesia. He developed pneumothorax on postoperative day (POD) 14, which led to subcutaneous emphysema. An emergent operation was performed on POD20 to close the pulmonary fistula under general anesthesia with a single-lumen endotracheal tube and bronchial blocker. Subcutaneous emphysema became worse and pharyngeal emphysema was also suspected; re-operation to close the pulmonary or bronchial fistula was planned. We decided to place a double-lumen tube to precisely detect the fistula. Under the guide of a Pentax-AWS Airwayscope, the single-lumen endotracheal tube was exchanged uneventfully to a 35 Fr double-lumen endotracheal tube with a 110 cm soft-tipped extra firm exchange catheter. The fistula was detected by a leak test and the operation was performed uneventfully, leading to improvement of subcutaneous emphysema.