High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests.

Tropical forests store 40-50 per cent of terrestrial vegetation carbon1. However, spatial variations in aboveground live tree biomass carbon (AGC) stocks remain poorly understood, in particular in tropical montane forests2. Owing to climatic and soil changes with increasing elevation3, AGC stocks are lower in tropical montane forests compared with lowland forests2. Here we assemble and analyse a dataset of structurally intact old-growth forests (AfriMont) spanning 44 montane sites in 12 African countries. We find that montane sites in the AfriMont plot network have a mean AGC stock of 149.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare (95% confidence interval 137.1-164.2), which is comparable to lowland forests in the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network4 and about 70 per cent and 32 per cent higher than averages from plot networks in montane2,5,6 and lowland7 forests in the Neotropics, respectively. Notably, our results are two-thirds higher than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change default values for these forests in Africa8. We find that the low stem density and high abundance of large trees of African lowland forests4 is mirrored in the montane forests sampled. This carbon store is endangered: we estimate that 0.8 million hectares of old-growth African montane forest have been lost since 2000. We provide country-specific montane forest AGC stock estimates modelled from our plot network to help to guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. Our findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse9,10 and carbon-rich ecosystems.

Feather growth and quality across passerines is explained by breeding rather than moulting latitude.

Tropical bird species are characterized by a comparatively slow pace of life, being predictably different from their temperate zone counterparts in their investments in growth, survival and reproduction. In birds, the development of functional plumage is often considered energetically demanding investment, with consequences on individual fitness and survival. However, current knowledge of interspecific variation in feather growth patterns is mostly based on species of the northern temperate zone. We evaluated patterns in tail feather growth rates (FGR) and feather quality (stress-induced fault bar occurrence; FBO), using 1518 individuals of 167 species and 39 passerine families inhabiting Afrotropical and northern temperate zones. We detected a clear difference in feather traits between species breeding in the temperate and tropical zones, with the latter having significantly slower FGR and three times higher FBO. Moreover, trans-Saharan latitudinal migrants resembled temperate zone residents in that they exhibited a comparatively fast FGR and low FBO, despite sharing moulting environments with tropical species. Our results reveal convergent latitudinal shifts in feather growth investments (latitudinal syndrome) across unrelated passerine families and underscore the importance of breeding latitude in determining cross-species variation in key avian life-history traits.

Fractional Flow Reserve-Guided Multivessel Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to restore blood flow in an infarct-related coronary artery improves outcomes. The use of PCI in non-infarct-related coronary arteries remains controversial. METHODS: We randomly assigned 885 patients with STEMI and multivessel disease who had undergone primary PCI of an infarct-related coronary artery in a 1:2 ratio to undergo complete revascularization of non-infarct-related coronary arteries guided by fractional flow reserve (FFR) (295 patients) or to undergo no revascularization of non-infarct-related coronary arteries (590 patients). The FFR procedure was performed in both groups, but in the latter group, both the patients and their cardiologist were unaware of the findings on FFR. The primary end point was a composite of death from any cause, nonfatal myocardial infarction, revascularization, and cerebrovascular events at 12 months. Clinically indicated elective revascularizations performed within 45 days after primary PCI were not counted as events in the group receiving PCI for an infarct-related coronary artery only. RESULTS: The primary outcome occurred in 23 patients in the complete-revascularization group and in 121 patients in the infarct-artery-only group that did not receive complete revascularization, a finding that translates to 8 and 21 events per 100 patients, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.22 to 0.55; P<0.001). Death occurred in 4 patients in the complete-revascularization group and in 10 patients in the infarct-artery-only group (1.4% vs. 1.7%) (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.25 to 2.56), myocardial infarction in 7 and 28 patients, respectively (2.4% vs. 4.7%) (hazard ratio, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.22 to 1.13), revascularization in 18 and 103 patients (6.1% vs. 17.5%) (hazard ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.54), and cerebrovascular events in 0 and 4 patients (0 vs. 0.7%). An FFR-related serious adverse event occurred in 2 patients (both in the group receiving infarct-related treatment only). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with STEMI and multivessel disease who underwent primary PCI of an infarct-related artery, the addition of FFR-guided complete revascularization of non-infarct-related arteries in the acute setting resulted in a risk of a composite cardiovascular outcome that was lower than the risk among those who were treated for the infarct-related artery only. This finding was mainly supported by a reduction in subsequent revascularizations. (Funded by Maasstad Cardiovascular Research and others; Compare-Acute ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01399736 .).

Effect of incubation temperature on sex-dependent embryo mortality and morphological traits in Mallard.

Although birds have genetically determined sex, the sex ratio has been reported to deviate from parity in several studies. Temperature-dependent sex determination, which is common in reptiles, is absent in birds. However, females are able to adjust their investment into eggs according to the sex of the embryo, which may cause sex-specific embryonic mortality. Incubation temperature may also cause sex-biased embryonic mortality, and it may differentially affect the phenotype of male and female hatchlings. We aimed to investigate differences between male and female Mallard embryos regarding their egg size, mortality during incubation and hatchling phenotype in relation to incubation temperature. Mallard eggs were incubated under six constant incubation temperatures (ranging from 35.0 to 38.0 °C). Hatchlings were weighed, and their morphological traits were measured. We determined the sex of hatchlings and unhatched embryos by genetic analysis and found higher male embryonic mortality at 35.5 °C (44 males vs. 28 females) and a higher proportion of female hatchlings at 38 °C (24 males vs. 38 females); however, these results were not statistically significant. Our results suggest that Mallard females do not differentiate quantitatively between sexes during egg production. Male hatchlings were significantly larger but not heavier than females. The size difference between sexes was most pronounced at temperatures around 36 °C, which is the mean temperature of naturally incubated Mallard eggs.

Signatures of diversifying selection and convergence acting on passerine Toll-like receptor 4 in an evolutionary context.

Positive selection acting on Toll-like receptors (TLRs) has been recently investigated to reveal evolutionary mechanisms of host-pathogen molecular co-adaptation. Much of this research, however, has focused mainly on the identification of sites predicted to be under positive selection, bringing little insight into the functional differences and similarities among species and a limited understanding of convergent evolution in the innate immune molecules. In this study, we provide evidence of phenotypic variability in the avian TLR4 ligand-binding region (LBR), the direct interface between host and pathogen molecular structures. We show that 55 passerine species vary substantially in the distribution of electrostatic potential on the surface of the receptor, and based on these distinct patterns, we identified four species clusters. Seven of the 34 evolutionarily nonconservative and positively selected residues correspond topologically to sites previously identified as being important for lipopolysaccharide, lipid IVa or MD-2 binding. Five of these positions codetermine the identity of the charge clusters. Groups of species that host-related communities of pathogens were predicted to cluster based on their TLR4 LBR charge. Despite some evidence for convergence among taxa, there were no clear associations between the TLR4 LBR charge distribution and any of the general ecological characteristics compared (migration, latitudinal distribution and diet). Closely related species, however, mostly belonged to the same surface charge cluster indicating that phylogenetic constraints are key determinants shaping TLR4 adaptive evolution. Our results suggest that host innate immune evolution is consistent with Fahrenholz's rule on the cospeciation of hosts and their parasites.

Cardiovascular Function in Long-Term Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Survivors.

Peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), as measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), is a powerful independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in a broad range of populations. We assessed the safety and feasibility of CPET in aging long-term hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors, a population at high risk for premature onset of CVD. Next, we examined how organ-specific impairments (eg, cardiac, pulmonary, hematologic) impact VO2peak after HCT. Twenty consecutive HCT survivors underwent a comprehensive assessment of cardiopulmonary health that included CPET, echocardiography with strain, pulmonary function testing, 6-minute walk test, and timed up and go. Median age at assessment was 67.4 years (range, 42 to 75), and median time from HCT was 9.8 years (range, 3 to 20). No adverse events were observed during CPET procedures, and 95% of studies were considered to be at "peak" effort (respiratory exchange ratio ≥ 1.10). VO2peak was on average 22% less than predicted, and allogeneic HCT survivors had markedly lower VO2peak when compared with autologous HCT survivors (18.2 mL/kg/min versus 22.2 mL/kg/min; P = .05). Six participants (30%) had VO2peak ≤ 16 mL/kg/min, a threshold associated with a 9-foldrisk of death in patients undergoing HCT. Despite the presence of normal (>50%) resting left ventricular ejection fraction in all participants, 25% had markedly abnormal left ventricular longitudinal strain, an advanced echocardiographic measure of myocardial dysfunction. These findings highlight the role of stress-based measures and advanced myocardial imaging to characterize CVD risk in HCT survivors, setting the stage for tailored interventions to prevent CVD with its attendant morbidity and mortality.

Outcomes after thrombus aspiration for ST elevation myocardial infarction: 1-year follow-up of the prospective randomised TOTAL trial.

BACKGROUND: Two large trials have reported contradictory results at 1 year after thrombus aspiration in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In a 1-year follow-up of the largest randomised trial of thrombus aspiration, we aimed to clarify the longer-term benefits, to help guide clinical practice. METHODS: The trial of routine aspiration ThrOmbecTomy with PCI versus PCI ALone in Patients with STEMI (TOTAL) was a prospective, randomised, investigator-initiated trial of routine manual thrombectomy versus percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) alone in 10,732 patients with STEMI. Eligible adult patients (aged ≥18 years) from 87 hospitals in 20 countries were enrolled and randomly assigned (1:1) within 12 h of symptom onset to receive routine manual thrombectomy with PCI or PCI alone. Permuted block randomisation (with variable block size) was done by a 24 h computerised central system, and was stratified by centre. Participants and investigators were not masked to treatment assignment. The trial did not show a difference at 180 days in the primary outcome of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, or heart failure. However, the results showed improvements in the surrogate outcomes of ST segment resolution and distal embolisation, but whether or not this finding would translate into a longer term benefit remained unclear. In this longer-term follow-up of the TOTAL study, we report the results on the primary outcome (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, or heart failure) and secondary outcomes at 1 year. Analyses of the primary outcome were by modified intention to treat and only included patients who underwent index PCI. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01149044. FINDINGS: Between Aug 5, 2010, and July 25, 2014, 10,732 eligible patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to thrombectomy followed by PCI (n=5372) or to PCI alone (n=5360). After exclusions of patients who did not undergo PCI in each group (337 in the PCI and thrombectomy group and 331 in the PCI alone group), the final study population comprised 10,064 patients (5035 thrombectomy and 5029 PCI alone). The primary outcome at 1 year occurred in 395 (8%) of 5035 patients in the thrombectomy group compared with 394 (8%) of 5029 in the PCI alone group (hazard ratio [HR] 1·00 [95% CI 0·87-1·15], p=0·99). Cardiovascular death within 1 year occurred in 179 (4%) of the thrombectomy group and in 192 (4%) of 5029 in the PCI alone group (HR 0·93 [95% CI 0·76-1·14], p=0·48). The key safety outcome, stroke within 1 year, occurred in 60 patients (1·2%) in the thrombectomy group compared with 36 (0·7%) in the PCI alone group (HR 1·66 [95% CI 1·10-2·51], p=0·015). INTERPRETATION: Routine thrombus aspiration during PCI for STEMI did not reduce longer-term clinical outcomes and might be associated with an increase in stroke. As a result, thrombus aspiration can no longer be recommended as a routine strategy in STEMI. FUNDING: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Network and Centre for Trials Internationally, and Medtronic Inc.

Myocardial blush and microvascular reperfusion following manual thrombectomy during percutaneous coronary intervention for ST elevation myocardial infarction: insights from the TOTAL trial.

AIMS: Thrombectomy during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been thought to be an effective therapy to prevent distal embolization and improve microvascular perfusion. The TOTAL trial (N = 10 732), a randomized trial of routine manual thrombectomy vs. PCI alone in STEMI, showed no difference in the primary efficacy outcome. This angiographic sub-study was performed to determine if thrombectomy improved microvascular perfusion as measured by myocardial blush grade (MBG). METHODS AND RESULTS: Of the 10 732 patients randomized, 1610 randomly selected angiograms were analysable by the angiographic core laboratory. Primary outcomes included MBG and post-PCI thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade. Secondary outcomes included distal embolization, PPCI complications, and each component of the complications. The primary end point of final myocardial blush (221 [28%] 0/1 for thrombectomy vs. 246 {30%} 0/1 for PCI alone group, P = 0.38) and TIMI flow (712 [90%] TIMI 3 for thrombectomy vs. 733 [89.5%] TIMI 3 for PCI alone arm, P = 0.73) was similar in the two groups. Thrombectomy was associated with a significantly reduced incidence of distal embolization compared with PCI alone (56 [7.1%] vs. 87 [10.7%], P = 0.01). In multivariable analysis, distal embolization was an independent predictor of mortality (HR 3.00, 95% CI 1.19-7.58) while MBG was not (HR 2.73, 95% CI 0.94-5.3). CONCLUSIONS: Routine thrombectomy during PPCI did not result in improved MBG or post-PCI TIMI flow grade but did reduce distal embolization compared with PCI alone. Distal embolization and not blush grade is independently associated with mortality.

Abundance-area relationships in bird assemblages along an Afrotropical elevational gradient: space limitation in montane forest selects for higher population densities.

The usual positive inter-specific relationship between range size and abundance of local populations can have notable exceptions in Afrotropical montane areas, where range-restricted bird species are unusually abundant. We tested how the area occupied locally by passerines and their geographic range size relate to local abundances along a tropical elevational gradient of Mt Cameroon, West-Central Africa. Data on bird assemblages were collected at six forested elevations (350, 650, 1100, 1500, 1850 m, 2200 m a.s.l.) using a standardised point count at 16 locations per elevation. Elevational ranges of birds were compiled from published sources and their geographic range sizes were determined as the occupancy of 1° x 1° grid cells. The observed relationship between local abundance and geographic range size within the entire passerine assemblage on Mt Cameroon disagrees with the most frequently reported positive pattern. However, the patterns differ among elevations, with positive trends of the abundance-range size relationship in lowland changing to negative trends towards higher elevations. Interestingly, the total assemblage abundances do not differ much among elevations and population size estimates of species occupying different parts of the gradient remain relatively constant. These patterns are caused by relatively high abundances of montane species, which might be a result of long-term ecological specialization and/or competitive release in species-poor montane locations and possibly facilitated by an extinction filter. Our data suggest that montane species' abilities to maintain dense populations might compensate for less area available near mountain tops and help these populations to circumvent extinction.

Stroke in the TOTAL trial: a randomized trial of routine thrombectomy vs. percutaneous coronary intervention alone in ST elevation myocardial infarction.

AIMS: TOTAL (N = 10 732), a randomized trial of routine manual thrombectomy vs. percutaneous coronary intervention alone in ST elevation myocardial infarction, showed no difference in the primary efficacy outcome but a significant increase in stroke. We sought to understand these findings. METHODS AND RESULTS: A detailed analysis of stroke timing, stroke severity, and stroke subtype was performed. Strokes were adjudicated by neurologists blinded to treatment assignment. Stroke within 30 days, the primary safety outcome, was increased [33 (0.7%) vs. 16 (0.3%), hazard ratio (HR) 2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-3.75]. The difference in stroke was apparent within 48 h [15 (0.3%) vs. 5 (0.1%), HR 3.00; 95% CI 1.09-8.25]. There was an increase in strokes within 180 days with minor or no disability (Rankin 0-2) [18 (0.4%) vs. 13 (0.3%) HR 1.38; 95% CI 0.68-2.82] and in strokes with major disability or fatal (Rankin 3-6) [35 (0.7%) vs. 13 (0.3%), HR 2.69; 95% CI 1.42-5.08]. Most of the absolute difference was due to an increase in ischaemic strokes within 180 days [37 (0.7%) vs. 21 (0.4%), HR 1.71; 95% CI 1.03-3.00], but there was also an increase in haemorrhagic strokes [10 (0.2%) vs. 2 (0.04%), HR 4.98; 95% CI 1.09-22.7]. Patients that had a stroke had a mortality of 30.8% within 180 days vs. 3.4% without a stroke (P < 0.001). A meta-analysis of randomized trials (N = 21 173) showed an increase in risk of stroke (odds ratio 1.59; 95% CI 1.11-2.27) but a trend towards reduction in mortality odds ratio (odds ratio 0.87; 95% CI 0.76-1.00). CONCLUSION: Thrombectomy was associated with a significant increase in stroke. Based on these findings, future trials must carefully collect stroke to determine safety in addition to efficacy.

Sperm competition in tropical versus temperate zone birds.

Sperm competition represents an important component of post-copulatory sexual selection. It has been argued that the level of sperm competition declines in birds towards the equator. However, to date, sperm competition estimates have been available mainly for avian species inhabiting the northern temperate zone. Here we apply a novel approach, using the coefficient of between-male variation (CV(bm)) in sperm size as an index for sperm competition risk, in a comparative analysis of 31 Afrotropical and 99 northern temperate zone passerine species. We found no difference in sperm competition risk between the two groups, nor any relationship with migration distance. However, a multivariate model indicated that sperm competition risk was highest in species with a combination of low body mass and few eggs per clutch. The effect of clutch size was most pronounced in tropical species, which indicates that sperm competition risk in tropical and temperate species is differently associated with particular life-history traits. Although tropical species had lower sperm competition risk than temperate zone species for overlapping clutch sizes, the idea of a generally reduced risk of sperm competition in tropical birds was not supported by our analysis.

Proactive Patient Safety: Focusing on What Goes Right in the Perioperative Environment.

OBJECTIVE: Adverse events in the perioperative environment, a potential risk to patients, may be mitigated by nurturing staff adaptability and resiliency. An activity called "One Safe Act" (OSA) was developed to capture and highlight proactive safety behaviors that staff use in their daily practice to promote safe patient care. METHODS: One Safe Act is conducted in-person in the perioperative environment by a facilitator. The facilitator gathers an ad hoc group of perioperative staff in the work unit. The activity is run as follows: staff introductions, purpose/instructions of the activity, participants self-reflect about their OSA (proactive safety behavior) and record it as free text in an online survey tool, the group debriefs with each person sharing their OSA, and the activity is concluded by summarizing behavioral themes. Each participant completed an attitudinal assessment to understand changes in safety culture perception. RESULTS: From December 2020 to July 2021, a total of 140 perioperative staff participated (21%, 140/657) over 28 OSA sessions with 136 (97%, 140/136) completing the attitudinal assessment. A total of 82% (112/136), 88% (120/136), and 90% (122/136) agreed that this activity would change their practices related to patient safety, improve their work unit's ability to deliver safe care, and demonstrated their colleagues' commitment to patient safety, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The OSA activity is participatory and collaborative to build shared, new knowledge, and community practices focused on proactive safety behaviors. The OSA activity achieved this goal with a near universal acceptance of the activity in promoting an intent to change personal practice and increasing engagement and commitment to safety culture.

Clinicians' Perspectives on Proactive Patient Safety Behaviors in the Perioperative Environment.

Importance: The perioperative environment is hazardous, but patients remain safe with a successful outcome during their care due to staff adaptability and resiliency. The behaviors that support this adaptability and resilience have yet to be defined or analyzed. One Safe Act (OSA), a tool and activity developed to capture self-reported proactive safety behaviors that staff use in their daily practice to promote individual and team-based safe patient care, may allow for improved definition and analysis of these behaviors. Objective: To thematically analyze staff behaviors using OSA to understand what may serve as the basis for proactive safety in the perioperative environment. Design, Setting, and Participants: This qualitative thematic analysis included a convenience sample of perioperative staff at a single-center, tertiary care academic medical center who participated in an OSA activity during a 6-month period in 2021. All perioperative staff were eligible for inclusion. A combined deductive approach, based on a human factor analysis and classification framework, as well as an inductive approach was used to develop themes and analyze the self-reported staff safety behaviors. Exposures: Those selected to participate were asked to join an OSA activity, which was conducted in-person by a facilitator. Participants were to self-reflect about their OSA (proactive safety behavior) and record their experience as free text in an online survey tool. Main Outcome and Measures: The primary outcome was the development and application of a set of themes to describe proactive safety behaviors in the perioperative environment. Results: A total of 140 participants (33 nurses [23.6%] and 18 trainee physicians [12.9%]), which represented 21.3% of the 657 total perioperative department full-time staff, described 147 behaviors. A total of 8 non-mutually exclusive themes emerged with the following categories and frequency of behaviors: (1) routine-based adaptations (46 responses [31%]); (2) resource availability and assessment adaptations (31 responses [21%]); (3) communication and coordination adaptation (23 responses [16%]); (4) environmental ergonomics adaptation (17 responses [12%]); (5) situational awareness adaptation (12 responses [8%]); (6) personal or team readiness adaptation (8 responses [5%]); (7) education adaptation (5 responses [3%]); and (8) social awareness adaptation (5 responses [3%]). Conclusions and Relevance: The OSA activity elicited and captured proactive safety behaviors performed by staff. A set of behavioral themes were identified that may serve as the basis for individual practices of resilience and adaptability that promote patient safety.

Local electrogram delay recorded from left ventricular lead at implant predicts response to cardiac resynchronization therapy: retrospective study with 1 year follow up.

BACKGROUND: Considerable proportion of patients does not respond to the cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). This study investigated clinical relevance of left ventricular electrode local electrogram delay from the beginning of QRS (QLV). We hypothesized that longer QLV indicating more optimal lead placement in the late activated regions is associated with the higher probability of positive CRT response. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, single-centre analysis of 161 consecutive patients with heart failure and LBBB or nonspecific intraventricular conduction delay (IVCD) treated with CRT. We routinely intend to implant the LV lead in a region with long QLV. Clinical response to CRT, left ventricular (LV) reverse remodelling (i.e. decrease in LV end-systolic diameter - LVESD ≥10%) and reduction in plasma level of NT-proBNP >30% at 12-month post-implant were the study endpoints. We analyzed association between pre-implant variables and the study endpoints. RESULTS: Clinical CRT response rate reached 58%, 84% and 92% in the lowest (≤105 ms), middle (106-130 ms) and the highest (>130 ms) QLV tertile (p < 0.0001), respectively. Longer QRS duration (p = 0.002), smaller LVESD and a non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (both p = 0.02) were also univariately associated with positive clinical CRT response. In a multivariate analysis, QLV remained the strongest predictor of clinical CRT response (p < 0.00001), followed by LVESD (p = 0.01) and etiology of LV dysfunction (p = 0.04). Comparable predictive power of QLV for LV reverse remodelling and NT-proBNP response rates was observed. CONCLUSION: LV lead position assessed by duration of the QLV interval was found the strongest independent predictor of beneficial clinical response to CRT.

Traits and ecological space availability predict avian densities at the country scale of the Czech Republic.

Species' geographical distributions and abundances are a central focus of current ecological research. Although multiple studies have been conducted on their elucidation, some important information is still missing. One of them is the knowledge of ecological traits of species responsible for the population density variations across geographical (i.e., total physical area) and ecological spaces (i.e., suitable habitat area). This is crucial for understanding how ecological specialization shapes the geographical distribution of species, and provides key knowledge about the sensitivity of species to current environmental challenges. Here, we precisely describe habitat availability for individual species using fine-scale field data collected across the entire Czech Republic. In the next step, we used this information to test the relationships between bird traits and country-scale estimates of population densities assessed in both geographical and ecological spaces. We did not find any effect of habitat specialization on avian density in geographical space. But when we recalculated densities for ecological space available, we found a positive correlation with habitat specialization. Specialists occur at higher densities in suitable habitats. Moreover, birds with arboreal and hole-nesting strategies showed higher densities in both geographical and ecological spaces. However, we found no significant effects of morphological (body mass and structural body size) and reproductive (position along the slow-fast life-history continuum) traits on avian densities in either geographical or ecological space. Our findings suggest that ecological space availability is a strong determinant of avian abundance and highlight the importance of precise knowledge of species-specific habitat requirements. Revival of this classical but challenging ecological topic of habitat-specific densities is needed for both proper understanding of pure ecological issues and practical steps in the conservation of nature.

Distal radial access and postprocedural ultrasound evaluation of proximal and distal radial artery.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the patency of the proximal and distal radial artery after coronary procedures performed via the distal radial artery (DRA). Ultrasound (US) as the most reliable method was used to diagnose radial artery occlusions (RAO). We evaluated 115 patients who underwent catheterization via distal radial access (dTRA). Following the procedure and after successful hemostasis (80 ± 36 min), arterial patency and diameter at conventional transradial access (cTRA) and distal puncture sites (either in the anatomical snuffbox or the dorsal distal RA) were assessed. No RAO were found in the proximal or distal RA and there were no significant other complications. The mean diameter of the radial artery at conventional puncture site was 2.86 ± 0.49 mm and at distal puncture site 2.31 ± 0.47 mm (p < 0.001). Postprocedural compression time of dTRA was very short. In conclusion distal radial access was associated with the absence of early arterial occlusion, significant local bleeding and other relevant complications.

Moth Diversity Increases along a Continent-Wide Gradient of Environmental Productivity in South African Savannahs.

Environmental productivity, i.e., the amount of biomass produced by primary producers, belongs among the key factors for the biodiversity patterns. Although the relationship of diversity to environmental productivity differs among studied taxa, detailed data are largely missing for most groups, including insects. Here, we present a study of moth diversity patterns at local and regional scales along a continent-wide gradient of environmental productivity in southern African savannah ecosystems. We sampled diversity of moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) at 120 local plots along a gradient of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from the Namib Desert to woodland savannahs along the Zambezi River. By standardized light trapping, we collected 12,372 specimens belonging to 487 moth species. The relationship between species richness for most analyzed moth groups and environmental productivity was significantly positively linear at the local and regional scales. The absence of a significant relationship of most moth groups' abundance to environmental productivity did not support the role of the number of individuals in the diversity-productivity relationship for south African moths. We hypothesize the effects of water availability, habitat complexity, and plant diversity drive the observed moth diversity patterns.

Distal Versus Conventional Radial Access for Coronary Angiography and Intervention: The DISCO RADIAL Trial.

BACKGROUND: Currently, transradial access (TRA) is the recommended access for coronary procedures because of increased safety, with radial artery occlusion (RAO) being its most frequent complication, which will increasingly affect patients undergoing multiple procedures during their lifetimes. Recently, distal radial access (DRA) has emerged as a promising alternative access to minimize RAO risk. A large-scale, international, randomized trial comparing RAO with TRA and DRA is lacking. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the superiority of DRA compared with conventional TRA with respect to forearm RAO. METHODS: DISCO RADIAL (Distal vs Conventional Radial Access) was an international, multicenter, randomized controlled trial in which patients with indications for percutaneous coronary procedure using a 6-F Slender sheath were randomized to DRA or TRA with systematic implementation of best practices to reduce RAO. The primary endpoint was the incidence of forearm RAO assessed by vascular ultrasound at discharge. Secondary endpoints include crossover, hemostasis time, and access site-related complications. RESULTS: Overall, 657 patients underwent TRA, and 650 patients underwent DRA. Forearm RAO did not differ between groups (0.91% vs 0.31%; P = 0.29). Patent hemostasis was achieved in 94.4% of TRA patients. Crossover rates were higher with DRA (3.5% vs 7.4%; P = 0.002), and median hemostasis time was shorter (180 vs 153 minutes; P < 0.001). Radial artery spasm occurred more with DRA (2.7% vs 5.4%; P = 0.015). Overall bleeding events and vascular complications did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: With the implementation of a rigorous hemostasis protocol, DRA and TRA have equally low RAO rates. DRA is associated with a higher crossover rate but a shorter hemostasis time.

A geographical perspective on the relationship between Impatiens spur lengths and bill lengths of sunbirds in Afrotropical mountains.

Trait matching-a correlation between the morphology of plants and their pollinators-has been frequently observed in pollination interactions. Different intensities of natural selection in individual regions should cause such correlations to be observable across different local assemblages. In this study, we focused on matching between spur lengths of the genus Impatiens and bill lengths of sunbirds in tropical Africa. For 25 mountain and island locations, we compiled information about the composition and traits of local Impatiens and sunbird assemblages. We found that assemblage mean and maximum values of bill lengths were positively correlated with mean and maximum spur lengths across locations. Moreover, our results suggest that the positive correlations hold only for forest sunbird assemblages sharing the same habitat with Impatiens species. We further show that long-billed sunbirds seem to locally match the morphology of multiple Impatiens plant species, not vice versa. Our observation implies that trait matching significantly contributes to structuring of Impatiens-sunbird pollination systems. We suggest that special habitat preferences together with spatial isolation of mountain environment might play a role in this case.

Comparison of gadodiamide-enhanced MR angiography to intraarterial digital subtraction angiography for evaluation of renal artery stenosis: results of a phase III multicenter trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 0.1 mmol/kg gadodiamide administration for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in detecting hemodynamically relevant renal artery stenosis (RAS) when compared with intraarterial digital subtraction angiography (IA-DSA) as the gold standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a multicenter, controlled study, 395 patients with suspected or known RAS were included. Three independent readers evaluated the MRA images. Two readers evaluated the IA-DSA images and subsequently achieved consensus. The sensitivities and specificities of gadodiamide-enhanced MRA were analyzed at the per-patient and per-vessel levels (exact 1-sided binomial test at alpha = 0.025 with 95% confidence interval). RESULTS: A total of 335 patients who had available standard of truth and MRA tests were included in the all-subjects efficacy population: 55.5% (186/335) men and 44.5% women with a mean age of 63 +/- 13 years (range 17-85 years). The sensitivities and specificities ranged from 81% to 86% for all independent readers at the per-patient analysis based on subjects with the diagnostic images. Similar results were achieved with per-vessel level analysis. Fewer than 1% of patients had adverse event associated with gadodiamide administration. There were no cases of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) reported. CONCLUSION: Gadodiamide administration at the labeled dose of 0.1 mmol/kg for contrast-enhanced MRA achieved equivalent results compared to IA-DSA in evaluation of RAS and was well tolerated.